My Own True Family Questions and answers for class X

                            My Own True Family

1.Who wrote the poem ‘My Own True Family’?

 

Ans—Edward James ‘Ted’ Hughes, a famous English poet had written the poem.

2.When did the poet come twice awake?

Ans—When the old woman whom the poet met in an oak wood opened the bag to show a magic, the poet came twice awake.

3 .What did the old woman begin to do ?

Ans—From the poem, ‘My Own True Family’ we come to know that the old woman began to laugh in a shrill way.

4. What did the child begin to do at the woman’s cackle?

Ans—The child began to tremble in fear in the poem, ‘My Own True Family’.

5. What would happen to the poet if he failed to make the promise?

Ans – If the poet failed to make the promise, the black oak tree would wrinkle over him and rooted him among the oak trees. This way he would die.

6. What was it that altered the poet?

Ans –The dream which the poet saw about the ill fate of oak trees has altered the poet completely. When he awoke from his dream he felt compassionate with the trees.

7. In what sense was the poet child twice awake?

Ans—On his first waking, the poet saw the old woman and in the next phase of his dream he woke up to see the tribe of oaks surrounding him in the poem, ‘ My Own True Family’.

8. What happened when the old woman open her bag?

Ans—When the old woman opened her bag, the child found himself tied to a stake and surrounded by a tribe.

9. What condition did the old woman and the tribe lay down to the child to save himself ?

Ans—The old woman and the tribe compelled the child to make a promise that whenever he saw an oak tree felled, he would plant two oak trees as compensation.

10. What would happen if child did not keep his promise?

Ans—If the child did not keep his promise, the black oak bark would wrinkle over him and root him among the oaks.

11. How was the child altered ?

Ans. When the child came out of the oak wood, though his walk was of a human child, his heart seemed to be a tree itself.

12. When did the poet come twice awake?

Ans. In the poem, ‘My Own True Family’ the poet came twice awake when the old woman opened up her little bag.

13. What are the complaints of the oak trees?

Ans.  The complaints of the Oak-trees were that though they were true family members of mankind, the human beings chop them down, torn them up indiscriminately.

14. What did the old woman say?

Ans. The old woman said that she had the poet’s secret inside her little bag.

15. Who introduced themselves as the poets own true family?

Ans. The oak-tree introduced themselves as the poet’s own true family.

About More--

The poem describes the magical experience of a young child in an Oakwood, and indicates that human beings and trees should thrive as a single family. It focuses strongly on the need to protect our natural environment for the welfare of mankind.

EXPLANATION:  “Once I crept in …to a stake”

The poet once went to an oak wood in search of a deer. There he met with a very weak and feeble old woman. She showed a bag to the poet and said that she knew his secret which perhaps made the poet very curious. Then the old woman began to shake her bag in a magical way and suddenly the poet found himself surrounded by a tribe and he was tied to a stake.

EXPLANATION: “They Said…but never grew”

The tribes were nothing but the oak trees and they said to the poet that they are his own true family. They expressed their unhappiness saying that human beings chop them down, they torn them up. They threatened the poet that they would kill him unless he made a promise to stop this. They made the poet to make promise that from now on he would plant more trees whenever one tree is cut. If the poet would not make the promise then the old oak tree would devour him.

EXPLANATION: “This was my dream…heart was a tree”

But this incident is not a real incident. It is happening in the dreams of the poet.  But when the poet wakes up his inner conscience has already transformed. He feels sorry for the trees. He on behalf of mankind realizes his mistake and his heart is filled with compassion for the trees.

A Short Summary of the poem, ‘My Own True Family’.

        When the author was a small boy, he went to forest full of Oak trees. He was chasing and searching for a stag in the forest.  There he met an old woman. She terrified him with her appearance and words too. She made funny bird-like sounds. He trembled with fear. He fell unconscious and probably dreamt a dream that is of utmost significance to today’s world.  In his dream he was tied to a wooden stake.  He was surrounded by a tribe of Oak trees. They were looking at him angrily.  The Oak trees told him that they were his friends and true family. But when they were cut off and torn up, the author had not opposed it at all.  So they asked him to promise that he would plant two trees when one is felled down. If did not swear so, they would kill him and root him at the same place among oaks where was born. Although he was born there, he did not grow up near the forest. So he was not aware not had an attitude of saving trees. When he woke up, this dream changed his mind and heart.  Though he came back to his fellow camp mates, now he was a tree in his heart. So he was determined to save trees and greenery.  Initially the poem reflected the simple and timid mentality of children. Later on the author introduced a lesson for the humanity through the dream of a small boy.