(i) Who is the speakerin the poem?

(ii) With your partnerlist out the happenings the speaker is worried about.

(iii) Why do you thinkshe/he has these worries? Can you think of ways to get rid of suchworries?

(i)The speaker in the poem is a child who has his fears, doubts, whims,and fancies.

(ii)The speaker is worried if he was dumb in school, if they had closedthe swimming pool, if he got beaten up, if there was poison in hiscup, if he started to cry, if he got sick and died, if he flunkedthat test, if green hair grew on his chest, if nobody liked him, if abolt of lightning struck him, if he did not grow taller, if his headstarted getting smaller, if the fish would not bite, if the wind toreup his kite, if they started a war, if his parents got divorced, ifthe bus was late, if his teeth did not grow in straight, if he torehis pants, if he never learnt to dance. Hence, everything seemednegative and depressing to him.

(iii)The child has these worries because it was night time and thus, hewas not doing anything, but lying in his bed. It brought himdepressing thoughts that otherwise did not bother him when he wasplaying with his friends or busy with his usual routine of going toschool. These thoughts started occurring to him and he startedimagining what if the worst struck. He wondered certain probablethings such as what would happen if he failed in his test or if histeeth did not grow straight. However, his mind also wondered on manyunlikely things such as green hair growing on his chest or if hishead started getting smaller. As is said that “an empty mind isa devil’s workshop”, the child thinks of such fearfulthings, which make him wonder what if such a dangerous thing struckhim.

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