In the Street of the Fruit Stalls | 1st Year English Book 3 Notes

Here are the notes of the poem “O Where Are You Going” for the students of 1st year. 11th class students belong to all Boards of Punjab can read these “O Where Are You Going” book-3 notes online or they can also download them by clicking on the download button below.

Reference to the Context

These lines have been taken from the poem “In the Street of the Fruit Stalls” by Jan Stallworthy. In this poem, the poet describes the evening scene of a dark street, which has different fruit stalls in it. A few children with a few coins are present in the street. They buy fruit and eat.

Explanation

In the given lines, the poet describes the scene of a street after sunset. There are different fruit stalls in the street. There are Mellon, guava, and mandarin n the stalls. The fruit on the stalls is arranged (set) in a conical shape. It looks like cannon balls. The colour of the fruit from inside is red and gold. A few children are also standing around the stalls. They buy some fruit and open it to eat. The juice of the fruit makes their fingers, mouth, cheeks, and nose wet. These parts of their bodies are glowing in the light of the lamps. The poet is also standing in the street. But the children are unaware of his presence. Their whole attention is to the fruit, which they are eating.

Questions and Answers

Q. What are the names of fruit mentioned in the poem? “OR” Make a list of the fruit mentioned in the poem.
Ans. Mellon, guava, and mandarin are mentioned in the poem. The fruit is arranged in a conical shape on the stall. It looks like cannon balls because it is round in shape.

Q. What are the poet’s feelings standing in the dark?
Ans. The poet has mixed feelings of joy and sadness. He is sad to see the poor, dirty, and dark children. But he is glad to see them enjoying the fruit.

Q. How do the children enjoy the fruit?
Ans. The children are eating the fruit around the stall. Their fingers, nose, and cheeks are wet with the juice of the fruit but they are enjoying it.

Q. Why has the poet used “cannon balls” to describe the fruit?
Ans. The poet has used cannon balls to describe the fruit because it is round in shape like cannon balls. It is also stacked on the stalls like cannon balls.

Synonyms

1. Who wrote this poem? (Jan Stallworthy)
2. Wicks balance flame, a dark dew falls (a piece of cord or thread that burns in lamp or candle)
3. Melon, guava, mandarin (names of fruit)
4. Pyramid piled like cannon balls (a conical structure or building)
5. Pyramid piled like cannon balls (head, stacked)
6. Pyramid piled like cannon balls (a big gun, mortar)
7. Pyramid piled like cannon balls (shell, projectile, bullet)
8. Glow red hot, gold hot, from within (burn, shine)
9. Enter the lantern’s orbit; find (range, sphere of light)
10. The moon compacted the a rind (packed in, enclosed)
11. The moon compacted the a rind (peel, coat, crust, skin, outer layer)
12. The sun in a pitted skin (rough, uneven, coarse)
13. Radiant as lanterns, they forget ( happy, joyful, glowing, bright)