“Daybreak” By H. W. Longfellow (L.A.Q) Long Questions and Answers, Class XI, WBCHSE

Daybreak by H. W. Longfellow

Daybreak Questions and Answers

Daybreak LAQ Long Questions and Answers

1)What role does the wind play in announcing the beginning of the day? How is the final couplet different from the rest of the poem? [3+2] [Annual Exam 11 – 2014]

OR

How does the wind play the role of a messenger to activate the world for a day? [5] [Annual Exam 11 – 2022]

Ans. In H. W. Longfellow’s poem “Daybreak”, the wind rises from the sea and serves as a messenger of nature by announcing the start of each day. It urges the mists to make room for it. All of nature’s elements, including the ships, the mariners, the forest, wood-bird, chanticleer, cornfield, and belfry tower, are awakened by the wind as it passes by. It can also be personified as a human being who acts like a mentor or a guide. It signals the start of a new day as a messenger of nature. Thus, it gives the living world new hope.

The poem’s final couplet contradicts the whole of it by stating that the wind cannot raise the dead from their graves. It is not the time for the dead to rise. So, the wind tells them to rest peacefully till the day of the final judgement.

2)Narrate the wind’s activities as presented in the poem ‘Daybreak’. [5] [Annual Exam 11 – 2015, 2018]

OR

Give the substance of the poem ‘Daybreak’.[5]

Ans. In ‘Daybreak’, Longfellow personifies the wind as a human being who awakens the natural objects at the very beginning of a day. Coming out of the sea, the wind urges the mists to make a room for it. Then it greets the ships and tells the mariners to sail on. It hurries landwards far away and tells everyone to wake up who comes on its way. Again it urges the forests to hang all their leafy banners out. It tells the wood-bird to rise and singby touching its wings. While crossing over the farm, it asks the chanticleer to blow its clarion. Then the wind whispers to the cornfield to bow down and welcome the morning. While passing through the belfry tower, the wind asks the bells to ring and proclaim the hour. But when the wind reaches the churchyard, it does not tell the dead to wake up. Rather, with a deep sigh, it informs them that it is not their time to wake up.

3)Who takes the responsibility of announcing the breaking of the day? How is the feat achieved? [1+4] [Annual Exam 11 – 2016]

Ans. In H. W. Longfellow’s poem “Daybreak”, the wind takes the responsibility of announcing the breaking of the day.

Coming out of the sea, the wind urges the mists to make a room for it. Then it greets the ships and tells the mariners to sail on. It hurries landwards far away and tells everyone to wake up who comes on its way. Again it urges the forests to hang all their leafy banners out. It tells the wood-bird to rise and singby touching its wings. While crossing over the farm, it asks the chanticleer to blow its clarion. Then the wind whispers to the cornfield to bow down and welcome the morning. While passing through the belfry tower, the wind asks the bells to ring and proclaim the hour. But when the wind reaches the churchyard, it tells the dead not to wake up. With a deep sigh, it informs them that it is not their time to wake up.

4)Justify the title of the poem ‘Daybreak’. [5] [Annual Exam 11 – 2017, 2019]

Ans. The word ‘daybreak’ means the start of a new day i.e. dawn. The title of the poem “Daybreak”, perfectly captures its main idea. As the night is over, the wind, coming out of the sea, urges everyone who comes its way to wake up. With fresh optimism and delight, a new day has arrived. Hence, by signalling the start of the day, the wind asks everyone to give up their inactivity and be active. Although the wind is unable to wake up the dead in the churchyard, it awakens the ships, mariners, wood-bird, chanticleer, belfry tower etc. The wind tells them to welcome the new, fresh morning at daybreak. Thus, the title of the poem is appropriate.

Click Here To Get The Chapter Wise Questions And Answers Of Class XI, WBCHSE

5)”It crosses the Churchyard with a sigh” – Who crosses the churchyard? Why did it sigh? What did the wind say while crossing the churchyard? Why did it say so? [1+1+1+2] [Annual Exam 11 – 2020]

Ans. In Longfellow’s poem ‘Daybreak’, the wind crosses the churchyard.

The wind sighs when it reaches the churchyard for the deads.

While crossing the churchyard, the wind says to the deads not to wake up because their time has not yet come to wake up.

According to the Bible, all the deads will rise at the end of the world on the Final Judgement Day. So, the wind asks them not to wake up till the day of Final Judgement.