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| 1. | Read the extract and answer the questions that follow:Softly, O softly we bear her along, She hangs like a star in the dew of our song She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide, She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride, Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing, We bear her along like a pearl on a string.a. Why do the palanquin bearers carry the bride singing? What is this song about?b. What is the bride compared to in the above stanza?c. What contradiction is there in the poem? Why has the poet used it? | 
| Answer» a. The palanquin bearers carry the bride singing because it is an auspicious and a joyous occasion. The bride is going to her husband’s house with many expectations. The song is all about her in which she is described very gloriously. b. The bride is compared to a star, a beam, a tear and finally, a pearl on a string. In doing so, the poet is heightening the effect of the glory being given to the bride on the momentous occasion in her life. c. The contradiction is when the poet describes the bride as “she floats like a laugh” and then she writes “she falls like a tear”. It is deliberate because the bride is in tears at her separation from her family. But, she laughs because she is going to be united with the love of her life and begin a new and exciting life. | |