Where the mind is without fear by Rabindranath Tagore

Discovering the Beautiful Poem of India by the great Poet Mr. Rabindranath Tagore.

1. Where the Mind is w ithout Fear Rabindra n ath Tagore (May 7, 1861 – August 7, 1941)

2. Literary Background of India Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. Poetry in foreign languages such as Persian and English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.

3. Rabindranath Tagore He was born at Calcutta,  Bengal Presidency, British India. He is the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Tagore introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature.

4. He wrote over one thousand poems; E ight volumes of short stories; Almost two dozen plays and play-lets; Eight novels; A nd many books and essays on philosophy, religion, education and social topics

5. About the Poem It is a prayer to a universal father-figure, that is, the God Almighty. The poem, with its inspiring lines, elaborates Tagore's vision of a new, enlightened India.

6. Where the mind is without fear Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high  Where knowledge is free  Where the world has not been broken up into fragments  By narrow domestic walls  Where words come out from the depth of truth  Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection  Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way  Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit  Where the mind is led forward by thee  Into ever-widening thought and action  Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

7. Imagery The poet draws a picture of free India. He dreamt of a country with no boundaries. He prays for the welfare of the country.

8. Theme The poet desires peace and prosperity among his countrymen and prays that his country might attain overall welfare and self-reliance. Alliteration the h ead is h eld h igh

9. Assonance tireless striving stretches ... Repetition of “s” sound. dreary desert sand of dead habit Repetition of “d” sound. freedom, my Father Repetition of “f” sound.

10. Figurative Speech Anaphora The word 'where' is being repeated at the beginning of all the clauses/statements. Synecdoche 'country' means the people of the country.

11. Metaphor the big world is compared to many small rooms separated by 'narrow domestic walls'; words coming out from 'the depth of truth' gives us the impression of a fountain/spring on the comparative level; 'the clear stream of reason' is a comparison between reason and a flowing stream; and 'dead habit' that chokes the clarity of reason is compared to 'the dreary desert'; ‘Freedom’ is regarded as heaven. (comparison of heaven as freedom.)

12. Personification ‘Tireless striving' which is an abstract idea has been assigned with a human aspect in 'stretches its arms‘ ‘Country’ which is personified to be awake. Apostrophe Father, let my country awake

13. Line by Line interpretation Lines 1-2 The poet pledges to the Almighty that his country should be free from any fear of domination or forced compulsion. He wants that everyone in his country should be free to hold their heads high in dignity . He dreams of a nation where knowledge or education would be free that is education should not be restricted to the upper class only but everybody should be free to acquire knowledge.

14. Line 3 The author wishes for a world which is not ‘fragmented ’ (isolated) by prejudices based on caste, creed, color, religion or other baseless superstitions . Line 4 Prejudices and superstitions should not divide the people in groups and break their unity. Line 5  He wants a nation where people are truthful, not superficial and words should come out from the depth of their hearts.

15. Line 6 The author talks about desire for a country where people would strive without getting tired to reach perfection leaving behind prejudices and old traditions. Lines 7-9 The author wants the power of reason to dominate the minds of his countrymen, he does not want the ‘stream of reason’ to be lost amongst outdated customs and traditions and only that can direct the mind towards selfless thoughts and everlasting action.

16. Lines 10-12 The author asks the ‘Father’, presumably God to awaken his country into such a heaven of freedom.

17. Implication Like the author Rabindranath Togere we should always aim for freedom; freedom of mind, speech, thought, belief, practice & behavior, because these are the things that will molds us.

18. Bibliography beamingnotes.com Wikipedia.com Reviewed by: Ringgit Espiritu Aguilar BSEd-3 English