COMPETITIVE ENGLISH

Wind
Subramania Bharati
Detailed Study Material (Class 9 CBSE English – Beehive)

Wind, come softly. Don’t break the shutters of the windows. Don’t scatter the papers. Don’t throw down the books on the shelf. There, look what you did — you threw them all down. You tore the pages of the books. You brought rain again. You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings. Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling hearts — the wind god winnows and crushes them all. He won’t do what you tell him. So, come, let’s build strong houses. Join the doors firmly. Practise to firm the body. Make the heart steadfast. Do this, and the wind will be friends with us. The wind blows out weak fires. He makes strong fires roar and flourish. His friendship is good. We praise him every day.

About the Poet

Subramania Bharati (1882–1921) was a pioneering Tamil poet, freedom fighter, social reformer, and one of the greatest figures in modern Indian literature. Often called “Mahakavi Bharati”, he wrote passionately on patriotism, women’s rights, social equality, and nature. His works are marked by simplicity, emotional intensity, and revolutionary spirit. “Wind” is translated from his original Tamil poem and uses the wind as a powerful metaphor for life’s challenges.

Central Theme / Main Idea

The poem personifies the wind as a powerful, destructive force that exposes and crushes weakness while strengthening the strong. The central message is that adversities (symbolised by wind) are an inevitable part of life. Instead of fearing or pleading with them, we must build physical, mental, and emotional strength to face them.

Only the strong can befriend challenges and thrive. Weakness invites destruction; strength invites growth and friendship with life’s difficulties.

Secondary themes: Resilience, self-improvement, acceptance of life’s trials, and the idea that obstacles help the deserving succeed.

Stanza-wise Explanation (With Detailed Analysis)

Lines 1–7 (First Stanza)

The speaker pleads with the wind to come gently and not cause destruction—breaking shutters, scattering papers, throwing books, tearing pages, or bringing rain.

Analysis: The wind is addressed directly (personification). The tone is almost childlike and pleading, showing human helplessness before powerful natural forces. This represents how people initially react to problems—begging them to be mild.

Line 8

“You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.”

Analysis: Sarcastic tone. The wind is accused of deliberately targeting and mocking the weak. This highlights how adversities seem to exploit vulnerabilities.

Lines 9–11 (Third Stanza)

The wind god “winnows” and crushes everything weak—houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, hearts.

Analysis: “Winnows” (separating grain from chaff) is a powerful metaphor: wind/adversity separates the strong from the weak. Repetition of “crumbling” emphasises fragility and inevitable destruction of weakness.

Lines 12–17 (Fourth Stanza)

The wind cannot be controlled. Instead, the speaker advises building strong houses, firm doors, strong bodies, and steadfast hearts. Then the wind will become a friend.

Analysis: Shift from pleading to practical advice. The solution lies in self-strengthening, not in controlling external forces. Positive, motivational tone emerges.

Lines 18–21 (Final Stanza)

Wind extinguishes weak fires but makes strong fires roar and flourish. Its friendship is good, so we praise it daily.

Analysis: Contrast between weak and strong outcomes. Wind as a friend to the resilient. Ending on praise shows acceptance and reverence for life’s challenges.

Detailed Summary

The poem begins with the speaker requesting the wind to be gentle and not destroy things. When the wind ignores and causes havoc, the speaker sarcastically calls it clever at bullying the weak. The wind god is shown as a force that crushes all weakness—physical structures, bodies, and hearts. Since the wind cannot be commanded, the speaker urges readers to build strength in homes, bodies, and hearts. Only then will the wind become a friend, extinguishing weak flames but fuelling strong ones. The poem ends by praising the wind, accepting its role in strengthening the worthy.

Poetic Devices (Expanded)

• Personification (Central Device): Wind is addressed as “you”, given human qualities—clever, poking fun, being a friend.
• Metaphor: Wind = life’s problems/adversities; winnowing = testing/separating strong from weak; fire = human spirit/passion.
• Repetition: “crumbling” (anaphora) for emphasis on fragility; “Don’t” in opening lines.
• Alliteration: “scatter the papers”, “blows out… makes… roar”, “firm… flourish”.
• Contrast: Weak vs strong outcomes (blows out weak fires vs makes strong fires roar).
• Sarcasm: “You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.”
• Imagery: Visual and tactile images of destruction and strength.
• Rhetorical Command: Direct advice—“come, let’s build…”

Form, Rhyme, Tone, Mood & Style

• Rhyme Scheme: Free verse (no strict rhyme), but occasional internal rhymes.
• Meter: Irregular, conversational rhythm.
• Verse Form: Five irregular stanzas.
• Type of Poem: Lyric with motivational/philosophical message.
• Tone: Pleading → Sarcastic → Practical → Motivational → Reverent.
• Mood: Initially anxious, then resolute and optimistic.
• Diction: Simple, direct, conversational.
• Style: Direct address, imperative sentences, clear moral.

Extract-Based Questions (CBSE-Style Comprehension)

“Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.”

1. What is the speaker’s tone in these lines?

Pleading and fearful. The repeated use of “Don’t” shows helplessness and a request for mercy.

2. What does the speaker want the wind to do?

To come gently without causing destruction.

3. Identify the poetic device used in the repeated “Don’t”.

Anaphora (repetition at the beginning of lines) and personification.

“You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling hearts —
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.”

4. Explain the phrase “poking fun at weaklings”.

It means the wind deliberately targets and destroys the weak, as if mocking them.

5. What is the significance of the repetition of “crumbling”?

It emphasises the fragility and inevitable destruction of anything weak.

6. What does “winnows” mean here? How is it a metaphor?

Winnows means separating grain from chaff. Here, it metaphorically means the wind separates and crushes the weak while sparing the strong.

“The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.”

7. What contrast is presented in these lines?

The wind extinguishes weak fires but strengthens strong ones.

8. Why do we praise the wind every day?

Because its “friendship” (when we are strong) helps us grow and flourish.

Short Answer Questions (2–3 marks, CBSE Style)

1. What does the wind symbolise in the poem?

The wind symbolises the challenges, difficulties, and adversities in life.

2. How does the poet describe the effect of the wind on weak things?

The wind destroys weak things—crumbling houses, bodies, hearts—and extinguishes weak fires.

3. What advice does the poet give to face the wind?

Build strong houses, join doors firmly, make bodies and hearts strong and steadfast.

4. Why does the poet call the wind “clever”?

It is sarcastic—the wind seems to deliberately target and mock the weak.

5. How can the wind become our friend?

By building physical, mental, and emotional strength; then it will help us grow instead of destroying us.

Long Answer Questions (5–6 marks, CBSE Style)

1. Explain the central message of the poem “Wind” with reference to its imagery and examples.

The central message is that adversities (wind) destroy the weak but strengthen the resilient. Through imagery of crumbling structures and contrasting fires, the poet shows that we must proactively build strength to turn challenges into allies. Detailed reference to winnowing, fires, and advice on strengthening body/heart.

2. How does the tone of the poem change from beginning to end? Support with examples.

The tone shifts from pleading and fearful (“come softly… Don’t…”) to sarcastic (“very clever at poking fun”) to practical and motivational (“let’s build strong houses… make the heart steadfast”) and finally reverent (“We praise him every day”). This mirrors the journey from helplessness to empowerment.

Very Short Answer Questions (Quick Revision)

• Poet: Subramania Bharati
• Central Symbol: Wind = adversities
• Main Message: Build strength to face challenges
• Key Device: Personification
• Tone Shift: Pleading → Motivational
• Metaphor: Winnowing, Fires
• Repetition: “crumbling”, “Don’t”
• Ending Mood: Positive, accepting

Key Insight:
The poem is a powerful motivational piece: life’s difficulties are not to be feared or avoided but embraced through self-improvement. Only by becoming strong—physically, mentally, emotionally—can we transform obstacles into sources of growth and success.

Detailed Professional Study Notes for Class 9 CBSE English (Beehive)
Prepared with CBSE exam pattern in mind – extract-based, short & long answers.