Class: 11 ... Compulsory English ... Unit: 2 ... Chapter: 1 ... Poem Title: Corona Says ... Poet: Vishnu S. Rai

 

Class: 11       Compulsory English

   Unit 2       Chapter 1      Poems

Poem Title: Corona Says
Poet: Vishnu S. Rai

About the poet:

Vishnu S. Rai (1951-) was educated in India, Nepal, and the U.K. He taught English at Tribhuvan University for three decades and retired as Professor of English Language Education. Rai writes both in English and Nepali. He has written stories 'Martyrs & Other Siories' (English), play 'Realities' (English), travelogues 'Nau Dandapari' (Nepali), and a novel 'Paheli' (Nepali).

But above all he is a poet and he has published 'Sudama' (a semi epic in Nepali), 'Jeevan' (a collection of poems in Nepali), 'Vagabond Verses' (a collection of poems in English), and 'Tritiyaki joon' (a collection of songs and gazals in Nepali, and his English poems are taught in Nepal and abroad. Rai is known as a poet of human emotions.

About the poem:

The poem, 'Corona Says', written on the theme of the present world crisis of Corona and its devastating impact on human life, is a subtle satire on man's conduct and attitude.

It views Covid 19 as the byproduct of man's treatment to nature.

Corona Says

Stop crying,
Oh man,
Stop cursing me
And listen.
I didn't come here
of my own free will.
I was invited.
Believe me,
I had no choice
but to visit you.
How many lives were lost
Because of me?
You count.
But have you ever counted
How many have died so far
Because of you and your wars?

You call yourself
'the crown of creation'.
What about the others,
Those who fly in the sky,
Those who live in the ocean,
Those who crawl on the earth,
And those, the sources of your oxygen?
You think they all are your slaves
Who you can sell or kill
At your will.

Don't blame me.
I just wanted to show you
How clean the blue sky looks
Without dust and smoke.
I wanted you to realise
How caged animals feel
In a zoo.

I came
Not to give you a test.
I came
So that mother Earth
Could have a little rest.

You claim that you know everything.
I just wanted you to know yourself
The earth is not your property alone -
It's as much ours as yours.

Sure,
I will depart one day,
But remember
There're many others like me.
They'll come too.
If you don 't get rid of your inflated ego,
You'll be back to your cave time
That you endured
Long, L o n g   L o n g  ago ...

Before Reading

Answer these questions.

a. What is pandemic? Describe a pandemic that you have heard about in the history.

Ans: A pandemic is defined as an epidemic occurring worldwide. It usually affects a large number of people.

Throughout human history, there have been a number of pandemics of disease, such as smallpox and tuberculosis. The most fatal pandemic in recorded history was the black death or the plague, which killed an estimated 75-200 million people in the 14th century. Other known pandemics are. 1988-influenza pandemic (Spanish flu), COVID-19, and HIV/AIDS.

b. Is Corona Virus a pandemic? How?

Ans: Yes, CoronaVirus is a pandemic. It affects many people throughout the world. Most people infected with COVID-19 virus will experience mild-moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. It is rapidly spreading around the world. It can easily be transmitted to the people.

c. Do you think that human behaviour is responsible for the pandemic?

Ans: Yes. Human actions, like the degradation of the environment, help in the formation of the virus. Human's eating habit and scientific research are also the main causes of the virus's spreading all over the world.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Who is the speaker in the poem?

Ans: In this poem, Corona is the speaker who has brought upon severe impacts in the lives of human beings.

b. Who claim that they are superior to all?

Ans: The human beings claim that they are superior to all.

c. Why has the speaker come to the Earth?

Ans: Actually, the speaker hasn't come to the earth on his own free will. Instead, he was invited. The speaker corona is here to take revenge for what humans have done to nature. Moreover, it aims at giving her a little rest and make humans realize that they are not the almighty and the earth is the common habitat for all living organisms.

d. What positive changes have occurred on Earth after the speaker's visit?

Ans: After the speaker's visit, various positive changes have occurred on the earth. Some of them are enlisted below:

(i) Environmental pollution is minimized.
(ii) Nature has become dust free and fresh.
(iii) Humans have learnt to use natural resources properly.
(iv) Their ego has been transformed into fear.
(v) Humans have leant to be satisfied with what they have.

Reference to the context

a. What does the speaker mean when he says:

But have you ever counted
How many have died so far
Because of you and your wars?

Ans: These beautiful lines have been taken from Vishnu S. Rai's wonderful poem "Corona says”. Here, we find Corona as the main speaker who is talking to a man of the present world. The speaker says to the addressee about the bad aspect of war and thinking of superiority possessed by him. He wants to make the man realise about the impacts of inhumane wars. The speaker is blaming human beings for killing many people through their wars. He is asking about the calculation of the number of war-borne deaths.

b. Explain the following:

I will depart one day.
But remember
There're many others like me.
They'll come too.
If you don't get rid of your inflated ego,
You'll be back to your cave time
That you endured
Long, l o n g, l o n g ago …

Ans: These lines have been adopted from Vishnu S. Rai's wonderful poem 'Corona Says'. Here, we find Corona as the main speaker, who is talking to a man of the present world. Here, the speaker is warning the human about future circumstances. He is informing him about his fellow living creatures, who are similar to him. He says that one day he will depart from the planet but if humans don't get rid of their inflated egos, other similar viruses will keep appearing, thereby forcing them to go back to the caves as before. That will be the worst situation for the sufferers.

c. What does the speaker mean in the following lines? Explain.

The earth is not your property alone -
It's as much ours as yours.

Ans: Here, Corona is making the human realise that the earth belongs to all the creatures, not only the humans. Moreover, he means to say that the earth isn't their property alone. Every creature residing on this planet has the right to survive. Corona is asking us to keep our ego at check.

Reference beyond the text

a. What human behaviours are responsible for the suffering in people's lives?

Ans: Human behaviours are the sole causes behind all these sufferings of the people. Due to human egos and bad deeds, the present world is facing a crisis. Many people have lost their lives during this critical period. Due to their selfish nature, the earth and the creatures living on its lap have faced numerous problems of disease. Their ego and war for capturing nature has snatched the lives of many people.

b. How does an epidemic differ from pandemic? Briefly explain the impact of Corona Virus on human life and environment.

Ans: An epidemic is a widespread disease that affects many people in a population. In contrast, a pandemic is a disease that affects a wide geographical area and a large proportion of the population.

Corona virus is considered as one of the unforgettable threats of the twenty-first century. This disease has taken the lives of people at a very high level. People in the world are panic-stricken and fearful. Covid-19 has created devastating results in human's history. Due to this pandemic, people are seen sanitizing the environment every time.

In the poem's final lines, the speaker gives an important warning to mankind. Accordingly, if they don't change their ways, there will be a huge problem that could push civilization all the way back to cave. Human beings should learn the lesson from this poem and change their behaviour.

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