NCERT Flamingo – Class 12 English Core
Poem 2: Keeping Quiet – Pablo Neruda
Page 91 – Think It Out
Q1. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
Answer:
Counting to twelve and keeping still will give us a moment of introspection, silence, and calm. It will help us stop our restless activities, end the rush of life, and reflect on ourselves. It can create peace, understanding, and unity among human beings.
Q2. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
Answer:
No. The poet clearly says he wants no association with death. He does not want total inactivity but only a temporary pause in our busy lives to appreciate silence, reflect on ourselves, and live more meaningfully.
Q3. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?
Answer:
The sadness is humanity’s failure to understand itself. People are obsessed with progress, violence, and destruction without self-reflection. This results in loneliness, conflict, and fear of death.
Q4. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
Answer:
He uses the example of the Earth. In winter everything seems dead, but later, in spring, life flourishes again. This shows that silence and stillness can lead to regeneration and renewal.
Extra Questions & Answers
Q1. What is the significance of “twelve” in the poem?
Answer: It symbolises the twelve hours of the clock and twelve months of the year — a complete cycle of time, representing universality.
Q2. How can silence bring about peace and brotherhood?
Answer: In silence, people stop quarrelling, reflect on their common humanity, and feel connected, free from divisions of race, language, or nationality.
Q3. What does the image of “wars with gas, wars with fire” represent?
Answer: It represents the destructive wars and violence caused by human greed and hostility, which could be prevented by moments of introspection.
Q4. What lesson can human beings learn from the Earth?
Answer: That apparent stillness is not the end. Like the Earth regenerates after winter, moments of silence and rest can lead to renewal and a better life.
Q5. How is the poem relevant today?
Answer: In a world filled with conflicts, environmental destruction, and stress, Neruda’s call for silence, reflection, and unity is more relevant than ever.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Explain the central idea of the poem Keeping Quiet.
Answer:
The central idea of Pablo Neruda’s poem Keeping Quiet is the importance of introspection, silence, and mutual understanding in human life. The poet asks people to take a pause from their busy lives, count to twelve, and remain still. This stillness is not inactivity or death but a chance to reflect on our actions, to realise the futility of violence, war, and exploitation. He imagines a world where fishermen would stop killing whales, salt-gatherers would rest and heal, and soldiers would put aside weapons. The poet reminds us that the Earth itself teaches us that apparent stillness is not lifelessness; from winter comes the regeneration of spring. Thus, keeping quiet becomes a symbol of peace, renewal, and universal brotherhood.
Q2. How does Neruda use nature as a symbol in the poem?
Answer:
Neruda draws parallels between nature and human life to stress the value of silence. He invokes the Earth as a symbol: though it appears dead in winter, it regenerates with life in spring. This shows that silence and stillness are not the end but a stage before renewal. Similarly, if humans pause their destructive actions, they can rejuvenate and live in harmony. The “wars with gas and fire” contrast with the natural cycle of peace and regeneration. By using simple but powerful natural imagery, Neruda makes his message universal and accessible — teaching that silence and reflection can lead to new life, just as nature renews itself.
Q3. How is the poem Keeping Quiet a call for universal brotherhood?
Answer:
The poem appeals to all humanity, beyond borders of nationality, race, and religion. Neruda asks everyone to count to twelve and keep quiet together. This symbolic act unites people, as silence transcends language and culture. He imagines a world where fishermen, labourers, and soldiers all pause their harmful activities, realising their shared humanity. The silence would dissolve barriers, creating empathy and understanding. By avoiding violence and embracing peace, people would feel like brothers instead of enemies. Thus, the poem is a global call for harmony and coexistence.
Q4. Discuss the relevance of the poem Keeping Quiet in today’s world.
Answer:
The poem remains highly relevant in modern times. Today, humanity faces wars, terrorism, environmental destruction, consumerism, and relentless competition. People seldom pause to reflect on the consequences of their actions. Neruda’s suggestion of keeping quiet symbolises the need to slow down, introspect, and reconsider our choices. If nations paused before war, if industries paused before exploiting nature, much suffering could be avoided. Even in personal life, silence brings mental peace in the age of stress and digital noise. The poem urges us to find harmony with ourselves, others, and nature — a message that is timeless.
Q5. How does the poet differentiate between ‘stillness’ and ‘total inactivity’? Why is this distinction important?
Answer:
Neruda clarifies that his call for silence is not an invitation to death. Total inactivity is lifelessness, but stillness is a temporary pause to reflect and rejuvenate. This distinction is crucial because people might misunderstand silence as death or inertia. The poet instead advocates a conscious stillness — stopping violence, stopping endless labour, and stopping wars for a moment. This pause would allow humans to gain self-awareness, heal relationships, and reconnect with nature. By differentiating stillness from death, Neruda emphasises that silence is life-giving, not life-denying.
Q6. What human activities does Neruda criticise in the poem? How does he propose to correct them?
Answer:
Neruda criticises human greed and violence:
-
Fishermen killing whales.
-
Salt-gatherers overworking themselves.
-
Soldiers waging wars with gas and fire.
-
People blindly pursuing progress without reflection.
He proposes a correction through silence and stillness. By pausing these destructive actions, people would understand their futility and choose peace and harmony instead. His solution is simple yet powerful — stop for a moment, keep quiet, and reflect. This alone could change the course of human life towards compassion and brotherhood.