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English–I

Notes Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
1. ‘Where the mind is without fear’ was written by Tagore.
2. Tagore sketches a moving picture of the nation he would like India to be.
3. Tagore’s dream about country was people hold their head straight.

18.2 Explanation

“Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;”—Explain
These lines are taken from Tagore’s poem ‘Where The Mind is Without Fear’. In this poem
Tagore dreams about a socio-spiritual utopia where there is a fearless human spirit of boldness
and a strong sense of self-respect for all human beings. The freedom of knowledge is a liberal
ambiance, an anti-colonial strain can be heard here. what Tagore seems to oppose here is the
hegemonic power of knowledge as tapped by the Ideological State Apparatus.
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where worlds come out from the depth of truth;”—Explain
This is the imagination of a unified, peaceful and healthy world where there are no class/
race/moral fragmentation and meanness. He also aspires for a spiritual honesty in linguistic
representation and an unproblematic relation between the word and the world.
“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;”—Elucidate

In the imagined utopia, there would be an endless perfectionist journey in terms of cultural
and social development. There would be revolutionary potential and a tendency towards new
ideas in this world. It will not be dominated by ‘dead habit’ of conformity. The revolution
would be backed by clear logic.

“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.”— Elucidate
There would be harmony in between thought and action in that world of honesty and the
mind will strive towards a spiritual union with the divine spirit. The poem ends with an
invocation to the divine father to uplift the existing reality to this paradise of liberty. The
indication is clearly towards an independence from British bondage as far as India is
concerned.

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:
4. Where The Mind is Without Fear is written by
(a) Khushwant Singh (b) Anita Desai
(c) Rabindernath Tagore (d) none

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