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Travel (Poem - Grade 6)

The document provides analysis of the poem "Travel" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. It summarizes the key details of the poem, including that the narrator longs to travel on a train to see the world and meet new friends, despite being far from the railway. The analysis discusses literary devices like rhyme and symbolism used in the poem. It also answers questions about the poem's themes, like what the train represents and why the narrator feels drawn to it.

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2K views3 pages

Travel (Poem - Grade 6)

The document provides analysis of the poem "Travel" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. It summarizes the key details of the poem, including that the narrator longs to travel on a train to see the world and meet new friends, despite being far from the railway. The analysis discusses literary devices like rhyme and symbolism used in the poem. It also answers questions about the poem's themes, like what the train represents and why the narrator feels drawn to it.

Uploaded by

W1z Ard
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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‘`Running notes:

Central idea of the poem


The narrator is preoccupied with a desire to travel.
The narrator is longing to travel and earnestly desires to go out and see the world and
make friends.
self-gratification through imagination
Her desire to travel is more enjoyable to her than reaching her destination. She is engrossed
in the very idea of travelling by train and because of that, she hears the whistle of the train
amidst all sorts of noise.
What does the train represent in this poem?
Ans.- An opportunity to go out and see the world.
What are the sounds the speaker hears during the day?
Ans-She hears the loud voices of the people around her and also the whistle of the train
passing by in the distance.
Why is she preoccupied with the train though it is nowhere nearby? 
Ans- She thinks of it as a way of travelling to distant lands and making new friends.
Why is the speaker so keen on taking a train?
Ans- She may be bored with the present surroundings or she may feel a fascination for the
unknown, thinking it could be better than what is familiar.
Poem summary: 
The speaker in the poem says that though the day is filled with the loud chatter of people and
though the railway track is far away from her home, she hears the train whistle during the day
as it goes by- deep longing to escape her routine life.
She also adds that though the night is meant for sleeping and dreaming, she sees the embers
rising from the engine and hears it chugging along. Longing is deep rooted, profound and
ardent even though the train is nowhere close by.
She says that she does have good friends but would love to travel to make new friends
wherever the train may take her.
The train is a symbol for the poet’s desire to travel the world and have exciting experiences.
The poet has used rich, descriptive language which makes us see and hear the train, just as
she does. This language also captures the longing that she feels to go out and explore the
world. 
 What are the advantages of having friends from your neighbourhood and friends in distant
places? 
3. ‘The grass is always greener on the other side.’ What kind of people think so?
Write the following in blue pen.
About the poet: Writes in America. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.  Her work reflects both
traditional & modern elements of poetry. She died on October 18, 1950, in Austerlitz, New
York.
Poetic devices:
Rhyme: Alternate lines rhyme : away – speaking – day – shrieking; by – dreaming – sky –
steaming; make – knowing – take – going. 
‘Travel’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay is a short three-stanza poem that is divided into sets of
four lines, or quatrains. These sets of lines follow the rhyming pattern of 
Symbolism: The train symbolises the exotic as opposed to the familiar. "Travel" is
a wonderful example of the power of simple but vividly descriptive words, used to create a
clear picture that conveys exactly the message intended by the poet.
Repetition: - sounds: speaking – shrieking – dreaming – steaming. (Sounds similar to the
whistle of trains) There isn’t a train goes by…

 ANNOTATE THE FOLLOWING:


“ And better friends I’ll not be knowing..”
Who are these ‘better friends’?
Ans. These ‘better friends’ are people who the speaker imagines she would meet, if she were
to take a train and travel. 
ii) What makes the speaker call them ‘better’?
Ans. The speaker calls them ‘better’ because the very idea of going on a journey and gaining
new experiences makes her feel that the people that she will perhaps meet will be more
exciting and likeable than the ones she already knows. 
iii) Has she met them? Does she expect to meet them at all?
Ans. No, she has not met them and does not expect to meet them anytime soon. 

Answer the following questions:

Q1. What, according to the speaker, is the night for? What is she doing instead?
Ans. The speaker says that the night is meant for sleep and dreaming. However, instead of
sleeping, she is thinking about what it would feel like to get away on a train. 

Q2. How will a train fulfil the speaker’s yearning to travel? What does it tell us about her
state of mind and the way she feels about her life?
Ans. The speaker seeks the thrill of adventure and the excitement of new experiences. This
comes from the fact that she is unable to break away from her dull existence. She wants to
explore and travel around the world, see more places and meet different people, thus is
willing to take a train to any place. This tells us that she wants to experience something new,
exciting and different in her life and perhaps finds her current routine a little dull and boring. 

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