The Voice of the Rain class 11 NCERT Solutions  

  
The Voice of the Rain class 11 NCERT Solutions: The Voice of the Rain is the poem number 3 from class 11 NCERT English main text-book. The poem 'The Voice of the Rain' is composed by the poet Walt Whitman. Here you'll get The Voice of the Rain class 11 NCERT Solutions. 

The Voice of the Rain class 11 Questions Answers

In this post you will get to read topics related to the poem the voice of the rain by Walt Whitman are as follows...

• the voice of the rain central idea of the poem 
• the voice of the rain summary in English
• the voice of the rain textbook questions answers
• the voice of the rain poetic devices used in the poem
• the voice of the rain short questions answers
• the voice of the rain important questions answers
• the voice of the rain extra questions answers. 

The voice the rain central idea of the poem

The poem "the voice of the rain" by Walt Whitman signifies the eternal role that the rain plays in nurturing, quenching and purifying the various elements of Earth.

The rain returns the favour to its place of origin from where it rises unseen from the depths of the water and from the land. The rain itself is explaining to the reader about its origin, work and its cyclic movement.

A comparison has also been drawn between rain and music as both of them make the world more lively and return to their place of origin after fulfilling their purpose.

The Voice of the Rain Summary in English

In this poem "the voice of the rain" the Poet "Walt Whitman" writes of a conversation he once had with rain. It happened when the raindrops gently from the heavens.

The poet asks the rain “Who are you ?” and strangely the rain replies “I am the poem of the earth.” Moreover, the rain said that it was born in the form of invisible and intangible vapours. This vapour rises eternally from the deep water bodies / bottomless sea and land.

After that, it reaches heaven / the sky and changes its look to form clouds that can change shapes. But still, it remains the same at its core.

Then again it returns to earth as little droplets that wash away with dust and restore the drought-ridden, dry land. Due to its action,  It provides life to the seeds inside the earth and helps them grow which otherwise remained hidden and unborn inside the land as mere seeds.

Hence this perpetual cyclic lifestyle ensures that the rain returns to its origin. It gives life to earth making it pure and beautiful.

After hearing the rain’s story the poet realises that it life resembles that of any song. And the song’s birthplace is the poet’s heart. When the song is complete it wanders from one place to another. As it travels it may change or remain the same, But one day, it returns to the poet with all due love of the listeners.

However, the poem is written from the point of view of someone who asks the rain who it was ? And the rains answer him “I am the song of the Earth.” And then it continues to till how it comes from the earth, only to return once again to wash it and nourish it…that if it were not for the rain, the seeds would remain seeds and we won’t get any flowers from them.

Also, if the rain hasn’t return then the seeds would remain seeds and not flower into the full potential and giving back life to its origin. Afterwards, the poem turns into a story which tells a song.

The song tells the story of rain its birth-place, wandering, Reck’d or unchecked duly with love returns. It means that songs come from the soul after they’ve been heard, and thought good or bad, return with love.

When the rain rises and falls the poem also do the same. Like songs and other forms of beauty from the soul. Besides, the rain is like a song that originates from its birth-place i.e. the heart of the poet.

Moreover, it travels everywhere around the globe and returns back to the poet in the form of praise. However, whether it is ruined or not, and it returns back with a lot of love for its birth-place.

The voice of the rain poetic devices used in the poem

• Personification: The rain has been personified as it has been given a voice in the poem.

• Metaphor: “I am the Poem of the Earth”. The poet uses a metaphor to compare how the rain leaves the ground to come back to the ground, giving back to it much like a person who leaves its home, only to come back after fulfilling its journey.

• Parallelism/Simile: In the last two lines, the poet has drawn a parallel between the rain and the song of a poet.

• Hyperbole: ‘Bottomless sea’ is an example of hyperbole. The poet describes sea as bottomless which is an exaggerated statement to bring out the desired effect.

• Imagery: In the first line of the poem, ‘Soft-falling shower’ gives the reader an image of gentle rain or drizzle. During the dialogue between the poet and the rain, it creates an image of showers or drops of water falling down from the heavens to Earth and infusing it with greenery, purity and beauty.

The voice of the rain class 11 textbook questions answers

• Page No 42
Think It Out  
Q1. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to ? Which lines indicate this ?
Ans: The two voices in the poem are the voice of the rain and the voice of the poet. The poem begins in a conversational tone. The lines are “And who art thou? Said I ……..” and ‘I am the poem of Earth’.
Or
One of them belongs to the poet and the other to the rain. These are indicated in
lines 1-2 and 3-9 respectively.

Q2. What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean ? 
Ans: The phrase ‘strange to tell’ means that it is an unusual and extraordinary answer given by the rain drops to the poet who asked who ‘it was’.

Q3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this ? Explain the similarity between the two. 
Ans: 'I am the poem of Earth’
‘For song, issuing from its birth place.

After fulfillment, wandering, reck’d orUnreck’d, duly with love returns. They both return to the place of their origin after fulfilling their tasks.

Q4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem ? Compare it with what you have learnt in science. 
Ans: The poet explains that the rain drops in the form of water vapour rise up from land and sea and then descend again on the earth and dry land in order to wash it down and hence comes back to its origin. This is the cyclic movement explained by the poet.

Q5. Why are the last two lines put within brackets ? 
Ans: The last two lines are put within brackets because they do not form the voice of the rain or the poet. They only contain a general observation made by the poet about the course of a song.

Q6. List the pair of opposites found in the poem. 
Ans:(a) Day, night
    (b) Reck’d, unreck’d
    (c) Rise, descend

B. Notice the sentence pattern in the following:
Rewrite these sentences in prose.

(i) And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower.
(ii) I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain.
(iii) Eternal I rise
(iv) For song duly with love returns.

Ans:
(i) I said to the soft-falling shower, “Who are you?”
(ii) The voice of the rain said, “I am the poem of Earth.”
(iii) I rise eternally.
(iv) For song returns duly with love.

The voice of the rain short questions answers, 

Q1. What is the similarity between rain and music ? 
Ans: They both return to the place of their origin after fulfilling their tasks.

Q2. How did the poet look at the rain? What did he ask it ? 
Ans: The poet  looked at the rain as ‘the soft falling shower’ and asked who she was.

Q3. How does the rain justify its claim: ‘I am the Poem of Earth’ ? 
Ans: In poem ‘The Voice of the Rain,’ the rain is personified and describes what it is and what it does. In short, the poem describes the cycle of rain.

Q4. What is the cycle of the song ? What does it represent ? 
Ans: The cycle of the song is that it issues from its birthplace and fulfilment and moving reck’d unreck’d returns to its origin with love.

Q5. From where does the rain rise eternally ? 
Ans: Due to evaporation, water vapours rise out of the land and the bottomless sea upwards. They cool down as raindrops.

Q6. “Eternal, I rise impalpable”. What gives eternity to rain ? 
Ans: Rain water cycle makes it eternal as it rises out of the land and deep sea. It gathers in the sky, changes its form and then comes down to the earth.

Q7. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate this ? 
Ans: The two voices in the poem are the voice of the rain and the voice of the poet. The lines are “And who art thou ? Said I ……..” and ‘I am the poem of Earth’.

The voice of the rain important questions answers

Q1. What does the phrase ‘strange to tell’ mean ? 
Ans: The phrase ‘strange to tell’ means that it is an unusual and extraordinary answer given by the rain drops to the poet who asked who ‘it was’.

Q2. What answer did the rain give to the poet about its origin ? 
Ans: The rain answered that it was the poem of the earth. It rose eternally out of the land and bottomless sea into the sky. There its form changed but essence remained the same.

Q3. What answer does rain give to the poet about its origin ? 
Ans: The rain answered the poet that it was the Poem of Earth. It rose eternally out of the land and the bottomless sea into the sky. There, it is formed vaguely and changed its form. But it remains the same.

Q4. The poem begins in a conversational tone. Who are the two participants in this conversation ? 
Ans: The two participants are the poet and the rain. The poet makes the rain relate its own story. This direct presentation makes the narration more authentic, interesting and captivating.

Q5. Why is rain compared to music ? 
Ans: The poet compares the rain with music. The poet watches the falling showers of the rain. The showers are falling very lightly producing a soft music. Like music, rain too is life giving and inspirational. It spreads love and joy.

Q6. What does the rain do day and night to the things ? 
Ans: The rain gives back life to its own origin and continues making it pure and beautiful. This action of rain is automatic. It is a source of life to all things without which it would remain seeds only.

Q7. On what does the rain descent ? What does it do to those things on which it falls ? 

Ans: The rain descends on droughts, atoms and dust particles on the surface of the earth. It also falls on everything that is there. It gives life to those things on which it falls. The things not getting it remain seeds only, latent and unborn.

Q8. What does the rain do to the things day and night ? 
Ans: The rain falls on the earth, and washes away the drought, it also helps the seeds to germinate and bring forth new life on the earth. Without it, all life on earth would become lifeless.

The voice of the rain extra questions answers

Q1. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem ? HS 2015, 17, 18, 23
Ans: The poet explains that the rain drops in the form of water vapour rise up from land and sea and then descend again on the earth and dry land in order to wash it down and hence comes back to its origin. This is the cyclic movement explained by the poet.

Q2. Why are the last two lines put within brackets ? 
Ans: The last two lines are put within brackets because they do not form the voice of the rain or the poet. They only contain a general observation made by the poet about the course of a song.

Q3. On what does the ‘rain descend’ ? What does it do to the things on which it falls ? 
Ans: The rain descends on droughts, atoms and dust particles on the surface of the earth. It also falls on everything that is on the earth. It gives life to the things on which it falls. The things that do not get rain remain like seeds latent and unborn.

Q4. ‘Behind the apparent simplicity, the poem hides a deep meaning’. What exactly does the poem convey to the reader ? 
Ans: The poem conveys that like a poem, the rain is also everlasting and has an unbreakable chain of life cycle. It rises from the earth, comes back to it. The song also issues from its birth place, wanders here and there, whether heeded to or not, returns with love to its own origin.

Q5. What questions does the poet put the rain and how does he feel when he gets the answer ? 
Ans: The poet watches the falling showers of the rain. The showers are falling very lightly producing a soft music. The poet is fascinated and asks who it is. Strangely enough, the rain itself answer the questions posed to it. The poet feels really surprised to get an answer and translates the answer into his own language.

Q6. Behind the apparent simplicity, the poem hides a deep meaning. What exactly does the poem convey to the reader ? 
Ans: The poem is not merely a description of life-cycle of rain. It has deeper meaning. Rain is a poem or thing of beauty of Earth and so is song or music. The comparison between rain and music and their function, making the Earth pure and beautiful conveys the eternal role of natural phenomenon and art in real life.

Q7. How does the rain describe herself in the poem ‘The Voice of the Rain’ ? 
Ans: The rain calls itself poem of earth. It is everlasting and perpetual. It is something that cannot be touched. It originates from the land and the deep sea. Then it rises upward to heaven where it changes its forms into a cloud, yet remains the same in quality. From the sky it pours down on earth to wash the dry thin particles and dust layers of the earth. The rain helps the unborn seeds to sprout. These seeds lay hidden and unborn under the layer of earth. Rain gives back life to its origin making it pure and beautiful.

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