My Hobby Reading (Poem)
Poem: My Hobby – Reading
Warm-up
- What are your leisure-time activities? Why do you do them?
- Do you read books? What types of books do you read?
My Hobby: Reading
by Arunachalam Chandrasekharan
My hobby is reading
It helps me
In thought breeding…
It takes me to places
Near and far,
It keeps my rational
Doors ajar…
It teaches me
To cackle and cry
Without wings
It lets me fly…
I wish
If all the children could read,
In constructing a vigorous society,
Then we shall succeed…
Glossary
- breeding – procreation
- rational – intelligence
- ajar – slightly open
- cackle – informal laugh
- constructing – establish / create
- vigorous – powerful
1. Comprehension Questions
- What is the hobby of the poet?
- What does ‘ajar’ mean?
- Can the poet fly without wings?
- What can children do to society if they read?
- What is the theme of the poem?
2. Multiple Choice
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, tick the most suitable option to complete the statements.
Reading
a) wastes my time.
b) helps me think deeply about everything.
c) keeps me busy.
d) helps me in thought breeding. ✔
My hobby
a) arguing in the court.
b) working in hospitals.
c) taking me far and near. ✔
d) selling goods in a wholesale market.
Reading
a) helps me to weep and cry.
b) lets me fly without wings. ✔
c) works in fields to produce food.
d) helps me asleep quickly.
Reading
a) blesses the children who read.
b) helps the children to construct society. ✔
c) blesses the teachers who teach.
d) blesses the farmers who produce food.
3. Complete the Table
| The poet mentions | The lines in the poem describe | The rhymes used | Meaning of the line |
| Thought breeding | “It helps me / In thought breeding…” | me – breeding | Deep thinking & idea generation |
| Opens rational doors | “It keeps my rational / Doors ajar…” | far – ajar | Expands intelligence & understanding |
| Fly without wings | “Without wings / It lets me fly…” | cry – fly | Freedom of imagination |
| Constructing society | “In constructing a vigorous society…” | read – succeed | Building a strong nation through literacy |
Figure of Speech
A Figure of Speech is a word or a phrase which gives a different meaning from the usual one. It is used figuratively, to give an implied meaning to the given context.
a. Rhyming Words
Rhyming words are two or more words which have the same sound. They usually occur at the end of the lines in a poem.
Example Poem: A Tiny Little Plant
Deep in the heart of a little seed,
Lay buried so, so deep,
A tiny little plant fast asleep.
Answer the following:
1. List the rhyming words in the first three lines.
seed – deep – asleep
- Which word in the poem rhymes with ‘light’?
bright
b. Rhyme Scheme
A Rhyme Scheme is a specific pattern used in a poem which determines which lines rhyme.
Example:
Upon a nice mid-spring day, a
Let’s take a look at Nature’s way, a
Breathe the scent of nice, fresh air, b
Feel the breeze within your hair. b
…
Rhyme scheme: aabb ccdd
Answer the following:
a) Identify the rhyme scheme of the given short poem.
My dog likes bones, a
He eats them up, b
He’s very sweet, c
He’s just a pup. b
Answer: abcb
b) Complete this poem on your own with an abab rhyme scheme.
Peas porridge hot, a
Peas porridge cold, b
Peas porridge in the pot, a
Nine days old. b
Parallel Reading
Good Books
by Edgar Guest
Good books are friendly things to own.
If you are busy they will wait.
They will not call you on the phone
Or wake you if the hour is late.
They stand together row by row,
Upon the low shelf or the high.
But if you're lonesome this you know:
You have a friend or two nearby.
The fellowship of books is real.
They're never noisy when you're still.
They won't disturb you at your meal.
They'll comfort you when you are ill.
The lonesome hours they'll always share.
When slighted they will not complain.
And though for them you've ceased to care
Your constant friends they'll still remain.
Good books your faults will never see
Or tell about them round the town.
If you would have their company
You merely have to take them down.
They'll help you pass the time away,
They'll counsel give if that you need.
He has true friends for night and day
Who has a few good books to read.
Practice Practice Exercises
What are your leisure time activities?
Why do you do them?
Do you read books?
What types of books do you read?
1. What is the hobby of the poet?
2. What does ‘ajar’ mean?
3. Can the poet fly without wings?
4. What can children do to society if they read?
5. What is the theme of the poem?
a) wastes my time.
b) helps me think deeply about everything.
c) keeps me busy.
d) helps me in thought breeding.
a) arguing in the court.
b) working in hospitals.
c) taking me far and near.
d) selling goods in a wholesale market.
a) helps me to weep and cry.
b) lets me fly without wings.
c) works in fields to produce food.
d) helps me asleep quickly.
a) blesses the children who read.
b) helps the children to construct society.
c) blesses the teachers who teach.
d) blesses the farmers who produce food.