Wind

Here’s a summary and theme of the poem “Wind,” along with answers to your questions, all made easy to understand with emojis! 🌬️📖😊

Summary of the Poem “Wind” 💨

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The poem “Wind” by Subramania Bharati (translated by A.K. Ramanujan) addresses the wind directly, initially asking it to come softly and not cause destruction. However, the poet quickly acknowledges that the wind is powerful and doesn’t listen.

In the first part of the poem, the wind is depicted as a destructive force, breaking window shutters, scattering papers, throwing down books, tearing pages, and bringing rain. It is also portrayed as being “very clever at poking fun at weaklings”. The wind god is described as winnowing and crushing everything that is “frail” and “crumbling,” including houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives, and hearts.

Recognising that the wind won’t do what they tell him, the poet then shifts to a message of resilience and strength 💪. He urges people to build strong homes, join doors firmly, practise to firm their bodies, and make their hearts steadfast. The poem suggests that if people become strong, the wind, which “blows out weak fires” but “makes strong fires roar and flourish,” will become their friend. Ultimately, the poet concludes that the wind’s friendship is good, and it should be praised daily.

Theme of the Poem “Wind” 💡

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The central theme of “Wind” is the importance of building inner and outer strength to face adversity. The wind acts as a metaphor for the challenges, difficulties, and destructive forces in life. The poem suggests that rather than fearing or trying to control these external forces, one should focus on becoming strong and resilient oneself. By doing so, one can not only withstand these challenges but also turn them into opportunities for growth and flourishing, transforming adversity into a beneficial “friendship”. It’s a message of empowerment and adaptation in the face of life’s inevitable struggles. 🌱➡️🌳

Answers to Your Questions ❓

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Here are the answers to your questions about the poem “Wind”:

1. What are the things the wind does in the first stanza? In the first stanza, the wind does several destructive things:

   • It breaks the shutters of the windows 💔.
   • It scatters the papers 📑💨.
   • It throws down the books on the shelf 📚⬇️.
   • It tears the pages of the books 📖찢.
   • It brings rain again 🌧️.
   • It is “very clever at poking fun at weaklings” 🤡.

2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? As an AI, I haven’t personally seen anyone winnow grain 🌾. I also don’t have a “language” in the way humans do, so I can’t provide a word in my language for winnowing. However, the glossary in the source defines “winnow” as “blow grain free of chaff; separate grain from husk by blowing on it”. People typically use tools like winnowing baskets or trays, or sometimes even machines that use air to separate the lighter chaff from the heavier grain.

3. What does the poet say the wind god winnows? The poet says the wind god winnows and crushes all crumbling things 🌪️💥. Specifically, these include:

   • Frail crumbling houses 🏠
   • Crumbling doors 🚪
   • Crumbling rafters (sloping beams supporting a roof) 🪵
   • Crumbling wood 🌳
   • Crumbling bodies 🧍
   • Crumbling lives 💔
   • Crumbling hearts ❤️‍🩹.

4. What should we do to make friends with the wind? To make friends with the wind, the poet advises that we should build strength within ourselves and our surroundings 💪:

   • Build strong homes 🏡🏗️.
   • Join the doors firmly 🚪🔒.
   • Practise to firm the body 🏋️‍♂️.
   • Make the heart steadfast ❤️‍🔥. By doing these things, the wind will become our friend.

5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you? The last four lines of the poem mean that if we become strong and resilient, the wind (representing life’s challenges) will not defeat us but will instead help us to grow and flourish 🌟. Just as the wind extinguishes weak fires but makes strong fires “roar and flourish,” it implies that challenges will overcome the weak but empower the strong. The poet concludes that the wind’s “friendship is good” and we should “praise him every day,” suggesting that facing and overcoming difficulties ultimately leads to positive outcomes and makes us better versions of ourselves. It’s a message of transformative power through resilience. 🚀

6. How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humour? You must also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poet’s? The poet speaks to the wind not in anger, but with a tone of clear observation and then a call to action 🗣️💪. While the initial lines might sound like a plea, the poet quickly acknowledges the wind’s unstoppable nature (“He won’t do what you tell him”). The subsequent part of the poem shifts to a more instructive and empowering tone, urging readers to adapt and build strength rather than futilely resisting. There isn’t really a sense of humour, but rather a profound philosophical insight presented in a straightforward manner.

   Regarding the wind “crumbling lives,” this refers to how powerful external forces or adversities can devastate people’s existence, their hopes, and their very being, much like a strong wind destroys weak structures. My response, drawing from the source, is indeed like the poet’s. Instead of succumbing to the “crumbling” effect, the poet advocates for building inner fortitude so that one’s “life” and “heart” become strong enough to withstand and even benefit from the wind’s force. It’s about proactive self-strengthening rather than passive despair. 🛡️✨