Okay, let’s look at the poem “Keeping Quiet” by Pablo Neruda based on the information in the sources.
Summary of “Keeping Quiet”
The poem “Keeping Quiet” begins with the poet asking everyone to count to twelve and then remain completely still. He suggests a universal moment of silence where no one speaks any language and people stop moving their arms so much. This stillness would create an “exotic moment” free from the usual rush and the noise of engines, bringing everyone together in a sense of “sudden strangeness”. During this time of quiet, the poet pictures specific actions ceasing: fishermen would not harm whales in the cold sea, and the man gathering salt would pause to look at his hurt hands. Even those involved in “green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire” – conflicts that bring “victory with no survivors” – would pause, change their clothes, and walk with their “brothers” in peace.
The poet is careful to explain that this is not a call for total inactivity or association with death. He states clearly that “Life is what it is about” and he wants “no truck with death”. He suggests that our constant focus on keeping life moving prevents us from understanding ourselves, leading to sadness and the threat of self-destruction. A moment of “huge silence” achieved through stillness could interrupt this sadness. Finally, the poet suggests that Nature, specifically the Earth, can serve as a teacher, showing us that life continues even when things appear still or dead. He concludes by repeating the instruction to count to twelve and keep quiet.
Theme of “Keeping Quiet”
The main theme of the poem, as stated in the sources, is the necessity of quiet introspection and creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings. It also highlights the sadness and danger caused by our lack of self-understanding and the conflicts that arise from it, suggesting that a moment of stillness and reflection can help overcome this.
Answers to the Questions:
Here are the answers to the “Think it out” questions, made easy to understand with emojis:
What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieve? Counting up to twelve and keeping still will help us achieve a moment of quiet introspection and universal stillness. It would create an “exotic moment” free from rush and bring everyone together in a sense of “sudden strangeness”. This stillness could also interrupt the sadness we feel from never understanding ourselves and promote mutual understanding with others. 🧘♀️🌍
Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death? No, the poet makes it very clear that he does not advocate total inactivity or death. He states that what he wants “should not be confused with total inactivity”, and that “Life is what it is about” and he wants “no truck with death”. 🌱❌💀
What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem? The ‘sadness’ the poet refers to is the sadness of “never understanding ourselves”. This lack of self-understanding contributes to a state of threatening ourselves with death, and the poet suggests the “huge silence” from keeping still could interrupt this sadness. 😔❓💔
What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness? The symbol from Nature the poet invokes is the Earth 🌎. He suggests the Earth can teach us that even when “everything seems dead”, it “later proves to be alive”, demonstrating life beneath apparent stillness. 🌱☀️🌍