There is Another Sky by Emily Dickinson
Title: There is Another Sky
‘There is Another Sky’ is an inspirational poem with a message of ‘never say-die’. The poet presents two worlds through the title, one is the real world to which the poet and her brother belong. The other one is an imaginative place where both of them take refuge to stay away from the troubles of contemporary times.
The poem: There is Another Sky
The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with octave and sestet. The poet is communicating to her brother through a letter. She encourages her brother not to get depressed under any circumstances and pleads with him to return home.
Life is full of challenges; one can tackle the challenges with a positive attitude. The poem ends on an optimistic note. The brighter garden stands for choices that life offers to all.
The Poet: Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson is an American poet of the nineteenth century. She lived a lonely life. Most of her poems are motivational and philosophical. They are unique to her era and are characterised by simple and short lines. She often used slant rhymes and unconventional capitalization and punctuation. Her poems are the psalms and hymns of life in all its shades.
Specialty of the poem:
“There is Another Sky” is a sonnet written by Emily Dickinson. The poet wants to convey to the readers that beyond the physical sky, there lies an additional sky. The theme of the sonnet highlights the importance of never giving up and always looking for the best to come.
Ice Breakers
1) Life is an amalgam of happy and sad moments. Think of such moments in your life, pair with your classmate and share both the aspects of life.
| Happy Moments | Sad Moments |
| 1) Winning the first prize in competition | Losing your mobile, bicycle or wallet |
| 2) | |
| 3) |
Answer:
| Happy Moments | Sad Moments |
| 1) Winning the first prize in competition | Losing your mobile, bicycle or wallet |
| 2) Securing highest marks in the exam. | Getting low score in the exam. |
| 3) Enjoying birthday party | Missing a party |
| 4) Attending a wedding ceremony of close relative or friend | Missing a wedding ceremony of a close relative or friend due to unavoidable situation |
| 5) Going to a picnic | Becoming sick |
| 6) Hearing favourite songs | Death of a close relative or friend |
| 7) Getting admission to a desired course / college | Not getting admission to a desired course or college |
| 8) Watching favourite T.V. programme or a film or a play | Attending a boring meeting |
| 9) Spending time with family members on any festival | Getting defeat in any sport match |
| 10) Learning new things | Suffering due to an accident |
2) Discuss with your partner and find proverbs, idioms or phrases of similar meaning to the one given and fill them in the stars given below:
Answer:
| 1) Every cloud has a silver lining. |
| 2) There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in. |
| 3) There are always flowers for those who want to see them. |
| 4) I’m thankful for my struggle because without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon my strength. |
| 5) Once you have been in the dark, you learn to appreciate everything that shines. |
| 6) Too many people miss the silver lining because they are expecting gold. |
| 7) Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is wonderful stroke of luck. |
| 8) Only in the darkness, you can see the stars. |
| 9) You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. |
| 10) All’s well that ends well. |
3) When we look at the sky, we find several objects. They stand for something or the other. Complete the following table by finding the significance of the given objects. One example is given to you.
| Celestial Bodies | Association |
| The Sun | Power, Heat, Energy, Commitment etc. |
| The Moon | |
| The Rainbow | |
| The Stars |
Answer:
| Celestial Bodies | Association |
| The Sun | Power, Heat, Energy, Commitment etc. |
| The Moon | Beauty, Calmness, Purity, Compassion, Brightness etc. |
| The Rainbow | Beauty, Happiness, Dream, Peace etc. |
| The Stars | Good luck, Gift, Appreciation, Ratings, Celebrity etc. |
4) Colours mentioned in the table given below, are associated with something or the other. Discuss with your partner and complete the table.
Answer-
| Colours | Associated with- |
| Pink | Warmness, Compassion, Love |
| Blue | Peace, Gloom |
| Yellow | Joy, Brightness |
| Red | Danger, Anger, Love |
| White | Peace, Defeat |
| Black | Strength, Darkness |
Brainstorming activities:
1) Imagine your younger sister is not paying attention to her studies and is seen wasting time playing games on her cell-phone. Suggest some ways that will help her to concentrate on her studies and overcome her bad habit.
Answer:
I would give company to my younger sister during studies. I would show her the hazards of wasting study time in the games on cell phone. I would encourage her to involve in actual games on the ground. I would try keep the cell phone away from her. In this way, I would help my younger sister to concentrate on her studies and overcome the bad habit.
2) You have noticed that many of your classmates are not interested in outdoor games or participating in co-curricular activities. Discuss some ways in which they will be encouraged to participate in activities.
Answer:
Ways to encourage classmates to participate in extra-curricular activities:
i) Show importance of co-curricular activities.
ii) Make aware that co- curricular activities help to broaden individual minds and build self confidence.
iii) Arrange motivational speeches to know the importance of co- curricular activities.
iv) Assure to win prizes for best performances.
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Drama-
Poetic appreciation of the poem- There is another sky
Appreciation – 1
Q. Write poetic appreciation of the poem ‘There is another sky’.
Answer-
About the poem, poet and title :-
‘There is Another Sky’ is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. She is an American poet of the 19th century. She is well known for her motivational and philosophical poetry. This poem was written as a part of a letter to her brother Austin. The poet tries to convince her brother to come back home for getting an ideal place; which is just like paradise.
Theme :-
The theme of the poem is to show positive side of life and to give message to every depressed person that no matter how difficult his or her current situation, there is always a new place of hope and joy. The poem also shows love of a sister for her troubled brother.
Poetic style, language, poetic devices used in the poem :-
The poet has used her unique technique of writing in slant rhymes and unconventional capitalization and punctuations. The language is simple. The imageries used are clearly defined. The poetic devices like Metaphor, Personification, Litotes and Hyperbole add to its beauty. The poem is a Petrarchan Sonnet, which means that is a fourteen-line poem divided into two parts, such that the first part of the poem which is an Octave (a stanza of 8 lines) and the second part is a sestet (a stanza of 6 lines).
Special features :-
It is an inspirational poem with the message of ‘never-say-die’. It is optimistic and also reflects Emily’s undying love for her brother Austin who was troubled by some difficulties and hence the poet’s continued assurance would definitely provide a relief and boost to her brother to return home to her where ‘a brighter garden’ with unfading flowers and humming bees would welcome him.
Message/values/morals in the poem :-
The message undoubtedly is about being positive and hopeful in every situation. Life is full of challenging moments. We need to be strong to face all eventualities and obstacles in life. We must achieve the goals of our life and must not lose confidence in any situation.
My opinion about the poem :- The poem is very inspirational, so I like it very much. It shows positive attitude and guides readers to do new efforts to get happy and fruitful life.
| Activity Sheet No.1 |
Q. Read the extract and complete the activities given below.(10)
| There is another sky, Ever serene and fair, And there is another sunshine, Though it be darkness there; Never mind faded forests, Austin, Never mind silent fields— Here is a little forest, Whose leaf is ever green; Here is a brighter garden, Where not a frost has been; In its unfading flowers I hear the bright bee hum: Prithee, my brother, Into my garden come! |
A1. Web (2)
Complete the web giving the sad and gloomy aspects of life mentioned in the first part of the poem.
A2. Pick out (2)
The poem expresses feeling of serenity. Pick out the line from the poem showing the same.
A3. Personal Response (2)
Imagine your younger brother is not paying attention to his studies and is seen wasting time playing games on cell-phone. Suggest some ways to help him to concentrate on his studies and overcome the bad habit.
A4. Poetic Device (2)
I hear the bright bee hum.
(Write with explanation two figures of speech used in this sentence)
A5. Poetic Creativity (2)
Let’s compose a poem. Two lines are given. Add two of your own.
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair
—————————,
—————————.
Answer-
A1.
Sad and gloomy aspects of life-
Darkness
Faded forests
Silent fields
A2.
The line showing the feeling of serenity is: –
There is another sky
Even serene and fair.
A3.
I would give company to my brother during studies. I will create awareness about the hazards of wasting study time in the games on cell phone. I will encourage him to involve in actual games on the ground. I will keep the cell phone away from him. In this way, I would help my brother to concentrate on his studies and overcome the bad habit.
A4.
Two figures of speech used in the line ‘I hear the bright bee hum’ are:
1) Alliteration: The sound of letters ‘b’ and ‘h’ are repeated.
2) Onomatopoeia: The word ‘hum’ expresses sound.
A5.
There is another sky,
Ever serene and fair
Enjoy its beauty
And make yourself happy.
Poetic Appreciation
Appreciation – 2
Q. Write a poetic appreciation of the poem – There is Another Sky.
Answer-
About Poem and Poet:
‘There is Another Sky’ is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson was an American poetess.
‘There is Another Sky’ is the encouragement of the poetess to her brother who is depressed and alone. She inspires her brother and shows hope and a bright future ahead.
Theme:
The poem has the message to every depressed and alone person that a bright and happy future will come in life. So, keep patience and be optimistic in life. It is an inspirational poem with the message of ‘never lose faith’.
Poetic Device:
The language used in the poem is simple, lucid, illustrative, and effective. There is use of figures of speech like inversion, alliteration, hyperbole, metaphor, and repetition. The poet has used her unique technique of writing in slant rhymes and unconventional capitalization and punctuations. The language is easy to comprehend as the imageries used are clearly defined.
Special Feature:
It is a Petrarchan sonnet. The octave describes the cold, gloomy atmosphere while the sestet shows an inspiring and encouraging tone. There is variation in the rhyme scheme of each stanza.
Message of the poem:
Life is full of challenges. One can tackle the challenges with a positive attitude. Do not lose hope. The future can give good chance to develop life. Nothing is impossible in life. We can achieve the goals of our life so we should not lose confidence in any situation.
My opinion about the poem:
The poem shows the love and care of a sister to her brother. The poem has an optimistic end. I like the poem very much.
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