Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda (poetic devices/figures of

speech)
The poet has used symbols and comparisons to explain how we can end conflicts, wars and
corrosive activities that are leading to the death of our civilization. He advocates keeping quiet
and still for a while to introspect and understand ourselves and our relationship with our
brothers and nature to build a peaceful and harmonious world order.
1. Count to twelve symbolizes a measure of time. The clock has twelve markings on it, the
year has twelve months and the day has twelve hours
2. Lets-repetition to create a bond with the reader and stress his point.
3. Fishermen in the cold seahurt hands-symbolic image showing how man is ruthlessly
destroying nature and harming other species in cold blood for his selfish need and greed. The
hurt hands the sore hands of the salt gatherer would make him realize how he is harming
himself by his mindless corrosive activities.

4.

5.
6.

7.
8.

put on clean clothes- metaphor. The poet says that quiet introspection will make us
comprehend the destructive nature of wars. Man would shed his blood soiled clothes and don
on clean clothes i.e. he would cleanse his soul, heart and mind, purging it of all anger and
hatred.
Brothers symbol of mankind
In the shade- metaphor- just as shade protects us from the harsh sun, we will protect and
shelter each other as brothers, thus live in peace and harmony.
no truck euphemism
Earth can teach us as when everything symbol, Just as earth, the greatest creator, in its
sleeping mode appears to be dead on surface but is actually dormant and carefully preserving
the seeds of life, human beings too need to keep still and quiet to rejuvenate and awaken the
life forces within and be productive.

Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the Earth lets not speak in any language,
Lets stop for one second, and not move our arms so much.

1.

What is the significance of counting to twelve?

Twelve is an extended counting. While counting for a longer time one feels more relaxed than
counting for a short time such as one or three. As the counting is followed by a relaxed time
of silent meditation, one needs to keep his mind at ease by counting steadily for a longer
time.

2.

Why does the poet ask his hearers to stop using any language?
Languages help us to communicate with other people. As the poet wants this time of silence
for talking to oneself, not for talking to other people, he doesnt want us to use any
language.

3.

Why does the poet ask his hearers to make no movements of the arms?
Like any language, movements of arms can also communicate with other people. The poet
wants his hearers to stop all sorts of communication with others to achieve a silent
meditation and therefore he asks his hearers to stop any movements of the arms.

It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines,

We would all be together in a sudden strangeness.
1.

How does the time of silent introspection become an exotic moment for us?
The result of a silent introspection of this kind guarantees a perfect peace of mind. When
this peace is achieved through silence, the happiness it provides is equal to no other
happiness. It is exotic.

Tail: This self-imposed silence will turn out to be inexplicably pleasant. You will
experience the happiness you have been after all these years.

2.

What does the poet mean by rush?

Rush means the rush that people make to defeat others, to reach before the others reach and
the rush for achievements.

3.

What sort of togetherness can we experience while keeping quiet?

By keeping quiet we are able to understand our true self and its limitations. We realize how
selfish we are and wipe out our ego through meditation. By eliminating a vast world of ego
we give room for our brothers and feel a new togetherness.

4.

What does the poet mean by the sudden strangeness?

By stopping all activities that one has been doing without pause, one feels a sudden silence
and peace of mind which leads to a complete strangeness. When one starts feeling this
silence, peace and togetherness, it appears sudden and strange.

Fisherman in the cold sea would not harm whales

And the man gathering salt would look at his hurt hands
1.

What does fisherman symbolize?

Fisherman is a symbol to represent the mighty/rich/influential people of the world. There
are many in every society who can rule the people and ruin anything. But the poet requests
them to stop their atrocities for a while and think about themselves.

2.

Who are represented by the salt gatherers?

Salt-gatherer is another symbol, representing all the poor/crushed people of the society. His
hands are hurt and wounded while collecting salt for making a living.

3.

What should the salt-gatherer do at the time of silence?

The salt-gatherer has to look at his miseries and accept his state of being. A life that doesnt
accept itself is always sad.

Those who prepare green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire,
Victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes
And walk about with their brothers in the shade, doing nothing.
1.

What are green wars?

We use our deadly weapons to kill the mother earth. We have poisonous gases and explosives
to kill the earth.

2.

Why is victory without survivors?

Anyone can fight, kill and destroy. Anyone can defeat and be victorious. But no one can enjoy
the victory of his wars.

3.

What does the poet want in the place of wars?

It is not war we want. We want peace. It is time to hate wars and destruction. It is time to
walk peacefully with everyone whom we call enemies.

What I want should not be confused with total inactivity.

Life is what it is about;
1.

What confusion, does the poet fear, has been created by him in his readers mind? Or,
What misunderstanding does the poet want to clear?
The poet at this point fears that his readers might take him wrongly. He makes it very clear
that he is not talking about inactivity but activity. He wants his listeners to keep silent and
be inactive only for some time.

2.

Explain, life is what it is about.

The poet reminds us that life is meaningful only in activity. Life is an ongoing process and
everything and everyone should be moving at all time.

I want no truck/agreement with death.

If we were not single-minded
About keeping our lives moving,
And for once could do nothing, perhaps
A huge silence might interrupt this sadness
Of never understanding ourselves and
Of threatening ourselves with death
1.

What does truck with death mean? Why does the poet not want a truck with
death?
Truck with death means an agreement with death. The poet believes that man has a
tendency to get the help of death when he is surrounded by sadness and dullness. Poet

doesnt want any agreement with death because he believes that introspection is the right
way to get rid of our sadness, not death.
2.

What happens when one is interrupted by silence?

When one is interrupted by silence, one gets time to introspect and thus get time to kill his
ego and all the internal struggles caused by selfishness.

3.

Which are the two prerequisites for achieving the interruption of silence?
The first prerequisite for achieving the interruption of silence is to keep our singlemindedness away while the other is to do nothing for a while.

4.

When do people threaten themselves with death?

People tend to threaten themselves with the idea of committing suicide when they find
themselves surrounded with sadness and inescapable dullness of mind.

Perhaps the earth can teach us

As when everything seems dead
And later proves to be alive.
Now I will count up to twelve
And you keep quiet and I will go.
1.

What does the earth teach us about the significance of keeping silence?
The earth is full of examples that approve of the necessity to be silent. Everything keeps
silent for some time in order to rejuvenate. Autumn dying in order to come fresh in the
Spring season and seeds decaying to give life to a new plant, are examples for this.

2.

What is the importance of the closing lines?

The poet concludes here. His instructions are completed. Now it is the time to put them in
practice. He is going to start counting for his listeners at the end of what they are going to go
silent and still. And you keep quiet and I will go. The process will begin soon. We will all keep
silent as the poet has asked us to. We will introspect by diving deep into the abyss of our
dark minds and find out great happiness that we have never experienced in our lives. We will
then accept our limitations like the salt-gatherer, we will then stop harming others, we will
finally cease to be selfish. Thus we will start shedding our ego which is in other words, our
feeling of I. Shedding of ones EGO or Iness is what the poet means by, I will Go!

1. Who was Dr Sadao? Where was his house?

Answer
Dr Sadao Hoki was an eminent Japanese surgeon and scientist. He had spent eight
valuable years of his youth in America to learn all that could be learnt of surgery and
medicine there. He was perfecting a discovery which would render wounds entirely
clean. Dr Sadao's house was built on rocks well above a narrow beach that was
outlined with bent pines. It was on a spot of the Japanese coast.
Page No: 27
1. Will Dr Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Answer
Dr Sadao knew that they would be arrested if they sheltered a white man in their
house. The wounded man was a prisoner of war who had escaped with a bullet on
his back. Since Japan was at war with America, harbouring an enemy meant being a
traitor to Japan. Dr Sadao could be arrested if anyone complained against him and
accused him of harbouring an enemy.
Page No: 31
1. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?

Answer
The wounded American was in a very bad state and needed to be washed before
being operated on. Hana did not want Dr Sadao to clean the dirty and unconscious
prisoner, and so asked their servant, Yumi, to do so. However, Yumi defied her
masters order and opted out of it. As a result, Hana had no other option but to wash
him herself. Although this act was impulsive and dipped in a sense of superiority
over her servant, Yumi, she did it with sincerity.
Page No: 35
1. What will Dr Sadao and his wife do with the man?
Answer
Dr Sadao and Hana found an unconscious wounded war prisoner who posed a huge
threat to their own safety. However, Dr Sadao decided to go with his gut feeling and
operate on him. He saved his life even though it was for the time being. Though half
heartedly, both took good care of the patients health and other needs. Hana even
washed and fed him with her own hands. Although they knew that they would have
to hand him over to the army sooner or later, they did their best to help the injured
man.

Page No: 39
1. Will Dr Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Answer
Dr Sadao, on humanitarian grounds as well as professional grounds, tended a
wounded war prisoner which was officially a serious crime. However, he did not get
punished for this offence as it was never revealed to anyone, except his wife, loyal
but timid servants, and a General who was too self-obsessed with his own treatment
that he would never let the doctor leave him.
Page No: 43

1. What will Dr Sadao do to get rid of the man?

Answer
With the injured American's health gradually improving, Dr Sadao and Hana were in
a fix as to what should be done with him. Their loyal servants had left them and
keeping him in their house could pose a threat to their lives. As Hanas impatience
and distress grew, Dr Sadao revealed the matter to the General who decided to
send assassins to kill the young American in his sleep. Keen on getting rid of the
escaped war prisoner, Dr Sadao agreed. However, the matter could not be resolved
because the assassins never came.
Dr Sadao then planned another way to get rid of him which was overpowered with
sympathy and a distant gratitude towards the people he had been linked to in
America. He decided to save his patient one more time. He secretly sent him to an
isolated island with food, bottled water, clothes, blanket and his own flashlight on a
boat from where he boarded a Korean ship to freedom and safety.
Page No: 47
Reading with Insight
1. There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles
as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with
reference to the story you have just read.
Answer
Dr. Sadao encounters with the dilemma-to live as private individual whose moral and
ethical responsibility is to save the soldier & second is a Japanese to make the
soldier arrest.
So as a doctor and as an individual his first job is to save man-takes ethical
responsibility, he risks his life, fame and social status- takes him to his house and
makes efforts to save him.
But his other side-sense of patriotism as well as nationalism also involves a report to
police, takes the general in confidence and plans to make him killed but later on
again helps the soldier in escaping off. Thus Dr. Sadao personality is displayed.

2. Dr Sadao was compelled by duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What
made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the
domestic staff?
Answer
Dr Sadao and Hana knew that their decision to save the enemy soldier would be
questioned by everyone. However, they firmly followed their sense of duty. For Dr
Sadao this sense of duty came from the profession he was in; but for Hana, the duty
was purely humanitarian. From bearing the unrest in her domestic staff to being
forced to do all the chores of house-hold herself, she does all with grace and dignity.
Hanas loving, considerate and sympathetic nature shines out. She washed and fed
the soldier although it was not her job. Her care helped recuperate the soldier fast. It
is also apparent from the story that she respected her husband, and as a sense of
duty towards him, did the needful. This explains why she, even after feeling sick,
comes back to the room and readily does whatever is told by her husband during the
operation.
3. How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the
doctors home even when he knew he couldnt stay there without risk to the doctor
and himself ?
Answer
When the American war prisoner came to consciousness and realized that he was
saved by a Japanese family, he feared that he will be soon handed over to the army.
However, as he noticed the amount of concern and care given to him by the family,
he understood that he was in safe hands. He knew that although he was a threat to
the doctors family, his own life might be saved there. Burdened with gratitude
towards the family, he ultimately decides to comply with what the doctor planned for
him - the escape.
4. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was
it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self
absorption?

Answer
The General was totally governed by self absorption. He was a patient of Dr Sadao
and did not trust anyone except him when it came to his health. He could not take
the risk of living unprotected if the doctor was executed for treachery. He had
personal assassins whom he promised to use for killing the injured soldier. But
ironically, he forgot his promise to help the doctor. Human consideration was not his
cup of tea.
5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during
war time, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Answer
News of war is fast becoming a way of life. The moment one picks up a newspaper,
one is bombarded with news of wars between different countries, directly or
indirectly. It is obvious that the countries at war are enemies and hatred is a part of
this enmity. However the success of humanity comes when we rise above this
enmity and show our love towards the civilization as a whole. Dr Sadao did the
same. He did whatever he could to save the life of a man whom he knew was a war
prisoner. The instant he saw the injured man, he was filled with concern. Ignoring
the fact that he was the enemy of his country and must have killed so many
Japanese and may kill even more, if alive, he saved him.
6. Do you think the doctors final solution to the problem was the best possible one in
the circumstances?
Answer
The doctor tried his best to save the injured soldier as a part of his duty. But the
ultimate question was what to do next. It cannot be said that he betrayed his country
as he told the truth to the General. However when he noticed that the soldier was to
be killed not for the benefit of the country but only to save the doctors life, he

decided to help him flee. In such a situation, the doctor's final solution to the problem
was the best possible one.
7. Does the story remind you of Birth by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots
last year? What are the similarities?
Answer
The story definitely reminds one of Birth by A. J. Cronin. There is a striking
similarity between both the stories. Both revolve around doctors who try their level
best to save the lives of nearly dead human beings. In the story Birth, Dr Andrew
saves the life of an almost still born baby boy with lot of effort, while The Enemy
deals with the story of Dr Sadao who saves an American soldier from the enemy
troops during the times of war. Both the stories deal with humanity, love, affection,
selflessness and a strong sense of duty.
8. Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Answer
The story The Enemy is built on the pillars of selflessness, sense of duty, kindness
and generosity. There have been many films and novels based on this theme. One
such example is the film My Name is Khan, where the protagonist, with a sense of
duty and generosity, goes to the flooded Georgia to save the lives of his friends,
Mama Jenny, Joel and other natives. He selflessly works to save the town without
thinking twice about the possible dangers to his own life.

1. What is the misadventure that William Douglas speaks about?

Answer
William O.Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen year old big
bruiser picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A.
pool. He hit the water surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at
once to the bottom. He nearly died in this misadventure.
2. What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he
was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?
Answer
Douglas was frightened when he was thrown into the pool. However, he was not
frightened out of his wits. While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big
jump when his feet hit the bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat
on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool.
3. How did this experience affect him?
Answer
The near death experience of drowning had a very strong impact on his psychology.
He was deeply perturbed and shaken by the whole experience. A haunting fear of
water took control of his physical strength and emotional balance for many years. As

he couldnt bear being surrounded by water, he was deprived of enjoying any waterrelated activity.
Page No: 29
1. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Answer
Douglas regretted being deprived of enjoying water activities like canoeing, boating,
swimming, fishing, etc. The wish to enjoy them and the craving to regain his lost
confidence, while being in water, made him try every possible way to get rid of his
fear. He was finally able to overcome this mental handicap by getting himself a
swimming instructor and further ensuring that no residual fear was left.
2. How did the instructor build a swimmer out of Douglas?
Answer
The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece. For three months he
held him high on a rope attached to his belt. He went back and forth across the pool.
Panic seized the author every time. The instructor taught Douglas to put his face
under water and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale. Then Douglas had to kick
with his legs for many weeks till these relaxed. After seven months the instructor told
him to swim the length of the pool.
3. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Answer
Even after the swimming training was over, Douglas wasn't confident about his
swimming or that he had overcome the fear. He was determined to completely get
rid of it forever. He swam alone in the pool. He went to Lake Wentworth to dive.
There, he tried every possible stroke he had learnt. He fought back the tiny vestiges
of terror that gripped him in middle of the lake. Finally, in his diving expedition in the
Warm Lake, he realised that he had truly conquered his old terror.
Understanding the Text

1. How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him
as he almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid.
Answer
Once Douglas was sitting alone at the Y.M.C.A pool waiting for others to come. Then
there came a big bruiser of a boy. He tossed him up and threw him into the deep end
of the pool. Douglas went deep and swallowed water. He was at the sitting position
at the bottom. He was frightened but was not out of his wits. On the way down, he
had a strategy in his mind. When his feet touched the bottom, he would make a
great spring upward. Then he would paddle to the edge of the pool, but he came up
slowly. He opened his eyes and saw dirty water. He was deeply frightened. His legs
seemed paralysed. A great force was pulling him down. A stark power overpowered
him. He shrieked in the water but only the water heard him. After feeling the tiles
under his feet, he jumped withal his might but it made no difference. His lungs ached
and heart throbbed. Stark terror took him in its grip. His legs and arms could not
move. He again tried for the third time. He searched for air but swallowed water. He
felt drowsy and ceased all efforts. He was crossed to oblivion. The curtain of his life
fell and he lay unconscious.
2. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Answer
After his misadventure in the pool at the Y.M.C.A, Douglas was amidst the fear of
the water. He realised that his fishing trips, canoeing, swimming and boating were
over. He tried his best to overcome it but the haunting of the water followed him
everywhere. Finally he decided to engage an instructor to learn to swim and
overcome his fear. He went to the pool and practiced five days a week, an hour each
day. The instructor put a belt around him and a rope was attached to the belt. The
rope went through a pulley that ran an overhead cable. Douglas held one end of the
rope and went back and forth across the pool. On each trip some of the terror would
seize him up. After three months, the tension began to decrease.
Piece by piece he shed the panic. He taught him to put his face under water and
exhale. He also learnt how to raise his nose and inhale.
This exercise was repeated hundreds of times. Now he was able to shed part of the
fear that seized him under water. He went to lake Wentworth Triggs island and

Slamp act island. He swam two miles across the lake. Now he was determined and
he swam on. He shouted with joy and he had conquered his fear of water.
3. Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his
conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from his experience?
Answer
Douglas had two childhood experiences of terror. One at the California beach when
the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was terror stricken. At the
other occasion he was thrown into the deep end of the Y.M.C.A pool by a big bruiser
of a boy. A stark terror overpowered and gripped him. It followed and haunted him
wherever he went. He realised that his joys of fishing, canoeing, boating and
swimming had ruined. Keeping in view its severe consequences, he engaged an
instructor who trained him in swimming and Douglas was able to conquer his fear.
This experience had a deeper meaning for Douglas. Because he had experienced
both the sensation of dying and the terror that the fear of it can produce, he learnt
the will to live in great intensity. This experience can only be realised by those who
had faced to conquer it. This exactly happened with Douglas. He knew: In death,
there is peace., there is terror only in the fear of death. Thus one can estimate what
matters is the will to live. As Roosevelt said All we have to fear is fear itself. So will
to live is great and it can take man to touch the highest peaks of life.
Page No: 30
Talking about the text
1. All we have to fear is fear itself. Have you ever had a fear that you have now
overcome? Share your experience with your partner.
Answer
Roosevelt has appropriately said All we have to fear is fear itself. These words
have a deeper meaning for all of us. It implies that we fear from fear. Those who
have undergone this experience of fear, they can only appreciate its worth. William
O. Douglas has faced it twice in life. He had a terrible fear of water. He could not go

for swimming, canoeing, boating and rafting etc. He realised that it would ruin his
career since it was following and haunting him wherever he went. Fear is our hard
core enemy. We must get rid of it at the earliest like Douglas. I too had a terrible
experience in my life.
A small tributary flows near our village. During the summer vacation, we used to go
there for swimming and bathing. Very often, we were made cautious by the villagers
not to bathe in it since there is a deeper hole inside the stream. Being children, we
never bothered . One day we took out our clothes and plunged into it. By chance,
the water was overflowing the bank and the current was fast. While diving, two
among us got stuck into the hole. We cried and cried out. We were going deeper
and deeper. We thought that it was the end of our life. One of the boys came outside
and saw the villagers. He cried and cried. They came and brought us out of the
water. But this enabled us to challenge the fears of life and we can take adventurous
life.
Talking about Language
1. If someone else had narrated Douglas experience, how would it have differed
from this account? Write out a sample paragraph or paragraphs from this text from
the point of view of a third person or observer to find out which style of narration
would you consider to be more effective? Why?
Answer
If a third person had narrated Douglas experience, the impact of the story would
have lost the readers deep connection with the main protagonist and his fear of
water. The narrator then would be passively telling the story from the perspective of
an observer. The incident of drowning in water could never have successfully
communicated the feeling of the stark terror that Douglas underwent.
In third person narrative, the 8th and 9th paragraph of the story would be as follows:
He flailed at the surface of the water, swallowed and choked. He tried to bring his
legs up but they hung as dead weights, paralyzed and rigid. A great force was
pulling him under. He screamed, but only the water heard him. He had started on the

long journey back to the bottom of the pool.

He struck at the water as he went down; expending his strength as one in a
nightmare, fights an irresistible force. He had lost all his breath. His lungs ached. His
head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. But he remembered the strategy he would
spring from the bottom of the pool and come like a cork to the surface. He would lie
flat on the water, strike out with his arms, and thrash with his legs. Then he would
get to the edge of the pool and be safe.
So, it is only the first person narrative that keeps the reader gripped to the story. It
makes the experience more relevant and tangible for the reader. It engages him by
making him go through the experience along with the protagonist. The desperation
and helplessness of being in water, which has almost become fatal, the mental and
physical agony of trying to survive the crisis, the long struggle of overcoming the fear
bit-by-bit and the jubilation of conquering it at the end; all make the reader feel part
of the experience. The first person narrative makes the story a fast-paced and
urgent reading for the readers. All this would have been lost had it been a third
person narrative or from the point of view of an observer.