The Heaven of Freedom

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                        – Rabindranath. Tagore

 Where the mind is without fear and 

the head is held high; 

Where knowledge is free; 

Where the world has not been broken 

up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; 

Where words come out from the depth of truth; 

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; 

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost 

its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; 

Where the mind is led forward by thee into 

ever-widening thought and action– 

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, 

my country awake.

Question and Answers  

1. “Where the mind is without fear ….....” what is meant by ‘where’?

Ans: - The place referred to by ‘where’ is the heaven of freedom.

 

2. What does the poet mean by ‘dreary sand of dead habit’?

Ans: - The expression refers to prejudices and outdated beliefs that obscure the clarity of reason.

 

3. What is meant by ‘knowledge is free’?

Ans: - It means that there is no restriction on acquiring knowledge.

 

4. What does the expression ‘narrow domestic walls’ mean?

Ans: - The expression ‘narrow domestic walls’ means ‘the small concerns of home.’ They prevent us from taking part in the broader concerns of the world.

 

.5. How can a man, according to Rabindranath, be perfect?

Ans: - A man may be perfect through tireless striving. In other words, ceaseless efforts may make man perfect.

 

6. Why should we keep away from a dead habit?

Ans: - We should keep away from a dead habit because it obscures the clarity of reason.

 

 7. What does the poet mean by the expression ‘the head is held high?

Ans: - The head which is held high indicates the determination and courage to maintain one’s self-respect.

8. If the home has walls, how does it appear?

 Ans: - If the home has walls, then it seems to be broken up into fragments.

9. What kind of freedom does Rabindranath want for his countrymen?

Ans: - Rabindranath wants not only political freedom but also freedom from superstitions, prejudices and worn- out customs for his countrymen.

 

10. In what way is habit like ‘dreary desert sand’?

Ans: - Just as a clear stream loses its way in the dreary desert sand, so also clarity of reason is lost to dead habit.

 

11. Which two- world phrase in Tagore’s poem tells us that the search for perfection never ends?

Ans: - The phrase ‘tireless striving’ tells us that the search for perfection never ends.

 

12. When, according to Rabindranath, does our ‘reason’ cease to develop?

Ans: - Our ‘reason’ ceases to develop when dead habits obscure its clarity.

 

13. What is ultimate Tagore’s prayer to ‘Father’?

Ans: - Tagore’s ultimate prayer to ‘Father’ is to awake his country into the heaven offreedom.

14. How many times is the work ‘where’ repeated in Tagore’s poem and why?

Ans: - The word ‘where’ is repeated for seven times to describe seven characteristics of the heaven of freedom.

 

15. How many sentences are there in the poem “Where the Mind Is without Fear.”?

Ans: - There is only one sentence in Rabindranath Tagore’s “Where the Mind Is without Fear.” 

 

16. Why is the world broken up?

Ans: - The world is broken up into fragments due to narrow domestic walls.

 

17. What stretches its arms towards perfection?

Ans: - Tireless striving or ceaseless effort stretches its arms towards perfection.

 

18. Where do the words come from Tagore’s ideal land of perfect freedom?

Ans: - In Tagore’s ideal land of perfect freedom, words come out from the depth of truth.

 

19. Why do you think, Rabindranath Tagore wants man to be tirelessly ‘striving’?

Ans: - Man is not perfect, but may aim at perfection through ‘striving’. So Rabindranath Tagore wants this.

 

20. “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake”- What is the implication of the word ‘awake’?

Ans: - The poet wants God to make his countrymen conscious of true freedom which will lead them to progress and perfection.

 

21. By which metaphor does Rabindranath Tagore show the ineffectiveness of antiquated conventions in promoting a progressive society?

Ans: - Dead habits like the dreary desert sands choke the flow of the clear stream of reason.

 

22. What is the poem ‘Where the Mind Is Without Fear’ all about?

Ans: - The poem is all about Rabindranath’s imagination of a heaven for this country where it will attain true freedom.

 

23. “Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection” – To which is ‘tireless striving’ compared?

 Ans: - Here ‘tireless striving’ is compare to a man. In other words, it has been personified here.

 

24. What is the only one main clause found in the poem – “Where the Mind Is Without Fear”?

Ans: - The only one main clause found in the poem is : “Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

25. Which metaphor does Rabindranath use to compare with reason? Or, To what does Rabindranath compare ‘reason’?

Ans: - Rabindranath compares ‘reason’ to a ‘clear stream’.

 

26. At what time was the poem “Where the Mind Is Without Fear’ written?

Ans:- When the poem was composed, India was under the British rule.

 

27. “…my Father, let my country awake.” __ which country does the poet mean by ‘my country’.

Ans: - The poet refers to India as ‘my country’.

 

28. Who is the poet of “Where the Mind Is Without Fear”?

Ans: - Rabindranath Tagore is the poet of the poem. “Where the Mind Is without Fear.”

 

29. From which book has the poem ‘Where the Mind Is Without Fear’ been taken?

Ans: - The poem ‘Where the mind is Without Fear’ has been taken from Rabindranath Tagore’s English version of ‘Gitanjali’.

 

30. What is Rabindranath idea of true freedom?

Ans: - To Rabindranath, true freedom means political, intellectual, moral and spiritual freedom.

 

31. How can the breaking of the world into fragments be prevented?

Ans: - If we stop erecting narrow domestic walls, the world will not be broken into fragments any more.

 

32. What is the message that Rabindranath wants to give through the poem ‘Where the Mind is With out Fear’.

Ans: - Indians must first release themselves from their own inner narrowness in order to stand up to foreign domination.

 

33. What do you understand by the expression ‘heaven of freedom’?

Ans: - The expression ‘heaven of freedom’ suggests not only political freedom but also moral, spiritual and intellectual freedom of the highest kind.

 

34. “Where words come out from the depth of truth”__ What does the poet mean to say in this line?

Ans: - it means that language is not used to cover up truth. People should honestly and sincerely speak out whatever they feel and think.

 

35. What does ‘clear stream of reason’ imply?

Ans:-‘Clear stream of reason’ implies unbiased, unobstructed intellectual faculty and reasoning.