KEEPING QUIET

By Pablo Neruda

CRITICAL APPRECIATION

Neruda’s poems are full of easily understood images that make them no less beautiful.
Keeping quiet has a slow rhythm, which emphasizes the theme of thoughtfulness and
peace. Written in free verse with differing line lengths of the stanzas, the poem shifts in
thought from one stanza to the next. The image of rushing cars, hectic activity and
destructive wars is in sharp contrast with the image of the stillness of Mother Earth
having dormant life hidden within it.

1. Whom is the poet addressing?

2. Why does the poet ask us to count to twelve?
3. Why does the poet ask us to keep still?
4. Let us not speak in any language, says the poet. Why?
5. What does he want them to do?
6. Why does he mention speak in any language?
7. What should we not do for a moment?
8. What will happen if there is no rush or running of engines?
9. How would all of us feel at that moment?
10. What do fishermen usually do in the cold sea?
11. What is referred to as exotic?
12. What is the normal way of the world?
13. What sudden strangeness is the poet mentioning?
14. What environmental issue has the poet mentioned?
15. What does the man gathering salt need to do?
16. How does the poet connect the two activities?
17. What does the poet ask fishermen not to do?
18. What has happened to the man gathering salt?
19. What should the man gathering salt do?
20. What sort of wars are mentioned in the above lines?
21. What sort of activity does the poet want?
22. What kind of victory will it be?
23. How should the loves of war behave?
24. What does the poet want? What should it not be confused with?
25. What do people pursue single-mindedly? Which is the better course the poet
suggests?
26. When can a huge silence do us good?
27. What remains alive when everything seems dead?
28. Explain life is what it is about?
29. What can the earth teach us?
30. What does this have to do with keeping quiet?
31. How does Earth later prove to be alive?
32. How will counting up to 12 and keeping quiet help us be achievers?
33. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
34. What is the sadness the poet refers to?
35. What phenomena from nature does the poet invoke to say that there is life
under apparent stillness?
36. What are we so single minded about? What do we neglect in the process?
37. What is the cause of our sadness?
38. How can earth be our teacher?
39. What according to Neruda, can we all be together?
40. Why does the poet use the conversational style and the personal pronouns
such as ‘you and I?
41. What change is noticed between the first two lines and the final two lines of
the poem?
42. In what way would that quiet moment be a precious one?
43. How does man cause injury or harm?
44. What does the poet mean by stop all activities?
45. What lesson does the poem hold for the readers?
46. Comment on the title of the poem?
47. Comment on the irony in the last line ‘when everything seems dead and later
proves to be alive?
48. How is the lesson of the earth relevant to the poet’s message?
49. What symbol form nature does the poet invoke to reinforce his message?
50. What does the poet call an ‘exotic’ moment? How can it be achieved?
51. What is the sadness of the modern day life? How can it be alleviated?
52. What advice Neruda gives to those who wage war?
53. What will counting up to twelve and keeping still help us achieved?
54. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
55. Why does the poet urge us to keep still?
56. What alternative does Neruda suggest instead of indulging in wars?
57. Why does the poet feel that we should not be so single minded?
58. Why do men become sad? How can this sadness be overcome?
59. How might a huge silence interrupt the sadness of men?
60. Under the apparent stillness there is life. Justify this statement giving an
example form the poem?
61. Justify the title “Keeping Quiet”