Hi Everyone!! This article will share Her Head Questions & Answers.
This poem is written by John Murray. In my previous posts, I have shared the questions and answers of Tabby’s Tablecloth, Wild duck and After The Storm so, you can check these posts as well.
Her Head Questions & Answers
Question 1: Write True or False for the following statements:
1. The poem is set in South Africa – True
2. One child in five was at risk of death in the village – False
3. The woman had gone to a nearby well to bring water for the thirsty people in her village – False
4. The plants and trees had shrivelled and were unable to survive in the parched earth – True
5. The drought occurred due to the absence of rains – False
6. The drought hit the village a year ago – True
Question 2: Why had life become tough for the women of Ekuvukeni, in Natal, South Africa?
Answer: Life had become tough for the women of Ekuvukeni because after a year of drought, there was scarcity of water in the village. They had to fetch water from the only well situated far away from the village.
Question 3: What were the dreadful effects of the problem on the people who lived there?
Answer: When the drought prevailed for a year, the children in the village were at the risk of death for the lack of food and water. Also, to add to the miseries of the village folks, the government had built dams on the only river that flowed near the village, in turn reversing or changing its course. So now, the villagers in addition to rain water, were also deprived of the river water.
Question 4: Why did this situation arise in this village?
Answer: This situation arose in this village due to drought. Moreover, due to the Apartheid system, the Black population was segregated from the white population and they were put in the places with the least resources and the government paid little heed to their needs and requirements.
The government had built dams on the only river that flowed near the village, in turn reversing or changing its course. So now, the villagers in addition to rain water, were also deprived of the river water. The greed of rich people to make hydroelectricity for themselves snatched away the water resource from the poor villagers.
Question 5: What were the challenges the woman faced as she went to bring water for her people?
Answer: The lone woman was determined to fetch water from the only well situated far away from her village. She was ready to face the challenges and bring water for her family which was in dire need of it. Neither the scorching heat, the dusty winds nor the parched land or the distance could deter her. Carrying a bucket of water on her head in the hot sun over a long distance, the woman was defying drought, famine and the cruelty of the political system.
Question 6: The engineers have reversed the river: Explain the meaning of the line.
Answer: This line means that the government had built dams on the only river that flowed near the village, in turn reversing or changing its course. So now, the villagers in addition to rain water, were also deprived of the river water. The greed of rich people to make hydroelectricity for themselves snatched away the water resource from the poor villagers.
Question 7: those with power can keep their power,
Here the word ‘power’ has been repeated but it has two different meanings. State the two meanings.
Answer: The word power has been repeated twice. Firstly, the word power has been used for the people with influence or rich people. Secondly, it has been used to show monopoly and possession of power and resources by powerful people.
Question 8: How has the poet brought out the despair of the people without water? Quote the lines from the poem.
Answer: The lines that bring out the despair of the people without water are:
‘No milk now for children’
In the home lands, where the dusty crowds watch the empty roads for water.’
Question 9: Why is her pale huge, dirty and with an idle handle?
Answer: Her pail is huge because she wants to bring as much water as she can, it is dirty because there is no water to clean it and with an idle (unused) handle as the pail is being carried on her head.
Question 10: Why is the title of the poem ‘Her Head’ an appropriate one?
Answer: The title of this poem is an appropriate one as the woman in this poem relies on her head to carry load of water for her family. She is an epitome of courage, sacrifice and determination with the will of steel who goes to a very distant well and carries water on her head to save life of family members.
So, these were Her Head Questions & Answers.