GREATER VALLEY SCHOOL, GREATER NOIDA

CLASS XII ENGLISH

Keeping Quiet
Poem by Pablo Neruda

Theme

We, human beings have been in a mad rush to accumulate wealth, power and positions,
to the extent of causing harm to our fellow men and our planet, little realising that in
doing so, we are eventually causing harm to ourselves. 'Keeping Quiet' by Pablo Neruda
is a call for mankind to observe collective and constructive silence for a while, which
will give them time to look within, introspect, realise their mistakes and take up
corrective steps to save himself and his environment from the impending peril. The poet
feels that this moment of silence will also give those poor and underprivileged people,
engaged in a consistent struggle for survival, a chance to take a pause from their dreary
work, understand their sad plight and comfort themselves.

Synopsis

POEM: KEEPING QUIET, by PABLO NERUDA

And now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the earth

let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment

without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fisherman in the cold sea

would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

The poet tells mankind to count till twelve and then fall silent. There will be no one
speaking , no one moving their arms about, , no engines at work as silence will replace
the usual noise and will bind the whole world in a strange, yet exotic phase of
quietness. Exotic because such a unique moment has never before occurred in the
history of mankind and sudden because the whole world is expected to go silent at the
count of twelve.

The silence prevailing around will be beneficial to the environment and the other
species that co-exist in this planet with mankind. It will also help the poor people, the
under privileged to put a momentary halt to their run for survival and seek a moment
to attend to their woes and look after themselves. In order to drive home this point, the
poet uses the references of fishermen who will not hurt the whales in the sea and the salt
gatherer who will heal his hurt hands, as they will join the others and keep quiet.

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.

The poet further elaborates on the massive destruction caused to the planet by man,
who is driven by a single minded obsession to achieve his worldly and materialistic
goals. Referring to the large scale deforestation and the other environmental hazards
including pollution, the threat of nuclear wars and other forms of wars using deadly
arms and ammunitions, the poet says that when the world will observe temporary
silence at the count of twelve, those who are engaged in futile wars will stop fighting and
put on clean clothes, signifying that they will undergo a thorough cleansing of thoughts
and actions, putting an end to wars and bringing about a positive change, with the
soldiers dropping their weapons and walking with their enemies, holding hands, like
brothers, spreading love and peace all around.

What I want should not be confused

with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so 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.

However, the poet clarifies that he is not urging people to become totally inactive or lazy
as life is all about being active. He does not want to equate silence with death. The Poet
just hopes that if we could stop our single minded and thoughtless pursuits, this period
of silence will interrupt the sad situation we are in, where we are not able to realise that
by being unaware of the consequences of our actions, we are inviting our own doom by
ignoring our own well being or harming our environment.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve,

and you keep quiet and I will go.
The poet brings in the metaphor of elements of nature, viz, Earth to show us how a
phase of temporary silence can result in positivity and rejuvenation. During winters,
Earth goes into a silent mode where everything seems dull and inactive, but soon comes
the season of spring, wherein Earth comes back alive once again with renewed beauty
and strength. From the reference to earth, we may infer the example of seeds buried
under the soil (seems dead) that give birth to new saplings in due course of time.(later
proves to be alive)

Hence the poet signs off advocating people to keep quiet as he counts till twelve.

Important expressions and literary devices :

 'Let's not speak any language'- no conflicts due to linguistic differences.

 'without rush, without engines'- engines refer to vehicles causing pollution or

machines used in industries.

 ' I want no truck with death'- not having any association with death

 'this sadness'- the sad situation that we are in

 Victory with no survivors - points at the futility of war, which results only in
destruction.

 Alliteration and metaphor in'....put on clean clothes'- refers to the purification of

heart, mind and soul, eliminating enmity and embracing peace and brotherhood.
Man undergoing change is compared to his putting on clean clothes, discarding the
ones stained with selfishness and cruelty.

 Pun in the word ' arms'- 'not move our arms so much'- no moving one's arms while
walking or talking, not throwing arms at one another by engaging in verbal
arguments or assaults or no more wars using weapons-

 Pun in the word ‘cold’- ‘cold’ refers to chill in the water of the sea as well as the cold
or emotionless state of the sea after witnessing the large scale destruction taking
place in its water incessantly.

 Personification in ‘Cold sea’ as human emotions are attached to the sea.

 Transferred Epithet in ‘Cold sea’ if we say, its not the sea that is actually cold, but
the fishermen who have no human emotions left in them.
 Alliteration-'sudden strangeness'- it will be so strange to see the whole world
suddenly going still- (exotic too as will be a unique experience)

 Synecdoche (one standing for many)- in the reference to fishermen and the man
gathering salt as the former represents all those who harm the environment and the
latter, all those who are engaged in menial labour.

 Anaphora - Repetition of the same word in the beginning of two or more consecutive
lines.
'Let's not speak in any language'
Let's stop for one second...'

 Metaphor- “Perhaps the earth can teach us……”

 The poet brings in the comparison of the Earth to say how constructive silence can
result in betterment and rejuvenation.

1.What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve ?
Answer:
The poet suggests that the people should discontinue their nasty activities and nonsensical
chatting for some time. This silence will give us time to introspect, to understand ourselves
and to shape our destiny properly.

2.Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death ?
Answer:
No, the poet clarifies that he does not favour inactivity or total idleness. Inaction means
death. Life means action for the good of our race. What the poet advocates is a full stop to
war and the race for self-gain.

3.What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem ?

Answer:
The people and the nations are unfortunately engaged in producing weapons of mass
destruction. This is a sad feature of our modem civilisation. We all are a part of a blind race,
working for collective suicide. Let us take a breath and look within.

4.What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent
stillness ?
Answer:
If the poet’s suggestion is accepted, there will be temporary stillness. But it doesn’t mean
death. It is a short interval for renewed life and activity. We can see it in nature. The earth
under the snow looks dead, with no activity and no growth. But let the spring blows its bugle,
the snow will melt away and the seeds will sprout, the grass wilWhat are the different kinds
of wars mentioned in the poem? What is Neruda’s attitude towards these wars?
Answer:
The poet writes about wars against humanity and nature. Green wars, wars with poisonous
gases and wars with fire are the kinds of wars mentioned in the poem. Neruda’s attitude
towards war is one of rejection. He feels that such wars may bring victory but there are no
survivors to celebrate the victory.

5.How can suspension of activities help?

Answer:
The suspension of activities will give people time to introspect and analyse their actions. This
will help them in solving their problems and conflicts. They will develop a new
understanding and hence will mend their destructive ways.

6.Bring out the underlying message and appeal of the Pablo Neruda’s poem ‘Keeping Quiet’.
Why does he call upon all the people to keep quiet ?
Answer:
Keeping Quiet is a poem with a historic message. The poet calls upon all the people of the
world to observe a short silence, to suspend all their activities, to stand still and quietly
analyse what they are doing to kill themselves. The poet talks about the necessity of
suspending all war industry and an attack on animals.

It will be a strange experience for the people when they become free from tension and mad
rush.” They will get time to understand their neighbours and the needs of their families. But
the poet is not calling for total activity. Life, after all, must go on in quiet way. Even when
everything seems dead in nature, the seeds of life remain alive in the earth.

7.How is the poet’s appeal for keeping quiet different from absolute sluggishness ?
Answer:
The poet, in his appeal for keeping quiet, emphasizes the importance of self-introspection in a
man’s life. He urges us to seek a moment to understand ourselves and analyse our actions as
we experience the sadness of death. The poet’s appeal for a moment of silence or stillness
should not be mistaken as a plea, as a moment of inactivity or absolute sluggishness.

He seeks a silence where people are not obsessed with work and give a personal moment of
time to think about their actions. This moment of silence will help them to overcome their
woes and defects. The poet even feels that the Earth will enlighten men in this process, as
silence is only a moment captured where there is activity under apparent stillness.

8.Analyse the importance of the dramatic count to twelve in ‘Keeping Quiet.’

Answer:
The poem opens with the poet’s appeal to begin with a count to twelve followed by a moment
of silence. The poet links silence with hope for a moment of togetherness. The repetition of
the poet’s request to count to twelve in the first and the last stanzas creates a personal space
of silence in the poem. The poet seeks this moment of silence as a moment to introspect and
meditate, to share a feeling of oneness.

The poet wishes that in this selected moment, the fishermen would not kill the whales and the
men gathering salt would give rest to their injured hands. The threat of destruction of the
world would come to a halt. In this chosen moment we would have time for self assessment.
The number ‘twelve’ is dramatically significant to represent our clock time, a moment in real
life.