Here are the glossary, character sketches, and NCERT Solutions for the
CBSE Class 10 English poem "For Anne Gregory" from the textbook First
Flight.
📘 Glossary of Difficult Words and Phrases
Word/Phrase Meaning in Context
Gave me this Handed me this poem (said by the speaker,
rhyme referring to the poet/storyteller).
Great honey- Refers to Anne's beautiful yellow/golden hair,
coloured which attracts men.
High, protective walls (like on a castle); here, it
Ramparts metaphorically refers to the ears where her hair
falls.
To lose all hope; here, men are driven to despair
Despair
because they cannot win her love.
Only for For her inner soul and true self, not for her
yourself alone external beauty.
Dye To change the colour of something (her hair).
Colors Anne suggests she could change her hair
Brown, or
to, proving that her physical appearance is
black, or carrot
temporary.
A lesson or truth derived from a story or
Moral
experience.
Text Refers to the Holy Bible or religious scripture.
To hear a scriptural verse or lesson from a
Hear a text
religious text.
👤 Character Sketches
The poem is a dialogue between two figures, the Speaker (likely the
poet or a male voice) and Anne Gregory.
1. Anne Gregory (The Beautiful Young Lady)
Anne Gregory is the central figure, representing a young woman who is
aware of her physical beauty and its drawbacks.
Self-Aware and Intelligent: She knows that her physical
appearance, symbolized by her "great honey-coloured hair," is the
sole basis for the attention and 'love' she receives from young
men.
A Seeker of True Love: She desires to be loved sincerely and
unconditionally—for her "yellow hair but for yourself alone." This
wish highlights her yearning for spiritual or inner connection over
shallow admiration.
Assertive and Experimental: Her readiness to change her hair
colour ("dye it brown, or black, or carrot") shows her willingness to
take radical action to test the sincerity of her admirers, proving that
external beauty is secondary to her true identity.
2. The Speaker (The Voice of Conventional Wisdom)
The Speaker is a traditional and pragmatic voice who represents the
shallow reality of human nature and love.
Skeptical of Pure Love: He dismisses Anne's ideal of finding
someone who loves her for her soul. He is cynical about the
possibility of love that transcends physical attraction.
Voice of Conventionality: He insists that men will only ever love
her for her physical features ("ramparts at your ear"). He implies
this is a universal, unchanging truth.
Religious Justification: He uses a religious narrative (the old
man's text) to ultimately justify his point, concluding that only God
can look past outward beauty to love the soul, suggesting that no
human being possesses such virtue.
✅ NCERT Solutions: Thinking About the Text
Comprehension and Analysis
Q1. What is the theme of the poem?
Ans: The central theme of the poem is the superficiality of human love
and the importance of inner beauty. The poem explores the difference
between love based on transient physical appearance (Anne's hair) and
love based on the enduring character or soul (herself alone). It concludes
that human beings generally prioritize outward looks, while only divine
love can truly appreciate the soul.
Q2. What does the young man say he would do? Why?
Ans: The young man (implied in the speaker's dialogue) says he would be
driven to despair and would love Anne for her beautiful hair (the 'honey-
coloured ramparts at your ear'). He would do this because, to human
nature, a person’s appearance is often the most important and captivating
feature, making him unable to look beyond her captivating beauty.
Q3. What does Anne Gregory say she might do? Why?
Ans: Anne Gregory says she might change the colour of her hair to brown,
black, or carrot. She wants to do this so that a young man could be forced
to love her for "herself alone" and not for her magnificent yellow hair. This
is her hypothetical way of proving that the love based on her hair is
shallow and easily manipulated.
Q4. What is the attitude of the old man?
Ans: The old man's attitude, as quoted by the speaker, is one of religious
fatalism and conventional cynicism. He presents a 'text' (a religious truth)
that only God has the capacity to love a person solely for their soul,
suggesting that any man, no matter how pure his intentions, will
inevitably be swayed by physical beauty.
Q5. Why does the poet convey the theme through a dialogue between two
people?
Ans: The poet uses a dialogue between the speaker and Anne Gregory to
present two contrasting viewpoints on love and beauty, making the theme
more dramatic and relatable.
1. Anne's view represents the idealistic wish for profound, spiritual
love.
2. The Speaker's view represents the realistic, shallow, and
conventional nature of human attraction.
By leaving the conclusion to the speaker's cynical but universally
applicable religious 'text,' the poet uses the debate to emphasize that
Anne’s ideal of true love is almost impossible to achieve on a human level.
Q6. What colour is Anne's hair? What does she say she can change it to?
What does this tell you about her?
Ans: Anne's hair is described as "great honey-coloured" (yellow/golden).
She says she can change it to brown, or black, or carrot. This tells us that
she is assertive, non-materialistic, and deeply desires to be loved for her
inner self. She treats her physical beauty as a removable mask or a
superficial attribute, showing that she values character over appearance.
