Class -XII (Flamingo-Poem-3)-Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda
About the Poet - Pablo Neruda
• Real Name: Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto
• Pen Name: Pablo Neruda
• Born: 1904, Chile
• Died: 1973
📚 Literary Career:
• Renowned Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician.
• Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1971.
• Known for poems on love, humanity, politics, and nature.
• He often wrote about human struggles, peace, and the need for reflection.
🧠 Theme of the Poem: “Keeping Quiet”
The central idea of the poem is a call for stillness, introspection, and unity. It urges the world to pause from activity, reflect on life, and promote peace.
1. Need for Silence and Stillness
• The poet suggests we take a moment of total silence — no speaking or moving — to reflect deeply.
• Stillness is not inactivity, but a time to think beyond constant work and conflict.
2. Introspection and Self-Reflection
• By pausing, we can understand ourselves better and realize the futility of our actions, especially destructive ones.
• It gives us a chance to look inward rather than always rushing outward.
3. Universal Brotherhood and Unity
• Silence can unite all humans beyond nationality, language, and culture.
• It creates a shared human experience that brings peace and understanding.
4. Anti-War and Anti-Destruction
• Neruda speaks against war, violence, and environmental harm.
• When people stop and reflect, they are less likely to harm others or nature.
5. Balance Between Action and Reflection
• The poet is not promoting total inactivity or death.
• He wants us to pause briefly, reflect, and then resume life with greater purpose and peace.
Introduction to the POEM
The poem was originally written by Pablo Neruda in Spanish but later translated to English. Its main thrust was the significance of mindfulness, introspection and retrospection as these lead to attention, unity and brotherhood. It was an appeal to pause and really see that set in a mundane flurry of human habit; people are led to blindly perform what is expected of them while sadly not perceiving the impact to nature and society.The poem “Keeping Quiet” written by Pablo Neruda discusses the need of maintaining peace and silence. He stresses upon being quiet and harmless to the human beings, animals and environment. He suggests that in order to maintain peace and harmony, it is required to stop and introspect ourselves.
🌍 Figurative Characters and Their Sketches in “Keeping Quiet”
1. The Poet/Narrator (Pablo Neruda)
Role: Speaker and guide
Character Sketch:
• A wise, reflective thinker urging the world to pause and embrace silence.
• Advocates peace, unity, and self-reflection.
• Speaks in a calm, persuasive tone, without aggression.
• Believes that silence can heal the world’s chaos.
• Not against work or progress, but encourages a balance between doing and thinking.
2. Fishermen
Mentioned in the line: “Fishermen in the cold sea would not harm whales…”
Character Sketch:
• Symbolize human exploitation of nature.
• In the poem, they represent people who harm the environment for personal gain.
• The poet imagines them stopping their harmful activity and reflecting, promoting ecological awareness.
3. Salt Gatherer
Mentioned in the line: “…and the man gathering salt would look at his hurt hands.”
Character Sketch:
• Represents the working class who are so busy surviving that they forget to care for themselves.
• His “hurt hands” symbolize pain, sacrifice, and neglect.
• Poet wants him to pause and reflect on his own well-being, not just labor endlessly.
4. Soldiers / Those Preparing for War
Implied in the lines about those “preparing green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire…”
Character Sketch:
• Symbolize aggressive, violent nations or people.
• Represent conflict, destruction, and political tension.
• Neruda hopes they, too, can stop momentarily and realize the futility of war.
• Encourages them to choose peace over violence.
5. Humanity as a Whole
Role: Collective character addressed throughout the poem
Character Sketch:
• Restless, constantly in motion.
• Always chasing progress, profit, or power — often at the cost of peace.
• Has forgotten how to be silent, how to reflect.
• The poet calls on all of humanity to unite in quietness, to rediscover compassion, peace, and brotherhood.
Keeping Quiet Summary
When the people will remain quiet for a while, they will realize the purpose of their lives. Just like all the creations of nature undergo a rebirth with the change of seasons, similary, keeping quiet will be a rebirth for the human soul. It will give a new meaning to our life. Again, the poet says that he will count till twelve and asks everyone to remain quiet while he leaves.
Rhyme scheme of the poem
The poem is written in free verse. It does not follow any rhyme scheme.
stanza-1
Keeping Quiet Explanation
- The poet urges everyone to pause for a moment—symbolically by counting to twelve (representing a universal clock or symbol of time). He asks us to remain completely still, without speaking or moving. This is not about inaction but about mindful silence and reflection. May be this ‘twelve’ referred by the poet is the twelve hours in the clock or the twelve months in an year. He wants everyone to stop and calm down. The poet urges everyone not to speak any language. As we all know that there are different languages spoken in different parts of the earth which sometimes become a barrier in our way for peace. So, he asks people not to speak. Not only this, he also wants us to stop moving our arms. By using the word ‘arms’ he means the weapons which are used by different countries to raise a war against each other. So basically the poet is demanding peace from all of us.
💬 Difficult Words:
• Count to twelve – Symbolic for time (12 hours or 12 months)
• Keep still – Stop all physical and mental activity for a while
• Face of the Earth – The entire world
• Language – Symbol of division between people
• Move our arms – Symbolic of activity, work, or violence
Literary devices:-
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘e’ (Now we will count to twelve, not move our arms so much)
Anaphora: Two consecutive lines starting with the word ‘Let’s’
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of 2 or more closely placed words.
‘we will’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated
Poet says that it would be a rare situation when there will be no engines working. Here he wants to stay that if everything comes to standstill, it will be a very different moment. If all the engines like the vehicles and machines stop, then there will be a sudden, strange situation as the world will experience a sudden calmness. People will not be in a rush to achieve material things one after another. Further the poet says that the fisherman will also stop and not harm whales in the sea. This means that the poet is urging everyone not to harm the animals. Here he gives the example of whales which are being hunted for the purpose of food or trade. He also wants people to calm down so that they can stop and see what they have achieved or lost. For this he gives the example of the man who gathers salt, whose hands are hurt. Here he wants everyone to stop for a while in order to see and feel their achievements and how much they have lost for the sake of attaining such materialistic things.
💬 Difficult Words:
• Exotic – Unusual, rare, special
• Engines – Symbol of industrial activity and human restlessness
• Sudden strangeness – A surprising but positive sense of peace
• Harm whales – Symbol of environmental destruction
• Hurt hands – Symbol of pain due to continuous, exhausting work
Literary devices:-
Alliteration- ‘we would’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘sudden strangeness’ - ‘s’ sound is repeated, ‘his hurt hands’ - ‘h’ sound is repeated
stanza-3
Explanation
This stanza refers to those who prepare for war—be it biological (gas) or destructive (fire). These wars destroy all, even the victors. The poet asks everyone to stop those activities which are damaging the environment. Today all the human beings are making money by damaging the environment with their activities such as mining, deforestation, letting the chemical waste into rivers, etc. The poet asks us not to do so. He also requests people not to involve in wars as there is no benefit of achieving such victory in which no one is left alive. He says so because wars and environmental damage will lead to no life on earth. Rather, he wants people to adopt a new approach towards life and mankind. Neruda imagines a world where such people abandon conflict, change their ways (“put on clean clothes”), and live in peace and brotherhood, enjoying simple togetherness.The poet clarifies he is not advocating complete inaction or death. He values life and living meaningfully. His aim is a pause for reflection, not an end to activity.“No truck with death” means he does not support passivity or lifelessness. He says that you should treat your enemy like brothers and promote peace and harmony in the world.
💬 Difficult Words:
• Green wars – Wars against nature (e.g., deforestation, environmental damage)
• Victory with no survivors – Irony: even the winners lose in destructive war
• Put on clean clothes – Symbol of moral change and peace
• Shade – Symbol of calmness and peace
• Total inactivity – Doing absolutely nothing (misinterpretation)
• No truck with death – No association with death or lifelessness
Literary devices:-
Alliteration: ‘wars with’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘clean clothes’ - ‘c’ sound is repeated
Assonance: use of vowel ‘o’ (victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers)
Repetition: use of ‘war’
Explanation
Now the poet wants to clarify to his readers that when he asks them to stop from saying or doing anything, he doesn’t want anyone to become a non active person. Non active is a person who remains idle and doesn’t do anything. Here, he simply means that we should stop and see the consequences of our deeds. The poet doesn’t want to see people being killed due to their greed for money and expansion of territories. Further, he says that people are continuously working to achieve their tasks without even thinking about their results. They are in fear of death and therefore, want to achieve most of the things before their death. Here he urges them to stop for a while and take some moment to relish on what they have achieved till now.Neruda suggests that if we paused, we might break free from our inner sadness, caused by lack of self-awareness and our tendency to destroy ourselves and others.
💬 Difficult Words:
• Single-minded – Obsessed or focused only on one goal
• Interrupt this sadness – Stop the cycle of anxiety and violence
• Threatening ourselves with death – Refers to war, conflict, and self-destruction
Literary devices:-
Alliteration: we were, so single-minded
enjambment: and for once could perhaps a huge silence……..of threatening ourselves with death.
stanza-5
Explanation
The poet uses Earth as a teacher. Nature appears lifeless in winter, but life returns in spring. So, now the poet suggests to the human beings that we should learn a lesson from Earth. During the winters everything freezes and becomes lifeless. But when season changes and its the onset of spring season, everything present in the nature such as the trees, birds, rivers, etc gets life. So here, the poet, by giving the example of nature, wants to say that all the human beings should stop and try to judge their deeds. They can try and make their life better with calmness, peace. Finally, he ends up by saying that now he will count upto twelve so that we all may become quiet. Here ‘quiet’ means to calm down ourselves and move towards the path of peace and harmony. After saying this he says ‘I will go’. He says so as he has conveyed his message to the people and wants them to be left alone to think about it and work in the direction of peace. Similarly, our stillness can give rise to new life. He ends by gently encouraging the reader to count silently to twelve and reflect, while he “goes” — leaving us with his message.
💬 Difficult Words:
• Earth can teach us – Nature teaches lessons of renewal and patience
• Everything seems dead… proves alive – A metaphor for inner growth after silence
🎨 Literary Devices in “Keeping Quiet”
1. Alliteration
Definition: Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of nearby words.
Examples:
• “we would”
• “sudden strangeness”
• “wars with gas, wars with fire”
🔹 Effect: Creates a musical rhythm and emphasizes the idea being repeated.
2. Repetition
Definition: Repeating words or phrases for emphasis.
Examples:
• “wars with gas, wars with fire”
• “we would…”
🔹 Effect: Emphasizes the widespread and repeated nature of human violence and the poet’s call for universal reflection.
3. Enjambment
Definition: A sentence or phrase that continues beyond the end of a line without a pause.
Example:
“we would all be together / in a sudden strangeness”
🔹 Effect: Creates a smooth, natural flow of thought and reflects the poet’s conversational tone.
4. Imagery
Definition: Use of descriptive language to appeal to the senses and create mental pictures.
Examples:
• “fishermen in the cold sea”
• “man gathering salt would look at his hurt hands”
• “put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers”
🔹 Effect: Helps readers visualize human actions and their consequences, evoking empathy and reflection.
5. Symbolism
Definition: Use of symbols to represent larger ideas.
Examples:
• “Counting to twelve” – Symbol of universal time, global unity
• “Clean clothes” – Symbol of renewal, moral change, peace
• “Green wars” – Symbol of environmental destruction
• “Earth” – Symbol of patience, rebirth, and wisdom
🔹 Effect: Deepens the meaning by linking everyday elements to global messages.
6. Personification
Definition: Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Example:
• “Earth can teach us”
🔹 Effect: Treats nature as a wise teacher, making the idea of learning from the planet more relatable and meaningful.
7. Metaphor
Definition: A direct comparison between unrelated things.
Examples:
• “Victory with no survivors” – Suggests the futility of war
• “Sadness of never understanding ourselves” – Describes inner emptiness metaphorically
🔹 Effect: Expresses deep ideas indirectly, allowing multiple interpretations.
8. Paradox
Definition: A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.
Example:
• “Victory with no survivors”
• “Doing nothing might interrupt this sadness”
🔹 Effect: Provokes thought and highlights the ironies of human behavior, like how silence can be more powerful than action.
9. Anaphora
Definition: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines.
Example:
• “wars with gas, wars with fire”
• “let’s not… let’s stop…”
🔹 Effect: Builds rhythm and emphasizes the poet’s plea for peace.
📚 Important Phrases with Explanations
1. “Let’s count to twelve”
• Meaning: Symbolic invitation for everyone to pause and reflect together.
• Explanation: The number twelve may refer to the 12 hours on a clock or 12 months, symbolizing global unity and time. It sets the stage for silence and stillness.
2. “We will all keep still”
• Meaning: Remain silent and motionless.
• Explanation: Not just physical stillness, but also mental calm. The poet believes this collective silence can help humans reconnect with themselves and each other.
3. “Not speak in any language”
• Meaning: Give up communication for a moment.
• Explanation: Language is often a divider (nationality, region, class). The poet wants to erase those barriers to create a feeling of oneness and understanding.
4. “Not move our arms so much”
• Meaning: Stop all activity, especially harmful or violent actions.
• Explanation: Symbolic of restraint—a moment without action that could damage the self, others, or nature.
5. “An exotic moment without rush, without engines”
• Meaning: A rare, beautiful moment of stillness.
• Explanation: Free from human-made noise and machines. The phrase imagines a quiet, peaceful world, untouched by industrial activity.
6. “A sudden strangeness”
• Meaning: An unfamiliar but powerful experience.
• Explanation: The poet says that such collective silence may feel odd, but it can bring peace and reflection we’ve never known.
7. “Fishermen… would not harm whales”
• Meaning: People would stop exploiting nature.
• Explanation: This line promotes environmental awareness and suggests how silence and reflection could protect the natural world.
8. “Man gathering salt would look at his hurt hands”
• Meaning: People would realize their own pain.
• Explanation: In stillness, we might become more aware of our suffering, overwork, and personal damage caused by endless labor.
9. “Wars with gas, wars with fire”
• Meaning: Destructive modern wars using chemical and explosive weapons.
• Explanation: Highlights human cruelty and self-destruction. The poet dreams of a world without such violence.
10. “Victory with no survivors”
• Meaning: War where even winners lose everything.
• Explanation: A paradox showing the futility of war—in the end, everyone suffers.
11. “Put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers”
• Meaning: Change for the better and live in harmony.
• Explanation: Symbolizes moral renewal and peace. “Clean clothes” suggest a fresh start.
12. “I want no truck with death”
• Meaning: I do not associate with or promote death.
• Explanation: Poet clarifies he supports life, not passivity or death. His message is peaceful living, not escapism.
13. “Sadness of never understanding ourselves”
• Meaning: Emotional emptiness from lack of introspection.
• Explanation: The poet believes that people fail to understand their own purpose, creating a deep inner sadness.
14. “Perhaps the Earth can teach us”
• Meaning: Nature offers wisdom if we observe it.
• Explanation: The Earth rests (in winter) and revives (in spring). We, too, should pause and reflect to grow.
15. “Everything seems dead and later proves to be alive”
• Meaning: Apparent stillness in nature often leads to renewal.
• Explanation: A metaphor for how silence is not emptiness, but a preparation for new life and understanding.
FLOW CHART FOR THE POEM
1. Poet urges silence:
- Count to twelve (symbol of time/universality)
- Keep still — physically and mentally
↓
2. Call for global stillness:
- No speaking in any language
- No physical movement or gestures
↓
3. Imagines a rare moment of peace:
- No engines or rushing
- A sudden, exotic silence among all humans
↓
4. Reflecting on human actions:
- Fishermen would stop harming whales (symbol of environmental care)
- Salt gatherers would pause and notice their pain (self-awareness)
↓
5. War and conflict:
- Warmongers would stop fighting “green wars,” “gas wars,” “fire wars”
- They would walk peacefully with others, wear “clean clothes”
↓
6. Clarification:
- Poet says he is not promoting “death” or “total inactivity”
- Emphasizes valuing *life*, but through mindful pauses
↓
7. Sadness and misunderstanding:
- People are too busy to understand themselves
- Constant activity leads to *self-destruction*
↓
8. Nature’s lesson:
- Earth appears dead (in winter) but renews life (in spring)
- Suggests *stillness leads to renewal*, not end
↓
9. Poem ends:
- Poet counts to twelve again
- Leaves silently, allowing readers to reflect
Question and Answers
Q1- What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve?
A1-If we count upto twelve and keep still, it will give us some time to analyze our deeds. It will allow us some moments to think about the result of our activities. People in the world are involved in wars and are also damaging the environment in order to achieve their aims. Unfortunately this is taking all of us toward our own end. So, we need to think in order to achieve peace and harmony.
Q2- Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death?
A2- No, the poet doesn’t advocate total inactivity and death. He clarifies this in his poem that he wants all the people to just stop for a while in order to analyze their activities and their consequences. He wants human beings not to support war and damage to the environment.
Q3- What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem?
A3- The sadness is the result of our own actions and deeds. According to the poet we all are in a hurry of achieving various tasks in our life. This rush sometimes proves dangerous for us. As we don’t analyze our actions, so we land ourselves in a number of problems. These problems then become the reason for our sadness as referred to in the poem.
Q4- What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness?
A4- The poet takes the example of earth to prove that there can be life under apparent stillness. The earth never gets inactive. We experience the change in the seasons which brings so many different things with it. In winters, things come to a standstill as the water bodies freeze; the trees shed their leaves, etc. But as soon as the spring season comes, it brings with it the lovely flowers, flowing rivers and a new life is given to the nature. So, the poet wants to convey that we should stay calm but that doesn’t mean that it will bring total inactivity and stillness.
EXTRA QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER HINTS
🧠 1. Competency-Based Questions
Q1. Why does the poet suggest we “count to twelve”?
Answer Hint:
• Symbol of time and universality (12 hours, 12 months).
• Encourages a shared moment of silence and reflection.
• It’s simple and accessible for all.
Q2. How can stillness lead to understanding ourselves?
Answer Hint:
• Stillness helps us disconnect from routine and conflict.
• Encourages introspection and awareness of one’s actions, feelings, and impact.
🌈 2. Value-Based Questions
Q3. What human values does the poem promote?
Answer Hint:
• Peace, brotherhood, environmental awareness, self-reflection, and compassion.
• Encourages moral transformation and respect for nature and fellow humans.
Q4. Why does the poet say “victory with no survivors”? What value does this promote?
Answer Hint:
• War destroys both sides; even winners lose lives and humanity.
• Promotes the value of non-violence and futility of war.
📝 3. Questions on Title and Theme
Q5. Do you think the title “Keeping Quiet” is appropriate? Why or why not?
Answer Hint:
• Yes, because the poem is about silence, reflection, and stillness.
• Title suggests both outer quiet and inner calm.
• Silence is used as a tool for peace, understanding, and transformation.
Q6. Explain the main theme of the poem in your own words.
Answer Hint:
• Importance of pausing human activity to reflect.
• Call for global unity, peace, and environmental care.
• Opposes war, noise, and mindless rush.
📌 4. Situation-Based Questions
Q7. Imagine you are a soldier preparing for war. How would you respond to the poet’s request for silence and reflection?
Answer Hint:
• Feel conflicted; realize violence only leads to more pain.
• Might reconsider choices if silence brought awareness.
• May value peace over destruction.
Q8. If industries worldwide stopped for one minute, what changes might occur in that silence?
Answer Hint:
• Reduction in pollution and noise.
• People may become aware of the environmental damage.
• Opportunity to rethink priorities and work culture.
✨ 5. Creative Writing-Based Questions
Q9. Write a short paragraph describing what the world would look like if everyone stayed still and silent for one full minute.
Answer Hint:
• Streets silent, machines off, people still.
• Contrast between noise before and peace after.
• A powerful moment of unity and clarity.
Q10. Draft a letter to your future self explaining how you would practice “keeping quiet” in your daily life.
Answer Hint:
• Pausing before reacting in arguments.
• Spending a few minutes daily in silence.
• Reflecting on goals, actions, and emotions.
📚 6. Other Extra Questions
Q11. What does the poet mean by “clean clothes”?
Answer Hint:
• Symbolic of moral change, purity, and new beginnings.
• Leaving behind destructive behavior and choosing peace.
Q12. How does the poem reflect environmental concerns?
Answer Hint:
• Fishermen stop harming whales.
• War against nature (green wars) is criticized.
• Poet advocates balance between nature and humans.
Q13. “Perhaps the Earth can teach us…” – What lesson does the poet draw from nature?
Answer Hint:
• Earth rests in winter, revives in spring.
• Even in stillness, life returns.
• Teaches us that silence can lead to growth, not death.
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