Raintree 4 The River

 Poem

The River by Valerie Bloom

The River's a wanderer.

A nomad, a tramp,

He doesn't choose one place

To set up his camp.

The River's a winder,

Through valley and hill

He twists and he turns,

He just cannot be still.

The River's a hoarder,

And he buries down deep

Those little treasures

That he wants to keep.

The River's a baby,

He gurgles and hums,

And sounds like he's happily

Sucking his thumbs.

The River's a singer,

As he dances along,

The countryside echoes

The notes of his song.

The River's a monster

Hungry and vexed,

He's gobbled up trees

And he'll swallow you next.

Summary: The River

The poem “The River” is about the gentle as well as harsh phases of the river.

The poet has described the river, using human characteristics. The poet talks

about how the river keeps moving constantly, through valleys and mountains,

and has no fixed home, like a wanderer or a tramp. The river can act like a

hoarder and keep things buried within. The flowing river makes happy sounds,

just like a baby. It is also like a singer, and as it passes through the villages and

valleys, the whole place echoes with the river’s songs.

However, in the last stanza, the poet reminds the readers that the river can be

dangerous too. During floods, it gobbles up up everything, just like a monster,

and will swallow us up too.

The poem uses personification to give human characteristics to the river, in

order to describe the many aspects of nature. Just as human beings can be

both harmless as well as evil, the nature, in the form of the river, can also

display the whole range of human behaviour. 

POEM: THE RIVER

A. 1. The River is like a wanderer because it always keeps moving and has no fixed home.

2. a. The poet has compared the River to a hoarder, because just like a hoarder, the River collects and

keeps everything that it comes across.

b. The ‘little treasures’ that the River wants to keep are all the things that hold value to someone,

but gets dropped in the River or swallowed up by it.

3. The words like ‘wanderer’, ‘nomad’, ‘tramp’ tells us that the River always keeps moving. The same has

been said through lines like “He doesn’t choose one place / to set up his camp” or “He just can’t be still”.

4. The River has many phases. It can be as harmless as a happy baby, or it could be as destructive as a

monster. When the River flows gently through valleys and plains, it is like a baby, gurgling happily,

and harming no one. But during floods, the River swells up and swallows everything that comes in

its path, acting like a monster.

5. a. The poet calls the River a monster because at times, the River takes on a dangerous form, and

swallows up cities, towns, and everything that lies in its path.

b. The River can be called hungry and angry when it swells up and it becomes bigger than usual.

It looks angry because its waves destroy everything that comes in its path. It is called hungry

because whatever lies in its path gets swallowed up and buried deep within it.

c. The ‘you’ in the last line refers to the readers of the poem.

B. (Suggested answer. Accept all suitable answers.) In the poem, the poet gives human qualities and

emotions to the river. The poet does this to show the various sides of the river, and how different they

are from each other.

While reading, it helps the readers imagine the river as a person, and picture the different emotions

and qualities clearly.

C. (Sample answer. Free response.)

The River’s like a string

It goes on and on,

Curving, bending, never stopping

Always carrying on.

THE RIVER POEM

A. Answer in brief.

What is the poem The River about and how does the poet describe it?

 Ans: The poem is about the gentle as well as harsh phases of the river. The poet describes the river

using human qualities, sometimes totally opposite of each other.

B. Answer in detail.

Which human characters does the poet give to the river?

 Ans: The poet compares the river to a wanderer, a nomad and a tramp who does not stay in one

place. She then compares it to a hoarder who has a lot of treasures he does not want to part with. The

river is also like a baby making happy gurgling sounds and a singer who sings as he dances along.

The stormy river is compared to an angry monster who gobbles up everything in his path.

C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

1. The River’s a wanderer,

 A nomad, a tramp,

 He doesn’t choose one place

 To set up his camp.

 a. Who does the poet compare the river to?

 b. Does the river stay in one place?

 Ans: a. The poet compares the river to a wanderer, a nomad and a tramp.

 b. No, the river keeps on flowing all the time.

2. The River’s a baby,

 He gurgles and hums,

 And sounds like he’s happily

 Sucking his thumbs.

 a. Which phase of the river does this stanza talk about?

 b. Who does the poet compare the river to?

 c. What does the river sound like?

 Ans: a. This stanza depicts the calm and gentle phase of the river.

 b. The poet compares the river to a happy and content baby.

 c. The river sounds like a happy baby making gurgling sounds while sucking his thumb.

D. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

List a few positive and negative qualities of the river. What do you learn from them?

 Suggested answer: The river is a natural source of life. When it flows gently, it helps support living

organisms such as animals, human beings and plants. The river can at times cause natural disasters. It

displays its power and rage as it gobbles up or destroys and uproots trees. Humans, like the river, have

their positive and negative qualities.

Therefore, we must accept people with their strengths and weaknesses