Skip to main content

Raintree 5 Be a Friend

 Summary: Be a Friend

This poem is about the importance of being a good friend, and more

broadly—a good person. The speaker tells us that money and glory are not

important—it is more important to be cheerful, helpful, kind and generous.

Friendship simply means ignoring a friend’s mistakes and encouraging her

or him. The speaker also explains how rewarding it is to be a friend. If we

put our efforts into being a good friend than into being successful or rich,

we shall have friends, not just neighbours, and we will actually feel richer

with treasures like love and affection.

This is a motivational poem as it tries to inspire the reader to be a good

human being. It tells us of the simple things we can do in order to be a good

friend, and it teaches the importance of qualities like kindness, generosity

and sympathy. It explains not only how to be loyal to our friends, but also

how to make new friends. The qualities mentioned in the poem can be

developed by anyone—young or old, woman or man. This makes it a very

universal poem, understandable by everyone. Also, by addressing the

reader directly as ‘you’, the speaker seems to have a direct conversation

with the reader. He seems to encourage the reader, and thus he himself

behaves like a good friend to the reader. The point of view is that of a

mature person who has learned important lessons through observation

and experience. The poem is written using American English.

POEM BE A FRIEND

A. 1. According to the speaker, money and glory are not necessary to be a friend.

2. Someone who has a sunny disposition or a cheerful nature is friendly and nice. He or she can make

friends with others easily. It is easier to talk to, laugh with and be with such a person.

3. Someone who is unbefriended has lost his friends. We can help such a person by being kind to

him and helping him. We need to be ready to give or lend him what he needs.

4. The four duties of friendship are to ignore small mistakes of a friend, to appreciate the honest

efforts of a friend, to encourage a friend when he is trying to do the right thing, and to be sorry for

a friend who is sad.

5. Self-endeavour means to try to do something for ourselves. Friendship means trying to do

something for others—for a friend. Clever people try to get things for themselves. They may even


earn a lot of money for themselves. But a true friend tries to help others and earns thanks and love.

These things are not equal to money, but they are greater than money.

6. a. If we simply live and work with each other, then we are neighbours. However, if we help each

other and work for each other, we can also be friends. That way, we can really care for each

other. So we can have friends instead of just neighbours.

 b. We can be rich by being friends because being a good friend brings us rewards like love,

affection, trust and respect, which are far more valuable than costly things.

B. Suggested answers (accept any logical answer):

1. According to the speaker, the qualities of kindness, helpfulness and patience are important to be a

friend. It also helps to be cheerful, affectionate and sympathetic.

2. This statement means that there is nothing difficult or complicated about friendship. Any two

people, who are nice and kind to each other, who care for and help each other, can be friends.

BE A FRIEND POEM

A. Answer in brief.

What effort should a person take to retain good friends?

 Ans: A person should be kind and caring and help another in difficult times. We should be ready to

give a helping hand or lend without any hesitation. One can easily win a friend by being open and

unselfish.

B. Answer in detail.

How can one make friendship easy to maintain?

 Ans: Friendship, according to the speaker, is simple. We should know how to ignore the small

mistakes of a friend and make her/him comfortable and not let her/him feel guilty. When a friend

honestly tries to do something good or interesting, we should appreciate the efforts. These qualities

will earn us friends forever and we can maintain such friendships with ease.


C. Read the lines and answer the questions.

The pay is bigger

(Though not written by a figure)

Than is earned by people clever

a. What is the pay the speaker mentions in the above lines?

b. Is the pay in the form of money?

c. How would one be paid?

Ans: a. The pay the speaker talks about is the result of the hard work done to be a good friend.

 b. No, the pay is not money but good friends.

 c. One would be paid in the form of cherishing memories of a good friendship.

D. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)

Write briefly about the theme of the poem.

 Ans: [Free response] The theme of the poem is about the importance of being a good friend. The

speaker in the poem encourages us to be kind and compassionate and be helpful. In return to all the

efforts, one would acquire the wealth that one gets by having many sincere and good friends. The

speaker says it does not cost any money to be a good friend. We just need to be cheerful and should

be willing to be supportive. The speaker wants us to understand that the benefit of being a good

friend is far more than the benefits of possessing plenty of wealth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Class 10 English Grammar

  GRAMMAR DETERMINERS Definition of Determiners - Determiners are those words that are prefixed before nouns to determine their meaning. They can be divided into the following types: 1)   Articles- a, an, the 2)   Demonstratives- this, that, these, those 3)   Possessives- my, your, our, his, her, its, their 4)   Indefinite Adjectives- some, any, much, many, little, few, less 5)   Others- all, each, every, both, neither, either, other, another, enough, most, several, one, two, etc.   1.   ARTICLES (TYPE OF DETERMINER) (1) The Definite Article (The) "The" is called the definite article . It defines its noun as something specific (e.g., something previously mentioned or known, something unique, something being identified by the speaker).   This is the lake. (This is a previously specified lake, i....
Post a Comment
Read more

Class X[First Flight]Chapter - 1: A Letter to God by G.L Fuentes

  Word Meaning crest:  Top of a hill dotted : Full Of downpour:  Heavy Rain intimately:  Closely exclaimed – cry out suddenly in surprise, strong emotion, or pain. regarded – Consider Or Think Of In A Specified Way draped  – Adorn, Cover, Or Wrap (Someone Or Something) hailstones  – A Pellet Of Hail resemble – Have A Similar Appearance To Or Qualities In Common With (Someone Or Something); Look Or Seem Like. exposing  – make (something) visible by uncovering it.; reveal plague – a destructively numerous inflow or multiplication of a harmful animal, infestation locusts-  Insects which fly in big groups and destroy crops solitary:   Existing alone; lonely. conscience – an inner sense of right and wrong. ox of a man – hardworking daybreak – The time in the morning when daylight first appears Pesos – the basic monetary unit of Mexico, several other Latin American countries, and the Philippines amiable-  Friendly And Pleasant corresponde...
Post a Comment
Read more

Class 8: Chapter -1 Beating the Odds by Ramendra Kumar (Question and Answers)

Warm up activity 1. Suggested answers: essential, most important, critical, crucial 2. Accept any logical answer. Suggested answer: ‘Little things’ refer to everyday habits, small parts of a larger task, our methods or approach to a task, etc,. 3. Humility, Modesty 4. a, b, c Listening Text Consistency is key. It’s not just about doing the right things occasionally; it’s about making them a habit. It’s crucial to stick to the routine day in and day out. But it’s also essential to excel in the classroom as much as on the field. Differentiate yourself by doing the little things that others won’t. Dedicate extra hours to training, prioritize rest and nutrition, and never settle for being average. Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who inspire and support you. Choose excellence over perfection, and always remain coachable. Your talent might open doors, but your character will keep you there. Keep your options open to opportunities, even if they’re not your first choice. Work ha...
Post a Comment
Read more