My Own True Family Summary, Explanation, Difficult Words | WBBSE Class 10 English Lesson 4

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My Own True Family Summary

 

West Bengal Board Class 10 English My Own True Family Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Bliss Book

 

My Own True Family– Are you looking for Summary and Lesson Explanation for West Bengal  Board Class 10 English Lesson 4 My Own True Family from Bliss Book. Get notes, summary of the Lesson followed by line by line explanation of the lesson along with the meanings of difficult words.

 

My Own True Family West Bengal Board Class 10 English 

Ted Hughes

 

Related Link :My Own True Family Question Answers WBBSE Class 10 English Bliss Book

My Own True Family Introduction

The poem “My Own True Family” by Ted Hughes tells the story of a person who ventures into an oak forest, seeking a stag. In the forest, he encounters an old woman who claims to know his secret. She opens her bag, causing the narrator to feel a sudden awakening as he finds himself  surrounded by oak-trees which  speak to him. The oak-trees reveal they are being cut down and destroyed without concern. They give the narrator a choice: pledge to plant two trees for every one cut down, or face a grim fate among the oaks. This encounter affects the narrator, who returns to human society with the heart of a tree, forever changed by his experience in the forest.

Theme of the Lesson My Own True Family

The theme of “My Own True Family” by Ted Hughes revolves around the strong connection between humans and the trees. The poem explores the theme of environmental consciousness and responsibility. It portrays trees, specifically oak-trees, as sentient or living beings with whom humans share a familial bond. The poem emphasizes the consequences of human actions on nature, and emphasizes the destruction caused by deforestation and the urgent need for conservation efforts. 

My Own True Family Summary

The poem “My Own True Family” by Ted Hughes begins with the narrator going into an oak forest, hoping to find a male deer. In the forest, he meets an old woman who claims to know a secret about him, keeping it in her bag. She opens her bag, causing the narrator to feel very alert as if he is awake suddenly. He finds himself surrounded by oak-trees which speak to him as a collective family. These oak-trees reveal they are being cut down and destroyed without much concern by neither the humans nor the narrator himself. They challenge the narrator, saying that unless he promises to plant two trees for every one cut down, he will face a harsh fate among the oaks. This encounter deeply affects the narrator, who returns to human society feeling changed inside, walking among people like any other human child, yet inside, he feels his heart transformed into that of a tree. This transformation shows how the experience in the forest has connected him deeply with nature, making him aware of his responsibility to protect and nurture it.

My Own True Family Summary in Hindi

टेड ह्यूजेस की कविता “माई ओन ट्रू फ़ैमिली” की शुरुआत कथावाचक के नर हिरण को खोजने की उम्मीद में ओक के जंगल में जाने से होती है। जंगल में उसकी मुलाकात एक बूढ़ी औरत से होती है जो दावा करती है कि वह उसके बारे में एक रहस्य जानती है जिसे उसने अपने बैग में रखा है । वह अपना बैग खोलती है, जिससे वर्णनकर्ता को अचानक बहुत सतर्क और जागृत महसूस होता है। वह खुद को ओक के पेड़ों से घिरा हुआ पाता है जो उससे एक सामूहिक परिवार के रूप में बात करते हैं। इन ओक के पेड़ों से पता चलता है कि उन्हें न तो मनुष्यों और न ही कथावाचक द्वारा बिना किसी चिंता के काटा और नष्ट किया जा रहा है। उन्होंने वर्णनकर्ता को चुनौती देते हुए कहा कि जब तक वे काटे गए प्रत्येक पेड़ के लिए दो पेड़ लगाने का वादा नहीं करेंगे, उन्हें बांज के पेड़ों के बीच कठोर भाग्य का सामना करना पड़ेगा। यह मुठभेड़ कथावाचक को गहराई से प्रभावित करती है, जो मानव समाज में अपने अंदर बदलाव महसूस करते हुए लौटता है, किसी भी अन्य मानव बच्चे की तरह लोगों के बीच चलता है, फिर भी अंदर से उसे लगता है कि उसका दिल एक पेड़ में बदल गया है। यह परिवर्तन दिखाता है कि जंगल में अनुभव कैसे उसे प्रकृति के साथ गहराई से जोड़ता है, कवी को पेड़ों की रक्षा और पोषण करने की अपनी जिम्मेदारी के बारे में जागरूक किया।

My Own True Family Lesson Explanation

 

Poem: 

Once I crept in an oakwood—I was looking for a stag.

I met an old woman there—all knobbly stick and rag.

She said: ‘I have your secret here inside my little bag.’

 

Word Meanings:

stag (n): male deer

knobbly (adj.): unsteady, having lumps on the surface

oakwood (n): a forest made up of oak trees

rag (n): clothes in poor condition 

 

Explanation: The poem begins with the narrator describing sneaking into an oak forest because he was searching for a stag, a male deer. While in the forest, he encounters an old woman who looks very thin and ragged, as if she’s made of sticks and old clothes. The old woman tells him that she holds a secret about him inside her small bag, setting the stage for a mysterious and intriguing encounter between the narrator and the strange old woman in the forest.

Poem: 

Then she began to cackle and I began to quake.

She opened up her little bag and I came twice awake—

Surrounded by a staring tribe and me tied to a stake. 

 

Word Meanings:

cackle (v): to laugh in a loud, high voice

quake (v): to shake because you are very frightened, to feel or show great fear

stake (n): a wooden post to which people were tied before being burned to death as a punishment

 

Explanation: The old woman starts laughing loudly, and the narrator begins to shake with fear or nervousness. She opens her small bag, and suddenly the narrator feels extremely alert and awake. It is as if he was asleep or unaware before, but now he’s fully aware of his surroundings and situation. As the narrator becomes fully awake, he realizes that he is surrounded by a group of people, who are looking at him while he is tied to a wooden stake, unable to move freely.

Poem: 

They said: ‘We are the oak-trees and your own true family.

We are chopped down, we are torn up, you do not blink an eye.

Unless you make a promise now—now you are going to die.’

 

Word Meanings:

chopped (v): to cut something into pieces with an axe, knife, or other sharp instrument

torn (v): to pull or be pulled apart, or to pull pieces off

 

Explanation: The oak-trees speak to the narrator, telling him that they are like his family, connected to him in a special way. They go on to describe how they are cut down and destroyed, and humans seem not to care about their suffering. The oak-trees ask the narrator to make an important promise, which if not fulfilled will lead to serious consequences, possibly even death.

Poem: 

‘Whenever you see an oak-tree felled, swear now you will plant two.

Unless you swear the black oak bark will wrinkle over you

And root you among the oaks where you were born but never grew.’

 

Word Meanings:

swear (v): promise

felled (v): to cut down a tree

wrinkle (n): a small line or fold in the skin

root (n): the part of a plant that grows down into the earth to get water and food and holds the plant firm in the ground

 

Explanation: The oak trees tell the narrator that whenever he sees an oak-tree being cut down, he must promise to plant two new oak trees. This is because they are deeply concerned about their kind being destroyed without thought. They warn the narrator that if he refuses to make this promise, he will face consequences. Specifically, they say the bark of the black oak tree will age and wrinkle over him, symbolizing a curse or punishment. They also threaten that he will be rooted among the oak trees where he was born but never grew, meaning he will be bound to the fate of the trees he neglected.

Poem: 

This was my dream beneath the boughs, the dream that altered me.

When I came out of the oakwood, back to human company,

My walk was the walk of a human child, but my heart was a tree. 

 

Word Meanings:

altered (adj.): changed 

boughs (n): a large branch of tree

 

Explanation: The narrator reflects on the dream he had while he was in the oak forest. This dream changed him deeply. When he left the forest and came back to be with other people, he looked like any other child. But internally, he felt like something had changed. Even though he seemed normal on the outside, he now felt a strong connection to nature, especially to the oak trees. His heart felt like it belonged with the trees, showing that he now cared deeply about protecting and taking care of them.

 

WBBSE Class 10 English Lesson 4 My Own True Family Figures of Speech

 

  1. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature.
  • “but my heart was a tree.” – This metaphor suggests a comparison of the narrator’s heart to a tree, symbolizing a deep connection to nature.

 

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. 
  • “an old woman there—all knobbly stick and rag”- Visual imagery describing the appearance of the old woman.

 

  1. Personification: Personification is the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc., as in art and literature.
  • “We are the oak-trees and your own true family.”- Oak-trees are personified as family members of the narrator.

 

  1. Hyperbole: Hyperbole is a literary device used to draw emphasis through extreme exaggeration, with examples in film and literature.
  • “I came twice awake”- This phrase exaggerates how suddenly and fully awake the narrator became.

 

  1. Symbolism: It is the use of an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, like an idea, in literature.
  • “the black oak bark will wrinkle over you” – This symbolizes a curse or consequence for not protecting oak trees.

 

 

Also See : 

 

WBBSE Class 10 English Summary, Explanation, Difficult Words

 

 

WBBSE Class 10 English Question Answers

 

 

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