Paper boats poem

A boy writes his name and village on paper boats and floats them down a stream, in the hope that ``someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am.'' Written around the turn of the century by Nobel Prize-winner Tagore, the unassuming poem has an air of serenity aptly matched by the delicate cut-paper illustrations. Although this technique allows a pleasing precision in the sharpness of its images, the result is a series of static spreads that do little to enhance the verse. Bochak's range of colors--from the yellows of summer to the muted pinks and violets of a sultry night--is unusual, though some of the book's later illustrations tend toward drabness. The word pictures here, while graceful, are too passive and sophisticated for the intended audience--speaking of his boats, the narrator says, ``The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, / and the lading is their baskets / full of dreams.'' An unrewarding outing. Ages 2-8. (Jan.) DETAILS share BUY THIS BOOK close

Day by day I float my paper boats one by one down the running stream. In big black letters I write my name on them and the name of the village where I live. I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am. I load my little boats with shiuli flowers from our garden, and hope that these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely to land in the night. I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky and see the little clouds setting their white bulging sails. I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the air to race with my boats! When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars. The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets full of dreams.

Paper Boats – Summary, Analysis The poem “Paper Boats” is about a child who makes paper boats and sends them down a stream on a daily basis. The speaker writes his/her name and the name of his/her village on the boats, hoping that someone in a faraway place will find them and know who they are. The child also puts shiuli flowers on the boats, which are associated with dawn and new beginnings, and hopes that they will reach land safely at night. As the watches the boats float downstream, the child sees clouds in the sky that resemble white sails. The child wonders who is sending the clouds down to race with their boats. At night, the child buries their face in their arms and dreams that the paper boats continue to float on under the stars, carried by the fairies of sleep and filled with baskets of dreams. Explanation The poem “Paper Boats” describes the daily ritual of the speaker, who makes paper boats and sends them down a stream. They write their name and the name of their village on the boats, implying a desire for connection and a sense of identity. They also put shiuli flowers, which are associated with dawn and new beginnings, on the boats. This may suggest a hope for a fresh start or a new beginning in a different place. As the speaker watches the boats float downstream, they see clouds in the sky that resemble sails. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the passage of time or the fleeting nature of life. The speaker wonders who is sending the clouds down to ...

I knew nothing of Tagore before I started to travel to Calcutta on business way back at the start of this century. I’d like to blame the ethnocentricity of my English education for this gap in my knowledge but it could just be that I hadn’t been paying enough attention to poetry. Working with my Bengali colleagues, I would hear Tagore quoted from time to time, in the familiar way that an Englishman might quote Shakespeare, except with more passion in the delivery. When I asked who he was (yes, I should have asked Google first if I’d wanted to look like I had half a brain) they smiled, delighted at the opportunity to share with me one of the great Bengali poets and thinkers and announced proudly that he had won the Nobel Prize for Literature. My generous hosts sent me back to Europe with a collection of Tagore’s poems. Today I read one of his most famous poems, “Paper Boats”, the first line of which is often quoted: “Day by day, I float my paper boats one by one,/Down the running stream,” It’s a gentle, simply stated poem that seems to be about childhood experiences but which I have found gains more weight each time I read it. Today, “Paper Boats” spoke to me about writing and identity. I thought about why I push out my blog posts and short stories into the running stream of the Internet. Is it so that strangers “will find them and know who I am”? Perhaps, but I want more than to write my name and address like a little boy. I want… well to be part of the bigger dream. It ma...

• Home • Class 3 – 5 • Class 3 • Class 3rd English Solutions • Class 3rd English Quiz • Class 3rd EVS Solutions • Class 3rd Mathematics Solutions • Class 4 • Class 4th English Solutions • Class 4 English Quiz • Class 4th EVS Solutions • Class 5 • Class 5th English Solutions • Class 5 English Quiz • Class 5th EVS Solutions • Class 6 – 8 • Class 6 • Class 6th English Solutions • Melody English • Let’s Read English • Class 6th Science Solutions • Class 7 • Class 7 English Solutions • Class 7th Science Solutions • Class 8 • Class 8th English Solutions • Class 8th Science Solutions • Books • Class 1st Textbooks • Class 2nd Textbooks • Class 3rd Textbook • Class 4th Textbook • Class 5th Textbook • Class 6th Textbook • Class 7th Textbook • Class 8th Textbook • Class 9th Textbook • Class 10th Textbook • Syllabus • Class 1st • Class 2nd • Class 3rd • Class 4th • Class 5th • Class 6th • Class 7th • Class 8th • Class 9th • Class 10th • Class 11th • Class 12th • Questions • Register • Login • Question Papers • Class 8th Question Papers Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Paper Boats Class 5 Question Answers and Summary Introduction The poem ‘Paper Boats’ is written by the famous Indian poet, storyteller and dramatist Sh. Rabindranath Tagore. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his contribution to the field of Literature in the year 1913. The speaker in this poem is a little child and this poem is about him and his dreams. Paper Boats Class 5 Poem Text Day by day I float my paper boats...