Arthur Rimbaud wrote the poem “Asleep in the Valley” which shows the futility of war. It’s an anti-war poem. Rimbaud shows how the young soldiers become victims of war.
Short Questions and Answers on “Asleep in the Valley” are given below for students.
Asleep in the Valley – Short Questions and Answers
1. How is the young soldier lying?
The young soldier is lying open-mouthed in the valley with a pillow of ferns under his head.
2. ‘…they fill the hollow full of light.”-What does ‘hollow’ describe?
The word ‘hollow’ referred to in the poem describes a beautiful valley, surrounded with mountains, where the rays of the sun are streaming in.
3. What is there beneath the head of the soldier?
There is a pillow made of fern beneath the head of the soldier.
4. “…from the mountaintop stream…”-What is streaming from the mountaintop?
The sun’s rays are streaming from the mountaintop.
5. Where does the young soldier lie?
The young soldier lies asleep in the valley.
6. Wherefrom the sun’s rays come?
The sunrays come from the mountaintop.
7. Where are the feet of the soldier?
The feet of the soldier are lying among the flowers in the valley.
8. ‘He may catch cold”- Why does the poet fear so?
The poet fears so because the soldier is sleeping under the open sky.
9. What does the concluding line of the poem reveal?
The concluding line of the poem is a rude shock as it reveals that the young soldier is a victim of war.
10. “The humming insects don’t disturb his rest”. – Why?
The humming insects don’t disturb the soldier because his rest is an eternal rest i.e. he is already dead.
11. What is the setting of the poem?
The setting of the poem is probably the Franco-Russian War of 1877 or the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
12. What is the verse form of the poem?
The poem is written in free verse form.
13. How many red holes were there on the soldier’s body?
There were two red holes on the soldier’s body.
14. What is described as ‘gentle, without guile’?
The smile of the dead soldier is described as ‘gentle, without guile’.
15. Through what does the stream mentioned in the poem ‘ Asleep in the valley’ flow?
The slow stream flows through the valley.
16. “…they fill the hollow” – What does the word ‘hollow’ mean here?
The word ‘hollow’ suggests a valley surrounded by mountains.
17. How is the bed of the dead soldier?
The bed of the soldier is made of soft grass and plants with a pillow made of ferns and this natural bed has soaked the warmth of the sun.
18. What is meant by the phrase ‘sun-soaked bed’?
The phrase ‘sun-soaked bed’ suggests that the valley absorbs the warmth of the sun and lush vegetation grows there abundantly.
19. How is the grass in the valley?
There is plenty of bright green grass in the valley.
20. “A pillow made of fern beneath his head” – What does this line imply?
This line shows how Nature, out of sympathy, forms a pillow of ferns to support the head of the dead soldier.
21. What does the young soldier have for a pillow?
The young soldier has a pillow made of ferns.
22. How does the poet describe the soldier’s smile?
The smile of the soldier is that of an infant, gentle and innocent.
23. How can it be said that the soldier is sleeping in peace?
The soldier is not disturbed either by the humming of insects or by cold weather as he rests his hand on his breast and thus sleeps peacefully.
24. How is the dead soldier shown respect by nature?
Nature has shown respect to the dead young soldier by providing flowers at his feet.
25. With what did the poet compare the soldier’s smile?
The smile of the dead soldier is compared with the beautiful and innocent smile of a child.
26. How can you say that ‘ Asleep in the Valley’ is an anti-war poem?
‘Asleep in the valley’ is an anti-war poem because the ending of the poem evokes our pity at the untimely and unfortunate death of a young soldier.
27. What does the phrase ‘without guile’ signify?
The phrase ‘without guile’ means without trickery, and it highlights the innocence of the soldier.
28. To whom does Arthur Rimbaud pray to keep the dead soldier warm?
Arthur Rimbaud prays to Nature to keep the dead soldier warm.
29. How does the stream look like in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’?
The stream looks like long strands of silver.
30. What are the sunrays compared with?
The sunrays are compared to a softly flowing stream.
31. What is meant by ‘heavy undergrowth’?
‘Heavy undergrowth’ suggests the plentiful growth of bushes and plants in the valley.
32. Give an example of an image used by Rimbaud in the poem?
An image used by Rimbaud in the poem is the sunrays filling up the hollow like a stream.
33. What does the epithet ‘very young’, suggest in the poem?
The epithet ‘very young’ suggests that young men go to the battlefield and are sacrificed in the warfare.
34. How does the soldier lie?
The soldier lies asleep in the valley, with his mouth open and one of his hands resting on his chest.
35. What does the slow stream leave on the bright grass?
The slow stream leaves on the bright grass long strands or ribbons of silver.
36. What role is played by the sun’s rays?
The sun’s rays fill up the valley with light.
37. How does the stream flow through the valley?
The stream flows slowly leaving long strands of silver.
38. Where does the stream leave ‘long strands of silver’?
In the small green valley, the stream leaves long stands of silver.
39. What did the poet ask Nature to do?
The poet asks Nature to take pity on the soldier sleeping in the valley and provide him warmth so that he may not catch a cold.
40. What are the insects doing in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’?
The insects are humming, perhaps trying to wake the soldier from his sleep, but in vain.
41. What do the ‘two red holes’ in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’ signify?
The two holes in the side of the soldier suggest two bullet wounds that have caused his death.
42. How is the soldier’s innocence described?
The innocence of the soldier is described through his smile which is gentle and without any trickery.
43. How do you know that the valley is rich in its flora and fauna?
The valley has different flowers, different species of plants and insects and it proves that its flora and fauna are quite rich.
44. What type of poem is ‘Asleep in the Valley’?
‘Asleep in the Valley’ is a sonnet, having two stanzas of four lines each and two stanzas of three lines each.
45. Why does the poet ask Nature to keep the soldier warm?
The poet asks Nature to keep the soldier warm so that he may not catch cold.
46. How does the reader recognize that the soldier is asleep in a different sense?
The expression ‘two red holes’ at the end of the poem makes the reader recognize that the soldier is asleep in a different sense.
47. What is the soldier’s pillow made of?
The soldier’s pillow is made of ferns.