NCERT English Class 9 Chapter 9 Lord Ullin's Daughter Literature Reader

Lord Ullin’s Daughter – Class 9 English | Literature Reader Chapter 9 Explanation

Page No 77:

Question 5(a):

Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover are trying to_____________.
(i) escape the wrath of her father
(ii) settle in a distant land
(iii) challenge the storm in the lake
(iv) trying to prove their love for each other

Answer:

(i) escape the wrath of her father

Question 5(b):

The boatman agrees to ferry them across because_________.
(i) he has fallen in love with Lord Ullin’s daughter
(ii) he wants to avenge Lord Ullin
(iii) he has lost his love
(iv) he is sorry for the childlike innocence of the lady

Answer:

(iv) he is sorry for the childlike innocence of the lady

Question 5(c):

The mood changes in the poem. It transforms from _________.
(i) happiness to fear
(ii) anxiety to grief
(iii) fear to happiness
(iv) love to pain

Answer:

(ii) anxiety to grief

Question 5(d):

The shore of Lochgyle has been referred to as ‘fatal shore!’ The poetic device used here
is ________________.
(i) metaphor
(ii) simile
(iii) transferred epithet
(iv) onomatopoeia

Answer:

(iii) transferred epithet

Question 6:

In pairs copy and complete the summary of the poem with suitable words/expressions:-
A Scottish Chieftain and his beloved were (a) _____________from her wrathful father. As they reached the shores, the (b) ____________ told a boatman to (c) ____________ them across Lochgyle. He asked him to do it fast because if (d) ______________found them, they would kill him. The boatman (e) ________________to take them not for the
(f) _____________that the chieftain offered but for his (g) ____________. By this time, the storm had (h) _____________and a wild wind had started blowing. The sound of
(i) _______________could be heard close at hand. The lady urged the boatman
(j) _____________as she did not want to face an angry father.
Their boat left the (k) ______________and as it got caught in the stormy sea, Lord Ullin reached the deadly (l)_____________. His anger changed to wailing when he saw his daughter (m) ______________. He asked her to return back. But it was (n) __________ as the stormy sea claimed his daughter and her lover.

Answer:

A Scottish Chieftain and his beloved were (a) fleeing from her wrathful father. As they reached the shores, the (b)chieftain told a boatman to (c) ferrythem across Lochgyle. He asked him to do it fast because if (d) Lord Ullin’s men found them, they would kill him. The boatman (e) agreed to take them not for the (f) silver that the chieftain offered but for his(g)beautiful bride. By this time, the storm had (h) become more violent and a wild wind had started blowing. The sound of (i) Lord Ullin’s men could be heard close at hand. The lady urged the boatman (j) to hurry as she did not want to face an angry father.
Their boat left the (k)stormy shore and as it got caught in the stormy sea, Lord Ullin reached the deadly(l) shore. His anger changed to wailing when he saw his daughter (m) in danger. He asked her to return back. But it was (n) futile as the stormy sea claimed his daughter and her lover.

Page No 78:

Question 7:

Why does Lord Ullin’s daughter defy her father and elope with her lover? (Stanza 1)

Answer:

Lord Ullin was against his daughter’s marriage with her lover, the chieftain. So, to marry her lover she defied her father and eloped with him.

Question 8:

Give two characteristics of the boatman who ferries the couple across the sea.

Answer:

The boat man is unselfish and considerate.

Question 9:

“Imagery” refers to something that can be perceived through more than one of the senses. It uses figurative language to help form mental pictures. Campbell used vivid, diverse and powerful imagery to personify the menacing face of nature (for e.g. sea, sky, wind, land). Pick out expressions that convey the images of anger in the following stanzas:

Stanza 6	_______________________________
Stanza 7	‘Water-wraith was shrieking’
	_______________________________
Stanza 9	_______________________________
Stanza 10	_______________________________
	‘Stormy land’
Stanza 13	_______________________________
Stanza 14	_______________________________

Answer:

Stanza 6	‘the waves are raging white’
Stanza 7	‘Water-wraith was shrieking’
	‘the scowl of heaven’
Stanza 9	‘raging of the skies’
Stanza 10	‘Stormy sea’
	‘Stormy land’
Stanza 13	‘Stormy water’
Stanza 14	‘the loud waves lashed the shore’

Question 10(a):

“His horsemen hard behind us ride;
Should they our steps discover,
Then who will cheer my bonny bride
When they have slain her lover?”
Who is ‘his’ in line 1? Who does ‘us’ refer to?

Answer:

‘His’ in line 1 is Lord Ullin. ‘Us’ refers to Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover.

Question 10(b):

“His horsemen hard behind us ride;
Should they our steps discover,
Then who will cheer my bonny bride
When they have slain her lover?”
Explain − ‘cheer my bonny bride’.

Answer:

‘Cheer my bonny bride’ means ‘make my beautiful wife happy’.
The chieftain uses this expression in the context of Lord Ullin’s men following him for arrest. He means to say that in the event of his death at the hands of Lord Ullin’s men who will look after his beloved.

Question 10(c):

“His horsemen hard behind us ride;
Should they our steps discover,
Then who will cheer my bonny bride
When they have slain her lover?”
Why would the lover be slain?

Answer:

The lover would be slain because Lord Ullin did not approve of the match and was angry at the chieftain for eloping with his daughter.

Question 11:

“The water-wraith was shrieking”. Is the symbolism in this line a premonition of what happens at the end? Give reasons for your answer. (Stanza 7)

Answer:

The symbolism in this line is a premonition of what happens at the end. The shrieking of the water wraith, in fact ,refers to the turbulence that was happening in the sea making it ghastly. Ultimately due to extreme turbulence in the sea water the boat carrying Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover capsized leading to their tragic end. The poet has compared the turbulent sea to a ghost to bring home the fact that the journey of the lovers was inauspicious and that the raging sea would eventually devour them like a ghost.

Question 12:

The poet uses words like ‘adown’, ‘rode’ which contain harsh consonants. Why do you think the poet has done this? (Stanza 8)

Answer:

The poet has used words containing harsh consonants to express the mood of the situation. In the context of Lord Ullin’s men chasing his daughter and her lover, the use of harsh consonants in the words describing the situation is quite effective.

Page No 79:

Question 13(a):

In Stanza 10, the poet says −
The boat has left a stormy land,
A stormy sea before, her, —
In both these lines, the word “stormy” assumes different connotations. What are they?

Answer:

In the first line the word stormy connotes disturbing state of affairs due to conflict between Lord Ullin and his daughter. Lord Ullin’s daughter wanted to marry her lover to which Lord Ullin did not agree. She was trying to escape from such a disturbing situation by eloping with her lover.
In the second line, the word ‘stormy’ connotes the natural phenomenon of storm that made the sea water turbulent.

Question 13(b):

In Stanza 10, the poet says −
The boat has left a stormy land,
A stormy sea before, her, —
The lady faces a dilemma here. What is it? What choice does she finally make?

Answer:

The lady faces the dilemma of facing her angry father on the one hand and escaping with her lover through the stormy sea on the other. Facing her angry father was as disturbing for her as sailing through the sea. Finally, she chooses to sail through the turbulent sea despite all odds.

Question 14(a):

“Lord Ullin reached that fatal shore” just as his daughter left it. Why is the shore called fatal? (Stanza 11)

Answer:

The shore is called fatal as beyond the shore the sea was so turbulent that anyone embarking to sail through the sea would face death. The shore acted as the gateway to death. Lord Ullin’s daughter crossed the shore only to meet her tragic end.

Question 14(b):

Why does Lord Ullin’s wrath change into wailing on seeing his daughter?

Answer:

Lord Ullin never wanted his daughter to marry her lover. He was angry with her for eloping with the chieftain but he never wished death for his daughter. On seeing his daughter drowning in the sea water, his sentiment changed from wrath to wailing as the sea was so turbulent that rescuing his daughter from the sea water was impossible. He was full of regret that because of his anger his daughter faced such a grim situation where death was obvious.

Question 15:

“One lovely hand she stretch’d for aid.” Do you think Lord Ullin’s daughter wanted to reach out to her father? (Stanza 12) If yes, why?

Answer:

Lord Ullin’s daughter wanted to reach out to her father as her father cried in grief for her return and even promised to forgive her lover if she returned back.

Question 16:

You are already familiar with the poetic device “alliteration”. The poet makes extensive use of the same throughout the poem. Pick out as many examples of alliteration as you can.
Example: fast-father’s; horsemen-hard

Answer:

Examples of alliteration in the poem are:
water wild; storm and shade; wrath wailing; row’d roar; waves white; bonny bride; should steps;

Question 17:

What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?

Answer:

The rhyme scheme is a-b,a-b, that is, alternating rhyme scheme. The last word in a line rhymes with the corresponding word in the alternate line. For example:
A Chieftain, to the highlands bound, (a)
Cries, “Boatman, do not tarry! (b)
And I’ll give thee a silver pound (a)
To row us o’er the ferry!” – (b).

Question 18:

Imagine you are one of the chiefs of the cavalry riding behind Lord Ullin. You and

your men ride for three days at the end of which you reach the shore. Narrate your

experience as you witnessed a father lamenting the loss of his child, in the form

of a diary entry.

Answer:

A model answer has been provided for students’ reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
4^th June 1664
Lord Ullin sent message to me asking me to meet him in the court. I rushed to the court thinking that he would discuss strategies for invading the neighbouring kingdom. As soon as I reached the court I saw Lord Ullin’s eyes were full of tears. I was taken aback as I could not understand why he was crying. After sometime he told me that his daughter eloped with the chieftain to marry him. Lord Ullin told me that he was totally against his daughter’s wish to marry her lover. Lord Ullin ordered me to organise men and march immediately to nab the chieftain with whom his daughter eloped. I immediately organised the cavalry and rushed out of the court in search of the chieftain. Lord Ullin wanted to accompany us. He was crying. At the same time he was very angry with the Chieftain and wished to kill him if found. I tried to console him again and again. On this day we were clueless about the whereabouts of Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover. We went to sleep at night but could not sleep peacefully.
5^th June 1664
I woke up from sleep very early and planned with Lord Ullin about our search operation. We were clueless. We asked the local people if they had seen Lord Ullin’s daughter and the chieftain. An old man told us that he had seen the chieftain along with Lord Ullin’s daughter going towards the sea.
I at once got the message that they were trying to escape to a place where Lord Ullin’s army could not reach. I directed my men to move towards the sea so that we could reach very fast and arrest the chieftain. We marched and marched, faster and faster. The weather was very stormy and unfavourable. Clouds thundered. There was lightening. Lord Ullin was full of anguish and anger. He was crying and crying. He told us that we had to be successful in our mission. He did not eat anything. I tried to console him. I never saw him so disturbed .
6^th June 1664
Early in the morning I woke up and directed my men to move towards the sea. Thundering clouds were there. There was turbulence everywhere. As soon as we reached the sea shore we saw Lord Ullin’s daughter along with her lover sailing a boat. The sea was so turbulent. The waves were surging. I was sure that some misfortune with Lord Ullin’s daughter was going to happen. What I anticipated it happened. The boat carrying Lord Ullin’s daughter and her lover capsized. I was so shocked to see Lord Ullin. He started howling. He wanted to rush towards the sea to rescue his daughter. But it was beyond his capacity. I saw his daughter waving her hand asking for help. Lord Ullin was helpless. I saw him lamenting. He told me that he was taking back his order for arresting the chieftain and his daughter. But it was all in vain. I saw Lord Ullin’s daughter drowning in the turbulent sea along with her lover. It was so pathetic to see a father witnessing the death his daughter helplessly. I could not sleep or eat that day. It was so pathetic.

Question 19:

Imagine that you are Lord Ullin. You bemoan and lament the tragic loss of your lovely daughter and curse yourself for having opposed her alliance with the chieftain. Express your feelings of pain and anguish in a letter to your friend.

Answer:

A model answer has been provided for students’ reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
Dear friend,
With deep anguish I am writing to you that I am the most unfortunate father in this world who lost his daughter. Do you know that we Scottish people honour conventions and traditions? As a king I have to honour the convention of our society. I lost my daughter by opposing her wish to marry her lover, the chieftain. My daughter requested me to accept her proposal to marry her lover, the chieftain. I told her that as our social convention does not allow a daughter to marry against the will of her father so she should refrain from such an act. Against my wishes, she eloped with her lover.
I ordered my men to search for her and her lover. Having anticipated such a move from my end, she, with her lover wanted to escape to a place where my men could not find them. She went to the sea and requested the boat man to ferry them. The boat man told her that the weather was too bad to sail in the sea but she insisted. When my men and I went to the sea shore I saw that the turbulent sea had capsized the boat carrying my daughter. She was waving her hand for rescue and help. I kept watching the incident but could not help. I lost her forever. I am now repenting and feeling guilty that by opposing her alliance with the chieftain I pushed her to death. I curse myself. I do not know what to do now. I have committed filicide. I am thinking to abdicate my position and retreat to the forests as an ascetic. Day and night I think of her and her waving hands.
Your friend
Lord Ullin.

Question 20:

In pairs, argue in favour of or against the topic “Lord Ullin’s daughter was right in her decision to defy her father.” Give logical and relevant reasons, and present your point of view to the class.

Answer:

Pointers have been provided for students’ reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
“Lord Ullin’s daughter was right in her decision to defy her father”
The following points might help you to frame your debate:
Against the motion (i) As Lord Ullin’s daughter was not matured enough to judge the right person to whom she could get married. She was not right in her decision to defy her father. (ii) Lord Ullin was upholding the convention of the Scottish society in not giving consent to his daughter’s marriage with the Chieftain. According to the convention, the father of a daughter would chose the bridegroom so that there was no error in judgement. (iii) Lord Ullin’s daughter should not have defied her father as her father was anticipating something wrong to happen.