Welcome to “Beethoven Workbook Answer : ISC Rhapsody (Evergreen),” where we delve into Emily Dickinson’s evocative poem “Beethoven” through the ISC English Literature Rhapsody by Evergreen Publications. In this post, we provide thorough answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, enhancing your understanding of Dickinson’s profound portrayal of the legendary composer and the sublime power of his music. We meticulously examine the themes of artistic genius, the transcendence of music, and the emotional depth of Beethoven’s compositions. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the poem, urging readers to explore its intricate nuances and uncover deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries broaden our canvas for exploration, encouraging critical engagement with the historical and cultural context of Beethoven’s era and its impact on his legacy. Through this detailed examination, readers refine their analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for the literary and musical craftsmanship embodied in Dickinson’s work. Whether you are a student navigating ISC English Literature or a music enthusiast seeking to explore the intersections of poetry and music, “ISC Rhapsody: Beethoven Workbook Solutions” offers valuable insights. Join us on this literary and musical journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Poem In Details :
The poet uses the word ‘Listen’ at the beginning and the end of the poem, to highlight the fact that to know Beethoven we need only to listen to his music. His father expected him to create perfect notes, and in his desperation to see him as a genius he was never satisfied. His refrain would be ‘Not good enough. Without a musician’s precious tool, his hearing. Beethoven could not create rhythms for the symphonies in his mind. He was not fated to hear the ‘audience’s clapping’. His music, however, had magic impact and could produce heavenly sensation in the listeners. His audience would long for one more ‘hit.’
Beethoven was an egotist as he never bowed before anyone, king or queen. However, he bowed before music. He got down on his knees for music. He cut off the legs of his piano so that he could hear the shaking movement (vibrations) through the floor.
When the orchestra played his symphonies, he acted as his father did. He was never satisfied and would repeat: ‘Not good enough. This irked the musicians. This irked the musicians. They tried to make fun of him by imitating his movements without playing any instrument. The poor man (Beethoven) thought that their notes were perfect as the deaf has an intimacy with silence.
The musicans were confused. They did not know whether the man was mad or a genius. They realized that Beethoven’s musical scales were such as to touch the heights of the famous mythical Towers of Babylon, causing comets to collide, affecting heavenly constellations. The divine music of Beethoven was enough to cause confusion among the musicians, who ultimately surmised that the man ‘Must be a genius.’
Beethoven, it came to be known, was such a musician who could transform human emotions into music. He was a part of music and music was a part of him. Every note of his was as if ‘love and hate’ were dancing together. As such, no history (biographical facts of his life) is important to know him. All we need to do is to ‘Listen’ to his music.
Line Wise Explanation :
Lines 1-4
(Listen …….. geniuses)
The poet asks us to listen. The emphasis on the word ‘Listen’ is significant. because the poet wants to make us understand how listening is important to enjoy and understand the works of great musician Beethoven, a genius in his field. We are told how his faller, out of general parental longing to turn their sons into geniuses, would not brook any weakness in him. Some parents out of frustration begin to drink, lose their temper and beat their children when they fail to come up to their expectations. Beethoven’s father was one such man.
Lines 5-9
(Beethoven ……… hard of hearing)
Beethoven, as a little boy, lived in a strict household where name meant nothing. where mercy was shown only when the boy would strike such perfect notes as could please angles whose harps (musical instruments) could not create such passionate notes as did the young boy on his piano. In other words, the young Beethoven was expected to create perfect divine notes, and if he failed to satisfy his father he was badly treated and punished.
Lines 10-21
(Beethoven …….. ENOUGH)
Whenever Beethoven played on his piano his father would not feel satisfied, and say that it was not good enough. Whether he played softly or strongly, he was told that it was not good enough. He would be asked to practice hard. Even after his fingers fot extremely tired and turned as stiff ‘as gnarled roots of tree trunks’, the words that bombarded his ears were ‘IT WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH’
This cynical criticism had its bad effect on the impressionable mind of a little boy. He longed for love and understanding from his father, but instead he received only harsh words with severe beating at times.
Lines 22-27
(Beethoven …….. whispering)
Beethoven precious tool. was a musician who was deprived of his eardrums, a musician’s He was hard of hearing. So he was unable to produce proper rhythms for the symphonies to hear the ‘ listen to his (complicated musical pieces) playing in his mind. He was not destined chapping of the audience’ or the whispers of the women sitting in front to musical pieces at his shows.
Lines 28-36
(Beethoven ……… an addiction)
Beethoven was indeed a genius. The audience would let his music hit their nervous system, like a fleet moving forward among firing canon shells. His music would hit every smallest part of their body and erupt into divine sensation. In other words, they would let his music overpower them fully and feel divine pleasure. Each note would leave marks on each part of their body and make them long for one more such hit piece of music. Beethoven had become an addiction for music lovers.
Lines 37-41
(And kings …….. music)
Beethoven was so self-respecting or egotist that he would not bow before anyone. king or queen. He cut off the legs of his piano so that he could feel (not hear !) the Vibrations of his tunes through the floor. The man who did not get down on his knees before any one, got down on his knees for music. Music was his God.
Lines 42-56
(And when …….. pefect)
Beethoven could never come out of his inner emptiness, and relate to anyone for king. Whenever the orchestra played his symphonies he could only hear the repeated words of his father, as coming from a broken record, that it was not good enough Whether they played slowly or strongly, he (Beethoven) was never satisfied. So they tried to make fun of him. They copied his movements by holding their bows just above the strings, not making any sound. It was deemed to be perfect, as Ironically, he could hear nothing.
Lines 57-68
(You see ……. genius)
The deaf are most familiar with silence. Silence rules even in their dreams. The musicians could not decide whether Beethoven was mad or a genius. They knew that Beethoven’s musical scales were such as to take you to unprecedented heights (the heights of the Towers of Babylon). The magic of his music was simply divine. It could turn solar systems into cymbals to crash together, causing comets to crash into one another. The resulting sound would be so loud that it could shake the constellations (groups of stars) to make the stars begin to fall down. It would seem as if the whole universe had begun to cry. The poet here uses hyperbole to conceive the power and beauty of Beethoven’s music.
The musicians thought that the distance between madness and genius between must be an illusion. They surmised that the man (Beethoven) must be a genius, nothing else.
Lines 69-79
(Beethoven ……. Listen)
He was Beethoven, the genius, whose thoughts moved at the speed of sound. shaping his emotions into the forms of musical compositions. The pleasure imparted by his music was so concrete that you could touch it. Each note of his music was such as if love and hate were dancing together in a waltz of sheer perfection and beauty. He was a part of music and music was a part of him. In order to understand him, we need no biography of his to read, but just listen to his music.
Workbook MCQs :
(i) What is the tone of the poет?
(a) sedate
(b) passionate
(c) gentle
(d) harsh
Answer :- (b) passionate
(iI) Beethoven’s father was extremely:
(a) bullish
(b) strict
(c) polite
(d) docile
Answer :- (b) strict
(iII) What kind of music was created by Beethoven?
(a) gentle
(b) loud
(c) heavenly
(d) folk
Answer :- (a) gentle
(iV) his fingers cramped up/like the gnarled roots. Which figure of speech is used here?
(a) simile
(b) irony
(c) pun
(d) metaphor
Answer :- (c) pun
(v) What was ‘not good enough’, according to Beethoven himself?
(a) his own piece of music
(b) the musician’s performance
(c) his father’s conduct
(d) none of the above
Answer :- (b) the musician’s performance
(vI) What was Beethoven’s handicap?
(a) his deafness
(b) his blindness
(c) his egotism
(d) his pride
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) How did the musicians make fun of him?
(a) by jeering at him
(b) by laughing loudly
(c) by ignoring his remarks
(d) by imitating his movements without actually playing on the instruments
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vIII) The man got down on his knees for no one.’ What kind of man was Beethoven?
(a) proud
(b) arrogant
(c) self-respecting
(d) not wordly-wise
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(iX) Which of these epithets is suitable for person like Beethoven?
(a) mad
(b) genius
(c) foolish
(d) witty
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(x) What, according to the poet, is needed to know Beethoven?
(a) listening to his critics
(b) listening to his music
(c) listening to the audience
(d) reading his biography
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
Logic Based Questions :
(i) Beethoven’s father would often hit him for he was frustrated with Beethoven’s performance.
(iI) Beethoven’s father was never satisfied with his music because he wanted Beethoven to be a perfect musician.
(iII) Like his father, Beethoven too would never praise his instrumentalists because his father’s words had become a part of Beethoven’s nature also.
(iV) People at first failed to appreciate Beethoven’s music because he could not create rhythms for the symphonies in his mind.
(v) Beethoven never got down on his knees for anyone because he was a self-respecting person.
(vI) Beethoven cut off the legs of his piano because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vII) The musicians mimicked Beethoven’s movements without touching the strings with their bows as [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vIII) The musicians were confused because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(iX) The poet alludes to the mythical Towers of Babylon because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(x) The poem begins and ends with the same word ‘Listen’ because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(xI) Beethoven could transform emotions into music as [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(xII) The joy imparted by Beethoven’s music was tangible because [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
Short Answer Questions :
(i) What impression do you form of Beethoven’s father ?
Answer :- Beethoven’s father was a hard-task master. He was not easily satisfied with the performance of his son. He used to beat Beethoven in order to make him perform better. It shows that he was nota loving and kind father. His only concern was the success of his son. But he was a cruel and heartless person.
(iI) What did Beethoven inherit from his father ? Was it conscious of unconscious, positive or negative ? Elaborate.
Answer :- Beethoven inherited quest for perfection from his father. His father always wanted him to create better music and bring improvement in it. Beethoven acquired this quest without being conscious of it or making conscious attempts to do so .
This sense of perfection played a positive role in Beethoven’s career as a creater of music. He could achieve greater success because of this only.
(iII) ‘Most musicians failed to understand Beethoven and his music.’ Comment.
Answer :- Beethoven’s father always expressed his dissatisfaction with his music saying ‘Not good enough’. It left an indelible impact on Beethoven’s mind and he too would often repeat, “Not good enough’. The musicians accompanying his performance heard these words and felt that he was saying this for the musician’s performance. They failed to understand Beethoven.
These musicians failed to understand his music also. They could not understand the way he created music out of silence for being deaf. For them, he was either mad or a genius.
(iV) How does the poet describe the impact of Beethoven’s music?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(v) What did Beethoven suffer from? How did it affect his music?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(vI) Comment on the use of imagery used in the poem.
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Long Answer Questions :
(i) ‘Beethoven is a spoken-word poem.’ Discuss.
Answer :- Beethoven by – Shane Koyczan has a number of features of a ‘spoken word’ poem. Its beauty is realized in its recitation quality more than the other elements such as thyme or melody. ‘A spoken word’ poem is usually close to the art forms that are meant to be performed.
As a “spoken word’ poem ‘Beethoven’ has a dramatic beginning, It opens with one word ‘Listen’. The other elements that the poem shares with a “spoken word’ poem include folk music, theatre and story- telling. In this poem, the musicians performing with Beethoven on the stage present theatrical elements. As a poem of this nature, it tells the story of Beethoven’s struggle, sufferings and the way he achieved success despite of his deafness.
The use of vivid descriptions, metaphors and visual imagery mark the success of ‘Beethoven’ as a ‘spoken word” poem. The description of the power of Beethoven’s music in terms of marching Armada through canon shells makes it vivid and artistic. The impact of Beethoven’s music presented through the use of celestical imagery adds to its effect as a ‘spoken word’ poem. These aspects of the poem ‘Beethoven’, highlight its success as a ‘spoken word’ poem.
(iI) Write a note on the imagery of the poem ‘Beethoven’.
Answer :- ‘Beethoven’ is a very powerful and unique poem which uses imagery in a very effective and successful way. The images used in this poem are vivid and help in describing subtle and abstract things in a way that makes the reader experience these things while going through the poem. Various sounds, sights and experiences are captured in this poem with the help of different images concerning human senses.
The use of the word ‘tumbling’ for musical notes that go up through the roof to ‘tickle the toes of angels, forms an image of the sense of touch in the reader’s mind. The movement of the musical note like human beings make it easy for the reader to imagine and understand it. The comparison of Beethoven’s cramped fingers with the ‘gnarled roots of the tree trunks’ forms a visual image on the one hand and gives a feel of ‘the rough to touch” experience on the other. The image of a broken record refers to the repeated frustrated expression used by his father, ‘Not good enough’ to show his dissatisfaction. Tt creates an auditory image to help the poet in pointing out the harsh and unpleasant nature of the words used by ‘Beethoven’s father.
The use of imagery and vivid descriptions make this poem beautiful and an artistic success. The imagery used in the poem is appropriate and valuable for the total impact of this poem.
(iII) Who was Beethoven ? How was he treated by his father ? How did his father’s behaviour impact his psyche? Discuss with reference to the text.
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
(iV) Why were musicians confused about Beethoven? What did they have to admit ?
Answer :- [ For Full Workbook Answers , Get The Full E-Book Access – View ]
