Welcome to “Beethoven Workbook Solution: ISC Rhapsody & Prism,” where we delve into the captivating narrative from the ISC English Literature collection. Within these pages, we unravel the essence of “Beethoven” through meticulous workbook solutions. This post offers comprehensive answers to multiple-choice and contextual questions, deepening your understanding of the timeless tale. Explore the life and legacy of Beethoven, delving into the nuances of character development and thematic exploration. Each question serves as a gateway to dissecting the text, urging readers to analyze subtle nuances and extract deeper meanings. Contextual inquiries broaden our canvas for exploration, encouraging critical engagement with socio-cultural backdrops and universal themes. Through this examination, readers sharpen analytical skills and develop a profound appreciation for literary craftsmanship. Whether a student navigating ISC English Literature or an avid reader uncovering beloved stories, “Rhapsody & Prism: Beethoven Workbook Solutions” promises valuable companionship. Join us on this literary journey as we illuminate the path to understanding, one workbook solution at a time.
Table of Contents
Poem Summary :
The Poem in Detail
Lines 1 to 9
The poem begins with the speaker asking the readers to ‘Listen’. By doing so the speaker wants the readers to understand how important it is to listen to enjoy the music of the world’s greatest composer and pianist, i.e., Beethoven. He then goes on to describe Beethoven’s struggle by rallying against convention and physical
This poem is a spoken word poem i.e. a poem meant for a theatrical performance. It is advised that the students watch it performed by the poet on the internet for better understanding of the poem. limitations to become one of greatest and most influential composers of Wester,’ classical music
The speaker says that like all the parents, who want to turn their sons into ‘geniuses’, Beethoven’s father expected him to create perfect notes. And in his desperation, he would abuse Beethoven both physically and emotionally. The speaker refers to different types of parents: some men out of frustration begin to drink, some men shout and scold their children and still some others beat them up. And Beethoven’s father ‘did it all’.
Beethoven, as a little boy, lived in a house where name meant nothing. There was no love. Mercy from abuse had to be obtained, likely from his father, by striking perfect notes. The notes of the little boy played could please angels, whose harps could not produce such passionate notes as those produced by the boy, who was hard of hearing.
Lines 10 to 21
Whenever Beethoven played his piano, all he heard was the usual chant of his father: ‘it was not good enough’. In order to be appreciated by his father, Beethoven made changes in the manner he played his notes. He tried playing them in different ways: slowly, softly and even strongly but every time he heard the critical ‘not good enough’. Nevertheless, he would continue with his practice till he could play no longer as his fingers would turn stiff like the twisted roots of a tree. But that would not make any effect on his father’s attitude, who would say ft was NOT GOOD ENOUGH’.
Lines 22 to 27
The speaker in these lines describes the biggest challenge Beethoven had to face when he lost the most precious tool of a musician, his hearing ability. Due to this, he could not produce rhythms for the symphonies playing in his mind. Further, his hearing loss would not allow him to hear the applause from the audience; the words of praise showing the audience’ love for him or the appreciative whispers of women sitting in front row at his shows. The front rows at a musical show are representative of the elite — the rich, the famous and the influential people in society.
Lines 28 to 37
Beethoven did not let his physical disability to come in the way of his music. He was a genius with his compositions. His music was so powerful that it would hit the nervous system of his audience like an Armada, a fleet of ships, smoothly sailing right through firing cannonballs as if detonating them. This vivid picture shows the effect of Beethoven’s music on his audience. The music burst through every molecule of their body like an explosion leaving them with a sensation of being in heaven. Each note left its track or impression as it entered their bodies through their sense organs such that the audience got addicted to the music and yearned for more.
Lines 38 to 42
For Beethoven his music was above all as he did not bother about social standing. He did not bow before royalty: Kings and Queens. However, he cut off the legs of his piano so that he could feel the vibrations of his music through the floor. Thus, the man who did not get down on his knees for anyone, did so only for music.
Lines 43 to 53
Beethoven had an abusive childhood depraved of love, kindness and appreciation. His childhood abuse isolated him. As a result even when he was an adult his father’s chant of ‘it was not good enough’ echoed each time the orchestra played his symphonies. Whether they played it slowly or softly or strongly he believed that his compositions were ‘not good enough.’ Therefore, he found it quite difficult to connect with others and felt isolated. Whenever the orchestra played his symphonies, he could hear the echo of his father’s words, as if coming from a broken record, that it was not good enough’.
Lines 54 to 57
Since Beethoven could not connect with people, they bullied and mocked him. They imitated his movements by holding their bows just above the strings, not producing any sound. It was considered perfect because, ironically, Beethoven could not hear any thing.
Line 58 to 69
The hearing impaired are truly intimate with silence as they cannot hear any thing. All they have is silence and they live with it. Silence is even in their dreams, Silence is disconcerting for those who can hear. Beethoven was able to conquer this silence to make his symphonies perfect. Musicians and connoisseurs were stupefied listening to Beethoven’s compositions. They could not figure out whether what they were listening to was madness or sheer genius. They wondered how this man could still work on improving his music. Beethoven’s symphonies were the best. The silence that pervaded him, made his music even better. The musicians found that Beethoven’s musical scales were such as they could take a listener to great heights like the heights of the Tower of Babylon. (Refer to Allusion under Style) transcending the barriers of language.
His music bewildered both musicians and composers as they tried ‘to calculate the distance between madness and genius.’ It was when Beethoven continued to ‘transform emotion into music’ that they realised that Beethoven was not only an extraordinary musician but he was a man who expressed himself through music. His music had the power to turn solar systems to cymbals that banged against one another causing comets and smaller heavenly bodies to collide. The music thus created led to crescendos that were so loud that they shook entire constellations until stars starting falling from the skies. This divine music made it to appear as if the entire universe had begun to cry in ecstasy. All this made musicians believe that the distance between madness and genius must be an illusion; Beethoven must be a genius; they concluded.
Lines 70 to 80
Beethoven was such a genius that his thoughts moved at the speed of sound turning his emotions into musical compositions. The joy imparted by his music was so real that one could feel that one was touching it. Each note of his muse flowed and exploded as if ‘love and hate’ were dancing together in a waltz with precision and beauty. He was a part of music and music was a part of him, After listening to his music we understand that in order to know him we do not need to read his biography; all we ever had to do was ‘Listen’ to his music.
Workbook MCQs :
1. Whose father had the habit of hitting him?
(a) Speaker’s
(b) Poet’s
(c) Beethoven’s
(d) None of the above.
Answers :- (c) Beethoven’s
2. Why do some men physically abuse their children?
(a) They do not like them
(b) They want them to behave as adults
(c) They want them to become geniuses
(d) They want to regulate their lives.
Answers :- (c) They want them to become geniuses
3. Which figure of speech is used in the line given below? ‘His father made a habit out of hitting him.”
(a) Alteration
(b) Simile
(c) Metaphor
(d) Personification.
Answers :- (a) Alteration
4. How could the little boy earn mercy at his house?
(a) By praising his father
(b) By playing perfect notes on his piano
(c) By playing the notes very slowly
(d) None of the above.
Answers :- (b) By playing perfect notes on his piano
5. What would Beethoven hear when he would play notes on his piano?
(a) It was like the angels notes
(b) It was absolutely perfect
(c) It was as good as his grandfather’s
(d) It is not good enough.
Answers :- (d) It is not good enough.
6. When could Beethoven not play the notes on his piano?
(a) When his fingers would cramp up
(b) When the strings of his instrument snapped
(c) When his father would ask him to do so
(d) When his notes would be perfect.
Answers :- (a) When his fingers would cramp up
7. Which figure of speech is used in the given sentence? ‘his fingers cramped up like the gnarled roots of tree trunks’
(a) Personification
(b) Assonance
(c) Metaphor
(d) Simile.
Answers :- (d) Simile.
8. Which of the following precious tool does Beethoven lose?
(a) His piano
(b) His eardrums
(c) His musical notes
(d) His vocal chords.
Answers :- (b) His eardrums
9. Why could Beethoven not ‘hear the audience’s clapping”?
(a) There were no audience in his concert
(b) He had lost his hearing ability
(c) The audience never clapped for him
(d) None of the above .
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
10. How did the audience feel Beethoven’s music?
(a) Divine
(b) Detonating
(c) Boring
(d) Too loud.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
11. Which attitude of Beethoven’s act of ‘not getting down on his knees for’ anyone
(a) Self-respect
(b) Pride
(c) Sincerity
(d) Modesty.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
12. Why did Beethoven ‘amputate the legs of his piano’?
(a) To adjust its height according to his scales
(b) To feel the vibrations of his music through the floor
(c) To adjust it according to his own height
(d) None of the above.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
13. For whom does Beethoven ‘get down on his knees’?
(a) Father
(b) Self-respect
(c) Music
(d) His audience.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
14. According to the speaker, ‘deal have an intimacy’ with which of the following?
(a) Music
(b) Dreams
(c) Speech
(d) Silence.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
15. In the poem, Beethoven’s thoughts moved at the speed of which of the following?
(a) Sound
(b) Light
(c) Silence
(d) None of the above.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
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Complete The Sentences :
1. According to the speaker of the poem Beethoven’s father use to hit him because he could not play notes on the piano as per his father’s liking and expectation.
2. According to the speaker of the poem, ‘some men drink, some men yell and some men hit their children’ because they want their children to become geniuses.
3. According to the speaker of the poem, in Beethoven’s house mercy had to be earned because he would get it only if he would play perfect notes on his piano, otherwise he would get punished by his father.
4. Sometimes while practising on piano Beethoven could not play his notes any more because his fingers would become as stiff as the twisted roots of tree trunks and would hurt him.
5. There was a time when Beethoven could not produce rhythms for the symphonies because he lost his eardrums and therefore could not transform his emotions into music.
6. Beethoven’s audience ache for more of his music because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. Beethoven would not go down on his knees for anyone because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
8. Beethoven ‘amputated the legs of his piano’ because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
9. The speaker of the poem alludes to the Towers of Babylon because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
10. The poem begins and ends with the same word ‘Listen’ because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
11. In the poem, there is a repetition of Beethoven’s name because [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
12. The deaf have an intimacy with silence because[ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
Short Question Answers :
1. How was Beethoven’s father like all other men? How did he treat Beethoven?
Answer :- Beethoven’s father, like many men of his time, was harsh and demanding. He treated Beethoven cruelly, often pushing him beyond reasonable limits. His father was obsessed with turning Beethoven into a child prodigy, akin to Mozart, and subjected him to rigorous and relentless practice sessions. This treatment was abusive, both physically and emotionally, leading to a strained relationship. Despite these hardships, Beethoven’s father inadvertently played a role in shaping his musical genius, although at the cost of a normal childhood and the emotional scars that would follow Beethoven throughout his life.
2. What kind of treatment was meted out to Beethoven in his childhood? What was its impact on Beethoven?
Answer :- In his childhood, Beethoven endured harsh and abusive treatment from his father, who was determined to make him a musical genius. This involved relentless and often cruel practice sessions, denying Beethoven a typical carefree childhood. The impact of this treatment was profound, instilling in Beethoven a complex mix of resilience, determination, and emotional turmoil. While the abuse fueled his drive to excel and achieve greatness in music, it also left him with deep-seated scars and a troubled personal life. This paradoxically contributed to both his artistic genius and his inner suffering.
3. Which precious tool of a musician did Beethoven not have? What was its impact on his music?
Answer :- Beethoven lost his hearing, the most precious tool for any musician. Despite this devastating loss, his music did not suffer; in fact, it became even more profound and innovative. Beethoven’s ability to compose transcended his physical limitations, as he relied on his inner sense of sound and his deep understanding of musical structure. His compositions during his deafness, including some of his greatest symphonies and sonatas, showcased a remarkable depth of emotion and complexity, illustrating his extraordinary talent and resilience.
4. Explain briefly the effect of Beethoven’s music on the audience.
Answer :- Beethoven’s music has a powerful and transformative effect on its audience. It moves listeners deeply, evoking a wide range of emotions, from joy to sorrow, and inspiring profound reflection. His compositions are renowned for their emotional intensity, structural innovation, and ability to communicate deep human experiences. The impact of his music is enduring, often leaving audiences in awe of its beauty and complexity. Beethoven’s ability to convey such intense emotion and complexity, even after losing his hearing, enhances the profound effect his music has on listeners.
5. How did Beethoven as a grown-up react to his father’s continuous remarks that it was not good enough? What was its impact on the musicians who played his symphonies?
Answer :- As a grown-up, Beethoven channeled his father’s continuous criticism into a relentless pursuit of perfection in his music. This drive for excellence made him a demanding composer, often pushing musicians to their limits to meet his high standards. His uncompromising nature and exacting expectations ensured that his symphonies were performed with the utmost precision and emotional depth. While this made performing his works challenging, it also resulted in groundbreaking and masterful performances, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest composers in history.
6. How did people make fun of Beethoven? How did Beethoven react to it?
Answer :-[ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
7. How has the speaker heightened the quality of Beethoven’s music? Which figure of speech has he used to do so? Explain with the help of an example.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
8. Explain briefly how has the speaker used ‘repetitions’ in the poem to bring home his message in the poem.
Answer :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
Long Question Answers :
1. Discuss ‘Beethoven’ as a poem by Shane Koyczan with reference to the theme of the poem.
Answers :- Shane Koyczan’s poem “Beethoven” delves into the life and struggles of Ludwig van Beethoven, emphasizing themes of resilience, genius, and the transformative power of art. The poem portrays Beethoven’s difficult relationship with his father, who was abusive and demanding, yet inadvertently drove Beethoven to greatness. This harsh upbringing planted the seeds for Beethoven’s relentless pursuit of perfection in music. The theme of overcoming adversity is central, as Koyczan highlights Beethoven’s battle with deafness, which paradoxically spurred his creativity to new heights. Despite losing his hearing, Beethoven composed some of his most profound works, showcasing his indomitable spirit. Koyczan suggests that true understanding of Beethoven comes not from historical accounts but from experiencing his music, which conveys the emotional depth and struggles of the composer’s life. The poem celebrates Beethoven’s ability to transform personal pain into universal beauty, illustrating the redemptive power of art. Through vivid imagery and emotional resonance, Koyczan’s poem captures the essence of Beethoven’s legacy, portraying him as a symbol of human endurance and the triumph of the creative spirit over physical limitations and societal challenges. The poem ultimately asserts that Beethoven’s music is a testament to his genius and an enduring source of inspiration.
2. Discuss how Beethoven’s father’s words ‘it was not good enough’ had an impact on his life as a child and later on as a grown-up. Do you think that these words made Beethoven ‘a genius’? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answers :- Beethoven’s father’s constant refrain of “it was not good enough” had a profound impact on Beethoven both as a child and as an adult. As a child, these words drove Beethoven to strive for perfection in his musical endeavors, instilling a relentless work ethic and an insatiable desire to improve. The pressure to meet his father’s high expectations often led to intense practice sessions, shaping Beethoven’s technical skills and discipline. However, this rigorous upbringing also left emotional scars, contributing to Beethoven’s troubled personal life and complex personality. As a grown-up, Beethoven internalized his father’s criticism, which continued to fuel his pursuit of excellence. This inner drive and refusal to settle for mediocrity were crucial in his development as a composer. Beethoven’s insistence on pushing the boundaries of music and his tireless quest for innovation can be traced back to his father’s harsh words. While the emotional toll was significant, it is arguable that this persistent push for perfection was a key factor in Beethoven’s genius. His ability to transform personal pain and adversity into groundbreaking music was partly a reaction to the constant pressure to be better. Thus, while the words “it was not good enough” were damaging, they also played a role in forging Beethoven’s extraordinary musical legacy.
3. In the poem, ‘Beethoven’, the poet says that to know about Beethoven, it is not important to read history but to listen to his music. Do you agree with this statement? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
4. In the poem, Beethoven, initially the other musicians were confused whether Beethoven was a genius or mad. But finally, they admitted that he was a genius. Discuss how Beethoven made it possible giving examples from the poem.
Answers :- [ For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View ]
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