Daddy Fell into the Pond by Alfred Noyes
About the Poem
The poem “Daddy Fell into the Pond” was written by Alfred Noyes, who was a poet and short story writer from England. The poet has described an ordinary and drab day in this poem. The sky was overcast that day, and everyone lamented the lack of excitement and fun. Just as the day was drawing to a close, Daddy slipped into the pond. Everything changed, and everyone got happier as a result. To the delight of the gardener, Timothy began to dance. Not only the humans, but even the ducks and the drake, took pleasure in the sight.
Text of the Poem
Stanza Wise Summary
The first stanza makes it plain that the children and the other family members were bored, and as a result, there was nothing exciting to do that day. Nobody had anything to do or talk about that day, and it was just passing by like any other monotonous day, when they all heard Daddy fall into the pond.
The second stanza depicts the family members’ instant reaction when Daddy falls into the pond. Some are having a good time, some are laughing, and some are so thrilled that they shout at each other to get the camera for a spontaneous click. Timothy dances because he is happy. A simple fall by Daddy into the pond could bring joy to everyone.
The third stanza is about a gardener who slaps his knees and softly laughs. The ducks quacked crazy and began to move, and it seemed as if the drake chuckled when he saw Daddy crawling out of the pond. The final few words state that when Daddy fell into the pond, nothing did not reply, and as a result, Daddy made everyone’s day more pleasurable.
Questions and Answers
Q. 1. How has the poet described the day?
Answer. The day when the family had gone out was dismal with the grey sky above.
Q. 2. What is meant by ‘there seemed to be nothing beyond’?
Answer. Here in the poem, ‘there seemed to be nothing beyond’ means that there was nothing else to do but to wait to see the day ending.
Q. 3. How did the children react?
Answer. Their faces grew merry and bright. Timothy danced for sheer delight when daddy fell into the pond.
Q. 4. Why did they need the camera?
Answer. They needed a camera to click pictures when Daddy was crawling out of the duckweed.
Reading Comprehension
1. The sky was blue and people were in a good mood. F
2. The poet and his family were spending a day at the cinema. F
3. They were thoroughly bored before Daddy fell into the pond. T
4. Timothy cried when he saw his father fall into the pond. F
5. Daddy was crawling out of the duckweed. T
6. It seemed to the poet that the ducks were angry when daddy fell
into the pond. F
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS
(Do it in the English copy )
1. Describe the day when the family had gone out.
Ans. As per the poet, the day was very dull.
2. What was everyone doing just before daddy fell into the pond?
Ans. Everyone was grumbling just before daddy fell into the pond.
3. Who danced ‘for sheer delight ’? What does this phrase mean?
Ans. Timothy danced for sheer delight.
The phrase means Timothy danced for full enjoyment.
4. What else did the person who ‘danced for sheer delight’ do?
Ans. The person who danced for sheer delight also clicked photographs of Daddy crawling out of the duckweed.
5. Why do you think the gardener shook silently?
Ans. The gardener shook silently as he couldn’t stop himself from laughing when daddy fell into the pond.
6. Who else laughed to see Daddy’s plight?
Ans. The old drake also laughed to see Daddy’s plight.
7. What do you think Daddy said when he crawled out?
Ans. He might have been relieved to find everyone enjoying at last when he crawled out of the duckweed.
