MP Board Class 12th English A Voyage Solutions Chapter 17 The Last Ride Together (Robert Browning)

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MP Board Class 12th English A Voyage Solutions Chapter 17 The Last Ride Together (Robert Browning)

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The Last Ride Together Textbook Exercises

Word Power

A. In the text, there occurs a word “conceive.” In spelling out such words, there is always a confusion between the use of’ei’ and ‘ie’. Fill ‘ei’ or ‘ie’ in the blank spaces in the following words:
1. rec — — ve
2. rel — —ve
3. th — — sm
4. perc — —ve
5. rel — — f
6. cone — —t
7. bel — — ve
8. dec — — ve
9. h — — st
10. ath — — st
11. panth — —sm.

To ascertain the correct use, keep in mind the formula ‘the lice’, that is, use ‘ei’ after ‘th’, ‘ie’ after T and ‘ei’ after ‘c’ when there is a confusion.

Answer:

1. rec e i ve
2. rel i e ve
3. th e i sm
4. perc e i ve
5. rel i e f
6. cone e i t
7. bel i e ve
8. dec e i ve
9. th e i st
10. ath e i st
11. panth e i sm.

B. In the text, there occurs a number of words which are contrasted to each other, but they are used together, joined by a conjunction. Some of them are:

Life and death in the balance, the petty done, the undone vast, in pride and thankfulness, joy and fear, hand and brain, in words and deeds, life forever old yet new, changed not in kind but in degree, the instant made eternity.

Use the above expressions in your sentences to make the meaning clear.

Answer:

1. Life and death in the balance—He lived his life and death in the balance.
2. The petty done—There was great difference between the petty done and the rest.
3. The undone vast—I was surprised at the undone vast lot of the work.
4. In pride and thankfulness—He maintains a balance between his pride and thankfulness.
5. Joy and fear—He had a mixed experience of joy and fear.
6. Hand and brain—We are developing our skills in hand and brain.
7. In words and deeds—Netaji was perfect in words and deeds.
8. Life forever old yet new—Tagore lived a life forever old yet new.
9. Changed not in kind but in degree—We changed not in kind but in degree.
10. The instant made eternity—This change was the instant made eternity for me.

Comprehension

A. Answer the following questions in one sentence each:

Question 1.
Why does the speaker bless his mistress?
Answer:
The speaker blesses his mistress for her company.

Question 2.
What two things does the speaker claim from his beloved? 
Answer:
The speaker claims for cherishing the memory of his beloved’s love and a last ride together.

Question 3.
What sort of benediction does the speaker feel to have possessed in the company of his mistress?
Answer:
The speaker feels a heavenly bliss in the company of his mistress.

Question 4.
How does the speaker compare his soul with a scroll?
Answer:
As, his soul had grown wrinkled and disfigured with grief, so the poet compares it with a scroll.

Question 5.
How are the brave deeds of a soldier rewarded by the world?
Answer:
The brave deeds of a soldier are rewarded by the world only with a burial in the Westminster Abbey, a place where only the great and the heroic passengers are buried and a flag is hoisted over his memorial.

Question 6.
What does the poet express in his verses?
Answer:
In his verses, the poet expresses the view that sublime ideals and beautiful things are best and men should try to achieve them.

Question 7.
Why do people prefer a living beauty to a sculptor?
Answer:
People prefer a living beauty to a sculptor because life is always greater than art.

B. Answer the following questions in about 60 words each:

Question 1.
What thoughts pass through the speaker’s mind when he and his beloved were riding together? (M.P. Board 2012)
Answer:
The speaker expresses the heavenly bliss which he experiences for a short while in the company of his beloved during the ride. The lady bent towards him and placed her head on his shoulders. Her body was in dose contact with his own. The lover thinks that the world may end that very night and so the moment of his bliss may become eternal. In that case, he would always be with his beloved and enjoy eternal happiness in life after death.

Question 2.
How does the speaker find his fulfilment in the present when he says, “I hoped she would love me; here we ride?”
Answer:
Here the lover, as he rode by the side of his beloved, mused on the sorry lot of humanity in this world. He is not alone to face failure. All men make efforts but not all succeed. As he rode by the side of his beloved, he felt as if his spirit was soaring high. The entire landscape seemed to him to wear a different look. The fields through which they passed and the cities they came across seemed to him to be bathed in divine glory. His own joy transfigured and illuminated the entire region which passed them, on both sides, in an opposite direction, as they rode forward. The poet here puts his ideals that aspirations of – man are never realised. Not all succeed. However, he at least has the consolation of riding with his beloved. Others are denied.even this much of consolation.

Question 3.
How does the statement “Who knows what’s fit for us?” reveal the speaker’s faith in fate?
Answer:
Having established the point that in this world none succeeds despite his best efforts, the lover says that it is not easy to determine what is good for man. It cannot definitely be stated that success in this life is good for man. The lover is the mouthpiece of Browning and he expresses the view of the poet that success in this life means failure in the life to come. Had he been destined to get the love of his beloved and enjoy supreme bliss in his life, he would have nothing left to hope for in the life to come.

Question 4.
Why does the speaker consider the earth a favoured place in comparison to heaven?
Answer:
Heaven is nothing but the realization of our highest hopes and aspirations. It is life at its best. Man has always looked upwards and imagined that heaven lies somewhere in the sky but for the lover, if one enjoys the company of his beloved, it is the earth which is heaven. It provides him heavenly bliss.

Question 5.
Explain the significance of the expression, “this glory-garland round my soul” in reference to the ride.
Answer:
Man on earth can’t get all his desires fulfilled. Everyone makes efforts but not all succeed. Had he reached his goal in this world and had gained the garland of victory by winning the love of his beloved, he would have had nothing to look forward in the life to come. If he had achieved the supreme happiness in this world, if he had obtained the love of his beloved, here, no hopes of any reward in other world would have been left for him.

C. Answer the following questions in about 75-100 words each:

Question 1.
The speaker considers his fate better than that of others. Why and how?
Answer:
In this poem, a lover is made to reflect on human life. He realises that all in this world work hard to achieve their objectives but all of them do not succeed. All effort and struggle result in failure. Man can never achieve his ambitions. Despite lifelong work, man can achieve very little. Actual achievement is small in comparison with much that remains undone. Aspirations of man are never realized. In the same way, in this poem, the lover aspires for his beloved’s love but fails. However, he thinks himself to be a little better in the sense that he gets a chance to enjoy a lastride together with his beloved. He experiences heavenly bliss in her company. Others are denied even such momentary bliss.

Question 2.
The speaker in the poem says to the poet “(you) Sing, riding’s a joy! For me, I ride”. How does this statement contrast the fate of the two?
Answer:
The lover illustrates his point by referring to the fate of the poet. The poem no doubt is more skillful than other artist? but his reward too meagre. His life is also a failure. In his poetry, he expresses the view that sublime ideals and beautiful things are best and men should try to achieve them. All this is a great achievement for a poet but he dies in poverty even in the prime of his life.

He never achieves his own sublime ideals in life. The poet can only sing that riding with one’s beloved is a source of great pleasure but he does never actually enjoy this pleasure. The lover considers himself more lucky in this respect for he is actually enjoying a ride with his beloved.

Question 3.
To the man of music, the speaker says “I gave my youth; but we ride, in fine.” How does he prove his achievement greater than that of the man of music?
Answer:
While comparing his fate with that of other artists like a man of music, the lover finds himself in a better position. The musician is also an unsuccessful artist. He devotes all his life to his art. He grows old in composing sweet tunes but the only praise that he gets even from his friends is that he composed a music of high order but then Fashion and taste in music change and his achievements become outdated and rejected. Similarly, the lover, in this poem devoted his youth, the prime of his life, in courting his beloved but now he has been rejected but he has his reward to enjoy the pleasure of the last ride in his beloved’s company. The musician does never enjoy this supreme felicity.

Question 4.
How will you explain the phrase “instant made eternity” in the context of the speaker’s concept?
Answer:
It is difficult to say what is good and what is not good for man in this world. Achievement of perfect happiness in this world means that one would have no hopes left for life in the other world. Failure in this world is essential for success and achievement in the life to come. He has failed in this life but this is a blessing in disguise. It means that he would be successful in the life to come. He can now hope for happiness in the other world.

Because he did not get his beloved here, he is sure to enjoy the bliss of her love in the life after death. Now for him, “both Heaven and she are beyond this ride.” Failure in this world is the best. Further, so hopes the lover, “the instant may become eternity” and they may ride together for ever and ever. Who knows that the world may end that very moment? In that case, they will be together in the other world and will be together for ever.

Question 5.
Discuss The Last Ride Together as a dramatic monologue. (M.P. Board 2010/16)
Answer:
The Last Ride Together is a dramatic monologue and it shows Browning at his best in the handling of this poetic form. It has also been called a dramatic lyric because it is not an expression of his own personal emotions but that of an imagined character.

It is spoken by a lover who loved his lady over a long period of time, and who, after making him wait for so long, finally, rejected him and turned to another lover. The lover then prayed to her to grant two requests of his. First, that she should remember his love of her, and second, that she should come with him for a last ride together. To his great joy, the lady consented.

Question 6.
What degree of optimism is revealed in the poem? Does the poet believe in God’s will? Give examples.
Answer:
The poem is characterised by Browning’s philosophy of optimism. Failure to achieve the ideal should not discourage a man.
“Why, all men strive, and who succeeds?” and
“All labour, yet no less .
I’ Bear up beneath their unsuccess.
Not only that; the lover argues that as he might have been still more unlucky, he should be satisfied with his present fate:
She might have hated, who can tell!
Where had I been now if the worst befell!
And here we are riding, she and I.”
Browning teaches the gospel of hope through the lips of the lover who anticipates union with his beloved in heaven.

D.Explain the following expressions:

Question 1.
One day more am I deified
Answer:
Here, the poet feels overwhelmed that he had got a day to enjoy heavenly bliss. Like a j god, the lover has all Browning’s robust optimism.

Question 2.
Till flesh must fade for heaven was here!’
Answer:
While enjoying the ride together, the lover feels ecstatic joy in the company of his beloved. In such a moment, the man will feel that his physical self is melted away and he has got free of the limitation of flesh.

Question 3.
Now heaven and she are beyond this ride

Answer:
Here, a preference for the earth to heaven has been expressed if one gets heavenly bliss on the earth itself.

Question 4.
‘What heart alike conceived and dared?’
Answer:
Here the lover while musing over human let in this world rays that conception and execution never go together.

Question 5.
There’s many a crown for who can reach?
Answer:
Here, the lover says that man aspires for the best but fails to get what he desires. Success doesn’t come to all.

E. Explain with context the following verses:

Question 1.
Hush! If you saw some western cloud
All billowy-bosomed, over-bowed
By many benedictions…Sun’s
And moon’s and evening star’s at once…

Answer:
These lines express in a highly imaginative manner, the intense joy and delight which the lover experienced when his beloved leaned, against him. a moment. The. lover had a moment of ecstasy. He felt a heavenly bliss. The only snag was that it ended too soon. He compares his delightful experience to that of a man, who sees a cloud looking radiant on account of the lights of the setting sun, the rising moon, and the eventing star falling upon it simultaneously, and whose intense passion for the cloud draws it close to him till he feels that heaven has descended upon him. Indeed, like that man, the lover felt that his I body had melted away and that his spirit was enjoying a celestial glory.

Question 2.
What hand and brain went ever paired?
What heart alike conceived and dared?
What act proved all its thought had been?
What will but felt the fleshy screen?

Answer:
The lover says that nobody can translate all his thoughts into actions. Nobody can give a practical shape to all his plans and schemes. A man may have big projects in mind but he cannot implement them in full. Thought and deed are never identical. In other words, no thought or intellectual conception can ever be fully carried out. No matter, how strong our determination may be, we shall yet be impeded by the limitations of the body. Even a man possessing an iron will feels the limitations of his physical energy which cannot meet the large demands made upon it by his determination.

Question 3.
What if we still ride on, we two
With life for ever old yet new,
Changed not in kind but in degree,
The instant made eternity.

Answer:
In these lines, the lover expresses the fantastic hope that his ride with his mistress may continue for ever, in which case he will be enjoying the happiness which heaven alone can afford. The duration of the ride will then be stretched to eternity and their life, though not changed into a life in heaven, will be transformed into an everlasting bliss. Thus, he will attain heaven on earth itself if the ride can continue for ever. If the duration of the ride becomes endless, the lover Will imagine himself to be in paradise and will enjoy a heavenly bliss though he will actually be on earth. (Thus the poem ends with a mystical fancy).

Speaking Activity

A.In, the fifth stanza there occurs the expression “Look at the end of work,” which means that the joy of sublimation lies in the fulfillment of hope. On the other side, there is the proposition, “It is better to travel hopefully than to reach the destination.”

Discuss and explain both the propositions in the class and then hold a debate, some of the students supporting the first while others favouring the second propositions.

Answer:
Do it by arranging the debate in class.

B. Read the poem aloud in the class and then invite students to speak over the,philosophical value. Note down the important aspects of Browning’s philosophy of life as emerged out of the deliberations.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

Writing Activity

A. Discuss the poetic value of the poem ‘The Last Ride Together’, with your classmates and +hen prepare a written appraisal of the poem on the following points:

• As a dramatic monologue. The speaker as a mouth piece of the poet.
• Philosophy of love contained in the poem.
• A new dimension to the concept of eternity and fulfillment.
• Diction examples of Browning’s typical self-coined phrases, ambiguity of expression etc.

Answer:
Apparently, the steadfast love of a man has been rejected by the lady. She does not return his feelings. The lover does not blame her but merely claims the memory of having hopefully loved her and requests her to have one last ride with him. He is overjoyed when she consents.

The ride now begins. He feels that his soul has been freed from sadness and is fluttering freshly in the wind. Past hopes of love and happiness matter no more. There was no point in thinking of what might have been if he had acted or spoken in some other manner. For all one knows, his beloved might then have even hated him; now she is only indifferent to him. At least, he has the chance to ride with her.

The lover goes on to reflect about the lot of human beings in general. There is always a wide gap between aspiration and accomplishment. As he rides, he feels as if his soul has gained a new insight. So many men work hard but still have to face failure. He had hoped that the lady would love him, while his achievement is only a last ride with her. But because it is a universal feature of human life, that is seldom fully realised in action. Even the poet and the sculptor fail in achieving their ideals of beauty. The lover is comparatively more successful; he is at least enjoying his beloved’s company on a last ride and feeling an ecstatic moment.

One cannot be sure of what is right or good for man in this world. If his pursuit in love had been successful and he had achieved perfect happiness on earth, there would have been nothing to look forward to in heaven. His failure, thus, is a blessing in disguise. He can now die with the hope of fulfillment in the next life. He considers that heaven and his beloved are the ideals which lie beyond the ride.
The poem ends on a striking and bold fancy of the lover. He suddenly reflects on the possibility of the ride continuing forever, so that the moment may be transformed into eternity. The poem ends on a climax of optimism.

Think It Over

A. Ponder over the proposition “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the moral and aesthetic values ” and then make your classmates, aware of your thoughts.

Answer:
Do it yourself.

B. Think over the following aspects of the poem. Take assistance from your teacher.

(i) Browning’s attitude to love.
(ii) Browning’s attitude to life.
(iii)Browning’s concept of God, fate and eternity.
(iv) Browning’s concept of fulfillment and sublimation.

Answer:
Do yourself. You may consult criticism on Browning as a poet.

Things to Do

Ask your teacher to provide you other Dramatic Monologues by Browning like ‘Fra Lippo Lippi’, ‘Andrea Del Sarto’and Prospice. Read them and comment on them.
Answer:
Do it yourself.

The Last Ride Together by Robert Browning Introduction

It is a poem about the uplifting of unrequited love in the event of the best resignation to the decree of fate. It reflects the feelings of a final ride, which was allowed to the speaker by his beloved.

The Last Ride Together Summary in English

Obviously, a man’s steadfast love is rejected by a woman. She doesn’t hold back her feelings. The lover does not blame her, but merely claims the memory of loving her out of hope and requests her to take one last ride with him. When she agrees, he is very happy.

The ride starts now. He feels that his soul has been freed from sadness and is getting refreshed in the air. Past hopes for love and happiness no longer matter. There was no point in wondering what would have happened if he had acted or spoken in any other way. For everyone knows that his beloved also hates him; Now she is only indifferent to him. At least, he has a chance to ride with her.

The lover normally thinks about many human beings. There is always a wide gap between aspiration and accomplishment. As he rides, he feels as though his soul has gained a new insight. So many men work hard but still face failure. He hoped that the woman would love him, while his achievement is only one last ride with him. But because it is a universal feature of human life, it is rarely fully realized in action. Poets and sculptors also fail to achieve their ideals of beauty. The lover is comparatively more successful; He is enjoying the company of his beloved at least on the last journey and is feeling a blissful moment.

One cannot be sure about what is right and what is good for man in this world. If his quest in love had been successful and he had attained complete happiness on earth, there would be nothing in heaven to look forward to. His failure, thus, is a blessing in disguise. He can now die with the hope of fulfillment in the next life. He believes that heaven and his beloved are ideals that are beyond ride.

The poem ends with a fascinating and adventurous fantasy of the lover. He suddenly reflects on the possibility of the ride going on forever, so that the moment can turn into eternity. The poem ends at the climax of optimism.

The Last Ride Together Summary in Hindi

इस कविता में स्पष्ट रूप से एक पुरुष के सच्चे प्यार को एक महिला ने नकार दिया है। वह उसकी कुछ भावना है। सराहना नहीं करता प्रेमी उसे दोष नहीं देता है, लेकिन केवल उसकी स्मृति का दावा करता है जब वह उसे बहुत प्यार करता था और उससे एक बार उसके साथ सवारी करने का अनुरोध करता था। जब वह अपनी सहमति देती है और यात्रा शुरू होती है तो वह बहुत खुश होता है। उसे लगता है कि वह सभी दुखों से मुक्त है और ताजी हवा में उड़ रहा है। अतीत की आशाओं या प्रेम का अब कोई अर्थ नहीं रह गया है। इसमें कोई सच्चाई नहीं है कि उसने किसी और तरीके से व्यवहार किया होगा।

तो क्या होगा? वह जानता है कि तब उसकी प्रेमिका उससे नफरत करती थी लेकिन अब वह उससे अलग सोचती है। कम से कम उसे एक बार उसके साथ यात्रा करने का मौका तो मिलता है। प्रेमी मनुष्य के सामान्य भाग्य की चर्चा करता है। अपेक्षा और प्राप्ति में बहुत बड़ा अंतर है। जब वह सवारी कर रहा होता है तो वह सोचता है कि क्या उसकी आत्मा नई ऊंचाइयों पर पहुंच गई है। बहुत से लोग कड़ी मेहनत करते हैं, फिर भी उन्हें असफलता का सामना करना पड़ता है। उसे उम्मीद थी कि महिला उससे प्यार करेगी जब उसे आखिरी बार उसके साथ रहने का मौका मिलेगा। लेकिन इसने उन्हें तनिक भी निराश नहीं किया क्योंकि यह मानव जीवन का शाश्वत सत्य है कि उसे शायद ही कभी सफलता मिलेगी। कवि या मूर्तिकार भी अपनी कला के सौंदर्य का आदर्श नहीं खोज सकते। प्रेमी उससे अधिक भाग्यशाली होता है कि उसे अपने प्रियतम का कम से कम क्षणिक सान्निध्य प्राप्त होता है, जो उसके लिए परम आनंद का क्षण होता है।

इस संसार में मनुष्य के लिए क्या सही है और क्या अच्छा है, यह कोई नहीं कह सकता। यदि उसकी खोज पूरी हो जाती है और उसे अपने प्रिय का सहारा मिल जाता है, तो उसे अत्यधिक सुख की प्राप्ति होती है। फिर उसे पृथ्वी पर दूसरे स्वर्ग की खोज करने की आवश्यकता क्यों है? इस तरह उसकी असफलता उसके लिए एक छिपा हुआ वरदान है। अब वह इस आशा के साथ मर सकता है कि उसे अगले जन्म में सफलता अवश्य मिलेगी। वह सोचता है कि स्वर्ग और उसका प्रिय उसके आदर्शों की प्राप्ति है जो उस यात्रा से परे है। प्रेमी की उदात्त कल्पना के साथ कविता समाप्त होती है। वह अचानक सोचता है कि यह यात्रा निरंतर चलती रहनी चाहिए और अमर हो जाना चाहिए। कविता आशावाद के चरमोत्कर्ष पर समाप्त होती है।

The Last Ride Together Word Meaning

The Last Ride Together Important Pronunciations

The Last Ride Together Stanzas for Comprehension

1. Read the following stanzas and answer the questions:
My whole heart rises up to bless
Your name in pride and thankfulness!
Take back the hope you gave, … I claim
…Only a memory of the same,
. ..And this beside, f you will not blame,
Your leave for one more last ride with me. (Page 126)

Questions:

(i) the poet’s heart rises up to bless the beloved’s name in …..
(ii) What does the poet claim?
(iii) Find a word which means the same as ‘accuse’.
(iv) What does the poet wish for from his beloved?

Answers:
(i) Pride and thankfulness.
(ii) The memory of the love.
(iii) ‘Blame’ is similar in meaning to ‘accuse’.
(iv) He asks his beloved to allow her company in the last ride with him.

2. There’s many a crown for who can reach,
Ten lines, a statesman’s life in each!
The flag stuck on a heap of bones.
A soldier’s doing! what atones?.
They scratch his name on the Abbey-stones.
My riding is better, by their leave. (Page 128)

Questions:
(i) What does the poet mean by ‘crown’ here?
(ii) ……………… his name on the Abbey-stones.
(iii) Find a word similar in meaning to ‘pillar on grave’.
(iv) How does the poet find himself better than those?

Answers:
(i) Reward for achievement.
(ii) They scratch.
(iii) ‘Abbey stones’ has similar meaning to ‘pillar on grave’.
(iv) The poet finds himself better in the sense that he has got the heavenly bliss in the company of his beloved for a moment.

3. And you, great sculptor so,… you gave
A score of years to Art, her slave,
And that’s your Venus, whence we turn
To yonder girl that fords the burn!
You acquiesce, and shall I repine?
What, man of music, you grown grey
With notes and nothing else to say,
Is this your sole praise from a friend,
‘Greatly his opera’s, strains intend,
‘Put in music we know how fashions end!’
I gave my youth, but we ride, in fine. (Page 128)

Questions:
(i) What does a sculptor do?
(ii) we know how fashion ends.
(iii) Find a word opposite in meaning to’rejoice’.
(iv) What does the poet convey here?

Answers:
(i) A sculptor devotes all his time in beautifying his statue or creating a beautiful lady.
(ii) Put in music.
(iii) ‘Repine’ is opposite to ‘rejoice’.
(iv) The poet conveys that even great artists do labour for the whole life but get nothing as a result.

We think the data given here clears all your questions from Chapter 17 The Last Ride Together and assures you to attempt all the questions in the exam. So, practice as much as possible from the MP Board Board Solutions for Class 12th English Chapter 17 and score well. Need any information regarding this then ask us through comments and we will give the best possible answer soon.

Final Words