Students can refer to the Bangle Sellers Summary Treasure Trove ICSE Class 10 which has been prepared for ICSE Class 10 English Students based on the latest syllabus and examination guidelines issued by ICSE. Students are requested to read and download these study notes for each chapter and topic and use them for understanding each important topic and also practice questions to get better marks in exams. You can also refer to the ICSE Class 10 Engish book for more details and after going through the summary trying solving ICSE Class 10 English Sample Papers
ICSE Class 10 Bangle Sellers Summary
Students should refer to the summary provided below for Bangle Sellers, this is an important chapter in ICSE Class 10 English book. You can refer to all Treasure Trove Poem Summary provided on our website. These have been prepared based on the latest books and syllabus issued by ICSE.
Bangle Sellers Summary Treasure Trove and Questions
Introduction…
The poem ‘Bangle Sellers’ was first published in the year 1912. It is a kind of folk song. Group of bangle sellers is on its way to the temple fair to sell their bangles. As the pageantry of Indian life fascinated the poetess, she describes it with zest and a sensitivity very typical of her. Bangles are portrayed not just as any ornament but are a symbolic representation of the various stages in the life of a typical Indian woman. The poem belongs to the third selection of Indian folk songs of her second book ‘The Bird of time’.
The poetess…
Known as the “Nightingale of India”, Sarojini Naidu was a great patriot, freedom fighter and the poet of modern India. She was born at Hyderabad and educated in Chennai, Landon and Cambridge. She took part in the National Movement, became a follower of Gandhiji and became the President of Indian National Congress and later she was appointed the Governor of U.P. Her first volume of poetry Golden Threshold published in 1905 was followed by the ‘The Bird of Time’, ‘The Broken Wing’ and ‘The Sceptered Flute’.
The poem in detail…
STANZA 1:
One of the bangle sellers is the narrator telling about bangles. He says that they carry the shining bangles to the temple fair. The bangles are shining and of various attractive colors. People come and buy bright rainbow-colored bangles from them. The multi-colored bangles are symbolic of the radiant lives of “happy daughters and happy wives”.
STANZA 2:
In the second stanza, the narrator gives an account of the bangles suitable for a maiden’s wrist. According to the narrator, silver and blue colored bangles, which like the mist of a mountain will suit her. This suggests the budding beauty of her growing age. Some of the bangles are like the buds that are going to bloom on a woodland stream, while some are like the shining flowers that enhance the glory of new born leaves. All these colorful bangles are suitable for unmarried girls.
STANZA 3:
In this stanza, the narrator describes the bangles suitable for a bride on her bridal morning. Some of these bangles look like the flame of her marriage fire(red). Some are rich with colors of her heart’s desire. They are shinning, sweet, clear and have soft sound just like the laughter and tears of the bride.
STANZA 4:
The narrator further says that some of the bangles are purple and flecked into grey and gold for a middle-aged woman, who has cherished, loved and cradled her sons and for a wife, who takes care of her household and sits at her husband’s side while worshipping.
THEME:
The poem glorifies the idea of Indian womanhood. The bangle seller is trying to convince the buyer of the spiritual and symbolic importance of his bangles in a traditional Indian set up. Here the bangles represent a woman’s life and each color or type of bangle represents each stage of an Indian woman’s life. Thus, a woman’s maidenhood, state of being a bride and a wife, and motherhood are expressed beautifully with a sensitive touch.
LITERARY DEVICES:
It is a lyrical poem written in the style of folk song. It contains vocabulary and imagery from everyday life.
(i) The rhymes scheme is: aa bb cc.
(ii) Simile: It is a figure of speech in which a likeness between two different things is stated, e.g.: some are like fields of sunlit corn.
(iii) Metaphor: Here in this figure of speech comparison between two different objects is implied but not clearly stated, e.g.: Rainbow tinted circles of light, and ‘lustrous token of radiant lives’.
(iv) Alliteration: It is the repetition of consonant sounds, e.g.: tinkling, luminous tender and clear like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
(v) Imagery: It refers to words and phrases which help the reader form the images that focus on their senses such as smell, touch, sight, hearing and taste. The most prominent image in the poem is no doubt visual imagery presented using color symbols.
Word-meaning:
shining loads –reference to the bangles that are being carried.
lustrous – bright, meet – suitable.
rainbow tented – multicolored like a rainbow.
wood land- land covered with trees and bushes.
limpid – clear, new born leaves – reference to the freshness of unmarried girls,
flames of her marriage – reference to the sacredness of marriage apart from meaning reddish yellow.
Tinkling – the sound of a small bell
luminous – shining
flame of her marriage fire – red colored.
cherish – care tenderly, fleck – small area of a color.
gold flecked grey – sprinkling of golden color on grey. Here grey refers to maturity.
cradled – brought up.
Assignments:
(1) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair
Who will buy these delicate, bright?
Rainbow tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.
1. What is being referred to as ‘shining loads’? Who are all its prospective buyers?
A1. Bangles are being referred to as ‘shining loads’. Usually bangles are bought by women, whether they are daughters, sisters, wives or mothers.
2. Bangle sellers could sell their goods anywhere. Why do they choose to go to the temple fair?
A2. Although the bangle sellers could sell their goods anywhere, they choose to go to the temple fair because in the temple fair there is a crowd and because of a temple, there are always more women than men. Therefore, in a temple fair, the bangle sellers get their prospective buyers in a large number.
3. Which figure of speech is used in the line ‘rainbow-tinted circles of light’?
A3. Metaphor is the figure of speech used in the line ‘rainbow-tinted circles of light.
The multicolored, round shaped bangles are shining like rainbow.
4. What is the tone in this stanza. Explain what is linked to the happiness of daughters and wives?
A4. The tone in this stanza is of happiness and joy. Bangles are the link which make the daughters and wives happy because wearing the colorful bangles is a source of joy and the fulfillment of the Indian custom and tradition.
5. What role do the bangle sellers play in a traditional Indian set-up, according to the extract?
A5. The bangle sellers lead a hard life. They go from place to place inviting, attracting and coaxing people to buy their bangles. According to Indian tradition and custom, the bangles are very much necessary and important for Indian women. Bangles have religious, emotional and decorative value. Bangle sellers are the source which fulfills this need. Thus, bangle sellers play a very important role in a traditional Indian set-up.
(2) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Some are meet for a maiden’s wrist,
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream,
On the tranquil brew of a wood land stream,
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves,
To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
1. What type of bangles are ‘meet for a maiden’s wrist’? Why are the colors ‘silver and blue’ chosen for the bangles of a maiden?
A1. Bangles of silver and blue are described as suitable for unmarried girls. These colors are chosen because silver and blue are symbolic of purity and loveliness as a young unmarried girl is.
2. Which figure of speech is used in the 2nd and 3rdline of the given extract?
A2. Simile is the figure of speech used here. In the 2nd line, silver and blue color of bangles is compared to ‘mountain mist’ and in the 3rd line, the red hue of some bangles is compared to a bud about to bloom.
3. How are the bangles compared?
A3. The bangles are compared to the flowering buds, morning mist and new born leaves.
4. What stage of a woman’s life is referred to in the extract?
A4. The stanza refers to that stage of a woman’s life when she is young fresh and unmarried.
5. Explain:
Some are aglow with the bloom that cleaves To the limpid glory of new born leaves.
A5. The poetess here compares the colors of some of the bangles to the transparent glory of new born leaves.
6. Give the meaning of ‘meet’, tranquil, brow woodland, aglow, cleaves and limpid.
A6. meet – suitable, tranquil – calm and quiet, brow – here it does not refer to hair line above eyes but refers to bank of a river, woodland – land covered with trees and bushes, aglow – bright and shining, cleaves – sticks to, limpid – clear.
(3) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or rich with the hue of her heart’s desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.
1. What is being compared to “fields of sunlit corn”? Why?
A1. Bangles are being compared to ‘fields of sunlit corn’. It refers to the golden yellow color of the bangles.
2. What do you understand by the phrases ‘bridal laughter’ and ‘bridal tear’? With what have they been compared in the extract?
A2. The phrase ‘bridal laughter’ refers to the joy and happiness of the bride. Bridal tear refers to her sorrow for leaving her parental house and be separated from her parents and siblings and childhood friends. Bridal laughter has been compared to the tinkling sound of the bangles and bridal tear is compared to the shine and clarity of bangles.
3. The word ‘some’ has been repeated in the poem for a purpose. What is it?
A3. The word ‘some’ represents different types of bangles in the poem.
4. Which figure of speech is used in this line?
‘some, like the flame of her marriage fire’
A4. The red and orange bangles symbolize the bride’s passion and desire. They are bright transparent and tender. The figure of speech Simile is used here.
5. Weddings become befitting occasions to wear bangles. In what ways the poetess associate bangles with a bride?
A5. It is a custom in Indian society that one or two days before marriage, all the women of the house wear new bangles along with the bride. It is a custom which is related to religion and gives joy, satisfaction and happiness. The poetess associates bangles to a bride because along with giving joy and happiness, the bangles are worn for the husband.
(4) Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Some are purple and gold flecked grey
For she who has journeyed through like midway,
Whose hands have cherished whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast
And serves her household in fruitful pride
And worships the gods at her husband’s side.
1. For whom are the ‘purple and gold flecked grey’ bangles suitable? Which phase of life is symbolized by these bangles?
A1. The purple and gold flecked grey bangles are for middle aged women. These bangles symbolize the middle age of a woman.
2. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
A2. The poem is made of four stanzas, consisting of six lines each. Each stanza is divided into a quatrain and couplet. The rhyme scheme of the poem follows is : a a b b c c.
3. What kinds of bangles have earlier been mentioned?
A3. Bangles of different colors have been mentioned earlier: silver, blue, pink and green for virgin maidens, yellow and fiery red for the bride.
4. Purple and golden colored bangles represent motherhood. How?
A4. Purple and golden colored bangles represent motherhood because these colors are associated with the feelings of pride., maturity and fulfillment in the heart of the mother.
5. What fulfills the life of an Indian wife and mother?
A5. Brining up her sons, serving her family and sharing the proud place of being by the side of her husband at religious rituals fulfill the life of an Indian wife and mother.
