ICSE Students can refer to Nine Gold Medals Summary ICSE below which has been prepared by expert English teachers of ICSE as per that latest syllabus and guidelines issued by ICSE. These Chapter summaries have been prepared to help students to understand the entire chapter easily. You can also refer to more study material for ICSE Class 10 on our website
ICSE Class 10 English Nine Gold Medals Summary
We have provided below a summary of Chapter Nine Gold Medals. This is an important chapter in Standard 10th ICSE English. The summary provided below has been prepared by expert English faculty for ICSE based on the latest ICSE books. You should refer to all Chapter Summaries ICSE Class 10 English which will help you to understand all chapters and to get more marks in exams.
Nine Gold Medals ICSE Class 10 English
About the Poet
David Roth (10 October, 1954 – Present) is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author and former radio personality. He is an artist who conveys a wealth of stories, anecdotes and scenes with a physically felt intensity. He is best known as the lead singer of the Southern California based hard rock band, ‘Van Halen’.
Summary
The poem deals with an incident which happened at a special Olympic race. ‘Nine Gold Medals’ is a beautiful poem that illustrates that sports is not only about competing, and about winning awards and medals, but also a complete institution that teaches you values like, sportsmanship, compassion and empathy. In this poem we see that how racers help a young injured competitor, to finish the race without caring about the competition. They all were rewarded with a gold medal for their outstanding display of co-operation and human kindness.
Explanation of the Poem
Stanza 1. “The athletes had come from so many countries
To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze
Many weeks and months in training
All building up to the games.”
Explanation: Olympics are held after every four years. Participating in Olympics and wining an award is a deeply cherished dream of every athlete. This poem describes the scene at Special Olympics where special sportsmen, i.e., who have some problem in a particular part of their body, had gathered to participate in one hundred metres race.
They had come from different countries with the dream to win gold, silver or bronze medal. They had spent hours of vigorous training. Their hopes were quite high.
Word Meanings :
Stanza 2. “All round the field spectators were gathered
Cheering on all the young women and men
Then the final event of the day was approaching
The last race about to being.”
Explanation: The spectators had gathered around and were cheering the contestants of all the events. They had been encouraging them all throughout. It was now time for the last event to begin. All were anxious about it.
Word Meanings :
Stanza 3. “The loudspeakers called out the names of the runners
The one hundred metres the race to be run
And nine young athletes stood there determined
And poised for the sound of the gun.”
Explanation: The next and the final event is the hundred metres race. The names of the participants are announced. The nine young athletes come and take their positions behind the starting point. They are fully determined and ready, and wait for the pistol to be fired in order to begin the race.
Word Meanings :
Stanza 4. “The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners on hearing the sound
But the youngest among them stumbled and staggered
And he fell on his knees to the ground.”
Explanation: The signal came indicated by the pistol shot, the runners began the race immediately but, unfortunately, the youngest of the athlete stumbled and lost his balance and fell with his knees on the ground.
Word Meanings :
Stanza 5. “He gave out a cry of frustration and anguish
His dreams and his efforts clashed in the dirt
But as sure as I’m standing here telling the story
Now it’s a strange one, but here’s what occurred.”
Explanation: After hours of training and hard efforts, all the dreams and hopes of the differently abled man seemed to turn to dust. He cries with pain and helplessness. He had trained hard but missed the opportunity to show his talent. But the speaker says that, something unusual yet true, happened following his fall.
Word Meanings :
Stanza 6. “The eight other athletes stopped in their tracks
The ones who had trained for so long to compete
One by one they turned round and came back to help him
And lifted the lad to his feet.”
Explanation: The other eight athletes who had already begun their race, stopped in their tracks. To everyone’s surprise, one by one, turning around, they returned to help the fallen boy and lifted him up. This sudden change of mind was quite unexpected. After all they had been preparing for this day from a long time.
Word Meanings :
Stanza 7. “Then all nine runners joined hands and continued
The one hundred metres reduced to a walk
And the banner above that said “Special Olympics”
Could not have been nearer the mark.”
Explanation: All the eight runners then held each other’s hand and resumed the competition, but this turned out to be a special one because all the participants were now walking together and the hundred metre race changed into a walk. Thus, the title on the banner matched with their act and could not have been a better one.
Word Meaning :
1. Joined hands — Held each other’s hands.
Stanza 8. “That’s how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
And the banner above and nine smiling faces
Said more than these words ever will
Said more than these words ever will.”
Explanation: The nine athletes reached the finishing line together hand in hand. They stood beneath the banner with smiling faces. No words would suffice to praise this act. Their act of co-operation towards their competitor actually won them nine gold medals. The poet repeats the last line to emphasize on their greatness.
Word Meaning :
1. Banner — A large strip of cloth with a design, picture or writing on it.
Nine Gold Medals Stanza Summary
Nine Gold Medals: About the poem
‘Nine Gold Medals’, written by the American Rock vocalist David Roth, is a song that inspires human compassion and cooperation. The poem is based on a story about the nine differently-abled athletes in a Special Olympic event. In a race, when one runner fell to the ground, all the others stopped and returned back to help him stand on his feet and then they walked hand-in-hand to finish the race. Each of the athletes was awarded a gold medal in recognition of their outstanding show of empathy and compassion.
However, beyond the authenticity of the incident, the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’ conveys a great message to the humanity that the world now needs no more competition, but more cooperation and collaboration. This is very much relevant in our times when people forget to help one another in an unhealthy rat-race in every aspect of life.
Nine Gold Medals: Explanation by lines
Stanza
The athletes had come from so many countries
To run for the gold and the silver and bronze
Many weeks and months in training
All building up to the games
Athletes have come from many countries all over the world to take part in the Special Olympics. They were there to compete for medals – gold, silver and bronze. They have gone through strenuous training for months to participate in the events with high hopes and dreams of winning medals.
Stanza
All round the field spectators were gathered
Cheering on all the young women and men
Then the final event of the day was approaching
The last race about to begin
A large audience was present at the ground to cheer the participants of different events. They cheered and enjoyed throughout the day. Now it was time for the final event of the day – the race. People were eagerly waiting for the event to begin.
Stanza
The loudspeakers called out the names of the runners
The one hundred metres the race to be run
And nine young athletes stood there determined
And poised for the sound of the gun
The names of the runners who would take part in the hundred-metre race were announced. There were nine participants, all determined to win the competition and lined up behind the starting point. They were ready to start, waiting for the sound of the gun.
Stanza
The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners on hearing the sound
But the youngest among them stumbled and staggered
And he fell on his knees to the ground
The pistol exploded signaling the start of the race. All the runners charged ahead along their respective tracks. But suddenly, there occurred an unexpected thing. The shortest athlete among them stumbled and staggered, and fell on his knees to the ground, the asphalt track.
Stanza
He gave out a cry of frustration and anguish
His dreams and his efforts dashed in the dirt
But as sure as I’m standing here telling the story
Now it’s a strange one, but here’s what occurred
Nothing could be more frustrating for a differently abled athlete after such tough training. The moment he fell, he knew all his dreams, hopes and efforts were dusted. His pain and disappointment made him give out a cry. But it did not end here. There occurred something really strange following his fall.
Stanza
The eight other athletes stopped in their tracks
The ones who had trained for so long to compete
One by one they turned round and came back to help him
And lifted the lad to his feet
Strangely enough, the eight other athletes who were ahead of him stopped in their tracks. Though they had trained hard for so long to compete with one another and win medals, the fall of one athlete changed their minds. They now returned one by one and helped the fallen one stand up on his feet.
Stanza
Then all nine runners joined hands and continued
The one hundred metres reduced to a walk
And the banner above that said “Special Olympics”
Could not have been nearer the mark
Then all the nine athletes joined hands and walked to the finishing line together. The hundred metre race was reduced to a walk. But still, it was special for the great display of human compassion, cooperation and sportsman spirit. It could not have been more special in any way.
Stanza
That’s how the race ended, with nine gold medals
They came to the finish line holding hands still
Thus the race ended with nine athletes holding their hands right to the finishing mark. They won nine gold medals – one for each — very deservingly.
And the banner above and nine smiling faces
Said more than these words ever will
Said more than these words ever will
The nine sportsmen stood in smiling faces under the banner that declared it as a ‘Special Olympics’. Those smiling faces touched the heart of everyone present there. It delivered something special – a great feeling and a great lesson – this mere poem is not enough to express. It was beyond words.
Nine Gold Medals Poem Theme
I. Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s feelings from his point of view. It means ‘to put yourself in another’s shoes’. It is this human value that is projected through an imaginary situation in David Roth’s poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’. When a weak contestant, unable to run, falls on the track and cries in frustration, the other eight contestants, instead of continuing the race, turn back one by one and come to the help of their fallen companion. Perhaps a look at the fallen contestant forces them to ask : “What would I have felt if I had fallen ?” They realize the anguish of the fallen man, and so they know what they have to do. They all join hands and walk to the finishing line. All are awarded gold medals.
II. True Sportsmanship
Today sports events are highly competitive. As the stakes are very high, the sportspersons are trained to be ruthless in their approach. Their only aim is to win at any cost. They conveniently forget that they are also to uphold the tradition of true sportsmanship, which is, being helpful and cooperative. In the poem, the eight contestants forget the dream of winning the race. They come to help a companion who needs to be lifted up and encouraged. Their true sportsmanship is recognized and rewarded.
Nine Gold Medals Poem Critical Appreciation
Title
The title of the poem ‘Nine Gold Medals’ is very appropriate and suggestive. It reflects the main theme of the poem. Only one gold medal is generally given to the first winner in a sports event. But in the race described in the poem all the nine participants are awarded nine medals for being so helpful and empathetic. Nine gold medals become symbolic of the victory of human values.
Inspirational Poem
‘Nine Gold Medals’ by Roth is a simple, yet moving lyric. It presents a simple, imaginary situation, and ends on a special note – that true victory lies in being helpful and cooperative. ‘The Special Olympics’ becomes really special.
Then all nine runners joined hands and continued
The one hundred metres reduced to a walk
And the banner above that said “Special Olympics”
Could not have been nearer the mark.
The poet, thus, exhorts us to empathize with those who are below, or inferior to us in any way. We should share their pains and sorrows and cheer them up. We should encourage them to face all hurdles in life boldly and cheerfully. Herein lies the true meaning of sportsmanship.
Nine Gold Medals Poem Style And Literary Devices
Form
‘Nine Gold Medals’ is a simple lyric. It is divided into eight stanzas. Each stanza, with the exception of the last, has four lines. The last stanza has one additional line, which is only repeated to emphasize the message.
Literary Devices
Rhyme Scheme
The poem does not follow a set rhyme scheme. In stanza
1, for instance, there are no end rhymes. In stanza
2, ‘men’ and ‘begin’ is the example of a near rhyme. In stanza
3, ‘run’ and ‘gun’ are the two rhyming words. In stanza
4, the rhyme is abcb. Stanza
5 is without end rhymes. In stanzas 6 and 7 the rhyme is abcb. In the last stanza, with five lines, the rhyming words are ‘still’ and ‘will’ (repeated twice), and near rhyming words, ‘medals’ and ‘faces’.
Repetition
In order to convey the fact that ‘The Special Olympics’ was really special, the poet uses repetition as a device for emphasis :
• Said more than these words ever will
• Said more than these words ever will This is also an example of the use of ‘inversion’ used for the same purpose.
Alliteration
There is a deft use of alliteration in some lines; as,
• But the youngest among them stumbled and staggered (sounds, ‘s’ and ‘g’)
• Then all nine runners joined hands and continued (‘n’ sound)
• And lifted the lad to his feet (sounds, ‘t’ and ‘d’)
• His dreams and his efforts dashed in the dirt (‘d’ sound)
• They came to the finish line holding hands still (‘h’ sound)
