Goodbye Party for Miss Pushpa T.S.
by Nissim Ezekiel
Comprehension
1. What tenses have been used in the poem? Have they been used correctly? Why do you think this might be the case?
= Present continuous these and present indefinite tenses have been used in the poem.
They have not been used correctly in the poem.
Here in this poem, present continuous tense has been used in the place of present indefinite tense.
2. Where do you think the farewell party has been organized and by whom?
a. in the office, by her colleagues. [✓]
b. at a restaurant, by her friends. [ ]
c. at home, by her family and relatives. [ ]
3. Who, according to you, is the speaker in this poem? Why has the poet not revealed the identity of the speaker clearly?
= According to me, the speaker is some anonymous colleague or co-worker of Miss Pushpa as the farewell has been arranged in an official assignment.
The poet has not revealed the identity of the speaker clearly as he has satirized the way in which English is spoken by the speaker. The poet did not specifically mention the name of the speaker as that would be disrespectful for the person.
4. Which traits of Miss Pushpa have been described by the speaker? Do you feel that the speaker maybe exaggerating? Why?
= The speaker first of all mentioned the sweetness of Miss Pushpa. Not only her external sweetness but also her internal sweetness. The speaker also says that Miss Pushpa keeps smiling without any reason. She belongs to a very high family. If someone asks Miss Pushpa to do anything, she is always ready to help everyway. She never says no to anyone.
The speaker is definitely exaggerating while praising Miss Pushpa. He is somehow emotional to bid her good bye, yet it's much more to praise someone's internal and external sweetness. He refers about the family of Miss Pushpa and he ends up saying the story of his visit to Surat, his uncle's very old friend, his wife, his wife's cooking etc.
5. Explain the following lines.
"Miss Pushpa is smiling and smiling
even for no reason but simply because
she is feeling."
= The literal meaning of these lines is Miss Pushpa is a happy go luck person and she keeps smiling without any reason. There is a trace of smile always in her face.
6. "Surat? Ah, yes,
once only I stayed in Surat
with family members
of my uncle's very old friend-
his wife was cooking nicely …
that was long time ago."
a. What is the speaker speaking about in the middle of his/her farewell speech?
= The speaker is speaking about his/her visit to Surat. Once he/she stayed in Surat with the family members of his/her uncle's very old friend. His wife had cooked nicely. The speaker still remembers that.
b. Why does he/she do so?
= The speaker does so as he/she has an exaggerative nature. The speaker is appreciating Miss Pushpa's prospect and tells about her birth place. The speaker feels proud as he/she says that he/she has also visited Miss Pushpa's birth place once in front of all the persons present there.
7. The poem, as mentioned earlier, is a satire on the peculiar way in which some Indians speak English. Can you highlight at least five errors in the poem? Look out for incorrect tenses, wrong collocations and omission of articles.
= First of all in the lines - "You are all knowing, friends,/What sweetness is in Miss Pushpa." - it would have been - You all know friends...
Secondly in the lines - "even for no reason but simply because/she is feeling." - it would have been - "...… because/she feels so."
Then in the lines - "Miss Pushpa is coming/from very high family." - it would have been - "Miss Pushpa comes/from...…"
Next in the line - "his wife was cooking nicely..." - it would have been - "his wife had cooked nicely..."
If we find out omission of articles, in the lines - "from very high family/Her father was renowned advocate" - it would have been "from a very high family/Her father was a renowned advocate".