No!
by Thomas Hood
The Poem:
"No sun -- no moon!
No morn -- no noon --
No dawn -- no dusk -- no proper time of day.
No sky -- no earthly view --
No distance looking blue --
No road -- no street -- no 't'other side the way' --
No end to any Row --
No indications where the Crescents go --
No top any steeple --
No recognitions of familiar people --
No courtesies for showing 'em --
No knowing 'em! --
No travelling at all -- no locomotion,
No inkling of the way -- no notion --
'No go' -- by land or ocean --
No mail -- no post --
No news from any foreign coast --
No Park -- no Ring -- no afternoon gentility --
No company -- no nobility --
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member --
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! --
November!
Summary of the Poem:
Here the poet Thomas Hood has represented the picture of the month of November which is devoid of cheer and comfort. The sun, the moon, the steeples, the roadways, the park and even the face of the people on the streets are shrouded under a heavy fog and perhaps under a bit of smog from chimney smoke. Communication has been ceased due to the fog and smog.
As a result of it, there is no mail deliveries and no news from foreign lands. Crowded places like Regent's Park and Hyde Park are in solitude as visitors have stopped their visit to those places due to the adverse weather. There is nothing left in those places to cheer the atmosphere as the autumn has shed all the leaves, flowers and fruits. There is no birds, bees and butterflies in the parks.
COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions.
a. In what way is the title of the poem a good one?
= In the poem 'No!' by Thomas Hood, the wretchedness of the nature has been depicted in the month of November after autumn. The Earth has been turned into a brazen land stunting all its growth and movement. All the progress and mobility have come to a pause. There is no joy and cheerfulness left. The bleakness of both the nature and society have been represented very aptly by repeating the word 'no' at the starting of every single line of the poem. Therefore, the title of the poem is very significant according to the theme of the poem.
b. Is there a rhyme scheme to the poem?
= Yes, the poem has a rhyme scheme. It consists of rhyming couplets in lines 1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 16-17, and 18-19. In addition, line 3 rhymes with rhymes with line 6, 20 with 22, and line 21 with 24. A rhyming triplet occurs in lines 16, 17 and 18.
c. Which words in the poem tell us about the following?
i. times of day
ii. roads
iii. motion or interaction
iv. weather conditions or geographical features
v. living creatures and plants
(Make your own lists and find out from the others in class whether they have more items. Which ones did you leave out?)
=
i. Times of day : morn, noon, dawn, dusk.
ii. roads : road, street, 't'other side the way.
iii. motion or interaction : travelling, locomotion, notion.
iv. weather conditions or geographical features : warmth, cheerfulness, healthful ease, comfortable feel, foreign coast, Park, Ring,
v. living creatures and plants : butterflies, bees, fruits, flowers, leaves, birds.
These questions are more difficult. Discuss them first.
d. How would you describe the general picture painted by the poet? Is it a cheerful one?
= The poet Thomas Hood has represented the picture of the month of November which is devoid of cheer and comfort. The sun, the moon, the steeples, the roadways, the park and even the face of the people on the streets are shrouded under a heavy fog and perhaps under a bit of smog from chimney smoke.
Communication has been ceased due to the fog and smog. As a result of it, there is no mail deliveries and no news from foreign lands. Crowded places like Regent's Park and Hyde Park are in solitude as visitors have stopped their visit to those places due to the adverse weather. There is nothing left in those places to cheer the atmosphere as the autumn has shed all the leaves, flowers and fruits. There is no birds, bees and butterflies in the parks.
e. Do you think the poet has a good sense of humour? Why?
= Yes, I think the poet Thomas Hood has a good sense of humour. As we start reading the poem, we can see that there is a 'no' in the beginning of every line. It is the literary figure of speech called anaphora. As we go on reading, we can see the growing bleakness and an inner premonition starts developing in our inner core. The poet has exaggerated such a way, we mentally prepare ourselves for a huge tragedy. But at the very end of the poem, we come to know that the poet was describing about the month of November. This is no doubt a good sense of humour.
2. Answer the following with reference to context.
a. What is meant by 't'other side the way'?
= In the poem, 't'other side the way' is a colloquial contraction which means 'the other side of the road.'
b. Why do you think the phrase 'No go' is put in inverted commas, while others (e.g., 'No mail') are not? (Is there another expression in inverted commas?)
= I think the phrase 'No go' is put in inverted commas, to express the immobility of both the land and ocean. The poet has emphasised on the fact that the communication system on both roadways and waterways have stopped.
c. What does the 'Ring' refer to?
= The 'Ring' refers to the walking lanes or streets along which people would take a leisurely walk in the afternoon.
d. Comment on the phrase 'no afternoon gentility'.
= The phrase 'no afternoon gentility' refers to the interruption of normal lifestyle in the afternoon. Crowded places like Regent's Park and Hyde Park are in solitude as visitors have stopped their visit the those places due to the adverse weather.
WORKING WITH WORDS
Find words in the poem which may be described in the following way.
1. the star at the centre of the solar system.
= sun;
2. the Earth's only natural satellite.
= moon;
3. appropriate or correct.
= proper;
4. the first appearance of light in the sky as the sun rises at the beginning of the day.
= dawn;
5. signs or signals.
= indications;
6. well known; commonly seen or heard; easily recognized.
= recognitions;
7. the perception that somebody has been seen before and is known.
= familiar;
8. a vague idea or suspicion about a fact, person or event.
= inkling;
9. contented and relaxed.
= comfortable;
10. limb.
= member;
11. an insect or the order Lepidoptera.
= butterflies;
12. heat/affection/friendliness.
= warmth;
About the Poet :
Thomas Hood (1799-1845) was the son of a London bookseller. At young age, he became apprentice to an engraver, but when he became quite ill he left that job and turned to writing. In 1815 he became a journalist and worked in Dundee, Scotland. Later, he became the sub-editor of The London Magazine. He was known in his lifetime for his comic verse, but it is his more serious poetry that is remembered today.