The Quarrel
by Eleanor Farjeon (Cambridge Connection English)
The Poem :
"I quarrelled with my brother,
I don't know what about,
One thing led to another
And somehow we fell out.
The start of it was slight,
The end of it was strong.
He said he was right,
I knew he was wrong!
We hated one another.
The afternoon turned black.
Then suddenly my brother
Thumped me on the back,
And said, "Oh, come along!
We can't go on all night-
I was in the wrong."
So he was in the right."
Summary of the Poem :
Here in this poem, a little girl is quarrelling with her brother though she is not clear about the reason of the dispute. They are not falling out for any particular reason. Initially a very trivial thing turned into a serious issue between them at the end. Each of them was arguing that they personally are right the other one is wrong.
They are hating each other since afternoon and it is evening. The time become very sad and dull and full of bitterness. Then her brother thumped on her back and makes her realise that they can not fight like this whole night. He confessed and surrendered that he was wrong. The confession seems the right thing to the sister.
A. Answer these questions.
1. Who had a quarrel?
= A little girl and her brother had a quarrel.
2. What did the brother and the sister do?
= The brother and the sister were falling out and hating each other.
3. How long did the quarrel last?
= The quarrel lasted from afternoon to evening.
4. How did it all end?
= The brother surrendered that it was all his mistake and then it all ended.
B. Choose the correct option.
1. When the speaker says the afternoon turned black, she means
a. the afternoon was black in colour. [ ]
b. the afternoon became depressing and sad. [✓]
c. the afternoon became happy because of the quarrel. [ ]
2. When the speaker says, The start of it was slight/but the end of it was strong, she means
a. the cause of the quarrel was serious. [ ]
b. the cause of the quarrel was trivial. [ ]
c. the initial cause of the quarrel was casual but it turned into a serious issue. [✓]
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. "Oh, come along!
We can't go on all night-
I was in the wrong."
a. Who said this and to whom?
= The brother said this to his sister.
b. What does the person mean by these words?
= The person means that they can not fight like this all night. He surrenders and says that it was all his mistake to end the dispute.
c. Was the person really in the wrong? Give reasons for your answers.
= I don't think that the person was really in the wrong. Rather he is more understanding and wants to end up that quarrel by taking all the allegations upon him. Probably he is elder than his sister and therefore is more mature to take all the responsibilities upon himself.
2. "One thing led to another
And somehow we fell out."
a. What is meant by one thing led to another?
= The little girl is not clear about the reason of the dispute. They are arguing regarding many topics. They are not falling out for any particular reason. Initially a very trivial thing turned into a serious issue between them at the end.
b. What is meant by we fell out?
= 'We fell out' meant they quarrelled.
c. What happened after the speaker and her brother fell out?
= Initially a very trivial thing turned into a serious issue between them at the end. Each of them was arguing that they personally are right the other one is wrong.
3. "So he was in the right."
a. Who is the speaker?
= The little girl is the speaker.
b. Who is he being referred to?
= He is being referred to her brother.
c. How could the person who was wrong to begin with, now be right?
= At the end, the brother thumped on his sister's back and makes her realise that they can not fight like this whole night. He confessed and surrendered that he was wrong. The confession seems the right thing to the sister.
4. "We hated one another."
a. Did they hate one another? If so, why?
= They did not hate one another.
That is because they were quarrelling from the afternoon to the evening yet they match up at the end.
b. If they did not hate each other, why does the poet say so?
= The poet says so because two of them were innocent. They were fighting without reason. They were unknowingly against each other. The poet says this to show the intensity of the quarrel.
c. How did they make up?
= At the end, the brother thumped on his sister's back and makes her realise that they can not fight like this whole night. He confessed and surrendered that he was wrong. The confession seems the right thing to the sister. And thus they make up.
D. Think and answer.
1. Do you think they are happy when they quarrel? Quote a line in support of your answer.
= I think they are not happy when they quarrel. The brother gets fed up and thumps on his sister's back and makes her realise that they can not fight like this whole night. He confessed and surrendered that he was wrong. The confession seems the right thing to the sister. And thus they make up.
The line in support of my answer is -
"And said, "Oh, come along!
We can't go on all night-"
2. Did you have a quarrel with someone? How did it end?
= Yes, I had a quarrel with my friend.
Once I lent my friend a pen. He returned me the pen. I put it in my pocket. There was a hole in my pocket and it fell on the ground. I was not getting my pen in the pocket. Then I accused my friend that he did not return me the pen. But he was telling me that he had returned it moment before. We had a bad fight. Then one other friend came to me with a pen in her hand and asked whether it was mine. She found it in the ground. And yes, it was my pen. That pen which I lent. Then I discovered that there was a hole in my pocket. I apologised to my friend about my false allegation and we made up.
About the Poet :
Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) was an English author of children's stories, poems and plays. She was encouraged since the age of five by her father to write. She was educated at home, spending much of her time in the attic, surrounded by books. She won many awards, and the famous 'Eleanor Farjeon Award' for children's literature is presented annually in her memory.