A Concrete Example Class 8 English Poorvi Summary
Chapter 2 A Concrete Example Explanation Class 7 English
About the Poem A Concrete Example
The poem humorously describes the poet’s next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones, who has a very unique taste in gardening. Instead of vibrant flowers or lush greenery, her garden is filled with stones, a lily pond, a rockery, and a sundial. She places tiny, delicate plants between the stones, which are so small that the speaker jokes that they might be planted with a pin. When invited to admire a ‘lovely’ flower, the speaker cannot find it—only to learn they were standing on it all along. The poem uses wit, imagery, and irony to explore how different people value beauty and meaning differently.
Key Points of the Poem
- The speaker describes his neighbour, Mrs. Jones, who has a garden mainly filled with stones.
- Her garden includes a crazy path, lily pond, rockery, and a sundial.
- She grows tiny plants between the stones, which are so small and delicate that they seem almost insignificant.
- The speaker jokes that she must plant them with a pin because of their minuteness.
- Mrs. Jones once invited the speaker to view her garden.
- They spoke about a flower for a long time, but the speaker could not spot it.
- In the end, Mrs. Jones reveals the flower was so tiny that the speaker was actually standing on it.
Explanation of The Concrete Example Line by Line
Stanza 1
My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
has got a garden full of stones:
A crazy path, a lily pond,
a rockery and, just beyond
A sundial with a strange device,
which Mrs. Jones thinks rather nice.
In this stanza, the poet introduces us to Mrs. Jones, who lives next door. She has a very unique garden. Instead of flowers and grass, her garden is filled with stones. This makes her garden look different and special. The poet describes her garden as having a "crazy path," which means the path is not straight and might twist and turn. There is also a "lily pond," where we can imagine pretty water flowers called lilies. A "rockery" is a special place in the garden where stones are placed beautifully, and it looks nice. Beyond that, Mrs. Jones has something called a "sundial," which is a tool that tells the time using the sun. The poet mentions that the sundial has a "strange device," which means it looks unusual or different. Mrs. Jones thinks her garden is lovely, and she takes pride in it. This stanza helps us see how gardens can be different and that people can like different things.
Stanza 2
My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
puts little plants between the stones.
They are so delicate and small,
they don't mean anything at all.
I can't think how she gets them in,
unless she plants them with a pin.
In this stanza, the poet tells us more about Mrs. Jones's garden. He observes that she doesn’t just have stones; she also has tiny plants growing between the stones. These plants are described as "delicate and small," which means they are very tiny and gentle. The poet feels that these tiny plants are not very important or do not mean much, like they are too small to matter. He wonders how Mrs. Jones manages to plant them in such tight spaces between the stones. This thought is so funny and surprising to him that he imagines she must use a little pin, like a tiny needle, to help her plant them. This shows how special Mrs. Jones's garden is, and it makes us think about how people can do amazing things to care for their gardens, even if it seems difficult.
Stanza 3
My next-door neighbour, Mrs. Jones,
once asked me round to see her stones.
We stood and talked about a flower
for quite a quarter of an hour.
'Where is this lovely thing?' I cried.
'You're standing on it,' she replied.
In this stanza, the poet shares a memory of when Mrs. Jones invited him to see her garden. He was excited to visit and talk about the plants. They spent a long time, which is "a quarter of an hour," or fifteen minutes, talking about a flower. The poet is curious and asks her where this beautiful flower is because he cannot see it. Mrs. Jones gives a surprising answer; she says he is standing on it! This means that the flower is very small and hard to see, maybe one of those tiny plants mentioned earlier. This shows how sometimes we might overlook things that are right in front of us. It also highlights the special bond between the poet and Mrs. Jones, as they enjoy talking about her garden, even if it is a bit different from what most people expect.
Summary of A Concrete Example in Hindi
रेजिनाल्ड आर्केल की कविता “ए कंक्रीट उदाहरण” हास्यपूर्ण तरीके से श्रीमती जोन्स का वर्णन करती है, जो वक्ता की पड़ोसी हैं और जिनका बगीचा पत्थरों से भरा हुआ है। उनके बगीचे में एक अजीबोगरीब रास्ता, एक कमल का तालाब, एक रॉकेरी और एक धूपघड़ी है जिसमें एक विचित्र उपकरण लगा है, जिसे श्रीमती जोन्स बहुत पसंद करती हैं। वह पत्थरों के बीच छोटे-छोटे नाजुक पौधे लगाती हैं, जिन्हें वक्ता कल्पना करता है कि शायद पिन की मदद से लगाया गया होगा क्योंकि वे बहुत छोटे हैं। एक दिन, श्रीमती जोन्स वक्ता को अपना बगीचा दिखाने के लिए आमंत्रित करती हैं, और वे एक फूल के बारे में बात करते हैं जिसे श्रीमती जोन्स बहुत प्यार करती हैं। जिज्ञासावश जब वक्ता पूछता है कि वह फूल कहाँ है, तो श्रीमती जोन्स जवाब देती हैं कि वक्ता इस पर खड़ा है। यह कविता श्रीमती जोन्स के अनोखे बागवानी शैली और उनके अलहदा बगीचे पर गर्व को दर्शाती है, साथ ही वक्ता और श्रीमती जोन्स के नजरिए के अंतर को भी उजागर करती है।
Theme of the Poem
- The joy of gardening: The poem celebrates the simple pleasures found in gardening, showing how it can bring joy and beauty to everyday life.
- Perception vs. reality: There is a humorous contrast between how the speaker sees Mrs. Jones’ garden and how she perceives it. This theme suggests that beauty can be subjective.
- Connection with nature: The poem emphasizes the importance of connecting with nature and finding happiness in small, everyday moments.
Message of the Poem
- Beauty is everywhere: The poem conveys the message that beauty can be found in unexpected places, even in a garden full of stones.
- Encouragement to appreciate the little things: Arkell encourages readers to take a moment to appreciate the small details in life, as they can hold great significance.
- Humour in daily life: The lighthearted tone of the poem reminds us to find humour in our daily experiences, especially in our interactions with others
Difficult Words
- Rockery – a garden area where rocks are arranged with small plants growing among them.
- Sundial – a device that shows the time of day by the shadow of a pointer cast by the sun.
- Delicate – very fine, light, or fragile; easily broken.
- Insignificant – too small or unimportant to be noticed.
- Quarter of an hour – 15 minutes.
- Concrete – Figurative meaning: something real, solid, or actual
Literal meaning: also a play on words, as the garden is full of stones). - Lily pond – A pond with water lilies.