Class 12 English — Chapter 6: A Lecture Upon the Shadow

What you'll learn

• ▸John Donne and Metaphysical Poetry
• ▸The Sun's Progression as a Metaphor for Love
• ▸Symbolism of Morning Shadows
• ▸Noon as the Apex of True Love
• ▸Symbolism of Afternoon Shadows
• ▸The Didactic Tone: A Lecture on Love's Philosophy
• ▸The Fragility of Love in the Final Couplet
• ▸Archaic Language and Orthography

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- Poetry INTRODUCTION A poem is a composition in verse, usually characterised by concentrated and heightened language in which words are chosen for their sound and suggestive power as well as for their meaning, and using techniques such as rhythm and metre. To read and hear good poetry is to appreciate the subtleties of cadence and rhythm, the variety of pace and pattern and all that goes to make up the music of poetry. Every poem that we read adds to, in some degree, our total conception of poetry. Of the eight poets in this selection, four are from the classical tradition: Donne, Milton, Blake and Coleridge. The other four are closer to contemporary times: Yeats, A.K.Ramanujan, Emily Dickinson and Kamala Das. not to be republished Reprint 2025-26 --- PAGE 2 --- 12076CH06 A Lecture Upon the Shadow John Donne was representative of the metaphysical poets of his time. He set the metaphysical mode by vibrancy of language and startling imagery, and a preference for a …

Practice Questions from this Chapter

Tap "Get Solution" on any question to ask our AI tutor.

1. Explain how shadows form. Get Solution →
2. Discover why shadows change size. Get Solution →
3. Explore shadows in space. Get Solution →
4. Who is the author of the poem 'A Lecture Upon the Shadow'? Get Solution →
5. John Donne was a representative of which group of poets? Get Solution →
6. According to the poem, for how long have the speaker and his beloved been walking together? Get Solution →
7. In the poem, what happens to the shadows when the sun is directly overhead at noon? Get Solution →
8. What is the stated purpose of the speaker's address to his 'Love' in the opening lines? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Your shadow can stretch over a hundred feet long at dawn or dusk.
• 💡 It is impossible for your own shadow to ever truly touch another person's shadow.
• 💡 Shadows help scientists study the shape of distant planets and stars.
• 💡 Shadow puppetry, an ancient art, uses light and shadow to tell stories.
• 💡 Our eyes can trick us into thinking shadows are actually moving objects.

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