Asleep in the Valley by Arthur Rimbaud

1)  Justify the title of the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’.

Ans- nding te soldier lay in the poem ‘Asleep in the   The title of the poem “Asleep In The Valley” tells us about someone who is sleeping in a calm, peaceful valley in close contact with Nature. The nature is very pleasant with its slow stream, the flood of sunlight, flowers, greenery and buzzing insects. In the title, the two main words represent different meaning other than their surface meaning. ‘Asleep’ denotes the eternal sleep i.e. (that is) death and ‘valley’ symbolizes a paradise like place. The title seems ironical. It brings out the futility and brutality of war in a gentle implicit way. Actually the title suggests that the soldier is not taking rest but has been brutally killed in the war. Thus the title is apt and suggestive to the theme of the poem.

2) Write the theme of the poem ' Asleep in the Valley'.                      Or

Consider ' Asleep in the Valley' as a war poem.

                                    Or

Discuss 'Asleep in the Valley' as an anti-war poem. 

Ans-The theme of the poem ' Asleep in the Valley' is the futility of war. Rimbaud, being himself a soldier had witnessed the horror of war, and in this poem he has expressed the pity of war. The poem presents before us a picture of a soldier who is resting in a valley amongst the flowers and humming insects. With one hand on his chest, the soldier lies open-mouthed smiling like an innocent child. This picture suddenly turns into a brutal one when we find the ' two red holes' in his side. The bullet marks at the side of his body sets the soldier in contrast with the whole landscape. The beauty of nature is abruptly changed because its warmth can't revitalize the young soldier whose life is destroyed before it was fully bloomed. The recurrent image of the sun is perhaps the remainder of its incapability to revive the dead soldier. The valley signifies the landscape transformed into a valley of death. With all these symbols and images the poet tries to show the futility of war which is the theme of this poem. 

3) Give a brief description of the surrounding the soldier lay in the poem ‘Asleep in the Valley’.

Ans-The poem is written like a telescope which focuses on different parts of the valley and zooms in on the details. The poet focuses on a panoramic view of the valley, from which he moves to the mountains and then the body of the soldier in the meadow. A small stream is flowing through the valley. There are various types of flowers and bushes in that valley. He zooms in on the soldier's feet which are among the flowers. His pillow is made of fern. Rimbaud waits until the last line of the poem to reveal that the soldier is dead. 

4) " A soldier, very young, lies open-mouthed, " —Where was the soldier found lying and how? How does the poet describe the soldier's face? Why, according to you, was he lying open-mouthed? 

Ans- The soldier was found lying in a small green valley under the open sky. 

          The young soldier was lying open-mouthed with his head placed on a pillow made of fern. His feet were covered with the flowers of the valley. He was sleeping peacefully in the warmth of the sun and one of his hands was upon his chest. 

           The soldier's face was looking pale against the brightness of the sun. There was a gentle and innocent smile on his face like an infant's smile. 

            According to me, the soldier was lying open-mouthed because he was dead and nothing could disturb his peaceful, eternal sleep. 

                    

Valley’