The Patriot

9th Grade, English

By Sir Walter Scott

Background Information

• Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832 / Edinburgh / Scotland) was the son of a lawyer. An avid reader of poetry, history, drama and romances, the young Scott read widely in Italian, Spanish, Latin and German. He is well known for his works such as ‘Waverly’, ‘Kenilworth’, ‘Talisman’, ‘Old Mortality’ , ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’.

• The Patriot describes the sad state of a person who does not possess any love or patriotic feelings towards his motherland.

“BREATHES there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said,”

There is this man who appears alive but who’s dead insideThis man has never proudly said to himself.

The Patriot

“This is my own, my native land!Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned,”

That this country is mine and it is my native landWhose heart never burned with passionate love for his land

The Patriot

“As home his footsteps he hath turn’d,From wandering on a foreign strand!”

his footsteps have brought himBack after roaming in a foreign land

The Patriot

The Patriot

“If such there breathe, go, mark him well; For him no Minstrel raptures swell; “

If there is such a person, then you can be certain thatthere will be no poet who would sing passionately about him

The Patriot

“High though his tides, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim”

He may have grown in status and pride His wealth may have become limitless

The Patriot

“Despite those tides, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self, “

Despite all the power, pride and wealth he has gained He is but a mean person who is self-centered

The Patriot

“Living, shall forfeit fair renown, And, doubly dying, shall go down “

In such a life ,he shall lose his good name and respect.He shall die twice when its all over. First by living an unpatriotic life and second, when he dies after

such a life.

The Patriot

“To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.”

To return to the worthless dust from where he was born And no one shall weep or honour or sing about him

• Patriotism is a powerful, innate force within most of us and Walter Scott was surely one of the great patriots of 19th century Scotland.

• My Native Land is an outburst of contempt for anyone lacking a deep love of their native country.

• Scott can only imagine such a person to be a self-important, vile wretch with ‘soul so dead’, that there is no end for him more deserving than to die anonymously, ‘unwept, unhonour’d and unsung’.

The Poem - Summary

Comprehension

Say whether the following statements are ‘true’ or ‘false’. Give Reasons1) An unpatriotic person who never says to himself “This is my own, my

native land” lives a cheerful life. false2) According to the poet, a person while returning home from a foreign land

should possess feelings of excitement about his motherland. true3) The poet wants the reader to ignore people who do not possess feelings

of patriotism. true4) The poet feels such people will become famous. false5) The poet calls such people ‘mean’ and ‘selfish’. true

Read the following lines and answer the questions:

1) “For him no minstrel raptures swell”a) Who does the word ‘him’ refer to An unpatriotic personb) Why is the poet unhappy with such people? He feels that an unpatriotic person is a vile and selfish person.c) What does the statement mean? A poet shall not praise an unpatriotic person

2) “Living, shall forfeit fair renown”a) What does the statement mean? By living unpatriotic, the person shall lose his good

name.b) Who will suffer such a punishment? An unpatriotc personc) How do such people die? Anonymously , with no one mourning for them

Answer the following in a short paragraph

1) In the opinion of the poet, what kind of life would an unpatriotic person lead?

ANS: An unpatriotic person may gain wealth and power that fills him with pride. Yet, his absence of love for his motherland will cause him to lose his good name and respect. He shall not be praised by any poet and he shall die twice: He shall be dead while living such a life and he shall die again towards the end of his life. And he shall not be remembered or mourned after the end of it. In the opinion of the poet, an unpatriotic person would lead a mean, immoral and a selfish life. 2) What kind of life would a patriotic person lead?ANS: A patriotic person would lead a life of contentment and harmony with abundance of love for his country. He shall have a good name and respect of his fellow country-men. He shall be praised by the poets and when he dies, he shall be mourned and remembered by every one in his country.

Answer the following in a short paragraph

3) Do you like this poem? Why? Give reasons to support your answer.ANS: I like this poem . The poet attempts to portray the life of an unpatriotic person , describing his nature and his fate. By doing so, he also implies the greatness in leading a patriotic life. I am a patriotic person and am very proud of my nation. Hence I support the poet’s views on this.4) Pick out 3 pairs of rhyming words from the poem.ANS: Well/Swell , Pelf/self, sprung/unsung