For Anne Gregory

Summary

In this poem, the poet addresses young Gregory and tells her that her hair is of the same colour as honey and when it falls, the poet begins to think her beauty spell bound. Her hair is so beautiful that every man falls in love with her. At this Gregory gives response to the poet that men love her only for her outward beauty while this outward appearance may change any time. At this, the poet concludes that only God loves human beings looking at their soul but not the body. Only selfless love is true.

Comprehension Questions Answer the following questions in 30-40 words: 

1. What does the woman say she can do to make herself more desirable to young men? What does this show? 

The woman says that she would dye her hair brown, black or in carrot colour to make herself more desirable to young men. This shows that young men give more importance to physical appearance than inner beauty. 

2. What are those ‘great honey-coloured ramparts’ at the ears of that young lady? What is the poetic device used here? 

The blonde hair of Anne Gregory is honey-coloured. The long honey-coloured hair falls down in curls covering her ears. The long hair falling on the ears look like the wide walls or ramparts around a fort. The poet uses ‘metaphor’ quite effectively to produce the desired effect.

3. What is the difference between God’s attitude towards a young woman and the attitude of humans towards her? 

God goes beyond external appearances. God loves a woman for ‘herself alone’. He pays no attention to her beautiful looks or yellow hair. On the other hand, humans can’t go beyond outward appearances and beautiful yellow hair.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

1. People are not objects. They should be valued for being themselves. What lesson does the poet want to give to the readers through this poem?
Absolutely true. People are not objects. Appearances may be deceptive. A person should be liked and loved for being himself or herself. Outwardly appearances do tempt and dazzle us. There may be many persons who would love to see Anne’s beautiful hair falling over her ears like the ramparts of a fort. Many would love Anne Gregory for her beautiful yellow hair. It would be difficult to find a real lover who loves Anne for `herself alone’. What is so great about yellow hair? Anne ridicules the idea of being loved for her yellow hair. She can dye her hair the way she likes — brown, black, carrot or yellow. But the irony of this world is that people will go on being tempted and dazzled by glamour, show and outwardly appearances. Only God can love a person for ‘himself or herself’ alone.

2. The poet in the poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that we should give importance to the inner beauty and not the physical appearance. Elaborate with reference to the poem. 

In the conversation that takes place between Anne Gregory and another speaker, the poet has tried to show that inner beauty is real beauty whereas physical appearance is changeable and hence, unimportant. The first speaker says to Anne that young men love her for her beautiful yellow hair and may never love her for what she really is. To this, Anne replies that her hair-colour can be changed into black, brown or carrot, meaning that external beauty is all superficial and men should not love her for that. Through Anne’s reply, the poet has made clear his preference for internal beauty over physical appearance.

Questions from the textbook. Thinking About the Poem (Page 141) 

1. What does the young man mean by ‚great honey-coloured/Ramparts at your ear?‛ Why does he say that young men are ‚thrown into despair‛ by them? 

The young lady, Anne Gregory’s hair is blonde or yellow. They are honey-coloured. The hair falling on Anne’s ears look like the rampart-walls surrounding a fort. The young man is thrown into despair as he doesn’t get a suitable response from the lady he loves. 

2. What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so? 

The colour of the young woman’s hair is yellow. Her hair can be called ‘blonde’. She says that she can change the colour of her hair according to her choice. She can dye the hair brown, black or of carrot’s colour. She wants to show that outward appearances can easily be changed. A young man should not fall in love with her only after seeing her yellow hair or outwardly appearance. 

3. Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise? 

Yes, objects do have certain qualities which make them desirable to others. A car is an easy way of personal transport. A phone is the easiest way of communication. Similarly, a dress can be used to make your personality more presentable before others. While selling an object, I will emphasize not only its appearance but also its inherent positive characteristics and features. 

4. What about people? Do we love others because we like their qualities, whether physical or mental? Or is it possible to love someone ‚for themselves alone‛? Are some people ‘more lovable’ than others? Discuss this question in pairs or in groups, considering points like the following: 

(i)a parent or caregiver’s love for a newborn baby, for a mentally or physically challenged child, for a clever child or a prodigy 

(ii) the public’s love for a film star, a sportsperson, a politician, or a social worker. 

(iii) your love for a friend, or brother or sister. 

(iv) your love for a pet, and the pet’s love for you. 

Human beings act and react differently to different people in different circumstances. It is true that generally, we love others because we like their qualities. Their physical appearances and their mental qualities may attract us towards them. There is no doubt that some people are ‘more lovable’ than others. That may be due to the fact that individuals differ in temperaments and traits. It is possible to love others only ‘for themselves alone’. The love between a mother and a child, a father and son, a brother and sister, etc. depends on what they are rather than what they should be. 

(i) A parent’s love for a newborn baby depends on his or her blood relationship and emotional ties with the newborn baby. Similarly, a caregiver’s love depends on his or her responsibility for the safe bringing up of the newborn baby. Parents’ love for a mentally or physically challenged child is equally strong and passionate. It doesn’t depend much if the child is clever or a prodigy. 

(ii) People’s love for film stars, sportsmen, politicians or social workers depends on their social, cultural and political backgrounds and ideas. Some may like Amitabh while others may love Salman Khan. People love them for their extraordinary feats. When these public figures fall short of their expectations, their liking, craze and love for them naturally go down accordingly. 

(iii) My love for a friend depends on the areas of agreement which I share with him or her. But my love for my brother or sister depends on familial ties and bondage. 

(iv) My love for a pet depends on how much I am attached to that pet. The pet’s love for me depends on the degree of intimacy I have for that pet. 

You have perhaps concluded that people are not objects to be valued for their qualities or riches rather than for themselves. But elsewhere Yeats asks the question: How can we separate the dancer from the dance? Is it possible to separate ‘the person himself or herself’ from how the person looks, sounds, walks and so on?

5. Think of how you or a friend or member of your family has changed over the years. Has your relationship also changed? In what way?

Life and people are not to be judged and evaluated in absolute terms. The truth lies somewhere in between the lines. It would be wrong to say that people are objects. And hence, they can’t be valued for their qualities or riches. But the truth maybe the other way around. Some people do value people for their qualities. Their physical, material and mental qualities do influence our love and liking for them. But there are certain relations where we love and like people for themselves. Familial ties bind us to our parents, brothers and sisters. We love them for themselves. Yeats’ question can’t be ignored. ‚How can we separate the dancer from the dance? We simply can’t. It is not possible to separate ‘the person himself or herself’ from how the person looks, sounds walks and so on. Naturally, a person can’t be separated from his inherent characteristics and traits. They seem and substance of all these things from what we call his or her ‘personality’. Man’s growth is organic. Over the years, we find a marked change in a friend or in a member of the family. It is quite natural. Our relationship with that friend or the member of the family depends on how much we can adjust to him. It depends on how common interests and areas of agreement we share.

Practice Questions

Q1 Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. 

(a)                                          Never shall a young man,
                                                  Thrown into despair
                                              By those great honey-coloured
                                                   Ramparts at your ear,
                                             Love you for yourself alone
                                                  And not your yellow hair.‛ 

i. What is the colour of Anne’s hair?
a. brown
b. yellow
c. black
d. carrot 

ii. What does Anne want her lover to love?
a. her inner beauty
b. her physical appearance
c. her family
d. poor people 

iii. What throws a man into despair? 

a. the lady’s yellow hair 

b. the lady’s new car 

c. the lady’s kindness
d. the lady’s ramparts 

iv. Find a word from the extract which means the same as ‘hopelessness’.
a. despair
b. ramparts
c. yellow
d. young

Q2 Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each. 

(a) What colour is the young woman’s hair? Why does she want to prove by changing her hair colour?

The colour of the young woman’s hair is yellow. She says that she can change the colour of her hair according to her choice. She can dye the hair brown, black or of carrot’s colour. She wants to show that outward appearances can easily be changed. 

(b) Is it possible to love someone ‘for themselves alone’? 

It is possible to love others only ‘for themselves alone’. The love between a mother and a child, a father and son, a brother and sister, etc. depends on what they are rather than what they should be. 

(c) What does the old religious man have to say? 

The old religious man says that he has found a text which proves that only God could love us for our inner beauty and not for our physical beauty. He is the one who truly loves us. 

(d) What are Anne’s views on external beauty? 

Anne does not believe in external beauty and wants to be loved for herself. She says that her beautiful hair that attracts so many men can be changed and coloured differently. This shows that Anne thinks that external beauty is not important and is changeable.

Q3Answer the following questions in in 100 -120 words. 

(a) Do we love people because we like their appearances or we are fascinated by their physical appearances? How does Anne Gregory want to be loved?
This is the world of pomp and show. Things and people are often liked and loved not because of their merit but because of their external appearances. Anne Gregory’s honey-coloured yellowish hair looks like the ramparts of a fort when they fall on her ears. There are many who love Anne Gregory only for her yellow hair. However, Anne doesn’t like to be loved only for this reason. After all, how does the colour matter? She can dye her hair the way she likes. She can dye them brown, black, of carrot’s colour or the way she likes. If her lover likes only for her beautiful hair, she won’t accept him. She should be loved for `herself alone’. But this world doesn’t go by her wish. Only God can love a person for what he is. Human beings will go on being tempted by beautiful yellow hair.