The Stick-together Families

The Stick-together Families

The stick-together families are happier by far

Than the brothers and the sisters who take separate highways are.

The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make

A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break.

And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun

Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done.

There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,

And they're very quick to shatter all the little family ties.

Each goes searching after pleasure in his own selected way,

Each with strangers likes to wander, and with strangers likes to play.

But it's bitterness they harvest, and it's empty joy they find,

For the children that are wisest are the stick-together kind.

There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,

That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home.

That the strange friend is the true friend, and they travel far astray

They waste their lives in striving for a joy that's far away,

But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,

Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun.

It's the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,

That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth;

It's the old home roof that shelters all the charm that life can give;

There you find the gladdest play-ground, there the happiest spot to live.

And, O weary, wandering brother, if contentment you would win,

Come you back unto the fireside and be comrade with your kin.

- Edgar Albert Guest

Glossary

conventions (n) - a large formal meeting of people who have a similar interest

shatter (v) - to break suddenly into very small pieces

astray (adv.) - away from the correct path or correct way of doing something

mirth (n) - laughter, humour or happiness

comrade (n) - a friend

Based on your understanding of the poem, answer the questions in a sentence or two.

1. The gladdest people living are the wholesome folks who make

A circle at the fireside that no power but death can break.

a. Who are the gladdest people living?

Ans: The gladdest people are those who live together as wholesome folks.

b. Where do they gather?

Ans: They gather at the fireside.

c. What can break their unity?

Ans: Only death can break their unity.

2. And the finest of conventions ever held beneath the sun

Are the little family gatherings when the busy day is done.

a. When do they have their family gatherings?

Ans: The family gatherings are done at the end of the busy days.

b. Where do they have their family conventions?

Ans: The family conventions are held beneath the sun.

c. What does the poet mean by ‘finest conventions'?

Ans: The finest convention means the family gatherings.

3. There are rich folk, there are poor folk, who imagine they are wise,

And they're very quick to shatter all the little family ties.

a. What do the rich and poor folk imagine themselves to be?

Ans: The rich and the poor folks imagine themselves to be wise.

b. What do they do to their families?

Ans: They are quick to shatter their little family ties.

c. Whom does 'they' refer to?

Ans: They refers to the rich and poor people who do not consider the family ties as important and tend to shatter them.

4. There are some who seem to fancy that for gladness they must roam,

That for smiles that are the brightest they must wander far from home

a. Why do they roam?

Ans: They seem to be fancy and roam for gladness.

b. According to them, when do they get bright smiles?

Ans: They get bright smiles when they wander far from home.

5. But the gladdest sort of people, when the busy day is done,

Are the brothers and the sisters who together share their fun.

a. Who are the gladdest people?

Ans: The gladdest people are those brothers and sisters who share their fun.

b. When do they share their fun?

Ans: They share their fun when the busy day is done.

c. What does 'who' refer to?

Ans: “Who” refers to the brothers and sisters.

6. It's the stick-together family that wins the joys of earth,

That hears the sweetest music and that finds the finest mirth;

a. Who wins the joys of the earth?

Ans: The stick-together families win the joys of earth.

b. How do they find their joy?

Ans: Since they are together and hear sweet music, they find joy in that.

c. What does the poet mean by 'stick-together family'?

Ans: The joint families who reside in one place and spend their time together and share their joy and sorrows are referred as Stick-together family.

Based on the understanding of the poem, fill in the blanks using the words and phrases given below to make a meaningful summary of the poem.

brothers and sisters, bitterness, joint family, share their fun, rich and the poor folk, shatter their family, charm of life, separate ways, the joy of earth, stick-together families

The poet brings out the difference in the attitudes of children living in joint family and nuclear family. The ________________ are the happiest of all. Where as the _________________ of nuclear families take ______________. The gladdest people are the children from _______________ who circle near the fireside. No power other than death can break them. The _______________ imagine themselves to be wise and in the process they ______________ ties. Each of them goes searching for pleasure in their own selected way. They harvest only ____________ and find empty joy. But the wisest among them are the children of the stick-together families. When the busy day is done, they together ______________. The stick-together family wins _______________. The old house shelters all the ______________. The poet invites wandering brothers to come and join the stick-together families in their fireside and have fun.

Answer:

The poet brings out the difference in the attitudes of children living in joint family and nuclear family. The stick-together families are the happiest of all. Where as the childrenof nuclear families take separate ways. The gladdest people are the children from joint family who circle near the fireside. No power other than death can break them. The rich and poor folk imagine themselves to be wise and in the process they shatter their familyties. Each of them goes searching for pleasure in their own selected way. They harvest only bitterness and find empty joy. But the wisest among them are the children of the stick-together families. When the busy day is done, they together share their fun. The stick-together family wins the joy of the earth. The old house shelters all the charm of life. The poet invites wandering brothers to come and join the stick-together families in their fireside and have fun.