The Village Schoolmaster
by Oliver Goldsmith
The Poem:
"Beside yon straggling fence that skirts the way
With blossom'd furze unprofitable gay,
There, in his noisy mansion, skill'd to rule,
The village master taught his little school;
A man severe he was, and stern to view,
I knew him well, and every truant knew;
Well had the bonding tremblers learn'd to trace
The day's disasters in his morning face;
Full well they laugh'd with counterfeited glee,
At all his jokes, for many a joke had he:
Full well the busy whisper, circling round,
Convey'd the dismal tidings when he frown'd:
Yet he was kind; or if severe in aught,
The love he bore to learning was in fault.
The village all declar'd how much he knew;
'Twas certain he could write, cipher too:
Lands he could measure, terms and tides presage,
And e'en the story ran that he could gauge.
In arguing too, the parson own'd his skill;
For e'en though vanquish'd he could argue still;
While words of learned length and thund'ring sound
Amazed the gazing rustics rang'd around;
And still they gaz'd and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew."
The Summary of the Poem:
The school of the village schoolmaster was surrounded by rambling fence along with a yellow flowering shrub called furze. The school building was full of the noise of the students. The teacher was teaching there. He was a strict teacher. Every absentee of the school knew the fact well. They could assume what a disaster of punishment was coming upon them merely seeing the teacher's face in the morning. Yet they pretended to laugh at every joke of the teacher.
Each and every student of the school used to get scared and talked about what was going to happen when he only frowned. He was kind to many things and cruel to something. He had an immense liking over learning. He could write and calculate. He could measure and predict the tides. He could make an estimate without measuring.
He had skill to take part in arguments. He could continue his argument still he was loosing. The people of the village used to gather around him to listen to his words. They wondered about his knowledge. They amazed at the fact that how could he know so many things in his small head. He was an oasis of knowledge in the desert of their ignorance.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
1. List the things that the poet tells us the schoolmaster could.
= The schoolmaster had an immense liking over learning. He could write and calculate. He could measure and predict the tides. He could make an estimate without measuring. He had skill to take part in arguments. He could continue his argument still he was loosing.
2. Pick out two adjectives used to describe the schoolmaster from the first five lines. Justify the use of these words with instances from the rest of the poem.
= Two adjectives used to describe the schoolmaster from the first five lines are - severe and stern.
The schoolmaster was a strict teacher. Every absentee of the school knew the fact well. They could assume what a disaster of punishment was coming upon them merely seeing the teacher's face in the morning. Yet they pretended to laugh at every joke of the teacher. Each and every student of the school used to get scared and talked about what was going to happen when he only frowned. He was kind to many things and cruel to something.
3. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
a. "There, in his noisy mansion, skill'd to rule,
The village master taught his little school;"
i. Where is the school situated?
= The school of the village schoolmaster is situated by the rambling fence along with a yellow flowering shrub called furze.
ii. Why is the mansion noisy?
= The school building is full of the noise of the students. The teacher is teaching there.
iii. What is meant by 'skill'd rule'?
= 'Skill'd rule' meant that he was an experienced teacher having apt knowledge of teaching.
b. "Well had the boding tremblers learn'd to trace
The day's disasters in his morning face;"
i. Who were the tremblers?
= The tremblers were the absentees of the school.
ii. What is meant by 'morning face'? Whose face is being referred to?
= 'Morning face' meant the facial expression.
The schoolmaster's head is being referred to here.
iii. What did the tremblers learn from watching his face?
= The schoolmaster was a strict teacher. Every absentee of the school knew the fact well. They could assume what a disaster of punishment was coming upon them merely seeing the teacher's face in the morning.
c. "And still they gaz'd and still the wonder grew,
That on small head could carry all he knew."
i. Who gazed and at whom?
= The ignorant villagers gazed at the schoolmaster.
ii. What do these lines reflect about the people who 'gaz'd'?
= The people who 'gaz'd' were ignorant. They were fascinated about the knowledge the schoolmaster possessed. The more they listened to him, the more they got amazed. They grew immense love and respect for the schoolmaster.
iii. What do these lines suggest about the person being gaz'd at?
= The person being gaz'd at was the centre of attraction to the ignorant villagers. He was an oasis of knowledge in the desert of their ignorance. They wonder how an man with a same small head could hold so much of knowledge.
4. Oliver Goldsmith uses a range of details to breathe life into the village schoolmaster. How far do you agree with this statement? Illustrate your answer from the poem.
= Oliver Goldsmith uses a range of details to breathe life into the village schoolmaster. I totally agree with the statement. The school building was full of the noise of the students. The teacher was teaching there. He was a strict teacher. Every absentee of the school knew the fact well. They could assume what a disaster of punishment was coming upon them merely seeing the teacher's face in the morning. Yet they pretended to laugh at every joke of the teacher.
He was a threat to the absentees and a magic to the learners. Each and every student of the school used to get scared and talked about what was going to happen when he only frowned. He was kind to many things and cruel to something. He had an immense liking over learning. He could write and calculate. He could measure and predict the tides. He could make an estimate without measuring.
Goldsmith has made the schoolmaster a living character with all merits and flaws. He had skill to take part in arguments. He could continue his argument still he was loosing. The people of the village used to gather around him to listen to his words. They wondered about his knowledge. They amazed at the fact that how could he know so many things in his small head. He was an oasis of knowledge in the desert of their ignorance.
5. Would you say that the village schoolmaster is an ideal teacher? Give reasons to support your answer.
= Yes, I would definitely say that the village schoolmaster is an ideal teacher. He has his school without any grandeur. Learning is a meditation to acquire knowledge. Once should concentrate in it leaving all the extra luxuries of life. The school of the village schoolmaster was surrounded by rambling fence along with a yellow flowering shrub called furze. The location is close to nature and ideal for learning.
He is a careful observant towards all the students. He was a strict teacher. Every absentee of the school knew the fact well. They could assume what a disaster of punishment was coming upon them merely seeing the teacher's face in the morning. Yet they pretended to laugh at every joke of the teacher.
He has immense craving for knowledge. He likes to learn many things. He could write and calculate. He could measure and predict the tides. He could make an estimate without measuring. He had skill to take part in arguments. He could continue his argument still he was loosing. The people of the village used to gather around him to listen to his words. They wondered about his knowledge.
About the Poet:
Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774) was an Irish poet and playwright. He is best known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield and the play She Stoops to Conquer. Among his best known works is the long poem 'The Deserted Village'. This poem was written in support of the rural way of life and is believed to have criticized the economic and political changes that were threatening it.