Std 9 English chapters › Unit 2 · Question Answers ↓ · Take the lesson test ↓
In short: The speaker asks the listener simply to listen, not to give advice, argue or fix their problems, because being heard helps a person find their own answers.
(वक्ता ऐकणाऱ्याला फक्त ऐकायला सांगतो; सल्ला देणे, वाद घालणे किंवा प्रश्न सोडवणे नको, कारण कोणीतरी ऐकले की माणूस स्वतःच आपली उत्तरे शोधू शकतो.)
- Type: Poem
- Poet: Author unknown
- Speaker: Someone who wants to be heard, not advised
- Unit: 2
Summary in English
The speaker says that when they ask someone to listen, and that person starts giving advice, arguing about their feelings or trying to solve their problem, the listener has failed them. All they want is to be heard.
Advice is cheap, says the speaker; newspapers are full of it. The speaker is discouraged, but not helpless. Doing for them what they can do for themselves only adds to their fear and makes them feel weak.
When the listener simply accepts the speaker's feelings, however irrational, the speaker can understand what is behind them and find the answers on their own. That may be why prayer works: God just listens. The poem ends with a promise: wait for your turn, and I will listen to you too.
मराठीत सारांश (Summary in Marathi)
वक्ता म्हणतो की मी ऐकायला सांगितले आणि तुम्ही सल्ला देऊ लागलात, माझ्या भावनांवर वाद घातलात किंवा माझा प्रश्न सोडवू पाहिलात, तर तुम्ही मला निराश केले. मला फक्त कोणीतरी ऐकावे, एवढीच इच्छा आहे.
वक्ता म्हणतो, सल्ला स्वस्त असतो; वर्तमानपत्रे सल्ल्यांनी भरलेली असतात. मी निराश आहे, पण असहाय्य नाही. मी स्वतः करू शकेन ते तुम्ही माझ्यासाठी केलेत, तर माझी भीती आणि कमीपणाची भावना वाढते.
तुम्ही माझ्या भावना, त्या कितीही अतार्किक असल्या तरी, स्वीकारल्या, तर त्यामागचे कारण मला समजते आणि उत्तरे मी स्वतःच शोधतो. कदाचित म्हणूनच प्रार्थना उपयोगी पडते: देव फक्त ऐकतो. शेवटी वक्ता वचन देतो: तुझी पाळी येईपर्यंत थांब, मग मीही तुझे ऐकेन.
Theme and Message (मध्यवर्ती कल्पना)
Good listening means accepting someone's feelings without judging or advising; it gives them the confidence to solve their own problems.
चांगले ऐकणे म्हणजे समोरच्याच्या भावना कोणताही निर्णय किंवा सल्ला न देता स्वीकारणे; त्यामुळे त्याला स्वतःचे प्रश्न सोडवण्याचा आत्मविश्वास मिळतो.
Figures of Speech (अलंकार)
- Repetition (पुनरावृत्ती): 'When I ask you to listen to me…' is repeated to stress the main request.
- Free verse (मुक्तछंद): the poem has no regular rhyme; it sounds like a heartfelt talk.
Useful Words (शब्दार्थ)
| Word | मराठी अर्थ | Use it in a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| trampling | पायदळी तुडवणे | Don't trample on other people's feelings. |
| faltering | डगमगणारा | He spoke in a faltering voice. |
| inadequacy | अपुरेपणा, कमीपणा | She felt a sense of inadequacy before the exam. |
| irrational | अतार्किक | His fear of the dark is irrational. |
| mute | मूक, न बोलणारा | The old man sat mute in the corner. |
For the Exam (परीक्षेसाठी)
- Learn antonyms from the poem: cheap-expensive, accept-reject, rational-irrational, adequacy-inadequacy.
- Know the difference between hear (sounds reach the ears) and listen (pay attention).
2.4 Please Listen!: English Workshop Question Answers
Every English Workshop activity for this poem, as games. Score points, earn stars and challenge a friend on WhatsApp! (खेळा, गुण मिळवा आणि मित्रांना आव्हान द्या!)
🤔 Think as you read
The speaker in the poem is most likely ___.
Answer: The speaker feels discouraged and wants to be heard, not advised: typical of a teenager.
What is the difference between ‘hear’ and ‘listen’?
Answer: We hear without trying; we listen with attention and care. (ऐकणे आणि लक्षपूर्वक ऐकणे.)
Is the speaker willing to listen to others?
Answer: ‘If you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn, and I will listen to you.’
Q1. When I ask you to listen, you start …
👉 Which of these does the listener do instead of listening?
Is it in the poem?
Q2. Antonyms game
🎯 Tap a word and its opposite.
Opposites
Q3. Dialogues
👉 Choose the best reply.
A: Have you read ‘Shyamchi Aai’? B: Yes, I have. A: ___
Answer: The conversation continues naturally by asking for an opinion.
A: I had an argument with my brother today. B: ___
Answer: Showing interest and asking politely keeps the dialogue going.
✍️ Write a conversation about a film, then compare
A: Have you seen ‘Naal’?
B: No, have you?
A: Yes, I have. You must watch it. You will love it.
B: What is it about?
A: A little village boy searching for his real mother. The acting is superb.
B: I’ll try to watch it this weekend.
A: Tell me about it when you do.
Q4. Diary for a week
✍️ Write one diary entry, then compare
Monday, 12 October
Today Aai scolded me for coming home late from practice. I tried to explain, but she did not listen. Later, when I calmly told her about the extra match, she understood. Interaction: first stressful, then satisfactory.
Q5. Letter to a parent
✍️ Write an informal letter from a teenager, then compare
Dearest Baba,
Are you surprised to see this letter? I wanted to talk to you about something, but I thought I could express myself better in a letter.
Sometimes when I tell you about my problems, you start giving advice at once. I know you care for me, but at those times I only want you to listen. I am not helpless, Baba; I am just a little discouraged. If you simply hear me out, I can often find the answer myself. And whenever you want to talk, I promise I will listen to you too.
Yours lovingly,
Riya
Think and Write (विचार करा, लिहा)
- How can you be a good listener to your friends? List four ways.
- Why does the speaker say 'advice is cheap'?
- Write a short letter from a teenager to a parent, using ideas from the poem.
Online test · 15 questions
2.4 Please Listen !: Lesson Test
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These are original study notes by englishresources.in to help you revise. Read the lesson in your Balbharati textbook first: these notes do not replace it and do not reproduce its text.