The poem ’Father Returning Home’ is taken from ‘Traveling in a cage’- by Dilip Chitre. It draws a portrait of a suburban father as commuter.In this post you will find brainstorming activities and Father Returning Home poem appreciation and 3 question sets as per board pattern of English std 12.
Question Bank Activity from Father Returning Home
Father Returning Home
Home again, I see him drinking weak tea,
Eating a stale chapati, reading a book.
He goes into the toilet to contemplate
Man's estrangement from a man-made world.
Coming out he trembles at the sink,
The cold water running over his brown hands,
A few droplets cling to the greying hairs on his wrists.
His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him. He will now go to sleep
Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming
Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking
Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass. wrists.
A1 Complete the given flowchart about father’s activities at home. (02)
Drinking weak tea , eating stale chapati
⬇️
…,……………………………………..
⬇️
…………………….,……………………………..
⬇️Listening to the static on the radio
Ans : Drinking weak tea , eating stale chapati
⬇️
Contemplating in toilet
⬇️
Trembling at the sink while cleaning hands
⬇️
Listening to the static on the radio
A2 Find the lines to highlight the relation of children and father. (02)
a) His sullen children have often refused to share
Jokes and secrets with him.
b) Home again, I see him drinking weak tea,
Eating a stale chapati.
A3 Would you like to celebrate ‘Father’s day’? If yes how/ If not why? (02)
Ans : No, I don’t like to celebrate ‘Father’s Day’ . For me every day is a parent’s day. Celebrating one day in their name and not respecting on all other days is not a wise idea. Instead of celebrating one day I prefer to listen to them and talk to them. I want to be there whenever they need me.
A4 Name the figure of speech(Poetic Device) in the following line and give one more example. (02)
“coming out he trembles at the sink”
Ans : Hyperbole – The statement is exaggerated.
A5 (Poetic Creativity)
Read the following lines and add two poetic lines to rhyme with line. (02)
He will now go to sleep
Listening to static on the radio……………………………………………….
Ans : He will now go to sleep
Listening to static on the radio
With vibrant audio
Till he gets sound sleep.
Activity Sheet No 2 On Father Returning Home
Q. 1 A Read the extract from Father Returning Home and do all the activities given below.
A1. Complete the web chart.

A2. Find the lines to prove the facts from the poem.
a. Father is isolated from the society and family.
b. Generation Gap
A3. Write a character sketch of your father.
A4. Find examples of transferred epithet and synecdoche.
A5. Replace the words from the following lines and rewrite :
Home again, I see him drinking weak tea
Eating a stale Chapati, reading a book.
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Brainstorming Activities Song of the Open Road Appreciation
Father Returning Home Appreciation
Write a poetic appreciation of the poem 2.5 ‘Father Returning Home’ with the help of the following points.
· About the poem / poet and the title.



· The theme
· Poetic Style
· Language /Poetic devices
· Special features
· Message, values, morals in the poem
· Your opinions about the poem
Dilip Chitre was a celebrated bilingual poet. He was a translator with a remarkable work in Marathi and English.
The poem ’Father Returning Home’ is taken from ‘Traveling in a cage’- by Dilip Chitre. It draws a portrait of a suburban father as commuter. The poem depicts dull and monotonous routine of father. The father is alienated in his home. His children refuse to share their joys and sorrows with the hardworking father. This painful loneliness is a symbol of man’s isolation from the materialistic man-made world. The father is described as lonely creature in his train and at home. He just dreams about his past and future.
The poem has no regular rhyming words and rhyme scheme. The poem is divided into two stanzas. In the first stanza the vivid description of father as a commuter draws the attention. In the second stanza his painful loneliness at home is shown. Simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia and synecdoche, transferred epithet are the striking figures of speech used in the poem.
The underlying message of the poem generation gap in the modern age has created disrespect for the elders. In spite of all the odds the father devote his life for the children.
Excellent activities.
Good help to all students and teachers.
Nice