To The Foot from Its Child

To The Foot from Its Child                               -Pablo Neruda        

 Summary:

The poem is about a child's foot which has various dreams when it is small, but soon understands that it cannot achieve any of them because it is condemned to live in a shoe like a prisoner. Separated from its fellow, it slowly gets used to the dark world of the shoe, and moves around life like a blind man. Over a period of time, the soft nails of the foot become hard and the tiny, petaled toes of the child 'take on the form of eyeless reptiles with triangular heads, like worms'. They become coarse. As it grows and becomes big, the foot this blind thing', gets involved in the mechanical act of walking without respite, hour after hour. The foot never rests in love or sleep. It walks until the whole man chooses to stop’, i.e., die and then descends into the grave with the dead man. However, even then the foot is unaware that it is no longer a foot. In its innocence, or ignorance, it wonders whether it is being buried so that it can fly like a butterfly or become an apple. Here the foot symbolizes a human being who has to move forward, reach many places in his lifetime. But when the foot itself is confined to being a prisoner in a shoe and moving around like a blind thing, the human being cannot achieve much. Very soon his life becomes mechanical, moving up and down, to and fro relentlessly. He never stops even for love or sleep: he stops only when he dies. And even then, he will be wondering whether he is dying so that he can realize his dreams in the next life. Basically, the poem talks about the loneliness of man who cannot share his dreams or achieve them in his lifetime because, as he grows, he is expected to perform many roles and duties that are totally different from his dreams. One's whole life becomes mechanical and meaningless without any opportunity to think about one's dreams or share them with others.

Comprehension I:

1. What would the foot like to be?

Ans. it would like to be a butterfly or an apple.

2. Line 1 of the poem conveys                                                                      a. the immense possibilities of life                                                              b. the unrestricted nature of a child's imagination

 c. the child's ignorance of harsh realities

Ans. All the three.

3. What does time teach the child?  

Ans. Time teaches the foot that it cannot fly or be a fruit hanging on the branch of a tree.

4. The line 'stones and bits of glass, streets, ladders and the paths in the rough earth

a. indicates hardships one has to face in life.

b. provides a mere description of a road.

c. suggests the good and bad experiences of growing up.

Ans. a. Indicates hardships one has to face in life.

5. Why does the child's foot feel defeated?

Ans. When the foot learns that it cannot fly or be a fruit bulging on the branch, it feels defeated.

6. Which words convey the real experiences of the foot?

Ans. But in time, stones and hits of glass, streets, ladders, and the paths in the rough earth go on teaching the foot that it cannot fly, cannot be a fruit bulging on the branch.

7. Which lines in the poem suggest transformation of the foot?

Ans. These soft nails of quartz, bunched together, grow hard, and change themselves into opaque substance, hard as horn,'

8. “...condemned to live in a shoe" suggests that the foot is

a. prisoner

b. a criminal

c. forced to give up its dreams

Ans. a. prisoner

9. Identify some examples of the mundane activities of an adult.

Ans. Walking without respite, never stopping for hour after hour, up above, down below, through fields, mines, markets and ministries, backwards, far afield, inward, forward.

10. What does the line "until the whole man chooses to stop" mean? Ans. The line means 'until the man dies', when along with the man's body, the foot also enters the dark underground.

Comprehension II

1. We think of a foot as belonging to a person; but Neruda says To the Foot from its Child'. Why?

Ans. The foot of a child is being considered in the poem. The child is not yet aware of its body, and hence each part is treated as independent and having feelings of its own.

2. Pick out the expressions that suggest the child's imagination is fertile.

Ans. The child's foot would like to be a butterfly or an apple. Later, the child's foot is defeated, falls in the battle, is a prisoner condemned to live in a shoe.

3. What contrasting descriptions of the foot does the poem offer? Why?

Ans: In the beginning the child's foot is dreaming of being a butterfly or an apple. Later it 'falls in the battle, is a prisoner condemned to live in a shoe'. The soft nails of quartz of the foot soon change into 'opaque substance, hard as horn'. The tiny, smooth toes become big and take on the, appearance of eyeless reptiles, with triangular heads, like worms'. The `petalled' toes become callused and coarse. All these Changes in the foot are symbolic of the changes that take place in an individual as he grows from an infant into an adult. There are many desires and aspirations when he is a small child, but life's realities teach him that those desires and aspirations cannot be fulfilled at all. What was clear (nails) and soft (toes) becomes opaque and coarse. This change points to the rough quality of life which makes the most sensitive creature hard-hearted as he grows up. A child, when it is born, has immense potential, and can grow up in a variety of ways, achieving great things in its lifetime. But the reality of life with its competition and the attendant insensitivity, selfishness and meanness, soon ensures that all imaginative individuals are reduced to moronic, mechanical beings with the passage of time. However, neither life nor death can destroy the dreams of people. Dreams die hard.

4. The poem begins with the idea that child's foot is not yet aware that it is a foot; at the end the foot is unaware that it had ceased to be a foot. What is the poet trying to convey through these statements?

 Ans: The poet presents a series of contrasts in the beginning in order to draw our attention to the fact that, as a child grows up into an adult. many things change—the reality around the individual, life, opinions about life, the child's appearance itself - but one thing doesn't change, and that is the dreams which the child had envisioned in its early, innocent years. When the child is small, the foot has various dreams and is not aware that it is a foot. It has aspirations of becoming a butterfly or an apple. As the foot grows, stones, bits of glass, streets, ladders and the paths in the rough earth teach it that it can never be a butterfly or a fruit on the branch of a tree. It is separated from its fellow, enclosed within a shoe. Nevertheless, it learns to understand the dark world in its own way, 'feeling out life like a blind man'. As days pass, its appearance changes: 'soft nails of quartz', which were hitherto bunched together, become hard and opaque. The tiny, soft toes become big like 'eyeless reptiles with triangular heads', very much like worms. The foot finds this change hard to accept. Yet, throughout life, it moves around like 'a blind thing'. It does all the routine walking of the man or the woman without respite. It toils in its shoe, and keeps walking, scarcely taking time to bare itself in love or sleep. Then, when the whole man chooses to stop, i.e.., dies, along with the dead man, it descends into the grave. But even there, it is unaware that it has ceased to be a foot. It keeps on wondering whether it has been buried only so that it can transform itself and soon become a butterfly or an apple. This shows that dreams die, hard. It also shows that life is lived in such a routine manner that man does not understand the significance of his various body organs, and thus their potential is never realized.

5. How can the foot fly or become an apple after it is buried?

Ans. The foot, in its innocence or ignorance, thought that since it had been buried, its life as a foot was over, and it was now free to change its form and become a butterfly or an apple. It thought it was no longer 'a prisoner condemned to live in a shoe'. It was unaware that its existence on this earth was over.

6. How does Neruda describe the busy life of the individual as represented by the foot?

Ans. Neruda calls the foot this blind thing' and says it walks without respite, never stopping for hour after hour, the one foot, the other, now the man's, now the woman's, up above, down below, through fields, mines, markets and ministries, backwards, far afield; inward, forward, this foot toils in its shoe, scarcely taking time to bare itself in love or sleep; it walks, they (both the feet and the man) walk, until the whole man chooses to stop'. Here the poet refers to people in all fields — farmers, miners, businessmen, the church government — as toiling continuously without stopping to ponder over what life is all about. Probably, the poet wants to point out the fact that, in spite of endless walking, people haven't really gone anywhere. They are where they were when they started — innocent, with unfulfilled dreams in their eyes, like the foot that had dreams when it was small and the same dreams when it was underground with the dead man. They do their 'walking' without thinking and succumb to the pressures of life. Thus, they live their lives like 'a blind man' and do not 'see' much during their

lifetimes.

7. What does the last stanza of the poem mean? Can you think of parallels in nature?

Ans. The last stanza means that the foot thinks it is being buried so that it can fly later or become an apple. It feels this is an opportunity for it to release itself from its earlier form and achieve whatever new form it desires. Parallels of this kind are: a seed becomes a plant; a caterpillar weaves a cocoon around it and flies out as a butterfly after a few days; a swimming tadpole becomes a jumping frog. The foot is waiting for such a transformation.

Comprehension III:

1. Examine how Neruda's poem works out the contrast between colorful dreams and humdrum reality of life.

Ans. The foot when it was small, did not know that it was a foot, and dreamt of becoming a butterfly or an apple. As it grew, stones, bits of glass, streets, ladders and the paths in the rough earth teach it that it cannot fly or be a fruit bulging on the branch. Very soon, it feels defeated and accepts the fate of a prisoner, condemned to live in a shoe. Enclosed in that darkness, it gets to know the world in its own way, out of touch with its fellow. Physically many changes take place in the foot, with its soft, transparent nails becoming hard and opaque, and the 'tiny, petaled toes of the child take on the form of eyeless reptiles with triangular heads, like worms'. This coarsening becomes very hard to accept. Here, the coarsening may refer to the body parts or the quality of life that becomes rough and ugly as the individual grows up. Still nurturing the 'dream' in its heart and yet, accepting the fate of the 'prisoner', the foot, 'this blind thing' walks continuously throughout the human being's life, up above, down below, through fields, mines, markets, and ministries, scarcely taking time to rest or sleep. This goes on till the whole man 'chooses to stop' or die. When it descends into the grave along with the dead man, it is still unaware of what is destined for because even there everything is dark. In its innocence, or perhaps, ignorance, the foot goes on wondering whether, by being buried, it has been given an opportunity to finally become a butterfly or an apple. Perhaps the poet wants to highlight the fact that man lives his life in such a mundane manner that, in spite of spending a whole lifetime, he is unaware of what he has achieved and he has also not realized any of his dreams. The pressures of life force everyone to go around in life mechanically, like a zombie, insensible to everything around him.

2. Neruda's poem is a salute to the ordinary human being, who continues with life braving all odds. Do you agree? Give reasons.

Ans. When the foot of the child is treated as a symbol of an ordinary human being who has innumerable dreams but is unaware of the reality, and goes through life like a 'blind thing', it is a salute to the ordinary human being. As the foot grows, or the human being grows, its dreams are slowly crushed by various sad experiences of life, and it gets slightly detached from reality. As it grows further, life becomes a mindless routine with absolutely no time to rest or sleep. Living thus, very soon the human being 'chooses to stop', i.e., dies, but even then doesn't realize what he was born for or meant for. Thus the ordinary human being, with so many expectations in his heart, continues with life braving all odds, and hoping that one day his dreams will come true. Even his death promises to open a new door to him, taking him to horizons he couldn't reach during his lifetime. Though such a being is called `the ordinary human being’, he is not ordinary at all because the human being  referred to here has colorful dreams but has accepted the moves along with it, no matter how boring and tedious it is. However, he keeps his dreams alive in his heart, treating even death as an opportunity to achieve the dreams that could not be fulfilled in his lifetime.

3. Is Neruda criticizing how society crushes childhood dreams and forces people into rigid moulds?

Ans. Yes, definitely Neruda is criticizing society for crushing the dreams of children, and forcing them into rigid moulds. It doesn't give much opportunity for people to explore their dreams or realize them. Soon people move around like 'blind things', mechanically doing their duties, no matter how painful they are. Their minds become hardened, just like their bodies. They have not a moment, to rest of sleep. They rest only when they 'choose to stop' or die, with the hope that the after-life at least allows them to fulfill their dreams.

4. 'Foot' is a key word in the poem. Comment on Neruda's skilful use of the word and its associations in terms of imagery to convey his ideas.

Ans. A person's foot is a very strong organ, supporting the whole body and taking it forward, towards the person's destination. But here, in the poem, the feet own dreams are crushed very soon in life, and it is condemned to live like a prisoner in a shoe. When the foot that has to move freely, allowing the person to run, leap, jump and dance, is bound in a shoe, obviously those joyous movements cannot be performed. Only the mechanical act of walking, endlessly, untiringly through the person's life is done. The full potential of even the foot is not realized in the person's life. Clearly, we can understand that his potentialities will not have been realized at all.

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