3.2. Dreams and Discoveries - Paper Boats - Class 7 - Poorvi

📘 Chapter Title :Paper Boats

Author: Rabindranath Tagore

Textbook: Poorvi

Genre: Poem (Lyric / Imaginative / Symbolic)

📝 Summary

In the poem Paper Boats, Rabindranath Tagore captures the beautiful imagination of a child who floats paper boats every day down a running stream. The child writes his name and village on the boats, hoping someone in a faraway land will find them and know who he is. He fills the boats with shiuli flowers, symbols of dawn and purity, and wishes that the flowers reach distant places safely by night. Looking up at the clouds, he imagines them as playmates with bulging sails racing his boats. As night falls, he dreams that his boats sail on under the stars, carrying fairies of sleep with baskets full of dreams. The poem blends reality with imagination, innocence with wonder, and reflects a child’s hopeful desire to connect with the unknown world. It speaks of the joy of small acts, the beauty of nature, and the magic of dreaming beyond what we see. The imagery is vivid and tender, making the reader feel the charm and purity of childhood.

👤 Character Sketch

The Child (Narrator) –

The narrator is a young, imaginative, and hopeful child who uses paper boats as a way to send his dreams, identity, and emotions into the world. He is thoughtful and poetic, observing nature keenly and finding companionship in clouds, stars, and dreams. His world is one of wonder, kindness, and curiosity.

📚 Themes

✨ Literary Devices / Poetic Devices

📖 Title Justification

The title Paper Boats is simple yet deeply symbolic. It represents the child’s dreams, imagination, and hope being set afloat into the world. Each boat is not just a toy, but a messenger carrying his name, flowers, and feelings to distant lands. The boats symbolize innocence, longing, and a child's desire to be seen, known, and connected to the vast unknown. The title beautifully captures the essence of the poem—childhood wonder carried on little boats of paper.

✅ One-Mark Questions

1. What flowers does the child load in his paper boats?

   → Shiuli flowers.

   
   

2. What does the child write on his paper boats?

   → His name and the name of his village.

   
   

3. What does the child imagine clouds to be?

   → White bulging sails or playmates racing with his boats.

   
   

4. Where do the boats float at night in the child's dream?

   → Under the midnight stars.

   
   

5. Who sails in the boats in the child’s dream?

   → The fairies of sleep.

   
   

✅ Three-Mark Questions

1. Why does the child write his name and village on the paper boats?

   → The child writes his name and village on the boats hoping that someone in a distant, strange land will find them and know who he is. It reflects his desire to connect with the larger world beyond his own.

   
   

2. What role do nature and imagination play in the poem?→ Nature—like the stream, clouds, and stars

   —acts as a canvas for the child’s imagination. He turns clouds into playmates and stars into companions for his boats, blending reality with fantasy to enrich his inner world.

   
   

3. How is the night depicted in the poem?

   → The night is gentle and magical. The child dreams of his boats continuing their journey under the stars, now carrying the fairies of sleep with baskets full of dreams. It shows a peaceful transition from day to dream.

   
   

🧠 Value-Based Question

Q: What moral lesson does the poem “Paper Boats” teach us about childhood and imagination?

A: The poem teaches us to cherish the innocence, creativity, and hopeful spirit of childhood. It reminds us that imagination can turn ordinary moments into magical experiences and that even small actions, like floating a paper boat, can carry deep emotions and dreams.

End

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