Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about C.L.M. from Class 10 English_FL. Before we begin reading the poem, please turn to the pre-reading activity. The textbook explicitly instructs you to think of a one-line dedication to your mother and share it in pairs. Take a quiet moment to reflect on your relationship with her, formulate your single-line dedication, and then turn to your partner to share it aloud. This structured pair activity will help you connect personally with the themes of maternal love and sacrifice that we are about to study. [CHECKPOINT]
First, I will read the exact text of the poem C.L.M. by John Masefield. In the dark womb where I began My mother’s life made me a man. Through all the months of human birth Her beauty fed my common earth. I cannot see, nor breathe, nor stir, But through the death of some of her. Down in the darkness of the grave She cannot see the life she gave. For all her love, she cannot tell Whether I use it ill or well, Nor knock at dusty doors to find Her beauty dusty in the mind. If the grave’s gates could be undone, She would not know her little son, I am so grown. If we should meet, She would pass by me in the street, Unless my soul’s face let her see My sense of what she did for me. What have I done to keep in mind My debt to her and womankind? What woman’s happier life repays Her for those months of wretched days? For all my mouthless body leech’d Ere Birth’s releasing hell was reach’d? What have I done, or tried or said In thanks to that dear woman dead? Men triumph over women still, Men trample women’s rights at will, And man’s lust roves the world untamed. O grave, keep shut lest I be shamed! [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us explain the meaning line by line, keeping the six-line stanza structure in mind. Lines one to six describe the poet's origin in the womb. His mother's life force literally created him, and throughout her pregnancy, her physical beauty nourished his developing body, which he calls his common earth. His very existence, breathing, and movement came at the cost of his mother's vitality, causing a partial death of her own life. Lines seven to twelve shift to her death. In the grave, she cannot witness the life she gave him. Despite her love, she cannot know if he uses that life properly or poorly. She cannot return to check if his memory of her physical beauty has faded, or become dusty, in his mind. Lines thirteen to eighteen imagine the grave opening, where she would fail to recognize her little son because he is now so grown. If they met on the street, she would walk past him. Only his soul's face could reveal his deep understanding and gratitude for her sacrifice, proving he remembers what she did for him. Lines nineteen to twenty-four shift to a broader reflection. He asks what he has done to remember his debt to his mother and all women. He questions whether any woman's happy life can truly repay her for the miserable months of pregnancy. He describes his unborn body as having consumed her life force like a leech before the painful process of birth was completed. Lines twenty-five to thirty condemn how men continue to dominate women and ignore their rights, while man's lust roams the world unchecked. The final line is a desperate plea for the grave to stay closed, so his mother does not witness this ongoing oppression, which would bring him profound shame. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now review the glossary exactly as provided. C.L.M. stands for Caroline L. Masefield, the poet’s mother. My common earth refers to the poet’s body. Death of some of her means the poet’s mother died giving birth to her sixth child, and the poet feels every child caused a partial death of her. Undone means opened. Keep in mind means remember. Mouthless body means the child’s mouth was not being used in the womb. Wretched means miserable. Leech’d means sucked life out of her like a leech. Triumph over means defeat. Trample means ignore the rights of women. Rove means roam about. Lust means strong sexual desire or desire for supremacy over women. [CHECKPOINT]
We will now work through the comprehension questions. I will guide you to the correct answers based strictly on the textbook options. Question one: The second line has a hint that he was born at the cost of his mother’s life. Question two: Her beauty refers to the beauty of his mother’s physical and emotional trauma at the birth of the child. Question three: The present tense is used to show that his very birth and life are responsible for his mother’s partial death. Question four: It in line ten refers to the life she gave him. Question five: Her beauty in line twelve refers to option a, his mother’s physical beauty. [CHECKPOINT]
Question six: Dusty in the mind refers to option a, the fading memory of his mother in his mind. Question seven: I am so grown means option c, both that he has grown physically beyond recognition and that he has grown unworthy of her sacrifice. Question eight: The line that suggests the poet feels totally unworthy or ungrateful is, What have I done to keep in mind my debt to her and womankind. This self-accusatory question directly addresses his perceived ingratitude. Question nine: The phrase in stanza four that shows his concern goes beyond personal experience is, My debt to her and womankind. Question ten: The poet does not say that a happier life repays her. He asks a rhetorical question implying that no woman’s happier life can ever truly repay a mother for those months of wretched days. [CHECKPOINT]
Question eleven: Part a, the poet’s mouthless body is compared to a leech. Part b, it acts as a leech by sucking life out of her for its own growth. Part c, leech’d is unusual because it is used as a verb instead of a noun. Part d, Birth is capitalized to emphasize its immense, terrifying significance. Part e, birth is a hell for option three, for both the mother and the son. Question twelve: Two more rhetorical questions are lines twenty-one to twenty-two, and lines twenty-five to twenty-six. Their meanings are that no happy life can repay a mother, and that the poet has done nothing to thank her. [CHECKPOINT]
Question thirteen: Man’s lust refers to option c, both man’s beastly sexuality and his lust for power over women. Question fourteen: Part a, the typographical deviation in the last line is the use of an exclamation mark. Part b, it conveys intense emotion, desperation, and profound shame. Part c, the figure of speech is personification. Part d, he wants the grave shut so his mother does not witness men’s oppression of women. Part e, the line ends with an exclamation mark. Question fifteen: The most dominant feeling is option c, a sense of shame. [CHECKPOINT]
Question sixteen requires us to work out the rhyme scheme of the remaining stanzas by identifying the actual rhyming words, exactly as the textbook instructs. In the second stanza, the word grave rhymes with gave, giving the scheme dd. The word tell rhymes with well, giving ee. The word find rhymes with mind, giving ff. So, the rhyme scheme of the second stanza is dd, ee, ff. In the third stanza, undone rhymes with son, giving gg. Meet rhymes with street, giving hh. See rhymes with me, giving ii. So, the rhyme scheme of the third stanza is gg, hh, ii. In the fourth stanza, mind rhymes with womankind, giving jj. Repays rhymes with days, giving kk. Leech’d rhymes with reach’d, giving ll. So, the rhyme scheme of the fourth stanza is jj, kk, ll. In the fifth stanza, said rhymes with dead, giving mm. Still rhymes with will, giving nn. Untamed rhymes with shamed, giving oo. So, the rhyme scheme of the fifth stanza is mm, nn, oo. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us examine the close study extracts. Extract one reads: For all her love, she cannot tell whether I use it ill or well. I refers to the poet, and she refers to his deceased mother. It refers to the life she gave him. She cannot tell because she is dead and in the grave. Extract two reads: If we should meet, she would pass by me in the street unless my soul’s face let her see my sense of what she did for me. It is not possible for them to meet because she is dead. The figure of speech in soul’s face is a metaphor. His soul would reveal option one, his sense of gratitude to his mother. [CHECKPOINT]
Moving to the paragraph writing section. Question one asks if the poem stops at personal experience. The poem begins with the poet’s personal grief, but it expands to address womankind. He questions his debt to all women and criticizes how men continue to trample women’s rights, turning personal loss into a broader social commentary. Question two asks if you like the poem and why. Please discuss this in your groups, form your own reasoned opinion based on the poem’s themes and style, and develop your points into a single paragraph. [CHECKPOINT]
We will now address the activities. Activity one is pair work. Part a asks you to cite three examples of discrimination against women from your family or locality. Part b asks you to cite three examples of men trampling upon women’s rights. Please reflect on your own observations and community to identify these examples and share them with your partner. Activity two is a group discussion. The topic is: What should we do to empower women so that they can fight against gender discrimination and oppression? Please form groups of four, discuss the topic, have one member note down your points, and read them out to the class. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us now study the note on the poet. John Edward Masefield was born on the first of June, eighteen seventy-eight, and died on the twelfth of May, nineteen sixty-seven. He was an English poet and writer, and served as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from nineteen thirty until his death. He is remembered for children’s novels like The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and poems like The Everlasting Mercy and Sea-Fever. He was born in Ledbury to Caroline and George Masefield. His mother died giving birth to his sister when he was six, and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon after following a mental breakdown. [CHECKPOINT]
Finally, your textbook suggests three readings for further study. The first is a poem titled Mother by P. Lankesh. The second is a novel titled Mother by Maxim Gorky. The third is a poem titled The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks. Exploring these works will help you understand different literary portrayals of maternal love and sacrifice. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]