TWICE A WEEK THE WINTER THOROUGH FIRST STANZA

1. WELCOME

2. TWICE A WEEK THE
WINTER THROUGH

3. ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN
Born on 26th March 1859 in
Worcestershire, England.
One of the foremost classicists of his age.
Works-A SHORPSHIRE LAD , LAST POEMS ,
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5. TWICE A WEEK THE WINTER
THOROUGH
• Twice a week the winter thorough
• Here stood I too keep the goal:
• Football then was fighting sorrow
• For the young man’s soul.
• Now in Maytime to the wicket
• Out I march with bat and pad:
• See the son of grief at cricket
• Trying to be glad.
• Try I will; no harm in trying:
• Wonder ‘tis how little mirth
• Keeps the bones of man from lying
• On the bed of earth.

6. DISCUSSION OF THE POEM
• The young man looks back at the youthful
days of his life. He remembers playing games
and he tells us that twice every week, all
through the winter he stood as a goal keeper.
He used to be unhappy and in those days,
football was a way of fighting his sorrow – a
ventilation for his sadness and depression of
his mind. However, no reasons are cited for
the young man’s sorrow.

7. • It was common belief in british schools of
those times that sports and games formed an
important part of male education, by helping
to provide a healthy mind in a healthy body.
The young man was deeply unhappy, but he
played football as an escape from it all
through the winter.

8. QUESTIONS
• Which game is mentioned in the first stanza
and what role did the speaker have in it ?
• How often does the speaker play football
during winter ?
• Do you think the seasons influence our mood
? Substantiate your answer in the light of the
first and third lines of the first stanza.

9. ANSWERS
• Football. Football was a way of fighting his
sorrow – a ventilation for his sadness and the
depression of his mind.
• During winter, the speaker plays football twice
a week.
• Yes he plays football twice in a week, although
the winter he stood as a goalkeeper. He forget
all his sorrows during that time.

10. • Identify the rhyming words in the first stanza
of the poem.

11. ANSWER
• Thorough – sorrow
• Goal - soul

12. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITY
• Find out the nouns and verbs in the first
stanza of the poem.

13. THANK YOU