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How beautiful this world is
Textbook: Part 3, pp. 4–6
GoalFind personification and similes in a poem; memorise and read a poem with feeling.
New words
sparkle, radiance · jilodream · orzupersonification · jonlantirishtune, tone · ohang
Explanation
The textbook has the poem “Qanday go‘zal bu olam” (How beautiful this world is) by Rauf Tolib, in which the poet rejoices in the beauty of the world and builds wings of dreams. We do not retell it. Poets describe nature as if alive: the sun smiles, the wind whispers – this is personification. To memorise a poem we divide it into stanzas, read each stanza aloud 3–4 times and then say it without looking at the book. A memorised poem is read with feeling, observing tune and pauses.
Worked examples
“Spring dawn”. At dawn the sun washed its face in the water of the canal. The wind passed lightly stroking the orchard, and the apple blossoms opened their eyes as if awakened from sleep. The canal flowed singing a beautiful song. I smiled, and everything seemed to be waiting for me with open arms. Then I felt that the world is truly beautiful.
Personification: the sun washed its face; blossoms opened their eyes; the canal sang. Simile: like blossoms waking from sleep.
Class activity
“Memorising staircase”: children memorise a 4-line poem by reading it again and again, hiding one more word each time.
Practice
1
What did the sun do at dawn?
Washed its face in the canal water.
2
What are the apple blossoms compared to?
Ones waking from sleep
3
What did the canal do as it flowed?
It flowed singing a song.
4
Find three examples of personification in the text.
The sun washed its face; blossoms opened their eyes; the canal sang.
5
What do we do to memorise a poem?
Divide it into stanzas and read each stanza many times.