Mother Tongue Class 11 NCERT Solutions

Concept used. Symbolism means that one object carries a larger meaning. In this poem, the quill stands for script, writing and service to the mother tongue.

1. The poet asks the reed for a quill because she wants to serve her mother tongue.
2. The mother tongue is Dogri, presented in the poem as Shahni, or queen.
3. A quill is used for writing, so it becomes a sign of script and expression.
4. The poem connects the quill with the older Sharade script of Dogri.
5. Without a script, a language becomes harder to preserve across generations.
6. So the quill symbolises the poet's duty to write, protect and carry forward her language.

The quill symbolises the script and writing power needed to preserve Dogri. It also stands for the poet's service to her mother tongue, which the poem calls Shahni.

Concept used. Urgency in poetry means a feeling that something must be done quickly. Here the urgency comes from fear that the mother tongue may weaken if people delay serving it.

1. The poet's request to the reed is not casual or decorative.
2. She asks for a quill because Dogri needs active service.
3. Languages can lose strength when fewer people use, write and teach them.
4. Other dominant languages can also push a smaller language to the margins.
5. The poet fears that delay will make the work of preservation harder.
6. This is why her request has emotional pressure and speed.

The urgency comes from the poet's fear that Dogri may lose speakers, script memory and cultural strength. She asks for the quill quickly because the language needs service now.

Concept used. Emotional attachment means deep personal love and loyalty. Padma Sachdev shows this by turning Dogri into Shahni and herself into a servant of that queen.

1. The poet does not speak of Dogri as only a school subject or a medium.
2. She personifies it as Shahni, a queen worthy of honour.
3. She places herself in the role of a servant ready to work for Shahni.
4. The reed also accepts service and offers itself as a quill.
5. This shared devotion makes the poem feel like an act of loyalty.
6. The poet's love is emotional, but it is also practical because it asks for writing and preservation.

The poet shows emotional attachment by calling Dogri Shahni and by presenting herself as its loyal servant. Her love becomes service through the quill and the act of writing.

Concept used. Personification makes an idea behave like a person. In this poem, Dogri, the reed and the quill are given human roles so the issue of language feels alive.

1. The mother tongue is personified as Shahni, a queen.
2. This gives Dogri dignity, authority and emotional presence.
3. The poet and the reed appear as servants of Shahni.
4. The reed speaks and agrees to offer itself as a quill.
5. This gives the reed human loyalty and sacrifice.
6. Through personification, the poem makes language preservation feel like service to a living being.

Personification is used by presenting Dogri as Shahni and the reed as a loyal servant ready to become a quill. This makes the mother tongue feel living, honoured and in need of service.