Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways
Made for our searching: yes in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.
(a) Name the poem and the poet.
(b) Why are we 'despondent'?
(c) What removes 'the pall from our dark spirits'?
(a) The lines have been taken from the poem 'A Thing of Beauty' by John Keats.
(b) The world we inhabit is full of melancholy, depression and despair due to the scarcity of noble souls. Our despondence is inspired by these evil and dark emotions.
(c) The poet says that even if the world is harsh to us because of the innumerable reasons that bring us gloom and depression, the sight of the beautiful bounties of nature around us inspires us and fills us with the energy to keep going. These beautiful things remove the pall from our dark spirits.