Quiet eyes.
3.4 Elements of the Poem Literal and Figurative Meaning
Stanza 1
Literal Meaning
When the persona looked into the young mans sincere-looking eyes, she was deceived
into thinking that he needed someone to love. She was not aware that betrayal was
second nature to him. His eyes even made her feel compelled to be nice to him.
Figurative Meaning
Meeting people and getting involved in a social relationship is part and parcel of life.
However, along the way, we may meet two-faced people with ulterior motives.
Sometimes, they may come across as so sincere that we innocently accept them as
friends or partners.
Stanza 2
Literal Meaning
When the persona was betrayed by the man, she wondered why she had not been wiser.
She should have remembered the age-old advice of not believing man blindly. If she had
held on to her principles, she would not be asking herself why she had been cheated.
Figurative Meaning
Social relationships can turn sour if one party betrays the other. Hence, one should be
careful of the other partys motives. In any case, do not compromise your principles, as
someone who is sincere would not force you into giving up your morals.
Stanza 3
Literal Meaning
The poet advises young ladies to be more careful before getting involved in relationships
with men. They must make sure they know then men well. They should learn to
differentiate between sincerity and falsehood. They will eventually meet the right man,
though they may lose their heats to a few times before that.
Figurative Meaning
It is always good to be cautious before committing to a relationship to avoid serious
consequences. You have to make sure you can trust the person you befriend. Do not
gamble with your affections, even when you fall in love.
3.5 Themes
(1) Strong Moral Values and Self-Respect
The woman in the poem got herself into a difficult situation and was cheated by a man
because she gave in to his pleading and his insincere lies. She displayed weakness in her
moral standing and lost her self-respect as a result. We should never lower our self-
esteem no matter how much we like a man. If a man has respect for the woman he loves,
he too would not ask her to do what is morally wrong.
(2) Deception in Appearances
The woman is taken in by the mans gentle and quiet eyes. She thinks he is a truthful
and trustworthy person. The theme in this poem focuses on deception in appearances.
Do not judge a persons character by his appearance. As can be seen in this poem, a
gentle and kind-looking man can actually be a wolf in sheeps clothing.
(3) Consequences
When we make mistakes in life, we have to live with the consequences. The persona tells
us that the woman is haunted with questions of hows and whys. She probably asks
herself every day how she could have fallen for his lies; how she could have forgotten the
moral values instilled in her by her parents; how she could have ignored all the advice
given to her by people who love and care about her. She would probably also wonder
why she had not been wiser in her choice of men; why she did not see through his
deception and insincerity.
(4) Listen to Advice
The poet wants to reach out to all young readers. The woman in the poem wished she
had listened to the advice. She poured out her disappointment, frustration and hurt in
this poem and wished she had been wise. The poet cautions young readers that they
should not be impulsive in their actions and they should, above all, listen to the advice of
their elders so that they would not end up like the woman full of regrets.
3.6 Moral Values & Lessons Learnt
(1) Avoid Being Deluded by Looks or Appearance
We sometimes encounter people who have ill intentions towards us.
These are con men who prey on young women.
They look nice and decent but have bad motives.
So we should take precaution against them.
We should not judge a book by its cover.
(2) Listen to Beneficial Advice
We are given good advice when others feel that we need it.
We should listen to their advice.
The advice is for our own good.
It prevents us from getting hurt or getting into trouble.
3.7 Setting
The poem is set in the present the world around us now.
It highlights the fact that the people around us are not always sincere.
They may have ulterior motives towards us.
Some have the intention to cheat us.
In the case of the woman in the poem, the man only wanted to have sexual pleasure
from her.
However, she saw him as a man in need of love and consolation.
The poem puts forward the need to practise caution when we deal with the people
around us.
