Unit – 7 - Poem- The House on Elm Street

 

Unit – 7 - Poem  - The House on Elm Street

Video Explainer of the poem:

It sat alone.

What happened there is still today unknown.

It is a very mysterious place,

And inside you can tell it has a ton of space,

But at the same time it is bare to the bone.

At night the house seems to be alive,

Lights flicker on and off.

I am often tempted to go to the house,

To just take a look and see what it is really about,

But fear takes over me.

I drive past the house almost every day.

The house seems to be a bit brighter

On this warm summer day in May.

It plays with your mind.

To me I say, it is one of a kind.

Beside the house sits a tree.

It never grows leaves,

Not in the winter, spring, summer or fall.

It just sits there, never getting small or ever growing tall,

How could this be?

Rumors are constantly being made,

And each day the house just begins to fade.

What happened inside that house?

I really don't know.

I guess it will always be a mystery.

 

A. Read the given lines and answer the questions given below.

 

**1. It sat alone.

What happened there is still today unknown.
It is a very mysterious place,
And inside you can tell it has a ton of space,
But at the same time it is bare to the bone.**

a. What does ‘It’ refer to?
➡️ ‘It’ refers to the house on Elm Street.

b. Pick out the line that indicates the size of the house.
➡️ “And inside you can tell it has a ton of space.”

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**2. I drive past the house almost every day.

The house seems to be a bit brighter.
On this warm summer day in May.
It plays with your mind.**

a. Who does ‘I’ refer to?
➡️ ‘I’ refers to the poet or the speaker.

b. Pick out the alliterated words in the 2nd line.
➡️ bit brighter

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**3. It never grows leaves,

Not in the winter, spring, summer or fall.
It just sits there never getting small or ever growing tall.**

a. What does ‘it’ refer to?
➡️ ‘It’ refers to the tree beside the house.

b. In what way is the tree a mystery?
➡️ The tree is a mystery because it never changes—it does not grow leaves or alter in size in any season.

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**4. Rumors are constantly being made,

And each day the house just begins to fade.
What happened inside that house?**

a. Does the house remain the same every day?
➡️ No, the house fades a little more each day.

b. Why does the poet consider the house to be a mystery?
➡️ The poet considers the house a mystery because no one knows what happened inside it, and strange things seem to surround it.

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**5. What happened inside that house?

I really don’t know.
I guess it will always be a mystery.**

a. Does the poet know what happened in the house?
➡️ No, the poet does not know what happened in the house.

b. What is mysterious about the house?
➡️ The house is mysterious because its past is unknown, it appears lonely and fading, and unusual things seem to happen around it.

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B. Answer the following in a paragraph

1. Where is the house located? Why is it a mysterious place?

The house is located on Elm Street, and the poet passes by it almost every day. It stands alone and looks deserted. Though it seems large and spacious, it is empty and bare inside. Strange things happen there, such as flickering lights and an unmoving tree that never grows leaves. No one knows what really happened inside the house, and it continues to fade each day. This makes the place mysterious and filled with curiosity.

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2. How is mystery depicted in the poem?

Mystery is depicted through the poet’s description of the lonely and eerie house on Elm Street. The poet notices that the house looks alive at night with flickering lights, yet it remains empty and silent. The tree beside it never changes, and the house itself seems to fade over time. The repeated questions about what happened there show the poet’s curiosity and fear. The atmosphere of silence, emptiness, and uncertainty gives the poem its mysterious tone.

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C. Rhyming Words and Rhyme Scheme

Stanza	Rhyming Words	Rhyme Scheme
1	alone – unknown – place – space – bone	AABBA
3	day – May – mind – kind	AABB
4	leaves – fall – small – tall	ABBB

 

D. Identify the poetic lines where the following figures of speech are employed and complete the tabular column.

 

 

 

D. Identify the poetic lines where the following figures of speech are employed and complete the tabular column

Figure of Speech	Meaning	Lines from the Poem
Synecdoche	A figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or the whole for a part.	But at the same time it is bare to the bone.
Paradox	A statement that seems to contradict itself but reveals a deeper truth.	It just sits there, never getting small or ever growing tall,
Onomatopoeia	Words that imitate natural sounds.	“Lights flicker on and off.
Rhetorical Question	A question asked for effect, not for an actual answer.	“How could this be?” → The poet asks this question to express wonder and mystery, not expecting an answer.