Q1.
An acrostic poem is the one in which the first letter of each line spells out a word, name or phrase when read vertically. Read the example given below and compose your own acrostic poem. (Proud of motherland / Always alert I stand / Time, my concern never / Respect to her, forever / In worse times or better / Our love has no end / To me, my country is my friend. — S O L D I E R)
Answer
The example spells PATRIOT. Your poem must spell SOLDIER — seven lines, each beginning with the next letter.
Method
- Write the seven letters down the left margin first, one below the other.
- For each letter, think of a word about soldiers that begins with it — Standing, Only, Leaving, Devoted, India, Every, Ready.
- Build a short line from that word. Keep the lines roughly the same length; rhyme is welcome but not compulsory.
- Read it down the margin at the end to check that the word is spelt correctly.
Sample answer:
Standing awake while a whole country sleeps,
Only duty comes before the self,
Leaving home, festival and family behind,
Devoted to the flag they have promised to hold,
India rests in peace because of them,
Every season — snow, sand or rain — they stay,
Ready always, come what may.
Standing awake while a whole country sleeps,
Only duty comes before the self,
Leaving home, festival and family behind,
Devoted to the flag they have promised to hold,
India rests in peace because of them,
Every season — snow, sand or rain — they stay,
Ready always, come what may.
Why acrostics are good practice: the fixed first letter forces you to hunt for a fresh word instead of the first one that comes to mind. That hunt is where vocabulary grows.