Class 5 English - ODISHA

Poetry: Vocation

The chapter 'Vocation' in the Class 5 English syllabus for Odisha (BSE) is a beautiful poem written by Rabindranath Tagore. It expresses a child's innocent wonder and fascination with the freedom of ordinary workers he sees on the street—a hawker selling bangles, a gardener digging the ground, and a watchman on night duty. The child wishes to trade his structured school life and restrictions for the carefree lives of these workers. This chapter matters for board exams as it tests reading comprehension, poetic devices, and the student's ability to interpret a child's perspective and desires.

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Key Concepts

Hawker

A person who travels from place to place selling goods, like bangles, and has no fixed road or time to follow.

Gardener

A person who digs the ground, plants seeds, and takes care of plants, whom the child envies for getting his clothes soiled.

Watchman

A person who guards the streets at night with a lantern, representing the mystery and freedom of the dark hours to the child.

Innocent Desire

The pure wish of a child who does not understand the hardships of labor and only sees the freedom of adults.

Poetic Imagination

The ability of the poet Rabindranath Tagore to look at the world through the fresh and curious eyes of a young boy.

Important Formulas

Vocation means a regular occupation or profession that someone does for a living.
Bangle-seller: A person who sells colorful glass bangles on the street.
Lantern: A lamp with a transparent case used for lighting outside.
Envy: A feeling of discontented longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or freedom.

Board Exam Info

In the Odisha (BSE) Class 5 English examinations, this chapter typically carries around 5 to 8 marks. Common question types include short answer questions about the child's wishes, reference to context, meaning of difficult words like 'vocation' or 'hawker', and central idea-based questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the child want to be a hawker?

The child wants to be a hawker because there is no fixed road he must take, no place he must go to, and no time he must return home.

What does the gardener do that attracts the child?

The gardener digs the ground with a spade and gets his clothes soiled with dust, and nobody scolds him for it.

Who wrote the poem Vocation?

The poem Vocation was written by the famous Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

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