10th class English (FBISE)
National Book Foundation
Poem "Blue"
Original Readings:
She was born pink and soft with all of her toes
She had my eyes and her mothers nose
She cried for a moment and then settled down
The angel of my life with hair of brown
Months went by and we watched her grow
Something was wrong and we had to know
The doctor called with concern on his mind
And told me my angel had been born blind
I cried for a while and then I got mad
This was not my idea of being a dad
So from that day forward I started a plight
To be her eyes in life and her heart of sight
As the years passed by she started to grow
Into a beautiful child with a need to know
Each day was spent teaching all that I knew
Until one day when she asked about blue
I tried to define it but my efforts were in vain
Only sighted descriptions were the way to explain
She had no way of knowing what I was trying to say
And for the very first time I failed her that day
Life went on and as she grew
She formed her thoughts on what is blue
Wanting to know just what others could see
Inside her mind it became reality
Paraphrasing of the poem “Blue” by Brian A. Haycock Line by line:
Stanza 1
She was born pink and soft with all of her toes
→ The poet describes the birth of his babby girl. She was born sheen healthy, soft, and complete.
She had my eyes and her mothers nose
→ She looked like her parents, with her father's eyes and mother’s nose.
→ After a short cry, she then became calm.,
The angel of my life with hair of brown
→ The poet lovingly called her an angel, with brown hair.
Stanza 2
Months went by and we watched her grow
→ As time passed, the parents happily watched their daughter grow.
Something was wrong and we had to know
→ Parents noticed something unusual about her health and wanted answers.
The doctor called with concern on his mind
→ The doctor examined and informed them seriously about the problem.
And told me my angel had been born blind
→ The doctor explained that the poet's beloved daughter could not see since birth.
Stanza 3
I cried for a while and then I got mad
→ The poet (father) cried at first, but then he became angry about the situation.
This was not my idea of being a dad
→ The poet felt this wasn’t what he imagined fatherhood would be.
So from that day forward I started a plight
→ From then on, he made a firm decision to be strong.
To be her eyes in life and her heart of sight
→ The poet decided to act as his daughter's eyes, guiding her through life with love and care.
Stanza 4
As the years passed by she started to grow
→ The poet says that his daughter grew older with time.
Into a beautiful child with a need to know
→ She became a lovely, curious child, eager to learn.
Each day was spent teaching all that I knew
→ Her father taught her many things he could, every day
Until one day when she asked about blue
→ Until one day, she asked him what the colour "blue" was.
Stanza 5
I tried to define it but my efforts were in vain
→ The father tried to explain what blue meant, but he failed.
Only sighted descriptions were the way to explain
→ Father realized “blue” could only be described by sight, which she didn’t have.
She had no way of knowing what I was trying to say
→ Since she couldn’t see, she couldn’t understand his description.
And for the very first time I failed her that day
→ For the first time as her father, he felt helpless as a parent.
Stanza 6
Life went on and as she grew
→ The poet says that life continued, and his daughter kept growing,
She formed her thoughts on what is blue
→ She created her own idea of what 'blue' might be.
Wanting to know just what others could see
→ She still wished to understand what sighted people saw.
Inside her mind it became reality
→ Through her strong imagination, her own version of blue became real.
Stanza-wise paraphrasing of the poem “Blue” by Brian A. Haycock in a paragraph:
Stanza 1
She was born pink and soft with all of her toes
She had my eyes and her mothers nose
She cried for a moment and then settled down
The angel of my life with hair of brown
In this stanza the poet describes the birth of his daughter. She was born healthy, soft, and complete with all her toes. She had her father's eyes and mother's nose. After a short cry, she calmed down, and the father lovingly called her his angel with brown hair.
Stanza 2
Months went by and we watched her grow
Something was wrong and we had to know
The doctor called with concern on his mind
And told me my angel had been born blind
In this stanza, the poet tells that as months went by, the parents joyfully watched their baby grow, but soon they noticed something unusual and took her to a doctor. After examination, the doctor informed them that their daughter had been born blind. This heartbreaking news left the father deeply saddened.
Stanza 3
I cried for a while and then I got mad
This was not my idea of being a dad
So from that day forward I started a plight
To be her eyes in life and her heart of sight
In this stanza, the father (poet) feels both heartbroken and angry when he learns that his daughter is blind. Though it is not what he imagined for himself as a father, he chooses not to lose hope. Instead, he takes on the challenge with love and determination, promising to be her eyes and guide her through life with care and devotion.
Stanza 4
As the years passed by she started to grow
Into a beautiful child with a need to know
Each day was spent teaching all that I knew
Until one day when she asked about blue
In this stanza, the poet explains that as time passed, his daughter grew into a beautiful and curious child eager to learn about the world. Her father taught her everything he could, until one day she asked about the colour blue — a question that left him deeply challenged.
Stanza 5
I tried to define it but my efforts were in vain
Only sighted descriptions were the way to explain
She had no way of knowing what I was trying to say
And for the very first time I failed her that day
In this stanza, the poet (father) tries very hard to explain what “blue” means, but he fails because his daughter has never seen colours. He realizes that sighted people’s descriptions cannot help her understand, and for the first time, he feels helpless as a parent.
Stanza 6
Life went on and as she grew
She formed her thoughts on what is blue
Wanting to know just what others could see
Inside her mind it became reality
In this stanza, the poet says that life went on, and the daughter continued to grow. Even though she could not see, she imagined her own version of “blue.” In her mind, it became something real and meaningful, reflecting her powerful imagination and deep inner world.
Central Idea of “Blue” by Brian A. Haycock in a clear, exam-style way:
Central Idea
The Central Idea of the poem “Blue” by Brian A. Haycock, expresses the deep and unconditional love of a father for his blind daughter and his struggle to help her experience life fully. From her birth, he accepts the responsibility of being her guide and her “eyes.” He teaches her everything he can, but when she asks about the colour blue, he realizes that some experiences cannot be explained without sight. This moment makes him feel helpless, yet it also shows the strength of imagination. The daughter creates her own meaning of “blue” in her mind, proving that love, learning, and imagination can overcome limitations. The poem highlights themes of parental love, sacrifice, and the power of human imagination.
student-friendly summary of “Blue” by Brian A. Haycock in exam style:
Summary
The poem “Blue” by Brian A. Haycock tells the emotional story of a father’s love and devotion to his blind daughter. When she was born, she was healthy and beautiful, and the father lovingly called her his angel. Later, he was heartbroken to learn that his daughter had been blind since birth. Instead of losing hope, he accepted the challenge and promised to be her eyes and guide her through life with care and devotion. As she grew, he taught her everything he could, until one day she asked him to explain the colour blue. The father tried, but he realized that sighted experiences cannot be described to someone who has never seen. For the first time, he feels helpless as a parent. However, the daughter used her imagination to create her own idea of blue, showing the power of the human mind to overcome limitations.
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