Over the green and yellow rice-fields sweep the shadows of the autumn clouds followed by the swift-chasing sun. The bees forget
to sip their honey; drunken with light they foolishly hover and hum. The ducks in the islands of the river clamour in joy for mere nothing. Let none go back home, brothers, this morning, let none go to work. Let us take the blue sky by storm and plunder space as we run. Laughter floats in the air like foam on the flood. Brothers, let us squander our morning in futile songs. –“84,” Rabindranath Tagore Which phrase most clearly expresses the speaker’s desire to be mischievous? “ . . . shadows of the autumn clouds followed by the swift-chasing sun.” “The bees forget to sip their honey . . .” “ . . . they foolishly hover and hum.” “. . . let us squander our morning in futile songs.”
Answer: “. . . let us squander our morning in futile songs.”
The word "squander" most closely resembles "waste," while the word "futile" refers to something with no purpose. Therefore, in this phrase, the author is telling us that, due to the good weather, he does not want to do anything productive. In fact, he wants to waste all his morning singing songs for no particular purpose, except that of being merry. This statement shows that the author wants to be mischievous.
I always like to begin that kind of a speech with some way to relate to the listeners. For example, if you're writing about how much it annoys you when your sister leaves her clothes on the floor, you might begin by asking "How many of you have siblings?" and then continue to add on to that. It makes your audience feel more like you're talking <em>to </em>them, and not so much <em>at </em>them.
