ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The Traveller is the only concrete character in the poem. All the other characters are the shadowy ‘listeners’, who congregate in the empty house and listen, but do not respond to his calls.

Detailed explanation-2: -Somewhat paradoxically, “The Listeners” acknowledges people’s desire to seek understanding while also asserting a certain insurmountable mystery of the world around them. In short, the poem suggests that people cannot always find the answers they seek, regardless of how hard they look.

Detailed explanation-3: -The message that the traveler leaves to “the listeners” of the house is that he came to the house exactly like he said he would.

Detailed explanation-4: -1. In the poem ‘The Listeners’, how did the traveller feel as he repeatedly knocked on the door? Answer: As he repeatedly knocked on the door but received no response, the traveller sensed an eerie atmosphere and came to the realisation that no one was going to answer the door.