My Shadow Class 5 Notes CBSE English Chapter 3 (Free PDF Download)

My Shadow Revision Notes

• ‘My Shadow’ by Robert Louis Stevenson is a poem that talks about the characteristics of shadow.

• The narrator says that he always has a shadow that goes in and out with him and he is yet to know what actually is the use of a shadow.

• From the heels up to the head, the shadow looks exactly like him. Whenever he jumps into the bed, his shadow jumps before him.

• The funniest thing about a shadow is how quickly it can grow in size unlike the growth of real children which always happens very slowly.

• Sometimes, our shadow shoots up like a rubber ball and becomes very tall and sometimes it becomes so short that we can hardly see it.

• Once he happened to wake up very early one morning even before the sun was up. He saw shiny dew on the flowers. But to his surprise, his shadow like a lazy sleepy head was far behind him in his bed. 

Moral of the Poem

• The poem ‘My Shadow’ shows the curiosity and excitement that is seen by a child when he/she discovers something.

• In the poem, the narrator is discovering the various characteristics of his own shadow from a child’s point of view. He is thrilled to see how his shadow changes in shape and size. He wonders why his shadow always follows him everywhere. All of this fills the child with endless curiosity.

New Words Meaning with Examples of ‘My Shadow’ Class 5

Techniques Used in the Poem

Rhyming Words: Same sounding words when spoken together are called rhyming words.

• Me- See

• Head- Bed

• Grow- Slow

• Ball- All

• Up- Buttercup

• Sleepyhead- Bed

Alliteration: In a line of a poem, the appearance of the same letters or same sounding letters at the beginning of words which are close to each other is called alliteration.

For example: In the following lines, the same sounding letters are underlined to show alliteration.

1. “He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head.”

2. “The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow.”

3. “But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepyhead.”

Simile: When two things which are very different from one another are compared to make a description more vivid, it is called a simile. 

For example 

1. “For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball.”

• In the above line, the narrator compares shadow with an India-rubber ball.

2. “But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepyhead.”

• In the above line, the narrator compares his shadow with an arrant sleepyhead.

Repetition: When a word or phrase is repeated twice or more in a stanza of a poem, it is called repetition.

For example: “He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head.” Here the word ‘very’ has been repeated.

About the Poet

• Robert Louis Stevenson was a poet, travelogue writer and essayist of Scottish origin.

• He was born in 1850 in Edinburgh and was educated there. He suffered from an acute bronchial disease since his early days. He, unfortunately, died at the young age of forty-four years.

• A Few years back, he was the 26th most translated poet in the world, just behind Charles Dickens.

NCERT Class 5 English Chapter 3 ‘My Shadow’ Question Answer 

Let’s Read

1. Who do you think your shadow looks like?

Ans: Our shadow looks exactly like us in shape. It is dark grey to black in colour depending on the light. Its length depends on how far or close we are to the light.

2. Why do you think your shadow jumps into bed before you can?

Ans: Our shadow jumps into bed before us because our shadow falls on our bed before we can jump into the bed.

3. What time of the day do you think it is when your shadow is the tallest? Why?

• Morning

• Afternoon

• Night

Ans: Our shadow is the tallest in the morning as the Sun which is the source of light is the farthest from us in the morning.

4.  Read the lines from the poem and answer the following.

He is very very like me. 

From the heels up to the head!

(i) Who does he refer to? 

(ii) Who does me refer to? 

(iii) Why are he and me alike?

Ans: (i) Here, ‘he’ refers to the narrator’s shadow.

         (ii) Here, ‘me’ refers to the narrator.

         (iii) ‘He’ and ‘me’ are alike because one is the shadow of another.

Solved Example Practice Questions

Now with the knowledge of ‘My Shadow’ Summary let us answer a few questions.

1. What is the funniest thing about shadow according to the poet?

Ans: According to the poet, the funniest thing about a shadow is how much it likes to grow.

2. Write at least three rhyming words of the following words.

Goes, Me, Way, Dew, 

Ans: Goes- Rose, Chose, Flows, Nose

Me- Fee, Glee, Key, Tree

Way- Ray, Gray, Pay, Bay

Dew- Few, Grew, Brew, New

3. “The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow 

Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow.”

What does the poet mean in the above lines?

Ans: The funniest thing that the narrator finds is how quickly the shadows can grow in size. It is quite opposite to the growth of real children which always happens very slowly.

4. What is the meaning of the word ‘dew’? Have you ever seen ‘dew’?

Ans: At night, when the temperature is low, some small drops of water are formed on some surfaces that are cool. It is called dew. Yes, I have seen dew. I was going for a picnic once during the winter vacation at 5 o’clock in the morning. I saw drops of water in the grass.

5. What do you think is the reason behind the formation of the shadow of our body?

Ans: Shadow forms because the rays of light cannot pass through our bodies. The rays that go past the edges of our body form an outline on the ground or any flat surface near our body. 

Importance of CBSE Class 5 English Chapter 3 My Shadow

This poem is a brilliant depiction of how a child will explain his shadow. The poet imagines how a child reacts to his shadow and explains it well using great words. He tells us how our shadows reach the bed before we do.

The poet explains that our shadows are similar to our bodily features. From head to heels, a shadow is just a replica. It goes with us wherever we go. Sometimes, the shadow grows taller and longer than us. Sometimes, they become smaller and cannot be recognized at all. My Shadow is the best poem you will read that explains the features of a shadow in a beautiful way.

To understand the My Shadow poem, refer to the easy revision notes prepared by the subject experts. These notes will help you understand every line without any hassle and find out how the poet wants to describe a shadow.

Benefits of Vedantu’s My Shadow Class 5 Revision Notes and Worksheets

• The best way to study Class 5 English Chapter 3 My Shadow is by referring to the easy explanation of all the lines given in the revision notes, available at Vedantu. These notes will help you explain what the poet wants to tell us. Every section of this poem will become easier to comprehend.

• Once done preparing this poem, proceed to solve Vedantu’s My Shadow poem worksheet and find out your preparation level. Check where you need to work more and get the best insights to do it.

• Compare your answers to the solution of the worksheets provided on our website. Find out answers to fundamental questions such as how your shadow looks at different times of the day.

Download My Shadow Revision Notes and Worksheets PDF

Get the PDF free version of the worksheets and revision notes of this chapter and complete your study material. The insights given by the experts in these notes will guide you to solve doubts on your own. You can prepare and revise this chapter using these notes. It will also become easier to comprehend and find answers accurately.