English LiteratureICSE Class 10 · The Power of Music

The Power of Music (Sukumar Ray): Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Power of Music is a humorous poem translated from Sukumar Ray. The singer Bhisma Lochan Sharma sings so terribly that people flee and nature falls into chaos, until a crazy goat butts him and he falls silent. The humour comes from hyperbole and alliteration ('feathered fly', 'turn turtle'), and the title is ironic because the music terrifies instead of soothing.

Notice how one terrible song leads to three devices: exaggeration (Delhi to Burma), repeated f sounds (feathered fly), and a title that means the opposite.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music)

Exam pattern. The 2025 paper and the 2027 specimen asked students to identify the figure of speech in 'And in the sky the feathered fly turn turtle while / They're winging' and match it with another line using the same device. The answer was alliteration, and the 2025 examiners noted that many could not identify it.

The poem. A humorous poem in Treasure Chest, translated from the Bengali poem 'Gaaner Gunto' (1923) by Sukumar Ray, famous for nonsense verse such as Abol Tabol. The names are spelt in several ways in English, and the exact English wording should be checked in your Treasure Chest.

Sequence of the story.
1. *The singer:* one summer Bhisma Lochan Sharma bursts into song. His voice carries from Delhi to Burma and he sings with all his might, without a thought for anyone.
2. *People suffer:* those who hear him are tormented. They run in every direction with their heads spinning, many fall down hurt, and they beg him to stop.
3. *Nature in chaos:* buffaloes and horses break their ropes and lie flat by the roadside; animals faint with their legs in the air; water creatures keep still in the depths; trees crash down; in the sky the birds turn upside down while flying; the sky shakes and buildings crack.
4. *The singer goes on:* he pays no attention and sings at full volume, in the best of moods.
5. *The ending:* a crazy goat, keeping time with the song, lowers its horns and butts the singer from behind. With a cry of fright he falls completely silent.

Devices.

*Hyperbole:* the voice carrying from Delhi to Burma; birds overturned in flight; buildings cracking.
*Alliteration:* the repeated initial sound in 'feathered fly' (f) and 'turn turtle' (t).
*Idiom used comically:* 'turn turtle' means to capsize, normally used of boats; here it is applied to flying birds.
*Irony:* the title 'The Power of Music' names a power that terrifies and disrupts, not soothes.
*Rhyme and rhythm:* lively rhyming lines suit comic verse for recitation.

Tone and purpose. Humorous and mock-serious. Under the fun lies gentle satire on self-important performers who force their art on others and on the cliche that music always soothes.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

And in the sky the feathered fly turn turtle while / They're winging,
The poet: The effect of the singing on birds, as printed in the 2025 paper and 2027 specimen.
A comic, hyperbolic image full of alliteration.

Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music): key facts

The story in five steps: singer bursts into song
people suffer
nature in chaos
singer goes on
goat butts him; The order of events for sequence questions.
Devices and examples: hyperbole Delhi to Burma
alliteration feathered fly
idiom turn turtle
irony the title; Name, quote, then explain the effect.
Tone and target: tone humorous, mock-serious
target self-important performers
cliche music always soothes; For 'what is the poet making fun of'.

hyperbole	Delhi to Burma
alliteration	feathered fly
idiom	turn turtle
irony	the title

tone	humorous, mock-serious
target	self-important performers
cliche	music always soothes

How to answer Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music) questions

Use this for a figure-of-speech MCQ or a question on the poem.

1Name the device in the given line first (feathered fly: alliteration).
2Look for the same device in the options: repeated initial consonant sounds.
3For hyperbole, quote the exaggeration and say why it is funny.
4For irony, say what the title suggests and what the poem shows.
5State the tone and purpose in a sentence.

Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music) in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Self-importance that ignores others

Suppose a student keeps playing a loud instrument during the study hour in the hostel, beaming with pride, while neighbours cover their ears and plead for quiet. He carries on until a warden walks in and the music stops at once.

Which character does the student resemble, and what does the poem's goat stand for in this situation?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He resembles Bhisma Lochan, pleased with his own art and deaf to complaints.
The warden ends the noise.
The goat stands for the unexpected force that puts a stop to an overbearing performance.

Answer: The student resembles Bhisma Lochan, who goes on regardless of the suffering of others. The goat stands for the unexpected check that ends such self-importance, as the warden does here.

Memory hook: Loud art finds its goat.

Tricks to remember Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music)

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

F-F, T-T
Feathered Fly, Turn Turtle: repeated starting sounds.
Use it when: Spotting alliteration.
Power reversed
Music should soothe; this one terrifies.
Use it when: The irony of the title.

Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music): solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Spotting the device · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Which of these phrases uses the same device as 'feathered fly'?
(a) as brave as a lion (b) big bad bear (c) the sea was angry (d) bang went the door

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

'f' repeats in feathered fly and 't' in turn turtle: alliteration (0.5).
'b' repeats in big bad bear (0.5).

Answer: (b) big bad bear, which repeats the initial 'b' sound.

Example 2: Effect on people (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

How do people react when they hear Bhisma Lochan sing? Give three details.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Run in every direction with heads spinning (1).
Many fall hurt (1).
Cry out to him to stop (1).

Answer: People are tormented instead of charmed. They run in every direction with their heads spinning, many fall down hurt and writhing, and they cry out to him to stop the song at once.

Example 3: Hyperbole (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain how hyperbole creates humour in the poem. Refer to two examples.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Define hyperbole (1).
Example 1 (1).
Example 2 (1).
Effect: comic absurdity (1).

Answer: Hyperbole is deliberate exaggeration. In the poem the singer's voice carries all the way from Delhi to Burma, and his song overturns birds in the sky and cracks buildings. Such effects are impossible for a single voice, so they are funny. The exaggeration turns a bad singer into a force of nature and creates absurd pictures, which is the source of the poem's humour. It also makes us laugh at the self-important singer.

Example 4: Irony of the title (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

How does the incident with the goat complete the irony set up by the title? Refer to what the title promises and what happens to the singer.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

What the title suggests (1).
What the poem shows (1).
Evidence (1).
Effect (1).

Answer: The title promises a power that soothes and charms, but the poem shows music that terrifies people and throws nature into chaos. The goat completes the irony. Keeping time with the song, it butts the singer from behind and a single blow silences the man whose voice overpowered the world. The power of music is therefore defeated by a power greater than itself, and the singer who knocked everyone off balance is himself knocked over. The final reversal makes the title mock the singer's idea of his own power.

Example 5: Is the singer to blame? (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

The singer causes chaos but never notices. Is he a villain or a figure of fun? Give two reasons.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

A clear view (1).
Reason 1 (1).
Reason 2 (1).
Poet's purpose (1).

Answer: I think he is a figure of fun. First, his harm is so exaggerated that it cannot be taken seriously, as when birds are overturned in flight, so the poet invites laughter, not anger. Second, he is not malicious but self-satisfied and unaware, singing on in the best of moods, and he is humbled in a comic way by a goat. The poet is gently satirising performers who are so pleased with themselves that they impose their art on others, and that is a mild fault, not villainy.

Where students lose marks in Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music)

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Calling 'feathered fly' a simile
There is no 'like' or 'as'; it repeats a sound.
Wrong working
'Feathered fly' is a simile.
Right working
'Feathered fly' is alliteration, with repeated 'f' sounds.
Do this: Check for repeated initial consonants.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Explaining irony without the contrast
Irony needs both the expectation and the reality.
Wrong working
The title is ironic.
Right working
The title suggests music that soothes, but the poem shows music that terrifies.
Do this: Write 'suggests... but shows...'.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks
Mistake: Describing the ending without the cause
The goat's butt is the cause.
Wrong working
The singer stopped singing.
Right working
A crazy goat butted him from behind and he fell silent.
Do this: Always name the goat.
Usually costs: 1 mark

Exam tips

Name the device, quote the words, then explain the effect.
For an alliteration MCQ, look for repeated initial consonant sounds in the options.
Write irony answers as 'suggests... but shows...'.
Check the exact English wording in your Treasure Chest; the poem is a translation.

Practice questions on Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music)

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
In which situation would the idiom 'turn turtle' normally be used?
(a) A boat capsizing in a storm (b) A bird singing at dawn (c) A goat butting a man (d) A tree growing tall
Hint
Usually used of boats.
Answer
(a) A boat capsizing in a storm; the poem applies the idiom comically to birds in flight.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
How does the singer's performance end? Who or what ends it? (3 marks)
Hint
A crazy goat.
Answer
A crazy goat, keeping time with the song, lowers its horns and butts the singer from behind. With a cry of fright, Bhisma Lochan falls completely silent. The power of music meets a greater power, which is comic.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Describe two ways in which animals are affected by the singing and say what the details add to the poem. (3 marks)
Hint
Buffaloes, horses, birds, water creatures.
Answer
Buffaloes and horses break their ropes and lie flat by the roadside, and animals faint with their legs in the air. In the sky birds turn upside down while flying. The details add a comic, exaggerated picture of the whole natural world thrown into confusion by one voice, which increases the humour.
Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Show how rhyme and rhythm make the poem suitable for recitation. (4 marks)
Hint
Lively rhyming lines, comic verse.
Answer
The poem uses lively rhyming lines with a strong rhythm, as in comic and nonsense verse. The regular rhyme makes the funny pictures easy to remember and the bouncy beat makes the lines easy to speak aloud. Alliteration, as in 'feathered fly', adds to the sound play. A reciter can speed up as the chaos grows and stop suddenly when the goat strikes, so the sound matches the action and increases the fun.
Q5 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
A reader says that this poem is just a joke and has no serious meaning. Do you agree? Give two reasons. (4 marks)
Hint
Satire under the fun.
Answer
I partly disagree. Mostly the poem aims to amuse with absurd images, but it has a gentle serious purpose. First, it satirises performers so pleased with themselves that they impose their art on others without a thought for them. Second, it overturns the familiar idea that music always soothes, making us think about the difference between art that is shared and art that is forced upon people. The comedy makes the point easier to accept, which is common in nonsense verse.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who is the poet?Show answer
Sukumar Ray.
2.Who is the singer?Show answer
Bhisma Lochan Sharma.
3.Which device is in 'feathered fly'?Show answer
Alliteration.
4.What ends the singing?Show answer
A crazy goat butts the singer.
5.What is 'turn turtle'?Show answer
An idiom meaning to capsize or flip over.
6.What is the tone of the poem?Show answer
Humorous and mock-serious.

Hyperbole, Alliteration and the Irony of the Title (The Power of Music): frequently asked questions

What was set from this poem in 2025 and the 2027 specimen?

An MCQ asking for the figure of speech in 'feathered fly turn turtle' (alliteration) and a matching line.

Why is the title ironic?

Music is expected to soothe, but here it terrifies and disrupts.

Is this poem the original?

No; it is an English translation of Sukumar Ray's Bengali poem, so check the exact wording in Treasure Chest.