Learn CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Chapters with Free Lessons & Tips

Humans and animals differ in terms of desire in several ways:

1. Complexity: Human desires are often more complex and varied compared to animals. While animals primarily desire basic needs such as food, shelter, and reproduction, humans have a wide range of desires influenced by social, cultural, and psychological factors. These desires may include material possessions, social status, achievement, love, belonging, self-actualization, and spiritual fulfillment.

2. Ambition: Humans often have aspirations and ambitions beyond immediate survival needs. They may desire personal growth, career success, intellectual stimulation, creative expression, and contribution to society. Animals, on the other hand, typically focus on fulfilling immediate needs for survival and reproduction without the concept of long-term goals or ambitions.

3. Social and Cultural Influence: Human desires are significantly influenced by social and cultural factors. Cultural norms, societal expectations, peer pressure, and media influence play a significant role in shaping human desires and aspirations. Animals, however, are not influenced by such external factors to the same extent and primarily rely on instinctual drives for survival.

4. Materialism: Humans often desire material possessions and wealth as symbols of success, status, and security. Materialism is a prominent aspect of human desire, driving consumption and economic activity. While animals may display territorial behavior or seek resources for survival, their desires for material possessions are limited to essential needs such as food, shelter, and territory.

5. Complexity of Emotions: Humans experience a wide range of emotions, which influence their desires and motivations. Love, fear, joy, sorrow, envy, and compassion are just a few examples of the complex emotions that shape human desires. Animals also experience emotions to some extent, but their emotional range and complexity are generally considered to be less developed compared to humans.

Overall, while both humans and animals have desires that drive their behavior, the complexity, variety, and social-cultural influences of human desires distinguish them from the more instinctual and survival-oriented desires of animals.

When the poet says, "Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth," he is making a statement about the animals portrayed in the poem. The poet is emphasizing that animals, unlike humans, do not adhere to societal conventions of respectability nor do they experience unhappiness in the same way humans do.

The phrase "not one is respectable" suggests that animals do not conform to human standards of behavior or morality. They do not seek approval or validation from society, nor do they feel the need to uphold social norms or conventions. Instead, they live according to their instincts and natural inclinations, unconstrained by human expectations.

Similarly, the phrase "not one is... unhappy" suggests that animals do not experience the same complex emotions and psychological states as humans, such as discontent, sorrow, or dissatisfaction. While animals may experience pain, fear, or discomfort in response to immediate threats or adverse conditions, they do not harbor long-term feelings of unhappiness or existential angst in the way that humans often do.

Overall, the poet is highlighting the simplicity, contentment, and freedom that animals enjoy in their natural state, contrasting it with the complexities and burdens of human existence. The animals depicted in the poem are portrayed as embodying a sense of harmony with the natural world, free from the burdens of societal expectations and the existential struggles that plague humanity.