ENGLISH NOTES

1. The Gentlemen of the Jungle

Jomo Kenyatta

Glossary:

Torrential : fall in large amounts

Soothing : calm

Repute : having good opinion

Endowed : have particular feature or quality.

Hurricane : violent storm

Confine : restrict

Relevant : connected to the subject

Unbiased : not influenced by others opinion

Tread : to walk

Dispute : quarrel, disagreement

Basked : relaxed

Comprehension: I

1. What favour did the elephant ask the man on a rainy day?

On a rainy day, the elephant went to his friend, the man, who had a

little hut at the edge of the forest and pleaded to allow him to put his

trunk inside the hut, to save him from the torrential rain.

2. According to the man his hut had room only for him

False

3. How did the elephant sneak into the man’s hut?

The man, out of pity allowed the elephant to put his trunk into his hut.

As soon as the elephant put his trunk inside the hut he slowly pushed

his head inside and then flung the man out in the rain and laid down

comfortably inside.

A

6 4. According to the elephant the man can afford to remain in the

rain because

The skin of the elephant is delicate.

5. How did the lion decide to solve the problem?

The lion commanded his ministers to appoint a commission of enquiry to

solve the problem.

6. What kind of Judgment did the man expect?

The man expected the judgment to be in his favour and believed that the

hut would naturally be returned to him.

7. Why was the man unhappy with the members of the

Commission of Enquiry?

The man was unhappy with the members of the commission of enquiry

because no members from man’s side was included in it.

8. Why was the man told that only jungle animals would be on the

jungle commission?

The man was told that only jungle animals would be in the jungle

commission because they feel that no man is well educated about the

intricacy( Complexity)of the Jungle law.

9. According to the elephant the man had invited him into the hut

To save the hut from the hurricane.

10. In Whose favour was the judgement given?

The Judgement was given in the favour of the elephant.

11. Why did the man accept the suggestion of building a new hut?

The man accepted the suggestion of building a new hut because he had

no alternative and feared that his refusal might expose him to danger.

12. How did the man buy peace finally?

The man finally bought peace by setting his big hut, accommodated by

all animals, on fire.

Comprehension: II

1. Why was the commission of enquiry appointed by the king of the

jungle?

Ans: Author Jomo Kenyatta was an African Political leader, first

President of Kenya uses this fable ‘Gentlemen of the jungle’ to expose

power mongerness of European power. He uses satirical tone.

Once an Elephant who made a friendship with the man requested to

permit to put its trunk into man’s hut, to gain protection from the

torrential storm. But as it put his trunk, it also put its head and finally

flung the man out. This caused dispute between the man and elephant.

They began to quarrel with each other, hearing the noise the animals in

the nearby forest came to see what was happening. In this turmoil, the

lion came roaring and asked how they dare would disturb the peace of

the kingdom. The elephant informed him about the dispute. The lion

who wanted to maintain tranquility in his kingdom ordered to his

ministers to appoint a “commission of enquiry” to look into the matter

and report accordingly.

2. Why do you think animals decide not to have anyone from the

man’s side on the commission of enquiry?

Ans: Author Jomo Kenyatta was an African Political leader, first

President of Kenya uses this fable ‘Gentlemen of the jungle’ to expose

power mongerness of European power.

As per the lion’s order, elephant appointed a “commission of enquiry”, to

look into the matter of dispute between the elephant and the man,

regarding the possession of the hut. But the commission consists of Mr.

Rhinoceros, Mr. Buffalo and Mr. Alligator as its members. Rt. hon. Fox

as its chairman and Mr Leopard as secretary. But there were no

members from the man’s side.

Animals assured man to provide impartial law after the investigation.

They thought that it was impossible to include a man because no one

from man’s side was well educated to understand the intricacy of the

jungle law. The animals also believed that they were the members

chosen by God; look after the interest of the race, less adequately

endowed with the teeth and claws. So he decided not to have any

members from the man’side on the commission of enquiry.

3. How did the elephant justify its act of occupying the hut?

Ans: Author Jomo Kenyatta was an African Political leader, first

President of Kenya uses this fable ‘Gentlemen of the jungle’ to expose

power mongerness of European power.

During the proceeding of the Enquiry, Elephant justify its action by

8 saying that infact the man himself had invited it to protect his hut from

being blown away from hurricane, as the hurricane had gained access

owing to the unoccupied space in the hut. It was necessary to turn the

undeveloped place to more economic use by sitting in it. The elephant

felt that it was its sacred duty, which any other animal would have

carried out, if they were in a similar situation. In this way elephant

justified its action.

4. Do you think the verdict by the commission of enquiry was on

the expected lines? Why?

Ans: Author Jomo Kenyatta was an African Political leader, first

President of Kenya uses this fable ‘Gentlemen of the jungle’ to expose

power mongerness of European power.

During the trial Mr. Hyena and other elders of the jungle took

elephant’s side and the man was not given even a chance to state his

case. So as expected the verdict came in favor of the elephant.

5. What fate awaited the man each time he built a new house?

Ans: Author Jomo Kenyatta was an African Political leader, first

President of Kenya uses this fable ‘Gentlemen of the jungle’ to expose

power mongerness of European power.

The commission of enquiry declared its verdict, it ordered the man to

vacate his hut and look for another site, to construct a new hut for him.

The man feared that his refusal might expose him to the teeth and claws

of the members of commission. So he obeyed as they suggested. But no

sooner had he built another hut than Mr Rhinoceros charged in with

horn and ordered the man to quit. A royal commission was again

appointed to look into the matter and same finding was given. This

procedure was repeated until Mr Buffalo, Mr Leopard, Mr. Hyena and

the rest were all accommodated with new huts.

Comprehension: III

1. Do you agree with the action of the man at the end? Why?

2. An act of kindness is misunderstood as weakness. Discuss this

with reference to the story.

3. ‘Peace is costly but is worth the expense’. What is the ironical

significance of this statement?

4. Every fable ends with a moral. What moral do you find in this

story?

Ans: Author Jomo Kenyatta was an African Political leader, first

President of Kenya uses this fable ‘Gentlemen of the jungle’ to expose

power mongerness of European power.

The gentlemen of the jungle is a fable with a moral. An elephant makes

a friendship with man – On this pretext it requests him to permit it to

put its trunk inside his hut to secure protection from the torrential rain.

The man feels pity when he saw the miserable condition of the elephant.

Even though his hut was small he allowed the elephant to put its trunk

but as soon as the elephant has put its trunk, it also pushes its head and

finally flung the man out.

The Man relies on the legal procedure. But the commission of enquiry

deliberately gives the verdict in favor of the elephant. It instructs the

man to build another hut, but as soon as he built a new hut, the

Rhinoceros occupied it. The same procedure repeats until all the

members of enquiry commission were accommodated with new huts.

The man finally decides that he should adopt some effective methods of

protection so, he purposefully construct a new hut bigger than the

earlier ones. As expected, the animals claimed their positions and the

quarrel reaches its peak over their rights of penetration. When they

were embroiled, the man sets fire to the hut. The fable concludes with

the saying that ‘Peace is costly but is worth the expense which means

one must adopt effective measures in order to root out monsters rule.

The animal fails to understand true ability of man. They misjudge his

tender inclination as his weakness. But ultimately their over

smartness cause them dearly

5. Do you think the story can be read as a political satire on

colonialism?

Ans: The author Jomo Kenyatta uses this fable ‘Gentle men of the

jungle’ to expose power mongerness of European power. He uses

satirical tone. Satire is used in many works of literature to show

foolishness or wise in humans or even in organization or government it

used sarcasm for example Jonathan swift’s Gulliver’s Travel 1726

especially Book IV the satire on entire human race.

In the late nineteenth century the chief European powers divided Africa

10 among themselves. They would do this because European arms were

superior and because the African chiefs did not understand the

meaning of the treaties they were asked to sign. As a result Africans

lost the land they had tradionally lived and cultivated. Their attitude

towards European “Expansion” is made clear in this fable which reflects

the attitude of the kikuyu people of Kenya towards European laws and

commissions.

The author Jomo Kenyatta’s expression contempt and dissatisfaction is

not direct, it has been expressed indirectly through an extended

metaphor known as Allegory. In this fable initially elephant pleaded for

permission to put its trunk but when it was permitted it creeped in

completely and flung the man out. Such was the request of Europeans

when they first came as missionaries and later as traders. The

Europeans imposed their system of brat of laws on African Natives they

even appointed a governor to rule Africans without consulting them.

This filled the air of total dissatisfaction and frustration among the

people of Africa. They felt betrayed as we see in the man’s case who

fights with the elephant for the lost hut.

2. The School Boy

William Blake

Glossary:

Nostalgia : longing for a happier or better time in the past .

Term coined by Johannes Hofer in 1688 (Home sickness)

Bower : Shady place under tree (Metaphor for school)

Drooping : sad, bend from fatigue

Annoy : annoyance, displease

Nipp’d : clip, snap

Stripp’d : Peeled off

Atheism : The belief that God does not exist.

Comprehension: I

1. Who, do you think, ‘I’ refers to in the poem?

I refer to William Blake in the poem

2. ‘Sweet company’ refers to

Skylark, Huntsman’s horn and bird’s song.

3. What drives the boy’s joy away?

The very thought of going to school drives the boy’s joy away.

4. How do the little ones spend the day in the school?

The little ones spend the day in the school by sighing (grief) and

dismay(Helplessness).

5. What does ‘cage’ stand for in the poem?

Cage stands for School , where the children are entrapped.

6. Pick the phrase from the following which does not refer to

formal schooling.

Fruits are gathered.

12 7. Relate the seasons mentioned under column A with the stages

of life.

1. Spring -Childhood 2. Summer -Youth 3. Winter -Old age

Comprehension: II

1. What does the school boy love to do on a summer morn? What

drives his joy away?

William Blake’s The School Boy’ is a typical example of Blake’s songs of

Experience. Blake suggests that the educational system of his day

destroys the joyful innocence of youth. Blake himself was largely self

educated and did not endure the drudgery of the classroom as a child.

This poem is less harsh and more playful than most of Blake’s other

works.

In the poem the poet speaks in the persona of a school child that wakes

up in the morning. He loves to rise early in summer morning to enjoy the

chirping sound of the birds, Huntsman’s horn and the melody of skylark

singing. But all the happiness gets driven away when he realizes that

he has to go to school. The main theme is the sorrow that the boy feels at

the very thought of going to school. While he wishes to enjoy the

summer. He has the obligation to go to a closed space, when he wishes to

be very much outside in the nature.

2. Describe the boy’s experience in the school.

William Blake, poet and painter had little formal education. His finest

work as an artist is the series, “Inventions to the Book of job”. His

collections of poetry include ‘Poetical Sketches’, ‘Songs of Innocence’,

Marriage of Heaven and Hell. ‘The school Boy’ is a lyric from the ‘Songs

of Experience’.

Child loves to rise early in summer morning to enjoy but all the

happiness disappears when he realizes that he has to go to school. The

main theme is the sorrow that the boy feels at the very thought of going

to school. While he wishes to enjoy the summer.

The boy longs for the freedom of the outdoors and cannot take delight in

his book. He is compelled to experience many anxious hour. The image

of the bird is used in the poem. The birds sing happily when they are free

but if they are in a cage they cannot do it the same way. In the same way

the boy feels he is imprisoned at school.

School boy in school and the bird in the cage are seen as equivalents not

only at the natural level under physical subjection but at the spiritual

level too. Both represent the caging and entrapping of imaginative

vision.

The image of the plant applies to the school boys present and future.

The young plant like the young child is tender and vulnerable the way it

is treated at this stage, dictates its later capacity to bear fruit. Just as

food gathered in autumn is necessary to ensure survival through the

winter, so also the experiences of joy and the freedom of the imagination

are necessary for a person’s capacity to live well and survive the

inevitable grief’s of life.

3. According to the poet how does formal education curb a

learner’s potential?

William Blake is called a Transitional poet, He wrote social poetry

which is concerned with the oppressed class of people. The school Boy is

a lyric from the Songs of Experience.

The poem starts in a very positive way but it changes radically and the

tone is very pessimistic. The poet wishes his readers to see the

difference between the freedom of imagination offered by the close

contact with nature and the repression or subjugation of the soul caused

by so called education. This poem depends upon 3 inter related images,

the school boy, the bird and the plant; All three are dependent upon the

way in which they are treated by human beings.

Poet appeals that adults must realize that children are like plants,

which needs to be nurtured and given proper care. They have to bear

fruit later on. School should be the place where children are allowed to

think freely.

On the other hand memorizing things to learn history , civics literature

as these subjects not only serve as the tools, people need to face life in a

more global or better way, but they also sharpen the mind and expand

points of view.

So I think the poet is not arguing against education. But he wishes that

school should provide students with challenges, competition and

opportunities to enhance their creativity. It should be a place where

children are provided with for practical play and develop at their own

place.

Comprehension: III

1. Formal schooling not only takes away the joy of childhood but

also hinders the child’s growth forever. Explain.

Or

a. Do you think the poet is arguing against education? Discuss.

William Blake’s The School Boy’ is a typical example of Blake’s songs of

Experience. Blake suggests that the educational system of his day

destroys the joyful innocence of youth. Blake himself was largely self

educated and did not endure the drudgery of the classroom as a child.

This poem is less harsh and more playful than most of Blake’s other

works.

The poem starts in a very positive way but it changes radically and the

tone is very pessimistic. The poet wishes his readers to see the

difference between the freedom of imagination offered by the close

contact with nature and the repression or subjugation of the soul caused

by so called education. This poem depends upon 3 inter related images,

the school boy, the bird and the plant; All three are dependent upon the

way in which they are treated by human beings. In the poem the

poet speaks in the persona of a school child that wakes up in the

morning. The poet says the boy gets happiness in singing of bird and

watching the huntsman. The nature is a sweet company to him. But

when the boy realizes that he has to go to school makes him anxious, as

he enters the school he spends the time in irritation and anxiety. The

main theme is the sorrow that the boy feels at the very thought of going

to school. While he wishes to enjoy the summer. He has the obligation to

go to a closed space, when he wishes to be very much outside in the

nature.

The boy longs for the freedom of the outdoors and cannot take delight in

his book. He is compelled to experience many anxious hour. The image

of the bird is used in the poem. The birds sing happily when they are free

but if they are in a cage they cannot do it the same way. In the same way

the boy feels he is imprisoned at school. School boy in school and the bird

in the cage are seen as equivalents not only at the natural level under

physical subjection but at the spiritual level too. Both represent the

caging and entrapping of imaginative vision.

The image of the plant applies to the school boys present and future.

The young plant like the young child is tender and vulnerable the way it

is treated at this stage, dictates its later capacity to bear fruit. Just as

food gathered in autumn is necessary to ensure survival through the

winter, so also the experiences of joy and the freedom of the imagination

are necessary for a person’s capacity to live well and survive the

inevitable grief’s of life.

Poet appeals that adults must realize that children are like plants,

which needs to be nurtured and given proper care. They have to bear

fruit later on. School should be the place where children are allowed to

think freely and all round development is guaranteed.

On the other hand memorizing things to learn history , civics literature

as these subjects not only serve as the tools, people need to face life in a

more global or better way, but they also sharpen the mind and expand

points of view.

So I think the poet is not arguing against education. But he wishes that

school should provide students with challenges, competition and

opportunities to enhance their creativity. It should be a place where

children are provided with for practical play and develop at their own

place.

3. Around a Medicinal Creeper

K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi

Glossary

Sifting : separating

Mystification : secrecy

Squabble : quarrel

Spurts : gush out suddenly

Copiously : overflowing

Cock and bull story : an absurd story

Fabricated : lied/ build up

Rebuke : reprove

Stumble : come across

Wild buck : male deer/rabbit

Pathologist : a doctor who studies diseases

All and sundry : several others

Erstwhile : formerly

Apparently : evidently

Secret potion : drop of medicine

Potency : power

Comprehension-I

1. What did Mara do when they found the creeper?

Sanna brought a bundle of creeper to tie the cane frame. Mara opened

the bundle and saw a medicinal creeper. They went in search of it and

when they found it, Mara caught hold of the tendrils and tied it to the

nearby tree.

2. Mention the curse about the medicinal plant.

Mara narrated that the medicinal creeper has been cursed by a sage.

The curse is that when someone needs this plant, they will not find it.

3. What surprised the white man?

Mara, one day had gone to the forest to bring some bamboo shoots.

While cutting them, he accidentally cut his hand. His artery was cut

and it resulted in profuse bleeding. Someone brought some leaves and

pressed it against the wound and covered with a cloth. Then, he went to

the white man for proper dressing and treatment. The white man of

Hulihindalu removed the leaf and was surprised to see that there was

neither wound nor any blood although his clothes were stained with

blood.

4. How did the mongoose and the cowcal cure themselves of snake

bite?

The mongoose and cowcal hunt snakes and in this process sometimes

they are bitten by them. Then, they immediately chew particular

medicinal leaf and get cured from the poison.

5. Why had Mara lost his teeth on the right side?

Once Mara had laid a trap to catch rabbits in the forest. He was worried

that somebody else may get there before him in the morning and take

away his catch. So, he went into the forest before daybreak. The trap

was empty. No rabbit had walked into it. Since there was a stream

flowing nearby Mara decided to brush his teeth and wash his face before

trekking back home. He broke a small stick from a nearby plant and

brushed it third or fourth time. He felt a sour taste in the mouth. He

took some water from the stream and put it into his mouth to churn and

spat it out. To his surprise, all the teeth which had been touched by that

stick had fallen off. Thus Mara had lost his teeth on the right side.

6. What did Mara’s wife find on opening the packet of meat?

Mara and his friend had caught a barking deer. They skinned and

cleaned it and divided the meat. Mara covered his share of meat with

certain leaves and took it home. His wife prepared the masala with

spices, put the water to boil and opened the packet with the leaves. To

her surprise, she found a live wild buck instead of the meat.

19

7. What happened when the milk was mixed with juice of the

creeper’s leaves?

Milk and leaves were mixed thoroughly in a mixer and poured out into a

vessel. For a couple of minutes nothing happened. After sometime it

became firm and rubbery. When the vessel was inverted the whole thing

fell out like a molded cast.

8. When would the medicines lose their potency according to the

belief of the native doctors?

According to the native doctors, if they tell others about their medicines,

the medicines would lose their potency.

Comprehension II

1. How long did it take the narrator to learn the facts about the

medicinal creeper? What does it signify?

The writer K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi is a prominent Kannada

writer, novelist, ornithologist, painter, and environmentalist.

He was with Mara and his friends for a long time to know more about

the medicinal herbs. It took almost twenty years for the author to learn

about the medicinal creeper, all because of the unwillingness of the local

people to share their knowledge regarding these medicinal plants.

People those who knew something about the value of these plants do not

let out the secret because of the belief that if it is shared, it may lose its

potency. More than that sufficient Research work has not taken place.

The natives are aware that some plants are medicinal but they are not

sure of the exact benefit from that plant.

This signifies that there were a lot of myths regarding this creeper.

Nobody was sure of the type of disease that it could cure, its availability,

in what form it must be taken and so on.

2. What does the incident of Mara’s wife throwing the leaves into

the fire tell us about Indians in general?

The writer K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi is a prominent Kannada

writer, novelist, ornithologist, painter, and environmentalist.

Mara and his friend had caught a barking deer. They skinned and

cleaned it and divided the meat. Mara covered his share of meat with

certain leaves and took it home. His wife prepared the masala with

spices, put the water to boil and opened the packet with the leaves. To

her surprise, she found a live wild buck instead of the meat. In anger

and out of frustration she threw those leaves into the fire, while Mara

ran behind the buck. Mara’s wife is naturally scared and ignorant about

the uses of the leaf. When an unusual incident of a meat turning into a

live buck happened, she was uninterested to find out the cause for such

an incident. She ignorantly threw the leaves into fire, thus remaining

ignorant about her own local medicines. This tells us that Indians have

a casual attitude towards the medicinal plants though it can do

wonders.

3. How was Krishna cured of his illness?

The writer K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi is a prominent Kannada

writer, novelist, Ornithologist, painter, and environmentalist.

Krishna was the erstwhile farmhand of the author. He had stopped

working in the estate sometime ago and was driving a rickshaw. When

he changed his job, he started passing blood with his stools. He

appeared tired, breathless and had wheezing. It was thought to be piles.

The only allopathic treatment for piles was surgery, which was

expensive. More than that he was very scared of surgery, therefore he

tries to seek the help of a Malayali Sadhu, who had on an earlier

occasion cured him of boils on his body.

The Sadhu was now an old man, therefore he advises Krishna himself to

go and find the medicinal creeper. He was asked to dig out the tuberous

root of the medicinal creeper and mix it with milk and drink for five

days. Within a day his piles improved. He was completely cured in five

days. The author suspects the plant to be the same medicinal creeper

which Mara and Appanna had tied to the nearest tree.

COMPREHENSION III

1. Do you think the author is suggesting that Indian herbal

medicine is better/ safer than allopathic medicine?

OR

What has made the modern man lose the knowledge of

traditional medicine? Do you think Ayurveda will make a

comeback in a successful way?

The writer K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi is a prominent Kannada

writer, novelist, ornithologist, painter, and environmentalist. He is

trying to suggest that Indian Herbal Medicine is better and safer than

allopathic medicine.

The belief of the native doctors that if they reveal things related to their

medicine, it would lose its potency has resulted in the loss of knowledge

of traditional medicine. People who are benefitted from these medicines

usually fabricate or exaggerate the facts and thus it is mistaken to be

fictitious. People like Mara and his wife were ignorant and neglected

the significance of the medicinal creeper and this took the author

almost twenty years to test, if there was some Truth in what Mara and

other illiterates claimed.

The author tries to show that Indian herbal medicine can do wonders,

when allopathic medicine becomes a failure or settle as the one with

side effects than benefits, through surgery. He quotes the example of his

erstwhile farmhand Krishna, who was troubled by heat boils all over his

body and got treated by a Malayali Sadhu within ten days and then the

piles treatment by the same Sadhu. The effect was seen on the first day

itself and within five days everything was under control because of

herbal medicine.

Allopathic Practitioners have regarded Ayurveda as ‘Bunkum’ but the

reality is that there is a wealth of knowledge to be explored in the Indian

Herbal Medicine. Today people are seen giving more importance to the

herbal cosmetics and other products having a tag ‘herbal’. This shows

that ‘Ayurveda’ will make a comeback.

2. “Our Natural Resources are our vital resources.” Explain the

statement in the light of several developmental projects that

are being promoted today.

The writer K.P Poornachandra Tejaswi is a prominent Kannada

writer, novelist, ornithologist, painter, and environmentalist. He is

trying to suggest that Indian Herbal Medicine is better and safer than

allopathic medicine.

Natural resources are indeed the vital resources. In this story we realize

the importance of natural resources such as medicinal herbs. The

mismanagement of these natural resources has led to various disasters

and natural calamities, global warming, climatic changes, new diseases

epidemics. Water, air, land and space have been polluted beyond

imagination. We have lost innumerable flora and fauna in the name of

some developmental projects.

Most of the resources that are put into maximum use are exhaustible

resources. It is ideal on our part that we undertake some developmental

projects in order to conserve the wealth of nature. Recycling the natural

resources and finding alternate sources of energy would help us

conserve the precious natural resources.

Harnessing solar energy for various purposes in the form of solar cells,

cooker and heater will help save a lot of other resources. Rain water

Harvesting should be made mandatory in order to save water. Opting

for alternative sources like wind energy and tidal energy to generate

electricity can be utilized. Finally, by following the principles of 3R’s

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, one can conserve the natural resources for

the generations to come.

4. Oru Manushyan

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

Translated from Malayalam by V Abdulla titled ‘A Man’

Glossary:

Vague : strange

Predicament : perplexing or dangerous situation

Befall : to happen or occur

Rescues : saves

Notions : a thought, idea

Dingy : gloomy/drab

Gouge : chisel with blade/ cut out roughly

Stark : completely/ bare

Intact : not damaged, remaining uninjured

Insignificant : unimportant

Comprehension:

1. How far was the big city from the narrator's home-town?

The big city was some thousand five hundred miles away from the

narrator's home-town.

2. Where did the narrator stay in the big city?

The narrator lived in a big city in the valley of a mountain and he stayed

in that city in a very small dingy room on a dirty street and carried on

teaching profession.

3. For money people would do anything, even commit murder.

4. What was the narrator doing to earn a living?

The narrator taught the skill of writing addresses to migrant labourers

from nine-thirty till eleven in the night.

. ________ was considered great education there.

Learning to write an address in English.

6. What reason did the narrator give for sleeping all day and

having food in the evening?

The narrator slept whole day and woke up in the evening to have his

meal because he wanted to save the expense of drinking his morning

tea and eating noon meal.

7. How much money did the narrator have in his pocket as his

life's savings?

The narrator had fourteen rupees in his wallet as his life's savings.

8. The man who came forward to pay the narrator's bill was _____

A man with a red turban.

Comprehension: II

1. Describe the people and the place where the incident took

place.

The writer Vaikom Mohammad Basheer is a well known Malayalam

short story writer and novelist. He gives description of a very gloomy

atmosphere where the incident took place. Author stayed in a very

small, dingy room on a dirty street, where he taught the skill of writing

addresses to migrant labourers. He had a very vague notion about

human beings. He considers that people around him are notorious and

cruel and their main aim was to get money by fair or foul means.

Murder, robbery and pick pocketing was daily occurrences of that place.

By tradition, the people were professional soldiers who migrated to

distant places and lent out money on interest. Many others served as

watchmen in banks, mills and large commercial establishments in big

cities. They valued money more than anything. For money they would

do anything, even commit murder. Most of them were sadist who

seeked pleasure by hurting or humiliating other people.

2. What was the routine of the narrator in the city?

The writer Vaikom Mohammad Basheer is a well known Malayalam

short story writer and novelist. He is known for his sympathetic

portrayal of the joys and sorrows of ordinary life. The narrator stayed in

a small, dingy room on a dirty street. He made his living by teaching

English to some migrant labourers from 9:30 to 11 in the night. He

taught them to write the addresses in English. Just to avoid the

expense of morning tea and afternoon meals, he slept whole day and

woke up only at four in the evening. This was his daily routine.

3. Give an account of the embarrassing experience of the narrator

at the restaurant.

OR

4. A stranger saved the day for the narrator. How?

The writer Vaikom Mohammad Basheer is a well known Malayalam

short story writer and novelist. He is known for his sympathetic

portrayal of the joys and sorrows of ordinary life. One day the author

went out to have tea and meal. He was in a suit and had fourteen rupees

in his wallet. The bill amounted to eleven annas. But when he checked

his pocket, he was shocked to find that his wallet was missing. The

narrator found himself caught in a dangerous situation. The owner of

the restaurant thought that he was lying and threatened him to gouge

his eyes and ordered him to take off his coat, shirt, shoe and finally

trousers. The narrator thought that the owner would chisel his eyes out

and send him naked. But he was rescued by a stranger who was a tall

handsome man with red turban, and wearing white trousers. He had

blue eyes which was common in that place. The man paid the bill and

told him to put on his clothes. On enquiring, the man said that he had

no name and thus remained a stranger. In this way the stranger saved

the day for the narrator.

Comprehension: III

1. Does this story talk about transformation in a person? Discuss.

The writer Vaikom Mohammad Basheer is a well known Malayalam

short story writer and novelist. He is known for his sympathetic

portrayal of the joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

Yes, this story is about the transformation of a pick-pocketer into a more

considerate and humane person. The author in a far off place from his

native land is struggling to earn his bread. Sometimes he foregoes his

morning tea and afternoon lunch to cut his expenses. It so happens one

evening after consuming a full meal and a cup of tea he realizes that his

wallet that contained fourteen rupees was missing. This was followed

by threats from the restaurant keeper. When he was on the verge of

getting stripped, a fair complexioned man, six foot tall, with a red

turban and white trousers with blue eyes and handle-bar moustache

appeared as a God-man to save him. He pays the eleven annas and

takes the author to a deserted bridge. There he asks him to pick his

wallet among the five wallets he had flicked. By experiencing this

pathetic incident, the author changes his pessimistic notion and

becomes more considerate and flexible and concludes that the robbers

too have a heart and is flexible in his thoughts and consideration.

2. Do you think the restaurant keeper was over reacting when the

narrator could not pay the bill? If so, what accounts for his

behavior?

The writer Vaikom Mohammad Basheer is a well known Malayalam

short story writer and novelist. He is known for his sympathetic

portrayal of the joys and sorrows of ordinary life.

The inhabitants of the big city in the valley of a mountain were cruel and

known for robbery, pick-pocketing and murder. Money was highly

valued by them. They would even commit murder for money.

It so happened that the narrator took up a profession of teaching

English to migrant labourers in that place. To save the expense he

would forego his morning tea and noon lunch. One evening as usual he

went to a crowded restaurant and ate a full meal and drank tea. But to

his horror he realizes his wallet has been picked by someone. He

conveys to the owner of the restaurant about the same. The restaurant

keeper with a loud laughter caught him by the lapels of his coat and

cried out loudly saying that such tricks would not work there and if he

fails to pay the bill, his eyes would be gouged out. Here the restaurant

keeper was a little over-reacting and drawing the attention of the

crowd. He was rude and his act was a humiliating one when he decided

to strip the author and gouge his eyes.

5. Money Madness

D. H Lawrence

Glossary:

Multitude : a very large number of people

Collective : shared or done by all members of our society

Tremor : trembling caused by fear

Quail : are afraid, tremble

Grovel : crawl before somebody; as in great fear, humble oneself

Delirium : a mental disturbance where the person is not able to

think/speak clearly.

Usher : guide

Ecstasy : bliss, cool

Humiliation : embarrassment, degradation

Comprehension: I

1. How do people feel when they give

A. One Pound?

B. Ten Pound?

A. One Pound-People are not happy to give away the pound note, they

feel a pang.

B. Ten Pound-If a person thinks to give away ten pound note, then he

feels tremors within him and feels dejected. He under goes a lot of

agony.

2. “Money has got us down” it means

It has made us its slaves.

3. How are people without money, usually treated?

The people without money are usually treated as beggars, they are

humiliated, degraded by all.

4. What things should be made available free of cost?

Bread, fire, shelter should be made available free of cost “to all and

anybody”.

5. The speaker is frightened of

Having no money.

6. What happens if we do not regain our sanity about money?

If we do not regain our sanity about money we will start killing each

other for money.

Comprehension: III

1. Collective madness about money affects the individuals also.

How does the poem bring this out?

Or

2. What according to the poet, might happen if people do not

regain sanity about money? What solution does he offer?

D. H Lawrence was a prominent twentieth century English writer. He

is noted for his novel especially ‘Sons and Lovers’ ‘The Rainbow’ and

‘Women in Love’.

In the poem ‘Money Madness’ the poet perceives materialistic

perspective of his fellow human beings. The poet goes on to project a

future which ushers in a moneyless society.

Money Madness by D.H Lawrence is a critical evaluation of the rush

after affluences that are visible all around us in this modern day world.

Money has become a powerful player in societies of today and holds

primary importance in the modern day life style. The poet, through his

pen, has tried to exemplify this situation and present the social and

moral degradation. The poet says that wherever we look there is

madness for money; infact money can be termed as metaphor for the

word madness. And this madness is not on small or individualistic

levels, it is the madness of the multitude, in numbers unimaginable and

at levels incredible. Every person in this world carries his share of this

madness. The poet doubts that there exists a human in this world who

hands out a pound note to someone without feeling a pang at heart. No

matter how noble he may feel while giving away the note, his heart

always wishes if only he could do all that good without having to take

out a note from his own pocket. When that note turns to a ten pound

note. He experience real tremors within him. He trembles as if he has

been robbed. Money makes us kneel in front of it. It makes us fearful

and a sense of apprehension and stress grips us, as we try to overcome

it.

It has an exaggerating power to influence our life. But in the broader

sense, it is not the money that we are terrified of, but it is the madness

that mankind shows for it, the multitude madness that gives money

such an undeserved status in the society of today. Poet feels that no one

cares for moral values and behavior, instead society judges a man by his

riches. If one has no money then he well deserves all the guilt, criticism

and blame that come with poverty.

“Has he no money? Then let him eat dirt, and go cold” says the society.

It lends him little money which is enough to buy a piece of bread in the

name of humanity. But even this small offering doesn’t come freely.

Poor man has to eat dirt (humiliation) to get it; suffering through pain

and criticisms is unparalleled... The poet says that it is this pitiful and

inhumane (savage) situation that he is afraid of. Poet proclaims that

bread, shelter and fire should be free to anybody and everybody all over

the world. We must replace our madness with logic or else we will start

killing one another for the sake of money.

Major problem for unhappiness and sufferings are due to the fact that

we have paid and are paying more attention to material progress and

comforts, ignoring life stabilizing human values. No doubt we have

progressed tremendously in science and technology but lag behind in

understanding ourselves and our fellow beings. We are more after lust,

power and wealth rather than human sympathy, understanding,

affection, kindness and cooperation. Self centered attitude lead us to

self destruction unless we synthesize (combining) the benefits of

scientific and technological developments with life stabilizing human

values, the future is bleak for man.

6. Babar Ali

Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma

Glossary:

Amid : amongst

Direst : acute, extreme

Chores : routine job

Studious : hard working, scholarly

Austere : rigorous, earnest

Dilapidated : in a state of ruin, broken down

Dank : wet, moist

Rows : sequence, series

Fuss : disturbance, trouble

Siblings : own brothers and sisters

Better off : more fortunate

Dropout : student who withdraw before completing a course

Venture : pursuit

Attendees : people who attend

Rod is spared : idiom (avoid physical abuse, beating)

Enlightened : well informed outlook

Herders : caretakers

Erring : mistake, fault

Rickety : broken down

Testament : tribute or evidence of a fact

Cocoons : envelop or surround in a protective or comforting

way.

Commended : appreciated

Audacity : daring or willingness to take bold risks.

Comprehension: I

1. Where does Babar Ali run classes for poor children?

Babar Ali runs classes for poor children in the backyard of his house in

Murshidabad, West Bengal.

2. How is Babar Ali’s routine described by the writer?

Babar wakes up every morning at seven and starts his day by doing

some house hold chores. Then he takes an auto rickshaw first and later

walks five kilometers to his class as a student of XII.

3. Give a picture of Babar Ali s school

Babar Ali’s school is made up of a dilapidated concrete structure

covered in half torn posters. Children study under the open blue sky.

Some sit in the mud while others on rickety benches under a rough

homemade shelter.

4. Why is Babar Ali called ‘a fortunate soul’ in his village?

Babar is called a fortunate soul in his village because unlike most

children he received formal education because he was firmly supported

by his father Nasiruddin Sheikh.

5. What according to Babar’s father, is true religion?

According to Babar’s father Nasiruddin Sheikh Education is man’s true

religion.

6. Why is sending children to school, a costly affair for parents?

Poor families find sending children a costly affair because even though

children are provided with free education, parents still have to bear the

cost of uniforms and other books.

7. Tulu Rani Hazra is________

An illiterate educationalist

8. The teaching staff of Babar Ali’s school is made up of____

High school student volunteers.

9. Babar Ali gets the children to listen by______

Making friends with them.

Comprehension: II

10. Why do you think Babar Ali took the initiative to start his own

school?

11. What started as a game resulted in a much sought after school

for the unprivileged.’ Explain.

12. Do you think that Babar Ali’s act of thoughtfulness has enabled

the poor children move towards growth? Discuss

Author Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma is the Associate Creative Editor

of Youth Leader India, Magazine. In her interview with Babar Ali she

says that his thoughtfulness and initiative have indeed enabled the

poor and deprived children move towards growth. Babar Ali noticed

how most of his friends in his village had not received formal education.

Although children were provided with free education, the parents still

had to bear the cost of books and uniform, Instead of going to school most

of the boys worked as mechanics, day laborers, grass cutters live stock

herders whereas girls worked as maid servants, cooking, cleaning, and

washing clothes and dishes for their employers. So Babar Ali wanted to

bring about a change in their lives. Nasiruddin Sheikh, Babar’s father a

jute seller believed that education is man’s true religion. So he

supported his son to open a school and provided free meals for the poor

students.

Babar Ali actually started his school Anand Shiksha Niketan when he

was nine. It grew out of a game. Babar Ali and his friends used to play

school-school with him as a teacher. As his friends had never

experienced school atmosphere they enjoyed playing as students. While

they played, his friends would end up learning arithmetic and this was

what led him to open his own institution, for his friends and other

children like them in his own village. Teaching in Ali’s school is taken

care of by high school student volunteers. According to Babar Ali

teaching learning process has become more effective as the generation

gap is less between the teacher and the students, and this is a big

advantage. Education is free and books are made available to the

students. Education has become accessible: affordable and has resulted

in all round development of these children. This basic education has

empowered these children to aspire for higher studies and thus has

opened the avenue for better jobs.

Comprehension: III

1. According to Nasiruddin ‘Education is man’s True Religion’.

How does Babar Ali’s school prove this?

2. The increasing strength of Babar Ali’s school reflects the

transformation in our society’s attitude towards education.

Substantiate.

3. Do you feel that Babar Ali’s initiation is a success story? Explain

Author Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma is the Associate Creative Editor

of Youth Leader India, Magazine. In her interview with Babar Ali she

says that Education is a boon and this is a remarkable story of the desire

to learn amid the direst (extreme) poverty. So Ali’s thoughtfulness and

initiative turned an impossible mission into a possible one. Success

cannot be measured by money or fame that is visible but by the positive

transformation caused by a small act of courage.

The School which was started in a very humble manner in the backyard

of Babar Ali’s house with eight students has been transformed today to

the one with eight hundred students, with 60 regular attendees and

over 220 students on roll call. Anand shiksha Niketan consists of ten

volunteer teachers teaching grade 1 to 8. It is registered with the West

Bengal Government. This means that the children who gain access to

education will also have more career opportunities. Text books are free

from class 1 to 5. The School provides free mid-day meals and

opportunity to get into the High School. Students join his School with

lots of enthusiasm and interest. Moreover, they are very keen to study

when a person receives education it uplifts his way of thinking and

improves the quality of his life. The school has not only created

confidence in young children but also enhanced self confidence of the

entire villagers in this process of education. People like Tulu Rani

Hazra a fish monger, high school volunteers, Debarita Bhattachary ,

Monks at the local Rama Krishna Mission, IAS officers and local cops

have participated in the school’s activities which reflect their devotion

towards education. In short, Babar Ali’s foresight has given

opportunities for hundreds of deprived students.

7. If I was a tree

Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy

Glossary:

Embraced : touch, clasp, fondle

Defiled : corrupted, polluted, spoilt

Dog eater : term of abuse (a derogatory term)

Branch out : spread out, grow

Flee : run

Hacked : wreck, shot to pieces, chopped

Bier : support for burial, pyre

Borne : carried, rode

D. Lit : Doctor of letters

Anthology : literary collection

Sacred : Holy

Comprehension : I

1. The speaker wants to be a tree because

Trees are not treated as objects of defilement.

2. What wouldn’t the bird ask the tree?

The bird wouldn’t ask what caste the tree belongs to before it builds its

nest.

3. When does the sacred cow scrape her body onto the bark?

Sacred cow scrape her body onto the bark of the tree when it felt an itch,

or whenever it get itched.

4. How does the speaker want to be purified?

By burning in the holy fire the speaker wanted to be purified.

5. The phrase ‘dog –eater’ refers to Untouchable.

6. What uses of the wood does the speaker see?

The wood can be used in a holy fire for sacrifices or rituals. It also

become the bier for a sinless dead body on the shoulders of four good

men.

Comprehension : II

1. Why would mother earth not flee according to the speaker?

2. How do the life forces-sunlight and the cool breeze enforce

nature’s idea of equality?

The poem if I was a tree by Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy is a satire on

social discrimination as it portrays how even a tree is treated better

than a human being who belongs to the lower castes. Literally Dalit

means oppressed or crushed. In earlier times, these people were made

to live outside the villages and cities and their touch or even shadow was

considered polluting. These groups were not entitled to education or

any position of status and authority. However the sad reality is that it is

still in practice in a lot of place around the country.

The poet feels that if he was a tree he would not have to face

discrimination at the hands of people. The poet says if he was tree then

the bird wouldn’t ask for his cast before it built its nest on him, his

shadow wouldn’t feel defiled (polluted) if the sunlight embraced him. He

further thinks that his friendship with the breeze and leaves would be

sweet and congenial (friendly, pleasing)

The poet is trying to tell us that nature does not differentiate between

upper and lower caste, it does not reserve its resources only for the

upper castes. Forces like the rain, the wind, water serve all human

beings in the same way. It is in the name of caste and creed that man

differentiates and oppresses those who come from the lower castes.

The poet feels that the sacred cow would scrape her body on the tree’s

bark whenever he feels the need to scratch its body and the three

hundred thousand Gods sheltering inside her would touch him as well.

Even if it is cut and made into pieces it may be used to light the holy fire

or used as a bier for a sinless body being carried by four good men on the

shoulders.

How can someone be purified by a bath if their inner selves are polluted

with the idea of discriminating individuals? The poet feels it is

convenient to be a tree that is beyond the boundaries of caste rather

than being a human being who belong to the untouchable caste and

suffer from caste politics.

38a

8. Watchman of the Lake

R.K. Narayan

Glossary:

Rustic - a simple villager

Wretched - bad state

Lunatic - mad person

Buck - male deer

Stun - surprise

Resist - stop

Cellar - an underground room

Prattle - meaningless talk

Gaping - staring

Restrain - hold back

Trample - stamped

Dissipate - gradually disappear

Slaking - quenching

Parch - dry

Incessantly - continuously

Summon - call on

Tresses - long hair

Deluge - heavy rain and flood

Pedestal - the base on which a statue stands

Shrine - small temple

Scores - large number

Comprehension: I

1. Why was the headman in a hurry to complete the road work?

The headman was in a hurry to complete the road work because the

king was supposed to arrive to the village on the next day.

2. The village headman asked Mara to keep away from the road

workers because___

He was disturbing the workers.

3. How did Mara manage to draw the attention of the king? Why?

Mara managed to draw the attention of the king by jumping in front of

his procession from a tree. He did this to inform the king about his

dream in which goddess commanded to build the tank for river Veda.

4. The Goddess command to Mara was to Build a tank to Veda

5. How does the king respond to Mara’s information about the

tank?

The king instructed Mara to accompany him next day to his capital.

6. What does Mara advise his son in saving the lake and the

creatures?

Mara advised his son to guard the lake after he is gone and deal firmly

with the killers and to ensure that everything which flies, swims or

walks near the lake must be protected.

7. Why did the visitor approach Mara?

A visitor approaches Mara to request him to help in building a few

channels from the lake to his village as the crops are dying without

water.

8. Mara rushed to the king because he wanted to save The lake.

9. Mara was trembling at the king’s palace because

He was worried about the lake.

10. On what condition did Mara make the Goddess wait for him?

To wait until his return.

11. Why did the head man scold Mara?

Headman scolded Mara as he was sharing his vision with his

neighbour.

Comprehension: II

12. What was the significance of Mara’s dream?

R. K. Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

Mara’s dream signifies the need to recognize the precious quality of

water and the need to conserve water by building a tank around the

river Veda, so that water will be available during summer also. In his

vision the Goddess stood before him, she looked like a protective mother

in every way with her tresses flying in the wind with stars in her crown,

a ruby as big as the eyes of the elephant sparkling on her forehead and

wearing a garment of gold. She warned that the river Veda at the foot of

the hills is her own play thing, which carried nectar for Gods and

nourishment for mortals. With the coming of summer the river is

withdrawn into the cool glades of the mountains and people die of

drought. The river yet again flows when summer ends. Man, without

realizing the precious quality of water, uses it as much as he wants and

allows it to waste away in the foul marshes far off.

She advises Mara to tell the king to build a tank and give Veda a home

and not to let her leave the village. The vision of Mara was understood

by the king and he asked Mara to accompany him to the capital. The

tank was built and Mara was made the watchman of the lake.

13. What instructions did Mara give his son about the lake and the

creatures? What light do these instructions throw on Mara’s

character?

R.K Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

Mara is more than a mere watchman of the lake. He is the custodian of

the river, preserver of values of nature’s oneness, Love and Selflessness.

He wanted his son to possess the same values. Mara instructs his son to

guard the lake after he is gone with the same outlook and deal firmly

with the selfish people who come to kill the gulls or the fish. Mara

performs the role of the watchman of the lake with a sense of

responsibility and vision. He considers the lake as belonging to all

forms of life and nobody should use it for his selfish purpose. He never

allowed people to fish in the lake, or to hunt the gulls which skim over

the lake. He strongly believed that the lake is sacred and belongs to the

goddess and according to her command no form of life should ever be

killed. He performed this duty diligently. He has even let the tiger to

quench its thirst. He considered himself to be the master of the lake

because the king had given him the responsibility of looking after the

lake, which was the result of his vision of the Goddess. He knows how

much water he has to give and when to stop it. Even the headman has to

ask for his permission if he needs water. He is the king of the Lake, and

the caretaker of the lives of cattle and people. He asks his son to warn

the man taking his cow to the lake’s edge about the depth of the lake.

Mara willingly agrees to give water to the visitor’s village where there is

drought, and the crops are getting parched up and the cattle are dying.

This shows that his outlook is selfless, socially inclined and is in the

interest of every single person in the kingdom.

14. Bring out the significance of the sacred spot that Mara

describes to the King.

R.K Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

The spot that Mara described to the king is a sacred spot. It is

associated with the holy place described in “Ramayana”; He describes

the spot as being the same as one where Lord Hanuman stood on the day

Lakshman was injured in the battle field at Lanka. The mountain

whose shadow fell on the king was the same as the one on whose crest

Hanuman found the miraculous Sanjeevini, flew with it to Lanka and

saved Lakshmana. A stream rose from the place, came down the

mountain as ‘River Veda nourishing the people of the kingdom.

15. How did Mara react to the Goddess when she appeared before

him for the first time and the second time?

R.K Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

The vision of the Goddess appears to Mara two times. In the first he saw

the Goddess as the mother, a protector. Her long hair flew in the wind

as she stood resplendent (bright coloured in an impressive way) before

him. He was moved by her sight and bowed in reverence. He

considered her words to be prophetic and repeated the same to the king

who understood its significance and acted upon it by building a tank and

making him its watchman.

The second vision of the Goddess was a fierce vision of warning. She

appeared fiercely and her eyes gleamed with a strange light. Mara was

shocked and confused by her instructions to destroy the tank. He

pleads with her for mercy and requests her to reconsider her decision to

destroy the tank. He takes a word from the Goddess that she will not

destroy the tank until he returns from the king and rushes to see the

king to find a way to save the lake and preserve it for future even at the

cost of sacrificing himself.

Comprehension: III

1. Was the headman justified in calling Mara a lunatic? Give

reasons.

R.K Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

The headman is a man of limited knowledge. He is rude and is

interested in pleasing the king. He fails to understand the urgency of

Mara to meet the king and tell his dream. He asked the workers, to bind

him and put him in the cellar. It was the good sense of Bhima that made

him escape and reach out to the king and narrate his dream which

provided a perennial lake to the citizens,

2. “Nature is both protective and destructive” How does the play

bring out this idea?

R.K Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

Nature is universal in its providence (beneficent care). It is cyclic in its

behavior; we cannot stop or alter its natural process. Nature is both

protective and destructive in its ways. Nature has always been kind to

man in extending its resources for his well being.

In this lesson, we notice how nature allows the lake to flourish and

makes the entire kingdom fertile with its presence. All living forms are

seen taking shelter and benefit from the lake. Finally the nature sends

her destructive powers to destroy the lake.

One can cherish nature’s fullness when it is productive and be prepared

to meet disasters when it is destructive by threatening to destroy the

tank, the Goddess is reminding us that we do not have the power to

control natural resources and determine where they should go

3. How differently did Mara treat the fisherman and the visitor?

Or

4. Why do you think Mara asked the king to make his son, son’s son

and so on, the watchman of the lake?

R.K Narayan was an Indian author whose works of fiction include a

series of books about people and their interactions in an imagined town

in India called Malgudi. Narayan rarely wrote plays and the present

one is said to be a dramatized version of his short story ‘The Watchman’.

Mara believes that every form of life has a right to survive in the river

and man should not be selfish. He considers, fishing and killing birds to

be acts against this principle and warns the fisherman not to fish and

remove the fish from its rightful and natural environment. He

instructs his son not to allow such activities. On the other hand Mara

thinks the lake has to nurture and sustain crops and cattle and the lake

is not only owned by people of that region alone but water has to be

channelized to the dry land. Thus his vision is to use the Natural

resources equitably and justifiably.

Mara instructs his son that he has to deal firmly with the killers and

make sure that creatures of the lake are safe, when he is gone his son

will have to continue the good work of watchman in the same spirit.

Mara feels that it is his and his successor’s duty to protect the lake and

preserve it for the future because the Goddess had appeared in his

vision and chose him to be the instrument through which the lake

benefits the people.

9.Farmer's Wife

P.LalitaKumari (Volga)

Glossary:

Misery : sadness, grief agony

Virtuous : ethical, blameless

Outstretched : spread out

Abused : physically hurt, injure

Reviled : scold

Dignity : self respect, prestige

Cotton pod : unripe cotton shell

Clench : clasp

Articulate : fluent, express clearly

Comprehension: I

1. Who do ‘you’ and ‘I’ in the poem refer to?

You refer to the farmer

I refer to farmer’s wife.

2. Why has the speaker’s husband committed suicide?

Speaker’s husband committed suicide because his cotton crops failed as

a result he failed to repay the debts.

3. What series of contrasts does the speaker draw between herself

and her husband?

The farmer’s wife contrasts how the farmer, only had to face pain and

humiliation before he died, where as she has faced it all her life. Second

biggest contrast between them is that she is optimistic who chose life,

where as her husband chose death.

4. What expressions in the poem bring out the contrast between

the speaker and her husband’s plight? What difference does it

indicate?

The farmer’s wife points out that he found release with poison and that

poisoned her bitter existence. She also says that he embraced death but

she will embrace life. These contrasts indicates that the farmer is

pessimist where as his wife accepts the challenge of being a lone widow

and a single mother.

5. The farmer’s wife in the poem is

a. Complaining about her husband’s death

b. Lamenting the death of her husband

c. Angry that her husband has left her.

d. Bitter about her husband’s act

e. Worried about her future

All the above answers are correct.

6. What memories of her husband trouble her now?

The memories of her husband abusing and kicking her when he was

drunk, she recalls his ill treatment and misbehaviour, which troubles

her now.

7. What does the phrase ‘harvest of my womb’ suggest? Why is

their plight compared to worm eaten cotton pods?

The phrase ‘harvest of my womb’ refers to the farmer’s children. Their

suffering is compared to worm eaten cotton pods as they are now left

without care or nourishment from the primary earning member of the

family.

8. To what condition had her husband’s act of committing suicide

pushed her?

The husband’s suicide has left her with an outstretched hand and bent

head. She is alone and without any support.

9. The poem ends with

A will to survive against all odds.

Comprehension: II

1. Many times the tone suggests the attitude of the speaker what

kind of attitudes are suggested by the words ‘virtuous’, ‘poor

sinner’ , ‘he is but a man’, ‘what of this?’, ‘why is this?’

Or

2. What kind of questions does the poem raise about the plight of

farmers ’widows? Do you think that these questions are only

addressed to the speaker’s dead husband?

A well known Telugu writer P Lalita Kumari whose pen name is Volga

has been successful in bringing out the plight of a farmer’s family after

he committed suicide. The Farmer’s wife is translated by Vasanth

Kannabiram from the Telugu poem ‘Chavuni Kaadu Batukuni’ which

means ‘Not Death but life’.

The poem reflects on the Farmer’s wife lamenting over the death of her

husband. She considers herself to be a ‘sinner’ as he has left them

behind unable to face the creditors. The farmer is considered virtuous,

as he is dead and gone. His failure to sell the crop or to bend his head

before the creditors made him put an end to himself. She says she was

born with bent head and stretched for favours. But, his wife is left

behind alone to deal with all these problems. The farmer committed

suicide by consuming poison, but the family will have to survive with

the consequences of his decision. The destruction of the crop has

lowered their dignity so also their livelihood. He found relief with the

poison but that has made her existence bitter. She is disturbed with the

thought of her four children.

The farmer’s wife used to be treated very badly by her husband. She

was abused and criticized always and often kicked by him when he was

drunk. But still she tolerated all this keeping in mind he is a man. She

admits she has escaped death many times in his hand, and also adds

that such a death blow was something unexpected from him.

The poem is the struggle for life and the urge that the farmer’s wife has

to live and fight against all odds. This is necessary for the sake of her

four children. She does not want to give up life as her husband did for

the worm eaten cotton pods. She has a firm heart and willingness to

embrace life only to help her children to come up in life facing all the

difficulties. Farmer suicides are infact, a big concern. It is indeed an

act of cowardice. One must learn to cope up with life and understand

that there is a solution for any problem. One must remember the

amount of burden in the form of debts and the loss of earning they leave

behind before opting suicide.

10. Frederick Douglass

Glossary:

Assistance : Help

Convention : assembly, meeting

Orator : speaker

Impressive : influential

Emancipation : Freedom

Accurate : precise

Authentic : Known to be real, genuine

Deprived : impoverished, underprivileged

Deemed : regard, consider

Impertinent : arrogant, disrespectful

Withheld : hidden, holdback

Hinder : stop

Inevitable : irresistible, irrevocable

Field hand : work in the field, farm

Soothing : smooth, calm

Tiding : news, information

Odiousness : wickedness, foulness

Ordained : ordered, appointed

Lust : animalism

Gratification : enjoyment

Sustains : control

Invariably : constant, consistent

Offence : violation, sin

Compelled : forced

50 Mongers : trader, dealer

Dictate : command

Disposed : partial

Mulatto : Child of one white parent and the other dark

Gory : involving much bloodshed violence

Presume : assume

Overseer : supervisor

Profane : immoral, nasty, filthy

Slash : slit, slice

Cudgel : cane, baton for hitting

Humane : compassionate

Shriek : High pitched scream, cry

Joist : post, support, stud

Hush : silence, quiet

Barbarity : crudeness, brutality

Comprehension I:

1. What prevented the slaves from knowing their birthday?

Twelve month old infants were forcefully separated from their mother

before they knew, she was their mother. White masters preferred to

keep their slaves ignorant about their proper age, by not maintaining

any authentic records.

2. How would the master look at the enquiries about the slaves

birthday?

The white master’s deemed all enquiries about the slaves birthday as

improper and impertinent.

3. What was whispered about Douglass’s parentage?

Rumour was that the Master of Douglass, Captain Anthony himself was

his father.

4. When was Douglass separated from his mother?

Douglass was separated from his mother when he was just twelve

month old baby.

5. Douglass mother was able to meet him only at night.

6. What was the penalty to the field hand for not being in the field

at sunrise?

Whipping was the penalty to the field hand for not being in the field at

sunrise.

7. How old was Douglass when he lost his mother?

Douglass was seven years old when he lost his mother.

8. Name the person who was believed to be both Douglass father

and master.

Captain Anthony was believed to be both Douglass father and master.

9. What was Mr. Plummer?

Mr. Plummer was an overseer who supervised the farms and slaves of

his Master Captain Anthony. He was a miserable drunkard, profane

swearer and a savage monster.

Comprehension: II

1. Why wasn’t Douglass affected much by his mother’s death?

Frederick Douglass was born in February 1817 on the eastern shore of

Maryland. His autobiographical works are My Bondage and My

Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass(1881). He

says that his exact date of birth remains unknown. His mother, from

whom he was separated at an early age, was a slave named Harriet

Bailey. She named her son Fredrick Augustus Washington Bailey. He

never knew exactly who his father was. He was forced to work hard and

suffered cruel treatment while working on the property of Captain

Aaron Anthony.

Douglass was not affected much by his mother’s death because he was

separated from his mother when he was just twelve months old, this

was done too obviously to administer to slave holder’s own lusts, and

make a gratification of their wicked desires profitable as well as

pleasurable. He saw his mother hardly for four or five times in his life

and each of these times was very short in duration and at night she was

56 hired by Mr. Stewart, who lived about twelve miles. She made her

journeys to see him in the night travelling the whole distance on foot,

after the performance of her day’s work. She was a field hand, and a

whipping was the penalty of not being in the field at sunrise. He

recollects of never seeing his mother by the light of day, she was with

him in the night. But long before he woke she was gone. Very little

communication ever took place between them. She died when he was

about seven years old, on one of his master’s farms, near Lee’s Mill.

Fredrick was not allowed to be present during her illness, at her death

or burial.

Comprehension: III.

1. What kind of hardships did the slaves suffer at the hands of the

slave holder and his mistress?

Or

2. How does the passage comment on the dreadful experience of

slavery?

Frederick Douglass was born in February 1817 on the eastern shore of

Maryland. His autobiographical works are My Bondage and My

Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass(1881).

His mother, from whom he was separated at an early age, was a slave

named Harriet Bailey. She named her son Fredrick Augustus

Washington Bailey. He never knew exactly who his father was. He was

forced to work hard and suffered cruel treatment while working on the

property of Captain Aaron Anthony.

The hardships faced by the slaves at the hands of the slave holder and

their mistress were unexplainable. They were not allowed to know

their ages or about their parents Infants were separated from their

slave mother before they knew she was their mother.

The slave holders were inhuman and showed extraordinary barbarity

in dealing with the slaves. They would at times seem to take great

pleasure in whipping a slave. Mr. Anthony, the slave holder and his

overseer, Mr. Plummer who was a miserable drunkard, profane

swearer and a savage monster, always went around armed with a cow

skin and a heavy cudgel.

He used to cut and slash the women’s heads so horribly, that even

master would be enraged at his cruelty. Mulatto (person with one black

parent and one white parent) children were the great sufferers. They

were in the first place, a constant offence to their mistress. She was ever

disposed to find fault with them; they could seldom do anything to

please her; she was never better pleased than when she saw them under

the lash, especially when she suspected her husband of showing to his

mulatto children favors which he withheld from his black slaves. The

master was frequently compelled to sell this class of his slaves, out of

deference to the feelings of his white wife; and cruel as the deed may

strike any one to be, for a man to sell his own children to human fleshmongers,

it was often the dictate of humanity for him to do so; for, unless

he did this he must not only whip them himself, but must stand by and

see one white son tie up his brother, of but few shades darker

complexion than himself, and ply the gory lash to his naked back; and if

he lisped one word of disapproval, it was set down to his parental

partiality, and only made a bad matter worse both for himself and the

slaves whom he would protect and defend.

2. In spite of the hardships he suffered as a slave, why does the

author say, “Slavery would not always be able to hold me within

its foul embrace?

Frederick Douglass was born in February 1817 on the eastern shore of

Maryland. His autobiographical works are My Bondage and My

Freedom (1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass(1881). His

exact date of birth remains unknown. His mother, from whom he was

separated at an early age, was a slave named Harriet Bailey. She

named her son Fredrick Augustus Washington Bailey. He never knew

exactly who his father was. He was forced to work hard and suffered

cruel treatment while working on the property of Captain Aaron

Anthony.

The hardships faced by the slaves at the hands of the slave holder and

their mistress were unexplainable. They were not allowed to know

their ages or about their parents Infants were separated from their

slave mother before they knew she was their mother. The slave holders

were inhuman and showed extraordinary barbarity in dealing with the

slaves. They would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a

slave.

Mr. Anthony, the slave holder and his overseer, Mr. Plummer who was a

miserable drunkard, profane swearer and a savage monster who always

went around armed with a cow skin and a heavy cudgel. He used to cut

and slash the women’s heads so horribly, that even master would be

enraged at his cruelty.

The author expresses his dreadful childhood. Experience of slavery as

how he was a wakened at the dawn of the day by the most heart-rending

shrieks of his aunt, who was whipped by her master till she was literally

covered with blood? No words, no tears, no prayers, from the victim

seemed to move the iron heart, the louder she screamed the harder he

whipped and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He

would whip her to make scream and whip her make her hush.

In spite of the hardships, he suffered as a slave, he firmly believed in

God, Even in the darkest hours of his career in slavery, the living word

of faith and spirit of hope did not depart from him. His optimism

showed light at the end of the tunnel; hence he has a deep conviction

that slavery would not always hold him, within its foul embrace.

11. An Old Woman

Arun Kolatkar

Glossary

Tag - follow closely

Burr - force his/her company on others

Farce - deal

Wretched - miserable

Crone - an ugly old woman

Clatter - the sound of the hard objects

Air of finality - the impression that there is nothing more to be

said or done.

Plate glass - glass of fine quality used for doors, mirrors.

COMPREHENSION I

1. ‘You’ in the poem refers to the speaker.

2. What does the old woman offer to do?

The old woman offers to be a tourist guide.

3. What does she expect for her service?

She expects fifty paise coin for her service.

4. The lines, ‘You turn around and face her with an air of finality’

suggest that he decided to end the farce.

5. The old woman’s eyes are compared to bullet holes.

6. ‘You are reduced to so much small change in her hand’

Here, the speaker is suggesting that

C. One feels a change in one’s personality.

COMPREHENSION II

1. How is the plight of the old woman depicted in the poem?

Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual Poet. An Old Woman is selected from

Jejuri, a collection his of poems. The old woman he has tried to create is

the one who represents our culture, our heritage and our natural

beauty. Initially it seems that she is little adamant when speaker

refuses to give her any money. But, it also shows how she does not

resolve to beggary. She wishes to take the speaker to the horse shoe

shrine; in return she demands a mere fifty paisa coin.

Poverty and old age are two curses that can cripple a person and make

him utterly helpless. The old woman is shown as a helpless woman who

laments saying “What else can an Old Woman do on hills as wretched as

these?”

2. The Old Woman in the poem is a self appointed tourist guide, not

a beggar. Do you agree? Give reasons.

Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual Poet. An Old Woman is selected from

Jejuri, a collection his of poems. Yes, I agree that the old woman is a self

appointed tourist guide and not a beggar. She is asking a 50 paisa coin in

return for taking the speaker round the Horse-Shoe Shrine. This shows

that she does not want to beg but wants to earn her living in the only

way she knew. She appears happy to receive wages after forcing the

visitor to get her guidance about the place.

3. How does the Speaker’s attitude undergo a change?

Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual Poet. An Old Woman is taken from Jejuri, a

collection of his poems. The old woman he has tried to create is the one

who represents our culture, our heritage and our natural beauty.

Initially it seems that she is little adamant when speaker refuses to give

her any money. But, it also shows how she does not resolve to beggary.

She wishes to take the speaker to the horse shoe shrine; in return she

demands a mere fifty paisa coin.

Poverty and old age are two curses that can cripple a person and make

him utterly helpless. The old woman is shown as a helpless woman who

laments saying “What else can an Old Woman do on hills as wretched

as these?”

The Speaker looks into her eyes and realizes she is right. Her

helplessness because of her old age moves him. He is also touched by the

fact that she wants to earn the fifty paisa coin by showing him the horse

shoe shrine rather than demanding it as a charity. All this brings about

a change in his approach and attitude.

COMPREHENSION III

1. “The Old Woman reduces the self esteem of the speaker and

makes him feel that he is nothing more than ‘so much small

change’. Comment.

Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual Poet. An Old Woman is taken from Jejuri, a

collection of his poems. The old woman he has tried to create is the one

who represents our culture, our heritage and our natural beauty.

Initially it seems that she is little adamant when speaker refuses to give

her any money. But, it also shows how she does not resolve to beggary.

She wishes to take the speaker to the horse shoe shrine; in return she

demands a mere fifty paisa coin.

Poverty and old age are two curses that can cripple a person and make

him utterly helpless. The old woman is shown as a helpless woman who

laments saying “What else can an Old Woman do on hills as wretched

as these?”The Speaker looks into her eyes and realizes she is right. Her

helplessness because of her old age moves him. He is also touched by the

fact that she wants to earn the fifty paisa coin by showing him the horse

shoe shrine rather than demanding it as a charity.

All this brings about a change in his approach and attitude. Thus an

arrogant, unconcerned tourist is moved by the self-esteem of an old

woman. Initially, he tries to ignore her by paying less heed to whatever

she said and by claiming that he has already seen the shrine he wanted

to escape from her clutches. The woman pesters him to give her that

little job, so that she can earn a bit to fill her stomach. Her willingness to

work for a living has reduced him to the small change in her hands.

2. What is the Speaker trying to convey through the lines ‘and the

hills crack, and the temples crack, and the sky falls’?

Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual Poet. An Old Woman is taken from Jejuri, a

collection of his poems. The old woman he has tried to create is the one

who represents our culture, our heritage and our natural beauty. The

Speaker highlights the fact that growing old is not just for the living

forms it also applies to the non living forms like the hills and the

temples. ‘Cracks’ are simply a sign of old age. It is a natural process that

with the passage of time, the hills and temples which were strong

earlier develop cracks. Everything around the poet seems to fall at the

attitude carried by the old woman. Her willingness to survive with

dignity in those wretched hills at that age causes the hills and the

temples to crack and the sky to fall.

3. How do you relate the ‘cracks around her eyes’ to the cracking

of hills and temples?

Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual Poet. An Old Woman is taken from Jejuri, a

collection of his poems. ‘Cracks’ are simply a sign of old age. Age is an

important factor. As the age passes by it starts leaving its ugly impact

on the body. With the passage of time even the hills and temples which

were strong earlier develop cracks. It is a natural process. The ‘cracks

around her eyes’ are symbolic of her old age and rich experience. It also

talks about the wisdom that comes with age. The hills and temples

represent the same wisdom and dignity that a woman stands for. The

old woman and the hills have been around for centuries. Inspite of being

old the woman is able to carry on and find means to keep her life going

just like the hills and the temples.

12. Two Gentlemen of Verona

A.J.Cronin

Glossary

Outskirts : the borders of a town

Scarlet : red

Tangled : untidy

Exquisite : very beautiful

Drew up short : came to a halt

Provoked : arose, annoy

Unremitting : never failing

Ran errands : did small jobs for others

Emigrate : leave one's country and settle elsewhere

Baffle : confused

Piped up : high pitched voice of a child

Glaring : stare angrily

Vexation : worry, annoyance

Picturesque : attractive, charming way

Treble : high tone

Contentment : happy, satisfied

COMPREHENSION: I

1. Where does the narrator first meet the two boys?

The narrator first meets the two boys on the outskirts of Verona.

2. Why doesn’t the driver approve of the narrator buying fruit

from the two boy? Does he succeed?

The driver doesn’t approve of the narrator buying fruit from the two

boys because of their shabby appearance and also insisted that one can

get better fruit in Verona. He does not succeed because author felt

himself being strangely attracted towards these two children. So he

bought their biggest basket, then set off towards the town.

3. List the different things that the boys did to earn their living

The boys did different things to earn their living and they were as

follows: Shined shoes, sold fruits, Hawked newspapers, acted as

tourists guide and ran errands and exploited every avenue for their

living.

4. Inspite of working hard and earning money the two boys still

looked poor because

C. Wanted to save the money for medical expenses.

5. What qualities in the two boys attracted the narrator?

The qualities in the two boys that attracted the narrator were their

unremitting willingness to do any work, their polite, serious

mannerism, helping nature, and extraordinary courage and

indomitable spirit to survive against all odds.

6. Nicola was not pleased when Jacopo asked the narrator to drive

them to Poleta as he

C. did not want to ask anyone for favour.

7. Why did the two boys go to Poleta and Why did they want the

narrator not to follow them?

The two boys went to Poleta every Sunday to meet their ailing sister

Lucia. They wanted the narrator not to follow them because they

wanted to have their own secrets.

8. The narrator did not follow the boys because

C. He wanted to respect their privacy.

9. What had made the two boys and their sister homeless?

The two boys and their sister had been made homeless because a bomb

had destroyed their home.

10. The author did not speak to the boys on their return journey

because he thought

a. The boys would prefer to keep their secret.

11. What does the narrator learn from Lucia’s nurse?

Lucia’s nurse reveals a lot of unbelievable secrets of these two young

boys. They lost their father, a widower in the war and then a bomb had

destroyed their house. This left them on the streets and made them

starve and exposed to the cold Veronese winter. Very soon, they built a

sort of shelter with their own hands amidst the rubble. They worked in

the underground resistance to German rule in Verona. They had

intimate knowledge of the neighboring hills and this made them

immensely valuable. They risked their lives many times for peace.

When they got back the peace, they found that Lucia was suffering from

tuberculosis of spine contracted during the miseries of the war. They

never gave up. She was brought to the hospital and for the past 12

months, she is the patient there. Lucia had been making progress and

the nurse says that there was hope that she would walk and sing one

day. Every week Lucia’s brothers have made their payment but she’s

unable to explain how they did it.

COMPREHENSION II

1. In what different ways were the boys useful to the narrator?

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

The narrator met the two brothers- Nicola, thirteen year old and

Jacopo, twelve year old on the outskirts of Verona when they were

selling strawberries. Inspite of their appearance, the narrator bought

fruit from them. In the days that followed the narrator discovered that

these boys did a lot of other things apart from selling fruits. They sold

newspapers, they polished shoes, and they worked as guides to tourists

and ran errands. The boys proved to be extremely useful to the narrator.

Whenever they wanted a pack of American cigarettes or seats for the

opera or the name of a good restaurant that could provide ravioli, they

satisfied their needs with their usual cheerful competence.

2. What do you understand about the boy’s character from their

action and behavior?

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

Nicola is a thirteen year old boy whose younger brother Jacopo is just

twelve. The hardship in life has made the boys very mature for their age.

They work selflessly and tirelessly for the treatment of their sister,

Lucia who was suffering from tuberculosis of spine. They are shabby in

their dress and live on black bread and figs, but kept their sister in an

expensive hospital to get the best of care.

The boys were very friendly and innocent but beneath their cheerful

smile some sadness was hidden. Their eagerness to do any work was

really remarkable. The boys appear to be cheerful, polite, well

mannered and compassionate. They also have a lot of self respect. They

are extremely hardworking and matured in their outlook. They do not

want to gain sympathy from the people by narrating their personal

tragedy. They appear to be very caring and considerate brothers.

COMPREHENSION III

1. Do you think the ending comes to you as a surprise? Why?

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

Yes, the ending comes as a surprise. In the initial part of the story it

appears that these boys are working hard for money only. As the

narration continues we get to understand that the boys are more than

just the street vendors. They appear to be men of hard work and of high

self esteem. Their love for their sick sister Lucia and willingness to take

up any job cheerfully at that age really surprises everyone. Nicola is a

thirteen year old boy whose younger brother Jacopo is just twelve. The

hardship in life has made the boys very mature for their age. They work

selflessly and tirelessly for the treatment of their sister, Lucia who was

suffering from tuberculosis of spine. They are shabby in their dress and

live on black bread and figs, but kept their sister in an expensive

hospital to get the best of care.

2. Had you been in the place of the narrator would you have

behaved differently?

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

If I were in the place of the narrator, I guess I would have behaved

differently towards the two young boys. After learning about their

personal tragedy and sister’s ailment, one could develop sympathy and

render a helping hand. Whereas the narrator did not do any of those, in

order to respect their privacy and self esteem.

3. “Appearances are Deceptive”. How does the story bring out this

idea?

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

Appearances are deceptive; they need not reveal the character of a

person. Nicola and Jacopo initially were seen dressed shabbily selling

strawberries. Inspite of their appearances, the author bought fruit from

them. The narrator realizes that the boys did a lot of other things apart

from selling straw berries in the days that followed. They sold

newspapers, polished shoes, worked as Guides to the tourists and many

more. The author discovers a sense of purpose and self esteem that was

beyond their age. Despite their appearances they never derived a favor

or pity from anyone. They earned a living for themselves and provided

medical assistance to their ailing sister Lucia at the best of the

Hospitals.

4. War may destroy one’s home but not one’s heart.’ Discuss the

statement

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

With reference to the story of the two boys. Inspite of the trouble and the

loss caused by the war, the boys were able to cheerfully carry on with

their tasks. They had to help Lucia, their sister to recover from her

illness; they did it with more enthusiasm. The war had destroyed

everthing, starting from their father and then their house. Later on they

discover that their sister is suffering from TB of spine. They are

orphaned, homeless and still young. They choose to lead a life of dignity.

Until the war they had led a comfortable life. War had thrown them to

the streets, exposing them to bitter cold and extreme starvation. The

destruction caused by the war had not broken their spirits. Their

sacrifice, devotion and maturity bring in new hope for themselves. They

are able to cheerfully carry on with their lives and add meaning to it.

5. Do you think the story is telling a comment on the true

character of ‘gentleman ‘elaborate?

A J Cronin (1896-1981) was Scottish novelist and Physician. Cronin

wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle. This was such a great success that

he gave up medicine to pursue literature. He wrote several novels like

“The keys of the Kingdom’, The Spanish Gardener’ etc. His works have

been translated into many languages and several of his books have been

filmed.

The story is definitely telling a comment on the true character of a

gentleman, because the two small boys have all the qualities of a true

gentleman. At that young age, they behave in a perfectly matured way.

They are polite, sensitive and compassionate. They do not want to

trouble or bother others about their problems. They never complain

about their past and are ever smiling.

13. Do not ask of Me, My Love

Faiz Ahmad Faiz

Glossary

Vain : useless, waste

Illusion : imaginary (an idea or belief that is false)

Brutal : cruel, harsh

Smeared : spread over

Everlasting : immortal

Comprehension: 1

1. When does the speaker realize what he thought about love was

not true?

The speaker realized what he thought about love was not true, when he

came to know that there were other sorrows in the world than love and

other pleasures.

2. That's the way I imagined it to be' suggests

A) That the speaker's concept of love is naïve

3. For there are other sorrows in the world than love', here

sorrows refers to miseries

B) Caused by poverty and deprivation.

4. You are beautiful still , My love' Here the speaker is expressing

his

A) Fidelity to his love.

Comprehension: II

1. What does the line 'those dark and brutal curses of countless

centuries” suggest?

2. What harsh realities of life have drawn the speaker's attention

much more than the beauty of his beloved?

3. What transformation in the perception of love do you see in the

poem?

Faiz Ahmad Faiz a famous Urdu poet from Pakistan writes about the

love of a man which was thought to be lasting forever. But, very soon

there is a transformation and realizes that there are much more

pleasures and sorrows in the world than love. The refrain 'Do not ask of

me, my love that love I once had for you' tells us about his awareness of

other realities of life.

In the first stanza the poet recollects the earlier time of a man and his

love. Life was assumed to be bright, young and blooming. The sorrows of

his lover was painful than any other pain. There was a time when he

considered that her beauty added on to the beauty of spring and gave it

an everlasting youth. He used to conclude that her eyes mattered more

and everything else was a waste. In her presence, he would assume that

the whole world was his. But soon he realizes it was merely an illusion.

The love that he thought was all powerful and consuming was just one

more of the many pains and pleasures in the world.

The next stanza speaks about the harsh realities of life. He begins to see

the realities that summoned him and pleads with his love not to ask for

the same love he had for her. He realizes the sufferings of humanity. He

understands his mistake in seeing his beloved's pain as that greatest.

The more he drifts away from his lover, the better he is capable of

understanding the meaning of true love.

Love can be woven in silk, satin and brocade but brutality of the curses

that mankind has suffered for centuries questions this attire of love.

The poet points out instances of war and bloodshed, the human

trafficking the diseases and dreadful habits of human beings that has

infested the world, with the wounds festering. When there is injustice

and starvation poverty and deprivation, the poet feels he is not capable

of involving himself into his past love. The poet concludes that he is

helpless even though the lover is still beautiful, there are other sorrows

and pleasures in the world more than love He comes to the resolution of

being more considerate towards others problems and sufferings.