Class 12 English Note (The Heritage of Words Class -12)

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Grandmother

Ray young Bear

Theme/ Main Idea of the poem

Q What is the main idea of the poem? [063-3]

Nostalgia is the main theme of the poem Grandmother. In this poem the poet remembers his dead grandmother and writes about her. He draws a picture of his grandmother- all loving and inspiring. This poem presents the poets deep sense of intimacy and closeness to his grandmother even after her death. He can not forget her. He could recognize her by all senses except taste. The poet uses different images to draw the picture of his grandmother. 'Purple scarf ' and 'plastic shopping bag' is related to eyes, while the touch of ‘warm and damp’ hands appeals to skin or touch. A 'voice coming from a rock' is related to the sense of hearing; and her hands like that of 'roots' appeal to the sense of smell.

Q What impression of grandmother does the speaker give in the poem 'Grandmother'? [065-3]

The speaker gives the all-loving and all-inspiring impression of his grandmother in this poem. He feels as if her memory is flowing inside him. He feels as if her memory gives sparkles like the ashes give at night. He remembers her purple scarf and her plastic shopping bag. He remembers her warm and damp hand with the smell of roots. The poet presents the deep sense of intimacy and closeness to his grandmother even after her death. He can not forget her.

Q. What are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother? [057-3]

In this nostalgic poem “Grandmother” the poet Ray Young Bear remembers his dead grandmother and draws her picture by using four types of images. The things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother are her shape with her purple scarf and plastic shopping bag, warm and damp hands, the smell of roots from her hand and her inspiring voice.

Q. What is image? What four images are used in the poem Grandmother?

Image is a kind of literary device. It is a mental picture created by words. Ray Young Bear has used four types of images out of five in this poem “Grandmother” to draw the picture of his dead grandmother. At first he talks about purple scarf and plastic shopping bag as visual image. Then, he talks about warm and damp hands to appeal our sense of touch. He says about the smell of roots from her hands as the image of smell. He talks abut her voice or words to appeal our sense of hearing. He is successful to create a word picture of his grandmother by using four types of images. He doesn’t talk about the taste.

Q What images do you find in this poem written by a member of the Sauk and Fox (Mesquaki) Indian tribe of North America? To what senses do these images appeal?

= The poet has used images to discover two intertwined themes - recollection of his grandmother at one level and search for identity at another level. The images like 'purple scarf', 'plastic shopping bag', 'the light ... at night ' appeal to our sense of sight. These images also have symbolic link to the Indian culture. 'Plastic shopping bag' indicates the poverty of Indian tribe. 'The light .... at night' associates that the spirituality of Indian culture guides him in the modern corrupt American society. The images like 'smell of root' appeal to our sense of smell. It indicates the work ethic of Indian tribe and his grandmother. They are near to nature and are good farmers. 'Warm and damp hands' appeal to our sense of touch. It also shows how his grandmother and Indian tribes work in fields with pleasure and sense of duty. ' A voice' and 'her words' appeal to our sense of hearing. This indicates how the teachings and philosophy of Indian culture enlightens his spirits.

Thus by the use of images, the poet has symbolically linked his grandmother to the lost culture of Indian tribe.

Long Question

Interpret the poem Grandmother

. Nostalgia is the main theme of the poem Grandmother. In this poem the poet remembers his dead grandmother and writes about her. He draws a picture of his grandmother- all loving and inspiring. This poem presents the poets deep sense of intimacy and closeness to his grandmother even after her death. He can not forget her. He could recognize her by all senses except taste. The poet uses different images to draw the picture of his grandmother. 'Purple scarf ' and 'plastic shopping bag' is related to eyes, while the touch of ‘warm and damp’ hands appeals to skin or touch. A 'voice coming from a rock' is related to the sense of hearing; and her hands like that of 'roots' appeal to the sense of smell.

The poet says that he could recognize his grandmother If he could see her face from a distance, from a mile away. He would quickly know that it was his grandmother with the purple scarf and plastic shopping bag. If he could feel hands on his head, he would know her warm and damp hands. They were warm with love. He says he feels the smell of roots from her hands. If he could hear a voice coming from the rock he would know that it was my grandmother’s voice. He would feel her words flowing inside him. The flow of her words would be like the light coming out of the sleeping fire at night. The poet says that her voice would be the source of inspiration for him. The memory of his grandmother takes the poet back to his childhood when she used to love him very much. Though the poet’s grandmother left him many years before, her images, voice, love, inspiration and memory are still animating in the mind and heart of the poet. Likewise the activities, behaviours, shape and so many other memory of his grandmother are the source of living which encourages him at all the moment. He has used four types of images out of five in this poem “Grandmother” to draw the picture of his dead grandmother. At first he talks about purple scarf and plastic shopping bag as visual image. Then, he talks about warm and damp hands to appeal our sense of touch. He says about the smell of roots from her hands as the image of smell. He talks abut her voice or words to appeal our sense of hearing. He is successful to create a word picture of his grandmother by using four types of images. He doesn’t talk about the taste.

In conclusion, the poet draws the picture of his grandmother in this poem by using four types of images out of five.

The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner

W. B. Yeats

Theme:

In the poem "The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner" written by W.B Yeats, the speaker laments on the passing of his joyful youth. In the past, the speaker was young and he had a happy life. The poet remembers his youth and laments for the loss of it. So his friends and lovers followed him. He was happy to talk about love and politics. His past life only gives him agony because Time has turned him into ugly, weak and useless old man. Neither his friends nor any beauties follow him. He is jealous to see other young people who challenge any conspiracy and evils. So he is angry with Time and wants to spit in its face.

Interpretation

"The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner" written by W.B. Yeats, presents the speaker's reminiscences of his young life which become more painful when he contrasts his time of youth with his present old age. He laments on the passing of his joyful youth.

In the past, the speaker was young and he had a happy life. So his friends and lovers followed him. He was happy to talk about love and politics. His past life only gives him agony because Time has turned him into ugly, weak and useless old man. Neither his friends nor any beauties follow him. He is envious to see other young people who challenge any conspiracy and evils. This old man, who is forced away from politics and love, is still tormented by the passions of his youth for women and conversation. He thinks that his greater enemy is Time because it made him old and stole his physical beauty, power and beautiful lovers. Time stole his youthful vitality, energy and sexual power. He compares his old stage with the broken tree. Time robbed all his happiness from him because it transfigured him into an ugly, powerless, passionless, deformed and lonely old man. So, he shows his anger against Time and spits on the face of it.

Q .Why does the poet show his anger against time? [Model/065-3]

In this poem The lamentation of the old Pensioner, W. B. Yeats shows his anger against the time because it has given much pain to him. The cruel time has changed him from happy to sad, young to old, and energetic to weak. In the past he had many friends and beloveds, but the cruel time has made him old and alone. His romantic youth and his happiness is seased by the cruel time. It has made him as an old broken tree. Nobody likes to talk him in his old age due to generation gap. He could do nothing except to lament for the romantic past in his painful old age. So the poet want to spit on the face of time. He is very angry with the cruel time.

Q .Why and how does the old pensioner lament? [061-3]

Q. What is the speaker lamenting on? [062-3]

In this poem The lamentation of the old Pensioner, W. B. Yeats is lamenting for the loss of his romantic youth. He shows his anger against the time because it has given much pain to him. The cruel time has changed him from happy to sad, young to old, and energetic to weak. In the past he had many friends and beloveds, but the cruel time has made him old and alone. His romantic youth and his happiness is seased by the cruel time. It has made him as an old broken tree. Nobody likes to talk him in his old age due to generation gap. He could do nothing except to lament for the romantic past in his painful old age. So the poet wants to spit on the face of time. He is very angry with the cruel time. For that reason he is lamenting for his happy past in his painful old age.

Q .Why does the old man want to 'spit into the face of time'? [058-3]

In this poem the lamentation of the old Pensioner, W. B. Yeats wants to spit on the face of time because the cruel time has changed him an old man from his happy romantic youth. He shows his anger against the time because it has given much pain to him. The cruel time has changed him from happy to sad, young to old, and energetic to weak. In the past he had many friends and beloveds, but the cruel time has made him old and alone. His romantic youth and his happiness is taken by the cruel time. It has made him as an old broken tree. Nobody likes to talk him in his old age due to generation gap. He could do nothing except to lament for the romantic past in his painful old age. So, the poet wants to spit on the face of time.

Q .Mention any three things the old man laments about. Why is he sad about them? [059-3]

In this poem the poet or the old man is lamenting for his romantic past in his painful old age. He remembers his friends, his romantic days and those beauties he used to love them. He laments for those things in his old age because he is alone and he has nobody to talk. He feels himself as a useless broken tree. His friends used to talk about love and politics. He had many beauties that used to love him much. But now neither a single women looked at him.

Q. Explain the title of the poem.

The title of the poem the lamentation of the Old pensioner is very symbolic in meaning. W. B. Yeats compares his old age with a pensioner, a pensioner from a job, but from his life. He is lamenting for the loss of his youth. It means he laments for the loss of his youth happiness and energy in his very old age. An old man can do nothing except to remember his past. So the title is very appropriate to its theme.

Q. Summarize the poem in one sentence.

The poet W. B. Yeats compare his past to his present old age and laments for the loss of youth because the cruel time has made him from young to old and happy to sad.

Q.Write an essay on youth and Age

Youth and Age

Youth and age are the inseparable things. They are like the two sides of a same coin. Life is a journey from womb to tomb. A person has to cross different phases of life where if he lives a full life. A child of yesterday becomes a young today and old tomorrow. Eventually he or she disappears from the world and lives in his permanent home, the grave. So youth and old age are two sides of life. They are completely different but inseparable just like two sides of paper.

Youth is the most interesting and important phase of human life. A person becomes physically healthy and mentally sound in the phase. He or she becomes courageous to do any adventurous (risky) work. Youth is energetic and romantic too, young people keep interest in love and politics. Most of them don’t care about past and future but try to make the present perfect. They spend much time with friends in entertainment and creative activities too. If they make the best use of this phase, they can make their future bright. We find some young people misusing their time of youth and damaging their future.

Old age is rather miserable phase of human life. A person becomes physically weak and mentally forgetful. He or she spends much time at home remembering the happy days of his/her youth. He or she expects help from young people to do any work. He or she keeps interest not in romantic love but in family, love and religion. He or she wants to visit temples and so many other holy places. He or she likes to tell young people the story of young people according to his or her own experiences. However, unlike joyous youth, old age is bitter and painful. So, old people are very much passive, dull and pessimistic.

Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies

- William Shakespeare

The poem “Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies” is a song sung by the Spirit Ariel in Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”. The Spirit sings this song to Ferdinand, the prince of Naples, who mistakenly thinks that his father is drowned. In this Shakespeare tells us death is meaningful. It is humorous in its presentation.

The speaker of this poem is Ariel who is very powerful spirit of wind who flies lightly and invisibly playing music and singing songs. Here he sings the song about the death of Ferdinand’s father. According to him, Ferdinand’s father lies thirty feet below the surface of the sea. Ferdinand is very worried about the death of his father. Giving him sympathy Ariel says that his father has got quite meaningful death. His body is not decayed. Every part of his body has been changed into something beautiful, valuable and strange. His eyes are transformed into pearls and bones are’ changed into coral. The sea nymphs welcome his death by ringing the death bell “Ding-dong” every hour.

In this poem, the spirit Ariel has presented very artful and melodious description about the death of Ferdinand’s father. The prince of Naples is worried thinking that his father is drowned. He is very sad about the meaningless death of his father. However, Ariel gives him sympathy by making the death meaningful through his powerful and magical description. He says that nothing of the dead body has decayed or rotten wastefully. Everything of the dead body is changed into meaningful and precious objects at the bottom of the sea. Ariel finally requests Ferdinand to listen to the death-bell rung by the sea nymphs to welcome his father’s beautiful and meaningful death.

Q Is death meaningful in this poem?

In this poem death is shown as a meaningful change. Death is not an absolute end but only a process of transformation into another natural object. The main idea of this song is that - man who is part of nature transforms into another natural objects after death. The body of Ferdinand's father has been changed into something more valuable and strange. His bones have changed into corals and eyes into pearls. Even after death, he is warmly welcomed in heaven by nymphs by ringing the bell.

He says that the bones of his father have turned into coral and eyes into pearls. Sea-nymphs respect him with death bell every hour. None of the parts have wasted but changed into more valuable. Here death is shown not as an absolute end but a new beginning.

Q. interpret the poem Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies.

-The poem "Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies" is taken from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest". Here the spirit Ariel sings this song to Ferdinand, Prince of Naples, who mistakenly thinks that his father is drowned.

Ariel says that Ferdinand's father is dead and is lying thirty feet below in the sea bed. The Prince is very sad to miss his father in a sea-wind, so Ariel gives sympathy to him by saying that death is a meaningful change. He says that the bones of his father have turned into coral and eyes into pearls. Sea-nymphs respect him with death bell every hour. None of the parts have wasted but changed into more valuable. Ariel pretends that he is listening the ding dong sound of the bell.

Q.Write an essay on Life and Art.

ESSAY ON “LIFE AND ART”

Life and art are the inseparable things. If there is no art, life becomes meaningless and if there is no life, art is impossible. They are like the two sides of a same coin. It seems to be difficult to define ‘life’ and ‘art’. Life is mysterious and art is the imitation (copy) of life. So life and art are interrelated parts. Life creates art and art provides delight to life. Without any interest in art is a dead life, so art and life are inseparable. Art is related to creation and life is related to experience of happiness, sadness, laughter, tears, joy, certainties and uncertainties. But art brings success in life.

Life is transitory. It changes in different phrases in course of time. A small baby of yesterday becomes a young man today and old tomorrow. Eventually, he disappears from the world resting on the lap of death. Life comes across different sweet and sour events. Life is mixture of tears and smiles. Pain and pleasure are the friends of life. In other words, life is full of emotions, feelings, ideas and sentiments.

Art is the creation of life. It is permanent and immortal. Art makes life beautiful and meaningful. Art makes artist immortal. An artist lives in memory of people all the time after his death. Many literary artists show the relation between art and life. Some say that art is for the sake of life where as some say that art is only for art’s sake. However, life is itself the source of art and art is the source of joy. Art is life and life is art. Without art life seems to be meaningless and unattractive. The different forms of art like music, writing, singing, drawing, acting, dancing etc. make our life fruitful.

Traveling Through the Dark

William Stafford

Theme:

“Traveling through the Dark” composed by William Stafford presents the dark aspect of human mind, which is the selfish nature of people. This poem shows the tension between two realities, two systems of life: on the one hand there is responsibility in our life; on the other hand there is the emotional side of life. When a man remembers his duty of responsibility, he forgets the emotional side of life and he becomes cruel and selfish. The dilemma between two realities is shown in this poem. The speaker has done justice to the both sides of his life. He has shown sympathy to the fawn and he has fulfilled his responsibility to clear the road.

Summary:
It was dark and the poet was traveling along the road by Wilson River. On the way, he saw a dead deer. He thought it would be better if he threw the deer into canyon because the road was very narrow and his returning would cause more deaths. Thinking of throwing, he got down from his car. And he went towards the deer. While the deer. While he dragged for the purpose of throwing, he saw that she was pregnant. This reality forced him to tough the deer’s side. He felt warmth and knew that her fawn was still alive. Consequently, he found difficulty in deciding. He looked towards his vehicles. It was aiming its parking light ahead, its engine was continuously purring. He stood there and tried to hear the sound of his friends coming but he could not. He thought for longer about himself and about his friends. He thought at returning also. But, at last, he pushed the deer into the river.

Interpretation

“Traveling Through the Dark

William Stafford

“Traveling through the Dark” composed by William Stafford presents the dark aspect of human mind that is the selfish nature of people. This poem shows the tension between two realities, two systems of life: on the one hand there is responsibility in our life; on the other hand there is the emotional side of life. When a man remembers his duty of responsibility, he forgets the emotional side of life and he becomes cruel and selfish. The dilemma between two realities is shown in this poem. The speaker has done justice to the both sides of his life. He has shown sympathy to the fawn and he has fulfilled his responsibility to clear the road.

In this poem, the poet describes how he is moved by the death of pregnant doe. It was dark and the poet was traveling along the road by Wilson River. On the way, he saw a dead deer. He thought it would be better if he threw the deer into canyon because the road was very narrow and his returning would cause more deaths. Thinking of throwing, he got down from his car. And he went towards the deer. While the deer. While he dragged for the purpose of throwing, he saw that she was pregnant. This reality forced him to tough the deer’s side. He felt warmth and knew that her fawn was still alive. Consequently, he found difficulty in deciding. He looked towards his vehicles. It was aiming its parking light ahead, its engine was continuously purring. He stood there and tried to hear the sound of his friends coming but he could not. He thought for longer about himself and about his friends. He thought at returning also. But, at last, he pushed the deer into the river. In the final stanza, the poet solves the problem or tension by pushing the doe over the edge into the river.

The poem is ironical and suggestive. The dilemma of human mind between duty and emotion is presented in the poem. Tough they show pity to the unborn fawn, they have no sympathy for the dead doe. The reference to the fate of alive but never-to-be born fawn makes the readers very sad and sentimental.

Q. Show how the action develops stanza by stanza?

William Stafford’s poem “Traveling though the Dark” presents both physical and mental actions. The first stanza begins with physical action but ends with mental action. Traveling through the dark is physical and thinking of rolling into the canyon is mental. In the second stanza, the speaker stumbles back, goes up to her and drags. All these activities are physical. Hence, second stanza is the description of physical actions. Physical actins of the second stanza continue in the third also. The speaker touches the deer’s side and knows about the presence of offspring inside. This physical action leads to mental action; he hesitates after he knows its condition. Not knowing what to do further, he stands in the glare of red in the third stanza. Here too, like in the second stanza, we find physical actions. The fourth stanza presents both actins like the first one. The speaker thinks of returning, but finds it impractical. So, he pushes the deer into the river.

Q What is the central idea of the poem? [057-3]

“Traveling through the Dark” composed by William Stafford presents the dark aspect of human mind, that is the selfish nature of people. This poem shows the tension between two realities, two systems of life: on the one hand there is responsibility in our life; on the other hand there is the emotional side of life. When a man remembers his duty of responsibility, he forgets the emotional side of life and he becomes cruel and selfish. The dilemma between two realities is shown in this poem. The speaker has done justice to the both sides of his life. He has shown sympathy to the fawn and he has fulfilled his responsibility to clear the road.

Q What does the traveler feel when he touches the dead doe?

Q Do you agree with what the narrator did? Why? [063-3]

= William Stafford's poem "Traveling Through the Dark" examines the killing of a pregnant doe, and the dilemma faced by the speaker who is also a driver. On his way he finds a dead deer on the edge of Wilson River. He stops to drag off the dead deer into the canyon in order to avoid possible accidents. But on touching her side he finds that it is still warm and it contains a fawn waiting to be born. In death the traveler discovers life, but not normal life that emerges from the womb into the world, for the fawn is "never to be born." This unhappy realization causes the traveler to hesitate. His mind is filled with mixed-up emotions: pity, anger, frustration, and confusion about how to act. He even wonders if the fawn can be saved, but knows all along that the fawn can not be born when the mother is dead. The car is mechanically alive and its lights are pointing the speaker towards his destination. In the final couplet the traveler thinks hard for all, he knows that his love and pity towards the fawn can not save it. He knows that his delay is only a waste of time, so he pushes the doe into the river and marches towards his destination.

Q. Explain the title of the poem. Who are all those driving through the dark?

= The title of the poem “Traveling Through the Dark” is very suitable one. Traveling, here the poet means the journey of human life. Dark the word means the dark aspect of human mind where there is no love, pity and sympathy. When a man remembers his duty, he forgets the emotional side of life. He becomes so cruel and kindles. This cruel and pitiless aspect of human mind is the dark aspect of human life. When the speaker finds a dead doe on the road, he is in dilemma. He is in confusion either to show deep love and emotion to an unborn but alive fawn in the belly of the doe or to save the passengers on his car as a dutiful driver. After much thoughtful meditation, he pushes the dead doe into the river in order to reach his destination and save the passengers. The ‘darkness’ indicates one of nature's beautiful creatures has been killed and pitilessly left on the road, unburied and unmoored to cause future accidents. The driver's inaction suggests moral darkness. The darkness also suggests the narrator's confusion about what to do with the deer. "Traveling through the dark" also symbolizes the spiritual void of humankind in its insensitivity toward nature.

Q. Do you think the reference to the alive but never to be born fawn sentimental?

When the poet touches the side of the dead doe; he finds that the fawn is waiting to be born but never to be born because its mother was dead. The references show the emotional and sentimental side of life. The poet shows the pity towards the poor fawn for a while. At last, he remembers his duty and he become so cruel and pushed the doe into the edge of the river

God’s Grandeur

G.M. Hopkins

Theme:

This poem is about the greatness of god. Being a priest, the poet says god is everywhere and. But the modern people do not think about god. They are busy in their work. They are running after money. They would be punished by the god.

God’s Grandeur by an English poet G.M. Hopkins describes the majestic deeds of God. He claims that God is omnipresent (present everywhere) and omnipotent (the most powerful). The good deeds on earth are also the results of these qualities of God. Though human beings continuously destroy nature, it is never spent.

Summary:

The world is full of the greatness of God. Due to His greatness, the world shines like ‘a shook foil’. It gathers to greatness, as it is full of resources. Despite this fact, human beings act adversely. They don’t follow the commands of God; rather they function to destroy the world. Earlier generations destroyed the earth and so is the case with the present generation. They act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deeds, the earth and so is the case with the present generation, they act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deed, the earth has become dry; it has the smell of human beings instead of its natural smell. Indeed the earth has reached to the verge of destruction. Nevertheless, the world is not completely destroyed. Because of the freshness that is inside things. Nature keeps on regenerating. The sun sets in the evening only to reappear in the morning. These all happenings are the results of the god’s protection. He protects the earth just like a bird broods over the eggs.

The poet is of the opinion that human beings acts are always directed towards destruction: knowingly or unknowingly they destroy though human beings destroy, the nature regenerates because of the omnipresent and omnipotent nature of god.

1. What is the central idea of the poem?

In this poem the poet G. M. Hopkins tells us about the greatness of god. Being a priest, the poet says god is everywhere and. But the modern people do not think about god. They are busy in their work. They are running after money. They would be punished by the god. G.M. Hopkins’ sonnet “god’s Grandeur” forwards the idea that god is responsible for all the splendid things that happen in earth. Human beings do not use the earth properly. Their activities are always destructive. Because of them, the earth has seared. Bleared and smeared. The earth has lost its natural smell: there is the smell of human beings everywhere. Despite the fact, god is never angry with his creatures. He keeps on providing them with necessary things. Similarly, he provides protection to all the beings just like a bird does to its eggs.

Q Give reasons why men are unaware of the greatness of God? [058]

In his sonnet "God's Grandeur" the poet G.M Hopkins praises the magnificence and glory of God. He describes the majestic deeds of God. He claims that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. The good deeds on earth are also the results of these qualities of God. Though human beings continuously destroy nature, it is never spent.

The world is full of the greatness of God. Due to His greatness, the world shines like ‘a shook foil’. It gathers to greatness, as it is full of resources. Despite this fact, human beings act adversely. They don’t follow the commands of God; rather they function to destroy the world. Earlier generations destroyed the earth and so is the case with the present generation. People are more interested in materialist gain and possessions than in celebrating the glory of a loving, merciful, heavenly Father. They act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deed, the earth has become dry; it has the smell of human beings instead of its natural smell. Indeed the earth has reached to the verge of destruction. Nevertheless, the world is not completely destroyed. Because of the freshness that is inside things, nature keeps on regenerating. The sun sets in the evening only to reappear in the morning. These all happenings are the results of the god’s protection. He protects the earth just like a bird broods over the eggs.
Though the world is infused with the glory of God and Christ offered His body to be crucified, mankind does not live in awe of God, but imposes darkness on itself by running endlessly. Even so, despite humanity’s shortcomings, God is most capable of perfect love and embraces the world anyway.

The poet is of the opinion that human beings acts are always directed towards destruction: knowingly or unknowingly. But God loves all the creatures of the world, so he works for the benefit of the creatures without any hope of benefit or profit. The poet inspires people to grow faith in God.

About Love

Anton Chekhov

Theme:

In this story Anton Chekhov presents the idea that love is not bound by marital relationship. Love is the matter of heart. Mind couldn’t understand the language of heart. Love doesn’t see right or wrong. If a person loves somebody, he loves him/her forever. The middle class people are careful about there morality and social prestige. So they keep their love in their heart. The unexpressed love is more dangerous than expressed love.

Summary

“About Love “presents three dimensional love stories. The first love is of Nikanor and Palegeya, second is of Alyohin and a Russian girl, and the third Alyohin and a married women Anna. The Love of Luganovich and Anna is one of the third parts. These three stories are the representatives of the three categories of love.

The first story is an example of violent love story. The main character- Nikanor- was drunkard, and interestingly religious minded. In due course of his stay in Alyolin’s house, he fell in love with Palegeya. He instated that Palageya married him. Sometime he used to beat her in his intoxicated state to prevent herself from her husband. She used to hide under the bed of Alyohin.

Second love-story is the materialistic love. The lady is concerned with the money only. Every time Alyohin held her in his arm, she used to ask for a months allowance.

Third story, which is the main story, is the unexpressed love. It presents a sequence of events in the life of Alyohin and his attraction towards Anna. According to the story, Alyohin was a student and his father was a farmer. Therefore, his father spent the amount needed for his study at university. Because of it, he was in debt. To pay debt Alyohin had no options but to return to his farm and labored hard. However, his desire to live civilized life continued and to fulfill it, he stayed up stairs, read a book, and drank liquor but it did not last long. One night a priest came and drank the whole of his liquor. From that day onwards he stared living downstairs and slept on the sledge (small hut).
Before he was here, he was appointed as honorary judge in town. During his period, he came in contact with a Luganovich, who surprisingly invited Alyohin for dinner in his home. When they were having dinner, he got an opportunity to see Anna. From the very first sight, he started to like her. He found her beautiful, impressive and elegant. Hence, his first meeting with the lady reminded an unforgettable event. It was spring when he met her. In the summer, he was in his farm, but the memory of the lady remained. He desired very much to meet, but could not meet until autumn. In autumn, he went to the town where he met with Anna. She showed her worry about Alyohin and expressed wonder at his condition. After the show was over, he went to Anna house, talked with her husband, but returned back as usual without confessing his love for her.

After it he kept on going to her house in his every visit to his town. At Anna’s house, he was welcomed cordially and regarded as noble fellow. When he met her, she played piano with him, talked for hours, but their mind remained unexpressed. The Luganoviches sometimes requested him not to hesitate in asking for any kind of help. He also did not hesitate in doing so. In return he brought gifts from the village.

Days passed in the same ways; neither had they expressed love. But he started appearing in the behavior of Anna. She behaved in mocking (smiling) way with Alyohin-at his fault she appreciated him. At last Anna had to go to another place for her mental treatment. When it was the time for Anna’s departure, Alyohin entered into the apartment of Anna. There their eyes met which resulted in kissing one another, and expressing their love. However, their reunion did not result into their marriage. Alyohin got down in the next station, and there after they did not meet.

This story has a frame. In the beginning the sky is grey and the trees are drenched. The environment is gloomy. In the end, when the Alyohin unloads his heart about love, the shining sun appears, after the rainfall. Alyohin tells this story in between this frame to his two guests: Burkin and Ivan

Q What kinds of love experiences are suggested by Alyohin in "About Love"?[2057-3]

In "About Love" , three kinds of love experiences are suggested by Alyohin. The first one is the love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya. Their love is sensual, often violent. Though there is no understanding between them, sexual passion binds them. Their love is not bound by marital relation. The second love affair is between Alyohin and a girl when he was studying in the university. Though Alyohin loved her, she thought love as a way to earn money. This love affair can be seen as the ugliest where sex is exchanged with money. The third love affair between Alyohin and Anna Alexeyevna can be termed as unexpressed love or spiritual love. Their heart meet, but being trapped by middle class morality, their love remains unexpressed. They sacrifice their love for more good. Alyohin sacrifices his love because he thinks that it would bring disaster in the life of her children, mother and husband. Similarly, Alexeyevna does not express her love thinking that she wasn't young enough to live with him.

Q.Character sketch of Alyohin. [2062-10]

Alyohin is the narrator and the central character of the story About Love. He is a bachelor and a university graduate; He used to live in Sofinyo working labourously in his farm. He had to work in his farm to pay the debt that his father had spent on his education. He desired a civilized living of the upper class but could not afford it. In the past while he was a university student, he fell in love with a girl who only loved his money. Since he was elected honorary justice of the peace, he often visited town to take part in assizes and sessions. Once he was invited to the home of Luganovich to dine. There he met Anna Alexeyevna , aged 22 and married to Luganovich. They fell in love with each other but could not express their love. They chatted for hours, went to the theatre together but they parted coldly the next time. Later Anna suffered from nervous prostration and was sent to Crimea for treatment. During her departure, Alyohin had courage to confess his love and kissed her, but had to part with her forever.

Alyohin is a middle class ordinary man who is conscious about the middle class social morality. He kept his love secret in his heart because he was afraid of the social scandal. Anna was a married woman. He became ready to be separated forever rather than to be socially criticized. At last he sacrificed his love and his desire to protect the social morality.

Alyohin's vision of love is shaped by his own love affair. He thinks that when people are in love, they ask whether it is honorable or dishonorable, sensible or stupid, and what their love will lead to. For him, this reasoning is the source of dissatisfaction and irritation. He thinks that love is a great mystery. When one is in love, one should start love from higher, without reasoning whether their love is sin or virtue, or whether it brings happiness or unhappiness. According to him to what extent personal happiness counts in love is uncertain, it differs from person to person.

Alyohin is like a squirrel in a cage. He is trapped by reason, middle class morality and poverty. He is a man-of-thought. He fears to express his love to Anna because he is too much thoughtful about society's moral standards. He sacrifices his love thinking that his marriage to Anna Alexeyevna would ruin the lives of her, her children, her mother and her husband. He fears that he could not make her happy in his country house.

Q Character sketch of Anna Alexeyevna.

Anna Alexeyevna is the main female character in the story "About Love". She is a beautiful and charming young lady aged twenty-two. She is married to Luganovich, assistant president of the circuit court and aged over forty. Her marriage to an old man can be seen as the cause of her suffering. Her sexual urge cannot be fulfilled by the man double her age. So, she tries to get emotional fulfillment from Alyohin which later turns into love. She is also trapped in reason. She does not confess her love to Alyohin though she deeply loves him because she fears society's moral standards. She also thought that she was not young and energetic enough for him to begin a new married life. Later she becomes the victim of nervous prostration because of psychological depression and nervousness.

Q. Sketch the character of Luganovich briefly.

Luganovich is the husband of Anna and he was an ordinary man. He was above forty years old. So his wife is not satisfied with him because she was only twenty two years old. So Anna kept a love affaire with Alyohin. But Luganovich was so innocent that he never suspected over Alyohin though he used to come regularly to meet Anna. He was unknown about their love affair even at the end.

Q. Why is Alyohin like a squirrel in a cage?

Q. How did Alyohin define love ? (About Love)

Ans. Alyohin defined love as a mysterious thing beyond all types of social limitations in About Love. Alyohin presented three love stories to define the meaning of love. Love story between Nikanor and Pelageya justified that love is possible between too much unmatchable persons having totally different life ideologies. Love story between Alyohin himself and Anna also justified love as a mysterious thing. Alyohin was graduate and an unmarried person. Anna was married woman and mother of two children. They loved each other but they didn’t know that they loved each other. They only knew that one loved the other. Love between two distinctively different persons like Alyohin and Anna was also possible. So, love is defined as a mysterious flexible thing which is not limited within social, age, caste, religious and class factors. Anton Chekhov tries to justify the meaning and definition of love through Alyohin as an unlimited and unrestricted thing in the world which crosses every type of boundaries.

Q. Compare between the two love stories presented by Chekhov in the story About Love.

In this story about love, Anton Chekhov presents the two love stories; one is of a servant Nikanor and a girl Pelageya: The another love story is of Alyohin and a married women Anna.The first love between Nikanor and Pelagey seems to be immoral because they like to remain just loving. Nikanor was violent and drunkard, he was not so handsome, bur Pelageya is beautiful. They both loved each other. Nikanor wanted to marry her, but Pelageys wanted to remain just so. So their love is expressed love and possible love. The second love relation is between Alyohin and a married women Anna. Their love is unexpressed love and also impossible love. Being the middle class people they were afraid of their social scandal and social prestige. So both love stories are romantic to some extent.

A Story

Dylan Thomas

Theme
“A Story” written by an Irish poet and short writer Dylan Thomas presents events from the perspective of a small boy. The boy narrates those happenings which he came across in his childhood. His description is full of humor and satire. The aged people are shown as if they are stupid stuff. The writer has created the world of absurd people through a boy’s narration.

Description of the boy’s uncle and his wife.

The boy’s uncle was tall, big and red-hairy. He used to occupy every inch of his room. He was just like a buffalo squeezed into an airy cupboard. His voice was hoarse. He used to drop food and drink on his waistcoat. His waistcoat looked like a picnic spot recently left by picnic-goers. Another childish behavior of his was to carry whistle under his neck. Whenever he was happy, he blew whistle. His wife however was lean and thin. She did not make noise while walking or working. She was hot-tempered. On every weekend, her anger used to be very high. As she became angry, her husband would lift her and keep her on the table. She in turn used to hit him with china dog.

Summary:

The boy, with his uncle, was sitting in their room when the boy’s uncle’s friends came there. Their coming had the aim of deciding date for outing. They said that they had collected fund and liquor for outing. Afterwards the uncle’s friends returned back to their home. The next day they came with the list of names for uncle’s acceptance. He read the whole list and accepted all the names. Then there was his wife with china dog. She threatened him that she would go her mother’s house if he did not cancel the program. In anger she asked him to choose either her or outing. The uncle said that he preferred outing. On Saturday morning the uncle’s wife left house. She had written a note to her husband in which she had asked him to put off shoes before going to bed. At about eight the uncle’s friend came to his house with a charabanc. They became ready to go for outing. As they drove off, the women of the village peeped out from windows and boys bid them good-bye. No sooner had they crossed the village then reached to a public house. The uncle asked the boy to look after the charra whereas they went inside. A little later a man came and asked for the way to pub. The boy took the man there. Inside the pub he saw his uncle and his friends drinking, breaking the glasses and talking nonsense. The boy did not remain there. He was afraid of the situation. Afterwards the uncle and his friends came out and got into the charra. Then they reached to a river where they all got down and played with water. From that time onwards, they forget the idea of Porthcrawl. By the evening they reached to place called Hermit’s nest. There they decided to rest and enjoy drinking. They drank so much rum that they could not control their sense. They later made decision to return back. On the way home, they rested in a field and sat in a circle. They continued drinking there too.

Q. The plan was to go to Porthcawl for the outing. Did they ever reach there? Why?

The plan of the narrator’s uncle and his friends was to reach to Porthcawl for the outing. But they could not reach to their destination because of their habit of drinking. But it does not mean that it was the only one cause for it; there are many. The first cause was their late departure. It was only at eight o’clock they started their outing. Another cause of it was the late arrival of one of their partners. Because everyone was worried about himself, they moved without counting all heads. But when they knew that one was missing, they could not continue their journey. They returned to receive him. The third and the greatest of the causes as already said is their nature of drinking a lot. When they reached the mountain sheep, they drank a lot. They did not think of their destination. It was only after the owner informed them of the closing time. They came out though it was already late to reach to Porthcawl. No one worried about even after they came out. They thought of playing with water when they reached to river. Hence, they could not reach.

Q. Describe the relation between Thomas (the boy's uncle) and his wife.

Though the narrator thinks that the relationship between Thomas and his wife is bad, actually they loved each other very much. When his wife was angry he used to lift her under his arm in the chair. She used to playfully beat him on his head with the china dog. Thomas was a heavy man who often drank alcohol. His wife did not like it. So, she often went to her mother's house. But at that time also she used to arrange some eggs for him and ask him to put off his boots while going to bed.

Q. What is the reason for which Will Sentry always followed Mr. Franklyn? [058-3]

In this story, Will Sentry is always followed Mr. Franklin that is because he thought that he could do any mistake about money. It means Franklyn had kept all money about their journey. They didn’t believe to each other about money.

Q. The plan was to go to Porthcawl for the outing. Did they ever reach there? Why?

In a story, Thomas and his friend had a plan to go to Porthawl for the outing but they did not reach there because their main intention was to drink in outing. They had no special purpose except drinking. Porthcawl was important for nothing to them. It was only their thing to just say. On the way to Porthcawl they stopped their bus in front of a pub or hotel to drink. They started to drink. They drank till the late afternoon. They forgot to go to Porthcawl because it was not the place in their intention. They drank which was their aim. After 4 p. m. they returned to their village. That’s why; they never reached Porthcawl for the outing.

Q. Describe the boy’s uncle in a paragraph.

Q.Write an essay on an outing (actual or imaginary) in which you were a participant. Or, Write an essay about your picnic programme you have recently made.

A Day Outing to Karnali

Last Saturday all the students of my class decided to go for picnic to Karnali Chisapani. We were forty students all together. Our bus left Nepalgunj at six o’ clock in the morning. On the way we watched the wild animals like tigers, elephants and birds as well as the crocodiles in the Bardiya National Park. We sang and danced together happily. We enjoyed a lot together inside the bus. We reached Karnali Chisapani Bridge at 10 AM.
Our bus stopped by the side of Karnali Bridge. The splendid bridge charmed us and we take photos on it. The green hills, the clear blue water of the river and the beautiful bridge enchanted us and we spend an hour unknowingly with the fast moving wind of Karnali. The some of our friends started to prepare food and other friends started to dance with the loud sound of the loudspeaker. We made a lot of fun there. We took our lunch at 1 PM and we went for boating into the river. We enjoyed there for two hour. We took many photos while we were boating into the river. At evening, we prepared to return back. But at that time some bad happened. Two of our naughty friends drank alcohol secretly and they were out of control. They spoke what they liked to our ladies friends. Then we decided to leave them to a hotel for that evening. We reached to our house at evening. Poor fellows came next day being ashamed. This was my memorable outing or picnic program I have recently made.

Purgatory

William Butter Yeats

Theme:

In this supernatural play, W. B. yeast has expressed his faith on the existence of any supernatural power and life after death. Purgatory is a mythical place the soul of a dead man is purified from his sin to send towards heaven. In Roman Catholic Christianity, when a man dies he goes either to heaven or to hell according to his deeds. If he has done neither good nor bad work, his soul goes to purgatory. It remains as a ghost there until it wouldn’t be purified after punishment. The soul remains in the purgatory until the cycle of crime wouldn’t be stopped in the family.

The boy and his father walk on the moonlight night; they are near a ruined house. Pointing towards the house, the old man describes the past of it. The house used to be occupied by his mother and her husband. The mother of the old man had married with the groom of the stable as soon as she met him. The man later turned out to be a drunkard and gambler. Due to drinking and gambling he emptied everything she had. The mother died during giving birth to him. The father continued his misdeed, which at last resulted into the complete destruction of house. Because of fear-the fear of his son becoming greater than him, he didn't send him to school. When he was sixteen, his father burnt down the house. This situation creates anger in the boy. As a result the old man got killed with a knife. The boy then became a peddler. The old man tells his bastard son that the night is the anniversary of mother's wedding. As he finishes telling his son about the past, a shadow appears to which the man can only see. A little later her husband also appears, and they both proceed towards room. The old man objects to the way they go inside. After the incident is over the boy talks about property he has acquired. The bastard son demands for his share in property of his father, which is denied by him. I arises anger in him. As a result he takes moneybag from his father. A quarrel starts between them; the boy gets killed at last with the knife of the old man. The old man, after it, addresses his mother and claims that he has ended the consequences. He hopes that the soul of mother would be purified.

Q. What is the central idea of the play?

Q. Why does the old man killed his son?

Q. Why is the old man’s motive in murdering the boy?

The old man killed his son to stop the cycle of crime. If he wouldn’t kill his son the cycle of crime wouldn’t be stopped. The boy would surely kill the old man and the cycle of crime would be continued. The boy had threatened him that he would kill the old man because he didn’t have given him property and education. The boy’s son would kill him later and the ghosts of his parents would not get salvation. His soul would remain in purgatory as the ghost of his parents. So to stop the cycle of crime, the old man killed his son.

Q. “We are always punished for our sins.” Elaborate this statement.

The statement ‘We are always punished for our sins” extracted from Purgatory by W. B. Yeats expresses that any person will be ultimately punished for his/her bad and criminal activities. It means all sinners must be punished and punishment is necessary for all defaulters. Yeats makes the speaker say this so to strengthen his idea about punishment and sinners. It is obviously a spiritual and religious expression towards the bad or sinful works and punishment from god. The speaker accepts the reality that every sinner deserves to be punished. God is not blind to punish everybody randomly. He punished only those who commit sins. It gives also idea that no one should make sins or mistakes. God discriminately punishes the sinners. No sinner is excused in his/her life. That’s why, every spiritual factor of religious belief inspires people to remain sacred and mistake less. And every sinner must be ready to accept any kind of punishment.

Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star

This essay is written by two American geographer lilla and Barry bishop. After staying in Jumla for 15 months they were going to Nepalgunj to study how the roadless Karnali zone is economically linked to low land terai or nepalgunj.The people of Karnali zone depend economically upon the lowland regions to the south, especially Nepalgunj. Most of the people are farmers. But their farm product is not sufficient to them because it can’t support them. So they have to sell and buy things for their day to day livelihood. According to the writers, the people of Karnali carry different local products such as herbs, sweaters, baskets, blankets and so on to Nepalgunj to sell them there. Some people take Silajit with them and sell it Nepalgunj. After selling their products, they return with cotton cloths, jewelry, pots, and spice and distillery equipment to Karnali. Some people go to the lowland regions to get government and private jobs. However, mostly people are uneducated and superstitious. People of Karnali, moreover, combine their farming with trading. They have been struggling for their livelihood.

People of Karnali are conservative and they follow the good star when they leave their homes. Similarly, they are not aware of ecological and environmental degradation. The skeletal looking SAL trees indicate about the exploitation of nature. It shows that they are indifferently cutting down the trees and they are not worried about the jungle and their own future. They are only solving the present problem. It seems that they are not conscious of their future. They don’t know the fatal consequences of the degradation of nature. Actually they are hopeless because they must solve their present problem.

Q How is Karnali linked economically with the low land regions to the south?[057/061/o63-3]

= Geographically, Karnali lies to the northern part of our kingdom. As it is made up of very sloppy hills, there are many problems. People do not have transportation and other facilities for their better survival. There is no sufficient cultivable land. So, they have to depend on the lowland regions to the south.

People of karnali cannot sell their products in their localities. To sell their items like medicinal herbs, silajit, hashish, hand-knit sweaters and blankets, they have to go to Nepalgunj. Similarly, they cannot buy goods in their places. For this purpose also, they have to depend upon lowland regions. People of Karnali have to depend upon lowland region for their jobs also. Being undeveloped part, it does not have factories. To earn livelihood, young people have no better options than leaving their places and working in the lowland region.

Q What did the two writers learn about the life and culture of the people of the Karnali region during their journey on foot? [059-3]

= ‘Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star” is written by American geographers M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry. Their essay presents social, economic and educational aspects of Karnali region. To present these aspects, they have brought four events in the text- their meeting with a chhetri woman and the people processing silajit, and their encounter cutting down trees and the people of Karnali buying and selling things. The two writers learnt that the people of Karnali are innocent, simple, laborious and uneducated. Their world is narrow and limited. The Chhetri woman asks the travelers to find her husband and send him to the village. They live in geographically difficult part completely depending on their own or animal strength. They are ignorant about soil erosion and deforestation. Not only that, alcohol consumption in Karnali region is high because one of the porters buys distillery equipments in the bazaar of Nepalgunj. He hopes that he would sell liqueur and earn enough money to buy goods in Karnali.

Q. Give a short account of the life of the people of Karnali.

Life of the People of Karnali

Karnali zone is the remotest part of Nepal. Some districts of the zone are still roadless or they are not linked by the motorway. Even the Surkhet-Jumla highway is not permanent for all seasons. The airway is too expensive but there are not airports in every district. So the people of Karnali are compelled to carry things on their back and they are compelled to use sheep, mules and yaks as the means of transportation. They carry to sell their herbal medicine to Nepalgunj and other part of Nepal. They bring to sell hashes, hand-knit sweaters, blankets, silajit, ysrshajumba etc to Nepalgunj. They carry back the things of their daily needs like cotton clothes, metal pot, match box, spices, shoes. Their life is full of struggles and difficulties.

The people of Karnali are very innocent. They are less educated and they still believe on good and bad star time. They believe on their tradition and they don’t have the facilities of health and education. The land is not fertile there. So they depend on terai for food. They keep their sheep and goats with them as their business. Some people come to terai and some of them go to Kalapahad for work. They are not aware about the environmental destruction. But they are very helpful and kind people. The have harder life there to stay.

Two Long term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few Trees

-Moti Nissani

Moti Nissani says that the two long term problems are the problems of and deforestation. At the present time these problems have become the great challenge to the whole humanity. Now, the population of the world is increasing rapidly due to the nutrition, modern medicine, lower death rate, modernization and sanitation. Every year, in fact, the world's population grows by more than 80 million people. In every one hour 10,000 people are added to our total population. More people will need more food. To produce more food, we have to cut down the trees. Both town and villages will be over crowed and the quality of life will fall down. The land, water and air will be polluted. The environment will be polluted. At the present time, due to the over population humans have been facing different kinds of diseases like cancer, asthma, hearing loss problem, contract epidemics and so many others. On the other hand, due to deforestation the world is loosing creatures such as salamanders, species of frogs, penguins, dodo etc. Similarly, the deforestation will bring the frightening problems as desertification, depletion of nonrenewable resources (eg: petrol, natural gas, helium), acid rain, loss of wild species and plant, ozone layer depletion and green house effects.

Moti Nissani brings the issue of 1500 world's scientists' World's Scientists Warning to Humanity and the joint statement of U.S. National Academy and Royal Society of London regarding the condition of the present world. They are worried about the present condition of the world. According to the essay, Moti Nissani says that growth rate of population of Nepal is 2.5% because the average Nepali women gives birth to 5 children. In 1951 the population of Nepal was 9 million but less than a half century later the population rose to 21 millions. If this rate is not checked, the total population of Nepal will be doubled in just 28 years. With the overpopulation, Nepal has to face all kinds of problems. Therefore, the future of Nepal seems to be very dark if the population is not controlled in time.

However, there are many remedies to solve these long term problems. We can save our forests by controlling the population and our appetite. Each person should be conscious about the environmental and ecological change. The people should be given education on deforestation and overpopulation. The government should invests lot of money for effective family planning to control the over population. There should be media campaigns to create awareness about the effects of overpopulation and deforestation. The conserver should be awarded. There should be greater efficiency in the use of wood - products and recycling. Reforestation and massive tree plantation can be done in the bare lands. People should smokeless Chulo that needs less fire woods. Moreover, Nissani states that we have to be conscious ourselves. He says that we know how and why to control overpopulation and deforestation but still we are lacking this knowledge to convert in to the reality.

Q. Is there anything you can do to help save Nepal’s remaining forest?

Yes, we can do many things to save remaining forest of Nepal. At first people should be aware about the problems of deforestation and overpopulations. We should educate them about the importance of forest. Government should bring such program for the people. We should prevent over timber factories and control over paper factories. We can use hydro-electricity as fuel instead of firewood. We can start reforestation on the bare hills and where the trees have been cut down. People should smokeless Chulo that needs less fire woods. Moreover, Nissani states that we have to be conscious ourselves. He says that we know how and why to control overpopulation and deforestation but still we are lacking this knowledge to convert in to the reality.

The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe

Theme:
Edgar Allan Poe's story The Tell – Tale Heart presents murderous act done by a man and confessions done later. The story shows how guilt forces a person to confess his crime. Crime and criminal cannot be and should not be hidden.

Summary:

The narrator claims that he is not mad as he could hear things in the heaven, earth and hell. To justify himself saint, he confesses dangerous crime he has committed. The narrator and the old man used to reside together; they had very good relationship. The man used to love the old man very much. The old man also used to treat him well. The only thing that irritated the narrator was the eyes of him which were pale and vulture like. To end the consequences, he went to the old man's room continuously for seven days. But returned, as he could not see the eyes of the man. In the morning he spoke politely and behaved as if nothing had happened. On the eighth nights, he as usual went there with torchlight. He did every thing stealthy and cautiously. Despite it, he happened to touch tin fastening, which dropped and disturbed the sleep of the man. In desperation, he asked who it was. The narrator remained speechless and motionless. A little later his sense brought him the reason that the old man was asleep again, he aimed the beam towards the old man's eyes. As he saw them, he grew angry. He then, jumped towards the man, dragged the man and pressed his neck with bed. At last, he dismembered the old man's dead body and put it under the plank. After it, he cleaned the place spotlessly clean. It was already four when he finished the task. At four, the three policemen came because someone had heard a shriek and informed them to investigate. The narrator lied them that the shriek was his own in dream and the old man was absent for some days. He welcomed them, brought them to his room and took to every nook and corner of his house. The policemen didn't suspect any wrong there. The narrator took them to the spot where he had hidden the corpse of the old man. He cordially asked them to sit on the chair, which he had kept there. He sat there just over the plank whereas policeman continued talking with smiling face. The narrator, at the mean time, heard tick-tick sound of a watch coming from beneath. He mistook it as the heart-beat of the old man. He desired to reduce the loudness of the sound. For this purpose, he spoke louder; though it didn't do any good. He felt the sound growing; he felt the policemen’s smile as the smile of mockery. It became unbearable for him to keep the reality secret. He thought it better to confess than to hide. Eventually he confessed the crime.

Q.Was the narrator mad?

I think the narrator is mad because a sane person wouldn’t kill somebody like that just because he doesn’t like his eyes. It wouldn’t be any logical cause to kill a person. Again, he wanted to kill the old man when his eyes are opened. He didn’t kill him while his eyes were open. He killed the old man but thought his heart was beating and he himself revealed his crime without any compulsion.

Though sanity and insanity is a matter of debate, there are various indications in the story that suggest his madness. The narrator killed an old and innocent man with out any concrete reason. He did not hesitate to cut the body of the old man into pieces. Though the man loved him, he did not understand the value of love. Rather he mercilessly killed him. Even after killing and dismembering the body of the old man, he suspected that the old man’s heart was beating. He had no idea that after a man is killed his heart stops beating. The narrator has revealed himself that he is suffering from a disease which causes ‘over-acuteness of the senses’. Over-acuteness of senses is also one sign of madness. He was overcome by homicidal mania. Madmen never repent their wrong doing. In this story also instead of repenting for his wrongful act, the narrator has tried to prove his sanity. Thus his abnormal behavior suggests that he was truly mad.

Q Why does narrator develop intense hatred against the old man? Would you call the narrator mad? Give reasons for your answer. [059-10]

In this story the old man loved the boy but the boy hated his eyes. He hated his eyes so much because he called his eyes as pale vulture eyes. He used to afraid with the old man’s eyes. When the old man looked at the boy, his blood became cold. Therefore the boy killed the old man just because he didn’t like the old man’s eyes.

The activities of the boy justify that he is insane or mad. A sane man never kills another person just because his eyes. It couldn’t be a proper reason to kill a person. The narrator killed the old man and buried but he thought his heart was beating when he heard the tick-tick sound of the watch. He confessed his crime without any compulsion.

Q.What made the narrator confess his crime? [062-3][065-3]

The narrator of the story seems to be mad because without any compulsion he revealed his crime. Neither the police nor the other people suspected over him, but his self-fear caused him to reveal his crime before the police. He couldn’t control his heart and his heart told the truth. When the police asked to other people, he thought they were just pretending not asking to him. When he heard the tick-tick sound of the watch from his grave he felt his heart is still beating and he revealed his crime.

Q. Describe the scene when the narrator killed the old man. [064-3]

Te boy went into the old man’s room at night and he made him wake up. He looked at his eyes and he became too furious and killed the old man. He cut his body into three pieces and buried under his floor. He had kept his body so secretly that nobody could suspect over the murder.

Q. Describe the scene when the narrator killed the old man.

When the narrator decided to kill the old man, every night, about midnight, he turned the latch of the old man’s door and opened it gently. Then he pushed his head from the door and sent a ray of light of his lantern to the old man’s eye very slowly so that he might not disturb the old men’s sleep. It took him an hour to place his head within the opening. He did such work for seven long nights but he found the old man’s evil eye always closed and every morning he went to the old man’s room, spoke calling him by name in a hearty tone and inquiring how he had passed the night. On the eighth night the boy was very careful to do such things. But when he pushed his head from the opening to see the old man and was about to open the lantern, his thumb slipped upon the tin fastening and the old man jumped up in bed crying out “Who is there?” The boy stood still saying nothing. He became a symbolic shadow for the death of the old man. He waited for some time very patiently. Then, being courageous, he threw open the lantern and leaped into the room, the old man cried once only. He killed him quickly, dragged him to the floor and pulled the heavy bed over the dead body. Then he removed the bed and examined the corpse but the old man was stone dead. Then the boy thought that the old man’s eye, would trouble him no more. He wanted to hide his crime. So he cut off the head, arms and legs of the corpse. He put the pieces of the dead body under the three wooden planks in the same room. There was no stain of the murder, no blood spot. He finished all that work at four o’clock in the morning.

Q. Justify the title “The Tale Tell Heart”.

In this detective story, A E. Poe presents a n strange narrator. The narrator boy seems to be a mad one. He couldn’t control over his heart and his heart told the entire crime story without any compulsion. Crime is revealed from his heart. It means the heart of a criminal couldn’t control his heart. Crime can’t be and shouldn’t be hidden. So the title of the story is appropriate to is theme. Again he felt that the heart is beating and revealed his crime.

I Have a Dream

Martin Luther King.Jr

About the text

"I have a dream" is a political speech made by Martin Luther king. jr. after the independence of black people. Martin Luther forwards the history of America, the problems faced by black people, suggestions to his followers, warning to the government and his wishes. He describes apartheid (discrimination on the basis of color) as the extreme point of human cruelty, and demands for its end.

History:

America was the colony of Great Britain before 1776. When it was declared independent, both black and white people had expected for their freedom and happiness. As expected, white people got access over then whereas black people didn't. They were discriminated and pushed to slums. They were not allowed to travel by any vehicle. Indeed, they had to spend the life of great difficulty. This condition created dissatisfaction among the blacks and they wanted to get civil rights. Martin Luther's speech also represents this sentiment and problems faced by black people:
The Blacks, like the whites, had expected that their situation would change after independence of America. But it did not happen. Even after the independence, the hope of black people was not materialized, they got neither freedom nor happiness. "The cheque" given to black people was not cashed; it was returned back with the mark insufficient fund, so their condition remained the same. They were not allowed to travel by public vehicle; they were not allowed shelter in any motels; indeed they were not given any rights.

Problems faced by black people:

The blacks, likes the whites had expected that their situation would change after independence of American. But it did not happen even after the independence. The hope of black people was not materialized. They got neither freedom nor happiness. "The cheque" given to black people was not cashed; it was returned black with the mark insufficient fund so their condition remained the same they were not allowed to travel by any public vehicle; they were not allowed shelter in any motels; indeed they were not given any right.

Suggestions to his followers:

The present time, according to Martin Luther is the time to rise from the path of segregation to the path of racial justice. As it is the demand of time, no one should try to block the revolt of the blacks for their rights. The revolt would continue unless and until the demands are fulfilled. However, he advises that any means of violence should not be applied. He advised his followers to follow the path of non-violence. He further advised them to use their strength in creative works.

Warning to the government and his wishes

He advises his followers to follow on the path of peace. At the same time, he warns the government that there would not be peace if laws are not practiced accordingly, their movement would shake the foundation of the nation; he wishes for the end of apartheid. He desires for the oasis of freedom in place of bondage. He dreams that the children would not be judged on the basis of their color rather they would be judged on the basis of their intelligence. More over, he wishes for the prosperity of both black and white for the prosperity of nation.

Some of the dreams made by Jr. Martin Luther King in his speech “I HAVE A DREAM”:

1.He had a dream that one day his nation will rise up and live out with the true meaning of its creed holding the equality of all people living in U.S.

2. He had a dream that one day on the hills of Georgia the sons of farmer, slaves(Blacks) and the sons of former slave owners (Whites) will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.

3. He had a dream that any children of any color will not be judged on the basis of their color of their skin but by their content or the caliber.

4. He had a dream that every individual will get equal voting rights including their citizenship rights equally in every States.

5. He had a dream that none of the Americans will be judged just by staying in the Ghettos or skyscrapers.

6. He had a dream that any state of U.S will be beyond injustice and oppression but will be transformed into an Oasis of freedom and justice.

7. He had dream that all above situations will be favorable and realistic where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and work together as sister and brothers.

Q. What is the real dream of Martin Luther King about the future of America? [2065-5]

In this speech, M. L. King has the vision of equality and justice. He wants a new America in its social makeup, establish symphony of brotherhood among blacks and whites, and eradicate the discriminatory treatment of black Americans. His dream is deeply rooted in the American dream of 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness'. He dreams that one day blacks and whites will stay in the USA as like brother and sister, For the development of America the must be united.

Q. What is Martin Luther complaining about? [2063-5]

In this Speech M.L. King is complaining about the exploitation and discrimination over blacks in the USA. He complains that though the constitution of the USA has given equal rights for both races bur the blacks were not free in society. Freedom was only on the pages of constitutions but not on practice. The police were torturing the blacks without reasons. The hotels had the boards only for whites. Blacks were taken not as man but as animals. So he is complaining for real freedom in the USA.

Q What is the dream Martin Luther King, Jr. has? How is he going to achieve it? [2061-10]

= Martin Luther King, a black civil right campaigner, delivered an unforgettable speech " I Have a Dream" on August 28, 1963 commemorating the centennial of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. In this speech he presses for equal treatment and improved circumstances for blacks, and stresses on the necessity of eradicating institutional racial inequalities. King expresses sharp dissatisfaction over segregation and racial discrimination. He demands a fast end to racial discrimination, pledging his followers to a fight to the finish to wipe out all forms of segregation and to achieve equality and integration. However, he is in favour of creative and disciplined protest without physical violence. In his speech he even appeals the Whites to join hands with Blacks in order to revolt against discriminatory practices against Blacks. He does not show hatred against Whites, he is against color discrimination and racial prejudice.

He is a dreamer with the vision of equality and justice. He wants a new America in its social makeup, establish symphony of brotherhood among blacks and whites, and eradicate the discriminatory treatment of black Americans. His dream is deeply rooted in the American dream of 'life, liberty and pursuit of happiness'.

He voices that even after hundred years of passing of Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, America stands as the hell to the blacks. Blacks are exiled in their own country and live in poverty in the vast ocean of material prosperity.

He also mentions the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence which guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. But these magnificent words were not applied into practice in case of colored citizens. He demands the riches of freedom, security of justice, and citizenship rights to the blacks. He argues that the policy of gradualism in the matter of justice will raise discontent among blacks.

A Child Is Born

Germaine Greer

Theme

‘A child is Born’ by Germaine Greer discusses on the matter of childbirth and childcare. She shows the differences in between the rich technocratic Western society and the poor traditional Eastern society on the subject of pregnancy, childcare and child rearing. She is of the opinion that the Eastern society is better in comparison to Western society. In the Eastern society, the pregnant woman feels secure in pre-natal as well as post natal activities. This is hardly found in the Western society.

Summary:

Childbirth management in the Eastern society varies from place to place. The mother is familiar about the way of giving birth to child in such society because they are used to in such customs. They don't feel so much physical and mental tension while giving birth. The approach in Eastern society is ritualistic. She is covered with taboos and prohibitions which reduces her psychological burden. All the relatives including the husbands remain present during the process of giving birth. It decreases the pain of the mother. Their presence gives a sense of security to her. They create such an environment which make mother feel safe. Nevertheless, the chance of death of mother is high in Eastern society. In many of the Eastern societies, a pregnant woman goes to her mother's house. For example: the writer presents us an example from society of India. In Rajput society, the woman goes to mother's house prior to giving birth and after the birth to the child. She is taken care properly. The birth of the child is celebrated with singing and dancing. The pregnant woman is taken care not only by family members but also by the members of the community. It gives her a sense of security and she becomes less worried about giving birth. There is difference in child rearing also. In the Eastern society the mother gets respect after she gives birth. She is called by the name of her first child. The newly born child is taken care by all the relatives. The mother has to spend less time in taking care of child. So, the child-family relation is stronger than child-mother relation. Thus, the Eastern society is better than the Western society in the matter of childbirth and childcare. The Eastern society, however is not unaffected by the method of Western society.

Because of modernization, people in the Western societies are forced to use modern equipments. The modern equipments certainly have saved the lives of mother and child; nevertheless they are unable to reduce the anxiety of mother while giving birth. A pregnant woman in the West has to take care of herself with the guidance of nurses and doctors. The nurses and doctors do not give caressing hand to the pregnant woman. The health of mother and child is safer but mother is emotionally weaker. Child is born to fulfill the needs of parents only. The child grows up with its parents and dolls. So, child - mother relation is stronger. The mother has to bear all the problems during child birth and child rearing.

Q. What differences does the writer show between a traditional society and modern society in matters of child bearing?

Q. Is the writer in favor of traditional child birth system? Why?

This essay shows the differences of child birth system of western and eastern world. In the traditional world a women becomes mentally strong because her family supports her and she feel safe at the time of pregnancy. But, in the modern society the woman feels alone because her husband would be far away in the course of job. She has to give birth of her baby with the help of machines. Those machines and nurses don’t understand the pain of pregnant women. She becomes mentally weak. So, the writer is in support of the traditional child birth system than the modern society.

Q. What kind of treatment does a woman in Bangladesh receive during the pregnancy and after the child birth?

In this essay, the writer shows the traditional child birth system of Bangladesh. In that society the pregnant women loved by her husband and her relatives. She didn’t have any worry and fear because her family supports her and she becomes mentally strong. After birth of the baby, the woman is taken as the member of the family. The children are cared and reared by the whole family

The Boarding House

James Joyce

Mrs. Mooney is the main character in the story “The Boarding House” James Joyce Presents the story of a bold and strong women and her daughter’s love story.

Mrs. Mooney was a butcher’s daughter who married her father’s foreman. Later she divorced him because she could not withstand his drinking and bullying nature. Taking charge of her daughter Polly and son Jack, she opened a boarding house in Hardwicke Street. She was strong, strict, determined and practical. She knew how to handle matters- when to act and when to remain silent.

When reading further in the story, we find that the boarding house is a trap, where Mrs. Mooney is a hunter who's looking for a decent husband for her daughter Polly within her guests. She is using Polly as bait to catch Mr. Doran, the victim in the story. Mrs. Mooney manipulates Mr. Doran into her trap by using her daughter's innocence as the bait and Mr. Doran's innocence as a victim. Mrs. Mooney is a woman of business and Mr. Doran is the perfect victim for her and for Polly. Mr. Doran has also a decent job and he fits perfectly to the economical needs of Mrs. Mooney. Mrs. Mooney also uses their society and religion as a tool to cause Mr. Doran marrying her daughter. She knows that her victim is a religious man, who lives in the religious culture of Dublin that obeys to the rules of the church. He is afraid of the church and he is afraid to lose his job in the Catholic wine merchant office. Thus Mr. Doran had no other option than marrying Polly. Mrs. Mooney is like a watchdog that watches that the prey will not run out of the trap, but will run into it.

Q. Write an interpretation of 'The Boarding House'. [060-3]

After a difficult marriage with a drunken husband that ends in separation, Mrs. Mooney opens a boarding house to make a living. Jack, her son and Polly, her daughter live with her in the house, which is occupied by clerks from the city, as well as occasional tourists and musicians. Mrs. Mooney runs a strict and tight business and is known by the lodgers as “The Madam.” Polly, who used to work in an office, now stays at home at her mother’s request, to amuse the lodgers and help with the cleaning. Surrounded by so many young men, Polly ultimately develops a relationship with a rich thirty five years old Mr. Doran. Mrs. Mooney knows about the relationship, but instead of sending Polly back to work in the city, she monitors its developments. Polly becomes increasingly uncomfortable with her mother’s lack of intervention, but Mrs. Mooney waits until “the right moment” to intercede. First she speaks awkwardly with Polly, then arranges to speak with Mr. Doran on a Sunday morning.

Mrs. Mooney looks forward to her argument which she intends to “win” by defending her daughter’s honor and convincing Mr. Doran to offer his hand in marriage. Waiting for the time to pass, Mrs. Mooney figures the odds are in her favor, considering that Mr. Doran, who has worked for a wine merchant for thirteen years and gained much respect, will choose the option that least harms his career.

Meanwhile, Mr. Doran is in distress. He knows he will be called by Mrs. Mooney. He reviews the difficult confession to his priest that he made on Saturday evening, in which he was harshly accused for his romantic affair. He knows he can either marry Polly or run away, the latter an option that would ruin his sound reputation. Convincing himself that he has been tricked, Mr. Doran bemoans Polly’s unimpressive family, her ill manners, and her poor grammar, and wonders how he can remain free and unmarried. In this vexed moment Polly enters the room and threatens to end her life out of unhappiness. In her presence, Mr. Doran begins to remember how he was trapped by Polly’s beauty and kindness, but he still hesitates about his decision. Uneasy, Mr. Doran comforts Polly and departs for the meeting, leaving her to wait in the room. She rests on the bed crying for a while, neatens her appearance, and then nestles back in the bed, dreaming of her possible future with Mr. Doran. Finally, Mrs. Mooney interrupts the daydream by calling to her daughter. Mr. Doran, according to Mrs. Mooney, wants to speak with Polly.

The story

Mrs. Mooney, separated from her husband, a butcher who descended into alcoholism, runs a boarding house for working men. Her daughter Polly entertains the boarders by singing and flirts with them. Mrs. Mooney learns that her daughter is having an affair with Mr. Doran, a man in his mid-thirties who has worked in a Catholic wine-merchant’s office for many years. Mrs. Mooney bides her time before she intervenes; strongly implying that she is deliberately trying to trap Mr. Doran. After much background, the climax of the story commences on a warm Sunday morning. Mrs. Mooney intends to talk to Mr. Doran and demand that he marry Polly or risk open disclosure. The narration then shifts to Doran’s point-of-view as he nervously contemplates losing his job due to the affair and bemoans the girl’s lower class background and vulgarities of speech. After Polly enters in an agitated state, we learn through Doran’s memories that she initiated the relationship. After Doran leaves the room, Polly seems content, suggesting that she was putting on a show of anguish for his sake. The story closes with Mrs. Mooney calling Polly down so that Mr. Doran can speak to her.

Q. Briefly narrate the story of "The Boarding House" [063-10]

"The Boarding House" by James Joyce is a story of Mrs. Mooney. She had married her father’s foreman. She later divorced him because he was a drunkard and aggressive. She was a very clever woman who knew how to handle matters. She trapped rich Mr. Doran and forced him to marry her daughter Polly.

After divorcing from her husband, she opened a boarding house. The house was full of clerks and tourists. Her daughter Polly used to amuse the lodgers. Polly developed a relationship with rich Mr. Doran. Mrs. Mooney knew the matters but did not intervene for some time. Later, she asked about the relationship with her daughter.

Mrs. Mooney was a determined and practical woman. So, she thought of possible ways of blackmailing Doran and forcing him to marry Polly. She was convinced that Mr. Doran could not escape the marriage because he was a clerk of one of the rich Catholic merchant. Mrs. Mooney called Mr. Doran so that she could blackmail him to marry her daughter. Mr. Doran wanted to escape from marriage but he could not do that. In the end, Mrs. Mooney called her daughter saying that Mr. Doran wanted to speak to her.

Q. Sketch the character of Mrs. Mooney. (The Boarding House)

Ans. Mrs. Mooney, the main character of the story The Boarding House possessed a civilized and conscious character or behaviour. She had a daughter called Polly once fell in love with a boy called Mr. Doran. Gradually, people came to know about their relationship and started to gossip. Finally, Mrs. Mooney came to know the fact. Due to her civilized manner, she didn’t get angry but planned to make a perfect inquiry to find out the fact. If Doran had no bad intention, she would allow them to get married. If not she would take action against him to pay as a compensation. Later on, it is understood that she settled the problems between them and allowed them to go ahead. Before this event, she had started a shop to sell meat. She had two children. She got separated from her husband after he became useless to business. She followed legal process to get separated. She started a business of boarding house where many people stayed from short to long time. From such kind of ideas and schemes of Mrs. Mooney, we can say that she was bold, decisive, responsible, civilized and a perfect woman. On the other hand, she gave responsibility to her daughter and son. Miss Polly had to be responsible to look after the boarding house. It means Mrs. Mooney was conscious to make them independent. So, regarding her character, Mrs. Mooney is courageous, business skilled, and deserving all types of qualities fit in modern time.

Q. How do you think Mrs Mooney settled with Mr. Doran about Polly? Did Mr. Doran marry Polly or pay out compensation? [059-3]

Mrs. Mooney was in search of a good husband for her daughter Polly. When she knew that Mr. Doran and Polly had developed a relationship, she thought of plan to blackmail him. In my view, she forced Mr. Doran to marry her daughter because Mr. Doran was rich man. Though he was 35 years old, he was soft-mouthed and above her social status.

I think that Mr. Doran married Polly because he was trapped by Mrs. Mooney. Mrs. Mooney was rich but her social status was not so good. So, Mrs. Mooney forced him to marry her daughter.

The Children Who Wait

Marsha Traugot

Marsha Traugot's essay "The children Who Wait" discusses the scene of adoption in American context.

Marsha Traugot begins her essay with the picture of Tammy, which has been published in a magazine with the hope that someone would be ready to adopt her. She is five and half years old with the face of Mona Lisa. The writer describes her unadaptable child had she been born before 1960. During that period only white healthy children were considered adaptable. Physically deformed children’s were referred as damaged goods. No one was ready to adopt such children. The children who were black, mixed racial group, handicapped and over five years were not adopted by families. This view, however, started disappearing after the sixties. People’s attitude towards them gradually became positive. The change in thoughts was brought by various factors. Traugot mentions black civil right movement, legalization of abortion, change in attitude of the people, and change in government's policy as responsible factors. Black civil rights movement brought sympathetic attitude towards black people. White people started regarding them as humans and treated accordingly. Another responsible factor was women's movement. Because of women’s movement they got right to decide on the matter of childbirth in addition to other right. The lady who had to do abortion to maintain her status could live with dignity with her child. It has the impact in reduction of unwanted children. The third factor responsible for change in attitude was government's policy towards adoption. The government used to emphasize on foster care before the seventies. As they became aware about the drawbacks of foster care, they made changes in their policy. Rater than emphasizing on foster care, they tried to find permanent home for the homeless children. Another factor responsible is the role played by social activists. Their campaign brought changes not only in attitude of the people but also in their behavior. Prior to the 1960, the social activists considered white, two parent, and middle or upper class childless family as an ideal adoptive family. But now the situation has changed. The social workers give children for adoption to even single or two parents, black or biracial, upper class or working class, childless or families with older siblings. The catch phrase of the social worker is ‘matching’. Activists try to get proper family for destitute child. Unlike previous activists, they can't get two-parent family. Instead of searching for two-parent family, they need to evaluate the characteristic of a child and match it with the proper family. Now adoption agencies collect the lists of parents who want to adopt child. They match qualities of children with the need of parents, let both of them meet and interact. They even hold meetings and discuss about the children and the types of families where they can put them. Now adoption agencies collect the lists of parents who want to adopt child. They match qualities of children with the need of parents, let both of them meet and interact. If this system does not work, they publish the profile of homeless children in television or newspaper to look for adoptive parents.

Q. Whom does Marsha Traugot refer to as the children who wait? [ 2057-3]

Q. What had happened to the handicapped children in the past? [065-3]

Q. Why was it difficult for the handicapped and the black children to find foster family? [060-3]

Q. What kinds of parents were considered suitable for adopting children? What kind of children were considered 'Unadoptable'? [062-3]

= According to Traugot, before 1960, there were strict rules for child adoption in America. Only white, healthy and child within infancy were considered fit for adoption. Any handicapped, black or biracial or child more than five years old were considered unadoptable. Any handicapped child was thought as a damaged thing. Even parents who were considered suitable for adopting children had to be middle class and childless white couple, having their own home.

Q. According to Traugot , what changes are transforming the American adoption scene? What factors are responsible for the changes? [060-3]

= After 1960 in America, many factors such as black right movement, women's movement, legalized abortion, social science research, change in social values and high expense of running foster home are transforming the American adoption scene. Now any type of child or any type of parents can be adoptive child or adoptive parents.

Q. How do the adoption agencies find the potential parents? (The Children Who Wait)

Ans. “The Children Who Wait” by Marsha Traugot discusses the adoption system and problems in America in twentieth century. In this story there are three parties: the children waiting for adoption, the family to adopt them and agencies to look after them and to search for suitable adoptive family. In the beginning black and disabled children had to wait for a long time. White and good children were adopted easily. Agents had to find out potential parents especially for black over age, and handicapped children. They had to look for both or one biracial parents for black children. For disabled or handicapped children, the agents had to look for parents who did not think the children could be all rounder or they could think mental capacity was only a factor of life. So, agents had to advertise or give information about the children to the potential parents.

Women's Business

Illene Kantrov

Theme:

Illene Kantrov's essay Women's Business depicts the business activities performed by women. She presents her logic that Women's business was related with cosmetic items and the techniques applied for the production of goods by them were traditional. She presents Lydia Pinkham as the precursor of women's business. Other women entrepreneurs also followed the path she showed. Though they followed her path, they could hardly become as successful as Lydia.

Summary:

There was a picture of a lady Lydia Pinkham in a newspaper. Below the picture was an advertisement, which claimed that the company owned by the lady had remedy for number of problems of women. The lady, according to the writer, used the techniques of social activism to sell her products. She advised her clients, to consult only female physicians. She suggested the client about diet, exercise and hygiene. Due to the business conducted by her, she could earn huge amount ($200000) in the year 1881. Her success in business made her very famous. She became a folk heroine, the subject of popular songs and jokes.

Other women followed the path shown by Lydia. Like Lydia, her successors, arch-rivals Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden became successful businesswomen. They printed their beautiful faces in the magazines to advertise their goods. They allured their customers by marrying European aristocrats. They competed in their business. To show their product of high quality, they used women's sentiments as well as the boldness of gambler. In addition to cosmetics, they opened beauty parlors, sold ready-made clothes, and advised on nutrition. Helena published books on the benefits of eating raw foods; the book became extremely popular. Similarly a black female capitalist also followed the path of Lydia but the technique used by her was quite different. She used sales agents to sell her products. Though the female capitalist followed the path of Lydia, their main aim was to gain personal benefits, in which they could become successful to some extent.

Q. What is the main idea of the essay?

Ans. Women’s business presents a main idea that business women were much successful in America. They are much popular too. Their production and business benefited many people in different ways. Business women were involve in producing some useful things to women like cosmetics. They produced not only useful things to women but also they suggested and helped to cure the problems of women like nervousness, hysteria, barrenness, and so on. In America business women like Lydia E. Pinkham, Elizabeth, and Jenny Grossinger were very much successful and they could earn a lot of money by selling their products due to the means of advertisements, suggestion and inspiration to use their products. So, in conclusion, the essay Women’s Business expresses that even women can do as good business as men can and they get success in business with the help of media and their own courtesy to American women in the form of useful suggestions and tools.

Hansel and Gretel

Grimm Brothers

A poor woodcutter once lived near a forest. His children Hansel and Gretel were cruelly treated by the stepmother. Once there was a famine and the wife advised her husband to leave the children in the forest forever. The husband was unwilling because he loved his children. Having heard the stepmother's plan, Hansel collected shiny pebbles at night. He dropped those pebbles when they were leaving for forest. In the forest, when their parents deserted them, they returned back home following the shiny pebbles in the moon light. Next time also their parents deserted them in the forest. This time they could not return home. After three days of searching their home, they found a house made of cake, sugar and bread. A witch came and trapped them. She put Hansel in a cage in order to eat him. But by the intelligence of Hansel, they were freed. Hansel even killed the witch with her clever trick. After collecting lots of jewels from the witch's house, they returned home and united with their father.

-Hansel and Gretel

Theme:

‘Hansel and Gretel’ by Grimm Brothers present a story of a family; which consists of a father, a stepmother and two children. The writers present the psychology of step mother in very realistic manner. At the same time, he shows that evil force suffers in the end and good force emerges victorious.

Summary:

Once there was a famine in a country, which compelled the step mother to think of leaving the children to the forest. The father yielded to the wish of wife, as she was pigheaded. In the morning, the step mother asked them to get ready to go to the forest. Hansel had collected pebbles as he had heard the conversation of parents the earlier night. As they left their home, the boy dropped pebbles on the way. After walking for some duration, they reached to a spot where the step mother asked the children to wait till they return back. But it was only a trick to leave the children in the forest. At midnight, when they got up, the boy thought of returning to house. He could return successfully with the assistance of pebbles he had dropped. At home they were welcomed by the father though the mother was indifferent. There was another famine in the country, which forced the mother to bring the previous idea back again. The father accepted despite his unwillingness. The boy, unlike previous time, was unable to collect pebbles as the mother had locked the door from outside. Early in the morning, the children were woken up and given bread. The boy dropped the bread on the way making it crumbs. Unlike before, the parents took them deep into the forest. The children were left there. They wished that their parents would come which didn’t happen as they had thought. The children couldn’t return back to their house as the breads crumbs had been eaten by birds. They, at last reached to a house made of bread and cakes. As they nibbled from the house, a voice sweetly spoke them to continue. It was a witch, who used to eat children whoever came handy. The witch, on the next day imprisoned the brother and compelled the sister to do laborious deeds. Everyday the witch went there and checked how fat he had become. The boy could deceive her with the help of a bone. As she realized that the lad would never become sedentary, she decided to end the consequence. Early in the morning, she ordered Gretel to fetch water. She had prepared oven to end the brother and sister. As Gretel arrived there, she asked her to be in. Gretel showed ignorance to the way of entering and asked her to demonstrate. No sooner had the witch tried to enter her head, she pushed her into oven and closed it. She then released her brother. They went inside the house and collected treasures. On the way back home, they arrived by a river, which was full of water. The boy asked a duck to help him across the river. As they reached their house after long walk, they saw their father, who welcomed them happily. Their step mother had already died.

Q. What do the bird and the expense of water symbolizes in the fairy tale?

The white bird is the symbol of bridge which guides the children up to home safely and then water is the symbol of transition and beginning of happiness.

Gretel

Q. Why does Gretel blame her father and brother? [058-3]

Q. Do you think Gretel represents modern feminist women? Give your opinion briefly. [061-3]

‘Gretel’ by Garrison Keillor is an interpretation of the story "Hansel and Gretel" from the perspective of a female. The interpreter is Gretel who denies her cowardice in the original story. She claims that the depiction is distorted one.Gretel says that there was an understanding between her and her brother to sell their story to Grimm brothers. They had signed in a contract paper with an agreement to share fifty-fifty of the profit. But unexpectedly, Gretel found the story published the other day totally different order. The story depicts her as coward and her brother as a brave person. She claims the brother was, in reality, a coward not vice versa. It was her brother who wept time and again, and she had to carry him. The portrayal of he father and mother is also distorted. Father was not so kind hearted; he was a drunkard; he liked to watch bull fight. Mother was not cruel in any sense of the word. Gretel describes their parents leaving them in the forest as a natural phenomenon of the time. Parents used to leave the children in forest hoping that they will be better cared in forest by frog, raven or saints. She claims that she was not worried when she in the forest, as she had known the reality. At last, she repents for killing the witch, for the witch was not after her; she had wanted to kill Hansel. Gretel supports her stepmother Gladys and finds her a loving mother. She explains that the woman who gave them cake, bread and house was not a witch but a loving woman who wanted to kill Hansel in order to revolt against male dominance.

Interpretation

“Gretel” is the contemporary adaptation of the writer Garrison Keillor. In this adaptation, the writer strongly states the statement given by Gretel in their going to forest. Gretel explores various feeling related to her bother Hansel, father and stepmother as well as the witch in the gingerbread house. Gretel is a radical or militant feminist. In the fairy tale “Gretel”, Keillor has sketched her character as a strong and dominant person. She blames the male characters who want to exploit her and her step-mother. She has to get half of the profits earned by selling the book according to the contract. However, the lawyers of Hansel put her under a spell and make her sign another contract. Then she gets very little money and the book is regarded to be pure imagination.

Gretel is a benevolent as well as strong girl. She advocates the women’s rights and seems to be a feminist and wanted to raise her voice against the patriarchal society (male-dominated society). She wants to make the women aware and raises the voice against; injustice and inequality. She believes that women should get equal property right. When her brother makes a conspiracy not to share the money after selling the book, she becomes angry and evaluates that males are very cruel. She learns so many things from her own experience. The more she faces problems and suffers, the stronger she becomes. She is very sympathetic to the condition of women in the society. She is even sympathetic to the witch and her stepmother. She criticizes her father and brother. She always supports justice, equality and liberty. She is strong minded, clever, brave and courageous girl. She is very hopeful about her life and future. She thinks that her step mother and the witch are not completely wrong but they show kind behaviour towards the children due to the tradition. So tradition or faith is wrong. She is hopeful because she thinks that a girl like her may be the pray of various animals as well as birds. She may be bothered by fairies, shepherds, hermits as well. Gretel after all cope the circumstances with her wise sense and cleverness.

Gretel expresses her different opinion to the cruel character too. Her step-mother is presented to be wicked and cruel; she is not so according to Gretel. Gretel says that it is the plan of the cruel father to leave her and her brother in the dense forest. She has to beat her brother to make him walk. She has to carry him on her back. Her father is a drunkard and the step mother can do nothing against his will. She blames her father and brother for being cruel and selfish. They live happily in a large building but Gretel and her step-mother have no home of their own. Gretel raises her hand against the male domination. She supports the principle that women should have the equal rights as men. She raises her voice against injustice. She supports feminism. She goes against male superiority. She proves that Hansel, being male, is unable to do anything. He is tired, nervous and afraid. She proves his weakness by carrying him on her back.

Gretel criticizes her father also says he is selfish, unkind and irresponsible. He dominates his wife and doesn’t give her the share of property. Gretel is not afraid of anything. She has even sympathy to the witch. She thinks that the witch and the step-mother are not as bad as they are supposed to be. She feels sorry for the witch as she has pushed her without good reason. She thinks that the witch suffers most. In this way Gretel is a strong feminist who criticizes the existing male superiority in the society. She suffers because of the injustice of males. However, she is never hopeless. She believes that no children suffer permanently in the lap of nature. In this way. We can strongly state that Gretel is the strong supporter of justice, equality and she often condemns (criticizes) injustice, male domination, sex discrimination and other social inequalities.

The Little Brother and The Little Sister

[From the Transforming Text]

- Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

It is transformation fairy tale written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s. “The Little Brother and the Little Sister” is all about the account of “Hansel and Gretel” in a different way. The children are not identified by their names but by their relation. So, the title is not “Hansel and Gretel” but “The Little Brother and The Little Sister”. In this fairy tale, a poor woodcutter lives by a great forest. He lives very difficult life with his second-wife and two children. Once, there is a famine (food shortage) and the family has no bread to eat. The step-mother is very cruel who forces her husband to leave the children in the forest. The children know the plan of their parents. The brother goes out of the house at night in the moonlight and fills his pocket with the shining pebbles. The next morning, the little brother and his sister are taken to the forest. On the way, the brother keeps on dropping the shining stones one by one. In the forest, the parents make a great fire and ask the children to wait until they come back. However, the parents don’t come back. The children are worried and they wait for the moon. When the moon shines at night, they came back home following the shining pebbles. The father who loves them very much becomes happy but the cruel step mother becomes angry.

In the meantime, there is the scarcity of food. The step mother again compels the father to get rid of the children. They again take the children to the forest. This time the little brother drops the pieces of bread on the ways. The parents again make a great fire and come back home leaving the children in the forest. The little sister and her brother wait until the moon shines at night. However they don’t find the pieces of bread as they are eaten up by the birds. Then they are lost in the dense forest. They walk on and on for three days and finally they reach a house made of bread. The Window is made of sugar. When they begin to eat, an old witch comes and takes them inside the house She provides them with good food and nice bed. The next day, she imprisons the boy in the stable and makes the little sister work hard.

After making Hansel fat, she wants to kill the brother and roast the little sister. One day the witch asks the sister to go into the oven to see if it is hot or not for the cakes. The clever sister says that she doesn’t know how to go into the oven. When the witch shows how to go in, the little girl pushes the witch inside the oven and closes the door of the oven. The witch burns to death. The little sister frees her little brother and they return home with a lot of jewels. The step mother is already dead. The father becomes happy and rich.

Jack Zipes’s Interpretation of Hansel and Gretel

Jack Zipes interprets story ‘Hansel and Gretel from the different perspective. He chooses to interpret the story from the Marxist point of view. He expresses that this story is a story of hope and victory. All the character in the story is very low level but supporting traditional cultural values. A poor man, wood-cutter, who has not sufficient food to feed his family. He has got a second Wife but she also negates the children and shows her rude behavior. The children are so kind and lovely, they are Hansel and Gretel. Because of famine in the region, the woodcutter and his wife decide to leave the children in the dense forest to get rid of them and survive easily. They leave the children according to their previous plan and the children suffer much in the forest and later came to the grip of witch.

According to Marxist theory, there is always conflict between two class, upper class and lower class. Jack describes children as lower class and oppressed and step-mother and witch as high class and oppressor. But the children save themselves because of their cleverness and trick; they kill the witch and returned home with a lot of jewels and pearls. The witch’s house is made up bread and sugar to attract the poor children.

In the story there are two classes higher and lower class. The lower class also represents the woodcutter family and higher class represents the witch and stepmother. This story shows the famine and poverty of 18^th and the struggle between the two classes where the lower class always wins at last. At the end of the 18th century the people wanted the change from feudalism to capitalism. The feudal ideology was proved wrong. The people were ready to struggle and they hoped their bright future in capitalism. The poor family changes their lifestyle from extreme poverty to the richness from the jewels the children carries from witch’s house is one of the best example of transition phase from feudalism to early capitalism and this is exactly what Karl Marx predicts.

Bruno Bettelheim’s Interpretation of Hansel and Gretel

Bruno Bettelheim interprets the folk-tale “Hansel and Gretel” revealing (showing) various social and cultural meanings. The story reveals the bitter truth that poverty, scarcity and hardships lead people towards selfishness, cruelty and bad deeds (bad works). Hansel and Gretel have always· a fear in their minds that their own parents want to abandon (leave) them because of the lack of food. The step-mother is cruel and selfish. Though the father loves the children, he can’t go against his wife. He feels guilty and his heart becomes heavy when he leaves the children in the dense forest. The children come back to the house though their parents are selfish. In our society also, the step-mothers are generally selfish, cruel and jealous. They usually hate their step children and force their husbands to do whatever they want. The same thing happens in this story. Because of the cruelty of the step mother, the children ‘(Hansel and Gretel) suffer a lot. However, the suffering and hardships make the children bold and mature. Facing many difficulties, they reach the house of witch. They are tempted by the bread and sugar of the house. When they are welcomed by the witch, they become happy. But, when the witch plans to kill them, they realize the danger of greed and temptation. They learn that to be greedy is to invite risk. When the children kill the witch and return with jewels and pearls, they realize that one must bear pain to have a gain. They learn the fact that without facing danger and without taking risk, they can achieve nothing. The treasure is the reward for the danger, pain, hardships etc. faced by the children. After killing the witch, the children learn the social fact that everything can be done by co-operation. At the time of danger, one should use reason (mind) instead of passions.

The story has a great cultural significance. The witch welcomes the children to eat them. The house gives shelter to the children but they can’t control their desires and eat the house which brings danger to them. The white bird which leads the children to the house of the witch is culturally the symbol of peace and kindness. The white duck which helps them to cross the river is the symbol of co-operation and selflessness. The expanse of water is the symbol of maturity. After crossing the river, the children reach a higher stage of development. They become economically strong. They are no longer the burden of the family. They become independent, wise, matured and happy.

18. The Gingerbread House

Robert Coover

Robert Coover’s story “The Gingerbread House” consists of forty-two numbered paragraphs which shows the parts of the story and it is an adoption of “Hansel and Gretel”. In the mid afternoon, an old man leads two children to the pine forest. The boy is dropping the pieces of bread and the girl is singing nursery songs and carrying a basket of flowers. The old man seems poor and miserable who wears the torn clothes is very poor, weak and thin. The children are also wearing torn clothes and walking with bare feet. The eyes of the old man are blue and his face is wrinkled. He is looking for the chance to leave the children in the thick forest. He feels guilty. Though he loves his children, he has no food to feed them. As they are walking, they encounter terrible witch who has worn black clothes. Her face is pale, her body is thin and twisted and her eyes are like burning coals. She cries madly and stretches her hand in the empty space. She catches a white dove and tears its red heart out.

When they are on their way to their journey, they reach into the “Gingerbread House”. The house can be reached walking on the biscuits through the garden of sugared fruits. The house is made of sweets, chocolates and sugar. There is sticky I garden of sweets. The door of the house is heart shaped and red. It is shining like a ruby. The door is half-open. The place is sunny and beautiful. The air is fresh. There is river of honey and lollipops grow like daisies. The boy looks back and finds that the breadcrumbs that he drops are eaten up by the white birds. He is sad as his plan to return back home fails. The old man and the children spend the night in the forest. The next day, the old man tries to return back home silently but the children see and follow him. He pushes the girl and strikes the boy. The children weep but the old man returns home leaving the children in the dense forest.

There are several obstacles in the story that are faced by the children. Numerous problems and difficulties in the forest are common for them. However, they don’t lose their heart. They come to the gingerbread house. They fall on the sticky garden of sweets. They lick each other clean and are happy. The boy climbs up the roof of chocolate. They enjoy eating bread and sweets. Beyond the door of the house, there is the terrible sound of the witch flapping her black rags.

The Last Voyage of Ghost Ship

Gabrial Garica Marqueaz

Theme:

The last voyage of ghost ship by Gabriel Garcia Marquez a Colombia novelist presents the development of a boy to a young man. The events depicted however are not in chronological order: the writer has used stream of consciousness technique in the presentation of story.

Summary:

The boy, who is also main character of the story used to go to sea where he had seen a mysterious ship in his childhood. The ship used to appear when there was darkness and vice versa. The ship was bigger than the village and taller than the steeple of the church. But he could not see the ship in the later years. However the boy didn’t stop going to sea. He had determined to show the existence of ship to the villager after he was beaten on charge of being a liar. After many years he saw the same ship by the harbor. He could not believe his eyes. So until next March he waited to see the same ship. No sooner had he seen the ship than he went home to tell about it to his mother. His mother got angry with him; she advised him to get involved in romance with some lady instead of going to sea. The boy’s mother however agreed to go there next march. But unluckily, his mother expired while she was sitting on a chair and thinking about her dead husband. This event made the boy angrier. His determination grew bolder; he wanted to prove the existence of ship to the villager and went towards that location with a lantern. He didn’t stop anywhere; he went straight towards his destination. As he reached near the place, he saw the ship again. The ship was moving without any sound. His presence there made the ship disappear. Nonetheless, it reappeared after some time. The boy lit the lantern and showed it towards the ship. As he showed the light, a miracle happened the ship started following him. The boy guided the ship towards the village. At last he took the ship there. The ship blasted as it reached there. The villagers came there running and saw the destruction of ninety thousand champagne glasses. The boy watched the villagers what he wanted to prove before them.

Q. Why did the boy have to prove who he was? (The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship)

This amazing story shows the steady development of a boy into adulthood. In course of his development, he encounters with the ghost ship many times. The more he visualizes the ship the more mature he becomes. Many years ago, when he saw the ship for the first time he was a boy. The ship was amazingly large and heading to the land without any lights and sound. It would disappear if there came the light from the lighthouse. So, the boy thought it was a fantastic dream. As he saw the ship next year he told his mother about it and insisted her to see it. But she said that her son had gone down crazy. So, she promised him to see it next year and went to the town to buy a chair asking a boatman to watch her son. As she died, the villagers accused the boy of fetching misfortune into the village. With the evil chair. so, he preferred stealing fish from the boat rather to live on charity. They mercilessly beat him as he asked them to watch the ship. Eventually, the hatred, rage and the isolation made the boy quite resolute, strong and fearless. He was neither confused by emotion nor frightened by the miracle. It is a sign of his maturity. So, the boy when saw the ship suddenly realized that he could control its movement by using the lantern. He took control over the ship and made it follow him to the village church. He felt that all the disbelievers watched all this, being stunned. Thus, he proved his manhood.

Source: http://rameshadhikary.blogspot.com/2014/08/class-12-english-note-heritage.html

Narendra Sharad

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Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Class 12 English Note (The Heritage of Words Class -12)

Grandmother

Ray young Bear

Theme/ Main Idea of the poem

Q What is the main idea of the poem? [063-3]

Q What impression of grandmother does the speaker give in the poem 'Grandmother'? [065-3]

Q. What are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother? [057-3]

Q .Why and how does the old pensioner lament? [061-3]

Q. What is the speaker lamenting on? [062-3]

Q .Why does the old man want to 'spit into the face of time'? [058-3]

Q .Mention any three things the old man laments about. Why is he sad about them? [059-3]

Q Is death meaningful in this poem?

He says that the bones of his father have turned into coral and eyes into pearls. Sea-nymphs respect him with death bell every hour. None of the parts have wasted but changed into more valuable. Here death is shown not as an absolute end but a new beginning.

Q What is the central idea of the poem? [057-3]

Q What does the traveler feel when he touches the dead doe?

Q Do you agree with what the narrator did? Why? [063-3]

Q. Explain the title of the poem. Who are all those driving through the dark?

Q. Do you think the reference to the alive but never to be born fawn sentimental?

Q Give reasons why men are unaware of the greatness of God? [058]

A Story

Dylan Thomas

Q. Describe the relation between Thomas (the boy's uncle) and his wife.

Q. What is the reason for which Will Sentry always followed Mr. Franklyn? [058-3]

Q How is Karnali linked economically with the low land regions to the south?[057/061/o63-3]

Q What did the two writers learn about the life and culture of the people of the Karnali region during their journey on foot? [059-3]

Q. Give a short account of the life of the people of Karnali.

Life of the People of Karnali

The Tell-Tale Heart

Edgar Allan Poe

Theme:Edgar Allan Poe's story The Tell – Tale Heart presents murderous act done by a man and confessions done later. The story shows how guilt forces a person to confess his crime. Crime and criminal cannot be and should not be hidden.

Summary:

Q.Was the narrator mad?

Q Why does narrator develop intense hatred against the old man? Would you call the narrator mad? Give reasons for your answer. [059-10]

Q.What made the narrator confess his crime? [062-3][065-3]

Q. Describe the scene when the narrator killed the old man. [064-3]

Te boy went into the old man’s room at night and he made him wake up. He looked at his eyes and he became too furious and killed the old man. He cut his body into three pieces and buried under his floor. He had kept his body so secretly that nobody could suspect over the murder.

A Child Is Born

Germaine Greer

Theme

Summary:

Q. What differences does the writer show between a traditional society and modern society in matters of child bearing?

Q. Is the writer in favor of traditional child birth system? Why?

Q. What kind of treatment does a woman in Bangladesh receive during the pregnancy and after the child birth?

The Boarding House

James Joyce

Mrs. Mooney is the main character in the story “The Boarding House” James Joyce Presents the story of a bold and strong women and her daughter’s love story.

Q. Write an interpretation of 'The Boarding House'. [060-3]

The story

Q. Briefly narrate the story of "The Boarding House" [063-10]

"The Boarding House" by James Joyce is a story of Mrs. Mooney. She had married her father’s foreman. She later divorced him because he was a drunkard and aggressive. She was a very clever woman who knew how to handle matters. She trapped rich Mr. Doran and forced him to marry her daughter Polly.

Theme:
Edgar Allan Poe's story The Tell – Tale Heart presents murderous act done by a man and confessions done later. The story shows how guilt forces a person to confess his crime. Crime and criminal cannot be and should not be hidden.