BCA Semester I
Additional English Notes
Night Watches
Answer the following questions in a sentence or two each.
1. How do you know that the Night Orderly is new to the job?
Ans. The Night Orderly was a middle aged person, who came to that
hospital with the nurse and nurse had introduced him everything in that
hospital and explained him about his duty, by this it shows that the Orderly
was new to the job.
2. When does the Orderly say that he is quite an ordinary person?
Ans. When nurse asked him to spend a night with a good cup of tea but he
refused to have it and said her that he was quite an ordinary person.
3. What was the problem with the two in the little ward?
Ans. The little ward was the room at the end of the passage , only two
patients were in that but they had been getting a little restless because one
of them was deaf and dumb and another wasn’t want him that ward and he should
be shifted to big ward.
4. How did the second soldier become deaf and dumb?
Ans. A shell had busted near him and he wasn’t wounded, but he couldn’t
speak a word and couldn’t hear a word after that incident.
5. How would the Orderly keep himself awake if he were required to do
so?
Ans. The Orderly would spend the night pinching him, to awake if he were
required to do so.
6. What was the first soldier’s complaint against the second?
Ans. The first soldier was irritated by second soldier and he would
speak while sleeping and he said that the second soldier was pretending to dumb
but he could speak according to first soldier.
7. ‘I don’t set much store by that way of writing’. What does the
soldier mean by this?
Ans. The first
soldier was unhappy with his fellow mate and he was not interested to write
anything to communicate with him when Orderly asked him to do so, at that
moment he uttered these words.
8. How does the Orderly explain his statements that sleep will do wonders?
Ans. According to the
Orderly sleep was beautiful thing in this world. He said, “We relax, we sink
into nature”. He added more about sleep and said that sleep would heal, it
would put things right for the time, it would help to put them right
altogether. It would accomplish miracles.
Ans. He second
soldier have caught the first bending over him when the second soldier was
sleep in the little ward.
10. When does the first soldier show his concern for the second? What does he do?
Ans. There was huge
argument between both soldiers and the Orderly, meanwhile the second soldier
decided to blow his brain out, at that moment the first soldier showed his concern
for the second soldier.
11. ‘There’s been a
great reconciliation. And more than that.’ Explain.
Ans. The soldiers and
the Orderly were excited when second soldier was able hear and they were
celebrating that moment by dancing and the nurse entered and caught them , at
that moment the Orderly exclaimed that there was a great reconciliation between
both soldiers.
12. How does the first soldier give his mate ‘a bit o ‘pleasure’? What is its effect on both of them?
Ans. The first
soldier made a sudden and great clanging with the fire-irons to give a bit of
pleasure to the second soldier as he was able to hear and both of them shook
hands and danced with joy to celebrate that moment of happiness.
13. ‘My Gawd! I used to be frightened of ‘im. At nights you get thinkin’. Do you think he would still be afraid of his mate’?
Ans. No, now he
wouldn’t be afraid of his mate.
14.‘I’ll box your ears if I hear a sound before eight o’clock’. What sound does the nurse refer to?
Ans. The soldier was
excited when he came to know that his mate would hear, he asked nurse about
when did he speak to second soldier that moment nurse replied him to shout his
mouth until morning eight o’clock.
Composition
1. Which character of the play reveals most completely his mind at work? Would you consider him normal or abnormal?
Ans. The first
soldier revealed most completely his mind at work and he was normal person with
abnormal behaviour towards his fellow mate in the little ward. Both soldiers
were wounded and admitted in same ward, where as the second soldier was unable
to speak and hear because of a shell had busted near to him. But the first
soldier was blaming his fellow mate by saying that he would speak while he was
sleeping. When he said these all things to the Orderly then he tried to explain
importance of sleep and importance of reconciliation. Meanwhile the first
soldier did not understand the Orderly words until the second soldier decided
to blow off his brain.
2. What is the dramatic purpose of the dialogue between the Orderly and the first soldier till the second one joins them?
Ans. The Orderly was dozing and resting in the anteroom, that moment the first soldier entered and started blaming about second soldier that he would speak. The Orderly asked when he heard his words, and then he said that he heard when the second soldier was sleeping and speaking words regularly. Even first soldier blamed by saying that he was pretending to dumb but he would speak. The Orderly tired to convince him, and said that the second soldier had faced a horrible situation and one of the shell had blasted beside his ear and he was in shock and such type of situation could happen with anyone who had faced so tragic situation in a battle field. But the first soldier was not ready to stay with him in the little ward as he was frustrated by the second soldier’s behaviour. Meanwhile the Orderly said him importance of sleep and how William Shakespeare had explained beautifully about sleep in his one of the plays, but the first was not at all ready to accept the reality of life.
3. Attempt a character sketch of the nurse.
Ans. The nurse was a
comely woman of middle age. She was a nurse in a small Red Cross Hospital. As
the play began the nurse entered with middle aged person, a night Orderly. The
nurse was so enthusiastic and clever woman, where she was dedicated to her work
in that hospital. Her every work was stupendous as it mention in the play. She
had introduced the Orderly when she entered with him and explained about an
armchair, a coal-scuttle, a low camp-bed covered with a blanket , a small table
on which was a tray covered with a table cloth, a stand with a spirit- lamp and
a kettle. The Orderly enquired many things to the nurse and the nurse answered
them genuinely all the questions. Even the nurse explained about the Orderly’s
duties, and awake him about big ward and little ward as well as about restless
soldiers of little ward and their problem. The nurse had no time to sit down
and have half an hour ‘s chat over a cup of tea.
Essays
1. Narrate in your
own words the actual incidents of the play.
Ans. Night Watches-
it is a beautiful play, which had been written by Allan Monkhouse. It is a
comedy play in the sense of a happy ending. It explores the unchartered areas
of crazy minds with a rare understanding and kindness. As the play began the
nurse and the Orderly appeared begin the middle aged person, where as the nurse
was a comely woman. She was compassion towards her work and even she introduced
and explained the duties of the Orderly. The Orderly was aware of the both
wards and the patients in those wards. The first soldier was uncomfortable with
the second soldier because of weird behaviour of him. The first soldier
requested the Orderly to change his fellow mate from that little ward to big
ward. Meanwhile the first soldier said that the second soldier was shamming and
pretending to be dumb. Even he said that the second soldier had spoken when he
was sleeping. The Orderly was serious about this matter and explained the first
soldier about importance of sleep and tried to explain him about incident which
had impacted the second soldier, but the first soldier was not ready to concern
on that matter until the second soldier was ready to blow off his mind. Then
the first soldier changed his mind and felt uneasy by the behaviour of the
second soldier, later the first soldier spoke softly in ear of the second
solider and exploded a paper bag then the second soldier reacted to that the sound
and he understood that the second soldier was able to listen and they danced
with joy and reconciliation between them. The Night Orderly showed his humane
and loveable character whose patience and understanding work the miracle. He
told both the soldiers that fear breeds cruelty. They learnt from him that
trust and understanding beget love and compassion.
