PU-I YEAR SOLVED ENGLISH ANNUAL EXAMINATION VERY IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
VERY
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR ANNUAL EXAMINATION
‘THE GENTLEMEN OF THE JUNGLE’
How did
the elephant cheat the man and occupy his hut?
Ans: Once upon a time, an elephant made
friendship with a man, who had a little hut at the edge of the forest. One day
a heavy thunderstorm broke out and the elephant felt like taking shelter in a
hut. The elephant went to the man’s hut and requested him to let him put its
trunk inside the hut so as to shelter ¡t from the torrential rain. The man took
pity on the elephant and told the elephant to gently put only its trunk inside
the hut. But, the elephant, soon after putting its trunk inside the hut, slowly
pushed its head also inside, flung the man out in the rain and then lay down
comfortably inside his hut.
How did
the elephant justify his act of occupying the hut in ‘The Gentlemen of the
Jungle’?
Ans: The elephant went to the man when it was
in difficulty and asked him to give a place to keep its trunk to protect it
from rain. The man showed sympathy and gave permission to keep its trunk only
as there was enough place only for its trunk and himself. But the elephant
slowly sneaked in and occupied the whole hut and threw him out, by saying that
it would protect his hut from the hurricane. The elephant had absolutely no
qualms while justifying its territorial occupation of the man’s hut. It deposed
before the Commission that the man had asked the elephant to save his hut from
the hurricane and as the hurricane had gained access to the hut owing to the
unoccupied space in the hut, the elephant had put the empty, undeveloped space
to a more economic use by occupying it.
Why did
the man finally set the newly built bigger hut on fire, in ‘The Gentlemen of
the Jungle’?
Ans: The man was exploited by all the animals
of the commission and each time he built new huts. Mr. Rhinoceros. Mr. Buffalo,
Mr. Leopard, Mr. Hyena and others occupied the hut. So he was very much
initiated with the animals’ behaviour and he lost faith injustice. He waited
for an opportunity to take revenge against the animals. Accordingly, when he
built a new hut sooner Mr. Rhinoceros came to occupy it, but the elephant had
already occupied the hut. Other animals also came to occupy the hut and they
all quarreled amongst themselves. And while they were fighting, the man used
this opportunity to get revenge and peace. He set the hut on fire and killed
all the animals of the jungle. This action of the man was just an apt to the
situation and circumstances. The annual’ imperial policy reminds us of the
colonial policy of whites over blacks. The man is symbolic of the black people
and revolted against the dominance of the brutal whites. So his action is
justified with this apt quote “Peace is costly but it is worth the expense”.
Describe
the circumstances that led to the appointment of the Commission of Enquiry.
Ans: One day the elephant wanted protection
from torrential rain. So he requested the man to allow him to push its trunk in
the man’s hut. Then he agreed. The elephant pushed his trunk inside, and slowly
pushed itself into the man’s hut and flung him out. The man started grumbling.
Hearing the noise the animals stood around listening to the heated argument
between the man and the elephant. The lion, the king of the forest wanted peace
and tranquility in his kingdom. So he ordered the elephant to appoint a
Commission of Enquiry to look into the matter and report accordingly.
‘THE
SCHOOL BOY’
Write
briefly the speaker’s experience in the school, in ‘The School Boy’.
OR
How does
the school boy view his experience in school in ‘The School Boy’?
Ans: In the poem, ‘The School Boy’ Blake
makes a plea on behalf of little children who hate the experience of going to
school because of the prevalent authoritarian ways of school authorities. In
the poem, we see that it is a matter of utmost disappointment for the schoolboy
to attend school on a sweet summer morning when actually he wishes to enjoy the
mirth of summer. He is tired and even puzzled under the strict supervision of
his teacher. The phrase ‘cruel eye outworn’ refers to the authoritarian eyes of
the teacher that actually tire the boy. Instead of enjoying the pleasures of
summer, the child has to compulsorily attend the school where he spends his day
in boredom and dismay.
Naturally, in such a set-up, the child
experiences weariness. He sits drooping out in the sea of tediousness. The
child resents the assault on him by the oppressive personality of the teacher
and the unnecessary words of erudition the teacher gushes out without
attempting to understand either the child’s intention à r his urge for unchecked
freedom. The learning’s bower refers to a garden where the child can be taught
in an interesting way, only if nature accompanies him instead of the school
teacher. A bird which is born cheerful and jovial can never sing 5weet songs if
caged. Similarly, a child, if restrained under the umbrella of annoying fear,
tension and the skepticism of his teacher, can never enjoy the natural
instincts of joy and playfulness. A world full of rigid course of discipline
will ruthlessly take away the beautiful spring — the childhood days — of a
person’s life. Thus, though the tone of the poem is not highly critical, Blake
does make his point clear— don’t kill the joy of learning.
Bring out
the contrast between the boy’s experience inside and outside the school in ‘The
School Boy’.
Ans: In the poem ‘The School Boy’, the first
stanza portrays the experience of the schoolboy outside the school, whereas the
next three stanzas present the experience of the schoolboy inside the school.
In the first stanza, the speaker is a young boy who tells the reader that he
feels joyful to rise in the fresh and delightful summer morning. He enjoys the
chirping of the birds which announces the daybreak. The boy gets entertained by
the company of the hunter who blows his horn from a distant field and the sweet
lullabies of skylarks. Thus, the image of the child in the first stanza focuses
on nature as free and unfettered. He is associated with the spring as a time
for growth, freshness and playfulness. But, in the next three stanzas; we get a
totally different picture of the young schoolboy.
Once the boy is inside the school, he loses
his feeling of paradise. In the school, the birds sing no longer and the
atmosphere is no longer pure or innocent. The boy is supervised by a cruel
teacher and the young ones spend the day In sighing and dismay. The boy finds
the school boring. He sits drooping in class. He claims that school hours are
too long. He can’t find any interest in books. He describes the learning in
school as a long ‘dreary shower’. In the next stanza, the boy says that inside
the school he feels like a caged bird that is forced to sing, and when he feels
annoyed, he cannot but droop his tender wings. Thus, the bird imagery allows
for the comparison between the schoolboy outside the school and the schoolboy
inside the school.
How does
the formal education curb the learner’s potential, in the poem ‘The School
Boy’?
OR
How is
the child’s growth ‘nipped and stripped’ of its joy in the springing day in
‘The School Boy’?
Ans: Formal education is the obstacle for
free learning to the children. Children prefer natural learning than formal
schooling. The restrictions of formal schooling make children to detest their
learning. Hence the poet questions when the buds are nipped and ‘blossoms have
blown away’, and ‘tender plants are stripped’, how can a child get happiness in
learning.
‘AROUND A
MEDICINAL CREEPER’
What
story did Mara narrate about losing the teeth on the right side of his mouth?
OR
What was
the story behind Mara’s loss of teeth in ‘Around a Medicinal Creeper’?
Ans: Mara’s stories were not limited to the
miraculous medicinal creeper. Mara explained the loss of the teeth on one side
of his face with another totally cock-and-bull story. Once Mara laid a trap for
the rabbit in the forest, so he went next morning to check it but there was no
animal in the trap. So he decided to brush his teeth as there was a stream
nearby to wash face before returning home. He broke a small stick from a nearby
plant to brush a third or fourth time; he felt a sour taste in the mouth. According
to him, when he brushed his teeth with a small stick of a plant, he lost the
teeth which had been touched by the stick. He wanted to try another stick hut
before that he wanted to rinse his mouth. He took some water from the stream
and after churning it around in his mouth, spat it out. He lost the teeth on
one side, which had been touched by that stick.
How was
Krishna cured when he had piles in ‘Around a Medicinal Creeper’?
Ans: Krishna was suffering from piles and met
the narrator to get some help. But the narrator only helped him with some money
which was not enough for the treatment. But Krishna knew a Malavali Sadhu. This
godman had treated Krishna on an earlier occasion, when Krishna had started
developing boils all over his body. The godman had cured him with the barks of
a tree. Krishna went in search of the godman, hut he was too old and could not
search for the medicinal creepers. He described the features of the plant to Krishna.
Krishna went in search of the leaves and on the way he met the narrator and
described the leaves. The narrator understood that those were the leaves which
Mara and Appana had tied to the nearest tree. The narrator took him to the
plant and dug quite a hit to get the tuber. Krishna ground this root with milk
and drank it with milk. In this way, he was cured of piles within five days.
How did
Mara and the narrator think differently about tying the medicinal creeper to
the tree in ‘Around a Medicinal Creeper’?
Ans: Once the author was putting up a shade
over a coffee seedbed. They needed something to tie the cane pieces placed
across the frame. So, he sent Sanna to get some creepers from the forest. Sanna
brought a whole bundle. Mara opened the bundle and while sifting him suddenly
looked at one of the creepers and scolded Sanna for plucking it. On knowing
from Sanna that there were many of these creepers in the forest, the writer
along with Mara and Sanna went to the forest out of curiosity. There he saw Mara
tying the creeper to a nearby tree referring to it a thief. Mara believed that
the plant would not be seen when anyone needed it urgently because it had been
cursed by a sage. On the contrary, the author believed that the medicinal
creeper was a seasonal plant which appeared only after the rains, put forth
flowers and fruits and died quickly. That is why no one saw it until the next
rainy season.
Narrate
Mara’s story about the meat of the barking deer changing into a live wild
buck.’
Ans: Once Mara and his friend laid a trap and
caught a barking deer, as they had to divide it equally between them, they took
it near to the stream and divided the meat. They wrapped their portions in some
leaves and brought them home. In Mara’s house, they got ready to cook hut when
Mara opened the packet to take out the meat. It was a surprise instead of the
meat, there was a live wild buck when it saw Mara. He jumped up and ran out of
his house. When Mara was trying to catch it as usual. Mara’s wife ignorantly
took the leaves and three of them into the fire. ‘[his incident shows that
Indians do not think of what happened and why? But simply they go according to
the situations and never turn the circumstances towards them. This is the big
weakness of Indians.
India’s
native medicinal systems are on the verge of extinction because of the
superstitious ‘beliefs of the native doctors’. Examine this with reference to
‘Around a Medicinal Creeper’.
Ans: The lesson titled ‘Around a Medicinal
Creeper’, presents a few anecdotes which tell us interesting stories about
Indian medicinal plants growing in their natural habitat. To cite a few
examples, in the first part of the lesson the author tells us about a medicinal
creeper which was plucked by Sanna so as to tie up a bundle of bamboo shoots.
Incidentally, Mara, his friend, informs that the creeper has a lot of medicinal
properties and they need to secure it by tying it to a nearby tree. If he does
not secure it that way carefully, it will disappear because it has been cursed
by a sage. Next, he tells another story in which he had used the leaves of some
plant to stop a bleeding wound. However, when he went to the doctor, there was
no sign of the wound. In another incident, Mara tells us how he lost the teeth
on the right side of his mouth. In the next part of the lesson, the author
tells the story of a Malayali Sadhu who had given Krishna, the author’s
farmhand, the bark of some tree as medicine and had cured the boils on his
body. However, the next time, when Krishna went to him seeking his help to cure
his piles, the godman asked Krishna himself to search for the tuberous root,
mix it with milk and drink it for five days.
Finally, in the concluding part of the essay,
the writer opines that Indian native medicinal systems are on the verge of
extinction because of the superstitious beliefs of the native doctors who fear
that if they disclosed the secrets of these medicines, the medicines would lose
their potency. What the author has said is undoubtedly true because the author
has given enough anecdotes which cannot withstand any logical examination.
“Our
natural resources are our vital resources”. Explain the statement in the light
of several development projects that are being promoted today.
Ans: In the present story, we realize the
importance of natural resources such as plants and their medicinal value.
However, when we speak of developmental projects, they are directed towards
technology and allopathic medicines. Only a few measures are taken to create
awareness we are losing a lot of natural resources, such as land and trees
towards the utility of space for construction purposes. While doing so, we are
forgetting the key point – natural resources such as trees that bring rain and
prove as starting materials for making medicine. Also through development, we
are in fact giving rise to more diseases. The atmosphere that we had in
historic times was far healthier and safer than the atmosphere we breathe in
today. Thus, whatever development we are aiming for, should primarily revolve
around the lines of conserving our natural resources and its utilization.
‘ORU
MANUSHYAN’
How did a
stranger save the day for the narrator in ‘Oru Manushyan’?
Ans: When the narrator is at the point of
removing his trousers though he has nothing inside, a blue-eyed;
fair-complexioned six-footer, with a red turban and white trousers, intervenes
and offer to pay the amount due from the narrator to the restaurant owner. He
asks the speaker to go with him and when the grateful speaker asks for his
name, he says he has no name. When the speaker says ‘Mercy’ must be his name,
he does not react and walks on until they reach a deserted bridge. There, after
making sure that no one is around, the stranger takes out five wallets and asks
the speaker which of these ¡s his. He warns the speaker to go away without
turning around and adds that the speaker should not admit to anyone that he has
seen the man. He gives the wallet, which has been identified by the speaker,
with the money intact and leaves the place wishing the speaker that he be
helped by God. The speaker, on his part, hopes that God would help the stranger.
Thus we see that the pickpocket helps the narrator not only at the restaurant
but also outside by returning the purse. This is how the act of kindness gains
insignificance. First of all the pickpocket is good enough to help the man who
faces humiliation as he has lost his purse; secondly, he is kind enough to
return the purse; thirdly, the eleven annas that he pays is not the narrator’s
money, but his own.
Describe
the people and the place where the narrator lived in ‘Oru Manushyan’.
Ans: The place was quite a big city in the
valley of a mountain. The inhabitants did not have the virtue of mercy in their
heart and were a cruel lot. They were ready to do anything for money. Shocking
incidents like murder, robbery, pick pocketing were the order of the day. The
inhabitants worked as soldiers, money lenders and watchmen in
banks/mills/commercial establishments. They had no knowledge of English and it
was as though they were content in their own small world of malice and
meanness.
Describe
the embarrassing experience of the narrator in the restaurant in ‘Oru
Manushyan’.
Ans: One evening the narrator goes to a
crowded restaurant to have his food and when he has to pay the bill of eleven
annas, he realises that his purse with his life’s savings of fourteen rupees is
missing. But, the owner of the restaurant thinks that the speaker is trying to
cheat him, and threatens to gouge his eyes out. None of the others at the
restaurant seem to have any kindness either. The speaker pleads with the owner
to keep his coat as surety. But, the owner guffaws and makes the speaker remove
his coat, shirt, and shoes. When he wants the speaker to remove even the
trousers, the speaker pleads with him for mercy saying he has nothing inside.
This only invokes more laughter and the restaurant owner, along with fifty
other people gathered there, forces the speaker to strip further saying
mockingly, “There must be something inside.” The speaker, now resigned to his
fate, starts unbuttoning his trousers, all the time imagining himself standing
naked in front of others, with his eyes gouged out. We see that the narrator is
not only embarrassed but also humiliated. Since he is not a cheat, it must have
been terribly embarrassing for him to have realised that he had eaten his food
at the restaurant, but had no money to pay for the food. His embarrassment
would have increased when the owner of the restaurant treated him as a cheat.
But, to top it all, the cruel way in which not only the owner but also the
people gathered there treated him would have been humiliating for the narrator.
Does the
story ‘Oru Manushyan’ talk about transformation in a person? Discuss.
Ans: The narrator used to forego his
breakfast and morning tea so that he had the money for his evening meal and
tea. One day, as usual, he came to the crowded restaurant and had his regular
meal and tea. When he had to pay the bill, he realized that his wallet had been
picked. He revealed this fact to the owner who only found it funny and laughed
out loud. Though the narrator offered to leave his coat with the owner, he
forced the narrator to take off all his clothes. As the narrator was very much
ashamed taking off his trousers, a stranger stopped him and paid his bill. He
later made the narrator wear his clothes and took him away. When the narrator
praised and thanked him, the stranger just laughed. He did not reveal his name
but only warned the narrator against speaking about him. The stranger showed
five wallets to the narrator, out of which one was the narrators. The stranger
told the narrator to check whether his money was intact, and he wished him good
luck. The narrator had mixed feelings by now. It was clear that his humiliation
at the restaurant was due to the stranger’s picking his wallet and rendering
him helpless. But he was also thankful for his help at the right moment,
avoiding the humiliation of standing stark naked in front of all the people. He
felt that the stranger had perhaps undergone a transformation during his own
interaction with the restaurant owner. This made him say at the end, ‘May God
help you’, and leave without saying anything more to the stranger.
‘MONEY
MADNESS’
Why does
the poet describe money madness as our ‘vast collective madness’ in ‘Money
Madness’?
OR
Why does
the poet fear the cruel power of money on people in ‘Money Madness’?
OR
Why does
the poet describe money madness as our ‘vast collective madness’ in “Money
Madness”?
OR
Why does
the poet fear the cruel power of money in the people in ‘Money Madness’?
OR
How does
the fear of money affect the individual as well as the multitudes of a
money-mad society in ‘Money Madness’?
Ans: The poem Money Madness by D.H. Lawrence
focuses on how a man becomes more materialistic and loses the values and
sentiments in society. Ile only respects money than relationships. The society
goes on measuring the man in terms of money. The man who does not have money
does not get respect from society and who have money would be respected and
obeyed by all. So to get all these social status, a man gives much importance
to money and he never helps fellow being who is in difficulties. The poet says
that man has a madness and it is widely spread among men. He affirms that if
society goes behind money an individual goes behind the same. He confirms that
no man gives a pound without pain and no man gives a ten pounds without
trembling, the man loses his generosity. Man makes money but money makes man
and many things. So the man fears of money and tries to accumulate it and
respects it instead of a man. The poet also warns that money-less people should
not be treated with neglect and should not be treated on status. The poet fears
about mankind if it measures man in terms of money, there would be no future
for human relationships. If people do not regain sanity about money certainly
money has got men down to become its slaves. So, the poet offers a genuine
solution that bread should be free. The shelter should be free and lire should
be free to all the people in the world. by the overall view of the poem, the
poet worries of the man’s greedy on money and offers a better solution for a
better tomorrow.
How do
people treat an individual who has no money in ‘Money Madness’?
Ans: The poem focuses on how man gives
importance to money. When the moneyless man is treated as poor and powerless,
he definitely fears to lose the money. Obviously, he gives much importance to
money. Each and every man goes behind money and breaks all relationships. In
future, there may not be any sentiments between people. So, when all the people
try to make money, certainly lack of money triggers the fear in an individual.
So every individual tries to acquire it by some means or the other.
‘Money is
the root of all evils in society’. Examine this statement with reference to the
poem ‘Money Madness’.
Ans: The poem Money Madness by D.H. Lawrence focuses on how a man becomes more materialistic and loses the values and sentiments in society. He only respects money than relationships. The society goes on measuring the man in terms of money. The man who does not have money does not get respect from society and who have money would be respected and obeyed by all. So to get all these social status, the man gives much importance to money and he never helps fellow being who is in difficulties. The poet says that man has a madness and it is widely spread among men. He affirms that if society goes behind money, individual to goes behind the same. He confirms that no man gives a pound without pain and no man gives a ten pounds without trembling, the man loses his generosity. Man makes money, but money makes man and many things. So, the man fears of money and tries to accumulate it and respects it instead of a man. The poet also warns that money-less people should not be treated with neglect and should not be treated on status. The poet fears about mankind if it measures man in terms of money, there would be no future for human relationships. If people do not regain sanity about money certainly, money has got men down to become its slaves. So, the poet offers a genuine solution that bread should be “free, shelter should be free and fire should be free to all the people in the world.
BABAR ALI
How did
‘Anand Siksha Niketan’ come into existence?
Ans: It is amusing to know that the school
began as a game. When Babar Ali was nine, he used to play ‘school-school’ game
with his friends and used to act as their teacher. The other children, unlike
all, had not seen the inside of the school and hence we’re excited to play the
game with him. But, soon, the game turned into real teaching as children were
happy to learn arithmetic. ‘Anand Siksha Niketan’ got established with eight
students on roll. In the course of nine years, the school grew step by step, and
from eight, the number increased to 220 students on roll and 800 students in
all. The school started receiving both private and government assistance and
had 10 volunteer teenage teachers teaching grade 1 to grade 8. It also had 60
regular attendees. The children of the village who worked as maids to cook,
clean, wash clothes and dishes for their employees or as mechanics, day
labourers, grass cutters and livestock herders came voluntarily to All’s school
in the afternoon after finishing their chores.
What is heartening is the fact that All’s
good work was rewarded as he received help from Babar’s teachers, IAS officers,
and Ramakrishna Ashram monks. What is even more gratifying is the fact that the
school was recognized by the West Bengal State Government and hence students
from Baba’s school were eligible to pursue their studies in other schools if
the need arose. The recognition gave Babar the singular privilege of being the
youngest headmaster at the age of 16. Thus, what started as a game resulted in
a much sought after school for the underprivileged and inspired other selfless
youngsters like Debarita Bhattacharya, a college student, to work as volunteers
in helping the have notes.
What
motivated Babar Ali to start his own school?
Ans: Babar Ali is the son of Nasiruddin
Sheikh, a jute seller living in Bhapta neighbourhood of Gangapur village in
West Bengal’s Murshidabad. Though Babar Ah lives ¡n a thatched house like most
other people in the village, yet, he is one of the privileged ones in his
village because his father is able to send Babar Ah to the village government
school and give him a formal education. Babar Ah gradually learnt that there
were a great number of children who could not afford to get a formal education
in the village government school because they did not have enough money to pay
for uniforms, books, etc, though teaching was free. Furthermore, these children
were required to support their parents with some additional income. The boys
generally took up odd jobs working as mechanics, day labourers, grass cutters,
livestock herders, etc., and the girls worked as maidservants in the village
where they did cooking, cleaning, washing clothes and dishes for their
employers and this way they earned some money and supported their parents in
making a decent living. Babar Ah, who saw this; realized that he must do
something for such other children in the village,. It is this inner urge to do
something for the other children in the village that motivated him to start his
own afternoon school which he named ‘Anand Siksha Niketan’.
What
motivated Babar Ali to start his own school?
Ans: Though children are provided free
education, sending children to school is not entirely free of cost. Although
children are thought for free, they still have to pay for uniforms, books etc.
Many families cannot send their children to school. Thus, instead of going to
school, most of the boys help out their families by working in shops as day
labourers, grass cutters etc. Girls work as maidservants in the village, where
they cook, clean, wash clothes and dishes for their employers. Babar wanted to
change this. So he took the initiative of opening his very own school.
What was
Babar Ali’s daily routine?
Ans: Babar wakes up at 7 am. He starts his
day by doing some household chores and takes an auto rickshaw and later walks 5
km to Cossimbazar Raj a Govinda Sundari Vidyapeeth where he is an ideal class
XII student. In the afternoon he is a headmaster of a school of 800 students.
Babar
All’s school took shape out of an individual’s responsibility towards society.
Elaborate.
Ans: It is undoubtedly true that Babar Ali’s
school took shape out of an individual’s responsibility towards society. Babar
All lived in the Bhapta neighbourhood of Gangapur village in West Bengal’s
Murshidabad. The village was known for its backwardness and people of direst
poverty lived there. Consequently, though there were quite a good number of
government schools in the village which offered free education to the children
in the village, most of the parents being very poor could not afford to send their
children to the government schools as they did not have enough money to buy
books, school uniforms and other essential things. Instead of going to school,
most of the boys in the village helped out their families by working as
mechanics, day labourers, grass cutters, live stockholders, etc., and the girls
worked as maidservants in the village.
However, Babar All, being the son of a jute
seller, was financially better off than the others and hence went to school and
got a formal education. Moreover, Babar Ali’s father Nasiruddin Sheikh,
believed that education is man’s true religion and encouraged his son’s
education. Babar Ah, who realized that he was one of the fortunate souls in the
village, felt that he must do something for the other, less fortunate children
in the village. He had a strong desire to bring about a transformation in the
lives of the poor and the underprivileged children who were working as
mechanics, day labourers, grass cutters, livestock herders, maidservants, etc.
during the day instead of getting a formal education in a government school.
Babar All wanted to change this. That is why he took the initiative of opening
his very own school.
Babar Ali’s school, ‘Anand Siksha Niketan’,
grew out of a game in which Babar All used to act as a teacher. Since his
friends had never seen the inside of a school, they enjoyed playing students.
His students ended up learning arithmetic and enjoying it. This idea of a
school became a reality in 2002. The school which started with eight students
initially, had student strength of 800, after nine years. Babar All’s little
afternoon venture is now a registered and recognized school of the West Bengal
state government. Thus, Babar All’s school took shape out of an individual’s
responsibility towards society.
Babar
Ali’s school took shape out of an individual’s responsibility towards society.
Elaborate.
Ans: Babar Ali’s school was started when he
was only nine while playing a game. Very soon, children began to love his way
of teaching and flocked to his ‘school’. Babar did not charge any fee for his
teaching. He also got the help of the local educated people, who came and
taught the children, Babar was successful in getting the help of nine high
school student volunteers. The oldest and most educated of them is Debarita who
goes to College in Behrampur. Babar himself studies in class XII in a school quite
far from his house. He commutes the long-distance, attends classes in the
mornings and comes back in the afternoons to his ‘school’ to teach youngsters
who have worked hard in the mornings and are now ready for learning. The fact
that his school is entirely free, he and his staff teach well, there is a
midday meal, and his school is recognized by the West Bengal Government,
attracts many students to his school. The increasing strength of his school
just shows how eager people are to get their children educated, and how good,
selfless work gets noticed by people soon. Those who cannot afford education in
regular schools, do not mind sending their children to learn from teachers like
Babar. This only proves that Indians are realizing the significance of education
in life.
Is Babar
Ali’s evening school a successful effort? Explain.
Ans: Education is a true religion’ is a good
thought of Nasiruddin where all the people are quarrelling about their
religions and castes he is the man who gives education for and says education s
a true religion. Anybody can steal anything but nobody can steal education. It
is immortal light which lights millions of other lights understanding this
Nasiruddin excellently quotes. ‘Education is a true religion’ Getting inspired
by his thought many people send their children to schools because they understood
the value of education and its uses. Babar’s commitment is also not deniable,
he started with eight and continued now with eight hundred, it shows how he had
changed the people and attracted the children towards school. Babar Ali is a
good example for the quote, “Where there is will there is away. Otherwise in
the teenage he got the thought and initiated it and followed it and made others
to follow it if some others in his place would have played in the grounds in
the age. So he is a great success, and his name is spread all over the country.
It should be not stopped with this but ignites many souls to take initiative to
see a better tomorrow for India. Hence, Babar Ah is a legend of youth and stood
perfectly an icon of youth to the modern world.
‘IF I WAS
A TREE’
How does
the poem ‘If I was a Tree’ express the pain and plight of a particular
community?
OR
Why does
the speaker wish to be a tree in ‘If I was a Tree’?
OR
How does
the poem ‘If I was a Tree’ illustrate the caste system as one of the basic
problems in our society?
OR
How does
the poem ‘If I was a Tree’ illustrate the caste system as one of the basic
problems in our society?
Ans: The poem, ‘If I was a Tree’ is a veiled
and a bitter attack on the cruel and inhumane practice of caste discrimination
practiced in Indian society. It is a social satire in which the poet by just a
posing the world of nature with the human world accuses human beings of being
meaner than the world of nature for practicing untouchability against their own
fellowmen. The speaker intends to highlight the fact that caste Is purely a
man-made construct and with this diabolic idea powerful sections of society have
managed to humiliate and suppress the meek for centuries. The poet adopts a
logical approach to present before the reader, the impersonal and large-hearted
treatment of nature the pettiness of man. The speaker speaks in the persona of
an untouchable and presents some instances of untouchability that he Is
subjected to. He uses the ‘tree’ as a metaphor for a representative from the
plant world and highlights how agents of nature like the sunlight, the cðel
breeze and the raindrops would have treated him if he were not a tree when they
come in contact with him. The speaker says that if he was not a tree his shadow
would feel defiled when the sunlight embraces him; his friendship with the cool
breeze and the leaves would not be sweet; the raindrops taking him as an
untouchable would refuse to give him water to quench his thirst and the mother
earth would flee him asking for a bath if she came to know that he was
branching out further from his roots.
Similarly, the bird is representative of the
animal world. The speaker says that if he were not a tree the bird would have
asked him what caste he was if it wanted to build its nest. Similarly, if he
were not a tree the sacred cow would not scrape her body on him, scratching
whenever it itched her and incidentally the three hundred thousand gods
sheltering inside her would not have touched him. The speaker concludes
optimistically, hoping that because he is a tree, at least after its death, the
tree would be hacked into pieces of dry wood and would be either used as fuel
for the holy fire or a bier for a dead body. The pieces of wood, when they burn
as fuel in the holy fire, would make him pure and if not, as a bier for a
sinless body that would be borne on the shoulders of four good men. Thus, the
poem expresses the anguish and desperation of the untouchables.
Why does
the speaker wish to be a tree in “If I was a Tree”?
Ans: The initiation is a definite success.
Babar Ali’s intention when he started his school was to help the less fortunate
people by providing free education. Today more and more under village people
have utilized this opportunity of his and are coming up in society. Moreover,
we can clearly see that Babar Ali action has inspired millions of people around
the world. If more people take part to change the world for the better, there
will be a greater success than he would have wished for Babar Ali has brought
about the change he wanted to see in his surroundings. If a young boy from a
village had the will and determinations to make a change in the world out
there, it is not right on own part to remain as mute spectators but we must
also actively participate towards bringing the change.
How do the life forces ‘sunlight and the cool
breeze’ enforce nature’s idea of equality in ‘If I was a Tree’?
Ans: In nature, the life-giving forces like
sunlight and air do not discriminate against anybody. The sunlight bathes
everybody and everything with its glow without exception. It embraces
everything with equal love and never feels defiled by the shadow of an
untouchable. The cool breeze embraces everybody with its sweet touch. Its
friendship is extended to one and all. It blows lovingly on the leaves of trees
spreading its sweetness and the leaves reciprocate with their dance. In nature,
there is only love and equality among all.
‘WATCHMAN
OF THE LAKE’
What
instructions did Mara give his son, Ganga, about the duties of the watchman of
the lake?
Ans: Mara reminded his son that he had to be
the watchman of the lake after his death. Mara also shared with his son what
the Goddess had Instructed Mara to do. She had commanded that nothing that
flew, swam or walked those parts, where the lake existed, be killed as the
place was scared. So Mara told his son that no killers should be allowed there,
whether they came with arrows for the gulls which skimmed over the water or
with the rod for the fish. These instructions are given by Mara to his son,
first of all, show that Mara was obedient to the Goddess. Secondly, it shows
that he was a great lover of nature. Thirdly, it shows his sense of
responsibility. He wanted the lake and the bank to be taken care of in an
exemplary way. At the same time, he was authoritative too. He did not allow
anyone to exploit the bank. Yet, he did not deny anyone the just use of the
water of the bank. Thus, we see that Mara was a noble watchman of the lake.
Give an
account of Mara’s meeting with the king on a stormy night in ‘Watchman of the
Lake’.
Ans: When Mara fell at her feet, the Goddess
asked him to rise up and hear her intently. She told him that she was the
Goddess of the Lake and that river Veda was her plaything. She asked him to
leave the hut at once and save his life. Mara asked her what was going to
happen. She told him that she was going to destroy the tank that imprisoned
Veda. When Mara told her that they had built the tank at her command, the
Goddess replied that she was in a different mood and wanted to splash away the
waters of Veda. Mara told the Goddess that the waters of Veda would wash away
hundreds of villages and towns and the king’s capital beyond if the bank was
removed. Mara prostrated before her and begged her to stay her hand and not to
carry out the devastation until he came back after informing the king about it.
After meeting the king he requested the king to get him executed and prevent
him from returning to the Goddess. Though the king disliked the suggestion,
finally he granted Mara’s wish and got him executed. The Goddess stayed her
hand, did not destroy the tank and waited for Mara’s return. Thus, Mara saved
the lake.
Why was
the shrine dedicated to Mara by the king in ‘Watchman of the Lake’?
Ans: ‘Watchman of the Lake’ by R.K. Narayan
enacts the legendary story of the martyrdom of Mara, an innocent villager of
Sakkarepatna situated in the eastern base of Baba Budan Hills, In Karnataka. It
was once the capital of a king called Rukmangada. One night Mara saw in his
dream, the Goddess of the River Veda which flows down the hills throughout the
year. The Goddess told Mara to meet the king and ask him to build a tank and to
give her a home. Though no one believed Mara’s story and made fun of him, Mara
managed to meet the king one day and narrate his story. The king, unlike the
others, believed Mara’s account and eventually got a tank built and stored the
waters of the river Veda. The king made Mara the watchman of the lake and saw
to it that the water of the lake was properly utilized for agricultural and
other useful purposes.
Many years later, one evening Mara noticed
that there was going to be a thunderstorm and owing to strong winds, there were
waves in the tank rising very high and hammering at the bank. Mara at once
realized that it was a dangerous situation and the waters of the lake might
overflow the banks and destroy his village. He feared for the lives of the
people and their property in the village. Mara, at once, went down on his knees
and prayed earnestly to the Goddess of the river. The Goddess appeared before him
carrying a sword in her hand and her forehead was splashed with vermilion. She
told Mara to move out of his hut at once and save himself. She told him that
she was going to break out of the tank and flow over the villages and the towns
and the king’s capital beyond it. Mara immediately prostrated before her and
begged her to give him enough time to go and inform the king about it. He
requested her to wait and not do anything until he returned.
Later Mara met the king, narrated the whole
story and also gave him a suggestion as to how he could save the tank and his
people. He requested the king to get him executed so that he would never return
to his place and the Goddess would continue to wait for Mara. Though the king
was not ready to accept Mara’s suggestion, Mara persuaded the king to get him
executed so that the tank and the people of his kingdom could be saved. The
king agreed and as per his wish, got Mara executed. Next, he got a shrine built
for Mara in which the top pedestal had the idol of the Guardian Goddess of the
village and just below it was the idol of Mara. The king ordered that the
villagers should worship those idols every Tuesday and Friday to commemorate
the martyrdom of Mara.
Bring out
the significance of Mara’s dream, in the play ‘Watchman of the Lake’.
Ans: The poem Money Madness by D.H. Lawrence
focuses on how a man becomes more materialistic and loses the values and
sentiments in society. He respects money over relationships. Society goes on
measuring a man in terms of money. A man who does not have money does not get
respect from society and those who have money get respect and are obeyed by
all. So to get all these social status, the man gives much importance to money
and he never helps other fellow beings who may be in difficulties. The poet
says that man has this money madness and it is widely spread among men. He
affirms that if society goes behind money, individual to goes behind the same.
He confirms that no man gives a pound without pain and no man gives a ten
pounds without trembling, and the man loses his generosity. Man makes money,
but money makes man and many things. So, the man fears money and tries to
accumulate it and respects it instead of other men. The poet also warns that
money-less people should not be treated with neglect and should not be treated
based on status. The poet fears for mankind that if it measures another man
only in terms of money, there would be no future for human relationships. If
people do not regain sanity about money, certainly money has got men down to
become its slaves. So, the poet offers a genuine solution that bread should be
free, shelter should be free and fire should be free to all the people in the
world. In the overall view of the poem, the poet worries about man’s greed
about money and offers a better solution for a better tomorrow.
Why did
Mara meet the king for the first time in ‘Watchman of the Lake’?
Ans: The Goddess of the river asked Mara to
inform the king to build a tank for the river Veda. The king would listen. The
river Veda was a sacred place when Hanuman was carrying the Sanjeevini mountain
a small piece fell down and from the same spot, a river arose which was the
lifeblood of the people of the villagers. The Goddess told Mara to ask the
king, not to let the river Veda to leave that village and to give her a home.
How does
the play ‘Watchman of the Lake’ bring out both the protective and destructive
faces of nature?
Ans: The play makes it very clear that nature
is both protective and destructive and that we are at the mercy of nature. We see
the same river Veda as the life-giver, life maintainer and life destroyer. The
play shows ¡t as the whim and fancy of the Goddess, for whom River Veda is a
plaything. But, what the author tries to show is that nature can impact us in
different ways at different times and we are not in a position to understand
why it acts as it does. But, what is important is that we should protect nature
and not exploit it.
How does
the play ‘Watchman of the Lake’ bring out both the protective and destructive
faces of nature?
Ans: Nature has god in general, it knows whom
to treat and how, when to treat and where to treat. If people protect, it
protects the people if they destroy, it also destroys them. So nature is a
mirror of people. The play also brought the same idea, when people did not use
river Veda properly, it advises the people in the form of a dream to Mara, to
build a tank for proper utilization of water. It is a productive way for people
which nature had gifted them. And when they become too much selfish by utilizing
water and not remembering the goddess, she incarnates the avatar and causes
floods and deluge. The good instance is the present floods of Uttarkhand where
thousands of people disappeared at Kedarnath temple. This happens because of
not nature’s fluctuation but men’s too much polluting the rivers causes anger
to nature so she cautions in the form of floods. In the same way, ‘Veda’ causes
floods in the village to remind her presence. So the king gets awareness and
built a temple in the name o Mara and goddess. So nature is both productive and
destructive.
How did Mara save the Lake, in the play
‘Watchman of the Lake’?
Ans: The initiation is a definite success. Babar Ali’s intention then he
started his school was to help the less fortunate people by providing free
education. Today, more and more under village people have utilized this
opportunity of his and are coming up in society. Moreover, we can clearly see
that Babar Ali’ action has inspired millions of people around the world. If
more people take part to change the world for the better, there will be a
greater success than he would have wished for Babar Ali has brought about the
change he wanted to see in his surroundings. If a young boy from a village had
the will and determinations to make a change in the world out there, it is not
right on own part to remain as mute spectators hut we most also actively
participate towards bringing the change.
How does
the play ‘Watchman of the Lake’ bring out both the protective and destructive
forces of nature?
Ans: Basically nature is goodness
personified. It showers its blessings on people in abundance. People must
respect what nature provides them and reciprocate by not destroying nature.
When people take care of nature and the environment, it protects them. Rivers,
trees, hills are all part of nature and they are all for the benefit of
mankind. When a man cuts down the trees, blasts the hills etc., nature’s
imbalance causes floods, landslides and other calamities. Water flows in a
river, and if used wisely serves for drinking, irrigation and other uses, in
the dry season there may not be enough water, so excess water coming in
torrents during monsoon should be stored by constructing tanks for the waters
of the rivers. When the rivers are over polluted, it results in overflow and
floods causing loss of livers, lands and properties. Nature that way is both
productive and destructive.
‘THE
FARMER’S WIFE’
How does
the poem ‘The Farmer’s Wife’ bring out the misery of the farmer’s wife?
OR
How does
the poem ‘The Farmer’s Wife’ bring out the plight of the farmer’s wife and her
self-assertion?
OR
Discuss
the plight of farmer’s widows in reference to the poem ‘The Farmer’s Wife’.
Ans: The poem “The Farmer’s Wife” is a tragic
poem that reflects the helpless conditions of farmers’ widows. The plight of
the widows is explained by one such widow. The poet uses many phrases to
contrast her condition with that of her dead husband. She called the farmer as
‘virtuous’ and herself a ‘poor sinner’. The farmer was unable to pay the debts
and he left all the debts to his wife, so she was very sad on his act of
committing suicide. The feminist concept was also highlighted in the poem; the
phrase “I was born with a head bent” justifies the discrimination in our
society between men and women. Man is born with his head held high, but a woman
is born with her head bent. But he did not face his creditors bravely and left
all this to his wife to solve. She accused her husband that he poisoned himself
and gone away by poisoning his wife’s existence. She remembered the memories of
his beating, blaming drinking and kicking’ haunting her. She never dreamt that
he would commit suicide. It was true that the crop was gone but the debt
remained there and dignity had hit the dust. She expresses her helplessness
that how would she be able to bear the burden of their four children. She
compared her condition with “worm-eaten cotton pods”. She got ambiguity and
asked what that was and why he committed suicide. At last, she confidently
asserts her determination to struggle out her life even – without her husband
for the sake of her children. So, she shows a strong will to survive against
all difficulties. Her voice is raised against the society in general
How does the farmer’s wife embrace life
with dignity?
Ans: The narrator used to forego his
breakfast and morning tea so that he had the money for his evening meal and
tea. One day, as usual, he came to the crowded restaurant and had his regular
meal and tea, When he to pay the bill, he realized that his wallet had been
picked. He revealed this fact to the owner who only found it funny and laughed
out loud. Though the narrator offered to leave his coat with the owner, he
forced the narrator to take off all his clothes. As the narrator was very
shamed taking off his trousers, a stranger stopped him and paid his bill. He
later made the narrator wear his clothes and took him away. When the narrator
praised and thanked him, the stranger just laughed. He did not reveal his name
but only warned the narrator against speaking about him, the stranger showed
five wallets to the narrator, out of which one was the narrators. The stranger
told the narrator to check whether his money was intact, and he wished him good
luck. The narrator had mixed feelings by now. It was clear that his humiliation
at the restaurant was due to the stranger’s picking his wallet and rendering
him helpless. But he was also thankful to help at the right moment, avoiding
the humiliation of standing stark naked in front of all the people. Ile fact
that the stranger had perhaps undergone a transformation during his own
interaction with the restaurant – owner. This made him so at the end, ‘May God
help you’, and leave without saying anything more to the stranger.
‘FREDERICK
DOUGLASS’
Write a
note on the cruelty of Mr. Plummer in ‘Frederick Douglass’.
Ans: Mr. Plummer was so ruthless that Captain
Anthony, who himself was a cruel slaveholder, was enraged by the cruelty of
Plummer. Mr. Plummer, as the overseer, was in charge of the farm and the slaves
and exploited the situation fully to torment the slaves. He went around with
not only the cow skin but also a heavy cudgel and cut and slashed women’s heads
horribly. Mr. Plummer comes out as a man who took sadistic pleasure in hurting
others.
What does
Frederick Douglass tell about his mother in ‘Frederick Douglass’?
Ans: The strong sense of regret lies in the
fact that he did not know who his father was and that he was separated from his
mother as an infant. What makes the situation worse is that there is the common
speculation that his father is a white man, and that his master is his father.
He knows that his mother was a black woman named Harriet Bailey from whom he
was separated because it was the common custom in that part of Maryland that
the children were thus separated from their mothers, hindering the natural bond
between the mother and the child. He had seen his mother only four or five
times when she met him after walking twelve miles from Mr. Stewart’s place
where she worked as the field hand. She had to be back in the field before the
sunrise if she had to escape the penalty of whipping from the slave master.
This left the mother and child very little time and scope for communication.
The sad outcome of this is that when he lost her when he was around seven, he
didn’t feel the usual emotions of sorrow. The sudden death of the mother put an
end to whatever chance the author had of knowing who his father was. Thus, we
see that a slave child ¡s an emotionally deprived child.
The
details given by Frederick Douglass about the life of slaves depict the painful
and harsh experiences of the slaves. Do you agree? Give reasons for your
answer.
OR
Describe
the suffering of the Slaves in the hands of whites in ‘Frederick Douglass’.
OR
Describe
the childhood experiences of Frederick Douglass as a slave.
Ans: Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was
an American slave, born in Talbot County, Maryland. He escaped slavery and went
to New York, where he changed his name to Frederick Douglass and worked for the
emancipation of slaves until his death. This lesson is an excerpt from his
autobiography and presents a graphic account of the cruel and inhuman suffering
of the slaves. The slaves lived a very painful and miserable life in the
custody of their slave masters. No slave had any accurate knowledge of his age because
their slave masters never maintained an authentic record of the dates of birth
of the slaves in their custody because they wanted to keep the slaves ignorant
about their age. Consequently, the slaves were able to only recall a day nearer
a season of the year like planting-time, harvest-time, cherry-time, spring-time
or fall-time.
Frederick narrates the circumstances of his
birth and a few details about his parentage. Frederick was a mulatto child born
to a white father and a black mother. His mother was a slave and his father was
his master. As was the common custom in those days, Frederick, the infant, was
separated from his mother even when he was an infant, not even twelve months
old and was placed under the care of an old woman, too old for field labour. In
such instances, the mother was taken away from the child and hired out on some
farm a considerable distance off. Frederick says that he does not remember to
have seen his mother not more than five times in his life and each of these
times was very short in duration and at night. His mother was hired by Mr.
Stewart, who lived about twelve miles from his home. She used to go to
Frederick’s house in the night travelling on foot, lie down with her child, get
him to sleep and would go back to her master’s house before dawn. His mother
died when he was about seven years old. Frederick was not allowed to be present
during her illness and at her death or burial.
Frederick narrates another cruel and
barbarous practice. The slaveholders had made a rule that the children of slave
women irrespective of whether they were born to white or black fathers, should
in all cases follow the condition of their mothers. This gave the slaveholders
opportunities to not merely gratify their lustful desires but also make a
profit out of it. Frederick says that mulatto children, despite being born to
white fathers, suffered greater hardships than black slave children born to
black parents, because mulatto children were a constant source of offence and
displeasure to their white mistresses. It was common for the wives of white
masters to find fault with mulatto children. They would be normally happy to
see mulatto children lashed especially when they suspected that their husbands
were showing special favours to his mulatto children. This being the fact, many
white masters used to sell their mulatto slaves only out of sympathy for them
so that they would be spared the trouble of whipping their own children or
stand by and watch one white son tie up his brother and lash him with a whip.
Frederick narrates an incident which
highlights how inhumane and cruel slave masters were. Frederick Douglass had
two masters — Captain Anthony and his overseer Mr. Plummer whom he describes as
a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer and a savage monster. He used to take
sadistic pleasure in whipping a slave Frederick recalls how, once he saw his
own aunt, a slave tied to a joist being whipped on her naked back till she was
literally covered with blood. Thus, Frederick Douglass’ autobiography depicts
the painful and harsh experiences of the slaves.
‘AN OLD
WOMAN’
Narrate
the experience of the speaker in ‘An Old Woman’.
OR
Discuss
the plight of an old woman in reference to the poem ‘An old woman’?
OR
How does
the speaker’s attitude undergo a change in the poem ‘An Old Woman’?
Ans: In ‘An Old Woman’ the narrator presents
a very common incident most tourists experience when they visit a historical
shrine. Such tourist places are usually crowded out by beggars, vendors and
tourist guides pestering tourists to give them alms or buy toys and trinkets or
to hire them as guides respectively. The first four stanzas portray the old
woman as ‘a burr’. The first stanza describes the narrator’s reaction. The
sixth and seventh stanzas describe the narrator’s reaction and also signal a
change in his attitude as well as his perspective towards old women.
The poem is a recollection of the narrator’s
experience when he visited a historical place on the barren hills of Jejuri
town, which houses the famous legendary ‘Horseshoe’ shrine for Khandoba, the
presiding deity at Jejuri. The poet presents his experience dramatically
helping the reader visualize it instantly. As soon as he had landed in the
place, an old beggar woman grabbed hold of his sleeve and hobbled along with
him, pestering him to give her a fifty paise coin in return for which she would
guide him to the horseshoe shrine. Though he told her that he had already seen
It, she persisted and did not let him go. At that moment, the poet’s previous
experience of dealing with old women coupled with that incident makes the
narrator express his annoyance and scorn for such old women saying that they
are like ‘a burr’ which cannot be brushed off easily.
The narrator, then turned around to face her
and send her away with a decisive look. Immediately, the old woman expressed
her predicament stating that there was nothing else to do on those wretched
hills except begging. Her statement shocked the narrator slightly. The old
woman’s words triggered the moment of transformation in him. This made him look
at her eyes sunk deep inside her face like two bullet holes and look right at
the sky clearly through them. Her skin is wrinkled and cracks begin to appear
around her eyes and spread beyond her skin. He feels that everything is falling
apart. Everything is cracked and in ruins. The cracks spread beyond her skin to
the hills and the sky. There is a catastrophe. The hills crack, the temples
crack and the sky falls and shatters like a sheet of glass except for the
“shatterproof crone who stands alone”. At this moment the poet realizes his own
value. He has been reduced to a fifty paisa coin in the hands of poverty, It is
at this moment that the poet’s scorn for the old woman changes to respect.
‘TWO
GENTLEMEN OF VERONA’
What did
the narrator learn about Lucia from the nurse in ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’?
Ans: On Sunday afternoon, the narrator
brought the two boys ¡n his car to a large red-roofed villa in a tiny village
set upon the hillside. After the boys had disappeared beyond the corner of a
stone wall, the narrator followed them closely and reached a grilled
side-entrance. When he rang the bell, the door was opened by a trained nurse.
When she learnt that the narrator had brought the two boys there, she let him
in and took him to a ward upstairs, and showed him the two boys seated at the
bedside of a girl, aged about twenty. Later, when the narrator begged her to
tell him all she knew about the two boys, she told him that the girl was Lucia,
and the boys had no one else in the world except for that sister. The boys had
lost their father in the war. Shortly afterwards, a bomb had destroyed their
home and thrown the three children into the sheets. For months, they had barely
kept themselves alive in a sort of shelter they had built with their own hands
amidst the rubble. During this time they suffered horribly from near-starvation
and exposure to the cold Veronese winter.
What were
the different ways in which Nicola and Jacopo earned money?
OR
How did
the two boys struggle to look after their sister Lucia?
Ans: Nicola and Jacopo seem to be jacks of
all trades. In addition to selling strawberry, the boys sold the newspaper,
shined shoes, ran errands such as procuring American cigarettes and opera
tickets for the foreigners and acted as their tour guides in not only taking
them around the beautiful place but also giving them useful information as to
which restaurants served good pasta. It looks as if they were prepared to take
up any and every avenue of making money. But, what is remarkable is that none
of these tasks has even an element of dishonesty or underhand dealing and the
boys are honourable in all that they do.
How did
the two boys help the narrator during his stay at Verona?
Ans: The boys were very useful for the
narrator. When the narrator wanted a pack of American cigarettes or seats for
the opera, or the name of a good restaurant, they were always there in all
these needs with cheerful competence. They had also taken the author on a
guided tour to the different places of interest at Verona including Juliet’s
tomb.
“The
story of Nicola and Jacopo in ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ redefines the qualities
of a gentleman”. Substantiate.
OR
‘True
gentlemen are made of character, not by their appearance’. Explain with
reference to ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’.
Ans: This short story by A.J. Cronin presents before us the story of two
Veronese adolescents Nicola, aged about thirteen, and Jacopo, aged about
twelve. The title ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ has been used by the author only to
redefine the meaning of the word ‘gentlemen’ and to express his admiration for
two Veronese young men who are waging a relentless and epic battle to save
their elder sister Lucia, aged about twenty years. She is their only relative
left in their world.
Lucia is suffering from tuberculosis of the
spine. She has no one el to take care of her except her two younger brothers —
Nicola and Jacopo. She would have undoubtedly succumbed to her fatal disease if
her two young brothers had not admitted her in a hospital and given her timely
medical attention and care. Since the treatment she got in the hospital was
quite expensive, and they had to make payments every week, the two young men
had to work day and night to earn enough money to meet the expenses. The brothers shined shoes, sold fruits,
hawked newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, ran errands, and worked
hard day and night relentlessly to earn enough money for making weekly payments
to the hospital. Though the two boys, this way earned quite a lot of money,
they lived a selfless and Spartan life so as to save enough for their sister’s
treatment. They did not spend anything for themselves either on their food or
on clothes. Thus, they saved a great deal, made regular payments to the
hospital without complaining and helped their sister recuperate from her
illness. The word ‘gentlemen’, during Shakespeare’s time, meant ‘a man of
wealth and social position, especially one who does not work for a living’. But
in the context of this lesson ‘gentleman’ means a man who is polite and shows
consideration for the feelings of other people. It is true that “True gentlemen
are made of character, not by their appearance”. It is in this sense that the
author calls Nicola and Jacopo ‘gentlemen’ of Verona. Hence, we can say that
the story of Nicola and Jacopo in ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’, redefines the
qualities of a gentleman.
‘DO NOT
ASK OF ME MY LOVE’
Why did
the poet ask his Love, ‘Do not ask of me my love, that love once I had for
you?’
Or
The
speaker of the poem ‘Do not ask of Me, My Love’ becomes more realistic when the
harsh realities of life draw his attention. Elaborate.
Ans: A transformation from imagination to
reality can be seen in the perception of love. Every teenager lives in a world
of illusions and dreams of his love, but when he is more mature and deals deep
in society and problems he realizes that love is not a complete world and there
are other important issues too.
The speaker of the poem ‘Do not ask of Me, My
Love’ becomes more realistic when the harsh realities of life draw his
attention. Elaborate.
Ans: A casual reading of the title and the first half of the poem might
sometimes mislead the reader to imagine that the poet is going to describe the
beauty of his beloved in romantic imagery. However, a careful close reading of
the title and the whole poem will make the reader realize that though the poet
expresses a great deal of love and appreciation for the beauty of his beloved,
there ¡s a sudden transition in the poem from the poet’s personal love to the
love of his people in general. This transition is caused by his increasing
awareness and realization that there are many harsh realities besides ‘love’.
This realization prompts him to abjure romantic love of the beloved for a
contemplation of the misery of the world.
In the first half of the poem, the speaker
declares that his life looks bright and beautiful on account of his beloved. He
states that when he is ¡n her company he feels that he will enjoy eternal
spring and nothing is more beautiful than the beautiful eyes of his beloved.
Moreover, when he is in such a mood, if he is agonized by his love for his
beloved, the misery of the world appears inconsequential to him. However, as he
became aware of the harsh realities of life like bloodshed during wars, diseases,
poverty, hunger, deprivation, flesh trade, greed for money and power etc., his
belief that the love for his beloved would remain eternal, suddenly undergoes a
change. He realizes that such love for an individual will be an illusion
because there are many other sorrows and pleasures which demand his equal
attention and love. Thus, the poet gives up his romantic love of the beloved
for a contemplation of the misery and other harsh realities of life.
