A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN

A) Narrate Stephen’s first school experiences

B) Narrate the incident when Stephen revisited Clongowes

The first school experiences of Stephen left a deep impression on his mind. The name of his school was
Clongowes Wood College, a boarding School. Stephen could remember the day while he left his parents for
the school. It was his first journey to the outside world of people, far away from his family. This very journey
throws much light on Stephen's inner nature, his mental conflict and his quest for justice.
He called up the large school playground, crowded with boys and his futile efforts to avoid
the monitor's notice while playing .Stephen found himself weak and small among the playing boys who
appeared violent in the ground. He thought of his mother telling him not to play with rash boys. Nasty Roche
was a terrible school mate who never appeared friendly to Stephen . While he asked Stephen about his name
and about his father, Stephen's answers were quite funny for him . All the past memories in home were sweet
nostalgia that helped Stephen to have moment's refuge from the bitter experiences of school . He yearned
for his home. He shivered to think of Wells ,one of his school mates who pushed him into ditch. This was a
horrible experience that haunted him every time in school.
He recalled the incidents in classroom. They were given some complicated sums and a
competition between two groups of the boys was held. Stephen remembered that he was not good at sum
but he wished his group to win. The colour of the roses and the cards given to the contesting students led
Stephen to a world of fancy. While he went to dining hall again Wells teased him. Stephen wanted to return
to his home, to his mother because he was sick of the environment in the school.
( Once Stephen was hit by a cyclist and his glasses broke. The
doctor advised him not to study till he got new glasses. Father Arnall had exempted him from
studies for a week. Oneday in a class he asked a question and nobody could answer. Father
Arnall was very angry. In the meantime Father Dolan got in the class with his pandybat to
punish the unruly students. Father Dolan asked whether there were anyone in the class to be
punished in front of everyone. He saw a boy kneeling on the floor and enquired the reason .
He came to know about the student's negligence in studies. Then his eyes fell on Stephen and
Father Dolan asked him of the reason. Father Arnall told that he was not writing according to
the doctor's advice as he had to wait for the new glasses. It was all an excuse in the eyes of
Father Dolan. So he thought that Stephen must get punished .He gave Stephen extremely
painful cuts on his hands.
It was an injustice and there was a rebel inside Stephen . He wanted to
raise voice against the perpetrator Father Dolan and took resort to make a complaint against
him before the higher authority, the rector. The Rector listened to Stephen carefully and
sympathetically said that he could avoid studies till new glasses were reached and told him to
inform Father Dolan. It was a moment of triumph and Stephen appeared to be a hero before
his school mates.) Use the paragraph in the brackets for question ( b)