Leo Auffman felt extremely happy when the happiness machine was finished.

what could be
his thoughts?

Date : 12/02/2023
Day : Monday
Oh at last it is finished. My dream has come true. I had been working on it
without food or sleep. But I hope it is a gift to humanity. Now people can
be extremely happy in it. They are surrounded with many problems
everywhere, frustration,depression,worries etc .Life has become complex.
So I wish to put an end to it and give them happiness. Now they can forget
everything and enjoy life. I have been telling about the happiness machine
to my family,but no one has taken it seriously. Let me ask me Lena to try
this. She shall be definitely happy.

2 Prepare a news report about the Happiness Machine catching fire

Happiness on Fire
New york: The much awaited dream fulfilment of Leo Auffman proved
unlucky when the happiness
machine caught fire. He had been working hard for making it. His wife
Lena told reporters that he seldom got time to sleep or have food. Once
Lena herself had entered the machine. She says it is a horrible experience.
She felt as if she were in Paris ,dancing. But soon the thought of it being
an illusion made her cry aloud. The machine caught fire when Leo tried to
check what was wrong with it. The fire department came on time and no
damages were caused by the explosion. Had it been a success, humanity
would have been blessed with eternal happiness. Later Leo Auffman
declared that he was not going to invent any new machine. Happiness ,he
says, is around us. We have to find it .
3.Lena Auffman entered the happiness machine and found herself in Paris.
What could be her thoughts?
Date : 12/02/2023
Day : Monday
Oh amazing!Is it a dream? I am in Paris,dancing! I see wonders of the
world and hear melodious songs. But is it real? No they are only an
illusion. I could never be in Paris. We haven’t danced for years. The
machine made me feel young. But I know I am not. Besides how can I be
happy if the sunset lasts long? My children may be feeling hungry while I
dance and enjoy. Will it make me happy? Never. Life should never be away
from realities. Happiness is within us. No machine can make us happy. We have to seek and find it.
4 Imagine Lena describes her experience of entering the machine to her friend in a letter.
Prepare the likely letter.
 Lucky Villa
Paris
16/08/2023
Dear Joana,

How are you? Hope everything is fine there. Here children are in a vacation mood. As you
know Leo is busy in his garage inventing new machines.
Do you know, he has made the Happiness machine. Can you imagine why it is called so? He
says one can be happy forgetting all tension after entering it. Leo has been spending sleepless hours
for making it. One day I entered the machine to try it. Oh it was a wonderful experience. I felt as if I
were in Paris,dancing,watching the great wonders of the world. But soon the reality came out and I
realized that it was mere illusion. I was so sad. We can never find happiness with the help of a
machine. It is within us,around us. We have to seek and find it.
I wish you were here. Really miss you a lot . Next time we shall spend the vacation in my
house .Our children would love to play together. See you soon.
Yours lovingly
Sd/- Lena
5 Happiness can never be invented. No machine can help us to find it. Do you agree? Prepare a
write up.

Modern man is depending on technology for making his life more comfortable and easier.
Scientists are after inventing medicines to avoid death and give eternal life. In a world of problems
and worries everyone hopes to escape to an illusory world.
But can happiness be invented or instilled by a machine? Definitely not. In Ray Douglas’
story The Happiness Machine, Leo Auffman tries to make a happiness machine, which will give
everybody ecstasy. He spends sleepless days and nights ,paying no attention to his family or
others .Finally when the machine is ready his wife enters it. Though at first she feels as if she were
in Paris dancing,soon the reality of it being an illusion makes her the saddest. She realizes that if the
sunset lasts long it won’t make us happy. She cries aloud thinking of the impossibility of being
young again .At last the happiness machine catches fire. It is then that Leo notices his children
playing around joyfully .Thus he realizes that real happiness comes from relationships rather than
material things.
We see people trying to seek happiness from mobile phones,while simple things around
them stay neglected. Happiness is here , we have to derive it by giving our time. Even a smile can
make us happy.

Additional questions
1 Imagine Lena and her friend talk about the happiness machine catching fire. Prepare the likely
conversation.
2 Many reporters come to interview Leo Auffman who invented the happiness machine. Prepare ten
questions to ask Leo about this curious machine.
3 Leo Auffman felt so sad at the sight of his dream catching fire.Prepare his diary about it.
4 Leo auffman describes the story of happiness machine to a reporter.Prepare the narrative
 A Prayer in Spring
(Robert Frost)

The poem ‘A Prayer in Spring’ was written by one of the most prolific American
poets, Robert Frost. He was highly admired for his realistic depiction of the rural life
through the lines of his poems. The theme of this poem is that we should live in the
present and enjoy the present without wasting life in the anxieties about the uncertain
future.
The poet prays to God to give him and his fellow beings the strength to find pleasures
in flowers of today. He says that the harvest season is far away and is uncertain of its
yields. Waiting in anxiety for such an uncertain future is foolish and meaningless. The
poet prays to God again to bring him and his fellow beings pleasures of the spring
season into the orchard, The swarm of bees are happy and they widen their realm of
happiness by visiting every tree and flower. The poet pleads to God to enable him to
share the happiness of the bees. Again the poet requests to God to make him happy in
the sight of the humming birds.
This poem is composed in quatrains (four-line stanzas) of AABB rhyme scheme. The
uncertain future of a man’s life is compared to the uncertain harvest (“As the
harvest”), which is a simile. The appearance of the budding white blossoms in the
orchard in the night are compared to ghosts (“like ghosts by night”), which is also an
example of simile. The darting bird (humming bird) is compared to a meteor in a
metaphorical way (“the darting bird...the meteor...”), which is a metaphor. Examples
of Alliteration can be seen in “simply in the springing...”/ “happy in the happy...” and
“stand still...”. Some major visual images are ‘flowers, orchard, the swarm of bees,
the darting bird, the meteor etc..

The Trio

R K Narayan
CHARACTER-SKETCH OF MANI
The character Mani appears in the short story 'The Trio' by R. K. Narayan. We see
him in the story as a rival to Rajam, the newcomer in the class. Mani loses his power
and impression in the class as Rajam excelled him in all matters. On the first day
itself Mani jabbed Rajam with his fingers. In the beginning of the story, we see Mani
as a trouble shooter. Mani challenges Rajam to prove himself to be a man. Mani plans
to kill Rajam, but he is afraid of being attacked by Rajam's spirit. At last when Mani
meets Rajam at Nallappa's Grove, their misunderstandings disappear and they
become good friends.

CHARACTER-SKETCH OF SWAMINATHAN
The character Swaminathan appears in the short story 'The Trio' by R. K. Narayan.
He is an intimate friend of Mani. They spend a lot of time together. He becomes a
mediator between Mani and Rajam when they quarrel. One day he was caught by the
teacher for being talkative in the class. He was asked to stand on the bench. When
Mani and Rajam quarrelled; he stood between them as a mediator. At last he became
a good friend of Rajam also.

Mani feels relaxed after ending his enemity with Rajam. Prepare the likely diary
entry of Mani on the same day

DIARY

20 October 2023
Monday 8 p.m.

An Unforgettable Day! What a graceful day it was! Everything turned out to be well.
What I had thought were all misconceptions. How courageously did I go to
Nallappa's Grove! I had thought of killing Rajam. How shameful! I had gone there
with a wooden club to kill him. What prevented me from killing him? First of all I
was afraid of his spirit coming and attacking me at night. But the gun in his hand
made me to rethink immediately. If I killed him, I would be in jail now. He talked to
me a lot. How friendly we are now! I thought that he was a person with head-weight.
But actually it was my mis-understanding. How broadminded he is! He accepted me
as a good friend. How friendly we, the trio, are now! Tomorrow onwards we will be a
good team. We will work hard in our studies. We 'The Trio' can work wonders in the
school!

Prepare a short profile of R. K. Narayan.

Birth : 10 October 1906.

Full Name : Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami
Profession : writer, author.
Nationality : Indian
Fictional town in his works : Malgudi.
Awards : Padma Vibhooshan, Sahithya Academi Award.
Died : 13 May 2001.

PROFILE OF R K NARAYAN

R.K. Narayan was a famous Indian writer and author. He was born on 10th October
1906. His full name is Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami. All his works
are set in a fictional South Indian town called Malgudi. He was a leading author of
early Indian literature in English. He was awarded Padma Vibhooshan and Sahithya
Academi Award. He died on 13th May 2001.

Rajam and Mani became good friends. Prepare a conversation that might have
taken place between Rajam and Mani at Nallappa’s Grove
CONVERSATION

Rajam :Here, I am. Ready.

Mani :I was waiting here for a long time. You are very late.
Rajam :Yes. Let's start.
Mani :I have no gun while you have. It should be a hand to hand fight.
Rajam : Then why did you bring your club? Ok. Tell me. What have I done to
offend you?
Mani :You called me a sneak before someone.
Rajam : That's a lie. If this is all the case of your anger, forget it. I won't mind
being friends.
Mani :Nor I.
Rajam :Let's become good friends.
Mani : Ok Agreed