The two gifts sent by Dominic

Prince Dominic is the heir to the throne of a small kingdom, Aquaraine. He is

not interested in kingship at all. What he is interested in is gardening and pottery. His father
King Agramor, therefore, demands that Dominic takes a wife. Seeing a chance to
outmanoeuvre his father, Dominic says he will marry no one but Princess Clair-de-Lune who
is the Emperor’s proud and arrogant daughter. She has turned down all her suitors, princes
and rulers of kingdom bigger and better than Aquaraine. Dominic fully expects to be rejected
by her and thus be able to remain single. Then he starts his half-hearted courtship by sending
her the two gifts; a magic rose and a sweet-singing nightingale.
The first gift Dominic sent to the Princess Clair-de-Lune is a crimson rose with
a simple and complimentary message. It is not an ordinary rose. The seed of the rose was
given by his great-grand-aunt who was a witch. Every year the tree bears the one rose which
is slightly magic, and the scent drives all sorrow from one’s heart, and makes everybody sing
with joy. Dominic sends her the crimson rose to make her sing. The gift is put in a very small
casket which is wrapped in white silk. It is in a plain polished wooden box. It smells the
perfume like the spring. It has a strange thing and Princess Chow Tung of China said she had
caught such a breath of fragrance as Princess Clair-de-Lune lifted the rose from the casket
and the rose smelled like clouds and swallows.
The second gift Dominic sent to the Princess is a nightingale. The bird is put in
the bird-cage which is made of wicker basket-work, so the bird inside can be distinguished. It
whistles a long ripple of notes. Dominic said that the Princess would soften her heart when
she heard him whistle to her. Princess Eboni of Ethiopia said that Princess Clair-de-Lune
should hear the nightingale sing. Princess Chow Tung also said that it might ease her sadness.
Clair-de-Lune said that it sounded like a call to her, so sympathetic and deep. His song was
like leaves, and forests and so nearly natural. The nightingale croons softly.
Unfortunately, these two gifts are abused by the Princess Clair-de-Lune because
she thinks the rose is a common one and she hates the cage.
The Lady or the Tiger (Frank R. Stockton)
The author Frank R. Stockton ends the short story “The Lady or the Tiger” with the famous
line, “And so I leave it with all of you; Which came out of the opened door – the lady or the
tiger?” Discuss and give your answer.
A semi-barbaric king of an ancient land uses a unique form of trial.When a subject
being accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given
that on an appointed day, the fate of the accused person would be decided in the king’s arena.
The accused is placed alone in an ordeal before two curtain-draped doors and hordes of the
king’s subjects look on from the stands. Behind one door is a woman, appropriate to the
accused’s status and approved for him by the king: behind the other door is a fierce (and
nearly starved) tiger. The accused then must choose a door, his guilt thus manifest,
supposedly.
When the king discovers that his daughter, the princess, has taken a lover far
beneath her status, the fellow is an obvious candidate for trial in the arena. On the day of his
ordeal, the lover looks from the arena to the princess, who is watching in the stands, for some
indication of which door to pick. Even the king doesn’t know which door hides the maiden,
but the princess has made it her business to find out and her lover knew she would. She
makes a slight but definite gesture to the right, which the young man follows immediately
and without hesitation. At the end of the story, as the door opens, the author interjects, ”Now,
the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady?” The author
then playfully sets out for the reader the dimensions of the princess’s dilemma, and that of the
reader in answering the question he has posed. He ends the story with the famous line, “And
so I leave it with all of you; Which came out of the opened door – the lady or the tiger?”
The author concludes the story with open-ended resolution. It invites the readers to
ponder the conflict between love and jealousy. The princess’s internal conflict is so central to
the story _ her decision governs if the young man lives or dies. The princess might wish her
lover escaped from death, but if he were alive, he would marry another lady, not she herself.
If so, how would she feel? She won’t be able to enjoy it.
The Jockey
The jockey, Bitsy Barlow was a person who hated unfair activity. He was really a
true friend of his companions. About six months ago, his particular pal, the Irish jockey
McGuire broke a leg and a hip because of the three men _ Sylvester the trainer, Simmons the
bookie and the rich man. The jockey Bitsy Barlow had ridden the rich man’s horse named
Seltzer. His friend the Irish jockey had one leg shorter than the other by two inches. The three
men ignored his Irish jockey friend despite their responsibility. They went on to time as if the
accident of the Irish jockey had nothing to do with them. At the beginning of the story, the
jockey came into the dining room in a rather reluctant manner. He came to the three men who
didn’t take their responsibility to tell them what he wanted to in his own way.
His face was drawn, ageless and gray with the shade owed hollows at his temples
and his mouth was set in a wiry smile. He was dressed in green Chinese silk, a suit tailored
specifically for his child-like size. He wore a yellow shirt with a pastel colour striped tie.
Hatless, the hair brushed down in a stiff wet band on his forehead was rather striking.
The three men said that it comes because both good and bad thing can happen in
life. Exploding his bitter feeling of disgust against them, he accused them as “Libertines’. He
said it twice with a sharp whim of hysteria. His voice was high, bitter, clear, and also thin and
broken. Though he was very angry with them, he did not hit out either with his hands or his
feet against others. He controlled his bitterness, loneliness and antagonism his own way in a
very exemplary manner.

Verb-ing form (The Present Perfect)

1. The fans queued for hours because they hoped to get tickets.
2. Yuriko was the youngest child so she was her father’s favourite.
3. I did not know the way and then I had to ask for directions.
4. Because she didn’t want to be late, Vicky ran to the bus stop.
5. As she had worked hard all day, Sara was exhausted.
 First Year
If pattern
1. We (play) indoors if it rains.
2. we’ll choose a different movie if you (not want) to see this movie.
3. I’ll tell you what happen if you (let) me explain.
4. If I (be) late tonight, don’t wait for me.
5. If you heat ice, it (melt).
6. If someone (enter) the building, the alarm (go off).
7. If we (be) late for school, our teacher (get) angry.
Reported Speech (Direct-Indirect)
1. Ko Ko said to Thuza, “I will send you a postcard as soon as I reach China.”
2. The farmers said to the buyer, ”There will be a good harvest this year. ”
3. I said to Mon Mon, ”Are you going to see your brother off at the airport?”
4. “Who has been using my computer?” said my brother.
5. The little boy said to his teacher, ”May I ask you a question, Sir?”
6.”Aunt”, he said, ”please take care of my children while I’m away.”
7. His mother said, ”Aung Aung, don’t tell a lie again.”
When + Present Perfect
1. First, I break the eggs. Then I heat the butter in a pan.
2. First, we take the bus to the centre. Then we visited the museum.
3. First, nuts are sprinkled. Then it is baked in the oven for about ten minutes.
4. First, we peel the potatoes. Then we fill a pot with water and add salt.
5. First, I went to my friend’s house. Then we watched a film and ate popcorn.
As do / As does / As has / As have
1.Jack fears Chemistry. John also fears Chemistry.
2.Mr. Jones has done business successfully. Mr.Wang has also done business successfully.
3.They watch television most evenings. We also watch television most evenings.
Although  In spite of In spite of  Although
1.It was raining heavily. They went out without umbrella.
2.Although there was a storm, the ship left the harbor.
3.Inspite of his fame, he is not proud.
4.He is rich, yet he is not contented.
5.Even though it is dark, we will not stop working.
 Second Year
V-ing
1. The boy fell from the tree. He broke his leg.
2. He cleaned the car. He sang a song.
3. Mg Mg went out to play. He had done the work.
4. He passed the exam. He was bright and clever.
5. The children came out of the room. They danced and sang.
Make more efficient use of
1. Kate uses Spanish more efficiently than John.
2. Private schools use English language more efficiently than public schools.
3. An outstanding student uses his creative thinking more efficiently than a normal student.
4. A skilled chef uses ingredients more efficiently than an unskilled one.
5. Young people use the internet more efficiently than elderly people.
Just as
Yangon is the capital city of Myanmar. Colombo is the capital city of Sri Lanka.
Yangon is the capital city of Myanmar, just as Colombo is the capital city of Sri Lanka.
To possessive+ Noun
He was surprised to meet a friendly people who treated him with great kindness.
To his surprise, he met a friendly people who treated him with great kindness.
As if / As though + Noun + V
When Mg Mg had finished it, the experiment looked / be / a failure.
When Mg Mg had finished it, te experiment looked as if it were a failure.
Differ in noun from noun
A horse / size / an elephant
A horse differs in size from an elephant.
By means of …… can
Irrigation enables water to be supplied just when it is needed.
By means of irrigation, water can be supplied just when it is needed.
Adj enough to
Teak is so strong that it can be used for much construction work.
Teak is strong enough to be used for much construction work.
What is the theme of the poem, ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley? Explain why Invictus is
a powerful poem.
The theme of the poem, ‘Invictus’ is the will to survive in the face of a severe test.
Henley himself faced such a test. After contracting tuberculosis of the bone in his youth, he
suffered a tubercular infection when he was in his early twenties that resulted in amputation
of a leg below the knee. When physician informed him that he must undergo a similar
operation on the other leg, he enlisted the services of Dr. Joseph Lister (1827-1912), the
developer of antiseptic medicine. He saved the leg. During Henley’s twenty-month ordeal
between 1873 and 1875 at the royal Edinburgh Infirmary in Scotland, he wrote “Invictus”
and other poems. Years later, his friend Robert Louis Stevenson based the character Long
John Silver (a peg-legged pirate in the Stevenson novel Treasure Island) on Henley.
The poem, “Invictus” is a powerful poem. The poet starts the poem with the present
situation of his life. It is about the courage of Henley, how he sees life and how he
understands it. It means that our life is in our hand and no one can make a decision for us.
The word ‘Invictus’ is an adjective in Latin that means ‘unconquerable’ or ‘unsubdued’. In
the first stanza, he said that his life is filled with darkness as the pit from pole to pole.
However, he doesn’t ask for strength from the gods to deal with the crisis. He thanks the gods
of all kinds for giving him unconquerable and undefeated soul, instead. In the second stanza,
he said, ”My head is bloody, but unbowed”. In the third stanza, the poet said he sees only the
dark shadow of death but the constant threats and troubles he has sustained over the years
have prepared him to face what lies ahead. In the last stanza, he said that his life is like
travelling on the narrow street which has many difficulties to face. However, he strongly
believed that he can solve all the problems because he is the master of his fortune and he is
the captain of his life spirit.
It is a descriptive poem which is composed of four stanzas and each stanza has
four lines. Its rhymes are regular; e.g. me-be, pole-soul…etc. The use of metaphor can be
seen in it; e.g. night for troubles and difficulties in the first stanza and shade for death in the
third stanza. In the last two lines, “master” and “captain” are used metaphorically to describe
the fact that his soul is unconquerable. All in all, his choice of words such as “Black as the pit
from pole to pole’, ‘My head is bloody, but unbowed”, “And yet …shall find me unafraid”
and ‘I am the master …the captain of my soul” supports the poem to be more powerful.
Three ladies-in-waiting
In the play “The Princess and the Swineherd” created by the playwright Nicholas
Stuart Gray, there are three ladies-in-waiting who love the Princess Clair-De-Lune. Clair-De-
Lune is the only daughter of the Emperor and she is a motherless child. So, her father and the
entire Court love her and give in to her everything she wants. Her three ladies-in-waiting love
her very much and are always loyal to her. One of them is the Princess Chow Tung of China.
She always stands near the Princess Clair-De-Lune watching her with devoted eyes. She is a
small, timid and squint Chinese girl who would die for Clair-De-Lune. She wears lovely
Chinese costume and a little crown. The second lady is Princess Eboni of Ethiopia who can
play a stringed instrument of no known design, and make a tinkling odd little tune. She is
enchanting, with very dark skin, a tiny nose and bright lips. Her long black hair is swept up to
the top of her head, through her tiny gold crown, to fall like a horse’s tail down the back. Her
dress is that of the Court and period, but decorated barbarically with gold and jewels. Another
lady-in-waiting is Princess Siesta of Spain who is very rigid and poised. Her hands are held
stiffly in front of her spreading brocaded skirt, and she looks like a beautiful painting by
Velasquez. She has a great sense of correctitude and decorum, and is the only one of the three
attendant ladies with sufficient self-assurance to stand up to the Princess Clair-De-Lune.
They all obey the Princess and they deeply devote themselves to her.
The Battle of the Cowshed
After the rebellion against Mr. Jones and his hired hands, the animals were in
control of Manor Farm. They changed its name to Animal Farm and established their own
rules for behavior which were painted on the wall of the barn. The farm animals, supervised
by the pigs, harvested the crops with better results than ever before. The song “Beasts of
England” was then being hummed and sung over half of the county. One day, early in
October, armed with a shotgun, Mr. Jones and several men from town attempted to recapture
the farm, but Snowball led the animals in successfully defending it. As expected, Snowball,
who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar’s campaigns, had made all preparations. He
was in charge of the defensive operations. He gave his orders quickly, and in a couple of
minutes, every animal was at his post. As the human beings approached the farm buildings,
Snowball launched his first attack. All the pigeons and the geese tried to make them in
disorder but the men could easily drive them. Then Snowball launched his second attack.
Muriel, Benjamin, and all the sheep with Snowball rushed forward and prodded and butted
the men from every side. Hearing a squeal from Snowball, all the animals retreated and
turned into the yard. The men, therefore, gave a shout of triumph. They rushed after the
animals in disorder. As intended by Snowball, the three horses, the three cows, and the rest of
the pigs, who had been lying in ambush in the cowshed, suddenly emerged in their rear and
attacked the men. Mr. Jones was hurled into a pile of dung and his gun flew out of his hand.
Several men dropped their sticks and tried to run. All the animals together were chasing them
round and round the yard. They were gored, kicked, bitten, and trampled on. There was not
an animal on the farm that did not take vengeance on them.
After the battle, an impromptu celebration of the victory was held immediately.
“Beasts of England” was sung a number of times, and the sheep who had been killed was
given a solemn funeral. There was much discussions as to what the battle should be called. In
the end, it was named the Battle of the Cowshed. Mr. Jone’s gun had been found lying in the
mud, and it was decided to set the gun up at the foot of the flagstaff like a piece of artillery,
and to fire it twice a year; once on October the twelfth, the anniversary of the Battle of the
Cowshed, and once on the Midsummer Day, the anniversary of the Rebellion.
Snowball
Snowball is the pig who challenges Napoleon for control of Animal Farm after the
Rebellion. He is one of the two young boars of the Manor Farm to whom the twelve-year-old
Major, Manor Farm’s prize-winning boar passed on the idea of a future rebellion against
man. One Midsummer day, Snowball, Napoleon and all the animals droved the cruel masters
away. Although they fought together for their freedom, they later became rivals for their
power. The author George Orwell creates the character Snowball based on Leon Trotsky.
Snowball is intelligent, passionate, eloquent, and less subtle and devious than his counterpart,
Napoleon. His ability can be clearly seen in the Battle of Cowshed where he uses the
defensive operations of Julius Caesar’s campaigns. He shares his knowledge to other animals
and tries his best to let them live better. He writes the seven commandments on the wall and
reads it out for the benefit of the others. He seems to win the loyalty of the other animals and
cement his power. Snowball wants the animals to build a windmill that will provide
electricity, heat and running water in each stall, but Napoleon disagrees with the idea. When
Snowball tries to present his idea to the animals at their weekly meeting, Napoleon reveals
the nine dogs he has trained as guard/ attack dogs. , and the dogs drive Snowball. Snowball is
the perfect scapegoat, the one who can be blamed when something goes wrong. He is
discredited totally through the use of lies and false accusations. The other animals want to
disagree but can’t and finally give in and agree with Boxer.

Napoleon
Napoleon is the pig who emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion.
Based on Joseph Stalin, Napoleon uses military force (his nine royal attack dogs) to
intimidate the other animals and consolidate his power. In his supreme craftiness, Napoleon
proves more treacherous than his counterpart, Snowball. He is one of the two young boars of
the Manor Farm to whom the twelve-year-old Major, Manor Farm’s prize-winning boar
passed on the idea of a future rebellion against man. One Midsummer day, Snowball,
Napoleon and all the animals droved the cruel masters away. Although they fought together
for their freedom, they later became rivals for their power. After the Rebellion,
The Bishop’s Candlesticks (Theme)
The play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ dramatically depicts how the love and the
compassion of the Bishop brought about a change of heart in a convict and turned him into a
man of promise for a good life. In this play, we see the Bishop’s kindness to all the humans
and also his noble mind as well as his self-less deeds. Moreover, it is seen that the Bishop
treated the convict with love and respect as he regarded him too as a sufferer. He regarded
him as a fellowman and a friend. The theme of the play, therefore, might be the attitude of
people. A man is what we think of him to be. If we treat a man as a beast, then he becomes a
beast. If we treat a beast as a man, then it becomes a man. Another theme could be the fact
that we should give someone who has ever done something wrong, a chance to lead a good
life. The third theme might be to follow our religious teaching just as the Bishop thought _ it
is a sin to get addicted to wealth and he felt that he was responsible for the convict’s
behavior. By keeping the silver candlesticks before him, he had led him into temptation.
When the police sergeant released him due to the Bishop’s support, the convict was
overwhelmed by the love of Bishop and he was already a changed man. This might be the
first and last theme _ If we treat a man as a beast, then he becomes a beast. If we treat a beast
as a man, then it becomes a man. We should give our deepest love and kindness to all.
Of Studies by Francis Bacon (Theme)
Of Studies by Francis Bacon emphasizes the importance of knowledge, open-
mindedness, and theory empowering skill. It serves reading books as a means of finding
man’s purpose in life. Bacon said that studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.
Man’s chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament is in discourse: and for
ability is in the judgement, and disposition of business. At the same time bacon encourages
studies, he warns that too much studying leads to laziness. He said that if one uses his
knowledge too often in conversation with others, then he is showing off. Also, he warns us to
be guided solely by one’s studies so that we can be a scholar rather than a practical man.
Themes of Bacon’s “Of Studies” are; moderation is the key to using studies
appropriately: studies are wonderful only if influenced by experience because a person’s
natural abilities are enhanced by studies, but studies without experience, lead to confusion in
dealing with the outside world. Different books have different value. Some books are to be
tasted, others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested. Education is meant to be
preparation for the real world. According to Bacon, dishonest men condemn education: stupid
men admire education: but wise men use education as their real world experience dictates.
Every skill has its own value. Reading creates a well-rounded man: conversation makes a
man think quickly: and writing, by which Bacon usually means argument essay writing,
makes a man capable of thinking with logic and reason. We must read not to contradict and
confute: nor to believe and take for granted: nor to find talk and discourse: but to weigh and
consider. Every disorder of the mind has a cure. Every defect in thinking can be cured by
another form of study. All in all, we should do any kind of study.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening (Robert Frost)
The poem “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening” is written by Robert Frost. It
describes a man who stops by woods on his way on a snowy evening and watches the
natural beauty of snow-covered woods despite the cold and the late hours. It is about the
story of a traveler (May be the poet himself) passing by some woods. The setting of the poem
might be in 1922. Although the particular location is not named, it might be set in northern
woods. Perhaps, Frost would write the poem in a village and it is believed that Franconia in
New Hampshire is actually the village mentioned in the poem. The time of the poem is the
darkest night of the year. It is also believed that this refers to the winter solstice, or the
longest night of the year, which is December 21 st or 22nd. Frost taps on several themes such as
life, death, commitment, pessimism, optimism, and darkness. The main theme of this poem is
the journey of life. It is presented throughout the poem and highlighted in the last few lines.
The poem is often interpreted as conveying an attraction towards death, indicated in the final
lines; ‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have promises to keep, and miles to go
before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.’ Here, the woods and the sleep to which the
speaker refers, represent death.
According to Frost, the traveler wants to know the owner of the woods in which his
little horse and he stop to watch the beauty of nature. In the second stanza, he tells us that his
little horse might wonder why he stops such a dark and cold night. In the third stanza, he was
very depressed due to his long journey and the cold weather. His horse makes a sound as if it
asked him the reason he stops. The sound of the bell reminds him to move on to return to his
responsibilities and obligations. In the last stanza, he describes the woods using three
adjectives _ lovely, dark and deep. This indicates that he wants to enjoy the scene for long,
but he has other responsibilities in life. He will have to go a long way before he sleeps. Sleep
refers to death. It means that in our real life, we have many things to enjoy, but in most cases,
we cannot simply do them because we have other things to do in our short lifespan, so we
have to move on. To sum up, the essential point of the poem, “Stopping By Woods On A
Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost seems to be the tug of war going on in the speaker’s mind
between the two possibilities _ stopping to contemplate the beauty of nature and moving on
to return to the active world of work and responsibility.