NOTES

POEMS

1. IN THE HEIGHT OF FASHION

Henry Lawson was an Australian poet who often wrote about Australian Colonization and its impact
on the indigenous people of Australia called the “aborigines”.

This poem talks about the outback life in Australia. The poet addresses his friend Victor Daley,
highlighting the changes in the setting. He uses a straightforward style of expression.

The poet begins the poem by saying “So at last a toll they’ll levy For the passing fool who sings” by
this the poet means that the kind of poetry he wrote was not accepted by the society, there is no place
for poets who write about the problems of the society, the poets have to pay a price for their work. In
this stanza the word harp refers to dull and heavy. Dried blood implicates hard work, dedication, and
commitment towards their art. They have to pay a price for their honest work. There is no demand for
honest and true literature, there is demand only for happy literature. The poet further says “ For the
wreath is on our brow” here the word wreath signifies death. The poet asks a rhetorical question to
Victor Daley, who was a contemporary poet and further says that they are now fashionable because
they are not writing about the reality of the society.

In the second stanza of the poem the poet uses a sarcastic tone. The poet says that they did not get
recognition for their work, they were mocked at by all the sections of the society. He says that the
“greatest earl '' ,which refers to the higher class of the society, could flout them and the “meanest
scribe” ,that is the person who writes, could sneer. Everyone used to mock them behind their backs.
They had the statues of slaves earlier and now they are all dead. And now when the poets do not mock
society, they are accepted by everyone and they become fashionable.

In the third stanza of the poem the poet says that if the rich did not support them then you would be in
jail. There was no sense of appreciation for their past. The first four lines of this stanza talk about the
past and the last four lines talk about the present. The poet says that now they’ll dine with “toffs and
ladies” here toffs refers to the elite gentlemen. Further the poet says that “Let the pale muse go to
Hades” here muses refers to source of inspiration and Hades refers to the God of hell. The source of
inspiration for these poets was reality of the society but all the inspiration they had they let it go to Hel
which is what makes them fashionable now and they should enjoy that.

In the fourth stanza of the poem the poet refers to “Palace of the Mind” ,which means intellectual
superiority, and says that there was a time when they were true to their conviction and inspiration, at
that time there was no support from any member of the society and the only wealth they had was
intellectual superiority and had no material wealth. In this stanza we discover the themes of being
true to their heart and inspiration. The poet further says that the tailors are now waiting to stitch
new clothes for them because their old pants are treated as relics.

In the fifth stanza of the poem the poet says that when they were broke and sad, they appealed the
people of the country to support them and the country was “cold and scornful” everyone mocked them
and they told them to “go and get a beer” and threw a “tray bit” that is they threw 3 penny at them to
stop them from arguing. Now it's champagne spreads and this is what satisfies them.
In the sixth stanza of the poem the poet says that their grandest lines were said to have no sense and
their “wisest words” that is their poetries were left to decay, no one paid attention to their art,
everyone ignored them. And now they are writing silly poems and people are liking that. Now
everything that they are writing is shallow. There is no depth and meaning in their poetries. Doggerel
makes people happy. There are no takers for realistic poetry. And this is what makes them fashionable
now.

In the seventh stanza of the poem the poet says that “I adore the Swagman- Drover” here Swagman
refers to a temporary worker, a person who used to carry immense load from one place to another and
Drover refers to experienced cattle grazer. This Is a typical set up of an Australian outback worker.
“Billy’s Boiling Over” is a kind of a small utensil. The poets means that the content of his poetry was
real people like the swagman and Drover but there are no takers for such literature and now maiden
makes them happy and johnnie knots his brow while everyone blushes at everything romantic and that
is why they are fashionable now.

2. CRAZY FOR FASHION

In this poem the poet, Babatunde Aremu, criticises the idea of cosmetics and stylistic embellishments.
He thinks that the people should accept themselves how they are as according to him humans are the
most perfect and unique creation of God.

In the first stanza of the poem the poet uses the words like “God’s image” one of the central traits of
christianity is that god has created man in his own image and which is very unique and the most
perfect creation of god. HE says that man is confused in himself even though he is considered to be
the most perfect creation of God. Man was fashioned in the appearance of God and this idea is
identified by all the religions but we still how we can alter our body as per the changing notions of the
society. We rarely celebrate our natural beauty and we try to adapt to the changes in society. Man is
the most superior person created.

The second stanza of the poem talks about the external embellishments, this stanza talks about the
clothes and the changes in the society. The poet says that people who are fair are not happy with that
and people who are dark are not happy with that. Tattoos were a matter of community and now they
are different. It is a matter of reflection, we do it because everyone is doing it. The poet uses the word
“Garment of masquerade” which means that people attend parties in different costumes, people alter
and change their appearance. We hide behind these masks that we make for ourselves. We change so
that society can accept us.

In the third stanza of the poe there is a clear escalation of view. We focus on what looks good instead
of thinking about our health. The poet says that a man, to look good, does face lift, liposuction and
implants, has a tummy tuck and even brightens his teeth and all this is done in the name of fashion
and according to the poet this is just crazy fashion. The man does not think about the side effects of
these, he forgets about his own health just to look good so that the society can accept him.

In the fourth stanza of the poem the poet asks a rhetorical question “ why this rat race? Why
tampering with natural beauty? Is God no more perfect? Are these really fashion?” The poet says that
we have stopped thinking about God as perfect. It is a destructed belief. We do not celebrate our
natural beauty. We constantly keep changing with the changing society. We should always remember
that we are the most unique and the most perfect creation of God. We do not have to change ourselves
in the name of fashion and for the society to accept us. We should celebrate our natural beauty.

3. IF

This entire poem is written as an advice from his father to his son. This is a very inspiring poem. This
poem is about self management. Kipling advocates victorian stoicism (philosophy of personal ethics).
There are some ideas inspired by the Bhagavad Gita. It is a universal poem which is applicable to
everybody.

In the first stanza of the poem the poet talks about the qualities of self control, not giving up, not
panicking and staying calm and resilient, level headedness keeping composure and having clarity of
thought, these are the qualities that one should possess when there is a lot of stress and people are
blaming you. Blaming is a basic human nature and even after taking the and coming out of it is a great
quality. You should have self belief and self confidence when all men doubt you, you should have
confidence in your own decisions. There is a thin line border between self confidence and over
confidence. You should consider others opinions and not be wrapped up in your opinions only. The
poet further says that patience of the highest degree can come only with the conviction of one's belief
and faith. People might talk about you and lie but you should not deal in lies, you should speak the
truth. If we can demonstrate truthfulness then it is the best quality. We must never retaliate by
compromising our personal self integrity. If we can rise above all the negativity and never maline
yourself and indulge in negativity. Modesty is knowing even if you are the best in the room you
should not boast this quality. You should not try to show others that you are the best. Your competition
should be with yourself and not with others around you.

In the second stanza of the poem the poet says that you should not get carried away by your dreams.
You should dream but you should not lose the grasp of reality. Do not get detached with reality
because of something which is unreal. Thinking should not be the goal, thoughts must be put to
action, you should be able to execute those thoughts. The poet further says “If you can meet with
Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same'' these lines are written with
reference to the US Open and The Wimbledon. Triumph and disaster are called imposters because
they give the semblance of permanence, they are just disguised to look permanent. Success and failure
do not define you, it does not stay forever. Don't be too happy or too depressed, be modest. Treat the
imposters just the same. The poet further says that many times in life you will be victims of gossip
and your enemies will take your words out of context. We must be able to survive this slander and
learn from this and we should move on. The poet also talks about the power of creation. He says even
when you have nothing you should be able to rebuild it again. Just the awareness of this is great.
Realization is more powerful than actually achieving it.

In the third stanza of the poem the poet says that all your winnings refers to your material wealth that
you have earned, prizes, position etc and you should make a heap of it and you should gather it all.
“Pitch-and-toss” refers to gambling, the poet says that you should be able to risk it all and gamble all
your winnings because you should aspire for greater goals. You should be ready to risk everything for
a greater goal. There should be a constant motivation to learn something which is very important. You
should not cling onto your achievements otherwise they will start clinging onto you. For the pursuit of
a greater goal you should be able to risk everything. The idea of success will always differ from
person to person, it depends upon how satisfied you are. Success is always a measure of someone for
you. The poet says that while you are taking a risk you should be ready to lose and start everything
again. Only a person who is confident will be ready to lose and start again. Take pride in your
decision and be noble in your defeat. If you can force your tired self to serve for a longer time then
you will be able to continue with the will power that you have harnessed. You should be able to push
yourself to the limits where your sinews are tired and you will be able to continue because of your
will power. Your will power will let you push more.

In the fourth stanza of the poem crowds refers to people of all kinds and virtues refers to the values,
the poet says that even when you are mingling with others you should not be influenced by them, you
should keep your values. Even when you are in the company of powerful and influential people you
should still be able to talk to the smaller common people. You should be flexible with the mannerisms.
Your enemies and your friends should not be able to hurt you. A normal person would be slightly
aloof from their best friend. Don't keep yourself very vulnerable. Keep a little distance from your
friends as well. You should have the strength of character. Everybody should be able to see you as a
friend. Be friendly with everyone. Do not be so helpful that people start exploiting you. There should
be balance in everything you do. Do not be mean to people at the same time, do not be too kind and
allow people to use you. The poet says “unforgiving minute” which means that time is unforgiving.
Time is the same for everybody, it is finite, you should not waste a single minute of your life. In the
race of life every minute and every second is accounted for, run as fast as you can in that minute. The
entire world is yours to conquer. If you can do all of the above then more than achieving success you
will be an ideal human being,you will be a perfect human being. Realisation is more important than
practice. You will be a man, you will grow from a child into a mature man.

4. DHAULI

Jayanta Mahapatra describes the aftermath of the Kalinga War. She describes the massacre of soldiers
on the banks of the river daya. Dhauli becomes a very significant place as it is the witness to King
Ashoka’s repentance on the destruction caused by the Kalinga war.

In the first stanza of the poem the poet says “Afterwards when the wars of Kalinga were over” here
the word “wars” shows that the consequences of the Kalinga War looked beyond the single war, it had
a far reaching impact. The poet further says “fallow fields of Dhauli” this refers to the fields where the
crops were grown now only have dead bodies. The Battle of Kalinga was so violent that the water of
the river Daya had turned red because of the bloodshed caused during the war which the poet refers to
as the “blood-split butchered bodies”

In the second stanza of the poem the poet personifies Earth as burrowing. The poet says that the cycle
of nature goes on without any interruption. This stanza challenges the vigour of the war. The first 2
stanzas talk about the immediate period after the Kalinga War.

The next two stanzas talk about the later period after the Kalinga War.

In the third stanza of the poem the poet says “Years later” by which he refers to two different time
frames. He further says “evening wind, trembling the glazed waters of River Daya” here trembling
refers to the waves and glazed water refers to the evening time, by giving this description the poet
wants to portray an overall scene of peace. “Keens in the rock edicts the vain world” here keens refer
to mourning the death and the rock edict signifies that Ashoka greatly repents the bloodshed caused
by him. Every wind that strikes against the rock edict shows that the winds are lamenting. The words
on the rock edict are in vain. That rock edict shows the fact that the Kalinga war actually happened.
Cicadas are bugs which make shrill noises in the night. The poet compares the vain world to the
voiceless cicadas. This silence is filled with immense destruction caused by the Kalinga War. Here
Ashoka’s repentance has a voice and the people who died have no voice. Silence is very poignant.

In the fourth stanza of the poem the poet says that “the measure of Ashoka’s suffering does not
appear enough” this is because of the destruction and harm caused to the lives of the people. Ashoka’s
grief seems insufficient compared to the lives caused. Repentance, Remorse and the water which is
red nothing will wash off the destruction or the sin caused by Ashoka.

5. STRANGE MEETING

Lines 1-3

The word ‘seemed’ in the first stanza lends an air of uncertainty about the speaker’s situation.
Through the mention of battle, we can assume that the speaker is a soldier describing his descent
through a deep dark tunnel into a subterranean nightmarish landscape. The use of the word ‘escape’
clearly shows the contrast to any glorification of war. The absence of the mention of which war also
suggests the universality of the destruction of war. This idea is further reinforced through the mention
of ‘titanic wars’ which can be a reference to wars throughout history and the resulting devastation, the
‘hell’ they have created or mined ‘groined’.

Lines 4-10

Though it is a completely different environment removed from the battlefield, the speaker can see
people all around having difficulty sleeping. They might seem encumbered because they carry with
them the burden of suffering caused by the war. All around him he notices men who have either died
already or lost their minds to an extent that they cannot be helped. While the speaker walks around
trying to rouse any of them, one person jumps up and looks at the speaker as though he recognises
him. The person is described to have an expression full of pity and wears a lifeless smile on his face.
Through this the speaker finally realises that he is in hell.

Lines 11-14

The person’s face is etched with the fears and horrors of war even though the place is nowhere close
to the battlefield the sounds of artillery or the sounds of soldiers dying on the battlefield do not reach
this hell. The result of war is such that even in the after-life the anxieties of war haven’t left him. In
fact his reference is also dehumanised as he is described as a ghostly vision. Hence war is depicted as
a thoroughly devastating force that permanently damages the psyche of the individuals involved.
Line 14: The speaker begins the conversation with the paradox of ‘Strange friend’ and attempts to
ease the fears evident on the person’s face by consoling him and there is no cause to mourn anymore.

Line 15 to 25: The reply to the speaker’s words is a monologue that describes the effects of war as
horrifying and wasteful. The hopelessness of the undone years is the biggest cause to mourn now. The
person speaks about a shared identity and purpose by establishing that the hopes and aspirations of the
two men were the same -Their common quest for beauty and truth that is unaffected by time and
eternal. This can be a reference to the desire of youth for eternal glory and adventure. It can also be
inferred as the quest to understand the essence of life. This reinforces the idea of the ‘years lost’ the
immense capacity of human life rendered worthless by the ghastliness of war. Life consists of sadness
along with moments of joy and victory. But even the grief experienced in a life uninterrupted by war
is richer and more meaningful than the meaningless disaster of war. His happiness in life would have
been shared by many instead of the animosity that he now sees around him. However with the
soldier’s death in the war, another loss is that his untold truth about the reality of war will also die.
The truth that he wished to share with humanity is the pity war distilled. It is called distilled because it
is the purest form of pity, the very essence distilled by the horror of war. No other phenomenon is
destructive enough that it is capable of producing such pity. This line truly captures the enormity of
the consequences of war.

Line 26-29: Since this truth has died with him, he sees a disastrous future for humankind. Future
generations might be happy with the destruction caused or in a worse outcome be discontent about it
and become even more aggressive and destructive resulting in an endless vicious circle. In such a
catastrophic scenario the soldier does not see any possibility that humanity will rebel against violence
eventually causing society to move further away from progress.

Line 30 – 39

The soldier continues his reflection on the possibilities of his life despite having the courage,

wisdom and expertise he could not avoid the ruthless march into cities causing devastation. He
imagines his service for humanity when this hopeless retreat can go no further he would cleanse their
sins with the waters from sweet wells and reveal again the truth mentioned earlier – the truth of war, a
truth that is permanent and untainted. For achieving this objective the soldier says he would even have
poured his spirit without limit and done everything except engage in war. He continues to speak about
the effects of war by bringing out the psychological trauma and consequences that go beyond the
physical damages and injuries.

The last stanza reveals that this strange meeting was between two dead soldiers who had fought on
opposing sides. A shared awareness of the futility of war and a sense of companionship is seen when
they are no longer on opposite sides of the war. They are able to see beyond the hatred of war and
reconcile.

SHORT STORIES

1. WITCHES LOAVES

2. PORTION SIZE IS THE TRICK

3. STORY OF MUMBAI DABBAWALAS

4. WHO WERE THE SHUDRAS?

5. AN OCCURRENCE AT OWL CREEK BRIDGE

6. FACEBOOK AND THE EPIPHANATOR

7. TRUTH IN THE TIME OF SOCIAL MEDIA

VISUAL TEXT

MUMBAI DABBAWALAS