SUMMARY

From the Diary of Anne Frank

Anne's feelings about diary
Anne writes her diary. She feels that doing so is a strange experience for one like her. It is so because
she has not written anything earlier. Secondly, no one would be interested in reading something
written by her as she is stet a small girl.
Writes a diary
One day Anne felt a bit depressed. She felt that paper had more patience than people. She was
wondering whether to stay in or go out. Finally, she stayed in and thought. She felt that she won't let
anyone read her 'diary unless she found a real friend. So she wrote it.
Writing about her family
She wrote that she was not completely alone in the world. But she had loving parents and a sixteen-
year-old sister. She had about thirty people around her, she could call friends. Then she had a family,
aunts and a good home. But she had had no true friend. She thought of having a good time when she
was with friends. But she could not get closer. She admitted it her fault that she didn't confide in each
other. Since the friends were not liable to change, she started writing a diary. She made it her friend.
Diary named as Kitty'_ brief sketch of life
She wanted the diary to be her friend. So she named it as her friend Kitty. She wrote a brief sketch of
her life, though she disliked doing so. So, she wrote it. She wrote that her father married her twenty-
five year old mother at the age of thirty-six. Her sister Margot was born in Frankfurt in Germany in
1926. She was born on 12 June 1929. Her father emigrated to Holland in 1933. Her mother Edith
Hollander Frank went with her father to Holland. But she and her sister were sent to Aachen to stay
with their grandmother. Then they went to Holland.
Anne's school
There she was sent to a Montessori nursery school. She stayed there until she was six. In the sixth
class her teacher was Mrs. Kuperus, the headmistress. Both had tears when they bade farewell.
Reasons for not writing the Diary
In the summer of 1941 her grandma fell ill. She had to be operated upon. She died in January 1942.
She thought of her greatly and she loved her still. They celebrated Anne's birthday in 1942. The four
of them were doing well till 20 June 1942. Then Anne wrote her diary again. It was like this.
About class affairs
It was the day of the declaration of results. Everyone in her class was in tension. The reason was who
would go to the next class and who would not. They had bets with other boys on who would pass and
who would not. She found the teachers as the most unpredictable creatures on the earth. She was not
worried about her girl-friends and herself. She was sure to make that. But she was not sure about
Maths. They could wait and told each other not to lose heart.
Mr. Keesing gives extra work as Punishment
She went along with her teachers pretty well. Mr. Keesing was a dull person who taught them Maths.
He was always annoyed with her as she talked much. He gave her extra homework as a punishment. It
was in the form of an essay on 'A Chatterbox'. She was unable to understand what she could write
about it. She put a slip of it on her school bag. It was to remind herself to write later.
Does the homework given extra
In the evening, she had done her homework. She began thinking of the subject of the essay. She
thought to write good points of arguing to prove the necessity of talking. Then she had an idea. She
then wrote the three pages to her satisfaction. She wrote that talking was a feature of a student. Her
mother also used to talk much. She inherited this trait from her mother. She tried to keep quiet.
Homework as punishment given again
Mr. Keesing read it and laughed. He gave her another essay as she didn't stop talking. She was to
write it on 'An Incorrigible Chatterbox. She wrote it and it satisfied Mr. Keesing. She did not talk for
two lessons. But she started speaking again in the third les- son. He again asked her to write an essay.
It was: Quack, Quack, Quack, Said Mistress Chatterbox. The class too roared into laughter hearing it.
She also laughed. She wanted to write something original now. Her friend Sanne was good at poetry.
She helped her to write the essay in verse.
Anne's poem a joke on Mr. Keesing him-self
Anne had finished her poem. It was about a mother duck and a father swan with three baby ducklings.
The three ducklings were bitten to death by the father. It was because they quacked too much.
Luckily, Mr. Keesing took the joke the right way. Mr. Keesing had played a joke on her. But she had
had it on him. He read the poem to the class adding his own comments. Since then she had been
allowed to talk. She hadn't even been given extra homework. Mr. Keesing continued making jokes in
the class.
CENTRAL IDEA
The poet John Berryman describes in the poem the grief and pain of boy who has lost his ball He
suffers a sense of responsibility in the dispossession of the ball in this materialist hid. The poem
shows that one has to go with the times when one gets or loses many things. It is a fact that one
undergoes pain, grief and suffering with the loss of things or possessions put one has to have patience
as life is such. So one has to accept things and the run of life ah: sues. The boy who has lost the ball
shall have to learn the epistemology of loss and bearshe grief.
Poetic Devices Used
Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in the same line:
What, what
Balls, balls
buys a ball back
Repetition: Repetition of words/phrases in the same line.
What, what
Balls, balls
Symbolism: A figure of speech where an object, person or situation suggests and
symbolises another meaning other that the literal meaning.
The ball symbolises the boy's childhood innocence and his possession.
Blank verse: The poem is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.
See the opening lines below having no Rhyme Scheme:
What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over - there it is in the water!
No use to say 'O there are other balls":
Explanation
The boy has lost his ball. He learns for the first time in his life what it is like to experience the loss of
his possession. The ball symbolises his childhood memories. The ball is the valuable possession of the
boy. He sees it bouncing down the street and landing in the water. This ball has been with him over a
long time. It forms an integral part of his childhood memories. It also implies that the boy's innocence
is being replaced slowly by the experience of life when he shall be losing and gaining many things. It
may also mean the start- up of his gaining maturity.
There is absolutely no use to say that there are other balls. The boy will get other ball but this
particular ball stands lost for ever. He is emotionally shaken at the loss of this ball which signifies his
childhood memories. He undergoes the process of losing things in life and stands transfixed due to it.
He stands trembling and staring down all his young days into the harbour where his ball went. The
boy feels that his childhood innocence will never come. This is the grief that nearly shocks him over
the loss.
The poet says that he would not give the boy any money for a new ball as this new ball would not
substitute what the boy has lost. A realization of responsibility dawns for the boy when he loses the
ball. He cannot find the ball which symbolises his sense of possessions. He realizes that this sense of
belonging and possessing things in life is a hard reality and he must learn it. From this loss the boy is
learning what it is to lose one's possessions in a world of possessions. He would buy things but the
lost things' would never come back.
The poet generalizes the things that people will take the balls, balls will he lost but these would never
come back- The boy would never be able to get his 1ost ball and for that matter no one will be able to.
The ball is a personification of the boy’s innocence. It gets into the process of vanishing and being
replaced by the real experiences of life in the form of gains and losses. Money is external as it can't
buy the things lost for ever. Money cannot buy back the sweet memories of childhood that stood
attached with the ball.
The poet states that the boy is learning to bear the loss of ball Chis sweet memories of his childhood)
in a world of possessions. It implies that as every man has to stand up after the losses so will the boy.
The boy will also learn what it is to lose one's possessions and to stand up again to bear those losses.
The cycle of life must go on. The boy shall soon learn what it is to suffer the loses of his possessions
like other men. This phenomenon of losses and gains" shall continue till life remains.
Amanda
This poem is about the issue of children's growing up and their upbringing. It highlights the struggles
faced by the child. Indirectly, the poet stresses that children should not devoid of freedom and
spontaneity in their natural growth. The parents have a great responsibility to bring up their children
to be good citizens later. They should see that their children are unnecessarily made to feel repressed.
In 'Amanda' her parents prepare her to be acceptable in the society by restricting her in many ways.
But they do not feel that in doing so they curtail her freedom and space. She feels this restriction so
much so that she doesn't want to grow up but remain an orphan. Continuous taunting, nagging and
fault-finding make her moody. Obviously, the results do not come out as desired. The moral of the
poem is loud, lucid and clear for all.
Poetic Devices Used
Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in the same line.
Stop that slouching and sit up straight
Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!
Metaphor: Figure of speech showing comparison of two unidentical things.
Orphan-who doesn't have nagging parents over them.
Silence is golden-silence having the attribute of gold.
Allusion: A reference to a thing, person or place from religion, history, myth, literature etc.
Mermaid-(taken from fairy tale) suggesting freedom.
Rapunzel-a German folktale character who lived in a high tower.
Explanation:
In this stanza Amanda is instructed apparently by her parents not to world of bite her nails and sit
lazily with her shoulders bent. This is a bad norm and lacks proper freedom etiquette. The tone and
tenor of the instruction of how to sit-her present sitting slouching is not acceptable-is derogatory and
insulting. Amanda is getting trained in social and personal etiquette but the manner is highly
demeaning. This implies a suggestion to parents of young girls as to how they should bring up their
children, especially the girls. The stress is on making Amanda acceptable to human society but the
modus operandi is wilfully wrong. Her Answer name in the end of the stanza is made to sound in the
form of an exclamation as irritating and/or insulting. It expresses Amanda's parents wrong methods of
teaching and training her.
This stanza is given in brackets and throws light on the presented situation in the poem. Also it is an
imaginative escape of Amanda who is highly sensitive and feels greatly troubled by the taunts of her
parents. She escapes in imagination to her own world into the sea which is far away from the nagging
commands of her parents. This imagined world is free from any kind of restriction. There are no
restraints here for Amanda, She imagines herself like a free and joyful mermaid sailing freely as she
likes in the emerald waters" This Nord of Amanda is a blissful place where she wants to be forever.
Mermaid is now a symbol of freedom and wonder for her. It implies that children in such situation act
like this.
The poet brings back Amanda in her physical world again. Amanda's parents ask her if she has
finished her homework and tidied her room. She is also instructed to dean her shoes. The pattern of
instructions amounts to treat Amanda in a humiliating tone. It implies that Amanda doesn't care for
these instructions as she feels disgusted with the nagging attitude of her parents. Equally, her parents
adopt a stern tone involved in I thought told you to clean your shoes'. The exclamation mark after her
name reveals this aspect. It points to the possibility that Amanda is getting obstinate and her parents
are losing their head onto her.
In this stanza we find Amanda reacting to her parent’s harsh words. She withdraws into her
imaginative world again. The first line I am an orphan' expresses Amanda's helplessness and awful
depression. She is greatly dejected and disappointed due to the irrational instructions of her parents
and continuous questioning simply troubles her emotionally. She has no shoes on her feet as she
creates a pattern on the soft dust with her bare and hushed feet. She walks in a hushed manner which
throws light on her precarious condition. She cherishes the silence and freedom to do as she likes to
do. She likes to remain in her world of imagination due to the nagging instructions of her parents. She
loves silence and freedom just because of her parents' yelling and crude kind of commands.
The instructions or rather the cold commands of Amanda's parents continue. She is asked not to eat
chocolates as she will develop acnes on her face. It implies care and attention towards the external
appearance and its values. She is made conscious of the natural phenomenon of developing acne. This
again is an indication of the value and necessity of social dispensation of life. Her parents' nagging in
Will you please look at me when I'm speaking to you, Amanda! is cruel and monstrous in the sense
that is simply killing Amanda's spontaneous growth. This also expresses her parents' anger as she is
scolded now. The value of appearance in the society gains more significance than the natural growth.
Amanda is still in the world of her imagination. She imagines to be the long golden haired Rapunzel
who lived in a castle (Rapunzel is the name of a German fairy tale character who was made to live in
a high tower). She thinks that Rapunzel's life must have been very peaceful and contented while living
in that high tower. But she doesn't want Rapunzel's fate that was meted out to her. She doesn't want to
let down her bright air. She seeks Rapunzel-like life far away from the life she is, at present, living.
The inhuman treatment has sapped Amanda's inclination towards human society. She doesn't want
any other person with her as that would mean repetition of her suffering emotionally. She doesn't have
any faith in the human society and its cruel demands on her freedom and personal space.
Amanda's parents still continue with their harsh instructions. However, Amanda still remains in her
own imaginative world. The parents believe that Amanda Is not reacting and that is bad. They are
more worried about their impressions in society. It is clear in ‘Anyone would think that I nagged at
you, Amanda!’ Apparently, they do not want the society to know their nagging Amanda. They are
worried about how the society will perceive them through Amanda's remaining in a foul mood. They
are concerned with establishing a fair balance between what Amanda wants and what the society
expects of Amanda. This is a cruel situation as Amanda's parents are harming Amanda's natural
growth due to the compulsions at societal level.
The Midnight Visitor
Introduction
The Midnight Visitor' revolves around three characters, two rival spies named Ausable and Max and
one mystery writer Fowler. The story is an insight into the life of a spy which is not glamorous as in
the film world but full of dangers and suspense. What matters most is how quick-wittted a spy should
be, is seen through the action of Ausable. It makes an interesting reading.
About secret agent Ausable
Ausable was a secret agent. But he did not look like that. Fowler felt sad that Ausable did not look
like a secret agent. Ausable had a room on the sixth and top floor of a French hotel.
Ausable and Fowler together
Ausable was very fat. He spoke French and German. But he had the American accent. Ausable told
Fowler that he would be sad. He (Ausable) didn't look like a spy. Fowler was a writer. He had
expected to see strange figures in the night. He also expected to hear the sound of pistols or about
drugs in the wine. But it was never so in his case. As against this, usable told him that he had no
beautiful girls around him. He might feel bored in his company. Saying so usable opened the door of
his little room for Fowler. Max seen with a pistol after a few moments, usable told Fowler that he
would see an important paper. Several men and women were after that. This paper could change the
course of history. Ausable closed the door. He switched on the light. Fowler saw a man with a small
automatic pistol across the room. It was Max. Seeing him Ausable said that he was shocked to see
him there. He thought that he was in Berlin.
Ausable confuses Max with balcony
Max was thin and not tall. He looked like a fox. Max told Ausable that he came there for something. It
was to take the report about some missiles from him. Ausable sat into an armchair. He told him that
he would complain to the management. It would be that someone had entered his room through an
ordinary window in the balcony. The balcony should be closed at once. Max reacted saying that he
didn't enter the room from the balcony. He had a passkey. Ausable told him that the balcony was of
the next room.
Talk about the report
Max looked at Fowler. He asked him to sit down. Ausable asked Max how he had learned about the
report. Max told Ausable he wished he knew how Ausable's men had obtained the report. He hoped to
get the report back that night. Then there was a knocking at the door.
‘Deception through police’
Fowler jumped at this sudden knocking. Ausable smiled. He told that that was the ‘police’. He had
told the ‘police’ about the important paper. It needed extra protection. So the police' was there to
make everything all right.
Max in the non-existing ‘balcony’
Hearing this, Max got nervous. Ausable asked Max what he would do. If Ausable did not answer the
door, the 'police' would enter anyway. The door was unlocked. The 'police' might shoot also as the
papers were very important. Max's face was black with anger. He opened the window and put his leg
out into the night. He asked Ausable to send the police back. He would go and wait on the balcony.
He also warned that he would shoot and take his chance. (There was no balcony.)
Max drops down
The knocking at the door became louder. Max had his gun over Ausable and Fowler. He stood there
catching the doorframe with his other free hand to support himself. Then he moved his other leg up
and over the window-sill. The doorknob turned. Max freed himself and dropped to the balcony'. He
shrieked sharply. It means he had fallen on the ground.
Waiter's service inside
The door opened. A waiter stood there with a tray, a bottle and two glasses. He set the tray at the
table. He uncorked the bottle and left the room.
How Ausable proves a real secret agent
This amazed Fowler. He asked Ausable about the police. Ausable told him that there was never any
police. Fowler asked about the man on the balcony, ie, Max. Ausable told him that he won't return. In
this manner Ausable had outsmarted Max.
A Question of Trust
Introduction
“A Question of Trust” is a story of two professional burglars who want to rob the same safe. They
come face to face while robbing. Horace Danby is caught by the other burglar, a lady, who poses to be
the house owner. She makes Horace Danby to open the safe. After two days Horace is arrested on the
basis of his fingerprints left on the safe. The real lady owner of the house states that Horace's story
was nonsense.
Horace Danby's place in social circle
Horace Danby had a good reputation in the society. He was about fifty and unmarried. He made locks
and had two helpers. He was well and happy. But he had attacks of hay fever in summer. But he was
not completely honest. He had served his first and only sentence in a prison library. He had a passion
for books. He loved rare and expensive books.
Danby as an unusual thief
Horace Danby robbed a safe every year. He stole enough to last for twelve months. He secretly
bought the books he loved through an agent. He was now out on committing robbery.
Planning before a theft
For two weeks Horace had studied the house of Shotover Grange. He had to burgle this house. It had
fifteen thousand pounds worth of jewels in the Grange safe. He intended to buy three interesting
books coming up for sale in the autumn. He had seen where the housekeeper hung the key. He had
also studied everything of the house. These were the rooms, the electric wiring, paths and the garden
before the theft.
Danby inside the house for stealing
Horace Danby entered the house. A small dos lay in the kitchen. He silenced it calling it by name. The
safe was in the drawing room. There was a great bowl of flowers on the table. He felt his nose tickle.
He started sneezing. The safe was not hard to open. He went into the hall to cut the wire of the alarm
bell.

Meets a young and pretty lady

Then he heard a voice. The voice told him that he could cure the sneeze. It was the voice of a woman.
She stood in the doorway. She was young and pretty. She was dressed in the red. She said that she had
come back in time. But she had not expected to meet a burglar.
Pleads her for going free
The young lady very confidently asked Horace what he was doing. His first thought was to run. The
lady told him that she would telephone the police. She would tell it about him. Horace Danby told her
to let him go and forget she ever saw him. But the lady laughed and he begged her. He promised her
never to commit a burglary if she let him go.
Lady's condition for his freedom
The lady had by now impressed him that she was the landlady. She put one condition for letting
Horace go. She had made up a false story to trick in Danbv. She told him that she had promised her
husband to take her jewels to their bank. She had, however, left them in the safe. She told him she
wanted to wear the jewels in a party that night. She came down to get them. But she had forgotten the
numbers to open the safe. Horace assured her that he would open the safe for her. So he opened the
safe within an hour and gave the jewels to her.
Horace Danby arrested
On the third day, Horace thought of the books which he wanted. He would have to look for another
safe. But no never got a chance to burgle another safe. By noon a policeman had arrested him for the
jewel robbery at Shotover Grange.
The real thing is out
Danby's fingerprints were all over the room. He had opened the safe without gloves. He told the
police that the landlady of the house had asked him to open that safe. But the landlady herself was a
gray-haired woman of sixty. She said the story of Danby was nonsense.
Horace's regrets
Horace is now the assistant librarian in the prison. He often thinks of the charming and clever young
lady. She was in his profession. She had simply tricked him. Danby gets angry when anyone talks
about honour among thieves'.
Footprints without Feet
Introduction
This story is about a scientist who discovers a potion to make a man invisible. The scientist swallows
the potion and becomes invisible. He commits criminal activities which are anti-social. The story
highlights how science can become lethal if it is misused by anti-human people. Indirectly, it shows
such a desire to must be restrained in the service of humanity.
Boys see footprints from nowhere
The two boys were surprised to see the fresh muddy imprints. These were of a pair of bare feet. As
they gazed, a fresh footmark appeared from nowhere. Then they saw further steps down the street.
Thereafter, they disappeared.
Footprints of Griffin, an invisible scientist
These footprints were of a scientist named Griffin. He had just discovered how to make the human
body transparent. He swallowed some drugs. His body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. It
was before his footprints being seen.
Griffin a lawless person
But Griffin was rather a lawless person. His landlord disliked him and tried to eject him. In revenge
Griffin set fire to the house. He had to remove his clothes to get away. So he became a homeless
wanderer, without clothes or money. The two boys had seen him thus.
Griffin's escape
Griffin escaped from the boys. He was without clothes in mid-winter at that time. Instead of walking
about the streets, he entered a big London store for warmth. He broke open boxes. He fitted himself
with warm clothes. He had shoes, an overcoat, a hat but Patent & Fair & Git. was invisible. He took
cool meat and coffee in restaurant. He also took meal, sweets, wine etc, in a grocery store. Finally, he
slept on a pile of quilts inside.
Griffin chased away
He did not wake up till the next morning. When the servants came, he began to run. They chased him.
He escaped by taking off his newly-found clothes. This time he entered a theatrical company. He
hoped to find some clothes. Shivering with cold he hurried to Drury Lane. It was the centre of the
theatre world.
Enters a shop
He soon found a suitable shop. He went upstairs but came out a little later. He was now wearing
bandages. Those were round his forehead. He wore dark glasses, false nose and big bushy side-
whiskers. He attacked a shopkeeper. Then he robbed him of all his money. He then went to Iping
village from London. There he booked two rooms at the local inn belonging to Mrs Hall.
Arrives in an inn
The arrival of a stranger at an inn in winter amazed the villagers. Mrs Hall, the landlord's wife,
wanted to be friendly with him. But he told her that he did not want to be disturbed. He also told her
that an accident had affected his face.
Stealing of money by Griffin
The stolen money did not last long. He, however, pretended that he was expecting some money at any
moment. Shortly afterwards, a curious episode occurred. Griffin had made himself invisible. He
entered a clergyman's house. The clergyman awoke and he asked him to surrender. But he could see
no one. He realized the room was empty. Yet the desk had been opened and the money was missing.
It was extraordinary for the clergyman.
Surprise of Mrs Hall
The landlord and his wife Mrs Hall were up very early. They were surprised to see the scientist's door
wide open. They peeped round but saw nobody. Clothes, bandages etc, were lying about in the room.
Everything was in disorder.
Mrs Hall in great terror
All of a sudden Mrs Hall heard a sniff close to her ear. Then the bedpost leapt up. It dashed itself into
her face. Both of them turned away in terror. A chair pushed both out of the room. Mrs Hall almost
fell down crying. She felt sure that the room was haunted by spirits.
Griffin suspected as a thief
Soon the burglary in the clergyman's house became known. The strange scientist was suspected of
having a hand in it. The suspicion became stronger as he produced ready cash. Earlier he had admitted
of not having any.
The truth is out
The village constable was secretly called. But Mrs Hall did not wait for the constable. She went to the
scientist. She asked him what he had been doing to her chair upstairs. She wanted to know how he had
entered a locked room. At this the scientist grew angry. He suddenly shouted at her. He then threw off
bandages, spectacles, nose etc. He had become invisible. The horrified people now saw at a headless
person.
Constable Jaffers' problem
Mr Jaffers, the constable, arrived. He was surprised that he had to arrest a man without a head. But he
had to arrest him in any case. So he tried to catch the scientist. But he was throwing off one garment
after another. The constable found himself struggling with someone he could not see at all. Some
people tried to help him. But they received blows only from invisible Griffin.
Griffin vanishes
In the end, Jaffers became unconscious. There were cries of ‘Hold him’. But Griffin had freed
himself. No one knew where to lay hand on him.