Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DOC-20240708-WA0011.
DOC-20240708-WA0011.
Content
Flamingo
Lost Spring
Deep Water
Vistas
Tiger King
Journey to the End of the Earth
The Enemy
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Lost Spring- Stories of Stolen Childhood
- Anees Jung
1. The Background
Spring is the season associated with optimism and hope. It also works as a metaphor
for the childhood stage of our life. The phase of childhood is all about innocence,
energy, and hope for a bright future. It is also a time to acquire skill, knowledge and
going to school.
The ‘Lost Spring’ written by Anees Jung talks about the national shame of children
being forced to live a life of poverty and exploitation. The main two protagonists,
Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh have to carry the burden of poverty and illiteracy.
It describes the pitiable condition of poor children who have been forced to miss the
joy of childhood due to the socio-economic condition that prevails in this man-made
world. These children are denied the opportunity of schooling and forced into labour
early in life. Anees Jung gives voice to eliminate child labour by educating the children
and to enforce the laws against child labour by the governments strictly.
The children grow up in these homes becoming partners in survival. The form of
livelihood is rag picking which means in waiting garbage terms in search of recyclable
waste. In addition to this these children have become experts in Finding lost coins in
the garbage. The prospect of finding an occasional coin thrill them and they begin to
look at garbage with a sense of wonder. They roam the streets barefooted and free.
But sometimes they look at the privileged youth who play tennis and lead a
wholesome life. Saheb steals a few moments of pleasure when he uses the swing in
the club with the guard’s permission. He is happy wearing the discarded tennis shoes
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of a rich boy. Thus, childhood is wasted in a dehumanizing form of labour and with
no opportunity of going to school.
The extract on the rag pickers ends with the description of Saheb as a tea stall
attendant losing out on the joys of a carefree childhood for a mere 800 rupees with
meals. This is an expository piece of writing on child labour.
• A ragpicker in Seemapuri.
• Searches garbage in hope of finding money - a coin or a currency note.
• Ramshackle dwelling
• No drainage, sewage, running water
• No identity, no permits
• Lack of proper clothing, no shoes to wear
• No schooling
• Searches garbage dumps
The significance of the story of the young boy who prayed for shoes
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Saheb’s desire for a normal childhood
Another instance of child labour that sucks the joy out of Saheb’s life
In Firozabad every other family is engaged in bangle making. This family have carried on
the street for generations. 20000 children work in this bangle making cottage industry. They
work around furnaces in dark and dingy sales without air and light. These conditions lead to
various health problems. The loss of eyesight at a young age is the biggest hazard of this
trade. The eyes become more adjusted to the dark than the light outside. In addition to this,
polishing bangle leads to the glass damaging the eyes of the young and the old alike.
Their homes are in stinking lanes choked with garbage. Their homes are Havells with
crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows. The Homes are crowded with people and
animals living together in a pathetic state. Mukesh is the protagonist of the story. Mukesh’s
father has been unable to renovate the house due to poverty. He has not been able to send
his children to school. He has only been able to pass on the art of bangle making to his
children. This art will lead to a life of misery and ruin. Little girls are also employed in bangle
making. There is no future in this business as Mukesh grandmother confesses that she had
not had a decent square meal in her life.
The bangle makers can take no initiative to form a co-operative to free themselves from
poverty because the nexus (a connected group) of policemen, middlemen, sahukars and
politicians will not let them do so. They will be dragged to jails if they try to become
independent.
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• 20,000 children engaged in hazardous work.
Hazards of working in the Glass Blowing Industry:
• Hot Furnaces – High temperatures, dingy cells without light and air.
• Damage caused to eyes. Children and adults lose eyesight
• Half built shacks and hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly door and no windows
• Crowded home with humans and animals co-existing in a primeval state.
• Home situated in stinking lanes chocked with garbage.
• Mukesh’s grandmother labels it as ‘his karam’, his (Mukesh’s) destiny to work on the
making and polishing of glass. Mukesh’s father has been unable to renovate his
house or send his sons to school, despite long years of hard labour. He has only been
able to pass on the art of bangle making to his sons.
• The presence of middlemen and corrupt policemen: the bangle makers are unable to
organise themselves into cooperatives. The middlemen in connivance with the police
terrorise them. The bangle makers are caught in the vicious circle of the sahukar,
middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats and the politicians.
Mukesh dares to dream
1. Main Theme
The plight of children forced into labour Answers to both these questions
early in life and denied the opportunity will have similar arguments
of schooling.
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Value points:
a. “Lost Spring” refers to the loss of childhood.
b. Saheb is a ragpicker living in Seemapuri and Mukesh belongs to family of bangle
makers in Firozabad
c.___________________________________________________
d.___________________________________________________
e.___________________________________________________
f. Lack of resources and proper amenities in addition to a lack of initiative compels
these young children to support their families.
Character Sketch
a) Saheb:
happy go lucky
Free spirited
“partners in survival”
b) Mukesh:
Ambitious
Resolute/ determined
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
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Deep Water - William Douglas
1. The Background
William Douglas, one of the most popular and powerful American Supreme Court Chief
Justices in the history. The story, “Deep Water” tells us how the writer overcame his fear of
water and learned swimming with sheer determination and will power.
3. The Misadventure
Still another incident, more serious, increased his terror. The writer was trying to learn
swimming in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool in Yakima. One day while he was waiting for other
boys, a big boy suddenly played a dangerous prank and pushed him into the water. The
writer was terribly frightened. He went down nine feet into the water. His lungs were full of
the unreleased air. When he reached the bottom, he jumped upward with all his strength.
He came up but very slowly. He tried to catch hold of something like a rope but grasped only
at water.
He tried to shout but no sound came out. He went down again. His lungs ached, head
throbbed and he grew dizzy. He felt paralyzed with fear. All his limbs were paralyzed. Only
the movement of his heart told him that he was alive. Again he tried to jump up. But this time
his limbs would not move at all. He looked for ropes, ladders and water wings but all in vain.
Then he went down again, the third time. This time all efforts and fear ceased. He was
moving towards peaceful death. The writer was in peace. When he came to consciousness,
he found himself lying on the side of the pool with the other boys nearby. The terror that he
had experienced in the pool never left him. It haunted him for years and years to come.
5. The instructor
But the writer was determined to conquer his terror. In October Douglas got an instructor.
He took help of a swimming instructor to learn swimming. The instructor taught him various
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actions necessary in swimming part by part. He put his face under water and exhaled and
inhaled raising it above water. He practiced it for several weeks. He had to kick with his
legs a few weeks on the side of the pool. At last, he combined all these actions and made
the writer swim. He learned swimming but the terror continued.
Quick thinker/ Good Overcomes the shock of being thrown into water.
planner Thinks of the strategy to jump up when he reaches the
bottom, rise up like cork and
_________________________________
Optimistic/ positive
thinker
Courageous
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Determined/ strong will
power
Adventurous by nature.
Douglas conquered his fears through his perseverance, hard work and
determination.
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
Value points:
• The instructor trained Douglas five days a week, an hour each day from October
to April
• _________________________________________
• ________________________________________
• ______________________________________
• Thus “piece by piece” he built a swimmer out of Douglas
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
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Journey to the End of the Earth- Tishani Doshi
Tishani Doshi describes her visit to the frozen continent of Antarctica. She was working with
the student on ice programme, a brain child of Geoff Green to take High School students to
Antarctica. The purpose of the program is to sensitize young people who are going to be
tomorrow’s policy makers to save the environment. The youngsters will undergo a life
changing experience when they see the amazing continent of Antarctica. They will be
affected by the changes taking place there as a result of human activities on the planet Earth
Look beyond the ends of the earth and one will find Antarctica, a land of untouched
wilderness, behemoths of ice and surreal landscapes. Antarctic is an expanse of white
wilderness with its stark beauty and the feeling of peaceful solitude. Yet life abounds in
Antarctica with thousands of penguins, seals, whales and albatross thriving in this remote
icy world.
Most of Antarctica comprises a thick, continental ice sheet, with barren rock covering a small
percentage of the continent. The highest temperatures, slightly above freezing, occur
throughout the peak of the austral summer (December to February).
Geoff Green
Geoff is the Founder and Executive Director of Students on Ice, an award-winning program
that has taken more than 2,500 youth, educators, elders, experts, scientists, leaders and
artists from around the world on educational journeys to the Arctic and Antarctic, and
supports initiatives related to youth, education and the environment in the Polar regions.
The Effect of Global Warming on Antarctica (In the words of Tishani Doshi)
As Tishani Doshi was walking on the frozen ocean under which was 180 meters of water,
she saw crab eater seals on ice floes. This made her realize that the sea was living and
breathing body of water. The seals were part of the food chain which was connected to the
phytoplankton.
“The microscopic phytoplankton– those great grasses of the sea – are the basis for the
entire Southern Ocean’s food chain.” Phytoplankton work like chlorophyll in plants.
While plants derive energy from the sun and sustain the entire wellbeing of the forests, and
ultimately, human beings, Phytoplankton affect the ocean life. If the forests are the earth’s
lungs, then the oceans are her womb. Scientists say that if the ozone layer is further
depleted, it will affect phytoplankton activity, which will directly affect krill, penguins, seals
and whales. In Antarctica, there is in play, a great metaphor for existence: take care of the
small things and the big things will fall into place.
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Journey to the end of the Earth: Geographical terms
Pre-Cambrian The Precambrian was originally defined as the era that predated the
granite shields emergence of life in the Cambrian Period. It spans from the
formation of Earth about 4.6 billion years ago to the beginning of the
Cambrian Period, about 541 million years ago
Drake Passage The narrow channel between the bottom edge of South America at
Cape Horn, Chile, and the Antarctic Peninsula and Southern
Shetland Islands; the southern location where the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans meet. Because of the storms that often get caught
and pass through this area, it is considered one of the most
dangerous marine passages on Earth.
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that
originates in the Gulf of Mexico and stretches to the tip of Florida,
and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States
and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean as the North
Atlantic Current.
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provide food for a wide range of sea creatures including whales,
shrimp, snails, and jellyfish
Ice-cores Ice cores are cylinders of ice drilled from ice sheets and glaciers.
They are essentially frozen time capsules that allow scientists to
reconstruct climate far into the past. Layers in ice cores correspond
to years and seasons, with the youngest ice at the top and the
oldest ice at the bottom of the core.
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THE TIGER KING-Kalki
An Analysis
The story ‘The Tiger King’ is satire on the conceit of those in power. Most of the time the
rulers are not interested in serving the people or work for the welfare of the public; instead,
they spend their time in foolish pursuits. Even the coteries who surround these power
centers are interested in taking advantage of the proximity for their own welfare. One of the
ways in which these most powerful people show off their waywardness is through game-
hunting. They are callous and indiscriminately destroy the natural habitat. The story conveys
the message that what is important for today is a new awareness about ecology i.e. a
realization that the earth is not our inherited property but we have borrowed from our future
generations. Conservation of wild life is therefore very necessary. There is a growing
awareness of the necessity of conservation and preservation of wildlife. Grass root
environmental consciousness is also on the increase, and more and more people are
stepping in towards contributing to the conservation of wildlife. This story arouses a renewed
interest in us regarding the preservation of ecology.
The important literary device used in the story is that of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony means
that the audience or reader is aware of something important, of which the characters in the
story are not aware.
Genre: Satire.
The story is a satire. A satire is piece of writing that makes use of ridicule, irony and sarcasm
to expose the folly or vice of a system or an individual. The story ‘The Tiger King’ has the
following features of the satire:
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idea about what is going on in his own kingdom. The shopkeeper who quotes the price
of three hundred rupees for something that costs a few annas is an example of the
corruption in the state.
The king is made fun of through the description of how he misses the hundredth tiger
though it is right in front of him. The description of how the Dewan procured the old tiger
from the zoo is aimed at revealing how official machinery is misused for the personal
gains of politicians. The British officer who wants to pose with his feet on the carcass of
a tiger is another example of the conceit of rulers. Such false notions of heroism were
responsible for the large-scale killings of tigers and their vastly reduced numbers. His
wife’s greed is made fun of as she accepts diamond rings worth three lakh rupees.
b) Language and style grand and elaborate:
The King’s title His Highness Jamedar -General, Khiledar Major, Sata Vyaghra
Samahara etc creates a larger-than-life figure of a king who is very small in stature in
real life. The grand manner of description of a king who is not fit to be a ruler serves to
highlight his flaws. This grandness of style is a special feature of a satire. When it is
used to describe something small in stature it brings out the flaws of the person or thing
described. The King does nothing illustrious in his entire career as a ruler. He only
indulges in his obsession of killing tigers.
Another example of the grand style is the astrologer’s prediction ‘The child will grow up
to be the warrior of warriors, hero of heroes, and - champion of champions.’ This hero
is actually a scared and superstitious man who wages a war against the poor tiger. The
tiger is no match against a violent human bent upon wiping out the former’s very
existence.
c) Use of Dramatic Irony:
The vain and whimsical Maharaja spent ten years of his life killing tigers. He neglected
his responsibility as the ruler of Pratibandapuram. He cast aside the welfare of his
subjects. He squandered the tax payer’s money to save his kingdom, increased and
reduced taxes at will. He sacked his officers when things did not go his way. This
supposedly “champion of champions and the hero of heroes” dies an insignificant death.
His death is caused by a small wooden tiger that costs only two annas and a quarter.
The tiny little wooden tiger has been carved by an unskilled carpenter. Tiny slivers of
wood pierce his hand and he dies of the suppurating sore that causes a fatal infection.
Thus, death defeats the one who sought to become stronger than death.
When you have to write an answer on Satire pick out instance of humour,
exaggeration and irony from the story. Refer to the text.
Value points:
Elements of exaggeration
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Elements of humour
Irony
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
Character Sketch
Tiger king
Value points:
Egoistic
Obsessed
Whimsical
Self centred
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
Value points:
1. ______________________________________
2._______________________________________
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3._______________________________________
4._______________________________________
5._______________________________________
6._______________________________________
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
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THE ENEMY – Pearl S Buck
The Background:
World War II – Japan and America are enemies. Japan is an imperialistic power under the
rule of the Japanese emperor.
The Theme
Education
• At 22 years, went to America and returned after 8 years as a surgeon and scientist
Presently
The Challenge
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The Dilemma
The General
The Escape
• Sadao gave the prisoner a boat, extra food, clothing, bottled water and a flashlight.
He also covered the American’s blond hair with a black cloth.
• Directed him to row to an uninhabited island.
• Told him to flash the torch twice if he ran out of food and flash it once if he was
alright.
• The prisoner of war escaped.
• The General admitted that he had failed to do his duty by failing to send the
assassins.
• He justified his actions – omission due to ill health and not due to lack of patriotism.
Sadao’s Dilemma
Sadao feels compelled to help the unconscious soldier. He tries to logically state that he
cannot hand over the soldier to the police because he is wounded and not ‘’whole’. Hana
his wife suggests that that they throw him back into the sea but he is unable to do so.
Therefore, they carry the soldier to their house to attend to him.
• The servants refuse to cooperate with Sadao and his wife. Yumi refused to wash the
white man so she has to wash him herself.
• The servants criticize Sadao’s actions.
o The Gardener – Feels that Sadao should let the man bleed to death, feels Sado
is ignoring his duty as a Japanese
o The Cook – He is contemptuous of Sadao, feels Sadao wants to show off his skill
as a surgeon.
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o Yumi – believes that Sadao and Hana are putting the security of their children at
stake
Sadao is a Japanese doctor who has received his education in America. All that he knows
as a surgeon is due to his American professors and their insistence on perfection. Yet his
bias against the Americans keeps surfacing from time to time. When he looks at the face of
the unconscious soldier he says aloud, “He is my enemy. All Americans are my enemy. And
he is only a common fellow. You see how foolish his face is. But since he is wounded…”
On the other hand, his training as a doctor in America has taught him to save lives. These
two sides of the same man give rise to conflict within his mind. Is he a Japanese first or a
doctor devoid of a cultural identity?
Ironically, he addresses this enemy soldier as a friend while performing the surgery to
remove the bullet from his body. “It’s not quite at the kidney my friend.”
Sadao is torn between his feelings but takes the ultimate step of reporting the matter to the
General who offers to send assassins to kill the POW quietly. Sadao waits for three days
and at the end decides to solve this problem himself. He arranges for a boat with food
supplies, blanket, bottled water, dresses the American as a Japanese and sends him to an
uninhabited island so that he is picked by a Korean fishing boat which passes close to the
island. He gives him a torch, asking him to signal with the torch twice in case he runs out of
food and signal once if he is alright and still on the island.
Unknowingly Sadao shows the gentle, human side to him. Rather than the stereotyped cruel
Japanese side he emerges as a sensitive individual who values human life even if it is that
of his enemy.
Value points:
1. ______________________________________
2.________________________________________
3._________________________________________
4.________________________________________
5.______________________________________
6.______________________________________
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b. Character Sketch
i. Dr Sadao Hoki
True professional Harbours a POW and performs surgery on him. Puts his
life and reputation at stake.
Man of honour Obedient son- waited for his father’s approval for marrying
Hana, did not act impulsively- completed his studies first.
Generous and loving husband.
Ethical, humane
Loyal, Patriotic Reports the presence of the American soldier in his house
to the General. Willing to take consequences of his action.
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
iii. Contrast the following characters using evidences from the text.
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
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Opinion based question
The dilemma- Sadao is a patriot or a traitor
Value points:
1. ______________________________________
2.______________________________________
3._______________________________________
4.______________________________________
5.______________________________________
6.______________________________________
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
1. ______________________________________
2._______________________________________
3._______________________________________
4._______________________________________
5.______________________________________
6.______________________________________
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
1. ______________________________________
2.________________________________________
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3._________________________________________
4.________________________________________
5.______________________________________
6.______________________________________
Now you can frame your answer based on the value points given. (To be written in 3
paragraphs; leave a line after each Para, word limit 150 words)
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