CLASS 12 (PART TWO)NOTES

COMPULSORY ENGLISH GRADE 12
LITERATURE PART
Section II: Literature
Unit One: Short Stories

Neighbours (Story) Summary
About the author
Tim Winton whose full name Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has
written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories for both children and adults. In 1997,
he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles Franklin Award
four times. His novels include That Eye, the Sky (1986), Dirt Music (2001), and Breath (2008). He also
wrote several children's books, including Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo (1990), The Bugalugs Bum
Thief (1991), and The Deep (1998). This story 'Neighbours' has been taken from Migrants of Australia
edited by Harwood Lawler.
Summary
The story is about a young couple who have moved to a new place in Australia. The place is full of
European migrants. They have a house which is small and beautiful. It has high ceilings
and paned windows which feels like an elegant cottage. The newly married couple have started to live in such
a multicultural and multilingual suburb neighbourhood. They are in new phase of life. This story has
presented a fine concept that cultural and linguistic barriers cannot stop people from bestowing love and
compassion.
This story has presented different seasons with different changes in thoughts and behaviours. The newly
married couple are unnamed here in this story. The young man and woman are the major characters in the
story. They have recently migrated from the expansive outer suburbs to this new place.
At the beginning the environment is disgusting because the languages, cultures and their activities are quite
unfamiliar for them. They have become quite irritated to hear loud conversations of their next-door
neighbour which is a Macedonian family. The Macedonian family live on the left side of their house. They
always shout, scream and talk in a loud voice. Similarly, they are also disturbed most of the time by a Polish
widower, an old man who always hammers the nails in the woods uselessly. The activity of the old man has
also disturbed them. The old man lives on the right of their house. These two families are the main reason
for young couples' irritation. They don’t like to stay with them so they remain away from them for initial
months.
The neighbours are quite cautious and they also care about the young couple's activities. The young man
writes his thesis and does household tasks where as his wife works outside. She works in a hospital which is
strange for their neighbours so they are shocked to see the young man sitting at home whereas his wife
working in the hospital. They disapprove of males sitting at home and wives working outside.
In the autumn season the couple have decided and started to plant different types of vegetables in the kitchen
garden. The neighbours have seen their activities so they want to advise about plantation. The young man
seems to be careful about the words. A big woman from the neighbourhood has given a bagful of garlic
cloves to plant. Similarly, the young couple have built a hen house. It is not so strong so it has fallen sooner.
The old man of their neighbourhood has come there who is not invited. He has repaired it. In this way they
learn sharing and caring in the neighourhood. They become bold and they have the feeling of pride. They
have learned various things from the Macedonian family. They become quite close to their neighbours
though they don't know their languages. They help each-other in this way.
After some time, the young lady becomes pregnant though they don’t have any expectations to become
parents very early. They don't want their neighbours to know about the pregnancy but they know about the
pregnancy. The neighbours start caring for the young couple more. The man gives her small presents of
chocolates and packets of cigarettes. The Polish man gives them with wood scraps for their fire. In the
summer, an Italian woman offers names for the upcoming child. In the same way the Greek woman assures
her that she will get a male child after touching her belly. The woman who lives next door knits the baby a
suit in the late summer. The Macedonian family wave and call out the best wishes in their language. By
seeing the support and care of the neighbours, the young man begins to weep. His concept regarding his
neighbours has been changed at last.
Knowledge and Wisdom (Exercises)
Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.
a. What are the factors that contribute to wisdom?

Answer: In the essay "Knowledge and Wisdom", Bertrand Russell talks about several factors that contribute to
wisdom. According to him, the factors that contribute to wisdom are:
i) a sense of proportion,
ii) aware comprehensiveness and feeling
iii) emancipation from personal prejudices
iv) impartiality and
v) intellectual element
b. What message does the writer try to convey with the examples of technicians?
Answer: The writer tries to convey the message related to harms with the examples of technicians. According to
him technical knowledge can be harmful to humankind if that knowledge is applied without wisdom. For
example, the technicians become happy in lowering the infant death-rate in the world but it results lack of food
supply and lowers the standard of life. Similarly, the knowledge of atomic theory can be misused in making atom
bombs which destroys the human race.
c. Which leaders does Russell say were able to mix knowledge and wisdom soundly?
Answer: According to Russell, the leaders like Queen Elizabeth I in England, Henry IV in France and Abraham
Lincoln can mix knowledge and wisdom soundly. Queen Elizabeth I and Henry IV remained free from the errors
of their time and both, by remaining free were beneficent and certainly not ineffective. Similarly, Abraham
Lincoln conducted a great war without ever departing from wisdom.
d. Why is the wisdom needed not only in public ways but in private life equally?
Answer: Wisdom is not only needed in public ways but also used in private life equally. It is needed in the choice
of ends to be pursued and in emancipation from personal prejudice. In the lack of wisdom, we may fail in
choosing the target of our life and getting success in life.
e. What, according to Russell, is the true aim of education?
Answer: The true aim of education, according to Russell, is installing wisdom in people. It is wisdom that makes
us utilize our knowledge in practical life purposefully without making any harm to humankind. Along with
knowledge, people must have the wisdom to be good citizens.
f. Can wisdom be taught? If so, how?
Answer: Yes, wisdom can be taught. The teaching of wisdom should have a larger intellectual element more
than moral instruction. The disastrous results of hatred and narrow mindedness to those who feel them can be
pointed out incidentally in the course of giving knowledge. For example, while teaching the composition of an
atom, the disastrous results of it must be taught to eliminate its misuse such as making an atom bomb.
g. Why does the world need more wisdom in the future?
Answer: When we observe the growth of knowledge in various sectors in the present time, it is obvious that there
will be even more development of knowledge in the future. In the absence of wisdom, most people are misusing
knowledge bringing several negative impacts and this reality will continue in the future too if knowledge is not
mixed with wisdom. It is only wisdom that makes people use the acquired knowledge wisely. For a better future,
more wisdom is needed.
Reference to the Context
a. According to Russell, "The Pursuit of Knowledge may become harmful unless it is combined with
wisdom." Justify this statement.
Answer: Humans are curious creatures and they always want to learn new things. Most people have spent their
whole lives in pursuit of knowledge. Some pieces of knowledge are noble and beneficial for humans whereas
sine pieces of knowledge are harmful to us. The knowledge which is combined with wisdom is useful for us
because it addresses the total needs of mankind. The knowledge of atomic composition has become harmful to
mankind because it is used in making bombs. Similarly, Hegal, though he had great knowledge about history,
made the Germans believe that they were a master race. It led to the great disastrous wars. So, it is necessary to
combine knowledge with the feeling of humanity. We need it an event to decide the aim of our life. It makes us
free om personal prejudices. Even noble things are applied unwisely in the lack of wisdom.
b. What, according to Russell, is the essence of wisdom? And how can one acquire the very essence?
Answer: According to Russell, the essence of wisdom is emancipation from the tyranny of being partiality. It
makes our thoughts and feeling less personal and less concerned with our physical states. It is wisdom that makes
us care and love the entire human race, it takes us into the higher stage of spirituality. It makes us be able to
make the right decision, install a broad vision and unbiasedness in our minds. We can acquire the very essence
by breaking the chain of the egoism of our sense, understanding the ends of human life, applying our knowledge
wisely for the benefit of humans, finding noble and attainable goals of our life, controlling our sensory
perceptions, being impartial gradually and loving others.
A Respectable Woman
Main Characters of the Story

Mrs. Baroda: protagonist of the story wife of Gaston Baroda
Gouvernail: journalist, a college friend of Mrs. Baroda's husband
Gaston Baroda: Mrs. Baroda's husband.
Setting: Sugar plantation in the winter

The story ‘A Respectable Woman’ has been written by Kate Chopin. Kate Chopin
was an American novelist and short story writer. She was born and brought up in
St. Louis and lived in New Orleans after getting married to Oscar Chopin. She wrote
more than hundred short stories and among them ‘Disiree’s Baby’, ‘Madame
Celestin’s Divorce’ and ‘A Respectable Women’ are the most popular ones. The
language which she used in her stories and novels are full of sexual connotations.
The short story revolves around the character of Mrs. Baroda and her inner conflict
as she finds herself attracted to her husband's friend Gouvernail. The conflict
follows the pattern of classical fiction and moves from exposition to rising action
and then to climax and resolution.
Mrs. Baroda finds Mr. Gouvernail staying with them in sugar plantation. She is dissatisfied that
they have been doing a lot of fun. She has hoped to take rest but. She is also upset because her
husband's friend Gouvernail is planning to stay a week or two at their plantation. She has never
met Gouvernail, despite the fact that she is aware that Gouvernail and her husband were friends
in college and that he is now a successful journalist. Before the meeting Mrs. Badora has a
mental image of him as a ‘tall, slim, cynical; with eye-glasses, and his hands in his pockets.’
But a paradoxical thing happens after then. When she meets Gouvernail, who is slim but neither
tall nor cynical, she discovers that she really likes him.
A Respectable Woman
EXERCISES
a. Why was Mrs. Baroda unhappy with the information about Gouvernail's visit to
their farm?
→ Mrs. Baroda was unhappy because her husband's friend Gouvernail was
intending to spend a week or two at their plantation, as she had planned a period
of time for rest and relaxation which she had talked to her husband Gaston Baroda
after they had been busy all winter.
b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda's expectation?
→Gouvernall was different from Mrs Baroda's expectation as she imagined him to
be tall, thin, and cynical, wearing eyeglasses but when she met him, he was neither
tall nor cynical. She didn’t believe him as smart and clever but her mental sketch
was totally different when she met her.
c. How does Mrs Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?
→Mrs Baroda finds Gouvernail attractive, but she does not perceive the same traits
in him as her husband. She couldn't find any of the brilliant qualities that Gaston,
her husband, had. Mrs. Baroda considers him unsociable in comparison to her
husband because he does not appear to be paying attention to her.
d. Why and how did Mrs. Baroda try to change Gouvernail's solitary habits?
→Mrs Baroda wanted Gouvernail as more talkative and frank to her. She also
wanted he should pay attention to her that’s why she tried to change his solitary
habits. She expected him to be more interesting. She attempted to change her
solitary habits by assuring him to be more talkative and adaptable to the situation.
e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail's character?
→Gaston disagrees with his wife's on Gouvernail's character as she has remarked
his character as less interesting and shy person/guy but Gaston remarks him that
he is a remarkable, friendly, interesting, and talkative figure.
f. Why is Gaston surprised with his wife's expression towards the end of the story?
→Gaston is surprised with his wife's expression towards the end of the story
because she proposes by herself to have Gouvernail visit them again before the
year ended which he has not ever expected from her side.
Reference to the context
a. What is the cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda's mind? What role does Mrs Baroda
'belng a respectable woman' play in the story?
→The cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind is that her mental image of Governail
and the real character and his looks. In the same way, her attraction to her
husband's friend is also the main cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda's mind. Mrs
Baroda appears to be bound by society's perception of what makes a respectable
woman. Mrs Baroda seems to be attracted to Gouvernail, but she controls her
urges to touch his face because she believes that she is a respectable woman and
is probably afraid of what society might think of her. She controls herself.
b. Sketch the character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston.

→ From the short story "A Respectable Woman", we can find that Gouvernail in the
present is a journalist. He is not as social as his friend Gaston since he does not
appear to pay enough attention to the people around him. Gaston is the story's
only supporting character. He highly appreciates his friend Gouvernail, describing
him as "intelligent" and a "man of ideas" to his wife.
c. Why does Mrs Baroda not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her
husband?
→ Mrs Baroda does not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband
because she appears in the story as a respectable woman. To be respectable
woman she has to follow the norms and values of the society. Mrs. Baroda is well
aware that society would view her actions because she is a married woman. Her
beliefs about what makes a woman respectable in society take priority over her
feelings and desires. Her fear of what society might think of her and her perception
that she is a respectable woman prevented Mrs. Baroda from telling her husband
about her emotions for Gouvernail.
d. The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist. After reading these
three sentences, how do you analyze Mrs. Baroda's attitude towards Gouvernail?
→The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist in the story "A
Respectable Woman". The story has presented a sudden change in Mrs. Baroda's
inner feeling and way of thinking in the last three sentences. She has found the
courage to prevail over her emotions, she approaches her husband and makes a
charmingly vague remark that reopens the issue of whether or not she intends to
act on her feelings. She tells him that "I have overcome everything! You'll find out
soon enough. I'm going to be extra kind to him this time." At first sight, Mrs.
Baroda's remark seems to imply that she has recovered control over her emotions.
Overcoming "everything" seems to imply that she has triumphed over not just her
dissatisfaction with Gouvernail, but also her unrespectable love emotions for him.
Mrs. Baroda has not only changed her mind about Gouvernail but she may also no
longer be bound by society's view of what makes a respectable woman. Mrs.
Baroda has achieved freedom outside of the boundaries of society. We can assume
that Mrs. Baroda has not only overcome her own and society's perceptions of what
a respectable woman is, but she is also ready to pursue a relationship with
Gouvernail by telling Gaston, “I shall be very nice to him."
A Devoted Son
Characters
Rakesh: He is the son of Varma who is a well behaved and duteous son. He is a
brilliant student who becomes a doctor and has an opportunity to continue his
practice and education in the USA. He is the son of a kerosene vendor Varma. In
his father's old age, he supervises every bit of food his father eats and
medicates him for every little complaint.
Veena: She is a simple and fat Indian girl married to Rakesh by the wish of his
mother who is very loyal and dutiful by nature. She follows Rakesh's orders
regarding his father's diet.
Varma: He works as an oil seller at Depo and he is the father of Rakesh who
hardly educates his son and has pride over his son's achievement. But later he
finds his son as a tyrant as he cuts his foodstuffs.
Bhatia: He is an old neighbour of Rakesh and a friend of Varma who

participates in Rakesh's family conversation and activities. He lives next door
and often joins Varma to sit outside and complain about the hardships that the
two of them are facing.
Varma's wife: She is an unnamed lady who dies later, which leads to his
unhappiness, and made him sick.
Rakesh's children: They are unnamed children who pass time and play with
grandfather as well. Varma is briefly able to convince one of them to sneak him
extra food.
Summary
The story ‘A Devoted Son’ is written by a well-known Indian writer Anita
Desai. She has written many stories and novels. Almost every story she writes is
about everyday Indian life and individuals.
It is a short story. In this short story she has shown the bond of father and
son. In this story she has portraited the contemporary Indian situation of urban
life. The story centres around Dr. Rakesh.
Rakesh is from a poor Indian village. His father Varma, is a kerosene

vendor. Mr. Varma dreams of having an educated son. Rakesh is the first
member of the family who gets education. He completes his medical course
with top marks, the highest in the country. There is the celebration in the family
because of Rakesh’s success. They inform all who are in their reach.
Mr. Verma informs his neighbours that Rakesh will get a chance to go to
America for his further course. His neighbours come there. They respect and
wish all the best to him. Mr. Varma becomes proud to have such popular and
successful son. Rakesh spends some years in America to finish his degree. He
completes it with ease. He also gets job offers at prestigious US hospitals. He
receives many awards too. He sends them back to India. He is also kept in touch
with his family until he comes back to India.
Rakesh loves America and is admired by his colleagues for his aptitude. He
loves his family more. He always plans on returning home. As soon as he has
enough experience and money, he returns home with the intention of working
in his hometown. His parents aren’t happy with his life choices. They don’t
understand why he wants to come home and leave all those reputations
behind. His father becomes very sad because he chooses a village girl to marry.
The village girl isn’t educated. Those activities create conflict in the family.
Rakesh doesn’t pay attention to the suggestions of his parents. He refuses to
listen to his parents, and he marries the village girl. After that he starts to work
at the city hospital, which is totally different from the hospitals where he used to
work in. Any way he is interested to work in India and wants to make a
difference in his town.
After a short period of time he uplifts his position as the director of the
hospital which creates joy to his entire family. Rakesh doesn’t seem to have
changed. He always has the sense who he is and how he is. After having his own
son, his life becomes complete.
But there is a very bad happening to him. His mother dies for whom
Rakesh tries to make happy and proud. Mr. Varma’s heart is broken, after the
death of his mother. He does not want to lose his father any time soon, so he
applies his medical expertise. Rakesh doesn’t have much time to pay for his
father because he has his own family and his job also makes him busy. Rakesh
bans sweets to his father, Mr. Varma, to look after his stomach. But his father is
interested to eat them. So, he tries to get them through Rakesh’s son. He
worries that his father might make his grandson less honourable than Rakesh.
That activity frustrates Rakesh. There is a kind of misunderstanding between
father and son. Rakesh wants his son to have a positive relationship with Varma,
just like he does. Varma tells Rakesh and his wife that he dislikes them, but he
still keeps an eye out for Varma. Rakesh finally lets Varma leave, knowing that
he has done everything he can for Varma.
A Devoted Son
by Anita Desai
Exercise: Questions & Answers
a. How did the morning papers bring an ambience of celebration to the Varma
family?
→The morning papers displayed the result of Rakesh who scored the highest
rank in the country for his Medical Examination which brought ambience of
celebration in the Varma family.
b. How did the community celebrate Rakesh's success?
→The community celebrated Rakesh's success by visiting him, congratulating

him and his parents and offering gifts like fountain pens and watches.
c. Why was Rakesh's success a special matter of discussion in the

neighbourhood?
→Rakesh’s success was a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood

because he was the first son in the family to receive higher education as well as
he topped the course and got chance to go to USA for further education.
d. How does the author make fun with the words 'America' and 'the USA'?
→ The author makes fun with the words "America" and "The USA" by
associating them with Verma's nature of dealing with the words as he
considered "the USA" as more prestigious than "America". He said that America
is the term to be called by his ignorant neighbours.
e. How does the author characterize Rakesh's wife?
→ The author characterizes Rakesh's wife as an old fashioned, traditional and

uneducated girl from a village.
f. Describe how Rakesh rises in his career.
→Rakesh rises his career by topping the examination and by being a doctor in
the city hospital. He also reaches the top of administrative section as the
director. Then, he opens his own private clinic, buys a car.
g. How does the author describe Rakesh's family background?
→ The author describes Rakesh's family background as a man born to illiterate

as well as very poor parents. His father works as a kerosene vendor and his
mother is a housewife. His grandparents are vegetable sellers.
h. What is the impact of Rakesh's mother's death on his father?
→ Rakesh's father is very sad and depressed with the death of his wife. He is
mournful. He becomes weak and ill with such mysterious disease named a
peevish whim (sudden irritation in mind) because of the death of Rakesh’s
mother.
i. What did Rakesh do to make his father's old age more comfortable?
→ Rakesh brought morning tea to his father in the old man's favourite brass
tumbler, and sat very near to him on his bed and read out the morning news to
him to make even more comfortable in his old age.
j. Why did the old man try to bribe his grandchildren?
→The old man tried to bribe his grandchildren by making them bring sweets to
eat which were prohibited by his son. But he got them from Rakesh’s son.
k. Are Mr. Varma's complaints about his diets reasonable? How?
→ Mr. Verma’s complaints about his diets are not reasonable from the
viewpoint of health worker. They are troublesome to his health. He is old so
eating sweets is not good for his health but from the point of view of an old
father, Mr. Verma's complaints about his diets may be reasonable to some
extent because they are sweet and tasty for him.
a. How did the Varma couple make sacrifices for their son's higher education?
→ The Verma couple was from a poor economic background. They were
illiterate as well. Mr. Varma, Rakesh’s father worked for a kerosene dealer and
his mother in the kitchen. They made sacrifice by investing their life, time,
money and everything they have for the higher education and medical college
of their son, Rakesh.
b. Mr. Varma suffers from diseases one after another after his wife's death.
Would he have enjoyed better health if she had not died before him? Give
reasons.
→ Mr. Varma suffered from diseases one after another his wife's death. I think
all this happen him due to his wife's death as it makes him alone and scattered.
If she had not died before him, he would have enjoyed better health. He thinks
most of the time about his life partner which leads him stricken with grief. The
old father very quickly went to pieces and fell ill.
c. Dr Rakesh is divided between a doctor and a son. As a son, he loves his father
and worries about his weakening health but as a doctor, he is strict on his
father's diet and medicine. In your view, what else could Rakesh have done to
make his father's final years more comfortable?
→Dr Rakesh is divided between a doctor and a son. As a son, he loves his father
and worries about his weakening health but as a doctor, he is strict on his
father's diet and medicine. In my views, Rakesh could have shown polite and
respectable behavior to his father. He could have convinced his father not to eat
sweets because of their harms to stomach. He should have given more time to
his father.
d. What does the story say about the relationship between grandfather and
grand children?
→The story shows the good and bounding relationship between grandfather
and grandchildren. In this story grandfather spends most of his time with
grandchildren. They are also happy to be with grandfather. Grandchildren are
also helpful to him. They provide sweets to him which the grandfather likes.
e. Do you call Rakesh a devoted son? Give reasons.
→Yes, I call Rakesh a devoted son because he is very kind and lovable to his
parents. He is conscious about father’s health. He also shows a great degree of
tender regard for his mother. When he is in America, he is in touch with his
parents. Because of his mother’s interest and suggestion, he marries an
uneducated, old-fashioned village girl.
The Treasure in the Forest

Characters
Major Characters
Evans : friend of Hooker who made an adventurous journey for hunting treasures
Hooker : friend of Evans who made an adventurous journey for hunting treasures
Secondary Characters
Chang-hi : a Chinese man who had a map to locate treasure
Chinaman : Chang-hi’s co-worker
Main theme of the story
The fundamental message of The Treasure in the Forest is to not take

risks when we are unprepared. The two Englishmen took risks in an unfamiliar
act and were killed soon. This story was about two Englishmen who heard about
gold on an island and obtained a map from a Chinese.
Summary
The story entitled ‘The Treasure in the Forest’ has been written by H.G.
Wells. This story is somehow like a suspense story which is about the two
treasure hunters, Evans and Hooker, who have murdered a Chinese man to
steal his map that locates a buried stash of gold ingots.
Hooker studied the map, which the narrator revealed that they stole
from a Chinaman, Chang-hi, whom they murdered during the theft. Chang-hi
had by chance discovered the treasure left behind by a shipwrecked Spanish
galleon, and had decided to rebury it elsewhere, at a location revealed by his
map. They were very tired and hungry as if they had no food to eat. They looked
at the map and got puzzled by the dashes in the map.
Evans and Hooker identified the spot indicated on the map after
beaching their canoe. They stroke into the interior of the island through the
forest. They soon discovered the identifying pile of stones just as the map said,
but alongside it laid the purple and swollen body (dead body) of a Chinaman
who had evidently himself been looking for the treasure. The men assumed the
Chinaman to have been one of Chang-hi’s associates, who had decided to try
and claim the treasure for himself.
Evans and Hooker started to pick up the gold ingots to take them back to
the canoe. They loaded as much of the gold as they could drag back to the
canoe. They kept the gold ingots in Evans's jacket. They set off, but after about a
hundred yards Evans's arms started to ache. He became pale and fainted. He
fell down. Hooker started to rearrange the ingots on the jacket after Evans’s
collapse. He also started to feel like a thorn prick. Hooker then realized the true
meaning that Chang-hi had behind his grin. Chang-hi had covered his treasure
with thorns. The story ends as Hooker lay dying alongside the body of his
companion.
Analysis and Interpretation
The main idea of The Treasure in the Forest is to tell us don't take a risk
when you are not prepared. We must prepare before going anywhere. The end
of greed is destructive. We must focus and understand each thing before
making any decision on it. Otherwise, its result is bad like Evans and Hooker.
This story represents that greed is the big enemy of a person and also
shows the weakness of money and wealth.
The Treasure in the Forest (Story) Grade 12

Dev Prasad PanditOctober 06, 2021

a. Describe the expository scene of the story.
b. What does the map look like and how do Evan and Hooker interpret it?
c. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure?
d. Describe Evan’s dream.
e. What do the two treasure hunters see when they walk towards the island?
f. In what condition did the treasure hunters find the dead man?
g. How did the treasure hunters try to carry gold ingots to the canoe?
h. How were Evan and Hooker poisoned?
a. How do you know the story is set on a tropical island?
b. Why do you think Evan and Hooker took such a risk of finding the buried treasure in a
desert island?
c. Do you think the narrator of the story is racist? If yes, what made him feel superior to
other races?
d. What do you think is the moral of the story?

a. Describe the expository scene of the story.
→There are two treasure hunters Evans and Hooker. The story starts with the canoe
approaching the island. There is a little river flowing to the sea. The forest is thick and deep.
It is the forest of tropical zone.
b. What does the map look like and how do Evan and Hooker interpret it?
→The map looks like a rough map. It is not easy to get the location with the help of the map.
There are dots and lines in the map. Evans interprets twisting lines in the map as the river
and Hooker interprets the dotted line and straight line to the way to inlet freshwater pond.
c. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure?
→Evans and Hooker knew about the treasure by the conversation of the Chinese man
Chang-hi and the map he had. It located the spot of the treasure.
d. Describe Evan's dream.
→Evans had a dream about the treasure and Chang-hi. In the dream, they were in the forest
and saw a little fire where three Chinamen sat around it and talked in quiet voices in English.
Evans went closer and he knew that Chang-hi took the gold from a Spanish galleon after
shipwrecked and hid it carefully on the island. He worked alone and it was his secret, but
now he wanted help to get the gold back. There was a battle and Chana-hi was brutally killed
by them.
e. What do the two treasure hunters see when they walk towards the island?
→The two treasure hunters see three palm trees in line with a clump of bushes at the mouth
of the stream when they walk towards the island.
f. In what condition did the treasure hunters find the dead man?
→The treasure hunters found the dead man lying in a clear space among the trees with a
puffed and purple neck and swollen hands and ankles.
g. How did the treasure hunters try to carry gold ingots to the canoe?
→The treasure hunters tried to carry gold ingots to the canoe with the help of the Evans’s
jacket which was carried in two sides by both.
h. How were Evan and Hooker poisoned?
→Evans and Hooker were poisoned by thorn pricks nearly of two inches length. Evans
rolled over Hooker. After the demise of Evans, Hooker started to collect the gold ingots. He
also fell down and rolled like Evans. They suffered a lot before they died.

a. How do you know the story is set on a tropical island?
→The story "The Treasures in the Forest" is set on a tropical island. It begins with two men,
Evans and Hooker. They sailed their canoe towards a coral island in the heat of the noon sun,
after canoeing all night from the mainland. In the story we find the description of the forest.
The place has naturally variable ecosystems, tropical rainforests, open woodlands and grass
savannahs, freshwater lakes and streams, salt marshes and wetland, mangrove and coastal
forests etc. As we go through the story, it opens with a canoe approaching land, and the
setting of the bay, the white surf of the reef, the little river running to the sea, the tropical
forest, sloppy hill, and so on. Its atmosphere, ecosystems, thicker and green forest,
freshwater stream, coastal forest, palm trees, thorny bushes, seagrass and depth sea etc.
illustrate the reader to know that the story is set on a tropical island.
b. Why do you think Evans and Hooker took such a risk of finding the buried treasure
on a desert island?
→I think Evans and Hooker took such a risk of finding the buried treasure on a desert island
because of the following reasons:
• They took such a risk because of their greed.
• They could be rich and prosperous.
• They wanted to experience the skills like leadership, communication, and problem-
solving.
• The activity was beneficial to the people involved.
• It helped to develop the ability to tackle any difficult situations.
c. Do you think the narrator of the story is racist? If yes, what made him feel superior
to other races?
→Yes, I find some sort of racist feelings in the narrator of the story. In the story he presented
Evans and Hooker as superior to the Chinese men. They killed the Chinese men brutally.
Generally Chinese people are taken as the people of yellow race and English are taken as
white race. A racist is a person who shows prejudice and biasness towards people based on
their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group. In the story the narrator dominated
the Chinese as inferiors. We find the Chinese man was brutally killed by Evans and Hooker.
Thus, many instances in the story state the narrator of the story looks like a racist.
d. What do you think is the moral of the story?
→In the story ‘The Treasure in the Forest’ we find greed and destruction. “The more they
desire for greed and power, the more they become selfish" is the moral of this story. Evans
and Hooker's greed increases as they come to know about the treasures. They murdered the
Chinese man Chang-hi brutally and they went in search of treasures with the help of the map
which they got from him. People have greed generally for valuable things like money,
wealth or treasures and power. Greed is much more dangerous which can lead to someone to
the death. We can find such kind of matter in the story.
My Old Home
Summary
Characters
1. Narrator (Lu Xun) - He is the young Master and the narrator. He is considered as a miser
in the sense he does not want to give away the furniture to the poor rather wants to sell them.
2. Jun Tu- Childhood friend of the narrator
3. Lu Xun’s father
4. Hong'er (eight-year-old nephew of the narrator)
5. Runtu (Childhood friend of the narrator) He is the former temporary servant of Lu Xun.
He is a shy in nature but 'high in spin
6. Sheng- the son of Runtu.
7. Mrs. Yang- She is a neighbour who accuses the narrator of being miserly and people call
her the Beancurd Beauty because she sits in a bean curd (milk products) shop opposite to
Xun's home
Summary
"My Old Home" is an autobiographical story which has been written by the Chinese
writer Lu Xun. It is a short story which tells the activities and happenings of one’s
life from youth to old age. The main narrator of this story is the writer (Lu Xun)
himself who has presented the conflict between his childhood memories and
present realities.
‘My Old Home’ is a story about Xun’s memories, from youth to middle age that
depicts the conflict between memories and realities. The story describes how Xun
feels while being away from home for many years. Upon arriving at his long-past
home, his memories are forced to come to confront with the realities. His prior
conceptions and understandings of the world come into conflict with his realities.
The narrator returns his Old Home after twenty years in 1911, during the fall of the
Qin Dynasty. He has a deep longing for his old home. He is heartily connected with
his hometown. When he comes back to his home, he is greeted by his mother and
nephew. He doesn't believe his eyes at first because there are so many changes.
So many changes have been made but not in positive tracks rather he finds his
house in ruined position, twenty years of weather, renovations and other families,
Lu Xun reconciles with his relatives including Mrs. Yang, a neighbour who accuses
him of being miserly. Xun feels ashamed when the bean curd lady says he is being
miserly for he does not want to give away his furniture. When he sees his
hometown under the clouds at his arrival, he starts feeling depressed to find its
unprogressive, desolate and scattered state. For him, his old home was quite
beautiful in the past and many people of his class used to live there. His attitude
towards his hometown has changed as he comes to his hometown in an unhappy
mood. He returns to his hometown with the sole purpose to say "Goodbye" that
time.
When he arrives at his old home, his mother welcomes him. He sees his nephew
Hong'er for the first time. He informs his mother about a rented house in his
working place where they are going to migrate sooner. He wants to sell old
furniture items of the house to buy some items for his rented house. His mother
informs him about Runtu and his curiosity to meet him.
His prier conceptions come into conflicts as he faces the realities of his Old Home
town. He comes to know that his old childhood friend Runtu will be reuniting with
Lu at the home. He recalls his brief relationship with his childhood friend and a
part time labour boy. Their friendship has been lively, positive and brother-like.
Mrs. Yang is the one who is so talkative lady. The narrator describes her quite
humorously. He describes her as a compass of a geometry box. Mrs. Yang
surprises the narrator with her act. She holds the narrator with her arms. The
narrator remembers about her later on. In his childhood, Mrs. Yang used to sit in
her bean curd shop powdering herself and was quite famous by her name "A
Beancurd Beauty”, Mrs. Yang expresses her words related to miserliness when she
knows the narrator's intention of selling his old home's furniture.
The narrator meets Runtu after many years. He doesn't feel good to hear the word
"Master" from his mouth. Both, the narrator and his mother notice about Runtu's
poverty and hardships in his life along with many children. Runtu has been
squeezed by various factors as responsibilities, bandits, government officials,
landed gentry, social differences etc. These various factors push him to poverty
throughout his life. The narrator and his mother plan to help Runtu by providing
him with some old items of the house of his need so they provide some goods to
Runtu. Runtu selects few items from the old house.
MY OLD HOME (Exercise)
a. How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?
→ The narrator has many exciting and happy feelings regarding his old home before his arrival but
his exciting feelings convert into depressing ones as he sees surroundings and
environment unprogressive, desolate and scattered under the clouds which seems lifeless to him
b. What were the three kinds of servants in China then? What does it indicate about contemporary
Chinese society?
→The then three kinds of servants in China were:
1. Full timers: Those who worked the whole year long for one family.
2. Dailies: Those who were hired for the daytime.
3. Part-timers: Those who plough their own land but work for a specific family just during the
holidays, new year, festival time or rents time.
It indicates that contemporary Chinese society had a slavery system and different classes of slaves
and their hierarchy.
c. What makes the narrator nostalgic? What did he do with Runtu in the teenage?
→ The information expresses by the narrator's mother to Runtu makes him nostalgic. He enjoyed
and passed time by playing and learning different strange things in the teenage.
d. How did Runtu hunt a Zha in his young age?
→Runtu hunted a Zha by stabbing at it with his pitchfork in his young age.
e. How does the narrator make a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang?
→The narrator makes a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang through his humourous descriotion by
associating her as a bean curd lady and a compass of geometry box who accuses him of being
miserly because he does not want to give his furniture to poor Runtu.
f. According to the narrator, what were different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his
life?
→According to the narrator, the different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life
were big family, the heavy taxes, social responsibilities, famines, bandits, officials, landed gentry
and class differences etc.
g. How does the narrator help Runtu before leaving the old home?
→The narrator helps Runtu by providing old furniture items and other household things before
leaving the old house. He also asks Runtu to take the things of his needs from his old house.
h. How does the author differentiate two kinds of idols?
→ The author differentiates two kinds of idols through his realization. He says that superstitious
idols are worshipped for a short time for something immediate but hope isn't an idol but a long-time
desire which people need in most situations. He gives examples of Runtu and his own ways of
worshipping idols in two different ways. Runtu worships the idols but he requires hope for a
faraway land.
a. While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the
friendship between Krishna and Sudama. Which particular description reminds you of the
mythological example?
→ While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the
friendship between Lord Krishna and poor Sudama. Sudama was Lord Krishna's classmate and a
very intimate friend. Lord Krishna was a King and Sudama was a poor Brahmin. Poor Sudama once
came to Dwarka to meet his friend Lord Krishna after many years. The same case is found in the
friendship and relationship between Lu Xun and Runtu the former is from the rich and upper class
as master and the latter one is very poor. Sudama felt very shy when he visited Krishna like this
Runtu felt ashamed and nervous when he met his friend, Lu Xun. Lu Xun helped Runtu like Krishna
helped Sudama at the end by providing several household things at the end. Lord Krishna knew
about the difficulties faced by Sudama so he helped by providing the blessing which turned him to
richness. This amazing help is always remembered by Hindus.
b. How does the story support the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent,
impartial and disinterested?
→ The story "My Old Home" supports the proposition that relationships of childhood are innocent,
impartial and disinterested. As we go through the story, we come to know that the narrator, Lu Xun
and Runtu had a childhood friendship beyond various social barriers and class divisions. They had
an innocent relationship. They passed their time playing, learning and sharing their ideas without
biasness. We don’t find any impartiality between them though they had a master and part-time
worker relationship. They didn’t have any selfish behaviour. Their friendship and relation were
pure, innocent, impartial and disinterested.
The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly

Sinking Sun (Story) Grade 12 (Summary)
About the author (Shankar Lamichhane)
Shankar Lamichhane (1928-1975) was born in Kathmandu but lived in Banaras with his uncle at a young age. After
receiving college education at Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu, he took his first job at the age of twenty-two and
worked for a number of governmental and cultural institutions in the capital. In his later years, he became the
manager of a handicrafts store. Lamichhane was an admirer of modern American fiction and frequently mixed with
foreign visitors to Nepal. His stories are heavy with symbolism, often lacking a conventional plot and more closely
resembling essays, but his prose is rich and poetic. This story is taken from Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to
Nepali Literature, translated and edited by Michael Hutt.
The story deals with the monologues of two characters a tourist guide in Kathmandu valley and a foreign tourist. The
story is different from conventional stories and, instead of showing actions and events, the story records what the two
characters think in a stream of consciousness technique.
• Born in 1928 in Kathmandu, and lived in Banaras at the young age.
• Tudied at Tri-Chandra College
• Did handicraft business and mixed up with foreigners coming to Nepal
• Awardes Madan Puruskar in 1967 for his magnum Opus “Abstract Chintan Pyaj”
• Died in 1975 early age of 47
Main Characters
The guest: a tourist came to visit Nepal, loves Nepal and knows many things about
it
The guide: a tourist guide with different perspectives, sympathetic
A paralyzed boy: suffering from polio, cannot move his body parts except eyes
Plot of the Story
Exposition: The tourist expresses his joy watching the beauty of Nepal and
its generous people.
Rising Action: The tourist talks about Buddha and Bhrikuti
Climax: The guide takes the tourist to see a house to show the pulse of their
reality.
Falling Action: They meet a paralyzed boy who can only move his eyes.
Resolution: The guide thinks the boy's eyes are just as beautiful as the setting suns
reflection in the eyes of the Buddha.
Summary of the Story

The story expresses the feelings of a Western tourist visiting The Kathmandu Valley
and a Nepali tourist guide. It begins with the Western tourist describing the
panorama of the green valley. She likes the scent of the mountain and the peaceful
atmosphere here as she grew up among the plains and the sea. She feels
welcomed by the half- closed eyes of the Buddha.
The tourist says The Easterners have given them the religion and the Puranas,
images of brass and ornaments of ivory, manuscripts of palm leaves and
inscriptions on copperplate as well as a civilization and its wisdom. She has read
many books about Nepal and can teach its history even to the guide. She says it
has the cultural and religious diversity and the Nepali soil has enabled them to
flourish together. She also talks about different kinds of food like mo:mo: and so
on.
She remembers an old woman telling the story of Brikuti to her grandson while
smoking hookah. She adores the smiling faces of Nepalese people to welcome
them. She compares it with the time after her successful labour and being with her
father, and many more. Finally, she tells about the magical eyes and expresses her
desire to see the pleasant light of sunset reflected in the eyes of the Buddha,
unforgettable eyes.
The second part of the story deals with the feeling of the guide. He begins with
history of Chobhar hill, the cleft made by Manjushri with the sword to outflow the
water. He talks about Adinath to give living example of Nepalese tolerance and
coexistence. Then he takes the tourist to a house where she can find the pulse of
reality. He wanted to show her one of his maker's strangest forms of creation. It is
a child whose body is completely paralyzed by polio. He cannot do any physical
activities. He compares the gaze of the child with the samyak gaze.
He explains it as the capacity found only in an Easterner: the capacity for remaining
speechless, inactive, powerless, and immobile, and yet to survive without complain.
The guide lies to the child's parents and tells them she is a doctor. So, they think
her as their eldest child coming for the remedy of the brother. They become
delighted. There is intimacy, kindliness, and gratitude in their eyes. He also shows
the child's sister whose body functions properly. She can do different activities as
per her age. They can see the gleamed light in the child's eyes when his mother
scolds his sister. He surely wants to say it is fun to do mischievous activities that he
can't. They learn with the experience.
The guide concludes that the eyes that the tourist see welcome her and they hide
the end of life They are just as beautiful as the setting sun's reflection in the eyes of
the Buddha
Themes
Beauty Culture Religion History
Sympathy Tolerance Poverty
Analysis of the Story
This story was published in 'Himalayan Voices: An Introduction to Nepali Literature

in 1991. It is written in stream of consciousness technique which is beyond the
convention. Instead of having action and events, it describes the feelings of two
main characters of the story: the tourist and the tourist guide. Its setting is
Kathmandu Valley that integrates the religious and cultural value with its natural
beauty. The tourist seems to be fond of the natural beauty of Nepal. She admires
its religious tolerance and cultural integration. She adores the generosity of the
Easterners that many things have been given to the West. However, it is ironical
that she says being a foreigner she is the expert at the history of Nepal and can
even teach the Nepalese guide about it. The half-closed eyes of the Buddha refer to
peaceful environment and its reflection in the setting sun symbolizes natural
beauty of Nepal that the tourist wants to admire.
On the other hand, the guide wants to show the sorrow among the beautiful land
and the instances of poverty among the rich culture. This is also an attack to the
bookish wits who think themselves an expert without actually experiencing the
reality. He may also want to tell the tourist that it is an opportunity to the
Westerners to bring the smiles back to the sufferers and make the Easterners more
prosperous in every aspect.
The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly

Sinking Sun (Story) Grade 12 (Comprehension)
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
a. How does the tourist describe his initial impression of the Kathmandu valley?
The tourist says it is a green valley with its geometric fields, its earthen houses of
red, yellow, and white. The scent of soil and mountains is in the air, and there's an
age-old peacefulness in the atmosphere.
b. According to the tourist, why is the West indebted to the East?

The West is indebted to the East as the East has given the West the Puranas,
images of brass and ornaments of ivory, manuscripts of palm leaves, and
inscriptions on copperplate as well as a civilization.
c. How does the tourist interpret the gaze of the monks and nuns?
The tourist calls it the samyak gaze that we cannot meet. It is perception, pure and
without contamination; sight that perceives everything in its true form.
d. Why do the tourists think Nepali people are wonderful and exceptional?
The tourists think so as they live in a house like a temple, but they are unaware of
its beauty and its enchantment. In these Wooden images, there are multifarious
ornamentations and styles with the flowing music of a chisel.
e. What are the different kinds of communities in the Kathmandu valley an

how do they co-exist with each other?
It is the place where so many different cultures found their home. Aryans, non-
Aryans, Hindus, and Buddhists all came and obtained a rebirth here. It must be the
effect of the soil that enabled all these races to flourish together.
f. What does the tourist feel about the temple of Adinath?

In the temple courtyard there is a shrine of Shiva, several Buddha images, and
many prayer wheels, inscribed 'om mani padme hu.' The tourist feels it as a living
example of Nepalese tolerance and coexistence. Children play happily there,
unconcerned by the variety of their gods, religions, and philosophies.
g. Why does the guide take the tourist to the remote village?
The guide takes the tourist to the remote village to meet a completely paralyzed
child of a poor family to show him the pulse of reality. Perhaps, he wanted to show
him the sympathetic aspect of wonderful country.
h. What does the innocent village couple think of the doctor?

The guide has lied to them about the tourist as being a doctor. So, the innocent
village couple think him as their eldest son who has brought a life-restoring remedy
across the seven seas for the brother.
i. What are the differences between the paralyzed child and his sister?
There are a lot of differences between the paralyzed child and his sister. The
paralyzed child cannot move any organs except the eyes. In contrast, his sister's
whole-body functions properly. She can speak, crawl and play.
j. Why does the guide show the instances of poverty to the tourist?
The tourist talks about the beautiful scenery and Samyak gaze at the guide so he
wants to show him the gaze that is incapable of self-manifestation and the beauty
that is complete and has no other expression. So, the guide shows the tourist the
instances of poverty that reflect the dark aspect of the country's diversity.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. Which narrative technique is used by the author to tell the story? How is this
story different from other stories you have read?
Stream of consciousness as a narrative technique which is used by the author,
Shankar Lamichhane to tell the story “The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the
Slowly Sinking Sun". This story is different from other stories I have read as the
most of the other stories are depicted from the first person point of view where the
narrator or the persona describes the instances in his own way but this story is
presented through the monologues of two characters a tourist guide in Kathmandu
valley and a foreign tourist. Furthermore, the story is different from conventional
stories and instead of showing actions and events, the story records what the two
characters think in a stream of consciousness technique. Here, Stream of
consciousness is a style or narrative technique of writing that captures the natural
flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory
impressions, memories, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax, and rough grammar. On
the other hand, this technique of stream of consciousness is not found in other
previous stories I have read.
b. How is the author able to integrate two fragments of the narration into a
unified whole?
In the story “The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun”, the
author tries to intricate two fragments of the narration into a unified whole by
connecting them with the instances of eyes and associating them to two different
worlds. One the author is describing the instances taking place in the community
and the activities of the people they perform for their livelihood. On the other
hand, he reconnects it to the world of farmers where how people are ignorant of
the real instances of the world and suffer from several traditional thoughts and
diseases.
Thus, by connecting two different world or thoughts of the East and the West, he
forwards a message that one should visualize things deeply through their deeper
eyes and understand the real meaning of the situation. He associates the guide's
journey along with the tourist and observing the thing on the one hand and the
guide is stating the significance of the places and activities on the other by
instances of eyes and his narrative techniques of stream of consciousness.
c. The author brings some historical and legendary references in the story.
Collect these references and show their significance in the story.
The author Shankar Lamichhane brings some historical and legendary references
in the story "The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun”. The
references and their significance are as follows:
The reference of Manjushri and her strike with his sword at Chobhar resulting the
outflow of the Bagmati River signifies her contribution in helping people to live in
the valley.
The reference of the Puranas, images of brass and ornaments of ivory, manuscripts
of palm leaves and inscriptions on copperplate indicate Nepalese people are rich in
culture, traditions, religions and art crafts.
The eyes of the shaven headed monks and nun indicates the samyak gaze which
means the perception, pure and without contamination; sight that perceives
everything in its true form.
The references of Princess Bhrikuti and King Amshuvarma reflect historical

connection or relationship among the neighbouring countries like Tibet.
The pleasant light of sunset reflected in the eyes of the Buddha indicates Nepal as a
country of Buddha with many more hopes and peaceful thoughts in the
people. The temple of Adinath signifies the living example of Nepalese tolerance
and coexistence.
d. The author talks about the eyes in many places: the eyes of the shaven
monks and nuns, eyes in the window and door panels, the eyes of the
Himatayas, the eyes of the paralyzed boy, the eyes of the welcoming villagers
and above all the half-closed eyes of the Buddha. Explain how all the
instances of eyes contribute to the overall unity of the story.
In the story "The Half-closed Eyes of the Buddha and the Slowly Sinking Sun" the
author talks about the eyes in many places such as: The eyes of shaven monks and
nuns indicate the samyak gaze' which means the sight that perceives everything in
its true form.
The eyes of the carved lattice (Fich) windows, the eyes painted on the door panels.
The eyes on the stupas, the eyes of the people, the eyes of the Himalaya, the eyes
of the paralyzed boy, the eyes of the welcoming villagers and above all the half-
closed eyes of the Buddha. These all instances of eyes indicate that it is a land of
eyes, a land guarded by the half-closed eyes of the Lord Buddha. Even if all of the
world's history books were destroyed today, but it is these eyes which displays a
new culture, civilization, religion, natural beauty and more over the land of Buddha.
The journey becomes meaningful by the memories obtained by eyes.
In this way, the author associates several instances of eyes to memories that
people obtain and people's appetite that never fulfil as they visualize something by
their inner eyes and heart and unifies the story as a whole.
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
About the Author

Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1927-2014) was Colombian-born Spanish American journalist, novelist,
and short story writer. He is regarded as the literary volcano of the nineteen sixties and an exponent
of a new narrative style known as magical realism. His novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)
is taken as a classical example of magical realism. Marquez is one of the best novelists of world
literature and perhaps the best in Spanish literature. For many readers, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and
magical realism as synonymous with each other. Magical Realism is a mode of narrative in which
real and fantastic, natural and supernatural, are coherently represented in a state of equivalence.
Marquez’s other best-known novels are No One Writes to the Colonel (1961), Love in the Time of
Cholera (1985), and Memories of my Melancholy Whores (2004). The story ‘A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings’ was first published in 1955.
‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ is a magical realist story which examines the human
response to those who are weak, dependent, and different. The story shows human nature-related
curiosity, greed and cruelty.
Main Characters
Pelayo:
Elisenda’s husband who discovered of the old man. Pelayo was an ordinary villager.
Elisenda:
Pelayo’s wife who convinced Pelayo to charge villagers to see the old man.
Father Gonzaga:
The priest of the village who was an authority figure in the community.
The Neighbor Woman:
She was the neighbor of Pelayo and Elisenda.
The Spider Woman
She spider had the body of an enormous spider and the head of a sad young woman.
Summary of the Story

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is written by Grabiel Garcia Marquez. He was Combodian-
born Spanish American writer. It is a story of magical realism. It examines the human response to
those who are weak, dependent and different. The story reveals nature-related greed, curiosity and
cruelty.
The story opens with raining situation. On the third day of rain, Pelayo and his wife Elisenda were
throwing dead crabs into the sea because they thought that their newly born child had fever all night
due to the smell. The world had been sad since Tuesday. The light in the afternoon was also very
dim. Pelayo came back to his house. He saw something moving in the courtyard. It was a filthy and
weak old man with enormous wings there. He was frightened by the nightmare. He ran towards
Elisenda. They both came there and observed the strange creature. They looked at him so long and
so closely that they they soon overcome their surprise. They tried to speak to him but they could not
understand his unintelligible language. They called a neighbor woman who told them that he was an
angel who came there for the child. She added that he was very weak therefore he was knocked
down by the rain.
On the following day, everybody found a flesh-and-blood angel. Pelayo and Elisenda imprisoned
him in the chicken's coop. In the middle of the night their child became free from fever and felt
hungry too. There were arguments on whether the old man was an angel or not. Father Gonzaga
tried to investigate about the old man but could not. He tried to obtain the truth from the church’s
higher authorities. The news of the angel widespread very fast. They made a plan to take charge 5
cents from the visitors as entry fee. The couple started making money. People started mistreating the
old man as he did nothing to impress them. He was unresponsive to people's reaction. They poked
him and burnt him with a branding iron. Then the old man became violent due to pain. He
responded angrily, flapped his wings and yelled in a strange language.
A new carnival arrived there in the town. There appeared the Spider Woman and people were
attracted to her as they could ask her any questions and she told her interesting stories to the people.
Moreover, it was less expensive to see her than the admission to see the old man. Because of the
woman, people's attraction to the old man slowly faded. However, Pelayo and Elisanda were able to
build a two-story house to be safe from the crabs and angels from the money they had charged as
entry fee.
Finally, the chicken coop got collapsed and the old man dragged here and there. He appeared in the
different areas of the house as duplicate forms of him. One fateful day, while Elisanda was
preparing food, she looked through the window. She saw the old man trying to fly. At the beginning
his attempts were unsuccessful. But later on with attempts, the old man got success to fly away from
the house to the horizon of the sea. Elisenda got relieved as she kept watching him go.
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
Understanding the Text

a. How does the narrator describe the weather and its effects in the exposition of the story?
Answer: The narrator describes that it has been raining for three days and Pelayo is throwing the
crabs inside his house into the sea in the exposition of the story. Sea and sky are a single ash-gray
thing and the sands of the beach which has been glittering.
b. Describe the strange old man as Palayo and his wife first encounter within their courtyard.
Answer: The strange old man whom Palayo and his wife Elisenda encountered their country yard
was an unusual elderly man who wore ragged clothes. There were only a few faded hairs left on his
bald head and very few teeth in his mouth. His had enormous wings, dirty half-plucked were forever
entangled in the mud when they first encountered within their courtyard.
c. Why did Pelayo and Elisenda imprison the old man in the chicken coop?
Answer: To find out the reality about the old man the couple called their neighbor woman. She told
them that he was an angel came there to treat their child. So, they imprisoned the old man in the
chicken coop.
d. Why was Father Gonzaga not sure about the old man being a celestial messenger?
Answer: Father Gonzaga was not sure about the old man being a celestial messenger because he did
not understand the language of him when he greeted the old man in Latin.
e. Many people gathered at Pelayo's house to see the strange old man. Why do you think the
crowd assembled to see him?
Answer: Many people gathered at Pelayo’s house to see the strange man because the old man
looked strange with very big wings at his back. They thought that he was the messenger of God or
an angel.
f. Some miracles happened while the crowd gathers to see the strange man. What are these
miracles?
Answer: Some miracles happened while the crowd gathers to see the strange man. Some of the
miracles are: the blind man who didn't recover his sight but grew three new teeth, the paralytic who
didn't get to walk but almost won the lottery, and the leper whose sores sprouted sunflowers.
g. State the irritating things that the people did with the strange old man.
Answer: People started doing irritating things with the old man such as they poked him with iron
and burnt his side with iron. They pulled his feathers. Because of their mistreat, the old man became
violent due to pain.
h. How and why was the woman changed into a spider?
Answer: In her childhood, she had sneaked out of her parents' house to go to a dance, and while she
was coming back through the woods after having danced all night without permission, a fearful
thunderclap rent the sky in tow and through the crack came the lightning bolt of brimstone that
changed her into a spider.
i. Describe how Elisenda saw the strange man flying over the houses.
Answer: While she was busy in the kitchen, she felt something outside. She went to the window to
see what was happing. She saw that the old man was trying to fly. Soon, he flew off the horizon of
the sea and disappeared.

a. The arrival of a strange old man at Palayo's courtyard arouses many suspicions and
explanations. Explain how the neighbour woman, Father Gonzaga and the doctor speak of the
strange man. Why do you think these three people give three different kinds of
interpretations?
Answer: There are many suspicions and explanations which are aroused because of the arrival of a
strange old man at Pelayo's courtyard. They are given below:
According to the woman of neighbor, he was an angel who must have come for the child, but he
was very old so he was knocked down by the rain who could understood all about life and death.
According to Father Gonzaga, he looked much too human because he couldn’t understand God’s
language and he had unbearable smell of the outdoors. According to him he wasn’t a celestial
messenger.
Similarly, the doctor discovered that because he had a whistling sound in his heart and kidneys,
indicating the impossibility of his being alive. The doctor was shocked to see his natural wings and
wondered why others didn't have them.
The strange old man was described differently by those three persons. They give three different
kinds of interpretations because of his looks and activities which were supernatural and different
from the real people.
b. This story belongs to the genre of 'magical realism', a genre perfected by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez in his novels and short stories. Magical realism is a narrative technique in which the
story-teller narrates the common place things with magical colour and the events look both
magical and real at the same time. Collect five magic realist happenings from the story and
argue why they seem magical to you.
Answer: This story belongs to the genre of 'magical realism,' a genre perfected by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez in his novels and short stories. These five magic realist happenings from the story are
listed below:
1. Pelayo saw the very old man first with enormous wings. It is magical because in real world
humans do not have wings.
2. During the talk with Pelayo and his wife, the old man used his own dialect which they couldn’t
understand. Because of his strange language, they guessed that he might be from another planet.
That was also magical.
3. According to the woman of neighbourhood, he was introduced as an angel who came there to
treat the sick child. The word "angel" itself gives a magical link in the story.
4. According to the doctor he had so much whistling sound coming from his heart and kidneys so he
couldn’t be alive for long time. He saw that his feathers fell down and they quickly grew up which
made the doctor surprise. It is also magical.
5. The spider woman in the story is also magical. In real world there isn’t a human being like a
spider.
Because of above mentioned points, the story falls under the genre of Magical Realism.
c. The author introduces the episode of a woman who became a spider for having disobeyed
her parents. This episode at once shifts people's concentration from the strange old man to the
spider woman. What do you think is the purpose of the author to bring this shift in the story?
Answer: The author introduces the episode of a woman who became a spider for having disobeyed
her parents. This episode at once shifts people's concentration from the strange old man to the spider
woman. I think the author's intention in introducing this change in the story is to show the examples
of magical realism.
It is also found that from the magical realism, humans want to earn which is their greed. At the
beginning, Pelayo and Elisenda got benefit from the old man by charging some money to the
visitors. Later on, their earning was stopped because of the arrival of the spider woman. He brings
this shift to show that greed also.
d. The story deals with the common people's gullibility(भ्रामकता). How do Palayo and his wife
take advantage of common people's whim?
Answer: A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is a short story about the common people's
gullibility. Pelayo and his wife Elisenda saw an old man with wings in their courtyard and
attempted to talk with him. But they weren’t successful to talk to him. He used different dialect.
Then they called their neighbour woman, who told them that the old man is an angel who came
there to take their sick child but he was knocked down by the rain. They kept the angel in the
chicken coop. They informed some villagers about the event. The news spread so fast and so many
people came to see him. They made a plan to take entry charge to see the old man. In this way they
earned a lot of money from the common people’s whim.
A Day
by Emily Dickinson
About the author

One of the most eminent American poets from the nineteenth century, Emily Dickinson’s (1830-
1886) poetry was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as
well as her reading of the Book of Revelation and her upbringing in a Puritan New England town.
These upbringings inculcated in her Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to Christianity.
Dickinson and Walt Whitman are considered the founders of a uniquely American poetic voice.
While Dickinson was extremely prolific as a poet her regularly enclosed poems in letters to friends
she was not publicly recognized during her lifetime. However, she has been steadily gaining
popularity through her posthumously published poems.
In her poem “A Day”, Dickinson, through the use of brilliant imageries and symbols, describes a
beautiful day that leads the children from innocence to experience.
Summary
The poem "A Day" has been composed by Emily Dickinson. She was an American poet. In this
poem she describes the rising and setting of the sun. These two natural processes are delivered with
both literal and symbolic way. On a literal level, it is told through the perspective of an innocent
child. The child in his innocence expresses his views on sunrise and sunset. The whole poem
symbolises the transition from life to death.
Through the use of brilliant imagery and symbols, she describes a beautiful day that leads the
children from innocence to experience. The poem begins with the speaker declaring how the sun
rises or day begins. The sunrays are presented as a series of ribbons at a time. With the sunlight, the
steeples of the churches are covered with a deep violet colour like amethyst. The news of sunrise
spreads so fast like squirrels’ running.
In the second stanza, the hills are personified. The hills untie their bonnets. Before sunrise, the hills
are wearing the cap of mist which is cleared by the sunrays and its heat. As the sun rises, the mist
which is the metaphorical bonnet, over the hills evaporates. This inspires the bobolinks to begin
their morning song. She thinks herself that it is because of sunrise. Sunrise is the symbol of birth or
the beginning of life. It is the speaker’s innocence to to understand the worldly activities. She only
sees the beautiful things of life.
In the third stanza, the speaker becomes less confident describing the activity of sunset. She says
that she is unaware to describe the mysterious sunset. There appears a purple stile. The yellow boys
and girls climb the purple stile.
When the day ends, the yellow boys and girls are led away by a dominie. The dominie gently puts
up the evening bars and takes the children away. This means they are taken to the dark place. The
darkness or the sunset signifies death or the end of life. The evening bars symbolize a sense of
security. This gives the reader hope.
Different literary devices like symbolism, alliteration, metaphor, simile, personification etc. are
found in the poem.
A Day (Poem) Q/A Grade-12

a. How does the poet describe the morning sun in the first stanza?
→ In the first stanza, the poet describes the morning sun rising in the sky, deep violet colour like
amethyst in the steeples of the churches and the quick natural process as squirrels' run. It is
presenting as the stripe of ribbons which refers to the rays of the sun.
b. What does the line ‘The news like squirrels ran’ mean?
→ The line ‘The news like squirrels ran’ is an example of simile which means the process of
sunrise is very quickly like the squirrel’s run. This line describes the natural process of sunrise in
the morning time. This process is as quick as the run of squirrels that makes everyone realise the
arrival of morning.
c. What do you understand by the line ‘The hills untied their bonnets’?
→ By the line 'The hills United their bonnets', we understand the natural changes that appear in the
hills because of the presence of the sunrise. Before sunrise the hills are covered with mist like
wearing bonnets which is cleared by the rays of sun after sunrise. As the sun rises, the heat of the
sun rays unties the mists over the hills. The hills become clean and clear.
d. Is the speaker watching the morning sun? Why? Why not?
→ No, the speaker isn't watching the morning sun because in this poem he or she talks about both
sunrise and sunset. These two activities are not possible to happen at the same time. He/ she is just
narrating the event.
e. How does the sunset?
→ The speaker doesn’t know how the sun sets. It sets quite mysteriously and confuses the speaker
much. He/she has less confidence in describing the sunset. According to him/her, the sun's rays
seem purple and yellow during sunset time. When the sun sets, it takes away all the happiness and
joy of daytime and it will change into sadness and darkness.
a. What, according to the speaker, is a day?
→ According to the speaker, a day is the time of joy and happiness. It is a perfect blend of various
changes in nature. Here sunrise refers to the birth or creation and sunset refers to the death or end.
So, day time has various literal and symbolic meanings regarding tremendous changes in lifetime
from birth till death and the changes in nature during growing period.
b. What purpose does the hyphen in the first line serve in the poem?
The hyphen (-) in the first line serves break or silence. In this poem, the poet has used the hyphen to
create a more pronounced pause in reading. The speaker thinks what and how to tell about sunrise
and to give more emphasis in the description of sunrise, he/she uses hyphen to pause at the end of
the first line.
c. What makes this poem lyrical and sonorous? Discuss.
→ Different literary devices like alliteration, assonance, rhyme, rhythm etc. and the personal feeling
and emotion make the poem lyrical and sonorous. is a wonderful in the sense that it is full of both
literal and symbolic meanings.
d. Who are the target audience of the speaker? Why?
→ Here, the speaker of the poem is a newly born child who is innocent. He/ she describes a day
along with two beautiful aspects (sunrise and sunset) of this natural world through his/her
perspectives. By describing these two natural processes of sunrise and sunset, he/she wants to make
clear about natural phenomenon to all humankind. So, the target audience of the speaker is both
children and adults.
The End
Every Morning I Wake

by Dylan Thomas
About the author

Born in Swansea, Wales, Dylan Thomas (1914- 1953) is famous for his acutely lyrical and
emotional poetry. Thomas can be seen as an extension into the 20th century of the general
movement called Romanticism that flourished in the nineteenth century England particularly in its
emphasis on imagination, emotion, intuition, spontaneity, and organic form. Considered to be one of
the greatest Welsh poets of all time, Thomas is largely known for his imaginative use of language
and vivid imagery in his poems. He started working for BBC in 1945. Under Milk Wood (1953), a
radio play, was written over a long period of time during the last months of his life. It is set in a
small Welsh town called Llareggub and covers one day in the lives of its provincial characters.
“Every Morning I Wake” is an extract from Under the Milk Wood. In this poem, Thomas prays to
the magnificent God to have mercy on ordinary inhabitants living under the Milk Wood.
Summary
Every Morning I Wake is an extract from radio play named Under Milk Wood of 1954 which was
written by Dylan Thomas. In this poem, Thomas prays to the magnificent God to have mercy on
ordinary inhabitants living under the Milk Wood.
The poem is about the glorification and magnificent of God. God can be presented with different
qualities and forms. The speaker prays the god to keep his loving eyes on the poor creatures of the
planet. The speaker seems to be kind to the people. Every morning he prays to God to have mercy
on all poor people under the wood. The people are fated to be born and die. As long as they are
alive, they need help and to be protected. These are possible with the mercy of God.
Every evening the speaker asks the God a blessing to protect the town. The speaker is not sure
whether they live or die. He is sure that the God comes to bless them go.
In the third stanza, the speaker says that no one in the town is completely bad or good. He prays that
God will see and judge them. God can decide which is the best and which is the worst. These traits
are judged by the God.
In the last stanza of the poem the speaker suggests all the inhabitants of under Milk Wood to see
another day. All the people of that place will bow to the sun because they have good faith in the sun
and bids good bye as they are hoping to see the sunrise the next day.
According to the poem we human beings are so imperfect to do the activities. We fully depend on
the mercy of God. Our lives are directed by the blessing of God. We pray God because he has great
value and can preserve the best.
Every Morning I Wake

by Dylan Thomas

a. When does the speaker pray to the Lord?
The speaker prays to the Lord in every morning and evening.
b. What does the speaker pray for?
The speaker prays for having mercy on all poor creatures who are born and die under Milk Wood.
c. Who are the poor creatures? Why does the speaker call them 'poor creatures?
The poor creatures are the inhabitants of the town under Milk Wood. The speaker calls the ‘poor
creatures’ because they have temporary lives. They are born to die.
d. What does Milk Wood sound like? A type of wood or a place? Why?
Milk Wood sounds like a place of trees with white or gray trunks. It is not wood because there is no
article before Milk Wood. Before the proper name of a place, we don’t use article according to the
rule of grammar too.
e. Why do the inhabitants of Milk Wood bow to the setting sun but just for now?
The inhabitants of Milk Wood bow to the setting sun but just for now because they have deep faith
in God. They bow the setting sun to bring glorious sunshine the next day.

a. Discuss "Every Morning When I Wake" as a prayer to the God.
Answer: "Every Morning When I Wake" is a poem by Dylan Thomas. In this poem,
the speaker prays to the magnificent God to have mercy on poor people living under
the Milk Wood. The speaker prays to the Lord to keep his loving eye on all the poor
creatures who are mortal. Every morning the poet prays to God to have mercy on
the helpless people, he asks a blessing to protect the town too. He believes that God
is their savior and protector. He prays to the Lord in the evening to bring them
shining morning the next day.
b. Why does the speaker make a prayer to the God, but not to a king, a billionaire or a
scientist?
The speaker makes prayer to God but not to a king, a billionaire or a scientist because he has strong
faith on God. God is believed to be the creator of the universe. He is aware of the grandeur of
almighty God. All who are mentioned here like a king, a billionaire or a scientist are the mortal.
They will certainly die but God is immortal to him. When people face the difficulties, they first pray
to God, not to others. It is believed that only almighty God can help us and can solve the problems
easily. All people are the creation of God.
c. How does the poet highlight the magnificence of the God?
The poet highlights the magnificence of God, pleading to be noticed and protected. Every morning
the poet prays to God to have mercy on the helpless people in the evening, he asks a blessing to
protect the town. He believes that God is their savior and protector. He says that the God is the
creator of all creatures. The God is immortal. We can see the next morning because of the blessings
of the God. He guides us in trouble. He sees the best side of us as nobody is perfect to do so.
d. How does the rhyme scheme of the poem reinforce its message?
The poem has the AABBCC.. rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme is the easiest, simplest and most
common rhyme scheme which reinforces the message clearly and beautifully. It makes the poem
interesting and lovely to read or sing. The rhyme scheme helps to grasp the reader's attention
effectively to convey the message to the readers more attractively and easily.
I Was My Own Route (Poem) Summary
by Julia de Burgos
About the author

Born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) moved to New York, where she worked
as a journalist, and then Cuba, where she pursued further studies at the University of Havana.
Returning to New York after two years in Cuba, de Burgos, a freedom fighter, served as the art and
culture editor for the progressive newspaper Pueblos Hispanos. Predating the Nuyorican poetry
movement, de Burgos’ poems deal with themes of women’s liberation and social justice.
A precursor to the contemporary Latina/o writers, de Burgos, in her poem “I was my Own Route,”
depicts how the women are burdened with the patriarchal ideologies from the past. Therefore, de
Burgos urges the women to detach themselves from the past so as to locate their identity within.
Summary
The poem ‘I was my Own Route’ is written by Julia de Burgos. She is a feminist
writer. In this poem she shows how the women are burdened with the patriarchal ideologies from
the past. She challenges the masculine concept of interpreting females’ existence and journey
through traditional ways. Therefore, she urges the women to detach themselves from the past so as
to locate their identity within.
This poem is about strong freedom and liberation of women. It shows the search for new paths that
allow the women to define the exact way to follow the choice of their own route. It raises the voices
of women because of their dominated nature. She also rejects the ideology of men of deciding
women’s life. She expresses her views against inequality and prejudices. It is based on the feminist
ideas rebelling against the social injustices of the time. In the poem, the poet recounts her
experience as a dominated woman in her society. Her main interest is to make women aware about
women’s rights and freedom. She also defines who she is and what she wants as a woman in that
unequal society. Women also want opportunities, rights and benefits like men. The poet shows that
a woman never has to feel inferior due to external ideas of an ideology or a man, because a society
should not decide her destiny or anything related her life. She wants and requests all to continue
smart journey by clearing the obstacles along the way.
It is a reflective poem. The speaker in the poem is presented as a rebellious character. In this poem
she demonstrates that both men and women are equal and both of them are equally important. This
poem also shows that she is not interested to support the trend of that time. She does not want to
follow anything established by the society of her time. According to her life shouldn’t be influenced
by the ideas of others. It should be guided according to the interest of self. because the law provides
guarantees of the fundamental rights to women as men.
I Was My Own Route
by Julia de Burgos
Exercises

a. Why did the speaker try to be the way men wanted her to be?
Answer: The speaker tried to be the way men wanted her to be because she was a woman belonging
to a patriarchal society. She was compelled to fulfil the role and follow the route she was provided.
b. What do you understand by her feet would not accept walking backwards?
Answer: ‘Her feet would not accept walking backwards’ means she doesn't want to follow
traditional roles of women imposed from the patriarchal society. She wants to move ahead
following the rules of equality, freedom and liberation.
c. Who are the old guards? Why did they grow desperate?
Answer: The old guards are the people who follow traditional and old beliefs. They grew desperate
determined to step on her own route forward.
d. How did the speaker have a feeling of intimate liberation?
Answer: The speaker had a feeling of intimate liberation by crossing and overcoming the barriers
and obstacles made by patriarchal society. She began to feel intimate liberation by kissing of the
new paths.
e. Why did the speaker's desire to follow men warp in her?
Answer: The speaker’s desire to follow men wrapped in her because of the pre-established
patriarchal society and its rules.

a. What does the speaker mean when she says she was playing a game of hide and seek with
her being?
Answer: It means she is not satisfied with the traditional ideas and beliefs practiced in patriarchal
society. She is against that and she shows her rebellious nature by comparing it like a playing game
of hide and seek. She wants to break the and overthrow the mentality of masculine domination.
b. Why, in your view, was her back ripped by the old guards as she was advancing forward?
Answer: In my view, she has feminist ideology. The old guards are the traditional beliefs of a
patriarchal society cause so many problems to women. The problems were mainly for the women.
She stood as the representative of whole women. So, such traditional bad beliefs were imposed on
her life. Her back was ripped by these beliefs as she was advancing because she was brought up in
the male dominated society.
c. What, according to the speaker, did it feel like to be free?
Answer: According to the speaker, being free means being able to do the activities of her own
interest. The speaker wanted to walk, feel and do the activities like a man. She felt freedom,
liberation etc. with complete women rights without and obstacles and disturbances of males.
d. Why does the speaker prefer the present to the past?
Answer: The speaker prefers the present to the past because women were supposed to follow the
patriarchal rules. Thy were dominated by the norms of masculine superiority in the past. She feels
complete freedom and liberation in the present. Women rights are guaranteed so such activities
make her prefer the present to the past
The Awakening Age

by Ben Okri
About the author

A winner of Man Booker prize for his novel The Famished Road, the Nigerian poet, fiction writer,
and essayist Ben Okri (1949-) spent his early childhood in London. Informed by folk tales and
dream logic, Okri’s writing also treats his family’s experience of the Nigerian civil war. In an
interview for The National, Okri stated, “I grew up in a tradition where there are simply more
dimensions to reality: legends and myths and ancestors and spirits and death. You can't use Jane
Austen to speak about African reality. Which brings the question: what is reality? Everyone's reality
is different. For different perceptions of reality we need a different language.”
A prolific poet and story teller, Okri, like in his other works, portrays the hardships of the African
people in “The Awakening Age”. In addition, he makes a call for unity, peace and solidarity among
human beings from different parts of the world.
Summary
The poem ‘The Awakening Age’ is written by Ben Okri. This poem portrays the hardships of the
African people. In addition, he makes a call for unity, peace and solidarity among human beings
from different parts of the world who have been fragmented due to the devasting civil war. The
poem is a hopeful vision of understanding and co-operation among the people around the world. It
is a poem of harmony also.
In this poem, the poet wishes the well-being of African people after the outbreak of civil war. He
also advocates about the time to enter a new world of awakening world. The African inhabitants
may have the vision of a new world. Nigerian people have faced miserable condition with a long
path of hunger, poverty, unemployment and other aspects. He also hopes that they may experience
the bright and glorious awakening age. The awakening age refers to the time when African people
have a recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of their condition, and the beginning of
their new world. The awakening age means the age with new vision, style and education of African
people.
The poet has made a call for all the people of Nigeria to ahead for its progress. He also says that his
people have been driven by an unseen force to the fragmentation and poverty. He makes a hope that
connects them together like a garland of flowers. Deprived and desperate African people move
further to new heights themselves. They are eager to change their perception with truthfulness in a
new world to get better reform. HE is also hopeful that they will have the chance to get good jobs,
freedom, knowledge, creativity etc. They are also hopeful to discover their talents and use their
efficiency not only to suit themselves but also others. In this way their life will be happy and
prosperous beyond their poverty.
The Awakening Age

by Ben Okri
Exercises
a. Who are the people who travel the meridian line?
Answer: The people who travel the meridian line are African (Nigerian) inhabitants.
b. What does the poet mean by 'a new world?
Answer: By a new world the poet means the place where there is peace, unity, harmony and
prosperity with good knowledge, wisdom and prosperity.
c. How are people connected to each other?
Answer: People are connected to each other with hope where there is harmony, wisdom and
prosperity.
d. What can gain after our perceptions are changed?
Answer: We can gain various things like unity, prosperity, wisdom, creativity etc. after our
perceptions are changed. We can also gain truthfulness away from pains and sufferings.
e. How are we benefited by new people?
Answer: We are benefitted with their supportive works with wisdom, and creativity. It helps to
reach the height of success and prosperity.
f. Describe the rhyme scheme of this sonnet.
Answer: The poem has seven couplets having two lines. The rhyme pattern of the poem is very
simple and sonorous. It follows the rhyme scheme AA BB CC DD EE FF GG.

a. What does the poet mean by 'the awakening age?
Answer: The awakening age refers to the time when African people have a recognition, realization
and awareness of their condition. This is the age of enlightenment where there is peace, wisdom,
prosperity, freedom, unity etc. among the people and birth of their new world.
b. Why, in your view, have these people lived with poverty's rage?
Answer: During the colonial period, the Africans was exploited by the European people in the
name of utilizing the natural resources. On the other hand, African countries involved in long civil
war. There was imbalance in of national wealth as a few powerful people have taken control of
power. The ordinary people did was more than their poverty. These are the reasons why African
people have lived with poverty's rage.
c. Why does the poet appeal for solidarity among the people?
Answer: The poet appeals for solidarity among the people because they are divided and fragmented
due to civil war. It is possible and true that they can get success when they are united.
d. Does the poet present migration in a positive light? Why? Why not?
Answer: The poet presents migration in a positive light. Migration boosts the working-age
population. Migrants arrive with skills and contribute to do something better and skillful way so that
development is possible. They also support progress with new technologies
e. Nepal is also known for its economic as well as educational migrants. Have you noticed any
change in the perceptions and behaviours of these migrants when they return home from
abroad?
Answer: Many Nepalese youths go abroad for further studies and employment. They go for
economic as well as educational progress. We have noticed changes in their perceptions and
behaviours when they return home. After returning back home, they bring new hope and skill as
potential benefits. The people. working abroad can increase their income, acquire new skills, and
collect savings and assets. When they return, they bring both the financial and human capital
accumulated abroad to their homeland. Benefits appear when returned migrants are successful in
using skills, knowledge and savings for the sake of his/ her family, society and country.
f. Relate the rhyme scheme of this sonnet to the kind of life idealized by the poet.
Answer: The poem has the rhyme scheme AA BB CC DD EE FF GG. This pair rhyme scheme
indicates harmony among the people. It also gives complete thought through this rhyme scheme.
The poet visualizes the feeling of unity and togetherness among the African people. According to
the poem the people are chased because of an unseen force. They can be connected together with a
hope.
Soft Storm
by Abhi Subedi
About the author

A prolific poet, playwright, and critic, Abhi Subedi (1945) has remained one of the eminent
personalities in the field of literature in Nepal. Born in Sabla village of Terhathum district, Subedi
has written several plays including Dreams of Peach Blossoms (2001) and Fire in the Monastery
(2003). Subedi, who taught at the Central Department of English, Tribhuvan University, for around
40 years, has poetry collections like Manas (1974) and Chasing Dreams: Kathmandu Odyssey
(1996) and Shabdara Chot (1997) to his credit.
In the present poem entitled “Soft Storm,” Subedi, with a touch of compassion, contemplates over
the absurdities of tumultuous times.
In the present poem entitled “Soft Storm” Subedi, with a touch of compassion, contemplates over
the absurdities of tumultuous times.
Summary
The poem ‘Soft Storm’ is written by a popular poem Abhi Subedi. He is the most prominent
personality in the academic field of Nepal. He has taught more than 44 years in different universities
and equally contributed in the field of literature by writing several poems, essays, stories and
dramas in both Nepali and English languages.
This poem presents the speaker of the poem as a rebel in the society. He doesn’t like the useless and
cruel activities of the society. This poem indirectly attacks the mal-practices of Nepali society very
minutely. The poem is a bit longer than other poems of this book. It is written in free verse. It has a
beautiful combination of the description between nature and society.
The poet describes the environmental disorder in Nepali society using the words tumult, eerie,
stillness, sky like crocuses, stones, skidded moon, tearing roof etc. in the first stanza. In the same
way, he makes a correlation of those natural disorders with the practices of human society by using
the words like politics, postures, rituals and reasons. In the last line of the first stanza, the poet uses
a term seamless city that refers to the problem less or unified city of the past. It's no more than the
recall of the time where there were very fewer social problems in the society.
In the second stanza, he gives the reference of homeless children who are crying in Thamel. They
are also crying because of hunger under the bat-bearing trees of Kesharmahal. He shows the bitter
reality of a developing country through the lines. It is a serious social problem of the nation which
should be solved at any cost. In the same stanza, he uses the term 'unwedded gardens of history'
from which he wants to refer the past unflourished incidences of the society which literally means
lawless, disturbed and chaos situation created by social and political domination in the Nepalese
society.
Similarly, in the third stanza, he talks about a forlorn child carrying a transistor radio around his
neck who is wailing to find his mother. This phrase indicates a painful condition of street children.
There is also a reference of a man who was beaten mercilessly for no reason. Likewise, in the poem,
he presents a reference of an injured man with a blood-stained shirt crying for humanity. When
these words of agony are not heard, it reflects the situation of lawlessness, which ultimately makes
the speaker become rebellious against the system.
In the remaining stanzas the speaker has also presented the disturbed courses of our society and the
courses of our nature. Dominated person can’t speak because his voice is locked. It is like the game
of hide and seek. The references of crocuses have grown over the stone, rain tears, sun laughter,
deforested land, rhododendron blooming in winter, songs of the sad birds etc. have shown the
degradation of social values and environmental conditions. Indifferent, selfish and lawless activities
of present people have disturbed and spoilt earth and the creatures of the earth. In the final stanza,
the speaker concludes it by stating the desire for freedom for him as well as other creatures of the
earth. He favours the beautiful, lovely and calm sky with sweet music of soft storm.
Soft Storm
by Abhi Subedi

a. When does the speaker grow soft? Enlist the occasions when he grows soft.
Answer: The speaker grows soft when he hears the tumult, the sky grows like crocuses, the moon
skids down, homeless children cry due to hunger, forlorn children cry in search of mother etc.
b. What do you understand by this seamless city?
Answer: By ‘this seamless city’ I understand the place having no awkward transitions, interruptions
or indications. It also refers to the problem less or unified city of the past. It's no more than the
recall of the past time when there were very fewer social problems in the society.
c. Describe the poor children portrayed in the poem. or indications.

Answer: The children in the poem are poor and homeless. Such children are seen in Thamel. They
cry because of hunger under the bat-bearing trees of Kesharmahal. They cry and wail to find their
mother too.
d. What do you understand by the unwedded gardens of history?
Answer: By 'unwedded gardens of history' we understand the past unflourished incidences of the
society which literally means lawless, disturbed and chaos situation created by social and political
domination in the Nepalese society.
e. Why was the forlorn child wailing?
Answer: The forlorn child was wailing to find his mother in that selfish and careless city.
f. What do you understand by soft storm?
Answer: By ‘soft storm' I understand the speakers disturbed feelings, but they are not disastrous.
g. Why does the speaker call our time 'mad time’?
Answer: The speaker calls our time mad time because the speaker finds lawless, selfish and manner
less activities of the people. People are trying to dominate and suck others.
stone grows in flower, the moon hums melodies history rushes under the lamppost and over
deforested land, birds sing of bizarre journeys over the warming earth’ rhododendron bloom in
winter, mother earth tells of the tumults in the songs of the s birds.
h. What does the speaker want to do in "hard times”?
Answer: The speaker wants to melt like a rainbow in “hard times”.
Unit THREE
On Libraries
by Oliver Sack
About the author
Oliver Sacks was born in 1933 in London and was educated at the Queen’s College, Oxford. He
completed his medical training at San Francisco’s Mount Zion Hospital and at UCLA before
moving to New York, where he soon encountered the patients whom he would write about in his
book Awakenings. Sacks was a neurologist and an author whose case studies of patients with
unusual disorders became best-sellers. His focus on patients with particularly rare or dramatic
problems made his work popular with writers in other forms, and his case studies were adapted into
several different movies and operas. Dr. Sacks spent almost fifty years working as a neurologist and
wrote a number of books--including The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Musicophilia, and
Hallucinations--about the strange neurological predicaments and conditions of his patients. The
New York Times referred to him as "the poet laureate of medicine," and he received many awards,
including honors from ‘The Guggenheim Foundation,’ The National Science Foundation, The
American Academy of Arts and Letters, and The Royal College of Physicians. His memoir, On the
Move, was published shortly before his death in August 2015.
“On Libraries” is written in praise of intellectual freedom, community work, and the ecstasy of
serendipitous discovery. Among the titans of mind and spirit shaped and saved by libraries was the
great neurologist, author, and voracious reader.
Summary
The essay 'On Libraries' is written by Oliver Sacks. In this essay, the essayist remembers his
childhood. He grew in an oak paneled library inherited from his father where so many books were
stacked. Oliver is happy in this essay because it is his autobiographical writing. He is so delightful.
It is written in praise of intellectual freedom, community work, high state of unexpected discovery
and so on.
The essayist has good habit of reading books in libraries. He has found his natural curiosity
unstimulated by the industrial model of education into which he was pushed. At the library he was
master of his own time and mind. He got so many ideas from books. He discovered the living
substance of learning without the ill-fitting structure of schooling. He apprehended liberation
through self-directed learning. He also found a surprising sense of community, which became a
wonderful complement to his newfound intellectual autonomy. Autonomous learning is very
important and good to achieve success.
The essayist moved to New York City in 1965. He started to live in a small apartment. It was
difficult for him to read and write but he began to write. He wrote the books on mind. Then, he was
accepted into Albert Einstein College of Medicine where he felt comfort to read and write. He met
another friend there who was also searching for the books of brain. They had close connection
because they shared their knowledge to each other. He continued reading books in the library. At
that time students ignored bookshelves because of their access of the materials on the computers.
Some libraries started to discard old books. He didn’t like that. For him it was very bad thing which
he took as murder or crime. The library became his escape from the oppressions and adversity of a
young person.
On Libraries
by Oliver Sack
a. Where could the author be found when he was late for lunch or dinner?
Answer: The author could be found in the library when he was late for lunch or dinner.
b. What are his first memories?
Answer: The beautiful oak panel library and books are his first memories.
c. Why did he dislike school?
Answer: He disliked school because he had to listen to the teachers passively following their
orders. He was free and liked to learn himself what he wanted in the library.
d. What did he feel about at the library?
Answer: At the library, he felt free to look at the thousands of books. He got opportunity to roam
and to enjoy the free and special atmosphere. He also got company of other readers like him on the
missions of their own.
e. Why was he so biased about sciences especially astronomy and chemistry?
Answer: He was so biased about sciences especially astronomy and chemistry because of his
growing interest in science.
f. Why did he become so fascinated by Hook?
Answer: He became so fascinated by Theodore Hook because he found books of him in the
Bodleian library. He was greatly admired in the early nineteenth century for his wit and his genius
for theatrical and musical improvisation.
g. Describe library at the Queen's College.
Answer: The library building was magnificent. It had been designed by Christopher Wren. He was
a great architect. Beneath the library there was an underground large room. The heating pipes
attached to the walls and corners. The design of the library was classical. This library was full of
ancient books. The books were of original prints and editions.
h. Why did the students ignore the bookshelves in the 1990s?

Answer: The students ignored the bookshelves in the 1990s because they could access the books of
their interest in the computers. Most of the books were digitalized. They felt more comfortable
reading books in their computers rather than in the libraries.
i. Why was he horrified when he visited the library a couple of months ago?
Answer: He was horrified when he visited the library a couple of months ago because various
books of the library were thrown out of the shelves. The books of libraries were gone one by one
because of the presence of digital books so he was very sad as well as horrified.

a. The author says, "I was not a good pupil, but I was a good listener." Justify it with the
textual evidences.
Answer: The author says, “I was not a good pupil but I was a good listener” because he disliked
school. He didn’t like sitting in the classroom, receiving instruction and information from the
teachers and obeying them. Listening to their instructions seemed to go in one ear and out by the
other. He was not a good pupil in the sense that he didn’t pay attention to the message conveyed by
the teachers but he listened without making noise so he was a good listener. At the library, he felt
free to look at the thousands of books. He got opportunity to roam and to enjoy the free and special
atmosphere. He also got company of other readers like him on the missions of their own.
b. A proverb says, "Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library." Does this proverb apply
in the essay? Explain.
Answer: The proverb “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library” is suitable for the essay. In
this essay the essayist has dealt about the significance of exploring the library. When he was a child,
his favorite room was the the library of his house. Books and his library are among his first
memories. Nothing gave much satisfaction than reading the books in the library for the essayist. He
disliked school. He didn’t like sitting in the classroom, receiving instruction and information from
the teachers and obeying them. He gave a deaf ear to learning in the classroom. He enjoyed the
environment of the libraries and companionship with other readers in the library. He talked about
the charms of reading books in the library. Thus, the proverb 'nothing is pleasanter than exploring a
library, applies in the essay,
c. Are there any other services that you would like to see added to the library?
Answer: Libraries are established to provide benefits for the readers. Generally, it is a room with
several books. In the past the library shelves were equipped with many paper based books but now
the tradition has been changed. It is required to have a good range of books which interest the
readers. Because of the availability of digital materials, I’d like to see internet service added to the
library. There should be different audio, visual books and materials in the library. The users should
get the chance to use their own mobile phones or laptops to connect to the library's network for
downloading and reading E-books, journals, magazines or using other online sources for learning. I
would like to see the books written in braille so that blind people can read and enjoy there.
Marriage as a Social Institution
by Steven L. Nock
About the author

Steven L. Nock (March 11, 1950 – January 26, 2008) was a researcher, author, and the Commonwealth Professor of
Sociology at the University of Virginia. He wrote extensively on the role of marriage in society, and worked in the
Federal Department of Health and Human Services as a consultant on American family policy. He authored textbooks
and articles about the causes and consequences of change in the American family. He investigated issues of privacy,
unmarried fatherhood, cohabitation, commitment, divorce, and marriage. His book, Marriage in Men's Lives won the
William J. Good Book Award from the American Sociological Association for the most outstanding contribution to
family scholarship in 1999.
In this essay, the author examines the national marriage debate by reviewing the social and demographic trends that
have changed the role of marriage and the family. He views that marriage and parenthood are private matters,
relevant only to the individuals directly involved.
He points out the programs that have strengthened marital relationships, lowered divorce rates, reduced out-of-
wedlock births, and encouraged responsible fatherhood.
Summary
The essay ‘Marriage as a Social Institution’ is written by Stephen L. Nock. In this essay, the author examines the
national marriage debate by reviewing the social and demographic trends that have changed the role of marriage and
the family. He views that marriage and parenthood are private matters, relevant only to the individuals directly
involved. He points out the programs that have strengthened marital relationships, lowered divorce rates, reduced
out-of-wedlock births, and encouraged responsible fatherhood.
A marriage is much more than the sum of two spouses. It is also a relationship defined by legal, moral, and
conventional assumptions and have a variety of close personal relationships and associations. The spouses are united
are legally, morally, and socially by various personal and societal connections. Marriage as social institution is
examined carefully as a major social structure that impacts the males. In this essay the writer asserts that the position
of spouse has a special significance in men's life. The institution of traditional marriage helps men develop their
manhood as they get older. In a marriage, a gay grows, maintains, and shows his masculine identity. After marriage
the husbands are turned into the household's leader. Fidelity and parenting are the characteristics of a normal
marriage. Couples react to each other, culture society and the rules and values that define them as a unit since they
are life partners. Married males, in particular, had greater physical and mental health than married women.
The essayist cites French sociologist Emile Durkheim to support his view. Emile believes that marriage benefits men
because it is an organ of society. Two people get the chance to enjoy a harmonious and happy life. Marriage improves
men's civic virtues and helps them discover their life’s purpose. People who are married are less likely to commit
suicide than those who are single. Marriage is effective way to rein in one's irrational longings(desires) and wants.
Marriage binds a man to the same woman for the rest of his life in order to satisfy his desire for love, which provides
moral balance to his life. It is crucial for male to get married because it gives them direction in life and helps them
achieve their goals.
Now a days unmarried cohabitation (living together) is in fashion which is not generally and legally recognized since
they do not follow normal beliefs, limitations in conduct, no responsibility to each other, no identity and no
institutional relationship. Cohabitation without marriage is living together without marriage. They don't boldly identify
themselves as husband and wife. A married pair conforms to patterns, conventions, and rules as husband and wife
and receives acceptance from everyone. There are laws, religion, and customs protecting their relationship.
Americans generally agree about six dimensions of marriage. Together, these constitute a normative definition of
marriage. They are:
1. Marriage is a free personal choice, based on love.
2. Maturity is a presumed requirement for marriage.
3. Marriage is a heterosexual relationship.
4. The husband is the head, and principal earner, in a marriage.
5. Sexual fidelity (faithfulness) and monogamy are expectations for marriage.
6. Marriage typically involves children.
Marriage establishes a connection based on reliability and trust. Social capital has advantages for the individuals who
possess it. The couple meets new blood relatives. The institution of marriage is a personal asset but it is more difficult
to maintain since it only exists through relationships with others. There is an obligation to assist and support one
other when we are in need. The foundation of the new partnership is built on mutual trust and belief.
MARRIAGE AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

a. According to the author, what is marriage?
Answer: According to the author, marriage is the union of two people who are legally, morally, and culturally tied and
have a variety of close personal relationships and associations.
b. How is marriage an institution?
Answer: Marriage is an institution because the relationship between the couples is recognised by social ang legal law
as a means of meeting social, economic, physical, and family requirements, and it serves many functions for a
community like other institutions.
c. What are the rules that a marriage has?
Answer: Marriage has a large set of rules that help in the planning and maintaining the spouses' life.
d. Why does marriage matter to men?
Answer: Marriage matters to men because it provides structure to their lives and organizes their goals and ambitions.
They become responsible in social, economic, physical, and family requirements.
e. What is one of the central problems in modern society?
Answer: One of the central problems in modern society is putting various legitimate boundaries around modern
individuals' limitless desires for their well-being, recreation and prestige.
f. What does social capital consist of?
Answer: Social capital consists of a large network of people who are connected by a bond of reliability and
trustworthiness.
g. What is normative marriage? Explain.
Answer: A normative marriage is the marriage which follows social norms and values or the one which is built on pre-
established norms and values. For example, in the United States, the six dimensions that define normative marriage.

a. Discuss six dimensions that define normative marriage in America.
Answer: Marriage exists everywhere, although the concept of marriage varies by location. Every civilization has its
own set of marital traditions and values. Whatever it is, it allows two adults of opposite sexes the legal right to live as
life partners, satisfying each other's desires. Every marriage, in every area, follows norms, values and patterns, and the
same is true in the United States. In America, the structured marriage known as normative marriage has six
dimensions. They are:
1. Marriage is a free personal choice, based on love.
2. Maturity is a presumed requirement for marriage.
3. Marriage is a heterosexual relationship.
4. The husband is the head, and principal earner, in a marriage.
5. Sexual fidelity and monogamy are expectations for marriage.
6. Marriage typically involves children.
b. Do marriages differ according to culture? How is your marriage practice different from marriage in
America?
Answer: Marriages differ according to culture. We find different types of marriages in different cultures and locations.
Even within our country, the marriages of one geographical region is different from another geographical region. For
example, the marriage tradition of Terai region is different from the marriage tradition of mountainous region.
Similarly, the marriage practices of Hindu people are different than the practices of Buddhist people. However, the
Hindu religion is followed by the majority of Nepalese people. So, it is mostly guided by Hindu religion. Marriage, in
our opinion, is a social, spiritual, cultural, and legal connection between a man and a woman as husband and wife. It is
also the beginning of a relationship between two families. Our marriage practices are different from those in the
United States because our practices are guided by Hindu tradition, whereas the practices of United States are guided
by Christian tradition. They follow different trends for wedding ceremony.
nowledge and Wisdom
by Bertrand Arthur William Russell
About the author

Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872–1970) was a British philosopher, logician, essayist and social critic best known
for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. His most influential contributions include his championing
of logicism (the view that mathematics is in some important sense reducible to logic), his refining of Gottlob Frege’s
predicate calculus (which still forms the basis of most contemporary systems of logic), his defense of neutral monism
(the view that the world consists of just one type of substance which is neither exclusively mental nor exclusively
physical), and his theories of definite descriptions, logical atomism and logical types.
In this essay, Russell differentiates between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom are different things.
According to him, knowledge is defined as the acquisition of data and information, while wisdom is defined as the
practical application and use of the knowledge to create value. Wisdom is gained through learning and practical
experience, not just memorization.
Summary
The essay ‘Knowledge and Wisdom’ is written by a British essayist Bertrand Arthur William Russell. In this essay,
Russell differentiates between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom are different things. According to him,
knowledge is defined as the acquisition of data and information whereas wisdom is defined as the practical
application and use of the knowledge to create value. Wisdom is gained through learning and practical experience, not
just memorization.
According to Russel, knowledge is defined as the acquisition of data and

information. It is like a generating theory. while wisdom is defined as the practical
application and use of the knowledge to create value. Wisdom is gained through
learning and practical experience, not just memorization. A sense of proportion is very
much necessary for wisdom. By inventing medicine, a scientist may reduce the infant
death-rate. Apparently, it leads to population explosion and shortage of food. The
standard of life comes down. If misused, knowledge of atom can lead human to
destruction by manufacturing nuclear weapon. Knowledge and Wisdom have the
relation like theory and practice.
In this essay the essayist talks about several factors that contribute to wisdom.
According to him, the factors that contribute to wisdom are:
Only Knowledge or Wisdom can’t be sufficient. Both are equally important.
Knowledge without wisdom can be harmful. Even complete knowledge is not
enough. For example, Hegel wrote with great knowledge about history, but made the
Germans believe that they were a master race. It led to war. It is necessary, therefore
to combine knowledge with feelings. We need wisdom both in public and private life.
We need wisdom to decide the goal of our life. We need it to free ourselves from
personal prejudices. Wisdom is needed to avoid dislike for one another. Two persons
may remain enemies because of their prejudice. If they can be told that we all have
flaws then they may become friends.
In this essay, Russell defines what wisdom is in the first part and in the second part he
talks about how it can be attained. Without knowledge, wisdom cannot go forward. He
says that wisdom and knowledge must go ahead simultaneously. Thus, knowledge
and wisdom are remarkable gifts of the clear exposition of Russel. It shows Russel as a
great master of lucid style. His intellect is brilliant and his vision is comprehensive.
Knowledge and Wisdom (Exercises)

a. What are the factors that contribute to wisdom?

Answer: In the essay "Knowledge and Wisdom", Bertrand Russell talks about several factors that contribute to
wisdom. According to him, the factors that contribute to wisdom are:
b. What message does the writer try to convey with the examples of technicians?
Answer: The writer tries to convey the message related to harms with the examples of technicians. According to
him technical knowledge can be harmful to humankind if that knowledge is applied without wisdom. For
example, the technicians become happy in lowering the infant death-rate in the world but it results lack of food
supply and lowers the standard of life. Similarly, the knowledge of atomic theory can be misused in making atom
bombs which destroys the human race.
c. Which leaders does Russell say were able to mix knowledge and wisdom soundly?
Answer: According to Russell, the leaders like Queen Elizabeth I in England, Henry IV in France and Abraham
Lincoln can mix knowledge and wisdom soundly. Queen Elizabeth I and Henry IV remained free from the errors
of their time and both, by remaining free were beneficent and certainly not ineffective. Similarly, Abraham
Lincoln conducted a great war without ever departing from wisdom.
d. Why is the wisdom needed not only in public ways but in private life equally?
Answer: Wisdom is not only needed in public ways but also used in private life equally. It is needed in the choice
of ends to be pursued and in emancipation from personal prejudice. In the lack of wisdom, we may fail in
choosing the target of our life and getting success in life.
e. What, according to Russell, is the true aim of education?
Answer: The true aim of education, according to Russell, is installing wisdom in people. It is wisdom that makes
us utilize our knowledge in practical life purposefully without making any harm to humankind. Along with
knowledge, people must have the wisdom to be good citizens.
f. Can wisdom be taught? If so, how?
Answer: Yes, wisdom can be taught. The teaching of wisdom should have a larger intellectual element more
than moral instruction. The disastrous results of hatred and narrow mindedness to those who feel them can be
pointed out incidentally in the course of giving knowledge. For example, while teaching the composition of an
atom, the disastrous results of it must be taught to eliminate its misuse such as making an atom bomb.
g. Why does the world need more wisdom in the future?
Answer: When we observe the growth of knowledge in various sectors in the present time, it is obvious that there
will be even more development of knowledge in the future. In the absence of wisdom, most people are misusing
knowledge bringing several negative impacts and this reality will continue in the future too if knowledge is not
mixed with wisdom. It is only wisdom, that makes people use the acquired knowledge wisely. For a better future,
more wisdom is needed.
a. According to Russell, "The Pursuit of Knowledge may become harmful unless it is combined with
wisdom." Justify this statement.
Answer: Humans are curious creatures and they always want to learn new things. Most people have spent their
whole lives in pursuit of knowledge. Some pieces of knowledge are noble and beneficial for humans whereas
sine pieces of knowledge are harmful to us. The knowledge which is combined with wisdom is useful for us
because it addresses the total needs of mankind. The knowledge of atomic composition has become harmful to
mankind because it is used in making bombs. Similarly, Hegal, though he had great knowledge about history,
made the Germans believe that they were a master race. It led to the great disastrous wars. So, it is necessary to
combine knowledge with the feeling of humanity. We need it an event to decide the aim of our life. It makes us
free from personal prejudices. Even noble things are applied unwisely in the lack of wisdom.
b. What, according to Russell, is the essence of wisdom? And how can one acquire the very essence?
Answer: According to Russell, the essence of wisdom is emancipation from the tyranny of being partiality. It
makes our thoughts and feeling less personal and less concerned with our physical states. It is wisdom that
makes us care and love the entire human race, it takes us into the higher stage of spirituality. It makes us be
able to make the right decision, install a broad vision and unbiasedness in our minds. We can acquire the very
essence by breaking the chain of the egoism of our sense, understanding the ends of human life, applying our
knowledge wisely for the benefit of humans, finding noble and attainable goals of our life, controlling our
sensory perceptions, being impartial gradually and loving others.
Humility
by Yuval Noah Harari

About the author
Prof. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, 21
Lessons for the 21st Century, and Sapiens: A Graphic History. He is a Co-founder of
Sapienship, a multidisciplinary organization advocating for global responsibility whose
mission is to clarify the public conversation, support the quest for solutions and focus
attention on the most important challenges facing the world today. He is now a
lecturer in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Harari exemplifies the virtue of humility in that he debunks humanity’s illusions of

superiority and mastery. He claims morality, art, spirituality and creativity are
universal human abilities embedded in our DNA.
Summary
The essay Humility is written by a renowned essayist of Jerusalem, Yuval Yuval Noah
Harari. In this essay he exemplifies the virtue of humility in that he debunks
humanity’s illusions of superiority and mastery. He claims morality, art, spirituality and
creativity are universal human abilities embedded in our DNA.
In this essay, the essayist exemplifies the virtue of humility, which can be defined as “a
recognition of the real limits of our techno-social knowledge and ability”, in that he
debunks humanity’s illusions of superiority and mastery. Harari tells us that humility is
a quality that most cultures lack. Most of the people tend to believe that they are the
centre of the word and their culture is linchpin of human history.
Greeks believe that history began with Homer, Sophocles and Plato, and that all
important ideas and inventions were born in Athens, Sparta, Alexandria or
Constantinople. There are Indians that believe that the invention of airplanes and
nuclear bombs were invented by ancient sages in the Indian subcontinent long before
Confucius or Plato, not to mention Einstein and the Wright brothers. The Jews believe
that monotheism should be credited to them and that they are a significant group in
the world – the top three religions. But there are only 15 million Jews and there is no
reason to think that they should be considered more important than the Hindu
religion that has far more followers.
Each group believes itself to be the center of the of the universe and the inventor of
the most important philosophies and contributions. But no group is truly unique –
some form of their philosophy and beliefs has existed before them. The religions that
survived are those that were the most violent – they managed to convert the largest
number of populations to their belief. For example, the Biblical phrase that Jews take
credit for “love thy neighbour as thyself” has appeared before in China. Similarly,
monotheism can be traced back to Egypt and is not originally Jewish. Monotheism has
contributed to catastrophise in the world and one should not be proud for having
invented it. Christianity a few centuries after its inception banned all religions except
for the Jewish religion although many Jews were still persecuted, while Islam today
considers all history prior to Mohammed to be irrelevant.
The Chinese nationalists believe that many great ideas originated in their culture. The
Jews believe that they are the chosen people, and that the gentiles are not equal to
them in importance according to God. While some sages have called for religious
tolerance, the prevailing trend throughout history has always been to persecute those
who have different beliefs. And this is ironically the same self-centeredness that most
religions have warned against.
Humility
by Yuval Noah Harari
Exercises

a. Describe the claim of the Chinese nationalists about the human society.
Answer: Chinese nationalists claim that history really began with the Yellow Emperor and the Xia and Shang
dynasties, and that whatever Westerners, Muslims or Indians achieved is but a pale copy of original Chinese
breakthroughs.
b. What do pious Muslims believe about the human society?
Answer: Pious Muslims believe that all history prior to the Prophet Muhammad as largely irrelevant, and they
consider all history after the revelation of the Quran to revolve around the Muslim ummah.
c. What did the Aztecs firmly believe about the universe?
Answer: The Aztecs firmly believed that without the sacrifices they performed each year, the sun would not rise and
the entire universe would disintegrate.
d. What, according to the essay are the universal human abilities?
Answer: According to the essay, morality, art, spirituality, and creativity are universal human abilities.
e. How are the basic yoga postures derived from the shape of letters of Hebrew alphabet?
Answer: All the basic postures of Yoga derived from the shape of letters of Hebrew alphabet. The Trikonasanna
posture imitates the shape of Hebrew letter ‘aleph’, Tuladandasana imitates the letter ‘daled’ etc.

a. How do Hindu nationalists refute the Chinese claim that human history really began with the Yellow
Emperor and the Xia Dynasties? Who do you agree with and why?
Answer: Hindu nationalists refute the Chinese claim by saying that airplanes and nuclear bombs were invented by
ancient sages in the Indian sub-continent long before Confucius, Plato, Einstein and Wright brothers. I agree with the
Hindu nationalists because Hinduism is the oldest religion of the world.
b. The author has dealt with a controversial debate on history. Why do you think history has been a major
contested issue in the present world?
Answer: Due to egoism, most of the people think they are the centre of the world and their culture is superior to all
other cultures. They think their history is the oldest one and everything derived/originated from their culture. History
has been a major contested issue in the present world due to egoism. The author wants to debunk humanity's illusion
of superiority and mastery.
Unit Four: One-act Plays
A Matter of Husbands
by Ferenc Molnár
About the author

Widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial playwright, Ferenc
Molnár’s (1878–1952) primary aim was to entertain people by transforming his
personal experiences into literary works of art. Out of his many plays, The Devil (1907),
Lilion (1909), The Guardsman (1910), The Swan (1920), and The Play’s the Thing (1926)
endure as classics. He immigrated to the United States to escape persecution of
Hungarian Jews during World War II and later adopted American citizenship. Molnár’s
plays continue to be relevant and are performed all over the world.
Published in 1923, A Matter of Husband sheds light on the basic function of actors: to
make the audience believe in illusion.
Summary of A Matter of Husbands
'A Matter of Husbands' is a one act play written by Ferenc Molnar. He is widely
regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial playwright. There are three
main characters in the play. They are Earnest Young Woman (Alfred’s wife), Sara
(Famous Actress) and Alfred (Lawyer, husband of Earnest Young Woman). It is a very
twisted one act play which depicts the story of Earnest Young Woman. She is married
to a lawyer who knows Famous Woman.
This play sheds the light on the roles of actors on the stage and in real life and how
much they are capable of keeping us in an illusion. In the beginning of the play, the
Earnest Young Woman is shown on the stage impatiently waiting for the famous
actress. The Famous Actress is called 'Sara'. As Sara enters the stage through the
curtain, Earnest Young Woman rushes to her and angrily asks her to return her
husband. The Famous Actress boldly denies that she has stolen her husband. She
says she knows him because once the contract for a case has been given to him. She
asks Earnest Young Woman that what makes her believe that Alfred is in love with
her. Earnest Young Woman tells her that her husband sends her flowers and writes
love letter.
After hearing this, the actress blushes and continues to deny receiving any flowers or notes from him.
In order to make Earnest Young Woman believe that she and her husband have a misunderstanding,
she now claims that something strange happened. Famous Woman convinces Earnest Young Woman
that her husband is playing with her in an attempt to make her jealous and gain her attention and
love back. Then, the innocent young lady realizes her mistake and apologizes. Famous Actress calls
Alfred from her personal bedroom after the eager young lady exits the stage. In this way, the play
ends.
A Matter of Husbands
by Ferenc Molnár
Exercises
a. What favour does Earnest Young Woman ask from The Famous Actress?
Answer: Earnest Young Woman is a simple and straightforward lady who asks a favour of returning her
husband from Famous Actress because she loves her husband and her husband is in deep love with
her.
b. What, according to The Earnest Young Woman, are the indications that her
husband has fallen in love with Famous Actress?
Answer: According to the Earnest Young Woman, her husband sends flowers to
Famous Actress. She comes to know about it from a florist. He also writes love letter
to her which is found by her when he has forgotten to take it with him.
c. Is Earnest Young Woman convinced by the argument of Famous Actress? How?
Answer: From the play we come to know that there is basic conversation between Earnest Young Woman and
Famous Actress. It is found that Earnest Young Woman is fully convinced by argument of Famous Actress. She
tells her that her husband has shown love affair to her so that she gets jealous and regains love from her. She
also adds that many actresses accept the proposals like her husband for the reunion of the family. She is
convinced by the argument. She is also hopeful to get her husband back.
d. Where is the Earnest Young Woman’s husband hiding himself as they are
talking about him?
Answer: In the play, Alfred, the Earnest Young Woman’s husband has been hiding
in the boudoir and he appears at the end of the play when the Famous Actress
calls him to come out. Throughout the whole play the Earnest Young Woman's
husband has been hiding in the famous Actress bedroom.
e. When do you feel that Famous Actress is really good at acting?
Answer: Until the end of the play, it is full of suspense. I feel the Famous Actress is
really good at acting when she tells the Earnest Young Woman that her husband
has pretended to love to her or to show the love affairs so that Earnest Young
Woman gets jealous and regains love from Famous Actress.
f. How do we come to know that Famous Actress and the husband of
Earnest Young Woman are in love?
Answer: At the end of the play, we come to know that Famous Actress and
the husband of Earnest Young Woman are in love. When Alfred is called to come
out by the Famous Actress, he comes out of the boudoir of Famous
Actress. From the situation it's clear that they are in love.
g. Write down the plot of the play in a paragraph.
Answer: A Matter of Husbands is a play written by Ferenc Molnar. He is the most

celebrated and controversial play wright. This is the play of suspense. The Earnest
Young Woman comes to the Famous Actress and asks her to give her husband back.
She thinks that her husband is in deep love with Famous Actress. She appears there
very angrily and asks the Famous actress to return her husband because she
complains that her husband is in love affair with her. She has found the evidences as
love letters and flowers. The famous Actress replies her that he does so to get more
affection and love from his wife. Earnest Young Woman believes the story of the
Famous Actress. She fools Earnest Young Woman by saying that a misunderstanding
may have arrived between her and her husband. Then, the Earnest Young woman
innocently realizes her misdeed and begs sorry with her. Earnest Young Woman
leaves the stage and the famous Actress calls Alfred to come out of her boudoir.
a. Sketch the character of Famous Actress.
Answer: The Famous Actress is a young, renowned, and beautiful actress who is
envied by the ordinary woman. On the outside, she looks innocent and harmless but
in reality, she is cunning and wicked. Her deception may be apparent in the way she
tells a lady that her spouse is cheating on her with someone else. She also lives an
immoral life as seen in the conclusion of the story. It is revealed that Alfred is in her
bedroom which proves that they have immoral and unethical relations.
b. Shed light on the difference between an ordinary woman and an actress.
Answer: In the story, "A Matter of Husband", the ordinary woman is portrayed as a
simple- minded and timid person who was easily manipulated by the actress's
fabricated story or false story. She comes to the Famous Actress in tears completely
sure that her husband is having love affair with her. The Famous Actress makes a
story to her about her husband. According to her, her husband is trying to regain
love by doing things to get her jealous. Without asking questions, the ordinary
woman believes her story and she is convinced too. At the end, it is revealed that
her husband is in the actress's room. This shows that the actress is cunning while
the ordinary woman is timid.
c. According to Famous Actress, men associated with theatre use the theatre
actresses to make their estranged wives jealous so as to woo them back. Do
you agree with her argument? Why? Why not?
Answer: No, I don’t agree with her argument that the men associated with theatre
mostly use the actresses of theatre to make their estranged wives jealous so as to
woo them back. Theatre performers have an ordinary, simple-minded and timid wife
who can be easily deceived by the false story. In this play, Alfred’s wife is so simple
minded who is easily deceived by the cunning actress. Her husband also gets chance
to take advantage to stay in the room of the Famous Actress.
d. How does Famous Actress make a fool of Earnest Young Woman?
Answer: Famous Actress makes a fool of Earnest Young Woman by saying that her
husband wants to get love from her. She makes Earnest Young Woman believe that
he wants to gain love from her so he is playing such a trick to make jealous. As a
result, the Earnest Young woman innocently realizes her misunderstanding and
apologizes to her.
e. The conversation between the two women takes place on the stage of the theatre. What role does the
theatre house as a part of setting play in A Matter for Husband?
Answer: The theatre house is suitable for the setting of the play. It has appropriate environment for the two women
to take part in the conversation. When the curtain rises the Earnest Young Woman discovers the edge of a gilt chair.
It is plain she has been sitting there a long time. At last the Famous Actress enters through the curtained door at
the right which leads to her boudoir. The context of private room inappropriate to share private issues.
f. What do you think about the ending of the play?
Answer: The play ‘A Matter of Husbands’ is totally perfect. It has illusive and twisty
ending. The last scene of the play is most remarkable and touchy. In this play it is
clearly shown that skillful people always take advantage from simple minded
innocent people. At the end of the play the young woman becomes very happy about
her husband because her husband wants to get much love from her according to the
Famous Actress. In the play, the Famous Actress is able to cheat her easily. The
Famous Actress and the husband of Earnest
Young woman live together without any obstacle. The ending of the play is romantic
but full of irony.
From the ending of the play ‘A Matter of Husbands’, we can think that innocent
people are always suffered by cunning people because they are often sincere by
hearts but the cunning people always take advantage from their innocence.
Facing Death (One Act Play) Summary

Dev Prasad PanditJanuary 01, 2022
About the author
Johan August Strindberg (1849–1912) was a Swedish writer, playwright, and painter. Ranked among
Sweden's most important authors, his works fall into two major literary movements, Naturalism and
Expressionism. His theater tries to create a perfect illusion of reality through detailed sets, an unpoetic
literary style that reflects the way real people speak, and a style of acting that tries to recreate reality. Miss
Julie (1888), Facing Death (1892), A Dream Play (1902), and The Ghost Sonata (1907) are some of his
notable plays.
In Facing Death, Strindberg dramatizes a heroic sacrifice made by a bankrupt man for the sake of his
daughters.
Summary
The play ‘Facing Death’ is written by Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It is a one-act plays carrying
the story of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker and widower in financial ruin. Monsieur Durand is
the prominent character of the play. He has three daughters. They are Adele, Annette, and Therese. They
have no prospects for their future. He has tried to provide for his children, even letting out his house to
lodgers. Every attempt he has made got with derision and mockery but Monsieur Durand is determined and
made a plan to ensure his daughters' financial futures, even if it takes him to face his own death.
Facing Death carries the story of a father's love towards his children. He sacrifices everything for the
children. It opens with the conversation between the protagonist Monsieur Durand and his daughter Adele
where they discuss about financial crisis of the family. She questions the responsibility of her father towards
his daughters and family. Then, they talk about insurance whether her father has paid or not. The father
mentions about the mortgage. The family is interacted with financial crisis where the family has to pay dues
and bills at several places like the grocery, the bakery and the butcher shop which has not paid for a long
time. The father pays compliments to candles more than the food and other things. Adele seems
disappointed to receive Antonio, a paying guest as the family has no money to manage breakfast and
therefore, she requests her father to go and receive him. She supports her mother and states her opinion that
if her mother was alive, the family would not face such time of financial crisis as she would manage it
properly. All three daughters along with her look unhappy and dissatisfied with their father and his
responsibility towards the family.
Meanwhile, Antonio arrives to have breakfast. Durand states Antonio that the family has loss in business and they are
unable to manage anything for the family. Antonio desires to stay with the family as a guest for one more month. He
desires to pay in advance but Durand is not ready to accept his proposal rather he openly mentions that the family is
not able to run business any more. In reply to the question of Antonio whether Durand belongs to Swiss citizen by
birth or not, he affirms. Durant goes outside for managing the bread. Then, Therese, the youngest daughter of the
family enters on the stage and she is very elated to see Antonio there. Antonio exalts her beauty and then they
converse about her pet, cat. Then, Antonio puts his arms around her neck and kisses her which upsets Durand. Being
angry at him, he threatens Antonio to go away from there and he leaves the place. His daughters become angry and
sat by looking at their father's misbehaviours. Furthermore, they are angry and upset at him for his irresponsible
behaviours towards the family.
As Durand is going away for collecting money for the family. He says daughters to extinguish the fire and close the
doors and windows. He asks Therese about her and Antonio's relationship. When she accepts the relationship.
Durand says her to go and marry him. Therese asks for forgiveness with her father for being cruel to him and not
favouring and disregarding her father. They get confused at his outgoing and return or not in such critical case.
After that, Durand returns home and discloses his past life with his wife or their mother how they fell in love and how
they settled in Switzerland after getting neutralized citizenship though their mother was French and then, he left their
mother and joined France in war against Germany. It is their mother's carelessness and foolish speculation, she
ruined their parental property. Even if how he took all the faults and obstacles as his own responsibility after the
death of his dear wife.
Finally, Durand recollects Adele that she should take care of her sisters and reveals the most significant fact in the
house. Facing no income, Durand decides to burn down the house and poisons himself. He advises Adele, the oldest,
to keep the truth secret and cash in on fire policy to save the family. Then, he takes poison and sets fire in the house
so that the family would receive large sum of claim from the fire insurance agency as if he dies in the fire and then the
play terminates.
FACING DEATH
EXERCISES

a. Where does the play take place?
Answer: The play takes place in a dining room with a long table of the house of Monsieur Durand.
b. Why do the grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household?
Answer: The grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household because the Durant family
had ordered so many foodstuffs from their shops and the due was in large amount but has not paid the money.
c. Why does Monsieur Duran spend money on candles when he doesn't have money to buy even bread?
Answer: Monsieur Durand spends money on candles when he doesn't have money to buy even bread because he has
deep sense of affection, emotion, respect and love for late Rene which was more significant to him in comparison to
food stuffs and hunger.
d. Why did Monsieur Duran sell his life insurance?

Answer: Monsieur Duran sold his life insurance to pay the debt or due of a person who irritates him very much.
e. Why has Monsieur Duran paid fire insurance?
Answer: Monsieur Duran has paid fire insurance by keeping his house as mortgage so that his daughters get loan or
money to run their house.
f. How did Monsieur Duran and Mrs. Duran run out of their inheritances from both the sides?
Answer: Monsieur Duran and Mrs. Duran ran out of their inheritances from both the sides because of their foolish
speculations and carelessness and furthermore, the inheritances were utilized in bringing up their children as well.
g. Why does Monsieur Duran tell a lie about his birthplace?
Answer: Monsieur Duran tells a lie about his birthplace for the sake of his wife and his inclined towards his nation or
patriotism.
h. What business is Monsieur Duran running to make a living?
Answer: Monsieur Duran is a pension proprietor. He runs a business of a Home Stay where provides welcomes the
visitors and tourists like guests and offers services like food, beds, rooms etc. like that of a house and earns money by
that.
i. What plan does Monsieur Duran have to help his daughters with money?
Answer: Monsieur has fire insurance and he plans to help his daughters with money by killing himself in the fire and
burning his house. He knows that fire insurance company will provide his daughters large sum of money after that.
j. How does Monsieur Duran die?
Answer: Monsieur first sets the fire in his house and then he takes poison to show that fire has killed him to provide
compensation to his daughters and he dies.

a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Duran.
Answer: Monsieur Durand is the protagonist (main character) of the play "Facing Death." He is the head of the family.
He has three daughters: He is a loving, caring and responsible father as well as husband. He loves his country very
much, too. He is now a widower who lives his daughters. But his daughters don't love him and regard him as not a
good father or head of the family as he was unsuccessful in taking care of his family properly. He is a pension
proprietor who once worked in the state railroad.
He seems protective and supportive to his daughters. He gets stressed as he finds Antonio kissing his daughter
Therese.
He is a tragic hero and an ideal person who takes responsibility of faults and misdeeds he commits. Though his
daughters regard him as a bad and irresponsible person but he is not so in practical life. He shows and offers lots of
love and respects for his daughters, too.
He suffers from financial crisis in a way that no way to come out of it. And, he sacrifices himself and his life for saving
and fostering the bright future of his three daughters at the end.
b. How do we know that the Duran family has reached a dead end?
Answer: We know that the Duran family has reached a dead end due to following reasons:
The Duran family is unable to manage or buy food, breakfast, and coffee for the family.
The grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand family because the Durant family had ordered
so many foodstuffs from their shops but had not paid the due.
Durand states when his business was down for three months, he was helped by an American family.
Durant sells his life insurance to pay due of a person who irritates him very much.
The family has reached such dead end regarding financial crisis that Durand kills himself in the fire at the end to
provide his death insurance money to his daughters.
c. 'The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially
Theresa.' Do you agree?
Answer: The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially Theresa.
I agree with the given statement. The following instances in the play justify this:
Though out the play, all three daughters especially Theresa seems to be praising her mother very much in comparison
to others, two even after her death.
Theresa considers Duran as the responsible for all the problems and guilt of the family.
She praises her mother mostly though out the play associating her to innocent and gentle family member of the
family.
All the daughters including Theresa have much respect and love for their mother.
They have such a belief that if their mother had been alive, they would not have gone through such a terrible poverty
rather their family would have been solved in any other way
d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Duran and his wife.
Answer: Monsieur Duran and his wife had mutual bond close connection. They were originally from France. They
loved each other deeply and then they got married and shifted to Switzerland from France. They settled in France and
received neutralized citizenship. They had very good and sound relationship but when he joined French army against
the Germans, their relations got worse. Furthermore, Duran degraded his relationship with his daughters and wife too
due to misunderstanding among them. His wife, Mrs. Duran lost her parental inheritances completely because of her
carelessness and foolish speculations. As his family relation got worse, he became compelled to depart from his
business and continued his pension.
At the end of the play, Monsieur Duran revealed the fact to his daughters that it was him who was entirely responsible
for the blames, faults, problems and crisis of the family as told by Mrs. Duran rather it was coincidences and
circumstances that made the family suffer in such a way. He was not solely responsible for all the obstacles arose in
the family. These all reveal the fact that the relationship between Monsieur Duran and his wife was not comfortable
and sound.
e. 'Money determines the relationship between characters in this play.' Elaborate this statement with
examples from the play.
Answer: Obviously, money determines the relationship between characters in the play "Facing Death." All the
obstacles arise in the Duran's family due to money. Money plays vital role in bonding the family members and
detaching them from each other as well. Mrs. Duran loves her husband even if she loses her parental inheritances
due to her own foolishness. Mr. Duran doesn't have sound relationship with daughters and his wife because he is
unable to fulfill basic desires of them. Even at the end of the play, Mr. Duran burns himself in the fire and has poison
to kill himself assuming that his daughter will get insurance money and their concept towards their father may be
changed.
Thus, it is money in the play that not only destroys the family relationship but also kills the protagonist of the play.
Overall, it's clear that money can have an impact on love and relationships.
f. Monsieur Duran kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as the compensation from the
insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him?
Answer: In the play "Facing Death," Monsieur Duran, the protagonist is disgusted by all the family members especially
his three daughters since they regard him as an unsuccessful and irresponsible father to fulfill the basic desires of
them. The family faces grim poverty and many dues and bills to pay off. He is unable to make progress in his business.
Even his daughters find him as responsible for all these obstacles in the family. The family is dealing with financial
hardships in this drama. Facing no income, Durand decides to burn down the house and poisons himself. He advises
Adele, the oldest, to keep the truth secret and cash in on fire policy to save the family. Thus, Monsieur Duran kills
himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as the compensation and supports from the insurance company.
g. Discuss Facing Death as a modern tragedy.
Answer: Tragedy is a branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events
caused by sufferings, deaths, destructions and troublesome incidences. The play "Facing Death" is a modern tragedy
since it ends with the tragic death of the protagonist, Monsieur Duran. He suffers a lot in the play in such a way that
the main character in the modern tragedy suffers
A modern tragedy uses elements like struggles, tussles, irony, sarcasm, hatred, grim poverty, murder or killing etc. As
we go through the play "Facing Death", we see characters especially suffering from such above mentioned
characteristics and go through difficult days that the protagonist like Monsieur Duran gets no anyway except killing
himself burning in the fire and having poison so that his daughters may get the compensation or insurance money
and their attitudes towards their father may change The family is unable to fulfill the basic desires of the family and
many bills and dues remain due to family's grim poverty and loss in business. Thus, we can say that it is an example of
modern tragedy.
The Bull
by Bhimnidhi Tiwari
About the author

Bhimnidhi Tiwari (1911-1973) is a well-known poet, story writer and dramatist from Nepal. An
ardent social reformer, Tiwari established Nepal Natak Sangh (Nepal Drama Society) in 1949.
Through this organization, he promoted the Nepali plays by staging plays and encouraging the
Nepali writers to write plays. In order to sustain this organization, he also wrote plays like Matoko
Maya, Shilanyas and Sahansheela Sushila, among others. Tiwari won Madan Puraskar for literature
in 1970.
It was the late eighteenth century. Ranabahadur Shah, the grandson of Prithvi Narayan Shah, was
the king of Nepal. Ranabahadur Shah was fond of bulls. In his one act play “The Bull,” Bhimnidhi
Tiwari dramatizes an incident related to Ranabahadur Shah’s craze for bulls to make a biting satire
on the feudal system, which dehumanizes human beings to such an extent that their existence
depends on their deferential treatment towards the four-footed animals like bulls.
Summary
The Bull is a one act play written by famous Nepali poet and Dramatist Bhimnidhi Tiwari. The play
shows the the strong love of Ranabahadur Shah towards four footed animal. He was fond of bulls.
The play makes a satire on the feudal system which dehumanizes human beings in the 18 th Century.
The play turns around the death of the king Ranabahadur’s bull and the panic condition of the bull
doctor and cowherds after that.
The setting of the play is yard of Laxminarayan . It takes place at dawn in the month of Ashwin of
1854 B.S. The two cowherds Gore and Jitman arrive there feeling so nervous and worried. They
come there to inform about the death of the bull of the king Ranabahadur Shah. Now, Laxmi, Jitman
and Gore are all very worried about the possible punishment from the king. He can even give them
the death penalty. Laxmi is afraid of saving them from the happening. Gore explains that the bull
died because it didn't get enough food (grass) and couldn't digest fine rice and soup of split gram.
Laxmi suggests Gore and Jitman not to tell "the bull has died". He also says them to go to the bull
and care it and goes to the palace to tell about the illness of the bull.
Laxmi reaches to the courtyard of Basantpur palace to inform about the ill health of the bull. Laxmi
bows down to the king with full respect uttering Swosti and informs him that the bull is ill instead of
saying the bull has died. He says "The bull doesn't wake up and eat breakfast. He doesn't speak or
move. He is sleeping as if he is relaxed….". Laxmi describes the good habits of the bull and
proposes to be taken to the hill to heal the health of the bull. due to climate change. Then the king
himself wants to check the bull's condition and goes to the cowshed located at Thulo Gauchar on the
palanquin with a convoy.
Before the king reaches there, Jitman and Gore wait desperately to hear the decision of the king.
They are in the cowshed beside the dead bull. They even think of escaping to save their life but they
think they will be arrested again and killed. Laxmi runs ahead of the convoy at Thulo Gauchar to
tell Gore and Jitman to massage the back feet of the bull and wave the fan at the bull. They do as
Laxmi has suggested. Laxmi grinds medicine for the bull. Ranabahadur rea
ches there and calls the bull but he doesn’t get up. Laxmi tells the king that they have been caring
the bull since midnight. The bull is in fact lying dead on the mattress. It is neither breathing nor
eating anything. Its tail has loosened and ears have drooped down. Yet, the cowherds and Laxmi
cannot declare its death due to fear. King Ranabahadur Shah himself says the bull is dead. After
listening to the king, Jitman starts crying and says he has been an orphan after bull's death. The
King asks Dahal to console him. He also declares a tip of 400 rupees and tells to be quiet. Gore also
does the same as Jitman. The king again declares the tip of 500 rupees to Gore. At last,
Laxminarayan himself starts weeping and pretends to be in agony. The king scolds him to shut up
and orders him to bury the bull with his own hands. He also asks him to manage the funeral rites
and give offerings to the priest himself. At last, Jitman and Gore take deep breath to be alive. In this
way the one act play ends.
The play shows the feudal society of that time. It also shows the condition of normal citizens how
they are sucked by the kings and how their condition is.
Model Questions
Compulsory English XII
Subject: Compulsory English (ENG. 004) Full Marks: 75
Grade: XII
Time: 3 hours
Attempt ALL the questions.
1. Read the text and do the activities that follow. [15]
Nowadays most people realise that it’s risky to use credit card numbers online. However, from time to time,
we all use passwords and government ID numbers on the Internet. We think we are safe, but that may not be
true! A new kind of attack is being used by dishonest people to steal IDs and credit card numbers from
innocent websurfers. This new kind of attack is called “phishing.”
Phishing sounds the same as the word “fishing,” and it implies that a thief is trying to lure people into giving
away valuable information. Like real fishermen, phishers use bait in the form of great online deals or
services. For example, phishers might use fake emails and false websites to con people into revealing credit
card numbers, account usernames, and passwords. They imitate well-known banks, online sellers, and credit
card companies. Successful phishers may convince as many as five percent of the people they contact to
respond and give away their personal financial information.
Is this really a big problem? Actually, tricking five percent of the online population is huge! Currently, more
than 350 million people have access to the Internet, and seventy five percent of those Internet users live in
the wealthiest countries on Earth. It has been estimated that phishers send more than three billion scam
messages each year. Even by tricking only five percent of the people, phishers can make a lot of money.
Since there is so much money to make through this kind of scam, it has caught the interest of more than just
small-time crooks. Recently, police tracked down members of an organized phishing group in Eastern
Europe, who had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from people online. The group created official-
looking email messages requesting people to update their personal information at an international bank’s
website. However, the link to the bank in the message actually sent people to the phishers’ fake website. To
make matters worse, further investigation revealed that this group had connections to a major crime gang in
Russia.
How can innocent people protect themselves? Above all, they have to learn to recognise email that has been
sent by a phisher. Always be wary of any email with urgent requests for personal financial information.
Phishers typically write upsetting or exciting, but fake, statements in their emails so that people will reply
right away. Also, messages from phishers will not address recipients by name because they really don’t
know who the recipients are yet. On the other hand, valid messages from your bank or other companies you
normally deal with will typically include your name.
A. Choose the correct answer. [5×1 = 5]
a) ‘Some dishonest people try to steal other people’s credit card numbers.’ What does ‘dishonest’ mean
here?
i) truthful ii) having honesty iii) untruthful
b) When the box is delivered, you should open it ………………………….
i) track down ii) right away iii) con into
c) ‘The comedian can imitate the voice of the president well.’ Here the word ‘imitate’ is synonymous
with the word……………..
i) convince ii) copy iii) change
d) ‘What can I do to convince you that I’m not lying?’ Here the word ‘convince’ is opposite to……….
i) persuade ii) induce iii) dissuade
e) ‘Phishers send more than three billion scam messages each year.’ What does ‘scam’ mean?
i) an illegal trick, usually to steal money
ii) a thing used to attract or tempt
iii) needing immediate attention
B. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the list. [0.5×2 = 5]
financial, private, gangs, Internet, lure, tracked, convince, wary, risky, crooks
Giving personal information over the Internet has always been ………………, but now it’s even more so
with the new ………..scam, phishing. Phishers first ………………innocent people into a scam by
making up fake emails. With this bait, they ………………some of the people they contact to give away
……………… information. These Internet criminals are not just small-time ………………. Police
investigations have recently ……………… down organised phishing groups in Eastern Europe with
connections to crime……………… in Russia. People must be ……………… of any urgent emails
requesting ………….. information.
C. Answer the following questions. [5×1 = 5]
a) What is the main purpose of the text?
b) Which activity is phishing compared to?
c) What is implied about the people who get caught in phishing scams?
d) Who was behind the Eastern European phishing scam?
e) What could be the suitable title of this text?
2. Write short answers to the following questions. [5×2 = 10]
a) Who were Evan and Hooker and where were they heading? (The Treasure in the Forest)
b) How does Lu Xun create a feeling of nostalgia in the story? (My Old Home)
c) How does the speaker describe the morning sun? (A Day)
d) What is the theme of the poem ‘I was my Own Route’? (I was my Own Route)
e) How is the relationship between Monsieur and his wife? (Facing Death)
3. Write long answers to the following questions. [2×5 =10]

a) How do you think that ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ is a work of magical realism?
Discuss. (A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings)
b) How is marriage a social institution? Discuss. (Marriage as a Social Institution)
4. Write a short story using the outline in about 150 words. Give a suitable title.
[7]
midnight…heard a sound…backyard…strange creature…in bushes…frightened …the creature

spoke….requested…helped the creature…to go back to his world
5. Write a letter to the editor about the growing misuse of social media. [8]
6. Write a travelogue about your visit to a new place (in about 300 words).
[10]
7. Do as instructed. [10×1=10]
a) What does the modal verb ‘could’ express in the sentence ‘The beautiful Himalayan could be seen
from my room’?
i) ability ii) permission iii) possibility iv) deduction
b) The government ………..high taxes.
i) charge ii) charges iii) both a and b iv) neither a nor b
c) It rained a lot. We enjoyed our picnic. (Make one sentence by using ‘in spite of’)
d) Can you tell me where your father works? (Change into direct question)
e) Rabi said to Hem, “Where have you been all these days?” (Change into indirect speech)
f) We………….(arrive) earlier if we had not missed the bus. (Rewrite the sentence with the correct form
of the verb.)
g) I think they should offer Dipa the job. (Change into passive)
h) Did you come here …….. a taxi or on foot? (Complete the sentence with the correct preposition.)
i) Raju works in a finance company. I met him yesterday. (Join the sentences by using the relative
pronoun ‘whom’.)
j) Put the adjective ‘leather’ in the correct order in the phrase ‘a black Chinese jacket’.
8. Do as instructed. [5×1=5]
a) Which one of the following words has a different vowel sound?

i) bread ii) break iii) deaf iv) said
b) What is the root of the word ‘truthfulness’?
i) truth ii) ful iii) ness iv) true
c) What is the word class of the word ‘whose’ in the sentence ‘I met the man
whose car was stolen last night’?
i) adjective ii) pronoun iii) noun iv) determiner

d) Which is not true about ‘proximity’ in the sentence ‘The best thing about
the location of the school is its ‘proximity’ from my house’?
i) nearness ii) vicinity iii) adjacency iv) distance
e) Which one is not the content word in the sentence ‘My Chinese chair might
have been stolen from the room’?

i) Chinese ii) chair iii) have iv) stolen
The End

CLASS 12 (PART TWO)NOTES

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

CLASS 12 (PART TWO)NOTES

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

COMPULSORY ENGLISH GRADE 12

Section II: Literature

Unit One: Short Stories

Understanding the text

a. What are the factors that contribute to wisdom?

e. What, according to Russell, is the true aim of education?

f. Can wisdom be taught? If so, how?

Reference to the Context

Main Characters of the Story

Setting: Sugar plantation in the winter

Understanding the text

b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda's expectation?

c. How does Mrs Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?

e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail's character?

Reference to the context

b. Sketch the character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston.

Bhatia: He is an old neighbour of Rakesh and a friend of Varma who

Rakesh is from a poor Indian village. His father Varma, is a kerosene

Exercise: Questions & Answers

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

b. How did the community celebrate Rakesh's success?

→The community celebrated Rakesh's success by visiting him, congratulating

c. Why was Rakesh's success a special matter of discussion in the

→Rakesh’s success was a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood

e. How does the author characterize Rakesh's wife?

→ The author characterizes Rakesh's wife as an old fashioned, traditional and

f. Describe how Rakesh rises in his career.

g. How does the author describe Rakesh's family background?

→ The author describes Rakesh's family background as a man born to illiterate

h. What is the impact of Rakesh's mother's death on his father?

j. Why did the old man try to bribe his grandchildren?

k. Are Mr. Varma's complaints about his diets reasonable? How?

Reference to the Context

e. Do you call Rakesh a devoted son? Give reasons.

The Treasure in the Forest

Chang-hi : a Chinese man who had a map to locate treasure

Chinaman : Chang-hi’s co-worker

Main theme of the story

The fundamental message of The Treasure in the Forest is to not take

Analysis and Interpretation

The Treasure in the Forest (Story) Grade 12

Understanding the text

a. Describe the expository scene of the story.

c. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure?

d. Describe Evan’s dream.

h. How were Evan and Hooker poisoned?

Reference to the context

a. How do you know the story is set on a tropical island?

d. What do you think is the moral of the story?

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

c. How did Evan and Hooker know about the treasure?

d. Describe Evan's dream.

h. How were Evan and Hooker poisoned?

Reference to the Context

d. What do you think is the moral of the story?

2. Jun Tu- Childhood friend of the narrator

4. Hong'er (eight-year-old nephew of the narrator)

6. Sheng- the son of Runtu.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

→The then three kinds of servants in China were:

2. Dailies: Those who were hired for the daytime.