BY THE RAILWAY

SIDE
BY:ALICE MEYNELL
SUMMAR
Y
• “BY THE RAILWAY SIDE” IS A SHORT TRAVEL
ESSAY BY ALICE MEYNELL . IT SPEAKS OF
HER EXPERIENCE IN A TRAIN STATION AFTER
ALIGHTING FROM A TRAIN FROM TUSCANY.
 WHILE SHE WAS ON THE
PLATFORM,SHE SAW A
COMMOTION INVOLVING A MAN,
A WOMAN AND SOME TRAIN
OFFICIALS. THROUGH THE VIVID
IMAGERY USED IN HER ESSAY.
IT CAN BE CONCLUDE THAT THE
MAN IS TRYING TO COMMIT A
SUICIDE BY JUMPING IN A
RAILWAY THAT THE WOMAN
BESIDE HIM IS HIS WIFE AND THE
TRAIN OFFICIAL ARE STOPPING
THE MAN TO COMMIT A SUICIDE.
 AFTER THE TRAIN HAS
PASSED, EVERYONE IN THE
TRAIN STATION PROCEED
IN THEIR PRIOR ACTIVITIES
 BACKGROUND OF THE
STORY
THE STORY OF “BY THE RAILWAY
SIDE” BY ALICE MEYNELL TELLS
ABOUT A WOMAN WHO
WITNESSES A SCENE IN A TRAIN
ABOUT A MAN WHO SEEMS TO
ATTEMPT TO COMMIT A SUICIDE
AND A WOMAN IN VEIL WHO IS
TRYING TO STOP HIM.
THE WOMAN HAS SEEM TO BE
TRYING TO WEEP FOR HOURS
ALREADY BUT THE MAN IS
STILL NOT STOPPING ON HIS
ATTEMPTS
 HIS WIFE, WHO WAS CRYING
AND LOOKS SO DESPERATE TO
MAKE THE MAN STOP WHILE
BEING SURROUNDED BY THE
TRAIN OFFICERS .
AUTHOR’S
BACKGROUND
ALICE MEYNELL
• FULL NAME: ALICE CHRISTIANA
GERTRUDE MEYNELL
• BORN: OCTOBER 11,1847,IN
BARNES,
LONDON,
• DIED:NOVEMBER 27,1922 AT THE
AGED OF 75
 ALICE MEYNELL
• ALICE MEYNELL HUSBAND IS WILFRID MEYNELL
• A CONVERT TO ROMAN CATHOLICISM , MEYNELL AND HER
HUSBAND , WILFRID MEYNELL , EDITED THE WEEKLY
REGISTER , A CATHOLIC PAPER , AND FOUNDED THE
MERRY ENGLAND. MEYNELL REGULARLY CONTRIBUTED
ESSAYS TO PERIODICALS , WROTE POETRY , AND RAISED A
LARGE FAMILY ---SEVEN CHILDREN SURVIVED CHILDHOOD .
 MUCH OF MEYNELL’S
CHILDHOOD WAS SPENT IN
ITALY, AND ABOUT 1868 SHE
CONVERTED TO ROMAN
CATHOLICISM, WHICH WAS
STRONGLY REFLECTED IN HER
WRITING.
SHE ENCOURAGED BY ALFRED
TENNYSONE AND CONVENTRY
PATMORE, SHE PUBLISHED
HER FIRST VOLUME OF
POEMS,PRELUDE, IN 1875.
SHE SUBSEQUENTLY STARTED
PUBLISHED POEMS(IN 1893) AND
LATER POEMS(IN1902);LAST
POEMS(IN1923) WAS PUBLISHED
POSTHUMUOSLY.
 MEYNELL’S VERSE MARKED
BY ITS SIMPLE VOCUBULARY
AND RELIGIOUS SINCERITY,
AND IT COMMUNICATE’S
GENTLE MOURNFULNESS IN A
SENSE OF PASSING OF TIME.
HER POETRY WAS SO POPULAR
THAT SHE WAS MENTIONED AS
A POSSIBLE POET LAUREATE
UPON THE DEATHS OF BOTH
TENNYSON AND ALFRED
AUSTIN.
QUESTION TO ANSWER
1.WHAT IS IMPLIED BY THESE LINES FOUND IN THE
FIRST PARAGRAPH-”THESE SEA WAS BURNING
BLUE AND THERE WERE SOMBERNESS AND A
GRAVITY IN THE VERY EXCESSES OF THE SUN ?

-THE MEANING OF THAT LINES IS THE ENTAIL A

HEAVINESS OF FEELING AND BURDEN FROM HOT
THE SUN IS AS ALLUDE BY “EXCESSES OF THE
SUN”
 2.HOW IS THE SETTING DESCRIBE ?

- THE SETTING FURTHER

DESCRIBED TO BE A DRY , HOT , AND
HUMID ENVIRONMENT , WHICH
MADE USE OF TERMS THAT APPEAL
TO SENSORY IMAGES AND IMAGERY.
 3. WHY WAS THE MAN SPEAKING AT THE
TOP OF HIS VOICE IN THE STATION ? WHAT
WAS HIS PURPOSES ?

-THE MAN WAS ENACTING DRAMA AND

SHOUTING BLASPHEMIES AT THE TOP HIS
VOICE. IT INDICATED IN THE ESSAY THAT
THE MAN IS IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AND ONE
WHO HAD FALSE IDEAS. APPARENTLY , HIS
PURPOSE IS NOT DIRECTLY INDICATED IN
THE STORY
 4.HOW DO YOU THINK PEOPLE REACTED
TO HIM ? WHAT DO THEY FEEL AND WHY ?

- THE PEOPLE IN THE TRAIN PROBABLY

FELT SORRY FOR THE MAN , MOST
ESPECIALLY FOR HIS WIFE. IN THESE
SITUATIONS IT IS EASY TO JUDGE THE
PERSON AND MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT
WHY HE FEELS THAT HIS LIFE IS NOT
WORTH LIVING ANYMORE.
THEY WERE WORRIED BUT
DID’NT FEEL TOO
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
MAN BECAUSE THE WIFE
AND THE TRAIN OFFICERS
WERE THERE.
5.WHO DO YOU THINK WAS THE
WOMAN TRYING TO STOP FROM
TALIKNG NONSENSE ?

-GENERALLY, WOMEN HATE

NONSENSE CONVERSATION AND
USELESS ENGAGEMENTS .
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT , THEY TRY
TO AVOID THESE AND TRY TO FIND
THEMSELVES OUT OF THE PICTURE

THIS IS TRUE ESPECIALLY IF

THE ONE TALKING NONSENSE IS A
MAN THEY ARE INTERESTED
ABOUT.
6.BASED ON THE DIALOGUE ,
ACTIONS , AND ATTITUDE OF
THE MAN , WHAT CAN YOU
SAY ABOUT HIS
CHARACTER ?

- I THINK HE IS KIND .
7. IF THE MAN WAS A KNOWN PERSON , FOR EXAMPLE ,
HE IS POLITICIANS , A PRIEST , OR A TEACHER , DO YOU
THINK PEOPLE WOULD LISTEN TO HIM ? WHY ?

-YES, OF COURSE THOSE PEOPLE HAVE INFLUENCE FOR

EXAMPLE:

A POLITICIAN IS SOMEONE WHO HELPS BRING PEACE

AND ORDER TO THE NATION
A PRIEST SPREADS THE WORDS OF GOD
A TEACHER SHARES KNOWLEDGE.
 BESIDES THERE IS NO
REASON NOT TO LISTEN TO
THEM UNLESS THEY’VE DONE
SOMETHING WRONG
ALREADY , IT WOULD BE
HARDER TO TRUST THEM.
8.WHAT WOULD MAKE A PERSON
BE MORE CREDIBLE TO BE
GIVEN SUCH ATTENTION ?

-EDUCATION AND RELEVANT

EXPERIENCE
9. HOW DOES THE AUTHOR DESCRIBE
HER JOURNEY IN THE ESSAY ? WHAT
EMOTIONS ARE EVIDENT ?

-THE JOURNEY, AS DESCRIBED IN HER

ESSAY, BEGINS VERY SOMBER AND
ALMOST DETACHED, A STARK
CONTRAST AS SHE DESCRIBES THE
SWELTERING HEAT OF AN INTENSE
AND HEAVY SUMMER DAY.
 HER ATTENTION IS THEN
CAUGHT BY HEARING
SOMEONE SPEAK VERY GOOD
ITALIAN, A BREAK FORM THE
PLETHORA OF OTHER
LANGUAGES SHE HAD BEEN
HEARING ALL DAY.
IT APPEARS TO COME FROM A STOUT
MAN STANDING ON THE PLATFORM,
SHOUTING PROFANITIES AND
BLASPHEMIES WHILE SHAKING HIS
FIST A THE SKY. NO ONE ELSE WAS
THERE EXCEPT FOR RAILWAY
OFFICIALS AND TWO WOMEN, WHO
SEEM TO BE VERY GRIEF STRICKEN
SHE DESCRIBES THE REST OF WHAT HAPPENS
WITH CAREFUL DETACHMENT , LINGERING
ON DESCRIBING THE WOMAN WHO IS
HANGING ON TO THE MAN , SEEMINGLY
PARTICULARLY DISTRIBUTED BY HER GRIEF
AND EXPRESSION. THE WOMAN WAS AFRAID
THAT THE MAN WOULD THROW HIMSELF
UNDER THE TRAIN, AMONG OTHER THINGS.
SHE KEEPS LOOKING ON , OBSERVING AND
UNABLE TO HELP, UNTIL THE TRAIN DRAWS
AWAY FROM THE STATION
10.IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE PASSENGERS
ON THAT TRAIN WHO SAW THE INCIDENT ,
HOW WOULD YOU REACT ? EXPLAIN
YOUR ANSWER.

FIRST OF ALL, PRAY. THEN DON’T FORGET

THE PRESENCE OF MIND. IF EVER YOU
KNOW THAT THE BUS WILL HAVE AN
ERROR , I PROBABLY WILL PACK MY
THINGS UP SO JUST IN CASE OF
EMERGENCY, I COULD BE READY
11. WHAT SPECIFIC LITERARY DEVICES WERE USED BY
AUTHOR TO MAKE THE STORY MORE INTERESTING ?

1. IMAGERY THIS IS USUAL DESCRIPTION, OR

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE, ESPECIALLY IN LITERARY WORK.
2.HYPERBOLEIS AN EXAGGERATED STATEMENTS OR
CLAIMS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN LITERARY.
3.METAPHORIS A FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH A WORD
OR PHRASE IS APPLIED TO AN OBJECT OR ACTION TO
WHICH IS NOT LITERALLY APPLICABLE.
4.ALLUSIONIS AN EXPRESSION DESIGNED TO CALL
SOMETHING TO MIND WITHOUT MENTIONING EXACTLY
5. ALLEGORY IS A STORY, A POEM, OR A PICTURE
THAT CAN BE INTERPRETED TO REVEAL A HIDDEN
MEANING, TYPICALLY A MORAL OR POLITICAL ONE.

6.CHARACTERIZATION IS THE OCCURRENCE OF

THE SAME LETTER OR SOUND AT THE BEGINNING
OR ADJACENT OR CLOSELY CONNECTED WORDS.

7.SYMBOL IS A THING THAT REPRESENTS OR

STANDS FOR SOMETHING ELSE, ESPECIALLY A
MATERIAL OBJECT REPRESENTING SOMETHING
ABSTRACT.
THE END