HSEB English- Class 12 ( Summaries )
Summaries of:
1.THE GRANDMOTHER
In this poem, “The
Grandmother,” Bear concentrates on his grandmother. The poem can be read both
literally and metaphorically[1]. Literally, he draws a picture of his
all-loving and all-inspiring grandmother, and metaphorically, the poet tries to
reflect upon the vanished[2] communities of Native American tribes in general
and the Mesquaki tribe in particular. Ray Young. Bear, draws a realistic
picture of his grandmother, all-loving, all-inspiring and remember
the remarkable shape, movement, voice and activities, of his grandmother. He shows deep love towaras her. Though his grandmother is no longer in this world, the Images of her ‘wearing a purple scarf round her head and holding a plastic shopping bag in her hand’ often comes to the poet. The poet says that he can not see my grandmother’s shape, nor feel her hands on my head, nor hear her voice coming from the rock. He can only think what he would do if he saw her shape, felt her hands on my head and heard her voice. She is no more with him. If he could see her face from a distance, from a mile away, he would quickly know that it was his grandmother with the purple scarf and plastic shopping bag. If he could feel hand on my head, he would know her warm and damp hands from where she would come with the smell of roots. If he could hear a voice coming from the rock he would know that it was my grandmother’s voice. He would feel her words flowing inside him. The flow of her words would be like the light coming out of the sleeping fie at night. The poet says that her voice would be the source of inspiration for him. The memory of his grandmother takes the poet back to his childhood when they shivered (trembled) with cold at night and his grandmother would move the fire from the thick ashes to create warmth. Though the poet’s grandmother left him many years before. But her images, voice, love, inspiration and memory are still animating in the mind and heart of the poet. Likewise the activities, behaviours, intructions, shape and so many other memory of his grandmother are the source of living which encourage him at all the moment.
INTERPRETATIONS:
the remarkable shape, movement, voice and activities, of his grandmother. He shows deep love towaras her. Though his grandmother is no longer in this world, the Images of her ‘wearing a purple scarf round her head and holding a plastic shopping bag in her hand’ often comes to the poet. The poet says that he can not see my grandmother’s shape, nor feel her hands on my head, nor hear her voice coming from the rock. He can only think what he would do if he saw her shape, felt her hands on my head and heard her voice. She is no more with him. If he could see her face from a distance, from a mile away, he would quickly know that it was his grandmother with the purple scarf and plastic shopping bag. If he could feel hand on my head, he would know her warm and damp hands from where she would come with the smell of roots. If he could hear a voice coming from the rock he would know that it was my grandmother’s voice. He would feel her words flowing inside him. The flow of her words would be like the light coming out of the sleeping fie at night. The poet says that her voice would be the source of inspiration for him. The memory of his grandmother takes the poet back to his childhood when they shivered (trembled) with cold at night and his grandmother would move the fire from the thick ashes to create warmth. Though the poet’s grandmother left him many years before. But her images, voice, love, inspiration and memory are still animating in the mind and heart of the poet. Likewise the activities, behaviours, intructions, shape and so many other memory of his grandmother are the source of living which encourage him at all the moment.
INTERPRETATIONS:
The grandmother of the
poet is the prominent and highly regarded women of contemporary America who
represent the difficulties in Mesquaki tribe. The poet assumes and senses that
he would see the shape of his grandmother from the miles away. Poet sees his
grandmother from his inner eyes, that it is his merely assumption only, and he
would recognize his grandmother instantly who is coming from the long distance.
He even assumes that if he would see from his outer eyes, he would see his
grandmother coming from the long distance or from the mile away by wearing
purple scarf and carrying plastic shopping bag. The poet assumes that if he
felt hand on his head, the poet know that those hands were his grandmother’s
which are warm and damp with the smell of roots. Again, the poet assumes that
if he heard a voice from the rock, he would know that he words are resounded in
his heart with instant flow inside him like the light of someone stirring ashes
from a sleeping fire at night. The poet implies the rigid suppression to the
Mesquaki tribe by the Americans, especially the white Americans. In spite of
suppression, discrimination and contempt, the tribe strongly existed in the
American states. The poet sustains the cultural ethics, values and norms of
Mesquaki tribe. The poet reveals the difficulties of women in that tribe, the
poem shows that women in that tribe faces great struggle to sustain their
lives.There is the rustic scene of American countryside where the tribes
reside.
2. ABOUT LOVE
Plot (Analysis)
>> Alyohin –
narrator/speaker of the story >> Talking with his guests Burkin and Ivan
Ivanych about Russina perspective of love.
>> Initiates the
story of two servents Nikanor, the cook and the beautiful girl Palageya. Its
like a mismatch of love. The girl Palageya was so beautiful whereas Nikanor was
clumsy, fat and very bad looking.
>> Alyohin
present the violent love affair between two servants where the cook Nikanor was
high temper. She didn’t want to marry him but live with him. When he was in
drunk; he used to swear and beat her and she would hide in down stair and sob.
>> Alyohin
analyses the love between the servants. Why did not she fall in love with
somebody more like herself inwardly and outwardly? Personal happiness does not
count in love and it uncertain and vague as well as mysterious. Love is not the
absolute solution of happiness and several questions regarding love are
unanswered.
>> The speaker
continues to state more about love on Russian perspective. “Russians who are
cultivated have a weakness for these questions that remained unanswered. Love
is usually poeticized, embellished with roses, nightingales; but we Russians
embellish our love with these fatal questions, and choose the least interesting
of them, at that.”
>> He recalled
that he was fallen in love with a girl when he was a student in Moscow but she
did not perform the act of love. “When we are in love, we never stop asking
ourselves whether it is honorable or dishonorable, sensible or stupid, what
this love will lead to, and so on”
>> When Alyohin
was telling a story about love to his guest; the atmosphere was not good. There
was grey sky and drenched (wet) tree and he was telling a story being so
lonely.
>> He continued
that he returned to his home at Safyino; after graduated from the University
and started farming to pay off the debt of his father for his education. While
staying in village; he was a bookish fellow who read The Messenger of Europe.
>> He was
elected as honorary justice of peace and went to town for circuit court and met
several educated people; lawyers including Luganovich; the assistant president
of circuit court.
>> Luganovich
invited the Alyohin for dinner where he had an opportunity to meet with Anna
Alexeyevna; wife of Luganovich. Alyohin was fascinated by the beauty of Anna
even after she gave birth to child in the age of 22.
>> Both husband
and wife were so fond of him. He regularly visited their home for dinner.
Alyohin was quite positive to save innocent people from the arson (firing in
house) case in the court.
>> Alyohin was
restless because of the natural; and elegant beauty of Anna; so he couldn’t
stop without meeting her and soon returned to town from his home Safyino. He
was in love with her despite the fact that she was married.
>> He received
the parcel from Anna and remained so much excited. He thought that the
Luganovichs understood his loneliness. So they became his friends. They also
asked him if he required money; they would happy to help him.
>> He said that
he was always thinking of Anna why she married the dull and simple hearted man
of over forty and had children for him. Alyohin said the beauty of Anna didn’t
match with her husband Luganovich.
>> He said that
he had loved her tenderly, deeply, but he had reflected and kept asking himself
what their love could lead to if they did not have the strength to fight
against it.
>> Alyohin said
that if she said her feeling to him and her husband; the result would be
terrible.
>> As time
rolled on; Anna had two children and the grown up children hung on his neck
saying Uncle Pavel Konstantinovich.
>> He recalled
that they had gone to theatre together and watched opera sitting side by side.
>> Anna tried to
run away from her husband and children and stayed at her mother or sister. It
was the dissatisfaction towards her own life and means of approach to Alyohin.
>> They did not
utter their love to each other and remained silent.
>> Later
Luganovich received an appointment in Western Province and they had to sell
their villa and everything to go there. Several people were there to bid good
bye to Anna Alexeyevna.
>> Alyohin
rushed to station to bid good bye and to give her the forgotten basket.
>> Finally they
met; and embraced with burning pain in their hearts. Alyohin finally confess
his love to her. Before they parted forever; he kissed her and pressed her
hands. The train was moiving and he was wandering here and there in the station
and crying.
>> At last;
according to Alyohin; he went to Sofyino missing her much. Burking and Ivan
Ivanych were expressed pity over him whose condition was like the squirrel in
the cage.
Summary
“About Love” is a
famous Russian story written by a famous story-writer, Anton Chekhov. In the
story, Chekhov presents the difference between two love stories and tries to
prove that “Love” like that is not bound by conjugal relations. He views that
love is true and spiritual. Happiness, unhappiness, morality, sin, virtue,
social status, class, prestige etc. have nothing to do with love. Alyohin is
the narrator in this story. He had been living as a poor farmer at Sofyino
since he graduated from the university. The story begins when the narrator and
his two guests-Bufkin and Ivan were hav,ing breakfast in a country house.
Alyohin told about the violent love affair between his two servants Nikanor and
Pelageya. According to the narrator, pelageya didn’t want to marry Nikanor but
she was ready to live with him just so. On the other hand, Nikanor couldn’t
stay with her before marriage for religious reasons. Alyohin says that love is
a hindrance and a source of dissatisfaction and irritation. To justify his
statement, he began his own story.
Alyohin had to work
hard at Sofyino to payoff his debt·as his father had spent a lot of money on
his education by mortgaging the land. Though he was a landowner, Alyohin had to
work hard in the farm with his servants. Many years before, he had been elected
honorary magistrate and sometimes he had to go to the town to participate in
the court session. Unexpectedly, one of his friends, Luganovich invited him for
dinner. There, he was very much attracted by t.he young and beautiful Ana
Alexeyevna, the wife of Luganovich. In the later days, he frequently visited
her and they spent much time together falking for hours and going to the
theatre. Though they couldn’t miss the company (mtr) of each other, they didn’t
express their desires, love and feedings. They hid feelings fearing that it
would ruin both of their lives.
At last, as a result
of unexpressed feelings, Anna had got mental sickness and she had to go to
Cremea for treatment. Many people gathered at the railway station to say
goodbye to Anna. When the train started to move, Alyohin ran toAnna with her
basket which she had forgotten. Their emotional eyes met together and their
spiritual strength couldn’t stop them falling in each other’s arms. They kissed
each other and expressed their deep love. However, they parted forever and
Alyohin returned to his farm land (village) being sad and he would never meet
her again in his life. The true love of Alyohin is the means of living. The
moment of her memory often relieved Alyohin in his life.
3. The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner
The poem is spoken
from the point of view of an old man who looks upon the political and romantic
obsessions of the young Irish. He suggests that once upon a time he too “talked
of love and politics” but that now, with his age perspective, his thoughts rest
on Time and eternal questions. In the final stanza, we learn that these
meditations are not pleasant, as he suggests that no woman pay him attention
due to his age, thought he still recalls the women he once loved. The poem ends
as he curses Time, which has changed him from young to old.
The Poem “The
Lamentation of the Old Pensioner ” is a revised version of Yeats’s earlier poem
“The old pensioner” (1890). The speaker of the poem is no longer a young man
but an old pensioner who can but only think how beautiful the youth was. In his
youth, he used to sit round the fire with his friends and they used to talk of
love or politics. The young people, even now, are engaged in warfare and
struggle to fight against the human tyranny. However, the speaker’s attention
is, deeply focused on Time (’R’1J that has changed him into an old and
incapacitated (W1nl) man (broken tree). Therefore, at the best, he carr only
remember and express his sorrow for that passing youth, vigor, zeal and beauty.
The title is apt because it states the condition of the speaker (an old
pensioner) and what the poem is about lamentation.
Analysis
The poem is based on a
conversation that Yeats had with an elderly poet. He wrote in a letter that the
poem was :little more than a translation into verse of the very words of an old
Wicklow peasant.”
Wicklow, by the way,
is a green, rural county south of Dublin. This precise technique of observation
of peasants is what Yeats later recommended to J.M. Sybge upon meeting him in
Paris, and which led to successful works like The Playboy of the Western World.
The elderly peasant’s
lamentation is that time has transformed him into someone that is no longer
important or viable. This is in contrast to Yeats’s other, more wistful and
gentle portrayal of age in the rest of the collection. The pikes to which the
“old pensioner” refers are the weapons traditionally used in nationalist
uprisings against the British, which the man is too old for, so regards as
futile.
The poem complicates
Yeats’s earlier poems, many of which exhort the Irish to contemplate eternal
questions like Time rather than take up their pikes, so to speak, for a passing
political issue. This old man, who is forced away from politics and love, shows
the downside of such contemplative non-participation in life. Of course, he is
still tormented by the passions of his youth for women and conservation, and so
his mediations aren’t exactly what Yeats has in mind in poems like “Who Goes
With Fergus?” and “The Man Who Dreamed of Faeryland.”
4. Two Long-Term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few
Trees
The significant writer
and processor Moti Nissani has raised the two long-term problems in his essay,
they are: over population and deforestation. Because of industrialization,
nutrition, sanitation and modern medicine, people are living longer and the
world population is increasing rapidly. The writer is worried by the fact that
over populating will have a bad impact to the natural world. To produce more
food for more people, the trees will be cut down and forests will be
cultivated. Moreover, the growing population will pollute rivers, lakes, air,
drinking water, soil and the whole natural world. Such environmental pollution
will cause different kinds of diseases such as cancer, asthma and respiratory
diseases. Overpopulation causes deforestation. Deforestation will cause floods,
landslides, soil-erosion, droughts, greenhouse effects and the loss of various
species of plants, birds and animals.
Nissani further says
that every year there are 80 million more people in the world. He presents the
realistic pictures of Nepal. In 1951, there were nine million people In Nepal.
After less than 50 years, the . population grew to 23 million. As an average
Nepalese woman gives birth to five ·children, Nepal’s population growth rate is
high. If this high birth rate continues, Nissani says that Nepal’s population
will reach 368 million after 140 years. If such overpopulation .is not checked,
Nepal will have to face various devastating problems in the near future.
In the essay, Moti
Nissani encourages us to protect trees for the future generation. He has
recommended few steps from where we can prevent chopping down of the trees and
restore healthy atmosphere. we need wisdom, courage and compassion (concerns)
to control the problems of overpopulati9n and deforestation. We can control
deforestation by controlling population and by educating them about the bad
impacts of deforestation. We can solve this problem by deforestation and using
smokeless stove. Effective family planning is the main remedy (treatment) of
controlling over population. People should be encouraged to plant trees and
they should be discouraged to cut trees. Concluding the essay; Nissani stresses
that we should have willingness and passion to reduce population and plant
trees which will help us to live healthier and our future will also be bright
and safe.
5. Full Fathom Five Thy Father
Lies
- William Shakespeare
The poem “Full Fathom
Five Thy Father Lies” is a song sung by the Spirit Ariel in Shakespeare’s play
“The Tempest”. The Spirit sings this song to Ferdinand, the prince of Naples,
who mistakenly thinks that his father is drowned.
The speaker of this
poem is Ariel who is very powerful spirit of wind who flies lightly and
invisibly playing music and singing songs. Here he sings the song about the
death of Ferdinand’s father. According to him, Ferdinand’s father lies thirty
feet below the surface of the sea. Ferdinand is very worried about the death of
his father. Giving him sympathy Ariel says that his father has got quite
meaningful death. His body is not decayed. Every part of his body has been
changed into something beautiful, valuable and strange. His eyes are
transformed into pearls and bones are’ changed into coral. The sea nymphs
welcome his death by ringing the death bell “Ding-dong” every hour.
In this poem, the
spirit Ariel has presented very artful and melodious description about the
death of Ferdinand’s father. The prince of Naples is worried thinking that his
father is drowned. He is very sad about the meaningless death of his father.
However, Ariel gives him sympathy by making the death meaningful through his
powerful and magical description. He says that nothing of the dead body has
decayed or rotten wastefully. Everything of the dead body is changed into
meaningful and precious objects at the bottom of the sea. Ariel finally
requests Ferdinand to listen to the death-bell rung by the sea nymphs to
welcome his father’s beautiful and meaningful death.
6. A Hurried Trip to avoid a bad star
- M. Lilla and C.
Bishop Barry
This is an essay
written by the two American geographers M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry present an
exploration of the Karnali region which they did on foot for 15 adventurous
months. After Christmas the two authors start their trip to know how Karnali is
economically linked with Nepalgunj. Their fellow travelers bring medicinal
herbs, hashish (1J1;;fT) hand-knit sweaters and blankets in their baskets ~ to
sell them in Nepalgunj.
During their trip on
foot, the two geographers see and learn many things about the life and culture
of the people of Karnali region. On their way, a chhetri woman of 30 asks them
whether they are going to Nepalgunj. According to her, her husband left her 15
years ago to find job in the plains The woman requests the authors to send him
back if they find him. In a forest at 9,000 feet, they see some people
processing Silajit sell it in Nepalgunj. Instead of processing it in their
homes, they do it on the way because they have made a hurried trip to avoid a
bad star The people of the Karnali regions are superstitious as they believe
that a bad star may have evil influence on them.
They continue their
journey, and notice some women cutting the branches of the ‘Sal’ trees to feed
their goats. Almost all the trees have become bare. This shows that the people
of Karnali zone are not aware of the possible environmental damage. They are
ignorant about landslides, soil erosion, droughts etc. in the future. When the
authors reach terai, they sit beside a campfire and listen to the night sounds
of jackals, bats, mules and bullock carts. They walk on the paved streets and
see the vehicles. Their fellow travelers or the people of Karnali region buy
collon clothes, spice, jewelry, iron ware, aluminum and sweets to sell them in
Karnali. The authors complete their exploration in Jumla.
While they got back to
the Terai region, the two American geographers learn a lot about the
geographical condition and the life of people of the Karnali region. The
authors observe all the seasons and the people who have been living in harmony
with nature. They have been living very difficult life. As their cultivation
can not support them, they have to..Lnvolve them in trade. Some people go’to
the plains in search of job. Thus, the people of Karnali zone are uneducated,
conservative and they earn their living by the various traditional works.
7. Traveling Through the Dark
- William Stafford
“Traveling Through the
Dark” is an ironical and sentimental poem composed by William Stafford. In this
poem, the poet presents a great tension between two realities, two systems of
life. On one hand, we think and say that we have to fulfill our responsibility.
On the other hand, there are emotions warmer) than responsibility and deeper
than good judgments. The poet treats equally to the both sides of the conflict.
In this poem, the poet
describes how he is moved by the death of pregnant doe. The poem is split into
five stanzas. In the first stanza, the poet is driving along the mountain road
at night. Suddenly, he sees a deer lying dead on the edge of the Wilson River
road. He thinks to remove it from then narrow road. In the second stanza, the
speaker stops his car and goes near the deer. He finds that it is a pregnant
doe which is recently killed. Her body is already stiff, almost cold. He drags
the doe off. In the third stanza, the poet thinks seriously about the fate of
the fawn still living and waiting to be born in the womb of the dead doe
(female deer). The poet is filled with pity as it is impossible for the fawn to
be born. For some time, the poet hesitates to do anything. In the fourth
stanza, the poet describes the engine of his care. The warm and living engine
contrasts with the cold and dead doe. In the final stanza, the poet solves the
problem or tension by pushing the doe over the edge into the river.
The poem is ironical
and suggestive. The irony is directed towards those nature lovers who drive
carelessly and put the life of innocent animals in danger. Tough they show pity
to the unborn fawn, they have no sympathy for the dead doe. The reference to
the fate of alive but never-to-be born fawn makes the readers very sad and
sentimental.
8. A Story
Story” is very
humorous story written by Dylan Thomas where he presents the, adult’s world
from the point of view of a boy. The story is about a days outing narrated by a
boy. The narrator lives with his uncle and aunt. In the beginning of the story,
the narrator gives very humorous description of his uncle Thomas and aunt. His
uncle was big and noisy but his aunt was small and quiet. They loved each
others very much. Some times, being angry, the aunt beat her husband on his
head with a china dog. She didn’t like his annual outing as he would come home
heavily drunk on such occasions, she would go to her mother’s house. . This
story is an account of a trip to Porthcawl made by the narrator’s uncle and
s.ome of his friends. The narrator was also involved in the trip. One Sunday
morning, when Thomas and his friends decided to go to Porthcawl for outing by a
comfortable motor-coach, the aunt became angry with her husband as she didn’t
like the annual outing. She threatened her husband that she would go to her
mother house if he went for outing. He didn’t care her threat as she would do
it every year. His friends Will Sentry and Mr. Benjamin Franklyn came in with a
list of friends who were ready to go for outing. The narrator found that his
aunt already left the house.
Everyone was ready for
the trip. The narrator, his uncle and his friends started their outing to
Porthcawl by a bus, charabanc. When they were out of the village, they found
that Mr. Old O’ Jones was left behind. They drove back to the village to pick
Old O’Jones up. When they continued their Journey, another friend, Mr. Weazley
wanted to go back to take his teeth but everybody said that his teeth were not
necessary in the journey. They stopped outside a small public house. The owner
of the inn welcomed them as the wolf welcomes the sheep. They spent 45 minutes
in the bar drinking a lot. They sang, shouted and quarreled after being drunk.
When they emptied the inn, they continued their journey. On the way, whenever a
public house passed, they had to stop as Mr. Weazley wanted to drink. Even when
the bar was closed, they would drink behind the locked doors.
In the meantime of
their journey, they saw a river on the way, and stopped the bus and went into
the cool water. As they were drunk, some of them slipped on the stone. They
forgot Portheawl. The river was better than Porthcawl for them. It was already
evening. They wanted to return back instead of going to Porthcawl. It was dusk.
All the 30 members of the outing were wet and drunk. They stopped at a public
house for rum to keep the cold out. On the way back, Mr. Old O’Jones began to
cook supper in the middle of the bus. Mr. Weazley wanted to drink more but
there were no inns. They brought out the cases of beer, sat in the field in a
circle and drank. The narrator began to sleep against his uncle’s waistcoat.
The moon as already up and their outing was over but they didn’t reach
Porthcawl.
9. The Last Voyage of the Ghost
Ship
“The Last Voyage of
the Ghost Ship” is the imaginative story of the development of a boy into
manhood written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The story states the illusion of
ghost in reality. She describes the growth of an ordinary boy to a bold,
matured and assertive young man. The Story deals with a boy’s miraculous
observation of the Ghost Ship. At first the boy has been presented as a new man
but he gradually changes towards manhood.
The boy is the central
figure in the story who used to see the ghost ships many years before, when the
boy was very small, he saw a large ship without any lights and sound. One
night, the ship passed by his village. It was long and tall. The ship sailed to
the wrong direction. When the lights of the lighthouse fell on it, it
disappeared and when the lights were off, it appeared. The next day, the boy
saw no any sign of the ship and realized that it was his dream. The boy was
growing up everyday. In the next March, the boy again saw the Ghost Ship in the
sea. This time, the boy was sure that it was not mere dream but a reality. He
told his mother and other people in the surrounding about the existence of the
ship. However, ‘no body believed him. His mother thought that his mind was out
of order. She sent a boatman to observe whether there was ship or not. The
boatman saw nothing more than the fish and the hares. The mother of the boy
brought a chair from the town, sat on it thinking about her dead husband and
then she died.
After the death of his
mother, the boy became orphan. Nobody loved and cared him. When he saw the
Ghost Ship and shouted, people beat him. Some other women also died who sat on
the chair brought by his mother from the town. People threw the evil chair on
the sea. They hated the boy as his mother was widow who brought the evil chair
in the village. The boy didn’t want to live on the charity (~. He began to
steal fish out of the boat. He had to face many difficulties in his lonely
life. However, he never accepted defeat. He grew stronger and determined.
Isolation and anger made him firm and assertive. He took a strong decision,
stole a boat and waited for the Ghost Ship in the channel. He wanted to show
the disbelievers who he was. The large Ghost Ship reappeared. He guided the
ship to the village church. The cowards and disbelievers were surprised to see
the large ghost ship. In this way, the boy proved his adventure and bravery. He
was never confused by emotion and frightened by miracle. He faced the troubles
and accepted the challenges. In the beginning, the boy was like mud.
Towards the end of the
story, he grew into a firm rock. He proved his manhood or maturity by showing
the existence of the gigantic (large) Ghost Ship. The story presents how the
confidence and determination leads the boy to reach in the destination of his
journey to search the ghost ship as he used to see from his boyhood. It proves
that the boy’s efforts and sufferings as well as determination support him to
reach his destination.
10. God’s Grandeur
God’s Grandeur by G.M.
Hopkins
(An Analysis)
The first four line of
the octave (first eight line stanza in Italian sonnet) describe natural world
through which God’s presence runs like an electronic current, becoming momentarily
visible in the flashes like the refracted glinting of lights produced by metal
foil when rumpled or quickly moved. Alternatively, god’s presence is rich oil,
a kind of sap that wells up “to a greatness” which tapped with a certain kind
of patient pressure. Given there, clear, strong proof of God’s presence in the
world, the poet asks how that human fail to heed (pay attention to; listen to
or reck) His divine authority (his rod). The second quatrain within the octave
describes the state of contemporary human life – the blind repetitiveness of
human labour, and the sordidness and train of “toil” and “trade”. The landscape
in its natural state reflects God and its creator. But industry and the
prioritization of the economic over the spiritual have transformed the
landscape and robbed humans of their sensitivity to those few beauties of
nature still left. The shoes people wear saver physical connection between our
feet and the earth they walk on, symbolizing an ever-increasing spiritual
alienation from nature. The sestet (the final six lines of the sonnet, enacting
a turn or shift in argument) asserts that, in spite of the fallen of Hopkins’s
contemporary Victorian world, nature does not cease offering up its spiritual
indices (index). Permeating (fill) the world is a deep “freshness” that
testifies to the continual renewing power of God’s creation. This power of
renewal is seen in the way morning always waits on the other side of dark
night. The source of this constant regeneration is the grace of a God who “broods”
over a seemingly lifeless world with the patient nurture of a mother hen. This
final image one of the God’s guarding the potential of the world and contains
with Himself the power and promise of rebirth. With the final exclamation “ah!
bright wings”, Hopkins suggests both an awed intuition (instinct; insight) of
the beauty of God’s grace, and the joyful suddenness of a hatching bird
emerging out of God’s loving incubation (hatching).
Simple Synopsis
The world is full of
God’s magnificence. The electrical images (charged, shining) convey danger as
well as power of God. The poet constantly emphasizes that God’s glory is hidden
except to the inquiring eye or on special occasions. In comparing the
lightening to’ shaken gold foil, he may possibly have been influenced by the
gold-leaf electroscope. The opening lines convey Hopkin’s sense of the power
·and glory of god latent in the world. The question describes what man has done
to the world that should shine with God’s grandeur. Next comes the suggestion of
ruin and dirtiness with the vowel run seared, bleared, smeared. The process is
continued by smudge and smell, which pick up the initial consonant sound
’smear’ and, with new intensification, makes man’s smell indeed foul. One can
also notice, in Line 7, the intensifying effect in the rhyme of wears and
shares and the repetition of man’s with each: the earth is doubly infected
(wears, shares) with man’s filth (dirtiness) as it were. The first four lines
thus carry the imagery of the thunderstorm at first, the sense of brooding
expectancy and then the burst of lighting. Here, Hopkins is concerned with why
other people do not respond as he did, and the answer is suggested in the next
four lines, beginning with “Generations have trod, have trod, have trod.” Generations
of men, ignoring the miraculous quality of life, have lost touch with the
grandeur of god and become callous (heartless) to it. Their efforts have all
been away from what is most essential to them. Man has betrayed his inborn
nature instead of developing it, and has given himself up to trade,
industrialization and materialism. He has isolated himself from the sources of
knowledge to be found in nature, allowing his greed to destroy his, natural
sensitivity to beauty. The poets sweeping condemnation of 19th century
industrialization comes very close to his condemnation of man himself .”Shares
man’s smell” although it could possibly refer to smells in manufacturing, it
suggests physical loathing (hateful). But even at this stage there is hope and
faith. “And for all this, nature is never spent there lives the dearest
freshness deep down things”. Natural beauty is still a loving force to him, and
a constant reassurance of God’s concern for the world. Explicitly, Hopkins
contrasts here the beauty of nature with the ugliness of mankind’s deeds. Thus,
the poem is a protest against the materialism of the Victorian age. Although
man is greedy and wasteful, he may still hope to be saved as long as God is
there. This is an explicitly religious poem.
11. I HAVE A DREAM
“I have A Dream’ is an
unforgettable speech delivered (given) by Martin Luther King to millions of
American blacks and whites on August 28, 1963. This speech represents the hopes
and dreams of all American blacks who have been struggling for their rights and
freedom. Though the American constitution and the Declaration of Independence
have promised equal rights, justice and freedom to all the blacks and whites,
this is not implemented in practice. In the American Societies, there is still
strong racial discrimination, injustice, hatred and other inequalities between
whites and blacks. The Blacks are hated, neglected and tortured in practice. In
the American societies, there is still strong racial discrimination, injustice,
hatred and other inequalities between whites and blacks. The Blacks are hated,
neglected and tortured because of their black skin. They are deprived of their
rights, freedom, equality and justice. They are treated to be slaves and are
exiled in their own country. They live very poor and miserable life among the
rich whites. Only the whites enjoy rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. Luther king addresses the American Blacks and says that they should
continue their struggle until they establish equality, peace and brotherhood in
America. However, their struggle should be without violence. He says that they
should fight for their rights without causing physical violence which may cause
bitterness and hatred. They should follow the path and philosophy of Mahatma
Gandhi. If they keep on struggling in a disciplined way, they will achieve
their aims. Luther king hopes that one day; the chains of hatred, racial
discrimination, injustice and Inequalities will be broken. The new sun will
rise with the rays of liberty, equality, peace and brotherhood. Luther King
urges that there should be immediate change in the conception of whites. The
racial and color discrimination will weaken the foundation of America. Luther
King says that his dream is the dream of America. His dream is the dream of
freedom, justice and equality. The color of the skin is not important. What is
important in humanity. Therefore one day, all discrimination and inequality
will disappear. All the blacks and whites will walk together joining hands as
brother and sister. At last, not only blacks, all the American people will be
free. There will be sweet music of liberty, justice and equality all over
America.
12. Women’s Business
The writer Ilene
Kantov is feminist writer who supports the most of the ideas of the women and
their notion in the essay in the modern trend of globalization. She portrays a
portrait of Lydia Pinkham and she goes on to tell about other business women
who follow her footsteps. Lydia Pinkham combines her business with social
service. She supports women’s rights, temperance and their social as well as
economic reform. Her kind and beautiful face shines in the pages of papers to
advertise her medicinal products to cure the diseases of women. She expects a
militant feminist would support the business policy of Pinkham. She would
certainly support women’s rights, independence as well as social and economic
upliftment. She would react positively to Lydia’s advertising to champion
women’s rights, temperance and fiscal reform. She would equally support the
women’s advice on nutrition, exercise, hygiene and child rearing. She would,
thus praise the activities of Pinkham and other women who tried to make the
women race socially aware and economically independent. Lydia Pinkham and many
other women of her time played different roles to promote women’s business.
They competed with their male counterparts and didn’t hesitate to go to the
court of law like male businessmen. A militant feminist would no doubt praise
and support all these activities of women in this essay.
However; there are
some debatable statements of the writer which are not digestible for a militant
feminist. Lydia Pinkham suggests her women customers not to go to the male
physicians. A true feminist wouldn’t support such idea. She also wouldn’t
support the altitudes of Helena and Elizabeth who attracted women to use
cosmetics in the hope of getting married to European aristocrats. She would
object the idea of limiting women’s business within their own race. A true
feminist may think that men and women are interdependent. In the absence of
either men or women, the world will not run. Thus, the business women should
focus on the equality of men and women.
“Women’s Business”
differs in many ways from their male counterparts. The business women combined
their business with social service. They displayed their images to advertise
their products. The women offered their customers more than their products.
They supported women’s rights, temperance, and social and economic reform. They
gave advice to their customers about diet, exercise, hygiene etc. They printed
reports for the women to cure physical problems, infertility nervousness,
hysteria and even marital conflict. They used their images as women to promote
their business. Helena and Elizabeth, for example, took advantage of their
images as women to promote their business of cosmetics. Some business women
tried to show their roles as mother and grandmother and some other developed
their images as glamorous fashionable women. They advertised their products,
promoted their business and earned a lot of money as well. Some women even
invested some part of their profit into good works and social reform. However,
women were more sex conscious. They helped only women and promoted traditional
women’s skills. Lydia Pinkham, the leading American Business woman of that time
advised her customers to avoid male physicians. In the realities of the market
place, some business-women didn’t support feminism.
13. The Children Who Wait
Marsha Traugot wrote
the essay “The Children who wait”, in the prevalent trend of child adoption in
few decade in America context. Marsha Traugot suggests reasons for a new trend
in adoption. Now a wider variety of Families can open their homes to children
who in the past would have been leveled unadoptable. In setting forth the
causes for this phenomenon, Traugot draws from specific case histories.
The writer begins her
essay with an example of a 51/2 years old black homeless girl named Tammy who
is suffering from fatal alcohol syndrome which can stop her intellectual growth
at any time. By this, Traugot wants to prove that she is not dealing with
fiction but a specific case study. In the past, especially before 1960, the
black, disabled, handicapped and sick children were unadoptable. Tammy has
recently been legally freed for adoption which shows the changes that have
taken place in the American adoption scene. Before 1960, only healthy white
infants could be adopted. But now, the American adoption scene has been
completely changed due to different civil rights movements, birth control,
changing social values and social science research. Because of civil rights
movements, the attitudes of American people towards Negro children changed. Due
to birth control and legalized abortion, fewer unwanted babies were born. Even
the unmarried women could keep their babies with them because of the changing
social values. As a result, healthy babies were hardly available for adoption
and people turned their attention to other children like Tammy.
Due of massive growth
of population, the number of homeless children is in the increasing trend.
Between 1960 and 1978, the number of children in the foster home reached nearly
half a million. Many states have no idea about the number of children who lived
with their biological parents, who lived in foster homes and those children who
could be adopted. If such children were left in the foster homes more than 18
months, they would suffer from different kinds of illnesses and social crimes.
It would make their life more troublesome, complicated and worse. The
politicians also wouldn’t invest any fund to begin new programs for such
children as the children have no rights to vote. So, the homeless children were
neglected and uncared. According to the child care specialists, the cost of
keeping an average child in foster home was. $3,600 to $24,000. This shows that
the foster home was expensive and cruel. The writer suggests that the social
workers should change their attitudes. They should accept even disabled children
for adoption. They should open child care centres and hold meetings.
Now, the social
workers write down the characteristics of the child and the profile of a
suitable family and then they try to match. To find the possible adoptive
parents, the social workers first look to their lists. They give detailed
information about the children to the regional exchange offices. They organize
meetings and parties for children and possible parents to meet informally. If
they still can t find adopters by personal contact, they advertise on T.V. and
publish the child’s profile in the newspapers. Thus, the child welfare
specialists and the social workers can do a lot for the children who wait for
adoption.
14. A Child is
Born
- Germaine Greer
The writer shows many
differences between a traditional and modern society in matters of pregnancy,
childbirth and childbearing. The traditional society is full of different
customs, tradition~ rituals and superstition. A pregnant woman has to follow
all such rites. She doesn’t get proper respect at home and society unless she
gives birth to a child. Because of the customs, traditions and the culture of
the traditional society, pregnant women are loved, cared and supported by her
husbands, members of her family and all the relatives. Because of this, she
doesn’t worry much about the possible pain and danger in childbirth.
The traditional
behaviors are responsible to increase her sense of security. However, in modern
western societies, a pregnant woman is not cared like this. Since the people in
the modern western society don’t believe much on different rites, traditions
and superstitions, the pregnant woman is not attended by her husband and
relatives. She is not free from mental burden. She is always worried about the
possible danger and pain of the childbirth. She has to practice pregnantal
exercises and make other preparations herself. She frequently visits doctors
for advice and to get her pregnancy checked up. Her pregnancy is not given much
importance by her family, relatives and the society.
In the traditional
eastern societies, the infant and mother mortality rate is higher because of
the lack of modern methods and equipments. The traditional childbirths are
conducted among various superstitions, customs, rites, rituals and traditions.
The pregnant women don’t visit hospitals for check up. Because of this, a large
number of women and their infants die untimely in the traditional society. In
the modern western society, however, the infant and mother mortality rate is
very low. The pregnant women shouldn’t carryon various customs, traditions and
superstitions. They frequently visit doctors and follow their suggestions. They
practice many modern methods and equipments for the childbirth. If the life of
the mother or the infant is in danger, the doctors conduct operations to save
them. Thus, the women in the modern society give birth very easily and safely
among the modern methods and facilities.
After the childbirth,
the women in the traditional Eastern society are respected and praised much for
their courage. Many people attend her with gifts to see the child and to
congratulate the mother. People organize parties to celebrate the birth
ceremony. There is feasting, singing and dancing. The mother is given
permission to go to her mother’s house for few months. The whole family helps
her to rear the child. However, there is no such system in the modern western
society. In such society, there is no one t home to welcome the child and to
praise the courage of the mother.
HSEB English Class 11 ( Summary)
HSEB English Class 11 ( UNIT 1 Summary)
Unit 1::Stories of the Supernatural
The main character of
this story, Kimberly Clerk, lives in London. She is a beautiful, young girl of
25 years old. Also she has a good position in her company and earns a handsome
amount of money.
But Kim has a problem.
she has a problem of Recurring Dream. She sees a mysterious dream night after
night. In her Dream she sees a person and place which are completely
unknown to her. Her strange Dream always starts on a country road. Kim always
stands on this road and she sees a lane with a white fence and a white hedge on
both each side. At the end of that lane, on the top of the hill, Kim sees a
beautiful white house with green shutters. In her dream, Kim walks up the lane
and towards the house, reaches the house and enters the house. Then, She looks
around and in one of the rooms, she finds a man sleeping on the bed. That man
is a little old man with white hair and white beard. When Kim comes near to his
bead, that old man wakes up and looks at her. When Kim opens her mouth to speak
to him, She suddenly wakes up in her own bed in London.
Kim is much troubled
and bothered by that recurring dream of hers. Kim has a room mate named Janet
Wilson with whom she shares everything. She has told her room mate about her
strange dream too. One day Janet proposes Kim to her parent's farmhouse in the
countryside. Kim immediately accepts her proposal and both of them sets
out to the countryside in Janet's car. As soon as they enter on to a
country road, Kim sees the same place as in her dream. Kim gets out from
Janet's car and stands out on the same country road on which she used to stand
in her dream. Now Kim sees the same lane and the same house as of her Dream.
Then, she slowly walks on that lane of the house. As soon as she reaches to the
house she sees a board on which it was written "FOR SALE". It was
only the main difference she had seen against her Dream.
Kim Knocks the door
and her knock is answered by the same old man. To Kim's surprise, that man is
much terrified seeing her on his door and immediately closes the door. Kim
requests the old man to open the door and the man opens the door again and asks
Kim for why she came back again. Kim became so nervous and asked the old man
that "This house is FOR SALE for what reason". Then the old man
replies that he is going to sale the house because the house is haunted by a
ghost every night. When Kim asks the old man about the Ghost, he replies that
the Ghost is non other than Kim herself.
The Lost Doll
Carmen was the only
child of Roberto and Rosa Soto. She was beautiful, bright and loving child.
However she was sick from the day of her birth. When she was four, she fell
sick seriously and died. A few days after the funeral ceremony, Rosa gave away
Carmen’s playthings and clothes to a priest of another village so that she
couldn’t see them time and again. She thought that she wouldn’t have another child
as she was told at the time of Carmen’s birth. When Roberto knew about it, he
became very unhappy because he was hopeful that they would have another child.
He asked about her the little dolly which Carmen always carried with her. Rosa
said that she didn’t give it away. Then they searched everywhere in the house
as well asked the villagers too but they couldn’t find it.
However, they soon
forgot about the lost doll because Rosa became pregnant. On the first
anniversary of the death of Carmen, Rosa gave birth to another child. Roberto
and Rosa became very happy. She was named Evangelina, which meant “good news”.
When Evangelina grew she looked very much similar to her sister Carmen. But she
was healthy girl. When she was about four, she told her mother that she had
been sick a long time ago. She also told her aunt that she had a little,
beautiful doll with blue eyes and red dress. She had buried it under a tree in
the yard. She requested her mother to dig up the doll. When Rosa dug up the
ground, she found the lost doll. She looked surprised, shocked and sick because
it was difficult for her to believe. Evangelina also said that when she was
sick, the nice man came and helped her to bury that doll under the tree.
The story accounts the
supernatural significance regarding its particular focus on the concept of
reincarnation. When Evangelina was born and grown up, she looked very much
similar to that of Carmen’s actions, characters, behaviours and other many
things were very much similar. The priest said that God healed Carmen and sent
her back in the form of healthy Evangelina. Though Rosa did not believe that
her newly born child as the reincarnation of Carmen but she could not reject
the mysterious fact towards the end of the story. When Evangelina reported everything
about past and about her doll, Rosa could say nothing anymore.
The House Call
“The House Call” is a
story from Germany that basically concentrates upon the mysterious arrival of
the spirit of a young girl to make a call to the doctor for the treatment of
her mother who was suffering from pneumonia for several days. Dr. Brawn, the
protagonist of this story, is identified as the famous surgeon in his locality.
The day after the Christmas of 1903, he was sitting alone in his dining room in
about 9:30 p.m. he was quite tired even unable to take his evening meal due to
hard surgery, which he performed on his particular day. He was preparing report
about his surgical works and putting his head down the table and dozing. He
suddenly woke up when he heard the doorbell.
After sometime, he
came to know that he had a patient to see. In fact it was a young girl who had
come to call the doctor for her mother. Despite his exertion, Braun decided to
follow her up to her home and see her mother. The doctor tried to catch her up
on the way so that he could have asked many questions related to her mother and
about herself. The doctor was old enough to walk on the speed as the girl was
making a rush towards her home. Anyway the doctor managed to follow her till he
reached at her old apartment where a woman seemed to be lying on the bed.
The doctor checked her
up and found that she was suffering from pneumonia. He provided her some
medicine that comforted the woman because she was the same woman who once
worked in the same hospital as the maintenance staff. The doctor knew that Elda
had gone to stay at her brother’s house in the village. The woman further added
that she came back just three months ago after her only child Adelheid died.
Dr. Braun was very surprised because the very child had been to the doctor to
make a call. The woman further showed some of her belongings to revive her
memory in her old and least furnished apartment. The ragged shawl and tattered
shoes shown to doctor by her mother made him more confused and serious because
he had seen the girl in the same dress. When he looked at Elda he found her
asleep and returned with his black bag on his hand.
Fear
Armando Gonzalez was a
very hard-working man. After he and his wife worked for twenty years, they were
able to save 50,000 pesos in a large bank of Mexico City. With a dream of
buying a new house Armando went to the bank to withdraw the money as per the
suggestion of the agent who wanted the payment in cash. The cashier, in the
bank counted the money in a loud voice. Armando thought that everyone knows how
much money he had.
The people in the bank
began to look at Armando because he had won his hat on backward. But he thought
that they were looking at him for his money. A fat man persistently stared at
him on account of the way he had worn the hat. When Armando came to the street
to wait for the bus, he saw the fat man next to him. He suspected that the fat
man was going to rob him, consequently his body began to shake and his heart
started beating faster. Armando was waiting for the bus. When the fat man
looked at his pocket, Armando thought that he was checking his pistol. In this
way the situation made him quite nervous.
When the bus came,
Armando got on the bus and sat on the seat behind the driver he found the same
man sitting behind him. Armando’s whole dream of buying the new house was in
his pocket. He was not happy because he thought that someone would easily cease
his dream. Moreover, he saw three boys talking to the fat man that made him
truly skeptic, whether they were the helpers of the fat man. Armando got up the
bus at the next station from the front door but after sometime the boys also
got off from the back door. Armando was sure that they were going to rob him.
So, he cried begging help from the bystanders. Then he ran as fast as he could.
The boys simply thought that he might have undergone some serious problem so
they ran after him for his help. Armando fell in the ground many ground many
times. Eventually, the boys meet him, who was weeping like a child and
requested not to rob him. He said that he was honest and he had earned that
money in fair way through hard work. However when he knew that they were not
robbers, he felt ashamed. He returned to the bus stop with the boys feeling
easy and happy.
The Loving Mother
‘The Loving Mother’ is
a story that reveals the everlasting love of a mother to her baby even after
her death. It particularly gives central focus round the mysterious arrival of
a woman at a pharmacist’s usually at midnight. Shoji Sakota, the protagonist of
this story undergoes an unseen fear when he received the frequent visit in the
same time almost every night. Sakota was a Japanese pharmacist who lived a
lonely life since his wife had died many years before. One stormy winter night,
when he was preparing the annual business report, someone knocked at the door.
At first he didn’t pay much attention towards the knock thinking that whoever
came there would see the drugstore closed and return back. Second time also he
heard the knock at the door and thought that the wind was making the sound. The
frequency of knock grew that compelled him to think whether he might have some
urgent house call. He looked outside from the window quietly and saw there a
woman standing and speaking in a trembling voice. He suspected her and thought
whether it might be her trick to rob him. But her continuous pleads made him
open the door. The woman looked not like a normal woman. She was wearing a torn
out gown and her hair was not arranged. She asked Sakota for an ame on a stick
stick. Sakota was surprised when he knew about her request because he thought
that she would ask for the medicine.
The woman came to the
shop in the following nights regularly with same request at the same time. With
a view to have detail study about a woman, he called his friend who was a
photographer by profession. They managed to take photos of that woman secretly.
But, when the film was developed, there was no sign of the woman except the
things in the drugstore. The mystery remained so intense that ultimately forced
them to follow her up to her bedroom. They followed on her way back to her home
and they became able to find the same woman lying beside her child who was
enjoying the ame on a stick, which she brought from Shoji Sakota. When Mr.
Sakota saw her sleeping instantly, he thought it was merely a kind of
pretension. The moment he touched her with his fingers he became sure that she
had been dead for many days.
In this story, the
spirit of a loving mother visited Mr. Sakota’s pharmacy in order to buy ame on
a stick mostly preferred by her child. Though the mother is dead, her spirit
shows an infinite love to her child who is reported to have been sick for many
days. Her death was quite unknown to others. Moreover, there was nobody to look
after her.
HSEB English Class 11
( UNIT 2 Summary)
Unit 2::Men, Women And
Children
My Heart Leaps up and when I behold
Notable for love
of nature and simple language of poetry, William Wordsworth explores poetry as
the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings and emotions recollected in
tranquility. Thus the poet here projects his poetry philosophy as a trial when
he happens to have a glimpse and recollects the joyful moment of the rainbow
and his own experiences of childhood days with a meaningful conclusion.
The speaker in the
poem happens to view the rainbow in the sky. All of a sudden he feels great
sensations in the form of happiness. He after that realizes the existence of
the rainbow in the past, at present and so in the future .Mean while he
concludes that the existence of rainbow of human beings is only possible in the
existence of nature otherwise for him death is much more better than the living
life. Flashing back to the glimpse of the rainbow, he in no time gets back to
his childhood memories, and synthesizes the childish feelings and the emotion
with the fusion of intellect as the child is the father of man and deep respect
for nature.
Summing up the
poem" My Heart Leaps when I Behold" is the experimentation of
Romantic trend in poetry. In fact, the poet is successful in the application of
poetic Philosophy. Beginning with the feeling and emotions in the present of
rainbow and the childhood days on the other, the speaker develops a great
message that the child in a sense is the university of the world itself where
one learns many things like sense of innocence, creativity and so on. Finally
he is in opinion that the existence of human beings depends on the existence of
nature the poet regards God is quite different analysis in a sense.
Speaking of Children
"Speaking of
Children" is one of humorous essay that explains about that the obstacles
that the parents have to face after having many children. The essayist has
lightly and joyfully criticized about having more number of children. According
to the essayist one child is lake a part of parent body .He is outnumbered.
Parents can do anything with him. They can brainwash him or teach him anything
they lake .They can take him to anywhere they like as well. But plural children
make parents life troublesome .Parents cannot enjoy their holiday freely. They
have to go to the laces of the entertainment for children.
The famous writer
Barbara Holland has lightly probed the subject matter in the essay. She has
told that they have to rapidly change their flat for a better school for their
children. In others word parents have to move from their own life to their
children life. Thus, with own child parents can live in their own way but with
more than one child their lives become complicated. Moreover according to the
writer some private chatting between husband and wife is important for a
healthy marriage life .But the couple having many children nearly gets any
chance for the private talk .Whenever they start talking they are disturbed by
the children by the one way or another way. To express their feelings the
husband and the wife can write to each other but after the children learn to
read ,they can not do that either .The parents have to use different languages
or they can telephone to each other from their office.
In this essay ,the
writer delightfully examines the disadvantages of having many children and
advantages of having single children.
Look at the tea cup
The story ‘Look At A
Teacup’, written by Patricia Hampel, shows how a simple writing helps in
finding out great events. It is about the history of writer’s mother in a
delicate teacup. The two major themes of this essay are relationship between a
mother and her daughter and a connection between the past generation and
present generation. Both these things are represented by a teacup.
The writer’s mother
was married in the year 1939, the beginning of the Second World War. The same
year she bought the teacups as gifts that were later given to the daughter.
Hampel sees a connection between herself and her mother. The teacup reminds her
of her mother’s history because her mother bought it in 1939. Through the cup
the mother transfers the culture and history of her time to the daughter. So,
the cup is historical memory only. It was made in Czechoslovakia, which was
taken over and destroyed by the armies of Adolf Hitler.
The essay associates
and removes the objective description and subjective feeling of author and
teacup. The author can express lots of feeling and ideas making the teacup as a
medium. She tries to compare the falling of flower in the teacup as destruction
of beauty due to falling bombs. There was also cultural and social degradation.
The style of this essay is stream of consciousness. So, the reader feels
somehow puzzled to track down the plot of the essay. She expresses all her
feelings try to compete each other. So, some sentences are fragmented.
Logically they do not follow each other. The writing is beautifully decorated
but the meanings are deviated.
There is symbolic meaning
of the things. ‘Falling flowers’ implies the degrading situation and ‘teacups’
were human rituals and arts. Certainly the essayist refers the fall and break
of culture. ‘Falling bodies’ were dying people in the war and ‘beds’ have
meaning of the battlefield where the falling bodies lay. ‘The falling of bombs
onto women’ means the tragic fate of these women. They had the disturbed
married life. Fates of women were accursed by the war and their destiny was
darkened by the war and their destiny. ‘Falling countries’ refers to the
degradation of humanity, peace, progress, brotherhood, culture, etc. of the
countries involved in the war. This essay presents the reality of war and shows
the real picture of the world caused by the destruction due to war.
Worn out Path
Phoenix Jackson of the
far out village came through the pinewood jungle with a walking stick. She used
to look ahead. Her face was wrinkled .She had a red piece of cloth on her hand
.When there was a movement in he bush she used to abuse all the animals and ask
them not to block her way, because she was going away. All the birds and doves
were chirping. She reached a hill through the jungle, She looked back at the
way and started to climb down. She reached into a bush and thrones kept her
dress and she said "You don't let me go away". At last she got rid of
thorns by trembling and went away. She lost her time .She went to weep. She
crossed the river and thought she was not as old as she thought. She sat there
.A boy brought some cake she asked him but he didn't give her .She went through
the bared wire fence. She went to the safety place and stood up. A vulture came
and sat on the tree. She became glad that it was not the time of bulls and
snake were also sleeping. And she became happy when she didn't see the two
headed snake .There were a lot of snakes in summer .Then she went through the
maize field and the cotton field but she couldn't find he way. There was a
black, tall and skinny thing moving before her.
She thought it was a
man but it didn't make a sound so she took it as a ghost .She cried
"Ghost" "Who are you the ghost of ?"She felt it closing
eyes. She found a coat and a cold as ice inside. She said "You scare crow
" She felt to be old very much. She reached the way. She went through the
huts by saying she was walking when they are sleeping .She drank more sweet
water in the stream. She reached shallow place place and ask the alligators
just sleep. She meet a dog coming out from a hole. She hit it with the stick
slightly but herself feel into the hole. She tried to get out but she was
unable so she lay there A white man came alone and shouted at her saying “What
are you doing there ?” “I am waiting a man,” said Phoenix. The boy help her to
get out and ask where she was going. She said she was going to the city. He
insisted on going back home but she refused. She picked up a nickel dropped
from the boy’s pocket. He ask her age and she told her it was impossible to say
the age. The man went where the dogs were fighting .The white boy pointed his gun
towards the Phoenix but she faced it. He asked if she was frightened by gun but
she told him that she was familiar to such guns .He told “Granny.you are
hundred so you aren’t afraid of anything anyone”. If you go home I would give
you ten cent .They disported and carried their way.
Phoenix reached the
city. The city was decorated because of Christmas. There were light on during a
day. She sat on the payment. She saw a lady carrying a present for Christmas in
her hand .She ordered her to tie shoelace up. She asked what the old lady
wanted and at last she help her to lace up. Phoenix thanked her and reached a
stony house There were golden papers hanging on the walls. There was an
attendant who ask her work and name. In the mean time, the women, who know Phoenix,
came and asked her about her grandson. “She doesn’t come for her but for her
grandson” said Phoenix could answer quickly. So she repeated her question .She
requested Phoenix not to take there time because they didn’t have the time, if
she would have any problem they would solve it quickly. She said to her that
Phoenix forgot about her grandson but slowly she reminded her of grandson. She
told them he was not death. He was serious and sometimes he could not breath.
They were only two % people live in there family. The women said, doctor had
given some medicine but it couldn’t affect the diseases .Phoenix said he was
helpless and in bad condition, he might live for some time. Nurse gave her free
medicine .The old lady thanked her. The nurse gave her five cent and Phoenix
climbed down the steeps slowly.
Three Days Blow
This is a dramatic
story which contains the dramatic elements like character setting, scene etc.
In this story the writer draws on analogy between the three day blow and the
mental agony of the hero, Nick. This story is a dramatic story which contains
approximately seven scenes, apart from the expository one. This story has two
major character Nick and the bill and the entire story takes place either
inside or outside the cottage . When the story begins Nick was walking around
orchard near the cottage. The rain has just stopped and the autumn wind is
blowing .Nick reaches the cottage .After this expository scenes there are seven
more scenes. In the very first scenes Bills meet Nick at the door telling him
that his father is out in the woods for hunting .Then they start talking about
the blowing of the wind with Bill saying "She will blow like that for
three for the next three days ".In the next scene both of them go inside
start drinking. While drinking they discuss a variety of the topics like base
ball players .Their favorite writer and their father .In the third scene nick
want to that he is not drink .So he goes to bring a log to add it in the fire
place. But while passing a pan with dry apricots fall off the Kitchen table .In
the next scene Bill helps Nick to put log on the fire place and he brings
another bottle of the whiskey.
In the next scene Nick
goes into the Kitchen to drink some water. On his way back, he sees a mirror
and looks on it. He smiles at strange face and the face too grins back. Then he
winks at it and goes .Finally after many drinks they start talking about Nick
was wish to be separated from his girlfriend .In bills opinion ,to get married
is to ruin oneself. Nick has left her mother because of her trouble maker
mother .Bills goes on giving several reason regarding why he did good by
leaving his girlfriend while Nick just listen. After sometime Nick is lost in
himself and he is no more drunk. The case of Marjorie seems to bother Nick a
lot. According to nick everything was suddenly finished between him and
Marjorie. It was just like the three day blow which comes suddenly and takes
all the leaves off the tree. Finally ,Nick seems to change his mind about the
whole situation. Now ,he resolves to find Marjorie at any cost. Then Nick feels
quite happy and relived As he said, "There is always a chance". In
the last scene both of them feel that they should go hunting and they go out in
the wild.
HSEB English Class 11 ( UNIT 3 & 4 Summary)
Unit 3::Ecology And
Environment
The Poplar Field
The poem urges us to
protect nature. In the poem the poet express his personal emotion and feeling
with nostalgic tone. The poet used to enjoy among the poplar trees in the past
but now as the tree has been cut down the poet doesn't get any cool shade and
melodious song of the wind. The wind no longer plays and sing in the leaves of
poplar trees because the tree is no longer exist also the poet could no longer
see the reflection of poplar trees in the water of Ouse river .Here, the tone
of the poet is nostalgic.
His nostalgic tone
continuous even in the second or third stanzas. Twelve year before the poet
used to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the poplar field. He used to sit under
the cool shade of the trees but now as the trees are laid down on the grass he
sits on their logs. Once he used to hear the sweet song of the blackbirds but
now they have flown away for another shelter.
The poet years are
passing very quickly and one day he will have to die and lie in his grave but
by then other poplar trees will not have grown in the place of the dead trees
because it takes a longtime for the new trees to grow .Here the poet images
himself dying and lying on his grave. He means that he has to die before another
such groove of poplar trees grow in the place of the dead ones The bitter fact
makes the poet contemplate on the temporary nature of human pleasure. The poet
used to feel tremendous pleasure in the company of the poplar trees but now
when the trees have been destroyed his pleasure too has perished and his
pleasure cannot be restored in his lifetime ,because it takes long time for the
new poplar trees to grow in the place of the old ones. So the poet concludes
that human enjoyment have shorter death than their short lives. The poet means
that human pleasure die sooner than human themselves.
The Nightmare Life without Fuel
In this essay the
writer Isaac Asimov(1920-1992) deals with problem of fuel crises and draws our
attention to the issue of conserving fuel. The major thrust (focus) of this
essay is what is going to happen if we don't conserve the world natural
resources. Throughout the essay the writer depits the nightmare life without
the fuel. In this essay the writer portrays the American life during late 1990
when Americans were having horrible problem by the fuel crises. Because of the
fuel crises in 1997 the prices of the fuel raised high and only very rich
people can have the car. Life was worse outside the city area in the suburb
area as due to the fuel crises the people living in suburb's used to push
carts. If the road was blocked due to the snow storm ,they suffered more. They
couldn't buy a lot of food at one time and they couldn't use the refrigerator
either. Because of the difficulty of the distribution of the food, Americans
were forced to eat less.
The situation of the
people outside America was worse. Not more than 20% of population has enough
food to eat. The first and for most helpless victim of this starvation were
babies after their mothers had gone dry because of the lack of nutrition.
About 40% of the
people manage to little to keep their bodies working but that provide to be not
enough for their brain. Those people were alive but they were permanently
brain-damaged under nutrition. Moreover because of the fuel crises there were
no more armies because they were expensive can consumed a lot of energy. The
writer calls armies "The Expensive ,energy gobbling monstrosities".
The writer further
depites the nightmare life without fuel by informing that machines most be
replaced by the humans bodies because of the fuel crises .People worked like
machine and they had less free time. In fact they didn't need more free time
because they couldn't enjoy T.V, movie and news book for a long time .work,
Sleep and Eating had became the most important aspects of their life according
to the writer the day had almost returned to the day of 18th century to the day
before machine, industry, technology and the population of the world was going
to be reduced from 5.5 billion to 1 billion because of hunger, diseases and
starvation.
The writer concludes
his essay by saying that now in such a situation the American could do nothing
to prevent all this disaster, But if they would have started earlier ,it would
have been easy.
Unchopping A Tree
This essay is a plea
against deforestation. The essayist talk's about unchopping or joining a tree
which has been cut down into small pieces. The writer tells us to unchop or
join all the parts of the tree place the tree where it was standing before we
cut it.
This essay is pseudo
directive ,it has a meaning different from its surface meaning. The essay
surface tells the thing but actually it want to suggest something else. In
other word the apparent meaning of this essay is different from it's real
meaning .On the surface level the essay talk's about unchopping a tree which
has been cut down but inherently the essay are used against deforestation and
please us to conserve nature.
In the essay the
writer suggest that we should conserve the tree. We chop down the tree very
easily but if we are asked to unchop or join all the parts of a chopped tree we
can't accomplish that task. The writer by asking us to unchop a tree is making
us realize how difficult it is to grow a tree. He suggest that we should not
chop down a tree because it is impossible to unchop it again.
The essay is the
persuasive essay in which the essayist speaks to us directly and pursuits us to
conserve the nature. This essay is the defense of nature preservation.
Keeping things Whole
In the poem the poet
pleads foe organicity and the wholeness of nature. He believes in the organic
unity and is against the fragmentation. The poet argues for the wholeness
against the fragmentation that goes on in life. He believes in the whole part
and not in partiality.
As the poet says,
wherever he is, what is missing there that means he doesn't want to fragment or
part anything while moving. So in a field he becomes the absence of that field.
Even when he parts the air while moving ,the air always moves in to fill the
space where his body had been.
Human beings are
always in the habit of lacking of the thing in nature as the different parts
and one complete organic whole .They forget everything in the nature is related
to every other thing .The poet suggest that we should rather support the
wholeness of nature against it's fragmentation.
Unit
4::Humor
Concrete Cat
This poem is an
example at a concrete poetry. In such types of poetry the meaning is conveyed
through the visual arrangement of the words. The chief concern of this type of
poem is with the physical appearances of the poem. The concrete poetry is also
called as the visual poetry because in such poetry the words themselves forms a
picture.
In the poem the poet
portrait the image of the happy cat. The letter 'A' in the word ear has been
capitalized to indicate the upright pointed ears of the cat. Similarly the 'Y'
in the word eye suggest that the eyes of the cat are wide open and the U in the
word mouth shows that the cat's tongue with the capitalized the poet denotes
the picture of a happy cat. The poet's indication that the cat is happy and the
content is suggested also by the happy bounding placed letters in the tail. I
the tail, the spaces between the letters show white color and the letters
themselves show black color of the cat's tail.
Moreover the happy cat
has food indicated by the ward 'dish dish'. Similarly a dead mouse is indicated
by the upside down letters of the word mouse. This means that the cat has
already killed the mouse and it's dead body is lying flat. The cat also has the
litter box to store the wastages. The ward 'stripe' has been used for many
times to indicate a long band of color over cats body. There is a pun in the
cat's middle stripe .Pun is the word with two possible meaning .The middle
stripe can be read as the stripes over cats body and it can also be read as
'stripes' which indicate the stomach tissue of the cat.
Oops!! How's that Again
In this essay the
essayist humorously examines our verbal error’s. The essayist illustrates
different variety of verbal error’s problems, why they happen and also explains
we laugh at them. The writer is mainly concerned with the psychological causes
of the verbal miss steps.
The writer begins with
numerous examples of verbal errors .He organizes those examples into four
groups as Public blunder, Mistranslation, Bloopers, Spoonerism. Public blunder
is the first type of verbal errors in which the speaker comments some verbal
errors publicly. E.g.: A businessman Peter Belfour wished the happy married
life of prince Charles with lady Jane .But the prince was engaged to Lady Diana
.Lady Jane was his Ex-Girlfriend. The second group of verbal errors is
mistranslation .While translating something from one language to another
language .Some wrong translation may occur E.g.: The slogan “Come Alive With
Pepsi” failed in German when it was translated as “Come Alive Out of Grave With
Pepsi”.
Further the writer
talks about Bloopers which are the embracing errors made on Radio and
Television by different R.J and V.J .E.g.: The radio announcer Harry Vonzell
Tntroduce the president Herbert Hoover as Hoobert Heever. Finaly spoonerism is
the transportation of the sound of the word by accident .This type of verbal
errors was introduced by William spooner who once chided his student like this:
“You have Hissed all my mystery lecture”. Actually he wanted to say “you have
missed all my history lecture”. The writer than draws our attentation to the
causes of such verbal errors. According to him such mistake are funny but
linguist and psychologist think them as important verbal errors and
psychological behavior .A linguist Victoria framkin psychoanalyst says that
such slips of tongue are clues to show how our brain stores and articulates language.
The Psychoanalyst, Sigmmd Freud explained such error’s (Verbal errors) as the
expression of the speaker inner thoughts.
Writer examine why we
laugh at such verbal errors. According to him at such mistake we laugh because
they are new and delightful to us. According to the Philosopher Henri Bergson
people laugh if there is a break in normal action of everyday monotonous life.
The slips of the tongue breaks the everybody sameness and monotones. According
to essayist we delightfully laugh at the slips of tongue because they are
revelation of the speaker in her desires.
We laugh at the
charitable wish very kindly and not harshly .We kindly laugh when some nice
inner wishes or rival through the verbal errors eg: when Geraldford said in the
1976 President debate that Poland was not under the soviet domination .It was
the expression of charitable wish. In this way througout the essay the writer
examines our verbal behaviors in a very delightful tone. Acc to him such verbal
missteps shows as a new world of logic and possibility.
HSEB English Class 11 ( UNIT 5 & 6 Summary)
Unit
5::Identity, Gender And Ethnicity
Malini
In the play the major
character Malini is the princess of Kashi, who is practicing Buddhism as taught
by Buddhist monks but as the Kingdom is dominated by Hindu majority, the
Brahmins demands the banishment of princess ,whom they think as a threaten to
their ancient religion.
The Brahmins are lead
by Kamankar who is radical Hindu. Kemankar has a friend name Supriya. Supriya
is also a Brahmin but he is a liberal man and oppose the banishment of an
innocent girl like Malini. When other Brahmin are drawn towards Malini fate,
Kemankar tries to seek the help of the foreign soldiers to protect Hinduism. In
the mean time when Kemankar is away from the state ,Supriya too is attracted by
Malini's fate. Supriya helps the king to capture Kemankar ,But when Kemankar is
bought to the palace he kills supriya also accepts his own death .The play ends
with Malini pleading to King to forgive Kemankar.
Throughout the play
Malini is the symbol of the love who wants to protect Kemankar life even though
Kemankar desperately wants her banishment where as Kemankar has radical Hindu
belief who even goes to the extent of Killing his own friend and accepting his
own death in the name of religion. Supriya though he is a Hindu by birth but he
can accept change in his religious beliefs.
In the play Kemankar
appears to hold Patriarchal attitude and inferiories women. According to him
the women as an enemy is to be dreaded more than all others because man's power
gladly surrender itself to her powerlessness. "Here Kemankar is indicating
Malini as a powerless and weak creatures and fears that the Brahmins might
surrender themselves to Malini's powerlessness.
Unit
6::Life And Death
The Six Million Dollar Man
In this essay the
writer examines and criticizes the statical statement that the chemical value
of the human body is only a few cents and not even a dollar .The writer once
got a birthday card which mentioned that the chemical values of the Human body
in only 97 cents. He was not satisfied with this definition and wanted to make
a complete study of that matter by himshelf. The writer took a chemical supply
catalogue and began to look the prices of all the chemicals that composed the
human body. As he calculated the percentage of each chemical in the composition
of the human body, he found out that the average value of a dry human body
(Body composition with out water) was 245.54 $/gram. The writers dry weight was
24436 grams .Finally multiplying his weight by 245.54 he found out that his
body worth was more than $ 6 million.
But when the writer
examined further he found out that the $ 6 million figure of the average human
bodies worth is inaccurate .Even six million dollar were very low price for the
human body. That figures applies only to the Human atoms price at their raw or
informational state. But the chemicals in the human body are in purified stage
.If the supply companies of chemicals had to purify or synthesize these chemical
at raw state ,the price of a human body would be 6 billion dollar.
Now if these
synthesized molecules were assembled into the cell, then the price would jump
to six hundred billion or perhaps six trillion dollar. Now if we assemble the
cells into tissues, the tissue into the organs and the organs into the whole
body the price of the human body will increase beyond of ours immunization.
Then, we suddenly realizes that each human being is infinity priceless.
Thus the writer begins
with talking about the low price of human body and ends up talking about the
priceless human being .He begins with isolated chemicals and then goes to
larger compounds like cells, tissue, organ and then finally to a human being
.From few cents he comes to dollar and from few dollar he comes to the great
philosophical conclusion that every human being is endlessly valuable.
On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness
This poem is about the
vanity and fulfillment of human greatness .According to the poet time is all
powerful and every earthy thing is destroyed in course of time including our
name, fame and greatness. A poet say's that however great a man may be now his
greatness may be valueless in the future. To clarify his poem the poet brings
forth the examples of mastodons, the Roman Emperor Charlemagne. The Just
grizzly bear and the Great Julius Caesar.According to the poet, the tusks of
mastodons fought powerful fights in the past but now they have become the play
things. Similarly the sword of the great Roman emperor won many wars but now it
has rusted, Likewise everyone was afraid of the grizzly when it was alive but
now they sit's comfortably on it's fur because it has become rug. Finally the
Great Julius Caser was the powerful general of his time but now his armless
statue decorates the drawing room of the people.Thus the poet shows the
futurity of earthy Greatness which is collapsed in course of time .The poet
means that our name ,fame and Greatness which we boast so much is destroyed by
the powerful time. The poet satirizes the human supposition that the great
tomorrow .He suggest that it is useless to be proud of our present achievements
because the value of our greatOn the Vanity of Earthly GreatnessThis poem is
about the vanity and fulfillment of human greatness .
According to the poet
time is all powerful and every earthy thing is destroyed in course of time
including our name, fame and greatness. A poet say's that however great a man
may be now his greatness may be valueless in the future. To clarify his poem
the poet brings forth the examples of mastodons, the Roman Emperor Charlemagne.
The Just grizzly bear and the Great Julius Caesar.According to the poet, the
tusks of mastodons fought powerful fights in the past but now they have become
the play things. Similarly the sword of the great Roman emperor won many wars
but now it has rusted, Likewise everyone was afraid of the grizzly when it was
alive but now they sit's comfortably on it's fur because it has become rug.
Finally the Great Julius Caser was the powerful general of his time but now his
armless statue decorates the drawing room of the people.
Thus the poet shows
the futurity of earthy Greatness which is collapsed in course of time .The poet
means that our name ,fame and Greatness which we boast so much is destroyed by
the powerful time. The poet satirizes the human supposition that the great
tomorrow .He suggest that it is useless to be proud of our present achievements
because the value of our greatness vanishes in course of time.ness vanishes in
course of time.
In Bed
In this essay the
writer conveys the painful expression of migraine headache. She describes the
migraine headache in general but particularly focuses on her own experiences as
a migraine sufferer. According to her she spends her day because of the migraine
pain 3-5 times a month. In the beginning she thought that she could be free
from it by simply denying it. But unfortunately the savior pain of migraine
never denied her. For writer her identity as a migraine sufferer was a
"shameful secret" it was because she had internalized the societies
mission caption that migraine was the result of "bad attitude, unpleasant
temper, wrong think".
Later ,the writer
accepted the existence of migraine headache, She accepted it as something with
which she would be living ,like some people live with diabetes that mean the
writer gradually accepted the migraine because she had now realized that
migraine was not the result of her bad attitude but the result of stress,
allergy, tiredness, change in the air pressure etc. The writer had also
understood that migraine was hereditary in nature. According to writer ,she has
migraine because both of her grandmother had it ,her mother had it and also her
father had it.
In the essay Didion
wants to correct the society min conception about migraine. To the society the
migraine problem is imaginary then heredity. The non-sufferer think that the
sufferer refuse to take any medicine thus make themselves sick. As they
say," why not take a couple of aspirin". The writer describes the
insensitive treatment of society received by the migraine sufferer s like her.
She even say's that she is even lucky because her husband has migraine and know
it's pain .At least, she doesn't have to receive mistreatment front her
husband.
Even the doctor are
insensitive to words the migraine patient's the doctor have misconception of a
"mikgane personality". They think that a migraine personality is
ambitious, inward, systematic and perfectionist .Once a doctor told the writer
that she didn't look like a migraine personality .Simply, her hair was messy
.The doctors too ,like the rest of others, are unable to feel the pain of the
migraine sufferers.
Towards the end of the
essay the writer says that now she has completely accepted migraine as her
friend .Now she doesn't deny it, nor does she fight with it .Thus by
using both the impressionistic and impartial styles the writer successfully
describes the painful expression of being a migraine sufferer and the
mistreatment that the migraine sufferer receive from the society.
The Gardener
"The gardener
"is the story of a women named Helen Jurrell who is left with an
illegitimate son to bring up. Helen Jorrell is living in a country village
where she grew up .Once she goes to France saying that she had some health
problems and returns with a baby. She explains to her villagers that the is the
son of her recently dead brother .Actually it is not her brother child it is
her own child. She went to the France not due to her health but because she was
having a baby. Being an unmarried women. She told these lies so that she
wouldn't be hated in her society for bearing an illegitimate son.
When a child whose
name is Michael turns six, Helen tells him that she is his aunt ,he may call
her "Mummy" at bedtime. When a boys comes to ten, He is an orphan and
fears that his aunt may reject him. But the bond between Helen and Michael
grows closer. Michael grows up and wins a scholarship to Oxford University. But
when the world war I break's out he join army. However soon Michael was killed
in the war and his body was not found and he is posted "missing"
.Later, Helen is officially informed that Michael body is buried in Military
Cemetery at Hagenzell. Then she sets out her journey to Hagenzell.
On her way Helen meets
a women named Mrs.Scarsworth who say's that she is visiting a cemetery on
behalf of her friend. But later she confesses to Helen that she was actually
going to her lover grave. Helen's response to Mrs.Scarsworth confession is
surprising .She catches the women's hand and bows her heart over the hands.
Helen was not able to sit for a long time that night. It is because too is
living with a tragic secrete for a long time. Next day, Helen goes to the
cemetery where she sees a gardener. She asks him where to find out grave of her
nephew. Then the gardener says ,"Come with me and I will show you where
your son lies". The gardener knows that Michael is not her nephew but her
son in this sense, gardener is non other than God himself.
The story is the
moving example of the story on the aftermath of World War .Michael death
resembles the death of many innocent young lives in the war .In fact in the
story Kipling has depicted his own experience of loosing his only son 'John' in
the 1st world war .The body of john was lost and was never found during Kipling
life time .Kipling died in 1936 and the grave of his son was eventually found
in 1992.
The story also shows
the shallowness or meanness of our society. Helen represents all those women
who have been defeated by the repressive patriarchal society. Because of the
fear of the social disgrace, Helen is compelled to tell a tragic lie that
Michael is not her own son.
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