A.M.U. ENGLISH CLASS TENTH PAPER (PERIODIC ASSESSMENT 1)

Fiction, Chapter-2 - A Dog Named Duke - Class IX English-A

Chapter-2

A Dog Named Duke

William D. Elis

Answer these questions –

QUESTION- In 1953 Hooper was a favored young man. Explain.

ANSWER-This means that in 1953, Hooper had everything a man could ask for. He was healthy and fit. He was extremely successful in his job, was married and had his own home. He was liked by everyone and everything was going for him.

QUESTION- They said that they would create a desk job for him.

  (a) Who are ‘they’?

ANSWER -‘They’ refers to some men from the company in which Hooper worked.

(b) Why did they decide to do this?

ANSWER -They decided to do this because they knew that due to his accident chuck will not be able to move around ad work as he did earlier. So, they told him to take a year off and decided to create a desk job for him which not requiring much movement would have suited his circumstances.

QUESTION- Duke was an extra ordinary dog. What qualities did he exhibit to justify this?

ANSWER- Duke was an extra ordinary dog.

·       After the accident, he realized that chuck can’t maintain his balance and so he never jumped on his master again.

·       He understood that he can help his master to walk again.so, he dragged Hooper patiently and persistently and helped him gain back his endurance and strength.

·       When walking in the dark, Hooper would stay still until Hooper would trip and fall down, Duke would stay still until stood on his feet again.

All these instances prove that Duke was an intelligent, careful, tactful and responsible dog who helped his master not only to get back on his feet but also flourish in his career. These instances prove that Duke was an extra ordinary dog.

QUESTION- What problems did Chuck present when he returned to the company’s headquarters?

ANSWER- When Chuck returned back to the company’s headquarters neither could he work continuously for a long time nor could he write. This move of Hooper presented a problem because due to his condition , he was useless of his old job  of a salesman but nobody could tell him so because no one wanted to hurt his feelings after all his struggle to get back to work again.

QUESTION- Why do you think that Charles Hooper’s appointment as national assistant sales manager is considered a tribute to duke?

ANSWER- Charles Hooper’s appointment as national assistant sales manager is considered a tribute to duke because it was duke who taught him to cope with the challenge and accept the changed mode of life after his accident. Without Duke, Chuck would never have been able to walk, get back to his job, work hard and get promoted.

Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats - Summary - Line by Line Explanation Q&A Solved

Poem - Ode to a Nightingale -XI Elective Poetry

• Summary of the poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats
• line-by-line paraphrase of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:
  
• UNDERSTANDING THE POEM (Q&A)
• TRY THIS OUT (Q&A)
• Important Questions on the Poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats

Summary

The poem Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats begins as the speaker starts to feel disoriented from listening to the song of the nightingale, as if he had just drunk something very strong. He feels bitter sweet happiness at the thought of the nightingale's carefree life.

The speaker wishes he had a special wine distilled directly from the earth. He wants to drink such a wine and fade into the forest with the nightingale. He wants to escape the worries and concerns of life, age, and time.

He uses poetry to join the nightingale's nighttime world, deep in the dark forest where hardly any moonlight can reach. He can't see any of the flowers or plants around him, but he can smell them. He thinks it wouldn't be so bad to die at night in the forest, with no one around except the nightingale singing.

But the nightingale can't die. The nightingale must be immortal, because so many different kinds of generations of people have heard its song throughout history, everyone from clowns and emperors to Biblical characters to people in fantasy stories.

The speaker's vision is interrupted when the nightingale flies away and leaves him alone. He feels abandoned and disappointed that his imagination is not strong enough to create its own reality. He is left confused and bewildered, not knowing the difference between reality and dreams.

line-by-line paraphrase of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains	My heart feels heavy, and I am overcome by a feeling of numbness.
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,	It feels as if I’ve drunk poison, like hemlock, which dulls my senses.
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains	Or consumed a drug that has taken away all my energy and awareness.
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:	Just a moment ago, I felt as if I was sinking into forgetfulness, like the river Lethe.
’Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,	It’s not because I envy your happiness, Nightingale,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—	But because I am almost too happy, sharing in your joy.
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,	You, airy creature of the trees, like a forest spirit,
In some melodious plot	Sing in a beautiful and harmonious place,
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,	Among the green beech trees, in endless shadows,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.	Singing of the summer with a voice that is effortlessly full of life.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been	Oh, how I long for a drink of fine wine,
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delvèd earth,	Which has been cooled deep in the earth for many years,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,	With the taste of flowers and the fresh countryside,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!	And the happiness of dancing, music, and sunlit joy from Provence.
O for a beaker full of the warm South,	I wish for a cup filled with the warmth of the southern lands,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,	Filled with the real, rosy-colored fountain of poetic inspiration,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,	With bubbles of wine sparkling at the edge of the cup,
And purple-stained mouth;	Staining my lips purple as I drink,
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,	So that I might drink and leave the world behind,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:	And disappear into the dim forest with you, Nightingale.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget	To fade away and dissolve, completely forgetting
What thou among the leaves hast never known,	The pain and suffering that you, Nightingale, never experience among the leaves,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret	The exhaustion, illness, and worry
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;	Here on earth, where people sit in misery and listen to each other’s groans,
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,	Where trembling hands shake the last sad gray hairs of the old,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;	Where young people grow pale, become thin like ghosts, and die;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow	Where even thinking leads to sorrow,
And leaden-eyed despairs,	And despair weighs down on us, making our eyes heavy,
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,	Where even Beauty cannot retain her bright and shining eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.	And new love fades away before tomorrow comes.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,	Go away, go away! I will come to you,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,	Not carried by Bacchus, the god of wine, and his wild companions,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,	But on the invisible wings of poetry,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:	Even though my mind is slow and confused.
Already with thee! tender is the night,	I am already with you, Nightingale! The night is gentle,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,	And perhaps the moon, like a queen, is sitting on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;	Surrounded by her stars like little fairies.
But here there is no light,	But here, where I am, there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown	Except for the light that the wind occasionally blows down from the sky,
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.	Through the green shadows and winding, mossy paths of the forest.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,	I cannot see the flowers at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,	Nor what gentle fragrances are in the air around me,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet	But in this perfumed darkness, I can guess each sweet scent,
Wherewith the seasonable month endows	With which the month of May fills the air
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;	The grass, the bushes, and the wild fruit trees,
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;	The white hawthorn and the sweetbriar;
Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves;	The violets that are fading and hidden by leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,	And the first-born flowers of mid-May,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,	The musk rose that’s coming soon, filled with dew like wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.	Where bees and flies will hum on summer evenings.

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time	I listen in the darkness, and many times before,
I have been half in love with easeful Death,	I have been almost in love with the idea of peaceful death,
Call’d him soft names in many a musèd rhyme,	I’ve given death gentle names in my thoughtful poetry,
To take into the air my quiet breath;	Hoping he would come and take my quiet breath away;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,	Now, more than ever, it feels like it would be a blessing to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,	To peacefully die at midnight without feeling pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad	While you, Nightingale, are singing your heart out,
In such an ecstasy!	In such a state of blissful ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—	You would keep singing, but I would no longer be able to hear it—
To thy high requiem become a sod.	I would become a lifeless body, like the earth, as you sing your heavenly song.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!	You, Nightingale, were not born to die; you are an immortal creature!
No hungry generations tread thee down;	No generations of humans can wear you down or destroy you;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard	The song I hear tonight has been heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:	By both kings and common people in ancient times;
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path	Maybe it’s the same song that reached the ears
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,	Of Ruth, who felt homesick and sad in a foreign land,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;	And cried while standing among foreign crops;
The same that oft-times hath	The same song that has often
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam	Enchanted windows, opening out to the sea’s foam,
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.	Of dangerous seas, in magical and forgotten lands.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell	Forlorn! The very sound of that word feels like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!	Bringing me back from you, Nightingale, to my lonely self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well	Goodbye! My imagination cannot deceive me anymore,
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.	As she is known for doing, like a tricky spirit.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades	Goodbye, goodbye! Your sad song fades away
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,	Beyond the nearby meadows, over the still waters,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep	Up the hillside; and now it’s buried deep
In the next valley-glades:	In the distant valleys.
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?	Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?	The music has fled: Am I awake or asleep?

---

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM (Q&A)

1. How does the nightingale’s song plunge the poet into a state of ecstasy?
   The nightingale's song brings the poet immense joy and a feeling of freedom. It transports him away from his troubles and worries, making him feel light and happy. The beauty of the music allows him to escape reality for a moment, creating a sense of bliss and connection to nature.

2. What are the unpleasant aspects of the human condition that the poet wants to escape from?
   The poet wants to escape from feelings of sadness, pain, and mortality. He is troubled by life's struggles, such as sickness, aging, and sorrow. He longs to leave behind the heavy burdens of life, including despair and the harsh realities of human existence, to find peace and joy in the nightingale's song.

3. What quality of ‘beauty’ and ‘love’ does the poem highlight?
   The poem highlights that beauty and love are often fleeting and can lead to both joy and pain. While the nightingale's song represents pure beauty and happiness, it also reminds the poet that such moments are temporary. This duality shows that beauty can be both uplifting and sorrowful, leaving a lasting impact.

4. How does the poet bring out the immortality of the bird?
   The poet suggests that the nightingale is immortal because its song continues through time, unaffected by human struggles. Unlike humans, who age and die, the nightingale's music symbolizes eternal beauty and joy. Its voice represents a timeless essence that transcends life and death, making it feel everlasting.

5. How is the poet tossed back from ecstasy into despair?
   The poet feels joy while listening to the nightingale, but he is quickly reminded of the harsh realities of life. The fleeting moment of happiness fades, leaving him to confront his sadness and loneliness. This shift from ecstasy to despair shows the contrast between the beauty of the song and the pain of existence.

6. How does the poem bring out the elusive nature of happiness in human existence?
   The poem illustrates that happiness is temporary and hard to grasp. The nightingale's song brings joy, but it also highlights the poet's longing and pain. Happiness, like the nightingale's song, can be beautiful but is often fleeting. This contrast emphasizes how difficult it is for humans to hold onto true happiness.

TRY THIS OUT

1. The poet has juxtaposed sets of opposites like numbness/pains, waking/dream. How does this contribute to the poetic effect? What is this figure of speech called? List other such pairs from poems that you have read.
   This technique, called antithesis, enhances the poem's emotional impact by highlighting contrasts. It emphasizes the poet's conflicting feelings of pleasure and pain. Other examples include “bittersweet” and “joyful sorrow” from various poems, showing the complexity of human emotions.

2. The poet has evoked the image of wine—why has this image been chosen?
   The image of wine symbolizes pleasure, intoxication, and the escape from reality. It represents the joy and beauty found in the nightingale's song. Wine also suggests a temporary state of bliss, mirroring the fleeting moments of happiness that the poet seeks in nature and art.

3. The senses of sound, sight and taste are evoked in the poem. Locate instances of these.

   • Sound: The nightingale's beautiful song captures the essence of music.
   • Sight: The poet describes the beauty of the lush forest and flowers around him.
   • Taste: The imagery of wine evokes a rich and pleasurable taste experience, linking it to the joy of the moment.

4. The poet addresses the nightingale and talks to the bird throughout the poem. What is this kind of poem called?
   This kind of poem is called an apostrophe, where the poet directly addresses a person or an object. In this case, the poet speaks to the nightingale as if it can hear him, creating a deep connection and emphasizing its significance in the poem.

5. Make a list of all the adjectives in the poem along with the nouns they describe. List the phrases that impressed you most in the poem.

   • Tender (night)
   • Deep-delvèd (earth)
   • Sweet (incense)
   • Green (woods)
   • Musk (rose)
   • Blushful (Hippocrene)

   Impressive phrases:

   • "With beaded bubbles winking at the brim"
   • "The weariness, the fever, and the fret"
   • "Fast fading violets covered up in leaves"

6. Find out the other odes written by Keats and read them.
   Some other famous odes by John Keats include Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to Psyche, and Ode to Melancholy. Each of these poems explores themes of beauty, art, and the complexities of human emotions, similar to Ode to a Nightingale.

7. Find out the odes written by Shelley and read them.
   Some notable odes by Percy Bysshe Shelley are Ode to the West Wind, Ode to a Skylark, and To a Skylark. These odes reflect on nature, inspiration, and the power of the human spirit, often highlighting the connection between beauty and the transient nature of life.

Important Questions on the Poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats

Q1. Discuss the theme of mortality in Ode to a Nightingale. How does Keats explore the idea of life and death?

Keats explores mortality by contrasting the nightingale's eternal song with human life, which is temporary and filled with pain. The poet reflects on his own fears of aging and death, wishing to escape these harsh realities. The nightingale symbolizes timeless beauty, while the poet’s awareness of death brings a sense of sadness and longing.

Q2. What role does nature play in the poem? How does it influence the poet’s thoughts and feelings?

Nature is a central theme in the poem, providing beauty and inspiration for the poet. The lush forest and the nightingale’s song transport him to a peaceful place, making him feel alive and joyful. However, nature also reminds him of the fleeting moments of happiness, highlighting the contrast between the eternal beauty of the nightingale and the temporary nature of human life.

Q3. How does Keats use imagery to enhance the emotional depth of the poem? Provide specific examples.

Keats uses vivid imagery to evoke strong emotions. For instance, he describes “beaded bubbles” and “the weariness, the fever, and the fret,” creating a sensory experience. These images make the beauty of the nightingale's song feel more intense, while also emphasizing the poet's pain and longing, enriching the poem's emotional landscape.

Q4. Examine the significance of the nightingale as a symbol in the poem. What does it represent for the poet?

The nightingale symbolizes beauty, art, and the eternal nature of joy. For the poet, it represents a world free from suffering and mortality. While listening to the nightingale's song, he feels a deep connection to nature and the possibility of escaping human pain. The bird’s immortal song contrasts with the poet's own transient existence.

Q5. How does the poet's attitude toward the nightingale change throughout the poem? What does this reveal about his emotional state?

Initially, the poet admires the nightingale, feeling uplifted by its song. However, as he becomes aware of his mortality, his feelings shift to sadness and despair. This change reveals his struggle between longing for joy and confronting the harsh realities of life. The nightingale’s beauty becomes both a source of comfort and a reminder of his pain.

Q6. What is the significance of the contrast between the nightingale’s eternal song and the poet’s human experience?

The contrast highlights the difference between the timeless beauty of the nightingale and the temporary nature of human life. While the nightingale’s song represents eternal joy and freedom, the poet’s existence is filled with suffering, aging, and death. This tension emphasizes the longing for escape from reality and the fleeting moments of happiness in life.

Q7. In what ways does the poem reflect Romantic ideals? Provide examples from the text.

The poem reflects Romantic ideals through its emphasis on nature, emotion, and individual experience. Keats celebrates the beauty of the natural world and explores deep feelings of joy and sadness. His longing for transcendence and the connection to the nightingale illustrate the Romantic fascination with finding meaning beyond the mundane aspects of life.

Q8. How does Keats’ personal life and experiences influence the themes presented in Ode to a Nightingale?

Keats’ personal experiences with illness, loss, and mortality greatly influence the poem. He faced the deaths of loved ones and his own health struggles, which brought a sense of urgency to his reflections on life and death. This background shapes the themes of longing for beauty, the desire to escape suffering, and the inevitability of mortality.

Q9. Discuss the influence of classical mythology in the poem. How does Keats incorporate these elements into his work?

Keats incorporates classical mythology by referencing figures like Bacchus and referencing the "Hippocrene," the fountain of poetic inspiration. These allusions connect the nightingale to themes of beauty, inspiration, and ecstasy found in ancient myths. This adds a layer of depth, linking the poem to timeless ideas of art and nature that transcend the poet's immediate experience.

Q10. How does Ode to a Nightingale compare to other odes written by Keats? What themes are consistent throughout his work?

Like other odes by Keats, such as Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale explores themes of beauty, art, and the passage of time. Both odes reflect the tension between the desire for eternal beauty and the reality of mortality. Keats often uses rich imagery and deep emotion, creating a profound connection between nature and human experience.

Q11. What is the impact of the poet’s use of sensory details in the poem? How do they contribute to the overall atmosphere?

Keats’ use of sensory details, like the sound of the nightingale's song and the sight of the lush forest, creates a vivid atmosphere. These details allow readers to feel the beauty and intensity of the poet's experiences. The rich imagery enhances the emotional depth, making the moments of joy and sorrow more relatable and impactful.

Q12. Analyze the structure and form of the poem. How does it contribute to its themes and meanings?

Ode to a Nightingale is structured in ten stanzas of varying lengths, using iambic pentameter and rhyme. This flowing structure mirrors the natural rhythm of the nightingale's song and creates a sense of movement. The changing stanza lengths reflect the poet's emotional journey, emphasizing the tension between beauty and sorrow throughout the poem.

Q13. Discuss the notion of escapism in the poem. How does the poet seek to escape from reality, and what does he find instead?

The poet seeks to escape reality through the nightingale's song, which symbolizes a world free from pain and suffering. He momentarily finds joy and connection to nature but ultimately realizes that he cannot fully escape human experiences of grief and mortality. This quest for escapism highlights the complexity of seeking happiness amidst the inevitability of life’s struggles.

Class XI - Elective English - 6. The Third and Final Continent - Jhumpa Lahiri

Class XI - Elective English - 6. The Third and Final Continent - Jhumpa Lahiri

APPRECIATION

1. Discuss the manner in which the author interweaves details of the narrator’s family with the flow of the main narrative.
   
   
   The details about the narrator's family is important for the readers in order to understand the psyche of the narrator. He had a very turbulent childhood and was brought up among very disturbed conditions at home. This is important for us to understand the bond he shared with Mrs. Croft. The words written by the author expresses that he was very attached to his mother and had fulfilled the role of an eldest son till the time she was cremated. He missed his mother a lot and recollected small incidents about she never forgetting to drape her head before coming in front of his father. When he came to know of Mrs. Croft's age which had crossed a century, he contemplated on how his mother couldn't adjust to his father's death and turned insane. Her insanity led to deterioration of her health. Her death gave him a heavy blow but he cared for her till the very last moment before cremating her. This shows his reason for growth of empathy towards Mrs. Croft because of her old age. Thus, his concern for Mrs. Croft grew which can be clearly reflected in the line: I was mortified. I had assumed Mrs. Croft was in her eighties...that this person was a widow who lived alone mortified me further still.
   
   
2. ‘Mrs Croft’s was the first death I mourned in America, for, hers was the first life I had admired; she had left this world at last,ancient and alone, never to return’—how do these lines encapsulate the bond that is possible between two strangers?
   
   A person usually feels very detached from people staying around him  abroad. Here is where originates the feeling of diaspora. The same happened with the narrator. He was away from his home and his family and, thus, never grew any feeling of affection towards anybody in America. He was quite alienated with the people of America. However, the course of action justifies his attachment and the emotional bonding which grew between him and Mrs Croft. In the foreign land, he grew a fondness towards the old lady because of various reasons. When he got to know that she was older than a century, he felt a sense of responsibility towards her. He was amazed and was quite awestruck at the idea of a widow of that age residing all alone, with nobody to take care of her . Taking up chores like heating her soup every evening or giving her eight dollars in the envelope every month satisfied him. All these instances and many more cite the fact that a very strong bond had developed between the lady and the narrator.
3. Examine the pieces of conversation in the story. How do they reflect the worldview of each of the speakers? The various conversations taking place in bits and pieces during the course of action of the story reflect a lot about people's perception on various issues and attitude towards each other and humanity in general. We see a very firm and hypocritical attitude prevalent in the tone of Mrs Croft when the narrator arrived at her place for the first time. This is when for the first time he realised that belonging to a very high standard place was important, anywhere such as Tech or Harvard. The greatness and biasness of Americans to be the first one to step on the moon, considering it an unattainable and impossibly splendid feat to be attained. However, she becomes mild for the first time when she receives the eight dollars from the narrator. Mrs Croft's orthodox ways become prominently visible when she objects to a lady and a man talking in private without a chaperone. Her conventional ways are quite evident keeping in mind the fact that she had already crossed hundred. The ways of the western world is shown to be in a very high contrast when we see Mrs Croft's daughter Helen being quite indifferent towards her mother's health or meals. Her casual tone when she says “she might have slipped” might disturb readers. However, even with the differences in opinions, perceptions and norms, the bond which had developed between the narrator and an American widow of a hundred years is worth appreciation.

Essay-01 My Watch by Mark Twain

Class Notes - English - XI - Elective - Woven Words - Essay:01

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. What was the importance of the watch to the author?
   
   
   The watch was important to the author as it showed him the correct time thus keeping him punctual. He had it working properly for 18 months until he let it run down. He had staunch faith on its judgement and its prediction. It worked perfectly until then without gaining or losing any part of it.
2. What were the attempts made by the author to get his watch repaired?
   
   
   After a possession of 18 months, the author let his watch run down. Devastated, the author went to all possible watch makers starting from the chief jeweller, the very next day. The head of the establishment pushed the regulator of the watch a little too much, which did no good, rather worsened its condition. Then the author went to another watch maker who kept it for a week and slowed it down, however, too much. Then he went to another one who kept it for three days; and then couple of more. Even after having spent thousands dollars, none of the watch makers could fix the watch. Hopeless, the author gave it a last shot and went to a watch maker who turned out to be an erstwhile, not a good, steam-boat engineer. It was now that the author realised that "a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once, and that a good watch was a good watch until the repairers got a chance at it. "
3. Why did the author finally give up on his watch?
   
   
   
   The author got the watch repaired seven times. By the end, he realised that the watch, with its original cost being two hundred dollars, had cost him two to three thousand on repairs itself. And the watch was still malfunctioning. It was when he reached the seventh watch maker and acknowledged the mechanic to be an old acquaintance, a steam-boat engineer of other days and not a good engineer. He gave his verdict like all other watch makers, the author was not gullible and this time he perceived what his uncle William used to say that a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once, and that a good watch was a good watch until the repairers got a chance at it. So, he finally gave up the repairing and decided to let the watch be.
4. What was Uncle Williams’ comment on the ‘tinkerers’ of the world?
   
   
   
   Uncle William is not a character in the story; however, the author gives a glimpse of him. When the author gave the watch for mending the last time, he reckoned that it was costing him more than the original cost. All the attempts so far have been futile and the verdict of the last watch maker made him remember what uncle William used to say that a good horse was a good horse until it had run away once, and that a good watch was a good watch until the repairers got a chance at it. The author perceived what his uncle had known with all his knowledge and experience. All the unsuccessful tinkers in the world are not specialists. They are the 'Jacks' of all trades and masters of none. Uncle William used to wonder what became of all those gunsmiths, shoe-makers, engineers and blacksmiths who never could be successful in their work sphere. It is important to acquire specialisation at least in one particular field, else one is left being a tinker, an apprentice, and not a specialist.
5. Explain these lines
   a. ‘I seemd to detect in myself a sort of sneaking fellow-feeling for the mummy in the museum, and a desire to swap news with him.’
   b. ‘Within a week it sickened to a raging fever and its pulse went up to a hundred and fifty in the shade.’
   c. ‘She makes too much steam—you want to hang the monkey wrench on the safety valve!’
   
   
   ANSWER:
   
   
   (a) After being oiled and cleaned and 'regulated' for the second time, the watch came home to the author after a week. However, the watch was slowed down to such a degree that the author missed all his appointments, his dinner. He felt like he was drifted in the past somewhere. Gradually the watch slowed even more, he felt like he was living in the previous week. The author felt like he missed all that was happening in the world. He was solitary and lingered in the past all because of his watch. The author here compares his situation to that of a mummy, who belongs to bygone ages. He felt it ideal to find a fellowship with the mummy in some museum he probably had been to or an imaginary one. He felt travelling in the past just like the mummy due to the slow time projected by his watch.
   
   
   (b) When the author let his watch run down after eighteen months, he took it to chief jeweller's to set it by the exact time. The head of the establishment however, despite being stopped by the author, pushed the regulator. This gave the watch, probably, a kick and the watch shot ahead of its time. It gained faster and faster, day by day. Post two months, it appeared to be having some sort of a fever with an extremely high pulse rate. It moved 13 days ahead of the actual date and when the year touched October, the author commented, the watch was enjoying the snow fall of November already. This erratic behaviour annoyed the author a lot and so he decided to get it doctored once again.
   
   
   (c) The seventh time the author took the watch to a watch maker, he reckoned the apprentice to be an old acquaintance, a steam-boat engineer of other days and not a good engineer. Like all watch makers, he diagnosed and gave his verdict. The author observed keenly and judged him at his very verdict when he said, "She makes too much steam-you want to hang the monkey wrench on the safety valve! The author immediately remembered what his uncle William used to say and perceived that a tinker is a tinker after all, this being an unsuccessful engineer and wondered like his uncle what became of all the unsuccessful tinkers.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

1. Replacing old machines with new is better than getting them repaired.
2. It is difficult to part with personal items like a watch which have a sentimental value attached to them. 

APPRECIATION

1. How is humour employed to comment on the pains that the author took to get his watch set right?
   
   
   It is funny how the author and his dear watch had to go through all the pain that was delivered by seven watch makers. In the end, it was all futile and no good was done to the watch. The seven episodes with the watch makers are humorous as while all the watch makers tried their hand on the watch, toying it all up and operating and exploring and dissembling and then assembling every inch of it, it all gave sheer pain to the author to whom the watch was so dear. Every time with all the hope and strength he took it to a new watch maker; however, not a single of all the tinkers could put it all back to place to make it function all properly. How strange it is that none of the seven watch makers could mend the watch while they all experimented and did all sorts of research and development on it.
2. ‘The author’s treatment of the subject matter makes the readers identify themselves with the experience.’ Comment on this statement.
   
   
   Samuel L. Clemens, Mark Twain, had less than ten years of schooling. He worked as a printer's apprentice, a steamboat pilot, a prospector and a journalist. All this gave him varied experiences and a wide knowledge of humanity. In all his works, he brings in elements from his own experiences and his own life creating a replica of his own self. All his stories have a combination of realistic and make believe world. What he presents are the situations that any ordinary human might face in her/his daily life; thus, making them all appear very realistic and hence the readers easily connect to the story and identify themselves with the experiences. For instance, in the story, the author faced a problem that is so ordinary. Any of us might have a watch that malfunctions and has a simple error. However, the problem rather than being mended, aggravates every time we take it to be doctored. This is a typical example of how an ordinary human faces problems with not just gadgets; it might be a medical condition or as simple as an argument with a known face.
3. Identify some of the improbable images the author has used to effect greater humour. 
   
   
   There are instances when the author goes on exaggerating the actual situation to add humour to the story. For example, when the watch is repaired for the second time, it slowed down. The description is a hyperbole of the actual happening. No matter how slow a watch is, it will show the time according to 12 hours, it cannot literally travel in the past. However, the way the author describes its watch enjoying snowfall before the season arrives is humorous. Also, the citation of the mummy is funny, plus it describes the mental state of the poor author.

Essay-02 My Three Passions by Bertrand Russel

Class Notes - English - XI - Elective - Woven Words - Essay:02

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

1. Why does Russell call the three passions ‘simple’?
   
   
   The essay actually is the preface to Bertrand Russell's autobiography. Every human is driven by a force, a passion all her/his life. It keeps her/him going. Some desire money, other, fame. There are some who desire simple satisfaction. Bertie's desires that he chased through his life were simple as well. He was driven by passions that any ordinary man or woman might feel for. For one, he wished love and got it too; he believed that it brought ecstasy. He got married four times to tell. Second, he hungered for knowledge and of course we all seek for it. He was a mathematician, a logician, political activist and wrote vastly on philosophy and contributed to literature, for which he received Nobel Prize as well. Third, he shared "an unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind". He took a stand against World War 1 and Vietnam war. Any human will pity a suffering man or a woman for they have a heart and feel, and so did Russell. Russell was a man who did not lust after materialistic gains; he was born in a prominent aristocratic family of Britain and gave away much of what he inherited. He rose his voice in favour of suffragists and world government. He believed in free thought in religion and morals.
   
   
2. Why has he compared the three passions to great winds?
   
   
   Russell compared his three passions to great winds as they were the driving force in his life. They directed his life and gave him the reason for his existence. These great winds are: the love, the knowledge and the pity for the suffering of the mankind. He found ecstasy in the first two that took him to heaven while the third brought him back to the earth with the practical reality. It appears from the words of the author, these are essential parts of his life. It was because of his passions, he found his life to be worth living and that he would gladly live it again if the chance were offered to him. So, his passions are like the great winds of his life directing him all along.
3. What, according to Russell, is the importance of love in life?
   
   
   Bertrand Russell is of the opinion that love brings ecstasy in one's life. He believes that the bliss that love brings is so magnificent that he could sacrifice the rest of his life for this joy of few hours. It relieves one of loneliness of this world. Russell says that in love he has seen the heaven that the great saints and poets have imagined. Here, Russell has given a spiritual dimension to love. He reached beyond through love and it was pity that brought him back.
4. How does Russell’s definition of knowledge differ from what is commonly understood by the term?Why is the quality of pity earth-bound while the other two passions are elevating?
   
   
   Knowledge is a treasure and Russell was a seeker of it. He craved to know and understood the Pythagorean power by which a number holds sway over the flux. He was a much learned man. He did believe that he achieved a little of it as well and yet he yearned for more. The understanding of the higher subjects, why the stars shine? He beseeched beyond all this and it in turn took him upward toward the heavens.
5. Why is the quality of pity earth-bound while the other two passions are elevating?
   
   Bertrand Russell had three passions governing his life all through. The first two being love and knowledge, which elevated him and took him higher to the heavens that great poets and saints have imagined. However, he said that the third one, i.e., pity, brought him back to the Earth, the reality. The pain in the echoing cries reverberated in his heart. All the sorrow in the wide world forced him to return to the Earth; the children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people that become a hated burden to their children. Russell was moved by the loneliness and poverty and pain that mocked human life. He imagined the ideal life of a human without any suffering and sorrow. So, he longed to alleviate the evil, however, he too suffered. He yet respected the human life and found it worth living and fought throughout his life against all evils. Bertrand fought against the Vietnam war and supported suffragists. Throughout his life he fought in favour of mankind to make this world a better place to live.
6. How have the three passions contributed to the quality of Russell’s life?
   
   
   The three passions, the great winds, in the Russell's life contributed immensely to its making. He found his life worth living and had he been given a chance, he would have lived it again. It were not just passions but the three vital virtues governing his life. These gave him directions and were behind all his actions. Bertrand Russell believed in love, knowledge and pity. Whether it was his relationships with women, or fighting against Vietnam war, his stand on Israel, or his support to suffragists it was always these three ideals that ruled all his actions.
   
   

Arms and the Man - Notes for XI Elective English

Class Notes - XI - Elective English - Arms and the Man

Play Summary | Central Idea | Characters

Play Summary

The play begins in the bedroom of Raina Petkoff in a Bulgarian town in 1885, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. As the play opens, Catherine Petkoff and her daughter, Raina, have just heard that the Bulgarians have scored a tremendous victory in a cavalry charge led by Raina's fiancé, Major Sergius Saranoff, who is in the same regiment as Raina's father, Major Paul Petkoff. Raina is so impressed with the noble deeds of her fiancé that she fears that she might never be able to live up to his nobility. At this very moment, the maid, Louka, rushes in with the news that the Serbs are being chased through the streets and that it is necessary to lock up the house and all of the windows. Raina promises to do so later, and Louka leaves. But as Raina is reading in bed, shots are heard, there is a noise at the balcony window, and a bedraggled enemy soldier with a gun appears and threatens to kill her if she makes a sound. After the soldier and Raina exchange some words, Louka calls from outside the door; she says that several soldiers want to search the house and investigate a report that an enemy Serbian soldier was seen climbing her balcony. When Raina hears the news, she turns to the soldier. He says that he is prepared to die, but he certainly plans to kill a few Bulgarian soldiers in her bedroom before he dies. Thus, Raina impetuously decides to hide him. The soldiers investigate, find no one, and leave. Raina then calls the man out from hiding; she nervously and absentmindedly sits on his gun, but she learns that it is not loaded; the soldier carries no cartridges. He explains that instead of carrying bullets, he always carries chocolates into battle. Furthermore, he is not an enemy; he is a Swiss, a professional soldier hired by Serbia. Raina gives him the last of her chocolate creams, which he devours, maintaining that she has indeed saved his life. Now that the Bulgarian soldiers are gone, Raina wants the "chocolate cream soldier" (as she calls him) to climb back down the drainpipe, but he refuses to; whereas he could climb up, he hasn't the strength to climb down. When Raina goes after her mother to help, the "chocolate cream soldier" crawls into Raina's bed and falls instantly asleep. In fact, when they re-enter, he is sleeping so soundly that they cannot awaken him.

Act II begins four months later in the garden of Major Petkoff's house. The middle-aged servant Nicola is lecturing Louka on the importance of having proper respect for the upper class, but Louka has too independent a soul to ever be a "proper" servant. She has higher plans for herself than to marry someone like Nicola, who, she insists, has the "soul of a servant." Major Petkoff arrives home from the war, and his wife Catherine greets him with two bits of information: she suggests that Bulgaria should have annexed Serbia, and she tells him that she has had an electric bell installed in the library. Major Sergius Saranoff, Raina's fiancé and leader of the successful cavalry charge, arrives, and in the course of discussing the end of the war, he and Major Petkoff recount the now-famous story of how a Swiss soldier escaped by climbing up a balcony and into the bedroom of a noble Bulgarian woman. The women are shocked that such a crude story would be told in front of them. When the Petkoffs go into the house, Raina and Sergius discuss their love for one another, and Raina romantically declares that the two of them have found a "higher love."

When Raina goes to get her hat so that they can go for a walk, Louka comes in, and Sergius asks if she knows how tiring it is to be involved with a "higher love." Then he immediately tries to embrace the attractive maid. Since he is being so blatantly familiar, Louka declares that Miss Raina is no better than she; Raina, she says, has been having an affair while Sergius was away, but she refuses to tell Sergius who Raina's lover is, even though Sergius accidently bruises Louka's arm while trying to wrest a confession from her. When he apologizes, Louka insists that he kiss her arm, but Sergius refuses and, at that moment, Raina re-enters. Sergius is then called away, and Catherine enters. The two ladies discuss how incensed they both are that Sergius related the tale about the escaping soldier. Raina, however, doesn't care if Sergius hears about it; she is tired of his stiff propriety. At that moment, Louka announces the presence of a Swiss officer with a carpetbag, calling for the lady of the house. His name is Captain Bluntschli. Instantly, they both know he is the "chocolate cream soldier" who is returning the Major's old coat that they disguised him in. As they make rapid, desperate plans to send him away, Major Petkoff hails Bluntschli and greets him warmly as the person who aided them in the final negotiations of the war; the old Major insists that Bluntschli must their houseguest until he has to return to Switzerland.

Act III begins shortly after lunch and takes place in the library. Captain Bluntschli is attending to a large amount of confusing paperwork in a very efficient manner, while Sergius and Major Petkoff merely observe. Major Petkoff complains about a favorite old coat being lost, but at that moment Catherine rings the new library bell, sends Nicola after the coat, and astounds the Major by thus retrieving his lost coat. When Raina and Bluntschli are left alone, she compliments him on his looking so handsome now that he is washed and brushed. Then she assumes a high and noble tone and chides him concerning certain stories which he has told and the fact that she has had to lie for him. Bluntschli laughs at her "noble attitude" and says that he is pleased with her demeanor. Raina is amused; she says that Bluntschli is the first person to ever see through her pretensions, but she is perplexed that he didn't feel into the pockets of the old coat which she lent him; she had placed a photo of herself there with the inscription "To my Chocolate Cream Soldier." At this moment, a telegram is brought to Bluntschli relating the death of his father and the necessity of his coming home immediately to make arrangements for the six hotels that he has inherited. As Raina and Bluntschli leave the room, Louka comes in wearing her sleeve in a ridiculous fashion so that her bruise will be obvious. Sergius enters and asks if he can cure it now with a kiss. Louka questions his true bravery; she wonders if he has the courage to marry a woman who is socially beneath him, even if he loved the woman. Sergius asserts that he would, but he is now engaged to a girl so noble that all such talk is absurd. Louka then lets him know that Bluntschli is his rival and that Raina will marry the Swiss soldier. Sergius is incensed. He sees Bluntschli and immediately challenges him to a duel; then he retracts when Raina comes in and accuses him of making love to Louka merely to spy on her and Bluntschli. As they are arguing, Bluntschli asks for Louka, who has been eavesdropping at the door. She is brought in, Sergius apologizes to her, kisses her hand, and thus they become engaged. Bluntschli asks permission to become a suitor for Raina's hand, and when he lists all of the possessions which he has (200 horses, 9600 pairs of sheets, ten thousand knives and forks, etc.), permission for the marriage is granted, and Bluntschli says that he will return in two weeks to marry Raina. Succumbing with pleasure, Raina gives a loving smile to her "chocolate cream soldier."

Theme / Central Idea of the Play

One of Shaw's aims in this play is to debunk the romantic heroics of war; he wanted to present a realistic account of war and to remove all pretensions of nobility from war. It is not, however, an anti-war play; instead, it is a satire on those attitudes which would glorify war. To create this satire, Shaw chose as his title the opening lines of Virgil's Aeneid, the Roman epic which glorifies war and the heroic feats of man in war, and which begins, "Of arms and the man I sing. . . ."

When the play opens, we hear about the glorious exploits which were performed by Major Sergius Saranoff during his daring and magnificent cavalry raid, an event that turned the war against the Serbs toward victory for the Bulgarians. He thus becomes Raina Petkoff's ideal hero; yet the more that we learn about this raid, the more we realize that it was a futile, ridiculous gesture, one that bordered on an utter suicidal escapade.

In contrast, Captain Bluntschli's actions in Raina's bedroom strike us, at first, as being the actions of a coward. (Bluntschli is a Swiss, a professional soldier fighting for the Serbs.) He climbs up a water pipe and onto a balcony to escape capture, he threatens a defenseless woman with his gun, he allows her to hide him behind the curtains, and then he reveals that he carries chocolates rather than cartridges in his cartridge box because chocolates are more practical on the battlefield. Yet, as the play progresses, Bluntschli's unheroic actions become reasonable when we see that he survives, whereas had the war continued, Sergius' absurd heroic exploits would soon have left him dead.

Throughout the play, Shaw arranged his material so as to satirize the glories associated with war and to ultimately suggest that aristocratic pretensions have no place in today's wars, which are won by using business-like efficiency, such as the practical matters of which Bluntschli is a master. For example, Bluntschli is able to deal with the business of dispensing an army to another town with ease, while this was a feat that left the aristocrats (Majors Petkoff and Saranoff) completely baffled. This early play by Shaw, therefore, cuts through the noble ideals of war and the "higher love" that Raina and Sergius claim to share; Arms and the Man presents a world where the practical man who lives with no illusions and no poetic views about either love or war is shown to be the superior creature.

Characters in the Play

Captain Bluntschli: A professional soldier from Switzerland who is serving in the Serbian army. He is thirty-four years old, and he is totally realistic about the stupidity of war.

Raina Petkoff: The romantic idealist of twenty-three who views war in terms of noble and heroic deeds.

Sergius Saranoff: The extremely handsome young Bulgarian officer who leads an attack against the Serbs which was an overwhelming success.

Major Petkoff The inept, fifty-year-old father of Raina; he is wealthy by Bulgarian standards, but he is also unread, uncouth, and incompetent.

Catherine Petkoff: Raina's mother; she looks like and acts like a peasant, but she wears fashionable dressing gowns and tea gowns all the time in an effort to appear to be a Viennese lady.

Louka The Petkoffs' female servant; she is young and physically attractive, and she uses her appearance for ambitious preferment.

Nicola: A realistic, middle-aged servant who is very practical.