-----------------------------------------Grandmother------------------------------------------------
@ What are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother? [057-3]
@ What is the main idea of the poem? [063-3]
@ What impression of grandmother does the speaker give in the poem 'Grandmother'? [065-3]
"Grandmother" written by American- Indian poet Ray
Young Bear is a recollection of poet's unfathomable love for his grandmother.
The poet draws the picture of his grandmother - all loving, all inspiring-
through the use of images.
As a grandson, the poet's heart is very close to his grandmother. This poem presents the poets deep sense of intimacy and closeness to his grandmother even after her death. He can not forget her. Her images come into his mind as fresh as before. He could recognize her by all senses except taste. If the poet would see her from a long distance, he could easily recognize her. Her warm and damp hands with the smell of roots on his head would make him guess that those were her caressing hands. Even the voice coming out of her tombstone would flow inside him like a light coming from a sleeping fire at night. Her words would inspire him and enlighten his spirit. @ What are the four things that Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother? [057-3]
Othings that
Ray Young Bear remembers about his grandmother are her shape, her purple
scarf, warm and damp hands and her inspiring voice.
@ What images do you find in this poem written by a
member of the Sauk and Fox (Mesquaki) Indian tribe of North
America? To what senses do these images appeal?
= The poet has used images to discover two intertwined
themes - recollection of his grandmother at one level and search for identity
at another level. The images like 'purple scarf', 'plastic shopping bag', 'the
light ... at night ' appeal to our sense of sight. These images also have
symbolic link to the Indian culture. 'Plastic shopping bag' indicates the
poverty of Indian tribe. 'The light .... at night' associates that the
spirituality of Indian culture guides him in the modern corrupt American
society. The images like 'smell of root' appeal to our sense of smell. It
indicates the work ethic of Indian tribe and his grandmother. They are near to
nature and are good farmers. 'Warm and damp hands' appeal to our sense of
touch. It also shows how his grandmother and Indian tribes work in fields with
pleasure and sense of duty. ' A voice' and 'her words' appeal to our sense of
hearing. This indicates how the teachings and philosophy of Indian culture
enlightens his spirits.
Thus by the use of images, the poet has symbolically
linked his grandmother to the lost culture of Indian tribe.
-----------------The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner--------------------------------
@ Why does the poet show his anger against time? [Model/065-3]
@ Why does the old man want to 'spit into the face of time'? [058-3]
@ Mention any three things the old man laments about. Why is he sad about them? [059-3]
@ Why and how does the old pensioner lament? [061-3]
@ What is the speaker lamenting on? [062-3]
= "The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner"
written by W.B. Yeats, presents the speaker's reminiscences of his young life
which become more painful when he contrasts his time of youth with his present
old age. He laments on the passing of his joyful youth.
In the past, the speaker was young and he had a good
job. So his friends and lovers followed him. He was happy to talk about love
and politics. His past life only gives him agony because Time has turned him
into ugly, weak and useless old man. Neither his friends nor any beauties
follow him. He is envious to see other young people who challenge any
conspiracy and evils. This old man, who is
forced away from politics and love, is still tormented by the passions of his
youth for women and conversation. He thinks that his greater enemy
is Time because it made him old and stole his physical beauty, power and
beautiful lovers. Time stole his youthful vitality, energy and sexual power. He
compares his old stage with the broken tree. Time robbed all his happiness from
him because it transfigured him into an ugly, powerless, passionless, deformed
and lonely old man. So, he shows his anger against Time and spits on the face
of it.
---------------------------Full
Fathom Five Thy Father Lies----------------------------------------The poem "Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies"
is taken from Shakespeare's play "The Tempest". Here the spirit Ariel
sings this song to Ferdinand, Prince of Naples, who mistakenly thinks that his
father is drowned.
Ariel says that Ferdinand's father is dead and is
lying thirty feet below in the sea bed. The Prince is very sad to miss his
father in a sea-wind, so Ariel gives sympathy to him by saying that death is a
meaningful change. He says that the bones of his father have turned into coral
and eyes into pearls. Sea-nymphs respect him with death bell every hour. None
of the parts have wasted but changed into more valuable. Ariel pretends that he
is listening the ding dong sound of the bell.
In this poem death is shown as a meaningful change.
Death is not an absolute end but only a process of transformation into another
natural object. The main idea of this song is that - man who is part of
nature transforms into another natural objects after death. The body of
Ferdinand's father has been changed into something more valuable and strange.
His bones have changed into corals and eyes into pearls. Even after death, he
is warmly welcomed in heaven by nymphs by ringing the bell.
----------------------------------------------About Love--------------------------------------------------
@ What kinds of love experiences are suggested by
Alyohin in "About Love"?[2057-3]
= In "About Love" , three kinds of love
experiences are suggested by Alyohin. The first one is the love affair between
Nikanor and Pelageya. Their love is sensual, often violent. Though there is no
understanding between them, sexual passion binds them. Their love is not bound
by marital relation. The second love affair is between Alyohin and a girl when
he was studying in the university. Though Alyohin loved her, she thought love
as a way to earn money. This love affair can be seen as the ugliest where sex
is exchanged with money. The third love affair between Alyohin and Anna
Alexeyevna can be termed as unexpressed love or spiritual love. Their heart
meet, but being trapped by middle class morality, their love remains
unexpressed. They sacrifice their love for more good. Alyohin sacrifices his
love because he thinks that it would bring disaster in the life of her
children, mother and husband. Similarly, Alexeyevna does not express her love
thinking that she wasn't young enough to live with him.
@ Character sketch of Alyohin. [2062-10]
Alyohin, a bachelor and a university graduate, lived
in Sofinyo working labourously in his farm. He had to work in his farm to pay
the debt that his father had spent on his education. He desired a civilized
living of the upper class but could not afford it. In the past while he was a
university student, he fell in love with a girl who only loved his money. Since
he was elected honorary justice of the peace, he often visited town to take
part in assizes and sessions. Once he was invited to the home of Luganovich to
dine. There he met Anna Alexeyevna , aged 22 and married to Luganovich. They
fell in love with each other but could not express their love. They chatted for
hours, went to the theatre together but they parted coldly the next time. Later
Anna suffered from nervous prostration and was sent to Crimea for
treatment. During her departure, Alyohin had courage to confess his love and
kissed her, but had to part with her forever.
Alyohin's vision of love is shaped by his own love
affair. He thinks that when people are in love, they ask whether it is
honorable or dishonorable , sensible or stupid , and what their love will lead
to . For him, this reasoning is the source of dissatisfaction and irritation.
He thinks that love is a great mystery. When one is in love, one should start
love from higher, without reasoning whether their love is sin or virtue, or
whether it brings happiness or unhappiness. According to him to what extent
personal happiness counts in love is uncertain, it differs from person to
person.
Alyohin is like a squirrel in a cage. He is trapped by
reason, middle class morality and poverty. He is a man-of-thought. He fears to
express his love to Anna because he is too much thoughtful about society's
moral standards. He sacrifices his love thinking that his marriage to Anna
Alexeyevna would ruin the lives of her, her children, her mother and her
husband. He fears that he could not make her happy in his country house.
@ Character sketch of Anna
Alexeyevna.
= Anna Alexeyevna is the main female character in the
story "About Love". She is a beautiful and charming young lady aged
twenty-two. She is married to Luganovich, assistant president of the circuit
court and aged over forty. Her marriage to an old man can be seen as the cause
of her suffering. Her sexual urge cannot be fulfilled by the man double her
age. So, she tries to get emotional fulfillment from Alyohin which later turns
into love. She is also trapped in reason. She does not confess her love to
Alyohin though she deeply loves him because she fears society's moral
standards. She also thought that she was not young and energetic enough for him
to begin a new married life. Later she becomes the victim of nervous
prostration because of psychological depression and nervousness.
Summary from internet
“About Love “presents three dimensional love stories. The first love is of Nikanor and Palegeya, second is of Alyohin and a Russian girl, and the third Alyohin and a married women Anna. The Love of Luganovich and Anna is one of the third parts. These three stories are the representatives of the three categories of love. The first story is an example of violent love story. The main character- Nikanor- was drunkard, and interestingly religious minded. In due course of his stay in Alyolin’s house, he fell in love with Palegeya. He instated that Palageya married him. Sometime he used to beat her in his intoxicated state to prevent herself from her husband. She used to hide under the bed of Alyohin. Second love-story is the materialistic love. The lady is concerned with the money only. Every time Alyohin held her in his arm, she used to ask for a months allowance. Third story, which is the main story, is the unexpressed love. It presents a sequence of events in the life of Alyohin and his attraction towards Anna. According to the story, Alyohin was a student and his father was a farmer. Therefore, his father spent the amount needed for his study at university. Because of it, he was in debt. To pay debt Alyohin had no options but to return to his farm and labored hard. However, his desire to live civilized life continued and to fulfill it, he stayed up stairs, read a book, and drank liquor but it did not last long. One night a priest came and drank the whole of his liquor. From that day onwards he stared living downstairs and slept on the sledge (small hut). Before he was here, he was appointed as honorary judge in town. During his period, he came in contact with a Luganovich, who surprisingly invited Alyohin for dinner in his home. When they were having dinner, he got an opportunity to see Anna. From the very first sight, he started to like her. He found her beautiful, impressive and elegant. Hence, his first meeting with the lady reminded an unforgettable event. It was spring when he met her. In the summer, he was in his farm, but the memory of the lady remained. He desired very much to meet, but could not meet until autumn. In autumn, he went to the town where he met with Anna. She showed her worry about Alyohin and expressed wonder at his condition. After the show was over, he went to Anna house, talked with her husband, but returned back as usual without confessing his love for her. After it he kept on going to her house in his every visit to his town. At Anna’s house, he was welcomed cordially and regarded as noble fellow. When he met her, she played piano with him, talked for hours, but their mind remained unexpressed. The Luganoviches sometimes requested him not to hesitate in asking for any kind of help. He also did not hesitate in doing so. In return he brought gifts from the village. Days passed in the same ways; neither had they expressed love. But he started appearing in the behavior of Anna. She behaved in mocking (smiling) way with Alyohin-at his fault she appreciated him. At last Anna had to go to another place for her mental treatment. When it was the time for Anna’s departure, Alyohin entered into the apartment of Anna. There their eyes met which resulted in kissing one another, and expressing their love. However, their reunion did not result into their marriage. Alyohin got down in the next station, and there after they did not meet. This story has a frame. In the beginning the sky is grey and the trees are drenched. The environment is gloomy. In the end, when the Alyohin unloads his heart about love, the shining sun appears, after the rainfall. Alyohin tells this story in between this frame to his two guests: Burkin and Ivan. |
------------------------------------------I
Have a Dream-------------------------------------------------
@ What is the real dream of Martin Luther King about
the future of America?
[2065-5]
@ What is Martin Luther complaining about? [2063-5]
@ What is the dream Martin Luther King, Jr. has? How
is he going to achieve it? [2061-10]
=
Martin
Luther King, a black civil right campaigner, delivered an unforgettable speech
" I Have a Dream" on August 28, 1963 commemorating the centennial
of Lincoln's Emancipation
Proclamation. In this speech he presses for equal treatment and improved
circumstances for blacks, and stresses on the necessity of eradicating
institutional racial inequalities. King expresses sharp dissatisfaction over
segregation and racial discrimination. He demands a fast end to racial
discrimination, pledging his followers to a fight to the finish to wipe out all
forms of segregation and to achieve equality and integration. However, he is in
favour of creative and disciplined protest without physical violence. In his
speech he even appeals the Whites to join hands with Blacks in order to revolt
against discriminatory practices against Blacks. He does not show hatred
against Whites, he is against color discrimination and racial prejudice.
He is a dreamer with the vision of equality and
justice. He wants a new America in
its social makeup, establish symphony of brotherhood among blacks and whites,
and eradicate the discriminatory treatment of black Americans. His dream is
deeply rooted in the American dream of 'life, liberty and pursuit of
happiness'.
He voices that even after hundred years of passing
of Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln, America stands
as the hell to the blacks. Blacks are exiled in their own country and live in
poverty in the vast ocean of material prosperity.
He also mentions the words of the Constitution and Declaration
of Independence which guaranteed the unalienable rights of life,
liberty and pursuit of happiness. But these magnificent words were not applied
into practice in case of colored citizens. He demands the riches of freedom,
security of justice, and citizenship rights to the blacks. He argues that the
policy of gradualism in the matter of justice will raise discontent among
blacks.
I Have a Dream Martin Luther
King.Jr.
Internet download
About the text "I have a dream" is a political speech made by Martin Luther king. jr. after the independence of black people. Martin Luther forwards the history of America, the problems faced by black people, suggestions to his followers, warning to the government and his wishes. He describes apartheid (discrimination on the basis of color) as the extreme point of human cruelty, and demands for its end. History: America was the colony of Great Britain before 1776. When it was declared independent, both black and white people had expected for their freedom and happiness. As expected, white people got access over then whereas black people didn't. They were discriminated and pushed to slums. They were not allowed to travel by any vehicle. Indeed, they had to spend the life of great difficulty. This condition created dissatisfaction among the blacks and they wanted to get civil rights. Martin Luther's speech also represents this sentiment and problems faced by black people: The Blacks, like the whites, had expected that their situation would change after independence of America. But it did not happen. Even after the independence, the hope of black people was not materialized, they got neither freedom nor happiness. "The cheque" given to black people was not cashed; it was returned back with the mark insufficient fund, so their condition remained the same. They were not allowed to travel by public vehicle; they were not allowed shelter in any motels; indeed they were not given any rights. Problems faced by black people: The blacks, likes the whites had expected that their situation would change after independence of American. But it did not happen even after the independence. The hope of black people was not materialized. They got neither freedom nor happiness. "The cheque" given to black people was not cashed; it was returned black with the mark insufficient fund so their condition remained the same they were not allowed to travel by any public vehicle; they were not allowed shelter in any motels; indeed they were not given any right. Suggestions to his followers: The present time, according to Martin Luther is the time to rise from the path of segregation to the path of racial justice. As it is the demand of time, no one should try to block the revolt of the blacks for their rights. The revolt would continue unless and until the demands are fulfilled. However, he advises that any means of violence should not be applied. He advised his followers to follow the path of non-violence. He further advised them to use their strength in creative works. Warning to the government and his wishes He advises his followers to follow on the path of peace. At the same time, he warns the government that there would not be peace if laws are not practiced accordingly, their movement would shake the foundation of the nation; he wishes for the end of apartheid. He desires for the oasis of freedom in place of bondage. He dreams that the children would not be judged on the basis of their color rather they would be judged on the basis of their intelligence. More over, he wishes for the prosperity of both black and white for the prosperity of nation. Some of the dreams made by Jr. Martin Luther King in his speech “I HAVE A DREAM”: 1.He had a dream that one day his nation will rise up and live out with the true meaning of its creed holding the equality of all people living in U.S. 2. He had a dream that one day on the hills of Georgia the sons of farmer, slaves(Blacks) and the sons of former slave owners (Whites) will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. 3. He had a dream that any children of any color will not be judged on the basis of their color of their skin but by their content or the caliber. 4. He had a dream that every individual will get equal voting rights including their citizenship rights equally in every States. 5. He had a dream that none of the Americans will be judged just by staying in the Ghettos or skyscrapers. 6. He had a dream that any state of U.S will be beyond injustice and oppression but will be transformed into an Oasis of freedom and justice. 7. He had dream that all above situations will be favorable and realistic where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and work together as sister and brothers. |
-------------------------------------God's Grandeur----------------------------------------------------
@ Give reasons why men are unaware of the greatness of God? [058-3]
@ What is the central idea of the poem? [059/ 061/062/065-3]
In his sonnet "God's Grandeur" the poet G.M Hopkins praises the magnificence and glory of God. He describes the majestic deeds of God. He claims that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. The good deeds on earth are also the results of these qualities of God. Though human beings continuously destroy nature, it is never spent.
The world is full of the greatness of God. Due to His greatness, the world shines like ‘a shook foil’. It gathers to greatness, as it is full of resources. Despite this fact, human beings act adversely. They don’t follow the commands of God; rather they function to destroy the world. Earlier generations destroyed the earth and so is the case with the present generation. People are more interested in materialist gain and possessions than in celebrating the glory of a loving, merciful, heavenly Father. They act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deed, the earth has become dry; it has the smell of human beings instead of its natural smell. Indeed the earth has reached to the verge of destruction. Nevertheless, the world is not completely destroyed. Because of the freshness that is inside things, nature keeps on regenerating. The sun sets in the evening only to reappear in the morning. These all happenings are the results of the god’s protection. He protects the earth just like a bird broods over the eggs.
Though the world is infused with the glory of God and Christ offered His body to be crucified, mankind does not live in awe of God, but imposes darkness on itself by running endlessly. Even so, despite humanity’s shortcomings, God is most capable of perfect love and embraces the world anyway.
The poet is of the opinion that human beings acts are always directed towards destruction: knowingly or unknowingly. But God loves all the creatures of the world, so he works for the benefit of the creatures without any hope of benefit or profit. The poet inspires people to grow faith in God.
-------------------------------Travelling Through the Dark--------------------------------------
@ What is the central idea of the poem? [057-3]
@ Show how the action develops stanza by stanza in the poem. [060-3]
@ What does the traveler feel when he touches the dead doe? [ Model -3]
@ Do you agree with what the narrator did ? Why? [063-3]
= William Stafford's poem "Traveling Through the
Dark" examines the killing of a pregnant doe by a hit-and-run driver, and
the dilemma faced by the speaker who is also a driver. People generally travel
in the dark when there is some urgency or when they have some immediate
destination to reach. Speaker is traveling in the dark with some special
purpose. So he is in a hurry. On his way he finds a dead deer on the edge
of Wilson River. He stops to drag off the dead
deer into the canyon in order to avoid possible accidents. But on touching her
side he finds that it is still warm and it contains a fawn waiting to be born.
In death the traveler discovers life, but not normal life that emerges from the
womb into the world, for the fawn is "never to be born." This unhappy
realization causes the traveler to hesitate. His mind is filled with mixed-up
emotions: pity, anger, frustration, and confusion about how to act. He even
wonders if the fawn can be saved, but knows all along that the fawn can not be
born when the mother is dead. The car is mechanically alive and its lights are
pointing the speaker towards his destination. In the final couplet the traveler
thinks hard for all, he knows that his love and pity towards the fawn can not
save it. He knows that his delay is only a waste of time, so he pushes the doe
into the river and marches towards his destination.
Explain the title of the poem. Who are all those driving
through the dark?
= The title of the poem “Traveling Through the Dark” is very suitable one. People generally travel in the dark when there is some urgency or when they have some immediate destination to reach. So, the speaker of this poem is traveling in the dark with some special purpose. But when he finds a dead doe on the road, he is in dilemma. He is in confusion either to show deep love and emotion to an unborn but alive fawn in the belly of the doe or to save the passengers on his car as a dutiful driver. After much thoughtful meditation, he pushes the dead doe into the river in order to reach his destination and save the passengers. The ‘darkness’ indicates One of nature's beautiful creatures has been killed and pitilessly left on the road, unburied and unmourned to cause future accidents. The driver's inaction suggests moral darkness. The darkness also suggests the narrator's confusion about what to do with the deer. "Traveling through the dark" also symbolizes the spiritual void of humankind in its insensitivity toward nature.
@ How does the boy, the narrator, look at his uncle and his aunt? [059-3]
@ Describe the relation between Thomas (the boy's uncle)
and his wife.
The narrator, the boy, thinks that the relationship
between his uncle and aunt was not so good. He describes that every Saturday
night, his uncle would lift his wife on to the chair and she would beat him on
his head with the china dog. The readers realize that the relationship between
them was good. Her beating Thomas was an act of playful marital activity.
Though the uncle and aunt were quite contrary in behaviors and temperament,
they loved each other very much. She did not like Thomas’s drinking habit, so
she was against his outing program. On such occasions she would go to her
mother’s house. When she went to her mother’s home, she left a note asking him
to eat eggs from the pantry and to go to bed taking his shoes off. On Sundays
she would not allow him to play checkers.
@ The plan was to go to Porthcawl for the outing. Did they ever reach here? Why? [064-3]
Thomas and his friends planned to go to Porthcawl for the outing. But they never reached there because the narrator has revealed very early in the story that ‘they never reached Porthcawl’. Similarly there are various indications that suggest that they never reached Porthcawl. The internal intention of Thomas and his friends’ outing was to get drunk, merry make and release themselves from the burden of life. In the name of outing, they wanted to enjoy by drinking and playing cards. This clearly can be seen when they carry twenty cases of ale (alcohol) for the outing. As soon as they started their journey, they stopped at the public house and got heavily drunk. They stopped at several public houses and got drunk. On their way, they stopped at the river and joked and teased each other splashing water to each other. The moon was already up, so they drove towards their home. On the way they sat down in a circle in the field and started drinking remaining cases of alcohol.
--------------------------- A Story--------------------------------------@ How were the boy's uncle and aunt? [ Model-3]@ What is the reason for which Will Sentry always followed Mr. Franklyn ? [058-3]
Theme
|
---------------------Hurried Trip To Avoid a Bad Star-------------------------------------------
@ How is Karnali linked economically with the low land regions to the south?
[057/061/o63-3]
= Geographically, Karnali lies to the northern part of our kingdom. As it is made up of very sloppy hills, there are many problems. People do not have transportation and other facilities for their better survival. There is no sufficient cultivable land. So, they have to depend on the lowland regions to the south.
People of karnali cannot sell their products in their localities. To sell their items like medicinal herbs, silajit, hashish, hand-knit sweaters and blankets, they have to go to Nepalgunj. Similarly, they cannot buy goods in their places. For this purpose also, they have to depend upon lowland regions. People of Karnali have to depend upon lowland region for their jobs also. Being undeveloped part, it does not have factories. To earn livelihood, young people have no better options than leaving their places and working in the lowland region.
@ What did the two writers learn about the life and culture of the people of the Karnali region during their journey on foot? [059-3]
= ‘Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star” is written by American geographers M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry. Their essay presents social, economic and educational aspects of Karnali region. To present these aspects, they have brought four events in the text- their meeting with a chhetri woman and the people processing silajit, and their encounter cutting down trees and the people of Karnali buying and selling things. The two writers learnt that the people of Karnali are innocent, simple, laborious and uneducated. Their world is narrow and limited. The Chhetri woman asks the travelers to find her husband and send him to the village. They live in geographically difficult part completely depending on their own or animal strength. They are ignorant about soil erosion and deforestation. Not only that, alcohol consumption in Karnali region is high because one of the porters buys distillery equipments in the bazaar of Nepalgunj. He hopes that he would sell liqueur and earn enough money to buy goods in Karnali.
-------------------------------Hansel and Gretel-------------Grimm Brothers--------------------------
Theme:
|
------------------------------------------Gretel-------------------------------------------------------------
@ Why does Gretel blame her father and brother? [058-3]
@ Do you think Gretel represents modern feminist women? Give your opinion briefly. [061-3]
‘Gretel’ by Garrison Keillor is an interpretation of the story "Hansel and Gretel" from the perspective of a female. The interpreter is Gretel who denies her cowardice in the original story. She claims that the depiction is distorted one.
Gretel says that there was an understanding between her and her brother to sell their story to Grimm brothers. They had signed in a contract paper with an agreement to share fifty-fifty of the profit. But unexpectedly, Gretel found the story published the other day totally different order. The story depicts her as coward and her brother as a brave person. She claims the brother was, in reality, a coward not vice versa. It was her brother who wept time and again, and she had to carry him. The portrayal of he father and mother is also distorted. Father was not so kind hearted; he was a drunkard; he liked to watch bull fight. Mother was not cruel in any sense of the word. Gretel describes their parents leaving them in the forest as a natural phenomenon of the time. Parents used to leave the children in forest hoping that they will be better cared in forest by frog, raven or saints. She claims that she was not worried when she in the forest, as she had known the reality. At last, she repents for killing the witch, for the witch was not after her; she had wanted to kill Hansel.
Gretel supports her stepmother Gladys and finds her a loving mother. She explains that the woman who gave them cake, bread and house was not a witch but a loving woman who wanted to kill Hansel in order to revolt against male dominance.
-------------------- A Child Is Born------------------------- Germaine Greer------------------
Theme
‘A child is Born’ by Germaine Greer discusses on the matter of childbirth and childcare. She shows the differences in between the rich technocratic Western society and the poor traditional Eastern society on the subject of pregnancy, childcare and child rearing. She is of the opinion that the Eastern society is better in comparison to Western society. In the Eastern society, the pregnant woman feels secure in pre-natal as well as post natal activities. This is hardly found in the Western society.
Summary:
Childbirth management in the Eastern society varies from place to place. The mother is familiar about the way of giving birth to child in such society because they are used to in such customs. They don't feel so much physical and mental tension while giving birth. The approach in Eastern society is ritualistic. She is covered with taboos and prohibitions which reduces her psychological burden. All the relatives including the husbands remain present during the process of giving birth. It decreases the pain of the mother. Their presence gives a sense of security to her. They create such an environment which make mother feel safe. Nevertheless, the chance of death of mother is high in Eastern society. In many of the Eastern societies, a pregnant woman goes to her mother's house. For example: the writer presents us an example from society of India. In Rajput society, the woman goes to mother's house prior to giving birth and after the birth to the child. She is taken care properly. The birth of the child is celebrated with singing and dancing. The pregnant woman is taken care not only by family members but also by the members of the community. It gives her a sense of security and she becomes less worried about giving birth. There is difference in child rearing also. In the Eastern society the mother gets respect after she gives birth. She is called by the name of her first child. The newly born child is taken care by all the relatives. The mother has to spend less time in taking care of child. So, the child-family relation is stronger than child-mother relation. Thus, the Eastern society is better than the Western society in the matter of childbirth and childcare. The Eastern society, however is not unaffected by the method of Western society.
Because of modernization, people in the Western societies are forced to use modern equipments. The modern equipments certainly have saved the lives of mother and child; nevertheless they are unable to reduce the anxiety of mother while giving birth. A pregnant woman in the West has to take care of herself with the guidance of nurses and doctors. The nurses and doctors do not give caressing hand to the pregnant woman. The health of mother and child is safer but mother is emotionally weaker. Child is born to fulfill the needs of parents only. The child grows up with its parents and dolls. So, child - mother relation is stronger. The mother has to bear all the problems during child birth and child rearing.
-------------------------------------- The Boarding House---------------------------------------------
@ How do you think Mrs Mooney settled with Mr. Doran about Polly? Did Mr. Moran marry Polly or pay out compensation? [059-3]
@ Sketch the character of Mrs. Mooney. [058/064-10]
= Mrs. Mooney, the main character in the James Joyce story “The Boarding House” is described as "a woman who deals with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat". She was a butcher’s daughter who married her father’s foreman. Later she divorced him because she could not withstand his drinking and bullying nature. Taking charge of her daughter Polly and son Jack, she opened a boarding house in Hardwicke Street. She was strong, strict, determined and practical. She knew how to handle matters- when to act and when to remain silent.
When reading further in the story, we find that the boarding house is a trap, where Mrs. Mooney is a hunter who's looking for a decent husband for her daughter Polly within her guests. She is using Polly as bait to catch Mr. Doran, the victim in the story. Mrs. Mooney manipulates Mr. Doran into her trap by using her daughter's innocence as the bait and Mr. Doran's innocence as a victim. Mrs. Mooney is a woman of business and Mr. Doran is the perfect victim for her and for Polly. Mr. Doran has also a decent job and he fits perfectly to the economical needs of Mrs. Mooney. Mrs. Mooney also uses their society and religion as a tool to cause Mr. Doran marrying her daughter. She knows that her victim is a religious man, who lives in the religious culture of Dublin that obeys to the rules of the church. He is afraid of the church and he is afraid to lose his job in the Catholic wine merchant office. Thus Mr. Doran had no other option than marrying Polly. Mrs. Mooney is like a watchdog that watches that the prey will not run out of the trap, but will run into it.
@ Write an interpretation of 'The Boarding House'. [060-3]
@ Briefly narrate the story of "The Boarding House" [063-10]
= After a difficult marriage with a drunken husband
that ends in separation, Mrs. Mooney opens a boarding house to make a living.
Jack, her son and Polly, her daughter live with her in the house, which is
occupied by clerks from the city, as well as occasional tourists and musicians.
Mrs. Mooney runs a strict and tight business and is known by the lodgers as
“The Madam.” Polly, who used to work in an office, now stays at home at her
mother’s request, to amuse the lodgers and help with the cleaning. Surrounded
by so many young men, Polly ultimately develops a relationship with a rich
thirty five years old Mr. Doran. Mrs. Mooney knows about the relationship, but
instead of sending Polly back to work in the city, she monitors its
developments. Polly becomes increasingly uncomfortable with her mother’s lack
of intervention, but Mrs. Mooney waits until “the right moment” to intercede.
First she speaks awkwardly with Polly, then arranges to speak with Mr. Doran on
a Sunday morning.
Mrs. Mooney looks forward to her argument which she
intends to “win” by defending her daughter’s honor and convincing Mr. Doran to
offer his hand in marriage. Waiting for the time to pass, Mrs. Mooney figures
the odds are in her favor, considering that Mr. Doran, who has worked for a
wine merchant for thirteen years and gained much respect, will choose the
option that least harms his career.
Meanwhile, Mr. Doran is in distress. He knows he will
be called by Mrs. Mooney. He reviews the difficult confession to his priest
that he made on Saturday evening, in which he was harshly accused for his
romantic affair. He knows he can either marry Polly or run away, the latter an
option that would ruin his sound reputation. Convincing himself that he has
been tricked, Mr. Doran bemoans Polly’s unimpressive family, her ill manners,
and her poor grammar, and wonders how he can remain free and unmarried. In this
vexed moment Polly enters the room and threatens to end her life out of
unhappiness. In her presence, Mr. Doran begins to remember how he was trapped
by Polly’s beauty and kindness, but he still hesitates about his decision.
Uneasy, Mr. Doran comforts Polly and departs for the
meeting, leaving her to wait in the room. She rests on the bed crying for a
while, neatens her appearance, and then nestles back in the bed, dreaming of
her possible future with Mr. Doran. Finally, Mrs. Mooney interrupts the
daydream by calling to her daughter. Mr. Doran, according to Mrs. Mooney, wants
to speak with Polly.
Mrs. Mooney, separated from her husband, a butcher who
descended into alcoholism, runs a boarding house for working men. Her
daughter Polly entertains the boarders by singing and flirts with them. Mrs.
Mooney learns that her daughter is having an affair with Mr. Doran, a man in
his mid-thirties who has worked in a Catholic wine-merchant’s office for many
years. Mrs. Mooney bides her time before she intervenes, strongly implying
that she is deliberately trying to trap Mr. Doran. After much background, the
climax of the story commences on a warm Sunday morning. Mrs. Mooney intends
to talk to Mr. Doran and demand that he marry Polly or risk open disclosure.
The narration then shifts to Doran’s point-of-view as he nervously
contemplates losing his job due to the affair and bemoans the girl’s lower
class background and vulgarities of speech. After Polly enters in an agitated
state, we learn through Doran’s memories that she initiated the relationship.
After Doran leaves the room, Polly seems content, suggesting that she was
putting on a show of anguish for his sake. The story closes with Mrs. Mooney
calling Polly down so that Mr. Doran can speak to her.
Analysis In “The Boarding House,” marriage offers promise and profit on the one hand, and entrapment and loss on the other. What begins as a simple affair becomes a tactical game of obligation and reparation. Mrs. Mooney’s and Mr. Doran’s propositions and hesitations suggest that marriage is more about social standards, public perception, and formal sanctions than about mere feelings. The character of Mrs. Mooney illustrates the challenges that a single mother of a daughter faces, but her scheme to marry Polly into a higher class mitigates any sympathetic response from the reader. Mrs. Mooney may have endured a difficult marriage and separation, but she now carries the dubious title of “The Madam,” a term suggestive of her scrupulous managing of the house, but also of the head of whorehouse. Mrs. Mooney does, in fact, prostitute her daughter to some degree. She insists that Polly leave her office job and stay at home at the boarding house, in part so she might entertain, however innocently, the male lodgers. When a relationship blossoms, Mrs. Mooney tracks it until the most profitable moment—until she is sure Mr. Doran, a successful clerk, must propose to Polly out of social propriety. Mrs. Mooney justly insists that men should carry the same responsibility as women in these casual love affairs, but at the same time prides herself on her ability to rid herself of a dependent daughter so easily.
Mr. Doran agonizes about the limitations and loss of respect
that marrying beneath him will bring, but he ultimately relents out of fear
of social critique from his priest, his employer, Mrs. Mooney, and Polly’s
violent brother. When Polly visits him in distress he feels as helpless as
she does, even though he tells her not to worry. He goes through the motions
of what society expects of him, not according to what he intuitively feels.
When he descends the stairs to meet with Mrs. Mooney, he yearns to escape but
knows no one is on his side. The “force” that pushes him down the stairs is a
force of anxiety about what others will think of him. While Mr. Doran’s
victimization by Mrs. Mooney evokes pity, his self-concern and harsh
complaints about Polly’s unpolished background and manner of speaking make
him an equal counterpart to Mrs. Mooney. He worries little about Polly’s
integrity or feelings, and instead considers his years of hard work and good
reputation now verging on destruction.
As a place where “everyone knows everyone else’s
business,” the boarding house serves as a microcosm of Dublin. Various classes mix under its roof,
but relationships are gauged and watched, class lines are constantly
negotiated, and social standing must override emotions like love. The
inhabitants are not free to do what they choose because unstated rules of
decorum govern life in the house, just as they do in the city. Such rules
maintain order, but they also ensnare people in awkward situations when they
have competing and secret interests. Even the seemingly innocent Polly
ultimately appears complicit in Mrs. Mooney’s plot. After threatening to kill
herself in despair, she suddenly appears happy and unbothered about the
dilemma when she is left alone, and she knows Mr. Doran will comply with Mrs.
Mooney’s wishes. In “The Boarding House,” marriage serves as a fixture of
life that Dubliners cannot avoid, and the story shows that strategy and
acceptance are the only means of survival.
|
--------------------------------The Tell-Tale Heart---------------------------------------------------
@ Why does narrator develop intense hatred against the old man? Would you call the narrator mad? Give reasons for your answer. [059-10]
@ What made the narrator confess his crime? [062-3]
@ Describe the scene when the narrator killed the old man. [064-3]
@ What made the narrator confess his crime? [065-3]
Theme:
Edgar Allan Poe's story The Tell – Tale Heart presents murderous act done by a man and confessions done later. The story shows how guilt forces a person to confess his crime.
Summary:
The narrator claims that he is not mad as he could hear things in the heaven, earth and hell. To justify himself saint, he confesses dangerous crime he has committed.
The narrator and the old man used to reside together; they had very good relationship. The man used to love the old man very much. The old man also used to treat him well. The only thing that irritated the narrator was the eyes of him which were pale and vulture like. To end the consequences, he went to the old man's room continuously for seven days. But returned, as he could not see the eyes of the man. In the morning he spoke politely and behaved as if nothing had happened. On the eighth nights, he as usual went there with torchlight. He did every thing stealthy and cautiously. Despite it, he happened to touch tin fastening, which dropped and disturbed the sleep of the man. In desperation, he asked who it was. The narrator remained speechless and motionless. A little later his sense brought him the reason that the old man was asleep again, he aimed the beam towards the old man's eyes. As he saw them, he grew angry. He then, jumped towards the man, dragged the man and pressed his neck with bed. At last, he dismembered the old man's dead body and put it under the plank. After it, he cleaned the place spotlessly clean. It was already four when he finished the task. At four, the three policemen came because someone had heard a shriek and informed them to investigate. The narrator lied them that the shriek was his own in dream and the old man was absent for some days. He welcomed them, brought them to his room and took to every nook and corner of his house. The policemen didn't suspect any wrong there. The narrator took them to the spot where he had hidden the corpse of the old man. He cordially asked them to sit on the chair, which he had kept there. He sat there just over the plank whereas policeman continued talking with smiling face. The narrator, at the mean time, heard tick-tick sound of a watch coming from beneath. He mistook it as the heart-beat of the old man. He desired to reduce the loudness of the sound. For this purpose, he spoke louder; though it didn't do any good. He felt the sound growing; he felt the policemen’s smile as the smile of mockery. It became unbearable for him to keep the reality secret. He thought it better to confess than to hide. Eventually he confessed the crime.
@ Was the narrator mad?
Though sanity and insanity is a matter of debate, there are various indications in the story that suggest his madness. The narrator killed an old and innocent man with out any concrete reason. He did not hesitate to cut the body of the old man into pieces. Though the man loved him, he did not understand the value of love. Rather he mercilessly killed him. Even after killing and dismembering the body of the old man, he suspected that the old man’s heart was beating. He had no idea that after a man is killed his heart stops beating. The narrator has revealed himself that he is suffering from a disease which causes ‘over-acuteness of the senses’. Over-acuteness of senses is also one sign of madness. He was overcome by homicidal mania. Madmen never repent their wrong doing. In this story also instead of repenting for his wrongful act, the narrator has tried to prove his sanity. Thus his abnormal behavior suggests that he was truly mad.
From the internet
"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe first published in 1843. It follows an unnamed narrator who insists on his sanity after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". The murder is carefully calculated, and the murderer hides the body by dismembering it and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately the narrator's guilt manifests itself in the hallucination that the man's heart is still beating under the floorboards. It is unclear what relationship, if any, the old man and his murderer share. It has been suggested that the old man is a father figure, or whether the narrator works for the old man as a servant, perhaps, that his vulture eye represents some sort of veiled secret, or power. The ambiguity and lack of details about the two main characters stand in stark contrast to the specific plot details leading up to the murder. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a first-person narrative of an unnamed narrator who insists he is sane but suffering from a disease (nervousness) which causes "over-acuteness of the senses". The old man with whom he lives has a clouded, pale, blue "vulture-like" eye which so distresses the narrator that he plots to murder the old man, though the narrator states that he loves the old man, and hates only the eye. The narrator insists that his careful precision in committing the murder shows that he cannot possibly be insane. For seven nights, the narrator opens the door of the old man's room, a process which takes him a full hour. However, the old man's vulture eye is always closed, making it impossible to "do the work". On the eighth night, the old man awakens and sits up in his own bed while the narrator performs his nightly ritual. The narrator does not draw back and, after some time, decides to open his lantern. A single ray of light shines out and lands precisely on the old man's eye, revealing that it is wide open. Hearing the old man's heart beating unusually and dangerously quick from terror, the narrator decides to strike, jumping out with a loud yell and smothering the old man with his own bed. The narrator dismembers the body and conceals the pieces under the floorboards, making certain to hide all signs of the crime. Even so, the old man's scream during the night causes a neighbor to report to the police. The narrator invites the three arriving officers in to look around. He claims that the screams heard were his own in a nightmare and that the man is absent in the country. Confident that they will not find any evidence of the murder, the narrator brings chairs for them and they sit in the old man's room, right on the very spot where the body is concealed, yet they suspect nothing, as the narrator has a pleasant and easy manner about him. The narrator, however, begins to hear a faint noise. As the noise grows louder, the narrator comes to the conclusion that it is the heartbeat of the old man coming from under the floorboards. The sound increases steadily, though the officers seem to pay no attention to it. Shocked by the constant beating of the heart and a feeling that not only are the officers aware of the sound, but that they also suspect him, the narrator confesses to killing the old man and tells them to tear up the floorboards to reveal the body. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment here,,,,,,