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LITERATURE IN ENGLISH Class: 12 Notes for Reference SECTION A TEMPEST- Shakespeare Question 1. (a) ALONSO : SEBASTIAN: (20) No, no, he s gone. (10) Sir, you may thank yourself for this great loss, That would not bless our Europe with your daughter, But rather loose her to an African, Where she at least is banished from your eye, Who hath cause to wet the grief on t. (i) Who is Alonso? What mood is he in? Alonso is the King of Naples. He is in a melancholic mood. (1) (ii) Who does he refer to? What does Alonso mean when he says he s gone ? He refers to Ferdinand. Alonso means that he is dead. (2) (iii) Apart from what s mentioned in the passage, what does Sebastian accuse Alonso of? (2) Sebastian accuses Alonso of marrying his daughter Claribel to an African prince against her will. She was made to choose between the unwillingness to go and the desire to obey her father. He blames Alonso for causing more widows in Naples and Milan than there are men to console them. Ferdinand is also lost forever. (iv) What is Gonzalo s reaction to Sebastian s words? (2) Gonazalo says that the truth doth lack some gentleness and time to speak it in. Sebastian rubs the sore when he should bring the plaster. (v) What do the given lines tell us about the character of Sebastian? He is straightforward. (2) (vi) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage: banished- exiled, removed cause- reason (1) 1 (b) CALIBAN : STEPHANO: Do not torment me, prithee; I ll bring my wood home faster. He s in his fit now and does not talk after the wisest. He shall taste of my bottle. If he have never drunk wine afore, it will go near to remove his fit. (i) Where does this scene take place? This scene takes place on another part of the island. (10) (1) (ii) At the beginning of this scene, Caliban mentions the various ways in which Prospero tortures him. What are they? (2) On the command of Prospero, his spirits pinch Caliban, frighten him with urchin shows, pitch him in the mire, or lead him like a firebrand in the dark out of his way. Sometimes like apes they mow and chatter at him, and then bite him Then like hedgehogs which lie tumbling in his barefoot way and mount their pricks at his footfall Sometimes he is wounded with adders, who with cloven tongues hiss him into madness. (iii) What is Trinculo s reaction on seeing Caliban for the first time? (2) Trinculo wonders if Caliban is a man of a fish. If he is dead or alive. He initially thought Caliban was a fish as he smelt like one and looked like a strange one. He later concludes that Caliban is human as he has arms and legs and is warm. (iv) How has Stephano managed to intoxicate himself? (2) Stephano escaped upon on butt of sack which the sailors heaved overboard. He made a bottle from the bark of a tree and has been consuming the wine from the barrel ever since. (v) What conclusion does Caliban come to by the end of this scene with regards to Stephano and Trinculo? What does he decide to do? (2) Caliban concludes that they are fine things and that Stephano is a God with celestial liquor. He decides to be Stephano s true subject and bids farewell to Prospero as his master. (iv) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage: torment- torture, hurt, afflict pain on remove- get rid of, eliminate (1) (c) PROSPERO (10) 2 Soft, sir! One word more. (aside) They are both in either s powers, but this swift business I must uneasy make lest too light winning Make the prize light. (to FERDINAND) One word more. I charge thee That thou attend me. Thou dost here usurp The name thou owest not, and hast put thyself Upon this island as a spy to win it From me, the lord on t. (i) Why is Ferdinand in a melancholic mood before his encounter with Miranda? (1) Ferdinand is in a melancholic mood because he thinks that his father has drowned. (ii) What is Miranda s reaction on seeing Ferdinand for the first time? Miranda asks Prospero if Ferdinand is a spirit. She also says that he carries a brave form. (2) (iii) What is Ferdinand s reaction on seeing Miranda for the first time? (2) Ferdinand assumes Miranda to be the goddess on whom the music attends. He asks her how he should bear himself on the island and whether she is a maiden. (iv) Explain what Prospero means when he says, this swift business I must uneasy make lest too light winning Make the prize light. (2) The speed at which Miranda and Ferdinand seem to be falling in love is not a good sign. Prospero wants to make the task of wooing Miranda difficult for Ferdinand, lest he undervalue her is she is too easily won. (v) How does Prospero assert his magical powers over Ferdinand? Why does he do so? (2) When Ferdinand draws his sword, he is charmed from moving and he feels as though his spirits are all bound up. Prospero does this to assert power over Ferdinand and prove to him that he is in control. (iv) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage: attend- listen to usurp- seize (1) (d) MIRANDA: Alack, for pity. (10) 3 I, not rememb ring how I cried out then, Will cry it o er again. It is a hint That wrings mine eyes to t. (i) What relationship do Prospero and Miranda share? They share a father daughter relationship. [1] (ii) How many years has it been since Prospero and Miranda came to the island? What memory does Miranda have of the past? 0 [2] 12 years since they came to the island Vague memory of four to five women looking after her (iii) According to Prospero, what led to the stirring of evil desires in Antonio? [2] Prospero had started neglecting worldly ends and dedicated his time to solitude He was busy improving his mind with study of liberal arts (iv) What condition did Antonio place before the King of Naples? [2] In return for the homage and revenue offered by Milan, King of Naples would have to banish Prospero and Miranda Additionally, he would have to confer dukedom over Antonio (v) What things were provided by Gonzalo to Prospero and Miranda when they were banished from their land? [2] Food and water, rich garments, linens, essential things Books from Prospero s library (vi) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:[1] a) Hint Occasion / Moment / Situation b) Alack Alas (e) CERES: Hail, many-colour d messenger, that ne'er Dost disobey the wife of Jupiter; Who with thy saffron wings, upon my flowers Diffusest honey drops, refreshing showers; And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown My bosky acres and my unshrubbed down, Rich scarf to my proud earth, Why hath thy queen Summoned me hither to this short-grassed green? (i) Whom is Ceres referring to as many-colour d messenger ? Iris (10) [1] (ii) Whom had Ceres sworn never to speak to again? Why? [2] Venus and her son Cupid They had hatched a plot by which the god of the underworld (Dis) stole her daughter (iii) What has Cupid firmly decided to do? He has sworn to shoot no more with his arrows but play with sparrows. 4 [2] (iv) Later in the scene, what foul conspiracy does Prospero refer to? Foul conspiracy of the beast Caliban and confederates to kill Prospero [2] (v) What does Prospero mean when he says, we are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with a sleep ? [2] Prospero says that life is as transient as dreams and that death puts an end to our mortal existence. (iv) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:[1] a) Saffron Orange hued b) Summoned Called / Invoked (f) ANTONIO: O, If you but knew how you the purpose cherish Whiles thus you mock it, how, in stripping it You more invest it. Ebbing men, indeed, Most often do so near the bottom run By their own fear or sloth (i) To whom is Antonio speaking these lines? Sebastian (10) [1] (ii) Earlier in the scene, for what purpose does Ariel appear? How does he accomplish the task? [2] At Prospero s behest, Ariel appears to send the King s party to sleep He does this by playing solemn music (iii) A little later in the scene, what does Antonio say about Ferdinand and Claribel as possible heirs to the throne of Naples? [2] Ferdinand is drowned in the sea Claribel dwells ten leagues beyond man s life and there is a possibility that she will not return to Naples (iv) What does Antonio mean when says, no better than the earth he lies upon ? Whom is he referring to? [2] Antonio points to the sleeping Alonso and says that he is as lifeless as the earth upon which he lies. In saying this he means to say that it would not matter if Alonso were dead. (v) What reasons do Sebastian and Antonio give for having drawn their swords? [2] Sebastian says that as they were keeping a watch over Alonso, they heard a hollow burst of bellowing like bulls or rather lions . Antonio says that it was a noise that could frighten even a monster or cause an earthquake. (iv) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:[1] a) Cherish Aspire to / Desire / Strive for b) Sloth Laziness (g) Boatswain : None that I more love than myself. You are a (10) 5 councillor; if you can command these elements to silence and work the peace of the present, we will not hand a rope more. 1. To whom does the boatswain speak these words? Where are they at this moment?(1) The boatswain speaks to Gonzalo, the councillor. ( ) They are on board a ship amidst a furious storm at sea. ( ) 2. What has just happened that makes the boatswain react in this way? (2) Alonso, the King of Naples and Antonio, the usurping Duke of Milan are panicking and rush towards the deck, interrupting the job of the mariners. (1) Gonzalo the old councillor reminded the boatswain of the royal passengers that were on board the ship. (1) 3. How do we know that the person spoken to gets comfort by observing the boatswain? (2) Methinks he hath no drowning mark upon him. (1) His complexion is perfect gallows. (1) 4. How does the boatswain react when the person he is speaking to asks him to be patient? (2) He shall be patient when the sea is, that is when the storm subsides. (1) What cares these roarers for the name of a king? (1) return to their and not trouble the mariners (any two) 5. What does the person spoken to wish for at the end of the scene? (2) Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground long heath, brown, furze, anything. (1) I would fain die a dry death. (1) 6. Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage:(1) a) elements lightning and thunder / waves / winds ( ) b) hand handle ( ) 6 (h) Miranda 1. Who is Miranda speaking to and where does this scene take place? Miranda is speaking to her father, the rightful Duke of Milan. They are in front of Prospero s cell. (1) ( ) ( ) 2. How does Miranda describe the storm? The sky, it seems would pour down stinking pitch. But that the sea, mounting to th welkin s cheek, dashes the fire out. Wild waters (2) (1) (1) 3. What does Miranda suspect of the person she is speaking to and what does she tell him to do? (2) She suspects her father to have caused the storm. (1) She tells him to allay the wild waters. (1) 4. What was this person s position before coming to this place? Briefly describe what circumstances led them to arrive here? (2) Prospero was the rightful Duke of Milan. ( ) Prospero the Duke of Milan, is cruelly wronged by his ambitious brother Antonio with the help of Alonso, the king of Naples. ( ) Antonio expelled Prospero from his dukedom and cast him adrift with his three year old daughter in a rotten and dilapidated boat. ( ) He thought that the bot could capsize and they would perish but somehow they safely reached this uninhabited island. ( ) 5. What would Miranda have done if she had supernatural powers? (2) She would have sunk the sea within the earth before it could have swallowed the ship and the fraughting souls within. 6. (1) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage. a) b) : O, I have suffered With those that I saw suffer a brave vessel (who had, no doubt some noble creative in her) Dashed all to pieces. vessel - ship dashed crashed / wrecked / broken 7 (10) ( ) ( ) (i) Ariel: You are three men of sin, whom Destiny, That hath to instrument this lower world And what is in t, - the never surfeited sea Hath caus d to belch up you; (10) (i ) Who are the three sinners mentioned in the given reference? Alonso, Sebastian, Antonio (1) (ii) What is the immediate reaction of the sinners after Ariel addresses them? What does he call them and say to them? They draw their swords. He calls them fools. Ariel and his companions are ministers of Fate and so their swords will prove ineffective on them. They will not be able to diminish one down that is in Ariel s plume. (2) (iii) What were the three men guilty of doing? They usurped the throne of Milan that rightfully belonged to Prospero. They exposed him and his innocent child to the sea. (2) (iv) How have the men been punished and how can they redeem themselves? The forces of nature have deprived Alonso of his son Ferdinand. Through Prospero, they have pronounced on the three sinners ling ring perdition worse than any death. Heart sorrow and a clear life ensuing. (2) (v ) Why is this scene significant towards the development of the plot? It awakens the sense of guilt in the three sinners. The sea, the shore and every creature joins hands to avenge the foul deed done against Prospero. (2) (vi) Give the meanings of the following words as they are used in the context of the passage: never-surfeited, belch never- satisfied throw 8 (1) SECTION B THE TEMPEST Shakespeare Question 1 (a) When Prospero and Miranda first came to the island, what kind of a relationship did they share with Caliban? Why did this change? (8) When Prospero and Miranda first came to the island, they cared for Caliban. Prospero stroked him, made much of him, gave him water with berries in it and taught him how to name the bigger light and how the less. He treated him humanely and lodged him in his cell. Caliban in turn showed Prospero all the qualities of the island- the fresh springs, brine pits, barren place and fertile. Miranda, out of pity, taught him language. This changed because Caliban attempted to violate Miranda s honour as he wanted to populate the island with Calibans. (b) Who was Sycorax? What had she done to Ariel? Why? (6) Sycorax was a foul witch, who with age and envy had grown into a hoop. She was banished to the island(from Algiers) as she had committed manifold mischiefs and sorceries too terrible to enter human hearing. She was not killed as she was pregnant. Ariel- a spirit- was then her servant. He was a spirit too delicate to act her earthy and abhorred commands. He refused her grand hests and therefor she confidend him with the help of her more potent ministers into a cloven pine within which rift he was painfully imprisoned for 12 years. Ariel s groans made wolves howl and penetrated the breasts of ever-angry bears. It was a torment to be laid upon the damned. (c) Comment on the kind of relationship Ariel shares with Prospero. (6) Ariel and Prospero share a relationship of servant and master. Ariel carries out all of Prospero s commands- be it to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire or to ride on the curled clouds. (No Evil use of their powers) Prospero relies heavily on Ariel with regards to carrying out his plan of revenge. Prospero ordered Ariel to create the tempest amidst the sea without harming a souland Ariel performed this task well. He is constantly trying to impress Prospero as he wants to soon be free. Prospero commends Ariel for his well performed tasks (My brave spirit) as well as reprimands him when Ariel reminds him of his promise to be set free. (Reminds him of the time he freed Ariel from the Cloven Pine he was imprisoned in by Sycorax and threatens to imprison him in an Oak tree if he reminds him once more of the promise). Ariel is therefore indebted to Prospero- Prospero takes advantage of this. Ariel is a key element in ensuring the success of Prospero s plan- Making Ferdinand believe that Alonso is dead (in the guise of a water nymph) Prospero acknowledges Ariel s usefulness when Miranda and Ferdinand fall in love.(Fine spirit- Ill free thee within two days for this) Ariel puts Alonso and Gonzalo to sleep and wakes up Gonzalo at the right time to prevent their untimely death and to also prevent the ruin of Prospero s plan. 9 Question 2 (a) Describe the change in attitude that Caliban displays towards Stephano after getting drunk. What promises does he make to Stephano? [8] Caliban gets drunk immediately with the wine that Stephano gives him. He thinks that Stephano and Trinculo are fine things. He considers Stephano to be a brave god for he carries celestial liquor . He vows to kneel to him . Further, he asks Stephano if he has dropped from heaven and claims that he has seen him in the moon and that he worships him. If Stephano would agree to be Caliban s god, he promises to show Stephano every inch of the island and to kiss his feet. He vows to show him where to get fresh water. He says that he will pick berries for him, fish for him and also get plenty of firewood for him. He pleads with Stephano to let him show where he could find crabs to eat. He says that he would use his long fingernails to dig edible roots for him, find him a bird s nest, and teach him how to catch a nimble monkey. He would also take him to clusters of hazelnuts, and sometimes get him young scamels from the rocks . (b) Discuss the plot hatched by Caliban against Prospero. What opinion do you form of Caliban? [6] Caliban feels Prospero has, by the use of sorcery, usurped the island from him and therefore wants revenge. He entices Stephano to kill Prospero by saying that if he accomplishes the task, he would become the ruler of the island and that Caliban would be his slave. Caliban informs Stephano that Prospero is in the habit of taking an afternoon nap and that would be the best time to kill him. He goes on to suggest various ways that Stephano could accomplish that brain him , with a log batter his skull or paunch him with a stake or cut his weazand with thy knife . He tells Stephano to first seize his books as without them he s powerless and hath not one spirit to command . He further lures Stephano by saying that Prospero has a beautiful daughter and that she will become they bed and bring thee forth brave brood . Stephano agrees to kill Prospero for the prize of becoming king and Miranda his wife. He says that he would appoint Caliban and Trinculo as his viceroys. Personal response Caliban comes across as savage and brutal in his thought process. (c) Explain how the treacherous plot was foiled. What light do the actions of Stephano and Trinculo throw on their character? [6] Ariel begins to play a musical tune and Stephano, Trinculo, Caliban are caught by surprise as they cannot see anyone. Stephano begins to feel afraid and Caliban assures him that the island is full of noises which delight the listeners but cause no harm. Trinculo tells them that the music is moving away and they better follow it. They could execute the plan of killing Prospero later. 10 Ariel leads them through toothed briars, sharp furzes, pricking grose and thorns and leaves them in a filthy-mantled pool beyond Prospero s cell. The conspirators crawl out of the pool and make for Prospero s cell. While Caliban is very focused to getting Prospero killed, Stephano and Trinculo are very upset about losing their bottles in the pool. Meanwhile, at Prospero s behest, Ariel has hung gaudy clothes as a trap for the conspirators. Stephano and Trinculo get distracted by the apparel and are anxious to possess it. Caliban urges Stephano to carry out the plan and not to waste time over the trashy clothes. As Stephano and Trinculo try to select the garments to see the effect they produce, Prospero summons some of his spirits, in shape of dogs and hounds, to chase them. Further, he wants his goblins to torment them. Personal response - Stephano and Trinculo are drunken boasters and greedy by nature. Question 3 Gonzalo is the perfect foil to the character of Antonio. Discuss the given statement with regards to the action in in the play. (20) Antonio is the antagonist in the play. He is the brother of the rightful Duke of MilanProspero. Gonzalo is an honest old counsellor in the court of Naples. Amidst the tempest: Gonzalo is patient, talks calmly to the Boatswain and is positive about surviving the ship wreck. Antonio is abusive and arrogant. He abuses the Boatswain and has resigned to the fact that they will sink. Usurping Prospero s position as Duke: Prospero and his then threeyear old daughter were sent to this island because of Antonio s avarice. Prospero was engrossed in perfecting his magical knowledge and handed over the charge of the Dukedom to his brother Antonio, who grew accustomed to the power of the title of Duke, and the revenue. He conspired with the King of Naples and agreed to bow down to his crown and pay annual homage in return for his help. He turned Prospero s men against him and then arranged for a treacherous army to put them out on the rotten carcass of a boat, and leave them for dead. Though they were related by blood, he betrayed Prospero and did not even care for the well-being of his niece, Miranda. Gonzalo, though unrelated by blood cared deeply for Prospero. He ensured that the boat that Prospero was left on was equipped with rich garments, linens, necessaries and volumes of his magical books. Consoling Alonso: On the island, Antonio does not make any effort to console Alonso, who thinks that his son has drowned. He only finds way and means to criticize Gonzalo and also the island. 11 Gonzalo does his best to console Alonso. He tells Alonso to be thankful that they survived, as most merchants don t. He also enumerates the various good qualities of the island and is humiliated by Sebastian and Antonio. He also tells Sebastian not to be so harsh with Alonso when he blames Alonso for them being in this situation and is further humiliated by Antonio. (Marriage of Claribel) Plot against Alonso: Antonio only pretends to care about Alonso s safety and promises to guard him along with Sebastian while he sleeps. He then poisons Sebastian s mind with thoughts of him inheriting the crown, now that Ferdinand and Claribel were out of the way. He convinces Sebastian that Ferdinand is no more, while Gonzalo constantly reassures Alonso that Ferdinand is not dead. He turns against the very man, whose help he sort in usurping his brother s Dukedom. He suggests that Gonzalo and Alonso must be killed while they lie asleep, as their deaths would be very beneficial. Gonzalo on the other hand, genuinely cares for the safely of Alonso. When he is awoken from his slumber by Ariel, his main thought is about preserving the King. Question 4 Discuss Prospero s role in bringing Ferdinand and Miranda together. [20] The storm that was caused at Prospero s behest leaves Ferdinand shipwrecked and separated from the King s party. This was done on purpose by Prospero to advance his plans. Prospero was the rightful duke of Milan but his position was usurped by his brother with the help of the King of Naples, of whom Ferdinand is the heir. Prospero wants Ferdinand and Miranda to love in love with each other, possibly to reclaim his power in Milan. By Prospero s design, Miranda and Ferdinand look at each other for the first time are immediately besotted. Miranda thinks that he must be a spirit or divine creature as appears to her as handsome. Similarly, Ferdinand thinks of her as a goddess and falls in love with her. He reveals his identity as the heir to the throne of Naples and tells her that he would make her Queen of Naples. At this Prospero is pleased that they are so taken with each other but decides that the two must not fall in love too quickly as the prize that is easily won may not be valued, and so he accuses Ferdinand of merely pretending to be the prince of Naples. When he tells Ferdinand he is going to imprison him, Ferdinand draws his sword, but Prospero charms him so that he cannot move. Miranda attempts to persuade her father to have mercy, but he silences her harshly and leads the helpless Ferdinand away. He is secretly pleased as things are going as per his plan. Later, we see that Prospero has imposed hard labour upon Ferdinand to carry logs and pile them. Ferdinand claims it would be an odious task except that he carries it to serve Miranda. His carrying of the logs is a punishment but one he willingly accepts because thoughts of Miranda make the work seem effortless. Miranda offers to take up his chore but Ferdinand refuses. Although she was instructed not to reveal her name, Miranda impulsively divulges it to Ferdinand. Ferdinand, for his part, has known other beautiful women, but he admits to having never known one 12 as perfect as Miranda. When Ferdinand avows that he would gladly serve her, Miranda asks if he loves her. At his affirmative reply, Miranda begins to weep. She tells Ferdinand that she is unworthy of him but will marry him if he wants her. He quickly agrees and they pledge their love to each other. Prospero has been listening, unseen. He acknowledges Miranda and Ferdinand's natural match as being "of two most rare affections". He silently blesses the couple, once again revealing his intention of seeing them together. Later, Prospero tells Ferdinand that the hard work imposed upon him was trials of thy love and now that he has stood the test, Prospero would like to reward him with a third of mine own life Miranda. Even though, Prospero had planned for them to come together, and was in control of the events leading up to the betrothal, perhaps once can deduce that Ferdinand and Miranda finally accepted each other due to mutual affection, and not only because of Prospero s magic. Prospero gives his blessing to Ferdinand and Miranda, warning Ferdinand only that he take care not to break Miranda s virgin-knot before the wedding has been solemnized. Ferdinand promises to comply. 13 ECHOES Question 1 (a) What were the reasons why the man built a fire the first two times during the course of his journey towards the camp? (8) The man turned aside from the main Yukon trail, on his way to the old camp on Henderson Creek where the other men already were. There was snow all around and it was extremely cold. Fifty degrees below zero. As he thought of lunch, he pressed his hand against the package under his jacket. He smiled contentedly to himself as he thought of those biscuits, each cut open and sopped in bacon grease, and each enclosing a generous slice of fried bacon. He unbuttoned his jacket and shirt and pulled forth his lunch. The action took no more than a quarter of a minute, yet in that brief moment the numbness touched his bare fingers. Then he sat down on a snow-covered log to eat. He tried to take a mouthful, but the ice around his mouth prevented him. Then he knew what was wrong. He had forgotten to build a fire and warm himself. He laughed at his own foolishness. He took some matches and proceeded to make a fire. In the bushes, the high water had left a supply of sticks. From here he got wood for his fire. With the protection of the fire s warmth he ate his lunch. At a place where there were no signs, the man broke the ice. It was not deep. He was wet to the knees before he got out of the water to the firm snow. Now he would have to build a fire and dry his moccasins and socks. He knew he must not fail. When it is 75 below zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire. This is especially true if his feet are wet. The fire was a success. He was safe. (b) Nature seemed to not want to sustain the fire that the man kept building. Explain why this statement holds true. (6) The tree under which he had built a fire carried a weight of snow on its branches. No wind had been blowing for weeks and each branch was heavy with snow. Each time he pulled a stick he shook the tree slightly. There had been just enough movement to cause the awful thing to happen. High up in the tree one branch dropped its load of snow. This fell on the branches beneath. This process continued, spreading through the whole tree. The snow fell without warning upon the man and the fire, and the fire was dead. Where it had burned was a pile of fresh snow. He pulled the mitten from his right hand and grasped the tree bark from his pocket. The bare fingers were quickly numb again. Next, he brought out his pack of matches. But the awful cold had already driven the life out of his fingers. In his effort to separate one match from the others, the whole pack fell in the snow. He tried to pick it out of the snow, but failed. The dead fingers could neither touch nor hold. He used his upper teeth to rub across the pack in order to separate a single match. He picked up the match in his teeth and drew it across his leg. Twenty times he did this before he succeeded in lighting it. As it flamed he held it with his teeth to the tree bark. But the burning smell went up his nose, causing him to cough. The match fell into the snow and the flame died. 14 When he could endure no more, he pulled his hands apart. The flaming matches fell into the snow, but the tree bark was burning. He began laying dry grasses and the tiniest sticks on the flame.. He treated the flame carefully. A large piece of a wet plant fell on the little fire. He tried to push it out with his fingers. His shaking body made him push it too far and he scattered the little fire over a wide space. He tried to push the burning grasses and sticks together again. Even with the strong effort that he made, his trembling fingers would not obey and the sticks were hopelessly scattered. Each stick smoked a little and died. (c) What was the man s last thought before he died? What does this tell us? What is your reaction to the ending of the story? (6) The man s last thought was that of the old man of Sulphur Creek. He could see him quite clearly, warm and comfortable, and smoking a pipe. You were right, old fellow. You were right, he murmured to the old man of Sulphur Creek. After 50 below zero, a man should travel with a companion. Personal Response Question 2 a) Describe the narrator s first encounter with the poet, in the short story, B. Wordsworth. Why do you think the poet called himself B. Wordsworth? [8] B. Wordsworth came to the boy s house with a strange request - he wanted to watch the bees in the boy s yard. The narrator noticed that he was tidily dressed and that his English was so good, it didn t sound natural . The boy s broken English as opposed to the man s polished one was perhaps indicative of the existing social climate in the Caribbean. The narrator and the man watched the bees for about an hour. The boy learned that the man liked to watch the bees and that he could watch ants for days and scorpions, and centipedes, and congorees . When asked what he did, he said he was a poet and that his name was B. Wordsworth. He said B stood for Black and that White Wordsworth was his brother and they shared one heart. He could watch a small flower like the morning glory and cry. Wordsworth encourages the young boy saying that he too is a poet. We watch as he shows the boy his process in learning about life, about poetry. On learning that the boy likes his mother when she is not beating him, Wordsworth pulls a printed sheet from his pocket and says that the paper has the greatest poem about mothers and that he was willing to sell it for four cents. When the mother refuses to buy it, Wordsworth says that it is the poet s tragedy . The poet goes on to say that no one has yet bought a single copy of his poem but he roams with it hoping to meet poets . The narrator seems to be fascinated with B. Wordsworth and he prays that he would meet him again. 15 Personal response B. Wordsworth seemed to be inspired by the great English poet, William Wordsworth and just like William, he has great love for nature. Additionally, he was very aware of his ethnicity and dark complexion maybe that s why he preferred to call himself Black. (b) We became friends, B. Wordsworth and I. What led the narrator to say these lines? What is your opinion about their relationship? [6] A week after the first meeting, the boy happens to come across B. Wordsworth. Wordsworth invites him to eat mangoes in his yard. The boy accepts the invitation and goes to the poet s house where he enjoys the sweet and juicy mangoes. On returning home, his mother beats him badly. He runs to Wordsworth s house indicating that he was already beginning to share a comfortable relationship with the poet. They go for a walk down St. Clair Avenue to the Savannah and then to the racecourse . Wordsworth invites the boy to lie on the grass and look up the sky and encourages him to think how far those stars are from them. The boy s experiences wonder as he felt like nothing, and at the same time he had never felt so big and great in all his life. He forgot his anger and tears. The poet starts telling him names of the stars and the constellation of Orion the Hunter. Suddenly a policeman flashed a light on their faces and asked what they were doing there. In a poetic manner, the poet replied that he had been asking himself the same questions for forty years. Personal response With the entry of B. Wordsworth in his life, the boy had started to see life in a new light. He seemed to be confined in his mother s house but with Wordsworth, he started giving free rein to his imagination. (c) Comment on the narrator s last meeting with B. Wordsworth. What, do you think, the narrator means when he says .like a poet, for everything I saw ? [6] The boy went to B. Wordsworth s house and found him lying on his bed. He looked old and weak. The poet conveys that the poem was not going well for him. He seemed to have a faraway look in his eyes and the narrator sees his face growing older and more tired . That was the moment that he could see death on the shrinking face . Seeing the sadness in the boy s eyes, Wordsworth gently pulls him to his chest and smiles encouragingly at him. He says that he has a funny story to tell him but that after having finished the story, the boy has to promise that he would never come back to see him. That s when the poet tells the boy that he had made up the story about the boy poet and the girl poet and that his talks on poetry and about writing the world s greatest poem were not true either. At this point, the poet s voice broke and the boy left the house and ran home crying, like a poet, for everything I saw . Personal response - What the boy probably means by the above lines is that a poet understands the depth behind strong emotions and can see deeper realities in different situations. The poet, who was also his mentor, had probably wanted to make a poet out of the young boy and he seemed to have accomplished it before he died. His death 16 seemed to have made a big impression on the boy who seems to have matured in understanding and knowledge. Question 3 With reference to A Gorilla in the Guest Room, mention the various instances that convince the readers that Gerald Durrell was a true Wild life Conservationist who cared deeply for N Pongo. (20) It was towards the end of the second year that Gerald Durrell decided that the zoo, not being well established, must cease to be a mere show-place of animals and start to contribute something towards the conservation of wildlife. He felt that it would be essential gradually to weed out all the commoner animals in the collection and to replace them with rare and threatened species. The gorilla had been high on his list of priorities. He decided to purchase a Gorilla for 1,200 pounds. He decided to ask the residents in the area to contribute. By lunch-time he had collected two hundred pounds. Only another thousand to go and the gorilla would be his. "Well," said Major Domo, "you'd better come along this afternoon and I'll find you the balance." The great day came and he flew over to London Airport to collect the ape. Thus, the author made the effort to collect funds and fly down to receive the ape. He stood about eighteen inches high and was quite the most handsome and healthy looking baby gorilla he had ever seen. He strolled stockily across the room towards me and then held up his arms to be lifted up. Durrell wrote out the cheque and then bundled N'Pongo growling protests back into the crate, and went off to catch the plane for Jersey He carried him up to the flat, for his cage was not quite ready and he had decided that he would have to spend a couple of days in the guest-room One of the things which particularly interested Durrell about him was his different approach to a problem or a situation. Although deploring it, he would accept the necessity of being locked up again in his cage. He would try his best to divert you from this course of action, but when he realized that it had become inevitable he would submit with good grace If an exuberant animal is kept on his own and deprived of both the company of his own kind and that of human beings, you can hardly be surprised if he turns into a morose and melancholy creature. Not wanting to see N'Pongo degenerate into one of those magnificent but sad and lonely anthropoids, he thought the time had come to try to procure a wife for N'Pongo, even though he knew that the funds would probably not stretch that far. Owing to the political situation in Africa, the price had increased and he was asking fifteen hundred pounds. He telephoned the dealer and asked him whether he would consider letting them have the animal on instalment terms. To have acquired such a pair of rare and valuable animals was, he considered, something of an achievement, but now, they were to live in a constant state of anxiety over their health and well-being; every time one of them got sawdust up his nose and sneezed, they viewed it with alarm and despondency was this a prelude to pneumonia or something worse? Then came N'Pongo's first real illness. Durrell had just arranged to spend three weeks in the south of France, which was to be a sort of working holiday, for they were to be 17 accompanied by a BBC producer whom he hoped to convince of the necessity for making a film about life in the Camargue. Hotels had been booked, numbers of people, ranging from bullfighters to ornithologists, had been alerted for their coming, and everything seemed to be running smoothly. Then four days before they were due to depart, N'Pongo started to look off colour. Gone was his giggling exuberance; he lay on the floor or on the shelf, his arms wrapped round himself, staring into space, and taking only enough food and milk to keep himself alive. It was difficult to know what to choose for N'Pongo that would tempt his appetite, for he had such a variety of food in his normal diet. So Durrell and his wife brought out of season delicacies that cost them a small fortune. It occurred to Durrell that the bright, pink-coloured, scrunchy, watery interior of the watermelon with its glossy black seeds might be something that would appeal to N'Pongo. He was distracted enough for Durrell in inject him with medicines. The author was in a quandary: in twenty-four hours he was due to leave for France. There he had organized and stirred up a bees' nest of helpers and advisers. If he had put it off at this juncture, he would have put a tremendous amount of people to a lot of trouble for nothing, and yet he felt that he could not leave N'Pongo unless he was satisfied that he was either on the mend or beyond salvation. He ate quite well and drank his Complan, and he felt that he was at last on the road to recovery. It was only then that Durrell drove down to the airport and caught the plane to Dinard. He made calls to check on N Pomgo- which cost him a lot of money. In conclusion, while it is delightful to have creatures like this and of vital importance that they should be kept and bred in captivity it was a two-edged sword, for the anxiety you suffered when they became ill made you wonder why you started the whole thing in the first place. Question 4 Attempt a character sketch of the protagonist Salvatore. (20) Salvatore was a boy of fifteen with a pleasant face, a laughing mouth and care-free eyes. His brown body was as thin as a rail. (Physical) He used to spend the morning lying about the beach with next to nothing on and his. Scrambling up the jagged rocks on his hard feet, for except on Sundays never wore shoes, he would throw himself into the deep water with a scream of delight. (Nature) He was full of grace. He shouted to his younger siblings to come inshore when they ventured out too far and made them dress when it was time to climb the hot, vine clad hill for the frugal midday meal. (Responsible) He was madly in love with a pretty girl who lived on the Grande Marina. They were affianced, but they could not marry till Salvatore had done his military service, and when he left the island which he had never left in his life before, he wept like a child. (Sensitive) It was hard for one who had never been less free than the birds to be at the beck and call of others, it was harder still to live in a battleship with strangers instead of in a little white cottage among the vines; and when he was ashore, to walk in noisy, 18 friendless cities with streets so crowded that he was frightened to cross them, when he had been used to silent paths and the mountains and the sea. He was dreadfully homesick. (Secluded life) But it was hardest of all to be parted from the girl he loved with all his passionate young heart. He wrote to her (in his childlike handwriting) long, ill-spelt letters in which he told her how constantly he thought of her and how much he longed to be back Here he fell ill of some mysterious ailment that kept him in hospital for months. He bore it with the mute and uncomprehending patience of a dog. When he learnt that it was a form of rheumatism that made him unfit for further service his heart exulted, for he could go home; and he did not bother, in fact he scarcely listened, when the doctors told him that he would never again be quite well. What did he care when he was going back to the little island he loved so well and the girl who was waiting I for him? He was a little shy because he had not seen her for so long. He asked her if she had not received the letter that he had written to her to say that he was coming home. She told him straight out, with the blunt directness of her race that she could not marry a man who would never be strong enough to work like a man. They had made up their minds, her mother and father and she, and her father would never give consent. When Salvatore went home he found that they all knew. The girl's father had been to tell them what they had decided, but they had lacked the courage to tell him themselves. He wept on his mother's bosom. He was terribly unhappy, but he did not blame the girl. A fisherman's life is hard and it needs strength and endurance. He knew very well that a girl could not afford to marry a man who might not be able to support her. (Rational) His smile was very sad and his eyes had the look of a dog that has been beaten, but he did not complain, and he never said a hard word of the girl he had loved so well. His mother told him that there was a young woman in the village who was willing to marry him. Her name was Assunta. "She's as ugly as the devil," he said. Salvatore was now a great, big husky fellow, tall and broad, but still with that ingenuous smile and those trusting, kindly eyes that he had as a boy. He had the most beautiful manners. Asunta never ceased to be touched by his gentle sweetness. But she could not bear the girl who had thrown him over, and notwithstanding Salvatore's smiling expostulations she had nothing but harsh words for her. Presently children were born to them. It was a hard enough life. All through the fishing season towards evening he set out in his boat with one of his brothers for the fishing grounds. It was a long pull of six or seven miles, and he spent the night catching the profitable cuttlefish. Then there was the long row back again in order to sell the catch in time for it to go on the early boat to Naples. At other times he was working in his vineyard from dawn till the heat drove him to rest and then again, when it was a trifle cooler, till dusk. Often his rheumatism prevented him from doing anything at all and then he would lie about the beach, smoking cigarettes, with a pleasant word for everyone notwithstanding the pain that racked his limbs. Salvatore had enormous hands, like legs of mutton, coarse and hard from constant toil, but when he bathed his children, holding them so tenderly, drying them with delicate care; upon my word they were like flowers. He would seat the naked baby on the palm of his hand and hold him up, laughing a little at his smallness, and his laugh was like the laughter of an angel. His eyes then were as candid as his child's. (Innocent) 19 Salvatore was ust an ordinary fisherman who possessed nothing in the world except a quality which is the rarest, the most precious and the loveliest that anyone can haveGoodness, just goodness. Question 5 Referring closely to the events in the short story, The Story of an Hour, discuss the significance of the hour in Louise Mallard s life. [20] The hour begins when Louise Mallard is told of her husband, Brently Mallard s death. She was told this news as gently as possible since she had a heart trouble . Unlike other women of her time period, who become paralyzed by denial when confronted by bad news, Louise weeps into Josephine s arms with wild abandon. After her initial sobs of grief subside, Louise escapes into her bedroom and locks the door. Drained by her own anguish and haunted by exhaustion, she rests in the chair and looks out the window. Outside her window, Louise sees the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window. Although she fights it trying hard to resist she senses a feeling approaching her. As she tries to beat it back with her will , she becomes increasingly physically excited and agitated. In an unguarded moment, her lips part and a word escapes her mouth, and then she repeats it over and over: free, free, free! Although she knows that she will inevitably experience grief when she sees her husband s dead body, the prospect seems a small price to pay for the life of freedom and independence that now stretches out before her, a life in which she can make her own choices and live for herself for the first time. Louise realizes that she will no longer be subjected to the powerful rules and norms of marriage, which cause humans to blindly and stubbornly impose themselves on one another. Although she had sometimes loved Brently, she feels relieved to finally be in possession of an intense sense of self-assertion, which she recognizes as the strongest impulse of her being . Deciding that the value of love and marriage counts for very little when compared to her freedom of will, she ecstatically whispers, Free! Body and soul free! She keeps her joy to herself and revels in the idea that her new life which will be full of freedom is totally and completely her own. She says a short prayer that her life will be long, and knows that it was just the day before when she wished it would be short. Eventually Louise rises from her chair and opens the door. Louise s eyes are alight with triumph, and without realizing it she carries herself like a kind of goddess. She embraces her sister. As they descend the stairs, someone was opening the front door with a latchkey . Without warning, Brently Mallard enters. Calmly standing at the bottom of the stairs, he is shocked by Louise s deafening scream and by Richards s futile attempt to shield 20 him from his wife s view. When doctors later examine Louise s body, they pronounce that she died because of her weak heart, of joy that kills. Question 6 How are the themes of despair and desperation explored in the short story, The Singing Lesson? [20] Mansfield opens the story with the line with despair cold, sharp despair buried deep in her heart like a knife , already setting the mood of the story. It may also be important to note that Miss Meadows trod the cold corridors . It is possible that the author is using the setting of the school (the cold corridor) to reflect how Miss Meadows is feeling. This sense of coldness is further explored when Miss Meadows is talking to the Science Mistress and she responds to her comment on the weather with the words it is rather sharp . Again the author may not only be describing the weather but also how Miss Meadows is feeling. Miss Meadows entry in the classroom is also indicative of her foul mood her hands thrust in her sleeves, the baton under her arm, strode down the centre aisle, mounted the steps, turned sharply, seized the brass music stand, planted it in front of her, and gave two sharp taps with her baton for silence . As she surveys the class, she is aware of what the students could be thinking of her but what could the thoughts of those creatures matter to someone who stood there bleeding to death, pierced to the heart, to the heart, by such a letter. At this point, the reason for her despair is revealed her fianc had written to her saying that he would not be able to marry her. It is interesting that Miss Meadows mood appears to have a negative effect on the girls in her music class. This is noticeable by the choice of song that Miss Meadows tells the girls to sing a lament. As the girls sing, the author reveals that every note was a sigh, a sob, a groan of awful mournfulness . By choosing a lament and telling her class to sing it, Miss Meadows appears to be transferring or allowing her own mood to affect the girls in her class. As the class is in progress, Miss Meadows keeps going back to the contents of the letter, wondering what could have possessed him to write such a letter . With this, her despair seems to increase and she orders the class to sing again. The author continues to show the inner turmoil that Miss Meadows is going through with the increasing gloom of the song. Even nature seems to imitate the wailing of the voices as the willow trees .had lost half their leaves . Let s consider these lines spoken by Miss Meadows as she orders the class in a strange stony tone to continue singing ..Winter Drear, make that Drear sound as if a cold wind were blowing through it . Down came the baton and the lament began again as did Miss Meadow s inner turmoil. At this stage, the reader can see faint beginning of desperation as she starts thinking of people s surprised reaction to her engagement as Basil was five years younger than her. Beckoning the girls with her baton, the music sped up. The older girls were red in the face, the younger girls began to cry and Miss Meadows stood before them her mind miles away begging Basil to love her or to allow her to love him and perhaps her love would be enough for both of them but she knew he didn t love her . It seems like Miss Meadows is desperate to get married and fears how she would be perceived by others should she remain single. 21 She starts to imagine everybody s reaction once they would learn about her broken engagement and starts thinking that she would have to disappear somewhere . On this thought the song ended and her students voices faded. Despite the awareness that Basil didn t love her, at the end of the story when Miss Meadows reads Basil s telegram and the engagement resumes, she is happy. She goes back to her class and tells them to sing a happy song. This suggests the extent of her desperation to conform to societal demands of getting married. 22 REVERIE Question 1 (a) In reality why have the birch trees lost their former erect position? What rich imagery does the poet use to describe this? What does he prefer to think has caused these trees to bend? (8) In reality the Birch trees have lost their former erect position because of an ice storm. The snow accumulates on the trees, causing them to bend. They are bent low for so long that they never right themselves. The rich visual and auditory imagery used: They are loaded with ice a sunny winter morning after a rain. The ice particles click upon themselves as the breeze rises and turn many coloured as the stir cracks and crazes their enamel. Visual: The sun s warmth makes them shed crystal shells shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust. Such heaps of broken glass almost makes it seem like the inner dome of heaven has fallen. The trees are dragged to the withered bracken by the load. In the bent position, they seem like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair before them over their heads to dry in the sun. Imagery is heightened by the use of contrasts (motion of swinging) (Eg: left to right, heaven-fallen). The poet prefers to think that the trees are no more erect owing to some boy that lived far from town- as he went in and out to fetch the cows- rode down his father s trees one by one- until he took the stiffness out of them. This was his only form of play as he couldn t learn baseball and so devised this game to suit his rural secluded lifestyle. (b) What insight does the poet give us about his childhood? (6) The poet tells that he was a swinger of birches- implying that he lived a very secluded life, away from civilization. He mastered the art of Birch swinging- not launching out too soon and not carrying the tree away clear to the ground. Climbing the tree took the same effort that it would take to fill a cup up to the brim and even above the brim- this taught him the quality of patience. He enjoyed his childhood days as swinging down from that height brought him immense joy. He flung his feet outward feet first kicking his way down through the air to the ground. This childhood memory brings the poet immense joy- implying that he had a happy childhood. (c)Why does the poet dream of swinging on the birch trees? What does it metaphorically imply? What according to you, is a better place- heaven or earth? Justify. (6) The poet dreams of swinging on the birch trees to get away from earth for a while. When he is weary of considerations, and life is too much like a pathless wood where his face burns and tickles with cobwebs broken across it and one eye is weeping from a twig having lashed across it open. He wishes to climb the black branches up a snow white trunk- to the top of the tree, till the tree can bear no more and he is set down again. This metaphorically implies the poet swish to escape the harsh realities of life, but only momentarily. Better place- heaven or earth (personal response) 23 Question 2 a) In the poem, The Spider and the Fly, describe the ways in which the spider attempts to entice the fly into its home. [8] The spider begins its pursuit of the fly with a charming invitation into his home. The spider describes his parlour as the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy . The spider portrays his home as a mysterious wonderful place. More details are added to arouse the fly s curiosity. The parlour may be reached through a winding stair and it is filled with many pretty things . Posing as a sympathizer, the spider pretends to fret over how tired the fly must be after what he feels is a day of intense flying. He goes so far as to personally offer her a respite from the day s activities. He offers his prospect of a little rest by offering her his little bed . Additionally, he says that his bed has pretty curtains drawn around and the sheets are fine and thin - the perfect atmosphere to snugly tuck in. This means to ensure a comfortable snooze, by securing the bed sheets closely around oneself. Now the spider he tries to manipulate the fly into feeling guilty for not accepting his many gestures of friendship. He asks her what could he do to prove the warm affection he claims he has always felt for her. He invites her to sample delicacies that are in his pantry. Vanity is the spider s choice weapon now. He heaps flattery on the fly. In praising her wit and wisdom, the spider sends the message that he acknowledges that the fly is smart. Immediately after, the spider begins to praise her loveliness those gauzy wings and brilliant eyes. He wants to show her how lovely she is. He invites her to see herself in the looking glass. Knowing she caught the bait, the spider uses flattery again to entice the fly. He describes her as a pretty Fly with the pearl and silver wing . He praises her saying that she has robes of green and purple and that there is crest upon her head. Further, he compares her eyes to diamonds. b) Initially, the fly refuses the spider s invitation only to give in later. Justify the given statement. [6] The spider tires many ways to entice the fly beginning with inviting her into his home. The fly wisely sees through the spider s deviousness. She knows that those who go through the winding stair into his home never come out. She clearly declines, telling the spider that to ask her into his home useless. When the spider offers her bed to the fly, she turns him down as she claims to have heard that no one who goes for a sleepover at the spider s, ever wakes up again. As the spider perseveres and invites her into his pantry, she tactfully alludes that she already knows what s in the spider s pantry and is not interested in knowing more. However, as soon as the spider uses flattery to win her trust, once can sense the change in the fly s tone. From the earlier unhesitating O no, no! the fly doesn t seem too vehement in her refusal now. She leaves a sense of suspense when she says that she will visit the spider another day. The spider goes on to use more vivid flattering words to describe her. The poet senses that vanity will be her downfall and the fly becomes silly and foolish. Mesmerized by thoughts of her reflection, she gradually approaches the spider s web. Clearly engrossed in her own beauty (brilliant eyes, green and purple hue, crested head), 24 the fly is impervious to the danger she is in. The spider jumps at the opportunity and take her within his little parlour . c) What message does the poet convey to her audience in the final stanza of the poem? Briefly comment on how the spider and the fly act as metaphors for certain types of people in society. [6] There s a change in the narration style of the poem as the poet ends her tale. She breaks off from the storytelling mode and directly addresses her audience dear little children . She tells them that they should not pay heed to idle, silly, flattering words . She further advises them to close heart, and ear, and eye unto an evil counsellor sweet tongued people with not-so-sweet intentions. She exhorts her audience to learn from the tale of the Spider and the Fly - the spider s cunningness stands in contrast with the innocence of the fly. Spider stands for the type of people who use sweet words but with the intention of harming the well-being of another. Sometimes the very worst things in life lurk beneath pretty, flowery words. The Fly stands for those people who are gullible and fall prey to others sweet words and plans without realising the danger that lies ahead. Question 3 In her poem, The Gift of India, explain how Sarojini Naidu evokes feelings of pride and pain through the grim reality of war. [20] The speaker (Mother India) begins by asking if there are any more sacrifices left for her to make. She has given the world rich gifts of cloth, food grains, and precious things like gold. India has flung priceless treasures of her land to the countries of the East and the West. Moreover, she has sent her sons, that is, the youth of her land in distant battlegrounds to fight someone else s war, the sabers of doom. These brave soldiers who fought and gave up their lives are buried in mass graves in the foreign countries where they died. The speaker says that they sleep by the Persian waves, scattered like shells on Egyptian sands. The speaker says that these dead soldiers lie with pale brows and brave, broken hands , further intensifying the image of death and devastation. The bodies are scattered like carelessly trimmed flowers (blossoms mown down by chance) in the battlefields of Flanders and France. Blood-brown meadows expresses the horrors of war and warfronts in a rich poetic language, it poses as an apt metaphor. The speaker asks the foreign nations if they can measure her grief and her tears or know her woe, her sufferings when she watches the horrors of war. In spite of her despair, she says that they can never fathom the pride that thrills through her heart. She gives expression to the voices of countless Indian mothers whose sons have fought in the war. The poet says that the people of the warring nations can never comprehend the small hope that comforts these mothers from the pain of praying for their sons safety. 25 She asks if they can understand the vision of glory she sees which she can see in the torn red banner of victory, which has come at the expense of much death and destruction. The speaker then talks about the ensuing peace after the war, which will be a painful process. People will pay their respects to the dead who fought in the war, the comrades in many ranks who gave their life. They will honour the deeds of those soldiers, who will never be forgotten. When such a time of peace comes, the speaker asks that the blood of her martyred sons be remembered and honoured. Question 4 There is no glory in war. Examine the truth of this statement with regards to Bob Dylan s John Brown. (20) John Brown d tells of the deception of war, and its true effects on the individual. At the very start, Bob Dylan establishes a story. It starts with John Brown going off to war on a foreign shore. His mother was proud that he was going to serve his nation. On the day he was leaving, he stood straight and tall wearing his uniform. Here the words straight , tall and uniform all indicate that John Brown was proud to be a soldier and his body language showed it. His mother smiled as she bade him farewell. She is expressing how proud she is for her son. Serving in armed forces is considered as one of the most dignified and noble professions in the world. John Brown s mother is happy that her son will be serving his nation. She tells him to do what his captain says and he will get lots of medals. And when John Brown will come home from war, she will put them up on the wall for display. The mother here is ignorant of the realities of war. She has a firm belief that her son is going to come home unharmed from the war. She is too proud to realize that war is no game and that she might never see her son again. As John Brown is going away to war in an old train, his mother is shouting out farewell to him. She is flaunting and boasting and wants everyone to know that her son is a soldier and that he is going away to fight in the war. Here we are acquainted with John Brown s mother s viewpoint: she is not just delighted that her son is a soldier, but also wants to boast about it to the people that she has raised a soldier, a brave boy who is off to fight for what she believes is a good cause. She receives a letter from him once in a while. Her face breaks into a smile reading them. She shows the letters to her next-door neighbours as well and brags about her son. Wearing a uniform and having a gun are those great feats her son has achieved. The mother did not receive a letter for about ten months or more. It could be either because he was in action or was incapable for holding correspondence. Then one day a letter come for John Brown s mother saying that her son was coming home from war, and that she should go down and meet him at the train. After reading the letter, the mother went right down to meet her son John Brown who has returned home from war. She looked for him everywhere at the train station but could not find her son amid the crowd. Here her soldier son probably indicates that the mother expected to see a refined soldier in her son as he returned home. When all the people passed, she finally found her son. But when she saw him she could not believe her eyes. There was something unforeseen there. The description of John Brown s state after he returns home to his mother from the war is grim. We see that his face is all shot up and one of his hands is blown-off. 26 He has undergone a lot of physical harm in the war. His arm is amputated and his face bears scars from bullet and grenade wounds. He wears a metal brace around his waist to support himself in walking. He seems to be lucky even to be alive after receiving such injuries in the battle. But his torment is not limited to physical harm. He has also undergone mental trauma. When he speaks his voice is slow and unrecognisable, even to his own mother. This suggests both his pain and his horrific experience in the war. He is so altered in physical appearance that even his own mother is unable to recognize his face. The focus is on the evils of war. John Brown s mother is in utter disbelief after seeing the state in which her son has returned from war. She asks her son how he came to be this way, John Brown tried his best to to talk and answer to his mother about what all he has been through, but he was hardly able to move his mouth. His mother could not bear to look at her son s distress and pain and had to turn her head away. His mother thought joining the army was the best thing he could do. But she was wrong. He did not find it a noble thing at all. He was on the battlefield fighting in the war whereas back at home his mother was feeling proud of her soldier son. All the illusions are now shattered. He says that when he was in the battlefield he wondered why he was even there. He was just trying to kill somebody in a do-or-die situation. It was a realisation that war is chaotic, insane and irrational. He further says that the thing that scared him the most was when his enemy came very close to him and he saw that it was just another human being. It is at the end only a loss of human lives. Amidst the chaos of war John Brown was thinking that he was just a puppet in the hands of warmongers who were playing with them. Whether he lived or died did not matter. All that mattered to them was the victory and defeat. However, his string of thought was broken as a cannonball came through the smoke and roar and blew his eyes away. When she sent her son away to war she saw him as a young handsome youth wearing a uniform, but now she was seeing a broken man returned to her in bits and pieces. She was still in shock to realise her loss. And just as John Brown turned to go, he called his mother close to him and he dropped his medal in his mother s hand. The act of John Brown placing the medal on his mother s hand leaves us questioning if a simple medal, an empty token of pride, was worth the suffering he went through and the damage he will carry throughout his life. Question 5 Not a single creature on the earth has a more or less right to exist. Bring out the truth of this statement with reference to the poem Dolfins. (20) Dolphins by Carol Ann Duffy is a dramatic monologue written from the perspective of dolphins. The poem shows how dolphins and other animals are suffering in the hands of men. It urges us to look at the world from their perspective. It conveys the poet s massage against human cruelty towards animals. On a metaphoric level, the poetess may also want to indicate the troubles of humans who think they are caught in the confines of this world. The poem is full of pathos. Confinement of dolphins evokes emotions in the minds of readers 27 The dolphin begins by speaking in the second person. This has the effect of creating a sense of familiarity and affinity between the reader and the creature. However, all that it says beyond the third line of the poem is in the first person plural. This is striking because it leaps into the world of dolphins forced to speak from their perspective about the effects of imprisonment by humans. There is both pathos and dignity detectable in its voice when it speaks of being in its element but 'not free'. This tension introduces a conflict that is articulated in the remainder of the poem, the dolphins' natural affinity with humans and the latter's propensity for causing misery. The 'constant flowing guilt' refers to the necessity in an artificially created aquatic habitat of having water pumped through the pool. Duffy presents it metaphorically as 'guilt' because the system is effectively an admission that the situation is unnatural and otherwise unsustainable. A dolphin derives an enormous amount of information about its world through its skin, which reacts to minute changes in electromagnetic fields. Its highly developed sonar is well known. In stanza two even this seems unable to offer 'explanations' that might make sense of its new world. In the 'limits of the pool' it finds 'no truth' but only the monotony of 'the same space always'. It has taken 'days' to 'translate' the truth because the dolphin's mind is so used to expanses of free ocean. Far from illustrating mental incapacity this presentation of the creature serves to stress its ability to fathom new experience. The culpability of humans in the abduction of dolphins is indicated by the continual presence of 'the man' who is 'above' the pool. This reflects his assumed position of superior status. He reduces the dolphins to performing by jumping through hoops or after a 'coloured ball'. The terrible psychological effects of confinement show in, 'for the world / will not deepen to dream in.' Recalling the idea of mediation between languages, we might see the dolphin as a translator rendering an unnatural 'world' in terms of its own natural language. The collective voice in 'we' signals a search for truth and an awareness of selfhood that is not selfish. This is made clear in references to the 'other'. Stanza three stresses the mutual understanding between the dolphins and they define themselves in terms of each other, 'The other knows / and out of love reflects me for myself'. This touching insight into a relationship signals a sense of otherness, respect for independence and mutuality. The dolphin's companion shares the its knowledge that life has changed irrevocably and tries to reduce the attendant pain by simply being a sympathetic 'other' of its species. The reflexive pronoun 'myself' clearly indicates that the fact that the dolphin who speaks in the poem is able to maintain its integrity as a result of this mutual understanding. The sense of loss of former freedom is intensified by the visual description, 'We see our silver skin flash by like memory / of somewhere else.' The simile brings together the dolphins' intimate bodily knowledge of each other but simultaneously reminds them of a time when there would be a multitude of such sights. The dolphin is naturally gregarious and often travels in shoals of several hundred. Their real world is now referred to as 'somewhere else'. The dolphins' response to performing tricks with a ball is defined, naturally enough, in terms of the presence or absence of the man. They 'have to balance till the man has 'disappeared'. This detail is important to consider as it emp hasises the human's utter control. In observing that the 'moon has disappeared' there is a visual association being made between the spheres that are the ball and the moon. The natural regulator of the tides has been replaced by an unnatural, man made object. It seems almost to be a garish substitute for the real moon. 28 The final stanza's presentation of the dolphins' predicament is bleak and hopeless. The image of a record being played repeatedly is used as an analogue for the seemingly eternal circuits that the dolphins make in the pool that confines them. The fact they 'circle well-worn grooves / of water on a single note.' effectively translates the experience of sound into the terms of the aquatic mammal. The monotony of existence communicated in a 'single note' and its effects is compounded by the dolphin's expression of utter desolation as, in the next sentence, it tells of the effect of its companion's mournful voice. Its eternal 'music of loss', keening over its predicament and impending doom is enough to turn the listening dolphin's heart 'to stone'. It has sympathy for its own kind. The poem closes with reminders of oppression, control and confinement. Possibility that was once limitless for the dolphins now has 'limits' imposed upon it that will become impossible to bear. The realization will probably hasten the creatures' death, signaling that there is as much at stake from a psychological perspective as there is from the physical circumstances. Stifling of natural impulse and behaviour can have fatal consequences. The 'plastic toy' is a further reminder of the indignity visited on this majestic creature of the ocean. The phrase until the whistle blows is potentially ambiguous. In one level it simply refers to the controlling device used by the keeper but on another the poet might be reminding us that this sort of cruelty will continue until somebody exposes it for what it is. Duffy does effectively 'blow the whistle' on such practices. The final line, with its reference to 'our mind', neatly links the plural possessive pronoun with the singular noun 'mind' indicating a collective voice for a species. The tense change to 'we will' draws attention to the contrast between what the dolphins had, what they have now and can expect in the future. Question 6 The poem, Desiderata, serves as a guide to lead a meaningful life. Comment. [20] Desiderata is a didactic poem offering a simple, positive credo for life. The world is loud and fast and it s easy to be overwhelmed by the sensory overload. The poet exhorts us to remember what peace there may be in silence thereby expressing the value of calm retrospection. The poet advices people to be on good terms with all persons but without compromising on our principles and beliefs. The poet understands the difficulty of the choices we face and that s probably why he says as far as possible . The poet guides us to speak your truths quietly and clearly . Truth here could be referring to sharing of one s ideas, beliefs, feelings, experiences but with respect for another and without ambiguity. There is also emphasis on listening to others thereby giving them the respect that we would expect for ourselves. He points out that even people who seem dull or ignorant have their own hidden stories. Listening helps us gather wisdom. Loud and aggressive people can give out unhealthy vibes, stirring feelings of stress and restlessness around them. They seek to dominate and become vexatious to the 29 spirit or distressing to the soul. The poet advises to best avoid such people if inner peace is the reader s goal. The poet advises not to evaluate our worth through comparisons with others. If you see yourself as better, pride would make you arrogant. If you perceive yourself as inferior, chances are you ll likely turn resentful. There is humility in acknowledging that there are different types of people in the world some with more talents / achievements and others with less. The poet tells us to allow ourselves credit where it is due enjoy your achievements . Yet at the same time, he tells us to enjoy our plans . This is a gentle nudge to go onward, plan ahead to move onto greater things. Regardless of the work one chooses to do, the poet asks us to take an active interest in it. Having work is a gift in the changing fortunes of time . Excellence in what you do and finding joy in doing it become invaluable in good times or bad. Further, the poet warns us to be discreet in business affairs because there are people who would manipulate a person s opportunities, strengths and weakness or failures to their benefit. The world might be a tricky place, but as the poet points out there is also another side to it. You can find heroism in equal measure. There are people with morals and values those who strive for high ideals . The poet goes on to encourage people to be true to themselves and others. It is easy to become cynical about love but the very nature of love is to blossom in the least expected moments of life, especially in the difficult circumstances. The poet s idea behind the use of grass as a metaphor is that like grass, love is unconditional it does not require any special treatment or season to grow. Counsel of the years includes our own experiences as well as the experience and wisdom of the elders. When people are young, they are often guided by impulse. The poet urges us to give up those emotions of the youth and be guided by the wisdom that mankind has gathered over the ages. Strength of spirit is required to shield you in sudden misfortune . In difficult times, a strong person will stand be able to handle the situation. The poet speaks of dark imaginings or negative thoughts that could come from unnecessary worrying, distrust or anger. The poet directs us to consciously steer away from depressing situations and rein our minds in. While a code of conduct is required to promote our well-being, the poet advices us to be gentle with yourself . When the poet says you are a child of the universe , he is reminding you that you are part of a bigger world than you can imagine. The words you have a right to be here are profound. By reminding us of our right to be here, the poet is asking us to appreciate our place in the world. He is trying to make us realize that we cannot control everything. Seemingly unrelated events have their own significance, becoming cause and consequence in their own right the universe is unfolding as it should . Though the working of this universe is beyond our control, the poet is helping us find an anchor. He urges us to submit to God and let things run their course. Understanding that God means different things to each person whatever you conceive Him to be , the poet reaches out to a broad audience, making God more accessible. He further exhorts the readers to keep peace in your soul in the midst of one s chores and desires. Listening to your inner self and staying true to your heart are important to keep the inner peace intact. The poet admits there is sham, drudgery and broken dreams in life but the sweeter parts of life are also a reality that need to be acknowledged. The poet does not want 30 the not so good moments to blind the reader to the good that exists. Finally, the poet tells us look to the bright side of life and strive to be happy . *********************** 31
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