CLASS IX

ENGLISH

Gist of the Lessons Taught:

The Lost Child – 2

(Source: Moments (NCERT))

Dear Students,
Let us continue recapitulating what we have read in The Lost Child in the virtual class.

• In the story, the child accompanies his parents to a village fair. As they approach the fair he is
at once attracted towards and is repelled by the bustling energy with which people seem to be
entering the fair.
• The author uses the interesting image of a whirlpool which seems to draw to its core, its vortex
the crowd, with its myriad attractions.
• Once again, here, we witness how the child eyes sweets like burfi, a garland of gulmohar, the
brilliantly coloured balloons and longs to listen to the music played by the snake charmer.
• Each time however he is able to anticipate his parents’ response. He would be told that he is
being greedy, or the garland is cheap or he is too old to play with balloons or the snake
charmer’s music will be described as coarse, unrefined. Hence either he barely murmurs his
wish or just moves on without articulating his desire. He knows his parents will never concede.
• Mulk Raj Anand introduces interesting images. The music of the snake charmer is likened to
‘the gentle rippling of an invisible waterfall’. The liquid crystalline strains of music are
compared to the gentle flow of a waterfall which cannot be seen.
• Tragedy strikes all of a sudden. Readers are barely aware of the time or the juncture when the
child gets separated from his parents. The silence that follows his bold request to let him ride
the roundabout is chilling. The parents are nowhere near him.
• The child’s response to this situation draws our attention to the irony of the situation. Fear and
panic ring through the full-throated cry. He runs helter-skelter. The deep cry slowly changes
into suppressed sobs as he starts to look for his parents.
• Shortly, a man saves him from being trampled underfoot by a jostling crowd at the shrine. He
tries to comfort the child offering to buy him all that he has once pleaded for. But none seems
to appeal to him. He sobs with ever increasing magnitude. Parents who hitherto have seemed
unrelenting, harsh and insensitive, appear to him to be his sheet anchor, the sole source of
solace and support, the fount of love and security.
 Rain on the Roof
(BEEHIVE – NCERT)
Dear Students,
• It is already June and very soon monsoon shall set in.This is perhaps the ideal time to
recapitulate what we have read in Coates Kinney’s poem Rain on the Roof .
• The poem ‘Rain on the Roof ‘ focuses on how the soft pitter patter of the rain falling on
the tiles of the roof ,influences the poet’s mind as he lies on his cottage- chamber bed at
night .With the help of very suggestive expressions, a number of poetic devices and
evocative images Kinney conjures up the dream heavy atmosphere and the deep sense of
nostalgia that overpowers him.
• On such a night the moisture laden clouds seem to hide the shining face of the stars – ‘starry
spheres’, ushering in rain . The image of the ‘melancholy darkness’ gently weeping rainy
tears is very interesting. They expression ‘melancholy darkness’ is at once an example of
personification and a transferred epithet .The darkness that envelopes the world seems sad
and is visualized as shedding tears that fall as rain .In reality it is the people who are
melancholy, sad at the advent of the dark clouds and the incessant patter of the rain .The
poet finds joy and peace while lying curled up, pressing his head on the pillow and listening
to the rhythmic fall of the raindrops .
• Each raindrop hitting the shingles, the tiles on the roof inspires thoughts, illusory images,
and brings back innumerable memories. Here the poet introduces a metaphor from the
world of weaving. The recollections which are of impermanent nature are visualised as
fragile ‘air threads’. Just as the transverse thread the ‘woof’ and the longitudinal thread the
‘warp’ are woven to form a fabric the rain weaves in the dreams and the recollections into
a patchwork.
• As the music created by the rain rings in his ears he fondly remembers his mother who
would sit through the night by his siblings and himself, gazing at them with deep affection
.
• Thus the incessant downpour, like a refrain, touches the poet’s heart with a wistful longing
and nostalgia.
• This poem is full of rhetorical devices e.g
• Transferred Epithet & Personification ---- melancholy darkness
• Metaphor – a thousand recollection / Weave their air-threads into woof
• Alliteration –humid shadows hover (‘h’ sound)
• starry spheres (‘s’ sound)
• press the pillow (‘p’ sound)
• Into busy being start (‘b’ sound)
• lie listening (‘l’ sound)
• rain on the roof (‘r’ sound)
• darling dreamers (‘d’ sound)
• feel her fond look (‘f’ sound)
 • hyperbole ----thousand dreamy fancies
• thousand recollections

Descriptive Paragraph – Place

Dear Students,
We resume our discussion on descriptive paragraphs. Today we are going to focus on how one
describes a place.
When we visit a place, be it a city or a park or a museum, we take note of the architecture, the
roads, the colour of buildings, the gates, the layout and other special features.
Let us now list out the ideas necessary in the description of a place:

• Title
• Location
• Layout of the Place
• Features Unique to that Place

ASSIGNMENT – Set 6
The Lost Child – 2

Practice Exercise (Self-assessment. Evaluator shall provide the Key after you mail the answers.)
A. Choose the correct options:

1. ‘wintry shades of narrow lanes and alleys…’ would indicate that even though it was spring,
……….
a) The warmth of the vernal sun had not reached the shade dappled lanes.
b) Spring had not reached its peak and winter still held sway over the land.
2. The image of ‘gaily clad humanity’ refers to the sight of the people making their way
towards the fair in.............
a) a happy and cheerful mood wearing bright dresses.
b) a disciplined manner with polite smiles on their faces.
3. The little boy who ran between his father’s legs was full of ..........
a) positivity and humour.
b) happiness and energy.
4. In the story ‘The Lost Child', feet obedient means that........
a) the child obediently followed his parents.
b) the child was disobedient but his limbs followed his parents' commands intrinsically.
5. ‘...the old, cold stare...’ of the child’s parents means.......
a) old and aged people staring blankly at something.
b) familiar, affectionless stare.
6. The child’s father looked at him in ‘his familiar tyrant's way'. Here the author conjures up the
image of
a) an affectionate and enterprising, a benevolent ruler.
b) an uncompromising and insensitive, an authoritative and unrelenting ruler.
7. From the father’s ‘red eyed' stare as a response to the child’s plea for a toy, we understand
that the father is a ..........
a) miserly person.
b) strict parent.
8. The child’s mother gave him a finger to hold as she had been ‘...melted by the free spirit of the
day...’. This means that........
a) she had surrendered herself to the frivolous mood of the fair.
b) her heart had been softened by the cheerfulness and freedom that the day had to offer.
9. The simile ‘...pale like melting gold...’ has been used to....
a) compare the yellow colour of the mustard flowers that covered the field to the colour of
gold.
b) suggest that the yellow colour of the flowers that covered the field was pale in
comparison to the vibrant colours of the day.
10.The child was constantly ....... by the dragon flies, insects, flowers and banyan tree that he saw
on his way to the fair.
a) disturbed and annoyed
b) fascinated and distracted
11.The child running around the banyan tree ‘in wild capers’ would hint at.....
a) his abundant playful energy.
b) his joy upon plucking wild caper flowers.
12. ‘the whirlpool of the fair...’ indicates the........
a) popular ride called the whirlpool which was the main attraction
b) the bustling, feverish energy of the crowd approaching from all directions
13. As the child moved through the fair, he was attracted to a number of things such as the ‘burfis',
the garland of ‘gulmohur', the balloons and even the music of the snake charmer. Yet, each
time he only murmured or half murmured his demands and he moved on without even wanting
for a reply. This shows that he knew that his
a) parents could not afford to buy any of those things for him.
b) that his demands would meet with his parents’ disapproval and they would not buy any
of those things for him.
14. The simile ‘...like the gentle rippling of an invisible waterfall.’ would suggest....
a) the music was like the gentle music produced by a waterfall.
b) the music was similar to the sound of falling water.
15. The man who lifted the child in his arms ‘steered clear’ or ________the crowd.
a) dispersed
b) avoided
16. When the author says that the man offered a gift of sweets to ‘humour his disconsolate charge’
that means......
a) The man tried to make the sad child laugh
b) The man tried to placate the child who could not be comforted or consoled.

B. Answer in 30 to 40 words:
1. How did the child meet the man who picked him up?
2. From his reaction after being found by the man, what do we understand about the child’s
relationship with his parents?
3. How does Mulk Raj Anand describe the child's anxiety and insecurity?

Rain on the Roof

Practice exercise (Self-assessment. The evaluator shall provide you with the answer key after you
mail the answers)
Answer with reference to the Context
1.‘As she used in years agone
To regard the darling dreamers’
a) Who is being referred to as ‘she’?
b) In what mood does the poet remember her?
c) Identify the figure of speech used in the expression ‘darling dreamers’, and state who
they refer to ?
d) What is the poet’s mother doing?
2.’And a thousand recollections
Weave their air-threads into woofs
a) What triggers these ‘thousand recollections’?
b) Which figure of speech is this expression an example of?
c) Explain the metaphor used in the quoted extract.
d) What does the phrase ‘air-threads’ signify?
Assignment (Mail your answer to the Evaluator)
Describe the night as portrayed in the poem Rain on the Roof.
 Descriptive Paragraph – Place
Practice Exercise (Self-assessment. Evaluator shall provide the Key after you mail the answers)

We shall now consider the description of our neighbourhood park. Fill in the blanks with
appropriate options given below.

Our Neighbourhood Park

There is a park in our neighbourhood which is dear to all children. As we enter through the gates,
on our ____(1)_____ one comes across a line of ____(2)_____ where elderly people sit and chat.
There is a ____(3)_____ that runs along the inner perimeter of the park. At the ____(4)_____of
this park is a fountain. In the evening the water of the fountain dances rhythmically to melodious
tunes played. To our ____(5)_____ all along the fences of the park painted in black there are
____(6)_____ which attract hordes of children from the neighbouring areas, especially on Sundays
and holidays. Towards the ____(7)_____ there is a ____(8)_____ where the local boys and girls
play cricket, football, badminton and volleyball. The park is ____(9)_____ in shape and it is
____(10)_____ on all sides by tall deodar trees and gulmohar trees. In spring ____(11)_____ lend
the place a remarkable beauty. If one walks by the ____(12)_____ ____(13)_____ the fountain,
one is spellbound to see the flowers blooming by dozens. The trees, there, are haunts of songbirds
and some of the gigantic trees provide ____(14)_____ to tired souls. The park is spread over a
nearly ____(15)_____ and serves as the breathing lungs of the locality.

[big grassy field; cool shade; encircling; southern part; rose beds; nine acres; lined; red and
yellow flowers; rectangular; left; centre; two swings, three slides and a roundabout; right;
jogger’s track; benches]

Descriptive Paragraph – Person

Assignment (Mail your answer to the Evaluator.)

Describe, in a paragraph, your friend who loves to spend his spare time trekking and rock climbing.
Word Limit: 150 – 200

LIST of E-mail ids of EVALUATORS

Morning Email IDs Afternoon Email IDs

A bhattacharyamadhurima8@gmail.com
B dwitia_dasgupta@rediffmail.com
C appy.dipanwita@gmail.com
D rdg2sphs@gmail.com
E aroysphsclass9@gmail.com
A appy.dipanwita@gmail.com
B sphs9.aprw3@gmail.com
C sumedhasphs@gmail.com
D debdattamalliksp@gmail.com
E dwitia_dasgupta@rediffmail.com
 F aroysphsclass9@gmail.com F kumbhat.nishu@gmail.com
G sharmidebrupa19@gmail.com G kumbhat.nishu@gmail.com
H bhattacharyamadhurima8@gmail.com H sayanibanerjee9.sphs@gmail.com

NOTE: We are asking you to submit through the app also in order to enable you to try out
and get comfortable with that feature

DATE of ASSIGNMENT: 13th June 2020

DUE DATE: 20th June 2020