LITERATURE FLAMINGO (Prose) 1. THE LAST LESSON Alphonse Daudlet About the Author Alphonse Daudet (13 May 1840 ~ 16 December 1897) was a French short story writer and novelist. He is remembered chiefly as the author of sentimental tales of provincial life in the south of France. All his life he recorded his observations of other people in little notebooks, which he used as a reservoir of inspiration, Daudet represents a synthesis of conflicting elements and his actual experience of life, at every social level and in the course of travels, helped to develop his natural gifts. His major works include ‘Le Petit Chose’, ‘In the land of Pain’ and ‘The Last Lesson’. Theme “The Last Lesson’ revolves around the language and its importance to the citizens of a country. It is the duty of every citizen to safeguard the language of the country as itis the identity of that country. The lesson depicts how after defeating France in the war, the Prussians wanted to rule over not only the territory of France but also over the minds and hearts of the people. The story reinforces the fact that we value something more when it is lost. The pain and anguish of the students and the teacher is evident as everyone realizes how things were taken for granted. The lesson emphasizes the importance of the mother tongue for everyone and the need to realize the fact that itis our language which gives us our identity, respect and freedom, Summary “The Last Lesson’ is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War. France was defeated by Prussia and the districts of Alsace and Lorraine had passed into Prussian hands, The orders came from Berlin to teach only German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The story tells the effect of this transition on the people through the eyes of a young boy, Franz. The story describes what is just another ordinary day for Franz who started very late for school that morning, In fact, he was reluctant to go to school as he had not prepared his French lesson on part M. Hamel, was going to conduct an oral test an the topic in the class. Initially, he thought of spending the bright warm day outdoors enjoying the chirping of birds and drilling of Prussian soldiers at the back of the sawmill, but finally he decided to go to school. On the way, Franz passed the town hall, where he saw a large crowd reading the bulletin board which had been a source of all bad news. Franz didn’t stop there and rushed to the school. When Franz arrived at the school, he found a strange quietness there. He found that his classmates were already seated in their places and the teacher had already started teaching. The back benches were occupied by the village elders who were grim and solemn, To his surprise, M. Hamel was in his formal dress that he used to wear only on the inspection or prize distribution days. Franz found M. Hamel to be kinder than uswall Edit with WPS OfficeHe didn’t scold Franz for being late and allowed him to take his seat. Franz was shocked to get the news that it was their last lesson in French and the new German teacher would take charge on the following day. He was full of regret for not learning his mother tongue and felt suclden love for French. He even started liking M, Hamel and forgot all about his ruler and crankiness, When M. Hamel asked Franz to answer a question on participles, he was not able to answer. Even then, M, Hamel didn’t scold him and remarked that the only trouble with people of Alsace was of putting off learning till the next day. He blamed parents for sending their children to earn money rather than to school. He also blamed himself for sending students to water his plants or for giving them a holiday when he wanted to go fishing. M, Hamel then talked of the French language, calling it the most beautiful language in the world. He told the class to keep their language close to their hearts to feel free and happy. As long as an enslaved people held fast to their language, they had the key ta their prison, Their language could liberate them forever. As the church clock struck twelve, M. Hamel with a choked throat wrote on the blackboard Vive La Francel, i.e. Long Live France and dismissed the elass. ‘The story, written in a historical background, is a beautiful depiction of the emotional bond of people with their mother tongue. It depicts the pathos of the situation that in order to conquer the minds of the people, it is not enough to win a country physically by force. In order to enstave a people completely, a conqueror needs to enslave their thoughts and make them devoid of the knowledge and use of their own mother tongue. Edit with WPS Office2. LOST SPRING: STORIES OF STOLEN CHILDHOOD Anes Jung About the Author Anees Jung (born 1944-) is an Indian woman writer, journalist and a columnist for major newspapers in India and abroad. She was born at Hyderabad and received education in Hyderabad and in the United States. Her parents were renowned poets. She has written several books such as Unveiling India, Night of she New Moon, Seven Sisters and Breaking the Silence, Theme In this story, the author unveils the utter destitution of the ragpickers of Seemapuri and the bangle makers of Firozabad. This story describes the grinding poverty and traditions that compel the children to live a life of exploital Summary Saheb, the son of a migrant family from Dhaka, is a ragpicker who lives in Seemapuri, at the periphery of Delhi, and goes about barefoot rummaging around in the heaps of garbage to carn his livelihood. For the children like Saheb, x heap of garbage is like a gold mine. Thousands of such children live with their families in Seemapuri They lve ina sum wth not even the basic amenities, such as water and sanitation availabe to them. These fa living in utter poverty. The children have nothing to do except ragpicking through which they ean something to cat at least. Garbage to the elders is a means of survival but for these children a magical wonder. In order to earn better, Saheb starts working at a tea-stall where he is paid %800 per month bur it seems he, after this, loses his carefreeness, He works for someone else and is no longer his own master. This loss of identity weighs heavily on his tender should Anees Jung, then tells about Mukesh, another young boy, who wants to be his own master. He is a boy from \’s glass industry and as a family tradition he has always worked in the glass bangle factory. Here, the children work in close proximity of furnaces in such high temperatures that they are exposed to various health hazards, even losing their eyesight. Mukesh’s family, like other families of Firozabad, are victims of poverty. His father is blind, and they live in a small half-constructed house. These people of Firozabad are exploited by the sahukars, the middlemen, the policemen, the bureauerats and the politicians. But Mukesh is different and confident, He wants to be a motor mechanic. In the story, the author brings out the depravity of child labour. Childhood is considered as spring of human life full of joy, pleasure and play. But ironically millions of children like Saheb and Mukesh have lost their spring, i.e. childhood by getting engaged in making a living Edit with WPS Office3. DEEP WATER William Douglas About the Author William O. Douglas (16 October 1898 ~ 19 January 1980) was born in Maine, Minnesota and was raised in Yakima, Washington, He was an American jurist and politician, He served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated at the age of 40 by President Franklin D, Roosevelt and was the youngest justice appointed to the court and served for the longest term in the history of the Supreme Court. Theme “Deep Water’ deals with the childhood fear of Douglas. A misadventure at the YMCA pool developed an aversion of water in him and he suffered from hydrophobia. The story focuses on the fact that childhood fears must never be treated lightly. If they are not tackled, then they make deep inroads into one’s psychology. Douglas analyses his fear and finally determines to overcome it. Summary “Deep Water isan excerpt from Of Men and Mountains written by William O. Douglas. Itis an autobiographical description of how the author develops the fear of water and, thereafter, how he finally overcame it. He narrates that his aversion to Water started when he was three or four years old and his father took him to the beach in California, There he was knocked down by the waves and was almost buried down in water. When he was ten or eleven years old, he joined the Y.M.C.A. pool to learn to swim. One day, when he was sitting on the side of the pool all alone, a big bruiser of a boy picked him up and threw him into the deep end of the pool. He went at once to the bottom. He was frightened, but thought of a strategy to save his life. He decided to hit the bottom and take a big jump to come to the surface and lie flat on it and then paddle to the edge of the pool. But it seemed his way dawn was very long, Before he touched the bottom, his lungs were about to burst. Though he tried to take a big jump, he came up very slowly. As a result, he went down for a second time. His lungs ached and he started feeling He jumped, his feet touched the bottom but it made no difference. When he went down a third time, he sucked a lot of water while trying to breathe air. Then all his efforts stopped and he had a blackout. He was ‘overpowered by fear and eventually fainted. Alter this incident, his fear of water worsened and he did not go swimming or fishing or to any other water sport for many years. Finally one October, he decided to overcome his fear of water. He hired an instructor to lear to swim. He started practising swimming. Bit by bit he shed part of the panic that scized him. The instructor tied a belt around his waist and connected it to a pulley with a rope. The author practised day after day till he began to get back his confidence. He was able to swim the length of the pool on his own. Though the instructor was satisfied, the author felt that on many occasions his old fear of water would return. So, he continued relentlessly to swim in different waterbodies till he was confident that he had overcome his fear, Finally, to test if he had lost the last vestiges of fear, Douglas went up to the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up the Conrad Creek Trail to Meade Glacier, and camped in high meadow by the side of Warm Lake, As he had experienced the terror of death, his will to live grew most intensely. This made him fearless and confident. Edit with WPS Office4. THE RATTRAP Selma Lagerlof About the Author Selma Lagerlof (20 November 1858 - 16 March 1940), a Swedish writer, was the first female to win a Nobel Prize in literature in 1909. Her most remembered book is “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils’ Initially a teacher, in 1895, she devoted herself completely to writing, She wrote several books, including novels and collection of stories such as Gésta Berling's Saga, Invisible Links and The Miracles of the Antichrist. Theme “The Rattrap’ provides a glimpse into human nature. It emphasises the fact that everybody has an essential goodness deep inside which can be awakened through love and under . The story highlights the fact that there is an essential goodness in every human being, At times due to circumstances and situation, a person kills his conscience but the same man, when bestowed with love and affection, exhibits a totally different side of his character. Summary This story deals with a peddler who sells rattraps of wire that he begged for or had stolen, He is a vagabond, has no home to live in and many times no food to eat. Life is very difficult for him. One day it occurs to him that the entire world is a rattrap and shelter, food, clothing, comforts and luxuries are like baits to entrap people. This idea amuses him and leaves him satisfied as he is deprived of all these things, One winter evening the peddler, on his rounds, finds a cottage by the roadside. In order to ask for the night shelter, he knocks at the door. He is surprised to get a warm welcome from the host, He is offered not only shelter but food and tobacco. The crofter entertains him with the game of ‘majolis’ and shares with him the secret of his earning of thirty kronor which he has collected by selling milk. Next day when they both leave the house, the peddller comes back and steals the money. He decides to walk through the woods, instead of taking a road, so as to avoid being caught. But as the night falls, he loses his in the forest. He is completely exhausted, hungry and cold. He then realises that he is probably walking around the same spot. At this point, he is reminded of the ratirap and begins to feel that the dark forest with its trees, trunk and branches is like a rattrap in which he is caught, having been lured by the thirty kronor that he has stolen. Fortunately enough, the peddler hears the sound of hammer strokes from an iron mill. Following the sound, he reaches ‘Ramsj6 Ironworks. He sleeps near the furnace. The owner of the mill mistakes him for his old regimental comrade Nils Olof. He invites him to his house which he refuses. But when the ironmaster's daughter Edla Willmansson persuades him to come along with her to their home and spend the Christmas eve with them, he agrees to the same. ‘The peddler is given proper food and comfort at the ironmaster’s house, Though Edla is not convinced that ‘captain from the army can fall to such a sorry state, her father says that after a bath and change of clothes, he will emerge polished as a captain, But, on the contrary, when the tramp is th and a shaved the next morning the ironmaster realises his mistake. He finds that the pedille is old comrade. At this point, Ella allows him to stay and spend the Christmas with them, Next morning Eula and his father learn in the church that a tramp has robbed a crofter and apprehended that this is the same man. They think that he would have taken away all their silver. But when they reach home, they find that nothing has been stolen, The tramp has already gone. He had left a rattrap as a Christmas present for Edla along with a note and thirty kroner. In his note, he had requested that the stolen money was {0 be returned to the rightful owner. He told Edla that having been treated with so much dignity and having had his status elevated to that of a captain, he felt that he could not embarrass them. He signed himself as Captain von Stahl Edit with WPS Office5. INDIGO Louis Fischer About the Author Louis Fischer (29 February 1896 - 15 January 1970) was an American journalist. He wrote the biography of Mahatma Gandhi entitled The Life of Mahatma Gandhi. ‘Indigo’ is an excerpt ftom this book widely acknowledged as one of the best books written on Gandhi. Theme The chapter ‘Indigo’ emphasizes the fact that an effective leadership can solve any kind of problem without any harm to anybody. This chapter deals with the way Mahatma Gandhi solved the problem of poor sharceroppers of Champaran in a non-violent way. Summary ‘Indigo’ details numerous events in the life of Gandhi which he witnessed in Champaran, Bihar. It was in 1916 that Gandhi was approached by a peasant, Rajkumar Shukla, from Champaran, He wanted Gandhi to visit Champaran and do something for the condition of peasants there. Due to his persistent efforts, he was successful in bringing Gandhi to Champaran after a few months. On the way to Champaran from Calcutta, Gandhi, in order to understand the problems of the sharceroppers, decided to meet a lawyer, Rajendra Prasad, in Patna and Professor J.B, Kriplani at Muzzafarpur. By the time Gundhi reached Champaran, the news of his mission had spread like wildfire, After reaching Champaran, Gandhi learnt that arable areas were divided into large estates, owned by the Englishmen, and worked by the peasants. Indigo was the main commercial crop of the area as the landlords forced all the tenants to grow indigo on 15% of their land and surrender the entire crop as rent. When the landlords learnt that synthetic indigo had been developed by the Germans, «| the tenants to pay them compensation for releasing them from 15% arrangement that they had signed. This brought misery to the peasants and they wanted Gandhi to help them, Gandhiji, first of all, collected all the facts and information, He also dealt with the resistance of the British. While going to investigate the maltreatment of a peasant in a village near Motihari, Gandhi was ordered to return midway and was served @ summons {o report to the court the following morning. The peasants came in huge numbers outside the court to support Gandhi and the officials were unable to control the crowd. As a result, the trial was postponed and so allowed Gandhi to move around freely. All the prominent lawyers, including Rajendra Prasad, Brij Kishor Babu, Maulana Mazharul Hug arrived in Champaran to support Gandhi and decided to go to jail with Gandhi if he was sent to jail. But Gandhi received a written communication that the Lieutenant Governor had dropped the case. This was the beginning of the triumph of civil disobedience in India. Gandhi, along with his team of lawyers, continued his investigation and met the Lieutenant Governor four times. Finally, an official inquiry was ordered, Gandhi accepted 25% of the money offered to the farmers as, refund. This instilled courage among the farmers and marked their victory over injustice and exploitation After this, Gandhi worked for the economic and cultural development of the area, With the help of Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh, their wives, his wife and son, Gandhi opened schools and taught cleanliness and sanitation, A volunteer doctor came to improve the appalling state of health services. Gandhi taught a lesson of self-reliance to his followers by refusing the idea of keeping Charles Freer Andrews in India to help him. As per Gandhi, it was a sign of weakness to seck the help of an Englishman to hols their efforts. Thus, Champaran became a symbol of self-reliance and Indian Independence. Edit with WPS Office6. POETS AND PANCAKES Asokamitran About the Author Asokamitran (22 September 1931-23 March 2017) was a famous Tamil writer and Sahitya A\ He was one of the few writers who wrote fluently in both Tamil and English. In decades, he wrote 8 novels, 20 novellas and hundreds of short stories, on a wide range of issues. He spent the initial years of his carcer in the famous Gemini Studios of Chennai, Although he was entrusted with the clerical task of cutting and pasting newspaper articles, he learned a lot about the functioning of Gemini Studios, which he humorously depicted in his autobiographical book My Years with Boss. ner. over six Theme ‘Poets and Pancakes’ fondly remembers the glorious Gemini Studios which was the hub of activity for all the people associated with films. It is a sarcastic and humorous depiction of the various people who visited the place, The extract is autobiographical in nature and subtly hints at the changes brought in by the passage of time. The author has used an easy and conversational style to sketch the humorous image of what went on al the studio. The entire extract is marked by subile satire, a gorgeous undercurrent of humour and. aan engrossing portrayal of people who thrive despite hardships. The story focuses on the many aspects of contemporary life and on human situations and tendencies. Summary The story is based on the fun ning of the Gemini Studios during its years of glory. The title ‘Poets and Pancakes’ refers to poets who were script writers at the studio and also to a brand of make-up ‘pancake" that was liberally used. The author's job in the studio was to cut newspaper clippings on various topies and tain a file of the same. The author provides the reader with a glimpse of Independent India in its infancy. ‘The author first talks about the make-up department and the hierarchy that existed within this department, While the chief make-up man dealt with the lead actors, his subordinates were entrusted with all the side actors. He makes fun of the trouble that the artists took to look ugly and the pain they underwent under the glare of the big light bulbs. He talks about the office boy who is actually a grown-up man of forty years who once aspired to be a director but blames Subbu (the number 2 in the studio) for his current state of affairs. The author praises Kothamangalam Subbu, the number two in Gemini Studio. He is an all-rounder and very loyal to the boss. He is credited with the success of Gemini Studios. Another character that comes into focus at the studio is the legal advisor, who wears Western clothes among the rest of the Khadi clad gentry. He tells about the manner in which the legal advisor ruins the career of a talented actress unwittingly. The author talks about the importance that Gemini Stulios enjayed in those days as some of the most prominent poets of the country worked there. Moreover, he talks about the impact foreign drama had on the art directors of Gemini Studios. When Frank Buchman’s Moral Re-Armament Army performed at the Gemini Studios, it greatly impressed the Tamil drama community who emulated their style of drama in several movies. Gemini Studios was onc of the few in Madras to host forcign visitors and poets like Stephen Spender delivered lectures over there. At that time in India, the educated folk took pride in showing their support for Communism and Gemini Studios was no exception. Edit with WPS Office7. THE INTERVIEW Christopher Silvester About the Author Christopher Silvester (1959) was educated at Lancing College Sussex, and Peter house, Cambridge, where he read history. From 1983 to 1994, he worked for Private Eye, initially writing the “New Boys’ column, He has written for several newspapers and magazines. He is also the Editor of The Penguin Book of Interview An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day and the author of The Pimlico Companion to Partiament, He currently writes obituaries for the Times (of London) and book reviews. He is writing a three-volume social history of Hollywood for Pantheon Books. Theme The essay is an extract from the Introduction to The Penguin Book of Interviews. It discusses the imerview as a communication genre that has come to stay. Part I gives us two contrasting opinions about interviews—their functions, merits and methods. It also tells us about the importance of interview as « medium of conversation. Our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews. Therefore, the interviewer holds a position of power, Part 11 is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco. The interview shows the philosopher, academician and novelist. Summary Part 1 Interviews are commonplace these days. Those who look at interviews positively consider them a source of truth and an art. Among the negative views on interviews is the opinion that they are unwanted, unprovoked and unnecessary intrusion and invasion into a man’s private life; they leave people wounded and wrecked. windpipe. There are some who have even described interviews as an ordeal and a thumbprint on thei But, in the modem world, interviews are a supremely serviceable medium of communication and help to create impressions of our contemporaries. The interviewer holds a powerful position and influence. Part IT It is an excerpt from an interview of Prof. Umberto Eco. In his interview with Mukund Padmanabhan, Umberto talks about his interests, his style and the success of The Name of the Rose. He says that his chief interests are philosophical and ethical and these are also the dominant themes of his academic work and novels. Even his books for children are about non-violence and peace. He says that there is a playful and personal quality in his works which is an adopted one. He discovered his style when he submitted his doctoral thesis. His thesis told a story of his research, his trials and errors. He then developed on his taste for narration, Hence his academic works are not dry and boring. He elaborates how he utilizes even the briefest gaps in-between two different pieces of task that gives fallicious impression to other people that he is doing so many things. He calls these gaps ‘interstices’. Working during these interstices makes him work wonders. The Name of the Rose was a brilliant success and brought him spectacular fame, Though a murder mystery with a detective yarn, it is essentially a novel about culture and delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. Its success could possibly be because of the difficult reading experience and interpretative reading that it offered to the reader who did not always seek easy reading experiences, Edit with WPS Office8. GOING PLACES AR. Barton About the Author A.R. Barton is a modern English writer. He lives in Zurich and has written a number of literary pieces depicting the contemporary problems and is In the present story ‘Going Places’ Barton emphasizes that fantasy and imagination end up in being illusions and empty mirages. Theme The story ‘Going Places’ describes the aspirations and dreams of the youth and the pain of unfulfilled promises and shattered dreams. It deals with the complexities of human relationships along with the adolescent fantasy and hero-worship. Summary The story revolves around Sophie who is a teenager, about to finish her school, She dreams big to achieve a lot in life, But, on the contrary, her family circumstances are totally different. She belongs to a middle class family where father is a textbook example of a working class, Her elder brother Geoff is already working and is almost grown-up in the eyes of Sophie. Sophie has high hopes about her career. She is not interested in joining a biscuit factory and dreams of opening her own boutique. She thinks herself to be very sophisticated and original and suitable to be either an actor of work as manager. Jansie, her friend, tries to make her realise her practical position, but Sophie is not ready to come aut from her world of fantasy. The only person in whom Sophie seems to have full faith and hope is her brother Geoff, He passed out school three years back and is working as a mechanic, Though Geoff speaks less and most of the time is busy in his own thoughts, Sophie shares everything with him. One day Sophie tells her brother Geoff that she has met Danny Casey, an Irish sports star. Her father is ingry with her and calls it her wild dream. He warns her that one day she would get into trouble forall this. The entire family is a fan of Danny Casey and they all go to watch a football match in which Danny Casey scores the final goal, Sophie tells Geoff that she is going for a date with Danny Casey. Though Geoff doesn’t believe her, he doesn’t stop her. He tells this to Frank who is Jansie’s brother and Jansie comes to Sophie to get the details. But Sophie hides it from her. Sophie goes to the wharf to meet Danny Casey in the evening. She keeps on waiting for him but Danny Casey doesn’t come. Finally, the reality begins to sink into her. She returns home disappointed. She knows that nobody will believe her story. In order to give herself strength, she herself has to believe in her own story. I’s so wonderful for her to live in the world of fantasy. The story describes the psychology of a teenager who loves to live in a world of make-believe, Edit with WPS OfficeFLAMINGO Poetry} 1, MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX Kamala Das About the Poet ala Das (31 March 1934 ~ 31 May 2009) was an Indian English poet and littérateur and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, Her popularity in Ker: wed chiefly on her short stories and autobiography, while her oeuvre in English is noted for poems and an autobiography. She won Kerala Sahitya Academy Award and Sahitya Academy Award. Theme “My Mother at Sixty-six’ deals with advancing age and the fear of loss and separation associated with it. The poct undergoes a plethora of emotions when she sees her mother ageing, and feels the pangs of separation at the thought of losing her. She must be feeling guilty of not being able to stay with her mother in her old age. She also wishes for the lost beauty and youth of her mother. The poem is written in a single sentence which indicates the single thread of thought, ix. the loss of beauty and charm and approaching death and decay. Summary The poet, Kamala Das, is on her way to the airport at Cochin, accompanied by her old mother. Suddenly, she realises that her mother has grown old. Her face appears ashen like that of a corpse. This thought disturbs her as it makes her realise the fact of her mother’s approaching death. As a daughter, the very thought of losing her mother disturbs her and in order to drive away het worrying thoughts she starts looking out at the trees which appear to be sprinting as she drives a car. She also sees young children rushing out of their homes to play outside. This reminds her of youth and beauty. On the contrary, her mother is aging. She has become old and is moving towards death. This fills her with a feeling of insecurity. In contrast to the young children and green trees, the mother has lost her youth and charm and has become pale like the winter's moon. The poet feels the same old pain and fear of her childhood as she bids goodbye to her mother at the airport, but she hides all such emotions with a smile which consoles her mother that she would return soon, So even, when the poet herself is full of fear of old age, her smile gives her mother the hope of survival Edit with WPS Office2. AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM Stephen Spender About the Poet Stephen Spender (28 February 1909 ~ 16 July 1995) was an English poct, novelist and essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle in his work. He was appointed the seventeenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the United States Library of Congress in 1965. Theme ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum’ deals with the social injustice and class inequalities and attacks on the capitalistic economies in which the rich are becoming richer and even as more and more problems and miseries mire the lives of the poor. They are devoid of any opportunity and have become prey to social injustice. In this poem, Spender demands equal opportunities for education for the poor and the underprivileged. Summary The poem starts with a detailed description of the pathetic condition of the children who study in a school located in a slum. These children are malnourished and sick. The poet compares them with rootless weeds. It scems as if their physical and mental growth had stopped. They have no exposure to the real world, These children are unkempt, hungry, weak and emaciated. They are bony and carry the legacy of poverty and iseases. They are living in an environment of utter hopelessness. They are given a glimpse of the outside world through the pictures hanging on their classroom walls. These seem to be totally meaningless to them. The map on the wall proclaims a world which is vast and limitless but the world of these children is limited to the slum. The pictures of Shakespeare, valleys, buildings, domes, etc. have no meaning for these slum children. All these are out of context for them In the last stanza the poet urges the inspectors, visitors and governors to realise their moral responsibility to these children. They must do something to unshackle these children from the bond of poverty and ensure them equal rights and opportunities. They should get good education and become part of the real world where they should be entitled to social equality.3. KEEPING QUIET Pablo Neruda About the Poet Pablo Neruda (12 July 1904 - 23 September 1973) wrote in a variety of styles, including surrealist poems, historical epics, overtly political manifestos, a prose autobiography and passionate love poems such as the ones in his collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Theme Keeping Quiet is a simple poem about the need for a little bit of soul-searching which may help us to make peace with ourselves and others. It tells us how a moment of silent introspection will make us realize the utter futility of our aggressive endeavours. Summary In the poem ‘Keeping Quiet, Pablo Neruda talks about the need for introspection and to create a feeling of mutual understanding, love and respect in the human world. He speaks about life where human beings are engrossed in their selfish motives and are living a life full of strife and destruction, ‘The poet asks everyone in the world to keep still for twelve seconds to create a togetherness, Le wants all the people on the earth, not to talk in any language but to maintain a other's heart, He believes that this sudden moment of silence will be an exotic moment, There will be no the sea will stop killing the whales and the men who gather salt will stop their work and look at their hurt hands. This kind of break will enable both nature and man to ‘embalm their wounds, Due to this break, human beings will start looking and caring for themselves rather than their work. Moreover, those who are fighting with each other, will stop and walk about with their fellow brethren, lence to communicate with each and no movement. The fishermes Pablo Neruda clarifies that he does not want to advocate total inactivity or death. He is concerned that ‘we all are running blindly in a rat race and, in this process, we have completely missed our true goal to keep a balance between man and nature, There is great sadness in human beings for, they do not understand themselves. A huge silence will break this sadness. We should learn from nature. When everything comes alive in nature after a period of seeming death, itis equivalent to this silence. After this death, there comes life. This is a dangerous situation and can bring catastrophic results, So our survival in this world depends upon our ability to understand and rectify this. This can be done only when we introspect and develop a feeling of understanding with each other, Edit with WPS Office4. A THING OF BEAUTY John Keats About the Poet John Keats (1795-1821), was one of the most prominent Romantic poets. His poetic works contain an extensive range of poetic forms from sonnet to Spenscrian romance to Miltonic epic. Theme ‘A Thing of Beauty’ is an excerpt from John Keat’s poem ‘Endymion: A Poetic Romance’, which is based on a Greek legend. Being a romantic poet, John Keats talks about love, beauty and youth in this poem. In fact, the poem reflects his attitude towards beauty. The poet believes that beauty is intransient and gives us the same pleasure again and again, It provides us with eternal joy and never fades away. Beauty plays a very important role in our life and helps us to remain happy and joyful in this sad, mundane world, Summary John Keats says that beautiful things make an everlasting impression on our minds. These things give us peace of mind and pleasure. Beautiful things act as a shade under which we can sleep soundly and have sweet dreams. These have the power to bind us to the earth. In spite of a life which is full of disappointments, despondence, sac happenings and tribulations, beautiful things make our life worth living by providing us with hope and enthusiasm ‘The poet gives some examples of such beautiful things which give us eternal joy. These are simple things like the sun, the moon, different kinds of trees, ete. According to him, even common things like flock of sheep, daffodils, springs of water, musk roses growing in wild forest are beautiful things, which give us joy and delight, Even the legends of the ‘mighty’ dead are counted as beautiful things, because they have the same effect on the human spirit. The poct concludes by saying that in spite of these beautiful things, beauty of nature remains incomparable. The beauty of nature is like an endless fountain pouring on us from Heaven. These are the never-diminishing and endless source of pleasure and delight and a precious gift from Heaven. v7 | Edit with WPS Office5. A ROADSIDE STAND Robert Frost About the Poet Robert Frost (26 March 1874-29 January 1963) wa: poet. He was born in San Francisco and lived there until the age of eleven. In 1911, in an attempt to attract the attention of prominent and influential members in the literary world, he moved with his family to England, There he befriended Ezra Pound, who helped publish and promote his works. Frost returned to the United States in 1915, and by the 1920s was aan established poet and won numerous prizes, Interested in reading and writing poetry from a young age, Frost attended Harvard University in Boston but never earned a degree. He was awarded the Bollingen Poetry Prize in 1963 and four Pulitzer prizes. He was honoured with an invitation to read a poem at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as President America Theme The poem ‘A Roadside Stand’ is the poet’s plea for consideration for the simple people of the countryside whose lives have shown no progress. He expresses his pain at their sadness and sorrow and seeks support for them. He hopes someone would work unselfishly for their rehabilitation and not exploit them, He brings out the wide disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ with pitiless clarity and humanity nd seems to suggest that the economic well-being of a country depends on a balanced development of villages and cities. and r Summary ‘A Roadside Stand’ portrays the poor country people whose earnest desire is to rise above their wretchedness. They attempt to do this by putting up roadside stands and trying to sell whatever they can to improve their lives. But the city people just speed by in their cars and do not even notice them, and when they do, itis, led the natural landscape with their badly written signs, Frost very aptly portrays the country people’s anger at the selfishness of the city dwellers for all they want is to attain the standard that they have seen promised to them in movies, but which they feel is being denied to them by the present government. ‘They do not want charity and the poet makes it very clear that the donors are actually ruining their lives by calling these so-called benevolent people greedy and beasts of prey. They move them to countryside te live near theatres and shops and encourage them to live idle lives, which will take away their peace and wits. The poet feels pain on seeing the country people's intense longing for a better life and their sadness at the non-fulfilment of their dreams when not even one car stops to inquire about the goods they are selling. The city dwellers are projected as being involved in the own lives with no thought for anyone else. The poem shows the heartlessness of the city dwellers through the poet's insane desire to put an end to the country people so that there would be relief from their complaints about the lack of upliftment of their lives. The poem ends with the poet’s remorse at these feelings when he realizes how he would feel if someone were to try to end his pain in the same way, Edit with WPS Office6. AUNT JENNIFER'S TIGERS Adrienne Rich About the Poet Adrienne Rich (1929-2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She is credited with expressing the oppression of modern women, Most of her works shawease her concern about the growing number of women in the world being oppressed, marginalised and beleaguered. Theme ‘The poem deals with the pathetic condition of married women all over the world, Aunt Jennifer is a symbol of all married women, who are suffering at the oppressive hands of a patriarchal society. Summary ‘The first stanza describes Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers. These tigers have been made by Aunt Jennifer on tapestry. Though unreal, they are described as bright, crystalline animals that prance around their ‘world of green’ ie. forest. These tigers are certain of who they are and what they want. They represent fearlessness, assertion and power. These are the qualities which Aunt Jennifer lacks. In fact, these tigers symbolise the men who dominate the human society. ‘The second stanza describes Aunt Jennifer and her creative skill. She is doing needle work on a panel ancl making tigers. Her fingers Mutter because of the burden of oppression that she bas on her. The poet tells about the metaphorical weight of Aunt Jennifer’s wedding band and implies that her marriage was unhappy and prevented her from living a life that she wanted. Unele’s wedding ‘band!’ represents the patriarchal society in which she lived. In fact, Aunt Jennifer seems to live her desires—of being confident and fearless— through the tigers she is making. The last stanza of the poem takes a morbid turn, It describes what would happen when Aunt Jennifer is dead. Her hands will be ‘terrified’ with the ‘massive weight of uncle’s wedding hand.’ It is evident here that even in her death, she would not win the battle against masculine domination, Even death will not free Aunt Jennifer from her ordeals. The tigers she had macle would continue to look ‘proud’ and ‘unafraid’, ‘The poem deals with the women’s struggle against oppression, rebellion and a patriarchal society, Edit with WPS OfficeEdit with WPS Office