P.U.
C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
01. ROMEO AND JULIET
William Shakespeare
Important points to remember:
Romeo says:
❖ Juliet teaches the torches to burn bright.
❖ She hangs upon the cheek of night.
❖ She is like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear.
❖ Juliet’s beauty is too rich for use and too dear
for the earth.
❖ Juliet appears as a white dove among the crows.
❖ He wants to make his rude hand blessed by
touching hers.
❖ He asks if his heart is loved till then.
❖ He never saw true beauty till that night.
Juliet says:
❖ He lies on the wings of night.
❖ Romeo is the day of her night.
❖ He should be cut out in little stars after her
death.
❖ He as little stars will make the face of heaven
very fine.
❖ The world will be in love with night.
❖ People will not worship the garish sun.
Summary:
One night, Romeo went to see Roseline. There, he
saw Juliet. He loved her instantly. Her beauty
excelled the brightness of torches. He compared her
beauty with a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear. She
shined like a snowy white dove among crows (co-
dancers). After the dance, he wanted to make his
rude hands soft by touching her soft hand.
Juliet welcomed Romeo. Romeo was like a day at
night for Juliet. His charm excelled the whiteness of
new snow on a raven’s back. After his death, she
wanted Romeo to be cut in little stars. His bright
shine will make the face of heaven very fine. People
will stop worshipping the garish sun and the whole
world will love the night.
2. TOO DEAR!
Leo Tolstoy
Important points to remember:
1 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
❖ Monaco had a population of 7000. It had an
army of 60 men.
❖ Monaco was called a toy kingdom. It had a
king, palace, ministers, army, generals,
bishops, and courtiers on a small scale.
❖ Tax was levied on spirits, wine, and tobacco.
There was also a poll tax.
❖ As income was less, the king had a special
source of income – a Gaming House.
❖ Once a murder was committed and the
criminal was arrested. The court announced
the death sentence.
❖ Monaco had no guillotine. France expected
16,000 francs to supply the machine and an
expert. Italy expected 12,000 francs for the
machine.
❖ In order to reduce the expense, the king
changed the criminal’s punishment from a
‘death sentence’ to ‘life imprisonment’.
❖ The king noticed that 600 francs were spent on
the prisoner for a year.
❖ Finally, the council awarded a pension of 600
francs to the prisoner.
Summary:
Monaco was a toy kingdom. Monaco’s population
was seven thousand. It consisted of a king, palace,
courtiers, ministers, bishop, and an army of 60
men. A tax was collected on tobacco, wine, and
spirits. A special revenue came from the gaming
house.
Once, a strange incident took place in Monaco. A
murder was committed by a man. But there was no
guillotine to cut his head. So, Monaco consulted
the French Government to supply the machine. The
French Government quoted 16,000 francs. It was
considered expensive. So, Monaco consulted the
Italian Government. The Italian Government
quoted 12,000 francs. It was also considered
expensive. So the council changed its decision
from a death sentence to life imprisonment. The
murderer was imprisoned. But the annual prison
charges of 600 francs were also considered
expensive.
The council met again and they dismissed the
guard. But the criminal did not run away. He went
at the proper time and brought his food from the
prince’s kitchen. When they told him to run away,
he said that he had no place to go and his character
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
was ruined. People will turn their backs on him and
he had also forgotten the way of working.
Finally, the council offered him a pension of 600
francs and settled the matter. He received one-third
of his annuity in advance. He left Monaco and
settled across the border. He bought some land and
started market - gardening. He went to Monaco at
the proper time to draw his pension, gambled, and
lived peacefully.
3. ON CHILDREN
Khalil Gibran
Important points to remember:
❖ Children come ‘through’ but not ‘from’ parents.
❖ Children are the sons and daughters of life’s
longing for itself.
❖ Parents can give their love to their children, but
not their thoughts.
❖ Children live in the house of tomorrow. Parents
can never visit it, even in their dreams.
❖ ‘Parents’ are the ‘bows’ from which ‘children’ as
‘living arrows’ are sent forth.
❖ The bows should bend in the archer’s hand for
gladness.
❖ ‘God’ is the ‘archer’, ‘children’ are the ‘arrows’
and ‘parents’ are the ‘bows’.
❖ God loves both the arrows and bows equally.
Summary:
In this poem, the speaker advises the parents in
bringing up their children. He says our children are
not our children. They are God’s creation. They
come through us but not from us. Though they are
with us they do not belong to us. Parents may give
their love but not their thoughts to children. Our
children think differently. We may try to be like our
children. But, we should not force them to be like us.
Life always moves forward. The speaker compares
‘the parents’ to ‘bows’, ‘the children’ to ‘arrows’
and ‘the archer’ to ‘God’. The archer loves both the
bows and arrows. The archer bends the bows to
make his arrows move swift and far.
4. EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I
LEARNED IN THE FOREST
Vandana Shiva
Important points to remember:
2 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
Ecological Journey:
❖ Vandana Shiva’s ecological journey begins in
the forests of the Himalayas.
❖ Chipko - A non- violent response to the large
scale deforestation.
❖ Bachni Devi led resistance against her own
husband.
❖ Forests produce profit, resin and timber.
Beyond Monocultures:
❖ Vandana Shiva’s book - ‘Monocultures of the
mind’
❖ Navdanya Farm was started in 1994 in the
Doon Valley
❖ Conservation and growth of 630 varieties of
rice and 150 varieties of wheat.
❖ Practice and promote biodiversity intense form
of farming.
❖ ‘Navdanya’-the movement for bio diversity
conservation and organic farming.
❖ 100 community seed banks and 3000 rice
varieties.
❖ Transition from fossil fuel and chemical based
monocultures to biodiverse ecological
systems.
❖ Biodiversity has been Vandana’s teacher of
abundance.
Rights of Nature on the Global Stage:
❖ We co-create and recognize nature’s agency
and her rights.
❖ Ecuador has recognized the ‘rights of nature’
in its constitution.
❖ ‘Separatism’ is at the route of disharmony with
nature and violence against nature and people.
❖ ‘Apartheid’ means ‘separateness’ of humans
from nature in our minds and lives.
The Dead-Earth World View:
❖ Monocultures replaced diversity.
❖ Francis Bacon - called the ‘Father of Modern
Science’.
❖ Carolyn Merchant - Philosopher and Historian.
❖ Shift of perspective of nature from living to
non-living, leading to capitalism.
What Nature Teaches:
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
❖ Multiple crises intensified by globalization.
❖ Earth University teaches earth democracy.
❖ Earth democracy is a shift from
‘anthropocentrism’ to ‘ecocentrism’.
❖ Earth University is located at Navadanya .
❖ Two popular courses offered by Earth
University - ‘The A to Z of Organic Farming
and Agro- Ecology’ and ‘Gandhi and
Globalization’.
The Poetry of the Forest:
❖ The Earth University is inspired by
Rabindranath Tagore.
❖ Tagore’s essay is ‘Tapovan’.
❖ The peace of the forest has helped the
intellectual evolution of man.
❖ Unity in diversity is the basis of both ecological
sustainability and democracy.
❖ The forest teaches us union and compassion.
❖ Principle of equity- Enoughness.
❖ The end of consumerism and accumulation is
the beginning of the joy of living.
Summary:
Ecological Journey of Vandana Shiva:
Vandana Shiva is an environmentalist. She
advocates biodiversity, organic farming and
preservation of rights of nature. She developed the
love for nature through her father and mother in
childhood. Her involvement with nature began with
Chipko movement. She spent her vacation in pad
yatras, she documented the deforestation and the
work of forest activists. She supported Bachni Devi
and her friends in their resistance against forest
officials to cut trees.
Beyond Monocultures:
Vandana Shiva, has described man’s failure to
understand biodiversity and its functions in her book
“Monocultures Of The Mind”. She understood
protection of biodiversity and organic farming in our
farms. So, she started “Navdanya Farm” in 1994 in
the Doon Valley. In Navadanya farm, demonstration
and training was given to save seeds from farmers’
fields. Today, they conserve and grow 630 varieties
of rice and 150 varieties of wheat. There are more
than 100 community seed banks across India.
Biodiversity is her teacher of abundance and
3 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
freedom, of co-operation and mutual giving.
The Dead - Earth World View:
Man has separated himself from earth. Living earth
was transformed into dead matter to facilitate the
industrial revolution. ‘Terra Nullius’ (empty land)
replaced ‘Terra Madre’ (mother earth). Father of
modern science Francis Bacon gave importance to
the power of science and inventions to conquer
nature. But philosopher and Historian Carolyn
Merchant has given importance to nature. He has
said that we cannot damage nature without
damaging ourselves.
The Poetry of the Forest:
The Earth University is inspired by Rabindranath
Tagore. Tagore started ‘Shantiniketan’ in West
Bengal to take inspiration from nature. In Tagore’s
essay ‘Tapovan’, he writes that civilization has its
source in the forest. Man’s best ideas have come
from communion with tress and forests. Unity in
diversity is the basis of ecological sustainability
and democracy. Forest is the source of beauty and
joy. Forest teaches us enoughness - a principle of
equity. The end of consumerism and accumulation
is the beginning of the joy of living.
5. A SUNNY MORNING
Serafin and Joaquin Alvarez Quinter
Important points to remember:
❖ Petra -Dona Laura’s maid servant.
❖ Juanito - Don Gonzalo’s male servant.
❖ Scene- Retired corner of a park in Madrid.
❖ Season - Autumn.
❖ Petra was 20years old.
❖ Bread crumbs for the pegions.
❖ Don Gonzalo was 70 years old.
❖ Dona Laura was about 70 years old.
❖ Three priests were sitting on a bench.
❖ A carriage would not raise more dust than
Gonzalo’s feet.
❖ Gonzalo scared away the birds who were
feeding on Laura’s bread crumbs.
❖ Gonzalo said that Juanito played havoc with
the nurse maids.
❖ Gonzalo touched his hat to greet Laura.
❖ Gonzalo called Laura ‘senile old lady’.
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
❖ Gonzalo used his hand kerchief to brush the dust
from his shoe.
❖ “A neighbour’s right”, said Laura to criticize
Gonzalo’s actions.
❖ Laura compared Gonzalo’s pair of glasses to a
telescope.
❖ Gonzalo took out his gun and dog every
Sunday.
❖ Gonzalo’s estate was near Aravaca.
❖ Gonzalo had a wild boar’s head in his study.
❖ Laura had a tiger’s skin in her boudoir.
❖ A pinch of snuff brought peace between Laura
and Gonzalo.
❖ They sneezed three times alternately.
❖ Laura was called ‘The Silver Maiden’.
❖ Laura had been forced to marry a merchant.
❖ Gonzalo grasped the flag of Spain when he died.
❖ Gonzalo said that Laura was indifferent as she
was chasing butterflies in the garden.
❖ Laura wanted herself to be remembered as the
black-eyed girl.
❖ The guard gave Violets to Petra to be given to
Laura
❖ Laura and Gonzalo departed with a promise to
meet again on ‘A Sunny Morning’
Summary:
This play revolves around the ex-lovers Dona Laura
and Don Gonzalo. They met after a long time in a
park in Madrid. But they pretend as strangers. Don
Gonzalo was angry because his bench was occupied
by three priests. But Laura was happy because he
had chased away the pigeons feeding on her bread
crumbs. Gonzalo called Laura as a ‘senile old lady’.
Laura called him an ‘ill-natured man.
After some time, they became friends through a
pinch of snuff. Gonzalo said that he lived in
Valentia. Laura said that she too lived in Valentia
and her friend lived in a villa at Maricela. Both
startle and identify each other but do not disclose
their true identity. Laura lied that, ‘The Silver
Maiden’ was her friend. Gonzalo lied that the
‘gallant young horseman’ was his cousin. He had
loved her friend. Laura thought that he did not
suspect. Gonzalo thought that she was also innocent,
and both continue pretention. Gonzalo feels happy
that he had kept the information of his elopement to
Paris with a ‘ballet dancer’, a secret. Laura feels
happy that she too had kept the information of her
marriage with the horseman, a secret.
4 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
The play has a perfect climax. Both bluff about
their own deaths. Gonzalo told her that his cousin
joined the army, went to Africa and died in the war
field. Laura told him that her friend, ‘The Silver
Maiden’ wrote her lover’s name on the sand, sat
upon the rock and the waves swept her. Both agree
to meet the next day and leave the park. Gonzalo
guesses if it could be her (Laura). Laura guesses if
it could be him (Gonzalo).
6. WHEN YOU ARE OLD
W.B. Yeats
Important Points to Remember:
❖ Poet tells her to read his book when she is old
and gray.
❖ He tells his beloved to dream of the soft look
her eyes had once.
❖ Many loved her moments of glad grace.
❖ Only he loved her pilgrim soul and sorrows of
her changing face.
❖ She would murmur how love fled upon the
mountains and hid his face amid the crowd of
stars.
Summary:
In this poem love poem, the speaker addresses his
beloved. He wants his beloved to repent. So, he
tells her to sit by the fire and read this book of
poems, when she becomes old. He also tells her to
dream of the soft look her eyes had once and their
deep memories. She would realize that he loved
her ‘pilgrim soul’ and the sorrows of her changing
face. But others loved her ‘physical beauty’. After
reading the book she would murmur how love fled
upon the mountains and his face amid a crowd of
stars.
7. THE GARDENER
P. Lankesh
Important points to remember:
❖ The author uses a distinctive style of narration.
❖ The story has a typical beginning and an
abrupt ending.
❖ The structure of the story is complex, as there
is a story within the story.
❖ The gardener and the owner of the plantation
is the same person -Tammanna.
P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
❖ The story throws light on the strange personality
of human nature.
❖ Man is very complicated.
❖ After a particular age man loses his name.His
age becomes important.
❖ Tammanna was a labourer, overseer and
philosopher.
❖ The old man was well-versed in agriculture.
❖ The plantation which was only ten acres had
expanded beyond imagination after the old
man’s arrival.
❖ The old man offered the lady tender coconuts.
❖ The old man’s story began on the embankment
of the well, when the sun was slipping into the
western horizon.
❖ The plantation consisted of coconut, mango and
jack fruit trees.
❖ The plantation expanded and the owner became
lethargic and shied away from hard work.
❖ Tammanna’s most important possession was his
rival Basavaiah.
❖ Tammanna had one thousand acres and
Basavaiah owned eight hundred acres of land.
❖ Basavaiah acquired two hundred acres of
Tammanna’s land forcibly and built a fence
around it.
❖ Tammanna could approach the court of law or
the police but he was in search of a new method
that could annihilate (destroy) Basavaiah
completely.
❖ Tammanna moved from the visible towards an
invisible, abstract domain.
❖ Art had become the raison-d’etre
(n)(French)(meaning reason, cause of life) for
Tammanna.
❖ Scholars of folklore and critics were after
Tammanna.
❖ Basavaiah filled his life with material wealth.
❖ Basavaiah invited scholars, poets and musicians
to his place.
❖ Tammanna’s disease was Basavaiah’s health.
❖ Tammanna’s another method of punishing
Basavaiah was death.
❖ A nation is capable of withstanding strains but
not a human being.
❖ The young child of Lokya who paints well was
bedridden with fever.
❖ The story begins with,”Elaboration can only
impoverish this account and make it less
authentic” and ends in, ‘Forgive me’.
5 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
❖ Unable to elaborate, I have told you whatever I
felt as it is. I had seen all this in a dream”.
Summary:
The Gardener is a short story written by P.
Lankesh. The story narrates the strange nature of
human beings.
The narrator begins the story by introducing us to
an old man. He says that he saw him in a coconut
grove and had come from a far off place. He knew
agriculture. The owner of this plantation wanted
such a person. The old man tackled all kinds of
problems of the workers. Petty thefts stopped and
things improved dramatically. The plantation
expanded and the income increased. But, the
lifestyle of the owner changed. He avoided hard
work and became lethargic. He learned many
vices. This worried the wife of the owner.
The gardener met her one day and narrated the
story of Tammanna.Tammanna was a rich person.
But he had a rival named Basavaiah. Both
competed with each other for posessing more and
more lands. There was no land left to acquire in
their village. Basavaiah forcibly encroached upon
Tammanna’s land. Tammanna became angry. He
thought of a new method to destroy Basavaiah
completely. He composed songs and ballads about
Basavaiah’s meanness and cruelty. He became
very popular and was honoured as the poet of his
times. Basavaiah was humiliated. He tried to
compensate for it by accumulating more riches and
hired flatterers to praise him. But he failed to
match Tammanna.
Once Tammanna fell ill. This news thrilled
Basavaiah. He felt good that he had established
supremacy over Tammanna. However, Tammanna
thought of punishing Basavaiah more severely. So,
he gave up everything and went to an unknown
place. When Tammanna went Basavaiah felt he
had no essence to live on and died soon. With the
death of Basavaiah, Tammanna forgot all his
songs. Thus, Tammanna was able to avenge
Basavaiah in a non-violent method.
8. TO THE FOOT FROM ITS CHILD
Pablo Neruda
Important points to remember:
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
❖ The poem narrates the harsh realities of life’s
struggles.
❖ The foot of the child wants to become a
butterfly or an apple.
❖ Later, ladder, bits of glasses, rough paths teach
the foot that it cannot fly or become an apple.
❖ The foot is defeated and imprisoned in the
shoes.
❖ Slowly, the soft nails become quartz. They
become opaque substances and hard as horns.
❖ The petaled toes of the child become eyeless
reptiles with triangular heads.
❖ Imprisoned in the shoes, foot walks one after the
other. It moves through the fields, mines,
markets, ministries, inward, forward and
backwards.
❖ The foot walks until man chooses to stop.
❖ After the death of the foot, it is buried
underground but it is unaware it is dead.
Summary:
The poem ‘To the Foot from its Child’ is written by
Pablo Neruda.The poet speaks about the hardships
and struggles faced by people in life.
In the poem, the foot dreams to become a butterfly
or an apple. But, it doesn’t know that it is only a
foot. The foot learns a lesson by the rough paths, bits
of glasses and ladder. It becomes aware that it is
only a foot and it can never become a butterfly or an
apple. Slowly, the foot gets imprisoned in shoes. The
foot lives in total darkness without contact with the
other foot. The soft nails of the foot, which were
once quartz, become opaque substances. They
become hard as horns. The petaled toes of the child
take the shape of eyeless reptiles with triangular
heads.
The imprisoned foot continues to live in total
darkness. It walks, they walk one after the other. It
walks through the fields, mines, markets, ministries,
inward, forward and backwards. It continues to walk
until man stops to walk. Finally, the man dies, and
the foot is buried underground. Now, the foot can
become anything it wishes. Unfortunately, the foot
has forgotten that it had aspired to become a
butterfly or an apple.
09. I BELIEVE BOOKS WILL NEVER
DISAPPEAR
Jorge Luis Borges
6 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
Important points to remember:
❖ Borges’ first literary reading was ‘Grimm’s
Fairy Tales’.
❖ Borges’ was educated in his father’s library.
❖ His mother was an extra-ordinary person. She
had no enemies.
❖ For Borges, blindness was a way of life.
❖ He said that every misfortune, humiliations,
embarrassments are given to humans as raw
materials as clay to shape our art.
❖ Borges said that poetry is magical and brings
happiness. It is intimate and essential one.
Poetry is an aesthetic act.
❖ Books are sacred and they go beyond the
author’s intention.
❖ Borges said that every book worth being re-
read has been written by the spirit.
❖ There are five basic metaphors – time and
river; life and dream;
❖ death and sleep; stars and eyes; flowers and
women.
❖ Borges said that telephone is the extension of
human voice, telescope and micro-scope are
the extensions of eyes, and sword and plough
are the extensions of human arms.
❖ Borges said that books are the extension of
human imagination and memory. Hence books
are the great memory of all centuries.
❖ Borges said that history would disappear if
books disappear. If history disappears man
would disappear.
Summary:
This lesson is an excerpt from ‘Twenty Four
Conversations with Borges’. The interviewer asks
various questions to Borges on topics like poetry,
metaphor and books.
Borges revealed that he had his early readings in
his father’s library. His first literary reading was
‘Grimm’s Fairy Tale’. He said blindness was a way
of life for him and he had accepted it as a resource.
He said all embarrassments, misfortunes, and
humiliations were given to humans as resources.
They should shape their lives from them. Books
that are re-read are written by spirit. He felt guilty
for he did not take proper care of his mother. His
mother was an intelligent and gracious woman. She
had no enemies.
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
Borges said that poetry is very intimate. It is difficult
to define. Poetry is magical and mysterious. He said
that there are five basic metaphors. They are – time
and river; life and dreams; death and sleep; stars and
eyes; flowers and women. He said that books will
never disappear. Books are the most astounding
inventions of man. He said that the telescope and the
microscope are extensions of our sight, telephone is
the extension of our voice, and the sword and the
plough are the extensions of our arms. Similarly,
books are the extensions of human memory and
imagination. Books are the memories of all
centuries. He said that if books disappear, surely
history would disappear. If history disappears, man
disappears.
10. HEAVEN, IF YOU ARE NO HERE ON
EARTH
Kuvempu
Important points to remember:
❖ The speaker says that if heaven is not on earth, it
is not elsewhere.
❖ If the people themselves are not gods, there are
no Gods
❖ If the people are not nymphs, they are no nymphs
❖ Murmuring stream, the surf at the end of the
waves, the tender sunshine in the green gardens
and gentle sun-allmake this earth heaven.
❖ Heaven is scattered everywhere in the form of
harvest and moonlight
❖ The poet drinks the nectar of song and creates
real heaven on earth.
Summary:
People are in search of heaven. In this poem, the
poet asks us to find heaven on earth and not
elsewhere. Gods and heavenly nymphs are present in
ourselves. We can also find heaven in the roaring
stream, rolling surf of waves , the tender sunshine on
verdant gardens and the gentle sun. Heaven is also
present in the splendour of harvest and moonlight.
Heaven is everywhere. The poet creates heaven on
earth by imbibing and spilling the song of nectar
through his poem.
11. JAPAN AND BRAZIL THROUGH A
TRAVELER’S EYE
George Mikes
7 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
Important points to remember:
❖ George Mikes writes about his travelling
experiences in Japan and Brazil.
❖ Travel writing is about one’s own experience
of visiting new places. Travel Writing is very
popular as it highlights how one culture gets
represented by another.
❖ George Mikes brings out the best aspects of
Japanese culture,mannerisms and how
courtesy substitutes privacy.
❖ Bowing is a mania in Japan. Everybody bows
to everybody in Japan. Bowing is more
oriental, formal and quainter.
❖ There is a complicated hierarchy in bowing.
❖ Japanese have a distinct style of eating soup.
Making a fearful noise while eating soup is a
sign of appreciation.
❖ Brazilians have an aesthetic way of decorating
the grey pavements with black mosaics in the
streets of Copacabana.
❖ Brazilians are very passionate about cars but
motor cars are very expensive in Brazil.
❖ Drivers in Brazil are always on the look-out
for pedestrians. The war between the drivers
and pedestrians is like hunter and prey, but an
amicable smile puts an end to the game.
❖ The war between drivers is murderous yet
there is no anger, hostility and mad hooting.
Summary:
George Mikes, a Hungarian writer, writes about his
travelling experiences in Japan and Brazil. The
author finds bowing in Japan is quainter and
formal. But bowing in Japan is a natural practice in
their culture. Bowing is very infectious in Japan.
Anybody who goes to Japan starts bowing to others
after a few hours.
There is a complicated hierarchy in bowing. It is,
who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long.
Though bowing is complicated to the author,
Japanese manage it without any difficulty. George
Mikes notices the basic rules in the family. Wife
bows to her husband, child bows to the father, and
younger brothers bows to elder brothers and sisters
to all brothers. The writer is astonished to see even
a deer bowing in a Park and how the bowing
gentlemen transform themselves into savages when
a bus arrives. Japanese have a distinct style of
eating soup. While eating soup, you should make
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
a fearful noise to appreciate.
Brazilians have craze for cars and speed. The author
highlights the number of motor cars growing
enormously. The war between drivers and
pedestrians is like hunter and prey. The war between
drivers themselves is murderous but good tempered.
Crossing the road in Brazil is challenging. It is
humorous and fascinating to see how a person stands
contemplating on one side of the road to get to the
other side of the place in Avenida Presidente Vargas.
12. THE VOTER
Chinua Achebe
Important points to remember:
❖ Rufus Okeke – known as Roof.
❖ Very popular young and energetic man.
❖ He spent two years as a bicycle repairer’s
apprentice in Port Harcourt.
❖ Umuofia’s people needed his guidance.
❖ Umuofia’s most illustrious son was Marcus Ibe.
❖ Marcus Ibe was minister of culture in the
outgoing government.
❖ Roof was an expert and the most trusted in
election campaigning.
❖ He could tell the mood and temper of the
electorate.
❖ Marcus Ibe became rich after he became
minister.
❖ Marcus Ibe was not a successful mission school
teacher.
❖ Marcus Ibe had two long cars and a big house.
❖ Marcus Ibe named his house “Umuofia
Mansions”.
❖ Marcus Ibe was prepared for the forth coming
elections by drawing five months salary in
advance.
❖ PAP – People’s Alliance Party.
❖ POP – Progressive Organization Party.
❖ People of Umoufia demanded more money for
their votes.
❖ POP campaigners met at night.
❖ POP campaigners offered five Pounds to Roof
to cast his vote for Maduka.
❖ Maduka – POP candidate.
❖ Symbol of PAP – motor car.
❖ Symbol of POP – a man’s head.
Summary:
8 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
‘The Voter’ is a short story by Chinua Achebe.
Rufus Okeke was known as Roof. He was a
popular young man from Umoufia. He was the
most trusted men among the PAP workers of
Marcus Ibe , minister of culture in the outgoing
government. He had become a real expert in
election campaigning in the village. He used to
bribe the voters for votes in favour of Marcus Ibe.
Marcus Ibe was not too successful Mission School
teacher. He joined politics and became minister of
culture. He had two long cars and the biggest house
called ‘Umuofia Mansions”. Roof met five elders
in the village and offered them two shillings each.
But the people of Umoufia noticed the enhanced
wealth of Marcus’s Ibe, after he became the
minister and demanded more shillings for their
votes. Finally, Roof ended up giving four shillings
each.
The Team of POP campaigners met Roof secretly
and offered him five pounds to cast his vote for
Maduka – A POP candidate. He was trapped by the
sight of red notes on the floor. Roof accepted the
bribe. They asked him to swear in the name of iyi
from Mbanta.
On the election day Roof was in a fix. Finally,
Roof tore the ballot paper in two along the crease
and put one half in each box. He had kept his
promise to the POP campaigner but had certainly
cheated Marcus Ibe. He also had wasted his
valuable vote.
13. WHERE THERE IS A WHEEL
P. Sainath
Important points to remember:
❖ Cycling was the chosen medium for the rural
women in Pudukottai district.
❖ Bicycling symbolized independence, freedom
and mobility for most of the neo-literates.
❖ More than 100,000 rural women most of them
were neo-literates had taken to bicycling.
❖ Jameela Bibi said that cycling was her right.
❖ Fathima – a secondary school teacher said that
cycling gave them freedom and independence.
❖ The beneficiaries of cycling were, women
agricultural workers, quarry labourers,
andvillage health nurses, balawadi and
anganwadi workers, gem cutters, school
P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS
teachers, gramasevikas and mid day meal
workers.
❖ Arivoli Iyakkam meant Light of Knowledge
Movement.
❖ N.Kannammal a science graduate and the
Arivoli Central Co- Ordinator was one of the
pioneers of the cycling movement.
❖ Cycling reduced the dependence of rural women
on men.
❖ Arivoli gave cycling a social sanction and
encouraged women to come out of male
imposed barriers.
❖ The rural women have the perception that all
women ought to learn cycling to empower
themselves and enrich the literacy movement.
❖ Muthu Bhaskaran, a male Arivoli activist wrote
the famous cycling song that had become their
anthem.
❖ Cycling as a social movement was the
brainchild of the popular former district
collector Sheela Rani Chunkath.
❖ Sheela Rani included mobility as a part of the
literacy drive.
❖ Some women preferred gents’ bicycles as these
had an additional bar and they could seat the
children.
❖ Over 1500 female cyclists took Pudukottai by
storm on “The International Women’s Day” in
1992.
❖ S.Kannakarajan, owner of Ram Cycles was the
only bicycle dealer in Pudukkottai.
❖ Manormani, a quarry worker and an Arivoli
volunteer said that, “those who know cycling,
can be mobile”.
❖ UNICEF sanctioned 50 mopeds for Arivoli
women activists.
❖ More than 70,000 women displayed their
cycling skills at the public ‘exhibition-cum-
contests’ run by Arivoli.
❖ Cycling boosts income, some of the rural
women could sell their agricultural produce.
❖ Bicycle cuts down on time wasted in waiting for
bus.
❖ Cycling reduced their dependency on men.
❖ Cycling saves time and helps to earn more
money from their produce.
❖ Bicycle is a humble vehicle and acts as a
metaphor for freedom.
Summary:
9 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA
EHTHASHAMUDDIN J
Pudukkottai, one of the poorest districts of Tamil
Nadu was a witness to radical change. The rural
women especially the neo-literates had taken to
cycling. It had become a symbol of independence,
freedom and mobility. The cycling movement had
given women confidence. It had reduced their
dependence on men. The productivity of rural
women had increased due to cycling. Women no
longer had to walk long distances to fetch water or
sell their products or bring provisions.
Neo-Literate and Neo-cyclist women had a direct
link between cycling and their personal
independence. Cycling had offered them a way out
of enforced routines and around male-imposed
barriers. Thus bicycle is a humble vehicle and is a
metaphor for freedom. It was a Himalayan
achievement, like flying an aeroplane for the rural
women.
14. WATER
Challapalli Swaroopa Rani
Important Points to Remember:
❖ Water is a witness to centuries of social
injustice.
❖ It knows the generations old strife between the
village and the wada.
❖ It knows the difference of race between the
Samaria woman and Jesus the Jew.
❖ It knows the sub-caste difference between
leather and spool.
❖ Water also knows the agony of the panchama
who had no right to draw a pot of water.
❖ It knows the humiliation of the wada girl.
❖ Karamchedu Suvarthamma opposed kamma
landlords.
❖ Water is not just H2O for the poet, but a
mighty movement.
❖ Mahad struggle at the Chadar tank is a social
movement for a single drop of water.
❖ The wada people welcomed their weekly bath
as a wondrous festival.
❖ Malapalle was burnt to ashes for want of a pot
of water.
❖ Water can give life and also devour lives.
❖ It became the killer Tsunami wave that
swallowed whole village after village.
❖ The poor are but playthings in the vicious
hands of water.
❖ Water sits innocently in a Bisleri bottle.
 P.U.C II YEAR, ENGLISH A HANDBOOK FOR SPRINGS EHTHASHAMUDDIN J

❖It dances in to the Pepsi man’s bottle.

❖The new name of water is ‘mineral water’.
❖It is a multinational market commodity.
❖Water is considered to be Omniscient.

Summary:

In this poem, Challapalli Swaroopa Rani deals with

the issues of the caste system. According to the poet,
water knows the caste discrimination, that
untouchability never disappears. It knows the
difference of race, sub-caste difference, agony of the
Panchama, humiliations of the wadagirl and also the
righteous rage of Karamachedu Suvarthamma. It is a
witness to centuries of social injustice. But water is
just a mute witness to all these. Water is a reminder
that embodies tears shed over several generations.
Water is here a metaphor depicting the sorrows and
sufferings of the wada and the village people

Water has become a reason for many movements

and struggles. It can give life and devour lives. But
only poor are the victims. Water can ignite many
struggles and strife between villages, states and
nations. Water is a multinational market commodity.
Omniscient water contains
the world.

***********

10 FATHIMA ACADEMY, G. BLOCK, CHAMPION REEF’S, (P.O) K.G.F – 563117, KARNATAKA