First Year Notes

RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUTH
1. Why does the Quaid stress on the youth to be continuously vigilant?

The Quaid stresses on youth to be vigilant because he believes that there are enemies within their
ranks. He calls these hidden enemies “the fifth columnists.” The Quaid also thinks that there are
some selfish people among the nation. The Quaid considers such people harmful for the country.
According to the Quaid, they are a threat to the unity and integrity of the new-born state of Pakistan.
He feels that Pakistan cannot afford any disunity immediately after independence. The Quaid,
therefore, asks the youth to be alert and watchful. He advises the youth to keep in mind the difference
between the patriotic and loyal citizens of the country and the selfish and disloyal ones. He warns the
students not to fall into the hands of such negative people.
2. What, according to the Quaid, is the prime responsibility of the youth?

According to the Quaid, the prime responsibility of the youth is to devote their attention solely to
their education. The Quaid states that the youth can be fair and honest with themselves, their parents
and their country only when they fully focus on their studies. The Quaid stresses on the point that only
the truly educated youth can be ready for the battle of practical and professional life. It is only the
well-educated youth that can prove an asset and a source of strength and pride for the state. If the
youth of the country is educated in real sense, they can serve the country in all possible ways. They
can solve major social and economic problems of the country. More importantly, they can make the
country one of the most progressive and strongest nations of the world.
3. Having read the text of the Quaid’s speech, what traits of character the Quaid wants to see in
the educated youth?
The Quaid wants to see many important traits of character in the educated youth of the country. The
first two traits that he mentions are unity and discipline. Secondly, the Quaid wants the educated
youth to have a constructive approach towards life in the new state. He advises them to discard the
militant spirit of the past. Moreover, the Quaid advises the youth to dedicate themselves wholly and
solely to their studies so that they are capable of playing a vital role in the social and economic
development of the country. The Quaid also wants the youth to be vigilant against the threats posed
by the hidden enemies in the state. Finally, the Quaid instructs the youth of the country to break
away from the traditional, narrow-minded approach towards professional life. He asks them to
diversify their career options instead of just desiring the government jobs.
4. What advice does the Quaid give to the youth about the choice of career?
The Quaid advises the youth to discard the traditional mindset regarding the choice of career. He
asks them to stop following the trend of seeking government jobs after the completion of studies.
He argues that the government cannot accommodate thousands of students graduating from
universities every year. The Quaid, therefore, suggests that the youth should explore the channels,
2022 Source: NOOR MUHAMMAD, THE PEACE CAMPUS, HARIPUR Page 1
avenues and fields other than the government service. He particularly mentions the technical field as a
viable career option. Technical education offers immense scope. Banking, commerce, trade, law, etc.
are some of such career options for the youth. The Quaid further argues that these career paths would
offer far greater financial and other professional benefits than mere government clerkship. He even
advocates manual labour if need be.
5. Compare and contrast the youth of today with the ideal youth of the Quaid-e-Azam as described
in his speech.
The Quaid’s ideal youth possess many valuable qualities. They demonstrate great unity and
discipline. They have a constructive approach towards life in general. They are wholly and solely
devoted to studies. They are capable of playing a vital role in solving the social and economic
problems of the country. They are also loyal to their country and its people. They value their
freedom and stay vigilant. They follow a diverse range of professional careers.
However, today’s youth do not really fit well in the Quaid’s conception of the ideal youth. Today’s
youth do surely seem to be far more educated. They also follow diverse career options rather than
just desiring the government service. However, today’s youth do not seem to have the same degree of
love and loyalty to their country. They also lack unity among their ranks. They suffer from different
social, political, ethnic, and even sectarian divisions. They even have “fifth columnists” in and
around them. Also, today’s youth is not ready to play any important role in solving the social and
economic problems of the country.
6. Having read the text of Responsibilities of Youth, what, in your view could be the possible role of
the youth in crisis management of the country?
According to the Quaid’s vision, the youth could play a very important role in the crisis management
of the country. If the youth devote themselves to education, they could solve the great social and
economic problems that the country faces. Socially and politically, they could observe unity and
discipline that is so vital for progress, and prosperity of the country. In the times of crisis, they could
stand united and loyal to the country. They could keep an eye and weed out the disloyal elements.
Economically, the educated youth could prove the backbone of the country. They could help manage
economic crisis by actively pursuing fields like science, technology, industry and commerce. They
could steer the country out of the crisis by making use of their professional, scientific and technical
skills and knowledge.
7. The Quaid says “Not only has Pakistan survived the shock of that upheavel…than ever.” Which
upheaval is he talking about?
When the Quaid uses the word “upheaval” in his speech, he actually refers to the difficulties and
challenges faced by the state of Pakistan immediately after its independence. The Quaid particularly
mentions four major disasters and difficulties faced by Pakistan. Firstly, the Quaid mentions the
Punjab and Delhi holocaust. Thousands of Muslim men, women and children were mercilessly
butchered by the Hindu fanatics during the anti-Muslim riots there. Secondly, the Quaid talks about
the problem of refugees. It was a great challenge for the new-born state of Pakistan to rehabilitate
millions of refugees on its land. Thirdly, the Quaid laments the withholding by India of Pakistan’s
due share of financial, military and other assets. Pakistan was in dire need of these resources for its
survival after independence. Finally, the Quaid talks about Bengal’s blockade by India to cripple its
economy and to cut it off from West Pakistan. Clearly, all these difficulties and challenges were no
less than an upheaval for Pakistan.
8. Interpret and analyze the following statements from the speech:

a. “Beware of the fifth columnists among ourselves.”
When the Quaid says “Beware of the fifth columnists among ourselves”, he actually warns the
students of the Dhaka University about the presence of enemies within their ranks. The Quaid
cautions the Bengali students about the possibility of hidden enemies among them with an anti-state
agenda. After independence, Pakistan’s enemies were actively working to weaken and destroy it. As
Bengal (East Pakistan) was at a distance of around two thousand kilometers from West Pakistan, it
was an easy target for the enemies. Some elements within East Pakistan were sowing the seeds of
Bengali nationalism. They wanted to disintegrate Pakistan. The Quaid wanted the Bengali students to
be mindful of these hidden enemies. The Quaid’s worst fears proved right in 1971 with the separation
of Bengal from West Pakistan.
b. “Guard against and weed out selfish people who wish only to exploit you so that they may swim.”
In this sentence, the Quaid talks about the people with the vested interests. In other words, the Quaid
cautions the students of the Dhaka University about the presence of disloyal and selfish people among
them. They want to misuse others for their personal gains. They want to harm the national interest by
causing disunity among the people of Pakistan. The Quaid, therefore, advises the students to identify
such mischievous elements among them. He asks the students sternly to kick out these selfish elements
from their ranks.
c. “Hitherto, you have been following the rut,,,, All you think and hanker for is government
service….. Now I want you to get out of that rut and that mentality, specially now that we are in
free Pakistan.”
In these sentences, the Quaid advises the students of the Dhaka University to discard the traditional
mindset regarding the choice of career. He asks them to stop following the trend of seeking
government jobs after the completion of studies. The Quaid argues that this mentality was the
outcome of the British-controlled education system. The purpose of the old education system was to
produce clerks for the government. Now that Pakistan is a free and independent country, the students
should also free themselves mentally. They should think independently. The Quaid suggests that the
youth should explore the channels, avenues and fields other than the government service. He
particularly mentions the technical field as a viable career option.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUTH
This lesson is based upon a speech that was delivered by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah while
addressing the students of the Dhaka University on March 24, 1948 on the occasion of convocation.
The Quaid gives advice about their responsibilities in the newly created state of Pakistan. He also
gives them guidelines for the practical and professional life ahead. Firstly, the Quaid emphasizes that
the youth need to show unity and discipline among their ranks more than ever before. Secondly, the
Quaid wants the educated youth to have a constructive approach towards life in the new state. He
advises them to discard the militant spirit of the past. The Quaid also talks about the difficulties that
the new-born state of Pakistan faced. The Quaid particularly mentions four major disasters and
difficulties faced by Pakistan. Firstly, the Quaid mentions the Punjab and Delhi holocaust. Secondly,
the Quaid talks about the problem of refugees. Thirdly, the Quaid laments the withholding by India of
Pakistan’s due share of financial, military and other assets. Finally, the Quaid talks about Bengal’s
blockade by India to cripple its economy and to cut it off from West Pakistan. Afterwards, the Quaid
advises students to focus wholly and solely upon their studies. He tells them that the prime
responsibility of the youth is to devote their attention solely to their education. Then the Quaid warns
the students of the Dhaka University about the presence of enemies within their ranks. The Quaid
cautions the Bengali students about the possibility of fifth-columnists (hidden enemies) among them
with an anti-state agenda. He asks them to identify them and root them out.
Towards the end of his speech, the Quaid advises the youth to discard the traditional mindset
regarding the choice of career. He asks them to stop following the trend of seeking government jobs
after the completion of studies. He argues that the government cannot accommodate thousands of
students graduating from universities every year. The Quaid, therefore, suggests that the youth should
explore the channels, avenues and fields other than the government service. He particularly mentions
the technical field as a viable career option. Technical education offers immense scope. Banking,
commerce, trade, law, etc. are some of such career options for the youth. The Quaid further argues that
these career paths would offer far greater financial and other professional benefits than mere
government clerkship. He even advocates manual labour if need be.

HIS FIRST FLIGHT
Liam O’ Flaherty
1. Why did the young seagull have to join the company of his family?
The young seagull had to join the company of his family because he was extremely hungry and he
urgently needed food to survive. His parents had already refused to give him any food unless he flew.
He had not eaten anything for more than a day. He had already searched every inch in and around his
nest for food. He had tried to eat a dried piece of mackerel’s tail lying there. He was so hungry that he
even gnawed at the dried pieces of the spotted eggshell that he had hatched out of. There was hardly
anything left to eat. He could easily starve to death. So, the only option left for him was to muster up
courage and fly towards his family for food.
2. Why don’t his parents, brothers and his sister give him food?
The young seagull’s parents, brothers and sister do not give him food because they want him to learn
to fly. His parents know that it’s absolutely necessary for him to fly as his very survival depends upon
it. If he does not fly, he will not be able to catch fish and feed on it to survive. He will not be able to
live independently without flying. So, the young seagull’s family doesn’t give him fish and keeps him
hungry. They believe that his hunger will eventually force him to fly and catch fish for himself.
3. What was the attitude of the family towards the young seagull? Was it agreeable to you or not?
Explain?
The attitude of the family towards the young seagull was extremely strict and stern. The young
seagull’s family had continuously encouraged him to fly but he could not muster up courage to do so.
The family, therefore, wanted to discipline him. As a consequence, they didn’t provide him with any
food at all. They kept him hungry and treated him indifferently. They took no pity on him and even
taunted him for his cowardice. When he cried towards his mother for help, she screamed back
derisively. The young seagull’s father, brothers and sister also displayed a total disregard for him.
This strict treatment of the young seagull by his family was perfectly justified. When love and care
don’t work, parents sometimes have to resort to even punitive measures to teach their children some
valuable lessons of life. In case of the young seagull, his family knew that it was absolutely necessary
for him to fly as his very survival depended upon it. So, the young seagull’s family did not give him
any piece of fish and kept him hungry. They believed that his hunger would eventually force him to
fly and catch fish for himself. In the end, their plan worked.

4. Describe in your own words the feelings, actions and thoughts of the young seagull soon after his
fall.
When the young seagull falls down from the cliff, he goes through an absolutely scary experience.
Immediately after his fall, the young seagull screams loudly in fear. A monstrous terror seizes him and
he feels as if his heart has stood still. He cannot even hear anything. But this terrible condition lasts
only for a few moments. The young seagull soon recovers. He starts flying instinctively. He feels his
wings spread outwards. The tips of his wings are cutting through the air. The wind rushes against his
breast feathers, stomach and wings. In the beginning, he feels a bit dizzy too but he is back to his
normal in no time. The young seagull feels so happy at his first flight. He shrieks shrilly to express his
joy. He dives, soars, and curvets. He flies confidently all over the very sea that he was so afraid of. He
forgets it completely that once he was unable to fly.
5. What could be the author’s purpose behind writing the story “His First Flight”?
The author’s purpose of writing the story His First Flight is to give the readers a valuable moral
lesson. This simple story teaches the lesson that success in life is more about attitude than aptitude.
It is the mindset that matters, not the situation. Life exposes us to countless pressure situations
which require from us courage to deal with them. This is specially the case with the first attempts in
life. The first attempt always seems difficult. Despite having the ability, one hesitates and suffers from
uncertainty while taking the first step in any field of life. This is more so the case when it involves any
risk to life. However, the truth is that things are not as difficult as they may seem at first. If one shows
a little confidence and self-belief, one can achieve anything in life.
6. Compare and contrast the attitude of the family members before and after the flight of the
young seagull in “His First Flight”?
One can observe a clear difference between the attitude of the young seagull’s family members
towards him before and after his first flight. Before the flight, the attitude of the family towards the
young seagull was extremely strict and stern. Despite the fact that he is starving, they don’t provide
him with any food at all. They keep him hungry and treat him indifferently. They take no pity on him.
They taunt him for his cowardice. When he cries towards his mother for help, she screams back
derisively. The young seagull’s father, brothers and sister also display a total disregard for him.
However, the attitude of the family changes altogether when the young seagull finally makes his first
flight. All of them are absolutely delighted at his first flight. All his family members come around
him. They scream with joy and praise him. They curvet, bank, soar and dive to teach him the art of
flight. They are all proud of him now. They offer him scraps of dogfish to eat.

7. Identify the sentence in the first paragraph of “His First Flight” which shows cause and effect.
A cause-effect relationship is a type of relationship in which one event or situation makes
another event or situation to happen. The sentence in the first paragraph that shows cause and effect
is “He felt certain that his wings would never support him, so he bent his head and ran away
back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night.” In this sentence, the conjunction
“so” indicates this cause and effect relationship. The first clause, “He felt certain that his wings
would never support him” represents the cause while the following clauses “so he bent his head
and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night.” represent the effect.
The young seagull believes that his wings are too weak to support him to fly (cause). As a result, he
hangs his head down in despair and runs back to his little whole to hide (effect).
8. Read any paragraph from the text to identify the main idea and sentences that support the main
idea.
The first paragraph of the short story His First Flight can be analyzed to identify the main idea. After
reading the first paragraph, it can be concluded that the main idea is “the young seagull is unable to
fly due to his cowardice and hesitation.” There are so many sentences in the paragraph that can be
analyzed to support the main. Following are some sentences and parts of sentences that amply confirm
the central idea of the paragraph:
1) … he became afraid.
2) He felt certain that his wings would never support him.
3) … he failed to muster up courage to take that flight plunge.
4) But for the life of him he could not move.
9. Read the second paragraph of the text to identify transitional devices and state their functions.
A transitional device is a word or phrase that links different ideas expressed within sentences,
within paragraphs or across paragraphs. These transitional devices make a piece of text easier to
understand by giving it clarity and cohesion. There are two transitional devices used by the writer in
the second paragraph of this short story. They are “Since then” and “in fact”. “Since then” is a
temporal transitional device. The function of this transitional device is to refer to a length of time from
a point in the past to a point in the later past or present. “In fact”, on the other hand, is an emphatic
transitional device. The function performed by this transitional device is to give extra details about
something that has just been mentioned.

HIS FIRST FLIGHT
Liam O’ Flaherty
Summary
There is a young seagull that lives on a ledge beside a vast sea. The young seagull has not yet flown
since his birth. He is afraid of flying. His brothers and sister have already made their first flights
successfully. But he feels that his wings will not support him. He has already made several
unsuccessful attempts to run forward and fly. But he fears that he will fall and drown into the vast sea
that is spread under the ledge on which he has his nest. The seagull’s parents are worried about him.
They want him to fly. For this reason, they do not give him food and keep him hungry. They know
that it’s absolutely necessary for him to fly as his very survival depends upon it. They feel that his
hunger will eventually force him to fly and catch fish for himself.
After the passage of more than twenty four hours, the young seagull is still unable to fly. He is very
hungry. His mother keeps observing him from some distance. Finally, she devises a smart strategy to
force him to fly. She tears a piece of fish and picks it up in her beak and flies towards him. When the
young seagull sees his mother heading towards him with a piece of fish in her beak, he utters a joyous
scream. But as she comes close to the ledge where he is standing in wait, she stops in the air just in
front of him, at a little distance. As he is already maddened by hunger, he dives at the piece of fish
impatiently. Right then, his mother flies upwards and he misses his target. He falls outwards and
downwards into the space above the sea. In the beginning, he is struck with a great terror. But then, he
realizes that he is not falling down. His wings are outspread instinctively and he is flying naturally. He
is now flying over the very sea that he was so afraid of. The young seagull feels so happy at his first
flight. He shrieks shrilly to express his joy. For a moment, he feels a bit dizzy as it is his first
experience of flight. However, he recovers soon, flaps his wings and flies confidently all over the sea.
He forgets it completely that once he was unable to fly. Thus, eventually, the young seagull makes his
first flight.

GOOD TIMBER
Douglas Malloch
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
These lines have been taken from the poem Good Timber written by the poet Douglas Malloch.
These lines make up the first/second/third/fourth stanza of the poem with a rhyme scheme aabbcc.
The poem is a short lyric. In this poem, the poet makes use of an extended metaphor that runs
throughout the poem.
The poem Good Timber is a highly motivational and inspirational piece of poetry. It is based upon
the theme that great achievements in life are not possible without undergoing struggles and
hardships. Challenges and difficulties in life strengthen human character. They awaken the
dormant human potentialities, and feed and nourish them. Ease and comfort, on the other hand,
corrode the greatness of human spirit. Affluence and luxury weaken human character. The poet
compares a great man to a mighty forest tree. He argues that both are the products of the tough
circumstances that they face.
EXPLANATION
Stanza 1:
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
In this stanza, the poet gives example of a tree that has at its disposal all the essential elements that it
needs for its easy growth and strength. It regularly receives sunlight, fresh air and rainwater in
abundance. It doesn’t have to struggle and fight for getting these vital ingredients. It stands
comfortably out there in the open field all alone. It has no competition with the other trees for it
survival. It doesn’t have to share sunlight, fresh air and rainwater with others. So it never faces any
scarcity of these resources. Apparently, it has all that it needs for its fullest growth. However, the poet
declares that such a tree never grows into the king of the forest (a metaphor). It never turns into a
majestic, towering tree. On the contrary, it spends all its life as a little under-grown tree and then
perishes.
Stanza 2:
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
In this stanza, the poet talks about a man who has all the comforts and necessities of life available to
him. He doesn’t have to struggle and fight for his share of basic needs for survival. He doesn’t have to
work hard to own a piece of land and then farm it for growing food. He doesn’t have to labour and
strive for sunlight, fresh air and rainwater for farming his lands. He has no such worries as he has
probably inherited acres of land and sufficient wealth. He just has everything available to him for
living. The poet concludes that such an affluent person will never be able to become a great man. He
will never be able to make any great achievement in life. He will live and die without making any
difference to himself as well as the world. It is only the men who cope with challenges and difficulties
in life that achieve greatness.
Stanza 3:
Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
In this stanza, the poet says that great, towering trees in the forest do not grow easily. They go through
a tough and hard process of growth. They face strong winds. They strive for sunlight. They have to
stand firm against powerful storms. They have to face cold and snowy seasons. But these tough
conditions make them grow stronger and taller. The strong winds that they face strengthen them. The
greater distance between these trees and the sky (sunlight) makes them grow taller as. They work
harder to reach the sky for sunlight. By facing and surviving powerful storms, the trees become
powerful too. Thus, through a mixture of good and bad conditions, trees grow stronger and taller. The
same applies to men. Men also grow stronger and greater by facing tough challenges and difficulties in
life.
Stanza 4:
Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.
In this stanza, the poet observes that the tallest and the strongest trees grow in the densest part of the
forest. The most towering trees are surrounded by a so many other trees competing for their share of

sunlight, rainwater and fresh air to survive. These harsh conditions for survival develop in them
resilience. They develop the ability to fight. So they succeed in achieving such great heights that they
seem to be talking to stars. But their journey to greatness is not easy. They face powerful storms and
suffer wounds in the form of losing branches. They face lots of hardships on the way. Using a
metaphor, the poet calls such mighty tough trees patriarchs. They are just like the heads and patrons
of their families. The poet declares that the same holds true for great men. They are also the product of
tough circumstances, struggles and hardships that they face in life. In the last line of the poem, the
poet emphasizes the point that this is a law of nature that applies to all: no struggle, no achievement.
PARAPHRASE
Stanza 1:
A tree never became the king of the forest if it never struggled or made any effort to gain its share of
sunlight, sky and fresh air for its growth. If a tree grew up in a wide field and it always received its
share of rain easily, it never succeeded in becoming the king of the forest (the tallest tree). Rather such
a tree spent its life and then perished as a small, unworthy, under-grown tree.
Stanza 2:
The man who never made any struggle or worked hard to possess his own little piece of land, and he
never had to labour and strive to earn his share of sunlight and fresh air for farming his land; such a
man could never become a man of great character and achievement. Rather such a person spent all his
life and then died as an ordinary man with the same beginning and end.
Stanza 3:
Trees do not grow into mighty, towering timbers easily. They have to face powerful storms that make
them grow strong and tough. The greater distance of sky from trees makes the them grow taller to
reach it. The more the storms and gales they face, the more the strength they gain. It is a combination
of both sunlight and cold, rain and snow (good and bad circumstances) that help both men and trees to
become great and mighty.
Stanza 3:
The tallest trees (patriarchs) grow in a part of the forest which is the densest (with tough conditions for
survival). It is only in the thickly planted sections of the forest that trees achieve such great heights
that they seem to be talking to stars. Their broken branches reveal the wounds that they have suffered
as a result of facing a lot of powerful storms and tough conditions. This is law of nature that applies to
all.

GOOD TIMBER
Douglas Malloch
1. What is the significance of the title of the poem Good Timber?

The title of the poem Good Timber is extremely significant from the thematic point of view. The
word “timber” is used in two senses. In the general sense, timber means trees that are grown for
building or making things. So, in this sense, a good timber is a huge and towering tree. In the special
sense, a timber also means a person with great qualities. And, in this sense, a good timber is a man
with a great character. The poet finds a striking similarity between good timber and men of great
qualities. Both of them struggle hard, face tough challenges and overcome difficulties to achieve
greatness in life. A good timber reaches its majestic height only after facing great storms and tough
conditions for survival. While great men make great achievements in life only after facing tough
challenges, and difficulties.
2. What is good timber? How does a tree grow into a good timber?
A good timber is a tree that achieves great height and stature in a forest. A good timber is
majestic both in size and strength. The poet asserts that a good timber always faces tough challenges
and difficulties on its way to greatness. It faces powerful storms and tough conditions for survival. It
loses its branches. It fights off very difficult seasonal conditions. It survives extremely cold
temperatures and snow. It is only after going through such adverse and tough conditions that a tree
becomes a good timber. It is only after passing such difficult tests that a tree becomes the king of the
forest.
3. What according to Douglas Malloch is the fate of those people who do not work hard in life?
According to Douglas Malloch, people who do not work hard cannot achieve anything in life. The
poet asserts that people who do not struggle fail to make any progress in life. The poet stresses on the
point that difficulties and challenges shape up human destiny. Adversity brings out the best
qualities in people. To support his argument, the poet gives the example of a good timber. A good
timber always faces tough challenges and difficulties on its way to greatness. It faces powerful storms
and tough conditions for survival. It loses its branches. It fights off very difficult seasonal conditions.
It is only after going through such adverse and tough conditions that a tree becomes a good timber. So,
a man who does not work hard cannot earn any name or fame in life.
4. How can a person achieve his/her true potential in life? Illustrate it with examples from the
poem Good Timber.
A person can achieve their true potential in life only after hard work and struggle in life. The
poet emphasizes upon the point that no man can achieve his true potential without facing
challenges and difficulties in life. Adversity brings the best out of a man. To support his argument,

the poet gives examples of two trees. One has everything available for its survival. It receives enough
rainwater and sunshine and other elements for its growth. It doesn’t have to fight for anything.
However, the poet argues that such a tree never turns into a majestic, towering timber. On the other
hand, a tree that grows in the thickest part of the forest faces a lot of challenges. It doesn’t receive
sufficient rainwater and sunshine. It has to fight hard for its survival. It faces powerful storm and
tough seasonal conditions. However, the poet believes that such a tree succeeds in achieving great
height and strength. It becomes the king of the forest. This is the law of nature that applies equally to
humans.
5. What is the central idea of the poem Good Timber?

The poem Good Timber is based upon the central idea that great achievements in life are not
possible without undergoing struggles and hardships. Challenges and difficulties in life
strengthen human character. They awaken the dormant human potentialities and nourish them.
Adversity brings the best out of humans. Ease and comfort, on the other hand, corrode the greatness of
human spirit. Affluence and luxury weaken human character. The poet compares a great man to a
mighty forest tree that faces powerful storms and tough seasonal conditions. He argues that both are
the products of the tough circumstances that they face.
6. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem Good Timber?

The stanza-wise rhyme scheme of the poem Good Timber is aabbcc, while the overall rhyme scheme
of the poem is aabbcc, ddeeff, gghhii, jjkkll. There are four stanzas in the poem. Each stanza
consists of a set of six lines. Therefore, each stanza can be called a sestet. One can clearly see that the
poet has made use of rhymes in pairs. Such rhymes in pairs are also couplets. All the twenty four lines
of the poem are in the form of couplets. The use of these couplets makes this poem extremely
musical. It feels so melodious to read it out loud.
7. An extended metaphor is a poetic device in which two unlike things are compared in a series of
lines of a poem. Give the example of extended metaphor from the poem Good Timber.
An extended metaphor is defined as “a metaphor in which the comparison is extended in a series
of related metaphors.” There are two objects of comparison in a metaphor: the one which is
compared (tenor) and the one to which it is compared (vehicle). In an extended metaphor, different
ideas are compared to the different parts or attributes of the second object (vehicle). In case of the
poem Good Timber, a great man is compared to a good timber. A good timber faces tough conditions
for survival. It has to fight for the sunlight and water. It has to face powerful storms and tough
seasonal conditions like snow and cold temperature. Only after facing all these difficulties does a tree
grow into a good timber. In the same way, a great man struggles and works hard in life. He faces great
challenges and difficulties in life. Only after going through such adversity does a man achieve

something great in life. Thus, the poet compares the difficulties faced by a good timber to the
challenges faced by a great man in life.
8. What is personification? Give its examples from the poem Good Timber.
Alliteration is actually the repetition of a consonant sound, in nearby words, especially in the
beginning of words. The primary purpose of alliteration is to create music and melody. There are
many examples of alliteration in the poem Good Timber. The poet repeats consonant sound /s/ in “sun
and sky”. The consonant sound /m/ in “manly man”, and /g/ in “good timbers grow” are repeated.
The poet also alliterates /b/ in “broken branches” and /l/ in “law of life”. This abundant of use of
alliteration in the poem makes it so much melodious.

FROM MOTHER WITH LOVE
Zoa Sherburne
1. How is the theme of From Mother … With Love a universal theme present in literature across
all cultures?
The short story From Mother … with Love deals with the universal theme of the tragic loss of the
dearest and the nearest ones. It is a story of personal bereavement. The short story shows how
unpredictable human life is. Human beings are so helpless in the hands of fate. Sometimes life puts us
in such circumstances when we really struggle to accept new reality. However, people come and go
but the business of life moves on. Minta and her father are deeply troubled at the discovery of Minta’s
mother’s approaching death. In the beginning, they are unable to accept it. However, soon afterwards,
they mentally adjust to this new reality. No doubt, this is a universal theme that is found in literatures
of all languages and cultures. It has consistently been a part of poetry, drama and novel since ancient
times.
2. Comment on the plot of the story From Mother … With Love.

The most prominent features of the plot of the short story From Mother … with Love are reversal of
circumstances and discovery. Reversal of circumstances takes place soon after the beginning.
Minta’s happy and carefree life is changed forever when she comes to know about her mother’s
approaching death. As far as discovery is concerned, there are many twists and turns in the plot. There
are three layers of discovery. Firstly, Minta’s father comes to know about the fatal illness of Minta’s
mother. Secondly, Minta herself comes to know about it through her father. At this stage, the readers
think that Minta’s mother doesn’t know about her approaching death. This gives rise to dramatic
irony. However, soon after the death of Minta’s mother, Minta comes know that her mother already
had knowledge of her fatal illness. That’s why she had already bought and packed Christmas gifts in
advance. However, Minta decides not to share with her father what she discovers at the end of the
story.
3. Identify the narrator or speaker of the story From Mother … With Love?
The author of the From Mother … with Love has used Limited Omniscient Point of View or
narrator in the short story. Short stories typically make use of Limited Omniscient Point of View. In
this narrative technique, the story teller is inside the world of story. The narrator tells the story from
the point of view of a character in the story. The narrator tells what this character sees, hears or
thinks. But the character doesn’t directly tell the story. There is no use of the first person pronouns
(I/we), except for the dialogue quotes. Instead, the narrator uses the third person pronouns
(he/she/they/it) or nouns for telling the story. The character from whose point of the story is told is
called the focal character or mirroring consciousness. In this short story, Minta is the focal
character.

4. Analyze and comment on the character of Minta?
Minta is a very sensible, caring, courageous and responsible character. She is not a typical teenager.
The moment she comes to know about her mother’s fatal illness, she adjusts herself with this harsh
reality quickly. She behaves very wisely and sensibly throughout the story. She shows great courage
in dealing with this tough situation in her life. She tries her best to stay strong. Even when she cries,
she does it all alone in the darkness of her room. Minta is also a very caring girl. She sympathizes
with her father. She can even feel his sense of loneliness. She is so caring that she readily sacrifices
her dream of going to the MaryHill school. Minta proves herself to be a very mature and responsible
girl. Soon after her mother’s death, she readily accepts the burden of responsibility. Her act of putting
her father’s vitamin pills on the windowsill shows her great sense of responsibility. Her act of sitting
on her mother’s blue chair also symbolizes her readiness to take responsibility of the home.
5. What is the conflict in the story? How is it resolved?

The main conflict of the story is how to face and handle the approaching death of Minta’s mother.
Minta and her father are faced with a dilemma. Though they decide not to tell Minta’s mother about
her fatal illness, they find it really hard to face her. They are in a terrible emotional situation. Every
day, every moment, they see her and think of her death. They feel for her deeply as she is going to die
but she doesn’t know it. It rends their heart apart. This conflict exists throughout the short story.
However, soon after her mother’s death, Minta comes know that her mother had already known that
she was going to die before Christmas. That’s why Minta’s mother had already packed, wrapped and
labelled1 the Christmas gifts for the family members and friends in advance. This makes Minta cry but
she feels relieved that her mother had accepted death. Thus, this conflict of the story is resolved at the
end.
6. Where does Minta’s father take her to discuss her mother’s illness?
Minta’s father takes her to the beach to discuss her mother’s illness. He feels that he should share the
shocking news of her mother’s illness and the approaching death far away from their house. He does
so because he wants to keep it secret from Minta’s mother. By the seashore, they feel free and easy to
discuss such a distressing topic with nobody else around them.
7. Which approach would you have preferred --- deception or honesty --- if you had to deal with
similar circumstances like Minta’s mother? Give reasons for your choice.
If I had been in place of Minta’s mother, I would NOT have probably done what she did. I would
have rather taken my loved ones into confidence about my approaching death. I admit what Minta’s
mother did was also something courageous and noble. She decided to die without letting her loved
ones suffer in advance. But I also feel that she made her own, her husband and her daughter’s situation
really miserable. In my case, I would have liked to spend the last moments of my life in the company
of my loved ones. If I had had any other wishes or plans, I would have discussed them all with my
family members before I died. I would have accepted death too. And I would have also advised my
loved ones to accept this harsh reality of my death.
8. How did the vitamin pills become the symbol of responsibility?

Symbol is a thing that represents or stands for something other than its literal meaning. In the
short story From Mother … With Love, the vitamin pills symbolize responsibility. On the literal
level, the vitamin pills are just a medicine that is given to Minta’s father by her mother. Minta’s
mother considers it her duty and responsibility to give these pills regularly to Minta’s father. She takes
a good care of Minta’s father. Now that she is dying, she wants Minta to take care of her father.
However, on the symbolic level, Minta’s mother actually passes on her duties and responsibilities
to Minta at the time of her death. Therefore, the vitamin pills become a symbol of responsibility in
this short story.
9. How did Minta change over the course of the story? Limit your answer to just five sentences?
Minta’s character is dynamic as it changes significantly over the course of the story. In the beginning,
Minta seems to be a typical teenager who has just one dream: to get enrolled in the MaryHill school.
However, the discovery of her mother’s fatal illness changes her life forever. She proves herself to be
a very sensible, caring, courageous and responsible girl by accepting the harsh reality and adjusting to
it very quickly and wisely. Soon after her mother’s death, she accepts the burden of responsibility.
10. Why was the blue chair significant? Explain.

The blue chair was significant in the sense that it represented the important domestic role
played by Minta’s mother. The blue chair actually belonged to Minta’s mother. She used to sit in it
by the fire. Minta’s mother had a lead role in the house. She managed and ran the home very
efficiently. Even during her fatal illness, she would perform all her domestic duties. Minta’s father
would also leave important domestic matters for her to decide. Thus, the chair was not just a piece of
furniture. It symbolized all that was associated with Minta’s mother. After the death of Minta’s
mother, Minta decided to occupy the blue chair. This symbolized her willingness to adopt her
mother’s role after her death.
11. Explain how Minta knows that her mother accepted death. Why is that knowledge comforting to
her?
Soon after her mother’s death, Minta comes to know that her mother already had knowledge of her fatal illness.
She finds it out when she sees all the Christmas gifts properly wrapped, packed and labelled by her mother well
before her death. Actually, Minta’s mother had a habit of completing her shopping just a few days before
Christmas. But this year around, she had all her gifts perfectly ready for Christmas. So, Minta concluded that
her mother had accepted death. In a way, this knowledge was very comforting for Minta. Knowing that she was
going to die, Minta’s mother spent her last days the way she wished. She died with no regrets, no unfulfilled
desires.
(1. Afia Shaheen, 2021, The Peace Campus, Haripur)

FROM MOTHER … WITH LOVE
Zoa Sherburn
Summary
It is a sad short story about a young girl called Minta. She lives with her mother and a father. She is a
happy and carefree girl. She intends to take admission in the MaryHill School. She is so happy about it
as it is like a dream come true. However, her happy and carefree life is suddenly rocked by the
revelation by her father that her mother is suffering from a fatal illness, and that she is going to die
soon. Both Minta and her father decide to keep her mother in dark about her serious illness. They want
her mother to enjoy the last moments of her life without her knowing about the fatal illness. But it is
really difficult for Minta to deal with the situation. On the one hand, it is really a torment for her to see
her mother inching towards her death day by day. On the other hand, she is deeply disturbed at seeing
her father feeling so lonely and insecure. Every day she faces the same bitter reality of her mother’s
impending death. Her father and she behave try to pretend before her mother as if everything is normal
and calm. They joke with her. They make fun of her forgetfulness. They laugh at how every year in
spring she announces her intention to start Christmas shopping. But she never buys anything until just
a few days before the Christmas in December. Despite this apparently normal routine of life, Minta is
struggling hard deep down. However, slowly and gradually, she learns to face the situation
courageously. She finally adjusts to the new reality. If she ever needs to cry, she cries all alone in the
darkness of her. Time keeps passing like this. Finally comes the day, the day when Minta’s mother
passes away. It changes everything for Minta and her father. They still have a belief that Minta’a
mother didn’t know about her illness and approaching death when she died. After the passage of a few
days after her mother’s death, Minta visits her mother’s room. She intends to take out her mother’s
dresses and give them to charity. While she is searching through her mother’s belongings, she comes
across a big box. She is surprised to see that it is full of Christmas gifts. There are gifts for everyone in
the family, even for the extended family and neighbours. Then she finds a gift that her mother had
packed and labeled for her. It is a photo frame. It has a photo of Minta’s mother. Then Minta
remembered how she always asked her mother to give her a good photo of her so that Minta could
keep it with her when she went to the MaryHill School. Her mother had it ready for her before her
death. The gift is labeled, “From Mother … with Love”. Minta realizes and concludes that her mother
knew about her disease and approaching death all along. This is why she had bought, packed and
labeled all the gifts in advance for everyone. This discovery makes her cry.

IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME
Patricia Demuth
1. Analyze the text of IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME and give one example of fact and opinion each.
The terms fact and opinion are generally considered contradictory. Fact refers to a thing or a
situation that is known to be true, and it can be proved. However, opinion stands for one’s
feelings or thoughts about a thing, a person or a situation, rather than a fact. There are many
examples of fact and opinion in the lesson IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME. The lesson mostly consists of
facts. “Joel Holland has lived on this 245-acre farm since he was born, thirteen years ago” is an
example of a sentence that describes a fact. This sentence clearly describes a truth. An example of
opinion can be seen in the sentence, “If he had to live in the city for a year, Joel says he would mostly
miss the land.” This sentence is an expression of the writer’s feelings and thoughts about Joel’s love
for the country life.
2. How coherence and cohesion is achieved in the essay IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME? Illustrate with
examples from the text.
The terms coherence and cohesion are generally, not always, considered complementary. Coherence
usually leads to cohesion. Coherence stands for link or connection between different elements in a
text. Cohesion, on the other hand, is the unity of a text that gives it a complete sense. The essay IT’S
COUNTRY FOR ME makes use of both coherence and cohesive devices. The eleventh paragraph of
the lesson (The Hollands operate …… animals themselves) can be analyzed for this purpose. The
paragraph makes use of repeated words and ideas (animals, sell, The Hollands), reference words
(they, many), and ellipses (the surplus). Other paragraphs of the lesson also make use of transition
devices (but, yet, since, surely), and substitution (counsels, consults, discuss) repeatedly. All these
methods give birth to coherence and cohesion in the lesson. The lesson maintains the same theme
throughout.
3. Explain the significance of the title, IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME and its connection with the
theme of the lesson.
The lesson’s title IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME is very apt. It actually represents Joel’s preference of the
country life to the city life. As Joel is born and raised in the countryside, the natural surroundings and
daily routines of the farming life have become a part of his personality. He is psychologically and
emotionally very attached to them. He cannot think of any other life style now. He, therefore, says
“It’d just have to be country for me.” Joel’s father and brothers also like farming as a profession. They
believe “It’s a good, independent life.” They consider it the best choice. The whole lesson deals with
the benefits and beauty of the farming life. Thus, clearly the title IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME is
perfectly connected to the theme of the lesson.

4. Describe Joel’s treatment of Lamby, the orphaned lamb and Jessica, the small dog. What does
this show?
Joel treats both Lamby, the orphaned lamb, and Jessica, the small dog, with great love and care. Even
though it’s late in the night, he does not mind to get out of his bed at 11:15pm. Rather Joel feels happy
at the opportunity to feed the lamb. Very cheerfully, he greets his dog and ruffles her thick fur with his
hand while he is on his way to the barn to feed the lamb. In the same cheerful manner, when he enters
the barn, he addresses the lamb in a loving tone with the words “Here Lamby!”. All this clearly shows
that he loves his farming duties and other chores. He loves all the animals at his farm. . He takes care
of them like himself. He knows the barn even better than his own bedroom. This also shows that he
has a great sense of responsibility. He is not casual as he takes his duties very seriously.
5. Compare and contrast your daily routine with that of Joel’s. How would you rate the
motivational level of your doing work with that of Joel’s?
(Students’ assignment.)
6. What skills one is required to learn if he wants to be a full-fledged farmer?

To be a full-fledged farmer one must have many skills. One has to be a machine operator, a mechanic,
a husbandman, a veterinarian, an agriculturist and a businessman at the same time. A farmer has to run
and fix machines. He has to plough and take care of lands and crops, nurse the sick animals and
manage the farm business, all by himself. As the farm is situated in the countryside, far away from the
city, it does not have the easy access to the services of skilled professionals for dealing with different
problems at the farm. So, a farmer has to deal with a variety of problems himself all by himself.
7. In what way does Joel play the role of an adult?

Joel plays the role of an adult in the sense that he shares the responsibility of supporting his family like
adults. Although Joel is a teenager, he has a great sense of responsibility. He is not casual. He takes his
duties very seriously. He helps his family in earning living like older members of a family do. He does
chores to help run the farm that is essential for the well-being of his family. This is the case with all
the farm families where children share daily labours with their parents.

IT’S COUNTRY FOR ME
Patricia Demuth
Summary
Joel Holland is a thirteen year old boy. He lives with his parents and siblings on a farm in countryside.
After school and on weekends, he helps his family members do farm work. The farm where Joel lives
and works is situated near a tiny town Scales Mound, in the north-western corner of American state
Illinois. The farm covers an area of 245 acres. Joel’s great great-grandfather, James Holland, who was
an Irish immigrant, built this farm when he bought the farm land in 1860. The farm land has been used
by the Hollands for over 120 years now. It’s a self-sufficient farm. The Hollands raise livestock like
cattle and a few sheep. The Hollands grow almost all the food like corn, oats and hay that their
animals need for feeding. They sell the surplus animals and food in the market. The Hollands’ farm is
a self-sufficient farm. To run such a farm, a farmer must have to have many skills. He has to be a
machine operator, mechanic, husbandman, veterinarian, agriculturist and businessman.
Joel plays a very important role in the family business of farming. He shares the responsibility of
supporting his family. He does chores to help run the farm that is essential for the well-being of his
family. Although Joel is a teenager, he helps his family in earning money like an adult. This is the case
with all the farm families where children also support their parents in daily labours. Being the
youngest, Joel is sometimes bossed by his family members. However, he does not mind it. He keeps
working tirelessly. He is always full of energy and enthusiasm. He studies at the local school, does all
the domestic chores and yet he finds energy and time for different sports. He is so much accustomed to
and attached with the country life that he prefers it to the life in city.

MOTHER TO SON
Langston Hughes

These lines have been taken from the poem Mother to Son. It is a dramatic monologue written by
the American poet Langston Hughes. The poem is in the form of free verse with no fixed meter and
rhyme scheme.
At a general level, the poem is actually based upon a motherly advice to a young son. The poet
emphasizes upon the point that life is all about readiness to accept challenges as they come our way.
We should never just give up despite the hardships and difficulties in life. We must show
perseverance and determination to fight it out. At a particular level, the poem highlights the tough
circumstances faced by black Americans in a racist American society. The poet draws attention
towards the unequal opportunities and unfair treatment given to the black population in America.
However, the poet gives a positive message of facing all these difficult situations in life courageously.
EXPLANATION
Lines Set 1:
Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
In these lines, the speaker of the poem, a black American mother, advises her son to face the
difficulties and challenges in life with courage. She tells her son that despite all hardships and
adversities in the way, one must not give up. No matter how tough the situation is, one should have
enough perseverance and determination to move on. The speaker makes use of extended metaphor to
express her feelings. She tells her son that her life has not been an easy one. It has not been like a
comfortable walk up the crystal stairs. Rather she compares her life to ragged stairs with tacks,
splinters, boards torn up and no carpet. Through these metaphors, she describes the challenges and
difficulties that she has faced in her life. But she has never given up. She has kept moving on
courageously. She wants to teach the same courage and determination to her son.
Lines Set 2:
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.

express her feelings. She compares her life to ragged stairs that have been so difficult to climb. She
tells her son that her life has not been an easy one. But she has never given up. She has kept climbing
the difficult stairs of life. She has been reachin’ landin’ and turnin’ corners with sometimes no light
on the stairs. Through these metaphors, she describes the challenges and difficulties that she has faced
in her life. She wants to teach the same courage and determination to her son.
Lines Set 3:
So boy, don’t you turn back.

Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
express her feelings. She compares her life to ragged stairs that have been so difficult to climb. She
tells her son that her life has not been an easy one. But she has never given up. She has kept climbing
the difficult stairs of life. She wants to teach the same courage and determination to her son. So, she
advises her son not to lose hope. Even if it is very difficult to carry on, he must not turn back. She
motivates him to continue the journey of life and face all the challenges courageously.
PARAPHRASE
Lines Set 1:
My son! Let me tell you something about my life. My life has not been like a smooth and easy walk up
the comfortable crystal stairs. The stairs of life that I had to walk up were ragged. They had all sorts of
big pointed nails all over them. There were sharp penetrating fragments coming out of them. The
wooden boards of the steps were broken. The floor that I had to walk on had no pieces of carpets to
cover it. It was all uncovered and exposed.
Lines Set 2:
But still I have carried on my walk up these ragged stairs of my life and have never given up. I have
kept climbing up the stairs and succeeded in reaching the steps one after the other. I have managed to
walk past their difficult turns and corners. And sometimes I have faced such moments that there was
no light at all on stairs. I took risks and had to continue my climb up the stairs in utter darkness.
Lines Set 3:
Therefore, my son, you shouldn’t ever think of giving up and turning back. Don’t ever hopelessly sit
down on the stairs of life because you feel that they are too difficult and dangerous to climb. Be strong
and don’t you fall down because you feel you are too tired. My dear son! Look at me. I have still been
climbing up the stairs of my life despite all difficulties and hardships. And my life has not been like a
smooth and easy walk up the comfortable crystal stairs.

MOTHER TO SON
Langston Hughes
1. What is the dominant theme of the poem Mother to Son?

The dominant theme of the poem is never-say-die approach towards life. The poet emphasizes upon
the point that life is all about readiness to accept challenges as they come our way. We should never
just give up despite the hardships and difficulties in life. We should never surrender to tough
circumstances in life. We must show perseverance and determination to fight it out. At every step
and stage, life demands courage and steadfastness from us. It is only with such a positive frame of
mind that the journey of life can be successfully completed.
2. What are some of the literary techniques used in the poem Mother to Son?
There are many literary techniques that the poet has used in the poem. These techniques suit well the
theme of the poem. The use of free verse is the most prominent literary technique of the poem. The
poem has no regular meter and rhyme scheme. The length of lines keeps changing throughout the
poem. Another important feature of the poem is its vernacular language and tone. The speaker of
poem keeps using colloquial phrases like “I’se, a-climbin’, reachin’ landin’s, turnin’ goin’, ain’t,
‘cause, it’s kinder hard” throughout the poem. The poet also makes use of extended metaphor in
the poem. The speaker of the poem compares the journey of life with a difficult and risky walk up the
ragged stairs. The poet also makes use of alliteration and consonance by repeating the consonant
sounds like “set down on the steps”. Finally, the poet has also employed of verbal repetition in the
poem to emphasize upon his points.
3. What is an extended metaphor? How does Hughes use this literary technique to illustrate the
consistent struggle of the mother in her life? Give examples from the poem.
An extended metaphor is defined as “a metaphor in which the comparison is extended in a series
of related metaphors.” There are two objects of comparison in a metaphor: the one which is
compared (tenor) and the one to which it is compared (vehicle). In an extended metaphor, different
ideas are compared to the different parts or attributes of the second object (vehicle). In the poem
Mother to Son, the poet uses the extended metaphor when he compares the tough journey of life
(tenor) to a difficult and risky walk up the ragged stairs (vehicle). The poet compares the challenges
and difficulties in a black American mother’s life to “tacks”, “splinters”, “boards torn up”, “no
carpet”, “bare”, “dark” and “no light” on the ragged stairs. On the other hand, the happy and
trouble-free life of the rich white Americans is compared to the comfortable and well-lit “crystal
stair.”

4. In the poem Mother to Son, Hughes repeats some lines. What function does it serve in the poem?
Explain.
The poet makes use of some verbal repetition in the poem Mother to Son. The poet particularly
repeats lines “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair” and “I’se been climbin’ on” with slight
changes. The function of this repetition is to emphasize upon the point that we should never just give
up despite the hardships and difficulties in life. Through this repetition, the poet gives a strong
message that we should never surrender to tough circumstances in life. We must show perseverance
and determination to fight it out. At every step and stage, life demands courage and steadfastness
from us. It is only with such a positive frame of mind that the journey of life can be successfully
completed.
5. What type of imagery is used in the poem Mother to Son? What does it suggest?
The poet has made an abundant use of visual imagery in the poem Mother to Son. This imagery is
extremely ragged and gloomy. While describing the difficult life of black Americans, the poet
compares it to a broken stair. The poet uses a series of images like “tacks”, “splinters”, “boards torn
up”, “no carpet”, and “bare”. The stair is “dark” and has “no light.” All these rough and bleak
images actually suggest extremely difficult and hard life of the black Americans. This gloomy
imagery represents the tough conditions of life that black Americans have to face in a racist society.
However, the speaker of the poem, a black American mother, urges her son not to give up. She
encourages him to face the difficulties and challenges of life with courage and determination.
6. What is the tone of the poem Mother to Son? Support your view with instances from the poem.
The tone of the poem Mother to Son is very motivational and encouraging. The speaker of the
poem, a black American mother, urges her son not to give up and surrender to the difficulties and
challenges in life. She expresses great determination in dealing with the hardships in life. She says,
despite difficulties in life, “But all the time, / I’se been climbin’ on”. In a very inspiring tone, she
says to her son, “So boy, don’t you turn back. / Don’t you set down on the steps…./…. Don’t you
fall now.” All these lines clearly show the motivational and encouraging tone of the poem.

CHOICE OF CAREER
1. What is the dominant theme of the letter?
The dominant theme of the letter is the choice of career and the factors that influence it. The letter
discusses in detail the process of the choice of career. It enlists different factors that must be
considered for making a decision about the choice of professional career. Self-assessment and
retrospection are the first things to be kept in mind. In the light of the self-assessment and
retrospection, a decision is to be made about the suitable career. Thereafter, education, knowledge and
skills that lead to the chosen career have to be identified. The author also mentions certain practical
factors like the demand of the profession, entry chances, additional education or training required, and
seeking advice from friends, relatives and professionals. Thus, the decision about the choice of career
has to be made after considering these factors.
2. Why doesn’t the career expert mention any specific profession as career?
The career expert doesn’t mention any specific profession because he believes that the choice of the
professional career depends upon a range of personal factors that are different from individual to
individual. The choice of the type of profession depends largely upon the type of personality that one
has. Therefore, the final decision about the choice of professional career has to be made by the person
who seeks a career. For this purpose, he has to carry out self-assessment and retrospection. He should
identify his skills, interests, hobbies, and priorities. He should also be mindful of the activities that he
enjoys and the things that matter for him. He should also explore his own motives and sense of success
and happiness. After this self-analysis, he should choose a profession that matches his personality
type.
3. Why is the decision of the choice of career considered the toughest? Give examples from the text
of the letter.
The decision about the choice of the career is considered the toughest because there is a complex
variety of factors that has to be taken into account before making the decision. One has to consider a
wide range of factors like self-assessment, retrospection, identification of the required education and
skills, and other practical factors. The decision about the choice of career is also difficult because
some of the decisive factors stand in clash with each other. On the one hand, one has to carry out self-
assessment and retrospection to know personal likes, dislikes, priorities, interests, motives and sense
of happiness and success. On the other hand, one also has to be practical. One has to give importance
to factors like salary, the demand of the profession, entry chances, effect on personal life, advice from
the professionals, friends, colleagues and relatives. This tension leaves the decision maker confused.
This is why it is so difficult to make a decision about the choice of career.

4. What is self-assessment? How far is it helpful in the choice of career?
Self-assessment is the process of knowing one’s own self. It stands for self-analysis to know one’s
likes, dislikes, skills, interests, hobbies, and priorities. It involves the knowledge of what is important
and what matters for one. While making a decision about the choice of career, self-assessment is of
paramount importance. The choice of professional career should be made in the light of information
gained through the self-assessment. One should opt for a profession that involves activities that one
likes. The chosen profession should match the personal interests, priorities and skills. One must
choose the profession that fulfills one’s sense of happiness and success. If the profession doesn’t
match one’s personal attributes, one may soon get fed up and quit the job. Therefore, the harmony
between self-assessment results and the profession type must be given due consideration.
5. Summarize the text of the lesson and extract the main points of the process of career choice.
Now transfer the salient points of the process career into a flowchart and critically analyze the
process.
The main points of the process of career choice can be summed up in four steps. The first step
involves self-assessment and retrospection. The second is the choice of profession in the light of self-
assessment. The third step involves identification of the required education, knowledge and skills for
the profession. The fourth and final step is based upon practical considerations like the demand, entry
chances, qualification and training, effect on personal life, advice from the professionals, colleagues,
friends and family members. Following is the flowchart representing these salient points and stages:
Skills
Step 1
Likes/Dislikes/Interests/Hobbies/
Self-Assessment & Retrospection
Motives
Sense of Happiness/Sense of
Success
Profession 1
Step 2
Choice of Profession Profession 2
Profession 3
Degree
Step 3
Identification of Education/Skiils Diploma
Cerificate
Demand/Entry Chances/
Step 4 Quailifcation/Training
Practical Factors Effect on Life/Advice from People
Potential Outcomes/Barriers

From the critical point of view, there are some limitations of this model of career choice. Firstly, the
author doesn’t describe the process in sufficient detail. Secondly, the author doesn’t highlight the
relative importance of the different steps of the process of career choice. Finally, the model is not truly
comprehensive. It leaves out many important elements like conditioning and adaptability.
6. Evaluate the steps of career choice and tell how effective or otherwise they are for your choice of
career.
There are four steps of the process of career choice. The first step involves self-assessment and
retrospection. No doubt, it is a very important step. A well-informed and valid decision about the
choice of career can only made in the light of knowledge of the personal skills, likes, dislikes, and
priorities. The second step is the choice of profession in the light of the self-assessment. Logically, it
makes a lot of sense to choose the profession only after knowing oneself. The third step involves
identification of the required education, knowledge and skills for the profession. Clearly, one must
know what degrees, knowledge and skills one must have for successfully choosing a profession. The
fourth and final step is based upon practical considerations like the demand, entry chances,
qualification and training, effect on personal life, advice from the professionals, colleagues, friends
and family members. The fourth step emphasizes upon the importance of suggestions, advice and
consultations for making important decisions in life. This is very important because one can’t be all-
wise in oneself..

CHOICE OF CAREER
The lesson is based upon a letter from a career counseling expert. The letter discusses in detail the
process of the choice of career. It enlists different factors that must be considered for making a
decision about the choice of professional career. There are four stages of the process of career choice.
The first one is self-assessment. Self-assessment is the process of knowing one’s own self. It stands for
self-analysis to know one’s likes, dislikes, skills, interests, hobbies, and priorities. It involves the
knowledge of what is important and what matters for one. Self-assessment also reveals one’s sense of
happiness and success. While making a decision about the choice of career, self-assessment is of
paramount importance. The choice of professional career should be made in the light of information
gained through the self-assessment. One should opt for a profession that involves activities that one
likes. The chosen profession should match the personal interests, priorities and skills. One must
choose the profession that fulfills one’s sense of happiness and success. The second stage is the choice
of career. In the light of the self-assessment and retrospection, a decision is to be made about the
suitable career. The profession that matches the self-assessment should be chosen as a career.
The third step involves identification of the required education, knowledge and skills for the
profession that has been chosen. For some professions, a full-fledged degree is required. On the other
hand, some professions may require only a short diploma or certification. The fourth and final step is
based upon practical considerations like the demand, entry chances, qualification and training, effect
on personal life, advice from the professionals, colleagues, friends and family members. The fourth
step emphasizes upon the importance of suggestions, advice and consultations for making important
decisions in life as one can’t be all-wise.

WASTELAND
Marya Mannes
1. What is the thesis statement of Mannes’ essay ‘Wasteland’?

The thesis statement of Mannes’s essay ‘Wasteland’ is: “modern man is senselessly destroying
natural resources through pollution and putting the very future of the planet earth on risk.” The
author Marya Mannes describes all sorts of pollution in her essays. She mourns the loss of nature’s
wealth due to pollution. She condemns the destruction of natural beauty and purity due to massive
amount of pollution in the modern world. She considers man’s careless and senseless attitude as the
chief reason behind pollution on earth. She harshly calls the polluters savages and wasters. She calls
them improvident, greedy and vain. She cautions that man’s future on earth is doomed if pollution is
not curbed effectively.
2. How many examples of waste does Mannes cite? What do they have in common?
There are numerous examples of waste that Mannes cites in the essay. The author starts with land
pollution. She mentions cans, carafes and polybags right in the beginning. She calls them ‘empty
vessels of thirst’. Then she describes food wrappers and packs as waste materials. Mannes also
considers neon signs on roadways as a form of pollution that wastes natural beauty. Car junk is
another form of waste that can found in developed countries. The author also highlights water
pollution. Finally, the author talks about a huge amount of rusted steel, plastic containers, light-
bulbs and boxes that lie everywhere in canyons and seashores. All these examples of waste have two
things in common: firstly, these waste materials are indestructible and secondly, they destroy the
beauty and purity of nature.
3. What purpose does Mannes want to achieve? Does it work?

Mannes’ purpose of writing the essay is to highlight the issue of pollution in modern times. To
achieve her purpose, she portrays harmful impact of pollution all around. She describes how
different forms of waste materials have destroyed the beauty and purity of nature. She draws
attention to the fact that pollution in modern times has put the very future of humanity at risk. She
condemns man’s careless attitude in this regard. She blames man’s improvident attitude as the chief
reason for pollution. The author’s tone is very critical and harsh. No doubt, the author successfully
draws attention of the readers towards the gravity of the problem. After reading the essay, the readers
realize importance and seriousness of the issue. Thus, the author seems to achieve her purpose of
writing the essay.
4. In what way is Mannes’ essay persuasive and how does it differ from a formal argument?
There is no doubt that Mannes’ essay ‘Wasteland’ is actually a persuasive essay. Despite the fact that
this essay is on pollution, it is not based upon formal facts and data. It is not a formal, informative
essay. Both the style and content of the essay are very different from those of the descriptive and
informative essays. Stylistically, the whole essay has been woven together with interrogatives. These
questions strike the readers. They have a very persuasive effect upon the readers. The author makes
use of irony and sarcasm throughout the essay that affect the readers emotionally. The author has not
adopted any formal language style and structure. The very first sentence is an example of the unique
style of the essay. Content wise, the author does not give any formal arguments in the essay to
highlight the problem of pollution. She tries to appeal to the heart, rather than the mind. She tries
to strike in the heart than the mind.
5. In paragraph number five Mannes writes: “There will not be one beach, one hill, one lane, one
meadow, one forest tree free from the debris of man and the stigma of his improvidence.” Is it
an accurate statement or exaggerated? Explain.
This sentence from the paragraph number five of the essay ‘Wasteland’ may not be literally true.
From the point of view of format facts and data, it may not be a correct description of the impact of
pollution on earth. However, the sentence matches the overall style and content of the essay.
Actually, the essay is not an informative text in strict sense. It is not based on formal facts and data.
It’s a persuasive essay that has been written to appeal to the hearts of the readers rather than the
minds. So, the sentence may seem an exaggerated statement. But it can be effective in making the
readers realize the seriousness of the problem of pollution. Therefore, it still has its own value. It is
still valid in its own way.
6. Who is Mannes’ audience? What assumptions does she make of it?

Mannes’ audience are the people from the developed countries of the world like those living in
Western Europe and North America. Being the citizens of these industrialized nations of the
world, they know the nature of the problem of pollution that she discusses in the essay. Mannes writes
her essay on the basis of the same assumptions. She assumes that her readers are familiar with the
forms of waste materials that she talks about in the essay. They already know different forms of
pollution that she describes. They have the same life style that Mannes condemns. Most of them have
the same careless attitude that she criticizes. The readers from the Third World countries in Asia and
Africa, could not really understand the examples of pollution given in the essay.
7. Why does Mannes use such a short paragraph (paragraph 7)? Why does she not merge it with
the longer paragraph that follows?
Mannes doesn’t merge the paragraph number seven with the following paragraph because she wants to
highlight the idea that she has expressed in there. Actually, a text is organized in the form of
paragraphs on the basis of ideas. The number of paragraphs in a text depends upon the number of main
ideas in the text. Each paragraph expresses an important idea. In case of the seventh paragraph of the
essay, the writer thinks that these one and half lines express a very important idea about the legacy of
modern man. So, the author keeps it separate from the following paragraph to highlight it and draw the
attention of the readers towards the important idea expressed in it.
8. Is Mannes’ argument based on emotion or factual evidence? Illustrate.

Mannes’ argument in the essay is a blend of emotion and factual evidence. From the factual point of
view, she doesn’t give any specific details of pollution in the world. She doesn’t mention any
particular area, city, state, or country to describe the impact of pollution on the world. She doesn’t
mention any specific river, lake, sea or ocean to illustrate water pollution. She doesn’t provide any
figures anywhere in the essay. The evidence that she gives is general. Her details of waste materials
are based upon her general observation. From emotional point of view, the very style of the essay
strikes the heart. It appeals emotions. The whole essay has been woven together with interrogatives.
These questions strike the readers. They have a very persuasive effect upon the readers. The author
makes use of irony and sarcasm throughout the essay affect the readers emotionally. Therefore, it can
be concluded that the essay is primarily based upon emotional appeal

WASTELAND
Marya Mannes
Summary
The author Mannes discusses pollution in the essay ‘Wasteland’. She considers it a major problem in
the modern world. She believes that modern man is senselessly destroying natural resources
through pollution and putting the very future of the planet earth on risk. There are numerous
examples of waste that Mannes cites in the essay. The author starts with land pollution. She mentions
cans, carafes and polybags right in the beginning. She calls them ‘empty vessels of thirst’. Then she
describes food wrappers and packs as waste materials. Mannes also considers neon signs on
roadways as a form of pollution that wastes natural beauty. Car junk is another form of waste that can
found in developed countries. The author also highlights water pollution. Finally, the author talks
about a huge amount of rusted steel, plastic containers, light-bulbs and boxes that lie everywhere in
canyons and seashores. All these examples of waste have two things in common: firstly, these waste
materials are indestructible and secondly, they destroy the beauty and purity of nature. The
author Marya Mannes mourns the loss of nature’s wealth due to pollution. She condemns the
destruction of natural beauty and purity due to massive amount of pollution in the modern world. She
considers man’s careless and senseless attitude as the chief reason behind pollution on earth. She
keeps on questioning modern man’s senseless attitude in causing harm to the beauty and purity of
nature. She harshly calls the polluters savages and wasters. She calls them improvident, greedy and
vain. She cautions that man’s future on earth doomed if pollution is not curbed effectively.

THE WHITE LAMB
1. What arrangements were made by Navasard for the coming home of Arshak?
Navasard made elaborate arrangements to welcome home his adopted son Arshak. As Arshak returned
after a long period of ten years, Navasard was extremely excited. He wanted to welcome and serve his
son in the best possible way. He picked a lot of ripe fruit from his orchard. He carefully collected the
largest watermelon, honey-sweet figs and cornel cherries in a basket. He also took along a six-month
old white lamb that he had saved for such a special occasion. After entering the house, he swept and
cleaned his house to give it a tidy look. He even hammered a protruding nail into the ground as he
feared it might cause discomfort to Arshak. He also brought some wood to kindle fire and stacked it
by the fireplace outside the door. Thus, Navasard made every possible effort to serve his son Arshak,
and gave him as much comfort and ease as possible.
2. Why was Navasard so excited at the arrival of Arshak?

Navasard was so excited at the arrival of Arshak because Arshak had come home after a long period of
ten years. Although Arshak was the son of Navasard’s deceased brother, Navasard had raised him and
educated him as his own son. Navasard had no children of his own, and his wife had died years ago.
Therefore, he had a lot of emotional attachment with Arshak. He had not forgot even a single memory
of Arshak’s childhood. Navasard had not seen Arshak for ten long years. Every year, he would look at
the road hopefully and wait. He had waited very patiently for this moment. Now after a long last,
Arshak had come back. So naturally, Navasard was extremely excited at his arrival. In this state of
excitement, he felt as if the sun had started to shine ten times more brightly. Navasard was so happy
that he felt as if he was walking on air. His heart pounded with excitement and his joy knew no bound.
3. Describe the plight of Navasard after the departure of Arshak without meeting him.
Navasard was absolutely devastated when Arshak left the village without seeing him. His miserable
condition was indescribable. It was utterly heart-rending. When the neighbour woman told Navasard
that Arshak was leaving without seeing him, he felt a great shock. He felt as if the roof had fallen
down on his head. He climbed the roof hurriedly and saw that Arshak’s car was leaving the village.
The sight left him emotionally shattered and deeply hurt. Navasard had raised Arshak as his own son.
Every year, he would look at the road hopefully and wait. If the news of Arshak’s arrival after ten
years had made him feel younger, his departure turned him even older. When he walked back to his
orchard, his gait was unsteady. He was just staring at the ground and his eyes had sunken even further.
Under the extreme burden of his misery, his back had bent even more than before. Navasard’s agony
was beyond words.

4. What is the central idea of the story The White Lamb. Is this theme relevant to our culture as
well?
The central idea of the story The White Lamb is that parents are emotionally and mentally extremely
attached with their children. For the parents, their children are their joy, their peace and their whole
world. If children prove ungrateful and faithless to their parents after they have grown up, it leaves the
parents emotionally devastated and deeply hurt. Their pain can’t be described in words.
As great literature cuts across all cultures, the theme of the story is also perfectly relevant to our very
own culture. The parents-children relationship is the same everywhere. We can observe examples of
such ungrateful children all around us in our society. We can see how old parents go through
emotional and mental torment when their children treat them coldly and callously. Parents invest their
health, wealth, emotions and spirit in raising their children. They make unimaginable sacrifices for
them. Yet when they receive ingratitude and total neglect in return for their unconditional love and
care, their very souls are broken. They find no peace of mind any moment, anywhere.
5. Write down the plot of the story The White Lamb.

The plot of the short story The White Lamb is very simple and straightforward. The first stage of the
plot exposition is very short. It just describes the central character Navasard working in his orchard.
He hears the news that his son Arshak is back after ten years. At this stage, the author gives the
necessary background information about Navasard’s past life. The second stage rising action or
complication unfolds when Navasard begins his painful wait for his son to come home. This lingering
wait also gives birth to the conflict in the story. He keeps waiting and waiting but Arshak doesn’t
come home. He is at the chairman’s residence in the village. The readers also wait anxiously. The
night falls but Arshak still doesn’t come. The suspense and uncertainty grip the readers. Navasard falls
asleep and the night passes. The climax of the story is the moment when Navasard is awakened by the
neighbour woman and he sees in utter disbelief that Arshak is leaving the village in his car without
seeing Navasard. The stage of falling action is very short as well. The author describes Navasard’s
miserable condition and his agony. The last stage of the plot resolution or denouement is reached
when the bitter truth dawns on Navasard that Arshak will never come home to see him.
6. Is there any conflict in the story The White Lamb? If yes, how is it resolved?
Yes, there is a conflict in the short story The White Lamb. But this conflict is not a typical conflict. It
is not based upon the opposition between the protagonist and the antagonist. Rather it is a conflict
that is basically going on in the mind and heart of the central character Navasard. It is therefore an
internal conflict. Navasard waits anxiously for his adopted son Arshak who has returned after ten
long years. Arshak is staying at the chairman’s house in the village. However, Navasard makes all the
arrangements for his son’s arrival. The wait lingers but Navasard still consoles himself that his son
would come. In brief monologues, he talks to himself. Every time his mind says Arshak may not come
home, Navasard’s heart responds that he will. This internal conflict goes on till Navasard falls asleep.
When he is awakened by the neighbour woman the next morning, he sees his son’s car speeding along
the roads as he leaves the village without seeing him. This brings the conflict to its painful resolution.
7. How would you resolve the conflict if you were the author of The White Lamb?
If I were the author of the story The White Lamb, I would resolve the conflict in a way that led to a
happy ending. For this, I would make certain necessary changes in the plot. In my story, Navasard
waits for his son Arshak who is staying at the chairman’s house. He keeps waiting anxiously for his
son. He has already arranged dinner for him. He holds Arshak’s childhood bowl that he used to eat
from and the wooden spoon. He intends to give him the dinner in that bowl again. But when Arshak
doesn’t come home late into the night, Navasard takes the bowl full of soup to the chairman’s house.
But he doesn’t knock at the door. He just sits outside at the porch in wait. The door doesn’t open.
Navasard falls asleep with the bowl at his side. The night passes. The next morning, when Arshak
awakes and comes out, he sees Navasard sleeping outside with his childhood bowl. The scene moves
his heart immensely. He is overwhelmed by Navasard’s love for him. He starts crying. Navasard
wakes up too. He hugs his son passionately. And both of them leave for their home.
8. Compare and contrast the character of Navasard and Arshak.

The characters of Navasard and Arshak are the exact opposite of each other. They are poles apart.
Navasard is an epitome of love, care and compassion. He raises Arshak as his own son after the death
of Arshak’s parents. He is so emotionally attached with Arshak that he remembers literally everything
about his childhood. He knows each bush, each stone, and spring that is attached with Arshak’s
childhood. He fondly remembers how he used to carry Arshak on his back. He would give him a pear
and wipe his nose. He remembers every single thing related to Arshak. He is so selfless and sincere
that he even sells his household things to finance Arshak’s education. The way he makes elaborate
arrangements at home for Arshak’s arrival also shows his pure fatherly love for him. He finds no rest
and knows no peace while waiting for Arshak. All this clearly shows that he was a guardian angel for
Arshak.
Arshak, on the other hand, proves extremely ungrateful and faithless. He forgets all the love and care
that Navasard gives him throughout his life as a child. He is so selfish that he spares no thought for the
Navasard’s great labours and struggles for raising him up. Though he has come back home after ten
years, he doesn’t pay even a short visit to Navasard to express his gratitude. He has completely forgot
the crucial and invaluable contribution that Navasard had made to his secure future. He is so callous
that he has no idea what great pain and agony he has caused to Navasard by not visiting him.

9. “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is to have a thankless child!” (Shakespeare). Critically
evaluate this statement in the light of the text of the lesson The White Lamb.
“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is to have a thankless child!” is a line uttered by Shakespeare’s
character King Lear. King Lear is treated cruelly by his older daughters Goneril and Reagan after he
has handed them over all his kingdom. This line applies perfectly to the short story The White Lamb.
To some extent, Navasard suffers from the same agony and torture at the hands of his ungrateful son
Arshak that King Lear goes through in the play. It is universal fact that parents are emotionally and
mentally extremely attached with their children. For the parents, their children are their joy, their
peace and their whole world. Parents invest their health, wealth, emotions and spirit in raising their
children. They make unimaginable sacrifices for them. If children prove ungrateful and faithless to
their parents after they have grown up, it leaves the parents emotionally devastated and deeply hurt.
Their pain can’t be described in words. They find no peace of mind any moment, anywhere. The story
of The White Lamb is the story of such a thankless child in the form of Arshak.

THE WHITE LAMB
Navasard lived alone in his village home. He had no children. His wife had died many years ago. He
had adopted and raised his deceased brother’s son named Arshak. Arshak had not come home for the
last ten year. Every year, Navasard looked at the road hoping Arshak would come home. One day,
when Navasard was working in his orchard, he received the news that his son Arshak had come back.
Navasard was excited and happy beyond words. The news of Arshak’s arrival brought back all the
memories of Arshak’s childhood. He was so emotionally attached with Arshak that he remembered
literally everything about his childhood. Navasard started making elaborate arrangements to welcome
home his son. As Arshak returned after a long period of ten years, he wanted to welcome him in the
best possible way. He picked a lot of ripe fruit from his orchard. He carefully collected the largest
watermelon, honey-sweet figs and cornel cherries in a basket. He also took along a six-month old
white lamb that he had saved for such a special occasion. After entering the house, he swept and
cleaned his house to give it a tidy look. He even hammered a protruding nail into the ground as he
feared it might cause discomfort to Arshak. He also brought some wood to kindle fire and stacked it
by the fireplace outside the door. Navasard made every possible effort to serve his son Arshak, and
give him as much comfort and ease as possible. However, despite all these arrangements, Arshak
didn’t come home. Navasard kept waiting for him anxiously. Then Navasard received the news that
Arshak was staying at the chairman’s house in the village. But he still waited for him hopefully and
painfully late in the night and till he fell asleep.
Next morning, Navasard was awakened by the neighbour woman. She told Navasard that Arshak was
leaving the village in his car. It was great a great shock for him. He felt as if the roof had fallen down
on his head. He climbed the roof of his house hurriedly and saw that Arshak’s car was leaving the
village. The sight left him emotionally shattered and deeply hurt. Navasard had raised Arshak as his
own son. Every year, he would look at the road hopefully and wait. He came down and started
walking back to his orchard with an unsteady gait. He was just staring at the ground and his eyes had
sunken ever further. Under the extreme burden of his pain, his back had bent even more than before.
Navasard’s agony was beyond words.

THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US
William Wordsworth

These lines have been taken from a sonnet The World Is Too Much With Us written by the
Romantic poet William Wordsworth. This short lyric has a rhyme scheme abbaabba,cdcdcd. The poet
makes an abundant use of personification in the poem to express himself.
In this poem, the poet laments that modern man has lost connection with nature and the natural way of
life. People in modern times are too much obsessed with material pursuits. They are so lost in the
hectic routines of life that they have neither time nor interest to observe and enjoy the beauty of nature
around. They are wasting all their energies and abilities in making worldly gains. They have
completely lost their hearts and souls due to their materialism. Their excessive greed has made them
all insensitive to nature. They are all dying a spiritual death.
EXPLANATION
Lines Set 1:
The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;—
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
In these lines, the poet mourns that modern man has become extremely worldly minded. He is too
much obsessed with material achievements. He has dedicated all his life to worldliness. Thus, people
in modern times are wasting their energies and abilities all hours of the day. They are completely lost
in the hectic routines of their lives. They are so excessively busy in this material world that they don’t
have time to observe, enjoy and learn from nature. As a result, modern people have lost their hearts.
They don’t feel nature around them anymore. They have handed their hearts to the material world as
cheap and valueless gifts.
Lines Set 2:
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.
In these lines, the poet describes different beauties of nature that modern man has no time to observe
and enjoy. The poet makes use of personification to describe the amazing power of beautiful nature.
Firstly, he describes the majestic beauty of the sea in a moon-lit night. The sea looks so impressively
beautiful when it reflects the moon on its wide surface (bosom). The poet then describes the beauty of
the noisy winds that blow all the time. They rise and gather up to the sky and look as beautiful as
sleepy flowers with their petals closed inward. At the end, the poet mourns that people in modern
times don’t have time to observe and enjoy such wondrous forms of nature. These beauties of nature
do not move them anymore. They have completely lost connection with nature and the natural way of
life due to their excessively materialistic approach in modern times.
Lines Set 3:
…………… Great God! I’d rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn.
In these lines, the poet makes use of Greek mythology to express his intense feelings. He gives outlet
to his utter disappointment at the modern man’s insensitive attitude towards nature. In a fit of
frustration, he addresses God. He expresses his desire to be a polytheist pagan like the Ancient Greeks
who believed in a religion that is outdated now. A pagan would consider different forms of nature as
gods and goddesses. The poet wants to enjoy the beauty of nature like him. Like him, he would stand
on a beautiful lush green field and enjoy the beauty of nature. He would be able to see gods and
goddesses in different majestic forms of nature. He would see the sea-god Proteus rising from the sea
in the form of waves. He would also be able to hear another god of sea Triton blowing his musical
horn covered with flowers. The poet believes that these sights would make him feel less lonely.
PARAPHRASE
Lines Set 1:
We are too much obsessed with the world and the worldly pursuits. All hours of day, we are busy
either in making material gains or spending them. We don’t observe and enjoy our share of beauty in
nature. We have just thrown away our hearts as cheap and valueless gifts.
Lines Set 2:
This sea has opened up its chest towards the moon in sky. The screaming and noisy winds that blow
all the time have now risen up to the sky and gathered there. They look like the flowers that are asleep.
For this beautiful scene, and all other beauties of nature, we are totally disconnected. They do not
move and impress us anymore.
Lines Set 3:
Oh Mighty God!! I wish I were an Ancient Greek polytheist of nature who believed in a religion that
is outdated now. Then I would stand on this beautiful lush green field like him and see such scenes of
nature that would take away my loneliness. I would be able to see the Ancient Greek god of sea called
Proteus emerging from the sea-water. I would also be able to hear Ancient Greek god of sea Triton
playing his musical horn that is covered with flowers.

THE WORLD IS TOO MUCH WITH US
William Wordsworth
1. What is the theme of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us? And how is it developed in the
poem?
The poem is based upon the theme that modern man has lost connection with nature and the
natural way of life. People in modern times are too much obsessed with material pursuits. They are
so lost in the hectic routines of life that they have neither time nor interest to observe and enjoy the
beauty of nature around. They have completely lost their hearts and souls due to their materialism.
Their excessive greed has made them all insensitive to nature. They are all dying a spiritual death.
The poet develops this theme gradually in the poem. In the first five lines of the poem, the poet points
out man’s total neglect of nature. Then he draws the reader’s attention to the beauties of the nature that
man has no mind and time to enjoy. Finally, the poet expresses his desire to be a pagan like the ancient
Greeks so that he could observe and enjoy the beauty of nature in real sense.
2. What is the tone of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us?
The tone of the poem The World Is Too Much With US is mournful and desperate. The poet
expresses serious dissatisfaction at the way the modern man has lost connection with nature and the
natural way of life. He laments that people in modern times are too much obsessed with material
pursuits. They are so lost in the hectic routines of life that they have neither time nor interest to
observe and enjoy the beauty of nature around. They have completely lost their hearts and souls due to
their materialism. The poet exclaims in utter grief:
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
Their excessive greed has made modern people insensitive to nature. They are all dying a spiritual
death.
3. What has made people insensitive to the beauty of nature?

It is excessive materialism in the modern times that has made people insensitive to nature. The rise of
science and technology and industrialism has opened up infinite possibilities for physical luxuries
and comforts. Therefore, people have developed intense greed for more and more. They have shifted
their focus from simple nature to the material world. They are so lost in the hectic routines of life that
they have neither time nor interest to observe and enjoy the beauty of nature around. They have
completely lost their hearts and souls due to their materialism. Their excessive greed has made them
all insensitive to nature. They are all dying a spiritual death.
4. What literary devices have been used by Wordsworth that give richness to the meaning of the
poem?
Wordsworth has used many literary devices to enrich the meaning of the sonnet The World Is Too
Much With Us. The most prominent literary technique that the poet has used in the poem is
personification. He describes the sea and the winds in such a way as if they were living beings. The
sea bares it bosom while the winds howl:
The sea that bares her bosom to the moon,

The winds that will be howling at all hours,
The poem also contains an example of alliteration when the consonant b is repeated in “bares her
bosom.” The poet also makes use of metaphor when he calls “our hearts”, “a sordid boon”. There is
also the use of simile in the poem when the poet compares the winds to sleeping flowers:
Are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
In addition to these figures of speech, the poet also makes of allusion. In the last lines of the poem, the
poet refers to Greek mythological gods Proteus and Triton. Reference to these ancient Greek gods
particularly enriches the meaning of the poem. They bring to mind the whole ancient Greek culture of
nature and beauty.
5. What is personification? Pick out some examples of it from the poem The World Is Too Much
With Us?
Personification is a figure of speech in which qualities of the living things, particularly human,
are given to the non-living things. Wordsworth has made abundant use of personification in his
sonnet. When he describes the sea and the winds in the poem, he makes them look like living beings.
While describing the beauty of the sea in a moonlit night, the poet says:
The sea that bares her bosom to the moon,
Like a human, the sea opens its chest to the moon. In same way, the poet converts the winds into
living beings. When the winds make noise, the poets calls it howling as if they winds were wolves.
They winds that will be howling at all hours,
Finally, the poet also makes use of personification when he gives human quality of sleep to the flowers:
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers.
This abundant use of personification makes the poem very vivid. It brings the whole scene in the mind
of the readers.
6. Write down the rhyme scheme of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us.
The rhyme scheme of the poem The World Is Too Much With Us is abbaabba,cdcdcd. This poem
is actually a sonnet that consists of fourteen lines. It has two divisions. The first eight lines have a
different set of rhymes, abbaabba. These eight lines are called octave. The last six lines of the poem
have a rhyme scheme cdcdcd. These six lines are called sestet. This pattern of rhyme scheme is not
easy to handle. However, Wordsworth uses it expertly. It makes the poem so musical and melodious.

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
Sam Keen
1. What is the central idea of Keen’s essay and how is it related to the title?
Keen’s essay is based upon the central idea that family plays a very important role in the
development of individuals as well as society in general. This central idea is strongly related to the
title of the essay ‘Importance of Family’ as family is crucially important for human life. Family is the
first place of education for individuals. Individuals learn important values from home. It is family
where they develop freedom of thought and expression. It is family where they learn to love others
selflessly. Despite some problems, family is the only hope for humanity. Such is the crucial
importance of family life that it can’t be replaced with any other institution or system.
2. Analyze the paragraph two of the essay ‘The Importance of Family’ and classify the sentences
that support the main idea under the headings of definition, example, cause and effect, facts and
opinion.
Paragraphs four and five have been analyzed to pick sentences that support the main idea. There are
given below under appropriate headings:
Definition:
“Originally, “economics” meant “the art of managing a house.”
Example:
“What was once the College of Home Economics has now been renamed the College of Consumer
Sciences.”
Cause and Effect:

“When factory, store, office, bank usurped the loyalties of men and replaced the home as the center of
economic activity, women who chose to give serious attention to home making were given the
condescending title of “home economists”.
Fact:
Under the impact of industrial revolution, “economics” came to mean the system of production,
distribution, and consumption of commodities.”
Opinion:
“The only revolution that will heal us is the one in which men and women come together and place the
creation of rich family in the center of our horizon.”
3. What according to Keen is the ‘only revolution’ that will heal the ills of our society?
According to Keen, the only revolution that will heal the ills of our society is a collective effort from
both men and women to give due importance to family life. Both men and women must realize the

real value of the family. They must play their roles equally in building homes and transforming the
society. A special responsibility lies on men in this regard. Women alone can’t make any real
difference. Men must take some serious responsibility for making a true family life possible. They
should also take part in the creation, nurturing, and protection of children. It is only with the help of
men that women can bring back the rich family life.
4. Is the thesis of the essay ‘The Importance of Family’ implied or stated? Explain.
The thesis of the essay ‘The Importance of Family’ is largely implied. The author does not directly
state the thesis of the essay. He gives arguments to show the importance of the family life and home
but he doesn’t state it openly. Right from the beginning till to the end of the essay, the author describes
merits of the family. One by one, he states how the family life plays an important role in the
development of an individual as well as the society in general. He believes that the family life is the
cure of all the social ills in modern times. He argues that both men and women will have to play their
role in restoring the true family life. He concludes that no other institution or system can replace the
rich family life.
5. What is the point of the fourth paragraph? What do its contents have to do with the thesis of the
essay?
Paragraph four of the essay explains how the family life has been seriously disrupted by the
economic order in modern times. To prove his point, the author describes the history of the word
“economics”. Originally, the word “economics” meant “the art of managing a household”. This
shows that the family was the centre of economic activity in the past. The purpose of economic
pursuits was to support the family life. But the situation has changed in modern times. Nowadays,
economics has had a harmful effect upon the family life. Factory, store, office, and bank have replaced
homes as the center of economic activity. People are so busy in factories, stores, offices and banks that
they have no time for the family life. Family is no more the priority.
6. Keen says, “We heal ourselves by learning to give to our children what we didn’t receive.” What
does he mean? Do you agree?
Keen actually means that we should do all those good things for our children that we didn’t get
from our parents when we were children. By doing so, we will be able to recover from the negative
effects of our bad childhood experiences. By giving the care and the love to our children that we never
got from our parents, we will actually be curing our own souls.
I totally agree with this view expressed by the author. When we give people what we never had, it has
a positive impact upon us. Psychologically, it gives us a great sense of satisfaction. It gives us a sense
of personal fulfillment. In this way, we fill our own emptiness. This is how “we heal ourselves”.

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
Sam Keen
Summary
Strong family system has always been crucially important for humanity. It’s the strong family system
that develops and protects freedom of thought and expression. This is the reason why all the tyrants of
the past tried to control family systems so that they could rule. Even utopians like Plato, Karl Marx
and Mao Zedong tried to dismantle the family system to organize the state the way they wanted. They
knew that the family was always the center of loyalty for men and women. As long as the strong
family system existed, they would not be able to control people. Family has always been crucially
important for human life. Family is the first place of education for individuals. Individuals learn
important values from home. It is family where they develop freedom of thought and expression. It is
family where they learn to love others selflessly. Unfortunately, modern economic order has seriously
disrupted the family. Factory, store, office, and bank have replaced homes as the center of economic
activity. People are so busy in factories, stores, offices and banks that they have no time for the family
life. Family is the no more the priority. To restore the rich family life, both men and women should
play their roles equally in building homes and transforming the society. A special responsibility lies on
men in this regard. Women alone can’t make any real difference. Men must take some serious
responsibility for the making of a true family life possible. They should also take part in the creation,
nurturing, and protection of children. It is only with the help of men that women can bring back the
rich family life. No doubt, the family also has had some drawbacks. For some, it has been a place of
torture, captivity and injury. However, despite these problems, the family is the only hope for
humanity. Such is the crucial importance of family life that it can’t be replaced with any other
institution or system. Those of us who have suffered at the hands of the family life can help make it
better. We can prove the ‘wounded healers’. We can do all those good things for our children that we
didn’t get from our parents when we were children. By doing so, we will be able to recover from the
negative effects of our bad childhood experiences. By giving the care and the love to our children that
we never got from our parents, we will actually be curing our own souls. In this way, we can save our
society from spiritual disintegration.

THE BLANKET
Floyd Dell
1. How significant is the title of the story The Blanket?

The title of the short story The Blanket has special significance as it is connected to the plot as well as
the theme of the story. The whole story revolves around a blanket given by Peter’s Dad to Granddad.
As Peter’s Dad is sending Granddad to an old house, he gives the blanket to Granddad as a going-
away gift. Peter doesn’t believe that his Dad would send Granddad away. But when he finally sees the
blanket in the kitchen, he is convinced that Granddad is leaving home for good. Thus, the blanket
symbolizes disintegration of the family and separation of the loved ones. However, close to the end of
the story, it is the idea of cutting the very blanket in two that makes Peter’s Dad realize his mistake.
He is overwhelmed with emotions and cries along with Granddad and Peter. In this way, the same
blanket that signifies division within the family eventually causes to unite them forever.
2. Analyze the conflict in the story The Blanket. How is it resolved?

The conflict of the short story The Blanket is the product of the intended second marriage of Peter’s
Dad. Peter’s real mother is supposed to be dead already. After the marriage, Peter, Dad and the Peter’s
step-mother are to shift to a new house. It is also decided that Granddad is to leave home for the old
house. This decision to send Granddad to the old-house gives birth to the conflict in the story. It
seriously unsettles 11 years old Peter as he has great attachment with Granddad. He is extremely
unhappy and depressed at the situation. He cannot believe that his Dad would send Granddad away to
the old-house. He finds it hard to imagine life without Granddad. However, this conflict is resolved
close to end of the story when Peter asks Dad to cut Granddad’s blanket in two. Peter suggests that he
would give the other half of blanket to Dad when he grows old and leaves for the old-house. These
words by Peter make Dad realize his mistake and all three of them cry together. And Granddad is to
stay.
3. Analyze tone of the story The Blanket. Is it joyous or sorrowful? Explain.

The tone of the short story The Blanket is very sorrowful and sad. There is an element of gloom that
runs throughout the story. The decision by Peter’s Dad to send Granddad to the old-house creates a
very gloomy atmosphere. The very opening scene of the story is somber. Peter is unable to notice and
enjoy the cool September breeze that blows in the kitchen. He is lost in thoughts and his eyes are just
fixed on the red and black blanket that his Dad has bought for Granddad as a going-away gift. Peter
loves Granddad and he cannot believe that his Dad is sending Granddad away. The way Peter and his
Granddad spend their last evening together is also very touching. Granddad unsuccessfully tries to
make it look easy. He plays harmonica to cheer Peter up. However, Peter is consistently distressed at
the thought of losing Granddad’s company. How heart-breaking it is when Peter thinks that “He
would never hear Granddad play again.”! This sorrowful tone of the story lasts till the very end
when Peter, Dad and Granddad cry together.

4. What attitude does Peter show towards his Dad and Granddad?
Peter is a very sensible, sensitive and loving child. Despite being an 11 years old child, he truly
understands human relationships and their demands. He loves his Granddad a lot. He is emotionally
very attached to Granddad. He spends a lot of time with Granddad daily. He enjoys his company. He
is extremely sad when he comes to know that his Dad is sending Granddad to the old-house. He is
silently angry with his Dad though he doesn’t express it openly. He never expects his father to do that.
He is very sensitive to the ill-treatment given to Granddad by his Dad. He is really depressed and
dejected at it. But still he behaves in a very sensible way and never gets rude with his Dad. He does
not complain or cry, except at the end of the story.
5. How is the theme of The Blanket the theme of disintegration of our society as well?
No doubt, the theme of The Blanket is the theme of disintegration of our society as well. Our society
also faces the same decline of social, cultural and moral values to a great extent. There was a time
when older members of the family enjoyed special respect, honour and even sacred status. They were
considered as the sources of wisdom and their advice was sought in all family matters. Even extended
family members lived together in a single house in the form of a combined family. However, things
have changed sharply in modern times. The era of combined family system is gone now. Particularly,
old members of the family are increasingly considered a liability now. The same parents that make
indescribable sacrifices to raise their children are thrown out when they grow old and feeble. The
decision to send Granddad to an old-house in the story reflects this mindset.
6. Describe your relationship with different family members. Who your relationship is the most
cordial with and who you stay aloof from and why? Explain.
(Students’ Assignment)
7. If Peter had been exposed to the mass media, social media and internet, would he have
developed the same intimacy with the Granddad as he did in the story? Elaborate.
If Peter had been exposed to the mass media, social media and internet, he would have never
developed the same intimacy with Granddad as he did in the story. Mass media, social media and
internet have had a very serious impact on society in modern times. Particularly, young people spend a
huge amount of their daily time using smart phones, laptops and other internet gadgets. They don’t
have time to develop and maintain relationships with fellow humans. It is such an irony that modern
humans are connected with people living thousands of miles away but they disconnected with their
own family members in the same home. Peter has such a great attachment with his Granddad because
he is not affected by these modern media. He spends time with his Granddad daily. He has developed
such a close bond with his Granddad because he sits, talks, listens to harmonica, and does a lot of
things together with his Granddad.

8. Why does Peter’s Dad get with the girl he is going to marry?
Peter’s Dad gets angry with the girl that he is going to marry because she does not like Peter’s Dad
buying Granddad such a costly blanket as a going-away gift. She objects that Peter’s Dad should not
have bought such an expensive double blanket. This angers Peter’s Dad. He feels that it is highly
insensitive and rude on her part to complain about it to Granddad’s face. She shows no courtesy and
decency. She has no heart for the old man who is going to leave the comfort, peace and warmth of his
home for their sake.
9. What does our religion teach about old parents?

Our religion has emphasized upon the rights of parents in general, and old parents in particular. Such
is the special status of parents in the eyes of Allah that Quran and Hadith put the rights parents second
to only the rights of the Lord Himself. Islam asks believers to treat old parents very well. Allah says in
the holy Quran:
Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If
one of them or both of them attain old age with thee, say not “Fie” unto them nor repulse them,
but speak unto them a gracious word.” (Verse 17:23)
Old parents deserve the love and care of their children as they spend a lifetime to raise their children.
Allah says:
“And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy, and say: My Lord! Have mercy on
them both as they did care for me when I was little.”
There is so much more that Islam says about the rights of old parents.

THE BLANKET
Floyd Dell
Peter, his Dad and his Granddad live together. Peter has a very loving relationship with his Granddad.
As Peter’s mother is dead, his Dad decides to marry again. He even finds a beautiful girl for marriage.
The girl wants Peter’s Dad to send Granddad to the old house. As they are going to begin a new life,
she does not want any interference from the old man. So they decide to send Granddad to the old-
house. The old-house is a government place that is built for the old people to live together. This
decision by Peter’s Dad saddens Peter a lot. He does not want his Granddad to leave. He loves his
Granddad so dearly. On the last evening before Granddad’s departure, Peter and Granddad sit
together. They want to spend these last moments together. Granddad tries to cheer Peter up by giving
him the impression that it’s perfectly normal for Granddad to leave.
They have with them the blanket that Peter’s father has bought for Granddad. Granddad talks about
the blanket with Peter. He tells Peter that it is a good quality blanket. It is so kind of Peter’s father that
he has bought Granddad such a fine blanket. Granddad also tells Peter that the blanket is such a costly
going-away gift from Peter’s father. Right then, Peter’s Dad and the girl come home. When the girl
sees the blanket, she objects that Peter’s Dad should not have bought such an expensive double
blanket for Granddad. This angers Peter’s Dad. He feels that it is highly insensitive on her part to
complain about it. She has no heart for the old man who is going to leave the comfort, peace and
warmth of his home for their sake. The girl leaves in protest. At this, Peter suggests that Peter’s father
should cut the blanket and keep the other half. Then Granddad insists that his father should cut the
Granddad’s blanket in two. Peter tells his father that when his father grows old like Granddad and
leaves the home for the old-house, he will give the other half of the blanket to him as going-away gift.
These words uttered by Peter prick his father’s conscience and he realizes his mistake. He stands in
front of Granddad silently. Then all three of them are overwhelmed by emotions and cry
spontaneously.

OZYMANDIAS
P. B. Shelley

These lines have been taken from a short poem Ozymandias written by the English Romantic poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley. The poem is actually a sonnet with the rhyme scheme ababacdcedefef.
The central idea of the poem is transience of human life and political power. The poet emphasizes
upon the point that nothing can withstand the ravages of time. Everything has to change with the
passage of time. None can escape from the grip of decay, decline and death. Mighty kings of the past
turned to dust and great civilizations eventually collapsed. This is the law of nature. In this way, the
poem exposes the emptiness of human life, power, fame and fortune. The poem also highlights the
lasting glory of art. It concludes that art is capable of surviving far longer than mighty kings and
civilizations. King Ozymandias and his works are gone, but the sculptor’s art in the form of the statue
still survives.
EXPLANATION
Lines Set 1:
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
In these lines, the poet narrates an event of meeting a traveler who has visited some ancient Egyptian
remains. The traveler reports of seeing a shattered statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II,
also called Ozymandias. The statue is standing in a desert on two legs only with no upper body. At a
small distance, the face of the statue is lying in the sand. The face is broken and half-sunk in the sand
of the desert. It has a harsh frown on it and the lip has clearly visible wrinkles. This face of the
Pharaoh has a typical expression of arrogance and contempt while it seems to be issuing some
merciless and cruel order. The poet praises the sculptor’s mastery of the art. He admires the masterful
way in which the sculptor captures perfectly those expressions and emotions on the Pharaoh’s face.
These artistically carved facial expressions of the Pharaoh are still well-preserved. The artistry of the
hand of the sculptor has lasted longer than the power of the king.

Lines Set 2:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
In these lines, the poet describes the shattered statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, also
called Ozymandias. On the base of his statue, the Pharaoh has got some lines inscribed in his own
honour and praise. These lines describe the power and glory of the king in a very proud and arrogant
fashion. The king names himself Ozymandias and calls himself as the king of kings. In these lines, the
king invites his rival rulers to just look at the unmatched structures and works that he accomplished.
He boastfully claims that even the mighty kings cannot match him in this regard. They can just feel the
envy and despair. However, the poet points out that there is no trace whatsoever of his so-called proud
works left there. They have all decayed and gone. Wherever the eyes can see, there are only flat sands.
There is just a never-ending, barren and desolate desert all around.
PARAPHRASE
Lines Set 1:
I came across a tourist who had a chance to visit the place where the ancient Egypt existed. The tourist
told me: two huge legs of a statue stand in a desert. The statue has no upper part of the body above the
legs. Just beside the statue, the broken face of the statue is lying in the sand. The half of the face is
sunk in the sand of the desert. There is a frown on the face. The lip has wrinkles on it. There is an
expression of arrogance and contempt while it seems to be issuing some merciless and cruel order.
The statue shows that the sculptor perceived and captured the expressions and feelings of the king very
well. All these facial expressions could still be seen on the dead and shattered statue. The artistry of
the sculptor’s hand and heart is still imprinted on the statue.”
Lines Set 2:
On the base of the statue, these words were inscribed: “My name is Ozymandias. I am the king of the
kings. You, mighty kings of the world, just cast a look on my works and achievements. You will just
despair of doing works like mine.” There is nothing around that huge ruined statue. No works of the
king survive. There is just infinite and open desert all around. The flat and deserted sands of the desert
are spread far and wide.

OZYMANDIAS
P. B. Shelley
1. What is the theme of the poem Ozymandias?

The poem Ozymandias is based upon the theme of transience of human life and political power.
The poet emphasizes the point that nothing can withstand the ravages of time. Everything has to
change with the passage of time. None can escape from the grip of decay, decline and death. Mighty
kings of the past turned to dust and great civilizations eventually collapsed. This is the law of nature.
In this way, the poem exposes the emptiness of human life, power, fame and fortune. Another
important theme of the poem is the lasting glory of art. The poem highlights that art is capable of
surviving far longer than mighty kings and civilizations. King Ozymandias and his works are gone,
but the sculptor’s art in the form the statue still survives.
2. Describe in your own words the anatomical conditions of the statue of the king Ozymandias as
portrayed by Shelley.
Shelley portrays the shattered statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, also called
Ozymandias in the poem. The statue is standing in a desert on two legs only with no upper body. At a
small distance, the face of the statue is lying in the sand. The face is broken and half-sunk in the sand
of the desert. It has a harsh frown on it and the lip has clearly visible wrinkles. This face of the
Pharaoh has a typical expression of arrogance and contempt while it seems to be issuing some
merciless and cruel order. The poet praises the sculptor’s mastery of the art. He admires the masterful
way in which the sculptor captures perfectly those expressions and emotions on the Pharaoh’s face.
These artistically carved facial expressions of the Pharaoh are still well-preserved. The artistry of the
hand of the sculptor has lasted longer than the power of the king.
3. What is the tone of the poem Ozymandias?

The tone of the poem Ozymandias is seriously ironic. The irony rises from the contrast between what
the King Ozymandias thinks of himself as a ruler and what actually survives of him today. The king is
extremely arrogant. He is so proud of his power and influence. He considers himself a king of kings.
He calls his works unrivalled and enviable. Very boastfully he declares,
But the irony is that,

Nothing beside remains………….
Neither his kingdom nor his so called works survive today. The hollowness of the king’s pride is
exposed by the pitiable condition of his statue in the desert. The statue is badly shattered now. His
broken face is half sunk in the sand of the desert. There is only a desolate and dry desert all around.

Instead of being a source of envy, he is a pitiable example of the fall of pride. Thus, irony runs deep
throughout the poem.
4. Throughout the poem Ozymandias, Shelley uses alliteration. Give some examples and show
what purpose do they serve?
Alliteration is actually the repetition of a consonant sound, in nearby words, especially in the
beginning of words. Shelley has made a frequent use of alliteration in the sonnet Ozymandias. For
example, he repeats /k/ in the phrase “cold command” and “King of Kings, /s/ in “survive, stamped”,
/r/ in “remain. Round”, /b/ in “boundless and bare”, /l/ in “lone and level” and again /s/ is ‘sands
stretch”. Generally, the purpose of alliteration is to grab the attention of the reader. Shelley uses
alliteration when he intends to emphasize upon a certain point or meaning. For example, he stresses
upon the merciless orders of the king Ozymandias by calling them “cold command”. In same way,
“boundless and bare” highlights the endless sandy landscape of the desert around the statue of the king
Ozymandias. The use of alliteration in “lone and level” also forces the reader to focus on the
emptiness and desolation of the flat desert. Same is the case with the other examples of alliteration in
the poem.
5. Describe the rhyme scheme of the poem Ozymandias.

The rhyme of the poem Ozymandias is ababacdcedefef. This is a type of rhyme that can be called
alternating rhyme. In other words, the poet mixes rhymes after each line. However, this particular
rhyme scheme is unusual for a sonnet. Ozymandias does not have the conventional divisions like
octave (eight lines) and sestet (six lines). The poet does not make use of quatrains (four lines) either.
Actually, this unusual rhyme scheme is the result of the poet’s excessive focus on the theme. It can be
concluded that the poet sacrifices the art for the sake of thought in this sonnet.
6. Describe the imagery of the poem Ozymandias. What sort of picture does it evoke? How much
the imagery contributes to the tone of the poem?
The poet makes use of powerful visual imagery in the poem Ozymandias. This use of imagery,
however, is limited to the description of the shattered statue of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramses
II, also called Ozymandias. The poet describes the statue that is standing in a desert on two legs only,
with no upper body. At a small distance, the broken face of the statue is lying in the sand. On the base
of the statue, the following lines are inscribed:
Around the statue, there is a completely desolate and dry desert. All these images evoke the picture of
a powerless and fallen king. They show the transience of human life, power, fame and fortune. This
imagery contributes significantly to the ironic tone of the poem. The hollowness of the king’s pride is
exposed by the pitiable condition of his statue in the desert.

7. The inscribed lines on the pedestal of the statue have ironic overtones. Explain the implied
meaning of these words.
There is no doubt in the fact that the lines inscribed on the pedestal of the statue have serious ironic
overtones. They have a very powerful message for the reader. In the lines, the King Ozymandias
proudly describes himself as the king of kings. He is so proud of himself that he calls his works
unrivalled and enviable. He boastfully declares,
But the irony is that neither his kingdom nor his so called works survive today. The hollowness of the
king’s pride is exposed by the pitiable condition of his statue in the desert. The statue is badly
shattered now. His broken face is half sunk in the sand of the desert. There is only a desolate and dry
desert all around. Therefore, the lines inscribed on the pedestal of the king’s statue clearly imply the
emptiness and hollowness of human pride. They forcefully highlight the transience of human life,
power, fame and fortune

A LONG WALK HOME
Jason Bocarro
1. Write the central idea of A Long Walk Home.

The central idea of the story A Long Walk Home is “good character is of paramount importance
for an individual living in a society.” Good character traits like truthfulness, integrity, and honesty
are extremely valuable qualities. These great character traits promote good behaviour, and good
behaviour gives birth to a good society. Jason’s father is morally a very disciplined person. As a
father, he gives great importance to his son’s moral grooming. When Jason lies to him, he is absolutely
shocked. He cannot believe that his son has lied to him. As a father, he blames himself too for his
son’s moral failure. So, he decides to teach a hard lesson to his son so that he never shows this moral
weakness again.
2. Analyze the pattern of organizing paragraphs in the text and tell what pattern has been used.
The author has made use of the chronological pattern of organizing the paragraphs in the text. In the
chronological pattern, paragraphs in a text are organized on the basis of time order. As A Long Walk
Home is a narrative, the chronological pattern naturally suits it. Also the story revolves around
keeping an appointment between Jason and his father. Jason is to pick his father at 4pm but he gets
late. He reaches at the appointed spot at 6pm. The whole story follows a time-sequence. The author,
therefore, arranges the events in the narrative according to the order in which they happen.
3. What was the most distressing and painful experience for Jason?
The most distressing and painful experience for Jason was to see his father in the extreme physical and
emotional pain. When Jason lied to his father, it hurt his father deeply. It gave him great emotional
pain. As a result, Jason’s father decided to walk all the way back home for eighteen miles instead of
travelling with his son in the car. This caused him great physical pain too. Seeing his father suffer
from such great physical and emotional pain, Jason was immensely disturbed and distressed.
4. What Point of View has been chosen by the writer? Does it suit the writer’s purpose?
Demonstrate it with reference to the text of the lesson.
The writer has used First Person Point of View in the story A Long Walk Home. In this narrative
technique, the story teller is actually a character. The narrator is inside the world of story. The
narrator tells the story from their own point of view. Therefore, the narrator used First Person
Pronoun to tell the story. The writer uses this narrative technique because it suits his purpose so well.
The short story A Long Walk Home is a personal narrative. It is based upon the writer’s own
experience. So, the writer wants to tell the story from his own point of view. Only he knows what
really happened to him. Only he knows his father’s personality and his relationship with his father. It
was he who witnessed his father’s reaction to his act of lying. So, the writer is the best person to tell

the story as knows his father’s as well as his own feelings and emotion. It is, therefore, natural as well
as logical to make use of First Person Point of View to tell such a personal experience.
5. Why did Jason’s father refuse to sit in the car and decide to walk the eighteen kilometers? Was
his decision justified?
Jason’s father refused to sit in the car and decided to walk the eighteen miles back home because he
was deeply hurt by Jason’s act of lying to him. He wanted to ponder all the way over where he had
gone wrong with the moral education and character-building of his son. Being Jason’s father, he held
himself responsible for his son’s proper grooming, moral education and character-building. He wanted
to figure out what mistake he had made in raising up his son. This long walk was also a sort of self-
punishment. Moreover, he wanted to make Jason realize the seriousness of his mistake through this
long and tiresome walk.
Jason’s father’s decision was quite justified. His decision showed that he was a very responsible
father. He took his role and duty as a father very seriously. He was a man of high moral principles. He
held himself equally responsible for this display of moral weakness by his son. When Jason lied to
him, he didn’t take it lightly or ignore it. Therefore, he decided to teach his son an important moral
lesson so that he would never lie again in his life. He hoped that this experience would make Jason a
better son and a better human.
6. Why was Jason’s father angry with himself rather than his son?
Jason’s father said that he was angry with himself, not with Jason because he felt that it was his fault if
Jason had lied to him about getting late. Being Jason’s father, he thought that he was responsible for
his proper grooming, moral education and character-building. It was his fatherly duty to teach moral
values to his son. He believed that Jason’s shortcomings as a son were actually his failure as a father.
He realized if he had raised him up responsibly and carefully, Jason would not have shown the moral
weakness by lying to his father.
7. How do you feel about this personal narrative?

I have really enjoyed reading this short personal narrative. This story particularly has a strong
emotional appeal for me. In my view, there are two important aspects of the story. Firstly, it portrays
the nature of father-son relationship. This story reveals the important role that a father plays in raising
and grooming his children. It tells us how emotionally sensitive a father can be to their mutual
relationship. I was deeply moved by the way Jason’s father reacts to his son’s act of lying. I vowed to
myself that I wouldn’t do anything that hurt or disappoint my parents. Secondly, this personal
narrative has made me realize the importance of moral values and good character attributes like
truthfulness, honesty and integrity. This story has taught me how important it is to be a good human.
All of us have great professional dreams and ambitions in life but we care little for moral virtues
nowadays. The story teaches us that being a good human is more important than just being a good
professional.

8. Analyze Jason’s relationship with his father. Was Jason a good son?
In the light of the personal narrative A Long Walk Home, it can be concluded that Jason has a
traditional relationship of a son with his father. He loves and respects his father a lot. He even stands
in awe of his father. Jason is not a bad son, he just makes a bad decision to lie to his father. He lies
because he is afraid of his father’s angry reaction at his late arrival. But soon afterwards, he realizes
his mistake. He feels guilty. He regrets and repents. He keeps apologizing his father all the way home.
When his father refuses to sit in the car with him, he drives behind his father slowly like an obedient
son. He is extremely distressed at seeing his father in great emotional and physical pain. All this
clearly shows that Jason is essentially a good son.
9. Evaluate the character and personality of Jason’s father. Compare and contrast it with your
dad’s personality.
Jason’s father is a man of principles. He is a moral man. In this regard, he is a very strict and stern
person. He doesn’t compromise on his moral principles. He takes the responsibility of fatherhood very
seriously. Being a father, he thinks that he is responsible for his proper grooming, moral education and
character-building of his son Jason. It is his fatherly duty to teach moral values to his son. He believes
that Jason’s shortcomings as a son are actually his failure as a father. Therefore, he doesn’t forgive his
son Jason for lying to him.
If I compare Jason’s father with mine, I’s say that my father …… (to be completed by the student)

A LONG WALK HOME
Jason Bocarro
One Jason’s father asked Jason to drive him to a village Mijas. But his father told him that he had to
get the car serviced once they reach Mijas. For Jason, His father’s offer to drive him to the remote
village was a great chance. By availing himself of this opportunity, he wanted to satisfy his fresh
passion for driving. He, therefore, happily accepted his father’s offer to drive him to Mijas. When they
reached the village, Jason dropped his father and took the car for service. He was supposed to pick his
father at 4pm. Jason dropped off the car at the nearby garage for service as his father had instructed
him. To kill time, he decided to watch a couple of movies at a theatre near the garage while the car
was being serviced. But he got so lost in watching the movies that he did not keep an eye on his watch.
When he finally looked down at his watch, it was 6pm. He was already two hours late. Fearing his
father’s angry reaction for coming late, he planned to lie to his father to satisfy him. So, Jason told his
father that the car had major repairs which took far more time than expected. However, Jason’s father
had already called at the garage to enquire about the car service. Jason’s father was deeply hurt. at this
act of lying by Jason. He told Jason that he was angry with himself, not with Jason because he felt that
it was his fault if Jason had lied to him about getting late. Being Jason’s father, he thought that he was
responsible for his proper grooming, moral education and character-building. So he decided not
accompany Jason in the car and walk the 18 miles back home. He told Jason that he wanted to ponder
all the way over where he had gone wrong with the moral education and character-building of his son.
Being Jason’s father, he held himself responsible for his proper grooming, moral education and
character-building. It was the most distressing and painful experience for Jason was to see his father in
the extreme physical and emotional pain. Jason was immensely disturbed and distressed. He had learnt
his lesson, and he never ever lied again since then.

UNIVERSITY DAYS
James Thurber
1. Compare Thurber’s approach to seeing the cell of flower with that of his teacher and other
students. Is he, in your view, making fun of himself, other students or of the teacher’s way of
instruction?
James Thurber makes fun of both the teacher as well as the university education system in the
essay University Days. Due to the eyesight problem, Thurber is unable to see the structure of the
flower through microscope properly. But his teacher fails to understand this personal problem faced by
the student. He treats Thurber like all the other students with the normal eyesight. He is unable to
recognize students’ individual differences and problems. Instead of being sympathetic towards him,
the teacher gets furious every time Thurber fails to see properly through the microscope. The teacher
believes that Thurber is just pretending that he cannot see the cell structure. Therefore, it can be
concluded that the essay is a critique of both the traditional teachers and the education system that
are blind to students’ individual issues.
2. James Thurber gives a great deal of descriptive detail in his essay “University Days”; what
senses does the description appeal to? How does this detail make us feel and connect with the
experience of the writer?
James Thurber’s descriptive detail in the essay primarily appeals to visual and aural senses of the
readers. He gives vivid details of what he and the other students see in the microscope. His class
fellows can see “vivid, restless clockwork of sharply defined plant cells”. However, he can only see
“nebulous milky substance” or “lacteal opacity”. Thurber also describes his experience of seeing “a
variegated constellation of flecks, specks and dots”. Thurber’s visual description of his teacher’s
body language is also very vivid. The author also describes his aural experiences when he talks about
his teacher’s voice. The phrases “squeal in his voice”, “screamed” and “shouted” describe the
author’s aural experiences. All this description appeals to the readers’ visual and aural senses. They
feel as if they have seen and heard it all with their own eyes and ears. In this way, it helps the readers
to understand the author’s point of view.
3. What is the thesis of the “University Days”? Is it stated or implied?

The thesis of the essay “University Days” is: “traditional teaching methods and education system
are seriously flawed”. The essay is actually a critique of the traditional teaching and education
system. Neither the teacher nor the education system recognize and address the individual
differences among learners. This clearly proves that traditional education system fails to promote
individual learning and growth in real sense. This thesis of the essay is implied throughout the text.
Thurber, as a student, has weak eyesight. He is unable to see through the microscope properly. But his
teacher fails to identify this problem. Every time Thurber fails to see the structure of the flower cell,
his teacher gets furious. Finally, he is forced to take a deferred pass and try again next semester.

4. What is the implied message of “University Days”?
The implied message of the essay “University Days” is that traditional teaching and education
system seriously need reformation. Education system must recognize students as individual
learners with differences. They must not be dealt with a single, holistic approach. Both teachers and
the system must be sensitive and sympathetic to individual student problems and address them
seriously. In the essay, Thurber describes in detail the problem that he faces in the class. He is unable
to see through the microscope properly as he has weak eyesight. But his teacher insists that he should
be able to see the structure of the flower cell like all the other students of the class. The teacher fails to
identify the actual problem. As a result, Thurber is unable to make any progress. He has to take a
deferred pass and try again next semester.
5. Why was the instructor irritated with Thurber?

The Botany instructor is irritated with Thurber because he is continuously unable to see the
structure of the flower cell through the microscope. Despite all the adjustments made to the
microscope, Thurber fails to see the cell structure. On the other hand, all his class fellows can see and
draw the structure of the flower cell very easily, but he cannot. This enrages his botany teacher even
more. The teacher believes that Thurber is just pretending that he cannot see the cell structure.
Therefore, the teacher really finds it hard to control his temper. He is so agitated that he threatens to
resign if Thurber cannot see the cell structure even after another semester studying botany. He swears
that he has not seen a case like Thurber’s in his twenty two years of teaching Botany.

UNIVERSITY DAYS
James Thurber
Summary
The author James Thurber describes his experience of study at the university. He has a tough time in
the subject of botany. He fails to pass it. It is because he is unable to see properly through the
microscope to study the structure of the flower cell. Due to the eyesight problem, Thurber is unable to
see the structure of the flower cell through microscope properly. But his botany teacher fails to
understand this personal problem faced by the student. He thinks that he is doing it intentionally. He
gets very irritated with Thurber. Despite all the adjustments made to the microscope, Thurber fails to
see the cell structure. On the other hand, all his class fellows can see and draw the structure of the
flower cell very easily. Eventually, Thurber is forced to take a deferred pass and wait a year and try
again. During the next year, Thurber faces the same problem. He just cannot see the structure of the
flower cell through the microscope. This enrages his botany teacher even more. The teacher really
finds it hard to control his temper. He is so agitated that he threatens to resign if Thurber cannot see
the cell structure even after another semester studying botany. He swears that he has not seen a case
like Thurber’s in his twenty two years of teaching botany. One day, Thurber succeeds in seeing
something through the microscope. He immediately starts drawing it on his notebook. The teacher
notices it. He is happy that finally Thurber has been able to see and draw the cell structure. So, he
smiles and raises eyebrows high in hope. But when he looks at the cell drawing, he screams loud in
anger. He tells Thurber in furiously that it is not the cell structure that he has drawn. However,
Thurber insists that this is what he has seen through the telescope. To find out the truth, the teacher
bends down and looks through the microscope. He finds out that Thurber has adjusted the microscope
in such a way that it reflects. Therefore, Thurber draws the reflection of his own eye that he sees
through the microscope lens.

SCHOOL VS EDUCATION
Russell Baker
1. What does Baker see as the difference between school and education?
Baker uses the terms schooling and education in slightly different senses. Schooling stands for
formal education that a student receives in an educational institution. It is strictly based upon
formal syllabus or curriculum that is taught inside an institution. However, Baker uses education in a
far broader sense. Education includes everything that an individual learns both outside and inside
the institution. It is not just based on the formal syllabus or curriculum. Whatever a person learns
through his observation and experience in life is a part of his education. Education includes beliefs,
behaviours, attitudes, ideas, and even prejudices that an individual acquires in life. The sources of
education include parents, television, teachers and society in general.
2. What can we infer about Baker’s attitude towards television?

After reading the essay School vs Education, we can infer that Baker has a disapproving attitude
towards television. He considers television a bad source of education. It can cast evil influence
upon child psychology. Children learn all sorts of bad things by watching television. They even learn
how to commit crimes like picking a lock and robbing a bank by watching movies. Therefore, it can be
inferred from the essay that Baker wants parents to be careful in exposing children to television.
Without parents’ strict oversight, television can lead to bad upbringing and grooming of children.
3. Baker’s tone is very cynical in School vs Education. To what extent do you think he means what
he says? Explain.
Baker’s tone is very harsh, critical and cynical throughout the essay School vs Education. To
understand the essay in real sense, we need to understand his cynical tone. Baker doesn’t really
literally mean what he says. He makes use of overstatement and over-simplification throughout the
essay. Talking about bad influence of television, he exaggerates when he says that children learn from
television how to rob a bank. In the same way, Baker overstates when he talks about parents’ bad
influence upon children. Also, he over-simplifies when he says that school life is for testing. We know
that there is much to learn in school than just tests and exams. However, Baker deliberately uses these
techniques. With the help of his cynical tone, he grabs the attention of the reader to highlight the issues
in real sense.
4. What is the main idea of Baker’s essay?

The main idea of Baker’s essay is that our education system is seriously flawed. True education is
hard to find in our schooling system. Students take admission in schools just to take tests and
exams. True learning is missing from educational institutions. Students are not taught any creativity

and critical thinking in schools. They achieve success in schools by just telling the testers what they
want to hear. They follow the system blindly. The criteria for success are not based upon genuine
talent. Cunning and unprincipled students are generally rewarded while the genuinely brilliant students
lag behind. After spending such a long time in schools, when students step into the practical world,
they realize that they actually know nothing. Their true education starts when their school and college
life comes to an end.
5. Pick out some transitional devices from the text School vs Education. What purpose do they
serve?
Russell Baker has used many transitional devices in his essay School vs Education. Some of these
transitional devices are “at this stage”, “there”, “at this point”, “from this”, “thus” and
“afterwards”. All these transitional devices give the essay unity and coherence. They are just like
the bridges that connect sentences and paragraphs. They carry a thought or idea from one sentence
or paragraph to another. Baker uses these transitional devices in such a way that the whole essay
becomes a well-connected and properly developed piece of text. They help in giving a sense of
continuity and logical development. They help the reader to understand meaning clearly.

SCHOOL VS EDUCATION
James Thurber
Summary
In this essay, the author Russell Baker talks about schooling and education. Schooling stands for
formal education that a student receives in an educational institution. It is strictly based upon formal
syllabus or curriculum that is taught inside an institution. However, Baker uses education in a far
broader sense. Education includes everything that an individual learns both outside and inside the
institution. It is not just based on the formal syllabus and curriculum. Whatever a person learns
through his observation and experience in life is a part of his education. Education includes beliefs,
behaviours, attitudes, ideas, and even prejudices that an individual acquires in life. The sources of
education include parents, television, teachers and society in general. Baker has a disapproving
attitude towards television. He considers television a bad source of education. It can cast evil influence
upon child psychology. Children learn all sorts of bad things by watching television. They even learn
how to commit crimes like picking a lock and bank robbery by watching movies. Children can also
learn from their parents how to smoke, how to lie and how to use language on different occasions.
Children can also learn racism from their parents. Children may learn from teachers that a strong
union can benefit people economically. The author Russell Baker then goes on to say that our
education system is seriously flawed. True education is hard to find in our schooling system. Students
take admission in schools just to take tests and exams. True learning is missing from educational
institutions. Students are not taught any creativity and critical thinking in schools. They achieve
success in schools by just telling the testers what they want to hear. They follow the system blindly.
The criteria for success are not based upon genuine talent. Cunning and unprincipled students are
generally rewarded while the genuinely brilliant students lag behind. After spending such a long time
in schools, when students step into the practical world, they realize that they actually know nothing.
Their true education starts when their school and college life comes to end.

WHAT YOU DO IS WHAT YOU ARE
Nickie McWhirter
1. What is McWhirter’s tone? Illustrate it with a few words and phrases that establish the tone.
The author McWhirter’s tone is extremely critical and disapproving. She harshly criticizes the social
tendency of judging people on the basis of the work they do for pay. She expresses her serious dislike
for the social trend of defining people on the basis of the jobs that they have. There are many words,
phrases and clauses in the text of the essay that set this critical tone of the author. Words like “limbo",
“peculiar” and “fawn over” clearly reflect this critical tone. McWhirter disapproves this social
malaise when she says that “Rationally it is silly”. She condemns this approach by saying that
“People aren’t cast in bronze because of the job they hold or once held.”
2. What is the theme of the essay What You Do Is What You Are?
The theme of the essay is that people should not be judged wholly and solely on the basis of the
jobs they have. The author asserts that it is unfair to define people on the basis of the work they do for
earning a living. It is outright silly to value or devalue people on the basis of their jobs. An individual
is much more than just a worker or an employee. He has a personality that has a wide range of
dimensions and facets. He may possess many great and valuable qualities that have nothing to do with
his job. He may contribute valuably to society in many other ways than his work. It is, therefore,
irrational to categorize people only on the basis of their jobs or livelihood.
3. McWhirter says that we define and judge ourselves according to the job we do. Do you agree?
Why?
I totally agree with McWhirter. There is no doubt in the fact that we generally define and judge
ourselves on the basis of the job we do. Our perception of others is also largely based upon the jobs
that they have. We have a pay and prestige scale for jobs. Some jobs are ranked high on this pay and
prestige scale while others are considered low. It is so because some jobs, specially with high salaries,
are associated with high social status. If someone earns more money, they are considered socially
superior. They are given more value and prestige in society. All this clearly show materialistic
approach in current times.
4. What, according to McWhirter, is the attitude of people towards the unemployed people?
According to the author McWhirter, society doesn’t give any value to the unemployed people.
Unemployed people are generally considered “nothing”. A retired or laid-off worker loses his value in
society the moment he loses his job. Even if the unemployed people contribute valuably to society in
many other ways, they are still given no importance in society. As long as an individual is not earning
any money, he is assigned to limbo. An unemployed person starts to get back his lost value only when

he begins to work steadily again. The author McWhirter is highly critical of this social approach
towards the unemployed people. She calls it peculiar and silly.
5. According to McWhirter, “we separate the valued from the valueless.” Give some examples of
your own if you agree with the writer.
I agree with McWhirter that we separate the valued from the valueless in our society. We have a social
trend of giving more value to some jobs while awarding low esteem to others. Jobs associated with
high salaries and social status are given more value. We can see it all around us in our society. A
doctor, an engineer, a police officer, an army officer, and a businessman enjoy greater respect and
value. A very high degree of prestige and honour is associated with them. However, a teacher does
not enjoy such prestige despite the important role that they play. In the same way, a tailor,
shoemaker, a carpenter, a mason, etc. are never considered very valuable professions.
6. What makes a job or career esteemed in the eyes of society and why?
According to McWhirter, a job or career is generally esteemed in the eyes of society on the basis of
two factors: pay and prestige. Pay stands for the earning potential of a job. The jobs that are
associated with high salaries are esteemed higher in society. Earning potential appears to be a
powerful factor behind the esteem of job. In addition to earning, prestige associated with a job also
matters a lot. Some careers, like a vice-president or a writer, enjoy great respect and deference
regardless of the earning they make. In such cases, social perceptions about jobs matter more than
anything else. Actually, modern society has grown overly status-conscious. That’s why the jobs that
seem to enhance social status are awarded greater esteem and importance.

WHAT YOU DO IS WHAT YOU ARE
Nickie McWhirter
In this essay, the author talks about the social tendency of judging and defining people on the basis of
the jobs that they have. She believes that people should not be judged wholly and solely on the basis of
the jobs they have. The author asserts that it unfair to define people on the basis of the work they do
for earning a living. It is outright silly to value or devalue people on the basis of their jobs. An
individual is much than just a worker or an employee. He has a personality that has a wide range of
dimensions and facets. He may possess many great and valuable qualities that have nothing to do with
his job. He may contribute valuably to society in many other ways than his work. It is, therefore,
irrational to categorize people only on the basis of their jobs or livelihood.
The author particularly discusses the case of the unemployed people. She laments that society doesn’t
give any value to the unemployed people. Unemployed people are generally considered “nothing”. A
retired or laid-off worker loses his value in society the moment he loses his job. Even if the
unemployed people contribute valuably to society in many other ways, they are still given no
importance in society. An unemployed person starts to get back his lost value only when he begins to
work steadily again. The author then talks about how society gives prestige to certain jobs. A job or
career is generally esteemed in the eyes of society on the basis of two factors: pay and prestige. Pay
stands for the earning potential of a job. The jobs that are associated with high salaries are esteemed
higher in society. Earning potential appears to be a powerful factor behind the esteem of job. In
addition to earning, prestige associated with a job also matters a lot. Some careers, like a vice-
president or a writer, enjoy great respect and deference regardless of the earning they make. In such
cases, social perceptions about jobs matter more than anything else. Actually, modern society has
grown overly status-conscious. That’s why the jobs that seem to enhance social status are awarded
greater esteem and importance. To sum it up, the author criticizes and condemns this social approach.

A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM
Edgar Allan Poe

These lines have been taken from the poem A Dream Within a Dream written by an American poet
Edgar Allan Poe. The poem is a lyric with an overall rhyme scheme aaabbccddbb, eeffggghhiibb.
In this very touching piece of poetry, the poet ponders over the nature of reality. The poet’s
experiences of life force him to believe that human life is nothing but a dream. He concludes that
life is just an illusion. The poet also believes that human beings are utterly helpless in this world.
They have absolutely no control whatsoever over anything in their lives. Their past, present and future,
all seem to be so unreal. This realization saddens the poet deeply. He cries and complains to God. He
wishes God had given him some power to decide and live his life the way he wanted. But he sadly
admits that human life is no more than a dream within a dream.
EXPLANATION
Lines Set 1: (Take this kiss…..been a dream;)

In these lines, the poet describes a scene of final separation between him and his beloved. However,
the poet wants to break up gracefully. He does not want to say even a word of complaint or blame. He
accepts the end of their relationship graciously. So, he gives a farewell kiss on his beloved’s forehead
to express his love. But, before they separate forever, he wants to make one final claim. He agrees to
her view that the days they spent together seem just like a fantasy. They appear no more real than a
dream.
Lines Set 2: (Yet if hope…..within a dream.)

In these lines, the poet says a few last words to his beloved at the time of their final separation. He
tells her that he agrees to her view that the days they spent together seem just like a fantasy. However,
he wants to tell her that human life itself is nothing but an illusion. Even if she has lost hope of their
future relationship, hope never goes away. All human life is based upon hope and dream. Even if she
has lost hope in a matter of a night, a day, a vision, or none, hope still lives on. Human life is so unreal
that it is nothing more than a dream within a dream. (So, if life is a dream, they should dream on.)
Lines Set 3: (I stand…..while I weep!)

In these lines, the poet describes a scene in which he is standing on seashore. The tumultuous waves in
the sea are making a great noise all around. The poet is holding a handful of seashore sand. He tries to
hold it tight but the grains of the golden sand slip through his hand. They are so few in number yet he
cannot control and hold them. He cannot stop the grains of the sand escaping from his fingers. He

helplessly watches them fall down from his hand into sea. He feels so powerless and weak. This state
of utter helplessness moves the poet to tears. He weeps uncontrollably.
Lines Set 4: (While I weep…..within a dream)

In these lines, the poet describes a scene in which he is standing on seashore. The poet is holding a
handful of seashore sand. He tries to hold it tight but the grains of the golden sand slip through his
fingers. He feels so helpless. His powerlessness makes him cry. He weeps and speaks to God. He asks
if God cannot give him even this much power so as to hold tight just a few grains of sand in his hand.
He complains why God has not given him even such small power so as to save just a few grains of
sand from being swept away by the merciless waves of the sea. In the end, he asks God sadly if all
human life is nothing more than a dream within a dream.
PARAPHRASE
Lines Set 1: (Take this kiss…..been a dream;)

Let me kiss you on your forehead! And, at the time of this final separation between you and me, let me
affirm something to you. You are not wrong in your view if you think that the days that we have spent
together have just been like a vision or fantasy.
Lines Set 2: (Yet if hope…..within a dream.)

But even if you have lost hope of our relationship in a matter of a night, a day, in a dream or within no
time, hope still lives on. Hope never goes away. All that we observe around us in life is nothing but a
dream wrapped up in a dream.
Lines Set 3: (I stand…..while I weep!)

I am standing on seashore with tumultuous waves making noise all around. I am holding a handful of
grains of golden seashore sand. These grains are so few in number. However, they are so hard to keep.
They slip though my fingers and fall into water of the sea. I cry unstoppably at my inability to hold
them tight in my hand.
Lines Set 4: (While I weep…..within a dream)

I keep crying. Oh my God! Can I not have the power to hold these grains of sands firmly in my hand?
Oh my God! Can I not save just one handful of sand from the merciless waves of the sea? Does all this
world that we observe around us no more than an illusion or vision?

A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM
Edgar Allan Poe
1. What idea does the parting of beloved bring into Poe’s mind?
The parting of the beloved brings into Poe’s mind the idea of a handful of seashore sand slipping
through his fingers. For his situation, he finds a perfect analogy in the handful of sand. Although he
desperately wants to keep his relationship with his beloved, he can’t avert the break up. He feels
utterly helpless. Same is the case with the handful of sand. Even if he wants to hold on to it, it keeps
creeping through his fingers and falls into the sea water. Therefore, the poet concludes that this is
human destiny. None can stop the fleeting time. Human life is nothing but illusion. It is just like a
dream within a dream.
2. What is the theme of the poem? And how is it developed in the poem A Dream within a Dream?
The poem A Dream within a Dream is based upon the theme that human life is nothing but a dream.
Life is just an illusion. Human beings are utterly helpless in this world. They have absolutely no
control whatsoever over anything in their lives. Their past, present and future, all seem to be so unreal.
Right in the beginning of the first stanza, the poet describes a scene of separation between him and his
beloved. He doesn’t want a break up, but he is powerless. In the second stanza, he describes a scene in
which he has a handful of seashore sand. He wants to hold it but it keeps slipping down from his
fingers. Thus, the poet concludes that human life is no more than a dream within a dream.
3. What metaphor does the poet use for his inability to hold reality and fleeting times? Explain.
The poet uses the metaphor of a handful of seashore sand. To describe his parting from his beloved,
he finds a perfect analogy in the handful of sand that slips through his fingers. Although he
desperately wants to keep his relationship with his beloved, he can’t avert the break up. He feels
utterly helpless. Same is the case with the handful of sand. Even if he wants to hold on to it, it keeps
creeping through his fingers and falls into the sea water. Therefore, the poet concludes that this is
human destiny. None can stop the fleeting time. Human life is nothing but illusion. It is just like a
dream within a dream.
4. What is the tone of the poem A Dream within a Dream? Illustrate it with references from the
poem.
The poet’s tone is very sad and melancholic. He feels so helpless in the hands of destiny. The end of
his relationship with his beloved leaves him utterly dejected. He cannot keep the relationship even
though he wants it so desperately. He feels absolutely powerless in the hands of time. To describe his
feelings, he finds a perfect analogy in the handful of sand that slips through his fingers. How sad and
melancholic are the following lines:
While I weep — while I weep!
O God! Can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?

5. What type of imagery is used in the poem A Dream within a Dream? What feelings does it evoke
in you? Analyze.
The poet has used very powerful visual and aural imagery in the poem A Dream within a Dream.
Firstly, he portrays a scene of separation between him and his beloved. He kisses her forehead before
they part. Then in the second and last stanza, the poet again makes use of visual as well as aural
images. He pictures “the roar of a surf-tormented sea”. He also describes himself weeping and
talking to God while he holds a handful of seashore sand. This use of vivid imagery brings the whole
scenes in front of the eyes. All these images evoke feelings of overwhelming sadness and
melancholy. After reading the poem, one can deeply feel the tragedy of human life as described by
the poet.
6. Pick out the examples of alliteration from the poem A Dream within a Dream. Also describe its
rhyme scheme. How do these poetic devices contribute to the music of the poem?
The poem A Dream within a Dream is a highly melodious piece of poetry. The poet has made
abundant use of alliteration and rhymes in the poem. The poet repeats /d/ in “deem that my days have
been a dream” and “dream within a dream”, /s/ in “see or seem”, /h/ in “hold in my hand”, and /g/ in
“grains of golden”. This frequent use of alliteration makes the poem so musical. Apart from
alliteration, the poet has also made excessive use of rhyme schemes in the poem. The overall rhyme
scheme of the poem is aaabbccddbb, eeffggghhiibb. All the poem is written in the form of couplets
and triplets. This excessive use of rhymes and alliteration in such short lines makes this poem so
sweet and melodious.
7. Why does the poet call life a dream within a dream?

The poet calls human life a dream within a dream because everything in life seems so unreal like a
dream. Life and time both seem so fleeting. None can stop or hold them. Past, present and future, all
seem so unreal. The poet has a strong conviction that human beings are utterly helpless in this
world. They have no power whatsoever over their life. The poet’s experiences of life force him to
believe that human life is nothing but an illusion. Humans have absolutely no control whatsoever
over anything in their lives. Therefore, the poet calls human life is no more than a dream within a
dream.
8. What did the poem A Dream within a Dream make you think of? And how did it make you feel?
Evaluate.
The poem A Dream within a Dream makes me think of fleeting nature of life and time. It makes me
realize how temporary and fragile everything is. It really makes me feel that we humans are utterly
helpless in this world. We are so powerless that we cannot hold onto even a few moments of life that
we cherish so much. The image of a handful of seashore sand perfectly sums up human condition. The
sand creeps through the fingers even if we desperately try to hold it tight. This realization leaves me
utterly dejected and deeply sad.

DRUG ABUSE IN YOUTH OF PAKISTAN
1. What is the central idea of the essay “Drug Abuse in the Youth of Pakistan?”
The central idea of the essay Drug Abuse in the Youth of Pakistan is “the problem of drug abuse
and the factors are that responsible for it.” The writer discusses in detail all the factors that are
responsible for the evil of drug abuse in the youth of Pakistan. Academic pressure and institutional
environment are the chief reasons for drug abuse among students. Bad parent-children relationship can
also push the youth towards the use of drugs. Easy availability of drugs and the poor role of law
enforcing agencies are also to be blamed for increase in drug abuse in Pakistan. The essay also
discusses the possible remedies and measures to curb the problem.
2. Analyze the writing pattern and the order of arranging paragraphs in the essay “Drug Abuse in
the Youth of Pakistan.”
The pattern of paragraphs that has been used in the essay Drug Abuse in the Youth of Pakistan is
based on the order of importance. In this pattern, the paragraphs are arranged on the basis of the
relative importance of the ideas discussed in the essay. The most importance idea or point is discussed
first and the least important one is described at the very end of the essay. In this essay, the writer
considers the educational factors as the most important ones. So, they are discussed right in the
beginning. All the other ideas follow it. In the same way, the writer also enlists the possible remedial
measures for drug abuse. He arranges these measures according to their importance.
3. Why are the educated youth resorting to drug abuse? Explain it in five lines.
There are multiple factors responsible for drug abuse in the educated youth. The first and foremost is
the uncontrolled environment of the educational institutions and the academic pressure. Bad
parent-children relationship is another factor too. Students can resort to drug abuse in institutions
with loose discipline. Sometimes parents put unnecessary pressure of expectations upon students.
They don’t really understand the problems of their children. To escape from pressure, students
sometimes make use of drugs. Apart from that, easy availability of the drugs in and outside
institutions also leads to drug abuse. All these factors force students to resort to drug abuse.
4. Compare and contrast college life with that of school. Highlight the points of similarities and
differences in the light of the essay.
There are many similarities and differences between the school and college life. School environment is
far more strict and controlled than that of the college. In school, students are under strict supervision.
However, college students enjoy far greater freedom. They can even bunk their classes whenever
they want. Another difference is that students usually have to travel a long distance for going to the
college. Sometimes they have to stay at hostel away from the home environment. This offers students
far greater liberty and freedom from parental control. Another important difference between the
school and college is that of educational demands. At college level, the academic pressure is heavy
due to the higher level and extensive syllabi. Students have to give more time and energy to studies to
achieve their dreams of becoming doctors or engineers.
5. What should be the role of parents in managing the future goals of their children?
Parents can play a very important role in managing the future goals of their children. They play the
role of guides and counselors for their children. As parents know their children very well, they should
guide their children in setting such future goals that are in line with their personalities. They should
not put too much pressure of expectations upon their children. In the same way, parents should also
adopt a friendly approach towards their children. This will encourage children to share and discuss
their problems openly with their parents. Parents can play the role of mentors for their kids. Such
positive environment at home will prevent children from the bad company outside home. This also
reduces the chances of drug abuse among children. For achieving all this, parents must spare enough
time and attention for their children out their busy life routines.
6. What role can academia play in control of drug abuse?

Academia can play a very significant role in the control of drug abuse. They can function as mentors
and counselors for the students. Every educational institution should provide necessary guidance to
the students in this regard. Teachers can help students set realistic goals to avoid unnecessary
pressure. They should also guide students about handling the academic pressures. Education
institutions must include such programs that are related to healthy physical activity. Educational
activity should not be just restricted to teaching academic syllabus. It should include other activities
that promote psychological, spiritual and social well-being. Every institution should arrange
orientation sessions and awareness campaigns in this regard. Such useful and purposeful
institutional environment will help students avoid drug abuse.
7. How important is healthy relationship between parents and children for the overall development
of a child?
Healthy relationships between parents and children are very important for the overall development of
children. If parents play the role of counselors and guides for their children, this can go a long way in
the positive development of children. When parents are friendly towards their children, children
readily discuss their problems with their parents. Such healthy dialogue can help children handle their
problems effectively. Friendly parents often help children develop self-confidence and positive self-
image that are so crucially important for success in life. Parents that spare enough time and attention
for their children usually raise successful children. Such positive domestic environment can also be
really helpful in keep children away from drug abuse and crimes.

8. Why should the use of soft drugs be controlled? What are they “gateway” to?
The use of soft drugs must be controlled to prevent the youth from the use of hard drugs. It has
generally been observed that young boys that use soft drugs in the beginning fall victim to hard drugs
later on. It is very rare for someone to use hard drugs without using soft drugs first. So, it is very
important to curb the use of soft drugs like cigarettes, chhaliya, gutka, naswar and paan. Step by
step, the use of these soft drugs makes youngsters pleasure-seekers. It encourages them to go for
higher and more intense pleasure. So they start using hard drugs like alcohol, heroin, marijuana,
opium, cocaine, etc. Therefore, curbing the use of soft drugs will surely curb the use of hard drugs.
9. Whom for is the writer using the term “this nexus” in the essay “Drug Abuse in the Youth of
Pakistan” and why?
The writer uses the term “nexus” for the collusion of drug mafia and law-enforcement agencies.
The writer believes that the spread of drug abuse is largely the result of this evil cooperation between
the drug dealers and some elements in law-enforcement agencies like police department. It is logically
impossible for drug dealers to sell their drugs without the support of law-enforcement agencies. Some
officers in the police department have deep links with the drug-traffickers. It is believed that these
officers in the law-enforcement agencies are paid hefty amounts of money for their connivance in this
crime. Therefore, the drug-peddlers are facilitated and protected by the officers in different law-
enforcement departments. This is why, the writer calls this evil relationship between the drug mafia
and some elements in law-enforcement agencies a nexus.

DRUG ABUSE IN YOUTH OF PAKISTAN
Summary
This lesson deal with the problem of drug abuse and the factors are that responsible for it. The writer
discusses in detail all the factors that are responsible for the evil of drug abuse in the youth of
Pakistan. There are multiple factors responsible for drug abuse in the educated youth. The first and
foremost is the uncontrolled environment and the loose discipline of the educational institutions and
the academic pressure. Bad parent-children relationship is another factor too. Students can resort to
drug abuse in institutions with loose discipline. Sometimes parents put unnecessary pressure of
expectations upon students. They don’t really understand the problems of their children. To escape
from pressure, students sometimes make use of drugs. Apart from that, easy availability of the drugs in
and outside institutions also leads to drug abuse. All these factors force students to resort to drug
abuse. Parents can play a very important role curbing drug abuse among youth. They play the role of
guides and counselors for their children. They should not put too much pressure of expectations upon
their children. Parents should also adopt a friendly approach towards their children. This will
encourage children to share and discuss their problems openly with their parents. Such positive
environment at home will prevent children from the bad company outside home. Academia can play a
very significant role in the control of drug abuse. Like parents, they can function as mentors and
counselors for the students. They should also guide students about handling the academic pressures.
Education institutions must include such programs that are related to healthy physical activity. They
should focus on other activities that promote psychological, spiritual and social well-being. Every
institution should arrange orientation sessions and awareness campaigns in this regard. The use of soft
drugs must be controlled to prevent the youth from the use of hard drugs. It has generally been
observed that young boys that use soft drugs in the beginning fall victim to hard drugs later on. It is
very rare for someone to use hard drugs without using soft drugs first. So, it is very important to curb
the use of soft drugs like cigarettes, chhaliya, gutka, naswar and paan. Step by step, the use of these
soft drugs makes youngsters pleasure-seekers. It encourages them to go for higher and more intense
pleasure. So they start using hard drugs like alcohol, heroin, marijuana, opium, cocaine, etc. Law
enforcement agency should also play their due role in this regard. Instead of protecting and patronizing
drug mafia, they make every possible effort to root out this evil.

HOW TO TAKE A JOB INTERVIEW
1. What is a job interview?

An interview is a formal meeting at which a candidate is asked questions to judge if he or she is
suitable for a job. A job interview is a very important component of the hiring process. The decision
to hire a candidate for a particular job depends largely upon the interview. If the interviewee
satisfactorily answers the questions asked by the interviewer, he or is she is hired. Thus, an interview
assesses if a candidate is suitable for a specific duty or not. Generally, the interview questions are
designed in such a way that they help the interviewer to know about the interviewee. When the
interviewer feels that he has known enough about the interviewee, the interview is over. So, finally, a
decision to select or the reject is made.
2. Describe some types of job interviews and their purposes.

There are many types of interview. The type of interview largely depends upon the type of job for
which the interview is conducted. An important type of interview is called behavioral interview. The
purpose of this type of interview is to know about the personality traits, behavior and attitude of the
interviewee. Case interview is another type of interview. The purpose of this type of interview is to
judge how the interview will react or respond to a particular situation. The interviewer normally
presents a job related scenario and asks the interviewee how he or she will manage the situation.
Another major type of interview is called competency-based or job-specific interviews. The purpose
of such interviews is to determine if a candidate has the knowledge or skills required for a specific job.
All these different types of interview can be conducted in many ways. They can be in-person, via
phone, video or internet.
3. How should one dress for job interviews?

Dressing plays such an important role in a successful interview. It leaves a powerful impression on
the interviewer. A candidate should dress up for an interview in such a way that it gives a professional
look. One should not focus on fancy clothes or popular brands. One should not try to be trendy either.
A candidate should dress up properly to feel confident about himself or herself. So, over-dressing
should be avoided. One must not dress up in a way that seems clumsy, disrespectful, cheap or untidy.
To sum it up, everyone has his or her own personality. Therefore, one should put on a dress that suits
his or her personality.
4. What is the impact of dressing on interview?

Dressing plays such an important role in a successful interview. It leaves a powerful impression upon
the candidate. First impression is always very important. It takes a human brain just a second to
decide if it likes someone or not. Our clothes play a very important role in this regard. Our dressing
influences how people perceive us. So, it is important to dress up nicely to leave a powerful
impression upon the interviewer. A candidate should dress up for an interview in such a way that it
gives a professional look. One should not focus on fancy clothes or popular brands. One should not try
to be trendy either. A candidate should dress up properly to feel confident about himself or herself. So,
over-dressing should be avoided.
5. How can person keep nerves calm during interviews?

There are many ways a candidate can keep his or her nerves calm during the interview. The first
important thing in regard is to carefully plan the opening part of the interview. If the first few
minutes of the interview go well, the nerves are naturally calmed and relaxed. Therefore, a candidate
should be so well prepared that he or she makes a good beginning. Answering the first few questions
perfectly will make a hell of difference to the confidence of the candidate. Apart from that, the
candidate should also try put up a brave face. He or she should have a confident body language. Firm
handshake, smile, eye-contact and sitting tall are all very important for a good interview. Also, the
candidate should focus on the present moment without worrying about what comes next. All these
strategies will surely help calming down the nerves of the candidate for the interview.
6. What is the importance of first five minutes in job interviews? How should the opening of the
interview be planned?
There is no doubt about the fact that the first few minutes are so important in job interview. Most of
the hiring decisions are made during the first few minutes of minutes of the interview. According
to studies, about thirty percent of hiring decisions are made in the first five minutes. The studies also
show that five percent of hiring decisions are made in first sixty seconds. This data clearly highlights
the importance of making a good opening in an interview. Therefore, a candidate should be so well
prepared that he or she makes a good beginning. Answering the first few questions perfectly will make
a hell of difference to the confidence of the candidate.
7. What is the role of self-confidence in job interview? How should the opening of the interview
be planned?
Self-confidence is so crucially important for a good job interview. Only a confident candidate can
handle well the pressure of the interview. A nervous candidate cannot be expected to do well in the
interview. Confident body language leaves a powerful impact upon the interviewer. It enhances the
chances of selection for a candidate. Self-confidence in turn can be boosted by preparation. Good
preparation always gives confidence to the candidate. In the same way, a firm handshake, a smile, an
eye-contact and sitting tall can all make difference to the candidate’s confidence. Apart from the
points, the candidate should also know his or her weaknesses and work on them. This will make his or
her perfection. It will further boost the confidence.

8. What type of text is used in the lesson ‘How to Take Job Interview’? Illustrate it with
examples form the text.
The writer has made use of expository text in the lesson How to Take a Job Interview. In this type of
text, a writer makes a statement and then gives points that support his views. This is what the
writer has done throughout the lesson. In the beginning of almost every paragraph, he makes a
statement, and then gives points to support his statement. For examples, firstly, he states that interview
has many types. Then he goes on explain it. In the same way, the writer makes a statement that job
interviews are nerve-wracking. Then he goes to illustrate his statement. This is the pattern that the
writer follows almost for the entirety of the lesson.
9. What is the central idea of the lesson “How to Take Job Interview”?
The central idea of the lesson How to Take a Job Interview is “how to give a successful job
interview.” The writer argues that interview is a very complex process. It has multiple dimensions
and aspects. To be successful, a candidate must understand the complexity or richness of the process
and be prepared for it. Firstly, there are many types of interview. It is not a single thing. Secondly, the
writer also highlights importance of first impression. In this regard, he stresses on the importance of
good dressing for the interview. Thirdly, the writers talks about the importance of self-confidence and
positive body language for a job interview. Finally, the writer talks about the importance of a thorough
preparation for the interview. Thus, this comprehensive discussion truly highlights the different
aspects of a successful job interview.
10. What is a mock interview? How can it be helpful for preparation of a job interview?
A mock interview is actually a practice interview. It is a simulation of the actual job interview
that a candidate is to give later on in real life. It is a type of a rehearsal interview to experience a job
interview situation. It provides a candidate with the opportunity to test himself or herself. The
candidate can know about his or her interviewing skills through such a practice test by receiving the
feedback. In the light of the feedback, necessary improvements can be made. This type of mock
interview can be conducted by a professional career counselor, friends or family members. A mock
interview like this helps a candidate to learn how to answer difficult questions. It can also help in
developing interview strategies, improve communication skills and reduce stress.

HOW TO TAKE A JOB INTERVIEW
Summary
A job interview is a very important component of the hiring process. However, it is a very complex
process. It has multiple dimensions and aspects. To be successful, a candidate must understand the
complexity or richness of the process and be prepared for it. There are many types of interview. The
type of interview largely depends upon the type of job for which the interview is conducted. Major
types of interview are: behavioral interview, case interview and competency-based or job-specific
interviews. All these different types of interview can be conducted in many ways. They can be in-
person, via phone, video or internet. Dressing plays such an important role in a successful interview. It
leaves a powerful impression on the interviewer. A candidate should dress up for an interview in such
a way that he or she looks good and it gives a professional look. Interviews are usually nerve-
wracking. But there are many ways a candidate can keep his or her nerves calm during the interview.
The first important thing in regard is to carefully plan the opening part of the interview. If the first few
minutes of the interview go well, the nerves are naturally calmed and relaxed. Therefore, a candidate
should be so well prepared that he or she makes a good beginning. Self-confidence is so crucially
important for a good job interview. Only a confident candidate can handle well the pressure of the
interview. Self-confidence in turn can be boosted by preparation. Good preparation always gives
confidence to the candidate. In the same way, a firm handshake, a smile, an eye-contact and sitting tall
can all make difference to the candidate’s confidence. Apart from the points, the candidate should also
know his or her weaknesses and work on them. This will make his or her perfection. It will further
boost the confidence. For good preparation for a job interview, mock interviews can be conducted. A
mock interview is actually a practice interview. It is a simulation of the actual job interview that a
candidate is to give later on in real life. It is a type of a rehearsal interview to experience a job
interview situation. It provides a candidate with the opportunity to test himself or herself. A mock
interview like this helps a candidate to learn how to answer difficult questions. It can also help in
developing interview strategies, improve communication skills and reduce stress. If these factors are
kept in mind, a candidate can be successful in a job interview.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Robert Frost

These lines have been taken from The Road Not Taken written by an American poet Robert Frost.
The poem is a short lyric. It consists of four stanzas with the rhyme scheme abaab.
The poem highlights the importance of making decisions in life. It stresses on the importance of
making choices in life. Sometimes apparently very ordinary decisions can have a lasting impact. They
can change life forever. In the poem, the poet talks about his own experience of facing crossroads in
life. He faced a situation when he had to make a decision to opt for a path in life. The poet’s decision
changed his life forever.
EXPLANATION
Stanza 1:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
In these lines, the poet talks about a situation in life when he is faced with crossroads. He is faced with
a dilemma. He has to make a choice. He cannot travel both at the same time when he is one traveler.
He observes both the roads closely. The poet is sad because he cannot travel on both roads. He will
have to choose only one of them. The poet then turns back and he sees another road as far as he can in
the yellow wood.
Stanza 2:
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
In these lines, the poet talks about making his decision. He decides to take the other road that is just as
fair and beautiful. He feels that this road is better choice. It is grassy and it is not really worn too much
because it has not been really used by people to walk on. The other path is also in good shape. It is not
worn out either. This makes it difficult for the poet to make the choice.

Stanza 3:
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
In these lines, the poet talks about the crossroads he faces in his life. Both the paths are lying in front
of him. None has really walked over them. But he decides to choose the second path. He keeps the
other path for some other day for a walk as he doesn’t want to lose any of them. But, deep down in his
heart, the poet knows that it is not easy to come back again. Paths in life lead to other paths. One is
never able to come to where he started the journey in the first place.
Stanza 4:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
In the fourth stanza, we can see that the poet is talking about her past life. He is feeling nostalgic. He
talks about the two roads that he faced in his life in the past. He tells us how he feels about his
decision to choose the particular path of life. He decided to choose the path that was not often used by
people for travel. The poet says that his decision to choose the less travelled path has made a big
difference to his life.
PARAPHRASE
Stanza 1:
In a yellow jungle, there came a crossroad. It split into two roads. Bit I really regret that I could not
travel on both the paths while being only traveler. So I was indecisive. For a long time, I observed
them both as much I could. I tried to see where these two roads went ahead through the greenery under
the trees of the jungle.
Stanza 2:
Then I decided to take the other road. It was just beautiful as the other one. Perhaps this chosen road
deserved to be chosen as it was full of grass. It was not too much used by the travelers. However, there
was not much difference between the two. Both of them were used roughly the same.
Stanza 3:

Both the paths were lying in front of me in the same condition. No people had yet travelled on them
both. Then I decided not to choose the first one. I kept the first one for another day for a walk.
Although I knew one path lead to another path and one is never able to come back from where one
started. So, I wasn’t sure I would ever come back.
Stanza 4:
When enough time will pass, I’ll talk about this decision of choosing this particular road to travel on.
With a sigh, I’ll share my experience. I will recount how I faced a crossroad in my life. I decided to
take a road that was not often traveled on by people. My choice of this road has had a great impact on
life.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Robert Frost
1. Why is the poem titled as “The Road Not Taken”, why not “The Road Taken”, since it was the
road taken that made all the difference?
The poem is titled as The Road Not Taken, not The Road Taken because it the poet’s rejection of the
first road that made all the difference. The poet had two roads before him. It was natural for him to
choose to the first one. But he decided NOT to take it, and chose the second one. So, basically, it was
the poet’s decision NOT to choose the first road that made the difference. This is why the poet has
titled it as The Road Not Taken. However, the critics are of the view that the poem The Road Not
Taken is one of the most misunderstood poems. This common interpretation is not accepted by them.
2. What difference is the poet talking about? Can you make an informed guess?
The poet is talking about the difference that is made by our decision not to follow the trodden path. In
other words, the choice of a different and uncommon path always makes a big difference to one’s life.
When one tries to follow a different route that is different from that of the majority, it always leads to
different experiences and situations in life. It is easy to do what the others do. It is always difficult to
follow a different path. However, great achievements are achieved only when we try to do something
different in life. All the great men of the past were original. They thought and acted differently. They
created their own destiny. This is what made their names immortal.
3. At some critical moment of life, each person has to make decisions. The poet faces making a
decision at the turning point of life and he does, and this decision makes all the difference. Why
does the poet succeed in making right decision?
The poet succeeds in making the right decision because he does not follow the trodden path. He
doesn’t go a familiar and easy route. He makes the decision about the choice of his life path according
to his own personality and thinking. He doesn’t do what the others do because he knows he is different
as an individual. The poet knows that the choice of a different and uncommon path always makes a
big difference to one’s life. It is easy to do what the others do. It is always difficult to follow a
different path. However, great achievements are achieved only when we try to do something different
in life. All the great men of the past were original. They thought and acted differently. They created
their own destiny. This is what made their names immortal.
4. The imagery “ages and ages hence” puts value on some essential traits of character that bring
difference in people. What in your view are these traits? Explain
This phrase “ages and ages hence” highlights the point that only original people can make difference
to their own lives as well as to the world. Originality, creativity and ability to take risks are some of
the personality traits that make a huge difference. The choice of a different and uncommon path
always makes a big difference to one’s life. When one tries to follow a different route that is different
from that of the majority, it always leads to different experiences and situations in life. It is easy to do
what the others do. It is always difficult to follow a different path. However, great achievements are
achieved only when we try to do something different in life. All the great men of the past were
original. They thought and acted differently. They created their own destiny. This is what made their
names immortal.
5. What in your views is the dominant theme of the poem The Road Not Taken?
The dominant theme of the poem is “One should be original and creative in one’s approach towards
life”. One should be ready to take risks and be different. The choice of a different and uncommon path
always makes a big difference to one’s life. When one tries to follow a different route that is different
from that of the majority, it always leads to different experiences and situations in life. It is easy to do
what the others do. It is always difficult to follow a different path. However, great achievements are
achieved only when we try to do something different in life. All the great men of the past were
original. They thought and acted differently. They created their own destiny. This is what made their
names immortal.
6. Describe the imagery of the poem The Road Not Taken. Is it abstract or concrete? Illustrate it
with examples from the poem.
The poet has made use of concrete imagery in the poem. Right in the first stanza, he describes a scene
in which there are crossroads in a yellow forest.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
The phrase ‘yellow forest” powerfully pictures the effects of autumn on the trees. The images used by
the poet bring a vivid picture to our minds. There are two roads. One of them has a lot of grass grown
on it while the other has less. However, both of them are equally attractive.
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
These lines are a clear proof of vivid visual imagery that the poet has used in the poem to describe the
scene he had seen in the forest.

PROGRESS
St. John Greer Irvine
1. What is the significance of the title of play “Progress”?

The title of the play Progress is very significant in the sense that it is ironical. The playwright Irvine
actually criticizes modern concept of progress. On the one hand, modern world is making scientific
and economic development at an unbelievable place. Wonderful inventions and discoveries have
revolutionized human life. On the other hand, modern world has seen a serious decline in moral and
social values. Genuine compassion, sincerity and care are fast disappearing from human society. The
devastation caused by the First World War is an example the dark side of the so-called progress. The
play tries to highlight the point that true progress lies in living in love and peace. True progress
means the destroying of means of destruction.
2. What is the central idea of the play “Progress”?

The central idea of the play is that true progress lies in making the world a peaceful and happy
place to live. True progress is not about making powerful bombs and other such scientific discoveries
and inventions. True progress means the destroying of means of destruction. It is about care and
compassion for fellow humans. The play condemns the evil of excessive materialism in modern times.
He criticizes intense greed that has gripped human society in modern times. The poet highlights the
decline of moral and social values in modern times. People in modern times have become callous and
insensitive. Wars are an example of this dark side of modern world.
3. Describe the climax of the play “Progress” in a few lines.

Climax actually stands for the point of the highest intensity in a story. It is the peak of action in a
play. In the play Progress, the plot reaches to its climax when Mrs. Meldon kills her brother
Professor Henry Corrie. When Mrs. Meldon comes to know that her brother Henry Corrie has
discovered a formula for a powerful bomb, she begs him to destroy it. She appeals to her brother
passionately that he should suppress his invention as it would kill thousands of people. However,
Professor Corrie is a cruel and cynical scientist. He refuses to listen to her. At this, Mrs. Meldon, who
already has in her hand, stabs her brother to death. She sacrifices her brother for the sake of saving
humanity from destruction of his bomb.
4. What is a one-act play? Illustrate it with examples from the play “Progress”.
Act and scene are two divisions of a play. Act is longer in duration while scene is a short one.
Typically and traditionally, a play consists of five acts. Each act itself consists of many scenes. A one-
act play is a play that consists of only a single act. It is, therefore, very short. It does not have a long
duration. It doesn’t give a series of events. There is usually one major, important event in such a play.
The play Progress is also a one-act play. It also has just one scene. The whole action of the play takes
places in a single location. It is set in Professor Henry Corrie’s room where he conducts her scientific
research and experiments. The plays and ends in the same room.
5. What is plot? Write down the plot of the play Progress.

Plot is a series of events that is logically or causally connected. As the play Progress is a one-act
play, it doesn’t have any substantial plot in conventional sense. The play opens with Professor Corrie
working in his lab-like room. He is to receive his sister Mrs. Meldon at the railway station but he
forgets it. Mrs. Meldon comes on her own. She is extremely sad and depressed because it the death
anniversary of her only son Eddie. Henry Corrie shares with her the news of inventing a powerful
bomb. As she has lost her son Eddie in the First World War, she hates wars. She begs her brother to
destroy the formula of the bomb. He refuses to do so. Mrs. Meldon stabs him to death to save
humanity from the destruction of his bomb.
6. Write the character sketch of Mrs. Meldon.
7. Draw the character of Prof. Corrie as a despiser/hater of humanity.

Professor Corrie is a true despiser or hater of humanity. He possesses a very cruel disposition.
His eyes reflect the coldness and seriousness of his character. He is a devil in human form. To him,
human beings are of no consequence. He doesn’t care that his powerful bomb will kill thousands of
innocent people. Very proudly, he claims that his will obliterate whole cities. In a very cynical
manner, he tells his sister that his bomb will make human bodies rot within no time. He doesn’t have
even sympathy for his sister who has lost her only son in the war. He cannot feel his own sister’s pain.
Mrs. Meldon’s grief has no effect on him. Although he is aware that his sister is emotionally shattered
by the death of her son, Eddie, yet he does not comfort or console her at her tragic loss. His facial
features also show his this cruel nature. He snarls like an animal.
8. What type of mother is Mrs. Meldon? Illustrate through her character that themes of literature
are universal and exist across all cultures and societies.
Mrs. Meldon is a truly loving and caring mother. She is an epitome of profound and selfless
motherly love. Right from the moment she conceives her son Eddie till to the moment he is killed in
the war, she loves her son. She loves every moment of her son’s life. She is absolutely devastated by
the death of her son. Mrs. Meldon is not just a particular character. She is a universal representative
of motherly love. Her character is not just restricted to a particular time or place. She is for all ages
and all places. Her character proves the universality of literature. All mothers, belonging to all
cultures and societies, feel for their children in exactly the same way as Mrs. Meldon does. Therefore,
her character proves that themes of literature are universal and exist across all cultures and societies.

9. Was Mrs. Meldon justified in killing her brother? Give your considered view.
It is not an easy and straightforward thing to judge Mrs. Meldon’s act of killing her brother.
Plain and simple, it is a murder. From the legal point of view, it is a crime. However, if the context of
the story is considered, Mrs. Meldon’s act of killing her brother cannot be simply called as a murder. It
is far a more complicated matter. There are special circumstances that force Mrs. Meldon to take
this extreme step. She makes this difficult decision of killing her brother for the sake of humanity. She
has no personal motives. She has no family members left. Her brother is her only support. But she
sacrifices her brother for the larger good of saving whole humanity from the destruction of his
powerful bomb.
10. What was the cause of quarrel between Mrs. Meldon and Prof. Corrie?
Professor Corrie’s invention of the destructive bomb is the cause of quarrel between Mrs. Meldon
and her brother Professor Corrie. Mr. Meldon is seriously unhappy with Corrie for discovering the
formula of the powerful bomb that will kill thousands of people. She wants her brother to suppress
his formula or destroy it. But Professor is a man of different nature. He has his own priorities. He is
greedy and cruel. He wants to earn fame and fortune through the invention of his bomb. He doesn’t
care if his bomb will obliterate thousands of innocent people. He has no heart for the sufferings of
humanity.
11. Contrast the characters of Mrs. Meldon and Prof. Corrie, highlighting the dominant traits of
their personalities.
(Notes of Characters)
12. What is the conflict of the play “Progress”? How is it resolved?

Professor Corrie’s invention of the destructive bomb is the source of conflict in the Progress. Mr.
Meldon is seriously unhappy with Corrie for discovering the formula of the powerful bomb that will
kill thousands of people. She wants her brother to suppress his formula or destroy it. But
Professor is a man of different nature. He has his own priorities. He is greedy and cruel. He wants to
earn fame and fortune through the invention of his bomb. He doesn’t care if his bomb will obliterate
thousands of innocent people. He has no heart for the sufferings of humanity. Despite passionate
appeals from Mrs. Meldon, Professor Corrie doesn’t destroy his formula of the bomb. This forces Mrs.
Meldon to make the difficult decision of killing her brother to save humanity from the destruction of
his bomb. This is how the play reaches it resolution.
13. Suggest another ending of the play “Progress”.

The play Progress can be rewritten with a happy and satisfactory ending. In the alternative ending,
Mrs. Meldon is not forced to kill her brother Professor Corrie. Rather, she succeeds in convincing her
brother to give up the idea of making a destructive bomb. She makes such passionate pleas that her
bother is deeply touched. She describes her personal sufferings in such an emotional manner that
Corrie is deeply moved. She expresses her personal tragedy of losing both her son and husband as a
result of the war. Her miserable condition causes a change of heart in Professor Corrie. She makes him
realize sufferings that his bomb will cause to humanity. It changes his perspective. So, he regrets his
invention of the bomb. He decides to destroy his formula for the good of whole humanity. In this way,
the story ends on happy note.
14. True progress means “the destroying of means of destruction”. Elaborate this statement in light
of play “Progress”.
The statement actually means that true progress lies in making the world a peaceful and happy
place to live. True progress is not about making powerful bombs and other such scientific discoveries
and inventions. It is about care and compassion for fellow humans. Science and technology should be
used for the positive purposes. Science and technology should serve humanity, not destroy it. No
nation on earth can make true progress without destroying the means of destruction. As long as there is
war and destruction on earth, there can be no peace, security and happiness. Progress and war cannot
coexist. This is what we have learnt from the World War One and the World War Two.
15. How was Eddie killed?

Eddie was killed by a shell that hit him and other soldiers of his group while they were in a little
trench. They were in fight against Germans on the French border. Eddie and his men had been in the
trench for eight days and nights. They kept waiting for long period of time. Then a shell, fired by
German forces, came right in the middle of their group and destroyed all five of them. The shell utterly
destroyed them. There was nothing left of them. They were all absolutely blown away.
16. Describe the physical and mental conditions of Mrs. Meldon after the death of her son Eddie.
Mrs. Meldon has an extremely miserable physical and mental condition on the third death
anniversary of her son Eddie. She is wearing a black gown to mourn the death of her son. She is also
widow. She is visibly suffering from the pain of losing her son as well as her husband as a result of
war. The memories of her son torment her beyond words. She cannot think of anything else. Eddie
was her only son. For her, everything comes down to this single point of losing her son. She feels
extremely lonely without her son and her husband. She feels so miserable that she wishes God had
granted her the mercy of death.
17. Why does Mrs. Meldon hate war?

Mrs. Meldon hates war because she loses her son as well as her husband as a result of war. For her,
war comes down to a single point that it took away her only son Eddie. Her husband also died of a
broken heart after the death of his son. So, she hates war as her world fell apart because of the war.
Mrs. Meldon considers war an organized butchery of boys. She laments that hundreds of thousands of
innocent people die because of war. She just hates the fact that war is initiated by statesmen who never
actually take part in the fight. They just order others to fight and die while they are safe and secure in
their homes and offices. Mrs. Meldon wants war to be abolished forever.
18. What is Mrs. Meldon’s view about war?

Mrs. Meldon considers war an organized butchery of boys. She laments that hundreds of thousands
of innocent people die because of war. She just hates the fact that war is initiated by statesmen who
never actually take part in the fight. They just order others to fight and die while they are safe and
secure in their homes and offices. Mrs. Meldon wants war to be abolished forever. Mrs. Meldon views
are based upon her personal personally tragedy and experience of war. She hates war because she
loses her son as well as her husband as a result of war. For her, war comes down to a single point that
it took away her only son Eddie. Her husband also died of a broken heart after the death of his son. So,
she hates war as her world fell apart because of the war.
19. What is Professor Corrie’s view about war?

Professor Corrie considers war a natural part of human existence. Being a scientist, he has a cold
and emotionless approach towards everything including war. He thinks that war is the result of
pugnacious human nature. It will never come to an end. So, the best way to end the war is to make it
extremely destructive. War should be made so destructive that no side dares start it. If it does start, the
first blow should be so destructive that the other side succumbs to it immediately. Professor Corrie
also believes that war should be considered from a broad point of view. He considers making of the
weapons of mass destruction necessary for development. He believes that destructive weapons can
guarantee superiority of a nation over others.
20. Bring out the ideological conflict between Mrs. Meldon and Prof. Corrie.
Mrs. Meldon and Professor Corrie symbolize two conflicting approaches towards war in particular
and life in general. Mrs. Meldon is a representative of heart. She stands for humanity. In a way, she
represents poetic view of life. She stands for compassion and universal love. She wants an end to
war once and for all. On the other hand, Professor Corrie is a representative of intellect. He stands
for scientific view of life. His approach towards life is completely devoid of emotions and feelings.
He believes that war will never come to an end because it is there in human nature to fight and quarrel.

THE CHARACTER OF PROFESSOR HENRY CORRIE
In Professor Corrie, the playwright has created a self-centered scientist aged between fifty and sixty
who is a confirmed bachelor. His sole interest in life is his scientific experiments. He captivates our
attention from the beginning till the end of the play. His wolfish snarls and physical features, speak a
lot about his inhuman behaviour.
Professor Corrie is essentially a wicked character. He feels pleasure in destruction. He wants to

make the wars horrible. He invents a dangerous bomb full of corrosive gas, which could obliterate
whole cities within no time. He wishes to make the war so horrible that no nation will engage in one
unless absolutely driven to it.
There is no doubt that Professor Corrie is a great scientist. He is extremely dedicated and devoted
in his scientific experiments. When the curtain goes up, we find Professor Corrie engrossed in his
experiment. His experiment is a success and he has succeeded in inventing a lethal and devastating
bomb, which is so powerful that it will obliterate thousands at once.
Professor Corrie is an extremely selfish and self-willed person. He is out and out a materialist. He
has discovered the formula of the bomb to earn fame and fortune. He is delighted at the thought that
his invention would make him famous and well-known all over the world. Corrie is jusy mad for
immortality. That is why he invented the bomb. He hopes:
“This will bring fame and fortune to me. I shall be rich …. My name will live forever.”
He does not care about the feelings of his sister. He just wants her to rejoice at his invention. He
wishes her to forget her tragedy and suggests to her to take a broad point of view. He asks her to
imagine herself a statesman.
Professor Corrie is crazy and unpatriotic. He wants to sell the formula of the bomb to any
government. If the government of his own country doesn’t pay him well, he is ready to offer it to any
other country. It is not for the love of his country that he invents the bomb. He just wants money,
name and fame. Rather he speaks of his country in a very negative way.
Professor Corrie possesses a very cruel disposition. His eyes reflect the coldness and seriousness of
his character. He is a devil in human form. To him, human beings are of no consequence. Even his
sister, Mrs. Meldon’s grief has no effect on him. Although he is aware that his sister is emotionally
shattered by the death of her son, Eddie, yet he does not comfort or console her at her tragic loss. His
facial features also show his this cruel nature. He snarls like an animal.

Professor Corrie is cynical about women and has a poor opinion of them. He thinks that women
lack in concentration. They have a fussy and talkative nature. That is why they are not very often
crowned with success.
Professor meets a tragic end. He is killed by his own sister Mrs. Meldon after he refuses to destroy
his formula for destructive bomb. In a state of frenzy, Mrs. Meldon drives a sharp knife in his back.
Corrie falls on his face, dead cold. Thus, the curtain draws on the play with his tragic end.

THE CHARACTER OF MRS. MELDON
Mrs. Meldon is aged about forty-three. She is the sister of Professor Henry Corrie. She is a sensitive
looking widow. Her only son Eddie is killed in the First World War and her husband dies of a broken
heart. However, Mrs. Meldon is not a fretful, complaining woman. Whenever she speaks of her loss,
she does so with grace and beautiful dignity.
Mrs. Meldon has a character full of dignity and grace. She is a lady who has faced the emotional
sufferings of life. She is a compassionate, patient, gentle and sensitive woman. However, she is
graceful in her demeanor. She is dressed in black clothes, partly because she is a widow and mainly
because it was the third death anniversary of her son. In spite of losing all what she once has had, she
bears the tragedy patiently. She always suffers from the old memories, but never shows her
bereavement too much. She behaves as a calm and uncomplaining person. Her dignity also becomes
apparent when she gives her opinion about the war.
Mrs. Meldon has very touching, fond memories of her dead son. These memories torment her. She
describes how brings up her son with a great care and love. She wants him to be great in future.
Immediately after the war breaks out, her son is enlisted. She doesn’t know whether to be happy or
sorry but chiefly she is happy. In a deeply tragic tone, she says:
I had a husband and a son, when the war began, I had neither when it was over. I am the most
lonely woman – cruelly alone.
Mrs. Meldon hates war for obvious reasons. She considers was as an organized butchery of the
young ones. She believes war to be the most terrible thing. It is responsible for the destruction of
human peace. She wants a ban on wars. She wants the scientists to stop making dangerous weapons.
This is war, which has made her widow and which has snatched away her beautiful young son.
Mrs. Meldon loves humanity and hates war. On knowing that her brother has invented a dreadful
bomb, she is deeply grieved. She opposes her brother and calls him the most stupid man on earth. She
cares for all the mothers as she has seen the fury of life. She wants that other boys like Eddie must not
fall prey to horrors of devastating wars. Mrs. Meldon is a symbol of peace for all. She does not rejoice
at the wicked achievement of her brother. She says:
Love and Peace can make the world a Heaven.
Mrs. Meldon wants complete abolition of war. She dreams of peace, love, care and harmony.
By the end of the story, Mrs. Meldon kills her own brother for the sake of saving humanity. She
grows extremely emotional and impulsive in the interest of humanity. She asks her brother to destroy

his invention of the devastating bomb. On his refusal, she takes the matter in her own hands. To save
the human race from the deadly invention, she picks a knife and stabs her cruel brother to death.
Legally, Mrs. Meldon commits a crime by killing Professor Corrie. But her act seems to be justified
for the sake of whole humanity.

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUTH

1. Why does the Quaid stress on the youth to be continuously vigilant?

2. What, according to the Quaid, is the prime responsibility of the youth?

8. Interpret and analyze the following statements from the speech:

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REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

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1. What is the significance of the title of the poem Good Timber?

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5. What is the central idea of the poem Good Timber?

6. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem Good Timber?

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2. Comment on the plot of the story From Mother … With Love.

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5. What is the conflict in the story? How is it resolved?

8. How did the vitamin pills become the symbol of responsibility?

10. Why was the blue chair significant? Explain.

(1. Afia Shaheen, 2021, The Peace Campus, Haripur)

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6. What skills one is required to learn if he wants to be a full-fledged farmer?

7. In what way does Joel play the role of an adult?

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REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

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So boy, don’t you turn back.

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1. What is the dominant theme of the poem Mother to Son?

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Choice of Profession Profession 2

Identification of Education/Skiils Diploma

Practical Factors Effect on Life/Advice from People

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1. What is the thesis statement of Mannes’ essay ‘Wasteland’?

3. What purpose does Mannes want to achieve? Does it work?

6. Who is Mannes’ audience? What assumptions does she make of it?

8. Is Mannes’ argument based on emotion or factual evidence? Illustrate.

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2. Why was Navasard so excited at the arrival of Arshak?

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5. Write down the plot of the story The White Lamb.

8. Compare and contrast the character of Navasard and Arshak.

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REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

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