XII ENGLISH NOTES

Unit: 1 Seerat-e-Tayyiba And The Muslim Youth

Q1. How was the youth given a great esteem by beloved Rasool
(SAW) in the Battle of Uhud?
The battle of Uhud was the second military encounter between the
Meccans and Muslims, where Abu Sufyan marched upon Medina to
Makkah with a force three times stronger than the Muslims. The Holy
Prophet’s (SAW) opinion was to remain in Medina and let the enemy
besiege the city. The youth, however insisted that the battle should be
fought at some distance away from Medina. Showing his high esteem for
youth he went against his own opinion and fought the battle in the valley
below the northern face of Mount Uhud. He did this in reverence to the
passions and emotions of the youth.
Q2. Narrate the hadith in which the beloved Rasool (SAW)
resembles himself with the last brick of the otherwise complete
house of prophethood.
According to hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet (SAW)
characterized himself as the last brick of the otherwise complete and
nicely built house of Prophethood. He was declared the last Prophet as
Allah sent him with a perfect and universal message that reformed
almost all the aspects of human life. With him, the castle of Prophethood
was complete and finalized, i.e., no apostle would come after him. This
hadith (3342) is narrated by Imam Bukhari in Kitabul Manaqib, chapter
Khatimun Nabieen.
Q3. How did Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) spend his youth?
As a young man the Holy Prophet (SAW) is the best role model for
humans as he represented the best human values in his nature. Even
during his teens, he never indulged himself in any evil deed. His nobility
of soul, purity of heart and strict adherence to truth, and honesty won
him the titles of “Al-Sadiq” and “Al-Amin”. His business tour to Syria at
the tender age of 12, his membership of the peace committee of Half-ul-
Fuzul, and wise decision of fixing the Black stone are some of the
examples which show that he spent his youth in a very sublime and
dignified manner.
Q4. Evaluate in brief the character of present day youth in the light
of the teachings of the beloved Rasool (SAW).
The Holy Prophet (SAW) emphasized the importance of physical games
and healthy activities in order to stay vigilant, active and healthy. His
excessive confidence in youth demands that young people should be
concerned about their activities and should try to play a vigorous and
active part in the uplift of society. In lieu of the present scenario, the
present day youth has become sluggish and negligent preferring
obscurity and indolent life. They should take inspiration from the Holy
Prophet’s (SAW) conduct and utilize their energy to reform the society to
lead a better and meaningful life.
Q5. What social activities did Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) participate
in his youth?
The Prophet (SAW) is the best role model for youth of all times. He
encouraged youth to be good and honest not only in their private matters
but also in public dealings. He himself lived an active and meaningful life
as youth. At a tender age of just 12, his uncle Abu Talib brought him on
a trading trip to Syria. He always struggled to ensure peace, security and
to strengthen the provision of human rights. Some energetic youths of
Arab tribes formed a peace committee under the name of “Half-ul-Fuzul”
(The League of Virtue). Its objective was to maintain peace and uphold
the rights of the weak and poor. The Holy Prophet (SAW) was so
impressed by its noble objective that he became its member and
remained loyal to it throughout his life. Further at the age of 35 he
resolved the issue of Black Stone very wisely. All the heads of various
clans held the sheet on which the Black Stone was placed and the
Prophet (SAW) himself fixed it in the wall of Kaaba. This act saved the
Arabs from indulging into a serious conflict. All these examples prove
that the Holy Prophet (SAW) spent his youth in a sublime and dignified
manner.
Q6. What did the Holy Rasool (SAW) say about modesty (Haya)?
What is the importance of modesty in the life of youth?
Haya is defined as “freedom from conceit or vanity” and “prosperity in
dress, speech or conduct”. In Islam, Haya is a word which describes
both shyness and deeper modesty that is based on faith. The Holy
Prophet (SAW) regarded Haya as an essential part of faith. He himself
was an embodiment of modesty, chastity and guided his followers to
observe it in their personal and private lives. For him, Haya is so
important that its absence could lead a person to sinful behaviour and
disbelief. He said: “If you have no shame, do as you wish”. Hence, a
chaste, modest and sophisticated Muslim youth is the ideal of the
teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAW).
Q7. Cite an instance from the text showing that the beloved Rasool
(SAW) lead simple and austere life.
The lifestyle of Prophet Muhammad ((SAW) was remarkably simple and
unpretentious. He disliked vanity and boastfulness and always favoured
simplicity and austerity. He did not possess any luxuries and often he
and his family had nothing to cook or eat. Allah Almighty offered him the
treasuries of this world but he preferred to adopt a modest lifestyle and
hoped for Allah’s greater blessings in life hereafter. He always showed a
kind and considerate behaviour towards poor people. Because of this
simplicity and purity of heart, he accomplished his noble mission with
minimal of worldly possessions indicating the insignificance of worldly
riches.
Q8. What type of youth did the Holy Rasool (SAW) want to see?
Islam has given youth a high status because the development of
civilization and the future of nations is in their hands. The Prophet (SAW)
always paid attention and took interest in the youth for he believed that
young people are superior in their capabilities and energy. He wanted to
see an active, responsible, self-dependent, strong, and patriotic youth.
He always encouraged them to take part in great expeditions. He even
overruled his own wishes in reverence to the passions of youth during
the battle of Uhud. He seriously condemned those young people who
are less committed and non-serious and urged them to become
sensible, strong, united and ready to face the challenges of the world.
 Unit: 2 Jinnah’s Vision of Pakistan

Q.1: What were the two main functions of the first constituent
assembly of Pakistan as mentioned by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
in his speech?
Ans:In his speech, Muhammad Ali Jinnah categorically mentioned that
the first constituent assembly of Pakistan had two main functions to
perform. The first function was the very onerous and responsible
task of framing the future constituent of Pakistan and the second
was to function as a full and complete sovereign body as the
Federal Legislature of Pakistan. He asked them to do their best in
adopting a provisional constitution for the Federal Legislature of
Pakistan.

Q.2: What is ‘the unprecedented cyclonic revolution’ which Quaid-

e-Azam has talked about in his speech? Why did he call it
‘unprecedented’?
Ans:The partition of India resulting in the emergence of Pakistan and
India on the world map is ‘the unprecedented cyclonic revolution’
which Quaid-e-Azam has talked about in his speech. According to
him, they as well as the whole world was wondering at the
unprecedented cyclonic revolution which had brought about the
plan of creating and establishing two independent sovereign
Dominions in the sub-continent. He called it ‘unprecedented’
because it had no parallel in the history of the world. The mighty
sub-continent with all kinds of inhabitants had been brought under a
plan which was titanic, unknown and unparalleled. The most
significant point in this regard is that they had achieved it peacefully
and by means of an evolution of the greatest possible character.

Q.3: How did Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah express his

feelings about bribery and corruption, nepotism and jobbery?
Ans:Quaid-e-Azam was strictly against bribery, corruption, nepotism
and jobbery as these malpractices destroy a nation. He considered
bribery and corruption one of the biggest curses from which India
was suffering – a poison. He told the constituent assembly to put it
 down with an iron hand and hoped that it would be done as soon as
possible. Moreover, he regretted that along with other things, good
or bad, as a legacy they inherited the great evil of nepotism and
jobbery. He emphatically declared that he would never tolerate any
kind of jobbery, nepotism or any influence directly or indirectly
brought to bear upon him. Whenever he found that such a practice
was in vogue anywhere, low or high, he would certainly not
countenance it.

Q.4: What were Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s views about the partition of
India? Describe in a few lines.
Ans:Quaid-e-Azam’s stance about the partition of India was quite logical
and firm. He could understand well the feeling that existed between
the two communities – the majority and the minority but a division
had to take place. In Pakistan the majority comprised Muslims and
the minority, Hindus whereas in India the situation was vice versa.
Both in Hindustan and Pakistan, there were sections of people who
might not agree to it or like it but there was no other possible
solution of India’s constitutional problem. He regarded it inevitable
and was sure that future history would record its verdict in favour of
it. Any idea of a united India could never have worked rather would
have proved to be a terrific disaster. According to him, now that it
had occurred, it was the duty of everyone to loyally abide by it and
honourably act accordingly.

Q.5: What, in the eyes of the Quaid, was the biggest hindrance in
the way of India to attain freedom from the foreign
occupation?
Ans:The people of India were divided into various religious, ethnic,
ideological and political groups. There existed angularities of the
majority and the minority communities, the Hindu community and
the Muslim community. Moreover, the Muslims had among them
Pathans, Punjabis, Shias, Sunnis, etc. and the Hindus had
Brahmins, Vashnavas, Khatris, also Bengalis, Madrasis, etc. In the
eyes of the Quaid, this was the biggest hindrance in the way of
India to attain freedom from the foreign occupation or else they
would have been a free people long ago. He had a strong
 conviction that in the course of time, these angularities would
vanish if Pakistanis, both Muslims and Hindus, worked with the
spirit of patriotism, brotherhood, cooperation and equality without
any discrimination based on caste, colour or creed. They would
certainly make Pakistan a developed and prosperous state.

Q.6: Describe Quaid-e-Azam’s views about the minorities as

expressed in his address to the first constituent assembly.
Ans:In his address to the constituent assembly, Quaid-e-Azam clearly
expressed his views about the minorities (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs,
etc). He stated that they would have equal rights, privileges and
obligations as being citizens of Pakistan and would face no
discrimination based on caste, colour or creed. They would enjoy
freedom of thought, speech and action in the true sense of the term
and would go to their respective places of worship – temples,
churches, etc. without any fear or restriction. They would be treated
on the basis of justice and equality and would be given every
opportunity to make progress in life. In return, he only wanted them
to play their due role, selflessly and devotedly, in the progress and
prosperity of their country.

Q.7: What kind of freedom did Muhammad Ali Jinnah envision for
the people of Pakistan in general?
Ans:Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned complete freedom for the people
of Pakistan in general to ensure the desired well-being of all
particularly the masses and the poor. Every citizen of Pakistan
would have equal rights privileges and obligations without any
discrimination of caste, colour or creed. They would have complete
freedom of thought, speech and action. The majority – Muslims as
well as the minorities would be treated on the basis of justice and
equality and would be free to exercise their respective religions
without any fear or check. Their places of worship including
mosques, temples, churches, etc. would be fully protected. He
believed that with this promised freedom, the people of Pakistan
would work hard earnestly and devotedly to make Pakistan one of
the greatest states of the world.
Q.8: What did Muhammad Ali Jinnah mean by “Hindus would cease
to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims”?
Ans:By this Muhammad Ali Jinnah meant that people of Pakistan
whether they belonged to the minority – Hindus or the majority –
Muslims would co-operate with one another and strive for the
common cause of progress and prosperity of their country. This
harmonious co-existence would make them rise above their
disparities forgetting the past and they would be Pakistanis first and
Hindus and Muslims afterwards. In fact, eventually Hindus would
cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in
the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each
individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State.

Q.9: After reading this important speech of Quaid-e-Azam

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, what do you think, was his vision of
Pakistan?
Ans: Quaid-e-Azam envisioned Pakistan as a sovereign democratic
state where law would reign supreme; where justice, equality, fair
play and complete impartiality would be exercised without any
discrimination of caste, colour or creed. Every citizen of Pakistan
would have equal rights, privileges and obligations. It would be a
state where the rich and the poor, the high and the low, the majority
(Muslims) and the minorities (Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, etc.) would
have freedom of thought, speech and action. Bribery, corruption,
nepotism and jobbery would be utterly non-existent in his dream
Pakistan. He wanted all to make Pakistan happy and prosperous by
wholly and solely concentrating on the well-being of the people,
especially of the masses and the poor. In short, he was desirous of
seeing Pakistan as one of the greatest nations of the world.

Q.10: Read the last paragraph of this speech and state as to what
were the guiding principles of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali
Jinnah. Also elaborate the significance of these principles.
Ans:Quaid-e-Azam emphatically pronounced that his guiding principles
would always be justice and fair play without any prejudice or ill-will,
 partiality or favouritism. These were the principles on the basis of
which along with the support and co-operation of the constituent
assembly and Pakistani nation, he could look forward to Pakistan
becoming one of the greatest nations of the world.
These principles of justice and complete impartiality are,
undoubtedly, very significant because they can change the very
fate of a nation. It is the basic right of every citizen that he/she
must be provided justice and equality without any discrimination so
as to contribute most effectively and devotedly to the progress and
prosperity of the country.

UNIT: 3 THE SOLITARY REAPER

Stanza: 1 (Explanation)
In this stanza Wordsworth describes how the Reaper was singing all
alone. During one of his journeys in the countryside of Scotland, he saw
a Highland Lass working in the field. She had no one to help her out in
the field. She was singing to herself, without knowing that someone was
listening to her song. The poet does not want to disturb her solitude so
requests the passersby go without disturbing her. She was immersed in
her work of cutting and binding while singing a sad gloomy song. For the
poet, he is so struck by the sad beauty of her song that the whole valley
seems to overflow with its sound.
Stanza: 2 (Explanation)
In the given lines the poet compares the sweet voice of the girl to that of
a nightingale. Nightingale is considered a sweet-voiced bird. The poet
says no nightingale has so far sung as a melodious a song as the girl
sings. When some group of tired travellers reaches a shady place, in the
Arabian deserts, the nightingale welcomes the caravan with its sweet
song. It is obvious that commonly there is no nightingale in the deserts,
but if there is some oasis, it is but natural that a nightingale is found
there. So when a tired caravan reaches an oasis or shrubby area the
nightingale welcomes it. The poet says that the voice of the singing girl
is rather sweeter than that of a nightingale. For, the song of the girl has
stopped him from going about his business. He is utterly enchanted that
he says that her voice is so captivating and penetrable that of the
cuckoo bird, which sings to break the silence in the “Hebrides Islands”.
These islands are never disturbed by any storm but the voice of the girl
intruded into the silence of this group of islands. This was because of the
praiseworthy song of the girl which even affected the seas.
Stanza: 3 (Explanation)
In this stanza the poet depicts his plight over not understanding the
theme or language of the poem. The poet could not comprehend the
local Scottish dialect in which the reaper was singing, so tries to imagine
what the song might be about. He speculates that her song might be
about some present sorrow, pain or loss. Perhaps she is singing simple
sorrow of loss or of some misery. Probably, the incident of loss or pain
has taken place in the past and it may be experienced again in future.
Stanza: 4 (Explanation)
These lines also show that the poet did not know the theme of the song.
He says whatever theme she sang, irrespective of that, it seemed that
the song of the young girl would not come to an end. The poet says that
he saw the girl busy at her work and also singing while reaping with a
sickle in bent motion. The poet says that first he listened to her song
standing still and motionless. But as he mounted up the hill, the tune of
the song was so sweet that it struck the heart of the poet. He was so
impressed that he carried the melody of the song with him long after the
song was ended by the girl. Actually, the poet, being a poet of nature,
was profoundly impressed by this natural scene. He remembered this
song for its enchanting melodious effect.
Q. 1 What is the dominant themes of the poem “The Solitary
Reaper”?
Ans: the poem expresses the theme that simple moments can have
extreme beauty and can soothe our souls for a long time afterwards if
we stop and pay attention. Everlasting beauty and sorrow are also the
major themes of this poem. The poem represents two things; the labour
of that girl and her expression of sorrow. She is working and singing at
the same time without being bothered about her surroundings. She just
continues singing as if she is out pouring her heart in the lap of Nature. It
seems as if the lonely singer appeared to be a part of the beauty of
Nature representing its sweetness, joy and mystery. As she was
immensely engrossed in her work and song, it was quite apparent that
she was seeking solace and serenity in the company of Nature. The
poet, on the other hand, seems enchanted by her song as he claims that
the song’s beauty is matchless. Thus, he stops and enjoys its charm
knowing it will not last forever.
Q.2 How does Wordsworth describes the song of “The Solitary
Reaper”?
Or
What was the effect of the solitary reaper’s song on the poet?
Ans: “The Solitary Reaper” is a poem about music: the song of a
Scottish girl sings as she cuts hay with a sickle. Though the poem’s
narrator cannot understand what the girl is actually singing about, the
girl’s song sticks with him, its melancholy beauty echoing in the head
“long after” its sound has [Link] this way, the poem suggests the
ability of art to transcend cultural boundaries and even language itself.
Art, in the poem, can communicate feeling or emotion even in the
absence of concrete understanding. The poet focuses on the transfixing
power of the reaper’s mysterious song. He describes her song in elegant
and slightly hyperbolic terms: it fills the valley with sound and she sings
“as if her song could have no ending”. He wonders whether she is
singing about some ancient epic battles or simply the ‘humble’ and
“familiar” sorrows of everyday life. In either case, the poet draws
pleasure from the girl’s song despite not knowing its specifics. For him,
the power of the reaper’s song transcends cultural linguistic divisions,
allowing the poet to feel connected to this solitary “High Lass”.
Q.3 Describes in your own words the imagery used in this poem.
Ans: The imagery used in a literary work enables the readers to perceive
things involving their five senses, for example, “Reaping and singing by
herself”, “I saw her singing at her work”, “A voice so thrilling ne’er was
heard “give a pictorial and auditory description of the young girl at work.
He makes the readers visualize what he has seen and how he felt. In
fact, the richness of the poem’s visual and auditory imagery is seen
when the poet describes what is conjured in his mind when he hears that
solitary reaper’s song. Wordsworth has to communicate to the reader
the experience of sound. It is here in which the poem becomes rich with
imagining. The visual imagery of nightingale, Arabian sands, bodies of
water and the Hebrides all represent imagery that triggers mental
pictures in the reader’s mind.
Q.4 Write the critical appreciation of the poem “The Solitary
Reaper”.
Ans: In Wordsworthian poetry the temple of Mother Nature is a
constitution of three guiding principles:Solitude,Silence and Loneliness
and his The Solitary Reaper is typically characterized by them which
results in a perfect ballad with its simplicity, suggestiveness, pathos and
verbal music. While the poet was touring the Scottish highland, he met a
reaper girl in her spontaneous moods. Such of this piece of memory of
the highland girl is beautifully exhibited through this poem. Here is piece
of ordinary human life and Wordsworth’s choice of the subject illustrates
his theory of poetry where there is elevation of common and humble
theme with the glory of simple lyrical grace. Wordsworth thus describes
how the girl is reaping and musing a folk song rapturously which at once
arrests his mind and he gently asks passers-by not to disturb her,
because such a melody and passion should not be intruded by any
artificial care and anxiety of ours. The poet’s use of apostrophe is done
purposefully to tell the readers that the sweet but melancholic tune of the
girl’s song in this secluded and solitary atmosphere is magical and spell
bounding. Through the use of hyperbole the poet wants to express that
he is so enthralled by the reaper’s song that he finds it prettier than the
nightingale and cuckoo. He states that both cannot surpass the present
melody of the reaper girl. However, as the girl is singing in a Scottish
dialect, the poet cannot follow the theme of the song. He only guesses
that the girl might be singing about “old, unhappy, far-off things / And
battles long ago”, whatever she sings about it seems to be unending and
the poet listens to them “motionless and still”. The poet, reluctantly
leaves the place but the song of the girl leaves an abiding influence in
him and he travelled up the hill, he carries her song with him in the core
of his heart as a source of joy forever. The reaper for a moment
becomes the soul of the solitary valley; her song becomes the sad music
of humanity. In the romantic heart of the poet such a sight and sound will
never sink into oblivion and perhaps, when recollected, they will give him
endless joy and inspiration.
 Unit:4 Truck Art

Q1: Explain the connection which the writer makes between the
camel caravans of past and modern decoration of trucks?
Ans: In ancient times people used to travel using camel caravans.
Since camels were used to drag carts loaded with goods and
passengers, they were very important in the past. In order to show
gratitude for the services provided, camel owners used to decorate
them as a gesture of thankfulness. This tradition continued till the
modern times. Now camels have been replaced by trucks that are why
truck art is an extension of ancient decoration of camels in caravan.
Similarly today’s truck art and embellishments in traditional designs,
calligraphy, paintings and illustrations tell us where the truck has come
from. It also identifies driver’s ethnic group
Q2: Which point is the writer illustrating when she gives
examples of the decorations on trucks from Peshawar and
Rawalpindi?
Ans: By giving examples of different styles and cultural variations in the
decoration designs, the writer wants to explain that people have strong
associations with their cultural and historical backgrounds as well as
the ongoing trends. The truck decoration shows identity of truck owners
and also about its driver’s ethnic group. For example the truck
belonging to Peshawar will have paintings of cricket legend Shahid
Afridi, Bab-e-Khyber, mountains and streams, along with lines of poetry
in the Pashto language. It can easily be recognized as a truck from
Peshawar .Similarly, a truck from Rawalpindi region contains side
panels painted with vibrant F-16 jets ,Shaheen missiles, and cut-out
Peacocks, and on the back a larger than life portrait of field Marshal
general Ayub Khan and film star Shan.
Q3:Which point is the writer illustrating in the lesson “Truck Art:
by giving examples of the specialists’ work?
Ans:The writer emphasizes economic importance of truck art, by giving
examples of different kinds of works that are performed in order to
decorate the trucks she wants to state that truck decoration is not an
ordinary or day to day job rather it is a full fledge industry. She says that
different work specialists work on trucks during the process of its
decoration. More than 50,000 skilled craftsmen are employed for this
highly specialized work in a typical Pakistani workshop in Karachi. An
electrician installs wiring; a metal worker fashions artifacts such as the
dangling leaf chains; a Carpenter carves arabesque inlays on cab doors;
an upholsterer embroiders window flaps with silver and golden thread.
The master painter creates images with delicate layers and glazes whilst
his assistant helps him with backgrounds and borders.
There is even a poet on hand to write an eye-catching poetic
inscription. This labour intensive operation usually takes 6 to 10
weeks.

Q4: Why do truckers spend so much money on decorating

their trucks?

Ans: The majority of truckers lavishly spend money on the full

makeover of their vehicles every three or four years and it is very
expensive. It is said that they spend more on their trucks than their
houses. Painting the vehicle is essential for those who make their
living from truck driving. Truck decoration is done to express thanks
for prosperity, attract customers, or to keep up with all the other
decorated trucks .Occasionally they spend the equivalent of
two years profit on a basic painting and body job. The drivers think
that the money spent on decorations is well spent. If a driver can’t
afford to decorate his truck, customers think that he is a bad
transporter. Moreover it is a practical thing to decorate the truck. Taj
helps to protect the load from the eyes of the police. The police are
less likely to stop a well painted truck.
Q5: Briefly describe how truck art developed from the 1940s to the
1970s?

Ans: Like a good scholar Rachel Redford tells us about the history
and development of truck art. Truck art has developed over the
decades. It was in 1940s that trucks first began to deliver long-haul
goods, and each company developed its own logo for recognition.
After partition, the truckers displayed solidarity with their young nations
by featuring national elements in decorations. In 1950s Haji Hussain
brought an innovation when he started painting horse carriages and
trucks with floral borders in Karachi. In 1960s and 70s Pakistan saw an
economic boom and truck decoration became an essential part of the
job for truckers.
Q6: Why are truck drivers ‘nostalgic’ about the old Bedford
trucks?
Ans: Truckers are Nostalgic about the old British- built Bedford trucks
with their seven foot panelled sides because this truck is a near perfect
match for Pakistani roads. Its relatively compact dimensions make it
easy for drivers to maneuver it on twisty mountain roads as well as in
narrow city streets. Its suspension copes adequately with rough roads
and local mechanics have modified it over the years to make it more
compliant. The truck can travel with loads up to 20 tons and work for 25
years. Pakistani mechanics have modified the trucks up to 20 tons and
work for 25 years. When Vauxhall Company stopped the production of
Bedford trucks in the early nineties, the Japenese Hinno and Nissan
replaced them. Although the new companies were of better qualities but
the drivers are Nostalgic about the old Bedford because it is human
nature to fell in love with the memories of the past.

Q7:Explain how ruck art at the present time can be seen as

having reached ‘some kind of apogee'?
Ans: We can see a lot of diversity in the artistic feature of truck
decoration. The trucking business is one of the key factors in
economic movement in the country and truck decoration means a lot
for the truckers. In addition to that truck decoration has embraced all
kinds of art in the past and the present. It has made truck decoration
as a diverse genre of aesthetic art. Therefore, truck decoration has
reached some kind of apogee because of explosion of brilliant
colours and its execution with great skill and inventiveness.

UNIT: 5 THE LAST LEAF

Q1. What is the main theme of the story “The Last Leaf?”
Ans: The main theme of the short story “The Last Leaf” is humanism.
The writer O’Henry has very successfully expressed it by the artist
Behrman who makes a masterpiece of art to save Johnsy’s life. The way
her friend Sue looked after her also highlights the importance of a
selfless friend to provide solace and moral strength in the time of
adversity. Another parallel theme is permanence of art which proved to
be the sustainer of hope and life for the critically pneumonic patient
Johnsy. She had weirdly subjected her survival to the autumn leaves
which fell rapidly due to extremely cold, rainy, and stormy night. Deeply
moved by compassion for little Johnsy, Behrman very quietly painted
“The Last Leaf” on the wall facing her window. He had created a
masterpiece by making a fresh autumn leaf with such perfection that
next morning Johnsy found The Last Leaf intact with its branch which
brought her magically back to Life. Thus, Behrman the struggling painter
proved the permanence and healing power of art which changed the
despondency and hopelessness into hopefulness at the expense of his
own life.
Q2. How did Sue and Johnsy become friends?
Ans. Both Sue and Johnsy lived on the 3rd floor of the triple storey
building in Greenwich Village which was popular among young
struggling artists for its cheap lodging. Both girls came by at a restaurant
on Eighth Street. Here, they discovered that they liked same kind of art,
food and clothes. Hence, they became friends and decided to live and
work together.
Q3. “She has a chance if she wants to live. If people don’t want to
live, I can’t do much for them. ”What do these words of the doctor
about Johnsy mean?
Ans: The doctor was quite worried for the deteriorating health of Johnsy
who was further worsening it with depression and hopelessness. He
confided with Sue that patient’s willingness to take medicine is very
important. If a patient stops hoping for life, even medicine stops working
on his health. Thus, he warned Sue that Johnsy could survive only if she
could develop positive thinking. Self motivation and hope for life could
expedite her healing process. Otherwise, her resort to depression would
bring drastic result. He tried to convince her that hopelessness could
cause greater harm than the harm of a deadly disease.
Q4. Why did Johnsy keep asking Sue to open the curtains?
Ans: Johnsy was critically ill due to pneumonia. She had seen many
people around dying of it. Therefore, she resorted to depression and
subjected her survival to the falling of autumn leaves. It clung to her
mind somehow that she would also die with the falling of the Last Leaf.
Therefore, she kept asking Sue to open the curtains as she had to count
down the leaves to see how close she was drawing to death. She
wanted to see the fate of the last leaf if it would stay or fall.

Q5. How was Johnsy’s life saved?

Ans: Johnsy’s life was saved only because of Behrman the old painter
who was an embodiment of humanity, compassion, wisdom and extreme
sacrifice. He had realized that critically pneumonic Johnsy, under
depression, had subjected her survival to the falling of the last leaf on ivy
tree. Thus, during the cold windy night, Behrman painted an identical
leaf on the creeper at the expense of his own life just to make Johnsy
feel that the night storm had failed to dislodge the last leaf. This is what
exactly happened the next morning. When Johnsy requested Sue to
open the curtains, she found a fresh leaf which withstood the storm and
stayed there miraculously. It cast a magical effect on her. It enthralled
her body and soul. She felt a vibrating wave of hope which reversed her
negative thinking to positive thinking and she resorted to life. Her revival
to life is attributed to Behrman’s love for humanity.
Q6. What made Johnsy’s views change about life? How do you
know it?
Ans. Johnsy’s views about life were magically changed from pessimism
to optimism the very next morning. When she found The Last Leaf had
withstood the harsh winds of the rainy storm of the whole night, a happy
quiver vibrated throughout her lifeless body. She at once realized that
she would not die. So she left the bed, felt sorry for her weird behavior,
depression, and disturbing Sue and Mehrman. She broke the ice and
became a chatter box. Such sudden and overnight revolutionary change
is attributed to Mehman’s painting of The Last [Link] became true
upholder of compassion and humanism. It was he who injected in
Johnsy’s life a new spirit of hope at the expense of his own life.
Q7 What lesson do you get from the story The Last Leaf?
Ans. This short story “The Last Leaf” gives the message of significance
of human life and importance of hope. It also reflects the importance of a
selfless fellow in your life who is always ready to help you against all
odds. In this story, Johnsy survived and revived her spirits only because
of a selfless person whose heart was overflowing with compassion for
the sick young artist. He ignited the spark of hope in her dull and dark
depression through his painting of The Last Leaf. There is another
parallel message of significant role of an artist who with his work of art
bestowed the dying girl with hope and vitality.
Q8. Describe the plot of the short story “The Last Leaf” in your own
words.
Ans. The plot of the short story The Last Leaf is very well knit and
coherent. Though there is only one story of struggling artists who resides
in poor lodges, the writer o Henry very skillfully keeps the interest of his
readers intact. The tone of the story is sad. The dramatic entry of
Pneumonia as a stranger effectively conveys hazards of the epidemic.
And makes us feel sad and fear Johnsy’s life. We impatiently wait for
the next morning to see if the Last Leaf would withstand the hostilities of
harsh weather. We enjoy Johnsy‘s happy return to life. We are equally
grieved to know the desperate death of Behrman who lost his own life
but filled the young heart of little Johnsy with hope and positivity. Her
revival to life is attributed to Behrman makes the story very strong with
its didactic approach.
Q9. What lesson do we get from the story The Last Leaf?
Ans. The Last Leaf conveys a very significant message of importance of
hope and positive thoughts in one’s life. It further reveals the importance
of a selfless fellow in your life who is always ready to help you against all
odds. In this story Johnsy could survive only because of Behrman, a
selfless person whose heart was overflowing with compassion for the
sick young artist. He ignited the spark of hope in her dull and dark
depression through his painting of The Last Leaf. Thus, it imparts a
parallel lesson on the importance of art and the artist that has its own
language of emotions which has the ability to play miracles.
Q10. Suggest alternate ending for “The Last Leaf”.
Ans: The writer O’Henry is well known for a surprised and unexpected
ending to his short stories. Likewise, the present story The Last Leaf
gives us a surprised ending and sensitized us very much. Still I
personally opine that there could have been a happy ending. Instead of
showing Behrman’s sudden death in an effort to save Johnsy’s life, he
should have been appreciated. His painting of The Last Leaf on the wall
was static and permanent. It was his much waited and aspired
masterpiece. Hence with the revival of Johnsy’s health and spirits,
Behrman, for his love for humanity, should have lived and his painting
must have won him huge world applause, recognition, and monetary
appreciation to raise his social, economic and literary status.
Writing Skills
Q. Write the summary of the short story The Last Leaf using the
techniques of proper beginning, middle and end.
The present short story, The Last Leaf is a story about a young artist
who is critically sick due to pneumonia. Her life is attributed to
Behrman’s love for humanity and compassion for the sick young artist.
The life taking pneumonia is touching every other person with his cold
and icy hands leaving them highly sick. Johnsy’s friend Sue looks after
her but hearing of many people losing their lives, she loses hopes of her
survival and keeps waiting for her death. She looks out of her bedroom
window and finds ivy leaves rapidly shedding. So, she becomes
emotionally upset and sets her mind that she would die when the last
leaf would fall. Behrman, their neighborhood flop artist, makes painting
of the last leaf on the wall facing her window so that she can look at it
and start thinking positivity. It works and she comes back to normal life
whereas the old artist Behrman loses his own life as he catches
pneumonia while making the last leaf painting in the cold winter’s stormy
and rainy life.

Unit: 6 IF
(Poem by Rudyard Kipling)
Introduction
The poem “IF” is composed by Rudyard Kipling, a famous English
author and poet, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. It is a
didactic (Conveying moral lesson) as well as inspirational poem written
in the form a parental advice from the father - Kipling to his son - John to
help him inherit the Earth and become a man in the true sense of the
term. There are four stanzas in it, each having eight lines (Octave). The
rhyme scheme of the first stanza is – aaaabcbc whereas the remaining
three stanzas have the same rhyme scheme – ababcdcd.
Explanation
Stanza # 1
The poet advises his son to remain calm and patient during crisis – a
situation when all the people around him become irrational and blame
him for their wrong doing/fault. He should not lose his temper at all as it
may worsen the situation. He should have complete faith and confidence
in himself when all others disbelieve him but at the same time, he should
also consider their doubts/suspicions to understand what made them do
so. By allowing them to doubt him, he can ensure that he is not doing
something wrong knowingly or unknowingly. He should learn to exercise
patience and should not get fed up of waiting to get success in life and
doing honest hard work. If someone harms him by telling lies about him,
he must not lie in response rather he should remain truthful and
righteous. If someone hates him, he himself should not practise hating in
return and should remain positive, respectful and caring towards others.
In fact, he should not be bad to the wrong doers. He should neither be
too nice to them nor too intelligent/sagacious in conversation with them.
Instead, he must remain humble even after having such qualities.
Stanza # 2
The poet tells his son that it is good to dream big and set high aims in
life to succeed but he must not permit his dreams to rule him altogether.
He should not become a slave to his ambitions rather he must remain
very much realistic and sensible and should not use any unfair means to
achieve them. If he thinks about his future and plans ahead, he should
not just sit and continue thinking, instead, he should execute his plans
by working hard in order to achieve success. Mere dreaming and
thinking never prove fruitful. The poet personifies Triumph and Disaster
as two imposters (fakes/frauds) whom his son may come across in life.
These are the two extremes, two contrasting shades of life. Winning
some Triumph or victory may make him extremely happy and conceited
whereas facing some Disaster or failure/downfall may make him
miserable and disheartened. In either case, he must not get
deceived/distracted rather should deal with them equally. He should not
take them seriously as they both do not last long. He must have the
strength to endure/face the hardships upon speaking the truth because
certain dishonest people may distort his words in order to befool others
and make them think wrong about him, thereby harming his reputation.
He must have the courage to see the things on which he spent all his
effort and time to build in life suddenly get ruined. In such testing times,
he should muster up courage, pick up the broken pieces and try to
rebuild/fix them with ‘worn-out’ (already used a lot) tools, that is,
determination, hard work and sincerity.
Stanza # 3
The poet further advises his son that he should gain a lot many victories
in his life yet he must always remain prepared to risk everything even if
he loses. He should never be fearful of taking risk of doing things that
can either make one successful or ruin everything just like playing the
game of ‘Pitch-and-toss’, in which one may win and get a lot or lose the
game and all possessions. In case of facing some failure or loss in life,
he must not lose hope rather he should try again with a new resolution
and must not quit or give up at all. In addition to this, he should not utter
a word of complaint about his loss in front of others by being ungrateful
to the Lord and should remain optimistic. This is something that will
make him exercise forbearance and remain strong during tough times.
With his will power, he should compel his heart, mind and physical
strength to do their job even if he feels that they are no longer there to
support and serve him. In other words, during difficult circumstances,
when he feels all broken down, he must hold fast, show perseverance
and use his will power – the only driving force that will make him
succeed by overpowering his weakness.
Stanza # 4
The poet continues guiding his son by telling him that he must remain in
touch with people belonging to every class of the society. While
interacting and conversing with ‘crowds’ - the common people, he must
retain his virtue, integrity and moral values. On the contrary, when he is
in the company of ‘kings’ – men of power and authority, he must not
forget himself being a common man and should not fall prey to pride and
ego. In fact, he should retain his individuality as a good human being
who knows how to behave decently in the company of all kinds of
people. He should not allow anyone – his enemy or friend, to harm him.
He may others to depend on him but not to take too much advantage of
him. He must do the best use of his time without wasting even a single
second. And if he acts upon these valuable pieces of advice, he will
become a successful Man and the Earth and everything contained in it
will certainly belong to him.
Theme
This didactic and motivating poem fashioned as a parental advice from a
father to his son highlights the fact that man’s life is worth living when it
is purposeful and beneficial for others. A man must lead a virtuous and
upright life devoid of wrong doings, falsehood and hatred. He must set
certain goals in his life to succeed. He must develop certain good
character traits in order to become a better human being in the true
sense of the term. He must neither lose heart upon facing failure nor
become proud on gaining victory rather he must take them as two
different realities/shades of life. He must exhibit the best of his conduct
in all kinds of circumstances, should be prepared to take risks in life,
should never quit struggling hard, instead, he should use his will power
to achieve success ultimately. He should take maximum benefit of the
time that he has. In short, by possessing all these traits he can certainly
become a successful Man - the true inheritor of the Earth.
Critical Appreciation
Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece poem – ‘IF’ is didactic as well as
inspirational as it is written in the form of a parental yet friendly advice
from a father, the poet himself, to his son – John. It progresses with the
valuable advice and guidance of the father. He reveals to his son the
secret to become a better human being, motivates him to adopt certain
positive traits and stance in life to succeed and eventually inherit the
Earth and everything contained in it.
The poem comprises four stanzas (Octaves - each having eight lines in
it). The rhyme scheme of the first stanza is aaaabcbc whereas that of
the remaining three stanzas is ababcdcd each. The diction used by the
poet is simple and explicit. It is written in the second person narrative
using the pronoun ‘you’ in order to create a direct connection with the
reader to listen to different pieces of advice and act upon them. The tone
is advisory as well as caring. Every point is beautifully dealt with in the
form of ‘if’ and ‘result’ conditional clauses in order to make it clear that if
the reader adopts a positive trait or avoids something negative, what will
happen in return. It advises the reader to lead a life of faith and dignity.
He should never lose hope upon meeting some failure rather should
muster up courage, persevere and try again in order to achieve the lost
glory through earnest hard work. He should be honest and upright and
should know how to behave in the company of the ordinary people and
the men of authority.
The apt use of different figures of speech like, personification
(‘Triumph’ and ‘Disaster’- personified as two ‘Imposters’ assigning them
human trait of deceiving and doing fraud), anaphora (repetition of the
same word ‘If’ at the beginning of 13 lines in different stanzas to
emphasize a point and enhance the overall impact), imperatives (telling
the son not to do something wrong - ‘don’t deal in lies’, ’don’t give way to
‘hating’, ‘don’t look too good , nor talk too wise’), alliteration (repetition
of same consonant letter or consonant sound at the beginning of closely
placed words in a line to create rhythm/musical effect – ‘Twisted by
knaves to make a trap for fools’, ‘And - which is more – you’ll be a Man,
my son!’), assonance (repetition of the same vowel letter or vowel
sound in closely placed words in a line to create rhythm/musical effect –
‘And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise’) has added to its overall
beauty and impact. In fact, it is a fine piece of poetry that leaves a lasting
impact on the reader’s mind and soul as being a ‘rule book’ to perfect
the art of living and to be human.

Unit 7: HUBBLE

Q1. Why did the cosmologists need a telescope in space well above
the Earth’s atmosphere?
Ans: Cosmologists needed a telescope in space well above the Earth’s
atmosphere because they wanted to peer at the universe from well
above the interference of the Earth’s ever turbulent atmosphere, which
relentlessly blurs the view in ground based telescope and makes stars
twinkle. According to cosmetologists a telescope in space would be able
to survey the complete sphere of the sky and will provide a clear and
original image of the space.
Q2. What does the author mean by the sentence “when we look at
stars we look at history”?
Ans: When we look at stars we look at history. The light that reaches us
from the farthest objects in the universe is the light that left those objects
billions of years ago, so we see them as they appeared long ago. The
most distant galaxies look strange, smaller, irregular, lacking clearly
defined shapes. No telescope before Hubble had the resolution to see
these distant galaxies.
Q3. Why will the life on Earth not disturb even if our galaxy
Milkyway collides with its neighbouring Andromeda?
Ans: When galaxies collide, they pass through each other, their stars
don’t crash into each other because of the immense distances between
them. That is why if our galaxy Milkyway collides with its neighbouring
Andromeda, the life on Earth will not disturb as Andromeda is 2.5 million
light years away. This immense distance between them helps preventing
any disturbance on Earth and the effect of the collision will not reach the
life on Earth.
Q4. What is the Hubble Deep Field?
Ans: Astronomers focused Hubble on what appeared to be a nearly
empty patch of sky for 10 days. The results contained 10,000 galaxies at
various stages of evolution and cover a patch of sky smaller than the
size of a pinhole held at arm’s [Link] photograph the entire sky in this
detail would require 13 million Hubble images with comparable
exposure. The stunning mage was called the Hubble Deep Field.

Q5. How does the formation of stars take place in star nurseries?
Ans: Stars are born in clouds of gas and dust. Turbulence from deep
within these clouds creates high density regions called knots. These
knots contain sufficient mass that the gas and dust can begin to collapse
from gravitational attraction. As it collapses, pressure from gravity
causes the material at the center to heat up, creating a protostar. One
day, this core becomes hot enough to ignite fusion and a star is born.
Q6. How do scientists study the atmosphere of an exoplanet
through “fingerprint” technique?
Ans: Hubble became the first telescope to directly detect an exoplanet’s
atmosphere and survey its makeup. As a planet passes between its star
and us, a small amount of light from the star is absorbed by the gas in
the planet’s atmosphere, leaving chemical “fingerprints” in the star’s
light. Hubble uses these fingerprints to study the atmosphere of
exoplanet. For example in exoplanet HD 20945b, Hubble detected the
signature of sodium that did not belong to the star. It was the mark of
sodium in the atmosphere of the planet.
Q7. How will you explain in astronomical terms the statement,
“what you see is not always what you get”?
Ans: What you see is not always what you get because Hubble has
revealed a totally new world to us. When we look at the sky, we just see
bright blue sky in the day time and darkness, twinkling stars and shining
moon at night but in reality there are Milkyways, galaxies, exoplanets
and so many more things. They have their pwn gases, atmosphere and
surroundings. So, with naked eyes we cannot see and even imagine the
vastness of this universe.
 UNIT 8: LESSON FROM THE BATTLE OF UHUD

Q1: What was the composition of the army of the Quraish that
marched to Madina to attack the Muslims?
Ans: The army of the Quraish, led by Abu Sufian, was composed of
three thousand seasoned warriors, seven hundred men in armour and
two hundred men on horseback, accompanied by fiery band of women
under the direction of Abu Sufian’s wife, Hind, thumping Tambourine
and singing enthusiastic war ballads. They were fully equipped with war
weapons.
Q2: Why did the Holy Rasool (PBUH) suggest the defensive
strategy in the battle of Uhud?
Ans: When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) came to know about the
intentions of the Quraish of Mecca, he consulted his companions about
the war strategy. In the opinion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) the best
courses of action for the Muslims with regard to the strength of the
enemy, was to adopt a defensive strategy by remaining in the city of
Madina and by letting the enemy besiege the city. This was because
Muslims’ strength was far shorter than of the enemy, so if the enemy
besieged the city of Madina, its force would be deployed at different
places around the city and the Muslims could easily attack the enemy
at the places where the enemy’s concentration was the weakest. This
way they would decimate them in phases.
Q3: What was the opinion of the youth with respect to facing the
army of the Quraish?
Ans:There were different opinions regarding facing the army of the
Quraish. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the wiser ones were in favour of
staying in the city of Madina and wanted to let the enemy approach the
city. This way they would dissipate the strength of the enemy and
decimate them in phases. However, the youth amongst the Muslims
were seething with intense desire to annihilate the belligerent enemy.
They insisted on the battle in the open field at some distance away from
Madina.

Q4: Why did the Rasool (PBUH) prefer the opinion of

youths regarding facing the enemy in the Battle of Uhud?
Ans: The youth amongst the Muslims were seething with intense
desire to annihilate the belligerent enemy. They wanted to confront
the enemy in open field at some distance outside the city of Madina.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) had a high esteem for youths. He valued
them and reposed a strong confidence in them. In reverence to their
passions and emotions he went even against his own opinion and
decided to face the enemy outside the city in an open field. This
shows the Prophet’s (PBUH) extraordinary value and importance to
youth.
Q5: How did the course of the Battle of Uhud change for a time in
favour of the Quraish of Mecca?

Ans: When the Battle of Uhud seemed to be only a step away from a
decisive Muslim victory, a serious mistake committed by a part of the
Muslim army changed the course of the battle for a time in favour of
the Quraish of Mecca. This was when the Muslims had won the first
round that gave a fatal blow to the morale of the enemy. The Quraish
seemed to be in a state of confusion and they began to waver.
Muslims assumed that they had already won a victory. They made a
tactical mistake to descend into the plain below. Their captain,
Abdullah ibn Jubair, abjured them not to abandon the pass but they
paid no heed and swept into the valley and started collecting Mal e
Ghanimat. The Quraish leader, Khalid bin Waleed who had not yet
converted to Islam, noticed that the strategic pass to the left of the
Muslim army was unguarded, he immediately seized the opportunity to
attack the handful of the pickets still at the with his cavalry. This way
the Muslims were surrounded from both the rear and front sides. This
changed the course of battle.

Q6: What happened after the false rumour about the martyrdom of
the Holy Rasool (PBUH) was spread by the infidels?
Ans: A companion of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) Masaab Ibn Umayer
(RA) had physical resemblance with him. He fought bravely. The Holy
Prophet (PBUH) gave him the banner of Islam. He was martyred and the
banner of Islam fell on the ground. Seeing his dead body, the Quraish
shouted that the Holy Prophet (PBUH), God forbid, had been martyred.
This beefed up the morale of the polytheists of Makkah but the Muslims
were deeply demoralized. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
was wounded and fell in a pit over the dead bodies of his followers.
Hazrat Ali (RA) the companion and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet
(PBUH), rushed to the position where the Prophet (PBUH) was
stationed. He found that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was wounded. So he
escorted him to safer place.

Q7: What lesson does lie in the Battle of Uhud for the Muslims
in general?
Ans: The Battle of Uhud carries a significant lesson for Muslims of
all times. When Muslims saw that the fleeing Quraish were leaving
behind valuable belongings and other items of vaue, they lost the
bigger perspective of the battle and greed and ambition took over.
Resultantly, they faced heavy loss and the battle ended in a draw.
They learnt that success is not possible by disobeying the Holy
Prophet’s (PBUH) commands. In addition, the spread of rumours by
the Quraish about the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) martyrdom caused
panic and confusion among the Muslims. This carries a lesson that
rumours should not be believed in. We should rather look to the
facts and reality after confirmation.

Q8: What would have been the result of the Battle had the archers
not left their high post?
Ans: Leaving the post, contravene of the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) strict
directives, was a tactical mistake by the group of archers that brought
heavy loss to the Muslim army. If they had not left their post, Muslim
fighters would not have been killed and they would have a decisive
victory in the battle instead of ending up with grief and sorrow as a result
of loss of precious lives.

Q9: How would you relate the Battle of Uhud to the Battle of Badr?
Ans: The Battle of Badr was the very first battle fought in the name of
Islam. It can be well-related to the Battle of Uhud as the strength of
Muslims in Badr was also far shorter than that of the Quraish. Muslims
were only 313, one third of the Quraish army which comprised of 1000
fighters. Despite their less number, they fought bravely and taught the
Quraish a lesson. The battle of Uhud was fought as a revenge of the
battle of Badr.
 UNIT: 9 THE TOYS
by Coventry Patmore
Q 1: What is the theme of the poem?
Coventry Patmore’s “The Toys” presents several themes such as father-
son relationship and worldliness. It also explores the themes of
childishness, the benevolence of God, and forgiveness. In this poem,
Patmore shares an incident when he rebuked his son for his
disobedience. He became sad and wept alone. After discovering his
child in grief, he realized that he had reacted harshly. While he prayed to
God on that night, he implicitly atoned for his fault. He became
thoughtful of the fact that he was also attracted to the earthly joys.
Hence, he wished God to forgive their childishness just like he forgave
his son.

Q2: What is the symbolic significance of “toys” in the light of the

poem?
In this poem, the ‘toys’ act as a metaphor. Patmore describes how
children take pleasure in simple things that adults would find
meaningless. As grown-ups, they forget to cherish the simplicity and to
be content with less. The grieved boy in the poem sought solace in his
toys when scolded by his father. the boy had sought consolation in his
carefully arranged toys which included a box of counters, a red-vein’d
stone, a piece of abraded glass, some shells, a bottle with bluebell
flowers, and two French copper coins. These things were not extremely
rare or precious but for the boy, they had immense value as they
comforted his sad heart. Here, the term “toys” is used to metaphorically
hint at the materialism of mankind. Fame, money, and earthly success
become the “toys” of adults. These toys become a source of their ‘joys’
so long as they have these things they remain happy. By referring to the
child’s toys and the toys of adults, Patmore points out the worldliness of
adults in comparison with the innocence of children.

Q3: How does the poet relate his own action to the mercy of God?
The father was touched when he found his son sleeping with wet eyes.
The incident had such an impression on his mind that he wept for his
mistake and prayed to God for forgiveness. He realized his ignorance as
an adult. According to him, he weakly understood God’s commands. He
disobeyed his commandments throughout his life not realizing their
 importance. He failed to realize that God’s words are for the collective
good of humankind. But, very few are able to understand it. Like the
speaker was angry with his son, he thinks God might be the same with
him as well as others. So, he wished that He would not be angry with
him. His child’s sadness made him realize the fact that he had also
committed mistakes by not obeying God. He wished that God would
forgive humankind for their ‘childishness’.

Q4: Narrate the story behind the poem in your own words.
‘The Toys’ relates the story of a father who punished his son for his
disobedience The speaker feared that his son would not sleep because
of the pain he inflicted on his heart. So, he went to his room and found
that he was already slumbering deep for his mental weariness after
being rudely treated by his father. His eyes had become dark from
sobbing and his eyelashes were still wet. The father became more
emotional when he noticed that the boy had sought solace in small
ordinary objects to comfort his sad heart. This image of his son evoked a
sense of guilt in his heart. The darkened eyelids of the boy made the
father so sad that he could not help but cry and moan. He kissed on his
wet cheek and left his own on his face. In this way, the poet describes
the soft side of the father’s heart. He indeed reacted cruelly yet he
commiserated with his son. The realization of his mistake made him
return the kiss which he refused to give earlier.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem:

• “The Toys” is written by one of the best-known Victorian poets,

Coventry Patmore. This poem centers on a story of a father and son.
Patmore shares a personal incident that happened between him and his
son. He describes how one day he rebuked his son for disobeying him
for the seventh time. It made his son extremely sad. Later, the poet
realized his mistake and felt guilty for hurting him. It made him think of
how God would judge humankind for their attraction to the mundane
“toys”. Through the reference of this incident, Patmore delves into
worldliness and a sense of guilt in human beings. In this poem, the
“toys” is an important metaphor. On the first hand, it hints at the toys of
the boy. At the same time, it refers to the earthly joys human beings are
attracted to. The poet uses Anaphora in the following lines: “A box of
counters and a red-vein’d stone, / A piece of glass abraded by the
beach”. Personification is used in the phrase “sad heart”. Patmore
describes the stone with human attributes. In the second expression, he
invests the heart with the emotion of sadness.

Summary
“The Toys” begins with a reference to an incident that happened with a
speaker or the poet. Patmore’s poetic persona describes how one day
he rebuked his son for disobeying his orders. He struck him with unkind
words and refused to give him a goodnight kiss. The boy’s mother, being
dead, could not comfort him when he went to bed with a heavy heart.
Later, the speaker went to his room and discovered the toys of the boy
kept close to his bed. These toys included a variety of objects that his
son collected. He treasured them and took solace in times of need. On
the same night when the speaker went to bed, the toys reminded him of
mundane things such as wealth, earthly success, and fame. Humans do
chase after these things without heeding the ultimate truth. According to
the speaker, God might not be angry with their ignorance. Rather, he
would forgive their “childishness”.

PARAPHRASING

LINES 1-6

The child looked at his father with thoughtful eyes. He moved and spoke
quietly. Listening to him, it appeared to the speaker that he had grown
up and became wise. His son disobeyed him for the seventh time. So,
he rebuked him and refused to give him a kiss before he went to
sleep. Besides, his mother was no more. So, there was none to comfort
him except his father.

LINES 7-11

The speaker, being aware of the fact, feared that his son could not sleep
because of the pain he inflicted on his heart. So, he went to his room
and found that he was already asleep. He was slumbering deep for his
mental weariness after being rudely treated by his father. His eyes had
become dark from sobbing and his eyelashes were still wet.

LINES 12-21

The darkened eyelids of the boy made the father so sad that he could
not help but cry and moan. He kissed on his wet cheek and left his own
on his face. There was a table near his head. He had put several objects
that he collected on the table. There was a box of counters, a red-vein’d
stone, a piece of abraded glass, some shells, a bottle with bluebell
flowers, and two French copper coins. Everything was arranged
carefully. Whenever he was sad, he sought solace in his toys.

LINES 22-33

On that night, he returned from his son’s room. He wept for his mistake
and prayed to God for forgiveness. The poetic persona did not wish to
vex or complain to God in the state of trance before death. God, being
aware of the acts of his creation, knows how they found pleasure in their
toys. He failed to understand God’s commands. God is benevolent to
humankind and He was the one who molded him from the clay. So, he
wished that He would not be angry with him and that He would be sorry
for the childishness of humankind.

UNIT : 10 GENDER INEQUALITY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

Q1: Do you agree or disagree with the views of the writer in the
third paragraph of the text?
Ans: I agree with the opinion of the writer that our culture is pervasively
patriarchal and our society is male dominating society which is
organized and conducted in such a way as to suppress and subordinate
women in all cultural domains. In our society men and women are put on
certain paths and throughout their lives are seen as two different
species. From birth, male and female kids are raised differently. Women
are supposed to be submissive to men and are viewed as a property.
They are not allowed to take independent decisions even about their
marriage, education and jobs.
Q2: Give a brief account of the plight of women in Pakistan with
respect to their healthcare issues.
Ans: Women all over Pakistan, particularly in the remote rural areas,
face an extremely awkward situation with respect to health related
issues. Their access to health care system is limited. Pakistan cuts a
sorry figure In terms of maternal mortality rate when compared with other
countries in the region. Due to non-availability of adequate health
facilities and qualified female staff many women lose their lives or their
infants during child birth. Besides, male members of the family do not
want to take their women to male doctors. This makes it harder for
women to receive health care services and resources when they need it
direly.
Q3: What factors are responsible for the economic backwardness
of women in Pakistan?
Ans: The factors responsible for the economic backwardness of women
in Pakistan include poor or irrelevant academics of women along with
some other factors like marriage and culture stereotypes lead to their
joblessness and economic backwardness. They cannot find equal work
opportunities so they remain economically dependent on men; they are
barred from owing lands and their control over household economic
resources is also limited. They are treated as household commodities
and their participation in economic affairs is hindered and discouraged.
Women therefore are more likely than men to be living at or below the
poverty line.
Q4: What does Islam say about women’s rights? Explain your
answer in the light of Quran and Hadith.
Ans: Islam promotes gender equality in all walks of life including
education, healthcare or ownership etc. Gender equality is part of its
jurisprudence and fundamental teachings. According to Islam men and
women are created from a single entity and as a gender, one is not
superior to the other. Allah says in Quran, “For men there is share of
what they earned, and for women there is a share of what they earned”
.The Holy Prophet (SAW) clearly emphasized upon the equality of men
and women in his farewell sermon: “Indeed you have rights over your
wives and your wives have rights over you”.
Q5: State any incident of gender inequality in any sector which you
have ever observed in your immediate surroundings.
Ans: Student’s own effort
Q: 6 What seems to be the motive behind writing this text?
Ans: The motive behind writing this text is to highlight the role of women
in our society and to show that gender inequality is detrimental to
society. A nation cannot make progress and it cannot keep its pace with
the ever advancing nations of the globe without women empowerment
and provision of equal rights to both men and women. This lesson also
throws light on the adverse effects of depriving women from their basic
rights. In the modern world it has become indispensable for a woman to
move ahead in a profession and explore her own human potential.
Moreover it also shows that a nation cannot reach to its heights unless
the women stand side by side with men.
Q:7 What would you suggest for the eradication of gender
inequality?
Ans: In order to eradicate the issue of gender inequality I would suggest
that women should be encouraged to get education so that they may be
aware of their rights. Seminars and conferences should be held in
schools, colleges and universities to create awareness among the
students and provide them practical roadmap for ambitious and
transformative policies regarding empowering women and to create a
gender equal society where women feel empowered. Organizations
should work in rural areas to teach women essential employment and
self-development skills in order to make them financially independent
and confident enough to speak for their rights and privileges. Similarly,
they should be provided with equal work opportunities so that they may
not be dependent on men. Most importantly, we should follow the
teachings of Quran and Sunnah in this regard.

UNIT 11: JAHANGIR KHAN-THE CONQUERER

Q1: Why did Jahangir Khan go against the doctor’s advice of

refraining from taking part in any physical activity?
Ans: It was Jahangir Khan’s high zest and passion to excel that his
physical malady could not refrain him from taking part in the strenuous
game of squash despite his doctor’s advice. He had strong will power
and determination that nothing could deter him from his chosen path.
Although he was physically weak, his enthusiasm could not be fettered
by any means and he embarked on the most grueling sport of squash.
Through his courage he established fame from his incredible fitness
and stamina and was widely known as ‘the fittest player’ in the world of
sports.
Q2: Read paragraph 6 of the text and say what did Jahangir
Khan do to maintain his physical fitness?
Ans: Jahangir Khan maintained his physical fitness with a rigorous
training and regular exercise. He would start his day by doing a
fourteen kilometer jogging in 60-120 minutes followed by short bursts of
timed sprint. Then he would go to gym for exercise finally cooling down
in the pools. He would follow this routine five days a week. On the sixth
day, he would do match practice and the seventh day used to be his
rest day.
Q3: Give a brief detail of Jahangir Khan’s achievements in the
light of the text, ‘Jahangir Khan- The Conquerer’?
Ans: At the tender age of fifteen Jahangir Khan became the youngest
ever winner of the prestigious event of the World Amateur individual
championship. At the age of 17, Jahangir Khan beat the world number
one Geoff Hunt of Australia and became the youngest champion of the
World Open in 1981. He won The World Open Championship for six
times in a row from 1982 to 1991. In 1997, he was elected as the Vice
President of the World Squash Federation. In 2008, he became
Emeritus President of WSF. The Government of Pakistan conferred
upon him the Pride of Performance Award and the Civil Award of ‘Hilal e
Imtiaz’. The Times magazine named him as one of their ‘Asian heroes’
of the last sixty years. The London Metropolitan University granted him
the honorary degree of the Doctorate of Philosophy for his contributions
to sports in 2007. The Japanese Government paid him tribute by issuing
commemorative stamp in his name.

Q4: Keeping in view the achievements of Jahangir Khan,

compare any other national hero in sports with him.

Ans: Wasim Akram (born 3 June 1966) is a Pakistani cricket

commentator, coach, and former cricketer and captain of
the Pakistan national cricket team. Known as the "King of Reverse
Swing" or the "Sultan of Swing", Akram is regarded as one of the
greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket. In October 2013,
Wasim Akram was the only Pakistani cricketer to be named in an
all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden
Cricketers' Almanack.

A left arm fast bowler who could bowl with significant pace, he holds
the world record for most wickets in List A cricket, with 881, and he
is second only to Sri Lankan off-spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan in
terms of ODI wickets, with 502 in total. He is considered to be one
of the founders, and perhaps the finest exponent of, reverse
swing bowling.

He was the first bowler to reach the 500-wicket mark in ODI cricket
during the 2003 World Cup. In 2002, Wisden released its only list of
best players of all time. Wasim was ranked as the best bowler in
ODI of all time, with a rating of 1223.5, ahead of Allan
Donald, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Joel Garner, Glenn
McGrath and Muralitharan. Wasim took 23 four-wicket hauls in 356
ODI matches played. On 30 September 2009, Akram was one of
five new members inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He
was the bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he took
a break from the position for IPL 6, citing a need to spend more time
with family in Karachi.

He was working as director and bowling coach of Islamabad

United in Pakistan Super League, until he left to join Multan
Sultans in August 2017. In October 2018, he was named in
the Pakistan Cricket Board's seven-member advisory cricket
committee. In November 2018, he joined PSL franchise, Karachi
Kings, as a President.

The Government of Pakistan awarded him the Hilal-e-Imtiaz on 23

March 2019 for his life time achievements In field of Cricket.

OR

Shahid Khan Afridi is a Pakistani cricketer and the former captain

of the Pakistan national cricket team. Afridi is widely considered as
one of the most popular and destructive cricketers. An all-rounder,
Afridi bowled leg spin and was recognized for his aggressive
batting. Afridi was also a world record holder, holding the record for
the fastest ODI century, in 37 deliveries. The record stood for 17
years before being broken by Corey [Link] also holds the
record for having hit the most sixes in the history of ODI
cricket. Bowling-wise Afridi, who considers himself a better bowler
than batsman, has taken 395 wickets in ODI and 48 Test wickets. In
addition he has also taken 98 T20I wickets.

Q5: An idiom is the expression whose meaning cannot be inferred

from the meanings of the words that make it up. Find out three
idiomatic expressions from the text and explain their meanings.
Ans:

i. Won his spurs: proved his skills

ii. Went toe to toe: to be in direct competition with someone/ to

fight/ to compete

iii. Fish out of water: being very uncomfortable

Q6: What inspiration do you get from the life of Jahangir Khan?
Ans: In this world, everything is possible on the basis of will power,
determination and sacrifice.

The lesson teaches us that to accomplish the most difficult tasks, you
need to put in a lot of hard work, perseverance and dedication. One
should have patience and unwavering faith in one's self. One should
have determination, dedication and devotion to attain success.

You are bound to face obstacles en route to success, but with courage
and perseverance, you can master them. Your positive attitude and clear
frame of mind determine your future. By your own ideas, will and ability,
you can create a number of chances, circumstances and the desired
atmosphere to achieve the toughest goal.

Nothing is achieved without great enthusiasm and effort. Enthusiasm

puts a sparkle in your eyes, a lilt in your steps. If often makes you
perform, extraordinary feats in very ordinary situations.

UNIT: 12 ALLTHE WORLD’S A STAGE

Explanation (lines 1-6):

In these lines, Shakespeare describes the various stages of human life.
He says that this world is like a stage on which all human beings appear
as actors. They enter the stage at their fixed times and leave it on their
turn. One man plays seven roles in his life. He starts his journey of life
as a child. The poet has given a realistic picture of a child. A child is a
helpless creature. At this stage, he is seen crying and vomiting out milk
in his mother’s arms. He seems totally helpless and dependent in this
stage.
Explanation (lines 7-9):
In these lines, the poet wants to tell us that human life is not a fixed and
static thing. It is constantly growing and changing. Man becomes a
schoolboy after passing through the period of childhood. In the second
stage of man’s life, he can be seen as a complaining schoolboy with a
shining morning face walking slowly but not ready for school. Perhaps
the change in atmosphere, homesickness and the burden of new
responsibility make him go to school reluctantly. “Creeping like a snail”
is a simile which means the child does not want to go to school and his
speed of walking is so slow that it is comparable to a snail. The child has
a heavy bag in his back which is similar to the shell of the snail.
Explanation (lines 9-11):
In these lines, the poet has described the third stage of man’s life in a
realistic manner. This stage starts with the man’s stepping into
adolescence and now he is full of deep emotions and passions. He is full
of vigour and energy. In this stage of life, man is lost in the world of his
own dreams. He runs after his mission in a wild and passionate manner.
He becomes a lover and craves a sweetheart. He is trying to get her
attention, in addition, the indication here is that his lover is of fine beauty
and her eyes and eyebrows feature may be her most lovely
characteristics. “Sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad” is a
simile this means as a fire flames in a furnace and billows now and then,
swaying and moving, it seems as if it were sighing. The poet compares
this to the sighing of the boy in love as he is passionate about his love
and has fiery vehemence causing occasional sighs just like the furnace.
Explanation (lines 9-15):
In these lines, the poet has given us the most realistic and accurate
picture of the fourth stage of man’s life. In this time man becomes an
ambitious solider. He is ready to undertake any adventure in order to
gain honour, glory and fame. In fact, at this stage, man has all the
qualities of a fit solider. He is at the climax of his youth and physical
strength. His practical life begins at this stage. He sets high aims and
makes great vows. With his small beard he looks like a leopard. Power
in his body forces him to accept any challenge. He wants to surpass
others. He craves for even temporary fame and is ready to take risks in
his life. During this career, he is always ready to undertake adventure
and take challenges for money and reputation. Here the phrase “jealous
in honour” means a person in the soldier’s stage is very aggressive and
this is a conceit to demonstrate how volatile man at this stage of life can
be. “The bubble reputation” this phrase means the temporary
reputation like a bubble which is temporary and can burst at any point of
time. He is ready to with his enemy and wants to gain the unstable fame
and name even by sacrificing his life in the battle field.
Explanation (lines 15-19):
In the fifth stage, a man plays his part as a wise and serious man. Now
he is mature in mind and becomes a good judge of things. His belly
becomes round to eating and has a beard of normal cut. He becomes
strict in dealing with routine matters. The severity in his eyes shows the
seriousness of the situation. He pays full attention to the details of every
matter. His conversation is loaded with proverbs and wise sayings. In his
conversation, he uses instances of the past and present events. In this
way, he plays a very important and useful role in society. “In fair round
belly with good capon lined” it simply means with age and maturity he
gains experience and wealth and wealth is shown by the term fat belly,
as the stomach is full of well-cooked chicken and sumptuous meal.
Explanation (lines 19-25):
In these lines, the poet describes the sixth stage of human life. In this
stage a man appears to be an old, weak and feeble person and thinks
that he has retired from the activities of life. He becomes slim and his
former garments become loose to him. He starts wearing spectacles and
the skin of his cheek starts drooping. His legs become thinner and the
trousers he used to wear in his youth are too loose for him now. His big
and manly voice changes into a childish treble and he gives out a piping
sound, rather a sound of whistle can be heard in his breath.
Explanation (lines 25-28):
In these lines, the poet describes the last stage of human beings. The
last stage is the stage of oblivion and [Link] can be called
extreme old age. It is the stage of total forgetfulness and second
childishness. This stage puts an end to the eventful and busy life of man.
He cannot enjoy the charms of life and becomes without teeth, without
eyesight, without taste and without everything. It evokes a feeling of
pathos and at this stage man’s life becomes very painful and difficult.
This is the last stage in which he completes the drama of his life and
leaves the stage of this world for the next.

Q. 1 What is the dominant theme of the poem “All The World’s A

Stage”?
Ans: The poem “All The World’s A Stage”, composed by William
Shakespeare is taken from his play “As You Like It”. Here he compares
the world to a stage, where the drama of human life is enacted. The
theme of the poem is based on the cycle of life. Shakespeare divided life
into seven stages, each having its own varied qualities and features. It
tells us how one starts out as an infant, helpless and without
understanding. He then develops into a school boy, then a lover, soldier,
then to someone who sees justice. Then the stage of an aged man
comes, where he shifts and shuffles along and finally ending in a ripe old
age which is childishness once again- without teeth, taste, sight and
understanding. The poet indirectly concludes that man is the ultimate
loser in the game of life.
Q.2 Write the critical appreciation of the poem “All The World’s A
Stage”.
Ans: In “All The World’s A Stage”, Shakespeare creates a somber and
depressing mood through the simple break down of life, success, love
and death. The stages of life are compiled into a short Jaques(one of the
main character in Shakespeare’s play As You Like It) monologue. The
poem is written in blank verse (unrhymed verse) i.e. there is no rhyme
scheme. There are many figures of speech like simile, alliteration but the
one that stands out is extended metaphor (it is a version of metaphor
that extends over the course of multiple slines, paragraphs or stanzas of
prose or poetry), in the first two lines there is an implied, comparison
between two different things. The poet has indirectly compared the world
to the stage of a theatre. From “exits” and “entrances” the poet
indirectly compares death and life. The poet has made use of
onomatopoeia (use or formation of words which sound like the meaning
they represent), when he mentions the “mewling” of an infant in the
mother’s arms. The word mewling denotes the sound of the cry of an
infant. The word “sighing” shows the sound of the lover’s deep breath,
which is similar to that of furnace. The poet provides a direct comparison
between the school boy and snail through simile. Further he compares
the signing of a lover to a furnace. In the end he makes use of repetition
of the word “sans” and draws a sad and realistic picture of human life.
He states that life is temporary and changing phases of life pass too
quickly. This last stage is very pathetic and a man loses almost all his
senses and joys of life. Throughout the poem the language is simple and
the imagery is attractive. He ends on a sad and depressing note that
after performing the role allotted by God, he leaves the leaves the world.

UNIT 13: TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Q1: Why do we need more technical education than general

education in Pakistan?
Skilled and well-trained workforce of a country is crucial to its economic
growth and industrialization. Pakistan is passing through demographic
transition. It currently has ‘the largest generation of young people in its
history’ and it is critical to train this ‘youth bulge’ and equip them with
modern skills through technical education and training. By utilizing the
potential of Pakistani youth, technical education can help control
unemployment and poverty. We can develop an effective technical
vocational education and training (TVET) system through political
commitment, allocation of adequate funds and implementable policies to
build the economic future of Pakistan. The father of the nation, Quaid-e-
Azam, also stressed the need for technical education. During his speech
at Dhaka University he said, “There is an immense scope in technical
education for we want technically qualified people very badly.”

Q2: How did technical education help Japan and Germany recover
their economy after World War II?
Japan and Germany have played an exemplary role in the field of
technical education. In the field of technical education, Pakistan should
learn from such developed countries. These two countries revolutionized
their economies after World War-II through a laser-beam focus on
technical and vocational education. Japan developed a skilled and
trained workforce and became noteworthy in the field of technology and
one of the world's leading economies. Germany, the fourth largest
economy in the world today, prides itself on its Vocational Education and
Training (VET) system. More than one-third (33%) of graduates from
secondary school in Germany enter a vocational training program and
about 51 percent of the country's workforce, are skilled workers trained
in the VET system.

Q3: Why is a linkage between industries and the technical

education training centres necessary?
A linkage between industries and the technical education training
centres is essential to maintain a balance between the skilled manpower
required and the skilled manpower available. Economic productivity can
be enhanced if the industry contributes to the development of curricula
and the vocational training centres train the students as per the market
demand. An effective collaboration between industries and the technical
education training centres will help produce the workforce needed and
will ultimately control the rate of unemployment.
Q4: What measures do you suggest for improving the technical
education structure of Pakistan?
The existing TVET system of Pakistan should be expanded as well as
upgraded in terms of improvement in quality. Integration of vocational
education especially at school level and scholarships for the deserving
students will benefit in this regard. The teaching materials and course
curricula should be updated from time to time and vocational education
should be computer-based. The gap between demand and supply of
skilled workers should be minimized by ensuring a strong cooperation
between industry and academia. Awareness campaigns should be
planned to provide information to the general public. Moreover,
vocational education should be made approachable for all.
Q5: How can technical education help in strengthening the
economy of Pakistan?
Technical education can strengthen the economy of Pakistan by
producing well-trained and skilled workforce. According to a recent
UNDP report, 64 percent of our country’s population is younger than
thirty and if this youth bulge is trained and educated properly, it can
prove to be a great asset to the economic progress of Pakistan. A youth
equipped with technical education will result in lower unemployment and
poverty rate. We need to develop and implement the best policies to
improve the quality of TVET as it is imperative for accomplishing
Pakistan’s economic development goals.

Unit: 14 Lingkuan Gorge

Q1. What is the narrator’s job and the purpose of his journey? What
physical conditions persuade him to rest for a few hours?
Ans: The narrator is the chief of the Material Department Depot. His job
is to supervise all the ongoing construction work for the future Paoki-
Chengdu Railway. He is on his way to reach his destination by 10
o’clock in the morning and attend his duties.
The weather is intensely cold due to continuous snow falling. The
narrator is hungry and feels cold. In the dusk, the swirling snowflakes
and the gale make every step a struggle and so he trips and falls badly.
He stumbles in the dark and feels liable to fall into some deep ravine.
These conditions make him so irritated and restless that he wants to rest
for a few hours in some shady place under a cliff.
Q2. About how old is Cheng – Yu? What does he respond when the
narrator asks, “Why isn’t anybody home”?
Ans: The intense cold weather urges the writer to take refuge at some
resting place. He comes to a cave in the cliff side. He sees a little boy
sitting on a small stool. His name is Cheng- Yu and he is almost seven
or eight years old.
When the narrator asks, “Why isn’t anybody home?”, the child replies in
cross question form: “Aren’t I anybody, Uncle?”. He minds the remark of
the narrator that suggests as if he is no body. The way he walks towards
the writer with his hands at his back and his chest extended shows that
he considers himself a “grown – up somebody”.
Q3. What work do Cheng – Yu parents do?
Ans: Cheng – Yu parents are very hard working and very true to their
professions. His father is a labourer who opens up the mountains and
drills holes for dynamite charges. Cheng –Yu’s mother works as a traffic
controller and directs the traffic streaming in both the directions. She
stands on the narrow and dangerous road that has been blasted through
the rocks and controls the traffic in extreme cold weather.
Q4. What “job” has Cheng – Yu been assigned?
Ans: Cheng –Yu has been given the responsibility to take care of his
baby sister Pao –Cheng when his parents are out on their specific jobs.
He is a very responsible little child who performs his duty well. Although
it is quite cold and chill yet he does not go to bed to take rest. Even
when he feels dizzy, he doesn’t sleep and remains awake till his parents
return.
Q5. What explanation does Cheng – Yu give for refusing the
narrator’s advice to go to sleep?
Ans: When the narrator sees Cheng – Yu dozing on a small stool in
cold weather and advises him to sleep, he at once shakes his head
violently and says, “Papa and mama say a man should never leave his
post”. He means that a person should not ignore his duty and fulfill his
commitments honestly without cheating and dodging. He suggests that a
person should stay alert and active on his job and should not shirk his
duty.
Q6. What does the narrator do in the final paragraph? What does he
realize is waiting for him?
Ans: In the last paragraph the narrator is really moved by the sense of
responsibility and determination of little Cheng – Yu who says that “a
man should never leave his post”. To hear this, his lost spirits are
reawaken. He rises, buttons up his coat, pulled his hat down firmly and
leaves the cave. He realizes that his job in the material department as a
chief is waiting for him and he should reach his post without any delay.
Q7. What sort of child is Cheng – Yu? What attitude does he display
towards his parents and his responsibilities?
Ans: Cheng –Yu is the central character of the story. He is very sensible,
strong, bold and determined boy. He is just seven or eight years old but
his spirits are high and he has a greater sense of responsibility. His
attitude towards his parents is like that of a remarkable obedient son,
who sacrifices his rest and performs the duties assigned to him by them.
He looks after his baby sister till the arrival of his mother. He complies
with the advice of his parents that “a man should never leave his post”.
Q8. What change in mood or outlook does the narrator experience
in the course of the story? What causes the change?
Ans: In the beginning of the story, the narrator is tired and hungry and
wants a place to rest. His mood changes from pessimism to optimism
when he observes the sense of responsibility exhibited by the boy and
his parents. When the boy refuses to sleep saying that, “a man should
never leave his post”, this changes the outlook and mood of the narrator.
He is really moved by the determination of little Cheng –Yu. He himself
learns a great lesson that a man should give first priority to his work. He
is prompted to set off for his destination and perform his duty there.
Q9. What ideas about work does the story convey? What else does
the story suggest is valuable?
The story “Lingkuan Gorge” conveys the lesson that one should be
diligent and dutiful. The work should not be considered burdensome;
rather one must realize the importance of responsibility and perform it
with devotion. The story also suggests that “a man should never leave
his post”. This principle of life makes one responsible, determined,
committed and successful. Observing the extreme sense of
responsibility of the boy, the writer also learns that one must perform the
assigned duties with utmost devotion and sincerity.
The story also suggests that one should never be as vulnerable as to be
defeated by physical conditions as the boy and his parents are seen
performing their duties effectively irrespective of the intense weather
conditions. Cheng – Yu being dutiful and obedient to his parents reflects
that sometimes a younger person may influence an older person to
change his mind.

UNIT: 15 Once Upon A Time

Stanza: 1 (Explanation)
The poem begins in a tale like fashion. The title is the very first line of
this piece. From this line, it becomes clear that the speaker is the father
of the child referred to as “son”. He is the speaker of this piece and
describes the lack of compassion in modern times. He begins his story
by talking about wholeheartedly. Here, “they” represent the native
Africans. They not only laughed with their faces but also with their eyes.
Eyes are the canvas of a person’s mind. So, what appears in the mind
gets portrayed in his or her eyes. Okara refers to this fact for creating a
contrast. According to him, now people “only laugh with their teeth”.
Readers can sense the irony of this fragment. Their eyes are like ice
blocks, it is a metaphorical reference to their coldness. The warmth of
conjugal love and compassion is missing in their eyes. When they meet
a person, they search whether he is alone or someone else is behind
him. The poet says they search behind his shadow to make sure if he is
alone or not. Otherwise, they have to bear the pain of another guest.
Stanza: 2 (Explanation)
In this stanza, the speaker creates another contrast by portraying the
custom of shaking hands. There was a time, indeed, when “they used to
shake hands with their hearts”. It means there was warmth of happiness
in their hearts. They responded warmly and passionately to the person
standing in front of them. The speaker sadly says, “but that’s gone, son”.
There is a sense of grief and despair in his tone. Nowadays, people
shake hands as a customary gesture only. The basic essence of
happiness is absent in both their eyes and hands. Satirically, the poet
remarks on how people search his empty pockets with their left hands.
This peculiar gesture points to another interesting idea. It is materialism
and selfishness. Now, people only think about what they need feel like
ignoring the person even if they were in touch in the past.
Stanza: 3 (Explanation)
The third stanza describes another humorous incident that occurred with
the speaker. He says, when he visits his relatives they welcome him by
saying “Feel at home!” While parting, they bid him come once again.
But, his frequent visits made them so annoyed that the third time, he
finds their doors closed on him.
Stanza: 4 (Explanation)
After describing the peculiarities of the modern age, the speaker tells his
child that he has learned many things. The most important thing is that
he has learned to imitate others. He now wears many faces like dresses.
The following lines present a series of facial expressions. According to
the poet, nowadays a person puts different expressions on his face. The
facial expression at home does not resemble the expression at public
places such as office, neighbourhood, party etc. Such uniformity of
smiles in respect to different situations somehow troubles the poet.
That’s why he compares their smiles to “a fixed portrait smile”. Like a
portrait has no sign of life in it, their smile does not have any sign of
liveliness or compassion.
Stanza: 5 (Explanation)
The ideas of the previous stanzas: smiling with teeth and shaking hands
with heart, reappear in this stanza but, the context is different.
Previously, the speaker criticized such attitudes. Now he has shaped
himself in society’s order. He smiles by showcasing his teeth and shakes
hands just for the sake of it. He has also learned to hide his real
emotions in the guise of saying something else. The theme of
expression vs. reality is portrayed in these lines “I have also learned to
say, Goodbye,/ when I mean ‘Good-riddance’. ” Readers have already
felt the ironic smite. He presents another contrasting idea in the following
lines. Ironically, he has learned the art of saying “Glad to meet you” even
if he is not glad to meet the person. If he is bored with a person, he
fakes his real emotions by saying, “It’s been nice talking to you”. Such
things are not uncommon in the modern age. People are so artful in
creating facial facades that they can deceive a person easily.
Stanza: 6 (Explanation)
However, the speaker is not quite relieved even if he has learned the art
of faking real emotions. He expresses his desire to go back to the past
when everything was simple. In his childhood, innocence reigned in
people’s hearts. They never knew the art of deceiving someone by
hiding real emotions. They were pure and genuine at heart and they did
not have any hidden ulterior motive. That’s why they didn’t need to
conceal anything. He wants to unlearn these “muting things”. It is a nice
metaphor for describing the expressions that kill the spirit of compassion
and sympathy for one another. In contrast, he wants to learn again the
art of smiling wholeheartedly that he has forgotten in the course of time.
When he looks at the mirror, he finds only his teeth like a snake’s fangs.
It is a roundabout hint to the mindset of selfish, modern people. The
`“snake’s bare fangs” is a symbol of mischief, selfishness, sneaky and
deceitful.
Stanza: 7 (Explanation)
The last stanza is short as here the speaker tries to present an important
idea. He finds the source of innocence and simplicity in his son. If he
imitates his child, he can unlearn the peculiarities that intruded in his
heart. He asks his son to show him how to smile. The can remind him
how he used to smile in his own childhood days. So, there is a sense of
going back to the past in his tone. His heart longs for the days when
everything was simple, true and heartwarming. He is yearning for
innocence, faithfulness and sincerity.
Q. 1 What is the dominant theme of the poem “Once Upon A
Time”?
Ans: Gabriel Okara’s poem “Once Upon A Time” is a comment on
society in the form of an address from a father to a son which bemoans
the loss of innocence, purity, genuineness and honesty among people
and a strong desire to revert back to his blissful childhood. The poet
expresses his nostalgic feeling for the past when the people had true
and sincere feelings for one another; they laughed, greeted and missed
one another from the core of their heart and did not fake their feelings
and emotions. Unlike the so-called modern and civilized people, they did
not wear multiple faces for social dealing rather their attitude and
relations were characterized by warmth, love and sincerity. In fact, the
poet condemns the hypocrisy and affection of the modern people who
are greatly influenced by the western norms and culture and wants his
son to help him regain his past innocence and purity of heart and soul in
order to become the one he used to be.
Q.2 Write the critical appreciation of the poem “Once Upon A
Time”.
Ans: “Once Upon A Time” gleaned by the pen of Gabriel Okara is a
didactic poem comprising seven stanzas. The mood of the poem is
nostalgic. The poem is about a father who speaks regretfully about the
present time because people have lost the innocence and purity which
he now sees in his son. He notices a marked change in the attitudes of
his people who were once genuine, warm and sincere but have now
suddenly turned cold and frigid towards him. He wants to regain his
innocence which is a fading aspect in adult society overall. He laments
the lost innocence of youth. In it he condemns the hypocrisy of adults-
hemmed in and constrained by rules and conventions-adopting masks
for different occasions: for lying, cheating and betraying-whereas
childhood is portrayed as a time of honest laughter and spontaneity. The
poem highlights the guilt and resentment an African man feels for
himself to accept the culture of the westerners. The poet’s use of
childlike lexical field contradicts the poem’s morals about growing up.
The poem is structured like a mirror as the first three stanzas talk about
innocence whereas the next three portray experience. The poet uses
metaphor “ice-blocked-cold eyes” to express emotionless and
unwelcoming behavior of people. He uses similes to compare changing
facial expressions to changing dresses and fake smile of people to smile
in a portrait. He also compares his teeth to “a snake’s bare fangs” to
describe his sneaky and deceitful smile.

UNIT : 16 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN PAKISTAN

Q1. What is the world's view of tourism potential in Pakistan?
Ans: Pakistan is a home to diverse topography and cultures, from scenic
to religious attractions, the country holds strong tourism potential.
World's best tourists spots are located in [Link] World Economic
Forum placed Pakistan among the top 25 percent of global destinations
for its UNESCO 'World Heritage Sites '.Pakistan is ranked number one
on Conde' Nast Traveller's list of 20 best holiday destinations for 2020.
Lonely Planet called Pakistan ', tourism’s next big thing. Another
magazine 'Frobes' ranked Pakistan as one of the '10 coolest places to
go in 2019'. The British Backpacker Society (BBS) declared Pakistan as
the world's third best potential adventure destination for [Link] year
before , the BBS declared that 'Pakistan tops the list of world's best
travel destinations', describing it as 'one of the friendliest countries on
earth'.
Q2. What are the natural attractions for the tourists in Pakistan?
Ans: Pakistan has immense potential for tourism. It is blessed with
countless natural wonders and attractions. There are high mountain
ranges in the north. The plains and deserts of central Pakistan and the
Arabian Sea in the south are natural attractions for the tourists. The
mountain ranges include the famous Himalayas, Karakoram and the
Hindukush. There are some of the world's highest peaks including K2.
The ancient Silk Road linking Pakistan to China is situated here. Baltoro
Glacier is one of the world's largest valley glaciers is also situated
[Link] are mountaineering destinations like K2, Broad Peak, and
the Gasherbrum peaks in it. The valleys of Kaghan and Sawat, the
famous Khyber Pass, the beautiful serene valleys of Gilgit, Hunza and
Sakardu are situated in Pakistan. All of the above mentioned places
make Pakistan the best holiday destination for tourists across the globe.
Q3. What is the historical importance of 'Karakoram Highway'?
Ans. The 806 km Karakoram Highway is constructed along with the
ancient Silk Road. It is the highest trade route in the world which links
Pakistan and [Link] Mintaka Pass also lies along with the fabulous
ancient Silk Road that linked Europe to Asia. On this route , history's
most famous tourists have [Link] tourists included the Venetian
trader Marco Polo in the thirteenth century, the Chinese Monk Fe Hien in
the fourth century, and an Arab historian Al-Beruni in the eleventh
century.
Q4. Which religious sites attract the tourists to Pakistan? What is
their significance?
Ans. Pakistan has numerous religious [Link] is a land of Spiritual
endowment, it is also resting place of many spiritual saints from all
religions including Hindu Tiraths dating back to 30000 BC, the famous
stupas of Buddhist Dharma Rajika, and the birth place of Guru Nanak,
katas Raj temple and many other religious saints .Pakistan is a keeper
of rich collections of sacred relics and superb specimens from Budhist
[Link] example the Buddhist ruins of Taxila are priceless
treasures of immense interest to Buddhists and researchers who visit
Pakistan. Pakistan has historical churches in various locations. There
are numerous sacred Sikh sites in Pakistan including Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib, Kartarpur, near Lahore. Thousands of pilgrims visit these places
across the globe.
Q5. How is Balochistan important for tourism?
Ans: Balochistan has been blessed not only with nature ‘s bounty of
mineral resources but also with immense natural beauty that comprises
mountain ranges, mines, and a very long coastal belt, including the
newly developed Gwadar Port. It has many caves for tourists to visit.
Some of them are pretty famous including Pakistan’s naturally
decorated cave, the Mangocher Cave. Makran Coastal Highway is a
scenic drive along Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast. The route starts in
Karachi and runs through Gwadar to the Iran border. Natural rock
sculptures, like the sphinx-shaped “Loin of Balochistan” cab be found
along this highway. Unique lunar rock formations line a section of the
highway known as Buzy Pass in Hingol National Park. This is Pakistan’s
largest park which is renowned for its diverse wildlife ie Sindh leopards,
chinkaras, honey badgers, and Indian pangolins. Balochistan is also
best known for its cluster of active mud volcanoes including famous
Chandra gup volcano which is annual pilgrimage site for thousands of
Hindus along with nearby Hinglaj Temple. All these sites are worth
visiting and are a vibrant source for Tourists Attractions.
Q6. How can we improve the global image of Pakistan to attract
tourists from around the world?
Ans: We can improve the image of our beloved country Pakistan to
attract tourists from around the world by taking certain measures. Living
in cyber age, we can propagate our blogs so that net users round the
world can be attracted to the exhibited touring sites. Likewise, we can
target our desired visitors by catching the latest traveling trends and
adventures. Today’s world is deplorably lacking Natural Beauty and our
country is potentially rich in Natural beauty. So according to the
authentic information provided in this present unit government should
expand touring sites in all parts of the country. Swift traveling modes
should be accessible to the target tourists. Pakistan is land of historical
buildings, religious shrines and breathtaking Natural beauty which
remains a permanent destination for the tourists and researchers.
Through selfless and systematic progressive efforts at public and
personal level, we can get an overwhelming number of tourists making
Pakistan a peaceful and safe haven to greet the world.
Q7. Highlight Pakistan as a tourist destination for “Buddhist” and
“Sikh” tourists.
Ans: Pakistan is a land of love and hospitality, a land of Spiritual
endowment, as well as the resting place of many spiritual saints from all
religions. The disciples of Buddha attaining ‘nirvan’ are buried in
Pakistan under the remains of Gandhara civilization. Baba Guru Nanak,
the founder of the Sikh religion has been buried here. The followers of
these faiths are vivid visitors of Pakistan.
Since, born in the foothills of the Himalayas, Buddhism has found its
avid followers, supporters and patrons, here, in Gandhara, the land of
Fragrance. Thus Pakistan has become the custodian of the rich
collections of sacred relics and superb specimens of art and architecture
from Buddhist civilization. For example, the Buddhist ruins of Taxila are
invaluable treasures of immense interest to Buddhists and researchers
who visit Pakistan around the world. Taxila, became Centre of
excellence when the first ever university was founded there in the 10th
century BC, is a permanent source of tourists attraction.
Likewise, Pakistan has always been favorite visiting spot for Sikh
Community. There are numerous sites in Pakistan that are sacred to
them. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur.

UNIT 17: Désirée’s Baby

By Kate Chopin
Q1: Write down the central idea of the lesson ‘Désirée’s Baby’?
The story explores the psychological impacts of slavery and racial
inequality. The violence and physical abuse that was so much a part of
slavery in the 19th century Louisiana is implied in Armand’s “strict”
treatment of his slaves. The story condemns racism by showing how the
racial prejudice of its white characters causes them to see a
person’s race as more important than that person’s self. On discovering
that his child may not be entirely white, Armand immediately blames
Désirée casting her out despite the fact that nothing else has changed.
Désirée is still the same woman with whom Armand fell in love and who
brightened his life and her baby is the same baby he once adored. The
mere fact of her racial history causes Armand to reject her and the baby.
He sees her as simply black and therefore inferior to him. The twist
ending of the story makes obvious the idiocy and tragedy of this way of
seeing the world and makes it evident that one’s racial background is not
obvious at all as, ironically, Armand himself turns out to have Black
ancestry

Q2: Why did Armand not consider Desiree’s origin before marrying
her?
Armand Aubigny least considered her background before marrying the
eighteen years old Désirée who, according to the prevailing belief, had
been abandoned by a party of Texans. He fell desperately in love with
her at the first sight as if struck by a ‘pistol shot’. He made an impulsive
decision to marry her paying no heed to her mysterious background.
Monsieur Valmondé cautioned Armand to at least consider the
background of Desiree but that did not seem to make a difference.
Armand was so infatuated with Désirée from the moment he first saw
her that he made a decision in the spur of the moment. He didn’t care
about her origins also because there appeared to be no reason to
assume Desiree was anything but white as none of her physical features
suggested mixed ancestry.

Q3: Write a brief character sketch of Armand Aubigny.

The rich heir to the Aubigny plantation and fortune, Armand Aubigny is a
strict and cruel master and manager of his plantation. Stunned by her
beauty, Armand falls in love with Désirée and impulsively decides to
marry her, despite knowing little about her origin. This reveals him as a
shallow, vain man. He is also violent and temperamental. His love for
Désirée is compared to destructive things like pistol shots, and his
behavior towards his slaves is strict and cruel, emphasizing that his
“passionate nature” expresses itself through violence. His hatred is so
pure, so raw, and so great that he is blinded by his intense emotions -
first of love for Desiree and then of hatred of the black race. His father,
an “easy-going” man who fell in love with a black woman in France,
serves to contrast Armand’s impulsive and cruel nature. Armand’s
immediate rejection of Désirée after their baby is born and his status as
a slave owner are characteristic of the deeply racist mindsets present in
mid-19th-century Louisiana.
Q4: Why did the behaviour of Armand Aubiny change towards
Desiree as the story proceeds?
When the baby is about three months old, Armand’s behaviour abruptly
changes. He absents himself from the home, and when he is at home,
he avoids Desiree and their child without any excuse. Desiree is
flustered and taken aback when Armand accuses her of being partly
black. One day, Armand walks into Desiree’s room and without noticing
her, goes to a table and begins searching among some papers. She
calls his name, and having realised what her mother had said about the
baby, she asks Armand what the colour of the child means. he replies
that it means that the child is not white. It means that Desiree, Armand
continues, is not white. Here Armand is questioning her background
and compromising her sense of security and self esteem.
Q5: Why did Desiree assume a reason for her child not being
white?
Armand Aubiny aware of Desiree’s obscure origin. He was told that she
was nameless. No one knew anything about her status or her family
history. It was natural that Armand was very likely going to accuse her
of being mixed. He assumed that she belonged to a black race that's
why their child was of black complexion. It is very clear when he says to
Desiree that the child was not white which meant that he was accusing
her of not being white.
Q6: What is the meaning of the phrase “He was reminded that she
was nameless” in the context of Desiree's baby?
When Armand fell in love with Desiree and proposed her, Monsieur
Valmonde tried to tell him about Desiree’s obscure origin by saying that
she was nameless. No one knew anything about her status or her family
history; therefore, she had no family name in the sense that no one
could ascertain whether she came from an impoverished, middle class
or wealthy background. Because Desiree had no established
background, Monsieur Aubiny considered her nameless. The sentence
‘He was reminded that she was nameless’ foreshadows that she will be
accused of being mixed and this is an indication of what occurs later in
the story when Armand tells Desiree, ‘It means that the child is not
white…It means that you are not white.’
Q7: Suggest another ending for the story ‘Desiree's Baby’?
The characters in the story could end up happily. By the end of the story
as Armand is now aware of his own origin and he really repents on his
decision of separating from Desiree, he could have gone back to her and
brought her back to his life. By this, he would be guilty of what he did to
Desiree but Desiree would get a reward for her sacrifices and sufferings.
The baby, in this way, would also not suffer because of his father’s
Racism.

Unit 18 Poem
THE LINES FROM THE DESERTED VILLAGE
 by Oliver Goldsmith
Stanza 1
Paraphrasing : Sweet Auburn was the loveliest village of the plain area
where the working class of the villagers lived a happy and healthy life.
Spring used to come early and the summer used to stay longer than
usual.
Explanation :In these lines the Poet Goldsmith has described the
beauty of his village Auburn. He is overwhelmed by the beauty of the
natural beauty of his village and called it the loveliest village of the plain
area. He recollects the happy villagers who were hardworking and
strong. They cherished rich showers of hardwork and resultant mirth.
Hence, they used to lead a carefree and contented life. The climate of
the village was so fine that spring seemed to dawn there very early and
the beautiful summer stayed there for long time. In short, the sweet
Auburn was full of life and colors.
Stanza 2:
Paraphrasing: Dear lovely branches of trees, you were the bowers of
innocence and ease and I used to sit beneath you. Under your shadow
every sport was amusing. I used to hang with lush green branches of
trees and every scene was full of love and peace. For so many times, I
used to stop and enjoy your beauty.
Explanation : In these lines the Poet Goldsmith adores and recollects
the beautiful shady places of the village Auburn where he had eulogized
prime time of his youth. The lovely shady places of the village gave him
happiness and a feeling of comfort and ease. At that time every sport
was interesting and appealing. He also recalls how often, he used to
walk over the green field of his village and how every scene of the
village was so dear to him.
Stanza 3.
Paraphrasing : The sheltered hits and the cultivated forms, the
continuously flowing streams, the busy mills, the decent church on the
top of the hills, the hawthorn bushes with seats under their shade were
the best features of the beauty of the village. People used to get
together under the shade and old people used to sit and talk under the
shadow of trees.
Explanation : In these lines the Poet has described the beautiful shady
places of the village where he had spent much of his youth time. He
says during his walk he was attracted by various scenes of his village.
He remembers the beautiful cottage under the shady trees. He also
mentions the cultivated form and the shady crops which presented a
beautiful scenic beauty. The mill of the village was always busy in
grinding the flour. The poet praises the stream of the village, which
never got dry in all the seasons. The soft winds blew and whispered
around. Symbolically, the Poet regrets the loss of natural beauty of the
most richly green land. Whatever we may be, wherever we may go, the
Golden memories of our past / childhood remain cemented in our body
and soul.
Stanza 4
Paraphrasing : I used to wait for the blessed day of toil remitting a day
considered to be off from work for villagers. All the villagers used to get
together under the spreading branches of the tree. So many people
would stand in circles around the players presenting their sports.
Explanation :In these lines the Poet Goldsmith recalls how impatiently
he used to wait for the blessed day of holiday when everyone left their
work and came to take part in games under the shade of a big tree
outside the village. All the people of the village took great interest in the
different games and they enjoyed themselves.
Stanza 5
Paraphrasing :Where the old people used to silent and quiet in the
presence of old folk, they used to cherish a lot by participating in the
different games sometimes frolicking on the ground. Similarly, many
sports were presented. When people used to get bored with the games,
the musicians used to mused them with their songs.
Explanation :In these lines the Poet Goldsmith has describing the day
of holiday in the village. The villagers assembled under the shade of a
tree outside their village and played different games. The old people of
the village sat in a circle and watched them. Various forms of playing
activities were taken up to entertain the audience under the shady trees
of spreading trees. These included clever tricks of art and show of
strength. When the villagers got bored by playing one game repeatedly,
the would switch over to some other game. They also danced and
enjoyed themselves. Some dancing pairs tried to tire each other down
and win the appreciation of the villagers.
Stanza 6
Paraphrasing :People used to day continuously on the toil remitting
day. Sometimes, the players would smash dirt on the face of the farmers
but the dancing farmer would continue dancing without noticing the dirt
around him. This would give joy and pleasure to the audience.
Explanation :In these lines the Poet Goldsmith has described the
various games played under the shady trees outside the village. He says
sometimes during the game the villagers used to blacken the face of the
player in a good joke. But he used to be unaware of this. The villagers
assembled around him would laugh at him secretly. Such sports and
merry thought the villagers to work harder and to live a happy life. The
Poet feels sorry to say that all these charms have disappeared now. He
recalls all the charms and grieves to see the village Deserted now. He
feels nostalgic and recalls in detail all the charms that were present in
their village when he was young.
Stanza 7
Paraphrasing :
When the girls used to look at their lovers, their mothers would give
them hard eyes. These were beautiful, charming sports of the village.
The people used to teach others the art of ploughing. O Auburn village!
These were their beauties but now everything has disappeared.
Explanation : In these lines the Poet Goldsmith has described the
general behavior of the mothers towards young loving couples. During
the games, when the girls used to look at their lovers from their hiding,
their mothers would look at them with admonishing eyes. Then the Poet
wraps his explanation and gradually moves toward the end of the poem.
He seems talking to the village and reminds the village that these were
your beauties, charms and attractions of its happiness? Then the Poet
laments that these charms are gone now and the village is Deserted as
the villagers have left the village. They have migrated to cities in search
of money and wealth.

Stanza 8
Paraphrasing :When someone thinks badly for something, he himself
faces illness. When people start preferring money, it results in the decay
of humanity. Princes and lords face ups and downs but when the
villagers who are pride of the country, face decay, it cannot be restored.
Explanation :In these lines the Poet Goldsmith is describing the present
state of the village which looks Deserted. He says that a country begins
to fall a prey to all kinds of evil when it’s people begin to hoard money.
He says that people run after wealth and they never bother about the
well-being of their fellow friends. They are sure to face bad luck. He says
princes and lords can easily sweep down as they might have risen high
in life. But the rise of upper class is not true sign of a country’s progress.
Instead, it is the hardworking farmer who is the real honor and pride of a
country. Once the bold and courageous farmers are destroyed, nothing
can restore them.
Summary:
In this poem the Poet Goldsmith praises his village Auburn. He calls it
happy time of his age. The villagers were very wealthy and cheerful. It
was a fine village where spring reached earlier and they enjoyed long
summer season. The villagers were simple folk and enjoyed very
contented life. The Poet had spent his youth in this village full of color
and life. He, therefore, cannot forget its charms. He remembers that
there were green fields where he wandered, the mill, the stream, the
church. He remembers that there were shady trees to rest and enjoy
chatting. On holidays, the villagers used to enjoy different games. On
such occasions many fears of art and strength were performed. While
the young men used to part actively in various games, the old folk used
to gather and circle around the players to enjoy and encourage them.
The dancing couples performed dances. Sometimes, they used to play
trick on some other farmer as they would smear his face with mud or
blacken it as a good innocent joke which meant to crack a lot of fun and
joy to all the villagers on their toil remitting day. Sometimes a shy girl
would look secretly at her lover, then her mother would reprove her
daughter for her such conduct. Such were the pleasures of his native
village which has been ruined. In the end the Poet says that villages are
the backbone of a country. If they are destroyed once, they can never be
restored again.
Questions.
I. What is the theme / central idea of the poem?
Ans. The theme of the poem is loss of love for nature and its beauty.
The poet laments on the sojourn deal of man to become materialistic
at the expense of sacrificing mother nature. Thematically the poem
also throws light on the significance of natural beauty. The
remembrance of once Beautiful Village Auburn fit for its rich natural
scenic beauty, gardens, games and sports makes the readers
appreciate nature and its unique binding force which gulvanizes the
people and enrich them with contentment of heart and soul. They
eulogize in their available resources and yearn for one another’s
company to spend quality leisure hours. Their onerous hardwork
never tires them.
Critical Appreciation:
The Lines from the Deserted Village is a pastoral elegy. Goldsmith in
this poem has mingled his idealized scenes of British rural life with
the simplicity and most appealing attributes of his careless youth
spent in the arable lands of Ireland. The tone of the poem is simply
nostalgic. He has serious concern with the agricultural [Link]
is saddened by the displacement of farmers from their lands and uses
hyperbole to exaggerate the shifting of farmers to big cities. He uses
this poetic device to exaggerate the heartless characters of the
wealthy. Goldsmith uses Apostrophe Sweet Auburn! to begin the
poem to attract the readers and create force of his love and belonging
for his beloved village by calling it ….. The Loveliest village of the
plain. He praises in the second and third line of the poem the
abundance of village life in terms of literal and symbolic meaning.
Where health and plenty cheered the laboring swain/ where smiling
spring its earliest visit paid. In these lines the Poet adopts figurative
language of personification to demonstrate the human quality of
Cheer , smiling, paying visits to express that Nature has been very
kind and gracious to Auburn as a result of right living. The Poet notes
that Summer, slow to part from his village Auburn, leaves behind
many flowers to offer “lovely bowers of innocence and ease” and
informs his readers that such was the place where he spent his youth
time. It adds authority to the place “Where humble happiness
endeared each scene” . The use of Alliteration in the line humble
happiness adds beauty with personification which is hallmark of the
 Poet in executing his well thought theme to be perceived in its true
essence. His selection of the words like “sheltered cot
“, never-failing brook, “ humble happiness” and “ decent church”, all
suggest the sterling character of the inhabitants and generosity of
Nature. Later in the poem, we find a wide contrast between the
“laboring swains” and aggressive greedy individuals whom despite
laws permitting their actions, envisions as no better tan poachers
raping the land and destroying its beauty in abundance. The Poet
very wisely concludes first part of the poem with “ These were thy
charms……… but all these charms are flawed” in order to signal
transition. In the line 36 the Poet adds details which abruptly convert
the positive to negative tone. Readers learn that “ sports are fled….
And all thy charms withdrawn” that the “tyrants hand” has invaded the
bower and “ desolation saddens” the green field of his village. He
remembers the beauty of the village was marred by the ruthless influx
of the industrialists. “ A new master grasps the whole domain” while a
half- tilled filed “stints” the plain suggests the complain land being
bereft of its owner. All the happiness and pleasures of living departs
and turns black with saddened feelings due to the echoing rhetorical
change to Auburn. The brook is “choked”
Personifies the intense grip of sorrow and pity. The bittern a village has
“hollowsounding ” and even harm done to the village by the industrial
revolution is intense. It has deshaped the once Beautiful Village.
Conditions become so severely bad that “ trembling, shrinking from the
spoilers hand/ Far far away thy children leave the land”. The use of thy
suggests a regard for the rich contentment of the past. The accumulation
of present wealth is indeed human decay. The poet’s attitude toward
encroachers is full of scorn, desdain and repulsion. In the last Stanza, he
ushers a warning note for the encroachers to never under value real
worth of a farmer as by doing so he would see his own failure. Every
road of ground could support a worker. The so called industrial
revolution was impermanent and temporary. But the loss of farmers
would be extremely havocsome. He criticisms rural depopulation, the
moral corruption found in towns and cities, consumerism, enclosure,
landscape gardening, avarice and blind pursuit of wealth.
 UNIT: 19 NOTES OF NOVEL (LORDS OF THE FLIES)

THEME

The theme in a story is its underlying message, or 'big idea.' In other

words, what critical belief about life is the author trying to convey in the
writing of a novel, play, short story or poem? This belief, or idea,
transcends cultural barriers. It is usually universal in nature. When a
theme is universal, it touches on the human experience, regardless of
race or language. It is what the story means. Often, a piece of writing will
have more than one theme.

The overarching theme of the novel is the conflict between two

competing human impulses of savagery and civilization that live within
all human beings. Golding suggests that while savagery is an
inescapable fact of human existence, civilization can mitigate its full
expression. The instinct wise desire to live by rules, act peacefully,
observe morals rules, , and value the good of a group (as a society)
combats against his overarching impulse to gratify his sheer desire to
act violently to attain supremacy, which mounts his severe urge of mob
behavior to urgency of aggressive Bloodshed. We realize that boys had
no threat of life from Jack, nor Jack became violent till they followed
rules of civilization. Parallel theme of the novel is Loss of Innocence.
Initially, all joined Ralph’s group as it had rules and conch to display right
kind of authority but gradually all boys who were well behaved and
orderly children degenerated to cruel bloodthirsty hunters. They had no
desire to return to civilization. They hence, naturally lost the sense of
innocence they possessed in the beginning of the novel.

Climax and Anti-climax

Climax, (Greek: “ladder”), in dramatic and nondramatic fiction, is an

important element of any literary genre In the structure of a play or
novel, it is the point at which the central conflict reaches the highest
point of intensity. In a more general sense, the climax is any point of
great intensity in a literary work. It is the decisive moment, or turning
point, at which the rising action of the play is reversed to falling action. It
may or may not coincide with the highest point of interest in the drama.

Climax is that particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or

tension hits the highest point. It is a structural part of a plot, and is at
times referred to as a “crisis.” It is a decisive moment or a turning point in
a storyline at which the rising action turns around into a falling action.
Thus, a climax is the point at which a conflict or crisis reaches its peak,
then calls for a resolution or Denouement (conclusion).

Anti-climax in a story can be defined as a disappointing situation, or a

sudden transition in discourse from an important idea to a ludicrous or
trivial one. It is when, at a specific point, expectations are raised,
everything is built-up, and then suddenly something boring or
disappointing happens — this is an anti-climax. Besides that, the order
of statements gradually descends in anti-climax. Generally ludicrous or
comic effect is produced by anti-climax. When employed intentionally, it
devalues the subject. Therefore, it is frequently used for satirical and
humorous composition in literature and movies. However, sometimes it
is used unintentionally – then it is known as “bathos.”

Climax of Lord of the Flies

The climax starts when Simon is alone in the woods, and he begins to
daydream and talks to the pig’s head on the stake. In Simon’s
hallucination, the head becomes the Lord of the Flies. The pig says that
this Beast is something you cannot hunt or kill and that he is within all
humans. While a great storm builds over the island; Simon starts to walk
back towards the other boys. As he stumbles through the jungle, he
discovers the beast that the twins thought they saw. It was a dead man
who had parachutes from the sky and fell onto the rocks. The scene
scares him so, he then starts to tell the others there is no beast.
Meanwhile Ralph, Piggy and the twins are is at Jack’s feast. Ralph and
Jack begin to argue over who should be the leader.

The climax occurs when evil and savagery overcome the rationality of
the boys, and they brutally beat Simon to death, even though he calls
out to them and tries to explain that he is not the beast.

When Jack forms his own tribe, his followers turn savage. They forget
their civilized ways and behave like animals. To show their savagery,
they raid Ralph's group and steal Piggy's glasses. The climax occurs
when they brutally beat the beast and tear it to pieces; unfortunately, the
beast is really Simon, who is ignored when he tries to call out to them.
They are too caught up in their evil savagery to hear him. After Simon's
death, Jack leads his tribe into greater and greater depths of savagery.

Conflict in the novel “Lord of the flies”:

In literature, a conflict is a literary device characterized by a struggle
between two opposing forces. Conflict provides crucial tension in any
story and is used to drive the narrative forward. It is often used to reveal
a deeper meaning in a narrative while highlighting characters'
motivations, values and weaknesses.
The main conflict in the novel ,‘The Lord of the flies’ is probably the most
common and that is good vs. evil. Ralph, Piggy, Simon, their group of
followers represent the "good" because they represent civility. Ralph's
group is the builders, trying to build huts and to tend to the signal fire.
Jack and his group represent the ‘evil’. They are the hunters but they go
beyond simply hunting for food. They hunt and turn the hunt into game
of savagery and this game gets out of hand as they kill Simon. Ralph
and Jack both want power over the boys and both for different reasons.
While Ralph is wanting to make responsible choices and make the
chance of them being rescued greater, Jack craves power over the
boys, and longs to have total control. As the novel proceeds further, the
conflict intensifies leading to the harsh incidents of the novel.
Resolution of Conflict in ‘The Lord of the Flies’
The resolution of a story is the final element and is therefore required to
end a story in a satisfying manner. Following the climax and the falling
action, the resolution ties together all elements of a story in a way that
creates a feeling of completion to the readers. A story is not complete in
terms of plot structure if it does not have resolution. In the end of the
novel ‘The Lord of the Flies’, Ralph runs through the jungle fleeing both
Jack and his pack of savage boys and the fire Jack set in the Jungle.
The resolution of the conflict occurs when the naval captain appears on
the beach and talks to first Ralph and the other boys. His remark that ‘I
should have thought that a pack of British boys would have been able to
put up a better show than that’ drives home the resolution of the conflict.
Ralph has been unable to maintain civilized society on the island; order
has failed, Chaos has triumphed but the novel ends with a happy note
that the boys were finally saved by the Naval Officer.
 PLOT
Ans: Plot is the sequence of interconnected events within the story of a
play, novel or any other narrative literary work. It reveals the cause_ and
_effect relationships between the events that occur. There are five
elements of a plot which include Exposition, Rising Action, Climax,
Falling Action and Resolution. These elements emphasize that a strong
plot is centered on one moment-an interruption of a pattern, a turning
point or an action that raises a dramatic question which must be
answered throughout the course of the story.
With respect to the plot of the novel Lord of the Flies all the events
happen in a logical sequence. The novel tells the story of a group of
young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island. They
develop rules and a system of organization, but without any adults, the
children eventually become violent and brutal. The twist and turns in the
plot of Lord of the Flies are amazing. On one occasion, the boys see a
boat on the horizon and the next, the vessel vanishes. One of the kids
thinks he has seen a beast in the water which makes the boys frightened
and panicked. At the climax of the story Simon encounters The Lord of
the Flies in the forest and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity
but something that exists within each boy on the island. The other boys
fall on him and kill him savagely. The novel is concluded when Ralph
encounters a British naval officer who was finally there to rescue the
boys. The well-knit and organized plot of the novel shows the boys
transformation from innocent school boys to murderous savages. The
plot leads the boys to a realization that despite best efforts to uphold
order and cavity, humans are inherently prone to self-destruction. This
ending suggests that despite what we want to believe the line between
civilized order and human savagery is inevitably present in human life.

Characterization
Characterization is the process of conveying information about characters in fiction.
These characters are presented through actions, dialogues, their thoughts as well
as description. Writers make use of characterization as a literary tool to bring
characters to life. It is an essential part of writing a play, novel or short story, it helps
you to understand the characters and how each character’s personality and
perspectives can help drive the plot forward.
Two Types of Characterization
1. Direct Characterization: In direct characterization, the writer makes direct
statements about a character’s personality and tells what the character is like. Such
as “Piggy was intelligent”.
2. Indirect Characterization: In indirect characterization, the writer reveals
information about a character and his/her personality through that character’s
thoughts, words and actions along with how other characters respond to that
character, including what they think and say about him/her.
Characterization and Appearance
The main characters are Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, Roger, Sam, and Eric. Sam
and Eric are identical twins who function as a unit and eventually become known as
Samneric.

• Ralph is twelve, hovering somewhere between childhood and

adolescence. According to Golding, 'There was a mildness about
his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil.'
• Jack, Ralph's nemesis, is tall and thin. He is fair-skinned and
freckled with piercing light blue eyes that easily convey anger.
• Piggy is a pudgy boy who wears glasses. He has a soft, pink
complexion and soon becomes the group's scapegoat.
• Simon also has interesting eyes, which Golding describes as 'so
bright they had deceived Ralph into thinking him delightfully gay
and wicked.' Like Piggy, Simon is not physically robust. As the
group's moral compass and mystic, he is helpful and likes to spend
time by himself.
• Roger is the personification of a really, really bad person. In
keeping with that image, Golding depicts him as having a coarse
mop of black hair that hangs low over his forehead.
Kinds of Characters
In fictional literature, authors use many different types of characters to tell their
stories. Different types of characters fulfill different roles in the narrative process and
the general purpose is to extend the plot.
Major/Main or central characters are vital to the development and resolution of the
conflict. In other words, the plot and resolution of conflict revolve around these
characters.
In the novel, “Lord of The Flies”, Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon are major characters
and they play a significant role in the development of plot.
Minor characters (secondary or supporting characters) serve to complement the
major characters and help move the plot events forward.
In the novel, “Lord of The Flies”, Roger, Littluns, Samneric (the twins), hunters, and
bigguns are all minor characters.
Protagonist is the main character or hero who generates the action of a story and
engages the reader’s interest and empathy. He/she is generally an upholder of
good/virtue and always faces a conflict that must be resolved.

In the novel’ “Lord of The Flies”, Ralph is the protagonist. He is the elected leader.
He is neither the smartest nor the strongest but has a kind of quiet charisma and
good looks. He tries to keep the boys focused on domestic order and the rules of
civilization but loses his authority and almost his life to Jack's seizure of power.

Antagonist is the character that represents the opposition against the protagonist.
In other words, the antagonist is a villain representing evil - an obstacle that the
protagonist must overcome.

In the novel’ “Lord of The Flies”, Jack is the antagonist. He is the leader of the
choir/hunters. Already militant as a choir leader, Jack leads his group of choirboys-
turned-hunters in mutiny against Ralph's leadership by playing on the boys' baser
instincts. Jack favours hunting and its savage reward of meat over the civilized
domesticity and hope for rescue that Ralph tries to maintain.

Round/Flexible/Dynamic Character is one who learns a lesson or changes over

time (either for better or for worse) usually as a result of resolving a conflict or facing
major crisis. He/she can cope with changes in circumstances and can make
surprise decisions too. Such a character is well-developed, more realistic and
complex and shows a true depth of personality. Most main/major characters in
stories belong to this category.
In the novel “Lord of The Flies” both Ralph, Jack and Simon are
round/flexible/dynamic characters who encounter conflict and their personalities
undergo dramatic changes as the story unfolds.
Flat/Inflexible/Static character is the opposite of round character and is one who
does not change throughout the course of the play, story or novel because he/she
refuses to change his/her mind or alter his/her way of doing things. His/her
personality does not transform or evolve.
In the novel, “Lord of The Flies”, Piggy and Roger are examples of
flat/inflexible/static characters who do not change right from the beginning till the
end of the novel.
Foil: A foil is any character (usually the antagonist or an important supporting
character) whose personal qualities contrast with another character (usually the
protagonist). By providing this contrast, we get to know more about the other
character.
In the novel “Lord of The Flies”, both the main characters, Jack and Ralph are a foil
for each other in terms of their traits and outlook.

Climax and Anti-climax

Climax, (Greek: “ladder”), in dramatic and nondramatic fiction, is an important

element of any literary genre In the structure of a play or novel, it is the point
at which the central conflict reaches the highest point of intensity. In a more
general sense, the climax is any point of great intensity in a literary work. It is
the decisive moment, or turning point, at which the rising action of the play is
reversed to falling action. It may or may not coincide with the highest point of
interest in the drama.

In a story, the climax follows the rising action and precedes the falling action. It
is the highest point of emotional intensity and the moment when the action of
the story turns toward the conclusion. Often the climax is recognized as the
most exciting part of a story.

Anti-climax in a story can be defined as a disappointing situation, or a

sudden transition in discourse from an important idea to a ludicrous or trivial
one. It is when, at a specific point, expectations are raised, everything is built-
up, and then suddenly something boring or disappointing happens — this is an
anti-climax. Besides that, the order of statements gradually descends in anti-
climax. Generally ludicrous or comic effect is produced by anti-climax. When
employed intentionally, it devalues the subject. Therefore, it is frequently used
for satirical and humorous composition in literature and movies. However,
sometimes it is used unintentionally – then it is known as “bathos.”

Climax of Lord of the Flies

The climax starts when Simon is alone in the woods, and he begins to daydream
and talks to the pig’s head on the stake. In Simon’s hallucination, the head
becomes the Lord of the Flies. The pig says that this Beast is something you
cannot hunt or kill and that he is within all humans. While a great storm builds
over the island; Simon starts to walk back towards the other boys. As he
stumbles through the jungle, he discovers the beast that the twins thought they
saw. It was a dead man who had parachutes from the sky and fell onto the
rocks. The scene scares him so, he then starts to tell the others there is no beast.
Meanwhile Ralph, Piggy and the twins are is at Jack’s feast. Ralph and Jack begin
to argue over who should be the leader.

The climax occurs when evil and savagery overcome the rationality of the boys,
and they brutally beat Simon to death, even though he calls out to them and
tries to explain that he is not the beast.

When Jack forms his own tribe, his followers turn savage. They forget their
civilized ways and behave like animals. To show their savagery, they raid
Ralph's group and steal Piggy's glasses. The climax occurs when they brutally
beat the beast and tear it to pieces; unfortunately, the beast is really Simon,
who is ignored when he tries to call out to them. They are too caught up in
their evil savagery to hear him. After Simon's death, Jack leads his tribe into
greater and greater depths of savagery.

Q. What is a plot in literature? Discuss the plot of the novel “Lord of the Flies”.
Ans: Plot is the sequence of interconnected events within the story of a play, novel or
any other narrative literary work. It reveals the cause_ and _effect relationships
between the events that occur. There are five elements of a plot which include
Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution. These elements
emphasize that a strong plot is centered on one moment-an interruption of a pattern,
a turning point or an action that raises a dramatic question which must be answered
throughout the course of the story.
With respect to the plot of the novel Lord of the Flies all the events happen in a
logical sequence. The novel tells the story of a group of young boys who find
themselves alone on a deserted island. They develop rules and a system of
organization, but without any adults, the children eventually become violent and
brutal. The twist and turns in the plot of Lord of the Flies are amazing. On one
occasion, the boys see a boat on the horizon and the next, the vessel vanishes. One
of the kids thinks he has seen a beast in the water which makes the boys frightened
and panicked. At the climax of the story Simon encounters The Lord of the Flies in
the forest and realizes that the beast is not a physical entity but something that exists
within each boy on the island. The other boys fall on him and kill him savagely. The
novel is concluded when Ralph encounters a British naval officer who was finally
there to rescue the boys. The well-knit and organized plot of the novel shows the
boys transformation from innocent school boys to murderous savages. The plot
leads the boys to a realization that despite best efforts to uphold order and cavity,
humans are inherently prone to self-destruction. This ending suggests that despite
what we want to believe the line between civilized order and human savagery is
inevitably present in human life.

LITERARY TERMS

1. Prose: Prose is a form of written or spoken language that typically

exhibits a natural flow of speech and basic grammatical structure (words
and phrases arranged into sentences and paragraphs).
2. Poetry: Poetry is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes
a scene or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. It
often employs rhyme and meter
3. Fiction: Fiction is literature created from the imagination, not
presented as fact, though it may be based on a true story or situation. It
is not based strictly on history or facts. Types of literature in the fiction
genre include the novel, short story.
4. Non-fiction: Non-fiction is writing that gives information or describes
real events, rather than telling a story. A nonfiction book is one that tells
facts and information.
5. Climax: The climax of a plot is the point at which the central conflict
reaches the highest point of intensity. It is the moment when the action
of the story turns toward the conclusion. Often the climax is recognized
as the most exciting part of a story.
6. Anticlimax: an event that causes disappointment because it is
strikingly less important or dramatic than expected. it happens
immediately after a much more interesting or exciting event.
7. Exposition: The exposition of a story is the opening part in which the
audience is introduced to the characters and their situation, background
information and setting.
8. Denouement: The denouement is simply the very end of the story, in
which the conflict is finally resolved. it is the resolution of the issue.
9. Irony: Irony is the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite
of what is actually said. It can also be a situation in which there is a
contrast between expectation and reality.
10. Ballad: A ballad is a narrative poem, typically consisting of a series
of four-line stanzas that tells a story in simple language. Ballads were
originally sung.
11. Parable: A parable is a short and simple story that teaches a
religious or moral lesson.
12. Fable: A fable is a short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with
animals or inanimate objects as characters.

13. Plot: a plot is the sequence of events that make up a story following
the formula of beginning, middle, and end.
14. Conflict: Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces - two
characters or a character and some other force.
15. Point of view: Point of view is utilized as a literary device to indicate
the angle or perspective from which a story is told.
16. Myth: A myth is a classic or legendary story that usually focuses on a
particular hero or event, and explains mysteries of nature, existence, or
the universe with no true basis in fact.
17. Legend: A legend is a story about human events or actions that has
not been proved nor documented in real history. Legends are retold as if
they are real events and were believed to be historical accounts. They
usually tell stories about things that could be possible, so both the
storyteller and the audience may believe they are true.
18. Play: A play (PLAY) is a literary work written for the theater that
dramatizes events through the performance of dialogue and stage
directions. The authors of plays, called playwrights, structure the
performances into acts and scenes, which help build the tension and
present the story in a compelling way for audiences.
19. Fantasy: Fantasy, is a genre of fiction that concentrates on
imaginary elements (the fantastic). This can mean magic, the
supernatural, alternate worlds, superheroes, monsters, fairies, magical
creatures, mythological heroes—essentially, anything that an author can
imagine outside of reality.
20. Rising Action: The rising action of a story is the section of the plot
leading up to the climax, in which the tension stemming from the story's
central conflict grows through successive plot developments. For
example, in the story of "Little Red Riding Hood," the rising action
includes everything that takes place after Little Red sets off for
Grandma's house—up to the moment she comes face to face with the
Big Bad Wolf.
21. Resolution: The literary device resolution means the unfolding or
solution of a complicated issue in a story. Technically, resolution is also
known as a “denouement.” Most of the instances of resolution are
presented in the final parts or chapters of a story. It mostly follows the
climax.
22. Epic: An epic is a long narrative poem that is elevated and dignified
in theme, tone, and style. As a literary device, an epic celebrates heroic
deeds and historically (or even cosmically) important events. An epic
usually focuses on the adventures of a hero who has qualities that are
superhuman or divine, and on whose very fate often depends the
destiny of a tribe, nation, or sometimes the whole of the human race.
23. Sonnet: A sonnet (pronounced son-it) is a fourteen line poem with a
fixed rhyme scheme. Often, sonnets use iambic pentameter: five sets of
unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables for a ten-syllable line.
24. Falling Action: The falling action of a story is the section of the plot
following the climax, in which the tension stemming from the story's
central conflict decreases and the story moves toward its conclusion.
25. Third Person Limited: In third person limited the narrator only knows
the thoughts and feelings of one character. All characters are described
using pronouns, such as 'they', 'he', and 'she'. But, one character is
closely followed throughout the story, and it is typically a main character.
In other words, third person limited is much like when a video camera is
placed over the shoulder of a character and the camera follows that
person closely throughout a film. We stick with that person and are privy
to his or her thoughts and feelings while still seeing everything and
everyone around him or her in each scene.
26. Third Person Omniscient: The third person omniscient point of view
is the most open and flexible POV available to writers. As the name
implies, an omniscient narrator is all-seeing and all-knowing. While the
narration outside of any one character, the narrator may occasionally
access the consciousness of a few or many different characters.
27. Setting: Setting is the time and place (or when and where) of the
story. It’s a literary element of literature used in novels, short stories,
plays, films, etc., and usually introduced during the exposition
(beginning) of the story, along with the characters. The setting may also
include the environment of the story, which can be made up of the
physical location, climate, weather, or social and cultural surroundings.
28. Antithesis: a figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of
ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical
structure. An antithesis must always contain two opposite ideas within
one statement.
Examples: Spicy food is heaven on the tongue but hell in the tummy.
Those who can, do; those who can’t do, teach.
Get busy living or get busy dying.
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Man proposes, God disposes.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

29. Anaphora: the repetition of words or phrases in a group of

sentences, clauses, or poetic lines.
Examples
1. "So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom
ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania..."
2. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was
the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of
Darkness…”

30: Cataphoric Reference: Referring to or replacing a word or phrase

that is used later in a text. With cataphoric reference, you may need to
read forward to understand.
Examples
'When he arrived, John noticed that the door was open'.
Although I phone her every week, my mother still complains that I don't
keep in touch often enough. (Her refers to my mother)

31. Anaphoric reference: it means that a word in a text refers back to

other ideas in the text for its meaning. It can be compared with
cataphoric reference, which means a word refers to ideas later in the
text.
Jim fell over when he was running upstairs
Michael went to the bank. He was annoyed because it was closed.

An antecedent is the thing represented by a pronoun. The antecedent of

a pronoun is a noun.

Easy Examples of Antecedents

In each example, the pronoun is in bold and its antecedent is shaded.
• Gail said she will be late.
("Gail" is the antecedent of the pronoun "she.")
• Tell the professor I'll see him tonight.
("The professor" is the antecedent of the pronoun "him.")
Difference between Antecedent and Precedent
Antecedent is used as an adjective or a noun and as a noun, it refers
something that go ahead of another. As an adjective it means something
that is earlier in time. In English grammar, it is used as a phrase, clause
or a word that a pronoun refers to. An example can make it clear.
Example: John told me that he might be late for the class.
Here, ‘John’ is the antecedent and the pronoun ‘he’ refers to John.
However, antecedent tells about the pronoun and it can be placed
before or after the pronoun which is addressed. However, the pronoun
gets its meaning from the antecedent.
Precedent is referred as an adjective or a noun. When it is used as a
noun, it refers to an event that is happened before and can be
represented as an example. As an adjective, it refers to preceding in
order, importance and time. In law, precedent refers to a previous case
that can be followed in the similar cases.
Example: After getting a similar case in the past, the lawyers have
decided to use this precedent to support the arguments.
However, both the antecedent and precedent refer to the earlier events
or actions, but the role of a precedent is broader as it is used as a guide
or example before making any decision in the future. On the other hand,
antecedent acts as a simple referent.

32. Alliteration: Alliteration is a poetic device where a series of words in

a sentence have the same first consonant sound. Repetition of
consonant sounds in the beginning of words.
For example: Peter Picked a Pack of Pickled Peppers.

33. Assonance: Assonance most often refers to the repetition of internal

vowel sounds in words that do not end the same. For example, “he fell
asleep under the cherry tree”
The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.

34. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant

sounds in a line of text. These alike sounds can be found at the end or
middle of words. Consonance differs from alliteration as alliteration is the
repetition of a sound at the beginning of a word.
• Mike likes his new bike.
• Her foot left a print on the carpet.
35. Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is defined as a word that imitates the
natural sounds of a thing.
Examples: honk, beep, vroom, clang, zap, boing, cuckoo, whip-poor-
will, whooping crane, boom, crash, whack, thump, bang, shush, giggle,
growl, whine, murmur, blurt, whisper, hiss, splash, drip, spray, whoosh,
buzz, rustle

36. Imagery: Imagery is descriptive language used to appeal to a

reader's senses: touch, taste, smell, sound, and sight.

37. Metaphor: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things without

using like or as "Their cheeks were roses" is a metaphor while "their
cheeks were like roses" is a simile.

38: Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different

things in an interesting way using the word "like" or "as." For example:
as black as coal.

39. Extended metaphor: An extended metaphor is a version of metaphor

that extends over the course of multiple lines, paragraphs, or stanzas of
prose or poetry.

40. Personification: Personification is when you give an object or animal

human behaviors.
Example: My phone is not cooperating with me today.

41. Symbol/Symbolism: something that stands for something else.

Examples: rainbow–symbolizes hope and promise.
red rose–symbolizes love and romance

42. Enjambment: Enjambment is continuing a line after the line breaks.

Whereas many poems end lines with the natural pause at the end of a
phrase or with punctuation as end-stopped lines, enjambment ends a
line in the middle of a phrase, allowing it to continue onto the next line as
an enjambed line. Example:
We were running
to find what had happened
beyond the hills.

43. Catharsis: Catharsis is when literature or drama provides strong

emotional experiences that result in a sense of purification or emotional
cleansing. Catharsis is the release of emotions such as pity, sadness,
and fear through witnessing art or reading a piece of literature.

44. Tragedy: branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style
the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic
individual.
45. Comic: A piece of literature that intends to amuse or bring laughter.
46. Comedy: Comedy is generally defined as a literary work that is
written to amuse or entertain a reader. In a comedy, characters can
certainly suffer misfortune, but they are typically comedic situations with
positive outcomes.

47. Satire: A satire is a play, film, or novel in which humour or

exaggeration is used to criticize something.

48. Cross reference: A reference to another text or part of a text,

typically given in order to elaborate on a point. A cross reference is a
mention of another part of a book where more information can be found.

49. Oxymoron: It is made up of two or more words that seem to be

opposite to each other, or actually are opposite. For example, the
phrases "Wise fool", "Warm freezer", and "Legal murder"
50. Synecdoche:
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part of something is used to
signify the whole, or vice-versa.” As a literary device, synecdoche allows
for a smaller component of something to stand in for the larger whole, in
a rhetorical manner. Synecdoche can work in the opposite direction as
well, in which the larger whole stands in for a smaller component of
something. Synecdoche is a helpful device for writers to express a word
or idea in a different way by using an aspect of that word or idea. This
allows for variation of expression and produces an effect for the reader.

Some common examples are

Wheels (signifies a vehicle), Pakistan won the math (Pakistan signifies
the Pakistani team)
Hiring hands (signifies the whole authority who hires not just the hands)

51. Euphemism:
Euphemism is a figure of speech commonly used to replace a word or
phrase that is related to a concept that might make others
uncomfortable. Euphemism refers to figurative language designed to
replace phrasing that would otherwise be considered harsh, impolite, or
unpleasant. This literary device allows for someone to say what they
mean indirectly, without using literal language, as a way of softening the
impact of what is being said.
For Example senior (old) between jobs (unemployed) porcelain throne
(toilet) big-boned (overweight) thin on top (bald)etc.
52. Apostrophe:
As a literary device, an apostrophe is a poetic phrase or speech made
by a character that is addressed to a subject that is not literally present
in the literary work. The subject may be dead, absent, an inanimate
object, or even an abstract idea.
For Example
Love, who needs you?
Come on, Phone, give me a ring!
Chocolate, why must you be so delicious?
Alarm clock, please don’t fail me.
Seven, you are my lucky number!
Thank you, my guardian angel, for this parking space!

Heaven, help us.

53. Refrain:
Refrain is a verse, a line, a set, or a group of lines that appears at the
end of stanza, or appears where a poem divides into different sections. It
originated in France, where it is popular as, refraindre, which means “to
repeat.” Refrain is a poetic device that repeats, at regular intervals, in
different stanzas. However, sometimes, this repetition may involve only
minor changes in its wording. It also contributes to the rhyme of a poem
and emphasizes an idea through repetition.
For Example:
The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster…
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.”
In this example, the poet has repeatedly used the refraining line “The art
of losing isn’t hard to master” throughout the poem. This refraining line is
creating rhythm as well as emphasizing the idea.
54. Exospheric Reference:
An exospheric reference is a reference within a text to something
outside of the text. Typically, an exospheric reference will rely heavily on
the context to be understood.
For example:
Look over there!
We have no way of understanding what ‘there’ refers to. ‘There’ can only
be understood by the listener, who can see what the speaker is referring
to.
55. Mono-transitive:
A mono-transitive verb is a verb that takes two arguments: a subject and
a single direct object. For example, the verbs buy, bite, break, and eat
are mono-transitive in [Link] following examples show mono-
transitive verbs in sentences (the direct object is in boldface):
Yesterday, I bought a cat.
The cat bit me!
He broke the toothpick.
The chef ate his own watermelon soup.
56. Di-transitive:
A Di-transitive Verb is one that takes both a direct object and an indirect
object.
For Example: He gave her the letter. ('The letter' is the direct object.
What he gave, and 'her' is the indirect object, the person he gave it to.
This sentence can also be written 'He gave the letter to her'.)
57. Split infinitive:
A split infinitive occurs when there’s an adverb between two parts of an
infinitive. An infinitive consists of the word to and the simple form of a
verb (e.g. to go and to read). “To suddenly go” and “to quickly read” are
examples of split infinitives because the adverbs (suddenly and quickly)
split (or break up) the infinitives to go and to read.
58. Narrative Literature
Narrative is an art of telling story in a coherent (unity of ideas within and
between paragraphs) and (cohesive (correct use of grammar) fashion.
In a work of fiction, the story is the narrator determines the story’s point
of view. If the narrator is full time participant of the story it is said to be
first person narrative (Pronoun.)A story told by a narrator who is not a
character in the story, is said to be third person narrative (he, she, it,).