1

Xam Idea
Summary[English]
1.A LETTER TO GOD

About the Author

Fuentes was born on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. He first went to
sea as a deck boy with his father when he was 10. As a teenager, he
worked on cargo ships out of the Canary Islands to Trinidad and Puerto
Rico and from the Spanish ports of Valencia and Sevilla to South
America. He migrated permanently to Cuba when he was 22. He died
from cancer in Cojimar in 2002 at the age of 104.

Theme
“A letter to God” is a story of extreme faith in God. Through this story,
the writer, G.L. Fuentes has tried to depict the invincible and
insurmountable faith in God of a simple poor farmer. Lencho was a
poor, honest and hard-working farmer. Hence, he wrote a letter to God
and asked God to send him money.

*On Next Page*

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Summary
Lencho was a dedicated agriculturist. He was expecting a decent
harvest, yet sadly. A hail storm came and destroyed his harvest totally.
Lencho was very sad, but he had strong belief in God. He was sure that
God would definitely help him. He was an extremely straightforward
man. He composed a letter to God. In the letter, he asks God to send
him one hundred pesos. At that point, he went to the post office and
put the letter into the post box.

The postman removed the letter from the letter-box. He read the
address on it and laughed badly when he rushed to the postmaster and
demonstrated to him that strange letter. The postmaster also chuckled
in the same way, when he saw the address of God. When he read the
letter, he got very serious. He lauded this man who had extraordinary
confidence in God. He decided to help him. He asked the employees of
the post office to give money. He gave a part of his salary. But they
were able to collect only a little more than half the money requested by
Lencho. The postmaster put the money in an envelope and addressed it
to Lechno. Next Sunday, Lencho came again to the post office. He asked
if there was any letter for him. The postmaster took out the letter and
gave it to Lencho. Lencho was not surprised at seeing the money. But
when he counted the money, he became angry. He thought that God
could not have made the mistake. He took paper and ink, and wrote
another letter to God. Then he put the letter into the letter-box.

After Lencho had gone, the postmaster and the employees read the
letter. Lencho had complained to God that he had received only
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seventy pesos. This time, he requested God to send him the rest of the
money. But he asked God not to send the money through mail. He
wrote that the post-office employees were a bunch of crooks who
might have stolen the money.

2.NELSON MANDELA-A LONG WALK TO

FREEDOM

About the Author

Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in the
Eastern Cape. He served as president of South Africa from 1994 to
1999. Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of
our time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight
against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize
and the presidency of his country.

Theme
“Long Walk to Freedom” is the 1994 autobiography of Nelson Mandela,
detailing his ascent from an anti-apartheid activist and Robben Island-
jailed terrorist, to an ANC leader and a cultural icon. The
autobiographical genre exemplifies unique characteristics which does
not reduce the worth of the extract as a creative work. This
autobiography illustrates and interprets the theme of struggle for
freedom. With the help of theories the study examines how Mandela

showcases, his individual role as well as the role of all the oppressed, in
the struggle in his autobiography
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Summary
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. He was the first South
African President to be elected in a fully representative democratic
election. 10th of May was a day of freedom for South Africa and there
was a huge gathering of international leaders and dignitaries at the
swearing-in ceremony which was held in Union Building in Pretoria and
the first non-racial government took charge. Nelson Mandela gave a
speech on the victory of justice, peace and human dignity. Mandela
pledged to liberate his people from poverty, suffering and
discrimination. A colourful show by jets and helicopters depicting
military’s might and loyalty took place. Two national anthems were
sung to signify equality and inclusion. The old-‘Nkosi Sikelel’ by the
whites and the new ‘Die Stem’ by the blacks. A new system was formed
that recognised the rights and freedom of all. Mandela recalled the
contributors and thanked them for their sacrifice. Salutation to some
great freedom fighters—Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli,
Yusuf Dadoo and others. Mandela in his address, said that a country is
rich because of its people not because of the minerals. Courage is not
the absence of fear but the victory over it. People should love others
not hate them due to their colour or religion. Love comes naturally not
by force, which is the natural goodness. He also said that man should
try to create a balance between his duties—duties towards his family
and duty towards his country and community. A black person was
treated badly and not allowed to perform his duty. Mandela said that
freedom has different aspects like for a kid it is to run and play, and for

an adult it is to fulfil needs of his own and his family. Real freedom
means equal rights for everyone. Nelson Mandela joined the African
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National Congress (ANC). He wanted that people of South Africa must

live with dignity and respect. He wanted the oppressor and the
oppressed to be liberated. Patience and perseverance guided by
discipline and system yield the desired result.

3.HIS FIRST FLIGHT

About the Author
Liam O’ Flaherty was born on 28 August 1896 in County Galway,
Ireland. He was an Irish novelist and short story writer and a major
figure in the Irish literary renaissance. His works combine brutal
naturalism, psychological analysis, poetry, and biting satire with an
abiding respect for the Irish people.

Theme
‘His First Flight’ by Liam O’ Flaherty is a magnificent story about courage
and self-confidence. It is a true parable about overcoming fears of life.
Fear is the most negative feeling that blocks one’s progress. One can
conquer it with courage and sincere efforts.

Summary
‘His First Flight’ by Liam O’ Flaherty tells about the need for courage
and self-confidence to overcome fears in life. A young seagull looked
desperately at the vast expanse of water that stretched before him.His
parents, brothers and little sister had flown away and left him alone on
the rock. There was no food and he was hungry. He could not fly. Many
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times he had tried to run forward to the brink of the ledge and flap his
wings. But he was afraid and felt that his wings would not support him.
Despite making countless efforts, his parents could not persuade him to
make an attempt to fly.

He was starving and felt that he would die if he did not get any food. He
saw his mother tearing a piece of fish with her beak. When he cried out
to her, she just screamed back mockingly. Then he saw his mother
approaching towards him with food which made him very happy. But
she stopped at a distance. He was very hungry so he dived at the fish.
His mother flew upward and he started falling. He was terrified for a
moment, but then he realised that he was flying. In this way, he made
his first flight.

4.THE BLACK AEROPLANE

About the Author
Frederick Forsyth was born on 25 August 1938, in England. He is an
English author, journalist, spy and occasional political commentator.
Before becoming a journalist, he joined the RAF and was a jet fighter
pilot

Theme

‘The Black Aeroplane’ is a story based on a surprising event happened

with the narrator. The story depicts vividly the mystery and suspense. It
seems incredible sometimes to the scientific world, on the other hand,
we can’t deny the existence of such happenings.
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Summary
In the lesson, “The Black Aeroplane,” a pilot of old Dacota aeroplane
was flying in the midnight over the sky of Paris. He wanted to reach
England, so that he could join his family at the time of breakfast. But
unfortunately, he was passing through mountainous black clouds. If he
gets lost in the black clouds, there was no chance of his survival. But he
dared to it willingly. As he was in the turmoil of black clouds, all his
system failed to work. He couldn’t communicate to anybody. Suddenly,
he noticed a black aeroplane in front of him. The pilot of the plane
instructed him to follow. So, he followed. He followed like a child, but in
the mean time, his fuel tank was getting exhausted. Suddenly, he
noticed a row of light on the ground. It was the runway. He landed
down and straight forward went to the control room. He enquired
about the other aeroplane. But he was dumbstruck, when he came to
know that there was no aeroplane noticed on the radar that night.
Many questions remained unanswered, mysterious and unsolved.

5.THE DAIRY OF ANNE FRANK

About the Author
Annelies Marie Frank, popularly known as Anne Frank, was born on 12
June 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. She was a German-born Jewish
diarist. Fleeing Nazi persecution of Jews, the family moved to
Amsterdam and later went into hiding for two years. During this time,
Frank wrote about her experiences and wishes. She was 15 when the
family was found and sent to concentration camps, where she died.
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Theme
‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ was written at the time of the Second World
War. It describes the pitiable conditions of the Jews as they were the
most affected by this war. Thousands of Jews were forced to leave their
houses and flee to other countries. They were supposed to wear a
yellow star, distinguishing them from others. During the war, they were
dragged out of their houses and were sent to the concentration camps.
Many of the Jews went into hiding to escape the clutches of the
Germans. The Frank family was also one of those few who went into
hiding in a secret annex. The entries of the sounds of guns, sirens and
airplanes continued to create an image of the war scene in front of the
reader’s eyes. Thus, the main theme of the novel is the horrors of war
faced by the Jews at that time.

Summary
This chapter is a part of Anne Frank’s diary. Here, she tells us about the
early days of her life. She says that she decided to start writing a diary
because she did not have a friend. She had a sister three years older to
her. She lived in Frankfurt until she was four. Her father immigrated to
Holland in 1933.

Anne Frank was sent to the Montessori school and stayed there until
she was six. She started going to school in the 1st form. When Anne
was in the sixth form, her teacher was Mrs Kuperus, the headmistress.
Both had a great love for each other.

Anne had no one in whom she could confide the feelings of her heart.
So she decided to make her diary her friend. She called it ‘Kitty’. On
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Saturday 20th June 1942, Anne Frank made her first entry in her diary.
It was in the form of a letter and was addressed to her diary ‘Kitty’.
Anne describes her experiences with her mathematics teacher, Mr
Keesing.

Anne writes that one day Mr Keesing punished her for talking in the
class. He gave her extra homework. He asked her to write an essay on
‘A Chatterbox.’ Anne wrote it, but she again talked in the class. Now,
Mr Keesing asked her to write an essay on ‘An Incorrigible Chatterbox.’
Mr Keesing liked the essays written by Anne Frank.

But Anne could not give up the habit of talking in the class. So as a
punishment, Mr Keesing asked her to write an essay on an unusual title.
“Quack, Quack, Quack, said Mistress Chatterbox. Anne wrote this essay
in the form of a poem. It was about a mother duck and the father swan.
The father bit the three ducklings to death because they quacked too
much. It was a satire on Mr Keesing. But he took the joke in the right
way. He read the poem to Anne’s class and other classes also. He
allowed Anne to talk in the class and never again gave her extra
homework.

6.THE HUNDRED DRESS PART 1

About the Author
Eleanor Ester was born on May 9, 1906 in West Haven, Connecticut.
She was an American children’s author, a children’s librarian. Originally
a librarian, Ester’s writing career began following a case of tuberculosis.
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During the convalescing period, Ester began writing some of her

childhood memories, which later turned into full-length children’s
books.

Ester received the Certificate of Award for Outstanding Contribution to

Children’s Literature and was nominated for the Laura Ingalls Wilder
Award. By the time of her death at the age of 82, Ester had written 19
children books.

Theme
The message of acceptance and of not teasing someone for being
different is a theme introduced in the chapter.

The chapter also addresses the importance of respect for others by

presenting the lessons learned by the characters in the story. First by
the characters’ lack of respect for others, then later, they begin to
demonstrate respect for others when they realise that although Wanda
is poor and Polish, she is really no different from them. The issues of
racism and classism are confronted in this chapter through Wanda’s
negative experiences in school, and because we learn that Wanda’s
whole family moves to the big city to avoid being ostracised, we can
understand that the issues are much larger than just bullies at school.

Summary
The story, ‘The Hundred Dresses’ is about a Polish girl. Her name was
Wanda Petronski. Her family had immigrated to America. She studied in
a school with other American students. She belonged to a very poor
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family. Daily she came to school in a faded blue dress. It was clean but
not properly ironed. She used to sit in the corner of room-number
thirteen in the last row. This was a corner where the rough boys, who
did not make good marks, sat. They made a lot of noise. There was the
most noise of the feet when some fun occurred. Wanda did not sit
there because she was rough and noisy, on the contrary, she was very
quiet. But she came on foot from Boggins Heights area and brought a
lot of dirt with her shoes.

She was an introvert and did not speak much in the class. No one had
ever heard her laugh. Nobody really thought much about Wanda.
Students thought of Wanda only outside the school hours. They waited
for her while she was going to or coming from the home. They waited
for her in order to have fun with her. Two girls of her class, Peggy and
Maddie, often talked to her and made fun of her. Peggy was the most
popular girl in the school. She was pretty and had curly hair. She
belonged to a rich family. She had many pretty clothes. Maddie was her
closest friend.

Peggy and Maddie were not bad girls, but they used to have some fun
with Wanda Petronski. The students in Wanda’s class found her name
funny. Wanda was always alone in her class. Wanda did not have any
friends but a lot of girls talked to her. They surrounded her in the
schoolyard. Peggy made fun of Wanda and asked her how many
dresses she had in her closet. Wanda replied that she had one hundred

dresses. These dresses were of different colours and designs. Then

Peggy would ask her whether the dresses were of silk or velvet. Wanda
would reply that she had dresses of velvet as well as silk. The girls
would ask her how many pairs of shoes she had. At this, Wanda would
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tell them that she had sixty pairs of shoes. The girls would suppress
their laugh when talking to her. But as soon as Wanda’s back was
turned, they would burst into peals of laughter.

Peggy was rich, but she was not arrogant. She was not cruel. On the
other hand, she saved younger girls from bullies. But she and other girls
could not understand why Wanda told a lie about her dresses and
shoes. But the girls only made fun of Wanda. They never made her cry.

Maddie herself was a poor girl. She used to wear the clothes given by
others. So she was sympathetic to Wanda. She and Peggy were fast
friends. That is why, she never said anything when Peggy made fun of
Wanda. But she herself never laughed at Wanda. She did not like Peggy
asking Wanda about the dresses. Whenever Peggy mocked Wanda,
Maddie felt bad. She wished that Peggy would stop teasing Wanda
Petronski. Maddie decided to write a note to Peggy asking her to stop
making fun of Wanda, but she could not muster the courage to do so.

Wanda did not come to school on Monday. But nobody missed her. She
did not come on Tuesday also. But when she missed the school on
Wednesday also, Peggy and Maddie noted her absence. They wondered
why she had not come to school. Maddie remembered Wanda talking
about one of her dresses which was pale blue with coloured trimmings.
Then Maddie thought about the drawing and colour contest in the
school. The girls were to design dresses and the boys were to design

motorboats. Maddie thought that Peggy would win the contest as she
was very good at design.

Next day, it was drizzling. Peggy and Maddie hurried to school as Miss
Mason would announce the results of the drawing contest. They did
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not wait for Wanda. When the girls reached their school, they were
surprised. There were hundreds of designs of dresses displayed in the
room. Then Miss Mason announced the names of the winners. Jack
Beggles had won for the boys. She said that all the hundred designs of
dresses had been made by one girl and she had won the medal. Her
name was Wanda Petronski.

But Wanda was absent. The children clapped their hands in joy. Maddie
asked Peggy to look at the blue dress about which Wanda had told
them earlier. They appreciated the drawings made by Wanda

7.HUNDRED DRESSES PART 2

About the Author
Eleanor Ester was born on May 9, 1906 in West Haven, Connecticut.
She was an American children’s author, a children’s librarian. Originally
a librarian, Ester’s writing career began following a case of tuberculosis.
During the convalescing period, Ester began writing some of her
childhood memories, which later turned into full-length children’s
books.

Ester received the Certificate of Award for Outstanding Contribution to

Children’s Literature and was nominated for the Laura Ingalls Wilder
Award. By the time of her death at the age of 82, Ester had written 19
children books.

Theme
Through this story, the author teaches us a lesson not to hurt anybody’s
feelings. All the girls in the school made fun of Wanda, a Polish girl. As a
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result, she left the school. Then the feeling of repentance arose among
the students who teased Wanda. Peggy and Maddie even go to her
house to stop her from leaving that place, but they could not meet her
as she had already left. They feel guilty for making fun of Wanda, who
loved them very much.

Summary
The students were circling the room and admiring the dress designs
made by Wanda. A notice from the principal’s office came. Miss Mason
told the class that she had received a letter from Wanda’s father. She
said that she was going to read it before the class. The students got
ready to listen. In his letter, Wanda’s father had informed Miss Mason
that Wanda would not come to the school any more. They were moving
to the big city. In that city, nobody would consider her name funny and
laugh at her.

The entire class became silent and felt bad about Wanda. Miss Mason
understood their feelings. She told them that no one should hurt
anyone’s feelings just because his or her name was long or funny. She
said that what had happened in the school about Wanda was bad. She
asked them to think about that. Maddie listened to what Miss Mason
said about Wanda. She could not concentrate on her studies. She had a
sick feeling. It was true that she had never made fun of Wanda herself.
But at the same time, she had not enjoyed Peggy asking Wanda about
her dresses. On such occasions, she said nothing and stood silently. But
that was also bad. She felt that she was a coward and never stopped
Peggy from making fun of Wanda.
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Maddie wondered if she could do anything. She wanted to meet Wanda

and tell her that she had never meant to hurt her feelings. She made up
her mind to go to her house and tell Wanda that she had won the
contest and her hundred dresses were beautiful. She decided that she
would find out Wanda Petronski. She and Peggy would go to her house
to meet her. When the school was over, Maddie told Peggy to go to
Wanda’s house. They walked towards her colony. On the way, Peggy
said that she had never called Wanda a foreigner. She always thought
that Wanda was a dumb girl. She never imagined that Wanda could
sense the girls had been making fun of her. Maddie said nothing. She
just wanted to meet Wanda and tell her that they were sorry for their
treatment. She would request her not to move away.

After some time, Peggy and Maddie found Wanda’s house in the
Boggins Heights. The house looked shabby but clean. But there was no
one in the house. Peggy knocked on the door. There was no response.
Wanda and her family had already left the place. They came back.
Peggy said that her asking Wanda about her dresses actually helped
her. Otherwise, she might not have won the drawing contest. But
Maddie was not satisfied. She could not sleep that night. She thought of
Wanda, her drawings and her house. At last, she made a decision. She
decided that she would not keep quiet, if someone made fun of
anybody before her. She would not mind even she had to lose Peggy’s
friendship. She had no way of making things right with Wanda, but now
she would never make anybody unhappy.

On Saturday, Peggy and Maddie wrote a letter to Wanda. It was just a

friendly letter. They praised Wanda’s drawings. They wrote to her that
she had won the contest. They mailed it to Boggins Heights with the
request that it be sent to her new address. A number of days passed,
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but there was no answer from Wanda. Peggy had begun to forget the
whole incident. Maddie tried to sleep at night making speeches about
Wanda.

Then it was Christmas time. On the last day of the school, Miss Mason
received a letter from Wanda. She showed the letter to the class and
read it. Wanda had written that the girls could keep those hundred
dresses because in her new house, she had hundred new ones. She had
gifted the green dress with the red trimmings to Peggy. She wrote that
Maddie could have the blue dress. She wished Merry Christmas to all.
They accepted the drawings. On the way home, Peggy and Maddie held
their drawings very carefully. They pinned the drawings in their
bedrooms.

Maddie was missing Wanda too much. There were tears in her eyes.
She felt sad to think that she would never see Wanda again. She felt
that Wanda had been nice to her. She gazed at the drawing for a long
time. Suddenly, she noticed the face and head in the drawing. It looked
like her own head and face. She was excited to find that Wanda had
made that drawing especially for her. She ran to Peggy’s house. She
told Peggy that Wanda had drawn the drawing for her. Then they saw
her drawing also. There was Peggy’s face in the drawing. Peggy was also
happy to see that the face and head of the drawing looked like her.
Peggy told Maddie that Wanda really liked them. There were tears in
Maddie’s eyes every time she thought of Wanda Petronski.

8.A BAKER FROM GOA-PART 1

About the Author
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Lucio Rodrigues (1916-73) was one of the few outstanding Konkani

essayists. His essays in English, as well as those translated from Konkani
were published as Of Soil and Soul and Konkani Folktales after his death
in 1973.

Professor Lucio Rodrigues was exactly the type of teacher that students
would recall with awe and affection for the profound impact he had on
their lives. He had an expansive career as a professor of English
Literature. As a prolific essayist, he contributed to various newspapers
and magazines, such as The Navhind Times, The Times of India, Goa
Today and others too.

Theme
The lesson reflects the strong Portuguese effect on the Goan culture,
testifying the fact that the ideologies of the political powers have a
strong influence on the lives of common people and also their lifestyles.
For instance, bread as a steady food item is a tradition borrowed from
the Portuguese, in contrast to chapati or rice as an essential part of a
balanced diet in India.

‘Culture’ of a place is developed as an outcome of the traditions

followed by the people, the conventions they adhere to, the religion
they follow, their ethic and morals, and the philosophy of life that
guides them. The author is nostalgic about his childhood days and has
strong cultural ties with Goa.

Summary
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with the passage of time, people do not eat so much bread, yet the
village bakers are still there. The Portuguese were famous for preparing
the loaves of bread. They left Goa long ago. But the traditional work of
the bakers can still be seen in Goa. The furnaces in which the bread was
baked still exist there. The sound of the traditional baker’s bamboo can
still be heard. Someone in the baker’s family still carries on the business
and the tradition. These bakers are known as Pader in Goa even today.

In this extract, the author remembers his old days in Goa when the
village baker occupied an important place in life. Although,

The author recalls that a baker used to visit the village twice a day. He
used to be the author’s friend and guide. He used to carry a bamboo
stick. The sound of this stick used to wake up the authors and others
from sleep. The servants from the different houses bought loaves. But
the author ran to the baker to buy bread-bangles.

The baker’s bamboo stick was a special one. He made the sound ‘jhang,
jhang’ by banging his bamboo on the ground. With one hand the baker
supported the basket of bread on his head and with the other, he
struck the ground with the bamboo. Whenever someone came to him
to buy bread, he placed the basket on the bamboo. The author and the
others looked into his basket. In those times, it was a fashion to eat
bread with hot tea. The author was so fond of bread that he would not
even brush his teeth before eating it.

The village baker was especially important for all occasions. The
villagers were much fond of the sweet bread known as ‘Bol’. Marriage
gifts were meaningless without these sweetbreads. Sandwiches, cakes
and bolinhas were a must for Christmas as well as for other festivals.
These were made with the bread. Thus, the presence of a baker’s
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furnace was very essential in each village. On all occasions, the villagers
needed one or another type of cake which could be baked in the
furnace.

The baker or the bread-seller wore a special, peculiar dress. It was

known as the ‘kabai’. It was a single-piece long frock. It reached down
to his knees. During narrator’s childhood, bakers wore trousers which
were shorter than full-length and longer than half pants. Even today, if
someone wears a half pant, he is said to be dressed like a baker.

The baker usually collected his bills at the end of the month. In the
household, the baker’s monthly accounts used to be recorded on some
wall in pencil. Baking was a profitable business in those days. The
bakers used to be well off. Their families never starved. Their plump
bodies showed that they were like jackfruit.

9.COORG-PART 2
About the Author

Dr Lokesh Abrol is a doctor, traveller, and social entrepreneur in love

with India, who sees, writes, and photographs in a ‘pleasing light’. He
established Lotus Feet Nursery School for underprivileged children at
Carterpuri, Gurgoan. In 1991, he initiated and established Gurgoan’s
first multi-speciality hospital and emergency team in the private sector.
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Theme

Coorg is a beautiful place of the highlands with a generally cool and wet
climate. It looks like a piece of heaven that must have drifted from the
kingdom of God. This is a land of rolling hills. It is a home of evergreen
rainforests, spices and coffee plantations. Evergreen forests cover thirty
per cent of Coorg district. The river Kaveri flows through Coorg. Big
elephants are also found here. Birds, bees and butterflies are there to
give the visitors company. The climb to the Brahmagiri hills brings (the
visitors) a panoramic view of the entire misty landscape of Coorg. It is
said that the people who are searching for the heart and soul of India,
visit Coorg.

Summary
Coorg is a small district of Karnataka. It is also known as Kodagu. Coorg
lies between the coastal town of Mangalore and Mysore. It is a very
beautiful place. The writer says that it must have come from the
kingdom of God. It is the smallest district of Karnataka.

Coorg is famous for its coffee plantations, evergreen rainforests and

spices. Thirty per cent of its area is covered with the evergreen
rainforests. The best season to visit this place is from September to
March. The weather is perfect. The air is full of coffee flavour. There are
beautiful colonial bungalows in prime corners.
21

The people of Coorg are independent and brave. They are of Greek or
Arabic descent. According to a story, a part of Alexander’s army did not
return and was settled here. They married among the locals. This
culture can be seen in the martial traditions, marriage and religious
customs. Another theory says that these people are originated from the
Arabs. It is evident from the long, black coat worn by the people. It is
like the kuffia worn by the Arabs and the Kurds.

Coorgi homes have a tradition of hospitality. They are brave people.

Their tales of bravery are famous. The Coorg regiment is one of the
most decorated in the Indian Army. The first Chief of the Indian Army,
General Cariappa, was a Coorgi. Even today, the Kodavus are the only
people in India who are allowed to carry firearms without a licence.

There are a variety of natural scenes which can be enjoyed by the

tourists. Kaveri, the only river of the area, gets its water from Coorgi
hill. This river is full of Mahaseer, a large freshwater fish. One can see
elephants, kingfishers, squirrels and langurs enjoying themselves in the
lap of nature. Birds, bees and butterflies give one a good company
here. Elephants enjoy being bathed here by their mahouts. The river
and mountain offer various adventurous games like river rafting,
canoeing, rappelling, rock climbing and mountain biking. The trekkers

find numerous walking trails in this area. From the Brahmagiri hills, one
can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire landscape of Coorg. There is a
sixty-four-acre island of Nisargadhama nearby. It can be reached
through a rope bridge. Buddhist monks are settled in Bylakuppe which
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is very close to this place. Their red, ochre and yellow robes are very
attractive to look at.

10.TEA FROM ASSAM-PART 3

About the Author
Arup Kumar Dutta is an Indian writer and journalist based out of
Guwahati in Assam. He has written sixteen books for adults and
seventeen adventure novels for young people. In 2014, he was
awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honour by the Association of
Writers and Illustrators for Children, New Delhi the Indian chapter of
the International Board of Books for Young People. He has also won
numerous awards including the Shankar’s Award in 1979, conferred to
mark The International Year of the Child. He has been awarded the
civilian award, Padma Shri by the government of India in 2018.

Theme
Tea was first drunk in China. Even the words ‘chai’ and chini’ are from
Chinese. It goes back to 2700 B.C. In the 16th century, tea came to
Europe and was drunk more as a medicine than as a beverage. Assam
has the largest concentration of tea plantations in the world. There are
large groups of women with bamboo baskets on their backs. They pluck
the newly sprouted tea leaves from the plants and store them in the
baskets.

Summary
23

Pranjol belonged to Assam. He was studying in a school in Delhi where

Rajvir was his classmate. Pranjol’s father was the manager of a tea
garden in Upper Assam. Pranjol invited Rajvir to visit his home during
the summer vacation. Both of them travelled to Assam on a train. Rajvir
is extremely excited to see the beautiful greenery and tea plantations
outside. When the train stopped on the way at a station, a vendor
called, ‘chai-garam garam-chai’. They took tea and started sipping it.
Rajvir told Pranjol that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk every
day throughout the world.

Pranjol started reading his detective book again. But Rajvir looked out
of the window of the moving train. There was beautiful scenery
outside. Soon the soft green paddy fields were left behind and there
were tea bushes everywhere. Rajvir was fascinated by the magnificent
view of tea gardens. There were shady trees also. He was very excited.
Pranjol didn’t share Rajvir’s excitement because he had been born and
brought up on a plantation. He told Rajvir that Assam has the largest
concentration of tea plantation in the world.

Rajvir said that no one really knows who discovered tea. He told Pranjol
that there are many legends attached to tea, to the discovery of tea.
According to one story, a Chinese emperor discovered tea by chance.
He always boiled water before drinking it. One day, a few leaves of the
twigs burning under the pot fell into the water. As a result, the boiled
water got a delicious flavour. It is said they were tea leaves. According
to another Indian legend, Bodhidharma, an ancient Buddhist monk, felt
sleepy during meditations. So he cut off his eyelids and threw them
onto the ground. Ten tea plants grew out of the eyelids. The leaves of
these plants, when put in hot water and drunk, banished sleep.
24

Rajvir told Pranjol that tea was first drunk in China in 2700 B.C. Words
like ‘chai’ and ‘chini’ are Chinese. Tea came to Europe in the sixteenth
century. At first, it was used more as a medicine than as a beverage.
Both Rajvir and Pranjol reached Mariani junction. Pranjol’s parents
received them on the platform, they took them in a car to Dhekiabari,
the tea estate managed by Pranjol’s father. On both sides of the
passage, there were acres and acres of tea bushes. Women with
bamboo baskets on their backs were plucking the newly sprouted tea
leaves. They had come there in the sprouting season. Rajvir said that
this season lasts from May to July. The best tea is produced during this
season. Pranjol’s father told Rajvir that he knew many things about tea
plantations. He said that he would learn more about tea there.

11.MIJBIL THE OTTER

About the Author
Gavin Maxwell (15 July 1914 – 7 September 1969) was a Scottish
naturalist and author, best-known for his nonfiction writing. He wrote
the book ‘Ring of Bright Water’ (1960) about how he brought an otter
back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. The otter was of a previously
unknown sub-species which was subsequently named after Maxwell.
‘Ring of Bright Water’ sold more than a million copies and was made
into a film starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in 1969. The title
‘Ring of Bright Water’ was taken from the poem, “The Marriage of
Psyche by Kathleen Raine, who said in her autobiography that Maxwell
had been the love of her life.
25

Theme
Owning a pet is a lifetime of commitment (up to ten years or more if
you own a dog or a cat) involving considerable responsibility. The
decision to acquire one, therefore, should be made by all family
members.

Summary
The author lived in a cottage in Camusfeama in Scotland. He had a pet
dog Jonnie. When Jonnie died, he did keep a dog again for some time.
But life without a pet was lonely. So he decided to have another pet. He
didn’t want to have a dog. In 1956, he went to Southern Iraq. He had
decided by then that he would keep an otter as a pet, instead of a dog.
His home in Scotland had much water around it. So it would be suitable
for an otter.

The author shared this idea with a friend. He supported the idea and
suggested that he should take an otter from the Tigris marshes. He said
that otters were in plenty at that place. He and his friend decided to go
to Basra for an otter.

His friend’s mail had arrived. But the author’s mail was late. There was
a delay of a few days. In the meantime, his friend left. At last, the
author’s mail came. He went to his room in order to read it. There he
found two Arabs. They had brought a sack which was on the floor. In
the sack, there was an otter. They said that it was for him.
26

The otter was a small creature like a small dragon. It was covered with
mud from head to tail. Under the mud, it had soft velvet skin. He was
like that of a chocolate-brown mole. It took the author many days to
completely remove the mud from his body. He named the otter ‘Mijbil’.
His race was unknown to scientists. At first, Mijbil was neither hostile
nor friendly. He was simply aloof and indifferent. On the first night, it
slept on the floor. The next night, he slipped on the author’s bed and
slept between his knees. Mijbil started taking interest in its
surroundings. The author made a body-belt for him. When Mijbil was
taken to the bathroom, he enjoyed his bath. He went wild with joy in
the water of the tub. The author knew that the otters are fond of
water. Two days later, Mijbil escaped from the bedroom. It went to the
bathroom. He sat into the bathtub and turned the tap on. He was
happy under the running water.

Soon the otter became habitual of being called as ‘Mij’. He followed the
author when he called his name. It spent most of its time playing with a
rubber ball and marbles. He would throw the ball like a soccer player.
His real play was when he lay on his back and played with small objects
between his paws. Marbles were his favourite toys.

Days passed peacefully at Basra. Then it was time for the author to
come back. He dreaded the prospect of transporting Mij to England and
to Camusfeama. He knew that the British Airline would not fly animals
to London. So he had to book a flight to Paris in another airline and
another to London. The airline advised that Mij should be packed in a
box. The author put Mij into the box an hour before he started for the
airport, so that Mij would become accustomed to it. Then the author
went for a meal. When he returned, there was silence in the box. He
noticed blood from the air holes. He at once opened it. He found Mij
27

troubled and covered with blood. Mij had torn the inner lining of the
box. It was just ten minutes to the flight and the airport was five miles
away. So the author put it back in the box and hurried to the airport.
The car driver drove very fast.

The aircraft was waiting to take off. He rushed in. He covered the place
near his seat with newspapers. He gave the parcel of fish to the air-
hostess for the otter. She cooperated with the author and advised him
to keep the pet on his knee. But soon Mij was out of the box. He
disappeared very soon. Suddenly, there was chaos in the plane. There
were squawks and shrieks all around. A woman cried, “A rat, a rat!” The
author saw the otter beneath the legs of an Indian. When he tried to
catch the otter, his face got covered in curry. The air hostess assured
him that she would find the otter. The author returned to his seat. After
some time, the otter came to him and sat in his lap.

The otter and the author remained in London for nearly a month. Mijbil
used to play for hours with toys, ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit,
etc. He played with a suitcase and a ping-pong ball. He would place the
ball on the sloping top of the suitcase. Then he would hurry and catch it
before the ball fell off the suitcase. The author used to take otter out
for exercise and walk. Both walked through the streets. Mij developed
certain habits on those walks. He went with the author like children
playing, running and touching things in the streets. When the author
was near the primary school, Mij would jump on the wall and gallop on
it. In London, many people had not seen an otter. When they saw Mij,
they guessed what kind of animal it was. The author faced a stream of
questions filled with guesses. The people guessed that it could be a
baby seal, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard, etc. But
nobody could guess that it was an otter
28

12.MADAM RIDES THE BUS

About the Author
Vallikkannan was born on 12 November 1920 in Rajavallipuram. He was
a Tamil writer, journalist, critic and translator from Tamil Nadu. His
writing career started at a very young age. He had published twenty-
five books by the time he was thirty. He wrote a total of 75 books in his
lifetime. In 1978, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil
for his critical work on modern Tamil poetry.

Theme
The story ‘Madam Rides the Bus’ is about an eight-year-old girl, who
fulfils her desire to go for a bus ride on her own. Being a small child, she
inherits all the qualities of a mature person, which gives her courage to
go alone, all by herself for the ride. In the chapter, the girl is also
introduced with the mystery of life and death which makes her sad.

Summary
This is a story about the first bus journey of an eight-year-old girl. Her
name was Valliammai. She was called Valli for short. She was a curious
girl. She wanted to know many things. She did not have playmates of
her own age. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway
of her house to see what was happening outside.

Watching the happenings in the street gave her many new unusual
experiences. The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that passed
through the street each hour. The bus travelled between her village and
29

the nearest town. The sight of the bus was a source of unending joy for
Valli. It was a great joy for her to watch new sets of passengers every
time the bus passed through the street. As she watched the bus day
after day, she developed a wish to have a ride on that bus. Her wish
became stronger and stronger until it was an overwhelming desire.

Valli carefully listened to the conversations between her neighbours

and people who had travelled on the bus or who regularly used it. She
asked some casual questions also. In this way, she learnt about small
details about the journey. She came to know that the town was six
miles away from her village. It took forty-five minutes to reach there.
The fare was thirty paise for one way. One could keep sitting on the bus
and return to the village by paying another thirty paise. Valli planned
her journey to the town and back. It would be her first journey out of
her village. She saved every paisa by resisting her desire to buy ice
cream, toys, balloons, etc. She had also killed her desire to visit the
village fair and have a ride in the merry-go-round. When she had saved
sixty paise, she was ready for her first bus journey.

Then she planned how she would slip out of the house. She knew that
her mother slept daily after lunch. So she decided to use these hours
for her journey. She decided to board the bus at one o’clock, so that
she could be back by two forty-five. So, one fine spring day, Valli
boarded the bus. The conductor, seeing her confidence, allowed her to
board the bus. He was a jolly fellow. He understood that Valli spoke
with pride. He called her Madam and offered a seat. He asked others to
make way for the ‘madam’. There were only six or seven passengers on
the bus. They were all looking at Valli. They and the conductor have
overcome her shyness, quickly walked to an empty seat and sat down.
30

Valli looked around her in the bus. The bus had a fine painting of green
stripes on the white. It had soft and comfortable seats. It had a
beautiful clock above the windscreen. The overhead bars shone like
silver. Then she tried to look outside. She found her view cut off by a
curtain that covered the lower part of her window, so she stood on her
seat to enjoy the outside scene. The bus was going along the bank of a
canal. She saw palm trees, mountains and the blue sky. On the other
side, there were green fields. Suddenly, an elderly man warned Valli not
to stand on the seat. He called her a child and said that she could fall
and get hurt. But Valli does not care for him. She told him proudly that
she was not a ‘child’. She had paid the full fare like the others. The
conductor told the man that Valli was a grown-up madam. Valli looked
at the conductor angrily and said that she was not a madam. The
conductor told her that she should not stand on the seat. She could fall
when the bus took sharp turns. But Valli ignored his remarks.

On the way, the bus stopped and some new passengers got on. Afraid
of losing her seat, Valli finally sat. An elderly woman came and sat
beside her. Valli looked at the woman. She found her repulsive. She had
ugly earrings. She was chewing betel. Valli could see that the betel juice
was likely to spill over her lips. That woman asked Valli whether she
was travelling all alone. Valli told her that she was alone and she got a
ticket too. Then the old woman asked her if it was proper for a child to
travel alone. She also asked whether Valli knew exactly where she was
going in town. Valli told the old woman that she need not bother about
her. Then she turned her face toward the window.

The bus moved on across a bare landscape. Valli enjoyed the outside
scene. Trees came running towards them. Sometimes, the bus seemed
to strike the oncoming vehicle. But both passed safely. Suddenly, Valli
31

clapped her hands with joy. A cow was running in the middle of the
road, in front of the bus. The bus slowed down. The driver sounded the
horn again and again. But the cow became more frightened and
continued running before the bus. Valli laughed and laughed until there
were tears in her eyes. At last, the cow moved off the road. The bus
passed by the side of a railway crossing. Valli enjoyed the scene of
trains. Then the bus entered the city area. There were huge crowds of
people. Valli looked at different things with surprise. Then the bus
reached the city bus stand and stopped. Everybody got off the bus,
except Valli. The conductor asked Valli to get down.

But she told him that she was going back on the same bus. He was
surprised and asked her why she had come to the city. She replied that
she just wanted to take a ride on the bus. He asked Valli if she would
like to have a look at the sights outside the bus. Valli said that she was
afraid of that. He asked to have a cold drink. Valli said that she did not
have enough money for that. The conductor offered to pay for her
drink, but Valli did not accept the offer.

The bus resumed its return journey. There were the same wonderful
sights. Valli enjoyed the scene again. But suddenly, she saw a young
cow lying dead, by the roadside. It had been struck by a fast moving
vehicle. She asked the conductor if it was the same cow they saw
earlier. The conductor nodded. Valli became sad. It had been a lovable,
beautiful creature just a little ago. But now the cow was without its
charm and its life. The bus moved on. The memory of the dead cow
haunted Valli. She no longer wanted to see out of the window. She kept
sitting on her seat until her village came. She got down and wished the
conductor to see him. The conductor smiled. He told Valli that
whenever she felt like riding the bus, she could come and join them.
32

Valli reached home. She found her mother was awake. She was talking
to her aunt who lived in South Street. She was a chatterbox. She asked
Valli where she had been. But Valli just smiled. Her mother and the
aunt were discussing the things outside the world. Her mother said that
no one could know everything. At this, Valli remarked that there were
many things happening without our knowledge. Her mother asked
what she meant. Valli’s aunt called her a chit of a girl. She took interest
in things which did not concern her. She behaved as if she were a
grown-up lady. Valli smiled to herself. She didn’t want them to
understand her smile.

13.THE SEREMON AT BANERAS

About the Author
Betty J Renshaw was born on 2 October 1921 and died on 30 April 1999
at the age of 77. She resided with her family in Erie county,
Pennsylvania.

Theme
‘The Sermon at Benares’ is a story about Gautama Buddha. One day,
when he was going for hunting, he caught sight of a sick man, an aged
man, a dead man’s funeral procession and a monk. Seeing this, he
realised that this world is a home of sufferings. So he left home in
search of wisdom at the age of twenty- five. He wandered for seven
years and got enlightenment.
33

Summary

Gautama Buddha was born in 563 B.C. He was born in a royal family. He
was a prince. His name was Siddhartha Gautama. At the age of twelve,
he was sent away for schooling. He studied all the sacred Hindu
scriptures. He returned after four years. At the age of sixteen, he
married a princess. They had a son. For ten years, the couple led a
happy life. Siddhartha had been shielded from the sufferings of the
world. However, when he was twenty-five, Siddhartha saw a sick man,
then an aged man, then a funeral procession. Finally, he came across a
monk begging for alms. This was his first encounter with the harsh
realities of life. These sights made him so sad that he decided to
renounce the worldly pleasures. He left his family and became a
beggar. He went out into the world to seek spiritual knowledge.

Siddhartha Gautama wandered for seven years in search of wisdom and

truth. Finally, he sat down under a fig tree to meditate. He vowed to
stay there until he got enlightenment. After seven days, Gautama got
enlightenment. He named the tree as the ‘Bodhi Tree’, that is ‘The Tree
of Wisdom’. He became known as ‘the Buddha’ which means
‘enlightened’ or ‘the awakened’. He began to teach and spread his
message of wisdom and truth. He became known as the Buddha (the
enlightened).

Buddha gave his first sermon at Benares. It is one of the holiest places
on the banks of the river Ganges. His first sermon reflects his wisdom
about one inscrutable kind of suffering, i.e., death. Here, the Buddha
34

tells about the universality of death which is inevitable and can’t be

escaped.

A lady named Kisa Gotami had an only son. One day, her son died. She
wanted that her child should become alive again. She wanted some
medicine to bring her son to life. People called her mad. At last, she
came across a man. He advised her to meet the Buddha. She
approached Buddha with a request to give her medicine, so that her
only son could live again. After deep thought, the Buddha asked her to
bring a handful of mustard seeds. But there was a condition. She must
bring it from a house where no one had died. Kisa Gotami went from
door-to-door to get the mustard seeds. She found mustard seeds in
every home, but she could not find a home where nobody had died. By
evening, she was sad and tired. She saw the lights of the city. Soon
there was the darkness of the night. Now, she considered the fate of
man. She realised that death is inevitable. No one can escape it.

She came back to the Buddha and asked for his blessings. The Buddha
in his sermon told her that our life is brief and painful. Everyone who
takes birth has to die. The vessel made by the potter is not permanent.
It has to break one day. In the same way, everyone has to die. Death
spares none. Everyone grieves when someone dear dies. But grieving
cannot bring the dead back to life. So death and sufferings are
unavoidable. The wise people do not grieve as they know the truth.
Weeping does not bring peace to the mind. On the other hand, a
person’s pain becomes greater by grieving. His body also suffers. One
who has learnt to control his grief shall have peace of mind. That
person is blessed, who has overcome his sorrow.
35

14.THE PROPOSAL
About the Author
Anton Chekov was born on 29 January 1860 in Southern Russia. He
(1860-1904) was a famous writer. He is chiefly known for his short
stories. He was a Russian physician, playwright and author who is
considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history.

Theme
The one act play, ‘The Proposal’ throws light on the lifestyle of the
landlords of Russia in the 19th century. The farm labourers worked on
their farms. So these landlords led a life of ease and comfort. In fact,
they led an idle life. They were full of vanity and pride. They quarrelled
over petty things. In the play, we see that Lomov and Natalya have a
dispute over a piece of land. They quarrel again over the qualities of
their dogs. Chubukov, Natalya’s father, instead of pacifying them, joins
them. He and Lomov abuse each other. All of them behave in a very
funny way. The play also brings to light the social life of the landowners
of the 19th century. An unmarried grown-up daughter was considered
a great burden by the parents. Chubukov curses himself for being the
father of Natalya. An aged bachelor was also looked down upon in the
society. This theme has been presented nicely through the characters
of Lomov and Natalya.

Summary
36

When the play begins, we see that Lomov comes to meet Chubukov at
his house. Chubukov who is a farmer welcomes Lomov. He asks him
why he is wearing formal clothes and whether he is going to attend a
function. Lomov replies that he is not going anywhere; he has come
only to meet him. Lomov appears excited and perturbed. He calms
himself down and begins to tell him the purpose of his visit. He tells him
that he came to him many times in the past also for his help, but he did
not help him. Before telling the purpose of his visit, Lomov is excited
once again. Chubukov thinks that perhaps he has come to ask for a
loan. He makes up his mind not to help him in any way.

Lomov once again begins to tell Chubukov about the purpose of his
visit. But he once again becomes excited. He talks about himself in
exaggerated terms. Chubukov asks him not to beat about the bush and
to talk about his purpose of coming. Lomov gathers courage and tells
him that he has come to ask for his daughter, Natalya’s hand in
marriage. On hearing this, Chubukov becomes very happy, he goes in to
call Natalya. But before this, Lomov asks him whether Natalya would
give her permission for this. Chubukov replies that she will readily
accept a match like him.

Lomov is left alone in the room. His body is trembling with excitement.
He thinks about his present life. He wants to settle the question of his
marriage at once. He thinks that now he should not delay. He thinks
about Natalya. She is a skilled house-keeper. She is educated and is not
bad to look at. At this age, he should not expect a better girl than her.
Now he is thirty-five years old. Now he should lead a regulated life. He
37

is suffering from serious diseases like palpitation, excitement and

insomnia. Because of these reasons, he should marry.

Just then Natalya comes in. Her father has not told her that Lomov has
come to meet her. He only told her that a customer had come. Even
then she welcomes Lomov. Before Lomov can speak, she starts
speaking. When she mentions his beautiful dress, he is again excited.
Before he can talk about his marriage to her, he starts trembling.
Natalya encourages him and he recovers. He says that he will tell her
everything in brief. Even then he cannot talk in a straight-forward
manner. He beats about the bush. He tells her that for the last many
decades their families have had good relations. Their estates are also
adjoining. His Oxen Meadows touch their birchwoods. Natalya protests
against this. She says that the Oxen Meadows belong to her. They start
quarrelling about the ownership of the Oxen Meadows. They shout
loudly at each other. They do not calm down in any way.

Chubukov comes in and finds them both quarrelling. He is greatly

surprised. But when he finds that they are quarrelling about the
ownership of the Oxen Meadows, he also becomes angry. Instead of
calming them down, he also starts quarrelling. He claims to be the
owner of the Meadows. He insults not only Lomov but also his family
members. Lomov becomes more excited. He uses insulting words for
Chubukov, Natalya and their family members. Lomov’s palpitation
increases and he becomes very perturbed. He goes out of the room.
Chubukov says how the foolish Lomov dared to bring a proposal for
Natalya’s marriage. When Natalya hears this, she is deeply shocked.
She almost becomes unconscious. She starts weeping and asks her
father to bring him back. Chubukov feels sad. He says that it is the
biggest misfortune to be the father of a girl. He goes out to call Lomov.
38

Lomov again enters the room. Natalya thinks that she will not annoy
him this time. She tries to please him. She says that the Meadows
belong to him. She tries to change the topic, so that he could propose
to her. But he is still not all right. He is feeling disturbed. He does not
come to the point. Lomov starts praising the qualities of his dog Guess,
which he has purchased for 125 roubles. But Natalya says that her dog
Squeezer which she purchased for 85 roubles is much better than
Lomov’s dog Guess. Both of them praise the qualities of their dogs.
Now they start quarrelling on this topic. They again start shouting at
each other. In the meantime, Chubukov comes. Instead of putting an
end to their quarrel, he also starts quarrelling. In this dispute, Lomov’s
condition deteriorates and he falls on the chair, unconscious. Both the
father and the daughter think that he has died. Natalya starts lamenting
that her chance of getting married has gone.

After sometime, Lomov comes to his senses. Chubukov tells Lomov that
Natalya is willing for marriage. So he should marry her. Natalya
expresses her willingness. Chubukov does not want to lose even a
moment and joins their hands. He asks them to kiss each other. But
soon, they start quarrelling again. They start debating over the qualities
of their respective dogs. Chubukov tries to calm them down. With this,
the play comes to an end

15.DUST OF SNOW-POEM
About the Poet
Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. In his
lifetime, he won more than one Pulitzer Prize and attended Harvard.
His poetry remains significant in today’s literary world, and his name is
39

also linked to the Robert Frost Library where President John F. Kennedy
honoured the poet with a speech. This honouring was somewhat fitting
since Frost read a poem at Kennedy’s inauguration. Frost passed away
in the year 1963.

Theme
In “Dust of Snow”, the poet is trying to tell us that the best things in life
are free. On a cold winter day, staying home could have been
comfortable. But due to unavoidable circumstances, the poet has been
forced to go out. At such a time, the only thing that cheers him up is the
world of nature, crows and snowflakes. This natural world is available
for us to see and touch, free of cost. However, we generally take it for
granted. Worse still, we can curse nature for giving us bad weather,
such as the inhabitants of New England do in winter. However, if we
look beyond our own inconvenience, we will see that nature is beautiful
even at its harshest. If only we pay attention to all that life gives us, we
will learn to appreciate it. The crow is what brings the beauty of the
snowflakes to the poet’s attention, and for that, he is grateful. He is
grateful to be alive to see such wonderful sights in this world at no cost.

Summary
Dust of Snow is a beautiful poem written by the famous poet Robert
Frost. Though the poem is very brief, but it has a significant meaning.
This poem stands for guiding a person who has lost all hopes and is very
sad. The falling of dust of snow has changed the mood of the poet. The
poet was sitting under a hemlock tree, quite and upset. This very small
40

incident changed his sad mood into happy mood. So it teaches us that
we should not be desperate because there is always an opportunity to
change the sad mood into happy mood.

Explanation of the Poem

1. The way a crow

Shook down on me

The dust of snow

From a hemlock tree

Exp- In this stanza, the poet is talking about a winter’s day when all the
treetops were covered in masses of snowflakes. The poet was walking
under one such snow-covered tree. This was the North American
conifer known as the hemlock, named so because its smell resembles
that of the European plant from which the poison known as hemlock
was made. Hence, by virtue of its name, this tree was not one that you
could associate with anything positive. However, a crow alighted on
this tree suddenly, and because of that sudden motion, the mass of
snowflakes atop it fell down on the poet like rain. The snowflakes were
so light and miniscule that the poet thought they looked like white and
immaculate dust particles (if indeed dust particles could ever be white).
This shower of snowflakes from the hemlock tree is evidently the
subject matter of this poem, since it touched the poet in some way.
41

2. Has given my heart

A change of mood

And saved some part

Of a day I had rued.

Exp- In this stanza, the poet explains to us exactly in what way the
shower of snowflakes had an effect on him. He says that it changed his
mood. That is to say, he had been in a sullen or despairing mood, and
the snowflakes falling on him, all of a sudden, gladdened his heart. In
addition to this, there was another effect that the shower of snowflakes
had on the poet. He says that, that particular day was one that he had
not been looking forward to, and in fact, it was not going too well
either.

He had decided, in his mind, that that particular day would go waste.
However, the shower of dust-like snow on his shoulder changed his
mind. It made him feel that the day had not been a complete waste. At
least some part of that day had been pleasant, since it had given him a
new experience that he could treasure as well as the material for
another one of his wonderful poetic compositions.

Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme
Each of the two stanzas in “Dust of Snow follows the same simple
rhyme scheme, that is, ABAB. Only one imperfect rhyme occurs in this
poem between the “crow” in the 1st line and the “snow” in the 3rd
line.
42

Metaphor
This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between
two different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of
metaphor in the 3rd line of the 1st stanza, when he compares the mass
of snowflakes atop the hemlock tree with dust.

Synecdoche
This poetic device is used in many ways to represent one thing with the
help of an entirely different one. In this poem, the poet uses this device
to represent the whole in the 1st line of the 2nd stanza. He says that his
“heart” has undergone a change of mood because the crow has made
the snowflakes from the hemlock tree rain down on him. However, he
is now experiencing a better mood as a result of the actions of the
crow.

Symbolism
The symbolism in this poem is very subtle and hard to catch. However,
if we read between the lines, we will be able to understand just how
apt the symbols used by the poet here are. The poet is having a bad day
and he is clear about that. However, to make us understand the
severity of his sullen mood, he introduces us to the symbol of the
hemlock tree. Hence, the hemlock tree, from which the poison is said to
be made, is a symbol of death. The next symbol that the poet
introduces to us is that of the crow. The crow is an ambiguous symbol
and could stand for many things. Generally, the crow is considered to
43

be the ugliest among all birds. Hence, it could be another sight to

degrade the poet’s mood once again.

16.FIRE AND ICE

About the Poet
Robert Lee Frost was born on 26 March 1874 in San Francisco, United
States. He was an American poet. His work was initially published in
England before it was published in America. He was admired for his
depictions of the rural life of New England, his command of American
colloquial speech, and his realistic verse portraying ordinary people in
everyday situations. He died on 29 January 1963 in Boston, United
States.

Theme
In the poem, ‘Fire and Ice’, the poet is surmising the fate of the world –
what would cause it to end. Being a poet, he likes the causes to the
imperfections in human nature, and not just plain physics. He dwells on
two causes that are believed to end the world – fire or ice. Here, fire is
symbolic of human desire or passion, and ice is symbolic of hatred.

Humans have raided the planet in an attempt to satisfy their desires;

we cut trees, pollute the air, water and land, just to get and experience
the things we want. We do this without any consideration of what
effect it will have on nature. Here, fire also symbolises base passion, or
so to say sexual desire. This desire, although responsible for
continuation of life, if not controlled, can also lead to misery and self-
destruction (remember AIDS). Ice symbolises the hatred that arises out
44

of rational thinking. Humans, in their bid to know things and gain

power, become so impervious to love and kindness, that they end up
fighting with each other. This has been evident in the wars that have
been fought throughout human history.

Summary
In this poem, the poet talks about the two different beliefs regarding
the end of this world. He says that he is in the favour of those who say
this world will end in fire as he has seen the effect and result of
uncontrolled and unending desires. He finds the human desires same as
fire in its nature. On the other hand, the second belief tells that ice is
sufficient for destroying this world and the poet compares the nature of
ice with hatred. As ice can make a part of body numb with its prolonged
contact like hatred, it can also give numbness to our mind and
thoughts, and make us insensitive and cruel.

The poet brings us into the middle of an argument between people

who think the world will come to a fiery end and people who think the
world will freeze. He could be talking about the literal end of the world,
but he’s also talking about the power that human beings have to harm
or “destroy” one another.

The poet’s experience with romantic desire has taught him that
passionate or “hot emotions like love and lust would probably have the
power to turn the earth into a big fireball. But he has also experienced
the other extreme, and he knows that colder emotions like hate have
great destructive power. Love gets all the publicity, but hate is the
silent killer. It may not have the same grandeur as the fireball ending,
but it’ll do the trick.
45

Explanation of the Poem

1. Some say the world will end in fire

Some say in ice.

Exp- Here, the ‘end of the world’ could mean doom or the Apocalypse,
as stated in religious texts like the Bible. It could be a celestial
happening, as stated by the astronomer mentioned earlier. It could also
be a natural calamity happening on earth itself; volcanoes, or forest
fires, or the Ice Age.

It could also mean man-made destruction of the world because of

man’s greed or animosity, leading to global warming or nuclear war. It
also points to the collapsing of the world around a person because of
his mistakes, owing to similar reasons.

The poet has demarcated the reason of this destruction into two major
schools of thought— one in favour of fire, and the other in favour of
ice.

2. From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

Exp- The poet knows what it means to have desires. From his
knowledge and experience of this feeling, and the havoc it can cause to
a person if done in excess, he agrees that desire can be a cause of
destruction. Fire is used in reference to the animal tendencies in us. All
these emotions are associated with hotness. Here, desire could mean
ambitions, aspirations, gluttony, greed, lust, etc. We commit mistakes,
46

or so to say, sins, in running after our desires. We do not see that it can
harm other people, animals, plants or nature, if we blindly go after it.
Excessive emphasis on desires is what keeps us from experiencing pure
joy and bliss.

3. I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also grea

Exp- The poet has also experienced negative feelings like hatred
himself, and also in people around him. He is owning up to have this
feeling himself, so we can also say that he is being very honest with us.
Hatred is taken to be an ice-cold emotion. It could also be that he has
received this emotion from someone, and knows what wrong it can do.
When you become selfish and think only about yourself, you don’t care
about anybody else.

Let us understand, why he has associated hatred with ice, and also why
destruction by ice is following destruction by fire. You have a fit of rage
which is a hot feeling, then it keeps smoldering inside you, and finally
you become impervious to love. You become indifferent, uncaring, and
devoid of positive feelings. Thus, hatred destroys the very humanity in
you. If love is lost, everything is lost, and this is a great recipe for an
impending disaster.

4. And would suffice.

Exp- This line lingers in the mind and makes your hair stand on their
ends. It frightens you, and makes you shudder to think that the very
47

inadequacies and imperfections in human nature could boomerang on

us and lead to our destruction.

This poem makes us think deeper about our negativity. It propels us

towards introspection. What we can learn from it, is that, we should
strive to keep human values alive. We should keep our desires and
hatred in check. Desires can be controlled by being satisfied and happy
with what one has. Love for all living beings and nature can be an
antidote for the venom of hatred.

Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme
The rhyme scheme is: aba abc bcb with ice repeated twice and also
contained within twice/suffice. This clever twist on the rhyme means
that the initial opening fire gradually fades as the poem progresses,
with ice taking over.

Metaphor
In the poem, ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ are metaphors for ‘desire’ and ‘hate’. In the
third line of the poem, the poet has simply implied metaphor in ‘to
taste desire’. Frost compares desire to food; some thing which can be
tasted.

Antithesis
Fire is the antithesis of ice.
48

Symbolism
The poem is all about the two symbols of fire and ice. When the poet
associates fire with desire and ice with hate, we know that fire and ice
are symbols of human behaviours and emotions.

Enjambment
Fire and ice are two destructive elements that can lead to the
destruction of this world. This poetic device is used in the last three
lines of the poem.

17.A TIGER IN THE ZOO

About the Poet
Leslie Norris was a prize-winning Welsh poet and short story writer.
Until 1974, he earned his living as a college lecturer, teacher and
headmaster. From 1974, he combined full-time writing with residencies
at academic institutions in Britain and the United States. Today, he is
considered one of the most important Welsh writers of the post-war
period. His collections of stories, including Collected Stories, and
poems, including Collected Poems, have won many prizes, among them
the Cholmondeley Poetry Prize, the David Higham Memorial Prize, the
Katherine Mansfield Memorial Award, the AML Award, the AML Award
for poetry and the Welsh Arts Council Senior Fiction Award.

Theme
49

The poet shows his readers that a tiger is better suited to live in the
wild, rather than living in a zoo. In the wild, it can roam freely and hunt
as and when it requires food. It can approach human habitation and
intimidate its inhabitants, but will not harm them unless it is provoked.
On the other hand, in the zoo, its radius of movement is very small, it
feels like a prisoner in a jail cell it is fed by the zoo authorities and so it
unlearns how to live by itself and is made lazy. It does not appreciate
humans coming to look at it. It cannot even sleep at night because it is
angry at being caged. All in all, the tiger lives an unnatural and unhappy
life in the zoo.

Summary
In this poem, Leslie Norris has given an appropriate description of a
tiger. This poem contrasts a tiger in the zoo in his cage with the tiger in
its natural habitat. The poem moves from the zoo to the jungle, and
back again to the jungle. The poet sees a tiger full of rage but quiet,
moving in his cage in a starry night. The poet feels that the tiger should
have been moving freely in the forest and hunting at his will. But now
he is locked in a concrete cell behind the bars. At night, he watches
stars with his brilliant eyes and longs for freedom.

In this poem, the poet shows how proud the tiger is, and as a
consequence, why it should never by caged in zoo premises. In the wild,
the tiger hunts its own food all alone and without any help from others
of its kind. The stealthy hunting of deer at the water hole may seem
cruel, but it is merely a survival strategy. Tigers hunt only when they
need to eat. Moreover, this helps to keep the food chain of the forest
balanced and thus, it keeps the ecosystem healthy as well.
50

Even when the tiger occasionally strays into human habitation, it only
growls at the inhabitants, but does not kill them or harm them in any
other way, unless it is put under extreme provocation. In the zoo as
well, the tiger’s pride is noticeable to all. Hundreds of visitors flock to
its cage every day, but it ignores them all, roaming about on its own.
However, in the reduced space of the cage, it cannot move freely. That
is why, the poet believes that all tigers should live in the wild and none
in the zoo. They are not really a danger to human life, and so they
should not be confined.

Explanation of the Poem

1. He stalks in his vivid stripes

The few steps of his cage,

On pads of velvet quiet,

In his quiet rage.

Exp- The tiger in the zoo walks in the limited space provided to it in the
cage. It takes a few steps. There are stripes on its body which are quite
prominent (noticeable). Its paws are soft like velvet. No noise is
produced when it walks on its ‘pads of velvet’. The tiger is silent but in
rage (anger).

2. He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass

Near the water hole

Where plump deer pass.

51

Exp- Now, the poet suggests that the cage is not the proper place for
the tiger. It is not its natural habitat. The tiger in the cage is a victim of
human cruelty. Usually, tigers are found sitting under some bushes or
long grasses near a stream or water hole. As soon as they see their prey
like deer coming there to drink water, they slide silently through the
grass and kill them. The poet wants to convey that this tiger should be
there in the forest, its natural habitat.

3. He should be snarling around houses

At the jungle’s edge,

Baring his white fangs, his claws,

Terrorising the village!

Exp- The poet proceeds further giving another suggestion that the tiger
should be sitting at the jungle’s edge in close vicinity of a village. It
should be terrorising the people passing that way by showing its sharp
teeth, baring its claws and producing low sound of anger.

4. But he’s locked in a concrete cell,

His strength behind bars,

Stalking the length of his cage,

Ignoring visitors.

Exp- The poet expresses deep sympathy at the plight (unpleasant

situation) of the tiger, that is imprisoned in a cell made of concrete
(mixed material like cement, sand, small pieces of stone and water). He
cannot come out of it because strong bars fixed at the concrete cell
52

stop him. Thus, the poet says that the tiger’s strength is locked behind
the bars. The tiger shows no interest in looking at the visitors. Rather,
he keeps on stalking (walking in angry and proud manner) in the limited
space of the cage.

5. He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,

And stares with his brilliant eyes

At the brilliant stars.

Exp- The poet again takes the reader to the cage where the tiger is
sitting in the cage and feeling unpleasant and restless. He hears the
sound created by the patrolling cars of the zoo authorities. He shows no
interest in them and stares at the shining stars with his brilliant eyes.

Thus, the poem ends up at the point where it had started.

The poet raises a moral issue here. He intends to present a strong case
against the cruelty on animals, which are kept in cages.

Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme
Each of the five stanzas of “A tiger in the Zoo” follows the same simple
rhyme scheme – ABCB.

Personification
This poetic device is used to bestow human qualities on something that
is not human. In this poem, the poet uses the device of personification
53

with respect to the tiger that is mentioned in the title of the poem. He
refers to the tiger not as “it” but as “he”.

Metaphor
This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between
two different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of
metaphor in the 3rd line of the 1st stanza, when he compares the pads
of the tiger’s feet with velvet, since both are soft and smooth when
touched.

Metonymy
This poetic device consists of the substitution of the name of an
attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant. In this poem, the poet
uses the device of metonymy in the 2nd line of the 4th stanza. He uses
the word “strength” to mean the body of the tiger, where the entire
strength of this majestic creature resides and which is locked up within
a cage in the zoo.

18.HOW TO TELL WILD ANIMALS

About the Poet
Carolyn Wells was born on June 18, 1862 in Rahway, U.S. She was a
prolific American writer remembered largely for her popular mysteries,
children’s books, and humorous verse.

From 1900, Wells gave herself entirely to literary work, and over the
next four decades, she produced a flood of books, some 170 titles that
54

fell into several genres: children’s stories, mystery and detective

stories, anthologies, and humorous and nonsense writings.

Wells was especially noted for her humour, and she was a frequent
contributor of nonsense verse and whimsical pieces. Her first book was
published in 1986.

Theme
In the poem, ‘How to Tell Wild Animals’, the poet describes various wild
animals, and their qualities. She explains how we can recognise the
Asian Lion, the Bengal Tiger, the leopard, the bear, the hyena and the
crocodile.

The poet describes the wildlife vividly and in lively manner.

Summary
‘How to Tell Wild Animals’ is a beautiful poem written by Carolyn Wells
about the strange habits and behaviours of some wild animals. The
poet says that Asian lion is a large tawny beast with a fearful roar. A
tiger has black stripes on his yellow skin and is always ready to eat his
victim. A leopard has black spots on his skin. He leaps on his prey and
eats it up. A bear can come to human colonies. He hugs up a person
and can put to death. A crocodile always sheds tears while eating its
victim. A hyena always looks smiling. A chameleon always changes its
colour according to its surroundings. This is the strange world of some
of the wild animals.

Explanation of the Poem

55

1. If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east;

And if there should to you advance

A large and tawny beast,

If he roars at you as you’re dyin’

You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…

Exp- In the above lines, the poet suggests an extreme situation to

identify a lion. The poet says that if the roar of the animal is so
fearsome that you feel like you are dying, then you can be sure that you
are near a lion.

2. Or if some time when roaming round,

A noble wild beast greets you,

With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet says what to do if you see a wild
animal with black stripes on yellow body. If he starts eating you, then
you can be sure that it is a tiger. But it is better not to wait to be a
tiger’s lunch to identify it.

3. If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,

56

As soon as he has lept on you,

You’ll know it is the Leopard.

‘Twill do no good to roar with pain,

He’ll only lep and lep again.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet says that if you happen to see an
animal with spots which gives it a salt and pepper appearance, wait
until he leaps on you. Because no matter how hard you cry, it will
continue powering on you. So be careful and don’t allow it to leap on
you.

4. If when you’re walking around your yard

You meet a creature there,

Who hugs you very, very hard,

Be sure it is a Bear.

If you have any doubts, I guess

He’ll give you just one more caress.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet says that bears are thought to be good
wrestlers and can give a really tight hug. Although a friendly hug is
referred to as bear hug. But if a real bear will hug you, then it may not
feel friendly at all.

5. Though to distinguish beasts of prey

A novice might nonplus,

The Crocodile you always may

57

Tell from the Hyena thus:

Hyenas come with merry smiles;

But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet says that some animals are famous for
their weird behaviour. For example, a laughing hyena’s voice resembles
human’s laughing sound. A crocodile is said to shed fears while eating
its prey. So don’t wait for a hyena to laugh or for a crocodile to weep.

6. The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;

He hasn’t any ears at all,

And not a single wing.

If there is nothing on the tree,

’Tis the chameleon you see.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet says that a chameleon or garden lizard
is an expert at camouflage. If you are unable to see a thing on tree then
chances are, as per its surroundings, it is difficult to see. This capacity of
camouflage helps the lizard in saving it from hunters.

Poetic Devices
Poetic License
As soon as it has lept on you. He will only lep and lep again. In the first
instance, it should have been ‘leapt’ instead of lept and the term ‘lep’
58

should have been spelt as ‘leap’. In the second instance, the line should
have begun with ‘it’ instead of ‘T’.

Alliteration
Roaming round

Lep and lep again

Who hugs you very hard

A novice might nonplus

19.THE BALL POEM

About the Poet
John Barryman was born on 25 October 1914, in McAlester, Oklahoma.
He was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure of the
20th century’s American poetry. He was considered as a key figure in
the Confessional School of Poetry.

Theme
In this poem, for the little boy, his ball is the first thing he has ever held
dear. However, he has never even considered the possibility that he
might one day lose his ball. It is only when that happens, he realises
that it was his responsibility to keep the ball safe. The boy quickly
realises that everything he will ever own will be his responsibility. He
also realises that things will get lost from time to time, and money
simply cannot replace them all. As he is learning these lessons, he is
growing up. He will never again be as innocent as he was before the
59

loss of his ball. He will never be naive enough to not feel the pressure of
his responsibilities. This is a very painful thing for the poet to watch.

In this poem, the ball symbolises our family or friends whom we love,
and the loss of the ball symbolises their death. As we grow older, we
will become more and more accustomed to seeing our loved ones die.
We will learn how to deal with such a loss and to move on from it as
well. Death may grieve us or cause us to feel depressed, but sooner or
later, we must overcome those feelings and start living our normal lives
again.

Summary
This poem is about a boy who loses a ball in the water. He is very upset.
Though the ball does not cost too much, it gives a big shock to him. He
keeps staring at the place where his ball has gone. The poet sees all
this, but he doesn’t interfere with the boy’s ruminations. The poet
thinks that the loss of the ball will teach the boy a lesson of accepting
the loss with tolerance and pleasure. Everyone has to lose something or
the other in this world, still they are to survive and fulfil their
obligations. This loss makes the boy learn that gains and losses are part
and parcel of life. One should accept them as a common matter.

Explanation of the Poem

1. What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,

What, what is he to do? I saw it go

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then

60

Merrily over—there it is in the water!

Exp- In these lines, the poet asks his readers a question. He has seen a
young boy’s ball rolling away from him, bouncing happily on its way,
and finally falling into the water. He asks his readers what the boy
should do now.

2. No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

All his young days into the harbour where

His ball went. I would not intrude on him;

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

Exp- In these lines, the poet thinks for a moment that he ought to
console the boy who has lost his ball by telling him that there will be
other balls just like that one which he will come across sooner or later.
However, he understands that such false consolation will not make the
boy feel any better. A feeling of grief has come over the boy. He stands
very straight for some time and then starts shivering all over. He
watches the ball go into the harbour and down in the water, and he
feels that his childhood has also taken the same route away from him.
At such a time, the poet feels that it would be wrong to go up to the
boy and intrude on his solitude. Giving him a dime to purchase another
ball will not hold any value for him.

3. He senses first responsibility

In a world of possessions. People will take

61

Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.

And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

Exp- In these lines, the poet tells us that the little boy is undergoing a
transformation. He is just now coming to the realisation that the ball
was his responsibility, as many things will be after this. In this world,
everything you own is our responsibility and you must keep those
things safe. However, nothing you own will be yours forever. Other
people will take away your ball, or it will get lost in some way or the
other. No one will buy another ball for you. Money is only something
you can show off, but ultimately it cannot buy you inner peace. Here,
the ‘ball’ is a symbol for all of one’s possessions, and the poet is saying
that we will certainly lose them one day and that they cannot be easily
replaced.

4. He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,

The epistemology of loss, how to stand up

Knowing what every man must one day know

And most know many days, how to stand up.

Exp- In these lines, the poet says that the boy’s eyes have become filled
with an awful sadness, but that behind all the grief, he is learning an
important lesson. He is learning about the loss of things one considers
precious. He is learning a lesson that every man must learn, and one
that man must learn again and again. He is learning how to accept the
loss and then move on. Suddenly, the boy is brought back to his senses
after hearing the sound of a whistle nearby. He can no longer see the
ball at all.
62

Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme
The poet does not follow any identifiable rhyme scheme in this poem.

Metaphor
This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between
two different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of
metaphor in the 8th line when he compares the boy’s young days or his
childhood with the lost ball.

Apostrophe
This poetic device is used when the poet addresses his or her poem to
an absent audience. In this poem, the poet uses the device of an
apostrophe in the 13th line as he directly speaks to the little boy and
tells him that balls are always liable to get lost, but we never see the
boy responding to him.

Transferred epithet
This poetic device is used when an emotion is attributed to a non-living
thing after being displaced from a person. In this poem, the poet uses
the device of transferred epithet in the 15th line, when he writes the
phrase “desperate eyes”. It is not that the eyes of the boy are sad, but
that the boy itself is sad and that his eyes are expressing that emotion
on his face.
63

20.AMANDA
About the Poet
Robin Klein was born on 28 February 1936 in Kempsey, New South
Wales. She was educated at Newcastle Girls’ High School. She worked
in number of jobs before becoming an established writer. She had her
first short story published at the age of sixteen. In 1981, she was
awarded a Literature Board grant for writing, and since then, she has
had more than twenty books published.

Theme
Childhood is a time when we indulge in our fantasies and we do as we
please. But as soon as we reach adolescence, we are expected to
abandon such practices and do as we are told. Amanda has reached
that midway age between childhood and adulthood. The poet shows
this in a subtle manner, through the growth of acne on her face.
Because she is no longer a child, her mother expects her to fulfil certain
responsibilities such as finishing her homework on time, or cleaning her
room and her shoes. However, Amanda wants to postpone the process
of growing up. So she withdraws into the childhood world of fantasies
and fairy tales.

As girls grow into women after puberty, they are expected to act and
behave in certain ways. They are expected to sit up straight, to take
care of their appearance, and to always be sweet and smiling. This is
exactly what Amanda’s mother wants her to do, and she is willing to
scold Amanda and even take away her chocolates to make her become
the woman, she is expected to be – prim, proper and radiant. However,
64

these expectations are just a burden to Amanda and she would much
rather be left alone. That is why, all her fantasies place her in a world
that is away from other human beings and their expectations. As a
mermaid, she is alone in the sea; as an orphan, she is alone on the
street; as Rapunzel, she is alone in her tower. Amanda thinks that it is
only in the realm of her own imagination that she can be free of all the
expectations that are put on young girls of her age.

Summary
This poem is about the views of a small girl named Amanda about
liberty in life. She is instructed not to bite her nails and not to hunch
her shoulders. She is instructed to sit straight. She wants freedom and
wishes to draft in the sea like a mermaid. The speaker asks her if she
has done her homework, cleaned her room and shoes. The girl wishes
that she should be an orphan roaming freely in the dusty streets. The
speaker forbids her to eat chocolate but the little girl does not even
look at the speaker because she does not like this type of restrictions.
She considers herself to be Rapunzel and yearns that some prince will
come for the sake of her liberty.

Explanation of the Poem

1. Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!

Stop that slouching and sit up straight,

Amanda!
65

Exp- In these lines, the speaker is asking Amanda not to bite the nails,
not to bend the shoulders, to stop sitting in a lazy way and to sit up
straight.

2. (There is a languid, emerald sea,

where the sole inhabitant is me—

a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Exp- The above lines are spoken by Amanda. Here, she says that there
is a calm, emerald sea whose only inhabitant is me. She says that she is
a mermaid—a creature with a woman’s head and body, and a fish’s tail
instead of legs —who moves freely and happily in the sea water.

3. Did you finish your homework, Amanda?

Did you tidy your room, Amanda?

I thought I told you to clean your shoes,

Amanda!

Exp- In the above lines, the speaker is asking Amanda if she has done
her homework and cleaned her room. The speaker had also asked
Amanda to clean her shoes.

4. (I am an orphan, roaming the street.

I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.

The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

Exp- These lines are spoken by Amanda. She says that she is an orphan
who roams in the street freely, making different patterns on the soft
66

dust with her bare feet. This experience of roaming free and doing
things as she likes is golden and sweet for her.

5. Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!

Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,

Amanda!

Exp- In the above lines, the speaker instructs Amanda not to eat
chocolates. The speaker makes her remind of the acne on her face.
Again, the speaker asks Amanda to look at him when he is speaking to
her.

6. (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care;

life in a tower is tranquil and rare;

I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)

Exp- These lines are spoken by Amanda. Here, she says that she is a
Rapunzel. But she doesn’t want everything what Rapunzel has. She only
loves the life of Rapunzel in the tower which is care-free, peaceful and
unique. She says that she will never let her bright hair down as she
wants to stay in the tower forever.

7. Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

You’re always so moody, Amanda!

Anyone would think that I nagged at you,

Amanda!
67

Exp- In these lines, the speaker is asking Amanda to stop looking angry
at once. He says that Amanda is so moody and sulky that anyone would
think that the speaker had scolded her.

Poetic Devices
Metaphor
This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between
two different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of
metaphor in the 2nd, 4th and 6th stanzas as Amanda compares herself
first with a mermaid, then with an orphan in the street and finally with
Rapunzel.

No other poetic device is used by the poet here.

Allusion
In the poem, this is a mythological allusion and this allusion is the
mermaid. Amanda imagines herself to be a mermaid. Mermaid is a
mythological creature who had a body and head of a woman, and a tail
of a fish instead of legs.

Alliteration
This poetic device is used in the following lines of the poem.

l Stop that slouching and sit up straight (the sound ‘s’ is repeated).

l Life is a tower is tranquil and rare (the sound ‘t’ is repeated).

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21.THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON

About the Poet
Frederic Ogden Nash was born on 19 August 1902 in New York, United
States. He was an American poet well-known for his light verse, of
which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming
schemes, he was declared the country’s best-known producer of
humorous poetry. He died on 19 May 1971 in Maryland, United States.

Theme
The theme of the poem is ‘Do not judge a book by its cover’. Custard is
always mocked for being coward, whereas the others are quite brave.
However, when a pirate breaks into Belinda’s house, she, Ink, Blink and
Mustard are all very frightened. It is Custard who charges at the pirate
and eats him alive all at once. The one who had seemed to be the
biggest coward is the one who saves the day in the end. On the other
hand, the pirate had been full of bravado when he was entering the
house, but he loses all of that as soon as he sees Custard approaching
him. He can only stare at Custard and have a drink to prepare himself
for the unavoidable fate of being gobbled up. Thus, neither Custard nor
the pirate are what they seem to be. Therefore, we should never judge
someone without fully getting to know them. When the situation
demands it, they are bound to show their true colours and this may
surprise us.

Summary
69

This is a comical poem written by Ogden Nash. It is written in the form

of a ballad. Belinda lives in a little white house with her four pets. They
are Ink—little black kitten, Blink—a little grey mouse, Mustard—a little
yellow dog and Custard—a little pet dragon.

Ink, Blink and Mustard boast their bravery. They often make fun of
Custard for his cowardice. One day, a pirate breaks into Belinda’s
house. He had pistols in both hands. Ink, Blink and Mustard run away in
fear and hide, but Custard faces the pirate bravely and kills him. Belinda
was very much happy with Custard. She embraced him. The other pets
also danced with joy. But soon after they were again boasting of their
bravery, Belinda was again taken in by them. She showered all her care
for Ink, Blink and Mustard, and leaving Custard crying for a nice safe
cage.

Explanation of the Poem

1. Belinda lived in a little white house,

With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,

And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,

And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Exp- Here, the poet says that Belinda lived in a little white house with
her four pets named Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard. Ink was a little
black kitten, Blink was a little grey mouse, Mustard was a little yellow
dog and Custard was a little dragon. Apart from these pets, she also had
a red wagon.

2. Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,

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And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink,

And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,

But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet introduces each pet of Belinda. The
little black kitten was named Ink, the little grey mouse was named
Blink, the yellow dog was named Mustard and the dragon was called
Custard because he was a coward.

3. Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,

And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,

Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,

And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet describes about the dragon Custard.
He had big sharp teeth and spikes on his skin. His lower part had scales.
His mouth was like a fire place and his nose was like a chimney. There
were daggers on his toes.

4. Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,

And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,

Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,

But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Exp- Here, the poet says that Belinda was brave like a barrel full of
bears. Ink and Blink chased the lions down the stairs. Like an angry
tiger, Mustard was brave and Custard always cried for a nice safe cage
like a coward.
71

5. Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,

Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,

They all sat laughing in the little red wagon

At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

Belinda giggled till she shook the house,

And Blink said weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,

Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,

When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Exp- In the above lines, the poet says that Belinda would tickle Custard
ruthlessly. Ink, Blink and Mustard called Custard percival. In the little
red wagon, they all sat laughing at the poor cowardly custard. Belinda
would also laugh. Blink too giggled in a way that a mouse does. When
Custard cried for a nice safe cage, Ink and Mustard asked his age
politely.

6. Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,

And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.

Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda,

For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.

Exp- Here, the poet says that all of a sudden they heard an unpleasant
sound. Listening to this sound, Mustard growled, and everyone looked
around them. After a while, Ink cried out, ‘Meowch’ and Belinda cried,
‘Ooh!’. Through the window, they saw a pirate climbing.
72

7. Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,

And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,

His beard was black, one leg was wood;

It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

Exp- Here, the poet says that the pirate had a pistol in his left and
another pistol in his right hand. He had a sharp sword in his teeth, a
wooden leg and a black beard. Looking at his appearance, it was very
clear that he intended to do something extremely worse.

8. Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!

But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,

Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,

And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.

Exp- After seeing the pirate, Belinda turned pale and cried for help. The
pets also got frightened. Mustard ran away with a bark, Ink went down
to the bottom of the household to hide herself and the little mouse
Blink took shelter in a mouse-hole.

9. But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,

Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,

With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,

He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Exp- All the pets who always boasted up their bravery, all ran away
after seeing the pirate. But it was Custard who jumped up to fight
73

against the pirate. Custard snorted like an engine and clashed his tale
powerfully. He attacked the pirate as a robin bird attacks a worm.

10. The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,

And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,

He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,

And Custard gobbled him, every bit.

Exp- Seeing the power of Custard, the pirate looked at him with
surprise. The pirate gulped some kind of liquor from his large pocket
and fired two bullets aiming Custard. But the pirate failed to hit the
dragon. So Custard swallowed the pirate fully.

11. Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,

No one mourned for his pirate victim.

Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate

Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

Exp- After seeing Custard’s bravery, Belinda hugged him. Other pets
also came and showed affection. Mustard licked him affectionately. No
one was mourning for the dead pirate. Instead, Ink and Blink danced in
joy around the dragon.

12. But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,

I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.

And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,

We’d have been three times as brave, we think,

74

And Custard said, I quite agree

That everybody is braver than me.

Exp- After celebrating for the death of pirate, the little dog Mustard
said that if he had not been puzzled, he would have been doubly brave.
On hearing this, Ink and Blink said that they would have been thrice as
brave. Custard agreed that everybody was braver than him.

13. Belinda still lives in her little white house,

With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,

And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,

And her realio, trulio little pet dragon.

Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,

And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,

Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,

But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

Exp- Here, the poet says that Belinda still lives in her little white house
with her pets— little black kitten, little grey mouse, little yellow dog,
little red wagon and little pet dragon. The poet says that Belinda is as
brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is brave like an angry tiger and Custard always cries for a safe
cage.

Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme
75

Each of the 14 stanzas in “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” follows the
same simple rhyme scheme – AABB. That is to say, each stanza is
actually composed of a pair of rhymed couplets.

Oxymoron
In this poem, the poet uses the device of oxymoron, when he writes the
phrase “pet dragon”. We all know that dragons are dangerous
creatures, and therefore, we find it hard to believe that they can be
domesticated and kept as pets.

Simile
This poetic device is used when an overt comparison is made between
two different things. In this poem, the poet uses the device of simile in
the 3rd line of the 2nd stanza, when he compares Belinda’s dog with
mustard, saying that both are sharp, and also uses the word “as” while
making the comparison. The poet also uses this device in the 3rd line of
the 3rd stanza when he compares the dragon’s mouth with a fireplace,
and also uses the word “like” while making this comparison. In the 4th
stanza, similarly, the poet compares Belinda with a barrel of bears, and
her dog with a tiger. In the 10th stanza, the dragon is compared with an
engine and a robin, and the sound of its tail with that of irons in a
dungeon.

Metaphor
This poetic device is used when a covert comparison is made between
two different things or ideas. In this poem, the poet uses the device of
76

metaphor in the 3rd line of the 3rd stanza, when he compares the
dragon’s nose with a chimney.

Personification
This poetic device is used to bestow human qualities on something that
is not human. In this poem, the poet uses the device of personification
with respect to Belinda’s kitten, mouse, and dog. In the 2nd line of the
5th stanza, he gives them all the human ability to speak and to tease.
They are seen teasing the dragon.

Onomatopoeia
This poetic device is used when a word is used to describe a sound. In
this poem, the poet uses the device of onomatopoeia in the 2nd line of
the 6th stanza, where he uses the word “weeck” to describe the sound
a mouse makes while giggling.

Compound words
Compound words are formed by adding two words into a single one,
when normally those words are not used together. In this poem, the
poet uses the device of compound word in the 3rd line of the 7th
stanza, when he combines the words “meow” and “ouch” to create the
word “meowch”.

Transferred epithet
This poetic device is used when an emotion is attributed to a non-living
thing after being displaced from a person, most often the poet himself
77

or herself. In this poem, the poet uses the device of transferred epithet
in the 2nd line of the 9th stanza, when he writes the phrase “terrified
yelp”. It is not the yelping sound that is terrified, for it is not a living
thing, but that the dog is terrified by the pirate and yelps in reaction.

22.THE TRIUMPH OF SURGERY

About the Author
James Alfred ‘Alf’ Wight, known by the pen name James Herriot, was
born on 3 October 1916 in Sunderland, United Kingdom. He was a
British veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of
experiences as a veterinary surgeon to write a series of books, each
consisting of stories about animals and their owners. He died on 23
February, 1995 in Thirlby, United Kingdom.

Theme
‘A Triumph of Surgery, is a simple story with simple subject which has
much significance for our life.

This chapter tells us how a rich lady pampers her dog and makes it very
lazy. Her overfeeding the dog makes it fat and ill. The narrator, who is a
doctor, understands the dog’s lethargy and treats it at his clinic. The
dog becomes active and the lady takes him back home. Parents often
pamper their kids by giving them excessive and variety of meals.
Because of this, they become overweight and spoilt. Parents just try to
meet every demand of the kid and fail to give them exercise for their
body and mind.
78

Summary
Tricki was a small dog. His mistress, Pumphrey pampered him very
much. She overfed him. She gave him food, rich with fats. Tricki never
refused food anytime. He was always greedy for food. He liked cream
cakes and biscuits very much. Mrs Pumphrey gave him cod-liver oil and
Horlicks. She also gave him wine to drink.

This all made Tricki look like a bloated sausage. He became very lazy. He
became uninterested in things. He kept lying all day on the carpet. He
had some bouts of vomiting. Mrs Pumphrey thought that he was
seriously ill. She called Mr James Herriot who was a vet surgeon.

Mr Herriot had already expected this to happen as he knew that Tricki

was suffering because of overeating. He had already made his plans. He
took a firm line and said that Tricki must be admitted in the hospital for
a fortnight. This suggestion made Mrs Pumphrey almost swooned. She
thought that Tricki could not live even a single day without seeing his
mistress. But Mr Herriot wrapped him in a blanket, took him out of the
house and put him in his car.

The departure of Tricki was very pathetic. All the house was aroused.
The maids were putting Tricki’s things in the car. Everyone was in tears.
The doctor took the dog away in his car to the surgery.

When Herriot reached his home, the household dogs surrounded him.
They sniffed Tricki and showed no interest in him. Till two days, Herriot
did not give him anything to eat. He gave him a lot of water to drink.
Then the doctor started giving him some light food. He gave him no
79

medicine. After two days, Tricki had started taking interest in his
surroundings.

He mixed up with other dogs. He enjoyed being rolled over. He became

a member of the gang. At home, he had almost no exercise but at the
surgery, he had a lot of exercises and fun. Controlled diet and activities
made him active.

Mrs Pumphrey remained anxious about Tricki’s health. The doctor told
him that he was better and was convalescing. This made her think that
he had gone through some surgery. So she sent two dozens of fresh
round eggs, wine and brandy for him daily, so that he might recover
soon. But the doctor did not give those things to him because he really
did not need this type of diet. The doctor and his partners enjoyed
those eggs, wine and brandy. After a fortnight, Mrs Pumphrey came to
collect Tricki. She was tense and worried. She did not hope that he was
all right. But when the doctor brought Tricki, he jumped at once into
Mrs Pumphrey’s arms. She was surprised to see all this. She said that it
was a ‘Victory of Surgery.

23.THE THIEF STORY

About the Author
Ruskin Bond was born on 19 May 1934 in Kasauli. He is an Indian author
of British descent. He lives with his adopted family in Landour,
Mussoorie, India. The Indian Council for Child Education has recognised
his role in the growth of children’s literature in India.
80

Theme
‘The Thief’s Story’ tells us how love and kindness can change a thief or a
criminal. This story tells how a thief was changed into a good man.
Apart from this, the story covers the theme of aspirations, trust,
betrayal, friendship, guilt and honesty. The story also highlights the
importance of learning and education and the consequences of its
deficit.

Summary
Hari Singh was a young boy of fifteen. But he was a thief and a cheat. At
a wrestling match, he came across Anil. He won Anil’s confidence and
came to his house as a servant.

Anil was a writer and did not earn much. So, Hari Singh agreed to work
for him only for food. Hari Singh did not know how to cook. The first
meal which he cooked for Anil was so bad that Anil threw it to the dogs.
But Hari’s appealing smile made Anil give up his decision to turn him
out.

Hari Singh did odd jobs for Anil. In the morning, he made tea and then
brought the day’s supplies from the market. Often he made a profit of a
rupee in a day out of these purchases.

Anil had no regular income. He earned something by writing articles

and stories for magazines. But one day, Anil came home with a bundle
of notes. He told Hari that he had earned six hundred rupees by selling
one of his books. Hari’s mouth watered at the sight of money. He
81

decided to steal that money. Anil kept the bundle under his mattress
and went to sleep.

Now, Hari Singh went into the room and silently took the money under
the mattress. He went to the railway station to catch the train to
Lucknow. But he missed the train and walked in the bazaars. Soon it
started raining and Hari was drenched completely.

Then Hari Singh remembered Anil. He imagined how sad Anil would be
on finding the money stolen. Hari remembered that Anil used to teach
him. He thought that without the education, he would remain a thief.
But education might make him a big man. So, he decided to return and
replace the money. He reached home and silently put the money back
under the mattress.

The next morning, Anil gave Hari a 50 rupee note. The note was still
wet. Hari thought that his crime had been discovered. But Anil told him
that he had earned something. Now, he would pay Hari Singh regularly.

23.THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR

About the Author
Robert Jay Arthur Jr. was born on 10 November 1909 in Cavite city,
Phillippines. He was a writer of speculative fiction. He wrote a number
of mystery books. Arthur was honoured twice by the Mystery Writers
of America with an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama. He died on 2
May 1969 in Pennsylvania, United States.

Theme
82

Max was a spy who was overconfident and too proud. His pride blinded
him, and he thought that wielding a gun would give a further edge over
the seemingly slow Ausable. However, despite this apparent pride and
confidence, Max was utterly unsuccessful. Ausable outwitted him
without lifting a finger. Max, in fact, jumped to his own death by taking
Ausable’s words at face value. Thus, one learns that one should not be
proud and must pay attention to the finer details before attempting to
do anything.

Summary
Ausable is a secret agent. He is expecting to get an important paper.
Max, an intruder, enters his room. He wants to get that paper from
Ausable. He has a pistol in his hand. Ausable, being quite normal, plays
upon a trick on Max and gets him killed without any fighting and
shooting.

Ausable was a secret agent. He was staying in a French hotel. A young

and romantic writer named Fowler came to meet him. Fowler was
disappointed to see Ausable. He was a sloppy fat fellow. His room was
at the top and sixth floor of that musty and gloomy hotel. When they
both entered the room and Ausable switched on, they found that a
man was standing in the centre of the room. He had a pistol in his hand.
It was the first thrill of the day for Fowler. The name of the man with a
gun was Max.

He said that he had come there to snatch the report from Ausable
which he was expecting to receive. Ausable remained silent and cool.
He seemed to be angry with the management of the hotel. He cocked-
up a story about the balcony. He told him that there was a balcony just
83

below the window of his room and last month too an unknown person
had entered the room through that balcony.

Max told Ausable that he had used a master key to enter the door. He
wished that he should have entered through the balcony way. It would
have been much easier. There was still half an hour for the report to
arrive.

There was a sudden knocking at the door. Ausable smiled. He said it

must be the police because he himself had called them for the
protection of such an important report.

Max was nervous. He jumped through the window to the balcony. But
there was no balcony as Ausable had told. He fell down to the ground
from the sixth floor and was killed.

Then the door opened. The waiter entered the room with a tray, a
bottle of wine and two glasses. Ausable had ordered for them. The
waiter left. Fowler did not know anything about the balcony. He feared
that Max would return soon. But Ausable told him the fact that he
would never return. Thus, Fowler was much impressed by his
cleverness and presence of mind.

24.THE QUESTION OF TRUST

About the Author
Victor Canning was born on 16 June 1911 in Plymouth, United Kingdom.
He was a prolific British writer of novels and thrillers who flourished in
the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He was personally reticent, writing no
memoirs and giving relatively few newspaper interviews.
84

In 1965, he began a series of four books featuring a private detective

called Rex Carer. He died on 21 February 1986 in United Kingdom.

Theme
It is not right to commit a crime to fulfil one’s hobby because by
committing a crime, we harm the society, even though Horace
committed a crime only to get rich. Also crime only creates problems
and committing a crime is not right.

Summary
This is a story of two burglars who want to rob the same safe. The
name of the first burglar is Horace Danby. Horace Danby was a good
man. He was about fifty years old but he was unmarried. He was a
locksmith and was very successful in his business. He had engaged two
assistants to help him. Being good and respectable, he was not
completely honest.

He loved rare and expensive books. He bought them at any cost. For
this purpose, he robbed a safe in one year. He bought these books
secretly through an agent.

Before making a theft, he planned his work well. This time, he had
studied the house at Shotover Grange for two weeks. He studied even
the minutest thing about the house. The family was in London. The two
servants who looked after the house had gone to the movies. He came
out from behind the garden wall and entered the house.

He took the key from the kitchen door hook. He put on a pair of gloves
and opened the door. He was always careful enough to leave any
85

fingerprints. He spoke politely to the little dog. He cut-off the wires of

the burglar alarm. He arranged his tools carefully.

There was a big pot of flowers on the table. The scent of flowers tickled
his nose. He sneezed repeatedly. He thought that this disease would
hinder his work. He buried his face in his handkerchief.

Then, he heard the voice of a young lady behind him. She spoke kindly
to him. She pretended to be the wife of the owner of that house. She
said that she had come there suddenly because she needed her jewels
to wear them at the party that night.

Danby begged the lady to let him go home. He hated going to prison.
He promised her that he would never rob again in his life. The young
lady asked him to do one work for her, then she would let him go. The
burglar said that he would do anything gladly for her.

The young lady said that she needed the jewels, but she had forgotten
the number. She asked him to open the safe. Danby opened the safe
without gloves. The young lady got the jewels and Horace Danby went
away happy because he had escaped from a difficult situation.

For two days, Horace kept his promise to the young lady. But on the
third day, he decided to rob some other safe. But he never got the
chance to put his plan into practice. By noon, a policeman had arrested
him for the jewel robbery at Shotover Grange.

His fingerprints were found all over the room. He admitted that he had
opened the safe for the wife of the owner of the house. But the
owner’s wife was about sixty years old. She said that the story was
nonsense. No one believed Danby and he was sent to jail. Now, he was
the assistant librarian in the prison. He often thought of the charming,
86

young lady who was in the same profession as he was. Now, he did not
like the thought of ‘honour among thieves.’

25.FOOTPRINTS WITHOUT FEET

About the Author
Herbert George Wells was born on 21 September 1866 in Bromley,
United Kingdom. He was an English writer. He was prolific in many
genres, writing dozens of novels, short stories, and works of social
commentary, satire, biography, and autobiography, and even including
two books on recreational war games. He is now best remembered for
his science fiction. He died on 13 August 1946 in London.

Theme
This story is about a scientist who discovers how to make himself
invisible. As he was afraid of being discovered in London, where he had
committed some crimes, he runs away to a remote village. However, he
runs out of money and resorts to robbery, using his advantage of
invisibility.

Summary
Griffin was a brilliant scientist. He conducted many experiments. One
day, he discovered a wonderful drug. It could make him invisible. He
took that drug and became invisible. He could see everybody but
nobody could see him.
87

Griffin’s landlord did not like him. He tried to get his house vacated.
Griffin became angry. He set the house on fire. Then he took the drug.
He took off his clothes. He became invisible and went out.

It was winter. It was not easy to walk without clothes. Griffin had no
money. So, he went into a big London store. He stole clothes from
there. When he walked with those clothes, it seemed as if a headless
man was walking. He took meat, coffee, sweets and wine from the
kitchen of the store. Then he slept on a pile of quilts there.

The next morning, he did not wake up in time. The shop assistants
arrived and saw him. Griffin ran out of fear. The assistants ran after
him. Griffin took off his clothes one by one. He became invisible again.
But now, he was shivering with cold. He entered the shop of a
theatrical company. He wore bandages around his forehead. He also
wore dark glasses, a false nose and whiskers. Griffin robbed some
money of the shopkeeper. Then he took a train and reached Iping
village.

At Iping, Griffin booked two rooms at an inn. He paid the rent in

advance. The name of the landlady was Mrs Hall. She tolerated the
strange behaviour of Griffin. Soon Griffin spent the stolen money. He
told the landlady that he had no cash. He said that he was expecting a
cheque. The next day, he stole money from the house of the clergyman.
The clergyman and his wife were surprised. They had not seen anybody
coming. The room was empty. Even then the money was stolen.

After some time, the landlord and his wife found that Griffin’s room
was open. They entered the room but there was nobody. Griffin’s
clothes and bandages were lying on the floor. Suddenly, the hat jumped
and struck Mrs Hall’s face. Then the chair jumped and charged at her.
88

The couple was afraid. They thought that there were ghosts in the
room. They cried and ran downstairs.

The neighbours gathered there. They thought that Griffin was

responsible for all that. A policeman was called. Before that, Griffin and
Mrs Hall had a quarrel. Griffin became angry. He threw off his
bandages, spectacles and a false nose. Now he was wearing clothes but
his body was not visible above the neck. The people were horrified
when they saw a headless man.

Just then the policeman came. He was also surprised when he saw a
headless man. He tried to catch Griffin. But Griffin started taking off his
clothes. He became invisible. Those who tried to catch him got blows
out of the air. Soon Griffin became free. Nobody knew where to lay a
hand on him. Griffin came out of the inn and started walking on the
road. Now, he was again a free man.

26.THE MAKING OF A SCIENCTIST

About the Author
Robert W. Peterson was an American newspaper writer who later
became a freelance author of magazine articles and books, especially
on the topics of sports and Scouting. He was a writer and editor with
the old New York Work – Telegram newspaper, which folded in 1966.
He died on 11 February 2006 in Pennsylvania, United States.

Theme
There are many qualities that go into the making of a scientist. One
must be obsessively, passionately and pathologically curious in order to
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become a scientist with genuine qualities. The development of a

scientist is a process that requires proper support and environment
from family and society. One should be able to escape from the exile of
an actual world and create a private world driven by influences of other
successful people and nature to create a true scientist out of oneself.
Becoming a scientist is fruitful for the human civilization only when we
enrich our optimum point of expertise and spread to other fields. One
can be a successful scientist, if one is competitive and has the will to
win.

Summary
This article is an account of a curious child channelising his curiosity to
become a scientist. Ebright was a highly curious child, since his
childhood. His mother is his only companion during childhood. She
helped in further deepening his curiosity. Ebright began his journey by
collecting butterflies. After that, he worked on tagging the monarch
butterflies, so that the scientists’ community could be benefited. Later
on, he did research on utility of gold spots on pupa of monarch
butterflies. He became famous when his paper on working of cell was
published in a scientific journal. Ebright participated in many science
exhibitions, but winning an award for the sake of winning was never his
goal. He participated in those exhibitions because he wanted to do a
task as best as that could be done.

27.THE NECKLACE
About the Author
90

Guy de Maupassant was born on 5 August 1850 in France. He was a

French writer, remembered as a master of the short story form, and as
a representative of the naturalist school of writers, who depicted
human lives and social forces in disillusioned and often pessimistic
terms. Many of the stories written by him are set during the France-
Prussian war of the 1870’s. He wrote around 300 stories, six novels,
three travel books and one volume of verse.

Theme
The story ‘The Necklace’ teaches us many lessons which form the crux
of human values. The very first thing it teaches us is the need to be
content in life. Matilda, though born into a family of clerks and married
to a petty clerk with the Board of Education, remains unhappy. She
suffers from the feeling that she is born for all delicacies and luxuries,
but has to live miserably in ‘poverty’. So when she has to attend the
office party with her husband, she asks him for money to get a new
dress. Her husband sacrifices the money he has saved to buy a gun to
get her the dress. Then also she is not content. She feels that she could
look still more beautiful with a jewel. She thus, borrows a necklace
from her friend, thinking that it is made of diamonds. At the party, she
remains elegant, gracious, smiling and absolutely happy. She was thus,
the prettiest of all. But this vanity is short-lived and is the beginning of
all troubles in her life. She loses the necklace and she gets a new
diamond necklace as its replacement by borrowing heavily.
Subsequently, she is pushed to live in poverty as she slogs for ten years
to save money to pay back the huge debt. Then the horrible reality
frightens her. She realises how her false pride has taken away her
otherwise happy contented life. The story thus discusses the negative
91

effects of pride and vanity and stresses the importance of being

satisfied with what one has.

Summary
The story “The Necklace” written by Guy De Maupassant takes place in
France several hundred years ago. Matilda Loisel lives in a flat with her
husband, who works as a clerk for the Minister of Education. Their lives
are not luxurious, but they are not poor, merely simple. Matilde,
however, longs to be rich. She envies her friend, Jeanne who has a large
house and lots of jewellery.

One day, her husband brings home an invitation to a ball. He thinks his
wife will be excited to attend such a fancy party, but instead she is
upset. She complains that she has nothing suitable to wear to such an
extravagant occasion. Her kind husband agrees to give her four
hundred francs that he had been saving to buy a new rifle to get herself
a gown.The week of the party, Matilda seems anxious again. When her
husband asks her why, she says that she has no jewellery to wear with
her dress. He suggests that perhaps she could borrow something from
her friend Jeanne Forestier. Matilda goes to Jeanne’s house and
borrows a sparkling diamond necklace.

She and her husband attend the gala and have a fabulous time. Finally,
they head home in the wee hours of the morning. When they arrive
home, Matilda realises that the necklace is missing. They wonder if it
fell off in the carriage that they took home, but neither of them noticed
the number. Her husband goes out to search the streets but returns
empty-handed. To stall for time, Matilda writes to her friend that she
92

broke the clasp and is having it repaired. In the meantime, they find
another necklace that matches the missing one, but it costs thirty-six

thousand francs. Her husband fortunately inherited eighteen thousand

francs from his father, but they will need to borrow the rest of the
money. Finally, they have enough to purchase the replacement
necklace and Matilda gives it to Jeanne who doesn’t even look at it.

The next ten years, Matilda’s life changes dramatically. They move to a
smaller apartment where she has to cook and clean for herself. She also
does work on the side, while her husband works multiple jobs to pay
back all the money they had borrowed. After the ten years, the money
is all paid back, but Matilda has aged a great deal.

One day, she sees Jeanne Forestier on the street. She decides to tell her
the truth about the necklace. Jeanne is stunned by Matilda’s rough
appearance. Matilda explains that it is indirectly because of Jeanne,
since she lost the necklace she borrowed from her and had to pay for a
replacement. Shocked, Jeanne confesses that the necklace Matilda
borrowed was a fake, made of paste, worth no more than five hundred
francs.

Clearly, the lesson of the story is that honesty is the best policy. If
Matilda had been honest with her friend from the start, she would have
learned that the necklace wasn’t made of real diamonds and would not
have wasted ten years paying for a replacement.

28.THE HACK DRIVER

About the Author
93

Harry Sinclair Lewis was born on 7 February 1885 in Minnesota, United

States. He was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright.
In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to receive
the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died on 10 January 1951 in Rome, Italy.

Theme
In this lesson, a young lawyer is made to serve summons instead of
practising law. He hates his job as sometimes he is beaten up. Once, he
is directed by the law firm to serve summons to one Mr Oliver Lutkins,
who lived in a village called New Mullion. The young lawyer goes to the
village with some expectations of village life but he is disappointed. He
meets a hack driver who is very helpful man according to him.

Summary
‘Hack Driver’ is an interesting story written by Sinclair Lewis. The story
is about a young lawyer. He is made to serve summons instead of
practising law. He works as a junior assistant clerk in a law firm. He
hates his job as sometimes he is beaten up. Once, he was directed by
the law firm to serve summons to one Mr Oliver Lutkins, who lived in a
village called New Mullion. It was a place forty miles in the countryside.
The young lawyer goes to the village with some expectations of village
life but he is disappointed. He was quite excited to get away from the
crowded life of the big city. But the streets were muddy and the shops
looked very dull. The only interesting thing for him was the delivery
man. He meets a hack driver who is a very helpful person according to
him. The hack driver takes him round the village in search of Lutkins but
could not find him. The delivery man told him that Lutkins was a hard
94

fellow to be caught. The young lawyer returns to their working place.

After that again he is directed by the law firm to serve Lutkins. This time

he was not alone but with a person who worked with Lutkins. Finally,
they got that the hack driver who spent the day with lawyer is the Mr
Oliver Lutkins.

29.THE BHOLI
About the Author
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was born on 7 June 1914 in Panipat. He was
popularly known as K. A. Abbas. He was an Indian film director,
screenwriter, novelist, and a journalist in the Urdu, Hindi and English
languages. He began his career as a journalist. He was the maker of
important Hindi films such as ‘Saat Hindustani’ and ‘Do Boon Pani’,
both of which won the National Film Award.

Theme
The major theme of the story ‘Bholi’ is the impact of family on children.
Bholi is a little girl who fails to develop self-confidence because of her
parents’ attitude towards her. The story hints at why family support
and emotional security are essential for proper child development.
Also, disabled children must be given encouragement, love and
education like their normal counterparts.

Summary
Bholi’s real name was Sulekha, but she was called Bholi. She was a
backward child. She was the fourth daughter of Ramlal who had seven
95

children. Bholi remained a backward child due to an injury in her head

when she was ten months old. She was fair and pretty at birth, but
when she was two years old, she had an attack of smallpox which left
deep black marks all over her body. She started speaking only when she
turned five, but she stammered when she spoke and as a result she was
always mimicked or made fun of by the other children. Therefore, Bholi
talked very little. Unlike Ramlal’s other children, she was not healthy
and strong. She was frightened at first when her father wanted to take
her to school. But when she was bathed and given new clothes to wear,
she began to believe that she was being taken to a place better than
her home. Bholi did not know what exactly a school was and what
happened there, but when she saw girls like her present there, she was
glad. She hoped that one of those girls would become her friend. In the
class, when her teacher asked her name, she tried to say but the girls
started laughing when she stammered.

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