Saturday 18 April 2020

The Thief's Story Class 10




The Thief’s Story


Notes

·        The story ‘The Thief’s Story’ is written by Ruskin Bond, the first Indo Anglian novelist and poet.
·        It depicts how education casts strong impact upon a thief and brought transformation in him who decides to live as an educated, respectful and trustworthy person.


Summary  / Synopsis

·        Anil was a young writer of about 25 years, writing for magazines. He had a casual and irregular income. He was easy going, kind and simple man.

·        Ani went to watch a wrestling match where he met Hari, a 15 years old thief but it was not his real name. Hari changed his name for every new target. Hari wanted work but Anil said that he can’t pay but can feed him for his work.

·        Hari accepted the job of a cook though he didn’t know how to cook. First day, he cooked terrible food which was given to a stray dog.

·        Anil agreed to teach him how to read and write his name, sentences and numbers. Hari thought he would grow into a cleverer and smarter thief and would earn better. Anil taught him how to cook as well.

·        Hari started making profit of one rupee from buying the daily supplies. Anil could notice Hari’s stealings but ignored and didn’t seem to mind.

·        One day Anil sold his book to a publisher and brought home a bundle of 600 Rs. in fifties and kept it under the mattress.
·        Anil had given Hari the key to main door and he could come and go whenever he pleased. Anil was the most trusting person he had ever met.

·        Once, Anil was asleep, Hari stole the money and decided to escape catching the Lucknow Express at 10:30 p.m. as with that money he could live like a rich Arab for a week or two.

·        Hari reached the station. The Lucknow express came and went but Hari Singh didn’t dare to take the train as he couldn’t break Anil’s trust. He didn’t have any friend where he could go. He sat on a bench in a ‘maidan’ and it started raining. The notes became damp.

·        The education that he received from Anil brought a big transformation as now he wanted to live as an educated, respectful and trustworthy person like Anil.

·        Hari came back in time and kept money at its place, and without uttering a word about the night resumed his work.

·        Next morning Anil giving a fifty rupee note to Hari said that every month he would get his salary and he would teach him sentences.

·        Touching the damp note Hari Singh thought that Anil might have suspected his theft but his gestures and lips didn’t reveal any sort of suspicion.

Video on Long Walk to Freedom


Message

Ruskin Bond through ‘The Thief’s Story’ very beautifully brought out the age old saying ‘Education is that which liberates’. The prospect of getting education changed a thief’s mind and he decided to change his ways. It became impossible for him to cheat a simple, kind and trusting person like Anil.
 

Important Question - Answers

Q1.  What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving education? Do they change over time? What makes him return to Anil?

Ans. Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education changed over time. Initially, he wanted to be literate so that he would become a cleverer and smarter thief. Later, during his stay with Anil he developed a wish to earn respect and be a part of civilized society in life like his employer who has influenced to the very core. Now, he wanted to be an educated, happy, respectful and trustworthy person like Anil.


Q2. Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?

Ans. Anil could have suspected Hari’s attempt of robbery to feel the dampness of notes. However, Anil may have been pleased to realise that Hari didn’t break his trust and returned all the notes. Possibly, Anil wanted to give Hari one more chance to change the course of his life and that’s why he did not hand over Hari to police. Probably, due to this, now he seemed more interested in providing education to Hari Singh. This large heartedness and trusting attitude of Anil put him on a high pedestal and make him different from other employers. People like Anil are hard to find. Most employers would have predictably handed Hari over to police.

Video on The Thief's Story 
https://youtu.be/Cmi-2vu61ao




Saturday 11 April 2020

The Ball Poem by John Berryman


The Ball Poem
                                           By John Berryman

Notes :

·        The poem is philosophical in tone and didactic in nature.
·        It is an extract from the poem ‘The Ball’ by John Berryman.
·        The poem is composed as free verse without any rhyme scheme and stanza division and pattern.
·        The poem conveys that this world is materialistic and as a human being we must understand that the things we have received or achieved have to be lost.
·        The theme of the poem is that money is external and loss is the reality of life as gain and loss are the two sides of same coin.


Line by line explanation

Line 1-7
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
Merrily over—there it is in the water!
No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:
An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

The poem opens with a boy, in the scene, who has lost his ball. Now the poet is contemplating how the boy may be feeling after losing his ball as well as the poet is concerned about the mental condition of the boy. He is thinking what the boy will do and how he will react after losing his ball. The poet was possibly standing at a distance where the boy was playing with his ball. He could see how the ball had slipped away from the boy’s hands. When the ball went down the street, it was bouncing happily. Then, the ball slipped away bouncing on the ground into a water body nearby. The poet senses overpowering grief of the boy but he knows that any sort of consolation is useless this time. That’s why he doesn’t want to tell the boy that he may take some other ball and should not lament over the lost ball. The poet understands that the boy is so much attached with that ball that he would not accept any other ball as he would not have the same sense of belongingness with a new ball what he had for the old one which is lost. The boy is completely overcome by the grief over losing his ball that’s why he doesn’t move. He is fixed to the ground where he is standing. Due to his grief the boy feels broken from inside and his body is trembling. He is continuously staring the ground while his body is stiff and not moving from the place where he has lost his ball.  

Line 8-14
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him,
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now,
He senses first responsibility
In a world of possessions. People will take balls,
Balls will be lost always, little boy,
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

The boy is grief-stricken due to the loss of his favourite ball and he feels as if all his memories associated with his toy have also gone into water along with the ball. But, the poet says that he will not interfere nor he will offer the boy to accept money or another ball. He very well knows that such efforts will be of no use. In fact, the poet wants the boy to feel the pain of his first loss and understand what his responsibility is at the moment. He wants the boy to see that this world of ours is full of possessions. In this world we would receive or achieve various possessions such as money, property, job, relations, power, fame and so on. At the same time we would lose them in the course of time. Just as the boy has lost his favourite toy, people would lose their favourite things as they advance in life. The boy has to realise and accept this bitter truth of life. Once a thing is lost, can’t be regained in life. We should not keep crying over the things we lose in the course of time. We have to manage with other things as replacements as the lost things can’t be bought with money. Money can buy new things which can’t give the same sense of belongingness; in this sense money is external. Money can buy material things but not happiness, satisfaction, sense of belongingness and love.

Line 15-18
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

The poet is able to see that the boy is trying to learn the philosophy of loss. His desperate eyes are able to understand that his ball is lost forever and it will not come back. Now, the boy seems to be ready to face the loss and accept the truth that loss is a part of life. Every man has to learn how to face the loss of favourite things as well as understand that gain and loss are two sides of the same coin.

Video on Amanda


Poetic Devices

Anaphora
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
Merrily over — there it is in the water!

Alliteration
And most know many days
And no one buys a ball back
every man must one day know

Assonance
The epistemology of loss,
In a world of possessions.
What, what is he to do?

Imagery
Merrily bouncing, down the street

Repetition
What, what is he to do?

Symbolism
All his young days into the harbour

Asyndeton
A dime, another ball, is worthless


Important Question - Answers


Q1. What does the poet want to convey through the poem ‘The ball Poem’?

Ans.  John Berryman wants to convey the significance of loss in our life. He teaches how to cope up with the loss. Experiencing loss helps to grow up and face hardships. The poet makes the boy understand his responsibility when he loses his ball as the loss is inevitable. One needs to accept the loss as a part of life no matter how much it hurts. Life must go on. Life is to be lived and not wasted mourning over the loss which is past and clinging to something that is lost just like the boy who was trembling with grief when his ball went into harbour. He felt that all his childhood memories were lost. But the poet wants the boy to learn the epistemology of loss and understand that the past is gone and, will never come back. Staying strong is the only way to survive. Hence, it is important for everyone to experience loss, to stand up after it and to get on with life.


Q2. What does the poet mean when he says, “Money is external”?

Ans. In ‘The Ball poem’ Money is termed as ‘external in terms of the Loss which is immaterial. Money is external as it cannot buy memories. It can buy materials such as toys, gifts, houses, vehicles, etc. It can’t buy lost childhood, lost memories, lost relations, nor can it replace the things that we love and the things that really matter in our life. If such things are lost, they can’t be bought back. Money is external to such losses.

Video on The Ball Poem 
https://youtu.be/1KmQBQjUB44





Tuesday 7 April 2020

Dust of Snow class 10 CBSE


                                          Dust of Snow
                                                                 By Robert Frost

Analysis: 


·        ‘Dust of Snow’ is an eight lines poem composed by Robert Frost, an American poet who is better known for his nature poems with realistic themes.

·        It is a simple and short poem with a deeper meaning and wider perspective. It discusses how petty ways / trivial incidents / insignificant things can impact our life largely and may prove to be a turning point in our life.

·        The poet conveys that the stereotypes / false beliefs must be discouraged as every entity in the universe has its value.

·        Symbolically, snow is presented as cheerful and optimistic view of life whereas crow and hemlock tree are presented as gloomy or pessimistic attitude.

·        Tone of the poem is philosophical and didactic as the poet conveys that every dark cloud has a silver lining. We should not give up hope even when we are surrounded by negativity.


Line by Line Explanation

Line 1-4 with rhyme scheme
The way a crow              a
Shook down on me          b
The dust of snow            a
From a hemlock tree       b

The poem opens with the poet, Robert Frost sitting under a hemlock tree possibly because he is dejected and disappointed due to some sad incident in his life. The poet doesn’t discuss the reason why he is dejected and in suicidal mood. Then, a crow inadvertently shakes the branch of the hemlock tree which was covered with snow as it was winter season. This simple action of crow made some particles of snow fall on the poet. The hemlock tree is presented here as the symbol of dejection and death and poet’s presence there conveys that he is so sad and dejected that he possibly wants to commit suicide. The crow denotes to this world’s stereotypes or fixed beliefs about certain creatures and objects. The common belief about a crow is that it is an ominous bird bringing bad news. Nevertheless, these two supposedly negative things are in touch with snow which is white, bright, pure and beautiful and is presented as the symbol of positivity and optimism. The poet tries to convey that man is so blind with his stereotypes that he fails to see the real worth of the things.


Line 5-8 with rhyme scheme
Has given my heart         c
A change of mood          d
And saved some part      c
Of a day I had rued.        d
                          
In these lines, the poet undergoes a change of mood. When the particles of snow felled by crow touches the poet, it makes him see the worth of life and role of nature in healing human emotions and giving a helping hand in his difficult time. He muses why a man fails to understand that happiness and sorrow are two phases of life, if crow, hemlock tree and snow may exist together. The poet rethinks about the beauty of life and gives up his sad and suicidal thoughts. In fact, the poet goes through a transformation and decides that now he would not waste his life by regretting or feeling sad about any bad phase of life. He wants to teach us all that even the most insignificant thing or incident brings about a great change in our life. It depends on our perspective and the way we look at the things. However difficult phase of life we may be going through, there is always a ray of hope that the things will change.

Rhyme Scheme of the poem
 ABAB CDCD

Video on Fire and Ice

Poetic Devices:

Has given my heart – Alliteration

And saved some part – Alliteration

The dust of snow – Assonance
         
From a hemlock tree – Assonance

The way a crow shook down on me – Imagery

The dust of snow – Symbolism

From a hemlock tree – Symbolism

And saved some part – Consonance

Of a day I had rued – Consonance


Message of the poem

Sometimes, seemingly insignificant natural things or incidents do bring about a great change in our life. It depends on our perspective and the way we look at the things. However difficult phase of life we may be going through, there is always a ray of hope that the things will change. Even the darkest cloud has a silver lining in it. The message is clear enough that we need to inculcate an optimistic outlook in life and develop a positive frame of mind. There is also an underlying message that every entity of nature provides healing touch and extends helping hand towards mankind.

Important Question – Answers

Q. A simple moment proves to be very significant and saves the rest of the day of the poet from being wasted. Explain the statement on the basis of the poem 'Dust Of Snow'.

Ans. A crow is considered to be an ominous bird bringing bad news and hemlock tree is presented as the symbol of death, dejection and disappointment. The poet is buried in his sorrow that he fails to see the glistening and bright snow which is the symbol of brightness, beauty, peace and positivity in life. He failed to see that smallest particles of snow could cover the entire hemlock tree and its negativity. When the dust of snow falls on the shoulder of sad poet, it is like a lightening among the dark clouds, a big hope in his sad phase of life. Thus, the poet proved that the ominous and negative things like crow and hemlock and very insignificant things like dust of snow can also be the instruments to bring cheer and positivity in life if we have right perspective and positive frame of mind. He teaches us to inculcate positive attitude and optimistic outlook in life. No matter however dark phase we are going through, even a small hope can help us come out of the difficult time. It is rightly said that 'even a small stick is a great hope for a drowning man'.


Q. How has the poet used the dust of snow and crow as the symbols to steer clear of the stereotypes? How can positive attitude turn a problem into an opportunity and make the world a better place to live in?

Ans. Robert Frost condemns stereotypes which are fixed beliefs as they are not healthy for our belief system.  For example crow is considered to be an ominous bird bringing bad news and hemlock tree is the symbol of death. The poet is so much engrossed in his sad thoughts that he fails to see the glistening and bright snow which is like a lightening among the dark clouds. But poet proved that the insignificant things like crow and snow can bring significant changes in our life. They can be the instruments to bring cheer and positivity in life if we have right perspective and positive frame of mind. He exhorts us to open our mind and see the worth of things however small or insignificant they are.

Q. What is the underlying message of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?

Ans. Sometimes, seemingly insignificant natural things or events do bring about a great change in our life. It depends on our perspective and the way we look at the things. However difficult phase of life we may be going through, there is always a ray of hope that the things will change. Even the darkest cloud has a silver lining in it. The message is clear enough that we need to have an optimistic outlook and positive frame of mind to lead a happy and healthy life. 


Video on Dust of Snow
https://youtu.be/fv6Zn4QADjs




Saturday 4 April 2020

Fire and Ice class 10 CBSE



Fire and Ice

                                                    By Robert Frost


  Analysis: 


·         ‘Fire and Ice’ is a single stanza poem composed by Robert Frost, an  American poet.

·         It discusses the possible ways / theories how this world may end.

·        The poet conveys that man’s desires and hatred are so strong and  powerful that they   may be the cause of destruction of this world.

·        Symbolically, man’s desire is presented as fire and his hatred is presented as ice.

·        Tone of the poem is critical and sarcastic as the poet criticises man’s greed and lack of   emotions and warmth of heart in modern world.


Line by Line Explanation


Line 1-4 with rhyme scheme

Some say the world will end in fire,      a
Some say in ice.                                    b
From what I’ve tasted of desire             a
I hold with those who favour fire.          a

The poet, Robert Frost refers to the possible theories which claim that this world would end some day. The learned people like scientists are divided over the two possible theories about the end of this world. Some of them believe that the world would be destroyed due to fire or excessive heat whereas some opine that the world would be destroyed by ice or freezing due to extremely low temperature. The poet agrees with the first theory that the world would be destroyed by fire but he doesn’t talk about real fire or excessive heat. He thinks that man has become so much selfish and mad in fulfilling his desires that he may go to any extent. He can also kill other human being for his selfish purposes. In this blind madness of his greed and uncontrolled rage of accomplishing his desires entire humanity may kill one another and thus, end this world.

Video on For Anne Gregory

Line 5-9 with rhyme scheme

But if it had to perish twice,                    b
I think I know enough of hate                 c
To say that for destruction ice                b
Is also great                                           c
And would suffice.                                  b

Here, the poet rethinks and changes his first opinion and tells the readers that the ice, which is presented as a symbol of cold hearts and lack of emotions, is sufficient to end the world twice. In fact, the poet wants to say that there is so much hatred among the people that the world may be destroyed two times.  He wants to convey that milk of kindness has dried up and mankind is suffering from the drought of feelings. There is no warmth of emotions left among the people and their hearts have become cold. Cruelty and hatred are ruling their hearts so much that the mankind may kill one another some day. The poison of hatred is sufficient to destroy this world twice. Here, the poet wants to criticise man’s tendency to go to any extent to accomplish his desires and meet his selfish purposes without caring for others’ loss and pain.  

Video on The Trees

Message of the poem

The poet, Robert Frost tries to convey that man ought to tame his emotions, control his desires and behave as a civilized one. Mankind needs to nurture an ocean of emotions in their hearts and live for others’ happiness.


Rhyme Scheme of the poem
 ABA ABC BCB


Poetic Devices:

Some say the world will end in fire– Alliteration

Some say in ice – Alliteration

Some say the world will end in fire - Assonance

I hold with those who favour fire. – Alliteration

I hold with those who favour fire. - Assonance

But if it had to perish twice – Assonance

To say that for destruction ice Metaphor

Some say the world will end in fireImagery

To say that for destruction iceSymbolism

I hold with those who favour fireSymbolism

And would suffice  Consonance

the world will end in fire – Consonance

Video on Dust of Snow

Important Question - Answers

Q1. There are many ideas about how the world would end. What does the poet think? Do you agree?

Ans. Two contrasting ideas are discussed in the poem about how the world would end. According to one belief the world would by destroyed by fire or excessive heat while the other one predicts that the world would end due to extreme cold or freezing of everything. The poet presents these two ideas metaphorically and believes that either man’s selfish desires, greed and longingness would be the reason for the end of this world or his hatred for his fellow beings would be sufficient to end this world. I completely agree with the poet as in the present time man’s selfishness, greed, insensitivity, cruelty and hatred have crossed all the limits.

Q2. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?

Ans. The rhyme scheme of the poem is abaabcbcb. Through this rhyme scheme the two contrasting ideas behind the destruction of the world by ‘fire’ or ‘ice’ are presented very artistically. If we closely see the rhyme scheme, the first idea is discussed using the ‘ire’ words, (fire and desire) which are denoted by A. The second idea behind the destruction of the world is discussed using the words related to 'ice' and 'hate' and they are denoted by B and C in the rhyme scheme. Hence, two contrasting ideas are very beautifully separated through rhyming scheme.

Q3. What do Fire and Ice stand for?

Ans.

FIRE                                  ICE

GREED                             INTOLERENCE                    

AVARICE                          RIGIDITY                                                                     

LUST                                 INDIFFERENCE              

CONFLICT                        HATRED            

FURY                                 COLDNESS

CRUELTY                          INSENSITIVITY


Video on Fire and Ice
https://youtu.be/Tv5JstzM8Zs