A Visit to Cambridge

A Visit to Cambridge

                                          By Firdaus Kanga

Analysis: 

·      The chapter ‘A Visit to Cambridge’ is a beautiful opportunity to peep into the life of one of the greatest scientists of our time, Stephen Hawking. It is an extract ‘From Heaven on Wheels’.

·      A Visit to Cambridge is written by Firdaus Kanga, a writer and journalist from Mumbai. He was born with ‘brittle bones’ that tended to break easily when he was a child.

·      The lesson is an account of the meeting between Firdaus Kanga and Stephen Hawking. It was during Firdaus Kanga’s visit to Cambridge when they met each other. Both these men moved around in wheelchairs.

·      Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest scientists of our time suffered from a form of paralysis that confined him to a wheelchair, and allowed him to ‘speak’ only by punching buttons on a computer.

·      The life story of Stephen Hawking is a true example of a beautiful personality with a beautiful mind. His life and achievements are a big motivation to the disabled people and the young inquisitive minds. He died in 2018 at Cambridge, UK. He was not only a scientific genius and but also a beautiful mind and a thoroughly genuine person.

Summary /  Synopsis

§  Stephen Hawking was born on 8 January, 1942 at Oxford, United Kingdom. Stephen Hawking suffered from slow progressing motor neurone disease and became completely disabled in the late 1970s. He is considered to be the successor of Issac Newton and has his Chair at the university. He is a brilliant astrophysicist. He is also the author of ‘A Brief History of Time’. It is the biggest best-seller of his time.

§  Earlier England was important to the author only because there was Cambridge. Now it had a greater appeal for him as he had met Stephen Hawking there during a walking tour.

§  The writer phoned Stephen Hawking’s house. Hawking’s assistant attended the telephone call. He told the assistant that he had come from India and wanted to meet Stephen Hawking as he was writing a book about his travels in Britain. The time for meeting the Professor was fixed. It was from three-thirty to four.

§  The writer felt that the disabled got fed up with people asking them to be brave. They got stronger on seeing somebody like them, achieving something huge.

§  When Kanga asked what had motivated him to be brave, the scientist with the help of the computer voice replied that he hadn’t ever been brave. He had no choice about it.

§  The writer told him that most people think that the disabled people are chronically unhappy. He asked Hawking if he found this amusing. The voice replied that he found it amusing when people patronised him. The writer’s next question was whether he felt annoyed when people like him disturbed him. The answer flashed ‘yes’. Hawking smiled after giving this answer. Prof. Hawking appeared to the writer as one of the most beautiful men in the world. However, the writer was shaken by his first glimpse as he seemed only a skeleton then.

§  The writer asked Hawking’s opinion about the best thing about being disabled. The reply was that there is nothing good about it. The writer’s next question was if this didn’t help him discover great kindness in the world. The voice agreed fully with the writer. Next, he asked whether the thought that he inspires millions of people in the world has helped him in anyway and the reply was negative. The question made the writer feel sorry.

§  The writer asked him to give a piece of advice to the disabled people. He advised the disabled to concentrate on what they are good at. They should try nothing beyond it. According to him, Olympics for the disabled is a waste of time. At this the writer remembered how he broke the strings of Spanish guitar while trying to play it in his early years.

§  Then, Hawking proposed to show his big garden to the writer. They wheeled in the garden but Hawking could not talk further due to the glaring sun on his computer screen.

§  The writer found his journey successful and inspiring. He could see his bravest self in the frame of Stephen hawking as he has given him inspiration to reach out farther and he has made him feel stronger.

 

Important Question Answers

Q1. Guess the first question the writer asked Stephen hawking.

Ans. The writer asked the same question that he used to think quite often and kept asking himself. He asked what has motivated him to be brave and reach out farther than he could have thought.

Q2. Stephen Hawking said, “I’ve had no choice.” Does the writer think there was a choice? What was it?

Ans. Although Stephen Hawking said he had had no other choice but to be brave. The writer thinks there was a choice. He thinks that to live creatively and use his creative mind with the reality of his disintegrated body was certainly his choice.

Q3. “I could feel his anguish.” What could be the anguish?

Ans. The astrophysicist would get exhausted and irritated by tapping at the little switch in his hand to find words on his computer. The author mentions he could feel Hawking’s anguish on how even after having a buoyant mind and fluent thoughts, his answers came out in broken phrases and emotionless sentences without any tone and feeling and that too, after making much effort and taking lot of pain.

Q4. What endeared the scientist to the writer so that he said he was looking at one of the most beautiful men in the world?

Ans. The scientist’s pure and hearty smile made the author feel like he was looking at one of the most beautiful men in the world. His smiling face and beautiful eyes made him one of the most beautiful men in the world.

The School Boy

The School Boy

                          By William Blake

 

Analysis of the poem :

·      The poem “The School Boy’ is composed by William Blake, a renowned English poet.

·      This poem describes that a child enjoys nature’s company in summer morning but all his joy goes away when he has to go to school and spend his time studying.

·      The theme of the poem is that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. The poem emphasises that the burden of studies in early stage of a child spoils his childhood and hinders his natural development.

·      The poem is lyrical and rhythmic.

     The tone of the poem is critical as the poet criticises the parents who increase the burden of studies in early childhood.

·      The poem gives the message that too much burden of studies takes away the joy of childhood. A child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment so that a child may receive mental, social, psychological and intellectual development.

 

Line by Line Explanation

 

Stanza 1

I love to rise in a summer morn,

When the birds sing on every tree;

The distant huntsman winds his horn,

And the skylark sings with me.

O! what sweet company.

Explanation:

The school boy loves to rise in the summer morning as he enjoys summer breeze after a hiatus of long and dull winter. In the morning the birds come out to perch on trees and sing joyfully. In a distance the huntsman blows his horn to warn the bird and catch them. The skylark bird sings very sweetly and the boy loves this sweet company of birds and nature. All the human beings and creatures are happy as the arrival of summer is good news to them after long winter.

 

Stanza 2

But to go to school in a summer morn,

O! it drives all joy away;

Under a cruel eye outworn,

The little ones spend the day,

In sighing and dismay.

Explanation:

Sadly, the boy doesn’t get the chance of enjoying such beautiful bounties of nature on the summer morning. Because he is supposed to rise early and go to school in the morning. This thought takes away all his joy and excitement. He along with all the kids feels tired, sad and disappointed spending a tiring day in the school premises.

 

Stanza 3

Ah! then at times I drooping sit,

And spend many an anxious hour.

Nor in my book can I take delight,

Nor sit in learning’s bower,

Worn thro’ with the dreary shower.

Explanation:

He feels bored, sad and disappointed when he has to sit with drooping shoulders and spend long hours in the school premises though he wants to sit in the lap of nature. He has to do tedious school studies and finds no joy in reading books. He is tired of sitting under the strict supervision of the teachers and listening of boring lectures instead of enjoying the refreshing rain showers.

 

Stanza 4

How can the bird that is born for joy,

Sit in a cage and sing.

How can a child when fears annoy,

But droop his tender wing,

And forget his youthful spring.

Explanation:

Here, Using metaphor the poet wants to tell that a bird is created to fly in the open sky and sing enjoying its freedom. If a bird is caged, it can’t sing and be happy. Similarly, if a child is burdened with studies, and is under constant fear and anxiety in his childhood, he can’t develop freely and naturally. Childhood should not be deprived of cheerfulness and playfulness. Just the way, a bird sings happily and enjoys the spring, similarly, a child should develop with playfulness and enjoy his childhood.

 

Stanza 5

O! Father and Mother, if buds are nip’d,

And blossoms blown away,

And if the tender plants are strip’d

Of their joy in the springing day,

By sorrow and cares dismay,

Explanation:

Using another metaphor the poet tries to tell the parents that if a bud is plucked, it can’t grow into a beautiful flower and make the world more beautiful with its existence.  If a sapling is stripped, it can’t grow into a tree and bear fruits for the humanity. Similarly, a child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment so that he/she receives physical, mental, social, psychological and intellectual development.

 

Stanza 6

How shall the summer arise in joy,

Or the summer fruits appear?

Explanation:

Towards the end, the poet tries to tell the readers that a child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment because the summer is there to be enjoyed after long winter. If people want to enjoy trees to bear fruits in summer, they should not strip the saplings in early stage. A child should be allowed to enjoy his childhood with less hours of studies and more hours of play and exploration. He should be provided with right opportunities for all round development.

 

Summary / Synopsis

The school boy loves to rise in the summer morning as he enjoys summer breeze, song of birds and sweet company of nature. Sadly, the boy doesn’t get the chance of enjoying these bounties of nature because he has to go to school and do tedious school studies. He feels tired and bored under the strict supervision of his teachers and boring lectures.

If a bird is caged, it can’t sing and be happy, if a bud is plucked, it can’t grow into a beautiful flower and if a sapling is stripped, it can’t grow into a tree and bear fruit. Similarly, if a child is burdened with studies, and is under constant fear and anxiety in his childhood, he can’t develop freely and naturally. He should be given opportunities to receive all round development.

Message

Using metaphor the poet wants to give a beautiful message that a child should be allowed to grow in a natural and healthy environment so that he/she may receive physical, mental, social, psychological and intellectual development.

 Rhyme Scheme

ABABA for each stanza

Poetic Devices

When the birds sing on every tree – imagery,

The distant huntsman winds his horn – alliteration,

And the skylark sings with me – alliteration, assonance

But to go to school in a summer morn – repetition, alliteration,

Under a cruel eye outworn – symbolism

And spend many an anxious hour – assonance, transferred epithet

Nor in my book can I take delight – Anaphora

Nor sit in learning's bower – Anaphora, assonance, metaphor

Worn through with the dreary shower – alliteration, metaphor, oxymoron

How can the bird that is born for joy – alliteration, assonance

Sit in a cage and sing? – Assonance

But droop his tender wing – assonance, symbolism

And forget his youthful spring! – symbolism, metaphor

O father and mother if buds are nipped – apostrophe, symbolism

And blossoms blown away – anaphora, alliteration, symbolism

And if the tender plants are stripped – anaphora, symbolism

Of their joy in the springing day – alliteration, symbolism

Or the summer fruits appear? – symbolism

 

Macavity

Macavity : The Mystery Cat

                              By T. S. Eliot

 

Analysis of the poem :

·      The poem ‘Macavity – The Mystery Cat’ is composed Thomas Sterne Eliot, a renowned English poet and Nobel laureate.

·      This poem describes a mystery cat named Macavity. Macavity is a fictional character and it represents the actions of the crooks.

·      The poem describes certain physical features, supernatural characteristics and extraordinary activities.

·      The tone of the poem is humorous and admiring. A simple cat’s characteristics and qualities are exaggerated through clever use of Hyperbole and humour by Eliot.

·      The poem is lyrical and musical. Alliteration, assonance and poetic repetition are used skilfully to enhance poem’s musical quality.

 

Line by Line Explanation

 

Stanza 1

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw —

For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.

He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:

For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!

Explanation:

This poem describes a clever, smart and mysterious cat named Macavity. He is also known as ‘Hidden Paw’ because he is clever in hiding after committing a crime. He is compared to a notorious criminal, spy, and a trickster as he openly disobeys the laws. He makes the Scotland Police baffled and troubles the Flying Squad as he is nowhere to be caught by all the investigating agencies and police force. Macavity is presented as a mastermind as he commits a crime and escapes leaving no evidence.

 

Stanza 2

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,

He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.

His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,

And when you reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!

You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air —

But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!

Explanation:

Macavity not only breaks the human laws but also defies the laws of nature. He can float in the air and thus, breaks the gravitational law of nature. The police feels that he has gone in the air. It is said that the fakirs who have magical powers, also look at him in surprise rising in the air with his amazing levitation powers.

Macavity is believed to have supernatural and magical powers by the poet. When one rushes to the crime scene to catch him, they cannot find him. He is not in the basement i.e. under the Earth and nor is he in the air i.e. sky. It feels as if he has disappeared using his supernatural powers as it is found nowhere. Thus, we can say that he outwits the world’s top investigation agencies and police forces.

 

Stanza 3

Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;

You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.

His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;

His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.

He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;

And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.

Explanation:

Macavity is tall and thin ginger cat. He has sunken eyes and his forehead has deep wrinkles due to over thinking and planning for committing crimes. The poet means to convey that he is involved in deep thinking and continuous planning of criminal activities. Due to being over busy he neglects his whiskers which remain uncombed. His skin is dusty as he doesn’t have time for grooming. His head is also highly domed which depicts that he is intelligent. He sways his head from side to side and moves like a snake. When one feels that he is in deep sleep, he is dozing to misguide. Actually, he is wide awake at that time. Thus, he is a proficient cheat, spy, and a trickster.

 

Stanza 4

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,

For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.

You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square —

But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!

Explanation:

Macavity possesses unique characteristics. The poet finds him to be the incarnation of evil in the form of a cat. He says that he is a wicked monster. one can easily see Macavity anywhere, in the lanes, squares or crossroads but, whenever anyone tries to catch him in order to punish him for his crimes, he cannot be found anywhere.

 

Summary / Synopsis

This poem is about a smart cat named Macavity also known as ‘Hidden Paw’ because he is clever in escaping after committing a crime. He is compared to a notorious criminal, spy, and a trickster. Macavity is presented as a mastermind and leaves no evidence after committing the crime. Macavity breaks human laws as well as the laws of nature. He can float in the air defying gravity. It has magical powers of rising in air with his levitation powers like a fakir. When one tries to catch him, he is neither under the Earth nor in sky. The world’s top investigation agencies and police forces can’t catch him.

Macavity is a tall and thin ginger cat having sunken eyes and wrinkles on his forehead due to over thinking and continuous planning. Due to being too much busy his whiskers aren’t combed. His dusty skin, highly domed head depict that he is intelligent. He sways his head and moves like a snake. When one feels that he is in deep sleep, he is dozing to misguide. Thus, he is a proficient cheat, spy, and a trickster. The poet finds him to be the incarnation of evil. Macavity can be seen anywhere but he cannot be caught by anyone.

 

Rhyme Scheme

AABB, AABBBB, AABBCC, AABB for each stanza

 

Poetic Devices

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw – Alliteration, Refrain

For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law – Metaphor

He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair – Hyperbole

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity - Repetition

He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity – Hyperbole

His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare – Hyperbole

You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air – Repetition

But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there – Repetition

You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in –  Repetition, Assonance

His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed – Assonance, Alliteration

He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake – Alliteration, Repetition, Simile

And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake – Repetition, Alliteration,

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity – Refrain, Repetition

For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity – Alliteration , Metaphor

You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square — Repetition, Alliteration

 

RTC 

Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity, 
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare, 
And when you reach the scene of crime – Macavity’s not there! 
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air 
 

1. Why did the poet take the name thrice in a line? 
2. What is the impact of cat’s powerful ‘levitation’? 
3. Why was the search for him futile? 
4. Write the figure of speech used in the second line.

Geography Lesson

Geography Lesson

                              By Zulfikar Ghose

 

1.    The poem ‘Geography Lesson’ is composed by Zulfikar Ghose.

2.    The poem describes certain physical features, geographical arrangements on earth and reasons of settlements on earth.

3.   The poem is divided into three stanzas of 8 lines each. The tone of the poem is critising and didactic.

4.    Towards the end, the poet speaks about narrow-mindedness, selfishness and hatred among human beings. Poet fails to understand the reasons behind boundaries made by men which have divided them.

5.    The poem gives the message that God has made one earth and we, human being should not divide it into cities, countries and continents, rather we should live on earth peacefully and lovingly with one another.

  

 Line by Line Explanation of the Poem:

 

Stanza 1

When the jet sprang into the sky,                              A

it was clear why the city                                           B

had developed the way it had,                                   C

seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.                      D

There seemed an inevitability                                   B

about what on ground had looked haphazard,           C

unplanned and without style                                     D

When the jet sprang into the sky.                              A

Explanation:

In this poem the poet describes the scene of the city from the height of a jet in which he is sitting. The country from an aeroplane flying high is completely different from what everyone witnesses in his/her everyday life. When the jet took off, it was clear why the city had been planned the way it looks. The poet looked out from the window. A boundary of six miles was looking equal to six inches as he is quite far above in the sky. The city looked neatly planned and every establishment seemed to be meaningful. But on ground it looked as if it is without any plan or order as entire view of the city was not possible when he was on ground.

 

Stanza 2

When the jet reached ten thousand feet,                   A

it was clear why the country                                     B

had cities where the rivers ran                                  C

and why the valleys were populated.                        D

The logic of geography —                                        B

that land and water attracted man —                        C

was clearly delineated                                               D

When the jet reached ten thousand feet.                   A

Explanation :

When the aeroplane flew at a height of 10,000 feet above sea level, he looked down and understood the logic of Geography. It became clear to him why the cities in every country are situated on the banks of river. Secondly, the valleys are inhabited by the people. That’s why all the civilisations in the world took place on the edge of water bodies. Land for cultivation of food and water for drinking are primary needs of life. The plains and water bodies have always attracted people. This important truth unfolded before the poet when he was flying ten thousand feet high in the sky.

 

Stanza 3

When the jet rose six miles high,                              A

it was clear the earth was round                                B

and that it had more sea than land.                           C

But it was difficult to understand                              C

that the men on the earth found                                B

causes to hate each other, to build                            D

walls across cities and to kill.                                   E

From that height, it was not clear why.                    A

Explanation:

When the plane rose higher and he reached six miles above the ground, he could see that the earth is round as well as that it had more water than land. We all know that there is more than 70 percent water on the earth. The poet understood the reasons why it was so. He could understood all the reasons and the logic behind the geographical facts but he could not see any logic behind the division of land by raising the borders and the walls of hatred across the countries. He failed to understand why people go mad to kill one another.

 

Poetic Devices

When the jet sprang into the sky – Refrain

had developed the way it had – Consonance  & Repetition

seeing it scaled six inches to the mile – Simile

about what on ground had looked haphazard – Consonance

When the jet sprang into the sky – Alliteration

When the jet reached ten thousand feet – Refrain

It was clear why the country – Alliteration

had cities where the rivers ran – Alliteration

that land and water attracted man — Assonance

it was clear the earth was round – Repetition

and that it had more sea than land.

But it was difficult to understand – Consonance

that the men on the earth found – Alliteration & Repetition

walls across cities and to kill – Symbolism ( walls as boundaries)

From that height, it was not clear why – Consonance

 

Rhyme Scheme:

ABCD BCDA for each stanza

 

Summary/Synopsis: 

In this poem the poet describes the scene of the city, and the country from an aeroplane flying high. When the jet took off, the sky was clear. The poet looked out from the window. The city looked neatly planned. But on ground it looked without plan or order. It had numerous lanes and houses without style or symmetry.

When the aeroplane flew at a height of 10,000 feet above sea level, he looked below and realised the logic of geography. It became clear to him why the cities in every country are situated on the river banks. Secondly, the people lived chiefly in the valleys. This is the level land between the hills. Land and water are primary needs of life. They attract people.

When the plane rose as high above the ground as six miles the earth looked round. It had more water than land. The poet understood the reasons why it was so. But he could not see any logic behind the division of land by raising walls of bricks and hatred, and why people went madly after one another’s throat.

 

Message:

The poem renders a strong message that God has made one earth for human beings. We should not divide it into cities, countries and continents, rather we should live on earth peacefully and lovingly with one another. It give the message of brotherhood and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’.