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 in style and rhythmic in meter with each stanza rhyming ABABA.

·      The tone of the poem is critical as the poet criticises the parents who increases 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.

 Video on Direct Indirect Narration

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.

Video on diary entry 

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.

 

Video on Letter to the Editor

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

Video on Non Finite verbs

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

 Video on Notice Writing

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,

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 —  

1. Why did the poet take the name thrice in a line? 
2. What is the impact of cat’s powerful ‘levitation’? 

3. Why would make the 'Fakir' stare at Macavity?
3. Why was the search for him futile? 
4. Write the figure of speech used in the second line.

Answers:

1. The poet repeated the name ‘Macavity’ thrice in first line as he is quite impressed with the smartness and cleverness of Macavity. He wanted to emphasise that Macavity is an extraordinary cat and there could be no one like Macavity.   

2. Due to the levitation powers of Macavity he could rise up and he seemed to disappear in the air. Thus, he could not be caught by anyone.

3. The ‘Fakirs’ or saintly people are known to make their body light and rise up in the air through their power of meditation but even a ‘Fakir’ would also stare at Macavity in utter surprise as it is impossible for anyone to float in the air like Macavity.
4. The search for Macavity appears to be futile as he is not found anywhere. The Police tries to look for him on the ground, under the ground also in the air but Macavity is not found anywhere.

5. The figure of speech used in the second line is Hyperbole. 

 

 

Geography Lesson

Geography Lesson

                              By Zulfikar Ghose

 Analysis: 

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’.

Important Question Answers

Q1. Make a list of phrases that occur in a geography lesson.

Ans. The following phrases are likely to occur in a Geography lesson:

1.    ‘the city had developed the way it had’

2.    ‘it scaled six inches to the mile’

3.    ‘cities where the rivers ran’

4.    ‘the valleys were populated’.

Q2. Mention two things that are clear from the height and not clear from the height?

Ans. From the height, it was clear why the country had cities where the rivers ran and why the valleys were populated. It was also clear that the earth was round and that it had more sea than land.

From the height, it was not clear why the men on the earth found reasons to hate one another. It was also not understandable why men had to build walls across cities and countries and why they had to kill one another by waging war.

Silk Road

Silk Road

                              By Nick Middleton

Analysis :

The chapter ‘Silk Road’ written by Nick Middleton is part of author's travel along the ancient trade route, Silk Road.

It is a beautiful and detailed description of the route, Silk Road as it is an account of the narrator’s holy journey to Kailash, Kora through the famous Silk Road which is known for trade between the Romans and Asians in ancient time. 

The story narrates small incidents of road blockages, describes the land features and accounts the health issues, other challenges and difficulties the narrator went through.

It is an insight into the people who are ready to go through any amount of pain and face all the difficulties to complete their Kora, pilgrimage.

The chapter deals with the historical importance of the Silk Route as well as its significance in present day. 

Summary

The narrator was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete his kora, his pilgrimage. He said goodbye to Lhamo while leaving Ravu where he had stayed for few days. Lhamo gave him a long-sleeved sheepskin coat as a farewell present. He continued his journey with Daniel, an interpreter who helped him with the local language and Tsetan, a guide who drove him. 

They took a short cut to get off the Changtang, through a route that took directly towards Mount Kailash crossing several high mountain passes but there was no problem if there is no snow. They crossed the gently rolling hills of Ravu, open plains, few gazelles nibbling the arid pastures. Further, the plains became more stony than grassy and a great herd of wild ass also passed. Then, there appeared ‘Kyang’, a pall of dust and the herd galloping in tight formation as if practising manouveres. 

As hills appeared, in the rocky wilderness drokbas were tending their flocks. People would pause, stare at their car and wave as they passed. The sheep would take evasive action. Nomads’ dark tents were pitched in splendid isolation, usually with a huge black dog, a Tibetan mastiff, standing guard. They would cock their heads, stare, chase their car speedily and barked furiously with massive jaws for a hundred metres that’s why these ferocious Tibetan mastiffs became popular in China’s imperial courts as hunting dogs and were brought along the Silk Road in ancient times as tribute from Tibet. They saw snow-capped mountains and entered a valley where the river was wide and mostly clogged with ice and the trail was twisting with the meanders. The turns became sharper and the ride bumpier. Further, the track had steeper slopes with big rocks with patches of bright orange lichen. Beneath the rocks, he felt the pressure building up in his ears, he snorted and cleared nostrils. At another tight bend Tsetan stopped as there was snow. Tsetan and Daniel came out of the vehicle. A swathe of the white stuff lay across the track. The bank was too steep for vehicle to scale. The narrator also came out. His wristwatch showed them at 5,210 metres above sea level. Daniel said that its icy top layer was a danger not its depth. They grabbed handfuls of dirt and flung them across the frozen surface. Daniel and narrator stayed out of the vehicle to lighten Tsetan’s load. He drove towards the dirty snow. Ten minutes later, at another blockage he decided to drive round the snow. Tsetan negotiated with one obstacle after the other. 

At 5,400 metres above sea level his head began to throb horribly and he drank water. They finally reached the top of the pass at 5,515 metres. There was a large cairn of rocks festooned with white silk scarves and prayer flags. They took a turn round the cairn, in clockwise direction as per the tradition. Tsetan checked the tyres and stopped for petrol. His headache cleared as they careered down the other side of the pass. At two o’clock they ate hot noodles inside a long canvas tent, beside a dry salt lake. On the plateau there were salt flats and brackish lakes, vestiges of the Tethys Ocean which bordered Tibet before the great continental collision that lifted it. It was a hive of activity, men worked with shovels along white lake laden with piles of salt. By late afternoon they had reached the small town of Hor, back on the main east-west highway that followed the old trade route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel found a ride in a truck to Lhasa. They stopped outside a tyre-repair shop to fix the punctures.

Hor was a grim, miserable place as there was no vegetation, just dust and rocks. The town sat on the shore of Lake Manasarovar, Tibet’s most venerated stretch of water. Ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology pinpoints Manasarovar as the source of four great Indian rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra. Actually only the Sutlej flows from the lake, but the headwaters of the other rivers rise nearby on the flanks of Mount Kailash. They were near the great mountain but they stopped to drink some tea in Hor’s only cafe badly painted and having broken windows. Good view of the lake compensated for bad look of buildings there. A Chinese youth in military uniform cleaned his table with a filthy rag and brought a glass and a thermos of tea. Then, they drove past more rocks and rubbish westwards out of town towards Mount Kailash. His experience in Hor was a stark contrast to the accounts of earlier travellers’ encounters with Lake Manasarovar. Ekai Kawaguchi, a Japanese monk was moved by the sanctity of the lake in 1900 and burst into tears. Few years later, Sven Hedin, a Swede also had the similar experience. They stopped at a guest house in Darchen. 

The rubbish dump in the open air of Hor had worsened his cold blocking one of his nostrils again and herbal tea wasn’t good enough. They were at 4,760 metres not much higher than Ravu. At night he had been gasping for oxygen several times, which scared him. He tried breathing through mouth, then switched to single nostril power and was taking sufficient oxygen. But when he was dozing off, he woke up abruptly. He wasn’t able to sleep. His chest felt strangely heavy and sat up, and that cleared his nasal passages almost instantly.  He felt, it must have been his regular emergency electrical impulses again, but this time, he wasn’t gasping for breath, he was simply not allowed to sleep. Sitting up once more immediately made him feel better. Propping himself upright against the wall helped him relax.

Tsetan took him to the Darchen medical college which looked like a monastery. In the consulting room he met a Tibetan doctor who wore none of the paraphernalia - white coat, stethoscope, etc. He gave a brown envelope containing fifteen screws of paper, it was a five-day course of medicine. After breakfast package contained a brown powder that tasted like cinnamon. The lunchtime and bedtime packages contained small, spherical brown pellets and looked like sheep dung. After first full day’s course, he slept soundly. Seeing this, Tsetan left him, to return to Lhasa. As a Buddhist, it didn’t really matter if narrator passed away, but he thought, it would be bad for his business. Darchen had heaps of rubble and refuse, but the sun shining brilliantly in a clear blue sky across the plain to the south gave him a vision of the Himalayas and a huge, snow-capped mountain, Gurla Mandhata. The town had rudimentary general stores, men playing a game of pool and women washing their long hair in the icy water of a narrow brook past his guest house. Darchen felt relaxed and unhurried but, there were no pilgrims. The town was bustling with visitors and many brought their own accommodation, their own tents. His arrival at Darchen was too early. He was still struggling with self help programme on positive thinking and without assistance of Daniel he could only wait. The parts of the route were liable to blockage by snow as the chunks of dirty ice still clung to the banks of Darchen’s brook. Since Tsetan and Daniel had left, he couldn’t answer even most basic question.

One afternoon at Darchen’s only café he met Norbu. The cafe was small, dark and cavernous, with walls and ceiling wreathed in sheets of multi-coloured plastic that is used to make voluminous shopping bags sold all over China, Asia and Europe. Plastic must rate as one of China’s most successful exports along the Silk Road today. The cafe had a single window beside which he could see the pages of his notebook and novel. Norbu who was also staying in the same guest house, saw his book and asked, “You English?”. He was wearing a windcheater and metal-rimmed spectacles of Western style. He was Tibetan but worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature. He had also come to do the kora as he had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature. He said in happiness, “We could be a team,” He felt, his positive-thinking strategy was working. They both were ill-equipped. Norbu kept reminding him that it’s very high, he is very fat and it’s tiresome to walk. But he had enthusiasm and he was Tibetan. Narrator decided that perhaps Norbu would be the ideal companion. Norbu suggested to hire some yaks for luggage, and he had no intention of prostrating himself all round the mountain as his tummy was too big.

Difficult Terms

Kora - pilgrimage, holy journey in Tibetan language

Drokba - nomad, shepherd

Gazelles - small antelopes

Kyang - wild ass

Mastiff - big strong breed of dog

Meander - bend or curve in river

Cosmology - ancient history

Yak - Tibetan ox

Important Question Answers

I. Give reasons for the following statements.

1. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.

Ans. Tibetan mastiff, a huge black dog was perfect as standing guard. These ferrocious beasts were popular in China’s imperial courts as hunting dogs and were brought along the Silk Road in ancient times as tribute from Tibet.

These big beasts would cock their great big heads when they saw any stranger, they would explode into action in great speed like a bullet. These shaggy monsters, blacker than the darkest night, usually wore bright red collars and barked furiously with massive jaws. They were completely fearless and would  chase a vehicle for a hundred metres or so before easing off.

2. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.

Ans. The narrator’s experience in Hor came as a stark contrast to accounts he had read of earlier travellers’ first encounters with Lake Manasarovar. Ekai Kawaguchi, a Japanese monk who had arrived there in 1900, was so moved by the sanctity of the lake that he burst into tears. A couple of years later, the hallowed waters had a similar effect on Sven Hedin, a Swede though he wasn’t habitual of such sentimental outbursts.

However, Hor came to be a disappointing experience to the narrator. It was then, a grim and miserable place. There was no vegetation, just dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of accumulated refuse, which was unfortunate for the town that sat on the shore of Lake Manasarovar, Tibet’s most venerated stretch of water.

3. The author was disappointed with Darchen.

Ans. First of all high altitude at Darchen posed him health issues and he wasn’t able to sleep. He was left alone as he arrived quite early and many pilgrims weren’t there. Darchen was dusty, partially derelict and punctuated by heaps of rubble and refuse. The buildings were badly painted and made a grim and dismal scene. He was ill equipped and he had to wait for a companion until he met Norbu.

4. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.

Ans. When the narrator met Norbu and he said that he had come to do the kora, his heart jumped. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora but he had never actually done it himself. When Norbu told that he came to Darchen on his holy journey to mount Kailash, his eyes lit up and told him, “We could be a team.” Norbu also told excitedly. “Two academics who have escaped from the library.” He started feeling that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all. He was waiting for a companion positively and he finally met Norbu and that was the power of his positive thinking. Healthwise also he was getting well and positive.

5. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.’ (Note on Silk Road)

Ans. The chapter is aptly titled as ‘Silk Road’ as it revolves around and describes the Silk Road which the narrator follows to complete his Kora to Mount Kailash. Silk Road refers to a network of the land routes linking Europe and Asia. The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 km, it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the Eastern and the Western worlds. The Silk Road derives its name from the highly lucrative trade of silk textiles that were produced primarily in China to the Romans who had a passion for silk and exotic flora and fauna of the East. The author, Nick Middleton, in his travelogue, detailed the route with all the beautiful landscapes, geographical features and animals and people’s life, work and culture.