B.A. 1st English Note:

 

                                                    Notes by: Naresh Regmi                            (Do not write answers in points)

       YUDHISHTHIRA’S WISDOM

 

Literal Comprehension:

-          It is an ancient story adopted from Mahabharat by Shanta R. Rao.

-          Once, following a deer, Pandhava brothers wandered far from their dwelling place which was hot and grew thirsty.

-          Yudhishthira sent his younger brother Sahadeva in search of water. But he did not return for a long time. So he sent Nakula to see what had happened. Nakula also did not return and one by one Yudhishthira sent all of his brothers but none of them returned. So finally he decided to go and see for himself.

-          Following the footsteps of his brothers, Yudhishthira reached to a pool where he saw the miserable condition of his brothers. All of them were lying unconscious.

-          When Yudhishthira approached to drink water from the pool, a strange voice came and introduced himself as Yaksha. He warned Yudhishthira not to drink the water until he answered all of the questions. Rest of the Pandava brothers became unconscious as they did not care about the voice. But with patience Yudhishthira agreed to answer the questions.

-          Q: What makes the sun shine? A: The power of God. Q: What is the man’s surest weapon against danger? A: Courage. Q: What gives more to man than even the earth does? A:  a mother. Q: When does a man become loved by his fellows? A:When he gives up his pride. Q: What is that makes a man happy when he has lost it? A: Anger.

-          Pleased with the wise answers of Yudhishthira, Yaksha asked him to choose one brother whose life will be restored. He choosed Nakula though other brothers were more useful and beneficial to him. It was because Nakula and Sahadev were the son of Madri whereas Yudhishthira, Arjun and Bhima were the son of Kunti. Yudhishthira wanted to save the line of Madri too.

-          Satisfied with the wisdom of Yudhishthira, the God showed himself who was God Yama, the father of Yudhishthira himself. The God restored life of all the brothers and even blessed him.

Interpretation:

-          The story is about the significance of patience, obedience and wisdom to lead the life towards success.

-          Courage is the weapon against any danger. A man should walk in the path of righteousness. We should always respect mother. The power of god is omnipotent.

 

-          Yuddhithira’s decision to revive Nakula, a brother from another mother, teaches the readers to take decisions very responsibly to foresee all the aspects of life. These are the main theme of the story.

Critical Thinking:

-          Though the story teaches us about the importance of morality and wisdom in life, some of the ideas are not convincing.

-          Yudhishthira says that the Sun shines due to the power of God. But we can’t scientifically believe existence of God in the modern world. Does God actually exist? Beside this, Yudhishthira says that courage is the weapon against every danger. But in actual Yudhishthira saved his and his brothers’ life with the help of wisdom.

-          Can the mother be compared with the earth on the basis of their importance? Both are important for their own reason.

Assimilation:

Before reading the story, I was very inconsistent and frustrated. But after reading it, I have perceived that patience and courage are the major elements in life. Beside this, the story had also given me lesson to walk in the path of righteousness and be devoted to the bond of brotherhood and motherhood.

 

   THE BRAVE LITTLE PARROT

 

Literal Comprehension:

-          It is an ancient story adopted from Buddhist legend.

-          Once Buddha was born as a little parrot.

-          One day, storm fell upon his forest home and the whole forest was in fire.

-          Birds were able to fly and knew how to save their life but the wild animals were wandering here and there. Seeing the agonizing condition of trapped animals, the little parrot developed an idea. He flew to the nearest river, dipped his wings, returned to the jungle and flapped his wings to drop the drops of water. But the drops vanished with the sound hiss. He continued doing this by flying back and forth to the forest and river.

-          In the mean time, some of the gods were passing by the jungle and saw the act of little parrot. Due to the heat and smoke, parrot’s lungs ached and eyes were red as coal. Some of the gods mocked the bird for his foolishness but one of the God disguised himself into a golden eagle and came near little parrot to advice him to stop the absurd work. Parrot replied that all he need is help not the advice. This made the God weep.

-           The tear of the God fell like a heavy rain and it killed the fire flames. Soon, life was established in the forest and the parrot was decorated into beautiful colors.

 

Interpretation:

-          The story is about the greatness of Buddha. A single little creature can save the life of all other creatures because of his labor and goodwill.

-          Nobility and kindness are rewarded. Selfless help always get admired by the god.

-          If the main intention is to help selflessly then size of the helper does not matter much.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          Though the story inspires us to help other selflessly, some assumptions of the story are not convincing.

-          Can a little parrot really save the life of all creatures? Do God really exist and come to help us in difficult situations? We can’t believe that tear of a golden eagle can stop the huge fire of the forest.

-          If the parrot was itself the incarnation of lord Buddha, why couldn’t he do miracles to save the forest?

 

Assimilation:

After reading story, I am inspired to carry out good deeds. I have learned that even small help can be big help to the agonized people. Today, I saw a kid unconscious in the street due to the immense hunger. I went near him and called an ambulance. Then other people also helped me to take him to hospital. One wise person even paid for his treatment and promised to adopt him as his child.

 

IF NOT HIGHER

Literal Comprehension:

-          Adopted from Jewish religion.

-          Every morning during potential prayer, Rabbi would vanish creating doubt among his followers.

-          Litvak, one of the skeptic followers decides to find out where Rabbi used to vanish.

-          One Thursday evening, Litvak hides under Rabbi’s bed and spies him. In the morning, Rabbi gets dressed in simple dress and sets his journey towards forest. Litvak follows him.

-          Rabbi reaches an old woman’s hut with firewood and helps her by making fire himself. During the fire, he recites three portions of the potential prayer.

-          After witnessing greatness of Rabbi, Litvak becomes his true disciple. And from then when other followers tell how the Rabbi ascends to heaven at the time of prayers, he responds “If not higher”

 

Interpretation:

-          The story is about the goodness and selfless nature of Rabbi who believes that helping poor and needy is serving to the God.

-          Instead of praying in the religious place, we should help the poor and disable people.

-          Selfless helpers deserve a place higher than the heaven.

Critical Thinking:

-          Though the story is about selfless humanity and helping helpless people instead of visiting religious places, some ideas in the story are not convincing.

-          In the story, Litvak hides under Rabbi’s bed for the whole night. Is it possible that Rabbi will not find out a person hiding under his bed? Moreover, is it ethical for a follower to spy on his own master?

-          If the woman is too old to set fire and is lonely. Then how will she survive for other days?

-          If the rabbi helps the poor people instead of only praying to god then why doesn’t he request others to do the same thing? It is clear from the story that everyone respects and obeys him.

 

Assimilation:

After reading the story, I have understood that helping needy people is greatest worship to God than visiting to temples. So, I have founded a non-profit social organization for helping helpless people. We collect some money by ourselves and help the streets children who are hungry and have no shelter.

 

 

TO HIS COY MISTRESS

Literal Comprehension:

-          The poem is written by English metaphysical poet, Andrew Marvel.

-          The poem is divided into three stanzas. In the first stanza, the persona says that if he and his beloved had enough world and time, then her coyness was no crime. He states that a hundred years will pass on praising her beauty, two hundred years to describe each breast and thirty thousand years to the rest. Both of them would pass ages loving each other.

-          But time is winged like a chariot. It is moving faster and faster. Their youth is fading gradually and gradually. They will die someday and turn into ashes. So in the last stanza the poet requests his beloved that they should love each other and enjoy the color of youth while there is time or else their purity will vanish.

 

Interpretation:

-          The gist idea of the poem is that time and tide waits for none.

-          We should enjoy love and life while there is time. Otherwise, like a flying Chariot time will pass away and our beauty and youth will turn into ashes.

-          Erotic desires are also equally important as the platonic desires of love.

-          Lovers should enjoy all kinds of within their lifetime. Otherwise, their won’t be any time left for regression.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The idea of the poem that we should accomplish everything in time or it will move away from us is very adorable. But still, some of the ideas are questionable.

-          In the poem, the poet tries to convince his beloved that as youth will be gradually transfigured to the old age and human body will turn into ashes, they should enjoy physical love while they are young.  Is love all about physical relation and sex? The poet’s love is driven by the feeling of lust here.

-          The idea of honor which will soon turn to dust is unacceptable. Can honor turn into dust after death?

      Assimilation:

After reading this poem, I have come to know that time is dynamic and doesn’t wait for anyone. So we should enjoy love and life while there is time. I am determined not to miss any opportunities coming in my way which will make my life meaningful and beautiful. I will accomplish every work on time.

 

PIANO

Literal Comprehension:

-          Composed by English poet D.H. Lawrence.

-          In an evening, a woman is softly singing a song to the poet. Her song takes poet back to the vista of years when he was a child.

-          The poet recollects the scene where a child is sitting under the piano. He is pressing small feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.

-          Though the song a woman is singing now is beautiful, the poet becomes nostalgic, his heart pains and he weeps. His desire is to belong to those Sunday evenings at home.

-           The poet weeps like a child for the past.

 

Interpretation:

-          Nostalgia is the major theme of the poem. The poet recollects his childhood memories by listening to the song a woman who is singing softly in an evening. He weeps like a child for his bygone days. He wants to relieve those beautiful moments of his childhood.

-          Love for mother is another theme of the poem. A beautiful woman, perhaps his beloved is singing a song for him.  But he travels back to the vista of years and remembers how his mother sang song for him. He remembers her love and care. He longs for his mother.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The poem is about the nostalgia of the poet for his childhood days and maternal love. It makes reader memorize the beautiful parts of their childhood days. But still some of the ideas in the poem are not convincing.

-          In the poem the poet weeps like a child. But does a man really weep like a child? Isn’t this part exaggerated in the poem?

-          The comparison between the woman and poet’s mother is not much convincing. Can the same music of the piano played at different times be different?

 

Assimilation:

After reading this poem, I too became nostalgic and remembered my childhood days. In those days, though our family was poor and couldn’t afford high living, we were happy. My mother used to love me very much and she used to tell me beautiful story during my sleep by caressing my hair. I still remember those fantastic stories of fairies and wizards. I want to lie in her lap and enjoy a deep sleep listening to her stories.

 

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

Literal comprehension:

-          The poem is composed by popular poet Robert Frost.

-          The poet is on the way to somewhere. In the way, he happens to stop by a forest on a snowy evening of winter.

-          The poet knows the owner of the woods, but he is in the village and cannot see the poet stopping by it.

-          The poet says that his horse must think it is strange to stop without a farmhouse near and it is the darkest evening of the year. Horse shakes his harness bells to ask the poet if there is any mistake. The other sound is the sound of wind that poet hears.

-          The woods are lovely, dark and deep. The poet wants to stay there forever. But he has promises to keep. So he decides to continue his journey. He has “miles to go” before he sleeps.

 

Interpretation:

-            The poem is about journey of life. In any condition, we shouldn’t forget our promises, duties, responsibilities and should keep travelling until we reach our destination.

-          In the journey of life, we get fascinated by the beauty of nature but we should not be hypnotized by the things we meet as it may break the promise we have made. A man should never get lost in beauty and should be dutiful.

-          Life is a journey which can only end at death. There can be so many fascinating moments in the middle but the rule of the life is to move on.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The persona in the poem is dutiful and do not deviate from the promises he has made. Though he gets fascinated by the beauty of woods in a snowy evening and wants to spend his life there, he ultimately remembers his duty and decides to continue his journey.

-          Though theme of the poem suggests us to be dutiful, there are some ideas in the poem that is not convincing. The poet says that his horse is asking if there is any mistake by shaking his harness bell, but can animals communicate? Doesn’t this idea seem to be imaginary? The poet says that he has promises to keep, but why doesn’t he mention the person to whom he has made promise?

 

Assimilation:

After reading this poem, I have gained enthusiasm to carry on the journey of life. When I feel I am tired and deviate from my path, this poem reminds me my promises, responsibilities, duties and I become committed to my aims and destinations. Like a torch, this poem shows me my way and destiny.

WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR

Literal Comprehension:

-          Composed by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore.

In the poem, poet imagines the transformation of his country into the heaven of freedom where:

-          The mind is without fear and all citizen have respect

-          The knowledge is free. No one is uneducated.

-          The world is a unity and not broken into pieces by narrow domestic walls.

-          The words are true. Nobody speaks lies.

-          The mind is led forward by people into though and actions.

 

Interpretation:

-          This is a patriotic poem where the poet has dreamed his country reaching into the highest height of heavenly qualities. He wants his country to be developed and prosperous where all the people are equal, fearless educated, thoughtful and live together in harmony.

-          The poet wishes to see his countrymen united and full of wisdom. He wants his nation to be awake.

-          Desire of an ideal world and satire to the existing world is another theme of the poem.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The poet wishes his country to be prosperous and wants fear eradicated from the mind of people. This is a very optimistic poem. But still some ideas in the poem are not convincing.

-          The poem is just a utopia and is not practicable. The people are filled with the rage and world is leaping towards war and chaos. People are hungry and deprived from education. In this realistic condition how can we expect ideal and perfect world of heavenly qualities? Isn’t this poem unnecessarily imaginative?

 

Assimilation:

After reading the poem, I have come to conclusion that we can form a prosperous and developed country only by establishing peace, forming harmony and acquiring knowledge. For this we have to promote brotherhood and work together. I have perceived patriotism in real sense and am committed to make my country beautiful like heaven.

 

LUNATIC

Literal Comprehension:

-          Written by Nepali poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota

-          The persona declares himself as an insane in the first stanza.

-          The persona is mad because he visualizes sound, hears the visible, tastes the fragrance and feels the objects whose existence the world denies.

-          The poet can communicate with moonbirds. In his mathematics one minus one is one. Other people have brains, but he has heart. For them rose is only a rose, but for him it embodies Helen and Padmini. They have world of solid, but the persona has world of vapor. As he is different from the world, he says that he is insane.

-          When the persona was enlightened by the tocuh of Buddha, when he danced to the bursting notes of the harbinger of the spring, people called him crazy and even dispatched him down to Ranchi.

-          When man doesn’t regard a man as a man, persona gets aggressive like Bhimsen. He says that he is the iconoclast of ugliness, the wild eruption of a volcano.

-          The brain of persona keeps whirling and whirling. Such is his plight.

 

Interpretation:

-          Sarcasm and satire to the existing world is the main theme of the poem. This world is immoral and corrupt and people are acting as if might is the right which makes the poet act unusual.

-          The persona of the poem is a man who thinks in a different way. The poem stands for all those who think in a different way to change the world to make it better and livable.

-          At last, the poet ends the poem with a satire that all the people who are ruling are insane instead of poet. Having different ideas which sound unusual does not mean madness.

 

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The poem is a masterpiece and very interesting to read. The satires presented in the poem are very convincing. The portrayal of the poem resembles all the people who are highly imaginative.

-          There are some points which are unacceptable to me. Can one minus one be one? This is against science. Can anyone see the sound or hear the visible? The concept about the world of vapor is not convincing.

-          The poet says that he speaks in a language which is not written, spoken and printed. Is this possible? I have doubts.

Assimilation:

Before reading this poem, I felt difficult to express those ideas which were different from the existing ideas of the world but after reading it now I believe in expressing all those unusual ideas that come into the mind. Having different ideas does not make anyone insane.

 

THE STUB BOOK

Literal comprehension:

-           Written by Spanish writer Alarcon. The setting of the story takes place in small town Rota.

-          Uncle Buscabeatas is a gardener at Rota. He has grown up 40 big pumpkins for the purpose of selling.

-          He used to love his pumpkins as a father loves his daughter. He used to kiss, caress them, and also gave different name for each of them.

-          He made up his mind to cut the pumpkins and sell them the following day. But when he reached in the field, he found that his pumpkins were already stolen.

-          He thought that the thief will take those pumpkins to Catiz. So he leaves for Catiz in search of his pumpkins. As he reached there, he found that his pumpkins were stolen by his neighbor Fulano and sold to a shopkeeper.

-          He claimed for the pumpkins to be of his own. As the proof, he had taken all the stub-book of the pumpkins. When the stem exactly fitted with the pumpkins, the crowd and policemen agreed with him. Then, Fulano was arrested and compelled to pay worth of the pumpkins.

Interpretation:

-          The main theme of the story is that the hard work of a person is never fruitless. In the story, Uncle Buscabeatas finally succeeds to regain the worth of his beloved pumpkins even after they were stolen.

-          We can solve any mysteries with the help of our critical and creative mind.

-          We can get expertise on any sector is we really work hard. Uncle Buscabetas was an expert peasant.

 

 

Critical Thinking:

-          In the story, writer tries to show how hardworking a farmer can be and how intelligence can solve any mystery. But still some of the ideas in the story are not convincing.

-          In the story, it is said that uncle Buscabeatas loves his pumpkins more than a father does to his children. He also talks with them, kisses and caresses them and even has given unique name for each of them. Isn't this idea imaginary? Can a person talk with vegetables? Do anyone love crops more than own children? If he loved them like children why did he sell them?

 

Assimilation:

This story has greatly inspired me. After reading this story, I have realized that the person who does hard work and uses critical and creative mind is bound to achieve success. A positive attitude has developed in me that nowadays I am applying hard work and creative prospective on my study. I caress the words, feel the knowledge and enjoy the learning. I am also using creative concepts to make learning fruitful.

 

THE TELEGRAM ON THE TABLE

Literal Comprehension:

-          Written by Nepali writer Parashu Pradhan.

-          Krishna is main character of the story, who was born in the village. As he grows up, he leaves his wife and parents and comes to Kathmandu to become a tourist guide.

-          He is busy all the time with tourists. He dreams to live in America so he starts to follow American lifestyle. He doesn’t visit his family in village. He has become totally selfish.

-          One day, he gets receives telegram with the message that his wife is dead. As he is away from the family, this death news doesn’t touch him. But after some days, he remembers his dead wife, parents and village. Then he finds his own life alone with full of suffering, pain and regret. Then ultimately he bursts out into tears.

 

Interpretation:

-          The story is about the materialistic life of modern Nepalese youths who are influenced by Western culture. They want to run away from their family, birthplace and dream of life in America. For this dream, they are ready to sacrifice everything. But this dream doesn’t come true and at last, life of youths is filled with regret, sufferings and guilt.

-          The story presents importance of family life, birthplace and country. It is the family love that can enhance happiness.

-          It is human nature, the heartless one tries to be, finally , emotions break him or her.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The story presents the mentality of average Nepalese youths who escape their family for fulfilling materialistic dream and concludes that family love is greatest of all. But still some of the ideas in the story are not convincing.

-          Does a person become happy in his own wife's death? Can a person be such a selfish that he leaves his wife and parents for the dream to fly to America? Isn't this idea imaginary?

 

Assimilation:

  This story has changed me. I was also a Nepalese youth like Krishna from village. I came to Kathmandu by leaving my parents with the hope to get VISA for aboard. In the last years, I was becoming gradually and gradually irresponsible to my family. But after reading this story, I have come to know that family is greatest place for happiness. The materialistic dream only gives sufferings, regret and pain at last. So nowadays, I often visit my parents in the village and I am searching for a good job in my country.

 

A TALE

Literal Comprehension:

-          Very ancient story written by Nepalese writer B.P. Koirala.

-          Long time ago, human beings were in competition with gods. They wanted to win godhood and be supreme.

-          Once a man gave up his world and went to the forest for penance. After a long meditation, he gets victory over his body and mind. His powerful penance threatened the position of Indra in heaven.

-          To break the penance of the sage, lord Indra sent a beautiful nymph near him. The sage got attracted by the beauty of nymph and finally got married with her by breaking the penance. The couple starts to live domestic life and bear children. They are the happy couple and fully enjoy marital life.

-          But the neighbors do not look at them positively. They blame nymph for the downfall of the sage.

Interpretation:

-          The main theme of the story is that human mind is never victorious with the sex, love and lust. Though the sage went through hard penance for achieving knowledge and supreme power by defying his flesh and mind, he couldn’t overcome the beauty of a nymph. He instantly broke up his penance just by the sexual attraction with a woman.

-          The story is also about the importance of family life. With a family, we can be free from ambitions, stress and pressures. Sexual urge is prominent and always dominating human mind.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          Though the story is about the importance of love, sex and family in life, certain ideas in the story are not convincing.

-          In the story it is said that the hermit resisted over burning fire and cold ice, Is that possible for a human being? Also in the story king Indra sent the nymph to destroy the penance of sage. Isn't idea of god imaginary in 21^st century?

 

Assimilation:

 After reading the story, I have understood that sexual urge is important and dominant over human being. Family life is the only way for pursuit of happiness.  So I have decided that I will never omit the importance of sex, love and family for achieving any layer of knowledge and success in life.

ETHICS:

Literal Comprehension:

-          Written by American poet Linda Pastan.

-          When the poet was a child, In ethics class, her teacher asked this question every fall: “If there were a fire in a museum; which would you save, a Rembrandt painting or an old woman who hadn’t many years left anyhow?”

-          Perplexed, students would select one year for art and another for the life.

-          Sometimes the poet imagined the old woman as her grandmother bearing similar face. One year cleverly, the poet replied to the teacher why not let the old woman decide herself.

-          Now, the poet is in the real museum. There is a Rembrandt painting and an old woman in front of her. The colors within the frame are darker than the autumn.

-          She knows now that woman, painting and season are almost one and all beyond saving by children.

 

Interpretation:

-          The theme of the poem is that teachers should analyze Children’s psychology before asking any question to them. Teachers should only ask questions that are perceivable by the children according to their age. The poet criticizes her teacher’s teaching method in the poem.

-          Both art and life are equally valuable. We can’t choose one and omit the next one.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The poem is about flaws in teaching system. Teachers should not ask questions to any student which is above their level of perception. But still some of the ideas in the poem are not convincing.

-          Does any teacher ask such a complex question to a kid student? Isn’t this imaginary question? And the poet says that the teacher used to ask that question every fall. Does a teacher ask same question time and again?

 

Assimilation:

After reading this poem, I have realized that we should not ask question to the children which is above their level of perception. Last time I had asked my nephew who is only 7 years old “What will you do when you become a professor in biochemistry?” He couldn’t answer and I did mock him for his inabilities. Now I have realized that the kid has no idea about biochemistry in this age. I feel very sorry for mocking him and from onwards I have taken a pledge that I will never ask such question to kids which they do not understand.

 

THE GREAT ANSWER

Literal Comprehension:

-          The story is written by American writer Fulton Oursler based on the incident of Second World War.

-          To save life from the Nazi Police (Gestapo) a number of Jews refugees were taking shelter in a boarding house in the border of France and Spain. They were terrified that if the Nazi police will find them, they will be burnt alive. They even pleaded Spanish guards to enter into Spain, but permissions were not granted. Among them were women, old and children.

-          One night, a stranger came to them and told that he will guide them to safe place as he was sent by god. As the refugees had no option, they followed the man.

-          They climbed the mountain and the way was tough. In the journey, an old man gave up and told that he cannot walk anymore, he wants to die. But the stranger encouraged him and ordered to carry the children turn by turn.

-          At last they crossed the Spanish border and reached to a new world of freedom.

Interpretation:

-          This story presents the dark side of war and prejudices. War always brings suffering, pain and destruction to the human world. Similarly, the story highlights the importance of struggle and courage to face the difficulties in tough condition. We should be bold and courageous and face the problem in our life. Courage is the key to success. We should struggle until last drop of energy is prevailed in our body.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          This story informs us about the great answers to the problems of life. We can unlock every problem of our life with the key of courage and struggle. This is the strengthening part of the story. But still some of the ideas in the story are not convincing.

-          In the story a woman is praying god for help and suddenly a stranger arrives to help them as a messenger of god. Does god really exist? Isn't idea of god imaginary in the modern world? Moreover, it is mentioned that old men climbed mountain by carrying children turn by turn. Are they capable of doing so?

 

Assimilation:

The story has taught a great lesson to me. Before reading the story, I was very reluctant and even pessimistic regarding the outcome of hard work. But now I have realized that struggle is the only short cut to success. From onwards, I will keep on trying until the last drop of energy is prevailing in my body.

 

GAIA

Literal Comprehension:

-          Written by Nepalese poet Shreedhar Lohani. Gaia is the Greek Goddess for mother Earth.

-          The stormy wind blows among the withered palms, heavy and devouring rain hits the earth, the seas have become furious, the mountain peaks have  become crooked, time plucks at world on its gray wings, smell of mildew covers the earth. Everywhere around the earth there is hunger and turbulence.

-          Even at such extreme condition, the earth tolerates. Gaia is capable of taking care of herself.

 

Interpretation:

-          The poem is about the greatness of mother earth. Though she is in pain due to extreme human activities, she is still peaceful and capable of enduring everything. Gaia keeps regulating natural phenomenon and keeps earth alive. She is omnipotent so we should respect and preserve her.

-          The poem also highlights the sacrifices made by Gaia for maintaining order and peace.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          Though the poem is about the enduring capacity of Gaia and her greatness, some of the ideas in the poem are not convincing.

-          Is earth a goddess? If she is god then why there is destruction, war and famine? The poet says that Gaia is capable of taking care of herself. If she is herself capable, then why do we need to care and preserve her? Can't she do it by herself?

 

Assimilation:

This poem has deeply influenced me. After reading, I have come to know that earth is the goddess and we should always respect and preserve her. In spite of her pain and sufferings, she does all the enduring and creates suitable environment for our habitation. She is our mother. So we should take care of her for the ecological balance and our well being.

 

MARRIAGE IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR

Literal Comprehension:

_-                     Written by Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe.

_-                     Nnaemeka is the main character of the story belonging to Ibo tribe in Nigeria. His father Okeke is very traditional and rigid. Nnaemeka lives in the town for perceiving education. There he falls in love with Nene, a modern girl from different caste and religion.

_-                     When Nnaemeka talks to his father about marriage with Nene, he strongly rejects and suggests him to marry a girl from their own tribe and religion. But Nnaemeka says that Nene is the true love of his life. So, he leaves his village and gets married with Nene in town. He also sends a wedding card to his father but his father tears it.

_-                     There is no communication between father and son for the eight years. One day, Nene writes a letter to Okeke. In the letter she mentions that his two grand children wish to see him.

_-                     After reading the letter, Okeke becomes emotional and dreams of being with them. Finally, he decides to visit them.

 

Interpretation:

_-                     The story is about the difficulties brought in a family due to cross cultural marriage. Okeke is a traditional man from Ibo tribe and can't accept the marriage of his son with a girl from different caste and religion. As a result, his son leaves him and marries with the girl he loved. Due to this, a father and son had to live seperate without communication for 8 years until father is emotionally driven by the urge of his grand children to visit him.

_-                     In the story Achebe has tried to show the culture of Ibo people. They are follower of traditional arrange marriage. But as Okeke finally accepts to visit his son and grand children, we can say that Ibo community is shifting towards modern concept of love marriage.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The story is realistic and portrays the conflict between traditional generation and modern generation. It proves that love is always victorious and is capable of revolutionizing traditional norms and joining broken hearts. But still, certain ideas in the story are not convincing.

-          In the story a father abandons his beloved son just for the norm of his tribe. Similarly, a son abandons his father for the sake of a girl. Do a father and son does so? Is tribe and love more important than father-son relationship?

 

Assimilation:

After reading this story, I have understood the power of love. I have perceived that love can unite the broken hearts. Moreover, I remembered a real story of my friend, Rajab. He fell in love with a girl of inferior caste. When he talked about it to his parents and wished to marry, they rejected it. Then he left his parents and got married with the girl he loved. Disappointed, his parents boycotted him from their relation and property. But after 5 years, when they heard about the birth of grandson, their heart melted and they went to visit him. Now the family is reunited.

 

THIRD THOUGHTS

Literal Comprehension:

-          Written English writer by E.V Lucas.

-          The story 'Third Thoughts' is told to the writer by his friend.

-          When the friend of the writer went to visit market in London, he sees a beautiful painting in a shop. He gets attracted and assumes it to be very expensive. But when he finds out that the price is only 10 shillings, he immediately buys it.

-          The painting turns to be original and he sells it in 50 pounds. As he receives the unimaginable amount of profit, he decides to share it with the dealer. At first he thinks of sharing the profit by half, then 10 pounds, 5 pounds and last decides to share only one pound.

-          After he visits a club and plays card. He loses all his money there except 1 pound with which he buys breakfast. At the end, he is penniless.

-          Finally he says that in business, there is no feeling, kindness and love but only profit and loss.

 

Interpretation:

-          The main theme of the story is that in business there is no emotion, kindness and love but only profit and loss. Business is like gambling and has both the chances of profit and loss. The only relation between the seller and costumer is that of goods, the costumer tries to buy goods as cheap as possible and the dealer tries to sell the goods as expensive as possible.

-          The story also portrays the nature of human mind which in inconsistent and can't stick to a single idea. At first, the friend of writer decides to share half of the profit to the dealer, then he reduces his sharing to 10 pounds, 5 and finally to 1 pounds. But when he loses all his money in a card game, his idea of sharing profit changes.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          Though the story explores the nature of human mind which is ever changing and also gives the realistic idea in business that there is only profit and loss but not feeling and kindness, some of the ideas are still not convincing.

-          When the writer decides to share the profit with the delear, he sounds like a decent man. But then, he instantly reduces his idea of sharing half profit to 10, 5 and at last 1 pounds. Can a man mind be changing up to such an extent? Isn't this idea created just for the humor? Moreover, he loses all his money in a card game? Does a wise man do so?

 

Assimilation:

This story made me remember an incident which happened some years ago. I bought a laptop from my relative's computer shop thinking that I will get the greatest discount there. But next day, when one of my friends told me about the price of same model laptop in his shop, I was shocked. The market price of the laptop was far less than the price I had to pay for it. Then I understood that there is no value of relation, love and trust in business. It’s just about profit and loss.

ETHICS:

Literal Comprehension:

-          Written by American poet Linda Pastan.

-          When the poet was a child, In ethics class, her teacher asked this question every fall: “If there were a fire in a museum; which would you save, a Rembrandt painting or an old woman who hadn’t many years left anyhow?”

-          Perplexed, students would select one year for art and another for the life.

-          Sometimes the poet imagined the old woman as her grandmother bearing similar face. One year cleverly, the poet replied to the teacher why not let the old woman decide herself.

-          Now, the poet is in the real museum. There is a Rembrandt painting and an old woman in front of her. The colors within the frame are darker than the autumn.

-          She knows now that woman, painting and season are almost one and all beyond saving by children.

 

Interpretation:

-          The theme of the poem is that teachers should analyze Children’s psychology before asking any question to them. Teachers should only ask questions that are perceivable by the children according to their age. The poet criticizes her teacher’s teaching method in the poem.

-          Both art and life are equally valuable. We can’t choose one and omit the next one.

 

Critical Thinking:

-          The poem is about flaws in teaching system. Teachers should not ask questions to any student which is above their level of perception. But still some of the ideas in the poem are not convincing.

-          Does any teacher ask such a complex question to a kid student? Isn’t this imaginary question? And the poet says that the teacher used to ask that question every fall. Does a teacher ask same question time and again?

 

Assimilation:

After reading this poem, I have realized that we should not ask question to the children which is above their level of perception. Last time I had asked my nephew who is only 7 years old “What will you do when you become a professor in biochemistry?” He couldn’t answer and I did mock him for his inabilities. Now I have realized that the kid has no idea about biochemistry in this age. I feel very sorry for mocking him and from onwards I have taken a pledge that I will never ask such question to kids which they do not understand.

The Library Card

Literal Comprehension:

-          It is an autobiographical essay written by an African-American writer and black human right activist Richard Wright.

-          The writer was from black community and in those times blacks were deprived from fundamental rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness in USA.

-          Once he went through a newspaper where in the editorial page, there was written about a white guy H.L. Mencken concluding with a short sentence: “Mencken is a fool.”

-          As only niggers were considered fool by white people, the writer got surprised. He wanted to know what Mencken has written in his books that he is criticized as a fool, but he didn’t possess library card as niggers were forbidden to read.

-          A white gentleman often called by name “Pope Lover” finally agreed to lend him his library card. He forged a note and the white man’s name in the card and collected books from the library.

-          Though he had difficulty in understanding most of the words in the beginning, he progressed gradually and understood themes of the books.  He knew about the pain and suppression of the slaves and niggers. He became aware about the black people’s situation. The he too started to raise voice against the white domination.

Interpretation:

-          The essay is about the importance of education in life. It enlightens our mind and makes us capable in distinguishing which way is right and which way is wrong. Without education, no one can progress.

-          Through books, we can know about the society and world. We can be aware about human condition, social hierarchies and even gain courage and wisdom to stand against injustice and exploitation.

Critical Thinking:

-          The essay concludes that book is the store of knowledge. Education is the greatest asset which makes us aware about social condition. But still some of the ideas are not convincing.

-          If blacks were not allowed to education then how could the writer read newspaper? Why would Pope Lover, a white guy give him his own library card after knowing he wants to read about Mencken?

 

Assimilation:

After reading Wright’s essay, I am drawn to reading books. I have learned that book is store house of knowledge and only through books we can be aware about the human condition and happenings in the world. Reading book not only provides pleasure but also fills us with zeal to stand against injustice and exploitation.