Beehive Poetic Devices

POETIC DEVICES

Literary devices in poetry refer to specific techniques that poets use to convey their message, add meaning, and evoke emotions. Some of the most common literary devices used in poetry include:

Rhyme: The repetition of similar or identical sounds at the end of two or more words in a line of poetry.

Alliteration: Repetition of the same initial sound in successive words

Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words

Repetition: The repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis or to create a sense of unity in a poem.

Imagery: The use of descriptive language to create vivid mental images in the reader’s mind.

Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human objects

Simile: A comparison of two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”

Metaphor: A comparison between two, unlike things to suggest a similarity without using the words “like” or “as.”

Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds

Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration

Irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning

Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

These are just a few examples of the many literary devices that can be found in poetry.

The Road Not Taken - Literary Devices

1. Rhyme Scheme: abaab

2. Symbolism: two roads that represent two or more choices in our life

3. Anaphora: ‘and’ repeated at the beginning of lines 2, 3 and 4

4. Alliteration: Wanted Wear ‘w’ sound is repeating

‘first for’ – ‘f’ sound is repeating

‘though, that’- ‘th’ sound is repeating

5. Repetition: ‘Ages’ is repeated. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood’- this sentence is repeated in stanzas 1 and 4.

 

Wind – Poetic Devices

 

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. In the poem, Wind is a metaphor as it symbolizes challenges that humans face in their lives.

Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to animals and non-living things. In the poem, the poet calls Wind by the pronoun “He” which is usually used for humans. He also calls wind as Wind God.

Repetition: it is the repetition of certain words or phrases for poetic effect. In the poem, “crumbling” has been repeated several times.

Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, crumbling hearts”, “the wind god winnows”, and “He won’t do what you tell him.”

Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. e.g. “Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, crumbling hearts”.

Symbolism: It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. e.g. wind symbolises challenges and problems, weak fires symbolise people with weak will power and strong fires symbolise people with strong will power and firm determination.

 

Rain on the Rood – Poetic Devices

Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “lie listening”, “starry spheres”, “humid hover”, “press pillow”, “darling dreamers” “rain roof” etc.

Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things. In the poem, melancholy darkness weeps in rainy tears. Melancholy and tears are specific to humans but are attributed to the darkness. Again, in stanza 2, thousand recollections weave air-threads. The weaving is also a characteristic feature of humans but attributed to dreams.

Onomatopoeia: It is the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. e.g. patter, tinkle.

Metaphor: It is a figure of speech that is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but do have something in common. e.g. shadows refer to clouds.

Transferred Epithet: When an adjective usually used to describe one thing is transferred to another. e.g. “melancholy darkness”, “dreamy fancies”, “darling dreamers”.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree – Poetic Devices

Metaphor: A metaphor shows direct comparison between two things which the use of as or like. e.g. “veils of the morning “, “deep heart’s core”. Here night is referred to as veils of morning. Similarly poet’s desires are referred to as deep heart’s core.

Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “a hive for the honey-bee”, “live alone in the bee-loud glade”, “a glimmer, and noon a purple glow”, “lake water lapping with low sounds”.

Anaphora: It is the repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses. e.g. “I will”, “go”.

Personification: It is the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human. e.g. “cricket sings”. Singing is the characteristic of humans and has been attributed to cricket (an insect).

Images: Images are representation of something which draw on the five senses. e.g. Visual Images (midnight’s all a glimmer, noon a purple glow), Auditory Images (the bee-loud glade, the cricket sings, I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore) etc.

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The Legend of the Northland – Poetic Devices

1. Rhyme Scheme: abcb

2. Alliteration: is the repetition of a consonant sound in two or more close words.

Stanza 1 – that, they, them through – ‘th’ sound is repeating

Stanza 2 – they, the – ‘th’ sound is repeating

look, like – ‘l’ sound is repeating

funny, furry – ‘f’ sound is repeating

Stanza 3 – they, them- ‘th’ sound is repeating

yet, you – ‘‘y sound is repeating’

learn, lesson – ‘l’ sound is repeating

tell, tale, to – ‘t’ sound is repeating

Stanza 5 – woman, was – ‘w’ sound is repeating

Them, the, hearth – ‘th’ sound is repeating

Stanza 6 – faint, fasting – ‘f’ sound is repeating

Stanza 8 – still, smaller – ‘s’ sound is repeating

Stanza 9 – took, tiny -‘t’ sound is repeating

Stanza 10 – seem, small – ‘s’ sound is repeating

Stanza 13 – build, birds – ‘b’ sound is repeating

by, boring, boring – ‘b’ sound is repeating

 

 

 

3. Repetition: any word or sentence is repeated to lay emphasis on it.

Stanza 1 – ‘away’ word is repeated

Stanza 9 – ‘rolled’ word is repeated

Stanza 13, 16 – ‘boring’ word is repeated

 4. Enjambment: running lines of poetry from one to the next without using any kind of punctuation to indicate a stop

Stanza 1 – line 3 and 4

Stanza 2 – Line 1 and 2; line 3 and 4

Stanza 3 – Line 3 and 4

Stanza 4 – Line 1 and 2; 3 and 4

Stanza 10 – Line 1, 2 and 3

Stanza 11 – Line 1 and 2

5. Simile: Comparison using ‘as’ or ‘like’

Stanza 2 – ‘the children look like bear’s cubs’. Children compared to bear’s cubs

Stanza 9 – ‘baked it thin as a wafer’. Cake is compared to a wafer.

Stanza 15 – ‘clothes were burned black as a coal’. The colour of the burned clothes is compared to that of coal.

No Men are Foreign - Poetic devices

Metaphor: It is a poetic device which is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but do have something in common. e.g. in the poem the poet compares the war with winter (stanza 2) and hell (stanza 5) because of its dread effects on humanity. Another example of metaphor in the poem is when the poet calls people living in foreign lands as brothers.

Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “a single body breathes”, “in which we all shall lie”, “war’s long winter”, “In every land is common life”, “whenever we are told”.

Polysyndeton: It is a literary technique in which conjunctions (e.g. and, but, or) are used repeatedly in quick succession. e.g. “aware of sun and air and water”.

Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. e.g. the last line of Stanza 4 continues to stanza 5.

The Duck and The Kangaroo – Poetic Devices

Alliteration: It is the use of the same sound at the beginning of words that are close together. e.g. “Good gracious! how you hop!”, “I would sit quite still, and say nothing”, “This requires some little reflection”, “But to balance”, “dear duck”.

Repetition: It is the repetition of words or phrases in the poem for poetic effect e.g. “Said the Duck to the Kangaroo“.

Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break. e.g.

“My life is a bore in this nasty pond,

And I long to go out in the world beyond!

I wish I could hop like you!’

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.”

This sentence continues to four lines.

On Killing A Tree – Poetic Devices

Metaphor: It is a literary device which is used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but do have something in common. e.g. “Leprous hide” used to describe the bark of tree, “Bleeding bark” used to describe the cut stem of the plant.

Alliteration: It is the use of the same sound at the beginning of words that are close together. e.g. “takes much time to kill a tree”, “bleeding bark”, “white and wet”.

Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to animals, plants and other non-human things. e.g. the tree has been personified here because we do not use the word “kill” for cutting a tree, “bleeding bark” – the word bleeding is used for humans.

Repetition: It involves the repetition of a word or phrase(s) for poetic effect. e.g. “pulled out”.

Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence or clause across a line break. e.g. “It takes much time to kill a tree, Not a simple jab of the knife Will do it”.

The Snake Trying - Literary devices

Rhyme scheme - There is no rhyming scheme in ‘The Snake Trying.’ The poem is written in free verse.

Alliteration - The poem has a repetition of a consonant sound in 2 or more consecutive words in one sentence. For example, in ‘he is harmless even to children’ – ‘h’.

Transferred epithet - In the poem, the adjective is used with a noun which refers to the noun other than the one with which it is used. For example, in the phrase ‘Pursuing stick,’ pursuing here means the person who is holding the stick and not the stick itself.

Imagery - The author has used words or phrases in the poem that appeals to the reader’s senses to create a “mental image” for the reader. For example, this paragraph in the poem creates visual imagery.

A Slumber did My Spirits Seal – Poetic Devices

1. Rhyme scheme – abab cdcd

2. Alliteration – The repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more consecutive words is called alliteration. The instances of alliteration are as follows –

‘Spirit sealed’, ‘rolled round’

 3. Enjambment – when a sentence continues into two or more lines ending without any punctuation marks, it is called Enjambment. The instances of enjambment are as follows –

“She seemed a thing that could not feel

The touch of earthly years.”

“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course

With rocks and stones and trees.”

Kathmandu

Summary:  Vikram Seth describes his visit to the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu through this excerpt from his book ‘Heaven Lake’. During his trip, he visits two temples where notice stark differences between them. One temple was a pilgrimage for Hindus, the Pashupatinath temple.

After that, there was the Baudhnath temple which is for the Buddhists. He notices that they restricted the entry at the Pashupatinath temple to only Hindus. Thus, there was quite a chaos amongst the tourists, priests and the pilgrims. To top it all, people were polluting the River Bagmati by washing clothes in it, bathing in it and throwing away dry flowers in it.

After that, he went to Baudhnath temple. He saw that the scenario here was completely different from what he saw at the Pashupatinath temple. This Buddhist temple had a huge dome which is white in colour. The place was very calm and serene. Outside the temple, there was a Tibetan market and people were selling bags, clothes, ornaments and more.

He notices the numerous things Kathmandu offers from religious places to many tourist destinations. Moreover, it also has various shops of antiques, cameras, cosmetics, chocolates and more. Nonetheless, it is also a very noisy city from the car horns to the music and vendors. He enjoyed having a marzipan bar, corn, coca-cola in the city. After that, he also read love stories, comics and Reader’s Digest books.

On returning to Delhi, he thought of taking an adventurous route which comprises of a bus or train journey and then a boat ride, but he dropped the idea for that would have been too tiring. Thus, he booked a flight back. He saw an interesting flute seller outside his hotel. He had a pole with a lot of flutes on it and seemed like a porcupine body.

The flute seller kept playing his flutes and also did so in different tunes. But, what set him apart from the other flute sellers was that he played the flute thoughtfully. He did not scream to attract customers, he played it. This attracted the author and he wondered that flute is so common all over. Then, he compares it to the human voice and says how he is noticing even the little things now.

Question and Answers:

Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases.

1. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.

A. The author visited the pashupatinath and the Baudhnath temples in Kathmandu.

2. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to?

A. ‘All this’ refers to all the food items – the marzipan bar and the corn on the cob that the author ate.

3. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?

A. Vikram Seth compares the flutes protruding out of the flute-seller’s pole to the quills of a porcupine.

4. Name five kinds of flutes.

A. Five kinds of flutes are the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music and the clear or breathy flutes of South America.

Answer each question in a short paragraph.

1. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?

A. The author noticed that the flute seller was calm and quiet. He did not scream to sell his wares like other hawkers did.

2. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?

A. The belief at the Pashupatinath temple about the end of Kaliyug is that when the small shrine will protrude completely, then the goddess will emerge out of it. The goddess will bring an end to the evil period of Kaliyug.

3. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of

(i) the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example: some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)

(ii) the things he sees

(iii) the sounds he hears

A. (i) the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example: some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)

a) There are so many worshippers that some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others

b) By the main gate, a party of saffron-clad Westerners struggle for permission to enter.

c) A fight breaks out between two monkeys.

(ii) the things he sees

a) fruit sellers

b) flute sellers

c) hawkers of postcards

(iii) the sounds he hears

a) Film songs blare out from the radios

b) car horns sound

c) vendors shout out their wares.

 

3. “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this?

A. The author says this because the sound produced by the flute is the closest to human voice. It is an extension of human voice as it is produced by exhaling into it.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

 Literary Devices in the poem

 1. Rhyme Scheme: abab

 2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound in two or more closely placed words.  

  a.‘hive’, ‘honey bee’ – ‘h’ sound is repeated;

  b.‘lake’, ‘lapping’, ‘low’ – ‘l’ sound is repeated

  3. Repetition: ‘I will arise and go now’ is repeated in stanzas 1 and 3

  4. Personification: morning is personified

  5. Metaphor: clouds are compared to veils

 

 Summary

 

The poet remembers his past, his boyhood when he visited the peaceful Lake Isle of Innisfree. He wants to go there and says he will live there alone. He wants to build a small cabin with clay and wattles. He would grow beans and set up a honeybee hive.

 

The poet describes the peaceful natural surroundings of the lake. He tells us that the scene of the cloudy mornings, the shining stars, the glowing Sun, and birds flying in the sky give him peace. He feels relaxed to hear the pleasant sound of the cricket’s song.

 

The poet feels the urgency to go to the lake Isle of Innisfree. Deep in his heart, he can hear the sound of the lake waters hitting the shore. It is as if the lake is calling him. He hears the sound everywhere; either on the busy roads or the grey-colored pavements of the city where he lives. This indicates that he wants to escape from the artificial life of the city into the peaceful surroundings of nature.

 

 Answers to the Textual Questions

1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:

 

(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);

 

Ans:

 

(i) The three things that the poet wants to do when he goes to Innisfree are as follows –

 

a) he wants to build a small cabin with clay and wattles.

 

b) he wants to plant nine rows of beans.

 

c) he wants to keep a honeybee hive.

 

(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);

 

Ans:

(ii) The poet sees the cloudy morning which looks like the sky is wearing a veil. He hears the song of the cricket. He sees the linnet bird flying in the evening sky. The glimmering stars in the night sky and the purplish glow of the afternoon Sun. All these give him a feeling of being at peace.

  (iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza III).

 Ans:

 (iii) Even when the poet is far away from Innisfree, he hears the sound of the lake water hitting the shore in the depth of his heart.

 

2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III.)

 A. The poet describes lake Innisfree as a place full of the bounties of nature. He sees the cloudy sky, the glowing stars in the night sky, the purple glow of the afternoon Sun, and the linnet bird flying in the evening sky. The sound of the cricket’s song is also pleasing to him. On the other hand, the place where he stands now is an urban place that is devoid of all these beauties of nature. He says that there are roadways and grey-colored pavements around him.

 

3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

 A. Innisfree is a place that the poet used to visit in his boyhood. As he lives in the city now, he expresses a desire to go to Innisfree which had peaceful surroundings. This shows his state of mind.

 Yes, he misses lake Innisfree when he says that the sound of the lake water hitting the shore echoes in the core of his heart.

 

 II. 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree

 (i) bee-loud glade

 (ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings

 (iii) lake water lapping with low sounds

 What pictures do these words create in your mind?

 Ans:

 (i) bee-loud glade

 We can imagine bees buzzing around.

 (ii) evenings full of the linnet’s wings

The image of linnets flying across the evening sky appears in the reader’s mind.

 (iii) lake water lapping with low sounds

 These words draw an image and also, create the sound of the lake water striking against the shore of the lake.

 

2. Look at these words;

 … peace comes dropping slow

 Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings

 What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

 Ans: These lines indicate that the feeling of being ‘at peace’ seeps in slowly and gradually. As one sees the cloudy morning which is followed by the pleasant song of the cricket, the poet gains peace of mind. These vibrant sounds and scenes of nature bring a feeling of peacefulness experienced by the poet.

A House is Not a Home

 Summary

The story is about a boy named Zan. He was sad as he had to go to a new high school. He missed his old friends. He was a new junior in his new school. His house caught fire. Other than a few papers and photos of his father they lost everything. His pet cat was also missing. They did not have any cash, credit cards, or identity proofs and had to borrow money from his grandparents.

Zan got depressed and did not want to attend school. One day at school, he was astonished to see a table full of things - books, stationery items, clothes, and so on. They were collected by his classmates to help him. He came out of the depression and realized that life was beautiful. Zan saw his house being rebuilt and felt that same was happening with his life too.

A kind woman returned his cat which had run away on being scared of the fire. Zan bounced back to life. He realized that life was not about material possessions but about love, affection, and being with one’s loved ones. This is what is meant by the title, ‘A house is not a home’.

Think about it (Answers to the questions given on Pages 54 & 55)

1. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does she do?

The author was doing his homework. He noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the ceiling. Soon the room was filled with the smoke. The author and his mother ran outside to save their life. His mother ran out of the house with a small metal box full of important documents. She became so crazy that she rushed back to the house again.

2. Why does he break down in tears after the fire?

The author’s house was completely burned down. Five hours later when the fire was finally put out, he realised he lost everything and his cat was also missing. He felt helpless as he had to go to the new school. So, cried and broke down in tears.

3. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear and insecurity?

The author was full of sorrow as he lost everything. He didn’t have proper dress or study material. He had no backpack. He was feeling insecure. He was shocked deeply and seemed frustrated. The words uttered by him “Was I destined to be an outcast and a geek all my life? I didn’t want to grow up, change or have to handle life, if it was to going to be this way. I just wanted to curl up and die” reveal his fear and insecurity.

4. The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story? Where was the cat after the fire? Who brings it back and how?

The author loved his cat very much. She used to sit with him when he did his homework and other household work. When the author found his cat back, he was overwhelmed. He grabbed her quickly and felt relieved. This proved that they were very fond of each other.

The cat ran over a mile away when the house was on fire. A lady brought it back.

5. What actions of the schoolmates change the author’s understanding of life and people, and comfort him emotionally? How does his loneliness vanish and how does he start participating in life?

His schoolmates bought him necessary materials like school supplies, notebooks, all kinds of different clothes. It was a matter of surprise for him and he could not believe it. People who were new now became his friends. He got all the things he needed. He started enjoying his life as usual.

6. What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back?

Here the author wants to point out that life without love and affection is useless. He was depressed after a great loss in the fire. He was depressed and he had no interest in life. In the end, he received everything he lost with the help of his newfound friends. An unknown woman gave his cat back. He recovered from this gloomy state and bounced back to life. So he said, “My cat was back and so was I”.

The Beggar

Summary

Lushkoff was a beggar. While begging he met an advocate Sergei. Sergei found out that he was telling lies to people in order to win their sympathy. He wanted to change the beggar and gave him work. Sergei asked the beggar to cut wood and directed the cook Olga to show him the shed where wood was kept. The beggar was too weak and was under the influence of alcohol. Olga scolded him and reported that the work was finished. Every month the beggar used to come to Sergei’s house and earn some money doing odd jobs.

When Sergei shifted his house, he employed the beggar to transport household articles.  Sergei noticed that the beggar had changed as he was sober that day. Satisfied that his efforts had paid in reforming a drunkard, Sergei recommended the beggar to a better job.

After two years, Sergei chanced to see Lushkoff at a theatre. Sergei came to know that Lushkoff was now working as a notary and earned 35 Roubles a month. Lushkoff revealed that it was not for Sergei but for his cook, Olga that he was a changed man. She would scold him, cry for him, and chopped the wood for him. Her behaviour transformed Lushkoff.

Think about it (Answers to the questions on Page 67)

1. Has Lushkoff become a beggar by circumstance or by choice?

Lushkoff was a middle-aged man and belonged to a choir group. He was sent out of the choir because of his drinking habits. He became a beggar by choice as he did not like to work hard.

2. What reasons does he give to Sergei for his telling lies?

Lushkoff told Sergei the truth and accepted that he was a liar. He said that he told lies to gain sympathy from others. He reasoned that if he had spoken the truth he wouldn’t be helped by anyone.

3. Is Lushkoff a willing worker? Why, then, does he agree to chop wood for Sergei?

No, Lushkoff was not a willing worker. He was too weak to work. He agreed to chop wood because of pride and shame and he had been trapped by his own words. So he had no other way but to accept Sergei’s offer.

4.Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so? Is he right in saying so?

Sergei looked satisfied with the transformation of the beggar and felt happy. But he was not right in saying so because Lushkoff had not developed the habit of working hard. He was still a lazy fellow.

5. Lushkoff is earning thirty five roubles a month. How is he obliged to Sergei for this?

Sergei played an important role in improving the condition of the beggar. It was because of Sergei that Lushkoff could earn thirty five roubles a month. He believed that the beggar was a changed man and sent him to one of his friends to do the job of copying. Later he became a notary.

6. During their conversation Lushkoff reveals that Sergei’s cook, Olga, is responsible for the positive change in him. How has Olga saved Lushkoff?

Olga realised the condition of Lushkoff and took pity on him. She tried her best to improve the same. She did the work of his part as she wanted to change him. She kept criticizing him in order to improve him. He understood her feelings towards him and a change took place in his heart. So, Olga was responsible for the positive change in him.

If I Were You

Summary

Gerrard was a playwright. He was ready to go out of his house to deliver props for a rehearsal. Just as was leaving, an intruder entered his home. He was carrying a gun. He wanted to kill Gerrard and steal his identity. He wanted live on Gerard’s identity. The intruder had committed a murder and was wanted by the police. He wanted to know details about Gerrard before killing him so that he could imitate him well.

Gerrard said that he was a crook too. He warned the intruder the police would be chasing him even after stealing the identity. Gerrard told the intruder that he had killed someone and the police had evidence against him. Gerrard was successful in fooling the intruder to believe him. Gerrard managed to push the intruder inside a cupboard and locked it.

Question and Answers

1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does he say it?

(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?

Answer:

i) Gerrard

ii) Gerrard says this because he is glad that finally, someone has asked him to speak about himself.

iii) he is sarcastic

2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?

Answer: The intruder chooses Gerrard because he feels that they are similar to each other. As he has committed a murder, he plans to steal Gerrard’s identity and live peacefully.

3. “I said it with bullets.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) What does it mean?

(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?

Answer:

i) Gerrard

ii) It means that when things went wrong, Gerrard had to kill a person.

iii) No, it is not the truth. Gerrard said this in order to escape being killed by the intruder.

4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer.

Answer: Gerrard is a playwright. This is indicated from the following -

i) This is all very melodramatic, not very original

ii) At last a sympathetic audience

iii) In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated. You are much luckier.

iv) I said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains.

v) That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not.

vi) Sorry I can’t let you have the props in time for rehearsal, I’ve had a spot of bother — quite amusing. I think I’ll put it in my next play.

5. “You’ll soon stop being smart.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

(iii) What according to the speaker will stop Gerrard from being smart?

Answer:

i) the intruder

ii) The intruder says this to scare Gerrard

iii) According to the intruder when Gerrard would come to know that his aim was to kill him, he would get scared and stop being smart.

6. “They can’t hang me twice.”

(i) Who says this?

(ii) Why does the speaker say it?

Answer:

i) the intruder

ii) The intruder says that he has committed a murder and Gerrard’s murder would be his second murder. He was not scared of being punished as already, he was to be hanged for the first murder and if he did one more, they would not hang him twice for committing two murders.

7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?

Answer: Gerrard proposes that his lifestyle was mysterious as he did not meet many people and did not have any visitors. He proposed to explain the reason for his mysteriousness.

8. “This is your big surprise.”

(i) Where has this been said in the play?

(ii) What is the surprise?

Answer:

i) This has been said twice in the play. Firstly, when the intruder reveals his plan to kill Gerrard. Secondly, by Gerrard when he reveals his false identity to the intruder.

ii) The intruder’s surprise is his intention of killing Gerrard. Gerrard’s surprise is his false identity.

Consult your dictionary and choose the correct word from the pairs given in brackets.

1. The (site, cite) of the accident was (ghastly/ghostly).

2. Our college (principle/principal) is very strict.

3. I studied (continuously/continually) for eight hours.

4. The fog had an adverse (affect/effect) on the traffic.

5. Cezanne, the famous French painter, was a brilliant (artist/artiste).

6. The book that you gave me yesterday is an extraordinary (collage/college) of science fiction and mystery.

7. Our school will (host/hoist) an exhibition on cruelty to animals and wildlife conservation.

8. Screw the lid tightly onto the top of the bottle and (shake/shape) well before using the contents.

Answers:

1. Site, ghastly

2. Principal

3. Continuously

4. Effect

5. Artist

6. Collage

7. Host

8. shake

Bond of Love

Summary:

In the story, the narrator tells about the emotional bond shared by his wife and their pet bear Bruno. He got the baby bear in an accident and presented it to his wife. She named the bear ‘Bruno’ and treated it like a baby. Bruno is a fun-loving, affectionate bear.

One day, accidentally, Bruno eats Barium Carbonate poison. The poison is kept in the library to kill mice and rats. Bruno suffers a stroke of paralysis and recovers with the help of a veterinary doctor. In another incident, he drinks a gallon of old engine oil which the narrator has kept to fight a termite attack. The oil could not affect Bruno in any way.

As days pass, Bruno grows bigger. Now his name is changed as ‘Baba’.  Baba has learned a few tricks. He wrestles with people, holds a stick as a gun, and cradles a wooden block as a baby As he is big now, he has to be chained because he could harm the tenant’s children.

Keeping the safety of children in view, they send Baba to the zoo at Mysore. The narrator’s wife misses Baba immensely. Baba also misses her. After three months, they visit Baba at the zoo. Baba recognizes her at once. The narrator wife cannot leave Baba in the zoo. So, she takes permission from the authorities and brings Baba back home.

They make a special island made for Baba to live on. It is surrounded by a deep dry pit. Baba has a box to sleep in, straw to keep him warm, his stick, and a piece of wood to play with.

The narrator’s wife visits Baba on the island by swinging on a rope tied to a mango tree. She lets the big bear sit in her lap for hours and pats him affectionately.

(Answers to the questions given on page no:119)

II. Answer the following questions.

Q1. “I got him for her by accident.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Who do ‘him’ and ‘her’ refer to?
(iii) What is the incident referred to here?

A.
(i) The narrator says this.
(ii) ‘him’ refers to the bear and ‘her’ refers to the narrator’s wife.
(iii) The incident referred to here is when the narrator’s companion shot a bear dead and they found that the baby bear was alive. They caught the baby bear and took it along with them.

Q2. “He stood on his head in delight.”
(i) Who does ‘he’ refer to?
(ii) Why was he delighted?

A.
(i) ‘he’ refers to Baba.
(ii) Baba was delighted to see the narrator’s wife.


Q3. “We all missed him greatly: but in a sense we were relieved.”
(i) Who does ‘we all’ stand for?
(ii) Who did they miss?
(iii) Why did they nevertheless feel relieved?

A.
(i) ‘we all’ stands for the narrator, his wife, his son, the Alsatian dogs and the tenant’s children.
(ii) They missed Baba.
(iii) They nevertheless felt relieved because Baba was a big bear now and keeping him at home was inconvenient for them.

III. Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.

Q1. On two occasions Bruno ate/drank something that should not be eaten/ drunk. What happened to him on these occasions?

A. In the first incident, Bruno ate the poison Barium carbonate. The narrator kept the poison to kill rats. Bruno was struck by an attack of paralysis. The narrator took him to a veterinary doctor who injected medicines twice to revive Bruno.
In the second incident, Bruno drank the old engine oil. It was drained out of the sump of the narrator’s old car. He kept it to fight a termite attack. The oil had no effect on Bruno at all.

Q2. Was Bruno a loving and playful pet? Why, then, did he have to be sent away?

A. Yes, Bruno was a loving and playful pet. He was sent away because as he had grown into a big bear. It was not safe to keep him in a household where there are children. Bruno could harm people. The narrator, his son, and their friends convinced his wife who was particularly attached to Bruno and finally, it was sent to the zoo at Mysore.

Q3. How was the problem of what to do with Bruno finally solved?
A. The problem of what to do with Bruno was finally solved by sending him off to the zoo at Mysore. They wrote a letter to the zoo in charge at the zoo at Mysore. Upon his consent, Baba was packed in a cage and was sent away.

In the Kingdom of Fools

 Think about it (Answers to the questions given on Page 27)

1. What are the two strange things the guru and his disciple find in the Kingdom of Fools?

The Guru and the disciple found that in the Kingdom of Fools people used to work during nights and sleep during days. Everything was cheap and cost the same.

2. Why does the disciple decide to stay in the Kingdom of Fools? Is it a good idea?

Everything was cheap in the Kingdom of Fools. The disciple liked to eat. He was tempted by the cheap food. So, he decided to stay in that kingdom. It was not a good idea to stay there for a long time as one could be in danger any time because of the unpredictable behaviour of fools who are ruling the kingdom.

3. Name all the people who are tried in the king’s court, and give the reasons for their trial.

The owner of the house i.e. the merchant, the bricklayer, the dancing girl, and the goldsmith were tried in the king’s court. They all were tried because the thief died when the wall of the merchant’s house had collapsed. The merchant was tried for building a weak wall. The bricklayer was tried for doing his work carelessly. The dancing girl was tried for disturbing the concentration of the bricklayer. The goldsmith was blamed for making the dancing girl walk up and down to his house a dozen times.

4. Who is the real culprit according to the king? Why does he escape punishment?

The merchant’s dead father was held responsible for making the wall weak. But according to the king the rich merchant was the real culprit because he had inherited both sins and riches of his father. He escaped the punishment because he was too thin to fit the stake.

5. What are the Guru’s words of wisdom? When does the disciple remember them?

The Guru was full of wisdom and knew well that the unpredictable behaviour of the fools could create danger anytime. The Guru’s words were, “They are all fools. This won’t last very long, and you can’t tell what they’ll do to you next”. The disciple remembered them when he was arrested by the men of the king to execute merely because he fitted the stake.

6. How does the Guru manage to save his disciple’s life?

The Guru arrived on time to save his disciple and created a drama. He told the king that it was not an ordinary stake and whoever went to the stake first would become the king in the next life. The second to die would become his minister. The foolish king wanted to be a king in his next life too. So, he grabbed the opportunity.  The Guru and his disciple were released. Thus the Guru managed to save his disciple’s life.

The Adventures of Toto

 Think about it (Answers to the questions given on Page 11)

1. How does Toto come to grandfather's private zoo?

Grandfather loved animals. One day he saw this attractive monkey with a tonga driver. The monkey was tied to a feeding trough and seemed out of place there. So he decided to buy Toto from the tonga driver and bought it for five rupees.

2. “Toto was a pretty monkey.” In what sense is Toto pretty?

Toto had bright eyes sparkling with mischief, pearly white teeth, quick and wicked fingers and a gracious tail which served as a third hand. His hands were dried up but his fingers were quick. Altogether all these qualities made him pretty.

3. Why does grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur and how? Why does the ticket collector insist on calling Toto a dog?

Toto was a mischievous monkey. He kept disturbing all other animals in grandfather’s private zoo. It seemed that only grandfather could manage him properly. So, he took Toto to Saharanpur in a bag. The ticket collector called it a dog and charged a ticket fee for it because only dogs were allowed to travel on trains. If Toto had to travel by train, then, he would have to be termed a dog.

4. How does Toto take a bath? Where has he learnt to do this? How does Toto almost boil himself alive?

Toto cunningly tested the temperature with his hand then gradually stepped into the bath. He stepped first one foot, then the other, until he was into the water up to his neck. He rubbed himself all over with the soap. He learned it all from the author. One day Toto got in a large kitchen kettle which was on fire to boil. He enjoyed the warm water but when the water turned out to be hot he jumped up and down. Suddenly the grandmother arrived at and pulled him out in half-boiled condition.

5. Why does the author say, “Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long”?

Author’s statement about Toto proves itself if we take Toto’s misdeeds into consideration. Nobody could afford the frequent losses. He disturbed all other animals too. Obviously Toto was not the sort of pet we could keep for long.