The Snake and the Mirror

 Thinking about the Text

(Page 60)

 

1. “ The sound was a familiar one.” What sound did the doctor hear? What did he think it was? How many times did he hear it? (Find the places in the text.) When and why did the sounds stop?

Ans. The doctor heard the sound of rats. The sound was a familiar one. He heard this sound four times. The phrases are ‘Again I heard that sound from above’, ‘Again came that noise from above, and ‘Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube has fallen’. The sounds stopped after the appearance of the snake.

 

2. What two “important” and “earth¬shaking” decisions did the doctor take while he was looking into the mirror?

Ans: The doctor took the following two ‘important’ and ‘earth shaking’ decisions. They are:

(a) He would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome.

(b) He would always keep that attractive smile on his face.

 

3. I looked into the mirror and smiled,” says the doctor. A little later he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.” What is the doctor’s opinion about himself when

(i) he first smiles, and

(ii) he smiles again? In what way do his thoughts change in between, and why?

Ans: The doctor thought that he had a good smile when he first smiled. But when he smiled a little later, he laughed at his destiny. His life was in danger. His thoughts got changed because of the snake. He was quite near to death.

 

II. This story about a frightening incident is narrated in a humorous way. What makes it humorous?

(Think of the contrasts it presents between dreams and reality. Some of them are listed below).

 

Write short paragraphs on each of these to get your answer.

 

1. The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)

2. The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)

Ans: The doctor is a poor man. He does not have much money. His house has no electricity. It is a small rented room which has many rats. He has about sixty rupees in his suitcase. Along with some shirts and dhotis, he also possesses a single black coat.

He wants to be a handsome person. So he decides to shave daily and grow a thin moustache. He also wishes to accumulate wealth.

 

3. The person he wants to marry

The person he actually marries

Ans: He intends to marry a woman doctor who has plenty of money and good medical practice. He wishes to have a fat wife so that she cannot run after him and catch him when he would make a mistake.

The person he actually marries is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.

 

4. His thoughts when he looks into the mirror

His thoughts when the snake is coiled around his arm

Ans: He thinks that he should look smart. So he decides to shave daily and maintain a mustache. He also wants to keep up his smile. He is happy and content when he looks into the mirror.

When the snake coiled around his left arm above the elbow, he kept sitting there holding his breath. He became motionless. He was afraid of the snake.

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.

The Trees

Summary

The Tree is a short symbolic poem and it focuses on the movement of trees that are initially indoors but seeking to escape to freedom in the forest. The trees represent the nature and womanhood in particular. It is written by Adrienne Rich. Adrienne Rich was born in Baltimore USA. She was a famous poet, essayist, and feminist.

This poem presents a conflict between men and nature. The poetess suggests here that the trees and plants used in the interior decoration in cities are as imprisoned. They need freedom. These trees want to move out to the forest where trees decreasing day by day due to cutting. The poetess says that everything has a deep desire for freedom. It is necessary for growth and wellbeing. We must follow the nature of laws.

This poem is a voice with a body engaged in the activities and sensing intrusion which are not organic to the conventions of a native poem. This poem is demonstrating the unsuitability of language itself as a greenhouse or container of nature. She knows that once the trees move to the forest area, the house will have complete silence.

In this poem, “I” is the voice of the speaker of the poem Adrienne Rich.  Poem The Trees is the voice with a body engaged in the activities and sensing intrusions that are not organic to the conventions of a nature poem.  This is actually an unnatural poem that narrates the struggle of a population of trees to escape the confined surrounding of a greenhouse.  Through the trees, this poem demonstrates the unsuitability of the language itself as a greenhouse. The poetess is the witness for the trees exodus but making distances herself from participating in the making of something out of the spectacle. She can sit and write too.

Even though the speaker addresses the audience, her own head is full of whispers and she is an audience as well.  We, however, the audience to the poem, are compelled with the command. The speaker reaches across the barrier between the poem and the audience. A transaction that occurs on the page, and says for listening.

Poetess articulates her consciousness of the many levels of inner and outer and the blurring of the boundaries between them.  In the poem, the trees are in the house of the poet. Their roots work all night to disengage themselves from the cracks of the floor in the veranda. The leaves are making efforts to move towards the glass.  An open door is for the night and the whole moon and the sky is available to the speaker. This tree is at the same time, through this door the smell of leaves still reaches back in.  The speaker’s head is another interior and implicitly entered by the whispers.

The poetess is especially intrigued by the image of the trees similar to newly discharged patients. The poet is making a comparison to the long-cramped branches which are shuffling under the roof with the newly discharged patients from the hospital. As they are moving towards the hospital doors after their long illnesses. The branches have cramped under the gaps with the roof. Therefore they want to get out into the open to spread themselves in the fresh air.

Answers to textual questions:

1. (i) Find, in the first stanza, three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest.

Ans: The three things that cannot happen in a treeless forest according to Adrienne Rich are – the sitting of a bird on trees, the hiding of insects, and the sun burying its feet in the shadow of the forest.

 (ii) What picture do these words create in your mind: “….. sun bury its feet in shadow…..1′? What could the poet mean by the sun’s ‘feet’?

Ans: The sun’s ‘feet’ refers to the rays of the sun that fall on the earth. When there is no shadow on the ground, because there are no trees, the rays fall directly on the ground. In a forest with trees, the shadow hides the sun's rays as if the sun is burying its feet in the shadow that falls from the trees.

 2. (i) Where are the trees in the poem? What do their roots, their leaves, and their twigs do?

Ans. In the poem, the trees are trapped in the poet’s house. Their roots work all night to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. The leaves try very hard to move towards the glass and put a lot of pressure on it so that it breaks, while the small twigs get stiff with strain.

(ii) What does the poet compare their branches to?

Ans. The poet compares the branches to newly discharged patients of a hospital. The large branches of the trees become cramped due to the roof above them, and when they get free they rush stumbling to the outside world. While doing so, they look half-shocked like the patients, who wait for a long time to get out of the hospital.

 3. (i) How does the poet describe the moon:

(a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and

(b) at its end? What causes this change?

Ans. (a) At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that the full moon is shining in the open sky in the fresh night.

(b)At the end of the stanza, she describes that the moon breaks into pieces like a broken mirror and shines on the heads of the tallest oak trees. As the trees move outside, they cover some of the shine of the moon and it can be seen only in parts. So it seems that the moon has broken into pieces.

 2. What happens to the house when the trees move out of it?

Ans. When the trees move out of the house, the glasses break and the whispers of the trees vanish, leaving the house silent.

 3. Why do you think the poet does not mention “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings that are so unexpected that they embarrass us? Think about this again when you answer the next set of questions.)

Ans: The poet hardly mentions about “the departure of the forest from the house” in her letters because it is humans, who did not care for nature in the first place. So, maybe, the poet now thinks that nobody would be interested in knowing about the efforts that the trees are making in order to set themselves free. If other men cared about the trees, they would not have destroyed them. It seems that this whole beauty of trees moving back to forests can be seen and felt only by the poet.

 4. Now that you have read the poem in detail, we can begin to ask what the poem might mean. Here are two suggestions. Can you think of others?

 1. Does the poem present a conflict between man and nature? Compare it with A Tiger in the Zoo. Is the poet suggesting that plants and trees, used for ‘interior decoration’ in cities while forests are cut down, are ‘imprisoned1, and need to ‘break out’?

2. On the other hand, Adrienne Rich has been known to use trees as a metaphor for human beings: this is a recurrent image in her poetry. What new meanings emerge from the poem if you take its trees to be symbolic of this particular meaning?

  Ans: Since a poem can have different meanings for different readers and the poet can mean two different things using the same imagery, both these meanings can be justified in the context of the poem:

 1. Yes, the poem presents a conflict between man and nature. Man has always caused much harm to nature, without realizing that it actually is harm to the human race. Humans cut down forests for forest goods, which has destroyed a lot of natural beauty. By keeping trees inside walls and denying them their natural home, they are denying them their freedom. So, the trees want to move out. Similarly, in the poem A Tiger in the Zoo, the poet shows that animals feel bound by cages and they want to get free and run wild in the open.

 2. If trees have been used as a metaphor for human beings, then the poem would mean that like the trees, humans too want to break free of the boundaries that life puts on them. Modern life with all kinds of physical comfort has also brought a lot of moral downfalls. Our lives have become busy and we have become selfish and greedy. Man would also want to enjoy the beauty of nature and go out in the open and be free, just like trees.

A Question of Trust

 (Page 20)

1. What does Horace Danby like to collect?

Horace Danby likes to collect rare and expensive books.

 

2. Why does he steal every year?

He stole every year so that he could buy the rare and expensive books that he loved to collect. Each year he planned carefully so as to steal enough to last twelve months.

 

(Page 22)

3. Who is speaking to Horace Danby?

A lady standing in the doorway is speaking to Horace Danby. She is  young and pretty and is dressed in red. She says that she has come just in time, or else her family would have been robbed by Horace. Thus she pretends to be one of the members of the family living at Shotover Grange.

 

4. Who is the real culprit in the story?

The real culprit in the story is the woman who pretended to be a member of the family living at Shotover Grange. She tricks Horace Danby into believing her, and cleverly takes away all the jewels that are kept in the safe.

 

Think About It

(Page 25)   

 

Did you begin to suspect, before the end of the story, that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be? If so, at what point did you realise this, and how?

Yes, I begin to suspect before the end of the story that the lady was not the person Horace Danby took her to be. She was unusually calm on seeing Horace. This seemed strange. When she did not call the police, and instead asked Horace to take out all the jewels from the safe, even if it meant breaking it open, it seems suspicious. Moreover, it seemed highly unlikely that she would forget the number combination to open the safe. Therefore it was evident, before the story ended, that the lady was not the person Horace had taken her to be.

 

2. What are the subtle ways in which the lady manages to deceive Horace Danby into thinking she is the lady of the house? Why doesn’t Horace suspect that something is wrong?

Her confident walk, her familiarity with the dog Sherry, her act of touching up her make-up, and the ease with which she picks a cigarette from the right place are the subtle ways in which the lady deceives Horace. They are enough to deceive anybody. Horace is very frightened and cannot think properly, so he doesn’t suspect anything.

 

 

3. Horace Danby was good and respectable – but not completely honest”. Why do you think this description is apt for Horace? Why can’t he be categorised as a typical thief?

Horace is not an ordinary thief. His habits are not usual for a thief. He is fond of books. He seals only once in a year and that too only as per his needs. He is a successful locksmith. He only robs the rich. However, an act of theft is still a crime, no matter how well a thief behaves, so this description is apt for Horace. He can’t be categorised as a typical thief because he is not a regular offender like other thieves.

 

 

4. Horace Danby was a meticulous planner but still he faltered. Where did he go wrong and why?

Horace Danby failed to get enough information about the real occupants of the house. He seems to be too occupied with collecting information about the house map, wiring, and location of valuable items. Although he was smart enough to know the dog’s actual name, he overlooked getting information about the occupants of the house. When he landed in trouble with the appearance of the young lady, his clever mind gave way to carelessness, leading him to open the safe without wearing gloves.

 

Talk About It

 

Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished, or that he deserved what he got?

(or)

Do you think Horace Danby was unfairly punished? (CBSE 2013)

Horace Danby deserved what he got. A crime is a crime, no matter if it is committed for the criminal’s own benefit or for somebody else.

 

2. Do intentions justify actions? Would you, like Horace Danby, do something wrong if you thought your ends justified the means? Do you think that there are situations in which it is excusable to act less than honestly?

We cannot go on a wrong way to do a good thing. For their own benefit, we should not harm or cheat others. But the real world is different. We know of many examples of people tricking people for quick gains. These acts should be discouraged and punished.

The Thief's Story

Vocabulary: 

approach [verb] come near or nearer to (someone or something) in distance or time.

Usage: The train approached Palakollu railway station with a thundering noise.

flattery [noun] excessive and insincere praise, given especially to further one's own interests

Usage: Some people use flattery to get things done.

modestly [adverb] n an unassuming manner; without vanity or arrogance;.in a humble way:

appealing [adjective] attractive or interesting.

Usage: His appealing manners impressed the principal.

cheating [gerund or present participle] [verb – to cheat] act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage. -taking away dishonestly,

Usage: I don’t like cheating anyone for my gains.

opportunity [noun] a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something; chance

Usage: The government’s new policy has increased opportunities for export.

crawled [verb] [past tense of crawl] move forward on the hands and knees or by dragging the body close to the ground

Usage: The thief crawled towards the iron safe like a cat.

hesitated [verb] [past tense of hesitate] pause in indecision before saying or doing something

Usage: Once you have made a decision you should not hesitate.

deserted [adjective] (of a place) empty of people

Usage: All the streets were deserted during the Covid – 19 pandemic.

Summary:

 

The story emphasizes basic human values and relationships. It is easier for a thief to burgle a greedy man. It is difficult even for a thief to burgle a careless and honest person.

 A young boy, a fifteen year old thief, becomes friends with Anil. He finds Anil gullible.  He wants to steal from him. Anil is a freelance writer, who earns off and on. Anil trusts him totally and employs him as a cook though he doesn’t know how to cook.

 The young thief calls himself Hari. He changes his name frequently to stay ahead of the police and old employers.Anil trusts Hari completely and wants to teach him how to read and write. Anil never minds Hari pocketing some money given to buy groceries and vegetables.

 One day, Anil gets a lump sum amount of Rs.600. Hari steals the money and tries to go away on a train. Before hopping into the moving train, he hesitates and changes his mind. He goes back to Anil’s room and keeps the money under the pillow from where he has taken it. He wants to learn how to read and write. He wants to become a respectable person.

Character Sketch:

Hari Singh Or The Thief

Hari Singh was a fifteen-year-old boy, who is an experienced and successful thief. He was clever and intelligent. So he was never caught. He used to change his name as and when he committed a theft. He was a careful planner. He trapped his victims with his appealing manners. He would then ask for some work. Once employed, he used to run away after stealing money or valuables. He got a job as a cook though he could not cook well. He was a greedy boy. He was prepared to rob a simple and trusting man like Anil. He was able to steal six hundred rupees from his house. However, he decided to return to Anil to have a dignified life and receive an education from Anil. 

Anil

Anil was an epitome of goodness in a human being. He was generous and friendly. He could not afford a servant, but he employed Hari Singh as a cook out of compassion. Hari did not know how to cook but Anil did not let him feel dejected. He also taught Hari how to read and write. He never minded Hari’s pocketing a rupee or two when he went out to buy supplies. He trusted Hari and did not hide the money. He evolved goodness in Hari. Hari stole the money but felt guilty. He could have boarded a train but did not. He decided to be with Anil and become an educated and respected man.

The Feathered Friend

 Reading :1

3. Why did Sven keep the bird a secret from his colleagues?

Sven kept the bird a secret as it is not usual to have a bird in a space station. However, there is no regulation against it.

4. How was the presence of the bird discovered?

The presence of the bird was discovered by the narrator. He heard her musical whistle beside his ear. He thought that the sound was from the intercom. Later he realized that it was from the bird. 

5. Why did the crew want to hide the bird from the VIPs from the Earth? How did they deal with the issue?

The crew wanted to hide the bird from the VIPs from the Earth as the bird had become a general pet to them. They didn’t want to risk the discovery of the bird as it might be taken away from them.

They dealt with the issue by keeping it in various hiding places of the space station. They had to explain the curious peeps and whistles of the bird as she got noisy when upset.

6. What was the alarm meant for? What had caused its failure?

The alarm was meant to warn the crew of the space station when the air quality becomes poor. A rare eclipse by the earth’s shadow made the equipment freeze and it caused the failure of the alarm.

7. How is life in space different from life on Earth?

There is no gravity or air in space. The environment is controlled. We need to acquire the skill of working under these conditions. The available air is limited and it is purified and recycled. 

Reading 2

1. Did Sven do the right thing by getting a bird into the spaceship? Why do you think so?

Yes. I think that Sven did the right thing by getting a bird in the spaceship. I think so because the bird made them realize that there was something wrong with the air in the space station. That knowledge saved all the people there. The bird became a general pet to all and there was no regulation against getting birds into the spaceship.

2. Based on your reading, justify the title of the story?

The title, “The Feathered Friend” is quite appropriate. A canary bird becomes a general pet of a spaceship crew. Canary birds cannot survive in poor-quality air. One day, the bird almost died. She is revived by the crew with help of oxygen. Then the crew found out that the quality of air in the spaceship is poor. Thus, the bird saves the crew and proves that a friend in need is a friend indeed. 

3. What according to you, is a better choice - carrying a canary or an alarm system? Why do you think so?

I think carrying a canary is a better choice. I think so because there is no foolproof alarm system. 

4. Who saved the lives on board: Sven or the Canary? Why do think so?

I think both Sven and the Canary saved the loves on board. Because of Canary’s illness, the crew came to know about the poor quality of the air. It was Sven who found the Canary in a near-death position. So, both saved the lives on board. 

On a Night of Snow

2: Who is the speaker of stanza one? What does the speaker want to convey?

The owner of the cat is the speaker of stanza one. The speaker wants to convince the cat to stay indoors because the weather outside is stormy and cold.

 3: How does the speaker try to coax Cat?

Answer: Mistress tries to coax Cat by making her aware of the stormy weather outside. She describes the chilliness of the night. She tells Cat that the streets are covered with snow that would make his feet cold. She even tries to tempt Cat by offering a warm fireside and a saucer of milk.

 4: Why does Cat want to go out? What does that reflect about Cat?

Cat wants to go outside to enjoy the wild blowing winds. He wants to go out in dark night to hear the strange whisperings in the trees, play in the meadow grasses filled with snow and look for magical omens in the air.

It shows that Cat is adventurous and wants to experience the thrill. He is not afraid of stormy weather and dark night.

 5. The poem has two stanzas with two very different perspectives. Explain the two contrasting points of view presented by Mistress and Cat in this poem. Whose point of view do you agree more with?

The poem has two stanzas. The first one tells us about the perspective of Mistress and the second one tells us about the perspective of Cat.

According to Mistress, Cat should avoid going out in the cold stormy weather. The second stanza gives us an entirely different perspective. Cat wants to go out and experience the thrill. He is not afraid of stormy weather and dark night.

I agree with Cat’s point of view more.

 6. Personification is the attribution of human characteristics to something not human or representation of an abstract quality in human form. Pick this literary device in the poem and explain it.

The poet used the literary device called personification in this poem, ‘On a Night of Snow’. Cat, an animal, is given human qualities in the poem. The poet gives the power of speech and the power of reasoning to Cat. In the first stanza, Cat is addressed as a human. In the second stanza, Cat expresses his point of view.