Neighbours

                                by Tim Wi

The story presents the life in multilingual and multicultural neighborhood. It presents cultural and linguistic barriers cannot stop someone from love and compassion.

The young couple was anxious about the neighborhood when they migrated to new land. They feel like they were temporary dwellers of the place. The place was full of European migrants. Thought their house was small it was spacious enough for them. They planted the tree and kept a sheepdog.

They had lived in the place where they hardly saw good neighbors. The next-door neighbor, Macedonian family used to make unnecessary noise. Later, the couple realized that they were talking with each other.

The polish man used to hammer the nail throughout the day to pull them out again.  He wanted to repair the salvaged lumber. They was not relations to their neighbors. The husbands find their disapproval being stayed at home to write his thesis and the wife going to work. He disliked the neighbors’ boy urinating in the street. The boy was caught spraying the cat and shaved regularly, probably for, getting thick hair grow.  The husband used to be nervous looking the boy’s slivery white eyes.

In autumn, they cleared the yard and planted onion, cabbage. The neighbors came near and advised them about plantation. They even gave the sapling and seeds for plantation. They made a coop for hen. The polish widower mended it as he saw it fall down.

In the winter season, the couple slowly had a cardinal relation with their neighbors. They received many presents. They slowly adjusted in the society. They can walk proudly. They were taught many domestic chores.

The future planning of the family they have not made yet. However, the wife became pregnant and decided to take maternity leave. The couple was and in rest and felt like being disturbed by the sound, the polish widower made. They thought it was deliberately done.  Gradually the neighbors knew the news of pregnancy. They turned with presents. They even helped them to get the name of the baby. One of the neighbors, the Italian woman declared that there would be a boy baby. The young woman became so happy, as she noticed their care and help.  Finally the time of waited arrived, the day of pregnancy. The neighbors were standing at the fence. They were there to express their best wishes.

Analysis of the story:

The plot structure of the story is straight forwards. It presents the transition of individuals in new places and social context. It confronts individual stereotypes through exploring the multicultural context. The characters do not have proper name that presents the the differences in between individuals in cultural differences. It creates the challenges questioning question their individual perspective upon society's moral truths and forces the revaluation of the values of social friendship. It puts the insights to individuals to reconsider their upheld values in the social context in which they are placed.

 

A Day by Emily Dickinson

A Day    

                    by Emily Dickinson

A  Day

By Emily Dickinson

A day presents innocence views of a child. His innocence views on sun rise and sunset.

The surprise of the writer can be seen as the speaker expresses certainty with explanation. The persona might be a small child who can explain about the rising sun. The arrival of rays down to the earth smoothen the steeple of the church like amethyst, a purple precious stone. The newness of the life appears. The bird, bobolink starts chirping.  The animals start their life journey. feels that the object is the sun.

The second part of the poem presents that she is not aware about its set. There is a gradual purple step as there are frequent changes in the shape of the sun. The boys and girls start moving ahead to reach another side. The old teacher enters into the bar and takes the flock away.

The rising sun has been compared with the beginning of the life. The life begins with the riisng sun. life moves ahead with rising sun and fades away with setting sun. The speaker, or poet persona, in Dickinson’s poem is an unnamed child. He/she begins the poem as if responding to a question. The persona is confident and excited talking about sunrise. However, that confidence wanes when the child describes sunset. Regardless, this speaker’s diction and inherent innocence urge readers to appreciate the beauty of nature. 

The poem is full of literary devices. There is the use of symbols, metaphors, simile and personification. The dominant literary device use in the poem is sybolism. The poem symbolizes the transition from life to death. The rising sun symbolizes the life and setting sun symbolizes death. The stanza of the poem infers the human behaviors associated with life and death. The religious perspective that awaits after death. We can also find the use of metaphors in the poem. Ribbons, for rays yellow boys and girls, Dominie in gray, evening bars are strong metaphors.

The speaker takes the reader on a mental journey from the miracle of sunrise to the mystery of sunset. The poem begins with declaration “ I’ll tell you how the sun rose.” The speaker is confident enough to presents the idea of rising sun.

An Astrologer's Day

Class 11 New course

An Astrologer's Day 

by  R. k. Narayan 

An Astrologer’s Day

In an unnamed village, an astrologer laid his tool of trade, requirements for telling fortune of others. He had some cowries; shells obscure charts, a notebook and other such curios. They are the matter of the mysticism. He has painted his forehead with sacred ash (may be abeer) wrapped his head in a turban and seated under a big tree. He has set up himself in very busy market place among people fencing stolen goods, cheap food, and low quality fabric.  He makes his livelihood through making prophecies or selling cosmic insight to gullible villagers though he does not know cosmos or actual spiritual insight.

The astrologer always opened his business at midday. He used to sit under a tree on the Town Hall road. The road was crowded and he could allure his costumer. The groundnut vender also used to sit beside him. The gaslight of vender helped him to run his business in the evening. The astrologer used to analyze human nature and psychology.

He just made guesswork to satisfy his costumers. He left his village, as he did not want to continue the traditional occupation of his ancestor. He had never plan to return his native land.

One day the light of vendor blowout and astrologer started to pack up his stall. Then, he saw a man. The astrologer’s tongue watered, as he could be prospective customer. However, the man challenged his astrology. The man made a bet with him. He provided an anna to the astrologer and asked him to return with interest if he could not satisfy him. The astrologer denied and informed the man that he would take three pies for each question. He demanded five rupees for satisfactory answer. In negotiation, he agreed on eight anna. However, he would ask double if he did not get satisfied with his answer.

The astrologer happened to see the face and he denied the challenge/ and asked the man to let him go. But the man held him tightly. So, the astrologer accepted challenges unwillingly. He started using the same traditional pattern of  narrating astrology. But, the man informed him that he had only one question to be answered. The man asked him whether he would get the things that he was searching for. He promised to give him a rupee if he got satisfied with answer. Astrologer informed the man that he was stabbed and thrown into a well nearby to die.

The man informed him that a passerby saw and rescewed him. The man wanted to know about the culprit.

 

The astrologer informed man that culprit died four month ago in a far town. The man was disappointed hearing this. The astrologer even identified his name and addressed him as Guru Nayak. He also told the man that his house located in north side with two days journey. He warned him not to travel to south. He might get trouble if he stayed there. The man gave him handful coins. The astrologer went home.  The astrologer wife counted the money. She decided to buy jaggery and coconut for the children. However, astrologer looked worried and not happy. He was angry with Guru Nayak, who promised to give him  a rupee but he gave only twelve and half anna. After dinner he shared a secret of his life. He said a great burden of his life had gone away. He used to think that he had killed a man, Guru Nayak. In fact, he had a bad company with the man. He used to drink and gamble with him. 

Theme of Story

The story focuses on single day incident that has happened in the life an astrologer. The main theme of the story is to present darker side of human life with its hypocrisies, shrewdness, revengeful nature and selfishness.

The story presents hypocrisy of human. The narrator presents hypocrisy as he writes:

”… he had not in the least intended to be an astrologer when he began life; and he knew no more of what was going to happen to others than he knew what was going to happen to himself next minute.

It  presents astrologer as a hypocrite. He does not know about others’ idea. He can not have any idea about cosmos. However, he pretends he knows other’s fortune. He runs his business analyzing mankind’s trouble. The narrator further writes:

He had a working analysis of mankind’s troubles: marriage, money and the tangles of human ties. Long practice had sharpened his perception. Within five minutes he understood what was wrong.

The astrologer has done a job analyzing different situation of  humankind. He has used different triangular situation of life. He observes common problems that human face like marriage, money and marriage. There is no any cosmic understanding. He simply listens others problems. The story presents how wisdom plays role in living. The astrologer uses his common sense to tell the people about cosmos and make a living. The way he deceives Guru Nayak presents his wisdom to tackle the situation. In fact, it was a danger in the life of Guru Nayak. It was for astrologer but he managed to assure Guur Nayak, and keep him away from him.

 

 

Irony in the story

The story has irony. The greatest irony of the text is that a drunkard or ill mannered man has started his life as  an astrologer. The people visit him to know about cosmic idea. The ironic expression is that human pretend to be export of the things that they do not have even a single idea about. In the same line, GuruNayak asked the astrologer whether he would find the person who stabbed him. In fact, the astrologer was the person who stabbed him. The greatest irony is that we call other to be superstitious but we ourselves do the same. Guru Nayak, at first, suspects the astrologer. He presents astrologer as a fraud. Soon after, he relies on him.

Point of view:

It depicts the tension between darkness and light of the life. Though the plot of the story is brief, it presents the inner core of human psychology, where people are longing to know about future. It  has ironical point of view that presents reality of the society. It turns on a most important human weakness, the desire to know the future.

 

Class 11 New course

Two Little Soldiers

by Guy de Maupassant

characters: 

Luc Le Ganidec: He was carefree and open minded

Jean Kerderen: He  was quiet and

The milkmaid 

Summary:   

Both of them used to spent their holiday away from barrack every Sunday. They used to go countryside. They used to go to little woods to spend their time as it used remind them about their homeland. They hardly talked with each other when they left the barrack.

They used to stop at Bezon’s bridge. They used to enjoy the river Seine. On the way, they would buy some things so that they could spend their days. As they were passing the time at the village side, they saw a young milkmaid. She used to go to the pastor to milk the cow. One day she opened conversation with them. She also gave them some milk. Frequently, they used to talk with other. They became good friends in short period of time. Jean Kerderen advised Luck Le Ganidec to buy some present for the girl. They bought some candy for her. However, they were shy to inform her about the present. Finally, Luc revealed about it. She was happpy to receive the present. Then after, she became a good friend with them.

After a while, Luc Le Ganidec started leaving the barracks. On Tuesday, he returned to barrack quite late. He again left the barrack on Friday. He borrowed the money but did not explain the reason for it. Next weekend, they went to the countryside to spend the time. The girl became delighted to see Luc. She kissed him. She did not pay attention to Jean. Both, they disappeared in the wood for a long time. Jean was alone. He was desperate. He failed to understand their relation. He came to know about Luc’s behavior. After returning from shed, she again kissed Luc. She did not give milk to Jean.

Jean was feeling quite upset. As they were returning back, Jean leaned over the bridge. He fell into the river. Luc Le Ganidec asked for help. Boatman took out his body.  Luc being nervous narrated the incidents in barracks.

Theme:

The theme of the story is incompatibility of friendship and romantic love. Betrayal of idyllic relationship is challenged which leads to destruction of life and friendship. The betrayal of love has devastating effect in characters life.   

Jack and Luc are good friends. They used to go together. They used to visit in countryside. They are in really friends. The line that presents about their friendship is They both answered together: "All right! How's everything with you? They replied together. Their reply presents their close relation. However, this relation does not last for long. In the same line, their relation has strong bond in the beginning. They did not have any conflict the time they met the girl. They discussed together to decide what to buy for her.  The narrator presents:

Luc was in favour of bringing her some chitterlings; but Jean, who had a sweet tooth, thought that candy would be the best thing. He won, and so they went to a grocery to buy two sous' worth, of red and white candies.

They have a good discussion between them what they need to buy for her. If they did not have good relation, they would not come into same stand point or idea. They agreed to buy her candies. However their relation does progress in the same pace. They slowly have splinters of relation as Luc started leaving barrack alone. The line of the text helps the reader think about their problems in the friendship. The line Jean, worried and racked his brain to account for his friend's having obtained leave presents the beginning line of splinters. Jean observes the changes in his behavior and suspected him. The writer writes:

When he started out with Jean on Sunday he seemed queer, disturbed, changed. Kerderen did not understand; he vaguely suspected something, but he could not guess what it might be.

The word suspect presents incompatibility of friendship. There is no any clear reason for Jean to suspect Luc. In a good friendship, there should not be doubt. He has observed the changes in his friends. He could have asked about it. Instead, he suspected him. Jean was ‘dazed’. Why Jean has to bewilder there? He should not be confused as she kissed his friend Luc. The narrator further writes, “The two little soldiers sat side by side, motionless as always, silent and quiet, their calm faces in no way betraying the trouble in their hearts.” They become motionless. Why do they need to be motionless? The word betraying presents incompatibility in the relation between them.

Jean commits suicide at the end of the story. It contributes the reader to guess inappropriate love by soldier the girl. Jean might have loved the girl inwardly. He has not expressed his love to the girl as well as his friend. As he sees his friend relation with the girl he considers it as a treachery of his friend. it can be taken as jealousy of friend in love affair.

Class 11 New course

Civil Peace

by Chinua Achebe

 

·     The central character Jonathan Iwegbu considers himself fortunate as he survives along with his family members.

·     He works hard in aftermath of the war as he starts a taxi service and opens the bar for soldiers.

·     He gets reward of 20 pounds 

 

 Summary

 Jonathan has survived the Nigerian Civil War along with his wife and three of his four children, and thus considers himself “extraordinarily lucky”. He also treasures his still-working bicycle, which he buried during the war to ensure it would not be stolen. Another apparent miracle is his still-standing home, which he repairs and reoccupies after returning home to the capital city of Enugu. To explain both his good and bad fortune to himself and others, he often repeats a phrase: “Nothing puzzles God.”

Jonathan works hard in the aftermath of the war, using his bicycle to start a taxi service and opening a bar for soldiers. His family mirrors his example, cooking food and picking fruit for sale. Since the coal mine where Jonathan worked before the war has not reopened, this resilience is crucial towards securing even their minor comfort.

One day, after turning over rebel currency, Jonathan is given an award of 20 pounds. He takes care not to be robbed, remembering a theft he observed several days earlier, in which a man broke down in public over the indignity.

That night, a group of thieves knocks on his door demanding money. Frightened, the family calls for the neighbors and police, but the heavy silence when they finish reminds them that nobody looks out for anyone but himself. The thieves then mock them, crying out even louder to indicate how helpless the family is.

The thief demands 100 pounds, promising not to hurt Jonathan or his family if he cooperates. Eventually, Jonathan realizes their lack of options, and gives the thieves the 20 pounds of reward money so they will leave the family unharmed. Some thieves insist they should search the house for more, but the thief leader believes this is all Jonathan has, and accepts it.

The next morning, Jonathan and the family are back at work as the neighbors arrive. Sensing their confusion over his ability to toss off the situation of the night before, Jonathan explains to his neighbors that the reward money cannot compare to what he lost in the war. He chooses to focus on his work in the present rather than regret what has happened, since “Nothing puzzles God.”

Theme:

The story presents post war trauma. It presents how people suffer in civil war time. It also presents the difficulties to maintain peace when there is civil war. The stake of the governance are corrupt. They give trouble to public. "Jonathan, suspecting he might be amenable to influence, rummaged in his raffia bag and produced the two pounds with which he had been going to buy firewood which his wife, Maria, retailed to camp officials for extra stock-fish and corn meal, and got his bicycle." It shows the authorities are corrupted. Jonathan has to bribe the soldiers to get his own bicycle. It presents tragic situation of governance in post war time. Similarly, the words 'extra-ordinarily lucky' 'Happy survival!' present people willingness to be alive in war. The common people very delighted if they are found to be alive in war. Jonathan considers extraordinarily lucky as he survives though he is asylum seeker. He has to leave his own land. He has to go somewhere else. However, he is happy to be alive.

The narrator presents the hardship of economic life in post war time. He narrates: 

            His children picked mangoes near the military                           cemetery and sold them to soldiers' wives for a few                pennies - real pennies this time - and his wife started                making breakfast akara balls for neighbors in a hurry                to start life again".

The Economic hardship of post war period can be seen in the story. The collection of mangoes for few pennies presents very ugly picture of the economic society during the war time. The real pennies of the time presents the harsh economic condition of people. 

The story also presents the fear of having no security in the society in post war time. It is expressed in the line:

        As soon as the pound notes were placed in his palm                Jonathan simply closed it tight over them and buried fist         and money inside his trouser pocket. He had to be extra            careful because he had seen a man a couple of days                earlier collapse into near-madness in an instant before            that oceanic crowd because no sooner had he got his                twenty pounds than some heartless ruffian picked it off            him.

Jonathan has closed his hand tightly. He is afraid that his money would be taken away by some one else. There are no peace and security anybody can be robbed at any time. He has to he very careful. The word extra careful for only twenty pounds presents the harsh reality of collapse of securit system in post war time. Similarly, the line 'Na tief-man and him people,' also presents the lack of security. The gang of thief dared to say who they are. The direct utterance as a thief clarifies there is no peace and security in the society. 

• The story has irony. The title of the story is Civil Peace. However, it presents the picture of traumatic situation of post war. Therefore, the story  questions on maintainance of peace in post war time and people suffering.

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Class 11 New course

Literature

Refund

One act play

Writer: Fritz Karinthy

Characters:

The Principal

The servant

Wasserkopf

The mathematics teacher

The physics teacher

The geography teacher

The history teacher

The staff

 

This is the story of a former student Wasserkopf, who demands that his tuition should be refunded because he feels his education was worthless. However, he loses his fight when the mathematics master tricks him.  The play “Refund” is full of humor, which deals with an extraordinarily absurd situation.

The servant informed the the head teacher that one man wants to meet him. The principal does not want to meet him as it is not the proper time. However, the servant informed him that he is with beard. As the principal has been sure that he is not a school inspector, the man with forty is called. He is Wasserkopf the one, who studied in the same school. He has been there to get the refund. The principal got shocked to hear this. The principal has asked him how he come to know that he is nothing worth of. The man informed him that people used to tell him he could do nothing. Even his friend Leaderer told him that he did not have any idea, as he did not understand about foreign exchange. Leaderer advised him to get refund of the money from school.

The principal requested the man to wait a while in the waiting room, as it is a serious matter. He has to talked with his staffs before the thing decided.

The staffs come with the conclusion that he should not be failed. If he fails, it will put them awkward position. Likewise, day by day, the number of the pupil will be increased, and there will be really problems.

They come to conclusion that they need to pass him any way. They need to unite to overcome the problems. The man calls them loafers when he enters. The mathematics teacher cunningly valorizes his greeting as a matter of patriarchal like medieval humanist. The man asks him to fail him and give him the money. He tells the history teacher numskull and asks him to put question. As the teacher asks how long did the thirty year war last he answers it lasted in seven days.

 

 

 

Wasserkopf wanted the refund of his tuition fees which were paid eighteen years ago because he was taught badly. When he asks for it, the principal is shocked. The principal is in a peculiar situation now and he calls for an urgent meeting with all other staff members. The masters realized that Wasserkopf’s real intention was to fail in the exam and claim the refund. Therefore, they decided to outsmart the old student by proving all his answers right. The Mathematics Master said that they had to be united and ought to help each other in implementing their plan. The exam was an oral one as Wasserkopf’s refusal to write. They decide that whatever answers he gives whether it is right or wrong they will prove him right.

 

The first question was from the History Master. The Master asked him how many years the ‘Thirty Years’ war lasted. The answer was in the question itself. But Wasserkopf, who was keen on giving wrong answers, said that the ‘Thirty Years war’, lasted seven metres. The History Master did not know how to prove this answer right. Fortunately for him, the Mathematics master aided him by proving that the answer was right on the basis of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The Master argued that time and space are relative terms and therefore years can be represented in terms of meter. The war took place during half of each day, three hours a day to eat, hours given up to noon day, so totally seven years.  The actual time spent in fighting was seven years and it has been by Einstein’s equivalence of seven meters. Wasserkopf called the History Master a numskull.

 The Physics Master asked Wasserkopf whether clocks in church become smaller if one walks away from it or is it because of optical illusion.  He called The Physics master as an ass.  The master says that the answer is correct because ass does not have any illusion of vision. Therefore, Wasserkopf has given a metaphorical explanation. Wasserkopf called him a cannibal.

 

     The Geography Master asks Wasserkopf for the name of a city which has the same name as the capital of German Providence of Brunswick.  He replied as ‘Same’.  Master said it as the correct answer.  There was a legend that once as the emperor Barbarossa was riding in the city, he met a young peasant (farmer) girl, who was munching a bun mouthful.  He called out her God Bless you and asked her the name of the city, she answered same to you sir for his wishes, and Emperor mistaken the city name as ‘Same’.

 

One by one, each teacher justified his wrong answer to be correct one and they mark him excellent. Though Wasserkopf gives wrong answers and use abusive words to each teacher, they do not show their anger because they have to prove him as an excellent student.

 

At last, the mathematics master asks him a difficult question and an easy question. For the easy question he gives wrong answer and the master gets angry and says that he has failed in his examination so he should be given his tuition fees back. The master says that they have decided to give him his tuition fees back and asks for the exact amount which he has to get. Wasserkopf without knowing that he is going to fall into their trap gives them the list of exact amount. The mathematics master says that was his difficult question and he gave the right answer. Now he is proved excellent in the entire subject and they throw him out without allowing him to say anything further. It shows the ability of the teachers to manage the situation and how they tackle Wasserkopf without spoiling the reputation of their school.