Archive for June 2018
INTRODUCTION
When the sky is covered with dark clouds and it starts raining, everybody feels thrilled. One wishes to lie in a cosy bed and thousands of fancies rush through his mind. It is most joyful to enjoy listening the music of the pattering sound of the rain-drops on the shingles of the roof. The poet expresses his
love for nature and its beauty.
This lyrical poem “Rain on the Roof” by Coates Kinney presents the memories aroused in the poet’s mind by the showers falling on the tin roof. Through a number of metaphors, the poet shows that the drops of rain falling on the shingles of the roof sends a train of thoughts running in his mind. He is reminded of the way his mother used to bid him and his siblings a good night and put them to sleep. The poet connects his present with his past through the memories revived by the rain.
Theme
The theme of the poem is the healing power of rain. The musical sound of raindrops falling on rooftop at night has the ability to revive sweet memories and rouse fancies in an otherwise busy mind. The rain thus soothes and comforts an overworked mind by taking it back to its lovely past. Some of our best memories in life are associated with rain.
TITLE
The very title, with a repetition of the sounds ‘r’ and ‘n’ and the long vowels ‘ai’ and ‘oo’ imitates the rhythmic pitter-patter of rain on a tin roof. Article ‘the’ before the word ‘roof’ makes it a specific roof – the roof of the poet’s house. Thus, the title is very apt as it is suggestive of the childhood memories the poet has of rain. The rain has a magic like effect on him every time it falls on his room, and lying lazily in his room, he listens to the sheer music of the rain. It triggers ‘a thousand dreamy fancies’ in his mind and thousands of memories come alive. In particular, the memory of the poet’s mother putting her children to sleep at night is indelible in his mind. Every time it rains, the poet relives the golden moments of his childhood. Thus, the title of the poem can be termed
very appropriate.
SUMMARY
The poet observes that when the starry sky is overcast with rain bearing clouds, the sad darkness is filled with rain drops which are like gentle tears. It is a very pleasant, comforting, and thrilling experience to lie in one’s room with the head pressed on the pillow, and listen to the sound of the raindrops falling on the tin roof overhead.
Every drop of rain falling on the roof makes a tinkling sound that moves the poet’s heart. These sounds rouse a number of imaginary things in the thoughts of an otherwise busy poet. The soft pitter-patter of the falling rain-drops also revives many childhood memories.
Among these memories, there is one about his mother. He recollects how she used to look at her dear children as she put them to sleep and wished them to have sweet dreams till they met again early in the morning. As the poet listens to the music made by the rain falling on the roof, he visualizes in his mind the affectionate look of his mother. Thus, the rain makes a bridge between his present and his past.
MESSAGE
The poem conveys the message that rain has therapeutic and healing powers and forms lasting memories in human mind of the sights, sound, fragrances and our experience.
NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
Thinking about the Poem
I. 1. What do the following phrases mean to you? Discuss in class.
(i) humid shadows
(ii) starry spheres
(iii) what a bliss
(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start
(v) a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof
Answer:
1. (i) “Humid shadows” refer to the dark clouds that produce rain.
(ii) “Starry spheres” refer to the night sky abounding in stars.
(iii) “What a bliss” refers to the happiness of the poet. When it rains poet gets into his
cottage and enjoy the patter of rain upon the roof.
(iv) This refers to the various imaginary thoughts and fantasies that are aroused in the
poet’s mind.
(v) This phrase means that numerous memories intermingle to form a beautiful picture that
the poet recollects.
2. What does the poet like to do when it rains?
Answer: When it rains, the poet feels delighted to lie with his head pressed against the pillow of his cottage chamber bed and listen to the patter of the soft rain.
3. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to?
Answer: The single major memory that comes to the poet is that of his mother and her fond look.
The “darling dreamers” are the poet and his siblings in their childhood when they were lovingly put to sleep by their mother.
4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
Answer: No, the poet is not a child now. He is a grown up man. He remembers her when he is inside his cosy cottage and enjoy the pattern of rain on the roof.
( To be Continued)
RAIN ON THE ROOF
INTRODUCTION
‘The Lost Child’ is one of the famous stories of Mulk Raj Anand. This story shows the working of child’s mind. It shows that a child hasreat love for his parents. In this story, a child goes to see the village fair in the company of his father and mother. He is attracted by dierent things in the fair. He asks his parents s again and again to buy him something or the other. But they don’t buy anything for him. By chance, the child gets separated from his parents. He starts He runs here and there shouting for his parents. A kind man sees him. He tries to console the child. He takes him to dierent shops. But the child goes on weeping. Now he has lost interest in everything. He only cries, “I want my mother, I want my father!”
THEME
The story is based on the theme of close bond that children share with their parents. The lost child forgets all about his desires and yearns deeply for his parents when he fails to nd them. Everything else loses its signicance and the only thing that matters is his wish to be reunited with his parents.
MESSAGE
The story conveys the message that children love their parents unconditionally. The lost child thinks of his father as a strict person when he demands toys from him. He does not press his parents for sweets or garlands etc because he accepts that they will never grant him his wish. However, he gets scared when he realises that he is lost. He cries inconsolably for his parents and forgets all about his cravings for sweets, garlands, snake-charmer’s show, and even the ride on a roundabout. This message of the story makes the reader understand the worth of parents in the life of a child.
Summary of the lesson
It was a day of spring-festival and all the villagers were going brightly dressed to a fair. A little boy and his parents were also among them. The kid was excited and thrilled to see the small toy shops on the way and the ies and bees in the elds. His parents kept calling him over and reminded him to walk beside them.
At last they reached the fair and a large crowd of people left the boy confused. He was happy and bewildered at the same time. He saw a sweetmeat seller at the entrance and was tempted to have the b u r displayed on the counter. He demanded the sweet half-heartedly because he knew that instead of buying it for him, his parents would term him greedy. So he moved on and soon came across a ower-seller. Fascinated by the g u l m o h u r garlands, he again made a faint demand for owers but knew well that his parents would not buy anything, for owers were cheap in their opinion. Moving on, he saw a balloon-seller. He was thrilled to see the brightly coloured balloons but knew that his parents would not buy one for him because they thought that he was too old to play with balloons. Next, a snake-charmer playing a ute drew his attention. The child moved towards him a little but withdrew his steps because he knew that his parents had forbidden him to hear such rough music. On moving ahead the child was charmed by a roundabout in full swing. Failing to resist his desire, he made a bold request to his parents to let him go on the roundabout.
The child did not get any reply, so he turned to look at his parents. They were not to be seen anywhere near him. He got extremely scared and started crying. He ran here and there but could not nd them. He rushed in panic to a shrine which was crowded with people. He tried to make his way through the feet of this crowd but was knocked down and began crying loudly. A man heard his cries and rescued him from being trampled.
Lifting the little boy in his arms, the kind man asked him how had he got there and whose baby he was. The scared child did not answer and kept crying and asking for his parents. The good man tried to soothe him and took him to the roundabout oering to get him a ride on the horse. But the child did not want anything else other than his mother and father. The man took the inconsolable child to the snake-charmer, the balloon-seller, and the ower-seller one by one. He oered to fulll all wishes that he had made just a little while ago, but the child turned down all the oers. He just wanted his parents and nothing else.
1. What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? Why does he lag behind?
Answer: The child sees a number of things which fascinate him on his way to the fair
- Firstly, he saw toys at a shop.
- Then he saw a flowering mustard field.
- In the fields, the child also saw dragon flies, butterflies fluttering their wings.
- Then while walking on the footpath he was amazed by the insects and worms.
- When he entered the grove he saw doves which were cooing .
- As he neared the village with his parents, he saw huge crowds of people going to the fair.
- The child also came across sweetmeat seller selling sweets like burfi and gulabjamun and a little further he came across a flower seller who was selling a garland of gulmohar.
- Walking ahead, he saw a man selling rainbow colour balloons.
- He also saw a snake charmer who stood playing a flute to a snake.
- Finally, before losing track of his parents he saw a roundabout swing. The child keeps lagging behind his parents on the way and his mother and father have to constantly call him so that he doesn’t lag behind. This is because the child is fascinated by all the things he sees on his way. At times, he stops to be able to buy toys and at other times he stops to admire the beauty of the nature – collecting flowers, catching butterflies.
2. In the fair he wants many things. What are they? Why does he move on without waiting for an Answer?
Answer: The child many things in fair. They are
- Toys and Balloons
- Sweets from the sweetmeat seller
- Garland of gulmohar
- Watching the snake charmer play flute to a snake
- A ride in the roundabout
The boy moved on without waiting for an Answer because he knew that his request would be denied at each step.
3. When does he realize that he has lost his way? How have his anxiety and insecurity been described?
Answer: He realizes that he has lost his way when on reaching the roundabout; he stopped to observe it moving in full swing, with men, women and children enjoying themselves on it. Watching them intently he turned to his parents to ask for permission to go on the rounds but there was no reply from them. He turned to look for them but they were not there. He looked all around but there was no sign of them. A full, deep cry rose within his dry throat and with a sudden jerk of his body he ran from where he stood, crying out in real fear “Mother, Father.” Tears rolled down from his eyes, his flushed face was convulsed with fear. Panic-stricken, he ran from one side to the other, in all directions, knowing not where to go. His yellow turban came untied and his clothes became muddy.
4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
Answer: The lost child loses interest in the things that he had wanted earlier because he was panic stricken on being separated from his parents. All he wanted was to be united with them. All the things that attracted him in the fair no longer appeal to him and now the only thing that matters is finding his parents.
5. What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
Answer: In the end the parents, who continuously kept checking to see that he was with them right from the beginning of their journey may have suddenly realized that he was missing and come looking for the lost child. The kind and understanding man who tried to console the little boy by offering him various things at the fair may have also asked him for some description of his parents and helped him to be reunited with them.
Reference: edumantra.net / Vedantu.net/ Google image
The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand
SUMMARY OF THE LESSON
Kezia was a little girl, who lived with her mother, her father and her grandmother. She was afraid of her father and used to avoid him. She used to feel relieved on seeing her father go to his oce. Kezia was so afraid of her father, that she stuttered in front of him. He appeared to her as harsh, rude, and critical. Her grandmother wanted her to understand her parents better, and would ask her to go to the drawing room to chat with her parents. But she found them indifferent towards her. One day grandmother suggested that she should prepare a pin cushion for her father’s birthday. Kezia stitched the three sides of the pin cushion casing. Now she wanted to stuff it with some thing. In her mother’s room 6 number the bed table she found many sheets of ne paper. She tore them off into small pieces and lled the pin cushion and stitched the fourth side. By mistake she had used the very papers which contained her father’s very important speech for the Port Authority. Though she accepted her mistake and tried to explain the reasons behind it, her father was too angry to listen to her.
One evening she saw Mr. McDonalds, playing with his 5 children, laughing and enjoying , with them. This convinced Kezia that all fathers are not alike. Some are loving and caring like. Mr. McDonald and some are cruel like her father. But soon her attitude towards her father also changed. One day, her mother had to be taken to the hospital and her grandmother accompanied her. Kezia was left alone in the house with the cqok. The day was ne. But night was a different issue. She Woke up in the middle of the night screaming as she had a horrible nightmare. She was weeping out of fear. When she opened her eyes, she saw her father beside her bed. He carried her to his bedroom, and made her warm and comfortable on his bed. Father told ljer to rub her feet with his legs and set them warm. She felt very safe and comfortable with him. It was now she realized that her father was not all that of a-giant. That he loved and cared for her in his own way. That he had to work the whole day to provide for his family and was too tired by die evening to play with her.
The Little Girl
‘The Little Girl’ by, KATHERINE MANSFIELD is a story of a little girl, Kezia who on account of little understanding about her father, usually remained scared of him. She kept a distance from him, whenever he would be at home. She considered him to be as big as a giant. She would often get nervous and stutter while talking to him.
Once she was kept indoors on account of being affected by cold. Her grandmother advised her to make a gift for her father’s birthday next week. She suggested she should make a pin-cushion for him. Kezia made a beautiful pin-cushion; but she inadvertently made a mistake. She filled it with a paper that had father’s important speech on it. She was punished for that. This incident further estranged Kezia from her father.
She would often look at the neighbours, the Macdonalds playing joyously in their lawn. Mr. Macdonald was such a good father and played so lovingly with his children. She wondered he might be a different sort of father.
Once her mother fell ill and was hospitalized. She was left alone at home under the care of the cook. At night she had a nightmare and woke up screaming. She found her father standing by her bedside. He picked her up and took her to her room. He tucked her up in his bed and soon fell asleep. Kezia felt secure lying near her. She realized her father was not as big as a giant. She felt the beating of her father’s loving and large heart. Finally she realized her father was also very loving.
Reference: Brainly.in
TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
II. Answer the following questions
1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer: Kezia was afraid of her father because he was very strict who always used to give commands to everybody else in the house. He never played with her. He had big hands and heavy face especially his mouth when he yawned were big and she was especially terrified with the manner in which he looked at her over his spectacles.
2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Answer: Kezia’s family consisted of her mother, father, grandmother and herself.
3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine
(i) before going to his office?
(ii) after coming back from his office?
(iii) on Sundays?
Answer:
(i) Before going to his office, Kezia’s father usually went into her room to give her a casual kiss.
(ii) After coming back from his office, he ordered for tea to brought into the drawing room. He also asked his mother to bring him the newspaper and his slippers, and Kezia to pull off his boots.
(iii) On Sunday, Kezia’s father would stretch out on the sofa. He would cover his face with his handkerchief, put his feet on one of the cushions and sleep soundly.
4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father better by sending her to the drawing room to talk to her parents on Sundays. She also suggested Kezia to make a pin cushion out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk as a gift for her father’s birthday.
III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Answer: Kezia efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him. On every Sunday, her grandmother sent her down to the drawing room to have nice talk with father and mother. But her presence always irritated the father. He used to call her ‘little brown owl’. One day her grandmother told her that her father’s birthday would be next week and suggested that she should make him a pin-cushion for beautiful gift. After stitching three sides of the cushion with double cotton with great care and effort, Kezia was stuck as to what to fill the cushion with. Since her grandmother was busy in the garden, she searched her Mother’s bedroom for scraps. Finally, she discovered sheets of paper on the bed table. She gathered these, tore them up and filled the cushion with the torn pieces. Unfortunately, her efforts to please her father not only went in vain but also had an unanticipated consequence. This was because the sheets she had torn were her father’s speech for the Port Authority. Her father scolded her for touching things that did not belong to her and punished her by hitting her palm with a ruler.
2. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Answer: Kezia compared her father with Mr. Macdonald, her next door neighbour. He was a loving, gentle and forgiving father. He was always smiling and playing with his children. He treated his children in a friendly manner. He was just opposite to the Kezia’s father. Unlike Kezia’s father he never punished his children. He played with them whenever he was free. Kezia’s father was very harsh and a strict disciplinarian. 3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy? Answer: With her mother and grandmother at the hospital, Kezia is left at home in the care of Alice, the cook. At night, after she is put to bed by the cook, she has a nightmare. She calls for her grandmother but, to her surprise, she finds her father standing near her bed. He takes her in his arms and makes her sleep next to him. Half asleep, she creeps close to him, snuggles her head under his arm, and holds tightly to his shirt. Her father asks her to rub her feet against his legs for warmth. Her father goes off to sleep before her. This makes her understand that he has to work hard every day and this leaves him too tired to be like Mr Macdonald. She expresses her altered feelings for her father by telling him that he has a ‘big heart’.
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