Snapshot Class 11 Summary

Overview

• Summarizes the "Snapshot" book, a supplementary reader for Class 11.
• Focuses on key themes, morals, and potential question types for exam preparation.
• Covers five topics: The Summer of a Beautiful White Horse, The Address, Mother's Day, Birth, and The Tale of Melon City.
• Typical questions include long, moral-based, inference-based, and indirect pattern questions.

The Summer of a Beautiful White Horse

• Written by William Saroyan, born in Fresco, California, based on his experiences within the Armenian-American community.
• Centers on two Armenian cousins, Aram (9 years old) and Mourad (13 years old), and their encounter with a white horse.
• Mourad is considered the "crazy streak" of the family, known for being adventurous and willing to take risks.
• Aram is not logical, and is more emotional
• Both boys belong to the Garoghlanian family, known for honesty and integrity.
• The Garoghlanian family was very poor, but were able to survive
• The Garoghlanian family has a known reputation for not stealing or lying
• The family was proud, even though poor, and always chose honesty and morals over relationships.
• Nourad steals a white horse for pleasure, sparking a moral dilemma because stealing goes against the family's values.
• Mourad believes he isn't stealing because he intends to return the horse.
• Aram wants to learn how to ride the horse, but is unable to control it as well as Mourad.
• They hide the horse in a deserted vineyard.
• The family has a history of crazy members, like Uncle Khosrove, known for his booming voice, irritability, and catchphrase, "It's no harm; pay no attention to it."
• John Byro visits Arum's home, as he is the owner of the horse.
• John Byro lost a horse that cost him 60 dollars
• Mourad justifies keeping the horse until Aram learns to ride.
• The boys encounter John Byro, who is leaving the town.
• John suspects the horse is his but decides to trust the family's reputation for honesty and says it must be a relative of his horse.
• Burdened by guilt, the boys return the horse to John Byro.
• Mourad returns it to their stall, touching it with love
• John Byro finds that his horse has been returned.
• John Byro says the horse is stronger and better-tempered.

The Address

• Story backdrop: war-torn Holland, exploring those suffering the war and those exploiting it.
• Written by Marga Minco, who was born into a Jewish family.
• The story is about experiences during World War II.
• In 1940, 140,000 Jews were in Holland.
• In 1941, Jews were removed from public life, and their land was sold.
• The population was forcibly moved to Nazi concentration camps.
• Seeing opportunity with the mass exodus, Mrs. Dorling, a neighbor, volunteers to safeguard the belongings of Mrs. S (Marga Minco's mother)
• Mrs. S (Marga Minco's mother) had a neighbor called Mrs Dorling who took her possessions
• Mrs. S trusted Mrs. Dorling because she is easily manipulated
• Mrs S also made sure to say The address is 46 Marconi Street.
• After the war, the narrator (Marga Minco) seeks to reclaim family possessions stored with Mrs. Dorling, finding the experience disillusioning.
• Mrs. Dorling pretends not to recognize the narrator, and opens the door only a crack
• The narrator recognizes her mother’s green knitted cardigan worn by Mrs. Dorling, confirming her identity.
• Mrs Dorling only opens the door halfway as she is apprehensive of an issue
• Mrs. Dorling admits to using the items, as as she believed the family was dead.
• Mrs. Dorling refuses to let the narrator inside, fearing she will ask for the belongings back.
• Mrs. Dorling and Mrs S were old friends, but Mrs Dorling only just reached out just for this reason
• Mrs Dorling offered to keep the possessions safe during the war
• The narrator also remembers the Hanukkah candle holder.
• The valuables taken by Mrs. Dorling included: table silver, antique plates, and vases.
• On a subsequent visit, the narrator enters Mrs. Dorling's home and it is full of her mother's belongings, creating a sense of familiarity and discomfort.
• An interior burned mark on the tablecloth confirms it belonged to her mother.
• She was also served with Gold trimmed tea sets on white china
• They eat off stolen "antique plates on our wall"
• Narrator realized what something was worth when it is taken away
• The narrator decides to leave, realizing the objects' sentimental value is diminished by the setting and resolves to forget the address to let go.
• The narrator then chose to forget the address forever

Mother's Day

• J.B. Priestley wrote Mother's Day
• It is a humorous play about the status of a mother within a family.
• Main characters include Mrs. Annie Pearson (the mother), George Pearson (husband), Doris (daughter), Cyril (son), and Mrs. Fitzerald (neighbor).
• Mrs. Pearson: pleasant, kind, worried, submissive, and overly concerned/forgiving of her family. She is in her 40s
• Mrs Fitzerald: older, heavyset, strong-willed, alcoholic, a bold personality, an Irish accent,
• As the play opens, the families problems are revealed, she is exploited by her family
• Miss Fitsgerald is the foil for Mrs Pearson
• Despite the efforts of Mrs Pearson, she cant defend herself from the family, so Miss Fitsgerald offers to switch bodies to set them stragiht
• The switch is supposed to teach respect the parents with magic from the east
• After the body change, Mrs. Pearson (in Mrs. Fitagerald's body) advises the other (in Mrs. Pearson's body) to make a stand and assert herself.
• Before the real personalities are swapped back, "Mrs. Pearson" tells the other a secret
• Because of the body swap and the bold actions in Mrs Pearson, who was acting but she isn't any more is actually good at it now!
• It was at first difficult, as the family's problems can't just be solved by a magic switch, but real hard work
• After the issue, the family spends the night playing as a family
• The play criticizes families that exploit their mothers, but it was too far
• Mrs. Pearson goes to have fun for once which she isnt used too
• The play shows how Mothers who are tired need respect and help

Birth

• Story written by A.J. Cronin, who is himself a doctor.
• Dr. Andrew was a young, dedicated doctor on a duty call to the home of the Morgans, who are expecting their long-awaited first child.
• The setting is night, early morning for a small welsh mining community.
• After a shift, Andrew takes an odd and desperate case.
• He was coming from his sweetheart.
• The author wanted Andrew, the doctor to show the difference between how his mind was, and what they had to do when in pressure.
• It was 12 at night, so Andrew was waiting.
• Joe Morgan said, "it was 20 years, and we have gotten to the start." Joe was pacing between the front of the house, and the operating room.
• As the old woman came, she was 70 years old
• To deliver them. Andrew could only tell himself he wasn't the only one having problems and not being so happy all the time
• Andrew has been having a complicated relationship with Christine. And Andrew said, "I don't want a wedding."
• The two of them argued about it all the time. But before that, as a doctor, you could not even think about what you wanted all the time
• In the end, the old lady said "no chloroform."
• Andrew, the medical assistant did a great job.
• Andrew got to her house to do the work
• Even after the baby was born, because of Andrew, it was a miracle that the baby got out of the woods, but Andrew also became a better man as well

The Tale of Melon City

• Author: Vikram Seth
• Tale of Melon City is a free market economy where anyone profit business can work
• The king wants the arc built so that he looks good
• The city likes the melon, it makes the city like a big joke
• As the king goes through the arc, he knocks his head
• The just and placed head, then said that this is a disgrace
• Then, the king said that the main builders would be hanged
• The builder then blamed the workmen
• The workmen are killed over the accident
• Because they were measured, the ruler was also perfect for execution. So they said that they need the king to die
• Whoever is killed, they win
• The king ordered more to happen. They needed to find someone right for the job
• A guard stops a fool, which answers that a meal on the street.
• The wise men are too old to give wisdom, as the real are too young for wisdom
• It doesn't matter who comes in
• Just like the king in the poem, he doesn't want the council at
• They go and hang the king
• Who we are, the city is big
• This says that when people are there, it doesn't matter what happens
• At his majesty redoes, if being a melon was, they ask for all the different ones