SC162211722237190assignment (1) PDF

Answer the following: 1. There are two kinds of conflict in the story between humans and nature and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated? There are certainly two sorts of conflicts within the story Conflict between humans and nature: The conflict between humans and natur...

Answer the following: 1. There are two kinds of conflict in the story between humans and nature and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated? There are certainly two sorts of conflicts within the story Conflict between humans and nature: The conflict between humans and nature is illustrated by the destruction of Lencho’s crop by the hailstorm. Lencho was expecting good rainfall to ensure a good harvest, which was the sole hope he had for his earning. He worked very hard to feed his family, but nature turned violent and destroyed everything. Conflict between humans and humans: The story also illustrates another conflict, between humans themselves. When Lencho demanded money from God, the postmaster and therefore the other employees of the post office sent him some money, albeit they didn’t know Lencho. However, Lencho accused them of stealing some amount of the cash. He called them “a bunch of crooks”. This shows that man doesn't have faith in another man, thereby giving rise to the present conflict. 2. “Faith can move mountains". Do you think that this feeling had been in Lencho's mind, and he could have been able to write a letter to God? What light does it throw on his feelings? Lencho had complete faith in God. He had been instructed that God’s eyes see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho had immense faith in God: he sent a letter to God with the belief that God would send him the hundred pesos he had asked for to make up for the loss of his crops.  Faith is, one should follow one's purpose. One should have faith in his dream his beliefs and everything that makes him more strong individual in the world. The farmer, Lencho in the story had immense faith in God and so he wrote a letter to God since his crop had been destroyed in the hail storm.  Lencho sent to God a letter requesting 100 pesos, having an utmost belief and unshaken faith in God. This money was enough to sow his crop again. In his early years he was told that even through one's consciences, God will see everything. He learned that nobody would suffer and die of starvation. 3. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? Describe the ironic ending of the story. Lencho’s faith in God was complete and unshaken. When he lost all hopes, he looked towards God for help. And he was sure that God would come to the help of a simple man of clear conscience(values) like him. So, when he saw the money, he was not at all surprised as he had been waiting for it. But when he counted the money, he became angry. He was sure that someone had stolen thirty pesos out of the hundred sent by God. Who could be they except the employees at the post office? Therefore, he wrote a second letter to God to send him the rest of the money immediately. He asked him not to send money through the mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks.’ The situation at the end becomes quite ironic. It is ironic that men who collected pesos to help Lencho were called `a bunch of crooks, by him. He couldn’t know till the end who had really sent that money. Fire and Ice Answer the following: 1. It is a Hobson’s Choice that the poet faces in the poem ‘Fire and Ice’. Illustrate this thought, with the help of examples from the poem. Ans. The poem describes a fiery end to the planet, which represents human greed and selfishness. Some believe that the ice, which represents hatred, will bring about the end. Because both options would ultimately lead to catastrophe, humanity is thus faced with a decision that really isn’t a choice at all. As all options equally contribute to personal damage, the decisions are demonstrated on a personal level. To underscore the significance of his message that there are no alternatives, the poet presents the options in a concise and terse manner. The poem’s central theme of destruction brought on by greed and hatred, which is exemplified by the saying Hobson’s Choice, gives the poem a deep and dark undercurrent. 2. Today’s world is conflict ridden. People fight over various issues and there is no peace in the world. Explain/Describe based on your reading of the poem ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’. Ans. In today’s world, hatred is a major problem. Brother despises his brother, and neighbour despises his neighbour. Nobody wants to put up with or forgive anyone else. We live in a terribly divided world as a result of the hostility. Nothing will be left untouched if hatred continues to control our lives and the globe. All of our accomplishments will be lost, and the planet will end. We must develop the capacity to forgive and forget if we are to save the earth. For this, we need a tremendous amount of love and compassion, as well as the ability to put up with one another’s differences and learn to get along. 3. Evaluate the line- Some say the world will end in fire/Some say in ice- in the context of volcanic eruptions, forest fires, meteor collisions, melting ice caps etc. Ans. In the poem ‘Fire and Ice’ the poet considers the age-old question of whether the world will end in fire or in ice. The threat of global warming may lead to severe volcanic eruptions and forest fires that may end the world or there might be a meteor collision, the melting of ice caps or glaciers etc, that may also end the world. So, either option is enough to achieve its purpose sufficiently may be in storm of volcanic eruptions, forest fires or melting ice caps. Dust of Snow Answer the following: 1. There are times when we feel depressed and hopeless. We think that things will never change. Suddenly, a change comes in our mood when cheerfulness replaces the sense of regret. Justify the above statement in the context of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’. Ans. Change is the law of nature. Man’s mood and spirits change like the change of the weather. In the poem, the poet is in a depressed and hopeless mood. He feels that the whole of the day has been wasted. But fortunately, this is not so. The falling of the fine dust of snow on him brings a sudden change in his mood. He realises that all is not lost. There is still hope for redemption. No doubt, a large part of the day has already been lost. It has been rather a bad day so far. But no more now. Now a part of the day has been redeemed. The change of landscape has changed his mood. Cheerfulness had replaced the feeling of regret. His spirits are no more depressed. The sudden change outside also cheers his heart and mood. 2. The poet has succeeded in giving valuable information in a light-hearted manner. What creates the desired effect? Highlight its importance in present-day life. Ans. Truly, Frost has used simple language to drive home a very significant message, that little thing sometimes, have a big impact. An easy, uncomplicated language, coupled with unusual visual imagery and brevity of words creates the desired effect. The poet’s bitterness finds reflection even in the environment around him. The noisy, dark crow, the poisonous hemlock and the icy snow around—all are essentially depressing images. However, despite the negativity, when the crow shakes down the dust of snow onto the poet, it also shakes off some of the author’s regretful thoughts. Today, when all of us live in stressful atmospheres, the poem teaches us to gain happiness from little things. Two Stories of Flight His First Flight- Part 1 Answer the following: 1. Compare and contrast the young seagull in the beginning and at the end of the lesson. Answer: In the beginning, the seagull is a coward. He lacks confidence. The time has come when he should fly. His parents try to teach him how to fly. But he is too afraid to fly. He refuses to fly. His parents leave him alone on the ledge. They threaten him that he would starve. His brothers and sisters make fun of him. They call him a coward. Even then the seagull does not fly. However, he falls from the rock when he tries to get the fish from his mother. The next moment he flaps his wings and starts flying. Now he is full of confidence. He starts crying with joy. He flies higher and higher. He is no longer afraid. He overcomes his fear of the water also. He finds that he can float on the surface of the seta. His family members praise him and give him pieces of fish to eat. In this way, there is a difference in the behaviour of the seagull at the beginning and end of the story. 2. ‘All parental acts are for the betterment of the children.’ It is true. However, one has to make efforts through trials and errors shedding off one’s early hesitations and fears to succeed in any enterprise. Justify this statement by taking points from the lesson ‘His First Flight’. Answer: There is no doubt about it ‘All parental acts are for the betterment of the children’. It is the ardent wish of every parent that they may teach all skills to their young ones so that they may succeed in life. First of all, they can learn all the things which their parents have taught in life. If the young ones don’t act then they also indulge in scolding, taunts and humiliating them to shed off their hesitations and fears. This is exactly what the parents of the young seagull did. They were successful in teaching the art of flying to his two brothers and sister. They also tried their best to embolden him to take the plunge. Particularly, the mother-seagull went on flying around him with a piece of fish in her beak. It was her attempt to tempt her starving son to dive at the fish. And she succeeded in her aim. The young seagull did dive at the fish and it led to his success in the end. 3. Hesitations and fears play necessary parts in human life but we get success in any enterprise only when we overcome our doubts, hesitations and fears. Justify this statement in light of the young seagull’s efforts to muster the courage to fly in the air. Answer: Nothing in life can be taken for granted. Skills have to be learnt in life with your own efforts. Parents can only help in teaching and encouraging us to learn things. But we have to learn them through our own efforts of trials and errors. Who doesn’t suffer from hesitations and fears in the beginning? It takes time to take the final plunge. So it happened with the young seagull. In spite of constant encouragements and motivations, he couldn’t muster the courage to fly. He was certain that his wings would not support him. He faced regular taunting and humiliations of his family. They even threatened to let him stare at the ledge unless he flew away. But they say that necessity is the mother of invention. Maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish which his mother was carrying in her beak. He felt his wings spreading outwards. Finally, he soared to come down over the sea. When he floated on the sea, his family celebrated his success by offering pieces of fish to him. The Thief’s Story Answer the following: 1. Money can’t make a man as much as education can. Elucidate the statement. Answer: The statement stands true in almost all the aspects of life. Money may buy us all the luxuries and fulfil our needs but it cannot buy us knowledge, civilised thinking, skills and abilities to achieve our dreams. Education lays the platform for all to act upon our goals according to our abilities. Education enables us to keep up with the fastmoving world. It opens the door to opportunities we do not know even exist. Money, on the other hand, can assist us to a certain level. It can buy us a plan but education gives us the knowledge of its execution. Just as in the story ‘A Thief s Story’, Hari Singh prioritised the chance of being literate over a few hundred rupees, we must understand that education can help us to achieve whatever we desire.  2. A character arc is the transformation or development of a character throughout a story and refers to the changes a character undergoes as a result of their experiences, challenges, and interactions with other characters. In the light of the above information, trace the character arc of the thief in Ruskin Bond’s The Thief’s Story, in about 150 words. Answer: The thief's character arc in the story shows a transformation from a career criminal to a person who learns to trust and work hard for a living. At the beginning of the story, the thief is portrayed as an experienced criminal who is focussed on staying ahead of the law. He is initially attracted to Anil because he believes he can exploit the young man's trusting nature. As the story progresses, the thief begins to develop a friendship with Anil, who teaches him how to cook, write and read. This transformation of the thief's character reaches a climax when he is presented with an opportunity to steal money from Anil, but instead chooses to resist the temptation and considers the consequences of his actions. This is a significant change from the beginning of the story when the thief was only interested in self-gain. Although the thief has not completely abandoned his criminal ways, the fact that he hesitated to jump on the train to escape with the stolen money shows that he has developed a moral conscience. The story implies that the thief has realized that a life of crime is not fulfilling and that he is now open to exploring new opportunities for a better life. [It can also be observed that the thief struggles with his own moral compass throughout the narrative. At first, he is solely focused on his own personal gain and uses his skills as a thief to achieve this. However, as he begins working for Anil and starts to develop a relationship with him, he becomes conflicted about his intentions to steal from him. Ultimately, he succumbs to his desire for money and steals from Anil, but he also feels guilt and remorse afterwards. This internal conflict highlights the thief's character growth and change throughout the story.] The Midnight Visitor Answer the following: 1. “Attack is the secret of defense.” Justify the statement in the case of Ausable. Ans. The statement "Attack is the secret of defense" means that the best way to protect oneself is to be proactive and take the initiative. This is certainly true in the case of Ausable, the protagonist of the story "The Midnight Visitor". When Max, a rival secret agent, arrives at Ausable's hotel room late at night, Ausable does not panic. Instead, he quickly thinks of a plan to outwit Max. He tells Max that there are police officers outside the room and that they are waiting to arrest him. Max is so scared that he jumps off the balcony to his death. Ausable's victory over Max shows that the best way to defend oneself is to attack first. By taking the initiative, Ausable was able to surprise Max and defeat him. This is a valuable lesson for anyone who wants to protect themselves from danger. In addition to this, Ausable also used his intelligence and cunning to defend himself against Max. He was able to trick Max into believing that there were police officers outside the room, even though there were none. This shows that Ausable was not only quick-thinking but also very good at manipulating people. 2. Describe the twist in the plot in 'The Midnight Visitor'. Analyze how Fowler's opinion of Ausable must have undergone a change after the plot twist. Ans. Plot twist –  The knock on the hotel room door was not really a policeman, but a waiter who had been asked to bring up drinks.  The room did not have an attached balcony, as described by Ausable, so when Max stepped out, he was injured since he landed on the hard ground below instead of a balcony.  The unexpected twist at the end made the story more exciting/unpredictable ending and unpredictable protagonist. Fowler's changed impression of Ausable –  Ausable was nothing like the typical spy that Fowler had seen portrayed in the movies and novels.  The day had been a most ordinary one rather than one full of car chases and gun- slinging criminals.  Ausable's interaction with Max and how he outwits him really impressed Fowler/realized that first impressions could be wrong/'Never judge a book by its cover/first impression should not be the last impression/appearances can be deceptive/Ausable outwit Max with his intelligence by telling a believable story to create a trap.  To summarise – While Fowler was initially disappointed and unimpressed by Ausable, his opinion is most likely to have changed to one of respect and awe after Ausable was able to outwit Max. Amanda Answer the following: 1. How would you characterise the speaker in the poem Amanda!’? List any two qualities, supporting the reason of your choice, with evidence from the poem. Answer The speaker seems to be Amanda’s mother. I would consider her as caring but over protective so much so that She appears as if she is a nag and lacks understanding on her part of being a mother. Evidence is ample; It is clear from the poem that she constantly keeps on nagging Amanda for biting her nails, sitting in a slouching posture, eating chocolates, etc. She can be easily blamed for not understanding the psychology of her daughter’s mind. But a mother is a mother and she thinks that she has to do all these things to properly channelize her daughter though she would need to be stricter and people may regard her as a harsh mother. It becomes clear here when she asks Amanda to stop sulking because she was conscious of what people might think of her as a mother. 2. State the key points in the poem Amanda. What are the learning outcomes? Answer: Every child is special in itself, and it requires a great deal of patience and love to make them understand this. Parents should give proper space to children, as they learn through experiences as well. Children do tend to learn certain bad habits, to undo that requires a great level of understanding and the right approach. One cannot teach their child everything in one day and expect them to behave properly henceforth. It is natural for a child like Amanda to seek freedom at her place, to curb that freedom means to make her angry and moody. Growing up a child should not be about dos and don’ts only. To have nagging parents judging every action of a child would do more harm than good. Robin Klein points to the fact that Amanda is forbidden to do anything without seeking permission. Everything she does is corrected by her mother all the time, she cannot perform a single thing according to her will. She can’t sit lazily around, she can’t eat chocolate because that could cause acne. Life of Amanda is very suffocating and limited in itself. She yearns for freedom and choice. Her mother doesn’t understand the fact that Amanda is innocent and naive, she is too small to understand the benefits of advice. Only thing that matters to Amanda’s mother is what society will make of Amanda. We witness the miserable failure of parents when Amanda wishes to be an orphan so that she could be free. 3. Read the quote given below carefully. Based on your understanding of the poem, explain how and why this quote can be applied to the poem. Answer. The quote very well suits this poem ‘Amanda’. It is a satire on the mother who was once a child loving freedom but now she is denying the same to a child of her own. She is shown failing in applying the child psychology here on her child Amanda. She is found nagging at Amanda. Forcing decisions on children only make them detached, as we see in Amanda’s case, where she wishes to be the alone mermaid, an orphan, or the lonely Rapunzel. When children are dictated or are told to follow rules of dos and don’ts then they feel targeted and upset. They try to escape this parental regimentation through their day dreaming. They feel like shutting off their mind from the outside world as Amanda does. But the parents should not be misjudged by their children. Parents love their children feel their responsibilities toward making their children the best ones in the world. Grown-ups can befriend the children but to a certain limit, after which they have to object to the any bad action or intention or orientation of children. Children should always remember that whatever the parents or teachers are telling is for their good only. The habits inculcated in children by their parents will help them in their adult life. Isn’t it also true that mothers are judged and targeted for their nurturing for the bad behaviour anti-social activities of their grownup children? So, it happens that parents are found nagging at their children. The Black Aeroplane  Answer the following: 1. ”Everything was going well. It was an easy flight.” What went wrong suddenly?  Ans. The flight of old Dakota started in Paris and headed towards England. It was an easy flight, the sky was clear and the weather fine. When it reached 150 km away from Paris, it suddenly confronted huge black storm clouds. He had limited fuel only to take him to  England. He could go back to Paris but he decided to take the risk and go through the storm clouds because he wanted to spend the holiday with his family.  In the storm clouds, it was pitch day. His compass, radio and some other instruments stopped working. He could not contact Paris control room to know the direction. Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane. Its pilot guided and brought him safely out of storm clouds. He saw the runway and landed at the airport. 2. James Lane Allen says, “Adversity reveals character”. What do you learn about the narrator from the experience? Mention any two traits supported by the textual evidence. Ans: The pilot of the Old Dakota was caught in the storm. He lost his contact with the control room. In this troubling situation, his fuel tank was also empty. He lost all his hopes but suddenly a black strange plane appeared. The pilot of the black plane asked the writer to follow him. The writer landed safely. After his safe landing, he wanted to thank the pilot of black plane. This shows his gratitude towards the pilot of black plane. He was thankful to him for saving his life. It shows that the pilot of Dakota had a value of gratefulness. From the Diary of Anne Frank: Answer the following: 1. Paper has more patience than people’. Justify. (or) ‘Paper has more patience than people’. Do you agree with the statement? Answer: Anne believes that people are not interested in other’s life as they are stuck with their own problems so it is really hard to get someone who can give importance to her diary. People feel bored and become impatient when we talk about our problems. On the other hand when we write our feelings and thoughts on paper , we can write as long as we want without thinking of anyone, intention as it doesn’t react. We can share our feelings, both sad and happy. It never gets bored or stops us to write. It behaves like a true friend who keeps your secret and listens to you patiently. So she thinks that paper has more patience than people. 2. “From the diary of Anne Frank’ throws light on teacher-student relationship, class atmosphere and discipline. Write a paragraph oh the values of these aspects of school and how far these values are necessary for learning and life. Answer: “The diary of Anne Frank” clearly describes the teacher-student relationship, class atmosphere and discipline. Anne who talks a lot in the class gets punished by Mr Keesing her Maths teacher. He asks her to write essays as punishment which is learning in disguise because he wanted her to focus on studies. He cannot be blamed for the punishment as he did it for the development of Anne. The teacher-student relationship is very respectful and sacred. It is about discipline and classroom manners which are essential for every student as well as teacher, otherwise both teaching or learning could hamper. This relationship is clearly shown in Mr Keesing and Anne Frank actions as they both try to joke on each other but in very humorous and healthy manner. So this healthy relationship is needed everywhere in the class for effective teaching and learning. 3. Why did Anne think that she could confide more in her diary than in the people? Answer: Anne Frank did not have a friend with whom she could share now. Although she had spent a good time with her friends but she was unable to share her views and thoughts with them. When she got her diary, she decided to share everything with it because she believed that nobody would be interested enough in her musings. So, she treated her diary as her best friend. It would keep her life a secret and would not react like people. She confided everything in the diary; her family, her fear, her loneliness, her life and considered it her best friend. A Tiger in the Zoo Answer the following 1. And stares with his brilliant eyes, At the brilliant stars.’ We can no longer do that. How do we feel about the ‘tigers in the zoo’? You can even imagine yourself in captivity. Or When there is a natural habitat for tigers and other wild animals, is it justified for humans to shift them from there to other locations? Give a reasonable answer to justify it. Or The tiger in the poem is feeling miserable in a concrete cell. Does it not amount to cruelty? Express your opinion about keeping wild animals in zoos. Are there any lessons for humans?   Answer- The tiger in the poem is deeply unhappy in its cage, yearning for the freedom it lacks. Although it may be well-cared for in terms of physical needs, the poem makes it clear that true living requires freedom. Being confined equates to bondage, and such bondage is a form of cruelty.  While some might argue that captivity helps prevent extinction by protecting animals from being killed in the wild, taking away an animal’s freedom to merely keep it alive undermines its will to live. This is akin to humans opposing the chains of slavery and oppression; the desire for freedom is universal across all living beings.  Moreover, humans have significantly encroached on natural habitats, and confining animals to zoos as a solution is inhumane. We must learn to respect nature and its inhabitants more deeply because our existence is intertwined with the health of the natural world.  We thrive only if our ecosystems thrive, highlighting the need to treat wildlife with respect and dignity. 2.After reading about the tiger’s life in the zoo, a student decides to start a conservation awareness campaign. Describe the campaign’s goals and activities, and how the student hopes to make a difference. Answer: A student starts a campaign to help people understand the importance of protecting wildlife and ensuring animals in zoos are treated well. This campaign involves fun and educational workshops in schools where kids can learn about the natural homes of different animals and the big problems these animals face because of human activities. The student also organises community events, like art contests and storytelling sessions, to get everyone thinking and caring about wild animals. Additionally, there’s a social media challenge where people are encouraged to come up with creative ideas on how zoos can be made to resemble natural habitats more closely. By doing all these activities, the student hopes to teach people to respect and care for wildlife. The goal is to encourage positive changes in how zoos operate and to promote efforts to conserve animals in their natural environments. 3. What responsibilities do humans have when it comes to the lives of animals in captivity? Consider how the poem describes the interaction between the zoo visitors and the tiger, and discuss the ethical implications of humans. Answer: Humans have big responsibilities towards animals kept in captivity. It’s important to make sure they’re both physically and mentally well. In the poem, the visitors don’t understand what the tiger’s going through. This raises questions about how zoos treat animals and how humans should respect them. Humans need to make sure animals in captivity have environments like their natural homes. This means enough space to move around, things to do that are like what they’d do in the wild, and taking care of their health and food needs. Also, teaching visitors about what these animals need and how they act naturally can help people respect them more. This is important for treating them well. The visitors in the poem not caring about the tiger bring up a bigger question about morality: just because animals are in captivity for learning or conservation, it doesn’t mean we can treat them however we want. We have a duty to make sure their lives in captivity are good. Nelson Mandela-Long walk for freedom Theme----The story revolves around a very long struggle due to courage of all people who sacrificed so much for equality and peace in the country. Message—is that any person can reach the heights irrespective of their race. Freedom is never free it requires a lot of hard work. Answer the following: 1. What does Mandela mean to say that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are robbed of their humanity? Answer: Mandela is right in saying that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are robbed of their humanity. Both of them are actually the victim of hatred. Everyone is obliged to discharge their duties whether personal or social but without freedom a man cannot do so. The person who snatches this freedom of a man is really an oppressor and a prisoner of hatred. He has lack of humanity. But this is the same with a person who is oppressed by other. 2. What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student? How does he contrast these “transitory freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”? Answer Freedom had different meanings for Mandela at different stages. As a boy, freedom for him meant to run freely in the fields and to swim in the stream. As a student he wanted freedom to stay out at nights, to read what he liked, later he realised that this freedom was an illusion. He found that all the black brothers and sisters were in chains. There was no freedom for a respectful life. Their freedom was curtailed at every stage. He wanted the basic and honourable freedom of achieving his potential of earning his keep, of marrying and having a family. He believed that freedom is indivisible. Everyone has to be free. 3. Draw a character-sketch of Nelson Mandela highlighting his struggle against the apartheid regime for the human rights of his people. Answer Nelson Mandela was the tallest of all the black heroes who waged a relentless fight against the racial-regime in South Africa. He suffered untold sufferings and tortures in prison but led the country to install the first democratically elected government in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was not born with a hunger to be free. Later on, he realised that his boyhood freedom was an illusion. He also realised his concept of freedom in his youth was also ‘transitory’ and was limited to his personal freedom. Only when he joined the African National Congress, his own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of his people. Only then, a frightened young lawyer was transformed into a bold `criminal’. A family-loving husband was forced to lead the life of a monk in secrecy. Nelson Mandela is grateful in acknowledging the unimaginable sacrifices of thousands of black heroes for the freedom of their people. Modestly, he realises that freedom is indivisible. He realised that he could not lead a free and honourable life if his people were in chains. Nelson Mandela had a wider vision of humanity. For him, freedom was comprehensive and couldn’t be divided. It shows his greatness that both the oppressor and the oppressed should be liberated. Both of them alike are robbed of their humanity. 4. Which twin obligations does Nelson Mandela mention in the lesson? Why were he and the rest of blacks able to fulfil those obligations? Answer Nelson Mandela that every man has twin obligations in life. The first obligation of a man is to his family, to his parents, to his wife and children. He has another obligation also. He has an obligation to his people, his community and his country. Every man is to do his duty according to his situation and strength. But in South Africa, it was impossible for a man like Mandela or other blacks to fulfil those obligations. If a man tried to live as a human being, he was punished and isolated. If any person in South Africa tried to do his duty to his people, he was forcefully separated from his family and  his home. He was forced to lead a life of secrecy and rebellion. Nelson Mandela placed his people above his family. In attempting to serve his people, he was prevented from fulfilling his obligations as a son, a brother, a father and a husband. Analytical Writing Phrases that can be used in an analytical writing to impress your examiners with a compelling writing skill. 1. In accordance with the text… 2. Evidently, the author illustrates… 3. This is evident from the passage where… 4. The author employs the use of… 5. Furthermore, the text conveys… 6. It is clear from the narrative that… 7. The passage underscores the theme of… 8. This is exemplified by the character’s… 9. Notably, the author emphasizes… 10. Moreover, the text highlights… 11. In contrast to this perspective… 12. Additionally, the narrative explores… 13. The passage resonates with the idea of… 14. A key aspect of the text is… 15. Consequently, the reader is prompted to… The Ball Poem Answer the following 1. How is the lost ball, the metaphor of the lost childhood of the boy? Why doesn’t the poet want to ‘intrude on’ the boy by offering him money to buy another ball? Ans. The boy has a ball. Perhaps he has been keeping it for a long time. He must have developed a lot of attachment and love with the ball. Suddenly while he is playing, the ball bounces down the street. And after a few bounces, it falls down into the harbour. It is lost forever. The boy stands there shocked and fixed to the ground. He constantly goes on staring at the spot where his ball fell down into the water. Outwardly, the loss seems to be quite small. The boy seems to be making a fuss over the loss. Many boys have lost such balls and will lose so in future. A new ball can be easily bought in a dime. The metaphor of the lost ball is beautifully linked to the loss of sweet childhood. No amount of money can buy the ball back that has been lost forever. Similarly, no worldly wealth can buy back the lost childhood. The poet doesn’t want to sermonise on this issue. The boy himself has to learn epistemology or the nature of the loss. He has to move ahead in life forgetting all the losses he has suffered in the past. 2. What is the epistemology of loss in this world of possessions? How has the child learned to stand up in life? Ans. Gain and loss are the two sides of the same coin. Getting, spending and losing things form a natural cycle of life. The boy is inconsolable at the loss of his ball. Actually, it is not the ordinary ball but his long association and attachment with it that makes the loss so unbearable. It is like the good sweet days of childhood that the boy cherishes so much but are lost and gone forever. They will never come back again. So, what is the remedy? He can bear this loss by understanding the epistemology or nature of the loss. In this world of material wealth and possessions, it seems that money can buy anything. However, it is a false conception. Money has its own limitations. Its nature is external. It cannot compensate for the losses that a person suffers emotionally or internally. No wealth can buy back the ball that has been lost forever. Similarly, no wealth can buy back the lost childhood. The child will have to move ahead and stand up in life. He has to stop weeping over his past losses and start living life as it should be lived. 3. If Buddha were to summarise the life lesson of “The Ball Poem’, what would that sermon be? Think and create this address for people of your age. Ans. Losses are an integral part of life. We must look at them in totality. First of all, we must always keep in mind that life’s each and everything is God’s gift for which we must be thankful. The things which God has given can be taken back anything. We must not be attached to these gifts. Once these attached gifts are taken away, we become sad. We feel the lost thing is irreplaceable with any other things. The lost ball stands for the general losses a human being suffers as he grows old. The losses may be the loss of a personal possession or the death of a dear one or separation from a beloved one. As long as there is life, there will be many types of losses; what each one has to learn is bearing those losses. 4. What is the general rule of this ‘world of possessions’? Ans. Getting something and losing it is a natural cycle. Many more boys before him bought and lost their balls. This process will go on forever. However, no amount of money can buy back the same ball that has been lost forever. Money is external and has its own limitations. Wealth can’t compensate for such emotional losses such as the loss of one’s childhood days. Fog Poem Answer the following: 1. Why does the poet use the phrase “silent haunches”? Substantiate your answer with reference to the poem “Fog”. Ans. The poet uses the phrase “silent haunches” to describe the quiet and sneaky movement of fog as it sits over the city and its harbour for some time. “Silent haunches” is the way a cat sits on its haunches, i.e., on its bent knees. without anybody noticing, similarly, the fog hovers over the city silently. 2. Difficulties come but they are not to stay forever. They come and go. Comment referring to the poem ‘Fog’. Ans. Difficulties, when faced by people, tend to leave them hopeless and shattered. It takes a lot of courage to overcome any problem and to solve it. If we take a clue from the poem and compare difficulties to fog, we find that just like fog, difficulties also come and go. One need not be hopeless and lose courage when problems come, one should  rather think of it as fog, meaning that it has not come to stay but will always leave, like fog. 3. Nature has many wonders that people take for granted and never pay attention to. How is the poem ‘Fog’ different from this perspective? Ans. The poet has taken utmost pleasure in nature and natural phenomenon like fog. Fog is so special to the poet that he cared enough not only to write about it, but also thinks of its resemblance with other things in the world. In his close attention to fog, he found fog resembles a cat, in the way it moves and sits on its haunches. The fact that such a resemblance was found by the poet shows how connected he is to various things in nature. This poem serves as a motivation for people, who take nature for granted to find such interesting comparisons and similarities around them.