(Revised)

Class XII

CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

Shiksha Kendra,
2, Community Centre,
Preet Vihar,
Delhi-110 092 India

(Revised)

Class XII

CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi-110 092 India

Literature Reader - Functional English (Revised)

PRICE: `
First Edition 2014, CBSE, India
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by any person or agency in any manner.

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The Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education,

Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar,
Delhi-110092

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THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

PREAMBLE
WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a 1SOVEREIGN
SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens :
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the2 [unity and integrity of the Nation];
IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT,
ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
1.

Subs, by the Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act. 1976, sec. 2, for "Sovereign Democratic Republic (w.e.f. 3.1.1977)

2.

Subs, by the Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act. 1976, sec. 2, for "unity of the Nation (w.e.f. 3.1.1977)

THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

Chapter IV A

FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES
ARTICLE 51A
Fundamental Duties - It shall be the duty of every citizen of India(a)

to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National
Anthem;

(b)

to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;

(c)

to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;

(d)

to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;

(e)

to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending
religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of
women;

(f)

to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;

(g)

to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, wild life and to have
compassion for living creatures;

(h)

to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;

(i)

to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;

(j)

to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly
rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement;

(k) who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his/her child or, as the case may be,
ward between age of six and forteen years.

1.

Ins. by the constitution (Eighty - Sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 S.4 (w.e.f. 12.12.2002)

Foreword
ENGLISH: BUILDING A BRIDGE BETWEEN ACADEMICS AND WORKPLACE.
The CBSE's English language Curriculum in the classes IX to XII, in particular XI & XII, stands out
for its strong dynamism and continuous evolution and development. Since the 1990's with the
advent of the communicative methodology, the curriculum has changed by adopting the
functional approach. In the current climate of psychological, social and economic changes, the
trend is influenced by explosive knowledge creation and exponential technology growth. Thus,
the need to modify and infuse changes in the English Curriculum at +2 levels is a necessary step in
the up gradation and updation of the existing curriculum, the aim is to bring it at par with other
academic and competency and skills- based disciplines in its rigor and content. It should be borne
in mind that the methodology used in the classroom will be automatically followed by some
alterations in the language teaching and learning process. The increasing use of audio- visual aids
and the internet also impacts on our objectives to give our learners greater autonomy in their
learning, enabling differentiated instruction, and, its transformational impact on teaching
methods and deployment of assessment tools, consistent with those objectives.
At the + 2 stage, students begin to contemplate and introspect on their choice of subjects for higher
study. For some students, this stage may be the end of their formal education, leading to the
world of work and employment; for others, the foundation for higher education. They may
choose either specialized academic courses or job-oriented vocational courses. The Functional
English curriculum should equip them with the necessary associate life skill to make a
meaningful contribution in the field they choose. Students' levels of competency can also notably
influence which career path they can follow.
Therefore, the revised Functional English Course highlights CBSE's approach to language
training within an academic- professional context. The content will emphasize language
competencies and effective workplace communicative skills. The Literature Reader* is divided
into three parts: prose, poetry and drama. The literary pieces cover a range of interesting and
values based themes that can be easily understood and appreciated by the age group. The
Functional Language Skills Book is based on a set of five themes, which students can relate to
from an academic, professional or vocational perspective, namely, Sports and Sportsmanship,
Arts and Aesthetics, Inventors and Inventions, Exploring New Avenues, On the Other Side, and
Speaking and Listening Skills Practice. The units offer a wide range of sub-themes and skills based activities that will equip students to introspect, research, analyse and evaluate knowledge
content independently, extend and apply such knowledge and skills in a number of academic
and professional contexts. Two sets of sample questions are provided at the end of the book as
practice materials that are broadly reflective of the question paper design.

By the end of the course, students will read, write and use grammar structures and a wider set of
vocabulary effectively and, learn to speak and listen efficiently.
The teachers handling the course need to inform themselves regarding the effective use of course
content, teaching methodology, lesson planning, deployment of electronic technology for
teaching, management of group work and independent individual work, managing large classes,
appropriate use of assessment tools and, grading and record keeping to benefit their students.
The seamless integration of the language skills will provide students more focused language
skills necessary for their successful upward mobility academically and professionally as a result
of their higher standard of English proficiency. This will enhance the total Learning Experience of
our students who will be the unequivocal beneficiaries of the most life-long and significant
transferable job skill that supports the achievement of their life goals, as confident and competent
communicators in English in higher academic study or the work place.
The revision of this book would never have been possible but for the sincere effort and
devotion put in by Ms. P. Rajeswary, Education Officer and her team , under the leadership of
Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Prof. & Director [Academics, Research, Training & Innovation], CBSE.
Any further suggestions are all welcome and will be incorporated in the future editions.

Vineet Joshi
Chairman, CBSE

Acknowledgement
Advisory Panel
Sh. Vineet Joshi, IAS, Chairman, CBSE
Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Retd.), JNU, New Delhi
Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Professor & Director (ART&I), CBSE

Committee of Courses
i.

Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Retd.), JNU, N. Delhi, Convener

ii.

Prof. Sumanyu Satpathy, Department of English, Delhi University, New Delhi

iii.

Dr. Kirti Kapoor, Asstt. Professor, NCERT, N. Delhi,

iv.

Dr. Usha Ram, Principal, Laxman Public School, New Delhi

v.

Ms. Anita Vats, Principal, RPVV Kishan Ganj, Directorate of Education, Delhi

vi.

Dr. Savita Arora, Principal, Bharti Public School, Swasthya Vihar, Delhi

vii. Ms. Pramila Mishra, PGT [English], KV, Pitampura, New Delhi
viii Ms. P. Rajeswary, Education Officer, CBSE, New Delhi
ix.

Ms. Neelima Sharma, Consultant, CBSE, New Delhi

x.

Dr. Praggya M. Singh, Joint Director, CBSE, New Delhi

Co-ordinator
Ms. P. Rajeswary, Education Officer [Academics]

Editorial Board

Ms. Lakshmi Srinivasan, Principal

Ms. Sandhya Awasthi, Principal

Ms. Nirmal Bhalla, Vice-Principal

Ms. Renu Anand, ELT Consultant

Selection and Development of Materials

Ms. Lakshmi Srinivasan

Dr. Usha Ram

Ms. Valsa Balaji

Dr. Savita Arora

Ms. Vijayalakshmi Raman

Ms. Alka Rai

Ms. Gayatri Khanna

Ms. Renu Anand

Ms. Kanta Vadhera

Where ever possible the copyright permission has been applied for. Any information about the other pieces which has not been possible to trace
will be highly appreciated. Appropriate acknowledgement will be made in the future editions of the book.

Contents

Prose

An Introduction to Nonfiction and Fiction

Unit 1

What 's Your Dream

Ruskin Bond

Unit 2

A Devoted Son

Anita Desai

13

Unit 3

The Hum of Insects

Robert Lynd

21

Unit 4

The Judgment of Paris

Leonard Merrick

27

Unit 5

On Education

Albert Einstein

37

Unit 6

I Can Play Schools

May C Jenkins

44

Unit 7

The Last Letter

Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru

51

s
Poetry

An Introduction to Poetry
Unit 1

58

a) The Darkling Thrush

Thomas Hardy

62

b) Hope is the Thing

Emily Dickinson

67

Unit 2

Survivors

Siegfried Sassoon

71

Unit 3

At a Potato Digging

Seamus Heaney

74

Unit 4

Ode: To Autumn

John Keats

80

Unit 5

Hamlet's Dilemma

William Shakespeare

87

Unit 6

Curtain

Helen Spalding

94

Unit 7

A Walk by Moonlight

Henry Derozio

98

s
Drama

106

An Introduction to Drama

Unit 1

Remember Ceasar

Gordon Daviot

108

Unit 2

The Monkey's Paw

William Wymark Jacobs

120

Sample Questions for Practice

136

Prose

Literature

Reader

INTRODUCTION TO PROSE: NON-FICTION & FICTION

According to 'The History of Reading' by Alberto Manguel ' books were a marvelous escape.
We can hear our compadres outside, playing baseball and laughing and running. And yet, as we read, at
the back of our minds, we're thinking that they may be out there, having a great and noisy time, but I'm
here in my room, by myself, reading, and that's a much better thing, because someday I'll start writing
books too, and they'll be sorry that they ignored me, laughed at me, paid no attention to me.' He also
suggests, giving books as meals, food-for-thought, writers cooking up a story, rehashing a text, having
half-baked ideas for a plot, spicing up a scene or garnishing the bare-bones of an argument...a slice of life
peppered with allusions into which readers can sink their teeth....'
There are several studies that have highlighted the many benefits of reading and reading
volume. It should be quite obvious that the more students read, the more they know.
Research has even found that reading volume has a direct influence on human cognitive
functions. Therefore, reading directly affects a students' intellectual development. Reading is
an active skill which involves inferencing, guessing, predicting etc. It also has, more often
than not, a communicative function. We rarely answer questions after reading a text except in
a language class, but we do write answers to letters, follow directions, choose restaurants and
holidays, solve problems and compare the information to our previous knowledge or the
knowledge of others.
Literature educates the whole person. By examining values in literary texts, teachers
encourage students to develop attitudes towards them. These values and attitudes relate to
the world outside the classroom, and therefore, hold a high status in many cultures and
countries. For this reason, students can feel a real sense of achievement at understanding a
piece of highly respected literature.
Texts have been drawn from the students' areas of interest and which they can relate to
intellectually and emotionally at ages 17+ to 18+, such as: friendship, heroism, sacrifice, filial
love, loss, freedom, respect, empathy, social responsibility etc. They are authentic , require
intensive reading, tend to be highly motivating, provide good vocabulary coverage and
additionally, integrate naturally with the development of speaking and writing skills.
A familiarity with effective reading strategies can help the teacher look for effective reading
behaviours in students and encourage wider use of these strategies. An effective reader is one

Literature

Reader

who can select the correct strategy for the purpose and text. Studies have shown that the most
effective readers:

discover the distinctive features in letters, words and meaning

try to identify meaning rather than letters or words

use their knowledge of the world

eliminate unlikely alternatives through inference and prediction

have a clearly defined purpose

locate topic sentences

distinguish main points from subordinate ones, and fact from opinion

are aware of cohesion and reference

are aware of explicit and implied relationships between sentences and paragraphs

are aware of the importance of argument, tone and function

are able to work out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary from context

have confidence in their own ability and take chances

There are many good reasons for using literature in the classroom. Literature is authentic
material. It is good to expose learners to this source of unmodified language in the classroom
because the skills they acquire in dealing with difficult or unknown language can be used
outside the class. Literary texts are often rich in multiple layers of meaning, and can be
effectively exploited for discussions and sharing feelings or opinions. Directing learners to
examine sophisticated or non- standard examples of language which can occur in literary texts makes
them more aware of the norms of language use (Widdowson, 1975 quoted by Lazar 1993).
The literature class following the Functional English curriculum has three phases:
Warm up:
3
introducing and stimulating interest in the theme of the prose/fiction
3
motivating students by providing a reason for reading
3
providing language preparation for the prose/fiction

This sets students thinking about the theme of the text. This could take several forms: a short
discussion that students do in pairs, a whole class discussion, a guessing game between the

Literature

Reader

teacher and the class or a brainstorming of vocabulary around the theme. Students may look
at the source of the literature and share what they already know about the author or the times
he/she was writing in. Students may be given some brief background information to read,
and discuss in what way that piece of literature is well-known, maybe, it is often quoted in
modern films, by speaker or unifiers.
Stage two:
3
clarifying

content and vocabulary of the text/s

3
helping

students understand the writer's purpose

3
helping

students understand the structure of the prose/fiction

Often it is a good idea for students to listen to the reading aloud of the prose/fiction, so that,
they can get more of a "feel" for the text. With very evocative pieces of literature or poetry, this
can be quite powerful. Then students read it to themselves. It is important to let students
approach a piece of literature the first time without giving them any specific task other than to
simply read it. One of the aims of teaching literature is to evoke interest and pleasure from the
language. If students have to do a task at every stage of a literature lesson, the pleasure can be
lost. When the students have read it once, they answer a set of comprehension questions or
explain the significance of certain key words of the text. Another way of checking
comprehension is to ask students to explain to each other (in pairs) what they have
understood. This could be followed up by more subjective questions from the teacher (e.g.
Why do you think 'A' said this? How do you think the man/woman/girl/boy feels? What made
him/her act that way?
Stage three:
3
consolidating
3
relating

and reflect upon prose/fiction the that has been read

the text to the students' own knowledge, interests or views

3
providing

a stimulus for further language activities such as speaking and writing

At this stage the teachers may focus on the more difficult words in the text. Encourage
students to find as many of the unfamiliar words they can. Give them clues. The teacher could
also look at certain elements of style that the author has used, and distinguish from and
understand the non-standard forms of language to understand the standard. If appropriate to
the text, the connotation of words which the author has chosen may be also examined.

Literature

Reader

Novels:
Literary novels offer a great range of choice and flexibility. They are authentic, often require
less preparation and can be used effectively with extensive reading exercises. Two novels
have been selected to encourage effective reading through careful selection. Some difficulty
with new vocabulary in the novels would not be an obstacle to its comprehension. Learners
would already be trained to infer meaning of difficult words from context through the tasks
set for reading literary texts in the Literature Reader.
Research has proposed compelling reasons for students being motivated to read novels, as
they are: enjoyable, authentic, help students understand another culture, are a stimulus for
language acquisition, develop their interpretative abilities, expand their language awareness,
motivate them to talk/write about their opinions and feelings and foster personal
involvement in the language learning process.
A note: The novels must not simply be assigned to students as is sometimes done in
mainstream literature courses. The teacher may:

use a reading schedule

have students lead class discussions

exploit the creative possibilities of each novel (bring in period music, historic
photographs, film versions on DVD)

encourage the use of a high-quality dictionary

promote careful reading of the text

have students keep a reading journal. Berthoff (1981) suggests having students keep
a double-entry notebook. Students select a quote from the reading and write it on the
left-hand page. On the opposite page they write their response to it. The response
may include an explanation of what the quote says and why the student chose it.

assignments may be given only when the students have finished reading the novel.

enthusiasm about the novels can be enriching for both teachers and students alike.

Unit - 1

Literature

Reader

What's Your Dream?

by Ruskin Bond

Warm up:
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost , that is where they should be. Now put
foundations under them.
- Henry David Thoreau
What message does Thoreau's words convey?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
What
do the following expressions mean? Work with your partner and choose the best answer.
a) to gather wool
i)

to gather information

ii) to collect wool

iii) to be absent-minded.
b) to build castles in the air
i)

to hope for something which is unlikely to be realized

ii) to plan for the future

iii) to build high-rise structures.
c) utopian ideals
i)

ideals of the people of Utopia

ii) impractical ideals

iii) ideals that can be followed.
d) a dream come true
i)

an idea becoming a reality

ii) something that one wanted very much, but did not expect to happen
iii) an honest dream
A chance encounter with a person often leaves an indelible impression on us. Ruskin Bond's narrative
provides an interesting episode, where an old wise beggar draws a playful youth into a conversation.
Can you guess what the outcome would be?
1. An old man, a beggar man, bent double, with a flowing white beard and piercing grey eyes, stopped
on the road on the other side of the garden wall and looked up at me, where I perched on the branch
of a litchi tree.

Literature

Reader

2. 'What's your dream?' he asked.

It was a startling question coming from that ragged
old man on the street; even more startling that it
should have been made in English. English-speaking
beggars were a rarity in those days.
'What's your dream ?' he repeated.
'I don't remember,' I said. 'I don't think I had a dream
last night.'
'That's not what I mean. You know it isn't what I
mean. I can see you're a dreamer. It's not the litchi
season, but you sit on that tree all afternoon,
dreaming.'
'I just like sitting here,' I said. I refused to admit that I was a dreamer. Other boys didn't dream, they
had catapults.
'A dream, my boy, is what you want most in life. Isn't there something you want more than anything
else ?'
'Yes,' I said promptly. 'A room of my own.'
'Ah'! A room of your own, a tree of your own, it's the same thing.
'Not many people can have their own rooms you know in a land as crowded as ours. Just a small room.'
3. 'And what kind of room do you live in at present?'
'It's a big room, but I have to share it with my brothers and sisters and even my aunt when she visits.'
'I see. What you really want is freedom. Your own tree, your own room, your own small place under
the sun.'
'Yes, that's all.'
'That's all? That's everything! When you have all that, you'll have found your dream.'
4. 'Tell me how to find it!'
There's no magic formula, my friend. If I was a godman, would I be wasting my time here with you? You
must work for your dream, and move towards it all the time, and discard all those things that come in
the way of finding it, and then, if you don't expect too much too quickly, you'll find your freedom, a
room of your own. The difficult time comes afterwards.'
'Afterwards?'
Yes, because it's so easy to lose it all, to let someone take it away from you. Or you become greedy, or
careless, and start taking everything for granted, and-Poof!-suddenly the dream has gone, vanished!'
5. 'How do you know all this?' I asked.
'Because I had my dream and lost it.'
'Did you lose everything?'
'Yes, just look at me now, my friend. Do I look like a king or a godman? I had everything I wanted, but
then I wanted more and more. You get your room, and then you want a building, and when you have

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your building you want your own territory and when you have your own territory you want your
kingdom and all the time it's getting harder to keep everything. And when you lose it in the end, all
the kingdoms are lost-you don't even have your room anymore.'
6. 'Did you have a kingdom?'
'Something like that.,, .Follow your own dream, boy, but don't take other people's dreams, don't stand
in anyone's way, don't take from another man his room or his faith or his song.'
And he turned and shuffled away, intoning the following verse, which I have never heard elsewhere,
so it must have been his own:
'Live long, my friend, be wise and strong, but do not take from any man his song.'
I remained in the litchi tree, pondering over his wisdom and wondering how a man so wise could be so
poor. Perhaps he became wise afterwards. Anyway, he was free, and I was free, and I went back to the
house and demanded (and got) a room of my own. Freedom. I was beginning to realise, is something
you have to insist upon.
Ruskin Bond was born in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, in 1934, and
grew up in Jamnagar (Gujarat), Dehradun and Shimla. In the course
of a writing career spanning thirty-five years, he has written over a
hundred short stories, essays, novels and more than thirty books for
children. Three collections of short stories, The Night Train at Deoli,
Time Stops at Shamli and Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra have been
published by Penguin India. He has also edited two anthologies, The
Penguin Book of Indian Ghost Stories and The Penguin Book of Indian
Railway Stories.
The Room on the Roof was his first novel, written when he was
seventeen, and it received the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in
1957. Vagrant in the Valley was also written in his teens and picks up
from where The Room on the Roof leaves off. These two novels were
published in one volume by Penguin India in 1993 as was a much-acclaimed collection of his non-fiction
writing, Rain in the Mountains.
Ruskin Bond received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English Writing in India in 1992, for Our Trees Still
Grow in Dehra.
1. Understanding the text
1.1 Answer the question briefly:
a)

What does the narrator mean by 'dream' in the story?

b) There was something 'unusual' about the beggar. Explain

c)

Why did the boy want a room of his own?

d) How, according to the beggar, can one realize one's dream?

e)
f)

The beggar's wisdom and his present state of penury seem to be contradictory. Why?
The boy in the story was out of the ordinary. How?

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1.2 Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow:
a)

"Yes, because it's so easy to lose it all, to let someone take it away from you."
1. What does the speaker refer to as 'it'?
2. When does one lose 'it'?
3. How had the speaker gained such profound knowledge about it'?

b)

"It was a startling question coming from that ragged old man on the street"
1. Where was the narrator when he was drawn into the conversation?
2. Give a brief description of the old man
3. Why was the narrator perplexed by the question?

2. Vocabulary:
2.1 Complete the web with suitable synonyms to describe what having a room of your own
means.

liberty

Freedom

choice

2.2 Explain the following expressions.

a)

It was a startling question coming from that ragged old man...

b) 'I refused to admit that I was a dreamer.'

c)

'There is no magic formula, my friend.'

d) 'Do not take away from any man, his song.

e)

'Taking everything for granted'

f)

'Freedom is something you have to insist upon'

g)

'Follow your own dream'

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2.3 Identify five most important qualities essential to turn a dream into a reality. Support your view
in a paragraph of about 120 words.
3. Speaking Skills:
a)

Two friends meet after 25 years at the Alumni Meet of their school. One is a Manager in a
multinational firm, and the other is a Professor at the university. Imagine a conversation
between the two. You may include the following:

Their 'dream job'

Nature of their chosen career

Rewards or regrets

4. Writing Skills:
Listen to an extract from Abdul Kalam's motivational speech and take notes for your reference. You
may some of use the ideas to write your answers.
http://www.theorchidschool.org/orchid-special/616-dr-apj-abdul-kalam-speech-at-the-orchidschool.html
a)

Dream is not something that you get in sleep. It is something that will not allow you to sleep'.
Justify Dr. Abdul Kalam's views in a paragraph of 120-150 words.

b)

Write a letter to your friend, sharing the simple tips you followed to sustain the dream you
achieved. Include the beggar's advice to the boy.

c)

The boy in the story wanted a room of his own, which means freedom and space. Identify one
such dream of yours and the purpose associated with it. Write a short composition on ' The
Adventurous Journey' undertaken by you. (e.g.achieving excellence in academics, comfortable
life or service to society).

d)

Write the script for a speech on 'India of my Dreams' in about 150-200 words, to be delivered
during the school assembly on Independence Day.

e)

As a part of an admission formality to a degree course in an internationally reputed university,

you are expected to write an essay about, yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, your idea of
success and ways of realizing your dream in life. Use some of the ideas from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's
speech. Write the essay on Realizing One's Dream is no Magic, in about 150-200 words.

5. Listening Skills:
Script: 01

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Speech

The Science Expo on 9 Feb 2012
Creative minds lead to evolution of great sciences

Inventions and discoveries have emanated from creative minds that have been constantly working and
imaging the outcome in the mind. With imaging and constant effort, all the forces of the universe
work for that inspired mind, thereby leading to inventions or discoveries.
I am delighted to address and interact with Students present here. I am very happy to know that the
School is celebrating the Science Week in order to expose children to scientific concepts and

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applications. Friends, I would like to share a few thoughts on "Creative minds lead to evolution of
great sciences".
First let us see a few unique scientists, who are always remembered and celebrated by humanity for
their unique contribution to society.
Unique You
Dear friends, look up, what do you see, the light, the electric bulbs. Immediately, our thoughts go to
the inventor Thomas Alva Edison, for his unique contribution towards the invention of electric bulb and
his electrical lighting system.
When you hear the sound of an aeroplane going over your house, whom do you think of? Wright Brothers
proved that man could fly, of course at heavy risk and cost.
Whom does the telephone remind you of? Of course, Alexander Graham Bell.
When everybody considered a sea travel as an experience or a voyage, a unique person questioned
during his sea travel from United Kingdom to India. He was pondering on why the horizon where the sky
and sea meet looks blue? His research resulted in the phenomena of scattering of light. Of course, Sir
CV Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Friends, there was a great scientific lady who is known for discovering Radium. She won not one, but
two Nobel Prizes, one for physics and another for chemistry. Who is she? She is Madam Curie. Madam
Curie discovered radium and she was doing research on the effect of radiation on human system. The
same radiation which she discovered, affected her and she sacrificed her life for removing the pain of
human life.
Young friends, can you join such unique performers of scientific history? Yes, you can. Definitely, you
can. Let us study together, how it can be made possible?
Friends, I have, so far, met 13 million youth in a decade's time. I learnt, "every youth wants to be
unique, that is, YOU! But the world all around you, is doing its best, day and night, to make you just
"everybody else". At home, dear young friends, you are asked by your parents to be like neighbours'
children for scoring good marks. When you go to school, your teacher says, "Why don't you become like
the first five rankers in the class?". Wherever you go, they are saying "you have to be somebody else or
everybody else".
The challenge, my young friends, is that you have to fight the hardest battle, which any human being
can ever imagine to fight; and never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined place, that is, a
UNIQUE YOU! Friends, what will be your tools to fight this battle, what are they: have a great aim in
life, continuously acquire the knowledge, work hard and persevere to realize the great achievement.
What Science can give you
Dear friends, since I am with students who are shortly going to decide on what stream they should carve
out for their career, I would like to share with you one question, what is the uniqueness of being a
scientist? Science gives you better eyes because science can remove the mental blinkers and it gives
your brain a challenge to solve many scientific problems that are yet to be solved. Science indeed will
connect you the brains of many smart people who were there before you. Hence, science makes you
feel good to stand on the shoulders of the giants like Issac Newton, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawkings,
Sir CV Raman, Chandrasekhar Subramanyam, and Srinivasa Ramanujam.

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Science always provides challenging problems. Look at the southern sky, bright clouds lit by light. That
is our galaxy, we belong to the milky way. Millions and millions of stars are there. We belong to a small
star, what is that star - Sun. The Solar system has eight planets. Our planet earth has six billion people,
and millions and millions of species. Can you imagine what science has revealed to all of us? Our galaxy
and our sun and its characteristics have been identified. The exact location with respect of sun and
galaxy has been discovered.
You take our human body. Science has revealed that the human body is made up of millions and millions
of atoms. The difference between one human being and another is determined by the sequencing of
the atoms.
The recent human genome programme reveals that human genome contains 23 pairs of chromosomes,
which centres in the nucleus of every cell in the body. Each chromosome consists of a DNA double helix,
that is wrapped around spool like proteins called histones. It is estimated that the human body has
three hundred thousand to 2 million proteins.The unraveling of the genomic mystery will ultimately
allow the bio-medical community to create a new evolutionary future for the human race.
Building Confidence
Dear friends, during the last few years, I have seen, how India Vision 2020 has inspired the people,
particularly the youth of the nation, which has resulted in many taking up many missions directed
towards Vision 2020. Now I recall a situation in 1990 beginning when I was interacting with the youth of
Ahmedabad, one girl asked me a question "When can I sing a song of India?" At that time, her brother
who was in the United States, was always talking about the best in the United States. This girl sitting in
India was fed up about her brother's stories and in her quest to find an answer she asked me "When can I
sing a song of India?" How do I answer, I have explained the Developed India Vision 2020, and advised
her to have confidence and certainly she can sing a song of India by 2020. The same spirit echoed
everywhere during that time. But for the last few years, while interacting with the youth, I had seen a
marked change in the thinking of the youth. They have always been asking me "What can I give to the
nation?" That means youth are ready to contribute for the national development. Recently, during the
last one year, I see further change, they tell me "I can do it", "We can do it" and the "Nation will do it".
With the 600 million youth of the nation whom you represent, actively participating in the
development process, I am sure that India will be transformed into a developed nation before the year
2020.
My greetings and best wishes to all the students assembled here for success in their educational
mission.
May God bless you.

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Unit -2

A Devoted Son

by Anita Desai

1. Warm up
a conservative society, what qualities would you
In
associate with a son or daughter? Discuss with your
partner.
there a difference between what a family expects
Is
from a son and daughter? Share your ideas with the class.
2. What do these idioms mean?
a

blood is thicker than water

chip of the old block

at your mother's knee

at death's door

alive and kicking

Read the story

1. When the results appeared in the morning papers, Rakesh scanned them barefoot and in his pyjamas,
at the garden gate, then went up the steps to the verandah where his father sat sipping his morning
tea and bowed down to touch his feet.
"A first division, son?" his father asked, beaming, reaching for the papers.
"At the top of the list, papa," Rakesh murmured, as if awed. " First in the country."
2. Bedlam broke loose then. The family whooped and danced. The whole day long visitors streamed into
the small yellow house at the end of the road to congratulate the parents of this Wonderkid, to slap
Rakesh on the back and fill the house and garden with the sounds and colours of a festival. There were
garlands and halwa, party clothes and gifts (enough fountain pens to last years, even a watch or two),
nerves and temper and joy, all in a multicoloured whirl of pride and great shining vistas newly
opened: Rakesh was the first son in the family to receive an education, so much had been sacrificed in
order to send him to school and then medical college, and at last the fruits of their sacrifice had
arrived, golden and glorious.
To everyone who came to him to say 'Mubarak', "Varmaji, your son has brought you glory," the father
said, "Yes, and do you know what is the first thing he did when he saw the results this morning? He
bowed down and touched my feet." This moved many of the women in the crowd so much that they
were seen to raise the ends of their saris and dab at their tears while the men reached out for the
betel-leaves and sweetmeats that were offered around on trays and shook their heads in wonder and
approval of such exemplary filial behaviour. "One does not often see such behaviour in sons any
more," they all agreed, a little enviously, perhaps. Leaving the house, some of the women said,
Halwa: Traditional sweet
Mubarak: Hindi for 'congratulate'

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sniffing, "At least on such an occasion they might have served pure ghee sweets," and some of the men
said, "Don't you think old Varma was giving himself airs? He needn't think we don't remember that he
comes from the vegetable market himself, his father used to sell vegetables, and he has never seen
the inside of a school." But there was more envy than rancour in their voices and it was, of course,
inevitable-not every son in that shabby little colony at the edge of the city was destined to shine as
Rakesh shone, and who knew that better than the parents themselves?
3. And that was only the beginning, the first step in a great, sweeping ascent to the radiant heights of
fame and fortune. The thesis he wrote for his M.D. brought Rakesh still greater glory, if only in select
medical circles. He won a scholarship. He went to the USA (that was what his father learnt to call it
and taught the whole family to say-not America, which was what the ignorant neighbours called it,
but, with a grand familiarity, "the USA") where he pursued his career in the most prestigious of all
hospitals and won encomiums from his American colleagues which were relayed to his admiring and
glowing family. What was more, he came back, he actually returned to that small yellow house in the
once-new but increasingly shabby colony, right at the end of the road where the rubbish vans tipped
out their stinking contents for pigs to nose in and rag-pickers to build their shacks on, all steaming and
smoking just outside the neat wire fences and well tended gardens. To this, Rakesh returned and the
first thing he did on entering the house was to slip out of the embraces of his sisters and brothers and
bow down and touch his father's feet.
4. As for his mother, she gloated chiefly over the strange fact that he had not married in America, had
not brought home a foreign wife as all her neighbours had warned her he would, for wasn't that what
all Indian boys went abroad for? Instead he agreed, almost without argument, to marry a girl she had
picked out for him in her own village, the daughter of a childhood friend, so old-fashioned, so placid,
so complaisant that she slipped into the household and settled in like a charm, seemingly too lazy and
too good-natured to even try and make Rakesh leave home and set up independently, as any other girl
might have done. What was more, she was pretty-really pretty, in a plump, pudding way that only
gave way to fat-after the birth of their first baby, a son, and then what did it matter?
For some years Rakesh worked in the city hospital, quickly rising to the top of the administrative
organization, and was made a director before he left to set up his own clinic. He took his parents in his
car-a new, sky-blue Ambassador with a rear window full of stickers and charms revolving on strings-to
see the clinic when it was built, and the large sign-board over the door on which his name was printed
in letters of red. Thereafter his fame seemed to grow just a little dimmer-or maybe it was only that
everyone in town had grown accustomed to it at last-but it was also the beginning of his fortune for he
now became known not only as the best, but also the richest doctor in town.
5. At the time he set up his clinic his father had grown into an old man and retired from his post at the
kerosene dealer's depot at which he had worked for forty years, and his mother died soon after, giving
up the ghost with a sigh that sounded positively happy, for it was her own son who ministered to her in
her last illness and who sat pressing her feet at the last moment-such a son as few women had borne.
It was a strange fact, however, that talent and skill, if displayed for too long, cease to dazzle. It came
to pass that the most admiring of all eyes eventually faded and no longer blinked at his glory. Having
retired from work and having lost his wife, the old father very quickly went to pieces, as they say. He
developed so many complaints and fell ill so frequently and with such mysterious diseases that even
his son could no longer make out when it was something of significance and when it was merely a
peevish whim. He sat huddled on his string bed most of the day and developed an exasperating habit
of stretching out suddenly and lying absolutely still, allowing the whole family to fly around him in a
flap, wailing and weeping, and then suddenly sitting up, as if to mock their behaviour.
encomium: high or glowing praise

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He did this once too often: After sometime no one much cared if he sat up crosslegged on his bed or lay
down flat. Except, of course, for that pearl amongst pearls, his son Rakesh.

6. It was Rakesh who brought him his morning tea, not in one of the china cups from which the rest of the
family drank, but in the old man's favourite brass tumbler, and sat at the edge of his bed, comfortable
and relaxed , and discussed or, rather, read out the morning news to his father. It made no difference
to him that his father made no response. It was Rakesh, too, who, on returning from the clinic in the
evening, persuaded the old man to come out of his room and take the evening air out in the garden,
beautifully arranging the pillows and bolsters on the divan in the corner of the open verandah. Him
down for a night under the stars.
7. All this was very gratifying for the old man. What was not so gratifying was that he even undertook to
supervise his father's diet. One day when the father was really sick, having ordered his daughter-inlaw to make him a dish of soojie halwa and eaten it with a saucerful of cream, Rakesh marched into
the room, not with his usual respectful step but with the confident and rather contemptuous stride of
the famous doctor, and declared, "No more halwa for you, papa. We must be sensible, at your age. If
you must have something sweet, Veena will cook you a little kheer, that's light, just a little rice and
milk. But nothing fried, nothing rich. We can't have this happening again."
8. He stared at his son with disbelief that darkened quickly to reproach. A son who actually refused his
father the food he craved? But Rakesh had turned his back to him and was cleaning up the litter of
bottles and packets on the medicine shelf and did not notice while Veena slipped silently out of the
room with a little smirk that only the old man saw, and hated.
9. Halwa was only the first item to be crossed off the old man's diet. The meals that arrived for him on
the shining stainless steel tray twice a day were frugal to say the least-dry bread, boiled lentils,
boiled vegetables and, if there were a bit of chicken or fish, that was boiled too. If he called for
another helping in a cracked voice that quavered theatrically Rakesh himself would come to the
door, gaze at him sadly and shake his head, saying, "Now, papa, we must be careful, we can't risk
another illness, you know," and although the daughter-in-law kept tactfully out of the way, the old
man could just see her smirk sliding merrily through the air. He tried to bribe his grandchildren into
buying him sweets (and how he missed his wife now), whispering, "Here's fifty paise," as he stuffed the
coins into a tight, hot fist. "Run down to the shop at the crossroads and buy me thirty paise worth of
jalebis, and you can spend the remaining twenty paise on yourself. Eh? Understand? Will you do that?"
He got away with it once or twice but then was found out, the conspirator was scolded by his father
and smacked by his mother and Rakesh came storming into the room, almost tearing his hair as he
shouted through compressed lips, "Now papa, are you trying to turn my little son into a liar? Quite
apart from spoiling your own stomach, you are spoiling him as well-you are encouraging him to lie to
his own parents. You should have heard the lies he told his mother when she saw him bringing back
those jalebis wrapped up in filthy newspaper. I don't allow anyone in my house to buy sweets in the
bazaar, papa, surely you know that. There's cholera in the city, typhoid, gastroenteritis-I see these
cases daily in the hospital, how can I allow my own family to run such risks?" The old man sighed and
lay down in the corpse position. But that worried no one any longer.
10. Old Bhatia, next door, however, who was still spry enough to refuse adamantly to bathe in the tiled
bathroom indoors and to insist on carrying out his brass mug and towel, in all seasons and usually at
impossible hours, into the yard and bathe noisily under the garden tap, would look over the hedge to
Soojie Halwa: a sweet dish made of semolina
Jalebies: a traditional sweet

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see if Varma were out on his verandah and would call to him and talk while he wrapped his dhoti about
him and dried the sparse hair on his head, shivering with enjoyable exaggeration. Of course these
conversations, bawled across the hedge by two rather deaf old men conscious of having their entire
households overhearing them, were not very satisfactory but Bhatia occasionally came out of his
yard, walked down the bit of road and came in at Varma's gate to collapse onto the stone plinth built
under the temple tree.
"At least you have a doctor in the house to look after you," sighed Bhatia.
"Look after me?" cried Varma, his voice cracking like an ancient clay jar. "He-he does not even give me
enough to eat."
"What?" said Bhatia, the white hair in his ears twitching. "Doesn't give you enough to eat? Your own
son?"
"My own son. If I ask him for one more piece of bread, he says no, papa, I weighed out the atta myself
and I can't allow you to have more than two hundred grams of cereal a day. He weighs the food he
gives me, Bhatia-he has scales to weigh it on. That is what it has come to."
"Never," murmured Bhatia in disbelief. "Is it possible, even in this evil age, for a son to refuse his father
food?"
"Let me tell you" Varma whispered eagerly. "Today the family was having fried fish-I could smell it. I
called to my daughter-in-law to bring me a piece. She came to the door and said no..."
"Said no?" It was Bhatia's voice that cracked. A drongo shot out of the tree and sped away. "No?"
"No, she said no, Rakesh has ordered her to give me nothing fried. No butter, he says, no oil..."
"No butter? No oil? How does he expect his father to live?"
11. Old Varma nodded with melancholy triumph. "That is how he treats me-after I have brought him up,
given him an education, made him a great doctor. Great doctor! This is the way great doctors treat
their fathers, Bhatia," for the son's sterling personality and character now underwent a curious sea
change. Outwardly all might be the same but the interpretation had altered: his masterly efficiency
was nothing but cold heartlessness, his authority was only tyranny in disguise.
"Let me be," Varma begged, turning his face away from the pills on the son's outstretched hand. "Let
me die. It would be better. I do not want to live only to eat your medicines."
"Papa, be reasonable."
12. In the evening, that summer, the servants would come into his cell, grip his bed, one at each end, and
carry it out to the verandah, there sitting it down with a thump that jarred every tooth in his head. In
answer to his agonised complaints they said the doctor sahib had told them he must take the evening
air and the evening air they would make him take-thump. Then Veena, that smiling, hypocritical in a
rustling sari, would appear and pile up the pillows under his head till he was propped up stiffly into a
sitting position that made his head swim and his backache.
"Let me lie down," he begged. "I can't sit up any more."
"Try, papa, Rakesh said you can if you try," she said, and drifted away to the other end of the verandah
where her transistor radio vibrated to the lovesick tunes from the cinema that she listened to all day.
"Papa," his son said, tenderly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching out to press his feet.
atta: flour
drongo: a bird

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Old Varma tucked his feet under him, out of the way, and continued to gaze stubbornly into the yellow
air of the summer evening.
"Papa, I'm home."
Varma's hand jerked suddenly, in a sharp, derisive movement, but he did not speak.
"How are you feeling, papa? I've brought you a new tonic to make you feel better. You must take it, it
will make you feel stronger again. Here it is. Promise me you will take it regularly, papa."
Then he spat out some words, as sharp and bitter as poison, into his son's face. "Keep your tonic-I want
none-I want none-I won't take any more of-of your medicines. None. Never," and he swept the bottle
out of his son's hand with a wave of his own, suddenly grand, suddenly effective.

13. He gave one push to the pillows at his back and dislodged them so he could sink down on his back,
quite flat again. He closed his eyes and pointed his chin at the ceiling, like some dire prophet,
groaning, "God is calling me-now let me go."
About the author:
Anita Desai was born in 1937 in Mussoorie, India. She was educated at Delhi
University. She has been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize, with
Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1994) and Fasting, Feasting (1999). She
has published several novels, children's books and short stories. She is a Fellow
of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Letters
and Girton College, Cambridge. She teaches in the Writing Program at MIT.
Anita Desai lives in Massachusetts.
Born to a German mother and Bengali father, Desai grew up speaking German,
Hindi, and English. She received a B.A. in English from the University of Delhi in
1957. The suppression and oppression of Indian women were the subjects of her first novel, Cry, the
Peacock (1963), and a later novel, Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975). Fire on the Mountain
(1977) was criticized as relying too heavily on imagery at the expense of plot and characterization, but
it was praised for its poetic symbolism and use of sounds. Clear Light of Day (1980), considered the
author's most successful work, is praised for its highly evocative portrait of two sisters caught in the
lassitude of Indian life. Its characters are revealed not only through imagery but through gesture,
dialogue, and reflection.
I.

Understanding the text:

1. Answer the following briefly.
a) Why were the members of the Varmaji household in a celebratory mood?
b) Why was Rakesh's achievement a glorious one for his family?
c) Why was his family happy about their son's return from the US?
d) How did Rakesh's talents benefit his father?
e) Why did Rakesh's achievements lose their shine in due time?
f)

Why did Varmaji bribe his grandchildren? How did Rakesh react to his behaviour?

g) What was Varmaji's complaint to Bhatia?

h) What events led to Varmaji's wishing to be left alone?

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2. Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.
1) "Yes and do you know what is the first thing he did when he saw the results this morning? He
bowed and touched my feet."
a) What is the 'result' referred to?
b) Other than his son's achievement, what else is the speaker proud of ?
c) Identify the traditional values conveyed here.
2) 'Instead, he agreed, almost without argument, to marry a girl she had picked out for him in
her own village.'
a) Rakesh lived up to his mother's expectation. How?
b) What had she feared?
c) Rakesh was a truly 'devoted' son. Why?
3) "This is how he treats me after I have brought him up, given him education, made him a great
doctor."
a) Why is the speaker unhappy?
b) Was Rakesh a devoted son? Give instances to support your answer.
c) Is there a generation gap between the father and son? Give reasons.
4) "I won't take any more of your medicines." "No. Never" and he swept the bottle out of his son's
hand.
a) What caused Mr. Varma to react in this manner?
b) Is Rakesh responsible for it? Give a reason.
c) Which of the options given below best describes Mr. Varma's state of mind in the given
extract.
(i) helpless (ii) spiteful (iii) angry
(iv) frustrated
3. Vocabulary:
a) Match the words with the meaning
S.No.

Word

Meaning

1.

spry

mocking

2.

filial

lofty praise

3.

encomiums

deep-seated ill will

4.

rancor

pertaining to son/daughter

5.

reproach

vigorous

6.

derisive

blame, censure

4.1 Writing Skills:

a) The son's personality and character underwent a sea change. What were the changes in
Rakesh as observed by Varma.
b) A sense of bonhomie is seen among the villagers. Describe two incidents that reflect this.
c) Though Rakesh was a well established doctor and busy running his own clinic, how does he
show his filial devotion?

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d) Veena is a dutiful daughter-in-law. Do you agree/disagree? Justify.
e) What impression do you get about Rakesh's life? Illustrate with suitable textual references.
f)

As Veena, Rakesh's wife, write a letter to your sister expressing how bad you feel that your
husband's concern for his father is being misconstrued as being heartless.

g) How does the story reflect the Indian cultural values of respect for parents, in-laws and close
knit communities. Give your views in about 150-200 words
h) Do you sympathise with Rakesh for what he gets in the end for his devotion? Justify your views
in about 150-200 words.
i) Rakesh is acting more like a doctor than a son, and that ruins the quality of his father's last
days. Do you think he is justified in doing so? Express your views in about 150-200 words.
4.2 Appreciation:
a) A static character in a story does not change during the development of the plot while a
dynamic character does. How are Varma and Rakesh examples of these? Substantiate with
examples.
b) Do you think Varma and of Bhatia are a contrast to each other? Give reasons.
c) Anitha Desai's writing style is embellished by the wonderful phrases that she has used to
convey the character's, feelings and to make the descriptions vivid. Substantiate this
observation.
d) the following sentences from the story focussing on the italicised phrases.
Read
1.

'The whole day long visitors streamed into the small yellow house.'

2.

'All in a multicoloured whirl of pride.'

3.

'When it is merely a peevish whim.'

4.

The old man could just see her smirk sliding merrily.'

5.

'His authority was only tyranny in disguise.'

read the following situations and match the above phrases with the situations.
Now
i)

Anvita received a string of awards for her innovation in Science. She was flooded with
congratulatory messages. She was swimming in a ________________________.

ii) The party workers came to greet their leader on his birthday. They
__________________ ____________ the party office from 5 am in the morning.
iii) Mr. Rao lost the argument to his wife. His teenaged son observed his father getting
into the car sheepishly. As he got into the car he saw him ______________________.
iv) Sanjay often threw tantrums and cried for everything. His patient mother could
never make out whether it was genuine or if it was ____________________________.
v)

Rohit was a Class 12 student studying in Delhi. As his parents worked abroad, Rohit's
uncle was his local guardian. He laid down many restrictions on Rohit, out of sheer
concern. Rohit felt it was _______________________________________.

out four more expressions from the text that enhance the description of people or
Pick
events, as in given the examples in '4.2.d'.
1. ___________________________________________________________________

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2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________
5. Speaking Skills:
Role Play: As the village head you meet Varma who has become senile. Tell him about Rakesh's
sacrifice and how he should cooperate with his son and not criticise him.
6. Values-based question:
In today's world, parents like Varma struggle a lot to educate their children. The latter, after their
education, become successful professionals who leave their parents and go abroad or to the cities
seeking greener pastures. Finally, the parents in their old age, are sent to old age homes where
they are taken care of quite well. The basic health care is provided but they are emotionally
parched. What can be done to avoid this pathetic situation?

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Poetry

Literature

Reader

INTRODUCTION TO POETRY
What is poetry for? Why do people write it?
Writing poetry is a way of expressing one's ideas and emotions, or of recording a special event. The poet's
purpose is usually to communicate with other people. Sometimes, a poet may write to sort out her/his
own thoughts.
Read the poems in the Poetry section. If you find a poem that you like, read it again. Practise reading it
out loud. Ask yourself, 'Why do I like this poem?' and 'What's it about?'
You may have noticed that although the subject matter is important in a poem as in all forms of writing
poetry has a special quality that enables atmosphere and mood to be passed on by the poet to the reader.
When you ask yourself what a poem is about, you should probe beyond the obvious narrative of the poem
and ask further questions about the poet's feelings and your response.
Below are some guidelines to help you to focus on the poems and explore and enjoy them more fully.
Why do you like a poem?
Do you like the poem because it:
is realistic and natural?

tells
a good story?
makes you laugh, feel sad, loving, tender?

reminds you of something in your own life?

Or
do you like it for some other reason?
What's the poem about?
Who
is speaking in the poem?
To
whom?
What
about? (Remember that it may be about several things.)
What
does the poet feel, and what do you feel? (This is the mood of the poem.)
How
are the ideas being expressed?
You will have an opinion on the first four questions after a close reading of the poem and discussing it with
other people. There may be several different, well-supported points of view; all of them deserve
consideration.
The fifth question, 'How are the ideas being expressed?' will be better answered using the following
guidelines.
What to look for
Language choosing words:
you may have noticed that the poet uses words in an extremely concise and vivid way. Every word is

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chosen with care. The poet, while selecting a word is thinking about its sound as well as its meaning.
Examine the poet's choice of words as you read each poem and see how words are used, keeping the
following aspects in mind:
Context is determined by key words used in a particular position in a line to maximise their impact.
Double meanings or suggested meaning may lurk behind words and phrases.
Repetition of words and phrases is used for emphasis of meaning or to contribute to atmosphere and
rhythm.
The music or rhythm of each line depends on the choice and placing of words. Rhythm, working alongside
the meaning of words, helps to shape the whole poem. A fast rhythm can make words exciting or angry. A
slow rhythm may emphasize thoughtfulness or peace.
Ask yourself why the poet has used a particular form. What effect is the poet trying to achieve? Has the
poet succeeded?
This example from the poem A Walk by Moonlight [stanza 8] shows how Henry Derozio made words work
for him.
"There was a dance among the leaves
Rejoicing in her power,
Who robes for them of silver weaves
within one mystic hour"
Images
One of the key features of poetry is that it uses images. Images or word pictures are a way of creating
atmosphere or illustrating ideas. One form of word picture is achieved by using metaphors. When the
poet surprises you by symbolizing indirectly unlikely things, it helps you to form a memorable picture in
your mind. Imagery may be graphic [creating a visual picture] kinetic [suggesting movement] or
something sensuous [of the senses]. What kind of imagery do you think this stanza conjures up eg. Curtain
by Helen Spalding: Incredulously the laced fingers loosen slowly.
Metaphors
In Seamus Heaney's poem 'At a Potato Digging', there is strong visual picture of the potatoes freshly
unearthed eg. [part II, stanza 2]
"The rough bark of humus erupts
knots of potatoes [a clean birth]
whose solid feel, whose wet inside
promises taste of ground and root.
To be piled in pits; live skulls, blind eyed" .

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Similes
Another figure of speech, a simile, may be used where a comparison or likeness is stated directly.
In the words of John Keats
"And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook" .
In the poem 'Ode: To Autumn', the poet uses the reference to a gleaner as a simile to suggest the
generosity of Autumn, when the season offers plenty as left overs for those who search for and gather
them.
While reading the poems in your Literature Readers pick the interesting or unusual metaphors. Think
about them and discuss them. The images evoked by the metaphors may not be the same for everybody.
As you get used to looking closely at poems you will become aware of all kinds of images and half-images,
formed both by direct comparisons and the merest suggestions. You do not necessarily need to identify
the images by name to enjoy their impact but it is useful to think about how their effect is achieved, when
you make attempts at writing poetry yourself.
Form of structure
A quick glance at how a poem is set out on a page will tell you something about form. As you look through
the pages of this book, you will notice:
poems with verses (or stanzas) or equal length

verses of irregular length

lines
in a single group
lines
of varying length
end-stopped lines, which finish or pause before the next line

some
poems which rhyme, other with irregular or no rhyme
poems written in sentences, obeying the rules of grammar

poems using words more randomly, with no punctuation or capital letters.

In general, people writing poetry today will use the form that they feel best suits each poem and adds the
greatest impact to it. Probing and questioning may lead a poet to a loose, open style, whereas deeply held
views and tight emotions might best be contained within a formal pattern. But not necessarily. There is no
right and wrong style for particular situation.
It may interest you to know that till the twentieth century there were accepted conventions and styles to
poetry, partly depending on subject matter, which influenced poetry writing. Some poets still prefer to
work within a tight framework of rules.
There are several types of verse and line forms:
Blank Verse

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Verse
Free

Rhyming Couplet
Metre A combination of stressed and unstressed syllables makes up a metre.
Rhyming couplets: They are written using Iambic pentameter as their basic meter. These couplets also
use rhyme at the end of the lines.
Blank verse: It is written in Iambic pentameter but has no rhyme at the end of the lines.
Lambic: When the syllables are arranged as unstressed and stressed.
Pentameter: A stressed/unstressed or any other, permutation and combination makes a meter.
Free verse: It is written without rhyme and without any traditional metrical* pattern. It has no recurring
rhythm. The stress therefore depends on the meaning of the lines.
*Some traditional metrical patterns being Trochee, Spondee, Anapest and Pyrrhic.

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Unit -1a

Literature

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The Darkling Thrush

by Thomas Hardy

Warm up: Study the pictures

a) Natural and manmade catastrophes trigger chaos and destruction. Share your thoughts about each of
the scenes given here.

b) Hardy's best known bird poem was written on December 31, 1900, but its acknowledgment of defiant
hope, or even optimism, still holds good.
Read this poem about the poet's feelings about life and how he looks upon its challenges in his
way.
The Darkling Thrush
1. I leant upon a coppice gate
When frost was spectre-gray
And winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken Iyres,
coppice: dense growth, bushes
lyres: stringed musical instrument

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And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.
2. The land's sharp features seemed to be
The Century's corpse out leant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.
3. At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast-beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the growing gloom.
4. So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That I could think there trembled through
His happy good-night air
Some blesse Hope, whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

About the poet

Thomas Hardy was one of the most renowned poets and novelists in English
literary history.Hardy's long career spanned the Victorian and the modern eras
Thomas Hardy's poem about the turn of the twentieth century, 'The Darkling
Thrush," remains one of his most popular and anthologised lyrics. Written on
the eve of the new century and first published in Graphic with the subtitle By
the Century's Deathbed and then published in London Times on New Year's Day,
1901. The thirty-two line poem uses a bleak and wintry landscape as a
metaphor for the close of the nineteenth century and the joyful song of a
solitary thrush as a symbolic image of the dawning century.

even song: evening prayer

illimited: unlimited
carolings: songs of joy
nigh: (OE) near

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I.

Understanding the poem:

1. On the basis of your reading choose the most appropriate option.
a) What is the setting of the poem?
i)

The poet has moved from the city to the country side

ii) The poet talks about the last day of a century

iii) The poet walks through a forest
iv) The poet discusses the landscape
b) How is the third stanza a contrast to the previous stanza?
i)

The thrush's song serves as a harbinger of life in the blank landscape

ii) The song of the thrush is about the arrival of the spring season
iii) The first stanza is about the germination of a seed
iv) The poet is awaiting a new era
1.2 Answer the following briefly.
a) Why doesn't the speaker feel joyous while the bird could see the good things ahead?
b) Identify the following:
of the day
time
of the year
time

place where the poet finds himself

c) Pick out the images in Stanza 1 that convey the following moods

thoughtfulness

despondency
d) Why is the thrush referred to as an 'aged bird'?
e) Why does the poet disbelieve the bird's "carolings"?
f) Explain the images of contrast presented in stanza 4.
g) How does the poet establish a sense of the following (throughout the poem)?

time

space

mood
h) What is suggested by the following words / phrases in the poem?

spectre-grey

haunted
illimited
joy
- beruffled
blast
i)

What do the thrush and the poet have in common?

j) Bring out the significance of the title, "The Darkling Thrush".

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2. Appreciation:
2.1 Fill in the table with suitable examples from the poem.
1. Setting
2. Tone
3. Theme
2.2 Hardy has used a specific style in bringing out the theme of the poem. Complete the table
by identifying the images / words / phrases used in the poem.
1. Time eg : sunset

Ending of the century etc.

2. Nature
3. Hope
4. Music
2.3 Identify the rhyme scheme in the given stanza
I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.
2.4 Figures of speech
a) Identify the simile in the poem and explain.
b) Identify and explain an alliteration.
c) What is a metaphor? The poem has several metaphors. One has been done as an example.
Find the others and explain them.
e.g.: 'Had chosen thus to fling his soul' refers to a bird song as the soul.

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3) Writing Skills:
3.1 Identify words that signify positivity and negativity in the poem
Positive

Negative

3.2 Compose a 10 line poem bringing out your own optimism while facing the new year / century.
3.3 As Thomas Hardy, write a diary entry about how the song of the thrush changed your thoughts,
in about 80-100 words.
3.4 The "The Darkling Thrush" is both a lament for the death of music and a celebration of its
rebirth. Substantiate this observation in about 80 -100 words.
4) Speaking Skills:
Speak briefly on the topic: Lessons of life can be learnt from nature.
5) Activity:
Suppose that you are seated in a time machine. You travel from the 21st century era to go back to
the 19th century. Share your thoughts about the changes you would notice. Use the following
clues to write an article in about 200-250 words. You may express your feelings about what you
see during the journey.
a) Politics, Administration
b) Monuments
c) Literary personalities
d) Great scientists / leaders
You may need to refer to the encyclopedia, history books in your library or surf the internet to
help you develop your article. Give an interesting title.

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Unit - 1b

Hope

by Emily Dickinson

Warm up:
Interpret the scenes in the pictures what does each suggest to you?
A

What keeps people going under such circumstances? Share your ideas with the class.
READ THE POEM:
1. "Hope" is the thing with feathersThat perches in the soulAnd sings the tune without the wordsAnd never stops-at all2. And sweetest-in the Gale-is heardAnd sore must be the stormThat could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm3. I've heard it in the chillest landAnd on the strangest SeaYet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb-of Me.

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About the poet

In 1830, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. She
attended Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, but only for one
year. Throughout her life, she seldom left her house and visitors were few.
Dickinson lived in almost total physical isolation from the outside world, but
actively maintained many correspondences and read widely.
Dickinson's poetry reflects her loneliness and the speakers of her poems
generally live in a state of want. Her poems are also marked by the intimate
recollection of inspirational moments which are decidedly life-giving and
suggest the possibility of happiness.
1. Understanding the poem:
1.1 Choose the best option
a) 'That perches in the soul' implies
i) soul is the home for hope.
ii) bird rests in its home.
iii) bird sings from its soul.
b) Emily Dickinson uses the bird as a symbol for
i)

optimism

ii) pessimism
iii) Both of the above
1.2 Based on your understanding of the poem and the given visuals, answer the following
questions briefly. Do this individually, in a word or two.
a) To what does the poet, compare the bird?
b) Where does the bird perch?
c) What is a 'gale'?
d) What does the 'gale' represent in the poem?
e) Why is hope "endless"?
f)

How can a song keep a person "warm"?

1.3 a) Complete suitably

1. regards
The poet

2. compares
3. celebrates

1. ___________________
HOPE

2. ___________________
3. ___________________

b) Why does Dickinson say 'Yet, never, in Extremity, It asked a crumb of Me!'

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1.4 Fill in the spaces appropriately
'HOPE' is represented in
words like

The 'PAIN' of life is represented

in words like

1. __________________________________

1. __________________________________

2. __________________________________

2. __________________________________

3. __________________________________

3. __________________________________

2. Appreciation:
2.1 The poet has used 'dashes' as punctuation marks rather than a 'full stop' or a 'comma' in her poem.
Explain why?
2.2 In the poem, Imagery is used explicitly. Pick out an image in each stanza and explain.
2.3 Pick out the alliteration and explain its influence on the poem.
2.4 Identify the figures of the speech/poetic devices used in the poem, and illustrate them with
examples.
Poetic device

Stanza No.

Lines from the poem

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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3. Writing Skills:
a) When one loses something, he/she is shocked and goes into a state of denial, leading to anger. In
such a situation, coping leads to acceptance and a changed way of living with loss. Write an
article on how 'Hope' helps one to 'Cope with Loss', with suitable examples from the two poems in
about 100-120 words.
b) Write an article about the 'Philosophical View of the World' to be published in the 'Youth Forum' of
a journal. Write the article in about 150 words, based on suitable examples from both the poems.
c) What does the bird symbolise in the poems,'The Darkling Thrush' and 'Hope'? Identify yourself with
the bird and express your thoughts in a diary entry, in about 150 words.
4. Speaking Skills:
Speak for a minute or two on the topic - "All odds, all challenges, all tragedies and all handicaps of
life, can be overcome with strong hope, determination, persistent hard work, insurmountable
patience and unshakeable tenacity."
5. Activity:
Critically review the poems, gain an insight into the life of the two poets and create a colourful,
informative and visually appealing collage to represent their poems. Remember that the poets and
their compositions are invariably affected by their life experiences which manifest in their creative
work.

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Reader Unit - 2

Survivors

by Siegfried Sassoon

Warm up:
The present century has witnessed several wars and conflicts that erupted in different parts of the world.
Discuss in pairs:
a) What led to so many wars?
b) War causes much suffering. Who are the victims? In what ways do they suffer?
Read the poem.
No doubt they'll soon get well; the shock and strain
have caused their stammering, disconnected talk.
Of course they're 'longing to go out again,'There boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.
They'll soon forget their haunted nights; their cowed
Subjection to the ghosts of friends who died,
Their dreams that drip with murder; and they'll be proud
Of glorious war that shatter'd all their pride...
Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;
Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad.
Craiglockhart. October, 1917.

I.

Understanding the poem:

a) Complete the summary of the poem:
The men who went out into the battlefield and survived the war will _____________________ .
The shock and strain may have caused _____________________. Soon, they will
_____________________ to go out again. These men who fought at the battlefield though old now
are learning _____________________ and live life once again. The trauma of the battle, their
_____________________ nights, memories of the friends who _____________________ will soon
be forgotten. Their dreams that drip with murder today will also be a part of the
_____________________ past. The wounds will heal and they will be _____________________ of
the glorious war though it_____________________ pride yet, it is sad that the men who went out
to battle _____________________ and glad, return to their motherland looking like children with
eyes that_____________________, broken and _____________________.

cowed subjection: to cause suffering and bring under control by using threats and violence
Craiglockhart: (1916-1919) Military psychiatric hospital for the treatment of shell - shocked officers

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II. Appreciation:
1. "No doubt they'll soon get well.
Of course they're longing to go out again."
a) Who is being referred to in these lines?
b) Who is the speaker?
i)

a fellow soldier

ii) a non - combatant

2. "Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;
children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad."
a) What contrasting picture of soldiers is given in the last two lines?
b) Bring out the significance of the following phrases from the poem.
i)

'grim and glad'

ii) 'eyes that hate you

III. Writing Skills:
a) Do you know that one of the symptoms of combat fatigue or 'neurasthenia' is a stammer and a
failure to string sentences together coherently? The poem portrays the grim untold reality of war.
Is it a truthful one? Give reasons.
b) What does the poet mean by "haunted nights' cowed subjection ..... dreams that drip with
murder"?
c) The combatants went into war as men, 'grim and glad' and returned as children, 'broken and mad'.
Explain why?
d) Why do people go to war? Has war ever served any purpose? Substantiate your point of view by
giving examples from world events.
e) You have been asked to speak on the plight of survivors in war. In the light of the above poem and
your own perception, write your speech in about 100 -120 words.
Use the following hints:
contradictory attitudes to war
the
effects of war
the
tragedy of war
the
of lives
loss

disillusionment
destruction

death of the young

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Discussion:
Discuss the following in groups of three or four
a) Why do people go to war?
b) Has a war ever served any purpose? Substantiate your point of view by giving examples from world
events.

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Drama

Literature

Reader

INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA
A Play
is a
story to be acted
is told in action

combines two arts-writing and acting

Plays are divided into two main types, tragedy and comedy.
tragedy unhappy ending which results from the main character's fatal flaw. Eg in Hamlet, the hero's

fatal flaw is that his brilliant mind thinks too precisely on 'the event'. In the Monkey's paw, Mr. White
disregards a warning and chooses to bank on a sinister promise linked to a dead monkey's paw.
comedy is a play that ends happily. If it elicits laughter through improbable situations, it is called a
farce.

it focuses on characters who come under attack for flouting the positive values of society.

human follies are sought to be corrected by making us laugh at them. Eg. A Comedy of Errors.

Structure
A good beginning which informs the audience about the situation or circumstance from which the

action of the play starts. It could be someone speaking into a telephone or reading a letter aloud or
starting with an absurd guess. It should be natural.
The
middle of a play is the most absorbing, gripping and turning point in the development of the
story/play.
The
end of a play should come, especially in a one-act play, as soon as possible after the crisis or
'middle'.
Some plays have little or no structure. They aim at being realistic. There's hardly and plot; their

stress in on characterization.
Eg. Chekov's 'A Marriage Proposal'.
Conventions
All
accepted substitutes for reality in drama are called conventions.
For
a play, enter into the play-wright's make-believe world; let him take you to any period in history so
that half a lifetime may pass in half-an-hour.
Soliloquies and asides are conventions which were once common, but are now usually avoided in

modern plays.
The One-Act Play
Full
length play is like a novel while the one-act play is like a short story which concentrates on a
single idea or emotion.
Most
full length plays last for two-end-a-half hours and have three acts (Shakespeare's had five).

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Initially one-act plays were usually a filler item before the main entertainment and some of them

received more acclaim from the audience than the main play.
Performance in Plays
Be
natural.
Understand your lines and speak them from the bottom of your heart.

Speak distinctly, your voice should reach the back of the hall.

Avoid
interval in between lines.
Do
not clutter up the stage to give the impression of 'reality'.
Create a mood or atmosphere by using simplistic objects as props.

Face
the audience with confidence.
Appreciation of Plays
Ask
the following questions if you are a critic using the pragmatic or impressionistic approach. 'How
does the play impress you personally? Does it hold your interest? Does it teach you something?
The
mimetic or imitative approach owes much to the father of all art criticism, the Greek Philosopher
Aristotle. The critic would end up asking Does this play portray a good imitation of life? Does this
actually happen? Would it happen, given another character, in different circumstances? For eg. In
'The Monkey's Paw', are the parents true to type?
The
third type of critic conforms to traditional rules. The opening should evolve clearly and slowly. A
conflict provides interest and suspense. It could be between two people or two opposing interior
forces within the same person selfishness and purity or between people and the demands of the
situation as in 'The Monkey's Paw'.
Some critics recommend a stress on the sordid, and gruesome. Others thrive on a sustained series of

surprises as in the plays of Bernard Shaw. Most critics would try to find in the play the richness of
language and beauty of imagery. The real test of a play lies in the performance of the artists, both on
stage and off stage, dialogue delivery, spontaneity, interpretation of the characters and incidents,
lighting, scenery, and direction which contributes to the overall effect of the production.

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Unit - 1

Remember Caesar

by Gordon Daviot

Warm up:
1. a) Given below is an extract from Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar' Act I, Scene 2.Pick out the key
phrases / sentence in the conversation.
Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me. I hear a tongue shriller than all the music cry
"Caeser! Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear."
Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March
Caesar: What man is that?
Brutus: A Soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
b) Based on your observation, choose the option which best describes the "intent"
1. threat
2. warning
3. portent
4. advice
2. The Ides of March bears a reference to the 15th of March. Julius Caesar was assassinated on that day
in 44 B.C.
Relate this reference to the title of the play, and predict the theme of the play before you start

reading it.
Now read the play.
The play centres round the efforts made by a panic-stricken judge to secure himself against what he
considers an imminent catastrophe. The theme sustains its suspense till the truth about the scrap of
paper is revealed at the end of the play. The contrast between the conceited, pompous Judge Weston
who takes a morbidly serious view of the matter and the light-hearted but sensible Lady Weston who is
obviously used to her husband's explosive reaction to trivialities, provides the humour.
REMEMBER CAESAR
by Gordon Daviot [pen name of Elizabeth McKintosh, Scottish]
Characters
LORD WESTON
ROGER CHETWYND
LADY WESTON
SCENE: A room in the house of Richard, LORD WESTON, on a spring morning in the layout of room is
such that it is a combination of study and withdrawing-room. Up right is the door to the landing (it is a
first-floor room), in the rear wall a large casement window looking out to the front of the house, in

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the left wall the fireplace and, down, another window through which one can see the trees in the
garden. Up from the fireplace a cupboard in the wall. Hanging on the walls and over the fireplace are
family portraits.
LORD WESTON is seated by the fireplace, a table of books and papers beside him. He is engaged in
filling his pipe. And talking.
Downright, where the light from the side window falls across his small writing-table, is seated MR
ROGER CHETWYND, a thin, earnest, absent-minded, and conscientious youth. So conscientious is he
that his mind, even when absent, is absent on his employer's business. He has begun by listening to his
master's lecture, but the lure of his work has been gradually too much for him, and he is now blissfully
copying from one paper on to another while the measured words flow over him, his lips forming the
phrases while he writes.
WESTON: And furthermore (he pauses to arrange the tobacco) it is not alone a question of duty; there is
your own success in the world to be considered. It is not your intention to be a secretary all your life, is it?
No. Very well. Diligence, and a respect for detail should be your care. I did not become Lord Weston by
twiddling my thumbs and hoping for favours. I won my honours by hard work and zealous service. Men
who were at Corpus Christi with me are to-day copying documents for a living, while I - let us not mince
matters - am the best-known, and certainly the most impartial, judge in England, and a favoured servant
of his gracious majesty, Charles the Second. That, I submit, my good Roger , is an example to be studied.
It is not only unbecoming in you to ask for a half-holiday, but it is greatly unlike you. I fear.(He has
turned towards his secretary, and discovers his misplaced diligence. After a pause, coldly) Can it be, Mr
Chetwynd, that you have not been listening to my discourse?
ROGER (brought to the surface by the cessation of the word music): What, my lord? Oh, no. Yes,
certainly, sir, I am listening.
WESTON: What was I talking of?
ROGER: Yourself, sir. (amending) I mean, of your rise to success, my lord. (It is apparent that it is an oftheard tale.)
WESTON: We were talking of your extraordinary request for a half-holiday, when you had one only last
month. Would it be straining courtesy too far if I were to inquire what prompts this new demand for
heedless leisure?
ROGER: I thought perhaps if you did not need me this afternoon, my lord, I might personally interview the
clerk of the Awards Committee, and find out why he has not sent that document.
WESTON: (a little taken aback): Oh, Oh, indeed.
ROGER: The lack of it greatly hinders. It holds up my work, you see. And at this most interesting point.
(His glance goes longingly to his desk.)
WESTON: That, of course, is a different matter. I see no reason (he looks for a spill for his pipe, first on
the table and then, rising, by the fire) why you should not take a walk to Mr Clay's in the afternoon if the
weather is fine. I am relieved that your thoughts are on sober matters, as befits a rising young man.
Diligence, courage, and attention to detail: these are the three. Without an orderly mind no man can
hope (ROGER has gone back to his work) to excel in any of the learned professions. (He has found a scrap
Twiddling my thumbs: by being idle
Corpus Christi: One of the colleges at Oxford

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of paper, rather crushed, in his pocket and smoothes it out, uninterestedly, to make a rough spill).
Detail, my good Roger, attention to detail. That is the beginning of greatness. That is the(reading
automatically and with some difficulty what is written on the scrap of paper) 'Remember Caesar'.
(Repeating, with vague interest. He turns the paper back and forth, at a loss. And then a new idea occurs
to him, a rather horrible idea. To ROGER) What is the date to-day? (As ROGER, buried again in his work,
does not answer) Roger! I said, what day of the month is it?
ROGER (Hardly pausing): It is the fifteenth, my lord.
WESTON: The fifteenth! The fifteenth of March. The Ides of March! (Looking at the paper again; in a
horrified whisper) 'Remember Caesar'! (Louder) So they want to kill me, do they? They want to kill me?
(ROGER comes to the surface, surprised.) That is what it is to be a judge over men (all his pompousness is
dissolving in agitation) an instrument of justice. Sooner or later revenge lies await in the by-ways. And
the juster a judge has been, the more fearless (he waves the paper in the astonished ROGER's face), so
much greater will be the hate that pursues ROGER: What is it, my lord? What is it?
WESTON: My death warrant if I am not careful. What cases have we had lately? The treason affair - I
refused to be bribed! (The boast gives him a passing comfort.) The piracy - both sides hate me for that.
Or there was that footpad ROGER: Is it a threat, the paper? Where did it come from?
WESTON: It was in my pocket. Someone must have . Yes, now I remember. A man brushed against me
yesterday as I was leaving the courts. A small, evil-looking fellow, very sly.
ROGER: What does it say, the paper?
WESTON (much too occupied with his own fate to attend to his secretary's curiosity): Just at the door, it
was, and he didn't wait for apology. I remember. Well, I can only thank them for the warning. I may die
before my time but it will not be to-day if I can help it. Go downstairs at once, Roger, and lock, bar and
chain all the doors. And ask my wife to come to me at once. At once. Stop! Are there any strangers in the
house? Workmen or such?
ROGER: Only Joel the gardener, my lord; he is cleaning the windows on the landing. (He indicates with his
head that Joel is just outside).
WESTON: Send him away at once. Tell him to leave everything and go and lock the door behind him. And
the windows - see that the windows, too, are closed.
(ROGER goes with speed. One can hear him begin his order to Joel before he shuts the door; Joel, his
lordship says that you must and the whistling which has become audible through the opened door dies
away. WESTON left alone, peers cautiously from each window, in turn. Then his mind, temporarily
relieved goes to the cupboard and is greatly exercised again. He stares at it fearfully for a moment or
two, and then puts his fear to the rest. He takes a pistol from the drawer of his desk.)
WESTON (facing the cupboard with levelled pistol): Come out! Come out! I say. (There is silence) Drop
your weapon and come out or I shall shoot you now. (As there is still silence he forces himself to close in
on the cupboard door, and standing to the side pulls it quickly open. It is empty. As soon as his relief
abates he is ashamed, and hastily returns the pistol to its drawer.)
foot pad:highway-man (robber) who goes about on foot.
(Highwaymen on horseback were more common in those days)

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(Enter, bright and purposeful, LADY WESTON. A charming creature. One knows at a glance that she is an
excellent housewife, but to the last one is never sure how much intelligence and sweet malice there lies
behind her practical simplicity.)
LADY WESTON (looking back as she comes in): I do wish that Joel wouldn't leave pails of water on the
landing! What is it, Richard? It's baking morning.
WESTON: My dear, your husband's life is in grave danger.
LADY WESTON: The last time it was in danger you had been eating game pie. What is it this time?
WESTON (annihilating her flippancy with one broadside): Assassination!
LADY WESTON: Well, well! You always wanted to be a great man and now you have got your wish!
WESTON: What do you mean?
LADY WESTON: They don't assassinate nobodies.
WESTON (showing her the paper): Read that, and see if you can laugh.
LADY WESTON: I'm not laughing. (Trying to read): What a dreadful scrawl.
WESTON: (Yes, the venomous scribbling of an illiterate.)
LADY WESTON (deciphering): 'Remember Caesar'. Is it a riddle?
WESTON: It is a death warrant. Do you know what day this is?
LADY WESTON: Thursday.
WESTON: What day of the month?
LADY WESTON: About the twelfth, I should guess.
WESTON (with meaning): It is the fifteenth. The fifteenth of March.
LADY WESTON: Lawdamussy! Your good sister's birthday! And we haven't sent her as much as a lily!
WESTON: I have deplored before, Frances, the incurable lightness of your mind. On the fifteenth of
March Caesar was murdered in the Forum.
LADY WESTON: Yes, of course, I remember. They couldn't stand his airs any longer.
WESTON (reproving): He was a great man.
LADY WESTON (kindly): Yes, my dear, I am sure he was. (Looking again at the scrap of paper) And is
someone thinking of murdering you?
WESTON: Obviously.
LADY WESTON: I wonder someone hasn't done it long ago. (Before the look of wonder can grow in his eye)
A great many people must hate judges. And you are a strict judge, they say.
WESTON: It is the law that is strict. I am a judge, my good Frances, not a juggler. I have never twisted the
law to please the mob, and, I shall not please them by dying on the day of their choice.
LADY WESTON: No, of course not. You shall not go out of the house to-day. A nice light dinner and a good
glass of game pie: meat (of animals or birds hunted and killed) covered with pastry and baked
lawdamussy: an exclamation (Lord have mercy)

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WESTON: I have sent Roger to barricade all the doors, and I think it would be wise to close the ground
floor shutters and see that they are not opened for any LADY WESTON: Is it the French and the Dutch together you are expecting! And this is the morning
Mr. Gammon's boy comes with the groceries. How am I to WESTON: My dear, is a little pepper more to you than your husband's life?
LADY WESTON: It isn't a little pepper, it's a great deal of flour. And you would be the first to complain if
the bread were short, or the gravy thin. (Giving him back the paper) How do you know that the little
paper was meant for you?
WESTON: Because it was in my pocket. I found it there when I was looking for something to light my pipe.
(With meaning) There were no spills.
LADY WESTON: No spills. What, again? Richard, you smoke far too much.
WESTON (continuing hastily): It was slipped into my pocket by a man who brushed against me yesterday.
A dark , lean fellow with an evil face.
LADY WESTON: I don't think he was very evil.
WESTON: What do you know about it?
LADY WESTON: It was kind of him to warn you. And wasn't it a mercy that the spills were finished and that
no one had made any more! If there had been even one there you would never have seen the paper. You
would have gone for your noon walk down the Strand and someone would have stuck you like a goose on a
spit, and I should have been a widow before diner-time WESTON (sinking into a chair): Stop, Frances, stop! It upsets me to (Enter ROGER a little out of breath after his flying tour round the house.)
WESTON: Ah, Roger. Have you seen to it all? Every door barred, every window shut, all workmen out ROGER (a little embarrassed): Every door except the kitchen one, my lord.
WESTON (angry): And why not the kitchen one?
ROGER (stammering): The cook seemed to think. That is, she said..
WESTON: Well, speak, man, what did she say, and how does what the cook thinks affect my order to bar
the kitchen door?
ROGER (in a rush): The cook said she was a respectable woman and had never been behind bars in her life
and she wasn't going to begin at her age, and she was quite capable of dealing with anyone who came to
the kitchen door WESTON: Tell her to pack her things and leave the house at once.
LADY WESTON: And who will cook your pet dishes? I shall also see that all the downstairs windows are
shuttered as you suggest. We can always haul the groceries through an upper window.
WESTON (controlling himself): I think that so frivolous a suggestion at so anxious a time is in poor taste,
Frances and unworthy of you LADY WESTON: Did it appear frivolous to you? How strange! I had thought it odd to shutter the walls and
yet leave openings in the roof that one could drive a coach and horses through. However! (She comes back
into the room, takes two candelabra from different places in the room, and goes to the door).
minutiae: minute details (often trivial)

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WESTON: What do you want with these?

LADY WESTON: If we are to be in darkness below we shall want all the candles we can gather. (Exit.)
WESTON: The aptness of the female mind to busy itself about irrelevant and inconsiderable minutiae is a
source of endless wonder to me. (Almost without noticing what he is doing he moves over to the fireplace
and sticks his head into the chimney to view the width of it. As he withdraws it, he becomes aware of
ROGER, standing watching). I see no reason now why you should not resume your work, Roger.
ROGER: Oh, my lord, it is beyond my power to work while you are in danger. Is there not something I could
do?
WESTON (mightily flattered): Nonsense, my good Roger, nonsense! Nothing is going to happen to me.
ROGER: I could perhaps go and warn the authorities, and so prevent WESTON (very brave): No, no, no. Am I to spend the rest of my life with a guard at my heels? A pretty
figure I should cut! Go on with your work and (his eye has lighted on a package which is lying on a chair
against the right wall. The box is oblong - roughly 18 in. by 10 in. by 4 in. - and tied with cord. Sharply)
What is this?
ROGER: That came for you this morning, sir.
WESTON: What is it?
ROGER (with the faint beginnings of doubt in his voice): I don't know, my lord. A man came with it and
said that it was important that you should have it to-day.
WESTON: And you didn't ask what it was! You fool!
ROGER (humbly): It didn't seem to be my business. I never do ask about the contents of your lordship's . I
showed your lordship the package when it came, and you said to leave it there.
WESTON (peering with growing uneasiness at the thing): The man who brought it, what did he look like?
Was he small? Dark?
ROGER (who obviously had taken no notice): I think he was smallish. But as to dark - his hat was pulled
over his face, I think - I think he appeared to have a mole on his chin, but I would not . It may have been
just a WESTON: A mole? (his imagination at work): A mole ! Yes. Yes. That man had a mole. The man who
brushed against me. On the right side of his jaw. I can see it as if he were standing here. We must get rid
of this. At once.
ROGER: Do you think it is some infernal machine, sir? What shall we do with it?
WESTON (indicating the side window): Open the window and I shall throw it as far into the garden as I
can.
ROGER: But it may explode, sir, if we throw it.
WESTON: What is certain is that it will explode if we do not! How long has it been lying here?
ROGER: It came about nine o'clock, my lord.
WESTON (in agony): Nearly three hours ago! Open the window, Roger.
ROGER: No, sir. You open the window. Let me handle the thing. My life is nothing. Yours is of great value to
England.
infernal: A concealed or disguised device intended to destroy life or property

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WESTON: No, Roger, no. You are young. I have had my life. There are still great things for you to do in the
world. You must live, and write my life for posterity. Do as I say. I promise you shall exercise the greatest
care. (As ROGER rushes to the window) No. Wait. A better idea. the gardener's pail. It is still on the
landing!
ROGER: Yes! Yes, of course! (He is out of the room and back in a moment with the wooden pail of water,
which still has the wet cleaning rag hung over its edge.)
WESTON: Stand back. (He picks up the parcel gingerly). We do not know what satanic thing may happen.
(He inserts the parcel lengthwise into the pail, at full stretch of his arm, his head averted, his eyes
watching from their extreme corners) There is not enough water! Not enough to cover it.
ROGER: I'll get some. I shall not be a moment.
WESTON: No. Don't go. The flowers! (He indicates a bowl of daffodils).
ROGER: Of course! (He pulls the daffodils from their setting, throwing them on the desk in his agitation
and pours the water into the pail). Ah! That has done it!
WESTON (dismayed, as he takes his hand from the package): Now it is going to float! It must be wet
through, or it is no use.
ROGER: We must put something heavy on top, to keep it down.
WESTON: Yes, yes. Get something.
ROGER: What shall I get?
WESTON: Anything, anything that is heavy and that will fit into the pail. Books, anything!
ROGER (to whom books are objects of reverence, if not awe): Books sir? But they'll get very wet, won't
they?
WESTON: In the name of heaven bring the first six books off the shelf!
ROGER (snatching the books and bringing them): I suppose it cannot be helped. Such beautiful bindings
too! (He picks the wet cloth off the edge of the pail, dropping it on the carpet, and plunges the books
into the water, which very naturally overflows at this new incursion).
WESTON (letting go his hold on the package and siting back on his heels with a sigh of relief): Ah!
Well and truly drowned. (He mops his forehead and ROGER collapses into the nearest chair).
(Enter LADY WESTON, with a tray on which is a glass of wine and some biscuits.)
LADY WESTON (seeing their strange occupation): Lawdamussy, Richard! What have you got in the pail?
WESTON: A package that came this morning. The man who brought it was the same fellow that knocked
against me yesterday and slipped that paper into my pocket. They thought I would open it, the fools! (He
is beginning to feel better) But we have been one too many for them!
LADY WESTON (in wild dismay) You are making a mess of the beautiful, brand-new---WESTON (interrupting her angrily): Frances! (The thunder of her name quenches her speech.) What does
your 'beautiful brand-new' carpet matter when your husband's life is at stake? You shock me.
LADY WESTON (who has not been going to say 'carpet'): Carpet? (After a pause, mildly) No, of course
not, my dear. I should never dream of weighing your safety against even the finest product of Asia. Come
gingerly: hesitantly
infernal: A concealed or disguised device intended to destroy life or property

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and sit down and have a glass of wine. (She puts the tray on his desk, gathering up the scattered
daffodils as she does so) You know how the doctor disapproves of excitement for you.
WESTON: Perhaps the doctor has never had an infernal machine handed in at his door of a spring morning.
(LADY WESTON picks up the cloth from the floor, mops the spilt water, and pauses to look curiously at the
contents of the pail as they catch her eye.)
LADY WESTON (in mild conversational tones): That looks like Mr. Spencer in the water.
ROGER: Yes, it is. The thing floated, you see. And time was all important. So it was imperative to take
whatever was nearest to weigh it down.
LADY WESTON: I See. (Handling him the wet cloth, and the flowers) Would you be kind enough to take
these downstairs?
(She adds the empty flower bowl to his load) One of the maids will fill that for you.)
LADY WESTON (contemplative, her eyes on the portrait which hangs opposite the side window): Do you
think we had better remove Great-aunt Cicely?
WESTON: In the name of heaven, why?
LADY WESTON: She is in the direct line of shots coming through that window.
WESTON: And why should any shots come through the window, may I ask?
LADY WESTON (mildly objecting to the tone): I was merely taking thought for your property, my dear
Richard. And anyone sitting in the ilex tree out there would be in a WESTON (on his feet): Frances! What made you think of the ilex tree?
LADY WESTON: That is where I would shoot you from. I mean, if I were going to shoot you. The leaves are
thick enough to hide anyone sitting there, and yet not enough to obscure their view.
WESTON: Come away from that window.
LADY WESTON: What?
WESTON: Come away from that window!
LADY WESTON (moving to him): No one is going to shoot me.
WESTON (running out of the room, and calling to ROGER from the landing): Roger! Roger!
ROGER (very distant): My lord?
WESTON: Has the gardener gone away yet?
ROGER: No, my lord. He is eating his dinner outside the kitchen window.
WESTON: Tell him to sit under the ilex tree until I give him leave to move.
ROGER: The ilex tree? Yes, my lord.
(WESTON comes back and goes to the drawer of the table where his pistol is kept.)
LADY WESTON (as he takes out the pistol): Oh, Richard dear, be careful. That is a very dangerous
weapon.

Mr. Spencer: book written

Ilex tree: evergreen oak tree also called holm oak

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WESTON (grimly important): I know it!

LADY WESTON: It is so rusty that it is liable to do anything. (As her husband proceeds to load the weapon)
You know that you haven't used it.
WESTON: There is nothing wrong with my pistol but a little dust.
LADY WESTON: Well, I think it is a poor way to foil an assassin.
WESTON: What is?
LADY WESTON: Blowing oneself up.
(Enter ROGER with the bowl of daffodils.)
WESTON (looking round at him as he comes in): Has Joel gone to sit under the tree?
ROGER: Yes, sir. (Putting down the bowl and making for the side window) At least, I gave him your
message WESTON: Keep away from that window! (As ROGER looks astonished) There may be someone in the Ilex
tree.
ROGER: But do you think they would try to shoot you as well as - as. (he indicates the bucket).
WESTON: Who knows? When you have dealt with the criminal mind as long as I have Did you open the
door to speak to the gardener?
ROGER: Oh, no, my lord. I spoke through the shutter.
WESTON (snapping the lock of his pistol): Now we shall see whether there is anyone lurking in the tree.
(He moves over to the side of the window, peering out with the fraction of an eye.)
LADY WESTON: Richard, if you are going to shoot off that thing, you will please wait until I (She is interrupted by a loud knocking on the front door downstairs. This is such an unexpected
development that all there are momentarily quite still, at a loss. ROGER is the first to recover).
ROGER: Someone at the front door.
(He moves over to the window in the rear wall, from which one can see the street. He is about to open
the casement so that he may lean out to inspect the knocker, when LORD WESTON stops him.)
WESTON (still at the fireplace): Don't open that window!
ROGER: But I cannot see otherwise, my lord, who it is.
WESTON: If you put your head out of that window they may shoot without waiting to ask questions.
LADY WESTON: But, Richard, it may be some perfectly innocent visitor.
(The knocking is repeated.)
ROGER: If I were to stand on a chair.. (He brings a chair to the window and stands on it, but he is still
not high enough to look down on whoever waits at the front door).
WESTON: Well? Well? Can you tell who it is?
ROGER: I am still not high enough, my lord.
LADY WESTON: Add the footstool, Roger.
(Roger adds the footstool to the chair, and aided by LADY WESTON climbs on to the precarious object).
to foil:to frustrate or thwart the efforts of the assassin
(i.e. to kill himself by handling the rusty pistol is a poor way of outwitting the assassin)

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LADY WESTON: Now, can you see anyone?

ROGER (having seen, scrambling downing): All is well, my lord.
(He throws open the casement, and calls to someone below) It is only Mr. Caesar. (As this information is
succeeded by a blank pause) Shall I let him in?
WESTON: Who did you say?
ROGER: Mr. Caesar. You remember. The man you met on Tuesday at Hampton, my lord. He was to come to
see you this morning about rose trees. You made a note of it.
WESTON (taking the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket in a dazed way): I made a note? 'Remember
Caesar'. Is that my writing? Yes, it must be - Dear me!
LADY WESTON (kindly): I shouldn't have said it was the venomous scribbling of an illiterate. You had
better go down and let Mr. Caesar in, Roger. Put the pistol away, Richard, dear; your visitor might
misunderstand it. (She speaks cheerfully, as to a child; it is obvious from her lack of surprise that
excursions and alarms created by her husband over trifles are a normal part of existence for her). And if
you take Mr Spencer out of the water, I shall send Joel to take away the bucket. Perhaps Mr. Brutus would
like some cordial?
WESTON: Mr. Caesar. (He moves towards the bucket.)
LADY WESTON: Of course. How could anyone forget a name like that? And now if you'll forgive me.. It's
my busy morning.
WESTON (arresting her as she is going out of the door): Oh Frances! What was in the parcel, do you think?
LADY WESTON: That was your new velvet cloak, dear. I did try to tell you, you know.
(The curtain comes down on LORD WESTON ruefully taking the first dripping book from the water).
(Exit).
Elizabeth Mackintosh was born in Inverness, the daughter of Colin
Mackintosh and Josephine. She attended Inverness Royal Academy and then
Anstey Physical Training College in Erdington, a suburb of Birmingham. She
taught at various schools in England and Scotland, but in 1926 she had to
return to Inverness to care for her invalid father. There she began her career
as a writer. Mackintosh's best-known books were written under the name of
Josephine Tey. Josephine was her mother's first name and Tey ,the surname
of an English grandmother.
About a dozen one-act plays and another dozen full-length plays were
written under the name of Gordon Daviot. How she chose the name of
Gordon is unknown, but Daviot was the name of a scenic locale near
Inverness where she had spent many happy holidays with her family. Only
four of her plays were produced during her lifetime.

Excursions and alarms:(alarms and excursions) noise and bustle

(as those made on the stage to represent battles etc.)
Mr. Brutus:She refers to the visitor as Mr. Brutus. (It was Brutus who led the conspirators in the
assassination of Julius Caesar)
Cordial: beverage

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Understanding the play:

I.

Answer the following questions briefly.

a) What was Lord Weston's advice to Roger, his secretary?
b) Why did Lord Weston suddenly declare that his life was in danger?
c) Lord Weston tries to protect himself from his 'assassin'? What are the immediate steps taken by
him?
d) How did Lady Weston react to the 'death threat'?
e) How does Lord Weston 'defuse' the 'infernal machine'?
f) What was the truth about the crumpled piece of paper?
g) Why did Lady Weston refer to Mr. Caesar as 'Mr. Brutus'?

II. Answer the questions given below the extracts.

a) "What is the date to-day? Roger, I said what day of the month is it?"
1. Who is the speaker?
2. Why is the speaker keen to know what day it was?
3. What impact does the day and date referred to have on the speaker?
b) "You always wanted to be a great man and now you have got your wish".
1. What was his wish?
2. How had her husband's wish been granted?
3. Comment on the speaker's tone as she says these words.
c) "Let me handle the thing. My life is nothing. Yours is of great value to England".
1. What is 'the thing' referred to here?
2. Why did it pose a threat to life?
3. Whose life is of 'great value' to England? In what way?
4. Why does the speaker consider his life less important? What do these lines convey about the
speaker?
d) "Well, I think it is a poor way to foil an assassin."
1. What was Lady Weston reacting to?
2. Was she right in her assumption? Give a reason.
3. Do you approve of Lady Weston's reaction to the situation?
e) "I made a note? 'Remember Caesar' Is that my writing? Yes, it must be.
Dear me"
1. What had Lord Weston made a note of?
2. How had he described his writing earlier?
3. What is ironical about it?

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Reader

III. Appreciation:
a) 1. "Remember Caesar is a lighthearted comedy". Working in a group, discuss the statement.
Identify various aspects of the play that contribute to the humour
i)

title

ii) plot
iii) characterisation
2. After the discussion, write a paragraph of 150-200 words bringing out the humour in the play.
IV. Writing Skills:
a) Given below are extracts from the play. Study each of these carefully and based on your inference
write a character sketch of Lord Weston in about 150200 words.
I did not become Lord Weston by twiddling
my thumbs and hoping for favours.
What does your 'beautiful carpet' matter
when your husband's life is at stake. "You
shock me".
We do not know what satanic thing may
happen.

The treason affair - I refused to be bribed.

The Piracy - both sides hate me.
Come out! Come out. Drop your weapon.

Should I spend the rest of my life with a guard

at my heels? A pretty figure I should cut.

Weston: "The venomous scribbling of an illiterate

(Later)" Is that my writing?. "Yes, it must be."

b) Lady Weston's reaction to the Lord Weston's predicament presents an interesting character study
in contrast. Write a paragraph in about 150-200 words highlighting the contrast, giving relevant
instances from the play.
c) "Detail, my good Roger, attention to detail that is the beginning of greatness." Discuss how
ironically, Lord, Weston lands himself in trouble by "paying attention to detail", in about 150200
words.
V. Group Work: Speaking Skills
The play revolves around a 'perceived threat' and how Weston and Lady Weston react to it. Reverse
their roles with a panic-stricken Lady Weston and a frivolous Lord Weston. In a small group, choose a
piece of dialogue from the play and rewrite it to suit the changed roles. Share it by taking parts and
reading your script aloud with suitable tone and expression.

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CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

Shiksha Kendra, 2, Community Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi-110 092 India