(THE TEMPEST) Act - II (Scene Wise Summary)

Summary

Act - II Scene - I

 The scene opens with Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, Adrian and others trying to console Alonso who is under the impression that his Ferdinand has been drowned in the sea. In fact Ferdinand is safe and by the magic power of Prospero, has been separated from the rest of the party. Gonzalo keeps comforting Alonso in his great grief. In the meantime, Ariel appears, invisible and by his somnolent(sleepy) music puts all the members of the party to sleep. Antonio, the villain, provokes Sebastian to kill Alonso and Gonzalo in their sleep so that Sebastian might become the king of Naples. As the two conspirators are about to murder Alonso and Gonzalo, the victims are awakened by the invisible Ariel. The plot is thus frustrated, but the conspirators still hope to carry out their plan.

        Stephano is drunk and he make others drunk because he was washed ashore clinging to a cask full of wine. Under the influence of liquor Caliban begins to think Stephano a god. He promises to become Stephano's life long servant, if the latter will manage to kill Prospero. Stephano assures him that he will do so. 

         

        In this scene we come across the idyllic atmosphere of love between Ferdinand and Miranda. Miranda falls in love with Ferdinand at first sight. She is not in a mood to see Ferdinand being subjected to the drudgery of carrying logs of wood. She tells him point-blank that she would become his wife or not marry at all. Having secretly overheard the conversation between the lovers Prospero feels happy.

                    (NEXT SCENE SUMMARY WILL BE UPDATED SOON) 

(THE TEMPEST) Act - I (Scene wise Summary)

Summary

Act - I Scene - I


"The Tempest" enjoys/occupies a pride of place as one of the last plays of Shakespeare. The play begins with a violent Tempest/ storm. In the aftermath of the violent storm accompanied with thunder and lightning, the sailors are wrestling with masts and sails to control their ship. The ship is seen drifting on the waves. The master of the ship enters the scene with the Boatswain to encourage the sailors so as to face up to the Tempest courageously; otherwise the ship would have been wrecked. There are two important passengers on board the ship. They are Alonso, the king of Naples and Sebastian, his brother. We meet here Ferdinand, his son, Antonio, the usurping Duke of Milan, Gonzalo, the counsellor and several other courtiers. Alonso notices that the ship is in trouble. He comes out of his cabin and ask the sailors in a gentle voice not to be afraid of the storm and behave in a manly way. The Boatswain doesn't take a liking to the idea and asks the king and the courtiers to stay inside their cabin. The sailors try their utmost to save the ship from the impending danger. In fact the passengers get anxious about the safety of the ship. The sailors and the courtiers are involved in a wordy duel but all these proves to be of no avail. Gonzalo's wise and weighty counselling fizzles out. The king's power becomes useless in the face of the powerful tempest. The sailors are completely drenched and wet. They feel dejected. They are looking tired. They have no hope of saving the ship from destruction at such a juncture the king and his so Ferdinand keep praying to God on their benden knees. Gonzalo also decides to play with them. In the meanwhile the ship dashes against a rock. There is a great chaos and confusion. Gonzalo express a secret wish to die on land rather than be drowned in the sea. Of course the confusion of the Tempest is created by the passengers who make the situation worse confounded.


Act - I Scene - II


This scene takes us to Prospero's cell in a deserted island. This is the same island where the ship was wrecked. His daughter Miranda thinks that  Prospero causes the storm at sea through his magic art. Miranda's heart is touched with pity at the painful sight. Here in the heart rending the cries of the passengers, she thinks of saving them. She asks her father to make the turbulent waters of the sea cam and quiet. Prospero tells her that no harm would be done to the people in the sea.

Prospero then explains his real motive for raising the storm at sea. He reveals to Miranda that Antonio is his brother who usurped his estate and wealth while Prospero became "Rapt in secret studies." In order to take Prospero's title, Antonio made a plan to have his brother Prospero and Prospero's daughter Miranda killed secretly. But Prospero is famously known as a good man. Those who were in charge of his death decided not to kill him. Instead Prospero and Miranda were set adrift on the open sea in a ramshackle vessel. They landed on the island where they now live.

After Prospero's story is over Ariel, a magical spirit appears on the scene. It becomes apparent that Ariel has caused the storm at Prospero's bidding. King Alonso and his company are now "dispersed about the isle." Ariel made the incident look like a shipwreck. Ariel now wants to be freed from the clutches of Prospero, although he rescued her from the nasty witch Sycorax. Caliban who was Sycorax's son also makes an appearance. Miranda expresses her strong dislike for him. Ferdinand, son of Alonso meets Miranda and falls in love with her at first sight with her. This appears to have Ariel's doing and part of the laid plan that she must carry out to get her freedom from Prospero. 

(POEMS) Chapter- 1 The Darkling Thrush - By Thomas Hardy (Workbook Questions & Answers)

                                                                  ASSIGNMENTS

Question 1

How has Thomas Hardy depicted nature in the poem "The Darkling Thrush"?

Ans:-  "The Darkling Thrush" at first appears to be a nature poem of indefinable beauty. Here we come across the lurid scene of  a December evening. The air is drawing to a close. It is really a cold and frosty evening. The poet uses a frost metaphor in order to present a scene of desolation and dreariness. It's a twilight time. The sun is setting. Everything looked dull and drab. The tangled stems seemed to be the strings of broken lyres. All human beings who were stirring out of doors had returned home to get close to their household fires. The whole landscape appeared to the poet to be the century's corpse.

            The sharp features of the landscape had a lurid and cheerless look. The clouds overhanging the sky formed a canopy to serve as a tomb. The wind blowing through the trees seemed to be singing a death song of lamentation. Every living being seemed to have lost passion and buoyancy of spirit. The poet himself was deeply depressed, dejected, despirited.

             Everything all around was bleak and dreary. In such a bleak scenario the poet heard the sweet caroling of a thrush pouring out it's music in full-throated glee.The joyful bird was producing a lovely evening song expressing a sense of illimitable joy. Though the bird was storm-tossed and exhausted, it continued singing joyously against the backdrop of an all pervading gloom. Nothing on earth, far and near could inspire such a hope in a world of hopelessness. The poet has an optimistic feeling that the thrush- the song bird seemed to inspire the poet with a sublime feeling which will shore up his decaying spirit.

(SHORT STORIES) Chapter -1 Salvatore - By W. Somerset Maugham (Workbook Questions & Answers)

                                                      REVISION QUESTIONS


Question 1 

(a) Discuss the theme of love and affection as depicted in the story "Salvatore."

Ans:-  Salvatore is the main protagonist of Maugham's story. The story is focused on Salvatore in all his lineaments. The character of Salvatore evolves into an epitome of true love and goodness.

            Salvatore being the eldest brother used to take care of his two younger brothers as a responsible guardian. It is out of a sense of duty and love. He would not let them venture too far in the sea. He would also dress them when they had to climb the hot hill for the mid-day meal. Salvatore had a pleasing personality. He had a pleasant word for everyone even he was assailed by terrible hardships of life.

             Salvatore fell madly in love with a pretty girl. They were affianced but they couldn't marry till Salvatore had done his military service. When he became a sailor in the navy he wept like a child. He felt dreadfully homesick and parting from the girl was too much with him. When he came back home he was happy to see his parents and brothers waiting for him on the jetty. As soon as they met there was a great deal of kissing. Boundless was Salvatore's love for his family, home and the girl he loved. When Salvatore was away as a sailor, he used to write long passionate letters telling her how much he missed her and how much he longed to see her. When he fell ill with rheumatism that made him unfit for further service, his heart for he could go home and meet the girl who was waiting anxiously for him.

              On coming back home from military service the greatest shock which he had to experience in the whole of his life was that he was rudely rejected by the girl he loved. The mother of the girl told him brusquely that his daughter wouldn't marry a man suffering from a disease. Salvatore was so broken hearted that he began to weep on his mother's bosom. He was terribly unhappy but he didn't blame the girl who refused to marry him. He was so passionately infatuated with the girl that he had not the heart to say a hard word of the girl he had loved so well. His smile was very sad and his had the look of a beaten dog.

              Salvatore got married to Assunta and they had two sons. He worked laboriously to sustain his family even though he was suffering terribly. He used to work hard in his vineyard and spent the night catching the profitable cuttlefish.

              Salvatore was a rich storehouse of affection to his children. He loved them with all his heart and took delight in spending time with them. He brought them blown to the beach to give them bath. He would dip them in water very tenderly. He would laugh away his time with them and became a mother-substitute.

              Though he was an ordinary fisherman he possessed nothing in the world except a quality which in the rarest, most precious and the loveliest that anyone can have. It was the quality of goodness, just goodness. It is the quality of goodness tinged with the colour of greatness that shines through the character of Salvatore.


Question 2

(b) According to the author of the story, which one quality shone with a radiance in Salvatore? Give reasons to support your answer.

Ans:-  Salvatore is the principal character in the story "Salvatore." Salvatore is the son of a fisherman whose innocence, simplicity and above all his purity of heart brings out his essential goodness. The quality of goodness tend to invest him with an aura of greatness. Salvatore has been depicted in the story as a responsible brother, a passionate lover and a loving father. In fact he is a static character who remains the same throughout the story. His outlook and personality don't suffer any material change even if the events of the story evolve quite naturally.

            Goodness is the quality which shines with a radiance in the character of Salvatore.Outwardly  his appearance doesn't evoke any emotion but inwardly he is good at heart - a genuinely guileless man. When young he had a pleasant face, a laughing mouth and care free eyes. The most significant thing about his character is that Salvatore has great, emotional attachment to his family. When he left to become a sailor in the navy he wept like a child. Far away from home he was dreadfully homesick. He was missing his family and the girl he loved. After his return from military service he met his family. When he fell ill of some mysterious ailment, "he bore with the mute and uncomprehending patience of a dog." His patience indeed is perennial.

            As a passionate lover Salvatore is overtly sincere to the core. Despite all his suffering he had a positive attitude to life. When he made a comeback from his military service he was rejected by his lady love - the girl he loved. He felt dejected. Broken-hearted he wept. Though terribly happy he didn't blame the girl. He realized that a girl could not afford to marry a man who might not be able to support her. "He never used harsh words for her." He accepted her rejection in a spirit of stoic resignation. So we see that Salvatore was a man of inherent goodness. His inherent goodness is "the rarest, the most precious and the loveliest" quality which shone in him with all its radiance and refulgence.


Question 3

(c) How apt is the title of the story,'Salvatore'?

Ans:-  The title of the story 'Salvatore' by Somerset Maugham is apt and appropriate.The title itself demonstrates the narrative art of the writer. The plot of the story hinges on the life of Salvatore, the main protagonist of the story. In fact Salvatore belongs to the common run of man who is full of emotion, passion and compassion for others. The innate quality of goodness brings out the best in him. The protagonist of the story is a simple fisherman with an exceptional quality of goodness.

           Salvatore's story as presented by the story writer - his life of suffering - the little tragedies and comedies of life moves the reader with a feeling of wonder. In fact he is a wonderful creation. He bears no malice or ill-with against anyone around him. His attitude to life has always been positive and compromising. Never does he resent. He knows how to accept everything with stoicism. Even when he is jilted by the girl he loves, he doesn't blame the girl; on the contrary he accepts the situation as the common lot of man. He never complains against his illness of rheumatism which has assailed him. He learns by experience how to fit in with hostile circumstances. The writer has drawn the portrait of a man like Salvatore with a touch of realism. It is the rarest and the most precious quality of goodness inherent in him, which lends him a most crowning touch. Maugham thus seems to glorify the character of Salvatore by naming the story after him. 

(POEMS) Chapter- 10 We Are The Music Makers -- By Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy (Workbook Questions)

                                                             ASSIGNMENTS

Q 1:- How does the poem 'We Are the Music Makers' assess the famous idea of "art for art's sake"?


Ans:-   O'Shaughnessy's famous ode "We are the Music Makers" does not directly reflect the idea of  "art for art's sake." The poet here purportedly celebrates art and artistic creations which tend to glorify life by raising it to greater heights.

             The poet explicitly makes use of the expressions like "music makers","dreamers of dreams", "movers and shakers of the world" in order to glorify the beauty of art as well as the role of the artist in creating something sublime in the realm of art. in point of fact, the artists, be the musicians, poets or painters, have the potential to move the world with their innovative ideas, thoughts and feelings which they can afford to spread through their creative and artistic works. They believe in the transformative power of art which can make people across the world forge ahead with renewed vigour and redoubtable vitality in terms of intellect and imagination. To put it bluntly, "art for art's sake" is a movement which emphasized only the aesthetic importance of art. It bolsters up the idea that art needs no justification and it doesn't need to serve any social, political and didactic purpose. In the poem, "We are the music makers" the poet has depicted the artists as an integral part of the society, rejecting the seminal theory of aestheticism that art exists only for the sake of art. In fact there are some lines in the poem which define in certain nuances the artists aesthetist aloofness from society. The idea of "art for art's sake" gets intense when the poet strives to convey that the artists go on with their timeless creations even when confronted with conflicting situations. But they never show any sign of wavering. Art goes on in its own way, bringing in its wake a measure of aesthetic pleasure. The artists give vent to their creative impulse when they utter in effusive and evocative terms:
      Built Nineveh with our sighing
      And Babel itself with our mirth

Of course O'Shaughnessy's poem written in the 19th century favours the idea of "art for art's sake." Nonetheless the fact remains that even though the artists, according to the poet, have a lonely space outside the realm of society, they can preeminently be "movers and shakers of the world." 

(THE TEMPEST) Act -III (Long Questions)

Q 1:- Write a short account of the conspiracy hatched by Caliban against Prospero and the way it is defeated.

Ans:-  Caliban has a pervasive scorn for Prospero who, he thinks, is the usurper of his land. So Caliban is hostile to Prospero . He thinks of a wicked plan to murder Prospero.

            As Caliban, Trinculo and Stephano walk through the island in a drunken state Caliban proposes to Stephano that he can become king of the island if he kills Prospero. In that case Caliban says, "Trinculo shall be lord of it and I'll serve thee." Stephano asks how it will be "compassed" whereupon Caliban says, "I'll yield upon him thee asleep." Actually Caliban will present Prospero before Stephano while Prospero takes his afternoon nap.

            Firstly, Caliban points out that must take possession of all the books of Prospero and burn them. Without his books on magic Prospero is "but a sot as I am" and is unable to control the spirits of the island. This shows and suggests that Caliban has attempted to take Prospero's life before. He now hopes that Stephano will accomplish the deed.

              Caliban now attempts to motivate Stephano to make the attack by telling him that if he succeeds in killing Prospero he will have Prospero's "brave utensils", that is, his splendid household goods. Not only that, he will have Miranda who is "a nonpareil."

               Caliban suggests three possible ways of murdering Prospero. First Stephano can "brain him" battering his skull with a log. Caliban's other suggestions are to "paunch him with a stake", that is to stab him in the belly.

                Ariel who is present on the scene listens to their plan of murder and tells all about the conspiracy to his master Prospero. On being informed by Ariel about the conspiracy hatched by Caliban, Prospero orders Ariel to hang some showy garments on a lime-tree to divert the attention of the conspirators. They get busy in grabbing the garments. Caliban urges them not to waste their time to kill Prospero. But Stephano and Trinculo pay little heed to his words. At that hour a number of spirits appear in the shape of dogs and hounds. They chase the conspirators who take to their heels in a state of confusion. Prospero then orders the spirits to torment the conspirators. This is how Caliban's conspiracy to murder Prospero is foiled and defeated.

(POEMS) Chapter-8 Dover Beach - By Matthew Arnold (Long Questions)

Q 1 :- Moonlight for Arnold does not go with roses and romance but with melancholy, meditation and sometimes even despair. Discuss.

Ans:- Arnold's "Dover Beach" laments the loss of faith in God and religion. Misery, sadness and melancholy dominate all through the poem. The onslaught of modernity seems to erode the placid citadel of certainty. The poet clings to love as being the only solace and consolation. He emotionally says "Ah love, let us be true/ to one another, And it is the only true certainty as the world around falls to pieces under "struggle" and "fight."

           The poem presents the ephemeral human feeling of sadness through the image of the sea. The sea image is significant because it is a grim reminder of "the eternal note of sadness" in the life of human beings. The expression "The Sea of Faith" is obviously a metaphor for unflinching faith in spirituality and religion. The poet expresses his view that despair, hopefulness and melancholy in the world is due to the decline of religious faith. When the poet hears the grating roar of pebbles of the sea he is reminded of the "melancholy, long, withdrawing roar" of faith as it retreats from men's minds. The sounds created by pebbles represent "an eternal note of sadness", Arnold here alludes to Sophocles, who in ancient Greece heard the sound of pebbles on the shore of the Aegean sea. This sound reminded him of the ebb and flow of human misery. Similarly the poet hears the same sound on the Dover Beach and is reminded of the receding faith in God and religion as the cause of human suffering.

            In fact "Dover Beach" is a better expression of Arnold's loss of faith and his melancholous and pessimistic view of life. The world seemed to him strangely unreal without anything real to cling to. It has beauty and loveliness but there is in it neither love nor joy nor light nor peace. Men are seen to be struggling in the world with armies struggling on a plain at night. There is a sound of "confused alarms of struggles and flight where ignorant armies clash by night."

             In a world devoid of faith as well as shorn of strength Arnold learns upon love will create an atmosphere of certainty by restoring man's inveterate faith in religion and in goodness of the world. He says with a note of optimism:

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light.

            In the world beset with the gloom of despair and loneliness, melancholy and pessimism Arnold looks on love as the only comforting thing for men to fall back upon. Amidst all the turbid ebb and flow of human misery and spiritual desiciation love is the consolation. Arnold adroitly and assertively tells of true love as a spiritualizing force in alleviating the evils of the strife- torn world where there is really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain. 

(POEMS) Chapter -3 The Dolphins - By Carol Ann Duffy (Long Questions)

Q 1:- Show how 'The Dolphins' is a poem of protest against the slow destruction of nature and natural creatures by man.

Ans:- 'The Dolphins' is obviously a poem of protest against human oppression, constriction and confinement of non-human natural animals. In this poem the speaker, a dolphin remembers its previous life of untrammelled freedom in the ocean and the sense of bondage and confinement in the artificial aquarium. The dolphin seems to represent a kind of protest against human exploitation and oppression meted out to natural creatures. Ironically enough the human beings are the main exploiters of the natural habitat of the dolphin. By limiting its freedom of movement within the narrow confines of a small pool they destroy nature as well. An entrapped and enslaved dolphin feels forlorn in its confined space where there is little or no scope for freedom. The poet here not only expresses the agonizing feeling of the dolphin but also the collective voice of those animals which have to suffer the same fate as the dolphin. The present oppression is being poignantly felt by the dolphin in relation to its blessed abode in the sea. The life in the man made pool is artificial and unnatural. The dolphin's cry of anguish comes out:
"World is what you swim in, or dance, it is simple
We are in our element but we are not free."

   Naturally the dolphins are not free at all because of their estrangement. They are in their"element" but enslaved. The narrow pool does not give them joy or freedom which they yearn for. The monotony of existence makes them morbid. In the world of captivity they have no certainty. "Our mind knows we will die here / There is no hope"- these words welling out of the heart of dolphins are in fact an expression of protest against human oppression and exploitation.

Summary of the poem "The Darkling Thrush" -- By Thomas Hardy

THE DARKLING THRUSH 

SUMMARY

       On the threshold of a dying century the poet Thomas Hardy stood leaning upon a coppice gate looking on the desolate scene of a wintry, frosty evening. It was twilight time. Everything looked dull and drab. The tangled stems seemed to be the strings of  broken lyres. All human beings who were stirring out of doors had returned home to get close to their household fires. The whole landscape appeared to the poet to be the century's corpse.

       The sharp features of the landscape had a lurid and cheerless look. The clouds overhanging the sky formed a canopy to serve as a tomb. The wind blowing through the trees seemed to be singing a death song of lamentation. Every living being seemed to have lost passion and buoyancy of spirit. The poet himself was deeply depressed, despirited, dejected.

      

       Everything all around was bleak and dreary. In such a bleak scenario the poet heard the sweet caroling of a thrush pouring out it's music in full throated glee. The joyful bird was producing a lovely evening song expressing a sense of illimitable joy. Though the bird was storm-tossed and exhausted, it continued singing joyously against the backdrop of an all pervading gloom. Nothing on earth, far and near could inspire such a hope in a world of hopelessness. The poet has an optimistic feeling that the thrush - the song bird seemed to inspire the poet with a sublime feeling which will shore up his decaying spirit. 

                                                   

                                                                                -Pabitra Hansda

(THE TEMPEST) - ''The Tempest" as a pastoral tragi-comedy.

As a pastoral tragi-comedy, Shakespeare's "The Tempest" stands supreme. Simply put, the play includes aspects of both tragedy and comedy. Of course it would not be incorrect and inappropriate to call 'The Tempest' as a tragi-comedy because it contains comic elements in the otherwise serious play. On reading the play we find that tragic situations are followed by comic situations and the seriousness of something tragic melts into air and when comic situations dominate the action of the play.

In the very opening scene we find the perils at sea along with the boisterous cries of the sailors. It appears that the ship will sink and all the passengers on board will die. This scene is at once frightening and saddening. But in the midst of this impending disaster we see Gonzalo making witty remarks that amuse us immeasurably. His sarcastic remark about the Boatswain provokes laughter and fun. Again when he sees that the ship is about to sink he says in an air of light-hearted humour that he would like to die a dry death. It is interesting to see that when passengers on board the ship are facing the disaster letting out a wailing cry, he keeps his cool and makes humorous remarks.

Gonzalo's ideal vision of commonwealth excites a sense of humour and shows clearly Shakespeare's comedy view of life and things. When Sebastian asks Antonio if there would be no marriages in Gonzalo's ideal commonwealth Antonio wittily says that there will be little or no need for marriages because all the women are prostitutes and all the men would be free to have sex with them.

In addition to humorous situations in the play, there a quite a good number of farcical elements which are amusing. When Caliban falls flat on the ground, Trinculo thinks him to be a strange fish. He creates a humorous situation by saying that this creature is not a fish but an islander who has been struck by a thunderbolt. More farcical is the situation where Trinculo takes cover under Caliban's cloak in order to escape the fury of the impending storm.

The song sung by the drunken Stephano has a comic air. When the three drunken rogues move towards Prospero's cell with an end in view of taking his life, Ariel deceives them through his music and leads them into a stinking pond. The situation is evidently humorous as well as hilarious.

So the play as a whole partakes of the nature of a pastoral comedy. The play is not a tragedy in the true sense of the term. It has happy ending and addresses entirely to the imaginative faculty. The play however, can't be called a comedy because it has its constituent elements of sadness, melancholy, anxiety and sufferings which can be interpreted as serious things pertaining the inner would of men and women. The play can be termed a tragi-comedy at its best.

(THE TEMPEST) - Importance of masque in the 'The Tempest.'

Importance of 'Masque'

The masque in the tempest has been critically interpreted in many ways. Initially it is supposed to represent the betrothal of Ferdinand and Miranda; but it ends up adding a lot of allegorical aspects of the play as a whole.

In Shakespeare's time court masks were much in vogue for the celebration of  feast days, betrothals and marriages. Within the play itself it is evident that the masque is especially written in celebration of the betrothal and future marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda and it gives to their happy wedding an allegorical setting.

In fact the subject as we see in the masque is purely allegorical and mythological in tone and temper. It may be reiterated that the masque in the play has been performed in honour of Ferdinand and Miranda. The characters are taken from classical mythology. Iris, the goddess of rainbow, Ceresis, the the goddess of agriculture, Juno, the patronex of the female sex, Venus, the goddess of beauty and Cupid, the god of love are all conspicuous by their presence in the masque. Both Ceres and Juno shower their blessings on the young lovers. There is music everywhere.

The masque gives a momentary vision of a world surcharged with the atmosphere of freedom and forgiveness. Prospero is "touch'd with anger" when he makes a transition from magic to reality. In fact the masque provides a bridge for the action of the play to move from the enchanted island back to the civilized Milan- visibly a sudden shift from the supernatural to the natural.

When critically considered, the masque certainly stands apart from the main action leading upto the union of the two houses- Milan and Naples as well as the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda, which is the central theme of the play. To sum up, the masque seems to emphasize again the dominance of the supernatural machinery of the play.

(SHORT STORIES) Chapter- 4 - To Build A Fire (Theme of the Story)

Theme of the story "To Build A Fire".

Experience vs. Reality

One of the main themes of the story 'To Build a Fire' is experience versus reality. A man decides to travel alone through the hostile environment of the Yukon territory in temperatures 75 degree below zero though initially estimated a fifty degrees below zero and falls victim to the unrelenting and unforgiving power of nature. The man is a newcomer to the region. He has no idea how cold it really is in the Klondike wilderness. He is unprepared for the harsh cold that he is encountering. Even his dog knows it is too cold to be travelling. The theme revolves around the newcomer's first experiences in the extremely cold wilderness.

Early in the story, it becomes clear that the odds are against the man's chances of surviving in the Klondike wilderness. He is a chechaquo to the region and has never experienced its extreme winters.

Man vs. Nature

Another theme in the story is 'man vs. nature'. During his trek, the man was confronted again and again by his weakness as a lone individual against the formidable power of nature in the form of brutal cold. Each time he removed his gloves, the man was surprised at how quickly his fingers were numbed. When the man stopped for lunch, his feet went numb almost as soon as he sat still, a fact that finally began to frighten him. The man had been warned by experienced expeditioners never to travel "after fifty below" without a partner, who could help him in emergencies, but the man did not pay attention to such advice. When he was apparently successful in building the fire for the second time he felt too proud of his abilities. His pride in his abilities resulted in his death. He underestimated the power of nature. He didn't knew that nature is much more powerful that man can ever think.

Character Sketch of Prospero in Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

Character Sketch of 'Prospero'

Prospero is the central character of the play "The tempest". From first to last he dominates the action and brings about a happy ending. Other characters in the play seem rather shadowy figures before him. He dominates and dominates over others and brooks no opposition to his stubborn self-will. He is a tyrant in his relation with Caliban who rises in revolt against him. He is not even humane to his "dainty Ariel".

When viewed from another angle, he compels our admiration in many ways. In the first place he is a most affectionate father. His life is wholly wrapped up in his daughter Miranda. His love for Miranda is unbounded. He can truthfully say,
    "If I have done nothing in care of thee
     Of thee, my dear one, thee my daughter".
She is to him, 'a loved darling','dear heart', 'a rich gift', 'a thread of his own life'. His tenderness and lovableness in his relation to Miranda, Ariel, the repentant sinners give a glowing human touch to his character. He forgives his brother Antonio who conspire against him. He sheds tears of joy when he meets Gonzalo, the good old courtier, in the island. Ariel is always to him "my brave spirit". When he grants Ariel freedom he blurts out saying with a surge of real emotion "I shall miss thee".

Prospero is a man of exceptional wisdom and serenity. He knows "when to exercise strength and when tenderness,when to be stern and when to forgive". As he has reached an advanced manhood he is capable of viewing life from an altitude of wisdom and serenity. He has a philosophic cast of mind which makes him look upon life and the world "as a baseless fabric of vision and man as being basically " made of such stuffs dreams are made on". Besides it is because of his philosophic calm born of his vast wisdom that he at times feels a sense of alienation from the common joys and sorrows of the world. This especial trait of Prospero has lead many a critic to identify him with Shakespeare.

Prospero's phenomenal power as a necromancer establishes his identity in the spirit world. He holds his sway over the forces of nature, over the mind of man at one and same time. Of course he uses his supernatural powers only to bring about the happiest results. He causes the tempest and the shipwreck only to overpower his enemies and not to destroy them. He frustrates and foils the sinister plots of the conspirators. He forgives Sebastian and Alonso and sets Ariel free. Thus the wrongs are righted, the lovers are made happy. The powerful magician retires into the solitude of Milan. An air of forgiveness and freedom hangs over the play.  Prof. Dowden pertinently observes: ' Prospero's forgiveness is an embodiment of impartial wisdom and loving justice'. He is a lover of reconciliation and abhors vengeance. Prospero says, "The rarer action is virtue than in vengeance".
In fine we can say echoing the words of Gervinus that Prospero is a man whose moral excellence is more powerful than his magic, whose virtue conquers revenge.  

(POEMS) Chapter-7 Desiderata - By Max Ehrmann(Summary)

                Summary of the poem "Desiderata".

    The poem Desiderata can be analysed as a poem full of practical lessons, morals and ethics of the life. The poem advises the leaders to be calm and silent to cope up with the everyday struggle of life. The poet ask to be on good terms with the people and to be in good relationship with each other. Since every individual has equal rights to speak and get heard by others, no one should be ignored. One should not consider anyone dull or ignorant and should not ignore them. One need to avoid people who are aggressive and loud in nature. Such people decrease the morale and productivity. Comparison with others should not be practiced in the day-to-day life, as these things increase bitterness and negativity in the person's life.The poet suggest the readers to be employed with any work rather than be idle and be unemployed. One should always respect one's job. Helping hand should be raised for the people who are in need. One should never underestimate the power of love because these enables one to cope up with any difficulty. The poet does not want his readers to be self critic of themselves. The ending lines of the emphasize the almighty God. He wants his readers to believe in the reality of God who is always there to help him. One should always be cheerful and put his best to make the life the best one.  

(SHORT STORIES) Chapter-6-The Chinese Statue - Jeffrey Archer(Workbook Questions)

Question- 1

How does the short story "The Chinese Statue" explore the theme of appearance versus reality?

Ans:- In the short story 'The Chinese Statue' , an old statue of Emperor Kung belonging to Ming Dynasty , is the main object of attraction around which the entire story revolves.
       
           The story begins with the process of auctioning an old statue of Emperor Kung - a masterpiece of Ming dynasty and ends with the startling revelation of the reality of the statue.
           
            Sir Alexander Heathcot had a deep passion for the art of the Ming dynasty. When he was appointed as an ambassador to China he had the opportunity to explore the overall details about Ming dynasty's artistic works.
         
            During one of his wanderings in the countryside he came by an old statue in an artists's workshop. After having completed his term in China, he brought the statue with him to London and kept it in his drawing room for all to see and admire its artistic beauty. In fact Sir Alexander was so enamoured of this wonderful piece of art that he wanted the statue to remain with his family.He made a provision that it should be passed on to the next generations and nobody would be able to sell it to the detriment of the family's honour.

             

             As such the statue remained with the descendants of Sir Alexander as an heirloom for over a hundred years.

             His latest descendants Alex Heathcote when faced with financial crisis, decided to sell the statue. He took it to Sotheby's auction house where it was discovered that the statue was fake -- a copy of the original. So the reality was totally different from the appearance. The Chinese Statue which had the semblance of reality turned out to be a mere imitation of the original.

(POEMS) Chapter-9 The Spider And The Fly (Important Questions)

Question - 1

  Briefly mention the ways in which the spider tries to entice the fly in Mary Howitt's poem "The Spider and the Fly".

 Answer :-   In Mary Howitt's poem "The Spider And The Fly" the spider invites the fly to come into his parlour and tries to convince her by saying that it is not only the prettiest parlour but it is filled with "many pretty things". The fly replies that it's no good inviting her because she knows full well that anybody who goes in, never comes out.

                    The spider tries to lure the fly enticingly by saying that she may come in his chamber and take rest on his comfortable little bed. The fly's reply is that those who sleep on his bed never wake again. The spider now takes flattery. He calls the fly his friend and tries to assure the fly that he feels a warm affection for her. He tries to tempt her with the offer of nice food from his pantry whereupon she blatantly refuses. The spider then begins flattering the fly by calling her sweet, witty and wise. He goes to the extent of extolling and admiring her beautiful wings and brilliant eyes. He tells her obsequiously to look upon her in his mirror. The naive, innocent and gullible fly feels flattered. She thanks him for appreciating her and says she will call on him another day.

     
Question -2 

  What makes the fly lose its ground and end being trapped in the spider's net?

   Answer :-   In his beast fable "The Spider and the fly", the poet shows how the innocent and gullible can be won over by the wily and wicked predators abound in society.
             
                       In this poem the poor fly was carried away by the flattering words of the cunning spider. The repeated flattery of the spider made her unaware of the impending danger coming into her life. She was far away from the world of reality and falls heading into the illusory world of fantasy. While she was engrossed in thinking of her crested head, her brilliant eyes , her green and purple hue the spider was biding his time to drag her up into his "dismal den". The innocent fly seemed to be drawn to the trap quite unwittingly - the trap as set by the spider. The fly - "a poor foolish thing" became a victim of flattery at the cost of her life.

(THE TEMPEST) - Significance of Caliban in Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

Significance Of Caliban

    Caliban is a unique creation of Shakespeare's fecund poetical imagination. He belongs to the world of the of poet's flight of fancy. All the characters in The Tempest belong to the world of reality save and except Ariel and Caliban. Of course the character of Caliban is a perfect foil to that of Ariel. If Ariel is of the air airy, Caliban is of the earth earthy.

    Caliban is presented to us as the son of Sycorax, a witch- a deformed slave a demi- devil. He has been wonderfully conceived as the embodiment of all that is gross and earthy- "a sort of creature of the earth". The complexity of the character befuddles our mind. According to Prof. Wilson "Caliban is Shakespeare's portrait of the missing link between brute and man". Though Caliban has no direct connection with the action of the play he is integral to the purpose of the play.

     Caliban is Shakespeare's "noble savage". A complex character Caliban combines in him all the features of a monster, a slave and savage. The portrait of Caliban with his loyality to the drunkard , his adoration of valour, his love of natural beauty, and a feeling for music and poetry and the simple cunning and savagery of his attempts at revenge and escape - all this shows a sympathetic understanding of uncivilized man.

     In the depiction of Caliban, Shakespeare has given his humorous criticism of the theory of noble savage. In the point of fact, Caliban is the representative of the disinherited natives. His hatred of Prospero, his adoration of Stephano as a god, are the things to which every colonizer of the day testified. All these are contrary to the theory of the virtues of the 'noble savage'. Caliban's words are remarkably relevant. "You taught me language; and my profit on it is, I know how to curse". If Prospero represents the light of civilization, Caliban represents its darkness. After Caliban is taught to use language he is moulded in the image of the colonizer.  On a symbolic plane Caliban is Nature. He is opposed to Nurture.

     In the play "The Tempest Caliban has played the three parts - the monster, the slave, the colonized to perfection.

(SHORT STORIES) Chapter-2 - Fritz_ By Satyajit Ray(Workbook Answers)

                                           REVISION QUESTIONS


Question - 1

(c).  Discuss how the use of imagery and suspense adds to the element of horror in Satyajit Ray's
        short-story "Fritz".

Answer:-     In his outstanding short-story "Fritz" , Satyajit Ray has built up an eerie atmosphere of    suspense and mystery by making a deft and dexterous use of imagery which finally leads up to an unusual end of the story.
                     In "Fritz" the main protagonist named Jayanto was fascinated with the idea of revisiting Bundi , a town in Rajasthan , which he had visited thirty one years ago when he was a child of six.
                      The leitmotif of the story revolves around the visit of Jayanto and his friend Shankar to Bundi where they put up in a circuit house. Shankar asks him about his well being when he finds Jayanto in low spirits. Jayanto's imagination runs riot. The reminiscences of his childhood visit to Bundi flashes across his mind's eye. He recalls the incident involving his favourite doll, 'Fritz'. He remembered how two stray dogs tore away his doll into shreds and he buried it under a deodar tree in the far end of the garden in the circuit house.
                      Jayanto had a weird feeling at night. He woke up with the strange feeling that something was walking over his chest. He was horrified to discover the tiny, brown circular marks on the cover of his quilt. Realizing Jayanto's weird obsession with Fritz, Shankar got the earth dug up below the deodar tree. They had a creepy feeling - a feeling of mystery and horror on seeing the skeleton of a little human being, twelve inch long exactly the size of  'Fritz'.
                        By using visual as well as auditory imagery the author has created a super natural world of suspense and horror and leaves us wondering whether Fritz was a ghost or a figment of Jayanto's imagination. 

(SHORT STORIES) Chapter 2- Fritz - By Satyajit Ray Workbook

                                                          REVIEW QUESTIONS

Question -1

(b) Describe how memory plays an important role in Satyajit Ray's short story "Fritz".

Answer:  Memory plays an important role in Satyajit Ray's short story "Fritz". The memory of Jayanto has been presented in broad outline. Jayanto went to Bundi in Rajasthan with his father when he was a mere child of six and he retained his memories in his mind which helped him to relive the past by comparing the new Bundi with the old one. On reaching Bundi with his friend Shankar, Some of the memories of his childhood days spent in the same circuit house 31 years ago came crowding in his mind. He was feeling nostalgic. Slowly and silently he started recalling the doll gifted to him by his uncle. The doll looke very life like. It was named Fritz. Jayanto Reminisced that he used to play with the doll all day long. Although it was not mechanised, it could bend and twist its limbs.

          On knowing from Jayanto that the doll had been torn asunder by stray dogs and was buried under the deodar tree, Shankar told him to dig up the ground in order to confirm the existence of the doll which was broken in small pieces. They got the spot dug up and they were amused and bemused to find a 12-inch long human skeleton. There was no sign of the doll, so we see that it was Jayanto's childhood memory which brought back the little doll Fritz to life in a new light.

Critical Appreciation of the poem "The Darkling Thrush"

      "The Darkling Thrush" at first appears to be a nature poem of indefinable beauty. Here we come across the lurid scene of December evening. The air is drawing to a close. It is really a cold and frosty evening. The poet uses a frost metaphor in order to present a scene of desolation and dreariness. It's a twilight time. The sun is setting. The whole landscape is enveloped in deep darkness.

        The mood of the poet is gloomy and glum. Every spirit on earth seems cheerless. The poet seems to share the general mood of desolation. He looks dejected and depressed against the backdrop of such a cheerless landscape. He hears the joyful song of a thrush pouring out its music in full throated glee. The poet's heart overflows with a feeling of hope. He thinks that the thrush seems to sing a song of hope for the world torn and tormented  by hopelessness and despair. The songbird by singing a joyful song heralds a sense of hope for the hopeless world.