A note to the students

o The following material contains some intentional

errors. (spelling, grammatical and punctuation). So be
careful not to repeat the same error.
o Work critically; avoid mere copy-pasting.
o Utilize the provided content as a reference while
crafting your own original response.

I was My own Route

About the poet

Julia de Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) was a Puerto
Rican poet. As an advocate of Puerto Rican independence she served as
Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of
the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. She was also a civil rights activist for
women and African/Afro-Caribbean writers.

In "I Was My Own Route," Julia de Burgos, a radical feminist, says that
she doesn't believe that men should decide how a woman's life and
journey should go. She thinks of men when she considers about gender
inequality and the way men treat women.

Vocabulary

Promissory /ˈprɒmɪsərɪ/ adjective

Meaning: Of, relating to, or containing a promise.
A written promise to pay a sum of money.
The promissory note was signed by both parties.
Whiplash /ˈwɪplæʃ/ /ˈhwɪplæʃ/ noun
Meaning: The lashing action of a whip.

Regal /ˈrēɡ(ə)l / adjective

of, resembling, or fit for a monarch, especially in being magnificent or
dignified:

Warped /wôrpt/ adjective

bent or twisted out of shape, typically as a result of the effects of heat or

damp:
"warped wooden planks"

Epoch /ˈepək/ noun

a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by
notable events or particular characteristics:
"the Victorian epoch"

Hom·age /ˈ(h)ämij/ noun

special honor or respect shown publicly:
They paid homage to the great poet by reciting his famous poems.

Her·ald /ˈherəld/ noun

an official messenger bringing news

Route /ruːt/, /raʊt/ noun

a way that you follow to get from one place to another
Which is the best route to take?
Motorists are advised to find an alternative route.

Horizon /həˈraɪzn/ noun

enlarge image the horizon [singular] the furthest that you can see, where
the sky seems to meet the land or the sea
The sun sank below the horizon.
Ash /æʃ/ noun
the grey or black powder that is left after something, especially tobacco,
wood or coal, has burnt, for example, cigarette ash, black volcanic ash
Ash from the volcano fell over a wide area.

Correct order

a. In this poem, the speaker reject the idea that men should decide how a
woman's life and journey should go.

b. The speaker come across many barriers to her new path, but she
overcomes them all with her new determination.

c. The speaker has a lot of trouble balancing her own life with walking
on the new and true path of life.

d. She want to go far into the future and get all the freedom that men in
the society have already seen.

e. The speaker finds herself in a situation that has already been set. There
is no history, future, edges, or anything else except the world and rules
for men and women who are under the shadow of men.

f. The speaker tells her what she is and what the men in her community
want her to be. Then, she claims that she is all she wants to be because
she works so hard to achieve her goals.

g. Above all, the poem tells us that both men and women are part of the
same society and both need freedom, liberation, independence, and so
on in their lives.
Meaning of Stanza 1

It is clear from the beginning that there was a difference between what
was wanted of her and what she is. She doesn't like patriarchal ideas and
wants to start on a new path of her own, not play hide and seek like
everyone else does. Through this, she talks about her own freedom and
the freedom of women. She is looking for new ways to go about her
journey, not following the path set out by men in the society. During this
time, she makes fun of these paths and chooses a new one that fits her
own needs better. Julia de Burgos said that social inequality was a
problem at the time this poem was written. This poem makes a point of
gender discrimination as a response.

Meaning of Stanza 2
In the second stanza, the speaker comes across many barriers to her new
path, but she overcomes them all with her new determination. She
remembers the old traditional road with her wounded heart and old blogs.

Meaning of Stanza 3
In the third stanza, the speaker has a lot of trouble balancing her own life
with walking on the new and true path of life. She wants to go far into the
future and get all the freedom that men in the society have already seen.
So, she kisses a lot of new paths to see all the freedom and happiness in
her life.

Meaning of Stanza 4
In the fourth stanza, the speaker finds herself in a situation that has
already been set. There is no history, future, edges, or anything else
except the world and rules for men and women who are under the shadow
of men. Patriarchy has set up a lot of rules for women to keep them inside
the four walls of the house. She finds her situation difficult because it is
filled with barriers and traditions that were made by men in the past. It
shows a world where there doesn't seem to be any hope for women far
and wide.
Meaning of Stanza 5
In the fifth stanza, the speaker tells her what she is and what the men in
her community want her to be. Then, she claims that she is all she wants
to be because she works so hard to achieve her goals.

Meaning of Stanza 6
A person who reads this poem says that she wants to be different from
what patriarchal society wants her to be. Disappointing futures make her
very down and she wants to get over painful things in her life even though
it's hard.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

a. Why did the speaker try to be the way men wanted her to be?
The speaker tries to be the way men wanted her to be because she was
living in a society where females were anticipated to be like what men
want them to be like with their dominant male idea.

b. What do you understand by her feet 'would not accept walking

backwards'?
‘Her feet would not accept walking backwards' mean that she had no
intention of walking after males. She wanted women on an equal footing
with males in the race, with the ultimate goal of liberation. She was
unwilling to accept the male-dominated view that women were less
valuable than men.

c. Who are the old guards? Why did they grow desperate?
The old guard are those conservative minded people of society who are
highly influenced and supportive to male supremacy ideals. Julia was
making progress toward improving the lives of the impoverished women
and fighting for their liberation, that's why they became fearful and grew
desperate.
d. How did the speaker have ‘a feeling of intimate liberation'?
The speaker had a feeling of intimate liberation because she was on the
new path where she transcended the barrier of patriarchal society and
rejected the old one set by males.

e. Why did the desire to follow men warp in her?

The desire to follow men wraps in her because of patriarchal society and
its norms prevailed in the society. She wants to feel liberation and
pleasure but she is forced to follow traditional concepts and ideas
predetermined by men.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. What does the speaker mean when she says she was playing a game
of hide and seek with her being'?
When the speaker says that she was playing a game of hide and seek with
herself, she is expressing that her identity was only a game to be
performed under patriarchal ideology. She was completely unknown on
what she was, what she had to do and how she should behave. However,
she is now expressing her lot of anger and criticism of patriarchal
concepts that confine women to four walls. She wants to be free of gender
stereotypes and pursue her own goals.

b. Why, in your view, was her back ripped by the old guards as she
was advancing forward?
Her back was ripped out by the old guard because old guards believed in
the patriarchal system a lot and they did not want any women to go
beyond their rules. But in order to achieve true independence, she must
overcome oppression and race-based discrimination. As a result of the
social constraints imposed by the society's old guard, she suffers a great
deal and has her back ripped by old guards with norms, rules and
traditions as threat.

C. What, according to the speaker, did it feel like to be free?

The speaker says that being free is like flying like a bird without any
societal or gender limitations. For her, being free is the same as choosing
her own route and doing her own thing. It means to walk and feel like a
man in society, and to obtain long-awaited emancipation.

d. Why does the speaker prefer the present to the past?

The speaker prefers the present over the past since her past was bad. Her
history was a mess. Patriarchy caused her a lot of pain. The patriarchal
restrictions hampered her. She was considered as a toy to be played and
a joke to be laughed at. She was unaware of her heart's independence. Her
desires were restricted. She was abused and starved by family and society.
Currently, she is free of masculine notions and freed. Male ideology and
fear is slowly fading out. Female freedom is beginning to take hold, and
male dominance is disappearing. Her acts and decisions are her own. She
can work and go anywhere. So, she prefers the present over the past.

Writing Write a news story based on the given information.

(See page no. 21)

How to write a news story.

Start with a strong lead.

The lead is the first paragraph of your story, and it should be the most
interesting and informative part. It should answer the basic questions of
who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Be clear and concise.

News stories should be easy to understand and should get to the point
quickly. Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may
not understand.

Use quotes from sources.

Quotes from people involved in the story can help to add credibility and
interest to your story. Be sure to attribute the quotes to the correct source.

Be objective.
News stories should be objective and should not express the writer's
personal opinions or beliefs.

Proofread your work.

Before you submit your story, be sure to proofread it for any errors in
grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
Here are some additional tips:

Use the inverted pyramid format.

In the inverted pyramid format, the most important information is
presented at the beginning of the story and the least important information
is presented at the end. This format makes it easy for readers to scan the
story and find the information they are looking for.

Write in the active voice.

The active voice is more concise and engaging than the passive voice. For
example, instead of writing "The ball was hit by the player," write "The
player hit the ball."

Use strong verbs.

Strong verbs add power and clarity to your writing. For example, instead
of writing "The player ran to the ball," write "The player sprinted to the
ball."

Vary your sentence structure.

Using a variety of sentence structures will make your writing more
interesting and engaging. For example, instead of writing a series of short,
simple sentences, try mixing in some longer, more complex sentences.
Date: July 10, 2023
Argentina Wins Copa America After 28-Year Drought

Argentina ended their 28-year drought without a major international

trophy on Saturday, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final. The
winning goal came from Angel Di Maria in the 22nd minute, and
Argentina's defense held firm for the rest of the match.

The victory was a long-awaited one for Lionel Messi, who had never won
a major international trophy with Argentina before. Messi was in tears
after the match, and he said that it was the happiest day of his life.

"This is for all the people who love Argentina," Messi said. "We've been
waiting for this for a long time."

Brazil had more possession and chances in the second half, but they were
unable to break through Argentina's defense. The Argentines were
outstanding in the second half, and they deserved their victory.

This is Argentina's 15th Copa America title, and it ties them with Uruguay
for the most titles in the tournament's history. It is also Argentina's first
major title since 1993.

The victory is a major boost for Argentina ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Messi and Argentina will be hoping that this is the start of a new era of
success for the national team.
Grammar: Determiners and Quantifiers

When do we use much and when many?

much: uncountable nouns (milk, marmalade, money, time etc.)
many: countable nouns (bottles of milk, jars of marmalade, dollars,
minutes etc.)

Examples:

How much money have you got?

How many dollars have you got?

In informal English these questions are often answered with a lot of, lots
of. There is no much difference between the two phrases.

2. When do we use a little/little and when a few/few?

a little: non countable nouns (milk, marmalade, money, time etc.)
a few: countable nouns (bottles of milk, jars of marmalade, dollars,
minutes etc.)
Examples:
He has a little money left.
He has a few dollars left.

We use few and little without the article a to point out a more negative
meaning.
Examples:
A few students of our school know this. (There are some students who
know it.)
Few students know this. (It is almost unknown.)

B. Complete the following sentences with much, many, few or little.

a. He is an introvert. He has got very few friends.
b. I am busy preparing for my examinations. I have very little time to
give to you.
c. The entire winter season was dry this year. We had little rain.
d. Our town has almost been modernized. There are few old buildings
left.
e. You can come today. I haven’t got much to do.
f. The party was crowded. There were too many people.
g. How many photographs did you take while you were in
Switzerland?
h. There was little traffic so I came in time.
i. Can I borrow a few books from you?
j. Mohan can’t be a good teacher. He has little patience.

2,3 Things = Use Each / More than 3 Things, use every

Each = Object, people, things / Every = Group of People/time

Each and every

• Each and every are both used with singular nouns to indicate
quantity.
• Each indicates two or more items, whereas every indicates three
or more items.
• When three or more items are involved, we tend to use each when
we are thinking of the items individually
• Every when we are thinking of them collectively. Here are some
examples:

Correct: She had paint on each leg.

Incorrect: She had paint on every leg. (That is, unless "she" is, say, an
octopus or other more-than-two-legged animal.)

Correct: My parents are arriving tomorrow, and each of them will be on

a different plane.
Incorrect: My parents are arriving tomorrow, and every one of them will
be on a different plane.

However, both of the following could be correct depending on the

context:
 o We asked every author to submit a cover suggestion. (Perhaps one
mass email was sent to all authors.)

o We asked each author to submit a cover suggestion. (Perhaps each

author received a separate, personal request.)

o Correct: I've read every article published in Cell in the last 15 years.
o Correct: You suggested I begin reading Current Biology articles.
Well, I'm going to study each of them carefully.

When adverbs such as almost, nearly, and practically are involved, every
is necessary:
o Practically every person in the room had at some point submitted a
paper on theoretical physics.
o The journal had rejected almost every one of them.

What was impressive was that any were accepted at all; nearly every
attendee was under 15.

Every and each can both act as adjectives, but only each can be a pronoun.
Thus, each is the appropriate choice in these sentences:

o They each thought their work should have made them shoe-ins for
the Nobel prize.

o She gave them each a little perspective.

If you want to use every in a similar way, the pronoun one must be
involved so that every act as an adjective that modifies one. For example:

o Every one of the several thousand conference attendees purchased a

personal print and online subscription to each Cell Press journal.
o The director of operations was ecstatic about every one of them.

And now back to our original question. Should it be "each hen has her
own personality" or "every hen has her own personality"? Each implies
that I’m thinking of my specific flock of chickens and considering each
hen individually, whereas every implies that I’m thinking of chickens
more broadly and not necessarily about my own specific birds.
Nonetheless, it’s a subtle difference, and each choice would be
acceptable.

C. Put each or every in the following sentences.

a. The party split into three factions; each faction headed by a former
prime minister.
b. Leap years occur every four years.
c. Every parent worry about their children.
d. We had a great time in Singapore. We enjoyed every minute of our
time.
e. I could catch the main idea of his speech but I didn’t understand each
of his words.
f. In Nepal, every motorcycle rider should wear a helmet.
g. You must read each of these books for the exam.

D. Rewrite the following sentences using all of, most of, none of, both
of or some of.
a. Your garden is superb. All of the flowers are beautiful.
b. Do you know Bharat and Kamal? Of course, both of them are my
friends.
c. I bought a box of apples thinking it would be cheaper but I was
mistaken most of them were rotten.
d. When I was in the town, I asked some people for directions but none
of them were able to help me. I had to call my friend.
e. We all were soaked in the rain because none of us had carried an
umbrella.
f. My father is healthy in his seventies but he feels isolated because
most of his friends are dead now.
g. All of the tourists are not Chinese, some of them are Korean too.

E. Choose the best word from the brackets to complete the sentences.
a. Give me the money I owe you. (which/the/a/an)
b. I want a boat which would take me to the island. (the/an/those/a)
 c. Could you pour me some water, please? (many/few/these/some)
d. Only a few employees know how important the project was. (a few/a
little/little/few)
e. He was looking for an umbrella. (an/a/those/these)
f. A large amount of water was evaporated due to excessive heat. (A
large number of/ A lot of/ A large amount of/Many)

Project work
Poetry Podcast or Audio Recording:
Create a captivating podcast episode or an engaging audio recording
where we delve into a profound analysis of the poem " I Was My Own
Route." In this project, we will share personal interpretations, insights,
and explore the poem's significance, while utilizing technology to
enhance our communication skills. Feel free to unleash your creativity by
incorporating images and other multimedia elements to enrich the
experience.