ADITYA VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

PORAIYUR, PUDUCHERY

______________________________________________________________________________________________

THE THIRD LEVEL

BY JACK FINNEY

The story begins with the mention of a third level at the Grand Central Station (which only has two levels
in real). The protagonist himself is aware that even the Presidents of New York Central and the New York,
New Haven and Hartford railroads would express great confidence in the existence of only two levels but
he himself has been to the third level. Considering the entire scenario, Charley, the protagonist had a word
with his psychiatrist friend. He explained that Charley was experiencing a ˜waking dream wish fulfillment
or in other words, hallucination. According to the psychiatrist, Charley was unhappy (the fact her wife did
not like). Upon explaining further, it became clear that it is the burden of all the modern problems that is
pushing him to experience the apparent perception of something not present. He tends to escape the reality.
Charley agreed with what his psychiatrist friend had to say but he still found it a bit odd to have been to the
third level of the Grand Central Station.
Charley begins to believe in the possibility that he has been experiencing all this to escape the harsh
realities of the modern world. His friends agreed to it as well. Even his stamp collecting is a sort of asylum
he resorts to in order to feel protected. On the other hand, he starts thinking otherwise. His grandfather
started his stamp collection but in those days, they had not seen the consequences of war and there was
peace, harmony and security. His grandfather must have not been insecure. The collection, moreover was
amazing, with blocks of four of practically every U. S. issue. Even President Roosevelt collected stamps.

He starts explaining what exactly happened and begins with how he chose to take the Subway to his
apartment instead of the usual bus after a late-night shift. He did this in order to save time.

He describes himself as an ordinary man of 31 dressed in a tan gabardine suit and a straw hat with a fancy
band. It was so ordinary that he could see other similar men at the station. He explains how he was in his
normal state of mind not wanting to escape from anywhere. All he wanted was to be with his wife Louisa
at that hour. He still doesn’t understand why this happened with him.

Charley comes to the part of the incident where he entered the Grand Central from Vanderbilt Avenue and
took the stairs to the first level where one boarded trains like the Twentieth Century. Then he went down
another floor to reach the second level from where the suburban trains leave. From there he entered an
arched doorway and got lost. It was nothing unusual for him because even if he had come to that station a
thousand times, there were occasions he bumped into new corridors and doorways. Once he entered the
wrong lobby and reached Roosevelt Hotel and another time in an office building which was three blocks
away.

He wondered that Grand Central was expanding at a very fast rate just like a tree and with its roots. He it
is no big deal that they even have a secret tunnel under the city to the Times Square or maybe the Central
Park. He feels it might be because Grand Central is a place of exit for innumerable people; he also
managed to escape reality because of the same reason. Although he never shared it with his psychiatrist.

The unusual corridor he had entered into began angling left and slanting downward which he felt odd about
but nevertheless, he kept on walking. There was no one except him and the voice of his feet echoed. He
finally heard the sound of people talking from a distance, and then he took a left and walked down the
stairs again only to reach the third level of the Grand Central. He thought he had somehow made his way
back to the second level but as he noticed, the room was smaller, there were fewer ticket windows and train
gates, and the information booth in the center was wood and old-looking. The man in the booth was also
different and the station was dim-lit for there were open-flame gaslights.

Charley could see brass spittoons everywhere when suddenly a glimpse of light caught his eye and he saw
a man pulling his gold watch from the vest. He was dressed in an old-fashioned style. Suddenly, he noticed
that everyone was dressed like the nineteenth century. It was basically the time before deadly wars,so many
beards and fancy mustaches all around, something that the protagonist had never seen before. He even saw
a very small Currier & Ives locomotive which made him sure about which time he is in.

To validate his suspicion, he went over to the newspaper boy who was selling The World, a newspaper
which was discontinued years ago. There were some headlines about the then President Cleveland. The
date on the front page was also June 11, 1894. He was now sure.

Immediately, he went to the ticket window to get the tickets for Galesburg, Illinois for him and his wife. It
was a wonderful town with a lot of greenery. He was well aware that from here one could buy tickets that
would take them anywhere in the United States. He describes how things were in 1984 before the two
World Wars took place. Evenings were twice as long as they are now and men and women living in peace
and serenity.

As the clerk calculated the fare, he looked at Charley’s fancy hatband. Charley just had enough for one
sided journey. Just as he took out money, the clerk informed that this is not the acceptable legal tender and
by any chance if he tried to be smart, he won’t be able to get away with it. He glanced at his cash drawer
and realized that currency used back then was different and almost double the size. He ran out because he
didn’t want to go to jail.

The day ended after he came out. The next day he went to withdraw his entire savings and got them
converted into old money by paying some amount of premium. It cost him much and even worried his
psychiatrist friend but he still went with it. Back then, eggs cost thirteen cents a dozen.

But unfortunately, he could never find the way to the third-level corridor again despite hard efforts. His
wife Louisa was pretty worried when she got to know about it all. After a while, he went back to finding
distractions with the help of stamps. Somehow, Sam, the psychiatrist disappeared out of the blue. Charley
suspected that he had gone to Galesburg. He finds himself in the time-space of 1894.

One night Charley came across a first-day cover. It is an envelope (with a stamp on it) that stamp collectors
mail to themselves on the first day of its sale to mark the date. They’re just blank inside and are not meant
to be opened.

That night he found by surprise one of his grandfather’s old first day covers. Someone had mailed it to his
father at his home at Galesburg, as he saw from the address on the envelope. The post mark showed that it
had been there since July 18, 1894. The stamp had a picture of President Garfiled on it. It was a six cent,
dull brown colour stamp. His grandfather had put it in his stamp collection and the Charley now discovered
it. The paper inside and a letter written in it read as:

The letter talked about how the writer wished his third level story was true until he actually started
believing it to be true. He had found the third level and had been there for two weeks. He describes the
place he was at that time. He asks Charley and Louis to never stop searching for the third level and come
back.
The letter had been signed off as Sam. Â Charlie found out from the coin store that he used to visit that
Sam had bought old currency worth eight hundred dollars, which was to be utilized in hay, feed and grain
business, which what he always wished to do. He could not go back to his old business certainly not in
Galesburg, Illinois. The story ends at a mysterious note where Charlie is wondering that Sam is
psychiatrist.

Word Meaning:

Stack- a pile of objects, typically one that is neatly arranged

Timetables- a schedule showing the departure and arrival times of trains, buses or aircraft

Waking dream- an involuntary dream occuring while a person is awake

Wander- walk; roam

Refuge- the state of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or difficulty

Gabardine- a smooth, durable, twill-woven worsted or cotton cloth

Suburban- residential

Ducked- lower the head or body quickly

Arched- curved

Bumping- knock or run into something

Spittoons- a metal or earthenware pot typically having a funnel-shaped top, used for spitting into

Vest- a garment worn on the upper part of the body

Snapped- break suddenly and completely

Locomotive- a powered railway vehicle used for pulling trains

Fussing- show unnecessary or excessive concern about something

Prepared by
Mr.Deepan
 ADITYA VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
PORAIYUR, PUDUCHERY
______________________________________________________________________________________________

THE TIGER KING

BY KALKI

The writer introduces the main character of the story – the king of Pratibandapuram. The king is a hero due
to his bravery. He is given a list of titles to emphasize on his greatness. To sum up all the titles in one, the
king is called “The Tiger King”. The reason for him being called so shall be revealed in the lesson ahead.
The writer tells us that he would let us know why the king was called ‘The Tiger King’. He further
promises the reader that he will not go back on his promise even if he is under the threat of an attack by a
Stuka Bomber aircraft. Instead, he says that the Stuka bomber aircraft can go back because he is not scared
of it and he will tell the reader why the king was called the tiger king.

The writer says that before elaborating about the tiger king one important thing about him was that any
person who read about the tiger king would be very excited to meet a man of such undefeatable courage.
But he says that there is no chance of meeting the tiger king as the tiger king is already dead and he has
reached heaven.

The manner in which the tiger king died was very interesting. The writer could tell us about it only at the
end of the story but he adds that a very interesting fact about the tiger king’s death was that when the tiger
king was born, astrologers had predicted at that time that one day the tiger king would die. This prediction
is meaningless because as a matter of fact everyone has to die one day.

The writer gives an elaborate description of what the astrologers predicted at the time of the birth of the
tiger king. They said that the child would grow up to become a brave warrior, a hero and a champion but
after that they stopped and bit their lips in order to show their reluctance to speak. When the astrologers
were forced to continue, they said that what they would reveal just now was a secret. They said that the
child that is the tiger king was born under such a star (that means when he was born the star which was up
there in the sky was such) that any person who was born at that time had to meet his death one day. Again,
this prediction is meaningless because as a fact everyone has to meet his death one day.

As the astrologers reveal their secret prediction, a miracle took place. The 10- day old tiger king whose
name was Jilani Jung Jang Bahadur spoke up. All the listeners were surprised to see a 10- day old baby
speak. The tiger king called out to the wise astrologers and the main astrologer removed his spectacles and
looked intently at the little baby. The tiger king said in its squeaky voice that all those who are born have to
die one day and he did not need their predictions to know this fact. He added that if they told him the
manner of his death, that would make some sense to him.

The chief astrologer was amazed to see a 10- day old baby speak and ask intelligent questions. It was
unbelievable for him just like the news which came from the wars. He took off his finger from his nose and
looked carefully at the little prince. Then he added that as the tiger king was born in the hour of the bull
which was an enemy of the tiger, hence, the tiger king would die due to a tiger.

The writer says that the reader may feel that the tiger king trembled upon hearing the name of a tiger but
actually that did not happen. On the other hand, as soon as the Crown Prince Jung Jang Bahadur heard the
name of a tiger he made a deep growing sound and spoke terrifying words. He said that all the tigers should
beware.
Further the writer says that this story is a rumour that was heard by him in Pratibandapuram but if we look
at the happenings of the past we could conclude that these rumours were based on true happenings.

The Crown Prince Jung Jung Bahadur grew taller and stronger as the days passed by there were no other
miracles in his childhood.

As a boy, he drank the milk of an English cow, was brought up by an English governess, got lessons in
English by an Englishman and watched English films just like the Crown princes of other Indian states did.
When the Crown Prince Jung Jung Bahadur turned twenty years of age, the royal state which had been in
the custody of the court of wards was given to him.

All the people who lived in the kingdom were aware of the astrologer’s prediction. Many of the people
discussed these predictions and one day, King Jung Jung Bahadur came to know of it.

The Pratibandapuram state had many forests which had a number of tigers in them. The Maharaja was
aware of an old saying that you could kill even a cow in order to protect yourself. So, he felt that the cow
which was considered to be a holy animal could also be killed by a Hindu in order to save himself, then no
one would object if he killed a tiger in order to protect himself. So, Maharaja Jung Jung Bahadur started
out on a tiger hunting expedition.

He was very excited when he killed the first tiger. He called for the state astrologer and showed him the
dead tiger.

The king asked the astrologer for his comments and The Astrologer replied that the king could kill ninety
nine tigers in exactly the same way as he had killed the first one and he stopped speaking. The king
encouraged the astrologer to continue without fear. So, the astrologer said that the king had to be very
careful with the hundredth Tiger that he hunted. The king asked him that what would happen if he killed
the hundredth tiger also.

The Astrologer replied that he would tear all his books of astrology and set them on fire. He continued that
he shall cut off his hair and would change his profession from an astrologer to an insurance agent as he
would not remain a good astrologer any longer.

From that day the tigers in Pratibandapuram had a nice time as the kingdom banned tiger hunting by
anyone except the Maharaja. No one was allowed to kill a tiger other than the Maharaja himself. The law
was so strict that an official announcement was made that if anyone was caught killing a tiger or even
throwing a stone at a tiger, his wealth and property would be taken away by the kingdom of
Pratibandapuram.

The king of Pratibandapuram took an oath that he would attend to all other matters of the kingdom only
after he had killed 100 tigers. In the beginning it seems that he would achieve his target very fast.

It was not that he feared the tiger. When the king went on his hunting expeditions, he faced danger many
times. At times, his Bullet missed its target and the tiger jumped upon him. The king would fight with the
tigers barehanded but each time he won and killed the tiger.

he writer tells us another instance when King Jung Jung Bahadur was about to lose his throne. A high
ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was fond of hunting tigers and he wanted to get
himself photographed with the dead tigers. He wanted to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram also but as the
Maharaja had banned killing tigers by any other person, he did not give permission to this British official
also. He offered him to go on any other hunting like mouse or even a mosquito hunt but he refused to
arrange a tiger hunting for this British officer.
he British official’s secretary send a message to the Maharaja that the Durai that is the official himself did
not want to kill the tiger. The king could kill the tiger, he only wanted to get himself photographed with the
dead body of a tiger. But the king did not agree to this proposal also. He said that if he relaxed his decision
and allowed the official to get himself photographed with the dead tiger, then other British officers would
also come to Pratibandapuram in order to fulfill their wish of hunting a tiger.

As the king had refused a British officer from fulfilling his wish, he was in danger of losing his kingdom.
The king had discussions with his Minister over this issue. The king sent a telegram to a famous British
company of Jewellers based in Calcutta. He asked them to send samples of expensive diamond rings of
different designs.

The Jeweller sent fifty rings and the Maharaja sent all of them to the British officer’s wife. He wanted to
please her in order to make good the damage that he had done by refusing the official from going on a tiger
hunt in his kingdom. The king had expected that the British officer’s wife would choose one or two rings
and return the others but she just sent a reply saying thanks for the gifts and she kept all the rings. After
two days the British jewelers sent a bill of three lakh rupees for the fifty diamond rings they had sent. The
Maharaja was happy that he had saved his kingdom for a sum of three lakh rupees.

The king was very successful in his tiger hunting missions. In a span of ten years he had killed seventy
tigers. An unplanned problem stopped his mission. The problem was that there were no more tigers in
Pratibandapuram. The writer creates humour when he says that maybe the tigers practiced birth control
activities and did not produce offsprings or maybe they committed suicide. He also adds that it could be
that they ran away from Pratibandapuram because they did not want to be killed by an Indian and on the
other hand they want it to be killed by a Britisher.

One day the king called his minister and waved his gun towards him. He said that he was yet to kill thirty
more tigers. The Minister was scared when he saw the gun and he cried to the king that he was not a tiger
as he feared that the king might aim his gun at him. The king said that he was not foolish that he would
mistake the minister for a tiger. The Minister was so scared that he added that he was neither a gun. The
king said to him that he knew that he was neither a tiger not a gun but on the other hand, the king had
called his minister for another work – the king wanted to get married.

The Minister was so confused that he started speaking something in a silly way. He said that the king
already had two wives and if the Minister married the king…. the king interrupted the Minister and scolded
him for speaking nonsense. He said that he had no reason to marry the Minister and he did not want to
marry the Minister. He said that he wanted a tiger so the writer again creates humour when he says that the
Minister told the king that he should think over his decision. The minister adds that the king’s ancestors
were married to the sword and so, if he wanted he could marry the gun. But marrying a tiger and getting a
‘Tiger Queen’ for the kingdom of Pratibandapuram was not a good thought. He added that a Tiger King
was enough for the state and they did not need a Tiger Queen.

This was very hilarious and the Maharaja started laughing. He said that he did not want to marry either a
tiger or a gun but he wanted to marry a girl from another Kingdom. He asked his minister to make a list of
all the kingdoms and the number of tigers they had. Next, the Minister was supposed to find out if there
was a girl worth marrying in the royal family of a state which had a large number of tigers.

The Minister followed the orders and he found the right girl from a state which had a large number of
tigers. So every time king Jung Jung Bahadur visited his father-in-law, he would kill five or six tigers in the
kingdom. In this manner, the king killed ninety-nine tigers and the skins of the tigers decorated the walls of
the lobby hall of the Pratibandapuram palace.
As the Maharaja has killed ninety-nine tigers, he was to kill just one more to complete his total of hundred
tigers. He became very anxious and curious to kill the hundredth tiger.

All through the day and night he kept on dreaming of killing the hundredth tiger. The tiger population in
the king’s father-in-law’s kingdom had also finished. He could not find a single tiger anywhere. The king
was very desperate for one single tiger that he could hunt after which he would give up hunting as he
would not fear tigers any longer.

He was reminded of the late astrologer’s words that he was supposed to be very careful with the hundredth
tiger that he hunted and the king agreed that tigers were uncontrolled animals and so he had to be cautious
of it. But he was not able to find the hundredth tiger that he could kill. The writer again creates humour by
saying that it was easier to find tiger’s milk in the kingdom rather than an alive tiger.

This made the king very sad. He sadness came to an end when he got the news that in a hillside village,
sheep was disappearing very fast. There were two people in the kingdom- Khader Mian Sahib and
Virasami Naicker who could swallow whole sheep. As this was not their job, so it was calculated that there
was a tiger at work. The villagers were very excited and they informed the king about it. The Maharaja was
so happy that he exempted the villages from all taxes for three years and set out to hunt this tiger.

The king could not locate the tiger easily and it seemed as if the tiger was hidden in order to go against the
king’s desire of killing the tiger. But the king was very determined he did not leave the forest until he
would find the tiger. With the passing days he became very angry and was firm to kill the tiger. In his
anger he removed many officers from his Kingdom.

One day, in his fury he called the Minister and ordered him to increase the land tax to double. He felt that
by doing this, the people would become unhappy and his kingdom would become a part of the Indian
National Congress.

By doing so the Minister would also resign from his post. This was the king’s way of threatening the
Minister. The Minister realized that the king was very angry and he thought that if the tiger was not found
soon, it could lead to destruction. The Minister found that the tiger that had been brought from the People’s
Park in Madras was hidden in his house, he felt relieved.

The Minister along with his wife pulled the tiger into his car and drove the car to the forests where the
Maharaja was hunting. The tiger did not come out of the car and the Minister had a tough time pushing the
tiger out of the car into the forest.

The next day the same tiger was spotted by the Maharaja. He was very happy to see the hundredth tiger and
he aimed at the tiger. The tiger fell down as if it had been shot dead by the king. He was overjoyed to have
killed the hundredth tiger and had fulfilled his wow.

The king was happy to have killed the hundredth tiger. He ordered that the tiger should be brought to the
capital in a grand procession and went away in his car.

After the king had left the hunters took a closer look at the tiger and saw that it was alive. They realized
that the king’s bullet had missed the tiger. The tiger had nearly fainted due to the shock as the bullet had
passed close to it. The hunters were confused what to do and so, one of them aimed at the tiger and shot it
dead.

Then the hunters followed the king’s orders and took the dead tiger to the town in a procession. It was
buried and a beautiful tomb was erected on the tiger’s grave.
After a few days, the maharaja’s son’s third birthday was celebrated. Till that time the king had been so
engrossed in tiger hunting that he had never spent any time with his family. Now, as he had fulfilled his
wow of killing hundred tigers, he gave his attention to his child. King Jung Jung Bahadur wanted to give a
special gift to his son on his birthday and so he went to the shopping centre in Pratibandapuram. He
searched every shop but could not find any suitable gift for his son. Finally, he saw a wooden tiger in a toy
shop and considered it to be the perfect gift.

The wooden tiger cost only two and a quarter annas but the shopkeeper knew that if he quoted such a low
price to the king, he would punish him. So, the shop owner told the king that the wooden tiger was a
perfect example of craftsmanship and that it cost a mere three hundred rupees.

The king was very happy and he said that this was the shop owner’s gift to the Crown Prince. He took the
tiger with him. The king and his son played with the wooden tiger. The tiger had been made by an
unskilled carpenter and it had tiny shavings of wood pricking out of it. One of the shavings pierced the
maharaja’s right hand. The Maharaja pulled it out and continued to play with the prince.

The next day, there was a lot of infection in the maharaja’s right hand due to that shaving of wood that had
pricked his hand. In a period of four days, the infection turned into a wound full of pus and spread all over
the king’s right arm.

Three famous surgeons were called from Madras and they decided to operate upon the king. After the
operation the surgeons came out of the theater and said that the operation was successful and the Maharaja
was dead.

WORD MEANINGS

Adorned: make more beautiful or attractive.

Alarmingly: in a worrying or disturbing way.

Ambition: a strong desire to do or achieve something.

Ascertained: make sure of.

Astonishing: extremely surprising or impressive

Astrologers: a person who predicts future.

Babble: talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way.

Bafflement: to confuse, bewilder

Banned: officially or legally prohibit

Bare: not clothed or covered.

Beware: be cautious and alert to risks or dangers.

Boundless: unlimited or immense.

Brandishing: wave or flourish something as a threat or in anger or excitement.

Carcass: the dead body of an animal.

Carved: cut or engraved to produce an object, design, or inscription.

 Catastrophic: involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering.

Compelled: forced to do something.

Confiscated: taken or seized with authority.

Court of Wards: consisted of members to protect heirs and their estates when the heir was deemed to be
a minor and incapable of acting independently.

Crumpled: crushed to form creases and wrinkles.

Deliberations: long and careful consideration or discussion.

Demise: death

Dewan: governing body.

Dispelled: make a doubt, feeling, or belief disappear.

Drawled: speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds.

Durai: Chief leader (English officer)

Duraisaini: Wife of the english officer

Elation: great happiness and exhilaration.

Emerged: become apparent or prominent.

Enunciated: say or pronounce clearly

Erected: put together and set upright

Exemption: state of being free from an obligation

Flared: having a shape that widens progressively towards the end or bottom.

Fling: throw or hurl forcefully.

Flout: openly disregard a rule, law, or convention

Fonder: having an affection or liking for.

Forthwith: immediately; without delay.

Fury: wild or violent anger.

Growl: make a low guttural sound in the throat.

Harakiri: ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword

Hastened: be quick to do something.

Hasty: hurried.

Haul: pull or drag with effort or force.

Heap: an untidy collection of objects placed haphazardly on top of each other.

 Hindsight: understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened or developed.

Humble: having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s importance.

Hurdle: a problem or difficulty that must be overcome.

Imperative: vital importance

Incoherent: expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way

Indomitable: impossible to defeat.

Infant: a very young child

Inhabiting: live in or occupy a place or environment.

Innumerable: too many to be counted

Intention: an aim or plan.

Intently: with earnest and eager attention.

Leapt: jump or spring a long way, to a great height, or with great force.

Majesty: royal power.

Miracle: or an outstanding example of something.

Mounted: riding an animal

Nanny: a person, typically a woman, employed to look after a child in its own home.

Native: associated with a place by birth

Obstinacy: stubbornness.

Phrase: put into a particular form of words.

Possessed: have as belonging to one

Prey: an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food

Procession: a number of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly fashion, especially as part of a
ceremony.

Proclamation: a public or official announcement dealing with a matter of great importance.

Pronounced: very noticeable

Prophets: proclaimer of the will of God.

Quake: shake or tremble.

Quills: the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine, hedgehog, or other spiny mammal.

Relented: become less severe or intense.

Resolve: decide firmly on a course of action.

Retreat: withdrawing

Rife: of common occurrence

Savage: fierce, violent, and uncontrolled.

Shoved: make one’s way by pushing someone or something.

Shuddering: tremble convulsively

Slivers: a small, thin, narrow piece of something cut or split off a larger piece.

Squeaky: having or making a high-pitched sound or cry.

Standstill: a situation or condition in which there is no movement or activity at all.

Stuka bomber: German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft.

Stupefaction: make someone unable to think or feel properly.

Summoned: order someone to be present.

Supplication: the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.

Suppurating: undergo the formation of pus

Tally: a current score or amount

Thrilled: cause someone to have a sudden feeling of excitement and pleasure.

Throne: a ceremonial chair for a sovereign

Transfixed: cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment.

Tuft: a bunch or collection of threads, grass, hair, etc., held or growing together at the base.

Unforeseen: not anticipated or predicted.

Vital: essential.

Vowed: solemnly promise to do a specified thing.

Wandered: walk or move in a leisurely or aimless way.

Wantonly: in a deliberate and unprovoked way.

Wary: feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems.

Whizzing: move quickly through the air with a whistling or buzzing sound.

Prepared by
Mr.Deepan
 ADITYA VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
PORAIYUR, PUDUCHERY

___________________________________________________________________________________________

JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE EARTH

BY TISHANI DOSHI

In the beginning, the author talks about her journey to one of the coldest, driest and windiest continents on
Earth; Antarctica. She went there on a Russian research vessel known as the Akademik Shokalskiy. The
author is a South Indian woman who began her journey from Madras. On her voyage, she crossed nine
time zones, six checkpoints, three water bodies and just as many ecospheres.
It took her about 100 hours of combined travelling by car, aeroplane and then a ship to reach the continent.
So, when she first set her feet on the continent, she felt utmost relief for it was all white as far as the eyes
could see. The sight of the blue horizon was also very comforting. Next emotion that followed was that of
wonderment. She was astonished by the fact that there was once a time when India and Antarctica were
geographically connected.

Millions of years ago, there was a supercontinent known as Gondwana, from which Antarctica and India
are supposed to have been parted off. The situation however was completely different from how it is right
now. There were no humans and the climate was warmer which gave rise to huge varieties of flora and
fauna. Gondwana flourished for 500 million years until dinosaurs got extinct and human beings came into
existence. The huge continent was then forced into segregation to form countries and the world as we
know of it today.

According to the author, if one wants to have a glimpse of history and from where we have originated
along with where we are headed, Antarctica is the right place. It is the best place to research and
understand about mountain ranges and low elevation continents, ozone and carbon, evolution and
extinction. It is capable of giving an insight of the future and that can be really startling.

It was a very different experience for the narrator as being a South Inidan sun-worshipping woman, it was
hard for him or anyone else to imagine living in a place where 90 percent of the Earth’s total ice volumes
are stored. Not only biologically or physically difficult, but also for imagination. A place untouched by
humans and their inventions, it gives an experience that makes you forget about all the other things. From
small creatures like midges and mites to huge creatures like blue whales and icebergs as big as countries,
everything can be found in Antarctica. Days are never ending with sun light all the time falling on the
Southern Hemisphere. It is such a quiet place interrupted only by falling mass of snow rapidly down a
mountain. It is a setting that forces you to ponder upon earth’s geological history and helps you foresee
future which for humans, doesn’t seem very pleasant.

Human life on earth has been since petty 12,000 years which converts into a few seconds on the
geological clock. In merely this less time, humans have managed to exploit each and every resource,
thereby creating a chaos in the nature. The ever increasing human population is robbing other species of
the necessities for survival. Not to forget about the unlimited exploitation of fossil fuels that have created
a blanket of carbon dioxide around our planet which is further increasing the average global temperature,
thus leading to global warming.
Global Warming and climate change are high priority concern these days. Questions like melting of
Antarctic sheet, disruption of Gulf Stream ocean and how the world will end still remains unanswered.
Regardless, Antarctica remains an important part, not only because it is untouched by humans, but also
because of the ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon records trapped in its layers of ice. According to the
author, if one wishes to study and analyse Earth’s past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go.

The author has been in Antarctica on an expedition with ‘Students on Ice’, a programme that takes young
minds to the ends of the world which helps in inspiring them to work towards our planet. It was started
with the vision of providing life-changing experiences to ‘the future generation of policy-makers’ to learn
about the planet at a very early age. The initiative was introduced by Geoff Green who got tired of his
regular job once he got rich and wanted to give it back in some way.

The programme has been immensely successful in implementing its vision by the way people get affected
by seeing the real scenario because it is very easy to sit at home and talk about real issues, but actually
seeing glaciers retreating and ice shelves collapsing, it gives you a glimpse into the future. It tells you that
the very threat of global warming is real.

It is one of those places with limited biodiversity and thus, has a less complicated ecosystem. As a result,
little changes in its environment can have drastic effects. For instance, the microscopic phytoplankton are
grasses of the sea that sustains the entire Southern Ocean’s food chain. Now, it has been recently
concluded by scientists that a further depletion in the ozone layer can affect the activities of these single-
celled plants and affect the marine life altogether. Thus, in this case, the saying comes true, “Take care of
the small things and the big things will fall into place.”

The writer’s journey to Antarctica was full of sudden happenings and here she describes the best one.
They were just nearing the Antarctic Circle , at a latitude of 65.55 degree south when the ship entered a
thick mass of ice which was between the peninsula and the Tadpole island. It got stuck there. The captain
of the ship decided to turn back north but before that all the passengers were asked to get down the ship on
the frozen ocean. All the 52 members wore all protective clothing and walked on the huge expanse of the
frozen ocean which was absolutely white in colour. Under the thick layer of ice was 180 metre deep ocean
which contained salty water and marine life. At some distance, they saw Crabeater seals, playing in the
Sun like we see stray dogs do under the shady Banyan trees. She realized that the seals in Antractica
reminded her of the stray dogs in her hometown, thus, all creations of nature were similar and interrelated.

For all it took for him to travel from Madras to Antarctica, the nine time zones, checkpoints and various
bodies of water, the author pondered upon the capability of nature to maintain its balance. He wondered
what it would be like if Antarctica, the place that houses over 90 percent of world’s ice, becomes warm
again. He wonders if we will be there to see it if it ever happens but who knows! Thus, by seeing the spirit
of teenagers who still are left with the courage to save the world, he talks about the uncertainty of events
that can happen over a million years.

WORD MEANING

Austral: relating to the Southern Hemisphere

Avalanche: snowslide

Blasé: unimpressed with or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often
before
 Calving: split and shed

Consecrates: make or declare sacred

Cordilleran folds: an extensive chain of mountains or mountain ranges

Desolate: (of a place) uninhabited and giving an impression of bleak emptiness

Ecospheres: parts of the universe habitable by living organisms

Etching: engraved

Expansive: covering wide area in terms of space or scope; extensive

Frigid: very cold in temperature

Immersion: submerge

Isolation: separation

Landmass: a continent or other large body of land

Mind-boggling: overwhelming; startling

Paltry: petty; insignificant

Precambrian granite shields: large areas of relatively low elevation that forms part of continental
masses

Pristine: in its original condition; unspoilt

Profound: very great or intense

Prognosis: a forecast of the likely outcome of a situation

Ruckus: a row or commotion

Supercontinent: a former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and
drifted away

Surreal: unusual; bizzare

Thrived: prosper; flourish

Ubiquitous: everywhere; pervasive

Unmitigated: unconditional

Prepared by
Mr.Deepan
 ADITYA VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
PORAIYUR, PUDUCHERY

______________________________________________________________________________________________

THE ENEMY
BY PEARL S.BUCK

The writer introduces the main character of the story –Dr.SadaoHoki. Dr.Sadao’s house was situated on the
coast of Japan. He had been living there since his childhood. The house had a low height and was made of
stone. It was set upon the rocky beach which had a boundary line made with pine trees that were tilted
towards one side. When Dr.Sadao was a child, he would climb up the pine trees. On his visits to the South
Seas, He would see men do so in order to get coconuts from the trees. He would accompany his father to
the islands of the South Seas often. His father would point towards the islands and would say that those
were the stepping stones towards the future of Japan. Dr.Sadao would question him childishly that where
would they reach from those islands. His father would reply that it was not known as it depended on the
future. The future had no limits. It depended on mankind how it shaped its future.
Sadao retained all the things that his father would tell him as a child. His father never played or joked with
him. They shared a mature relation and his father underwent a lot of hardships to bring him up. Sadao
knew that his father was concerned about his education. He was sent to America at the age of twenty – two
to study surgery and medicine. He returned at the age of thirty. Before dying Sadao’s father saw Sadao
become famous not only as a surgeon but also as a scientist. Sadao was on his way to discover a treatment
for wounds which would make them absolutely clean. So, he was not sent abroad with the armed forces as
a doctor. Also, he was retained in Japan because the old General was suffering from an ailment which
needed to be operated upon in case of an emergency.

The writer describes the scene outside Dr.Sadao’s house. As the days were unusually warm and the sea
waves were cold, the nights became foggy. Dr.Sadao saw the boundary of a nearby island became invisible
gradually, as it got covered in the mist. Slowly, the mist was coming closer to him. Soon there would be
mist all around his house. At that time, he would go back into the house, to his wife, Hana who was waiting
for him along with their two children.

Before Sadao could go inside, the door opened and his wife looked out for him. She was wearing a dark –
blue colured gown over her dress. She lovingly crossed her arm with his, smiled at him, remained silent
and stood by him. They had met in America. Sadao knew that his father would marry him to a Japanese girl
only and so, he ensured this before falling in love with her. Sadao considered himself to be lucky to have
accidentally met her at aa American Professor’s house. He wondered that had he not met her, he would not
have got a wife all his life. He thought that the professor and his wife were kind as they were keen to help
foreign students. He was glad that they had accepted this kindness and went to their house because it was
there that he had met Hana. Sadao would often tell Hana that it was a mere coincidence that he went to the
professor’s house that night as the rooms in his house were small, the food was not good and the
professor’s wife was very talkative. If he had not gone there that night, he would not have met Hana. At
that time, Hana was a new student. Sadao had thought that he would love her if at all it would be possible
for him.

Sadao and Hana loved each other even after having two children – after many years of marriage. They had
not married in a haste in America rather they returned to Japan, sought permission from their parents and
then got married in a traditional Japanese ceremony. They had discussed all the details before the wedding.
They were happy with each other. Hana rested her cheek against Sadao’s arm with affection.

That moment they saw a figure appear out of the mist. It appeared black in colour due to the mist in the air.
The outline of a man’s body was visible in the mist. He walked unsteadily with his arms above the head. It
was an indication that he was a prisoner. The man walked a few steps and then disappeared in the mist.

Upon seeing the figure, Hana reacted by asking that who was that. She took her arm out of Sadao’s arm
and both of them bent forward over the railing of the veranda to have a closer look at the man. They saw
him again. He was crawling on his hands and knees. Then he fell on his face and kept on lying there.
Probably he had fainted.

As the area had villages full of fishermen, Sadao said that probably it was a fisherman who had been
washed off his boat. He ran to help him, Hana followed him. The loose sleeves of her haori flew as she ran.
This part of the coast was not inhabited as it had dangerous rocks on it. As the rocks were pointed, the man
could be badly injured although he had managed to come through them.

As the Japanese couple saw the man, they realized that he was badly injured. The sand on which he lay had
blood stains on one side which indicated that he was wounded.

Sadao said that the man was wounded. He approached the man who lay motionless with his face buried in
the sand. An old cap hung on his head. It was soaked with the sea water. His dress was also wet and torn.
Sadao turned the man’s head. As they saw the face, Hana spoke confidentially that he was a white i.e. an
American.

The injured man was an American. As his cap fell off, they saw his wet, yellow – coloured hair which had
not been cut for a long time. He was young, his face had such marks which indicated that he had been
tortured. He had a rough, unkept yellow – coloured beard. As he had fainted, he did not know of the
presence of Sadao and Hana.

Sadao was reminded that the man was wounded as he had seen blood stains on the sand. As he was a
doctor, he moved his trained fingers around the man’s back to search for the wound. He felt blood oozing
out of a wound in the lower part of his back. It was a gun shot. The man had been injured a few days ago.
He had not got any medical help to treat the wound as he had himself used some black–coloured powdery
substance on it. The sharp rocks on the shore had pierced it and so, it was bleeding.

Hana was concerned that the man was injured and said in a low voice that he was bleeding. The mist had
intensified now. The three of them could not be spotted by anyone. Moreover, the fishermen and the
ragpickers did not visit the place at that time of the day.

Sadao answered to himself and said that the best thing was to put the man back into the sea. As the
bleeding stopped, he stood up and removed the dust from his hands. Hana supported his opinion but looked
intently at the man as he lay still. Sadao said that if they gave him shelter, they would be arrested for
sheltering an enemy. If they handed him over to the Japanese army as a prisoner, then he would die in the
prison. As he thought that both the options were not favourable, so the best option was to put him back into
the sea. Hana added that the kindest act for them was to put him back into the sea. Both of them did not
move ahead to do so, rather they stared at the motionless figure with dislike. They disliked him because he
was an enemy – an American.

Hana was inquisitive as she asked about the man’s identity. Sadao replied that he appeared to be an
American. He picked up the torn cap and read the words written on it which were slightly visible. He said
that the man was a sailor from an American warship and read out the words – “U.S. Navy” written on the
cap. They concluded that the man had been taken into captivity during the war.

Sadao and Hana discussed that the man had tried to escape from the prison and had been shot in the back.

They were not able to gather the courage to throw him into the sea. Hana called upon Sadao with firmness.
She asked him if he was ready to put him into the sea.

Sadao told her that he was able to do so and asked that did Hana have the courage for it. Hana replied in the
negative and added that if he could not do it by himself, then she had to help him.

Sadao was reluctant in throwing the man into the sea. He reasoned that if the man was well, he would hand
him over to the police without any hesitation. He added that he was not concerned about the man and
considered him to be an enemy as he was an American. He commented that the injured man was a common
man as his face looked as if he was a foolish person. He wanted to say that he was not bothered about the
injured man but his only concern was that he was wounded.

Hana said that if he could not throw him into the sea, then the second option was to carry him home.

Sadao was concerned that the servants would object as they would shelter an enemy.

Hana said that they would tell them that they intended to hand him over to the police once he recovered.
She told him that they must do that. She added that they must consider their children’s future and Sadao’s
position. If they did not hand over a prisoner of war to the police, they would be in danger. Sadao replied
that certainly he would do so and he did not think of doing anything else.

Sadao and Hana lifted the injured man into the house. He was very light. The writer compares his weight to
that of a hen that has not been fed for a long time and its body loses flesh and reduces into mere feathers
and skeleton. The man’s arms were hanging and the duo carried him up the steps into the side door of the
house. The door opened into a passage and they went down the passage towards an empty bedroom.

The bedroom belonged to Sadao’s father and had not been used after his death. The injured man was laid
on the thick mat on the floor. The writer describes the room – everything in the room was Japanese as
Sadao’s father disliked foreign things. Hana went to the cupboard in the wall and took a soft quilt. She
resisted putting it on the injured man. The quilt was made of silk, had a flowery print on it and the lining
was made of pure white silk.

She was sad and spoke slowly that the man was very dirty. Sadao said that the man had to be washed.
Sadao asked Hana to get hot water so that he could wash the man.

Hana did not want that Sadao should touch the man. She said that they would ask the servant to wash the
injured man. She would call Yumi to leave attending the children for a few minutes and wash him.

Sadao thought for a moment and then agreed with Hana. He asked her to call Yumi while he would call the
other servants. Before he could go out, he saw the injured man’s face. It was so pale that he stopped, bent
forward and felt his heartbeat to see if he was alive. The heartbeat was very faint but it was there. Then
Sadao placed his hand on the man’s heart to feel it. It was also beating. Sadao concluded thus, that the
injured man was alive.

Sadao commented that if the man was not operated upon, he would die. He added that even if he was
operated upon and saved, he would die at the hands of the Japanese army. So, either ways he would die.
Hana screamed with fear and asked Sadao not to save the man… she feared that if he lived, they would be
in danger.

Sadao questioned that what would be the implications if the man died. He looked down towards the injured
man and wondered that he had a lot of energy which had kept him alive through such torture. He countered
his thought with the fact that the man was very young – he seemed to be twenty five years of age and at
that age, people do have a lot of energy. Hana asked him that did he mean the man could die during the
operation. Sadao confirmed her question.

Hana was pondering over this possibility and as she was taking time to reply, Sadao left. He said that
something had to be done with the injured man irrespective of the result. The first thing was to wash him.
As he walked out of the room, Hana followed him. She did not want to remain in the room, alone with the
white-skinned man. Since she had left America, he was the first white man she had seen. She had no
contact with the Americans whom she had met as they were her enemies. This injured man was also an
enemy and was a threat to them.

Hana turned to the children’s room and called out to Yumi. As the children heard her voice, she went
inside, smiled at them and played with her three – month old son. As she held the baby who had soft black
hair, she motioned with her mouth to Yumi asking her to come.

Yumi replied that the baby was ready for sleep and that she must put it to sleep before accompanying her.
Hana held the baby and went to the bedroom next to the nursery with Yumi. Yumi spread the sleeping
quilts on the floor and laid the baby between them.

Hana led the way as they walked fast towards the kitchen. The two servants in the kitchen were scared after
hearing their master’s words regarding the injured man. The old gardener who also worked as a servant
was pondering over the news and pulling the hair from his upper lip.

The old gardener spoke bluntly to Hana. He said that Sadao must not treat the injured white man. He
reasoned that the man was destined to die. Firstly, he had been wounded by a gun shot and secondly, the
rocks of the sea wounded him further. If Sadao healed the wounds given by the gun and the sea, then the
gun and the sea would treat them as enemies and seek revenge. The gun represents the Japanese army and
the sea represents the country of Japan. If they treated the enemy, they would be punished by Japan.

Hana politely said to the gardener that she would pass his message to Sadao. She was frightened though not
superstitious like the old man. She thought that helping an enemy could never be good for them. Still, she
asked Yumi to get hot water into the room where the injured man was kept.

Hana went inside first and moved the partition to one side. Sadao was not there. Yumi followed her and
kept the wooden bucket on the floor. As she saw the white man, her thick lips folded and the expressions
on her face indicated her determination. She said firmly that she had never washed an American man and
that she would never wash one who was as dirty as that injured man.

There was so fierce a look of resistance upon Yumi’s round dull face that Hana felt unreasonably afraid.
After all, if the servants should report something that was not as it happened?

Yumi resisted strongly. Her dull face had a dangerous look of protest which scared Hana. She was worried
that if the servants reported something different from what had happened, they could land into trouble.

Hana changed her expressions to respect and said, “very well”. She explained to Yumi that they intended to
bring the unconscious man into his senses and then, they would hand him over as a prisoner.
Yumi said that she was not concerned about their plans. She added that she was a poor person and it was
none of her business to know about their plans.

Hana said to Yumi that then she should return to her work. Yumi left the room at once. Hana was again left
alone with the white man. She would have been afraid to remain there all alone but her anger on Yumi’s
firm determination made her stay in the room.

Hana said with anger that Yumi was a stupid person. She said that it was just an injured man.

Hana was so full of anger at the refusal by the maid, Yumi that without thinking, she opened the blanket in
which the man was injured. His chest was bare. Hana took a small clean towel, dipped it in the steaming
hot water and washed his face. The man’s skin was rough due to being exposed to the sun, but it had a
good texture and he must have been very fair as a child.

Hana kept on cleaning the man’s upper body as she had these thoughts. She did not like the man as he was
not a child anymore. She did not have the courage to turn him over and thought of Sadao. Hr anger was
decreasing and she started becoming restless. She stood up and wiped her hands with the wrong towel. As
she did not want the man to freeze due to the cold weather, she put the quilt on him.

Hana called out to Sadao softly.

He had been on the door when she called him. He opened the door. Hana saw that Sadao was carrying his
surgeon’s emergency bag and was wearing his surgeon’s coat. He was prepared to operate upon the injured
man.

Hana asked Sadao that had he decided to operate the man.

Sadao replied that he had decided to operate him. He turned his back to Hana as he did not want her to
object to his decision. Sadao started his work. He opened a sterilized towel on the floor of the tokonoma
alcove and placed his surgical instruments on it.

Hana obeyed Sadao and went out to get the towels. She was curious as Sadao was operating upon the
injured man. She thought that the blood from his wounds could stain the fine mats which covered the floor
of the room. So, she got some rough mats from the backyard which were used by the gardener to cover the
delicate shrubs from the cold weather.

By the time Hana reached the room she saw that blood had flowed through the bandage on the man’s
wound and had stained the mat beneath him. Her effort was futile.

On seeing the stained mat, Hana cried that the mat had been spoiled. Sadao agreed that the mat had been
ruined in such a manner which indicated that he was not bothered by it. Sadao ordered Hana to help him
turn the man over. She obeyed him and then Sadao started washing his back.

Hana told Sadao that Yumi had refused to wash the injured man. Sadao asked her that did she wash him.
He did not stop cleaning him. He made fast small movements of his hands as he cleaned him carefully.
Sadao was engrossed in work and did not seem to hear Hana. Hana wondered that Sadao was not bothered
who the injured man was. He was only concerned in performing his work well.

Sadao told Hana that she would have to inject the injured man with a substance that induces insensitivity to
pain. Hana replied that she had never done that earlier. Sadao said in a haste that it was very easy. Sadao
was removing the packing and now the blood started flowing faster. He looked at the wound with the help
of the bright surgeon’s light fixed on his forehead. He announced that the bullet was inside the man’s body.
He wondered that how deep the wound made by the rock was. He said that if the wound was not very deep,
then he could get the bullet out. He added that the bleeding was not from the surface of the skin which
meant that the wound was deep and the man had already lost a lot of blood.

Her face the colour of sulphur: sulphur is a yellow coloured element. The clause means that her face
became pale – yellowish in colour.

When Hana saw Sadao inspecting the wound, she could not see the sight and so, she coughed. Sadao
looked at her and saw that her face was yellowish in colour like the colour of sulphur.

Sadao reacted and ordered Hana not to faint. He did not stop his work and continued inspecting the wound.
Sadao said that if he stopped, the injured man would certainly die. Hana put both her hands on her mouth,
jumped up and ran out of the room. Sadao heard her vomiting in the garden but he continued with his work.

As Sadao needed Hana’s help to operate the man, he thought that it would be better for her to empty her
stomach so that she would not feel uneasy time and again. He was reminded that Hana was seeing an
operation for the first time and it was not a pleasant thing to see. Sadao was irritated and impatient as his
wife was under stress and he was not able to help her due to the man who lay under his knife. He was just
like a dead person.

Sadao thought that there was no reason for him to make efforts to save the man because there was no
reason for him to live.

Sadao became merciless and started working fast. The injured man moaned in his state of unconsciousness
but Sadao kept on working without paying attention to the man’s pain.

Sadao said to the injured man that he was free to cry in pain. Sadao was not concerned that the man was in
pain. He did not want to operate him and did not have any reason for doing so.

Hana entered the room and asked Sadao for the anaesthetic which she had to administer to the injured man.
Her voice was clear which shows that now she was prepared to help him. Sadao moved his chin to guide
her to the bottle of anaesthetic. He added that it was good that she came as the man had started to gain
consciousness and it was important to sedate him. Hana held the bottle and some cotton in her hands. She
asked what she was supposed to do. He told her to put some anaesthetic on the cotton and to place the
cotton near the man’s nostril. He did not stop his delicate work and added that she should remove the
cotton when the man started to breathe badly.

Hana sat in a squat and went close to the face of the sleeping American man. She felt sad and sympathetic
towards him as she saw his thin face and twisted lips. She knew that he was suffering. She wondered
whether the stories that she had heard about the torture meted out to the prisoners were true. The stories
were like rumours which spread when people told them to others. On the other hand, in the printed media
like the newspapers, it was mentioned that the Japanese army was welcomed wherever it went, and people
praised it for their freedom. Hana recalled an officer of the Japanese army, General Takima who was cruel
to his wife and would beat her. No one talked about it anymore as he had won the war in Manchuria. Hana
thought that if a man could be cruel towards his wife then he could also be cruel to the prisoners in his
captivity.

Hana hoped that the man had not been tortured by the army. Just then she saw deep red coloured marks
(injury marks) on his neck, under the ear.
Hana mentioned the scars to Sadao and asked about them. Sadao did not answer. At that moment, the tip of
his instrument hit something hard (the bullet). It was very close to the kidney. Sadao was not thinking of
anything else. He was happy to have finally found the bullet. He moved his fingers inside the wound.
Sadao was familiar with the tiniest part of the human body. His professor of anatomy in America had told
them that if a surgeon ignored the knowledge of any part of the body, it was the first misdeed that he had
committed. To operate upon a body without detailed knowledge of it as much as the person who makes it
has would amount to committing murder of that body. Sadao’s professor would repeat these words in his
class often.

Sadao spoke to the injured man. He said that the bullet had just missed his kidney. When Sadao would get
engrossed in the operation, he would start talking to the patient. He addressed thet patient as ‘my friend’.
He called the injured man also ‘my friend’. He forgot that this man was not a friend but an enemy.

Sadao was quick. He made a few surgical cuts on the body and removed the bullet. The man trembled in
pain but remained unconscious. He spoke a few words in English which were an expression of the pain that
he was experiencing.

The injured man choked and said “guts,” “They got my guts”. He meant that he was brave and courageous
and the Japanese army would have a tough time while punishing him. Upon hearing him Hana cried out to
Sadao. Sadao hushed her to keep quiet. The man became so quiet that Sadao held his wrist to check his
heartbeat. He was checking if the man was still alive. His pulse was there although it was very weak.
Sadao thought that it was enough for a person who had a desire to live. There was still hope that the man
would survive.

Sadao was sure that he did not want the man to live.

Sadao stopped Hana from administering anaesthetic. He turned quickly and chose a small bottle from the
medicines. He filled a syringe with the medicine and pushed the vaccine into the man’s left arm. Sadao
placed the needle down and held the man’s wrist. The pulse shivered once or twice and then improved.

Sadao took a deep breathe as he told Hana that the injured man would live. He woke up, his blue coloured
eyes were full of fright as he realized where he was. Hana felt sorry for him. She served him food as the
servants refused to enter the room where he was kept.

When Hana met the injured man for the first time she saw that the man was gathering strength and he was
full of fear.

Hana said softly to the injured man that he should not be afraid. He was astonished that she could speak
English. Hana replied that she had lived in America for a long time. The man wanted to speak further but
was not able to speak. Hana fed him gently with a spoon made of porcelain. The man did not want to eat
but still he ate.

As Hana fed the man, she said that soon he would become strong. She said so despite the fact that she
disliked him. The man did not reply to her.

Sadao visited the man on the third day after the operation. The young boy was sitting but his face was pale
and weak due to the effort that he made while sitting. Sadao screamed at him and ordered him to lie down
He said that the man would die if he stressed himself. Sadao forced him down and inspected the wound that
he had operated upon. He scolded the man that he could die if he tried to exert himself.

The boy asked Sadao that what would he do with him now.
It seemed that the boy was hardly seventeen years old. He asked Sadao that would he hand him over to the
Japanese army.

Sadao did not reply instantly. He completed examining the boy and then put the silk quilt on him.

Sadao said that he himself did not know what he should do with the boy. He added that he was supposed to
hand him over to the police. He also disclosed that he knew that the boy was a prisoner of war. As Sadao
saw that the boy was about to speak, he raised his hand to indicate him not to do so. Sadao asked him not to
speak and not to tell his name also unless he asked him to do so.

Sadao and the boy exchanged glances and then the boy closed his eyes and turned his face towards the
wall. He said okay in a low voice as he felt bitter by Sadao’s words.

Outside the door Hana was waiting for Sadao. He saw that she was in some sort of a trouble.

Hana said to Sadao that Yumi told her that the servants would not stay with them if the American man
lived there any longer. She also said that Sadao and Hana had been in America for such a long time that
they had forgotten their country’s priority. Yumi and the servants thought that Hana and Sadao liked
Americans.

Sadao reacted harshly and said that this was not true. He said that Americans were their enemies. He had
been trained in such a way that he could not let a man die and would help to save him in whichever way he
could. That was what Sadao had done.

Hana said that the servants could not understand Sadao’s predicament.

Sadao agreed with this.

Both of them had nothing more to say. The chores of the house continued but the servants were vigilant.
They were polite but unfriendly towards their masters.

One morning, the old gardener said that it was obvious what their master should have done. The old
gardener had worked with flowers all his life and specialized in moss. He had been employed by Sadao’s
father. The gardener had made one of the best moss gardens in Japan for Sadao’s father. He would sweep
the bright green coloured carpet of the moss clean so that the sharp leaves of pine tree could not spoil the
soft velvety surface. He plucked a flower bud from the bush as he said that his master’s son i.e. Sadao
knew very well what he was supposed to do. He added that when the man was almost dead, he should have
left him to bleed to death.

The cook said disrespectfully that their master was so proud of his skill at saving lives that he did not
bother whose life he was saving. She cut the neck of a hen skilfully and held the bird as it shivered. She let
the blood of the hen flow into the wisteria plant. The old gardener had instructed her that blood was the
best fertilizer for the plants and he did not allow her to waste a single drop of it.

Yumi was worried about the fate of Sadao and Hana’s children. She wondered that when they grew up they
would be labelled as the children of a traitor. As Sadao was helping an American, all the people of Japan
would consider him to be an enemy of Japan, a traitor of his country.

As Hana stood in the verandah arranging the flowers, the servants discussed the matter in her presence as
they wanted her to know their views about the matter. Hana also felt that the servants were right, but she
had some feelings for the injured man which she could also not analyse. She did not like the Prisoner
neither was she attached towards him. The day before the injured man told her that his name was Tom.
Hana did not like him at that moment also. She had reacted by bowing her head mildly. She saw that her
reaction hurt the injured man, but she did not want to reduce this hurt that she had caused to him because
the injured man was a great trouble to her. His presence was a threat to Hana and Sadao.

Sadao was performing his role perfectly. He would examine the wound every day. One morning the last
stitches were removed from the injured man’s body and he would be as well as ever in the next 15 days. In
the meantime, Sadao went to his office and wrote a letter to the chief of the police to report the entire
matter to him. Sadao started his report and he wrote that on the 21st of February an escaped prisoner was
washed up on the shore in front of his house. Sadao had just typed this much of the report. He opened the
drawer of his desk and kept this unfinished report in it.

On the seventh day after that two things happened. The servants of the house left in the morning. They had
tied their belongings in huge pieces of cloth. When Hana got up in the morning, she saw that the work had
not been done – the house was dirty, and the food had not been cooked. She realized that the servants were
up to something. She was shocked and horrified when she came to know that the servants were leaving.
Hana did not show her feelings to the servants, instead she remained calm and maintained her grace as the
lady of the house. She paid the servants and thanked them for their services. As the servants had been
working there for many years, they were crying but Hana did not cry. The cook and the gardener were very
old employees. They had been employed by Sadao’s father and had served Sadao since his childhood.
Yumi was crying because she would miss the children. She was so sad that she ran up to Hana after she had
left.

Yumi said to Hana that if the baby missed her at night she could call her. She further added that she was
going to her own house and Hana knew where her house was. Hana smiled and thanked her for the offer
but to herself she said that in case the baby cried she would not call for Yumi.

The next morning Hana prepared the breakfast and Sadao helped her by looking after the children. Neither
of them talked regarding the servants but after Hana served the morning food to the Prisoner of War she
came back to Sadao probably to talk something.

Hana was very worried, and she questioned that why they were not very clear about what they ought to do.
She added that even their servants were very clear as compared to them. She said that why were they
behaving differently from other Japanese people. Hana wanted to say that as Americans were their Enemies
they should not have treated that Prisoner Of War and they should have let him die just like any other
Japanese would have done.

Sadao did not reply to Hana but after some time he went into the room where the Prisoner of War was
resting and spoke very fast. He said that that day the man could get up and stand on his feet. Sadao wanted
him to stand only for 5 minutes at a time. Further he added that the next day he could try to stand for
double the time that is 10 minutes. Sadao also said that it would be good for everyone that the man
regained strength as soon as possible. Sadao hinted that they wanted to get rid of the American as early
because he had become a cause of trouble for them.

Sadao saw that his words brought a hint of terror and scare on the face of the young boy. His face was still
very pale and colourless because he was very weak. The boy spoke in a low voice and said “Okay”. It
appeared that he wanted to speak something more but he just said that he wanted to thank Sadao for saving
his life.

Sadao was very expressionless when he said that the boy did not need to thank him yet. As he spoke this he
saw that the hint of scare again appeared in the boy’s eyes. The writer compares the boy’s terrorized eyes
to that of a scared animal. The injury marks on the neck of the boy turned the bright red in colour for a
while. Sadao thought that what has caused those injury marks, but he did not ask the boy about them.

That day the second incident happened in the afternoon. Hana was busy with the household work as the
servants had left. All of a sudden, she had to perform all the work which she was not used to. She was very
tired. She saw that a messenger wearing official uniform had come to the house. As she saw him her hands
went week and she was unable to breathe. This was because she felt that the servants must have told the
authorities that they were sheltering an enemy. Hana ran up to Sadao and she was struggling to breathe.
She was unable to speak. By that time the Messenger also followed her through the garden and he stood in
front of Sadao. Hana was helpless, and she pointed her finger towards the Messenger.

Sadao was reading a book and when he saw Hana, he looked up. He was sitting in his office which had a
partition in it. The part of the office beyond the partition opened into the garden and was full of shady
sunshine.

Sadao asked the messenger the matter due to which he had visited them. When he saw that the Messenger
was wearing a uniform he stood up as a mark of respect.

The Messenger said that Sadao was supposed to accompany him to the palace. He added that the old
general was suffering in pain and Sadao was supposed to visit him and treat him as a doctor.

Upon hearing this Hannah was relieved and she said, “oh”. With this, she took a deep breath and asked that
was that all for which the Messenger had come. The messenger reacted and said, “All?” he could not
understand that what else could it be for which he was supposed to visit the house. He asked that was that
not enough, did they want any other reason for him to visit them? Hana was sorry for her reaction and said
that the reason was enough for the messenger to visit them. She did not need any other reason for him to
visit them.

As Sadao had to accompany the Messenger, he went to Hana to say goodbye. Hana was in the kitchen but
she was not doing anything. The children had gone to sleep, and Hana was taking rest. She was more tired
due to the scare on seeing the messenger than she was from doing the household work.

Hana said to Sadao that she had thought that the messenger had come to arrest him.

Sadao looked carefully at Hana’s anxious eyes. He was very sad and distressed, and he said that he must
get rid of the man for her sake. He added that he had to get rid of the man by any means.

Sadao went along with the messenger to visit the general.

Sadao narrated the entire story to the general. The general who was very weak said that he understood
Sadao’s position because he had also studied in America at the Princeton University but there were only a
few Japanese who had studied in America.

Sadao replied to the general that he did not care for the American man but as he had operated upon him
successfully. The general interrupted him and said, “yes, yes”. He felt that Sadao was a necessary part of
his life. As Sadao had been successful at operating on the man, the general felt that Sadao was very skilled.
The general asked that did Sadao think that the general had any chance of surviving another heart attack as
the one he had that day. Sadao replied that in his opinion the general could not survive more than one such
heart attack.

The general said that then in that case he could not allow anything to happen to Sadao. He wanted to say
that he needed Sadao and so, he would protect him. The general’s long, weak yellowish face became
expressionless because he was thinking about Sadao being arrested. He became serious, closed his eyes at
the thought of Sadao being arrested and said that Sadao could not be arrested. Further, he added that if
Sadao was sentenced to death and he needed an operation the next day, then who would operate upon him.
So, the general wanted to say that he needed Sadao and so he would protect him and he would not let
anything happen to him.

Sadao suggested to the general that there were many other surgeons in Japan. The general replied that he
did not trust anyone else other than Sadao. He added that the best surgeons had been trained by the
Germans and for them the operation would be successful even if the general died. He did not care for their
point of view. The general added that the Japanese could not combine the harsh nature of the Germans with
the emotional nature of the Americans. So the general wanted to say that they did not have such persons
who could combine the harsh nature of a German and the emotional nature of an American. He said that if
they would have been able to do that then Sadao could be harsh and could turn the prisoner to the Japanese
and at the same time, be emotional and not murder the general during the operation. With this the general
laughed. The writer says that the general had a strange sense of humour. He was very witty. Then he asked
Sadao that being Japanese could he not combine these two foreign elements. So, the foreign elements to
which the general is referring is the harsh nature of a German and the emotional nature of an American.

Sadao smiled at the general’s question and said that he was not quite sure about it but for his betterment, he
was willing to try it out.

The general shook his head as he did not want to be such a person on whom a new trial would be made.

Suddenly, the general felt weak and emotional as he was reminded of the problems he had faced
throughout his life while fulfilling his duties and responsibilities in various wars won by Japan.

The general was irritated and said that the happening of the injured man reaching his house was an
unfortunate one.

The general said that the best solution was to kill the man quietly. He added that he would not be killed by
Sadao but by his hired killers. He would send two killers to Sadao’s house that night or any night. Sadao
did not need to know about it. As the weather was warm those days, he wanted Sadao to act naturally and
keep the door of the outer partition of the man’s room open. As it opened into the garden, it would give
easy access to the killers while the man was asleep.

Sadao agreed that the idea seemed natural. He added that they did leave the door of the outer partition open
at night.

The general was over with the talk and so, he yawned to show disinterest. He added that was a good thing.
He commented that the killers were experts – they did not make any noise and killed the person in such a
way that he bled inside. There would be no traces of blood on his body. He would even ask them to remove
the dead body if Sadao wanted.

Sadao thought about Hana and said that that would be very good.

Sadao went back home and on the way he kept on thinking of the plan that he had made along with the
general. He thought that in this way, he would not be involved in the death of that American man. He
planned that he would not tell Hana anything about this plan. Hana would not like the idea of the hired
Killers coming to their house but such persons were essential in a place like Japan. It was the only way for
the rulers to deal with their opponents.
Sadao did not let any thought enter his mind as he went into the room where the American man lay asleep.
He was surprised to see the man out of his bed. He was getting ready to go out into the garden.

Sadao was shocked as he asked him that who had permitted him to stand and walk.

Tom was happy and said that he was not in a habit of taking permission before doing anything. He said that
he felt good again, just the muscles on the sides of his body were stiff and rigid.

Sadao was surprised to hear that. He forgot all work and said that he had warned the man not to stand and
walk. He lifted the man’s shirt and inspected the scar. He said that massage could heal it if it would not be
healed by exercise.

The man said that the scar would not trouble him. His young, bearded face was weak. He thanked Sadao
and said that if he had not reached Sadao that day, then he would have died.

Tom added that he was sure of that. As he held the chair tightly with his thin hands, the knuckled turned
white in colour. This indicated that he was still weak and had not recovered fully. Tom added that if all the
Japanese people would have been like Sadao, then the war would not have happened.

Sadao said that maybe that could be true. He added that the man should go to sleep.

He helped the man lay in bed, bowed to him, said “goodnight”.

Sadao was restless all through the night as he felt that the hired killers were there to kill the man. He
imagined hearing the sound of footsteps, branches being broken, stones moving as men walked on them
and imagined that he heard such a noise which indicated that some men were carrying the American’s dead
body. All this anxiety kept him awake.

In the morning Sadao made an excuse to go into the American man’s room first. He had planned that if the
man was gone then he would tell Hana that the general had ordered for him to be removed from there.
When he opened the door, he saw the man who had lots of yellowish coloured hair was asleep. He could
hear the sound of his breathing. Sadao closed the door of the room.

Sadao said to Hana that the man was asleep. He added that now he was well and did not need to sleep like
that.

Hana again asked Sadao that what should they do with the man. Sadao shook his head and promised her
that he would decide it in one or two days.

Sadao thought that perhaps the killers would come the next night. The night was windy. He heard the
sounds made by the branches as they bent due to the wind and the partitions made whistling sound as the
wind passed through them.

Hana woke and asked that should they close the partition door of the man’s room.

Sadao refused and said that the man was capable to do that himself.

he next morning the American man was still there in the room.

Sadao was hopeful that they might come on the third night. Instead of the wind, there was rain that night.
The garden was full of noises as the water dripped down the roof and tiny rivulets flowed through the
garden. Sadao slept a little and jumped as he heard a loud noise.
Hana heard the loud crash and asked what it was. The baby also woke up and started crying. Hana wanted
to go and check on it but Sadao stopped her. Hana screamed at him and asked what the matter was. Sadao
spoke slowly and asked her not to go. He was scared and his scare affected Hana too. She stood without
breathing and waited. There was silence and both of them crawled back into the bed with the baby lying on
the bed in between them.

In the morning, Sadao went into the guest room and saw the man was there. He was happy and had taken
his bath and had started moving around. He had borrowed a razor from Sadao the previous day and had
shaved his beard. The colour of his cheeks was slightly pinkish which indicated that he was recovering and
regaining good health.

The man announced happily that he was well.

Sadao wrapped his traditional Japanese gown around his tired body. He was tired because the curiosity had
kept him awake for two consecutive nights. He decided that he could not pass one more night in such a
way. He was not bothered about the man’s life but he could not bear the stress and anxiety any longer.

Sadao said to the man that he was well now. He lowered his voice and said that he was strong enough to
sail a boat. Sadao planned that if he arranged a boat, stock it with food and extra clothing, the man would
be able to row it to the nearby island. As the island was so close to the coast, it had not been guarded. It
was not inhabited as it sunk into the sea during the storms. As it was not the season of storms at that time,
the man could live on the island until he spotted a Korean fishing boat pass by. The Korean fishing boats
passed near the island as the sea was very deep there.

The young man stared Sadao as he understood his words. He asked that was it necessary for him to do so.
Sadao pleaded that he must understand that the fact that the man was living at his house was known to
everyone. The young man agreed with him and said “okay”. He moved his head to indicate his acceptance.

Sadao left and did not meet the young man until evening. During the day, he made arrangements for him.
As it became dark, Sadao pulled out a big boat to the shore. He placed food and bottled water in it that he
had bought secretly during the day. He kept two quilts in it. He had purchased them from the pawnshop. As
there was a high tide in the sea, he tied the boat to a pole. It was a dark, moonless night and Sadao worked
without a torch. He did not want to be spotted by anyone.

When Sadao came home, he pretended as though he had returned from work so that Hana did not guess
anything. Hana served him the evening meal and said that Yumi had visited them that day as she missed
the baby a lot. Although Yumi was modern, she did not eat with Sadao.

Sadao said that as soon as the American man left, the servants would return.

That night before going to bed, Sadao visited the man. He checked his body temperature, the wound, his
heart and heartbeat. The heartbeat was unsteady due to excitement as he was about to leave their home. The
man’s lips were pressed together and his eyes were red in colour which seemed to be burning with fire. The
scars on his neck were still red as they had not healed yet.

The young man said to Sadao that he was saving his life once again. Sadao said that it was not like that. He
was sending him because he could not keep him any longer.

Sadao was reluctant in giving him a torch as he felt that if the man used it unwisely, he could be spotted
and land into trouble. Finally, he gave him his own torch, the one that he used when he had to attend to
patients at night.
Sadao instructed the man. He said that if his stock of food finished before he found a Korean fishing boat,
he could signal him with two flashes of the torch at dusk time. He asked him to be careful not to signal
when it was dark because light was more visible in the dark as compared to dusk. He added that the man
could find fish in the sea near the island but he had to eat it raw. He was not supposed to cook it because
fire would be spotted by the guards and put him in danger. The man drew a breath on hearing the
instructions and said “okay.”

The man wore the traditional Japanese dress that Sadao gave him to wear. Finally, Sadao wrapped a black
cloth around his head to hide his golden-coloured hair.

The American man shook hands with Sadao as he walked away towards the boat. He used the torch twice
to find his way, but the guards would not doubt that. Sadao waited till he saw the torch light once more as
the man boarded the boat. Sadao closed the door of the partition and slept well that night as he had finally
got rid of the man.

A week ago, the general had been operated upon in an emergency in which Sadao took part. Sadao
informed him that the man escaped. The general was weak as he was recovering from the operation. For
twelve hours after the operation, his condition was critical and Sadao was not sure that he would survive.
They had operated upon his gall bladder.

The general was an old man. After the operation, gradually, he started eating food and breathed deeply.
Sadao did not have the courage to ask him what happened to the professional killers that he had promised
to send to kill the American man. Sadao knew that the killers did not turn up ever. At Sadao’s home things
returned to normal. The servants returned, Yumi used Sulphur to disinfect the room used by the American
man. The servants did not speak anything. The gardener was annoyed because he had got late to plant the
chrysanthemum flowers due to this incident.

After one-week Sadao felt that the general was well enugh that he could discuss the man with him. Sadao
said that the man had escaped. Sadao coughed up which indicated that Sadao had not told him everything
as he did not want to disturb him. The general was reminded of his promise to send the professional killers
and he opened his eyes suddenly when he heard about the American man.

The general was reminded of his promise and asked Sadao that had he not promised him to get that man
killed by his personal professional killers.

Sadao replied that he had promised him. The general was surprised and said that as he was suffering due to
bad health, he had forgotten all about the promise that he had made.

Sadao spoke softly that he wondered that the general had forgotten his promise.The general felt sorry that
he had been careless. He added that it was neither that he did not love Japan nor that he was shirking from
his duty. He looked at Sadao with curiosity as he sought support from him. He wondered that Sadao
understood his problem.

Sadao said that he understood the general’s position well. He understood that the general was in his control
and as a result, Sadao was safe. Sadao said that he could swear upon the general’s loyalty towards Japan
and his enthusiasm to fight the enemy.

The general was relaxed and said that Sadao was a good man. He closed his eyes and said that Sadao
would be rewarded for his goodness.
Sadao got his reward when at dusk, he looked towards the island and saw no trace of torch light. This
meant that the American man had found a Korean fishing boat and had gone with it safely back home.
Sadao did not doubt this as he had instructed the man to wait for a Korean fishing boat.

Sadao stood in the veranda and recollected the past events. He looked at the sea from where the man had
come that night. He had flashbacks of all the Americans he had met in his life – the dull professor at whose
house he had met Hana, his silly, talkative wife who was very kind. He remembered his teacher of anatomy
who had taught them to cut open the body with a knife. Then he remembered the fat, untidy landlady.
Being a Japanese, he had found an accommodation in America with great difficulty. He hated living there
knowing that the Japanese were superior to the Americans and still being treated like inferiors. Sadao
disliked the dirty old woman who finally agreed to let him live in her home which was in a bad condition.
Sadao tried to be thankful to her because she had taken care of him when he was struck by influenza during
the last year of his stay in America. It was difficult for Sadao to be thankful to her as he hated her even
though she was kind to him. Sadao hated her so much that her kindness also did not make him like her.
Finally, Sadao remembered the weak face of the American prisoner – it was white in colour and was
terrible.

Sadao felt that it was strange that he could not kill his enemy.

WORD MEANING

A stain of red: blood stain

Absolute state: a state run by kings having total powers

Amazement: surprise

Anatomy: the branch of science concerned with the bodily structure of humans, animals, and other
living organisms, especially as revealed by dissection and the separation of parts.

Anesthetic: a substance that induces insensitivity to pain

Apologise: feel sorry

Assassins: professional killers

Assuage: decrease, reduce

Battered: torn and worn out

Beachcomber: a vagrant who makes a living by searching beaches for articles of value and selling them

Beginning to stir: gaining consciousness.

Bitter: unpleasant

Blond: light – coloured, yellowish colour

Bluntly: in a straight – forward manner

Boughs: branches of trees

Briskly: quickly

Burden: here, it refers to a dead body.

By word of mouth: people tell it to each other rather than it being printed in written form.

Cardinal: basic, first

Cares of his life: problems and responsibilities that he faced during his life

Chilled: freeze due to cold weather

Chrysanthemum: a flower

Compelled: forced

Comprehending: understanding

Concise: short

Consequence: result

Contemptuously: disrespectfully

Conviction: firm belief

Courteously: politely

Crept: crawled

Crimson: bright red colour

Cross: angry, disappointed

Crouched: sit in a squatting position

Dereliction: failure to perform one’s duty

Despised: hated

Dignity: respect

Dismayed: shocked

Distress: sadness

Dragged: pulled

Dusk: the time of sunset

Eaves: part of the roof that meets or overhangs the wall of a building

Ebbing: decreasing gradually

Execution: legal punishment

Fathom: a unit of measuring the depth of the sea.

Feeble: weak

Fierce: dangerous
 Flashlight: torch

Fluttered: trembled

Fortifying: putting security at a place

Fowl: cock, hen

Gall bladder: the small sac-shaped organ beneath the liver, in which bile is stored after secretion by the
liver and before release into the intestine.

Gasped: to catch one’s breathe due to astonishment

Gasping: struggling to breathe, unable to speak

Gaunt: gloomy, weak

Gay: happy

Grateful: thankful

Grieving: in a state of sadness

Gripping: holding tightly

Guts: informal word for bravery and determination

Haggard: looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.

Haori: a loose outer garment worn over the kimono.

Heedlessly: carelessly

Her face the colour of sulphur: sulphur is a yellow coloured element. The clause means that her face
became pale – yellowish in colour.

Hesitated: paused in indecision before saying or doing something.

Horizon: the line at which the earth’s surface and the sky appear to meet, skyline

Hypodermic: needle, syringe, injection

Impulsive: sudden, thoughtless

impulsively: to do something suddenly without thinking

Incisions: surgical cuts

Inclined: bent towards one side

Indispensable: necessary

Inert: motionless

Infected: affected

Influenza: a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory passages causing fever
 Kerchief: square piece of cloth

Kimono: a traditional Japanese garment.

Knelt: sat on her knees

Leaned: bent forward

Leaped: jumped

Manchuria: Manchuria (Northeast China) is the homeland of the Manchu people. To the Chinese, the
region is simply known as the Northeast. Manchuria is made up of China’s three north-eastern most
provinces: Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.

Marred: spoiled

Menace: danger, threat

Miserable: in poor condition

Mistress: a woman in a position of authority or control

Moaned: a low cry in pain

Moaned: made low, soft sounds due to pain

Modern: relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past.

Moss: a very small soft green plant

Muttered: spoke

Nodded: lower and raise one’s head slightly and briefly, especially in greeting, assent, or understanding,
or to give someone a signal.

Nursed him: taken care of him

Nursery: a room in a house for the special use of young children.

Overwhelmed: full of emotions

Paid no heed: did not pay attention to

Pallor: an unhealthy pale appearance

Partitions: structures dividing a room into parts

Patriotism: love for one’s country

Pawnshop: a store that lends money in exchange for a valuable thing that they can sell if the person
leaving it does not pay an agreed amount of money by an agreed time

Peculiar: strange

Pine needles: very thin, sharp leaves that grow on pine trees

Piteously: causing you to feel sad and sympathetic

Porcelain: a white vitrified translucent ceramic also called China used for making utensils, pottery, etc.

Post: pole

Precise: accurate

Prejudice: preconceived idea or opinion

Prick: slightest amount

Probed: searched

Profound: very great or intense

Pulse: heartbeat

Quivered: shivered, trembled

Raw: uncooked

Reason: an idea backed by common sense

Refrain: a sound that is repeated time and again

Repulsion: a strong dislike

Repulsive: awful, terrible

Resistance: the refusal to accept or comply with something

Retching: vomiting

Rose: stood up

Rugs: blanket

Runs out: finishes

Rustling: the sound made by footsteps

Ruthless: harsh, merciless

Ruthlessness: harshness

Saturate: wet

Scars: marks

Sea moss: a kind of seaweed

Sentimentality: being emotional

Shaggy: hairy

Slatternly: dirty, untidy

Solemn: serious and concerned

 South pacific: the part of the Pacific Ocean that lies in the southern hemisphere.

Southern sunshine: the door of the office which opened into the garden faced the South direction. This
means that the sunshine which entered the office was not direct and bright instead it was a shady sunshine.

Spiked: covered with sharp points

Staggered: walk unsteadily as if about to fall

Stanch: stop or restrict (a flow of blood) from a wound.

Sterilized: disinfected

Stoop: bend forward

Stout: fat, big

Strain: stress

Strewed: to be scattered untidily over a place or area

Stubbly: unshaven, bearded

Stubbornness: firm determination

Stupor: a state of unconsciousness

Submerged: here, sink into the sea

Sulphur: a chemical element used as a disinfectant

Summon: to gather

Sun drops: the Sun sets

Superficial: existing or occurring at or on the surface

Superstitious: irrational beliefs

Supper: an evening meal, typically a light or informal one.

Suspected: doubted

Sustained: continued

Tended: cared for, looked after

The General was in the palm of his hand: he had control of the general

There was a faint colour in his cheeks: his pale yellow coloured cheeks were turning pinkish in colour
which indicated that he was recovering

Thrust: pushed

Timid: showing lack of courage or confidence

 Tokonoma alcove: The word ‘toko’ literally means “floor” or “bed”; ‘ma’ means “space” or “room.” In
English, tokonoma is usually called alcove. It is a part of a room where things are displayed.a niche or an
alcove in a Japanese home for displaying a flower arrangement, kakemono, or other piece of art.

Traitor: a person who betrays his country

Twig: branch of tree

Twilighted: at the time of twilight i.e. sunset or sunrise.

Unaccustomed labour: not used to perform hard work

Vial: a small container, typically cylindrical and made of glass, used especially for holding liquid
medicines.

Vitality: energy, life

Wail: cry loudly

Washed: bathed

Weary: tired

Whence: where

Wistaria wine: a flowering plant used for decoration

Yonder: at some distance in the direction pointed at

Zeal: great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

Prepared by
Mr.Deepan
 ADITYA VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
PORAIYUR, PUDUCHERY

______________________________________________________________________________________________

ON THE FACE OF IT
BY SUSAN HILL

The narrator describes the setting of scene 1. The location is Mr. Lamb’s garden. One can occasionally hear
the birds singing and the low sound of the tree leaves. Derry, a young boy enters the garden hesitantly.
When he comes out of the bushes, he is surprised to hear Mr. Lamb talking to him.
Mr. Lamb warns him about the crab apples that usually fell in the long grass from the tree above. Derry
was shocked on hearing a voice. He asked as to who it was. Mr. Lamb introduced himself and also said that
small sour apples known as crab apples had fallen on the ground. If Derry would not be careful while
walking through the grass, he could trip over them and get hurt. Derry said that he didn’t know that
someone was present in the garden. He thought it to be empty and even the house seemed empty to him.
Mr. Lamb tried to comfort him by saying that the house was empty as he was out in the garden. He also
asked him not to be afraid. Derry wanted to leave the place.

Mr. Lamb tried and to stop him and said that there was no need to leave the garden just because of him. He
also told him that he kept the gate open for people it was only Derry who jumped the wall. Derry got angry
for being pointed at like that. He also clarified that he hadn’t come to steal anything from there. Mr. Lamb
agreed by saying that at many times, apples had been stolen by young boys and that Derry was not so
young. But still, Derry wanted to leave. Mr. Lamb told him not to be afraid of him and asked him to stay
there for a while. Derry told him that he was not afraid of anyone; rather people were afraid of him. Lamb
asked him the reason for that. He told him that he knew what people thought and how they behaved in front
of him. Mr. Lamb questioned him about what others thought of him. Derry said that people got scared on
seeing his face. Some considered it bad or ugly while some even took pity on him by saying that he was a
poor boy. He added that they were fake. Actually, they all were afraid of his face. He even got scared of his
own face when he looked into the mirror. He added that Mr Lamb will also pity him but in his heart, he
will also be scared of Derry.

Mr. Lamb said that he wasn’t afraid of Derry. Derry was shocked to hear that. Then Mr Lamb told him that
he would bring a ladder and stick and pick fine and ripe crab apples as they made a good jelly. He also told
him that in September, they get ripe and become a magic fruit having orange and golden colour. He also
asked him to join him in doing so. Derry pointed him for changing the topic just like other people did. He
added that Mr. Lamb didn’t ask him about his face because he was afraid of asking about it. Derry got
annoyed and said that he did not like the company of people. Mr. Lamb guessed that may be his face got
burnt in some fire. Derry told him that it was due to acid that had burned half of his face. He was so
grieved (sad) that he kept on repeating that acid ate his face and that it would never get cured.

Mr. Lamb did not agree with him. Derry thought that he was not interested in his story. To this, Mr. Lamb
said that he was interested in each and every creation of God. He pointed out at a wall and asked him what
did he see beyond it. Derry replied that there were weeds or unwanted plants. Mr. Lamb explained that
there were a number of plants in his garden. There were flowers, trees and herbs – some plants were
considered good and some were called ‘unwanted plants’ (weed). It was not because they were different,
all of them were green in colour. It was about how people considered them to be- herbs or weeds. In reality,
they all were same just like Derry and himself. Derry did not agree to this. Mr. Lamb told him that there
was no difference. He was young and Mr. Lamb was old. He had a burned face and Mr. Lamb had a tin leg.
These things were not so important and so, they didn’t make any difference. Derry asked him the reason
behind his tin leg. He replied that it got damaged in an explosion many years ago. Kids teased him by
calling him ‘Lamey- lamb’. Derry said that he could cover the tin leg with his trousers so that no one could
see it. Mr. Lamb said that it did not bother him much as one day, people would get tired of teasing him and
would start discussing something else. Derry showed his face in reply to Lamb’s statement. Mr. Lamb
suggested that things like crab apples, weeds, spiders and the tall sunflowers could also be some of the
other things that people would probably look at and discuss.

Derry commented that the other things mentioned by Mr Lamb were things i.e. they were non – living. Mr.
Lamb replied that all the things were related to each other. Just like beauty is related to the beast i.e. a
beautiful creation is related to ugliness. Derry was confused. Mr. Lamb asked for Derry’s opinion. Derry
replied that often he had heard people saying that beauty is not related to one’s appearance, rather, inner
beauty is our real beauty. Even a handsome man is the one who does something good rather than one who
looks good. He said that once, a beautiful girl loved a beast for who he was and kissed him which turned
the beast into a handsome prince. He wouldn’t have changed, if she hadn’t kissed him. But then he said that
he won’t change. Mr. Lamb said that Derry was right at that. Derry said that no one would kiss him ever
because of his face. Even his mother kissed him on the good side of his face. He did not like this at all. He
said he didn’t care even if nobody kissed him. Mr. Lamb asked him that did Derry ever want to kiss
someone. Derry asks him what he was talking about. Mr. Lamb said that probably Derry wanted to kiss
pretty girls who had long hair and large eyes or other people whom Derry loved. Derry replied that no one
would ever allow him to do so. Mr. Lamb said that this was unpredictable.

Derry said that he will never look different. When he will be as old as Mr. Lamb then also he will have
only half a face. Mr. Lamb said that yes he will always have half a face but the world was full of so many
things to look at. So, he must look at its beauty. Derry questioned him that was the garden the whole world
for him. Lamb said that when he was present in the garden, then the garden was his world. He then
questioned him whether his leg hurt. Lamb replied that tin didn’t hurt, it never pained. Derry asked him if
he suffered pain when he lost his leg. Lamb said that it pained back then. He then asked him if it pained
now, where the artificial leg stuck into the real one. Lamb said that sometimes it pained in wet weather but
it was not that important. Derry said that he could understand what he meant by all this as he had heard
people saying that you should take a lesson from those who suffer in pain and never cry or complain about
their problems. Mr. Lamb said that he didn’t say so. Derry continued that people told him to look at those
people who were in worse conditions than him. They told him that he might have become blind, be born
deaf or be handicapped and have to remain in a wheelchair. He may even have been born with mental
disorder. Mr. Lamb said that yes it was true and that Derry knew so much.

Derry said that all this would not change his face. One day as he was waiting at a bus stop, a woman passed
by him. He heard her telling another woman that he had such a terrible face that only his mother could love
him and no one else could. Mr. Lamb asked him did he believe what he heard. Derry stressed that he heard
it. Mr. Lamb asked that was this the only thing he had heard from someone. Derry said that no, he had
heard many other things too. Lamb suggested him to shut his ears i.e., he should ignore all this. Derry
found Lamb’s words strange and added that he couldn’t understand his questions. Mr. Lamb said that he
liked to talk and also liked the company of others. He also told him that there was no need to answer him
and as the gates were open, he could leave if he wanted to. Derry did not leave and he seemed unsure of it.
Mr. Lamb said that there was a beehive in one of the trees. People considered the buzzing sound of the bees
to be a noise but for him it was a song sung by the bees. Derry explained that he had liked the place from
outside and so, had entered the garden. Mr. Lamb questioned that would he have entered had he seen Mr
Lamb to which Derry replied in the negative.

Derry said that if he would have entered his garden even after knowing that he was there, it would have
been without his permission. Mr. Lamb said that was not the real reason. Derry said that he did not like
going near people as they got afraid of him and stared at him. Mr. Lamb suggested that he could lock
himself in a room forever. He then narrated a story about the man who locked himself in his room as he
was afraid of everything. The man thought that he would meet with an accident with a bus, he would catch
infection from someone, a donkey would kick him to death, the lightning may hit him or he may die
because the girl whom he loved may leave him or he may even slip off a banana and people would laugh at
him. In order to safeguard himself from all such incidents, he locked himself in his room. Derry
surprisingly asked Mr. Lamb if he locked himself forever. He replied that no, he did so for a while. Derry
asked him what happened next. Mr Lamb replied that a picture fell on his head and he died. This made him
laugh a lot and he said that Mr Lamb narrated strange talks. Mr. Lamb said that they were strange for some
people

Deery asked what Mr Lamb did all day. He replied that he sat in the Sun, reading books. He said that the
house was full of books. Derry looked at the house and said that there weren’t any curtains on the
windows. Mr Lamb replied that he did not like curtains. He liked transparency- light, darkness and the
wind too. Derry added that he also liked all of them and he also liked the sound of the rain falling on the
roof of his house. Mr Lamb commented that Derry was present minded as he could hear. Derry said that his
family worried about him that what would he do in the future with a burned face. Mr Lamb said that Derry
had everything – two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, etc. He wanted to make Derry realize that he had
so much which many other people were deprived of. He added that Derry could accomplish a lot if he
determined to do so. Derry asked how was it possible and Mr Lamb replied that the same was as he did.

Derry asked if Mr Lamb had any friends and he replied that he had a few hundred of them. Derry further
said that still he lived alone in such a big house. Mr Lamb said that everyone was his friend- many people
visited the garden. The gate remained open. They sat there, by the fire in winter season. Kids came to pick
apples and pears and to take the honey toffees made by him. Derry said that he wasn’t a friend of Mr
Lamb’s. He said that Derry was a friend because he had not done any such thing that should cease their
friendship. Derry said that they did not know each other well to become friends. Mr Lamb did not consider
that to be important. He did not need Derry’s particulars before becoming friends with him. Mr Lamb said
that if he wished, he could tell him his name. Deery replied that his name was ‘Derek’ but he disliked it and
wanted to be called ‘Derry’ instead. He added that he might not visit the place in future and then they
would not remain friends anymore. Mr Lamb asked the reason and Derry replied that one crosses many
people while walking down the street, might speak to a few of them and never see them again. This did not
mean that they had become friends.

Mr Lamb commented that it did not mean that strangers were enemies, if not friends. Derry said that they
were nothing, just people. Mr Lamb said that it could not be that people were nothing to each other. Derry
said that there were some people whom he hated. Mr Lamb replied that hatred would harm him more than
the acid that had ‘only’ affected his face. Derry commented that ‘only’ his face. Mr Lamb said that a bomb
explosion blew up his leg but there were worse things that could happen – one could burn himself up from
the inside by the negative feelings. Derry said that when he had returned from the hospital, a person had
said that it was better if he had remained there with people like him. He added that people think all disabled
people should remain together at one place. Mr Lamb added this meant that people without legs should
remain together and the world would become imbalanced that way. Derry said that at least no one would
stare at the other because all of them were similar. Mr Lamb asked Derry that did he mean that he was like
all other people with burned faces just because they had similar appearance. He added that everything was
different. Although all things are the same, yet they are different. Derry was confused. Mr Lamb said that
our habits of watching, listening and thinking differently made us different from each other. Derry said that
he liked Mr Lamb’s house and garden. He replied that Derry was always welcome there. Deery said that
the place was not his. Mr Lamb said that everything was his if he wanted it to be. He added that all his
possessions were for everyone. Derry asked if he could visit the place again and Mr Lamb replied that he
could and he would find company too. He added that Derry needn’t mind other people, no one would stop
him from entering the premises. Derry said that they probably would not like to enter the place upon seeing
him. Maybe they would look at his face, get scared and run away.

Mr Lamb replied that they might or might not run away and that he had to take a chance on that. Derry said
that Mr Lamb had to choose out of him and the other people as visitors because no one liked to remain near
him. Mr Lamb would lose all his friends if he had Derry in his garden. Mr Lamb said that he was there and
did not run away on seeing Derry. He added that when he went out on the street, kids teased him although
they visited his garden and his house. It was like a game. They were not scared of him because he was not
scared of them. Derry asked that did his leg get injured in the war and Mr Lamb replied that it did so. Derry
asked that how would he climb up the ladder to pluck the apples. He replied that there were a lot of things
that he had learned to do. Derry added that if he climbed the tree alone, fell from it and broke his neck, he
would lie on the grass, dead. Mr Lamb said that it could happen. Derry asked if he could help him pluck the
apples. Mr Lamb said that he could help him if he wanted to. Derry said that his mother would be waiting
for him. His home was five miles away, across the fields. He was fourteen years of age but still he was
supposed to tell her where he was. Mr Lamb added that people had the habit of worrying. Derry added that
actually they were in the habit of fussing. Mr Lamb asked Derry to go home and inform his mother of his
whereabouts. His house was three miles away. As the weather was fine and he had legs, he could easily go
home, tell them and return. Derry said that once he went home, he would not be allowed to return. Mr
Lamb added that once home Derry himself would not feel like coming back. Derry said that Mr Lamb did
not know what all he could do. Mr Lamb said that only Derry knew what he could do. Derry started to say
that if he chose… but was interrupted by Mr Lamb. He said that Derry had to choose and he could not tell
him what to do.

Derry said that his family forced him to do things their way. Mr Lamb said that it was Derry’s wish to
agree with them or not. Derry was confused about what he wanted, something that was only his, and no one
had it – like the garden. Mr Lamb said that he could find out what he wanted. Derry asked how he could do
that. Mr Lamb told him to wait, watch and listen. He added that he had to see the bees. Derry asked that did
the other visitors talk to Mr Lamb. Mr Lamb replied that some did while some did not. Derry said that he
did not believe that someone ever visited the place. Mr Lamb lived alone all by himself. No one cared for
him. Mr Lamb said that Derry could think as he pleased. Derry asked him the names of some of the
visitors. Mr Lamb said that names were nothing. They could be like Tom, Dick or Harry. He left to see the
bees. Derry said that perhaps Mr Lamb was mentally challenged. Mr Lamb said that was a good excuse for
Derry but Derry said that Mr Lamb did not talk sense and that’s why he said so. Mr Lamb repeated that it
was a good excuse for not returning to the garden. Derry’s face was burned which was other people’s
excuse for not seeing Derry. Derry said that Mr Lamb was like other people. If he was not sorry that his
face was burned, then maybe he was scared of it. If not that, then maybe he thought that Derry was as ugly
as a devil. He added that he was a devil. Derry shouted. Mr Lamb did not reply. He had gone to see the
bees. Derry became calm and said that Mr Lamb did not think him to be a devil. He liked to be in the
garden. Derry got up and shouted that he was leaving and that he would return to see him. He did not have
a tin leg, could run and would be back soon.

Derry ran off. The place was silent with the sounds of the creatures of the garden.

Mr Lamb talked to the bees that they saw all that happened. They all knew that no one ever returned to the
garden.

The second scene is at Derry’s house and Derry is talking to his mother.

His mother asked what did Derry think of her. She had already heard about Mr. Lamb. Derry told her not to
believe what others said but she warned him that she knew what was required to be known about any
person and therefore, asked him not to go back. Derry asked her the reason of her fear. He told her that Mr
Lamb was just an old man with a tin leg and had a big house without curtains and a garden. He said that he
wanted to go back and listen to things. His mother was curious to know what was it that he wanted to
listen. He replied that he wanted to hear bees singing and wanted to listen to what Mr Lamb said. But she
didn’t find it suitable and so she told him to stay at home and think about what he wanted to.

Derry said that he hated to remain at home. His mother excused him for speaking wrong because he felt
bad and so spoke that way. Derry said that it had nothing to do with is face. The important thing was how
he thought and what he saw or heard. He announced that he would go back into the garden to help Mr.
Lamb with the crab apples. His mother tried to stop him but he ran away shutting the door behind him.

The third scene is in Mr. Lamb’s garden. There was the sound of branches. Mr. Lamb was talking to
himself while he was plucking the apples. Suddenly a harsh sound of the crackling wood was heard and the
ladder fell on the ground. Mr. Lamb fell too. Derry opened the gate, he was still breathing rapidly and
declared to Mr. Lamb that he had returned. He looked at him and found him lying on the ground. He went
near him and tried to talk to him but no one replied. Derry kept on calling him by his name and suddenly
started crying. He did so because he realized that Mr. Lamb was dead.

WORD MEANING

Crab apples: a small sour apple

Creak: a harsh sound of wood

Daft: silly, foolish

Dribble: to fall slowly

Fuss: show of anger, worry

Hive: dome shaped structure in which bees live

Monstrous: horrible

Occasional: sometimes

Panting: quick breaths

Peculiar: strange, unusual

Pretend: fake, make as if

Rustling: whisper, low sound

Scrump: steal from garden

Signify: be a sign of

Stare: to look at

Startled: feeling a sudden shock

Steady: stable

Strike; hit

Swish: a hissing sound

Tentatively: hesitant

Tresspassing: enter without permission

Underneath: directly below

Weed: unwanted plant

Whispered: To say something very slow

Windfalls: unexpected gain, jackpot

Prepared by
Mr.Deepan
 ADITYA VIDYASHRAM RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
PORAIYUR, PUDUCHERY

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD
BY ZITKALASA & BAMA

PART –I CUTTING OF MY LONG HAIR

The writer describes that her first day in the land of apples was extremely cold. The ground was fully covered
with snow whereas the trees were not covered with snow. A bell rang indicating breakfast time. It was a loud
sounds that breakthrough the part of bell tower and reached into their sensitive ears. The disturbing sound of
the tip-toe of the shoes was making the writer restless. There was a continuous noise everywhere as if the
sounds were clashing with each other. There were people who were talking in an unknown language. She got
so disturbed that she felt as if her freedom was lost.

A woman with yellow face and white hair went up to see the girls. Zitkala was placed in the line of the girls
who were heading towards the dining hall. She describes that they were the Indian girls who were wearing
hard shoes and tight dresses. The small girls were wearing sleeved aprons and their hairs were cut short.
Zitkala was walking without making any noise of her shoes. She felt so ashamed when her blanket (scarf,
shawl) was removed from her shoulders. All the other Indian girls seemed to be very indecent to her as all of
them were wearing tight clothes which were not a good thing as per the writer. As they were going to the
dining room, the boys came from the opposite door. The writer notices the three boys who according to her
were brave; she says so because they were also the new entrants into the school and were not wearing the
dress like others. She looked at them while they were standing behind her. They were also not comfortable
like her. A small bell rang and all the students dragged their chairs. The writer also pulled her chair and she
at once gets seated. But she found herself being noticed by all others as none of them had seated. The next
bell ranged and all the others seated themselves. The writer also did it once again just to mend her mistake.
Suddenly she heard a manly voice from one corner of the room. She tries to see the man but found everyone
looking down towards their plates. While she was looking at them she saw that the yellow faced woman was
constantly looking at her. She dropped her eyes but was feeling uncomfortable about being watched like this.
The man stopped speaking and with the ringing of the bell for the third time all of them picked up their forks
and knives. The writer got so afraid by the time that she started crying as she didn’t want to get into such
risky task anymore.

The writer says that the way of eating was not the only thing which she thought to be the hardest one. But
there was one more terrible thing that her friend Judewin told her. As she could understand a few words of
English so she had heard the pale faced woman saying that their hair should be cut down. The writer didn’t
want to do it because she had heard her mother saying that only untrained warriors that are arrested by the
enemy cut their hair. In their community only those who either were at funeral or were cowards cut short
their hair. As Zitkala was neither a weakling nor a mourner so she didn’t want to cut her hair.

Both Judewin and Zitkala discussed about their destiny as they knew that their hair will be cut short. Judewin
was of a view that they should agree to what the authorities wanted to as they were strong then these two
girls but the author was not ready for it and so she decided to go against the school authorities.
She went up stairs very quietly without being noticed in order to safeguard her hair. She was trying to walk
very quietly because her moccasins were changed with shoes that make sound while walking. She crossed
the hall and went into a room without knowing where she was going. She entered into a room which had
three beds and green curtains making it a bit dark. She then crawled under a bed and hides herself from those
who want to cut her hair.

The writer shivered with the voice of footsteps whenever she tried to look out of her hiding place. She could
hear many voices calling out for her name including her friend Judewin. She didn’t reply to them. Soon she
heard the sound of steps and voices growing stronger and stronger. Women and girls entered into the room
where she was hiding. They were searching for her everywhere; even the curtains were also removed. Soon
she was found under the bed and was pulled out of it. She tried hard to safeguard herself, even scraped the
other person but she was taken away and tied up to a chair.

The author cried a lot as she doesn’t want anyone to cut her hair. Suddenly she felt a pair of scissors behind
her neck and soon her hair was cut down. She lost all her confidence and felt that she had always been
humiliated since she was taken away from her mother. She recalled all her bad moments that embarrassed her
as people had gazed on her, she was thrown into the air like a puppet. But this time her hair was cut down
and she felt like a coward. She was crying. She wailed for her mother as she used to console her in her sad
moments but today no one came to console her. No one tried to know her point of view. She felt like an
animal that is part of a herd and is being herded by someone. This means now she was being controlled by
someone.

PART – II WE TOO ARE HUMAN BEINGS

The writer says that when she was a student in the third class she had never heard anyone speaking openly
about untouchability. But she by then had already seen and felt it. For her it was very embarrassing to
experience the concept of untouchability.

The writer says that one day she was coming back home from her school. She was carrying an old bag with
her. The distance between her school and home was only ten minutes. But she would take thirty minutes to
reach her home. It was so because she used to waste her time in the street watching all the fun and games
happening there. She used to see new or sometimes strange things happening there, and then there were the
shops and the bazaar that she loved to see.

The writer describes of those things she watched in the street or the bazaar. There was a performing monkey,
a snake charmer who could make snakes move by playing music. He would kept the snake in a box and
display it from time to time. There was a cyclist also who had been riding his bike from past three days. He
pedaled hard to continue his riding as he was into some kind of contest. Somebody had pinned the rupee
notes on his shirt so as to encourage him and keep him going on his cycle. Then there was spinning wheel
and the Maariyaata temple, there was a huge bell hanging inside the temple. The pongal offering that is a
particular dish cooked during pongal was cooked outside this temple. There were dried fish also that were
sold by the statue of Gandhi. Next she describes that there were stalls of sweet and fried snacks and other
shops next to each other. There were street lights that turn violet from blue and then the narikkuravan, a tribe
in south India. He had a lemur an animal that looks like a monkey in a cage. He was a seller of needles, clay
beads and some instrument used for cleaning ear. These sights of various things were so entertaining for her
that it prevents her from going further.
The writer says that sometimes, the people from various political parties would come in their street and put
up a stage to deliver lectures for all of us. Sometimes street plays, puppet show and no magic no wonder acts
were also staged in the street. So basically there was a regular display of such entertaining acts in the street.

She further says that even if no such act was staged in the street then also there were the coffee clubs in the
bazaar. She liked the way waiters cooled the coffee by pouring it from one jug to another. There were some
other people who used to sit in front of their shops and chop onions. They always turned their eyes on the
other side so as to save them from getting teary. Other interesting thing for the writer was an almond tree that
was still growing and whose fruit was blown away by the wind. All these sights were so very interesting for
the writer that she couldn’t help her from stopping there and watching them. She feels like her legs been tied
up so that she could not reach her home.

There were sellers of various things in the bazaar. They used to sell items as per the season so there were
mango, cucumber, sugarcane, sweet potato, palm-shoots, gram, palm- syrup, guavas and jack-fruit for sale.
Even the writer saw many other sellers selling sweet and spicy snacks, payasam, halva, boiled tamarind seeds
and iced lollies. So the writer was quite a good observer and she used to notice every bit of thing happening
in the market street.

The writer says that looking at all those skits and beautiful things all day she then entered her own street. On
the opposite side of the street there was a newly made threshing floor, a flattened outdoor surface made to
separate grain from straw. The landlord was sitting on a stone shelf and was watching people work in his
field. She then describes the laborers who are working in the field. They belonged to the writer’s community.
She says that they are very hardworking and they were driving the cattle in pairs in the field. They were
doing so to separate the grain from the straw. Further, she says that the mouth of the animals was covered so
as to stop them from eating grains. All this was such a fun to watch for her.

Then she saw an elder person, who was her neighbor coming from bazaar. He was carrying a packet of some
snack with him. The manner in which the old man was walking made her burst in laugh. He was handling it
at some distance from his body. She says that she came to know that the packet contained vadai or green
banana bhaji. She guessed it because of the oily spots on the packet. The man was carrying it by the threads.
This made the writer think that this way of handling a packet could lead to fall of its contents.

The old man went up to the landlord. He bends down to show respect to the landlord and holding his hand
out he offered the carry bag to the landlord. The landlord took the parcel and started eating vadais out of it.

After watching all this she went back to her home. She narrated the whole incident of the old man to her
elder brother. She was laughing out by recalling the way that big man was handling the packet. But her
brother Annan didn’t found it funny. He told her that the man wasn’t being funny, He did it because we
belong to a lower caste. People from upper caste do not touch us as this would make them impure. Even the
food should be handled by the strings if it is for the upper caste, that is why the old man was carrying it like
this.

When she heard all this from her brother, the writer became very sad. She wanted to know how the people of
upper caste could have such a belief about their community. She knew that vadais are first packed in banana
leaves and then in a parcel so how could they get polluted with their touch. She felt so angry at this that she
decided to go and touch those vadais herself. She then questioned herself again as to why we have to go and
bring things for these upper caste people. She also felt bad for that elder person who was one of the important
people of her tribe. She said he even had to go to bring things for them. He had to hand all that with great
respect to such a person who just sits there and pops the things into his mouth. This very thought filled her
with anger.

The poet says that what if the upper caste people have some money with them. Does that mean that they will
not treat others nicely? She says that we are also human beings and should be treated like a human. She also
thinks that people from her community should not do such small tasks of bringing food for them. We should
work in their fields, take our wages and then leave out. We should never do any extra work for them.

Writer’s elder brother had come home for the holidays. He was a student in a University. He was on the way
to his home from a neighboring village, where he had gone to borrow books from the library. He was
walking along an irrigation pond when he was stopped by one of the men of the landlord. He was asked his
name. Annan told his name. He then queried about his street so that he could know his caste.

Annan told the whole incident to the writer. He also told her that as they were born into a low caste they will
never get any respect from the upper caste. They are deprived of all this. But if they study hard and make
progress in their life they can throw away this disrespect. He suggested his sister to study hard and stay ahead
over others as this would earn her respect and company from others. The words of the elder brother touched
her so deeply that she started working hard almost like a mad person. As Annan had asked she stood first in
her class and because of this she made so many friends.

Story 1- The Cutting of My Long Hair by Zitkala – Sa

Anguish: pain, agony

Bare: uncovered

Bedlam: uproar, unrest

Belfry: part of a bell tower

Braid: Hairs bind into a plait

Capture: catch, arrest

Clatter: bang, sound of heavy objects

Clinging: tight (dress)

Comfort: console, sympathy

Coward: weakling

Crashing: break through

Crept: Crawl, move on hands and knees

Dim: dark

Drag: pull

Fate: destiny, god’s will

Gnaw: here, cut

 Herder: a person who looks after the live stock (herd of sheep)

Huddled: holding arms and legs closely

Immodest: indecent

Indignities: shame, humiliation

Moan: cry, wail

Moccasins: slipper or shoe

Mourners: a person at a funeral

Mutterings: privately explained complaints

Paleface: yellow face

Peered: try to see

Puppet: a wooden resemblance of humans or animals controlled with the help of strings

Rear ranks: last

Reasoned: here, discussed

Rebel: Revolt

Resist: hold out against

Scratch: scrape

Shingled: cutting of hair

Shuddering: shiver, shake

Spied: notice, spot

Squeaking: making high pitched sound

Stare: gaze

Tossed: thrown

Unskilled: untrained

Venture: here, a risky task

Whither: where

Story 2 – We too are human Beings by Bama

Amused: finding something funny
Community: group

Cupping: holding hands together to catch something

Dawdle: waste time, idle

Demonstrate: to show

Dignity: nobility

Disgusting: unpleasant

Double up: laugh out loud

Errands: task, job

Extend: hold out

Fetch: bring, carry

Frenzy: madness, mania

Gaze: look

Harangue: to give lecture

Humiliated: insulted

Iced lollies: piece of flavored ice on stick

Indignities: humiliate, disrespect

Infuriate: anger

Instrument: tool

Irrigation Tank: water pond made for watering fields

Ledge: shelf

Lemur: an animal

Meekly: quietly, submissively

Miracle: wonder

Muzzled: a covering used to cover the mouth of an animal

Novelties: newness, freshness

Oddities: strange things

Offerings: donation, gift

Payasam: sweet dish made with rice and milk

Polluted: impure, harmful

Proceedings: events, activities

Provoked: evoke, arouse

Reverently: with deep respect

Sack: bag

Savoury: a salty or spicy dish

Scraped: here, saved

Shriek: burst out

Snake Charmer: an entertainer who appears to make snakes move by playing music.

Spur: encouragement

Stain: Spot

Strings: thread

Terrible: horrible

Tether: tie up

Thambi: brother

Threshing floor: A specially flattened outdoor surface to separate the grain from straw.

Tread: walk

Tumbler: Jug

Wrap: cover

Wretched: miserable, sad

Prepared by
Mr. Deepan