A LETTER TO GOD

Introduction: Lencho, a simple farmer, is the protagonist

of the story. He has immense faith in God and writes a
letter to Him. In the letter, he seeks help from the
Almighty. When his entire crop yield has been destroyed
by a devastating hailstorm. He asks God to send him
hundred pesos as he believes that only god can help him
in this tome of distress. But he gets only seventy pesos.
He writes another letter to God and requests not to
send the money through mail. He considers the post
office employees as bunch of crooks who have stolen 30
pesos.
THEME- The immense power in man's innocent
faith in God. It teaches us that if man has child like
faith in God, he can accomplish anything
considered impossible. Extreme faith in the
almighty can give you a ray of hope even in the
darkest ties.
NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
Gist-Nelson Mandela was born on 18th July 1918. "Long
Walk to Freedom' is an autobiography of Nelson
Mandela in which he gives detail accounts about the
struggle for freedom of South-Africa. On May 10, 1994,
Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first black
president of South Africa. Here after it became a new-
born non-racial democratic country.
Summary-The chapter is an excerpt from the
autobiography of Nelson Mandela-Long Walk to
Freedom'. He given detail accounts of the struggle for
freedom of South-Africa. He was the first black
president of South Africa. His Party African National
Congress, won the first democratic elections. On May
10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first black
president of South Africa.
Key Points-On 10th May 1994 was day of freedom for
South Africa.➤ Swearing in ceremony was being held
in Union Building in Pretoria and first non-racial
government took the charge.➤ Nelson Mandela gave
speech on the victory for justice, peace and human
dignity.Mandela pledged to liberate his people from
poverty, suffering and discrimination.➤ A colourful
show by jets and helicopters to show military's loyalty
took place.➤ Singing of two national anthems -the old
"Nkosi Sikelel' by the whites and the new 'Die stem' by
the blacks.➤ A new system that recognised the rights
and freedom of all people was formed.
➤ Mandela remembered and thanked great freedom
fighters - Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli,
Yusuf Dadoo and others who sacrificed their lives for
the freedom.➤ A man has twin obligation-towards his
family and towards his country.➤ According to
Mandela, freedom has many aspects like for a kid it is
to run and play, for an adult it is to fulfil the needs, of
his own and his family.➤ Real freedom means equal
rights for everyone.➤ He desired people to live with
dignity and respect. He wanted the oppressor and the
oppressed to be liberated. Patience and perseverance
guided by discipline and system yield the desire
result.
The extract explores the themes of true meaning of freedom,
humanity, fight for independence, dichotomy between the
oppressor and the oppressed, etc.
1. Why did Mandela term apartheid as an "extraordinary
human disaster"?
Answer: Mandela termed apartheid as an "extraordinary
human disaster" because it robbed off the Blacks of their basic
human rights. They were slaves in their own country and were
discriminated against by their own White brothers and sisters
on race and colour, which made it more inhumane. Apartheid
was a racial segregation policy that had a disastrous impact on
the mental, physical and financial health of the Black people.
Mandela terms it as a human disaster because it
was planned and executed by humans against a
whole community, depriving them of equal
opportunities or even basic amenities to live. They
could not even fulfil their obligations towards their
families. It was a human disaster because many
Blacks had to sacrifice their lives as they fought
against this horrible and inhumane policy so that
their generations could live a happy life. Mandela
himself spent thirty years in the "Robben Island,"
where he was treated with harsh beatings and
inhumane behaviour.
2. 'Freedom is consequential if it is behind the bars of
prejudice and narrow mindedness.' Explain with reference
to Nelson Mandela Long walk to freedom.
Answer:As a kid, Mandela had different meaning for being
free as he wanted to run in the fields and wanted to stay
out at night. As he grew older, he wanted the freedom of
livelihood for himself and his family. But soon he realised
that such freedom was only an illusion. His hunger for
freedom became great for the freedom of his people. He
desired that everyone should be given the right to live his
life with dignity and respect. He wanted the oppressor and
the oppressed to be liberated. As no one is free, if one is
taking someone else's freedom. Only such feelings can
bring true freedom for everyone.
HIS FIRST FLIGHT
Introduction: This story is written by Liam O' Flaherty. It
depicts about a young seagull who is afraid to fly for the
first time. He believes that his wings would not support
him. Despite his younger siblings flying fearlessly with
much shorter wings, he could not gather the courage to fly.
He was left to stay hungry. It was his mother who
compelled him to fly by using food as a trap. The lesson
reflects how one hesitates to take the first step and that
fear is all in the mind. One should trust his abilities because
the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
Key Points-> The young seagull was afraid of flying.➤
He did not have confidence and belief that his wings
would support him.➤ His parents, brothers and sister
encouraged, scolded, tempted and taunted him to
make his first flight.But he could not collect enough
courage to fly.➤ He was left alone for twenty fours and
was hungry.➤He was extremely hungry. He begged for
food to his mother.➤ She picked up a piece of fish and
flew across him. The sight of food maddened him. He
dived.➤ He cried and screamed. His wings opened up.
He flapped his wings.➤ He was joined by his family in
his first flight. His family praised him for his efforts and
offered him scraps of dog fish.
1.Fear and lack of confidence stop one from learning new
things. Do you agree? How did these two traits of the
young seagull make him coward? How did he overcome
these shortcomings?
Answer:It is true that fear and lack of confidence stop us
from learning new things. The young seagull lacked the
value of courage and confidence in his character. He was
the last member, in his family, to learn the art of flight. He
was too scared to fly. His parents and other siblings
encouraged him constantly. When it did not work, they
scolded him for his cowardice. The mother seagull tricked
him and tempted him with a piece of fish. He was kept
hungry. His hunger and need for food forced him to dive
into the sea.Though he was not willing to learn the art of
flying yet he was tricked by his family. Once he dived, his
fear disappeared and he enjoyed his first flight. It is a fact
that unless we try for something and overcome our fear we
can't learn anything. Confidence and motivation are two
important traits that make any learning possible.
2. All parental acts are for the betterment of the children. It is
true. However, one has to make efforts to overcome hesitations
and fears to succeed in life. Justify in reference to the lesson 'His
First Flight".
Answer:It is very much apt and true that 'All parental acts are for
the betterment of the children'. It is the ardent wish of every
parent that they may teach all skills to their young children so
that they may succeed in life. They can learn all the things which
their parents have taught them in life. If the young children don't
act then they also indulge in scolding, taunting and humiliating
them to shed off their hesitations and fears. This is exactly what
the parents of the young seagull did. They also tried their best to
encourage him to take the plunge. Particularly, the mother-
seagull went on flying around him with a piece of fish in her
beak. It was her attempt to tempt her starving son to dive at the
fish. And she succeeded in her aim. The young seagull did dive at
the fish and it led to his success in the end.
THE BLACK AEROPLANE
Introduction:"The Black Aeroplane" authored
Frederick Forsyth reflects on how one's judgement gets
distorted due to daydreaming and how it creates
problems. In this lesson, the narrator is a pilot who is
very eager to meet his family members and have a
good English breakfast. He came across storm clouds
that looked like black mountains. However, he flew
through the clouds and soon realized that everything
around him had turned completely black. Miraculously,
he somehow manages to escape with the help of a
mysterious black aeroplane.
Key Points-➤ Pilot of old Dakota aeroplane flies in the
midnight over Paris to London.➤ Wishes to have breakfast
with his family in the morning. Dreams of spending holiday
with them.➤ Unfortunately, he passes through huge black
clouds.➤ The compass, radio, other instruments stopped
signalling.➤ He was running short of fuel as well.➤
Suddenly he comes across a black aeroplane in front of
him.➤ The pilot of the plane instructs him to follow.➤ He
follows like an obedient child but in the meantime his fuel
tank gets exhausted.➤ Suddenly he notices a runway with
row of light on the ground.➤ He lands safely.➤ He goes to
control room and enquires about the other aeroplane. But
he is surprised to know thatthere was no other aeroplane
on the radar that night.➤ He wanted to express his
gratitude to the pilot of the black aeroplane.
The lesson "Black Aeroplane" by Frederick Forsyth
reflects on how one's judgement gets distorted due to
fantasizing and how it creates problems. In this chapter,
the narrator is a pilot who is so eager to meet his family
and have a good breakfast that he takes the wrong
decision of facing the storm instead of doing the right
thing. Miraculously, he somehow manages to escape
with the help of a mysterious aeroplane.
FROM THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
GIST: Anne Frank was born on 12th June 1929 in Frankfurt
Germany. She was four years old when her father went to
Holland to find a better place for them to live. She was
very intelligent and always wanted to become a writer.
She was a very good reader as well; she continued reading
books, translated chapters, wrote down the vocabulary
and worked hard on her skills. The Diary of Anne Frank. It
is an autobiography that was first published in 1947. In
this, Anne expresses her thoughts in a diary which was
gifted to her on her thirteenth birthday. She names the
diary-Kitty which she considers as her only true friend.
She mentions about her childhood, her family and a lot
other things that she told no one else.
Points to memorize: -➤ Anne Frank was a 13-year-old Jewish
girl who wrote a diary while her family was hiding in
Amsterdam from the Naziz who were incurring atrocities
during World War II.➤ Anne wrote the diary to overcome
loneliness in her life. She named it Kitty.➤ She couldn't
confide in anyone and felt that paper has more patience.
Also, she thought nobody would be interested in the diary as
she was a small girl.➤ Anne adored her father. She had an
elder sister Margot and they lived in Frankfurt before they
migrated to Holland for refuge. Her mother stayed behind
with her grandmother.➤ She had sweet memories of Mrs.
Kuperus at Montessori School. Her grandmother fell ill in
1941 and died in 1942. This broke her.➤ Anne considered
teachers to be the most unpredictable creatures on earth. She
had good relationship with all teachers except Mr Keesing
who punished her several times for talking too much during
the lessons.
➤ She wrote an essay on A Chatterbox as
punishment, saying that talking was a student's trait
and she inherited it from her mother. Again as
punishment she wrote an essay on An Incorrigible
Chatterbox. Then she wrote an essay on Quack
Quack Quack said Mistress Chatterbox.➤ Her friend
Sanne helped her write it in verse. It said that father
Duck beat the three ducklings as they quacked too
much and made them deaf.
1. Anne called 26th July a tumultuous 'day. Explain the
reasons behind it.
Ans- Anne called 26th July a tumultuous day as it was
full of tension and fright. The first warning siren was
sent off in the morning but nobody paid any attention
to it because it only meant that the planes were
crossing the coast. The siren alarmed again around 2
O'clock in the afternoon. Anne and her sister went
upstairs but after five minutes they heard loud
gunshots. After half an hour, drone of engines faded
and life became normal. The city was enveloped in thick
fog. But after dinner time, there was another gun-fire
round and swarms of planes. The air was buzzing with
the drone of engines. Nobody was able to sleep that
night because it repeated again at midnight.
GLIMPSES OF INDIACPART-I: A Baker from GoaI
Introduction
A Baker from Goa revolves around the Goan culture
which dates back to the time when Portuguese ruled
over the city of Goa. The Portuguese may have left
but the bread-makers continue to be there. In this
story, the author recalls his childhood days and their
excitement on seeing the baker. They were
enthusiastic to the point that they would run to him
as soon as they woke up without even brushing their
teeth.
Main Points of the Story> The Portuguese in Goa
were lovers of bread> Those eaters of bread have
now gone but is makers still exist.> During the
childhood days of the narrator, a baker used to be
their friend, companion and guide.A The baker
came twice a day once in the morning and again
while returning home after finishing his tasks.> The
jingling thud of the baker 's bamboo woke up the
sleeping children. > During the childhood days of
the narrator, a baker used to be their friend,
companion and guide. A The baker came twice a
day once in the morning and again while returning
home after finishing his tasks.
PART II: GLIMPSES OF INDIA-COORG
Introduction:The lesson gives us a beautiful insight
of the smallest district of Karnataka and its people.
The place has an amazing weather throughout the
year with enough rain during the monsoon season.
The people of Coorg are known to be one of the
bravest. Coffee is the main crop grown in this
region. A variety of animals can be found here
while the place is surrounded by beautiful
Brahmagiri hills, islands and Tibetan settlements.
TALES OF BRAVERY
Coorg regiment is one of the most decorated in the
Indian Army. General Cariappa, the first Chief of
army was a Coorgi.
WILDLIFE AND NATURE
Kaveri river begins its journey from Coorg and the
place has a great variety of flora and fauna that
attract many tourists each year.
GLIMPSES OF INDIA III.TEA FROM ASSAMA
MAIN CHARACTERS• Pranjol• Rajvir, his friend•
Pranjol's dad, manager of a tea estate
SETTING: The events are set in a train and then
at a tea garden named Dhekiabari.
VALUES• Preserve natural resources, Care for
nature
• Rajvir is very excited. He is going with his friend
Pranjol to Assam to visit the tea estate managed by
the latter's father.On their journey he tells Pranjol
various interesting facts about tea including the
legends about the origins of teas.• After arriving at
the station, they drove towards Dhekiabari, the tea-
garden managed by Pranjol's father.• Rajvir manages
to impress Pranjol's father with his knowledge about
tea.
MIJBIL THE OTTER
In this lesson, the author tells us how his life changed
after he decided to domesticate an otter after he lost his
pet dog. He takes us through his journey of adjusting,
playing and travelling with Mijbil (or Mij) the otter, from
Iraq to London and how during this journey, he developed
an inseparable bond with him
Gist: Gavin Maxwell lives in a cottage in Camusfearna,
in the West Highlands in Scotlands. He is fond of
keeping pets. After the death of his pet dog Jennie, he
was too sad to think of a dog again. The author is in
Basra city of Iraq on a visit. There, a friend of his,
presents him an otter. He takes this otter to England
where he has a flat of his own. He has some interesting
experiences during his air journey from Basra to Paris
and London.
Q1. Describe the relationship between the otter and
Maxwell in your own words.Ans. Maxwell and the otter
Mijbil shared a lovely relationship. Maxwell treated Mij like
his own son. He took very good care of him. He gave him
many toys including marbles, rubber bans, rubber fruits and
a terrapin shell to play with. He took him to the bathtub to
play in water knowing the fascination of otters with water.
He noticed his habits and traits. Mijbil hesitated on the first
day but lateer became very friendly. Maxwell encouraged
Mijbil to do whatever he liked to do. He took him out for
exercise every day. When Maxwell saw blood on the box in
which Mij was packed, he was horrified. When Mij came out
of the box he jumped all over but then came and sat on
Maxwell's knees quietly.
The Sermon at Benares
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: - Betty Renshaw was an American writer.
She was born on October 2,1921 in the Renshaw family. She died
on April 30,1999, at the age of 77.A sermon is a long talk in which
someone advises other people how they should believe in order to
be better people.
CHARACTERS: Siddhartha Gautama* Kisa Gotami
Sidhhartha Gautama:- Gautama Buddha was born to a North
Indian royal family as a prince and was named Siddhartha
Gautama. When he was twelve years old, he was sent ta far away
place to study Hindu sacred scriptures and upon returning four
years later, he got married to a princess. Soon they both had a son
and they continued to live a royal life for about ten years.
 The royals were shielded from all the unpleasant
experiences of the world until one day, on his way to
hunt, the Prince met a sick man, an aged man, a funeral
procession and a monk begging for alms. These
experiences acted as eye-openers for him and thus, he left
all the royalty behind to seek a higher sense of spiritual
knowledge. Buddha preached that human life is very
short and it is full of sorrows and pains. He cleared that
our brief life is full of troubles and pains. Everyone on this
earth has to one day meet with death.
Klsa Gotami:- She was a simple woman who was
devastated when her only son died. She was not able to
reconcile with this terrible loss and was searching
everywhere for someone who would be able to revive and
bring back her dead child to life. Her grieve over the loss of
her beloved child was so great that everyone thought that
she had lost her sense. Buddha knew that Kisa Gotami
would understand the inevitability of death from her own
experience, so he asked her to get a handful of mustard
seeds from the house where nobody had ever died. But it
was impossible for her to find such a house. The poor
woman returned empty handed. She realized that she had
been selfish in her grief and so, she accepted that death is
universal and common to all.
KEY POINTS OF THE STORY: -1.Gautama Buddha was born
in a royal family as a prince. He was named Siddhartha
Gautama.2.He was married at the age of sixteen and
enjoyed the royal luxuries for ten years. 3. He had a son.
Upto the age of twenty-five, he was shielded from the
sufferings of the world. 4. The sight of sick man, then an
aged man, and a funeral procession shocked him.
5. Finally, he saw a monk begging for alms.
6. He gave up royal pleasures and set out to seek
enlightenment.7.He wandered for seven years and finally
sat down under a big tree in meditations.
8. Enlightenment came to him after seven days.He named
the big tree the Bodhi Tree or Tree of Wisdom.09.He was
known as the Buddha or the Awakened or the enlightened
one.13. She asked them for medicines to cure him10.The
Buddha preached his first sermon at the holy city of
Benares on the River Ganges.14. Buddha asked Kisa Gotami
to bring a handful of mustard seeds.11.Kisa Gotami's only
son had died.15. She went from house to house and had no
problem in getting a handful of mustard seeds.19. All
earthen pots end in being broken. The world is afflicted
with death and decay12.She had lost her senses and carried
the dead boy to all her neighbours.16. However, she did
have a problem with finding a house where no one had
died.20. He who has overcome all sorrows, will become
blessed and enlightened
17. She considered the fate of men and realized that she was
selfish in her grief.18.Death is common to all. Surrendering
all selfishness leads to immortality.
THE MESSAGE: -*Grief does not give a person peace of
mind.*Grief gives him more pain and his body suffers.*Grief
does not bring back the dead.*Peace can only come by
letting go of sorrows.*A metaphor is used comparing an
arrow to grief and how this arrow must be pulled out to
attain peace.*Peace finally leads to enlightenment.*Death is
common to all.*A truth cannot change grieving and
lamenting cannot lessen the pain or revive a dead one.*The
wise do not grieve knowing the dead one.
MADAM RIDES THE BUS
GIST:In this story, the author tries to present a world as seen
from a child's perspective. The main character of this story is
an eight-year-old girl who lives near a bus stop in a village. For
major part of the day, she enjoys standing in her doorway;
watching frenetic activities at the bus stop. Valli develops a
desire to enjoy a ride on the bus but she needs to plan
meticulously to realize her dream. She has to curtail her
expenses so that she can save enough money for two-way fair.
She also has to make the journey during the time when her
mother takes afternoon nap. While on her journey, Valli does
not want anybody's help and wants to feel independent. She
enjoys every bit of her journey to the town.
 But she is careful enough not to get off the bus in the unknown
environs of the town. On her return journey, a sad accident spoils
her mood and she just keeps to herself throughout the journey. She
does not seem to be satisfied with one ride and wishes to make
another attempt in future. She is also quite mischievous when she
is sure that her mother did not know about her journey.
KEY POINTS: -➤ The story is about an eight-year-old girl named
Valliammai. She was very curious to know about things.➤ Her
favourite pastime was to stand at the front doorway of her house
and see what was happening in the street outside.➤ She would
watch the bus that passed every hour from her village to the
nearest town.➤ She developed a desire to ride the bus. This
became her deepest desire.➤ Valli found out the details of the bus
journey by listening carefully to the conversations between her
neighbours and regular bus users.
➤ She came to know that the town was just six miles from her
village and the fare for the bus journey was thirty paise one
way. The trip took 45 minutes.➤ Valli planned her visit to the
town. She saved sixty paise for the fare. Finally, one day she
took the one o'clock bus to the town.➤Valli was very happy to
have got into the bus.➤On the way to the town, Valli saw a
cow running right in front of the bus. She clapped as the cow
kept on running towards the bus despite the continuous
honking by the driver.➤ Valli did not get off the bus when it
reached the town. She also declined the offer of a cold drink by
the conductor.➤ On the return journey, she saw the same cow
lying dead by the roadside. This unpleasant sight made her very
sad.➤ The bus reached the village at three forty. She ran
straight for her home after getting down the bus. Her mother
did not come to know about her journey.
Character Sketch-Valliammai: She emerges as a very
clever, sensitive, self-respecting and fun-loving girl.
She was just eight years old. She was a determined
girl with a commanding nature. She was very curious
about things. Her favourite pastime was standing in
the front doorway of her house. She was mature,
clever and practical beyond her years. Saving sixty
paise was not an easy job for a girl of her age. She was
determined to resist any temptation that came in her
way. Valli didn't like being called madam or child'. She
was a great planner and planned things after knowing
all the necessary details about them.
THE PROPOSAL -Anton Chekov –
Anton Pavlovich Chekov was a Russian playwright and short
story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest
writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four
classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by
writers and critics.
Theme of the Lesson: -Landowning ClassThe play highlights
how anger and argument can spoil a relationship. It is a
satire of the landowning class in the 19th century Russia.
The landowners were a small, privileged class who were
notoriously conservative in clinging to old values that
defined them. They knew their advantage in society was
based mainly on owning land, as opposed to having a title
of nobility.
 As a result, they opposed any reforms that would allow
their peasants to own a piece of land. Chekhov makes
fun of the landowners by depicting Lomov, Natalya and
Chubukov as obsessed about ownership of a worthless
tract called Oxen Meadows. Their pride and greed are so
extreme that they override a marriage proposal. Lomov
calls Chubukov a land grabber, but in truth, they all are.
Romance and Marriage
Chekhov's theme of romance and marriage runs
throughout each section of the comedy. The narrative
satirizes marriage mainly through the use of
situational irony. This type of irony involves a
difference between what is expected to happen and
what does happen. The audience expects Lomov's
proposal to Natalya to be filled with romantic
sentiments. Loving caresses and perhaps even tears of
joy. However, what the audience gets is bickering
between two petty people who each want to prove
they are right above anything else. Romantic love has
been thrown out the window.
Lack of Communication
Chekhov uses three methods to convey the lack of
communication theme. The first is Lomov's style of speech.
He has a roundabout way of talking that prevents him from
getting to the point. Secondly, when Lomov digresses from
the main point, he and Natalya each value the digression
more than the central topic of conversation. Finally, Lomov,
Natalya and Chubukov are more concerned about proving
they are right than understanding their opponent's
viewpoint. This attitude blocks communication because they
end up barraging one another with biased statements and
insults instead of being empathetic.
CHARACTERS
Lomov -Lomov is a hypochondriac who wants to get
married for the sake of appearances. He doesn't seem
to love Natalya but decides to marry her because she's
the best woman available. He has difficulty coming to
the point, which makes conversing with him difficult.
Because of his tendency to digress, he becomes
involved in silly arguments with Natalya and Chubukov
about land ownership and dogs. What seems most
important to him is maintaining a superior appearance,
which is also true of the other two characters.
Natalya- Natalya is a strong-willed woman who is more
effective than Lomov in speaking clearly and getting to
the point. However, her will is focused on maintaining a
superior appearance. As a result, she insists that Oxen
Meadows belongs to her family and not to Lomov. She
also argues that her dog is better than Lomov's dog. Yet,
she feels the burden of being a potential if not actual
spinster and, thus, desperately wants to marry Lomov.
Despite this, her concern for being right about superficial
matters takes precedence
Chubukov
Chubukov seems happy about the potential marriage
between Lomov and Natalya. However, he sees marriage in
a mercenary way, referring to Lomov's proposal as a
merchant buying goods. For him, the match is
advantageous as a good business arrangement for both
families. Whether Lomov and Natalya really love each
other probably doesn't matter much. Despite his eagerness
for the marriage to happen, Chubukov places greater value
on maintaining a superior appearance. As a result, he gets
embroiled in the inane arguments between Lomov and
Natalya.
LOMOV
RICH FARMAR, 35 YEARS OLD, SSUFFERS FROM PALPAITATIONS,
GET EXICITED/UPSET EASILY, MAN OF PRINCIPLE,
QUARRELSOME
NATALYA
25 YEARS OLD. TALKATIVE, EAGER TO MARRY, QUARRELSOME,
GOOD HOUSE KEEPER, WELL EDUCATED, LIAR, REPETATIVE,
MONEY MINDED
CHUBUKOV
WEALTHY FARMER, PRETENTIOUS, HYPOCRITE,
MELODRAMATIC, ABUSIVE, MONEYMINDED, QUARRELSOME
Q1. Based on your understanding of the play "The
Proposal' how do you think good relationship can be
maintained? Why in today's time we see so many
people going away from each other?Ans: The play
'The Proposal teaches us how anger and arguments
can easily ruin a relationship. Thus, to maintain a
good and healthy relationship, it is important to have
control over our anger., Having arguments over
unimportant or petty issues is extremely harmful and
a waste of time. If someone commits a mistake, one
should be ready to forgive, forget and move ahead
rather than being angry and arguing. In the play the
way all the characters could not exercise control and
lost their temper reflects that anger can easily affect a
relationship. None of them were ready to forgive and
forget being self-centric.
They never tried to be humble in their approach
nor tried to understand the sentiments and
feelings of others. In today's perspective we find
it true that people find negative in others and
often forget to appreciate and accept the positive
qualities. Hence it is becoming difficult to
maintain a good and cordial relationship with
others.
Q2. Anton Chekov has used humour and exaggeration in the
play to comment on courtship in his times. Illustrate with
examples from the lesson, "The Proposal". Also mention the
values, you think. any healthy relationship requires.Answer:
Lomov and Natalya meet for a serious purpose, i.e to talk about
marriage that decides the progress of one's life as a member of
the conventionally established society. But the purpose of their
meeting gets lost on two consecutive occasions because Lomov's
faith in the values of his society disrupts his approach to the
topic of marriage. He learns that the girl and her father like him,
but, instead of proposing to marry her and discussing how their
marriage should be organized, he goes on to talk about
properties, relations, family histories and pets, draws them into
an unnecessary argument and antagonizes both of them.
Finally, Chubukov marries Lomov and Natalya by
force before another problems comes up. Thus, the
play ends in a comic note, just because the couple
gets together with their father to celebrate their
marriage while the dispute over the pets is still
continuing. For any healthy relationship there
should be mutual understanding and respect.
Quarreling over trivial issues like dog cannot
guarantee longevity of a relationship.