THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA

The story recounts the tale of two boys who live in the city of Verona. The narrator meets them
for the first time when they were selling strawberries. In spite of his driver's warning, the narrator
and his companion purchase the biggest basket from the boys. The next time, the narrator
meets them, he finds them shining shoes. On asking what their actual work was, the boys
reveal that they did everything that they could manage at their age.
A few days later, the narrator finds them sitting on a pavement in the windy and deserted
square.
It was nearly midnight. Surprised to find them working for such long hours, the narrator was
curious to know why they worked so hard at such a tender age. He assumes that they could be
saving money to emigrate to America.
This attitude of the boys, and their innocent yet mature demeanour, attracted the narrator who
desired to be in constant touch with them, while he was in Verona.
It was about time for the narrator to leave, therefore, he asks the boys if he could do something
for them. Little Jacopo requested the narrator to take them to the town of Poleta, about 30 km
away, where they go every Sunday. Nicola disliked taking favours from anybody. However, the
narrator gladly takes them in his car to Poleta.
He is surprised when the boys request him to park the car in front of a beautiful villa. The boys
get off, telling the narrator that they would join him within an hour. The narrator quietly follows
them and realises that the villa served as a hospital. When the boys went in, the narrator
enquires about them from a nurse. The boys went there every Sunday to meet their sister Lucia
who was suffering from tuberculosis. They would also make the requisite payment without any
default every Sunday.
The nurse also tells him that they had lost their father, who was a great singer, in the war and
that they were orphans. As soon as the Germans were thrown out of Verona, and the war
ended, the boys on discovering that their sister was afflicted with tuberculosis of the spine,
admitted her to this hospital. They were working hard to pay for her hospital bills.
The nurse asks the narrator if he wished to meet their sister. Cronin did not wish to intrude in the
happy family union. With a heavy heart he goes back to the car to wait for the boys. He is
impressed to see the devotion of the boys and their indomitable spirit that had not been broken
by the horrors of war. He does not reveal to the boys that he had come to know their closely
guarded secret. He is filled with respect.
MRS PACKLETIDES TIGER
The story is set in a village in India and the time was when the British ruled India. The
protagonist of the story Mrs Packletide, is depicted as a vain, jealous and selfish woman. The
only aim in her life was to remain of top of the social ladder, ahead of her arch rival Loona
Bimberton. She does not have any passion or love for hunting but she plans to shoot a tiger
because she is guided by her intense dislike for Loona Bimberton. Mrs Bimberton had recently
covered eleven miles of air space, in an airplane, piloted by an Algerian aviator. As a result, she
had become very popular among the people of British-occupied India.
Mrs Packletide considered this as a huge set back in her social gradation, and was determined
to do something extraordinary to get the better of her greatest rival. Being a wealthy woman she
had enough money to splurge on satisfying her vanity. What great feat could she accomplish so
as to overshadow Mrs Bimberton's glory? She decides to shoot a tiger. The strategy for the
execution of the plan was also scheduled. The natives of a village were willing to take up the
challenge in exchange for a sum of 2 1000/-. It was not very difficult for the villagers to find a
tiger. There was a very old tiger, that preyed on their cattle as its age did not allow him to chase
for his supper. The villagers wanted to get rid of the tiger just as eagerly as Mrs
Packletidewanted to capture it and add points to her popularity.
The villagers worked in unison to ensure that the task undertaken reaches its logical end. They
took the necessary precautions to ascertain the availability of the tiger on the D-day. A platform
was constructed in a comfortable and convenient tree as the base for Mrs Packletide to fire at
the tiger. A goat was tethered at an appropriate distance to attract the tiger. Mrs Packletide,
armed with her rifle and thumbnail cards, accompanied by her paid companion Louisa, waited
patiently, without any apprehension, for the tiger to make its grand entry. Shortly, the tiger is
seen to be ambling his way into the clearing. However, instead of attacking the terrified goat, the
tiger lies down. Louisa considers the tiger to be ill but the tiger rises again and heads for the
goat. Mrs Packletide fires, and the tiger falls. There is great jubilation all around.
However, when the smoke clears, it is apparent that it was the goat that Mrs Packletide shot; the
tiger had died of a heart attack. The villagers choose to ignore this fact, for they did not wish to
loose the thousand rupees that was promised as reward for their cooperation. However, Miss
Mebbin, her paid companion thought otherwise. She appraises Mrs Packletide of the blunder.
Louisa Mebbin who seems to feel herself underpaid and underappreciated for some time, takes
advantage of Mrs Packletide's vainglorious nature, and blackmails her into buying her a
weekend villa near Dorking, as a price for her silence. Mrs Packletide had to pay six hundred
and eighty more to keep Louisa's mouth shut. People are very surprised when Louisa, a humbly
paid companion, suddenly becomes a homeowner; but they are even more surprised when Mrs
Packletide gave up her newfound hobby, big-game hunting. "The incidental expenses are so
heavy," she tells those who ask the reason.
THE LETTER
The story begins with a man named "Coachman Ali" who is walking towards a post office as
usual in the cold morning wearing tattered clothes. A deathly silence prevails all around.
On reaching the post office, he seems to be as happy as a pilgrim would be on reaching his
destination. He enters the office and sits at the corner where he was accustomed to sit for the
last five years. The clerk begins sorting out the letters speedily, flinging the letters to the
corresponding peons. Ali was a clever hunter and derived pleasure from the bewildered terror of
the dying birds. As his skill increased, so did his hunting. But this was probably disliked by his
daughter. The day his daughter left him after marrying a soldier, in a regiment in Punjab, he
stopped hunting. He could no longer enjoy the screams of dying birds. He had understood the
meaning of love and separation.
Since then, he had been regularly visiting post office in the early morning expecting a letter from
his daughter Miriam, but it doesn't come and he returns home empty handed. The post office
staff often laughs at him when they see his habits. The clerk even calls out his name jokingly
even if there was no letter for him. Also, there were often discussions on his lunacy.
This was the routine every day at the post office.
for several days, Ali did not come to the post office. Everyone was curious to know the reason
behind this. At last, he comes again, but now it was difficult for him even to breathe and
therewere clear signs of his approaching end. Finally, he meets the postmaster and asks him for
Miriam's letter. As the postmaster was in a hurry and was about to leave the country, he scolded
him saying that he would not eat his letter, if it comes. Then Ali called a clerk and gave him five
golden guineas and asked him to deliver his letter, if it comes, to his grave. He slowly left him
and was not seen by any one after that.
One day, the postmaster's daughter fell ill and he was anxious to hear from her. He searched for
the letter from his daughter from the pile of letters and picked up a letter of the name he
expected. It was addressed to "Coachman Ali". Now he realized about his haughty temper
towards Ali. He called Lakshmi Das, a clerk and asked him to find out about Ali. That day he did
not receive his letter and decided that he himself would hand over Ali's letter to him.
Next morning, he opened the door and saw Ali leaning on a stick with tears in his eyes. His eyes
had a light so unearthly that the postmaster was scared. But, suddenly he disappeared. Then
Lakshmi Das came and told him that Ali had died three months back. Now the postmaster was
bewildered and confused. He still had Miriam's letter in his hand. That evening he himself went
to Ali's grave to place the letter there. Then, his attitude changed. He now saw the letters as the
essential human hearts, not just the pieces of paper. He understood the essential human worth
of a letter.
A SHADY PLOT
The narrator is a ghost story writer. In this story, he tells how he got a fresh plot for his latest
ghost story. He used to write for a magazine and the public really loved reading them. Now, he
had been asked by the editor to write a fresh one, as the readers were eagerly waiting for it. As
he sat contemplating what to write next, a ghost appeared. It started taking form slowly, part by
part, like the cartoons in a movie. When it was complete, she got angry for being called at an
odd hour to help him. The narrator was told that it was she, who was supplying new ideas and
plots for his new stories. She told him that she herself was a writer earlier and some other
ghosts, who had been writers earlier, had got together to form 'The Writer's Inspiration Bureau'.
They put ideas into the mind of a writer; who was not getting ideas and whose mind was soft
enough to accept fresh impressions. Initially, they had been doing their work willingly but of late
they had put a stop to this practice. They were tired of being called too often by the people, his
friends and acquaintances who were using the Ouija board. The ghost wanted them to stop
using the Quija board at once.
At that moment, Lavinia, the narrator's wife entered the room and informed him that she had
bought an Ouija board. The narrator pleaded with her, not to use it but she would not listen.
Next day, when the narrator came home, Gladolia the maid informed him that his wife had
organized an Ouija board party that evening and he had to be there in the hall downstairs. He
changed into a suitable attire, to be presentable for the party. The guests were already there.
Most of them were elderly women from Lavinia's Book Club. They sat in pairs and in front of
each pair, there was an Ouija board. As Laura Hinkle's partner had not arrived, the narrator was
asked to sit with her as her partner.
When the Ouija board began to move, the narrator felt it was Laura Hinkle who was moving the
board. But then the board spelt out loud the word 'T-r-a-i-t-or'. The spirit told Laura to ask the
narrator what it meant. The spirit introduced herself as Helen. Other couples also claimed they
had received signals from Helen, on their Ouija boards.
At this, the wife of the narrator looked at him suspiciously. Embarrassed at this, the narrator left
the room filled with doubt and anger. Lavinia slept in the guest room that night. Next morning,
she announced she was going to her grandmother's house and that her lawyer would
communicate with him.
John, the narrator, sat in his study, quite upset with the turn of events. Helen's ghost appeared
once again. She had been sent to find out when his wife was going to get rid of the Ouija board.
At that moment, Gladolia the house-maid, also announced that she was leaving her job.
She did not wish to work in a household where black magic was practised. It was at this time
that Lavinia entered wearing the hat and coat she normally wore for travelling. She was carrying
her suitcase she had packed for herself. She set it down on the floor. As Helen the ghost was
already there, she tried to get rid of her. Outside there was Gladolia, wanting to leave. Lavinia
asked her to burn the Ouija board. She then voiced her suspicions asking who was hiding inside
the room. Helen answered and told her she was Helen of Troy, New York. After this, she left
waving goodbye, with her hand. Lavinia forgot everything and forgave her husband, who had
found a very interesting plot for his next ghost story.
PATOL BABU FILM STAR
Sitalakanto Ray, known as Patol Babu, had been hopping from one job to another, as he had
been without a job for the past ten years. He used to work as a clerk with Hudson and
Kimberley in Calcutta. Due to the cost-cutting measures during the war, he was out. He tried his
hand at running a store, became an insurance agent, but could not settle down and was in dire
need of money.
One day he was introduced to Naresh Dutt by Nishikanto Babu. Naresh Dutt was in the
production department of a new movie and he wanted Patol Babu to play a small role in the
movie. This offer made Patol Babu remember his heydays, when he had a settled job at
Kanchrapara. Those were the days, when he used to act in jatras, amateur theatre plays, put up
by the club in his neighbourhood. His talent made him popular, and his name which often
appeared in the handbills, boosted the sale of tickets. In the recent years however, he was too
busy trying to make the two ends meet, so he could not continue with his love for the stage.
The day of the film shooting arrived. When Patol Babu reached the venue of shooting outside
Paraday House, he saw all the activities on the set. He was anxious about his role and his
dialogue, what his lines would be. After waiting for some time, Naresh Dutt told him that he was
supposed to walk to a fixed place, bump into the hero Chanchal Kumar and say 'Oh!'. In the
beginning Patol Babu was disappointed, he even thought of leaving everything and going home.
But then he was reminded of Mr. Pakrashi his mentor, a wonderful actor himself. His advice, a
valuable one, had been that it was not the size of the role that matters, it is what you give to the
role, how much you yourself can put into it, and what you make of it that matters Now he started
practising different ways of uttering the word 'Oh!, trying to mix the right amount of irritation with
the right amount of surprise to make it as much effective as possible.
The time for the shot came. Just before the shot he suggested to the director that he should
hold a newspaper. The director agreed, he was even given a moustache for the role that suited
him and made him stand out in the crowd.
Finally, he performed the shot in a most impressive manner. It was flawless in the first go and no
retakes were required. After the shot was over, he was waiting for Naresh Dutt to make the
payment, when he realised that this small role had given him immense satisfaction which no
amount of money could have given. He quietly went home, without the money.
VIRTUALLY TRUE
The story is about the world inside psycho-driven computer games, which are played by mental
power and can be very dangerous if someone gets trapped inside any of the games. In this
story, the memory of Sebastian Shultz gets trapped inside his laptop, when his head bangs
against his laptop during an accident. While on a train, the narrator Micheal, notices a news
article in the paper. It was regarding the miraculous recovery of a boy named Sebastian Shultz.
He goes into coma, as a result, and there is litte chance of his recovery. Another boy, Michael
comes to face Sebastian, while playing a game called Wildwest. Sebastian appears dressed as
a sheriff and tries to escape from the game but is shot at by one of the men and the game ends.
Michael finds himselfoutside the game and receives an SoS, a request from Sebastian to help
by playing another game-Dragonquest. Michael responds by entering the game and finds that
he is expected to save a princess called Aurora, who is trapped in a tower guarded by a dragon.
But before he can save the princess he once again comes across Sebastian, dressed as a
knight who calls out to him to help him escape from the game. The game ends before he could
save Sebastian, who is overtaken by the dragon. Next day, again a message is received from
Sebastian asking for help.
He suggests Michael to play the game, Jailbreak, now. Michael again enters the game and
again fails to rescue him. Sebastian sends a final message to play the game Warzone, as a last
trial. This time, he rescues Sebastian at the last moment. At the same time, he gets to read the
news of the miraculous recovery of Sebastian, who had been lying in coma, in the hospital.
Michael is left wondering, how real was the virtual world of computer games.
THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE

The poet, Vikram Seth, very cleverly gives us a message of the importance of self-confidence
and moral courage in his poem The Frog and the Nightingale'. Once in a bog, a frog sat under a
sumac tree and croaked all night in a loud and unpleasant voice. The other creatures disliked
his voice but their complaints, insults and brickbats couldn't stop him from croaking, and he
continued to be insensitive to the disturbance he was causing.
Trean ane might i rentale pthe la che . , Her melodious voice areated a Perin he
sumac tree to hear the nightingale sing. Every song was received with a thunderous applause.
And all the creatures, kept demanding for a repeat performance. The solitary loon would weep
hearing her song. The frog became jealous and was disturbed by the intrusion of a challenging
rival.
The following night, when the modest bird was preparing to sing, the vile frog introduced himself
as the owner of the bog. He said he was famous for his splendid baritone voice, and claimed
that he was a music critic. Though he approved of her singing technique, it lacked energy, he
said. Unassuming and not used to any kind of criticism, she defended herself by saying that the
song was her own composition. The heartless frog convinced the nightingale that she was in
need of training that could only be provided by him. The nightingale lacked confidence and was
extremely gullible. She agreed to be his pupil and flattered him by saying that he was Mozart in
disguise. The frog capitalized on the nightingale's servile attitude and said that he would charge
a modest fee, which would not harm her.
The nightingale's voice was sold by the frog who became richer with every concert that he
organised. Eminent personalities like the Owl (Earl) of Sandwich and Duck (Duke) of Kent
attended the concerts. The frog sat and watched with mixed feelings of happiness and
bitterness.
Happy because he was earning money and jealous because the bird was receiving so much
attention.
Under the pretext of training, the frog made the nightingale rehearse in harsh weather
conditions and constantly criticised and abused her till her spirit was broken. Tired and spent,
the nightingale's voice lost its beauty and the creatures stopped coming to hear her sing. Dull
and depressed, she refused to sing, but the frog goaded her to practise. Scared and unhappy,
the nightingale tried to sing, but burst a vein, and died.
The pent ve frog, dismised her of yealing her stupid shrewd judge of character, he too nerous
and prone to influence. The unsympathetic and manipulative frog blamed her for the downfall. À
content frog then regained his position as the unrivalled singer of the bog.
NOT MARBLE, NOT THE GILDED
MONUMENTS

Written in the form of a sonnet, with fourteen lines, Not Marble, Nor the Gilded Monuments is a
poem with three quatrains (a four-lined stanza) followed by a couplet at the end that in nutshell
conveys the message of the whole poem.
The first quatrain talks about how time will not destroy the powerful rhyme (the poem), though it
shall destroy the world's most magnificent structures. Comparisons between the poetry and
various monuments are drawn to show how poetry is stronger than these structures. Neither the
precious marble nor the gold plated well-known monuments meant to be the graves of princes
and well-known figures can match the powerful effect of the poem that the poet has written in
praise of his young friend. Sluttish time destroys everything.
Even the great monuments once carefully preserved are tarnished and left uncared with the
passage of time. But time will have no sway over the poem that glorifies the young friend in its
lines.
The second quatrain also reinforces the idea propagated by the poet in the first quatrain as it
deals with the ravages of time on monuments contrasted with the powerful rhyme that the poet
has written to eulogize his friend. The ravaging wars over the years have overturned and
destroyed great statues. With the passage of time great works of architecture have perished.
But neither Mars (the god of war), his sword or the war's quick grabbing fires shall do any harm
to this poem that is written in memory of the poet's friend that exists even after he is dead.
The third quatrain states that the recorded memory of his friend shall be honoured and
remembered until posterity. The poet emphasises that like a powerful man, his friend shall stride
forward against all destructive forces and will be praised even by the future generations to
come. His memory will outwear this world and survive until the doomsday (the last day of
humanity)-
The couplet sums up suggesting the thought of the poet that the young man will live in this
(poem) until the day of judgment, which may be appreciated by lovers. When the humanity will
se united with the great soul (the Almighty) that will declare the 'fall' (hell) and 'rise' (heaven) of
the souls. He at this stage shall receive individual judgment and will rise to the heaven.
OZYMANDIAS
The poem is a sonnet. It has two parts-octave with eight lines and the sestet with six lines.
The poet met a traveller, who had travelled through an ancient land and he describes what he
had seen there. Once upon a time, there existed a civilization but now only the remnants could
be seen mingled with dust of the sandy desert land. Broken fragments of a huge statue lay
scattered all over the place. He could see two huge legs like two pillars, without the upper body,
half sunk in the desert land. Nearby, the head of the statue was lying on the ground, part of it
buried in the sand. On going closer, the traveller saw it was shattered, broken partially,
destroyed and half-sunk in sand, but the expression on the face conveyed clearly to the
beholder that he must have been a king of his times, powerful, stern, looking down upon his
subjects with disdain. The sculptor who had carved the statue had read the face of the ruler and
sculpted his features skilfully, highlighting the feeling of the ruler.
There was a pedestal on which the statue stood. The engraving on it said that he was the
mightiest of kings of his time. His name was Ozymandias, an Egyptian ruler. All his life he had
tought battles and won so many kingdoms. He had spent his life hankering after materia
pursuits, and had expanded his land to such vastness but finally it came to nothing. With unle
everything had gone and nothing was left. Time and tide spares none. Only the good work that
one does, stays after him and speaks for him. Your reputation stays after you are gone. So, all
those who are after material pursuits of life, who are craving for power and might, must learn a
lesson from the life of Ozymandias and give up wars and battles. Instead do something more
meaningful for the good of the people, so that all can live in peace and harmony.
THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT
MARINER
In the opening lines of the poem, an elderly sailor stops one of the three gentlemen going their
way to attend a wedding. The man who was stopped wanted to know why he had been stopped,
because he was one of the members of the bridegroom's family and all the guests had arrived
and the festivities of marriage were about to start. But the old man caught him with his wrinkled
skinny hand and started telling him about a ship.
The person ordered him (the old Mariner) to leave his hand and called him mad, at which the
Mariner let go his hand immediately.
There was such a compelling look in the eyes of the ancient mariner that left the wedding guest
spellbound and with the wonder of a three-year-old child he listened to the story. The Mariner's
will prevailed and he got what he had wanted.
The wedding guest was seated on a stone; the wedding guest listened to the story of the old
man, as he now had no choice. And the old man began to tell his story with a twinkle in his eye.
He told that their ship started sailing in fine weather and it passed through the church, below the
hill and the lighthouse.
The sun came up (rose) from the left and went down into the sea on the right side. Days
seemed to be passing normally. At noon, the sun shone brightly over the mast of the ship. In the
meantime, the wedding guest started feeling upset, when he heard the sound of loud music of
the bassoon, the sound of the musical instrument announced the arrival of the bride into the
wedding hall. She looked as beautiful as a rose, dressed in her bridal finery (dress).
As the band of singers and musicians passed by her, they nodded their heads happily, in
approval and appreciation of her beauty.
Once again the guest was quite upset and impatient, but having no choice, continued to listen to
the story. The bright-eyed Mariner continued with his story. Now, when the ship was journeying,
a fierce and very strong tidal storm came and over-powering them with its force, drove them
southwards.
The ship dipping and turning, followed by the loud and noisy storm, kept moving in the
southward direction, at a great speed.
Now they were surrounded with mist and snow, it had become extremely cold. The green
coloured ice, as high as the mast, came floating down.
The floating ice from the steep sides of the icebergs created a gloomy atmosphere, all over the
place. Nothing was visible, no living soul, human, bird or beast could be seen.
Everywhere there was ice, and the ship was trapped. Sounds of the storm and cracking of the
ice created a maddening atmosphere.
And then appeared the bird. An albatross, like a god-sent angel came and everyone welcomed
this change. The bird ate the food that was offered to it and flew over the ship in circles, flapping
its wide wings that made the ice crack and the ship moved forward into the sea.
A favourable south wind directed the ship and the albatross followed. The friendly bird came
every day, it seemed she enjoyed the food and the play and responded to the call of the sailors.
It would come daily, irrespective of the weather and used to sit on the mast or the sail of the
ship. It was so punctual that exactly at nine o'clock it would come and sit on the ship and remain
there throughout the night.
Suddenly, the Mariner stopped and there was a haunted look on his face. The wedding guest
asked him what was troubling him. The old man replied that he shot the albatross with his
cross-bow.
Part-II
The journey continued.
As they continued their journey, the improved weather continued too, but there was no bird that
came to them for food, fun or play. There was no response to the call of the sailors.
He began to realise the folly of his heinous act and deep down, he began to anticipate that his
thoughtless act would bring woe and misery. Everyone on board was of the firm opinion that it
was wrong to kill the harmless bird that had caused the favourable wind to blow. It was a wicked
act to have killed the innocent bird.
Now, the poet highlights the contradictory opinion of the crew. As the fog and mist continued
they began to justify the act of killing the bird, because they considered the bird responsible for
the fog and mist.
The wind propelled the ship, which moved freely, making its way through the foamy water and
they entered the calm water of the sea, as though they were the first ever to have entered that
realm.
Then, the blowing breeze came to a standstill, the ship stopped moving. The sails sagged down
for lack of wind. There was only sadness and silence all around. The sun continued to shower
fires of heat from the sky above.
The ship was stuck not in ice now, but in water, it would not move. Like a painted picture in the
still waters of the ocean the ship stood still. There was water and only water around, but inside
the ship, due to lack of water, the wooden boards appeared to have shrunk. There was so much
water around, but not a single drop fit for drinking. It appeared that the ocean water had
decayed. Rot had set in the deep water of the ocean. The water was full of living organisms.
It was ghastly. Impending doom was inevitable. Death seemed to be lurking everywhere. At
night, the dense water of the ocean glistened brightly in all possible shades and hues. Some of
the sailors had a confirmed opinion that it was the curse of the slain innocent bird that had
brought them from the land of mist and snow into the sea, nine fathoms deep.
Every soul was thirsty, every tongue dry and parched, their throats were suffocated and none
could utter a word.
Amid all this, the accusing looks that the Mariner got from every eye added to the torment and
torture. They decided to punish his evil deed and hung the dead albatross around his neck.
It would remain as a continuous reminder of his own wicked act, the burden of this guilt he
would carry his entire life.
SNAKE
The poem describes the poet's encounter with a snake. It was a hot day. The poet dressed
informally in his pyjamas, goes out to fill water in a pitcher from his water-trough. When he
descends the steps, he notices some other character near the trough.
It was a snake that had come from an opening in the garden-wall and it was yellow-brown in
colour. The soft bellied reptile reached the water-trough and quietly drank till its thirst was
quenched. The poet, awestruck watched all this from a distance and waited for his turn. The
snake lifted its head and casually looked at the poet without any fear, just like the cattle when
they are drinking water. Its forked tongue was out and it appeared thoughtful for a moment, after
which it drank a little more water.
It was the same day, a very hot day of July, years ago, when Mount Etna in Sicily had erupted
emitting a lot of heat, fire and lava. (This analogy has been used to explain that it was a very hot
day). The snake had come out of the hot interiors of the earth. It was a brown snake that was
considered to be very poisonous. This is what he had been taught. The voice of education
advised him to get rid of the snake at once. The voice said to him to kill it immediately with a
stick and finish him off. But the poet actually felt honoured that such a being had come to his
water-trough and was his guest. He felt honoured that the snake had chosen his house for the
purpose of quenching its thirst. Though disturbed by conflicting thoughts the poet assumed that
a satiated snake, without expressing any gratitude, (no gratitude because water is a gift of God
and every one has equal right to avail the resource) would find its way back into its hole.
The poet questions his rational mind. He was being instigated to kill the snake, instead
ofentertaining him and being hospitable and kind. His inner voice even challenged his courage
to aCt.
The poet confessed he was afraid. But he was also in awe of the being and was extremely
honoured that it had come from the depths of the earth to be his guest.
After drinking enough water, the snake lifted its head as if in a trance, smacked its lips and
unafraid like a God, slowly turned to make its exit through the opening in the wall, from where it
had come. Very slowly, it climbed the wall and put its head into the hole, and then the rest of his
body followed in a slow convulsive movement. Till the poet was face to face with the snake, he
was awestruck and admired the beautiful being from the earth. But now its back was turned
towards him, he was overpowered by an instinct to hit the snake from behind, before it had
retreated completely.
The poet picked up a piece of wood lying there and threw it at the snake. The part of the body of
the snake that was left behind, moved hurriedly and disappeared through the hole into the
opening in the earth. Dumbfounded, the poet watched all this, and was filled with a feeling of
self-loathing. He felt sorry.
Why did he have to resort to such a lowly act? He felt very small, vulgar. He hated himself for
having listened to the prejudiced voice of formal education. He was reminded of the albatross,
who had been killed for no reason and had brought so much misery to the sailors. He longed for
the snake to come back to him. He felt the snake was like a king banished from his own
kingdom about to be crowned again, majestic.
The poet regrets that he missed the opportunity to befriend the majestic snake, and tells himself
that he has to do something to redeem his petty act.

DEAR DEPARTED
The Dear Departed, a comical drama opens with Mr & Mrs Slater making preparation to receive
the Jordans, Mrs Slater's sister and her husband, who have been telegraphically informed of
their father's demise. Mrs Slater tells her daughter to wear a white frock with a black sash that
shall indicate phat the family ison mourning. the Satars ar copen a mad rush lo secre do and
cunningly get hold of their father's belongings, before the Jordans arrival. Mrs Slater tells her
husband to wear her father's new slippers. They also manage to take away their father's bureau
and clock. She does so because she does not want to give any chance to her sister to lay her
hands on their good furniture. They are not in the least grieved that their father had not woken
up that morning. They didn't even care to call the doctor to check on their father to certify his
death.
As the Jordans come in, both the sisters shed crocodile tears to show an ostentatious concern
for their father. Then they talk about his 'obituary' announcement and the 'premium' payment.
The Jordans turn out to be even more insensitive. They prefer to have tea before looking up on
their deceased father. It's during their discussion over tea that the foursome feel that the
grandfather had not been paying his insurance premium. So, Victoria is told to go upstairs and
bring the receipt. As the girl comes down, she gives the family the shocking news that the
grandfather was alive. Both the sisters and their henpecked husbands are shocked.
The two sisters had already begun fighting like wild cats over the division of the movable and
immovable properties that belonged to their father. As the argument begins to get heated, Abel
Merryweather, their father comes down to bring a dramatic twist to the play. He is surprised to
find his younger daughter, Mrs Jordan whom he has not seen for many years. When he
enquires the reason of their arrival, both husband and wife look at each other sheepishly.
However, hearing the conversation between the family members over tea, the old gentleman
recognizes the selfishness of his children, and their materialistic cravings. He also comes to
know that the Jordans had come after hearing the news of his death. Naturally disgusted with
the attitude of his daughters, Abel decides to change his will. He is emphatic about keeping
them out of his will.
The play ends with yet another dramatic blow when the old man declares that he is going to
marry Mrs Shorrocks, a widow who was also the owner of 'Ring-o-Bells' restaurant. He tells his
daughters that he would stay with her for the rest of his life and leave all his wealth to her after
he dies. The old man leaves the room with a thanksgiving remark to the Slaters for bringing his
bureau down and extending an invitation to attend his marriage.