Lesson : Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Author : A. J. Cronin.
Theme : People of true love are committed to sacrifice.
A. j. Cronin, in 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' depicts love, devotion, sacrifice, sincerity and
maturity of the two little brothers, Nicola and Jacopo. The author met them on the
outskirts of Verona.
Two Gentlemen of Verona' tells the story of Nicola and Jacopa.
Nicola was a mature and responsible boy of 13. Jacopo was a lively boy of 12.
Both of them were childish enough and in many ways quite artless.
Nicola was steady and engaging.
The boys had seriousness in their faces far beyond their age.
They were helpful to the narrator in many ways.
Their earnest behaviour attracted the narrator.
During the war, the boys faced numerous adversities.
Their father, a widower was a well-known singer. He had been killed in the war.
Shortly afterward, a bomb destroyed their home.
Their sister, Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.
They admitted her to the hospital at Poleta.
Every week they needed money to pay for her treatment.
The boys faced the hardships with a positive attitude.
They sold fruit and newspapers, shined shoes, guided tourists round the town and did all
possible odd jobs and saved money.
They manifested honesty in their work .
They maintained integrity in their family affairs.
The war had not broken their spirit.
He understood that the boys did not want anybody's sympathy and charity.
Their selfless action brought a new nobility to human life.
Indeed Jacopo and Nicola are the two gentlemen of Verona.
Moral : Adversity brings out the best as well as the worst in people.
Lesson : The Castle.
Author : Edwin Muir.
Theme : The castle's defeat by disloyal warder.
Edwin Muir portrays the majestic appearance of the castle and its downfall due to the
disloyalty of the warder in his poem ‘The Castle’.
The castle’s safety was ensured by its strong defences.
The soldiers had been in the castle all through the summer.
They were stress-free and relaxed.
They had plenty of arms and food.
Through the turrets they found no enemy up to the distance of half-a-mile.
The castle’s gate was very strong, and the walls were very thick and smooth.
Their captain was brave and the soldiers were loyal
“Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
So smooth and high, no man could win”
The capture of the castle was due to the disloyalty of the warder.
The enemies could never enter the castle.
Even by a trick no one but the birds could enter.
But, there was a wicket gate, guarded by a wicked warder
The real enemy was gold.
The castle was captured without a fight or groan.
The narrator felt ashamed to disclose this shameful story to anyone.
Weapons can be confronted with weapons.
But, disloyalty and greediness cannot be confronted with weapons.
So, the narrator regretted for not finding any weapon to fight with the enemy called
‘Gold”.
Moral : Disloyalty can never be won with weapons.
Lesson : God Sees The Truth, But Waits
Author : Leo Tolstoy.
Theme : The truth in aksionov's life.
The story “God sees the truth, but waits” was written by Leo Tolstoy.
Ivan Dmitrich Aksionov was a young merchant in Vladimir.
He went to the Nizhny Fair, neglecting his wife's bad dream about him.
On his way, he stayed with a merchant.
The merchant was killed, and the blood-stained knife was found in Aksionov's bag.
So, the police arrested him.
He was sent to prison and worked in the mines of Siberia.
He grew old there. Aksionov frequently prayed to God.
The prison authorities and his inmates liked him for his humbleness.
One day, he met Makar Semyonich.
Aksionov found that Makar was the real killer.
Yet, he saved Makar from the officials when he tried to escape.
Eventually, Makar realised his guilt and confessed it to Aksionov.
Aksionov forgave Makar and told him not to reveal the truth, because he had already
lost his family.
Inspite of his words, Makar admitted his crime to the officers.
But when the order of release came, Aksionov was already dead.
Thus, the title of the story reflects that, we should wait for the truth to win.
Moral : Forgiveness Is the best form of revenge.
