Kendriya vidyalaya sangathan regional office

1. 
   “A thing of beauty is a joy forever
   

b. How does it bless us?

c. Explain the expression “A bower quiet for us”.

d. What do we do everyday?

2. 
   “the mid forest brake,
   

1. 
   What do you mean by ‘brake’? Where does it grow? What makes it all the more beautiful?
   
2. 
   What do you mean by ‘the grandeur of the dooms’?
   
3. 
   “All lovely tales that we have heard or read” Explain
   
4. 
   What is the source of the beauty of nature? What is its effect on us?
   

3. 
   “Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
   

‘gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake

1. 
   What removes the pall from our dark spirits?
   
2. 
   What sprouts a shady boon for sheep and how?
   
3. 
   How do ‘daffodils’ and rills enrich the environment?
   
4. 
   What makes the mid-forest brake rich?
   

1. 
   How do we wreathe a flowery band?
   
2. 
   Why do human beings suffer or what depresses the human soul?
   
3. 
   What does Keats mean by the ‘grandeur of doom’?
   
4. 
   Mention 4 things of beauty listed in the poem?
   
5. 
   How do we bind ourselves to the earth every morning?
   
6. 
   Why and how is ‘grandeur’ associated with the mighty dead?
   
7. 
   What is the source of the ‘endless fountain’ and what is its effect?
   
8. 
   What is the message of the poem?
   

• 
  The poet is a feminist and she addresses the difficulties of a married woman.
  
• 
  She spends good amount of time in embroidering panel of tigers prancing across the screen.
  
• 
  The tigers are fearless creatures pacing elegantly and majestically. They symbolize the spirit of freedom. Aunt is a victim of male chauvinism (male domination).
  
• 
  Aunt Jennifer is so oppressed and terrified that she finds it hard to pull the needle.
  
• 
  The “weight of Uncle’s wedding band “expresses how victimized and oppressed she is. It implies that aunt Jennifer has to work hard to meet his expectation.
  
• 
  She spends her life in fear but she embroiders on the panel the fearless tigers to express her secret longing for a life of freedom and confidence.
  
• 
  Even her death does not end the problem and torture which a married woman experiences..
  

Aunt Jennifer was embroidering a panel of prancing tigers. The poet refers to the tigers as Aunt Jennifer’s tigers because they are her creation, her work of art.

b) What does prancing tigers symbolize?

Prancing tigers are a symbol of the spirit of freedom within Aunt Jennifer which remains subdued. They also symbolize her fear of her male counterpart.

c) Why are they referred to as ‘denizens of a world of green’?

The tigers are the dwellers of the green forest so they are referred to as denizens.

d) What qualities of the ‘tigers’ are highlighted here?

Fearlessness and ferocity of the tigers are highlighted here. Aunt Jennifer’s nervousness and timidity are in sharp contrast to wild ferocity of the tigers who are not afraid of hunting men. Unlike Aunt Jennifer, the tigers fear nothing.

e) Explain; “They pace in sleek chivalric certainty”.

The movement of the tigers are sleek, stealthy, sure, majestic and elegant. They are sure of their purpose. Gallant and confident, they move ahead fearlessly undeterred by any obstacles or hindrances.

Aunt Jennifer lives in constant fear of her husband. She feels so nervous and terrified that her hands shake and flutter when she sits down to knit.

b) Why does she find it hard to pull the ivory needle?

Due to constant fear that she confronts has become a nervous wreck. She finds it difficult to pull the ivory needle through the tapestry more because of mental suppression than because of physical weakness.

c) Explain: ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’.

The expression is symbolic of male authority and power. Matrimony binds the woman physically as well as mentally. Likewise Aunt Jennifer is trapped in gender oppression and feels herself burdened by the authority of her husband.

d) How is Aunt Jennifer affected by the ‘weight of matrimony’?

Aunt Jennifer cannot do things freely, she tries to come up to the expectation of her husband, she seems to have lost her identity. The freedom that she dreams of through her art is itself symbolic of her oppressed self

Aunt Jennifer’s death is symbolic of her complete submission to her suppression.

b) Explain: “terrified hands”.

Aunt Jennifer is terrified by her dominating husband and hence her hands are shivering.

c) What does ‘ringed with ordeals’ imply?

Aunt Jennifer has been so victimized in her life that even after death she remains trapped in the struggles of the spirit. Though we do not know what terrors Aunt Jennifer had to live with relatives did, we find her a victim of gender injustice and oppression.

d) Is the society in any way affected by Aunt Jennifer’s death?

Since the society is male dominated, it shows no concern for Aunt’s suffering, even her death. The loss of her freedom is her individual loss. The society is not affected by it and the state of women still remains the same.

e) Explain: “the tigers in the panel….will go on prancing, proud and unafraid”.

The expression is symbolic of the dispassionate and unconcerned attitude of the male towards the desire for freedom among women. Even after her death, the social milieu remains unaffected, arrogant and ferocious.

The tigers, made by Aunt Jennifer on the screen, are jumping and playing about without any fear of the men beneath the tree. They walk in elegance and style displaying the spirit of courage, fearlessness, strength and confidence.

The tigers made by Aunt Jennifer symbolize the spirit of courage, strength and fearlessness Aunt Jennifer, a victim of male oppression, expresses her crushed feelings in the form of art. So, the tigers are symbolic of the fear of male domination with which Aunt Jennifer suffers.

3. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are fluttering through her wool? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?

Aunt Jennifer is victimized by the overbearing and dominant nature of her husband. Her life has become a torture due to her suppression by her atrocious husband. The fear of her authoritative husband has gone so deep into her being that she seems to have lost all strength and energy. Thus her hands shake and flutter so much that she is not even able to pull the needle through the tapestry.

Generally ‘wedding band’ is a symbol of joy and happiness. But in case of Aunt Jennifer, it has become a symbol of torture and oppression. Her relationship with her authoritative husband has become a painful burden to carry. Her ‘wedding band’ has brought her a world of pain, misery and torture. She has lost her freedom and entered a world of humiliation and oppression.

These lines convey Aunt’s complete submission to the oppressive authority of her husband. The fear of her husband has gone so deep into her being that even death cannot liberate her from the chains of her mental suppression. Memories of her husband’s tortures and atrocities which bent her into a humiliating slavery will continue to haunt her even after her death.

6. Explain ‘The tigers in the panel------------proud and unafraid.’

Here the tigers symbolize the unquestioned authority of man enjoyed by him over his woman counterpart. The lines suggest the dispassionate and unconcerned attitude of the male towards the desire for freedom among women. Here, Aunt Jennifer tries to find an escape in her art but ends up portraying an image of her own suppression. While woman can never free herself from the oppressive authority of her male counterpart, the male, on the other hand will go on enjoying his authoritative arrogance and ferocity without any fear

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alphonse Daudet is a renowned French novelist and great short story writer .The Last Lesson is set in the days of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71) in which Prussians (Germany ,Poland and Austria) were triumphant and two French districts Alsace and Lorraine were captured by Prussians and adverse effects of it on life at school.

THEME

ABOUT THE LESSON-A glance

• 
  M.Hamel is a devoted, committed and disciplinarian teacher who wants to inculcate passion for learning French language— Mother tongue
  
• 
  Franz is not willing to go to school as he has not learnt rules of participles.
  
• 
  He wants to enjoy fascinating beauty of Nature , brightness of sunshine, the birds chirruping in the woods ,Prussion soldiers( Germany, Poland and Austria) drilling.
  
• 
  Bulletin board always gave news of lost battles ,misfortunes, the drafts and orders of the commanding officers.
  
• 
  Franz noticed tremendous changes in the school;
  
  • 
    M.Hamel does not scold him and behaved softly and humbly.
    
  • 
    The teacher wore special dress which he used to put on Inspection Prize days.
    
  • 
    Instead of noisy classrooms everything was as still as Sunday morning ,no hustle and bustle in school.
    
  • 
    Villagers including former Mayor and former postmaster occupied last benches – to pay tribute to M.Hamel for his forty years sincere and dedicated service.
    
• 
  M.Hamel made the announcement that that would be the last French lesson and German teacher would replace him. German language would be taught in schools of Alsace and Lorraine
  
• 
  Franz realizes that he does not know even his own mother tongue ,regretted why he had not taken his lessons seriously. He wonders sarcastically if Prussians could force pigeons to coo in German.
  
• 
  M.Hamel realizes that the children, the parents and he himself are to be blamed for losing respect and regard for the mother tongue - French language.
  
• 
  He affirms that always keep the mother tongue close to your heart as it is the key to the prison of slavery.
  
• 
  M.Hamel advocates that French is the most beautiful ,the most logical and clearest language in world
  
• 
  becomes emotional ,could not speak and wrote on the black board
  
• 
  ‘Long Live France’
  

Q1 What was more tempting to Franz than going to school and why?

Value points

Had not learnt rules of participles, weather was pleasant ,warm and bright . Chirruping of birds tempted him to enjoy the day, the soldiers drilling in the field were also outdoors.

Value points

Franz was very late for school as he was scared of being scolded. He had not learnt rules of participles .He did not know even the first word about them .Thus he dreaded the teacher’s indignation.
Q3. What was the bad news put up on the bulletin board?

Value points

All the bad news—the lost battles, the orders of the commanding officer were displayed on the notice board for the last two years . Only German language would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine was displayed on the notice board which made the crowd gather there to read the news.
Q4 What change did Franz observe in the school on that day?

Value points

No noisy atmosphere , no bustle of opening and closing of the desk, no lesson repeated loudly, that day was as quiet as Sunday morning. The back benches were occupied by the village people. M. Hamel wore his special dress which he used to wear on Inspection and Prize day.

Q5. Why were village elders seated on back benches on that day ?

Villagers occupied back benches as a tribute to the teacher who had put in forty years of sincere service .They also expressed their regret for not learning their mother tongue when they had the chance to learn French, expressed their patriotism and solidarity with France.

Q6. Why did M.Hamel ask his students and elderly to guard French language?

Value points

He said that French is the most beautiful language in the world- the clearest and the most logical He appealed them to guard it so that they can be united and fight back for their liberty.
Q7. How did M.Hamel bid farewell to his beloved students and the villagers?

Value points

To arouse patriotic feelings in his students and village elders for their mother tongue .Urged them to safeguard it among themselves, gathered his strength and wrote on the blackboard as large as he could ‘Vive La France’ and dismissed the school.
QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE:

Q1Why did M.Hamel not punish Franz even though he was late?

Q2 Why was Franz unwilling to go to school?

Q3. What announcement did M.Hamel make and what was its impact?

Q4. What do you think was written on the bulletin board?

Q5. Why did not M.Hamel get angry with Franz for being late ?

Q6. What changes came over little Franz after he heard M.Hamel ‘s announcement?

Q8. Do you think that the story touches upon the brutalities of war ? Explain

Q9 . How does Hamel arouse patriotism in people of Alsace?

Q10. What message does the writer want to convey to the readers through the Last Lesson ?

Q1 Draw a Pen portrait of M.Hamel on the basis of your study of the story, ‘The Last Lesson’..

Value points

Dedicated ,disciplinarian, hard task master—kept his terrible ruler under his arm—transformed after Berlin’s order, shocked—more soft and gentle towards his students—not scolded any student—emotional and completely disturbed—villagers assembled to pay tribute to his sincere service for forty years in the same school—loved France deeply—considered French as the most beautiful language of the world--- safeguard it and never forget it .

Q1 Franz’s feelings about M.Hamel and school changed gradually by the end of the text, though he had a great disliking for both in the beginning of the story .It is said that first impression is the last impression..Is it true in context of ,’The Last Lesson ,?

Write a small paragraph of about 100 words penning down your views on ‘A person can be best judged in his first appearance only’.
Value points.

A well –known dictum states that ‘appearance are deceptive ‘ Infact ,it is true that one can not be judged in just one meeting .Actually ,one or more meeting are not enough to judge a person’s personality .Every person reacts differently on different situation at different times .So it is not a matter of single appearance to form a judgement about a person.

Now-a—days every person appears to be gentle and social. No matter what their background is one’s clothes, gestures habits etc. do not define one’s personality. Sometimes a life remains short to know a person. Hence ,it is not a matter of first or last impression but issue of time , needed to know one in one’s right colors .
VALUE BASED QUESTION FOR PRACTICE

M. Hamel ‘The Last Lesson ‘says to the people of Alsace about the necessity of their mother tongue –French—“ We must guard it among us and never forget it because people are enslaved , as long as they hold fast to their language it is as if they had the key to their prison.”

‘Mother tongue is the language of one’s thoughts and ideas .Rejecting one’s mother tongue is denying one’s own culture and identity.’ Do you think so? Write your reflections on the above statement in the form of an article.

LOST SPRING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anees Jung ,a prolific Indian writer who received her education in India and US. Her parents were also both distinguished writers .She began her career as a writer in India .She has been an editor and columnist for major news papers in India and abroad. This chapter is an excerpt from her book titled Lost Spring , Stories of Stolen Childhood .She analyses the grinding poverty and traditions which condemn these children to a life of exploitation.
THEME

The Lesson brings out the plight of street children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of schooling.

The callousness of society and the political class to the sufferings of poor.

ABOUT THE LESSON

• 
  Anees Jung analyses and examines the miserable ,sub- human conditions and traditions which condemn these slum children to a life of exploitation and suppression. They are devoid of education and basic amenities of life.
  
• 
  Saheb –e- Alam , a rag picker and around 10,000 barefoot ragpickers live in Seemapuri, a wilderness –a place on the periphery of Delhi .They are poverty- stricken and live a life of scarcities and hunger .Survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking.
  
• 
  Slum dwellers do not have other identifications other than ration cards. Children do not go to school And they are excited at the prospect of finding a coin and sometimes ten rupee note from heaps of garbage..
  
• 
  Saheb –e-Alam means the ‘Lord of the Universe’ but lives in impoverished conditions and struggles badly.
  
• 
  Saheb works in a tea stall and he is paid Rs. 800 and meals but he is dissatisfied with this new job as he lost his carefree look and liberty .He feels that steel canister is heavier than the rag picking bag.
  

• 
  The author narrates a pathetic story of Mukesh , a victim of injustice and exploitation in Firozabad U.P. He wants to become a motor mechanic.
  
• 
  Around 20000 children work illegally in the glass furnaces at high temperature and in the suffocated factories .They lose the brightness of their eyes in dingy cells and face health hazards.
  
• 
  Bangle makers face acute poverty and hardships .His father failed to renovate the house.
  
• 
  Savita ,a young girl does not know the sanctity of bangles.. They are caught in the vicious web of the money lenders , middle men , police and the traditions.
  
• 
  Mukesh is a young , sensible and practical boy who genuinely wants to remove the poverty of his family. No bangle maker dreams but Mukesh dreams of driving a car.
  

Value points

Natural calamities like cyclone compelled to migrate , better education ,more job opportunities, better living conditions and looking for comforts.
Q2. ‘Saheb is no longer his master’ says the writer, what does she mean ?

Value points

The author means that Saheb gets employment in a tea stall , he has lost his carefree look or independence that he enjoyed as ragpicker .He is paid eight hundred rupees to supplement the family income but he is unhappy .Infact he has lost his freedom.
Q3.’ Survival in Seemapuri means ragpicking ‘. Comment.

Value points

Ragpicking is no more a dirty and filthy job for slum dwellers . It has become their bread earner and means of survival .Sometimes they find rupees ,silver coins in heaps of garbage.
Q4. Why does the author say that the bangle makers are caught in a vicious web of poverty ?value points

The bangle makers are victims of injustice and exploitation in Firozabad. They are caught in web of moneylenders , middlemen ,policemen ,politicians and bureaucrats .they are fear-stricken and suppressed.

Value points

Mukesh belonged to marginalized family ,disliked the profession of bangle making .He wanted to become a motor mechanic ,seemed practical and determined to achieve his goal, matured understanding for his life.
Q6. Describe hazardous health conditions of the bangle makers?

Value points

Worked in the glass industry of Firozabad in sub-human conditions ,dingy cells and at high temperature. Lost the brightness of their eyes and fell in vicious circle of moneylenders and middlemen.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

Q1 .’Lost Spring ‘ is a miserable story on the political system of our country that condemns thousand of people to a life of abject poverty. Comment

Value Points

Saheb ,ragpickers and slum dwellers in Seemapuri lead a life of sorrows and exploitation— Saheb likes going to school but no opportunity—live in structures of mud with roofs of tin and tarpaulin--- no identity except ration cards to buy grain --- survival in Seemapur means ragpicking

Bangle makers work in inhuman conditions-dark room ,hot temperature in glass furnaces—caught in vicious circle of moneylenders, policemen ,sahukars and politicians—unaware of child labour act—abolition of child labour under article 24—lose eyesight before becoming adults.