Lesson-1

The Fun They Had

By Isaac Asimov

The Fun They Had Introduction

This is a lighthearted storey. It takes place in the future. It will make you all fall in love with school. This storey is about school life and how children who do not get to school miss out on school. The storey is set in the future, when there may be no school and no books. Now imagine how those students will miss going to school and how they will feel that their forefathers, the current generation—you all—had fun going to school, meeting and helping one another. Finally, we learn that this is the imagination of a young girl named Margie, who discovers that their forefathers used to go to school and that all the children used to study together. She believes that they all had a good time at school. So, after reading the storey, we feel that school life is very good, and we are fortunate to have real schools where we can go, meet friends, and study together.

The Fun They Had Summary

The storey begins with Margie writing in her diary about an old book found by Tommy. Margie was reminded of her grandfather, who once told her about his grandfather, who went to a real school where the students were taught by actual teachers.

However, Margie and Tommy lived in the year 2157, in a future world where education was completely computerised. They did not attend school. Instead, they had a special study room where they were taught by a computer. The computer teacher was programmed and adjusted to meet the individual needs of each child. Occasionally, the computer teacher created flaws that were corrected by a County Inspector.

Tommy and Margie were both puzzled by the book Tommy found in his attic. They were perplexed as they read books on their computer teacher's screen. Margie found the computer teacher to be boring, and she disliked the mechanical teaching and learning. She also wondered how enjoyable it would be to study in a school. Studying in a fun environment, with other children, and with a human teacher.

The Fun They Had Lesson Explanation

MARGIE even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed 17 May 2157, she wrote, “Today Tommy found a real book!”

Margie is the story's main character. She is an 11-year-old girl. On the night of May 17, 2157, she keeps a diary. (Right now, we are in the year 2022.) As previously stated, the story is set in the future, in the year 2157 (almost a century and a half, or 140 years from now). Margie writes an entry in her diary at the time, stating that 'Tommy found a real book,' which she finds strange because real books do not exist in her time. They only have electronic books, or virtual books.

It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper.

Margie's grandfather comes to mind. He told her that his grandfather read every book that was printed on paper. As a result, for them, this type of book is historical or ancient. Something they can't believe, something they can't imagine.

They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to — on a screen, you know.

• crinkly: with many folds or lines, something that is crushed.

Margie is discussing the book that Tommy found. She claims that the book's pages had turned yellow and had been crushed due to its age. The children thought it was funny to read the words that were frozen in time. (What does the phrase "words that stood still" mean? The words did not move because they were printed on the pages). The books that Margie and Tommy read, on the other hand, were available online (e-books). So, in the case of e-books, the text continues to move as your screen moves, but this was not the case with books printed on paper.

And then when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.

This was an unusual experience for these children. When you have a book that is printed on paper, every time you turn the pages, you will see the same thing written on the pages. In an e-book, on the other hand, the text on the screen changes all the time. The screen is identical. You're looking at the same screen, but the text keeps changing. As a result, each time you return, the text is different.

“Gee,” said Tommy, “what a waste. When you’re through with the book, you just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and it’s good for plenty more. I wouldn’t throw it away.”

Tommy was dissatisfied with the printed book. He called it a waste because he believed that once you finished reading a book, you had to throw it away. It is not possible to have multiple stories written in the same book. On the contrary, he thought the computer screen was excellent because it had shown him many books and he could still read many more on it. He wouldn't have to toss that screen away after reading a specific story.

“Same with mine,” said Margie. She was eleven and hadn’t seen as many telebooks as Tommy had.He was thirteen.

Tommy's perspective was agreed by Margie. Margie was eleven years old, and she had not read as many books as Tommy had because Tommy was thirteen years older.

She said, “Where did you find it?”

Margie inquired as to where Tommy had found the printed book.

“In my house.” He pointed without looking because he was busy reading. “In the attic”.

• attic: a space just below the roof, used as a storeroom

Tommy told Margie that he found the printer book in his house's storeroom. He didn't take his gaze away from the book because he was so completely immersed in it.

“What’s it about?”

Margie inquired about the book.

“School”

Tommy responded by saying that the book was about school. About going to school, about school life.

Margie was scornful.

“School?  What’s there to write about school? I hate school.”

• scornful: contemptuous; showing you think something is worthless, show your dislike for something

Margie hated the word'school,' so she argued that what was there to write about it  that an entire book had been written about it?

Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever.

The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography and she had been doing worse and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County Inspector.

What's the name of Margie's school? Margie's teacher is a mechanical teacher. (By a mechanical teacher, I mean the machine that teaches you, not the school where we all go.)

Why did Margie hate school? Margie's school was a virtual environment. It was not a proper school like the ones we have today. As a result, we believe that in the future, schools will be virtual classrooms. There will be machines that teach the children. Margie hated this machine because it was giving her too many geography tests that were too difficult for her, and she was doing poorly. Finally, her mother suspected that something was wrong with the machine and requested that the County Inspector inspect it.

He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and wires.

The County Inspector arrived to conduct a check on the mechanical teacher. He was a small, round man with a red face. He was carrying a large box filled with tools, dials, and wires.

He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart.

So this man opened  the machine. He was on his way to fix the computer.

Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew how allright, and, after an hour or so, there it was again,large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked.

Margie wished he couldn't close the computer after he opened it because she didn't like the computer and she didn't like studying from this teacher. But the man was an expert, and within an hour he had repaired the computer, shut it down, and prepared it to teach Margie once again. Margie explains how the computer works. It appears to be very large to her, black in colour, and she dislikes its appearance. It has a large screen on which all of the lessons are displayed, as well as many questions that are difficult for Margie to answer.

That wasn’t so bad. The part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test papers.

• slot: a given space, time or position

Margie hated this mechanical teacher the most because she was required to submit her homework and test papers to it.

She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculate the marks in no time.

Margie was required to write her homework and test papers in a specific punch code, which is a computing language. She began learning the language when she was six years old. In a matter of seconds, the machine checked her papers and calculated her grades.

The Inspector had smiled after he was finished and patted Margie’s head. He said to her mother,“It’s not the little girl’s fault, Mrs Jones. I think the geography sector was geared a little too quick.

• geared (to): adjusted to a particular standard or level

As a result, the County Inspector stated that Margie was receiving poor grades in Geography because the Machine was malfunctioning. It was designed for a higher level of understanding.

Those things happen sometimes. I’ve slowed it up to an average ten-year level.

He stated that machines occasionally malfunctioned, and that is what had occurred. He had slowed it down and set it to the pace of a ten-year-old learner.

Actually, the overall pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory.” And he patted Margie’s head again.

He stated that Margie was progressing well. He patted Margie's head once more to cheer her up.

Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away altogether.

Margie was upset because she didn't want to learn, but she did want to study with this machine. And she demanded that the inspector take it away.

They had once taken Tommy’s teacher away for nearly a month because the history sector had blanked out completely.

• blanked out: it has been erased

Margie recalls the time when Tommy's Mechanical teacher was taken away for repair for nearly a month and he was enjoying his time because he didn't have a teacher. It was removed because the History sectorthe section of the machine that taught the History subject had been destroyed. As a result, the mechanical teacher had no memory of it and had to be taken down for repair.

So she said to Tommy, “Why would anyone write about school?”

We now understand why Margie dislikes school. So she asked Tommy why anyone would write about school.

Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes.“Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

Tommy was staring at Margie with superior eyes because he knew something Margie didn't. Margie was silly, he said, because she didn't realise that many years ago, the school was not the kind they had.

“He added loftily, pronouncing the word carefully, “Centuries ago.”

• loftily: in a superior way

Tommy wanted to emphasise the time period and stated that the school was not what it was centuries ago.

Margie was hurt. “Well, I don’t know what kind of school they had all that time ago.” She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said,“Anyway, they had a teacher.”

Margie was offended by Tommy's behaviour and stated that she had no idea what kind of schools existed centuries ago. She was attracted and imagined a class of children being instructed by a human teacher. She leaned over Tommy's shoulder, trying to read the book, and suggested that they might have a teacher.

“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”

• regular: here, normal; of the usual kind

(Tommy refers to a machine teacher as a regular teacher because that is what they are used to to.) That was their teacher, a Machine). He stated that it was a man (human being) who taught them, not the machine.

“A man? How could a man be a teacher?”

Margie couldn't believe a man could be a teacher because she had always seen machines do it.

“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them homework and asked them questions.”

Tommy says that the man who taught the class discussed a variety of topics with the students, assigned homework, and then quizzed them on it, much like their mechanical teacher.

“A man isn’t smart enough.”

According to Margie, a man teacher is not as smart (intelligent) as a machine teacher.

“Sure he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”

Tommy says Margie not to undervalue the human teacher. He claimed to be as knowledgeable as the machine. He compares the machine to his father, claiming that his father is as knowledgeable as his machine teacher.

“He knows almost as much, I betcha.”

• betcha(informal): (I) bet you (in fast speech): I’m sure

Tommy could bet that the human teacher knew just as much as the mechanical teacher.

Margie wasn’t prepared to dispute that. She said,“I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”

• dispute: disagree with when you are opposing something,

Margie refused to talk about it any further, adding that she did not want a strange man, the human teacher, to come to her house to teach her.

Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”

Tommy thought it was hilarious when Margie said she didn't want a strange man to come to her house to teach her. Teachers, he stated, did not come to the students' homes to teach them. They had a special structure; a school, and the students went there to study.

“And all the kids learned the same thing?”

Margie was shocked and inquired whether all of the children had learned the same thing.

“Sure, if they were the same age.”

Tommy stated that all of the children his age studied the same subject.

“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”

Margie is talking about a machine teacher. She says that her mother told her that the machine had to be calibrated to the level of each boy or girl who used it. As a result, each child had to be taught separately based on their level.

“Just the same they didn’t do it that way then. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”

Tommy responded that they did not do it that way in the past. He became irritated with Margie and told her she didn't need to read the book.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.

The book incites Margie's interest. She is curious about the types of schools that were present.

She wanted to read about those funny schools.

Margie was curious. She was curious about the type of schools that existed in the past because she thought they were enjoyable.

They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s Mother called, “Margie! School!”

Margie had only read half of the book when her mother called to remind her that it was time for her to go to her virtual school.

Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma”

Margie's school was right next to her bedroom in the next room. She told her mother that she did not want to go to school just yet.

“Now!” said Mrs Jones. “And it’s probably time for Tommy, too.”

Tommy was told by Margie's mother that it was time for him to go to school as well.

Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”

Margie was so eager to read the book that she asked Tommy if she could join him after school.

“May be,” he said nonchalantly.

• nonchalantly: not showing much interest or enthusiasm; carelessly

Tommy tried to ignore her and said that she might be able to read it.

He walked away whistling, the dusty old book tucked beneath his arm.

Tommy was extremely happy because Margie was interested in reading the book. He walked to his house with the book under his arm.

Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her.

Margie arrived at her school. It was a room adjoining her bedroom. It was a virtual classroom. For Margie, there was a machine teacher. It was turned on and waiting for her to start teaching her.

It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

Margie studied with this mechanical teacher every day except Saturdays and Sundays. Margie's mother was extremely picky. She had told Margie that she would learn better if she studied at the same time every day.

The screen was lit up, and it said: “Today’s arithmetic lesson is on the addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot.

Margie sat in front of the machine, which looked like a computer, and turned it on. It stated that the topic of the day's Arithmetic lesson was addition of proper fractions. It also instructed her to insert the previous day's homework into the slot for inserting homework.

Margie did so with a sigh.

Margie's life, like a machine, is also very mechanical. Her classroom is depressing. It is as dull and boring as a machine.

She was thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy.

Margie recalls a story told to her by her grandfather. Her grandfather told her that when he was a child, his grandfather went to school. Margie is reminded of her previous life as she becomes bored with this machine.

All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom,going home together at the end of the day.

(This is the life you are living right now, but it will be a distant memory for your future children. It will be history for them because their lives will be drastically different. They will study with the help of machines.)

When Margie learns that children used to go to school, where they sat together, laughed, and shouted, she becomes excited and wishes to attend. (The author wants us to understand the value of education in our lives.) Children can get bored and tired of going to school, but if you don't have a school, you won't be able to meet new people. Your life will be extremely dull and monotonous).

They learned the same things, so they could help one another with the homework and talk about it.

Margie believes that school is a lot of fun because the kids get together, they study in a fun way, they all get the same homework, and they can discuss it, get help, and talk about it. As a result, all of the students become friends and study in a fun environment.

And the teachers were people…

She found it odd that the teachers were not machines, but rather human beings.

The mechanical teacher was flashing on the screen: “When we add fractions ½ and ¼…”

The machine began the lesson as soon as Margie inserted her homework. There was no pause, no time to have fun, no time to chat, and no time to interact with friends.

Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was thinking about the fun they had.

The author concludes the storey with the chapter title 'The Fun They Had.' (The excitement the students felt when they went to regular schools.) Margie is just thinking about the kids who went to school and enjoyed their studies in the past.

About the Author

Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was an American author and biochemistry professor at Boston University. He was well-known for his science fiction and popular science works. Asimov was a prolific author who wrote or edited over 500 books as well as an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards. Isaac Asimov was the Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America, the creator of robot ethics, and one of the world's most prolific fiction authors.

Lesson-2

The Sound of Music

By Deborah Cowley

The Sound of Music: (Part I – Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It) Introduction

Let's talk about the title now. The title is interesting in and of itself. Evelyn Glennie, according to the author, listens to sound without hearing it. We're all perplexed right now. When you can't hear, how can you listen to sound? So, this is something we will learn – how Evelyn Glennie was able to listen to sound despite her inability to hear.

The Sound of Music: (Part I – Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It) Summary

Evelyn Glennie is a multi-percussionist. She has attained mastery over almost a thousand musical instruments despite being hearing–impaired. She learnt to feel music through the body instead of hearing it through the ears.

Evelyn was discovered to have lost her hearing ability due to nerve damage when she was eleven years old. The specialist recommended that she wear hearing aids and attend a deaf school. Evelyn, on the other hand, was determined to live a normal life and pursue her musical interests. Despite being discouraged by her teachers, Ron Forbes, a master percussionist, recognised her potential. He taught Evelyn to feel music rather than hear it with her ears. This worked well for Evelyn, who discovered that she could detect different sounds using different parts of her body.

Evelyn began her musical career after overcoming this obstacle. She was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music in London and received the highest marks in the academy's history. Evelyn relates her success to hard work and dedication to her goal. Evelyn performs solo and even gives free concerts in hospitals and schools. She received the Royal Philharmonic Society's prestigious 'Soloist of the Year Award' in 1991. Evelyn's storey serves as motivation for people with disabilities who want to achieve their goals in the same way she did.

The Sound of Music: (Part I – Evelyn Glennie Listens to Sound without Hearing It) Lesson Explanation

RUSH hour crowds jostle for position on the underground train platform. A slight girl, looking younger than her seventeen years, was nervous yet excited as she felt the vibrations of the approaching train.

• jostle: push roughly
• slight: small and thin

The scene is of a train platform, which is underground, and there is a huge rush at the platform, with people pushing each other to get through. Evelyn is the name of a small, thin girl. Evelyn is waiting for the train on the railway platform. And when she feels the vibrations of the approaching train and realises it is about to arrive, she becomes nervous and excited. This is the train that Evelyn will take to get to London. She is going to London to study music because she has been admitted to the Royal Academy of Music. Evelyn is currently in Scotland. (Evelyn is from Scotland.) Scotland is a European country. Life in Scotland is slower than it is in London. Life in London moves at a fast pace. It is more urban than Scotland, which has farms and countryside.) That is why Evelyn is nervous about leaving Scotland for London. She is also excited because she is doing something she has always wanted to do. She is studying music at the Royal Academy of Music.

It was her first day at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London and daunting enough for any teenager fresh from a Scottish farm.

• daunting: frightening, Scary
• teenager: a person who is in his teens

Evelyn is a seventeen-year-old girl. She is a teen who has just moved from a Scottish farm. Evelyn is from Scotland, where there are more farms and countryside, so she hasn't experienced fast life. That's why she's nervous, and the writer claims she's just moved from a Scottish farm.

But this aspiring musician faced a bigger challenge than most: she was profoundly deaf.

• aspiring musician: a person who wants to be a musician
• Profoundly deaf: absolutely deaf.

Evelyn couldn't hear, which made things even more difficult for her. Moving from a rural area to a fast-paced lifestyle was a smaller challenge. Evelyn faced a much greater challenge: her inability to hear.

Evelyn Glennie’s loss of hearing had been gradual.

• gradual: in phases

She gradually began to lose her hearing ability, and one day she was completely deaf.

Her mother remembers noticing something was wrong when the eight-year-old Evelyn was waiting to play the piano. “They called her name and she didn’t move. I suddenly realized she hadn’t heard,” says Isabel Glennie.

Evelyn's mother's name is Isabel Glennie. Isabel, Evelyn's mother, recalls an incident when Evelyn was eight years old. Evelyn, she says, was waiting her turn to play the piano when her name was called, but she did not respond. And her mother noticed that Evelyn did not respond to her name, implying that she did not hear her name called.

For quite a while Evelyn managed to conceal her growing deafness from friends and teachers.

• conceal: to hide

Evelyn's hearing loss occurred in stages, so it was a gradual process. She was able to hide her disability from her friends and teachers at first, when she could only hear partially.

But by the time she was eleven her marks had deteriorated and her headmistress urged her parents to take her to a specialist

• Specialist: a doctor specializing in a particular part of the body.
• Deteriorated: worsened, reduces
• Urged:  requested

Evelyn's grades began to decline when she was eleven years old. The Headmistress asked Evelyn's parents to take her to the doctor.

It was then discovered that her hearing was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage.

• impaired: weakened

When the doctor checked on Evelyn, he found that she had lost her hearing.

They were advised that she should be fitted with hearing aids and sent to a school for the deaf.

Evelyn's parents were advised by the doctor to get her hearing aids. (A hearing aid is a piece of equipment that is fitted into your ear and helps you hear to some extent.) He also suggested that Evelyn be sent to a special school for deaf children.

“Everything suddenly looked black,” says Evelyn.

Evelyn's world became colourless when she discovered she couldn't hear and would be sent to a school for deaf children because she wasn't as good as other children. It went black. What does it mean when "everything suddenly looked black"? It means that you get such bad news all of a sudden; you get some news that you don't expect. As a result, you see nothing but blackness all around you. That's how Evelyn reacted to the news.

But Evelyn was not going to give up.

This demonstrates Evelyn's grit and determination. Despite the fact that Evelyn had received such shocking news, she remained determined and refused to give up.

She was determined to lead a normal life and pursue her interest in music.

• pursue:  to follow

Evelyn was a music lover, so this news didn't break her heart. She was determined to live a normal life and pursue her musical interests.

One day she noticed a girl playing the xylophone and decided that she wanted to play it too.

• xylophone: a musical instrument with a row of wooden bars of different lengths

Evelyn wanted to play the Xylophone after seeing a girl do so.

Most of the teachers discouraged her but percussionist Ron Forbes spotted her potential.

• percussionist: a person who plays the drum, the tabla, etc, a person who play different musical instruments
• potential: quality or ability that can be developed

On the one hand, Evelyn's teachers discouraged her because they knew she couldn't hear, and hearing was an essential part of music. But when Ron Forbes noticed Evelyn's enthusiasm for music, he made a decision.

He began by tuning two large drums to different notes.

Ron Forbes intended to teach Evelyn to feel music. He picked up two large drums and tuned them to different pitches. He tuned the drums, which are musical instruments. He had each drum tuned to a different note. As a result, the sound produced by the drums was distinct. As a result, it was distinct. Both drums produced distinct tones. Then he informed Evelyn –

“Don’t listen through your ears,” he would say, “tryto sense it some other way.

Don't try to listen with your ears, he said. Try to sense it, he said. Try to feel the music in a different way.

” Says Evelyn, “Suddenly I realized I could feel the higher drum from the waist up and the lower one from the waist down.”

(The waist refers to the centre of your body.) Now that Ron had tuned both drums to different notes, Evelyn's upper body, above the waist, could feel the higher notes of a drum and her lower body, below the waist, could feel the lower notes of a drum.

Forbes repeated the exercise, and soon Evelyn discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her body.

Evelyn can listen to sound in this way despite her inability to hear. She can detect different notes in various parts of the body.

“I had learnt to open mymind and body to sounds and vibrations.” The rest was sheer determination and hard work.

Ron Forbes taught Evelyn to respond to different sounds; different parts of Evelyn's body responded to different sounds, allowing her to identify the sounds and vibrations. Evelyn's career took a step forward after she was able to identify the sounds and vibrations. She was determined to become famous, a good musician, and she also put in a lot of effort.

She never looked back from that point onwards.

Evelyn advanced in her career after she overcame the obstacle and began sensing different sounds through different parts of her body.

She toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra and by the time she was sixteen, she had decided to make music her life.

• youth: Young people, people like who are in college or high school
• orchestra: group of musicians

As a result, Evelyn toured the United Kingdom with a youth orchestra. Evelyn had decided to make music her career by the time she was sixteen years old.

She auditioned for the Royal Academy of Music and scored one of the highest marks in the history of the academy.

• auditioned: gave a short performance so that the director could decide whether she was good enough

Evelyn auditioned for admission to the Royal Academy of Music, and her score was the highest in the Academy's history. Evelyn was the only person who received such a high score.

She gradually moved from orchestral work to solo performances.

• orchestral work: group performance, performing in a group of musicians
• Solo: to perform single, alone.

So Evelyn began by performing in a group, and as she progressed in her music and gained confidence, she began to perform alone.

At the end of her three-year course,she had captured most of the top awards.

By the end of her three-year course at the Royal Academy of Music, she had won every major award.

And for all this, Evelyn won’t accept any hint of heroic achievement.

If someone tells Evelyn she's accomplished something great, she doesn't acknowledge it; she's very humble and down-to-earth.

“If you work hard and know where you are going, you’ll get there.”

Evelyn believes that two things are essential for success: hard work and goal-setting. She believes that if you work hard and have a goal, a target that you must achieve, you will succeed.

And she got right to the top, the world’s most sought-after multi-percussionist with a mastery of some thousand instruments, and a hectic international schedule.

• most sought after: most popular, in-demand

Evelyn, too, accomplished her goal. She worked hard, and her goal was to become the world's best, most famous, and most sought-after musician, which she accomplished. She has mastered nearly a thousand musical instruments and is the world's most popular multi-percussionist, with a very busy schedule. She performs and has programmes all over the world.

It is intriguing to watch Evelyn function so effortlessly without hearing.

• intriguing: fascinating and curious

When you watch Evelyn work or perform so effortlessly despite the fact that she cannot hear, you become very curious because Evelyn can identify the smallest, most insignificant sound made by musical instruments.

In our two-hour discussion, she never missed a word.

Deborah Cowley, a writer, conducted Evelyn's two-hour interview, and Deborah says that Evelyn never missed a single word she spoke.

“Men with bushy beards give me trouble,” she laughed.

Evelyn says that men with long, massive, bushy beards irritate her. Why do they bother her? Because when they speak, she can't see their lips move because their beards cover their lips.

“It is not just watching the lips, it’s the whole face, especially the eyes.”

Evelyn says that she does not rely solely on the movement of a person's lips to determine what they are saying. Evelyn sees the entire face, which means that the entire expression on the speaker's face helps Evelyn identify or understand what the person is saying. She adds that the expression of the eyes aids Evelyn in understanding what the person in front of her is saying.

She speaks flawlessly with a Scottish lilt.

• flawlessly: without a fault or mistake
• lilt: a way of speaking like we say accent

Evelyn's speech, according to the author, is flawless, and she speaks with a Scottish accent. (Because she is from Scotland, her voice has that accent.)

“My speech is clear because I could hear till I was eleven,” she says.

Evelyn says to be able to speak clearly because she has studied the language. She studied until she was eleven years old, or until she could hear.

But that doesn’t explain how she managed to learn French and master basic Japanese.

Evelyn, on the other hand, learned two new languages after becoming deaf. She has a basic understanding of French and Japanese. So one wonders how she managed to learn these two new languages despite her deafness.

As for music, she explains, “It pours in through every part of my body. It tingles in the skin, my cheekbones and even in my hair.”

• tingles: causes a slight prickling or stinging sensation

So Evelyn explains how she recognises music in this section. It causes a sensation in her skin, cheekbones, and even hair. As a result, Evelyn's entire body reacts to music.

When she plays the xylophone, she can sense the sound passing up the stick into her fingertips.

When she plays the Xylophone, she uses sticks, and she can feel the vibrations of the Xylophone's sound pass through the sticks and up into her fingertips.

By leaning against the drums, she can feel the resonances flowing into her body.

• resonances: echoes of sounds

Evelyn leans towards the drum as she plays, and she can feel the echo flowing into her body.

On a wooden platform, she removes her shoes so that the vibrations pass through her bare feet and up her legs.

Evelyn performs on a wooden platform and removes her shoes to feel the vibrations of the musical instruments pass through the floor, into her feet, and up her legs. That is how she is able to perceive the sound of the musical instruments.

Not surprisingly, Evelyn delights her audiences. In 1991 she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the Year Award.

Evelyn is now a joy to listen to. She gives excellent solo performances. She received the Royal Philharmonic Society's prestigious Soloist of the Year Award for solo performance in 1991.

Says master percussionist James Blades,“God may have taken her hearing but he has given her back something extraordinary. What we hear, she feels — far more deeply than any of us. That is why she expresses music so beautifully.”

Now, James Blades is a master percussionist, and his words were read before we began reading the chapter. According to James, God took away Evelyn's hearing ability but gave her a strong sense of sound, allowing her to become a great musician.

Evelyn confesses that she is something of a workaholic.

• workaholic (informal): a person who finds it difficult to stop working

Evelyn is a hard - working who never stops.

“I’ve just got to work . . . often harder than classical musicians.

Evelyn is now working very hard to catch up with those who can hear and are classical musicians.

But the rewards are enormous.”

• enormous   – big

Evelyn claims that the rewards she receives for her efforts are huge.

Apart from the regular concerts, Evelyn also gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals.

Evelyn also donates to charity. She performs for free in hospitals and prisons.

She also gives high priority to classes for young musicians.

She also teaches music to young people. For children who want to learn how to play an instrument.

Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children says, “She is a shining inspiration for deaf children. They see that there is nowhere that they cannot go.”

Evelyn is an inspiration to everyone; she is the ideal. Evelyn is an inspiration for children who cannot hear, according to Ann Richlin of the Beethoven Fund for Deaf Children. And after learning Evelyn's storey, they believe they can accomplish anything. They are capable of realising all of their ambitions.

Evelyn Glennie has already accomplished more than most people twice her age.

• accomplished: achieved

Evelyn Glennie has accomplished so much in her life that people twice her age have not accomplished as much, as much popularity, and as many awards as Evelyn has. Evelyn Glennie has accomplished so much in her life that people twice her age have not accomplished as much, as much popularity, and as many awards as Evelyn has.

She has brought percussion to the front of the orchestra and demonstrated that it can be very moving.

The orchestra is a group of people who play various musical instruments. Generally, percussion instruments such as drums and xylophones are placed at the backend of the orchestra or on the side, but because Evelyn performs solo and gives special performances with these percussion instruments, the percussion instruments have moved to the front of the orchestra.

She has given inspiration to those who are handicapped,people who look to her and say, ‘If she can do it, I can.’ And, not the least, she has given enormous pleasure to millions.

Evelyn's storey serves as motivation for people who are physically disabled. They believe that if Evelyn can achieve her goals, so can they. And Evelyn has given her audience a lot of pleasure by playing such good music.

About the Author

Deborah (Mason) Cowley is a broadcaster and freelance writer. She grew up in Toronto, attended the University of Western Ontario, and then relocated to Ottawa to work for the Unitarian Service Committee. She worked for UNHCR (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) in Beirut for two years before returning to Ottawa and taking a job with CIDA. She worked as a reporter for CBC radio in Washington, D.C. while travelling the world with her diplomat husband, and during a posting to Cairo, she worked on several TV documentaries for CBC's Man Alive. She also wrote the first official guide book to Cairo since Baedeker's guide in the 1940s while in Egypt.

Lesson-3

The Little Girl

By Katherine Mansfield

The Little Girl Introduction

The title of the storey is a reference to the main character, a young girl named Kezia. The story's theme is the relationship between children and their parents, and the author Katherine Mansfield wants us to understand that children have a very important love bond with their parents. Although children are small, when they are young, they do not believe that their parents love them because their parents are strict and many of their parents' actions appear to be unjustified. However, as children grow older, they realise that all of their parents' actions were beneficial to them. The parents were worried about them, and beneath the strictness is a heart filled with love for the children.

And this storey has highlighted the bond of love that exists between parents and their children. Do you think you know your parents better now than you did when you were younger? Perhaps you now understand why they did some of the things that used to irritate you. We don't understand why our parents are so strict with us when we're small, when we're very small. But as we get older, we mature and realise why they were being so strict with us, and when we realise that, we also realise how much our parents love us. As a result, the reader can relate to this as well.

You can all feel that when you were younger, your parents' actions and strictness toward you were for your benefit. And as you grow older, you will realise that whatever actions your parents took in the past were for your benefit, and that they truly love you. This storey about a young girl whose feelings for her father change from fear to understanding will most likely echo in every home.

What do we mean by "will almost certainly find an echo in every home"? This means that all of the children will have the same reaction. So you can all relate to Kezia, the little girl. Just as Kezia is terrified of her father, she later understands his actions and realises that he was worried about her and loved her. All of the children feel the same way about their parents, and Kezia's storey is very relatable.

The Little Girl Summary

'The Little Girl' tells the storey of Kezia, a young girl who misunderstood her father's strictness and was often terrified of him. When he was at home, she kept her distance from him. He was as big as a giant in her opinion. When she was talking to him, she would often become nervous and stutter. She yearned for his love and affection, just like her next-door neighbour, Mr Macdonald.

She was once kept indoors because she was susceptible to cold. Her grandmother suggested she make a gift for her father's birthday, which is coming up next week. They decided that Kezia would make him a pincushion. Kezia created a lovely pin cushion, but she made a mistake.

She filled it with scraps of paper from tearing her father's important speech. She was punished as a result of this. This incident strained Kezia's relationship with her father even more. She would frequently gaze out the window at her next-door neighbours, the Macdonalds, who were having a good time on their lawn. Mr. Macdonald was a wonderful father who delighted in playing with his children. She wondered if he was a different sort of father.

Her mother once became ill and had to be hospitalised. She was left alone at home with the cook to look after her. She had a nightmare and awoke screaming in the middle of the night. Her father was standing by her bedside. He took her to her room and picked her up. He tucked her into his bed and promptly fell asleep. Kezia felt safe lying next to her father. She realised that her father was not a giant. She could feel her father's large, loving heart beating in her chest. Finally, she realised her father was extremely loving and generous.

The Little Girl Lesson Explanation

To the little girl he was a figure to fear and avoided.

• a figure to be feared: a person to be feared

And who is the figure to be feared in this situation – Kezia's father. So he's talking about Kezia's Father, and the little girl is Kezia. As a result, the first line of the storey conveys Kezia's fear about her Father. And because she is afraid of her father, she tries to avoid him and stay away from him.

Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye, Father”.

So, every morning before leaving for work, Kezia's father would pay her a visit in her room and give her a casual kiss. In response, Kezia would say, "Goodbye, Father." As a result, Kezia's father's action demonstrates his love for her.

And oh, there was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road!

• Glad sense of relief: feeling relaxed
• Fainter and fainter: to lessen or reduce

Carriages, such as horse carts, were popular modes of transportation in the past. So we can see Kezia's fear about her father here. According to the author, when Kezia heard her father's carriage driving away from home and him leaving, and the sound became fainter and fainter, implying that the sound was reduced, Kezia would feel at ease. She'd be relieved that her father had gone. Why did she feel relieved now? She was afraid of him because she feared her father, and she was relieved when he left the house.

In the evening when he came home she stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall.

When Kezia's father returned home in the evenings, she could hear his loud voice. And her fear of him was intensified by his loud voice.

“Bring my tea into the drawing-room… Hasn’t the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there — and bring me my slippers.”

As soon as Kezia's father returned home, he began ordering a variety of items. He'd ask for tea in the drawing room, he'd want the newspaper, he'd ask his mother to go outside and see if the newspaper was there, and he'd ask her to get him his slipper as well.

“Kezia,” Mother would call to her, “if you’re a good girl you can come down and take off father’s boots.”

Kezia's mother would call out to her and request that she take off her father's boots. To get her to obey, she would say that if she was a good girl, she would surely obey her command.

Slowly the girl would slip down the stairs, more slowly still across the hall, and push open the drawing-room door.

• slip down: come down quietly and unwillingly

So, once again, we see Kezia's fear for her father, which is why she comes down the stairs quietly and reluctantly. She was unwilling because she did not want to confront her father. She was terrified of him.

By that time he had his spectacles on and looked at her over them in a way that was terrifying to the little girl.

Imagine Kezia's father sitting on a sofa in the drawing room, wearing his spectacles and looking at Kezia through the spectacles. And the way he looked at her now terrified her. She was afraid because it appeared to her that he was staring at her.

“Well, Kezia, hurry up and pull off these boots and take them outside. Have you been a good girl today?”

Kezia was hesitant about her work. Her movements were sluggish. As a result, her father would tell her to hurry up and take off his boots, keeping them out of the room. Then he'd ask her if she'd been a good girl that day.

“I d-d-don’t know, Father.”

Kezia responded that she didn't know. So she was stammering because she lacked confidence. When a person experiences fear, he lacks confidence.

“You d-d-don’t know? If you stutter like that Mother will have to take you to the doctor.”

• Stutter: to stammer, to speak with pauses

So Kezia's father is mimicking her. He also stammers like she does. He tells her that if she continues to stutter, her mother will have to take her to the doctor for a checkup.

She never stuttered with other people — had quite given it up — but only with Father, because then she was trying so hard to say the words properly.

• given it up: stopped doing it
• Trying so hard: making a lot of efforts

So the author tells us here that Kezia never stammered when she spoke to other people. She only lacked confidence when she spoke to her father, which is why she tried so hard to speak properly and stammered.

“What’s the matter? What are you looking so wretched about? Mother, I wish you taught this child not to appear on the brink of suicide…Here, Kezia, carry my teacup back to the table carefully.”

• Wretched: unhappy, sad
• on the brink of suicide: about to commit suicide
• suicide: kill oneself

When Kezia's father looks at her, he gets the impression that something is wrong with her. And he inquired as to why she was so dissatisfied. Then he tells the mother that she should teach Kezia better behaviour and that she should not appear to be so unhappy that she is about to end her life. So he'd like to say that Kezia appears to be so dissatisfied with her life that she didn't want to live any longer. He hands her his teacup and instructs her to place back it to the table.

He was so big — his hands and his neck, especially his mouth when he yawned. Thinking about him alone was like thinking about a giant.

This is Kezia's sentiment, this is her vision for her father. Her father appears to have been a giant in her opinion. And the author says that Kezia thought his hand, neck, and mouth were all huge, especially when he yawned. He appeared to be a massive monster. And whenever Kezia thought of her father, she felt as if she were thinking of a giant.

On Sunday afternoons Grandmother sent her down to the drawing-room to have a “nice talk with Father and Mother”.

So, every Sunday afternoon, Kezia's Grandmother would send her downstairs to the drawing-room to spend time with her parents. So Kezia had to be nice and decent in front of her parents, and they had a formal get-together.

But the little girl always found Mother reading and Father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring.

• Snoring: the sound produced by some people when there are asleep.

So we can conclude that Kezia felt a little neglected in this situation. Every Sunday afternoon, when she went to her parents' house to meet them in the drawing room and have a nice conversation with them, they were busy with their own things. Her mother was reading, and her father was snoring and sleeping. So Kezia had this mental image of her parents. They didn't talk to her or spend any time with her. They, on the other hand, were preoccupied with their own activities.

She sat on a stool, gravely watched him until he woke and stretched, and asked the time — then looked at her.

• Gravely: seriously.

So, while Kezia's father was sleeping, she would sit on a stool and carefully observe him until he woke up and stretched his body, and then he would ask the time and look at her.

“Don’t stare so, Kezia. You look like a little brown owl.”

Kezia's father compared her to a small brown owl. He would say that Kezia was staring at him in the same way that an owl does.

One day, when she was kept indoors with a cold, her grandmother told her that father’s birthday was next week and suggested she should make him a pin-cushion for a gift out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk.

Kezia was sick with a cold, so she was supposed to stay at home. So, since she was at home and her father's birthday was approaching, her grandmother suggested she make him a birthday gift. She asked Keziato to make a pin cushion for him and gave her a yellow silk fabric to make the cushion out of.

Laboriously, with double cotton, the little girl stitched three sides.

• Laboriously: with lot of effort or difficulty.

Kezia worked very hard to make the birthday gift. She stitched three sides of the cushion with double cotton (refers to a thread).

But what to fill it with? That was the question.

Kezia had finished preparing the bag. The cushion's bag shape. She needed to stitch the fourth side, but first she needed to fill the cushion with something, and she had no idea what to fill the cushion with.

The grandmother was out in the garden, and she wandered into Mother’s bedroom to look for scraps.

• Wandered into: went into, by chance
• Scraps: small pieces of cloth or paper etc that are not needed.

So Kezia was perplexed as to what she should use to fill the cushion. She arrived at her mother's bedroom while her grandmother was out in the garden looking for something. She was looking for scraps of paper or fabric to stuff inside the cushion.

On the bed-table, she discovered a great many sheets of fine paper, gathered them up, tore them into tiny pieces, and stuffed her case, then sewed up the fourth side.

Kezia is now a small little girl, very young. What did she do? She found a pile of sheets of paper on her bedside table. So she simply gathered all of the sheets, tore them, and stuffed the shredded paper into the cushion. She then finished stitching the fourth side of the cushion and had completed a birthday gift for her father. Many of you can relate to Kezia's act. Many children unknowingly engage in such behaviour. They have no intention of causing mischief or causing harm to anyone, but they end up doing so. Kezia has now ripped some important papers.

That night there was a hue and cry in the house. Father’s great speech for the Port Authority had been lost.

• Hue and Cry: angry protest.

There was a lot of shouting in the house now because Kezia's father had prepared a speech for the Port Authority (for a specific meeting) and couldn't find it. We all know where the speech went now. It's been ripped into tiny pieces and stuffed into the cushion by Kezia.

Rooms were searched; servants questioned. Finally Mother came into Kezia’s room.

The family was now searching in all directions. They asked the servants, but no one knew what had happened to the sheets of paper. Finally, the mother entered Kezia's room.

“Kezia, I suppose you didn’t see some papers on a table in our room?”

So Kezia's mother asked her if she had noticed some papers on a table in her mother's room.

“Oh yes,” she said, “I tore them up for my surprise.”

Now we can see that Kezia is a sweet young girl who had no intention of causing harm and was simply preparing her birthday gift. And she tells her mother, quite honestly, that she found some pieces of paper and, because she needed them to stuff into the cushion, she tore them and prepared her surprise gift. That is a birthday present she had planned for her father. Unknowingly, Kezia had caused a major disaster.

“What!” screamed Mother. “Come straight down to the dining-room this instant.”

Kezia's mother is now angered after knowing that her daughter has torn the speech that her father is looking for. As a result, she directs Kezia to enter the dining room at that instant.

And she was dragged down to where Father was pacing to and fro, hands behind his back.

Kezia's father is now tense because an important document has gone missing. Kezia has ripped it to shreds. Kezia will now be scolded for her misbehaviour.

“Well?” he said sharply.

Mother explained.

He stopped and stared at the child.

“Did you do that?”

“N-n-no”, she whispered.

“Mother, go up to her room and fetch down the damned thing — see that the child’s put to bed this instant.

• The damned thing: used to express anger at something.

Why is Kezia's father referring to the cushion she has prepared as a damned thing? He is angry at the cushion because Kezia has torn his important document to prepare it. He is now furious with Kezia, and he stared at her and asked if she had torn the papers. Kezia was so terrified that she stammered once more. Then Kezia's father told her mother to go downstairs and bring that cushion downstairs, and to put Kezia to bed right then and there.

Crying too much to explain, she lay in the shadowed room watching the evening light make a sad little pattern on the floor.

• shadowed room means that as it was dark, there was a light outside the room which was making shadows in the room.
• a sad little pattern refers to the sad atmosphere in the room.

Kezia wanted to justify her actions because she was innocent; she had no intention of hurting her father and was simply preparing a surprise birthday gift for him. Kezia was in a bad mood. She was pleased that she had planned a surprise for her father and that he would enjoy it, but she had unintentionally caused a disaster.

Then Father came into the room with a ruler in his hands.

He is about to punish Kezia for the wrongdoing she committed.

“I am going to beat you for this,” he said.

“Oh, no, no”, she screamed, hiding under the bedclothes.

• Bedclothes Refers to the sheets, the top sheets that you cover yourself when you are sleeping.

Kezia's father now threatened to beat her with the ruler. Kezia was terrified and attempted to hide under the sheets.

He pulled them aside.

“Sit up,” he ordered, “and hold out your hands.

You must be taught once and for all not to touch what does not belong to you.”

Now we can understand why Kezia's father was so strict with her. What was he punishing her for? Because he wanted Kezia to understand once and for all that she should not touch anything that is not hers. He wanted to teach her this so that she would benefit in the future. She was a small child at the time, and she had no idea what was important or not. That is why, unknowingly, she has torn her father's important document. As a result, he was punishing her. He didn't mean to hurt Kezia, but he did want her to know that she shouldn't touch anything that wasn't hers in the future.

“But it was for your b-b-birthday.”

Kezia attempted to explain her stance. She explained that she was preparing a birthday present for her father and needed to stuff it with something. She simply ripped the pages and stuffed them into the cushion. She was attempting to persuade him that she was simply preparing a birthday gift for him. She wanted to catch him off guard. She didn't want to rip any of his important documents. Kezia's father, however, did not accept her excuses.

Down came the ruler on her little, pink palms.

Kezia's father hit her palms with a ruler.

Hours later, when Grandmother had wrapped her in a shawl and rocked her in the rocking chair, the child clung to her soft body.

• Clung: to attach yourself to something.

Kezia was terrified at this point. She'd taken a beating. Her father had hit her small palms with the ruler. Many hours later, her grandmother had wrapped her in a shawl and was attempting to calm her down. She forced her to sit in her lap on a rocking chair while she tried to put Kezia to sleep. And Kezia clutched her grandmother's hand.

“What did God make fathers for?” she sobbed.

As a result, Kezia was still uneasy. She was sobbing and saying that God should not have created fathers. She hated her father. She seemed so innocent. She had no idea what she had done wrong. She was just getting ready to give him a gift. She was heartbroken because he didn't understand her and said that God shouldn't have created fathers.

“Here’s a clean hanky, darling. Blow your nose. Go to sleep, pet; you’ll forget all about it in the morning. I tried to explain to Father but he was too upset to listen tonight.”

Kezia's Grandmother was now attempting to calm her down. She handed her a handkerchief and told her to blow her nose in it before going to bed. She went on to say that by the next morning, Kezia would have forgotten about the beating. Kezia attempted to defend herself. She stated that she was attempting to explain the reason for tearing the sheets of paper to him, but he was unwilling to listen to her. So, once again, we see that the little child was so innocent that she did not realise her father hit her in order to teach her a lesson about not touching anything that did not belong to her.

But the child never forgot. Next time she saw him she quickly put both hands behind her back and a red colour flew into her cheeks.

Kezia's grandmother had told her to go to bed and that by morning she would forget the beating she had received from her father. Kezia, on the other hand, would never forget the beating she had received. When she saw her father approaching, she would keep her hands behind her back, fearful that he would hit her again, and a flush of red colour flowed into her cheeks. When she saw her father, she became terrified and her cheeks turned bright red.

The Macdonalds lived next door. They had five children. Looking through a gap in the fence the little girl saw them playing ‘tag’ in the evening.The father with the baby, Mao, on his shoulders, two little girls hanging on to his coat pockets ran round and round the flower-beds, shaking with laughter. Once she saw the boys turn the hose on him—and he tried to catch them laughing all the time.

The author tells us about Kezia's neighbours in this section. Her next-door neighbours were the McDonalds. The McDonalds had five children in total. And Kezia would peer through a gap in the fence at them. She'd notice that the family was having a good time. They engaged in a game of tag. (Tag is a children's game that involves catching one another, similar to catch catch.) As a result, all of the children, as well as their father, would have a great time. Mr. Macdonald would place his baby Mao on his shoulders. And he had two small daughters who would hang to his coat pockets. As a result, all of the children were extremely close to their father.

They were so engaged to him that they would do anything for him. Then they'd run around the garden, around the flower beds, laughing and laughing and laughing. Kezia, too, wished she could have fun with her father, and she missed it. She noticed one day that Mrs. Macdonald's little sons had opened the hose on him. They turned on the water and tried to wet him. Mr. Macdonald, on the other hand, was not upset with them. He was laughing as he tried to catch them. This was odd for Kezia because her father was the absolute opposite of Mr. Macdonald.

Then it was she decided there were different sorts of fathers.

When Kezia saw Mr. Macdonald, she realised he was the absolute opposite of her father. She believed that God had created various types of fathers.

Suddenly, one day, Mother became ill, and she and Grandmother went to hospital.

When Kezia's mother became ill, she was taken to the hospital, and her grandmother accompanied her.

The little girl was left alone in the house with Alice, the cook. That was all right in the daytime but while Alice was putting her to bed she grew suddenly afraid.

Kezia was now at home alone with the cook. Alice is the name of the cook. Kezia was fine during the day, but when the cook put her to bed all alone, she became terrified.

“What’ll I do if I have a nightmare?” she asked.

• Nightmare: a bad dream.

Kezia asked Alice what she would do if she had a bad dream on her own.

I often have nightmares and then Granny takes me into her bed—I can’t stay in the dark—it all gets ‘whispery’…”

Kezia told Alice that whenever she had nightmares, she went to her Grandmother and slept with her. As a result, she stated that she could not stay alone in the dark because she would be terrified. She could hear various types of whispering sounds, giving her the impression that she was being watched.

“You just go to sleep, child,” said Alice, pulling off her socks, “and don’t you scream and wake your poor Pa.”

As a result, Kezia's father was sleeping in the next room, and Alice told Kezia to sleep quietly. She took Kezia's socks off and told her not to scream. She warned her not to scream because it would wake her father. But Kezia was helpless.

But the same old nightmare came — the butcher with a knife and a rope, who came nearer and nearer, smiling that dreadful smile, while she could not move, could only stand still, crying out, “Grandma! Grandma!” She woke shivering to see Father beside her bed, a candle in his hand.

• A Butcher is a person who cuts animals, who cuts meat.

So this is a recurring nightmare for Kezia – she sees a butcher. So this butcher would approach Kezia with a big knife – a huge butcher's knife – and a rope. He had a terrible grin on his face. And whenever Kezia saw him, she felt as if she couldn't move. She was terrified of him. She was terrified when she saw this butcher. And Kezia did it all in her sleep. She cried out for help and summoned her grandmother. When Kezia awoke, she was shivering and trembling, and she noticed her father standing next to her bed with a candle in his hand. So Kezia's father heard her screams and realised she was calling for her grandmother, so he came to help her.

“What’s the matter?” he said.

He now inquired of Kezia as to the nature of the problem. Why was she screaming and shouting?

“Oh, a butcher — a knife — I want Grannie.”

Kezia was still terrified by her nightmare. She stated that there was a butcher present, who was holding a dreadful knife, and that she wanted her grandmother.

He blew out the candle, bent down and caught up the child in his arms, carrying her along the passage to the big bedroom.

So we can see Kezia's father's affection for her here. He extinguished the candle. He picked her up and carried her into his bedroom.

A newspaper was on the bed. He put away the paper, then carefully tucked up the child.

• tucked up: covered up nicely in bed

Kezia's father lay her next to him in his bed and covered her with the top sheets.

He lay down beside her. Half asleep still, still with the butcher’s smile all about her it seemed, she crept close to him, snuggled her head under his arm, held tightly to his shirt.

• Snuggled: moved into a warm, comfortable position, close to another person

Kezia felt her father's affection and moved closer to him. She snuggled up to her father, clutching his shirt tightly so she wouldn't be scared again. Kezia had finally overcome her fear about her father.

Then the dark did not matter; she lay still.

Kezia was no longer afraid once she was with her father.

“Here, rub your feet against my legs and get them warm,” said Father.

He asked Kezia to rub her feet against his legs to warm them up.

Tired out, he slept before the little girl. A funny feeling came over her.

Because Kezia's father was tired, he fell asleep before she did. She had a funny feeling.

Poor Father, not so big, after all — and with no one to look after him. He was harder than Grandmother, but it was a nice hardness. And every day he had to work and was too tired to be a Mr Macdonald… She had torn up all his beautiful writing… She stirred suddenly, and sighed.

Now that she is here, Kezia realises her mistake, and she has feelings for her father. Her father, she thought, was a poor man. He worked extremely hard. He wasn't as big as she remembered him being. Now she felt that her father was a poor man who worked very hard, and as a result, he became tired and went to sleep, rather than playing with her as Mr. Macdonald did with his children. Kezia, on the other hand, felt that her father's heart was also full of love for her. She realises she has torn up his important document, the speech he has written, and all of this causes her to take a deep breath. She realises she was wrong, which is why her father had beaten her and was so strict with her.

“What’s the matter?” asked her father. “Another dream”?

Despite the fact that Kezia's father was sleeping, he heard her sigh. When he heard Kezia's sound, he inquired as to what was wrong. Was she witnessing another nightmare?

“Oh,” said the little girl, “my head’s on your heart. I can hear it going. What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear

Kezia told her father that she had placed her head on her father's heart and could hear it beat. And she praised her father for having a big heart. So Kezia is expressing her love for her father because she realised her father also loved her.

About the Author

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) is New Zealand's most famous author on a global scale. She was a writer of short stories, poetry, letters, journals, and reviews who revolutionised the way short stories were written in English. She was a modernist and a rebel who made the most of her 34-year life. Even before her death at the age of thirty-four, she had established herself as one of the most gifted writers of the modern short storey.

Lesson-4

A Truly Beautiful Mind

By Albert Einstein

A Truly Beautiful Mind Introduction

Albert Einstein is the subject of this chapter. He was a brilliant scientist. The chapter's title, 'A Truly Beautiful Mind,' refers to Albert Einstein. This is a brief biography of Albert in which some of his qualities are highlighted, such as his interest in mathematics and physics, as well as his humanitarian qualities.The title, 'A Truly Beautiful Mind,' begs the question of how a scientist's mind can be beautiful. This is due to the fact that we will be discussing another aspect of Einstein in this lesson. He was a good man. He advocated for world peace and non-violence, which is why the title refers to him as having a truly beautiful mind.

A Truly Beautiful Mind Summary

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany. He couldn't speak until he was two and a half years old, and when he did, he repeated every word twice. His playmates thought he was boring, and his mother thought he was insane due to his abnormally large head. His headmaster thought he was stupid and useless at school. He, on the other hand, proved them all wrong. He began playing the violin at the age of six, at the insistence of his mother. He honed his skills as a violinist. His family relocated to Munich when he was 15 years old. He left because he was uncomfortable with the school's strict discipline.

After finishing his education, he enrolled at the University of Zurich, where the atmosphere was more liberal and open to new ideas and concepts. He expressed a stronger interest in physics and mathematics. At the university, he met Mileva Maric, a fellow student. She was both intelligent and clever. They later married and had two sons, but their marriage did not last and they divorced in 1919.

Albert worked as a technical expert in Bern's patent office after finishing his education. Here, he secretly worked on his theory of relativity. In 1915, he published his paper on special theory of relativity, which was followed by the now-famous equation E = mc2. In 1915, he published his paper on the General Theory of Relativity, which defined gravity in an entirely new way. He rose to fame as a result of this theory. During the 1919 solar eclipse, his theory proved to be correct, and it revolutionised physics. As the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, he emigrated to the United States. He did not want his finding and research to be used for destruction.

When Germany discovered the principle of nuclear fission in 1938, he was the first person to write to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the dangers of atomic bombs. When America dropped the Atomic Bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, he was deeply hurt and petitioned the United Nations for the formation of a world government to prevent such devastation from happening again. In his later years in politics, he advocated for world peace and democracy. In 1955, he died at the age of 76.

A Truly Beautiful Mind Lesson Explanation

ALBERT Einstein was born on 14 March 1879 in the German city of Ulm, without any indication that he was destined for greatness.

• destined: fate, a predetermined set of events that has to happen in the future.

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. He was born in the German city of Ulm. Nobody could have predicted when he was a child that he would one day become a great scientist. He was just like the other kids.

On the contrary, his mother thought Albert was a freak.

• freak: a word used disapprovingly to talk about a person who is unusual and doesn’t behave, look or think like others

Albert's mother thought he was a freak because he didn't act, talk, or look like other people. He was not like other children his age. He acted strangely. In comparison to other children, he appeared to be less intelligent.

To her, his head seemed much too large.

Albert's mother thought the little boy's head was a little too big in comparison to the heads of other children.

At the age of two-and-a-half, Einstein still wasn’t talking.

Albert Einstein began speaking when he was two and a half years old.

When he finally did learn to speak, he uttered everything twice.

• Uttered: spoke

Finally, when Einstein began speaking, he would repeat the words.

Einstein did not know what to do with other children, and his playmates called him “Brother Boring.”

His playmates used to refer to him as "brother boring" because he kept to himself and did not interact with them.

So the youngster played by himself much of the time.

Einstein kept to himself at all times. He used to only play with himself.

He especially loved mechanical toys.

Since his childhood, he has been a fan of mechanical toys, which are toys that use some kind of machinery, such as automated cars and aeroplanes.

Looking at his newborn sister, Maja, he is said to have said: “Fine, but where are her wheels”?

When his sister was born, he couldn't see her feet because she was so small. He was wondering where the baby's wheels, i.e. the baby's feet, were. Because Albert Einstein used to play with toys, and all of the toys had wheels, Maja appeared to him to be a toy as well, and he may have wondered where her wheels were.

A headmaster once told his father that what Einstein chose as a profession wouldn’t matter, because “he’ll never make a success at anything.”

Einstein's father was told by the headmaster of Einstein's school that Einstein would never be successful in whatever profession he chose.

Einstein began learning to play the violin at the age of six, because his mother wanted him to; he later became a gifted amateur violinist, maintaining this skill throughout his life.

• amateur: doing something for personal enjoyment rather than as a profession, something which is your hobby and you do it as a pastime.

Einstein was an excellent violinist; he began playing the violin at the age of six because his mother encouraged him to do so. He had been an amateur violinist his entire life, playing the violin as a hobby rather than a profession.

But Albert Einstein was not a bad pupil. He went to high school in Munich, where Einstein’s family had moved when he was 15 months old and scored good marks in almost every subject.

• pupil: student

Albert Einstein was an excellent student. He attended a Munich school because his family relocated from Ulm to Munich when he was 15 months old, and he excelled in almost every subject.

Einstein hated the school’s regimentation and often clashed with his teachers.

• regimentation: order or discipline taken to an extreme

Einstein disliked the strict discipline at the school where he attended. As a result, he frequently disagreed with and opposed his teacher's viewpoints.

At the age of 15, Einstein felt so stifled there that he left the school for good.

• Stifled: unable to breathe; suffocated
• Left the school for good: left school forever.

Einstein was so suffocated in that school that he couldn't follow the strict discipline, so he left forever.

The previous year, Albert’s parents had moved to Milan, and left their son with relatives.

Albert Einstein had left the school a year before because his parents had relocated to Milan, Italy. Albert was left with his relatives in Munich.

After prolonged discussion, Einstein got his wish to continue his education in German-speaking Switzerland, in a city which was more liberal than Munich.

• liberal: willing to understand and respect others opinions

Albert couldn't keep up with the discipline at his old school in Munich. He had a long discussion with his family and relatives before his parents agreed to enroll him in a Swiss school where the language of communication was German.

Einstein was highly gifted in mathematics and interested in physics, and after finishing school, he decided to study at a university in Zurich.

Einstein was a good student; he was gifted in mathematics, so he excelled in mathematics, and he was also interested in physics.

But science wasn’t the only thing that appealed to the dashing young man with the walrus moustache.

• Walrus is a shape of Moustache.

Science was not the only thing that drew Einstein's attention as a handsome young man. He was interested in something other than science.

He also felt a special interest in a fellow student, Mileva Maric, whom he found to be a “clever creature.”

Aside from Math and Physics, Albert Einstein had a crush on one of his classmates, Mileva Maric. He thought she was extremely clever, sharp, and intelligent.

This young Serb had come to Switzerland because the University in Zurich was one of the few in Europe where women could get degrees.

They met at Zurich University. Mileva Maric was a Serbian citizen (that is why she is called a Serb). She moved to Switzerland from Serbia because the University of Zurich was one of the few in Europe that granted degrees to female students.

Einstein saw in her an ally against the “philistines”—those people in his family and at the university with whom he was constantly at odds.

• ally: a friend or an associate
• philistine: a word used disapprovingly to talk about people who do not like art, literature or music
• To be at odds means to be in the opposition of someone, to be against someone.

Einstein considered Mileva to be a friend because she shared his interests in art, literature, and music. This was something they both had in common. Having an interest in art, literature, or music was not considered desirable back then. People who were interested in art, literature, or music used to refer to their opponents as 'philistines.' Many people at the university, including Albert Einstein's family, were opposed to this. So, in the face of such people, Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric's unity aided them in dealing with the situation.

The couple fell in love. Letters survive in which they put their affection into words, mixing science with tenderness. Wrote Einstein: “How happy and proud I shall be when we both have brought our work on relativity to a victorious conclusion.”

Albert Einstein and Mileva Maric fell in love and wrote love letters to each other to express their feelings. They used to write letters in which they combined science with their emotions. Einstein once mentioned his scientific invention and stated that he would be very proud on that day when they would finally finish their paper on the theory of relativity.

In 1900, at the age of 21, Albert Einstein was a university graduate and unemployed.

Albert Einstein was 21 years old in 1900, and he had just graduated from university but was unemployed.

He worked as a teaching assistant, gave private lessons and finally secured a job in 1902 as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern.

• patent: a document which gives the rights of an invention to an inventor

Albert Einstein worked as a Teaching Assistant and also gave private lessons from 1900 to 1902. In 1902, he finally got a job in Bern. Bern is a German city. He was hired as a Technical Officer at a patent office in Bern.

While he was supposed to be assessing other people’s inventions, Einstein was actually developing his own ideas in secret.

Einstein was supposed to examine other people's inventions and grant them a patent. On the other hand, he was secretly creating his own inventions as well.

He is said to have jokingly called his desk drawer at work the “bureau of theoretical physics.”

Einstein later stated that the desk at which he worked was the theoretical physics office because it was only there that he began working on his inventions.

One of the famous papers of 1905 was Einstein’sSpecial Theory of Relativity, according to which time and distance are not absolute.

• absolute: measured in itself, not in relation to anything else

Einstein published his first paper in 1905. It was all about the'special theory of relativity.' It was stated in this publication that the measurement of time and distance is not absolute and is dependent on something else.

Indeed, two perfectly accurate clocks will not continue to show the same time if they come together again after a journey if one of them has been moving very fast relative to the other.

According to the theory, if two clocks are moving, they will not display the same time. One clock will tick more quickly than the other.

From this followed the world’s most famous formula which describes the relationship between mass and energy:

E = mc2(In this mathematical equation, E stands for energy, m for massand c for the speed of the light in a vacuum (about 300,000 km/s).

This theory of relativity provided us with the fundamental formula of physics – E = mc2. E denotes energy, m the mass of the object, and c the speed of light in a vacuum. (A vacuum is defined as an absence of air, and the speed of light in a vacuum is nearly 300,000 km/s.) To put it another way, Einstein said that sitting with a nice girl for two hours feels like two minutes. On the other hand, if you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it feels like two hours—this is the effect of relativity. As a result, each individual will perceive the timing differently.

While Einstein was solving the most difficult problems in physics, his private life was unravelling.

• unraveling: starting to fail

Despite the fact that he was solving complex physics problems for the rest of the world, his personal life was becoming problematic. In his personal life, he began to fail.

Albert had wanted to marry Mileva right after finishing his studies, but his mother was against it.

Albert Einstein desired to marry Mileva Maric soon after completing his studies, but his mother, Pauline Einstein, was opposed.

She thought Mileva, who was three years older than her son, was too old for him.

Pauline thought Mileva Maric was three-year-old elder than albert, was too old for him.

She was also bothered by Mileva’s intelligence. “She is a book like you,” his mother said. Einstein put the wedding off.

Pauline thought Mileva was very intelligent for a wife, and she told Einstein that Mileva was like a book to him. Because his mother was opposed to the marriage, he called off his wedding to Mileva.

The pair finally married in January 1903, and had two sons.

Albert Einstein married Mileva Maric in 1903, and the couple had two sons.

But a few years later, the marriage faltered.

• faltered: became weak

Their marriage ended in divorce.

Mileva, meanwhile, was losing her intellectual ambition and becoming an unhappy housewife.

Mileva Maric was very intelligent, but as a housewife, she was unable to fulfil her ambitions. She was unhappy because she was unable to fulfil her ambitions.

After years of constant fighting, the couple finally divorced in 1919.

Mileva was dissatisfied with her marriage because she was unable to pursue her career goals, so they divorced in 1919 after a long struggle.

Einstein married his cousin Elsa the same year.

Albert Einstein married for the second time in his life. He married Elsa, his cousin.

Einstein’s new personal chapter coincided with his rise to world fame.

Another thing happened around the time Einstein married Elsa. It was Einstein's rapid rise to global fame. Einstein rose to international acclaim. Everyone regarded him as a brilliant scientist.

In 1915, he had published his General Theory of Relativity, which provided a new interpretation of gravity.

In 1915, he published another paper based on the General Theory of Relativity that provided a new interpretation of gravity.

An eclipse of the sun in 1919 brought proof that it was accurate.

There was a solar eclipse in 1919 that proved Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity was correct.

Einstein had correctly calculated in advance the extent to which the light from fixed stars would be deflected through the sun’s gravitational field. The newspapers proclaimed his work as “a scientific revolution.”

• deflected: changed direction because it hit something

Albert Einstein calculated that a solar eclipse would occur in 1919 in the year 1915. The apparent position of the stars would change as a result. His calculation was correct. As a result, Albert Einstein's work was declared to be a scientific revolution.

Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics in1921.

• The Nobel Prize was based on the will of the famous Swedish scientist, a scientist who belongs to Sweden, Alfred Nobel. It was established in 1895 and the first Nobel Prize was given in the year 1901.

In 1921, Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

He was showered with honors and invitations from all over the world and lauded by the press.

He was honoured and received invitations from all over the world. The press praised him as well.

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in1933, Einstein emigrated to the United States.

• Emigrated: leave one’s own country in order to settle permanently in another

When Nazis took over Germany in 1933 (the famous Nazi ruler was Adolf Hitler), Einstein left Germany and relocated to the United States of America forever.

Five years later, the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin had American physicists in an uproar.

• in an uproar: very upset

After 5 years, the Germans discovered nuclear fission – the process by which nuclear or atomic bombs are created. This procedure was planned in Berlin. As a result, all physicists in America were outraged, fearing that the technology would be misused.

Many of them had fled from Fascism, just as Einstein had, and now they were afraid the Nazis could build and use an atomic bomb.

Because of Fascism, many scientists fled to the United States. (Fascism was a dictatorial concept that began in Europe with the rule of Benito Mussolini in Italy.) The scientists were all concerned that the Nazis would misuse the atomic bomb.

At the urging of a colleague, Einstein wrote a letter to the American President, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, on 2 August 1939, in which he warned:“A single bomb of this type . . . exploded in a port,might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory.”

On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein was asked by a colleague to write a letter to President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He forewarned him that Germany's atomic bomb was extremely powerful. If one of these bombs exploded near a port, it would not only destroy the port itself, but also the surrounding territory. This demonstrates Einstein's humanitarianism. He desired the best for the people and world peace. That is why he wrote to the president of the United States to express his concern and to warn him.

His words did not fail to have an effect.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was influenced by Albert Einstein's letter.

The Americans developed the atomic bomb in a secret project of their own and dropped it on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

The Americans secretly developed the atomic bomb and dropped it on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Germans had only recently developed the atomic bomb, which they did not use against any country, but America did.

Einstein was deeply shaken by the extent of the destruction.

There was a lot of destruction, and Einstein was shaken.

This time he wrote a public missive to the United Nations.

• missive: letter, especially long and official

He addressed a formal letter to the United Nations Organization.

In it he proposed the formation of a world government. Unlike the letter to Roosevelt, this one made no impact.

Albert Einstein proposed establishing a world government in a letter, but this proposal did not come to fruition.

But over the next decade, Einstein got ever more involved in politics —agitating for an end to the arms buildup and usinghis popularity to campaign for peace and democracy.

Albert Einstein was involved in World Peace for another ten years. He was involved in politics, and his agenda was to stop countries from collecting weapons and developing weapons. He advocated for global peace and democracy. His main goals were world peace and human freedom.

When Einstein died in 1955 at the age of 76, he was celebrated as a visionary and world citizen as much as a scientific genius

• visionary: a person who can think about the future in an original and intelligent way

Einstein had the ability to predict the future. When he died at the age of 76 in 1955, the world remembered him as a visionary. He was a global citizen as well as a scientific genius.

About the Author

Lesson-5

The Snake and the Mirror

By Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

 [translated from the Malayalam by V. Abdulla]

The Snake and the mirror Introduction

The storey is a narrative within a storey. The author tells us a storey that a homoeopathic doctor told him. The snake and the mirror, as implied by the title, are the two most important elements in the storey. When this homoeopathic doctor came into contact with a snake, the snake fell on the doctor. The snake became more interested in its reflection in the mirror, and the doctor's life was saved.

The Snake and the mirror Summary

It tells the storey of a snake encounter with a homoeopathic doctor. The doctor resided in a small rented room that served as an outhouse. It had two windows as well as a tiled roof. The tiles were held up by gables that rested on the beam, and there was no electricity in the room. The place was rat-infested.

On a hot summer night, the doctor ate at a restaurant and then went home.  tHe lit the kerosene lamp, removed his coat and shirt, and moved the two windows to open. He sat down in the chair and pulled out a medical book to read. On the table, there was a large mirror and a lamp. He sat in front of the mirror, admiring himself, because it was too hot to sleep and he had nothing better to do. He planned to improve his appearance because he was an eligible bachelor. His thoughts gradually shifted from self-admiration to marriage planning. He planned to marry a wealthy doctor with a successful practise, and he chose a fat lady as his wife so she wouldn't be able to run and catch him.

He was so engrossed in his daydreaming that he didn't notice the sudden silence. The rats had stopped scurrying, and he could hear something falling behind him. However, he was slow to respond. A snake had wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on his shoulders by the time he turned around to look. It was wrapped around his left arm, just above the elbow. It was a dangerous cobra, and its hood was only three inches away from his face. The doctor sat there like a stone statue, afraid to move for fear of being bitten by the snake. He considered the various medicines he had and whether any of them would be effective enough to save him if the snake did bite him.

In this moment of death fear (he realised the presence of God). God had punished him for being too arrogant and proud. He realised he was nothing more than a mere human, a poor man with nothing to brag about. The snake crawled off and sat on the table in front of the mirror the moment he realised his true worth. The doctor stood up quietly and rushed out the door. When he returned the next morning, all of his belongings had been robbed except for his filthy vest, which was too filthy even for the thief.

The Snake and the mirror Lesson Explanation

“HAS a snake ever coiled itself round any part of your body? A full-blooded cobra?” All of us fell silent. The question came from the homeopath. The topic came up when we were discussing snakes. We listened attentively as the doctor continued with his tale.

It was a hot summer night; about ten o’clock. I had my meal at the restaurant and returned to my room. I heard a noise from above as I opened the door.

The storey is being told by a homoeopathic doctor. He asks the writer and the group whether anyone has ever been surrounded by a cobra snake. Fear of the cobra snake caused the audience to fall silent. The doctor then told his storey. It was a hot summer night, almost ten o'clock, and he was on his way home from the restaurant. The doctor heard a noise from above as he opened the door to his room, but he did not react because he was used to such noises.

The sound was a familiar one.

One could say that the rats and I shared the room.

He was used to hearing noises like this. Rats were making a noise. He was used to the noise because there were so many rats in his room.

I took out my box of matches and lighted the kerosene lamp on the table.The house was not electrified; it was a small rented room.

Because there was no light in the doctor's room, he used a match box to light the kerosene lamp. He'd gotten a small room on rent.

I had just set up medical practice and my earnings were meagre. I had about sixty rupees in my suitcase. Along with some shirts and dhotis I also possessed one solitary black coat which was then wearing.

• meagre: small in quantity.
• possessed: had
• solitary: single

He was earning very little because he had only recently begun his medical practise. That's why he was living in such deplorable, filthy conditions. He informed the writer that he only had sixty rupees in his bag. He also mentioned that he had some shirts and dhotis to wear. He was also wearing a black-colored coat at the time of the incident.

I took off my black coat, white shirt and not-so white vest and hung them up.

He took off his coat, shirt, and vest. He claims that the vest was not as white as it should have been, implying that it was dirty.

I opened the two windows in the room. It was an outer room with one wall facing the open yard. It had a tiled roof with long supporting gables that rested on the beam over the wall. There was no ceiling. There was a regular traffic of rats to and from the beam.

• Yard is an open area like a garden or veranda.
• gable: upper part of a wall below a sloping roof

Then he pushed to open the windows. The room he had rented was on the outside of the house. And one of the room's walls overlooked the garden. The roof was tiled, and the beams supported the gable. There was no roof inside the room. The beam that supported the gable was infested with rats that entered and exited the room through it.

I made my bed and pulled it close to the wall. I lay down but I could not sleep.

I got up and went out to the veranda for a little air, but the wind god seemed to have taken time off.

• taken time off: to take a day off, take a holiday

He placed his bed near the wall and tried to sleep, but he couldn't. It appeared that the wind god had taken time off, which means that the wind god had taken a day off, he was on vacation, and thus the wind was not blowing at all. He went outside to get some fresh air because he didn't have a fan or a cooler in his room and was feeling hot.

I went back into the room and sat down on the chair. I opened the box beneath the table and took out a book, the Materia Medica. I opened it at the table on which stood the lamp and a large mirror; a small comb lay beside the mirror.

He returned to his room and sat in a chair. And he took out a book called 'Materia Medica' from the box under the table. He kept it on the same table as a lamp, a mirror, and a small comb. He sat down after opening it.

One feels tempted to look into a mirror when it is near one.

I took a look. In those days I was a great admirer of beauty and I believed in making myself look handsome.

He examined his reflection in the mirror as he sat in front of it.

He claims to be a great admirer of beauty. As a young man, he appreciated beautiful things and desired to improve his appearance in order to appear more handsome.

I was unmarried and I was a doctor.I felt I had to make my presence felt.

He was an eligible bachelor because he was unmarried and a doctor. As a result, he wanted to let people know that he was also available.

I picked up the comb and ran it through my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight and neat.

He combed his hair, attempting to properly set it.

Again I heard that sound from above.

He heard the same sound from above while combing his hair but ignored it.

I took a close look at my face in the mirror. I made an important decision — I would shave daily and grow a thin moustache to look more handsome.

He examined himself in the mirror and decided that he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache because he thought it would make him look better and more handsome.

I was after all a bachelor, and a doctor!

• bachelor: a man who is not and has never been married

The doctor reiterates that he was not married and also worked as a doctor. So he wanted to say that he was supposed to be very attractive. He was supposed to be attractive in order to find a better match for himself.

I looked into the mirror and smiled. It was an attractive smile.I made another earth-shaking decision. I would always keep that attractive smile on my face .. to look more handsome.

• earth-shaking decision: something very important.

He praised himself and stated that he had a lovely smile. Another thing he decided was that he would always keep smiling because it made him look better. When the doctor said that 'to keep smiling' was an earth – shattering decision, he was being ironic.

 I was afterall a bachelor, and a doctor too on top of it.Again came that noise from above.

• on top of it: to add on to something

Again, he emphasises that he was a bachelor who also happened to be a doctor. He believed he was valuable, which is why he desired to appear attractive.

I got up, paced up and down the room. Then Another lovely thought struck me. I would marry.I would get married to a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good medical practice. She had to be fat; for a valid reason – If I made some silly mistake and needed to run away she should not be able to run after me and catch me!

• paced: walked
• valid: logical, justifiable

He got up from his chair and began walking up and down the room before deciding on one more thing. He made the decision to marry a wealthy woman doctor with a successful medical practise. Furthermore, the doctor believed that he would marry a fat girl. He had a logical reason for this as well. He reasoned that if he made a mistake and his wife chased him down in rage to hit him, she would not be able to run fast enough to catch him if she was fat.

With such thoughts in my mind I resumed my seat in the chair in front of the table. There were no more sounds from above. Suddenly there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground … surely nothing to worry about.

The doctor sat back down in his chair, thinking about all of this. The sound had now stopped, but then something fell down, making the sound of a 'thud.' It felt like a rubber tube had fallen and the doctor was unconcerned.

Even so I thought I would turn around and take a look.

But then he decided to turn around and see what had fallen.

No Sooner had I turned than a fat snake wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on my shoulder.The snake’s landing on me and my turnings were simultaneous.

• wriggled: crawled
• simultaneous: happened at the same time

As soon as the doctor turned around, he noticed that a large snake had crawled over the chair and sat on his shoulders. The doctor's turn around and the snake's landing on his shoulder happened at the same time.

I didn’t jump. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t cry out.There was no time to do any such thing.

He didn't panic, jump, or tremble. He didn't shiver, and he didn't scream. He didn't have time to react because it happened so quickly.

The snake slithered along my shoulder and coiled around my left arm above the elbow.

• slithered: Twisting and crawling motion of the snake

The snake moved in such a way that it wrapped itself like a coil around the doctor's left arm.

The hood was spread out and its head was hardly three or four inches from my face!

• hood: head of the snake.

It was so close to his face, only 3-4 inches away, that if he had moved slightly, the snake could have bitten him.

It would not be correct to say merely that I sat there holding my breath. I was turned to stone. But my mind was very active.

According to the doctor, he was not only holding his breath but had also turned into a stone, much like a statue. Although he remained physically immobile, his mind was very active. He was deliberating on what he should do next.

The door opened intodarkness.In the light of the lamp I sat there like a stone image in the flesh.

He was surrounded by darkness. It was pitch black both outside and inside the room. There was only one light, the light of the lamp, and he sat like a statue in it.

I felt then the great presence of the creator of this world and this universe. God was there.

He began to sense God's presence as he was in trouble. He couldn't do anything, so he began to think about God.

Suppose I said something and he did not like it… I tried in my imagination to write in bright letters outside my little heart the words, ‘O God’.

He decided not to say anything in case he enraged the snake. In his heart, the doctor begged God to save his life.

There was some pain in my left arm. It was as if athick leaden rod — no, a rod made of molten fire — was slowly but powerfully crushing my arm. The Arm was beginning to be drained of all strength.

What could I do?

This snake was in a lot of pain as it coiled itself and wrapped itself around his arm. He felt as if a thick molten lead rod were crushing and breaking his arm. He was helpless. He was powerless to save himself.

At my slightest movement the snake would strike me! Death lurked four inches away.

• strike: attack
• lurked: hid

He was aware that if he moved even slightly, the snake would attack him. Death was four inches away, sitting at a four-inch distance.

Suppose it struck, what was the medicine I had to take? There were no medicines in the room. I was but a poor, foolish and stupid doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feebly at myself.

• feebly: weakly

He considered what he would do if the snake bit him, what medicine he would take, and then remembered that there was no medicine in his room. He considered himself to be a poor, foolish, and stupid doctor. He was feeling very weak, and since he had no way out of this situation, he smiled at his foolishness.

It seemed as if God appreciated that. The snake turned its head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection.

God, according to the doctor, appreciated the doctor's realisation of his mistake. Something good occurred, and the doctor's life was saved. The snake shifted its gaze to the other side and noticed the mirror. When it looked in the mirror, it saw its own reflection.

I do not claim that it was the first snake that had ever looked into a mirror. But it was certain that the snake was looking into the mirror.

It's unlikely that any snake had never looked in the mirror before. But, yes, this snake was staring at itself in the mirror, and the doctor was surprised because the snake was staring at itself in the mirror with great care.

Was it admiring its own beauty?

He reasoned that it might be admiring its beauty.

Was it trying to make an important decision about growing a moustache or using eyeshadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead?

• vermilion spot: red bindi

The doctor imagines that the snake is imagining different styles, just as he was thinking a few minutes ago when he looked in the mirror at his own face. He speculated that the snake was contemplating growing a moustache, wearing eye shadow and mascara to appear more attractive, or wearing a red bindi on its forehead.

I did not know anything for certain. What sexwas this snake, was it male or female? I will never know; for the snake unwound itself from my armand slowly slithered into my lap. From there it crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. Perhaps It wanted to enjoy its reflection at closer quarters.

• closer quarters: to get a closer look

The doctor was unsure whether the snake was male or female. And he says he'll never know because it crawled from his arm and moved down into his lap right then. It then jumped and began crawling across the table. It crept up to the mirror and began staring at itself. The doctor suspected that the snake wanted to examine itself and take a closer look at its appearance.

I was no mere image cut in granite. I was suddenly a man of flesh and blood.

• Granite: form of a marble, it’s a stone.

The doctor was no longer just a stone statue. He came back to life as soon as the snake crawled away from him.

Still holding my breath I Got up from the chair. I quietly went out through the door into the veranda. From there I leapt into the yard and ran for all I was worth.

• all I was worth:  all the strength that I had

He stood up as the snake crawled out of the doctor's lap. He had stopped breathing until now because he was afraid of the snake. He now quietly exited the house, jumped from the garden, and fled.

“Phew !” Each of us heaved a sigh of relief. Somebody Asked, “Doctor, is your wife very fat?”

Everyone who was listening to the doctor's storey breathed a sigh of relief and took a deep breath when they realised he had been saved. And someone in that group asked him if his wife was overweight.

“No,” the doctor said. “God willed otherwise. Mylife companion is a thin reedy person with the gift of a sprinter.”

• reedy person: a thing or person resembling a tall, thin – leaved plant of the grass family

He responded that his wife was thin and tall, like a reed plant, because God didn't want his wife to be fat, so she was thin and fast.

Someone else asked, “Doctor, when you ran did the snake follow you?”

Another member of the group inquired whether the snake had followed him.

The doctor replied, “I ran and ran till I reached a friend’s house. Immediately I smeared oil all over myself and took a bath. I changed into fresh clothes.

• smeared: covered with

He responded that he ran and ran until he arrived at a friend's house. He had an oil massage, a bath, and changed his clothes there. He had no idea if the snake had chased him because he had not looked behind him.

The next morning at about eight-thirty I took my friend and one or two others to my room to move my things from there. But we found we had little to carry.

• Little to carry means his belonging were stolen and there was nothing much left to carry away.

The following day, around 8:30 a.m., the doctor and two of his friends went to the room to retrieve his belongings. There wasn't a lot to take.

Some thief had removed most of my things.The room had been cleaned out! But not really, the thief had left behind one thing as a final insult!’

“What was that?” I asked.

The doctor said, “My vest, the dirty one.

The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness…! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.”

• rascal: a mischievous or cheeky person, especially a child or a man, a naughty person

The majority of his belongings had been stolen, but one remained. He believed that the item he left behind was intended to offend him.

The writer inquired of the doctor as to what the thief had left behind. He replied that he had left the dirty vest that was hanging on the wall. He went on to say that the thief was so concerned with cleanliness that he only left the dirty vest there. He claims that the nefarious thief could have taken it with him, washed it with soap, and used it.

“Did you see the snake the next day, doctor?”

Someone inquired as to whether the doctor had seen the snake the the next day.

The doctor laughed, “I’ve never seen it since. It Was a snake which was taken with its own beauty

• taken with: attracted by

He laughed and replied that he never saw that snake again after that night. Perhaps the snake was drawn to its own beauty, which is why it examined itself so closely in the mirror.

About the Author

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1859-1927) was a Malayalam writer and Indian independence activist. The legend Vaikom Muhammad Basheer holds a remarkable position in the Malayalam Literary arena. With his profound and straightforward writing, a dash of satire, sarcasm, and black humour. He is regarded as one of India's most prominent literary figures. In Kerala, he was a legend.

Lesson-7

Packing

By Jerome K Jerome (an extract from Three Men in a Boat)

Packing Introduction

The 'Packing' lesson is an extract from Jerome K. Jerome's novel Three Men in a Boat. It humorously describes an incident that occurs when the narrator and his two friends are packing their belongings before going on a boating trip. It emphasises the fact that packing is an art form that only a few people are gifted with.

Packing Summary

Jerome, the story's narrator, was proud of his packing abilities. He had planned a trip with his friends George and Harris. He instructed them to leave the packing to him, to which they readily agreed. Harris cocked his legs on the table and watched Jerome pack while George sat in the easy chair. But this was not what Jerome had in mind. When he said he wanted to do all of the packing himself, he meant he wanted to be in charge of everything and direct his friends to work efficiently under his supervision.

He was angry at them for simply standing around and watching him work. It was unsettling for Jerome to sit idle and watch another person work alone. His vivacious personality compelled him to get up and supervise. When Jerome was packing the bag, Harris noticed that he had forgotten to pack the boots. So he had to open the bag again to pack his boots, and as he was about to close it, he wondered if he had packed his toothbrush. He had nightmares about forgetting to pack his toothbrush whenever he was about to travel. Then he'd wake up and go looking for it.

Then, in the morning, he would pack it before using it, only to have to unpack it again to get it and then repack, forgetting to put the toothbrush back in. Then he had to dash upstairs to fetch it. He always ends up with the toothbrush wrapped in a pocket handkerchief in his pocket. Jerome had to search the entire bag, as is customary. He found George's and Harris' toothbrushes eighteen times, but he couldn't find his own. He eventually found it inside a boot and had to repack.

When he was finished, George asked if the soap was in, but Jerome was so tired that he didn't seem to care. But when he re-strapped the bag, he realised he had packed his spectacles inside, and he had to open it again. Finally, at 10:05 p.m., he finished packing, and George and Harris decided to pack the food hampers. George and Harris began by demonstrating that they were better at packing than Jerome. Jerome was eager to see how things would turn out. They began by breaking a cup, just as he had expected.

Harris then accidentally squashed a tomato by putting strawberry jam on top of it, and he had to pick the tomato out with a teaspoon. In addition, George stepped on the butter. It was now Jerome's turn to sit back and observe them, which irritated them. They stepped on things, threw things behind them, and then couldn't find them when they needed them. They placed the pie at the bottom and piled heavy objects on top of it, which ruined the pies. They poured salt all over the place and worked their magic with the butter.

The butter got stuck to George's slippers. They tried to put it in the kettle after he took it off his slippers, but it wouldn't fit. They placed it on a chair, but Harris sat on it, and the butter stuck to his back. They then went in search of it. After much searching, George discovered that it had been at the back of Harris the entire time, and they finally packed it in the teapot. Then their pet dog, Montmorency, appeared, only to add to the confusion. Montmorency was a mischievous dog whose sole purpose in life was to cause problems and be scolded. Only when he was screamed at did he feel like his day had not been wasted.

So, just as things were about to be packed, he entered the room and sat on them. Montmorency made it a point to reach for his nose whenever Harris or George extended their hand for anything. He got his foot caught in the muck, disorganised the teaspoons, and hampered the lemons. After numerous obstacles and tremendous efforts, the packing was finally completed at 12:50, and Harris sat on the hamper, hoping that nothing was broken. George consoled himself and Harris by saying that if anything was discovered broken, it was because it had already been broken.

They were all tired and decided to get up at half past six a.m. George had already fallen asleep at that point. So George and Jerome put the bath in a place where he could fall into it when he woke up in the morning and went to bed themselves.

Packing Lesson Explanation

I SAID I’d pack.

The writer Jerome liked to pack luggage for trips and announced that he would do the packing.
I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living. (It surprises me myself, sometimes, how many such things there are.) I impressed the fact upon George and Harris and told them that they had better leave the whole matter entirely to me. They fell into the suggestion with a readiness that had something uncanny about it. George spread himself over the easy-chair, and Harris cocked his legs on the table.

• pride myself on: am proud of
• fell into: here, accepted
• Uncanny: strange, weird
• cocked his legs: bent the legs on the knee as he sat

Jerome believed that his ability to pack luggage was superior to that of others. He requested that his friends George and Harris leave the packing to him. Surprisingly, his offer was accepted immediately by his two friends. George sat comfortably on the easy chair, while Harris sat on the sofa with his knees bent and his feet on the table.

This was hardly what I intended. What I had meant, of course, was that I should boss the job, and that Harris and George should potter about under my directions, I pushing them aside every now and then with, “Oh, you!” “Here, let me do it.” “There you are, simple enough!” — really teaching them, as you might say. Their taking it in the way they did irritate me. There is nothing that irritates me more than seeing other people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.

• Intended: planned, meant
• potter about: do some unimportant things

When he said he'd pack, he didn't mean that his friends would sit back and relax while he did all the work. He had meant that he would be the boss while they did all the chores. He'd nag and curse them for not knowing the job well enough, and then he'd pitch in to clean up the mess they'd made. He was irritated to see them sitting while he worked.

I lived with a man once who used to make me mad that way. He would loll on the sofa and watch me doing things by the hour together. He said it did him real good to look on at me, messing about.
Now, I’m not like that. I can’t sit still and see another man slaving and working. I want to get up and superintend, and walk around with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can’t help it.

• loll on the sofa: to recline or lean in a relaxed manner
• messing about: to waste time doing something without a particular purpose
• sit still: sit without doing anything
• Superintend: supervise, manage

He recollects living with a man who would sit on the sofa all day and watch the writer do all the work. The man would say he liked watching him go around doing all the work. The writer would be enraged by this. The author goes on to say that he couldn't sit back and watch others work like slaves. On the other hand, he enjoyed inspecting their work, walking around with his hands in his pockets, and instructing them on how to do it correctly. He believes that because he was energetic, it was in his nature to act in that manner.

However, I did not say anything but started packing. It seemed a longer job than I had thought it was going to be; but I got the bag finished at last, and I sat on it and strapped it.
“Ain’t you going to put the boots in?” said Harris. And I looked round, and found I had forgotten them. That’s just like Harris. He couldn’t have said a word until I’d got the bag shut and strapped, of course. And George laughed — one of those irritating, senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.

• strapped it: closed it
• Wild: mad with anger

The writer said nothing to his friends and began packing. Harris said as he closed it that he had forgotten to pack the boots. Harris, the writer felt, could have reminded him before he closed the bag, but Harris, he thought, was like that! This was followed by George's irritating laughter, which enraged Jerome.

I opened the bag and packed the boots in; and then, just as I was going to close it, a horrible idea occurred to me. Had I packed my toothbrush? I don’t know how it is, but I never do know whether I’ve packed my toothbrush.

Jerome opened the bag in order to keep the boots inside. As he was about to close it, he had a strange thought about whether or not he had kept the toothbrush. He says that he never remembers whether or not he packed the toothbrush.

My toothbrush is a thing that haunts me when I’m traveling and makes my life a misery. I dream that I haven’t packed it, and wake up in a cold perspiration, and get out of bed and hunt for it.
And, in the morning, I pack it before I have used it, and have to unpack again to get it, and it is always the last thing I turn out of the bag; and then I repack and forget it, and have to rush upstairs for it at the last moment and carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in my pocket-handkerchief.

• Haunts: to repeatedly give trouble
• Misery: sad
• cold perspiration: sweat
• Hunt: search

Jerome adds that he always forgets to bring his toothbrush when he travels. He has nightmares about not packing it, wakes up sweating, and searches for it. He packs it before using it in the morning, then unpacks the bag to get the brush and uses it. He forgets to pack it again because it is the last thing that comes out of the bag and he has already repacked it. He rushes to his room at the last minute to retrieve the brush, which he finally wraps in his handkerchief and carries to the railway station in his hand.

Of course I had to turn every mortal thing out now, and, of course, I could not find it. I rummaged the things up into much the same state that they must have been before the world was created, and when chaos reigned. Of course, I found George’s and Harris’s eighteen times over, but I couldn’t find my own. I put the things back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. Then I found it inside a boot. I repacked once more.

• mortal thing: every ordinary thing
• Rummaged: searched in a hurried or careless way
• Chaos: confusion
• Reigned: ruled

Jerome had to take everything out of his bag while looking for his toothbrush, but he couldn't find it. He made a complete mess. He found his friend's brushes several times, but he couldn't find his own. He put everything back into the bag one by one, shaking each item as he went, until he found the brush inside a boot. He then repacked the bag once more.

When I had finished, George asked if the soap was in. I said I didn’t care whether the soap was in or whether it wasn’t; and I slammed the bag shut and strapped it, and found that I had packed my spectacles in it, and had to re-open it.
It got shut up finally at 10.05 p.m., and then there remained the hampers to do. Harris said that we should be wanting to start in less than twelve hours’ time and thought that he and George had better do the rest; and I agreed and sat down, and they had a go.

• didn’t care a hang: show no concern or interest
• Slammed: shut the lid forcefully and loudly
• Hampers: baskets used to carry food, utensils, etc.

When Jerome closed the bag, George inquired if the soap was still inside. Jerome was impatient, so he said he didn't care if it was there or not, closed the lid, and strapped the bag. Then he realised he'd packed his spectacles in it as well, and he had to open it again to get them. Finally, at 10:05 p.m., the bag was closed. They had to then pack the food baskets. Harris advised that because they had less than twelve hours to leave, they should also pack the baskets. Harris decided that he and George would pack the food baskets. Jerome agreed to take a break while his friends packed the baskets.

They began in a light-hearted spirit, evidently intending to show me how to do it. I made no comment; I only waited. With the exception of George, Harris is the worst packer in this world; and I looked at the piles of plates and cups, and kettles, and bottles, and jars, and pies, and stoves, and cakes, and tomatoes, etc., and felt that the thing would soon become exciting.

• light-hearted spirit: to be cheerful
• Evidently: clearly, obviously
• Exception: a person or thing that does not follow the general rule

In a good mood, George and Harris began packing the hampers. They wanted to demonstrate to Jerome that they could pack well. Jerome waited for them to make a mess because he thought Harris was the worst packer in the world. Jerome examined the piles of plates, cups, kettles, and bottles, as well as the jars, pies, cakes, and tomatoes that needed to be packed into the hampers. He reasoned that as the boys messed up, it would be entertaining to watch.