Mr. Know-All – W. Somerset Maugham

I was prepared to dislike Max Kelada even before I knew him. The war had just finished and the

passenger traffic in the ocean-going liners was heavy. Accommodation was very hard to get and

you had to put up with whatever the agents chose to offer you. You could not hope for a cabin to

yourself and I was thankful to be given one in which there were only two berths[1]. But when I

was told the name of my companion my heart sank. It suggested closed portholes[2] and the

night air rigidly excluded. It was bad enough to share a cabin for fourteen days with anyone (I

was going from San Francisco to Yokohama), but I should have looked upon it with less

dismay[3] if my fellow passenger's name had been Smith or Brown.

When I went on board I found Mr. Kelada's luggage already below. I did not like the look of it;

there were too many labels on the suitcases, and the wardrobe trunk was too big. He had

unpacked his toilet things, and I observed that he was a patron of the excellent Monsieur

Coty[4] for I saw on the washing-stand his scent, his hairwash and his brilliantine. Mr. Kelada's

brushes, ebony with his monogram[5] in gold, would have been all the better for a scrub. I did

not at all like Mr. Kelada.

I made my way into the smoking-room. I called for a pack of cards and began to play

patience[6]. I had scarcely started before a man came up to me and asked me if he was right in

thinking my name was so and so.

"I am Mr. Kelada," he added, with a smile that showed a row of flashing teeth, and sat down.

"Oh, yes, we're sharing a cabin, I think."

"Bit of luck, I call it. You never know who you're going to be put in with. I was jolly glad when

I heard you were English. I'm all for us English sticking together when we're abroad, if you

understand what I mean."

I blinked.

"Are you English?" I asked, perhaps tactlessly.

"Rather. You don't think I look like an American, do you? British to the backbone, that's what I

am."

To prove it, Mr. Kelada took out of his pocket a passport and airily waved it under my nose.

King George has many strange subjects[7]. Mr. Kelada was short and of a sturdy build, clean-

shaven and dark skinned, with a fleshy, hooked nose and very large, lustrous[8]and liquid eyes.

His long black hair was sleek[9] and curly. He spoke with a fluency in which there was nothing

English and his gestures were exuberant[10]. I felt pretty sure that a closer inspection of that

British passport would have betrayed the fact that Mr. Kelada was born under a bluer sky than is

generally seen in England.

"What will you have?" he asked me.

I looked at him doubtfully. Prohibition[11] was in force and to all appearance the ship was bone

dry. When I am not thirsty I do not know which I dislike more, ginger ale or lemon squash. But

Mr. Kelada flashed an oriental smile at me.

"Whiskey and soda or a dry martini, you have only to say the word."

From each of his hip pockets he fished a flask and laid it on the table before me. I chose the

martini, and calling the steward he ordered a tumbler of ice and a couple of glasses.

"A very good cocktail," I said.

"Well, there are plenty more where that came from, and if you've got any friends on board, you

tell them you've got a pal who's got all the liquor in the world."

Mr. Kelada was chatty. He talked of New York and of San Francisco. He discussed plays,

pictures and politics. He was patriotic. The Union Jack[12] is an impressive piece of drapery, but

when it is flourished by a gentleman from Alexandria or Beirut, I cannot but feel that it loses

somewhat in dignity. Mr. Kelada was familiar. I do not wish to put on airs, but I cannot help

feeling that it is seemly in a total stranger to put mister before my name when he addresses me.

Mr. Kelada, doubtless to set me at my ease, used no such formality. I did not like Mr. Kelada.

I had put aside the cards when he sat down, but now, thinking that for this first occasion our

conversation had lasted long enough, I went on with my game.

"The three on the four," said Mr. Kelada.

There is nothing more exasperating[13] when you are playing patience than to be told where to

put the card you have turned up before you have had a chance to look for yourself.

"It's coming out, it's coming out," he cried. "Then ten on the knave." With rage and hatred in my

heart I finished. Then he seized the pack.

"Do you like card tricks?"

"No, I hate card tricks," I answered.

"Well, I'll just show you this one."

He showed me three. Then I said I would go down to the dining-room and get my seat at table.

"Oh, that's all right," he said. "I've already taken a seat for you. I thought that as we were in the

same stateroom we might just as well sit at the same table."

I did not like Mr. Kelada.

I not only shared a cabin with him and ate three meals a day at the same table, but I could not

walk around the deck without his joining me. It was impossible to snub[14] him. It never

occurred to him that he was not wanted. He was certain that you were as glad to see him as he

was to see you. In your own house you might have kicked him downstairs and slammed the door

in his face without the suspicion dawning on him that he was not a welcome visitor. He was a

good mixer, and in three days knew everyone on board. He ran everything. He managed the

sweeps[15], conducted the auctions, collected money for prizes at the sports, got up

quoit[16] and golf matches, organized the concert and arranged the fancy-dress ball. He was

everywhere and always. He was certainly the best hated man in the ship. We called him Mr.

Know All, even to his face. He took it as a compliment. But it was at mealtimes that he was most

intolerable. For the better part of an hour then he had us at his mercy.

He was hearty, jovial[17], loquacious[18] and argumentative. He knew everything better than

anybody else, and it was an affront[19] to his overweening[20] vanity[21] that you should

disagree with him. He would not drop a subject, however unimportant, till he had brought you

round to his way of thinking. The possibility that he could be mistaken never occurred to him.

He was the chap who knew. We sat at the doctor's table. Mr. Kelada would certainly have had it

all his own way, for the doctor was lazy and I was frigidly indifferent, except for a man called

Ramsay who sat there also. He was as dogmatic[22] as Mr. Kelada and resented bitterly the

Levantine's cocksureness[23]. The discussions they had were acrimonious[24] and

interminable[25].

Ramsay was in the American Consular Service and was stationed at Kobe. He was a great heavy

fellow from the Middle West, with loose fat under a tight skin, and he bulged out of his ready-

made clothes. He was on his way back to resume his post, having been on a flying visit to New

York to fetch his wife who had been spending a year at home. Mrs. Ramsay was a very pretty

little thing, with pleasant manners and a sense of humor. The Consular Service is ill paid, and she

was dressed always very simply; but she knew how to wear her clothes. She achieved an effect

of quiet distinction. I should not have paid any particular attention to her but that she possessed a

quality that may be common enough in women, but nowadays is not obvious in their

demeanor[26]. You could not look at her without being struck by her modesty. It shone in her

like a flower on a coat.

One evening at dinner the conversation by chance drifted to the subject of pearls. There had

been in the papers a good deal of talk about the culture pearls which the cunning Japanese were

making, and the doctor remarked that they must inevitably diminish the value of real ones. They

were very good already; they would soon be perfect. Mr. Kelada, as was his habit, rushed the

new topic. He told us all that was to be known about pearls. I do not believe Ramsay knew

anything about them at all, but he could not resist the opportunity to have a fling at the

Levantine, and in five minutes we were in the middle of a heated argument. I had seen Mr.

Kelada vehement and voluble before, but never so voluble[27] and vehement[28] as now. At last

something that Ramsay said stung him, for he thumped the table and shouted:

"Well, I ought to know what I am talking about. I'm going to Japan just to look into this

Japanese pearl business. I'm in the trade and there's not a man in it who won't tell you that what I

say about pearls goes. I know all the best pearls in the world, and what I don't know about pearls

isn't worth knowing."

Here was news for us, for Mr. Kelada, with all his loquacity[29], had never told anyone what his

business was. We only knew vaguely that he was going to Japan on some commercial errand. He

looked round the table triumphantly. "They'll never be able to get a culture pearl that an expert

like me can't tell with half an eye." He pointed to a chain that Mrs. Ramsay wore. "You take my

word for it, Mrs. Ramsay, that chain you're wearing will never be worth a cent less than it is

now."

Mrs. Ramsay in her modest way flushed a little and slipped the chain inside her dress. Ramsay

leaned forward. He gave us all a look and a smile flickered in his eyes.

"That's a pretty chain of Mrs. Ramsay's, isn't it?"

"I noticed it at once," answered Mr. Kelada. "Gee, I said to myself, those are pearls all right."

"I didn't buy it myself, of course. I'd be interested to know how much you think it cost."

"Oh, in the trade somewhere round fifteen thousand dollars. But if it was bought on Fifth

Avenue I shouldn't be surprised to hear that anything up to thirty thousand was paid for it."

Ramsay smiled grimly.

"You'll be surprised to hear that Mrs. Ramsay bought that string at a department store the day

we left New York, for eighteen dollars."

Mr. Kelada flushed.

"Rot. It's not only real, but it's as fine a string for its size as I've ever seen."

"Will you bet on it? I'll bet you a hundred dollars it's imitation."

"Done."

"Oh, Elmer, you can't bet on a certainty," said Mrs. Ramsay.

She had a little smile on her lips and her tone was gently deprecating[30].

"Can't I? If I get a chance of easy money like that I should be all sorts of a fool

not to take it."

"But how can it be proved?" she continued. "It's only my word against Mr. Kelada's."

"Let me look at the chain, and if it's imitation I'll tell you quickly enough. I can afford to lose a

hundred dollars," said Mr. Kelada.

"Take it off, dear. Let the gentleman look at it as much as he wants."

Mrs. Ramsay hesitated a moment. She put her hands to the clasp.

"I can't undo it," she said. "Mr. Kelada will just have to take my word for it."

I had a sudden suspicion that something unfortunate was about to occur, but I could think of

nothing to say.

Ramsay jumped up.

"I'll undo it."

He handed the chain to Mr. Kelada. The Levantine took a magnifying glass from his pocket and

closely examined it. A smile of triumph spread over his smooth and swarthy face. He handed

back the chain. He was about to speak. Suddenly he caught sight of Mrs. Ramsay's face. It was

so white that she looked as though she were about to faint. She was staring at him with wide and

terrified eyes. They held a desperate appeal; it was so clear that I wondered why her husband did

not see it.

Mr. Kelada stopped with his mouth open. He flushed deeply. You could almost see the effort he

was making over himself.

"I was mistaken," he said. "It's a very good imitation, but of course as soon as I looked through

my glass I saw that it wasn't real. I think eighteen dollars is just about as much as the damned

thing's worth."

He took out his pocketbook and from it a hundred-dollar bill. He handed it to Ramsay without a

word.

"Perhaps that'll teach you not to be so cocksure another time, my young friend," said Ramsay as

he took the note.

I noticed that Mr. Kelada's hands were trembling.

The story spread over the ship as stories do, and he had to put up with a good deal of chaff that

evening. It was a fine joke that Mr. Know-All had been caught out. But Mrs. Ramsay retired to

her stateroom with a headache.

Next morning I got up and began to shave. Mr Kelada lay on his bed smoking a cigarette.

Suddenly there was a small scraping sound and I saw a letter pushed under the door. I opened the

door and looked out. There was nobody there. I picked up the letter and saw that it was addressed

to Max Kelada. The name was written in block letters. I handed it to him.

"Who's this from?" He opened it. "Oh!"

He took out of the envelope, not a letter, but a hundred-dollar bill. He looked at me and again he

reddened. He tore the envelope into little bits and gave them to me.

"Do you mind just throwing them out of the porthole?"

I did as he asked, and then I looked at him with a smile.

"No one likes being made to look a perfect damned fool," he said. "Were the pearls real?"

"If I had a pretty little wife I shouldn't let her spend a year in New York while I stayed at Kobe,"

said he.

At that moment I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada. He reached out for his

pocketbook and carefully put in it the hundred-dollar note.

Mr. Know-All Workpages 1-2

Date: __________________________

Mr. Know – All (Part I) – Work Page 1

A. Check your understanding

1. Where does the story take place? __________________________________

2. When does the story take place? ___________________________________

3. Who are the 2 main characters of the story? _____________ , ____________

4. How do they meet? _____________________________________________

5. What do we learn about the narrator in paragraph 1?

____________________________________________________________

6. What do we learn about Mr. Kelada in paragraph 2?

____________________________________________________________

B. Find a synonym or an antonym in the story for each of the following words

1. like ≠ ___________________ 9. to accept = ______________

2. a person who travels =___________ 10. bed on ship=______________

3. suitcases= _______________ 11. in public ≠ in ____________

4. overseas = _______________ 12. kept out =_______________

5. noticed = _____________ 13. tactfully ≠ _______________

6. to go on a ship =______________ 14. hardly = _______________

7. room on ship = _______________ 15. noticed = _______________

8. felt disappointed= his _______ ______ 16. initials = _________________

C. Fill in with the missing words

The story, "Mr. Know-All" takes place on a 1.____________ right after 2.__________ War I. It was very difficult to get 3._____________, so you had to 4.___________ grateful

for anything you got. The narrator was given a 5.____________ in which there were only two 6.____________ . When he went 7._______ board, he found out that his

8._______________'s name was Kelada, and that he had already 9._____________ his luggage. He could smell his good 10.___________ and see his brushes with his 1.

____________ in gold. In his opinion, Kelada's luggage had too many 12._____________ on it. He felt that he didn't like Max Kelada at all.

Date: ____________________________________________________

Mr. Know – All (Part I) – Work Page 2

A. Read the quotations from “Mr Know-All” and circle the correct synonyms or translation for the words in bold . Then answer the question and rewrite the original sentence in

your own words

1. Mr. Kelada's brushes, ebony with his monogram in gold, would have been all the better for a scrub.

a) should be thrown away b) should be put in a safe place c) should be cleaned

Why is the narrator annoyed by the brushes? Why does he mention the golden initials?

____________________________________________________________________

Your sentence: ________________________________________________________

2. King George has many strange subjects.

a) נושאים b) נתינים c) דעות

Who is King George? Who is meant with “strange subjects”?

____________________________________________________________________

Your sentence: ________________________________________________________

3. “Prohibition was in force and to all appearance the ship was bone dry.”

a. A ban on smoking b. A ban on wearing shorts c. A ban on drinking

Why is Prohibition in force? When does the story take place?

____________________________________________________________________

Your sentence: ________________________________________________________

C. Complete the following sentences

1. When he hears the name Kelada, the narrator imagines ________________

_______________________________________________________________

2. The narrator finds it hard to believe that Kelada is British because __________ _________________________________________________________________

3. Max Kelada proves it by ______________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. Many things that Kelada does annoy the narrator. Name three.

a. __________________________________________________ b.__________________________________________________

c. ________________________________________________

Mr. Know–All – Work Page 3

A. Fill in with the correct form of the word

a) generous: Your offer is very __________. He is known for

his ________________. She ___________ offered to lend me her book.

c) familiar: I rarely use computers because I am quite ____________ with

the way they work. You look very ________ but I can't remember your name.

His ____________ with the subject was impressive.

c) suspicion: I suggest that you keep your __________ to yourself! The police

agree that the circumstances of her death are ___________ and need to be

investigated. Mr. Kelada never _____________ that the other passengers were

making fun of him.

d) fluency: My neighbor is _______ in 4 different languages. After a year of

studying Japanese, he can speak it ________________.

e) impress: I was quite ______th his knowledge. He made a very good

___________ on me. He has an _________ art collection and I think he was

trying to _______ me.

f) excellent: The Coty company makes ______________

products. They especially ______________ at making cosmetics. The

________________ of their products has given them an ________________

reputation.

B. Add the correct preposition

1. to put ______ airs 4. except _____ a man 7. to be ____ his

way

2. prohibition was _____ force 5. to be stationed ___ 8. a good deal

_____ talk

3. They sat ____ the doctor's table 6. to be ___one's mercy

C. Fill in with the missing words

Max Kelada continued being friendly and generously 1.___________ the narrator a

drink. In 3._______, he claimed that he had more liquor for any of the narrator's

friends 4.______ board. - Nevertheless, the narrator felt that Max Kelada was

5._________ and much too 6.__________; he didn't even put Mister before

the narrator's name. In order to escape from Mr. K., the narrator decided to go to

the ____________ room. He was told by Max Kelada that they 8._______ be

sitting at the same table. -Not only did the narrator 9.__________ a cabin with Max

Kelada and eat all his meals with him, but every time he 10._______ a walk on

the deck, he was 11._________ by Max Kelada. It was impossible to get rid

12._____ him because it never 13.__________ to him that he wasn't wanted. -

Although he was a good 14.____________ and organized many activities, the

other 17._________ didn't like him. He was given the 18._______ Mr. Know-All;

which was meant as an 19._______ but which he took as a 20.__________

D. Complete the following sentences

1. Mr. Ramsay was married to a nice woman who

____________________________

2. The narrator thought that

______________________________________________

3. Mr. Kelada told the party that he knew

___________________________________

4. After five minutes they were again in

____________________________________

Mr Know-All – Pair work (1A)

A. Match the beginning of the sentence to its end (work in pairs)

1. Mr. Ramsay sat ___________________________________________

2. Mr. Kelada told them that _______________________________________

3. He conducted all _____________________________________________

4. One evening Mr. Ramsay and Mr. Kelada __________________________

5. Mrs. Ramsay was _____________________________________________

6. She wore a __________________________________________________

B. Put the sentences in their correct order according to the story

______ _____ ______ ______ _____ _______

C. “True” or “False” (Correct the wrong statements)

1. The story takes place after the war. __________

2. The writer was glad to have a cabin with two berths. __________

2. Mr. Kelada believed that Englishmen should stay together

when they are abroad. __________

3. The narrator refused to drink with Mr. Kelada. __________

4. Mr. Kelada was most likeable at lunch times. __________

5. Mr. Kelada was confident that he did not make mistakes. __________

6. If you disagreed with Mr. Kelada on any subject, he would

stop talking to you. __________

7. The doctor wasn’t a very interesting person. __________

8. The arguments between Mr. Kelada and Mr. Ramsay were

short and interesting. __________

9. Mr. Ramsay was going to take a holiday in New York. __________

10. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay weren’t very similar to each other. __________

Now correct the wrong statements:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

D. Circle the most suitable ending according to the story

1. When the narrator saw Mr. Kelada’s luggage, he thought that Kelada was

a) aristrocratic b) rich c) vulgar

2. Mr. Kelada showed his passport to the writer

a) proudly b) shamefully c) secretly

3. Mr. Kelada was a) uneducated b) ignorant c) knowledgeable

4. The nickname “Mr. Know-All” was given to Mr. Kelada as a

a) compliment b) insult c) criticism

5. Mr. Ramsay thought Mrs. Ramsay’s chain was

a) very elegant b) an imitation c) very expensive

6. Mr. Kelada thought that Mrs. Ramsay’s pearls were

a) very valuable b) cultured pearls c) worthless

Mr Know-All – Pair work (1B)

Match the beginning of the sentence to its end (work in pairs)

a) __________________________________ social activities on board.

b) ______________________________________ beautiful string of pearls.

c) _________________________________ very different from her husband.

d) __________________________________also at the doctor’s table.

e) _____________________________ had a heated argument about pearls.

f) ________________________ he knew everything important about pearls.

A. Put the sentences in their correct order according to the story

______ _____ ______ ______ _____ _______

B. “True” or “False” (Correct the wrong statements)

1. The story takes place after the war. __________

2. The writer was glad to have a cabin with two berths. __________

7. Mr. Kelada believed that Englishmen should stay together

when they are abroad. __________

3. The narrator refused to drink with Mr. Kelada. __________

4. Mr. Kelada was most likeable at lunch times. __________

5. Mr. Kelada was confident that he did not make mistakes. __________

6. If you disagreed with Mr. Kelada on any subject, he would

stop talking to you. __________

7. The doctor wasn’t a very interesting person. __________

8. The arguments between Mr. Kelada and Mr. Ramsay were

short and interesting. __________

9. Mr. Ramsay was going to take a holiday in New York. __________

10. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay weren’t very similar to each other. __________

Now correct the wrong statements:

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

C. Circle the most suitable ending according to the story

1. When the narrator saw Mr. Kelada’s luggage, he thought that Kelada was

a) aristrocratic b) rich c) vulgar

2. Mr. Kelada showed his passport to the writer

a) proudly b) shamefully c) secretly

3. Mr. Kelada was a) uneducated b) ignorant c) knowledgeable

4. The nickname “Mr. Know-All” was given to Mr. Kelada as a

a) compliment b) insult c) criticism

5. Mr. Ramsay thought Mrs. Ramsay’s chain was

a) very elegant b) an imitation c) very expensive

6. Mr. Kelada thought that Mrs. Ramsay’s pearls were

a) very valuable b) cultured pearls c) worthless

Mr. Know-All Workpages 6-7

Mr. Know-All – Pair work (2A)

A. Match the words in bold with one of the words on the list of Row B

1. Although not born in the British Isles, Mr. Kelada was loyal to the British Empire. ___________

2. He was extremely talkative to the point where it became unbearable. ________ ____________

3. Mr. Know-All was hardly ever wrong. _______________

4. Everyone participated in the activities Mr. Kelada set up. _____________

5. Mr. Kelada’s vanity caused dislike for everything he did. _____________

6. The narrator hated the endless arguments at table. ______________

7. Mr. Ramsay had gone back to bring his wife with him to Kobe, where he was serving. ____________ ______________

8. Mr. Ramsay’s holiday was coming to an end and he would now continue his service at Kobe. ______________

9. Mrs. Ramsay had a quality of modesty. _____________

10. Most people working for the Consular Service abroad were poorly paid. ____________

B. Add suitable prefixes to the words in the list to form their opposite meaning Now fill in the blank spaces of Part B in Row B. The first one has been done for you.

_____agreed ____important ____packed _____tolerable _____formal

____liked _____pleasant _____fortunate _____modest ____possible

C. Reread part 2 and answer the following questions

1. Why didn’t Mrs. Ramsay want her husband bet on the chain. Justify your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When and why did the narrator change his mind about Mr. Kelada?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. The pearls are used as a metaphor. Explain . ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What do the remarks “a very pretty little thing” and “a pretty little wife” tell us about the narrator’s view of women? How is this connected to his cultural background?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Mr. Know-All – Pair work (2B)

A. Match the words on the list with the words in bold of Row A

1. interminable 7. mistaken

2. fetch 8. possessed

3. resentment 9. intolerable

4. organized 10. stationed

5. ill 11. resume

6. chatty 12. patriotic

B. Fill in the blank spaces with the opposites of the word list Row A has for part B) (the first one is done)

1. All the passengers on the ship disliked Mr. Kelada.

2. When the narrator entered the cabin, he discovered that Mr. Kelada had already ______________

his toilet things there.

3. Mr. Kelada was most _______________ at meal times.

4. It was ______________ for the author to snub Mr. Kelada.

5. Mr. Kelada would feel insulted if you _____________ with him.

6. Mr. Kelada would not drop a subject, however _______________, till he had brought you round to his

way of thinking.

7. When the argument about the pearls continued, the narrator felt that something ______________ was

about to occur.

8. The narrator felt that Mr. Kelada was an _______________ person.

9.The narrator didn't like Mr. Kelada's _________________ way of addressing him.

D. Reread part 2 and answer the following questions

4. Why didn’t Mrs. Ramsay want her husband bet on the chain. Justify your answer.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When and why did the narrator change his mind about Mr. Kelada?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. The pearls are used as a metaphor. Explain . ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What do the remarks “a very pretty little thing” and “a pretty little wife” tell us about the narrator’s

view of women? How is this connected to his cultural background? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FILM MAKING

1. Describe Ray’s experiences while shooting his first film Pather Panchali?

The biggest event in Indian cinema was the release of Pather Panchali in 1955, a film directed by

Satyajit Ray with his own script based on a novel of Bibhutibhusan Banerjee. This film connected Indian

film to the rest of the world. The movie was acclaimed throughout the world, specially in the Western

world as a symbol of humanity.

On his return in late 1950, with absolutely no experience in movie-making, Ray collected a group of

young men to work as technicians. He approached many people for financial help but nobody came

forward with a better financial offer.To explain his concept for the film to the potential producers, Ray

had focused on thehuman aspect Pather Panchali. While many of them were impressed, none came

forward to produce the film. The first day of the shooting of the film was a terribly hard job. The scene

was the famous 'discovery of train by Apu and his sister Durga in the field of tall grass. The boy was to

walk in search of his sister. Ray didn’t know how to shoot this simple shot. The shot taught him more

than all dozen books. He understood that the truth of human behavior was to be revealed through the

medium of actors.

2. Write in brief about Ray’s third film and its shooting?

Ray, through his film, The Music Room, tried to explore the history of Bengal over the years: the

British period, the nineteenth century, independent India, the end of feudalism. The death agony of a

particular class. He strongly believes that one has to take a sympathetic attitude to something that is dying

after so many years. In his third film, The Music Room Ray plunged into a subject beyond his scope. By

the time he was too tired of the rural scene, so he wanted to film the story of decadent feudalism. He

needed a crane for shooting the film. While shooting the film, the crane fell crashing down. Unfortunately

it killed a coolie and injured another for life. He was stunned by the magnitude and suddenness of the

tragedy.

3. What is the most challenging aspect of film making in Bengal?

Satyajit Ray is the most acknowledged Indian name in international film and is one of the greatest film

makers of all time. Most of his films were made in Bengali, but the universal humanitarian appeal of his

movies influenced cine goers throughout the world. In the present lesson he writes about his experiences

in film making. Bengali film industry was not well developed. The market was small and the technical

expansion was not possible. Moreover Bengali producers couldn’t afford to spend a lot of money. Ray

had to think of the means and ends properly while making a film. He made his films in Bengali that is the

language spoken in the eastern part of India that is West Bengal. He was in himself a whole industry of

cinema. Later, the Bengali cinema has gone through a downfall with the end of Satyajit Ray's era. The

contributions of Satyajit Ray to the Bengali and to Indian cinema in general has not been matched by any

other filmmakers, both past and present.

4. Who were the major European film makers who influenced Ray’s career?

Similarly in filmmaking, which he considered an essentially Western art form, Ray's influences ranged

from Renoir, Donskoi and Flaherty. Renoir was a major influence on Ray. Renoir was the first European

director who warned Ray against Hollywood influence in Indian films. Regarding filmmaking Renoir said

that a filmmaker need not show a lot of things in a film but to show only the right things. From Renoir,

Ray learnt that there was nothing more important to a film than the emotional integrity of human

relationship in the film. He also learnt many things from Antonioni Flelini Flaherty and Donskoi who

stand or fall on the degree of conviction achieved in their human relationship. He was also influenced by

some of the great classical dramatists and German composers.

NOT JUST ORANGES

1. Describe the lives of the mother and the child in the story, NOT JUST ORANGES?

The present story deals with the social divisions, which are found in many societies. It

also describes the arrogance of the privileged people. There lived a woman with her little

daughter of five years ole. She loves her very much. She had no one else. She works as a

charwoman at a hospital. They live a life of some hardships. The mother often brings

home for her daughter presents given by the patients when they get discharged. Though

the income is very low, the little girl was fed and dressed and had even shoes on her feet.

Sometimes they even offer her oranges.

2. How did the girl happen to break the crystal vase with the ball?

Once the little girl happened to see a blue ball in a toy shop and asked her mother to get it

for her. The mother finally bought it for her. She plays with the ball very happily. The

little girl bounced with the joy and happiness with every bounce of the ball. But her

happiness was short lived. One day when she was playing in the courtyard, the ball

bounced so fast and so high. Suddenly flew into the window of the neighbours, the

Malachovs. The ball went straight into the case and broke the crystal vase, which was

decorated beautifully on the window. Besides it was awfully an expensive vase.

3. Describe the meeting of the mother and the child with the Malachovs’ family?

Soon after the break of vase, which was made of crystal, the Old lady of the Malachovs

family stormed out into the courtyard and announced that they had been robbed. She was

very furious. The mother and the little girl went their house to convince them. The

mother told them that they would pay for the vase. Malachova angrily said that they

wouldn’t be able to do that as it was very expensive. Both the Old lady and her husband

expressed their anger, and besides, they ridiculed them about their inability to

compensate for the loss. Finally the mother and the little child came out offended.

4. What is the changed attitude of the Old lady towards the little girl at the end?

The mother and the little girl came from the Malachovs house with great disappointment.

Half an hour later, the old lady came to the girl’s house. She understood that the girl was

in great disappointment and sorrow. She returned the ball which really astonished the

mother. The mother felt very happy and gave her two oranges for her courtesy. But the

old lady placed the oranges next to the sleeping girl’s pillow. She was moved by their

innocence and went home. Hence, one can understand that she gave the little girl not just

oranges but her love and repentance.