NEW HORIZON COLLEGE MARATHALLI, BANGALORE

(Affiliated to Bangalore University) A Recipient of Prestigious Rajyotsava State Award 2012 conferred by the Government of Karnataka

II SEM BBM, BCOM, BCA STUDY MATERIAL

ADDITIONAL ENGLISH

Prepared By

Dr. Sonia V. Oberoi

Ring Road, Bellandur Post, Near Marathalli, Bangalore - 560 103 Tel : +91-80-6629 7777 Fax : +91-80-2844 0770

E-mail : principalnhc.edu@gmail.com Web : www.newhorizonindia.edu

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Table of Contents

Sr. no.

Title of the Chapter Page no.

1 A Horse and Two Goats 4

2 The Cow of the Barricades 6

3 Building A Wall 9

4 Mending Wall 12

5 The Berlin Wall 13

6 A Wall Is Just A Wall 21

7 11/9 Versus 9/11 22

8 A Girl 25

9 To Mother 26

10 A Ring To Me Is Bondage 27

11 The Beauty Industry 29

12 I Am An Ordinary Man 32

13 Previous Years‘ Question Papers 34-40

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PART I: STORY TELLERS

1. A HORSE AND TWO GOATS

R K Narayan

R K NARAYAN a literary genius is known for his extraordinary skill of finding humor in

day to day life. Here he illustrates the story of an ordinary Tamilian and a foreigner who in

spite of not comprehending each other‘s language still converse for long.

―Kritam‖ meaning crown in Tamil was a tiny village which housed thirty small houses

and a big yellow house. Muni lived in one of these small houses lorded over a flock of forty

sheep. Every morning he would drive his flock to the highway to graze while he would sit on

the pedestal of the statue of a horse. He would collect some firewood for his kitchen. Now

days were bad and from a flock of forty it was reduced to two skinny goats.

Muni, though old, still his mouth watered for some delicious food but his dreams could

not be materialized as the shopkeeper had refused to give him anything on credit basis. Every

time he approached him he would be reminded of his earlier credits and turned back and he

would return with a broken heart when he thought of all the people who had seen him at the

shop

Muni remembered his good old days when he had the sheep to shear and how the butcher

from town would come and pamper him with all the goodies from town. Muni remembered

how he had an upper hand over his wife. He was childless and people talked behind his back

about the barren couple. All these hurt him a lot.

He would often think about the stories associated to the horse. It was nearly life- size,

made of clay, baked, burnt and brightly colored. It stood with its legs in the air and its tail in a

loop. Beside the horse stood a warrior like statue of a man who seemed to possess great

strength. Muni remembered how it had looked earlier with its majestic looking brocaded

back cover on its milky white body but none in the village admired it as they hardly noticed

its existence. It stood untouched by the vandals of the village. Now the statue was farther as

the village had moved inside.

One fine day as usual Muni was out with his goats when a vehicle stopped abruptly

before him. A foreigner who was driving the vehicle stepped out and approached muni

enquiring for a gas station. All of a sudden his eyes fell on the huge statue of the horse. He

was amazed. Muni saw the man wearing khaki and was scared .He wanted to run but his old

legs would not take him far and so decided to face the odds.

Muni who did not know English more than a yes or a no started conversing in Tamil

confessing that he was unaware about the murder in the next village some time ago. A long

conversation went on between Muni and the foreigner though they both did not understand

what each other said. The foreigner told him about how he had come to India with his wife

Ruth from New York. The foreigner felt it was Muni beside the horse and he expressed his

desire to buy the statue. He was also willing to offer Muni a good price for it but poor Muni

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not knowing his intention started narrating what he had known about the horse from his great

grandfather. The foreigner stood on its pedestal and marvelled at its beauty its colour

combinations that made it look exquisite. Muni carried by his own thoughts said the horse

was believed to be the guardian of the village and would protect it from all adversaries. He

said that at the end of Kali Yuga all worlds would be destroyed and the redeemer will come

in the shape of a horse called Kalki and this horse will come to life and trample all bad men.

The foreigner went on to tell Muni about his plans of setting up the horse at his

home in New York. He would shift all his things at home to give space to this horse that he

would be taking. Muni went on to tell him about all ―avatars‖ of Vishnu and many other

things. Muni asked the foreigner how many children he had but he under stood it as how

much he was willing to pay for the horse. He drew his wallet and handed Muni a hundred

rupee note. Muni though shocked thought it was for the skinny goats that he possessed.

Finally went home thinking that he would make his wife for the deal he had struck.As he

stood explaining the day‘s events he heard the bleating of the goats outside. His wife unaware

of the situation senses a foul play and tells Muni that she would return to her mother‘s place

rather than being a partner in the crime.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. Where was the village of Kritam located?

2. What was Muni‘s initial opinion of the foreigner?

3. What did Muni think the foreigner wanted to buy? What did the man actually want to

buy?

4. What did the foreigner plan to do with the horse?

6 Marks:

1. What is the nature of the relationship between Muni and his wife? Discuss.

2. Discuss the humourous element of the story.

10 Marks:

1. Write a character-sketch of Muni while discussing the ups and downs faced by him in

his life.

_________________________

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2. THE COW OF THE BARRICADES

Raja Rao

‗The Cow of the Barricades‘ written by Raja Rao portray the story of a cow that appears

strangely in a village. The cow named Gauri would behave like a pet to the Master in the

hermitage of the village. She would appear from nowhere on every Tuesday in the evenings

just before sunset. She would walk straight to the Master and express her love for him in a

very humane way. She would nibble (gesture of chewing in this case) at the hair of the

Master and the Master too would caress her with profound love. He would ask her how she

was. After that she would accept and chew what the Master would offer her as if she is

uttering some holy words and noiselessly walk out and disappear.

This strange episode occurring every Tuesday thrilled the other villagers. They became more

eager to know who she was; from where she would come and that too exactly why on every

Tuesday. Gauri would be heartless to reject what the other villagers would offer her to eat

and simply walk out. People would follow her in the local places like the Cotton Street, the

Mango Street and the Ginning Mills and through the Weavers‘ Lines but she would not be

found anywhere. They would be all surprised and would go and ask the Master who might

this cow be?

The Master being a humble man would just joke that she must be his mother-in-law and the

mother of someone in the crowd. And finally, they all came to a conclusion that she must be

the ―vehicle‖ of the great Mother. That was how Gauri came to be celebrated as an

embodiment of the Holy. And the celebration went on to a large extent. People would come

and visit her from near and far and would worship and offer her. They would bring grain, hay

and kumkum to honour her. People with various hopes and expectations came to worship her.

The merchants came to worship her thinking the coming year they would have more money

and more harvest; students would go and touch her head and tail praying for good results;

young girls would come to pray for getting suitable matches for themselves; widows would

pray for their lifelong purity; childless would pray for the child. And every Tuesday would be

a gathering of people and procession at the Master‘s hermitage.

Gauri remained unaffected by these gestures and would just accept the offering of her master

and walk out. People would take back all they got to offer her and throw it in the river. They

would not take it back with them but would rather give it away.

And one morning things in that simple village turned terribly bad. The army of the

Government was attempting to take over the village. The village seemed to be under attack.

People were all frightened. Situation became such that no woman or child would be spared by

the army of the Government. So the men in the village took their wives and children far away

from the village somewhere in the fields beyond and cooked food beneath the trees and lived

there. The villagers hid the clothes, vessels and jewels. The village became an unfriendly

place for these villagers. The workmen and only the men with the Master remained in the

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village. They called the Master the President then. The entire village was terror stricken. Men

in khadi and Gandhicap would call the old and the miserly who would peep from behind the

doors and take them behind the village where the others were taking shelter. The Master

ordered only the young and the strong to stay in the village. For a very long period, the

villagers stayed in fear and under such condition. The red men‘s army came in train after

train to the village. The village roads were full of barricades and the biggest barricade was on

the Suryanarayana Street. It looked like a chariot.

The men from the village who were the followers of the Master also hid themselves behind

the big barricade and were determined to attack the red man‘s army. The Master tried to

persuade them not to fight but all in vain. They were furious and brought picks, scythes and

crowbars and a few Mohammedans brought swords and rifles too. Failing to persuade the

followers, the Master resigned and went and sat meditating to save the place from bloodshed.

Other villagers became very angry when they heard that the Master had resigned and left. But

it was logically correct. Neither the Master nor the men could be hold wrong.

The night came when the intensity of the impending war became very high. There were signs

of the impending war. Owls were hovering in the midday light, when the dusk fell the stars

were hanging low and people felt that night would witness the war. Everybody remembered

their holy saviour and the ―vehicle‖ of God. They wondered where she had been. At ten

o‘clock the assaults began. Gauri appeared all on a sudden with big steps moving forward to

Suryanarayana Street. She walked down the Oil Lane, Copper Seenayya‘s house. When

people saw her they started gathering around her and walking along with her the Brahmin

Street, the Cotton Street and the Venkatalakshamma well. They brought bells and rung them,

lit the camphors and broke coconut at her feet. But Gauri was walking as fast as she could.

From the other side the workmen who were hiding behind the big chariot like barricade in the

Suryanarayana Street thought the villagers were sending the cow instead of themselves

coming for help and as she was moving towards them the workmen also started falling flat on

her feet. The men thought she had come to fight for them and out of honour and expectation

they pushed her up the barricade. The red men‘s army saw the movement on the barricade

and first took it as a flag showing agreement with the Government. Later they realised it was

the cow. They even saw the tears in the eyes of Gauri which were as clear as a drop of the

Ganges. Even the red men‘s army also started shouting ―Victory to the Mahatma! Mahatma

Gandhi ki Jai!‖ but unfortunately the chief of the red men‘s army fired a shot and it went

right through Gauri‘s head and she fell down among her worshippers. People said blood came

out only from between the forelegs and the thickness of her breast though she was shot on the

head.

Now there is a huge metal statue of Gauri that stands on the Suryanarayana Street where the

big barricade was placed. It stands tall and stiff much unlike Gauri herself. People still offere

flowers, honey and perfumed sweetmeats and the first green grass of spring. Children play in

and around the statue. Hawkers sell the toys of Gauri which are bought and taken home by

children visiting Gorakhpur from far and wide places.

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The Master feels Gauri must be in the Middle of Heavens and waiting if India is grief-

stricken again. The she will once again come to her rescue. Someone has rightly said,

Mahatma knew very well that all living creatures are full of love both the speechful and the

mute.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. Who was Gauri and what was her routine?

2. What made people think that Gauri is a holy cow?

3. How did life in the city change with the arrival of the army?

4. Describe the statue of Gauri that was erected after her death?

6 Marks:

1. Why did different people worship Gauri?

2. Why did the Master resign from the Presidentship and what did he do after that?

10 Marks:

1. Do you think that Gauri was the ‗vehicle of God among the lowly men‘? Substantiate

your answer with appropriate examples from the text.

_______________________

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PART II: A WALL IS JUST A WALL

1. BUILDING A WALL

This chapter tells about the Great Wall of China and about the phases of its construction

under various kingdoms and also the legends associated with the wall. The Great Wall was

enlisted as one of the World Heritage sites under UNESCO in 1987. The wall is an extension

of 6700(4,163 miles) kilometres and covers various geographical areas like the deserts,

grasslands, mountains and plateaus. It is believed that the construction on the wall started

2000 years back and now at various places one can see the ruins of this great and old fort.

The chapter is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the history of the construction

of the wall. The three dynasties whose names are always associated with the construction of

the wall are the Qin, Han and the Ming dynasty. It is believed that the original construction

work of the wall was started by the Three Warring States Periods-Yan, Zhao and Qin as a

kind of protective wall against their enemies. However, when it was built at that time it was

not that long and was never a single wall. It was in bits and it was much later in the time of

Qin dynasty that it got joined as the great wall. It began as independent walls for different

states.

The reason why it was joined could be traced back to the time of Qin dynasty. Qin Shihuang-

the king of Qin dynasty in order to drive off the Huns from invading the land joined the

existing walls and that was how this fort came into existence.

The next part of the lesson deals with the construction of the wall. For the construction of this

wall the local resources were used and the construction was carried out under the

management of contract and responsibility system.

The construction of the wall began in the 7th

and the 8th

centuries. The wall stretched from

east to west covering 5000 kilometres of the land when it was initially constructed to ward off

the enemies. Their enemies were basically the nomadic tribes. After the Qin dynasty which

actually began the construction of the wall, the Ming dynasty worked hard on the wall. There

were around 18 renovations made on the wall under the Ming dynasty. In this way, the wall

that was constructed in the time of the Qin dynasty was also kept in good condition through

the renovations and another 1000 kilometres was also added to its length. Therefore, the

length of the wall stands 6,700 kilometres.

The architecture of the Great Wall actually highlights the wisdom and the hard-working

capability of the people of China. The wall provided a fortification to keep the enemies far

away. Along with that the Chinese people also used their own weaponry. These included

swords, spears, lances and halberds and bows and arrows. The various parts of the Wall had

other protective installations like— passes,watchtowers, signal towers and moats.

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The Wall became a more sophisticated means of protection in the time of the Ming dynasty.

There was defence system along the wall that was also set up. There were garrison

towns(towns where the army would stay and protect the people living within the periphery of

China), garrison posts(posts where the soldiers can climb up and check the enemy),passes,

blockhouses, additional wall structures, watchtowers and beacon towers(towers where fire

can be lit to indicate that the enemy is near). All these protective structures were given

different responsibilities to keep the land protected.

The administrative system at the king‘s court was well networked with these systems for

protection and they would work together harmoniously in case of any danger.

The Great Wall that stands there today is 10 metres high and 5 metres wide.

Then the passage talks about the culture of the wall which is nothing but what we can

understand about the people of China after looking at the wall. The Great Wall had as much

been a part of their cultural life as it had been a part of their political life. Besides being a

monument which witnesses the protection it had provided for long to the people of Chinese

over hundreds of years, it is also a part of their legends which have passed on from one

generation to the other.

The passage depicts three such legendary stories associated with the Great Wall. The first and

the most remarkable is that of the woman Meng Jiangnu, second is that of the mathematician

Yi Kaizhan and the third is that of King You.

Meng Jiangnu‘s story goes back to the time of Qin dynasty(221-206 BC). Her husband Fan

Qiliang was caught by the federal officials of the king and was sent to build the wall. Meng

Jiangnu after not hearing anything about her husband since his departure wept bitterly and

went in search of her husband. By the time she reached the Wall, she came to know that her

husband had died and her bitter weeping made a part of the wall collapse. This story clearly

indicates that the common men of the kingdom were involved in the construction of the wall.

The second legend is about the mathematician Yi Kaizhan. This story dates back to the time

of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644BC). Yi Kaizhan was a very good mathematician. He

calculated that the construction of the pass Jiayuguan (a part of the Great Wall of China)

would require 99,999 bricks. This he told the supervisor who was employed to construct the

Jiayuguan pass. The supervisor did not believe him and told that if the construction of the

Jiayuguan pass would require even one brick less or more than all the workmen involved in

the construction of the pass will be punished for three years. After the completion one brick

was found lying behind the Xiwong city gate. The supervisor became so happy that he

reminded Yi Kaizhan of his words. But Yi Kaizahan was so intelligent that he informed the

supervisor if that stone is moved the entire wall will collapse as it has been put there by some

supernatural power. It is said, the stone can still be found today there at the same site.

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The third legend is that of King You. This legend is also known as the legend of the Beacon

Tower. This incident happened at the time of the Western Chou Dynasty (11th

-6th

century

BC). The King had a very pretty Queen named Bao Si. But she never smiled. The King was

always upset. One day an official suggested him that he can set the beacon tower on fire and

then the whole crowd will get mad. If the Queen sees this, she might be happy and smile at

the chaos. So the King did accordingly and exactly the Queen smiled. This was the good part

of the story. The sad part of the story is that when the enemies actually attacked and King

You set the Beacon Tower on fire people in the kingdom never believed him and the King

was finally attacked and killed by the enemy.

There are so many things associated with the wall the tenacity, the identity of the Chinese

people and now the Wall has become a means of connecting people across the borders

through tourism.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. What are the factors that qualify the Great Wall of China for the title of one of the

greatest wonders of the world?

2. What was the contribution of the Ming dynasty, in the construction of the wall?

3. Which class of people was involved in the construction of the wall? How do we know

this?

6 Marks:

1. The Great Wall of China is symbol of the wisdom and tenacity of the Chinese

people. Do you agree? Elaborate?

2. Discuss the various stories related to the Great Wall of China.

10 Marks:

1. Write whatever you have come to know about the Great Wall of China after reading

the chapter and discuss how the wall is a symbol of Chinese History and mythology.

__________________

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2. MENDING WALL

Robert Frost

Robert Frost the American poet who is known for his simplicity of language and good diction

here in this poem speculates on the idea of building a wall to protect us from dangers but at

the same time cuts us off from the rest of the world.

The poem literally says that a stone wall separates the speaker's property from his neighbor's.

Every year the wall is damaged from harsh weather and hunters. He says that the gaps are so

broad now that two can cross it abreast. In the spring, the two neighbors walk the wall and

jointly make repairs with the stones that have fallen on either side of the wall He says that he

casts a spell to make the boulders stay in its place so that they at least stay till the poet turns

his back. It is like any other outdoor game. Also, the speaker sees no reason for keeping the

wall because there are no cows to be contained or anything, only apple and pine trees. The

apple trees will never eat the pines why then the wall?

The theme is that you won't get to know a person unless you pull down your wall or barrier

.The poet insists for change and wants to put an end to the wall. The poet‘s neighbor only

tells him that Good fences make good neighbours. Frost wants his readers to ponder over the

question that by constructing a wall what do we ―wall in and wall out‖. The neighbour is

compared to an old-stone savage for he moves in the darkness of trees and shade with

boulders in his hands .The darkness also signifying ignorance. Whatever said and done the

neighbour just refuses to go beyond his father‘s words and retorts back saying ―Good fences

make good neighbours‖. The structure of this poem is that it is in blank verse with no stanza

breaks.

One of the main literary device visible in this poem is metaphors and its presence is seen all

throughout the poem from beginning to end. This stone wall symbolizes a divide between

properties that puts up confinements and boundaries. This symbol develops a theme of

barrier-building and segregation. The symbol of this wall also functions to develop the

character of the neighbor as having an ancient and old fashioned way of thinking, which is

noticeable through words such as "spells" and "elves" and an "old-stone savage".

Finally, irony is a device used effectively in this poem. The irony of the wall is that the

speaker and his neighbour rebuild the wall every spring, only to have it broken again next

year. Mending the wall is a pointless act because it will inevitably be damaged once again.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. What makes the poet believe that something there is that does not love a wall?

2. Does the poet believe that the gaps have been made by hunters? Why?

3. What does the poet want to know before he builds the wall this time?

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6 Marks:

1. What does the poet think about his neighbour? Does he think that his neighbour has a

progressive outlook?

10 Marks:

1. Do you believe that “Good fences make good neighbours”? Discuss.

_______________________________

1. A. THE BERLIN WALL

After the World War II, Germany was under the domain of the four nations namely United

States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union (as can be seen in the map above). With the

coming of the Berlin Wall (the thick black line cutting across the map) on August 13, 1961

Germany was divided into two parts—West Berlin and East Germany (German Democratic

Republic). This wall closed the border of East and West Berlin for 28 years. The wall was

damaged on November 9, 1989.

The Berlin Wall symbolised the Cold War between United States, Britain, France on the one

side and the Soviet Union on the other side. The only reason for building the wall was to stop

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the flow of labour and the economic output associated with such a heavy flow of labour from

east to West Berlin.

The wall comprised of a hinterland (area of a country that is far away from the cities) wall,

electric fence, observation tower, bunker (an underground shelter where people hide to

escape from bomb blasts), expanded wire fence, dog-runs (fenced in areas where dogs can

run), barbed metal plating, and wall facing the enemy.

The area occupied by the German Democratic Republic (GDR henceforth) became one of the

world‘s fifteen strongest industrialised nations although it was bankrupt when it started.

West Germany was flourishing under the capitalist propaganda whereas East Germany was

under the authoritarian governance. This made a big difference. Although East Germany was

becoming one of the fifteen strongest industrialised nations, because of its strict governance

many of the people looked to West Germany for political freedom and economic prosperity.

Therefore, number of people moving from East Germany to West Germany kept ever

increasing. However, sometimes West Berliners also visited East Germany for purchasing

things at state subsidised rates. But this was very less impacting to the wide gap being created

by the mass flow of people from East Germany to the West.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE WALL

That a wall will be constructed very soon could be guessed from the words of Walter

Ulbricht in an international meeting. He said, ―No one intends to set up a wall‖. This was the

first time the term ―Maeur‖ (Wall) was used to indicate this political barrier.

THE SCENE ON SUNDAY AUGUST 13, 1969

A 45 km construction started around the three western sectors early in the morning. East

German troops sealed the boundaries. It was built by the East German troops and workers.

But the direct involvement of the Soviet Union people was not there. The Wall was

constructed in a very tactful way. It was built inside the East German territory. Anyone who

would be standing on the other side of the wall will be still on the East German territory and

would therefore never be charged for being in the West German territory. Some of the streets

running along the wall were broken and blocked with obstacles like the barbed wire.

While the construction was going on the soldiers stood in front of it with orders to shoot

anyone who would disturb or impact its construction. Along with the construction of the

concrete wall the barrier was built up with many other things such as— chain-fences, walls,

minefields, and other installations.

PURPOSE OF CONSTRUCTION

The only purpose of such a barrier was to stop people from moving to West Berlin from East

Berlin. In addition to the above mentioned barriers certain other technical hindrances were

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also kept like traps, elaborate signals, concrete shooting cells, watchtowers, anti-tank

tetrahedrons, ―hedgehogs‖ and self-firing guns which killed the fugitives without the help of

the border guards. The total length of the Wall is 155km (96 miles).

STRUCTURE OF THE WALL

In June 1962, a parallel wall was constructed. This was basically a fence 91 metres long. For

the construction of this second wall, the houses in between were torn down and the people

living in those houses were relocated. The gap between the two parallel wall constructions

came to be known as the ―death strip‖. It was a no man‘s land. The death strip was made with

raked gravel. This is because on such paths the footprints of the escapees could be easily

visible. The area was uncovered and absolutely visible to the guards and so clear that the

guards could comfortably fire. They tried to make it clearer so that no escapees could

succeed. The wall was a site of repulsion. Nobody was attracted to it.

EIGHT BORDER CROSSING POINTS

Along the wall there were eight points (as can be seen from the map below) through which

west Berliners, West Germans, western foreigners and Allied personnel could get into East

Berlin as well as East German citizens into West Berlin. But for this it was necessary to have

their permits with them. The most famous of these eight checkpoints was the Friedrichstrabe

(Checkpoint Charlie). This checkpoint was not for the Allied personnel and non-German

citizens.

Map of the Berlin Wall, showing checkpoint

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SOCIAL & POLITICAL RESPONSES/REACTIONS

As a result of the construction of the wall many families were broken. Many East Berliners

became jobless and lost their chances of improving financially.

The mayor of West Berlin Willy Brandt demonstrated against the wall with his people. He

criticised the US President John F Kennedy for his speech on July 25, 1961. John F Kennedy

spoke to defend the West Berliners but later nothing of that sort happened. Later the US

government informed the Soviet government of East Germany that they have accepted the

Wall as ―a fact of international life‖ meaning the US will not take any step against it. This

was not what John F Kennedy had initially told. He said he would defend West Berliners and

that any attempt to stand for the East Germans would lead to a downfall.

There were delicate attempts also made to destroy to this agenda of separating West and East

Germany but despite it all the wall was prepared to put off the migration of people from one

part Germany to the other.

The East Germans claimed that the wall was constructed to put off the hostility from the West

Germans which sound quite illogical as all the entries were pointed inward to East German

territory showing very clearly that the entry and exit are at their command rather than at the

command of the West Germans. Whereas the West Germans believed that the Wall was

actually nothing but a hindrance to the coming of East Germans to West Germany.

The Wall implied very important things. First, it allowed East German government to reassert

its power over East Germany because now they had people under their control. Second, it

proved what the West Germans believed was the tyranny of the East Germans.

ESCAPE ATTEMPTS

Richard Lovelace‘s Poem:

Neither a stone wall nor the iron bars of a cage can capture a person. Because for minds

which are free in loving and whose souls are free can even make the prison a holy place.

People with such hearts and minds are not less than angels and they are ever free even though

physically they are in prison.

5000 successful attempts were made to escape. This was more of a kind of illegal

immigration from East Berlin to West Berlin. Reports claim that around 231 people were

killed while making attempts to escape.

Unsuccessful Attempts

On August 15, 1961 Conrad Schumann an East German border guard tried to escape to

West Berlin by jumping the barbed wire. Around 2000 soldiers and officers from the army

tried escaping during the first five years of the building of the wall.

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Peter Fletcher, an 18 year old boy was shot by the border guards and he had to lie bleeding

to death near the wall for 50 minutes when he tried to escape. The West Berlin police threw

some bandage to him but the boy was so weak that he could not pick it up. Nobody came to

help him in the fear of the Grepos (border guards of East Germany).

Peter Fechter (14 January 1944 – 17 August 1962) was a German bricklayer from Berlin in what became East Germany in

1945. He was 18 when he became one of the first victims of the Berlin Wall’s border guards while trying to cross over to

what was then West Berlin.

Chris Gueffroy was the last person to be shot dead on February 6, 1989.

Siegfried Nokffe was digging a tunnel to fetch his wife and child little knowing that two

houses away students were also digging a tunnel. As a result of this, the land was sinking and

the East Berlin police caught it. Nokffe was shot dead and two of his helpers were arrested

and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Successful Attempts:

18 fugitives were successfully transported to West Berlin in a very strange way. They were

carried hidden in the car bonnets and even in the space meant for the battery and heating

system.

The longest tunnel: 36 young men and 23 young women were involved in digging a tunnel

145 metre long and 12 feet deep. The tunnel was dug in the courtyard toilet of an unused

bakery. The bakery was rented for 100DM (Deutsche Mark-official currency of West

Germany) per month for this purpose. The sand that was dug out was transported in a trolley

and a wheelbarrow through the different rooms of the bakery. It took 6 months for the tunnel

to be dug out. 57 people escaped successfully. One person worked for 6 months every

weekend sleeping only for two hours while working on the tunnel.

Thomas Kruger made a successful escape through Slim Z-42M on an East German military

training organisation, at RAF Gatow.

18

Hot air balloons were made by inexperienced people and many families escaped in such

balloons.

Home-built aeroplane was used by a student to escape.

Penalty for Escape Attempts:

70,000 people were sentenced between August 13 and November 9 for illegal emigration.

The average penalty for it was 16 months. For people who helped such escapes the

punishment was for 4 years. 800 people from 30 countries were imprisoned. Arrested

members were imprisoned for 13 years.

FALL OF THE WALL

People from around the world came to protest against the wall. The wall became a cause of

its own destruction. Artists, activists, freedom lovers from around the world came to protest

against the wall.

Lebanese businessman Edmont Khayamat tried to cross into East Berlin carrying a huge

wooden cross of 40 kilos but he was not allowed to get in and sent back.

T.N Sutzhi, an Indian was held for 5 days of interrogation for speaking on political freedom.

He tried to break the wall and literally remove the stones form the wall. He was helped by a

professor, a writer and a housewife.

An Egyptian student was on strike under temperatures as low as 28 degrees C. He wanted to

enter East Berlin and was so arrested and sentenced jailed for 8 years. However, after 13

months in jail, the Bonn government was able to release him.

John Runnings an American citizen walked on the wall for 500 metres and 70 minutes. He

knocked a piece of the wall. He was exiled after 20 hours of arrest.

Ronald Reagan in his famous speech in 1987 at the Brandenburg Gate challenged Mikhail

Gorbachev to ―tear down the wall‖.

Hungary removed its border restrictions with Austria on August 23, 1989. In the month of

September some 13,000 East German tourists escaped to Austria. Erich Honecker resigned

on October 18, 1989 and was replaced by Egon Krenz a few days later. By this time the

number of refugees leaving East Germany had increased. In order to ease the situation, Krenz

decided to allow refugees to exit directly through crossing points between East Germany and

West Germany including West Berlin. Private travel wa also gradually included. Gunter

Schabowski the German Minister for Propaganda had the task of declaring the opening up of

the wall. But he was on vacation and was not informed about this recent update. And when

the note was given to him, he was not informed from which date or time the opening will be

made effective. He felt it must be immediate since nothing was written on it. Therefore, he

declared it was on November 9, 1989 the date on which he received the information. This

declaration was heard by the Germans and they were excited and went and crowded the

border checkpoints. The border guards could not resist the huge crowd and when they tried

calling their superiors there was nobody who said anything on the issue. The guards finally

had to give up and open the points.

19

As soon as the points were opened, the West Berliners welcomed the East Berliners. On that

day people came to destroy the wall with sledgehammers to chip off the souvenirs and

demolishing lengthy parts of the wall. These people were called ―Mauerspechte‖ (wall

woodpeckers).

There were 10 new checkpoints opened on the border lines. Bulldozers were used to open up

ways through the wall. However, this was misinterpreted by the media as ―dismantling the

wall‖. New border crossings continued to be opened through the summer of 1990 including

the most famous one at the Brandenburg Gate on December 22, 1989. Gradually the guards

became lax and the demolitions of the wall and unauthorised border crossings were left

unchecked.

The official dismantling of the wall began in Bemauer Straise on June 13, 1990. On July

1,1990 East Germany adopted the currency of West Germany and all the border restrictions

ceased. The dismantling went on till November 1991. A few short sections and watchtowers

were left standing as memorials. Finally, the German unification was officially declared on

October 3, 1990. The moment was celebrated with great joy.

LEGACY

Parts of the wall have remained. An 80 metre piece near Potsdamer Platz is still standing; a

longer section is there along the Spree River near Oberbaumrucke which was also named

East Side Gallery and the third section in the north at Bernauer Straise was made a memorial

in 1999.

The end of the wall also indicated the termination of the division of the world.

Chain fences and barbed wire of Berlin Wall

20

Antitank tetrahedrons

The death strip

21

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. What was the purpose of the Berlin Wall? Why is the Berlin Wall unique?

2. What is the ‗Death Strip‘?

3. Who were the ‗wall woodpeckers‘?

6 Marks:

1. Did the Wall stop the movement of the people from East Germany to West Germany?

Give appropriate examples to support your answer.

2. ―Stone walls do not a Prison make‖ discuss it in the context of the Berlin Wall.

10 Marks:

1. The Berlin Wall contained the seeds of its own destruction. Do you agree? Give an

elaborate answer.

2. Discuss the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall.

____________________________

3. B. A WALL IS JUST A WALL

Allan James Saywell

The poet Alan James Say well begins the poem with a question. The question in the 1st line is

not because he expects an answer to it but because he wants his readers to reflect on the

thought that the Berlin wall had for some time curtailed peoples movement but could not take

from them their freedom of thought and expression.Today‘s beliefs and principles can create

a wall around the brain still it cannot stop the brain from thinking but there will be a

revolution or a sudden physical change and force it to think beyond the wall.

The poet emphasizes the fact that a wall is just made of material, which can be broken down,

or something that can be held in hand and admired but after all it is only a wall. Even if a

human is tied up, a wall made around him or even if he is killed he will not stop thinking of

freedom but he will imagine and find ways for it, for him a wall is just a wall. For him

freedom is life.

He will express his imagination and no one can stop him from doing that. So the poet wants

his readers to realize the fact that freedom of thought and expression can never be taken away

from anyone in any way.

22

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. What happens if a wall is built around the brain?

2. What are the things that you can do with a wall according to the poet?

6 Marks:

1. Does being tied up and having a wall around a person change his opinion of a wall?

10 Marks:

1. Do you think a human can be controlled and restricted by a wall especially by an

ideological wall?

____________________________

4. 11/9 VERSUS 9/11

Thomas Friedman

The two important events that led to the flattening of the world in the last 20 years are the

destruction of Berlin wall on 11/9 and of the world trade centre on 9/11. One was the result of

creative imagination were as the other the result of destructive imagination, when 11/9

created a more unified world and other 9/11 created an invisible concrete wall around itself

of suspicion and doubt on the other nations around the world.

The removal of the Berlin wall made the world more open. It provided opportunities

for individuals to grow to the heights of their potential. Hungary removed its border

restrictions from Austria so now the East Berliners could come to Austria and go from there

to any part of the world. So the iron curtain built by the communist rule failed to its real

purpose. The world now became the open field of opportunities and the American youth

could now go to different countries and the world became their oyster.

But 9/11 changed all that. Bin laden and his gang spent several years of their time to

plan to kill as many innocent people as they could – all in the name of religion. Their perfect

negative imagination to hit at the right spot between 98th floors of WTC resulted in its

crashing down. The world appeared to close up like a shell for the Americans.

In the past, individual imagination was a big problem. It was possible for a Stalin or

Hitler to twist the imagination of people. But today even the ordinary people can act big and

pose a serious danger to the world order.

The stimulation of positive imagination has become very important. So we should

encourage people to focus on productive outcomes, uniting the world, minimize alienation

23

and celebrate interdependence. We should avoid ideas of self-sufficiency and exclusion. This

can be illustrated by two examples.

David Néeleman started in 1999, the Jet Blue Airlines by collecting $130 million

capital. He used the services of stay at home mums and retirees to book passengers on their

home computers. He used his optimistic imagination to make the world a better place. He is

using part of his profits for relief funds. The other, Osama Bin Laden twisted imagination. He

and his disciples raised their money to bring down the World trade centre towers using the

same tool, the aeroplanes. So our problem as pointed out by Nandan Nilekeni is how to

encourage more of good changes and keep at bay the bad ones.

Technology has no doubt well developed but that alone will not keep us safe. We

have to find ways to affect the imagination of others who have a twisted one. So the author

wants US to set an example by getting the best of their imaginations and never let their

imaginations control them. The 9/11 happening could be on account of intelligence failure.

But we should not imagine the worst in everyone. But Bin Laden now has to live in caves.

Let him. But we need not and not fear an air journey fearing the terrorists.

The US from its inception has been a country that looks forward, not back. Since 9/11

America had to export fear more than hope. This ends up in importing everyone else‘s fears.

We should therefore distinguish between precaution and extreme mistrust of all people. The

author wants the US to remain the worlds dream factory and never to make the world a dark

place by giving the mistrust the upper hand. They should retain the best of their imaginations

but to influence others living far away in different cultures and speaking different languages

is an uphill task and has its own limitations.

Listening to ones narratives, stories and myths feed the imaginations in one way or

the other. This powerful tool is to be adopted and re-narrated to develop more tolerant and

forward looking individuals. Others cannot do this. Every nation must do this for themselves.

Look at India there are 150 million Muslims in a vast Hindu dominated society.

Sometimes communal disturbances have taken place between them. But it is not likely that

they join Al Qaida to destroy the Tai Mahal as American Muslims joined hands with Al

Qaida for the 9/11 disaster because they have enjoyed the secular free market democratic

freedom better than any other Muslim in the world in the last 62 years.

In India Muslims have become Presidents and justices of the Supreme Court. They are

Business tycoons, film stars, parliamentarians, cricket players etc. India has now become an

IT giant. Information flows in seconds. It is not only the humiliation and also the pride that is

dished out from people who are half a world away. So such people focus what to do next and

not whom to blame next.

24

Questions:

2 Marks:

1. What kind of people were responsible for bringing down the Berlin Wall?

2. What is the one thing that cannot be commoditized?

3. What, according to Nandan Nilekani, do we need to learn, in order to keep the world

safe.

6 Marks:

1. Who were the two people who started their own airlines? How did their imagination

make them different?

2. What are the features that characterize an American? What will happen to the world if

Americans lose these features?

3. Technology, the author agrees, can help us keep the world safe. But does he think that

technology alone can keep the world safe?

10 Marks:

1. What is the role of imagination is changing the face of the world? Do you think that

imagination is more important today than it has been in the past? Why? Use examples

from the lesson to substantiate your answer.

2. The events of 11/9 (09 Nov 1989) and 9/11 (11 Sept 2001) have resulted in a world

that is divided on the basis of differences even as it has brought people together in

their shared concerns. Do you agree?

__________________________________

25

PART III: A VOICE OF HER OWN

1A. GIRL

Jamaica Kincaid

In this poem the poet instructs her daughter all the time how to present herself as a good girl.

She would advise her daughter on how to do every little and simple job carefully and nicely

so that she would never be called a bad girl. But the tone of instruction is little hurting for the

daughter than informative or showing concern.

The mother seems to already accept that her daughter had become bad and notorious just like

a slut. But in reality the daughter is not so. The daughter is silent and whenever she finds a

scope she tells her mother that she is not like what the mother thinks. Rather she is decent and

also knows how to behave in good way. All the words of the mother seem very useless to her.

The mother dispenses much practical and helpful advice that will help her daughter keep a

house of her own some day. She tells her daughter how to do such household chores as

laundry, sewing, ironing, cooking, setting the table, sweeping, and washing. The mother also

tells the girl how to do other things she‘ll need to know about, including how to make herbal

medicines and catch a fish. These words of wisdom suggest that the women live in a poor,

rural setting, where passing on such advice is essential for daily living.

Alongside practical advice, the mother also instructs her daughter on how to live a fulfilling

life. She offers sympathy, such as when she talks about the relationships her daughter will

one day have with men, warning that men and women sometimes ―bully‖ each other. She

also says that there are many kinds of relationships and some never work out. The mother

also tells the girl how to behave in different situations, including how to talk with people she

doesn‘t like.

The mother‘s advice is more a kind of injury than a help for the daughter. The mother

considers the daughter a ―slut‖ who has already gone out of her control. But the daughter

interjects in between.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1 How many people are speaking in the chapter?

2 How many times you actually hear the voice of the other girl in the chapter. Do

you think she is a bold kind od girl?

6 Marks:

1 What is the advice given by the narrator to the girl regarding men and how the

younger girl should behave with them according to the narrator?

2 What is the narrator‘s advice about washing and ironing the clothes?

10 Marks:

1 Write a summary of the chapters in words of your own.

26

1.B. TO MOTHER

Usha Navaratnaram

The present poem had been written in Kannada by the poet Usha Navaratnaram and was

translated to English by the famous Indian poet A. K Ramanujan. The poem is uttered by a

young girl who is seventeen years old. She does not like herself to be restricted in the

traditional ways. Traditional ways often deprive girls of living their lives freely. There are too

many rules and norms to be followed and that too at the cost of the happiness of the girls. For

generations girls have suffered for following traditional rules and norms prevalent in society.

The girl in the poem stands a protest to this restriction and utters these lines in the poem to

her mother.

The voice of the seventeen year old girl is full of resistance and protest. She speaks to her

mother in a bold way. She makes it very clear to her mother that she wants to walk out of the

traditional ways and live a life of freedom unlike her mother had lived.

The poem begins by the protest that the daughter makes against the sari of her mother. She

stops her mother to spread the sari on her and thus stop the life giving light from coming to

her. The use of the sari and the act of spreading it acts as a metaphor in the poem. The sari

stands for the traditional symbol of the feminine. Women draped themselves in sari to look

more appealing and to project themselves as feminine. But they had to bear the difficulty of

wearing it as well. The sari brought a kind of restriction of their movement as well.

The daughter restricts her mother from guiding her in the traditional ways. The daughter

compares the mother as well as herself to snakes. But she is a different one. Her mother and

perhaps her mother‘s mother (i.e., her grandmother) were the ones who could be kept and

controlled under the commands of these rules and traditions (which is compared to the snake

charmer). She is a different kind of a snake who will not care about the traditional patterns of

behaviour or code of conduct. She will also spread this liberal view to others and therefore

says, ―I‘ll sink my fangs into someone...‖

The speaker cannot circumbulate around the tulsi tree in the yard like her mother used to do.

She would not even make rangoli designs thinking that they will see heaven once they are

dead.

She wants to be loud and roaring. She has all vibrant with the urge to resist and reform the

age old customs which have long imprisoned women.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1 Who is the speaker in the poem? What do you learn about the speaker?

2 What is the tune that the girl refers to?

27

6 Marks:

1 ‗Let go, make way‘ the girl tells her mother. What are the different ways in which the

mother has restricted the girl?

2 ‗Don‘t‘ is the word that occurs throughout the poem. What is the effect created by the

repetition?

10 Marks:

1 Summarise the views of the poet‘s in your own words.

***************

2. A RING TO ME IS A BONDAGE

Mina Asadi

This poem talks about a poetess who is in exile. Mina Asadi is an Iranian poet, songwriter,

author and journalist. She is in exile in Stockholm, Sweden. Her poems were very

provocative and often discarded as vulgar. She has a strong sense of protest against the

Iranian regime and is deeply affected by the Iranian Revolution which took place in 1979.

She was born in March 12, 1943 in Sari, Iran. In her poems she writes about the people of

Iran who lives in exile and who have forgotten their struggle as Iranians.

In the present poem, she sings of her exile and the physical distance which has isolated her in

a foreign land. There is a sense of longing for her own land but she consoles herself with

religious and sentimental arguments.

Time and again, she tells that she does not ―think of prayer-mats.‖ But yet she prays. She

respects and elevates the Kibla but she avoids conventional attitude towards it. She says that

Kibla is where happiness is. This shows that although she is in exile and isolated from her

place yet she feels the place of prayer is not restricted to geographical dimensions but

depends on the state of the mind. She is a little unconventional and admits that she prays on

the Silk Roads. The very name Silk Roads brings to our mind an image of connectivity and

also trade. In this context, it means, she prays even when she is an unconventional place. But

that has its own sweetness. When she prays, she is accompanied by the sweet chirrups of the

sparrows.

Then she talks about Affection. Affection or an attachment to one‘s own land, being nostalgic

and home sick, is it really there in her? This is a feeling which shows her inner contradiction.

She is a person who has been turned outside her land, her own country but she is still living.

For her it becomes difficult to define to which land she is more attached.

But she is happy. And she has indeed no other way but to feel happy. She is alone, displaced-

out of her country, far away from her people. Now her companion is her loneliness.

Therefore, she states that loneliness is her happiness. She is at home in that foreign land. That

28

land is alien to her. Her near and dear ones are not there with her. It is a kind of isolation she

is living with. Such is the condition of a person who is in a desert. The poet uses the word

―desert‖ as a metaphor. It basically stands for the inner loneliness of the poet. She can sense

love within her only through the nostalgia. In other words, she yearns for her land and people

and is sad. This is when she knows she has love for her own land and people.

In this alien land she is able to earn and live. She is even happy to earn five pounds and takes

it to be her wealth. Even though it is very less in comparison to what she had in her own land.

She brings out her agony and anger against the people who destroy and exploit. She uses the

image of the flower and the fish. She believes that a man who picks up flowers is blind

because he has no mercy and love for the living, for nature. Likewise, a person who goes for

fishing is like a murderer because he takes out the fish out of water which is its source of life.

She compares herself with the sea and tells how envious she is of the sea. She is very small

compared to the sea. Perhaps, she feels the sea also feels the same when it sees the ocean. She

envies the sea because it is vast and flows without restrictions. But her movement is

restricted.

She tells that she does not understand the night. And she uses the capital letter N for night.

This might mean that she does not know what is darkness. This again can be interpreted in

two ways. First, she has nothing to do with things that happen in the night meaning anything

negative. Second, she has wrapped herself with a powerful shield where she does not see the

darker side of things and understands only the brighter side. That is why she tells, she

understands the day well. Day is when everything is visible. One more reason for the use of

the word ―day‖ can be the fear of light that she has. The threat of being seen and beheaded is

there in her. If she goes to her land and is seen she has the danger of getting beheaded.

She encloses her world that she loves in her memory and remembrance. She loves to linger

on the small things, which reminds her of her own place. That is why when she sees a small

bush, she remembers her village and becomes nostalgic. She remembers her old days when

she was free and there was no threat to her life. Remembering such things gives her great

happiness and even a simple smile brings great joy to her.

She considers anybody having a cage as a Gaoler. Who are the people who have built a cage

around her? They are her countrymen. She is jailed outside her country and now cannot go

inside her own land. This might refer to the Iranian government as well.

For her the greatest hindrance lies within her. She feels all her thoughts which are not turned

into action are barriers. These barriers are like walls. Thoughts like these could not be

expressed and therefore are buried within her. Therefore, such thoughts trouble her.

29

She finally comes to tell that she feels a ring to her is bondage. Only in the last few lines she

tries to justify the title of her poem. A ring stands as a metaphor for bondage to her. A ring,

possibly in her case is a wedding ring is a functional item just like the prayer mat. But a ring

is more imposing than a prayer mat. A ring for women is interpreted as a lifelong bondage

depriving her of all her liberty and putting her to servitude.

But that does not mean that she had stopped praying. She does not follow certain norms but

she has her own way of reaching God through the hundred roads in hundred gardens full of

the silk tassel trees.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1 What does the poet say about the Kibla?

2 Why does the poet envy the sea?

6 Marks:

1 Although the poet says her prayers daily, why does she not think of prayer mats?

2 What is the poet‘s definition of a Jailor and a murderer?

10 Marks:

1 Summarise the poet‘s views in your own words.

**************

3. THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY

Aldous Huxley

The writer is surprised to see that even the Great Depression that affected the world economy

did not even slightly had any impact on the beauty industry of America. Even after the

depression, the women of America spent too lavishly on maintaining their beauty. The

amount of money that the beauty industry would earn would be three million pounds a week

and one hundred and fifty-six million pounds a year. This sum is more than twice the sum of

money that gets collected as revenue in India. The beauty industry is at par with the other

kinds of business like bootlegging (making, selling or distributing illegal goods) and

racketeering (scheming, playing the trick), movies or automobiles.

He wonders what the European figures of this industry would be. Possibly it is much less

than in America. The writer‘s view is that Europe cannot afford to spend so much on beauty.

Expenditure on beauty is equivalent to the expenditure on the maintenance of a Rolls-Royce.

At the most European women must be using only soaps to wash their faces and make them

appear pretty. In Europe it is through the loud advertisements on hoardings where beautiful

and attractive models are used to highlight the quality of soaps promising that their use would

effectively make women appear beautiful. On the other hand, these soaps might not have any

such effect at all. Europe is still lagging behind in the field of beauty industry as much as it is

less advanced in the manufacture of high-powered motor-cars and electric refrigerators. The

30

writer states that Europe is still far behind America in this case. However, it is not altogether

false that every country of the world is making huge progress in beauty industry.

The reason for such a growth and investment in beauty industry is due to the prosperity of the

people. Rich people always had their desire and ways of making themselves appear more

beautiful. But now even the sets of people who have grown rich recently are conscious about

this aspect of presenting themselves in beautiful ways. However, this single reason is not

enough to justify the proliferation of beauty industry. Had it been only due to prosperity than

it would have been equally affected by the economic depression every now and then like the

other industries. The other reason that is responsible for the growth of the beauty industry is

the change in the status of women and the consequent change in the attitude towards women.

Women have gained freedom now. This freedom is not the freedom that they want to be like

men doing things which men do. But this freedom is that which made themselves free to

become more attractive and good looking. They are freer than their grandmothers. They are

free to look less virtuous (morally upright) than their grandmothers even though they are not.

The British Matron who would be expected to be very simple without any external efforts to

make herself beautiful but to be only dedicated to her work of nursing had now come out of

that mindset. She depends on keeping herself more attractive than the matrons of earlier

times. Such attempts to make herself appear once upon a time would have called her a ―Lost

Woman‖ (a woman of low moral values). But now this brings her success rather than defame

her.

But to see such changes people are also not shocked nowadays. There is no moral shock that

one gets. One easily accepts the fact that the Matron needs to look beautiful. The Matron has

her own desire of making herself appear good and there is no harm in beautifying one‘s body.

This is more towards the Manichaean principle of evil. This principle says that there is an

ongoing struggle between the good and the bad— good denoting the spiritual world and the

bad denoting the material world. The human person is seen as a battleground for these

powers: the soul defines the person, but it is under the influence of both light and dark. And

now since we have accepted that the body has its own right (its own desire) then we can

easily accept that the fact that the Matron can be beautiful. So we do not stick to the Christian

ideas of forsaking the worldly for the divine. Therefore, we demand justice for things and

pageants of beauty.

But how far are the women getting back what they have invested? This is a question that is

difficult to answer. It is difficult to say whether the energy, time and money they have

invested have given them the rewards worth their investment. If a woman looks younger than

her age than it can be said that they are rewarded. The writer ironically states that old ladies

are not seen anymore. He means that even aged ladies are concerned about their beauty and

are now attempting to become younger. The Portrait of the Artist‘s Mother (a painting by

Van Gogh) will become like The Portrait of the Artist‘s Daughter (a painting by Thomas

Gainsborough). All this will be possible because of the skin foods, injections of paraffin wax,

31

facial surgery, mud bath etc. Ugliness is considered as a disease and beauty as healthy. In so

far as making oneself beautiful is related to improvement of health it is justified. But beauty

that is on the surface is of poorer quality. Existing parallel to that is the knowledge of people

on the subject of health improvement. And the writer questions if the concept of beauty and

health can be understood and made to function together will every woman be beautiful in the

natural way i.e., without the need for surgery or chemical aid?

But this is not so. Real beauty comes with both external and internal beauty. External beauty

of the woman is affected by the internal beauty. A woman is not a porcelain jar which would

look beautiful no matter however much dirt is inside the jar. The inner darkness would come

out on the surface because a woman is a living being and she cannot cover up what is inside

her. Many women who try to be beautiful externally fail because the inner ugliness comes out

however much they try to cover it.

Ugliness, the writer defines is also based on psychology of the woman. Sometimes when

women behave in stupid ways or are unaware of certain things, or greedy, lustful, miserly

then they can never be beautiful. Even though from the point of view of the porcelain jar, she

might appear beautiful yet she is void of beauty according to the writer‘s point of view. Such

was the case of two young American girls whom he met in North Africa.

Next he talks about the ―hardness‖ that comes on the faces due to over application of make-

up. He gives the example of women in Paris who are used to this kind of over painting and

―wearing of masks‖. Through this they try to make their faces beautiful but the inner conflict

or disturbance they go through can never be covered. The emotional disharmony that often

makes the face look hard and lifeless, the writer says can often be of sexual nature.

The writer finally concludes that as long as these kinds of disharmonies exist there can be no

real beauty with which women would be gifted. The external ways of making oneself appear

beautiful will not be effective in any way if the soul is not touched by it. Health is also

important in making one appear beautiful. In order for men and women to become beautiful

one more factor needs to be taken care of. This is the social arrangements which would help

men and women to stay harmoniously without any single obsession for external beauty. They

should be focused on removing other negatives from their lives as well. But such an

expectation can never turn to reality. Not all men and women will become beautiful. Even

then we should be happy if we get mediocre outcomes.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1 Which American industry is unaffected by the depression?

2 Describe the British Matron.

3 What is Huxley‘s comment about the young American girls whom he met in North

Africa?

4 What, according to Huxley, is the deepest source of beauty?

32

5 Does Huxley believe that all men and women will be beautiful one day? Why does he

think like that?

6 Marks:

1 What has happened to old ladies? What does Huxley predict for the old ladies of the

future?

2 Even the most beautiful women can be ugly while even ugly women give evidence of

some form of beauty. Do you agree?

10 Marks:

―The campaign for more physical beauty seems to be both a tremendous success and a

lamentable failure.‖ Explain the success and the failure of the campaign.

******************

4. I ‘M AN ORDINARY MAN

Alan Jay Lerner

This poem is an extract from the movie ‗My Fair Lady‘, which was based on George

Bernard Shaw‘s play ‗Pygmalion‘. The protagonist, Prof. Higgins also a misogynist keeps

harping on the idea that all evils enter a man‘s life when a woman walks into his life. This

example of a dramatic monologue was one of poet‘s best known musicals in the play.

The other character Pickering is a silent listener to the whole story. The poem begins with

Higgins declaring that he is an ordinary man without any eccentricities and a life free from all

problems doing whatever he thinks is best but then when a woman enters into your life you

lose all peace. She starts revamping your home and repairing every soul. There is no point in

going against for she is as stubborn as a wall. She executes all her plans and none of yours.

She is insensitive to poetry. When you speak of Keats and Milton she speaks of love.

Whenever you go to see a play or a ballet you end up searching for her gloves which she

dropped somewhere. Better not come in their way or you invite eternal problems. He

confesses his willingness to be drilled by a dentist than let a woman in his life. He says that

he is a good natured, compassionate and a patient gentle man who would never use

unpleasant language. But once a woman enters his life he forgets what patience is. She will

beg for advice, listen intently but never practice it. He uses bizarre language. He says by

letting her you are running into a knife and tightening a noose around your neck. He prefers

spending the evening in the silence of his room and a restful atmosphere as in a tomb. He

likes meditating and contemplating far away from the maddening noise in a quiet place, but

than if a woman enters she brings in a never ending army of friends who just come to while

away their time with loose talks. She has a large and a noisy family who enter without prior

notice and a large mouthed mother whose shrill voice shatters the glass.

―Let a woman in your life‖ is the refrain of the poem and Higgins uses it repeatedly to

create a negative effect among his audience. He, a male chauvinist is a self-possessed,

egoistic, stubborn man who thinks that he can never be wrong. He continues hating women

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and thinks he is right in doing so. His unwillingness to adopt social customs and his mistaken

ideas about the opposite sex clearly proves that he is never an ordinary man who is so bent

on proving himself right.

Questions:

2 Marks:

1 What does Prof. Higgins want out of life?

2 How do you think a woman will ‗overhaul‘ her husband?

3 What happens to patience, once a man lets a woman in his life?

6 Marks:

1 What are the refrains in the poem? What is the effect created by them?

2 What are Prof. Higgins‘ likes and dislikes? Write a description of Prof. Higgins, based

on the poem you have just read.

10 Marks:

1 Do you think that Prof. Higgins is an ordinary man? Elaborate.

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