English Summary

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Iswaran the Storyteller Summary in English by R.K. Laxman

Iswaran the Storyteller by R.K. Laxman About the Author

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Laxman was a famous Indian cartoonist and illustrator, famous for creating the comic strip ‘You Said It’ which features the experiences and observances of its protagonist, ‘The Common Man’. Bom in.Mysore, R.K. Laxman had six siblings. From a young age, he developed an interest in drawing; his caricatures of teachers were very popular among his classmates. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mysore University. Even as a student, he worked as a freelance cartoonist for many newspapers and magazines.

His first began working full-time as a political cartoonist for The Free Press Journal in Mumbai and later joined The Times of India. Apart from cartoons, Laxman also wrote short stories, essays and novels, such as The Hotel Riviera and The Messenger. Interestingly, Laxman’s application to the School of Art, Mumbai had been rejected citing ‘lack of talent he went on to create one of the most memorable cartoon characters the country has ever seen. ‘The Common Man’, a bespectacled, silent and balding representation of the average Indian citizen continues to be adored by the Indian masses even today.

Iswaran the Storyteller Summary in English

Mahendra narrates a story to Ganesh. Mahendra is a junior supervisor in a firm that provides supervisors to construction sites. His job requires him to frequently move from one place to another. Mahendra is a bachelor and has no problems in adjusting to the various living conditions. He considers his cook, Iswaran, to be an asset. He accompanies Mahendra everywhere. Iswaran is a talented storyteller. He also has the amazing capacity to find and gather fresh vegetables, no matter how desolate the surroundings may be.

In the mornings, after Mahendra goes to work, Iswaran spends his days cleaning the shed, washing clothes, bathing, reading and taking afternoon naps. His enjoys reading Tamil thrillers. Iswaran’s own style of description is greatly influenced by these thrillers. While narrating incidents, Iswaran tries to create suspense and surprise endings. For instance, he would describe an uprooted tree as an enormous bushy beast, before revealing what it actually was. Iswaran has an uncritical audience in Mahendra.

One day, Iswaran relates an incident in which a wild elephant from a neighbouring timber forest had escaped from the timber yard and reached his town. To illustrate his story, Iswaran stamps about in imitation of the wild elephant. Iswaran says that after reaching the outskirts of the town, the elephant destroyed the stalls selling mud pots, clothes and fruits. It then entered Iswaran’s school, and the children ran to hide in the classrooms. The teachers went to the terrace and watched helplessly, as the elephant destroyed the school property.

Iswaran also watched the drama unfold from the rooftop. Suddenly, he grabbed a cane from a teacher and ran out to the ground. The elephant stamped its feet in anger and swayed a tree branch in its trunk; but Iswaran approached it slowly with the cane in his hand. As the elephant raised its trunk and trumpeted loudly, Iswaran ran towards it and hit it on its third toenail. The elephant was stunned for a moment; then it shivered and collapsed.

At this point, instead of concluding his story, Iswaran goes to warm up dinner, leaving Mahendra hanging in suspense. Upon his return, Mahendra has to remind Iswaran to conclude his story. Iswaran says casually that a veterinarian was called to revive the animal, and two days later, the animal was taken to the jungle by a mahout. When Mahendra asks him how he managed to subdue the animal, Iswaran says that he had read about a technique in the Japanese art of karate or jujitsu (he does not remember which) that paralyses the nervous system.

Iswaran’s style of storytelling is so enjoyable that Mahendra happily listens to his stories every day, regardless of whether they sound believable or not. With him around, Mahendra does not mind not having a television for entertainment.

One morning, Iswaran requests Mahendra’s permission to make a special dish for an auspicious occasion: it is the day when various delicacies are made to feed the spirits of their ancestors. That night, Mahendra complements Iswaran on his cooking skills. Iswaran is pleased, but then begins to tell a story about the supernatural. Iswaran tells Mahendra that the factory area they are living in used to be a burial ground. He says that on the first day of their arrival, he saw a human skull lying on the ground; and that he frequently comes across skulls and bones here. He also says that he can see ghosts at night: on full moon nights, he can see the ghost of a woman. He describes the ghost as a skeleton carrying a foetus in its arms.

Mahendra is scared but dismisses Iswaran’s claims as nonsense. Mahendra expects Iswaran to sulk after being scolded. The next day, however, he finds Iswaran in a cheerful and talkative mood. Even though Mahendra had claimed that he does not believe in ghosts and spirits, every night he goes to bed with a nervous feeling. He makes it a point to always peep out of his bedroom window to make sure nothing suspicious is happening outside. He used to enjoy watching the moonlight fall on the ground during full moon nights. However, after hearing Iswaran’s story, he stopped looking out of his window on full moon nights.

On one full moon night, Mahendra hears a moan outside his window. At first, he assumes it is a cat, but then realises that it does not sound like a cat. He avoids looking outside for fear of seeing something horrific. The moaning sound grows louder. At last he peers out of the window and sees a dark, cloudy form clutching a bundle. He falls back into bed, sweating and panting. After a while, he tries to reason with himself and decides that his mind is playing tricks on him.

During the course of the next morning, the memory of this incident begins to fade from his mind. As he begins to leave, Iswaran greets him with his lunch packet and office bag. He reminds Mahendra about the scolding he had given him when Iswaran had told him about the female ghost carrying a foetus in its arms. Iswaran says that he knows Mahendra had seen the ghost the previous night because he had also heard the moaning sounds coming from outside Mahendra’s window and had rushed to the spot. Mahendra does not answer but is very frightened. He hurries to his office to hand in his papers and decides to leave the haunted place the next day itself.

Iswaran the Storyteller Title

The title effectively captures the essence of the lesson, which recounts the tale of a storyteller named Iswaran, who weaves entertaining stories and anecdotes to entertain his master Mahendra. Ultimately, it is because of his ability to engage his listener and create an atmosphere, that he succeeds in frightening his master to such an extent that he actually resigns from his job and leaves the place that Iswaran’s stories had convinced him was haunted.

Iswaran the Storyteller Theme

The story touches upon the power of storytelling, and how the art of weaving a tale can exert a strong hold on the listener. Storytelling has been part of the ancient tradition in all human cultures, and was the sole method of passing ideas and cultural information down through the generations before the spread of writing. This story indicates the extent of influence a good storyteller can exert on the listeners, even when they are educated and non-superstitious.

Iswaran the Storyteller Setting

The story is set in an Indian village or small town in the period soon after Independence. It is set in a period when TVs had started becoming popular, but were not yet very common.

Iswaran the Storyteller Message

The story highlights the effect a good story can have on the listener. It also brings up the question of the supernatural, and suggests that ghosts might have been just the figment of imagination for a storyteller in the past. If we allow such ideas to take a hold on our minds, they can truly terrify us and play havoc with our lives. As we see in the story, Mahindra decides to resign from his comfortable job just because Iswaran’s story instils in his mind a fear of ghosts and spirits. This also shows that people can deeply influence others by creating a narrative or story that is persuasive enough.

Iswaran the Storyteller Characters

Mahendra: He was a bachelor who earned his living as a junior supervisor working at construction sites. He worked for a firm that supplied supervisors to remote sites. He was a simple man with simple tastes, and did not even feel the need to own a TV, even though he spent most of his time in remote areas far from sources of entertainment.

He was very adjusting and accommodating, and could live wherever he was posted, whether in a tent or a dilapidated building. He was a kind and caring master, and his servant Iswaran was happy to follow him around wherever he was posted.

Mahendra seems to have enjoyed listening to stories, and would spend his evenings listening to the tales recounted by Iswaran. He was somewhat naive and gullible, and believed the stories Iswaran recounted. In fact, Iswaran’s stories about ghosts and spirits had such an effect on him that he even resigned from his job because he believed the area was haunted. He was convinced that he had seen the spirit of a woman with a foetus that Iswaran had told him about in one of his tales.

Iswaran: He was a bachelor like his master. He was a religious man, as he bathed daily and said his prayers during his bath. He worked as a servant for Mahendra, cooking, cleaning and washing his clothes, following him wherever he was posted. He was a good worker and kept his master happy, but seems to have a mischievous streak. He loved recounting stories with a great deal of drama and play-acting, making the most mundane incident come alive. He enjoyed reading Tamil thrillers, from which he picked up the imaginative style of description and

narration. He often told his master exaggerated stories of his own experiences, such as the story of the tusker, and the story of the ghost. He not only scared his master with stories of encountering spirits in the area where they were living, he even seems to have recreated the same scene outside this master’s window when the former scolded him for making up stories about the supernatural.

Iswaran the Storyteller Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
Answer:
He is an asset because he not only cooks delicious meals for Mahendra, but also follows him around uncomplainingly to his various postings. He washes his clothes, tidies up his shed and entertained him with stories and anecdotes on varied subjects.

Question 2.
How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway?
Answer:
He describes it as an enormous bushy beast lying sprawled across the road.

Question 3.
How does Iswaran narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible?
Answer:
He narrates the story with a lot of drama and excitement, jumping about and stamping his feet in imitation of the mad elephant.
[The second part of the question is subjective, and either option is acceptable.]
If Yes: Yes, the story seems plausible because there are vulnerable points in the body that can be used to control a wild animal if one has knowledge of them.
If No: No, it seems to be a typical exaggerated story that Iswaran was fond of telling.

Question 4.
Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living quarters?
Answer:
Iswaran’s stories were so dramatic and enthralling that Mahendra was completely captivated by them. As these stories were an everyday affair, he never missed the presence of a TV in his living quarters.

Question 5.
Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination. What happens to him on a full moon night?
Answer:
Earlier, Mahendra would always look out of the window to admire the landscape on full moon nights. However, after hearing the ghost story, he avoided looking out of his window altogether in such nights.

Question 6.
Can you think of any other ending for the story?
Answer:
Instead of giving in to his fear, Mahendra could have decided to check on the ‘ghost’, and found out that it was Iswaran who had been acting as a ghost to justify his story.

Question 7.
What work did Mahendra do?
Answer:
Mahendra was a junior supervisor in a firm that supplied supervisors on hire at various construction sites, factories, bridges, dams, etc. His work was to keep an eye on the activities at these sites.

Question 8.
Do you think Mahendra was a fussy man? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, Mahendra wasn’t a fussy man, because it is written that his needs were simple and he was able to adjust to all kinds of odd conditions whether living in a tent in a stone quarry, or an ill-equipped circuit house.

Question 9.
Why has Iswaran been called an asset? Who was he an asset to?
Answer:
Iswaran has been called an asset to his master, Mahendra, because he took care of all his master’s needs, from cooking and cleaning, to washing his clothes. He also could cook the most delicious meals in the most desolate places where resources were difficult to get. Also, he entertained his master with wonderful stories and anecdotes at meal times.

Question 10.
How did Iswaran spend his day after his master left for work?
Answer:
Iswaran would tidy up the shed, wash the clothes, have a leisurely bath while muttering his prayers. After lunch, he .would read for a while before dozing off to sleep.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Adventures of Toto Summary in English by Ruskin Bond

The Adventures of Toto by Ruskin Bond About the Author

Mulk Raj Anand was one of the first Indian writers who wrote in English and gained popularity at an international scale. He produced a remarkable body of work that contains several short stories, novels and essays. Anand was bom in Peshawar and his father was a coppersmith. Anand was a highly educated man; he graduated with honors from Punjab University and then went to University College, London. While studying in England, he worked at a restaurant to finance his education. He went on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University.

This was also the time when he became involved in India’s struggle for independence. He first gained popularity for his novels, Untouchable and Coolie. Among his other notable works is a trilogy consisting of The Village, Across the Black Waters and The Sword and the Sickle. Anand wrote extensively about the lives of the poor, oppressed Indian people and about social evils like the caste system, untouchability and communalism. Through his empathetic portrayal of the lives of the common Indian people, he provided stark social commentaries on the structures of society. Anand is regarded as one of the founding figures of Indian English literature.

The Adventures of Toto Summary in English

This story is about Toto, a baby monkey. The author’s grandfather buys Toto from a tonga-driver for five rupees, to add to his private zoo. Toto has mischievous eyes and pearly white teeth. His smile frightens the elderly Anglo-Indian ladies. His fingers are quick and his tail acts like a third hand for him. He uses his tail to hang from branches, as well as to scoop up delicacies that are out of reach of his hands.

The author’s grandmother would get angry every time his grandfather would bring home a new pet. As such, the author and Grandfather decide to tell Grandmother about Toto only when she is in a particularly good mood. They hide Toto in a small closet in the author’s bedroom wall, tied to a peg on the wall.

After a few hours, the author and Grandfather return to release Toto and find that the ornamental wallpaper has been ripped off. The peg has been wrenched off the wall and the author’s school blazer has been tom to shreds. While the author is worried about Grandmother’s reaction, Grandfather is pleased with Toto’s antics. He says that Toto is clever enough to have made a rope out of the tom pieces of the author’s blazer to escape.

Toto is then moved to a big cage in the servants’ quarters. This cage already has a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a tame squirrel and a pet goat, all of whom live together quite peacefully. But Toto does not let the other animals sleep. As Grandfather has to go to Saharanpur the next day to collect his pension, he decides to take Toto with him. Toto’s new home is a black canvas kit-bag that is too strong for him to bite through. He cannot get his hands out of the opening once it is closed. The author does not go with Grandfather, but is told all about the trip later.

The author leams that Toto remained in the bag as far as Saharanpur; but while Grandfather was giving his ticket at the ticket turnstile, Toto poked his head out of the bag and grinned at the ticket collector. The ticket collector was a little frightened, but told Grandfather that as he was carrying a dog; he would have to pay for it accordingly. Grandfather took Toto out of the bag to prove that he was a monkey and not a dog; but the ticket collector dismissed him and in the end, Grandfather had to pay three rupees as Toto’s fare. Then Grandfather showed the ticket collector his tortoise and asked how much he should pay for that. The ticket collector examined the tortoise and happily announced that as the tortoise was not a dog, he would not be charged any fare.

When Grandmother finally accepts Toto, he is given a comfortable home in the stable, which he shares with a family donkey called Nana. On the first night, Grandfather visits the stable and finds Nana pulling at her halter and trying to get away from a pile of hay. Grandfather finds that Toto had fastened his teeth onto Nana’s ears. Toto and Nana never became friends after that.

During winter evenings, Grandfather gives Toto a large bowl of warm water to bathe in, which Toto enjoys. Toto tests the water first with his hands, and then gradually steps into the water, one leg at a time — he has leamt how to do this by watching the author. Toto then mbs soap all over himself. When the water turns cold, Toto mns to dry himself by the kitchen fire. If anyone laughs during this time, Toto feels hurt and refuses to complete his ritual.

One day, water for tea is being boiled in a large kitchen kettle. Toto removes the kettle’s lid, and finding the water warm enough for a bath, lowers himself into the kettle. When the water beings to boil, Toto raises up a little, but finding it cold outside, sits down again. He continues to do this till Grandmother discovers him and takes him out of the kettle. This is how Toto almost boils himself.

The author says that if there is a part of the brain that specialises in making mischief, that part is very powerful in Toto’s brain. Toto loves tearing things to shreds. Whenever a particular aunt of the author’s approaches Toto, he tries to tear a hole into her dress.

One day, Toto is found eating pulao from a large dish on the dining table. When Grandmother screams, Toto throws a plate at her. Then an aunt rushes ahead, only to have a glass of water thrown at her face. Upon seeing Grandfather approach, Toto escapes through the window to a jackfruit tree, with the pulao dish in his arms. He sits there all afternoon, slowly eating the pulao. Then, to punish Grandmother for screaming at him, he throws the dish down and is delighted when it breaks.

Soon, everyone, including Grandfather, realise that they cannot afford to keep Toto as they are not rich enough to bear the regular loss of clothes, dishes, curtains and wallpaper. Eventually, Grandfather sells Toto back to the tonga-driver, for only three rupees.

The Adventures of Toto Title

The title expresses the events that will unfold in the story, which is a series of adventures that take place in the life of the narrator’s grandparents because of their pet monkey called Toto.

The Adventures of Toto Theme

The story revolves around the adventures of a family that decides to adopt a pet monkey. It is a humorous story which captures the antics of the monkey and its effect on the family that adopted it. The story is of an animal lover, the grandfather, and the effect his love for animals and in particular his attraction for a monkey has on the rest of the family members.

The Adventures of Toto Setting

The story is set around the time of the independence era in Dehra Dun. The story talks about the time when there were tonga-drivers and monkeys could be kept in the house, when animals were allowed to travel in the coach and ticket collectors could charge you money for a monkey travelling with you.

The Adventures of Toto Message

The story discusses both the fascination of some people for animals and the problems that can arise when one decides to keep an animal as a pet. This can be disadvantageous not only to the family keeping an animal but also to the animal as we see in the case of Toto, who almost boils himself before he is rescued by the family.

In fact it also raises questions about the necessity of taking animals away from their natural environment and domesticating them, thereby exposing them to the dangers that arise from human living.

The Adventures of Toto Characters

Grandfather – he was an animal lover who had a collection of animals in the house including a tortoise and a monkey. In fact he bought a monkey from the tonga-driver because he felt the monkey was not being taken care of properly by the man. He did not feel unhappy at the damage and destruction caused by the monkey but admired its intelligence at being able to escape from the peg he had been tied to. He was a little afraid of his wife’s reaction to his adopting animals and so would hide them till he could break the news gently to her. He understood animals and took Toto along with him to Saharanpur because he knew how destructive he could be and he did not want his wife to have to deal with his antics. He also had presence of mind as we see in his interaction with the ticket-collector who forced him to pay for the monkey but did not charge him for the tortoise. He was also a realist as he returned the monkey once he realised that he would not be able to manage him. He was not materialistic as we find that he bought Toto for five rupees but sold him back to the tonga-driver for three rupees without thinking about the loss that he had incurred.

Grandmother – She was not as ardent an animal lover as her husband. In fact she took time to get used to the animals that grandfather would bring home and he often hid them (as we see in the case of Toto) till he broke the news about the new addition to the zoo. However, she took good care of the animals as we see in the case of Toto who almost boiled himself in the kettle of hot water. In the end we see that her will prevailed as Grandfather was forced to return Toto because he realised that Toto was too mischievous to keep at home and would test Grandmother’s patience too much.

The Adventures of Toto Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Where did Grandfather buy Toto from and why?
Answer:
He bought Toto from a tonga-driver. The tonga-driver used to keep it tied to a feeding trough where the monkey looked highly out of place, so he decided to buy him to add to his private zoo.

Question 2.
Describe Toto the monkey that Grandfather bought from the tonga-driver.
Answer:
Toto was a pretty monkey with bright eyes that sparkled with mischief under deep-set eyebrows. He had pearly white teeth which he bared in a smile that frightened old Anglo-Indian ladies. His skin was wrinkled, with his hands looking pickled in the sun. His finger was quick and wicked and his tail acted as a third hand for him.

Question 3.
Why did the narrator and his Grandfather hide Toto?
Answer:
The narrator’s Grandmother was always upset whenever his Grandfather brought an animal home. So, they hid Toto in a closet till they could find Grandmother in a good mood before introducing her to Toto.

Question 4.
Do you think Grandmother was a keen lover like his Grandfather? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, Grandmother was not so fond of animals as it is mentioned she used to fuss a lot whenever Grandfather got a new animal home. Also the fact that Grandfather had to return the monkey to the tonga-driver because of its mischief was because of his fear of Grandmother’s reactions to them.

Question 5.
Why was Grandfather pleased even though Toto had escaped from the closet? What does this tell us about his character?
Answer:
He was pleased at Toto’s intelligence and how he had managed to get free from the peg he had been tied to. This reveals the fact that he was a true animal lover and enjoyed the antics of the monkey.

Question 6.
How did Toto manage to escape from the closet? What does this reveal about the monkey?
Answer:
He pulled out the peg he had been tied to from the wall inside the closet and escaped from it. This reveals how intelligent, resourceful and mischievous the monkey was.

Question 7.
Where did Grandfather hide Toto after his escape from the closet?
Answer:
He hid him in the servant’s quarters and transferred him to a big cage where a number of other pets had been housed.

Question 8.
Why did Grandfather decide to take Toto to Saharanpur?
Answer:
Grandfather had to go to Saharanpur to get his pension and he felt that if he left Toto behind he would not allow any of the animals in the servant’s quarters to sleep all night. So, he decided to take him along.

Question 9.
How did Grandfather take Toto to Saharanpur?
Answer:
He put the monkey in a big black canvas kit-bag with some straw at the bottom. When the bag was closed there was no place for the monkey to escape from as he could not get his hands out of the neck which was tied securely, and the canvas was too thick for him to bite his way out.

Question 10.
Why did Grandfather have to pay three rupees to the Ticket-Collector?
Answer:
He had to pay the money as ticket money for the monkey. The Ticket-Collector insisted on calling the monkey a dog and charged the fare.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Lost Child Summary in English by Mulk Raj Anand

The Lost Child by Mulk Raj Anand About the Author

Mulk Raj Anand was one of the first Indian writers who wrote in English and gained popularity at an international scale. He produced a remarkable body of work that contains several short stories, novels and essays. Anand was bom in Peshawar and his father was a coppersmith. Anand was a highly educated man; he graduated with honors from Punjab University and then went to University College, London. While studying in England, he worked at a restaurant to finance his education. He went on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University. This was also the time when he became involved in India’s struggle for independence.

He first gained popularity for his novels, Untouchable and Coolie. Among his other notable works is a trilogy consisting of The Village, Across the Black Waters and The Sword and the Sickle. Anand wrote extensively about the lives of the poor, oppressed Indian people and about social evils like the caste system, untouchability and communalism. Through his empathetic portrayal of the lives of the common Indian people, he provided stark social commentaries on the structures of society. Anand is regarded as one of the founding figures of Indian English literature.

The Lost Child Summary in English

The story is set during a spring festival. The road to the fair is full of people. An excited little boy is running alongside his father. He watches the toys in the shops with wonder and his parents tell him to hurry up. The child goes to his parents and feels the urge to tell his parents that he wants a toy, though he knows from the look on their faces that they will refuse. His father gives him a strict look while his mother gently tries to distract him by showing him the flowering mustard field. The child then begins chasing dragonflies and his mother has to call him back to the footpath. He walks with his parents for a while till once again, he becomes distracted by the insects and worms on the footpath. His parents call him from under the shade of a grove where they are seated and he runs towards them.

As he enters the grove, flowers begin to fall upon him and he begins collecting petals. Then he hears doves cooing and he runs towards his parents, dropping the petals and looking for the dove. He begins running around a banyan tree. His parents pick him up and take a narrow, winding footpath through the mustard fields to the fair. As they approach the village, the child sees that a huge crowd is gathering at the fair. He is both frightened and fascinated. The child sees a sweetmeat seller’s shop stacked with many coloured sweets. He murmurs that he wants to have a burfi—his favourite sweet. But he knows that his parents will call him greedy if he demands a sweet, so he does not wait for their answer. He then sees a flower-seller selling garlands of gulmohur flowers. He is very attracted by the flowers and softly murmurs that he wants one. But he knows his parents will say that the flowers look cheap, so he does not wait for an answer from them and walks ahead.

Next, the child sees a man selling balloons of many colours. He wants to get them all. But he knows his parents will say he is too old to play with balloons and so he walks ahead. Then he sees a snake charmer playing music to a snake that is coiled in a basket. The child knows that his parents will scold him for listening to such coarse music and so he walks on ahead.

Then the child comes upon a merry-go-round. He sees grownups and their children on it laughing and having fun. Finally, he requests his parents for a turn at the merry-go-round, but he receives no reply. He realises that his parents are nowhere around him. He panics and starts running around crying for his parents. He becomes overcome with fear and runs around, crying out for his parents. His yellow turban comes off and his clothes become dirty.

Soon, he exhausts himself and starts sobbing. He looks around for people dressed in yellow, but he cannot find his parents anywhere. He then runs to a shrine, walking under people’s legs, sobbing for his parents. The crowd thickens near the temple’s gates. Here, men are pushing each other and the child struggles to get ahead. He shrieks for his parents and a man notices him and lifts him up into his arms. He shields the child and takes him

away from the crowd. The man asks him who he is and how he came to be there. The child now cries even more bitterly and weeps for his mother and father.

To soothe the crying child, the man asks him if he wants to ride the merry-go-round. But the child says that he just wants his parents back. He then takes him to the snake charmer and tells him to listen to the music. But the child puts his hands over his ears and cries even louder. He keeps saying that he wants his parents.

The man offers to buy him a multi-coloured balloon from the balloon seller, but the child turns his eyes away from the balloons and asks for his parents. The man then takes him to the flower-seller and asks if he would like to wear a garland of fragrant flowers. The child turns his nose away and continues sobbing for his mother and father.

Lastly, the man brings the child back to the sweet-seller, hoping to console him with a sweet. He asks the child to choose a sweet. But the child continues to sob and says that all he wants are his mother and father.

The Lost Child Title

The title beautifully captures the reactions of the child to the world around him before and after he is lost.

The lesson is about an event that takes place in the life of a child who gets lost in a fair. It expresses the fears, anxieties and worries of this very young child who is separated from his parents due to his fascination with the world around him. When he gets lost and separated from his parents, however, his fascination with the world around is also lost.

The Lost Child Theme

The underlying theme of the story “The Lost Child” is the universality of a child’s desire for everything that he claps his eyes on. All that the child witnesses—from the toys lining the street, to the dragon flies in the mustard field, to the snake swaying to the tunes of a snake charmer’s pungi—obsesses the child. It is a visual assault on his senses. He looks at everything in wonder, his senses almost rejoicing at being alive. His parents on the other hand are like a parental control filter, making him abstain him from the lures of the illusionary world as if secretly knowing that what he needs most is something else entirely. They offer a quiet reminder that the child must learn to prioritise what is important and what is not in life.

In the end when the child loses his parents he understands what his parents’ silent gestures and reprimands were trying to teach him. He realises now that what he wanted most was his parents. He continuously refuses everything that the kind stranger offers to console him with—the very same things he was goading his parents for moments ago. Within minutes his life changes and offers him an entirely new perspective of looking at life and understanding what is truly important.

The Lost Child Setting

The story is set in an Indian village around the time of Independence. Set during springtime, the story offers a look into a period of time in history when changing seasons were celebrated with fairs, which offered simple pleasures like the sweetmeat seller, the flower seller, the snake charmer, a balloon seller, etc. The time period is emphasised further by mention of the modes of transportation, such as people riding on horses on the roads, while Others rode in the bamboo and bullock carts.

The Lost Child Message

The story highlights the value of relationships over material goods. The child realises the true value of his parents once he is separated from them. It also sheds light on the universal fear of children and parents of getting separated from one another and the result of such a calamity as seen from the eyes of a little child.

The Lost Child Characters

There are four characters without any names—the child, his parents, and the unknown man who tries to console the lost and sobbing child.

The child is very young and full of joy and excitement at the thought of visiting the fair. He is attracted by all the sights and sounds of the fair. Like all children of his age, he wants whatever catches his fancy, whether a sweetmeat or a dragonfly. He is however quite obedient and disciplined as he does not throw a tantrum when his parents don’t give him any of the things that he demands. In the end he dissolves into tears asjie realizes that he has lost his parents and makes a valiant effort to look for them, almost getting trampled underfoot by the people at the temple before he is rescued by a stranger. The same things that he had desired a little while ago lose all meaning when he gets separated from his parents.

The Parents

The father of the child appears to be a strict disciplinarian who does not give into the demands of the child for toys and sweets. He is the head of the family and both his wife and child do not question his decisions. In fact he seems to be leading the family, expecting them to follow him without dawdling.

The mother has been described as a typical loving mother who tries to soften the disappointment of the child by diverting his attention from the objects that he wants to possess. She seems to be tom between her husband and her child as she struggles to keep pace with her husband and at the same time keep her child from straying. At some point her attention seemed to have wavered, when her child gets separated from her.

The stranger appears to be a kind hearted man who rescues the lost child from under the feet of people thronging outside the temple. He tries hard to stop the child from weeping by offering him all the goodies at the fair and appears to be genuinely concerned to restore the child to his parents.

The Lost Child Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair?
Answer:
He sees people gaily dressed, some on horses, some in bamboo or bullock carts. He also sees toys, dragon ‘flies, insects, worms, flowers, and doves on his way to the fair.

Question 2.
Why does the child lag behind?
Answer:
He lags behind because he is attracted by several of the things he sees on the way like toys, sweetmeats, dragonflies, flower garlands, the snake charmer and the roundabout.

Question 3.
What are the things that he wants at the fair?
Answer:
At first he wanted a burfi, then a garland of gulmohur flowers, next some colourful balloons, after that he was attracted by the snake charmer and finally he wanted a ride on the roundabout.

Question 4.
Why does the child move on without waiting for his parents’ answer whenever he asked for things that attracted him?
Answer:
He moves on without waiting for an answer because he knew they would not pay attention to his demands or give him what he asked for.

Question 5.
When does the child realize that he had lost his way?
Answer:
At the roundabout, when he turned to request his parents to allow him to sit on the ride, he did not get any reply. When he looked around for them he realized he had strayed away from his parents and lost his way.

Question 6.
How has the lost child’s anxiety and insecurity been described?
Answer:
His anxiety and insecurity have been described through his reaction to his realisation that he was lost. Tears rolled down his cheeks, his throat became dry, his face flushed and convulsed with fear and he ran in all directions in panic without knowing where to go.

Question 7.
Why does the lost child lose interest in the things that he had wanted earlier?
Answer:
He lost all interest in the things that he had wanted earlier because he felt fearful and insecure at being separated from his parents and all he wanted was to be reunited with them.

Question 8.
What do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
Answer:
This question can be answered in either way –
In my opinion the child is reunited with his parents who are also searching for him and find him crying in a stranger’s lap.
Or
No, the child is not reunited with his parents but is taken by the man who finds him and is brought up by him.

Question 9.
Why was the fair being held in the village?
Answer:
It was being held to celebrate the spring season.

Question 10.
What tells us that the little boy was excited about going to the fair?
Answer:
The fact that the little boy has been described as “brimming over with life and laughter” tells us that he was happy and excited to be going to the fair.

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If I Were You Summary in English by Douglas James

If I Were You by Douglas James About the Author

Douglas James bom in Bray in 1929 as written frequently for television, most notably as the creator of The Riordans, RTE’s long-running serial in the 1970s. He has also written a number of plays including The Savages, The Ice Goddess and North Traffic Straight Ahead, an ironic drama of wasted urban lives.

If I Were You Introduction to the Chapter

If I Were You by Douglas James is an interesting play that has mystery, suspense, surprise and humour. It is a story in which an Intruder intends to kill Gerrard and impersonate him to escape the law but the tables are turned on him as he is trapped due to Gerrard’s presence of mind. The play thus brings out that intelligence and presence of mind can help us come out of trickiest of situations.

If I Were You Summary in English

If I Were You is the story of Gerrard a cultured playwright. He is something of a mystery man. He is not very social, lives in a lonely cottage in the wilds of Essex, gives his orders on the phone and never meets the tradesmen.

The play opens with Gerrard answering a phone call which is from a client to whom he promises to deliver the props for rehearsal. He is busy packing for travel in this connection when a flashily dressed Intruder, wearing an overcoat and a soft hat and carrying a revolver in his hand enters the room. However, before he can take Gerrard by surprise, the Intruder bumps accidentally against a table, and alerts Gerrard to his presence. Not at all nonplussed, Gerrard tries to figure out who the Intruder is when the latter threatens him with dire consequences if his questions are not answered. The Intruder declares that he is not there to tell him about himself but to learn more about Gerrard.

The Intruder, who looks somewhat like Gerrard, wants to murder Gerrard and thereafter steal his identity. He is a robber who specialises in the theft of jewels and plans to use Gerrard’s house and car for his schemes. By assuming his identity, he can evade the police and lead a peaceful life. The Intruder further surprises Gerrard by telling him that he has noticed his (Gerrard’s) manner of speech and has taken care to adopt a resemblance to him in looks too. He needs to change his identity because the cops are searching him for having killed on of their colleagues. He also tells Gerrard how he has come to know about him, and his habit of keeping aloof, by overhearing a conversation between two people.

But it is the clever Gerrard who has the last laugh when he fools the Intruder into believing that he, too, is running from the law and is about to flee. He explains to the Intruder that unfortunately one of his men has been caught.

He is expecting trouble that night. That is why he is ready to make his getaway. He has a disguise outfit ready; false moustaches and what not.

He adds that he has posted a man on the road to call him the moment he sees the police.

The Intruder seems taken in.

As the telephone bell rings, Gerrard tells the Intruder that it might be the call from the Informer. He completely befools the Intruder by making him check for himself if everything is safe outside before they escape. He makes him peep into a dark cupboard giving the impression that it leads to the garage. The moment the Intruder peeps in, Gerrard pushes him into the cupboard, knocking the revolver out of his hand.

While the Intruder keeps rattling the door and shouting, “Let me out of here!”, Gerrard gets down to business. Very coolly he answers a phone call, apologising that he wouldn’t be able to deliver stage props in time for rehearsal. At the same time he requests the caller to send the sergeant to his place. All this while he guards the cupboard with the Intruder’s revolver.

Gerrard is so impressed by this incident that he decides to use it as the plot for his next play.

If I Were You Title

If I WAre You is a very appropriate title. It refers to the wishful thinking of the Intruder who wants to assume Gerrard\s identity in order to escape the law. His idea of eluding the police by living on a borrowed identity remains unfulfilled as he is trapped by Gerrard and outwitted before he can end Gerrard’s life assume his identity. His dreaiij to impersonate Gerrard comes to an end, when Gerrard turns the tables on him and captures him. The speculative “If’ in If I Were You remains just that – mere speculation.

If I Were You Setting

The setting of the play is a room in the cottage of a playwright, Vincent Charles Gerrard, in the in the wilds of Essex. The dottage is isolated and quite sitable as a writing retreat for a playwright who is something of a mystery man as he is not very social and never meets the tradesmen. It is also quite suitable as a hideout for a criminal on the run.

If I Were You Theme

The theme of the play emphasizes the need of retaining one’s presence of mind and a cool head in situations of crisis. Panic complicates matters but cool temperament can help one escape fro any tight comer with ease. Criminals, who mastermind most well thought out crimes, can also be outwitted because they are fearful of the law and of getting caught. Hence, tactful planning and handling of a situation can trap even ‘experienced’ criminals.

If I Were You Message

The play gives the message that over-confidence can lead to disastrous results. One should never consider oneself to be smarter than the opponent. The Intruder makes the serious error of thinking that Gerrard is no match for him. Therefore, he lets down his guard. The play also conveys the message that intelligence, presence of mind, and keeping a cool head can help us overcome the gravest of problems that we may encounter. Gerrard retains his cool and turns the situation to his advantage and cleverly tricks the Intruder and locks him up in the cupboard before calling the police.

If I Were You Humour

Though the play deals with a criminal and a playwright threatened by him, there is a thread of humour that runs through the play. The humour is neither boisterous nor unnatural. It is refined and subtle. Gerrard’s cool- headedness and presence of mind make him come out with such witty and sarcastic remarks that annoy the Intruder and amuse the audience. When the Intruder asks him to talk about himself, rather than panicking, he says he is happy to have a sympathetic audience. When the Intruder says he intends to live in his cottage, Gerrard, rather than being shocked, says, “You have not been invited”. Talking about the Intruder’s looks, Gerrard remarks, “You are not particularly decorative”. Such humour runs throughout the play and making it not just a gripping drama but also an entertaining one.

If I Were You Characters

Gerrard

Gerrard, the protagonist of If I Were You is portrayed as a man of many virtues. He is endowed with a brilliant wit, a sharp mind, smart thinking, and a sense of humour. All these qualities, combined with his ability to keep a cool head enable him to handle even a life-threatening situation very successfully and easily.

Gerrard is associated with the theatre. He is a playwright who also acts in and provides props for plays. He is not very social, lives in a lonely cottage in the wilds of Essex, gives his orders on the phone and never meets the tradesmen. This is probably because he likes his solitude while writing.

A refined and a cultured man, Gerrard keeps his cool even in the most difficult situations. The sight of an Intruder doesn’t ruffle him and he talks to him very courteously and pleasantly. His sense of humour irritates the Intruder many times. He calls the situation melodramatic and calls himself a sympathetic audience.

Even when he is confronted with a life-threatening situation, Gerrard retains his presence of mind and lays a trap for the Intruder. He handles the situation with the Intruder very cleverly. He convinces the Intruder that he, too, is a criminal on the run, and they can both escape together.

Everything comes so naturally and spontaneously to him that the Intruder walks into his trap unsuspectingly. Gerrard’s intelligence not only outwits the Intruder and saves his own life, but also helps the police in nabbing a Wanted criminal. In fact, Gerrard, with his unagitated, composed manner serves as a foil to villainous Intruder who is edgy and agitated.

Intruder

The Intruder is a criminal on the run. His “speciality” is jewel robbery. The police is on the lookout for him. So, he is looking for a safe place to hide. The villainous scoundrel, makes an intriguing plan to dodge the police. Cold blooded, as he is, he has hatched a crafty plan to achieve his aim. He plans to kills Gerrard and steal his identity. He is smart and has chosen Gerrard, as he realises he is a bit of a mystery man – a recluse – and that they are somewhat alike in looks. He decides to use these facts to his advantage.

The Intruder is a criminal who has been eluding the police ever since he killed a cop. He has no sense of remorse for the crime he has committed. In fact, he is further sinking in the mire of criminal activities by killing Gerrard and stealing his identity.

The Intruder is a bungler. This is probably because he is edgy and agitated. He enters Gerrard’s cottage silently, but accidently bangs against a table. This alerts Gerrard to his presence. He, thus, is not able to take him by surprise. In the end, too, he goes to inspect what is actually a cupboard, but which Gerrard claims is the garage and is trapped.

The Intruder copies the American way of speaking. “Put those paws up!” An amused Gerrard asks him “Are you American, or is that merely a clever imitation?” This shows he either watches a lot of Hollywood films or reads Crime novels.

If I Were You Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Briefly describe Gerrard’s appearance.
Answer:
Gerrard is a man of medium height and wears horn-rimmed glasses. When the play opens, he is dressed in a lounge suit and a great coat. He talks in a cultured voice and his demeanour is confident.

Question 2.
Who was the Intruder in Gerrard’s house? Why did he break into his house?
Answer:
The Intruder, who broke into Gerrard’s house, was a criminal. He had murdered a cop and was being chased by the police. He broke into Gerrard’s house with the intention of murdering him and taking on his identity to evade the police.

Question 3.
How did Gerrard behave on seeing a gun-totting stranger in his cottage?
Answer:
Gerrard kept his cool and remained absolutely unruffled when he saw the gun-totting stranger in his cottage. There was neither any panic nor any ring of tension in his voice. He remained his normal self and talked to him casually.

Question 4.
Why does the Intruder intend to kill Gerrard?
Answer:
The Intruder is a criminal who is being chased by the police for having murdered a cop. As per his plan, the Intruder intends to kill Gerrard in order to take on his identity and escape capture by the police. In this way, he can lead a peaceful life without living in constant fear of arrest and punishment.

Question 5.
Why does the Intruder not kill Gerrard immediately?
Answer:
The Intruder does not kill Gerrard immediately because he first wants to get all the necessary information from him. Without this information, his plan to take on Gerrard’s identity will not succeed.

Question 6.
What impression do you form of the Intruder as he comes in? Give examples to illustrate.
Answer:
The Intruder is similar in build to Gerrard enters from the right silently – revolver in hand. He is flashily dressed in an overcoat and a soft hat. He seems to be a dangerous person as he is carrying a pistol and threatens Gerrard. He claims to have killed a cop. He is mean, heartless and crafty, for he plans to kill Gerrard and assume his identity in order to escape the police. He is over-confident because he claims that Gerrard is no match for him.

Question 7.
“You’ll soon stop being smart.” Why did Intruder think that Gerrard was being smart?
Answer:
The Intruder thought that Gerrard was being ‘smart’ or clever and facetious because he did not show any fear at the sight of an armed man enter his house and threaten him. To the contrary, he was giving the Intruder smart answers to his questions.

Question 8.
How did the Intruder threaten Gerrard ?
Answer:
The Intruder threatened Gerrard by saying that he would soon stop being smart. He would make Gerrard crawl.

Question 9.
“I want to know a few things, see.” What sort of information did the Intruder want from Gerrard?
Answer:
The Intruder wanted personal details from Gerrard like whether he lived alone, what his Christian name was, whether he had a car and whether people visited him. All this information was necessary for the execution of his plan to dodge the police by killing Gerrard and taking on his identity.

Question 10.
Why did the Intruder say, “They can’t hang me twice?”
Answer:
The Intruder said this because he was already wanted for having murdered a cop. If he managed to kill Gerrard, as per his plan, and was later arrested, it would not matter as the punishment for this murder, too, would be a hanging. They could not hang him for the two murders twice.

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A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Summary in English by William Wordsworth

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal by William Wordsworth About the Poet

William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication of Lyrical Ballads. This piece of work is considered to be Wordsworth’s magnum opus. The Prelude is a semi auto biographical poem of his early years which the poet revised and expanded a number of times. The work was posthumously titled and published, prior to which it was generally known as the poem “to Coleridge”. Wordsworth was England’s Poet Laureate from 1843 until his death in 1850.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Introduction to the Chapter

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal is a poem written by William Wordsworth in 1798 and published in the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads. During the autumn of 1798, Wordsworth travelled to Germany with his sister Dorothy and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. From October 1798, Wordsworth worked on the first drafts for his Lucy poems, which included Strange Fits of Passion Have I Known, She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways and A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal. Eventually, A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal, was published in the 1800 edition of Lyrical Ballads.

The poem is unique amongst Lucy poems as it does not directly mention Lucy. The decision by critics to include the poem as part of the series is based in part on Wordsworth’s placing it in close proximity to the other Lucy poems in the Lyrical Ballads. All these poems are about a young girl named Lucy whose identity and relationship with Wordsworth are unknown. However, the poems reveal that the poet loved her dearly and she died very young. As in other ‘Lucy Poems’, here too, the poet presents Lucy as having become one with nature after her death.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Summary in English

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal is one of the five Lucy Poems, a cluster of elegies about the death of a young girl named Lucy (though she remains unnamed in this poem) which brings to Wordsworth the realization that bad things can happen in a beautiful world. In this poem, the poet seems to be immortalizing Lucy’s death as he describes and appreciates life beyond death.

The poem is a mere eight lines long; two “stanzas.” The first stanza reveals the poet’s innocent unawareness about the fact that one day Lucy too would age or meet her death like other human beings. The second stanza deals with her death that has made her motionless, forceless, and without the faculties of sight and hearing. However, the poet is at peace even after losing Lucy to death because he finds that she has become an inseparable part of the earth by mingling with the rocks, the stones, and the trees.

The opening lines of the poem tell us about the poet himself. “A slumber did my spirit seal” could mean that the speaker is in some sort of a lethargic state, as if he isn’t living in reality but rather in fantasy. This ‘slumber’ transports him to a state of unawareness which keeps away all his human fears like the fact that age and death spare none, not even his dear Lucy.

However, the poet soon encounters the hard fact that the young girl has passed away. He does not address the matter directly perhaps because the pain and agony that he is because of her death is far too overwhelming for him to even mention it in a direct manner.

The lines
“No motion has she now, no force;” tell us how she is lying still, how she is now an inanimate object, devoid of life. In this way the poet subtly implies that she had once been an energetic person, not one to stay put in one place for long. When he writes about her current lack of senses he also implies that the woman might have been one to live life fully, using all of her senses to enjoy each day. He emphasizes how she can no longer enjoy the world through sight or sound by stating that she can no longer see, hear or move; she doesn’t have power.

The last two lines explain how her body has become one with earth, how she is now a part of nature. She is one among the other elements of nature like rocks, stones, and trees. Her only movement is along with the rolling of earth, of which she is now an integral part.

This movement is seen positively by the poet and he does not feel sad or bitter at the girl’s death. For him, her integration with nature transforms her human form and she continues to live like the animate and inanimate objects of nature.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Theme

The theme of A Slumber Did My Spirits Seal is the idea of life, death, and life after death. The poem, like all Lucy Poems, treats the subject of her death. The poet deals with the theme of loss through death and the sorrows that follow. The death of Lucy has left the poet in great pain to the extent that he talks of her death as transforming her into “rocks and stones and trees”. The poet does not mourn her death as an ultimate end. He, who had once considered her to be above old age and death, now finds her inseparably blended with the earth and the nature. Thus, another theme is the immortality of the human soul; Williams Wordsworth immortalizes Lucy by stating that she lives in nature after her physical death. Finally, the third theme is nature. After her death Lucy has become a part of nature and lives on in it.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Tone

The poems tone is one of acceptance as the poet comes to terms with the death of his beloved Lucy.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Message

The keynote of this poem is immortality. Through the death of Lucy, Wordsworth conveys the message that death is inevitable. Nobody is beyond the reach of death. But death does not imply a complete end as the dead person gets integrated with nature and thus lives on. Although to the poet Lucy had seemed a ‘thing’ that could not be touched by the passing of time, ‘the touch of earthly years’, Lucy has breathed her last. She now lacks ‘motion’ and ‘force’, both ideas associated with positive human action. Now she ‘neither hears nor sees’; all those special marks of humanity are gone. But Lucy has been absorbed into nature. She is now one with the rocks, stones and trees and part of the greater pattern of the universe. After death she has become immortal as she is now a part of the earth and its routine rolling.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Title

The title A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal is taken from the opening line of the poem. The title refers to the drugged, drowsy, nearly unconscious state of the poet’s mind that has kept him from realizing reality. He has been in a dream-like state, devoid of any common fears (“human fears”). To the speaker, “she” (his unnamed female love) seemed like she would never age:. However, the death of Lucy has awakened him to the bitter truth of life – its ultimate end in death.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Literary Devices

Alliteration

Alliteration is a poetic device in which the poet repeatedly uses a sound at close intervals with the purpose of making the poem lyrical.

Example: A slumber did my spirit seal-

Enjambment

Enjambment is a literary device in which a line does not have a comma or a full stop at the end; the line rolls on to the next line.

Example: She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.

Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme is a popular literary device in which the repetition of the same or similar sounds occurs in two or more words, e.g., covers and lovers. Rhyme occurs usually at the end of a line in a poem. The rhyme scheme in this eight-lined poem is abab cdcd.

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What does the poet mean by ‘spirit’ and in what state was it?
Answer:
In the poem the word ‘spirit’ refers to the mind of the poet. He was in a slumber. That is, a deep sleep or a state of unawareness as if unconscious to the realities of life. It is as if he was drugged or under some spell.

Question 2.
What caused the slumber of the poet?
Answer:
The poet was passionately in love with the girl. Her death shocked and saddened him. He felt bitter grief. His deep emotion overwhelmed his mind. Such was the intensity of his sorrow that it overpowered his consciousness.

Question 3.
What changes did the slumber bring in the poet’s feelings?
Answer:
The poet was shocked and saddened by his beloved’s death. But the slumber brought peace to his mind. He realised that his beloved had become part of Nature and would always remain around him.

Question 4.
Who does not feel any human fears? Why?
Answer:
The poet does not feel any fears and his soul feels at peace, as though asleep and existing in a deep calm where he has nothing to fear. His love for Lucy was so strong that he did not want her to grow old and suffer the problems of old age as human beings do. She would not now be marked by the passing of time or the ravages of nature as other mortals are. For him, she has attained the status of a supernatural being.

Question 5.
Explain the line: “The touch of earthly years”. Who would not feel the touch of earthly years?
Answer:
The expression “The touch of earthly years,” refers to the ravages of old age faced by human beings – the depletion of energy, diseases, senility and death which a person has to suffer as one grows old during life on this earth. The poet’s beloved Lucy will not face the problems of old age as she is no more alive.

Question 6.
How does the poet come out of his ‘slumber’?
Answer:
The poet comes out of ‘slumber’ as the realisation dawns of him that with her death Lucy is no longer a human being and as vulnerable to death as others. She has become an immortal being and he sees her as a supernatural goddess. This brings him out of his unconsciousness or ‘slumber’.

Question 7.
How does the poet react to his loved one’s death?
Answer:
At first the poet is shocked by the death of his beloved and he feels bitter grief. But after some realisation, he feels a great peace. He is content that the passing of time will no longer affect her. She has become part of Nature and is free from human travails.

Question 8.
The poet does not refer to the death of Lucy. How does he reveal that she is no more?
Answer:
The poet does not refer to Lucy as being dead directly. However, he makes it obvious that she is no longer alive by stating that she has become completely still, motionless, inactive and inert. Moreover, she has lost her senses of hearing and seeing.

Question 9.
How does the poet imagine “her” to be after death?
Answer:
The poet imagines her to be at peace after death. She is in a deep sleep, no longer affected by worldly affairs or by the passage of time. She is now part of nature.

‘No motion has she now, no force
She neither hears nor sees,’

Question 10.
What does the poet mean by “earth’s diurnal course”? How has “she” become a part of earth’s diurnal course?
Answer:
The phrase “earth’s diurnal course” refers to the daily rotation of the earth on its axis that causes day and night. According to the poet Lucy has become an inseparable part of the earth after her death. As she has mingled with the earth, she naturally participates in its daily course just like the stones, the rocks, and the trees.