Content Vocabulary-2

UNIT 10 STUDY OF LITERARY TEXTS-2

Structure
10.0 Objectives
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Jawaharlal N e h 'Opportunity for Youth'
10.3 Nissim Ezekeil: 'The Patriot'
10.4 The Good Samaritan'
10.5 LetUsSumUp
10.6 Suggested Reading
Answers

10.0 OBJECTIVES

After completing this Unit, you should be able to

read and understand a prose passage or a simple poem,
find out the meanings of words, as used in particular contexts,
avoid mistakes in the use of words, and
express the main ideas of a passage in simple words.

10.1 INTRODUCTION

This Unit gives fixher practice in the study of content vocabulary as used in standard
literary writings.

10.2 JAWAHARLAE NEHRU: 'OPPORTUNITY FOR

YOUTH'
This is an e x k c t fiom Jawaharlal Nehru's address at the second Inter-University
Youth Festival held at New Delhi on October 23, 1955. Nehru had to go to prison a
number of times during our country's struggle for independence. He wrote some of
his books in prison, including The Discovev of India, to which he refers here. In this
speech, Nehru expresses his view that happiness comes fiom integration of
personality. He also talks about his attitude to his country and the world, and his
views on Gandhiji.

Now read the passage carehlly and answer the questions given below. The pattern of
the questions is very similar to that in Unit 19. The first exercise deals with overall
comprehension of the passage and it will enable you to check whether you have got
the general drift or the main ideas of the passage. This is followed by exercises on a
detailed understanding of each paragraph, and the words used in them. Use your
dictionary as much as possible.

Opportunity for Youth

1. You know that I once wrote a book called The Discovery of India. I was engaged
in that quest long before I wrote that book. It was not mere curiosity that led me
to that quest. I was engaged in many activities and I wanted a proper
reconciliation between my activity and my thought. Thought withovt action is
abortion. Action without thought is folly.
 Of course, we sometimes act on some impulse or irrepressible urge. If suddenly Study of Literary
you throw a brick at me and my hand goes up to protect myself, it is an Texts-2
automatic, instinctive action and not a result of deliberate thought. Our living is
conditioned by a series of automatic actions from morning till night. Anything we
do outside that common-range of actions, however, has to be preceded by some
measure of thinking. The more action and thought are allied and integrated, the
more effective they become and the happier you grow. There will then be no
inner conflict between a wish to do something and inability to act or between
thinking one way and acting in another. The happiest man is he whose thinking
and action are co-ordinated.

Happiness, after all, is an inner state of mind. It is little dependent on outside

environment. Happiness has very little to do, for instance, with whether you are
rich or not rich. Some of the most miserable persons I have come across in my
life are the rich people. It is true that poverty makes one miserable in a very acute
way. But my point is that it is not wealth but co-ordination of one's thought and
action which removes inner conflicts. It is in that way that integration of
personality is achieved.

We were engaged, as you know, in a very great movement in India. Because that
movement was intimately concerned with the freedom of India, I was led to
wonder what exactly is India. I knew, of course, the geography of India. I knew
many other odd facts about India, too. I was not prepared to accept it on faith that
because I was born in India, therefore India was the greatest country in the world.
That is the kind of folly in which the people of every country indulge.

There are quite enough people in India who think that India is obviously the
greatest country. In the days when we were politically subject and could not take
much pride in our political condition, we prided ourselves on our spiritual
greatness. Having nothing else to get hold of we took refuge in spirituality.

If you go to other countries-I shall not name them as I do'not wish to cause
offence-you will find the people there think that their country is the chosen
country, the torch-bearer of civilization, the most advanced country, the most
revolutionary country, the country with the biggest buildings, the country with
something unique, some mission or other. It is natural for one to like one's
country and one's own people. It would be unnatural not to do so. It is good to be
a little proud of one's own country. But it is wrong to start imagining that we are
the highest and the best in the world. The fact is that every country and every
people have admirable points about them; they have great achievements to their
credit, and they have also bad periods in their history. This applies not to
countries only but to individuals. Nobody is perfect; he has weaknesses and
failings. Nobody is thoroughly bad either. We are all mixtures of good and evil.
But we should try to fbrther the good in ourselves and in others.
I
7. Most of you probably did not see Gandhiji at close quarters. He had amazinq
I qualities. One of these qualities was that he managed to draw out the good in
, another person. The other person may have had plenty of evil in him. But he
i somehow spotted the good and laid emphasis on that good. The result was that
that poor man had to try to be good. He could not help it. He would feel a little
ashamed when he did something wrong.

8. People who always seek evil in others find it. This applies to nations as well as
individuals. Go to a foreign country. You are likely to find many things that you
do not like. Are you going to spend your time finding out the evil in other

! countries, or rather in finding out the good in them, and profiting yourself and
others by your contact?
Content Vocabulary-2 9. We are all much too apt to look at the evil in other individuals and countries
rather than the good. Perhaps some of you know the saying in the Bible about the
person who could not see the beam in his own eye and saw the mote in the other's
eye.

(from Jawaharlal Nehru's Speeches, Vol. 3, March 1955-August 1957,

Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasti-lg, Government of
India)

'Check Your Progress 1

a) i) what was the quest that Nehru was engaged in even before he wrote The
Discovery of India?

ii) Who is the happiest man according to Nehru?

iii) How is integration of personality)achieved?

iv) What is the folly the people of every country indulge in?

v) What did we take pride in when we were under foreign rule?

vi) Why is it wrong to think that one's own country is the greatest?

vii) Nehru talks about one of the qualities Gandhiji had. What was it?
 Study of Literary
viii) How can we profit by our contact with other countries? Texts-2

b) Read Paragraphs 1,2 & 3 again, and answer the following questions:
i) What is the meaning of 'engaged' in Paragraph I? Give another meaning of
the word.

ii) What is the difference in the meanings of 'quest' and 'discovery'? How are
they related?

iii) In Paragraphs 1 and 2, there are three words reconciliation, integrated and
co-ordinated which refer to the desired relationship between thought and
action. First, point out the difference in the meanings of these words. Then
say how they are related,

iv) In Paragraph 1, the word 'abortion' has been used. What is its literal .
meaning? Explain the extended sense in which it is used in the passage.

v) Nehru says that we sometimes act on an 'irrepressible urge', that is, under
the influence of a strong desire that we cannot check. What is the
difference between 'imphlse' and 'instinctive action'?
Content Vocabulary-2

vi) Find out words in Paragraphs 1 and 2 which mean the following:
~ -

a. desire to know
b. happening by itself without thought
c. intentional

vii) How does an inner conflict arise in a person?

viii) What example of instinctive action is given in Paragraph 2? Can you give
another example yourself?

ix) What does the word 'environment' mean in Paragraph 3?

x) How does Nehru prove that happiness does not depend on one's being rich?

c) Now read Paragraphs 4,5 and 6, and answer the following questions:
i) What led Nehru to wonder what exactly India was?

ii) What words in Paragraphs 4 mean (a) closely, (b) trust, (c) foolishness

iii) Give two meanings of the word 'subject' and shy in what meaning it is used
in Paragraph 5.

iv) Explain the phrases:

'to get hold of,
'took refuge in'
 v) What is meant by the word 'spirituality'? Study of Literary
Texts-2

vi) Explain the words:

'chosen country', 'torch-bearer'

vii) Find out words in Paragraph 6 which mean

a. having no like or equal
b. things accomplished
c. completely

d) Read Paragraphs 7,8 and 9 and answer the following questions:

i) Use these expressions in meaningful sentences of your own.
draw out

lay emphasis on

cannot help it

feel ashamed

ii) Explain the Biblical saying about the person who could not see the beam in
his own eye and saw the mote in the other's eye.

10.3 NISSIM EZEKEIL : 'THE PATRIOT'

Here is an amusing poem by Nissim Ezekeil, which illustrates the use of non-
standard English in India. The poet has deliberately used certain words and
grammatical patterns for comic effect.
The Patriot
by Nissim Ezekeil
I am standing for peace and non-violence,
Why world is fighting fighting
Why all people of world
Are not following Mahatma Gandhi,
I am simply not understanding.
Ancient Indian Wisdom is 100% correct.
Content Vocabulary-2 I should say even 200% correct.
But modem generation is neglecting-
Too much going for fashion and foreign thing.

10 Other day I'm reading in newspaper '

(Every day I'm reading Times of India
To improve my English language)
How one goonda fellow
Throw stone at Indirabehn.
15 Must be student unrest fellow, I am thinking.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, I am saying
(to myself)
Lend me the ears.
Everything is coming-
Regeneration, Remuneration, Contraception.
20 Be patiently, brothers and sisters.

You want one glass lassi?

Very good for digestion.
With little salt lovely drink,
Better than wine;
25 Not that I am ever tasting the wine.
I'm the total teetotaller, completely total.
But I say
Wine is for the drunkards only.

What you think of prospects of world peace?

Pakistan behaving like this,
30 China behaving like that,
It is making me very sad, I am telling you.
Really, most harassing me.
All men are brothers, no?
35 In India also
Gujaraties, Maharashtrians, Hindiwallahs
All brothers
Though some are having funny habits.
Still, you tolerate me,
40 I tolerate you,
One day, Ram Rajya is surely coming.

You are going?

But you will visit again
Any time, any day,
45 I am not believing in ceremony,
Always I am enjoying your company.

(from 'Very Indian Poems in Indian English' in Latter-Day Psalms by

permission of Oxford University Press)

Notice some of the peculiar features of English used in this poem.

i) There is a repeated use of verbs in the continuous tense-standing,
understanding, thinking, etc. where the simple present should be used.
ii) In most questions, the auxiliivy verb should come before the subject. An
example of the usual structure of a question is:
Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + Adverb
E.g. Did he get there?
But this order is not observed in the poem.
 Examples of wrong usage: Study of Literary
Why world is fighting? (line 2), Texts-2
Correct form: Why is the world fighting?
Improved version: Why are the people of the world always fighting among
themselves?
iii) The article is missing in most cases; e.g. "all people of world" (line 3).
Correct form: "all the people of the world".

Check Your Progress 2

a) Rewrite the first 9 lines of the poem in standard English. Compare your answer
with that given by us at the end of the unit.

b) Now answer these questions about the content words in the poem.
i) In line 8, the word 'generation' has been used. What is the meaning of the
word here? What other meaning does it have?
6

ii) Look at the expression: 'Lend me the ears' in line 17. The correct form is
'Lend me an ear', or 'Lend me your ears', which occurs in Mark Antony's
speech in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. What does it mean?

iii) Give the meanings of 'Regeneration', 'Remuneration', and 'Contraception'.

Why does the poet use these words in the poem?

iv) In the expression 'total teetotaller, completely total', some words have been
used unnecessarily. Which are these words and why are they unnecessary?
Content Vocabulary-2
-

VJ What is the meaning of 'drunkard'? Is it used correctly here?

vi) In what sense is 'brothers' used here?

vii) What words in the passage mean

a. expectations
b. troubling
c. allow others to exist without interference?

viii) What dos the word 'ceremony' in the last line mean?

10.4 'THE GOOD SAMARITAN'

There is a wrong belief that the use of uncommon words makes one's language
forceful. This is far from correct. Many uncommon words have a specific use in some
areas of meaning. For instance, there are words that would only suit legal matters, i.e.
matters of law. But we must not use them to convey simple, everyday ideas.

Here is the story of the 'Good Samaritan' from the Bible. The good Samaritan was a
genuinely charitable person. In this story'he helped a man dying on the roadside after
being robbed by thieves. Here is the original version.

Passage 1

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who
stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him he
passed by on the other side. And like wise a Levite, when he whs at the place, came
and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and he saw him, he had Study of Literary
compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and Texts-2
wine, and set him on his own beast and brought him [Link] inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the
host and said unto him, "Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when
I come again, I will repay thee."
(From Writing English by Graham Campbell, pp. 92-5, Edward & Arnold, London)

Glossary
'stripped him of his raiment: deprived him of his clothes.
'Levite: one who assisted the priests in worship in a Jewish temple
com'passion: pity
beast: animal
on the'morrow: the next day
de'parted: left
hos~:the owner of the inn
thou spendest: old form of 'you spend'.

Check Your Progress 3

Now here is a similar story written in the style of a newspaper. Read the passage and
answer the questions given below:

Passage 2
While riding his bicycle between two and three o'clock yesterday morning along the
unfrequented locality of the Pimlico Road, a young man of foreign extraction named
Josefs Hovinsky perceived the body of an individual stretched apparently motionless
in the gutter. He alighted from his machine and discovered that the victim of the
I
occurrence had been assaulted by some criminals, who, after relieving him of his
, watch and all his available cash, had made off undetected. The unfortunate victim,
who appears to be well-connedted, has not yet been identified. He lies at present at
I
the Three Stars Hotel in a critical condition, whither his compassionate rescuer
escorted him in a cab. Hopes are entertained of his ultimate recovery .The police are
on the alert.
(From Writing English by ~ r d h a mCampbell)

, i) What does the word 'unfrequented' mean here? Does it mean (a) not often
visited by people, (b) which appears less often in the news?
- - - - - - - -- - -- - --

ii) Can you give just one word for 'a man of foreign extraction'?

iii) What simpler words have been used in Passage 1 for

'perceived'

'an individual'

'apparently motionless'
Content Vocabuiary-2 iv) Give a simple phrase for 'alighted from his machine'

v) Whabdoes the word 'occurrence' mean?

vi) Give a simpler phrase for 'relieving him of.

vii) What word has been used in Passage 1 for 'made off?

viii) What simpler word in Passage 1 means almost the same as 'assaulted' here?

What is the slight difference in their meanings?

ix) Explain the meanings of the words

'well-connected'

'identified'

x) What is the difference between an 'inn' and a 'hotel'?

xi) What word in Passage 2 means 'accompanied'?

xii) Simplify the sentence:

Hopes are entertained of his ultimate recovery.

10.5 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we have discussed three literary texts and given you practice in the study
of content words occurring in them.
 Study of Literary
10.6 SUGGESTED READING ~exts-2

W. Allen: Style
Reader's Digest: Speak Well, Write Well
Wilfred Funk: Word Power Made Easy
Norman Lewis: Six Weeks to a More Powerfil Vocabulary

ANSWERS
Check Your Progress 1
a) i) He was engaged in 'discovering' India.
ii) According to Nehru the happiest man is he whose thinking and action sire
co-ordinated.
iii) Integration of personality is achieved by co-ordination of thought and
action.
iv) People in every country think that their country is the greatest in the world.
v) We took pride in our spiritual greatness.
vi) Because every country h& admirable points and great achievements to its
credit.
I
vii) Gandhiji managed to draw out the good in another person by laying
emphasis on the person's good point.
viii) By finding out the good in them and learning from them.
I It means 'employed busily', another meaning is 'bound by promise of
b) i)
marriage', e.g., Rita is engaged to Sailesh.
ii) 'Quest' is the 'search' for something. 'Discovery' is finding out something.
Usually a quest is an attempt to discover something.
iii) 'Reconciliation' means bringing tyo actions (here 'thought' and 'activity')
into agreement. 'Integrated' means 'combined into a whole'. 'Co-ordination'
means 'making different parts function together'. There is a common
element in the meanings of the three words. All of them refer to two or
more parts working together.
iv) 'Abortion' literally means 'miscarriage of birth, the delivery of foetus in the
first 28 weeks of pregnancy before it is fully developed'. In the passage it
means failure of a project or action, referring to thought which does nos
lead to action.
I
v) 'impulse' is a sudden tendency to act without thinking. 'Instinctive action' is
an automatic action which is the result of inborn tendencies, like 'the herd
instinct' in animals.
vi) (a) curiosity, (b) automatic, (c) deliberate.
vii) When there is a desire to do something and at the same time an inability to
act, or when one thinks in one way but has to act in another way.
viii) If you suddenly throw a brick at me, I raise my hand to protect myself.
Another example would be: When we happen to touch a very hot object,
we immediately withdraw our fingers from it.
ix) Surrounding objects and conditions; the circumstances of one's life.
x) some of the most miserable persons Nehru met were rich people.
Content Vocabulary-2
c) i) The movement for the freedom of India.
ii) (a) intimately, (b) faith, (c) folly.
iii) 'Subject' means
a) (adjective) not independent; under somebody's government.
b) (noun) a branch of study, e.g. science, history, etc.
In the passage the first meaning is intended.
iv) 'to get hold of means 'to find something for support'. 'took refuge' means
- 'took shelter'. Here in the passage it means: 'found something to keep our
self-respect'.
v) 'Spirituality' means 'spiritual quality; belief in the importance of the spirit
as opposed to matter; belief in God; belief in religious things'.
vi) 'chosen country': the country chosen by God for special favour
'torch-bearer": one who carries the torch-here, the torch of civilization.
vii) (a) unique, (b) achievements, (c) thoroughly.

d) i) He's quiet and reserved by nature; you can't draw him out even at a party.
The director of the company laid emphasis on the completion of the project
in time.
I could not help rejecting that paper as it was full of mistakes.
Ganesh felt ashamed because he had quarrelled with his father over a very
small matter. .
ii) Some people can't see their own serious fauits, but are quick to notice very
trifling faults in others.

Check Your Progress 2

a) I stand for peace and non-violence. Why is the world always fighting. I simply
don't understand why all the people of the world don't follow Mahatma Gandhi.
The ancient Indian philosophy is true in all respects; but the present generation
doesn't care for it and is running after fashions and imported things.

b) i) Here it means 'people born at about the same time' ,another meaning of the
word is 'production, say, production of electricity' .
ii) It means: 'Listen to me'.
iii) 'Regeneration' means an improvement of the moral condition of society;
the breathing of a new and a more vigorous and spiritually higher life into
society'. 'Remuneration' means 'reward or pay for service rendered'.
'Contraception' is the prevention of pregnancy. The poet does not mean
anything in particular when he uses these words but just wants to use high-
sounding words, as some people in India do when they write English.
iv) The word 'teetotaller' itself means total abstainer, one who totally abstains
or keeps away from intoxicants like alcoholic drinks, so the words 'total'
and 'completely total' are quite unnecessary.
v) A 'drunkard' is one who has lost control of oneself because he has drunk
too much of alcoholic liquor. Not all people who consume alcoholic drinks
get drunk to that extent. So the word is wrongly used here.
vi) The word 'brothers' in line 34 refers to all members of the human race, who
should be looked upon as brothers. Later, in line 37 it refers to all Indians.
vii) (a) prospects, (b) harassing, (c) tolerite.
 viii) The word 'ceremony' means 'formalities', 'the observance of minute details Study of Literary
of conduct'. The normal English phrase is 'stand on ceremony'. Texts-2

Check Your Progress 3

i) (a)
i i) foreigner
iii) 'saw', 'a certain man', 'half dead'.
iv) got off his bicycle.
v) It means an incident or event.
vi) taking from him.
vii) departed.
viii) wounded. 'To assault' is 'to make a violent attack upon someone'. 'To wound'
is 'to inflict an injury on someone'. An assault may not always lead to the
person being wounded.
ix) 'well-connected' means 'associated with persons of good social position'.
'Identified' means 'recognized'.
An 'inn' is a house providing lodging etc. especially for travellers.
A hotel is a house for the accommodation of paying travellers; we can say it
is a large inn.
xi) 'escorted'.
xii) It is hoped that he will at last regain his health.
Dictionaries (It is going to be useful for you to consult the following dictionaries
while studying the course)

Homby, A.S. (2003) Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English,

Sixth Edition, E.L.B.S. and Oxford University Press.

Proctor, P. (2004), Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Third Edition,

Longman.

Sinclair, J. (1987) Collins COBUZLD English Language Dictionary, Collins and the
University of Birmingham.