The Race

Introduction
The story “The Race” revolves around a twelve-year-old boy named Tarun, who was an ordinary
student and was always demotivated for his unsatisfactory marks by his parents. He loses his
confidence after realising that he is good for nothing. However, he is driven by a desire to be a
fast runner.

One day he meets a trained athlete and coach Ram Narayan, who admires his talent in the field
of athlete and promises to teach him on the condition that he wins the Children’s Day race.
Unfortunately, Tarun not only fails but also finishes the race at last. Despite the failure, Ram
Narayan agrees to train him for his determination and courage.

Tarun’s family
Tarun’s elder brother always made the family proud unlike Tarun. However, Tarun was blessed
with the strength of a great athlete and was an excellent runner. He would run for hours, be it
day or night. At times, he would miss his school bus and would then run to school, which was
five miles away from his home. Unfortunately, his parents hated his running and wanted him to
concentrate more on his studies.

On the other hand, he belonged to a middle-class family, and knew that, to achieve his dream,
he needed an intensive training, the amount for which was well beyond his family’s reach. His
father was very aggressive as Tarun failed in his terminal examinations. His friends too made
fun of him. It was a day he wanted to wipe out from his memory and so he ran all around the
park. After about an hour, he was fully exhausted and sat bench and started panting heavily.

The meeting
On the same bench, an elderly gentleman, Ram Narayan, a sixty-year-old man came and sat
beside him. He had won an Olympic medal in the 400-meter in the 1960s. He recognised a
potential runner in him and promised him to train him only on the condition that he would win
the Children’s Day race at the Nehru Stadium. Tarun began his practise with full enthusiasm.
He would get up at four in the morning and run up to ten miles. In the evenings, he would time
himself according to the 1,000-metre distance prescribed by the competition.

The final day

On November 14, Tarun was very excited. He was a little nervous, but then he noticed his
mother cheering him on from the crowd, which instilled confidence in him. The race began with
Tarun leading the way, however Tarun failed to see a shallow path on the track and slipped. He
sat up and resumed his run. Unfortunately, he slipped once again after getting up. Tarun began
to cry after realising that he would lose the race.

He heard his mother and Ram Narayan encouraging him to run at that same moment. He sat up
and resumed his run. The crowd was cheering for Pawan, the boy who actually won the race.
However, the audience cheered for Tarun too for his determination for not giving up. Even Ram
Narayan appreciated him and asked him to come for training the next day as he had won the
toughest race of his life.

Learning the Game

Introduction
The chapter originally adapted from the autobiography, ‘Playing It My Way’, of former Indian
cricketeer Sachin Tendulkar, provides an insight about the beginning of his passion for the sport
and the challenges that come along with training.

Cricket’s Child
The chapter opens with the author recollecting his memory of playing gully cricket with his
friends, with a tennis ball. He often tried to imitate his favourite players, Sunil Gavaskar and the
West Indian legend Viv Richards. He also tells us that he is extremely fond of bowling. Achrekar
Sir from the Shardashram Vidhyamandir was a cricket coach and gave due importance to the
game.

He also conducted summer camps for the game where young enthusiasts shot their shot at
getting selected. Sachin Tendulkar’s brother, Ajit took notice his brother’s potential and took
him to the camp. The 11 years old Sachin became overwhelmed with the crowd, and
scrutinizing gaze of the coach and missed his best performance.

A Second Chance
Although Achrekar Sir denied Sachin’s selection, Ajit was aware of Sachin’s nervousness and
was adamant, he requested for a second chance for the young boy. This time, he asked the
coach to observe Sachin discreetly and from a distance. With the coach not in view, young
Sachin relaxed and hit the balls, landing himself the selection.

Practice Makes A Man Perfect

Sachin Tendulkar narrates his exhausting and rigid routine of practice and having to travel for 40
minutes to reach Shivaji Park for his practice. His practice lasted hours and was scheduled
twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. In the beginning during bus rides,
Ajit and Sachin had casual talks about cricket and a note about batting by his brother served as
a personal manual to Sachin.

As a child, Sachin only had one set of uniform and would wash it after every practice to keep it
ready to wear for the next. However, there was never enough time for the pockets to dry and
Sachin recalls having played with wet pockets for the entire duration of the camp.

After 2 months Sir acknowledged Sachin’s potential and put forward a suggestion to switch his
school from the New English School in Bandra, which did not have cricket training, to a school
where he could have a cricket training to begin his career. After Sachin’s assurance for his
eagerness and seriousness for cricket he was moved to Shardashram Vidhyamandir, where
Achrekar Sir was the cricket coach. Now, all of Sachin’s energy was being directed towards
cricket.

Pushing Limits
During his first year at Shardashram, he played 55 practice matches in 60 days of his summer
break. Once again, he had practice twice a day with only 30 minutes acting as a break between
them. Sir would give him some money for a vadapav and that was Sachin’s meal.

Towards the last 15 minutes, Sir would place a one-rupee coin on top of the stumps and if he
remained undefeated, the coin was his. In this session every bowler in the camp would come
and bowl to him, with some sixty to seventy boys fielding. Meaning he had to hit every ball to
survive those intense fifteen minutes.

It made him extremely proud and happy to win that one- rupee coin and taught him
concentration even when physically drained. At the end Sir would make him run two full rounds
of the park with pads and gloves on. This can be considered as his secret to building stamina.

Over time, he also learnt the ropes of commuting in local buses. We get the idea that no matter
how tired Sachin got, he never gave up, he always came back stronger. He knew since the
beginning that he could make a career in cricket if he worked hard enough.

On occasions when he bunked practice, he would be dragged by Achrekar Sir and at times even
punished. Achrekar Sir played a vital role in his career development. Along with being strict, it
showed that he was disciplined and valued Sachin’s potential. He knew the boy would go far
with the right guidance and practice. The chapter concludes with Sachin Tendulkar expressing
his gratitude towards his coach.

Conclusion
The chapter serves as a great inspiration to the readers. It proves that everyone is born with
some talent, it is up to us to acknowledge that talent and work towards reaching the pinnacle
of success. It also teaches us that hard work always pays o and that success doesn’t come by
sitting and waiting for it.
 Bang the Drum
Introduction
Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado co-wrote the popular song “Bang the Drum.” It is the Olympic
anthem. The song was sung as a tribute to the athletes present at the 2010 Winter Olympics at
BC Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by two prominent Canadian artists, Bryan
Adams and Nelly Furtado.

About The Poet

Bryan Adams is a singer, songwriter, music producer, composer, guitarist, photographer,
philanthropist, and animal rights activist from Canada. He was born in Kingston, Canada, on
November 5, 1959. In 1991, he received a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award in 2007, and
a Juno Award in 2008.

Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer and songwriter who was born on December 2, 1978, to
Portuguese parents. With her debut album, ‘Whoa, Nelly!’ she established herself as an
international performer.

Theme Of the Poem

“Bang the Drum” is a call for the athletes who realize that it’s time to sprint like the winds and
pursue their dreams. The poem is about a struggle to see a dream come true. Banging the drum
refers to expressing enthusiasm and public support for them. The song’s purpose is to
motivate athletes to do their best on the track and on the field.

Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado wrote the song “Bang the Drum.” It is a tribute to the athletes
that competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The song opens with an invitation to reach for the sky as a team. Athletes from all over the
country had assembled to participate. It is much more important to participate in and play a
fair game than it is to win it.

Each of the individuals is working hard to achieve their goals. The authors advise banging the
drum as loudly as possible and singing the song so loudly that everyone in the world can hear
it, no matter where they are. It’s time to dream big and go for the stars. It is necessary to have
faith in oneself. The author urges people to jump higher because everyone can see them. The
song proceeds in a cheerful manner.

The athletes are encouraged to focus on their life’s purpose throughout the song. It also
encourages people to dream big and high while maintaining their self-esteem. The song
inspires the athletes to dream big, set lofty goals, run like the wind, believe in their skills
to fly, and enter the games with a positive attitude.

The song-writers continuously and genuinely request that the singers sing the song of oneness
and bang the drum of sportsmanship louder and louder to signal the start of the games and to
captivate the entire globe with the spirit of pursuing and fulfilling goals.

Maternity
Introduction
The lesson “Maternity” is written by a famous Greek novelist, journalist and short story writer,
Lilika Nakos. The story comprises of three main settings- a camp of Armenian refugees, a camp
of Anatolian refugees and a Chinese family. The story deals with the uncertainties occurred in
the life of a fourteen-year-old boy Mikali and his new born brother in a refugee camp in Armenia,
situated on the outskirts of the town.

Mikali and his brother

Mikali, the protagonist of the story, was in need of a nursing mother to feed his starving little
brother as he lost his mother after she gave birth to his younger brother. Since there is no one
to help Mikali, he has sought shelter in the refugee camp. The Turkish massacres in their native
country have created thousands of refugees.

Majority of needy people live under carpets hung by four corners with sticks and most of them
in the camp are forced to take some jobs for their survival. Not able to go for any work,Mikali
has to eat the stale bread, available in the camp and most of the time, he and his brother had
no food to eat.

The hardships of the refugees

Malnourishment and lack of proper food and shelter is the most important theme highlighted
in the story. Basic human amenities are denied to the major characters of the story who are
marginalized. “The country spread out before him in arid wasteland, covered with refuse.”
describes the lack of concern of the people to the refugees. The people in the camp are
unwilling to help Mikali and are irritated with the screams of the baby. Even the women refuse
to hear Mikali in the camp.

They are horrified to see the baby as it looks pale and undernourished. Mikali goes to the other
side of the camp where he sees the Anatolian refugees who have fled from Turkish massacres.
The people there turn a blind eye to Mikali’s request of providing milk to the infant. As a woman
in the Anatolian camp saw the baby’s face, she screamed in horror as the baby was swollen.

Towards the end of the story, a China man comes to the rescue of Mikali. The Chinaman usually
visits the camp to sell paper knick knacks and charms. He addresses the fourteen-year-old
boy’s problems with care and consideration as he could not bear up the struggle of the young
boy. The Chinaman takes Mikali to his home and his wife feeds the baby.

Song of a Dream
Introduction
Sarojini Naidu wrote a wonderful poem called “Song of a Dream.” It expresses the poet’s desire
to live in a paradise free of all evils and wickedness. She defines the preferred destination as
the “magical wood in the land of sleep,” and she conveys her longing in the guise of a dream.
The abstract concepts of truth, love, and peace are vividly seen in her creative universe.

About The Poet

Sarojini Naidu, an Indian poet and political activist was born on February 13, 1879. She was a
key figure in India’s movement for independence from colonial power, advocating for civil rights,
women’s liberation, and anti-imperialist beliefs. Because of the colour, imagery, and lyrical
brilliance of her poems, Naidu acquired the title ‘the Nightingale of India,’ or ‘Bharat Kokila,’ by
Mahatma Gandhi.

Theme Of the Poem

The poet’s intense yearning to escape the pains she had to undergo in an unjust world may be
seen in the poem. Her desire to live in an idyllic paradise free of sins is expressed in the words
‘To quench my longing I bent low by the streams of the spirits of Peace that flow in that magical
wood in the land of sleep’.

Stanza 1
Sarojini Naidu, The Nightingale of India, sings about one of her dreams of being alone on a
mystical wood in the poem. Her spirit was engaged in deep illusions that were the result of her
imagination, she adds.

Then she sings about has a one-of-a-kind encounter with the spirits of truth she sang about, as
well as the spirits of radiant love and serenity that flow like heavenly currents. In this poem,
“Truth” is depicted by singing birds, “Love” by dazzling stars, and “Peace” is portrayed through
flowing streams in the poet’s dream.
Stanza 2
She continues, “I felt the stars of the spirits of love.” She also hears the wonderful music of
the spirits of truth, as one might anticipate in such a magnificent environment. Sarojini Naidu
also speaks of a deep craving for truth that can only be satisfied by sipping from the streams of
tranquillity.

We can observe that the poet uses her emotions to understand abstract thoughts like love,
honesty, and harmony. The poem includes both aural and visual images. Throughout the poem,
Naidu uses powerful sensory imagery.

Tolstoy Farm
Introduction
Tolstoy Farm was the first ashram initiated and organized by Mohandas Gandhi during his South
African movement. At its creation in 1910 the ashram served as the headquarters of the
campaign of satyagraha against discrimination against Indians in Transvaal, where it was
located.

As the Farm grew, it was found necessary to make some provision for the education of its boys
and girls. Gandhi did not think it necessary, to engage special teachers for the students of
di erent religions. The qualified Indian teachers were scarce, and even when available, none
were ready to go to a place twenty-one miles distant from Johannesburg on a small salary. For
Gandhi, Tolstoy Farm was a family, in which he (Gandhi) acquired the position of the father.

It was quite di icult for him to do justice with all the young people present over there as they
had been brought up in di erent conditions and environments. But Gandhi had always given
the priority to the culture of the heart or the building of character, and for him moral training
could be given to all alike, no matter how di erent their ages and their upbringing were. In
addition to literary classes, he started some classes with the help of Mr. Kallenbach and Sjt.
Pragji Desai.

Tolstoy Farm
There were no 4. servants on the Farm, and all the work, from cooking down to scavenging, was
done by the inmates. There were many fruit trees to be looked after, and enough gardening to
be done. It was obligatory on all, young and old, who were not engaged in the kitchen, to give
some time to gardening. The children had to dig pits, fell timber and lift loads. They took delight
in the work, and so they did not generally need any other exercise or games.
Whenever Gandhi was strict, he would, by argument, convince them that it was not right to play
with one’s work. The conviction, would however, be short-lived, the next moment they would
again leave their work and go to play. There was scarcely any illness on the Farm, though it must
be said that good air and water and regular hours of food were not a little responsible for this.

The vocational training

Gandhi was determined to teach every youngster some useful manual vocation. For this
purpose, Mr. Kallenbach went to a Trappist monastery and returned having learnt shoe-making.
Mr. Kallenbach had some experience of carpentry so the candidates had a small class in
carpentry too.

Rules to be followed
On Tolstoy Farm it was a rule that the youngsters should not be asked to do what the teachers
did not do, and therefore, when they were asked to do any work, there was always a teacher co-
operating and actually working with them. The youngsters had never even dreamt that they
would have to learn these things someday. For generally the only training that Indian child
received in South Africa was in the three R’s.

Song of the Rain

Introduction
The poem ‘Song of The Rain,’ by Khalil Gibran, is written in the first person. The rain is
communicating straight to the audience. Raindrops define themselves as a dotted silver thread,
a messenger of compassion, a welcoming feeling, a deep sea of a ection, and other things.

About The Poet

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese-American artist, poet, writer, and philosopher who lived from
January 6, 1883 to April 10, 1931. He was born in the Bsharri town (north of modern-day
Lebanon). He moved to the United States with his family as a young man to study art and begin
his literary career, writing in both English and Arabic. ‘The Prophet’ and ‘Broken Wings’ are two
of his most famous pieces.

Theme Of the Poem

Rain is one of nature’s most heavenly manifestations, bringing delight to all living things. Raindrops are
magnificent pearls taken from the goddess Ishtar’s crown by Dawn’s daughter. Ishtar is a goddess who
is associated with fertility, love, conflict, and romance. She was the ‘divine embodiment of the
planet Venus’ in the Babylonian pantheon.

Stanza 1
Rain is defined as a strew of dotted silver threads that God drops from the sky and which nature
meticulously picks to beautify her farms and valleys. Raindrops fall one after another in a quick
sequence, creating the appearance of dotted silver threads.

Stanza 2
Raindrops are characterized as lovely pearls picked from Ishtar’s crown by the daughter of the dawn to
adorn and enhance the beauty of gardens.

Stanza 3
After the rain droplets cry, it creates an e ect that makes it look like the hills are laughing, and when the
rain stops, the flowers appear to be enjoying the moment. Similarly, when it rains, everything appears
to be cheerful and overjoyed in happiness.

Stanza 4
The raindrops are messengers between the clouds and the fields, and the clouds and the fields are
lovers. It heals the fog by pouring down, and it quenches the thirst of the fields by streaming down. Rain
is nature’s most gracious and majestic blessing on earth; hence it is a messenger of mercy rather than
love.

Stanza 5
Thunder announces the onset of rain, while the rainbow marks its departure. The hills laugh as it
descends, and the flowers celebrate when it touches the ground. And as it penetrates down into the
earth, everything rejoices.

Stanza 6
Rain arises right from the heart of the sea. With the breeze, it flies to greater heights. When a field is in
desperate need of water, the rain comes down to irrigate it. Showers hug flowers and trees “in a million
little ways” when they fall.

Stanza 7
Rain is born from the heat in the environment, but the rain destroys the heat. This is comparable to a
woman competing against a man with the power she gained through his backing.

Stanza 8-9
The rain’s arrival is like a pleasant welcoming song. The music produced by rain can be enjoyed by
anyone, but only a few perceptive and delicate minds can comprehend it. It’s the ‘sigh of the sea,’
‘laughter of the field’ and the ‘tears of heaven.’
 Listen to the Mountain
Introduction
The play is set in a village covered with mountains, trees and a river depicting a natural, countryside
scenario. Written in a conversational style, the story consists of five important scenes and the above-
mentioned characters. The grandmother begins by describing her lifestyle that she was born at the turn
of the century when there were no motorcars, no aeroplanes, no television, no movies, and much less
noise. She has lived there all her life on the slopes of Dharmagiri. The river, trees, flowers, birds and
animals were all her friends.

Character sketch
 Grandmother
 Narayan (School headmaster)
 Ramana (tea-shop owner)
 Shastri, Kannan, Rudrappa (village men)
 Sagar (building contractor)
 Dixit (millionaire industrialist)
Scene 1
School Headmaster, Narayan used to love the village and the villagers, and was dedicated to
protect the nature and was determined to find a solution when he came to know that some
businessmen were willing to make a five star hotel on the hill. Rammana who was a tea-shop
owner felt that they should ask about the views of the villagers regarding the hotel going to build
on the hills of Dharmagiri but the building contractor of Mr Dixit, Sagar, was extremely egoistic
and always looked down upon the village and villagers.
He was not at all interested in the nature, and old beliefs of the villagers. Dixit was a millionaire
industrialist and a business-oriented man. Grandmother was distressed on hearing the news
from her grandson about the construction of a hotel as it could lead to the death of many
creatures existing over that area.
Scene 2
Scene 2 takes place at Ramanna’s shop where Sagar, the building contractor, informs the
villagers of Dixit’s plan to build a five-star hotel, in the village. On hearing this news, the Villagers
were furious as the construction of a five-star hotel would destroy the village and it’s beauty.

They felt that there was no need for a multi storey hotel in their village which had a population
of only about 500 people. On this Sagar mocks the villagers by calling them ignorant and dumb.
On the other hand,Dixit was determined to construct the hotel.

Scene 3
Narayan, Ramanna, Kannan, Shastri and Rudrappa appears in scene 3 and discusses about the
hotel to which Ramanna claims it as foolish, Kannan highlighted it’s merit regarding the
financial status that a hotel will bring in more tourists and hence more money, Shastri informs
the villagers that it was dangerous to construct a hotel on Dharmagiri as it could not support a
structure taller than thirty feet.

Scene 4
It shows the conversation between the grandmother and her son Narayan where she expresses
her distress regarding the destruction of the animals, birds, trees and the river that would take
place after the construction of the hotel.

She advises Narayan to speak to the children as tomorrow’s world is their world. She calls the
rich as big people with small hearts. The next day Children lead by Narayan protest and present
a petition to Dixit to stop the construction but Dixit was not at all concerned about the village
so he refused their petition.

Scene 5
This scene shows the occurrence of landslide in the village when the construction started at
the Dharmagiri hill. Finally, even the mountain spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. It was a
tragedy as ten thousand were buried beneath the landslide, eleven people killed including two
children.

Climate Change is not

Hysteria – It’s a Fact
Introduction
“Climate change is not hysteria-its a fact” is a speech delivered by Leonardo DiCaprio at the UN
Climate Summit. He begins his speech by thanking to Mr. Secretary General, ladies, gentlemen
and all the guests.

He informs that he is not standing there as an expert but as a concerned citizen, one of the
400,000 people who marched on the streets of New York on Sunday to express their concerns
regarding the climate change and asking solutions for the crisis and the billions of others
around the world who wants to solve the climate crisis.

He informs that as an actor he pretends for a living and play fictitious characters, often solving
fictitious problems but he believes that mankind has looked at climate change in that same way
as if it were a fiction, happening to someone else’s planet, as if pretending that climate change
wasn’t real, would somehow make it go away.

The undeniable climate changes.

There are some undeniable climate events like extreme weather events, accelerated
temperature and melting ice sheets from West Antarctic and Greenland. Droughts are
intensifying, oceans are warming and acidifying, with methane plumes rising up from beneath
the ocean floor.

Climate change is the only and single greatest security threat and if we do not act together, we
will surely die. None of this is hysteria rather it’s a fact. The scientific community, industry and
governments know it. This is now about industries, and governments around the world taking
decisive, large-scale action.

Precautions is better than the cure

He informs that there is a need to put a price tag on carbon emissions, eliminate government
subsidies for coal, gas, oil companies, end the free ride that industrial polluters have been given
in the name of a free-market economy as they don’t deserve our tax dollars, they deserve our
inspection. For the economy itself will die if the ecosystems collapse.

He then points out the good news that renewable energy is not only achievable but good
economic policy. Clean air and water, and a liveable climate are inalienable human rights. And
solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is a question of our survival. We only get one
planet.

Humankind must become accountable on a massive scale for the wanton destruction of our
collective home. Protecting our future on this planet depends on the conscious evolution of our
species.

Part 2

The Jungle Air Crash

Introduction
“The Jungle Air Crash” revolves around the horrific experience of Juliane Diller, a German
biologist, who survived alone in the Peruvian rainforest for eleven and half day. One day she and
her mother boarded Lansa Airlines flight 508 to spend Christmas with her father in jungle hut.
Everything inside the plane seemed quite normal the take o , the climb over the snow-covered
Andes, breakfast, the smiling stewardesses, then the green jungle stretching east to the
horizon.

The inevitable calamity

Thirty minutes after take-o , when they were over the jungle, visibility diminished and all of a
sudden, they hit a storm front. Broad daylight turned to night; lightning was flashing from all
directions. Bags, flowers, packages, toys, jackets and clothing rained down hard on them,
sandwich trays and bags soared through the air. Suddenly there was a violent shaking and she
found herself outside the plane, flying apart from it, and alone falling.

When she woke up, she saw herself lying under a section of three seats turned upside down
with no sign of her mother, other passengers, or of the plane. She spent the whole night lying
under the seat half-asleep, in shock.

Life in the jungle

The next morning, she crawled out slowly because everything swam dizzily before her. She then
picked up a long stick to avoid snakes, poisonous spiders and ants. Her parents had guided her
that when lost in the jungle one should always look for streams, and then follow them to larger
streams.

On the third day, she heard vultures then came upon a piece of airplane fuselage and saw
twisted cables. As she pressed on downstream along its bank, she saw parrots, monkeys and
humming birds, and many varieties of tiny orchids growing on tree trunks. She avoided delicious
looking fruit because things that look beautiful and tempting are poisonous. She was
completely injured by the unbearable pain and bites of the insects. She risked by swimming
because walking was much harder. On the tenth day, she saw on the floor a small outboard
motor carefully wrapped in plastic, and a can of petrol indicating her of someone returning
back. The rain was pouring down so she stayed in the hut.

The Mestizo men

Then she heard voices of three men who were mestizo — half white, half-Indian hunters. They
told her that they kept several huts in the jungle for their expeditions and knew about the crash
and one of them had actually been in a search plane which flew over the jungle after the
accident. They washed her with salt water, put salve on her wounds and made fruit mash for
her, which she was unable to eat.

Early next morning, they got their boat ready and took her down river. It took hours to get to the
jungle settlement of Tournavista. People came running and shouting to stare at her. Her eyes
were so bloodshot they looked entirely red and her face was disfigured and swollen out of shape
from the insect bites. Tournavista was a small dispensary where she washed and her wounds
was treated. They used a special medicine to clean out all the worms, and gave her an injection
to counteract inflammation.
The Survival
Eleven and a half days after the crash, she again boarded a plane, a small twin- engine machine
that took her to the U.S. mission base of the Summer Institute of Linguistics near Pucallpa,
where an American doctor looked after her. With the help of her directions, search planes found
the wreckage. Her father arrived and informed about the death of her mother.

Later Searchers found the Electra scattered over 16 kilometres of jungle. The cause of the crash,
and how Juliane got safely down, was unknown. One theory was that the plane exploded at
3,000 metres, that the fall of some pieces was cushioned by an enormous upward current of air
in the storm.

On Killing a Tree
Introduction
On Killing a Tree by Gieve Patel is an ironic poem in which the poet describes how to properly
kill a tree. The steps described by him are cruel and inhumane. Hence the poem is not exactly
about killing a tree. Instead, the poet tries to invoke sympathy and pity for trees in the heart of
readers.

The poem is also a critique of the modern world in which humans destroy nature by mass killing
the trees for their benefit. The tree which has survived ages is uprooted and murdered by drying
it.

Stanza 1
In the first stanza, the poet says that it takes long time to kill a tree. A simple jab (hit) of the
knife cannot kill it. It has grown slowly consuming food from earth, rising out of it, feeding
upon the crust (top layer) of earth, absorbing sunlight, air and water for years.
The leaves have sprouted from its leprerous hide (poisonous and hard layer).
Here, the poet explains why it is di icult to kill a try. According to him, the tree has taken years
to grow. It has consumed resources from the earth and the sun. It is strong and cannot be easily
killed.
Stanza 2
According to the poet, we will need to hack and chop i.e. strike it violently with a sharp weapon.
However, it alone cannot kill the tree. Neither it will inflict much pain on the tree. The
bleeding (wounded) bark of the tree will heal and from close to the ground i.e. from the
bottom, green twigs and miniature boughs (small branches) will rise again. And if we did not
cut them, they will again grow and expand to the original size.
In this stanza the poet says that mere cutting the stem and branches of tree won’t kill it as after
some time, new twigs and branches will grow from the bottom and if we did not cut them, they
will grow to the original size. Hence, we would need to find some other and crueller method of
killing the tree.
Stanza 3
This stanza begins with the word “No” which means the method discussed in the stanza above
cannot kill the tree. For killing it, we need to pull the root of the tree out from the place where it
has firmly held the earth. For taking out the roots, they need to be roped, tied and then pulled
out.
We need to snap it (break) or pull it out entirely from the earth cave (where it was). These roots
which are white, wet and most sensitive, are the real strength of trees. They have lived deep
in the earth for years. Once they are taken out, the strength of the tree is gone.
So, in this stanza, the poet discusses the cruel way of killing a tree. According to him, the only
way of killing a tree is to either break its roots or pull them out using a rope. They are the most
sensitive part (often white in colour). When they are exposed to the sun, the tree dies).
Stanza 4
After pulling the roots out, they are to be kept in sun and air which is hot (scorching). The roots
which were white will become brown and hard. They will twist and wither (become dry) and
finally the tree is dead. And our task is done.
The final stage involves the cruellest part. The roots which were sensitive and white will now be
exposed to outside environment. They will become hot, dry, hard, twisted, and finally dead.
Now the tree will never be able to grow again.

Conclusion
As we can see, the poet has described every step involved in the process of killing. Humans are
harsh towards nature. The trees which are helping the environment since ages are killed
instantly. Indirectly, the poet gives the message of “Save trees, save the environment”.

The Last Leaf

The Sick Johnsy
Sue and Johnsy shared a flat. Johnsy fell ill. The doctor checked her every day, but there was no
change in her condition. The doctor told Sue that Johnsy had made up her mind not to get well.

Sue tried her best to revive Johnsy’s attention but all in vain. She also started to paint. One day,
Johnsy’s whisper caught her attention, and she went close to Johnsy to hear. Johnsy told her
that when the last leaf on that creeper falls, she will die.
Sue told her that it was autumn season and leaves were supposed to fall o their plants. Sue
dismissed Johnsy’s statement and told her that the doctor was confident about her health.

A Leaf: The Harbinger of Death

Johnsy showed no interest in the soup that Sue bought her. Sue told Johnsy not to look out of
the window and let her finish that painting so that she could get both of them some money.
Johnsy wanted to die peacefully while watching the last leaf fall.

Kind Behrman
Sue went to Behrman, who lived on the ground floor. She asks Sue if Johnsy was stupid.
Behrman came to see Johnsy, and she was ill as always. He returned to his room. The next
Johnsy woke up and saw the leaf, and it was green and healthy. Johnsy was excited and told Sue
to check the leaf as it was intact.

Johnsy now started to recover and was healthy again. She drank a lot of soup. Sue told her that
sometimes you have to live for your friends. The following day Sue told Johnsy that Mr Behrman
had died as he had pneumonia.

It was later discovered that Behrman went out in the stormy night to paint a leaf so that Johnsy
would see the leaf still intact and recover. It was not a natural leaf but a painted one by
Behrman.

The Happiness Machine

Introduction
“The Happiness Machine” written by Ray Douglas Bradbury deals with the fact that happiness
is priceless and it cannot be controlled by a machine. In the story, Leo Au man one day moved
slowly into a workshop for his master-craft and novel invention, ‘The Happiness Machine’ for
the purpose of making one happy.

He asked his wife whether she was pleased and delightful to which she replied that she was not
delighted because of all the domestic chores. She complained that he talked to her for the first
time in six months and for the first time in twenty years that their supper bread turned into
charcoal.

Lena asked that could the machine make old men young happy, could it get all things done for
the house, the kitchen and the children? to which her husband replied that the machine was
not made for these stu s.
The next day Leo led his wife to the eight-foot-tall, orange-coloured machine and asked her to
test the machine. She got into the machine, sat and looked at her husband. There was a click
and the machine shivered and growled like a wild dog. From inside the box, she cried “Oh!”
“Ah!” “Look at that!” “Paris! Rome! The Pyramids!” “Perfume! “The Blue Danube’ “Music! I’m
dancing” Before Leo Au man could get happy, his smile faded when he heard someone crying
inside.

Machines cannot buy happiness.

Lena came out and said that he made her feel that she was in Paris, he made her dance on the
dance floor, the machine showed her young, the machine made a sunset lasts forever, the air
fragrant and the temperature fine which were all false in reality. To check the machine, he sat
down inside it and shut the door but as he began to float with colours and music in great
relaxation, he heard someone screaming. “Fire, Papa! The machine is on fire!” The boys dragged
him out when someone broke the door open. A mu led explosion was heard from behind.

The firemen strived to put the soaring flames out. Au man’s children felt proud of the giant
flames coming out from their garage which became a visual treat for everyone. After the
unfortunate incident, Lena explained Leo that she would be there in the house putting things
back to normal, there was an absolute chaos by the commotion Leo made with the machine.

Leo Au man left with grandfather and his children when all the firemen and people had gone.
He stirred his boot through the wet ashes and ruins and said, “The first real thing you learn in
life is you are a fool. You want to see the Happiness Machine? It got patented more than
thousand years ago and still there, even though not good all the time. But it runs on and on.”

Happiness is Priceless
When they looked through out the window, they saw that Saul and Marshall were playing chess
at the co ee table and Rebecca laying out the silver in the dining room. Naomi was cutting
paper doll dresses and Ruth painting water colours. Joseph was running his electric train and
Lena was sliding a pot roast from the steaming oven. “Feeling the healing touch of all the bits
and pieces of his house and in sheer ecstasy, Leo said, “the Happiness Machine.”

A Prayer in Spring
Introduction
“A Prayer in Spring,” is a short and sweet prayer poem by Robert Frost. While the speaker prays
to the Divine Beloved, he is also urging his audience to enjoy “the springing of the year” as much
as they enjoy the latter harvest in winter season seasons later than spring.
About The Poet
Robert Frost, an American poet who lived from 1874 to 1963, is well-known for his evocative
poetry depicting rural life in New England. ‘The Road Not Taken,’ ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening, ‘A Boy’s Will,’ and ‘After Apple-Picking’ are some of his most well-known compositions.
He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 31 times and won the Pulitzer Prize four
times.

Theme Of the Poem

“A Prayer in Spring” is a prayer for harmony in the midst of a hectic, never-endingly anxious
world. For himself and others around him, the speaker is seeking peacefulness.

Stanza 1
The poet of ‘A Prayer in Spring’ begins by asking for something simple in the opening verse. He
hopes for us to admire the flowers today. This lyric, at its most basic level, provides a concise
summation of the poem’s major idea. Frost is looking for peace and contentment in nature, but
he’s not sure if he’ll find it. He also encourages his readers to appreciate the springtime of the
year as much as they enjoy the harvest in winter seasons.

Stanza 2
He mentions beautiful flowers in the orchard in the first line. These will eventually mature into
fruits, which will hopefully be harvested in the winter. The white flowers are described as
“ghosts by night” by the speaker. Even if they seem extremely di erent at night, he can still enjoy
them.

But, as he has mentioned, he is trying to dodge looking beyond the present day. He wishes to
be like the “happy bees, The swarm dilating around the perfect trees.” The poet is longing just
for a single moment. He is determined to enjoy this day regardless of whether the fruits ripen or
not.

Stanza 3
The speaker then goes on to describe another element of his environment. Robert Frost talks
about a “darting bird”. At first glance, it appears like any little, fast-moving bird. However, the
bird’s “bill” is referred to as a “needle” in line three. This suggests that the speaker is gazing at a
hummingbird. It can be heard over the swarm and adds to the scene’s minimalism and beauty.

Stanza 4
The speaker’s reason for sharing these delights with people around him is explained in the
fourth stanza. He considers beautiful qualities of spring as “love”. There isn’t anything else like
these things, according to the poet. The season’s delights are open to everybody to perceive
and enjoy.
The speaker and others around him don’t grasp a lot of things in the world. ” The which it is
reserved for God above,” says the Bible. He employs this for his own interests. However, spring
and its flowers, birds, and bees may bring a simple joy into people’s life that can be simply
appreciated.

The Trio
Introduction
“The trio” by R.K Narayan is an informative lesson revolving around the three boys named Mani,
Rajam and Swaminathan studying in the same class and coming from di erent financial
backgrounds. The major idea of the story is to throw light on the strong bonding of the friendship
among these boys at the culmination of the story. Mani is presented as a school student who is
poor in academics while Rajam is an outstanding student, and is unbeatable.

There were even rumours that Rajam had come from English boys’ school somewhere in
Madras and thus he could speak English fluently. R.K Narayan begins the story by describing
river Sarayu as the pride of Malgudi because its sandbanks were the evening resort of all the
people of the town. Swaminathan and Mani sat aloof on a river-step, with their legs dangling in
water. On seeing the flow of river water deep and fast, Mani decided to bring Rajam, his new and
brilliant classmate, there and throw him into the water.

The enmity
Rajam used to be dressed very well and was the only boy in the class who wore socks and
shoes, fur cap and tie, and a wonderful coat and knickers. Many of his class-mates could not
dare to talk to him in English except Sankar, who dared to face him, though his English sounded
weak before that of Rajam.

If Mani jabbed, Rajam jabbed; if Mani clouted, he clouted; if Mani kicked, he kicked. If Mani was
the overload of the class, Rajam seemed to be nothing less. In addition, Rajam was a regular
seventy percenter, second only to Sankar. Thus, Mani decided to solve his problem simply by
throwing Rajam into the river. Swaminathan sat between Mani and Rajam to act as a cord
between them.

Mani wrote on a piece of paper “Are you a man?” and gave it to Swaminathan, who pushed it
across to Rajam, and as a reaction Rajam returned the same amount of o ence with his reply.
Few times later the teacher asked Swaminathan to stand up and asked him various questions
like, what is Lisbon famous for? What did he know about the Indian Climate etc. Not getting the
proper answers, the teacher finally punished him.
Mani again began his enmity by directly asking Swaminathan “Are you a man?”, so as to pass
this question to Rajam to which Rajam shouted, “Which dog doubts it? Mani then challenged
Rajam to prove his masculinity by meeting him at the river, near Nallappa’s Grove.

The trouble and it’s solution

Mani was planning to break Rajam’s head and throw his body into the river. At the sound of the
creaking of boots, they turned and found that Rajam had come. He was dressed in khaki, and
carried under his arm an air-gun that was given to him a couple of months ago on his birthday.
He shot a fire in the air.

Rajam informed that the next shot would be going to be into his body to which Mani declared
the fight as unfair. At this, Rajam asked him about the club which Mani had brought with him.
Mani hanged down his head on this and informed Rajam that once he called him a sneak before
someone due to which he had hatred towards Rajam.

Rajam on this cleared that he never called him a sneak and if that was the only reason for his
anger, then he should forget everything and become friends. Rajam lowered his gun and Mani
dropped his club. The issue was thus settled down. To show his goodwill, Rajam pulled out half
a dozen of biscuits from his pocket. There was a spark and glow in the air welcoming the
essence of new friendship among the three friends. Swaminathan felt at perfect peace with the
word.

THE END