bhawna bhardwaj

1. FLAMINGO
Brief Introduction
’The last lesson’ written by Alphonse Daudet narrates about the year 1870
when the Prussian forces under Bismarck attacked and captured France.
The French districts of Alsace and Lorraine went into Prussian hands. The
new Prussian rulers discontinuedthe teaching of French in the schools of
these two districts The French teachers were asked to leave. Now M. Hamel
could no longer stay in his school. Still he gave lesson to his students with
utmost devotion and sincerity as ever. One such student of M. Hamel,
Franz who dreaded French class and M. Hamel’s iron rod, came to the
school that day thinking he would be punishedas he had not learnt his
lesson on participles. But on reaching school he foundHamel dressed in his
fine Sunday clothes and the old people of the village sitting quietly on the
back benches. It was due to an order from Berlin. That was the first day
when he realized for the first time that how important French was for him,
but it was his last lesson in French. The story depicts the pathos of the
whole situation about how people feel when they don’t learn their own
language. It tells us about the significance of one’s language in one’s life for
the very existence of a race and how important it is to safeguard it.
Gist of the lesson
 Franz is afraid of going to school as he has not learnt participles.
 He wants to enjoy beauty of nature. The bright sunshine, the birds
chirruping in the woods, Prussian soldiers drilling but resisted.
 Bulletin board: all bad news, lost battles, the drafts and orders of the
commanding officers: wondered what it could be now
 The changes he noticed in the school.
 Instead of noisy classrooms everything was as quiet as Sunday morning
 The teacher does not scold him and told him very kindly to go to his seat
 The teacher dressed in his Sunday best.
 Villagers occupying the last benches
 To pay tribute to M. Hamel for his 40 yrs of sincere service and also to
express their solidarity with France.
 Hamel making the announcement that that would be the last French
lesson; realizes that, that was what was put up on the bulletin board.
 Franz realizes that he does not know his own mothertongue
 Regretted why he had not taken his lessons seriously.

2.  Also realizes the reason why teacher was dressed in his Sunday best and
villagers sitting at the back.
 Hamel realizes that all three, the children , the parents and he himself
are to be blamed for losing respect and regard for the mother tongue.
 Always keep the mother tongue close to your heart as it is the key to the
prison of slavery.
 Atmosphere in class: teacher teaching sincerely and patiently, students
and others studying with utmost sincerity.
 Franz wonders sarcastically if Prussians could force pigeons to coo in
German.
 Hamel overcome with emotions could not speak and wrote on the black
board “Long Live France”.
Introduction
The story, “Lost Spring” describes the pitiable condition of poor children
who have been forced to miss the joy of childhood due to the socio-
economic condition that prevails in this man-made world. These children
are denied the opportunity of schooling and forced into labour early in life.
Anees Jung gives voice to eliminate child labour by educating the children
and to enforce the laws against child labour by the governments strictly.
The call is to end child exploitation and let the children enjoy the days of
the spring that bring joy under their feet.
Summary
I – Sometimes I find a rupee in the garbage. The first part tells the
writer’s impressions about the life of the poor rag pickers. The rag pickers
have migrated from Dhaka and founda settlement in Seemapuri. Their
fields and homes had been swept away by storms. They had come to the big
city to find a living. They are poor. The writer watches Saheb every morning
scrounging for “gold” in her neighbourhood. Garbage is a means of survival
for the elders and for the children it is something wrapped in wonder. The
children come across a coin or two from it. These people have desires and
ambitions, but they do not know the way to achieve them. There are quite a
few things that are unreachable to them, namely shoes, tennis and the like.
Later Saheb joins a tea stall where he could earn 800 Rupees and all the
meals. The job has taken away his freedom.
II – I want to drive a car.
The secondpart deals with the life of Mukesh, who belongs to the family of
Bangle-makers. Firozabad is best known for its glass-blowing industry.

3. Nearly 20,000 children are engaged in this business and the law that
forbids child labour is not known here. The living condition and the
working environment is a woeful tale. Life in dingy cells and working close
to hot furnaces make these children blind when they step into the
adulthood. Weigheddown by the debt, they can neither think nor find a
way to come of out of this trap. The politicians, middlemen, policemen and
bureaucrats will all obstruct their way of progress. The women in the
householdconsiderit as their fate and just follow the tradition. Mukesh is
different from the rest of the folk there. He dreams to become a motor
mechanic. The garage is far away from his house but he shall walk. comes
across Mukesh in Firozabad.
Gist of the lesson:
Sometimes I find a rupee in garbage
 The authorexamines and analyses the impoverished conditions and
traditions that condemn children to a life of exploitation these children
are denied an education and forced into hardships early in their lives.
 The writer encounters Saheb – a rag picker whose parents have left
behind the life of poverty in Dhaka to earn a living in Delhi.
 His family like many other families of rag pickers lives in Seemapuri.
They do not have other identification other than a ration card.
 The children do not go to school and they are excited at the prospect of
finding a coin or even a ten rupee note for rummaging in the garbage.
 It is the only way of earning.
 The writer is pained to see Saheb, a rag picker whose name means the
ruler of earth, Lose the spark of childhood and roams barefooted with his
friends.
 From morning to noon the author encounters him in a tea stall and is
paid Rs. 800 He sadly realizes that he is no longer his own master and
this loss of identity weighs heavily on his tender shoulders.
I want to drive a car
 The authorthen tells about anothervictim, Mukesh who wants to be a
motor mechanic.
 He has always worked in the glass making industry.
 They are exposed to various health hazards like losing their eyesight as
they work in abysmal conditions, in dark and dingy cells.
 Mukesh’s fatheris blind as were his father and grandfather before him.
 So burdened are the bangle makers of Firozabad that they have lost their
ability to dream unlike Mukesh who dreams of driving a car.
Introduction
In this story, Douglas talks about his fear of water and how he finally
overcomes it with strong will Power, courage, hard work and firm

4. determination. Once he took courage, the fear vanished. That Shows most
of our fears are baseless. Fear creates dangers where there is none. The
writer’s Experiences further confirm the proverbial truth, “Where there is a
will, there is a way.”
Characters & Places
 Douglas: Narrator of the story
 YMCA Pool: A swimming pool runs by Young Men’s Christian
Association
 Yakima: Yakima is a US city located about 60 miles southeast of Mount
Rainier in Washington.
Summary
The story, “Deep Waters” tells us how the writer overcame his fear of water
and learned swimming with sheerdetermination and will power. He had
developed a terror of water since childhood. When he was three or four
years old, the writer had gone to California with his father. One day on the
beach, the waves knockedthe child down and swept over him. The child
was terrified but the father who knew, there was no harm, laughed. The
experience bred a permanent fear of water in the child’s sub-conscious
mind. Still anotherincident, more serious, increased his terror. The writer
was trying to learn swimming in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool in Yakima.
One day while he was waiting for otherboys, a big boy suddenly played a
dangerous prank and pushed him into the water. The writer was terribly
frightened. He went down nine feet into the water. When he reached the
bottom, he jumped upward with all his strength. He came up but very
slowly. He tried to catch hold of something like a rope but grasped only at
water.
He tried to shout but no soundcame out. He went down again. His lungs
ached, head throbbed and he grew dizzy. He felt paralyzed with fear. All his
limbs were paralyzed. Only the movement of his heart told him that he was
alive. Again he tried to jump up. But this time his limbs would not move at
all. He looked for ropes, ladders and water wings but all in vain. Then he
went down again, the third time. This time all efforts and fear ceased. He
was moving towards peaceful death. The writer was in peace.
When he came to consciousness, he foundhimself lying on the side of the
pool with the otherboys nearby. The terror that he had experienced in the
pool never left him. It hauntedhim for years and years to come. It spoilt
many of his expeditions of canoeing, swimming and fishing. It spoilt his
pleasures in Maine Lakes, New Hampshire, Deschutes, Columbia and

5. Bumping Lake etc. But the writer was determined to conquerhis terror. He
took help of a swimming instructor to learn swimming. The instructor
taught him various actions necessary in swimming part by part. He put his
face under water and exhaled and inhaled raising it above water. He
practiced it for several weeks. He had to kick with his legs a few weeks on
the side of the pool. At last he combined all these actions and made the
writer swim. He learned swimming but the terror continued. So deep goes
our childhood experiences! So fearful is the fear of fear! Wheneverhe was
in water the terror returned. Hence forward the writer tried to terrorize
terror itself. He tried to face the new challenge. When terror came, he
confronted it by asking it sarcastically as to what it can really do to him? He
plunged into the water as if to defy the fear. Once he took courage the terror
vanquished. He faced the challenge deliberately in various places like the
Warm Lake. He conquered it at last.
Gist of the lesson:
 William O. Douglas had a desire to learn swimming since childhood.
 At the age of three or four, he was knocked down and buried by a wave at
a beach in California.
 He developed a great aversion to water.
 At the age of ten or eleven he decided to learn to swim with water wings
at the Y.M.C.A pool since it was safe at the shallow end.
 A misadventure:- while sitting alone and waiting for others to come at
the Y.M.C.A pool, a big boy came and threw Douglas into deep end of the
pool.
 Douglas swallowed water and went straight down to the bottom of the
pool.
 While going down he planned to make a big jump upwards but came up
slowly. Tried to shout but could not.
 As he went down the pool second time, he tried to jump upwards but it
was a waste of energy.
 Terror held him deeper and deeper.
 During the third trial he sucked water instead of air.
 Light was going out and there was no more panic.
 So he ceased all efforts and he became unconscious.
 He crossed to oblivion.
 When revived he foundhimself vomiting beside the pool.
 He was in grip of fear of water and it deprived him of the joys of
canoeing, boating swimming and fishing.
 Hired an instructor to learn swimming.
 The instructor taught him swimming piece by piece.
 He went to different lakes to swim and found tiny vestiges of fear still
gripped him.
 He challenged the fear and swam.

6.  Swimming up and down the Warm Lake he finally overcame his fear of
water.
 He realized that in death there is peace and there is terror only in fear of
death.
The Rattrap Summary Class 12th
English
Theme
The story is about an old disheartened peddler who is taken in and shown
generosity by a young woman. Her generosity and kindness change his
bitter attitude towards life. The peddler is a man who has fallen upon
misfortune and now resorts to selling rattraps, begging, and thievery. He is
very pessimistic about the world around him and sees the world as merely a
“rat trap”. He believes that society tempts us with riches and fine things,
and when we accept, we are caught in the trap and are left with nothing.
The story conveys a universal message that the essential goodness in a
human being can be awakened through love, respect, kindness and
understanding. It highlights the human predicament. Material benefits are
the traps that most human beings are prone to fall into. Human beings do
have a tendency to redeem themselves from dishonest ways as does the
peddler at the end of the story.
Setting
This story is set amidst the mines of Sweden, rich in iron ore which figure
large in the history of that country. The story is told somewhat in the
manner of a fairy tale.
Characters
1. A peddlar with rattraps.
2. An Oldman: A crofter
3. Master Smith in the Ramsjo Iron Mill in Sweden
4. Helpers in the Mill: blacksmiths
5. Iron mill owner
6. Edla Willmansson – daughter of the Iron Mill owner.
Summary in detail

7. A rattrap peddler went around selling small rattraps. His clothes were in
rags. His cheeks were hollow. He had the look of a starved man. He made
wire traps. He begged the material from stores and big farms. Sometimes
he resorted to begging and a little stealing to survive. The world had never
been kind to him. He had no home, no shelter.
The peddler led a lonely life. One day while he was thinking about his
rattraps, an idea struck him. He thought that the world itself was a rattrap.
As soon as anybody touchedit, the trap closed on them. He was amused to
think of some people who were already trapped, and some others who were
trying to reach the bait in the trap. It was a cold evening in December. He
reached a cottage on the roadside. He knockedat the door and asked for a
night’s shelter. The owner of the cottage was a lonely old crofter. He wanted
someone to talk to. He welcomed the peddler. He gave the peddler hot
porridge to eat, and tobacco to smoke. Then they played cards. The crofter
was generous as well as trustful. He told the peddler that he had a cow and
sold her milk to a creamery. He also told him that he received thirty
kronors as payment the previous month. Then he took down a pouch and
showed him the money. Then he put the money back in the pouch and hung
it on a nail in the window frame.
Next morning the peddler left. The crofter locked his cottage, and went
away. The peddler came back to the cottage. He had been tempted to steal
the money that hung like a bait in the window frame. He smashed the pane
and stole the money. Now he thought it was not safe to walk along the
public highway. So he went into the woods. There he walked and walked
but could not get out. He moved in circles. He was tired. He lookedupon
the forest as a rattrap in which he was caught. He thought his end was near.
He lay down to die.
After a while he heard regular thumping of a hammer’s strokes. He knew
the soundwas coming from Ramsjo Ironworks. He stood up and walked in
the direction of the sound. He opened the gate of the ironworks and went
into the forge. The owner came on his nightly rounds and noticed the
ragged wretch near the furnace. The ironmaster looked intently at the
peddler’s face. He felt sure that the peddler was one of his old regimental
comrades, Captain von Stable who had fallen on evil days. He invited the
peddler to go home with him for Christmas. But the peddler was alarmed.
He thought it was risky for him to accept the offer. He firmly declined it.
The ironmaster went home.The ironmaster sent his daughter Edla to
persuade the peddler to come home. She spoke gently to him. The peddler
felt confidence in her and agreed to go with her. On the way he was sorry to
have stolen the crofter’s money that had put him in a trap.

8. The ironmaster was happy to have his old regimental comrade under his
roof. He planned to feed him well and give him some respectable work. The
servant cut the peddler’s hair, shaved him ad bathed him. The peddler
appeared wearing one of the ironmaster’s fine suits. But when the
ironmaster looked at him in daylight, he felt that he had made a mistake.
The peddler was not captain von Stable. He thought that the man had
deceived him. He even thought of handing him to the sheriff. The peddler
said that he had not pretended to be what he was not. He had not been
willing to go to the ironmaster’s house. Even then he was willing to put on
his rags and leave. He also told the ironmaster that the world was a rattrap,
and he himself might one day be tempted by a big bait and get caught in the
trap. The ironmaster told him to leave at once. Edla did not like her father’s
asking the poor peddler to leave. She thought it was unfair to turn away the
man whom they had invited. She wanted to have the joy of entertaining a
homeless wanderer on Christmas Eve. She stopped the peddler and her
father agreed to it.
Edla served food to the peddler. He was given Christmas presents which he
thankfully received. Edla told him that her father’s suit that the peddler was
wearing was also a Christmas present. She assured him that he would be
welcomed again if he liked to spend the next Christmas Eve with them.
Next morning the ironmaster and his daughter went to church. There they
learned that the peddler was a thief. He had robbed the crofter. The
ironmaster was sure that the peddler must have made away with their
silver. Edla was dejected. But when they reached home they learned that
the peddler had left. But he had taken away nothing. On the otherhand he
had left a Christmas present for Edla. Edla opened the present. It was a tiny
rattrap. Edla was happy to see that the peddler had left the crofter’s money
behind. There was a letter also. It was addressed to Edla. He thanked her
for her kindness. He wanted to repay her kindness. So he had left the
crofter’s money and had requested her to return it to the crofter. He said he
had been raised to captain. That was why he could come out of the rattrap
in which he had been caught. He signed the letter Captain von Stable.
Gist of the lesson:
 The peddler was a vagabond who sold rattraps with a little thievery on
the side to make both ends meet. Had no worldly possession to call his
own, not even a name
. · It amused him to think of the world as a rattrap.
 Takes shelterat a crofter’s cottage. The crofter welcomed him, gave him
diner, shared his pipe, played ramjolis with him also confided in him
about his income and showedhim where he put it.

9.  Next morning, the Peddler steals the money and takes the back roads to
keep away from people and gets lost in the jungle at night. While he
wanders in the forest he realizes that he has also got caught in the rattrap
and that the money was the bait.
 Finally reaches Ramsjo ironworks, where he takes shelter for the night.
The blacksmith and his assistant ignore him but the master mistakes him
to be an old acquaintance and invites him home. Though the Peddler
does not correct the ironmaster, hoping to get some money out of him,
he declines his invitation.
 The ironmaster then sends his daughter who persuades him to go home
with her. She notices his uncouth appearance and thinks that either he
has stolen something or he has escaped from jail.
 The Peddler is scrubbed, bathed, given a haircut, a shave and a suit of old
clothes of the ironmaster. In the morning light, the iron master realizes
he is mistaken and that he is not the Captain. He wants to call the Sheriff.
The peddler is agitated and breaks out that the world is rattrap and he
too is sure to be caught in it. The ironmaster is amusedbut orders him
out. The compassionate Edla convinces her father that he shouldspend
the Christmas day with him.
 The Peddler spends the whole of Christmas Eve eating and sleeping. The
next day at church, Edla and herfather come to know that the Peddler is
a thief who stole thirty kroners from the poor crofter.
 Back home, they founda letter addressed to Edla, signed as Captain Von
Stahl and a rattrap as a gift from the crofter. In the rattrap were the three
ten kroner notes of the crofter.
Indigo Summary Class 12th
English
Introduction
In this story, Louis describes Gandhi’s struggle for the poor peasants of
Champaran who were the sharecroppers with the British planters. They led
a miserable life and were forced to grow indigo according to an agreement.
They suffereda great injustice due to the landlord system in Bihar. Gandhi
waged a war for about a year against their atrocities and brought justice to
the poor peasants.
Characters
 Raj Kumar Shukla: A sharecropper
 Charles Freer Andrews: A follower of Gandhi

10.  Kasturba: Wife of Gandhi
 Devdas: youngest son of Gandhi
Summary
This story describes Gandhi’s struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran.
In those days most of arable land in the Champaran district was divided
into large estate owned by Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants. The
chief commercial crop was Indigo. The landlords compelled all tenants to
plant 15% of their Indigo and surrender the entire Indigo harvest as rent.
This was done by long term contract.
The British didn’t need the Indigo crop any more when Germany had
developed synthetic Indigo. Just to release the peasants from the 15%
agreement they demanded compensation. Some illiterate peasants agreed
but the others refused. One of the sharecroppers named Raj Kumar Shukla
met Gandhi in this regard and compelled him to visit Champaran because
of the long term injustice of landlords. Then the two of them boarded a
train for the city of Patna in Bihar. From there Shukla led him to the house
of a lawyer named Rajendra Prasad. Mahatma Gandhi’s humble and simple
attire made the servants mistook him as anotherpoor peasant. He surveyed
before taking any vital step in order to get those peasants justice. It was the
time when British government punishedthose who in any condition gave
shelter to national leaders or protesters.
Gandhi’s arrival and the nature of his mission spread like a wildfire. Many
lawyers and peasant groups came in large numbers to support him. The
lawyers accepted the fact that their charges were high and for a poor
peasant it will be irksome. Gandhi rebuked them for collecting big fee from
the sharecroppers. He stressed on counseling as this would give the
peasants enough confidence to fight their fear. He managed to get justice
after a yearlong battle for the peasants. He also made arrangements for the
education, health, and hygiene for the families of the poor peasants. He
gave them the lesson of self-reliance
Gist of the lesson:
 Raj Kumar Shukla- A poor sharecropper from Champaran wishing to
meet Gandhiji.
 Raj Kumar Shukla – illiterate but resolute, hence followed Gandhiji to
Lucknow, Cawnpore, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Patna, Muzzafarpur and
then Camparan.
 Servants at Rajendra Prasad’s residence thought Gandhiji to be an
untouchable.

11.  Gandhiji considered as an untouchable because of simple living style and
wearing, due to the company of Raj KumarShukla.
 Decided to go to Muzzafarpur first to get detailed information about
Champaran sharecropper.
 Sent telegram to J B Kriplani & stayed in Prof Malkani’s home –a
government servant.
 Indians afraid of showing sympathy to the supporters of home rule.
 The news of Gandhiji’s arrival spread –sharecroppers gathered in large
numberto meet their champion.
 Gandhiji chided the Muzzafarpur lawyer for taking high fee.
 Champaran district was divided into estate owned by English people,
Indians only tenant farmers. · Landlords compelled tenants to plant 15%
of their land with indigo and surrender their entire harvest as rent. 87
 In the meantime Germany had developed synthetic indigo –British
landlords freed the Indian farmers from the 15% arrangement but asked
them to pay compensation.
 Many signed, some resisted engaged lawyers, and landlords hired thugs.
 Gandhiji reached Champaran –visited the secretary of the British
landlord association to get the facts but denied as he was an outsider
. · Gandhiji went to the British Official Commissionerwho asked him to
leave Tirhut , Gandhiji disobeyed, went to Motihari the capital of
Champaran where a vast multitude greeted him, continuedhis
investigations.
 Visited maltreated villagers, stopped by the police superintendent but
disobeyed the order
. · Motihari black with peasants spontaneous demonstrations, Gandhiji
released without bail Civil Disobedience triumphed.
 Gandhiji agreed to 25% refund by the landowners, it symbolised the
surrender of the prestige
. · Gandhiji worked hard towards social economic reforms, elevated their
distress aided by his wife, Mahadev Desai, Narhari Parikh.
 Gandhiji taught a lesson of self reliance by not seeking help of an English
man Mr. Andrews.
Going Places Summary Class
12th English
Introduction

12. The theme of this story is adolescent fantasizing and hero worship. It is
quite natural for teenagers to have unrealistic dreams especially when their
families are not well off. It is because of the fact that the socioeconomic
background plays a leading role in the lives of the youths for choosing a
particular profession. The act of fantasizing may lead to miseries in case it
is beyond our approach. It is useless to build castles in the air.
Characters
1. Sophie: a school going teenager
2. Jansie: a friend and classmate of Sophie
3. Geoff: an elder brother of Sophie
4. Derek: a youngerbrother of Sophie
5. Danny Casey: A young Irish football player
6. Tom Finney: A great football player
7. United: name of the football team
8. Father & mother of Sophie
Summary
Sophie, a teenager is filled with fantasies and desires. She comes from a
poor financial background. She dreams of owning a boutique one day or
being an actress or fashion designer but her friend Jansie believes that they
are from a poor financial background and have to work in a biscuit factory.
Jansie, who is more realistic, tries to pull Sophie to reality, but in vain.
Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little
Derek. Though she voices her feelings and desires, her parents don’t believe
her because they, unlike her, are more mature and know the harsh realities
of life. Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brother Geoff, who is
tall, strong, handsome and reserved. She envies his silence and often
wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that she doesn’t know
about. Sophie fantasizes about Danny Casey, an Irish football player whom
she had seen playing in innumerable matches. She makes up a story about
how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more
sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It
seems an unlikely incident for Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street,
but when Sophie describes the meeting in all her details, he begins to hope
that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised to meet her
somewhere again. Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she
herself begins to believe that it’s true. She waits for the Irish player, but
obviously, he neverarrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how
her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny Casey never
showed up. However, Sophie still fantasizes about her hero, Danny Casey
and believes he would definitely come to meet her.

13. GIST OF THE LESSON
 The lesson explores the theme of adolescent fantasies and hero worship.
 Sophie and Jansie are both in the last year of high school and both knew
that they were destined to work in the biscuit factory as they belong to a
working class family.
 Yet, Sophie, always dreams of big and beautiful things, glamour and
glory. 94
 Her ambitions are not rooted in reality i.e., have no relation with the
harsh realities of life.
 In contrast is Jansie, Sophie’s friend, a realistic and practical girl.
 Sophie lives in male-dominated family where her motherwas only a
shadow. The men were football fans and the conversations around the
dinner table were about Danny Casey, their Hero.
 Sophie wants some attention from her father and brother and telling
them that she met Casey, was her way of drawing their attention towards
her.
 But she carries her fantasies too far when she starts to live them.
My Mother at Sixty Six Summary
Class 12th English
Central Idea
Aging is an important phase of human life. A person enters his childhood,
experiences youth when he is full of energy and dreams to have luxury of
life. Finally, he approaches his old age and encounters death. Relationship
between people becomes stronger at every aspect of life and they can’t bear
separation due to aging.
In this poem, the poet relates a personal experience. She brings out a
common paradox of human relationships and portrays a sensational
separation of a mother and a daughter. She has been able to capture almost
all the emotions which a daughter is filled with, on bidding farewell to her
beloved mother. Sometimes we do feel deep sympathy for someone but we
fail to express it in a proper manner.
Summary
One last Friday morning, the poetess was driving from her parents’ home to
the Cochin airport. Her motherwas sitting beside her in the car. She

14. suddenly had a look at her mother. She found that her mother was dozing
with her open mouth. Her face was as pale as that of a corpse. The poet
painfully realized that her mother is not going to live long. This painful
thought hauntedher. But soon she tried to put it off by looking out of the
car window. She saw the young trees running past them. She looked at the
merry children coming out of their homes. As she saw life and vitality in the
outside world, the painful thought passed away from her mind.
After reaching the airport, she went through the security check. Her mother
was standing outside a few yards away. After the security check, she looked
at her motheragain. Her face was pale white like a late winter’s moon. She
felt the old familiar ache of childhood in her heart which is usually felt by a
child due to the fear of separation from his/ her mother. But she contained
herself and kept on smiling in order to conceal heremotions. She spoke no
word to her mother. All that she said was, “See you soon, Amma” and bade
good bye to hermother with a hope to see her again.
Main points
1. Poetess travelling to Cochin airport with her mother in a car.
2. Looks at the wan, pale face of her dozing mother.
3. Old fear of loosing her mother returns.
4. Sprinting trees and merry children provide the contrast and relief.
5. After the security check the old familiar ache returns.
6. Tries to hide her emotions by smiling.
7. Bids good bye to her mother with a hope to see her again.
An Elementary School Classroom
in a Slum Summary Class 12th
English
Theme
In this poem, Stephen Spender deals with the theme of social injustice and
class inequalities. He presents the theme by talking of two different and
incompatible worlds. The world of the rich and the civilized has nothing to
do with the world of narrow lanes and cramped holes. The gap between
these two worlds highlights social disparities and class inequalities.

15. Central Idea
Stephen Spender has presented a true picture of the life of the school
children living in the slum of Tyrolese Valley of Austrian Alpine Province.
The children are in a very miserable condition due to their poverty and
illiteracy. They are depressed. Their pale faces express sadness. They look
lean, skinny and bonny. They are like rootless weeds which can’t resist
anything for their existence. They are physically very weak and under
nourished. Spender voices his concern for these children who live all their
life in slums and have no opportunity to enjoy the real blessings of life. He
makes a frantic appeal to the educated and affluent sections of the society
to better the lot of the slum children through education. It will remove
social injustice and class inequality.
Detailed Analysis of the
Poem
Stanza – 1
The poem describes an elementary school class room in a slum. These slum
children look very pathetic. Their faces are pale and reflect sadness. They
are ‘like rootless weeds’ as they lack proper nutrition. Moreover, they are
unwanted plants which grow on their own without being cared for, totally
neglected. The tall girl has a ‘weighed – down head’ as she is burdened with
the load of poverty. In fact she is so subduedand suppressedthat her head
had bowed down with the burden of her misfortunes. The ‘paper thin’ –
extremely thin boy has ‘rat’s eyes’ because the poor undernourishedboy is
deprived of all the basic amenities of life. He is timid like a rat and full of
anxiety, he searches for food and security. This unfortunate boy suffers
from malnutrition and his growth is also ‘stunted’ not properly developed.
He has also inherited from his father ‘twisted bones’ – bent and distorted
bones. He has inherited the poverty, disease and despair from his parents.
His body is also deformed because of the twisted bones which he has
inherited. He appears to be as sick as his parents. There is a sweet tender
looking student who sits at the back of the class. This boy is different from
the others as ‘his eyes live’ in a dream – he is dreaming and probably
thinking about a better future. He is lost in his own world, therefore, not
sad like the others. This boy thinks of the ‘squirrel’s game’ (metaphor). He
wants to enjoy and play freely like the squirrel in the garden outside. The
squirrel climbs trees and hides in their holes. The boy also dreams to be
free but he cannot as he must sit in the dull and dreary classroom. In the
boys imagination ‘tree room’ – the hollow in a tree, is full of fun, curiosity
and mystery. This is in contrast to the gloomy classroom.

16. Stanza – 2
The classroom is not well maintained. The pale cream walls which were
painted long ago with the help of donations, make the place look more
miserable and sad. Probably there is a portrait of Shakespeare on the wall.
This is ironical as it is put up in a place where there is no serious teaching.
‘Cloudless dawn’ and ‘civilized dome’ suggest the monotonous life in the
slum. These slums are surrounded by the civilized city and the children
cannot experience the beauty of the sky at dawn and are unaware of it. All
around them are concrete structures of the cities. The life in the slum
contrasts with the cloudless sky at dawn and concrete structures which
override the cities. There is also a picture of a beautiful valley full of sweet
fragrant flowers and these children of the slum will never be able to
experience this beauty. They are deprived of this beauty as they are
condemnedto live in the slums amidst garbage. The ‘open-handedmap’ in
the classroom contrasts with their world. The world given to us by god is
full of all the bounties whereas the world of these slum children is full of
poverty and hunger. The world which they see is not the real world. Their
world is confinedto the narrow, dusty streets of the slum. The map in the
classroom gives them hopes and aspirations and motivates them to explore
the world but they will neverbe able to see that world. These children can
get the glimpse of the outside world from the windows and it is far beyond
their reach. They are far away from nature. These slum children have a
bleak and foggy future in store for them. ‘Their future is painted with a fog’
– it is blurred by hopelessness. There is no hope for the slum children.
Instead of the normal blue sky they live under the ‘lead sky’ – dark and dull,
polluted – shows there is no hope for them. The atmosphere hints at their
monotonous life and the slum children remain confined throughout their
lives confined to the filth and dirt of the narrow slum streets. They are away
from the glory of natural beauty of the rivers, mountains, stars etc.
Stanza 3
The children of the slum are fighting the battle of life unarmed. They are
troubled by disease and despair. For them Shakespeare is ‘wicked’ and
‘map’ a bad example’. The literary excellence of Shakespeare and the scenic
beauty portrayed in the map cannot relieve them from their despair. For
these slum children, literary excellence is a far-fetched thing and hence
seems wicked. The map on the wall gives them false aspirations as it makes
them aware of the beautiful world given by god. The world of these children
is confined to the narrow streets of the slums. Therefore, map is ‘a bad
example’. They feel cheated in being deprived of the thrilling sensations of
the sun, the ships, and the emotions of love. The ‘ship’, ‘sun’ and ‘love’
symbolize joy and happiness which these children are deprived of. Their
only experience is that of hungerand poverty. To reach out to the world
beyond, these children are sometimes tempted to adopt wrong means even
stealing to fulfill their dreams. These slum children live in cramped holes,

17. striving and struggling for survival in the small, dirty rooms from ‘fog to
endless night’ – from foggy mornings till long endless nights, trying to meet
both ends. The slum children live on ‘slag heaps’ – piles of waste material.
Their world is full of dirt and garbage. These children are very weak and
undernourished. They look like skeletons as their bones peep through their
thin skin.
They wear ‘spectacles of steel with mended glass’ – discarded spectacles by
the rich, mended (repaired) and worn. Their life is like ‘bottle bits on stones
– shattered and broken like bits of bottle on a stone. They are deprived of
even the basic amenities of life. Their world is comprised of the foggy slums
where they live nightmares. Slums are the reality for these children, their
home, where they spend their life. The maps displayed in their classroom
are no reality for them. They cannot locate their slum in that map. It is
urgently required to give these slum inhabitants means and opportunities
to lead a dignified and civilized life.
Stanza – 4
The elementary school in the slum exists for name sake. The infrastructure
is poor with hardly any serious teaching. The school springs in activity only
when a governor, a school inspector or a visitor comes on a round of the
school. The administrative machinery of the school also gears up at that
time. Then the map becomes their window from where they can see the
world beyond their slums. Since they are confinedto the slums, these sights
and glimpses are shut upon them as they are deprived of all opportunities
and means. Their lives are shut up in the cemeteries of these slums where
they slither and slog to make both ends meet. The poet hopes that these
children will break free from their morbid life, from the chains of the slums.
He appeals to those in power to liberate these children from the miserable
slums and enable them to breathe in the fresh, beautiful and healthy
environment away from the foggy slums. They should be able to bask in the
open green fields and let them run free on the golden sands. Their world
shouldnot be confined to the horrendous and gory slums. The poet
visualizes freedom for these children. He wants a carefree life where they
get economic and social justice, where they have the right to be happy.
These slum children shouldbe able to enjoy the fundamental right of
education otherwise their lives will be miserable. They should be able to
learn not from the books alone but also from the world, the nature around
them.
The poet ends on a note of positivity and wants opportunities to be
available to these children. The people who strive for knowledge are the
ones who create history. The ones who are let free are the ones who will
create history. People who outshine others, who glow like the sun, who

18. break free from the constraints of their restricted life are the ones who
create history and that of diseases are ‘twisted bones,
Keeping Quiet Summary Class
12th English
Introduction
The poet talks about the necessity of quiet introspection as it can develop a
feeling of mutual understanding among human beings.
Theme
It is basically an anti-war poem. The poet is deeply concernedabout
violence, cruelty to animals and plight of manual workers. The poet offers a
very simple solution to many of our social, political and religious problems.
The solution is self-introspection. If it is acted upon, it will be the first
major step towards uniting people. The secondstep is that everyone should
look within and analyse what is wrong and who is the wrong doer. This will
cleanse every heart and ennoble all people.
Summary
This poem advocates the importance of silence and self-introspection. It
can transform not only the life of an individual but also the face of the
earth. The poet says that it does not need much time to look within and
examine oneself. It will take only as long as it will take to count to twelve.
During this time of introspection (self-examination), one shouldkeep quiet
and say nothing at all. It will give him a strange feeling of togetherness with
all others.
Although it may seem a little strange in the beginning, it will eventually
bring us all together. This silence will be free from ‘the disturbing sounds of
engines and people rushing to get their work done’ for some time. He feels
contended imagining the change that will be brought about in those
moments. The men who hurt their hands while collecting salt will get a
little rest. Even the people who seek fresh wars, using fatal gas and
weapons, will put on clean clothes and get a chance to walk among their
brothers.

19. They will lead a hatred-free and calm life, giving a halt to their destructive
activities.
The poet clarifies that his wish should not be considered as a case for “total
inactivity”. He only wants to interrupt the sad, cruel and baleful activities of
the world for a few moments and make the people introspect their actions.
In fact what he says is connected with life, not with death. Activity is very
essence of life. Inactivity is death but for a fresh, better and useful activity, a
little stillness is essential.
The poet uses the image of the earth to show how life exists in seemingly
dormant things. In winter, the earth becomes so still and silent that it
seems to be dead. But later in spring, it seems to be lively again. It has new
beauties and colours added to it. Similarly, after a little quietness and
silence, man can resume his activities in a fresh and better manner.
Main points
1. The poem talks about the necessity of quiet introspection.
2. It will help people to understand themselves & will create the feeling of
mutual love & relationship.
3. By quiet introspection, the poet doesn’t mean total inactivity; instead he
wants full involvement with life.
4. The reason for the discard & war is the imbalance between man & nature.
5. Quiet introspection will establish a spiritual & physical union that is
most desirable for the survival of the earth & of human beings.
A Thing of Beauty Summary
Class 12th English
Background
The poem is based on a Greek legend in which Endymion a handsome
young shepherd and poet who lived on Mount Latmos, had a vision of
Cynthia, the moon goddess. The enchantedyouth resolved to seek her out
and so wandered away through the forest and down under the sea.
Central Idea
Beauty is a heavenly tonic/drink – an endless fountain of nectar. This
beauty comes in different forms– a tale, a poem, a play, a lovely object of

20. nature or the heavenly bodies. It soothes our spirits and gives us good
health, soundsleep and mental peace. It removes sadness from ourlives
and gives an everlasting joy.
Summary
A beautiful thing is a source of eternal joy, its loveliness grows with the
passage of time and its impact never fades away. It is as soothing as a cool
shade. It never passes into nothingness. It gives us good health, soundsleep
and mental peace. It provides the beholder with a haven of tranquility and
solace.
Man and nature are inseparable. It is the beauty of nature that keeps us
attached to this earth. Every morning we collect fresh lovely flowers and
prepare garlands. They refresh our moods and we forget our worries for a
while.
Every person gets a bitter taste of sorrow, suffering and grief. Disease,
disappointments and misfortunes give us mental and physical suffering. It
is the beautiful things that remove the pall of sadness from our lives and
make us happy and hopeful.
All beautiful things of nature are a boon for human beings. The sun, the
moon, the trees, daffodils, simple sheep, clear streams, forests ferns, musk
rose etc. provide us peace and happiness. In addition to these lovely objects
of nature, there are plays and poems to lift ourspirits. The glorious
achievements of mighty heroes and magnificent rewards by God on the day
of judgement for those mighty men, lovely tales of olden days are endless
source of everlasting joy. The poet feels that nothing can surpass the beauty
of nature. They are an elixir of life. They are like an endless fountain that
pours immortal drink from the heaven into our hearts. So beauty is a gift of
God and it gives us joy forever.
Main points
1. The beautiful things of nature are permanent source of joy and make our
lives sweet.
2. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
3. It does not pass into nothingness but its beauty keeps on increasing.
4. It gives us soundsleep and good health;
5. This world is full of frustrations, disappointments and dearth of noble
people.
6. These make our life gloomy and sad.
7. But things of beauty remove the pall and sadness from ourspirits.

21. 8. Nature is a constant source of happiness for human beings.
9. The beautiful things are – sheep, daffodils, clear streams, musk roses and
forest thickets.
10.These things soothe and make us happy.
11. Stories of heroes who have died in peace of war are also things of beauty
and have a stimulating effect.
12.But the beauties of nature are lovelier than all the lovely tales and are like
the immortal drink from heaven.
Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary
Class 12th English
Introduction
Adrienne Rich was brought up in a well off family. Rich felt dominated by
her father’s strong personality while growing up. It was he who most guided
her as a young poet. This wasn’t always to her liking as he expected her to
write her poems his way. When Rich was growing up men dominated and
women were expected to become dutiful wives in their adult lives. All these
elements may have influencedthe picture of marriage Rich drew in this
poem. At the heart of the poem is an image of a husbandwho controls and
frightens his wife. Rich wrote a lot of poems based on everyday experience.
One topic she often featured was the tension, women felt due to being
dominated by their husbands. In ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ Rich is mocking
the weakness of Aunt Jennifer and the clout and authority of Jennifer’s
husbandin their marriage.
Summary
In the poem ‘Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers’ a woman expresses her suppressed
feelings through her art. Aunt Jennifer is the victim of the male dominated
society. She has no one to tell her mental and physical pain. She makes a
picture to convey her deep feelings. The speaker describes the tigers which
her aunt produced on the panel. They are set in motion. They are moving
quickly by raising the front legs and jumping forwards on the back legs. In
the green jungle they look free, bright, brave, fearless and magnificent.
There are men sitting underthe tree, but the tigers do not. They move on to
their goal boldly and smoothly. Jennifer finds it difficult to make pictures
by using the ivory needle. She is tired of doing the householdwork after she
got married. She can’t get herself involved in her artistic work. She has to
do it in her leisure time. Even then she has to be sure whether her husband
is watching her or not. So her hands are terrified. She will not be free from

22. fear until she dies. She will be dominated by her husband. She will die, but
her art will express her desire to move proudly and fearlessly like the tigers
she has made.
Main points
1. In this poem, the poet addresses the constraints of married life,
experienced by a woman.
2. Aunt Jennifer weaves tigers into the panel. These tigers are brave & have
no fear of men.
3. Aunt Jennifer is terrified by her dominating husband. Her finger flutters
due to the mental suppression. She is not happy with her married life.
4. She will die but herart will express her desire to move proudly and
fearlessly like the tigers she has made.
Memories of Childhood Summary
Class 12th English
Introduction
The chapter contains two extracts from two different autobiographical episodes from the lives
of two women – Zitkala Sa and Bama. Both are victims of social discriminations. Zitkala Sa
is the victim of racial discrimination whereas Bama is the victim of caste discriminations. In
both the extracts, the writers look back on their childhood and reflect on their relationship
with mainstream culture which illtreated them when they were child. But both the accounts
are not simple narratives of oppression. Rather they reveal how oppression was resisted by
both the narrators in their own ways. Zitkala-Sa and Bama were very young but not so young
that they would not understand the evil scheme of the mainstream culture. The injustice of
their society did not escape their notice also. Their bitter childhood experience sowed the
seeds of rebellion in them earlier on.
Both the accounts are based in two distant cultures. The first is that of Native Americans and
the second is that of the Tamil Dalits. But the commonality that brings them closer is the fact
that in both cases, the mainstream culture marginalized the underprivileged section of that
society. This gave rise to the conflict between the mainstream culture and the marginalized
community, which is exquisitely showcased in ‘Memories of Childhood’.
1. The Cutting of My Long
Hair

23. Characters
1. Gertrude Simmons:the narratorof the story
2. Zudewin:afriendof Gertrude Simmons
3. A pale-facedwoman:ateacheror a memberof staff at the Carlisle IndianIndustrialSchool in
Carlisle.
Theme
It highlights the despise, racial discrimination and unhealthy treatment towards the humanity
in general and women in particular.
Introduction
This account relates to an American Indian woman who becomes the victim of racial
discrimination. She is admitted to a school where native Indians do not get respect, honour,
dignity and due weightage in America. She is forced by the whites to follow their traditions
and traits. Simmons is dragged out and tied to a chair to shingle out her long hair. She cries,
struggles, kicks, resists, shows reluctance and she ultimately feels like one of the many
animals driven by a herder.
Summary
This extract is a painful revelation of a particular period of the life which the writer had to
suffer during her hostel days. It was the first day of her boarding school situated in the land of
apples. The children were given the task of apple picking in the bitter and biting cold. They
were taken to the breakfast hall and the girl was feeling stressed. She did not know the table
manners. She was being watched very carefully by a strange pale-faced woman. The girl felt
very fearful and insulted. Her friend who could understand some English, told her that the
pale strange woman intended to cut her long hair. Zitkala-Sa learned from her mother that
hair would be shingled only for the unskilled warrior, cowards and mourners. She decided to
fight back and got herself hidden in a dim room under the bed. Everybody looked for her and
called her name but eventually caught. Her long hair was cut, although she resisted a lot. She
spent her rest of the life there like a small animal being a part of a herd, which was driven by
a herder.
GIST OF THE LESSON PART –I
o The first part deals with the account of Simmons, An American Indian, who fought against
the prejudices of the society against American Indians.
o She describes her experiences on her first day at the Carlisle Indian School.
o The customs and rules of the place were strange and new to her.
o She was forced to wear clothes that were considered undignified in her culture.

24. o At breakfast, she was embarrassed as she did not know the routine of the place.
o When she comes to know that they were planning to cut her hair, she protests by hiding
under the bed, even though she knew it was futile. In her culture, it was the cowards whose
hair was shingled.
o She felt like an animal driven by a herder.
PART – II
o The second part is an excerpt from the autobiography ‘Karukku’ by Bama – a Tamil Dalit.
o She was in her third grade when she becomes aware of the indignities that the lower caste
people face.
o She happens to see an elderly person from her community abase himself in front of a higher
caste person as he was not supposed to touch the food that he was ordered to fetch for the
landlord. 109
o Later, her brother explains to her that the incident was not at all funny as she initially
thought, but very pathetic. The people from the lower caste were treated as untouchables.
o She was deeply saddened and decided to study hard to overcome discrimination.
Evans Tries an O-Level Summary
Class 12th English
Characters
1. James Roderick Evans: a prisoner
2. Secretary of the Examination Board: a higher official of the examination
board
3. Governor: the governor of H.M. Prison, Oxford.
4. Mr. Jackson: a prison officer
5. Mr. Stephens: a prison officer
6. ReverendStuart McLeery: an invigilator
7. Mr. Carter: a detective superintendent
8. Mr. Bell: a detective chief inspector
Theme

25. This story depicts a clash of wit between a criminal and the law enforcing
authorities in which the prisoner Evans befools the jail authorities and
manages to escape from the prison. If the government and law enforcing
officials are vigilant, crime can be detected and criminals can be booked.
But criminals like Evans can hoodwink the authorities and escape
punishment as long as the officials are slow and lack alertness and wit.
More Summary It is the month of early March. The secretary of the
Examination Board receives a call from the Governor of the H.M. Prison,
Oxford. He tells that a prisoner named Evans has started night classes in O
Level German. Now he wants to attain some academic qualification. The
Secretary replies that there is no need to worry. All the necessary forms and
other requisite material will be sent. They will give him a chance. He
enquires about Evans. The Governor tells him that Evans has no record of
violence. Ratherhe is an amusing fellow. He is one of the stars at the
Christmas concert. The Secretary asks him if they can arrange a room
where Evans can sit in for the examination. The Governor tells that the
room of Evans can be usedfor this purpose. The Secretary agrees and tells
that they could get a parson from St. Mary Mags to invigilate. The Governor
takes utmost care to see that he would not be fooled. Every care was taken
to make Evans prepare for the exam. He was tutored by a German teacher
for 6 months. The day before the exam the teacher wishes good luck but
makes it clear that he had hardly any ‘chance of getting through.’ But Evans
gives an ironical twist to the tutor’s observation by saying “I may surprise
everybody.” On the day of the exam Jackson and Stephens visited Evan’s
cell and took away everything that may help him injure himself. Evans was
insisted to take away the hat but he refusedsaying that it was lucky charm.
Evan’s cell was bugged so that the Governor could himself listen to each
and every conversation in the cell. The invigilator Rev. S. Mc Leery too was
searched and left him invigilator Rev. S. Mc Leery too was searched and left
him to complete the task. Stephen sitting outside the cell every now and
then peeped into the cell. The exam went on smoothly. Stephen escorted
the invigilator to the main gate and looked into Evan’s cell and foundthe
invigilator (actually Evans) wounded, informed the Governor. The latter
was to be hospitalized but informed that he was alright and asked them to
follow Evans. Thus he escaped the prison. When the invigilator was not
foundin the hospital they went to the residence of Rev. S. Mc Leery only to
find him ’bound and gagged in his study in Broad Street”. He has been
there, since 8.15 a.m. Now everything was clear to the Governor. Evan
escaped the prison the fourth time. But by taking the hint from the question
paper the Governor reached the hotel where Evans was staying. He
captured him and came to know how he planned his escape. The Governor
said that his game was over. Evans surrendered himself to the Governor.
Evans was handcuffedand sent away with a prison officer in the prison van.
But here again he befools the Governor. Both the prison officer and the
prison van were part of the plan devised by Evan’s friends.

26. Once again he was a free bird.
GIST OF THE LESSON
 Evans a kleptomaniac was imprisoned thrice and all the time escaped
from the prison. Now he was in the prison for the 4th time and all of a
sudden developed curiosity to appear in O-level German Examination
which also was an effort to break the prison.
 The Governor takes utmost care to see that he would not be fooled. Every
care was taken to make Evans prepare for the exam.
 He was tutored by a German tutor for 6 months. The day before the exam
the tutor wishes good luck but makes it clear that he had hardly any
‘chance of getting through.’ But Evans gives an ironical twist to the
tutor’s observation by saying “I may surprise everybody.”
 On the day of the exam Jackson and Stephens visited Evans cell and took
away everything that may help him injure himself. Evans was insisted to
take away the hat but he refusedsaying that it was lucky charm.
 Evans cell was bugged so that the Governor could himself listen to each
and every conversation in the cell. The invigilator Rev. S. McLeery too
was searched and left him to complete the task. Stephen sitting outside
the cell every now and then peeped into the cell.
 The exam went on smoothly. Stephen escorted the invigilator to the main
gate and took a look into Evans cell and foundthe invigilator (actually
Evans) wounded, informed the Governor. The latter was to be
hospitalized but informed that he was alright and askedthem to follow
Evans. Thus he escaped the prison.
 When the invigilator was not found in the hospital they went to the
residence of Rev. S. McLeery only to find him ’boundand gagged in his
study in Broad Street”. He has been there, since 8.15 a.m. Now
everything was clear to the Governor.
 Evan escaped the prison the 4th time. But by taking the hint from the
question paper the Governor reached the hotel where Evans was and
captured him and came to know how he planned his escape and said that
his game was over. Evans surrenders himself to the Governor.
 The Governor tells Evan they would meet soon.
 The moment they are rid of the Governor, the so called prison officer-a
friend of Evansunlocks the handcuffs and asks the driver to move fast
and Evans tells him to turn to Newbury.

27. On the Face of it Summary Class
12th English
Characters
1. Derry: a boy of 14 with a burnt face, looks ugly, loner, pessimistic,
sufferedfrom severe negative complexes, anger and frustration,
withdrawn and introverted, low confidence, indulged in self pity,
suspicious of the intent of others
2. Mr. Lamb: an Old man with a tin leg, lonely, craved for company and
acceptance, jovial, optimistic, lover of nature, social, outgoing, tolerant,
helpful, sensitive, independent, didn’t mind children calling him Lamely
Lamb or picking the Crab apples.
3. Derry’s mother
Summary
This play deals with the problem of the disabled people and depicts that
merely the encouraging words may change our tensedfeelings. It is for us
to see and understand life in every organism. It does not matter what we
look like but it matters how we can uplift a disabled man. It is not the actual
pain or inconvenience causedby a physical impairment that troubles
inconvenience causedby a physical impairment that troubles a disabled
man but the behavior of the people aroundhim. People discard him as a
useless limb and refuse to accept him in the mainstream of life. So he feels
alienated from the society and wants to live in seclusion. In a way Derry
suffers from inferiority complex. Mr. Lamb motivates him to think
positively about life, people and things. It is a fine day and Mr. Lamb is in
his garden. He is an old man with a tin leg. He leads a lonely life and is
always ready to accept any visitor who comes in his garden. One day Derry,
a young boy of fourteen sneaks into Mr. Lamb’s garden. He has a burnt face
with acid so he looks very ugly. He has become defiant and withdrawn due
to his disfigured face. He does not want to face the world with his ugly and
disfigured face. Derry climbs over the wall and cautiously walks through the
long grass. He is quite close to Lamb. He is sacred when Lamb speaks to
him. Lamb asks him to tread carefully because the long grass is littered with
wild apples dropped by wind. Derry is utterly confusedas he has come
there considering the place empty. Having been detected by Lamb, Derry
panics and wants to go. Lamb asks him not to leave as he does not mind
anybody’s coming into his garden. He keeps the gate always open. He
advises to enter through the gate rather than by climbing over the garden
wall. Lamb tells that all who come to his garden, are welcome. But

28. Derry says that he has not come to steal but he wants only to come into
garden. He rather tells Derry not too afraid of anything but Derry points out
that the people are afraid of him because of his ugly and disfigured face.
Derry adds that he is afraid of himself when he sees his face in the mirror.
Lamb tries to console him. He asks him to face the harsh realities of life
bravely. He tries to divert the views of Derry from his burnt face to the
fruits in the garden, but Derry keeps on talking about his ugly face. Lamb
tries to make him understandthat it is the inner beauty of a person that
matters, not his outer beauty. Derry does not agree with it. He tells lamb
that it is important to be handsome from outside also. He says that even his
mother kisses him on the other side of his face. He says that he has to spend
whole of his life with his half face. Mr. Lamb points out that there is no
difference between a flower plant and a weed since both are living and
growing plants. Derry remarks that Mr. Lamb can put on trousers and
cover up his tingle. Then Mr. Lamb reminds Derry of a fairy tale of Beauty
and The Beast in which the princess kisses the Beast who in turn changes
into a handsome prince. This makes Derry understand that ugliness is only
skin deep. A man is not what he looks like but what he really is. Handsome
is that handsome does. This story is to inspire Derry and he shouldnot care
for his burnt face. But Derry tells that people stare at his face and they are
afraid of him. Derry tells Lamb that women talk of his ugly face. They say
that none will kiss except his mother. Mr. Lamb tells him that he must have
heard so many other things also. The best thing is to keep his ears shut and
need not pay attention to such talks. Mr. Lamb talks about the bees in his
garden. Some people like their buzzing while others hate. But Lamb calls it
a sweet music. It is only the difference of attitude. Derry tells that people
stare at his face so he avoids them. But Mr. Lamb tells that keeping alone is
not a fine thing. He tells a story about a man who was always afraid of being
run over or getting infected or meeting with some accident. So he locked
himself in a room.
There a picture fell on his head and killed him. Derry says that his family
often talks about him downstairs when he is not there. They are worried to
think what is going to happen to him when they are gone and how he will
get on in this world. Mr. Lamb does not agree with him. Lamb encourages
him that he has got two arms, legs, eyes, ears, a tongue and a brain. He can
achieve whatever he likes. He can be better than others. He tells Derry that
he has got a full can be better than others. He tells Derry that he has got a
full body. He can do anything like other people or may do better than
others. He asks Lamb several questions to know more about him. Mr. Lamb
says that he sits in the sun and reads the books. He likes the windows open
to hear the wind. Lambs tells that he has a lot of friends everywhere.
Everybody who comes in his garden is his friend. Derry wonders how a
person can be his friend about whom he knows nothing. Derry says that

29. there are some people he hates. But Lamb remarks that hatred would do
him more harm than any bottle of acid. Acid only burns ourface or so but
hatred can burn us away inside. Lamb asks him to be a friend. Derry asks
how they can be friends only in one meeting. But Lamb tells him that he
can come there at any time even if he is out. Derry thinks to help him. He
tells Lamb that with one leg he can fall off a ladder and die. Derry offers to
help him but he wants to inform his mother where he is since she will be
worried. Lamb doubts if he would come back. Derry assures him to return
but Lamb says to himself that people never come back though they say that
they will come back. Derry goes back to his house and tells everything to his
mother. Derry says that he wants to go there, sit and listen to things and
look. Nobody else has ever said the things the old man has said. His mother
stops him from going to the old man’s house. She tells that she has heard
strange stories about the old man. She urges him not to go there again.
Derry insists that he must go there otherwise he will never go anywhere in
this world. In spite of his mother’s strong resistance, Derry slams the door
and runs away to help Lamb in collecting crab apples. In the meantime Mr.
Lamb climbs on the ladder for the apples. The ladder falls back and Mr.
Lamb is killed. Derry opens the gate and says excitedly that he has come
back. Suddenly he gate and says excitedly that he has come back. Suddenly
he catches sight of Mr. Lamb. He runs through the long grass and says, “I
came back Lamely Lamb. I did come back.” But there is no response. Derry
kneels by him and weeps and realizes that he has lost his only friend in this
world.
GIST OF THE LESSON
 The play depicts beautifully yet grimly the sad world of the physically
impaired.
 It is not the actual pain or inconvenience causedby a physical
impairment that trouble a disabled man but the attitude of the people
around him.
 Two physically impaired people, Mr. Lamb with a tin leg and Derry with
a burnt face, strike a band of friendship.
 Derry is described as a young boy shy, withdrawn and defiant.
 People tell him inspiring stories to console him, no one will ever kiss him
except his mother that too on the other side of his face
 Mentions about a woman telling that only a mother can love such a face.
 Mr. Lamb revives the almost dead feelings of Derry towards life.
 He motivates him to think positively about life, changes his mind set
about people and things how a man locked himself as he was scared-a
picture fell off the wall and got killed.
 Everything appears to be the same but is different- Ex. of bees. And
weeds
 The gate of the garden is always open.

30.  Derry is inspired and promises to come back.
 Derry’s mother stops him but he is adamant saying if he does not go now
it would be never.
 When he comes back he sees lamb lying on the ground
 It is ironical that when he searches a new foothold to live happily, he
finds Mr. Lamb dead.
 In this way the play depicts the heart rendering life of physically disabled
people with their loneliness, aloofness and alienation.
 But at the same time it is almost a true account of the people who don’t
let a person live happily.
Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
Summary Class 12th English
Introduction
Little children love to hear stories from their parents at bedtime. Such
stories are mostly fables and have no logic behind them. Many a time,
parents make up stories out of their own head. Little children take them as
literally true. But as the child grows up, he becomes inquisitive. He begins
to ask many questions. He wants to know why and how certain things
happen. He wants to know the reason behind things. Sometimes parents
take this questioning of the child as an affront. They try to discourage it.
They want the child to accept as true whatever is said to him. Is such an
attitude desirable? This story poses this very question. A father tells his
child a story out of his head. The child interrupts him a numberof times.
She raises questions whenevershe feels that the story is wrong. The father
feels himself caught in an ugly middle position. He does not know whether
he shouldaccept the child’s version or stick to his own. Thus the story
raises a moral issue and leaves it to the reader to resolve it.
Theme
The story raises a moral issue if the parents shouldalways decide what the
children should do or let the children do what they like to do. Children
dream and live in their own magical world. They are devoid of despise,
ugliness, and petty differences. They are pure at heart. This story raises a
moral question at this point, “Should Wizard hit Mommy?”Jo feels that he
must. Jack says that it would be wrong because a mommy is always right.
She shouldbe loved and respected.

31. Characters
1. Joanne: a four year old girl, lovingly called as ‘Jo’.
2. Jack: Father of Joanne
3. Clare: Wife of Jack, mother of Joanne.
4. Skunk: a baby creature with a bad smell.
5. Mother Skunk: Motherof baby Skunk.
6. Owl: a wise creature that solves the problems.
7. Wizard: A magician.
Summary
Jack was the father of two little kids – Jo and Bobby. His wife Clare was
carrying their third child. Jack would tell a story to his daughter Jo out of
his head in the evenings and for Saturday naps. This custom of story-telling
began when Jo was two–year-old and it was continuing for the last two
years. Each new story only differed a bit from the basic tale. There always
was a small creature, usually named Roger, for example, Roger Fish, Roger
Squirrel, Roger Chipmunk etc. He always had some problem and he would
go to the wise old owl. The owl would tell him to go to the Wizard, who
would perform a magic spell that solved the problem. The Wizard in turn
would demand in payment a number of pennies greater than the number
Roger creature had. But at the same time he would direct the animal to a
place where the extra pennies could be found. Then Roger would become so
happy that he played many games with other creatures. Roger then would
go home to his mother just in time to hear the train whistle that brought his
daddy home from Boston. Jack then would describe their supper, and the
story was over.
Jack foundthis story-telling session especially tiring on Saturday, because
Jo never fell asleep in naps any more. One Saturday Jack asked Jo about
whom the story shouldbe today. Roger Skunk, she said firmly. A new
animal; they must talk about Skunk at nursery school. Jack started the
story of the tiny creature Skunk, who lived in the dark deep woods. His
name was Roger Skunk and he smelled very bad. He smelled so bad that
other animals of the jungle would not play with him. They would run away
and Roger Skunk would stand there all alone.
Roger Skunk went to the wise old owl and told his problem. The owl asked
the Skunk why he did not see the Wizard. Then he went to the Wizard and
told that he smelled very bad and all the little animals usedto run away
from him. The wise owl had told wizard that he could help in that manner.
The Wizard took his magic wand and asked Roger Skunk what he wanted to
smell like. Roger Skunk told him that he would like to smell like roses. The
Wizard chanted and Roger Skunk started smelling like roses. The Wizard

32. asked Roger Skunk to pay seven pennies. Roger Skunk said that he had four
pennies only and he began to cry. The Wizard directed Roger to go to the
nearby magic well and he would find three pennies there. Roger Skunk took
out three pennies from the well and gave them to the Wizard. Now all the
other animals gathered around him because he smelled so good. They
played various games and laughed. It began to get dark so they all ran home
to their mummies. Jo thought that the story was all over.
When Roger Skunk went home his mummy said that the smell was awful.
She asked who made him smell like that. Roger Skunk said that the Wizard
did so. She said that they were going right back to that Wizard. He said that
all the other animals would run away with his bad smell. But his mummy
said she did not care. He shouldsmell the way a little Skunk shouldhave
smelled. So she took Roger with herand went to the Wizard. When the
wizard openeddoor, she hit him with her umbrella and explained how the
wizard’s magic infuriated her. The wizard spelled anothermagic and Roger
smelled as foul as he did earlier. But she was displeased with this new
ending and wanted her father to make the wizard hit Roger’s mommy. But
Jack was not ready to make any change as he thought Joe shouldaccept
him without questioning. Jo protested but Jack said that it was daddy’s
story. He said then Roger Skunk and her mummy went home. They had
supper and when Roger Skunk was in bed, Mommy Skunk came up and
hugged him and said she loved him very much. He told her that the story
ends there.
Jo asked her daddy if the other animals ran away from Roger Skunk. Jack
said no, they finally got usedto the way Roger Skunk was and did not mind
it at all. Jo commented that she was a stupid mummy. He asked her to have
a long nap as her brother Bobby was also sleeping. Jo told him that she
wanted him to tell her the story the next day that Wizard took that magic
wand and hit that mummy, right over the head. Jack said that it was not the
story. The point is that the little Skunk loved his mummy more than he
loved all the otherlittle animals. Moreover, she knew what was right. But
Jo insisted that tomorrow he shouldsay that the Wizard hit that mummy.
Jack said that he would see and asked her to sleep.
He closed the door and went downstairs. Clare was striking the chair rail
with a dipped brush. Above him footsteps vibrated. These were Jo’s
footsteps. He threatened to beat her and then the footsteps slowed down.
Clare observed that it was a long story. He simply said “the poor kid”. He
watched his wife working hard on the wood-work. She was doing painting
work. Thus the writer displays adult authority on one hand and the child’s
inquisitiveness on the other.

33. Gist of the Lesson
 The chapter captures a very sensitive reaction of a small girl to an
important aspect of the story that her father narrates to her.
 The story reveals the worldview of a little child to a difficult moral
question that shows her mental or psychological richness.
 Jo is a little girl of four years. She is engaged in a story session with her
father.
 Jack, the father used to tell her a story every evening and especially for
Saturday naps jo feels herself involved with the characters and the
happenings.
 The story always had an animal with a problem. The old owl advises him
to visit the wizard who would solve the problem.
 Skunk’s problem- he smelt bad, visited the wizard who changed it to the
smell of roses.
 Skunk’s motherwas unhappy with it and took him back to the wizard.
She hit the wizard and asked him to restore the original smell. She
wanted her son to keep his identity of a skunk and wanted his friends to
accept him for himself. So the wizard changes him back to smell like a
skunk.
 After hearing the story of Roger Skunk Jo was not happy with the ending.
 She wants her father to change the ending. She wants the wizard to hit
the motherback and let Roger be which her father was not ready to do to
establish his authority. This raises a difficult moral question whether
parents possess the right to impose their will on their children.
 Her father finds it difficult to answer herquestion.
The Enemy Summary Class 12th
English
Introduction
The story highlights how a Japanese doctor saves the life of an American
prisoner of war and rises above narrow national prejudices. He risks his
honour, career, position and life by sheltering a war prisoner of the enemy
camp and saving his life. The author has beautifully portrayed the conflict
in the doctor’s mind as a private individual and as a citizen with a sense of
national loyalty.
Setting

34. The story takes place on a coastal town of Japan in the year 1941 when
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. A war going on between America and Japan.
Japanese were hostile to the Americans and ready to kill any American
foundin their soil.
Theme
‘The Enemy’ gives the message that humanism transcends all man made
prejudices and barriers. Dr. Sadao upholds the ethics of medical profession
in treating an enemy. The story is a great lesson of peace, love, sympathy,
fellow feeling and humanism.
Characters
1. Dr. Sadao Hoki: A Japanese doctor trained by Americans.
2. Sadao’s father: much concerned about his son’s education, a true patriot.
3. Hana: Wife of Dr. Sadao, met in America, became friends and got
married in Japan.
4. Tom: An American prisoner of war, a soldier of U.S. Navy.
5. The old General: a sick Japanese army General, needed an operation,
trusted only Dr. Sadao.
6. An officer: A messengerof the General.
7. Gardener: an old gardener in the house of Dr. Sadao.
8. Yimi: Hana’s maid servant.
9. The cook: an old cook in the house of Dr. Sadao.
Place
House of Dr. Sadao: a house built on a narrow beach near the sea.
Summary
Sadao was a Japanese surgeon. He studied in America and returned with
Hana, a Japanese girl whom he met there, and married her in Japan and
settled down comfortably. While most of the doctors were sent to serve the
Japanese army in the World War II, Sadao was allowed to stay home
because he was wanted by the old General who was dying. But one night
into his uneventful life came an American Navy-man, shot, woundedand
dying. Though unwilling to help his enemy, Sadao took the young soldier
into his house and provided him with medical aid. He was in danger from
that moment. Soon his servants left him. Dr. Sadao saw that the soldier was
getting well and absolutely alright. Once his patient was no more in needof
him, the doctor turned out to be his assassin, conspiring to kill him in his
sleep. He informed the General of the American and the General promised,
he would send his private men to kill the American. Sadao awaited the

35. American’s death every morning but to his gloom the man was still alive,
healthier and posing danger to him. At this point Sadao becomes the real
man in him, a true human being who realizes the essential worth of human
life and universal brotherhood. He thinks beyond countries and continents
and races and wars. He finds no reason to believe that the American is his
enemy. Sadao rescues the American. Thus Sadao rises above narrow
prejudices and acts in a truly humanitarian way.
GIST OF THE LESSON:
 Sadao, a Japanese surgeon finds a woundedAmerican soldier on the
beach near his house.
 He is unable to throw him back though he was his enemy as he was a
doctor and his first duty was to save a life.
 Hana, his wife, though initially reluctant because it was dangerous for all
including the children to keep the enemy in the house, joins her husband
in operating and nursing the enemy soldier back to health, even though
the servants desert the house.
 Hana assists Dr. Sadao in operating the soldier in spite of her physical
discomfort and hesitation.
 Though it was war time and all hands were neededat the front, the
General did not send Sadao with the troops as he is an expert surgeon
and the General needed him.
 Sadao tells him about the enemy soldier but he does not take any action
as he is self-absorbed and forgets his promise that he would send his
private assassins to kill the enemy and remove his body.
 Taking advantage of the general’s self-absorption Sadao decides to save
the soldiers life. After the soldier is out of danger Dr. Sadao helps him to
escape from his house to safety.
The Tiger King Summary Class
12th English
Introduction
The story ‘The Tiger King’ is a satire on the pride and stubbornness of those
in power. The writer takes us to the days of autocratic and eccentric kings.
These kings lived under the thumb rule of British, hence they fear them.
Most of the time the rulers were not interested in serving the people and
working for the welfare of the public; instead they spent their time in
foolish pursuits. They flouted all laws and bent them to suit their selfish
interests. The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram tried to belie what was written

36. in his fate. The chief astrologer had predicted that the cause of his death
would be a tiger. The King tried his best to belie the prediction. His
campaign of tiger-hunting was very successful. All his strategies and wise
plans worked till he killed 99 tigers. But the hundredth tiger eluded him till
his death. The irony of fate brings quite an unexpectedend of the Maharaja.
The hero who killed ninety nine tigers couldn’t kill the only one that was
left. The last tiger he thought to be dead survived. The King’s bullet had
missed its mark. Ironically, the hundredth tiger which causedhis death was
not a ferocious beast of blood and flesh. It was a wooden tiger. One of the
slivers of wood pierced his right handand caused infection and a
suppurating sore. It ultimately led to his death.
Theme
Animals and birds are as much part of the nature as human beings. The
destruction or haphazard killing of one species may not only lead to its
extinction, but it will adversely affect the ecological balance. Those animals
which serve as food for the wild animals, will increase in large number, if
the beast of prey are wiped out. Each species, howsoeverfierce, deadly,
ferocious or poisonous has its role in maintaining ecological balance in
nature.
Characters
1. The Tiger King: a hero of the story, the Maharaja of Pratibandhpuram,
also known as His Highness Jamedar, General Khiledar-Major, Sata-
Vyaghra samhari, Maharajadhiraja Visva Bhuvana samrat, Sir Jilani
Jung Jung Bahadur, M.A.D., A.C.T.C., or C.R.C.K.
2. Crown prince: a ten day old baby who later became the Maharaja of
Pratibandhpuram.
3. Chief astrologer: a royal foreteller of the state.
4. Durai: means “chief, leader” in Tamil.
5. A British high ranking officer & his secretary
6. Dewan: a chief administrative office of the Maharaja.
7. Duraisani: the wife of the high ranking British officer, a greedy woman
who takes all the 50 or so diamond rings for herself.
Summary
The Maharaja Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bhadur was called “Tiger King”. When
he was just 10 day old, he asked intelligent questions to the astrologers and
was told that he would be killed by a tiger. He uttered “Let tigers beware!”
No other miracle took place, the child grew like any other Royal child
drinking white cow’s milk. He was taught by an English tutor and looked
after by an English nanny. He watched English films. When he was 20, he

37. was crowned as king. It was then the prediction of his death by the tiger
reached the Maharaja’s ear and he in turn to safe guard himself killed a
tiger and being thrilled he told the astrologer who replied that he can kill 99
tigers but shouldbe careful with the 100th. He pledged that all other affairs
of the state would be attended after killing the hundredtigers. Then he
started killing tigers. None except Maharaja was allowed to hunt tigers. A
high-ranking British officer visited the state that was fond of hunting tigers
and his wish was declined. The officer requested for getting a photograph
with a tiger killed by Maharaja and this request was rejected. So to please
the officer’s wife, he sent 50 diamond rings expecting that she would take
one or two, instead she kept all the rings costing 3 lakh rupees and sent
‘thanks’ to the Maharaja. But his state was secured. In 10 years, he killed 70
tiger and didn’t find any in Pratibandapuram so he decided to marry a girl
from royal state which had more tigers to complete his target. Wheneverhe
visited his in-laws, he killed 5-6 tigers. So he killed 99 tigers and was
feverishly anxious to kill the 100th but couldn’t find. News about the
presence of a tiger near a village proved disappointing. He asked his Dewan
to find the tiger otherwise face his anger. Now the Dewan was afraid of
losing his job so he visited ‘People’s Park in Madras’ and brought an old
tiger and placed it in the forest and informed the Maharaja. The Maharaja
took great care and shot the tiger and left the place with great triumph. The
bullet did not hit the tiger but out of fear the tiger had collapsed. Now the
staff killed the tiger and brought it in grand procession. It was the third
birthday of the Maharaja’s son and he wanted to buy a present from the
toyshop. He bought a wooden tiger which was poorly carved. While the
Maharaja was playing with the prince, a tiny sliver of the wooden tiger
pierced his right hand which later on caused his death. Thus the hundredth
tiger takes his final revenge upon the “Tiger King”.
Gist of the lesson:
 The Maharaja Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bhadur was called “Tiger King”
. · When he was just 10 days old he asked intelligent questions to the
astrologers and was told that he would be killed by a tiger. He uttered “Let
tigers beware!”
 No other miracle took place, the child grew like any other Royal child
drinking white cow’s milk, taught by an English tutor, looked after by an
English nanny and watched English films.
 When he was 20, he was crowned as king. It was then the prediction of
his death by the tiger reached the Maharaja’s ear and he in turn to safe
guard himself killed a tiger and being thrilled he told the astrologer who
replied that he can kill 99 tigers but should be careful with the 100th .

38.  From then on he started killing tiger and none was allowed to hunt
tigers. A highranking British officer visited the state that was fond of
hunting tiger and his wish was declined.
 The officer requested for getting a photograph with a tiger killed by
Maharaja and this request was rejected.
 So to please the officer’s wife he sent 50 diamond rings expecting that
she would take 1 or 2 instead she kept all the rings costing 3 lakh rupees
and sent ‘thanks’ to the Maharaja. But his state was secured.
 In 10 years he killed 70 tiger and didn’t find any in Pratibandapuram so
he decided to marry a girl from royal state which had more tigers to
complete his target wheneverhe visited his in-laws he killed 5-6 tigers.
So he killed 99 tigers and was feverishly anxious to kill the 100th but
couldn’t find news about the presence of a tiger near a village proved
disappointing.
 Now the Dewan was warned of his danger so he visited ‘People’s Park in
Madras’ and brought an old tiger and placed it in the forest and informed
the Maharaja.
 The Maharaja took great care and shot the tiger and left the place with
great triumph the bullet did not hit the tiger but out of fear the tiger had
collapsed. Now the staff killed the tiger and brought it in grand
procession it was the 3rd birthday of the Maharaja’s son and he wanted
to buy a present from the toyshop. He bought a wooden tiger which was
poorly carved. 97
 While the Maharaja was playing with the prince a tiny sliver of the
wooden tiger pierced his right hand which later on caused his death.
Thus the hundredth tiger takes his final revenge upon the “Tiger King”.
The Invisible Man Study Material
Class 12th English CBSE
Table of Content
1. About the author
2. Introduction
3. Setting
4. Characters
5. Summary
6. Theme: Corruption of Morals in the Absence of Social Restriction
7. Questions based on the plot, theme and character
8. Chapter wise Summary
9. Character Analysis
Other Chapter Summary

39. About the author
Herbert George Wells was born in a working class family in 1866. He came
from a poor background, which was unusual for a writer at that time. He
won a scholarship to study science at university. With a first-class degree in
biology, he briefly became a teacher. His career in the classroom was ended
by a sharp kick in the kidneys from an unhappy pupil, which left him too
unwell to continue teaching. He then lived on a small income from
journalism and short stories, until his literary career took off with his first
science fiction novel, The Time Machine, in 1895.
Wells wrote with tremendous energy throughout his life, producing many
science fiction stories, short stories, sociological and political books,
autobiographical novels and histories. He became very successful as a
writer, perhaps because his work was both popular and intellectual, and he
lived in some style. He married twice and had a reputation as a womaniser.
He moved in socialist circles and used fiction to explore his political ideas.
Wells died in 1946.
Introduction
The Invisible Man is the story of a gifted young university student who
invented a new formula to become invisible. He became invisible but made
two mistakes. He did not inform anyone about the formula and without
inventing the reverse process, he applied on himself.
He had to face many problems in London as it became difficult for him to
get food, clothing and shelter. He came to Iping as he wanted to do research
to find out the reverse formula. But his strange appearance and odd
behavior made the people of Iping suspicious. As his money came to an
end, he stole from the house of the Vicars.
He was cornered many times but he managed to escape by taking off his
clothes. He met his fellow scientist Dr. Kemp at Burdock who betrayed him.
He called Dr. Kemp a traitor and tried to kill him. Finally, he was killed by
the people on the road.
Setting:
1. England in the 1890’s.
2. Iping and the surrounding area
3. Much of the action initially occurs around or in a couple of pubs and an
inn, thus taking advantage of the natural opportunity for people to

40. spread rumors, speculate on mysterious issues, and expand on each
other’s stories.
Characters
Griffin: The Invisible Man
Mr. & Mrs. Hall: Owner of the inn ‘Coach & Horses’
Teddy Henfrey: a clock jobber
The Rev. Mr. Bunting: a vicar in the town of Iping
Marvel: a local tramp
Dr. Kemp: a scientist and a former associate of Griffin
Dr. Cuss: a physician
Mr. Bobby Jaffers: the village constable
Colonel Adye: the chief of Burdock Police
Summary
On a cold wintery day, a stranger came through the snowfall carrying a
black portmanteau in his hand and put up at the inn, ‘Coach & Horses’. The
stranger was wrapped from head to foot and no one could see his face. Mrs.
Hall, the owner of the inn thought that the stranger had either met with an
accident or had an operation on the face. His bags and baggage contained
only bottles and three note books. The stranger kept to himself in his room
and conducted experiments. He wanted to be alone and undisturbed as he
hated being disturbed while at work. His rude and strange behavior made
him unpopular with the villagers and they suspected him to be a criminal.
There was a theft in the house of Buntings at a time when the stranger was
not in his room. Mrs. and Mr. Hall went inside his empty room and were
surprised to see the bed sheets dancing. The terrified owners chased him
out of the inn with the help of Mr. Jaffers, the village constable.
Griffin then met Mr. Marvel, a local tramp to whom he confessedthat he
was invisible. He threatenedto kill him if he betrayed. He returned to Iping
with Mr. Marvel to take his three note books and other belongings. Since he
had no clothes on, he could not be seen by anybody.
After travelling a long distance, they came to Burdock where Mr. Marvel
tried to give him a slip by hiding in the inn, ‘Jolly Cricketers’. By this time,
the story of the Invisible Man was in the newspaper and the whole country
knew about it. A scuffle ensuedin the inn and the Invisible Man was hurt.
Unknowingly, an injured and bleeding Invisible Man took shelterin the
house of Dr. Kemp, who happened to be his associate in college.
Griffin told his story to Dr. Kemp. Being a student of medicine, he was
suddenly attracted towards Physics and function of light. He invented a
chemical by which he made a piece of wool invisible. He then tried it on a

41. cat and then on himself. He did not inform anyone about his invention as
he feared that somebody else would take the credit of his invention. At first,
he thought only of the advantages of being invisible but gradually he found
the disadvantages too. He needed food, clothing and shelter as the weather
was changing and snow would settle on his body. He came to Iping to do
research and find out the reverse process which he had not invented. His
body was like a thin sheet of glass. The food that he ate could be seen going
down his throat until it was digested. Only the dogs could sense him. He
wanted his three note books from Mr. Marvel. He told Dr. Kemp that
together they could unleash the Reign of Terror in that small town.
Dr. Kemp did not keep his promise to maintain secrecy. He had informed
Colonel Adye about the presence of the Invisible Man in his house. Seeing
the police, Griffin ran out of house calling Kemp a traitor. A siege was laid
in the whole town of Burdock to catch the Invisible Man under the guidance
of Dr. Kemp. The Invisible Man attacked the house of Dr. Kemp as he had
realized that Dr. Kemp had betrayed him.
In the final chase, the Invisible Man was caught by the road
workers with the help of Dr. Kemp and beaten to death. After death,
Griffin’s body became visible. Mr. Marvel opened an inn with the money
that Griffin had kept with him and named it ‘The Invisible Man’. He also
preserved the note books from Dr. Kemp and the outside world as he hoped
that this would fetch him fortune someday.
Theme: Corruption of Morals in the
Absence of Social Restriction
1. The narrator uses the Invisible Man to experiment with the depth to
which a person can sink when there are no social restrictions to suppress
his behavior. When Griffin first kills his father, he excuses it away by
saying that the man was a “sentimental fool.” When he takes the potion
himself, he endures such pain that he “understands” why the cat howled
so much in the process of becoming invisible. Nevertheless he has no
compassion for the cat, for his father or for any of the people he takes
advantage of in the course of trying to survive invisibility. On the
contrary, he descends from committing atrocities because they are
necessary to his survival to committing them simply because he enjoys
doing so.
2. This theme of corruption in the absence of social law has become a motif
that is explored in other literary works. H. G. Well created his story with
very little psychological elaboration or character development. Other
writers, however, have taken the idea much farther; we are thus blessed

42. with novels such as Lord of the Flies, and Heart of Darkness, along with
short stories by Poe and Melville.
Questions based on the plot,
theme and character
Q1. Why did the people of Iping turn hostile towards the
stranger?
Ans. Griffin aroused the curiosity of the people of Iping from the very first
day. He did not talk to anyone. He confinedhimself in the room and talked
to none. His bags contained only bottles. His rude and unusual behaviour
aroused the curiosity of the people.
Tedd Henfrey who had come to mend the clock was rudely asked to leave.
He warned Mr. Hall that the stranger could be a criminal in disguise as he
had a suspicious nature. When his bags arrived the dog came and tore off
his bandage. He rushedto his room to change followed by Mr. Hall who
offered to help but he was pushedout of the room. Suspicion arose when
Dr. Cuss saw his empty sleeve in the place of an arm and the people started
disliking him. The Vicar and his wife saw the candlelight in the middle of
the night in their room and their money and gold vanishedaway. When Mr.
and Mrs. Hall foundhis room empty they were attacked by an invisible
person and saw the furniture dancing. This infuriated Mrs. Hall as it was
her mother’s furniture. She thought that the stranger was a spirit. Mr. Hall
brought the police to catch the stranger but the invisible man pushed
everybody and escaped.
Q2. Describe the meeting between Marvel and the Invisible Man.
Ans. Mr. Marvel was a local tramp. He was sitting alone and trying his
boots. Suddenly, a voice talked to him. He answered the voice but when he
looked around, he foundno one. He thought probably he was drunk, so
could not see anyone. The Invisible Man then started throwing flints at him
to show that he was an ordinary man but invisible who needed food,
clothing and shelterlike any other man. Marvel felt his hand, face, and
chest and was convinced. The Invisible Man told Marvel that he had chosen
him as he wanted his help and would be rewarded. He also warned him
against betrayal. A terrorized Marvel promised to help. Marvel had to do
things according to the wishes of the Invisible Man. He went to Iping,
entered Griffin’s room and stole the three note books. As Mr. Huxter
chased him, Marvel had to run for his life.
The story of the Invisible Man was in the papers. Marvel tried to tell the
mariner about the Invisible Man but was stopped by him. Tired and
exhausted, he ran for his life with the books of Griffin and the money that
Griffin had stolen.

43. At Burdock, Marvel entered the Jolly Cricketer and hid himself in the
kitchen but was pulled out. A fight ensuedbetween Griffin and the police.
Marvel escaped and landed in the police station.
After the death of Griffin, we see Marvel open an inn called The Invisible
Man. The owner of the money stolen by Griffin could not be found, so it
remained with Marvel. He is no more a tramp but rich man. He has
preserved the note book of Griffin away from the outside world. He hoped
that someday it would fetch him a fortune.
Chapter wise Summary
CHAPTER 1. The Strange Man’s
Arrival
A stranger arrives in Bramble Hurst railway station. He is bundled from
head to foot with only the tip of his nose showing. He enters the Coach &
Horses Inn and demands a room and a fire. Mrs. Hall, the owner prepares a
supper for him and offers to take his coat and hat, but he refuses to take
them off. When he finally removes the hat, his entire head is swathed in a
bandage. Mrs. Hall thinks he has endured some accident. She tries to get
him to talk about himself, but he is taciturn with her, although not
particularly rude.
CHAPTER 2. Mr. Teddy Henfrey’s
First Impressions
Teddy Henfrey, a clock repairman, comes to the inn for tea. Mrs. Hall asks
him to “repair the clock” in the stranger’s room. Teddy deliberately takes as
long as he can with the clock, taking it apart and reassembling it for no
reason. The stranger finally gets him to hurry up and leave. Offended,
Teddy talks himself into believing that the stranger is someone of a
suspicious nature, perhaps even wanted by the police and is wrapped up to
conceal his identity. Teddy runs into Mr. Hall and warns him about the
stranger, informing him that a “lot of luggage” will be coming. It would
seem that the stranger intends to stay awhile. Mr. Hall goes home intending
to investigate the stranger, but is put off by the short-tempered demeanor
of his wife.