The document describes a story about a young seagull who is afraid to fly. His parents and siblings have already learned to fly but he lacks the courage. After going hungry for a long time, his mother tempts him with a fish to get him to dive off the ledge. When he does, his instinct kicks in and he is able to fly for the first time, joining his family in the air.

1. Prepared by Sharwan Kumar

2. Liam O’Flaherty
 Liam 0′ Flaherty was an Irish
novelist and short story writer. He
was born on 28 August 1896 and
breathed his last on 7 Sept. 1984.
He was born in a remote village of
Gort Nag Capall in Galway. In 1908,
he went to Rockwell College. He
became a popular literary figure with
his best selling novel ‘The Informer
(1925). The next novel Return of the
Brute was also a great success. 0’
Flaherty will be remembered as a
major voice in the Irish literary
renaissance

3. Every first step in life needs courage and self
confidence .Tocover a distance of hundred miles
we have to take a first step .
His First Flight

4. His First Flight
In this story the young seagull was afraid
to fly. He lacked confidence .He was
fearful of the vast expanse of sea
beneath him.
He was not trying. His parents ,brothers
and sister tried their level best to
encourage and boost his morale.

5. His First Flight
But he failed to collect courage .He was
very hungry .He tried to attract the
attention of his family members.

6. His First Flight
Only his mother felt pity on him. But she
taught him a lesson in the process of
giving food. She tempted him to dive on
the food and fly.

7. His First Flight
The intelligent act of the young seagull’s
mother prompted him to make his first
flight .

8. His First Flight
SANJAY MISHRA TGT{ENGLISH} JNV
WARASEONI BALAGHAT
THE YOUNG
SEAGULL
MAKING HIS
FIRST FLIGHT

9. Moral Lesson
Ultimately our own efforts could
lead us to the path of success. At
the end, the young seagull could
fly because he himself made an
attempt.

10. This is an imaginary story. The story conveys the
message that one learns by taking courage and
not by sitting idle. A young seagull is fed lovingly by
his parents. But when the time comes for him to fly,
he feels afraid. His parents try many tricks to teach
him to fly. But he is so afraid that he refuses to fly.
At last, his mother hits upon a plan. She tempts
him with food in her beak. But she only flies near
his ledge but does not and there. In order to get
food, the hungry seagull comes to the edge of the
rock and falls from it. At first, he is terrified but then
he opens his wings and starts flying. He is happy
to note that he did not fall in the sea. In this way,
the young seagull learns how to fly.

11. Seagull =a seabird
ledge = a part of a rock that
is jutting out
brink= edge
flap = move
expanse = stretch
beneath = under
muster = gather
courage = boldness
desperate = full of
disappointment
Shrilly = in a sharp voice
upbraiding = rebuking
watched = saw
perfecting = making perfect
skim = touch lightly
herring = fish
devour = eat
cackle = sound of a bird
plateau = level stretch on a
mountain
dived = jumped
scream = Cry
swoop = fly
swish = soil sound
monstrous = very big
stomach = belly
soaring = flying
gradually = slowly
curveting = jumping
commended = praised
shrieking = crying
Vast = big
ridges = small Waves
beckoning = calling
fright = fear
exhausted = tired
Belly = stomach
floating = swimming
praising = admiring
scraps = pieces

12. Young Seagull Afraid to Fly: The young seagull
was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his
sister had already learnt the art of flying only the
day before. He did try. He had taken a little run
forward and tried to flap his wings. But that was all
he could do. He became afraid. He felt that his
wings would not support him. So he bent his head
and ran away back to the little hole where he slept
at night. His brothers and his sister had wings far
shorter than his own wings. But he failed to
muster up courage and fly. His parents taunted,
scolded and threatened him to leave him starving
at the ledge unless he flew away. But nothing
could make him fly.

13. Parents Perfecting Brothers and
Sister: The seagull helplessly watched
his parents flying with his brothers and
sister. They were Perfecting them in the
art of flying. They were teaching them
how to skim the waves and how to dive
for fish. The whole family went on taunting
him for his cowardice.

14. Maddened by Hunger, He Dived at the
Fish: Only his mother was looking at him.
She had picked a piece of fish. She was
flying across to him with it. He leaned out
eagerly. The mother was very near to him
with the fish in her beak. Maddened by
hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud
scream, he fell outwards and downwards
into space. A terror seized him. His heart
stood still. His mother swooped past him.
He answered her with another scream. He
saw his two brothers and sister flying
around him.

15. First Flight: The seagull completely
forgot that he was not able to fly. He let
himself free to dive, soar and curve at
will. He was shrieking shrilly. He saw a
green sea beneath him. His parents, his
brothers and sister were beckoning to
him calling shrilly. He was tired and
weak with hunger. His feet sank into the
green sea and his belly touched it. He
sank no farther. His family were praising
him and their beaks were offering him
scraps of fish. He had made his first
flight.

16.  The young seagull was sitting alone on
his ledge.
 His two brothers and his sister had
already learnt how to fly a day before.
 The young seagull was hesitant and
afraid of flying.
 He thought that his wings would not
support him.
 His parents, brothers and sister regularly
taunted him for his cowardice.
 He saw his mother holding a piece of fish
in her beak.

17.  Maddened by hunger, he dived at the
fish.
 With a loud scream, he fell outwards
and downwards into space.
 He was seized with terror.
 His wings were cutting through the air
and he was not falling headlong now.
 Then he completely forgot that he had
never flown before.
 Now, he was flying over the sea.
 He was floating on the sea and his
family was praising him, offering him
pieces of fish.

18. 1.Who was there on the ledge with the young seagull for the last
twenty-four hours?
(A) his two brothers (B) his sister
(C) his parents (D) he was alone
2. How did the young seagull feel to fly?
(A) afraid (B) enjoyed
(C) willing (D) all of the above
3. There was a great expanse of stretched down beneath.
(A) land (B) rocks
(C) sky (D) sea
4. What were the young seagull’s parents doing to him?
(A) calling to him shrilly (B) upbraiding him
(C) threatening him (D) all of the above
5. Nobody had come near the young seagull for the last :
(A) ten hours (B) twelve hours
(C) twenty hours (D) twenty-four hours
Ans. (D) twenty-four hours

19. 6. His parents were perfecting his brothers and sisters in the art of
(A) flying (B) hunting
(C) swimming (D) chirping
7. Only one family member was looking at the young seagull. It was
his :
(A) father (B) mother
(C) brother (D) sister
8. Whom did the young seagull beg to bring him some food?
(A) his father (B) his mother
(C) his brothers (D) his sister
9. The young seagull dived at the fish maddened by
(A) hunger (B) heat
(C) tiredness (D) sleep
10. How did the young seagull fall into the air?
(A) upward (B) downward
(C) both (A) and (B) (D) none of the
above