The document provides a detailed overview of literature assignments covering key works including 'The Last Lesson' by Alphonse Daudet, 'Lost Spring' by Anees Jung, 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' by Kamala Das, and 'The Third Level' by Jack Finney. It highlights themes of language oppression, child labor, aging, and escapism, while discussing the authors' backgrounds and the main characters' experiences. Each story illustrates the struggles and societal issues faced by individuals in their respective contexts.

1. ST.XAVIER SCHOOL,
Mirzapur
Online Home Assignment

2. ● LITERATURE READER
HOME ASSIGNMENT 3
Under Guidence of
: Mr Manoj Vishwakarma Sir

3. ● CONTENT OF THE PRESENTATION
1. Complimentary Reader - FLAMINGO (PROSE)
● THE LAST LESSON , By - ALPHONSE DAUDET
● THE LOST SPRING , By - ANEES JUNG
2. FLAMINGO (POETRY)
● MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX , By - KAMLA DAS
3. Supplimentary Reader - VISTAS
● THE THIRD LEVEL , By - JACK FINNEY

4. ● THE LAST LESSON

5. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
● ALPHONSE DAUDET. (1840-1897)
Alphonse Daudet
The French novelist, dramatist, and short-storywriter Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) is
remembered chiefly for his regionalist sketches of Provence and for his transitional role in
the evolution of 19th-century theater.
Born in Nîmes, as a child Alphonse Daudet experienced the heady delights of a sun-
drenched Provence and the darkening contrasts of his family's steadily worsening
financial condition. His father, a silk manufacturer, had to abandon business there in
1849, moving the family north to Lyons; never fully recovering from the depression which
followed the Revolution of 1848, the Daudets finally lost everything in 1857.

7. ● THE GLANCE OF THE AUTHOR &
● CHARACTERS OF THE STORY
The main protagonist of the story are :
● FRANZ- A student who doesn't like to
study but he respects his elders and
school .
● MR. M . HAMEL - A French teacher
who teaches literature, he is strict
about his job.

8. THE BASE OF THE STORY
Linguistics Chauvinism :
● Linguistic chauvinism is
inordinate love for one's
own language; this love is so
much that one considers
one's language to be
superior to all the other
languages of the world.

10. ● THEME OF
THE STORY
THE LAST LESSON
The pain that is imposed or inflicted on the people
of a territory by its conquerors by taking away
the rights to study or speak their own language.
THE BACKGROUND OF THE STORY
The story is set in the Franco Prussia war , when the France
was dominant country but although the Prussian emprire that
was governed by Otto-von Bismarck ,he was the creverest man
of his era , he was the only person who unified Germany.
The France was defeated just because of their laziness and
delay in establishment of millitary forces in the border.

12. SUMMARY
❖ The narration of this story is by a French boy, Franz. Franz is a
lazy boy. However, in spite of his laziness, Franz likes to play
and is of a sensitive nature. Furthermore, Franz hates his
teacher M. Hamel in his school and has no interest in studying
French.An order has come from Berlin after taking over the
districts of Alsace and Lorraine in France that the German
language rather than the French should be taught in the
schools there. Furthermore, it is the school French teacher M.
Hamel’s last day. This teacher has been working there for
forty years. Moreover, the teacher has feelings of patriotism.
He is also full of nostalgia and grief. The village men also
attend his ‘last lesson’ so as to honour and respect him. The
village is regretting and is sad that they didn’t learn their
mother tongue in their childhood.Franz receives a big shock
when he learns that this is his last lesson in French. He is
shocked because he does not know French. Furthermore, on
learning about the last lesson, a sudden interest arises in him
for learning French. Moreover, he pays careful attention and
learns everything taught on this last day.Instantly, he
develops liking for the teacher M. Hamel. His feelings of hatred
for him suddenly came to an end.

14. “VIVE LA FRANCE !”
The quotation
written by Mr. M.Hamel on the blackboard
saluting his country with respect and tears.
The quotation says “Live Long France”.

15. ●THE LOST
SPRING ….Stories of stolen childhood !
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.

16. ● GLANCE OF
THE STORY

17. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
● ANEES JUNG (1944)
Anees Jung was born in Hyderabad. Her father, Nawab Hosh Yar
Jung, was one of the principal advisers to the last reigning Nizam
of Hyderabad. She was brought up as a child in strict purdah, but
later went on to study at Osmania University and the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she took a Master’s degree in sociology
and American studies.
She has been the editor of a magazine, Youth Times, and has
written for several of the world’s major newspapers. She has also
written two books—When a Place Becomes a Person and Poems
in Prose.
Anees Jung lives in New Delhi.

18. ● THE GLANCE OF AUTHOR &
● Protagonists of the story
The main protagonists in “The Lost Spring”
are:
● SAHAB-E-ALAM : Shaeb-e-alam was a
rag-picker who lived in Seemapuri. His
family had migrated from Dhaka, Bangla
Desh to India in 1971 with the hope of
finding better life conditions.
● MUKESH : Mukesh is the son of poor
bangle maker family in Firozabad.Modt of
the young men have no initiative and dream
but Mukesh have have an goal to became a
motor mechanic and wants to get off from
the bangle making job.

19. ● WHAT DOES THE AUTHOR WANTS TO
SAY THROUGH THIS STORY?
The author wants to describe the condition of poor childrens who have
lost their spring , here spring means the blooming season of life where
the child learns the things and develop, but that Spring have been lost
or stolen by poverty and responsibilities
● Here we will discuss about two children who have lost their spring
only due to poverty and lack of two times meal.
● When Anees Jung asked the boy about his education he said that
“ya sure he wants to study but if he will studies then who will work
for my family's belly.”
● And other side there is the boy that want to learn the things only
instead of education and wants to become motor mechanic and
earn money and wants to escape from the trap of bangle making
tradition followed by their grandparents.

20. ● “THE TRUTH IS ALWAYS BITTER”
BUT THIS IS THE ONLY REALITY OF OWR
DEVELOPING INDIA.
The poor childrens are never being asked here that they will study or not ,is he have any
initiative or dream.”Nobody asks”That's why the sometimes became hopeless and thinks
that the have no value and only these children are being trapped in the deadly social evil
CHILD LABOUR.Those children also have an right to live their life with joy happiness and
cheers not to work in factories or begging in Street or working in local areas.
● Can you imagine that this is our developing India where poor people have no respect of
their own natonality,here refugees from other country have no identity but they have
their own ration cards and theirs names on voter list , What a great politics have
been played by our government in greed of votes only. This can't be our developing
country.

22. ➢THEME Of THE
STORY...
● The theme of the chapter is the grinding poverty and the
traditions which condemn poor children to a life of
exploitation. The two stories taken together depict the
plight of street children forced into labour early in life
and denied the opportunity of schooling.

23. SUMMARY...
● 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 found a 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.

24. ❖ THE HEARTFUL GIFT FROM OUR
INDIAN BANGLE MAKER

26. SUMMARY… 2
● I want to drive a car.
The second part deals with the life of Mukesh, who belongs to the
family of Bangle-makers. Firozabad is best known for its glass-blowing
industry. 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. Weighed down 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 household consider it 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.

27. ● ONE OF THE POPULAR PUBLISHED BOOK
FROM ANEES JUNG’S COLLECTION.

28. ● MY MOTHER AT
SIXTY-SIX .(poem)
● The poetry written by Indian poet
KAMLA DAS who now realise the
mistake that she haven't spent
time with her mother.Now she
fears that her mother will soon
pass away like a sprinting trees
outside the car .
● The poem shows the love and
affection by the daughter toward
her motherin the poetic manner.

29. ● ABOUT THE POETESS
KAMLA DAS (1934-2009)
Kamala Das (1934 – 2009) started her career
as a poet writing under the name of Madhavi
Kutty. The renowned Indian author was
bilingual and wrote in her mother tongue,
Malayalam, as well as in English. Born in
Punnayurkulam, India as Kamala Surayya,
she was better known in her home state of
Kerala for her short stories and her
autobiography, and in the rest of the country,
for her English poetry. Her explosive
autobiography, My Story, written in
Malayalam (her native tongue), gained her
both fame and notoriety. Later, it was
translated into English.

32. ● THEME OF THE
POEM
My Mother at Sixty-six is based
on the theme of advancing age
and the fear of loss and
separation associated with it.
The poetess undergoes a
plethora of emotions when she
sees her mother ageing, and
feels the pangs of separation at
the thought of losing her.

34. ● SUMMARY
Ageing is an inescapable phase of every human’s life. A person
enters their childhood, experiences adolescence when they are
energetic and have so many dreams. Finally, every person
approaches their old age and then they die. Relationships between
people become much stronger in every phase of life. No one can’t
bear the separation from their loved ones just because of ageing.
Firstly, when the author going to the Cochin airport with her
mother she looks at her carefully and presents before us her
image. As she looks at her mother’s soft and whitish face, she gets
stuck with the fear of losing her mother. Her mother with a sleepy
face and open mouth is comparable to a corpse. Here, the author
shows love and affection in a relationship between a mother and a
daughter.
The poet is hurt and sad and shifts her attention outside the car
for driving out the undesirable feelings. She changes her bad
mood. The scene from the window of the car is of rising life and
energy. The fast sprinting green and huge trees alongside the
cheerfully playing kids represent life, youth, and vitality. The poet
here is remembering about her own childhood. In her childhood,
her mother was young and beautiful. Whereas now her mother is
surrounded by the fear of losing her life and that made her
insecure and sad.

35. “All I did was Smile & Smile &
Smile”....
My favourite lines of the poem
!

36. ➔THE THIRD
LEVEL
● It is a story about a 31-year-old man
name, Charlie. Besides, this is a
psychological story that refers to the
subway at the grand central railway
station which takes passengers to
Galesburg. In addition, this subway
becomes the interconnection between
the narrator's harsh reality and
fantasy.

37. ● INTRODUCTION TO AUTHOR
JACK FINNEY (1911-1995)
Jack Finney (2 October 1911-16 November 1995) was
born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and given the name John
Finney. His father died when he was three years old and
he was renamed Walter Braden Finney in honour of his
father. Yet the nickname Jack remained with him
throughout his life. He attended Knox College in
Galesburg, Illinois. His best known works are science
fiction and thrillers. Two of his novels, ‘The Body
Snatchers’ and ‘Good Neighbour Sam’ became the basis
of popular films.Jack Finney first showed an interest in
time travel in the short-story collection ‘The Third Level’.
Finney’s greatest success came with his science fiction
novel ‘Time and Again’. Finney died of pneumonia and
emphysema at the age of 84, not long after finishing
‘From Time to Time’, the sequel to ‘Time and Again’.

38. ● GLIMPSE OF THE STORY

40. ● CHARACTER SKETCH OF THE STORY
● Charley: The protagonist of the story,
Charley is a true representative of modem
man. He is a victim of stress, insecurity and
fear and wants to run away from reality.
He is an escapist and wants to escape from
the world of harsh realities. He is fond of
stamp collection, a hobby, which he takes
up to make his leisure hours more
productive and fulfilling experience.
● Louisa: Louisa is Charley’s wife. She is
loving and caring towards her husband.
However, she is a simple lady and it is not
difficult to take her in. She refuses to accept
the psychiatrist’s observation that her
husband is unhappy. She takes this
comment as a personal attack and feels
‘kind of mad’. On being told the modern
world is full of insecurity, fear, etc. she feels
satisfied with the psychiatrist explanation.

41. ● CHARACTER SKETCH OF
SAM
Sam: is a psychiatrist by profession. He is a typical city
boy. When Charley shares his visiting the third level he
tells him it is a waking dream wish fulfilment. He tells
him that he is looking for ways to escape since he is not
happy. But he immediately revises his statement that
Charley is a victim of insecurities of modern life. He dubs
the argument of narrator’s hobby of stamp collection as
a temporary refuge from reality.

42. ● THEME OF
THE STORY
‘The Third Level’ is a story that weaves together a
psychological journey of the narrator into past,
present and moves towards future. There is
always a natural human tendency to constantly
move between the past, the present and the
future. Past, present and future are strategically
and organically interconnected.Man is mortal
and has many good and bad aspects of life like
love, profit, loss, good, bad, etc. All these aspects
tend to affect the human mind. Then existential
worries act like a catalyst for making thehuman
mind constantly move between the past, the
present and the future. ‘The Third Level’ is a
study of human mind caught in this cycle of
time.When people in the present time want to
escape the problems and stress of life, they feel
that life, fifty or sixty years ago, was relaxed
and they wanted to go back to that time for
peace and happiness.

43. ● SUMMARY
The story revolves around a 31 year old man named Charley, who experienced
something weird. One day after work coming from the Subway, he reached the
third level of the Grand Central station (which does not actually exist). He
reminisces the entire experience with his psychiatrist friend Sam. Charley
thought he experienced time travel and had reached somewhere in the eighteen-
nineties, a time before the world saw two of its most deadliest wars. As soon as
he realised what time he is in, he immediately decided to buy two tickets to
Galesburg, Illinois; one for himself and the other for his wife. Unfortunately,
the currency used in that century was different. Thus, the next day he withdrew
all his savings and got them converted even if it meant bearing losses. He went
looking for the third level but failed to find it. It worried his wife and the
psychiatrist Sam who told him that he is hallucinating in order to take refuge
from reality and miseries of the modern world which is full of worry. Charley
thus resorts to his stamp collection in order to distract himself when suddenly
one day he finds a letter from his friend Sam who had gone missing recently.
Sam wrote that he always wanted to believe in the idea of third level and now
that he is there himself, he encourages Charley and Louisa to never stop looking
for it.

44. ❖ IS THE SAM WAS THE REAL CHARACTER?
WHY HE DISAPPEARED SUDDENLY?
➢ This question may arises in any
student that if the Sam was real real
character then why he disappeared
suddenly without any information.
From the beginning of the story we
read that the Sam was a psychiatrist
and he was practical in nature he
doesn't believe in time travel or such
things, So is the Sam was the
imaginary character by Charlie?
➢ WHAT DOES YOU THINK ABOUT SAM?

45. ➢MY VIEW'S
ABOUT SAM!
I think that Sam was the real character and he doesn't
dissapeared suddenly, because that was the time of world
war so nobody wants to stay there every people want the
surrounding of peace, happiness and joy. So I think that
Sam refuges to another country,from the story we have
seen that Sam had withdrawn an big amount of money
from bank.
But at the end of the story we have seen the letter wrote by
Sam from Galesburg in (1894) to Charlie, this
contradicts our logical thinking.
❖ Since we know that Jack Finney was an science
fiction writer who write an imaginary stories
based on science friction and time travel
❖ Hence this story is imaginary and all characters
are imaginary and everything can happen in these
types of story.

46. THANK
YOU!

47. RAJ SHEKHAR