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1. E-CONTENT
FOR CLASS – XI,
SUBJECT: ENGLISH - CORE

2. NAME OF THE
TEXT BOOK:
SUPPLIMENTARY
READER:
SNAPSHOTS

3. NAME OF THE LESSON:
THE SUMMER OF THE BEAUTIFUL
WHITE HORSE
Written by: William
Saroyan

4. INTRODUCTION
• This story is about two Armenian cousins, Aram and Mourad who
belong to a Gargholenian tribe, lived in a village in San Joaqiun
Valley, California. This tribe was poverty stricken, yet hall marked for
trust and honesty for eleven centuries. The story is narratored by
Aram in the first person. It revolves around the beautiful white horse.
• In the beginning the boys didn’t feel that they had stolen the horse
as they didn’t have any intension of selling it for money, and
intended to return the horse to his owner once they learn riding it.
But the encounter with John Byro made them feel conscience
stricken and returned the horse even though Aram didn’t learn horse
riding. John Byro was happy to find his horse stronger, better and
well tempered than before.

5. BACKGROUND OF THE STORY
• ‘THE ARMENIAN MASSACRE’
• In 1915, the Turkish government planned to expel and
massacre about 2 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire.
When the massacres and deportations finally ended, 1.5 million of
Turkey’s Armenians were dead and many were forcibly removed.
• This event is called Genocide – a premeditated and systematic
campaign to exterminate on entire Armenian tribe.

6. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• William Saroyan was born on 31st
August 1908 in Frenso, California,
United States. He was an Armenian
– American who made his initial
impact during the Depression with a
deluge of brash, original, and
irreverent stories celebrating the joy
of living in-spite of poverty, hunger
and insecurity.
• He is a novelist, playwright and a
short story writer. He was awarded
the Pultizwe Prize for Drama in 1940
and in 1943 won the Academy
Award for Best Story for the film
adoption of his novel ‘The Human
Comedy.’ He died on 18th May 1981.

7. MAJOR CHARACTERS
• Master Aram – Narrator
and protagonist of the
lesson. A 9 year old
innocent and lovable
Armenian boy.
* Master Mourad – A
teenager, Aram’s cousin,
who stole the horse to
learn riding. He is animal
and birds lover.
Descendent of Uncle
Khosrove. “I have a way
with Animals”.

8. MAJOR CHARACTERS
• Uncle Khosrove – Huge man with large mustache, home sick, volatile,
tempered, furious, irritable and impatient person. He is home sick and yearns
to be back in his motherland. He has lost everything there. After leaving
Armenia preforce, he feels as if his true home and a part of his identity have
been stripped away. This leads to lack of belonging to the new land of
Central Valeey- California, where the Armenians have settled. He had a
sense of frustrated anger. so for every thing he would roar “It’s No Harm,
Pay No Attention To It”.
especially when John Byro says he had lost his horse wotrth sixty dollors, he
says “Ispit on money. Why are you crying for a lost horse, we have lost
everything, its no harm pay no attention to it.”
* John Byro – An Assyrian, living alone, visits Aram’s house, lost his horse and
finds the horse in the climax. Well tempered and better than before.
• The beautiful white horse – Symbol of purity and courage. An emblem of the
innocence and uncaptivated spirits of the boys
.

9. JOHN BYRO
An Assyrian, living alone, learnt Armenian and
visits Aram’s house, every now and then. He had
lost his horse and share about the same with
Aram’s family. When finds the horse with the two
Armenian boys, he didn’t dare to claim that it was
his horse because he knew the Armenian hall
mark and respected them. Hence he remarked
that the horse was twin of his horse. In the climax,
he was happy not only because he found the
horse, but also because it has become stronger
well tempered and better than before.

10. THE BEAUTIFUL WHITE HORSE
.
The beautiful white horse is a symbol of purity and courage. An
emblem of the innocence and uncaptivated spirits of the boys.
on one hand it establishes. Mourad as the gifted child who can
get connected with animals easily. And on the other, it
represents the dreams and passions that people hole in their
hearts.
The horse stand as a medium of wish fulfillment of the children
who have been subdued in the grim poverty

11. The Garoghlanian Tribe
An Armenian tribe which has a reputation for honesty
and trust that has been maintained since eleven
centuries, despite being extremely poverty stricken.
They never resort to any unfair means to get money.

12. The Garoghlanian Tribe
• The members of the tribe value their pride, integrity and
beliefs in right and wrong. It is this reputation that leads
to John Byro to believe that the horse the children came
with, must be the twin of his horse tooth by tooth. They
admit that they have no money at all and get mystified
over the way in which they are able to arrange for food
for themselves. In fact, they have accepted them being
poor to such an extent that they are able to laugh over it,
crack jokes about it and they term it as ‘comical poverty.
Their response to material possessions is that, they are
valueless without the real enjoyment of life. This unique
perspective of the world serves to develop the theme
concerning the perception of right and wrong.

13. THEME OF THE STORY
• The redemptive powers of forgiveness, understanding, and
honor of the community are themes enhanced through this
short story.
* The story conveys the message that economic challenges and
bitter truths are absolute and should be practiced under all
circumstances.
• Their poverty doesn’t limit the emotional quotient of the
boys. Their love for the horse is sincere and authentic, not
motivated by the greed. They have a genuine the need to
return that doesn’t belong to them. They exhibit an exalted
human reaction of wanting to correct which is wrong.

14. THE JUSTIFICATION OF TITLE
• The title seems quite appropriate as the story is set in a
summer. The boys are free and can focus on the horse riding.
• The ideas presented lend themselves with the fruition and full
blossom of summer. The story revolves around the beautiful
white horse. Throughout their summer experiences, they
learn essential values like compassion for the animal and trust
among themselves. These are the results of the beautiful
white horse.
• The story reaches its climax when the horse is returned, in
better shape and temperament than before, and boys have a
renewed sense of faith in both them and their love of their
horse.

15. LITERARY DEVICES USED
• Symbolism: The beautiful white horse is the symbol
of purity, serenity, calmness and peace. It also
represents the aspiration of the boys.
• Contrast: Generally poverty and sorrow are
highlighted with grey color. In this story purposefully
the author has used the beautiful white horse exactly
in contrast to their life which is covered with grim
poverty.

16. Prepared By:
Smt. Anuradha V Kolli
PGT English
JNV Dharwad
Karnataka