9The Laidlaw Memorial School & Junior College.

Ketti

English Literature - Paper 2

I.C.S.E BOARD PROJECT 2021-2022

Submitted by:
Submitted to:
Derick DonBosco Joseph
Ms. Monica Ruth
Class X(10)-B
 Section - A Drama - The Merchant Of Venice

1. Imagine yourself to be a servant in the house of

Portia of Belmont. You were present when
Bassanio opened the lead casket. Narrate this incident
briefly and describe the importance of
the caskets and write your opinion about Bassanio.

Answer:
Portia encouraged Bassanio that he could choose the
correct casket and also told to wait for two days before
choosing the casket and told him that if you choose the
wrong casket you will lose me forever.
Then Bassanio tells that he is tired of hearing her talks
and is ready to choose the casket now and also tells that
“Confess and love” is more like it. Oh, torture’s fun
when my torturer tells me what I have to say to go free!
But let me try my luck on the boxes.

And Portia continues to tell Go ahead, then. I’m locked

in one of them. If you really love me, you’ll find me.—
Nerissa and the rest of you, get away from him. Play
some music while he chooses. Then if he loses, it’ll be
his swan song, music before the end. And since swans
need water to swim in, I’ll cry at him in a river when he
loses. But on the other hand, he may win. What music
should we play then? If he wins, the music should be
like the majestic trumpets that blare when subjects bow
to a newly crowned monarch. It’s the sweet sounds at
daybreak that the dreaming bridegroom hears on his
wedding morning, calling him to the church.
Then Bassanio goes towards the box and when he opens
the lead casket he finds Portia's Beautiful Portrait and
defines the beautiful face of Portia.

2. Compare and contrast the characters of Portia and

Shylock.
[Outline: A pen picture of each one – purpose to come
to the court – appearance – attitude – attributes
they expressed – their logical understanding – the
importance of mercy – Shylock’s stubborn attitude.]

Answer:
Portia, as a woman and Shylock, as a Jew are marginals
of society. They are of less importance than the ruling
Christian men. Portia, as a woman, isn't allowed to
express her opinion and has no power over her life. She
only freely expresses her opinions on her suitors in
front of trusted confidante, Nerissa. In front of
Morocco, she puts on a facade. Her identity is only
derivative – she was her father’s daughter and now after
his death she is destined to be someone else’s wife.
Shylock is ill treated by society due to him being a
“Jew.” “You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And
spit upon my Jewish gaberdine.”

Antonio has internalised the conflict and dehumanised

Shylock. Shylock’s identity is derivative of Antonio,
the white christian man.Shylock’s own servant,
Launcelot curses him and calls him a “devil for he is a
Jew.” Antonio doesn’t trust him and remarks that “The
devil can cite scripture for his purpose.” Shylock’s
recurrent comparison to a devil on the name of his
religion and no reason other than that antagonises him
in the typical Christian society, where the devil was an
evil and ungodly creature. This continuous
dehumanisation and antagonisation Shylock faces
throughout the play makes him a marginal of society –
he is not important and is small in the eyes of the people
who he interacts with daily, just like Portia. Like
Shylock, Portia is of no importance in the Christian
dominated Venetian society.

3. Write a brief note about the following: (a) Friendship

and Loyalty (b) Christian-Jew conflict
[Outline: (a) Relationship between Antonio and
Bassanio – Antonio’s friendship – Bassanio’s
reciprocation to save his friend from the Jew – Loyalty
to help each other – Portia’s loyalty to her
father – obeying the lottery system – Shylock’s loyalty
to his tribe and religion. (b) Christian hatred
towards the Jews – Jews view of Christ and Christians –
understanding of the scriptures – acceptance
and non-acceptance of Christ – crucifixion of Christ –
involvement of the Jews – treatment of Jews
during the wars – historical and political influence in
this conflict.]

Answer:
(a). Antonio lets Bassanio use his money like it’s his
own. He does not differentiate between himself and his
friend. Bassanio has no money and he has been living in
debt which he plans to repay. He also feels embarrassed
over the large sums he has been borrowing from
Antonio. However, Antonio’s money is tied up in the
cargo which is still at sea. So, he asks him to borrow
from anyone in Venice in his name and go and see
Portia. Bassanio has to do little to persuade his friend
for money. Antonio is already more than willing to lend
him. This proves Antonio’s selflessness and that he
considers Bassanio a brother.
 Antonio is doing it all for his friend since he would not
like to see Bassanio disappointed. Bassanio suspects
that the villain is up to something very cunning and tries
to stop Antonio from accepting the Jew’s offer. He
would instead go without the money than let his friend
put his life at stake. However, Antonio convinces him
that as soon as his ships arrive from the sea, he will
return the Jew his money. All of this shows that the two
friends love and trust each other deeply, and they will
make any sacrifice for one another. It also shows that
Antonio is quite emotional about his friend and can
grow blinded by his love for him.
Portia is obedient and loyal to her father even though,
undeniably, she feels frustration and resentment, which
she vents by insulting her suitors when they are out of
earshot. Nevertheless, she honors her father's wishes
even when the quality of her suitors tempts her to use
sabotage.
Though Bassanio asks him to dine with them, Shylock
says in an aside that he will not break bread with
Christians, nor will he forgive Antonio, thereby
signaling his rejection of one of the fundamental
Christian values, forgiveness.
(b). Differences between Jews and Christians in The
Merchant of Venice is a divergent topic discussed quite
a lot by various scholars during diverse decades.
Especially the question whether William Shakespeare
was anti-judaic or not was and is of great concern, since
the complex protagonist Shylock raises hate and pity by
the audience (or reader). This fact left critics wondering
what Shakespeare was really trying to achieve with the
play.
murder of Jews which was committed on an
unprecedented scale in Europe and European North
Africa (pro-Nazi Vichy-North Africa and Italian Libya).
The massive scale of the Holocaust which happened
during World War II greatly affected the Jewish people
and world public opinion, which only understood the
dimensions of the Final Solution after the war. The
genocide, known as HaShoah in Hebrew, aimed at the
elimination of the Jewish people on the European
continent. It was a broadly organized operation led by
Nazi Germany, in which approximately six million
Jews were murdered methodically and with horrifying
cruelty. Although the Holocaust was organized by the
highest levels of the Nazi German government, the vast
majority of Jews murdered were not German, but were
instead residents of countries invaded by the Nazis after
1938. Of the approximately 6 million Jews murdered by
the Nazis, approximately 160,000 to 180,000 were
German Jews. During the Holocaust in occupied
Poland, more than one million Jews were murdered in
gas chambers of the Auschwitz concentration camp
alone. The murder of the Jews of Europe affected
Jewish communities in Albania, Austria, Belarus,
Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Channel Islands,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, The Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia,
and Ukraine.

Section - B Treasure Trove - A Collection of I.C.S.E

Poems

Norah Burke (2 August 1907 – 1 March 1976) was a

British novelist , non- fiction and travel writer famous
for her descriptions of life in India during the early 20th
century. She also wrote romances under the. Burke
married Henry Humphrey R. Methwold Walrond
(1904–1987), a lawyer, in 1931. They had two sons,
Timothy (born 1936) and Humphrey (born 1938). She
lived for many years at Thorne Court, in Cockfield,
near Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. She died in 1976, aged
68 years, in Suffolk.pseudonyms Andre Lamour and
Paul LeStrange.
Burke was also a travel writer. She collaborated with
her father on a book about camp life in the Indian
jungles, Jungle Days (1935). She returned to the theme
in her memoir Jungle Child (1956), and in travel books
Tiger Country (1965) and Eleven Leopards (1965). She
also wrote about wildlife in King Todd (1963, a
"biography" of a badger), Fire in the Forest and The
Midnight Forest (1966).
Burke lived near Sudbury, in Suffolk, as a young
woman. Her first novel, Dark Road (1933), drew on her
own background for the book's settings, Suffolk and
India. Merry England (1934) was set in historical
Suffolk, and The Scarlet Vampire (1936) focuses on a
possible future European dictator. Her next few novels,
romances, appeared during the war and post-war years.
In the New York Times, Nancie Matthews admired
Burke's "engaging sense of humor" and "genuine
warmth of human sympathy", and declared The
Splendour Falls (1953) to be "lightly handled, witty yet
thoughtful".
Burke published romances under the pseudonyms
"Andre Lamour" and "Paul LeStrange", with such titles
as Harem Captive (1946) and Tarnished Angel (1948).
Her short stories were published widely from the 1930s
into the 1960s, especially in The Australian Women's
Weekly, and some are still anthologized and taught in
schools. She also wrote a 1958 episode of the Canadian
television series On Camera.
 The little match girl is a victim of the cold treatment of
society – Elaborate.
[Outline: Author, Brief outline of the story – Conflicts
in the story between man and nature – effects
of war – symbolism – quote lines from the story to
support your views.]
Answer:
This story is written by author Hans Christian
Anderson. He was a Danish writer popular for his
influential stories about children. However, his stories
are not restricted to children alone and have themes of
universal appeal that transcend age and culture. The
author has described how a little girl lost her life and
the scenes she witnessed before death which put a smile
on her face.
The author has portrayed beautiful irony and imagery
emphasising the need for compassion. He shows a
picture of an unhappy childhood and what it leads to for
a little helpless girl. He has briefly elaborated on the
pains of the little girl who is trying hard and struggling
on New Year’s Eve. An unfortunate and sad picture of
childhood has been illustrated through this story.
The story opens with the author describing the weather
conditions. It is an extremely cold winter on the last
evening of the year. There is a little girl who is on the
streets trying to sell her matchsticks. Despite the cold
weather, the girl has no warm clothes on her or even
slippers to wear. She left her home wearing her
mother’s footwear, but since they were oversized, she
lost them as she was crossing the street. So, now she
walked barefeet in the brutal cold.
This story was written in 1845 during the Victorian era.
Begging was illegal and child abuse was common
during that time. Therefore, the class difference is
clearly highlighted in this story. This little girl is the
only major character in the story. She is forced and
threatened to sell matchsticks by her father. She was
scared because she was not able to sell any matchsticks
that night. If she went home without any money, she
would be beaten by her father.
Apart from the bleak cold, she was also very hungry. It
was the holiday season and a festive feeling was all
around when this poor little girl was wandering so that
she could sell some matchsticks. Cold, hunger and grief
made her look like a figure of sorrow herself.
As she moved from street to street, she saw the lights of
festivities around. The candles and the aroma of
delicious food was sensed by her. She did not wish to
go home because her house did not have much covering
but a roof. It could not protect them from the severe
cold.
After some time, she huddled herself against a wall and
sat down. Her hands had become numb. To relieve
herself from the terrible cold, she hesitantly burnt one
matchstick from the bundle she had. She held her hand
over the bright light. She felt the warm bright flame as
if she were sitting beside a large iron stove. She tried to
warm her feet, but the flame went out.
The little match girl rubbed another match. But this
time, the light fell on the wall and it became
transparent. She could see through the room. She saw a
table on which there was a beautiful tablecloth and food
served in magnificent china. She could smell and see
the roasted goose with the filling of apple and dried
prunes. She could see all of this. The goose hopped
down from the table with a knife and fork coming right
towards her. But soon the match went out and she had
nothing but a cold damp wall.
She wanted to keep her visions alive, so she rubbed
another matchstick against the wall. This time she saw a
huge and beautiful Christmas tree. It was large,
strikingly decorated and had dazzling lights. This was
larger than any other Christmas tree she had ever seen.
There were bells and lights on the green branches of the
Christmas tree along with beautiful pictures hanging
from it. She was very happy to see this Christmas tree,
so she stretched her hand to touch it. As soon as she did
so, the light went out, the flame disappeared and so did
the Christmas tree.
She lit another match, and this time, she saw the lights
as stars rising higher and higher in heaven. One star fell
down, and so, she remembered her grandmother. She
had heard from her grandmother that a falling star
signifies death. When one star falls from the sky, a soul
ascends to God becoming a star.
The only person who was close to the heart of the little
match girl was her grandmother because she loved her
dearly and was kind towards her. Her grandmother had
passed away. The little girl struck another matchstick
and soon began talking to the vision. She now saw her
grandmother. Bright and radiant, with a mild
expression, her grandmother stood before her. But just
like the other visions, she did not want her grandmother
to vanish when the matchstick burnt out. So, in order to
keep her grandmother close to her, she struck one more
matchstick and another after the one she struck. She
burnt out the whole packet and pleaded with her
grandmother to take her to heaven soon.
Both of them flew in the brightness and in joy to be
with God. Both of them were extremely happy as they
were together and in heaven where there was neither
cold nor hunger nor fear. It appeared that the falling star
had foreshadowed the little girl’s own death.
For when the passers-by saw the little girl the next
morning, she had been frozen to death. They saw her
dead but failed to notice her smiling face. Many pitied
her but did not know that it was the most unusual death.
A death which freed her from all worries and a death in
which her own grandmother came to take her, and now
they both were happy to be in each other's company.
This story not only justifies the difficulties of the
survival faced by the little match girl but also describes
her end in the most beautiful way ever. The visions are
symbolic of the things that the little girl desired for and
also signified her end. They made her happy in her last
moments relieving her from all worries. The visions
that the little girl saw gave her pleasure in her final
moments and thus led her to death but also put a smile
on her face.

Section – C: Treasure Trove – A Collection of ICSE

Poems
“The Patriot” is a fine example of a hopeless
monologue – Elaborate.
[Outline: Poet – summary of the poem – mythological
references made – significance of the poem –
themes discussed – critical analysis]
“The Patriot” has almost all the elements of a dramatic
monologue. The poem is narrated in the first person
from the patriot’s perspective. Here the speaker narrates
his tale to the readers as he has been taken to the
scaffold to be executed publicly for his ‘misdeeds’.

He tells us of his situation: how he was once well loved

by everyone, and how he is now despised by the same
people. The patriot believes that he is innocent of
having done any misdeeds, and it is only out of the
misunderstanding of the people that he is being put to
death. His death sentence is for the wrong reason, and
he will get justice in heaven where God should repay
him. Thus the poem also reveals the speaker’s attitude
and motive in the particular situation of life he is in.
The only thing missing is the listener. Still, ‘The
Patriot’ qualifies as a dramatic monologue in its form.

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” – is a poem that

enlightened the entire world about the cruelty of racism.
– Justify.[Outline: Poet – summary of the poem –
background of the poem – your curiosity to understand
the hidden meanings– contemporary references –
critical analysis of the themes]

Answer:
She started writing poetry in order to recover from the
trauma of an assault. Poetry thus played an important
role in her recovery and signalled the success of the
healing process.

In this poem, Maya has projected two contrasting

images, namely of a free bird and a trapped bird. It
metaphorically alludes to the differences between
Whites and the African Americans during the Civil
Rights era.

It is also relatable to the current times where any

individual faces discrimination causing it to be a hurdle
in his growth. Discrimination clips the assets of a
person and restricts the process of development. This
poem is a clear reflection of social disparity. It is quite
symbolic, so there are various hidden messages.
Angelou tries to convey her feelings indirectly. This
poem also has a tinge of sorrow but shows many signs
of perseverance also.

The title of the poem is a reflection of earnest struggle.

It is also very motivational because it indicates that the
bird is restricted, but he sings showing positivity in the
darkest times.
The poetess initiates by describing the free bird flying
in the sky. She says that the free bird soars high in the
sky with the winds. She also describes the beautiful
movements of the free bird when he floats in the
direction of the stream as the orange sunlight falls upon
him. The orange sun rays specify that it is early
morning and a clear sky without any clouds. The bird is
free to fly in any part of the sky and enjoy the beauty of
nature. He is free to move wherever he likes without
any bondages following his will. He can claim the sky
every time he takes a flight. It is evident that the poetess
is describing an individual who is not facing any
discrimination or hurdles in the process of development
and living.

The poetess further describes a contrasting picture of a

caged bird who is in a miserable condition. The bird in
the cage is unable to move freely as his wings are
clipped and feet are tied. This bird is unable to see the
world outside the cage and therefore is very angry. He
is sad as his wings are tied and wishes that the days of
difficulty end soon. The wings being clipped is a sign
that freedom is snatched from someone. The caged bird
cannot move too as his feet are tied. This helplessness
gives rise to anger and sadness for the caged bird. All
he can do is sing the songs of freedom showing his
desire. This is how the poetess has shown positivity in
difficult times as the bird sings despite being caged. She
has described an individual in society who faces
challenges that stop his growth.

An individual experiences rage and agony for not being

considered equal but keeps striving for his worth.

In the third stanza, the poetess describes how the caged

bird is singing. There is trembling and quaver in the
voice of the caged bird. He aspires for freedom but his
singing also has fear in it. He does not know the taste of
freedom but he hopes to be free. His voice can be heard
at far-off places, at distant hills inspiring others about
freedom. The bird is in a difficult condition, but it
dreams and hopes. He is scared but that does not stop
him from singing and wishing good for himself. This
has a symbolic relevance to everyone who is stopped
and kept far from their rights. Like many caged birds,
Black people wrote and cried for the freedom they
deserved, but their voice was only heard at a distance.
This did not stop them from aspiring freedom as
everybody has the right to be free and treated with
equality. Even when one is fearful, it is necessary that
one aspires and is hopeful about good times. The caged
bird is scared and is hoping for an inexperienced desire
yet sings positively about it.
Freedom is an expression which is completely
unrestricted and unrestrained. In the fourth stanza, the
poetess gets back to the free bird flying in the sky.
Without being stopped, he flies wherever he wishes and
thinks about another breeze and wind that may come
across his way. He flies high above the trees. His
freedom is not only about his flying but also about
choosing his food. The worms that are supposed to be
consumed by him are in their best state and fat as
though waiting for the bird to be consumed. The entire
sky has become home for the free bird. He feels proud
of his freedom and considers the entire sky as his own.
This is an indication of the happiness and bliss that one
possesses when they are unrestricted and given full
authority of their rights. The sky's the limit to achieve,
and there is complete happiness in existence.

The poetess creates a contrasting picture showing that

all the hopes and desires of the caged bird have been
killed. He is forced to bury whatever dreams he has. His
dreams of flying free and experiencing freedom are
futile. His slavery is like a nightmare. His wings and
feet are tied, so he is unable to move or fly. It is only his
throat that he can utilise to sing and express little hope
about getting freedom. He keeps his voice alive despite
all the adversities. This is the only freedom available to
the caged bird. This is a symbolic representation of
hardships faced by people deprived of their rights and
equality. It becomes a tied-up situation for them where
they do not experience the bliss of freedom.

The last stanza is a repetition of the third stanza which

describes the condition of the caged bird. This
repetition emphasises the distressing condition of the
bird. This is also an indication that the state of the caged
bird does not improve or change. There is a lot to
describe about the freedom of the bird flying high in the
sky; however, the caged bird can just sing and desire for
his freedom. He can only sing and put forth his
aspirations. This altogether is a sad scene, but the
poetess has kept the ray of hope alive by mentioning
that the caged bird sings about his dreams of freedom.

Bibliography

http://www.brave.com/

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/

https://www.topperlearning.com/

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