1.

1 DETAILED SUMMARY

This essay begins with a moral lesson. There was a young man. He was
strong and healthy. He liked his work. He felt on top of the world in every way.
He had absolutely no sympathy for dull and boring people. One day he was
down with influenza. He developed pneumonia and was bed-ridden. After
recovering from his illness, he became very weak. He could walk with difficulty.
He would easily get tired. Life became very hard and burdensome for him. When
he was healthy enough to go to work, he found the journey home very painful.
He was strong and healthy young men sitting comfortably in the train or bus. He
saw that the old men standing near him were very tired. He became strong again
but he became very kind and considerate. He used to offer his seat to anyone
else in the train or bus. He said that he had got his strength back after illness but
the older people would never get it back.

When we see an old man stopping or moving unsteadily on a crossing, we

should not call him an old fool. It is quite likely that he may have his powers of
hearing or seeing damaged or weakened due to old age. It is quite possible that
he might have got tired with walking. It is possible that he was a famous soldier
in the war and his wounds are still painful to him. Or he might be having an
artificial leg. It is also possible that anyone of us might have to fight in a war in
the future and we could be badly wounded. It is therefore bad and unwise to
make fun of those who walk slowly.

Young boys and girls are very different in this dangerous world. Our
teachers, parents and all the older people have suffered some harsh blows already
in their lives. They receive more severe blows every year. Most of us would be
willing to give everything they want to get their health and strength back. Since
they do not complain, we think that everything is fine with them. We must try our
best to make their life comfortable. When it is our turn to suffer, we will feel
happier for having helped when we were in a position to do so.

Good manners are important when we are among our own friends. When
we speak to anyone, we must speak clearly and loudly so that others can hear
us. It is an insult to a person if we invite his attention and then speak in a way that
he does not understand us. It is our primary duty to make ourselves understood
by our hearers.

Thoreau, an American writer, once said that it takes two to speak the
truth. One has to speak the truth and the other has to hear it. If we follow
Thoreau’s saying, we would save much argument and displeasure in life. One
cannot speak the truth by saying what one thinks is the truth. One has to express
it differently for different people. For some people the meaning of socialism is
taking money from those who have it and giving it to those who do not have it.
To another set of people, socialism means state control of industry and commerce.
We therefore cannot say that we have spoken the truth about socialism, unless
we know what the person we have spoken to, understands by it. If a man says to
a friend, “Good morning, Mr. A, and the friend in reply says, it is not a good
morning at all.” The man has not spoken the truth as the listener does not
understand the man.
Remarks should not be taken too literally. Those who take them with
their basic meaning often make mistakes in understanding them. Only stupid
people fail to find the meaning in other’s statements. Your friend tells you
that he will be thankful if you post a letter for him if you were going past the
post office. If you say not to the question your friend may think that you were
not willing to oblige him.

In a company, we often find that it is not easy to speak frankly. One must
watch for signs otherwise one is likely to be considered ill-mannered. It is not
easy to go on listening to one person for long. You should not monopolise
conversation. You should give a chance to the other man to speak. If he keeps
quiet, it means he wants you also to keep quiet. It is wrong to go on talking
endlessly.

We should not say irritating or bad things behind someone’s back because
we will be found out. When we say something about someone, we must always
assume that the other person will come to know about what we have spoken
against him. One must change one’s remarks accordingly. This is how all
experienced people act. No man is able to understand himself. It is one of the
most surprising things. But if we are able to understand ourselves, much of the
argument and anger could be avoided. It is often observed that people often
make mistakes in their statements. If there is a motor accident, different people
will say different things about it. Accurate report is just not made. Again if
students are shown a bull-fight on the screen, they will make errors in their
account of the bull-fight. So whenever we are arguing with someone on a point,
we should always bear in mind that we can be wrong.

Good manners are ways of behaving or speaking, especially when they

are polite and courteous. They come from having sympathy with others. They
also come from understanding our own limitations. We should realize this about
ourselves. We should know that we are humble little people on this planet. So
we should try our best to help ourselves to the maximum possible extent during
our short existence in the world. We are to pass our existence in this world only
once. So we must try to do good to others. We must not neglect or ignore this
duty to our fellow men.
1.2 EXAMINATION ORIENTED QUESTIONS

Q1. “No man really understands himself.’ Explain.

Ans: It is one of the most surprising things in life that no man understands
himself. When a motor accident takes place, our understanding of it may not be
the correct one. There are different reports of it. Our own report may not be the
same as that of another. Experiments are sometimes made by experts to find out
how many errors people make in their statements.

The writer describes one experiment which was tried. Some students at
the university were shown pictures of a bull-fight. When this was finished they
were instructed to put a number on every statement made. They had to put
number 1 if they thought so; number 2 if they were fairly sure about it and
number 3 if they were quite sure and number 4 if they were willing to swear to
the statement on oath. It was found that every student had at least ten percent
error in the statements.

A student saw the bull with his tongue out. He was quite sure about it.
When he was shown the picture again, he saw that the bull’s mouth was closed.
Thus they made mistakes. From this one thing becomes clear. Whenever we are
arguing with someone about a point, there is every possibility that we are wrong
even if we are very confident about our remark.

Q2. Why does one have to express the truth differently to different people?
Give reasons for your answer with suitable examples from the text.

Ans: One is required to express the truth differently to different people. The reason
is simple. We cannot speak the truth by saying what we think is the truth. The hearer
must also understand us so that he is able to catch our intended meaning to take an
example from the text, to some people socialism means taking money from those
who have it and giving it to those who have not means. To other people socialism
means State control of industry and commerce. We cannot tell a man about
socialism until he understands what socialism is. If we say that we believe in
socialism, and he understands that we mean we believe in robbery, he would not like
us.
Sometimes people ask very teasing questions and we like to make a joke
about it. A lady saw a boy in shorts, a jersey with badges, a scout’s hat, and
carrying a boy scout’s pole. The little boy told the lady, “I am two eggs on toast”.
The lady simply made a remark to the effect that the boy looked very smart in his
scout’s uniform. There was nothing silly in her remarks. It is only foolish or silly
people who take remarks too literally without looking for the real meaning in the
statements that people make.
Q3. Bring out the significance of good manners in life with Hill’s views in mind.

Ans: Manners are the external decoration of man. Manners stand for good qualities
which endear us to others. They stand for polite behaviour, courtesy, good conduct
and graceful gestures. Snobbery and showy conduct do not indicate good manners.
Rudeness and insolence are the signs of bad manners. Manners play a very
important role in life. Without manners, life would be colourless and dull.
Hill’s essay is a sermon on how fellow feelings can be brought back into our
society. He is correct when he remarks that the society is overtaken by selfish
and indifferent people, especially the youth under the influence of their materialistic
education.

He emphasizes the importance of good manners. He gives the example of a

weak young man who felt hopelessly weak after recovery from his illness. He
becomes aware of the ill manners of young men and young women. He finds them
without consideration for the elderly.
 Parents, teachers and senior members of society nurture and protect young
children in their tender years. But it is a pity that the youth have become indifferent
to good manners. They do not feel the necessity of having consideration for others.
Good manners help us to develop a sympathetic attitude towards the older
people. They also make us kind and considerate in the company of others. They
teach us patience, co-operation and understanding. They form a part of human
character. Good behaviour should not only be an outward sign of kindness but
should proceed from good feeling within our hearts. A man gifted with polite
manners and consideration for others at once gets the passport to sure and brilliant
success from the social point of view.
Q4. How did the attack of influence change the youngman’s attitude towards old
men? Ans. Refer summary