The Last Lesson Lect. Anil Kumar Punia, GSSS Jhanswa (Jhajjar) ‘The Last Lesson isan interesting chapter by Alphonse Daudet. The chapter was written during war day. In Purssua Franco war, Germany defeated France. ‘Two French districts Alsace and Laraine fall nto German hands. The narrotor ofthis chapter isa schoolboy, Frone. He was late for school. He didnot know ‘nything about participles. He feared that his teacher Mr. Hamel would rebuke him. He thought to stay out of School, but he moved to school. An order came from Berlin. twas written on buletn-board at the town hall. t declared that French will not be taught in Alsace and Larraine. The order aroze the feelings ‘of patriotism in the people ofthese two dstrets. They fee! deep love for French longuage. They rushed to choo o learn French. They reolized the importance of French language. They were sod to think that French will not be tought anymore in these districts. n the school, Mr. Hamel was teaching the last lesson of French language. He told that French s the most beautiful language ofthe world. Its clear and logical. The students and old men ofthe village show deep Interest in French language.Franz hates Germon language. He thinks that German cannot be imposed on birds. The people wil Keep on loving French anguoge. LOST SPRING Lost Spring is a touching chapter by Aneese jung. In this chapter, the writer describes the miserable condition of slum children. The chapter is about the poverty of Delhi and Firozabad. In these areas, people lead a life of suffering. Saheb Is a ragpicker. He always looks for gold in garbage. Saheb does not wear shoes like other ragpickers. People think that it is tradition. The writer claims that it is poverty. Saheb starts working at tea stall. He gets good meal and 800 rupees. But he is not satisfied at this job. He is a servant and not a master.The writer takes us to Ferozabad. The city 1s famous for glass bangles. The workers sit near furnaces and make bangles. There is no light and air. The rich, middlemen and police keep them poor. Mukesh is a member of bangle-makers family. He doesn’t like bangle making. He wants to drive a car and become a mechanic. He Is ready to do anything for this. The writer hopes that he will surely get success in life. DEEP WATER Deep water is an interesting chapter written by William Douglas. Inthe chapter, the writer tells us about his own fear of water. He also ‘explains how he overcame the fear-In his childhood, he feared to go into deep water. One day he was all alone at Y.M.C.A ‘swimming pool. A young boy came there and he threw the writer into the pool. He was going down. He made a plan to make a big jump on touching the bottom. But he failed twice and became senseless.,he fear of water stayed in his heart for many days. He did not lose courage. He got a guide to learn swimming. The guide taught him how to swim properly. After a struggle of six months, he became a good swimmer.He overcame his fear of water. He got a deeper meaning of his experience. He says that there is peace in death, Roosevelt says, all we have to fear is the fear itself. If we have strong will power, we can overcome any fear. ‘The Rattrap ‘The Rattrap is a lesson giving chapter by Selma Lagerlof. The story conveys a message that we should be honest in life. The whole chapter ‘moves around a peddler. He sells small rattraps wandering from vilage to village. The life of this peddler was boring. Once he got an idea that the world is like a big rattrap. The land, the wealth and family are like baits to tempt the persons.One day, the peddler wanted shelter for night. He knocked at the door of an old crafter. The old man was alone. He wanted some company to talk, So he allowed the peddler: He showed the paddler 30 kronors. Next morning, the paddler stole away the 30 kronors. He thought himself very clever to cheat the old crafter. Very soon the peddler realized that he was trapped. he peddler stayed at an ironmill, for the night. The owner of the mill thought him as his old friend in army. His daughter Edla Willmanson took him to house for Charismas. Next day the ironmaster realized his mistake. He was Not a captain. lronmaster’s daughter requested her father for his stay at home. She treated and respected the peddler as a real captain. Her kindness changed the heart of the peddler. He returned the thirty Kronors for the old crafter. He came out of the house as well as the rattrap. INDIGO Indigo is a patriotic chapter by Luis Fisher. in this chapter, the writer throws light on the Champaran movement of sharecroppers. It also describes the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Champaran movement. It was a turning point in the life of Gandhi as well as freedom of India. In 1916 Gandhi was attending the meeting of Congress in Luckhnow. A peasant Raj Kumar Shukla came to Gandhi. He was a sharecropper from Champaran. He requested Gandhi to visit Champaran to know the problems of indigo sharecroppers.Mahatma Gandhi and Raj Kumar Shukla went to Patna to meet Babu Rajender Parshad. At that time Rajender Parshad was not at home. The servants did not know Gandhi. They thought him a peasant like Shukla. Even Gandhi was not allowed to sit in the house and drink water.Gandhi reached Champaran to solve the problems of sharecroppers. The lawyers would get high fees from the peasants. Gandhi rebuked the lawyers. They decided to fight their cases without any fees. Gandhi started protesting the British government. The peasants took active part in the movement. They had no fear of landlords and government. At last government agreed to refund the money. Gandhi demanded 50% but agreed at 25%. It was the defeat and insult of the landlords. The victory of Champaran movement paved the way for India’s freedom. MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX (My Mother at Sixty Six is an emotional poem by Kamala Dass. It is based on her personal life. In this poem, the poet presents the picture of her old mother. She was of 66 years old. It was a Friday morning. The poet was going to Cochin airport with her old mother. Her face was pale and looked like a dead body. The poet was sad to think that her mother will not live long. She compares mother with the winter moon.The poet becomes sad to see her old mother. She starts looking out of car. The trees are running fast. The children are playing out of homes. They are active and full of energy, while mother is passive and sad. The poet reaches airport. At the time of departure, the poet looks at her mother again. She smiles and says, “See you again, Amma” The poet wishes to meet her again soon. She hopes that her mother will live long. ‘AN ELEMENTRY SCHOOL ‘An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum is a touching poem by Stephen Spender. in this poem, the poet tells us about the miserable Conaition of slum schoo! children. The poet says that the children in slum school are poor and weak. Their faces are pale and faded. They have no happiness in their life. The poet compares them to the sour cream color of the walls. There are various beautiful pictures in the classroom. It has picture of big cities, big buildings and great poet Shakespeare. They have to live in the dirty Consition. Poet say's that all these pictures are useless for these children. Stephen Spender wants social justice. He says that no one is ready to improve the condition of slum school children, The inspector, the officer and the Governor visit the school. They promise to improve the condition but they do nothing. Poet wants to improve the condition of slum school children. KEEPING QUIET Keeping Quiet is a lesson giving poem by Pablo Naruda. In this poem, the poet tells us about the importance of silence. It is not like death. It isa time of introspection in ife.The poet wants to count twelve. He wishes that all activities should be stopped. Even the noise of machines and engines should stop. This will be an exotic moment.The salt gathering man will look at his wounded hands, The fisherman wil not firm the fish. The soidiers will wear simple clothes. They will sit under the shadow and will not fight. he poet says that we should not be in hustle. It brings sadness in life. We can remove sadness with the help of silence. We should spare some time so that we could know ourselves.Silence can not be compared with death. The poet proves this with the example of earth. The ‘earth looks dead in winter but nothing is dead, when spring comes every thing becomes alive.ATHING OF BEAUTY Lect. Anil Kumar Punia, GSSS Jhanswa (Jhajjar) ‘A Thing of Beauty is a beautiful poem by John Keats. In this poem, the poet conveys the message that a thing of beauty is @ joy forever. Its beauty keeps on increasing day after day. It will never die with the passage of time. Poet says that our life is full Of sadness and frets. We always suffer from sadness and fear of death. All these things make our life full of problems and worries. A thing of Beauty removes sadness from our life.Poet says that every object of nature is beautiful. The sun, the moon, the rivers, the trees, the flowers etc are beautiful objects of nature. They bring coolness and calmness in our life. These beautiful things are a permanent source of joy.The poet talks about the great persons. They got great achievements. Their death was mighty and memorable, ‘The stories of the great men are beautiful. According to Keats, nature is the permanent source of joy and pleasure. It is a fountain of nectar. It showers nectar from the heaven on our hearts. This nectar removes the sadness and darkness from our life. ‘A Roadside stand ‘A Roadside Stand is a lesson giving poem by Robert Frost. In this poem, the poet describes the miserable condition of the people living out of City. They have set up a roadside stand to ean money. They sell wild berries on the stand.The poet says that no one stops at the roadside stand, The motor cars pass at a very fast speed. They do not ask even the rates of the goods./f anyone stops there, he spoils the lawn or asks for gas or petrol. They also complain that the people have spoiled the beauty of place with artless things. Frost thinks that the city people are greedy and selfish. They do not buy anything from the roadside stand. They have purchased all the lands. The rural people have been pushed near the stores. The greedy city people have made them lazy. The poet expresses his sympathy for the roadside people. He will fee! a great relief if the pains of rural people are removed at one stroke. The poet hopes for their improvement. No one is ready to help the rural people who have set up a roadside stand. Aunt Jennifer's Tigers ‘Aunt Jennifer's Tigers isa lesson giving poem by Andrein Rich. In this poem, the poet describes, the miserable life ofan old lady aunt Jennifer. ‘She paints tigers with wool. The tigers are the brave citizens of the green forest. They move in the panel with grace. They don’t afraid of men sitting under the trees.The poet says that aunt Jennifer was leading a difficult life. She would make tigers with needle and wool. ‘She was very old and weak. The ivory needle was hard to cross the cloth. Her fingers were trembling. Auntt Jennifer was leading 2 painful life. She was wearing a wedding band on the wrist. She feels the weight of the wedding band. She was living all alone. The wedding band is the symbols of the miseries of married life. The poet has deep sympathy with aunt Jennifer. Her life is different from the tigers. After some time, aunt Jenifer will die. Her hands will become cold and still. But the tigers painted by her will keep on prancing in the panel. ‘THE THIRD LEVEL ‘The Third Level Is a chapter full of imagination. In this chapter, Jack Finney describes the art of escapism. The story Is narrated by its central character, Charley. The whole chapter is based on his imaginations. Charley lives in New York city. There are two railay stations. Once Charley comes across the third railway level. The thid level refers to the railway station. The third level is the Imagination of Charley. He describes the 19th century picture at third level. The doors are narrow and rooms are very small. The people wear costumes of old time. Even the currency is of different type.Cherley is escapist and cant face the harsh realities off, He takes interest in stamp collecting. He remains in present and past. n his Imagination, he wanted to visit Galesberg The writer says that life is fill of worries, wars and fears. We should face the problems of life boldly, but Charley lives in imagination. He receives a letter from Sam. In fact Sam is not a real character. Its written and signed by Charley himself. THE ENEMY The Enemy is a lesson giving chapter by $ Buck. The story was written when Japan was in war with America. The writer conveys the message thatthe duty of doctor isto treat the patents with kindness. The whole story moves around a person, Dr. Sdao. He was a famous Surgeon of Japan. He was living in the bordering area with his wife Hana. His duty was to treat the injured soldiers of Japan. He was very dutiful and kind doctor.One evening, he sav’ an injured soldier lying near the river. He was an American soldier. He belonged to enemy country so he was called enemy. The soldier was lying senseless. Dr Sado took the American soldier to his house. tt was a crime to help and shelter the enemy soldier, Dr Sdao decided to operate the soldier. Everyone refused to help doctor in the treatment. His wife Hana helped him and doctor made an operation.The news of his Nelp reached to general. Dr Stoo could be arrested for helping the enemy soldier. The general was also a patient. He wanted the help of Dr Sdao so he was forgiven. Dr Sdao treated the enemy soldier with great care, It took few days to recover him. Dr Sdao wanted to save his life. He arranged a boat for ‘American soldier. He also kept clothes and meal in the boat so that the enemy soldier could reach home safe. SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY Should Wizard Hit Mammy isan interesting chapter by John Updike. In this chapter, the writer makes adiflerence in the views of children and elders. The writer proves this with the example of a little girl, Jo and her father Jack. Jo is a girl of four years old. Every evening, her father Jack tells her a story. The stories are not real but imaginative. Jo doesn’t sleep without listening a story. She asks many questions after the story.n the present story, there is a small creature Roger Shkunk. He smells very bad. Other creatures don't play with him. Even they avoid him. Roger's fed up with his bad smell Roger comes to know about a wizard. He goes to wizard to solve his problem. Wizard removes his bad smell and makes him smell ike roses. Roger 1s very happy as other creatures play with him. Roger's mommy does not like this change. She goes to wizard and hits him on the head. She compels wizard to make him smell bad again. Jo does not like this ending, She thinks that wizard should hit mommy and Roger should smell like roses. On the Face of t On the Face of It is an interesting play by Susan Hills. In this chapter, the writer conveys the idea that any kind of inferiority complex is harmful for life. The chapter proves this with the story of two persons, Derry and Mr. Lamb. Derty isa young boy. He Suffers from inferiority complex as he has a burnt face. He has no fiend. He remains locked in his house. He does not go out of his house for enjayment. He leads 2 miserable life due to his burt face Me. Lamb Is a middle aged man. He has atin leg. Children call him lamey Lamb. He has a garden. He moves everywhere. He has many friends. In the evening, he enjoys the company of his friends. He leads a comfortable life.One day Derry enters ito the garden of Lamb, He fears of Lamb but Lamb treats him lke a friend, Lamb says that inferonty complex is bad for fe. He also advises Derry to move inthe society to enjay life. This meeting has good effec on Derry. Now Derry is free from inferiority complex Derry's mother stops him of going to meet Lamb again. Derry thinks that Lamb has changed his life. He has given new meanings of life. He cannot stop himself af going to meet Lamb.One evening, Derry goes to meet Lamb in fis garden. At that time, Lamb was on the ladder. He was plucking apples. He fell down and died. Derry became sad atthe death of Mr. Lamb as he has given him a new life. Evans Tries An 0” Level Evans Tries an 0 Level is an interesting chapter by Colin Dexter. The whole story moves around a prisoner, Evans. He was very clever and expert in escaping from the prison. Earlier he had escaped three times, so he is called “Evan the break. When the story begins, Evans was in the prison. He desired to appear in German 0" level exam. The prison authorities knew that it was a trick to lescape from the prison. They wrote to board for exam and the permission was granted. An examiner, Mc Lerry was appointed for exam. Mc Lerry came to the prison but the real Mc Lerry was abducted. Exam was to start at 9:15 but it started at 9:25. An officer Jackson was also in the cell. Evans objected his presence, so jackson was out.The prisoner authorities made all the security arrangements. They were happy to see that exam was over peacefully. Later they found that Evans was not in the cell. He escaped in the ‘uise of Mc Lerry. The governor ordered to chase Evans. He was found at Golden Lions, The securities arrested Evans and took him to prison. The governor handed over Evans to the police man. In real, the policeman was a friend of Evans in the guise of police. Thus Evans duped the police again.