1. THE REFUGEE - K.A.ABBAS
This
is an essay on the life of Maanji, a mother who is forcibly moved from her
ancestral house in Rawalpindi (Pakistan) to Bombay (India) due to the Partition
of India and Pakistan.
Background of
the text:
The historical event of the
Partition of 1947 serves as the background to the text. This event is referred
to as a “tragic storm” by K.A.Abbas in the opening lines of the text. Partition
of the British Indian Empire into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the
Republic of India in 1947 is an historical event which forcibly moved thousands
of people to both the nations is used as the setting of this essay.
Comments on the
text:
The essay starts on a general note
which talks about the physical movement of the people between nations during
partitions and its effect on the economical, psychological and political
thoughts of the people.
The author K.A.Abbas gives a
personal touch to the essay when he introduces his own mother as a victim of
partition along with several other mothers. One among this is Maanji, the
protagonist (main character) of this essay. The rest of the essay talks about
the comfortable life of Maanji in Rawalpindi where she owned a double storey
building, churned butter and ghee, leased out land to farmers and was blessed
abundantly by her neighbors .
All
these comforts are broken when there is an announcement June 1947 about the
impending partition. For simpletons like Maanji and her husband who never knew
what would happen to their life after the actual Partition this news did not
make an impact. She would always innocently question “Who will harass as here?”
and treated all muslims who lived around her as her own children. This
generosity and ignorance earned her the love and protection from her neighbours
who came forward to even keep watch over her house
She
was generous in whatever she did. She sent donations of food and clothing to
refugees and freely distributed butter milk to the entire neighborhood. For all
that she did the people blessed her and her son a long life. Being a very
simple woman, she is moved by the murder of tongawallah and his horse because
of religious prejudice. She says “They killed him because he was a Hindu – but
they did not even spare the horse”. Eventhough she is ignorant here she echoes
her secular view of life.
The
essay now shifts to the present life of Maanji as a refugee in Bombay. The
author shows how she has moved into her smaller house but still takes effort to
maintain it spotlessly. Without
servants, she is forced to do all household chores “but she has a maternal
smile and pleasant smile”. As a refugee “She never proclaims her tragedy” but
she sheds silent teers when she thinks of Rawalpindi and “those pears and
apricots and apples, those grapes and melons and baggoogoshas that you never
get in Bombay “.
Conclusion:
This essay shows the changed life of
a simple mother in Rawalpindi to a pained “refugee” in Bombay. But K.A.Abbas
says that this pain is associated with “neither anger nor hatred, neither
rancor nor self-pity, but only memories”. This shows how Maanji has accepted
reality but at the same time dwells on her memories which show the intensity of
the human heart that accepts change.
2. The Sky is the Limit –
Kalpana Chawla
“Sky is the Limit’’ is about a small
town girl Kalpana Chawla. Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian women to travel
to space. Determined to pursue a career in aeronautics, she joined aeronautical
engineering at the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. Since her dream was
to mingle with the stars, further education to achieve her dream was only
available abroad. She got admission in the University of Texas for a Masters in
Aeronautical Science in 1982, but her father did not have any time to hear
about her big plans. Unable to share with her father her US college admission
she somehow convinced her father to allow her to go to the US. Her father
permitted her on one condition that Kalpana’s brother had to accompany her.
Kalpana’s brother joined the flight
school and the authorities wanted a written consent from the guardian. But her
father refused. Her brother’s words, “Everyone fights their own battles,”
motivated her to get the pilot’s license for airplane and glider.
She wanted to be an astronaut. The training
required immense level of fitness to experiencing the pull of gravity would
increase the pulse rate from 72 to 102 within seconds. In 1996, she started off
on her path to the ‘Milky way.’
Her second space flight came to her
in 2000. “Doing it again is like living a dream – a good dream once again” said
Chawla. On 1st February 2003, the space shuttle exploded with Kalpana and other six crew members.
Kaplana created a place for
herself. She serves as a source of inspiration to many young women to think
beyond horizons and reach for the stars.
3. The Postmaster -
Rabindranath Tagore
The Postmaster is a short story by Rabindranath
Tagore. It is about an unnamed postmaster who works in a remote post office in
a small rural Indian village. The post office is located in a “thatched shed” near
a stagnant pond circled by thick foliage. The new postmaster is from the huge
city of Calcutta and feels out of place in such a distant rural village.
The workers in the nearby plantation
work so much that they have no time to befriend anyone. Besides, they are not
good company for ‘genteel people’. The Postmaster also lacks social skills. So
he feels lonely and awkward in the new place.
Occasionally he tries to write
poetry. He is not interested in the rural landscape and would be happy if it
were replaced by a paved road and tall buildings. His wages are not great. He
must do his own cooking, but he shares his supper with Ratan, an orphan girl of
the village, who helps him with cooking meals.
He calls Ratan during late evenings.
As he smokes hookah, he asks about her family. As she recollects her memory, he
finds that she remembers only a little about her father and mother. She is
reminded of her little brother with whom she would playfully fish. As the
postmaster does not have any friend in the village, he also shares his memories
about his family with the young girl. He also teaches Ratan to read. As days
pass by, Ratan calls him ‘Dadababu’ and begins to imagine the postmaster’s
family as her own family.
Due to homesickness, the postmaster
falls ill. Ratan takes care of him like a mother. Though he abandons the
sickbed, he continues to miss his family in Calcutta. As he doesn’t get
transfer, he plans to quit his job and return home. Ratan requests him to take
her also to Calcutta. Helpless, the postmaster tells her that he will request
the next postmaster to take care of her as he had done. Unable to tolerate the
kind words from her master, she behaves indifferently. He tries to give her
money which she declines immediately. As he travels in the boat, he wonders
whether he could take Ratan with him to Calcutta. As a result, he gets many
philosophical questions which have no answers. Back in the village, Ratan weeps
unstoppably and continues to carry the memories of her ‘Dadababu’ throughout
her life.
4. Model
Millionaire - Oscar Wilde
Introduction
to the author:
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a famous Irish poet who made
a good contribution to English light comedies and short stories. He was
educated at Trinity College at Dublin and Magdalene College at Oxford. At
Oxford he becomes the founder of the Aesthetic Movement.
Summary:
*There was a very good looking young man, named Hughie
Erskine.
*He was popular and kind. However he was not very clever
and he had no job.
* He kept changing his job but always failed. Finally he
stopped working and lived on money given to him by an old aunt.
*He loved Laura Merton, the daughter of a retired
colonel.
* The colonel would only allow them to get married, if he
had ten thousand pounds of his own.
*One day Hughie visited his friend Alan Trevor, who was a
painter. When Hughie came, Alan was painting a model.
*The model was a beggar-man. Hughie felt sorry for the
model, so he gave a sovereign.
*Later that night, Hughie met Alan at Palette Club.
*They had a talk and Hughie found out from Alan that the
model was not a beggar-man, but a millionaire, named Baron Hausberg.
*Hughie went home unhappily, whereas Alan laughed loudly.
*The next morning, a messenger from Baron Hausberg came
and brought him a letter.
* The letter contained a cheque for ten thousand pounds,
which was a wedding present to Hughie Erskine and Laura Merton from Baron
Hausberg.
*
On the day of the
marriage Alan Trevor was the best man and the Baron Hausberg made a speech at
the wedding breakfast. Alan said “Millionaire Models are rare enough, but Model Millionaires are
rare still!”
5. THE
LION AND THE LAMB – Leonard Clarke
Conqueror’s
Escape:
The Bostock and Wombwell’s with their men and
animals were on the way to their destination – the village of Little Dean. The
journey was intercepted by bad weather and caused undue delay and hardship to
the showmen. The snow had turned the ground into a sheet of glass. It was past
six in the evening as the party reached the four miles approach road of Little
Dean. The road took a sharp right-angled turn before it made the final climb to
the top of the hill.
The showmen worked against the steep gradient
and the bad weather, with burning torches. The caged animals restless and angry
from their jolting ride, the foam-flecked horses straining at the painted
wagons, they set on the last lap. At the sharp turn, quite unexpectedly one of
the horses slipped to its knees pulling the other horse down and the wagon
slipped crashing onto its sides and the inmate of the wagon – the Conqueror,
the lion made its escape into the forest nearby.
The Circus show without Conqueror:
The task of setting up the railway meadow for
the show was accomplished before dawn. The show was to be opened to the public
at 3 O clock in the afternoon. The show showcased all the animals with the
obvious absence of the Conqueror – ‘the fiercest lion in captivity’.
The News spreads:
The Milkman of Little Dean was the first
person to break the news of the Lion’s escape. He declared proudly that he saw
the Lion’s track on his way to work in the morning. The news of the Lion’s
escape spread far and wide and the news took several turns. The first one being
that six lions had escaped from Bostock and Wombwell’s and had eaten a whole
sheep on Pope’s Hill is reported by Mrs. Whittle. Later it turned out that it
was not a sheep but a baby as declared by Williams the coalman who had seen the
blood stained shawl. But happily the news was contradicted.
Spread of rumours and response of Public:
A dozen rumours flew around the town that
morning. According to well-authenticated reports, the lion had been seen at
places miles apart from each other. Ironically, the lion had been spotted in
all the places at once.
Sam Jenkins, the town crier, paraded the streets
to announce that Bostock and Wombwell’s have announced a reward of five pounds
to anyone giving information leading to the capture of the lion.
The menagerie
had full houses at both showings. Miss Boud at the sweet shop suspected that it
was only an advertisement stunt of the circus company.
Hilarious Scenes
Unveil:
Harry Smedley,
the builder who could always be found in the public house at any hour of the
day or night, turned over a new leaf and became a reformed character. Harry
took a break at the backyard and he came in trembling all over like a jelly and
said he was going to give up drinking as he had seen a lion outside.
Apparently, he had been working out of the district for a few days and had not
heard about Conqueror’s escape.
Discovery of the
Conqueror:
The two and a
half day drama reached its climax with the spotting of the lion in the Vicar’s
parlour. Finally Conqueror was discovered. The Vicar, discovered the lion that
was least fierce. The lion was terribly exhausted even to growl. The Vicar
offered his dinner of two legs of pork ,to the lion.
The Vicar’s name
was Reverend Lamb. The Vicar tickled the ear of the Lion as he was led into his
new cage. Then the joke suddenly struck them all; they had seen the lion lying
down with the lamb.
6. The Lady or the Tiger - F.R. Stockton
Introduction:
F.R. Stockton was an American humorist and writer. The story revolves
around a semi-barbaric king who tries to reform and refine his subjects through
a special kind of punishment. The King’s peculiar way of meting out justice is
narrated humorously.
Semi-barbaric king:
The king was a semi-barbaric ruler and a man of great fancy. He
implemented his ideas using his authority. He would think over an issue
and once he was convinced, he would follow his ideas. He had a barbaric
method (cruel method) of administering justice which looked very fair.
The fate of the accused person would be decided in the King’s arena. The
accused person had the choice of opening one of two similar looking doors and
could be killed by a tiger or could marry a beautiful woman. The King thought
that the cruel practice will refine his subjects and culture the minds of the
people who live in the kingdom. The practice is impartial and incorruptible at
any chance.
Door with the Tiger:
The accused subjects were asked to step inside the amphitheatre and directly
opposite them were two doors. The subject would walk directly to the doors and
open one of them. He could open either door he pleased. If a hungry tiger came
out of the door he opened, the fiercest and cruelest tiger immediately sprang
upon him and tore him to pieces as punishment. The audience in the public
arena would walk slowly toward homeward mourning greatly for the dead souls.
Door with the Lady:
If the accused person opened the other door, there came forth a lady. The
most suitable to his years and to this lady the accused subject was immediately
married as a reward of his innocence. Once the lady comes out, another
door opens beneath the king, and a priest followed by a band of choirs and the
wedding was promptly cheered. This was the King’s semi-barbaric method of
administering justice. The accused person was instantly punished if he found
himself guilty and if innocent he was rewarded on the spot whether he liked it
or not. There was no escape from the judgment.
King’s Daughter and Her Love:
The king had a daughter and she was the apple of his eye and was loved by him
above all humanity. Among the subjects, a man of that fineness of blood and
lowness of station loved the king’s daughter. The love affair moved on happily
for many months, until one day the king happened to discover it. The youth was
immediately cast into prison and a day was appointed for his trail (punishment)
in the public arena.
Everyone looked for the most fierce tiger and the most beautiful lady to stand
behind the two doors. The appointed day arrived. The signal was given. The
youth advanced into the arena. His eyes were fixed upon the princess (King’s
daughter). When her lover turned and looked at her, she looked pale and white.
She knew behind which door crouched the tiger and behind which door stood the
lady. Quick glances were shared and the answer reached the young maiden who
loved the King’s daughter. She had a difficult decision to make, whether to
save the young man from death or to allow him to marry another woman. She
raised her hand and made a slight, quick movement towards the right. Without
the slightest hesitation he went to the door on the right and opened it. Now
the point of the story is this: DID THE TIGER CAME OUT OF THE DOOR OF DID THE LADY?
Conclusion:
The writer leaves it to the imagination of the readers as to what came out of
the opened door – the lady or the tiger.
For, how could we be sure that the princess would let the young man live and
marry the lady when she loved him so much herself? Again however jealous she
is, would the princess lead the young man to a wrong choice and be eaten by the
tiger? The readers should settle if for themselves, feels the author.
7.The Fortune Teller – Karel
Capek
This story is charged with irony – a smart detective inspector – MacLeary
employs his charming young wife to trap a fraudulent fortune teller – Mrs
Myers. MacLeary is anxious to know how the fortune teller makes her living. She
has between twelve and twenty visitors everyday. They vary from charwoman to
duchesses. The inspector is curious to get the bottom of her fortune telling.
Mrs MacLeary removes her wedding ring and dresses girlishly. She visits Mrs
Myers who seizes a pack of cards and shuffles them. She then asks Mrs MacLeary
to take the cards. She divides them into five heaps and she proceeds to predict
that the young client will marry a rich man and sail to distant place. Mrs
Myers is now summoned to appear before Mr Kelly, the justice of the peace as
she is exposed as a fraud by MacLeary. Mr Kelly rebukes her inaccurate fortune
telling and considers her business unscrupulous. He orders her deportation. Mr
Kelly meets the detective inspector after a year, who looks gloomy. On
questioning he confesses to the justice that his wife has run away with a rich
business man to Australia. Thus a freakish forecast has come true in the life
of the smart inspector - that is irony of life.
PARAGRAPH
How was Mac
leary able to book Mrs. Myers?
·
Karel Capek
(1890-1938) was famous Czech Novelist, play wright and short story writer.
·
Karel Capek has written this story in the
intention to satire at the social
behavior of practicing false astrology
in the society.
·
Mr. Mac Leary
sends his charming wife to detect Mr.
Myres the fortune teller.
·
Mrs. Myers was
summoned and her forgery got reaveled
and Mr. Kelley rebukes and deported
Mrs. Myres.
How did Mrs.
Prophecy turn out to be true in regard to Mrs. MacLeary?
Mrs. Mac Leary
in disguise and she got the prediction from Mrs. Myres regarding the future
happenings.
·
The predication
had the impact on Mrs. Mac Leary.
·
The
whipper-snapper rich man crazy about her
and Later she married him.
·
Karel Capek
concluded that the fake Astrology proved to be the real one. Mr. Kelley
wondered and shocked to know the elopement
Write an essay
on the irony in “ The Fortune teller”
·
Karel Capek
(1890-1938) was famous Czech Novelist, play wright and short story writer.
·
Karel Capek has written this story in the
intention to satire at the social
behavior of practicing false astrology
in the society.
·
Mr. Mac Leary
sends his charming wife to detect Mr.
Myres the fortune teller.
·
Mr. Mac leary
who was having doubt in the profession of Mrs. Myres and his plan revealed out
the entire suspicion regarding the profession of Foretune teller
·
Mrs. Myers was
summoned and her forgery got reaveled
and Mr. Kelley rebukes and deported
Mrs. Myres.
·
Mrs. Mac Leary
in disguise and she got the prediction from Mrs. Myres regarding the future
happenings.
·
The predication
had the impact on Mrs. Mac Leary.
·
The
whipper-snapper rich man crazy about her
and Later she married him.
·
Karel Capek
concluded that the fake Astrology proved to be the real one. Mr. Kelley
wondered and shocked to know the elopement
·
This was
discussed by the detective when the judge inquired about his charming wife.
8.THE
ADVENTURE OF THE DYING DETECTIVE
* Holmes
is on the trail of a botanist called Culverton Smith who is an expert on a
particular tropical disease.
*Holmes knows
that he poisoned a young man called Victor Savage by giving him the disease
which led to his death but can’t prove it.
*He cleverly
concocts a plan to trap Culverton Smith into confessing in front of a witness,
the starting point for which is a little wooden box with a spike inside sent to
him by the botanist with the hope of infecting him.
*Holmes realises
that the box is dangerous and avoids infection, but decides to pretend that the
plan worked in order to lure Culverton Smith to Baker Street and straight into
his trap.
*Holmes goes
without food or water for three days and uses stage makeup to make himself look
like he is going to die.
* Mrs Hudson,
the landlady, fetches Watson who is horrified and genuinely moved by his
friend’s appearance.
*Holmes insists
on being treated by Culverton Smith and sends Watson to fetch him, insisting
that he travel back alone.
* At the last
moment, Holmes forces Watson conceal himself behind the bed. This makes Watson
a witness to hear Culverton Smith as he taunts Holmes (who he thinks is dying)
about how he got away with the last murder and is about to get away with this
one too.
*Watson comes
out from his hiding place and inspector Morton rushes into the room to
apprehend the villain.
*That in itself
is a great story, especially in the way it unfolds and Watson remains in the
dark until almost the end.
9. The Solitary Reaper - William Wordsworth
The
Solitary Reaper is a short lyrical poem written by William Wordsworth.
It contains four stanzas with eight lines each. The first and last stanzas have
the rhyme scheme abcbddee. The second and third stanzas have the rhyme scheme
ababccdd. In the poem, Wordsworth brings out the beauty of the countryside. A
young girl reaps corn and sings a song in an unknown language. The song kindles
strange feelings in the poet.
The poet orders the passer-by to
behold the “solitary highland lass” reaping and singing by herself in the
field. He says that the person should either stop here or “gently pass” without
disturbing the girl’s song. As she “cuts and binds the grain” she “sings a
melancholy strain,” and the valley overflows with the beautiful, sad sound. The
speaker says that the sound is more welcome than any chant of the nightingale
to weary travelers in the desert, and that the cuckoo-bird in spring never sang
with a voice that was so thrilling.
Impatient, the poet asks, “Will no
one tell me what she sings?” He speculates that her song might be about “old,
unhappy, far-off things, / And battles long ago,” or that it might be a simple
song about “familiar matter of today”. Whatever she sings about, he says, he
listened “motionless and still”. As he travelled up the hill, he carried her
song with him in his heart long after he could no longer hear it.
10. Gift - Alice Walker
Alice Walker is one of the most
significant Afro-American writers of modern age. Her famous works are The Color Purple, In Love and Trouble,
and You can’t keep a
good woman down. She has won the American Book Award and Pulitzer Prize.
A gift is a symbol of love or
affection. The gift may be costly or cheap, but it becomes inexpensive if the
intention is good. Lovers say that they share their hearts and souls which is
quite imaginary. In Gift,
the poet says that her lover gives his soul also to her.
Though she doesn’t want to accept
it, she takes it politely as she is a Southerner. She takes it as it is offered
but doesn’t bother to chain it down. It means she doesn’t try to dominate or
enslave the man in the name of ‘love’. She loves it so tenderly that she could
return it as good as new.
To her surprise, he says “How dare
you want my soul! Give it back!” It inflicts pain on her as she had never asked
for his soul. It was he who offered it and finally it is he who blames her to
be ‘greedy’. She replies that only his childhood memories have been passed by
him to her for safekeeping and reveals the truth that his soul is only with him
and cannot be transferred to anybody under any circumstance.
He does not believe her words and
calls her ‘possessive’ for holding his soul which is not actually with her. She
observes that he holds his soul so tightly that it shrinks to fit his hand. It
implies the man’s lack of love and empathy along with his hostility towards his
companion.
11. O What is That Sound - W. H.
Auden
W. H. Auden is one of the greatest
poets in English. He is considered to be a war poet. The Quest and In Memory are some of his popular
poems.
The poem O What is That Sound is in the form of
a ballad. It is about the effect of war on the lives of a couple. One morning
they heard drumming sounds. It was thrilling to hear. The lady was very much
upset. She asked her husband the reason for the drumming sound. He replied that
it was due to the entry of scarlet soldiers. They were marching from a distance
with a flash of light.
The soldiers’ weapons glittered in
the sunlight. On seeing them, the lady wondered what they were doing in all
their gear. He consoled her by telling that they might have their ‘drills of
maneuvers’. He also thought it might be a warning.
The soldiers did not halt. There was
a change in their movements. They did not stop near the doctor’s place. So the
lady questioned her husband, “Haven’t they reined their horses?” She was
wondering whether the soldiers were in search of the parson. But they passed
his gateway. So she thought they wanted the cunning farmer. But the soldiers
did not stop near his farm also. At last, the lady realized that the soldiers
were nearing her house. It was clear that the band of soldiers were searching
for her husband. She knelt down and prayed to God.
Unexpectedly, the man started to run
on seeing the soldiers. She asked him to stop. She reminded him of his vow when
they married. The man answered that his love was true, but he had to leave. As
he left, the soldiers broke the door and entered. They looked with their
burning eyes. The lady was shocked when her husband ran away leaving her to
face them. The lady was stunned, at the betrayal of her husband.
12. Ode to the West Wind- P.B.
Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley is a popular
Romantic poet. In Ode
to the West Wind, he personifies the West Wind as an uncontrollable
power. Its power is felt everywhere on land, on sea, and in the sky. He
addresses the West Wind as the breath of Autumn. The leaves of the trees fly
away in fear. These are afraid of the West Wind as the ghosts are scared of an
enchanter. The West Wind drives the old seeds and makes them lay dormant on the
dark wintry bed. The spring season makes the seeds to sprout and grow into new
trees. Thus, the West Wind is a destroyer as well as a protector.
The West Wind scatters and shakes
the clouds from the tangled boughs of heaven and ocean in which clouds are
angels of rain and lightning. Clouds look like the bright hair uplifted from
the head of Maenad. The closing night is compared to a dome where all the dark
clouds congregated to burst out into rain and lightning.
Shelley says that the West Wind
wakes up the blue Mediterranean. It exercises its power not only on the surface
of the ocean but at the bottom also. The plants growing at the bottom also grow
gray with fear on hearing its voice.
The poet expresses his longing to
feel the power of the West Wind. He says that if he was a dead leaf, the West
Wind might bear him on its airy surge. If he was a cloud, he could fly with it.
If he was a sea-wave, he could pant beneath its power.
The poet recalls his days of
boyhood, when he was free like that wind. He was swift and proud. But now he
has lost his youthful energy and is in a state of despair. He has fallen on the
thorns of life and is bleeding. He wanted the West Wind to lift him as a wave,
leaf, or cloud.
The poet prays to the West Wind to
make him his lyre. He asks it to blow through his verses as it does through the
forests. Though the music is sad, it will be sweet in tone. So the poet
requests the wind to spread the message of hope to all mankind. He says, “If
Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” He is certain that the good time will
come soon.
13. The Death Trap - “Saki” (H.H.Munro)
This is a play of suspense which
centers on the murder plot of the Prince Dimitri. The events take a turn when
the victim becomes a killer in the end.
The protagonist of the play is
Prince Dimitri. He is guarded by two military regiments namely (loyal) Andrieff
Regiment and Kranitzki Guards. The Prince’s loyal physician is Dr.Stronetz. The
prince is threatened by Colonel Girnitza. Major Vontieff and Captain Shultz of
the Kranitzki regiment loyal to Prince Karl, who wants to become the king and
is willing to kill Dimitri.
The play opens with a conversation
between the disloyal Girnitza, Vontieff and Shultz who openly plot to murder
the prince. They are aware that they are being suspected by the Prince Dimitri but still plan to go ahead because
they are being backed by the political support of Prince Karl. They are clear
about their plan since they know the Prince Dimitri is the last heir of the
dynasty and if he is killed then the route would be made clear for Prince Karl.
Following this is a conversation
between the Prince Dimitri and his loyal physician Dr.Stronetz. Through this
dialogue, we get to know that Prince Dimitri came to power at a very young age
when he did not know anything about the rules of governance or responsibility.
This shows his helplessness which is now an advantage to his enemies.
Prince Dimitri is well aware that he
is “trapped” and that his guards are plotting to kill him. This is a painful realization for him
He also knows the exact time that he would be killed. Out of kindness and
loyalty Dr. Stronetz devices a clever plan as a physician. Instantly, he asks
the Prince to remove his robes for a fake physical examination which will help
him fool the heads of the disloyal Kranitzki regiments. His efforts only
temporarily delay the murder of the king. But this delay helps the Prince to
take his revenge on disloyalty.
However, the hard truth behind the
physical examination of the Prince reveals that he is really suffering from an
incurable disease. This is a shock to
the Prince who decides to end his own life. The Prince wants to die only after
punishing his enemies. So he mixes a phial of poison in a jug of wine. He
invites Vontieff, Girnitza and Shultz for a final drink and offers them the
poisoned wine after drinking it himself. It is a sight of pity for the Prince
but at the same time shows a clever act of revenge. The Prince thus overcomes his
helplessness by his intelligence even though he cannot avoid his own death.
In keeping with the title “The Death
Trap” the play projects how for the Prince, his helplessness becomes the death
trap and for the Kranitzki Regiment their disloyalty becomes their death trap.
14. The Dear Departed - William Stanley
Houghton
William Stanley Houghton was an
English dramatist. The
play is a final portrayal of the greed, jealousy and lack of sincerity of the
daughters in the case of an old father who was mistaken to be dead.
The grandfather Abel Merryweather,
looks dead to his daughter Mrs. Amelia Slater. She asks her husband to send a
telegram to her sister Elizabeth. Before her sister could come, Amelia plans to
loot whatever she wants of her father’s belongings. Amelia feels that, Henry
can wear Abel’s new slippers since her husband’s slipper have become old. But
her husband says they are not the right size. Amelia said the slippers will
stretch. She also wants her father’s new bureau and asks Henry to help her in
placing the new bureau in their room and put her old chest of drawers in her
father’s room before the arrival of her sister. Amelia brings clock too from
Abel’s room.
They hear the knock at the door
while they were bringing down the bureau and guess it to be Elizabeth and her
husband. They finish shifting and then receive Elizabeth and Ben. Elizabeth
asks Amelia about the details of old man’s death. Amelia says her father had
been so happy that morning and immediately after breakfast went to pay
insurance premium, later he went to bed saying he did not want
dinner. Amelia went to his room with a tray after dinner and he found the
old man lying cold and dead.
Then they discuss about the
announcement in the newspaper obituary column. Elizabeth insists that
they take a the list of their father’s
property. She also says that her father had promised to give his gold watch to
her son Jimmy after his death. Amelia is shocked and surprised. Amelia asks her
daughter Victoria to bring the key bunch from grandfather’s room to check for
the receipt in the bureau. She rushes down from
grandfather’s room saying the grandfather is getting up.
Everyone is shocked. Abel
enters and asks Amelia about his new slippers and finds Henry wearing it. She
explains that she asked Henry to wear them and stretch them for him. He
suddenly looks at the bureau and clock and shouts at Henry and Amelia for
moving it to their room. They are both speechless.
Now grandfather understands why everyone
was wearing black mourning dress. He suspects that the two sisters have already
started dividing things between them. He says that he has got three duties to
be fulfilled on Monday. First one is to meet the lawyer and change the will,
secondly to pay the premium and finally, to get married to Mrs. John Shorrock,
the owner of the public house Ring ‘o’ Bells at St. Philip’s Church. He also
says that his property will go to the one who takes care of him. Since both the
daughters have considered him a burden he is going to get married to a widow
who will look after him with pleasure. Finally he thanks Amelia and her husband
Henry for bringing the bureau downstairs so that carrying it to the Ring ‘o’
Bells would be easy and hopes to see them all on Monday at the church for his
wedding.
15.
The Sheriff’s
Kitchen - Ronald Gow
The Sheriff’s Kitchen is an interesting play by
Ronald Gow, a renowned English dramatist. Robin Hood was a benevolent outlaw,
who robbed the rich and helped the poor. The Sheriff of Nottingham tried many
times to arrest him but did not succeed. Robin Hood outwitted the plans of the
Sheriff with the help of his devoted followers on every occasion.
The steward entered the Sheriff’s
kitchen three hours after dinner time. He was too hungry but the cook refused
to serve him food as his master, the Sheriff had not arrived for dinner. They
both quarreled, but when the steward promised to give two large jugs of ale,
they were reconciled.
Little John and Friar Tuck were followers of
Robin Hood. They entered the Sheriff’s kitchen to steal the food. Meanwhile,
the Sheriff came in with Robin Hood guarded by his soldiers. His hands were
tied behind. The Sheriff put him in a cell and asked the steward to take care.
Little John planned to rescue Robin
Hood. He wore stole a steel cap and leather coat and carried the halberd
(sword) and stood like a sentry. Making the Steward drink a lot of wine, he
took away the keys of the cell from the steward and released Robin Hood.
When the Sheriff came in his nightgown
and nightcap, Little John seized him from behind and Robin Hood threatened him
with a knife at his throat. The outlaws put the sheriff in the cell and locked
him. Thus they escaped from the sheriff.
16.
The Anniversary – Anton Chekhov
The Anniversary is a most hilarious
comedy; focuses on four characters named, Andrei Schipuchin, Chairman of the
Board of the N… Mutual Credit Society. He is not too old, wears a monocle. His
wife is Tatiana, aged 25 is a chatterbox. Kirin, the banks elderly book-keeper,
hates women where as Schipuchin is a sentimental admirer of women. Mrs.
Merchutkina, an elderly woman in an old fashioned coat, is a born pest.
Kirin and Schipuchin are found busy
making arrangements for the bank’s fifteenth anniversary. Kirin is very
particular about the programme and he doesn’t want woman to be a part of the
event as they will ruin the show. But Schipuchin claims “Female company is
uplifting and invites women.”
Tatiana enters the bank and
irritates everyone including her husband. Schipuchin asks her to leave the
place before the shareholders could come. She ignores and continues narrating
her train journey and sister’s proposal. Kirin is offended by her behaviour and
attitude.
Merchutkina with a trivial
complaint enters the bank. She demands for compensation as her husband lost his
job when he took five months of sick leave. So she wants twenty four roubles
and thirty six kopecks as his pay. Schipuchin puts a stop to this by offering
the amount from his pocket but still she demands to offer a job for her
husband.
Schipuchin looses his patience and
begs Kirin to send her out. Kirin, in a confused state scolds Tatiana and tries
to send her away. Ttaiana runs around the bank screaming and yelling at him.
Meanwhile the shareholders enter. Kirin and Schipuchin are the victims of the
mess created by Tatiana and Merchutkina. The shareholder leaves the bank. Thus
Schipuchin’s belief on women is disproved.
