Summary and Important question answers: Magic of Words

Malini 

Summary
Malini was a young princess of Kashi; a Hindu Kingdom. But she was impressed with
Buddhism. She didn’t like to stay and consume heavenly comforts of the palace where
the citizens were suffering from many kinds of crisis. She was influenced by Buddhist
teaching. She believed in the religion of forgiven, Buddhism. Once, all the Brahmins
decided to go against her and they demanded for her banishment because they were
suSpected as if their religion was under danger. As they demanded for her banishment,
she wanted herself to leave the palace to help and solve out the problems. By expressing
this truth, she introduced herself as a real disciple of Buddhism. A brave young Hindu;
Kemankar decided to attack on the palace with the help of foreign armies and captivate
them which his iiiend Supriya told the king and he was captivated. ' The king announced
her to get married to Supriya. But at last Kemankar killed him with the chain. The king
tried to kill him. She requested her father to forgive him. This kind of sacrifice only can
be possible in Buddhism. In this way, we can present her as a real disciple of Buddhism.

Questions:
Character sketch of Malini.
Ans: Malini was the image of love and forgiveness. Though she was born in a palace, she
ignored jewels and ornaments. She was the princess of Kashi, a Hindu Kingdom but she
was influenced by Buddhism. She wanted to leave the palace and help the poor and
suffering people. The Brahmins were frightened by her new philosophy, so they wanted
her banishment from the country. But when the Brahmins met her, they were influenced
by her words and simplicity. She was like the lamp in darkness. She wanted to lead the
people towards truth and heaven. She had infinite compassion to everyone, even to the
sinner Kemankar.
Character sketch of Supriya. Or,
Would you call Supriya a betrayer? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Kemankar was a philosopher and true thinker. He was open-minded and not a
conservative. He did not believe in physical force. He did not want bloodshed in the
name of religion. He was not blind to his religion as his friend Kemankar. He only
revealed the truth of Kemankar’s plan when he saw that his friend wanted bloodshed in
the name of religion. Kemankar’s main guilt was to organize foreign troops to invade his
own country. Thus, Supriya told the king about the plan of Kemankar to save his
motherland. Even Supriya did not hesitate to go near Kemankar though he knew that his
friend would kill him. So, I would not call Supriya a betrayer.
Make a character sketch of Kemankar.
Ans: Kemankar was an aggressive Hindu. He was ready to die for his belief and religion.
He was rigid, conservative and strong. He wanted the banishment of Malini because she
had followed Buddhism. He thought that we should not discard the religion of our
ancestors. His main fault was he wanted to use force to wipe out new creed from his
country. He even went to the foreign land to organize foreign army and attack his own
kingdom. So, he was the image of hatred. He kills his own childhood friend Supriya
when he deceives him.
What were the Brahmins demanding for?
Ans: The princess was taught by Buddhist monks. She was influenced by Buddhist
teaching. She believed in the religion of forgiven, Buddhism. The Brahmins were
suspecting that she was spreading Buddhism and damaging their religion, Hinduism.
Thus, to protect their religion they demanded for her banishment.
Why does Malini ask for her own banishment from the palace?
Ans: Malini was fully impressed with Buddhism. She believed in the religion of
forgiven. She wanted to go outside of the palace to see the real people’s suffering. She
wanted to find out the solution of those problems and also she wanted to spread
knowledge. So, she asks for her banishment from the palace.

Six Million Dollar Man 

Summary
In the essay “The Six Million Dollar Man” the writer claims that human body is priceless.
Once the writer received a birthday card sent by his daughter and son-in-law. In that card,
it was mentioned that the price of the human body is only 97 cents. Later he gets price list
of all the parts of the body from bio-chemical company. He concludes that the value of
dry human body is $ 245.54 per-gram. The weight to the writer's dry body is 244436
grams. He multiplies it and finds the total value of his body $ 6,000,015.44.So he calls
himself a six Million Dollar man. After doing this, he calculates prices of cells, tissues,
souls, etc. then he finds a man valuable or priceless. He concludes that the price of human
body can be measured in terms of dollar. But later he came to the conclusion that man is
priceless because of his rationality and consciousness. Man has emotions, soul, can
speak, grow and love other that cannot ber bought. The human body is endlessly
valuable.
Questions:
Why did the writer say he was a six Million Dollar man? Or,
How does the writer come to the conclusion that each human being is priceless? Or,
Explain Harold J. Morowitz's Joy in discovering that he is a six million Dollar man.
Ans: Summary
Why did the writer say he was six million dollar man?
Ans: The author’s daughter and son-in-law sent him a birthday card which claimed that
according to BIOCHEMISTS the price of a human body was only 97 cent. The author
didn’t agree with them and decided to make a list of the chemicals a human body
contains and collected price list. He took his weight himself and reduced the portion of
water. He calculated the total cost of all the chemicals and found these costs up to six
million dollar. Thus, the writer told that he was a six dollar man.
Is every human being “a six million dollar man”? Explain your answer.
Ans: The author gets a birthday card which claims the price of a human body is only 97
cent. The author doesn’t agree with them and decides to make a list of the chemicals a
human body contains and collects price list. He takes his weight himself and finds the
average price of human body is 245.54 dollar per gram. The author found his dry weight
was 24,436.80 gram. He calculates and finds 6,000,015.44 dollar. In this way the author
found that he is a six million dollar man. But I think the weight of different people is
different and so the price also can be different.

On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness 

Summary
The main theme of this poem is that it’s useless to be proud of our earthly greatness and
achievements. These things aren’t permanent. The only permanent thing is ‘Time’.
Everything else including our earthly greatness and achievements has to bow before time.
This poem describes what happens to powerful people and animals after they die. It
shows how greatness anything is, anyway it continues only for a short time. The poet has
presented certain examples, which all prove the same thing. Mastodon tusks are turned to
billiard balls, bears are turned into rugs, the sword of great king becomes rusted and the
great rulers are turned into statues and busts (half or broken or ruined statue). In the final
line, the poet indicates that his own greatness will also be short lived.

Questions:
Bring out the “vanity” involved in the last couplet.
Ans: Vanity is pride in appearance or achievements. The poet is saying that it’s vain or
useless to think that we are powerful because we leave nothing behind our death.
Similarly, in the last couplet, we find it only to be vanities of the poet because he is
putting himself in the same level of great rulers like, Charlemagne and Caesar.
What is ironical about the poem?
Ans: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used to show the opposite of what
they appear to mean. In other words, irony is the gap between what the reality is and what
it appears to be. This poem is ironical in the sense that it is not about greatness but it is
about weakness. Mastodons are not mighty or powerful, bear is not potent but, in fact,
their power is short lived. In this way, this poem is ironical.
What is the message of the poem?
Ans: We shouldn’t be proud of our achievements because every achievement is
temporary. Time is the most valuable wealth and all our earthly greatness /achievements
are useless in comparison with time. Time is the leader which can make a sage the King
and the King a sage. So, we shouldn’t be proud of earthly greatness as we have.

In Bed 

Summary
This essay was written by Joan Didion. It is writer’s own experience. She had a migraine
headache. A migraine is a very painful headache.
Joan Didion has migraine three or four times every month. In the beginning, she was
afraid to admit that she had migraine. She was afraid she wouldn’t get job because of that
headache. Migraines are inherited. Joan Didion’s parents and grandparents also suffered
from migraines. Migraine headache is very unpleasant and patient also suffered from
stomach pain. Joan Didion complains that people don’t take migraine seriously. Many
people think migraines are imagined. They think migraine suffers make themselves ill by
worrying too much. This is partly true. Joan Didion has learnt to live with migraines
because she can’t avoid them. They are when she is very worried about something. The
migraine is very painful. When migraine has finished, Joan Didion feels better.
Writer's husband had also same problem. He was also suffering from migraine. Her
husband understands writer's pain very well. He also faces same pains as the writer. He
doesn't blame the writer. Otherwise, he would say that her wife was pretending. So the
writer takes herself as fortunate.
What are the distinctive traits of migraine headaches? Or
What are the features of migraine headache?
Ans: Migraine is a type of severe recurrent headache usually in one-side of head. It can't
be easily cured. Ordinary headache can be cured by taking aspirins. Migraine can be
prevented only by injections or drugs. A sufferer of migraine headache starts vomiting.
When migraine starts, some people have hallucination, blinding effect, stomach pain,
tiredness, pain in all the senses and they are unable to do their normal work. They look if
they are drunk; however, nobody dies of it.
Why does the writer consider herself as fortunate?
Ans: Writer's husband had also same problem. He was also suffering from migraine. Her
husband understands writer's pain very well. He also faces same pains as the writer. He
doesn't blame the writer. Otherwise, he would say that her wife was pretending. So the
writer takes herself as fortunate.
Write about the suffering and bitter experiences of John Didion as a migraine
person.
Ans: In this essay, John Didion writes about migraine headache. She herself suffers from
this headache. She feels quite uneasy and a strong flow of blow is fallen in the veins of
her brain in the beginning. She doesn't want to reveal. She spends one or two days a week
painfully in bed. Tears come from the fight side of her face. She goes to toilet and vomits
there. She wishes a surgeon would come to avoid her brain. The writer can't speak clearly
when it attacks her. She looks as if she is drunk. She tries to escape from it but she can't.
When the migraine starts, she lies on bed with patience.
What are causes of migraine headache? And what are its effects?
Ans: Anything can start an attack of migraine headache such as stress, allergy, tiredness,
unexpected events, a change in air pressure, lack of sleep, a fire drill , etc. the sufferers of
migraine headache have hallucinations blinding effect, stomach problem, weakness,
tiredness etc. the migraine headache also causes cold sweating and vomiting etc. But
nobody dies of it.
What are the misconceptions associated with migraine headache?
Ans: Some people believe that migraine headache is imaginary. They accuse the
sufferers as if sufferers are pretending. They accuse the migraine suffers for refusing to
cure themselves. They also accuse sufferers as if sufferers have wrong thinking and bad
tempers. According to writer, the accusing eyes of the people are more painful for her
then the migraine itself.
Differentiate between of Headache and Migraine Headache.

Common Headache:	Migraine Headache:
· It has no symptoms in aura period. · It’s not disease and can be cured or treated. · It’s not physiological error. · It’s not hereditary error. · Ordinary headache · It has no aura period. · Pain killer works.	· It has symptoms in aura period of 15 to 20 minutes. · It’s disease and can’t be cured. · Migraine is a physiological error. · Migraine headache is hereditary error. · Migraine is chemical disturbance in serotonin hormone which is in brain. · It has aura period. · Pain killer doesn’t work.

The Gardener Summary
“The Gardener” was written by Rudyard Kipling. The main character of this story, Helen
Turrell, was unmarried but she was pregnant. She went to France saying that she was
suffering from lung disease. She gave birth to a son which she named Michael. When she
returned to England she told lies to the people saying that Michael was her brother’s son
who had died before his birth. She said that Michael was brought from India by a nurse.
She also lied that she had dismissed the nurse when she did not care him properly.
Helen loved Michael very much. Michael called her mother at home at bed-time. When
the First World War began, Michael joined in the army. He was killed by an exploding
shell. He was buried in a large cemetery. Helen went to visit his grave, but she could not
find it. A gardener came near to her. Helen said that she was searching the grave of her
nephew. But the gardener said that he would show the grave of her “Son”.
I think that the gardener was Jesus Christ because God knows every truth. God is like a
gardener because He gives life to all creatures- both plants and animals. The author uses
the word ‘infinite’ to describe the gardener’s compassion indicating that he is not human.
The gardener does not show any hatred towards Helen although he knows her reality. A
human being cannot be impartial when he knows the secret of Helen.
Questions:
What is the real relation between Helen and Michael?
Ans: There is no doubt that the relationship between Helen and Michael is that of mother
and son. Helen was the mother of Michael. But, as she was an unwed mother, she was
ashamed and so she did not declare it. She only said that Michael was the son of her
brother, who had died in India. She also told that she had managed to bring the child
from India only to rear him up.
Why did Helen tell lie to the villagers?
In fact, what she said to the villagers was false. She might have created this false story to
keep the villagers silent. Otherwise, she would be condemned in the society. To tell the
truth, she was unmarried. So she hid the real fact. In fact Helen and Michael were mother
and son. She told all these lies so that she would not be condemned in the society.
How do we know who the gardener really is?
There are many explorations to the question: who the gardener was. Some people say that
he was only an employee. Some others say that he was Michael’s father, who was working
there only to live by the grave of Michael. He said ‘son’ rather than ‘nephew’ while leading
her to the grave.
But, I think that the gardener was Lord Christ himself. I think so only because the writer
says that there was endless love in his eyes. No human being can have such an infinite
compassion except the God. So, the gardener was Jesus Christ. If it’s so, we can also
guess that the Lord had forgiven Helen for her crime.

Essay on " Living in the Country".

The village is such a region which is full of green trees, open fields and peace  atmosphere. The Villages are always surrounded with big trees and many kinds of birds dwell there and sing melodious songs. The people can get much fun of nature in the village which they can’t find in the town or many other regions. 

They find themselves in the lap of nature. In the other word, living in the village is living in touch with natural things like forest, mountain, stream, grass, lawn etc. people who love in the country know the real love for nature.

The life is very pure in the village. They get up very early in the morning and go for 

morning walk. They go to their fields and work hard and so they are physically very 

strong. They don’t need to go to Jim houses. They grow lots of seasonal crops. Living in the village is really a very good experience. People are very helpful. They share their happiness and sorrow among them. It justifies the meaning of society.

Alphabetical Order

1. Put these words in alphabetical order:
a) crane, credit, crocodile, crash, create, cries
b) plight, plough, plastic, please, pluck, plead, plane, plot
c) string, strange, strict, strain, straight, strong
d) appear, applause, applaud, appeal, appalling, apparent
e) ghost, ghee, gharry, ghast, gharial, gherao
f) clan, clad, class, clung, clutch, clamp, clear, clean

SUMMARY OF SUPERNATURAL STORIES

Summary of "The Recurring Dream"

The recurring dream is supernatural story. It is borrowed from England. The story is set in England. The main character is Kimberly Clark. Her Short name is Kim. Kim is a young and beautiful woman who lives in London. She has a good job. But she is sad because the same dream comes every night. She Dreams about a house in the country side, where an old man is sleeping. In the dream she enters the house and she wakes up. Kim tried to speak to him but she wakes up herself. One day Kim was sitting in a car with her friend Janet. They were driving through the country side. Kim sees the same house of her dream there. She makes Janet stop the car and goes to the house. The same old man opens the door. Kim speaks to the old man who tells her that house is haunted by a ghost. Kim asks who the ghost is. The old man says. "It's You".

Why do some people have recurring dreams? Give your opinion.

Dream is the sequence of senses and feelings occurring in the mind during sleep. Some people have recurring dream. However, it is true to some extent that the wishes, fear and the feelings and experiences of various events and scenes are manifested into the dream. Though a person is dreaming in one place, his/her spirit goes to haunt reason of recurring dream is the deep wishes, fear, feelings, experiences as well as the events in the past life of the dreamer.

Why does Janet want to take Kim to her parent’s farm for a few days?

Janet wants to take Kim to her parent’s farm for a few days so that she can get rid of her troublesome recurring dream. The recurring dream gives Kim a lot of trouble. She is mentally tired and disturbed. She is taken to the countryside by her roommate with a hope that she can get relief in the peaceful environment.

Summary of "The Lost Doll"

The lost doll is supernatural story. The main characters in this story are Rosa and her two daughters, Carman and Evangelina. Carman was Rosa’s First child. Carman died when she was four years old. The doctors told Rosa she wouldn’t be able to have any more children. Rosa she gives the things of Carmen always used to carry. After one year Carmen died. Rosa gave birth to another child Evangelina. Evangelina means good news. Evangelina was healthy but she was exactly like her sister Carmen, who was always sick. Evangelina thinks she used to be sick. But it was really her died sister, who was sick. One day Evangelina said where the lost doll was. She pointed to the ground under a big tree. Rosa dug the ground and found the lost doll. She asked Evangelina how she knew about the hidden doll. She replied she put it there when she had been sick and a kind man had come to take her away.

How were Carmen and Evangelina alike and different?

When Evangelina grew, she looked more and more like Carmen. Her actions and characters were also like that of her sister Carmen. Seening this similarity, the priest told that good healed Carmen and sent back in the earth in the form of Evangelina. The difference between them was that Carmen was sick but Evangelina was healthy.

What evidence is there to show that the Soto family was poor?

When Roberto Soto knew that Rosa Soto had given away Carmen’s Play things and clothes, he became unhappy. He wanted to save them because he was hopeful they would have another child. They searched the beautiful little doll in the house and even in the village. These evidences are enough to prove that Soto family was poor. They lived in the village and Roberto Worked in the field. These are the additional proofs.

Summary of "The House Call"

The house call is supernatural story. It is taking from Germany. Doctor Braun was the famous surgeon. He was sitting alone on the dining room. He was tired due to long operation. He was woken up by the knock at the door. A little girl was requesting the call doctor for her sick mother. Although wife didn't allow, the doctor went with the little girl. She was wearing a cotton dress, old shoes and a shawl. It was raining lightly outside. The doctors tried to catch up the girl to ask some question but couldn’t. At last she went into an old and dark room as he went inside the room the door was closed. He saw a woman lying in bed. He recognized her. She was Elda the old staff at the hospital. She was suffering from pneumonia. He gave her some medicine. Then she explained about her past then only the doctor knew that her daughter had past then only the doctors knew that her daughter had already died. He was surprised. He saw the girl nowhere. He only saw the girl’s wet shoes and shawl on the wall. It was very strange to him. The doctors touched her head again and ran away from there.

What did Dr. Braun discover when he went with the little girl who came to his house?

When Dr. Braun went with the little girl who came to his house discovered that the sick women lying in the bed was no one but Eldawho used to work in the same hospital where the doctor worked. He also found that the woman was suffering from pneumonia. Most surprisingly he discovered the mysterious fact that the little girl was the ghost of the daughter of Elda who died in the last September.

Why did the doctors have a look of surprise on his face when Elda told him that her little daughter died in September?

The doctor was called by a little girl for the treatment of her sick mother. While coming to the house of Elda,the little girl walked so fast that the doctors couldn’tt talk with her. When Dr.Braun entered the room of Elda, the little girl ws still there who closed the door, However, when Elda told him that her only daughter died in September, the doctor had a look of surprise on his face. He looked around but couldn’t see the girl. He was extremely surprised by the realization that the girl was spirit of Elda’s dead daughter.

Summary of "Fear"

Fear is psychological story. Armando is a poor shoes maker. He, with his wife has collected fifty thousand pesos. They have a dream to buy a small house. Armando went to a bank, in Mexico City to draw fifty thousand pesos. In the bank Armando became very nervous. He thought people wanted to rob his money. He was so nervous that he put his hat backwards. Armando got on the bus to return back home. A heavy man who he had seen in the bank was also sitting in bus. He was frightened and jumped out of the bus. The three boys also got off the bus Armando thought they are going to rob him. So, he began to run. He fell over and the boys came up to him but he found that the boys were no robbers but they were students.

Why is Armando Afraid of the heavy man on the bus?

Armando had put his hat on backwards. Everyone is the bank looked at him. A heavy man also looked at him twice. While waiting for the bus, the fat man was next to him. Armando trembled with fear and his heart was beating faster. He thought that the man was following him. When the fat man put his hand in his pocket Armando thought that he was looking for a pistol to rob him. On the bus three boys were talking to the fat man. Armando thought they were his helpers.

What made Armando think that someone was going to rob him?

The main thing which made things worse was Armando’s fear or nervousness. The cashier counted the money loudly. Many people in the bank looked at Armando as he had worn the hat on backward. The heavy man who looked at him twice in the bank followed him and got in the same bus. He put his hand in his pockets as if he were looking for pistol. Three boys who talked to the fat man got off with Armando and ran after him. All things made Armando thinks that he was being robbed.

Summary of "The Loving Mother"

The loving mother is a supernatural story. It is borrowed from Japan. Shoji Sakota was a pharmacist. One night he was working late when a woman knocked at the door. When the woman came in she asked for only an Ame for her baby. Other two nights the same woman came and asked his friend to take her photograph. When the photograph was developed there was everything but no image of the woman. So, they followed her the room they found a healthy baby sucking same Ame and the woman was asleep. When Sakota tried to wake the woman she had been died for several days.

Describe the woman who visited Mr. Saklota’s pharmacy late at night.

One storming winter, when Mr.Sakota was preparing annual report, a young woman visited his pharmacy. The woman was thin and her skin was pale. Her hair was untidy. She requested for an Ame for her baby. She has mysterious eyes. Mr. Sakota was surprised and thought that she was from another world.

Why did Mr. Sakota want the picture taken?

The woman who visited Sakota’s pharmacy was mysterious. She always came at mid-night. She was strange. Her eyes were mysterious. He thought the woman might be a ghost. He called the photographer to take her photos and study about her.

The Gardener

                                                                 

Helen Turrell: Unwed mother; she was quite ashamed of the society as she was pregnant; she lied that she was going to France for treatment

Michael Turrell: Son who got birth in France  

Summary of the story

                When Helen Turrell became pregnant she was ashamed because she was not married. She left her home in England to have the baby in the south of France. When she returned to England, she pretended that the baby was really her brother’s child. The brother, George, lived in India but he had died falling off his horse. This meant that Helen had to look after the child. Helen told other lies. She said that she had to go to the south of France because she was ill. She said the child had been born in India, but had been brought to the south of France by a nurse who had been dismissed when the child became ill, and she also said that she had given the child’s mother some money.

                The child was called Michael. Helen didn’t tell him that she was his real mother. She said that she was his aunt, and that he was her nephew. Michael was sent to a private school. At school, he was told that he was born outside mirage /illusion/ vision.

                When the First World War began, Michael joined the army. He did not have to do much fighting, but he was killed by an exploding shell that completely buried his body. After the war, Michael was reburied in a huge cemetery in Belgium.

                After that, Helen decided to visit the grave of Michael. On her way to cemetery, she met a woman named Mrs Scarsworth, who said that she visited graves for her friends who could not come herself. She took photographs of the graves. Late at night, Mrs Scarsworth came into Helen’s hotel room. She said that she was telling lies. Her real reason for visiting the cemetery was to visit the grave of someone special to her (probably a secret lover).

                On the next morning, Helen visited the cemetery. It was huge; there were thousands of black crosses that all looked the same. Helen did not know how she would find her son’s grave. A gardener approached her. Helen said that she was looking for her nephew’s grave. The gardener said he would show her the grave of her son.   

   1. What is the real relation between Helen Turrell and Michael?

                There is no doubt that the relationship between Helen and Michael is that of mother and son. Helen was the mother of Michael. But, as she was an unwed mother, she was ashamed and so she did not declare it. She only said that Michael was the son of her brother, who had died in India. She also told that she had managed to bring the child from India only to rear him up. 

2. What is the truth behind each of the lies Helen tells the village at the beginning of the

    story? Why does she tell these lies?

          As Helen was an unwed mother, she was ashamed of the fact and she did not tell the truth to her villagers. Rather, she told different lies. Some of the lies told by her are as follows:

                i) She had to go to France for treatment.

                ii) Michael was her nephew and that his father was George Turrell.

                iii) George had died a few days before Michael’s birth.

                iv) Michael was born in India and Helen had given some money to Michael’s mother to get the child.

                v) Michael was brought from India to France by a nurse but as the nurse was careless, Helen had dismissed her.

                The truth behind all these lies was very simple. She herself was Michael’s mother. So, there was no question of either giving any money to Michael’s mother or dismissing any nurse. She had no disease. She hadn’t gone to France for any treatment. She had gone there to give birth to the child.    

 3. How do we know who the gardener really is?

                There are many explorations to the question: who the gardener was. Some people say that he was only an employee. Some others say that he was Michael’s father, who was working there only to live by the grave of Michael. He said ‘son’ rather than ‘nephew’ while leading her to the grave.

                But, I think that the gardener was Lord Christ himself. I think so only because the write says that there was infinite compassion / endless love in his eyes. No human being can have such an infinite compassion except the God. So, the gardener was Jesus Christ. If it’s so, we can also guess that the Lord had forgiven Helen for her crime.  

                                      source: www.hsebnote.com

In Bed

‘In Bed’, an essay by Joan Didion depicts her personal experiences with migraine headache, which she inherits from her parents. She presents something unusual about the disease in a more philosophical and meditative domain of thought.

Joan spends her day in bed there almost five times a month because of the migraine headache. She knows that she is going to be attacked by the headache when she feels some sort of irritation and flow of blood in the vessels of her brain. To avoid the attack she takes some medicines and starts to work. In her earlier days, she thought that she would get rid of the disease just by denying it. Sometimes she even tells lies saying that she did not have the attack frequently. But the truth was that sometimes the attack was quite violent and long lasting. However, she feels good that she does not have any other physical problems, such as brain tumor, eyestrain or high blood pressure. She also tries to do all her normal work in spite of it. During the attack her right temple (head) would suffer extreme pain and tears would roll down from her right eyes. She would also vomit. Generally the headache may also be caused by stress, allergy, and tiredness, an abrupt change in blood pressure, a flashing light or a fire drill.

It’s strange that no medicine works effectively in case of migraine, especially when the attack begins. Some people may have hallucination, blinding effect, stomach problem, tiredness and pain in all the senses along with headache. They are even unable to do their normal work. During the attack Didion can’t see and speak clearly. She looks as if she has drunk some wine. But the headache never takes anyone’s life. It is interesting to know what doctors believe about a migraine sufferer. They said that the individual is ambitious, inward, and intolerance of unbearable pain But Didion’s untidy hair and carelessness in housekeeping do not point out her migraine quality. However her great effort to write and rewrite a single paragraph for a week reveals some sort of perfection. Finally she accepts the diseases and lives with it. When she has it she simply concentrates on the pain. But after ten or twelve hours she gets some sort of refreshment and spiritual power. She opens the window and feels the air, eats gratefully and sleeps well. She feels as if she is blessed by God. Therefore she is happy.

On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness

Summary of the poem “On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness”:

                The main theme of this poem is that it’s useless to be proud of our earthly greatness and achievements. These things aren't permanent. The only permanent thing is ‘Time’. Everything else including our earthly greatness and achievements has to bow before time.

                This poem describes what happens to powerful people and animals after they die. It shows how greatness anything is, anyway it continues only for a short time. The poet has presented certain examples, which all prove the same thing. Mastodon tusks are turned to billiard balls, bears are turned into rugs, the sword of great king becomes rusted and the great rulers are turned into statues and busts (half or broken or ruined statue). In the final line, the poet indicates that his own greatness will also be short lived.