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.  

The Six Million Dollar Man

The Six Million Dollar Man

Harold J. Morowitz                                        

The essayist found:

                i) Human body made up of chemicals

                ii) Chemical’s quantity in our body

                iii) Price of 1 gm of each chemical
Conclusion of the essayist: He was not cheaper but he was six million trillion man. 

Theme of the essay: Man with emotions, feelings, sensation, love, etc. is the most

                                 expensive  man. Though human body can be talked in terms of

                                 money, human being is priceless.  

Summary of the essay “The Six Million Dollar Man”:

                On his birthday, the writer got a card from his daughter and son in law which stated that the price of human body is only 97 cents. The writer was not satisfied with this definition of human body. So, he himself started to investigate the thing by himself. He consulted a catalogue which contained the names of the different chemicals which make a human body. The prices of the chemicals were written in the catalogue according to per gram. Some chemicals were cheaper whereas some chemicals were really very costly. The writer started his computation. He took his weight and subtracted from 68 % of water portion. He found that his dry weight 24,436 gm and by a further computation, he came to know that he was worth of 6 million dollars.

                He became very glad at this discovery. He had been sad at the information of 97 cents only but by his discovery, he suddenly felt that he was really a rich man. But, again he gave the whole matter a second thought. He thought that the chemicals printed in the card were only crude chemicals. So, they did cost so little. Again, the next difficulty was the price of the refined chemicals. Certainly, human body is not made up of crude chemicals but by the refined chemicals. In that case, his price was certainly not only six million dollar but six billion.

                Again, he was not satisfied and started to think in a new direction. He thought that if at all he bought all the needed chemicals and put them in a bottle and also put the bottle in a fridge and if he shook the bottle he wasn’t going to get a human body from it. Some organism was needed to change the chemicals into bones, flesh, and the other organs of the body. No such method or organism is invented yet. Even if it was invented and even if we could make a human body with the help of chemicals and the machines, the product wouldn’t speak or feel or be angry or love anyone.

                To sum up, though science can make a human body (though it’s not possible yet), science is certainly not going to make a human being. In fact, there is the difference between human body and human being. Human body can be talked in the terms of money but human being is priceless. Indeed, human being is the infinite preciousness. This is the final definition given by the writer.