Question -Answers of 'Tolerance'

 1.     How does Forster draw a comparison between ‘love’ and ‘tolerance’ as a desirable state of mind? What arguments does he put forth?

                                             Or

             What is the theme of the essay ‘Tolerance’?

Ans. Love, according to E.M. Forster, is a great force in private life. It is the greatest of all things. But it does not work in public affairs. It has been tried again and again and it has always failed. He believes that it is absurd, unreal, and even dangerous to suggest that nations, business concerns marketing boards or people of whom one has never even heard may love one another. It is indulging in vague sentimentalism to expect Germans and the British, who had been fighting during the war, to love each other. But, in the post-war world, they have to live with each other. They must learn to tolerate each other because one cannot exterminate the other. Forster further says that one can only love what one knows personally. The world is full of people. And one cannot know much. Tolerance, in Forster’s opinion, is ideal in public affairs, and in the rebuilding of civilization. It is much less dramatic and emotional. It may be called very dull, even boring. It merely means putting up with people and being able to stand things. But this, says Forster, is the quality most needed after the war, for it will enable different races, classes, and interests to settle down together to the work of reconstruction.

2.      What are the two solutions to the problem of living with people one doesn’t like? Is there a third solution? If so, why doesn’t the author accept it?

One solution is to segregate people one doesn’t like and kill them. The other solution is to put up with such people as well as one can. The first is what the Nazis did and the second is the way of the democracies. Forster’s own preference is for the second solution. He sees no other foundation for the post-war world. Most people will say that men and nations must start to love one another. Forster, however, strongly disagrees with this solution simply because it is not possible. It has been tried again and again and it has always failed. One can only love what one knows. And one cannot love what one knows and does not like.

 

3.      What kind of negative virtues are desirable? What positive phrases does the author find disgusting? Why?

                                         Or  

What does Forster say about Tolerance?

Tolerance is a very dull, boring, and negative virtue according to Forster. Yet this is the quality most needed after the war. The post-war world needs negative virtues like not being huffy, touchy, irritable, and revengeful. Forster finds positive militant phrases like ‘I will purge this nation’, and ‘I will clean up this city,’ terrifying and disgusting. He explains that when there were fewer people in this world, these phrases might not have mattered. However, when one nation is mixed up with another when one city cannot be organically separated from its neighbours, they have become horrifying. Today, if such militant ideals are sought to be put into practice, there will be tremendous damage both in terms of life and material.

Question-Answers of 'Great Books Born Out of Great Minds'

 

1. What is the culture of excellence, according to Dr Kalam?

Ans. Dr Kalam begins his speech by talking about the culture of excellence. According to the author, excellence does not come by accident. It is a process, where individuals (or an organization or a nation) continuously strive to better themselves. They set the performance standards themselves, they work on their dreams with focus are prepared to take calculated risks, and do not get deterred by failures as they move towards the realization of their dreams.

2. What are Dr Kalam’s findings on his interactions with youngsters?

Ans: Dr Kalam says that he has so far met 16 million young men. Interacting with the youngsters is like living in a world of stories. They want to become astronauts, pilots, soldiers, doctors, sailors, and so on. They live in their own world of imagination and fantasies. After growing up they read novels, watch films and play. Dr Kalam felt that there is an author in the mind of every person.

3. According to Dr Kalam, what influence does a story have on our mind?

Ans: According to Dr Kalam, stories help us navigate life’s complex social problems, just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling ensures our survival. Imagination is a remarkable component of storytelling that teleports human beings mentally into an alternative world. Imagination gives us, in other words, the near-magical ability to experience what we did not actually experience. A story is an 'a thing that does' rather than ‘a thing that is’. It is a tool with measurable utility rather than an object for aesthetic admiration. Attention is the reward that listeners bestow on the storyteller. This makes storytelling a central component of leadership.

4. Discuss the negative aspects of storytelling.

Ans: According to the author, storytelling has a negative side also. It exposes human beings to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are not completely true. Everything depends on the story reader. Thoughts like right, wrong, sin, good, duty, responsibility, love, hate, all of these depend on who is reading the story.

5. What are Dr Kalam’s views on Goethe, Shakespeare and Valmiki?

Ans.: Dr. Kalam praised Goethe, Shakespeare, and Valmiki. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, mind evolved Faust, the great German epic. Shakespeare could see the past, the present, and the future through his great musical plays. Whereas, the great Indian epic master Valmiki evolved the story of the Ramayana, which stands for the past, the present, and the future. In the biographies of Goethe and Shakespeare, they claimed that their minds were actuated by the Life Force. They claim that every human being has intellectual energy, this Life Force. Valmiki stated that a divine force helped him evolve the Ramayana.

6. What message does Dr Kalam give at the end of his speech?

Ans.: At the end of his speech Dr Kalam gave the example of three great writers, namely, Goethe, Shakespeare, and Valmiki. All these writers had a powerful energy of creation in their minds. This divine energy and Life force is present in human beings. He advised the young authors to realize this energy assemble it, concentrate and use it for imagination, and create great works.

Short Summary of the play 'Streetcar Named Desire'

 

The play begins as Blanche, a teacher from Mississippi, arrives in New Orleans to stay with her sister even though both sisters are different from each other. The reason for her arrival is nervousness impacting her ability to work and the loss of her ancestral home in the Old South, Belle Reve.

The conflict begins to arise between Blanche and her sister’s husband, Stanley, as she is critical of the couple’s living quarters and of his Polish heritage. On the other hand, Stanley immediately dislikes Blanche as he fears she has cheated him out of the family inheritance. Further conflict begins during a drunken poker game in which Stanley hits his wife. It is implied that this violence occurs regularly, but it is not seriously addressed because of their animalistic sexual desires.

The next day Blanche tries to convince Stella to leave her husband, but her sister dismisses the idea. Stanley, however, overhears the conversation and is enraged. He begins to taunt Blanche about her past and she begins to look increasingly upset. Blanche is left alone during the day and meets a young paperboy whom she kisses, although she is waiting for a man named Mitch to take her on a date. During her outing with Mitch, Blanche behaves strangely and uneasily, unnerved by Stanley’s threats. She reveals to Mitch the tragedy of her first love.

Time passes and it is finally Blanche’s birthday. While Stella prepares dinner for everyone, Stanley reveals elements of Blanche’s past to her, such as her numerous sexual relationships and the reason she lost her job (an affair with a student). Stanley has also told Mitch about Blanche and, for this reason; he refuses to attend her birthday celebration. Stanley then gives Blanche a one-way ticket back to Laurel as a birthday present.

Stella is shocked over such a cruel gift and looks like she might consider leaving Stanley. However, Stella's labour pain begins and interrupts their argument. When they have left Blanche alone, she starts to drink heavily but is interrupted by Mitch, who wants to confront the allegations about her. Mitch then tries to assault Blanche as the statements about her sexual habits are confirmed, but she shouts 'fire' in hopes of attracting attention.

Stanley returns home from the hospital and finds a very drunk Blanche. The pair confront each other until Blanche tries to escape from his presence by smashing a bottle, but he carries her to the bedroom and rapes her.

More time passes; Stella and her neighbour wait for Blanche to leave the bathroom. They discuss how Stella cannot accept Blanche's revelation about what Stanley did to her that night. As Blanche enters the room she seems fragile as she talks about her delusions and fantasies. A doctor and a nurse arrive to try and take Blanche to an institution but she struggles and fights back until she is finally subdued. As Blanche leaves, Stella cries with her newborn child in her arms.

 

Dream Children : A Reverie (Question-Answers)

 

Ø  Why the essay is entitled “Dream Children”?

Ans: Charles Lamb entitled the essay “Dream Children” because he never married and naturally never became the father of any children. The children he speaks of in the essay were actually the creations of his imagination or fancy.

Ø  Who was Field? How does Lamb present her before his dream children?

Ans: Field, a pseudonym for the actual person, was Lamb’s grandmother. Lamb presents her as an ideal grandmother in an imaginary and inflated way before his “dream children”—she was an extremely pious, fearless, and compassionate person besides being the best dancer in the area in her youth.

Ø  Why the essay is entitled “A Reverie”?

Ans: The essay is subtitled as a ‘reverie’ because Lamb never married and so he never had children. In the essay, he created an imaginary picture of a happy conjugal life—a picture that finally dissolves into nothing as he comes back to reality.

Ø  How does Lamb present his brother John L—?

Ans: Lamb’s elder brother, John L—in his youth was a handsome, high-spirited, strong, and fearless person. He loved Lamb very much. But subsequently, in his old age, he became lame-footed and spent the rest of his life in utter hopelessness, irritation, and pain.

Ø  Whom does Lamb refer to as “faithful Bridget” by side?

Ans: Lamb had a sister, Mary Lamb, who did not marry since she had attacks of insanity. She has been referred to here as “faithful Bridget” because she never married and was Lamb’s only companion in his life. At the sudden breakdown of his reverie, he finds her seated by his side.

Ø  What, according to you, is the most striking feature of the essay and why?

Ans: The chief characteristic feature of the essay is the author’s mingling of pathos and humour. Lamb begins the essay in a somewhat deceptive fashion, describing the incidents, full of humour. But gradually he reduces the tone towards the end describing the tragedies of his personal life.          

Ø  How does Lamb present the autobiographical elements in the essay?

Ans: Dream Children is a personal essay. Lamb presents the characters and incidents from his own life—the sketches of his grandmother, Field, his brother—John Lamb, his sister—Mary Lamb, and his tragic love affairs with Ann Simmons. But Lamb is always playing with facts and fiction and transforms the real into the literary.

Ø  How does Lamb show his knowledge of child psychology?

Ans: It is surprising that without ever having children Lamb had an acute sense of how children react to the happenings in the world of the adults. By deceptively referring to the meticulous reactions of his dream children, he succeeds in catching the reader immediately. The aesthetic impact of the essay becomes more effective for this reason.

Ø  “But John L—(or James Elia) was gone forever”—Who was James Elia? Why does the author say this?

Ans: At the end of his daydreaming Lamb coming back to reality finds his sister (Bridget) Mary Lamb by his side, but he realizes and remembers that his brother James Elia or John Lamb had died and would no more be with them. So he laments his loss thus.

Ø  How does Lamb record Alice’s reactions to his story-telling?

Ans: While listening to Lamb’s personal tale, Alice reacts first by spreading her hands when Lamb says how good, religious, and graceful person Field had been. Alice reacts to it either in great astonishment or by putting up some pious gesture. She also cries out When Lamb talks about his elder brother’s pain and death.

Ø  How does Lamb record John’s reactions to his story-telling?

Ans: At the information of the great house being stripped of its ornaments John smiled, which suggested the foolishness of the work. He was trying to look brave and impress upon his father that he would not have been afraid of the ghosts like his father. At the end of the story, when Lamb was talking of his elder brother’s pain and death, John, like Alice, began to cry.

Hindu Way of Life: Critical Summary

 

            S. Radhakrishnan was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He was the first Vice President of India and the second President of India. He is one of India's best and most influential twentieth-century scholars of comparative religion and philosophy. He had always defended Hindu culture against uninformed Western criticism and had symbolized the pride of Indians in their own intellectual traditions. He believed that Hinduism is a scientific religion based on facts apprehended via intuition or religious experience. His philosophical approach is marked by a range of thought and depth of perception. He does not think of Hinduism in isolation but in the modern context. He emphasizes the relevance of the value of Hinduism in a world that is by conflict of ideas.

            His work “The Hindu View of Life” is a relic in the world of philosophy and it is based on the Upton Lectures delivered at Manchester College, Oxford. It is his analysis of the basic concepts underlying the Hindu attitude to life. It is divided into four chapters.

            The first chapter “Religious Experience, Its Nature and Concept “gives us a vivid account of the essential characteristics of Hinduism. Actually the term 'Hindu' was geographical and did not refer to a religion. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the historic local name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. It refers to the land of the aboriginal tribes and many other communities with different systems of worship and belief who live across the River Indus. By the end of the 12th century and early 13^th century, Hindustan emerged as a popular alternative name for India, meaning the "land of Hindus". As per Hinduism Religion is a felt inner experience of the entire personality. Religious experience is of a Self-certifying character. Religious faith is not a matter of blind acceptance religious experience is stated and confirmed in intellectual terms.

            Faith is a matter of spiritual conviction. Hinduism admits points of view other than its own. Devine relation is not the prerogative of any individual or community. It is available to all. This truth has been recognized in Hinduism. Hinduism does not characterize ideas about God as true or false. It recognizes the fact that mankind seeks god at different levels and in different directions. It is appreciative of human effort to seek God. Hinduism has graded different levels of worship. Hindu saints see God in the self and not in images. Temples and religious centers alone should not be counted to be the places of prayer and worship. They should become capable of providing spiritual direction to the Hindus.

            In the second chapter “Conflict of Religions: the Hindu Attitude” Radhakrishnan explains how every group within the Hindu fold is allowed to enjoy its freedom and preserve its individuality. It is not the group that we belong to that counts. What matters are we and our evolution. Hinduism calls upon everyone to think clearly and steadily about the ultimate purpose and mystery of life. It does not seek to interfere with the individual’s way of thinking .it makes allowances for errors of judgment and weakness of understanding. It does not lay down a single uniform method nor does it seek to establish a stereotyped system of belief and worship.

            A known fact of Hinduism is that it has no common creed and it has not prescribed a uniform system of worship. The early Aryans' worship consisted of the worship of forces of Nature. This gives a way to imagine worship. Hindu worship is primarily an individual act rather than a communal one, as it involves making personal offerings to the deity. Worshippers repeat the names of their favourite gods and goddesses and repeat mantras. Water, fruit, flowers, and incense are offered to god.

             The third chapter “Hindu Dharma” is a discussion of the two aspects of Hinduism, the philosophical and the practical. There are two sides to Hinduism, the philosophical and the practical. Some objections to the conceptions of Hindu epics are raised. Ethical system and relations are dismissed as irrelevant in view of the doctrine of Maya which repudiates the reality of the world. Radhakrishnan says that the Upanishads emphasize the relative reality of the phenomenal world. All things in the world are of value as they contribute to the realization of the self. Eswara (Lord Shiva) held the world as Maya. The real will qualify to be called real only when it is exempt from all change and is ever-enduring. The ultimate purpose of life is liberation from the cycles – birth –death – rebirth.

             Coming to the practical side of Hinduism, Radhakrishna says that Hinduism is merely a way of life rather than from a thought. Life according to Hinduism is regulated against a four-fold scale -Dharma, (righteousness), -Artha, (wealth)- Kaama (Desire)- and Moksha,(Spiritual Freedom). It will be seen that Artha and Kaamaare interposed between Dharma and Moksha, suggesting that the fulfillment of material needs is subject to Dharma and final goal of life is spiritual liberation.

            The fourth chapter Hindu Dharma-II focuses on the caste system in India. Though the caste system has been exploited and is a symbol of exclusiveness, it was originally designed to foster cooperation, tolerance, and trust. The institution of caste is man-made and has no divine sanction. It is meant to regulate social function. The caste system is based on the principle of division of function. Each caste has its social purpose, its code, and tradition. Each group enjoys freedom in matters of food, customs, marriage etc. The foster castes, –Bramhana, Kshathtiya Vaisya, and Sudhara were not meant to work at cross purposes. They were meant to form part of an organic whole. Thus the complementary character of the caste system was emphasized.

Rabbi Ben Ezra: Critical Appreciation

 

“Rabbi Ben Ezra” was first published in 1864. It has 192 lines and is the clearest expression of Browning’s optimistic philosophy of life. It is Browning’s clearest attempt to explain his philosophy or his outlook on life, this Universe, God, and man’s relation to all this. It is a dramatic monologue because only one man speaks. The speaker is Rabbi Ben Ezra or Abraham Ibn Ezra, a twelfth-century Jewish scholar who was an actual person. Whom he speaks to is not made clear. He just puts forth his idea of God, man, and the universe. He is the spokesman for Browning. Of course, Browning generally says that his poems are objective and do not express any of his opinions. But some views are repeated so often that we can take them as being Browning’s own views.

The poem is a glorification of old age and has been written from the standpoint of age-Old age is the best period of life and men should look forward to it. It brings wisdom, knowledge, dignity, and a certain resignation and acceptance of life. Youth is a period of doubt and rebellion. Living for mere pleasure is foolish. In youth, man thinks pleasure is everything and tries to drown himself in it. He does not realize that youth is a preparation for old age which is the best period of life.

The experience we gather in our youth changes to wisdom in old age because it is through mistakes that we learn. The knowledge that there is a God and man is but a part of God’s plan comes much later. Man should surrender himself to God and then he will realize that God has planned man as a whole—youth and old age, body and soul. Just as youth lays the foundation for age so also the body is no less important than the soul. The two go together. The poem is also a glorification of failure. He underlines the fact that it is aspiration and not achievement that counts. He may not have achieved much according to the standards of the world, but in reality, his hopes wishes, and goals and the effort he makes to achieve them are what is important to Browning. Failure should not discourage us; in fact, it is better than success because success makes us take things easy. We no longer work as hard because we have got what we want. But failure makes us work that much harder, so it is good.

Through the metaphor of the potter and the pitcher, Browning explains God’s plan for man. God is the potter who is shaping the clay (man) on the wheel of life. He is shaping man by giving him pain suffering and failure. All this is meant to strengthen his character so that he becomes a strong man. This is also his explanation for the imperfection we see around us. The world is imperfect because God has made it so to try man. Thus behind imperfect man and the imperfect world is the perfect God who has a plan. Man has only to submit to the plan to know his place in the scheme of things. Once the pitcher is shaped, it is ready for use by the Gods. The soul has been purified by suffering and now it is ready for its journey which comes after death.

Question-Answers of the Essay "Of Studies"

 

Question: What does Bacon mean by “Studies serve for delight” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Francis Bacon “delight” means to get joy or pleasure. So, studies serve to get joy or to get pleasure. Like, we study books to get pleasure and amusement.

Question: What does Bacon mean by “Studies serve for ornament” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon “ornament” means to beautify. So, studies serve to beautify the use of language either spoken or written. Studies improve our use of language.

Question: What does Bacon mean by “Studies serve for ability” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans" According to Bacon “ability” means here, the ability to work, to counsel, to judge, and to decide. So, studies serve to improve trade knowledge, counseling, judgment, and decision-making.

Question: What are the main benefits of study in the essay “Of Studies” by Francis Bacon?

Ans: According to The greatest essayist Francis Bacon the main benefits of study are delight, ornament, and ability.

Question: What is the chief use of studies for delight according to Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: The chief use of “studies for delight” is to study in leisure time, in loneliness or solitude. It will give you pleasure and reduce the boredom.

Question: What is the chief use of studies for ornament according to Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: The chief use of “studies for ornament” is in discourse. By studying we know new words and we learn where we use which words and which do not. It’s meant that studies beautify our speech.

Question: What is the chief use of studies for ability according to Francis Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: The chief use of “studies for ability” is in the judgment and business disposition. It means studies improve our ability to judge the problem and decision making. It is also helpful to understand the business nature.

Question: What is Bacon’s view about spending too much time on studies?

Ans: Bacon wrote in his essay “Of Studies” that spending too much time in studies is laziness. It means that only study could not be fruitful without experience.

Question: What is Bacon’s view about “too much use of studies for ornament” in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: In the essay “Of Studies” according to Bacon the too much use of studies for ornament is affectation. It means that too much use of studies for ornament makes your discourse artificial or unnatural.

Question: What is Bacon’s view about making judgments wholly by their rules in his essay “Of Studies“?

Ans: In the essay “Of Studies” Bacon tells us that to make judgments wholly by their rules (rules that are learned from the studies) is the humor of the scholar. It means that the judgments made without practical knowledge or experience are foolish.

Question: What does Bacon say about the natural abilities of a man in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: Bacon says that the natural abilities of a man are like the plants that need pruning (trimming) and the natural abilities of a man also need trimming by the studies. He says that the study only gives lots of directions, but experience also supplements the natural abilities.

Question: What is the attitude of a crafty man about studies, according to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies” the crafty man denounces (criticizes, condemns) studies because the cunning and sneaky person used tricks and crooked ways to accomplish the job.

Question: What is the attitude of a simple man about studies, according to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies” the simple man admires (regard, respect) the studies.

Question: What is the attitude of a wise man about studies, according to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon in his essay “Of Studies” the wise man used the knowledge had gotten from his studies.

   Question: What does Bacon mean by “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested” in the essay “Of Studies”?

Ans: According to Bacon some books are tasted meaning not studied completely but in parts. Others to be swallowed means that books are read completely, but without curiosity, and some few to be chewed and digested means that books are studied with full interest and deeply to get maximum knowledge not only thematic but at the minute level also.

 

 

Train to Pakistan as a partition novel

 

           Train to Pakistan is a magnificent novel in which Khushwant Singh describes the tragic tale of the partition of India and Pakistan and the events will be remembered as one of the blackest chapters of human history. He has designed the novel to explore the brutal and hypocritical image of man. The novel is set in the fictional village Mano Majra, a small village in which Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs have loved each other as brothers and lived together in peace.

            The novel is divided into four sections─ the first is “Dacoity”, the second is “Kalyug”, the third is “Mano Majra” and the fourth is “Karma”. Khushwant Singh clearly builds the turbulent days of partition in these four sections. In the first section, the murder of Ram Lal by a gang of dacoits from a neighbouring village sets the main theme of the tragedy to the event. Dacoity has caused mutilation and has made some innocent persons victims of the action. Police arrest Juggut Singh and Iqbal suspecting them for the murder. Thus, the sleepy village awakens to life and slowly joins the tragic storm outside. The sudden activity in the village brings history in motion and the peace of the village slowly disappears.

            The second section, “Kalyug” describes that the novel has a cosmic vision. All the dead bodies carried by train from Pakistan to be cremated at Mano Majra advocates a sign that the old world has died. The incident of mass cremation completely destroys the peace of the Mano Majrans. Everybody in the village takes the train as a prognostication of evil times. Even Meet Singh said to Imam Baksh, “This is kalyug, the dark age”.

            The third section, “Mano Majra” is revolved around a changed Mano Majra. With the arrival of a ghost train stuffed with corpses, Mano Majra loses its ideal isolation and gets involved in the national demolition. The head constable divides the villagers into two groups ─ Sikh and Muslim. The Sikh refugees shared their cruelty meted out to the Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan. The chaos prevails in Mano Majra. Despite that, villagers still pledge to protect their Muslim brethren. The Lambarder assures Imam Baksh, “This is your village as much as ours” Imam Baksh is overwhelmed by the expression of affection when he says, “What have to do with Pakistan? We were born here. So were our ancestors. We have lived amongst you as brothers”. But the fire of hatred blew its extreme. All are afraid of the angry and aggrieved refugees from Pakistan. The irony of fate is revealed when forces beyond the control of the Mano Majra take over and the warmth of the relationship between Sikhs and Muslims for generations is blown out. The state of mental agony and conflict between Hindus and Muslims is thus unveiled. The houses of Muslims are robbed.

            The fourth section is, “Karma” which describes the novel as a metaphysical dimension. In this section, the story reaches its devastating dramatic end with Juggut Singh sacrificing his life to save the lives of other Muslims as well as his girlfriend Nooran. The novel closes with an ironic reversal of the order of things in which the dacoit Mali becomes a custodian of Muslim property and Juggut Singh sacrifices his life. In this section ‘Karma’ takes hold of the man, but a man under his own free will fights against his fate and tries to retrieve his last soul.

            At the time of independence, India was partitioned with a great disturbance in the whole continent. Independence brought in its wake one of the bloodiest carnages in the history of India. During this period, the people of the Mano Majra village passed from a state of happiness and stability to that of bitterness and disturbance.

            Train to Pakistan describes the troubled relationship between the Muslims and the Sikhs. The situation of the country intensified miserable in the wake of the partition. The effect of this was that twelve million people had to flee leaving their homes; over a hundred thousand women, young and old, were abducted, raped, and assassinated. Thus, thousands fled from both sides of the border seeking security and refugee. The sinister and venomous impact of partition and the indignation provoked by Singh have been realistically expressed in a devastating irony in Train To Pakistan.

 

Title of the novel: The Sun also Rises

 

           “The Sun Also Rises” is a novel about a lost generation. Lost generation is the term used for those who participated in the First World War and were wounded physically or spiritually. These wounded people began to take little interest in realistic activities of life and engaged themselves in evil things like too much drinking, dancing, and having free sex. This generation has two groups. One of them was settled and the other was a group of expatriates who wanted to learn how to live in this world. But as their attitude toward life was unmanly so they were unable to learn how to live in this world. This added to their frustration and to this group Hemingway is concerned.

            This group of expatriates comprises Jakes Barnes, Lady Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, and Mike Campbell. Robert is physically wounded while others are spiritually wounded. Jake Barnes has lost his manhood by receiving a genital wound and other lost their values. Brett Ashley has lost her moral values for she has been and still is indulging in making free sex. She has had affairs with Robert Cohn, and Jake Barnes and still yearns to make more and thus in the end has an affair with Pedro Romero. Mike Campbell is shown or told bankrupt which indicates that he has lost economic value. Robert is also a victim of these evils. First, he helps his mistress Frances and then spends with Brett Ashley who on one hand is trying to get a divorce from her husband Mr. Ashley and on the other hand is engaged to Mr. Mike. Jake in the end pimping with Brett reveals that he has lost social values as well. This generation which is lost and has lost its value is compared with the setting sun.

            On the other hand, Pedro Romero, the young bullfighter extends to content the group of expatriates. He is 19 years old and represents the young generation. He is called “Messiah” and is said to have come to save bullfighting from decadence. The bull is the symbol of evil and the the corral is the symbol of life. Pedro’s fight, in corral, with a bull is in fact man’s struggle or fight against evil in life. Hence we can clearly observe that the group of expatriates is the victim of evil for they indulge in dancing, drinking, The term and sex but Pedro Romero’s fight against bull reveals that he is fighting against evil. Term “Messiah” has especially been used for Romero which means saviour. The sentence that he has come to save bullfighting means that he has come to teach the people not to be victims of evil but that they should master up courage to fight against evil. His young age and his fighting spirit indicate that he is the rising sun. Hence the sun that has set is rising again and this is the title “The Sun Also Rises”.

Birches: Summary and Analysis

           The poem ‘Birches’ is reminiscent of the poems of The Romantics. Nostalgic, dreamy, escapist- it has all the qualities of any other romantic poem. The poem opens by giving possible explanations for the bending of the birch trees. Then the poet goes on to explain the beauty of the crystallized snows and ice-capped trees. The poet imagines a boy bending the branches while returning after herding his cows. The poet again mentions another boy bending the branches of trees in his father’s orchard. And this reminds the poet of his similar childhood experiences. The poet would like to go away from the earthly desires and then return to them after getting refreshed by swinging.

            He wants that no fate should misunderstand him and grant him only half of his desire so that he may be permitted to leave the earth but not to return to it. Earth is the right place to make love, and nowhere else love be fulfilled. He would like to go by climbing a birch tree, and would like to climb black branches up to the snow-white trunk toward heaven, until his burden becomes unbearable to the tree. Again he would come back from top to bottom and this would be a source of good joy for him both going and coming back. One could do worse if one did not like to be a swinger of birches.  He expresses his desire to go away from this world of responsibilities and return to his childhood once again so that he can start his life afresh from the beginning. He wants the fates to grant him a half wish as he doesn’t want to go away permanently from this world but to come back again because, after some considerations, he reconciles to the idea that earth is the best place for love.

            The theme or the central idea of birches is the interrelationship between reality & imagination. The poet knows very well that the bending of birches can only be brought about by an ice storm. Yet, he prefers to think that it is done by some energetic prankster. The poem illustrates the poet’s ability to take what seems to be mundane activities of life & turn it into something that holds a deeper meaning. The poem revolves around a boy living in the countryside “whose only play was what he found himself,” in this case, riding birch branches. On a deeper & figurative level, we also find the theme of life & death underlying in the poem. The poet writes a lot of meditations on life & death bringing forth some elements of spirituality. Moreover, Birches is a poem about Truth.

            Truth is at times cold and uninviting. A pinch of fantasy makes the truth appealing. In this poem, we find the tendency of human escapism. The poet cannot avoid returning to the “truth” and responsibilities of the ground. He wishes for a temporary escape either as an imaginative writer or a climber of birches. He is ready to face reality after his brief suspension of it.