MOTHER’S DAY

[Link] drama a good medium for conveying a social message? Discuss.

Yes, drama is certainly a good medium for conveying a social message. Direct moralising is
often resented and usually ignored. Drama is a presentation of a slice of life through characters
placed in various situations. The attention of the spectators centres round their actions and
reactions. Most of them feel fully involved with the protagonists. The working out of the theme
generally leaves a message—sometimes obvious and explicit but in most of the cases, indirect
and implicit. The social message of these plays seems to come out of the interactions of the
characters and their traits of character. The victory of evil over good is usually portrayed
indirectly. These days we find many plays centred around themes creating social awareness such
as evils of drinking and smoking; dangers of pollution, child labour, the decreasing female ratio
and need to empower women.

[Link] do you think is the theme of the play? How has it been worked out?

The theme of the play is the status of women in their own household. The housewife serves the
members of her family with complete devotion, sincerity and love. However, she is never given
the regard, attention or thanks due to her. Her leniency and eagerness to please everyone reduces
her to the rank of an unpaid domestic servant in her own house. Instead of being politely
requested for a favour, she is ordered to do it. She gets no thanks in return.
The theme is worked out by portrayal of the Pearson family. Mrs Pearson is the harassed mother.
Her daughter Doris, son Cyril and husband George take her services for granted and have
become thoughtless and selfish. The interchange of personalities and the harsh treatment meted
out to them by the personality of Mrs Fitzgerald (in the body of Mrs Pearson) reforms them and
they obey the mother willingly.

[Link] impression do you form of Mrs Annie Pearson?

Mrs Pearson is the main character in the play ‘Mother’s Day’. She is a pleasant but
worried-looking woman in her forties. She speaks in a light, flurried sort of tone, with a touch of
suburban cockney. She loves her husband and children very much and runs after them all the
time. Her excessive love and care have spoilt them and they have become thoughtless and
selfish. She feels neglected and lonely but lacks courage to discuss things with them. Perhaps she
hates any unpleasantness as well. She is not willing to act as a tough mom as she is nervous and
fluttering by nature. She is so tender-hearted that she is shocked to see the rough treatment meted
out to her children. She decides to change back to her original personality to deal with her family
herself. She is indeed a loving and affectionate mother and a devoted wife.
[Link] a note on the title of the play ‘Mother’s Day’.

The title of the play is quite appropriate. It sums up the theme of the play. It suggests that the
action of the play revolves around a mother. The playwright confronts us at the outset with the
problems the mother faces from her grown up children and their father. The novel technique
employed to tackle the spoilt children and the grown up man is quite amusing and thought
provoking. The bold and dominating mother acts tough with the children and makes them realise
the need of proper attention towards their mother. They are made to learn lesson in courtesy.
They also learn to have a polite behaviour not only towards the mother but also towards the
visiting neighbour. The mother certainly has her day as the children learn to treat her properly.
The supper being prepared by the children, their stay at home and the family game of rummy is a
rare gift that the mother receives on this important day.

[Link] does the behavior of Mrs. Pearson change towards each family member - Doris, Cyril and
George?

Mr. Pearson's behaviour towards Doris-In front of Doris, Mrs. Pearson smokes and tells her to
make tea for herself. She tells Doris to eat outside, iron her yellow dress herself, condemns and
criticizes her boyfriend Charlie Spence.

Mrs. Pearson's behaviour towards Cyril-When Cyril comes from outside and demands tea, he is
not provided tea. She announces that she has joined a movement and won't keep working. She
asks Cyril to take out his things himself. She doesn't want to do any mending for him. She
announces that she wouldn't work on weekends.

Mrs. Pearson's behaviour towards George-Mrs. Pearson denies him tea. She asks him to prepare
it on his own. She says that she find him too funny and pokes fun at him by telling him that the
club members rightly call him pompy-ompy.

This way Mrs. Pearson's behaviour undergoes a drastic change with one and all.

6. How does Mrs Pearson deal with her husband in her new personality?

In her altogether new personality, Mrs. Pearson pokes fun at her husband. She tells George that
his friends at the club laugh at him. He has never been a perfect husband, as he leaves his wife
alone at home to do household chores. She checks George when he speaks disrespectfully to
Mrs. Fitzgerald. Mrs. Pearson warns her husband not to misbehave with Mrs. Fitzgerald and says
that she would slap him in front of Mrs. Fitzgerald. On seeing such an unexpected bold
behaviour, George gets completely shocked and baffled. On seeing his own daughter, Doris
weeping, George couldn't help her. He feels too helpless and nervous to speak up. George stares
at his wife in bewilderment. He finally gives up and moves out of the room.

7. What is the difference between Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald? How do they complement
each other?

Mrs Pearson is a timid and diffident woman. She continuously slogs for providing comfort to her
son, daughter and husband. She is always given orders by her family. She is a highly devoted and
dedicated mother as well as wife but gets no thanks or gratitude in return.

On the other hand, Mrs Fitzgerald is assertive and flushed with confidence. She is enjoying her
life without compromising her self-respect and individuality. She advises Mrs. Pearson to assert
herself and stop working like a slave for her family.

Both of them have dissimilar qualities but still, they complement each other. Mrs Fitzgerald
gives Mrs Pearson the courage and will to assert herself.

CHILDHOOD

[Link] did the speaker learn about the existence of Heaven and Hell ?

As the speaker grew to be mature, he acquired reasoning power. He realized that Hell and
Heaven could not be found in Geography books or Atlas. Since they could not be located
anywhere in the world map, he concluded that they did not exist. He would believe only what he
could see and find.

[Link] did the speaker realise the hypocrisy of the adults?

The speaker noticed a wide gulf between what adults appeared to be and what they actually were
in real life. There was an apparent contradiction between their words and deeds. They talked of
love and advised others to love, but they never acted lovingly.

3.‘Childhood is an essential state in the process of growing up, but it can’t go on forever.”
Discuss.

Childhood is an important stage in the process of growing up for every person. The human infant
is totally dependent on others, but during childhood he gains physical, emotional and mental
strength. As the tiny baby grows bigger in size, other faculties also develop. This stage is an
important landmark in man’s growth, but it can’t go on forever.

Childhood being a stage, must give way to another stage. It is followed by adolescence or early
youth. Now all the faculties are fully developed. The person acquires reasoning power. His
rationalism helps him to decide truth or falsehood, fact and fiction. He acquires a fine capability
of analysis and discrimination. Now he can see through people and things. He begins to
understand the hypocrisy of adults. He gains confidence and becomes an independent thinker.

[Link] is the poet trying to discover in the poem 'Childhood'? What significant occasions has he
mentioned?

In the poem 'Childhood', the poet has highlighted the time period when the stage of childhood
ends. The realization about Heaven and Hell, about the hypocrisy of adults and of his own
independent thinking are the occasions that indicate intellectual growth and the development of
his rational and critical faculties. When does childhood end the time period when the stage of
childhood ends.

Literary Devices:

1. Personification: It is the attribution of human characteristics to non-human things and

animals. In this poem, childhood is personified. “It went to some forgotten place“.
2. Alliteration: It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of closely connected
words. e.g. “Hell and Heaven”, “Was that the day!”, “Was it when I found my mind was
really mine”, “whichever way”.
3. Antithesis: This poetic device pairs opposite or contrasting ideas adjacent to each other.
e.g. “Hell and Heaven”.
4. Enjambment: It is the continuation of a sentence to multiple lines. e.g. “Was it the time I
realised that adults were not All they seemed to be, They talked of love and preached of
love, But did not act so lovingly, Was that the day!“.
5. Repetition: It is the repetition of a word or phrase in the poem for poetic effect. e.g. the
phrases “When did my childhood go?”, “Was that the day!” have been repeated several
times.

THE ADVENTURE

Briefly explain the following statements from the text.

1. "You neither travelled to the past nor the future. You were in the present experiencing a
different world."

The story is based on the theory that catastrophic situations offer radically different alternatives.

Prof. Gaitonde experienced a different world where he spent two days. In that world a
catastrophic event, the Third Battle of Panipat, had a different outcome.

2. "You have passed through a fantastic experience: or more correctly, a catastrophic

experience."

Prof. Gaitonde had experienced living in a different world which had a different history. The
bifurcation took place in the Battle of Panipat, which had a different outcome. In this world
Marathas had won the Battle and Vishwas Rao had remained alive to lead India. Consequently,
the British presence in India was confined to Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

3. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing
around him.

The country which Prof. Gaitonde knew had endured British rule for two centuries, whereas in
the other world they had a very minor presence. The Marathas had supremacy all over India. The
Mughals were confined to Delhi. The Peshwas had taken steps to ensure scientific and
technological advance in the twentieth century.

4. "The lack of determinism in quantum theory !"

The behaviour of very small systems like atoms and their constituents, cannot be predicted
definitively even if all the physical laws governing those systems are known. For example, if an
electron is shot, it cannot be said with certainty where it will go. This is the lack of determinism
in quantum theory.

5. "You need some interaction to cause a transition."

Rajendra was not quite clear about how the transition from this world to another was made by
Prof. Gaitonde. He explained the occurrence thus. At the time of the collision with a truck Prof.
Gaitonde was thinking about the Catastrophe Theory and its role in wars. He was also thinking
about the Battle of Panipat. Perhaps the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger. Thi interaction
brought about the transition.
Answer the following questions:

1. 'Gangadharpant had not been to this Bombay before.' Show how this Bombay is different from
the one he knew.

Bombay had completely changed for Gangadharpant. The Bombay he now visited had the trains
that now paned through the suburban rail traffic. The blue carriages had the marking of G.B.M.R
with the Union Jack printed on them. The station looked remarkably neat and clean. The staff
included mainly Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with a few British officers. There was an
imposing building of the East India Company. Walking about Hornby Road, Gangadharpant
could find a different set of shops and office buildings.

The British rule was prevalent only in Bombay. All the other parts of the nation were not under
the rule of The British.

2. Gangadharpant was able to find the precise moment 'where history had taken a different turn
for India'. What was this moment? How did it affect India and the Indian people?

The precise moment where history had taken a different turn for India was the moment when
Gangadharpant learnt that Marathas had won the Third Battle of Panipat. Their victory in the
battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas but it also established their supremacy
in northern India. It was also clear that Vishwasrao was not killed in the battle. To its dismay, the
East India Company met its match in the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao. He and his brother,
Madhavrao, combined political acumen and expanded their influence all over India. The East
India Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like
its European rivals, the Portugese and the French.

3. How did Rajendra Deshpande explain Gangadhar Pant's experience? Write in detail.

Prof. Rajendra explained Prof. Gaitonde's theory on the basis of catastrophe theory and the lack
of determinism in the quantum theory. He applied catastrophe theory to the Battle of Panipat.
Both the armies were well-equipped, so, a lot depended on the leadership and the morale of the
troops. He said that the point at which Vishwasrao was killed proved to be the turning point.
Whether he was killed in the battle or survived was not known that time. But, the troops were in
constant stress of losing their crucial leaders. They lost their morale and fighting spirit. Now,
when the bullet missed Vishwasrao, the battle took the other way, and the troops felt encouraged.
It boosted their morale and they applied a lot of efforts to lion the battle.
This happened due to the lack of determinism in quantum theory which means that you cannot
predict the behavior of anything, even the outcome may be vasthy different.

Prof. Gaitonde was able to experience a different reality because he made a transition to the other
India where the Marathas had won the Battle of Panipat. The transition occurred because at the
moment of the collision, Prof. Gaitonde was thinking of the catastrophe Theory and the Battle of
Panipat.

4. Gangadharpant could not help comparing the country he knew with what he was witnessing
around him. Explain briefly.

Mumbai, that Gangadharpant was familiar of was completely different when the train stopped
beyond the long tunnel, at a small station called Sarhad, Gangadharpant was stunned to see an
Anglo-Indian in uniform checking permits. He got to know that this was the place from where
the British rule hegan. For Gandadharpant, this was the new Mumbai. When the train paned
through the Suburban rail traffic, he noticed blue carriages with the marking, GBMR and the tiny
Union Jack painted on each carriage. The station looked so spick and span. The staff included
Anglo-Indians and Parsees along with some British officers. He also noticed the building to be
East India Company along with some different shops and office buildings. Bombay was now
completely under the influence of British rule.

Change tense as directed.

1. I will talk to him. (Change into simple past)

I talked to him.

2. She works as a receptionist. (Change into past continuous)

She was working as a receptionist.

3. I will help you. (Change into simple past)

I helped you.

4. They spend hours talking. (Change into simple future)

They will spend hours talking.

5. I have been running for hours. (Change into past perfect tense)

I had run for hours.

6. She didn't offer me any help. (Change into simple present)

She doesn't offer me any help.

7. She takes good care of her health. (Change into simple past)

She took good care of her health.

8. I can run six miles in an hour. (Change into simple past)

I ran six miles in an hour.

9. She works hard to support her family. (Change into present perfect.)

She has worked hard to support her family.

10. He has done a lot for me. (Change into simple past)

He did a lot for me.

11. I waited for an hour. (Change into present perfect)

I have waited for an hour.

12. She lives alone. (Change into present perfect continuous tense)

She has been living alone.