Treasure Trove Workbook Answers

After Blenhiem

Analysis : ‘After Blenheim’ by Robert Southey is an anti-war poem that centres

around one of the major battles of eighteenth century – the Battle of Blenheim.
Written in 1796 in the form of a ballad, it offers deep insights on war and its
consequences. The 1704 War of Spanish Succession, in which a coalition of forces
including the English, defeated the Franco-Bavarian army on the land of Blenheim,
a small village in Southern Germany, supplies its ingredients.

Extract I

And the old man shook his head……..great victory.

 
i)    Who was the old man? Who else were with him? Where were they?
Kasper was the old man. His grandchildren Peterkin and Wilhelmine were
with him. They were sitting in the sun before their cottage door.
 
ii)  Why did the old man shake his head and had a natural sigh? Who found
the skull?
Kasper shook his head with a sigh to reflect his disappointment at the war
that took place years ago only to devour innocent lives.
 
iii)  Where was the skull found? Why does the speaker say that the skull
was some ‘poor’ fellow?
The skull was found beside the small stream where Peterkin was playing.
The skull belonged to one of the many innocent people who lost their lives
in the tragic war. The poor fellow became a victim of the war.
 
iv)   How common were the skulls there? At which place many of them
could be found?
The skulls were a common  sight there. Many of them could be found in the
garden or in the field that Kasper used to plough.
 
v)    What victory is referred to in the extract? Who was responsible for the
victory?
 
The victory of England in the war of the Spanish Succession (1702-1715) is
referred to here.Duke of Marlborough and Savoy’s Prince Eugene were
responsible for this victory.
 
 
Extract II
Now you tell us what ‘twas…….what they fought each other for
 
1.    Which topic is being discussed in the extract? Who were Peterkin and
Wilhelmine? Whom was Peterkin questioning?
The cause of the war in which many innocent people  were killed is being
discussed here. Peterkin and Wilhelmine were innocent grandchildren of
old Kasper. Peterkin was questioning his grandfather, Kasper.
 
2.    In the context of the poem, what special significance do the adjectives
young and little have?
The adjectives ‘young’ and ‘little’ are important to highlight the innocence
and purity of Peterkin and Wilhelmine. It is through their innocence that the
poet , has condemned the war.
 
3.    What is meant by ‘wonder-waiting eyes’? Which figure of speech is
used here? Why did Wilhelmine look up with such eyes?
‘wonder-waiting eyes’ is used for Wilhelmine, who was expecting to know
the casue of the war from her  grandfather. The figure of speech used here
is alliteration.
She looked up with such eyes because she could not  comprehend the
cause of the war. It filled her with wonder. She anticipated to get a
favourable answer from Kasper.
 
4.    Who fought the battle? Was Peterkin given a satisfactory reply? What
does the reply show about a common man’s attitude towards war?
The battle was fought between the English and the French forces. Peterkin
was not given a satisfactory reply. Kasper did not know the cause of the
war but still referred to the victory as great. It shows that a common man’s
ignorance and complacency about the cause and purpose of war.
 
5.    Give a brief character sketch of Kaspar.
Kasper was a farmer. He was loving grandfather as he spent time with his
grandchildren and tried to answer their queries. Kasper was an old man,
who was disappointed with the outcome of the war. However, he was
complacent about the cause of war and had accepted  the loss of innocent
lives as the inevitable price of victory in the war.
 
 
Extract III
With fire and sword the country……at every famous country.
 
1.    Which country is referred to in the extract? What is meant by ‘was
wasted far and wide’?
The country referred to is Blenheim, which is the English name for the
German village of Blenheim, situated on the left bank of the Danube River
in Bavaria in Southern Germany. It refers to the death and destruction
caused by the war.
 
2.    What did the speaker say about the effects of the battle on his own
family?
The speaker tells that during the war his father lived by a stream at
Blenheim. As a  result of the war, his father’s house was burnt which
forced  him to flee with his wife and child, Kasper. They were thus rendered
homeless.
 
3.    What is meant by ‘a childing mother’? Why do you think the poet
specifically points out that ‘many a childing mother….newborn baby died’?
‘Childing mother’ is a phrase used for a mother expecting a baby. The poet
specifically refers to the deaths of childing mothers and newborn babies to
underline not only the horrors of war but also the irony of a famous victory.
 
4.    What do the last two lines in the extract tell you about the attitude of
the speaker towards the events that he is narrating? What are your feelings
for the speaker?
The speaker has been conditioned by the perpetrators of war in such a way
that he readily accepted the loss of innocent lives as the price for victory in
the war. I pity for the speaker as he sighed at the sight of a poor fellow’s
skull but his conditioning was such that he justified war.
 
5.    By referring to the incidents in the poem, state how After Blenheim can
be said to be an anti-war poem?
After Blenheim has a scathing criticism of the horrors of war. It shows that
international diplomacy, politics and war are matters which are cut off from
the lives of common men. In an outburst of praise for the heroes who won
the war Old Kasper reveals the typical inability of an ordinary citizen to
grasp the reason why the war took place.
 
 
Extract IV
They say it was a shocking…..a famous victory.
 
1.    To whom does ‘they’ in the extract refer?
They refers to those who must have reported  the entire battle scene and
its after effects to Kasper.
 
2.    Why do you think the sight was shocking even when the battle was
won?
The sight was shocking because the war was won at the price of thousands
of lives. The sight of many thousand bodies lying rotting in the sun was
gruesome.
 
3.    What is the tone of the last two lines of the extract? What, according to
you, the poet want to convey in these lines?
The tone is ironical and sarcastic. The poet wants to question the utility of
waging a war, which causes destruction of both human lives and property.
 
4.    What was the occupation of the speaker of these lines? How do you
know about his occupation?
Old Kasper appears to be a farmer by profession. He lived in a cottage in a
countryside, where there was a stream nearby and he mentioned that he
used to find many skulls while ploughing the field. This indicates his
profession.
 
5.    State clearly how the poet creates an atmosphere of devastation
caused by war in the poem.
The devastation caused by war is reflected through the following:
The presence of skulls all over the field,
Kasper’s family rendered homeless when Kasper’s father’s dwelling was
burnt,
The deaths of expecting mothers and newborn babies,
The gruesome sight of dead bodies lying on the battle field and rotting.
 
 
Extract V
Great praise the Duke….famous victory
1.    Who was Duke of Marlbro? Why did he win great praise?
Duke of Marlbro was an English General. He was the Commander of
British forces in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was praised
because he defeated the French forces.
 
2.    Who was Prince Eugene? Why does the poet refer to  him as   ‘our
good Prince Eugene?
Prince Eugene was an Austrian General, born in France. He is referred to
as ‘our good Prince Eugene’ because with Marlborough, he defeated the
French at Blenheim.
 
3.    What ‘thing’ according to Wilhelmine was wicked? Do you agree with
her comment? Give reason to support your answer.
 
Wilhelmine did not approve the praise that Duke and Prince Eugene
received because she considered their act of killing innocent people in the
name of victory was wicked.
Yes, her comment is appropriate as it is the common man who has to
suffer where the politicians and the rulers escape and idly boast of wars.
 
4.    State briefly the moral of the poem, After Blenheim.
The poem disapproves of any war as it brings with itself death, devastation,
loss and grief. The poet conveys that great victories are rendered useless
when everything  else is lost.
 
5.    What according to you is the relevance of the poem in contemporary
times? Give reasons to support your answer.
The poem is relevant as it has a universal appeal. The poem is timeless
and can be read irrespective of the time it was written. It is the common
man and innocent children who suffer in a war. Modern politicians dismiss
the deaths of innocent people in war by referring to them with the
impersonal phrase: collateral damage.
 
 TELEVISION
Extract 1

1. What is the most important thing that poet has learned as far as
childeren are concerned?

 The most important thing that the poet has learned as far as children are
concerned is that children should never be allowed to watch television as
it fills their minds with junk and kills their imagination. The better
solution to this problem would be not to intall the television set in thier
homes at all.

2. What is reffered to as idiotic thing in the above extact? Why do you

think the poet advises not to intall it?

Television is referred as ‘idiotic’ thing. The poet advices not to intall it

because kills the imagination , clogs and freezes the brain.

3. Describe what poet sees at every house with television. Why is he

upset with what he has seen?

In almost  every house with television, children are staring at the

television  screen without doing any productive work.It upsets him
because he cosiders television as a monster that kills children’s
imgination.

4.  Explain the figure of speech used in the lines:

“Last week in someone's place we saw

A dozen eyeballs on the floor.”

 The figure of speech used here is Hyperbole, which uses exaggeration 

for emphasis  or effect. To put emphasis on the hypnotic effect of
television, the poet says that previous week at someone’s palce he had
seen half a dozen eyeballs rolling about on the floor.
5. What purpose do the repetitions serve in the extract?

Repetitions are are used to emphasise that children should never be

allowed to watch television as they just sit and stare at it without doing
anything productive.

a). Give two types of repetition:              

·      Is neverNEVER NEVER, Let

          Them near your television set-

They sit and stare and stare and sit

b)  What type of rhyme scheme is followed in the extract?

The rhyme scheme followed throughout the poem is aa bb cc dd

Extract 2

1. The poet says “ it keeps them still” what keeps the children still?
How?

The television set keeps the children still / occupied / quite / hypnotised
as they watch all the junk that it telecasts.

 2. How does the television proves to be useful and convenient for the
parents?

Television proves to be useful for the parents because it keeps their

children still and occupied.The children then do not indulge in any kind
of fights. It allows the parents to do their house hold chores peacefully.
 3. According to the poet, what ill effects does Television have on
children?

         It produces dullness in their mind.

         It kills their imagination and thinking ability.

         It hypnotises them and fills them with junk.

4. How does the television kill the imgination of children? Name and
explain the figure of speech used.

The ability to think of new ideas dimnishes when child passively

engages in watching television.Watching too much television destroys
children’s abilty to understand the world of fantacy.Their thinking
power rusts and freezes.

Personification is the figure of speech used here.It is used to express a

thing or idea as a person.

Dahl(poet) uses personifiaction in the line:

It kills their imagination dead!

He givies television the ability to kill and gives imagination ability to die
at its hand.

5.   Do you think Dahl is critical of television? Give reasons for your
answer.

Yes, Dahl seems to be critical of television because he seems to

highlight only the negative effects of television on children,such as : It
rots their senses, kills teir imagination, clogs their mind, makes them
dull, and incapable of understanding the world of fantasy. It feezes thier
thinking power.

Extract 3
1. Whose and what question is the poet answering in the above extract?
What does he say in his answer?

The poet here answers the parents’ query that if they take the television
set away, what type of entertainment they would give to make their
children occupied.

 The poet replies by asking  parents to recall how the children kept
themselves entertained by reading books before television was invented.

2. What monster is the poet referring to in the above extract?

The poet refers to the television as a monster that kills children’s

imagination. Before television was invented,children would actively
engage themselves only in reading. Books could be found everywhere –
on the nursery shelves,on nursery floor,in the bedroom or by the
children’s bed.

3.THEY ....USED ...TO... READ! One half of their lives was reading
books!

The following lines use repetition to create a smooth flow and to put
emphasis on th fact that children used to read only books before
monstrous television was invented.Moreover, the emphasis on the word
READ implying importance of reading books.

4. This is done to catch the readers attention and emphasise that instead
of watching television ,children should engage themselves in reading as
they used to do before television was invented.The use of captail letters
is equivalent to shouting.

5.Once childen start reading, they get so involved in reading that there
would be books everywhere. The last four lines describe such a
secnario.The nursery shelves would be filled with books.Books would
be scattered on the floor and by the children’s bed.

Extract IV
1.     Synecdoche. It is a figure of speech in which a part is put for the
whole or the whole for a part. In the poem, the expample is: The
younger ones had Beatrix  Potter.

 Here  the name of the author Beatrix Potter is used to represent the
whole gamut of her works such as ‘The tale of Squirrel Nutkin’, ‘The
Tale of Mr Tod’, and ‘The Tale of Piling Bland.’

Example of rhyming scheme is: Potter, Rotter

2. The poet remembers the time when the children used to only read
books. They used to read books filled with tales of treasure islands,
voyages, smugglers, pirates, ships, elephants and cannibals. It was a time
when young children travelled to an all new adventurous world of
animals with Mr Tod, Squirrel Nutkin, and Piglin Bland.

3.The refernece is important because it transports the readers to a time

before the television was invented when children used to read.

4.The poet suggests that TV sets should be thrown out and should be
replaced with bookshelves.

His suggestion does not seem to be practical as television is also a

medium of education. Children can be guided to watch educational
programmes and newscasts.

5. TV sets should not be thrown out of the houses. Dahl mentions only
the negative aspects of television. Television has educational  benefits as
it is an audio-visual medium and can help children learn by watching.
However, there is a need to maitain a balance between watching
television and other activities.

Extract V

1.   He gave this advice in continuation of his suggestion of throwing TV

sets away. According to the poet replacing TV sets with bookshelves
would be best as far as children are concerned.
2.   Children will give dirty looks to their  parents when their TV sets
would be replaced with bookshelves filled with books. Children would
then scream and yell and fight  with their parents.

3.   The parents are advised to ‘fear not’ because their children’s
tantrums would be temporary; what would be permanent is their love for
books which would soon follow.

4.   Yes. Watching television for hours, makes the children dull and
passive. It kills their imagination; on the other hand, reading books will
help them to  travel to new and exciting  worlds of ‘dragons, gypsies,
queens and whales.” Dahl remembers his days, when television was not
invented and children would spend their time reading; a time when
nursery floor and the side of their beds were filled only with books;  a
time when young children travelled to an all adventrous  world of
animals with Tod, Squirrel Nutkin and Pigling Bland.

5.   To develop a habit of reading books is an important advice that the

poet gives. Reading transfers one to a beautiful world of imagination and
fantasy. Reading fills  one’s heart with true joy and happiness.

Extract VI

1.   It refers to children’s act of starting to read books once television is

uninstalled from their houses. The poet feels very excited about it as he
employs an easy, delightful and cheering tone while talking about books.
His excitement is reflected  through: “Oh boy, Oh boy!”

2.   Yes. Watching television for hours, makes the children dull and
passive. It kills their imagination; on the other hand, reading books will
help them to  travel to new and exciting  worlds of ‘dragon, gypsies,
queens and whales.”

3.   He has a strong dislike for television and he describes it as

nauseating, foul, unclean, monstrous and idiotic. However, he firmly
believes that reading is a powerful tool for learning and considers books
as lovely, wondrous, fine, fantastic

4.   Yes. Watching television for hours, makes the children dull and
passive. It kills their imagination; on the other hand, reading books will
help them to  travel to new and exciting  worlds of ‘dragons, gypsies,
queens and whales.” Dahl remembers his days, when television was not
invented and children would spend their time reading; a time when
nursery floor and the side of their beds were filled only with books;  a
time when young children travelled to an all adventrous  world of
animals with Tod, Squirrel Nutkin and Pigling Bland.

5.   The television is a silly invention of modern science that does not
have any positive effect. It is ‘nauseating’ and disgusting to watch. It is
‘foul’, morally bad and offensive. It telecasts only ‘junk’. The television
screen thus is repulsive.
 
 A HORSE AND TWO GOATS
Extract I

1.    What is meant by microscopic dot? What is said about Kritam in the

extract?

Something very small.

Kritam was probably the tiniest of the seven hundred villages in India as it was a
microscopic dot on the survey map.

2.    The Answer of this question is out of Syllabus so mark it as wrong question.

3.    Give a brief description of the village Kritam. (Change in question).

It is ‘probably the tiniest’ of India’s seven hundred villages. It is a village that

consists of ‘fewer than thirty houses, only one of them built from brick and
cement.’ There are four streets in the village, with a shop for foodstuff and other
items in the third street.

4.    Give the meaning of Kritam in Tamil. Where did Muni live in the village?

Kritam in Tamil meant ‘ coronet’ or ‘crown’ on the brow of the Indian

subcontinent. Muni lived in the last house in the fourth street in the village, beyond
which stretched the fields.

5.    How did the Big House differ from other houses?

The Big House, unlike other houses was built with brick  and cement. It was
painted yellow and blue all over with carvings of gods. The other houses were of
bamboo thatch, straw, mud and other  unspecified  materials.
 

Extract II

1.    How did Muni care for his sheep and goats? Why did he carry a cook at the
end of a bamboo pole?

He would take his sheep  and goats everyday to the highway to graze around.He
carried  a crook at the end of a bamboo pole to collect foliage from the avenue
trees to  feed his flock.

2.    In his prosperous days how many sheep and goats did Muni have? What
happened to most of them later?

In his prosperous days Muni had owned  a flock of forty sheep and goats.
Gradually, Muni’s  fortunes declined and his flock of forty was reduced to only
two goats.

3.    What did Muni’s wife give him for breakfast and midday meal? What does it
show about his economic condition?

Muni’s wife would give him salted millet flour in boiled water  for breakfast. For
midday meal, she would give him the same raw onion. This shows their poverty as
they could not afford  anything else.

4.    Why did Muni tether his two goats to the trunks of the drumstick tree? What
claim does he have over the tree?

This was done so that his two goats could graze only within a set radius and not
wander off and get lost. Although no one could say precisely who owned the tree,
the only claim Muni had was that he lived in its  shadow.

5.    Compare and contrast Muni’s prosperous days with his present living
conditions.
He once lived a prosperous life and reared a flock of forty, but now he was left wit
two goats. Muni wanted to enjoy life, but now he had lost his riches, he had no
option but to remember  his past with regret. He remembered the time when he
smoked  cigarette, chewed betel leaves and bhang in a hut in the coconut grove
with the famous butcher from the town. Even today, he craved to chew the
drumstick out of sauce but failed to obtain the food items prepare it, on credit from
the shopkeeper.

Extract III

1.    What was Muni craving for? Why?

He was tired of eating drumstick leaves alone. He wanted to relish them with sauce
for a change.

2.    Why did his wife agree to supply him with what he was craving for? Under
what condition would she oblige him?

His wife agreed thinking that  next year, Muni might  not be alive  to ask for
anything. She asked him to bring  a few food items  including  a measure of rice or
millet.

3.    How did Muni attract the attention of the shopkeeper and win over his
goodwill?

To attract the attention of the shopkeeper, Muni kept  clearing his throat, coughing
and sneezing. Muni responded  appropriately  at the shop man’s jokes. This helped
him win the shop man over.

4.    Change the question. How could Mini get some raw food items from the shop?
Muni would go and sit outside the shop. He would make polite sounds by
cleaning  his throat, coughing  and sneezing until he caught the attention of the
shop man. He would humour the shop man by appropriately responding to his
jokes and then request the food items he needed.

5.    The Answer of his question is out of Syllabus so mark it as wrong question.

Extract IV

Muni felt impelled to rise and flee…….. whom do you expect to rob by then?

1.    Change the question. Explain what has happened earlier because of which the
shopkeeper is reluctant to give on credit.

Muni had been in the habit of coming to the shop, humouring the shop man and
requesting for one or two items of food with the promise of repaying later. This
time the shop man was not in good mood so he lost his temper at Muni for daring
to ask for credit.

2.    Finally, from where did Muni say that he would get money?

Muni said that his daughter  would be sending him money soon for his fiftieth
birthday.

3.    According to Muni, how old was he? How did he calculate his age?

According to Muni, he was fifty year old. He calculated his age from the time of
great famine.

4.    What did the shop man say about Muni’s age? How could he guess that?

According to the shop man, Muni was seventy years old. Muni might  be referring
to himself as fifty years old since past few years.
 

5.    What did Muni say just before he left the shop?

Muni had told the shop man that his daughter had sent word that she would be
sending  him money  for his fiftieth birthday.

Extract V

1.    Who is referred to as scoundrel? Why was Muni annoyed with the scoundrel?

The shop man is referred to as scoundrel. Muni was annoyed because the shop man
mocked at his habit of mentioning  his birthday time and again to procure things on
credit.

2.    Why doesn’t Muni argue against what she says? How can you conclude that
he trusts her as far as his welfare is concerned?

Muni did not argue because he knew that if he obeyed his wife she would
somehow conjure up some food for him in the evening. Muni trusted her as far as
his welfare was concerned. He knew by taking  up occasional  jobs in the big
house, she would earn some money to keep dinner  ready for him in the evening.

3.    How would Muni’s wife get money to buy foodstuff?

She would go out and work-grind corn in the Big House, sweep or
scrub  somewhere, to earn  enough money  to buy foodstuff.

4.    When Muni was passing through the village what was his and onlookers
attitude to each other? Why?

When Muni was passing through the village, he avoided looking at anyone. He
even ignored the call of his friends.

 
5.    Change the question. What was Mini thinking as he led his goats to the
highway?

Muni was worried about his wife as he was seventy years old and might die soon.
He also was pondering about the absence of progeny.

Extract VI

1.    Describe the statue of the horse.

The statue was life-sized made of burnt  brightly coloured clay. It stood with its
head held high and its forelegs in the air.

2.    How did the statue of the warrior look? How did the image makers depict him
as a man of strength.

The warrior beside the statue is depicted as a man of strength through his
description as a warrior with ‘scythe-like mustachios, bulging eyes, and aquiline
nose.”

3.    Why didn’t Muni, the villagers or the vandals notice the splendour of the
statue of the horse?

Nobody from the  village noticed its existence. Even Muni, who spent all his days
at the foot of the statue, never bothered to look up.

4.    Why didn’t Muni go back home early?

Muni didn’t go back home early because he wanted to give his wife time to cool
off her temper  and feel sympathetic enough to  arrange some food for him.

 
5.    Briefly give the difference between Muni and the visiting American.

Muni was an old man residing in the Kritam village. He once lived a prosperous
life and reared a flock of forty, but now he was left  with two goats. Muni wanted
to enjoy life, but now he had lost his riches, he had no option but to remember his
past with regret. He was a man who lived more in the past, than in the present.

The red faced man represents a typically wealthy American. He is polite and
courteous as he offered Muni a cigarette and though he did not understand Muni,
he listened to him attentively. He was a typical American tourist who wished to
take back home the statue as a souvenir.

Extract VII

1.    Describe the arrival of the red-faced foreigner.

The red faced foreigner entered the story in a strange yellow vehicle. He stopped it,
got down and went around it, poked under the vehicle because his car ran out of
gas.

2.    What did the foreigner say looking at the clay horse?

He looked up at the clay horse and cried, “ Marvellous.”

3.    State the feelings of Muni after meeting the foreigner. Why did he have such
feelings?

As soon as Muni met the foreigner his first impulse was to run away but his age
did not allow him. He assumed  the foreigner to be a policeman or a soldier
enquiring about the rumoured  murder.

4.    Looking at the clothes of the foreigner what did  Muni think? How did the
foreigner put him at ease?
 The foreigner was wearing khaki clothes. it made Muni think that he was  a
policeman or a soldier. To put Muni at ease, the other man pressed his palms
together, smiled, and said, “ Namaste!”

5.    Having exhausted his English vocabulary, what did Muni say in Tamil?

Muni said that his name  was Muni  and the goats belonged to him. The village
was full of slanderers who would claim what was not theirs.

Extract VIII

1.    Who was the foreigner? What was his background?

The foreigner was a tourist in India. He was a rich American businessman who
dealt in coffee.

2.    What is referred to as the courtesies of the seasons? Why did Muni answer
‘Yes, no”?

The foreigner’s polite behaviour on meeting Muni for the first time. As a courtesy
he offered Muni a cigarette. Muni, being a Tamil speaking man could not
understand the foreigner, and used the only English words he knew, i.e., “yes,no.”

3.    Change the question .State earlier experience of Muni of smoking a cigarette.

When the foreigner  flicked the light open and offered a light to Muni what were the
latter’s feelings?

Muni remembered the cigarette the shop man had given him on credit. He recalled
how good it had tasted.  When the foreigner flicked the light open Muni
was  confused about how to act so he blew on the light and put it out.

4.    What were the consequences of smoking an American cigarette on Muni?

Muni started coughing. It pained him yet he felt it was extremely pleasant.

5.    Describe Muni’s fears and anxieties when he was given the card by the visitor.

Muni feared that the business card was an arrest warrant and he moved back.

Extract IX

1.    What did Muni speak in a fearful tone in the extract?

A mutilated dead body had been found thrown under a tamarind tree at the border
between Kritam and Kuppam a few weeks ago. Mini feared that the khaki-clad
foreigner was a policeman enquiring  about the murder. The man spoke to Muni
and offered him a cigarette. Muni realised he could not run and spoke in a fearful
tone to talk his way out of trouble.

2.    The foreigner said, “ I am sure you know when this horse was made. “ When
was the horse made?

The horse was made long before  Muni was born i.e., it was made sometime when
Muni’s grandfather’s grandfather was a young boy.

3.    Explain why Muni spoke of a murder with the foreigner.

Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a
policeman who was investigating  the case of a ’mutilated  body thrown under a
tamarind tree a few weeks before.”

4.    State how the title of the story, ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is relevant.

It is an apt title. Though the hero of the story is Muni who drives the story forward,
the major part of the story is a dialogue between the American and Muni
concerning  the house statue. From the beginning of the story it is observed that
Muni is left with two goats. It is only when the goats are being taken to graze near
the highway, that Muni’s chance encounter with the American takes place. Muni
who is sitting on the pedestal of the statue is assumed to be its owner by the
American. Muni, on the other hand does not understand what the foreigner says.
When the American gives Muni a hundred rupee note as the price for the statue,
Muni gets confused. He assumes it to be the price of his two goats.

5.    How is the clash of cultures brought about in the story?

On one hand, Muni is the representative of typical Indian native; who is poor, rural
and uneducated.  He doesn’t know English and is striving to make a living. On the
other hand, we have the Amercan who knows no Tamil but  expects Mini to
understand English. He is wealthy, urban and educated and is only  interested in a
business deal with Muni.

Extract X

1.    What has the foreigner just said about Tamil and Muni’s sales talk?

The foreigner said that Tamil to him ‘sounds wonderful’ and he got a kick out of
every word Muni uttered. The foreigner assumed  Muni to be engaging  in sales
talk and told him that he already appreciated  the article  and was ready for a better
sales talk.

2.    What is Pongal? What does Muni do on Pongal in his village?

Pongal is a four-day havest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu. Duging Pongal

Muni and father would  cut the harvest. Muni would then go out  and play with
others at the tank.

3.    State what Muni hints at the caste and class distinction between the rich and
the poor in Kritam.
Muni had no formal education. He grew up as a member of a lower caste when
only  the Brahmins, the highest caste, could attend school. he has not travelled
beyond his village and he likes to  watch trucks and buses go by on highway a few
miles away so that he can have ‘a sense of belonging to a larger world.’

He has some knowledge of the two major religious texts the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata, which he has  learned by acting in plays and by listening to
preachers at the temple.

4. Wrong question. What is the Parangi language referred in the extract? Who are
the people who know the language?

English. Learned people and officers in Muni’s country know Parangi language.
But children in the foreigner’s country know it.

4.    State briefly the position of women in villages as seen in the story, A Horse
and Two Goats?

Child marriage was prevalent as in the case of Muni and his wife. Women were
honoured as seen as nurturers but they needed a man to support them. Muni knew
his wife would garner the raw materials and prepare his drumstick gravy. He was
worried what would happen to her after his death.

Extract IX

1.    Which dead body is referred to in the extract? Why was Muni afraid of the
dead body earlier?

Muni mistook the foreigner’s khaki dress and thought the foreigner was a
policeman who was investigating  the case of a ’mutilated  body thrown under a
tamarind tree a few weeks before.”

 
2.    What is Kali Yuga? What is said to happen in Kali Yuga?

Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages the world goes through as part of the cycle
of the ages.

At the end of kali yuga, this world and all other worlds will be destroyed, and the
Redeemer will come in the shape of a horse called kalki and save all good
people  while evil ones will perish.

3.    Wrong question. How does the language barrier in the conversation between
the American and Muni provide humour?

Their different languages do not let them understand each other. They converse,
though in reality, they are both speaking on entirely unrelated subjects. The
foreigner is concerned about the price of the statue, Muni when through gestures
realises that he is being asked  for the statue, rumbles on about its religious value,
and how it has stood for generations. The foreigner, owing to the language barrier,
assumes Muni as a salesman and offers him a hundred rupee note in exchange for
the statue. Since Muni could not understand English, he assumes that the money
offered is the exchange price for his goats.

4.    Describe the living room in America of the foreigner as stated by him.

The living room of the foreigner has a large bookcase filled with volumes of
books. There are books piled up too.

5.    How would the horse be accommodated in the foreigner’s house?

The foreigner assures Muni that he would keep the statue with utmost care in his
living room in his house in the USA.

Extract XII

 
1.    Who speaks these words? In what context does he speak them?

The foreigner. Muni was reflecting on the end of the world and asked the foreigner
if he had any idea when Kali Yuga would end.

2.    What does Muni say about the coffee hotel in the locality? Why does he say
about the coffee hotel?

Muni had heard from passers-by that there were ‘kapi-hotels’ opened at the Friday
Markets in the next town along the highway.  Muni only recognized the word
‘coffee’ in the foreigner’s conversation. He thought that the foreigner wanted to
drink coffee.

3.    What has Muni said about the end of the world?

At the end of the world the Redeemer would come on the horse statue which would
grow bigger and be called Kalki. There would be floods in which Kalki would
carry good people to safety and the evil would perish.

4.    Explain what kind of businessman was the foreigner.

The foreigner claimed that he was a modest businessman dealing in coffee.

However, he bragged about having the best home. He was a shrewd businessman-
he realised he had bragged too much about his house. He took out a hundred rupee
note and started bargaining over the price of the statue.

5.    How does the foreigner plan to  transport the horse to America?

The foreigner planned to cancel his air ticket and travel by ship with the horse in
his cabin.

Extract XIII
 

1.    Muni asked  the red man, “ How many children do you have? The red man
replied, “ I said a hundred. “ What was each one talking about? Explain the
humour in this conversation.

Muni was asking the red man about his children, if any. The red man did not
understand Muni. He assumed that Muni was the owner of the statue, so he offered
him hundred rupees for it.

The humour here arises out of each ones inability to  understand the other. They
seemed to be conversing, but in reality, they are talking about entirely unrelated
subjects.

2.    Give two examples to show that Muni was curious about the red man.

Muni asks how many children does the man have.

He even asks how many of them are boys and how many girls.

3.    Looking at the hundred rupees note, how did Muni react? What did he think
was the purpose of giving him that money?

Muni peered closely at the hundred rupees note. He was amazed as he had never
seen it before. Muni thought that the red man wanted  him to exchange the note for
change. Muni laughed at this idea.

4.    How did Muni describe the village headman?

The village headman was a moneylender who disguised himself in rags just to
mislead the public. According to Muni, in reality, the headman had so much
money that he could even have changed a lakh of rupees in gold sovereigns.

 
5.    Why did the red man show some interest in Muni’s goats? Briefly describe the
intentions of Muni for rearing  the goats. Why couldn’t  his plan be carried out?

The foreigner showed interest in Muni’s  goats merely out of courtesy. Muni had
reared the goats in the hope of selling them some day and, with the profit,
opening  a small shop on that very spot.

Extract XIV

1.    What food did Muni normally take? Explain  why he is expecting miracle food
at his occasion.

Muni would eat salted millet cooked into a little ball along with a raw onion.  He
was expecting a miracle food because  he craved to chew  drumsticks out of sauce
the same morning. He knew that if he obeyed his wife she would somehow conjure
food for him by evening.

2.    How did Muni’s wife react when she saw the cash?

Muni’s wife was furious on seeing the hundred rupees note and accused Muni of
stealing it.

3.    As soon as Muni completed his speech what did Muni’s wife conclude from
the scene?

Muni and his wife heard bleating outside. On opening the door, she saw the two
goats and thus concluded Muni has stolen the money.

4.    How can you conclude that Muni was annoyed by seeing the goats?

Muni’s annoyance was revealed when he questioned the goats, “Where is that
man? Don’t you know you are his? Why did you come back?

 
5.    How does the story end? What has appealed to you in the story?

The story ends with a misunderstanding between Muni and his wife. The latter
accuses him of stealing since the goats follow Mini back home. R K Narayan is
known for using ironic humour in his stories. It is in no way insulting but is
enjoyable. It lets the readers laugh at the characters and their situation gently.
There are various situations in the story which creates comic effect.

Muni craves to ‘chew the drumstick out of sauce’,  to which his wife replies, “ You
have only four teeth in your jaw, but your craving is for big things.”

When the shopkeeper doesn’t pay any attention to Muni sitting below the platform
of the shop, Muni keeps coughing  and sneezing to attract his attention.

In a humorous way, Muni’s poverty is commented upon when shopkeeper says to

Muni, “ You also forget that you mentioned a birthday five weeks ago when you
wanted Castor oil for your holy bath.
 A FACE IN DARK
Extract I
1. Mr Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher, who was teaching in a school
which was located on the out-skirts of the hill station of Shimla. He would
usually walk down to the Shimla Bazar and would return after dark by
taking a shortcut through the pine forest.
 
2.    The all-boys school in Shimla, in which Mr Oliver was a teacher has
been called ‘Eaton of the East. Eton college is one of the most reputable 
and expensive English boarding school for boys in Eton, Berkshire, near
Windsor(UK). Mr Olvier’s school was called ‘Eton of the East’ because the
school had been run on English public school lines and the boys, were
mostly from wealthy Indian families.
 
3.    That night strong wind was blowing through the pine forest which
created sad, eerie sounds. Supernatural atmosphere is created by the
elements like eerie sounds of the pine trees, batteries of the torch running
down, flickering light, silent sobbing, and lantern swinging in the middle of
the path. All these things prepare us for some mysterious or uncanny
happenings. running down, creating an atmosphere of fear and suspense.
 
4.   While walking back to school one night, he saw a boy sitting alone on a
rock whose head was hung down and whose face was held in his own
hands.
After seeing the boy, Oliver stopped near the boy and asked him what he
was doing there and why he was crying.
 
 
Extract II
 
1.    Mr. Oliver was walking through the pine forest late in night wehen he
happened to spot a boy sitting on a rock.He noticed that the boy was crying
with his head hung down and his face held in his hands.
2.    A miscreant is a person who has done some mischief. Boys were  not
supposed to be out after dark. Thus the boy sitting alone on the rock in the
night forced the author to call him a miscreant.
3.   Mr Oliver asked himth boy that what he was doing there and why he
was crying. The boy did not respond to Mr. Oliver’s call and continued to
sob. Oliver again enquired what was troubling him and asked him to look
up.
4.    The boy’s strange , soundless weeping that Oliver heard could be
explained on the basis  that Oliver was lonely man caught in psychological
fears who was imagining frightening and scary things. Thus all Oliver
encountered was ‘soundless weeping’ and ‘faceless’ faces.
 
5.  When the boy finally looked up at Oliver, it was  revealed that the boy
had no face. It was without eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round 
head with  a school cap on it.
 
Extract III
1. Oliver’s ‘trembling hand’ is referred to here.  It was trembling, as Oliver
was horrified to see that the boy’s  face was  featureless, without eyes,
ears, nose or mouth.
2.    The ‘faceless’ boy terrified Oliver so much so that he immediately
turned and in panic  ran blindly through the forest  to call for help.
3.    Oliver told the watchman that he had  encountered  something 
horrible  that night-a  ‘faceless’ boy weeping in the forest.
4.   Yes , I agree that the story ends with a thrilling  climax. Oliver ran away
from the faceless boy and called for help. He saw a lantern swinging in the
middle of the path. What followed  next was a thrilling  climax as Oliver
while running  stumbled up to a watchman only to find  that he too was
faceless, with no features or even eyebrows. The climax is reached when
the wind blew out the lamp, leaving the readers to imagine what might have
happened to Oliver.
 
5.  The title A Face in the Dark is suitable as it describes a strange
experience of Mr Oliver, the protagonist of the story. Oliver, on his way
back at night, meets a boy in an isolated place sitting on a rock. A close
look at the boy horrifies him as he has no face-no eyes, ears, nose or
mouth. As he runs horrified by the strange experience, he meets the
watchman who is also without a face. Thus, the boy and the watchman,
who appeared to be having a face in the dark, did not have a face when
seen in light. 
 OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE
PASSAGE-1

(i) Pontoon bridge are the floating bridge. Many people are crossing bridge to
protect themselves from the attack of enemy troops.

(ii) Old man is sitting on the side of the road  on the bridge. Unlike others he
doesn't move because he was tired as he had already walked
twelve kimometersvsince he had lft his hometown.

(iii) Unnamed narrator who is the army scout is the speaker in above lines. He is
there because it is his mission to cross the bridge and find out how far the
enemy had advanced.

(iv) The narrator asked the old man where he came from. The old man replied, “
San Carlos”, and he smiled because the mention of his native town gave him
pleasure.

(v)  The old man was the last one to leave his town because he was taking care
of his animals. The old man wore dusty clothes and steel rimmed spectacles. His
face was grey and dusty.

PASSAGE-2

 
(i) The Old man is refferd to 'He'. He is in a weary condition as he has already
walked twelve kilometers and too tired  to move further. Further more his
clothes are dusty and his face has turned grey.

(ii) The old man had two goats, a cat and four pairs of pigeon. Those animals
were his family; he loved them and cared for them so much that separating
from them made him feel that he had lost his reason for existence.

(iii) He had left the animals behind in his native town of San Carlos. The heavy
firing from the enemy forced him to do so.

(iv) He had already traveled twelve kilometers, so he was too tired to go any

further. He was weak, the old man had no family and he had left his animals
behind, he felt helpless as he couldn’t save his animals; he surrendered himself
to his fate.

(v)The Spanish civil war forms the background to the story and Hemingway
depicts that how in times of war man acts inhumanly to his own race. War
causes and death and destruction, and this is highlighted through the condition
of the old man whorepresents the civilians who are victims of war. The old man
gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals, but the war takes away
everything from him. He sits alone by the side of the road; he is as helpless as
his goats; he cannot escape and is too old and tired to save himself.

PASSAGE-3

(i) Like other innocent citizens , what matters to the old man is his home and
animals whom he loved as his family rather than politics. He mentions his age
along with the fact that he had already walked twelve kilometers to reflect the
extent of his weariness.

  (ii) The old man wore steel rimmed spectacles, his clothes were black and
dusty and his face had turned grey from dust. He was taking care of his animals
at San Carlos.

(iii) The place referred to is a war zone at a pontoon bridge across the Ebro river.
The place is 12 kilometers from San Carlos in Spain. 

  (iv) The narrator (army scout) advised the old man to cross the bridge and
catch a truck towards Barcelona.Old man replied that he did not  know anyone
at Barcelona. However, he thanked the narrator for his suggestion and
continued to express his concern for the fate of the animals he had left behind

  (v) The Spanish civil war forms the background to the story and Hemingway
depicts that how in times of war man acts inhumanly to his own race. War
causes and death and destruction, and this is highlighted through the condition
of the old man who can be seen as the symbol of civilian victims of war. The old
man gives meaning to his life by taking care of his animals, but the war takes
away everything from him. He sits alone by the side of the road; he is as
helpless as his goats; he cannot escape and is too old and tired to save himself.
Forced to flee his town the old man sits  near the Ebro river; he surrenders to his
fate and waits for his impending death.   { Add points according to your view } 

PASSAGE-4

 
(i) The man was forced to flee from his native town, leaving behind his only
family i.e. his animals. He was concerned for them but did not know what to do.
It made him blank. Moreover, he was 76 years old man who had
alreadytraveled twelve kilometers so he was tired .The manner in which the old
man engaged in a conversation with the narrator and told him about his village
and animals shows that he needed someone to talk to

(ii) The old man was worried of his animals. He was worried what his animals
will do in his absense.He was feeling guilty because according to him he was
unable to fulfill his duty.

(iii) The author beautifuly brings out the two levels of conflicts between the
inner self and and outter self of the Old man. The old man was forced to leave
his animals in order to save himself. Man against man is the other conflit in the
story.In the time of war man kills his own race for his own benefit.

(iv) Yes , I agree that old man give up on his live. He was not concerned for his
safety. He sat by the side of the road at a pontoon bridge in the war zone.
Despite repeated insistence from the narrator to save his life and to catch a
truck to Barcelona, the old man paid no heed. He was preoccupied only with the
fate of his animals he had left behind in San Carlos.

(v)  The Narrator tries to engage in a conversation and inquires if he had left the
dove cage unlocked. He tries to reassure him that the animals would be fine. At
regular intervals, he reminds him to cross the bridge. The narrator becomes a
friend in need for the old man but he is not able to relieve him of his worries.
The  old man surrenders to his fate and till the end he only thinks of his animals.
The narrator thus realizes that  nothing can be done  about him and moves on
leaving him at the bridge.

 
PASSAGE-5

(i) The old man had lost all hope and he is also feeling guilty because according
to him he was unable to fullfill his duty towards his animals. He was wondering
what his animals were doing in his absense. Thus war din not only cause
physcial but also psyclogical destruction.

(ii) The Narrator tries to engage in a conversation and inquires if he had left the
dove cage unlocked. He tries to reassure him that the animals would be fine. At
regular intervals, he reminds him to cross the bridge. The narrator becomes a
friend in need for the old man but he is not able to relieve him of his worries.
The  old man surrenders to his fate and till the end he only thinks of his animals.
The narrator thus realizes that  nothing can be done  about him and moves on
leaving him at the bridge.

(iii) The old man loved his animals so much that separating from them made
him feel that he had lost his reason for existence. The old man, likde his goats,
cats and pigeons and had no one to take care of him and thus he surrendered to
his fate. The narrator lends a kind ear to the old man and urges the man to get
up and cross the bridge; the man tries but fails. The soldier feels sorry for him.
Thus the story ends with the old man’s concern for his animals and the soldier’s 
concern for the old man.

(iv) All the luck that he would have is that the cats could protect themselves and
as the day was overcast, the Fascists would not  launch their planes to attack
the local people.

(v) The action of the story is set on Easter Sunday, the day when Jesus Christ
rose from the dead on the third day after he was crucified. Thus, Easter is
symbolically viewed as a welcome time of rebirth, renewal and possible change.
However, for the old man at the bridge, this day meant inevitable death and the
destruction of that was meaningful to him.The image of resurrected Christ is like
the image of the old man’s doves being released from their cage, both being
symbols of hope and peace. The soldier , however, is not hopeful about the old
man’s fate-he bitterly remarks that ‘all the good luck that old man would ever
have’ was the fact that the artillery planes of the enemy could not fly that  day.
 CHIEF SEATLE
Passage - 1

(i) These words are spoken by Chief Seattle. Meaning of the above line is that
the nature has been sympathetic towards the Red Indian for many years.

(ii) The speaker wants to tell that the future of the Red Indians is dark
because the whites are over-powering them.

(iii) President George Washington , who was the president of America is the
'Great Chief at Washington'. He had sent the greeting of friendship and
goodwill to the Red Indians. 

(iv) Chief Seattle's words are like the stars that never change. The Great Chief
at Washington can rely upon his words with as much certainty as he can upon
the return of the sun or the seasons.

(v) Chef Seattle says that it is kind of the Great Chief of Washington (George
Washington) to send the greeting to him. According to him the whites have
very little need of Red Indians and they are also more powerful than them.

Passage - 2

(i) The whites are more in numbers as compared to the Red Indians. Chief
Seattle compares the whites to grass of vast praries and the Red Indians with
scattering trees of a storm-swept plain.
(ii) The White Chief informs that they must get ready for land settlement
treaty between the US government and Native American tribe. According to
the treaty, the Native Americans should surrender their land to the Whites
and move farther from their ancestors’ land.

(iii) Chief Seattle says that there was a time when his peoples covered the land
as waves of a wind ruffled sea covers its shell-paved floor. 

(iv) The White Chief sent words that he wishes to buy the land of Red Indians
but he will also provide enogh land for them to live in comfort. Seattle says
that the proposition seems  to be just, kind and generous s the Red man no
longer has rights. The offer appears to be wise since the Native Americans are
less in number and don’t require a vast territory.

 
(v) The young Red Indians turned violent and indulged in revengeful acts
when the white men pushed the westward. According to Chief Seattle there is
no use in taking revenge on the White men because they are large in number
as well as more powerful. In times of war, they not only  lose their own lives,
but also the family that wants them at home also bears the loss.

Passage - 3

(i) George Washington has been refered to the 'father in Washington'.Since

King George has moved his boundaries further north, he has become the
father the Native Americans.

(ii) Youth is

Youth is impulsive because they grow angry at real or imaginery wrong and they
often become cruel and relentless. They become hostile and lose their lives in
violent acts.Seattle discourages such kind of behaviour from the youth and it
indicates his love for peace and friendly relationship. He is against war and he does
not glorify war but condemns it.
 

(iii) If the Native Americans (Red Indians) sell their land to whites then whites
will protect them from foreign enimies like Haidas and Tsimshians.

(iv) They are two tribes who constantly at the Suquamish tribe. Haidas are
indigenous people of North America. Tsimshains are  North American Indians of
the North-west Coast.The White Chief’s brave men will provide the natives
strength and his ships would fill their harbours so that Hidas and Tsimshians cease
to frighten the natives.

(v) The God of the White man loves his people and hates Seattle’s people. He
protects them lovingly and leads them like a father leads his infant son. But he
has forsaken Seattle and his people.

Passage - 4

i).  The Great Spirit is referred to as the God of the natives. The Great Spirit has
forgotten his people because Suquamish tribe has almost become extinct and their
number is declining rapidly. The Great Spirit is no longer a father figure to them;
“they seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help.”

ii). Their population is rapidly reducing and they have almost become extinct.
They are called orphans because their God, the Great Spirit has forgotten them.

iii).  Because he came to the help of His paleface children and never came  to the
help of Red Man. He gave them laws to be followed but none to his Red children.
They have separate origin and separate destinies. He makes the White people
stronger every day but does nothing for the well being of the natives.

iv.) They are two distinct races-the native Americans and the White colonists.The
natives’ origin is the American land that is being contested; the Whites here
originally belonged to Europe who came and colonized these native
Americans.Their destinies are different-the natives are receding every day while
the Whites are like the grass that covers vast prairies.

v).   The Whites unjustly exercising authority over the Native Americans. It is the
natives’ land that the Big Chief in Washington ‘wishes’ to buy but ‘wish’ is a word
sarcastically used by Chief Seattle. The Whites are so powerful in terms of their
army and navy that the Red Indians need to bow down. Chief Seattle says that
Whites are willing to allow them enough land to live comfortably which is
symbolic of their master-slave relationship.

Passage - 5

Your religion was written upon tablets…….is written in the hearts of our people.

i).    Give the meaning of :

a)    Tablet of stone - Refers to the words written on to stone tablets that later were
brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses. The tablets were also  known as the
Ten Commandments.

b)    Iron finger  - Biblical phrase which means Finger of God.

ii).   The religion of the Red Man is the traditions of their ancestors-the dreams of
their old men, given them in solemn hours of the night by the Great Spirit; and the
visions of their sachems, and is written in the hearts of their people.

iii).   The religion of the Red Man is the traditions of their ancestors-the dreams of
their old men, given them in solemn hours of the night by the Great Spirit; and the
visions of their sachems, and is written in the hearts of their people. The White
men followed Christianity and it was written by the iron finger of their God,
symbolising strict adherence to rules and principles. The God of this religion is
partial and has forsaken his Red children. Seattle says that this God loves only his
paleface children and not the natives.
iv).  Seattle says that the ashes of his ancestors are sacred and their resting place is
hallowed ground. They love to stay in the land where their ancestors’ memories are
alive. Whereas the Whites wander far from their ancestors’ graves. The Whites
once they are dead, forget their native land and never return. The dead of the Red
men will never forget their native land and year to visit this beautiful land.

v).    The White men followed Christianity and it was written by the iron finger of
their God, symbolising strict adherence to rules and principles. The God of this
religion is partial and has forsaken his Red children. Seattle says that this God
loves only his paleface children and not the natives.

Passage - 6

i)  This is because they never connect with their land their people spiritually. Their
relationship with their land and their people is not sacred or holy; it is materialistic.
As soon as they die, the link to their earthly life breaks and devoid of spiritualism
they are incapable of an afterlife.

ii).  The dead of the Red man never forget their native land where they lived. They
still love its verdant valleys, its murmuring rivers, its magnificent mountains,
sequestered valleys and verdant lined lakes and bays, and ever yearn to visit this
place again. Moreover the spirits of the dead keep visiting to guide, console and
comfort the living.

iii). The Red men should surrender their native land to the Whites. In return of this,
the Whites will protect them foreign attack from the Haidas and Tsimshians. The
Whites are willing to allow them to enough land to live comfortably.

iv).   The Native Americans  will have to leave their native land where their
ancestors are resting in eternal peace. They lose their land which is full of
memories. The land that they have been asked to sell is sacred for them.The
Whites unjustly exercising authority over them. The Whites are powerful in terms
of their army and navy that the Red Indians need to bow down. The Whites are
willing to allow them enough land to live comfortably which is symbolic of their
master-slave relationship.
v).    The Native Americans would be transported to a reality beyond what is felt
by  the senses. The ‘shores’, ‘the pathless woods’,  ‘the field’ would never be
empty of their spirits. This land will make them eternal. “In all the earth there is no
place dedicated to solitude,’ and hence they will be a part of land forever. Their
spirits would still love ‘this beautiful land’ and its ‘magnificent mountains’ and
‘sequestered vales.’ Their death here would not be death but only a gateway to the
eternal world.

Passage - 7

i). He feels as if not a single star of hope hovers above the natives’ horizon. The
winds moan and grim fate follows them. Their situation is similar to a wounded
doe that is being hunted down. Moreover he feels that in a few more years, their
race will disappear. This is how he reflects his unhappiness about the fate of his
people.

ii).   Every person, tribe, or culture that is risen to great glory would definitely meet
its fall one day and that would be surely be the day of justice. Seattle believes that
time will come when the Whites would also be moving  towards their inevitable
doom.

iii).   This is a reference to the Biblical God and his ten commandments that always
supported and guided the White men.

iv) ‘We may be brothers after all.’ -Seattle believes that White settlers too will
have their decay one day. It would be then that the White men and Red men would
share a common destiny.  They would be brothers only when the Whites would be
able to empathies the Red men.

v). The common destiny of man is that his decay is inevitable. It is through the
White man’s decay the Seattle foresees the unity of all beings. He says: ‘we may
be brothers after all. We will see.’
  

Extract - 8

i).    This is because even after the last native has perished ‘shores will swarm with
the invisible dead’ of Seattle’s tribe. The natives’ love for their  land makes them
immortal. Thus, the Whites will never be alone.

ii).   The shadowy spirits visit the places at nights when the streets of the Whites’
cities are silent and it is falsely believed that they are deserted.

iii).   The memory of the tribe would become a myth among the White men when
the last Red man shall have perished from the natives’ land, but this would be
momentary as it would  the ‘swarm with the invisible dead of the tribe.’

iv).    Native Americans even after death don’t  forget the world that gave them
their being and identity. They keep on loving its valleys, its rivers, its magnificent
mountains, and its lakes. The dead feel one with the nature and its surroundings.

v).   The Native Americans would be transported to a reality beyond what is felt
by  the senses. The ‘shores’, ‘the pathless woods’,  ‘the field’ would never be
empty of their spirits. This land will make them eternal. “In all the earth there is no
place dedicated to solitude,’ and hence they will be a part of land forever. Their
spirits would still love ‘this beautiful land’ and its ‘magnificent mountains’ and
‘sequestered vales.’ Their death here would not be death but only a gateway to the
eternal world. They will only change their world and hence will become immortal.
He ends his speech with the assertion that ‘there is no death, only  a change of
worlds.’