“The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
The young seagull was very hunger that ultimately compelled it to fly. Hunger is intensified when it saw its mother tearing at a piece of fish that lay at her feet. It cried to her, begging her to get some food. When its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it shouted with joy and anticipation. It wondered why she did not come near. He was unable to resist hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expand of sea beneath the cliff and followed by the natural reaction of its body to fly.
In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try, regardless of a possibility of failure?
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to do something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.
“They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.
Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
“I’ll take the risk”. What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?
What made the woman in the Control Centre look at the narrator strangely?
Study the sentences given below.
(a) They looked like black mountains.
(b) Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black.
(c) In the black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane.
(d) The strange black aeroplane was there.
The word ‘black’ in sentences (a) and (c) refers to the very darkest colour. But in (b) and (d) (here) it means without light/with no light.
‘Black’ has a variety of meanings in different contexts. For example:
(a) ‘I prefer black tea’ means ‘I prefer tea without milk’.
(b) ‘With increasing pollution the future of the world is black’ means With increasing pollution the future of the world is very depressing/without hope’.
Now, try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.
Questions.
1. Go and have a bath, your hands and face are absolutely black____ .
2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green____.
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity____.
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy____.
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods____.
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue____.
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
What did Lencho hope for?
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Where did the ceremonies take place ? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstones?
What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may
look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)
A B
(i) Journal – A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your and feelings or what has happened on that day
(ii) Diary – A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day
(iii) Log – A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
(iv) Memoir(s) – A written record of events with times and dates, usually official
Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement?
What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
What does courage mean to Mandela?
At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human achievement” he speaks of at the end?