English Literature Made Easy for Students

   Kanthapura Representative of Indian Villages Kanthapura is Raja Rao’s first novel written in English. In many ways, the novel is known for its merits. The novelist chooses an imaginary village ‘Kanthapura’, situated on the slopes of the Western Ghat facing the Arabian Seas. Raja Rao did not select any city for the centre of action of the novel. Rather he picked a sleeping village ‘Kanthapura’. He knew it well that most of India lived in villages in that pre-independent period. He made this village alive with the best characterisation and narrative style adopted by him. This novel can be read and understood at different angles and levels of its merits. In addition, it can be read and understood as the novel of the village Kanthapura that represents any Indian village of its times. We find Kanthapura a microcosm of Indian villages. In the very opening chapter, we have a very minute detail of its surroundings and also we have a glimpse of the whole village...

Poets & Pancakes Q1.  What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up?    Ans. The makeup room had a lot of hot bulbs always burning inside and a number of mirrors to reflect the heat. It was really very difficult and miserable for the artists to sit there for make-up. There were no cooling systems in those days. So the artists had to bear all that. Q2. What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?   Ans. The members of the make-up department were from various parts of India. Anyone could be the head of the make-up room. Once there was a Bengali as the head of this department. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian. His assistant was a Dharwar Kannadiga. So it was the best example of national integration. Q3. What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini studio? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?  Or Who was the office boy? What was his duty in the make-up department? How did he join the...

  ‘My Last Duchess’ is Robert Browning’s one of most famous poems. It is a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue  is a poem in which the speaker, who is like a protagonist as we have in dramas, is placed in a critical situation. The poet remains aloof (separated) from him. The speaker reacts to the difficult situation and thus lays bare his soul. He reveals his character to the readers or the audience. The presence of a listener or the interlocutor is also felt and it makes the situation dramatically. In this poem, the Duke of Ferrara is the speaker, whose wife is no more now. He is a widower and wants to marry the daughter of a neighbouring Count, from whom he also expects to receive a rich dowry. The Count has sent a messenger (an envoy) to negotiate with the Duke. The Duke takes the messenger to have a glimpse of his picture gallery. Actually, the Duke is the product of the Renaissance period that originally began in Italy. He has immense love for art. In the who...

  Comment on the use of irony in the poem. Illustrate your answer with examples from the text. Ans.  Robert Browning has very beautifully used irony in the dramatic monologue My Last Duchess. The Duke’s ironical utterances (words) help the poet to make characterisation more lively and effective. At the explicit level, the Duke seems to appreciate the qualities of the Duchess, but internally, he is disapproving of them. After describing the beautiful face of the Duchess, he proceeds to speak on her simple heart,  which easily impressed. He says She had/A heart …too soon, made glad/Too easily impressed… The Duke continues saying that she liked everything and her eyes went everywhere. After all, she was a Duke’s wife and she should have had control over her feelings. Here, the reader comes to know how class conscious the Duke was –Actually, he was a jealous husband He was unable to bear his wife’s looking at others and appreciating their small courtesies. This is appar...

  The tyranny, pride, and greed of the Duke have been shown in sharp contrast to the good nature of the Duchess. Explain.  Or The Duke’s Character Ans. The poem” My Last Duchess’ is in the form of a dramatic monologue. It very beautifully depicts the contrast between the characters of the Duke and his former wife, the Duchess. The Duke’s character has been an epitome of the evils like tyranny, pride, and greed, while the Duchess has been shown as a woman full of human values like kindness and sympathy. Let’s discuss both of these characters; in sharp contrast to each other. The Duke’s cruelty and tyranny come to the surface when he talks to the envoy about his previous wife, the Duchess. First of all, we find the Duke’s possessive nature,  which makes him a despotic husband. The use of the possessive adjective ‘my’ in the line ‘ ‘ That's my last Duchess” shows his possessive nature in the very beginning. He considers his wife his personal property. The Duke ...

  The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role by Nani Pakhivala Short Answer-type Questions (word limit: About 30-40) Q1. Justify the title ‘The Ailing Planet’. Ans. The Earth has become an ailing planet. Its environment is being polluted. It has become very difficult to breathe in this polluted air, particularly in big cities. Environmental pollution has created so many problems for the vegetation and millions of creatures living on the earth. The earth’s temperature is rising up. Climatic changes have further aggravated (worsened) the situation. Its natural resources are depleting day by day. Q2. What is the ‘Green Movement’? Ans. The ‘Green Movement’ refers to the activity that is continued together by people to change or improve the present situation by means of united efforts. It is called Green because in this movement much stress is laid on planting more and more trees. Q3. What is the significance of the Green Movement? Ans. This movement was founded i...

    The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth Questions-Answers-The World is too Much with Us by William Wordsworth Very Short Answer-type Qs (one word-a phrase-a sentence) Q1. According to the poet, what is man's attitude to nature? Ans. Man’s attitude to nature is indifference (lack of interest). Q2. Who were Proteus and Triton? Ans. They were Greek and Roman gods of Nature. Q3.Why does the poet want to become a Pagan? Ans. He wants to become a Pagan to worship the gods of Nature. Q4. What does the poet mean by stating ‘the world is too much with us? Ans. It means that man has become too attached to the material world. Q5. What are we ‘out of tune with? Ans. We are ‘out of tune' with Nature. Q6. What is the ‘sordid boon’? Ans. Lust (extreme greed) for possessing material things is a sordid boon. Q7. Who is the Pagan according to the poet? Ans. A non-Christian is a Pagan according to the poet. Q8. What does the poet glimpse and what ...