he Merchant of Venice-Important Questions 31 to 40- Viido Lecture 4

The Merchant of Venice-Important Questions 11 to 20- Lecture 2

The Swan Song by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: Analysis

 The Swan Song by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: Analysis

About the Author

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a world-famous short story writer He has also written full-length plays. Some of them are The Sea Gull, Orchard, Uncle Vany, and the Three Fighters. The main source of his inspiration is his sympathy for the people around him and his closeness to the ‘bad and dreary’ life of Russia.

About the Play

The play ‘The Swan Song’ exhibits (displays) the author’s keen observation and sensitivity to life. It shows how people feel and think after completing a long cycle of life and their career.

There are two characters in this play: the first is a sixty-eight years old ‘Vasil Svietlovidoff’ and the second one is Nikita Ivanich, who is also an old man, a prompter.

This play is about the last performance of Vasil Svietlovidoff, who has a long experience of forty-five years of theatre. The title of the play is based on an old belief among the people. It is said that the mute swan (It is a species of a swan) See the pic] sings a song just before it dies

In this play, the last performance of the main character becomes the swan song.

As the play begins, the reader/audience finds the old actor waking up from his sleep in the dressing room. He is still under the influence of alcohol. He wakes up and feels as if his life is over and it is time to exit the stage of life too. Darkness is spread around him.

Let’s have a detailed analysis of the play.

The scene on the stage shows that it is a country theatre and it is night. The play is over and no audience is present in the theatre. On the right side of the stage, the row of unpainted doors leads to the dressing room.

To the left side, all sorts of rubbish are found in the background. An overturned stool is also visible in the middle of the stage.  The overturned stool also shows that in real life how people forget not only about things but also about living beings. They believe in the ‘use and throw’ policy. The main character ‘Vasil Svietlovidoff’ also thinks of him as a ‘squeezed lemon’

In this way, the stage also becomes symbolically rich in meaning presenting life at its fag end.

 The words were spoken by Macbeth in Shakespeare’s famous play ‘Macbeth’ becomes relevant to quote here that life ‘…is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’

The old actor is shown on the stage coming out of a dressing room laughing, holding a candle in his hand.

It seems that he feels guilty about drinking wine and sleeping in the dressing room after his performance. He calls it a good joke. He also calls him a foolish old man and poor dodder (one who walks with shaking legs).

Then he calls ‘Yegorka! Petrushka!’. But no sound except the echo of his own words reaches his ears. He concludes that they must be asleep and it is very difficult to wake them up now. After that, he puts the candle on the floor, picks up the stool, and sits on it. Then he recalls he gave both of them a tip that day, but they have disappeared. Calling them rascals, he thinks that they have gone off and perhaps they locked up the theatre.

He thinks that the play was to his benefit. But at the same time, he feels it disgusting that he has drunk so much beer and wine. He also feels satisfied with his performance. He says that he exerted full effort to honor the occasion by giving the best performance of his life. After that, he feels his whole body burning.

He also feels as if he had twenty tongues in his mouth. It means that he might be feeling feverish and wondering how much talkative he has become. He recalls that experience as horrible and foolish. He also calls himself a ‘poor old sinner’. It means that, in the past, he has been trying not to drink, but he has not been able to have control over his old habit of drinking too much wine and beer. He feels guilty for having done so. This is the reason why he calls himself an old sinner. His mind is not working properly. He does not know what occasion he had been celebrating.

Vasil Svietlovidoff feels that his head is splitting due to a headache. He feels that his body was shivering due to the cold. Nothing is visible to him. He thinks as if he were present in a cellar. Again he feels guilty about drinking wine. He should have thought of his old age. He calls himself an idiot. He can play the role of a fool and joker and of a young man, but now he feels that all is over. Then he becomes nostalgic about his sixty-eight years that have gone and cannot be revived. He cannot live those years again.

The line ‘I have drained the bottle, only a few little drops are left at the bottom, nothing but the dregs.’ is very meaningful. Imagery is created here in the reader’s mind. It seems as if an empty bottle is lying there on the floor. It contains a few left-out drops at its bottom. At the symbolical level, it shows a few left-out years of the speaker’s life. The precious sixty-eight years have already been lived by the actor. The remaining ‘a few years’ of his life are like those ‘a few drops of wine’ that were left at the bottom of the bottle and those are just dregs, containing small particles of solid waste material.

It further means that the remaining few years of his life are quite unimportant, useless, and lacking in the energy of his youthful period.

The line ‘I have drained the bottle’ may mean that he has lived the maximum best part of his life.

He calls himself ‘Vasili, old boy; and also tells himself to remain prepared for his last moments of life when death comes to take him, whether he likes it or not. He has been playing his role on stage for the last forty-five years. It is for the first time that he has seen the theatre at night after the lights have been put out.

Then he walks up to the footlights and is unable to see anything due to the darkness. Only the prompter’s box and his desk are visible to him. The rest is in pitch darkness around him. Again the speaker creates a word picture: ‘the rest is in pitch darkness, a black, bottomless pit, like a grave, in which death itself might be hiding....’

The speaker imagines a grave in front of him, where spreads pitch darkness and where death itself is hiding.

Such thoughts reflect the actor’s state of mind, his loneliness, and his hopelessness. He has become hollow from the inside.

He also feels the cold wind blowing out of the empty theatre as though out of a stone flue (an outlet/a pipe-like chimney). He feels as if the shivers are running up and down his back.

After that, he calls ‘Yegorka and Petrushka’. He is unable to know where both of them are at present. It’s horrible to think about where they are. Then he again fills with the guilt of drinking and says that he must leave his habit of drinking wine. HE is an old man. He is not going to live for more years. At sixty-eight, people visit the church and prepare for death. He looks at his dress and feels bad to see himself in a fool’s dress. He feels ashamed of wearing a joker’s dress at sixty-eight. HE thinks that it does not suit him. So he wants to change it at once. After that, he calls the theatre a dreadful place. He believes that he would die of fright if he continued sitting there.

He moves towards the dressing room. At the same time, At the farthest end of the stage, Nikita Ivanich, wearing a long white coat, comes out of the dressing room.

Svietlovidoff shrieks to see Nitika Ivanich. He says, “Who are you? What? What do you want? [Stamps his foot] Who are you?

Coming closer to Svietlovidoff, he tells him that it is he (Nikita), the prompter. But Svietlovidoff does not feel normal and keeps on asking him in fright as to who he is. After a few seconds, he regains consciousness and asks Nikita what he was doing there. Nikita tells him that he spends nights in dressing rooms because he has no place to live in. He also requests Svietlovidoff not to tell Alexi Fomitch about it.

Svietlovidoff confirms if it was Nikitusha there. As he called his name several times and he did not respond to him, he reminds him that the audience called him sixteen times and they also brought garlands and several other gifts too. They were wild with joy and enthusiasm. But when he fell asleep in the dressing room, he complains to him that not a single person came to wake him up and take him home.

 

He expresses his grief over such apathy /ˈæp.ə.θi/  shown to him by his own companions. Then he is filled with self-pity and tells him that he is in old age and illness. He is unable to drag his life further. Then he falls on Nikitusha’s neck and starts weeping bitterly. While weeping he tells him that he is old and helpless and tells him not to go leaving him alone. He also tells him that he is about to die and it is all dreadful to think about his last time.

Ivanich very tenderly and respectfully tells Svielovidoff that it was time for him to go home. But Vasil pathetically says that he won’t go home because he has no home to go to. Ivanich asks him if he has forgotten where he lives.

At this Svietlovidoff tells Ivanich that he is all alone at his house, so he won’t go there. He is alone there, with no wife, no children. He equates himself to the lonely wind blowing on the fields.

He tells him that he has no one to remember him after his death. Here he feels the pangs of living alone. He represents all old men who are victims of loneliness. Then he repeats his plight that it is awful to be alone and no one is there to cheer him up, no one to show affection to him, to help him to go to bed, etc.  Thus he feels miserable in front of Nikitusha.

Ivanich Nikitusha consoles him by saying that his audience loves him. At this, Svietlovidoff tells Nikitusha that his audience has gone home. They are sleeping and have forgotten their ‘old clown’. Then he again expresses his disappointment by saying that his audience do not remember him; nobody loves him---he has no wife and children.  Ivanich again consoles him and tells him not be feeling unhappy. Svietlovidoff continues speaking further. He tells Niikitusha that he has the blood of noble aristocratic ancestors in his veins. He also informs him that before joining the theatre, he served in the army and in the artillery. By speaking the line ‘before I fell as low as this’ he means to say that he did not like playing the role of a joker in the plays. It shows his strong dislike for the role he usually performed in theatre.

He recalls his youthful time when he was a fine handsome young boy bold and eager.

He feels nostalgic about his beautiful past. He says that a dark pit has swallowed them. He tells Nikitusha that he can remember his old days very clearly. He recalls how he was young, full of youthful ecstasy …love for women.

Ivanich tells him that it is time for him to sleep.

But Svietlovidoff continues speaking to Ivanich and remembers that a woman fell in love with him when he first appeared on the stage with a glow of passionate youth on his face. She loved him for his acting. She was beautiful graceful, young, innocent, pure, and radiant like summer dawn.

 Svietlovidoff keeps on telling Nikitusha that she was so charming that she could charm even the darkest night. It means her smile could make even the depressed person charming.

He remembers the day when she stood just in front of him. She had never seemed as lovely to him as she did then. She spoke to him with her beautiful eyes. He tells Nikitusha Ivanich that he shall never forget her tender, soft and deep eyes even in the grave.

Feeling enraptured with her beauty, he fell to his knees in front of her and begged for accepting his proposal for marriage.

But she put on the condition that he must give up the stage if he wants to marry her. She told him that she could love an actor but cannot marry him.

 

He was playing a foolish clown’s part that day. That day, he had the awareness of the bitter reality that his worship of art was a delusion. It was an empty dream.

 He understood his audience that day. He came to know that he was playing the part of a clown just for the entertainment of the people. Before that, whatever he received from the audience in terms of applause or garlands was all fake.  He tells Nikitusha that people applauded him and bought his photographs just to show their unreal love for art. But he was always a stranger to them. They never tried to know about him. He is worthless to them. They want to meet him but no one is there to marry his/her daughter or a sister to him.

After that, he sinks onto the stool by saying that he has no faith in his audience.

 Ivanich very respectfully tells Svietlovidoff that he looked extremely pale. He tells him that he is afraid to see death’s impact on his face and requests him to go home.

But Svietlovidoff is lost in himself and continues speaking that he kept thinking deeply on that day and finally gained knowledge by paying a heavy cost on it.

After that, he began to wonder about aimlessly without caring for his future and took the parts of buffoons and low comedians. He did not care for the thought that went through his mind.

 

He expresses deep pain to think that once he was a great artist till he gradually lost his talent because he did not care to maintain it. He played the role of a buffoon for various types of people. He lost his previous attractive looks and lost the power of expressing his thought because the role of buffoon did not require much talent. Thus he became Merry Andrews (a person who entertains others by means of comic antics; a clown), instead of a man. Actually in those days playing a buffoon was not considered to be a respectable role.

By speaking the line ‘

After that ‘I have been swallowed up in that great black pit.’, he means to say that he was lost in the black pit of depression, hopelessness, and frustration due to the shock he received from the lady he loved. He says that he never felt so much aggrieved (pained) in such a measure as he does on this day. It is all over now. While saying this, he starts sobbing. Then Ivanitch calls Petrushka and Yogorka.

 But Svietlovidoff continues speaking about his past. He tells him that he was a great genius. He adds that Ivanitch cannot imagine that he had great power of eloquence. He was very graceful and tender. He had a passionate heart. Then he beats his breast.t But he feels choked in his throat due to sentiments. After that he recites some lines:

 "The shade of bloody Ivan now returning Fans through my lips rebellion to a flame, I am the dead Dimitri! In the burning Boris shall perish on the throne I claim. Enough! The heir of Czars shall not be seen Kneeling to yonder haughty Polish Queen! ‘’

After that he recites a few lines from King Lear:

See, the sky is overcast with dark clouds; the rain is pouring onto the earth; the thunder and the lightning in the clouds above are piercing the sky….and listen: ‘Blow winds, blow. Emerge out of the limitation by piercing the cheeks of your mouth. Be outrageous and blow.

Then he appeals to cataracts and hurricanes to reach up to the height of the staples of the Churches to drown the cocks (In the 9th century, Pope Nicholas made the rooster official. His decree was that all churches must display the rooster on their steeples or domes as a symbol of Peter's betrayal of Jesus.) on them.

 You angry thoughts, you fires of the thunderbolts that pierce the oak trees by their power, burn my white-haired head to ashes. You thunder that shakes all, flatten the round-shaped earth with its powerful strike. Make cracks in mountains and break them to pieces and destroy all those elements on the earth that fill in human beings' ingratitude!

After reciting a few lines from King Lear, Svietlovidoff becomes impatient. Now he wants Ivanich to perform the role of a foolish joker. He stamps his foot on the ground and tells him to play the part of the joker as quickly as possible because he cannot wait for more.

Ivanich begins to play the role of a fool. He speaks ‘ O Nuncle, rainwater collected from outside and brought in a house that has no water at all is better than the holy water kept in a court. Good Nuncle, come inside. Ask for your daughter’s blessings. Here in this night, no one is wise or foolish.

He also recites some lines from Hamlet.

At last, he concludes that old age is no hurdle if a man is a genius and has a talent.

Thus the one-act play highlights the theme of alienation and loneliness and ends up on the positive note that old age is no hurdle in life if the person is talented and a genius. Alienation and loneliness are just states of mind. One can replace them by creating positivity and by making oneself busy in life.

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The Child by Prem Chand (Translated into English by Ruth Vanita)

 The Child by Prem Chand (Translated into English by Ruth Vanita)

About the Author

This story was written by Prem Chand, one of the prominent writers of the early twentieth century, who wrote both in Hindi and Urdu. It was beautifully translated by Ruth Vanita in English.

About the Story

The narrator of this story is an employer, who has a brahmin servant in his house. His name is Gangu. He marries a widow woman, named Gomti. Marrying a widow was not liked in society in those days. But he defied that social evil. Thus the whole story has certain elements that make it very interesting and memorable for the readers.

Explanation and Analysis of the Story:

In the first paragraph of this story, the narrator describes some peculiar characteristics of his servant named Gangu.

The narrator says that his servant ‘Gangu’ considers himself a Brahmin although he is illiterate. The narrator has never seen him performing any religious ritual or going for a sacred bath in the river.

The narrator’s other servants salute him even from a distance, but Gangu does not do so. He never touches a glass that the narrator has drunk. When the narrator is drenched in sweat, Gangu does pick up a fan, but his facial expression shows that he is doing a favour to the narrator.

Gangu is a man of extremes. He does not like the people's chatter and he does not like to socialise with them. He must have very few friends. He does not like to sit with other servants also.

Actually, the narrator is not in the habit of talking too much with servants. He avoids them calling for little chores. He feels much more comfortable by taking drinking water himself, lighting his own lamp, wearing his own shoes and taking out books from the cupboard. He does not call his servants like Lingun or Maiky for such petty jobs. It makes him feel autonomous (independent, self-ruling) and self reliant.

The narrator further says that the servants are familiar with his temperament also. So they do not approach him unnecessarily.

Now the narrator tells the readers about an incident that occurred when Gangu came in front of him early in the morning. Here he makes us acquainted with a very common tendency found in servants. He does not like servants coming to him that way. Whenever they come to him, they either want an advance or they make complaints about another servant.

The narrator does not like the servants to approach him to demand advance because he pays them their wages on the first of the month.

The narrator says: “Who has the time to keep a detailed account of advance given? When someone is paid for the whole month, what right does he or she have to spend all the money in fifteen days, and then seek an advance or a loan? And I hate complaints. I consider complaints a sign of weakness or a bare attempt at flattering the employer.”

As Gangu stood in front of the narrator, he frowned and asked him what it was and said that he had not called him.

Then the narrator says that he was very surprised to see Gangu’s sharp, proud face looking mild. He wanted to say something to the narrator but he was unable to find appropriate words for it.

Then the narrator also changed the tone of his voice asking what the matter was with him and why he was unable to speak. He also told Gangu that it was time for him to go for walk.

Gangu said in a dejected (sad) voice, ‘Well, then you go…I’ll come later.’

In the next paragraph, the narrator describes Gangu’s predicament (dilemma). The author wants that Gangu should utter quickly what he wants to say. The author adds one more particular thing about Gangu in this passage.

Gangu thinks that the narrator is free when the latter is sitting and not writing or reading any book. But at that time, the narrator is in his thought process which is a most difficult aspect of his work. But Gangu thinks that his master is free and not doing anything at that time.

So the author speaks:

‘Have you come to ask for an advance? I don't give advances.’ I said, rudely.

 

‘No, sarkar. I have never asked for an advance.’

 

‘Then, have you come to complain against someone? I don’t like to listen to complaints.’

 

‘No, sarkar. I have never complained against anyone.’

To be continued…

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Theatre and Its Elements-Script-Performance-Audience-Reception-Genre-Dia...

Drama-Comedy-Melodrama-Problem Play-Types of Drama

Elements of Theatre-Performance-Audience-Reception-Genre-Dialogue-Stagecraft-Rhythm-Tone and Style

 

                                  A.    Elements of Theatre

1.The Text/Script/Scenario/Plan: The text or the script:

The text or the script is the basic need of theatre. Without text or script, no performance on stage can take place. The dramatist or the playwright writes text. Various characters speak the text according to the roles given to them.

2. Performance/Process: Performance takes place when the script is given to the characters of the play. The director guides the characters and helps them to take the best performance out of them. The characters are also helped directly or indirectly by several other crew members like junior actors, designers, technicians, dancers, musicians, make-up men, etc. to produce the best performance on the stage.

3. The Audience: The audience is also one of the most important elements of theatre. The audience is the people who usually sit in front of the stage to witness the performance. The presence of the audience and their positive reactions can make the performance better and more impressive. A theatre is an art form that makes the performance a breathing reality when the audience are physically present.

4. Reception: We know that drama is an art form. First, the script is written by the dramatist or the playwright. Then it is given to the characters who perform their roles on the stage. The performance is viewed by the audience. When the audience collectively watches the drama or the play on stage, it is called reception or the spectacle. It is the result of the collective efforts made by the script, performance, costumes, scenery, and other special effects of light and camera made by the production team.

5. Genre: As a genre, drama has never remained the same. It has evolved several changes in its form. Drama as a genre can be divided into several categories: tragedy, comedy, melodrama, history plays, morality plays, tragi-comedy, etc.

6. Dialogue: A dialogue is a narrative conveyed through speech between two or more characters in a play. We cannot think of a performance of a play or drama on stage without dialogue.

7. Stagecraft: It includes technical aspects of theatrical production, like scenic design, stage machinery, light, sound, costumes, make-up, etc. The success of a play depends on stagecraft. The audience is very much impressed by the lighting and sound used on the stage or in the background. It is ensured that the sound of the dialogues spoken by the characters reaches the ears of the audience effectively.

8. Rhythm: Several things play an important role in the success of any play. There should be a natural rhythm in the events that take place on the stage. All the main elements of the play like plot, characters, language, and performance must act in rhythm to reach the final climax of the play.

9. Tone and Style: the manner of expression or style is the tone of the play.

The writer’s choice of diction, sentence structures, literary techniques used, and the rhythm in totality is called the style. The mood of the story, the feeling or the attitude of the author towards the story, and the reader also contribute in the tone or the style.

 

We're Not Afraid To Die Class 11-We're not Afraid to Die English CBSE ...

A Melodrama

 A Melodrama: In a melodrama, a lot of exaggerated emotions and excitement are used to create a lot of melodrama. Dialogues are highly charged with an extravaganza of emotions and sentiments. The dramatist relies on dialogues that are often bombastic or excessively charged with sentiments. To intensify emotions, music is also used in melodramas. In a way, the dramatist plays with the emotions of the audience. Usually, there is a happy ending in a melodrama. Examples: Beverly Hills, The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), Imitation of Life (1959), The Lady from Musashino (1951), Brief encounter (1945) , etc. are several examples of melodramas.

Problem Play-Examples

 Problem Play: Actually, this type of drama was invented in France in the 19^th century by Alexander Dumas, who dealt with sensational and controversial issues in his plays so as to make them more interesting to the audience. The status of the problem play was further raised by a Norwegian dramatist, who introduced some specific problems of societies in his plays. Such types of drama were realistic in nature and tried to expose the social problems prevailing in the society of those times. The master of the modern problem plays or the drama of ideas is Bernard Shaw.

Elements of a Problem Play: (i) A problem play deals with ordinary human problems. (ii) These problems are presented with high technical skills. (iii) Action is moved through dialogues (iv)

Examples: Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’(1879), Bernard Shaw’s ‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession’ (1902) and  Candida 

What is a Comedy? Types of Comedy

 Comedy: A comedy deals with light subject matter that is meant for creating fun and entertainment for the audience. It always has a happy ending. It developed in several forms with the passage of time. Its four major types are: (i) Comedy of Humour (ii) Comedy of Manners (iii) Romantic Comedy (iv) sentimental Comedy (v) Tragi-comedy

The dramatist often relies on language by means of puns, light satire, humour and wit, etc. to create laughter. The subject matter deals with the life of common people and their actions and reactions to certain situations in their lives and thus humour is created.

Examples: Twelfth Night, a Midsummer Night’s Dream

What is Drama- Drama-Its Types-Types of Drama in English Literature

 1. Drama: It is a literary written form that tells the story of human conflict through dialogues and action that is to be performed by actors. It is a specific mode of fiction, which is to be performed, not narrated. Its origin is not new. In the Middle ages, it was present in its limited form. There are four main types of drama: comedy, tragedy, tragicomedy, and melodrama. The action in a drama moves towards its climax and falls down slowly in a logical way to a reasonable conclusion.

Examples: William Shakespeare wrote dramas successfully. Some of them are Hamlet (Tragedy), Macbeth (Tragedy), The Winter’s Tale (Tragi-comedy), The Merchant of Venice (Tragicomedy), and Much Ado About Nothing (Comedy), etc.

John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi (A Revenge Tragedy)

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A Question of Trust Summary Class 10 English-CBSE A Question of Trust Su...

A Dog Named Duke by William D Ellis

  Lesson 2 (Class IX): A Dog Named Duke by William D Ellis

Brief Summary of the Lesson

Charles Hooper, nicknamed Chuck was a zonal manager in a company of chemicals.  He is the owner of Duke, a Doberman dog. One day, Chuck met with an accident. He was taken to a hospital where he stayed for about two months. His left side was paralysed. After that, he was sent home and put in a wheelchair. His dog, Duke remained sitting beside him the whole time. Duke was very sensible and came to know about the difficulty of his master. It was difficult for Charles Hooper to resume his work in the company in that condition. So he became depressed. His wife was much worried about him. She had to go to her office. During the whole day, he was alone with his dog Duke. After some days, Chuck started moving with the help of his dog. They continued this practice for more time. At last, the day came when Chuck improved considerably with the dog’s help. He started going to his company and resumed his work as usual. But, as ill-luck would have it, one day, the dog got wounded very badly in an accident. He was taken to the hospital, but could not be saved.

Detailed Summary of the Lesson

1. Charles Hooper, nicknamed Chuck was a very popular zonal salesman in a chemical company. His broad and real smile used to make his extremely competitive nature more attractive. He was six feet in height and he used to play on the football team of his university. At present, he was considered to be a very strict salesman of his company.

2. All was going well until he had a severe accident when he was driving home one autumn evening. He was immediately taken to the hospital. He suffered from subdural hemorrhage (heavy bleeding) in the motor section of his brain. It completely paralysed his left side.

3. One of his district managers took his wife Marcy to the hospital. She noticed that her husband was unable to speak. He could breathe, and see and his vision was double. Marcy thought of Duke as he was alone at home. She requested her neighbour to put Duke in the kennel.

4. Hooper had to remain with the patients in critical condition in the hospital for a month. After the fifth week, some employees of his company came there and suggested to him that he should take one month’s leave. They also said that they would create a job that could be done while sitting at a place in the office.

5. After six weeks, the hospital put him in a wheelchair. There was an attendant, who used to move his paralysed affected arm and leg movements. That activity was followed by a bath, exercises, and a wheeled –walker. In spite of all these activities, Chuck did not improve much.

6. After staying for about two months in the hospital, Chuck was discharged in March. Some time passed in the excitement of the homecoming, but, after that, he went into a state of depression. At the hospital, he was not alone; there were other injured persons. But now, each morning Mary had to go out of the house and after that, he had to face loneliness in the house. 

7. Finally, Duke was brought home from his kennel.

When Duke was to be brought into the house, Chuck wanted to stand up. So he was made to stand up. Duke’s nails had grown much in the four months of his confinement. When he saw Chuck, he stood quivering vigorously, and then he released a deep cry, spun his long-nailed paws, and sprang up to three meters in height. He was like a twenty-three kg powerful missile of joy just ready to hit his master. It made Chuck stagger to maintain his balance.

8. Those who were the eyewitnesses said that the dog had understood at once Chuck’s physical condition and never jumped on him afterward. From that time, he sat at a place round the clock near his master’s bed.

9. Even Duke’s presence near his bed did not improve Huck’s state of mind. The muscles which used to be so strong started losing grip on the bones.

 Marcy would secretly cry as she watched her husband’s smile fade away. He would stare fixedly for hours together at the ceiling, then out of the window, and then at his dog, Duke.

 While doing so, hard linings would emerge on his face and stay there continuously. 

10. The whole day would pass in boringly as he and Duke would stare at each other in silence. Finally, the dog could not bear it. He would spring to his feet, quivering (shaking) in impatience.

11.  “Ya-ruff”

12. “Lie-down. Duke!”

13. Then Duke would move in a proud manner to the bed, put his pointed nose under Chuck’s elbow, and lift it. After that, he would nudge (push gently), needle (tease), and snort (release breath noisily).

14. “Go run around the house. Duke.”

15. But Duke was not ready to leave the place. He would keep on watching as if it wanted to motivate Chuck to walk and talk with him. After one hour, he would come over to the bed again and bark and push him. The dog didn’t leave its bedside of Chuck and kept sitting there.

One evening, Chuck hooked the leash onto duke’s collar to make him still. But he created a lightning effect in Duke. He stood up at once and readied himself anticipating (hoping) something good. What was to follow next was difficult to explain for Chuck.

16. He asked his wife, Marcy, to help him stand up to his feet. Duke jumped forward while Chuck struggled for balance. He took the leash in his left hand and tried to grip it with his paralysed fingers. Then he bent forward and Marcy supported him by the elbow. First, he moved his right leg out in front. 

17. He had to drag his left foot forward along

 with the right. But it could not be called a step.

Duke felt that the leash was suddenly loosened, so he pulled and made it tight. It made Chuck somewhat swayed, but he saved himself from falling with the help of his right leg. After that, he straightened himself and struggled to keep standing three times, but fell exhausted into the wheelchair.

18. The next day, the dog came running and stood near Chuck’s healthy side. He pushed his nose under the elbow and raised his head up. Hooper’s healthy arm reached to grab the leash. As Hooper stood up, the dog walked up to the end of the leash and pulled it steadily. He took four steps on that day.

19. Hooper learned to balance himself against the pull without Marcy by leaning against the pull. On Wednesday, he took five steps, and on Thursday six steps. On Friday, he could not take more than two and felt exhaustion. But both of them could reach the front porch in two weeks.

20. The neighbours would daily see Chuck progressing with the help of the dog in front of the house. They saw the dog pull the leash tight and then stand and wait. Hooper would drag himself near the dog. After that, the dog would move forward to the end of the leash and wait again. Both of them used to set their new targets and touched them.

21. One day, Marcy told Hooper’s doctor about what the dog was doing for her husband. Then, the doctor prescribed a course of physiotherapy with weights, pulleys, and whirlpool baths (special baths in which water moves in a circular current) and also walking with Duke every day on a limited slow level.

22. It was a routine scene for the neighbours to see them walk on the same pattern. On June 1, news spread that Duke and Hooper had reached the crossing. It was very far away from there.

23. Very soon, Duke started moving out with Hooper twice a day and they kept lengthening the targets also. It was one road at one time.

24. On January 4, Hooper succeeded in taking a big leap. He walked for 200 meters from the clinic to the local branch office of his company. That office was also under him and the staff was amazed by the visit. Hooper Chuck told Gordon Duke, the manager, that he should tell him about the progress of the work till then so that he could start working. The manager kept watching him quite amazed. He continued saying that he would work for an hour every day. He would use an empty desk lying in the warehouse and he needed a dictating machine for that purpose.

25. When the company came to know about it, there arose some problems. When an employee struggles so much to make his comeback in his company, it would be difficult to say that he would not be able to handle his job. It would be difficult also for Chuck because he was unable to move around in the field as a salesman. Another difficulty for the company was that he would work for only one hour daily.

26. After March 1, Hooper did not need any physiotherapy. He depended on Duke, who pulled him along the street faster and faster making him more balanced in walking.

He also started walking after dark. He would stumble and fall. After that time, Duke would keep standing still like a rock and watch his master struggling to stand up.

27. For thirteen months, Hooper worked full days and then he was promoted to regional manager and more than four states came under him.

28. In March 1956, Chuck, Marcy, and Duke shifted the house. The area in which Hooper bought a house did not know the story of Duke and his master. They knew only that their new neighbor walked with the help of the dog.

29. On the evening of October 12, 1957,  Hooper had some guests in the house. Over some low voices, Chuck heard the screech of brakes outside. He looked for Duke as if feeling some intuition.

30. The people carried the big dog inside the house. Marcy understood at once the critical condition of the dog. 

“Phone the Vet,” she said, “Tell him, I’m bringing Duke.” 

The people present there jumped to lift the dog. But she herself lifted the big dog, put him into the car, and at once drove to the hospital of the animals.

31. Duke was kept under the effect of drugs until 11 o’clock the next morning. But he was badly injured.

32.-33. After some weeks, the chemical company’s headquarters sent some words that seemed to be a tribute to Duke.

“…therefore, to advance our objectives step by step, Charles Hooper is appointed Assistant National Sales Manager.”

Word-meanings:

1. Grin: to give a wide smile or a wide smile 

2. Hard-charging: one who works or performs with too much energy 

3. Twilight: the dim light at the time of sunset

4. Subdural hemorrhage: very much bleeding in the brain 

5. Kennel: a small house for a dog 
6. Hit a new low: to become depressed again 

7. Confinement: imprisonment 

8. Quivering: trembling/shaking

 9. Bellow: a deep sounded cry 

10. Launch: to start, to make the public know about a new product, to send something like an airship, weapon in the sky/space, etc.

11. Slacked: not very tight, became loose 

12. Rangy: having long and thin arms or legs 

13. Day in and day out: every day for a long time 

14. Stalked: here it meant to walk in an angry and proud manner 

15. Nudge: push somebody gently, especially with your elbow 

16. Snort: to breathe out air noisily 

16. Reproachful: blaming, accusing 

17. Yap: bark 

18. Leash: Bridle restraint 

19. Shimmy: to dance or move in a way that shakes your back and shoulders 

20. Prance: move with long steps being conscious of the fact that people are watching you. 

21. Taut: tight 

22. Jabbed: pushed 

23. Abreast: near, side by side with   

24. Surge out: move quickly and forcefully in a direction 

25. Physiotherapy: under this treatment, the patient is given a massage and told to do some physical exercises 

26. Whirlpool bath: it is a bath in a tub or a big container in which water turns speedily like a whirlpool

27. gradual: slow

28. pattern: design/style

29. intersection: crossing

30. Jurisdiction: authority, the area in which a person is authorized to pass judgment

31. Gape: to open mouth in surprise

32. Stable: in balance

33. Suburb: an area where people live outside of the centre of the city

34. Rampageous: one who is violent and ready to cause much damage to life and property

35. Babble: the confused sound that comes when many people talk together at a low pitch of the sound

36. Stubbornness: the act of being stubborn, obstinate: one who is not ready to change his/her behavior or attitude

Instinctively: in a natural way

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 Short-answer type Question & Answers

 

1.   Q1. Describe Charles Hooper’s personality.

Ans. Charles Hooper, nicknamed Chuck was a very popular zonal salesman in a chemical company. His broad and real smile used to make his extremely competitive nature more attractive. He was six feet in height and he used to play on the football team of his university. At present, he was considered to be a very strict salesman of his company.

Q2. How did Charles Hooper meet with an accident? What damage was caused to him?

 Ans. He had a severe accident when he was driving home one autumn evening. He was immediately taken to the hospital. He suffered from a subdural hemorrhage (heavy bleeding) in the motor section of his brain. It completely paralysed his left side.

Q3. Who informed Marcy about her husband’s accident? What did she do at once? What did she notice about her husband?

Ans. One of his district managers took his wife Marcy to the hospital. She noticed that her husband was unable to speak. He could breathe, and see and his vision was double. Marcy thought of Duke as he was alone at home.

Q4. What did the employees of Hooper’s company suggest to him after the fifth week? What more did they say to him?

Ans. After the fifth week, some employees of his company came there and suggested to him that he should take one month’s leave. They also said that they would create a job that could be done while sitting at a place in the office.

Q5. How did Hooper’s attendant serve him at the hospital, when he was put in a wheelchair? Did Chuck improve?

Ans. After six weeks, the hospital put him in a wheelchair. There was an attendant, who used to move his paralysed affected arm and leg movements. That activity was followed by a bath, exercises, and a wheeled –walker. In spite of all these activities, Chuck did not improve much.

Q6. Why did Hooper go down in depression after he was brought back home from the hospital?

Ans. Some time passed in the excitement of the homecoming, but, after that, he went into a state of depression. At the hospital, he was not alone; there were other injured persons. But now, each morning Mary had to go out of the house and after that, he had to face loneliness in the house. 

Q7. Why did Marcy cry secretly?

Ans. Marcy would secretly cry as she watched her husband’s smile fade away. He would stare fixedly for hours together at the ceiling, then out of the window and then at his dog, Duke.

 While doing so, hard linings would emerge on his face and stay there continuously. 

Q8. Where did Charles get Duke from? How did his wife like it?

Q9. Who was Marcy/ What was her attitude towards Duke?

Q10. How was Hooper a favoured young man?

Q11. Why has Duke put in a kennel?

Q12. When Duke was brought from the kennel, how did he react to seeing his master?

Long-answer type Questions

Q1.How can you say that everything was going on well before Hooper’s accident?