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UNIT ONE : LOVE AND REMINISCENCE
GRANDMOTHER
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Ray Young Bear

American Indian poet Ray Young Bear in his poem Grandmother describes his grandmother using similes, metamorphose and sense verbs. Depicting (pointing) a portrait (image) of grandmother of his tribe. The poet also reveals (show) the socio-economic status of Mesquaki tribe which he belongs.

The grandmother of the poet is the source of love and inspiration for him. As the poet was closely associated with his grandmother, her image is evergreen in fresh in his mind if the poet saw his grandmother from a far distance he would instantly recognize her because of her purple scarf around her neck and plastic shopping bag in her hand. If the grandmother touch his hand were of his grandmother only because they would feel warm and damp with smell of root. This indicates poet’s poor financial state which made the grandmother work in the field despite her old age. If the poet heard a voice coming from the rock, he would immediately know that the voice was of his grandmother as it would blow inside him like a light and warm on stirring a dying fire at night. The words would be inspiring for him as they would activate his inner feeling making the loving memory of his grandmother evergreen and very fresh.

The poet is successful in drawing the picture of his grandmother which is appealing to our senses. Deviating (going away) from usual grammatical rules and rules of the poetry, the poet has used small letters in the entire poem to draw the attention to the readers. The poet also reveals the socio-economic status of ‘Mesquaki’ tribe to which he belongs.

Summary of About Love | The Heritage of Words

UNIT ONE : LOVE AND REMINISCENCE
ABOUT LOVE
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Anton Chekhov

Revealing (showing) his perception about mysterious Love, Anton Chekov in his story About Love expresses that love is governed by emotions which doesn’t care any physical restriction. Describing three love stories, the writer puts forward logic that, “Love is different in each situation and love isn’t confined within marital relationship”.

In a rainy day Alyohin narrated love stories to his friends while having breakfast. Nikanor, a cook was in love with a beautiful maid servant Pelageya and they were living in the same house although they weren’t married. When Nikanor was drunk and had a violent temper he used to abuse and bit her. Sometimes, she had to hide herself to avoid misconduct from Nikanor being a person of

religious conviction, Nikanor insisted that Pelageya. However, she didn’t want to marry with Nikanor, rather she was ready to live with him just so, despite their contradictory (opposite) views and characters, they were in deep love with each other which was a great mystery.

Alyohin, the narrator, while studying at universities used to be in love with a university girl and was living with her in the same house. Although, Alyohin wanted to devote himself completely in love, the girl constantly used to think about monetary and household matters and about destiny of their love. He considered such behaviors in love would be the hindrance and source of irritation and dissatisfaction.

Alyohin also narrated his own love story with Anna Alexeyevna. On coming back home after graduation from university he found that the landed properties had been mortgaged by his father to meet his educational expenses. To pay off the debt, he decided to live in the village working in the farm. However, he had been elected an honorary justice of court of peace and had to go to the town frequently to participate in court session. Once he was invited to dinner by Mr. Luganovich, the assistant president of the court where Alyohin meet his wife Anna, he realized as if he had been familiar with Anna since his childhood. After the meeting, Alyohin started visiting Anna’s house very frequently and gradually they fall in love with each other. However, being trapped by their own reasons and logics because of fear of social criticism, they refrained from expressing their love to each other. Being tired of maintaining two relationships with her husband and Alyohin, Anna started exhibiting carelessness towards her family and became a patient of nervous prostration disease. She was advised to make medical treatment in Crimea. In the meanwhile, Luganovich got transfer order to western province.

To bid farewell to Anna, huge crowd was their at the railway station on the day of her departure. When she bade farewell to her husband, children and friends, Alyohin entered into the cabin to see her of f. When their eyes met, they couldn’t resist themselves from expressing their love to each other. In the mean while, the train started moving and Alyohin got down at next stoppage and moved homewards with heavy heart. On listening to his story, Alyohin’s friends concluded that he should devote himself in other profession rather than farming to keep him happy.

The writer by discussing three love story’s shows the mysterious nature of love, love is not confined and restricted by physical restriction because it is guided by emotion of human being. Showing restlessness of Alyohin who was a bachelor was in love with Anna despite the fact that she was mother of two children, the writer has provide that love is not confined by marital relationship.

Summary of The lamentation of the Old Pensioner | The Heritage of Words

UNIT ONE : LOVE AND REMINISCENCE
THE LAMENTATION OF THE OLD PENSIONER
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
W.B. Yeast

W.B Yeats in his poem The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner recollects his young and energetic youth and laments at his neglected state in his old age.

Understanding a long journey of life through ups and downs the poet feels tired, upset and heading a neglected life in his old age.  The poet in his old age now is companion less and protecting himself from the rain taking shelter under a broken tree. But in his young and colorful days in the past. The poet used to be surrounded by his friends discussing love and politics in such raining days. He was actively involved in politics and the political situation was calm and quiet during his time. He recollects the peaceful political situation of his time and

contracts the present violent political situation where people are collecting weapons and making conspiracy to over through the government to get power however, the poet is different about present political situation who is mentally thinking about cruel time that has transfigured him from young to old depriving him from enjoying his colorful life.      

The poet in his old age now feels neglected and lonely and struggles with difficulties of life alone. However, the memory of his glorious past days when he used to be the point of attention and attraction to everybody is still very fresh in his mind. Although, he is physically weak, old and disfigured now, his memory is still interact which time is not being able to remove from his mind. The poet considers that the time is responsible for his present neglected condition. Therefore, the poet expresses his anger with the time by splitting into its face for changing him from young to old.

Summary of Two Long-Term Problems : Too Many People, Too Few Trees | The Heritage of Words

UNIT TWO : ECOLOGY AND CHANGE
TWO LONG TERM PROBLEMS : TOO MANY PEOPLE, TOO FEW TREES
Moti Nissani

In the brief essay, Two Long Term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few Trees, Moti Nissani discusses two inter related problems they are, overpopulation and deforestation. With their impact showing several consequences of the twin problems, the writer makes us aware about our duties to solve them and to save the bio-sphere for our future generation.

Scientist from all over the world express their serious concern (worry) about present state of bio-sphere as human activities caused very serious damage on environment and on critical resources. With the introduction of modern medical facilities, nutrition and sanitation, the world’s population started growing more than 80 million per year. In Nepal only, in less than 50 years the population increases at the rate of 2.5% per year from 9 million to 25 million. If this alarming growth continuous unchecked, the population of Nepal will be 46 million by 2026 A.D. which would be very difficult for Nepal to accommodate. In order to feed more people, more forest, lands are destroyed in a very large scale. 

As a result, soil erosion, desertification, flood, landslide, tropical diseases, siltation of rivers and dams and mass migration are increasing. High growth of population has already polluted our food, air, water, rivers, soil, drains and farms. The chances of cancers and emphysema (lungs disease) and asthma are far higher now and we are suffering from pre-mature hearing loss. Lead and dioxide are causing serious effect on children’s intelligence and health. The world has already faced frightening problems such as desertification, acid rain, loss of wild species of plants and animals, ozone layer depletion and green house effect because of human caused pollution.

However the situation could be improved by controlling population and pollution, many factors such as modernization, effective family planning measures equal economic, educational and legal opportunities to woman will help to control the rapid population growth. In order to set this world for our future generation, we must save forest by reducing population pressure on it through effective family planning measures and educating people. We may also save the forest by making effective and strict laws with a provision to impose high tax on wood product and provision of incentive for pressuring forest. There should be a provision in the law to punish severely for destroying forest. Massive reforestation, another effective step will benefit the world in conserving biodiversity, pristine wildness and to minimize desertification, flood and weather extremes. By controlling population and saving forest, we may solve this planet for our future generation utilizing our knowledge to convert our wisdom, courage and passion into practice to turn this world into a heaven.

Summary of Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies | The heritage of Words

UNIT TWO : ECOLOGY AND CHANGE
FULL FATHOM FIVE THY FATHER LIES
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
W. Shakespeare

The poem "Full Fathom Five Thy Father Lies" is written by famous English poet and playwright (dramatist)William Shakespeare. This poem appears to be in Act-I, Scene-2 of his tragic comedy play The Tempest. Aerial sings this song to Ferdinand, the prince of Naples who mistakenly thinks that his father is drowned and arrives on the Solitary Island in search of his father.

Aerial says that the body of Ferdinand’s father keeps lying 30 ft. below in the sea. His bones are changed into precious corals and his eyes have been transformed into pearls. No part of his body has decayed but changed into something very strange and precious thing belonging to the sea. The sea nymphs are ringing the funeral bell every hour and morning the death of Ferdinand’s father.

Aerial consoles Ferdinand that even the death of his father becomes very meaningful because no part of his body is decayed rather changed into strange and very precious things of the sea. The poet in his poem expresses that death is the door step towards eternity which is an inevitable truth of life. Everyone has to confront (face) it, presenting the poem beautifully using various poetic devices, the poet expresses that even the death could be very meaningful it leads towards eternity and spiritual freedom.

Summary of Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star | The Heritage of Words

UNIT TWO : ECOLOGY AND CHANGE
HURRIED TRIP TO AVOID A BAD STAR
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
M. Lilla and C. Bishop Berry

American geographers M. Lilla and C. Bishop Barry in their essay Hurried trip to avoid a Bad Star present an exploration of Karnali zone of western Nepal on foot for 15 months. This essay was published as a visit report in The National Geographic as Karnali, The road less World of Western Nepal in 1971. The writers in this essay describe the life account of Karnali zone people, their daily life, their tradition and culture, their lack of awareness about environmental preservation and Karnali zone’s economic dependency with the plain region of south Nepal.

With a view to study above mentioned aspects, the writers move to plain of south Nepal with the peasants (farmers) who were going towards Nepalgunj for their daily provisions. They were carrying medicinal herbs, hand knitted sweaters and blankets etc. to sell in Nepalgunj while climbing step hill near Hari Lekh a Chhetri women of about 36 requested them to send her husband back home who left the house 15 years ago in search of job in the Terai. For this request revealed the concept of Karnali zone people about parameter of the world. In a Sal forest slope the writers noticed the chopping down trees from several direction which indicated the possibility of rapid deforestation in the region. On enquiry, the people explained their compulsion to chop down the trees to feed their animals which exposed their lack of education and ignorance about the importance of preservation of environment. The writers noticed a group of 8 or 9 men in a forest processingSilajit in order to sell in Nepalgunj. This superstitious people made a hurried trip from their home valley to avoid evil influence of bad star. On arrival in Nepalgunj the writers watched the hill people buying their daily provisions; one of them spent all his money buying distillery equipments with a hope to earn money by selling alcohol. The writers concluded their journey at Jumla. They expressed their concern on lack of awareness on Karnali zone people about protection of nature and about the need of educating people regarding this vital aspect. They expressed that Karnali zone people were living in very difficult place with a very low agricultural production. The writers suggested them to involve themselves in trade with the Terai region in order to make their life easy with satisfactory earning. 

Summary of Traveling Through the Dark | The Heritage of Words

UNIT TWO : ECOLOGY AND CHANGE
TRAVELING THROUGH THE DARK
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
William Stafford

“Traveling through the Dark” composed by William Stafford presents dual responsibilities of any person has possibility of facing: one self-entered and another community-centered. By the end, he moralizes that one has to make choice between the two, and such choice is also ways self-centered.

It was dark and the poet was traveling along the road by Wilson River. On the way, he saw a dead deer. He thought it would be better if he threw the deer into canyon because the road was very narrow and his returning would cause more deaths. Thinking of throwing, he got down from his car. And he went towards the deer. While the deer. While he dragged for the purpose of throwing, he saw that she was pregnant. This reality forced him to tough the deer’s side. He felt warmth and knew that her fawn was still alive. Consequently, he found difficulty in deciding. He looked towards his vehicles. It was aiming its parking light ahead, its engine was continuously purring. He stood there and tried to hear the sound of his friends coming but he could not. He thought for longer about himself and about his friends. He thought at returning also. But, at last, he pushed the deer into the river.

Summary of A Story | The Heritage of Words

UNIT THREE : HUMOUR AND SATIRE
A STORY
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Dylan Thomas

This humorous story is narrated by a very young who is living with his uncle and aunt. In this story, the boy presents the adults' world from a child’s point of view. This story is about a day’s outing to Porthcawl by motor coach. In the first part of the story, the boy describes his uncle and aunt using metaphors and similes. The uncle was big and noisy whereas his wife was small and quiet who used to move on padded paws. The boy compares his uncle with a buffalo and a dismantle ship. He compared his aunt with her cat because of her quick and quiet movement and with a mouse because of her nibbling habit and tiny tone.

Every Saturday night after heated arguments, the aunt used to hit the uncle on the head after the uncle lifted her on to a chair. The boy also describes uncle’s few friends in the story. Mr. Benjamin Franklyn collected the money for the outing and bought 20 cases of light wine. Will Sentry kept a strict vigil on Benjamin by following him everywhere in order to guard the money. One Sunday evening Benjamin and Will Sentry came to uncle with a list of persons who had paid for the outing for his approval. After their departure, the aunt asked the uncle to choose either her or the outing. The uncle however chose the outing at which she became furious at breakfast. The next Sunday the boy found that the aunt had already left the house.

Finally the boy describes that the uncle and his friends made a trip to Porthcawl for the outing. When they were out of the village for their destination, they found that old O’Jones had been left behind and they had to go back to the village to pick up him. After O’Jones got on, Mr. Weazely wanted to go home to take his teeth. However his friends convinced him that the teeth wouldn’t be necessary for him in the outing. On the way to the Porthcawl they stopped at every public house (Bar) and drank alcohol heaving the boy outside as children were not allowed into the bars on seem a river on the way they went swimming there. They didn’t actually arrive at Porthcawl on the way home, it was already hate everything. Old O’Jones started cooking his dinner with kerosene stove and other members started drinking alcohol sitting in a circle in front of closed bar. The boy began to sleep leaning on his uncle’s waist coat.

The writer in the story is also able to create humor by describing the uncle, aunt, uncle’s friends and their behavior. However, the writer points out towards the bitter aspect connected with human behavior and habit of drinking alcohol. Alcoholic drink may change people’s behavior making them selfish, cruel and indifferent towards others suffering. Alcohol brings the nice atmosphere of uncle’s family on the verge of breakfast. Uncle and his friends also exhibited cruelty towards the small boy after drinking alcohol as they were totally careless about him during the entire trip.

Summary of The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship | The Heritage of Words

UNIT THREE : HUMOUR AND SATIRETHE LAST VOYAGE OF THE GHOST SHIP
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Garcia Marquez

Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his story The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship which is written in Stream of consciousness style of writing describes the growth of an ordinary boy to an assertive (strong and confident) young man. 

Many years ago, at night in the month of March the boy saw very large ship without light and sound while moving towards sandy beach near the village the boy saw the ship breaking and sinking into the sea but he didn’t hear any sound. The boy thought that he had a bad dream in the previous night as he didn’t see any wreckage at the place where the ship broke into pieces. The boy saw the same ship appearing

at the same place and destroying like previous year and he was sure that he wasn’t dreaming. He told his mother about the ship but she didn’t believe him and thought her son became crazy. His mother used to spend almost her night sitting on her chair after the death of her husband 11 years ago. As the chair was very old she brought second hand chair from the market. But she died that very night sitting on the newly bought chair. Four more women from the same village also died sitting on the same chair. So the chair was thrown into the sea considering it is an evil chair. After the death of his mother the boy became orphan and started stealing fish form the boats to survive rather than depending on the charity of the villagers who had hated him.

A few years later at night in the month of March the boy saw the same ship while watching the ship. He shouted loudly calling the villagers to watch the ship. But when the villagers reached there, the ship had already broken and sunk into the sea. The poor boy was beaten badly for disturbing and scaring the villagers at midnight. The boy made a plan to show that them the ship so that they would believe him. A few years later in the same night of March, the boy stole a boat and kept waiting for the ship where he had seen in last year. When the ship arrived he lit a lamp on his boat, the ship followed the light and the boy let the ship towards his village. When the ship brought near the village, he blew its large whistle and lit all the lights. All the villagers wake up because of the sound and started coming out of their houses. The ship came onto the ground by the village and stopped moving in front of the church, then all the villagers saw the ship and believed the boy, the boy became very happy.

Summary of God's Grandeur | The Heritage of Words

UNIT FOUR : GOD AND MAN
GOD'S GRANDEUR
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Gerard Manley Hopkins

God’s Grandeur by an English poet G.M. Hopkins describes the majestic deeds of God. He claims that God is omnipresent (present everywhere) and omnipotent (the most powerful). The good deeds on earth are also the results of these qualities of God. Thought human beings continuously destroy nature, it is never spent.

The world is full of the greatness of God. Due to His greatness, the world shines like ‘a shook foil’. It gathers to greatness, as it is full of resources. Despite this fact, human beings act adversely. They don’t follow the commands of God; rather they function to destroy the world. Earlier generations destroyed the earth and so is the case with the present generation.

They act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deeds, the earth and so is the case with the present generation, they act as if they are not rational creatures. As a result of their deed, the earth has become dry; it has the smell of human beings instead of its natural smell. Indeed the earth has reached to the verge of destruction. Nevertheless, the world is not completely destroyed. Because of the freshness that is inside things. Nature keeps on regenerating. The sun sets in the evening only to reappear in the morning. These all happenings are the results of the god’s protection. He protects the earth just like a bird broods over the eggs.

The poet is of the opinion that human beings acts are always directed towards destruction: knowingly or unknowingly they destroy though human beings destroy, the nature regenerates because of the omnipresent and omnipotent nature of god.

Summary of I Have A Dream | The Heritage of Words

UNIT FIVE : HUMAN RIGHTS
I HAVE A DREAM
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr-known for his policy of passive resistant and oratorical skills, a leader of black people and campaigner of civil rights-delivered the speech “I have a dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. King states that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation frees the slaves announced on 22 September 1862, American Constitution drew up in 1787 preserving of individual and federal states’ rights and Declaration of Independence based on unalienable rights; Life, Liberty and Pursuit of happiness issued on 4 July 1776 were limited on the paper but the implementation was strictly beyond from the people and nation. So King assists his views to provide freedom and equality to black peoples and eliminate the racial injustice by developing the sense of brother hood and sister hood and unity among black and white.

King questions on the implementation of written rights stating that Negros are still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and chains of discrimination. They are neglected and are in exile in their own land. For freedom and equality, until the Negros is granted their citizenship rights, they will continue their non-violence revolution. In the response, they must forever conduct their struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline and allow their creative protest to degenerate in to physical force with soul force. Their action should not cause any distrust in among the white people because their destiny is tied up with the destiny of the white. So they should develop the sense of our.

The black people will be satisfied when they are not oppressed by the police brutality guided by white. When they are tired they must get lodging in the Motels and Hotels. They should be allowed to go where the whites go and get the rights to vote with the sense of why they are voting. King reinforces the people to keep the fighting until they get justice and they are created equal. His dream is deeply rooted in the American dream which gives the priority on material prosperity. It is a dream of freedom and equality, Justice and security, and dream of the land where the content of character is more important than color of skin. All the racists will no longer believe in color. The black and the whites will work together, eat together and they will be brothers and sisters. All the differences will disappear. There will be a sweet music of liberty which will be common of the Americans guided/inspired by Negros spirit resounding all over the country. At last they will all be free.

Summary of Women's Business | The Heritage of Words

UNIT SIX : WOMEN AND CHILDREN
WOMEN'S BUSINESS
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Ilene Kantrov

Ilene Kandrov in her essay Women’s Business paints the portraits of Lydia E. Pinkham and other business women who have been successful in American business world. The women discussed in the essay were not only business women but also involved in social service particularly in educating people about issues and problems related to women. However it was clear that their interest in making money was more important than their interest in improving society.

Most of the business women used lavish and misleading advertisement for improving their business. For example, Lydia E. Pinkham who was in favor of stopping people in drinking alcohol sold her products that it was very alcoholic. She put steps into the business field with self invented machine called Lydia E. Pinkham’s vegetable compound. She claimed that her machine was complete remedy for all kind of diseases faced by women. She also took advantages of woman weakness to improve her business. By using different new techniques she activated the women in America and established herself in very respectable position in American business and secured a place for a lady in male dominated world of commerce. 

Like Pinkham her followers also successfully utilized their images of being woman to promote their business. Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden who were rivals used to sell cosmetic products. They arranged their managers with European aristocrats with wide publicity in order to promote their business. In addition to skin care products and cosmetics, they ran salon (beauty parlour) sold readymade clothes and render advice on nutrition and exercise. Rubinstein published a book describing good food habit to keep own self beautiful and healthy which she distributed with her products.

Jeeni Grossinger owned a resort hotel famous for its good food and entertainment and served more than one lakh fifty thousand customers per year. Mergaut Rudkin, considering the need to support her husband’s income began to sell additive free breads was able to establish herself in good position of American business and earning a lot of money. Gertude Muller sold entire line of child care products and distribution pamphlets on child raring with her products. Doctors and home economy instructions supported her in distributing the pamphlets which help her to get wide publicity and to earn money securing respectable position in the society. Annie Turnbo Malone, a black American lady sold a hair dressing preparation making hair look nice. She also develops a new business strategy by forming a network of authorized agents. She established a school for training her agents in her Pro System of Hair Dressing and claimed that the school was for the upliftment of black people.

Many of the business women utilized their profit for the benefit of the society Turnbo Malone, Helena Rubinstein and Jenni Grossinger were noted philanthropists who contribution Lavishly to school, hospital and cultural organization. Because of the misleading publicity of business women about their products the government was compelled to regulate agency FOA and FTC to control such practices. The writer says that the American women were able to introduce feminine role in the male dominant world of commerce. They are also able to establish themselves in respectable positions in American society. 

Summary of The Children Who Wait | The Heritage of Words

UNIT SIX : WOMEN AND CHILDREN
THE CHILDREN WHO WAIT
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Marsha Traugot

‘The Childern who wait’ is an essay written by Marsha Traugot. In this essay, she suggests reasons for a new trend in adoption in America. Now a wider verity of families can open their house to children who in the past would have been labeled unadoptable.

In the beginning of her essay she quotes an advertisement related to a five and half year’s old girl- Tammy. She is a handicapped black girl and she is beyond infancy.  After giving her description Traugot carries out the history about adoption .Twenty years ago or until about 1960 the process of adoption was strict. If a child was not white that would not adopted. Adoption was done only of the child that was infant and healthy. A family having older siblings could not also take a child in adoption. Similarly, only middle or upper class childless white couples could adopt healthy white infants.

      

           But in the last 20 years the field of adoption has undergone radical change because of various civil rights movement, birth control, changing moral and social science researches. The numbers of healthy infants available for adoption have reduced due to birth control, legalized abortion, changes in attitudes towards sexual behavior and marriage. Unwed mothers and teenagers could keep their babies with them without insult. Then there was scarcity of the healthy children people turned their attention to other children.

Child welfare specialists became increasingly concerned about other handicapped children. Black civil rights movement encouraged interracial adoption. So the number of children in foster care dramatically increased. It created disastrous results to the children sent in foster care. So the focus of the system was changed and the social workers started finding the ideal adoptive family. In the present time, the social workers also try to match the children with adoptive family. They evaluate the characteristics of the child and search a suitable (appropriate) family.

   The essayist also says that in seeking to match child and family, the social worker must overcome his/her own attitudinal barriers .in the present time there are many  adoption agencies that find the potential adoptive parents. These agencies look first to the families listed with them. If there are also no likely candidates the child can register with regional state of adoption exchange. Sometimes they also organize parties where children, workers and prospective parents meet informally. If the prospective family cannot be found to a child even after doing these processes to the child is advertised with the help of media. This technique has helped much to provide homes to the children who wait.

         

Because of the changes in attitudes in different aspects as well as in the field of adoption many children have got the supportive families and writer also hopes that Tammy will also get a warm supportive family life in the near future.

Summary of A Child In Born | The Heritage of Words

UNIT SIX : WOMEN AND CHILDREN
A CHILD IS BORN
ENGLISH : THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Germaine Greer

This essay is an extract from the book “Sex and Destiny” written by a feminist writer Germaine Greer. In this essay, she presents a comparison between the parent-child relationship in the rich west and the traditional East. She shows the differences between a traditional society and a modern society in matters of pregnancy, child birth and child rearing. She tends to consider the matrimonial practices of the traditional societies as having greater advantages than those of western attitudes. Her main opinion is that in the traditional societies the people who surround a pregnant woman make her feel good and lessen her mental pain.

A pregnant woman of the traditional society in the east does not feel alone while she is pregnant because other people also support her. But in the modern society of the west the woman herself should observe her pregnancy. In this society the birth of the child is also unattended and it is done at hospital. But in traditional society the birth is always attended. The people of traditional society use their own experiences in matters of matrimonial practices.

In many traditional societies, after marriage the bride goes to live with the mother-in-low and the wives of her husband’s brothers. She is not thought as member of new families until she has to birth a child. So the bride also longs for the child, but western people think that such mores (custom) are backward, cruel and wrong. The reality is that in western society, too, woman loses her surname after the marriage. Her surname is changed under her husband’s name. In many traditional societies the relationship between mother and child is more important than the relationship between husband and wife. In some such societies the child’s relationship with the rest of his family is more important than with his parents. His physical intimacy with other members may be greater than with his parents.

In the traditional society the child birth is celebrated as a ceremony. It is also thought as the success of the woman. The woman goes to her mother’s house where she is provided everything that she desires. Such tradition can be found in Bengal. But child birth is not celebrated in this way in modern society. There is the present of nostalgic tone in woman in this society.

In the present time the import of western medicine in traditional society has been a great problem. The allopathic doctors are providing expensive drugs in peasant communities, but they are not in sufficient quantity. Modern hospitals have been made by foreign aid in traditional society. But the services in those hospitals are very poor, so the woman is getting great difficulties at the time of child birth (delivery). it is true that death attends too frequently in the traditional birth places, but there are worse fates than death in hospitals. Now modern western technology is forcefully intruding in traditional society but it is true that there is the population explosion soon.

Summary of The Tell-Tale Heart | The Heritage of Words

UNIT SEVEN : CRIME AND CONFESSION
THE TELL TALE HEART
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Edgar Allan poe

Edgar Allan Poe's story The Tell – Tale Heart presents murderous act done by a boy and confessions done later. Poe describe that our heart really can hide the inner reality. Despite desire of secrecy, our heart reveals what there is.

Summary:The narrator claims that he is not mad as he could hear things in the heaven, earth and hell. To justify him saint, he confesses dangerous crime he has committed.

The narrator and the old man used to reside together; they had very good relationship. The boy used to love the man very much. The old man also used to treat him well. The only thing that irritated the boy was the eye of him. To end the consequences, he went to the old man's room continuously for seven days. But returned, as he could not see the eyes of the man. In the morning he spoke politely and behaved as if nothing had happened. On the eighth nights, he as usual went there with torchlight. He did every thing stealthy and cautiously. Despite it, he happened to touch tin fastening, which dropped and disturbed the sleep of the man. In desperation, he asked who it was. The boy remained speechless and motionless. A little later his sense brought him the reason that the old man easy asleep again, he aimed the beam towards the old man's eyes. As he saw them, he grew angry. He then, jumped towards the man, dragged the man and pressed his neck with bed. At last, he dismembered the old man's dead body and put it under the plank. After it, he cleaned the place spotlessly clean. It was already four when he finished the task. At four, the three policemen appeared and rang the bell. The boy went there; welcome them bought to his room and took to every nook and corner of his house. The policemen didn't suspect any wrong there. The boy took them to the spot where he had hidden the corpse of the old man. He cordially asked them to sit on the chair, which he had kept there. He sat there just over the plank whereas policeman continued talking with smiling face. The boy, at the mean time, heard sound coming from beneath. He desired to reduce the loudness of the sound. For this purpose, he spoke louder; though it didn't do any good. He felt the sound growing; he felt the policemen’s smile as the smile of mockery. It became unbearable for him to keep the reality secret. H thought it better to confess than to hide. Eventually he confessed the crime.

Summary of Purgatory | The Heritage of Words

UNIT SEVEN : CRIME AND CONFESSION
PURGATORY
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
William Butler Yeats

W. B. Yeats "Purgatory" deals on the theme of crime and confession. He presents the predicament of a family; the family whose history is pathetic; present and future is also similar to the past. He shows the spirit suffering because of the wrong deeds of the past. Moreover, he depicts what a person does to relieve the soul from purgatory.

Summary:The boy and his father walk on the moonlight night; they are near a ruined house. Pointing towards the house, the old man describes the past of it. The house used to be occupied by his mother and her husband. The mother of the old man had married with the groom of the stable as soon as she met him. The man later turned out to be a drunkard and gambler. Due to drinking and gambling he emptied everything she had. The mother died during giving birth to him. The father continued his misdeed, which

at last resulted into the complete destruction of house. Because of fear-the fear of his son becoming greater than him, he didn't send him to school. When he was sixteen, his father burnt down the house. This situation creates anger in the boy. As a result the old man got killed with a knife. The boy then became a peddler. The old man tells his bastard son that the night is the anniversary of mother's wedding. As he finishes telling his son about the past, a shadow appears to which the man can only see. A little later her husband also appears, and they both proceed towards room. The old man objects to the way they go inside. After the incident is over the boy talks about property he has acquired. The bastard son demands for his share in property of his father, which is denied by him. I arises anger in him. As a result he takes moneybag from his father. A quarrel starts between them; the boy gets killed at last with the knife of the old man. The old man, after it, addresses his mother and claims that he has ended the consequences. He hopes that the soul of mother would be purified.

Summary of Hansel and Gretel | The Heritage of Words

UNIT EIGHT : PLAYING WITH THE TEXT
HANSEL AND GRETEL
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Jacob and Wilhelm

A poor woodcutter used to live with his second wife and two children called Hansel and Gretel. Once, when the country was in famine father was really in trouble to maintain the family. His wife wasn’t even worried a little about the children. She rather insisted her husband to desert them into the dense forest. The woodcutter didn’t like the idea but he had to accept his wife’s proposal. The children overheard their parents and Hansel collected jacket full of shiny pebbles. The next morning, he dropped the pebbles on the way while going to the forest. When they reached the middle of the forest, the parents collected firewood, kindled fire and left the children promising to return soon with firewood. The children soon fell asleep. When they woke up, it was already dark. Gretel began to cry and Hansel consoled her. As the moon shone in the sky, they saw the pebbles shining brightly. Following the trail of pebbles they finally reached their home.

After a few months, the country was again affected by famine and the children overheard their parents’ plan to leave them in the forest again. As the door was bolted from outside, Hansel couldn’t go outside to get pebbles this time. In the morning, when they were taken to the forest he scrambled the bread and dropped the pieces on the way. The parents left them in the forest promising them to come back soon. When the children woke in the evening, they couldn’t find the pieces of bread as they had been eaten away by birds. They were lost in the forest. They wandered for three days trying to find out the way to come out of the forest. 

Finally, they came to a little house made of sugar and bread in the middle of the forest where a witch used to live. When the hungry children started eating the door and window of the house, the witch took them in and offered them food and rest. The witch wanted Hansel to become fat so that she could eat his meat. Even elapsing four weeks, when Hansel didn’t become fat, she decided to eat him. When she asked Gretel to check the readiness of the oven, Gretel requested her to demonstrate how to check it. When the witch entered into the oven, Gretel pushed the witch and locked her from outside. When the witch died, Gretel freed Hansel and they escaped away after collecting the jewels from the witch’s room. Finally, when they came back home, they found that their step mother had already been dead. So they lived happily with their father.

Summary of Hansel and Gretel | The Heritage of Words

UNIT EIGHT : PLAYING WITH THE TEXT
HANSEL AND GRETEL
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
Jacob and Wilhelm

A poor woodcutter used to live with his second wife and two children called Hansel and Gretel. Once, when the country was in famine father was really in trouble to maintain the family. His wife wasn’t even worried a little about the children. She rather insisted her husband to desert them into the dense forest. The woodcutter didn’t like the idea but he had to accept his wife’s proposal. The children overheard their parents and Hansel collected jacket full of shiny pebbles. The next morning, he dropped the pebbles on the way while going to the forest. When they reached the middle of the forest, the parents collected firewood, kindled fire and left the children promising to return soon with firewood. The children soon fell asleep. When they woke up, it was already dark. Gretel began to cry and Hansel consoled her. As the moon shone in the sky, they saw the pebbles shining brightly. Following the trail of pebbles they finally reached their home.

After a few months, the country was again affected by famine and the children overheard their parents’ plan to leave them in the forest again. As the door was bolted from outside, Hansel couldn’t go outside to get pebbles this time. In the morning, when they were taken to the forest he scrambled the bread and dropped the pieces on the way. The parents left them in the forest promising them to come back soon. When the children woke in the evening, they couldn’t find the pieces of bread as they had been eaten away by birds. They were lost in the forest. They wandered for three days trying to find out the way to come out of the forest. 

Finally, they came to a little house made of sugar and bread in the middle of the forest where a witch used to live. When the hungry children started eating the door and window of the house, the witch took them in and offered them food and rest. The witch wanted Hansel to become fat so that she could eat his meat. Even elapsing four weeks, when Hansel didn’t become fat, she decided to eat him. When she asked Gretel to check the readiness of the oven, Gretel requested her to demonstrate how to check it. When the witch entered into the oven, Gretel pushed the witch and locked her from outside. When the witch died, Gretel freed Hansel and they escaped away after collecting the jewels from the witch’s room. Finally, when they came back home, they found that their step mother had already been dead. So they lived happily with their father.

Summary of The Boarding House | The Heritage of Words

UNIT EIGHT : PLAYING WITH THE TEXT
THE BOARDING HOUSE
ENGLISH | THE HERITAGE OF WORDS
James Joyce

James Joyce in the story The Boarding House recollects his own days of youth in Dublin by drawing the characters of Mr. Doran and Mrs. Mooney.

Mrs. Mooney was a butcher’s daughter who married to the foreman of his father’s meat shop. After the death of her father, her husband started drinking alcohol and spending monkey from the shop. He started quarrelling with Mrs. Mooney in the presence of customers and soon ruined the business by selling bad meat. Once her husband chased her with large knife in order to kill her and she had to protect herself by hiding in neighbours house. After that incident, Mrs. Mooney left her husband, sold the meat shop and started a boarding house. 

Most of the people staying in her boarding house were the workers from the city. Mr. Doran, an employee of an office used to live in the same house. Mrs. Mooney had a 19 years old daughter called Polly Mooney who helped her mother in doing the household work and running the boarding house. Mr. Doran was having a love affair with Polly Mooney. Mrs. Mooney was aware about the love affair but she kept pretending to be unknown about the affair, there by allowing them to proceed ahead in their affair Mrs. Mooney actually wanted Mr. Doran to marry her daughter. Finally, Mrs. Mooney asked about the affair to her daughter and Polly Mooney revealed everything about their love affair to her mother. Mrs. Mooney was happy but the love affair as Mr. Doran would have to marry her. If he didn’t agree to marry her, he would probably lose his job as the love affair was known to everyone in the city. Analyzing all the aspects of the situation, Mrs. Mooney called Mr. Doran in order to convince him to marry her daughter. Although, he was reluctant to marry miss Polly Mooney because of her education and family background. He was under pressure to accept the proposal because of the prevailing situation as the affair was already known to everybody. When Mrs. Mooney was trying to persuade Mr. Doran, Ms. Polly Mooney was making a future plan of life with Mr. Doran being very happy.

About Love by Anton Chekov

Posted on 25/03/2013

Primary characters
Nikanor, Alyohin, Luganovich, Anna, Pelageya………what kind of characters do you find within them and can you establish a relationship in between and among them?
Why the writer makes an ordinary man like Alyohin as the central character of his story?
What kinds of differences do you find in the love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya and Alyohin ad Anna?
Do you see Anna as a woman is more submissive to the patriarchy and tradition of the contemporary Russian society?
What is the central idea of the story “About Love”?
In the story “About Love” Anton Chekov tries to establish a model of an ideal love in the platonic level or spiritual level. The tenderness, attraction, and love between two souls should go beyond the transitory hindrances of the material world. In the ordinary world, relationship and love have so many distracters such as sensual pleasure, material needs etc which limit the meaning of love. So, the writer highlights that the sense spiritual love which should go beyond the level of needs of this world.
The love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya is full of turmoil. Nikanor is fully committed to the religious conviction and fails to meet the desires of Pelageya. On the other hand, Pelageya is much more erotic which is against the faith of Nikanor. Both the lovers are engaged in the ordinary needs. Likewise, the affair between Alyohin and Anna is also conditioned because of social norms.
At the one hand, because of Alyohin’s poor economic conditions and his too much consciousness about social norms, Alyohin also fails to express his sense of love towards Anna. In contrast to Alyohin’situation, Anna too can not express her desire with Alyohin. Anna instead suppresses her emotions as generally a submissive woman does in male dominated society. Both the lovers’ inability to articulate the sense of love for each other is because of their mundane conditions. In the final part of the story, when Alyohin realizes the meaning of love in terms of spiritual level, he is already late.
Alyohin is a squirrel trapped in a cage, do you believe?
Firstly, Alyohin is like a squirrel trap in a cage because he fails to go out from the house due to rain. He has to tell stories in a compulsive situation. Secondly having a graduate degree, he cannot run an advanced life like a scholar since he is in trap of creditor. Thirdly, he fails to show his affection to Anna. It is because Alyonhin is too much conscious about social dogmas and values along with is the poor economic situation.
Writer’s rhetoric in the story- Style of writing
Rhetoric in the story “About Love” refers to writer’s way or style of delivering the story. Here, framing technique is essential.
In both the love stories, action is silenced. Inaction (friction) prevails throughout the story. The love between Nikanor and Pelageya do not have a concrete solution. In the same way, the affair between Alyonhin and Anna is too slow to progress.
Study the use of realism in the story for effectiveness of the story or character portrayal.
Why ordinary man?
Chekov’s use of the common man as the primary character in the story is, he simply wants to depict the pictures of ordinary people. Through the medium of common people the writer tries to touch or explore how normal people are living in the world, are they really living painful life, do they able to express their needs and emotions frankly or do they suppress their desires, if they suppress then why and what are the reasons. Therefore, unless and until people do not understand or study about how common people are living life, it is impossible to understand the real suffering of common people. Just reading about scholar, high profile artist, public figure or leaders do not reveal the situation of everyday life of mass people.

@ Character sketch of Alyohin. [2062-10]

                Alyohin, a bachelor and a university graduate, lived in Sofinyo working labourously in his farm. He had to work in his farm to pay the debt that his father had spent on his education. He desired a civilized living of the upper class but could not afford it. In the past while he was a university student, he fell in love with a girl who only loved his money. Since he was elected honorary justice of the peace, he often visited town to take part in assizes and sessions. Once he was invited to the home of Luganovich to dine. There he met Anna Alexeyevna , aged 22 and married to Luganovich. They fell in love with each other but could not express their love. They chatted for hours, went to the theatre together but they parted coldly the next time. Later Anna suffered from nervous prostration and was sent to Crimea for treatment. During her departure, Alyohin had courage to confess his love and kissed her, but had to part with her forever.

                Alyohin's vision of love is shaped by his own love affair. He thinks that when people are in love, they ask whether it is honorable or dishonorable , sensible or stupid , and what their love will lead to . For him, this reasoning is the source of dissatisfaction and irritation. He thinks that love is a great mystery. When one is in love, one should start love from higher, without reasoning whether their love is sin or virtue, or whether it brings happiness or unhappiness. According to him to what extent personal happiness counts in love is uncertain, it differs from person to person.

                Alyohin is like a squirrel in a cage. He is trapped by reason, middle class morality and poverty. He is a man-of-thought. He fears to express his love to Anna because he is too much thoughtful about society's moral standards. He sacrifices his love thinking that his marriage to Anna Alexeyevna would ruin the lives of her, her children, her mother and her husband. He fears that he could not make her happy in his country house.

The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner” is a philosophical poem composed by W.B. Yeats, a famous 20^th century modern Irish poet. In the poem, the poet has proven that time is supreme and nothing can stand before time. The poet also suggests that everybody likes to be young and nobody likes to be old. But it is time that makes us old one day. So, the poet presents his reminiscences of the past events and experiences of his young life. He becomes very sad when he compares and contrasts his time of youth with the present old age. He finds old age more painful and lonely than his young life.

According to the poem, the poet has now become old. He takes shelter under a broken tree because he has not got any other places for shelter. He remembers his good old unforgettable days with friends. In the past while he was young, he used to talk about love and politics among his friends. Many beautiful women loved him. So, his past was romantic and unforgettable. Now, he laments over his life because not a single woman comes near to him to talk about love. Nobody likes him and lives near him. At the present moment, he has become a matter of hatred. Therefore, he is sad and dissatisfied with his old age. His bygones days are like a dream to him.

At present people are busy to make weapons to fulfill their treacherous plan. They are busy to do some conspiracy. They are raising their voices against human tyranny. But the mind of the old man is filled with the experiences of the unforgettable past. When he compares present life with the past life he realizes that ‘Time has transfigured him from strong, energetic, vigorous and high spirited youth to a helpless, lonely and weak creature. Now, he has completely changed due to the course of ‘Time’ because it has the power to change us from young to old. At the present moment, his condition is miserable. He realizes that everything is changed because of time. So, he becomes angry to the time and wants to spit into the face of ‘Time’. He says, “I want to spit into the face of time/that has transfigured me”.

Though the cruel time reduces a person from young to old one, it cannot seize one’s memories. So, at this point the poet feels superior to the time and does not want to surrender in front of the time – rather wants to spit into the face of the time.

Thus, the poem makes us aware that we all become old one day and lament like the old pensioner due to the nature of ‘Time’. But we should not lament over the old age rather we should try to celibate it.