PROSE: THE KEY TO COURAGE by I.A.R. WYLIE

 

UG IV SEMESTER :  PROSE:  THE KEY TO COURAGE by  I.A.R. WYLIE

 

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:

*INTRODUCTION

*SIGNIFICANCE OF FEAR

*AUTHOR’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

*SOLDIER’S FEAR

*NOEL’S EXPERIENCE

*FEAR OF LOSING JOB

*CONCLUSION

 

INTRODUCTION: Ida Alexa Ross Wylie, better known as I.A.R Wylie, was one of the most respected authors of her generation.  She lost her mother very early, and was later raised by her father.  She had no formal education.  She was given large numbers of books to read and was taught to rely on her instincts until she was in her teens.  Many of her storied and novels turned into movie, the most famous being Keeper of the Flame (1942).  In this essay, the author feels that fear can be useful to kindle our courage to do our best.

SIGNIFICANCE OF FEAR:According to I.A.R Wylie fear play a vital role in bringing out our hidden capacities.  She asked a question to herself “When was I (author) happiest? She came upon with an unexpected answer; she enjoyed herself the most when she was badly scared.  Fear makes it possible to trust in one’s own self to face difficulty or danger.  As a young child she was fearless and she had an unusual upbringing.  She was isolated from children and she use to travel all alone.  When she first went to school at the age of fourteen, she caught fear from the other children brought up by orthodox methods might catch mumps and measles.  She turned very nervous and shy.  But, whenever she met with danger, her fear aroused in her with unsuspected powers.

AUTHOR’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: When Wylie first went to United States her publishers expected her to give a speech during a public dinner, she was almost sick with fear.  Her tongue was tied up with shyness. Later she gave speech like a practiced speaker.  She realized that she needed fear to spur (encourage) her talents.  Even the actors, singers and public performers agree that unless they fear they are not likely to give a good performance.

SOLDIER’S FEAR: Bravest soldiers are not ‘fearless’.  It is found that soldiers are those who go to battle sweating with fear.  Army doctors observed that it is not the tough guy who endure the stress of war, but those who imagine fearful consequences to themselves and to others for whom they are responsible.  “Fear when rightly used is the father of courage”.

      In 1942, she was invited by British government with several other writers to observe how Britain stood during various difficult situations.  She was afraid to travel by flight to Great Britain during the war time.  But, after her journey she felt refreshing and vigorous.  Without fear there is no real courage.  It is the power to face any kind of challenge in life.  Fear stimulates our energy and mind.

NOEL’S EXPERIENCE: An English writer, Noel Streatfield once told her that she was on her way to Singapore by ship and the passengers became very unfriendly through her journey.  The captain met Noel on the deck and asked her to give a hint to the passengers that the ship might suffer from the teeth of a hurricane (cyclone/storm).  After hearing it the passengers developed high spirits and good temper with her through her journey.

FEAR OF LOSING JOB: The author’s friend was nervous and shy.  One day when he was called to the office of his vice-president, his worry turned into fear.  Worry isn’t same as the fear.  A change came over him and he faced his superiors in a light- headed mood.  The interview ended in a handshake and her friend was promoted afterwards.

CONCLUSION: Fear has spurred him to do at his best.  Fear when rightly used can do miracles in life.  Fear can make humans to develop superhuman qualities.  Thus ‘Fear is the Father of Courage’.

 

POETRY 1 IF BY RUDYARD KIPLING

 

 

POETRY:  IF by RUDYARD KIPLING

 

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:

*INTRODUCTION

*DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE

*TO PURSUE ONE’S GOALS IN LIFE

*NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE

*IDEAL APPROACH IN LIFE

*CONCLUSION

 

INTRODUCTION: Rudyard Kipling is an eminent poet, novelist and short story writer. ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Kim’ are some of his well-known works ‘If’ is a didactic poem that gives instructions on how to become an ideal man. Each of the four stanzas deals with different life situations and tells the best way to handle them. It was written in 1895 and first published in ‘Rewards and Fairies’ in 1910. The poem is written in the form of a father’s advice to his son. The poet wanted to show his son the right way to be a future leader.

DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE: In Stanza one, Kipling tells that we should be confident about the decisions we make by taking responsibility for them. If we need to be a good human being and succeed in life, we should learn to keep calm when other people around us are losing their cool. We should learn not to lose our temper even if others are blaming us for their faults. One can think wisely and face tough situations and come up with solutions by staying calm and collected. During times of crisis, we should have the courage to take responsibilities for our actions that have produced the undesired results.

The poet asks us to develop enough confidence to believe in oneself and our potential even if the others have given up on us. But at the same time, we should give some importance to their doubts too. However, the poet warns us against getting over-confident as it will stop us from listening to the valuable suggestions of others.

All monumental things take time and it is essential to have patience. We must not get tired of waiting for our plans to achieve success. We have numerous real life examples where people missed big opportunities only because they lost their patience. Moreover, we should not indulge in lies though others may do so. We should continue to remain truthful. Though people may hate us, we should not hate them. On the contrary we should show our love and respect towards them. It is better to look for the positive things in people. The poet says we should avoid showing off to impress others or people will avoid us.

TO PURSUE ONE’S GOALS IN LIFE: Stanza Two states that in order to pursue one’s goals in life, we should learn the difference between being ambitious and being power-crazy. We must not get over ambitious. If we aim to achieve something big in life, we need to dream. But we should not let dreams remove us from reality. We should be able to think over things but merely thinking should not be our aim. We should also stay focused and make our thoughts real.  

Life is a combination of success and failure, joy and sorrow, good times and bad times. We should be brave and learn to treat both equally. Success and Failure are a part and parcel of life and not permanent. The poet calls them impostors or pretenders since both success and failure have a disguise of permanence which makes a person feel either too optimistic or broken down. We should treat both success and failure in the same way and not let them get to our head.  Very often people become too happy with success and forget their duty. If we are ready to accept these small victories and be satisfied with the little successes that may come our way, we can never reach great heights.

If we are very unhappy over our misfortunes, we may lose faith and confidence both in ourselves and others. Again, at bad times, if we are too grieved, we may lose our faith and confidence.

The road to attaining one’s goals is never an easy one and is filled with hurdles. Very often we see people twist our words and use it to suit them. Instead of losing our temper at such things, we need to be more patient and tolerant towards them while continuing to speak the truth.

On our path to success we might have to encounter failures which might wipe away everything that we have achieved. When our efforts are wasted and we are left to pick up the pieces, we need to be patient and tough mentally so we can build something good, anew.

NEVER GIVE UP ATTITUDE:In the third stanza, the poet gives an important life’s advice of never giving up in life. Life is unpredictable and filled with ups and downs. The poet asks us not to keep away from challenges just because we are scared that we might lose what we already have.

We should be brave enough to take everything we have gained and risk it on a game of pitch- and –toss.  Though we may lose everything we own, we have to stay calm and rebuild it from the beginning. Here the poet talks about the capability of taking big risks to achieve much greater success and keeping quiet even if we lose the bet. Willpower is the only key to persistence in spite of loss. If a man is determined to do something great, the Willpower would prevent the body from getting tired.

IDEAL APPROACH IN LIFE:  In the final stanza, the poet discusses the ideal approach in life after success has been attained.A great man is someone who fit into all sections of the society effortlessly. We should be able to talk to the common people without losing our individuality and moral values. We should also be able to walk with kings without going beyond the reach of the common people. The common touch would help us realize the reality and feel the needs of the society. On the other hand, the noble touch would give us the power and opportunity to reach higher goals.

By building ourselves very strong mentally and physically, we can ensure that neither enemies nor loving friends can hurt us. We should also develop a healthy relationship with everyone around us, and should not allow anyone to harm us.

The poet ends the poem with the parting advice that one must become the master of one’s own Time by ensuring maximum productivity even in the smallest unit of Time. A minute is filled with sixty seconds. Time is unforgiving to anyone who wastes it. We should spend every minute of our life usefully. We cannot afford to waste time as life is short and precious.

Finally, the poet assumes a fatherly attitude and tells that if all the conditions mentioned so far were fulfilled, we could definitely own the world and rule over everything. Wecould attain the full stature of manhood and become perfect human beings.

 CONCLUSION:   The poem ‘If’ infuses our minds with motivation and inspiration. It has universal and timeless appeal. It has inspired many men in their journey of life on earth.

POEM 2: THE SPIDER AND THE FLY by Mary Howitt

POEM 2:   THE SPIDER AND THE FLY by Mary Howitt    (Summary)

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:

·       INTRODUCTION

·       INVITATION TO PARLOUR

·       LITTLE BED

·       SPIDER’S PANTRY

·       SPIDER’S FLATTER

·       THE SPIDER’S CONFIDENCE

·       SAD END OF THE FLY

·       CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION:  “The Spider and the Fly” is a poem by the poet Mary Howitt.  The poem is written in the form of a dialogue between a cunning ‘Spider’ and an immature and innocent ‘Fly’.  The Spider which is hungry seduces the Fly by using false and flattering words to fall a prey to its hunger.  The Fly is cautious in the beginning.  Later it falls a prey to the Spider.  The poem is a warning to the children as well as to all who are tempted by evil things in this world.

INVITATION TO PARLOUR:   In the first stanza the spider invites the fly to its parlour.  The spider tempts the fly by saying that its little parlour is the prettiest one.  The parlour has a winding stair.  The spider told the fly that it would show many curious things that are there in the parlour.  The fly understood the trick played by the spider and refused saying that whoever went up the winding stair could never come down again.

LITTLE BED:  The spider persuaded the fly by inviting it to sleep on its little bed.  The spider said that the fly must be tired after flying so high and it might need rest.  It said that pretty curtains surrounded the bed and the sheets on the bed were fine and thin.  The fly could rest a while and it could be comfortably tucked in by the spider.  The fly exclaimed that it would not accept the invitation.  It added that it had often heard that those who slept upon the spider’s bed would never wake up again. 

SPIDER’S PANTRY:  The spider told the fly that it wanted to prove its warm affection it had for the fly.  It invited the fly to visit its store to choose from a number of good things to eat.  The fly replied that it did not wish to see the pantry. 

SPIDER’S FLATTERY:  The spider spoke sweet and attractive words about the fly.  It said that the fly was clever and wise.   The fly looked handsome and it had delicate wings and brilliant eyes.  The spider invited the fly to step into its parlour for a moment to look into the looking-glass it had in the parlour’s shelf.  The fly did not heed to the spider and left the place that it would come again on some other day.

THE SPIDER’S CONFIDENCE:  The spider was confident that the fly would soon visit its den.  So it wove a delicate web cunningly in a little corner.  It set its table ready so that it can eat the fly when it came back again.  The spider came to the door of its web and sang happily to attract the fly.  It sang that the fly looked beautiful with its pearl and silver wings.  The fly had a crest upon its head with its green and purple dress.  The spider told the fly that its eyes looked dull as lead whereas the fly’s eyes looked bright like diamond.

SAD END OF THE FLY:  The fly which was careful in the beginning failed in overcoming the temptation.  It got tempted by the flattery of the spider.  The fly flew nearer to the spider’s web and gave a chance for the spider to catch it. The poor foolish fly thought only about its brilliant eyes, its green  and purple colour and its crested head and went very near to the web.  The cunning spider jumped and caught the fly.  It dragged the fly into its winding stair and miserable den.  The fly did not come out again.

CONCLUSION:  The poet warns the children as well as others not to fall a prey to flattering words.  We should not heed to an evil counsellor.  We should learn a lesson from this tale and understand that there are people like the spider and we may fall a prey to them like the poor fly.

SHORT STORY 2: THE SQUIRRREL by Ambai (SUMMARY)

SHORT STORY 2:    THE SQUIRRREL  byAmbai    (SUMMARY)

OUTLINE OF THE ESSAY:

·        INTRODUCTION

·        THE LIBRARY

·        NARRATOR’S VIEWS ABOUT THE BOOKS

·        WOMEN IN JOURNALS

·        CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION:  ‘The Squirrel’ is a famous short story by Ambai.  It was written in Tamil Language titled ‘Anil’ by Ambai and was translated into English by Vasanth Kannabiran and Chudamani Ragavan in 1992.  The author is known for writing about women.  This story also brings out the problems faced by women.  Through this story she makes us understand how women’s writings were not taken care of in those days.  The short story “Squirrel” voices about feminism and male domination. 

THE LIBRARY:  The story “Squirrel” is based on the narrator’s visit to a library, which is full of feminist writing.  She asked the librarian what was there on the top floor of the library. The librarian said that there was nothing but only dust.  The narrator asked about the books there.  The librarian replied that those were the books written by women.  The narrator asked him to allow her to look at those books.  There was a squirrel which has come there to eat the glue found on the covers of the books.  The character of the squirrel in the story stood for the inner world of the narrator.  The transition between dream and reality and vice versa is made through the representation of the squirrel.  The narrator found volumes of PenmadhiBodhini and Jaganmohini and many other books in the third floor of the library.  The narrator touched the spine of a mended, nineteenth-century book and felt as though a shock rose from the sole of her foot. 

NARRATOR’S VIEWS ABOUT THE BOOKS:  The narrator sarcastically says that only she and the squirrel were there to grieve for Anna Sattianandhan who was on her deathbed and asked her husband to pray. She says that the woman who first set out on horseback to spread Christianity broke through the meshed windows of the library.  A Bengali girl set fire to herself when she could not prevent her father selling their only house to meet her marriage expenses.  Thus the books she read made her feel the agony of the women writers.

The narrator says that the books on the third floor of the library were not mere books.  They talked about the whole generations agonizing with life. Our Indian women wore nine yard saris and played  badminton with the white women.   They were addressed as “my girl” trying to sound.  Women were taught the dharma to be followed by them.  Nallathangal pushed her son into a well  and jumped herself into it.  An unshaven dead widow was denied the performance of the last rites.  The devadasis dedicated to the temple underwent a lot of suffering.  Mahatma Gandhi addressed women spinning at the charka. 

WOMEN IN JOURNALS:   The narrator went through the journals.  In the journal ‘Tyagabhumi’ Uma Rani declared that she was not a slave.  “Kasini” gave new patterns for bangles.  The girl on the cover of The Ananda Vikatan walked freely while her husband carried the shopping bag.  Tamarai Kanni Ammaiyar said that we should give up our lives for Tamil.  Ramamrutham Ammaiyar angrily confronted Rajaji who wrote that Gandhi would not come unless people pay him money.  The narrator returned to senses only the squirrel tapped its tail and raised dust.  The squirrel ate the glue found on the covers of the books.

CONCLUSION:   The narrator found the Library a dark and dusty place where the library staff was trying to restore the books that were falling apart. At lunch time the staff indulged in idle conversation and exhibited no interest in the work assigned to them. The librarian used string and mended the books in the library.  He wrote letters to the higher authorities to reimburse the amount he spent for the string but was in vain.  The librarian told the narrator that the books and magazines were waste and they should be burnt one day.  This made the narrator leave the library with a heavy heart.  Thus the story reveals the sufferings of women and women writers in the past.

ONE ACT PLAY 3 :Gray Matter by Jeanettee D.Farr

ONE ACT PLAY 3 : Gray Matter by Jeanettee D.Farr

Introduction- Jeanettee D.Farr is a contemporary American woman playwright. She has produced and directed a variety of plays. It is a short play about an encounter between an elderly White woman and a Black youth in the waiting room of a police station.

The Theme- Russell, a Black youth accuses Marge, a sixty six year old White woman of being racist but she denies it. By the end of the play, the woman realizes that appearances can be deceptive.

The Affected Youth- Russell walks into the police station. Marge is seated inside. Immediately, she moves her purse closer to herself. Russell is taken aback when he notices her quick reaction. He accuses Marge of distrusting him because of his colour.

Troubled Marge- Marge is very upset when Russell blames her. She pretends that she had only wanted to take a piece of gum from her purse. Russell asks for a piece of gum and Marge gets irritated. She had immediately assumed that he was a criminal because of his dark colour.

Russell’s Inquisitive Nature-Marge tries to excuse her actions by saying she was only making room for him by moving her purse away. Russell sits in the chair closest to Marge and notices her reaction. He asks her why she felt nervous by his actions. When she denies it, he tells her that he had come to see his parole officer.  She feels her fears are justified.

Tactful Russell- Russell tries to know Marge’s name. First, she refuses to tell him. Then she lies to him that her name is Sheila. Russell is sarcastic and calls her a liar. He adds that only a beautiful, young woman could have such a name. Marge says that she was named “Sheila” but had grown old.

Russell reveals the truth- Suddenly, Russell says he wasn’t truthful to Marge a minute before. He adds that he hadn’t come there to see the parole officer. He didn’t have a police record. He adds he was on his lunch break and had to return to his office. He then shows her his hands. He makes her admit her distrustful nature. She had thought him a criminal the moment he walked in, even though she knew nothing about him. She tells him that was her gut instinct. It is then that Marge suggests that Russell should get himself a nice suit and groom himself well.

Marge’s comments on Russell’s looks- When Marge asks Russell how he had come to the police station, he says he came by car. He adds that he had got it by his hard earned money. He accuses her of judging him only by his looks. He says she wouldn’t have been worried if it had been someone of a different colour.   In order to pacify him she is willing to share a secret recipe `pot roast’ with him. She adds she wouldn’t share it even with her sister.

Marge’s reason for visiting the police station: Hesitantly, she begins complaining that she has been waiting for a long time to file a complaint. Unwillingly, Marge tells Russell that she wasn’t upset because of the colour of his skin. She is not willing to trust anyone at that moment as she had lost her wallet on the road. She was upset as the wallet had lots of money, her driver’s license and the photos of her grandchildren. She adds with a touch of irritation that someone would have swiped her gold card and taken all her money by then. After a moment she says that, that was not the main reason she was upset. The fact that someone on the street knew her identity and details about her was frightening. So, she wanted to file a complaint at the police station. She was hoping that there might be someone truthful who would actually return her purse if they found it.  But, she says in a dejected tone that such a thing is not likely to happen. She gets ready to leave. Russell asks her to wait for a minute and adds maybe there were still truthful people in the world. 

Truthful Russell- Russell calls her “Marge”. She is startled. He adds that she looks like “Marge”. He admits he has seen her name on her license. He had found her wallet and had brought it to hand it over at the police station. He returns her wallet. He assures her that he hasn’t taken anything from it.

Marge is overwhelmed- She accepts the truth and says her name is “Marge”. To make amends for her behavior, she shows him, her granddaughter Sheila’s photo. Russell remarks that there is a resemblance to Marge.

Conclusion- Both Marge and Russell realize that they don’t have to wait for anyone. Then, both of them cross out their name from the signed list at the counter. As they leave, Russell reminds Marge to take the purse which she has forgotten again. The playwright brings out the message that looks are deceptive. “We should never judge a book by its cover”.