CBSE FREAK

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD This lesson presents the idea of marginalization from the perspective of two women, Zitkala-Sa and Bama, as they walk down the memory lane to the episodes that had significant influence on their lives. I. The Cutting of My Long Hair (Zitkala-Sa) The raucous cage The author narrates the incidents of the agonizing first day of her new boarding school life as a Native American. The day was bitterly cold and she was aghast to find herself amidst the chaos of the annoying loud noises of the ringing bell, clattering shoes and ceaseless murmuring in English, the language which was still “unknown” to her. In that new place, she fell prey to the European missionaries who were prejudiced and biased against the Native American clan. Caught in this strange new world, she yearned for her “lost freedom”. Discipline of the dining hall The ringing bell was an indication for breakfast. As Zitkala-Sa entered the room in a line with her Indian counterparts, who

EVANS TRIES AN O-LEVEL                                                 - Colin Dexter An unusual request from a prisoner In early March, the Secretary of the Examinations Board gets a call from the Governor of HM Prison in Oxford. The call is regarding a prisoner at Oxford Prison. The prisoner, James Roderick Evans, has been taking night classes in O-level German since last September and now aspires to write the exam to add to his education qualification. The Governor informs the Secretary that Evans is a congenital kleptomaniac but has a pleasant personality and no record of violence. As Evans is in a cell of his own, he can sit for his exam there itself. The call ends with the decision to get a parson from St. Mary Mags to invigilate and to keep the prisoner incommunicado during the exam. ‘Evans the Break’ – a bonafide test taker? Evans has escaped from the prison thrice before he came to Oxford Prison. For this reason, the prison officers call him ‘Evans the B

ON THE FACE OF IT                                   - Susan Hill Scene one Lonely Derry avoids people Fourteen-year-old Derry, in an attempt to hide from the hustle-bustle and yet unfriendly world, jumps over the wall to Mr. Lamb’s garden. Unaware of Mr. Lamb’s presence, Derry stumbles upon him and is dumbfounded as he expected the house as well the garden to be unoccupied. Derry has a distorted face, a side of which was burnt by acid, and this crushed his self-confidence. Unconcerned about the way he looked, Mr. Lamb easily starts a conversation with the boy. The friendly Mr. Lamb Mr. Lamb, even without knowing him or his name, considers Derry as a friend.  The play highlights how he kept the gate of the garden always open, welcoming everyone. His house did not have any curtains as he did not like “shutting things out, shutting things in”. While talking to Derry, he said, “what’s mine is anybody’s” which depicts that he did not mind sharing. The old man liked

SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY?                                                     - John Updike The story telling saga Jo, a four-year-old girl, is accustomed to hearing stories from her father, Jack, every evening and for Saturday naps. Although the initial purpose of this session was to make her sleep, it is getting diluted with every passing day. Jack has customized a basic story structure for his daughter. By merely introducing a different character with a new problem in this structure, he creates a new story every time. The first name of the protagonist is always Roger but with a different second name. Roger consults a wise owl for a solution to his problem who in turn directs him to a wizard. The wizard solved the problem through his magic spell and demands his fee. The wizard then guides Roger to the place where this money can be found. Finally, a happy Roger plays games with other children and goes back home to his mommy before his father returns from Boston via

AUNT JENNIFER’S TIGERS                                                  – Adrienne Rich In the poem, Aunt Jennifer knits an alternate world for herself, which is free from the patriarchal constraints of her real life. She is knitting a green forest with prancing tigers, embroidered in bright yellow colour. The fearless, ferocious and gallant tigers seem unaffected by the presence of the men standing beneath a tree. Aunt Jennifer, who had grown quite old and weak, struggles with her needle and wool to create the scenes. The trembling of her fingers indicates her oppressed, timid and terrified mental condition. Her fingers are burdened by the ‘massive’ weight of her wedding ring that makes it difficult for her to even pull the ivory needle. The reference to the weight of her wedding ring indicates the obligations and ordeals of her married life. Even death shall not be able to free her from the shackles of her oppressive marriage. However, the tigers created by her wi

A THING OF BEAUTY                                          – John Keats The poem explains how beauty, found in every part of life, gives a never ending joy and solace. The poet says that a beautiful object leaves an ever-lasting impression. Its appeal never fades in our mind but increases with each passing day. Its memory refreshes the mind and makes our life easy, healthy and serene. It instills sweet dreams in our sleep. With each following day, the pleasure derived from the beautiful object builds our bond with the earth as with a flowery band. In this melancholic world, full of depression, despair and paucity of noble souls, the joy of having experienced the beauty provides relief. The poet believes that there are innumerable elements of beauty in nature that help us escape pessimism and give us hope and optimism to live such a dim, unhealthy and mysterious life. For instance, the sun, the moon, the young and old trees that provide comforting shade for the ‘sim

KEEPING QUIET                                – Pablo Neruda This poem advocates the importance of silence and self-analysis and that of universal peace and harmony. The poet asks the people to keep still to the count of twelve. He urges the people throughout the world to stop speaking and keep still during this time. The moment will be extraordinarily tranquil with no hustle bustle of the frenzy world.  Although it may seem a little strange in the beginning, it will eventually bring us all together. This silence will be free from the disturbing sounds of engines and people rushing to get their work done for some time. He feels contended imagining the change that will be brought about in those moments. The whales in the sea will get a little more time to live with the fishermen’s activity put on hold. The men who hurt their hands while collecting salt will get a little rest. Even the people who seek fresh wars, using fatal gas and weapons, will put on clean clothes (w

AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM                                                                                     – Stephen Spender In this poem, the poet showcases the plight of the children studying in a slum school and the necessity to bring about a change in their lives. The poem begins with a dreary sketch of the children sitting in the class. There is a tall girl sitting in the class whose head is bent down due to illness and exhaustion. The poet observes a skinny boy, thin like paper, whose eyes seem scared and hungry like that of a rat’s. Another boy with deformed body appears to have inherited his disease from his father is sitting at his desk. On the last bench, a sweet-looking yet unnoticeable boy is seated. He watches a squirrel playing in its tree house and, therefore, appears disinterested in the class. The second stanza describes the classroom. The off-white and foul smelling walls of the class indicate the donations given to the school.

MY MOTHER AT SIXTY-SIX                                                       – Kamala Das This poem expresses the anguish of a daughter over the fast-approaching end of her mother’s life. While driving for airport from her parent’s home, the poetess notices her mother’s pallid face that resembles a corpse. She is gravely pained to realise that her mother, who is sleeping beside her in the car, has grown old and is nearing her death. The natural radiance of her body has desiccated. Troubled with the thought, she tries to console herself with the view outside the car that is full of youthful vim and vigor. She watches the trees ‘sprinting’ past their speeding car and the children, full of life and activity, running out of their houses to play. At the airport, after the security check, she again glances thoughtfully at her mother. Her ashy and colourless face, reminds her of a “late winter’s moon,” white and devoid of any warmth. Winter is also synonymous with the end

GOING PLACES                        – A.R. Barton Future plans of Sophie Sophie and her friend Jansie are two friends, about to complete school. They belong to working-class households. One day, on their way back home, Sophie expresses her desire to open a boutique or to become an actress or a fashion designer. She wishes to rise above her middle class status and to obtain sophistication. Jansie, however, being more realistic, shuns her friend’s ambitions. This is because Jansie is aware of the fact that they have been ‘earmarked’ for the biscuit factory. Sophie’s family and its opinion of her dreams Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and two brothers, Geoff and Derek. Her parents are not pleased to hear her unrealistic career goals. Her father feels that a decent house of their own is what they need and not fantastical dreams about owning sophisticated things. Sophie’s admiration for Geoff Geoff is Sophie’s elder brother. He is a handsome young boy wo

INDIGO                              – Louis Fischer The author visits Sevagram Fischer visited Sevagram, the ashram of Gandhi, in 1942. There, Gandhi revealed the reason behind the decision to urge the departure of the British, in 1917. A Champaran peasant and his request In 1916, Gandhi attended the annual convention of the Indian National Congress in Lucknow. During the proceedings, an illiterate peasant, Rajkumar Shukla, approached Gandhi and requested him to visit his district. He was one of the sharecroppers of Champaran, who had come to appeal against the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar. The peasant accompanied Gandhi everywhere he went and unrelentingly begged him to ‘fix a date’ for his visit to Champaran. In due course, Gandhi, impressed by the determination and the woeful tale of the peasant, consented to his request and asked him to meet in Calcutta. Gandhi’s visit to Rajendra Prasad’s house At an appointed time, the duo boarded a train to Pa

THE ENEMY                                  - Pearl S. Buck Dr. Sadao – a surgeon and scientist Dr Sadao Hoki, a Japanese surgeon and scientist, lived with his wife Hana and two children on the Japanese sea-coast. His house was located on the sea-coast where he had spent his childhood. He was greatly influenced by his father whose chief concern was Sadao’s education. At the age of twenty-two, he was sent to America to study surgery and medicine. Sadao too, as an obedient son, fulfilled his father’s wishes and came back a famous surgeon and scientist to serve his nation and people. Although there was a war going on, he was not sent abroad with the troops for two reasons – he was perfecting a discovery on wounds and the old General might need him for an operation. Hana – a dedicated wife With his father’s consent, Dr. Sadao had a love marriage with Hana whom he met in America. They now had two children. Hana was a devoted wife and a sympathetic woman. She kept the

THE TIGER KING                               - Kalki This story is about ‘the Tiger King’, the Maharaja of Pratibandapuram, who was known for his  “indomitable courage”. I A prophesy and “a great miracle” The crown prince of the kingdom of Pratibandapuram was rumored to have miraculously spoken his first words when he was just ten days old. His words proved his intelligence, inquisitiveness and bravery to the astrologers. The astrologers’ prophesized that though the young prince will grow up to be the mightiest of kings, a tiger will cause his death. II The education and coronation of Jung Jung Bahadur British dominance and its effect on the royalty of India had a huge impact on the kind of education given to princes across the country. Even the prince of Pratibandapuram “drank the milk of an English cow, was brought up by an English nanny, tutored in English by an Englishman, saw nothing but English films.” He was crowned king at the age of twenty. The k

THE RATTRAP                                 –Selma Lagerlöf A ‘philosophical’ rattrap seller Once there was a man who made rattraps of wire and went around selling them. However, occasionally he had to turn to begging and stealing. He looked at the world with vengeance for being unkind to him. He entertained himself with the idea of the world being “nothing but a big rattrap” where the riches act as baits to lure and trap people for life. Crofter’s thirty kronor bills stolen One evening the rattrap peddler took shelter in an old man’s cottage, who had been a crofter at Ramsjö Ironworks. The amiable and generous man offered him dinner and tobacco. He even showed him the thirty kronor bills, earned by selling his cow’s milk, kept in a leather pouch that hung near the window. However, the next morning, the rattrap peddler stole the money and made his escape through the forest. Caught in the big rattrap called ‘world’ But as he got lost in the woods, he realised th

DEEP WATER                –William Douglas Douglas decides to learn swimming amidst fears When Douglas was about ten or eleven years of age he decided to learn swimming at a pool at the Y.M.C.A. in Yakima.  While the Yakima River was considered dangerous for swimming, the pool was safe.  The pool had a gradual slope with just a two or three feet depth at the shallow end and nine feet at the other. Equipped with a pair of water wings, he went to the pool. At this point, Douglas recalls a surfing experience with his father at the California beach when he was two or three years old. He was knocked down from his surf by a wave.  This mishap terrified him and created in him an aversion to water. When Douglas joined the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool, his fear of water was revived. But he managed to gather his confidence and, imitating other boys, started to paddle with his water wings. As he started to feel comfortable with two or three days of effort, a misadventure happened

LOST SPRING (Stories of a Stolen Childhood)                                                   –Anees Jung ‘SOMETIMES I FIND A RUPEE IN THE GARBAGE’ Saheb - the rag-picker Saheb is a rag-picker who scrounges the garbage deposits to sustain his living. He and his family, refugees from Bangladesh, have come to the big city “looking for gold”. He is unable to study due to the lack of schools in his neighbourhood. The narrator jokingly makes a false promise to open a school for him but is later left embarrassed when he keeps approaching her enquiring about the school. Saheb’s full name, Saheb-e-Alam meaning ‘lord of the universe’, is ironical because he, along with others like him, is outright downtrodden. The author wonders if staying barefoot is just a tradition among the poor or “only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty”. Recollecting the story of a priest’s son The author recalls a story about a man from Udipi who, as a young son of a prie

THE LAST LESSON                                               –Alphonse Daudet Franz’s apprehension Franz was hesitant about going to school that particular morning; not only was he late, he had not even prepared his lesson on participles. Nevertheless, he managed to curb the temptation to miss the class, and hurried off to school. Bulletin-board at the town hall Franz came across a crowd in front of the infamous bulletin-board at the town hall. He walked past it wondering what could be the matter. The board was the standard mediator between the public and the government, conveying news, orders and other declarations from Berlin. The queer silence at the school The school was unusually silent that morning. The customary commotion at the school – the sounds of opening and closing of desks, of lessons repeated in unison and that of the teacher’s great ruler hitting the table – was replaced by a conspicuous stillness. The teacher, M. Hamel, was dressed in his

Here on this blog I am providing Class 11th revision notes of all the chapters of the NCERT Physics Part II. These revision notes can be easily downloaded in PDF format. These revision notes contains chapter wise notes for easy reference and point wise summary to cover all the topics.The content of these CBSE revision notes are summary points supported with simple, easy to understand sketch diagrams to further quicken the revision. You can use these notes at other times too when you are short on time for revision. Don’t wait till its high time and the examinations are over your head. Give these notes a try when you are revising your studies every weekend or at the end of every month. It will also brush up your talent at using them more efficiently and make revisions much more convenient and less repulsing. Download them by visiting  this link  !  Cheers!

Here on this blog I am providing Class 11th revision notes of all the chapters of the NCERT Physics Part I. These revision notes can be easily downloaded in PDF format. These revision notes contains chapter wise notes for easy reference and point wise summary to cover all the topics.The content of these CBSE revision notes are summary points supported with simple, easy to understand sketch diagrams to further quicken the revision. You can use these notes at other times too when you are short on time for revision. Don’t wait till its high time and the examinations are over your head. Give these notes a try when you are revising your studies every weekend or at the end of every month. It will also brush up your talent at using them more efficiently and make revisions much more convenient and less repulsing. Download them by visiting  this link  !  Cheers!

Here on this blog I am providing Class 11th revision notes of all the chapters of the NCERT Math. These revision notes can be easily downloaded in PDF format. These revision notes contains chapter wise notes for easy reference and point wise summary to cover all the topics.The content of these CBSE revision notes are summary points supported with simple, easy to understand sketch diagrams to further quicken the revision. You can use these notes at other times too when you are short on time for revision. Don’t wait till its high time and the examinations are over your head. Give these notes a try when you are revising your studies every weekend or at the end of every month. It will also brush up your talent at using them more efficiently and make revisions much more convenient and less repulsing. Download them by visiting this link  Cheers!

Here on this blog I am providing Class 11th revision notes for English Grammar. These revision notes can be easily downloaded in PDF format. These revision notes contains chapter wise notes for easy reference and point wise summary to cover all the topics.The content of these CBSE revision notes are summary points supported with simple, easy to understand sketch diagrams to further quicken the revision. You can use these notes at other times too when you are short on time for revision. Don’t wait till its high time and the examinations are over your head. Give these notes a try when you are revising your studies every weekend or at the end of every month. It will also brush up your talent at using them more efficiently and make revisions much more convenient and less repulsing. Download them by visiting  this link  !  Cheers!

Here on this blog I am providing Class 11th revision notes of all the chapters of the NCERT Chemistry Part II. These revision notes can be easily downloaded in PDF format. These revision notes contains chapter wise notes for easy reference and point wise summary to cover all the topics.The content of these CBSE revision notes are summary points supported with simple, easy to understand sketch diagrams to further quicken the revision. You can use these notes at other times too when you are short on time for revision. Don’t wait till its high time and the examinations are over your head. Give these notes a try when you are revising your studies every weekend or at the end of every month. It will also brush up your talent at using them more efficiently and make revisions much more convenient and less repulsing. Download them by visiting  this link  !  Cheers!

Here on this blog I am providing Class 11th revision notes of all the chapters of the NCERT Chemistry Part I. These revision notes can be easily downloaded in PDF format. These revision notes contains chapter wise notes for easy reference and point wise summary to cover all the topics.The content of these CBSE revision notes are summary points supported with simple, easy to understand sketch diagrams to further quicken the revision. You can use these notes at other times too when you are short on time for revision. Don’t wait till its high time and the examinations are over your head. Give these notes a try when you are revising your studies every weekend or at the end of every month. It will also brush up your talent at using them more efficiently and make revisions much more convenient and less repulsing. Download them by visiting  this link  ! Cheers!