science-12th-english-CHSE-ODISHA

SUMMARY “A PLASM OF LIFE”-PUBLISHED BY AKS PUBLICATION

When it is your time, will you be able to say that you are content with the life you have set out to live?

“A Psalm of Life,” by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), was once very widely read and just as widely admired. Today, however, the poem is often mocked for its allegedly incoherent imagery and its supposedly empty rhetoric. In the poem, the speaker responds to Biblical (specifically, Old Testament) teachings that all human life is vain and that human beings, made of dust, eventually return to dust. The poem’s subtitle, “What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist,” is significant. First, the subtitle implies that the speaker of the poem is willing to question traditional wisdom, or at least some interpretations of that wisdom. Second, the subtitle identifies the speaker as a person in an early stage of life, so that his apparent rejoinder to parts of the Bible can be read (if one so chooses) as a reflection of his youth, particularly given the passion and enthusiasm with which his views are expressed. In any case, the poem was widely read, often memorized, and broadly influential, particularly in the nineteenth century.

The opening lines of the poem can seem somewhat daring. The young man seems explicitly to reject portions of the Bible that teach that human life is merely vain or empty. Perhaps the young man is thinking, for instance, of such verses as Psalm 39:5, where the psalmist says to God (in the King James translation), “Behold, you have made my days as a handbreadth; and my age is as nothing before you: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Longfellow’s speaker dismisses such “mournful numbers” (that is, such gloomy, depressing ideas expressed in the “numbers,” or metrical feet, of poetry). Already in its first three words, the poem is confrontational. Ironically, then, a poem that is often interpreted today as a

FOR CLASS 12TH-CHSE-ODISHA –ENGLISH FOR SCIENCE STUDENT


reiteration of tired clichés can be read, in some ways, as courageously argumentative.

In lines 3 and 4, the speaker seems to suggest that the spirit is truly dead only in those who slumber, failing to take advantage of the possibilities of life. These possibilities, as the poem will later argue, include possibilities for virtuous and noble actions. Thus the poem can be read more as a rejection of tired passivity and of spiritual defeatism than as a rejection of Biblical teachings as a whole. The young speaker seems most concerned that human beings will interpret Biblical teachings about the vanity of human life as excuses to be indolent and apathetic. He seems concerned that people will be focused so much on the next world that they will forget and neglect their responsibilities while they are living. He accepts the Christian idea that the flesh is merely dust (see Genesis 3:19, King James Version: “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”), but he also accepts the Christian...



Summary of Television‘Television’ consists of a total of 94 lines. These lines are not separated into stanzas. Here they are

divided into meaningful segments for ease of comprehension.

Lines 1-6:The most important thing we’ve learned,

So far as children are concerned,Is never, NEVER, NEVER let

Them near your television set —Or better still, just don’t install

The idiotic thing at all.In these lines, Roald Dahl is addressing all British parents and telling them that the most important

thing one must learn while raising children is to keep them away from the television set. He also

says that it is possible to come to a better solution to the problem by not installing a television set in

their homes in the first place.

Lines 7-12:In almost every house we’ve been,We’ve watched them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,And stare until their eyes pop out.

(Last week in someone’s place we sawA dozen eyeballs on the floor.)

In these lines, Dahl speaks as if he has undertaken a long research on the bad effects of watching

television by visiting a large number of households in Britain. In most houses, he has found the

children lazing about all day and staring at the television screen without doing any productive work at

all. Next, he indulges in a bit of exaggeration that is nonetheless amusing when he says that

sometimes the children stare so hard that their eyeballs fall off & he has seen a dozen eyeballs

rolling about on the floor in one house.



Lines 13-16:They sit and stare and stare and sit

Until they’re hypnotised by it,Until they’re absolutely drunk

With all that shocking ghastly junk.In these lines, Dahl says that children entire attention is captured by the television screen and they

cannot concentrate on anything other than what they are watching.

Lines 17-24:Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,They don’t climb out the window sill,

They never fight or kick or punch,They leave you free to cook the lunch

And wash the dishes in the sink —But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly whatThis does to your beloved tot?

In these lines, Dahl admits that he knows that television can be a convenient way to keep children

occupied. While watching television, children never cause trouble or throw tantrums. As a result,

their parents can go about doing their household chores without any interruption. However, parents

do not stop to consider what television might do to their children.

Lines 25-33: IT ROTS THE SENSE IN THE HEAD!

IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!

IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLINDHE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND

A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!

HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!HE CANNOT THINK — HE ONLY SEES!

These lines are written in capitals to emphasize that they carry the main message of the poem. This

message is that watching too much television fills up the mid of children with useless facts while at



the same time destroying their ability to create or understand worlds of fantasy in their imagination. It

takes away their ability to think and they can only keep staring at the television screen

Lines 34-37:‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,‘But if we take the set away,

What shall we do to entertainOur darling children? Please explain!’

In these lines, Dahl anticipates what the parents’ next question would be. They might agree to take

away the television set from their children but will ask how they are supposed to now keep their

children entertained and occupied

Lines 38-41:We’ll answer this by asking you,‘What used the darling ones to do?

‘How used they keep themselves contentedBefore this monster was invented?’

In these lines, Dahl tells parents that they cannot have forgotten how children kept themselves

entertained before the recent invention of the television.

Lines 42-48:Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?

We’ll say it very loud and slow:THEY … USED … TO … READ! They’d READ and READ,

AND READ and READ, and then proceedTo READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!

One half their lives was reading books!In these lines, Dahl says that before the coming of television children would read and it is a shame

that now they don’t.

Lines 49-52:The nursery shelves held books galore!Books cluttered up the nursery floor!

And in the bedroom, by the bed,More books were waiting to be read!



In these lines, Dahl creates the alternate landscape that has been mentioned in the section on the

poem’s setting. In this landscape, children’s rooms are filled to the brim with books.

Lines 53-62:Such wondrous, fine, fantastic talesOf dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales

And treasure isles, and distant shoresWhere smugglers rowed with muffled oars,

And pirates wearing purple pants,And sailing ships and elephants,

And cannibals crouching ’round the pot,Stirring away at something hot.

(It smells so good, what can it be?Good gracious, it’s Penelope.)

In these lines, Dahl talks about the kind of typical fantasy stories that the children would read in his

day. These were stories of adventure with many interesting characters.

Lines 63-72:The younger ones had Beatrix Potter

With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,

And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-Just How The Camel Got His Hump,

And How the Monkey Lost His Rump,And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,

There’s Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-Oh, books, what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago!In these lines, Dahl pays a tribute to another children author like him- Beatrix Potter. Potter’s books

were known for the use of animals as characters, and the various colourful illustrations.

Lines 73-80:So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install



A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books,Ignoring all the dirty looks,

The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,And children hitting you with sticks-

In these lines, Dahl makes an earnest appeal to parents to throw away their television set and

replace it with a bookshelf, ignoring all the objection of their children.

Lines 81-85:Fear not, because we promise you

That, in about a week or twoOf having nothing else to do,

They’ll now begin to feel the needOf having something to read.

n these lines, Dahl feels sure that sooner or later the children will turn to reading books to pass the

time.

Lines 86-94:And once they start — oh boy, oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joyThat fills their hearts. They’ll grow so keen

They’ll wonder what they’d ever seenIn that ridiculous machine,

That nauseating, foul, unclean,Repulsive television screen!

And later, each and every kidWill love you more for what you did.

In these lines, Dahl says that the children will not be able to stop reading books once they have

started & then will wonder why they had ever liked watching television. In the end the children will

thank their parents for introducing them to books. You may go through the critical analysis of the

poem here.


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MONEY MADNESS - D.H. LAWRENCE

I. Answer the following questions in a word or sentence each.

1. How do people feel when they give one pound?

Ans: He has no feeling at all.

2. How do people feel when they give ten pound?

Ans: He has trembled from inside.

3. Money has got us down” could mean

4. a) it has ruined us.

b) it has made us tremulous.

c) it has made us greedy.

d) it has made us its slaves.

5. How are people without money, usually treated?

Ans: if one has no money, the World would give him little money, only enough to perhaps buy a piece of bread.

6. What things should be made available free of cost?

Ans: Bread, shelter, and fire

7. The speaker is frightened of

a) having no money

b)money madness


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c) eating dirt

8. What happens if we do not regain our sanity about money?

9.

Ans: men going into a state of delirium

II. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of 80-100 words.

1. How does money bring fear in an individual?

Ans: In the poem “Money Madness”, D.H. Lawrence doubts that there exists a human in this world who hands out a pound note to someone without feeling a pang at heart. No matter how noble he may feel while giving away that note. His heart always wishes if only he could do all that good without having to take out a note from his own pocket. And when that note turns to a ten-pound note, we experience real tremors within us. We tremble from inside while giving away that note, as if we have been robbed. Money makes us kneel in front of it. It makes us fearful, and a sense of apprehension and stress grips us as we try to overcome a loss as materialistic and small as ten-pounds. It has an exaggerating power to influence our life.

2. How an individual does measures the value of another individual in terms of money.

Ans: “Money Madness” by D.H. Lawrence is one of the important poems of his time. Here the poet goes on to say that if one has no money, the World would give him little money, only enough to perhaps buy a piece of bread, in the name of humanity. But even this small offering doesn’t come for free. He has to eat dirt to get it, suffering through pains unheard and criticisms unparalleled. The poet says it is this pitiful and inhumane situation that he is afraid of. He fears that such madness for money might result in the world going completely insane. It is this fear of money-mad fellow-men going into a state of delirium that resides within him.



III. Answer the following questions in 200 words.

1. What are the ideas about the money madness dealt in the poem by D.H.Laurance?

or2. Write the summary of the poem “Money Madness”

“Money Madness” by D.H. Lawrence is one of the important poems of his time. It presents a personalized view of the horror of money. It also critically evaluate rush affluences of Money that are visible all around us. It becomes a powerful player in societies of today and holds more importance than anything else in the modern day lifestyle. So that the poet has tried to exemplify money madness in the society and how it degenerate social and moral values of society.

In the poem Lawrence's says that wherever we look there is madness for money, infect wealth inverts control him. So there fore he used money used as a metaphor for the word madness. And this madness is not on small or individualistic levels. It is the madness of the multitude, in numbers unimaginable and at levels incredible. And since the multitude as a whole is mad, so every person in this world carries his share of this madness. His share of this insane race after money, the poet doubts that there exists a human in this world who hands out a pound note to someone without feeling a pang at heart. No matter how noble he may feel while giving away that note. His heart always wishes if only he could do all that good without having to take out a note from his own pocket. And when that note turns to a ten-pound note, we experience real tremors within us. We tremble from inside while giving away that note, as if we have been robbed. Money makes us kneel in front of it. It makes us fearful, and a sense of apprehension and stress grips us as we try to overcome a loss as



materialistic and small as ten-pounds. It has an exaggerating power to influence our life.

The poet goes on to say that if one has no money, the World would give him little money, only enough to perhaps buy a piece of bread, in the name of humanity. But even this small offering doesn’t come for free. He has to eat dirt to get it, suffering through pains unheard and criticisms unparalleled. The poet says it is this pitiful and inhumane situation that he is afraid of. He fears that such madness for money might result in the world going completely insane. It is this fear of money-mad fellow-men going into a state of delirium that resides within him.

Oru Manushyan


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