My Hobby: Reading - Poem by Arunachalam Chandrasekharan - Unit 2 - 8th English Questions and Answers

My Hobby: Reading - Poem by Arunachalam Chandrasekharan

8th English: Unit 2: Poem: My Hobby: Reading

Author: Arunachalam Chandrasekharan

This post contains complete book-back questions and answers, solutions, and additional exercises for the poem.

1. Comprehension Questions

1. What is the hobby of the poet?

Reading is the hobby of the poet.

2. What does ‘ajar’ mean?

‘Ajar’ means slightly open door.

3. Can the poet fly without wings?

No, the poet cannot fly without wings, but his thoughts and imaginations can fly everywhere without wings.

4. What can children do to society if they read?

If all the children could read, they could construct a dynamic society.

5. What is the theme of the poem?

The theme of the poem is, ‘Reading hobby’.

2. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, tick the most suitable option to complete the statements.

Reading...

a) wastes my time.

b) helps me think deeply about every thing.

c) keeps me busy.

d) helps me in thought breeding.

My hobby...

a) arguing in the court.

b) working in hospitals.

c) taking me far and near.

d) selling goods in a wholesale market.

Reading...

a) helps me to weep and cry.

b) lets me fly without wings.

c) works in fields to produce food.

d) helps me asleep quickly.

Reading...

a) blesses the children who read.

b) helps the children to construct society.

c) blesses the teachers who teach.

d) blesses the farmers who produce food.

3. Complete the table given below in order to understand the poem better.

Here is the table to be completed:

And here is the completed table:

FIGURE OF SPEECH

A ‘Figure of Speech’ is a word or a phrase which gives a separate meaning from the normal one. It means something more than it seems to mean. It is used figuratively, to give an implied meaning to the given context. It can either be used to make comparisons, or even to insist repetition or exaggeration. Figures of speech provide a dramatic effect.

A. Rhyming words

‘Rhyming words’ are two or more words which have the same sound. Words ‘rhyme’ if they have similar sounds when said aloud. ‘Rhyming words’ usually occur at the end of the lines in a poem. Rhyming words make poems or songs fun to sing.

A Tiny Little Plant

Deep in the heart of a little seed, Lay buried so, so deep, A tiny little plant fast asleep. Out came the bright Sunshine, Down crept its light, Into the seed, too bright. A little plant woke up to see, How bright the world might be.

Answer the following:

1. List the rhyming words in the first three lines.

The rhyming words - deep - asleep.

2. Which word in the poem rhymes with 'light'?

“bright”.

B. Rhyme Scheme:

A ‘Rhyme Scheme’ is a specific pattern used in a poem which determines which lines rhyme in the poem. Poets write poems with a rhyme scheme or a pattern. It is the arrangement of rhymes in a poem or a stanza.

Example:

Upon a nice mid-spring day, a Let’s take a look at Nature’s way, a Breathe the scent of nice, fresh air, b Feel the breeze within your hair. b The grass will poke between your toes. c Smell the flowers with your nose. c Clouds form shapes within the skies. d And light will glisten from your eyes. d

The rhyme scheme of this poem can be determined by the end word in each line. The first line ends with the word ‘day’ and the second line ends with ‘way’. As both words rhyme with other, they are given the letter ‘a’. The third line ends with the word ‘air’ and the fourth line ends with ‘ hair’. These two words do not rhyme with the ending words of the first two lines. So, they are given the letter ‘b’ and so on. We get a rhyme scheme aabb ccdd for this poem.

Answer the following:

a. Identify the rhyme scheme of the given short poem.

My dog likes bones, He eats them up, He’s very sweet, He’s just a pup.

a b c b.

b. Complete this poem on your own with a abab rhyme scheme.

Peas porridge hot, Peas porridge cold,

Peas porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Poem Comprehension

1.

My hobby is reading
It helps me
In thought breeding.
It takes me to places
Near and far,
It keeps my rational
Doors ajar.

(a) What does the word ‘rational’ mean?

‘Rational’ means intelligence.

(b) Pick out the rhyming words in these lines.

The rhyming words : Reading - breeding; far - ajar.

(c) How does reading help the poet?

Reading helps the poet to grow and cultivate good thoughts.

(d) Whose hobby was reading in the poem ‘My Hobby’?

Reading was the hobby of the poet Arunachalam Chandrashekaran.

(e) What does the term ‘thought breeding’ mean?

The term ‘thought breeding’ means cultivating many good thoughts in a person whose hobby is reading.

(f) How does reading take the poet near and far?

When the poet reads about a content related to something near him and when he reads a content of something far, it takes him near and far.

(g) What are ‘rational doors’?

The poet compares his mind to a room and reading habit are the doors of his mind.

2.

It teaches me
To cackle and cry
Without wings
It lets me fly.

(a) Why should reading teach us both to laugh and cry?

Life is made of both joy and sorrow. Reading helps us to take both equally.

(b) How does the poet fly?

The poet does not fly physically in the air. His thoughts expand and fly in all directions.

3.

I wish
If all the children could read,
In constructing a vigorous society,
Then we shall succeed.

(a) Who can build a vigorous society?

The children can build a vigorous society.

(b) How can we succeed?

We can succeed, if we can build a dynamic, strong and powerful society.

(c) Pick out the alliterated words.

‘shall - succeed’ are the alliterated words.

Short Questions and Answers.

1. How does his hobby help him ?

His hobby helps him to cultivate many good thoughts.

2. Where does the reading take him ?

Reading takes him to the nearby as well as to the far and remote places.

3. What does reading teach him ?

Reading teaches him to laugh loudly and at the same time even to cry.

Paragraph Questions with Answers.

1. What are the five ways in which reading helps us?

Reading hobby helps us to grow and cultivate many good thoughts. The content we read not only takes to nearby places but also to the remote and far areas according to what we read.

Reading habit enables to keep the doors of our mind unlocked and half open to permit intelligent and logical reasoning at the same time to prevent unwanted entry of bad and wrong things. Reading practices us to take in both happiness and sorrow in the same spirit. It teaches us to laugh loudly during happy times and to cry and let out sorrow during painful times.

Reading does not restrict or control our thoughts. Without wings it allows our thoughts to soar high and fly.

2. How can we form a ‘vigorous society’ according to the poet?

According to the poet Arunachalam we can form a vigorous - active, strong, healthy and a dynamic society if all the children cultivate a reading habit, go to school, study and are educated. In such a society the people will be successful, prosper and flourish.

Poetic Devices in this poem.

The poet uses the following poetic devices in his poem, ‘My Hobby : Reading’.

1. Imagery

The poet weaves the advantages of reading hobby in his imagination.

a) The poet does not physically travel ‘near and far’, only his thoughts travel.

b) There is no literal door, the poet imagines his minds entrance as ‘door’,

c) The poet does not fly in the air. His thoughts, imaginations and ideas only made to ‘fly’ by his reading hobby.

2. Rhyme

This short poem has the following rhyming words:

• Lines 1-3: reading, breeding
• Lines 5-8: far, ajar
• Lines 9-12: cry, fly
• Lines 13-15: read, succeed

3. Couplet:

It is a fifteen-line poem. Each couplet after the first line presents a different thought concept.

Example: Line 2, 3 tells about thought breeding, line 4,5 speaks of ‘rational door’.

Line 6, 7 about joy and sorrow, lines 8,9 flying without wings.

A Dilemma by Silas Weir Mitchell | Short Story Analysis and Summary

A Dilemma

Supplementary Story

by Silas Weir Mitchell

I was just thirty-seven when my Uncle Philip died. A week before that event he sent for me; and here let me say that I had never set eyes on him. He hated my mother, but I do not know why. She told me long before his last illness that I need expect nothing from my father’s brother. He was an inventor, an able and ingenious mechanical engineer, and had much money by his improvement in turbine-wheels. He was a bachelor; lived alone, cooked his own meals, and collected precious stones, especially rubies and pearls. From the time he made his first money he had this mania. As he grew richer, the desire to possess rare and costly gems became stronger. When he bought a new stone, he carried it in his pocket for a month and now and then took it out and looked at it. Then it was added to the collection in his safe at the trust company.

At the time he sent for me I was a clerk, and poor enough. Remembering my mother’s words, his message gave me, his sole relative, no new hopes; but I thought it best to go.

When I sat down by his bedside, he began, with a malicious grin:

“I suppose you think me queer. I will explain.” What he said was certainly queer enough. “I have been living on an annuity into which I put my fortune. In other words, I have been, as to money, concentric half of my life to enable me to be as eccentric as I pleased the rest of it. Now I repent of my wickedness to you all, and desire to live in the memory of at least one of my family. You think I am poor and have only my annuity. You will be profitably surprised. I have never parted with my precious stones; they will be yours. You are my sole heir. I shall carry with me to the other world the satisfaction of making one man happy.

“No doubt you have always had expectations, and I desire that you should continue to expect. My jewels are in my safe. There is nothing else left”.

When I thanked him he grinned all over his lean face, and said:

“You will have to pay for my funeral.”

I must say that I never looked forward to any expenditure with more pleasure than to what it would cost me to put him away in the earth. As I rose to go, he said:

“The rubies are valuable. They are in my safe at the trust company. Before you unlock the box, be very careful to read a letter which lies on top of it; and be sure not to shake the box.” I thought this odd. “Don’t come back. It won’t hasten things.”

He died that day next week, and was handsomely buried. The day after, his will was found, leaving me his heir. I opened his safe and found in it nothing but an iron box, evidently of his own making, for he was a skilled workman and very ingenious. The box was heavy and strong, about ten inches long, eight inches wide and ten inches high.

On it lay a letter to me. It ran thus:

I stood appalled, the key in my hand. Was it true? Was it a lie? I had spent all my savings on the funeral, and was poorer than ever.

Remembering the old man’s oddity, his malice, his cleverness in mechanic arts, and the patent explosive which had helped to make him rich, I began to feel how very likely it was that he had told the truth in this cruel letter.

I carried the iron box away to my lodgings, set it down with care in a closet, laid the key on it, and locked the closet.

Then I sat down, as yet hopeful, and began to exert my ingenuity upon ways of opening the box without being killed. There must be a way.

After a week of vain thinking I bethought me, one day, that it would be easy to explode the box by unlocking it at a safe distance, and I arranged a plan with wires, which seemed as if it would answer. But when I reflected on what would happen when the dynamite scattered the rubies, I knew that I should be none the richer. For hours at a time I sat looking at that box and handling the key.

At last I hung the key on my watch-guard; but then it occurred to me that it might be lost or stolen. Dreading this, I hid it, fearful that someone might use it to open the box. This state of doubt and fear lasted for weeks, until I became nervous and began to dread that some accident might happen to that box. A burglar might come and boldly carry it away and force it open and find it was a wicked fraud of my uncle’s. Even the rumble and vibration caused by the heavy vans in the street became at last a terror.

Worst of all, my salary was reduced, and I saw that marriage was out of the question.

In my despair I consulted Professor Clinch about my dilemma, and as to some safe way of getting at the rubies. He said that, if my uncle had not lied, there was none that would not ruin the stones, especially the pearls, but that it was a silly tale and altogether incredible. I offered him the biggest ruby if he wished to test his opinion. He did not desire to do so.

Dr. Schaff, my uncle’s doctor, believed the old man’s letter, and added a caution, which was entirely useless, for by this time I was afraid to be in the room with that terrible box.

At last the doctor kindly warned me that I was in danger of losing my mind with too much thought about my rubies. In fact, I did nothing else but contrive wild plans to get at them safely. I spent all my spare hours at one of the great libraries reading about dynamite.

Indeed, I talked of it until the library attendants, believing me a lunatic or a dynamite fiend, declined to humor me, and spoke to the police. I suspect that for a while I was “shadowed” as a suspicious, and possibly criminal, character. I gave up the libraries, and, becoming more and more fearful, set my precious box on a down pillow, for fear of its being shaken; for at this time even the absurd possibility of its being disturbed by an earthquake troubled me. I tried to calculate the amount of shake needed to explode my box.

The old doctor, when I saw him again, begged me to give up all thought of the matter, and, as I felt how completely I was the slave of one despotic idea, I tried to take the good advice thus given me.

Unhappily, I found, soon after, between the leaves of my uncle’s Bible, a numbered list of the stones with their cost and much beside. It was dated two years before my uncle’s death. Many of the stones were well known, and their enormous value amazed me.

Several of the rubies were described with care, and curious histories of them were given in detail. One was said to be the famous “Sunset ruby,” which had belonged to the Empress-Queen Maria Theresa. One was called the “Blood ruby,” not, as was explained, because of the color, but on account of the murders it had occasioned. Now, as I read, it seemed again to threaten death.

The pearls were described with care as an unequalled collection. Concerning two of them my uncle had written what I might call biographies—for, indeed, they seemed to have done much evil and some good. One, a black pearl, was mentioned in an old bill of sale as—She—which seemed queer to me.

It was maddening. Here, guarded by a vision of sudden death, was wealth “beyond the dreams of avarice.” I am not a clever or ingenious man; I know little beyond how to keep a ledger, and so I was, and am, no doubt, absurd about many of my notions as to how to solve this riddle.

At one time I thought of finding a man who would take the risk of unlocking the box, but what right had I to subject anyone else to the trial I dared not face? I could easily drop the box from a height somewhere, and if it did not explode could then safely unlock it; but if it did blow up when it fell, good-by to my rubies. Mine, indeed! I was rich, and I was not. I grew thin and morbid, and so miserable that, I at last carried my troubles to my father confessor. He thought it simply a cruel jest of my uncle’s, but was not so eager for another world as to be willing to open my box.

He, too, counselled me to cease thinking about it. Good heavens! I dreamed about it. Not to think about it was impossible. Neither my own thought nor science nor religion had been able to assist me.

Two years have gone by, and I am one of the richest men in the city, and have no more money than will keep me alive.

Susan said I was half cracked like Uncle Philip, and broke off her engagement. In my despair I advertised in the Journal of Science, and have had absurd schemes sent me by the dozen. At last, as I talked too much about it, the thing became so well known that when I put the horror in a safe, in a bank, I was promptly desired to withdraw it. I was in constant fear of burglars, and my landlady gave me notice to leave, because no one would stay in the house with that box. I am now advised to print my story and await advice from the ingenuity of the American mind.

I have moved into the suburbs and hidden the box and changed my name and my occupation. This I did to escape the curiosity of the reporters. I ought to say that when the government officials came to hear of my inheritance, they were reasonably desired to collect the succession tax on my uncle’s estate.

I was delighted to assist them. I told the collector my story, and showed him Uncle Philip’s letter. Then I offered him the key, and asked for time to get half a mile away. That man said he would think it over and come back later.

This is all I have to say. I have made a will and left my rubies and pearls to the Society for the Preservation of Human Vivisection. If any man thinks this account a joke or an invention, let him coldly imagine the situation:

Given an iron box, known to contain wealth, and to contain dynamite, arranged to explode when the key is used to unlock it – what would any sane man do? What would he advise?

About the author:

Silas Weir Mitchell (1829-1914) was a neurologist by profession. He was among the famous physicians of his time and a prolific writer of both scientific and literary works. He was born in Philadelphia, studied at the University of Pennsylvania and received the degree of M.D. in 1850. He is considered the father of neurology as well as a pioneer in scientific medicine. He published more than 25 literary titles and his medical experiences and background enabled him to write historical fiction with much psychological insight. Many honorary degrees were conferred upon him by several Universities at home and abroad. The American Academy of Neurology award for young researchers is named after him.

The House on Elm Street by Nadia Bush | Poem Text and Analysis

The House on Elm Street

The House on Elm Street

by Nadia Bush

It sat alone.

What happened there is still today unknown.

It is a very mysterious place,

And inside you can tell it has a ton of space, But at the same time it is bare to the bone.

At night the house seems to be alive,

Lights flicker on and off.

I am often tempted to go to the house,

To just take a look and see what it is really about, But fear takes over me.

I drive past the house almost every day.

The house seems to be a bit brighter

On this warm summer day in May.

It plays with your mind.

To me I say, it is one of a kind.

Beside the house sits a tree.

It never grows leaves,

Not in the winter, spring, summer or fall.

It just sits there, never getting small or ever growing tall,

How could this be?

Rumors are constantly being made

And each day the house just begins to fade.

What happened inside that house?

I really don't know.

I guess it will always be a mystery.

The Dying Detective Q&A | Arthur Conan Doyle | Prose Analysis and Essay

Answer the questions - The Dying Detective | by Arthur Conan Doyle | Prose

A. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences.

1. Who was Mrs. Hudson? Why was she worried?

Mrs. Hudson was the landlady of Sherlock Holmes. She was worried about his illness because Holmes did not take food or drink for three days.

2. Why didn’t Holmes let Watson examine him?

Holmes pretended that he didn’t have confidence in Dr. Watson. So he didn’t let Watson examine him. (or) Holmes thought that Watson was ignorant of the deadly disease. So he didn’t let Watson examine him.

3. Why did Holmes warn Watson against touching his things? What was Watson’s reaction?

Holmes did not like anyone touching his things. So he warned Watson against touching his things. Eventually, Watson sat in silent dejection.

4. What did Watson find on the table near the mantlepiece?

Watson found a small black and white ivory box with a sliding lid on the table near the mantlepiece.

5. Who is Mr. Culverton Smith?

Mr. Culverton Smith is a planter. He lives in Sumatra island. He is the culprit. He killed his nephew Victor Savage, in order to retain the property.

6. What did Holmes ask Watson to do before leaving his room?

Holmes asked Watson to place some letters and paper on the table within his reach. He asked to place the ivory box and slide the lid a bit with tongs. He asked Watson to light the lamp and leave it half on.

7. What instructions did Holmes give Watson to get Mr. Smith?

Holmes asked Watson to tell Smith that Holmes was dying and to persuade Smith to come. Watson should return before the arrival of Smith.

8. Why did Holmes want Smith to treat him?

Holmes thought that Smith was the only man in London who knew well about the deadly disease. So he wanted Smith to treat him.

9. According to Smith how did Holmes get the disease?

Smith thought that Holmes got the contagious disease by touching the poisoned sharp spring, kept inside the ivory box which he had sent to Holmes by post.

10. Who arrested Smith? What were the charges against him?

Inspector Morton arrested Smith. He arrested Smith on the charges of murdering his nephew, Victor Savage and his attempt to kill Holmes in the same way.

B. Answer the following questions in a paragraph of about 100-150 words.

1. How did Holmes trap Mr. Culverton Smith to confess the murder?

2. How did Watson help his friend to arrest the criminal?

Prose : The Dying Detective

Author : Arthur Conan Doyle

Theme : Punishment, may be delayed but sure

Characters : Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Mr. Culverton Smith, Inspector-Morton of Scotland Yard, landlady-Mrs. Hudson

Outline : Sherlock Holmes - famous detective - London - Dr.Watson - friend - pretended as if infected with deadly disease - to get Smith - for treating illness - wanted Smith’s confession - Inspector Morton - arrested Smith for his crime.

Sherlock Holmes was a famous detective in London. Dr. Watson, friend and assistant of Holmes was the narrator of this story. Once, Holmes pretended as if he were infected with a deadly disease. He didn’t take food or drink for three days. So he was weak. Dr. Watson wanted to treat Holmes. But Holmes didn’t want Watson to know that he was not ill. He sent Watson to get Culverton Smith for treating his illness. Watson had to persuade Smith to come and meet Holmes. Mr. Culverton Smith was a planter. He was the culprit, who had killed his nephew Victor Savage to retain the property. To capture Smith, Holmes pretended to be ill. While Holmes and Smith were discussing, Smith confessed that he had killed his nephew and also sent an infected ivory box to kill Holmes in the same way. Holmes asked Smith to turn up the gas light. It was a signal for Inspector Morton who was waiting in the next room with Dr. Watson. Morton came in and arrested Smith for his crime.

ESSAY

• Introduction
• Dying detective -- Holmes
• Instructions given to Watson
• Culverton Smith-the villain
• Holmes’ deception
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer, best known for his fictional detective character, Sherlock Holmes. This story is narrated by the character, Dr. Watson, a friend of Holmes.

Dying detective -- Holmes:

Sherlock Holmes was a famous detective in London. Dr. Watson was his friend. Once, Holmes pretended as if he were infected with Tarpaunli fever or black Formosa plague, a deadly disease from Sumatra. He didn’t take food or drink for three days. So he was listless. Dr. Watson wanted to treat his illness. But Holmes didn’t want Watson to know that he was not ill. He pretended to be ill just to get Smith there.

Instructions given to Watson:

He sent Watson to get Culverton Smith for treating his illness. Holmes instructed Watson to tell Smith exactly how he was suffering from the illness. Watson had to persuade Smith to come and meet Holmes.

Culverton Smith-the villain:

Mr. Culverton Smith was a planter from Sumatra. He was the culprit. He had killed his nephew Victor Savage in order to usurp the property. He came to visit London in order to know the consequences of his plot of killing Holmes. But Holmes wanted Smith’s confession for his crime of murdering his nephew Victor. In order to capture Smith, Holmes pretended to be ill.

Holmes’ deception:

While Holmes and Smith were discussing, Watson overheard them from the next room. As they were discussing, Smith confessed that he had killed his nephew, Victor and also sent an infected ivory box to kill Holmes in the same way. Holmes asked Smith to turn up the gas light which was a signal for Inspector Morton. Inspector Morton came in and arrested Smith for his crime.

Conclusion:

This mystery is also called “The Adventure of the Dying Detective.” Arthur Conan Doyle created these two characters Sherlock Holmes and Watson as if they were real ones.

Moral: “Don't believe everything you see”

Glossary for 'The Dying Detective' by Arthur Conan Doyle | Prose Analysis

Glossary - The Dying Detective | by Arthur Conan Doyle | Prose

Vocabulary

gaunt (adj.) - lean, especially because of suffering, hunger or age.

twitched (v) - give short, sudden jerking movements.

contagious (adj.) - spreading of a disease from one person to another by direct contact

groan (v) - make a deep inarticulate sound conveying pain or despair.

plague (n) - a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever .

bolted (v) - closed the door with a bar that slides into a socket.

mantle piece (n) - a structure of wood or marble above or around the fireplace.

half-crown (n) - a former British coin equal to two shillings and sixpence (12 1/2p).

tongs (n) - a device used for picking up objects consisting of two long pieces free at one end and pressed together at the other end.

delirious (adj.) - disturbed state of mind characterized by restlessness.

frail (adj.) - weak and delicate.

startled (v) - felt sudden shock or alarm.

scuffle (v) - to have a sudden short fight

The Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle: A Sherlock Holmes Story Analysis

The Dying Detective

by Arthur Conan Doyle

The detective Sherlock Holmes was seriously ill. He wanted to meet his assistant Watson. He asks his landlady to get him. Watson was surprised to see the condition of his master. Was Watson able to save his master? Read on to know more about the underlying story behind Holmes’ sickness.

Mrs. Hudson, the landlady of Sherlock Holmes, came to me and said, “Mr. Holmes is dying, Mr. Watson. For three days he has been sinking, and I doubt if he will last another day. He would not let me get a doctor. I told him I could not stand it anymore and would get a doctor.” He replied, “Let it be Watson then.”

I was horrified for I had not heard about his illness before. I rushed for my hat and coat. As we drove back, I asked her about the details.

“There is little I can tell you, sir. He has been working on a case down at Rotherhithe, near the river, and has brought this illness back with him. He took to bed on Wednesday afternoon and has never moved since. For three days neither food nor drink has passed his lips.” “Why did you not call a doctor?” I asked.

“He wouldn’t have it, sir. I didn’t dare to disobey him.”

a. How did Watson feel when he heard of Holmes illness?

b. Why didn’t the landlady call the doctor?

He was indeed a sad sight. In the dim light of a foggy November day, the sick-room was a gloomy spot, but it was the gaunt face staring form the bed that brought chill to my heart. His eyes had the brightness of fever, his cheeks were flushed, and his hand twitched all the time. He lay listless.

“My dear fellow!” I cried approaching him.

“Stand back! Stand right back!” he cried.

“But why? I want to help you,” I said.

“Certainly, Watson, but it is for your own sake.”

“For my sake?” I was surprised.

“I know what is the matter with me. It is the disease from Sumatra. It is deadly and contagious, Watson – that’s it, by touch.”

“Good heavens, Holmes! Do you think this can stop me?” I said advancing towards him.

“If you will stand there, I will talk. If you don’t you must leave the room,” said my master.

I have always given in to Holmes’ wishes. But now my feelings as a doctor were aroused. I was at least his master in the sick-room.

“Holmes,” I said, “you are not yourself whether you like it or not. I will examine your symptoms and treat you.”

“If I am to have a doctor,” said he, “let me at least have someone in whom I have confidence.”

“Then you have none in me?”

“In your friendship, certainly. But facts are facts, Watson. You are a general practitioner, not a specialist of this disease.”

“If so, let me bring Sir Japer Meek or Penrose Fisher, or any other best man in London.”

“How ignorant you are! Watson!” he said with a groan.

“What do you know about Tarpaunli fever or the black Formosa plague?”

“I have never heard of them,” I admitted.

c. What was the condition of Holmes when Watson saw him?

d. According to Holmes what was the disease he was suffering from?

“There are many problems of the disease in the East. I have learnt that much during my recent researches. And during this course I caught this illness,” he said.

“I will bring Dr. Ainstree then,” I said going towards the door. Never have I had such a shock when the dying man bolted the door and locked it, shouted in an uncontrolled way and in a moment he was back in his bed.

“You won’t have the key by force from me Watson. Be here till 6 o’clock. It is four now”

“This is madness, Holmes,” I said.

“Only two hours, Watson. Then you can get a doctor of my choice. You can read some books, over there. At six we will talk again.”

Unable to settle down to reading, I walked slowly round and round, looking at the pictures. Finally I came to the mantel piece, where among other things I saw a small black and white ivory box with sliding lid. As I held it in my hand to examine it, I heard a dreadful cry. “Put it down! Down at once, Watson,” he said, “I hate to have my things touched. Sit down man, and let me have my rest!”

Then I sat in silent dejection until the stipulated time had passed.

“Now Watson,” he said, “Have you any change?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“How many half-crowns? Put them in your watch – pocket. And all the rest in your trouser pocket. You will light the gas lamp, but it must be half on. You will have the kindness to place some letters and paper on the table within my reach. Now place the ivory box on the table within my reach. Slide the lid a bit with tongs. Put the tongs on the table. Good! Now you can go and fetch Mr. Culverton Smith, of 13 Lower Burke Street’’.

I was hesitant to leave him now. He was delirious.

“I have never heard of the name,’’ I said.

“Well, he is the man who has the knowledge of this disease but he is not a medical man. He is a planter. He lives in Sumatra, now visiting London. I didn’t want you to go before six, because you wouldn’t have found him in his study. I hope you will be able to persuade him to come. You will tell him exactly how you have left me.” He said, “You must tell him that I’m dying – plead with him, Watson.”

“I’ll bring him in a cab,’’ I said.

“No. You will persuade him to come and return before him. Make any excuse. Remember this, Watson.”

I saw Mrs. Hudson was waiting outside, trembling and crying. Below, as I waited for the cab, I met Inspector Morton of the Scotland Yard. He was not in his uniform.

“How is he?” asked Inspector Morton.

“He is very ill,” I answered.

I reached Mr. Culverton Smith’s house. The butler appeared at the doorway. Through the half -open door I heard a man’s voice telling the butler, “I am not at home, say so.” I pushed past the butler and entered the room. I saw a frail man with bald head sitting. “I am sorry,” I said, “but the matter cannot be delayed. Mr. Sherlock Holmes………….”

The mere mention of his name had a different effect on the man.

“Have you come from Holmes? How is he?” he asked.

“He is very ill. That is why I have come. Mr. Holmes has a high opinion of you and thought you are the only man in London who can help him.”

The little man was startled.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because of your knowledge of the Eastern diseases,” I replied.

“How did he get it?” he asked.

I told him everything. He smiled and agreed to come. Pretending that I had some other appointment. I left him. With a sinking heart I reached Holmes’ room. I told him that Mr. Smith was coming.

“Well done! Watson!” he said. “You have done everything that a good friend could do. Now you disappear to the next room. And don’t speak, or come here.”

e. Who did Watson see when he entered the room?

f. What were the instructions given by Holmes to Watson?

I heard the footsteps. I heard a voice say, “Holmes! Holmes! Can you hear me?”

“Is that you Mr. Smith?” Holmes whispered. “You know what is wrong with me. You are the only one in London who can cure me.”

“Do you know the symptoms?” asked Smith.

“Only too well, Mr. Smith,” and he described the symptoms.

“They are the same, Holmes,” Smith said, “Poor Victor was a dead man on the fourth day -a strong and healthy young man. What a coincidence indeed!”

“I know that you did it,” said Holmes.

“Well, you can’t prove it.”

“Give me water, please,” Holmes groaned.

“Here.” I heard Smith’s voice.

“Cure me, please. Well, about Victor Savage’s death. You did it. I’ll forget everything, but cure me. I’ll forget about it.”

“You can forget or remember, just as you like. It doesn’t matter to me how my nephew died. Watson said you got it from the Chinese sailors. Could there be any other reason?”

“I can’t think. My mind is gone, help me,” pleaded Holmes.

“Did anything come by post? A box by chance? On Wednesday?”

“Yes I opened it and there was a sharp spring inside it. A joke perhaps. It drew blood,” said Holmes.

“No, it was not a joke, you fool, you’ve got it. Who asked you to cross my path? You knew too much about Victor’s death. Your end is near, Holmes. I’ll carry this box in my pocket. The last piece of evidence!”

“Turn up the gas, Smith,” said Holmes in his natural voice.

“Yes I will, so that I can see you better.” There was silence. Then I heard Smith say, “What’s all this?”

“Successful acting,” said Holmes, “for three days I didn’t taste anything – neither food nor drink.”

g. Why did Holmes plead with Smith?

h. Who was responsible for Victor Savage’s death? What was the evidence for it?

There were footsteps outside. The door opened and I heard Inspector Morton’s voice. “I arrest you on charge of murder,” he said.

“If so, let me bring Sir Jaspet Meek or Penrose fisher, or Holmes”.

There was a sudden rush and scuffle, followed by the clash of iron and sudden cry of pain. There was a click of handcuffs. Holmes asked me to come in.

“Sorry, Watson, I was rude to you. I undermined your capability as a doctor. It was just to get Smith here. And I didn’t want you to know that I was not ill.”

“But your appearance--?” I said.

“Three days, fasting and the make-up did the trick.”

“The coins?”

“Oh! That was only to prove that I was delirious,” he laughed. “I need to eat now, Watson. Mr. Smith killed his nephew and he wanted to kill me the same way to avoid imprisonment. I need to eat now, Watson. I think that something nutritious at Simpsons’ would not be out of place. And thank you, Watson,” he said.

i. What explanation did Holmes give for speaking rudely to Watson?

j. How was Holmes able to look sick?

Vocabulary from the Story

• gaunt: Lean and haggard, especially because of suffering, hunger, or age.
• twitched: A short, sudden jerking or convulsive movement.
• contagious: A disease spread from one person to another by direct or indirect contact.
• groan: A deep, inarticulate sound in response to pain or despair.
• plague: A contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium.
• bolted: To move or run away suddenly.
• mantel piece: A structure of wood, marble, or stone above and around a fireplace.
• half-crowns: A former British coin equal to two shillings and sixpence.
• tongs: An instrument with two movable arms joined at one end, for picking up things.
• delirious: An acutely disturbed state of mind resulting from illness or intoxication.
• frail: (Of a person) weak and delicate.
• startled: Feeling or showing sudden shock or alarm.
• scuffle: A short, confused fight or struggle at close quarters.

About the Author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British writer best known for his detective fiction featuring the character of Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction. Doyle wrote forty-six short stories featuring the famous detective. The story is narrated by the character, Dr.Watson. Originally a physician, in 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels about Holmes and Dr. Watson. In addition, Doyle wrote over fifty short stories featuring the famous detective. The Sherlock Holmes stories are generally considered milestones in the field of fiction. His notable works include Stories of Sherlock Holmes and The Lost World.

Glossary for "No Men Are Foreign" by James Falconer Kirkup | 10th English Poem

Glossary - No Men Are Foreign

by James Falconer Kirkup | Poem

Glossary

Condemn

express complete disapproval

Labour

hardwork

Betray

disloyal

Defile

damage the purity or appearance

Outrage

extremely strong reaction of anger, shock

Source Tags: No Men Are Foreign | by James Falconer Kirkup | Poem , 10th English: UNIT 6 : Poem: No Men Are Foreign

Additional Info: Study Material, Lecturing Notes, Assignment, Reference, Wiki description explanation, brief detail

Source Title Reference: 10th English: UNIT 6 : Poem: No Men Are Foreign : Glossary | No Men Are Foreign | by James Falconer Kirkup | Poem

No Men Are Foreign by James Kirkup: A Poem on Universal Brotherhood

No Men Are Foreign - by James Falconer Kirkup | Poem

Introduction

Read on the poem to know why we mustn’t hate our brethren because they belong to a different country or speak a different language. The poet reminds us of that how all people are similar and part of the brotherhood of men. By the end of the poem we get to know how it is unnatural to fight against ourselves.

No Men Are Foreign

by James Falconer Kirkup

Remember, no men are strange, no countries foreign

Beneath all uniforms, a single body breathes

Like ours: the land our brothers walk upon

Is earth like this, in which we all shall lie.

They, too, aware of sun and air and water,

Are fed by peaceful harvests, by war’s long winter starv’d.

Their hands are ours, and in their lines we read

A labour not different from our own.

Remember they have eyes like ours that wake

Or sleep, and strength that can be won

By love. In every land is common life

That all can recognise and understand.

Let us remember, whenever we are told

To hate our brothers, it is ourselves

That we shall dispossess, betray, condemn.

Remember, we who take arms against each other

It is the human earth that we defile.

Our hells of fire and dust outrage the innocence

Of air that is everywhere our own,

Remember, no men are foreign, and no countries strange.

About the author

James Falconer Kirkup (1918 -2009) born James Harold Kirkup, was an English poet, translator and travel writer. He wrote over 30 books, including autobiographies, novels and plays. Kirkup wrote his first book of poetry, The Drowned Sailor at the Downs, which was published in 1947. His home town of South Shields now holds a growing collection of his works in the Central Library, and artefacts from his time in Japan are housed in the nearby Museum. His last volume of poetry was published during the summer of 2008 by Red Squirrel Press, and was launched at a special event at Central Library in South Shields.

The Last Lesson by Alphonse Daudet | Glossary and Word Meanings

Glossary - The Last Lesson

Word Meanings

chirping (v) - making a short, sharp high pitched sound (usually by small birds or insects)

bustle (v) - move in an energetic manner

unison (n) - simultaneous utterance of words

rapping (v) - striking with a series of rapid audible blows

thumbed (v) - a book which has been read often and bearing the marks of frequent handling

cranky (adj.) - strange

Saar - a river in northeastern France and western Germany

Angelus (n) - a Roman Catholic devotion commemorating the Incarnation of Jesus and including the Hail Mary, said at morning, noon, and sunset.

“Vive la France!” - is an expression used in French to show patriotism. It's difficult to translate the term literally into English, but it generally means “Long live France!”

Answer the questions - A day in 2889 of an American Journalist | by Jules Verne | Supplementary/Story

Answer the questions - A day in 2889 of an American Journalist

by Jules Verne | Supplementary/Story

A. Answer the following questions in two or three lines.

1. Why did Francis Bennett wake up with a bad temper?

   Francis Bennet woke up with a bad temper as he felt a little lonely. Bennet’s wife had been away in France for the past eight days.

2. What was a mechanized dressing room?

   A mechanized dressing room was a machine that could wash, shave. Also it shod and dressed a person in under two minutes.

3. How was food served to him?

   Bennett was one of the subscribers to the society for supplying food to the home. He got his lunch from there through a network of pneumatic tubes.

4. Why was Bennett curious about astronomy?

   Astronomy had become a recent topic of interest because of, all the new discoveries made •in the stellar world. He wished to feed the public with interesting astronomical news.

5. Why did he visit Niagara?

   Francis Bennett went to Niagara for his accumulator works.

6. How did Bennett travel?

   Bennett travelled to Niagara in an aero-car with an aero-coachman. The aero-car was capable of gaining speed of about four hundred miles an hour.

7. Give three instances of how mechanization has changed life at home in 2889?

   In the year 2889, Bennett uses his phonotelephote to talk to his wife who is a several hundred miles away from him. He gets ready in his mechanized dressing room in two minutes. He gets his lunch from a pneumatic tube in his office.

8. How is advertising in this age different from what we have today?

   Advertisements are projected on clouds by a thousand projectors from a gallery. They are so large that they can be seen all over a whole country.

B. Identify the character/speaker.

1. ‘As soon as he woke up, he switched on his phonotelephote.’ - Narrator
2. ‘Well, Cash, what have you got?’ - Francis Bennett
3. ‘Phototelegrams from Mercury, Venus and Mars, Sir.’ - Cash to Bennett
4. ‘Interesting! And Jupiter?’ - Francis Bennett to Cash
5. ‘Not yet, Mr.Bennett.’ - Cash
6. ‘No, it’s the inhabitants.’ - Corley to Bennett
7. ‘Where are we going, Sir?’ - Aero-coachman to Bennett
8. ‘Then, Sir, I shall really have discovered the absolute.’ - The young inventor to Bennett
9. ‘Are you saying you’re going to be able to construct a human being?’ - Francis Bennett to the young inventor
10. ‘I’m going to start this moment.’ - Edith (Bennett’s wife) to Bennett

C. Choose the best answer.

1. Bennette’s wife was in France.

   i) Germany ii) Australia iii) France iv) Holland

2. The data from the stellar world was gathered by astronomical reporters.

   i)Bennette ii) astronomical reporters iii) the computer iv) telephote

3. The food was being delivered through pneumatic tubes.

   i) pneumatic ii) shallow iii) hollow iv) virtual

4. The wayfarers were carried to one place to another by the moving pavement.

   i) bullet train ii) jet iii) moving pavement iv) heli-taxi

D. Fill in the story map given below.

Title:

A day in 2889 of an American Journalist

Setting:

• The story is set in the office block of the managing Editor of the newspaper Earth Herald.
• Later it is set in the reporting room, advertising room, dining room, Niagara, waiting room of the Earth Herald and the audition room.

Characters:

1. Francis Bennett - the director of the Earth Herald
2. Edith - Bennett's wife.
3. Aero coachman
4. Cash - One of the ten Astronomical reporters
5. Corley - One of the ten Astronomical reporters
6. The young inventor and the second inventor

Problem:

• i. Bennett wakes up with a bad temper and feels lonely.
• ii. Astronomical reporters don't get any signals from Jupiter and the moon
• iii. Bennett has to reject bad petitions and choose good ones.

Your Views:

• This futuristic story by Jules Verne is simply amazing.
• It reveals the author's power of imagination.
• The story takes the readers into this new world and enables them to experience a life where machines are prominent
• Every invention mentioned here is inspiring.

PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS

Lesson: A DAY IN 2889 OF AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST

Author: Jules Verne

Theme: The future in the hands of technology.

Characters: Francis Bennett, Edith, Cash, Corley, the second inventor, the aero-coachman.

Prose outline: Story set on 2889 - Francis Bennett - director - Earth Herald - leading newspaper - phonotelephote - mechanized dressing room - astronomical news - advertisements on clouds - lunch via pneumatic tubes - travel to Niagara - an aero-car - inventors

This story is set on July 25, 2889. Francis Bennett, director of the Earth Herald, the world’s most leading newspaper, had woken up with a bad temper. He felt a little lonely. His wife had been away to France for the past eight days. He switched on his phonotelephote and hearing his wife’s voice, he put on a smile. His mechanized dressing room dressed him from top to toe. In his office, he inquired the astronomical reporters about the latest news. He wished to feed the public with interesting astronomical news. Inordinate advertisements were projected on clouds by a thousand projectors from a gallery. Bennett got his lunch through a network of pneumatic tubes. Then he travelled to Niagara for his accumulator works. He took an aero-car with an aero-coachman. After his return, he listened to many petitions. He supported the idea of an inventor who thought of reducing the final three elements into one and another idea of moving the town of Saaf to the shore using rails. He then learned about his wife’s plan to return. Finally he ended the day by taking mechanized a bath before going to bed.

ESSAY

• Introduction
• Phonotelephote and the mechanized dressing room
• Astronomy- the trending topic
• Advertisements and Lunch service
• Two innovative petitions
• Conclusion

Introduction:

‘A day in 2889 of an American Journalist’ written in 1889 by Jules Verne, gives us a glimpse of the futuristic world in which people rely on machines for almost everything. The story is set on July 25 of 2889.

Phonotelephote and the mechanized dressing room:

Francis Bennett, director of the Earth Herald, the world’s most leading newspaper, had woken up with a bad temper. He felt a little lonely in the absence of his wife. His wife had been away in France for the past eight days. He switched on his phonotelephote and hearing his wife’s voice, he put on a smile. His mechanized dressing room dressed him from top to toe.

Astronomy - the trending topic:

In his office, he inquired the astronomical reporters about the latest news. He wished to feed the public with interesting astronomical news. He was excited to bring out the interesting discoveries made in the new planet Gandini to the public.

Advertisements and lunch services:

Inordinate advertisements were projected on clouds by a thousand projectors from a gallery. Bennett was one of the subscribers to the society for supplying food to the home. He got his lunch from there through a network of pneumatic tubes. Then Bennett travelled to Niagara for his accumulator works. He took an aero-car with an aero-coachman who was waiting near his window. The aero-car is capable of gaining speed of about four hundred miles an hour.

Innovative petitions:

After his return, he listened to many petitions. He supported the idea of an inventor who thought of reducing the final three elements into one and another idea of moving the town of Saaf to the shore using rails.

Conclusion:

At last Bennet learned about his wife’s plan to return. Finally he decided to take a bath. Thus the story ends. The innovations in this story, seem to be a magic, Unbelievable Everything is made possible in the future with the help of technology.

‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’

A day in 2889 of an American Journalist - by Jules Verne | Supplementary/Story

A day in 2889 of an American Journalist

- by Jules Verne

Supplementary Story

A day in 2889 of an American Journalist

Jules Verne

This story speaks about the people of the twenty-ninth century who live in fairyland. Surfeited as they are with marvels, they are indifferent to the presence of each new marvel. To them all seem natural.

The year is 2889, the date 25th July and the place is the office block of the Managing Editor of the Earth Herald, the world’s largest newspaper.

In this futuristic story written in 1889, the writer describes how he visualizes the world a thousand years later – a world of technological advancements where newspapers are not printed but ‘spoken’.

Read the following excerpt for a glimpse of this future world.

That morning Francis Bennett awoke in rather a bad temper. This was eight days since his wife had been in France and he was feeling a little lonely. As soon as he awoke, Francis Bennett switched on his phonotelephote whose wires led to the house he owned in the Champs-Elysees.

The telephone, completed by the telephote, is another of our time’s conquests! Though the transmission of speech by the electric current was already very old, it was only since yesterday that vision could also be transmitted. A valuable discovery, and Francis Bennett was by no means the only one to bless its inventor when, in spite of the enormous distance between them, he saw his wife appear in the telephotic mirror. ‘Francis … dear Francis!...’

His name, spoken by that sweet voice, gave a happier turn to Francis Bennett’s mood. He quickly jumped out of bed and went into his mechanized dressing room. Two minutes later, without needing the help of a valet, the machine deposited him, washed, shaved, shod, dressed and buttoned from top to toe, on the threshold of his office. The day’s work was going to begin.

Francis Bennett went on into the reporters’ room. His fifteen hundred reporters, placed before an equal number of telephones, were passing on to subscribers the news which had come in during the night from the four quarters of the earth. In addition to his telephone, each reporter has in front of him a series of commutators, which allow him to get into communication with this or that telephotic line.

Thus the subscribers have not only the story but the sight of these events.

Francis Bennett questioned one of the ten astronomical reporters – a service which was growing because of the recent discoveries in the stellar world.

‘Well, Cash, what have you got?’

‘Phototelegrams from Mercury, Venus and Mars, Sir.’

‘Interesting! And Jupiter?’

‘Nothing so far! We haven’t been able to understand the signals the Jovians make. Perhaps ours haven’t reached them? ….’

‘Aren’t you getting some result from the moon, at any rate?’

‘Not yet, Mr Bennett.’

‘Well, this time, you can’t blame optical science! The moon is six hundred times nearer than Mars, and yet our correspondence service is in regular operation with Mars. It can’t be telescopes we need…’

‘No, it’s the inhabitants,’ Corley replied.

‘You dare tell me that the moon is uninhabited?’

‘On the face it turns towards us, at any rate, Mr Bennett. Who knows whether on the other side…’

‘Well, there’s a very simple method of finding out.’

‘And that is?’

‘To turn the moon round!’

And that very day, the scientists of the Bennett factory started working out some mechanical means of turning our satellite right round.

On the whole, Francis Bennett had reason to be satisfied. One of the Earth Herald’s astronomers had just determined the elements of the new planet Gandini. It is at a distance of 12,841,348,284,623 metres and 7 decimetres that this planet describes its orbit round the sun in 572 years, 194 days, 12 hours, 43 minutes, 9.8 seconds. Francis Bennett was delighted with such precision.

‘Good!’ he exclaimed. ‘Hurry up and tell the reportage service about it. You know what a passion the public has for these astronomical questions. I’m anxious for the news to appear in today’s issue!’

The next room, a broad gallery about a quarter of a mile long, was devoted to publicity, and it well may be imagined what the publicity for such a journal as the Earth Herald had to be. It brought in a daily average of three million dollars. They are gigantic signs reflected on the clouds, so large that they can be seen all over a whole country. From that gallery a thousand projectors were unceasingly employed in sending to the clouds, on which they were reproduced in colour, these inordinate advertisements.

At that moment the clock struck twelve. The director of the Earth Herald left the hall and sat down in a rolling armchair. In a few minutes he had reached his dining room half a mile away, at the far end of the office.

The table was laid and he took his place at it. Within reach of his hand was placed a series of taps and before him was the curved surface of a phonotelephote, on which appeared the dining room of his home in Paris. Mr and Mrs Bennett had arranged to have lunch at the same time – nothing could be more pleasant than to be face to face in spite of the distance, to see one another and talk by means of the phonotelephotic apparatus.

Like everybody else in easy circumstances nowadays, Francis Bennett, having abandoned domestic cooking, is one of the subscribers to the Society for Supplying Food to the Home, which distributes dishes of a thousand types through a network of pneumatic tubes. This system is expensive, no doubt, but the cooking is better. So, not without some regret, Francis Bennett was lunching in solitude. He was finishing his coffee when Mrs Bennett, having got back home, appeared in the telephote screen.

When he had finished his lunch, he went across to the window, where his aero-car was waiting.

‘Where are we going, Sir?’ asked the aero-coachman. ‘Let’s see. I’ve got time…’ Francis Bennett replied. ‘Take me to my accumulator works at Niagara.’

The aero-car shot across space at a speed of about four hundred miles an hour. Below him were spread out the towns with their moving pavements which carry the wayfarers along the streets, and the countryside, covered, as though by an immense spider’s web, by the network of electric wires.

Within half an hour, Francis Bennett had reached his works at Niagara, where, after using the force of the cataracts to produce energy, he sold or hired it out to the consumers. Then he returned, by way of Philadelphia, Boston and New York, to Centropolis, where his aero-car put him down about five o’clock.

The waiting-room of the Earth Herald was crowded. A careful lookout was being kept for Francis Bennett to return for the daily audience he gave to his petitioners. Among their different proposals he had to make a choice, reject the bad ones, look into the doubtful ones, and welcome the good ones.

He soon got rid of those who had only useless or impracticable schemes. A few of the others received a better welcome, and foremost among them was a young man whose broad brow indicated a high degree of intelligence.

‘Sir’, he began, ‘though the number of elements used to be estimated at seventy-five, it has now been reduced to three, as no doubt you are aware?’

‘Perfectly,’ Francis Bennett replied.

‘Well, Sir, I’m on the point of reducing the three to one. If I don’t run out of money I’ll have succeeded in three weeks.’

‘And then?’

‘Then, Sir, I shall really have discovered the absolute’.

‘And the results of that discovery?’

‘It will be to make the creation of all forms of matter easy – stone, wood, metal, fibrin ….’

‘Are you saying you’re going to be able to construct a human being?’

‘Complete… The only thing missing will be the soul!’

Francis Bennett assigned the young fellow to the scientific editorial department of his journal.

A second inventor, using as a basis some old experiments that dated from the 19th century, had the idea of moving a whole city in a single block. He suggested, as a demonstration, the town of Saaf, situated fifteen miles from the sea; after conveying it on rails down to the shore, he would transform it into a seaside resort. Francis Bennett, attracted by this project, agreed to take a half-share in it.

The proposals heard and dealt with, Francis Bennett went to stretch himself out in an easy-chair in the audition-room. Then, pressing a button, he was put into communication with the Central Concert. After so busy a day, what charm he found in the works of our greatest masters, based on a series of delicious harmonico-algebraic formulae! During his meal, phonotelephotic communication had been set up with Paris.

‘When do you expect to get back to Centropolis, dear Edith?’ asked Francis Bennett.

‘I’m going to start this moment’.

‘By tube or aero-train?’

‘By tube’.

‘Then you’ll be here?’

‘At eleven fifty-nine this evening’.

‘Paris time?’

‘No, no! … Centropolis time’.

‘Goodbye then, and above all don’t miss the tube!’

These submarine tubes, by which one travels from Paris in two hundred and ninety-five minutes, are certainly much preferable to the aero-trains, which only manage six hundred miles an hour.

Francis Bennett, very tired after so very full a day, decided to take a bath before going to bed. There was always a bath already in the office. He touched the button. A rumbling sound began, got louder, increased … Then one of the doors opened and the bath appeared, gliding along on its rails …

About the author

Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a French poet, playwright and novelist but he earns his place on this list of great writers because of his futuristic adventure novels. He has been called the father of science fiction and has had an incalculable influence on the development of science fiction writing. More interesting, perhaps, is his place as a prophet or predictor of technology which wasn’t to be invented until long after his death. He put a man on the moon, including its launch from a Florida launchpad to its splashdown in the Pacific; in 1863 he predicted the internet: Paris in the 20th Century (1863) depicts the details of modern life: skyscrapers, television, Maglev trains, computers, and a culture preoccupied with the Internet.

Glossary - The Secret of the Machines | by Rudyard Kipling | Poem

English: Poem: The Secret of the Machines - by Rudyard Kipling : Glossary

Glossary

• furnace (n) – an enclosed structure in which material is heated to very high temperatures
• wrought (adj.) – beaten out of shape by hammering
• gauge (n) – an instrument that measures perfection in appearance and quality
• thousandth (adv.) – a fraction of thousand
• haul (v) – pull or drag with effort or force
• comprehend(v) – grasp, understand
• vanish(v) – disappear suddenly and completely

Glossary for 'The Story of the Aged Mother' by Matsuo Basho | 10th English

Glossary - The Story of the Aged Mother

Vocabulary

despotic (adj.)

tyrannical, cruel

proclamation (n)

announcement

barbarous (adj.)

extremely brutal or mercilessly harsh

abandon (v)

desert, give up completely

reverence (n)

deep respect

mandate (n)

an official order

summit (n)

the topmost point of a hill or mountain

injunction (n)

an order restraining someone from performing an act

shriveled (adj.)

wrinkled and contracted due to old age or due to strain

gravely (adv.)

seriously

Original Source Information

Tags: The Story of the Aged Mother | by Matsuo Basho , 10th English: UNIT 4 : Supplementary/Story: The Aged Mother

Keywords: Study Material, Lecturing Notes, Assignment, Reference, Wiki description explanation, brief detail

Source Title: 10th English: UNIT 4 : Supplementary/Story: The Aged Mother : Glossary | The Story of the Aged Mother | by Matsuo Basho