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”

His First Flight by Liam O'Flaherty: A Detailed Analysis and Prose

His First Flight

by Liam O’Flaherty

The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away the day before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow, when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings, he became afraid. The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and it was such a long way down – miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night.

Even when each of his brothers and his little sister, whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate. His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, scolding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge, unless he flew away. But for the life of him, he could not move.

a. Why did the seagull fail to fly?

b. What did the parents do, when the young seagull failed to fly?

That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then, nobody had come near him. The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the morning, the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff, laughing at his cowardice.

The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing warmly on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall. Then, he had found a dried piece of mackerel’s tail at the far end of his ledge. Now, there was not a single scrap of food left. He had searched every inch, rooting among the rough, dirt-caked straw nest where he and his brothers and sister had been hatched. He even gnawed at the dried pieces of eggshell. It was like eating a part of himself.

c. What was the first catch of the young seagull’s older brother?

d. What did the young seagull manage to find in his search for food on the ledge?

He then trotted back and forth from one end of the ledge to the other, his long gray legs stepping daintily, trying to find some means of reaching his parents without having to fly. But on each side of him, the ledge ended in a sheer fall of precipice, with the sea beneath. And between him and his parents, there was a deep, wide crack.

Surely he could reach them without flying if he could only move northwards along the cliff face? But then, on what could he walk? There was no ledge, and he was not a fly. And above him, he could see nothing. The precipice was sheer, and the top of it was, perhaps, farther away than the sea beneath him.

He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and, standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still, they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing, with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him.

She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet, and then scraped each side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scraping his beak now and again to whet it! He uttered a low cackle. His mother cackled too, and looked at him.

e. What did the young bird do to seek the attention of his parents?

f. What made the young seagull go mad?

‘Ga, ga, ga,’ he cried, begging her to bring him over some food. ‘Gawl- ool-ah,’ she screamed back mockingly. But he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so, he uttered a joyful scream. His mother had picked up a piece of fish and was flying across to him with it. He leaned out eagerly, tapping the rock with his feet, trying to get nearer to her as she flew across. But when she was just opposite to him, abreast of the ledge, she halted, her legs hanging limp, her wings motionless, the piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his beak.

He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream, he fell outwards and downwards into space. His mother had swooped upwards. As he passed beneath her, he heard the swish of her wings.

g. Why did the young bird utter a joyful scream?

h. Did the mother bird offer any food to the young bird?

Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a moment. The next moment, he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air.

He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually, downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy. Then, he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards.

He uttered a joyous scream and flapped them again. He soared higher. He raised his breast and banked against the wind. ‘Ga, ga, ga. Ga, ga, ga.’ ‘Gawlool-ah.’ His mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her with another scream. Then, his father flew over him screaming. Then, he saw his two brothers and sister flying around him, soaring and diving.

Then, he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly, and commenced to dive and soar, shrieking shrilly.

i. How did the bird feel when it started flying for the first time?

j. What did the young bird’s family do when he started flying?

He was near the sea now, flying straight over it, facing out over the ocean. He saw a vast green sea beneath him, with little ridges moving over it; he turned his beak sideways and crowed amusedly. His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green floor in front of him. They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again, flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther.

He was floating on it. And around him, his family was screaming, praising him, and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog-fish.

He had made his first flight.

About the author

Liam O'Flaherty (1896–1984) was an Irish novelist and short story writer and a major figure in the Irish literary renaissance. He was a founding member of the Communist Party of Ireland. A native Irish-speaker from the Gaeltacht, O'Flaherty wrote almost exclusively in English, except for a small number of short stories in the Irish language. He spent most of his time in travelling and lived comfortably and quietly outside the spotlight.

Tags : Prose by Liam O'Flaherty , 10th English: UNIT 1 : Prose: His First Flight Study Material, Lecturing Notes, Assignment, Reference, Wiki description explanation, brief detail10th English: UNIT 1 : Prose: His First Flight : His First Flight | Prose by Liam O'Flaherty