English Notes Latest Questions

In: , ,
  1. Lucifer
    Best Answer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    There are mainly two themes in the poem Night of the Scorpion. Superstition The poem reveals the superstitions that prevail in the Indian Society. A large number of people gather at poet’s house after coming to know that his mother is bitten by a scorpion. However, rather than taking her to hospitalRead more

    There are mainly two themes in the poem Night of the Scorpion.

    • Superstition

    The poem reveals the superstitions that prevail in the Indian Society. A large number of people gather at poet’s house after coming to know that his mother is bitten by a scorpion.

    However, rather than taking her to hospital or curing her, they begin giving their own assumptions. Some of them say that her sins will be forgiven. Some other say that she will not suffer in after rebirth. Some other begin praying for her well-being after her death.

    • Motherhood

    The poem also highlights the motherly love of poet’s mother. She is bitten by the scorpion and spends 24 hours in quite unbearable pain. However after recovering, she does not blame the scorpion and rather says thank God the scorpion picked on me and spared my children.

    Read summary of Night of the Scorpion here.

    See less
    • 12
In: , ,
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Problem play is a genre of drama which takes up important social issues by using arguments among the characters in the play on the stage. These characters express clashing ideas that help the audience and the readers to understand the issue and reach a solution on their own. It must be noted that inRead more

    Problem play is a genre of drama which takes up important social issues by using arguments among the characters in the play on the stage. These characters express clashing ideas that help the audience and the readers to understand the issue and reach a solution on their own.

    It must be noted that in a problem play, the playwright never gives a solution. It is left to the audience to understand the situations and bring out a solution.

    Candida by GB Shaw is a Domestic Play. The playwright takes up an issue which is prevalent in society but not discussed. It is the Woman’s Question.

    The protagonist Candida is the wife of James Morell, a famous clergyman who delivers the sermons of morality to the people. He believes that he is an ideal husband and treats his wife well and she cannot live without him.

    However, ironically Morell himself is dependent on Candida and cannot live without her. It is Candida who takes care of all his needs and even the household things. In the play, Candida is not portrayed as a helpless or a traditional “distressed damsel” but as a new woman.

    She is wiser than her husband. She knows all the weaknesses of her husband still pretends to be dependent on him. Her husband who with the intervention of Eugene Marchbanks, comes to know about his love for her, starts fearing of losing her. Being insecure and helpless, he gives choice to Candida to either live with him to go with Eugene.

    Candida being an understanding woman decides to live with him. Hence though Morell is incapable of being her husband and she secretly loves Eugene, she has to live with her husband. Thus this is not a solution. It is left to the audience to decide what would she have done and what it would have resulted.

    Read the summary of Candida here.

    See less
    • 6
In: , ,
  1. Poonam Sharma
    Poonam Sharma literarian

    In the first stanza of the poem Obituary, the poet, AK Ramanujan is talking about the problems which arose immediately after the death of his father. According to him, after his (father's) death, there was nothing left in the house except for dust on a table of papers. In addition, he was indebted tRead more

    In the first stanza of the poem Obituary, the poet, AK Ramanujan is talking about the problems which arose immediately after the death of his father. According to him, after his (father’s) death, there was nothing left in the house except for dust on a table of papers.

    In addition, he was indebted to a number of people and hence a lot of debt was left behind by him for the poet to pay. He also left his daughters (probably unmarried). Hence the responsibility of his sisters were on the poet.

    And finally the poet says that his father left a young child who is bedwetting i.e. so young that he urinates on the bed and who is given the surname of his grandfather. In the first stanza, we find the picture of a patriarchal society and its problems when the head i.e. male member dies. No one is earning for livelihood and all the responsibilities fall on the poet

    See less
    • 9
In: , ,
  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    The short story A Letter to God is about the innocence of a poor farmer who becomes a victim of natural calamity. The author in this short story throws light on two important things: Blind-faith Lencho being uneducated has too much belief in God. For him God is on earth and one can easily have a disRead more

    The short story A Letter to God is about the innocence of a poor farmer who becomes a victim of natural calamity. The author in this short story throws light on two important things:

    Blind-faith

    Lencho being uneducated has too much belief in God. For him God is on earth and one can easily have a discussion with Him or even can ask for help. Hence he writes a letter to Him seeking His help.

    The employees are moved by the innocence of Lencho and thus collect money for him so that him belief in God may remain firm. The irony of the story is that he takes the postmen as thieves as he thinks that they have stolen his money. Thus blind-faith is a dangerous thing

    Corruption

    We have discussed above that Lencho is uneducated. However the poet highlights how common corruption is in the society that even illiterate and innocent people like Lencho are also well aware of this social evil.

    Read the detailed summary of A Letter to God

    See less
    • 2
In: , , ,
  1. Arnish Ali Khan
    Arnish Ali Khan

    Q. Appropriateness of the title “Quality”. Ans- Gailsworthy’s short story, “Quality”, is an excellent story dealing with an universal conflict between artisans of finesse and automation. Gessler brothers dealt in shoes. They had a small shop for material purpose. They made and sold custom-made shoesRead more

    Q. Appropriateness of the title “Quality”.

    Ans- Gailsworthy’s short story, “Quality”, is an excellent story dealing with an universal conflict between artisans of finesse and automation.

    Gessler brothers dealt in shoes. They had a small shop for material purpose. They made and sold custom-made shoes, their shoes were durable, comfort and high-quality which never made any cracking sound under any pressure from any feet they didn’t believe in ornamentation or showing off their shoes but their shoes lasted long.

    even the narrator felt kind of frustrated with the longevity of the shoes and commented humourously, “Nemesis fell ! They lasted more terribly than ever”. There were no cracking or blisters and the customers like narrator were very much satisfied with Gesslers shoes. In fact they earned quite a name in the trade of London.

    The Gesslers were excellent show makers. They almost infuse a slice of their soul in the artistry of shoe making. Their capital was their customer satisfaction. They were very much honest and determined that they will never compromise with quality. Therefore They continued their trade with the old and slow process without compromising with the quality.

    As a result of industrial revolution in England, advert of automation and mass production was felt necessary by the captains of industry.

    Monstrous machines were installed for mass production. Goods were produced massively and with an unbelievable speed. A variety of designs were produced. Finished Products were advertised drawing the attention of the consumer. There was an extreme aggression in marketing and sales.

    The Gessler couldn’t foresee it. They remained engrossed in the artistry of shoemaking. They Where like the silkworm in the cocoons, when they woke to the reality, it was late. They didn’t knew That time cannot be imprisoned by anybody. Its omnipotent. It flows like a river. Their time was gone. They tried, however to fight and unequal combat against automation and mass production with his skills, artistry and craftsmanship. But they lacked business sense and acumen. They where traders of shoes but behaved like an artist. Their Production of shoes couldn’t match with the production of large industries in terms of variety, price, productivity and other means of production. The Big houses didn’t care for the quality as they thought they were not connoisseur of shoes, so they don’t need quality but they likeed the variety, low price and ready stock.

    –Arnish Ali Khan

    See less
    • 54