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  1. 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

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  1. Mrs Mallard, the protagonist of Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, differs from Miss Meadows on a number of aspects. Unlike Miss Meadows’s effort and tension to finally fit in the society, Mrs Mallard doesn’t care as what the society thinks. Louise Mallard values her freedom and herRead more

    Mrs Mallard, the protagonist of Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour”, differs from Miss Meadows on a number of aspects. Unlike Miss Meadows’s effort and tension to finally fit in the society, Mrs Mallard doesn’t care as what the society thinks. Louise Mallard values her freedom and her independent will over marriage and society. Whereas Miss Meadows seems to be marrying Basil, perhaps not out of love, but to finally remove the tag of a spinster at an age of thirty-years. Miss Meadows undergoes an emotional turmoil when she reads that Basil wants to call off their marriage whereas Louise feels free and grateful just within an hour of receiving the news of her husband’s death. Louise looks forward to living life alone and for herself but over here, Miss Meadows looks ahead to finally stop living life all by herself.

    Read summary of The Singing Lesson

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    Reflective poetry or reflective poem is a genre of poetry in which the poet expresses his state of mind using images and symbols and compares them with real life objects and scenes. Thus a reflective poem is normally quite long and also thoughtful unlike lyric poetry which is short and expresses feeRead more

    Reflective poetry or reflective poem is a genre of poetry in which the poet expresses his state of mind using images and symbols and compares them with real life objects and scenes.

    Thus a reflective poem is normally quite long and also thoughtful unlike lyric poetry which is short and expresses feelings. An example of reflective poem is “An Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope.

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  1. Following are the main themes in the poem Daffodils or I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud: Theme of Nature Nature is the centre of all the Romantic Poets and William Wordsworth is no exception. In the poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, nature holds the most important position. They poet describes they heRead more

    Following are the main themes in the poem Daffodils or I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud:

    Theme of Nature

    Nature is the centre of all the Romantic Poets and William Wordsworth is no exception. In the poem I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, nature holds the most important position. They poet describes they he wandered in the valleys and on the hills like a cloud.

    So, instead of being in the comforts of city, the poet prefers to be in the nature. He suddenly sees a large number of daffodils which make his joyful and energetic. He imagines as if they are too many in number and are dancing in happiness. For the poet (i.e. Romantic Poet), watching them is the most pleasant thing.

    In the final stanzas, the poet says that whenever he feels sad, the memories of those daffodils flash in his mind and suddenly his mood is changed. He feels happy and joyful.

    Theme of Happiness

    In this poem, happiness is because of nature. For the poet, happiness is nothing but wandering in the green valleys, walking on the hills and watching the daffodils which are blooming along the lake. The poet keeps watching them for long and imagines as if they are dancing in joy.

    For the poet, joy in watching those daffodils is his wealth. Whenever he feels upset and sad, he thinks of daffodils and his mood is changed.

    Read the summary of this poem.

     

     

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  1. Lucifer
    Lucifer better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven

    When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine by Jhumpa Lahiri is a short story that revolves around the theme of assimilation of Indians into America, their issues in adopting Western Culture and the difference of love and affinity for motherland between the first generation migrants and the second generation migraRead more

    When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine by Jhumpa Lahiri is a short story that revolves around the theme of assimilation of Indians into America, their issues in adopting Western Culture and the difference of love and affinity for motherland between the first generation migrants and the second generation migrants.

    Assimilation of Indians into American Culture

    During the 1940s, freedom movement had spread all over the Erstwhile British Colonies including Asian Countries like India. Along with it were riots, mass murders, and the emergence of new countries.

    During this era, a number of Asians fled away to Europe and America. Settling in a new country meant adopting a new culture, food, habits, language etc. Hence it was difficult for most of the people to adopt this new and drastic change.

    The short story When Mr Pirzada Came to Dine reflects this theme. Lilia’s parents had migrated from India and Mr Pirzada belonged to Bangladesh. Lilia’s father wanted his daughter to learn about India, her history, geography etc while her mother didn’t like this. She desired her child to adopt the American Culture.

    For Mr Pirzada, Lilia’s going out with friends was shocking as in Indian subcontinent it was not allowed. Similarly, Halloween is a festival in the USA which was quite new for Mr Pirzada. Thus the first generation migrants suffered a lot in adopting the new culture and also had a great affinity towards their country of origin.

    Problems of 2nd Generation Migrants

    The second generation migrants to which Lilia belonged have not experienced the riots, partition and other problems which the 1st generation had suffered. This is why Lilia cannot understand the pain of her father and that why he forces her to learn about India and its history.

    Another important issue is that of the belief that has been reflected in this short story. Lilia does not seem to be believing in her parent’s Deity. Rather, when Mr Pirzada goes back to Bangladesh, she takes candies given by him every day into her mouth till morning and does the same until she comes to know that Mr Pirzada’s family is safe.

    This is her belief which does not match to that of her parents.

    Read the summary of When Mr Pirzada came to Dine here.

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  1. This answer was edited.

    The major conflict seen in this story is person versus society. Societal rules and expectations imposed upon men and women creates an animosity between them. A woman is expected only to take care of the private sphere but not make an appearance in the public sphere whereas the man is not imposed witRead more

    The major conflict seen in this story is person versus society. Societal rules and expectations imposed upon men and women creates an animosity between them. A woman is expected only to take care of the private sphere but not make an appearance in the public sphere whereas the man is not imposed with such rules. Also the conflict between person and soul. The desire for freedom is pushed at the back of the mind by women as they are aware in a married life, being independent is not possible. The constant struggle to find oneself keeps on going.

    Read Summary of The Story of an Hour

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  1. The story highlights the virtues of hard work, honesty, resolution, compassion, humility and commitment. The theme of loss and death is also woven into the story with both Mr Gessler and his brother died in the story. However, the idea of honest work’s pay and dedication to quality work is celebrateRead more

    The story highlights the virtues of hard work, honesty, resolution, compassion, humility and commitment. The theme of loss and death is also woven into the story with both Mr Gessler and his brother died in the story. However, the idea of honest work’s pay and dedication to quality work is celebrated, both in times of scarcity and plenty.

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  1. This answer was edited.

    Following figure of speech is used in the poem, “The Patriot”:- 1) Personification:- is the attribution of human characteristics to animals and non-living things. For example, the roofs of the houses have been given human like characteristics by saying “The house roofs seemed to heave and sway.” 2)Read more

    Following figure of speech is used in the poem, “The Patriot”:-

    1) Personification:- is the attribution of human characteristics to animals and non-living things. For example, the roofs of the houses have been given human like characteristics by saying “The house roofs seemed to heave and sway.”

    2) Metaphor:- is is used to compare two different ideas by bringing forth their similarity. For example the use of roses in the poem symbolizes the people’s love and affection towards the speaker.

    3) Alliteration:- is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. For example, “ myrtle mixed” or “dropped down dead.”

    4) Pathetic Fallacy:- is used when the speaker says “I go in the rain” meaning that the rain acting as a symbol washes away all his dignity, leaving him innocent.

    Read summary of The Patriot

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  1. The central idea and the message of the poem, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud is that nature is the most beautiful part of the world. In the poem, daffodils represent the beauty and merry-making of nature. According to the poet, the moments which he spent in watching those daffodils are the best momentRead more

    The central idea and the message of the poem, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud is that nature is the most beautiful part of the world. In the poem, daffodils represent the beauty and merry-making of nature. According to the poet, the moments which he spent in watching those daffodils are the best moments of his life. As a poet, the watching the daffodils is what pleases a poet.

    Even in his home, the memories of those daffodils cheer him up when he is lonely and feels down and sad.

    Read summary of this poem.

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  1. In the short story, The Story of an Hour, the doctors had said that Mrs. Mallard died “of the joy that kills.” The characters believed that Mrs. Mallard was so happy to see her husband alive and healthy that those strong emotions were too much for her. However, we the readers know the real reason foRead more

    In the short story, The Story of an Hour, the doctors had said that Mrs. Mallard died “of the joy that kills.” The characters believed that Mrs. Mallard was so happy to see her husband alive and healthy that those strong emotions were too much for her. However, we the readers know the real reason for her death. Mrs. Mallard did not really die out of joy but of shock on seeing her husband alive. She was ecstatic at her husband’s death and when she saw him alive it was the sudden shock on her happiness that killed her. Here, Louise’s momentary joy caused her death.
    Read Summary of The Story of an Hour

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