Professional Documents
Culture Documents
the prose 'The last lesson',written by Alphonse Daudet narrates about the year 1870
when the prussian forces under Bismark attacked and captured France.The french
districts of Alsace and Lorraine went into Prussian hands.The new Prussian rulers
discontinued the teaching of French in the schools of these two districts.The French
teachers were asked to leave.The story describes the last day of one such
French,M.Hamel.Mr. M.Hamel had been transfered and could no longer remain in his old
school.Still he gave last lesson to his students with utmost devotion and sincerity as
ever.The story depicts the pathos of the whole situation about how people feel when they
dont learn their own language and then losing an asset in M.Hamel.
One of his student Franz who dreaded french class and M.Hamel's iron rod, came to the
school that day thinking he would be punished as he had not learnt his lesson.But on
reaching school he found Hamel dressed in sunday clothes and all the old people of the
village sitting there.It was due to an order on the bulletin board. That was the first day
when he realised for the first time that how important french was for him, but it was his
LAST LESSON in French.
saved him.
He was so terrified that the sight of water made him sick. He could not go fishing or
canoeing. So to over come his fear he found an instructor who trained him as a swimmer
bit by bit. He was able to overcome his fear completely. This experience of fear at first
and then conquering it made his life worth living.
My Years with Boss is one of the most unusual books to be written about the
entertainment world and clearly indicates the enormous impact of the movies on virtually
every aspect of life in India.
The authors ability to capture the life and breath of people and events, and his puckish
narrative make this a brief but special book of film history."
THE INTERVIEW
SUMMARY:
The Interview written by Christopher Sylvester briefs the new invention interview in the
field of journalism. Interview that was invented over 130 years have become a
commonplace journalism. Today, every literate or illiterate will have to experience
interview at some point of the daily life.
However, opinions of interview- of its functions, methods and merits vary considerably.
Some claim it as a source of truth and in its practice, an art. Others despise the interview
as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives. They feel it diminishes them. Sylvester lists
out well known writers who are against interview V.S. Naipaul, Lewis Carrol, Rudyard
Kipling, H.G. Wells though he had interviewed many personalities. It is surprising to notice
that as interviewer, each one is comfortable, whereas, as an interviewee, they feel it
much disturbing and diminishing. Yet in the words of the writer, it is a serviceable
medium communication.
Part II is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco, author of the popular novel, Name
of the Rose by Mukund Padmanaban from The Hindu This interview helps us know many
aspects of his writing style and ideas. Though he gives the impression of doing many
things at a time, he says he is doing the same thing, pursuing his philosophical interests
through his writings and his novels. Through his modest answers, he tells the secret of his
success .He utilises the interstices - empty spaces to his advantage.
Umberto eco pan academician refers himself to be called an academician. He has written
40 philosophical writings and just 5 novels. When Mukund Padmanaban asks the reason
behind the huge success of The Name of the Rose, he honestly replies that it is a
mystery even to him. Perhaps the appropriateness of the time it was written could be the
reason. He himself admits had the novel come 10 years later or earlier, the novel would
not have got such success.
As we go through this extract, we can easily note that Umberto Eco does not think,
interview is a crime or an offence. He interacts properly and modestly.
Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek.
Though she voices her feelings and desires, her parents pooh-pooh her, because they,
unlike her, are more mature and know the truths of life.
Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brotherGeoff, who is tall, strong and
handsome and reserved. She envies his silence and often wonders about his thoughts and
areas of his life that she doesnt know about.
The centre of this story is that Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey, an Irish football
player, whom she had seen playing in innumerable matches. She makes up a story about
how she met him in the streets and tells this to Geoff. Geoff, who is more sensible than
Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It seems an unlikely incident for
Sophie to meet the prodigy in their street, but whe Sophie describes the meeting in all
her details, he begins to hope that it could be true. She tells him that Danny has promised
to meet her somewhere again.
Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself begins to believe that its
true. She waits for the Irish player, but obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her
way home, wondering how her brother would be disappointed on knowing that Danny
Casey never showed up. However, Sophie still fantasises about her hero, unperturbed
left . There was no sign of tigers anywhere . Maharaja could not bear any more . He raised
the land tax and also dismissed some of his men . There was a tiger brought later for
Maharaja . Maharaja took his men for hunt . He shooted the tiger but it missed the
tiger .Maharaja did not notice that . Maharajas men knew it but they feared that if they
tell it to Maharaja , then they may lose their job , so they killed the tiger . But maharaja
did not know that he still has one tiger left to be killed .
Maharaja had to attend his 3 year old sons birthday . He gifted him a wooden tiger . The
tiger was made by an unskilled man .Its surface was rough , as a result its sharp edge
pierced into Maharajas hand . Next day the infection spread into his whole hand and
Maharaja at last died .
Thus the fateful hundredth tiger though a wooden one was the cause of the Maharajas
death and proved the predictionof the astrologer correct.
off to join North America, opening up the Drake passage to create a cold circumpolar
current, keeping Antarctica cold desolate and _____________________________
evolution and extinction
at the bottom of the world .
six hundred and fifty million years ago
was much warmer
dinosaurs were wiped
To visit Antarctica
90 percent of the Earths total ice volumes are stored in Antarctica. Being there is like
walking into a ping pong ball devoid of humanity, trees, billboards or buildings. One
_________________ and days go on for 24 hours. The all pervading silence is broken either
by an _______________ or the breaking of an ice sheet. There are midges and mites, mighty
whales and ice bergs - the largest _______________________________ so far was of the size of
Belgium.
Human civilizations have been around only for 12000 years. Rapid increase in population
__________________________ .Uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels has created a blanket of
carbondioxide, which has led to an increase in _____________Climate change has led to the
receding of glaciers and melting of ice shelves. Antarctica is a place for the study of the
___________________________,as half a million old carbon records are trapped in the icy
layers.
global warming
have depleted natural resources
recorded iceberg
loses an earthly sense of time
avalanche
past, present and future
The writer says that the Students on Ice programme focuses on taking high school
students to the ends of the world and providing them with inspiring educational
opportunities which will help them foster a new understanding and respect for our planet.
The group of 52 students went aboard the Russian vessel _______________________________
and was headed by a Canadian, Geoff Green. The future generation thus had a life
changing experience at the appropriate age when they were ready to absorb, learn, and
act.
Being a part of the expedition and actually seeing glaciers retreating and
____________melting makes one realize the reality of global warming. The simple
ecosystem and the lack of diversity of plant and animal
life makes Antarctica the perfect place to bring forth the idea that little changes in the
environment can have big repercussions. For example the Phytoplankton, the
microscopicgrasses form the food chain of the entire Southern oceans __________________.
Scientists warn that ____________________________________ will affect the activities of the
phytoplankton which will further affect the marine life of the region. Hence the lesson
learnt is that if small things are taken care of then ___________________________________
big things will take care of themselves.
a further depletion in the ozone layer.
Ice shelves
marine life
Akademik Shokalskiy.
The writer had an exciting experience just short of the Antarctic circle at 65.55 degrees
south. The Shokalskiy got stuck into a _________________________ between the peninsula
and Tadpole Island. They were all then instructed by the Captain to
____________________________ on the ocean. So all the _____________________ wore their
waterproof garments and started walking on the ice. Underneath their feet was a metre
thick ice pack, and below that 180 metres of living, breathing, salt water. At the outside
edge they saw ______________________ sunning themselves on ice floes which reminded
them of _________________________ under the banyan tree. It brought the revelation that
everything has a connection. After covering nine time zones, six checkpoints, three
bodies of water and many ecospheres the writer marvelled at the ________________________
working on our planet.
The writer wonders how the world would be if Antarctica were to become a warm planet
once again and would we be there to see it? He ends the chapter on a positive note
saying that the younger generation alive with the idealism to save the world can make a
lot of difference.
climb down and walk Crabeater seals
beauty of balance
thick white stretch of ice
52 travellers
stray dogs sunning
Dr. Sadao and Hana stood outside their house. A man was suddenly seen in the ocean.
They ran towards him. They were shocked to see that he was an enemy soldier and badly
in need of medical aid. He was unconscious. As loyal citizens it was their duty to hand
over the soldier to the officials but they took him inside into their house. For this they saw
rebel from their domestic helps. Though for such a deed they could have been arrested
but Dr. Sadao knew that he would not be arrested by the general as he himself might
need his services any time for an operation. The man recovered. Dr. Sadao desired to get
rid of him now. So as soon as he was out of danger, he told him to escape from the house
Jack had faced similar problems like roger had faced so he was trying to jo that whatever
parents say or do for them are in their best interest.But jo was adamant and wanted
another ending for the story.
After the story ended jack went down to help his wife clare paint the furniture .When he
reached downstairs he sawt that the woodwork,a cage of moldings and rails and
baseboards all around them ,was half old tan and half new ivory and he felt caught in an
ugly middle position,and though he as well felt his wife's presence in the cage with
him,he did not want to speak with her,work with her,touch her,anything
NOTE:jack had a son named bobby two years old,Clare was three months pregnant.