English Notes

Introduction A.J. Cronin was a Scottish novelist and physician. His works won him a large Anglo-American readership. Synopsis “Two Gentlemen of Verona” is a motivating story about two young boys who take life in all seriousness and dignity beyond their years. They do odd jobs for their living when the economy there is at its hard times. The boys are more passionate about life. As the writer is more curious to know about these spirited boys, he discovers even more fascinating story behind their inspiration. It is their sister, Lucia who is hospitalized suffering from tuberculosis. Jacopo and Nicola, the young boys prove to be mature beyond their years in their work, manner and attitude. Theme The story opens on the backdrop of the foothills of the Alps. Two small boys selling wild strawberries on the outskirts of Verona stop the writer’s car. The boys do not look well-dressed though, the visitors are easily attracted to them. Nicola, the elder was thirteen; Jacopo wa...

Introduction Arun Kolatkar is a bilingual poet writing in Marathi and English. He has translated Marathi poems. This poem is a selection from ‘Jejury’, a collection of his poems. Synopsis “An Old Woman” is written by Arun Kolatkar. This poem presents the old woman in the poem in a different picture as the speaker discovers her in a new light owing to his changed perspective. He finds this woman near a temple shrine looking frail but firm in her eyes. She wants him to take her service to go around the horseshoe shrine for a fifty paise coin. Though initially the speaker wants to ignore her, she sticks around and he notices her deep conviction to make her own living independently. His perception changes eventually. Theme The poet Arun Kolatkar in this poem writes about an old woman he meets at the horseshoe shrine. She grabs hold of the speaker’s sleeve and tags along. All she wants is a fifty paise coin. After all, for this money she intends to take the poet a...

Click for the Questions and Answers Introduction Frederick Douglass was born in slavery as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in Maryland, U.S.A. As a young house servant he learned to read write with the assistance of his master’s wife. Later, became such in impressive orator that he attracted large crowds. He continuously fought for the emancipation of the slaves. Frederick Douglass wrote “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”. His other autobiographical works are “My Bondage and My Freedom” and “Life and Times of Frederick Douglass”. Synopsis This lesson “Frederick Douglass” is an excerpt from “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave”. Here, Douglass recounts a moving account of his life as a slave. He talks repents over being born dark skinned which deprived him of the privilege to know his age. The slave masters would ensure that the slaves were kept in darkness over their age and parentage. It was admitted that a slave’s ...

Click for Questions & Answers Introduction Volga is the pen name of the well-known Telugu writer P. Lalitha Kumari. Her works reflect well-articulated feminist positions. Synopsis “The Farmer’s Wife” is about agony, frustration and challenges of a woman following the suicide of her farmer husband. This poem is also about changing the stereotype. A society that looks at a woman as a burden and disgrace is questioned. Male chauvinism is challenged by the poet. She targets this long-held view of patriarchy and its underlying liberties attached. However, she declares her commitment to live her life with “the harvest of her womb” determined to face the challenges. She vows to teach her children those values and skills of life which shall never let them think about cowardly measures when faced with challenges. Theme India has witnessed an alarming number of farmer suicides in the last decade owing to the loss of crops and mounting debts. Despite the attempts...

Click for Questions & Answers Introduction R.K. Narayan is a well-known Indian writer who has written a series of books creating characters and situations that revolve around a fictitious town Malgudi. He is one of the three most prominent writers of early Indian literature in English. He showcased Indian Literature in English to the rest of the world. R.K. Narayan is regarded as one of India’s greatest English novelists. “Watchman of the Lake” is a dramatized version of his story, “The Watchman”. Synopsis “Watchman of the  Lake” is a beautiful dramatic adaptation of R.K. Narayan’s story which narrates the legend about a great rustic Mara’s sacrifice made for the conservation of a lake for the sake of the lives that depended on it for their survival. This play also highlights the invaluable gift of folk wisdom to humanity. Theme Scene 1 The play is set in a village near BabaBudan Hills in Karnataka. Mara, the protagonist and an innocent rustic presents ...

Hello Students I hope you are all very well! This is the time of the year everyone of you chooses to stay hooked to the studies more seriously than ever before. After all, it sounds worth being sane for this short span of time which can lay down a perfect path for the future. Believe in yourself; work hard; and be always radiant.   I wish you all the very best.   I want to share something very special with you.   First of all, I’m extremely thankful to you for accepting my blog so lovingly. I would like to work still harder to get you the most wholesome reading experience. At the same time, I’m proud to share that I’ve launched my own project of Centre for Learning English and Communication – “aksents”. Under this banner I aspire to train those learners who wish to learn language skills from basics to the advanced levels. English skills are the need of the hour. Your great career ahead depends more on your effective language skills if you could acquire ...