BA English Modern Essay Nagasaki August 9, 1945

Ngasaki,August 9,1945

Michaito Ichimaru

Questions:

1.Write the destruction scene as described by Michaito Ichimaru?

2.Discuss in details the large scale destruction caused by the atomic blast and what lesson the writer gives to the humanity?

The essay , “ Nagasaki August 9, 1945” ,  gives a graphic description of the horrible disaster

which was caused by the atomic blast. America dropped two atom bombs on the two cities of

Japan to force them to surrender.  It was an extreme step taken by the Americans which caused

unlimited death, destruction and misery for the Japanese.

The author was a student of medicine at the Nagasaki University of Medicine. He was one of

the lucky survivors of the atomic explosion. As an eye witness to the atomic explosion, he gives us

description of the horrible destruction caused by the explosion. He is of the view that man

should give up the use of his deadly weapon in future if, they want to save the word.

It was the beautiful and bright morning of August 9 , 1945, when the writer departed for

his medical college. But he came to know that his tram car had derailed, so he decided to go

back to his hostel. This became the reason of his survival.  At 11 AM, a B-29 bomber plane

passed over head and dropped the atom bombs. 

The air flashed a brilliant yellow and there

was a huge blast of wind. In no time, the sky turned black and black rain started to fall. The

writer ran downstairs to seek shelter in the toilet.After a while, when he came to his

sense, he came out. He wanted to go to his medical college but could not go there as there

were blasts of fire everywhere.  Many people were coming from Urakami  .

They wereseriously injured and were in miserable plight with impression less eyes.

The next day, he was able to reach the targeted place.  Where his medical college was

located.  He found that everything had destroyed. Only the skeletons of the buildings were

left. 

There were dead bodies everywhere. He saw  a large numbers of burnt bodies.

Most of his classmates had died. Some of them were still alive but they were unable to

move their bodies. Their clothes were in rages, bloody and dirty. The writer took them to

their houses but all of them died in the following days. The causalities were so large in

number that it was very difficult to dispose them all. So those were gathered in a huge pile

and were burnt to ashes.

Michaito Ichimaru purposely wrote this essay to inform he upcoming generations about the havocs of the atom bombs.At the time of the blast,he was the eye witness and a lucky survivor.He is of the view that this deadly weapon should never be used in the future.

Points to Remember

BA English All Poems Contexts

Context of the poem is an integral part and requirement while attempting the question of
reference to the context.Answer remains incomplete if context of the poem is not written
or badly written.

1. LEISURE

                                                CONTEXT:

The poem is about man’s life in this modern world. The poet has presented the idea that modern man is leading a very miserable life because of lack of time and too many cares. The poet laments the sorry condition of life modern man. He is so much busy that he does not enjoy nature, beauty and even smile. Referee

2. TARTARY

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about the wishful thinking of the poet. He creates an imaginary world in his mind and wishes to be its lord. It appears he does not want to face reality and wants to take refuge in the world of imagination. Tartary seems to be a perfect place to him. He imagines what would be there if he were the lord of Tartary.

3. NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS

CONTEXT:

The poem is about New Year resolutions. The poetess presents the idea that we should make New Year resolutions on the eve of New Year. For this purpose we should sit in a quite atmosphere to purify ourselves. We should try to recognizes our responsibilities and face reality.

4. WOMAN WORK

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about the life of a household woman. This woman has a universal character and represents all the married woman of the world. The poet resents the idea that a household woman has to do the same household chores again and again and a time comes when they because mechanical routine. She loses interest and whishes for a breath of fresh air. She wants to rest for the time being and for this purpose she wants to join the company of nature.

5. THE REBEL

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about the idea of individuality. The poet presents the idea that individuality is a good thing but it is very difficult to be an individualist. He uses the word rebel for the individualist. This rebel always tries to do opposite of what other people do.

6. PATRIOT INTO TRAITOR

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about a leader whose destiny changed only in one year. He becomes a traitor instead of a patriot in the eyes of the people. The poet presents the idea that people go to the last extent in their love and hatred. They may change their opinion about their most cherished leader without any reason forgetting all his good deeds.

7. THE HUNTSMAN

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about the role of fate. The poet presents the idea that fate is very cruel. First it makes people commit mistake and then punishes them. Kagwa was a hunter and he caused his death by reporting a talking skull to the king of his country. He learnt his lesson after his death.

8. ONE ART

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about the art of losing things. The poetess presents the idea that we can learn the art of losing things like other art. For this purpose she asks the reader to bear the loss of things. She also advises us to practice losing things. She believes that loss of things does not bring any disaster.

9. THE SOLITARY REAPER

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about the personal experience of the poet. The poet presents the idea that feelings of a person in the form of a song can touch the heart of a complete stranger even if the stranger does not understand his language. Once the poet saw a girl singing and working in her fields. The poet was so much impresses by the song of the girl that the song was imprinted in his mind.

10. ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

CONTEXT:

The poem is about the seven ages of human life. The poet has presented the idea that human life as well as the period of fame is very short. The poet uses the metaphor of stage and actors to convey his idea. He describes every age of man with all the qualities that he has at that age.

11. DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL

CONTEXT:

 The poem is about commitment and idealism. The poet presents the idea that with commitment and idealism we can make the twentieth century a legacy of benefits for the coming centuries. He urges us to work hard to get this aim. First we find pessimistic and then optimistic point of views.  

12. POISON TREE

CONTEXT:

The poem is about anger and its possible effects. The poet presents the idea that when we do not express our anger it goes on increasing. A time comes when it takes the form of a poisonous tree. This anger is so poisonous that it can take life.

13. BECAUSE I COULD NOT STEP FOR DEATH

CONTEXT:

The poem is about death, its approach funeral and eternal life. Death is a very common subject for the poetry. Death is presented as a hurried thing, but the poetess has presented it as a very kind and coachman. She presents the idea that death is impending. There is nothing to be afraid of it we have our work when death approaches us. She describes her own imaginary experience of death, grave and eternity. She presents death as a kind and polite fellow who stops his carriage and offers her to sit with him to take her to her destination.

14. LIGHTS OUT

CONTEXT:

The poem is about the power of sleep or in deeper meaning the power of death. The poet presents two ideas. Firstly, sleep is very powerful. When it overcomes, everything loses its importance. Secondly, sleep has an equalizing effect. It affects the rich and the poor the good and the evil without any discrimination. Man has no chance against it.

15. AFTER APPLE PICKING

CONTEXT:

The poem is about sleep. In this poem the poet has talked about dreams, coming of sleep and its nature. The poet tells how he was picking apples and how he went to sleep leaving his work unfinished. He tells that he would see apples in his dreams. He is overtired with the big harvest he himself desired. He wants to know whether he is going to enjoy some human sleep or it is like the long sleep of a woodchuck.

16. THE VANISHING VILLAGE

CONTEXT:

The poem is about the importance of village for the existence of the world. In the first part of the poem, the poet presents the idea that village has almost vanished. But in the second part of the poem the poet gives a ray of hope, and believers that the village life will revive.

17. WHEN I HAVE FEARS

CONTEXT:

The poem is about the fears of the poet. His fears relate to his death. Death is the most cherished subject for the poet. When he wrote this poem, he knew that he was going to die very soon because of tuberculosis. In this poem the poet fears that he may die before he is able to write down everything in poetic form that is present in his mind.

18. KUBLA KHAN

CONTEXT:

The poem is about the description of the site and the place that was built on the orders of Kubla Khan. To show the grandeur of the place and the site, the poet gives the poem a supernatural touch. Kubla Khan was once the emperor of china. He was well known and we find that many writers and poets have written about him.In the present poem the poet has not written about Kubla Khan, bit about the site and the pleasure-dome built for him on his orders.

 19. HAWK’S MONOLOGUE

CONTEXT:

The poem is about the wrong ideas of a ruler who thinks that he is all- powerful. The Hawk symbolizes this ruler. The poet presents the idea that a ruler who becomes a dictator thinks that he is a god and the rest of the people are his subject. He can do with them what he pleases. Even the objects of nature are created for his case and to enhance his power.

20. SAY THIS CITY HAS TEN MILLION SOULS

CONTEXT

The poem is about the sense of alienation and isolation of immigrants. The poet presents the idea that immigrants are looked down upon. They are considered good citizens. So they are ignored and deserted. It is considered that they have no rights. The passport is the proof of their existence. If they have no passport they are officially dead. They are considered worse than animals.

21. POLIITICS

CONTEXT

The poem is about the subject of love and politics. The poet presents the idea that politics has no importance in the face of youth and love. The poet talks on the subject of love and politics very beautiful. He wants to make us understand that in the face of a living girl, politics does not have any importance.

22. SNAKE

CONTEXT

The poem is about the conflict between the poet’s sense of appreciation and the voice of his education .The poet presents the idea that the beauty should be appreciated even in lower creatures. Sometimes it happens that the voice our education over-power our sense of appreciation. The poet neonate’s one of his experiences to draw our attention towards this very importance fact of life. We are bound to act according to our education and understanding that we get throughout our lives.

23. IMAGES AND IMPRESSIONS

I-AUTUMN

CONTEXT

The poem is about a graphic glimpse of an autumn night. Through this glimpse, the poet presents the idea of pollution. The rural environment is unpolluted, whereas urban environment is too much polluted.

II-FOG

CONTEXT

The poet describes the coming and moving on of the fog. He says that the fog comes over a city very stealthily. Just like a cat& nobody can be aware of its coming. The poet uses a very beautiful image of cat to maintain the point as to how the fog comes.

III-METRO PARIS

CONTEXT

The poet describes the people in an underground rail station. He says that the faces of people in the crowd are spiritless they appear to him as petals on a wet black bough.

BA English Novel'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway s' Philosophy

The novella was published in 1952 and only after

two years of its publication it was awarded Nobel Prize.

Much regret for those who are of the view that story

is nothing. Basically, if we want to enjoy the novel first we should

know of the philosophy of Hemingway. If we understand

well the philosophy of Hemingway, novel will give us

pleasure. The central philosophy of the novel is that ," A man

is not made for defeat.A man can be destroyed but not defeated. "

If one goes through the novel from the very first word

till the very last word, the whole novel prove this philosophy

of Hemingway. The old man is determined to achieve his goal

but the hostile forces of nature try to destroy the old man but

but he is not ready to be defeated.

To achieve any thing is not success. The real success is continuous

struggle. If one compares this statement to the ending

of the novel that is much controversial, one can say that the ending

is quite justified.As per this philosophy Santiago is highly successful.

The Old Man and the Sea
Major characters of the novel
Santiago
He is the central figure of the novel. He is the severe victim of the loneliness. He  lives in a small cottage near the shore. He goes without fishing for the last 85 days but he does not lose heart. On 86 day , he catches a big fish , Marlin but at the end is de[rived of the fruit of his life by the cruel attacks  of the sharks

Manoline
He is  a young boy who is the only pupil and friend of the old man at the sea. First forty days , he accompanies the old man but after forty days, his parents shift him to another boat saying that the old man is a Salao. But he still loves and respect the old man  and helps him. He is very attached to the old man. He brings food for him, have gossip with him and encourages the old man.
Marlin, the Fish
It is a very huge fish caught by the old man. It gives very tough time to the old man. It pulls the old man along with his skiff for three days and nights. It is 18 fat long and has purple strips on the body. At the end it is eaten away by the sharks

Sharks
In the novel , sharks represent the hostile forces of the nature. They attack the fish one by one first and in the  packs later on. They deprive the old man  of the fruit of his long efforts. Old man kill some of them but as thy were large in numbers, so they defeated the old man outwardly.

Sea
Sear plays a  very important role in the progress f the novel. Hemingway has treated the sea as  a living being. It  is very kind and provides subsistence to the human. But  sometimes, it become very cruel and harsh. The importance of its role  cannot be denied.


Describe the themes of the novel, “The Old Man and  the Sea”?

“The Old Man and  the Sea” is an very interesting novel by Ernest Hemingway. In its main outline the story is quite simple. Some of us may think that the story is nothing because it ends at the failure of the old man..But this is not the correct approach to the novel. The story leaves an ever lasting impression on the readers. The struggle of the old man from the beginning till the end is the real charm of the novel
The story may be interpreted in different ways but three themes seems to  be outstanding The first is that success and failure are two important aspects of human s’ life. second theme projects man s’ dependence on other fellow beings. Third one  tells that ceaseless efforts are the essence of the life.

First of all the novel tells that success and failure are the two important of human life. They always go side by side throughout the life. One may not always be successful yet one should always work for it. Santiago, the old man goes on for fishing  without ant success but he does not lose heart. After forty days of his struggle, he is even deprived of his only companion, Manolin whose parents shifted him to another boat saying that the old man is an unlucky.

The old man ,however, was not disappointed he continued to work all alone. On the eighty fifth day, he went far out in the sea and was able to hook a Mrlin. The Marlin continued  pulling his boat for three days..Eventually , he was able to kill the fish but his success was transformed into failure by the attack of the sharks and he had to returned to the shore only with the skeleton of the fish. But this did not disappoint him and he was again ready to make a new effort.

The second theme is that human beings always depend on others..A lonely man can hardly make any achievement in his life. Man needs company and without the help of others, no success is possible. Santiago also realizes this. We find him missing the young boys always and feeling that his company would have made his work easier. The third theme of the novel projects the idea that to  achieve  something is not real success but the real success is the continued struggle in the life. If one gives up the struggle , he is a loser. The old man is character who projects this Hemingway philosophy from the beginning of the novel till the last word of the novel. In the novel , the old man is struggling hard throughout the  story. he never gives up the struggle.

Discuss the most exciting incident of the novel, The Old Man and the Sea.”

The novel, “ The old Man and the sea” is full of thrill and excitement but there can be no  second opinion about the fact that the brave fight of the old man with the great fish marlin for three days and his eventual struggle to kill the fish is the most exciting incident of f the novel. It was very important for the old  man to kill the fish and to take it to the shore as the symbol of his success because he has been going for fishing for the last  eighty for days without any success.

He was able to hook the marlin on the eighty-fifth day. But it proved to be a n unusually strong fish. After taking the bait, the marlin started pulling the skiff and created untold miseries for the old man. He had never come across such type of fish. The fish continued swimming in deep water in the North, pulling the skiff with it for three days.

The old man had been holding the line all the time. His hands had been injured and cramped by the fast movements of the line. He made t e line  pass across his back to  support his hands..He had been in this miserable condition  for three days and the fish still continued pulling the boat. It appeared as if the fish would never tire but the old man as determined as before in spite of the fact that   he was extremely tired and black spots appeared before his eyes .

However on the third day, the marlin eventually started circling. It indicated a sign of good luck for the old man. Suddenly the fish started jumping. The old man feared that it might throw out the hook any time. Then the marlin started hitting the wire leader of the line and the old man was afraid that the line might be damaged.

The old man  continued handling the fish for a long time till at  last it came on the surface only thirty yards away from the boat. It huge body with purple strips was quite visible now. The old man pulled the line  but the fish was still beyond his reach..He tried to bring it alongside the skiff so that he could kill it with the harpoon but each time the fish escaped cleverly. At last the fish came so close to the skiff that the old man hit it with his harpoon. He drove the harpoon forcefully into the marlin s’ heart. The marlin jumped high in the air vertically exposing the whole of his body. It remained in the air for a moment and then it fell into the water. It was floating dead in water.

The old man s’ struggle was over but a lot of slave work was still to be done. He tied up the fish alongside the boat and set off towards the land. He had made  a great achievement but he did not know what to come thereafter.

Describe the brave adventure of the old man  against the sharks?

The old man was eventually successful  to hook a marlin on the eighty fifth day of his struggle. He was very happy over his success. But the marlin gave him a very tough time. After being hooked it started moving toward the deep sea along with the skiff.

The old man continued holding the line across his back for three days in order to control the fish and to stop it from moving ahead..At last on the third day the fish started moving in the large circles. It was after every  long and hard struggle that the old man  was able to bring the marlin close to his skiff and was successful in killing the marlin with his harpoon..He then lashed the fish to the skiff from the tail, from the head and in the middle and started his homeward voyage.
He was extremely tired. He had nothing to eat. He ate a few shrimps and drank some water to recover himself. He was happy because he hoped that the fish would fetch him a good income.

The fish continued moving for some time when a shark appeared suddenly .The old man knew that it would happen. The shark had been attracted by the marlin s’ blood spreading in the water. It was very large shark with long teeth and the old man idemnti9fied that it was Mako. The shark approached the fish just near the tail. At the  same time the old man hit it at its head with his harpoon and killed it. But it had already taken  a big piece of flesh with it The shark had also taken away his harpoon along with the line. The old man prepared a new weapon by lashing his knife to the butt of an oar. After killing the shark, the old man absorbed in philosophical thoughts.

After about two hours, the old  man saw two sharks, moving towards the skiff. They were’ Galanos’ and the old man hated them. One of them went under the boat and started eating the lower part of the marlin s’ body while the other hit the marlin where he had already been hit. He killed it with the blows of his knife. Then he made the other shark come out and killed it as well but it broke his knife  and the old man was left unarmed. However , he armed himself with a short club  and was again ready to face the further attacks of the sharks.

At sunset, two more sharks attack the fish. They were both ‘ Galanos’ and the old man injured both of them with his club but he knew that half of  his fish  had been destroyed by them..By now, he was almost fainting with tiredness. At midnight, the fish was attacked again by a pack of sharks. The old man did his best to fight against them in the darkness. He even lost his club and by the time he hit the last of the sharks, they had eaten all of the marlin s’ flesh and there was only the skeleton left . There was nothing more for them to eat.

The old man was utterly beaten. He was past everything now..He put the skiff on its path and was anxious to reach home as soon as possible


But  a man is not made for defeat a man can  be destroyed but not defeated.”Discuss these lines of the novel,: the old man and the sea”

After having killed the marlin  and lashing it to the side of the skiff, the old man was extremely tired .He had nothing to eat. He ate a few shrimps and drank some sea water to recover himself. He was happy  because he hoped that the fish would fetch him a good income. The skiff continued swimming for some time when a shark appears suddenly. The old man knew that it would happen. The sharks had been attracted by the marlin s’ blood spreading in the water. It was a very large shark with long teeth and the old man identified it as Mako.

The shark approached the fish and fixed its long teeth  in the marlin s’ body just near the tail. At the  same time the old man hit it at its head with his harpoon and killed it..But it had already taken a big piece of the marlin s’ flesh with it. The shark had also taken away his harpoon  with the line.

The loss of the harpoon and the mutilated condition of the marlin disappointed the old man. When the fish had been hit, it was as though he himself was hit. He remained absorbed in deep thoughts for some time but soon he recovered himself saying, “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.

 This gave him a new courage and a new determination which enabled him to face the subsequent attacks of the sharks boldly. We find him fighting against the sharks even after losing his  harpoon. His determination led him to prepare a new weapon like  a knife lashed to the butt of an oar.    Even when his knife was broken, he  was not disappointed and started fighting against the sharks with the club.

When the fish was attacked by a pack of sharks, the old man continued fighting against them bravely. He even hit the last of the sharks. Although the old  man was utterly beaten yet he  was not at all disappointed. He wanted to go for fishing again  with a new determination because he believed that man is not born for defeat.
The sentence, “But man is not made for defeat” reflects his greet determination and it is not only a verbal or emotional declaration by the old  man but his entire behavior in the sea is a practical expression of this belief.

Discuss the novel, The Old Man and the Sea” as a tragedy?

The old man and the sea” is a tragedy because it describes the sufferings of the old man at the sea and tragic end of his great struggle. The novel describes the heroism and bravery of a Cuban fisherman, Santiago who ventures alone in the deep sea for a long time to hook  some fish. After a long and hard struggle , he is able to hook a marlin but in the end, he is left with nothing because all his hopes are shattered when the marlin is eaten up by the sharks  and it is very depressing  to see the old man completely  helpless against the sharks in spite of all his daring efforts.

A tragedy is usually a story describing the great struggle of the hero and ends either the death of the hero or in the absolute faille of his great struggle. In spite of the great qualities of bravery, courage and patience shown by the hero, he comes across a failure. The  failure is caused because of bad luck, society, nature of chance. F we look at the novel, “ The Old man and the Sea” in this context, we find it a perfect tragedy.

When the novel begins , we find the old man exposing superb qualities of bravery, courage and patience. He was not an ordinary fisherman. He possessed exceptional skills of fishing and was greatly expert in his profession. Although he was old yet he acted as a young man  and faced all odds boldly..He looked very impressive as a fisherman. He showed great patience  when the marlin pulled his boat for three days.

 He was not ready to accept defeat. He would prefer death to defeat. He had great determination and he even triumphed over his inner conflict with his strong determination.
After having lashed the marlin to his boat, he wanted to reach home as soon as possible. The tragedy started when the sharks attacked the marlin. He did his best and fought boldly against the sharks but he became quite helpless when the sharks attacked in a pack and reduced the marlin to a skeleton. All his great struggle had failed because of his bad luck but Santiago considered himself responsible for his failure. He thought that he should not have gone too far in the sea..It was eighty fifth day of his struggle that he had been able to hook a marlin and it was very great tragedy for him to have been deprived of the fruit of his great struggle.

Describe the relationship between Santiago and Manolin?

The relationship between Santiago and Manolin was very deep one. The young boy mandolin was the pupil of the old man and the old man had taught him the art of fishing. In spite of great difference in their ages, the two were always very happy to be together. Manolin had great affection for the old man. He was always ready to serve him in one way or the other. The old man also loved him like his own son.

The old man had been going for fishing for the last eighty four days without any success. For the first forty days mandolin had been with him but then his parents sent him to some other boat because they thought that the old man was an unlucky person. Manolin did not like it and he still continued his relationship-p with the old  man and served him a usual. When the old man came each day empty handed, the young boy helped him and encouraged him. He still wanted to work with the old man but he could not disobeyed his parents also. When Santiago went to sea for fishing , the boy always saw him off in the morning and waited for him in the evening.

 On the eighty fifth day, he saw him off as usual..When the old man returned after many days, he went to his shack and made all the arrangements so that the old man  should recover as soon as possible. He always encouraged him. He was not disappointed of his failure..He told him that once he  had caught a fish after eighty seven days of failure. He also told Santiago that if  the world was against him, he  was with him.

Santiago also loved him deeply. He had shaped up his personality and character. Manolin  was now very responsible and careful young man..Although he wanted Manolin to be with him yet the old man allowed him to go away  to obey hi s parents, command. We find him missing the young boy many a time during his struggle in the  sea. It is pathetic to find him saying, “ No one should be alone in the old age.”.The boy was his only company and he always missed him when he was away. He was living without wife, children, brothers , sisters and friends. Manolin was everything for him in the whole world  and he was always in high spirits in his company.


What were he major interests of the fisher man Santiago?
Discuss Santiago s' hand contest with Negro?

Santiago was a fisher man  and fishing was his profession which was his major interest. He  was not and ordinary fisher man. He was exceptionally skilled in his profession and knew the art of fishing more than anyone else .His company with Manolin was also a great charm for him. Manoline came to him in his  childhood and the old man had taught him the art of fishing Now he was a young boy.

 He respected and served the old man in every way. They had been going together  for fishing  for forty days but could not catch any fish. At this Manolin s’ parents shifted him to another boat saying that the old man an  unlucky fellow. But the young man did not think so.

He still kept his company with the old man on the shore. Santoago s’ mind always occupied with his ideas and he constantly thought about Manolin. To be in his company and to enjoy talking to him was a great interest for the old man.

Another interest of  the old man was baseball. He always talked to Manolin about baseball matches. He knew all the teams and had a perfect understanding of their performance in the game. He read the news about the baseball matches in the papers and liked to listened to commentary on the radio. Even at the sea while struggling against the marlin , he thought about the baseball and was anxious to know about the result of the baseball matches. DiMaggio was his favorite baseball player. He believed that he was the greatest champion of the game and that his team would always win. He even  wanted to be as  great an expert in his profession as DiMaggio was in baseball. He had great respect in his heart for DiMaggio because he believed that he was the greatest champion of baseball.

To dream about lions was another interest of the old man. Santiago had once travelled to Africa by ship in his early youth. He had seen lions moving on the shore. he had seen the lins playing like cats on the shore in the evening. In his old age, he often dreamed of these lions. They dominated his mind He always loved talking about them. He did not think about big fish, big cities , women or his wife in his old age. He only thought about lions. He loved them as  he loved Manolin.


Give the character sketch of Santiago?

Santiago, the old fisher man is the hero of the novel, “The Old Man and the Sea”. He is rather the only character of the novel because the other character  Manjolin appears in the novel only in the beginning and at the end. We find only the old man dominating the whole novel.

 The old man  was thin and gaunt with wrinkles  in the back of his neck and brown blotches on his cheeks which went down the side of his face..His hands had deep creased scars by handling heavy fish on the cords. These scars were old  and had recovered. Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same colour as the  sea and were cheerful and full of determination.

Santiago was considered to be an unlucky person by the local fishermen and they made fun of him when he returned with empty skiff every day but he  was not disappointed. He continued making effort and believed that one day he would catch a big fish. He was an expert fisherman and knew all the techniques of  fishing.

The old man  was a man of strong determination. He was never disappointed. Without sleep and  without food, the old man struggle all alone against the marlin. He remained  in the most difficult situation for two days and two nights but he was still full of determination and was eventually successful in catching a big fish.

Santiago was highly imaginative person. Being all alone in the sea he often lost in  his imagination and usually talked to himself. He often thought about the young boy Manolin and wanted him to be with him. Sometimes , he thought about the baseball matches and of the great payer DiMaggio who was his favorite. He also remembered his hand wrestling contest with the negro..He dreamed about the lions moving on the sea shore at Africa.
Santiago was a great philosopher also..He first considered the killing of the marlin as a sin but then he justified it as a professional act. In the same way, he justified the killing of the sharks in self-defense.



Discuss sea as a living being?/Symbolic importance of the Sea?

In , “ The Old man and the Sea” the ocean plays its role  as a living being. It has its own relations with other characters of the novel. It has its own tastes, voices, atmosphere and colors..Still it treats old man rather cruelly when the sharks come out of it to eat up the huge marlin. But we cannot ignore its gentle role as well. It gives Santiago continuous supply of food in the form of tunas, shrimps, dolphins and flying fish.

The sea is a great source of livelihood  for the fishermen. It teaches the sailors and the fishermen how to lead their lives. It also teaches the spiritual lessons to the fishermen when they need. Santiago is not a religious man but he learns his religious lessons by the oceans. He prays to God first to let the fish be baited and then release him to sufferings as well as physical pains.
The ocean has its own rules and regulations like the characteristics of a man. Its world is full of weeds, fishes , turtles, gulls,  and clouds. It is a different universe where large creature eats up the small one..Still man rules supreme there. It is oblivious that the old man is not defeated by the ocean but by his own fault that he went too far out in the sea.

BA English Short Story'The New Constitution' by Sadat Hassan Manto

The New Constitution   

Sadat Hassan Manto

A nation may be weak or backward but national liberty is very sacred to it. Foreign rule
is always condemned and hated. Foreigner rulers should, therefore, never expect love
from the ruled.

Once the English were very fond of ruling over the world. At those times, India was one
of their colonies. The English rulers in India were quite callous and cruel to the natives.
In turn the natives, also hated them from the cores of their hearts.

The New Constitution; by Manto also exposes the same. It was being expected that
Government India act, 1935, would bring about great political and social changes for
the Indians. This story was written in 1938, and by hen it was fully realized that the
new Act of 1935 had brought nothing to change.

 The story proved that Manto joined
anti-imperialist struggle by establishing the fact that the British were hated in the
United India because of their unjust racialism, bigotry and highhandedness
Ustad Mangu whose reputation as a knowledgeable man was well established among
his fellow tongawalas waited anxiously for the promulgation of the Act to celebrate his

freedom from the British. He thought that his rights as a human being as well as a
citizen of India would be recognized and accepted.
Ustad Mangu was a completely illiterate person, still he was considered to be the wisest
person among his fellows. It was because that he was always able to satisfy them about
what was happening in the world. He hated the British because he believed that they
were ruling the country against the will of the Indians. 

The gora soldiers of the cantonment area were responsible for his poor opinion of the British. They treated him
worse than animals. He hated them very much. Once he had a bitter quarrel with a gora
soldier, he remained depressed for many days. He could not bear even sight of them.
One day , he picked up two fares from the district courts. He gathered from their
consversatin that tere was going be a new Act for India which would be enforced from
the first of April.

At last first April came. He was very excited. He prepared his Tonga and went out on the
roads of Lahore.He wanted to see the changes with his own eyes. Ustad Mangu was a
person who could not afford to wait. He just could not wait for things to take shapes. He
wanted everything to happen quickly. When he was going to have his first child, he was
unable to sit quietly and wanted to see the child even before it was born.

He was busy in tanking about the changes which the new act would bring about when
he saw a gora soldier standing beside the lamp post. Ustad Mangu thought that it was
the same gora who abused him last year. He wanted to take the revenge. He looked at
the gora with great hatred. They exchanged a few unpleasant words but then Ustad
Mangu raised his hand suddenly and gave him a terrible thrash. 

    The gora could not
believe that it was really happening. A crowd had gathered there. Two policemen also
arrived there and they rescued the gora. Ustad Mangu was taken to the police station.
All the time he was crying, "New Constitution, New Constitution."
" What rubbish are you talking? What new constitution? It is the same old constitution,
you fool", he was told. Then they locked him up.

      Discuss Mangu as a type character?

Ustad Mangu is type character. He is the representative of the common Indians. Like the commoners, he was very happy, when he heard about the new constitution. He thought that new constitution would bring a lot of changes in the whole of India. So he waited impatiently for the 1st April.

At last the 1st April came. On that particular day, Mangu rose earlier, set his Tonga and went out on the roads of Lahore. He wanted to see the changes with his own eyes. He had a fare to be dropped in the cantonment .There he saw a gora soldier, standing beside the lamp post. Ustad Mangu recognized that it was the same gora who had insulted Ustad Mangu publically.

 Now he thought that it was the best time to take revenge. He went near to him and exchanged some hot words with him. Suddenly, Ustad Mangu raised his hand and gave him a terrible thrash. The gora cold not believe that it was really happening. In a state of helplessness, the gora started screaming. A crowd had gathered there. Two policemen also arrived there and they rescued the gora. Ustad Mangu was taken to the police station. All the time he was crying, "New Constitution, New Constitution."

“What rubbish are you talking? What new constitution? It is the same old constitution, you fool", he was told. Then they locked him up.

Important Questions

1.Give the character sketch of Ustad Mangu(Reproduce the summary)

2. Ustad Mangu is painted as a fool. Support or refute the statement?

3.Describe the encounter between Ustad Mangu and the gora Soldier?

4.Fight with the gora soldier is the climax of the story ...discuss?

5.Why was Ustad Mangu so excited about the implementation of the new constitution? What did he expect of it?

6.The New Constitution’ was no more than a piece of April foolery. Elaborate

The New Constitution

By Sadat Hassan Manto

                                    Points to Remembers:

1.      Sadat Hassan Manto was born in 1912 and died in 1955.He was an Urdu fiction writer

2.      This short story has also been translated from Urdu to English

3.      In this Short story , “The New Constitution” Manto talks about the bitter truths of British Colonial system

4.      He very successfully projects the highhandedness, cruelty and callousness of the British soldiers on the common Indian including the Muslims

5.      Ustad Mangu, the Tonga wala is a type character, he is illiterate but know much of political changes occurring in that era

6.      From a fare he hears that a new constitution is being promulgated on 1^st April 1935 in India

7.      Mangu becomes so enthusiastic that he shares this news with all his friends

8.      He starts waiting impatiently for the appointed date, he also weaves some dreams in his mind

9.      His thinks that this cruel colonial system would end on the day when this new rule would be enforced

10.  Ustad Mangu hates the British soldiers from the core of his heart and he wants to get rid of them

11.  On the 1^st April ,he rises earlier than usual, sets his Tonga and comes on the roads of Lahore

12.  He sees no particular change, but he is still hopeful about the new constitution

13.  Under the pretext of new constitution , he picks up a row with the ‘gora’ soldier who had insulted him publically last year

14.  He lashes the gora soldiers mercilessly assuming that he is no more in rule as after some time a new constitution is going to be implemented

15.  He is arrested and is taken to the police station and is locked up. But all the time he is yelling ‘new constitution, ‘new constitution.’

16.  His all dreams shatter badly when he is informed by the officer that there is no new constitution but the same old constitution

                  Read MCQs of The New Constitution

MA English part-1 Punjab University past papers

MA Enlish Part-1

Classical Poetry

2005        Punjab University

PAPER I: CLASSICAL POETRY

 Attempt FOUR questions, including Question No. 1, which is COMPULSORY. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Explain with reference to the context any FOUR of the following passages:

 (i) `Fallen cherub to be weak is miserable,

Doing or suffering; but of this be sure

To do aught good never will be our task

 But ever to do ill our sole delight....'

 (ii) He sette nat his benefice to hyre

 And leet his sheepe encombred in the myre,

 And ran to Londoun, Unto seint poules,

To seeten hym a chaunterie for sonless.

(iii) Whatever spirit, careless of his charge,

 His post neglects, or Leaves the fair at large,

 Shall feel sharp vengeance soon O'ertake his sins

 Be stopped in vials,

 or transfixed with pins.

(iv) Or let these two, themselves, not mee decay;

 So shall I, live, thy stage, not triumph bee,

 Last thou thy love and hate and mee undoe,

To let me live, 0 love and hate me too.

 (v) "0 place of bliss, renewer of my woes,

Give me account—where is my noble fere,

Whom in thy walls thou didst each might enclose,

 To another life, but unto me most dear"

 (vi) All is possible!

 Whose list believe,

Trust therefore first and after preve;

 As men wed ladies by License and Leave;

All is possible.

 (vii) "Of the fruit of each tree in the garden we may eat,

 But of the fruit of this fair tree a midst

The garden, God hath said, `ye shall not eat

Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, Lest ye die"

(viii) And if some Lover, such as wee,

 Have heard this dialogue of one,

Let him still Markus, he shall see

 Small change, when we are to bodies gone.

 2. In “The Rape of the Lock”, the metamorphosis of the epic gains full creative freedom. Discuss.

3. Write a detailed critical analysis of two of the following poems:

(i) Prisoned in Windsor             

 (ii) On Wyatt's death

(iii) They flee from me

 4. In waiting the Paradise Lost, has Milton succeeded in justifying the ways of God to men?

 5. "Donne's Monarchy of wit was not a trick or fashion but one of the greatest achievements of the- poetic intelligence". Discuss the appropriateness of this remark by Leishman.

6. What are the salient features of Chaucer's style? Illustrate from the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.

7 While Satan of the first two books of the Paradise Lost pleases the modern sensibility, Milton's concept of man woman relationship does not. Do you agree?

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Punjab University                  MA English Part-1

2005                                        PAPER II: DRAMA                                Marks:100

Attempt FOUR questions, including Question No. 1, which is COMPULSORY. All questions carry equal marks. 1.Explain, with reference to the context, any THREE of the following passages:

(i)                 The God thou serv'st is thine own appetite.

 Wherein, is fixed the love of Belzebub.

To him, I'll build an altar and a church And offer him lukewarm blood of newborn babes.

(ii)               Let every man is mankind's fraility

 Consider his last day, and let None

 Presume on his good fortune until he find

 Life, at his death, a memory without pain.

(iii)              There's some ill planet reigns:

 I must be patient till the heavbps look

 With an aspect more favourable,

(iv)               Dangerous conceits, are in their nature poisons which

 ....with a little act upon the blood

Burn like the mines of sulpher.

(v)                It pains me very much to have to speak frankly to you.

 Lady Breckneill, about your nephew, but the fact is that

 I do not approve of all his moral character.

I suspect him of being untruthful.

2.      Discuss Marlowe's Faustus as an over reacher, drawing closely on the text.

3.       What in your opinion is Oedipus thamartia' and what is its relevance to the play Oedipus Rex.

4.       How far would you agree that Shakespeare's Othello is a domestic tragedy?

5.       'Shakespeare never did anything finer Matt serious more evocative of his full powers than his picture of an earthly paradise painted in the form of an English countryside'. What factors contribute to this picture of an earthly paradise?

6. In the play Othello Iago is not a character of fiendish intellectual superiority. He has been used by Shakespeare as a foil for Othello's own weaknesses. How far would you agree?

7. The play The Importance of Being Earnest has as its philosophy "that we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality". Discuss.
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MA English Part-1

Punjab University

PAPERIII: NOVEL                                         Marks: 100

 Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry Equal marks.

 1. Faithful observation, personal detachment and a fine sense of ironic comedy are among Jane Austen's chief characteristics as a writer.

 2. Trollope preferred to describe his characters before showing in action and sometimes his initial descriptions of them are more interesting than their own subsequent behaviour. Discuss.

 3. The character of Adam Bede is built up from the firm foundation of Native Sagacity and an indomitable sense of justice. Comment.

 4. Unlike Hetty, Adam Bede is a man we are called upon to understand in depth; where she is static and bewildered, he is evolving and aware. Symbolism lends additional meanings to those which are apparent on the surface. Discuss with special reference to A Tale of Two Cities.

 6. Through a series of events over which Clym has very little control, he comes to feel responsible for the deaths of his mother and wife. Discuss.

7 Write critical notes on any Two of the following topics:

(i)                   Jane Austen's limited range.

(ii)                 Trollope's art of characterization

(iii)              "Egdon Heath symbolises the whole cosmic order in which man is but an insignificant particle"

(iv)              There was a revolution in the life of Dickens which corresponded to the external revolution
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MA English Part-1

Punjab University

2005 PAPER IV: PROSE            Marks: 100

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry Equal marks.

1. "Bacon is the most complete representative of the Renaissance in England learned worldly, ambitious, intriguing...." Elaborate with reference to his essays.

2. But for the lively humour in which he wraps his satire, Swift would have been unreadable.

3. Uphold or refute Russell's advocacy of 'World Government' in his `Unpopular Essays', especially in view of the turn history has recently taken.

4. In what sense does Edward Said refer to culture as a "soft or theatre". Explain with reference to the     literacy forms the society that engages in colonial practices.

5. How war is Seamus Heaney justified in seeking the Redress of poetry?

6. "When life is the criterion and not art, the prose of a nation is far more important than its poetry". Elaborate.

7. What function does Russell recommend for the teacher? Do you find it viable in our own society?

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MA English Part-1

Punjab University

2005 PAPER V:  American Literature                          Marks: 100

Attempt any FOUR questions. All questions carry Equal marks.

1. The novel 'Jazz by Toni Morrison reflects the complexities of urban life. Illustrate the statement.

2. Write a comprehensive note on the theme of Feminism as treated by Sylvia Plath and Adrienne Rich in their poems.

3. Critically evaluate any ONE of the following poems:

   (i) After the Last Bulletin by Richard Wilbur

     (ii) Melodic Train by John Ashbery

4. In Mourning Becomes Electra past is synonymous with fate elaborate the statement.

5. Discuss the novel ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ as a critical analysis of the behaviour of human beings under   turbulent conditions of war.

6. Do you regard Abigail Williams as a victim or vamp Base your arguments on textual evidence.

7. Discuss the major themes in the poetry of Sylvia Plath.

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MA English Part-1

Punjab University

2006 PAPER I: CLASSICAL POETRY

 Attempt FOUR questions, including Question No.1 which is COMPULSORY.

All questions carry equal marks.

 I. Explain with reference to the context any FOUR of the following extracts:

(i) In all the possible wifne was thee noon

 That to the offerynge before hire should goon;

 And if ther dide, ceneyn so wrooth was she.

That she was out of all charitee.

 (ii) If they be two, they are two so

       As stifle twin compasses are two

(iii) 0 thoughtless mortals! Everblinclto fate,

      Too soon defected.

      and too soon elate.

      Sudden, these honours shall be snatched away

      And cursed forever this victorious day

(iv) Space may produce new worlds;

 where of so rife there went a fame in Heaven that are long.

 Intended to create, and therein plant

A generation whom his choice regard.

Should favour equal to the sons of I kaven.

(i)               Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her scat.

              Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe,

             that all was lost.

(ii)            Thou art slave to Fate,

Chance Kings and desperate men,

 And dost with poyson, warre, and sickness dwell

 And Poppie, or charms can make us sleep as well.

 And better than thy stroake;

(iii)          If it be yea, I shall be fain If it be nay, friends, as before;

You shall anther men obtain,

 And I mine own, and yours no more.

 (viii)    The stately scats, the ladies bright hue

The dances short, long tales of great delight;

 With words and looks that tigers could but sue,

Where each of us did plead the other's right.

 2.   What is major contribution of Thomas Wyatt to English Poetry of the Renaissance? Discuss with    reference to the poems you have studies.

 3. Write a critical appreciation of any TWO of the following poems.

(i) Love that doth reign....

(ii) My friend, the things...

(iii) Wyatt rested) here.....

4. Discuss and illustrate the artistic method adopted by Chaucer in the portrayal of his pilgrims in the Prologue.

 5. Milton conceived and executed the scheme of Paradise Lost in accordance with principles of classical epics. Discuss.

6. Do you agree that in The Rape of the Lock' the mock-heroic element is not the dominant interest but the brilliant picture of fashionable life? Discuss.

7. Discuss Donne as a Metaphysical poet.

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MA English Part-1

Punjab University

2006 PAPER II: DRAMA

 Attempt any FOUR Questions, including Question No.I which is compulsory. All questions carry equal marks.

 I. Explain with reference to the context, any THREE of the following passages:

 (i) Ah Faustus Now has thou but one bare hour to live. And then thou must be damn’d perpetually Stand still, you ever moving spheres of heaven

 That time may cease, and midnight never come

Fair Nature's eye, rise, rise again, and make

Perpetual day: or let this hour be but A year, a month, a week, a natural day

That Faustus may repent and save his soul.

 (ii) Do not counsel me anymore.

 This punishment that I have laid upon myself is just.

 If I had eyes I do not know how I would bear the sight of my father,

 When I come to the house of Death, or my mother, for I have sinned against them both

So vilely that I could not make my peace By strangling my own life

 (iii) I had rather be a toad

And live upon the Vigor of a dungeon

Than keep a corner in the thing I love for the other's uses

 (iv) They call him Doricles; and boast himself

 To have a worthy feeding; but I have it Upon his own report and I believe it; He looks like sooth He says he loves my daughter: I think so too; for never gaz'd the moon Upon the water as he'll stand and read As it were my daughter's eyes: and, to be plain

I think there is not half a kiss to choose

Who loves another best

 (v) Yes, I felt it instinctively but I couldn't wait all that time. I hate waiting even five minutes for anybody. It always makes me rather cross. I am not punctual myself, I know, but I do like punctuality in others, and waiting, even to be martial, is quiet out of the questions.

 2. Do you think that hubris plays a significant part in the fall of Oedipus?

 3. Does the speech by the Chorus in the epilogue do justice to the Character Faustus?

4. How does Othello's imagination contribute to his breakdown?

 5. Discuss the significance of language in Oscar Wilde's play 'The Importance of Being Earnest'.

 6. Discuss the play 'The Winter's Tale' as a tragic comedy.

 7. Lago is more a catalyst who precipitates destruction than devil who causes it.
-------------------------------------------------

MA English Part-1

Punjab University

Marks: 100

2006 PAPER III: NOVEL

Attempt any FOUR Questions.

 All questions carry equal marks.

 I. Jane Austen was fully alive to her limitations, as such: she nem touched a character or scene she did not thoroughly know. Discuss.

2. A Talc of Two Cities is Dickens's most impersonal novel, especially ' because of the grand objectivity of historic-al events with which it deals. Discuss.

3. Mr. Slope is a cunning and ruthless opportunist loyal to none but himself. Discuss with special reference to Barchester Towers.

 4. Clym's blindness is a physical manifestation, a symbol of his intellectual obtuseness or social maladjustment. Discuss.

 5. Being superior to Hetty both in years and in experience of the world. Arthur's responsibility is much greater for the suffering and tragedy of poor limy. Discuss.

 6. Henry lives simply by the coercive morality of the community and when this is broken, she is destroyed. Discuss.

 7. Write critical notes on any TWO of the following topics:

 (i) Jane Austen's at of characterization.

 (ii) The role of 'Fate and Destiny in Hardy's novels.

(iii) Symbolism in A Talc of Two Cities.

(iv) Gorge Eliot's art of Narration.
---------------------------------------------

MA English Paet-1

Punjab University

2006

 PAPER IV: PROSE                                       Marks: 100

 Attempt any FOUR Questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. With Bacon does the new era of English prose start. Elaborate with reference to his essays.

 2. His satire grows more and more bitter as Swift progresses from book of his *Gulliver's Travels'. Discuss.

 3. Swift devised a prose style that suited his purpose very well. Elaborate with special reference to his 'Gulliver's Travels'.

4. Can ideas, good or bad be so effective as Bertrand Russell has claimed? Make out a case for or against in the light of his Unpopular Essays'.

5. How far has Edward Said succeeded in stripping the mask from the ugly face of Imperialism? Elaborate with special reference to his 'Introduction to Culture and Imperialism'.

6. Poetry is as much relevant as ever even in this highly industrialized age of ours. Discuss with reference to Seamus Heaney.

7. Trace the development of English Prose from Bacon to Seamus Heaney.
------------------------------------------------

MA English Part-1

Punjab University                            Marks: 100

PAPER V-2006: AMERICAN LITERATURE Attempt any FOUR Questions.

 All questions carry equal marks.                  

 1. Toni Morrison has used the subject of Jan music as a metaphor for the ever changing conditions          of African-American life in the 1920s and as a reflection of the perpetual human struggle between right and wrong. Elaborate.

 2. Sylvia Plath exposes her subjectivity in terms of objectivity. Illustrate the statement with reference to her poems you have studied.

 3. Critically evaluate any ONE of the following poems:

(i) Poppies in October by Sylvia Plath.

(ii) The Painter by John Ashbery d.

4 Discuss the mother and daughters relationship in Mourning Becomes Electra by Eugene O'Neill.

 5. Discuss Jordan's Relationship with Maria. Do you find Maria a convincing character?

 6. John Proctor stands unique amongst Miller's creations not because of inherent  superiority but because of the intensity of his moral response. Justify it.

 7. Discuss the major themes in the poetry of John Ashbcry.

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