UNIT-01

PROSE
Two Gentlemen of Verona
-A. J. Cronin
A. MEANINGS:
Refer textbook pg.no:5

B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:

1. Describe the appearance of Nicola and Jacopo?
The elder brother was wearing an old damaged Jersey and cut-off Khaki pants.
The other boy was slim and wearing a shortened army tunic gathered in loose
folds. Both of them had uncombed hair and brown skin. Nicola, the elder, was
13 years old and Jacopo was 12 years old.
2. What were the various jobs undertaken by the little boys?

During the summer days, the little boys shined shoes, sold fruits and hawked
newspapers. They conducted tourists round the town and ran errands.

3. How did the narrator help the boys on Sunday?

When the boys requested the narrator to drive them to a village, he readily
agreed and drove them to the tiny village ‘Poleta’ set high upon the hillside.
He also waited for the boys to rejoin them and then drove them back to the
city.
4. Who took the author to the cubicle?

A pleasant-looking woman, with steel-rimmed spectacles, was dressed in the

white uniform of a trained nurse. She took the author to the cubicle.
5. Describe the girl with whom the boys were talking to in the cubicle?

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Lucia, the boys’ sister, was a young girl of twenty. She was wearing a pretty
lace jacket and was listening to her brothers’ chatter. Her eyes were soft and
tender. She had a resemblance to her brothers, who took good care of her.
6. Recount the untold sufferings undergone by the siblings after they were
rendered homeless.
After the siblings were rendered homeless, they suffered horribly from near
starvation and exposure to the cold winter. For months, they lived in the
shelter made of broken building walls and bricks. The boys hated the
Germans and stood against them as rebels. After the war, they got back to
their sister and found her suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.

7. The narrator did not utter a word and preferred to keep the secret to
himself. Why? Substantiate the statement with reference to the story.

The narrator had understood their character well and he knew they wouldn’t
like to have sympathized. Therefore, he did not confront the boys and kept the
secret to himself. Their spirit and selfless action brought a new nobility to
human life.

C. ESSAY:
Two Gentlemen of Verona
-A. J. Cronin
Introduction:
A. J. Cronin has explained the importance of dedication towards relationship
in the story “Two Gentlemen of Verona”.
About the story:

The story is about two boys named Nicola and Jacopo, who do numerous
works to earn money only to pay for their sister’s treatment who suffers from
tuberculosis of the spine. The narrator was driving down the foothills of the

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Alps along with his companion. At that time, two young boys who sold wild
strawberries stopped their car.

Two Gentlemen of Verona:

The small boys appeared to be quite shabby. The boys were brothers. The
elder one Nicola was 13 and the younger one Jacopo was 12 years old. The
narrator and his companion bought the biggest basket of strawberries from
the boys. They came to know that the boys did many kinds of job like selling
fruits, polishing shoes, selling newspapers, conducted tourists round the
town and ran errands, etc., to earn money. During the time of their stay in the
town, the young boys were very helpful for the narrator.

Lucia’s suffering:
The boys earned money but they spent only a little. The boys earned the
money to cure their sister who was hospitalized for tuberculosis of the spine.
They had a decent life before the war and the war made them orphans. They
tried their best to make the payments regularly to the hospital. The narrator
drove them to the hospital one Sunday and knew everything about the boys
from the nurse in the hospital, and he did not reveal it to the boys. He drove
them back in silence.
Conclusion:

Their selfless action brought a nobility to human life, they were really “Two
Gentlemen of Verona”.

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 UNIT-01
POEM
The Castle
-Edwin Muir
A. READ THE GIVEN LINES AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT
FOLLOW:
1. All through the summer at ease we lay

And daily from the turret wall

We watched the mowers in the hay
i) Who does ‘we’ refer to?

The word ‘we’ refers to the soldiers.

ii) How did the soldiers spend the summer days?

The soldiers spent the summer days totally stress-free and relaxed.
iii) What could they watch from the turret wall?

They could watch the mowers trimming the grass and levelling the lawns.
2. Our gates were strong, our walls were thick

So smooth and high, no man could win.

i) How safe was the castle?

The castle’s gates were strong and the walls were thick.
ii) What was the firm belief of the soldiers?

The soldiers firmly believed that no one could enter into the strong and well
protected walls.

3. A foothold there, no clever trick

Could take us dead or quick
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Only a bird could have got in.
i) What was challenging?

No one could enter the castle except a bird. This was challenging in the
castle.

ii) Which aspect of the castle’s strength is conveyed by the above line?
The castle had a strong foothold and no clever tricks could take anyone in
dead or alive.
4. Oh then our maze of tunneled stone

Grew thin and treacherous as air.

The castle was lost without a groan.

The famous citadel overthrown.

i) Bring out the contrast in the first two lines.

A winding and an intricate path of the tunneled stone grew thin and disloyal as
air, when it gave way to the enemies.

ii) What is the rhyme scheme of the given stanza?

Rhyme scheme: a b a a.
5. We could do nothing, being sold.

i) Why couldn’t they do anything?

They couldn’t do anything because it was an unspecified battle.

ii) Why did they feel helpless?

They felt helpless because it was a shameful act of the old guard and they
could not tell this tale to anyone.

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B. EXPLAIN WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT:
1. They seemed no threat to us at all.
Reference:

This line is taken from the poem ‘The Castle’ written by Edwin Muir.
Context:

The narrator talks about the confidence of the soldiers.

Explanation:

As the castle was strong and there was no trace of the enemies found at a
distance of half-a mile. So it seemed that there was no threat at all.

2. How can this shameful act be told?

Reference:

This line is taken from the poem ‘The Castle’ written by Edwin Muir.
Context:
The narrator reveals the shameful act of the old guard in this context.

Explanation:
The narrator lamented about the disloyalty of the old guard and decided to
hold the shameful tale by not telling anyone until his death. This reveals his
sorrow and helplessness to fight with the enemy called ‘gold’.
3. I will maintain until my death.
Reference:

This line is taken from the poem ‘The Castle’ written by Edwin Muir.
Context:

The narrator lamented over the disloyalty of the greedy warder. As it was
a shameful tale, he decided not to reveal it to anyone until his death.

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Explanation:
The wicked old guard of the castle got gold as a bribe and allowed the
enemies inside the castle through a little wicked wicket gate. As it was a
shameful act, the narrator decided not to tell this story to anyone until his
death.
4. Our only enemy was gold.

Reference:
This line is taken from the poem ‘The Castle’ written by Edwin Muir.

Context:
The narrator insists that his only enemy was gold.

Explanation:
The narrator regrets for not finding any weapon to fight with the enemy called
‘gold’. He feels helpless and sad about the shameful act of one of his guards.

C. ESSAY:
The Castle

-Edwin Muir
Introduction:
The poet Edwin Muir beautifully brings out the strength of the castle.
Safety of the castle:

The soldiers did not worry about threats around them because the castle
gates were strong and walls were high, thick and smooth. They felt very safe
because they had more confidence in the castle. They trusted a lot that even
by a trick no one could enter the castle. The human beings did not have
courage to enter the castle but birds could enter. So the soldiers were in a
relaxed manner and stress free about everything around them.

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The belief of the soldiers:
They believed that the castle was absolutely safe because of its
physical strength and their captain was brave and the soldiers were loyal.
Disloyal warder:

The strong castle became helpless and thin. The soldiers unexpectedly faced
the failure because of the greedy disloyal warder, The famous citadel was
captured by the enemies for disloyalty (gold). The black sheep was one of
their own men (warder) who let the enemies inside the famous citadel that
had been known for its secret gallery and intricate path.
Conclusion:

Once the castle was safe because soldiers were united and loyal and their
captain was brave. But later disloyalty arose from their own men warder, the
castle was conquered by the enemies.
“Greed kills enormity”

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 UNIT-01
SUPPLEMENTARY
God sees the truth but waits
-Leo Tolstoy
A. ESSAY:
Introduction:

"God sees the truth but waits” is a story written by Leo Tolstoy. It shows the
miserable condition of an innocent person.

A young merchant:
Aksionov was a young merchant in Vladimir. He was handsome. He was fond
of singing. Before his marriage, he was a drunkard. He gave up drinking
alcohol after marriage. One summer he wanted to go to Nizhny fair. His wife
had dreamt that Aksionov’s hair was quite grey when he returned. She
advised him not to go but Aksionov was adamant about going to the fair.
Unexpected Arrest:

On the way to the fair, Aksionov stayed at the inn. He had tea with a merchant
there. He was accused of murdering the merchant. When the police searched
Aksionov’s bag, there was a blood-stained knife in it. Aksionov was arrested.
Dejected Aksionov:

Aksionov was dejected when his wife suspected him. He thought that God
knew the reality of his life. He spent 26 years in prison. In the prison, there
was a respect for his meekness, and he was called grandfather. Aksionov had
become a well-grounded and God-fearing person.

Generous Aksionov:

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Among a gang of new convicts, there was a convict called Makar Semyonich.
He was the real culprit. Instead of him, Aksionov was imprisoned. When
Makar was willing to confess his crime, Aksionov decided to stay only in
prison. Finally, Makar confessed his guilty but Aksionov was not alive to be
released.
Conclusion:

There was a great injustice to Aksionov. He faced untold misery for 26 years in
prison. He was helpless and hopeless in life.

“Justice delayed is Justice denied”

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