Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
Narrate 'The Tale of Melon City' in your own words.
Advertisements
उत्तर
A model answer has been provided for students' reference.
It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.
The Tale of Melon city is a narrative poem by Vikram Seth written in the couplet form. The poem is an account of an incident involving the monarch and citizens that took place in a city long ago. The tale is humorous with a very sharp focus on the thematic aspect. Structurally, the story has three parts-the first part mentions about a king's wish to build an arch. The second part relates his complaints regarding the faulty construction of the arch and the last part narrates how his decree ultimately falls on him leading to his hanging. The poem in a high tone of humour narrates the transition of power from the king to a melon which became a symbolic head.
In the beginning the poet narrates that there was a king in a city long ago. One day the king expressed his desire to construct an arch spanning the main thoroughfare to improve the onlookers morally and mentally. The king was just and peace loving. The construction work was soon undertaken by employing large number of labourers.
After the completion of the arch, the king went to inspect the newly constructed arch. The arch was very low. His crown struck against the arch and fell off. Feeling dishonoured, the king decided to hang the chief of builders. All arrangements were made for the hanging. The Chief of builders defended himself by shifting the responsibility to the labourers. Convinced by the argument, the king then ordered to hang all the labourers. The labourers shifted the responsibility to the size of the bricks. The king accordingly ordered the hanging of the masons. The masons in turn defended themselves and put all blame on the architect. The king ordered to hang the architect. The architect reminded the king that he (King) had made some amendments to the plan when it was shown to him. The architect indirectly put the blame on the king. The king was confused to hear the architect's argument. The king solicited the advice of the wisest man in his kingdom. Accordingly, the wisest man was found and brought to the court. He was so old that he could neither walk nor see. He gave the verdict that the arch was the real culprit. It was the arch that hit the crown violently and it fell off. So, the arch must be hanged. Accordingly, the arch was led to the scaffold. In the meantime, a councillor pointed out that it would be very shameful act to hang the arch that touched the king's crown.
The crowd which gathered there to witness the hanging of the culprit was getting restless. Sensing their mood, the king said that someone must be hanged since the nation wanted a hanging. The noose was set up. It was somewhat high. Each man was measured turn by turn. But there was only one man who was tall enough to fit in the noose, and it was the King. Interestingly, the king was hanged.
The poet then narrates the third part of the poem. In the concluding part the ministers heaved a sigh of relief that they were able to find someone, otherwise, the unruly crowd might have risen in revolt. After the death of the King, it was required to choose another king. As per the convention, the ministers sent out the herald to proclaim that the next to pass the City Gate would choose a king. An idiot happened to pass the City Gate. The guards asked him who was to be the King. The idiot answered that a melon should be chosen to be the next king. Actually that was his pet answer to all questions as he liked melons. The ministers crowned a melon and placed their Melon King reverently at the throne.
The poet narrates that the citizens were least bothered about their symbolic head. They enjoyed the principles of Laissez faire. They were very respectful to their new monarch as the new monarch did not interfere in their lives.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Attempt a character sketch of Otto Frank, Anne's father.
Answer the following question in 120 – 150 words:
How do you perceive Dr. Kemp based on his interaction with Griffin ? (The Invisible Man)
Read the following extract of the poem and complete the activities given below :
B1 State which of the following statements are
True or False :
(i) The elderly are nearest to our own exalted personality.
(ii) The elderly are those persons whose growth is stunted.
(iii) We should know our elderly people well, in order to receive guidance.
(iv) The elderly hold on to the frivolous aspects of life.
Elderly people should be around us. Justify.
(b) abb
(c) abba
Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and lost?
Discuss in groups of four.
The accounts of exotic places in legends and the reality.
'The Address' is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment
Read the play out in parts. Enact the play on a suitable occasion.
Locate expressions in the text reflect the Indian idiom, for example, the pride of the generations of his ancestors.
‘The Tale of Melon City’ has been narrated in a verse form. This is a unique style which lends extra charm to an ancient tale. Find similar examples in your language. Share them in the class.
What is the central argument of the speaker?
How does the connection drawn between the tail and the eyes add to the descriptive detail of the poem?
Read the extract 'Being Neighborly' and complete the following statement:
To Jo, the fine house seemed like ______.
Name the world-famous personality who reached great heights despite of humble circumstances.
Arrange the following set of words in the alphabetical order in your notebook.
ship, small, successful, scoldings, stone, saving, someone, stood, streets, still, screamed, sat, seemed, saint, share.
Which pictures reflect gender equality? Write their numbers.
Read the story and choose the appropriate meaning.
Masterpiece ____________.
‘The city now, doth, like garment wear’. The poet imagines that the city is wearing a beautiful garment. Hence, the figure of speech is personification. Find out more examples of personification from the poem.
Go through the poem and state whether the following statement is true or false.
Planners paint beautiful pictures of the upcoming changes in the city that charm the citizens.
Write 3 to 4 lines about the following in your own words.
First Cardiac Surgery
What did one of the fluttering creatures do?
Look at the following words carefully for one minute. Now close your book and try to write down as many of the words as you can remember.
| crust, tremendous, lava, crater, volcanic, tsunami, island, extinct, disaster, dormant, eruption, plume, inland, molten, active, coast |
Bassanio was very rich.
What themes did the committee identify?
Visit a library:
Read stories about Gautama Buddha. Relate one story in the class.
Draw word webs for the following. Begin with the given word and go on writing as many other words associated with it, as you can. Use these words to write other related words to form a word web.
List the phrases that indicate sorrow or pain.
Read the passage. Underline the new words. Guess their meaning from the context. Verify it from a good dictionary.
Read the following:
- Charging along like troops in a battle.
- Fly as thick as driving rain.
Using your imagination, write one or two comparisons each with -
- like ______
- as ______ as
We find the following in the script of a skit or play. Rearrange these steps in the proper order and write them down in the form of a flow chart.
Answer in your own words.
How is the boy from the 1500s dressed?
Find the words that mean the following from the first stanza.
- Gold hammered into a flat, thin shape: ______
- show off proudly: ______
- tilt, move at an angle: ______
- across, especially in a slanting direction: ______
Write your own impressions about the news items given in (a), (b), (c), and (d) in the table below.
| News item | Good news Bad news | Reliable Unreliable | Interesting Uninteresting Boring | Others |
| (a) | ||||
| (b) | ||||
| (c) | ||||
| (d) |
What more difficulties would they have to face, if the roads are not cleared?
Write some more expressions like ‘hundreds of’. Expand each expression.
Example, ‘Hundreds of children in the school.’
Guess the meaning of the following word.
fragrant
Answer the question in a paragraph of about 100 – 150 word.
Write a detailed character sketch of Prospero.
Read the following line from the poem and answer the question given below.
| And so it were wisest to keep our feet From wandering into Complaining Street; |
- What is the wisest thing that the poet suggests?
- What does the phrase ‘to keep our feet from wandering’ refer to?
How were offerings carried during the ancient period?
Based on your reading, rearrange the following sentences in the correct sequence.
- Since all her methods failed, finally she gave him a pain-killer.
- He told his aunt that Peter had no aunt, so he gave him the medicine.
- The pain-killer triggered adverse reactions on Peter.
- It jumped out of the open window.
- Tom was dull and depressed.
- This incident upset Aunt Polly and she questioned him.
- But, Tom gave that painkiller to the cat Peter.
- So, Aunt Polly tried different types of remedies on him.
Why should we speak gently?
Identify the character/speaker.
One side makes you big, the other side makes you small.
Give an example for dazzling light.
How should one react to adversity?
The blue lights seen through the window were aliens.
It ploughs soil before _________.
Where was the old man sleeping?
Write the rhyming word.
Nature - ______.
What was their new hobby?
Answer the following yes or no question.
Did Bujju realise his mistake?
Pick and write the adverbs to complete the sentence.
A jackal cheated the crow ______.
The official was transferred.
Find and write the clues.
Clue for the load on the camel ______
What is the main idea of the text?
The squirrel ran to the _________ tree.
Divya loved solving _______.
Match the rhyming words.
| Say | grow |
| All | time |
| Go | day |
| Rhyme | fall |
Does the brush bend to her will?
In memory of his mother, he carved ______ statue.
How did the boy enjoy the company of the tree?
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
The Stationmaster’s Supreme Sacrifice by Sanchari Pal (Adapted)
- Thirty-three years ago, on the night of December 2, 1984, Bhopal was hit by a catastrophe that had no parallel in the world’s industrial history. An accident at the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal had released almost 30 tons of a highly toxic gas called methyl isocyanate, turning the city into a vast gas chamber. The result was a nightmare; more than 600,000 people were exposed to the deadly gas cloud that left thousands dead and many more breathless, blind and in agonizing pain. Few people know that during the Bhopal gas tragedy a heroic stationmaster risked his own life to save others.
- On the evening of December 3, 1984, Ghulam Dastagir was settling down in his office to complete some pending paperwork. This work kept him in his office till 1am in the night, when he emerged to check the arrival of the Gorakhpur Mumbai Express. As he stepped on to the platform, the deputy stationmaster felt his eyes burn and a queer itching sensation in his throat. He did not know that poisonous fumes leaking from Union Carbide’s pesticide factory were stealthily enveloping the railway station.
- Beginning to choke, Dastagir did not know then that twenty-three of his railway colleagues, including his boss, station superintendent Harish Dhurve, had already died. It was later reported that Dhurve had heard about the deadly gas and had immediately tried stopping the movement of trains passing through Bhopal before collapsing in his office chamber. His suddenly worsening health and years of experience told Dastagir that something was very wrong. Though he did not fully comprehend what was happening, he decided to act immediately when he did not get any response from the station master. He alerted the senior staff at nearby stations, like Vidisha and Itarsi, to suspend all train traffic to Bhopal.
- However, the jam-packed GorakhpurKanpur Express was already standing at the platform and its departure time was 20 minutes away. Listening to his gut instinct, Dastagir summoned his staff and told them to immediately clear the train for departure. When they asked if they should wait until the order to do so came from the head office, Dastagir replied that he would take complete responsibility for the train’s early departure. He wanted to ensure that the train left immediately, without any delay. His colleagues later recalled that Dastagir could barely stand and breathe as he spoke to them. Breaking all rules and without taking permission from anyone, he and his brave staff personally flagged off the train.
- But Dastagir’s work was not done. The railway station was filling up with people, desperate to flee the fumes. Some were gasping, others were vomiting, and most were weeping. Dastagir chose to remain on duty, running from one platform to another, attending, helping and consoling victims. He also sent an SOS to all the nearby railway offices, asking for immediate medical help. As a result, four ambulances with paramedics and railway doctors arrived at the station. It was winter and the gas was staying low to the ground, a thick haze poisoning everything in its path. Besieged by hordes of suffering people, the station soon resembled the emergency room of a large hospital. Dastagir stayed at the station, steadfastly doing his duty, knowing that his family was out there in the ill-fated city. That day all he had for his protection was a wet handkerchief on his mouth.
- Ghulam Dastagir’s devotion to duty saved the lives of hundreds of people. However, the catastrophe didn’t leave him unscathed. One of his sons died on the night of the tragedy and another developed a lifelong skin infection. Dastagir himself spent his last 19 years shuttling in and out of hospitals; he developed a painful growth in the throat due to prolonged exposure to toxic fumes. When he passed away in 2003, his death certificate mentioned that he was suffering from diseases caused as a direct result of exposure to MIC (Methyl Isocyanate) gas. A memorial has been built at platform No.1 to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty on the fateful night of December 3, 1984. However, Ghulam Dastagir, who died later, is not one of them. A forgotten hero whose sense of duty and commitment saved countless lives, Dastagir’s story deserves to be recognized and remembered by our fellow countrymen.
- Why was the accident at Union Carbide unparalleled in the world’s industrial history?
- How was Dastagir affected by the poisonous gas?
- What was the action taken by the station superintendent?
- How did Dastagir and his staff break rules?
- What was the cause of Dastagir’s death?
- Find words from the passage which mean the opposite of the following.
- safeguard (para 1)
- common or familiar (para 2)
- prompt (para 4)
- cause (para 6)
