Question

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

“Stop,” I said with emotion but, I think, with dignity. “This face is my face. It is not yours, it is mine. I’ve lived with it for forty years and I know its faults. I know it’s out of drawing. I know it wasn’t made for me, but it’s my face, the only one I have-”

1. In what mood is the speaker? What does he want? (Analysis)
2. What prompted the speaker to say, “It is not yours, it is mine”? (Understanding)
3. What is the tone of the speaker? Give one reason for it. (Analysis)
4. Comment on the statement, ‘I know it wasn’t made for me, but it’s my face, the only one I have...’ (Analysis)
5. Which idea does the narrator try to convey through the extract? (Understanding and Analysis)

Answer 1

1. The narrator is angry, frustrated, and determined. He wants the photographer to stop altering and criticizing his face. He wants his photograph to represent his natural appearance rather than an artificially improved version.
2. The photographer had been criticizing and changing almost every feature of the narrator’s face. His repeated attempts to alter the narrator’s natural appearance finally irritated him, prompting him to assert that the face belonged to him and not to the photographer.
3. The tone is firm, emotional, and assertive. The narrator has become frustrated by the photographer’s constant criticism and refuses to allow him to change his natural features any further.
4. The statement expresses the narrator’s acceptance of his natural appearance. He admits that his face may have imperfections, but he values it because it is uniquely his. It highlights the importance of accepting oneself instead of pursuing artificial perfection.
5. The narrator conveys the idea of self-acceptance and individuality. Everyone has imperfections, but these imperfections are part of one’s identity. A person should accept their natural self rather than allow others to impose unrealistic standards of beauty or perfection.