Question

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

“Coat it with an inch of gloss, shade it, emboss it, gild it, till even you acknowledge that it is finished. Then when you have done all that - keep it for yourself and your friends. They may value it. To me it is but a worthless bauble.”

1. What is the narrator’s reaction on his photograph in his next visit? (Understanding)
2. Mention at least three different processes with the help of which the photographers change the features in a photograph? (Understanding)
3. Does the narrator approve of the techniques of the photographers in bringing about changes in the original photograph? How do you know? (Analysis)
4. Would you support the narrator’s viewpoint or the photographer’s? Why? (Evaluation)
5. Why does the narrator call the photograph a worthless ‘bauble’? (Evaluation) (Analysis)

Answer 1

1. The narrator is shocked and deeply dissatisfied with the photograph. He feels that the photographer has altered his appearance so much that the picture no longer looks like him. He rejects it completely.
2. The photographer mentions several processes for altering the photograph, such as coating it with gloss, shading it, embossing it, and gilding it. These techniques are used to enhance or modify the appearance of the photograph.
3. No, the narrator strongly disapproves of the photographer’s techniques. He calls the finished photograph a “worthless bauble” and tells the photographer to keep it for himself and his friends. This shows that he values his natural appearance over artificial alteration.
4. I would support the narrator’s viewpoint because a photograph should preserve a person’s natural identity rather than completely change it. Minor corrections may be acceptable, but excessive alteration can make the photograph unrealistic and unlike the actual person.
5. The narrator calls it a “worthless bauble” because the photographer has altered his features so extensively that the photograph no longer represents his real self. To the photographer it may be a technically impressive piece of work, but to the narrator it has no personal value because he cannot identify himself in it.