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Question
Justify the title of the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’
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Solution
In the story ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’, the two orphan boys Jacopo and Nicola work immensely and exhaustively. They shine shoes, sell newspapers, run errands, and show tourists around the city. They take only figs and black tea as food. They save every penny for the medical treatment of their sister Lucia who is suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. The narrator himself admits that their willingness to work impressed him. They demonstrate an unusual devotion to their work. The objective of their hard work and purpose behind their half-starved daily routine is not known to many in Verona. Anyone may polish shoes or hawk newspapers but it is the magnanimity of heart and nobleness of purpose that actually determines whether one is a real gentleman or a hypocrite. Hence the title ‘‘Two Gentlemen of Verona” is justified.
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Para 15
For a few moments, I lay regaining
my breath, and for the first time really
felt the fierce determination that nothing
now could stop us from reaching the top. I took
a firm stance on the ledge and signaled
to Tenzing to come on up. As I heaved
hard on the rope, Tenzing wriggled his
way up the crack, and finally collapsed at
the top like a giant fish when it has just
been hauled from the sea after a terrible
struggle.
Para 16
The ridge continued as before:
giant cornices on the right; steep rock
sloped on the left. The ridge curved away
to the right and we have no idea where the
top was. As I cut around the back of one
hump, another higher one would swing
into view. Time was passing and the ridge
seemed never-ending.
Para 17
Our original zest had now quite
gone, and it was turning more into a grim
struggle. I then realized that the ridge
ahead, instead of rising, now dropped
sharply away. I looked upwards to see a
narrow snow ridge running up to a snowy
summit. A few more whacks of the ice-ax
in the firm snow and we stood on top.
The ridge had taken us two and half hours, but it seemed like lifetime. Why? (Para 15 to 17)
