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Question
Referring closely, to Act III Scene III, relate the stern warning of Ariel to the "three men of sin". What impact does his warning have on the three sinners?
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Solution
In Act III, Scene III of "The Tempest," Ariel delivers a stern warning to the "three men of sin" - Alonso, Sebastian, and Antonio. This warning has a profound impact on the three sinners, marking a crucial moment in the play's development. Positioned high above the stage, Prospero observes with satisfaction the consequences of his spells on those who conspired against him twelve years ago. After the shipwreck, the guilty ones, including Old Gonzalo, have been wandering in the enchanted island's pathless wilderness, searching for the missing Ferdinand.
The magical sequence takes the form of a masque of hospitality, resembling an episode from Virgil's Aeneid. Ariel, appearing as a harpy, explains the significance of the disrupted harmony, fellowship, and natural order symbolized by the ceremonial banquet. This disruption is attributed to the 'three men of sin,' and Ariel insists they must recognize the magnitude of their offenses. The injury to Prospero is portrayed as an affront to the entire scheme of things, making them unfit to live amongst men. They have been rejected and vomited up by the sea.
Ariel's warning leaves the sinners with only one hope - repentance and a change in their ways, marked by 'heart's sorrow' and the pursuit of a clear life. Prospero commends Ariel for the harpy performance and departs, leaving the sinners to grapple with the fearsome accusation. Alonso acknowledges his guilt, expressing it as monstrous. Sebastian and Antonio remain defiant, while Gonzalo, despite unclear understanding, appears to comprehend the gravity of the situation. The impact of Ariel's warning sets the stage for potential redemption and self-reflection among the 'three men of sin.'
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Thinking about Poem
What finally kills the tree?
Sergei says, “I am happy that my words have taken effect.” Why does he say so? Is he right in saying this?
- When I was a girl of about twelve, I used to stay in a village in north Karnataka with my grandparents. Those days, the transport system was not very good, so we used to get the morning papers only in the afternoon. The weekly magazine used to come one day late. All of us would wait eagerly for the bus, which used to come with the papers, weekly magazines and the post.
- At that time, Triveni was a very popular writer in the Kannada language. She was a wonderful writer. Her style was easy to read and very convincing. Her stories usually dealt with complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people and were always very interesting. Unfortunately, for Kannada literature, she died very young. Even now, after forty years, people continue to appreciate her novels.
- One of her novels, called Kashi Yatre, was appearing as a serial in the Kannada weekly Karmaveera then. It is the story of an old lady and her ardent desire to go to Kashi or Varanasi. Most Hindus believe that going to Kashi and worshipping Lord Vishweshwara is the ultimate punya. This old lady also believed in this, andher struggle to go there was described in that novel. In the story, there was also a young orphan girl who falls in love but there is no money for the wedding. In the end, the old lady gives away all her savings without going to Kashi. She says, 'The happiness of this orphan girl is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi.
- 'My grandmother, Krishtakka, never went to school. So, she could not read. Every Wednesday, the magazine would come and I would read the next episode of the
story to her. During that time, she would forget all her work and listen with the greatest concentration. Later, she could repeat the entire text by heart. My grandmother too never went to Kashi so she identified herself with the novel's protagonist. More than anybody else, she was the one most interested in knowing
what happened next in the story and used to insist that I read the serial out to her. - After hearing what happened next in Kashi Yatre, she would join her friends at thetemple courtyard, where we children would also gather to play hide and seek. Shewould discuss the latest episode with her friends. At that time, I never understoodwhy there was so much of debate about the story.
- Once I went for a wedding with my cousins to the neighbouring village. In thosedays, a wedding was a great event. We children enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
We would eat and play endlessly, savouring the freedom because all the elders were busy. I went for a couple of days but ended up staying there for a week. - When I came back to my village, I saw my grandmother in tears. I was surprised,for I had never seen her cry even in the most difficult of situations. What had happened? I was worried.
- 'Avva, is everything fine? Are you alright?'
- I used to call her Avva, which means mother in the Kannada spoken in north Karnataka.
- She nodded but did not reply. I did not understand and forgot about it. In the night, after dinner, we were sleeping in the open terrace of the house. It was a summer night and there was a full moon. Avva came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my forehead. I realized she wanted to speak. I asked her, 'What is the matter?'
- When I was a young girl I lost my mother. There was nobody to look after and guide me. My father was a busy man. He got married again. In those days, people never considered education essential for girls, so I never went to school. I got married very young and had children. I became very busy. Later I had grandchildren and always felt so much happiness in cooking and feeding all of you. At times I used to regret not going to school, so I made sure that my children and grandchildren studied well ...'
- I could not understand why my sixty-two-year-old grandmother was telling me, a twelve-year-old, the story of her life in the middle of the night. One thing I knew, I loved her immensely and there had to be some reason why she was talking to me. I looked at her face. It was unhappy and her eyes were filled with tears. She
was a good-looking lady who was almost always smiling. Even today, I cannot forget the worried expression on her face. I leaned forward and held her hand. - 'Avva, don't cry. What is the matter? Can I help you in any way?'
- 'Yes, I need your help. You know when you were away, Karmaveera came as usual. I opened the magazine. I saw the picture that accompanies the story of Kashi Yatre and I could not understand anything that was written. Many times, I rubbed my hands over the pages wishing to understand what was written. But I knew it was not possible. If only I was educated enough... I waited eagerly for you to return. I felt you would come early and read for me. I even thought of going to the village and asking you to read for me. I could have asked somebody in this village but I was too embarrassed to do so. I felt so very dependent and helpless. We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent?'
- I did not know what to answer. Avva continued.
- 'I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards. I will work very hard. I will keep Saraswati Pooja day during Dassara as the deadline.
That day I should be able to read a novel on my own. I want to be independent.' - I saw the determination on her face. Yet I laughed at her.
- 'Avva, at this age of sixty-two you want to learn the alphabet? All your hair is grey, your hands are wrinkled, you wear spectacles and you have so much work in the
kitchen...' - Childishly I made fun of the old lady. But she just smiled.
- 'For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle. I will work harder than anybody but I will do it. For learning, there is no age bar.'
- The next day onwards, I started my tuition. Avva was a wonderful student. The amount of homework she did was amazing. She would read, repeat, write and recite. I was her only teacher and she was my first student. Little did I know then that one day I would become a teacher in Computer Science and teach hundreds of students.
- The Dassara festival came as usual. Secretly, I bought Kashi Yatre which had been published as a novel by that time. My grandmother called me to the pooja place and made me sit down on a stool. She gifted me a frock. Then she did
something unusual. She bent down and touched my feet. I was surprised and taken aback. Elders never touched the feet of youngsters. We have always touched the feet of God, elders and teachers. We considered that as a mark of
respect. It is a great tradition but today the reverse had happened. It was not correct. - She said, "I am touching the feet of a teacher, not
my granddaughter; a teacher who taught me so well, with so much of affection that I can read any novel confidently in such a short period. Now I am independent. It is
my duty to respect a teacher. Is it not written in our scriptures that a teacher should be respected, irrespective of the gender and age?' - I did return namaskara to her by touching her feet and gave my gift to my first student. She opened it and read the title Kashi Yatre by Triveni and the publisher's
name immediately . - I knew, then, that my student had passed with flying colours.
About the Author
Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in North Karnataka. A prolific writer in Kannada, she has written seven novels, four technical books, three travelogues and two collections of short stories. Her previous English book 'Wise and Otherwise' has
been translated into thirteen Indian languages. Her stories deal with common lives and human values such as charity, kindness and self-realisation. As a sensitive writer, she writes about the suffering of the people. The main characters in all her
books are highly educated, non compromising, highly principled women.
On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following question
by ticking the correct choice.
The central idea of the poem 'The Solitary Reaper' is _____.
What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the glory of the plain;
He plants the forest's heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see___
These things he plants who plants a tree.
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow:
Explain with reference to context.
The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed-and gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
Read the lines given above and answer the question that follow.
Which wealth is referred to by the poet?
The village consisted of less than thirty houses, only one of them built with brick and cement. Painted a brilliant yellow and blue all over with gorgeous carvings of gods and gargoyles on its balustrade, it was known as the Big House. The other houses, distributed in four streets, were generally of bamboo thatch, straw, mud, and other unspecified material. Muni’s was the last house in the fourth street, beyond which stretched the fields. In his prosperous days Muni had owned a flock of forty sheep and goats and sallied forth every morning driving the flock to the highway a couple of miles away.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Describe the Big House.
It was the summer of 1936. The Olympic Games were being held in Berlin. Because Adolf Hitler childishly insisted that his performers were members of a “master race,” nationalistic feelings were at an all-time high.
I wasn’t too worried about all this. I’d trained, sweated and disciplined myself for six years, with the Games in mind. While I was going over on the boat, all I could think about was taking home one or two of those gold medals. I had my eyes especially on the running broad jump. A year before, as a sophomore at the Ohio State, I’d set the world’s record of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches. Nearly everyone expected me to win this event.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
Why was Owens expected to win the gold medal in the Long Jump hands down?
What do you think of Antonio and of Shylock 1vi' regard to the signing of the bond?
The following sentence has two blanks. Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of the word given in brackets.
Hermits are_________men. How they acquire their________ no one can tell. (wise)
How does Ravi get milk for the kitten?
Complete the sentence below by appropriately using anyone of the following:
if you want to/if you don’t want to/if you want him to
Don’t go to the theatre__________________.
With whom did the music teacher compared Ravi with?
Where and by which community cricket was initially played in India?
What was the farmer’s comment on his wife’s fears?
How did the king reward the new governor?
Why was Tansen afraid of singing Raga Deepak?
What happens when the adults give too many instructions to their children?
What are the games or human activities which use trees, or in which trees also ‘participate’?
Read the lines in which the following phrases occur. Then discuss with your partner the meaning of each phrase in its context.
meadow houses
Which word in the extract means, ‘holes’?
Answer the following question:
How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké?
Where are rattlesnakes found?
What does the word ‘chasing in the extract mean?
Use the word “rebel” in a sentence of your own.
Write ‘True’ or ‘False’ against each of the following sentences.
Gopal was a clever man. ________
Magic is used to manipulate, intimidate and amaze the various characters in the play. Give your views on this statement by referring to any two examples from the Acts studied.
“Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophesy...”
These lines tell us that Antony is ______.
Complete the following sentence by providing a reason.
In Act III Scene iv of the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth dismissed the guests at the banquet without standing on any ceremony because ______.
Analyse the comparison between death and sleep in the poem, Death Be Not Proud. How does this metaphor contribute to the overall message of the sonnet? Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
