English Summary

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The Last Leaf Poem analysis line by line Explanation

The Last Leaf Poetic Devices

About the Poet
O. Henry (1862-1910) was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings. His stories reflect his own experiences in Texas and New York and include plot twists or unexpected changes in the plot. Two of his most famous stories are “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Ransom of Red Chief”.

Poet Name	O. Henry
Born	11 September 1862, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
Died	5 June 1910, New York, New York, United States
Full Name	William Sydney Porter
Short Stories	The Gift of the Magi, The Last Leaf

The Last Leaf Introduction

The Last Leaf is a short story by O. Henry. It tells the story of an old artist who saves the life of a young artist, dying of pneumonia, by giving her the will to live. In the process of saving her, the old artist falls ill and dies.

The Last Leaf Summary of the Lesson

Sue and Johnsy are two young artists, sharing a small flat on the third story of an old house. Once Johnsy falls very seriously ill in November. She has pneumonia. Soon she gives up hope for survival. The doctor who attends her does not see any positive change in her condition.

One day he tells Sue that Johnsy’s chance of survival is limited unless she has something to hope for. She has made up her mind that she is not going to get well. If she loses her hope to live, medicines will do nothing. Sue tries her best to make Johnsy take interest in things around her.

But there is no response from Johnsy. She always lies still on her bed looking at an ivy plant through the window gradually losing its leaves, and has taken it in her mind that she will die when the last leaf falls.

Sue continues to convince Johnsy that she is foolish to pin her destiny to the survival of the last leaf on the vine. The old ivy leaves have nothing to do with her getting well. The doctor is confident that she will get better. Johnsy is too depressed to say anything.

She keeps on counting the remaining leaves on the creeper. One day Sue informs Behrman, an old fellow artist, who is their downstairs-neighbor, about this and he is annoyed that Johnsy has such little hope. He is aware of her wish to die when the last leaf falls.

Behrman comes to their room and finds Johnsy asleep. Sue draws the curtain together and they go to the next room. She peeps out through the window and sees only one leaf on the creeper which seems to fall anytime because it is raining heavily and icy cold wind is blowing.

Behrman does not say a word. He goes back to his room and decides to do something for Johnsy’s life. He paints a similar leaf and sticks it on the creeper while Johnsy is sleeping. But working in open during extreme cold and heavy rain cost his life. He dies of pneumonia.

Next morning, after a vicious storm, Johnsy sees the last remaining leaf still clinging to the creeper. She is filled with hope. She decides that she wants to continue living. She thinks that there must be a reason that the leaf has refused to die, and it is a sin to want to die.

Johnsy soon recovers from her illness.

After some time, Sue informs Johnsy that Behrman had died of pneumonia contracted while being out in the wet and cold, painting the last leaf. Behrman had finllay painted his long-promised masterpiece—the leaf which saved Johnsy’s life, sacrificing his own in the process.

What is the main idea of the last leaf?

The main idea in the short story “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is the power of hope and belief. In Johnsy’s belief that the painted leaf is real and hasn’t fallen, she is able to recover, no longer believing she will die when the last leaf falls.

How does the last leaf end?

The O’ Henry Twist

O’ Henry is famous for surprise endings or “twists” in his stories. In The Last Leaf, Johnsy seems to be dying of pneumonia when the story begins, but it is Mr Behrman who dies in the end, while Johnsy survives.

Is the last leaf a true story?

The story is set in Greenwich Village during a pneumonia epidemic. It tells the story of an old artist who saves the life of a young neighbouring artist, dying of pneumonia, by giving her the will to live.

What is the surprise ending in the last leaf?

The surprise at the end of O. Henry’s “The Last Leaf” is very simply that the leaf was not real but had been painted on the wall. The reader is thoroughly fooled by being led to believe that the last leaf is real and that somehow it has clung to life throughout a violent storm.

What lesson do you learn from the story the last leaf?

The moral of the story the last leaf by o Henry is that even if we have to face bad things, we should always help our loved ones. The Last Leaf is a story with a lot of values. It is true that a real friend is one who helps you in need. In the story, Sue and Johnsy were good friends and artists.

What is the main conflict in the last leaf?

Sue and Johnsy have a conflict over Johnsy looking out of the room at the vine as it loses its leaves. Sue wants Johnsy to look away from the wall, but Johnsy is waiting for the last leaf to fall so that she can die.
The Last Ride Together Summary

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The Bond of Love Poem analysis line by line Explanation

The Bond of Love Poetic Devices

About the Poet Kenneth Anderson
Kenneth Anderson (1910-1974). He was a hunter, nature enthusiast and chronicler of wildlife. He was a British writer and hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India. The Bond of Love is the story by Kenneth Anderson which shows the love of a human with a sloth bear whom she called ‘Bruno’. Bruno was a sloth bear rescued by the author.

Poet Name	Kenneth Anderson
Born	8 March 1910, Bengaluru
Died	30 August 1974, Bengaluru
Education	St. Joseph’s College, Bishop Cotton Boys’ School
Nationality	British, Indian

The Bond of Love Introduction

‘The Bond of Love’ is a story by Kenneth Anderson which shows a strong attachment between a human being and a sloth bear that becomes a pet. The animal is rescued by the author and is named ‘Bruno’.

Bruno gets attached with the author’s wife and soon they develop a great bond of love and affection. But a time comes when it becomes necessary to shift the animal to a zoo. However, he does not live there for a long time and is brought back.

The Bond of Love Summary of the Lesson

While passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore, the author came across an orphaned baby bear. He caught the little creature and presented it to his wife. The author’s wife expressed her delight on getting the baby bear.

She at once put a colored ribbon around its neck and named it ‘Bruno’. As time passed, Bruno got attached to the author’s wife. She gave him a variety of things to eat and drink such as porridge, vegetables, nuts, meat, rice, tea, coffee, lime-juice, etc. Bruno grew mischievous with the passage of time. One day, he ate some poison-barium carbonate.

He also vomited and breathed heavily, but was later cured. In another incident, he drank nearly a gallon of old engine oil. Fortunately, he remained unaffected. He also terrorized the tenants’ children very often. So, it was decided to keep him in-chain most of the time.

As time passed, Bruno grew big. He had equaled the Alsatians in height and even outgrown them. So, the author and his friends advised his (author’s) wife to send Bruno to the zoo at Mysore. It was getting too big to be kept at home.

It took time to the author’s wife to give her consent. But finally, she agreed and Bruno was sent to the zoo. The separation was very painful. Everyone in the house particularly the author’s wife missed him greatly. She was so grief-stricken that she refused to eat food. Same was the condition of Bruno. He also did not eat food and grew thin and sad.

One day the author’s wife expressed her wish to visit the zoo to meet Bruno. The author, thinking that he must have forgotten her, took her to the zoo, but after reaching there she came to know that he still remembered her.

They sat together for three hours. She gave him tea, lemonade, cakes and ice-cream. When the ‘closing time’ came, she cried bitterly. She requested the superintendent of the zoo to bring Bruno back home.

The superintendent allowed her and made special arrangement for transporting him to their home. At home a separate island was made for Bruno. It was twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide and was surrounded by a dry pit, or moat, six feet wide and seven feet deep.

A wooden box was kept on the island for Bruno to sleep. Bruno was happy and so was the author’s wife. They spent hours together. Such was the bond of love between a human being and an animal.

After Apple-Picking Summary

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Reach for the Top Poem analysis line by line Explanation

Reach for the Top Poetic Devices

About the Poet Santhosh Yadav
Santosh Yadav is an Indian mountaineer. She is the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest twice, and the first woman to successfully climb Mt. Everest from Kangshung Face. She was, of course, a kind-hearted person and a daredevil who was dedicated to her mission. Her strength was her physical fitness, mental toughness, and climbing skill.

Poet Name	Santosh Yadav
Born	1969 (age 51 years), Joniawas
Spouse	Uttam Kumar Lal (m. 1992)
Education	Maharani College
Awards	Padma Shri
Nationality	Indian

Reach for the Top Introduction

The chapter ‘Reach for the Top’ consists of two biographical pieces that depict persistent endeavors to reach the top. The first part recounts the journey of Santosh Yadav, the only woman in the world who has scaled Mt Everest twice.

The second part is about Maria Sharapova, a Russian girl who reached the summit of women’s tennis when she was barely eighteen. The story of the two women inspires us to set our goals and achieve them ignoring all the hurdles.

Reach for the Top Summary of the Lesson

Santosh Yadav is the only woman in the world to have climbed Mt Everest twice. She was born in the small village of Joniyawas of Rewari district in Haryana where the birth of a daughter was not generally welcome. She was the sixth child in the family with five sons, a sister to five elder brothers. Her family named her ‘Santosh’ which means contentment.

But she was not content with her place in the traditional set up of the family and adopted a different lifestyle. She used to wear shorts instead of traditional Indian dresses. She was determined to change the people around her because only then she could achieve what she had dreamed.

Her parents were affluent landowners with orthodox attitudes. They had no interest in giving much education to their daughter. So they sent her to the local village school. When Santosh turned sixteen, her parents pressurised her to marry because most of the girls in their village used to get married at this age. But she didn’t listen to them.

She firmly told her parents that she would not marry before getting a proper education. Her parents got angry and refused to pay for her education. But that didn’t deviate her from her goal. She planned to do part-time work to pay for her school fees. Seeing her determination, her parents finally agreed to pay for her education.

After passing the high school examinations, Santosh Yadav went to Jaipur for further education. She joined Maharani College and got a room in Kasturba Hostel. Living in the hostel, she used to watch people climbing the Aravalli Hills.

She could not resist herself from asking some mountaineers if she could join them. They gave a positive reply which encouraged her to take to climbing. She joined Uttarkashi Nehru Institute of Mountaineering after completing her college semester in Jaipur.

Santosh never looked back thereafter. She went on an expedition every year which matured her climbing skills very fast. She scaled Mt Everest at the age of twenty and became the youngest woman in the world to achieve the feat.

She impressed her seniors with qualities like iron will, physical toughness and mental endurance. She was very helpful to the co-climbers. During the 1992 Everest mission, she managed to save another climber who would have died if she had not shared her oxygen with him.

Within a year, she scaled Mt Everest a second time which secured a unique place for her in the annals of mountaineering. The Indian government recognised her achievement by awarding her with one of the nation’s top honours, the Padmashri.

Santosh Yadav is a great environmentalist. She collected and brought down 500 kilograms of garbage from the Himalayas which shows her concern for the environment.

The Beggar Summary

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If I Were You Poem analysis line by line Explanation

If I Were You Poetic Devices

About the Poet Douglas James
Douglas James (1888-1946) was a British colonial administrator, holding the posts of Governor of North Borneo, Sierra Leone, and the Leeward Islands during his career. British colonial administrator. In more languages. Spanish. In 1916, he became Secretary to Administration in “British Somaliland” a position he held until 1921.

Poet Name	Douglas James
Born	13 October 1888
Died	11 December 1946
Education	Westminster School, Trinity College
Nationality	British
Books	The Mad Mullah of Somaliland

If I Were You Introduction

‘If I Were You’ is a one-act play by Douglas James. It is the story of an Intruder who enters the cottage of Gerrard, a playwright with an intention to murder him and take on his identity because he looks like him. Gerrard, however, gets rid of him by handing him over to the police.

If I Were You Summary of the Lesson

This one-act play by Douglas James is a dialogue between Gerrard, the playwright, and an Intruder who is a criminal. Gerrard lives a lonely life in a small cottage. One day, while he was talking over the telephone, an Intruder enters his cottage with a revolver.

He resembles Gerrard and so intends to kill him to take on his identity and live as Gerrard for the rest of his life. He bumps accidentally against the table, and at the sound, Gerrard turns quickly. But he does not get panicked, instead, he maintains calm and gently asks the Intruder his name.

The Intruder, however, ignores Gerrard’s question and shows much interest in knowing his full name. He asks many questions to Gerrard. Gerrard answers his questions very wisely.

Moreover, he also understands the Intruder’s ill motives. He makes a false story to save himself and capture the Intruder. He tells him that he is also a murderer and the police are after him. In case, he kills Gerrard he is sure to be hanged.

Gerrard explains that unfortunately one of his men has been caught and he is expecting trouble that night. He then makes the Intruder understand that it is good for him if he runs away with him in his car to a safe place.

He also tells him that if it is a frame, he can shoot him in the car. Gerrard tells all these things so confidently that the Intruder has to trust his words. He is ready to accompany him. But when he is about to cross the door, Gerrard gives him a push.

The revolver falls on the ground as the Intruder steps into the cupboard. Gerrard then quickly slams its door and picks up the revolver. Thereafter, he telephones the police for his arrest. In this way, he saves his life by a clever trick.

My Father Travels Summary

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The Beggar Poem analysis line by line Explanation

The Beggar Poetic Devices

About the Poet Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short fiction in history. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics.

Poet Name	Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Born	29 January 1860, Taganrog, Russia
Died	15 July 1904, Badenweiler, Germany
Books	The Lady with the Dog, Stories of Anton Chekhov
Short stories	The Chameleon, Misery, Gooseberries

Short Summary of The Story Beggar in English

The Beggar Introduction
The Beggar by Anton Chekhov is a story of a poor, drunkard beggar named Lushkoff who due tin Ms altoaBiwilfegii is no longer able to work and resort to begging in order to survive. He also begins to lie about Ms mwffwitinme hoping to gain others’ sympathy. Sergei, an advocate, provides work for Lushkoff to change him Smalt St aloes matt work. It is his cook, Olga who is responsible for the positive change in him.

The Beggar Summary of the Lesson

Sergei is a well-to-do advocate. One day, a beggar comes to his door. its name is Lushkoff He Insfes poor. He is wearing a tagged, fawn-colored tattered overcoat. He has dull, drunken eyes and has ted spent mi tuimfaar cheek. The beggar claims that he has been a village school teacher but he has to lose Ms job because of same conspiracy planned against him. So, he is bound to beg in order to survive.

Sergei recalls that he had seen the beggar the other day in another street. There he had said that he had Mena a student who had been expelled. The lawyer is angry with the beggar for tolling him lies. He threatens Mm to hand over him to the police for trying to cheat people. Lushkoff soon breaks down and admits that he Baas been telling lies to make people take pity on him.

He also tells Sergei that in fact he had been in a Rremtam) choir from where he was sent away for drunkenness. Finding no way to support himself he started begging. Sergei offers him the job of chopping the wood. He calls his cook, Olga, and tells her to lead Lushkoff to the woodshed and let him chop wood. Lushkoff follows Olga reluctantly. In fact, he had never meant to do such type of work but he had been trapped by his own words.

After an hour Olga come in and tells Sergei that Lushkoff has chopped the wood. Sergei is pleased. He gives him half a rouble. He says that if Lushkoff desires he can come to chop wood on the first of every month.

Lushkoff now comes to chop wood regularly on the first of every month. He is always given work and he earns a little money every time. Meanwhile, Sergei moves into another house and lures Lushkoff to help in the packing and hauling the furniture. He hardly does anything and walks behind the wagons hanging his head.

But Sergei believes that he has done his job well and pays him accordingly. Eventually, he offers Lushkoff some cleaner employment. He sends him to his friend where he is given some copying to do. Lushkoff never comes back again.

Two years later, one evening Sergei comes across Lushkoff at the ticket window of a theatre. He is well-dressed and looks sophisticated. He tells Sergei that he is a notary and gets thirty-five roubles a month. Sergei is happy that he could bring a depraved man on the right path.

Lushkoff thanks him for his kind words and deeds. He also expresses his gratitude to him. Before departing he reveals that the true credit for changing him goes to his compassionate cook, Olga, who did a lot for him. She chopped the wood for him and gave him the money.

She would chide him and she would weep for him. She gave him advice on the evils of alcohol. It is she who is responsible for positive change in him. Owing to her words and noble deeds, a change took place in his heart. He stopped drinking and started working hard. She set him right and he will never forget it.

Swami and Friends Summary

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The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Poem analysis line by line Explanation

The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Poetic Devices

About the Poet Ustaad Bismillah Khan
Ustad Qamruddin “Bismillah” Khan, often referred to by the title Ustad, was an Indian musician credited with popularizing the shehnai, a subcontinental wind instrument of the oboe class.  Bismillah accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference. When Bismillah Khan was 14 years of age, he accompanied his maternal uncle, Ali Bux to the Allahabad Music Conference.

Poet Name	Ustaad Bismillah Khan
Born	21 March 1916, Dumraon
Died	21 August 2006, Heritage Hospitals, Varanasi
Instrument	Shehnai
Awards	Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan

Short Summary Of The Shehnai Of Bismillah Khan Introduction

The lesson has been divided into two parts. Both are associated with the subject of music and the personalities who made music their life. Evelyn Glennie turned out to be the most sought after musician internationally in spite of her disability.

She was profoundly deaf but learnt to listen to music with her body instead of the ears. She became the perfect player of the xylophone and earned a huge name and fame. Bismillah Khan, on the other hand, became India’s most revered shehnai maestro.

He was the winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India. He performed not only in India but abroad too.

The Shehnai of Bismillah Khan Summary of the Lesson

This part of the lesson throws light on the origin of the shehnai and the contributions of Ustad Bismillah Khan to bring this musical instrument onto the classical stage.

Pungi, a musical instrument, was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb because of its unpleasant sound. It was improved by a barber of a family of professional musicians. The barber brought several changes in this instrument until it produced soft and melodious sounds. He then played it before royalty and got immense appreciation. Since it was first played in the Shah’s chambers by a nai, the instrument came to be known as the ‘shehnai’.

The sound of shehnai began to be considered auspicious. But its use was limited to temples and weddings. It was Bismillah Khan who popularised this instrument in India and abroad. Bismillah Khan belonged to the Benaras Gharana. He was born on 21 March 1916 at Dumraon in Bihar. His father, grandfather and other paternal ancestors were great shehnai players.

Bismillah Khan began to show his interest in music when he was just five-year-old. As a young child he would regularly go to the Bihariji temple to sing the Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’. He watched his maternal uncles practising the shehnai with great fascination. Slowly, he started getting lessons in playing the instrument and would sit practising throughout the day. He made the river Ganga his favourite spot to practise in solitude. At the age of 14, he accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference where he got huge appreciation at the end of the recital. The opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938 proved to be a big break for him. His shehnai came to be heard very often on radio afterwards.

Bismillah Khan greeted the independent India with his shehnai from the Red Fort on 15 August, 1947. He travelled far and wide giving many memorable performances and won many national and international awards. He became the first Indian to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also took part in the World Exposition in Montreal, in the Cannes Art Festival and in the Osaka Trade Fair. The national awards conferred on him included the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. In 2001, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. India’s highest civilian award.

Bismillah Khan loved his country deeply. When he was in a foreign country, he kept yearning for India. He was very fond of Dumraon and Benaras. He could not stay away from Benaras because the river Ganga was there. He also got huge success in the celluloid world. He gave his music in two films. His composition ‘DU ka khilona hai toot gay a….,’ turned to be a nationwide record-breaker. But he could not come to terms with the artificial glamour of the film world and remained a true devotee of music throughout his life.

The Diamond Necklace Summary

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A Truly Beautiful Mind Poem analysis line by line Explanation

A Truly Beautiful Mind Poetic Devices

About the Poet Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (1916-1995) was a theoretical physicist who published the special and general theories of relativity and contributed to other areas of physics. His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. In June 1905, Albert Einstein produced four papers that revolutionized science.

Poet Name	Albert Einstein
Born	14 March 1879, Ulm, Germany
Died	18 April 1955, Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, New Jersey, United States
Spouse	Elsa Einstein (m. 1919–1936), Mileva Marić (m. 1903–1919)
Education	University of Zurich (1905), ETH Zürich (1896–1900)

A Truly Beautiful Mind Introduction

This is the story of Albert Einstein who is regarded as a visionary and world citizen. The story tries to show him as a human being, a fairly ordinary person who had his likes and dislikes, his streaks of rebellion, and his problems. Over time, the name Einstein became synonym for genius. His work changed our understanding of space, time and the entire cosmos.

A Truly Beautiful Mind Summary of the Lesson

Albert Einstein was bom on 14 March 1879 at Ulm in Germany. His mother thought he was a freak and his head was too large. Einstein didn’t speak until the age of two-and-a-half and when he did learn to speak, he uttered everything twice. He had no interest in playing with other children. He preferred being by himself. However, he loved mechanical toys.

Once the headmaster at a school Einstein studied in, told his father that his son would never be successful, whatever career he took up. His mother wanted him to learn the violin when was six-years old. So, he started learning it and later became a gifted amateur violinist.

Einstein was not a bad student. He went to high school in Munich and got good marks in almost every subject. But he did not like the school’s stifling discipline and left it for good at the age of 15. He wanted to continue his higher education as he had deep interest in mathematics and physics. He joined a university in Zurich because the atmosphere there was more liberal than Munich.

There he met a fellow student, Mileva Marie who was equally intelligent and clever. They fell in love and finally married in 1903 after Einstein got a job on completing his university studies. The couple was gifted with two sons. But their marriage didn’t last long and they finally divorced in 1919.

After completing his university education, Einstein badly needed a job. He started his career as a teaching assistant and gave private lessons. Finally, in 1902, he secured a job as a technical expert in the patent office in Bern.

Though his job was to assess other people’s inventions but he worked secretly on his idea on relativity. He published his Special Theory of Relativity in 1905, according to which time and distance are not absolute.

This was followed by the world famous formula which describes the relationship between mass and energy: E = me2, where E stands for energy, m for mass and c for the speed of the light in a vacuum. In 1915, he published his General Theory of Relativity, which gave an absolutely new interpretation of gravity.

This theory established Einstein’s fame in the world of science. In 1919, during a solar eclipse, his theory came out be accurate which brought a scientific revolution. Two years later, he received the Nobel Prize for Physics. After this, he became a world figure.

In 1933, Einstein emigrated to the United States as the Nazis had come to power in Germany. He was apprehensive about atomic bomb. So, when Germany developed the principle of nuclear fission in 1938, he became the first person to raise his voice against it.

He wrote a letter to the American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt on 2 August 1939 to warn him against Germany’s building of an atomic bomb. This made the Americans develop their own atomic bomb in secret which they used against Japan in August 1945.

As a result, the two Japanese cities named Hiroshima and Nagasaki were totally destroyed. The large scale destruction that it caused shook Einstein from within.

He then wrote an open letter to the United Nations proposing the formation of a world government which could stop such destruction by putting an end to the arms buildup. He was a great advocate of peace and democracy and campaigned for the same till his death in 1955 at the age of 76.

What is the message of a truly beautiful mind?

This account of the life and personality of the famous scientist Einstein gives us the message that a beautiful mind possesses not only innovative ideas but also makes sincere efforts to use these ideas for the well being of mankind. Science should be solely devoted to the promotion of worldwide peace and prosperity.

What does this lesson a truly beautiful mind speak about * 1 point?

the life of the greatest scientist Einstein and his contributions to the field of science and world politics.

What is the summary of the chapter the lost child?

The Lost Child is the story of a small child who gets lost in a fair. He had gone with his parents to the fair but loses them when he gets engrossed in looking at a roundabout swing. The story highlights the bond of love and affection that the child shares with his parents.

What lesson does the story a truly beautiful mind?

However, the title – ‘A Truly Beautiful Mind’ may let you wonder how a scientist’s mind can be beautiful. It is because, in this lesson, we get to know about another aspect of his life. His other side that he believes in humanity. Moreover, he advocates world peace, non-violence his entire life.

What did Einstein’s mother think of him when he was baby?

Answer: Einstein’s mother thought him to be a ‘freak’ or someone with an unusual physical abnormality or behavioural problem. She thought of him as a freak because his head seemed too large to her. … As a child, Einstein had a large head and did not start to speak till he was two-and-a-half years old.

Dream – Children: A Reverie Summary

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The Sound of Music Poem analysis line by line Explanation

The Sound of Music Poetic Devices

The Sound of Music Introduction

The lesson has been divided into two parts. Both are associated with the subject of music and the personalities who made music their life. Evelyn Glennie turned out to be the most sought after musician internationally in spite of her disability.

She was profoundly deaf but learnt to listen to music with her body instead of the ears. She became the perfect player of the xylophone and earned huge name and fame. Bismillah Khan, on the other hand, became India’s most revered shehnai maestro.

He was the winner of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of India. He performed not only in India but abroad too.

The Sound of Music Summary Part 1

Evelyn Glennie is a multi-percussionist, who can play thousands of instruments to perfection. She is the most sought after musician of the world. She reached the pinnacle in spite of being profoundly deaf. But she excelled in the field of music by dint of her hard work and firm determination.

Evelyn’s loss of hearing had been gradual. It was first noticed by her mother when she was just eight-years-old, waiting to play the piano. By the time she was eleven, it was discovered that her hearing was severely impaired as a result of gradual nerve damage.

It was a big shock for her and her family. But she was determined to lead a normal life and pursue her career in music. She was greatly supported by percussionist Ron Forbes who spotted her potential and decided to work with her. He began by turning two large drums to different notes and advised Evelyn to not listen with her ears but try to sense it some other way.

Soon, she discovered that she could sense certain notes in different parts of her body. She also learnt to open her mind and body to sounds and vibrations. After that she never looked back. She decided to make music her life. She joined the

prestigious Royal Academy of Music and got excellent marks. She gradually moved from orchestral work to solo performances. She proved her excellence in this field too.

Evelyn Glennie believed in hard work. It was her hard work combined with firm determination which made her the world’s most sought-after multi-percussionist with a mastery of some thousand instruments.

In 1991 she was presented with the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Soloist of the Year Award. She gives free concerts in prisons and hospitals. She also takes classes for young musicians.

Thus, she is a shining inspiration for the deaf and handicapped children. She has proved that nothing is impossible. You just fix your goal and start doing hard work. You will get there.

The Sound of Music Summary Part 2

This part of the lesson throws light on the origin of the shehnai and the contributions of Ustad Bismillah Khan to bring this musical instrument onto the classical stage.

Pungi, a musical instrument, was banned by Emperor Aurangzeb because of its unpleasant sound. It was improved by a barber of a family of professional musicians. The barber brought several changes in this instrument until it produced soft and melodious sounds. He then played it before royalty and got immense appreciation. Since it was first played in the Shah’s chambers by a nai, the instrument came to be known as the ‘shehnai’.

The sound of shehnai began to be considered auspicious. But its use was limited to temples and weddings. It was Bismillah Khan who popularised this instrument in India and abroad. Bismillah Khan belonged to the Benaras Gharana. He was born on 21 March 1916 at Dumraon in Bihar. His father, grandfather and other paternal ancestors were great shehnai players.

Bismillah Khan began to show his interest in music when he was just five-year-old. As a young child he would regularly go to the Bihariji temple to sing the Bhojpuri ‘Chaita’. He watched his maternal uncles practising the shehnai with great fascination. Slowly, he started getting lessons in playing the instrument and would sit practising throughout the day. He made the river Ganga his favourite spot to practise in solitude. At the age of 14, he accompanied his uncle to the Allahabad Music Conference where he got huge appreciation at the end of the recital. The opening of the All India Radio in Lucknow in 1938 proved to be a big break for him. His shehnai came to be heard very often on radio afterwards.

Bismillah Khan greeted the independent India with his shehnai from the Red Fort on 15 August, 1947. He travelled far and wide giving many memorable performances and won many national and international awards. He became the first Indian to perform at the prestigious Lincoln Centre Hall in the United States of America. He also took part in the World Exposition in Montreal, in the Cannes Art Festival and in the Osaka Trade Fair. The national awards conferred on him included the Padmashri, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. In 2001, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna. India’s highest civilian award.

Bismillah Khan loved his country deeply. When he was in a foreign country, he kept yearning for India. He was very fond of Dumraon and Benaras. He could not stay away from Benaras because the river Ganga was there. He also got huge success in the celluloid world. He gave his music in two films. His composition ‘DU ka khilona hai toot gay a….,’ turned to be a nationwide record-breaker. But he could not come to terms with the artificial glamour of the film world and remained a true devotee of music throughout his life.

Invocation Summary

Students can also check the English Summary to revise with them during exam preparation.

The Snake Trying Poem analysis line by line Explanation

The Snake Trying Poetic Devices

About the Poet W.W.E. Ross
William Wrightson Eustace Ross (1894-1966) was a Canadian geophysicist and poet. He was the first published poet in Canada to write Imagist poetry, and later the first to write surrealist verse, both of which have led some to call him “the first modern Canadian poet.”  During his lifetime, he published privately two small books, Laconics, and Sonnets.

Poet Name	W.W.E. Ross
Born	14 June 1894, Peterborough, Canada
Died	26 August 1966, Toronto, Canada
Albums	Six Toronto Poets
Education	University of Toronto – St. George Campus

Short Summary of The Snake Trying in English

The Snake Trying Introduction

In this poem, the poet is trying to convince the reader that all snakes are not poisonous. Some of them are quite harmless and therefore it is foolish to attack and then kill a snake as soon as we see it. Even if a snake is poisonous, it will do us no harm unless it sees danger from us. Here, the snake itself becomes a victim of human unkind attitude towards it.

The Snake Trying Summary of the Poem in English

This is a beautiful poem about a snake. One day, while lying on the bank of a river or a pond, the snake is seen by someone and is run after by him with a stick. Seeing its life in danger, the snake tries to escape from the approaching stick.

It runs with sudden curves in its thin, long body. The poet gets fascinated with its graceful movements. The snake glides through the water to save itself from the stroke.

The poet is filled with sympathy for the creature and makes a request to the pursuer not to disturb it. He asks him to let the snake go without hurting it. He says that it is a small, green snake and is harmless even to children.

But the pursuer does not listen to the poet’s request. He keeps on chasing the snake who ultimately disappears in the ripples among the green slim reeds. Rhyme scheme used in the poem: There is no rhyme scheme in the poem. It is written in free verse.

FAQs on The Snake Trying Summary

Question 1.
what is the theme of The Poem The Snake Trying

Answer:
The poem is based on the theme of prevention of cruelty towards animals.

Question 2.
What is The Snake Trying Poem Poetic Devices

Answer:
The poet uses the literary device of personification – he treats the snake as a normal person.

ਬਸੰਤ Summary in Punjabi