Second Unit summary of First two lessons....

 AND THEN GANDHI CAME     

Jawaharlal Nehru writes about the timely arrival of Gandhiji to Indian politics in his book “The Discovery of india”. He emphasizes the dynamic leadership of Gandhi. He describes Gandhiji as a beam of light that removed the darkness.  Nehru thus makes the right assessment of Gandhiji.

When the First World War came to an end people expected peace, relief and progress. But it brought repressive rule and martial law. People felt that they were being humiliated. Large numbers of people became unemployed. People were in great confusion. They did not know how to free India from poverty and misery.

It was at this critical period that Gandhiji came. It was like a powerful current of fresh air. It pierced the darkness that surrounded the people and he taught the lessons of fearlessness and non-violence. Gandhiji was an ordinary man. He was one among us. He exhorted the people to stop their exploitation. His teachings instilled fearlessness and truth. He worked dor the welfare of the common man.

When Gandhiji became the leader of the people, fear was disappeared to a large extent. Truth followed fearlessness. It was like a psychological change. There was a psychological reaction also. People felt ashamed of being under foreign rule. Here came a need in the minds of the people to throw away the foreign rule.

Gandhiji influenced millions of people in India in different degrees. Different people reacted differently at this situation. Some people were ready to comprehend the change. Others were not ready to have a total change. At this time Gandhiji came with a two-fold action. One was to challenge and resisit the foreign rule and the other was to fight against our social evils. At this time the fundamental objective of the Congress was to attain political freedom.

As a result of Gandhiji’s influence, several people were ready to give up their titles. People did not respect British titles. New values and a new way of life were implemented with the powerful leadership of Gandhiji. Many people adopted simpler ways and wore simple dresses.

Gandhiji had his own ideas and dreams of free India. He sent volunteers for the rehabilitation of Indian villages. These messengers helped the Indians to come out of their shells. He wanted to make India a place without any class distinctions and rigid caste systems. According to him an ideal India would be free from the curse of untouchability , intoxicating drinks and drugs.

Nehru says that Gandhiji was truly proud of his Hindu inheritance. He tried to give Hinduism a kind of universal attire which included all religions. Indian culture according to Gandhiji is a fusion of all. Thus Gandhiji attracted  the common people of India like a magnet. He was a link between the past and the future. He effected a psychological revolution even among his opponents.

THE PRICE OF FLOWERS

“The Price of Flowers” is a story written by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. It underlines the bond of human relationship. This story really makes us understand how words and deeds act as a soothing effect.

This story portrays the life of a young poor girl named Alice Margarett Clifford(Maggie) who was far away from her beloved brother Frank. Gupta was an Indian living in London. Once he met Alice in a vegetarian restaurant. She was also called Maggie. She was working as a typist in a nearby office. Her mother made cakes to sell them on Saturdays. She was from a poor family. She wanted to know if Gupta was an Indian. Her brother Frank had gone to India as he was a soldier in the military service.

Gupta once went to Maggie’s house to meet her mother. Her mother was anxious to know about India as she heard that India was a dangerous place to live in. She believed that most of the Indians had the rare power to see a person living in a distant land by gazing at a crystal ring. Maggie and her mother wanted him to  look into the crystal ring and say how Frank was. Gupta told them that he did not  possess such a power.

One day Gupta received news that Maggie’s mother was not well. He went to their house immediately. Maggie wanted him to gaze into the crystal and say whether Frank was safe. Reluctantly, Gupta took the ring and told a lie that Frank was safe. Maggie’s mother was happy and soon became well.

Later Gupta was shocked to learn that Frank had died in the war. Gupta felt very sad. Then in the morning of his last day in London, Maggie came to see him. He was packing up things. She gave him a shilling to buy flowers and place them on her brother’s grave in Punjab.LIVE TV REPORT OF LE HORLA

Now I am standing very close to La Villette, the place where Le Horla is about to take off. About 300 people are standing here to witness the starting of this wonderful event. Captain Jovis and the other travelers are ready for the ride. First Lieutenant Mallet jumps aboard. Mr. Mallet is followed by three more persons, including Mr.Guy de Maupassant.

W ell, La Horla the balloon is also ready for the ride with the command of Mr. Joliet. The rope has been cut. Oh! The moment the rope is cut, the balloon starts flying upward. Vow!What a spectacular scene! The multicoloured balloon has its take off now with a team of courageous men headed by Captain Jovis. The balloon is moving in a moderate speed as you can see in the visuals.

From LaVillette,, with Cameraman Jean Davis, Juliet Le Paris TV, Paris.

DEATH THE LEVELLER BY JAMES SHIRLEY: AN APPRECIATION

“Death the Leveller” is a powerful poem by James Shirley which reminds us that death is a force that haunts all human beings. It is also treated as a funeral song. It says that death is a great leveler.The high and the low, the mighty and the meek, the rich and the poor are all equal before death. This is a very common idea, but Shirley gives depth and vividness to this common truth. Human glory will not last long. All success and victory are mere shadows, not substantial things. When death catches hold of someone with icy hands the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak must yield. We have no weapon to fight against this almighty fate.

The poet discusses the concept of artificial success and victory. In the last stanza, the poem ends with the idea that only our good deeds will be remembered for ever. We can simply boast of our mighty deeds but they don’t have permanency. The scepter and the crown are symbols of their power and glory. All will be reduced to dust.

Scythe and Spade represent the poor working class. All will die whether rich or poor. Some men may achieve military glory in battle fields. They will gain honour and fame by defeating their enemies. Their strength will be weakened. The nerves will lose their strength. They can not control death. Death is too powerful for them and they can do nothing against it. The poet speaks of death as an inevitable end. Every minute we are slowly creeping towards death.

. The mighty deeds or the glory of human beings are equated with the “Withering of Garlands”. Our head may be decorated with garlands. But these will soon dry and wither away. Therefore let us not boast about our so called mighty deeds. The victorious king will soon become the victim of death.He will be like an animal sacrificed on the altar of death. Bluish red blood will drip from his head. Every head will one day be buried in the cold tomb. Only just and good actions will be remembered after death. They will be like the fragrance of sweet-smelling flowers.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is consistent throughout the poem The Scheme of ababccdd follows in each of the stanza. The pattern creates a rhythm as the first four lines of each stanza illustrate and the four lines give more depth to the poem.