English Paper A

Summary of the Poem Leisure

In this critical summary analysis of the poem "Leisure",
we shall discuss various aspects of the poem. The poet
says that man has everything except leisure. In his
opinion man has entangled himself in responsibilities and
worries. Man has no time to enjoy natural beauty around
him. The poet laments that man of today cannot find any
moment to see numerous beautiful scenes even in broad
day light. He says the colorful budding flowers shine in
the day like stars at night but man passes them without
any interest in them.
He considers that man is devoid of "beauty's glance".
Once, man would enjoy the beauty of Nature and
everything would seem in harmony while in the company
of Nature. But for the man of today, Nature has lost all its
beauty. The poet creates a beautiful comparison between
the rhythmic beauty of dance and the flowers and fields
moving with wind. Once man found pleasure in the
company of nature, today he is so preoccupied in his
material needs that he cannot turn to nature. He diverts
his attention from nature for worldly matters. He prefers
wealth and material gains over treasures of nature.
Robert Frost has put down the same in these words: "The
woods are dark, lovely and deep But I have promises to
keep." The poet expresses sadness over the loss of
human faculty to appreciate beauty without any regard to
financial or material gain but in this era of practicality and

wealth focused individuals, the distance between man

and nature is widening which is the cause of certain
psychological and physical ailments which are being
ignored presently.

Tartary Summary
The poet, Walter De La Mare, imagines himself, in this poem as the
Lord of Tartary. Tartary is a land of dream, beauty and fertility. It is
replete with unheard and unseen delights. He desires to have a bed
made of ivory, throne made of beaten gold, court full of dancing
peacocks, forests full of roaming tigers and pools teemed with great
fishes.
He imagines himself wearing a robe clustered with pearls of gold of
green and white colour, holding a curved sword in his hand and riding
a chariot driven by seven Zebras. He is fond of music and enjoys harp,
flute and mandolin. He also desires to derive pleasure from the natural
beauty and charming objects of Tartary as S.T.Coleridge puts it in
own way,

Where Alph, The Sacred river, ran

Through caverns, measureless to man
And there were gardens bright with sinuous
rills
Where blossomed many an incense-beaming
tree.

The poet expresses his hidden wish. He wishes to be an absolute

master of Tartary, a far-off land given the lineaments of a romantic
land, beautiful, rich, fertile and full of delights. Then, he would lead a
luxurious life. Hid bed would be made of solid gold. Beautiful peacocks
would
decorate his court and his royal jungles would be full of fierce roaming
tigers. His beautiful ponds would be full of pretty fish whose fins
would shine in the light of the sun and
Thus make the whole court colourful and delighting. The poet wishes
to enjoy a life full of colour, pomp and show if he were the Lord of
Tartary. Then his life would be changed altogether. His guards would
blow bugle whenever the royal meal would be served. So his court
would be full of the sounds of bugles and trumpets all the time. During
the evening time, the beauty of the court would be enhanced and it
would be illuminated with yellow and red light. Then
like the courts of the great kings, the music and dance would be
presented in his honour.
All kinds of musical instruments would be played to produce sweet
and melodious tunes. If he were the king, he would wear the royal
dress decorated with different colours of beads and pearls. His robe
would be full of white, golden and green coloured gems. Early in the
morning before the waning of the morning star, he would put on his
royal dress adorned with a curved sword. Seven Zebras would drive his
carriage and thus he would inspect his royal estate passing through the
green patches of his dark forests, as Coleridge says:

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding Sunny spots of greenery.

He would be the owner of all the fruits of Tartary land and all the
rivers shining in the light of sun would be his. He would be the master
of the hills, valleys, forests and roves. Thus shining stars and the sweet
smelling air, the winding lakes and the birds that are singing in the
citron trees, all
Would be his subject. So he would be able to enjoy all these things
fully.

Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,

Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean.

Woman Work Summary

A women in her daily life have to work very much, she have many
responsibilities with her family, so for their welfare she have to
forget about her happiness and interests.as a women she also have
many duties like caring of children at that same time repair the
clothes, clean the floor, take food to shop, fry the chicken, to dry
the baby, to feed the family members, to clear the garden, to press
the shirts, to dress the children, to cut the cane, to clean up the
hut, to care the people who are sick, to pick the cotton etc.to
perform the list of these responsibilities she have to work hard
and so she get rid from the common family entertainment ,hence
nothing entertain her and get isolated from family happiness.
Besides of the works the beauty of nature like sunshine and rain

always purify her, they give such a feeling that she get energy to
do work, and only the nature is there to console her, to encourage
her. When dew drops fall gently and cool her brows she feels that
it consoles her. but she want to rescue from this busy world and so
she pleads the storm that with its strongest wind escape her from
these burdens and let her float across the sky till these burdens get
rid from her. She prays for death however rest tonight and wish to
cover her with gently falling snowflakes which feel like a white
cold icy kisses. She considers sun, rain, curving sky, mountains,
oceans, leaf and stone and also star shine, moon glow etc.as her
own since they always stay with her and which console and make
joy with her.

Patriot into Traitor Summary

Patriot into Traitor is a very interesting but a tragic poem, which
focuses the rise and fall of leaders in the contemporary politics. It is a
dramatic monologue. Dramatic monologue is a literary device in which
a character freely gives vent to his feelings in front of the audience in
order to reveal the inner working of his mind. He talks to the audience
aloud and tells us how was acclaimed at one stage and put to a tragic
end at another. It is a poem, which exposes the political changes in the
third world countries in which patriots are branded as traitor in coups.
The poet says that just a year ago when he entered the city, people
welcomed him warmly and decorated his paths with roses and
myrtles. There were sounds of bells resounding in the air and people
had flocked together to see the great leader who performed great
deeds for his nation. The people were so happy and excited that if the
leader had demanded the sun, they would have brought it down from

the skies for him and said, What else do you want? This was such a
favorable political situation for the leader a year ago.
After a year a run, the scene is totally different, the most favorite and
popular leader of the nation is branded as traitor. There are no people
on the housetops now. Just a palsied few are at the windows looking at
the leader. All the people have gone to the Shambles Gate and are
standing at the very foot of the scaffold to see him die. He is being
taken there to be hanged. It is raining heavily and his hands are tied
with rope. His forehead is bleeding because whoever has a mind
throws stones at him. He undergoes physical as well as mental torture.
After all this treatment, the leader, however, is optimistic and consoles
himself with the remarks that his services to the nation will bring fruit
in the heaven when he will ask God for reward and God will redeem
him.
Robert Brownings monologue is a superb example of current political
upheaval and changed public opinion. The writer wants to suggest that
nothing remains the same in the world politics. It is a world of selfinterest and selfish people who, for individual benefits, may go against
the common good of the country.

The Huntsman Summary

The narrative poem The Huntsman is based on a Kenyan
folklore. The poet Edward Lawbury advises us through the story
of a Kenyan hunter, Kagwa who himself becomes the prey to fate,
to avoid the unnecessary talk. Kagwa was a hunter of lions and he
used to hunt through bush and forest with his spear. One day he
found a human skull and asked it how it had come there in the
forest.

The skull opened its mouth and replied that the habit of talking
had brought it there. He hurriedly went to the kings court and
told the king about this miraculous discovery. The
king expressed his doubts about the truth of the tale. Instead of
granting Kagwa a prize, the king called out his guards and ordered
two of them to accompany Kagwa and search for the talking skull.
The king further ordered them to kill Kagwa if such a strange
skull was not found there.
Kagwa and two guards rode through the jungle for many days and
nights but they could find nothing. At last, they found a skull;
Kagwa asked it how it had come there. But the skull did not
answer. Kagwa began to implore. But the skull
remained silent. Upon this the guards ordered Kagwa to kneel
down and they killed him in compliance with the kings orders.
After it the skull opened its mouth and asked Kagwa, how he had
come there. The dead Kagwa answered that talking brought him
there. In this way the story of Kagwa proved the
old maxim, Think before you speak. No doubt useless and
irresponsible talk brings disaster for the talkative one.
The poem is a sad example of sick humour. After going through it
we experience mixed feelings of humour and regret at the same
time. Funny and unfunny aspects of life blended with the
elements of suspense and irony create a shocking impact. The
poem also describes the attitude of dictators and can be called
a political satire. As it is shown that the dictators never like
common peoples talk. They do not believe in anything without
certifying it in their own way. Narrative style, end stopped lines,
monosyllabic words and proper stanza form provide this free

verse an impressive outlook. The poet is successful in drawing our

attention to the tragic fact of life.

The Solitary Reaper Summary

The Solitary Reaper is a short lyrical ballad, composed of thirtytwo lines and divided into four stanzas. As the title suggests, the
poem is dominated by one main figure, a Highland girl standing
alone in a field harvesting grain. The poem is written in the first
person and can be classified as a pastoral, or a literary work
describing a scene from country life. The eyewitness narration
conveys the immediacy of personal experience, giving the reader
the impression that the poet did not merely imagine the scene but
actually lived it. However, Wordsworths sister, Dorothy, writes in
her Recollections of a Tour in Scotland that the idea for The
Solitary Reaper was suggested to William by an excerpt from
Thomas Wilkinsons Tour in Scotland. Since Wordsworths poem
is not autobiographical, one can assume that the poet is adopting
a persona, or taking on a fictional identity (usually referred to as
the speaker of the poem).
The Solitary Reaper begins with the speaker asking the reader to
behold the girl as she works in the field. The first stanza is a
straightforward description of the scene. The girl is standing alone
in the field, cutting grain, and singing a melancholy strain.
Wordsworth emphasizes the girls solitude by using words such as
single, solitary, by she, and alone. Solitaries are common
figures in Wordsworths poetry and are usually surrounded by a

natural environment. The act of reaping alone in the field binds

the girl intimately to the earth. Also, as the girl sings and the
melody fills the lonely valley, she becomes almost completely
merged with nature.
The next two stanzas describe the speakers reaction to the
maidens song. The words of the song are in a language unknown
to him, but he remains transfixed by the melody, which seems to
stretch the limits of time and space. He associates the sweetness
of the reapers song with the beautiful cries of the nightingale and
the cuckoo, both familiar images of transcendence in Romantic
poetry. As he allows the song to engulf his consciousness, he
envisions far-off places and times of long ago. His imagination
transports him from the field in which he stands to the edge of
infinity.
In the fourth stanza, the speaker abruptly shifts his attention from
his musings to the scene before him. He continues to listen, but
the transcendent moment is past. He again calls attention to the
reaper, who is unaware of the speakers presence or the effect her
song has had on him. As the speaker walks away from the field,
the song fades from his hearing, but its plaintive melody echoes in
his heart and his imagination.

All the Worlds a Stage Summary

Shakespeare considers the world a stage and men and women
actors on the stage of life. They play seven roles according to their
age. The first stage, as described by the poet, is the infant who is
being carried by a nurse. The infant cries and vomits all the time.

Later, that infant grows into a schoolboy, not willing to attend

school which is the fourth stage of a mans life. The third stage is
that of a lover who is lost in his thoughts of love. The lover writes
poetry to his ladys beauty. In the fourth stage, as he grows older,
he joins the army and becomes a soldier. He is physically fit and is
aggressive, short-tempered and ambitious in nature. The fifth
stage shows that with maturity and wisdom, the family man
becomes a judge. He is a fair, healthy man full of wisdom. His
look is authoritative and he advises people. The sixth stage is
about the man who has grown old and is seen in a pantaloon and
spectacles. His authoritative voice has grown weak and his voice
trembles as he talks.
The last stage is about the senile man who loses his teeth, his
vision and his hearing. After this, the man part in the play ends
and he exits from the stages of his life forever.

Departure and Arrival Summary

In this idealistic poem, T.S. Eliot wants to reaffirm our faith in
man. No doubt, he admits that man has made numerous mistakes
in the past. But the poet still believes that "we" can "wipe out"
"misery", pain and sorrow from the scene of the world. He
encourages us that the same desert can be transformed into a
"lane where rose and hawthorn grow". Nineteenth century
departs. Twentieth century arrives. The history of man is like sea
voyages. Previously, man earned nothing but sorrow and shame.
The poet refers to the past history of mankind in which man has
deceived, cheated, destroyed for the trifles of this world. The poet,
wishes to draw our attention to the misdeeds of past to remind us

that nothing could be gained from the hatred and anarchy of the
past; therefore, man of today must look forward to a brighter
future with the will and wish to helping each other for a better
world tomorrow.
The poet wants this voyage, twentieth century, to be safer. Man
needs light of knowledge and a map to determine the destination.
The poet wants to make this century great. He urges us to be
"greater" than those that came before to make a "legacy of
benefits" for coming generations. He wants us to work collectively
beyond personal benefits. The message is clear and loud that
nations and individuals must work beyond personal gains. It does
not matter who holds the "flag" but it does matter that it must be
kept high so that it reaches the final destination. The poet also
clarifies that the journey to prosperity is neither short nor easy; it
does take a lifetime to do something good and see it prosper. This
poem is particularly relevant to the political wisdom and struggle
for relieving the troubles of mankind. We have individuals as well
as groups proclaiming human betterment but nothing good comes
out of their hollowness except the echoing of their evil and
baseness. The poet tries to manifest that true service is unnamed
and effectual and factual heroes don't work for their own names;
they work for a cause and a purpose beyond individualistic
approach and outlook. This is the aim and state of mind which
can earn us a "legacy of benefits" and the same legacy must be
upheld by the inheritors to prove that we, the humans, are truly
worth our creation.

The Vanishing Village Summary

"The Vanishing Village" was composed by a Welsh poet, R.S.

Thomas who had a deep religious background. Yet he is realistic,
open-minded and cautious in his views and conclusions. This
poem is an elegy on a nearly vanished village abandoned by its
inhabitants due to large-scale-migration towards cities. The poet
expresses his concern that the basic unit of human civilization is
being neglected to selfishly.
However, in an optimistic note he hopes for a revival of
the colourful life and activity of a traditional village. In the
opening lines the poet presents a gloomy picture of the deserted
village. There are only a few houses which have survived
destruction. They are also in a miserable condition. A small
street joins a public house to a shop. This street ends at the top of
the little hill, which has become all barren. Grass has completely
disappeared. There is no activity in the village. The black dog
killing its fleas in the hot sun has become a symbol of history of
village.
Life has come to a standstill. The whole place is covered by a sloth
and stagnation. It presents a scene of hopeless desolation. The
reason is that all its residents have shifted to big cities in search of
better prospects. The poet is pained to see that this basis of
human civilization is being destroyed by its founders.
However, the poet finds one sign of life and hope in the village.
The girl who wanders from door to door is a symbol of revival.
The poet hopes that the village will certainly come out of its
present dismal condition. It will become center of activity again.
The tone of the poet is nostalgic, wistful and sad. He is grieved at
the decline of beautiful and gay rural culture. He loves village life

and firmly believes that the deserted village will regain its vitality
and dynamism life once again.

When I have Fears Summary

Keats' speaker contemplates all of the things that he wants in life:
namely, success, fame, and love. C'mon, is that too much to ask?
Well, as it turns out, the speaker is pretty sure that it is. See, he
doesn't want just any old fame. He wants Fame. Capital letters
and neon lights. (Okay so they didn't have neon lights in the
early 19th century, but you get our point.) He doesn't want just
any old love, either. He wants that soul-stripping, earth-shaking,
sky-tumbling once-in-a-lifetime sort of rapture. To sum it all up,
he wants to be the star of pretty much every romantic movie ever.
Here's the problem: the speaker is also pretty sure that his life will
end long before he'll be able to achieve any of these goals. That's
why his description of his desires is so tinged with desperation
chances are, his life will be over far, far too quickly.
This poem charts both the speaker's desires and his despair (in
that order). Come to think of it, the poem doesn't exactly end on a
happy note. But hey, what's a good melodrama without a little
tragedy?

Kubla Khan Summary

This poem describes Xanadu, the palace of Kubla Khan, a Mongol

emperor and the grandson of Genghis Khan. The poem's speaker
starts by describing the setting of Emperor's palace, which he calls
a "pleasure dome." He tells us about a river that runs across the
land and then flows through some underground caves and into
the sea. He also tells us about the fertile land that surrounds the
palace. The nearby area is covered in streams, sweet-smelling
trees, and beautiful forests.
Then the speaker gets excited about the river again and tells us
about the canyon through which it flows. He makes it into a
spooky, haunted place, where you might find a "woman wailing
for her demon lover." He describes how the river leaps and
smashes through the canyon, first exploding up into a noisy
fountain and then finally sinking down and flowing through those
underground caves into the ocean far away.
The speaker then goes on to describe Kubla Khan himself, who is
listening to this noisy river and thinking about war. All of a
sudden, the speaker moves away from this landscape and tells us
about another vision he had, where he saw a woman playing an
instrument and singing. The memory of her song fills him with
longing, and he imagines himself singing his own song, using it to
create a vision of Xanadu.
Toward the end, the poem becomes more personal and
mysterious, as the speaker describes past visions he has had. This
brings him to a final image of a terrifying figure with flashing
eyes. This person, Kubla Khan, is a powerful being who seems
almost godlike: "For he on honey-dew hath fed/And drunk the
milk of paradise" (53-54).

Snake Summary
Like a green anaconda found deep in the Amazon jungle, the
snake in this poem is a biggie. In fact, he is the biggie. The way
you look at the snake really colors your whole approach to the
poem. For that reason, we can say that this "Fellow" is an
important symbol in the poem, but we can't say that there is one
clear interpretation as to what, exactly he symbolizes. Instead,
we'll present you with a variety of possible readings. Feel free to
pick and choose as you see fit! Ready? Okay
Cue up the song Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones.
Our legless friend has a long history and a bad rap when it comes
to literature. The poor guy gets associated with Satan one time in
the Book of Genesis and he is seen as an allusion to Satans
corruption of Eve in the Garden of Eden for the rest of time.
Coming from a religious household, Dickinson would certainly be
aware of the biblical symbolism of the snake, but that's not all this
"Fellow" can represent here. There are those that argue that the
animal (with its resemblance to male body parts) might also be a
stand in for sex and sexuality.
Finally, there are those who say, "You know, sometimes a snake is
just a snake." By that token, we can look at this guy as one of
"Nature's People," a representative of the natural world, yet
repeatedly endowed in the poem with human qualities.

Explanation with reference to the context:

New Year Resolutions:
Reference: These lines have been taken for the poem New Year
Resolutions written by Elizabeth Swell.
Context: The poetess writes about the New Year resolutions
before start of the New Year. The process of self-examination
ennobles and purifies ones soul. The poetess wants to take stock
of her past misdeeds and wrong flaws in reaction manner. She
wants to lead a perfect and better life than previous year.
Explanation: (4-6)
The poetess wishes to take stock of her life. She is determined that
she check herself twice daily twice daily. She will possibly check
herself in the morning or at night. In the morning, before starting
her work, she will look at her progress and her deeds. Anything,
which is checked twice in daily, cannot be faulty.
The poetess wants to purify herself from all previous sin, blunders
and mistakes because she wants to lead pure and clean life in next
year. If a person checks himself twice daily he can get rid of all
sins and mistakes.

The Rebel:
Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem One Art
written by Elizabeth Bishop.
Context: In this poem the poetess wants to teach us that the art of
losing things is necessary to lead a pleasant life. We should not bother,
whether things are lost or snatched from us. The loss of door-keys or
some other possession should be accepted as a part of life. No loss
should disturb us; we should take our defeats and losses lightly.

Explanation: (5

th

Stanza)

In these lines, also the poetess quotes some other examples. She says
that she lost two dearest cities and more than that she left two very
dear rivers and also some property and estate that she owned. In
addition, she lost even a whole continent, when she migrated
from North America to South America. She says that she remembers
all these things but
their loss is not a disaster. She means to say that sometimes even kings
have to leave their dominions but this does not bring any devastation.

The Poison Tree:

Reference: These lines have been taken from the poem The Poison
Tree written by William Blake.
Context: The Poison Tree by William Blake provides a clear lesson
on how to handle anger both with a friend and enemy. The narration
is first person point of view with a nameless speaker. It makes a
powerful statement about how conflict should be handled. In his
poem, Blake warns about the ill effects of holding malice inside
oneself. The poem is a metaphor for what happens when one allows
anger to grow within.

Explanation: (4__8)
Blake further symbolizes this in the next two stanzas. He appears
to metaphor the repression of anger and hatred to a poison tree,
thus giving it an identity. The personification in A Poison Tree
exists both as a means by which the poem's metaphors are
revealed, supported, and as a way for Blake to forecast the greater
illustration of the wrath. The wrath the speaker feels is not
directly personified as a tree, but as something that grows slowly
and bears fruit. In the opening stanza the speaker states, My
wrath did grow. The speaker later describes the living nature of
the wrath as one which, grew both day and night, and, bore an
apple bright. This comparison by personification of wrath to a
tree illustrates the speaker's idea that, like the slow and steady
growth of a tree, anger and wrath gradually accumulate and form
just as mighty and deadly as a poisoned tree.

Because I could not stop for Death:

Explanation:
Dickinson wastes no time warming up in this poem. She
immediately lets the reader know that the poem is going to
be about death.
"Because" is a clever way to begin. It immediately assumes
the speaker is giving some sort of an explanation to an
argument or to a question. This makes the poem seem active
and alive, unlike many other poems, which sometimes take
more of an observant position.
Stating that she could not stop for death means that the
speaker didn't have a choice about when she was to die.
We've all probably heard something like this before. Even if
not, Dickinson reminds us that it's not really up to us when
we die.
Dickinson capitalizes death, which is something she does
often to nouns (sometimes without any reason). In this
particular case she means to personify Death as a gentleman
suitor who drives a horse-drawn carriage (personification
means to give human characteristics or behavior to
something that is nonhuman).
The line ends with a dash that is both characteristic of
Dickinson's work and that really launches us into the next
line. Think of it as an arrow or string, pulling you along to
the next thing.

After Apple-Picking:
Explanation: (Lines 28th)
I am overtired / Of the great harvest I myself desired. If there
has been failure or too great a strain on the speaker, it is because
the speaker has desired too great a harvest. He saw an impossible
quantity of fruit as a possibility. Or he saw a merely incredible
quantity of fruit as possibility and nearly achieved it (at the cost of
physical and mental exhaustion).

Hawks Monologue:
Context:
Ted Hughes, using the persona of a wild bird, discusses the
psychology and cruel nature of the power drunk. A man in power
is on top of all affairs. He says his "eyes are closed". He is
indifferent. He is careless. He is playing the game of life even
while dreaming, called "rehearse" to kill.
Explanation:
"Allotment of death" is his right. He may pierce the bones of the
living. Nobody can argue over his right. His superior position and
the power he holds are backed up by some design of nature. He
has a firm belief that the source of life and power "is behind" him.
His power remains unchallenged since he began. He has not
permitted any change. Captured in the illusion of his pride and
power, he is confident that he is "going to keep things like this".

History is evident that man becomes blind to his faults and errors
while in power. He holds people in contempt. He crushes the rules
and regulations under his feet. He is above law.

Politics:
Context:
In the poem, there are many opposites that appear to challenge
each other: age and youth, intellect and emotion, and male and
female. The implication that the young are in each other's arms, to
Nicholas Meihuizen, highlights the poet's age and its adverse
relationship to the youth of the poem's lovers. As the poet speaks
of turning his inability to turn his "attention" from "that girls
standing there" to "politics", the poet presents the battle of
intellect and emotion, a battle which emotion wins in the poem.
Likewise, Meihuizen argues that the poem presents sexual longing
in the final line as the poem ends with the combination of the
male and female in sexual union.
Explanation:
The conflict between the girl and the political surroundings
mentioned in the text is, according to critic Charles Ferrall, an
extension of a correspondence Yeats had with Olivia Shakespeare
in which Yeats suggests that there is a relationship
between Fascism and aesthetics. While Yeats never embraces
Fascism the way that Ezra Pound did, the theme of the
relationship between art and politics appears to focus heavily on
that particular form of government as it was the prevailing
political force in two of the three countries mentioned in the
poem. However, Yeats was consistently elusive on political
matters throughout his literary career and carefully avoids taking

a position in "Politics". Michael Bell, in his essay "W.B. Yeats: In

Dreams Begin Responsibilities'" suggests that in "Politics", Yeats
"treads a dubious line between honesty to mood and a would-be
seductive fecklessness".
The retreat from the political world suggested by the poem's title
and carried out throughout the text of the poem also implies that
the poet is inclined to create what Glenn Willmott calls a
"narcissistic paradise". According to Willmott, Yeats's poems
often move from the world of social interaction to a place where
the individual finds seclusion, as is also the case in
the pastoral Yeats's earlier poems "The Lake Isle of Innisfree,
"The Song of the Happy Shepherd", and "The Sad Shepherd". All
of the poems create a "utopia" in which the poet finds relief from
public life by withdrawing from social spheres and entering into a
mythical setting, yet "Politics" is unique in that it lacks the
pastoral qualities of the earlier works and finds solitude in a
different time rather than a different place.

Summaries of the following Short Stories & One-Act

Plays:
Rappaccinis Daughter:
The story is set in Padua, Italy, in a distant and unspecified past.
From his quarters, Giovanni Guasconti, a young student of letters,
looks at Beatrice, the beautiful daughter of Dr. Giacomo
Rappaccini, a scientist who works in isolation. Beatrice is confined
to the lush and locked gardens, which are filled with poisonous
plants grown by her father. Giovanni notices Beatrice's strangely
intimate relationship with the plants as well as the withering of
fresh flowers and the death of an insect when exposed to her skin
or breath. Having fallen in love, Giovanni enters the garden and
meets with Beatrice a number of times, while ignoring his mentor,
Professor Pietro Baglioni, who warns him that Rappaccini is up to
no good and that he and his work should be avoided. Giovanni
discovers that Beatrice, having been raised in the presence of
poison, is poisonous herself. Beatrice urges Giovanni to look past
her poisonous exterior and see her pure and innocent essence,
creating great feelings of doubt in Giovanni. He begins to suffer
the consequences of his encounters with the plants and with
Beatrice when he discovers that he himself has become
poisonous; after another meeting with Baglioni, Giovanni brings a
powerful antidote to Beatrice so that they can be together, but the
antidote kills Beatrice rather than getting rid of her poisonous
nature.

The New Constitution:

The story The New Constitution conveys the idea that a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing. It also tells the reader about the
true feelings of the common people of India for the British.
Ustad Mangu is a tongawala and lives in Lahore. He is illiterate.
He is in the habit of overhearing his fares. Once he overhears from
his fares about the communal violence. He is worried and tells his
friends about the reason of this communal violence.
He hates the English because of their arrogance and insulting
behavior. Once a gora soldier insults him and Ustad bears the
insult silently. In rage, he abuses the English.
Once he overhears about the introduction of the new constitution.
He is very happy. He returns to the Tonga stand and tells his
companions about the news. After that, he overhears about the
changes. He overhears that the Indians would be free. He thought
that the new constitution would force the English to go back to
England. The Indian would have elected assemblies. They would
have equal rights. He waits for the introduction of the new
constitution very impatiently.
On 1 April, he gets up early in the morning and comes on road to
see the new constitution in force. However, he is disappointed to
see no change. He meets a Gora soldier there and picks up a
quarrel with him. He beats the Gora soldier. Two police officers
lock him up. They tell him that nothing has changed and it is the
same old constitution.
Breakfast:
The story Breakfast throws light on the fact that the most
important thing is contentment. If man has contentment, he can
be happy even if he has no house, no permanent job, and no good

food to eat.
Once, the writer is going somewhere. On his way, he sees a young
woman working outside her tent. The writer is feeling cold and
hunger. He goes to the tent. He finds the woman preparing
breakfast.
An old man and a young man came out of the tent. They offer the
writer to join them for breakfast. The writer agrees. All of them sit
on the ground and enjoy a good breakfast. The old man and the
young man thank God for that good breakfast. They have been
eating good food only for twelve days, but they are happy.
After the breakfast, the young man offers the writer a job, but the
writer denies and departs saying thanks for the breakfast. At the
end, the writer expresses his feelings.
The Happy Prince:
The story The Happy Prince has at least three themes. The first
theme of the story is that outward beauty is nothing. It is just a
show. The real beauties are love and sacrifices. The second theme
is that love and sacrifice are two saving forces. The third theme is
that there is great gap between the rich and the poor, the rulers
and the masses.
When the happy prince is alive, he lives in a palace where sorrow
is not allowed to enter. He lives a life of happiness. However,
when he dies his courtiers set up his statute on a tall column.
The statue of the happy prince sees all the misery of the city. He
weeps when he sees people in trouble. He wants to help them.
A swallow stays at the feet of the statue of the happy prince for the
night. On happy princes request, he prolongs his stay and helps
the poor with the ruby and the sapphires. When the happy prince
cannot see any more, the swallow decides to stay with the happy
prince forever. The he helps the people with the gold covering of

the happy prince. At the end, he dies frost. The heart of the happy
prince also breaks.
Once, the mayor and the town councilors pass by the stature of
the happy prince. They are shocked to see it without ruby,
sapphires, and gold covering. It looks ugly without them. They
pull it down and decide to make another statue. The heart of the
happy prince not melt in the furnace and the workers throw it on
the dust heap where the dead swallow is already lying. An angel
comes and takes both the heart and the dead Swallow to God as
two precious things.
The Necklace:
The story The Necklace is about the fact that even a small thing
can change the life of a person. Chance or fate plays very
important role in human life. It is more powerful than human
resolution. It is mans destiny.
Mathilda is the central character of the story. She was very pretty.
She thought that she was born in the family of clerks by the error
of destiny. Her husband, Losiel was also a clerk.
She believed that she was born for all the luxuries of life. She did
not like her poor house. She always dreamed of a big house.
One day her husband brought an invitation card for a ball at the
residence of the Minister of Education. She was not happy at the
invitation because she had no good dress to wear at the party.
Loisel gave her 400 francs to buy the dress. However, she was still
unhappy. Now she wanted some jewels to wear.
She went to her friend to borrow some jewel. She borrowed a
necklace. She went to the party and enjoyed it. On her return, she
lost the necklace. Her husband tried to find it but failed. Later
they borrowed money and bought a new necklace to replace the
lost one.

Now Loisel worked day and night to return the borrowed money.
Mathilda discharged the maidservant and did everything of the
household by herself.
They were able to return the money after ten years. Now Mathilda
had lost all her beauty. She had changed so much that her friend
could not recognize her. Mathilda told her the whole story but her
friend told her that the necklace she had borrowed was not real.
The Duchess and the Jeweller:
The story The Duchess and the Jeweler reflects the English
society of writers time. It was an age of change. The high-ups
were coming down because of their moral decadence and the
commoners were coming up.
Once Oliver Bacon was very poor and lived in a filthy, little alley.
He worked very hard and used fair and unfair means to become
the richest jeweler of the England. He enjoys his present position.
He is suffering from inferiority complex. There is a great
difference between his present and past condition. He has become
so important that each day he receives invitation cards from the
aristocracy of the city. He has become very rich, but he is so
greedy that he wants more and more wealth.
One day the Duchess of Lambourne comes to sell some fake
pearls. She induces him into buying those fake pearls very
cleverly. She uses her daughter Diana as bait. She also invites him
to the party where all the aristocracy will be present.
Oliver Bacon buys the fake pearls because he wants to attend the
party and spend the weekend with Diana. He loves Diana very
much. Besides, he wants to move among aristocratic circles.

He signs the cheque for twenty thousand pounds. The Duchess

takes the cheque and leaves. Later, he asks pardon of the picture
of his mother.

The Fly:
The Fly is a story told primarily through the eyes of the boss,
the protagonist, who is described not by name but by function.
The story has two parts. In the first part, Mr. Woodifield (whom
the boss thinks of as old Woodifield), retired since his stroke
and woman-dominated, visits his friend the boss, who though,
five years older than Woodifield, is still in charge of the firm.
Woodifield and the boss have one experience in common: Both
lost sons in World War I.
The boss enjoys showing Woodifield his redecorated office and
benevolently offering him some whiskey. Then Woodifield, who
has momentarily forgotten what he meant to tell the boss,
remembers. His daughters have been in Belgium to see the grave
of their brother, Woodifields son, and they have also seen that of
the bosss son. After Woodifield reports that the cemetery is well
kept, he leaves, and the first part of the story is concluded.
Feeling that he must weep, the boss tells the cowed messenger,
Macey, to give him a half hour alone. He feels as if he can see his
son in the grave. However, although he muses that his life has
been meaningless since the death of his promising only son,
whom he was grooming to take over the business, the boss cannot
weep.
At this point, the boss sees a fly in the inkpot, pulls it out, and
puts it on a blotter, where he proceeds to torture it, placing one

drop of ink on it at a time and repeating the operation every time

the fly seems to have extricated itself and gained hope. Even
though he admires the fly and cheers it on, the boss continues to
drop ink on it until at last the fly dies. He feels miserable, but he
cannot remember what he was thinking about before he began his
experiment with the fly.
A Passion in the Desert:
The narrator and his woman friend are leaving a wild animal
show. The woman wonders aloud how Mr. Martin, the animal
tamer, is able to perform tricks with dangerous wild animals. The
narrator, who has learned of Mr. Martins secrets from a soldier,
suggests that he can explain the mystery, but hesitates to do so
verbally. He finally concedes, after much begging and solicitation,
to write the solution out for her. The next day, he sends her a
strange story about a soldier from Napoleons invading army, who
is fleeing from his Egyptian captors, searching for his regiment in
the Egyptian desert. He stumbles into a cave to take refuge for the
night. When a female panther returns to this cave after hunting,
she snuggles up next to the sleeping soldier and prevents him
from leaving as he had planned. Afraid that the panther will
eventually kill him, the soldier thinks only of preempting its
attack or of escaping.
After spending several days together, the soldier and the panther
develop a mutual, erotically charged, affection. The soldier, for
example, shows his amorous feelings by referring to the panther
as his mistress and by calling her Darlingthe nickname of his
first lover. The soldier also caresses the panther, at one point
causing her tail to stand voluptuously erect. Quickly
understanding the positive effect of these caresses on the

panthers temperament, the soldier redoubles his efforts until he

is sure that her passions are completely sated, leaving him safe in
her presence. The soldier can be assured of his success because as
he finishes his caressing, the panther returns her affection and
lets loose an orgasmic sound described as one of those purrs by
which cats express pleasure.
Eventually, this imaginary love affair ends violently. The soldier
plunges his dagger into the panthers neck when he suspects that
she is about to devour him. The mortally wounded animal rolls on
the ground, crying plaintively to the soldier; curiously, she shows
no sign of hostility or vengeance. The soldier realizes he must
have misinterpreted the panthers intentions, and he expresses his
most profound sorrow.
The Bear:
The play The Bear is a farce. It is full of many absurd situations
and remarks. There are three main characters in the play and they
all make us laugh with their absurd behavior and comments.
Popova is a widow. Her husband died seven months ago, but she
is still in mourning. Her servant, Luka advises her to give up her
mourning. He advises her to see her neighbors, but she says that
she will keep on mourning until her death.
In the meanwhile, Smirnov comes to take 1200 roubles from
Popova. Her husband used to buy oat from him. Popova tells him
that her steward is out and she will pay him the day after
tomorrow.
However, Smirnov insists on taking the money that day. He
behaves rudely. He even makes fun of Popovas mourning and her
state of mind. Popova also becomes rude. They speak against each

others sex and use insulting words. Smirnov thinks that he has
been insulted. He challenges Popova to fight a duel.
Popova accepts the challenge and brings her husbands revolver.
However, she does not know how to fire. She asks Smirnov to
teach her how to fire. The situation changes and Smirnov is
impressed by her boldness and beauty. He says that he does not
want to fight the duel. He expresses his love for her. He offers her
his hand.
First, she insists on fighting, but then asks him to go. She changes
her decision repeatedly and then decides to marry him. When
Luka returns with other servants to beat Smirnov, he is surprised
to see them touching each other.

Summaries of the following Essays:

Pakistan and the Modern World:

"Pakistan and the Modern world" is a Liaquat Ali khan's speech
that he delivered at Kansas University, during his visit to U.S.A,
when he got an honorary degree from the university.
Liaquat Ali khan, in his speech says that, Pakistan is a new
country which came into being on 14th August 1947. Before
partition Pakistan was a longing. It was the part of the vast subcontinent which was inhabited by a hundred million Muslims and
three hundred million Hindus. The Hindus were in domination
majority in the undivided British India. The Muslims feared that if
India got freedom, they would perpetually had to lives as a
minority they kept that under the animating majority of there to
one, freedom from British rule would mean to them no freedom
but just a change of masters. So, they demanded a separate state
for the Muslims of sub-continent. There were religious and
cultural differences between the Muslims and the Hindus. They
feared that would never be able to pass their lives according to
their religion and culture under the domination of Hindus.
Moreover, the Muslims were backward economically. The
economic system of Muslims was different from Hindus. So under
these circumstances, Muslim's demand for a separate country was
very reasonable. In most of the countries of Asia, there is constant
discover and dissatisfaction, but Pakistan stands unified among
these countries, for its people are free from mental confusion.
They believe in the supreme sovereignty of God, democracy,
universal peace, individual liberty and liberty of expression but
equally strong belief in resisting aggression. Lyrancy and

explosion. They established Pakistan for practicing these beliefs.

When Pakistan came into being, it had no resources. It had no
capital and military equipment. It was allotted an army whose
personal was spread far and wide. Its share of military equipment
was not delivered to it. Within a couple of months of the creation
of Pakistan, seven million homeless refugees were drive out of
India. The Problem of rehabilitating then was also a big one. Had
it not been the unity of Pakistani as, they would have floundered.
Due to the unity and determination of the people, these problems
were solved and Pakistan made surprising progress. The
Pakistanis have some duties to themselves. As a free nation, they
must maintain their freedom. Freedom has no true value for
common man, if it does not mean freedom from want, from
disease and from ignorance. This is the man task which they must
perform, if they want to take rightful position in the world. Having
firm faith in the ideology of Pakistan, they must take make
progress in the field of science and technology. Backward nations
of Asia want to progress in every walk of life, so the western world
must demonstrate that true democracy is international and it
must allow them to share the great fund of knowledge, skill and
experience. Without their progress world will not be able to walk
properly. So Liaquat Ali Khan hoped that the Americans regards
the emergence of the democracy of Pakistan and its progress and
future development, as being of great importance in Asia, and
strength of Pakistan is a happy augury for peace.

The Eclipse:
The Eclipse is a well-written essay by Virginia Woolf. It is a selfwitnessed account of a solar eclipse which happened to take place
in the northern parts of England on a morning of June. The essay
shows the love of writer for nature and highlights the importance
of sun for us. The writer thinks that all the colours of earth are
because of sun.
It is the sunlight which makes the earth colourful, gay and live. If
there is no sun, the earth would be dead. The eclipse which is
discussed in the essay was taken place on a morning of June 1870.
People were very enthusiastic and eager to watch this change of
Nature. From every nock and corner of the country, people were
going to the northern area from where they could watch this scene
more clearly. Trains were full of passengers who were going to
that place. Many groups of cars and other means of transport
were seen on the roads moving towards the northern parts. All
were anxious to observe the eclipse by himself. The writer herself
and other people reached on the stone hedge which was the
temple of sun-worshippers. When the eclipse started, a cloud
began to cover the sun. Its light and brightness started to fade.
Colours began to disappear from the earth. The blue changed into
purple, pink faced grew green. The light turned into shadows and
shadows began to become darker and darker. Then with the
passage of time, as the eclipse completed, light completely went
out. The earth seemed to be dead and the sun looked like a
skeleton. But this lasted only for a short period. Then the sun tore
the clouds and showed its one corner. A ray of hope glittered with
the ray of sunlight. The sun seemed to be struggling to get rid of
the clouds of eclipse. By and by the light of sun grew its brightness

restoring the colours and warmth of earth. Finally the sun shone
with full face and earth again turned into a colourful living thing.
Whistling of Birds:
Whistling of Birds is very touching essay which moves our
imagination. The writer has presented a contrast between Spring
season and Winter season in it. The allegory of seasons has been
described so masterfully that it keeps on gripping our attention
throughout the essay.
Life is a continuous process; seasons also move in a cycle and
follow each other. Winter is the symbol of death while spring is
the symbol of life. When winter season comes, everything begins
to die out. Leaves of trees begin to wither. There is frost
everywhere. Birds die out and their remains in the bushes
and ground cast the shadows of death. Death seems to hover all
about but this lasts for only sometime then the change comes. It is
the arrival of spring season which is the symbol of life. Things
beaten by winter start to recover and restore their life. Birds forget
the remains of dead and whistle to welcome the spring and new
life. The branches of trees give birth to new leaves and greenery
starts to rule. Frost melts away and gives way to rays of life.
Nagasaki August 9, 1945:
The essay is written as an attempt to point out the deterioration
and destruction of atomic weapons. The writer has narrated the
scene of destruction which happened after the attack of atomic
bomb on Nagasaki by America.
When this was happened, the writer himself was there and
witnessed it personally. He heard the voice of a plane and then the
smoke and fire was everywhere. The roofs of the buildings swung

away, grass burnt into black and people either died or injured
badly. The parts of their bodies, spotted with their blood, were
scattered on the ground. Death was marching everywhere.
Splendid building had got the shape of ruins. A number of
ambulances were running on the roads to take the people to the
hospitals. Such was the scene of destruction inNagasaki after the
attack of atomic bomb on it. In fact the writer has given in his
essay the picture of this horrible attack to make the world realize
the after effects of the use of atomic weapons. He seems to be
giving a message to all of us that atomic energy may be useful in
some ways but as far as a war is concerned never again should
these terrible nuclear weapons be used, no matter what happens.
Only when the mankind renounces the use of these nuclear
weapons, will the souls of my friends rest in peace.
My Grandfather:
The essay "My Grandfather" by W.B. Yeats basically presents
the memories of writer's childhood, especially related to maternal.
However, greater part of the essay reveals a character analysis of
Yeats' grandfather and grandmother.
The writer says that his grandfather, William Pollex Fen,
was a man of his own nature. Though he was never harsh or
unkind to him, yet it was a practice to fear and praise him.
Physically he was very strong besides having a hard temper. He
could even handle the burglars himself instead of going to the law.
Being the only son of his parents, he had very few friends. This
shows his nature of remaining alone, though he
has acquaintance with some famous people. All his children were
afraid of their proud father.

As far as Yeats' grandmother is concerned, she was totally

different sort of character. She was kind-hearted, considerate and
helpful by nature. Though she once punished him because he was
playing with a servant, yet he always loved to be in her company.
Moreover, she had a fantastic aesthetic nature and admirer of art.
Her room was beautifully decorated with different paintings. She
always took keen interest in looking after her garden. In short, she
had a personality of her own and everybody loved and admired
her.
These were the writer's views about his grandfather and
grandmother. Yeats has included a comparison of their characters
to magnify the salient features of each character. This comparison
also shows the difference between man and woman, particularly
old ones.
My Tailor:
The moral of the essay, My Tailor is that we should try to
understand our fellow beings and try to share the worries of our
fellow beings specially the common professionals around us. We
often go to so many people around us to buy or get prepared
something for us but we keep ourselves restricted to the business
matters. We take them for mechanical workers and never try to
take them as a man.
These men also keep a screen of professional dealings and
manners on them and do not show their real personality to us.
That is what Leacock has presented in his essay, My Tailor. He
tells us about his tailor in a funny way. He describes his ways to
talk and deal, habits and actions in a mocking way. But towards
the end of the essay he tells us that when he learnt that his tailor
was dead, he got a shock. Only then he understood him as a

common man and came aware of his worries and hardships.

When the tailor was alive, the writer had never tried to know
about his real life. But after his death he felt sorry for him and
regretted his formal dealings with him. He has not mentioned any
particular moral lesson or advice in the essay. He has simply
described the character sketch of the tailor and has let us draw the
moral ourselves. And the best possible moral in this essay is surely
that we should not restrict our dealings with others to the
business only.
The Beauty Industry:
Overall research indicates that 90% of women are dissatisfied
with their appearance. In his essay "The Beauty
Industry" Aldous Huxley describes the women of modern world
who indulge themselves in the habit of using excess of cosmetics
by using a literacy device, comic irony. In order to make his
point of view forceful and impressive, he has mixed humour with
irony.
By humour we mean presenting something in the most
ridiculous manner, whereas irony is used to say something and
suggest something else. The writer has employed these two
literary terms quite artistically to criticize the modern women,
who use cosmetics just to look attractive.
The writer humorously attaches the privilege of being attractive
and beautiful to the feminine side and gives the figure of 130
million pounds which is used on this activity, almost twice the
revenue of India. He humorously says that it is all because of the
race to look attractive. However, he, very ironically says that
today's women try to be more attractive and less virtuous than
their grandmothers. His ironical but a bit humorous remarks that

the campaign for more physical beauty seems to be both a

tremendous success and lamentable failure, are full of meaning
and purpose.
In short, in an ironical and humorous manner, the writer has
tried to condemn the negative approach of women towards life.
Bachelor's Dilemma:
The essay "Bachelor's Dilemma" by Herbert
Gold highlights the problems faced by a bachelor in this world,
especially in American society. The writer says a bachelor is a
person who does not know where he stands in this civilized
society. He has no belief, no notions, and no aims in life. His life is
much disorganized. He always finds himself on the verge of some
dilemma. He always feels himself alone in this world. Probably, he
finds himself misfit in this environments but having no alternative
where to go. He is often found in parties wandering alone.
When a bachelor looks into a mirror, he has an altogether
different idea about himself. The mirror gives him the reflection
of a healthy young man with a lot of time, chance, and money;
who can eat, drink, and roam at will. He feels himself free without
a wife or children to look after. But same mirror sometimes gives
him some displeasing aspects as well. He feels himself alone and
unwanted by society.
There are two major types of bachelors. There is one who is
handsome, charming and always in search of new girls and even
getting them. The other is a bit mediocre, always considering he a
hero in dreams. He has intimacy with pretty girls only in
imagination, but a failure in real life. He always tosses in bed but
sometimes fortunate enough to get a meeker like him as a partner.

But the problem with both of them is that they are not satisfied
with themselves. They always need true love but seldom get and
always get what they do not want.
In short, these are some common problems faced by an
American bachelor as expressed in this essay.