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A VISIT OF CHARITY – Eudora Welty

1) Why does Marian hide the apple? Why does she eat it immediately after leaping onto the bus?
Explain the symbolic significance of the apple.
The essay ‘A Visit of charity’ was written by Eudora Welty. She was an American writer. She won
many awards many awards for her writings. Her writings explore human relations.
The essay is the story of a young woman who joined a youth development organization in America
called Campfire. She visits Old Ladies Home, a home for the elderly. The basic idea is that she can learn the
sufferings of elderly and sorrows of fellow human beings. For doing this task, she will have an incentive of
three extra points. But Marian visits the Home only for points, not to learn the value of charity.
The writer criticizes our attitude towards charity. She also mocks the Old Ladies Home, which was
not maintained well. Marian visits the home. She does not like the behaviour of the staff. She visits a room
which housed two old women. The women were bored by the attitude of visitors. They want real compassion,
not sympathy. So they started playing pranks with Marian. Marian did not like the condition of the room. She
was so embarrassed that she forgot her name also. She runs away from the place.
Marian did not have any charity in her heart. She wants to visit the Old Ladies Home only for extra
points. As apple does not carry any points, she hid it under the bush. She took it as she left the home and ran
for bus. As soon as she got onto the bus, she ate it. This shows her real nature. She has no kindness for the
elderly. In the essay ‘apple’ is not merely a fruit an item of food. It signifies the fall of human beings from
grace. God expects us to share things among ourselves. When we fail to love our fellow human beings, we
fail to become human beings.
2) Marian’s motives for visiting the old Ladies Home’ are far from compassionate. Explain.
The essay ‘A Visit of charity’ was written by Eudora Welty. She was an American writer. She won
many awards many awards for her writings. Her writings explore human relations.
Marian’s intentions are not true. She wants points. But her means to reach the ends are wrong. She hides
the apple for herself. She presents small plants to them only to gain an extra point. She dislikes the dirty
surroundings of the Old Ladies’ Home. She does not have kindness for elderly. The two old women look line
animals for Marian. The room was like a robber’s cave for her. Her intention become clear when she runs
out of the home and grabs the apple she hides and eats it. She runs away from her responsibilities.
2) Use the examples from the text to examine how the old ladies behave with Marian. Why do you
think they act the way they do?
The essay ‘A Visit of charity’ was written by Eudora Welty. She was an American writer. She won
many awards many awards for her writings. Her writings explore human relations.
The two old women were living in a pitiful condition. They were not given healthy accommodation.
They were not treated well. They were hungry. They were visited by people who did not show any concern.
The attitude of visitors was very casual. This was the reason for their rude behaviour towards Marian.
The two women played pranks with Marian. They pulled her hat. They did not receive her well. They
quarrelled between themselves. They asked alms. One was a chatter box and the other was reticent. Their
interaction with Marian was so bad that Marian was terrified. Marian forgot her name. She felt like she was
in a robber’s cave. She was horrified. She ran from the room out of fear.

Benares- Aldous Huxley

1. How does Huxley connect the incident of the bull and the beggar to the rest of his essay?
Expand your answer by elaborating on Huxley’s reflection.
Aldous Huxley was an English writer philosopher. His writings offer insights into human nature. He
was nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature seven times. This shows his greatness as a writer.
The present essay was written on the day of solar eclipse. The writer visited holy city Benares. What he
saw and how he reacted to what he has seen forms part of the essay. The crowd thronged to all ghats of
Varanasi. They did not mind neatness. All the roads were dirty. They bathed in the river, which was dirty.
The eclipse was not seen in Benares. But the people were full of faith. There was a story in which a demon
eats the sun. The crowd want to offer penance. The author had a keen eye. He observed that people did not
mind was hygienic condition. Millions of people were bathing at the ghats.
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A beggar was sleeping. A bull was passing by. It ate all his alms. Here the writer advises us to use our
conscience. The bull is an animal, yet it thinks rationally. Human beings, who are to be rational, are behaving
in an irrational manner. He was not criticizing any religion but advises us to think rationally.
Though human beings are intelligent they behave irrationally. No animal has superstitions. Animals are
driven by instinct. Humans are driven by reason and imagination. The authors feels pity our silly behaviour
because we fail to use our wisdom and waste our time unnecessarily. He advises us to use our energy to
transform our country.
2. Describe the arrival of the princess in your own words.
The writer describes the arrival of princess vividly. Some of the ghats were less crowded. To one of the
ghats came a palanquin. It was borne by six men. One was leading them. The palanquin has curtains of gold.
A barge was to bear them. The palanquin was brought to the edge of ghats. An arrangement was made so that
no one could see the princess who was inside the palanquin. It was lowered. From it came many a princess
and sat in the barge. It was covered with curtains; it slowly went into the middle of the river. Then the curtains
were raised. The princess bathed. The author pities them. They did not have any freedom. They were like
caged birds. The author has a keen eye. He describes all details clearly.
3. What according to Huxley should be our attitude towards religion? Why?
Huxley believed in religion. But he is rational. He wishes humans to use their reason and imagination.
Religion should liberate us but should not bind us. It should make us complete human beings. Blind faith
leads to irrational behaviour. Animals are driven by instincts. Humans are to be rational and wise. An eclipse
is a natural phenomenon. We should not waste our time in superstitions. We should concentrate on energies
in transforming our country for good. Progress happens only when we think in a rational manner. He pities
the princess who was equally superstitions. The bull was practical. It did not mind eclipse. It ate when hungry
and drank when it was thirsty. The author did not spare even his religion.
The author compares between bull and human behaviour.
4. What does the author propose for the betterment of India? Do you agree with his views? Give
reasons for your answer.
The author pleads for reason. He wants us to think rationally. These rituals will not save us. Eclipse is a
natural phenomenon. It is sad that we should learn from bull. Being wise and imaginative we do not think the
way we should. We must get rid of superstitions. He was sad that millions of Indians are wasting their
precious energies. Millions assembled to same number to the save to save India. He feels that religion is a
luxury. He is equally critical of all religions in this outlook. I agree with the views of the author. Religion is
a bond between man and god. It should not come the way we behave. It should enlighten us. It should not
make us blind.

STANZAS WRITTEN IN DEJECTION NEAR NAPLES -Percy Bysshe Shelley

1) List the images in the poem
2) What does the poet lament in the poem?
3) Discuss Shelley as a poet nature with reference to this poem?

The poem “stanzas written in Dejection Near Naples was written by P.B Shelley . Shelley belonged to
the Romantic Era of English literature. His poems are lyrical and show his love for humanity and freedom.
This poem was written when he and his wife visited Naples.
Shelley was spell and good expression/surprise by the beauty of nature at Naples. The sun was warm.
The waves of the ocean look as if they were dancing. The dew of the earth surrounded buds. Even the
mountains wear the colour of the moon. The scenery was enchanting.
The poet was fascinated by the light the comes from the moon. He was alone. He wanted to share his
emotion with someone. He became sad because he felt he had no hope, no contentment and health. He
understands that people enjoy life for themselves and call life as pleasure. He was sad because he did not get
this.
The poet remembers his sorrow and feels like a tired child. He feels lonely. He recognizes the sorrows
he has to bear. He wishes death steal life from him like sleep. Some people may think the poets’ sorrow at
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this time as untimely. We may that how a poet can be sad at the place near Naples. Shelley also accepts this.
He wants him sorrows be forgotten but he wants the sweet memories of the day be remembered forever.
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD: JULIUS CAESAR
1. How did Brutus justify his assassination of Caesar?
The drama ‘Julius Caesar’ was written by William shake sphere. The extract is from act III, scene 2 of
‘Julius Caesar’. Shakespeare is one of the very few Englishmen who influenced world literatures. His charm
has been increasing for the past four centuries.
Julius Caesar was a Roman general. He won many battles. But he was a tyrant and ambitious.
Rome was a republic then. His friend Brutus was a noble man. He tried a lot but could not change Caesar’s
behaviour. So, he along with his friends killed Caesar. The crowd was terrified. He persuades them. He
requests them to listen to him. Here they could take their own decision on his actions. He also permits Antony
to speak.
The speech of Brutus is crystal clear and to the point. He argued that he was a good friend
of Caesar. But his love for Rome forced him to forsake the friendship of Caesar. He killed Caesar because of
his duty to protect Rome as its sincere citizen. He said that Caesar would have made them slaves. Caesar was
ambitious. Brutus said he did not offend anyone. Caesar wanted to become a the king of Rome. Brutus
compares Caesar to a serpent.
Brutus requested the citizens to listen him attentively, criticise him wisely and judge him correctly.
2. What was the effect of Antony’s speech on the crowd? Describe how Antony employs irony in
his speech.
The speech of Antony has been the more eloquent of quoted one in English literature. This is one of the
finest ironies. Antony addresses the emotions of the crowd. Antony knows that crowd cannot be convinced
easily. Antony said that he was the best friend of Caesar. He says that only the evil deeds done by Caesar will
be remembered. He wants the crowd to know his good deeds also. When Caesar was offered crown, he
rejected it thrice. If Caesar was ambitious, he would have accepted the crown. Antony reads out the will of
Caesar. He wanted all his wealth be distributed among the citizen of Rome. Caesar got riches to Rome. He
wept for the poor. By cleverly constructing the argument and eloquence of his speech, Antony sways the
emotions of crowd in his favour. In the end he laments that people have lost the power to think rationally. In
this way Antony arouses vengeance in crowd. He completely changes the mood of mob. They are now
convinced that Brutus and his friends were bad and Caesar was good.

Soft skills
a. Time Management:
Managing our own time helps us to achieve success. It also keeps us healthy and cheerful. All of us have
same 24 hours. But some of us look busy and embarrassed. But some others look cool and calm. Do you
know why? This is the reason people in the latter group plan and work. Remember! Failing to plan is planning
for failure. They divide their time according to their priorities. Works of “importance” are different from
works of “urgency”. They write time schedules. They allot time for each work. In fact, they have the map of
completion of work before it gets finished.
The following tips will help to manage our time in a better way.
1. Goal setting: if goals are set they elicit the best from us. Goals guide us to manage our time.
2. To – do list: This helps us if we miss any important tasks.
3. Time wasters: Our favourite hobbies are our best time wasters. In this era, internet and smart phones
brought revolution in all areas. But they must be managed wisely.
4. Relish your work: when goals are set, deadlines are met, enjoy your work.

b. Leadership
Leaders are the people who motivate people to reach the common goal. Leadership is a skill. We can
learn it by following other leaders and their principles. The following points help us become leaders.
Communication: a good leader should develop open and honest communication. He/ she should
develop trust and integrity. When trust is complete, no one suspects anyone and all work for group. Then the
group will be a role model.
Honesty: this is the prime quality of a leader. When a leader is honest he/she begets honest followers.
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Fairness: a leader must be objective and treat everyone with dignity. Everyone should be given equal
priority. A leader should do SWOC analysis on regular basis.
Positivity: a leader must have positive attitude. This will have a great impact on his/her team. They
should be role models for their teams.
Legacy: leaders must prepare their team to face troubles in their absence. They must help people become
leaders, not followers.
c. Stress management:
Stress is a feeling we get when we are under pressure. This may be due to so much to do in very less
time. Work pressure irritates us. This affects our hormones. It affects our well-being and confidence. So, it is
mandatory for us to understand stress and manage it.
We need to identity how and why we get stress. Some may have stage fear some may get stress when
they have to meet deadlines. Once we identify the trigger, we can fix it. Though there is no single solution
for stress the following are some of the common practices to counter stress.
1) Exercise: moving your muscles through physical activity does tricks. It asks concentrate on other
than stress. It also relieves us of stress.
2) Share: sharing your stress may help you. So share your feelings with your near and dear. You get
confidence and support.
3) Relax: getting eight hours of sleep keeps you away from stress. It keeps our mind at ease and ready
for the day to face the day afresh.
4) Meditation: prayer and meditation recharge our confidence. They Keep us healthy and keep us away
from stress.
5) Habits: develop healthy habits and avoid unhealthy ones such as alcohol.
Sometimes small symptoms may be indications of your future stress. Detect them early. The simple
solution for stress is: identify, understand and overcome.

d. Etiquette:
Etiquette is the acceptable social behaviour. If your behaviour is polite it is possible that you are going
to achieve success in all walks of your life. Though there are many people in our office / college, only a few
become favourite for others. This is because of their etiquette.
Given below is the list of a few examples of good etiquette.
➢ Be punctual.
➢ Greet your colleagues with a smile.
➢ Develop the habit of neatness.
➢ Do not speak loudly.
➢ Seek permission if you enter into your colleagues’ room.
➢ Be honest and sincere in maintaining relations.
➢ Listen to problems with empathy.
➢ Keep your office room neat and tidy.
Grooming: it refers to our cleanliness and how we dress. The way we dress and its appropriateness tells
what kind of people we are. Here are some guidelines for being well groomed.
➢ Pay special care for hygiene.
➢ Dress in a proper manner. Your clothes should fit you well and they should give you dignity.
➢ Do not wear clothes that do not reflect your profession.
➢ Use perfume if you must. It should not embarrass others.
Value orientation
a. Time and tide wait for no one:
This is a saying which means we want use all time wisely. It does not go back. We must live our life to
the full. These goes a saying ; “yesterday is history- tomorrow is a mystery, today is what you have ; that is
why it is called present”.
This tells us the value of time. All great people value time ; theirs and others. The meritorious students
and other successful people may waste money, but not time.
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To achieve success in any field the following tips will help:

• Learning of skills
• Have a plan for success
• Divide time into schedules
• Monitor progress
• Be confident
• Be patient
• When the opportunity comes, grab it
• Value your time.
b. THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
This is a great saying with in depth meaning. It means that a person of letters (writers / philosopher/poet)
is mightier than a soldier. A soldier may win battles with his sword. But a writer wins over the world with
his writings. Many great achievements are made possible only through a pen. Many great national movements
are spread after their leaders penned their thoughts. Professor Jayashankar constantly wrote his thoughts and
opinions to give clarity on the great Telangana movement. Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Nelson Mandela,
Abraham Lincoln, Churchill and great many leaders transformed people through their writings, not through
sword. Greatest changes are made by people only through non- violence. Knowledge and wisdom of our
ancestors came to us through their writings.
c. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT:
This is a popular saying that emphasises on the importance of rehearsal. If you want to get perfection,
practise. All the great people achieved their successes by doing the work they love. They practise regularly
until they get perfection. Later, they practice to maintain perfection. This is the reason why high achievers
are always keep doing their work with focussed preparation. There is a saying: the Fiddle takes one hour to
learn and life time to master. Speakers say a lot about practice. It boosts our confidence. Your favourite actors
spend at least 8 hours a day to hone their skills, so do your favourite cricketers. Your performance looks
natural if you practise. You do not panic when you perform.
The same rule applies to your studies. You have to be through with your basics, understand the subject.
Prepare your own question paper, write answers and evaluate yourself. This improves your grades.
d. NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION:
This proverb has a great and in depth meaning. It means that when the need for something becomes
essential, you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it.
It means that necessity compels man to exercise his power of invention.
It further means that:
• necessity ignites the passion for work, and to invent new things that are beneficial for humans
• necessity encourages people to get to action, and
• Human beings struggle hard to attain something only when they have wants.
When the need for something becomes essential for survival, human-mind finds a way of getting it. The
necessity to save human-beings from ailments led to the invention of surgical equipment and modern
medicines. The inventions of life-giving medicines are the result of the desire to fight against deadly diseases.
The need to life is at the centre of creation of these medicines.
The need to talk to friends far away contributed to the invention of the telephone, the wireless phones
and the satellite communication system. Further, the need to always be on touch with other people gave way
to the invention of mobile-phones and internet.
Suppose you have to perform a task. It seems impossible. But you have no choice. Here you think
innovatively and search for unexpected solutions.
Greatest achievements in the history of mankind are made possible only because of inventions. Great
achievers have this killing insist. They never settle for terms them the best. They treat their success as a
necessity for their life.