Unit 3 Tales of Toil

This unit is conceived on the basis of the issue domain 'Lack of Human Resource Development'. It consists of four literary pieces - two stories and two poems all of which have a thematic link. The short story 'The Man who Knew too Much' takes us to the world of soldiers and points out what qualities other than hard work do we need for success in life. The learners are expected to acquire concepts related to soft skills, interpersonal skills etc. through the transaction of the story. The story for Extended Reading 'The Resignation' by Premchand is a real extension of the theme, ‘dignity in work place’. It tells us about the employer-employee relationship and how far the employee is bound to the employer. The poem for detailed study 'I am the People, the Mob' by Carl Sandburg praises people as the makers of human civilization. 'Follower' by Seamus Heaney included in the Extended Reading section is a poem which describes the transfer of work skills and the resultant cultural legacy from generation to generation in an agrarian background.

Issue domain : Lack of human resource development Lack of cohesive universal vision Sub issue : Dignity of labour The need for soft skills in the development of a proper work culture Values, attitudes etc. to be kept in workplace Learning Objectives • To develop proper attitude towards work. • To construct various discourses like description, narrative, script, write-up, feature etc. • To read and enjoy pieces of literature like short stories and poems. • To think and evaluate critically the issues related to human resource development and to develop proper skills and attitudes needed for the development of human resource.

HANDBOOK 78 ENGLISH STD IX Language Activities Use of given phrases Framing comparative phrases Familiarising compound words Vocabulary activities, sounds, stress, etc. Ask and answer ques- tions Complement Phrasal verbs Past habitual actions Activities Debate Paragraph writing Interview Letter Script writing Description Reviewing a story Character sketch Discourse level Poem Seamus Extended ‘Follower’ - Heaney Passage Reading Premchand Extended ‘The Resigna- tion’ - Poem SYLLABUS GRID ‘I’m the People, the Mob’ Carl Sandburg - Alexander Short Story ‘The Man who Knew too Much’ - Baron Prose passage Sub-issues Dignity of labour Right attitude towards work Success of hard work Issues Theme/ Human Resource Develop- ment Unit Unit 3 TALES OF TOIL

HANDBOOK 79 ENGLISH STD IX Short Story Module 1 The Man who Knew too Much Entry text (Collage) Alexander Baron Process Note on the author You can think of any meaningful activity as an entry to this unit. It can be an Alexander Baron (December 4, 1917 – anecdote, picture, discussion etc. which December 6, 1999) was a British author and would sensitise the learners on the sub screenwriter. He is best known for his highly issues enlisted such as dignity of labour, the acclaimed novel about D-Day (June 6, 1944 need for soft skills in the development of a in the Second World War on which allied proper work culture, values and attitudes forces invaded Northern France) entitled to be kept in work place. The collage From the City from the Plough (1948) and prefixed to the story can also be used as an his London novel The Lowlife (1963). His introduction to the entire unit. father was Barnet Bernstein, a Polish- You may ask the learners to analyse the collage Jewish immigrant to Britain who settled in and identify the persons doing different types the East End of London in 1908 and later of jobs. worked as a furrier. Alexander Baron was Let the learners give their responses orally to born in Maidenhead and raised in the the questions given along with the collage. Hackney district of London. You may lead the discussion to the sub-issue Baron served in the Pioneer Corps of the ‘dignity of labour’ by citing examples of great British Army during World War II, men/women (Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham experiencing fierce fighting in the Italian Lincoln, Mother Teresa) who have upheld the campaign in Normandy, Northern France principle of dignity of labour. and Belgium. As a sapper (a military Let the learners narrate anecdotes related to engineer who lays or detects and disarms dignity of labour from the lives of personalities mines), he was among the first Allied they know. troops to be landed in Sicily, Italy and on Module 2 (Para 1- 8) D-Day. He used his wartime experiences as the basis for his three best-selling war Process (Reading) novels. After the war he became assistant • Let the learners read paragraphs 1-8 of editor of Tribune before publishing his first the story ‘The Man who Knew too Much’ novel From the City from the Plough. At this individually. time, at the behest of his publisher Jonathan • Let them mark ü,?,! with a pencil to keep Cape, he also changed his name from track of their reading. Bernstein to Baron. • Let the learners sit in groups (5 to 8 About the Story members) and share what they have Theme understood and what they haven’t. Let them also share what they have found An ordinary soldier (Private) named interesting/surprising in that part of the Quelch who has been recruited recently is story. overenthusiastic by nature. He toils day in • If there are words/expressions they and day out in pursuit of his goals in life. haven’t understood let them refer to the His overzealous nature develops to the ready reference given at the end of the story extent of insubordination and he had to pay or to the glossary given on the last pages of the price for it. the Reader.

HANDBOOK 80 ENGLISH STD IX • If a group can’t understand a certain 3. The questions asked repeatedly by the area, encourage them to raise their doubts. sergeant. He answered them all very well and this enhanced his glory. • Megaphone their doubts to other groups. 4. His classmates might be envious and full • If no group can clarify the doubt raised, of admiration for him. you can scaffold them by asking questions leading to the answer. 5. His ambition was to get a commission and as a first step he wanted to get a stripe. For example, if a group raises a doubt about the expression ‘attentive circle’, you may Pause and Reflect ask questions like: You need not insist the learners to write the Ø How are the soldiers standing round the answers to the questions given in pause and sergeant - in a line or in a circle? reflect. Let the learners think and answer the questions orally. Random presentation can be Ø Are they attentive to what the sergeant called for. spoke? Ask the learners to narrate an incident in Ø Who are attentive - the soldiers or the which their ideas/findings were not circle? appreciated by the teacher. Ø Can you alter the structure of the Let them narrate, when the incident sentence, ‘We stood in an attentive circle.’ happened, what display of intelligence they as, ‘We stood in a circle, attentive.’? made, how the teacher reacted, what Ø Is there a change of meaning then? feelings it created in them etc. Lead the learners to the vocabulary Instead of saying ‘the soldiers are attentive’ activities 1(a) and (b) given on Page 74. the writer has transferred the epithet ‘attentive’ to ‘circle’. Activity 1a After clarifying all the difficult areas, let maiden name nameplate them asses their reading. For this, let them Christian name nick name fill in the self assessment checklist on Page name-calling common name 68. false name name tag Remind the learners to identify words to scientific name stage name be recorded in the personal wordlist and name-tape family name write them in the boxes given along with brand name namesake the story. They should write the word, its Activity 1b meaning and use it in a sentence. Pet name : a name used to express fondness Now, ask them to answer the scaffolding or familiarity. questions (1-5) individually. First name/forename : a personal name Hints for scaffolding questions given to someone at birth. 1. His nickname is ‘the Professor’. He is Surname/Last name/Family name : named so as he clarifies the doubts of all a hereditary name common to all members on any subject. of a family. Personal appearance: lanky, stooping and Pen name : a name used by a writer instead frowning through horn-rimmed spectacle. of his/ her real name. (a literary Character: lectures on every aspect of pseudonym) e.g. Samuel Langhorne human knowledge, very intelligent and Clemens - Mark Twain over enthusiastic. Full name : all of the words of someone’s 2. Doubts. name.

HANDBOOK 81 ENGLISH STD IX Let the learners write their full name and Now, lead the learners to Pages 74-75 to identify their first, middle and last names do vocabulary activities 2 and 3. Let them (if any). attempt the activities individually first and then they can share them in groups. Activity 2 Module 3 (Para 9-13) bang : a sudden loud noise Process buzz : to make a continuous humming or You may ask the following interaction murmuring sound questions to introduce the section. clang : a loud, resonant, metallic sound Ø What kind of a person is Private Quelch? cuckoo : the name of a bird derived from Ø What is his aim in life? the sound it produces ring : the sound that a bell makes Ø Do you think his behaviour is proper? Why? Ask the learners to find out other onomatopoeic words e.g. hiss, thud, pop, Elicit random responses. boom. Now, ask the learners to read paragraphs Activity 3 9-13 to find out how Private Quelch slowly Hints becomes a laughing stock. outgrow : to grow too big for Process reading outpace : to go faster than Follow the process of reading suggested in Module 2. outlive : to live longer than Now, ask them to answer the scaffolding outplay : to play better than questions 6-8. outnumber : to be more in Hints for scaffolding questions number than 6. He worked hard. He borrowed training outsmart : to get the better of, manuals and stayed up late at night reading cleverly them. He asked questions to the instructors Some other words beginning with ‘out-’. and drilled with enthusiasm. outspoken : frank in stating 7. All those actions are right from his point one’s opinions of view. However, he grossly lacks certain outwit : to get an advantage interpersonal communication skills and over someone sense of propriety. outskirts : the outer parts of a 8. a. Yes/no. Let the learners justify their town or city answers logically. outset : the start or b. If the learners say ‘yes’ they may justify beginning it by saying, ‘one must know how to behave towards others, especially towards one’s Module 4 (Paras 14-25) superiors.’ If they say ‘no’ they may justify You may ask one or two learners to describe it like, ‘what is wrong in voicing one’s ideas the events of the story up to paragraph 13. when one is confident of its correctness?’ Initiate a discussion on how they will attend Pause and Reflect a lecture session, how they will pose a Let there be a discussion in the class on the question, ask for clarification etc. learners’ ambitions in life. Ask them to talk Consolidate the discussion points about their plans for a career. highlighting the need for developing soft

HANDBOOK 82 ENGLISH STD IX skills/ interpersonal communication skills to Activity 5 be successful in life. Weapons Rank Vehicles Ask the learners to read paragraphs 14-25 rifle Private aircraft of the story and find out how Private musket sergeant Harvard Quelch behaved during a lecture to his superior officer and how it affected his life. Trainer hand grenade Corporal plane Process Reading Orderly officer You may follow the process steps for Activity 6 reading as suggested in Module 2. A. (i) Perhaps in the hope of revenge, he Lead the learners to scaffolding questions turned with his questions again and again 9-13. to the professor. (Para 5) Hints for scaffolding questions (ii) He meant to get on, he told us. (Para 8) 9. Birthright, cookhouse, turning point, self- (iii) And day in and day out, he lectured to conscious us on every aspect of human knowledge. 10. (a) Mr Quelch asked the Corporal if/ (Para 10) whether he shouldn’t have started off with (iv) With the air of a man coming into his the five characteristics of the grenade. birthright he gave us an unexceptionable (b) The Corporal asked Mr Quelch to give lecture on the grenade. (Para 19) the lecture. (v) He paused and looked up and down the ranks as if seeking final confirmation of a 11. The attempt of Private Quelch to decision. (Para 21) outshine the Corporal is the turning point in his life. Coporal Turnbull nominated him (vi) Through the open door we could see for duties in the permanent cookhouse. the three cooks standing against the wall as if at bay. (Para 24) 12. Let the learners answer this question on their own and justify their stance. Ask the learners to find out the meanings of these phrases with the help of a 13. Private Quelch didn’t stop his habit of dictionary and the glossary given at the end lecturing even in the cookhouse. This made of the Reader. Let them use these phrases his friends flee from the place. in sentences of their own. Two of them are Let the learners do the vocabulary activities done for you. 4-6 given on Pages 75-76. 1. In the hope of getting a job, he politely Hints handed over his application to the Manager of the Company. Activity 4 kind – unkind 2. He got only a temporary appointment as the Supervisor but he meant to get on. exceptionable – unexceptionable Module 5 scientific – unscientific hygienic – unhygienic Textual Activities Other words (i) Group Discussion like – dislike The group discussion on the skills needed social – antisocial to attain success in life is designed to sensitise the learners on the importance of hero – anti-hero soft skills and interpersonal skills along sufficient – insufficient with academic skills for achieving success efficient – inefficient in life.

HANDBOOK 83 ENGLISH STD IX Process • Select a moderator to consolidate the arguments raised by the groups for and Ask the learners to reflect on the life of against the topic. Private Quelch. Trigger their thoughts by asking questions like: • Groups ‘for’ and ‘against’ the topic can present their arguments by turns (2-3 ØWhat do you learn from the life of Private minutes for each group). Quelch? • ØWhat prevents him from achieving his Let the moderator consolidate the goal in spite of his intelligence and arguments of various groups. hardwork? • After the debate, let the learners assess ØWhat are the qualities one has to cultivate themselves using self assessment checklist to achieve success in one’s life? on debate given on Page 73. Module 6 (ii) Debate (iii) Review In the light of the discussion conduct a debate on: Ask the learners to prepare a review of the The victimisation of Private Quelch for his short story. You may follow the following outspokenness to his superiors. steps in developing the review. (Ask the learners to refer to the tips for preparing a Process review given in Unit II) Ask the learners questions like: Stage I - Pre-writing Ø How far should a soldier obey his In groups, discuss the following: superiors? ØWhat are the features of a good short ØWhat should be the attitude of a superior story? officer towards his subordinates? ØHow effective are the elements like plot, ØDon’t you think all human beings have setting, characters, dialogues, and climax the right to keep their dignity and personal of the story? integrity? Ø How does each of these elements Ø Don’t you think we have to give due contribute to the success of the story? respect to our superiors? In the light of your discussion rank the story ØIs the punishment given to Private Quelch as ‘excellent’, ‘good’ ‘average’ or ‘poor’. justifiable? Why? Stage II - Writing the Review Ask the students to respond to these • questions and use them as supporting Individual writing details for their arguments in the debate. • Remind the learners to begin their review with a catchy beginning, summarise the Divide the class into two on the basis of plot, add their own opinion on the plot, their: describe characters, comment on the use of (i) empathy for Private Quelch dialogues etc. (ii) approval of the punishment given to • Ask them to proofread the review Private Quelch. • Let them sit in groups These groups can be sub-divided into 2 or • 3 groups of 5-6 members each. Encourage them to get a peer opinion of their review • Let each group sit together and discuss • Interact with the groups their views on the topic.

HANDBOOK 84 ENGLISH STD IX • Ask them to identify the best beginning/ labourer/professional, their place of work, the best plot summary/character family etc. description/ conclusion etc. Let them write individually a feature on the • Why do they consider a particular person they have selected. beginning or plot summary the best? Divide the class into 4-5 groups and let the • Ask them to fix the features of a good members of the group read the features review. written by others in the group and assess • Let them refine what they have written them. based on the features of a good review. Ask them to select the best feature from • Let the learners fill in the self assessment their group and justify their selection. checklist on review given on Page 73 to Circulate a few features on persons, assess their individual writings. published in magazines and newspapers in Presentation by groups. English and Malayalam. Module 7 Let the learners analyse them and iv. Feature understand how to make a good feature. As an end product of the unit, the learners Let them list the qualities of a good feature are expected to prepare a feature on one of (the use of language, the beginning, the labourers/ professionals in their locality. organisation, conclusion, layout etc.) Process Let the groups compile a small collection of features after refining the feature they Ask the learners to identify a skilled labourer or a professional who is highly have written in the light of the discussion. committed to his/ her work. Ask them to edit the feature in each of the Let the learners prepare a questionnaire to areas in the light of the discussion and conduct an interview with the labourer/ word-process the feature, formatting it professional. You may ask the learners beautifully and inserting relevant pictures. questions like: Ask them to proofread thoroughly and ØWhat all details do you want to get from publish it as a book. the person who you are going to interview Let them find out and give suitable names with? for the book of feature they compile. ØHow will you sequence your questions The Resignation when you prepare the questionnaire? Munshi Premchand (July 31, 1880– ØWhat will be the first question you would October 8, 1936) is generally recognised as like to ask? the foremost Hindi-Urdu writer during the ØWhat will you ask next? early twentieth century. ØWill you ask about the type of work he/ Premchand was born in the village Lamhi she is engaged in? near Varanasi to Munshi Ajaib Lal, a clerk ØWon’t you ask questions about his/her in the post office and his wife Anandi. In place of work, experience, notable 1899, Premchand left Lamhi to take up the contributions, challenges being faced, job position of a schoolmaster at a mission satisfaction, family details, memorable school in the town of Chunar. He was incidents in connection with the job, offered a job as the headmaster of the Model message to the readers etc.? School attached to a Teacher Training Now, let each learner interview a labourer/ College and was later transferred to professional using the questionnaire and Kanpur as the Deputy Sub-inspector of collect details and pictures of different Schools.

HANDBOOK 85 ENGLISH STD IX While at Allahabad, Premchand’s first Do employers ill-treat their employees even if novella, Asrar e Ma’abid (The Secrets of the they are modest? Sanctum Sanctorum) was serialized in the Here is the story of Fatehchand, a clerk who Urdu weekly Awaz-e-Khalq (first was totally different from Private Quelch in publication date 8 October 1903), but it was all respects. in Kanpur where his writing career really took off with his association with the Urdu ØWhat happened to Fatehchand? magazine Zamana in which he published a ØWhat made him resign his job? regular column, The March of Time, focusing on national and international affairs. His Read and enjoy the story ‘The Resignation’ second novel, also in Urdu, Kishna (1907) by Munshi Premchand. was written during this period (the text of Ask the learners to read Part 1 of the story this novel has not survived). He also individually. published a collection of short stories in Let them keep track of their reading. Urdu, Soz-e-vatan. In 1910, he was hauled up by the District Magistrate in Gorakhpur Let them answer the scaffolding questions. for his anthology of short stories Soz-e- Hints for scaffolding questions Watan (Dirge of the Nation), which was labelled seditious. All the copies of Soz-e- 1. The opening descriptions are really Watan were confiscated and burnt. amusing. The writer describes an office clerk in an interesting manner. In the course In 1921, he answered Mahatma Gandhi’s of the reading we understand that the call and resigned from his government job. contentment attributed to Fatehchand is The main characteristic of Premchand’s ironical to the core. writings is his interesting story-telling technique and use of simple language. His 2. Let the learners make note of the novels describe the problems of the rural important aspects of Fatehchand’s nature peasant classes. He avoided the use of from the fourth paragraph of the story. highly Sanskritised Hindi, but rather, he Module 8 used the dialect of the common people. Ask the learners to read Part 2 of the story. Premchand wrote about 300 short stories Let them present the things happened at and several novels as well as many essays, Fatehchand’s home in the form of a plays and letters. Many of Premchand’s narrative. stories have been translated into English and Russian. You may ask the learners to enact the scene described in the story, based on their Satyajit Ray filmed two of Premchand’s reading. works – Sadgati and Shatranj Ke Khiladi. Let the learners attempt the scaffolding Process questions individually. Now, let the learners move onto the story Hints for scaffolding questions for Extended Reading ‘The Resignation’. 3. Sharada wants Fatehchand to stay back Link the story thematically with the first home and rest. He has not even eaten story ‘The Man who Knew too Much’. anything after his return from office. Private Quelch excelled everyone – both his 4. It may not be true. The impatient reply peers and his superiors in professional of Sharada hints that she is lying. competence. But he was not modest in his behaviour and it almost spoiled all his chances 5. Fatehchand felt that his job was at stake. to excel in his career. But even for modesty So he went back to his employer even in there are limits. that late afternoon.

HANDBOOK 86 ENGLISH STD IX 6. Let the learners answer this question as You may scaffold the work in the group they interpret it. Ask them to justify their and edit the script after a discussion in the answer logically. class. Module 9 You may also organise a function to present Ask the learners to read Parts 3, 4 and 5 of the drama ‘The Resignation’ by the students the story at home. under the auspice of the English Club of your school. Let them present the conversation between Fatehchand and Saheb in the form of a role play. Module: 11 Let them attempt the scaffolding questions. I am the People, the Mob Hints for scaffolding questions Notes 7. The Sahib had not told him which file he I am the People, the Mob by Carl Sandburg wanted. So he decided not to go to his office. is a revolutionary invocation of the latent powers of the people. The people can 8. Let the learners respond to this question change the course of history if they don’t as they wish. Ask them why they think so. forget what had happened in the past and 9. Fatehchand may be expressing his wish what was done to them in the bygone days which he can never fulfil or he may be testing and years. It is the common people from his wife’s reaction if once he does so. among who the rulers of the world have 10. Learners may agree to this statement of emerged. It is the geniuses among them who Sharada. Sharada may be fed up with the have worked wonders with their brains to disgraceful life Fatehchand is leading. change the life and lifestyle of generations. 11. Fatehchand’s final decision comes out The poet uses a series of metaphors to drive of the inspiring words of Sharada. home the idea of the people’s collective strength. They are the seed ground and they 12. Let the learners write the letter are the prairie which can yield immense individually first and refine it in groups. wealth if properly cultivated and duly 13. Let the learners answer according to utilised. The terrible storms mentioned here their view and substantiate their stance. are the terrible storms of history like a 14. Resignation means ‘acceptance of one’s revolution, a riot, a revolt or a popular fate’ and ‘the act of resigning a job’. The uprising. Sometimes the people make a first stages of the story truly portray a clerk protest and spatter a few red drops for who accepts his fate uncomplainingly and history to remember. the last part of the story shows how he Remembrance is what makes people potent boldly resigns his job to keep his self-respect enough to fight against injustices and other and dignity. atrocities. Remembrance, here, is not just a Module 10 nostalgic longing for the past, but the Let the learners do Activity i given at the political memory that enables us to keep end of the story. ourselves away from historical amnesia which causes injustice to reign supreme Let the learners sit in groups and fill up the and thereby giving birth to inequality and table given. exploitation. Assign an event each to the groups. In short, the poem is a paean of the titanic Let the groups prepare a script for powers that man shall have if he stands presenting the story in the form of a drama. united with a proper political vision.

HANDBOOK 87 ENGLISH STD IX ØWhat are the people represented by these Warli paintings doing? ØWhat service do they do to the society? ØDo you think that the work of these people make up our civilization? Why? ØWhy are the facial features of the people in these paintings not distinct? Elicit random responses. Here is a poem on people who work hard A painting on the wall of a Warli house to build up human civilization. You may read the poem aloud two or three Process times. • Introduce the learners to the Warli Let the learners read the poem individually paintings given on Page 77. and keep track of their reading. Note: Ask the learners to sit in groups and share The Warlis or Varlis are an Indian what they understood, what they have not Scheduled Tribe. These indigenous people understood and what they found live in the taluks of Thane, Nasik and interesting and surprising. Dhule districts of Maharashtra, Valsad Let them refer to the glossary if needed. District of Gujarat, and the union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and If any of the groups feel difficulty in Daman and Diu. They have their own understanding the poem megaphone their beliefs, life, customs and traditions. The doubts to the other groups. Warlis speak an unwritten language You may explain the problem areas if no (Varli) which belongs to the southern zone group can effectively tackle them. of the Indo-Aryan languages, mingling Sanskrit, Marathi and Gujarati words. Ask the scaffolding questions to the whole The word Warli is derived from warla, class. meaning ‘piece of land’ or ‘field’. Let each learner think of the answer. In her book The Painted World of the Warlis Let them scribble the answers in the space Yashodhara Dalmia claimed that the provided in the textbook itself. Warlis carry on a tradition stretching back Allow two or three learners to present their to 2500 or 3000 BCE. Their extremely answers. rudimentary wall paintings use a very basic graphic vocabulary: a circle, a If there are questions for which no one can triangle and a square. The circle and find an answer let them sit in groups and triangle come from their observation of discuss. nature; the circle representing the sun and You may interact with the groups asking the moon, the triangle derived from simple interaction questions to channelise mountains and pointed trees. Only the their thoughts. square seems to obey a different logic and seems to be a human invention, indicating Hints for scaffolding question a sacred enclosure or a piece of land. 1. 'I' refers to people. 2. Every individual is an inevitable part of Ask the learners the following questions for the people. But often we forget this fact and interaction. use the third person 'they' to refer to the

HANDBOOK 88 ENGLISH STD IX people, the faceless mass who make up The People - Pablo Neruda human civilization. So the poet has Song to the Men of England - P.B.Shelley deliberately used the word 'I' to refer to the Coromandal Fishers - Sarojini Naidu people. Song XI of Gitanjali - Tagore 3. The other words to describe the people are the mob, the crowd and the mass. All a\pjys‚ ssIIƒ, Iqen∏Wn°mcs‚ Nncn - the three words refer to the ordinary people _me-N-{µ≥ Npffn°mSv who do not belong to the Government or aq¿Øn, Ncn{Xw -- - Un.-hn-\-b-N{µ≥ the ruling class. But they have subtle _wKmƒ - sI.-Pn.-i¶c∏nff differences in meaning. For e.g. - a mob is a IpdØn ˛ ISΩ-\n´ noisy crowd which is angry and violent whereas a crowd is a large group of people k¥mƒ \¿Ø-I¿ ˛ H.-F≥.-hn.-Ip-dp-∏v who have gathered together to do ]pØ≥ Iehpw Acnhmfpw ˛ CS-t»cn something. ]S-bm-fn-Iƒ ˛ sshtem-∏≈n 4. All human labour and culture rise up kw{I-aWw ˛ B‰q¿ chn-h¿Ω from among the masses. I√pSbv°p∂h¿ ˛ A°nØw 5. The people had been subjected to [≥_mZnse J\nsØmgnemfn ˛ k®nZm\µ≥ constant exploitation and the best of them hoSp]Wn°m¿ ]mSp∂p ˛-- Fkv.tPmk^v were sucked out and wasted. The tumult and turmoils in history have affected them 11. The mob will arrive when we all feel at times like a terrible storm. that we are also a part of ‘the people’ and will stand united for a noble cause of which 6. People would sometimes growl, shake the result will be a revolutionary change. themselves up and spill blood for history to remember. 7. 'I am' refers to 'I exist'. 'I forget' refers to Module - 12 the collective political amnesia we all suffer Textual Activities regarding the meaning and relevance of our Hints : vital role in the making of history. ii. The poet uses vivid word pictures to After the questions attempt Textual describe the people. The word pictures of Activities. working man, the inventor, the maker of (i) (The repetition of the word reminds us the world's food and clothes, the audience, of the moribund state of our existence. the seed ground and a prairie are used by People tend to forget their social the poet. responsibilities and the seriousness of their role as the makers of history. The poet tries iii. Process to make us aware of the harmful onslaught Note: The statement 'The struggle of man of forgetfulness.) against power is the struggle of memory 8. P\w, P\-X, Bfp-Iƒ, Bƒ°q´w, kmam-\y- against forgetting' quoted along with this P-\w, P\߃, s]mXp-P\w apX-em-b-h. question is taken from Milan Kundera's 9. The poet is speaking about all the famous novel 'The Book of Laughter and rebellions against oppressions that have Forgetting'. happened in the course of human history. Ask the learners to analyse the statement The ‘red drops’ refer to bloodshed and the given. You may ask the following questions. martyrdom of millions in these rebellions. (a) Do we remember all the struggles in the 10. Suggest certain poems on the same theme which the students can collect from past that paved the way for us to lead a the library. decent life?

HANDBOOK 89 ENGLISH STD IX (b) Who controls the media that determine the related agricultural activities assume our views and tastes? great philosophical as well as poetic depth (c) Do the media, the agents of power, ask and gravity in his writings. To him, digging us to remember the past or to forget the ground for picking potatoes becomes everything and lead a life of total enjoyment an act very much similar and akin to the and entertainment? act of writing poetry. Heaney's poem (d) Is memory a powerful weapon to fight 'Digging' in this respect, has some close against all oppressions and power? How? similarities with 'Follower'. (e) What benefits do centres of power have Digging when we forget things and lead a life of Between my finger and my thumb total oblivion? The squat pen rests; snug as a gun. Elicit responses. Under my window, a clean rasping sound Attempt an appreciation of the poem by When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: compiling the responses to these questions. My father, digging. I look down • Refer the process of writing an appreciation/review given in Unit II. Till his straining rump among the flowerbeds Bends low, comes up twenty years away • Let the learners attempt an appreciation Stooping in rhythm through potato drills of the poem individually. Where he was digging. • Let them sit in groups and refine what they have written. The coarse boot nestled on the lug, the shaft • Random presentation Against the inside knee was levered firmly. He rooted out tall tops, buried the bright • Editing. edge deep To scatter new potatoes that we picked, Loving their cool hardness in our hands. Module 13 By God, the old man could handle a spade. Lead the learners to the poem 'Follower' by Just like his old man. Seamus Heaney given in the Extended My grandfather could cut more turf in a Reading section of the unit. day Seamus Heaney (born 13 April 1939 - ) is Than any other man on Toner’s bog. an Irish poet, writer and lecturer who was Once I carried him milk in a bottle awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in Corked sloppily with paper. He 1995. He currently lives in Dublin. As he straightened up was born and educated in Northern To drink it, then fell to right away Ireland, Heaney has felt the need to Nicking and slicing neatly, heaving sods emphasise that he is Irish and not British. Over his shoulder, going down and down In 1989, he was elected Professor of Poetry For the good turf. Digging. at the University of Oxford, which he held The cold smell of potato mold, the for a five-year term to 1994. The Nobel squelch and slap committee described his works as ‘works Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which Through living roots awaken in my exalt everyday miracles and the living past’. head. But I’ve no spade to follow men like them. Note: Seamus Heaney is a poet who is known for Between my finger and my thumb his poetic idiom in which rural peasant life The squat pen rests. in Ireland plays a key-role. Farmers' life and I’ll dig with it.

HANDBOOK 90 ENGLISH STD IX In both the poems the peasant father is He therefore implies that the farmer also is admiringly addressed to by a son who is making history, provided he does it at a not so experienced a farmer as his father. more moderate and micro level. In turn, the relationship between the The mutuality of the son and the father peasant father and his son becomes a becomes more apparent towards the end symbolic representation of the bond of the poem when the son declares that he between two generations and the cultural wants to grow up and plough. The continuity that it engenders. ploughing, here, assumes a metaphorical The son in Heaney's 'Follower' pines to status to represent the entire range of acquire the expertise his father has. He human activities, humble yet noble, which strives to be like his father, at first, tripping, we call life. While ploughing the land the falling and yapping and eventually father and son alike plough the fertile soil becoming an expert farmer. But, at present, of human experiences or in other words, the aged father follows his son and doesn't they make human existence fertile through go away, completing a circle that leaves no their concentrated hard labour and the gap between two generations. The lines in expertise with which they perform their Heaney's 'Digging' says, task. The poet-son in 'Digging' is ploughing 'The old man could handle a spade, the field of language while he pens down a Just like his old man'. poem. He is digging up words and images just like digging up potatoes of which 'the The old man in the first line is the poet's cool hardness' can be felt in our hands. own father whereas the 'old man' in the second line is the poet's grandfather. This 'All I did was follow. tells us that there exists a cultural continuity In his broad shadow round the farm' - The that is cyclical in nature among the father, phrase 'broad-shadow' makes the father son and grandson. The father's mastery appear a stalwart and the son takes over the spade in turn becomes an equal pleasure and pride in remaining in his mastery over the pen in his son who is an shadow, constantly following him, even accomplished poet. while he is tripping and falling. The initial When coming back to 'Follower' what difficulty faced by the son in following his impresses us most is the poet's brevity and giant father is the embarrassment and accuracy in describing the peasant father bewilderment with which each human ploughing the land. The first three stanzas being tries to face the hardships of life. of the poem are entirely devoted to a Gradually he learns how to cope with the detailed description of the toiling father and complexities and challenges of life just like the sweating team formed by himself and the son who masters the expertise of his his companionable horses. Through some father in ploughing. The field here is the subtle expressions the poet makes the father field of life itself where one trips and falls appear like a giant navigator with his and through incessant effort learns to stand 'shoulders globed like a full sail', 'mapping upright and do the work of ploughing the the furrow exactly'. It goes without saying land further. It is the strong filial bond that that the words, 'globe', 'map' and 'sail' enables each to learn the hard lessons of remind us at once of a brave navigator who life and thereby to face it with courage and conducts an adventurous expedition to boldness. The chain, both of family ties and lands far away and unknown. Thus, the the cultural continuum, goes on without poet endows the peasant father with great breaking. It makes the earth more and more strength and courage and thereby equates fertile and therefore a fit place for us to live in. his activity of ploughing the field with the The son imitates his father even in the historic endeavor of conducting a voyage. minutest detail while he tills the land.

HANDBOOK 91 ENGLISH STD IX Culture, for Heaney, is a legacy and sail. The father who maps the furrow is like tradition plays a major role in it. There is a sailor who cuts through water. not even an iota of the so-called Oedipal jealousy in the relationship between the 3. ‘Worked’, ‘strained’, ‘clicking tongue’, father and his son. Both co-inhabit, helping, ‘plod’, ‘stiffen the arm’ etc. refer to work loving, supporting and empowering each and words like ‘tripping’, ‘falling’, other and, at the same time, keeping the ‘yapping’ and ‘stumbling’ refer to the efforts never-ending chain healthy and firm. involved. Process • Ask the learners to read the poem Module 13 individually. Language activities • Let them sit in groups and share their findings. Lead the learners to language activities • Move around among the groups and given on Pages 92 to 94. clarify their doubts. Activity - 1 • Ask them to attempt the scaffolding Process questions individually first and share their findings in groups. • Let the learners identify the occupation Hints for scaffolding questions of the person in the first picture. 1. His long experience in managing the • Then let them identify the occupations of horse and setting the plough makes him an the persons by looking at the pictures. expert. He is an expert in ploughing. • Interact with the learners by asking the 2. bright steel-pointed sock following questions. sweating team ØWho do you see in the picture? hob-nailed wake ØWhat is there in his/her a hand? polished sod. These images make the poem lively. ØWhat is he/she doing? 3. Father and the horses ØWhere is he/she now? They are called ‘sweating team' because ØWhere does he/she usually work? they work hand in hand to plough the field. Elicit free responses. 4. No, he was a nuisance at times though he learned valuable lessons of ploughing • Ask the learners to describe the occupation from his father on these occasions. of each person on the basis of their explanation. 5. The poem has an agrarian setting. 6. The son who followed his father to the • Let the learners attempt their description fields takes his father's place in the course individually first. of time. The reversal of roles takes place and • Then let them sit in groups and share their the responsibility of ploughing falls on the ideas. new generation. • 7. The transformation is a natural process Refinement in groups. that happens during the passage of time. • Presentation by the groups. Hints for textual activities Activity - 2 1. a b a b This is an activity to describe persons using 2. The father and horses ploughing together comparative phrases with 'as ... as' is compared to a yacht or a masted ship on construction.

HANDBOOK 92 ENGLISH STD IX Hints Elicit free responses from the class. one who is very thin - as thin as a Let the learners say both singular and plural matchstick subjects. one who is very big - as fat as a pumpkin Ask them what change they will bring one who is small - as small as an ant about in the verb when they use plural one who is cunning - as cunning as a fox subject (Refer the language activity in Unit I on Subject-Verb agreement). one who is slow - as slow as a snail Activity 3 e.g. They are soldiers. Process Then ask them to expand the subject if possible (This is also attempted in Unit-I. • Ask the learners to identify and say the Therefore it need not be detailed in the class subjects and verbs of the sentences given. as it is not the focus of this activity. It can • Then let them underline the word/words be done as home assignment). coming after the verb. Then ask the learners to find substitutes for (a soldier, smart, efficient, his friends fools) the verb and the complement as well. This can be done with all the sentences given in • Let them share their findings in groups. Activity 4 and many sentences can be • Interact with the groups so that the constructed in the classroom. Display a learners understand the function of these sentence on the blackboard. words in the sentences given. He is a solider Activity 4

• Use the discussion points given in Activity 4 for interaction. The young man is a doctor

• What do these words tell us about the subjects/objects? Her husband is a magician • Try reading the sentences after removing these words. Do they make sense? Activity 5 • Can you remove these words from the Process sentences without affecting their • Ask the learners to move on to Activity 5 meanings? and identify the complements. • After eliciting learner responses • Let them underline the complements in consolidate using the points given in 'Let's the textbook itself. sum up'. • Then ask them to identify whether these • Display each of the sentences on a chart complements describe the subject or the or black board indicating its structure. object. e.g: • After this classification let them say Subject verb complement whether these complements are nouns or He is a solider adjectives. Ask the learners to substitute each of these Hints words with other suitable words. For Private Quelch is intelligent. But he drove example, ask them what words can stand everyone crazy. He made everyone in place of 'He'.

HANDBOOK 93 ENGLISH STD IX nervous. He considered everyone else a Syntactic Editing: Eliminating excess fool. All of us thought him crazy. I find his words, supplying missing words, and behaviour strange. The corporal considered correcting the wrong word order. his behaviour rude. He sent Mr. Quelch to Morphological editing work in the kitchen. Still Quelch considered Wrong tense form it an honour. Wrong word inflexion Aspectual Errors intelligent (subject complement-adjective) Agreement and Affixes crazy (object complement- adjective) Spelling Editing nervous (object complement- adjective) Ask the learners to identify if there are any a fool (object complement- noun) such errors in the passage and to edit them crazy (object complement- adjective) properly. strange (object complement- adjective) Hints for Editing rude ( object complement- adjective) There are no punctuation errors in the an honour (object complement - noun) passage. Activity 6 Syntactic editing: No syntactic errors Ask the learners to add suitable object Morphological errors complements and complete the passage. Ammu's general knowledge is (error in agreement) amazing (wrong complement Hints form). Her father is a teacher. He buys We painted the house blue. It made us all (error in agreement) her a lot of books. happy. The house looks nice. My father Ammu seems (error in agreement) to know regards the house great. Some of my friends everything under the sun. We think (error even thought it fantastic. in agreement) we will win this year's quiz Activity 7 competition because of her. We are very happy (wrong complement form). Ammu Editing loves reading (wrong complement form). Ask the learners to edit the passage by She spends most of her leisure time in the following the steps of editing: library. However she is very sensitive (wrong complement form). Criticisms make Punctuation Editing: Fixing the boundaries (error in agreement) her uneasy (wrong of a sentence. complement form).

HANDBOOK 94 ENGLISH STD IX