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Ø Travel (poem) ØA Bicycle in good repair(prose) ØThe summit within (prose)

Observe the picture



Travel





Travel’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay speaks of one narrator’s unquenchable longing for the opportunity to escape from her everyday life.

The railroad track is miles away, And the day is loud with voices speaking, Yet there isn’t a train goes by all day But I hear its whistle shrieking.

1. In the first stanza , the speaker talks about two different sounds. A) What are these sounds? B) which of these sounds does she actually hear? —————————- —————————-



All night there isn’t a train goes by, Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming, But I see its cinders red on the sky,2 And hear its engine steaming.

About the author

Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. She gained fame with a Pulitzer Prize in 1923 and was also a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond.

2





My heart is warm with the friends I make, And better friends I’ll not be knowing, 2) What, according to the speaker, is the night for? What is Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take, she doing instead? ——-————————- —————————————— No matter where it’s going. 3)Read the line and answer the questions: ‘And better friends I’ll not be knowing’ a) Who are these better friends?

b) What makes the speaker call them better? c) Has she met them? Does she expect to meet them at all?





1. What are the speaker’s feelings towards the people who are currently in her life? Yet, despite her feelings, what does she want to do? —————————————————————————————————————— —————————————————————————————————————— 2. What does the train represent in this poem? a) A means to get from one place to another b) A noisy object that the poet can never see but always hears c) An opportunity to go out and see the world —————————————————————————————————————— ———————————————————————————————————————— 3. Why does the speaker seem to be willing to take any train to any place? What does this tell you about her state of mind and the way she feels about her life? ———————————————————————————————————— ———————————————————————————————————— 4. Do you think the poem has been suitably titled? Why or why not? ———————————————————————————————————— ————————————————————————————————————





ACTIVITY 1 Find out the rhyming pattern in this poem . ————————————————————— ———————————————————— ACTIVITY 2 Poets use various images to lead the readers to a sensory experience. Images often give us mental pictures that appeal to our senses of sight , sound , taste, touch and smell. Pick out instances of visual and auditory (sound) images from the poem . One is done for you. Visual Auditory .

. Whistle shrieking

.

.

ACTIVITY 3 Write down words from the poem related to transience and eternity Transience Eternity









If you wish to go on a long bicycle ride, the bicycle should be in good condition. If possible, an expert mechanic should overhaul it. But what happens if the machine has a will of its own and the mechanic knows next to nothing?

man I knew proposed one evening we should go for a long bicycle ride together on the following day, and I agreed. I got up early, for me; I made an effort, and was pleased with myself. He came half an hour late; I was waiting for him in the garden. It was a lovely day. He said, “That’s a good-looking machine of yours. How does it run?” “Oh, like most of them!” I answered; “easily enough in the morning; goes a little stiffly after lunch.” He caught hold of it by the front wheel and the fork, and shook it violently. I said, “Don’t do that; you’ll hurt it.” I did not see why he should shake it; it had not done anything to him. Besides, if it wanted shaking, I was the proper person to shake it. I felt much as I should had he started whacking my dog. He said, “This front wheel wobbles.” I said, “It doesn’t if you don’t wobble it.” It didn’t wobble, as a matter of fact— nothing worth calling a wobble. He said, “This is dangerous; have you got a hammer?” I ought to have been firm, but I thought that perhaps he really did know something about the business. I went to the tool shed to see what I could find. When I came back he was sitting on the ground with the front wheel between his legs. He was playing with it, twiddling it round between his fingers; the remnant of the machine was lying on the gravel path beside him.

He said, “It looks to me as if the bearings were all wrong.” I said, “Don’t you trouble about it any more; you will make yourself tired. Let us put it back and get off.” He said, “We may as well see what is the matter with it, now it is out.” He talked as though it had dropped out by accident. Before I could stop him he had unscrewed something somewhere, and out rolled all over the path some dozen or so little balls. “Catch ‘em!” he shouted; “catch ‘em! We mustn’t lose any of them.” He was quite excited about them. We grovelled round for half an hour, and found sixteen. He said he hoped we had got them all, because, if not, it would make a serious difference to the machine. I put them for safety in my hat. It was not a sensible thing to do, I admit. He then said that while he was about it he would see to the chain for me, and at once began taking off the gear-case. I did try to dissuade him from that. I told him what an experienced friend of mine once said to me solemnly: “If anything goes wrong with your gear-case, sell the machine and buy a new one; it comes cheaper.”

1. “I got up early, for me.” It implies that (i) he was an early riser. (ii) he was a late riser. (iii) he got up late that morning. ———————— ———————— 2. The friend shook the bicycle violently. Find two or three sentences in the text which express the author’s disapproval of it. ————————— —————————

He said, “People talk like that who understand nothing about machines. Nothing is easier than taking off a gear-case.” I had to confess he was right. In less than five minutes he had the gear-case in two pieces, lying on the path, and was grovelling for screws. He said it was always a mystery to him the way screws disappeared. Common sense continued to whisper to me: ‘Stop him, before he does any more mischief. You have a right to protect your own property from the ravages of a lunatic. Take him by the scruff of the neck, and kick him out of the gate!’ But I am weak when it comes to hurting other people’s feelings, and I let him muddle on. He gave up looking for the rest of the screws. He said screws had a knack of turning up when you least expected them, and that now he would see to the chain. He tightened it till it would not move; next he loosened it until it was twice as loose as it was before. Then he said we had better think about getting the front wheel back into its place again. I held the fork open, and he worried with the wheel. At the end of ten minutes I suggested he should hold the fork, and that I should handle the wheel; and we changed places. At length we did get the thing into position; and the moment it was in position he burst out laughing. I said, “What’s the joke?” He said, “Well, I am an ass!” It was the first thing he had said that made me respect him. I asked him what had led him to the discovery. He said, “We’ve forgotten the balls . I looked for my hat; it was lying topsy-turvy in the middle of the path. He was of a cheerful disposition. He said, “Well, we must put back all we can find, and trust to providence.” 3. The bicycle “goes easily enough in the morning and a little stiffly after lunch.” The remark is (i) humorous. (ii) inaccurate. (iii) sarcastic. (iv) enjoyable. (v) meaningless.

We found eleven. We fixed six on one side and five on the other, and half an hour later the wheel was in its place again. It need hardly be added that it really did wobble now; a child might have noticed it. He said it would do for the present. I said, “Watching you do this is of real use to me. It is not only your skill that fascinates me, it is your cheery confidence in yourself, your inexplicable hopefulness, that does me good.” Thus encouraged, he set to work to refix the gear-case. He stood the bicycle against the house, and worked from the off side. Then he stood it against a tree, and worked from the on side. Then I held it for him, while he lay on the ground with his head between the wheels, and worked at it from below, and dropped oil upon himself. Then he took it away from me, and doubled himself across it till he lost his balance and slid over on to his head. Then he lost his temper and tried bullying the thing. The bicycle, I was glad to see, showed spirit; and the subsequent proceedings degenerated into little else than a rough-and-tumble fight between him and the machine. One moment the bicycle would be on the gravel path, and he on top of it; the next, the position would be reversed— he on the gravel path, the bicycle on him. Now he would be standing flushed with victory, the bicycle firmly fixed between his legs. But his triumph would be short-lived. By a sudden, quick movement it would free itself and, turning upon him, hit him sharply over the head with one of its handles. At a quarter to one, dirty and dishevelled, cut and bleeding, he said, “I think that will do”, and rose and wiped his brow. The bicycle looked as if it also had had enough of it. Which had received most punishment it would have been difficult to say. I took him into the back kitchen where, so far as was possible, he cleaned himself. Then I sent him home. About the author 4. “...if not, it would make a serious difference to the machine.” What does ‘it’ refer to? ——————





Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow







1. Did the front wheel really wobble? What is your opinion? Give a reason for your answer. ————————————————————————— 2. In what condition did the author find the bicycle when he returned from the tool shed? ————————————————————————— 3. “Nothing is easier than taking off the gear-case.” Comment on or continue this sentence in the light of what actually happens. ————————————————————————— 4. What special treatment did the chain receive? ————————————————————————— 5. The friend has two qualities — he knows what he is doing and is absolutely sure it is good. Find the two phrases in the text which mean the same. ————————————————————————— 6. Describe ‘the fight’ between the man and the machine. Find the relevant sentences in the text and write them. —————————————————————————

Activity 1 I. Read the following sentences. • We should go for a long bicycle ride. • I ought to have been firm. • We mustn’t lose any of them. • I suggested that he should hold the fork, and that I should handle the wheel. The words in italics are modal auxiliaries. Modal auxiliaries are used with verbs to express notions such as possibility, permission, willingness, obligation, necessity, etc. ‘Should,’ ‘must’ and ‘ought to’ generally express moral obligation, necessity and desirability.

Look at the following. • We should go on a holiday. (suggestion: It is a good idea for us to go on a holiday.) • He is not too well these days. He must see a doctor before he becomes worse. (compulsion or necessity: It is absolutely essential or necessary for him to see a doctor.) • You ought to listen to me. I am well over a decade older than you. (more emphatic than ‘should’: Since I am older than you, it is advisable that you listen to me.) Note: ‘Should’ and ‘ought to’ are often used interchangeably . Rewrite each of the following sentences using should/ ought to/must in place of the italicised words. Make other changes wherever necessary. (i) You are obliged to do your duty irrespective of consequences. ———————————————————— (ii) You will do well to study at least for an hour every day. ———————————————————— (iii) The doctor says it is necessary for her to sleep eight hours every night. ———————————————————- (iv) It is right that you show respect towards elders and affection towards youngsters. ———————————————————— (v) If you want to stay healthy, exercise regularly. ———————————————————— (vi) It is good for you to take a walk every morning. ———————————————————— (vii) It is strongly advised that you don’t stand on your head. ————————————————————— (viii) As he has a cold, it is better for him to go to bed.

——————————————————————



Activity 2 Use should/must/ought to appropriately in the following sentences. (i) People who live in glass houses not throw stones. (ii) You wipe your feet before coming into the house, especially during the rains. (iii) You do what the teacher tells you. (iv) The pupils were told that they write more neatly. (v) Sign in front of a park: You not walk on the grass. (vi) You be ashamed of yourself having made such a remark. (vii) He left home at 9 o’clock. He be here any minute. (viii) “Whatever happened to the chocolate cake?” “How I know? I have just arrived.”

Activity 3 Two or more single sentences can be combined to form a single sentence. Read the following. I made an effort, and was pleased with myself. This sentence is in fact a combination of two sentences. • I made an effort. • I was pleased with myself. Now read this sentence. I did not see why he should shake it. This is also a combination of two sentences. • I did not see (it). • Why should he shake it? Divide each of the following sentences into its parts. Write meaningful parts. If necessary, supply a word or two to make each part meaningful. i. I went to the tool shed to see what I could find. (3 parts) ii. When I came back he was sitting on the ground. (2 parts) iii. We may as well see what’s the matter with it, now it is out. (3 parts) iv. He said he hoped we had got them all (3 parts). v. I had to confess he was right. (2 parts).







Activity 4 ‘en’ acts as a prefix (put at the beginning) or as a suffix (put at the end) to form new words. en + courage = encourage weak + en = weaken ‘en’ at the beginning or at the end of a word is not always a prefix or a suffix. It is then an integral part of the word. ending barren (i) Now arrange the words given in the box under the three headings — prefix, suffix and part of the word. Encourage Dampen Listen Barren Endanger Soften

Fasten Enclose Weaken Even Enable Enclave

En (prefix)

En(suffix)





En (part of word)

(ii) Find new words in your textbook and put them under the same headings.

Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia was a member of the first successful Indian expedition to Mount Everest in 1965. How did he feel when he stood on the highest point in the world? Let us hear his story in his words — climbing the summit and, then, the more difficult task of climbing the summit within.

Of all the emotions which surged through me as I stood on the summit

of Everest, looking over miles of panorama below us, the dominant one I think was humility. The physical in me seemed to say, ‘Thank God, it’s all over!” However, instead of being jubilant, there was a tinge of sadness. Was it because I had already done the ‘ultimate’ in climbing and there would be nothing higher to climb and all roads hereafter would lead down? By climbing the summit of Everest you are overwhelmed by a deep sense of joy and thankfulness. It is a joy which lasts a lifetime. The

experience changes you completely. The man who has been to the mountains is never the same again. As I look back at life after climbing Everest I cannot help remarking about the other summit — the summit of the mind — no less formidable and no easier to climb. Even when getting down from the summit, once the physical exhaustion had gone, I began asking myself the question why I had climbed Everest. Why did the act of reaching the summit have such a hold on my imagination? It was already a thing of the past, something done yesterday. With every passing day, it would become more remote. And then what would remain? Would my memories fade slowly away? All these thoughts led me to question myself as to why people climb mountains. It is not easy to answer the question. The simplest answer would be, as others have said, “Because it is there.” It presents great difficulties. Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. The obstacles in climbing a mountain are physical. A climb to a summit means endurance, persistence and will power. The demonstration of these physical qualities is no doubt exhilarating, as it was for me also. I have a more personal answer to the question. From my childhood I have been attracted by mountains. I had been miserable, lost, when away from mountains, in the plains. Mountains are nature at its best. Their beauty and majesty pose a great challenge, and like many, I believe that mountains are a means of communion with God.

Read and reflect

1.Standing on Everest, the writer was (i) overjoyed. (ii) very sad. (iii) jubilant and sad. Choose the right item.





Once having granted this, the question remains: Why Everest? Because it is the highest, the mightiest and has defied many previous attempts. It takes the last ounce of one’s energy. It is a brutal struggle with rock and ice. Once taken up, it cannot be given up halfway even when one’s life is at stake. The passage back is as difficult as the passage onwards. And then, when the summit is climbed, there is the exhilaration, the joy of having done something, the sense of a battle fought and won. There is a feeling of victory and of happiness. Glimpsing a peak in the distance, I get transported to another world. I experience a change within myself which can only be called mystical. By its beauty, aloofness, might, ruggedness, and the difficulties encountered on the way, the peak draws me to it — as Everest did. It is a challenge that is difficult to resist. Looking back I find that I have not yet fully explained why I climbed Everest. It is like answering a question why you breathe. Why do you help your neighbour? Why do you want to do good acts? There is no final answer possible. And then there is the fact that Everest is not just a physical climb. The man who has been to the mountain-top becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe. The physical conquest of a mountain. is only one part of the achievement. There is more to it than that. It is followed by a sense of fulfilment. There is the satisfaction of a deep urge to rise above one’s surroundings. It is the 2. The emotion that gripped eternal love for adventure in man. him was one of The experience is not merely physical. (i) victory over hurdles. It is emotional.It is spiritual. (ii) humility and a sense of smallness.

(iii) greatness and self importance. (iv) joy of discovery. Choose the right item.

There is something in you that does not let you give up the struggle. And you go on. Your companion keeps up with you. Just another fifty feet. Or a hundred, maybe. You ask yourself: Is there no end? You look at your companion and he looks at you. You draw inspiration from each other. And then, without first being aware of it, you are at the summit. Looking round from the summit you tell yourself that it was worthwhile. Other silvery peaks appear through the clouds. If you are lucky the sun may be on them. The surrounding peaks look like a jewelled necklace around the neck of your summit. Below, you see vast valleys sloping into the distance. It is an ennobling, enriching experience to just look down from the summit of a mountain. You bow down and make your obeisance to whichever God you worship. I left on Everest a picture of Guru Nanak. Rawat left a picture of Goddess Durga. Phu Dorji left a relic of the Buddha. Edmund Hillary had buried a cross under a cairn (a heap of rocks and stones) in the snow. These are not symbols of conquest but of reverence. The experience of having climbed to the summit changes you completely. There is another summit. It is within yourself. It is in your own mind. Each man carries within himself his own mountain peak. He must climb it to reach to a fuller knowledge of himself. It is fearful, and unscalable. It cannot be climbed by anyone else. You yourself have to do it. The physical act of climbing to the summit of a mountain outside is akin to the act of climbing the mountain within. The effects of both the climbs are the same. Whether the mountain you climb is physical or emotional and spiritual, the climb will certainly change you. It teaches you much about the world and about yourself. 3. “The summit of the mind” refers to (i) great intellectual achievements. (ii) the process of maturing mentally and

spiritually. (iii) overcoming personal ambition for common welfare. (iv) living in the world of thought and imagination. (v)thetriumphofmindoverworldlypleasures foranoblecause. (vi) a fuller knowledge of oneself. Mark the item(s) not relevant.

I venture to think that my experience as an Everester has provided me with the inspiration to face life’s ordeals resolutely. Climbing the mountain was a worthwhile experience. The conquest of the internal summit is equally worthwhile. The internal summits are, perhaps, higher than Everest. About the author Major Hari Pal Singh Ahluwalia (6 November 1936 – 14 January 2022) was an Indian mountaineer, author, social worker and retired Indian Army officer. He is one of six Indian men and the twenty first man in the world to climb Mount Everest. On 29 May 1965, 12 years to the day from the first ascent of Mount Everest, he made the summit with the fourth and final successful attempt of the 1965 Indian Everest Expedition along with H. C. S. Rawat and Phu Dorjee Sherpa.



Answer the following questions

1.Answer the following questions. (i) What are the three qualities that played a major role in the author’s climb? (ii) Why is adventure, which is risky, also pleasurable? (iii) What was it about Mount Everest that the author found irresistible? (iv) One does not do it (climb a high peak) for fame alone. What does one do it for, really? (v) “He becomes conscious in a special manner of his own smallness in this large universe.” This awareness defines an emotion mentioned in the first paragraph. Which is the emotion?











(vi) What were the “symbols of reverence” left by members of the team on Everest? (vii) What, according to the writer, did his experience as an Everester teach him? 2. Write a sentence against each of the following statements. Your sentence should explain the statement. You can pick out sentences from the text and rewrite them. The first one has been done for you. (i) The experience changes you completely. One who has been to the mountains is never the same again. ii) Man takes delight in overcoming obstacles. _________________________________________ (iii) Mountains are nature at its best. _________________________________________ (iv) The going was difficult but the after- effects were satisfying. _________________________________________ (v) The physical conquest of a mountain is really a spiritual experience.

Activity 1

1.Look at the italicised phrases and their meanings given in brackets. Mountains are nature at its (nature’s best form and best. appearance) Your life is at risk. (in danger; you run the risk of losing your life.) He was at his best/worst in the last meeting.

(it was his best/worst performance.)



Fill in the blanks in the following dialogues choosing suitable phrases from those given in the box. At hand At once At all At a low ebb At first sight



i) Teacher: You were away from school without permission. Go to the principal ________________ and submit your explanation. Pupil: Yes, Madam. But would you help me write it first? (ii) Arun: Are you unwell? Ila: No, not ________________ Why do you ask? Arun: If you were unwell, I would send you to my uncle. He is a doctor. (iii)Mary:AlmosteveryIndianfilmhasanepisodeoflove______ David: Is that what makes them so popular in foreign countries? (iv)Asif:Youlookdepressed.Whyareyourspirits______today? (Use such in the phrase) Ashok: I have to write ten sentences using words that I never heard before. (v) Shieba:Your big moment is close________________. Jyoti: How should I welcome it? Shieba: Get up and receive the trophy

.











2. Write the noun forms of the following words adding -ance or -ence to each. (i)endure ________________. (ii) persist_____________ (iii) signify ________________. (iv) confide____________ (v) maintain ______________. (vi) abhor ____________



1 . Match words under A with their meanings under B. A B remote means

difficult to overcome most prominent

dominant

overpowered

formidable

method(s)

overwhelmed

far away from





(ii) Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with appropriate words from under A. (a) There were ________________ obstacles on the way, but we reached our destination safely. (b) We have no ________________ of finding out what happened there.







(c) Why he lives in a house ________________ from any town or village is more than I can tell. (d) ________________ by gratitude, we bowed to the speaker for his valuable advice. (e) The old castle stands in a ___________ position above the sleepy town.

Activity 2

Write a composition describing a visit to the hills, or any place which you found beautiful and inspiring. Before writing, work in small groups. Discuss the points given below and decide if you want to use some of these points in your composition. Ø Consider this sentence Mountains are a means of communion with God. Ø Think of the act of worship or prayer. You believe yourself to be in the presence of the divine power. In a way, you are in communion with that power. Ø Imagine the climber on top of the summit—the height attained; limitless sky above; the climber’s last ounce of energy spent; feelings of gratitude, humility and peace. Ø The majesty of the mountains does bring you close to nature and the spirit and joy that lives there, if you have the ability to feel it. Some composition may be read aloud to the entire class afterwards.





THE END