Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Written by Raj Kumar Gautam Sir.......


About Love
Summary
'About Love' is a story by Anton Chekov. Mr. Chekov is a humorous writer. In this story, he tries to show that love is different in every situation. In his support, he presents three anecdotes to prove that love is always different. It is quite an individual matter and an unanswered mystery. It can't be generalized. The first loves story is about a cook, Nikanor and his beloved, Pelageya. Alyohin is the narrator of the story. He along with his friends – Ivan and Burkin - is taking breakfast on a rainy day. Nikanor comes to ask them what they would like him to prepare for dinner. Alyohin tells about him. He is a drunkard but he is loved by a beautiful girl Pelageya. She doesn't want to marry him but only wants to live with him. Alyohin puts a question mark: Why does Pelageya love Nikanor? One statement can't explain love. Each love story is different, quiet individual. In yet another love Alyohin was university of Moscow student and tells a story about himself. When he was studying at university, he loved a girl and lived with her. Every time he held her in his arms all she did was think about the money that Alyohin was going to give her and what she could buy.
Alyohin tells his own autobiography. When he was at university, he loved a girl who always was in his arms. She used to think about monthly expenditure allowed by him. Bachelors are lonely, so they like to go to restaurants and other places. Alyohin went to a university for higher studies and it was very costly. His father had mortgaged his land to pay for his studies. So instead of becoming an officer or a teacher, he had to go home and had to cultivate his field to pay off the loan. But Alyohin had a dream to be an officer, to talk with intellectuals and to dress himself just like a lawyer. Anyway, being a graduate, he did not enjoy the tough peasant life.
He was elected as a judge in the district court to represent the problem of his village. So, he had to get to the town to participate on the bench of judges. In this way, during his visits, he became intimate friend of a judge, Dmitri Luganovich. Luganovich invited him for dinner where he met his wife Anna Alexeyevna. Anna was extremely beautiful and enchanting lady who already had a six-month old baby. She was only 22 years whereas her husband was over 40 and very stupid in the game of love. Anna and Alyohin fell in love in the first meeting. They became closer and closer with the passage of time. It seemed that they were complementary to each other. But, their status and social limitation deprived them of being life partner. In this way, Anna was disappointed in love and she suffered from nervous prostration. She was advised to shift to Crimea. Fortunately, Luganovich was transferred from the town to the Western Province.
It was the moment of departure. Anna was inside the train as it was about to leave the station. In the mean time, Alyohin came to say goodbye to Anna inside of the train. When their eyes met both of them cried and held onto each other. Alyohin confessed his love by kissing. Anna was leaving the place forever, so they had to separate from each other.
Now, the rain has stopped by the end of the story. The two friends imagined how the lovers felt in the train and how interesting Alyohin's life would be if he had devoted his life to scholarly pursuit or something that would ease his dull and placid life. Burkin who was acquainted with Anna thought she was beautiful.
 All the three love stories show that love is different in each situation.

Q&A
The second paragraph of "About Love" is a brief account of a violent love affair between two servants. Is it significant that Alyohin is the source of this anecdote? How does the anecdote contrast with Alyohin's own story?
The violent love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya has been described in the second paragraph. Nikanor is an irritable, drunkard who doesn't want to love her from the very core of his heart. He beats her and swears at her every time he is drunk. All that Pelageya can do is hiding upstairs in Alyohin’s floor. But she loves him continuously. To Nikanor, love before marriage is a sin. On the other hand, she wants to live with him 'just so'. It is significant that Alyohin tells this anecdote because the love affair between Nikanor and Pelageya makes a beautiful, yet disturbing contrast with his own affair with Anna. Alyohin-Anna love is of the intellectual and mature type. They have healthy respect for each other; they talk for long hours and sit silently. They even go to theatre together. But, they conceal their love jealously and timidly. Thus, they are unexpressive lovers. The love between the two servants is very simple and they confess their love openly and frankly but they have their own choices about marriage. Their love is not bound by marital relation at all. It is carnal pleasure, and this seems more so for Pelageya. This physical passion might seem an attraction between these two servants whereas Alyohin's and Anna's love is more of a spiritual kind. Both of them reason more and are victims of their own indecision. They couldn't express their love and their love didn't provide them satisfaction rather it brought unhappiness, separation and pessimism.

How does the account of the occasion and the setting in which the narrative occur affect our understanding of Alyohin?

Alyohin shares his love story with his two friends, Ivan and Burkin. They are confined to Alyohin's country house as the weather isn't good for going outdoors. When Alyohin begins to share his unfinished love anecdote, the sky is gray and the trees are drenched in rain. The weather is such that one could go nowhere but sit back at home to tell or listen to stories. After Alyohin's love episode is over Chekov comes up with a very beautiful setting: the rain stops and the sun comes out. Outside, there is a fine view of the garden and the river, which was shining in the sunshine like a mirror. Alyohin's confinement to the country house suggests restricted space he created upon himself by his promises and reason. On the contrary, the setting after Alyohin's story is finished gives us the impression that Alyohin will finally find freedom and love, and one last opportunity to untie  from a hard situation he has put himself into.

Alyohin is said to rush around like a squirrel in a cage and this judgment is echoed in the final paragraph of the story. What is the significance of this repetition?

Alyohin's comparison to a squirrel in a cage has been made by the Luganoviches and his friends, Ivan and Burkin. He remained a bachelor because he was torn between love and duty. He had lost Anna because of his commitment to his farm that his father had mortgaged to ease his study expenditure. Also, he reasoned as to the nature and consequences of his love. This put him into a disadvantage; he became indecisive and restricted. Thus, the cage symbolizes Alyohin's unfavourable situations. As a man of high intellect, he also had to think of the complex love situation he had got into because of his unusual love affair with Anna. By observing the limitation of life, they can't express their love openly. So, love is concealed in their hearts. Similarly, a squirrel is locked in a cage but not on its own volition as is the case with Alyohin. Alyohin is a scholar, a graduate from a Russian university but he has to work in the field like a labour. He is not satisfied with his occupation. So, his condition is just like that of a squirrel's. He rushes here and there between the district court in the town and his village but he doesn't get any anywhere. The repetition of the statement signifies his lonely, restless and miserable condition.
More On About Love                                   
Summary

This text is about love. The author tries to show that love is different in every situation. Three stories are told in order to prove that love is always different. Also Alyohin thinks that love is a hindrance and a source of dissatisfaction and irritation.

First Love Story (Paragraphs 1& 2): physical and violent love
Alyohin, Burkin and Ivan Ivanych are in a country house eating breakfast. Nikanor, the cook, comes to ask the men what they would like him to prepare for dinner. Alyohin tells a story about Nikanor. Pelageya, who is a beautiful girl, loves Nikanor. But Nikanor drinks a lot of alcohol and beats her. So Pelageya does not want to marry him. She only wants to live with him. But Nikanor thinks that it is wrong for a man and woman to live together if they are not married.

Discussion About Love (Paragraphs 4, 5, and the beginning of 6)
Alyohin says that you can't understand love. Why does Pelageya love Nikanor? You cannot make one statement to explain love. Each story is different – individual.

Second Love Story (End of Paragraph 6): materialistic love
Alyohin tells a story about himself. When he was studying at university, he loved a girl and lived with her. Every time he held her in his arms all she did was think about the money that Alyohin was going to give her and what she could buy.

Descriptions of Bachelors (Paragraph 7)
Bachelors are lonely, so they can talk to other people. Alyohin is a bachelor and he wants to tell Burkin and Ivan Ivanych a story about himself.

Third Love Story (Paragraph 8 to the end): spiritual love/rational love
Alyohin went to university. But his father had borrowed a lot of money to pay for his studies. So instead of becoming a teacher or working in an office Alyohin had to go home and work hard in the fields to pay off the debts. He did not enjoy working on the farm.
Alyohin was elected to be a judge. Sometimes he had to go into town for a court case. He would lead a very luxurious life and come across educated people. He made many friends too. While he was in town he also met Luganovich, who was another judge. Luganovich invited Alyohin to his house for dinner. At dinner Alyohin meets Luganovich's wife Anna Alexeyevna, who had had her first baby only six months before. She was young, beautiful, kind intelligent, fascinating woman. Alyohin and Anna Alexeyevna fell in love with each other. Every time that Alyohin went into town he would go to visit Anna. Sometimes they would talk or go to the theatre together.
Then Luganovich and his family had to move. Alyohin went to say goodbye to Anna Alexeyevna inside of the train. They both cried and held onto each other. Alyohin kissed Anna Alexeyevna and told her that he loved her. But because Anna Alexeyevna was leaving they had to separate forever.

Setting of the Story
Before Alyohin starts his intimate love story, the weather outside was not good. The sky was gray and the trees were drenched with rain. It was a kind of weather that the narrator said made people go nowhere or do anything except tell and listen to stories. After Alyohin shares his painful and haunting love story to Ivan and Burkin, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Outside, there was a fine view of the garden and the river, which was shining in the sunshine like a mirror.
The former setting helps us to understand Alyohin's hopelessness and helplessness as he can't go out of his farm and can't do anything to better his poor condition. However, the latter setting where the rain stopped and sun came out hints at the better days in store for Alyohin. It expresses his freedom. Indeed, Alyohin feels very light after having shared his story with two of his friends.

Alyohin's Character
Alyohin was a bachelor whose character borders on the tragic side of life. He is the central character of the story alongside Anna Alexeyevna who happens to be his love interest. He lived alone on a farm in Sofyina, in Russia. He was a kind man as he gave a very good treatment to his servants and peasants who had tended his farm. Alyohin was a university graduate but because his father had mortgaged the property to fund his studies, he was compelled to tend to the farm to pay off the debts instead of taking up a vocation that fitted his study. Because he was "a bookish fellow" he took to farming after much intense disgust for it. He was elected honorary justice of the peace and came to the town certain times of the year. While in town, he felt he was in the company of educated people like doctors and lawyers. This proves that he was sophisticated and cared for fine taste and fine people. He was also a warm and influential man as the Luganovich's were very affected by his character and studiousness. Even their two children were very delighted to meet him during his visits. The Luganoviches and his friends, Ivan and Burkin compare him to a squirrel in a cage because he used his knowledge very seldom. He was committed to fulfilling his promise and duty to father. To the Luganovich household, he was a “noble fellow”. His various activities with Anna show that he was eager to please her and make her feel happy. He used to help her with parcels when he was at her house.
However, he was a failure when it came to love. His love with Anna failed because he reasoned more than committing himself to loving her. He reasoned that his love for Anna would affect her married life, her children's, and the whole household's. He timidly and jealously concealed his love. He was the victim of his own indecision.  It took him separation from her to realise this truth. He later tells his friend that love should be realized from what is higher or else one should not reason at all. He seems to offer candid dissection of love as was prevalent in Russia. He feels that love is a hindrance and a source of dissatisfaction and irritation.
Thus, Alyohin with all his fine attributes is a tragic character.

Memorable quotes:
1.    "Love is a great mystery. Everything else that has been written or said about love is not a solution, but only a statement of questions that have remained unanswered. The explanation that would fit one case does not apply to a dozen others, and the very best thing, to my mind, would be to explain every case separately without attempting to generalize. Each case should be individualized, as the doctors say." Alyohin: About Love. Page 14.


2.    When we are in love, we never stop asking ourselves whether it is honorable or dishonorable, sensible or stupid, what this love will lead to, and so on. If that is a good thing or not, I don’t know, but that it is a hindrance and a source of dissatisfaction and irritation, of that I am certain.” Alyohin: About Love. Page 15


3.    I realized how needless and petty and deceptive was all that had hindered us from loving each other. I realized that when you love you must either, in your reasoning about that love, start from what is higher, more important than happiness or unhappiness, sin or virtue in their usual meaning, or you must not reason at all” Alyohin: About Love. Page 23

Some possible questions:
-Why did Alyohin and Anna try to conceal their love? (3)
-What was the cause of Anna's sickness? What was the result of it? (3)
-What thing of Anna would make Alyohin feel new and extraordinary every time they met? (3)
-Why did Anna visit her mother or sister's house later on? (3)
-What comments does the narrator make about bachelors? (3)
-Describe the love story as Anna would tell her fellow patients at Crimea. (10)
-Is it justified that Alyohin should remain a bachelor in spite of his high learning and rich love experience? (10)
-Provide a character sketch of Dmitri Luganovich. (10)

-Discuss how the three love stories are the same and how they are different?
-Discuss how the stories prove the idea that love is different in every situation.
-In your own words tell the love story of Alyohin and Anna Alexeyevna
-Alyohin compared to a squirrel in a cage. What is the significance of this comparison in the story?
-What kinds of love does Chekov discuss in About Love?
-What is the significance of the setting of the story? What are its implications on Alyohin?
-Alyohin says love is a hindrance and a source of dissatisfaction and irritation. Explain this in the light of his relationship with Anna Alexeyevna.
-How did Alyohin define love?
“About Love” is a timeless story of forbidden love which the famous Russian storywriter and dramatist Anton Pavlovich Chekhov describes with consummate artistry. The story mostly set in the Russian countryside of Sofyino has the theme of love being different in every situation. Other themes in the story are lack of communication and alienation. The present story shows different kind of love.

Raj Kumar Gautam, English Faculty, Arniko HSS, Biratnagar, rgautam78@yahoo.com. Ashar 22, 2068


The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner                                                   W. B. Yeats (1865-1939)

Paraphrase/Explanation

Now that I am an old man I protect myself from the rain under an old and broken
 tree.
When I was young I sat near the fire with other young men and discussed love or
 politics.
That was before I was changed by time.
While young boys are making weapons to attack the government,
and crazy, bad boys show their anger at human violence.
I think about how time has changed me.
No woman would look at an old man,
But I remember the women I have loved.
I spit into the face of time which has changed me.

This poem is about an old man who is remembering what he was like as a young man and how things are different now that he is old. He is unhappy because he has become old. He is angry with time for changing him.

Comprehension Questions
1.     What is the meaning of the title of the poem?
2.     What is the meaning of the line "ere Time transfigured me"?
3.     What was he interested in as a young man? Love and politics. Many of his friends listened to him talk about love and politics.
4.     What are the young men doing now? Fighting against govts; showing anger against bad human condition.
5.     What is the poet thinking about? Thinking about Time that has changed him.
6.     What does the speaker remember in the last stanza? Beautiful women of the yore/of the past.
7.     Why does he "spit into the face of Time"? Irreversible changes it has brought about in his life.
8.     What idea is repeated three times in the poem? Relentlessness of time; power of time to change man.

Essay Questions
1.     Write a short story comparing old people to young people?
2.     How do you think you will change when you get older?

Group Exercise
1.     Make a list of things in the poem that show how the man was when he was young.
2.     What do you think he was like as a young man?
3.     Make a list of all the things that show how the man is now that he is old. How does the poet feel now that he is an old man?
Board Questions
1.     Mention the three things the old man laments about. Why is he sad about them? (2059) Why does the old man want to "spit into the face of time"? (2058)
2.     How and why does the old man lament? (2061)
3.     What is the speaker lamenting on? (2062)
4.     Why does the poet show his anger against time? (2065)
5.     Explain the title of the poem "The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner".
Some Vocabulary
1.     Lamentation: regret/sadness; expression of grief| 2.ere: before| 3.transfigure: change| 4.pikes: long sticks that can be used as weapons|5. Rage: be angry 6.conspiracy: plan- in this case, plan to attack the government| 7.rage their fill: get as angry as possible|8.human tyranny: cruel government| 9. Contemplations: thoughts|10.Beauties: beautiful women.

Summary
The poem Lamentation of the Old Pensioner deals with the theme of time and the bitterness and resentment it can bring in a man's life, specifically in old age (retirement from active life). Time changes everything including man's life. Here the poet is lamenting the loss of his young days now that he is an old man. This old age has been brought in by time, which marches forward unstoppably.
The poet has aged (become old) and now takes refuge under a tree, which is as old as he himself is. However, he remembers the days when his friends and well-wishers collected around him to listen to him talk of politics and love. It seems he enjoyed tremendous power as he claims he was the center of attraction. Now, it’s no more the case because time has changed him.
The poet says that in his old age, young people are planning to fight governments who they think are working against the spirits of people. And there are other young crazy people who are very angry against human violence. But as far as the poet is concerned, he is fighting a losing battle against time which has changed him completely. He is no more interested in politics and movements of change as was the case in his young days.
The poet also expresses sadness over young beautiful women not looking at his old (wrinkled and ugly) face. He was probably a very romantic man. He now compares himself to a broken tree that is not noticed, cared and given importance. Even so, he has not forgotten (he still remembers them) each of the graceful women who he came across in his young days. His memories of them are fresh. He can do nothing to get back his lost youth hood and vigor. The enemy standing in his way is time so he rages against time by spitting into it s face.

Some Analysis
The expression "ere time transfigured me" is used at the end of each stanza with some variation. This refrain (noun a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse) helps us to understand the poet's frustration and sustain the poet's bitterness. Each time he laments of a certain loss (he laments about three things) he singles out time to have put him in this situation. It also helps to re-establish the atmosphere of his young days against his present sorrowful state. The final refrain is a climactic statement of the poet's disturbed state. Thus, the refrain helps us to feel the deep anger and hostility the poet suffered at the hands of time.
The poet's tone: By 'tone' one is referring to the attitude or point of view of the poet. In this poem, the tone is that of great anger. The poet is dissatisfied with his old age and doesn't seem to come to terms with this truth. He singles out time for having brought him to this bitter state of loneliness, frustration and negligence. Thus, he spits into the face of time.
Significance/Meaning of the title: The title signifies the extreme regret and disappointment felt by a retired old man. There was a time when he was strong and powerful among his friends and politicians. Also he secured the love of beautiful women, but those are past achievements and have no relevance to his lonely and neglected life of old age as he has none of them. Indeed, he has no one to take care of him.
Shifts in the subject matter: There are, altogether, three stanzas. Stanza one deals with the poet's impressive command of the issues in political and love life. The second stanza caters to the disenchanted youth who are conspiring against bad governments. And the final stanza describes the poet's neglected state as no one cares for him or takes interest in his sorrowful post-youth days, not a single of the so many beautiful women he came across in his prime days cares or shows sympathy towards him now.
The Speaker/poet laments about: (loss of) political power which he no more commands; his ability to understand and speak about love; women not looking at him as was the case in his young days.
Why anger against time: he does not have the company of friends and well-wishers who used to listen to he talk about love and politics; his lonely and neglected condition. This also agonizes him very much
Summary in one sentence: The poem presents the reminiscences of the poet's young life which becomes more agonizing when he looks at his present state and contrasts his time of youth with his state in the old age.
What does the poem add to our knowledge of the old man (his character, attitude, circumstances): he was powerful person in the field of politics; he could talk about love; he was admired by beautiful women. The loss of these prowesses (skill or expertise in a particular activity or field) brings frustration, anger and bitterness in his old days. He can't get all of these now. Thus, he hurls his anger at time that has irreversibly changed him.
W. B. Yeats (1865-1939)
Raj Kumar Gautam; Arniko HSS ( Science and Hotel Management ) Biratnagar; Nepal; rgautam78@yahoo.com


Two Long Term Problems: Too Many People, Too Few Trees                                                                                                     Moti Nissani

Main Theme
This essay is about two problems that are going to make people's lives much worse. It is possible they will destroy all life on our planet. These problems are that there are too many people in the world (overpopulation) and that our forests are being destroyed. The problems are linked because when there are too many people, forests get cut down more quickly and trees do not get replaced.

Summary
In 1992, over 1500 of the world's scientists signed The World Scientists Warning to Humanity, a document reflecting growing concerns about the state of the biosphere. They worried about what is happening to the world. The concern was also concurred by the Royal Society of London and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. The biosphere is becoming much polluted. The air and water are becoming poisonous and many types of plants and animals are disappearing. The population of the world is going up because people are living longer than in the past, and too many children are being born. Every hour some10, 000 new members are added to the already huge population that the earth is carrying. Our excesses don't end there. We have also dirtied space. We clean pollutants up rather than use cheaper and healthier means of prevention.
For the last few hundred years, human population has increased, especially in the Industrialized countries with the improvements in nutrition, sanitation, and health. People there are living longer and have longer fertility rate. Similarly the world population is growing by more than 80 million people. The population of Nepal has increased exponentially from 9 million to 23 million in less than 50 years. Nepal's population is expected to touch 44 million by 2026. There will be shortage of food and consequently the disappearance of trees. The land, water and air will be polluted. Towns and villages alike will be crowded. Food production and facilities for health will not grow at the ratio of population growth and it may make crime, ethnic conflicts and warfare more common. The world's resources are being used up and problems caused by pollution, like diseases and changes in the world's climate are getting worse. The world already has been facing frightening problems like desertification, depletion of nonrenewable resources (e.g., petrol, natural gas, and helium), acid rain, loss of wild species, ozone layer depletion, and the greenhouse effect.
Notwithstanding this, it is possible to stop the growth in population. This has happened in Sweden and Germany. Other countries like China, Thailand and Egypt have lessened their population through the active role played by their governments. Factors such as modernization, literacy, media campaigns and equal economic, educational, and legal opportunities for women, and information about how to avoid having babies (family planning) help reduce population growth. We know now how to control our numbers but we must put this knowledge into practice.
As the population of Nepal grows, forests are cut down to turn the land into farmland. The demand of rich people in the west for beef is also causing forest land to be changed into grassland for cattle farming. Rich people's demand for wood and paper products is also causing the destruction of forests. When forests are chopped down, the soil is destroyed and this can lead to disastrous flooding. Such is the pitiable condition of earth's forest cover that it has come down from 40% in the early part of this century to about 25% now. Indeed, the destruction of forests contributes to such things as the greenhouse effect, irreversible loss of many thousands of species of plants and animals, landslides, soil erosion, siltation of rivers and dams, droughts, and weather extremes. Eventually this ongoing deforestation would damage the quality of life on earth, reduce the number of life forms that share the planet with us, and hamper the ability of the biosphere to sustain life.
Deforestation can be reduced if the increase in the number of people is controlled. Education, family planning and changes in the way we use wood are important. The short term remedy would involve massive tree plantings of abandoned deforested land and of unused lands elsewhere. Sometimes, appropriate and economical technology like the use of smokeless stoves in countries like Nepal can reduce the amount of firewood needed, thereby increasing time to study and provide opportunity to practice other more profitable business. However, even though we know what changes we must make, we are not brave or clever enough to make those changes. Moti Nissani ends optimistically by telling us that the problem of overpopulation and deforestation can be solved by the application of wisdom, courage, and compassion.

Board Exam Questions
1. How can we save our forests? (2062)
2. Explain the links between overpopulation and deforestation? (2058)
3. What are the causes, consequences and cures of overpopulation and deforestation? (2061/2066)

 Overpopulation has a direct effect on forest cover. The increase in human numbers means increased demand for food and fuel, and thus the process of deforestation will continue till trees will vanish to leave way for farmlands. In the present time cutting down of trees is taking place at an alarming rate because of exponential growth in human population. For example,, in the beginning of the third millennia Nepal had a population of 23 million which by 2026 is expected to double to 46 million. So, millions of Nepalese will have to be fed and sustained. Also, in this century, only 25% of land is covered by forests, and this is causing a host of damages in the form of greenhouse effect, loss of plant and animal species, increase in droughts, and weather extremes.. When trees of Nepal, for example, are cut the topsoil is lost and this leads to flooding in Bangladesh and India, killing people and ruining crops, the source of food and fuel. Population pressure in addition to new technologies and affluent lifestyle of some people also exacerbates deforestation. Deforestation also brings other threats like ozone layer depletion, airborne pollution, and acid rain. The eventual outcome of deforestation would damage the quality of life on earth and hamper the ability of the biosphere to sustain life. The destruction of forests can be controlled by investing in family planning efforts through education, moving towards participatory democracies, involving greater efficiency in the use of wood products, recycling, providing financial incentives for preserving forests for sustainable forestry, mass afforestation programme, and switching to eco-friendly technology.

Raj Kumar Gautam, Lecturer, English Department, Birat College of Management Studies, Roadcess Chowk, Biratnagar, Morang
rgautam78@yahoo.com. JULY 17, 2011




A Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star
by Lilla M. Bishop and Barry C. Bishop

Summary
This essay is written by two American geographers who had spent 15 months living in the hills of western Nepal. It describes the hill people who walk to Nepalgunj to buy and sell things. The hill people on their journey towards Nepalgunj carry medicinal herbs, hashish, hand-knit sweaters and baskets to sell there. The geographers also met a group of men at the height of 9000 metres who were processing silajit on the way instead of their homes because they wanted to avoid a bad star! They are intending to sell silajit in Nepalgunj.
When the geographers walked through the sal forest slopes of the hills near the Terai they noticed that the trees were being chopped down and that the forest would soon disappear. One of the geographers talked to the local people about this but they said they had to chop down the trees to feed their animals.
When the geographers arrived in Nepalgunj they stared in amazement at the many things they had not seen while they were in the hills. They also watched the hill people buying supplies from the traders. Their fellow travelers bought sweets, aluminum, ironware, cotton cloth, spice and jewelry. One of porters, Karma spent all his money buying distillery (alcohol making) equipment. He hoped to become rich by making alcohol in Jumla.
The geographers returned to Jumla to finish their project. They had learnt much in Nepal. For example, they had learnt that hill people needed to farm as well as do other activities to survive. They also observed that people in the hills were always moving around.

Note: The title "A Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star" suggests the foot movement made by travelers who are going to Nepalgunj quickly because they do not want to be travelling at an unlucky time.

Comprehension questions based on the Text
1.    How did the writers travel to Nepalgunj?
2.    List the items carried by their fellow travelers?
3.    Why were these goods being taken to Nepalgunj?
4.    What did the Chhetri woman ask the authors to do for her?
5.    What is silajit?
6.    Why did the men not process the silajit before leaving their home village?
7.    What was happening to the trees in the sal forest?
8.    Why did people say they cut down the trees?
9.    What does the phrase "the Terai, bread-basket of Nepal" mean?
10.                       Why did the author walk wide-eyed down the middle of the paved street in Nepalgunj?
11.                       List the items the hill people bought in Nepalgunj?
12.                       What did Karma buy?
13.                       Why did he buy this?
14.                       How long had the authors been in Western Nepal?
15.                       How did they travel around western Nepal?
16.                       How did the peasants survive?

Some vocabulary
Hashish: ganja; hand-knit: knitted by hand; poignantly: emotionally; hinterlands: areas some distance away from a major city; tarlike: like tar (pitch that roads are made from); pharmaceutical: medical; propitious: lucky, favourable; elevation: altitude/height above sea level; skeletal looking: very thin; bare and eroded: lacking in trees and soil; bread-basket of Nepal: i.e. where most of Nepal's food is grown; grove: small woodland; mournful: sad; yapping: barking; muted: hardly able to be heard, inaudible; barrage of new sights: lots of new things to look at; beside himself at: very excited by; doughy: made from a lot of flour; swarm: go round in a big crowd; distillery equipment: alcohol making equipment; mesh: come together; inhospitable: unfriendly; afoot: on foot, walking; indomitable: determined; peasantfolk: farmers who have a small amount of land; cross-flows: i.e. people constantly going backwards and forwards across the area: formidable: difficult to use.

Board Questions (only short questions have been asked so far from this text)
1.    How is Karnali linked economically with the low land regions to the south? (2057, 2061, 2063)
2.          What did the two writers learn about the life and culture of the people of the Karnali region during their journey on foot? (2059)
3.                Give short account of the life of the people of Karnali as you find in "Hurried Trip to Avoid a Bad Star"? (2066)

Some Solved Questions
How is Karnali linked economically with the low land regions to the south? (2057, 2061, 2063)
Ans. The two American geographers, Lilla and Barry along with a host of porters made a landmark tour on foot in 1971 to explore the life of the people of the Karnali region – western hills of Nepal – as they descended to Nepalgunj, a trading town in the southern Terai. Their travel lasted over 15 months and they covered nearly 2000 miles. Most Karnali people, on the one hand, carry with them unprocessed and raw products like medicinal herbs, hashish, hand-knit sweaters, and blankets to trade in Nepalgunj. Some other enterprising but superstitious people take unprocessed silajit, which were easily available in their home valley of Sinja. They would be found processing this product on the way to the lowland. Still other Karnali folks also go to the lowland region to the south to find jobs. A case to cite is that of the Chhetri woman's husband who had gone to find job fifteen years ago but had never returned home.
In Nepalgunj, on the other hand, the geographers noticed that the hill people went in groups from shop to shop buying essential commodities like cotton cloth, aluminum, ironware, spice, and jewelry, which they would probably sell or put to use for domestic purposes back home in Karnali. Some people even buy unconventional items like alcohol making equipment in order to make quick money. Whatever they buy or sell, the Karnali people's only access to the lowland is travel on formidable footpaths so it is economically burdensome and time-consuming.

Give a short account of the life of the people of Karnali people.
Karnali region lies in the western hills of Nepal. It is geographically far removed from the bread-basket of Nepal – the Terai. The people of this region are mostly traders. They carry with them products like medicinal herbs, hashish, hand-knit sweaters, and blankets. What is missing in their list of goods to be sold in the lowlands are food items. This could be so because of the unfavourable nature of soil of this region. Nevertheless, the people of this region have managed to work closely with nature in this inhospitable western Himalayas. The people of this region upon returning home bring with them conventional items like cotton cloth, aluminum, ironware, spice, and jewelry from the lowland town of Nepalgunj. The Karnali people are unfortunately very superstitious and fatalist in their approach. The 8 or 9 men who were processing silajit on the way did so because they thought it would bring them bad luck had they processed it at home at the inopportune time. Additionally, the women folk of lower Karnali are uneducated and unaware as to the devastating consequences of tree cutting in order to feed their livestock. Thus, the combined lack of access to transportation, education, communication and other basic infrastructure of development has made the life of the Karnali people very difficult and torturous. In their search for sustenance and opportunity the hill people are compelled to leave their ancestral land to seek job in the lowland region of Nepal and even in India! One of the defining characteristics of the Karnali area is the constant movement of people, animals and goods over the formidable footpaths of the region.

Raj Kumar Gautam, Arniko HSS, Biratnagar, rgautam78@yahoo.com. JUlY 21, 2011.




Travelling Through the Dark by William Stafford

Short Summary
While driving at night a man finds a dead deer. He stops to push it off the road. He notices that it is pregnant and the unborn baby is still alive. He stops to think, and then he pushes the dead animal into the river.

Paraphrase/Explanation
First Stanza: I was travelling at night by the Wilson River road when I found a dead deer. The road is not very wide, so the best thing to do is push the dead animal off the road into the river. If you try to drive around the deer's body, you might drive off of the road and be killed.
Second Stanza: I got out of the car, leaving the lights on and I went to the deer. It had been killed recently; it was already stiff and nearly cold. I pulled the deer's body to the edge of the road. Its stomach was large and I realised that her side was warm.
Third Stanza: When I touched the deer, I realised she was pregnant. Its baby, inside her, was still alive and was waiting to be born – but it never would be. I stood on the road trying to decide what to do.
Fourth Stanza: The lights of the car shone and the engine was still on. I stood by the warm exhaust. I could hear the wild animals listening.
Fifth Stanza: I thought hard about w hat to do, my thoughts were the only thing that changed direction, and then I pushed the dead deer off the road into the river.

Glossary
deer: large animal with large horns; canyon: deep valley with a river in it; swerve: change direction suddenly; glow: not very bright light; faint light; tail light: red lights at the back of a car; doe: female deer; stumble: walk, and almost fall over; stiffened: became hard-not able to be bent; belly: stomach; brought me the reason: made me understand what had happened; fawn: baby deer; hesitated: stopped and thought; aimed: pointed, directed; hood: front of the car (Brit Eng=bonnet);purred: made a soft sound, murmured; glare: harsh light; exhaust: fumes/smoke that comes out of the back of a car; wilderness: jungle – like area, thick forest, and the animals in it.

Comprehension Questions
1.    Where was the poet? What time of day is it? What did he find on the road? What does he say is the best thing to do? Explain the line "to swerve might make more dead"? What did the poet do? When the poet touched the dead deer what did he realize? What could the poet hear? What does the poet finally do? What is the significance of the unborn deer? In the line "I thought hard for all of us", what does the poet think about? What is meant by "my only swerving"? How does the poet feel about finding the deer? Why does he hesitate before pushing the dead animal off the road?
Board Questions
1.    What is the central idea of the poem "Travelling Through the Dark"? (2057)
2.    Show how the action develops stanza by stanza in the poem "Travelling Through the Dark"? (2060)
3.    Do you agree with what the narrator did? Why? (2063)

Some Solved Questions
1.    Explain the title of the poem. Who are all those travelling through the dark?
Ans.  The poem is about a travel or mountain trip made by a group of men who are probably nature travelers. It is night time and the car is passing through the mountain road.
2.    Show how the action develops stanza by stanza.
Ans. The action moves from physical to mental as the poem progresses. In the first stanza, the speaker sees a dead deer on the road and wants to avoid driving around it. Then, we see the speaker stop his car and get out of it. He walks backward to notice a recently killed pregnant doe. He also drags it to the side of the road. After that, the speaker feels for the ill-fated unborn deer and remains undecided as to what action to take. The penultimate stanza describes the car and its activities in the wilderness. And, in the final stanza, the speaker finally pushes the dead deer into the river after much thinking.
3.    How do the last two lines complete both types of action?
Ans. There are two types of action – physical and mental – in the poem. These two actions come together in the last two lines. The speaker contemplates (thinks deeply) the possible course of action to be taken on behalf of his group members as regards to the dead doe, and finally throws it into the river. Thus, after deep thought he pushes the dead deer.
4.    Explain the meaning of the word "swerve" in line 4 and line 17. Does the speaker "swerve"?
Ans. Swerve in line 4 means "change direction suddenly" and it has a physical meaning. In line 17 it means "mind movement from one idea, thought to another" and it has a mental meaning. In the first instance neither the speaker nor the car swerves, because if that is done than there would be more casualties on the narrow mountain road besides the dead pregnant doe. In the second instance the poet swerves between the easy course of action (pushing the deer into the river) and the more difficult, but better course of action (trying to save the unborn baby deer). He chooses the easy course.
5.    Stanza 4 is a break in the narrative. How do you explain its significance in the poem?
Ans. Stanza 4 describes the car, its dim lights, the purring of the engine and the smoke coming out of its exhaust pipe. This description contrasts with the earlier stanzas as he had been describing the occasion of the dead deer knocked down by an unknown passing vehicle and the possible courses of action available to him. The break in the narrative of the poem has an ironic significance as we come to learn that the car is more alive than the deer carrying a live baby inside it. We also see the contrast in that the smoke is "warm" but the doe is stiff and cold. The car seems to be urging the speaker to make quick decision, and hence the physical action of the first three stanzas is replaced by mental action in the fifth stanza that eventually results in the disposal of the dead deer.
6.    What is the tone of the poem: ironical, sympathetic, indifferent?
Ans. The speaker seems to combine various moods in the poem. He shows sympathy towards the unborn baby deer, not he doe. However, he is not indifferent as he makes a decision at the end to roll the deer into the river. I feel the tone is mostly ironical. This is so because the speaker thinks one thing and takes another course of action. We think he will rescue the unborn baby but he doesn't. He could have taken the deer to a nearby animal hospital and rescued the baby, but he doesn't do so. The speaker is, indeed, in two minds. This is the irony of life as we can't do all the good things we are taught and brought up to believe and practice. The speaker takes the ugly course of action – pushing the deer. It is ironical also that we kill innocent animals and not decide clearly what appropriate action to make.
7.    What is the central idea of the poem?
The poet seems to explore the conflict that goes on in the human mind between ugly virtuous actions, like responsibility, duty, etc one is taught to believe in and practice in day to day life and the difficulty of executing them at crucial times. In this poem the speaker is in an ironical situation as he is made to think deeply to do something to save the unborn deer for which he is not responsible. Sorrowfully, he can do nothing. He is a representative helpless man. He does the unthinkable – pushing the pregnant dead deer off the edge of the road. He also seems to advocate for the protection of innocent animals that are killed by careless driving in the narrow mountain road.
 Raj Kumar Gautam, Arniko HSS (HM, Science), Biratnagar, rgautam78@yahoo.com. July 17, 2011