English with Brajendra

  In this poem, the poet describes how the visit of a goldfinch changes the Laburnum tree. It is a beautiful poem in which the poet has used the laburnum tree and goldfinches as a symbol of life and its fluctuations. Here, the poet describes how the visit of a goldfinch changes the laburnum tree.The goldfinch transforms the tree and makes it come alive as the chicks of the bird starts to rustle and chirp on seeing her. Once she leaves the tree, it becomes quiet and still again.  The tree symbolizes the pattern of life in general. Life is preceded and followed by (flanked by) silence and emptiness. It also hints at the symbiotic relationship between the living beings. 

  C] Long Answer Type Questions Answer the following questions in not more than 150 words each: 1. Sketch the character of the narrator. Answer- Introduction- The narrator was a 37 year old businessman. He was a daring adventurer. He was smart , strong and an ideal family man. An Ambitious Adventurer- He was so ambitious that he planned to sail around the world following the famous voyager Captain James Cook. He was aware of the risks of his ambition nevertheless he set on it. It shows that he was a daring adventurer.  Smart and Courageous- He was not only ambitious but also smart enough to make proper preparations and planning before the journey. He had his ship built by the professionals and tested it in the roughest of weathers and waters.  He saved himself and his family out of the dangerous sea storm. It shows that he was very courageous.  A Family Man - He loved his family so much that he took them along in his round the world voyage. His wife , Mary stood beside him like a rock

A Photograph    The poem deals with the theme of the sad memory of loss of our dear ones. It shows  the changing nature of human life. Human life slips from childhood into youth and thence into old age followed by the inevitable death. A photograph reminds the poetess of her dear mother who has died 12 years ago. It shows her 12 years old mother as a young girl flanked by her two cousins, smiling with the background of sea. The first stanza of the poem tells about the poetess looking at the cardboard photograph of her mother with her younger cousins Betty and dolly. They look smiling and enjoying their Sunday beach holiday. The poetess marks the transience of their feet which are being washed by the sea water which is still the same. The second stanza shows the poetess remembering her mother at 32 or 42 when she would laugh at this photograph and miss her old good days of beach holiday and the cousins. She misses her mother's laughter. However she has come to terms with the loss of

  Lesson 1 : The Portrait of a Lady  Points for Summary: The grandmother  The portrait of the grandfather  At village  In the city  The university  Abroad  Homecoming and death  The writer's grandfather looked too old , at least a hundred years old. He was wearing a turban and loose-fitting clothes. He had a long  white beard.He looked a serious and ascetic type of person who could have no wife and children. It used to be the happiest half hour of the day for the grandmother when she used to feed the crumbs of bread to the hundreds of birds in her courtyard in the afternoon. The birds used to surround her from all sides and some of them sat on her legs and shoulders. She enjoyed it a lot. The narrator and the grandmother became good friends living together after his parents moved to the city. She used to look after him and tried to teach him the religious prayers while getting him ready for school. He loved her very much. The grandmother could not walk straight because she had to b