PREETI'S TEACHER'S DIARY

THE AILING PLANET 1994-NANI PALKHIWALA  BEFORE 1994: PEOPLE CONSIDERED EARTH AS A THING.  SHIFT FROM MECHANIST TO HOLISTIC APPROACH.  EARTH IS A HUGE ORGANISM/ CREATURE WITH METABOLIC NEEDS. EVERY PART SHOULD FUNCTION PROPERLY. EARTH HAS TO BE PROTECTED AS A WHOLE.  SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: WE HAVE TO USE RESOURCES KEEPING FUTURE GENERATION IN MIND. DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT COMPROMISING WITH THE NEEDS OF FUTURE GENERATION.  WE HAVE NOT INHERITED THE EARTH FROM OUR FOREFATHERS; BUT WE HAVE BORROWED IT FROM FUTURE GENERATION. [ LESTER R. BROWN]  SHIFT FROM DOMINATION TO PARTNERSHIP  ZOO- LUSAKA-ZAMBIA : CAGE IN ZOO; JUST A MIRROR IN IT; NOTICE WRITTEN- THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL.  Lester R. Brown divided the earth into Four bio-systems: 1. Forests – Forests are decimated for fuel & firewood 2. Fisheries- fishes are getting killed for protein 3. Grasslands-Excessive use of pesticides & insecticides turning them into wastelands 4. Croplands- Dumping of garbage and chemical waste is turning them into barren lands.  Of all the statements made by Margaret Thatcher during the years of her Prime Ministership, none has passed so decisively into the current coin of English usage as her felicitous words: “No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life tenancy — with a full repairing lease”.  Means We are not supposed to occupy the earth considering that the planet belongs to us and that we can exploit the planet any way we like. We, on the contrary, have to extract the resources so carefully that the generation that comes after us will have a better land and sea, a less dense forest, cleaner water and clearer sky. ********************************************************** Q1. What is meant by holistic Approach?

Ans: The earth is a huge organism having metabolic needs of its own. It has several parts and every part needs to be preserved. This is holistic view considering the earth as a whole and not in parts. Q2. What is meant by sustainable development? Ans: Sustainable development refers to the development which meets the needs of the present without compromising with the needs of the future generation. Q3. What is the concern raised by Mr. L.K Jha? Ans: Mr. L.K Jha has raised the concern if we are going to leave for our successors a scorched planet, impoverished landscape and advancing deserts. Q4. Who has divided the earth into four bio systems and what are they and what harm are we causing to them? Ans: Lester R. Brown has divided the earth into four biosystems. They are forests, fisheries, grasslands and croplands. We are decimating forests to procure fuel and firewood. We are killing fishes for protein. We are causing harm to the grasslands and croplands by extensive use of chemicals and dumping the waste. Q5. What is the reason behind the ailing planet and what is the only solution? Ans: The natural resources are getting depleted at an alarming rate due to the growing demands. The demands are increasing due to overpopulation. The reason of overpopulation is lack of education. So the key to resolve the problem lies in educating the people. Educated people can understand the need to control population which in turn would solve the problem . Q6. ‘Laws are written on papers and never enforced”. Explain. Ans: In India, laws are made but they are never brought into practice. There are several laws against untouchability, dowry and other social issues but still the problems remain. Article 48 A, of the constitution about safeguarding the environment and protecting the wild life. But no one follows. That is the reason behind the ailing planet. Mr. Lester R. Brown has said we have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but borrowed it from the future generation. Q7. What is the pragmatic solution to the problem? Ans: Population needs to be controlled. Over population is the reason behind poverty and unemployment too. Rise in population increases battle for natural resources. That disturbs the ecological balance. Industries are build up leading to excessive pollution. Green areas are compromised to build up human accommodation. Educated people can understand these hazards of population explosion. In this way, education is the solution which can prevent further degradation caused to our planet earth. *************************************************************** TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q1: Laws are neither respected nor enforced in India. Answer: It is true that laws are neither respected nor enforced in India. Almost everyone is conversant with the rule of the road. Still there are cases of wrong overtaking, lane jumping, signal jumping, over speeding and road rage. Our laws insist on compulsory elementary education up to the age of fourteen. Yet we find many illiterate teenager boys or girls of this age employed in petty jobs in road side restaurants or as domestic servants. Our Constitution insists on the protection and improvement of the environment. The states have been given the responsibility of protecting forests and wildlife. Forests are being cut and illegal shooting of wildlife goes on. In actual life, these laws are never put into practice. Q2: “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing desert, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?” Answer: Our resources are limited. They will not last indefinitely if we go on consuming them indiscriminately. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands form the basis of the global economic system. Increasing population has put a severe pressure on them. Excessive use of these resources have impaired their productivity. The results are awful and disastrous. The fisheries will collapse, forests disappear, grasslands will become barren wastelands and croplands will lose their fertility. Decimation of forests will increase dryness and heat and there will be less rainfall. Hence there is a possibility of the earth becoming an overheated place full of increasing deserts, poor landscapes and ailing environment in future. Q3: We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children’. Answer: This is a revolutionary statement by Mr. Lester Brown. It focuses attention on the position of man in this universe. People take it for granted that the earth is theirs as they have inherited it from their forefathers. They forget the fact that the real owners of the land are our children. We are only custodians or trustees and we must continue development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs. We must not strip the natural world’ of the resources future generations would need. We must preserve natural resources and hand them over to children intact as they are the real owners. Q4: The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life. Answer: Overpopulation causes many problems in every day life. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands are under severe strain. In many areas they have reached an unsustainable level. People resort to over fishing to obtain protein. Forests are being destroyed to obtain firewood. Grasslands are becoming deserts. Artificial fertilizers have improved the productivity of croplands. Overpopulation hinders development and adversely affects the spread of education and health care among the masses. Over- population leads to unemployment. In short, overpopulation leads to deterioration in environment and shortens our lives by causing many diseases. ******************************************************************** TO BE READ C. Thinking About Language

The phrase ‘inter alia’ meaning ‘among other things’ is one of the many Latin expressions commonly used in English. Find out what these Latin phrases mean: 1. prima facie’ 2. ad hoc 3. ad infinitum mutatis mutandis 4. caveat 5. tabula rasa Answer: 1. Prima facie: on the first view 2. Ad hoc: for the special aim 1. Ad infinitum: up to infinity 3. Mutatis mutandis: with necessary changes 4. caveat: a warning that particular things needs to be considered before something can be done 5. Tabula rasa: a smooth tablet D. Working with Words I. Locate the following phrases in the text and study their connotation: 1. gripped the imagination of 2. dawned upon 3. ushered in 4. passed into current coin 5. passport of the future Answer: 1. gripped the imagination of: have powerful effect on imagination 2. dawned upon: became obvious; began to realize for the first time 3. ushered in: to make something new begin 4. passed into current coin: become a part of current usage 5. passport of the future: a thing that enables us to achieve something ‘ II. The words grip, dawn, usher, coin, passport have a literal as well as a figurative meaning. Write pairs of sentences using each word in its literal sense as well as the figurative sense. Answer: 1. Grip: (i) She gripped on to the railing with both hands. (ii) Terrorism has gripped the country for the past five years. 2. Dawn: (i) A new technological age has dawned. (ii) It dawned on me that they couldn’t possibly have met before. 3. Usher: (i) The Secretary ushered me into his office. (ii) The change of management ushered in fresh ideas and policies. 4. Coin: (i) Every coin has two sides. (ii) She coined a phrase to explain her meaning. 5. Passport: (i) I showed my passport to the security officer. (ii) Hard work alone is the passport to success. E. Notice these expressions in the text. Question 1: Guess their meaning from the context.

Answer:  A holistic and ecological view: a complete view of the whole thing keeping in mind the inter relationship of constituents among themselves and to environment.  Sustainable development: development that can be continued for a long time.  Languish: forced to stay somewhere.  Ignominious darkness: disgraceful/humiliating darkness.  Inter alia: among other things.  Decimated: destroyed.  Catastrophic depletion: disastrous exhaustion.  Transcending concern: surpassing concern. ********************************************************************

THE ADDRESS -MARGA MINCO Q1. What was the name of the neighbour? -Mrs. Dorling Q2. What had she promised to the narrator’s mother? -She would take care of her belongings, keep them safe and return after the war. Q3. Did she really mean to fulfil her promise? -Not at all. She believed that no one would return from the war. Her intention was foul. Q4. What was the neighbour’s first reaction on seeing the narrator? -She half hid herself behind the door, pretended not to recognize the narrator and asked her to come some other day. Q5. What statement was given by the neighbour regarding the narrator’s visit? -She told that she believed no one would ever return once the war got over. Q6. How does the neighbour appear to be? -Selfish and insensitive Q7. What shocked the narrator on her first visit? -To see Mrs. Dorling wearing the green knitted cardigan of her mother, buttons had turned pale due to over-washing. Q8. What did the neighbour ask the narrator to do? - To come some other day. Q9. What idea do you get about the neighbour? -She proves out to be an indifferent and insensitive person who broke the trust of the narrator’s mother. ******************************************************************************* Q1. Where was the neighbour on the narrator’s second visit? -She was outside. Q2. Who called the narrator inside the home? -Mrs. Dorling’s daughter. Q3. What upsets the narrator on her second visit? -She was upset to find out that Mrs. Dorling had been recklessly using her mother’s belongings. Q4. What were the specific things she saw getting misused? - she saw the table cloth, silver crockery; expensive lamps getting misused. Q5. What did the narrator realize about the neighbour? -she understood that Mrs. Dorling has betrayed her mother’s trust. Q6. What really broke her heart? She was greatly upset that her mother’s belongings were misused and her trust was broken by Mrs. Dorling. ****************************************************************************** Q1. Why had the the narrator’s mother given her things to the neighbour? -The Nazis had compelled the Dutch Jews to leave the place when the second world war began. The narrator and her mother were Dutch Jews. So they too had to leave their home. The neighbour, Mrs. Dorling assured that she would keep her belongings safe and return after the war. Q2. What assured the narrator’s mother regarding the safety of her things? -Mrs. Dorling, the neighbour, promised to take care of her belongings and return them after the war. Q3. What was the real intention of the neighbour? -She intended to keep those things forever as she believed that no one would ever return. ****************************************************************************** Q1. What had the narrator’s mother ask her to remember? -The address of Mrs. Dorling Q2. How was the narrator’s first visit a failure? -Mrs. Dorling didn’t talk to her and told her to come some other day. Q3. What were the narrator’s observation on her second visit? She observed that her mother’s belongings were recklessly used by Mrs. Dorling.

Q4. What was the narrator’s final decision? -The narrator decided to give up her mother’s belongings and forget the address of Mrs. Dorling forever. Q5. Why did she take that decision? -She was deeply hurt that her mother’s trust was broken by Mrs. Dorling. She no longer felt attachment with her mother’s belongings which were kept in an ugly and tasteless way. ***************************************************************************** WORDS TO PRACTICE Make your own sentences from the following words: Entrusted Pretended Recognize Belongings Betrayed Intention Recklessly Knitted Complete the sentences with the most appropriate phrasal verbs. 1. As I have just had a tooth ----, I am not allowed to eat or drink anything for three hours. A) run out B) tried on C) crossed out D) taken out E) broken off 2. You need to ---- your essay for spell-check before you hand in your exam paper. A) hang out B) point out C) cut off D) go over E) give away 3. It is not easy for many civil servants to ---- on their salaries as the inflation rate is extremely high. A) get by B) turn up C) wear out D) run over

E) take away 4. You'd better ---- your cigarette as it is dangerous to smoke at a gas station. A) hold up B) pull through C) get through D) hang up E) put out 5. Jane found it hard to get up from the bed after the alarm clock ---- at seven. A) broke in B) took out C) sent out D) went off E) threw up 6. There is an easy way to ---- four species of wild cats living in this region by their tail patterns. A) tell apart B) see to C) clear up D) back up E) call for 7. I thought the party was going to be boring, but it ---- to be the most unforgettable evening of my life. A) turned out B) looked around C) passed away D) fell back on E) cut down 8. I find it hard to ---- with the other students in the Italian class as they have been attending the classes more regularly than I do. A) fall through B) call in C) do away D) catch up E) come up 9. The first National Food and Nutrition Survey was ---- in 1980 and the most recent one in 1992. A) carried out B) dropped out C) figured out D) brought about E) checked in 10. The summit was earlier to be held in March but was ---- due to the tsunami disaster that hit India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

A) paid off B) crossed out C) put off D) dropped in E) turned down ************************************************************************************** THE ADDRESS -MARGA MINCO FIRST VISIT SECOND VISIT 1. The narrator was a Dutch Jew and during 1. Mrs. Dorling was not at home. the second world war, the Nazis compelled the Dutch Jews to leave the place. 2. The narrator’s mother entrusted her 2. Her daughter invited the narrator belongings with Mrs. Dorling on her inside. promise that she would keep them safe and return after the war got over. 3. But when the war was over and the 3. The narrator felt she was in a room she narrator met her, Mrs. Dorling pretended knew and still didn’t know. not to recognize the narrator. 4. She stood half hid behind the door. 4. She saw all around her mother’s belongings used recklessly. 5. She told that she had not expected 5. Everything that belonged to her anyone to return from the war. mother was kept in an ugly and tasteless manner. 6. The narrator saw her mother’s green 6. She felt bad that her mother’s trust knitted cardigan worn by Mrs. Dorling. was broken by Mrs. Dorling. 7. The buttons of the cardigan had turned 7. The table cloth, expensive lamps, silver pale due to over washing. cutlery and everything was misused. 8. Mrs. Dorling asked her to come some 8. The narrator felt no more attachment other day. with those things and decided to give up and never return the address- no.46, Marconi Street, ever.

THE ADDRESS -MARGO MINCO QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED A. Reading with Insight Q1: ‘Have you come back?’ said the woman, ‘I thought that no one had come back.’ Does this statement give some clue about the story? If yes, what is it? Answer: Yes, this statement gives some clue about the story. During the early part of the war Mrs. Dorling had shifted the important belongings of her acquaintance Mrs. S. from her house to 46, Marconi Street. These included table silver wares, antique plates and other nice things such as the iron Hanukkah candle-holder, woolen table cloth and green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons. Since Mrs. S. had died during the war, Mrs. Dorling did not expect anyone to come back and claim her costly belongings as she thought no one else knew her address. The statement indicates the greedy and possessive nature of Mrs. Dorling. She did not open the door to the daughter of her former acquaintance nor did she show any signs of recognition. She did not let the girl in. She refused to see her then saying it was not convenient for her to do. The narrator had gone to this address with a specific purpose— to see her mother’s belongings. Even when she told Mrs. Dorling that only she had come back, the woman with a broad back did not soften a bit. Thus the clash of interests is hinted at by the aforesaid statement. Q2: The story is divided into pre-war and post-war times. What hardships do you think the girl underwent during these times? Answer: During the pre-war times, the narrator lived in some other city far away from home and she visited her mother only for a few days. During the first half of the war the narrator’s mother was always afraid that they might have to leave the place and lose all valuable belongings. The narrator lived in the city in a small rented room. Its windows were covered with blackout paper. She could not see the beauty of nature outside her room. The threat of death loomed large. After the liberation, everything became normal again. Bread was getting to be a lighter colour. She could sleep in her bed without any fear of death. She could glance out of the window of her room each day. One day, she was eager to see all the possessions of her mother, which she knew were stored at number 46, Marconi Street. She went to that address. She felt disappointed when Mrs. Dorling neither recognised her nor let her in. She asked her to come again someday. It was evident she wanted to put her off. She was eager to see, touch and remember her mother’s possessions. So, she had to take the trouble of visiting the place again. Q3: Why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address? Answer: The narrator remembered the address her mother had told her only once. It was number 46, Marconi Street. Her mother’s acquaintance Mrs. Dorling lived there. She had stored the valuable belongings of the narrator’s mother there. After her mother’s death, the narrator had an urge to visit the place. She wanted to see those things, touch them and remember. She went to the given address twice. She was successful in her second attempt to enter the living room. She found herself in the midst of things she wanted to see again. She felt oppressed in the strange atmosphere. Everything was arranged in a tasteless way. The ugly furniture and the muggy smell that hung there seemed quite unpleasant. These objects evoked

the memory of the familiar life of former time. But they had lost their value since they had been separated from her mother and stored in strange surroundings. She no longer wanted to see, touch or remember these belongings. She resolved to forget the address. She wanted to leave the past behind and decided to move on. Q4: ‘The Address’ is a story of human predicament that follows war. Comment. Answer: The war creates many difficult and unpleasant situations for human beings. Sometime it becomes difficult to know what to do. The human predicament that follows war is amply illustrated through the experience of the narrator. The war had caused many physical difficulties as well as emotional sufferings to her. She had lost her dear mother. She went to 46, Marconi Street to see her mother’s valuable possessions. How greedy and callous human beings can become is exemplified by the behaviour of Mrs. Dorling. She had stored all the valuable belongings of the narrator’s mother, but she refused to recognise the narrator. She did not even let her in. The presence of her mother’s possessions in strange atmosphere pained her. Now these valuables had lost all their importance for her as they had been separated from her mother. She could get no solace or comfort from them. MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED A. Short Answer Type Questions Q1: How did Mrs. Dorling react when the narrator said, Mrs. S’s daughter”? Answer: Mrs. Dorling held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it opening any further. Her face showed no sign of recognition. She kept staring at the narrator without uttering a word. Q2: What reason did Mrs. Dorling give for taking away the precious belongings of the narrator’s mother? Answer: Mrs. Dorling suggested to the narrator’s mother that she should store her belongings at a safer place. She wanted to save all her nice things. She explained that they would lose everything if they had to leave the place. Q3: What does the narrator remember about Mrs. Dorling as she saw her for the first time? Answer: Mrs. Dorling was a woman with a broad back. She wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat. She picked up a heavy suitcase lying under the coat rack and left their house. She lived at number 46, Marconi Street. Q4: “I was in a room I knew and did not know,” says the narrator in the story ‘The Address’. What prompted her to make this observation? Answer: The narrator found herself in the midst of things she was familiar with and which she did want to see again. However, she found them in a strange atmosphere where everything was arranged in a tasteless way. They ugly furniture and the muggy smell created the feeling that she didn’t know the room. Q5: How was the narrator able to recognise her own familiar woolen table- cloth? Answer: The narrator first stared at the woolen table-cloth. Then she followed the lines of the pattern. She remembered that somewhere there was a bum mark which had not been repaired. At last she found the bum mark on the table-cloth. This helped her to recognise her own familiar article.

Q6: Why did the narrator suddenly decide to leave? Answer: The narrator had visited 46, Marconi Street for a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings and touch them. However, these objects seemed to have lost their value in strange surroundings and on being severed from the life of former times. B. Long Answer Type Questions Q1: Give a brief account of the narrator’s first visit to 46, Marconi Street. What impression do you form of Mrs. Dorling from it? Answer: In the post-war period, when things returned to normal, the narrator became curious about her mother’s possessions that were stored at Mrs. Dorling’s house. Since she wanted to see them, she took the train and went to 46, Marconi Street. Mrs. Dorling opened the door a chink. The narrator came closer, stood on the step and asked her if she still knew her. Mrs. Dorling told her that she didn’t know her. The narrator told her that she was the daughter of Mrs. S. Mrs. Dorling kept staring at her in silence and gave on sign of recognition. She held her hand on the door as if she wanted to prevent it opening any further. The narrator recognised the green knitted cardigan of her mother that Mrs. Dorling was wearing. Mrs. Dorling noticed it and half hid herself behind the door. The narrator again asked if she knew her mother. Mrs. Dorling asked with surprise if she had come back. She declined to see the narrator or help her. Q2: In what respect was the second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street different from the first one? Did she really succeed in her mission? Give a reason for your answer. Answer: The second visit of the narrator to 46, Marconi Street, was different from the first one in one respect. Dining the first visit, the narrator could not get admittance in the house, whereas during the second one, she was led to the living room, where she could see and touch some of the things she had wanted so eagerly to see. She had visited this place with a specific purpose—to see her mother’s belongings. The touch and sight of familiar things aroused memory of her former life. These objects had now lost their real value for her since they were severed from their own lives and stored in strange circumstances. Thus her mission to see, touch and remember her mother’s belongings was partly successful. She resolved to forget these objects, and their past and move on. This is clear from her decision to forget the address. Q3: Comment on the significance of the title of the story The Address. Answer: The title of the story The Address is quite apt. It is the spring wheel of the action. In fact the whole action centres round it. The title is quite suggestive and occurs at the beginning, middle and end of the story. Marga Minco focuses the reader’s attention on it by the narrator’s doubt whether she was mistaken and her self assurance that she had reached the correct address. The middle part of the story reveals how she came to know the address. It was her mother who informed her about the place where Mrs. Dorling lived and asked her to remember it. The story ends dramatically with the narrator’s resolve to forget the address. The wheel comes full circle. She had remembered the address for so many years and now since the belongings of her mother stored there have lost their usefulness she finds that forgetting this address would be quite easy. ********************************************************************





























When things go wrong as they sometimes will,