PREETI'S TEACHER'S DIARY

PICTORIAL PRESENTATION OF MAIN POINTS- LOST SPRING- ANEES JUNG



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“TODAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS WERE YESTERDAY’S IMPOSSIBILITIES.” – ROBERT H. SCHULLER AUGUST: 2020-21

DEEP WATER William Orville Douglas was an American jurist and politician who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas was confirmed at the age of 40, one of the youngest justices appointed to the court. William Douglas (1898-1980) was born in Maine, Minnesota. After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in English and Economics, he spent two years teaching high school in Yakima. He met Franklin D. Roosevelt at Yale and became an adviser and friend to the President. He retired in 1975 with a term lasting thirty-six years and remains the longest-serving Justice in the history of the court. The following excerpt is taken from “Of Men and Mountains” by William O. Douglas. It reveals how as a young boy William Douglas nearly drowned in a swimming pool. In this essay he talks about his fear of water and thereafter, how he finally overcame it. SUMMARY IN POINTS 1. INCIDENT AT CALIFORNIA BEACH • Walking on the California beach with his father. • A wave almost swept him away. • Father laughed as no obvious danger; saved him. • But fear of water gripped his heart. 2. INCIDENT AT YMCA POOL • Douglas was still under training. Legs were weak. • Was sitting by the pool side, waiting for the trainer. • A big muscular boy picked him up and tossed him into the deep end of the pool. • He was almost drowned. 3. STRATEGY OF DOUGLAS • Landed inside water in sitting position. • Decided to strike bottom hard, come up like a cork and swim to the shore. • Tried thrice but failed. 4. FEELINGS OF DOUGLAS WHILE DROWNING • Swallowed lots of water.  Tried to bring legs up, but they hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid.  A great force was pulling him under.  He screamed, but only the water heard.  Paralysed under water — stiff, rigid with fear.  Lungs ached; head throbbed; legs felt lifeless.  Looked for ropes, ladders, water wings but could find nothing but water.  Sheer stark terror gripped his heart.  Shook and trembled with fright; arms wouldn’t move; legs wouldn’t move.  Legs felt limp; and a blackness swept over his brain ; No more panic; it was quiet and peaceful.  He crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell.

5. DESIRE TO LEARN SWIMMING  Came to know the waters of the Cascades, I wanted to get into them.  Terror that had seized me in the pool would come back; take possession of me .. completely  Legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab my heart.  Ruined his fishing trips; deprived me of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. 6. HIRED INSTRUCTOR- BUILT A SWIMMER OUT OF DOUGLAS • Instructor tied a rope to the belt of Douglas. • Other end of the rope went across a pulley. • He made Douglas go back and forth in the water for weeks together. • Then he made Douglas inhale and exhale in the water, • Then he made Douglas kick legs against the force of water. 7. ENSURED THAT HE HAD LEARNT SWIMMING  Traces of fear were still there in Douglas.  He went to swim in Lake Wentworth.  He dived at Triggs Island.  He swam across the lake to Stamp Act Island.  He laughed at his fear. He conquered his fear finally. SUMMARY IN THE FORM OF SHORT QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Q1. Which incident happened at California beach? Ans: When Douglas was 3 -4 years old, his father took him to the California beach. There the waves knocked him down and swept over him. His father was laughing as there was no fear of drowning as such. He saved Douglas. But fear of water set in his heart in his childhood. Q2. What was the misadventure Douglas faced? Ans: Inspite of his fear of water, Douglas decided to learn swimming at the age of ten or eleven with water wings at the Y.M.C.A pool since it was safe at the shallow end. He was still lean and thin and under the training of the instructor. One day as he was waiting by the pool side for the trainer, a big muscular boy picked him up and tossed him into the deep end of the pool, which was nine feet . Douglas was almost drowned. Q3. What strategy Douglas decided to adopt when he was tossed into the deep end of the pool?

Ans: When Douglas was tossed into the deep end of the pool, he landed in the water in sitting position. He still kept calm and decided when he would reach the bottom of the pool, he would kick hard, jump up like a cork and swim to the shore. He tried to follow his strategy thrice but failed every time. Finally, he gave up and left himself to the mercy of the waves. Q4. Describe the feelings of Douglas when he was thrown into the deep end of the pool. Ans: When Douglas was tossed into the deep end of the pool, he decided to strike bottom hard, jump up like a cork and swim to the shore. But he failed thrice. He tried to bring legs up, but they hung as dead weights, paralyzed and rigid. A great force was pulling him under. He screamed, but only the water heard. He felt paralyzed under water — stiff, rigid with fear. His lungs ached; head throbbed; legs felt lifeless. He looked for ropes, ladders, water wings but could find nothing but water. Sheer stark terror gripped his heart. Shook and trembled with fright; arms wouldn’t move; legs wouldn’t move. Legs felt limp; and a blackness swept over his brain; No more panic; it was quiet and peaceful. He crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell. Q5. Why was Douglas keen to learn swimming inspite of his bad experiences in the past ? Why the fear of water couldn’t deter him from learning swimming? Ans: Douglas had scary experiences in the past regarding water. In his childhood, he was almost swept away by the waves. As he grew young, he was thrown in the deep end of the pool and he was almost drowned. But he was still determined to learn swimming. He didn’t want to give up the pleasures of water sports. He came to know the waters of the Cascades and wanted to get into them. Terror that had seized him in the pool would come back. His legs would become paralyzed. Icy horror would grab my heart. His fear ruined his fishing trips; deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming. Therefore, he hired an instructor and learnt swimming finally. Q6. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror? Ans. Douglas still felt terror-stricken when he was alone in the pool. The remnants of the old terror would return, but he would rebuke it and go for another length of the pool. He was still not satisfied. So, he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island and swam two miles across the lake. He had his residual doubts. So, he went to Meade Glacier, dived into Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and back. Thus, he made sure that he had conquered the old terror would never come back. __________________________________________________________________ Contact : [email protected] Whatsapp : 8758488368













DEEP WATER -William Douglas Q1. Match the following words with their meanings: SNO WORDS MEANINGS 1 Treacherous uncontrollable fear or anxiety 2 Subdued remaining after the greater part has gone. 3 Aversion the state of being unaware or unconscious 4 Revived damaged or harmed 5 Summoned lacking a specified benefit 6 Panicky presenting hidden or unpredictable dangers. 7 Grab come or bring to an end 8 Flailed reflective or depressed 9 Seized take hold of suddenly and forcibly. 10 Oblivion a strong dislike or disinclination 11 Ceased very small of its kind 12 Ruined restore to life 13 Deprived make an effort to produce from within oneself. 14 Residual wave or swing wildly. 15 Miniature grasp or seize suddenly and roughly Q2. Fill in the blanks with one word or one phrase: 1. Douglas was three to four years of age when he went to ________ with ________. 2. Fear of water set in Douglas because ________ knocked him down at ________. 3. Douglas’ mother warned him against ________ because the river was ________. 4.Douglas joined ________to learn swimming and was waiting for ________ one day. 5. ________ tossed Douglas into ________ of the pool. 6. William Douglas planned to ________ , come up ________ and ________. 7. He failed ________ before he ceased his efforts. 8. William Douglas shouted but only ________ ; he tried to grab ________ ; his lungs ________; head ________ ; legs ________. 9. Douglas was seized with ________ and then there was no more ________. 10. Douglas was keen to learn swimming as his fear of water ________. 11. He hired an ________ who tied ________ and other end ________ ; Douglas went ________ in water for weeks. 12. Douglas was taught to ________ and ________ during swimming and also to ________ against the force of water. 13. The instructor built ________ out of Douglas step by step. 14. Douglas was still unsure and went to ________ , ________ , and ________ to ensure that he had got rid of his fear. 15. In the words of President Roosevelt, 32nd President of US, ________. REMEMBER: “WINNERS ARE NOT THOSE WHO DON’T FAIL BUT THOSE WHO DON’T QUIT” Contact :[email protected] Whatsapp : 8758488368







WE’RE NOT AFRAID TO DIE… IF WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER -GORDON COOK & ALAN EAST SOLUTIONS: WORKSHEET- 1 1. The author started the voyage in the year 1976 along with his wife, Mary, six-year-old son, Jonathan and seven-year- old daughter, Suzanne. 2. The desire of the author was to repeat the voyage of Captain James Cook. He kept the name of the boat Wavewalker which was 23 mt long and 30 ton heavy. 3. They picked up two crewmen on the way, Larry Vigil and Herb Seigler. 4. On their second day out of Cape Town, Waves rose up to 15 mt. 5. On December 25, they enjoyed Christmas and New Year Day. 6. On January 2, there were mighty waves. They were sailing at eight knots. 7. Then they attached lifelines, put on water proof clothes and life jackets and waited for the storm. 8. The first sign of the imminent disaster came as an ominous silence. The wind dropped and the sky grew dark. Then came a growing roar and a very huge wave. 9. A tremendous explosion shook the deck. The narrator’s head struck on the wheel and he flew over the side of the boat into water. He was sinking below the waves. He accepted his coming death. 10.Suddenly his head appeared out of water and a wave turned Wavewalker upright. 11.The narrator’s left ribs cracked. His mouth His mouth was filled with blood and broken teeth. He, somehow, found the wheel and lined up the stern for the next wave. 12.There was water everywhere on the ship. Suddenly his wife, Mary, opened the door in the deck shouted that they were sinking as the decks were broken. 13.Larry and Herb were pumping water out of the ship. 14.Sue had got a big bump on her head. 15.The author managed to stretch canvas and secure water proof hatch covers across the gaping holes. 16.Hand pumps were were choked with debris and electric pumps got short-circuited. 17.Sue’s head had swollen alarmingly. She had two enormous black eyes and a deep cut on her arm. 18.The narrator calculated that there were two small islands a few hundred kilometres to the east and he hoped to reach Le Amsterdam, a French scientific base. 19.On January 4, their relief was short lived. At 4 pm black clouds began building up. Within an hour, the wind was back to 40 knots. The seas were getting higher. 20.By dawn on January 5, their situation was extremely dangerous. 21.Jon asked if they were going to die. Jon said “We aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together.” 22.On the morning of January 6, the wind became less severe. 23.Sue gave him a card she had made. She had drawn caricatures of her parents with a message that she loved them. 24.The narrator expected to see an island at about 5 p.m. He dozed off woke up at 6 p.m. 25.There were twenty-eight inhabitants on the island who cheered them and helped them ashore. **************************************************************************



















“OUR GREATEST WEAKNESS LIES IN GIVING UP. THE MOST CERTAIN WAY TO SUCCEED IS ALWAYS TO TRY JUST ONE MORE TIME.” – THOMAS EDISON SEPTEMBER: 2020-21

HORNBILL AN AILING PLANET SOLUTION Q. Fill in the blanks using a word or a sentence: 1. The chapter “The Ailing Planet” is from an article written by Nani Palkhivala. 2. The article was published in the year 1994. 3. Before the year 1994, the earth was considered as a thing. 4. There has been a shift from mechanist to holistic approach. 5. The earth is now considered as a huge living organism having its own metabolic needs. 6. According to the holistic approach, every part of the earth needs to be protected and preserved. 7. Sustainable development refers to the development without compromising with the needs of the future generation. 8. Now there has been a shift from domination to partnership. 9. In the words of Mr. Lester R. Brown, we have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but borrowed it from our future generation. 10. In a zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, there is a cage in which there is no animal but a cage and outside a notice reads “the world’s mot dangerous animal”. 11. It’s high time that we realize our ethical obligations and understand that we are the stewards of the planet and trustees of the legacy to future generations. 12. Mr. Lester R. Brown has divided the earth into four systems, namely forests, fisheries, grasslands and croplands. 13. Forest are getting decimated for fulfilling the requirement of fuel and firewood. 14. Fishes are getting killed in a protein hungry world. 15. Grasslands are turning into wastelands due to pesticides and insecticides. 16. Croplands are turning into barren lands due to garbage and chemical waste. 17. The question raised by Mr. L.K Jha is –are we to leave our successors a scorched planet, impoverished landscape and an ailing environment? 18. Mr. L.K Jha was the distinguished Indian member of Brandt Commission. 19. The growing demands and depletion of natural resources is mainly due to overpopulation. 20. The solution to prevent further degradation of the environment and heal the ailing earth is education because educated people can understand the problems of the ailing planet, our earth.

THE LABURNUM TOP -TED HUGHES Reference to Context 1. A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end. a) What has happened to the tree? It is the month of September. The autumn has set in. The leaves of the tree have turned yellow and its seeds have also fallen. b) How does the mood change on the arrival of the goldfinch? The tree which was earlier silent has become active, noisy and full of life, as the goldfinch has come to feed her young ones. c) There is a comparison of the goldfinch with an animal. Which animal is that? The goldfinch has been compared to a lizard, sleek and abrupt in its movements. 2. Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings She launches away, towards the infinite And the laburnum subsides to empty. a) Who has been described in the first line? The goldfinch has been described in the first line. b) What impression is created by the description? The chirruping of the birds is delicate, soft and gentle like whispering. The reference is to the sounds that the bird makes. c) What effect does the last line create? The last line shows the contrast between the liveliness (activeness) of the tree and the silent tree. The tree becomes silent and empty when the bird flies away. 3. Then sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt, She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up Of chitterings and a tremor of wings, and trilling The whole tree trembles and thrills. a) Who is ‘she’ in the first line? Where does she enter? ‘She’ is the goldfinch and she enters the thickness of the trees. b) What is the ‘machine’ referred to in line 2? The ‘machine’ refers to the young ones of the goldfinch. They suddenly start twittering and chirruping as their mother comes to the nest to feed them. c) Explain the meaning of the last line. The tree was silent earlier but as the mother goldfinch comes to her nest, there is a lot of noise made by her young ones. The movement and the sounds produced are in contrast to the silence. The tree comes to life now.

4. The laburnum top is silent, quite still In the afternoon yellow September sunlight, A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen. a) Name the poem and the poet. The name of the poem is ‘The Laburnum Top’ and the poet is Ted Hughes. b) Describe the laburnum tree. The tree is silent and still. It has leaves that are yellowing and seeds have fallen. c) What is the mood in these lines? The mood is of peace, calm, quiet ,and silence. There is absolute stillness and peace. d) Pick out the words that create the mood. The words that create the mood are ‘silent’, ‘still’, ‘yellowing leaves’ and ‘fallen seeds’. 5. It is the engine of her family She strokes it full, then flirts out to a branch end Showing her barred face identity mask a) Why has the word ‘engine’ been used to describe her family?)v.v imp) The word ‘engine’ has been used to describe her family. The engine of the machine starts up and there is noise, movement and energy signifying the excitement at the arrival of mother. b) Who is ‘she’? How does she stoke the engine? (v.v imp) ‘She’ is the goldfinch who has her nest on the top of the laburnum tree. Just as the stoker feeds coal to the engine, the bird feeds her young ones. c) What does the bird look like? ( v.v imp) The face which was earlier hidden in the thickness of the tree’s branches is now revealed (disclosed) as she comes out at the end of the branch. She seems to be wearing a striped mask.

THE VOICE OF THE RAIN -WALT WHITMAN GIST: \"The Voice of the Rain\" is a short free-verse poem by the American poet Walt Whitman. The Voice of the Rain' is about rain and the accompanying water cycle that supports life and rejuvenates the Earth. The poet shares with us a 'conversation' he had with the falling raindrops. The rain addresses itself as the poem of the earth and says that it is born from the earth's land and deep water bodies and then in the form of intangible vapours that rise eternally to become vaguely shaped clouds and again falling back as rain drops. As the rain shower, it waters the dry land, settles down the dirt and dust and helps the latent life in seeds to come out, i.e, to germinate. Like a poem originates from the poet, enjoyed by all in various forms but belongs to the poet, the rain also originates from the earth, enjoyed by all in various forms but belongs to the earth. LINE-WISE EXPLANATION: 1. And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower, - The poet addresses the rain by seeking its introduction. Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:-[Personification] -The poet is astonished as he receives the reply from the rain and as only the poet could understand the language of the rain, he has translated the response of the rain to us. I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain, -The rain introduces itself as the poem of the earth. [ Metaphor] Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea, - The rain describes its journey. It rises from the earth and deep ocean and rise upwards in the form of vapours which can’t be touched [ impalpable]. Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed, and yet the same, -The rain rises from the earth in the form of vapours and assumes the form of vaguely shaped clouds. Thus, its form keeps on changing but the spirit remains the same ! I descend to lave the droughts, atomies, dust-layers of the globe, -In the form of rain drops falling from the clouds, the rain provides water to the dry land and also settles up dirt and dust in the atmosphere, cleaning the environment.

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn; -In “them” , i.e., seeds , life would remain hidden until the rain drops fall and help them to germinate and bloom and bring new life on the earth. And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own - In this way , in a continuous, everlasting process, the rain replenishes ad rejuvenates the earth from where it originates. origin, and make pure and beautify it; -It purifies the earth and bring back beauty, greenery and freshness all around. (For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wander- ing, Reck'd or unreck'd. duly with love returns.) -Here the rain explains the introduction it had given to the poet. The poem is written by the poet and whether appreciated, but it belongs to the poet. In the same way, the rain originates from the earth, assumes various forms , whether appreciated ,but belongs to the earth. IMPORTANT TO NOTE : Who art thou – Who are you Eternal – never-ending Impalpable – which cannot be described Whence – where Vaguely – not clearly Descend – come down Lave – wash; bathe Atomies – small particles Latent – hidden/buried PAIRS OF OPPOSITES FOUND IN THE POEM: 1. Day, Night 2. Reck’d, Unreck’d 3. Rise, Descend POETIC DEVICES USED: 1 The rain responds Personification 2 I am the Poem of Earth Metaphor 3 (w)hence, (v)aguely Alliteration 4 Bottomless sea Hyperbole Contact: [email protected] Whatsapp: 8758488368