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Kathmandu Summary in English by Vikram Seth

Kathmandu by Vikram Seth About the Author

Vikram Seth, (bom June 20, 1952, Calcutta, India) is an Indian poet, novelist, and travel writer. He is better known for his verse novel The Golden Gate (1986) and his epic novel A Suitable Boy (1993).

The son of a judge, Leila Seth, and a businessman, Prem Seth, Vikram Seth was raised in London and India.

He attended exclusive Indian schools and then graduated from Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He received a master’s degree in economics from Stanford University in 1978 and later studied at Nanking (China) University. In 1987 he returned to India to live with his family in New Delhi.

Although Seth’s first volume of poetry, Mappings, was published in 1980, he did not attract critical attention until the publication of his humorous travelogue From Heaven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet (1983. He also wrote a collection of 10 poems Beastly Tales from Here and There (1992).

Poet Name	Vikram Seth
Born	20 June 1952 (age 67 years), Kolkata
Education	Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Notable Awards	Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi Award, WH Smith Literary Award
Nominations	National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography

Kathmandu Introduction to the Chapter

Kathmandu is is an extract from a travelogue written by Vikram Seth, From Heaven Lake which narrates his long journey from China to India via Tibet and Nepal. Kathmandu is an account of his time spent in Nepal and the description of the two famous temples of Kathmandu—the Pashupatinath, sacred to the Hindus and the Baudhnath Stupa, sacred to the Buddhists. He not only describes the ambience inside these temples but also records his observations about their surroundings and contrasts the hectic activity in the Hindu temple with the serenity in the Buddhist stupa.

Kathmandu Summary in English

The writer, Vikram Seth, journeyed from China to India via Tibet and Nepal. On reaching Kathmandu he hires a cheap room in a hotel and slept for hours. The next morning, accompanied by one Mr. Shah and his nephew, he visits the two temples of Kathmandu—the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath and the Bodh temple, the Baudhnath stupa.

The author first visits Pashupatinath Temple, where the right to entry is reserved for the Hindus alone. The atmosphere there is of ‘febrile confusion’ and people (priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists) and animals (cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs) roam through the grounds. People jostle with each other trying to get the priest’s attention. With the entry of the Nepalese princess the crowd makes way. Outside, the westerners continue to argue in vain with the policemen to gain permission for entering the temple, claiming to be Hindus. Priests, devotees, hawkers, dogs, pigeons, tourists—all get together to add to the confusion.

Two monkeys race each other over a shivalinga towards the holy river Bagmati. On the banks of the river a corpse is being cremated, washerwomen are washing clothes and children are bathing in the river. Wilted flowers and old offerings aere thrown into the river, polluting the river. A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform on the river bank. Legend says when it emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the.Kaliyug will end on earth.

In contrast to the noisy activity in the Hindu temple, Seth finds peace, quietness, and serenity at the Baudhnath stupa. Baudhnath Stupa is a quiet, still place, its white dome ringed by a road. There are small shops on the outer edge of the road mostly owned by Tibetan immigrants. Inside the shrine there are no crowds. There is stillness and quiet. It stands out as a safe haven for quietness amidst busy streets.

After visiting the temples, the writer roams about on the streets of Kathmandu and finds it to be a busy city. Seth chooses the adjectives vivid, mercenary and religious to describe Kathmandu. He finds its narrow streets are busy and very noisy. The streets are crowded with fruit sellers, hawkers of postcards etc. The shops sell Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate; or copper utensils and Nepalese antiques. The city is noisy with film songs blaring out from the radios, car horns honking, bicycle bells ringing, stray cows lowing and vendors shouting out their wares.

Tired and homesick, the author decides to return home. He buys an airline ticket and returns to his hotel.

Near his hotel he hears the melodious sound of a flute seller. The flute seller plays spontaneously and without a conscious effort and seems to sell his flutes in a carefree manner. The flutes captivate him and he recalls that there is no culture that does not have its flute—the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, breathy South American flutes and high pitched Chinese flutes.

He is amazed at himself for noticing such details of these musical instruments for he has not done so earlier. The music of the flute leaves a deep imprint on his mind and he carries it with him when he returns home.

Kathmandu Title

Kathmandu, as we know that it is an extract from an account of a journey that the writer Vikram Seth undertook from Heaven Lake in China to India. However, the. extract does not provides either a description of the city, or information about the Nepalese capital; it is a recording of the writer’s impressions about the city. We expect to know more about Kathmandu. Still, with the author’s main focus on the two famous temples and a brief description regarding his general impression about Kathmandu, this title stands justified.

Kathmandu Setting

In this extract, Kathmandu Vikram Seth describes two famous temples of Kathmandu—the Pashupatinath Temple and the Baudhnath Stupa. The atmosphere at the Pashupatinath Temple is one of feverish confusion. He finds people performing different rituals performing on the bank of the holy river Bagmati. He then visits the Baudhnath Stupa, where there is a sense of stillness. Tibetan immigrants selling different things on the side of the road. After this he roams on the streets of Kathmandu. These streets are busy and crowded. He becomes tired and returns to his hotel.

Kathmandu Theme

The theme of Kathmandu, a brief extract from Vikram Seth’s travelogue, From Heaven Lake, is glimpses of Kathmandu, especially the famous Pashupatinath temple, sacred to the Hindus, and the Baudhnath Stupa, a holy place for the Buddhists. His experiences in the two temples form a kind of commentary on the two ways of worship and the two cultures. The general environment of Kathmandu forms the sub-theme gf this piece. The author briefly discusses the markets, roads etc. of Kathmandu and also adds a few aesthetic remarks about the musical instrument, flute after listening to a flute seller playing the musical instrument.

Kathmandu Message

The extract Kathmandu is a part of a travelogue and is an account of Vikram Seth’s impressions of Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu. As such, it does not cany any message. Still, it has deeper layers of meaning. The author disapproves of the noise and confusion in the Hindu temple and admires the serenity of the Buddhist temple. He also reveals how we thoughtlessly pollute our rivers washing clothes on its banks, cremating corpses, and dumping rubbish in them. The extract conveys the message that the purity and serenity of the holy places must be maintained.

Kathmandu Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Where did the writer stay in Kathmandu? Which two different places of worship did he visit? With whom?
Answer:
The writer, Vikram Seth, stayed in a cheap room in the centre of Kathmandu. He visited the Pushupatinath temple, sacred to the Hindus, and the Baudhnath stupa, the holy shrine of the Buddhists with his acquaintances Mr Shah’s son and nephew. .

Question 2.
What is written on the signboard outside the Pashupatinath temple? What does it signify?
Answer:
Outside the Pashupatinath temple, the signboard announces: “Entrance for the Hindus only”. It signifies that the temple is rigid in the maintaining of its sanctity and holiness as a place of worship. This rule is practiced with inflexible strictness to prevent the temple from being treated like a tourist destination.

Question 3.
What does the author mean when he says “At Pashupatinath there is an atmosphere of febrile confusion”?
Answer:
The author makes this remark to imply there is hectic and chaotic activity around the temple. There is a huge crowd of priests, hawkers, tourists, and even animals like cows, monkeys and pigeons roaming through the grounds. Inside the temple, there are a large number of worshippers who jostle and elbow others aside to move closer to the priest. Together, they create utter confusion.

Question 4.
Why do devotees elbow others inside the temple?
Answer:
There is a large crowd of worshippers inside the temple, where everyone is trying to vie for the attention of the priests. As some people try to get the priest’s attention, they are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front.

Question 5.
How did the arrival of the princess change the situation?
Answer:
At Pashupatinath temple, worshippers were trying to get the priest’s attention and were elbowing and jostling each other as they pushed their way to the front. The situation changed as a princess of the Nepalese royal house appeared; everyone bowed and made way for her.

Question 6.
What did the saffron-clad Westerners want?
Answer:
The saffron-clad Westerners wanted to go inside the Pashupatinath temple. However, as entry to the temple is restricted to Hindus only, they claimed to be Hindus. But the policeman was not allowing them to enter.

Question 7.
Why did the policeman stop the Westerners wearing saffron-coloured clothes from entering the Pashupatinath temple?
Answer:
The policeman stopped the saffron-clad Westerners from entering the Pashupatinath temple as the entry of non- Hindus is banned in this temple and he didn’t believe that they were Hindus, despite their saffron clothes.

Question 8.
Describe the fight that breaks out between the two monkeys around the temple of Pashupatinath?
Answer:
The author describes the fight that breaks out between two monkeys in which one chases the other. The monkey being chased jumps onto a shivalinga, then runs screaming around the temples and finally goes down to the holy river, Bagmati.

Question 9.
What activities are observed by the writer on the banks of the Bagmati river?
Answer:
The writer observes some polluting activities on the banks of the river Bagmati. He notices some washerwomen washing clothes, some children taking a bath and a dead body being cremated on the banks of this sacred river. He also observes someone throwing a basketful of wilted flowers and leaves into the river.

Question 10.
Write a short note on the shrine on the stone platform on the river bank?
Answer:
There is a small shrine on the banks of the holy Bagmati that flows below the Pashupatinath temple. Half part of this shrine protrudes from a stone platform. It is believed that when the shrine will emerge completely from the platform, the goddess in the shrine will escape and that will mark the end of the Kaliyug, or the evil period.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

My Childhood Summary in English by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

My Childhood by APJ Abdul Kalam About the Author

APJ Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Kalam was bom and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He was intimately involved in India’s civilian space programme and military missile development efforts and thereby earned the title of Missile Man of India. He also played a pivotal organisational, technical, and political role in India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. After 5 years as President, Kalam returned to teaching, writing and public service. He was honoured with several prestigious awards including India’s highest civilian honour “Bharat Ratna” in 1997. Abdul Kalam’s writings are very inspirational for the young.

Author Name	A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Born	15 October 1931, Rameswaram
Died	27 July 2015, Shillong
Full Name	Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Awards	Bharat Ratna, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan
Education	Madras Institute Of Technology, Anna University (1955–1960), Bizmen forum (1954)

My Childhood Introduction to the Chapter

My Childhood is an extract taken from the autobiographical novel, Wings of Fire by APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr Kalam, who was one of the greatest scientists of India and also the 11th President of India gives an account of his childhood days. He talks about the people, the incidents and the experiences that he had during his childhood which shaped his adult life. Although he was bom in a conservative society, his family, his teachers and his friends influenced Dr Kalam in his childhood and he imbibed values of secularism, honesty and discipline. Written in a very modest tone, the extract is very inspirational.

My Childhood Summary in English

Kalam was bom in a middle-class Tamil family in Rameswaram. Although he had three brothers and one sister, they had a secure childhood both materially as well as emotionally. His parents, Jainulabdedn and Ashiamma, despite their limited means, were very generous people and Kalam inherited the values of honesty, self-discipline, goodness and kindness from his parents. Though Kalam came from a large family, but their kitchen fed far more outsiders than all his family members put together.

They lived in their ancestral house, a fairly large pucca house, on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. Though they did not have any inessential comforts and luxuries but Kalam’s father made sure that all necessities like food, medicine and clothes were provided to the family.

In 1939, Kalam was only 8 years old when the Second World War broke out. There was a sudden demand for tamarind seeds in the market. Kalam collected these seeds and sold them to a provision shop on Mosque Street to earn an anna which was a big amount for a small boy like him. His brother-in-law Jallaluddin would tell him stories about war which Kalam would try to trace in the headlines of Dinamani. Rameswaram was an isolated place and while the war didn’t have a direct impact on life there, the train’s halt at the station was stopped. As a result, the bundles of newspapers were now thrown off running trains. Kalam’s cousin Samsuddin, who used to distribute these newspapers in Rameswaram, sought Kalam’s help to catch the bundles. Thus, Kalam earned his first wages which gave him immense self-confidence and a sense of pride.

Kalam’s three friends—Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan—were very close to him. Though the boys came from different religious backgrounds—Kalam as a Muslim while the other three were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families—yet their religious differences and upbringing did not stand in the way of their friendship. Later in life, the boys adopted different professions. Ramanadha Sastry took over the priesthood of Rameswaram temple from his father, Aravindan took up the business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims, and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

Kalam’s family used to arrange boats with a special platform during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony. The platform was used for carrying idols of Lord Rama from the temple to the wedding site ‘Ram Tirtha’ which was a pond near Kalam’s house. Kalam grew up listening to the stories both from the Ramayana and the life of the Prophet from his mother and grandmother at bedtime.

Certain incidents of his childhood left a deep impression on Kalam’s young mind. When he was in fifth standard, a new teacher did not like Kalam, a Muslim boy, sitting next to Ramanadha Sastry, a Brahmin. He sent Kalam to the back seat simply in accordance with the social ranking of Muslims. Both Kalam and Ramanadha Sastry felt sad at this action of their teacher. Sastry wept and this had a deep impact on Kalam. When Sastry’s father heard of the incident, he summoned the teacher and told him not to spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in young minds. He told the teacher to either apologise or leave the school. The teacher regretted his action and he was reformed by this incident.

Another memorable incident of his childhood was when Sivasubramania Iyer, Kalam’s science teacher, invited him home for a meal. Sivasubramania Iyer was an orthodox Brahmin and his wife was very conservative. She was horrified at the idea of a Muslim boy dining in her ritually pure kitchen. When she refused to serve Kalam, Iyer did not lose his cool and not only served the boy with his own hands but also sat and ate with him. He invited Kalam the next weekend as well. Noticing Kalam’s hesitation in accepting his invitation, Iyer told the child to be prepared to face such situations if he wished to change any system. When Kalam visited Iyer’s house again, his wife took him to her kitchen and served him food with her own hands.

The freedom of India was in the offing when the Second World War ended. Following Gandhiji’s plea, the entire nation was hopeful of building their country themselves. Kalam too sought his father’s permission to go and study further in Ramanathapuram. His father permitted him willingly because he wanted his son to grow. He even convinced Kalam’s mother by telling her that parents should not thrust their ideas upon their children as they have their own way of thinking.

My Childhood Title

In this autobiographical extract My Childhood Abdul Kalam, talks about his childhood. He describes his family, his house, his childhood experiences and his childhood friends. In addition, he highlights those incidents that left an indelible impression on his young mind. That makes the title My Childhood very apt.

My Childhood Setting

The setting of this extract is Rameswaram, especially in the pre-war, during the War and post-war years. On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was highly stratified and very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups. Yet, there was communal harmony and co-operation. People who spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance were not well tolerated.

My Childhood Theme

In the given extract from his autobiographical novel Wings of Fire Abdul Kalam reveals how our life is shaped by our experiences and the people around us. Kalam’s secure childhood, inspiring parents, supportive friends and honest teachers instilled great values in him that gave him the strength to travel from his modest beginnings to the President’s House.

My Childhood Message

The message Dr Kalam conveys to his readers in My Childhood is one of communal harmony, tolerance, acceptance, broadmindedness and brotherhood. While our society is infected by prejudices of religion, caste and status, it is essential to confront such discrimination and put an end to it. Despite being orthodox Muslims, Kalam’s family provided boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony. His mother and grandmother told him stories from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet. Even the orthodox Brahmans fought against barriers of religion and caste as done by Lakshmana Sastry and Sivasubramania Iyer.

My Childhood Characters

Abdul Kalam

A boy of ordinary looks, Abdul Kalam had many sterling qualities right from his childhood. He had immense affection and respect for his parents. He inherited the values of honesty and self-discipline from his father and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.

Kalam was an enterprising and a hard-working child. He collected tamarind seeds, when they were in demand, and sold them to earn small yet significant amounts. Very confident of himself, he did every piece of work assigned to him with full dedication. He helped his cousin to catch bundles from the running trains when the train-halt at Rameswaram was suspended during the Second World War.

Despite being bom in a Muslim family, Kalam was a liberal secular. He imbibed this quality from his father who gave his boats with a special platform for carrying idols of Lord Rama from the temple to the wedding site ‘Ram Tirtha’ during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony. His mother and grandmother told stories from the Ramayana and the life of the Prophet to the children at bed time. Kalam’s three friends—Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan—were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. However, their religious differences and upbringing did not stand in the way of their friendship.

He was a sensitive child and leamt valuable lessons from his experiences. He leamt early in life that caste-based segregation is a poison that must not be allowed to thrive. Kalam was also progressive and took decision at the right time to leave his hometown to study further and grow in life.

Jainulabdeen

Abdul Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen, was a tall handsome man. He had neither much formal education nor much wealth; despite these disadvantages, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit.

Jainulabdeen was an austere man who avoided all inessential comforts and luxuries. However, he provided all necessities in terms of food, medicine or clothes for his family. He ensured he provided a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally to his children.

Despite being a Muslim, Jainulabdeen provided his boats with a special platform for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony.

Although Jainulabdeen was not very highly educated himself, he was keen his son got a good education. When Abdul Kalam expressed a desire to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram, but was a little hesitant, Jainulabdeen advised his son to go away to grow. He asked, “Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest?” With deep wisdom he advised his wife to let their son go to get a good education. “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.”

Ashiamma

Abdul Kalaam’s mother, Ashiamma, was a tall, good-looking woman, were tall and good looking. Ashiamma was a good, kind person and she passed on these qualities to her children. Though they did not have abundant resources, both she and her husband were very generous and fed a lot of outsiders along with their own family-members.

Ashiamma was a secular person and brought up her children on stories from the Ramayana and from the life of the Prophet. She thus instilled good values and principles in her children.

Sivasubramania Iyer

Sivasubramania Iyer was Kalam’s science teacher in school. Although he was an orthodox Brahmin, he was a very tolerant and broad-minded person. He was a rebel who wished to bring about a transformation in the society and was well prepared to confront hindrances during this process. He faced challenges even from his own family when his wife refused to serve food to Kalam who had been invited by Iyer himself. But, without losing faith in his belief that caste and religion do not segregate people, he served the child himself. Thus, he

reformed his wife not by force but by setting an example.

Iyer was also a dedicated teacher who established a good rapport with his students. He encouraged and inspired them as he taught and spent long hours with them. He encouraged Abdul Kalam to study further and to develop so that he could be “on par with the highly educated people of the big cities.”

My Childhood Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What were the qualities that Abdul Kalam admired in his parents?
Answer:
Kalam’s parents were noble and generous people. Though his father was an austere man, hd provided his family with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes. He admired his father’s honesty and self- discipline and his mother’s faith in goodness and kindness. He admired his parents for respecting all religions.

Question 2.
Kalam’s childhood was a secure one both materially and emotionally. Illustrate.
Answer:
APJ Abdul Kalam called his childhood a secure one because he had loving and caring parents who gave love and guidance to their children and took care of their emotional and physical needs. They provided their children with all necessities, in terms of food, medicine or clothes.

Question 3.
How does Kalam show his father was a simple man?
Answer:
Kalam’s father was a simple self-disciplined man. He neither had formal education nor much wealth and he avoided all inessential comforts and luxuries.

Question 4.
What kind of a person was Kalam’s father?
Answer:
Abdul Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen, was a tall and handsome man. Although he did not have much of a formal education, he was progressive and valued education. He was an austere man and didn’t have much wealth, however, he was a generous man and provided both material and emotional security to his family. He was a very practical man with a vast store of wisdom and never obstructed the progressive ways of his children.

Question 5.
How does Abdul Kalam describe his mother?
Answer:
Kalam’s mother, Ashiamma, was tall, good looking and very attached to her children. She was an ideal helpmate to her husband. She was a gentle and kind lady with faith in goodness and deep kindness. Like her husband, she was very generous and fed a number of outsiders daily. Kalam inherited the values of kindness and generosity from her. Kalam inherited the values of kindness and generosity from her.

Question 6.
How was Kalam’s appearance different from that of his parents?
Answer:
Kalam did not take after his tall and handsome parents. He was a rather short boy with average looks. Unlike his parents who had quite striking features, his appearance was undistinguished.

Question 7.
Briefly describe Abdul Kalam’s ancestral house.
Answer:
Abdul Kalam’s ancestral house was situated on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram. It had been built in the middle of nineteenth century and was a fairly large, pucca house made of limestone and brick.

Question 8.
How did the Second World War give Abdul Kalam the opportunity to earn his first wages?
Answer:
When stoppage of trains was cancelled at Rameshwaram because of World War II, Kalam’s cousin, Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, asked him for help in collecting newspaper bundles which were thrown from the moving train. This helped Abdul Kalam earn his first wages.

Question 9.
What are Kalam’s views about his first jobs?
Answer:
As a young boy, Kalam earned his first wage by helping his cousin, Samsuddin, collect papers thrown from a moving train for distribution. Half a century later, Kalam would still feel the surge of pride in earning his own money for the first time.

Question 10.
Had Kalam earned any money before that? In what way?
Answer:
When the Second World War broke out in 1939, there was a sudden demand for tamarind seeds in the market. Kalam collected these seeds and sold them to earn an anna a day which was a big amount for a small boy like him in those days.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Summary in English by Edward Lear

The Duck and the Kangaroo by Edward Lear About the Poet

Edward Lear (1812-1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet. He is best known for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose especially his limericks, a form he popularised. He began his career as an artist at the age of 15. His father, a stockbroker of Danish origins, was sent to debtor’s prison when Lear was only 13. So, he was forced to earn a living. He quickly gained recognition for his work and in 1832, he was hired by the London Zoological Society to execute illustrations of birds. He composed his first book of poems, A Book of Nonsense for the grandchildren of the Derby household. Between 1837 and 1847, he travelled throughout Europe and Asia. His travel journals were published in several volumes as The Illustrated Travels of a Landscape Painter. He wrote many deeply fantastical poems about imaginary creatures such as The Dong with the Luminous Nose. His books of humorous verse also include Nonsense Songs and Laughable Lyrics.

Poet Name	Edward Lear
Born	12 May 1812, Holloway, United Kingdom
Died	29 January 1888, Sanremo, Italy
At Works	Masada on the Dead Sea, Campagna di Roma
On view	Yale Center for British Art, National Gallery of Art
Period	Romanticism

The Duck and the Kangaroo Introduction to the Chapter

The Duck and the Kangaroo is a famous poem by Edward Lear. In this poem a duck wants to be able to jump around and see the world like a kangaroo. So he asks a kangaroo to take him on its back.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Summary in English

The Duck praises the Kangaroo and the way he hops so gracefully over the fields and water. The Duck feels sorry for himself as his own life is really boring in the nasty pond. The Duck wishes he could hop like the Kangaroo and see the world beyond the pond.

The Duck requests the Kangaroo to give him a ride on his back. He also promises that he would sit quietly on the Kangaroo’s back, not saying anything apart from a ‘Quack’ the whole day long. They would go to the Dee and the Jelly Bo Lee and over the land and sea. The Duck again earnestly entreats the Kangaroo to give him a ride.

The Kangaroo ponders over the Duck’s proposal seriously. He has an objection to his request because the duck’s feet are cold from water and would give the Kangaroo rheumatism if the Duck sat on his back for the ride.

The Duck has a quick solution to the Kangaroo’s problem. He says he is carrying a pair of woollen socks which will keep his feet neat and warm. Also, he is carrying a cloak and he would smoke a cigar daily and enjoy the company of his dear Kangaroo.

The Kangaroo finally agrees to take the Duck on a ride. In the moonlight, the Duck is seen sitting steady on the Kangaroo’s tail. They hop aound the world thrice. There is no one so happy as the Kangaroo and the Duck.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Theme

Though the poem The Duck and the Kangaroo seems to be nonsensical, there is a lesson to be learned. The Duck is disgruntled with his life and sees the Kangaroo’s life as being more exciting and adventurous. He entreats the Kangaroo for a ride. The Kangaroo objects only because the duck is sure to have cold feet. The Duck assures the Kangaroo that he has several pairs of warm socks, a cloak and a cigar which should keep the cold at bay. So, the Duck and the Kangaroo start their tour and go round the world thrice. The Duck and the Kangaroo are very different, but they resolve their differences by cooperating with each other.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Message

The main message of the poem The Duck and the Kangaroo is that you cannot enjoy your life if you are stuck in a boring routine. One should enjoy many adventures and try new things to get over the boredom of a fixed routine. The Duck is bored in his pond because he’s been there all his life. He wanted to go on an adventure “ to the Dee and the Jelly Bo Lee” and he convinced the Kangaroo to take him along. The poem also teaches us that every problem that besets us, has a solution. Just as the Duck thought of a solution for his wet and cold feet that the Kangaroo was guarded about.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Tone

The tone of the poem is conversational as the Duck and the Kangaroo converse. The Duck very politely requests the Kangaroo for a ride on his back as he is bored of his nasty little pond. The Kangaroo, on his part, reflects upon the situation and courteously presents his doubts to the duck. In a very formal tone he asks for the duck’s permission to speak boldly and says that he has an objection to the duck riding his because the latter’s feet are wet and cold and would probably give him rheumatism. In a conciliatory tone, the Duck offers a solution – wearing a cloak, worsted socks and smoking a cigar. There is happiness and excitement in the tone as the two friends go to places they wished to see, and hop around the world thrice.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Setting

The setting of the poem is near a pond where the Duck lives. The pond could be in Australia, as kangaroos are found in Australia.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Literary Devices

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial letter (generally a consonant) or first sound of several words, marking the stressed syllables in a line of poetry.

Example: Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
“Good gracious! how you hop!

Imagery is a poetic device wherein the author uses words or phrases that appeal to any of the senses or any combination of senses to create “mental images” for the reader. Imagery helps the reader to visualize more realistically the author’s writings. Imagery is not limited to only visual sensations, but also refers to igniting kinesthetic, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, thermal and auditory sensations as well.

Example: Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,
“Good gracious! how you hop!
Over the fields and the water too,
As if you never would stop! (visual imagery)
Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,
And would probably give me the roo-

Inversion

Inversion is a term used to refer to the inverting of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. Writers will use inversion to maintain a particular meter or rhyme scheme in poetry, or to emphasize a specific word in prose.

Examples: (i) “Said the duck to the kangaroo”
ii) “As if you never would stop”.

Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme is a popular literary device in which the repetition of the same or similar sounds occurs in two or more words, e.g., covers and lovers. Rhyme occurs usually at the end of a line in a poem.

Imperfect Rhyme, also known as ‘partial’, ‘near’ or ‘slant rhyme’, occurs when a: poet deliberately changes the spelling or pronunciation of word so that it rhymes with the last word of another line in the stanza. Use of imperfect rhyme is fairly common in folk poetry.

Example: And would probably give me the roo-
Matiz!” said the Kangaroo.

Roo-matiz is slang for rheumatism. The word has ‘roo – matiz’ – this has been split into two parts for the sake of rhyme scheme, to rhyme with ‘Kangaroo’. The second part ‘matiz’ purely talks about the disease ‘rheumatism; and M is put capital because this is even the beginning of a line of a poem which must start with capital letter.

Rhyme scheme refers to the order in which particular words at the end of each line rhyme. The first end sound is represented as the letter “a”, the second is “b”, and so on. If the alternate words rhyme, it is an “a-b-a-b” rhyme scheme, which means “a” is the rhyme for the lines 1 and 3 and “b” is the rhyme affected in the lines 2 and 4.

Example : Said the Duck to the Kangaroo, A
“Good gracious! how you hop! B
Over the fields and the water too, A
As ifyou never would stop! B
My life is a bore in this nasty pond, C
And I long to go out in the world beyond! C
I wish I could hop like you!” D
Said the Duck to the Kangaroo. D
They rhyme scheme of the poem is — ABABCCDD

The Duck and the Kangaroo Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Where did the Duck live and what did he long for?
Answer:
The Duck lived in a pond which he considered nasty as he was bored of his life there. He wanted to leave that place and see the world beyond.

Question 2.
Where did the Duck want to go? What did he request the Kangaroo to do?
Answer:
The Duck wanted to see the world away from the pond he lived in. He thought that he would visit the ‘Dee’ and the ‘Jelly Bo Lee’. He requested the Kangaroo to let him ride on his back as he hopped away.

Question 3.
Why did the Duck want to take a ride on the Kangaroo’s back?
Answer:
The Duck felt bored with his life in the pond. So, he wanted to see the whole world. He wanted to travel to places like Dee and Jelly Bo Lee. But he did not have that capability. So he wanted to take the Kangaroo’s help as he could hop far and wide.

Question 4.
What did the Duck promise the Kangaroo?
Answer:
The Duck promised the Kangaroo that if he took him for a ride on his back, he would sit quietly the whole day and only say Quack.

Question 5.
How did the Kangaroo respond to the Duck’s request?
Answer:
The Kangaroo said that he would have to ponder over his request. He first objected to the Duck’s wet and cold feet because he feared they would give him rheumatism. Later, he agreed to his request. In fact, he thought that it might bring him good luck. So he accepted the Duck’s request to give him a ride on his back.

Question 6.
What did the Duck do to overcome the Kangaroo’s objection?
Answer:
The Duck bought four pairs of worsted socks which fit his web-feet neatly. Moreover he promised to wear a cloak and to smoke a cigar to keep out the cold. He did it to overcome the Kangaroo’s objection to his cold feet.

Question 7.
How did the Duck and the Kangaroo go round the world?
Answer:
The Duck sat at the end of the Kangaroo’s tail. He sat still and spoke nothing. The Kangaroo hopped and leapt. They went round the world three times. They enjoyed their journey and were very happy.

Question 8.
The Kangaroo does not want to catch ‘rheumatism’. Why it is spelt differently. Why is it in two parts? Why does the second part begin with a capital letter?
Answer:
The word ‘rheumatism’ is spelled differently and is in two parts so that it can rhyme with ‘kangaroo’ in the following line. As a result of splitting the word into two and changing its spelling, ‘roo’ rhymes with ‘kangaroo’. The second part ‘Matiz’ begins with a capital letter because it is the first word of the line. In a poem, every line begins with a capital letter even if it is in continuation with the previous line. Hence, this has been done in order to enhance the poetic effect of the lines.

Question 9.
What do you learn about the Duck from the poem?
Answer:
The Duck is adventurous. He is bored in his pond and wants to travel and see far-off places. He is considerate and promises not to disturb the Kangaroo with his chatter, but sit quietly on the Kangaroo’s back. He is resourceful, and when the Kangaroo objects to his wet and cold feet, he buys worsted socks and a cloak to keep warm. The Duck is envious of the Kangaroo’s ability to hop off and see the world.

Question 10.
What do you learn about the Kangaroo from the poem?
Answer:
The Kangaroo is a true friend. He agreed to take the Duck for a ride on his back, provided he did something about his cold and wet feet. He takes his friend around the world three times.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Fun They Had Summary in English by Isaac Asimov

The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov About the Author

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was bom in Petrovichi, Russia. His family immigrated to the United States in 1923. He was a Professor of Biochemistry at Boston University and a popular writer of science-fiction. He published his first novel, Pebble in the Sky, in 1950. An immensely prolific author who penned nearly 500 books, he published influential sci-fi works like I, Robot and the Foundation trilogy. In fact, Isaac Asimov is widely considered a master of the science-fiction genre.

Author Name	Isaac Asimov
Born	2 January 1920, Petrovichi, Russia
Died	6 April 1992, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Short Stories	The Last Question, The Fun They Had
Movies	I, Robot, Bicentennial Man, Nightfall, The End of Eternity

The Fun They Had Introduction to the Chapter

Science Fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories are largely based on science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of science. Stories involve laws or theories of science which are partially true and partially fictitious. The plot creates situations different from those of both the present day and the known past. Science fiction texts explain what effect new discoveries, happenings and scientific developments will have on us in the future. These stories are often set in the future, in space, on a different world, or in a different universe or dimension.

Isaac Asimov’s The Fun They Had is a science fiction story which first appeared in a children’s newspaper in 1951 and was reprinted in the February 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, as well as the collections Earth Is Room Enough (1957), 50 Short Science Fiction Tales (1960), and The Best of Isaac Asimov (1973). According to Asimov, the story The Fun They Had, written as a personal favor for a friend, became “probably the biggest surprise of my literary career”. He reported that it had been reprinted more than 30 times with more being planned. “Why? I don’t know why.” It is about computerized home schooling, and what children miss out on by not being in school together.

The Fun They Had Summary in English

The Fun They Had is a story set about 150 years in the future; to be precise on 17 May 2157. The writer describes a time in the future when every child has his own machine teacher and schools like today do not exist anymore. There are telebooks, in which words move across the screen. Considering that this story was written in 1951 before personal computers were around, it is amazing how well the author predicts the future. We are not living in 2155 yet, but it is already possible for us to read digital books on handheld devices. Perhaps in the future, children really will be taught by mechanical teachers!

On that particular day, Tommy, a thirteen-year-old boy, finds a ‘real book’ in the attic of his house. The book, which is really old, has been printed on paper and its pages are yellow and crinkly. He and his friend, eleven- year-old Margie, take a look at the book together. Both Margie and Tommy are amazed by the book that is different from the books they are accustomed to. The book has words that are fixed on the pages and do not move as on a screen. Books like these don’t exist anymore. Margie recalls her grandfather had once told her about stories being printed on paper in the time of his grandfather. Tommy thinks of the book as being impractical because, unlike their telebooks that have a million books and are good for plenty more, the book would have to be thrown away after one had finished reading it.

Tommy tells Margie that the book is about school, but Margie, who hates school and cannot understand why someone would write about it, is disappointed. She has been having problems with learning geography from her ‘mechanical teacher’. It teaches Margie, gives her exercises and asks her questions, all in a special room in her own house. It can also calculate the marks in no times. Margie hates the slot where she has to insert her homework or test papers.

Lately, her dislike for her school has intensified because the geography sector of her mechanical teacher is malfunctioning. It has been giving her test after test in geography and she has been doing worse and worse.

Her mother has sent for the County Inspector to look at the mechanical teacher and to rectify the error. The Inspector takes the mechanical teacher apart and finds that Margie is not at fault for her poor performance.

The geography sector in the teacher has been fixed at a speed that is too fast for the little girl. Margie has been hoping he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knows how to repair it all right, and, after an hour or so, the Inspector is able to set the speed to Margie’s level. This leaves Margie disappointed as she had hoped her teacher would be taken away for some time and she would be relieved of the trouble of taking so many tests.

Tommy, who has been reading the book, tells Margie that the book is not about their kind of school which has mechanical teachers with a TV, but rather, it was about the schools hundreds of years ago when students had a person as a teacher who taught the girls and boys, gave them homework and asked them questions. School was a special building the children went to. And they learned the same thing if they were the same age.

At first, Margie does not understand how a person could be a teacher and how the students were taught the same thing because her mother says that education must fit each child’s mind.

Nevertheless, she wants to read more about it. They haven’t even read half the book, when Margie’s mother reminds her it is time for school. Though Margie’s schoolroom is right next to her bedroom, she has to study at regular hours because her mother considers it right to study at fixed timings every day.

Margie goes to the schoolroom in her house, where the mechanical teacher is already on because the lessons are always at regular hours. As the mechanical teacher teaches the addition of proper fractions, Margie is lost in her thoughts about the working of schools in old times. Though at first Margie had been skeptical about the notion, by the end of the story she believes that the kids must have enjoyed going together to school. They must have had fun going to the same school, studying the same things and being able to help one another.

The Fun They Had Title

The title of the story The Fun They Had has been derived from the closing words of the story. They reflect the opinion of Margie, a young girl in the year 2157, about the students centuries ago. In 2157, children are taught individually by mechanical teachers who are adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl they teach and each kid is taught differently. Their “school” is just another room in the house. They have no interaction with a human teacher or with other children during school hours. Tommy finds the book about schools, centuries ago when students had a person as a teacher who taught the girls and boys. School was a special building, the children went to. And they learned the same thing if they were the same age. Margie thinks about the old school system and how much fun the children must have had, learning and spending time together.

The Fun They Had Setting

The setting of the story is 17 May 2157. Two children, thirteen-year-old Tommy and eleven-year-old Margie are at Margie’s house looking at a ‘strange’ book Tommy found in his attic. Their life is different from that of children today. Children no longer have a person as a teacher, nor do all children go to a school house and learn the same thing with other children of the same age. In 2157 children are taught individually by mechanical teachers who are adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl they teach and each kid is taught differently. Children read telebooks and have no interaction with a teacher and little interaction among themselves.

The Fun They Had Theme

The main theme in The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov is that of education. Specifically, the story deals with the future of education which will become increasingly computerized. As a result, students will become estranged from social interactions.

By contrasting the schools of present day with those expected to exist in the twenty second century, the writer draws the conclusion that present day schools are much more fun. Schools in the future schools will impart knowledge but students will miss out on the fun they can have while going to the same school, studying the same things, adjusting with the same teacher and being able to help one another. The author’s message is one of warning against the dangers of computerized homeschooling which deprives children of the benefits of the personal interaction between students and teachers, which helps them develop social skills.

The Fun They Had Message

The author’s message in the story is that education is not merely accumulation of information. Computerised homeschooling can certainly help gain information in a better way, but present day schooling is much more than acquisition of facts. It is a life-experience where children interact with others, have fim and leam the values of sharing and caring. If in the future schools have mechanical teachers attuned to specific needs of every student and books available only in electronic form, our children will be deprived of the privilege of interaction with human teachers and other students and developing of social skills.

The Fun They Had Characters

Margie

Margie is an eieven-year-old girl who lives in the twenty second century. She is taught by a mechanical teacher in the comfort of her home. The mechanical teacher is highly personalised and adjusted to suit her level. Yet, Margie dislikes her school. Probably this is because she is confined to a room and has to study alone at a fixed time every day.

Margie is a curious girl. When she finds a real book in Tommy’s hands, she is eager to know about its contents.

In fact, she wants to read the book herself. However, she is surprised that the book describes a school of the yesteryears which had real men as teachers and classes were conducted in a special building. She is fascinated to leam that in those times the students of the same level studied together.

Margie seems to be a friendly and social girl. She concludes that the old system was much better as the students had so much fun when they studied together and could help each other, rather than studying in isolation.

Tommy

Tommy, a thirteen-year-old, plays an important role in the story as he is the one who finds a book about the schools from yesteryears. The entire action of the story begins after that. He, too, like Margie represents the students of the future era when education will be mechanised and automated.

Tommy is very curious. He has gone looking in the attic and found the old book. As soon as he discovers it, he starts reading it. However, he does not like the idea of printed books which, according to him, are a waste once they have been read. Compared to Margie, he is not as sensitive to the contents of the book.

He has an air of superiority—he snubs Margie when she expresses her ignorance about old schools.

However, Tommy is warm and friendly and he does believe in sharing. When Margie’s mother calls her to attend school he assures her that they can finish the book later.

The Fun They Had Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Who are Margie and Tommy? How old are they?
Answer:
Margie and Tommy are students from the year 2157. Tommy is a thirteen-year-old boy and Margie is an eleven-year-old girl. Both are neighbours and good friends who like to spend time together like children of their age usually do.

Question 2.
What did Margie write in her diary?
Answer:
On 17 May 2157 Margie recorded in her diary about the discovery of a “real” book by Tommy. It was a very old book printed on paper and had yellow and crinkly pages, unlike the telebooks of the twenty-second century.

Question 3.
Where had Tommy found the book? How was it different from the books Margie and Tommy were used to?
Answer:
Tommy found a real book in the attic of his house. The book was at least two hundred years old so pages had turned yellow and crinkly. It was a different from the books Margie and Tommy were used to because they had teiebooks to read from while the book Tommy found was printed on paper.

Question 4.
Had Margie ever seen a real book before? Did she know about such books?
Answer:
No, Margie had never seen a book before till she saw the one Tommy found in the attic of his house. She had only heard about books from her grandfather who himself had not seen any. He too had heard about a printed book from his own grandfather.

Question 5.
What things about the book did Margie and Tommy find strange?
Answer:
Margie and Tommy read telebooks where words moved on a screen. Books were stored in a machine that could store a million books on it and still be good for plenty more. So they found it strange that the words in the printed book remained fixed unlike the moving ones on their television screen.

Question 6.
“What a waste!” What is Tommy referring to as a ‘waste’? Is it really a waste? Why/Why not?
Answer:
Tommy thought the paper book he found in his attic with words that were printed and did not move was a waste. Once a book had been read, it became useless and must be thrown away because it had the same content.

YES: Printed books are a waste as telebooks are more accessible. They can be stored in a television and read again and again. They occupy very little space as compared to the printed books and need not be discarded once they have been read. In addition, paper books consume resources like trees from which paper is made and water that is consumed in the process of making paper.

NO: Printed books are not a waste as they can be read by many people over and over again and can be preserved for future generations. Moreover, the data in a telebook can be lost or stolen, but in a printed book, the data printed on a page remains for ever.

Question 7.
What do you think a telebook is?
Answer:
A telebook is a book made available in text on a television screen. Many books can be stored and read in this manner. (The telebook is the author’s imagined version of an e-book as this story was written in 1951, long before their advent.)

Question 8.
Did Margie like the printed book? Why/Why not?
Answer:
Margie was really excited to see the ‘real’ book Tommy found as it was unlike the telebooks the two were used to reading. It was such a novelty that she recorded the discovery in her diary. As she turned the yellow and crinkly pages of the book with Tommy, she found it quite fascinating, unlike Tommy who found it a waste. In fact, she was really reluctant to stop reading the book and go to study. She wanted to read the book again after school.

Question 9.
Where was Margie’s school? Did she have any classmates?
Answer:
Margie’s school was a room next to her bedroom in her house. No, she did not have any classmates as her school was a customised school, set up exclusively for her according to her level and needs.

Question 10.
What kind of teachers did Margie and Tommy have? How were they different from teachers in the book?
Answer:
Margie and Tommy had mechanical teachers, which were large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. There was a slot where they had to put homework and test papers and the mechanical teacher calculated the marks in no time. Margie and Tommy’s teachers were different from the teachers in the book as the teachers in the book were men and not mechanical teachers.

We have decided to create the most comprehensive English Summary that will help students with learning and understanding.

The Bond of Love Summary in English by Kenneth Anderson

The Bond of Love by Kenneth Anderson About the Author

Kenneth Anderson (1901-1974 ) was an Indian-born, British writer and hunter who wrote books about his adventures in the jungles of South India. His love for the inhabitants of the Indian jungle led him to big game hunting and to writing real-life adventure stories. He often went into the jungle alone and unarmed to meditate and enjoy the beauty of untouched nature. Anderson’s style of writing is descriptive, as he talks about his adventures with wild animals.

While most stories are about hunting tigers and leopards—particularly man- eaters—he includes chapters on his first-hand encounters with elephants, bison, and bears. There are stories about the less ‘popular’ creatures like Indian wild dogs, hyenas, and snakes. He explains the habits and personalities of these animals. Anderson gives insights into the people of the Indian jungles of his time, with woods full of wildlife and local inhabitants having to contend with poor quality roads, communication and health facilities. His books delve into the habits of the jungle tribes, their survival skills, and their day-to-day lives.

Author Name	Kenneth Anderson
Born	8 March 1910, Bengaluru
Died	30 August 1974, Bengaluru
Education	St. Joseph’s College, Bishop Cotton Boys’ School
Nationality	British, Indian

The Bond of Love Introduction to the Chapter

The Bond of Love is a touching account of an orphaned sloth bear who is rescued by the author, Kenneth Anderson, and gifted to his wife as a pet. Bruno, the playful baby bear, gets attached to her, but as he grows in size he is sent to a zoo. When the author’s wife goes to meet Bruno at the zoo, they realise how much the bear loves her and misses her. With the permission of the superintendent of the zoo, they bring Bruno back home. At home, a separate island is made for the animal where the author’s wife and the bear spend hours together.

The Bond of Love Summary in English

Once, Anderson and his companions were passing through sugarcane fields near Mysore when they encountered wild pigs that were being driven away from the fields. Some of them had been shot dead, while others had fled. They thought that everything was over when suddenly a black sloth bear appeared and one of the author’s friends wantonly shot it dead. Soon they discovered that a baby bear had been riding on the back of the mother bear that had been killed. Distressed, the young cub ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise.

Anderson tried to seize the cub, but it ran off into the sugarcane fields, only to be chased and finally captured by the author. He presented the young bear to his wife who was delighted with it. She at once put a coloured ribbon around its neck, and after discovering it was a male cub she named it Bruno. At first, the young bear drank milk from a bottle but soon he started eating all kinds of food. He would eat porridge, vegetables, fruit, nuts, meat, curry and rice regardless of spices, bread, eggs, chocolates, sweets, pudding, ice-cream, etc., etc., etc. As for drink, Bruno drank anything including milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, aerated water, buttermilk, beer and alcoholic drinks. It all went down with relish.

Bruno became very attached to the two Alsatian dogs that the family owned as well as with the children of the tenants. He enjoyed complete freedom and played and moved about in every area of the author’s house, including the kitchen, and even slept in their beds.

One day, Bruno met with an accident. He entered the library and ate some of the barium carbonate, a poison, that the author had kept to kill the rats. The poison soon showed its effect and Bruno suffered an attack of paralysis. However, he managed to reach the author’s wife who at once informed her husband. Bruno was immediately taken to a veterinary doctor who administered two antidote injections of 10 cc each to the bear. Bruno got well and soon started eating normally. Another time, Bruno drank old engine oil the author had kept as a weapon against the inroads of termites. However, it did not have any effect on him.

The author’s family took good care of Bruno, so he grew at a fast pace becoming many times the size he was when he came. He had become mischievous and playful. Bruno was very fond the author’s family, but he loved the author’s wife above all, and she loved him too! The author’s wife now changed his name to Baba which means a ‘small boy’. He leamt to perform a few tricks as well but still had to be kept chained because of the tenants’ children.

Soon the author and his son, and their friends felt that Bruno should be sent to a zoo because he had become too big to be kept at home. The narrator’s wife, who had got deeply attached to Bruno, was convinced after much effort. The bear was taken to the Mysore zoo after getting a positive response from the curator.

Although the author and his family missed Bruno greatly; but in a sense they were relieved. However his wife was inconsolable. She wept and fretted and wouldn’t eat anything. Meanwhile, reports from the curator and the friends of the narrator who visited the zoo, reported that Bruno, though he was well, was sad too and was not eating anything. After three months, at the insistence of his wife, the author took her to the zoo.

Bruno at once recognized the author’s wife and expressed delight by howling with happiness. After spending three hours feeding and pampering Bruno, the author’s wife requested the curator to give Bruno back to her. He, in turn, recommended her to contact the superintendent. Finally, with the Superintendent’s permission, Bruno was brought home. In order to keep him comfortable and safe, an island with a dry pit or moat around it was made especially for him. The author’s wife would spend a lot of time on the island with Bruno sitting in her lap. This indicated that sloth bears too have affection, memory and individual characteristics.

The Bond of Love Title

The Bond of Love is a perfect example of how love begets love. Even animals understand the language of love. They respond to love in equal measure. The author’s wife loves her pet bear like a child and takes care of his needs. The love given to Bruno by her is reciprocated by him in equal measure. When he is sent to the zoo, both the narrator’s wife and Bruno fret, refuse food and pine for each other. When she goes to see him, Bruno recognises her even after a gap of three months. Thus, we can see the author’s wife and Bruno share a deep bond of love. The title is therefore quite apt.

The Bond of Love Setting

The story The Bond of Love starts from the sugarcane fields near Mysore where the female sloth-bear is shot by one of the narrator’s companions and he brings the bear cub home. The scene now shifts to the narrator’s home in Bangalore whereas he grows in size, there is not much space for BrunoHe is then sent to the Mysore zoo. Finally, after Bruno is brought back because the author’s wife and Bruno were pining for each other. Bruno was kept on a special twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide island made for Bruno in the narrator’s compound in Bangalore. It was surrounded by a dry pit, or moat, six feet wide and seven feet deep. A wooden box that once housed fowls was brought and put on the island for Bruno to sleep in at night.

The Bond of Love Theme

The Bond of Love focuses on the mutual love between an animal and a human being. The author wants to say that animals, too, understand the language of love. The relationship between the bear and the author’s wife proves it. Bruno, the bear, is loved dearly by the author’s wife and he loves her in equal measure.

When he is sent away to a zoo, he frets, looks sad and refuses to eat. The author’s wife, too, does not eat. She visits Bruno in the zoo after a gap of three months, and he recognises her at once. He expresses his pleasure on seeing her by standing on his head. Thus, the bond of mutual love that exists between human and animal is too strong to be broken by time or distance.

The Bond of Love Message

The story conveys the message of the need of showing kindness to animals for they too are creatures created by the same God who created human beings. Animals have a right to dignified and free life. Kenneth Anderson’s friend kills the sloth bear, Bruno’s mother, wantonly. This senseless act leaves the bear cub alone. Thus, human beings being superior in intelligence and evolution, have a special responsibility towards animals and birds, pet or wild.

Animals also experience the feelings of love, joy, pain and separation just like human beings. When Bruno is sent to the zoo, the narrator’s wife weeps and frets, especially when she hears her Baba is inconsolable in Mysore and is refusing food. Bruno is delighted when he sees her and stands on his head to show his pleasure. Thus animals are equally devoted and loyal in reciprocating the love human beings give them.

The Bond of Love Characters

Bruno

Bruno, the pet sloth bear, is affectionate, emotional, sensitive, and playful. Through him the author reveals that animals are sensitive beings with emotions akin to human emotions. Once the bear cub, Bruno, is brought to the family and presented to the lady of the house as a pet, he behaves like a member of the family with a specifically deep bond of love for the author’s wife. He runs about the house, even sleeping in the author’s bed.

Bruno is a very loving bear. He quickly makes friends with the Alsatian dogs and the children of the tenants. He loves the narrator and his family. So much so that when he is sent to the zoo in Mysore, he is inconsolable. He refuses to eat anything and looks thin and sad. Bruno’s selfless love is evident when he is sent to the zoo where he suffers the pain of separation. He frets and refuses to eat. He is overjoyed when he sees the narrator’s wife after three months. He stands on his head to show his pleasure on seeing her.

Bruno is playful and full of life. He entertains everyone by his tricks. He spends his time in playing, running into the kitchen and going to sleep in the beds of the narrator’s family. And he knows a few tricks, too. At the command, ‘Baba, wrestle’, or ‘Baba, box,’ he vigorously tackles anyone who comes forward for a rough and tumble. If he is given a stick and ordered ‘Baba, hold gun’, he points the stick like a gun. If one asks him, ‘Baba, where’s baby?’ he immediately produces and cradles a stump of wood.

Bruno is mischievous and inquisitive. On one occasion, Bruno eats barium carbonate which is kept in the kitchen to kill rats. He is paralysed and has to be taken to a vet. On another occasion, he drinks up old engine oil.

The Author’s Wife

The author’s wife, who is not given any name in the story, is the caretaker of the sloth bear, whom she names Bruno and later on affectionately calls ‘Baba’. She is an embodiment of love, care, concern, consideration and kindness. She is delighted when her husband gifts her a young cub of a sloth bear. She is selfless and highly affectionate and takes good care of the pet as if he were her own child. It is due to her love and care that the pet bear survives despite losing his mother. She takes him into her family and calls him ‘Baba’ which in Hindi means a ‘young boy’. Because of her affection, he becomes playful and fun-loving. She is kind and gentle with animals as is evident not only in the love with which she brings up Bruno, but also the fact that she has two pet Alsatians too.

However, she is considerate and does not resent putting him in chains for the sake of the children of the tenants. She also agrees to have him sent to a zoo when he grows too big and unmanageable. She is terribly sad at being separated from him. Like a real mother, she carries food for him when she visits him at the zoo. She is so overwhelmed by seeing Bruno’s sorrow at being separated from her that she is able to convince the curator and the Superintendent that he should be sent back home. She is delighted to have him back and makes the pet sit in her lap although he has grown big.

She is sentimental and when Bruno is sent to the zoo, she preserves the stump and the bamboo stick with which he used to play and returns them to him when he comes back.

The Bond of Love Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
How did the author get the baby sloth bear?
Answer:
The author got the baby sloth bear in a freak accident. Once the author and his friends were passing through the sugarcane fields near Mysore, Bruno’s mother was wantonly shot dead by one of his companions. The cub was found moving on the body of his mother. It was in great shock and tried to flee but the author managed to capture it, and bring it home.

Question 2.
Why did the author not kill the sloth bear when she appeared suddenly?
Answer:
Being kind-hearted, the author did not kill any animals without any motive or provocation. As the sloth bear had not provoked or attacked him, he did not kill it. That is why he describes his companions shooting of her a wanton act.

Question 3.
Why did one of the author’s companions kill the bear?
Answer:
One of the author’s companions killed the bear wantonly, in a moment of impulsive rush of blood. He may have though the bear would attack them and he may have shot it as an impulsive act bom of self-preservation.

Question 4.
How did the author capture the bear cub?
Answer:
When the bear cub’s mother was shot, it ran around its prostrate parent making a pitiful noise. The author ran up to it to attempt a capture. It scooted into the sugarcane field. Following it with his companions, the author was at last able to grab it by the scruff of its neck and put it in a gunny bag.

Question 5.
How did the author’s wife receive the baby sloth bear?
Answer:
The author’s wife was extremely happy to get the baby sloth bear as a pet. She put a coloured ribbon around his neck and named him Bruno.

Question 6.
How was Bruno, the baby bear, fed initially? What followed within a few days?
Answer:
Initially, the little Bmno was given milk from a bottle. But soon he started eating all kinds of food and drank all kinds of drinks. He ate a variety of dishes like porridge, vegetables, nuts, fruits, meat, eggs, chocolates etc., and drank milk, tea, coffee, lime-juice, buttermilk, even beer and alcoholic liquor.

Question 7.
“One day an accident befell him”. What accident befell Bruno?
Answer:
One day Bmno ate the rat poison (barium carbonate) kept in the library to kill rats. The poison affected his nervous and muscular system and left him paralysed. He rapidly became weak, panted heavily, vomited, and was unable to move.

Question 8.
How was Bruno cured of paralysis?
Answer:
Bmno had mistakenly consumed poison and had got paralysed. However, he managed to crawl to the author’s wife on his stumps. He was taken to the veterinary doctor who and injected 10 cc of the antidote into him. The first dose had no effect. Then another dose was injected which cured Bruno absolutely. After ten minutes of the dose, his breathing became normal and he could move his arms and legs.

Question 9.
Why did Bruno drink the engine oil? What was the result?
Answer:
Once the narrator had drained the old engine oil from the sump of his car and kept it to treat termites. Bruno, who would drink anything that came his way, drank about one gallon of this oil too. However, it did not have any effect on him.

Question 10.
What used to be Bruno’s activities at the author’s home?
Answer:
In the beginning, Bruno was left free. He spent his time in playing, running into the kitchen and going to sleep in our beds. As he grew older, he became more mischievous and playful. He learnt to do a few tricks, too. At the command, ‘Baba, wrestle’, or ‘Baba, box,’ he vigorously tackled anyone who came forward for a rough and tumble. If someone said ‘Baba, hold gun’, he would point the stick at the person. If he was asked, ‘Baba, where’s baby?’ he immediately produced and cradled affectionately a stump of wood which he had carefully concealed in his straw bed.

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 5

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 5

Describes several adventures that happened with the narrator. The execution of a criminal is described. The narrator shows his skill in navigation.

Gulliver was happy in Brobdingnag except for the many mishaps that befell him because of his diminutive size. Shortly afterward, he attended an execution with great interest. He compared the spurts of blood, as the man was decapitated, as more spectacular than the fountains at Versailles.

In one unpleasant incident, the dwarf, angry at Gulliver for teasing him, shook an apple tree over his head. One of the apples struck Gulliver in the back and knocked him over. But the dwarf was pardoned at Gulliver’s saying so, because he had given the provocation. Another time, he was left outside during a hailstorm and was so bruised and battered that he could not leave the house for ten days.

Once a bird of prey nearly grabbed him and again a dog mistook Gulliver for a doll and took him in his mouth and ran with him to his master. Needless to say, Gulliver was traumatized. Gulliver and his nursemaid were often invited to the apartments of the ladies of the court and there, he was treated as a plaything of little significance.

Because Gulliver was a sailor, the queen ordered a special boat to be made for him and a trough in which to sail. The boat was placed in the trough and Gulliver rowed in it for his own enjoyment and for the amusement of the queen and her court. The royal ladies also took part in the game and made a brisk breeze with their fans. Disaster struck when a frog hopped into the trough and nearly swamped Gulliver’s boat, but Gulliver bravely drove the monster off with an oar.

Yet another danger arose in the form of a monkey, which took Gulliver up a ladder, holding him like a baby and force¬feeding him. He was rescued from the monkey and Glumdalclitch pried the food from his mouth with a needle, after which Gulliver vomited. He was so weak and bruised that he stayed in bed for two weeks. The monkey was killed and orders were sent out that no other monkeys be kept in the palace. When he recovered, Gulliver was summoned by the king, who was curious to know whether Gulliver was afraid. Gulliver boasted that he could have protected himself with his sword. This made the court laugh.

Of course Gulliver was punished for his pride. While out walking he saw a pile of cow dung. He tried to leap over it and landed in the middle of it.

 

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 4

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 4

The country is described. A proposal for correcting modern maps is made. The king’s palace; and some account of the metropolis is given. The narrator’s way of travelling and the chief temple is described.

When the King and Queen went travelling about the country, they decided to take Gulliver along. Gulliver wrote a description of the island, the sea around the island, the city of Lorbrulgrud, the King’s palace, his [Gulliver’s] method of travel on the island, several of the island’s inhabitants, and some of the sights to see on the island.

The land stretched out for about 6,000 miles. The kingdom was bound on one side by mountains and on the other three sides by the sea. The water was so rough that there was no trade with other nations. The rivers were well stocked with giant fish, but the fish in the sea were of the same size as those in the rest of the world—and therefore not worth catching.

In describing the inhabitants of the island, Gulliver focused on their illnesses and diseases. He wrote of giant beggars, horribly deformed, with lice crawling all over them.

Gulliver was carried around the city in a special travelling-box and people always crowded around to see him. He asked to see the largest temple in the country and was not overwhelmed by its size, since at a height of 3,000 feet it was proportionally smaller than the largest steeple in England.

Finally, the dimensions of the King’s palace were described with the kitchen receiving particular attention.

 

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 3

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 3

The narrator is sent for by the court. The queen buys him off his master, the farmer, and presents him to the king. He disputes with his majesty’s great scholars. An apartment at court provided for the narrator. He is in high favour with the queen. He stands up for the honour of his own country. His quarrels with the queen’s dwarf.

The strain of travelling and performing in road shows began to take its toll on Gulliver and he grew very thin. The farmer noticed Gulliver’s condition and resolved to make as much money as possible before Gulliver died. Meanwhile, an order came from the court, ordering the farmer to bring Gulliver to the queen for her entertainment. Gulliver performed admirably and respectfully for her. The Queen, was attracted to the novelty of this tiny man, and after Gulliver pleaded his case in the most humble fashion imaginable—bowing, scraping, pledging undying loyalty, and embracing the tip of the queen’s finger. The queen was delighted with Gulliver’s behaviour and she became his saviour when she bought him from the farmer for 1,000 gold pieces. Gulliver requested that Glumdalclitch be allowed to live in the palace as well.

Gulliver explained his suffering to the queen, and she was impressed by his intelligence. She took him to the king, who at first took him to be a mechanical creation. He sent for great scholars to observe Gulliver, and they decided that he was in fact a freak of nature and unfit for survival, since there was no way he could feed himself. Gulliver tried to explain that he came from a country in which everything was in proportion to himself, but they did not seem to believe him. Gulliver found this ‘a determination exactly agreeable to the modem philosophy of Europe’ where professors used the category of ‘freak’ as a cover for their own ignorance when they came across something that puzzled them.

Glumdalclitch was given an apartment in the palace and a governess was appointed to teach her. Special quarters were built for Gulliver out of a luxurious box by the best court artisans. They also had clothes made for him from fine silk, but Gulliver found them very cumbersome. The queen grew quite accustomed to his company, finding him very entertaining at dinner, especially when he cut and ate his meat. He found her way of eating repulsive, since her size allowed her to swallow huge amounts of food in a single gulp.

The king conversed with Gulliver on issues of politics, and laughed at his descriptions of the goings- on in Europe. He concluded that not only was Gulliver a freak, but he came from a freakish society as well. Gulliver’s stories of Whigs and Tories made the king laugh out loud and exclaim, ‘how contemptible a thing was human grandeur, which could be mimicked by such diminutive insects’ as Gulliver. At first Gulliver was indignant to hear his ‘noble country, the mistress of arts and arms, the scourge of France, the arbitress of Europe, the seat of virtue, piety, honour and truth, the priderand envy of the world, so contemptuously treated.’ But then, he came to realize that he too had begun to think of his world as ridiculous. ‘I really began to imagine myself dwindled many degrees below my usual size.’ His perspective suffered in more ways than one.

The King and Queen were happy with Gulliver, but there was one member of the royal entourage who was not happy: the Queen’s dwarf, who was jealous because Gulliver had replaced him in the Queen’s affection. He dropped Gulliver into a bowl of cream, but Gulliver was able to swim to safety and the dwarf was punished. At another point, the dwarf stuck Gulliver into a marrowbone, where he was forced to remain until someone pulled him out.

The queen teased Gulliver for being so fearful, and concluded that his compatriots must all be cowardly. Gulliver was terrified and sickened by Brobdingnagian flies and wasps. Where the queen was oblivious to their excrement and other droppings, to Gulliver this falling matter was torrential. His revenge against these giant insects was of two types: some he cut into bits as they flew past; others he displayed as freaks when he got back to England.

 

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 2

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 2

The farmer’s daughter is described. The narrator is carried to a market-town, and then to the metropolis. The particulars of his journey as given.

Gulliver was ‘turned over’ to the farmer’s daughter, who cared for him in much the same way that she cared for her doll. She was very good-natured, and not above forty feet high, being little for her age. Gulliver’s name for the girl was Glumdalclitch, which in Brobdingnagian meant little nurse. In fact, her name for Gulliver, Grildrig, meant ‘doll’. Glumdalclitch’s doll’s cradle became Gulliver’s permanent bed. Glumdalclitch put the cradle into a small drawer of a cabinet, and placed the drawer upon a hanging shelf for fear of the rats. She became Gulliver’s caretaker and guardian, sewing clothes for him and teaching him the giants’ language.

News of Gulliver living at the farmer’s house spread quickly and several visitors came to see him. One day, a friend of the farmer came to see him. He looked at Gulliver through his glasses, and Gulliver began to laugh at the sight of the man’s eyes through the glass. The man became angry. At his urging, the farmer decided to take Gulliver to the market place and to put him on display for others to see (for a price). He agreed and much against Glumdalclitch’s will, Gulliver was taken to town in a carriage, which he found very uncomfortable.

There, he was placed on a table while Glumdalclitch sat down on a stool beside him, with thirty people at a time walking through as he performed ‘tricks.’ Gulliver was exhausted by the journey to the marketplace, but upon returning to the farmer’s house, he found that he was to be shown there as well. People came from miles around and were charged great sums to view him. Thinking that Gulliver could make him a great fortune, the farmer took him and Glumdalclitch on a tour throughout the kingdom, including visiting the kingdom’s metropolis, Lorbrulgrud.

The three arrived in the largest city, Lorbrulgrud, and the farmer rented a room with a table for displaying Gulliver. By now, Gulliver could understand their language and speak it fairly well. There Gulliver performed ten times a day for all who wished to see him. He showed off his knowledge of the local language, drank from a thimble, flourished his (to them, miniature) sword, vaulted with the aid of a piece of straw. In short, he did all the things that people do, except on a toy scale. Gulliver was a great sensation, and the farmer earned a great deal of money. By this time, though, Gulliver had presented far too many performances; and he was almost dead with fatigue.

 

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 1

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 1

A great storm is described; the long boat is sent to fetch water; the narrator goes with it to discover the country. He is left on shore, is seized by one of the natives, and carried to a farmer’s house. His reception, with several accidents that happened there, is described and so are the inhabitants.

Two months after returning to England, Gulliver became restless again. He set sail on a ship called ‘The Adventure’, travelling to the Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar before encountering a monsoon that blew the ship off course. The ship eventually arrived at an unknown island and a group of sailors, including Gulliver, went off to explore it. Gulliver left the group to do some looking around on his own. There were no inhabitants about and the landscape was barren and rocky. Gulliver was walking back to the boat when he saw his mates running for their boat. He was about to call out to them when he saw that they were being pursued by a ‘monster.’ The sailors made their getaway, leaving Gulliver behind on that island of monsters. When he saw the giant was following the boat, Gulliver ran away, and when he stopped, he was on a steep hill from which he could see the countryside. He was shocked to see that the grass was about twenty feet high.

He walked down what looked like a high road but turned out to be a footpath through a field of barley. He walked for a long time but could not see anything beyond the stalks of com, which were forty feet high. He tried to climb a set of steps into the next field, but he could not mount them because they were too high.

As he was trying to climb up the stairs, he saw another one of the island’s giant inhabitants. He appeared as tall as an ordinary spire steeple, and took about ten yards at every stride. Struck with fear and astonishment, Gulliver hid in the com, and heard him call in a voice that sounded to Gulliver like thunder. At that, seven monsters, who appeared to be servants or labourers, came and began to harvest the crop with scythes. Gulliver lay down and bemoaned his state. He was sure he would die there, and for the first time Gulliver yearned mournfully for his family. ‘I reflected,’ says Gulliver, ‘what a mortification it must prove to me to appear as inconsiderable in this nation as one single Lilliputian would be among us.’ But he had enough presence of mind to realise that such thoughts were ridiculous at such a time. For he reasoned, he’d probably end up a ‘morsel in the mouth of the first among these enormous barbarians….’

One of the servants came close to Gulliver with both his foot and his scythe, so Gulliver screamed as loudly as he could.
The giant finally noticed him, and picked him up between his fingers to get a closer look. Although the giant’s fingers were hurting him, Gulliver did not struggle in the least for fear he should slip through his fingers as the giant held him in the air above sixty feet from the ground. Gulliver tried to speak to him in plaintive tones, bringing his hands together, and the giant seemed pleased, placed him in his pocket and walked to his master.

The giant’s master, the farmer of these fields, took Gulliver from his servant and observed him more closely. He asked the other servants if they had ever seen anything like Gulliver, then placed him onto the ground. They sat around him in a circle. Gulliver knelt down and began to speak as loudly as he could, taking off his hat and bowing to the farmer. He presented a purse full of gold to the farmer, which the farmer took into his palm. He could not figure out what it was, even after Gulliver emptied the coins into his hand.

The farmer took Gulliver back to his wife, who was frightened of him. The servant brought in dinner, and they all sat down to eat, Gulliver sitting on the table not far from the farmer’s plate. They gave him tiny bits of their food, and he pulled out his knife and fork to eat, which delighted the giants. The farmer’s son picked Gulliver up and scared him, but the farmer took Gulliver from the boy’s hands and struck his son. Gulliver made a sign that the boy should be forgiven, and kissed his hand. After dinner, the farmer’s wife let Gulliver nap in her own bed. When he woke up he found two rats the size of bulldogs
attacking him. He was so startled, frightened, disoriented, and disgusted, that he defended himself with his ‘hanger,’ or sword and killed one of them.

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Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 A Voyage to Brobdingnag

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 A Voyage to Brobdingnag Chapter 1 to 8

• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 1
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 2
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 3
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 4
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 5
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 6
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 7
• Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 8

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 1

A great storm is described; the long boat is sent to fetch water; the narrator goes with it to discover the country. He is left on shore, is seized by one of the natives, and carried to a farmer’s house. His reception, with several accidents that happened there, is described and so are the inhabitants.

Two months after returning to England, Gulliver became restless again. He set sail on a ship called ‘The Adventure’, travelling to the Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar before encountering a monsoon that blew the ship off course. The ship eventually arrived at an unknown island and a group of sailors, including Gulliver, went off to explore it. Gulliver left the group to do some looking around on his own. There were no inhabitants about and the landscape was barren and rocky. Gulliver was walking back to the boat when he saw his mates running for their boat. He was about to call out to them when he saw that they were being pursued by a ‘monster.’ The sailors made their getaway, leaving Gulliver behind on that island of monsters. When he saw the giant was following the boat, Gulliver ran away, and when he stopped, he was on a steep hill from which he could see the countryside. He was shocked to see that the grass was about twenty feet high.

He walked down what looked like a high road but turned out to be a footpath through a field of barley. He walked for a long time but could not see anything beyond the stalks of com, which were forty feet high. He tried to climb a set of steps into the next field, but he could not mount them because they were too high.

As he was trying to climb up the stairs, he saw another one of the island’s giant inhabitants. He appeared as tall as an ordinary spire steeple, and took about ten yards at every stride. Struck with fear and astonishment, Gulliver hid in the com, and heard him call in a voice that sounded to Gulliver like thunder. At that, seven monsters, who appeared to be servants or labourers, came and began to harvest the crop with scythes. Gulliver lay down and bemoaned his state. He was sure he would die there, and for the first time Gulliver yearned mournfully for his family. ‘I reflected,’ says Gulliver, ‘what a mortification it must prove to me to appear as inconsiderable in this nation as one single Lilliputian would be among us.’ But he had enough presence of mind to realise that such thoughts were ridiculous at such a time. For he reasoned, he’d probably end up a ‘morsel in the mouth of the first among these enormous barbarians….’

One of the servants came close to Gulliver with both his foot and his scythe, so Gulliver screamed as loudly as he could.
The giant finally noticed him, and picked him up between his fingers to get a closer look. Although the giant’s fingers were hurting him, Gulliver did not struggle in the least for fear he should slip through his fingers as the giant held him in the air above sixty feet from the ground. Gulliver tried to speak to him in plaintive tones, bringing his hands together, and the giant seemed pleased, placed him in his pocket and walked to his master.

The giant’s master, the farmer of these fields, took Gulliver from his servant and observed him more closely. He asked the other servants if they had ever seen anything like Gulliver, then placed him onto the ground. They sat around him in a circle. Gulliver knelt down and began to speak as loudly as he could, taking off his hat and bowing to the farmer. He presented a purse full of gold to the farmer, which the farmer took into his palm. He could not figure out what it was, even after Gulliver emptied the coins into his hand.

The farmer took Gulliver back to his wife, who was frightened of him. The servant brought in dinner, and they all sat down to eat, Gulliver sitting on the table not far from the farmer’s plate. They gave him tiny bits of their food, and he pulled out his knife and fork to eat, which delighted the giants. The farmer’s son picked Gulliver up and scared him, but the farmer took Gulliver from the boy’s hands and struck his son. Gulliver made a sign that the boy should be forgiven, and kissed his hand. After dinner, the farmer’s wife let Gulliver nap in her own bed. When he woke up he found two rats the size of bulldogs
attacking him. He was so startled, frightened, disoriented, and disgusted, that he defended himself with his ‘hanger,’ or sword and killed one of them.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 2

The farmer’s daughter is described. The narrator is carried to a market-town, and then to the metropolis. The particulars of his journey as given.

Gulliver was ‘turned over’ to the farmer’s daughter, who cared for him in much the same way that she cared for her doll. She was very good-natured, and not above forty feet high, being little for her age. Gulliver’s name for the girl was Glumdalclitch, which in Brobdingnagian meant little nurse. In fact, her name for Gulliver, Grildrig, meant ‘doll’. Glumdalclitch’s doll’s cradle became Gulliver’s permanent bed. Glumdalclitch put the cradle into a small drawer of a cabinet, and placed the drawer upon a hanging shelf for fear of the rats. She became Gulliver’s caretaker and guardian, sewing clothes for him and teaching him the giants’ language.

News of Gulliver living at the farmer’s house spread quickly and several visitors came to see him. One day, a friend of the farmer came to see him. He looked at Gulliver through his glasses, and Gulliver began to laugh at the sight of the man’s eyes through the glass. The man became angry. At his urging, the farmer decided to take Gulliver to the market place and to put him on display for others to see (for a price). He agreed and much against Glumdalclitch’s will, Gulliver was taken to town in a carriage, which he found very uncomfortable. There, he was placed on a table while Glumdalclitch sat down on a stool beside him, with thirty people at a time walking through as he performed ‘tricks.’ Gulliver was exhausted by the journey to the marketplace, but upon returning to the farmer’s house, he found that he was to be shown there as well. People came from miles around and were charged great sums to view him. Thinking that Gulliver could make him a great fortune, the farmer took him and Glumdalclitch on a tour throughout the kingdom, including visiting the kingdom’s metropolis, Lorbrulgrud.

The three arrived in the largest city, Lorbrulgrud, and the farmer rented a room with a table for displaying Gulliver. By now, Gulliver could understand their language and speak it fairly well. There Gulliver performed ten times a day for all who wished to see him. He showed off his knowledge of the local language, drank from a thimble, flourished his (to them, miniature) sword, vaulted with the aid of a piece of straw. In short, he did all the things that people do, except on a toy scale. Gulliver was a great sensation, and the farmer earned a great deal of money. By this time, though, Gulliver had presented far too many performances; and he was almost dead with fatigue.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 3

The narrator is sent for by the court. The queen buys him off his master, the farmer, and presents him to the king. He disputes with his majesty’s great scholars. An apartment at court provided for the narrator. He is in high favour with the queen. He stands up for the honour of his own country. His quarrels with the queen’s dwarf.

The strain of travelling and performing in road shows began to take its toll on Gulliver and he grew very thin. The farmer noticed Gulliver’s condition and resolved to make as much money as possible before Gulliver died. Meanwhile, an order came from the court, ordering the farmer to bring Gulliver to the queen for her entertainment. Gulliver performed admirably and respectfully for her. The Queen, was attracted to the novelty of this tiny man, and after Gulliver pleaded his case in the most humble fashion imaginable—bowing, scraping, pledging undying loyalty, and embracing the tip of the queen’s finger. The queen was delighted with Gulliver’s behaviour and she became his saviour when she bought him from the farmer for 1,000 gold pieces. Gulliver requested that Glumdalclitch be allowed to live in the palace as well.

Gulliver explained his suffering to the queen, and she was impressed by his intelligence. She took him to the king, who at first took him to be a mechanical creation. He sent for great scholars to observe Gulliver, and they decided that he was in fact a freak of nature and unfit for survival, since there was no way he could feed himself. Gulliver tried to explain that he came from a country in which everything was in proportion to himself, but they did not seem to believe him. Gulliver found this ‘a determination exactly agreeable to the modem philosophy of Europe’ where professors used the category of ‘freak’ as a cover for their own ignorance when they came across something that puzzled them.

Glumdalclitch was given an apartment in the palace and a governess was appointed to teach her. Special quarters were built for Gulliver out of a luxurious box by the best court artisans. They also had clothes made for him from fine silk, but Gulliver found them very cumbersome. The queen grew quite accustomed to his company, finding him very entertaining at dinner, especially when he cut and ate his meat. He found her way of eating repulsive, since her size allowed her to swallow huge amounts of food in a single gulp.

The king conversed with Gulliver on issues of politics, and laughed at his descriptions of the goings- on in Europe. He concluded that not only was Gulliver a freak, but he came from a freakish society as well. Gulliver’s stories of Whigs and Tories made the king laugh out loud and exclaim, ‘how contemptible a thing was human grandeur, which could be mimicked by such diminutive insects’ as Gulliver. At first Gulliver was indignant to hear his ‘noble country, the mistress of arts and arms, the scourge of France, the arbitress of Europe, the seat of virtue, piety, honour and truth, the priderand envy of the world, so contemptuously treated.’ But then, he came to realize that he too had begun to think of his world as ridiculous. ‘I really began to imagine myself dwindled many degrees below my usual size.’ His perspective suffered in more ways than one.

The King and Queen were happy with Gulliver, but there was one member of the royal entourage who was not happy: the Queen’s dwarf, who was jealous because Gulliver had replaced him in the Queen’s affection. He dropped Gulliver into a bowl of cream, but Gulliver was able to swim to safety and the dwarf was punished. At another point, the dwarf stuck Gulliver into a marrowbone, where he was forced to remain until someone pulled him out.

The queen teased Gulliver for being so fearful, and concluded that his compatriots must all be cowardly. Gulliver was terrified and sickened by Brobdingnagian flies and wasps. Where the queen was oblivious to their excrement and other droppings, to Gulliver this falling matter was torrential. His revenge against these giant insects was of two types: some he cut into bits as they flew past; others he displayed as freaks when he got back to England.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 4

The country is described. A proposal for correcting modern maps is made. The king’s palace; and some account of the metropolis is given. The narrator’s way of travelling and the chief temple is described.

When the King and Queen went travelling about the country, they decided to take Gulliver along. Gulliver wrote a description of the island, the sea around the island, the city of Lorbrulgrud, the King’s palace, his [Gulliver’s] method of travel on the island, several of the island’s inhabitants, and some of the sights to see on the island. The land stretched out for about 6,000 miles. The kingdom was bound on one side by mountains and on the other three sides by the sea. The water was so rough that there was no trade with other nations. The rivers were well stocked with giant fish, but the fish in the sea were of the same size as those in the rest of the world—and therefore not worth catching.

In describing the inhabitants of the island, Gulliver focused on their illnesses and diseases. He wrote of giant beggars, horribly deformed, with lice crawling all over them.

Gulliver was carried around the city in a special travelling-box and people always crowded around to see him. He asked to see the largest temple in the country and was not overwhelmed by its size, since at a height of 3,000 feet it was proportionally smaller than the largest steeple in England.

Finally, the dimensions of the King’s palace were described with the kitchen receiving particular attention.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 5

Describes several adventures that happened with the narrator. The execution of a criminal is described. The narrator shows his skill in navigation.

Gulliver was happy in Brobdingnag except for the many mishaps that befell him because of his diminutive size. Shortly afterward, he attended an execution with great interest. He compared the spurts of blood, as the man was decapitated, as more spectacular than the fountains at Versailles.

In one unpleasant incident, the dwarf, angry at Gulliver for teasing him, shook an apple tree over his head. One of the apples struck Gulliver in the back and knocked him over. But the dwarf was pardoned at Gulliver’s saying so, because he had given the provocation. Another time, he was left outside during a hailstorm and was so bruised and battered that he could not leave the house for ten days.

Once a bird of prey nearly grabbed him and again a dog mistook Gulliver for a doll and took him in his mouth and ran with him to his master. Needless to say, Gulliver was traumatized. Gulliver and his nursemaid were often invited to the apartments of the ladies of the court and there, he was treated as a plaything of little significance.

Because Gulliver was a sailor, the queen ordered a special boat to be made for him and a trough in which to sail. The boat was placed in the trough and Gulliver rowed in it for his own enjoyment and for the amusement of the queen and her court. The royal ladies also took part in the game and made a brisk breeze with their fans. Disaster struck when a frog hopped into the trough and nearly swamped Gulliver’s boat, but Gulliver bravely drove the monster off with an oar.

Yet another danger arose in the form of a monkey, which took Gulliver up a ladder, holding him like a baby and force¬feeding him. He was rescued from the monkey and Glumdalclitch pried the food from his mouth with a needle, after which Gulliver vomited. He was so weak and bruised that he stayed in bed for two weeks. The monkey was killed and orders were sent out that no other monkeys be kept in the palace. When he recovered, Gulliver was summoned by the king, who was curious to know whether Gulliver was afraid. Gulliver boasted that he could have protected himself with his sword. This made the court laugh.

Of course Gulliver was punished for his pride. While out walking he saw a pile of cow dung. He tried to leap over it and landed in the middle of it.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 6

Several contrivances of the narrator please the king and queen. He shows his skill in music. The king inquires into the state of England, which the narrator narrates to him.

Gulliver made himself a comb from the stumps of hair left after the king had been shaved. He used strands of the queen’s hair to make several chairs similar to English cane-backed chairs, which he gave to the queen as souvenirs, and a purse that he gave to Glumdalclitch.

The king delighted in music and had frequent concerts at court. Gulliver was sometimes carried, and set in his box on a table to hear them. But the music was so loud that he could hardly distinguish the tunes. Gulliver decided to play the piano for the royal family, but he had to contrive a novel way to do it, since the instrument was so big. He used large sticks and ran over the keyboard with them, but he could still strike only sixteen keys.

The king also held several audiences with Gulliver to discuss the culture of Gulliver’s home country, England. In these audiences, as requested by the King, Gulliver explained the role of the people in the operation of the government, in religion, and in the legal system, among other topics. The king asked many questions and was horrified. He couldn’t understand the English system of taxation, and suggested that Gulliver’s figures were all wrong, for the country seemed headed for bankruptcy. Deficit spending made no sense at all to the king. Neither did having colonies, unless it was for purposes of self-protection. He was also mystified by England’s having a standing army in peacetime. He was astonished that religious differences give rise to problems.

And gambling-what a crazy pastime! He was particularly struck by the violence of the history Gulliver described. He then took Gulliver into his hand and, explaining that he found the world that Gulliver described to be ridiculous, contemptuous, and strange, told him that he concluded that most Englishmen sounded like ‘the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth’ who indulged in conspiracies, rebellions, murders, massacres, revolutions, banishments, the very worst effects that avarice, faction, hypocrisy, perfidiousness, cruelty, rage, madness, hatred, envy, lust, malice, or ambition could produce.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 7

The narrator’s love of his country is described. He makes a proposal of much advantage to the king, which is rejected. The king’s great ignorance in politics and the learning of that country very imperfect and confined is written about here. The laws, and military affairs, and parties in the state are explained.

Gulliver was disturbed by the king’s evaluation of England, which he decided arose from his ignorance of the country.
To remedy this, Gulliver offered to teach the king about England’s magnificence. He tried to tell him about gunpowder, describing it as a great invention and offering it to the king as a gesture of friendship, whereby the king could reduce all his subjects to slavery. The king was horrified by the suggestion. He rejected such a bloodthirsty and inhumane proposal, warning the ‘impotent and grovelling insect’ (Gulliver) that he would be executed if he ever mentioned gunpowder again. Gulliver was taken aback, thinking that the king had refused a great opportunity. He thought that the king was unnecessarily scrupulous and narrow-minded for not being more open to the inventions of Gulliver’s world.

Gulliver turned to giving an account of the customs and government of his hosts. The Brobdingnagiari army was a national guard or militia; there w ere no professional soldiers. As for government, it was extremely simple. There were no refinements, mysteries, intrigues, or state secrets. Government depended upon common sense, mercy, and swift justice. Gulliver found the people of Brobdingnag in general to be ignorant and poorly educated. Brobdingnagian learning consisted only of morality, history, poetry and practical mathematics. The Brobdingnagians could not understand abstract reasoning or ideas. Their laws could contain only twenty-two words and had to be absolutely clear. No arguments could be written about them. They knew the art of printing but did not have many books, and their writing was simple and straightforward. One text described the insignificance and weakness of Brobdingnagians and even argued that at one point they must have been much larger.

Summary of Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 Chapter 8

The king and queen make a progress to the frontiers. The narrator attends them. The manner in which he leaves the country is very particularly related. He returns to England.

Gulliver spent two years in Brobdingnag, but he was not happy, despite the royal family’s pampering. He was afraid that he would never escape and would turn into a sort of domestic, albeit royal, pet. Escape seemed impossible when chance intervened; Gulliver was taken to the south coast and both Glumdalclitch and Gulliver fell ill. Gulliver said that he wanted fresh air, and a page carried him out to the shore in his travelling-box. He asked to be left to sleep in his hammock, and the boy wandered off. An eagle grabbed hold of Gulliver’s box and flew off with him and then, suddenly, Gulliver felt himself falling and landed in the water. He worried that he would drown or starve to death, but then felt the box being pulled. He heard a voice telling him that his box was tied to a ship and that a carpenter would come to drill a hole in the top. Gulliver told them to simply use a finger to pry it open, and heard laughter. He realized that he was speaking to people of his own height and climbed a ladder out of his box and onto their ship.

Gulliver began to recover on the ship, and he tried to tell the sailors the story of his recent journey. He showed them the things he had saved from Brobdingnag, like his comb and a tooth pulled from a footman. He had trouble adjusting to the sailors’ small size. While in Brobdingnag, Gulliver couldn’t bear to look at himself in the mirror as he appeared ridiculously insignificant, even to himself. Now, faced with people his own size for the first time in a long while, he couldn’t bear to look at them. He looked upon the sailors who saved his life as the most ‘contemptible creatures I had ever beheld.’

When he reached home, it took him some time to grow accustomed to his old life, and his wife asked him to never go to sea again.