BBA,BBA-BI,BBA-TT,BCIS ADVENTURE ENGLISH VOLUME II NOTE

 

How Sane Are We 

Four Levels of Interaction By Anuradha Chaudhary 

Literal Comprehension:

This essay is written by Anuradha Chaudhary and she focuses on the consciousness of environment and need of its conservation. As we are responsible for destroying nature its conservation is also our responsibility. We should not destroy anything in nature, they are not only for us; they are the gifts handed over to give or hand over our many generations. But there is vast destruction of nature in the world but less effort for saving and conserving nature. We think ecology and politics are closely linked although many people do not see any link between them. As elections are held to select our representatives, the representatives, whom we trust best, become ministers. So we easily think that they make only good decisions always for all but our representatives or ministers are wrong; they do just opposite; they think only their benefit, chair, party and vote. Many people think that political leaders are trustworthy so, who trust them cannot believe that they are irresponsible towards nature.

Chloroflurocarbons(CFC) are man-made chemicals. They cause 20% of the greenhouse effect. They cause to deplete the ozone layer which is like a shield around earth. This absorbs 99% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. If the rays reach the earth, they will affect ecosystem, decrease agricultural productivity, weaken human immune system, cause skin cancer and eye cataracts. In 1920 CFCs were first made to use in refrigerators, spray cans, computer chips, air-conditioners etc. In 1974, the world’s scientists disclosed the fact that there is link between CFCs and the ozone layer, but nations and CFCs producers turned deaf ears towards the warning. Only in 1985, it was believed that there is a link between CFCs and the ozone layer. Then the world’s nations signed a document to stop CFCs productivity by 2006.

The decision of phasing out CFCs globally is a rational decision but the writer does not think they are honest to the decision. They could stop the use of CFCs immediately and use cheaper and harmless chemicals to substitute CFCs. But their decisions lack implementation. By allowing people to use CFCs for some more times, we are causing destruction to ourselves. Here the writer relates the science fiction “War with the Newts” by Karel Capek. Where the newts are exceptionally clever water animals which could give men pearls. Men gave them knives to keep themselves safe from sharks. Their number increased so largely that they even went to the country to live and endangered the existence of human beings. Like the newts we are destroying our own dwelling and worsening our environment and air.

Interpretation:

We human being is considered the supreme creature of all the other many creatures in the world; we think ourselves wise, witty, clever, intelligent, enthusiastic and responsible creature. But, we are so sane that we destroy our own home and ourselves not only other creatures. We think only inheritance of the natural things here and do whatever thing we like. The essay also implies that human cannot make rational decisions. Neither general people choose rational political leaders as their representatives nor do the elected representatives make right decisions in time. Moreover, they are not honest too. They are only worrying about the next election but not about the future of people and other creatures. They know that CFCs are depleting ozone layer but are not doing anything to stop the use of this harmful chemical. They make decisions but have no courage and take no initiation of implementation. Thus, we are spoiling environment by electing such leaders and they are spoiling the future of mankind.

Critical thinking:

This essay is mainly focused on environmental degradation and importance of its conservation. In this essay the writer criticizes the governments, politicians and factory owners who use harmful chemicals like chloroflurocarbons. She gives emphasis on its conservation because we are responsible for its destruction. She criticizes sharply to the leaders and the people who elect such leaders but she does not think the scientists should also be equally careful about the harmful effects of the chemical. Not only leaders and scientists all we are equally responsible for this problem and should be careful for its solution.

Assimilation:

Reading literary tests is very beneficial. Literature gives not only pleasure or entertainment but a vast knowledge about different fields. As I read this essay, I got a lot of information from this essay. I knew about the ozone layer and its usefulness. I also knew the bad sides of air conditioners and refrigerators. Before this I was careless of these things; I would not feel anything while using AC and fridge, but now I feel I am guilty of polluted nature when I use these appliances. I have seen many people suffering from skin cancer, respiratory problems and other many diseases. This might have been caused by the ultra violet rays of the sun and the depleted ozone layer. Now I will try to convince all my relatives and families about these problems.

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on’t Cut Down The Trees,Brother Woodcutter

Four Levels of Interaction By  Balkrishna Sama For: BBA,BBA-BI,BBA-TT,BCIS 

By:Balkrishna Sama(1902-1981)

(Translated by Michael Hutt)

 Literal Comprehension: 

The poem “Don’t Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter” is composed by Nepali poet Bal Krishna Sama. The main theme of the poem is about conservation of nature. Specially, the poet argues that trees are very important in our lives and they need to be protected. The poet considers the trees as our dead mother who are silent observers, but they protect us from natural calamities. The poet personifies the tree. The tree is like our mother that is around us and takes care of us. When we remember our childhood, we find that most of the time we play around the tree. It gives us fruits and flowers as if our mother cares us. Thus, no child is hungry. Their leafy lips kiss us and when they feel tired, they sigh and weep. They never speak a word. They are able to tolerate and their pains and grieves are only for our sake. They never complain.

Further, the poet says that in winter the family sits around the fire burnt from the wood, and sing and talk. In the winter, the trees are covered with white frost that makes them bow at us. Nevertheless, we are ignorant. We do not understand all the scarifies and tolerance that the trees endure to sustain our lives. They silently and secretly pass the cold nights dreaming of our happy and cheerful days we spent during our childhoods under their guardianship. They also hear us singing the songs they had taught us. They bless our laugher all the time. They always love us. But, they cannot express their inner thoughts to us. It does not mean that they are lifeless, ignorant and thoughtless. They wait for us until winter ends. As soon as spring arrives, they again spread out their arms and appeal us not to cut off their arms.

Interpretation:

   In this pro-environment poem, the poet is trying to be more concerned with the pressing problems of deforestation and environmental degradation. He repeats the idea of considering the earth and its plants as respectful and forgiving to us, the selfish humans who ceaselessly fell down trees for fulfilling their present needs. The poet is indirectly criticizing the human act of clearing the lands, thus, making the life of our children and grandchildren insecure. The trees need to be saved for our future in case the human species may become extinct.

Critical Thinking:  

The poem “Don’t Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter” has contemporary message to all the generation. Keeping the environment balance is the upmost property for the benefit of human beings. Some of the ideas presented in this poem are not common to cover all sorts of ecological parts.

• For instance, those who live in hot place do they find frost on the top of the trees during winter?
• How could the poet understand the feeling of the tree? 

 Assimilation:

 After reading this poem, once I felt to think of our dense forest found in Terai belt. There was “Charkose Jhadi” which was the great economic source of Nepal. Now we do not find it. if the then government was alerted like the poet Sama even nowadays we could find that dense forest. Thus, I appeal citizens and the government to conserve the forest whatever is left for our future generation.

To know a fly

Four Levels of Interaction By Vincent G.Dethier For: BBA,BBA-BI,BBA-TT,BCIS

Literal Comprehension:

‘To Know A Fly’ is an essay based on scientific experiment written by Vincent Gaston Dethier.He was (1915 – 1993) ,an American psychologist and entomologist.He was a pioneer in the study of insect-plant interactions.It has presented the view that every scientific experiment is to be carried out consciously and carefully because any experiment carried randomly may not give appropriate and acceptable result. The experiment always begins with act of faith over reality, cause and effect relationship, discovery by reason, our senses. It continues with an observation and a question. The scientist in fact alters the condition, observes a result and draws a conclusion. Therefore a man willing to conduct an experiment needs to be careful and conscious enough in this concern, since the most commonly committed scientific sin is the lack of proper experimental control.
The text presents one example of carefully carried out experiment and the next the randomly conducted experiment. Once a gentleman by cutting off flea’s hind legs draws a conclusion that it hears from the hind legs since it couldn’t jump despite his order and he had already tried by amputating other parts of it. Similarly the next man concluded from his experiment that the intoxicating quality lies in glass not in water and even not in other alcoholic substances like bourbon, rum, scotch, rye, and gin and so on since all these substances were mixed with water. This kind of confusing correlation with cause and effect gives rise to fallacy and scientific sin.
Finally, the text presents the extraordinary capacity of fly to test and identify the sweetness in substance. This is the most fruitful experiment conducted through shrewd observation. It extends out its proboscis and tastes the food item to ensure either it is sweet or not. It is too much sensitive. It tastes the food through the proboscis.

Interpretation:

As a piece of scientific writing, the text is trying to present the importance of experiment and alerts that one must be careful and conscious to carry out the experiment. Otherwise, it harms more than it helps. Similarly, presenting an experiment on fly informs the reader that nature has given every creature with own distinct qualities. In this, it is useless to regard human as superior creature in the world.

Critical Thinking:

The text presents the ideas on scientific experiment and its importance. Naturally, one must be conscious and careful but in every experiment such excessive consciousness doesn’t work. Since many scientific discoveries are taking suddenly and in random experiments. No scientist works being fixed on his invention.Whatever the discoveries take place, it is sudden and strange.

Assimilation:

As I went through the story, it really impressed me. I used to think that experiment is just to get the conclusion and they are easy. Everything is there and to experiment is to mix the things and observe them carefully. But now I know that to perform experiment needs a lot of care and knowledge. More than that, after reading it, I came to know and accept the fact that nature has equally empowered its creatures with distinct qualities.

King John and the Abbot of Canterbury

Four levels for-BBA,BBA-BI,BBA-TT,BCIS

Literal Comprehension:

‘King John and the Abbot of Canterbury’ is a poetic story(poem that tells story) written by unknown writer before 1695 so it is called Anonymous poem.The two central characters and they are King John and the Abbot of Canterbury.The king is infamous for his wrong deeds whereas Abbot of Canterbury is popular among people due to his popular deeds and behaviors.Once the king of England was quite jealous and suspicious of the prosperity of the Abbot of Canterbury. So he thought that the abbot might make a conspiracy against his throne. The king decided to get rid of him. So he called the abbot and asked three nonsense questions on the condition that he would behead him if he failed to answer the questions within fifteen days. The questions were: What is the exact price/value of the king with his crown of gold on his head among the noblemen? How quickly he may ride the whole world about? What does the king think at the moment? It made him too sad. He tried his best to find the answer by consulting the professors visiting the university but couldn’t. Finally, his own shepherd promised him to help him. So one day, in order to answer the questions raised by the king, the shepherd changed himself as the abbot and went to the palace. One by one he answered that the value of the king was twenty nine pence less than the savior, for the second he responded that it takes a whole day if he rose and ran in the speed of sun that rotates round the earth and for the last, he responded that the king might be thinking that he was the abbot of Canterbury but he was wrong because he was a simple shepherd to abbot.. Finally, the disguised shepherd i.e. the abbot exposed all the truths. The king becomes happy with the shepherd and offers him a place of Abbot in Canterbury. In return the shepherd rejects king’s proposal saying that he is not qualified enough to be appointed as an Abbot.

Interpretation:
From the moral point of view, the poem is much impressive.An absolute king, under any threat, can take an immoral, unethical, illogical decision to save his throne.Knowledge does not just belong to scholars, and high ranked religious people. Source of knowledge is everywhere and it comes through experience as well.Even an uneducated person sometimes can solve riddles that are unsolved by scholars.Through the poem, the poet proves that the bookish and formal education is not so much effective and useful to solve the practical problems. On the one hand, it has a great lesson that people and their knowledge shouldn’t be judged on the ground of their profession and appearance. Thus the text has taught a great lesson that makes it clear that much is learnt through their daily life activities than from the universities. So the so called ignorant ones in terms of getting formal education aren’t to be ignored and devaluated.

Critical Thinking:

The poem seems to be much humorous and satirical. So far it imparts the idea of human knowledge and wisdom, it is appropriate but in whatever way the King Abbot and the Shepherd are presented, they don’t seem believable and convincing. Since the king fails to recognize the shepherd changed as abbot. Similarly, the shepherd is presented in such a way that doesn’t fit him to be more than that it mocks the formal education. It is too difficult to accept it.

• Can a king ask such nonsense question to a reputed Abbot?
• Don’t you think Shepherd’s answers are controversial?
• How can the king leave the person so easily  who betrayed him?

Assimilation:

Reading this poem, I am too much impressed with the fact that only the formal education doesn’t make people capable, rather they may learn many things from the practical experiences too. Having seen in my village, I come to know that many old people are capable of doing various things which other educated men don’t know. So people can learn many things from their practical knowledge and experience.

Third Thoughts

Literal Comprehension:

This story “Third Thoughts” is written by E.V Lucas. The narrator’s friend was not a successful businessman.  Once the writer’s friend while visiting New York bought a painting thinking that it was by Turner. He got it at cheap price since the seller was also confused about its originality. With the painting he went to London and sold it at fifty pounds. He was so much happy that he decided to share the profit with seller of New York. At first, he decided to share fifty percent of his profit and wrote a letter but having no stamp, he went to his room. Again at about 3 AM, he thought it quite inappropriate to share the profit but still thought of sending ten pounds only. His thinking kept on changing and couldn’t sleep well. Again. he thought of sending five pounds thinking that if he shared, the Goddess would be angry and he thought it was he who knew the value of the painting. If he had known it, he wouldn’t have given him at such cheap rate, so it is wrong to send him the profit. Finally, he decided to send only a pound.Early in the morning, he went out side and spent all his money in gambling. Finally, he concluded that buying and selling are straight forward matter. Everyone in this matter tries to get benefit. The buyer once paying to the goods has no obligation to the dealer.

Interpretation: 

The story presenting the constant changing nature of human mind seems to be full of humor and satire. Basically thinking with the nature of businessman’s mind it proves that human mind can never be rigid and fixed. Especially in business their mind keeps on changing. At another level, it sheds light on human earning since the earning as that of writer’s friend has no meaning at all in life. The most important thing in the story is that in business buying and selling are straight forward dealings. It has nothing to do with human consideration, sympathy and faith. Once goods are sold or bought they have nothing to do with them since then.

Critical Thinking: 

The story offers a great deal of humor and satire. But in many respects, it doesn’t seem appropriate and convincing.  

•       Does anyone want to share his profit? Isn’t the idea of sharing profit with the dealer  humors?
•       Does any seller sell his good without knowing it?
•         Does a customer get Turner’s painting in such low price?
•       How can we say that there is no value of  feelings and emotions while doing business?

Assimilation: 

As I went through the story, it reminded me of my own events that I experienced earlier. Once I had been to my village after a long time from the city. I had taken a beautiful watch there. Everyone liked it, one of my friends promised to pay Rs 500 for it ,so I gave it to him. I got Rs 300 as profit, and so I got extremely happy.

our Levels of “Who Was to Blame ?”
Anton Chekhov (1860 – 1904)

Literal Comprehension:
This story is an incomplete list of stories sketched by ‘Anton Checkov.’ This story deals with a mental person humors. In the story the narrator compares his life with a little kitten. The writer of the story has made his uncle and little kitten as the main character and Parsakova, the maid as a female character. The story begins with training the kitten to kill the rats as they used to disturb the uncle sometimes by nibbling the top of hat and sometimes by nibbling the corner of the grammar book. In course of training, the kitten was unable to catch the mice as it was difficult for it to match with the speed of little mice. The kitten was under strict environment of rules and regulation of narrator uncles. Being several times failed in the uncle test and experiment, the uncle threw the little kitten away. Years passed, the thin frail kitten had turned into a solid and sagacious tom cat. On the way to his house, one day he saw the same cat which was still fail in its mission which made uncle realize his wastage of his precious time that he spent on training it. So does the narrator in the story never learn the Latin English grammar as it was beyond his interest.

Interpretation :
The central idea of the story is that a creature cannot be trained forcefully. It is against their will to learn. To learn anything, a person must have keen interest and early eagerness. In course of time, it automatically get adjusted with the environment and be practical to their duties and responsibility. No creature can adjust in a strict environment as in the story too the little kitten was forced to catch the mice, which was beyond its mental and physical ability. So, as the narrator in the story also couldn’t learn the Latin grammar as it was beyond his interest.

Critical thinking:
This story reveals the fact that no one can be trained forcefully. It is a good and a knowledgeable story but I am unsatisfied with some parts of it. Do any cars runs away when they see a rat in reality? Is keeping a cat only the way to get rid of rat? How can a teacher not understand the feeling of cat? It is possible to raise such question for the reader like me.

Assimilation :
Before reading this story I used to think that a person can be trained with good skills, physically and mentally. But after reading this story I came to know that nobody can go beyond one’s interest. There are so many such things that creature adopt themselves in the change of time from the nature. Such things are not to be taught by anyone.

The Clock Tower

Literal Comprehension:

The speaker in this poem describes the conduction of an old pensioner. The poem has compared the old pensioned senior vet with clock tower, Ghantaghar. He is  old, rejected and has distributed all his things to his relatives. All his military equipments are gone. The old pensioner has jealously too; so, he has kept two souvenirs of his army life. They are an old-modeled, large, round pocket watch and the ancient hat. The clock tower is like a pensioned senior vet who is passing t=long and sand days of the old age. It has a clock on its neck and a cap like the old vet on its head. It is standing forever on the bank of Ghantaghar and it is brooding.

Interpretation:

The loneliness of the old man is powerfully presented through the image of the clock tower symbolically. Like the clock tower which is old, neglected and waiting its end day, the old man has also the same fate- old, rejected and dejected. The poem has revealed the bitter reality of the old age. Ranipokhari was built by the king Pratap Malla in 1727 BS in the memory of his son. It was a token of consolation to his wife. Thus, by looking at the lake the old man remembers his past and is mollifying (lessening) his suffering.

Critical Thinking: 

Time is most power full thing. It turns a handsome man to an old and ugly person who has nothing except memories. We all are victims of the time. The poem aptly points out the power of time. The vet is sitting under the tower, time, which itself is the curse of for human being. The poem has used the power of imagery in a powerful way. Without stating the history of Ranipokhari it invites readers to know why the old man is looking at the Ranipokhari, queen’s lake.

• Why does the poet compare an in animate object like a clock tower with a living human being?
• Why does he say that the clock tower is brooding? It is unhappy. How does he know?

Assimilation:

The poet seems to be very unhappy with our neglect towards tradition, historical monuments.In our life as well, when we grow older, nobody talks to us. We want to share our experiences, but nobody would have time to listen us. Thus we lament and curse time because it is time that changes us to an old and ugly things. We have to wait silently to death. We cannot stop the passage of time, time is powerful than us. We have nothing except lamenting on the bygone days. I met an old man in Pasupati area. He reported all his grief within five minutes to an unknown like me.

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