Adventure EnglishAdventure in English 1st Sem

The Parrot in the Cage

Lekhanath Poudel

Literal Comprehension: Lekhanath Poudel composed the poem “The Parrot in the Cage”. The theme of the poem is about freedom, justice, happiness and serenity. The poem is a bitter satire on the then Rana regime that deprived Nepalese people freedom. The speaker has carefully painted the conditions that surround the parrot’s life. The speaker is disappointed by the harsh reality of man’s life. Away from its family, home, kin, friends, and the natural freedom man has forced the parrot to live a tragic life. Similar is the condition of the human life in Nepal of that period. Being a worshipper of nature, Poudel expresses his deep affinity to the natural world that provides him childhood appetite, which he wants in his later life. Having compelled to live away from his family, home and friends, Poudel pains for it and expresses nostalgia towards it. Finally, through the medium of parrot, voices of political, social, religious, spiritual and habitual life style and situation of human beings are exhumed in the poem. The poem clearly advocates the human instinct to live a free and struggled life away from the crowd.

Interpretation:  In this poem “The Parrot in the Cage”, the poet is trying to advocates the freedom of people in the Rana regime. The Nepalese people had been ruled by the Ranas for one hundred and four years. During this period, people were deprived of enjoying all kinds of freedom. The speaker in the poem is disappointed by the harsh reality of man’s life. Besides, man has been found to live away from his family, home, kin, friends, and the spiritual freedom that surround him in the rural life. Thus, man has been forced to live a caged life like the parrot. Man’s indifference to animal’s plight and the mentality of getting entertainment from imprisoning lower animals has been criticized in the poem. Living away from the nature man has invited more tragedy and sorrow in his life.

Critical thinking:  The speaker has carefully painted the conditions that surround the parrot’s life. Through the plight of the parrot, the speaker compares the sorrowful description of human life, lack of justice and freedom, the aggression and the cruelty prevalent in the society. Being a worshipper of nature, Poudel expresses his deep affinity to the natural world that provides him childhood appetite, which he wants in his later life. Having compelled to live away from his family, home and friends, Poudel pains for it and expresses nostalgia towards it. More than that, Hindu tradition to pray and appeal God at the time of difficulty is spread all over the poem. In the philosophical level, the poem may be faultless, but I have reservation towards the voices of the parrot. In real life, does a parrot speak like human to express his sorrows?

Assimilation:  After reading this poem, I have realized that how cruel the Rana regime was. I always stand for the freedom of the human beings. As Jean jacks Rousseau said, “Man is born free and wants to live free”. Thus, I request all the human beings not to capture any animal as well as not any citizens at the name of ruling system or any pleasure.

 

Literal comprehension: After completing all its preparation a big cargo ship Rita Anne started her Voyage with fine environment. Every present crew were enjoying by reading books storytelling, etc. After four weeks they reached to an island which was very strange because there were no fruits in the plants, there was no sign of human life. There was bad smelling air and bitter water falling from fountains. They found a strange stone with shining one side that was giving light from there. They kept the stone in the ship and started their further journey. When crews were free they used to watch it. All sailors forgot their jobs and duties and rarely spoke each other. They always sat in front of the stone. They started to walk like animal, didn’t understand the language spoken by the captain. The captain made a secret plan to throw the stone in to the see. Soon a storm occurred where captain alone was controlling the ship. Other crews were busy in watching TV (Stone). Later the captain change them by playing music, reading books and telling stories. The ones who could read changed faster then who couldn’t later all were rescued by another ship.

Interpretation: This metaphorical story might be telling many things. Here the stone, ape stands for modern non-creative people. According to the writer being crazy to TV. People are careless to their responsibilities and duties. Watching TV is non-productive and uncreative work. There can be other ways to get entertainment like reading, singing story telling etc. We must be dutiful and punctual to get success in our life. Again the story might also try to tell us that we give less focus to our other important works while watching TV. TV itself is the cause of change in our good manners and attitudes. The title “The Wretched Stone” indicates the stone that gives lot of tensions and problems. This means people get more problems than benefits in watching TV. As we are away from the TV, we can be more creative, mannered and real human beings.

Critical Thinking: After reading this story I became so much disagree with the ideas given as the negative aspects of TV in total. Modern science and technological inventions have made our life facilitated and comfortable. Among them TV is one most useful tool. As it is given in this story TV is the not really so useless. We can know about the world, new inventions, knowledge skills and so much ideas using TV. We can world in front of TV set. How can any person become ape watching TV? Can we really become careless and duty-free watching TV? Can we reject the number of information and knowledge we get from TV? No doubt TV itself is not bad if we use it selectively and appropriately. There are many more advantages along with few disadvantages of using TV.

Assimilation: The story influenced me a lot. When we see the misusages of TV in our daily life, we can see similar situation. School children become crazy to non-creative programs. They should be interested about study. Most of housewives normally watch TV and kill their important time without any creative work. No doubt, if we can’t use TV properly, we can be meaningless and non-creative like the apes. The metaphorical presentation of TV as a stone made me to be careful in watching TV to find whether it has destroyed me or given creativity.

 

dventures In English
Stickeen – Four Levels of Interactions
John Muir (1838 – 1914)

Literal Comprehension:
John Muir, the narrator, in spite of his objection, had to take the dog Stickeen to the dog in icy cold region of Alaska at the request of its master. The creature proves to be a interesting company in the journey. It always followed the narrator even leaving its own master. It never complains. It did not love anyone and did not allow anyone to do so. It did not leave the narrator when he was making the most measurable journey in his life. That day he left the comp early in the raring morning with breakfast in his pocket. The dog some how follow him. They were walking in the snow. There were many crevasses on the way. The narrator crossed them carefully but the dog was moving like the flying cloud. It did not notice any danger. After reaching the end, they were returning to the camp. On the way they were trapped on the island surrounded by crevasses (holes). The only way to cross it was Sliver Bridge. The narrator cut notches (V shape holes) on the bridge. After he crossed the bridge, he again had to cut the holes at the other end to climb up. After he reached the other side he called the dog. But it did not come because it had wisely sensed the danger. When the writer repeatedly threatened to leave it there, it very carefully crossed the bridge. And afterwards it was so happy that it cried and danced and dashed. From that day on, it likes to be a close to the narrator. It might have thought that the narrator was its god

Interpretation:
This story might be trying to tell us that experience teaches us more than any thing else. The dog Stickeen changed completely after it successfully cross the silver bridge and save its life. It may also be interpreted to mean that there are many things which we find in animals and human beings equally. Friendship and gratitude are equally found in animals.

Critical Thinking:
This beautiful story has many points which are normally unacceptable to us. Why do people explore such remote place by putting their lives in danger? Don’t they die of cold when they are wet in the icy cold region? Otherwise this story is really impressive. It makes us feel as if we are with the writer making the journey.

Assimilation:
After reading this story I came to know so many things about Alaska. I also learned that beauty in nature and danger are interwoven that experience makes one perfects is true even in the case of animals.

 

Adventures in English
Shep’s Hobby – Four Levels
James Herriot (1916 – 1995)

Literal Comprehension:
James herriot, the narrator, was going to Mr. Bailes’s place to see how his cow Rose was. She was suffering from stomach trouble of unknown nature. As the narrator was passing between the two walls, shep suddenly jumped and frightened him. He jumped up in to the air and his heart was beating violently. After giving the Lawage to the cow he wet to home. The next day he was passing through Mr. Bailes’s field to see the farmer in the barn. The midday sun, the sweet breeze, the greenery and the solitude impressed Jemes very much. All of a sudden, the sky darkens and roared. It was Shep again. Jemes was so afraid that he almost evacuated (empty) his bowel (stomach). After giving some treacle to the cow, he came again the next day. Now he was happy to see rose all right. But it was the postman who had cured the cow by making her run. Then Jemes was lost in deep thought and solid his hand. To wash the hand as he was going to Mr.Bailes’s kitchen, he was frightened again the dog. This time he was so angry that he punished the dog by scolding and threatening. When he comes to Mr. Bailes next time Shep did not frightened him and he was sorry because he had deprived the dog of its pleasure. But later when he found the dog frightening a tinker (pot maker), the speaker was happy. Interpretation:
This story might be trying to tell us that any animal has the right to make fun and that there is not much different between dogs and men so far as recreation is concerned.

Critical Thinking:
This lovely animal story has some points which might be unacceptable. How could a postman cure the cow which a vet could not? Has a dog’s sense of timing so perfect as to frighten the people? Is the story convincing enough? Perhaps we have raised such questions because we have not absence dogs as closely as a vet.

Assimilation:
This story has changed by attitudes to animals completely. Before I read this story, I would run away if a dog comes close to me. I would think that it had come to bite me. But now I think that it has come to play with me. Now I love a dog and want to make friend with it.

 

Adventure EnglishAdventure in English
Great Scott! Gadzooks! – Four Levels
Roald Dahl (1916 – 1990)

Literal Comprehension:
We should not allow our children to go near the Television set. If possible we should not install it at all. In nearly every home child watch TV until their eyes get tired. They sit and watch TV until they are spellbound and absolutely drunk with very bad things. We allow them to watch TV because they will not fight and do naughty things and they allow us to do our work freely. But we have never supposed that TV will kill their senses and imagination, that they do not understand the imaginary world and that they can not think at all. If you take the set away, they will be unhappy at first and then they will start reading good books as children in the past would do. Interpretation:
This poem might be trying to tell us that, the TV set has prevented children from reading books. It may also be interpreted to mean that parents are solely responsible for spoiling their children. they have thought of their convenience alone. They have never studied the bad inflect of TV programs on their children

Critical Thinking:
This poem has beautifully presented the trouble of every parent. It is true that children don’t read any good books a part from their text book. But the poem has ignored the advantage children get by watching TV. When classic was televised they will be interested in watching more such serious. When they don’t get such serials they borrow classics from the library and read them. More over TV helps them to imaging much more clearly. How does it kill their imagination Del.?

Assimilation:
This poem has help me to understand why children passed most of their time before their TV set. It hypnotizes them. I also came to know why the younger generation thinks differently. They have taken in so many good as well as bad things from different sources including TV. Modern culture has been changing rapidly because of television.

A Fight Between a Lion and a Crocodile
Four Levels | For: BBA First  sem Year

Literal Comprehension:
It was late evening. The narrator and his friend being to sleep drowsily on the bank of the river. They could hear different kind of roaring sound. Job told them to look to the water toward them. They sow the lion’s signing eyes as one of was 15 feet away. Leo fired at the lions and see died. A fully grown male was to step behind her. Suddenly there was a rush and disturbance of the water. The lion uttered a roar. A crocodile had cut him by the leg. The lion pull the crocodile on to the bank and clawed its head, and one of its eyes was turn. Both of them were struggle fiercely. The lion’s body up to the hive was in the crocodile’s jaws. The lion clawed the crocodile’s throat a part. The lion felt on the crocodile’s back and died . After a while the crocodile also died.

Interpretation:
This story might be trying to tell us that there are many more wonderful things in the world of nature. All living things are closely related to their environment, and are equally important in their own place. The lion is the king of the jungle, but the crocodile can defeat him in the water, which is not the kingdom of the lion.

Critical Thinking:
There are many things in the story, which seem unbelievable. How can people try to fall as sleep when they hear the rearing sound? How can people feel safe in such a place? Can is a crocodile strong enough to grip a lion? Since this story seems to be realistic, we have to accept many things without questions.

Assimilation:
After reading this story I am fully convince that all animals are equally important in the eco –system. Every animals has its importance in its own place. But if it goes to the place to other animals, it will be defeated. There for every living things identifies its habit act and lives accordingly.

Adventu In English
Curbing The One-Eyed Monster – Four Levels
(Curb = Control)
Fiona C. Jenkins (1947)

Literal Comprehension:
Television stations are owned by very rich people. They do not tell us the truth. Their main purpose is to handover us to advertisers as long as possible. Ordinary people are tired of protesting against them. The easiest way to make our home TV free or to put our TV set on the curb. We may missed very useful programs and become outsiders. But we can use the spare time to do something really valuable. We can live a real life. We can make our self familiar with the highest quality in art, music and literature. But TV present us the lower quality of all these and reality in fragments and thus misguides us. We don’t know what reality is? We do what the advertiser or rich people want us to do. We fill their pockets with our money. So, the effective way to save us is to boycott TV otherwise we will be getting misinformation. We have been compelled to feel that our natural life is worse and therefore we being to live artificially.

Interpretation:
This assay tell us that rich people and bigness man have made us puppets. They will use us the way they like. They will use us for their own advantages by misguiding us. They will never give us anything of the best quality. Therefore we have to protect ourselves from their exploitation (misuse).

Critical Thinking:
Although the writer has presented some of the advantage of TV, he has emphasized its bad aspects. He has made us escapists. Instead of fighting against the rich people, he wants us to stop watching TV. If we do so we will missed many good programs. If every one throws their TV sets where shall we go to watch the historical events? Can’t we make a choice and watch only good programs?

Assimilation:
This assay has help me to understand many of the things which I did not understand before. Now I have understood how easily people imitate mannerism and why people watch TV. They don’t like to be outsiders. I also know why people use the things advertise on TV. They want to be number one.