XI - The Lost Doll

Unit - 1

The Lost Doll - Summary

Rosa, Roberto, Carmen and Evangelina Soto are the main characters of this story. Carmen was the first child of Rosa and Roberto. She was small, lovely and beautiful. She died at the age of four because she was sick since her birth. A doctor told Rosa that she would not be able to give birth to another child. So, she gave away all the playthings and clothes of Carmen to the priest from another village. But they couldn't find the doll that Carmen always used to play with. Exactly one year after Carmen's death, Rosa gave birth to another child who was named Evangelina. Evangelina meant ""good news. She was very much similar to Carmen in her actions and characters, but the only difference was that she was healthy whereas Carmen was unhealthy. While Evangelina was growing up, she said that she used to be sick but it was her sister Carmen who was sick.

One day, while Rosa and her sister were talking, Evangelina said that she knew where the lost doll was. When Rosa asked her about that doll, she pointed to the ground under a big tree. Then Rosa got the shovel and dug the ground and found the doll. When Rosa asked Evangelina how she knew that the doll had been there, she said that she put it there with the help of a very nice man, who had come to her when she was sick. She also told that the same night's man had suggested her to bury the doll in that place and had taken her away.

Similarity (likeness) between the lost doll and Carmen herself:

The lost doll and Carmen had many similarities. First of all, Carmen was small, beautiful and loving. The doll was too small and beautiful. When Carmen lived, the doll  was also with the Soto family. Similarly, when Carmen died, the doll also vanished from eye-sight of Soto family i.e. the doll was lost too. Carmen was buried and the doll was too buried though at the different places. Roberto had carried Carmen's coffin on his shoulder to the cemetery on the hill and as doll was also with her, the doll was also carried by Roberto on his shoulder. When Evengelina took birth as a reincarnation of Carmen in Soto family, the doll was found as well. Thus, these are the suitable similarities between the lost doll and Carmen.

 

XI - My heart Leaps up When I Behold

Unit - 2

My Heart Leaps up When I Behold - Analysis

- William Wordsworth

The poem "My Heart Leaps up When I Behold" is composed by the famous English romantic poet William Wordsworth. In the poem, the poet describes the beauty of nature and shows his love and devotion towards nature. The poet recollects an experience of his childhood days and gives meaning to his emotions and feelings. Through his poem, the poet also shows the thread of human life i.e. progress or stages of our life.

Wordsworth was a lover of nature. He worshiped the things of nature as god. He enjoyed the beauty of nature every time. In the poem, he says that when he sees the rainbow in the sky, he becomes very happy. Rainbow is the example of the beautiful creation of the nature. It looks really beautiful in the combination of seven colors. The poet further says that he used to happy when he saw the rainbow in the sky during his childhood days. The feeling of happiness for the rainbow is same in him as a young man at present. And he hopes to have the same types of feeling for the rainbow in future as well. He says that if he can't continue to have such feelings for nature in his future life, he feels it will be better for him to die.

Finally, the poet expresses his wish for the future. He wishes to continue his love for the nature. In a sense, he wants to spend his future days worshiping the natural things. It is written in nine lies in which he has been able to show his love and devotion for nature and its beauty.

The paradox in "The child is father of the man."

                       In the poem, the poet says 'The child is father of the man.' This proverb seems to be paradoxical as we consider the man to be father of man. But the poet wants to say that childhood is the base of every man's life because from childhood, manhood begins. Man enters the living world and starts to know life from his childhood. It determines the coming stages of our life. It is often said, morning shows the day, and in this context, it is obvious that the person shows same characters in his manhood which he gained or developed in childhood. In another words, the poet means to say that present is the outcome of the past so the future will be the outcome of the present. It indicates, the beginning of everything is very important. Here, the word father means the one from whom something begins. So it means, childhood is the foundation of manhood. A man goes towards his destiny which he determined himself in childhood. This indirectly points to the fact that man is himself controlled through his own childhood. Thus, childhood is the foundation of manhood and a child has roles as of father to play at present to mould himself in future as a man.

XI - The Nightmare Life Without Fuel

Unit - 3 

The Nightmare Life Without Fuel - Short Analysis

- Isaac Asimov

The essay, "The Nightmare Life Without Fuel" written by Isaac Asimov draws the picture of an ugly life due to the fuel crisis. The writer delivers a message to preserve the natural resources and to preserve different source of energy. The writer in this essay points out some advantages of the shortage of fuel which has been outnumbered by the disadvantages of the shortage of fuel. The essay by exposing an ugly picture of America alerts the whole world about the burning problem of the shortage of fuel.

The writer objectively points out some advantages of the shortage of fuel. According to the writer if there is no fuel the air will be fresh, people will walk on foot which enables them to become physically fit. Likewise, there will be less criminal activities, due to the shortage of fuel there will be no industry and machine. As a result there will be no weapons, if there is no weapons there will be no war and no death. Even the armies are gone.

The writer draws the attention of the readers towards the bad consequences of the shortage of fuel which make the life cold, dark and dirty. If there is no fuel there will be no transportation or no vehicles. Lack of facility of the transportation the agriculture is massively affected that will cause lack of proper food supply. In the absence of proper food supply the problem such as starvation and malnutrition occurs. The mothers are more affected with their small babies as a result there will be high chance for mother and infant mortality. Those who are alive they will be brain damage, handicapped and unhealthy. When the country becomes full of unhealthy citizens, such country can never be developed in the true sense of the terms.

According to the author, what will be the advantages of fuel crisis of 1997? The disadvantages?

>> Quite surprisingly, Isaac Asimov has counted some advantages of fuel crisis. He tells that the fuel crisis will make the air cleaner. As the result, less people will suffer from air-borne diseases. Crime rate will come down. The police would be present in their beats and people will be able to walk on the streets in late night.

However, if we look at above advantages carefully, we will find that they are actually the result of several disadvantages. The air will become pure due to our inability to drive vehicles or run factories. So the air will be cleaner only at the cost of human comfort. Similarly, the crime rate will be found low because of the lack of fuel. The people will be walking on the streets in late nights because they will be compelled to do so. They won't be able to afford vehicles even at the late nights or  in time of emergency. 
There are several other disadvantages of fuel crisis too. It will force the human to give up the use of ACs heaters and refrigerators. They will have to languish inside the dark, cold and cave like houses. They must need to work manually as they won't be able to run machines. In short, these disadvantages will force humans to live in a nightmarish hell like situation.

What specific problem does Asimov focus on this essay? Why does he consider this issue worth of attention?

>> Asimov focuses on the fuel crisis in this essay. He considers this issue worth attention because the amount of fuel is limited and it cannot fulfill the insatiable human demands forever. But human beings are using it ignoring its limitation. This trend might finish and might invite countless troubles for human beings. It is also a considerable issue because the time has come when we must look for some alternatives of fossil fuel. If other alternatives to produce energy are not found on time, the humans will be doomed to live a cursed life in future.

What does the author mean when he says,” the suburbs were born with auto, lived with the auto, and are dying with auto.”?

>> Suburbs are residential district situated on the outskirts of a city or town which are connected to the main town with the help of auto (transportation). The reason behind the establishment of such suburbs may be of the disinterest of people living in noisy and monotonous city life. Likewise, when the city becomes overcrowded then people shift to the suburbs areas. The people living in suburbs totally depend on the town for their requirement. But it can only be possible through the means of transportation. If the link between suburbs and the town is disconnected than the suburbs automatically disappeared. Thus, the writer is relevant to state that, “the suburbs were born with auto, live with auto, and are dying with the auto.”