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प्रश्न
In what ways does the speaker’s cultural background clash with the landlady’s expectations in the poem Telephone Conversation? Write your answer in 100-150 words incorporating the following details.
- The speaker’s conversation with the landlady
- The undertones of racial and colour bias in the conversation
उत्तर
In Wole Soyinka's poem "Telephone Conversation," the speaker's cultural background clashes with the landlady’s expectations during their conversation. The speaker, who is African, inquires about renting an apartment, and initially, the interaction is polite. However, the landlady’s tone shifts upon learning about his racial background. She bluntly asks, “How dark?” revealing her racial bias. The speaker’s attempt to humorously deflect the question by describing various shades of darkness highlights the absurdity and offensiveness of her inquiry. This conversation exposes the landlady's prejudiced assumptions and the pervasive racial and color biases in society. The speaker’s cultural identity directly conflicts with the landlady’s discriminatory expectations, underscoring the social divide and highlighting the impact of racism. The poem effectively captures the discomfort and humiliation experienced by the speaker, emphasizing the broader theme of racial prejudice and the clash between different cultural backgrounds.
APPEARS IN
संबंधित प्रश्न
Find the sentences in the lesson which have the adverbs given in the box below.
Awfully, sorrowfully, completely, loftily, carefully, differently, quickly, nonchalantly
Thinking about the Poem
How many common features can you find in stanza 2? Pick out the words.
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The Screams and yells,the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week ot two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something to read.
And once they start - oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.
Read the lines given above and answer the question given below.
Will the children appreciate this action of their parents?
Lights were shining from every window, and there was a savoury smell of roast goose, for it was New-year’s eve—yes, she remembered that. In a corner, between two houses, one of which projected beyond the other, she sank down and huddled herself together. She had drawn her little feet under her, but she could not keep off the cold; and
she dared not go home, for she had sold no matches, and could not take home even a penny of money. Her father would certainly beat her; besides, it was almost as cold at home as here, for they had only the roof to cover them, through which the wind howled, although the largest holes had been stopped up with straw and rags. Her little hands were almost frozen with the cold. Ah! perhaps a burning match might be some good, if she could draw it from the bundle and strike it against the wall, just to warm her fingers. She drew one out—“scratch!” how it sputtered as it burnt! It gave a warm, bright light, like a little candle, as she held her hand over it. It was really a wonderful light. It seemed to the little girl that she was sitting by a large iron stove, with polished brass feet and a brass ornament. How the fire burned! and seemed so beautifully warm that the child stretched out her feet as if to warm them, when, lo! the flame of the match went out, the stove vanished, and she had only the remains of the half-burnt match in her hand.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
How did she try to keep herself warm?
Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her voice would be a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the loud wet world beyond the huge glass. “What’re you looking at ?” said William. Margot said nothing. “Speak when you’re spoken to.” He gave her a shove. But she did not move; rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else. They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away. And this was because she would play no games with them in the echoing tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking after them and did not follow. When the class sang songs about happiness and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows.
Read the extract given below and answer the question that follow.
What was the reaction of the children towards Margot?
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
.......Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health, but Boxer paid, no attention. His twelfth birthday was approaching. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on a pension.
Late one evening, in the summer, a sudden rumor ran round the farm that something had happened to Boxer. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill. And sure enough, the rumor was true….
(i) In what condition did the animals find Boxer?
(ii) Why did the animals feel uneasy when Squealer told them that Boxer would be sent to a hospital at Willingdon for treatment?
How did Squealer reassure them?
(iii) How much longer did Boxer expect to live?
How did he plan to spend his remaining days?
(iv) What was written on the van that took Boxer away? What did Boxer do when he heard the screams of the animals?
(v) What was the new name given to Animal Farm by Napoleon?
What strange transformation did the animals notice on the faces of the pigs?
What is the significance of this transformation?
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Each Friday morning the whole school spent the pre-recess period in writing their Weekly Review. This was one of the Old Man’s pet schemes; and one about which he would brook no interference. Each child would review the events of his school week in his own words, in his own way; he was free to comment, to criticize, to agree or disagree, with any person, subject or method, as long as it was in some way associated with the school …..
(i) Why did Mr. Florian feel that the weekly review was of advantage to both pupil and teacher?
(ii) Why did Braithwaite feel both relief and disappointment at the first weekly review his students had written since he joined the school?
(iii) How was he given the silent treatment by his students?
(iv) What does Braithwaite term the second and more annoying phase of his relationship with his students? What did some students do to disrupt his class?
(v) Mention two qualities in Braithwaite’s character which help him to become a model teacher. Give suitable examples to illustrate your choice.
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls (Where the Mind is Without Fear: Rabindranath Tagore)
(i) To whom is the poet praying? Whose mind is the poet referring to at the beginning of the poem? Why?
(ii) In which situation is the lead held high? What does he mean by 'knowledge is free'? What are 'narrow domestic walls'?
(iii) What does the poet mean by 'tireless striving'? What does 'clear stream' refer to? Explain.
(iv) What is meant by 'dead habit'? What is 'dead habits' compared to and why?
(v) What does ti» poet wish for al the end ~f the poem? What does tl1e poem tell the readers about the poet? Give a reason to justify yow· answer.
What reception did Ile get wizen he reached the address that had been advertised? Whom did tit house belong to?
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
An angry athlete is an athlete who will make mistakes, as any coach will tell you I was no exception. On the first of my three qualifying jumps, I leaped from several inches beyond the · take-off board for a foul.
(i) When and where is this story set? What reason does the narrator Jesse Owens give for the heightened nationalistic feelings at this time?
(ii) In which event had Owens been confident of winning a gold medal? Why?
(iii) What had, made Owens angry enough to make mistakes?
(iv) Name Owens' rival who approached him at this point. What advice did this athlete give Owens?
(v) How did the two athletes perform in the finals? What does Jesse Owens consider his 'Greatest Olympic Prize'? Why?
Complete the following poem with words from the box below. Then recite the poem.
Soldiers live in barracks
And birds in ———————,
Much like a snake that rests
In a ———————. No horse is able
To sleep except in a ———————.
And a dog lives well,
Mind you, only in a ———————.
To say ‘hi’ to an ant, if you will,
You may have to climb an ———————.
| hole | kennel | nests | anthill | atable |
Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say? (Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consulta dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways
What was the state of the author’s friend at the last?
Give the character sketch of the lady in The Bear Story’.
“Trees are to make no shade in winter.” What does this mean? (Contrast this line with the line immediately before it.)
What kind of surprise could be found while walking on the grass?
Discuss the question in pairs before you write the answer.
Who did he first choose as his master? Why did he leave that master?
Who was Taro? What was his most endearing quality?
Answer the following question:
Why did Taro run in the direction of the stream?
Answer the following question:
How did Taro’s father show his happiness after drinking saké?
Multiple Choice Question:
For the child, his teacher is ________
Multiple Choice Question:
Which one of the following mistakes the child does not make?
Fill in the blank to name a different kind of intelligence. One has been done for you.
When I enjoy listening to people and solving their problems I use my interpersonal intelligence
When I enjoy telling a story or arguing, I use my ____________ intelligence.
Answer the following question.
Algu found himself in a tight spot. What was his problem?
Your partner and you may now be able to answer the question.
Like the child in the poem, you perhaps have your own, wishes for yourself. Talk to your friend, using “I wish I were..
Choose a befitting adjective to describe the nature of squirrel.
What did Nishad gave Mr Nath? Why?
Read the lines given below and answer the following question:
| Iris: Of her society Be not afraid. I met her deity Cutting the clouds towards Paphos, and her son Dove-drawn with her. |
Whom does Iris refer to as ‘her’?
With close reference to Act V, examine how Shakespeare presents the idea of forgiveness and reconciliation at the end of the play.
In the poem, John Brown, John Brown drops his medals into his mother's hands because ______.
