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Question
Discuss the following in groups of four. Each group can deal with one topic. Present the views of your group to the whole class.
The reader’s sympathy is with the peddler right from the beginning of the story. Why is this so? Is the sympathy justified?
Solution
From the beginning, the rattrap seller is shown as a victim of his situation and not a downright evil character. The peddler had to resort to beggary and stealing because his business is not profitable enough to make both ends meet. His condition of penury does not allow him to be fully righteous. Moreover, we find that he lacks friends and guide to steer him in the right path. The sympathy is justified because in the end we find out that the peddler is capable of appreciating genuine goodness and hospitality. When he is treated with respect and kindness, he reciprocates the same in the best way he can.
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RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer the following in 125-150 words:
How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course did he adopt and how did he react to the new situation? What does his reaction reveal?
When and how did the peddler realise that he had fallen into a rattrap ? How could he get out of it ?
From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?
What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?
Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?
How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter, the ironmaster and his daughter?
What are the instances in the story that show that the character of the ironmaster is different from that of his daughter in many ways?
The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the characters to others’ behaviour. Pick out instances of these surprises.
The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of humour. How does this serve in lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us?
Discuss the following in groups of four. Each group can deal with one topic. Present the views of your group to the whole class.
The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
Discuss the following in groups of four. Each group can deal with one topic. Present the views of your group to the whole class.
Have you known/heard of an episode where a good deed or an act of kindness has changed a person’s view of the world?
The man selling rattraps is referred to by many terms such as “peddler, stranger” etc. Pick out all such references to him. What does each of these labels indicate of the context or the attitude of the people around him?
Mistaken identity led to a discovery of a new one for the rattrap peddler. How did this impact him?
If the Christmas spirit is about selflessness, forgiveness and becoming 'better' versions of ourselves amongst other things, Edla Willmansson is the epitome of this spirit. Justify with two points of evidence from The Rattrap.
In Edla's dealing with the peddler, she was compassionate and generous. Discuss with reference to the story "The Rattrap".
Why was the peddler surprised at the hospitality he received from the crofter?
Read the given extract and answer the questions.
| “I am thinking of this stranger here,” said Edla. “He walks and walks the whole year long, and there is probably not a single place in the whole country where he is welcome and can feel at home. Wherever he turns he is chased away. Always he is afraid of being arrested and cross-examined. I should like to have him enjoy a day of peace with us here – just one in the whole year.” |
- Complete the following sentence with the most appropriate option: (1)
Edla wished the Pedlar to have a peaceful day because ______.
- the Pedlar had worked for Edla
- the Pedlar had not been released from jail
- the Pedlar had been staying at the forge
- the Pedlar had always been looked with suspicion
- Select a suitable word from the extract to complete the analogy. (1)
single : multiple :: abroad : ______. - In the above extract, Edla comes across as ______. (1)
- conscientious
- pretentions
- compassionate
- selfless
- Based on the above extract, choose the statement which is true. (1)
- Relationships are rattraps.
- Money is important in the world.
- Criminal is not born but made.
- Christmas is a time of charity.
- In the context of the given extract, which day is referred to in the expression 'just one in the whole year'? (1)
- What does the expression 'he is cross examined' suggest? (1)
Answer the following question in about 40-50 words.
Explain the metaphor of the rattrap.
Answer the following question in about 40-50 words.
Who was Edla Willmansson? Why did she visit the forge at night?
