English The Snake and The Mirror
The Snake and The Mirror
Date- 10/8/21
Topics covered- Reading and explanation of the chapter.
Date- 11/8/21
New words
1.smeared
2.sprinter
3.reedy
4.vermilion
5.feebly
6.slithered
7.resumed
Comprehension Questions
(a) Describe the doctor’s
rented residence. Or What kind of a room did the doctor live in? The doctor
lived in a small, poorly furnished rented room which did not have any
electricity. It was an outer
room with one wall looking
upon the open
yard. The roof was
tiled and supported by gables which
rested on a beam. The room did
not have a ceiling and it was infested with rats.
(b) What were the doctor’s possessions?
Among the few pieces
of furniture, there
was his bed,
a chair, a table with his medical books, a kerosene lamp and a mirror on it. The doctor had about sixty rupees in his
suitcase. In addition he had some shirts, dhotis
and one solitary
black coat.
(c) Why did the doctor have
to light the kerosene lamp on reaching his room?
The doctor
had to light the kerosene
lamp because the room did not have
electricity and the night
was pitch dark.
The doctor had
limited money and as a result he could
not afford a
better place.
(d) Why did the doctor look into the mirror again
and again?
In those days, the doctor was a great admirer of beauty and believed in making himself look
handsome. He was unmarried and a doctor
and felt that
he had to make his presence felt. Looking into the mirror
gave him a chance to assess his looks again
and again.
(a) What kind of a woman did the doctor decide
to marry? Why?
The doctor
decided to marry
a wealthy woman
running a good
medical practice. He also
wanted her to be fat so that
in case he made some silly mistake,
he could run away
without being chased and caught by her.
(b)
How did the snake land on the doctor’s
chair?
The snake fell
from the beam of the room on the floor with a thud. In no time it wriggled and
reached for the narrator’s chair. Next, the snake slithered along his shoulder and coiled around
his left arm
above the elbow.
To make matters
worse, the snake spread
its hood out and its head was hardly three
or four inches
from the doctor’s face.
(c) What was the narrator’s reaction
to the sight of the snake?
When the
doctor found a snake on his shoulder, he did not
shriek, jump, or tremble.
He could not breathe for a while.
He was turned to a stone yet his mind was active.
He knew that the snake would
strike him if he made
any movement since
the hood of the
snake was only four inches
away from his face. He tried in his imagination to write the word
‘O God’ outside
his little heart.
He realized that
there were no medicines in the
house in case he was struck
by the snake.
(d)
How did the doctor
feel when the
snake coiled itself
around his arm?
When the snake coiled
itself around the
arm of the
doctor, he felt some pain
as if his arm was being crushed strongly with a rod made of molten fire.
His arm lost
all strength and he felt very weak.
(e) What thoughts crossed
the doctor’s mind when he saw the snake looking
into the mirror? When the doctor
saw the snake
looking into the mirror, he thought that
perhaps it too was
admiring its beauty
or was trying to make some important, actually frivolous
decisions like growing
a moustache, or using eye
shadow and mascara
or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead.
(f) How was the doctor relieved
of the hold of the snake?
The snake happened
to look at its reflection in the mirror
on the table. It uncoiled itself from the arm of the doctor, slipped
into his lap and then crawled towards
the mirror. Perhaps, it too was fascinated by its looks
like the doctor
had a while ago.
(a) What did the doctor do when the snake was absorbed in looking at the mirror?
As the snake was absorbed in looking at the mirror,
the doctor at once availed
of the opportunity and holding his breath, rose
from the chair
and quietly slipped
out of the room. From there he passed through
the veranda and the yard and ran to finally
reach the
house of a friend.
Long answer type questions:
(a) What kind of room was
the doctor living
in and why did he decide to leave that
room? The room that
the doctor was living in was a small, poor,
uncomfortable and rented. Since his medical practice
was yet not well-established, he did not earn much and
could not afford a better
place. This room
was without the facility of electricity and he
had to depend on a kerosene lamp for light.
The room was on the outer side of the house
and one of its walls
opened into the yard. It had two
windows; its roof was tiled
.The room
did not have
any ceiling and it was infested with rats that kept making sounds all the time.
The doctor’s description of the room
shows that he was not happy
with this poor accommodation. But
he decided to leave it only after
his encounter with the snake. It was such a horrifying experience that he had to run to a friend’s house
to save his
life. Hence, he decided not
to live in the room
any longer.
(b) What are the
similarities between the behaviour of the doctor
and of the snake? Or Do
you think both the doctor
and the snake
had some common
qualities? Why/Why not?
The behaviour of the doctor
and the snake
did have certain
similarities. Both of them
were enamoured by their reflection in the mirror
and stood looking
longingly at it. However, the similarity ended
at this aspect
of their respective behaviour since the doctor could not ascertain confidently the reason
behind the snake
getting charmed by its
own image. The
doctor was certainly compelled by his vanity to repeatedly look at
his image. So, when he notices the snake looking
into the mirror,
he thinks that perhaps it too was admiring its
beauty or was trying to make some ‘important’ decisions just like him. But these
too were as frivolous as the doctor’s
decision to shave daily and keep a thin moustache. Just like the doctor’s obsession
with his looks landed
him in trouble, the snake too seemed
to be ‘taken with its beauty’. It releases its victim
to have
a better look
at itself in the mirror.
Thus both the doctor and the snake
display narcissistic tendency.
(c) Why did the snake not strike the doctor although
it was so near his face? Or What saved
the doctor’s life?
The snake
did not strike
the doctor although it was so near his face because
the doctor remained motionless even when his life was in danger.
Displaying great presence
of mind, the doctor
stayed still like a stone
which assured the snake that there was no
danger to it. Snakes strike
only in self
defence. The doctor
remained calm and didn’t
jump, or tremble or cry
out. He did not try
to either catch
the snake to throw it away
or to loosen its hold on his
arm. Fear had gripped him but he kept his cool. Thus
the snake left the doctor unharmed
and moved to admire its image in the mirror.
The doctor’s qualities of patience, presence
of mind, courage
and calmness helped
him ward of the danger
posed by the deadly snake,
and saved his life.
(a) Write a note
on the element of humour
in the story. Or This
story about a frightening
incident
is narrated in a humorous
way. What makes
it humorous?
Although the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’
is the narration of a serious incident, it has an element
of humour. This
humour is generated by way of contrasts employed by the writer. The doctor reveals
his pride and arrogance by telling us how highly
he rated his looks and his profession as a doctor.
This pride and arrogance stands
in contrast to his
admittance that he felt feeble
and foolish when faced with
snake that was coiled
around his
arm and its hood was
four inches from
his face.
The doctor’s
desire to marry
a fat and wealthy lady-doctor who cannot run after him when
he commits some
silly mistake stands
in contrast to the thin
and agile lady,
with the physique of a sprinter, whom he finally
marries. Further, the doctor pokes
fun at himself when
he tells that
the thief did
not take away his dirty
vest because he had a sense
of cleanliness. His remark, that
the snake was
perhaps making some
decision about growing a moustache or using eye shadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion
spot on its head is also very
witty and humorous. Thus, even a serious incident
is made interesting by the doctor’s witty treatment of a very
dangerous situation.
(b)
“I looked
into the mirror
and smiled”, says
the doctor. A little later
he says, “I forgot my danger and smiled feebly
at myself”. What
is the doctor’s opinion about
himself when he smiles first and then later? In what way do his thoughts change
in between, and why?
(Textual)
The doctor
rated his looks
quite high and smiled at his image
whenever he looked
into the large mirror
on his table.
He thought that
he was very
handsome and deserved to stay well-groomed. On the second occasion, his opinion about himself was
marked by humility. By then he had realised
that he had been vain,
foolish and stupid.
His
encounter with the deadly snake had exposed his shortcomings to him. In spite of being
a doctor he did not have any medicines in his room
even for an emergency like
a snake-bite. His good looks became
immaterial when he came face
to face with death
and the only thoughts that
came to his mind then
were about God.
The feeble smile indicated his acceptance of the folly
and vanity that
had so far governed his
life.
Read
the following extracts
and answer the
questions that follow
in one or two lines.
(a) I had my meal at the restaurant and returned to my room.
I heard a noise from
above as I opened
the door. The sound was a familiar
one.
i.
Who does ‘I’ refer to in this extract?
‘I’ refers
to the homeopath doctor who narrates his encounter with a snake.
ii. At what time did ‘I’ return to his room and from where?
The doctor returned
to his room at ten o’clock at night after having meal at a restaurant.
iii. When did ‘I’ hear a noise? What type of noise was it?
The doctor
heard a noise
when he entered
his room. It was a familiar noise
like that of the
rats that lived in his room.
iv.
Why does ‘I’ say that it was a familiar sound?
The doctor says that it was a familiar
sound because there
were many rats in his room
and their
constant movement had become familiar.
(b)
I was unmarried and I was
a doctor. I felt I had to make my presence felt.
I picked up the
comb and ran it through
my hair and adjusted the parting so that it looked straight
and neat.
i. Who is ‘I’ in this extract?
‘I’ is the
homeopathic doctor who recounts his encounter with a snake.
ii. Explain: ‘make my presence felt’.
‘Make my
presence felt’ means to make a noticeable influence or effect.
iii.
Why did ‘I’ feel that he had to make his presence felt?
The doctor felt that
he had to make his
presence felt because
he belonged to the
prestigious profession of a doctor
and he was still unmarried.
i.
What did ‘I’ do in order to make his presence
felt?
In order to make his
presence felt, he combed his hair carefully and adjusted the parting.
(a)
There was no time to do any such
thing. The snake
slithered along my shoulder and coiled
around my left arm above the elbow.
i.
Who is describing this experience?
The homeopathic doctor is
describing this experience that he had when he encountered a snake.
ii. What did the speaker had no time for?
The speaker did not have time
to save himself
from the snake
that had coiled
around his left arm above the elbow.
iii. Where had the snake come from?
The snake
had fallen from the roof of the doctor’s ill-equipped room.
iv. How did the speaker react to the snake’s presence?
The speaker became motionless and did not jump, tremble
or cry out when the
snake came
so close to him.
(b)
There were
no medicines in the room.
I was but a poor,
foolish and stupid
doctor. I forgot my danger and smiled feebly
at myself.
i. Who is ‘I’ in these lines?
In these
lines, ‘I’ is the homeopathic doctor.
ii. Why did he need medicines?
He needed
medicines in case
the snake bit him and
injected him with
its poison.
ii. Why did ‘I’ feel poor and stupid?
The doctor felt poor and stupid
because he realised that he was a doctor,
yet he did not
have medicines for an emergency like this.
iii. Why did ‘I’ smile feebly
at himself?
The doctor smiled feebly
at himself because
he felt weak and helpless
on finding himself face to face with a snake.
iv.
What danger does ‘I’ refer to?
The doctor
refers to the danger posed by a deadly snake that had wrapped itself
on
his arm and was slowly
crushing it with force.
(a)
The next morning at about eight-thirty I took my friend and one or two others
to my room to move my things from there. But we found we had little to carry.
i.
Why did the doctor
go back to his room in the morning?
The doctor
went back to his room
because the previous night he had
to leave it suddenly because of a snake. He wanted to check whether
everything in the room was in
fact and whether
the snake had left.
ii. Why did the doctor and his friends
go to his room the next day?
The doctor
wanted to move
things from the room where
he had encountered a snake the previous day.
iii. Why did the doctor want to move things from the room?
He was extremely terrified after his encounter with the snake.
He could no longer live in
a room that
had no electricity, was infested with rats and visited by snakes.
iv. Why was there ‘little to carry’ from the room?
There was nothing left
in the room
except a dirty
vest of the
doctor. Everything had been
stolen by someone.
So, there was ‘little to carry’ from
the room.
Answers to Text book questions
I.
Discuss in pairs and
answer each question
below in a short paragraph. (30-40 words)
1. “The sound was a familiar one.” What sound
did the doctor
hear? What did he think
it was? How many times
did he hear it? When
and why did the sounds
stop?
The doctor
heard a familiar
sound caused by the movement
of something on the beam as
returned to his room after
a meal. He thought it was the sound made by the rats
that infested his room. He heard this sound three
times, after short
intervals and it stopped when the snake
fell down with
a thud on the floor,
as if a rubber tube
had fallen. When
he turned, he saw a snake that
wriggled over the back of the chair
and landed
on his shoulder.
2. Which two ‘important’ and ‘earth-shaking decisions did the doctor
make as he looked at his image in the mirror?
The doctor
made two decisions after looking at himself in the mirror.
The first was that
he would shave daily and grow a thin moustache in order to look more
handsome as he was still unmarried and was in the reputed
medical profession. The second decision
was that he would keep a
smile on his face to look more handsome.
1. What is the doctor’s opinion
about himself when
he first smiles
and (ii) when
he smiles again?
When the doctor first
smiled in front
of the mirror,
he was making
himself look more attractive. His opinion about
himself at that
point of time was that
he was a bachelor and a doctor too.
Later, when he smiled
feebly at himself,
a snake was coiled around
him. He knew
that the snake would
strike him and that he had no medicines in his room.
At that moment, his opinion about himself
was that he was but a poor,
foolish, and stupid
doctor. His thoughts had
changed because of the lurking
danger.
II This story about a frightening incident
is narrated in a humorous
way. What makes
it humorous? (Think of the contrasts it presents between
dreams and reality.
Some of them
are listed below.) Write
short paragraphs on each of these to get your
answer.
1.
(i) The kind of person the doctor is (money, possessions)
(ii) The kind of person he wants to be (appearance, ambition)
The story presents
a contrast between
dreams and reality.
This contrast has been
depicted in a humorous
manner. The doctor
had just started
his practice. His earnings
were therefore meagre. He lived
in a small rented room,
which was not electrified. He had
only sixty rupees
in his suitcase. Apart from a few shirts
and dhotis, he had one solitary black coat. His house was full of rats. However,
his dreams and ambitions were in
contrast to this.
He was a great admirer
of beauty and he believed in making himself handsome. He laid great
emphasis on the
fact that he was unmarried and a doctor.
He was too
pleased with his appearance. He decided to shave daily
and grow a thin
moustache to look more handsome. The manner in which he decided that this decision is
an ‘important’ one is quite
funny. Later, he also made an ‘earth-shaking decision’ to always keep
smiling in order
to look more
handsome. This contrast between the kind of
person he was and the kind of person he wanted to be makes
the story humorous.
2.
(i) The person he wants to marry
(ii) The person he actually marries
He had thought about
the kind of person he would want
to marry. He wanted to marry
a woman doctor who had plenty of money and a good
medical practice because
he did not have any of those. He wanted a fat wife
so that whenever he would make a
mistake his
wife would not be able
to catch him.
However, the woman
he married was a thin and slender person
who could run like a sprinter. This contrast between
the kind of wife he wanted
and the kind
of wife he ends up marrying adds
to the humour
of the
story. II. (i) His thoughts when he looks
into the mirror (ii) His thoughts when the
snake is coiled around his arm When he
looked into the
mirror, he was
full of appreciation for his good
looks. He was a
great admirer of beauty and
believed in making himself look handsome. He took a close look at his face and decided that he would shave daily and grow a
thin moustache to look even
more handsome. Then,
he looked into
the mirror and
smiled. He decided to
keep smiling as he considered his smile very
attractive. However, later when the snake was
coiled around his
arm, he turned into a stone.
At this moment, he felt the
presence of God
near him. In
his imagination, he
tried to write
‘O God’ in bright letters. He
felt pain in
his left arm
where the snake
was coiled. He
realized that if the
snake struck him,
then he did not even
have any medicines in his room
for the same. That
was when he thought that
he was a
poor, foolish, and
stupid doctor. In
this way, his thoughts changed from calling himself an unmarried doctor who looked very handsome to calling himself a poor, foolish, and stupid doctor.
This sequence of events
also provided humour to the
story. Thinking about Language 1 Here are
some sentences from
the text. Say
which of them
tell you, that
the author: (a)
was afraid of the
snake, (b) was
proud of his
appearance, (c) had
a sense of humour, (d)
was no longer afraid of the snake. 1. I was turned to stone. was afraid of the snake 2. I was no mere image cut in
granite. Had a sense of humour 3. The arm was beginning to be
drained of strength Was afraid of the snake 4. I tried in
my imagination to
write in bright letters outside my
little heart the
words, ‘O God’. Was afraid of the snake 5. I didn’t tremble. I didn’t
cry out. Was afraid of the snake 6. I looked into
the mirror and
smiled. It was
an attractive smile. Was proud of his appearance 7. I was suddenly a man of
flesh and blood. Was no longer afraid of the
snake 8. I was after
all a bachelor, and a doctor
too on top of it! Was proud of his appearance 9. The fellow had
such a sense
of cleanliness…! The rascal could
have taken it and used
it after washing it with
soap and water. Had a sense of humour
|
10. Was it trying to make an
important decision about growing a moustache or
using eye shadow and mascara or wearing
a vermilion spot on its forehead? |
Had a sense of humour |
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