Chapter's summary : Text and Summary of Prose and Poem

Summary           Breeze comes to an isolated house in the outskirts of the city. No one lived there only the gatekeeper who kept a over the house. It was all shut and smelt musty. It seemed the companions of breeze did not want her in. They felt jealous of her as she seemed to be cheerful and happy outside the house. The house was old and had become a home to many birds. Being far from the main road, it seemed forlorn and out of the sight of human beings.  Breeze recalls her happy days. Her comrades rise to meet her but she refused. She was not a welcome in the deserted house, Her conversation with wind told of the pathetic condition of the house. Soon after going around the house she decided to leave. She was scared of the air. The description of the house tells it was once a well kept house. But now the occupants could not allow anyone to enter their privacy. The old occupants have no say in it and have to leave? To Read the Sonnet 25 by William Sha...

Summary        Naveen Munshi, a college dropout was hugely interested in Magic. He once chanced upon a show on Ventriloquism by Akrur Choudhary. Fascinated by this new art form wherein the performer spoke in different voices and that too without the movement of lips, he was determined to learn it from the great maestro himself. But Akrur Babu humiliated and refused him. Angered Naveen learnt and mastered the art on his own. Encouraged by the response he got from his uncle and close friend he decided to do it the professional way. He needed a puppet. Naveen based his puppet's looks on Akrur Babu. The puppet was named Bhutnath or Bhuto for short. He became an instant hit and went on to give several memorable performances. For the History behind 'The World and India in 20th Century', Please click the below link >> Here           Akrur Babu paid him a visit and told him that he had begun to receive cat calls when he had been on sta...

About the Poem A butterfly is a thing of beauty and therefore a source of joy for ever. How captivating its colors and how intricate the patterns on its tiny wings are! About the Poet           William Wordsworth(1770 - 1885) is the high priest of nature, who calls himself 'a worshipper of nature which teaches us more for man and of a moral evil and of a good than all the sages can.' The poem is addressed to a butterfly. He observes it sucking honey; then he invites it to come to his orchard and sit near him and then they will talk about the days of youth which are no more. Coleridge and he jointly published the 'Lyrical Ballads' which inaugurated the English Romantic Age. To a Butterfly I've watched you now a full half-hour, Self-poised upon that yellow flower; And, little Butterfly ! indeed I know not if you sleep or feed. How motionless ! - not frozen seas More motionless ! and then What joy awaits you, when the breeze Hath found you out among the t...

The Highwayman The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding-- Riding--riding-- The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin; They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh. And he rode with a jeweled twinkle, His pistol butts a-twinkle, His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky. Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard, He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred; He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord's black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord's daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair. And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked W...

About the Poem:           The poem "A River" is written by A.K. Ramanujan. In this poem, the poet has compared and contrasted the attitudes of the old poets and those of the new posts to human suffering. He has come to the conclusion that both the groups of the poets are indifferent to human sorrow and suffering. Their poetry does not reflect the miseries of the human beings. He has proved this point in thr present poem. About the Poet:           Attipate Krishna swami Ramanujan (16 March 1929 - 13 July 1993) also known as A.K. Ramanujan was an Indian poet and scholar of Indian literature who wrote in both English and Kannada. Ramanujan was a poet, scholar, a philologist, folklorist, translator, and playwright. His academic research ranged across five languages: English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Sanskrit. He published works on both classical and modern variants of this literature and argued strongly for giving local, non-sta...

About the Poet      Vikram Seth (1952), born in India and educated at Oxford, Stanford and Nanjing Universities, is a trained economist. But he is known more as a writer: novelist, poet, translator, biographer and travel writer. His most important work so far is 'A Suitable Boy' (1993), considered the longest modern novel. It created quite a sensation when it was published, both for its literary novelty and for the huge sum of royalty it received from the publishers. It won him the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. His other works include The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse; From Haven Lake: Travels through Sinkiang and Tibet and four volumes of poetry. An Equal Music (1999) is his most recent novel.        Vikram Seth's latest work is Two Lives (2005). A memoir of the marriage of his great uncle and aunt. The Louse and the Mosquito In the King's bed, Creep the louse Lived in her ancestral house. They had dwelt here as of right ...

About the Author           William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is undoubtedly one of the most gifted writers in the world, known for his all-time great plays. The sonnets of Shakespeare are no less famous. They are 154 in number and are divided into two groups. The first 126 sonnets are supposed to be addressed to a gentlemen friend of the poet, for whom the poet had great affection. The dispute about the identity of the poet's friend is unsettled. The other sonnets are addressed to a dark lady of charming beauty. However, all these poems reveal different moods of the poet and explore the intricacies of human relationship. Sonnet 25 comes under the first group of sonnets. Sonnet XXV Let those who are in favour with their stars Of public honour and proud titles boast, Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars, Unlook'd for joy in that I honour most. Great princes' favourites their fair leaves spread But as the marigold at the sun's eye. And in themselves thei...

Summary | Start Where You Stand           The poem ' Start Where you Stand ' is a motivational poem. The poet inspires us to forget the past as it will pose a hindrance in making a new start. He asks people to close that chapter of the book of life and make a new start that will pave the way for a better future. He reiterates the need to stop looking back and to start a fresh from where one is standing now. He assures that if we make a new start and get success the world will not care about our defeats. Time is fast paced and there is much to do, so we need to start acting and not keep brooding over the woes and despairs of the past . The poet encourages by saying that the future for one who does and dares. Failures of the past will not stop but triumphs of the past will help. So he wants everyone to gear up and get into the fight and face it boldly. The past should be left as ancient history, for yesterday is dead and today is alive. He concludes advising ...

  Summary                 Rabindranath Tagore in his poem ‘Clouds and Waves’ has expressed his tribute to a child’s imagination.                A little child is called by the folks in the sky and the waves in the sea to join their play from the dawn of day till the night sets in. The child expresses its his/her inability to reach them up. They ask her to come up to the edge of the earth and they would lift her. She refuses the temptations and goes to her mother. She prefers playing with her mother. She tells her they could play the game of the cloud and moon, and the waves and the strange shore. She seems to be blissfully enjoying her playtime with her mother and refusing the tempting invitation from the clouds and the waves who are strangers. The poem reflects an innocent child’s enjoyment is being with her mother who can be a close ...

About the poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) wrote poems in Bengali and in English. In 1913, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his collection of songs entitled Gitanjali. He has the honour of being the composer of our National Anthem. Tagore could write on deep spiritual and mystical themes with as much ease as he wrote poems for children. About the poem Cloud and Waves describes the child's attachment to his/her mother. Can the allurements of nature appeal more to the child! Cloud and Waves Mother, the folk who live up in the clouds call out to me- "We play from the time we wake till the day ends. We play with the golden dawn, we play with the silver moon." I ask, "But, how am I to get up to you?" They answer, "Come to the edge of the earth, lift up your hands to the sky, and you will be taken up into the clouds." For the Summary of 'Clouds and Waves', please click the below link >> Summary "My mother is wait...

About the poet           Thomas Gray (1716-1771) was a transitional poet and an important precursor to the Romantic Revival. The chief characteristics of his poetry are exquisite craftmanship, condensed expression, love of nature and sympathy for the common man.   About the poem                Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard was first published in 1751. An elegy is a poem which laments the dead. Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is noteworthy in that it mourns the death not of great or famous people but of common human beings. The poem invokes that classical idea of memento mori a Latin phrase which states "Remember that you must die." The speaker considers the fact that in depth there is no distinction between great and common people. It is a great leveler that renders everyone equal. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard The curfew tolls the knell of p...

Summary           'Elegy' means a mournful poem about death. Thomas Gray's 'Elegy written in a Country Church Yard' is worth nothing because it mourns the death of only commoners and not of great and famous people.                The poet, a city bred visits a village and looks at the rustic scene but is surprised to see the sounds of men and beasts fading away. The scene is beautiful but not joyous. The day ends just like other days.                The poet is alone but not tried. Describing a few things, the poet tries to bring in some vitality into his solitude and the stillness of the scene. With these descriptions, Gray creates the backdrops of his melancholy reflections about eternal truth. For Whole Poem and M.C.Q., please click the below link >> Poem         ...

Summary             I Remember, I Remember is a reflective and emotional poem. It recalls the nostalgic memories of the poet's childhood. The poet reminiscences the joys of his childhood comparing it with the present state of adult pensiveness. He remembers occurrences of joy that he received right from the beginning from his childhood's morning where the sun and other natural objects were kind to him. He recalls the beautiful flowers in their exotic colors that made him happy. The laburnum in the garden, still a living tree, reminds him of his dear brother who is no longer alive to see it growing. He recalls the days of his childhood which were full of happiness and joy and in contrast the present is full of sorrow and unhappiness.           In the next stanza, we find a combination of the past and the present. Then he was all energetic and high in spirit but now he has no energy to even lift his brow. The pool wat...