NOTES on Prose Lessons

 The story of insects              

An insect is a small, six legged animal. Scientists discovered 7000 to 10000 new kinds of insects every year. Insects live everywhere on earth(steamy tropical jungles to cold polar regions, snow capped mountains, deserts below sea level, caves).

 We are constantly at war with some insects. Few insects bite, infect us with deadly diseases, attack our crops, pets, domestic animals, invade our homes, spoil our food,  damage our property. But insects pollinate many flowers, including crops, provide us with honey,   food for fish, bird and many other animals. In fact life as we know it could not exist if all insects were to disappear.

  Insects are most fascinating animals on earth. Insects have no lungs, but breathe through holes in their sides. Some insects have no eyes and few have five eyes or more. Many insects have enormous strength for their size. An ant can lift a weight fifty times as heavy as its body. A flea can long-jump 35 centimetres.

 Many insects do the same things we do. They build bridges and dwellings. Some raise crops and others keep cattle that they ‘milk’. There are also insects, carpenters, papermakers, guards, soldiers, nurses, slaves, hunters, trappers, thieves and undertakers. Some insects go to war against one another.

The variety of insects

The world of insects includes some of the most beautiful and fantastic animals on earth. Goliath beetle which grows more

Than 10cm long and the Atlas moth which has a wingspread  of  about 25cm.It is about 1000times as large as warf beetle. Blue whale –the largest of all animals,500 times as  large as shrew.

        The story of insects is a tremendous success story. Insects first appeared on earth atleast 400 years ago. During their struggle to survive ,insects gradually developed an incredible variety of body forms and ways of life.

Why are insects so useful?.

Insects have had such enormous success in their struggle for survival for several reasons. One is that they can adapt to even the harshest living conditions. Insect have been frozen solid below-18C and lived. Most insects feed on plant life, many have adapted  themselves to eat almost anything available to them. Another reason for their success is their small size. An insects has its skelton on the outside body which provides a tough coat of armour, protects internal organs and loss of moisture. Most insects have wings. Flying makes it easier for search of foods, escape from enemies and find mates. Success of insects result from their power of reproduction. They have short lives, quickly become adults and reproduce.

Benefits of insects

All insects form part of the great web of life that includes human beings and all other living things. Insects feed on and are also food for plants and animals. Insects thus maintain the balance of all plants and animals on the earth. In South Africa,  few people roast the termites and eat them handful. Mexicans make a cake out of the eggs of water boatmen. Insects live on ground enrich the soil  with their  waste products and dead bodies.

Insect control

People use many methods to control insect pests. These methods can be grouped as

1.Quarantine system-try to prevent insect pests entering the country.

2.Cultural system-Way of checking or preventing insect damage through better farming methods.

3.Biological system-is use  of predators, parasites  or  diseases to check pests.

4.Chemical pests-involves use of insecticides.

   

           

 Unity of minds

                                          -A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

This context is about the speech of Abdul Kalam on the eve of the fifty -fifth anniversery of our independence. In this context he tells about his two visions and also tells us about his visit to Sabarmati Ashram.

First Vision

The first vision was to create a movement to achieve freedom. Each and everyone of them was the live force of our freedom movement. The great vision of free India was born around 1857.For 90 years, there was an intensive struggle for freedom. He have tried to capture the essence of the freedom movement and two aspects emerge: our independence is a result of supreme sacrifice and the vision driven movement created by many leaders.

Second Vision

Transform our country from a present developing status into a fully developed nation. It implies integrated actions in areas of agriculture and food processing, education, health care, infrastructure development which includes the development of power, information and communication and technoligies and critical tecnologies. The greater vision will aim at alleviating poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. When the minds of the people of out country are unified and focused towards this vision. A happy and prosperous life of a billion people is the chief goal of this vision.

Visit to Sabarmati Ashram

After  returning from Gujarat, he visited the Sabarmati Ashram established by Mahatma Gandhiji for the purpose of our country men to carry on the search for the truth and develop fearlessness. While he sat down, he got a dominant thought to his mind. If we can rise above our own personal hardships and decide to work for a larger cause, then there will be a natural elevation of our minds. We should all work together to achieve the mission of the Unity if Minds to preserve the invaluable freedom that our noble leaders earned for us and to reach greater heights in the future.

  

  A Special kind of Blessing

                                  -Christine Allison 

Justification of the title

The title “A Special kind of Blessing” means that the child is an unexpected gift. Chrissie is a blessing in a way a normal child is not. The word SPECIAL rises from banality and comes grippingly alive.

       Chrissie has two sisters Gillea and Maisie. When mom entered their bedroom the kids appeared like the princesses against a mound of floral-cased pillows. Gillea was scanning a best-seller, trying to find a familiar word. Maisie was singing softly. Chrissie Was holding a book upside-down and was trying to pretend as if she was reading aloud. Her book’s title: “IF We Were All The Same” .

“Her heart is not retarded”. Justify it.

Chrissie crawled seven paces for the biscuit her dad held out to her which she had been battling for the biscuit for two months. She uses sign language. Chrissie tells her first word during her play-therapy session.  Gillea sitting I front of her combs hers dolls hair. Chrissie refuses to look at her sister or the doll or the comb. Her sister becomes excited and calls her mother and tells her how she had made Chrissie how to say NO. Words come hard to Chrissie. The simplest kinds of verbal communication  most people take for granted are immense obstacles for her. When a bowl of apples were kept between her mouth moved in and out. After several seconds she told the ‘Apuu’ and she looked up with an expression that “I have said it”.

      Chrissie may be very slow in her actions and behavior and in responding towards anyone. But  that child doesn’t have a retarded heart as that kid also has feelings, love, etc.

             I have a Dream

                             -Martin Luther King Jr.

What are the dreams of Martin Luther for Negros?

The dreams for Martin Luther for Negros are:

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of the creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident ;that all men are equal’ .

I have a dream that on one day on the red hills of Georgia  the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that on one day even the state of Mississippi , a desert state swelling with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their characters.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, all the black and white boys walk together as brother and sisters.

I have a dream that on one day every valley shall be exalted , every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made straight and all flesh shall see it together.

What are the strategies and values Martin Luther wants to practice to emanicipate blacks?

The strategies and values Martin Luther wants to practice to emanicipate blacks are

Now is time to make real the promises of Democracy.

Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.

Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of gods children.

Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick stands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

                Bringing up boys and girls

From the moment of birth, babies are usually treated according to their gender. Baby girls are tend to be dressed in pink and baby boys in blue. Baby girls are handled very carefully than baby boys. Girls are given Barbie dolls whereas boys are given cars. Mother concentrates more on girls beauty than boys

       Girls are generally taught to be “ladylike”-polite and gentle. They are taught to rely on others especially males for help. They are allowed to express their feelings freely whereas boys are not given that freedom .They concentrate more on their beauty than on intelligence to attract men.

       Parents also have different expectations on daughters and on sons . Daughters are more socialized to think about their family then their career .Sons are not expected to think about the family stuff. Their should be more involved in the world outside family. Society encourages girls to be less active in the society.

     Now a days few parents try to maintain a gender neutralization society but they are not accepted by everyone. Many people oppose this thought. Parents try maintain it but it is opposed in schools, colleges ,peer group ,etc

            Advertisements in the Media

Now a days television networks, radio stations and newspapers depend on the income on selling advertisements. Advertising is a very common feature of all our daily media. Very huge amounts are spent on the production of advertising. A television commercial  can easily cost many thousands of dollars per second.

             Advertisements attract audience’s attention. Growing number of advertisements  provide very little information about the product.

             Models used in advertisements look directly into the camera which makes the viewer feel like as if model  is looking directly towards him/her. Color is an important issue in design of advertisements. Bright ,bold colors create  different impressions. Another strategy in advertisements is to feature famous or glamorous people wearing or using a product.                     

              Techniques for Solving Crimes

They are many methods in detection of crime. Detection method include the study of handwriting to find the criminal and also a lie  detector test that indicates whether suspect is telling the truth or not. Detectives also use insects to help solve a murder case. Insects

 can also be used to solve drug crimes. Insects are often found in illegal shipments of drugs. Detectives use knowledge about where the insects come from to trace the drugs back to a particular location in the world.

                        One of the most important and reliable kinds of evidence that can be solving crimes is still the fingerprint. These patterns are unique that it is not similar for no two persons and patterns do not change over time. Crime can also be determined by using DNA. They can be studied and be searched for a match to a sample taken from the crime scene- a drop of blood or a strand of hair.    

       

          Cultural variation and change

   The word ‘culture’ appears frequently in the media and society. Culture refers to the system of signs, meanings and worldviews of particular groups of human beings. Culture in the sense has two aspects: material  and  non-material. Material culture refers to all the objects or artifacts that have meaning to the members of a society or that are used by them. Artifacts include tools, clothes , buildings , weapons, etc. Non-material culture refers to the norms ,customs , behaviors , beliefs, values , attitudes , knowledge and language of the society.

Cultural variation

They are many factors that contribute to the diversity. They include differences in age, in education , in social  status or class and in gender as well as whether people live in  the country or in a town or city.

How cultures change?

Cultures change over time. It is hard to notice the change. The youth challenged parents in relation to sexual behavior, war, materialism. They are also radical changes in behavior , dress and music. A large difference is seen in values and behavior. Youth culture , values of this generation became very dominant aver time as the group grows older and takes power in the society. The introduction  of new technologies is also a major factor in cultural change. Culture change is also seen when various cultures come in contact with each other which leads to exchange in ideas, religious beliefs or material artifacts such as food or clothing. Often new elements are added to the culture which leads to the change in existing culture.

 Western culture over the past twenty years include:

·        Men and women living together without being married.

·        Carrier opportunities for women.

·        Conversation of natural forests and undeveloped land.

·        Smoking in public places.

·        Teenagers having freedom to express their own values in music , dance and dress. 

 Contributor: Yogitha Bhavya

Mail:  yogithabhavya9@gmail.com

Poetry Synopsis

 The lunatic lover and the poet

“The lunatic lover and poet " is written by William Shakespeare. He became the most popular playwright of the Elizabethan age. Apart from writing famous tragedies like Hamlet, Macbeth and famous comic plays like "The Merchant Of Venice", "The Tempest" etc.. He wrote a series of 154 sonnets, which were published together in 1609. His plays and sonnets exhibit an exceptional understanding of life and a remarkable insight into the complexities of human nature. He was a gifted poet.

"The lunatic lover and poet" is an extract taken from Shakespeare's play " A Midsummer Night's Dream ". In this poem Shakespeare explains the similarities lies in the faculty of their imagination. Imagination is the faculty of imagining. It is the ability of forming images, concepts and sensations. It is a powerful phenomenon, it helps to understand knowledge and to create something new, it helps to solving problems and give meaning to experience.

One of them sees a more devil's than even vast hell can hold. He is the madman. The lover sees the Helens beauty in any common ordinary woman. Imagination of poet is very high when compared to lunatic and lover. He give shapes to unreal things. Madman imagines irregular shapes and things which do not exist. Lover imagines that his lover is most beautiful woman in world though she might be average beauty. The poet explains the power of imagination. Because of this power , he gives shapes to unreal things, and he moves from earth to heaven and heaven to earth and his eyes are rolling everywhere encompassing everything in universe. Imagination gives both joy and fear. Sometimes a bush may appear as a bear in dark night and vice-versa.

On His Blindness

        "On His Blindness" is a sonnet and it is written by John Milton. He was an English poet ,polemicist, man of letters. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheavel, and is best known for his epic poem " paradise Lost" . Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions , a passion for freedom and self determination and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day. Milton collected 1645 poems.

It is one of the best and most popular of Milton's sonnets. Sonnet is a small poem which contains 14 lines.

The poet reflects " On His Blindness " . He becomes blind at middle age . Because of his Blindness  he thinks regrets that his poetic talent  has been wasted. His heart , he always composed poem to justifies God's ways. He wishes to give a true account of his powers to God. He is afraid that God may be angry him for not using his power. He foolishly asks- Does God requires a blind man's service?.

The patient thinking might the poet conclude that God neither needs the service of man nor an account of the gifts owned by Him. Those who resign themselves to the will of God serve Him best. God  is invested with royal power . Thousands of angles fly quickly over land and ocean to do his bidding. Those who have faith in God and calmly submit to God's powers also render him services.

Three Years She Grew In Sun and Shower

Wordsworth testified his true attitude of nature. According to him , nature is heavenly spirit who has the combined qualities of a mother and a teacher. The poem observes how mother-nature raised Lucy, moulded and shaped her life till she becomes a fine young lady.

         From the day she was born till the day she was three years old. Lucy grew under the light and the heat of the sun and the showers of the soft summer rain. The nature said that there was no flower lovelier than Lucy that has ever been born on earth; here Lucy was compared with flower, because of her beauty and the natural way in which she was bringing up. Mother's Nature decided to take full charge of nature's own ideal.

         Nature would be to Lucy a source of inspiration for both law and impulse, inspiring emotions and Lucy was learn about the secrets of mountains and plains, and wisdom of the earth and heaven, in glade; a clear open space and bower, shady space under the tree. She would learn to feel an over seeing power to rouse and control.

          Lucy would be playful and mercy like a young deer with that wild and timeless joy , full of energy to go high up as the water spring on top of the mountain; a source of a river. She would also learn to be silent and calm with the silent inanimate objects of nature. The silent floating clouds that pass by would lend their dignity and grandeur to her. She would learn modesty from the curved branches of the willow tree. The strong movement of the storm symbolises power and gracefulness. Lucy would learn to be powerful and graceful like the storm at the same time. Yet in silence, she would ultimately be moulded into a fine young lady.

      In this process, she would someday display all her beauty like stars in the sky on a midnight she would be loved and close to them and would listen carefully in many secrets of nature. The secret places where the rivulets dance their way ward round with their streams of clear rushing water. Their beauty was born with a soft murmuring sound that would beautiful her and make her face beautiful. The vital nourishment in her to a grandeur height. As long as Lucy dwells with Mother's Nature in this joyful valley, she would shape Lucy's thoughts to the height of maturity.

           At last Mother Nature spoke and said that the work of educating Lucy was finally done. How Soon was Lucy's race in her life's journey run? Lucy's duration of life was compared to a race which has a beginning and an end. When she died all that she left to the narrator was the heath ; barren land, the calm and quite scene. The memory of what would always be perhaps suggestive to the fact that this work of nature would never be repeated in future.

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

"Beauty is truth and truth is beauty that is all you need to know on earth and all you need to know".    He was one of the main figures of the second generation of romantic poets along with Lord Byron and Percy .Consumption , failure in love with Fanny Brawne and  the criticism Black Wood killed him.

     This poem is autobiographical  in nature. It speaks of  unrequited love.

     The first three stanzes of " LaBelle Dame Sans Merci" pose the speaker's questions to a melancholy knight who looks lonely, listless and ill. The sedge a grass like plant that thrives in wet lands, has dried up and the knight, as if in sympathy with this arid setting, appears depleted both physically and emotionally.

      In stanza four, the knight begins to answer the speaker's questions, reporting that he met a beautiful , fairy like lady in the meads. Enchanted by this beautiful figure, the knight describes her graceful movement, her alluring long hair and her lively appearance, apparent in her wild eyes.

       In stanza five , he makes a garland for her head and bracelets that enhance her natural perfume. She is responsive to his loving tribute, and her sweet moaning signals that she is falling in love with him. In stanza six , enraptured with his new found love, the knight places her on his horse and follows her all day as she looks down as him and sings a fairy song , while in stanza seven, she gathers and feeds him sweet roots and delectable foods to express her true love for him.

     In stanza eight , the mood of the poem shifts back towards melancholy. When the knight relates  how the woman took him to a grotto , a sort of magical space the knight associates with fairy creatures such as elves. In this setting, the delicate fleeting nature of the lady's feelings suddenly erupts with her tears, which the knight tries to soothe with his kisses that shut her "wild wild eyes" - words that suggest he was fallen in love with a creature that he can't possess.

       It is the lady who lulls the knight to sleep , however , in stanza nine to eleven , he is engulfed in a dream of kings and princes who are pale and who warn him that he has become enslaved by the beautiful lady without mercy. When he awakes , the knight finds himself on the cold hill side , feeling the death like cold of his dream and looking like the sad figure that speaker first encountered. Coming full circle in stanza twelve, the knight notes that his experience with the lady is why he remains in this bleak setting , alone and feelings that he has lost the love of this beautiful figure that haunts and blights not only his life but also the world in which he finds himself.

Contributor: Ponnagati Viharika
Mail: ponnaganti.viharika38@gmail.com