LITERATURE
FICTION
F.4
A SHADY PLOT
BY- ELSIE BROWN
1.
How does the ghost undermine the narrator's faith in his ability to write ghost stories?
Ans.
Helen tells the narrator that she had helped him write his ghost stories. She tells the narrator of
the many times when she had leaned on the narrator’s shoulder and had given him ideas, when he was
thinking hard while writing a ghost story. Helen tries to tell the narrator that had if she not been there
for him as a muse, he would not have been able to write good ghost stories.
2.
Why does the narrator hesitate to be a partner to Laura Hinkle during the Ouija Board Party?
Ans.
Helen, the ghost, had asked the narrator to influence his friends to stop using the Ouija board. It
was only on this condition that Helen promised to help the narrator to write ghost stories. If Helen sees
him now himself trying to communicate to ghosts through Ouija board, he fears what she would do to
him. That is why the narrator is reluctant to be a partner to Laura Hinkle during the Ouija Board party.
3.
Do you agree with the narrator calling the assembly of women "manipulators?" Give reasons.
Ans.
The women have fun at the narrator’s expense. They make Lavinia feel that John was having an
affair. Their insinuations make Lavinia suspect her husband. Hence they have been called manipulators.
4.
When confronted by Lavinia about his flirtations over the Ouija Board, John insists that 'the
affair was quite above-board, I assure you, my love'. Bring out the pun in John's statement.
Ans.
John assures his wife that his flirtations with Helen the ghost are above board. He tries to tell
her that whatever that has happened between him and Helen is over the board of Ouija and there is
nothing that he wishes to hide from his wife; in fact there is nothing to tell.
He also tries to tell her that it is her passion for using Ouija board that entire fiasco has taken place.
5.
John's apprehensions about his wife's reaction to his encounter with the ghost are unfounded.
Justify.
Ans.
John thought that his wife would become hysterical if she saw the ghost Helen; however, when
the encounter happened, she confidently spoke to the ghost and was not at all scared of it. She was in
fact joyous that John had actually made use of her gift thinking that he had called Helen of Troy to
gather ideas for his next story.
6.
While conventional Ghost stories are scary and gruesome, several modern versions are
humorous. The Canterville Ghost, by Oscar Wilde, is one of the best ghost stories written in the vein of
laughing satire. The story that you just read is another example in case. Humour arises out of the
narrator's ability to laugh at himself, clever use of language as well as comic situations. Discuss, what
makes the Shady Plot humorous.
Ans.
Value Points:
•
The author has a distinctive style of writing.
•
The ghost story instead of being spooky, exciting and gripping is rather amusing.
•
All the characters have a lighter side to them. The narrator and his preoccupation with ghost
stories is mocked in a subtle way. He is not scared of the ghost in his room, rather he is worried how is
his wife going to react if she sees the ghost.
•
Lavinia enjoys talking to the ghost.
•
Lavinia and her spendthrift ways. Her obsession to try out new trends and fashions.
•
Helen threatens the narrator that if he did not agree to her conditions she will stop inspiring
him.
•
The Ouija board party instead of being thrilling resulted in a misunderstanding between Mr. and
Mrs. Hallock.
•
Gladolia the narrator’s cook, who wants leave her job for a trivial reason, is scared of Voodoo
and black magic and does not want to work in their house.
7.
Character sketch of John Hallock and Lavinia with supporting examples from the text
Ans.
Value Points
John Hallock
•
Overconfident, self-disparaging (…in the end things had always come my way….. somehow I'd
always been able to dig one (plot) up for him, so I'd begun to get a bit cocky as to my ability to write
stories).
•
Sceptical ("But my ghosts aren't a bit like you----".)
•
Gullible (We scout around until we find a writer without ideas and with a mind soft enough to
accept impression.)
•
Creative(A ghost story had been the first fiction I had written. Curious how that idea for a plot
had come to me out of nowhere after I had chased inspiration in vain for months! Even now whenever
Jenkins wanted a ghost, he called on me.)
•
Protective( I threw a protecting husbandly arm about her to catch her when she should faint.)
Lavinia
•
Loves novelty and thrills (…and how on earth I was going to cure her of her alarming tendency to
take every new fad that came along and work it to death.)
•
Spendthrift (You know I bought the loveliest thing this afternoon.)
•
Suspicious (Lavinia stopped and began to look at me through narrowed lids much as she had
done in the library the evening before.)
•
Jealous (She went on, “It is bad enough to have you flirt over the Ouija board with that hussy…..
She thrust me back with sudden muscle. “I will see who’s behind you! Where is that Helen?”)
•
Manipulative (Buys the Ouija board but says it is for John's research)
•
Strong (Does not flinch when she meets the ghost but talks to her casually.)
8.
Discuss the dramatic element in the story ‘A Shady Plot’ ?
Ans.
At the Ouija board party at Lavinia’s house, Mrs. Laura’s Ouija board reveals that a woman by
the name of Helen wants to communicate with John. The Ouija boards of other women make a similar
revelation. Helen’s attempt to communicate with John (she wants him to tell his wife to get rid of the
Ouija board) is misconstrued as a proof of Liaison with Helen. Lavinia is smitten with jealousy; she
decides to divorce her husband. The ghost thus becomes the unwitting cause of a serious rift between
the husband and the wife.
The situation takes a dramatic turn. Lavinia enters John’s room to tell him that she was leaving for good.
John’s furtive glances and strange gestures arouse her suspicion that he is hiding somebody. It can be
none other than Helen, she thought. In a furious mood she pushed her husband to confront Helen. She
was pleasantly surprised to find that Helen was a ghost and not a woman of ravishing beauty for whom
her husband has fallen. Her fears were allayed and she fell in the arms of her husband. The ghost this
time saved their marriage and reunited them.
9.
Justify the title “A shady plot”.
Ans.
The story is about a writer’s struggle to find inspiration for his ghost stories.
He needs a plot, a storyline and the inspiration is hidden. As the events unfold, the readers realize that
the ghosts have been providing him with ideas and plotlines. The story then moves forward to a point
where the writer’s wife suspects him of having an affair with a lady. The story reaches its finale when
Lavinia comes face to face with the ghost (the lady) and maintains her composure. The plot of the story
is riveting and has unexpected twists and turns. The author surprises the reader a number of times and
much humour arises out of the situations. Because of the shady nature of the plot, the story manages to
hold the interest of the reader.
The title of the story is quite apt and compliments the story beautifully. It does not reveal the plot or
give an indication but helps the author to keep the surprise element. It also directs the reader’s
expectation in a positive manner.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. “I am going back to my grandmother. My lawyer will communicate with you later?”
(a) Who is the speaker in the above lines?
(b) Why is she going back to her grandmother?
(c) What effect does the above extract have on the listener?
ANSWERS
(a) Lavinia is the speaker.
(b) She has learnt that her husband is carrying on a clandestine love affair.
(c) He is devastated and upset.
2. “Well, I was not in a position to contradict Jenkins”
(a) Why was the narrator not in a position to contradict Jenkins?
(b) Who was Jenkins?
(c) What had Jenkins asked the narrator to do?
Answers
(a) Jenkins’ magazine was the only one to print his stuff.
(b) He was the publisher of the magazine.
(c) He wanted him to write a ghost story.
3.” I just came to tell you to stop bothering us for assistance; Youain’t going to get it. We are going on
strike!”
(a) Who is the speaker of these lines?
(b) Who does ‘you’ refer to?
(c) What does the speaker threaten to do?
Answers
a) The ghost, Helen
(b) John/ Narrator
(c) to go on strike
Try the following
1.
Bring out the irony in the statement: ‘I did not specialize in ghost stories, but more or less, they
seemed to specialize in me’.
2.
Why was Helen, the ghost going on strike? What condition did she lay for providing help?
Or
Why were the ghosts angry with the Ouija board fanatics?
3.
What does the ghost tell about herself before she becomes a ghost?
4.
What condition did the ghost put forth for providing continued help to John Hallock? Why?
Or
Why did Helen trouble the narrator of ‘A Shady Plot’?
5.
John Hallock writes a letter to his friend, describing to him how Helen, the ghost had almost
ruined his domestic life, at the same time provided him with a plot for writing a ghost story. Write the
letter in appropriate format and word limit.
6.
“You’d never guess in the world. It’s the duckiest, darlingest’ Ouija board and so cheap! I got it
at a bargain sale. Why, what’s the matter, John?”
Why are some people crazy for new and unusual things? Is there any intrinsic or perennial value of fads
in life? Narrate your reaction in 120-150 words in a diary entry.
7.
Jenkins always seemed to have an uncanny knowledge as to when the landlord or the grocer
was pestering me, and he dunned me for a ghost. And somehow I’d always been able to dig one up for
him, so I’d begun to get a bit cocky to my ability.
Why do people write? Do you think they are exploited by publishers? If yes, how? Respond to all these
things in an e-mail to your younger brother who wants to take writing as a career.
F.5
PATOL BABU, FILM STAR
BY- SATAJIT RAY
Central theme of the story
Personal satisfaction is more important than financial rewards, as depicted in Satyajit Ray's short story
"PatolBabu, Film Star." The main character PatolBabu realized that personal satisfaction could not be
measured and weighed by money, and so he acted in the film out of passion he felt toward the job more
than because of the money he would make from the job. In PatolBabu Film Star, Satyajit Ray has
highlighted the idea that personal satisfaction is more important than financial rewards. According to
him, one does a job because he is interested in it rather than because he can get reward from it.
1.
How does PatolBabu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?
Ans.
Initially, PatolBabu was shocked to see his monosyllabic dialogue. However, after rehearsing his
dialogue, he felt that a true actor could make his mark even with a single syllable. His mentor’s words
rang in his mind who had once said that each word spoken in a play was like a fruit in a tree. Not
everyone in the audience has access to it. So, the actor must know how to pluck it, get at its essence,
and serve it up to the audience for their edification.
These words helped PatolBabu perform the role assigned to him with conviction.
2.
Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help PatolBabu in enacting his role?
Ans.
Mr. Pakrashi was PatolBabu's mentor. He had told him that however small a part, it should
never be beneath the dignity of an actor to deliver it. His words had influenced PatolBabu a lot and now
they helped him enact his role with confidence and determination. From these words, PatolBabu drew
spirit, energy, inspiration and dignity to enact such a small role. He no more felt his role in the movie to
be condescending.
3.
Why did Mr. Mullick turn down PatolBabu's request for a rehearsal?
Ans.
PatolBabu suggested that he should rehearse his scene. But Mr. Mullick turned down his
request for the rehearsal, showing impatience at his suggestion. This was because Mr. Mullick wanted to
quickly shoot the scene in the sunlight and he could see a large patch of cloud approaching the sun,
which was making him impatient.
4.
What were the special touches that PatolBabu gave to his role to make it more authentic?
Ans.
PatolBabu rehearsed the exact number of steps for colliding with the hero, added a small grey
moustache to his look and held a newspaper open in his hand. These were the special touches which he
gave to his role to make it seem more authentic.
5.
Were these people pulling his legs? Was the whole thing a gigantic hoax? A meek, harmless
man like him, and they had to drag him into the middle of the city to make a laughing stock out of him.
How could anyone be so cruel?' Why does PatolBabu have these thoughts?
Ans.
The reason for PatolBabu having such kind of thoughts was that the dialogue that he was given
had shocked him. It was for the first time that PatolBabu had got an opportunity to act in a film. Till now
he had acted on the stage. He was very excited. He reaches the shooting site at the designated time.
On asking for his dialogue he was told that all he had to do was to collide with the hero and utter “oh”.
He was very disappointed. He expected a small role with some dialogues but here he just had to utter a
monosyllable. PatolBabu was a very good actor and he thought that by giving him such an insignificant
role they had made a mockery of him and his acting skills.
6.
PatolBabu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a movie turns into an ultimate
challenge. Discuss.
Ans.
PatolBabu is initially very disappointed because of the small role he had been given. Then he is
reminded of his mentor’s words that an actor is judged by his ability to attract the attention of the
audience by his acting. Motivated, PatolBabu decides to rehearse his part before the final shoot. He
chooses a reclusive spot to practice. As he practices, he realizes that a monosyllabic exclamation could
be said in different ways and each utterance carried different meanings. He also rehearsed how he
would react physically when the collision took place - he would twist his face in pain, fling his arms, and
crouch to show pain and surprise. He really worked hard at his part and performed it to perfection.
7.
Do you agree with the statement that PatolBabu is a practical man who comes to terms with
whatever life has to offer? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans.
PatolBabu had a passion for acting. In fact, there was a time when people used to buy tickets
just to watch him. But he left all this and moved to Calcutta from Kanchrapara because he was offered a
job with a better salary. In Calcutta, he gave up his plans of starting a club in his neighbourhood and
dabbled in various jobs to make his ends meet. When an acting offer came by, he readily agreed to do it.
Though he was initially disturbed by the triviality of the role, he performed the part to perfection
without taking any payment for it. PatolBabu believed it was not about the extent of the role, rather the
performance of the actor that mattered the most. Thus, we can say that PatolBabu was a practical man
who accepted whatever came his way.
8.
Why does PatolBabu walk away before he can be paid for his role? What does this reveal about
his character?
Ans.
PatolBabu executed his part to perfection. However, he wondered whether the immense effort
he had put in to enact a small role would be appreciated by everybody or not. The film unit usually got
hold of some people, made them do their parts and paid them a small amount. They were not bothered
about the quality of performance.
Although PatolBabu performed a small role, he felt that taking money for it would be trivializing his
performance. He was a true actor for whom creative satisfaction was foremost and not money.
9.
‘Remember one thing Patol; however small a part you’re offered, never consider it beneath your
dignity to accept it. As an artist your aim should be to make the most of your opportunity, and squeeze
the last drop of meaning out of your lines. A play involves the work of many and it is the combined effort
of many that makes a success of the play.’
Some time back you had received a letter from your friend from Bangalore in which he had mentioned
how upset he was when he was not given any role to perform in the Annual function but given a back
stage duty. After reading the above lines you decide to write a reply to his letter advising him to change
his attitude as no work is mean.
Ans.
Value Points
•
Dignity of labour
•
Make the most of the opportunity that comes your way
•
Team work – giving due credit to individuals
•
Shouldering responsibility
•
Respect / acknowledgement / appreciation of others
•
A man is judged not by his position / status / the work assigned, but his performance
10.
PatolBabu glanced at the paper and found a single word had been scrawled on it – ‘Oh’. …..
Sosanko said, “What’s the matter Grandpa? You don’t seem too pleased.”Inspite of his initial
disappointment, PatolBabu came to terms with what was offered to him and finally achieved
satisfaction and happiness.
Write an article for your school magazine entitled – Take challenges in your stride.
Ans.
Value Points
•
Accept challenges life throws at you - will be able to overcome even toughest obstacle.
•
Enables you to realize your potential.
•
Challenges expose your weaknesses and strengths.
•
Work on weaknesses to overcome them.
•
Knowledge of your strengths give confidence
Q11. PatolBabu was a real star, unknown to the world. Discuss.
Ans.
PatolBabu may be known as a stage actor or an unknown actor who did a twenty second role in
an unknown Bengali movie but his real worth is beyond ordinary sense. His early days were the days of
stage and acting. He had once risen to a local hero. His audience used to consider him like a sensation.
People watched dramas only to see him perform.
The real greatness of PatolBabu can be understood from the point that he was a man of wonderful
precision and dedication for acting. For him any role was a role. Any role was a drama. Any role was a
film, irrelevant of its extent.
For delivering the insignificant dialogue "Oh!",Patol dug into his long abandoned brilliance and found a
dozen meanings and definition of the exclamation. He spoke ‘oh’ in different tones and pitch, with
varying degrees of emotions attached to them. Thus, PatolBabu was a great actor, the real star who
performed his short scene with great dedication and accuracy, not worried about the remuneration but
focusing only on his passion.
TRY THE FOLLOWING
1.
This is only the first step on the ladder, my dear better half! Yes ….the first step that would…God
willing …mark the rise to fame and fortune of your beloved husband!
Motivated by PatolBabu’s words, you decide to write a speech for the morning assembly of your school
on the topic ’What is Important to become Rich and Famous.’(Word limit: 120 – 150 words)
2.
As an artist your aim should be to make the ‘most of your opportunity, and squeeze the last
drop of meaning out of your lines. A play involves the work of many and it is the combined effort of
many that makes a success of the play.
Keeping in mind the advice given to PatolBabu, write an article on ‘No work is Unimportant’ in about
120 -150 words.
3.
At the end it was not money which would have given so much happiness as he got from playing
his role well.
Motivated by his story, you decide to write an email to your friend telling him about the value of putting
in one’s best in everything one does be it at work, home or play because the quality of one’s work is a
measure of the quality of the person himself.
4.
After reading the lesson you begin to think that practice makes a man perfect. A man becomes
perfect only when he does a thing repeatedly. Tell all about it in a letter to your younger brother/sister.
F.6
VIRTUALLY TRUE
BY- PAUL STEWART
1. According to the newspaper what had happened to Sebastian Shultz?
Ans. The newspaper with the headline “Miracle Recovery” highlighted the recovery of Sebastian
Shultz from coma. He was a 14 year old lad from South London who was badly injured in a motorway
accident six weeks ago. When he was brought to the hospital, doctors described his condition to critical
but stable. Despite doctor’s hopes the boy did not win back his consciousness. He was in the state of
coma.
2.
‘Dad’s nutty about computers: What evidence is there to support the statement?
Ans
Sebastian’s father was is indeed fanatic about computers. He knew how to be update with the
latest computer configurations and related gadgets. He had a computer of Pentium 150 Mhz4
processor, with 256 of RAM, a 1.2 Gb hard disk drive and 16 speed CDROM, complete with
speakers, printer, modems and scanner. He was even crazy about games and related gadgets. Recently
he had bought a virtual reality visor, glove and a few interactive psycho drive games.
3.
Why did the second game seem very real?
Ans. With perfect realistic characterization and positive circumstances, the second game appeals us to
be a real life one. When Michael reached Princess Aurora she squealed “my hero” and “rescue me now”
which seem to us to be authentic. And then when they were chased by the dragons in close pursuit, the
anxious Sebastian’s call ‘quick’, “when there’s still time”, “ The dungeons, “They are our only hope “ take
us into the real realm of the games.
4.
The last game has tanks, jeeps, helicopters and guns. What headings would you put this and the
other games under?
Ans. In the last game ‘warzone’ we come across tanks, jeeps, helicopters, guns etc. the game starts in
an unknown warzone where there are many tall buildings. The buildings were windowless and riddling.
Machine gun raked the sky. Walls tumbled. Bombs exploded. Michael had to save Sebastian. They went
to the helicopter in a jeep. A tank was behind them in close pursuit. The tank crashed against the jeep
and threw Sebastian out saving him accidently. The player is actually a part of the game.
This game in particular and all other games can be put under the category of ‘psycho drive games’.
5.
What was Michael’s theory about how Sebastian had entered the game?
Ans. Michael is the only one who accessed in and out of Sebastian’s existence. Michael is the only
person who saved him in the game and found a possible explanation of his entering the game. As per
him during the accident Michael was busy playing one of the psycho-drive games on his laptop. And
when he met with the accident, his memory got saved in the game and he himself went in coma.
While he was in the hospital, the games were stolen. Michael met him when he bought those stolen
games from the computer fair.
6. ‘that was my idea’ said Sebastian excitedly’ – If only it would go a bit faster.
a) Where was Sebastian when he spoke these words?
Ans.
Sebastian was in the game ‘jailbreak”. Along with Michael he has climbed the stairs and came
on the roof.
b) What was his idea, and what was he referring to?
Ans.
His idea was to reach the roof dodging the guards and escape with the help of a helicopter.
He was referring to the helicopter, the only hope to escape.
c) Was the idea a good one, and did he eventually succeed? How?
Ans.
Yes, the idea was good. The idea did not work for him in the game ‘Jailbreak’. Sebastian was
unable keep his nerve in front of the ferocious dogs and failed to save himself. But in the next game he
was toying with the same idea and waited for an accident, and it did happen. The idea of a helicopter
was good but it did not work out.
7. Why did the news of the miracle recovery shock Michael?
Ans.
Michael was shocked because he would have never thought that the character in the game i.e.
Sebastian whom he had saved, really did exist. He was in utmost shock because according to the article,
the boy, Sebastian was all along in the coma while Michael was trying to save him in the game in the
same duration.
8. Describe the first place where Michael was virtually transported.
Ans.
Returning from the computer fair Michael launched himself off into the first game named
‘wildwest’. He found himself transported on a dusty track in the centre of the town. He had a sheriff’s
badge pinned to his shirt. He went into a salon through the swing doors and ordered a drink named
sarsaparilla and there started the game.
9. What help did Sebastian Shultz ask Michael for? How did he convey this massage?
Ans.
Sebastian’s memory was trapped in the game he was playing at the time of the accident. He
wanted to revive himself. So when he found Michael playing the game, he requested him to retrieve
him.
Sebastian used to communicate through the printer which was connected with the game. He instructed
Michael through this printer about each and every step required to retrieve him.
10.
Why did Michael fail in rescuing Sebastian Shultz in the first game?
Ans.
In the first game of ‘wildwest’ Michael was in confusion about what he ought to do in the game.
He was even confused when he found the presence of another sheriff. They both made futile efforts at
escaping and got themselves on a horseback. But the foes had been in close pursuit and eventually shot
Sebastian to death.
11.
The Second attempt to rescue Sebastian Shultz too was disastrous. Give reasons.
Ans.
The second game too proved to be futile to Michael. After he received the message from
Sebastian to try ‘JAILBREAK’ he attempted the game. Both were in a cell and Sebastian was his cell mate
– 02478. Using a Skeleton swipe card they were soon out of the cell. Dodging the guards they reached
the roof. There Sebastian meant the helicopter for their rescue. Before they could go, guards appeared
with ferocious dogs. Sebastian, out of fear, tumbled backwards and failed the game.
12. Narrate the incident that injured Sebastian Shultz.
Ans.
Sebastian got badly injured in the game of ‘JAILBREAK’. Michael and Sebastian got out of the
prison cell using a skeleton swipe card . Then they dodged the guards, climbed the stairs and reached
the roof. Sebastian had already planned for a helicopter but before their departure, guards appeared
with vicious dogs. Seeing the dogs hurtling towards him, Sebastian got nervous and tried to move
backwards. He moved back and fell from the roof getting badly injured.
13.
How had Sebastian Shultz entered the games?
Ans:
When Sebastian met with the accident, he was playing one of the psycho drive games on his
laptop. His head was plugged to the computer. When the accident occured, his memory got saved in the
game he was playing. His memory got stored in the disk which Michael bought from the computer fair.
When Michael started playing the game, he found Sebastian in the games.
TRY THE FOLLOWING
1.
Read the following lines:
“Six weeks ago, Sebastian Shultz was badly injured in a motorway accident. His condition, on arrival at
the General Hospital, was described as critical though stable. Despite doctors’ hopes, the boy did not
regain consciousness. His parents were informed that their son was in a coma.
At a press conference, Mrs Shultz said, “The doctors were doing all they could, but in our hearts we
knew we needed a miracle”.
Keeping in view the situation described above, you decide to write an article on “How to Avoid Road
Accidents, in about 120 – 150 words.
2.
Read the following extract:
“Technology was advancing every day, and Dad couldn’t resist any of the new gadgets or gizmos that
came on the market. That was why we went to the Computer Fair. We came away with a virtual reality
visor and glove, and a handful of the latest interactive psycho-drive games. They’re terrific. Not only do
the visor and glove change what you see, but better than that, you can control the action by what you
are thinking.
After reading the passage, you begin to think of the advantages of new gadgets in the market.
Write a letter to your younger brother/sister telling him / her how to make the best use of some of
these gadgets.
3.
“Dad’s nutty about computers”. Keeping in view this line, write a diary entry in 120-150 words
on the craze for computers and the need to check it.
POETRY
P.4
OZYMANDIAS
BY PERCY BYCSHE SHELLEY
OVERVIEW
•
Ozymandias is a sonnet, a poem with fourteen lines.
•
Ozymandias has two settings. The first is the place where the narrator meets the traveler (line
1); the second is the setting in the traveler's tale about a crumbling statue of an Egyptian king (pharaoh).
The statue is at the site of the ancient Egyptian capital, Thebes (about 420 miles south of Cairo). On the
eastern side of the river was the city proper. On the western side was a vast cemetery, or city of the
dead, where statues, temples, and tombs memorialized the pharaohs. Living at the site were priests
who conducted religious services and artisans and laborers who designed, built, and maintained the
monuments.
•
The poet, Shelley, assumes the role of auditor to the tale of the traveler (line 1) and tells the
reader what the traveler said.
•
Ozymandias: Egyptian Pharaoh is the subject of the traveler's tale. Ozymandias (also spelled
Osymandias) is another name for one of Egypt's most famous rulers, Ramses II
•
Sculptor is the craftsman who sculpted the statue of Ramses.
•
The reader encounters Shelley’s poem like an explorer coming upon a strange, desolate
landscape. The first image that we see is the “two vast and trunkless legs of stone” in the middle of a
desert. Column-like legs but no torso: the center of this great figure, whoever he may have been,
remains missing. The sonnet comes to a halt in the middle of its first quatrain. Are these fragmentary
legs all that is left?
•
After this pause, Shelley’s poem describes a “shattered visage,” the enormous face of
Ozymandias. The visage is taken apart by the poet, who collaborates with time’s ruinous force.
•
The second quatrain shifts to another mediating figure, now not the traveler but the sculptor
who depicted the pharaoh.
•
Ozymandias’ intense emotions “survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things.” But as Shelley attests,
the sculptor survives as well, or parts of him do: “the hand that mocked” the king’s passions “and the
heart that fed.”
•
The sestet moves from the shattered statue of Ozymandias to the pedestal, with its now-ironic
inscription: “‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings./Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!’” Of
course, the pharaoh’s “works” are nowhere to be seen, in this desert wasteland. The kings that he
challenges with the evidence of his superiority are the rival rulers of the nations he has enslaved,
perhaps the Israelites and Canaanites known from the biblical account.
•
The pedestal stands in the middle of a vast expanse. Shelley applies two alliterative phrases to
this desert, “boundless and bare” and “lone and level.” The seemingly infinite empty space provides an
appropriate comment on Ozymandias’ political will, which has no content except the blind desire to
assert his name and kingly reputation.
Questions and Answers
1.
What is the theme of the sonnet Ozymandias?
Ans.
Value Points
•
Pride, arrogance, vanityOzymandias was obviously a very proud and arrogant man. He was vain enough to imagine that he was
the most powerful ruler on earth and he wanted everyone to be terrified of him. He was always
scowling and frowning in order to scare everyone around him. It is this angry frowning face which the
ancient sculptor has faithfully recorded for posterity in his statue
Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
This is the theme of Shelley's poem. All the great rulers in history try to perpetuate their memories by
building mammoth statues. Their pride and arrogance knows no bounds as they erect these huge
statues and vainly inscribe bombastic claims about the superiority of the kingdoms which they rule. They
do this without realizing that they are only ordinary mortals who have to return to dust along with all
their endeavors.
•
Ego, boastfulness
The colossal size of the statue only emphasizes the king sized ego of Ramses II and only underscores the
futility of his attempts to perpetuate his anonymity, because eventually nothing is left but the statue in
ruins and the vast empty land.
2
“The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed”. Whose hand and heart has the poet
referred to in this line?
Ans
The sculptor’s hands and the king’s heart are referred to in this line. It was the sculptor whose
hands must have copied the inner feelings of the Ozymandias while making the statue.
The king ruled everyone with a stern hand and fed each heart with fear and submission to his
commands
3
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings”. Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as King of
Kings? What quality of the king is revealed through this statement?
Ans
Ozymandias had become a powerful king by defeating the other kings. He had assumed all the
powers as per his wishes and that is why he refers to himself as King of Kings. This statement shows that
the king must be very proud of his achievements. He thinks of himself as all powerful and looks upon
others as beneath him.
4
“Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Who is Ozymandias referring to when he speaks of
ye Mighty? Why should they despair?
Ans:
Ozymandias is probably referring to his enemy kings to feel despair at his achievements.
5.
Bring out the irony in the poem.
Ans:
The once powerful king who was glorified through a grand statue is no more and even his statue
is shattered into pieces; lying against the backdrop of mighty nature. His might and power had to bow to
the tides of time and change. This is the irony in the poem.
6.
What is dramatic irony in the poem.
Ans.
In the inscription on the pedestal of the statue, Ozymandias refers to himself asthe powerful
king, way ahead of his contemporaries. He tells everyone that they should look upon his achievementsthe tombs, monuments and buildings that he got erected and despair that they will never be able to
touch his standards.
Ironically now only a trunkless statue and vast barren land remains which indicates the downfall of pride
and ego.
Also Ozymandias would have never referred to himself in this manner warning others that pride goes
before downfall.
7.
“Nothing beside remains”. What does the narrator mean when he says these words?
Ans:
Apart from the trunkless legs on the pedestal and a shattered visage, no remains of the once
grand statue can be seen in the vast desert. By saying this, the narrator tries to highlight that a time
comes when everything has to meet its end, even the reign of terror, pride and arrogance
8.
What is your impression of Ozymandias as a king?
Ans:
Ozymandias could have been a powerful king who wanted to enjoy his days of glory. He also
wanted to leave a mark in the form of a grand statue so that the future generations could remember
him. He was an arrogant ruler, as is evident from the sneer and the frown on the face of the statue.
9.
What is the message conveyed through this poem?
Ans:
This poem tells about the insignificance of the life of an individual when seen in the larger
context of time which never stops to take notice.
It mentions that time will obliterate everything; especially something as fragile as ego and arrogance. It
is only good deeds that will stay in the memory of posterity.
LITERARY DEVICES
LITERARY DEVICE
Alliteration
EXTRACT FROM THE POEM
•
Two vast and trunkless legs
•
cold command
•
The hand that mock'd them and the heart
that fed.
•
boundless and bare
•
lone and level sands stretch
Anastrophe
( Inversion of the normal word order)
Enjambment (Also Spelled without the first e)
Carrying the sense of one line of verse
over to the next line without a pause
Synecdoche
(Substitution of a part to stand for the whole, or
the whole to stand for a part.)
Dramatic Irony
Well those passions read (normally, read those
passions well)
•
a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
(‘Whose frown’ begins the enjambment.)
•
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
(‘Round the decay’ begins the enjambment.)
•
The hand that mock'd them
•
The heart that fed
Look upon my works ye mighty and despair