Act I Scene II

PORTIA

If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do, chapels had been churches and poor men’s cottages princes' palaces. It is a good divine that follows his own instructions. I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done than be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching. The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o'er a cold decree. Such a hare is madness the youth—to skip o'er the meshes of good counsel the cripple. But this reasoning is not in the fashion to choose me a husband. O me, the word “choose!” I may neither choose whom I would nor refuse whom I dislike—so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father. Is it not hard, Nerissa, that I cannot choose one nor refuse none?

PORTIA

You think it’s that easy? If doing good deeds were as easy as knowing how to do them, then everyone would be better off. Small chapels would be big churches, and poor men’s cottages would be princes' palaces. It takes a good priest to practice what he preaches. For me, it’s easier to lecture twenty people on how to be good than to be the one person out of twenty who actually does good things. The brain can tell the heart what to do, but what does it matter? Cold rules don’t matter when you’ve got a hot temper. Young people are like frisky young rabbits, and good advice is like a crippled old man trying to catch them. But thinking like this won’t help me choose a husband. Oh, the word “choose” is strange! I can’t choose who I like, or refuse who I dislike. I’m a living daughter still controlled by the wishes of her dead father. Isn’t it a pain that I can’t choose or refuse anyone, Nerissa?

Q. 1 With whom is Portia talking and what does she complain? What reason of Portia's sadness  does Nerissa tell? What does Nerissa remark?

And. Portia is talking to Nerissa  and  she complains to her that she feels sick of this world. Nerrisa tells Portia that her sadness is due to the fact that she leads a life of luxury. Nerissa remarks that those who, like Portia., own too much money, are as unhappy  as those who have too little.

Q. 2 What is Nerissa sermonizing? For what does Portia praise Nerisa ?What does  Portia, say about Nerissa's Neriss's philosophical remarks?
And. Nerissa is sermonizing on her philosophy of life, Portia praises Nerissa for her practical wisdom.  About Nerissa's philosophical remarks, Portia says that it is much easier to say wise things than to do them.

Q3 What would happen if practicing the things were as easy as saying?
And. If practising the things were as easy as there would have much greater happiness in the world than there is now because small places of worship like chapels would have  become churches, I.e.,would have attracted more people and this would have led to a greater piety,  and more kindness being shown the poor. In this way,  the happiness of the poor would have transformed their cottages into palaces.

Q.4 In Portia's opinion who is a good priest?What does she think  about preaching and practicing ?

And. A really good priest is one who himself practices what he  preaches, as one usually  finds it much easier to  teach others to  follow  the  right path  than to follow it oneself. Reason may dictate certain wise courses of action but one's impulses usually ignore such dictates.

The Merchant of Venice Act I Scene I

The Merchant of Venice Act I Scene I

GRATIANO

75You look not well, Signor Antonio.

You have too much respect upon the world.

They lose it that do buy it with much care.

Believe me, you are marvelously changed.

GRATIANO

You don’t look well, Antonio. You’re taking things too seriously. People with too much invested in the world always get hurt. I’m telling you, you don’t look like yourself.

Q. 1 Who accompanies Bassanio? Who is called Antonio's most noble kinsman? Who bids farewell to Antonio?

Ans. Bassanio is accompanied by Gratiano and Lorenzo. Bassanio is called Antonio's most noble kinsman. Salanio and Salarino bid  Antonio farewell.

Q. 2 What does Antonio say to Salanio and Salarino at Bassanio's approach?

Ans. At Bassanio's approach, Antonio says to Salarino and Salanio that they are very valuable to him and he repeats them very much, but now he thinks that they have some urgent work to do, so they should take the opportunity of the arrival of these friends to leave him.

Q. 3 What does Lorenzo say to Bassanio before leaving him?What does he request him?

Ans. Before leaving Bassanio, Lorenzo says that he has met Antonio, so he and Gratiano  should also take his leave and request him to keep in mind where they must at the dinner time.

Q. 4 Whose arrival give Salarino and Salanio a pretext for making a rather hasty departure.? What role does Gratiano take on?

Ans. The arriaval of Bassanio , Gratiano and Lorenzo give Salarino and Salanio a pretext for making a rather hasty departure. Gratiano , then takes himself a role of lecturing Antonio in a humorous way on the subject of his melancholy.

The Merchant of Venice

The Merchant of Venice

Act IScene I

SALARINO

Your mind is tossing on the ocean,

There, where your argosies with portly sail,

10

Like signors and rich burghers on the flood—

Or, as it were, the pageants of the sea—

Do over peer the petty traffickers

That curtsy to them, do them reverence

As they fly by them with their woven wings.

SALARINO

You’re worried about your ships. Your mind is out there getting tossed around on the ocean with them. But they’re fine. They’re like huge parade floats on the sea. They’re so big they look down on the smaller ships, which all have to bow and then get out of the way. Your ships fly like birds past those little boats

. Q. 1. What does Antonio say in earlier passage?

Ans. In earlier passage, Antonio says that he is very sad , and he can not find the reason for his sadness. He also tells him that the feelings of sadness oppresses his spirits and that he is not aware of how he become worried and how he got its melancholy mood.

Q. 2 What difficulty does Antonio experience due to his sadness? In what way does Salarino compare the state of Antonio's mind?

Ans. Antonio's sadness makes him such a stupid person that  he experiences great difficulty in understanding whether he is his own self. Salarino says that his mind is tossing like a ship on the high seas where his ships,laden with merchandise are sailing.

Q. 3 What kind of images does Salerino seek to divert Antonio's mind?
Ans. Salarino seeks to divert Antonio's mind by a series of humorous and fantastic images. He compares his argosies to rich citizens look down upon common people as they walk along the Venetian streets. He also compares the pageantry of festive occasions on land with that on sea. The common point of the comparison is that, just as ordinary people bow to rich and pot-belied citizens, the big vessels of Antonio look down upon small trading vessels at sea.

Q. 4. What does Antonio's melancholy foreshadow?
Ans. Antonio's melancholy foreshadows the impending calamity that is to overtake him in the trial-scene. It is the shadow of the future moving towards him. It is also to be noted that part of this melancholy also touches Portia and other minor characters with the single exceptions of Gratiano. All the unaccountable sadness strikes a tragic note and suggest the unhappiness which is to affect the characters temporarily.


Q. 5. a. Explain the following lines:
             "That curtsy to them ,do them reverence.
               As they fly by them with their woven wings."

         b. For what does the word "argosy"stand ? Explain it.

Ans. a. The small ships, as they roll and rock against the naughty waves, seem to salute his ships as they sail past, stable and solid because of their superior bulk.

b. The word "argosy" means a large merchant-vessel. It is named after the Italian town of Ragusa, once a famous centre of maritime trade.

THE HEART OF THE TREE

1.    What does……………………………………………… a tree.

Explanation: After asking the question to the reader ‘what does he plant who plants a tree? The poet himself answers by starting that the man plants a friend of sun and sky by planting a tree. A plant grows upward and aims to reach the sun and sky by. So it is as if the sun and sky get a new friend in a tree. Secondly, the tree needs sunlight and air to survive and finally, the tree seems to absorb the heat and they save the earth from the scorching sun, giving an implication that the sun becomes friendly in the presence of the trees. The tree is called a friend of sky. It takes in carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen in the air and thus purify the air. Also, the transpiration from trees is responsible for cloud formation in the sky before it rains. Further the poet adds that the man plants a flag that flies freely in the mild breeze. The poet here compares the leafy branches of the tree to a flag and the stem to the beautiful shaft of the flag that stands tall. As a flag flutters freely in the breeze, the leaves of the tree flutter and provide soothing, cool breeze to us. The tree grows high with its long narrow stem and looks like a beautiful tower. It appears that the tree has made a home closer to heaven. By planting a tree, the man plants a home for the sweet singing birds high in the sky, near the heaven. In quiet and happy twilight, the birds can be heard chirping which is harmonious to heaven’s own tunes.

2.    What does…………………………………………a tree.

The poet goes on to enumerate several other benefits of planting a tree. According to him, the tree which is planted by the man, provides us with cool shade and helps in bringing rain. A tree produces seed and bud in future years pass by silently but the tree remains there through its seeds producing new trees. Trees are the main elements that make a plain area green and beautiful. So, the poet describes trees as the glory of the plain. Moreover, today’s

Single tree may turn into a forest someday. So by planting a tree now the man plants a forests heritage. The tree which is planted today, would give fruits in coming days. The next generations would be delighted seeing so much vegetation and reap its benefits.

3.    What does…………………………………………plants a tree.

The poet further elaborates the list of the advantages of planting trees and says that the person who plants a tree makes every attempt to create something which is for the public good. The person knows it very well that the plant which is being planted by them can not give him all the benefits but he thinks for the welfare of the future generations. The tree will shower all the blessings for the coming generations. By planting a tree the person shows his intense love loyalty for the earth, his sense of civic duty and his blessings on the neighbourhood. All these are reflected in the sap and lips and wood, in very cell of the tree.  Y planting a tree, the person directly or indirectly contributes to the nation’s growth. When a tree s planted, it sets in the motion the progress of a nation from sea to sea. And all this starts from the progressive thought in the person heart who plant a tree.

STORY TIME-THE WOLF AND A CRANE

THE WOLF AND A CRANE

NARRATOR-ONE DAY A HUNGRY WOLF WAS EATING PREY SO RAPIDLY THAT A BONE GOT STUCK IN HIS THROAT. HE RAN AROUND THE FOREST HOWLING IN PAIN.

WOLF-“PLEASE HELP ME, I WILL REWARD HANDSOMELY. ANYONE, WHO REMOVES THE BONE FROM MY THROAT.”

NARRATOR-A PASSING CRANE TOOK PITY ON THE WOLF. EVEN THOUGH, THE TASK WAS DANGEROUS. THE LURE OF THE PROFIT MOTIVATES HIM TO HELP. SO HE DECIDED TO HELP HIM.

CRANE-“I WILL HELP YOU BUT YOU NEED TO STAY STILL I’LL LOOK DOWN YOUR THROAT AND THEN REMOVE THE BONE.

NARRATOR-AS PROMISED, THE CRANE DID HIS JOB.

CRANE-“NOW GIVE ME MY REWARD!”

WOLF- “REWARD! WHAT REWARD? YOU GREEDY FELLOW. YOU HAD YOUR HEAD IN MY THROAT AND INSTEAD OF EATING YOU UP, I LET YOU GO UNHARMED. THAT SHOULD BE REWARD ENOUGH FOR YOU. GO AWAY OR I’LL CRUSH YOU.”

NARRATOR-THE CRANE WALKED AWAY DISAPPOINTED. ALTHOUGH HE FELT HAPPY THAT HE HAD HELPED IN SAVING SOMEONE’S LIFE.

MORAL- THAT ONE CAN NOT TRUST THE CUNNING OF A WOLF.

STORY TIME-TWO FRIENDS

Two friends

In a small the village, there lived two friends whose names Sethu and Madhavan. These two lived in the nearby streets and were always found together.

One day

Sethu:” Madhavan, there is a festival going on in our nearby village…we will go.”

Madhavan:” Hey wait for me. Let me tell my mom and come.”

Madhavan went and told his mother and came back.

Madhavan:” Let’s go, my mother told me that we should go safely and return home.”

Both of them started walking in the jungle.

Sethu:” Maghavan come fast”

Then all of a sudden they heard some noise.

Madhavan:” What’s that noise Sethu?

Sethu:” Hey, this looks like the voice of a bear.”

They looked towards the direction from where the noise was coming. They saw a bear coming.

Sethu: “Madhavan-the bear is coming towards us climb the tree because the bear does not know to climb a tree.”

Madhavan:” Hey Sethu,…I do not know, How to climb a tree.”

Sethu started climbing the tree.

Madhavan:” please help me”

While Madhavan was pleading like this, the bear came nearer to the tree.

Madhavan:” Oh God, What shall I do now? The bear is coming near me.”

All of a sudden, Madhavan remembered what his teacher had said once in the class. He suddenly laid himself on the ground and acted as if he was dead. The bear came near him. It first smelled him, then went round and round and sniffed against his face. Then the bear went back the way it had come. Once the bear left Sethu, who was watching all this climbed down the tree and come near his friend.

Sethu:” Madhavan, please get up…the bear has left, please wake up.”

Madhavan got up.

Sethu: “Madhavan, I could see the bear telling something in your ears. What did it say?

Madhavan: “It said that a friend who does not stand by you in times of need not at all a friend.”

Sethu bowed his head out of shame. Madhavan walked alone back to his home.

Moral-Keep away from opportunists

TENSE EXERCISE FOR CLASS 4

TEST PAPER CLASS 4

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate simple present tense form of the verb given in the brackets.

1. The plane ………………….. at 6.30. (arrive)

2. I will phone you when he ……………………. back. (come)

3. Unless we ………………………. now we can’t be there on time. (start)

4. The sun ……………………… in the east. (rise)

5. The next term …………………… on Monday. (begin)

6. She ……………………… an engineer. (be)

7. They …………………. our relatives. (be)

8. When does the train ……………………? (depart)

9. Let’s wait till he …………………….. his work. (finish)

10. Please ring me up as soon as he …………………………. (arrive)

Complete the following sentences using an appropriate simple present tense form.

1. Uma …………………. to quit her job.

a) do not want b) does not want c) does not want

2. Rohan …………………. for the national basketball team.

a) play b) plays

3. Manu ………………….. to be a nuclear scientist.

a) aspire b) aspires

4. Her mother ……………… younger than her.

a) look b) looks

5. Rahul …………………. to get the first rank.

a) hope b) hopes

6. Sania and Rohan ………………….. in the same neighbourhood.

a) live b) lives

7. ……………….. you know where Rashmi lives?

a) Do b) Does

8. Who ……………….. not know him?

a) do b) does

9. What ………………… he want?

a) do b) does

10. She …………………. what she is doing.

a) does not know
b) do not know

11. He ……………… a living by selling balloons.

a) make b) makes

English Grammar Exercise – Tenses

1. I …………… (go) for a walk in the evening.

2. My mother ……………… (take) me to school every day.

3. Father ……………… (drink) tea in the morning.

4. Mother …………….. (wake) up early.

5. My mother ……………… (work) at a bank.

6. My brother and I …………….. (live) with our grandparents.

7. The girls …………….. (want) to go to the museum.

8. Rabbits …………… (run) fast.

9. Stars …………….. (shine) at night.

10. It ………………. (rain) heavily in the hills.

11. I ……………… (remember) his face clearly.

12. We ……………… (live) in a small apartment.

13. Sharath ……………… (live) in Chennai with his parents.

Simple Past Or Past Continuous Tense Exercise

Fill in the blanks with an appropriate tense form.

1. I ............................. I didn't hear the doorbell.

[Slept, was sleeping]

2. I ......................... her many times but she didn't answer.

[Phoned, was phoning]

3. 'What ........................... then?' 'I was watching TV.'

[did you do, were you doing]

4. He ......................... money from the rich and gave it to the poor.

[Stole, was stealing]

5. 'Did you meet James yesterday?' 'Yes, I .................... him.'

[Met, was meeting]

6. The train ...................... at 6.30.

[Arrived. was arriving]

7. The children ............................. when their mother .................... home.

[slept, got, were sleeping, was getting, were sleeping, got]

8. I cooked dinner while Mike ............................ the house.

[was tidying, tidied]

9. I ....................... dinner when the lights went out.

[Had, was having]

10. It ......................... me quite some time to learn French.

[Took, was taking]

11. As I .............................. down the street, I saw a strange sight.

[Walked, was walking]

12. I ...................... a car last month.

[Bought, was buying]

1. Hurry up! We ……………………….. for you.

[Waiting, are waiting, wait]

2. ‘What are you ……………………….?' ‘I ………………………. letters.’

[doing, writing, done, writing, doing, write]

3. He …………………………. in Italy at the moment.

[Works, working, is working]

4. She doesn’t like to be disturbed when she …………………………..

[Works, working, is working]

5. That child ……………………………… bigger every day.

[Gets, getting, is getting]

6. Who is that girl …………………………….. on the table?

[Stand, standing, is standing]

7. I …………………………….. for the shops to open.

[Wait, am waiting, waiting]

8. I …………………………….. Jane tomorrow.

[See, am seeing, seeing]

9. The universe ………………………, and has been so since its beginning.

[Expands, is expanding, Expanding, ]

10. My sister ……………………. at home for the moment.

[Lives, living, is living]

TWELFTH NIGHT

CHARACTER SKETCH 

Viola/Cesario

After being shipwrecked, she disguises herself as a young boy, takes the name of Cesario, and attains a position in Duke Orsino's household because of her wit and charm. As a boy, she is then used as an emissary from the duke to court Lady Olivia. Her twin brother, Sebastian, looks exactly like her. Washed up on the shore of Illyria when her ship is wrecked in a storm, Viola decides to make her own way in the world. She disguises herself as a young man, calling herself “Cesario,” and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. She ends up falling in love with Orsino—even as Olivia, the woman Orsino is courting, falls in love with Cesario. Thus, Viola finds that her clever disguise has entrapped her: she cannot tell Orsino that she loves him, and she cannot tell Olivia why she, as Cesario, cannot love her. Viola’s poignant plight is the central conflict in the play. Viola is Twelfth Night's gender-bending heroine.
why does Viola cross-dress as a boy? we could say that Viola disguises her identity because she's not capable of facing a world without her brother. This would align Viola with the likes of Olivia, who cloisters herself like a nun to mourn the death of her dead brother. On the other hand, Viola's decision to cross-dress is proactive, which makes her defiant and bold, as she willingly faces whatever comes her way.

While we're asking questions, let's talk about why Viola falls in love with Duke Orsino, because it's a bit baffling. Some critics argue that there's really no good reason for Viola to love Orsino – a guy who is self-absorbed, moody, and obnoxious. This, they argue, makes Viola just as silly as all the other characters that fall for inappropriate partners.

Another answer to this question is that Viola falls for Orsino because he's passionate and poetic. Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: Viola's love, unlike the passions of other characters in the play, is constant and true.
Anyway, Viola's love for the Duke is the one thing that seems to pull the guy out of his self-absorbed world and into a relationship with another human being. Similarly, Viola or "Cesario" is also the magnetic figure that draws Olivia from her cloistered state of "mourning" into the land of the living. Even though Olivia doesn't wind up with "Cesario," she does transfer her desire from "Cesario" to Sebastian. Without Viola, then, Olivia and Orsino would remain locked into their self-absorbed states.


 Her cross-dressing enables Viola to fulfill usually male roles, such as acting as a messenger between Orsino and Olivia, as well as being Orsino's confidant. She does not, however, use her disguise to enable her to intervene directly in the plot, remaining someone who allows "Time" to untangle the plot. Viola's persistence in transvestism through her betrothal in the final scene of the play often engenders a discussion of the possibly homoerotic relationship between Viola and Orsino.

Lady Olivia

 She is a rich a countess who, at first, plans to mourn her brother's recent death for seven years, but when she meets the emissary from Duke Orsino (Viola disguised as a boy), she immediately falls in love with the youth. A wealthy, beautiful, and noble Illyrian lady. Olivia is courted by Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, but to each of them, she insists that she is in mourning for her recently deceased brother and will not marry for seven years. Olivia and Orsino are similar characters in that each seems to enjoy wallowing in his or her own misery. Viola’s arrival in the masculine guise of Cesario enables Olivia to break free of her self-indulgent melancholy.

At first, Olivia seems to be the emotional counterpart for the duke; he is a melancholy parallel for Olivia, and Olivia has sworn to abjure the world for seven years to mourn for her dead brother, an act of extreme sentimental melancholy. Olivia is also the opposite of Viola in many ways. While Olivia is attracted to her opposite, Viola will be attracted to her opposite, Duke Orsino.

Other than the melodramatic pose that Olivia is assuming at the beginning of the play, Olivia is presented as being essentially an intelligent woman with a number of good qualities. Her intelligence is constantly seen in the many household matters that she has to attend to. She has to contend with her drunken uncle, Sir Toby Belch, and when Malvolio presents himself in his mad garb, she feels compassion for her foolish steward. Yet, earlier when Feste made fun of Malvolio, the over-serious steward, Olivia was fully capable of appreciating the clown's wit.

The single quality that characterizes Olivia best is perhaps her impetuous love and her assertion of it. She is much more aggressive in the pursuit of her love than is Duke Orsino in his pursuit of Olivia. While she recognizes the duke's good qualities and acknowledges them, she is adamant in her refusals, and, thus, it is part of the comedy that the lady who has no sympathy for the duke falls so irrationally in love with a young girl disguised as a young boy. When she discovers that she has actually married young Sebastian, Viola's twin, she quickly transfers her love to him, just as Duke Orsino is able to transfer his love to Viola.

Maria

Lady Olivia's waiting woman; she is clever and arranges a superlative trick to be played on Malvolio. Olivia’s clever, daring young serving-woman. Maria is remarkably similar to her antagonist, Malvolio, who harbors aspirations of rising in the world through marriage. However, Maria succeeds where Malvolio fails—perhaps because she is more in tune than Malvolio with the anarchic, topsy-turvy spirit that animates the play. Maria is Olivia's lady in waiting or, her "chambermaid". Though we never see Olivia and Maria giggling about boys and painting each other's toenails, we know that Maria is very close to Olivia – close enough to know her lady's handwriting and close enough to forge it convincingly. That's exactly what Maria does when she writes a letter that brings about Malvolio's downfall.

Maria's a girl who likes to have a bit of fun herself. She's saucy, sharp-tongued, witty, and knows how to put the drunken noblemen in their places. She also knows how to tell a dirty joke. So, when she gets fed up with Malvolio's constant criticism, nagging, and judgmental ways, she masterminds a plot to teach him a lesson.

Her scheme to humiliate and punish Malvolio is so clever that Toby Belch falls in love with her and the two get hitched by the play's end. We sort of seeing this coming, since Toby's always bragging to his drinking buddies that he's got a little somethin' going on the side with Maria. There's some debate about whether or not Maria is a social climber. Some study guides will tell you that Maria's got her sights set on marrying up in the world. We're not sure if that's true, but the idea likely has to do with the fact that Toby says, "I could marry this wench for this device and ask no other dowry with her but such / another jest". In other words, Toby suggests he'd marry Maria in a heartbeat and would forgo a dowry if she could come up with another great prank. OK, this may suggest that Maria doesn't have much of a dowry, and we know she's not as high ranking as Toby, but that doesn't really make her a gold-digger now does it? That said, we do think the play is awfully concerned with social ambition, which you can read more about by going to "Society and Class." Maria helps establish the play's festive and rebellious spirit.

SOUND MACHINE BY ROALD DAHL

SOUND MACHINE

‘The Sound Machine’ by Roald Dahl, published in his collection “The Complete Short Stories” in 1949, is about Klausner and his obsession with sounds.

According to the protagonist, Klausner, there are sounds which are inaudible to the human ear and he wants to develop a machine which can record these inaudible sounds. He spends hours developing it. At first, what appeared to be an innocent wish has now turned into an obsession. Klausner wants to hear the sounds made by bats, flies and even plants. According to him, the plants make painful shrieking noises when they are cut.

One day he takes his machine out into the garden to test his theory. He is rather pensive about the outcome. What if his theory is wrong or even if it proves to be true then what’s next? These are the thoughts circling his mind.

Mrs. Saunders is his nearest neighbour. She, at that moment, comes out to trim the yellow rose plants in her garden. When she cuts off the first yellow rose, Klausner hears in his headphone a frightful noise as if someone is shrieking. He goes up to her and requests her to cut another rose. She does cut another rose and Klausner again hears the same piercing shriek. He explains to her that plants, being living things, feels agony when hurt or struck at.

After Mrs. Saunders goes back inside her house, Klausner continues his experiment, this time with the white daisies. He pulls out a daisy and hears a faint crying noise. He repeats the process but this time he realizes that it is not the sound of pain, but just a cry, a neutral, stony cry. It seems to be an emotionless note, may be expressing some feeling that humans don’t know. He also realizes that it was the same with the roses.

The next day, Klausner goes to a park, carrying his sound machine and an axe. He strikes at a tree’s trunk with the axe and again hears a shriek. He calls Dr. Scott to test his theory. After Dr. Scott arrives, Klausner gives him the headphones and asks him if he can hear anything. Dr. Scott expresses he can’t hear anything but just a humming noise.

Klausner now swings his axe at the tree to record the sound with his machine and make the Doctor hear it. But this time, a branch from the tree crashes down and destroys the machine. Klausner’s hope of proving his theory is shattered.

Greatly shaken, Klausner now asks the doctor to put some iodine on the cut of the tree where he has struck it. Dr. Scott agrees to do that and assures that he would come again the next day to check if the cut has healed. The doctor also claims that he hasn’t heard any sound.

Dr. Scott feels that it’s best to take Klausner back home and that Klausner needs a bit of change in his life. So, he holds his arm and takes him away from the park.

The Sound Machine: A Commentary on the Story

‘The Sound Machine’ by Ronald Dahl, published in 1949, revolves around Klausner (the protagonist) and his obsession with sounds.

The story is written in the third person from an unknown narrator’s point of view. The narration is quite intriguing. From the beginning, there’s a constant question whether Klausner was just imagining the sound or he really heard anything. It keeps the reader guessing. However, the main concern of the story has been Klausner’s obsession and instability.

The characters are portrayed quite well. Dr. Scott’s character is the opposite of the protagonist’s. He is a compassionate, cooperative and considerate man. He was the closest man Klausner had as a friend. The other character, Mrs. Saunders, appeared rather distant from Klausner. Then comes our protagonist, Klausner, who’s a confused yet intriguing soul from the beginning. The reader just can’t guess if Klausner was actually making sense or just imagining everything. For the matter, it’s possible that Klausner just had a heightened sense of hearing.

The main themes are; obsession, harsh treatment towards plants & wildlife, instability, desire & determination to prove one’s point, and of course, appearance verses reality. Maybe the author just wanted to show how cruel humans are on the plant lives. The theme of ‘appearance versus reality’ is explored in two ways: once by tempting the readers to think that there indeed are sound that we cannot hear, and again towards the end, by a subtle the suggestion that the sounds which Klausner claimed to be listening may actually be non-existent.

At times the situations are bound to make you think that Klausner was perhaps unstable; he considered the falling of the branch as the tree trying to defend itself from his blows. This, we know, isn’t possible because the story doesn’t have the slightest supernatural or paranormal touch to it.

At the end of the story, when the machine gets broken by the branch, Klausner is devastated. Dr. Scott had to hold his arm while trying to take him back home. This perhaps suggests that Klausner had a breakdown at that point. After all, he had given all his time, energy and dedication to just one thing and that thing was destroyed in front of his eyes, so obviously it must have been too much for him.

However, it’s left entirely on the readers to guess and wonder the truth about Klausner’s theory. That’s the beauty of the story ‘The Sound Machine’.

In The Sound Machine by Roald Dahl we have the theme of obsession, instability, fear, and dedication. Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realizes that Dahl may be exploring the theme of obsession. Klausner spends his entire time with his sound machine. What first starts out as an innocent experiment that excites Klausner becomes something which Klausner obsesses over. It is also interesting that Mrs. Saunders is at a loss when it comes to what Klausner might be doing and if anything she begins to feel afraid. This may be important as it highlights the distance that exists between Mrs. Saunders and Klausner. Ironically they are next-door neighbours but would not be similar or close when it comes to their lifestyles. Klausner has an unusual lifestyle in which his life appears to be dedicated to the sound machine. At no stage in the story does Dahl give the reader an insight into any other activity that Klausner might participate in. Something which is clearly unhealthy for an individual. To be so focused on one thing and not allowing themselves the opportunity to explore other ventures in order to create a balance in life.

If anything Klausner may be mentally unstable. It is as though he is so preoccupied with the sound machine that he has no time for either people or other things. It is also possible that Klausner has a heightened sense of hearing. This may explain as to why the doctor does not hear the cries from the tree when Klausner strikes it with an axe for a second time. The fact that Dahl uses plant life and suggests that plant life has the ability to feel may be important as Dahl could be placing a symbolic spotlight on environmental issues. Perhaps Dahl is suggesting that not enough care is given to the environment. A stance that would not have been common at the time the story was written (1949). It might also be a case that Dahl is also highlighting how socially detached from society Klausner is. There is no mention of Klausner having any friends in the story and the only person who knows him well is Dr. Scott. Someone that Klausner appears to trust. Though it is noticeable that Dr. Scott is somewhat afraid of Klausner while he is applying the iodine to the tree.

The fact that Dr. Scott is applying the iodine on Klausner’s instruction may also be important. As Klausner is attempting to treat the tree as a human would be treated. Klausner has attached feeling to the tree based on the sound he may or may not have heard. The fact that the branch falls on the sound machine is also interesting as Klausner appears to be associating the falling of the branch with the tree defending itself, which in all likelihood is something that is not realistic. Though for Klausner everything is realistic. It is as though Klausner’s activities with the sound machine have clouded his judgment. He may not necessarily be thinking straight such is the excitement he feels over his discovery of what he hears when he strikes the tree with an axe. The striking of the tree with an axe is also an irrational act. Though logical to Klausner. This could be important as Klausner without knowing it may have lost touch with reality, which would play on the theme of instability.

The end of the story is also interesting as it seems to be a case that things have gotten to be too much for Klausner. Something that is noticeable by the fact that Dr. Scott takes Klausner’s arm while they are walking back to the house. Symbolically this could suggest that Klausner is being taken into the care of Dr. Scott. That there is a realization by both men that Klausner may not be mentally stable. The reader is aware that the trigger for Klausner’s breakdown is the fact that he allowed himself to focus entirely on one project. Throwing all his energies into it and if anything shutting himself off from the outside world. What had most likely started off as a pet project became an obsession to Klausner and fuelled by the excitement he felt he may have tipped himself over the edge. Perhaps Dahl is suggesting that to succeed in life an individual needs balance. Something that Klausner did not have. With Klausner, it was all or nothing. He may or may not have succeeded in his actions but the results are definitely not what Klausner expected. Unfortunately for Klausner, he does not know if he really heard the sounds of the roses been cut or the daisies been plucked from the ground or the scream of the tree when hit with the axe. Dr. Scott cannot confirm that he heard the sound that Klausner heard. Which leaves the reader suspecting that Klausner has worked too hard on the sound machine and as a result had a breakdown.