Mir Afzal A Battle to Baffle Answer the following questions: 1. What announcement unnerved the Courtiers and Pundits? Ans. Pandit Shahane had come there to challenge all the pundits in the kingdom. This announcement unnerved the Courtiers. 2. What suggestion was proposed by the first scholar? Ans. The first scholar with the permission of emperor proposed to … Read more
The Pilgrim | Questions and Answers 1. What did the pilgrim do, although he had already crossed the chasm? Ans. The pilgrim built a bridge to span the tide, although he had already crossed the chasm. 2. What puzzled the fellow pilgrim? Ans. The old man had already crossed the chasm and would never pass … Read more
Dick Whittington and his Cat Questions and Answers 1. What innocent belief made Dick decide to go to London? Ans. Dick had overheard some people say that the streets of London were paved with gold and so he decided to go there and pick his fortune up in gold pieces from the streets. This innocent … Read more
A Time to Believe Answer the following questions: 1. What should one know and trust every day? Ans. One should know that every day is a new beginning and trust that miracles happen, and dreams really do come true. 2. What are the two super-natural references in the 2nd stanza? Ans. The two super-natural references … Read more
Percy Bysshe Shelley In 1812 Southey, disillusioned by the “failure” of the French Revolution, wrote to a friend: “Here is a man at Keswick, who acts upon me as my own ghost would do. He is just what I was in 1794. His name is Shelley, son of the member for Shore-ham; with 6000 pounds … Read more
Middle English Romances: The Gawain Poet Out of the northwestern wilds, from Lancashire or western Yorkshire, emerged the unnamed figure of another great poet, one whose masterpiece, Gawain and the Green Knight, is the most exquisitely wrought and proportioned, in some respects the greatest, poem in Middle English. Three other poems–Patience, Purity, The Pearl – … Read more
William Langland’s Piers Plowman Langland’s Life: Langland is a literary figure about whom little is known. He was probably born in Malvern, in Worcestershire, the son of a poor freeman, and spent his childhood as a shepherd in the fields. Later, he moved to London with his wife and children, where he made a meagre … Read more
Geoffrey Chaucer Well on in the pilgrims’ famous journey to Canterbury, Harry Bailey, the host of the Tabard and master of ceremonies, called on Chaucer for his story. The poet had hitherto kept in the background, though before they had set out, he had made a point of speaking with each of his fellow travellers. … Read more
Out of the Northern revival emerges a figure more shadowy than that of Alcuin, but greater. It is the one Old English poet to any extent identified by his English works. A poem called Elene, of 1300 lines, was found in an Old English manuscript which had strangely made its way to Vercelli in Italy. Into this poem were curiously wrought old forms of letters called runes, which when deciphered in order revealed the name of the poet–Cynewulf.
Pronoun Pronouns are very important words in English language. Instead of repeating nouns, we use pronouns. Thus a pronoun is a grammatical word that we use instead of a noun or a noun phrase. Illustration i. Zahid’s face flashes into a smile and he leads me through the back-lanes of New-Delhi’s Nizamudin market.ii. Together, we … Read more
The essay ‘Of Youth and Old Age’ is one of the most popular essays of Lord Bacon. In this essay Bacon presents a comparative study of the nature of youth age and old age. He says that both the stages of life have their own merits and demerits. Bacon is of the view that the compounding of the characteristics of young age and old age can help in getting success especially in business.
"The Tuft of Flowers" is a beautiful poem written by an American poet Robert Frost. On the surface, it appears that this poem is about nature, however, after deeper study, I can see that this poem deals with the themes of isolation and friendship, a sense of being alone, yet a need to belong.