English Paper – I

Ready Reckoner for the Last-Minute Revision

Unit 1 Poetry

1.1 A Patch of Land – Subramania Bharathi

Introduction
This essay deals with the poem “A Patch of Land” written by Subramania Bharathi.
1. It is a prayer to Goddess Parashakthi.
2. The speaker wishes to live peacefully with nature.
3. He asks for a piece of land where he can build a palace with beautiful white pillars.
4. The poet desires coconut trees, palm trees and a well in the patch of land.
5. The palace should shine in the moonlight, creating a serene ambiance at night.
6. The sweet songs of cuckoos will add to the beauty of his surroundings.
7. He prays for a virtuous wife to share his life and bring happiness to his days.
8. Seeking the Goddess's protection, he asks her to guard him from all directions.
9. The speaker determines to use his knowledge of music to bring redemption to the world.
10. It is a heartfelt prayer that reflects the speaker's desire for a peaceful and fulfilling life
surrounded by nature.
Conclusion
This essay dealt with the poem “A Patch of Land” written by Subramania Bharathi.

1.2 The Sparrow –Paul Laurence Dunbar

Introduction
This essay deals with the poem “The Sparrow” written by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
1. The speaker describes the actions of a small sparrow.
2. The bird has beautiful brown feathers and flutters its tiny wings.
3. The bird starts chirping, sings a song and taps on his window-pane ten times.
4. It also hops along near the window. The bird tries to get the attention of the poet to
listen to its song.
5. The speaker is working and ignores the bird. It gets disappointed and flies away.
6. Then the poet continues to write about birds as they are symbols of peace, hope and
love.
7. He felt that birds are heavenly creatures sent to earth by God. They come to us from
heaven to be with us and reduce our stress in life.
8. We are preoccupied with many earthly commitments; we do not care those heavenly
creatures and fail to enjoy the beauty of nature.
9. We have become too busy and we simply move on mechanically.
10. It's high time that man must return to nature and live a harmonious life.
Conclusion
This essay dealt with the poem “The Sparrow” written by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
1.3 A Nation's Strength - William Ralph Emerson

Introduction
This essay deals with the poem “A Nation’s Strength” written by William Ralph Emerson.
1. The nation is compared with the buildings.
2. He questions himself about what makes a nation's pillar high and foundation strong.
3. He answers to himself that it is not materialistic things that make the nation grand.
4. He asks whether the sword makes the nation great.
5. The poet asks us to look into the past and see the big empires laid on blood and power.
6. He says that pride is not everlasting and will not make the nation proud.
7. Men can make a nation great and strong.
8. Brave men work when others sleep.
9. They face problems when others run away.
10. Brave and strong men are the foundation of a nation and they make it proud.
Conclusion
This essay dealt with the poem “A Nation’s Strength” written by William Ralph Emerson.

1.4 Love Cycle - Chinua Achebe

Introduction:
This essay deals with the poem “Love Cycle” written by Chinua Achebe.
1. The sun slips away from the Earth at dawn like a lover who has just said goodbye.
2. The Earth is left with a sweet smell and wakes up to the soft light.
3. Later, the sun will get angry from working in the sky and take it out on the Earth.
4. The Earth is used to this and waits patiently for the evening when the sun will be calm
again.
5. The poem uses the sun and Earth as a metaphor for a couple.
6. The sun's anger represents the conflict that can happen in a relationship.
7. The Earth's patience represents the power of love to overcome challenges.
8. The poem uses personification to give the sun and Earth human characteristics.
9. The poem uses imagery to create a vivid picture of the sun and Earth.
10. The poem uses symbolism to represent love as a cycle.
Conclusion:
This essay dealt with the poem “Love Cycle” written by Chinua Achebe.

1.5 Earthen Pots -O.N.V. Kurup

Introduction:
The poem "Earthen Pots" was written by O.N.V. Kurup. It was translated into English by K.
Sreedharan.
1. The poet personifies two earthen pots conversing with each other.
2. The pots describe its various uses and predictions.
3. The value of ordinary aspects is highlighted by the voice and feeling of the pots.
4. The values that are expressed are:
 ● Selfless service
● Building relationships
● Appearance is deceptive.
5. The pots enthusiastically wait for the poor simple folk to buy them.
6. It feels neglected by the rich people who drink wine from golden goblet.
7. After an unknown buyer selects their desired earthen pot, the other pots on the yard
collectively mourn the loss of the chosen pot.
8. The pots are not in control of their lives and are at the mercy of the customers.
9. The poetry is filled with the themes of subordination, worthlessness and lack of identity.
10. The pots might be compared with the under-privileged people who yearn for their
identity.
Conclusion:
Thus the theme of identity crisis and unknown destiny is clearly presented by the poet.

1.6 If We Must Die - Claude McKay

Introduction:
This essay deals with the poem “If We Must Die” written by Claud McKay.
1. The poem is about slavery at its peak during Harlem Renaissance
2. The speaker addresses his people about how to face death with dignity.
3. The speaker prefers to face death bravely rather than dying like hogs.
4. He wants his people to die nobly so that their blood is not shed in vain.
5. They would rather die fighting so that even the monsters they defy will honour them.
6. The speaker calls on their kinsmen to meet their common foe bravely.
7. They should show their bravery and give them back one death-blow as a reply for their
thousand blows.
8. Even though death may lie before them, he wants his kinsmen to face the murderers not
like a cowardly pack but like a brave man.
9. The poem is a call to fight bravely for what is right.
10. The poem is a reminder that even in the face of death, we should never give up our
dignity.
Conclusion:
This essay dealt with the poem “If We Must Die” written by Claud McKay.

Compiled & Edited By:

 M. Thanga Kumaran

Written By:
 Ms. S. Vaishnavi  Ms. S. P. Madhumathi
 Ms. S. Sri Vidhya  Ms. S. Clementcia
 Ms. S. Logapriya  Mr. D. Kevin
 Mr. S. Naresh  Mr. L. P. Vishal
 Mr. S. Deepan (Unit – II -To be Continued)
 WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR
“Where the mind is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore is one of
his vastly read and discussed poems. It was originally composed in
Bengali possibly in 1900 under the title “Prarthana”, meaning prayer.
It appeared in the volume called ‘Naibedya’ in 1901. Later in 1911
Tagore himself translated the Bengali poem into English and that
translation appeared as poem 35 in his Nobel winning anthology
“Gitanjali” (Song Offerings) published by the Indian Society, London
in 1912.

So when the poem was written, India was under the British Rule and
people were eagerly waiting to get their freedom from the British
Rule. The poem is written in the form of a prayer to the God, the
Almighty for a true freedom for his country. And thus Tagore reveals
his own concept of freedom throughout the poem, Where the Mind is
Without Fear.

Where the Mind is Without Fear: Line by line Explanation

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
In the very first line, the poet prays to the Almighty that his
countrymen should be free from any fear of oppression or forced
compulsion. He wishes that everyone in his country has his head held
high in dignity. In other words, according to him, in a truly free
country every person should be fearless and should have a sense of
self dignity.

Where knowledge is free;

In the second line of Where the Mind is Without Fear the poet dreams
of a nation where knowledge would be free. Education should not be
restricted to the upper class only but everybody should be allowed to
acquire knowledge. Not only that, the children should learn freely
from the nature and the world around them. They should not be forced
memorize some predetermined lessons. And this is Tagore’s typical
concept of education.
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls;
In the next two lines, the poet emphasizes the unity of not only of his
countrymen but also of the entire world. He thinks there should be no
division among people based on their caste, creed, color, religion or
other baseless superstitions. In other words, prejudices and
superstitions should not divide the people in groups and break their
unity.

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

In line 5 of Where the Mind is Without Fear, Tagore wants a nation
where people are truthful. They should not be superficial and words
should come out from the depth of their hearts.

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

In the sixth line of the poem, the poet wants everyone to work hard to
reach their goal, and in the long run to reach perfection. . He thinks
they should not be tired by working. People should not be lazy and
ignoring their work.

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habits;
In line 7, the poet compares ‘reason’ or logical thinking to a “clear
stream’ and in the next line compares ‘dead habits’ or superstitious
beliefs to a ‘dreary desert’. He wants the stream of reason not to lose
its way into the desert of prejudices. In short, people’s thought should
be monitored by rational thinking, not by superstition; logic should
rule over old baseless beliefs.

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action;
In line 9 and 10 the poet wishes his countrymen to be progressive and
broad-minded. He wants that their minds are “led forward” to “ever-
widening thought and action” by the Almighty. In short, we should be
open-minded and do something unusual or extraordinary, overcoming
the narrowness of mind.

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake

In the final line of the poem, the poet addresses the God as ‘Father’.
He asks him to awaken his country into such a ‘heaven of freedom’
where the above conditions meet.

To make it clear, the poet prays to the Almighty (my Father) to raise
or lift (awake) his country to such heights where freedom would be
realised at its best (a heaven of freedom). In turn, he is actually
praying that God awakens his countrymen so that they come out from
the darkness of ignorance, prejudices, disunity and all other evils.

Rabindranath wants to awaken the God within us to free our mind

from shackles and bondage. It is not invoking God but using it as
metaphor for the higher self within us. This interpretation is beautiful
and I can’t resist the urge to add it here.
Finally, In the poem the poet’s message is very clear. If all the people
of a nation are not wise enough to lead a happy and peaceful life free
from all evils, they cannot enjoy their freedom well. So to the poet,
only political freedom is not so important unless you are fearless, self
dignified, knowledgeable, truthful, hard-working and broad-minded
enough to enjoy it fully.
 Published in the
Edited Book titled “Mahatma Gandhi From Holy Deeds to Unholy Death (Part-1)”
Editor- Dr. Chandan Kumar,
Publisher- Anu Books, 2020, ISBN-978-81-947224-7-2
(https://anubooks.com/product/mahatma-gandhi-from-holy-deeds-to-unholy-death/)

Chapter-9, Pages-(57-63)

Mahatma Gandhi and Basic Education

By
Dr. Pravat Kumar Jena
Assistant Regional Director,
IGNOU Regional Centre, Bhubaneswar
Email- [email protected]

Abstract- The present system of education has not been able to give right direction to the
youths and it does not provide them affluent opportunities for their all round development to
make them self reliant. Now-a-days the students are passing examinations and earning their
degrees with first or higher divisions, but most of them are unable to become self reliant and
incapable to face the challenges. So to overcome this condition there is a need of such
education which was predicted by Mahatma Gandhi like ‘Basic Education’ or ‘Nai-Talim’.
Gandhi realized that the basic education was an essential component to the structural and
socio-economic imbalances that were badly affected. It was the treatment for all the ills and
evils of the society in India. His idea on basic education not only changed the educational
system of India but also led a social revolution. This paper aims to understand and review the
principles of Gandhiji on basic education which are assessed from his several writings. Some
important features of Gandhiji’s basic education are also described comparing present system
of education.

Keywords: Mahatma Gandhi, Basic Education, Nail Talim, Handicrafts, Social Change

Introduction:
Education is the process of acquisition of knowledge, skills, beliefs and moral habits.
The main aim of education is to make the people better and to let them develop their own
skills and confidence which are needed for their life. It reduces the challenges faced by
individuals in their life and helps them to learn how to earn. The more knowledge one gains,
the more opportunities open for the individuals to achieve better possibilities in career and in
personal growth. It opens the mind for different situations, which help to solve problems of
life effectively and to think critically about the world. Basic education is the most
empowering force in the world which creates knowledge, builds confidence and opens the
door of opportunity eliminating all obstacles (Wikipedia). For children, it is their key to open
the door to a better life. A child gets the first education from his own family, learns from the
own environment and gather learning experiences from the school. It is a social process
which occurs only in social environment and without it no one can acquire experiences. The
role of basic education is to socialise individuals and to keep society smooth and stable.
It teaches a child to observe, understand and realize. It teaches to act decently, to be creative,
to develop skills and to learn more things about life so that when the child grows up, he/she
uses the basic education to build a better quality of life. However, the modern educational
system of India is incapable to achieve humanitarian and peaceful social life. The
present system of education is unable to contribute much to the individual as well as social
development. In order to bring some social changes, proper and quality education is
very much required for all. In this context, Mahatma Gandhi’s scheme of basic education is
an alternative measure to establish a new social order. Gandhiji’s principle on basic education
would be able to inspire the whole world with his ideas of truth, nonviolence, peace and love.
His idea on handicraft is very important as it represents the culture and tradition of any
country. It promotes the heritage of a country through the use of indigenous materials.
Anyone can spend their free time to learn the various techniques related to handicrafts and
can earn money by utilising the skills. It preserves traditional knowledge and talents. It
encourages self-employment which is the best method to fight against current unemployment
situations.

Objectives
The objectives of the study are to:
 Understand and review Gandhiji’s principle of basic education.
 Highlight some important features of Gandhiji’s basic education and its relevance
with present world.

Methodology
Some journals and e-contents relating to Gandjiji’s model of basic education are studied.
Several books on education are reviewed and some of Gandjiji’s own writings are referred to
find the significance of his ideas on basic education.

Basic Education according to Mahatma Gandhi

At Round Table Conference in London (1931) Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known
as Mahatma Gandhi pointed out the ineffectiveness of the primary education system of India
and the low percentage of literacy rate among Indian people. He blamed the policy of the
British Government responsible for the pathetic situation in the field of mass education.
Ghandiji described the main defects of the system of education as, “I am fully convinced that
present system of education is not only wasteful but positively harmful. They would pickup
evil habits. English has created a permanent bar between the highly educated few and the
uneducated many.” He further said, “let us now cry a halt and concentrate on educating the
child properly through manual work not as a side activity but as a prime means of intellectual
activity” (Maheswari). Mahatma Gandhi proposed his scheme of Basic Education (Nai
Talim) in a well formulated approach to education in 1937 in his news paper ‘Harijan’. In
order to discuss different aspects of the scheme of education, an All India education
conference was held in Wardha on 22nd and 23rd October, 1937. The conference is called
Wardha Educational Conference and Gandhiji himself presided over the conference. After
serious discussions, the following four resolutions were passed in the conference
(Maheswari).
1) Free and compulsory education is to be provided for seven years on a nation-
wide scale.
2) Mother tongue should be the medium of instruction.
3) The process of education throughout this period should have some manual and
productive work and ability should be developed to engage them with
handicraft work according to the environment of the child.
4) The proposed system of education would gradually be able to generate
remuneration of the teachers.
Basic education or Nai Talim was based on the fundamental principle of “learning by doing”.
Gandhiji believed on action and hence his concepts of basic education can be classified as
activity method or practical method. It was mainly a method of co-relation between book
learning and doing activity through craft like gardening, weaving, spinning, carpentry, etc.
According to him, a realistic scheme of education must be closely integrated with the
physical and social environment of the student (Gandhi). He said, “It is called the new
method of education, for it is not a foreign importation or imposition, but is consistent with
the environment in India which is predominantly made up of villages. It believes in
establishing equilibrium between the body, the mind and the spirit of which man is made. It is
unlike the Western type which is predominantly militarist, in which the mind and the body
are the primary care of education to the subordination of the spirit. This is best done when
education is given through handicrafts. The other specialty is that it is designed to be wholly
self-supporting. It does not, therefore, demand an expenditure of millions on education.”
(Harijan, 11-5-1947, p.147).

Some important features of Gandhiji’s Basic Education

According to Gandhiji and his philosophy, the important features of basic education may be
listed as below.
1. Free and compulsory education for all- Gandhiji wanted the basic education should
be free and compulsory for all boys and girls between the ages of seven to fourteen.
According to Gandhiji, “I am a firm believer in the principle of free and compulsory
primary education for India. I also hold that we shall realize this only by teaching the
children a useful vocation and utilizing it as a means for cultivating their mental,
physical and spiritual faculties. Let no one consider these economic calculations in
connection with education as sordid or out of place. There is nothing essentially sordid
about economic calculations.” (Harijan, 9-10-1937, p. 292)
2. Mother tongue as medium of instruction- Gandhiji, believed that the medium of
basic education should be the mother tongue. Strong mother tongue foundation leads to
a much better understanding of the curriculum as well as a more positive attitude
towards school. Language and mother tongue play an important role in the
development of personal, social and cultural identity of a child. Children with a strong
foundation in mother tongue can have deeper understanding of the curriculum and
develop confidence to tackle any situation. When children develop their mother
tongue, they will develop other essential skills, love towards mother tongue and incline
towards motherland.
3. Craft centred education- Gandhiji emphasised on craft-centred education which had
great importance in Indian scenario. In Indian scenario, craft would make education
self-supportive as it is not possible to educate all citizens and provide them
government jobs. So, the craft centred education would help to provide employment
opportunity to all citizens and make them self-sufficient. According to Gandhiji, the
method of training the mind through village handicraft from the beginning would
develop disciplined mind. Such practical productive work in education would to break
down the existing barriers of discrimination between manual and intellectual workers.
The scheme would increase the productive capacity and utilise their leisure profitably
also (Maheswari). According to Gandhiji (Prabhu) “Craft, art, health and education
should all be integrated into one scheme. Nai Talim is a beautiful blend of all the four
and covers the whole education of the individual from the time of conception to the
moment of death….. Instead of regarding craft and industry as different from
education, I will regard the former as the medium for the latter.” (Harijan, 10-11-1946,
p. 394).
4. Development of creativity and critical thinking- Gandhiji emphasised on the
principle of 'learning by doing' which stimulates the individual's mind
to think creatively and critically. His great emphasis on work-culture to the students
from initial stage was to enable the students to start producing while learning. So, his
primary aim of basic education was to utilise head, heart and hand rather than
concentrating on reading or writing only. In July 1937, Ghandiji wrote in the Harijan,
“By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body,
mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education nor even the beginning. It is only
one of the means whereby man and woman can be educated. Literacy in itself is no
education. I would therefore begin the child’s education by teaching it a useful
handicraft and enabling it to produce from moment it begins its training. Thus every
school can be made self-supporting, the condition being that the State takes over the
manufactures of these schools.” (Harijan, 31-7-1937, p.197)
5. Emphasis on collaborative learning- True education is a lifelong process which helps
in cultivating the spirit of co-operation, tolerance, collaboration and a sense of
responsibility. All these qualities are required for the development of human
personality which can create the pleasant balance between the individuals and social
aim of education. Gandhiji always emphasised on collaborative learning. Craft work
helps a child to acquire collaborative learning skills and to realize the value of honest
labour.
6. Importance on moral education- Gandhiji thought that the peace is essential for
human life which can be attained through education. Peace can be attained only
through morality and ethics. According to him, education must be based on ethics and
morality. Gandhiji advised to all students to consider morality and honesty as essential
parts of their education. He said, “Our system of education leads to the development of
the mind, body and soul. The ordinary system cares only for the mind.” (Harijan, 9-11-
1947, p. 401). “I attach far more importance to the cultural aspect of education than to
the literary.” (Harijan, 5-5-1946, p. 120)
7. Emphasis on character building- Education is the most powerful weapon which
helps to build genuine characters of a student. The goal of education should consist of
character-building. The character-building includes the moral, intellectual and social
behaviour of a student under all circumstances. A student should develop personality,
compassion, kindness, fair-mindedness and the spirit of dedication by virtue of
education. Gandhiji said, “When it is remembered that the primary aim of all education
is, or should be, the moulding of the character of pupils, a teacher who has a character
to keep need not lose heart.” (Harijan, 1-2-1933, p. 3).
8. Development of self reliance and patriotism- The main purpose of basic education
was to achieve an integral development of children and to create a sense of patriotism
though practice of handicraft. Gandhiji desired that the basic education system should
be self-supporting for every child by learning a craft or occupational skill for
livelihood. He wanted education to ensure employment. He told “My Nai Talim is not
dependent on money. The running expenses should come from the educational process
itself. Whatever the criticisms may be, I know that the only education is that which is
'self-supporting'.” (Harijan, 2-3-1947, p.48). He also said, “The teachers earn what
they take. It stands for the art of living. Therefore, both the teacher and the pupil have
to produce in the very act of teaching and learning. It enriches life from the
commencement. It makes the nation independent of the search for employment”.
(Harijan, 11-5-1947, p. 145).
9. Development of faith on Truth & Non-violence- Gandhiji was always considered
that non-violence is an important and essential part of education. Truth & Non-
violence was the fundamental formula of Gandhiji’s philosophy. Basic education too
was also based upon the principle of truth and Non-violence. As he said “I want to see
God face to face. God, I know, is Truth. For me the only certain means of knowing
God is non-violence-ahimsa-love. I live for India’s freedom and would die for it,
because it is part of Truth. Only a free India can worship the true God. But my
patriotism is not exclusive; it is calculated not only not to hurt any other nation, but to
benefit all in the true sense of the word. India’s freedom as conceived by me can never
be a menace to the world” (Young India, 3-4-1924, p. 109).
10. Awareness on Social Services- Students should be involved in different community
services to develop responsibility and create awareness on social services. Education
must be based on social good, welfare for all and must uplift the human aspect. The
basic education by Gandhi aimed at encouraging the spirit of service and self-sacrifice.
Addressing the college students once he said (Shah) “Your education, if it is a vital
thing, must shed its fragrance in your surroundings. You must devote a certain portion
of your time daily to serving the people around in a practical manner. You must
therefore, be prepared to take the spade, the broomstick and the basket. You must
become voluntary scavengers of this holy place. That would be the richest part of your
education, not learning by heart literary thesis.” Mahatma Gandhi was a true social
 worker fighting against the evils of society. He always said, if we want to do social
work, we should start it by ourselves.
11. Sensitise on Cleanliness and Untouchability- Students should be sensitised on merits
and demerits of cleanliness and the evils of untouchability. Gandhiji had been
opposing untouchablity and caste system from very beginning and putting relentless
efforts to eradicate. He was arguing that Brahmins and untouchables were equal in his
eyes. He was publicly rejecting the notion of high and low caste feeling. At the age of
twelve, Gandhiji had disagreed his mother’s warnings on not to touch an untouchable
who used to clean their latrines in their house. He tried his best to break the centuries-
old caste system and to remove the mark of untouchability from Hinduism. Gandhiji
described (Prabhu) on his conception on Samagra Gramaseva in Harijan (17-3-1946,
p.42) that “I will inculcate in them the importance of hygiene and sanitation, and when
they come and ask me for a sweeper, I will tell them: “I will be your sweeper and I will
train you all in the job.”

Conclusions
Basic education is related to the basic needs and interest of the education for the development
of a child. The aim of Gandhiji’s basic education was to educate the students on crafts which
would enable them to solve the problems of their livelihood and at the same time develop
qualities of good citizenship. In Gandhiji’s view, sound education must be rooted through the
culture and moral value also. At present various educational committees are emphasising to
make education job oriented and productive for self-employment. With the serious problem
of educated unemployment situation among young men and women, the present educational
system should be reformed on the spirit of Gandhiji’s concept of basic education. Gandhiji’s
idea of basic education is valid and fruitful which may also be used as guiding principles in
the present scenario. The modern education system needs to be reformed at elementary stage
keeping in view of the moral value and employability features of the Gandhiji’s basic
education.

References
1. Gandhi M.K. The Voice of Truth. Retrieved on June 18, 2020 from
https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/the-voice-of-truth.pdf
2. Harijan : (1933-1956) English weekly journal founded by Gandhiji and published
under the auspices of the Harijan Sevak Sangh, Poona, and from 1942, by the
Navajivan Trust, Ahmedabad. The weekly suspended publication in 1940 during the
"Individual Satyagraha"; resumed in January 1942, but stopped appearing during the
Quit India Struggle. It reappeared in 1946.
3. Maheswari V. K. (2014). The Wardha Sheme of Education in India. Retrieved on
June 18, 2020 from http://www.vkmaheshwari.com/WP/?p=1402
4. Prabhu R.K., Rao U.R. (1967). The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi Retrieved on June 20,
2020 from https://www.mkgandhi.org/ebks/mindofmahatmagandhi.pdf
5. Shah P. K. (2017). Gandhiji’s view on basic education and its present relevance. Pune
Research, 3(4), 1-6.
6. Wikipedia. Basic Education. Retrieved on June 20, 2020 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_education
7. Young India: (1919-1932) English weekly journal, published from Bombay as a bi-
weekly, under Gandhiji's supervision from May 7, 1919, and as a weekly from
Ahmedabad, with Gandhiji as editor from October 8, 1919
 I’m Malala

by Malala Yousafzai

Introduction:
Malala is a Pakistani girl from the Pashtun clan, who rebelled against the Taliban’s
oppressive rule and their ban on the education of girls. She was later shot by the Taliban, but
she survived and became an international champion of human rights and education activist.
Her family:
In Malala‘s book, in the first chapter she narrates her life story. Malala describes how
she lived a happy life during her childhood. She is the firstborn in a family of three. Malala
cheerfully introduces her small family—her educated, forward-thinking father Ziauddin, who runs
a School; her beautiful and pious mother, Toor Pekai; and her younger brothers Khushal and
Atal, with whom she sometimes fights.

Malala’s narration of her birthplace:

Malala explains that she was born in Mingora, the largest city in the beautiful Swat
Valley, located in northwest Pakistan. She is a member of the largest Pashtun tribe, the
Yousafzai, who live by the Pashtunwali code of hospitality and honour. Her father celebrates her
birth, which is unusual in a country that doesnot value girls, and he names her after a
courageous Afghan heroine, who wins the battle with the British forces.

Malala’s background:
Malala details her parents’ background and the love they have for each other. She also
presents the history of her region, telling Swat became a part of Pakistan in 1969. Malala makes
clear that she considers herself Swati first, then Pashtun, and finally Pakistani. She introduces
her neighbor friend, Safina.

About education for girls:

She highlights the difference between the freedom of the boys and the restrictions on the
girls. She knows that her father supports her freedom, but she wonders if freedom will be
possible for her. In Pakistan, women are not given education and women are expected to serve
their family. They can go outside their homes only when accompanied by male relatives.
Malala’s father believes that girls should go to school and should not be viewed merely as
property. On the other hand, Malala’s mother did not receive any education. She wants to give
education and freedom for Malala.

Conclusion:
Malala wants to soar high as a free bird. But she is not permitted to develop herself. Her
account of her life is an inspiration to young girls to make use of the opportunities and achieve
greater heights.
CLASS 10

ENGLISH LITERATURE

NINE GOLD MEDALS – DAVID ROTH

‘Nine Gold Medals’ is a poem written by the American vocalist, song- writer and
author David Roth. It celebrates human values of cooperation, compassion,
empathy, fairness and concern. The poem reveals the story of nine differently
abled athletes who participated in a special Olympics. Nine special runners had
trained themselves for the racing event with the hope of winning the gold medal.
However , as the race began, the youngest runner tripped and fell on the ground
which made all the other athletes stop to help him without any hesitation. This
poem emphasises on the sportsmanship and kindness exhibited by these athletes
that made them win a gold medal each for their exemplary behaviour. The poem is
written much like a story in a very simple language. The message that the poem
gives us , is that the spirit of empathy, consideration and brotherhood surpasses
the achievement of merely winning a competition. The gold medals were not
awarded for winning a contest in its typical sense. They seem eligible to get gold
medals for their golden show of humanity. The poem sends the message that
sports is not only about medals but also about learning the values of sharing,
competing and complimenting. By awarding gold medals to all contestants, the
authorities honoured their display of empathy, helpful nature and human values.

Being selfless and helping others can do a lot of good not only to the person who is
being helped but also to the person who is helping. What values most in life is the
sense of sharing other’s pain and sorrow and trying to cheer up and encourage the
weak and the fallen.

WORKSHEET

QUESTION 1

The athletes had come from so many countries

To run for the gold, for the silver and bronze

Many weeks and months in training

All building up to the games.

All round the field spectators were gathered

Cheering on all the young women and men

Then the final event of the day was approaching

The last race about to begin.

i) Where did the athletes come from so many countries? Why ?

ii) What do the words ‘gold’, ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ stand for in the extract ? Do you
think the contestants were prepared well for the event ? Give a reason for your
answer ?

iii) Give the meaning of :

a) All building up to the games.

b) The last race about to begin.

iv) Why did the spectators gather around the field ? Who are referred to as “young
women and men” ?

v) Which final event is referred to in the extract ? How did the event end ? In what
way was the ending appropriate ?