I Vow To Thee My Country

(About the poet)

Sir Cecil Arthur Spring Rice was born on February 27,1859 and died on February 14,1918. He was a British diplomat. He was educated at Eton School and then at Ballion College, Oxford. He is best known as the composer of “I vow To Thee, My Country”

Sir Cecil Spring Rice is a minor poet. He has written a few poems. But the present poem has made him famous. He is praised for his lofty idea of patriotism in this poem.

(About the poem)

The poem is an expression of the poet’s deep love for his country. His love for his country is entire and perfect. He is prepared to make any sacrifice for it. This poem is full of patriotic feelings and inspires us to be a true patriot.

I vow to thee, my country-all earthly things above-

Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love,

The love that asks no question,

the love that stands the test.

That lays upon the altar dearest and the best

The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,

The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

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Rules Of The Road

(About the Lesson)

Here the writer tells us about some of the important rules of the road. All the users of the road ought to know these rules and follow them strictly. A knowledge of these rules will save them from accidents and accidents and help in the free flow of traffic.

There is story of a man who thought he had a right to do what he liked. One day, this gentleman was walking along a busy road, spinning his walking stick round and round in his hand trying to look important. A man walking behind him objected.

“you ought not to spin your walking-stick round like that!” he said

“I am free to do what I like with my walking-stick,” argued the gentleman.

“Of course, you are,” said the other man, “but you ought to know that your freedom ends where my nose begins.”

The story tells us that we can enjoy our rights and freedom only if they do not interfere with other people’s rights and freedom.

There are very few of us, of course, who will argue like the gentleman in the story, that we have a right to go about spinning our walking-sticks in a busy street. We certainlay do not interfere on purpose with other people’s way without knowing it This happens when we act without thinking or when we disobey rules that we ought to obey.

Let us look at some of the things we sometimes do without thinking of other people’s convenience. Someone is getting married in one of the houses in a crowded street. Suddenly one morning a loudspeaker, put up outside the house, begins to broadcast loud gramophone music. The music doesn’t stop for two or three days Sick people, in nearby houses, can’t sleep in quiet; students preparing for examinations can’t do any reading; and everybody is forced to listen to the music! The people in the house where the wedding is taking place do not, of course, mean any harm to their neighbours. They just do not realize that they are acting without any thought for other people’s convenience. Sometimes they do not care even if someone does object. But really there is no need for a loudspeaker outside the house at all. All the guests in the house can hear the music without it.

We often come across an example of want of thought for other people’s convenience, when we travel in railway trains. Here is one. Some of the passengers may be trying to sleep. Suddenly two or three persons, who can’t sleep or don’t want to get interested in politics and begin a loud argument on India’s foreign policy! And they go on arguing for house. The other passengers, who are more interested at that moment in sleep than in India’s foreign policy are forced to listen to the whole argument and go without their sleep.

Of course, everybody does not behave in this way. One can see, now and then. Examples of a different kind of behaviour. We sometimes notice with pleasure a young man in a bus giving up his seat to an elderly person or to a woman who has got into the bus with a baby in her arms. When a man sitting in a train turns to the person next to him and asks, May I  smoke?” He is giving thought to the convenience of the other person. When two motorists, coming from opposite directions at night, dim the lights of their vehicles, they are being helpful to each other. In all such actions, we give up a little of our freedom and convenience so that other people may enjoy theirs, and may run smoothly for all.

There are no rules to tell us how we ought to behave or ought not to behave in all matters. But in some matters, there are rules that all have to obey. Take for example, the rules of the road. The purpose of these rules is to make the roads safe for everybody. The roads in our cities and towns are getting more and more busy with traffic these days. All kinds of vehicles, some slow, some fast, fill the rods during the greater part of the day. If people disobey traffic rules, accidents happen sooner or later. There are rules for pedestrians as well as for vehicles and every user of the road ought to know the rules.

Here is important rule for pedestrians. They ought to keep to the footpath and leave the middle of the road for vehicles. Where there is no footpath, pedestrians must keep close to the edge of the road. If they do not obey rules, they will cause danger to themselves as well as to others. A driver may turn his vehicle suddenly to avoid a pedestrian and in doing so, may knock down someone else; he may even lose control of his vehicle and drive over the footpath and knock down several people.

All vehicles should keep to the left and leave the right half of the road free for those, coming from the opposite direction. This is the traffic rule in all parts of India. In some countries in the west, however, vehicles have to keep to the right and not to the left. It does not matter whether it is right or left, but everyone should obey the rule. Cyclists should always keep to the edge of the road and not get in the way of other vehicles or of pedestrians. We often see two or more cyclists riding together side by side right in the middle of the road. Traffic rules do not allow this where the road is busy, this will interfere with the flow of traffic and cause accidents. The rule about overtaking is an equally important rule. One vehicle should overtake another vehicle only on the right, because otherwise it may get in the way of the vehicle which is trying to keep to the left.

 There are rules about right of way where roads cross each other. There is usually a roundabout at these places.

The  vehicle coming from the right has right of way over the one coming from the left. If every driver follows this rule, traffic round a bouts will flow quite smoothly and accidents can be avoided.

Drivers of vehicles should never fail  to give the right singnals, because otherwise there is great danger of accidents happening. There are singnals for turning right or left, for showing down and for stopping and for letting another vehicle overtake yours. Cyclists are often careless about giving signals, thinking that these are important only for motorists. But all road users, cyclists as well as motorists, ought to have the right signals so that others on the road may be warned. Pedestrians too should have a knowledge of these signals so that they may be able to tell which way the vehicles on the road are going to pass.

Above all, everyone using the public road ought to obey the policeman on traffic duty. This is the most important rule of all. Just imagine what would happen in a busy street filled with pedestrians and speeding vehicles, if there was no policeman on duty. You will quickly realize how important the work of the policeman is; and then you will always obey him and never be angry with him even when you think he is wrong and you are right.

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Tom Sawyer Was Very Naughty

(About     the Author)

 Mark Twain, pseudonym of Samuel Lang Horne Clemens (1835-1910) was a great American writer. He is famous for his books-“The Adventure of Tom Sawyer “ (1876) and “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn “ (1884). His folk-tales are written in a humorous vein and several travel books are also read with interest.

Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in florida, Missouri. When he was four years old, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a Mississippi river port, where he received a public school education. In 1862 he became a reporter on the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada, and in 1863 began signing his articles with the pseudonym “Mark Twain” , a Mississippi River phrase meaning two fathoms deep. Much of Twain’s best work was written in the 1870s and 1880s in Hartford or during the summers at Quarry Farm; near Elmira, New York State. Roughing it (1872) recounts his early adventures as a miner and journalist; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) celebrates boyhood in a town on the Mississippi River.

One of America’s most important writers, Twain justly renowned as a humorist, but his literary reputation also rests on his realistic use of dialects and the vernacular, especially of the Mississippi River Valley, in delineating characters and scenes of mid-19^th century American life. He was a celebrity during his later years, and received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University in 1907. He died in New York on April 21,1910.

(About the Lesson )

Tom Sawyer was very naughty. He could not remain without mischiefs for long. His aunt loved him very much. But she always wanted to punish him for his mischiefs so that he nay not be spoiled. But tom was very clever. Someway or the other, he escaped the punishment. The story relates some of the innocent mischiefs of Tom sawyer and the corrective methods adopted by his aunt. The story is full of wit and humour.

(This is Tom sawyer )

“Tom.”

No answer.

“Tom”

No answer.

“Where can be he!” Aunt Polly asked herself. “He must be somewhere here.”She went to the door, looked out into the garden and then shouted again, “Tom! Tom!”

No answer.

The old lady stood there thoughtfully. Suddenly she heard a sound behind her. She turned round quickly. There was Tom near the cupboard door. There was jam all round his mouth.

“what have you been doing ?” Aunt polly asked angrily. When Tom did not answer, she went or, “You ve been stealing the jam again Don’t tell me that you haven’t Haven’t I told you a hundred times to keep away from that cupboard ? Where’d my stick? Aunt Polly took her stick and raised it high. She was about to strike Tom hard.

“Look behind you, Auntie”, shouted Tom.

 Aunt Polly was angry but she had to laugh. “He’s chance. He rushed out to the house. He climbed over the fance. Soon he was far away.

Aunt Polly was angry but she had to laugh. “He’s a bad boy”, she said to herself. “But i love him. He’s my poor dead sister’s boy and I must look after him. I don’t like to hit him but i have to. If I don’t punish him, he’ll grow up lazy and wicked. Yes,  I must be strict. “Aunt Polly sighed, “I ‘II have to punish him for stealing the jam. But how ? I know tomorrow is Saturday and there’s no school on Saturdays. The boys have a holiday. But I’ll make Tom work. That will punish him.”

The next day was Saturday. The school was shut. All the boys in the village were free. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. The trees and flowers looked so fresh and lovely. Tom, of course, wanted to go for swimming. All the other boys were going.

Tom came sadly out of the house. In one hand he held a long brush. In the other, he carried a bucket which was full of whitewash. His aunt was making him whitewash the fence. Tom looked sadly at the fance. “How high it is ! How long it is!” he thought. Indeed the height of the fance was nine feet and its length was thiry yars. Tom put his brush into the whitewash. He drew it slowly across the fence. It made a very small white mark. Tom tried again. Another very small white mark. Tom sat down and sighed heavily.

He took out out all the things that he had in his pockets. He had some marbles, some pieces of string and two or three broken toys.

“No. Ione will whitewash the fance for these”, he thought.

“No. I must think of a better plan.” He thought and thought. Soon he had an idea. The street. Tom pretended not to see him. He worked harder than ever. Ben was eating an apple. He looked very happy. He was pretending that he was a big ship, and he was rolling like one. He was giving orders in a loud voice and the ship was obeying them. He came up to Tom. He rubbed his eyes. “why, Tom”, he cried in great surprise. “You’re working.?

Tom said nothing. He went on with his whitewashing. He looked very interested in his work.

“Tom, you’re working”, Ben repeated.

“Oh, it’s you, Ben. I didn’t notice you.”

“I  ‘m just going for a swim. You’t want to come, do you ?you like working, don’t you ?”

“this isn’t work,” Tom said quietly and he went on whitewashing.

“Not work?” Ben exclaimed.

“oh, no. I like it. Whitewashing is fun. You ve never whitewashed a fence, have you ?”

“well, no I haven’t.”

For a time, Ben stood there watching Tom. Tom paid no attention to him. All his attention was given to his work. Atlast Ben said, “Let me whitewash a little. “

“Oh, no Ben. I’m going to make this fence look fine. I’ ve promised Aunt Polly. Besides, it ‘s interesting.”

“Let me do just a little,” begged Ben.

“No, I’m sorry Ben, but I can’t Aunt said that I must do it myself. If you do it, you’ll make a mistake. You’ll spoil everything. It’s looking so nice now.”

“I shan’t make a mistake. I’ll be careful. You can have my apple if you let me.”

Slowly and unwillingly Yom handed the brush to Ben. Ben worked hard He soon grew hot, but he went on working. Tom sat there, watching and eating Ben’s apple.

When Ben had done enough other boys came along. At first they laughed at Tom, as Ben had done. But soon they were whitewashing the fance. Of course, they had to pay Tom, as Ben had done. But soon they were whitewashing the fence. Of course, they had to pay Tom before he let them help him. They gave him their best things-twelve marbles, a tin soldier, a key, a dog’s collar, the handle of knife and four pieces of orange. Tom had an easy time. He did not work but soon the fance had three coats of whitewash on it.

(new medicine for Tom )

Tom was not feeling well. He could not sleep as well as he used to. He could not eat as much as he used to. He did not want to run away from school. Sometimes he did not want to play. He was troubled and sad.

“The boy is ill” Aunt Polly thought. “I must give him some medicine.”

Aunt Polly was fond of all kinds of medicines. She had a lot of books on this subject. Her newest idea was this-when a boy was ill, he must bathe in cold water every day. And so every morning she made Tom stand outside in the yard. Then she threw ice-cold water over him. After that, she wrapped him in a wet sheet and made him lie in bed. Tom did not get better. He got worse. Aunt Polly tried a new idea. She threw hot water over him instead of cold. That did not help Tom either.

At this time, Aunt Polly heard about a new medicine. It was called pain killer, It had  the taste of fire. All the same, Aunt Polly made Tom drink it, three spoonful after each meal. Tom hated it. When his aunt was not looking, he quickly poured the medicine into a hole in the floor. Tom was busy doing this one day when the cat came in. Tom poured some of the medicine into its mouth. At once, it jumped high into the air. It staeted dancing on its back legs. It  rushed about the room, breaking everything in its path It ran about as if it were Polly heard the noise and came rushing in.

“what’s the matter?”

Tom could not speak for laughing. At last he pointed and said, “Look, look at the cat.” 

“what’s the matter with it ? You’ve been giving it that medicine ?”

“I don’t know, said Tom, still laughing.

Aunt Polly saw the bottle of pain killer, the spoon and a saucer. She guessed the truth.

Tom expected his Aunt to be angry. To his surprise she was only thoughtful. “It’s not a medicine for cats, “she said. “perhaps it’s not a good medicine for boys. You needn’t take any more of it, Tom. “this was good news for Tom. He began to feel better.

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With The Photographer

The author of the essay “with the photographer “ leacock  visits a studio to get his photograph. He explained about his purpose to the photographer. Photographer tells him to sit and wait for sometime. The writer waits there for about an hour. Then the photographer opens the inner room door and asked him to come in. The author goes into the studio accordingly, and sits down on his instruction. There is insufficient light and  air there. The photographer rolls a machine into the middle of room and moves slowly behind it. Then he tells him that his (author’s)face is quits wrong. He points  out defects in author’s head eyes  and some other limbs. The author tells that he knows well of his face which is not beautiful. But it is his own face and not of somebody else. He has lived with the same face or past forty years and he knows its defects and shortcomings. Any way he takes his snaps in the last. When the writer asks to show his photographs, he immediately says that he cannot show it unless the negative is not developed. So he should come again on Saturday. The author comes to see the proof on Saturday. becomes surprised to notice that the picture does not look like his own figure. The author the author becomes annoyed and ask the reason behind it. The photographer gives his clarification relation to the author’s reluctance adding that he has retouched the picture in order to make it looking better.

The author loses his  temper. He says scornfully that he has come to get a true and natural copy of his face, to keep as a memoir after his death. He feels that he is badly mistaken or cheated. Out of frustration he tells the photographer to keep (retain)the photograph and its negative with him use all sorts of chemicals, make as many changes as he likes in its figures. He becomes restless and tears roll down from his eyes. He leaves the place desperately.

The photographer does not seem to be social and submissive. The peculiarities which he has shown with the narrator dealing with the narrator dealing with him are as hereunder-

(1)             Does not attentively deals with (2)asks him to wait and  thenafter takes an hour initially for obtaining his photographs. (3)takers him inside the studio and tells to sit before the camera. (4)points out numbers of defects in his facial appearance. (5) makes a number of changes in eyes, brows and even in author’s face and removes the ears of the author in the photo, turning the face into totally different from his original face,

Thus, by his funny acts, the whole story becomes humerous, which is       explained by the narrator in a satirical manner. He becomes fed-up by the behaviour of the photographer.

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