Class 12 English Unit 14: Human Rights: ‘I Am Sorry’ –The Hardest Three Words to Say

 

Unit 14: Human Rights: ‘I Am Sorry’ –The Hardest Three Words to Say

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGe3ifAadB8

Reflection of the Essay

Forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they deserve your forgiveness. It is the best way to remember the particular person and the event and to move on with a fresh start. Desmond Tutu remembers the pain that his father had given to his mother and forgave him, saying that his father's rude behaviour was due to the mistreatment of black people by white people in South Africa. Humans are seen doing wrong deeds due to their ego, selfishness and pride, leading to alienation from each other. Modern people who lack empathy rarely accept the feelings of others.

The apology is an important concept in the modern world, but many people are reluctant to make an apology due to shame, humiliation, pride and superiority. Even the wrongdoers claim themselves as saints and try to fight to prove themselves right. As in my case, I never compromise with the people I don't like and it is difficult for me to say "I'm sorry" to those I fought or was involved in hot debates. I don't prefer to mess with others but these three words have never worked for me as I haven't applied these words in my life.

Working with words

A.   Pair the following words as opposites.

despair - hope	fresh – stale	strange – familiar	normal- eccentric
fierce – gentle	selfish -generous	corrupt – honest	kind – cruel

B.    By adding a suitable suffix to each word in the table, form another word as in the examples below.

Examples: willing - willingness; heart - hearty; strength - strengthen

Answers only

into noun	into adjective	into verb
Open-mind-open-mindedness accommodate-  accommodation rehearse - rehearsal transgress - transgression anger – angriness mix - mixture	Pain - painful Differ - different Behave - behaviour Remark- remarkable Indifference- indifferent Thought - thoughtful	Less- Lessen  Sure - ensure Real - realize  Glory - glorify Power- empower Prison- imprison

C.    Pronounce the following words with the help of a dictionary.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL1iGL11Jzg&t=87s

a.     viewer, sure, cure, fluent, poor, affluence, flower, curious, tourist, allowance, usual,     intellectual, visual, mature, endure,  join, coin, boy, voice, noise, soil, hoist, moist,   avoid,  toy, toilet, annoy, enjoy, poison

 Comprehension

A.   Write True or False after each statement. Give a reason for your answer.

a.      The author says his father was an ideal person in the family. False

He used to abuse his mother verbally and physically when he was drunk.

b.     The author wanted to forgive his father, but he did not get an opportunity. False

Because he had many pressure and stresses.

c.      It’s worth forgiving a person if he/she realizes his/her mistakes. True

Many people are reluctant to make an apology due to shame, humiliation.

d.     South Africa had a dual type of education system in the 1960s. True

Because in the 1960s, South Africa was in the fierce grip of apartheid. The government separated Black children for education (Bantu Education)

e.      The author lived in a joint family. False

Because the author had only his wife and two children in his family.

f.       The author regretted for not getting a chance to talk to his father. True

Because the next morning he was told about the news of death of his father.

g.     According to the author, all our glories and splendors are short lived. True

Because on any given day, in any given situation, in any painful life experience, this glory and goodness can be forgotten, obscured or lost.

B.    Answer the following questions.

a.      How does the author remember his family environment when he was a small boy?

The author remembers his family environment when he was a small boy as his father verbally and physically abused to his mother.

b.     Why does the author blame system more than his father?

The author blames system more than his father because the system was the reason behind his father’s stresses, pressures and traumas.

c.      How does the principle of forgiveness work?

The principle of forgiveness does not depend on the actions of others. It is the way of self-healing and obtaining peace and harmony. It releases our pain, brings the state of freedom in our heart and mind. It shows that people do not forgive for helping another person but they forgive for themselves as it is a matter of selfishness.

d.     How does the author interpret the noise, squalls, and tantrums of his children?

The author interprets the noise, squalls and tantrums of his children as the whole catalog of failures, irritations, fatigue, thought, etc. for the parents.

e.      Why did the author decide to educate his children in Swaziland?

f.       He decided to educate his children in Swaziland because he was dissatisfied with the inferior education as a result of the Bantu Education Act of South Africa for black children.

g.     How does the author define human life?

According to the author, human life is a great mixture of goodness, beauty, cruelty, heartbreak, interference, love, and so much more.

h.     According to the author, is it heredity or environment that shapes a man’s character? Explain.

According to the author, it is heredity or environment that shapes a man’s character. The birth of every child is the same. By birth, a child is neither a liar nor a rapist. He/she is not born full of hatred or violence. No one is born with any less glory or goodness than we. Hence, heredity doesn’t shape a man’s character. It is our surrounding environment that shapes our character.

i.       Why is forgiveness important in our lives?

Forgiveness is important in our lives because it is the way of freeing ourselves from our past errors and moving forward into our future, unaffected by the mistakes we made in the past. 

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