Class 11 English Lesson 15: What I Require from Life: Reference to the Context

 

Reference to the context

Explain the following lines concerning the context:

a.      “The satisfaction of adventure is something more solid than a thrill”.

The author believes that adventure is not only about emotions, but also about satisfaction in performing a creative activity. It enriches people with solid experience. He compares thrill with the amusement he has got from reading Rimbaud’s poetry. He served on the war front in Madrid for six months and looked forward to reading a book of Rimbaud’s poetry for a thrill.

b.     “I want the workers to see the fruit of their work, not in profits for others but their own and their friends’ well-being?

The line shows the writer’s support for socialism. He asserts that hard work should be rewarded to a considerable extent. He wants democracy within the working environment. He is a socialist who wants industry to be controlled by the workers. They should be free to work and share profits among themselves, too. He compares the nature of industrial work with hunting and gardening, like the Palaeolithic and Neolithic (stone age). To create an even and pleasing working atmosphere, the profits of work should remain among the working people.

c.  Why do you think the essayist has taken reference from the ancient philosophers?

I think the essayist has taken reference from ancient philosophers like Aristotle, Lord Blan, Mr Dash, and Sir John Asterisk to support his ideas and convince the readers about his idea of decent work and death.

 

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

 

d.   Discuss the essay in terms of its language, purpose, subject, point of view, and mode of writing.

The language is simple and lucid in the essay. Haldane’s style is typically straightforward and vigorous. As a science popularizer, he is accustomed to writing about complex matters in a simple language so that any reader can understand. Here, when writing on a non-technical subject, he retains this simplicity, with short, forceful, declarative sentences and clear explanations.

His subject at first appears to be personal and thus is written descriptively. However, in the second part of his essay, it becomes clear that he is putting forward a political argument for freedom, for instance, not merely a personal preference of Haldane’s but a universal requirement. This means that society should be structured in such a way as to maximize freedom for everyone.

His viewpoint is that of a social critic, setting forth a general program of the principles that should underlie a civilized society.

e.      Why does the writer demand security?

The writer demands security because the writer entered in heroic age during his youth at the time of the world war. And he wants to save the lives of human beings in such critical conditions, so that others do not suffer from the same problem that he suffers from.

 

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