Class 11 English Lesson 4: Reference to the context

 

Reference to the context 9 (page 219)

 f to the context

a.     The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?

Yes, the writer creates two voices in the story, and they were (a narrator) and the voice of the young boy, i.e., the child.

b.     Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

“…the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders mostly, and cobras, thick like tree trunks around the middle, and if I touch one of them, I’ll be bitten and I’ll die before tea time. And if I get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow.”

c.      What does ‘the black part’ mean?

The black part means the difficulty, challenges, and suffering in the journey.

d.     Who is the speaker?

The speaker is a young boy.

e.      Why doesn’t the speaker want to be burned?

He doesn’t want to be burned because he wants to reach across the carpet safely to receive the gift of ‘a puppy’ on his birthday.

f.       Which images and metaphors are used in the story?

The main metaphor in the story “The Wish” by Roald Dahl is the child’s journey along the carpet as a representation of the obstacles and challenges he faces as he matures. Vivid images that Dahl uses to reinforce the metaphor include the scab as the boy’s primary challenge, the red spots on the carpet as hot lumps of coal, and the black sections as evil, poisonous snakes.

g.     Summarize the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.

(Look at the top of the page)

h.     The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, which presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?

In “The Wish,” a boy uses his imagination to travel across a red, black, and yellow carpet. The children represent the story more interestingly and effectively than the narrator because it is vivid and suspenseful. The child was in a hardship situation, and he faced hardships and won all the challenges, as motivated by a Birthday gift of a puppy, by completing his journey at the end.

i.       Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.

Roald Dahl’s “The Wish” is about self-confidence overcoming fear rather than about greed, as it is all about self-confidence and overcoming fear. Admittedly, “greed,” the desire for a puppy, is a motivating factor. However, the puppy motivator is a fantasy that the boy has made up to help him overcome his fear of crossing the treacherous carpet. He says to himself, ‘If I get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow.

The child seems fearful while watching his scab. He thinks much about picking it. He raises many questions with himself. He picks out his scab being panicking. But when he sees the carpet, his fear increases. He gathers his confidence to cross the carpet. He creates his obstacles supposing the colours as coals and snakes. He even puts his goal across the carpet. He moves bravely on the carpet, wishing for a puppy on his birthday as a birthday gift. He tries his best to overcome his fear. His self-confidence and his wish end as he falls into black colours.

Even the puppy becomes part of his project of overcoming fears to achieve a goal, but the fear of not getting the puppy compelled him to go on. This tale enters into the mind of an imaginative child and reflects the child’s ability to turn something as commonplace as a patterned carpet into a scene of adventure and challenge in which he can act out his fears in a safe environment.

 

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