YOU ARE OLD FATHER WILLIAM
Lewis Carroll (Exercise)
WORD MEANING
1. injure - wounded, damage, hurt
2. shilling - coin
3. couple - two
4. goose - bird (like a duck)
5. beak - the hard part of the mouth of a
bird
6. hardly - almost nothing
7. eel - a kind of fish
8. awfully - very
9. give yourself airs - to act silly
10. stuff - matter
11. awkward - not comfortable
12. incessantly - continuously, constantly
13. somersault - an acrobatic moment in which
the body rolls end, making a complete revolution
14. locks - the hair on the heed
15. suet - hard waxy fat found in the body of
sheep/ cattle; used in cooking too
A. Answer these
questions.
1. Why is the young
man worried about Father William?
Father William has grown old and yet he
incessantly stands on his head and this worries the young man.
2. What are the other three things that amaze
the young man?
The other three
things that amaze the young man are,
a. Father William is
uncommonly fat, yet he turns a back somersault in at the door.
b. His jaws are too
weak, yet he finishes a goose with bones and beak.
c. His eyes are not
steady, yet he balances an eel on the end of his nose.
3. How does Father William react to so many
questions of his son?
Father William
has answered his three questions and that is enough as he cannot listen to him
all day. So now the boy must be off or else he is going to kick him down
stairs.
B. Think and answer.
1. Do you think
Father William gave his son all the right answers? Why? Why not?
No, Father William
did not give his son all the right answers...
Because to his first
question he has answered that now he is perfectly sure that he has no brain and
that is why he can do again and again. This answer is totally meaningless.
We do not know if he
has really shown that ointment, which he used to keep his limbs supple.
Again while answering
to his third questions he confirms his jaws are strong because he was arguing
with his wife. Such comments can only be a humour and not true in reality.
2. Was he a patient man?
Father William has the patience to listen to the
three questions of the boy and answered them; but he was not patient enough to
listen to his all the questions all day.
3. What makes him a humorous person?
The young boy asks him questions and he is
answering to his questions. Here the way he poses his reasons of his ability to
stand on his head, give back somersault and balanc eel on his nose; are all
humorous.
First, he says that he is sure he has no brain;
that is why he could stand on his head.
Second, he shakes his
grey locks and shows him nothing of his ointment, which he could sale to the
boy.
Third, he had taken
the law of argument and argued with his wife. That made his jaw muscle
stronger. Then finally he is fed up of answering and wants to kick the boy to
downstairs if he doesn't stop then.
These are all
examples of humour.
C. Discuss in class.
How do you feel when
you see someone in an awkward situation or a tight spot? Will you laugh but
help him/her? Or, will you taunt him/ her? Why?
ANSWER TO BE DONE BY SELF.
GIVE YOUR OPINION
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