12th English Summary THE ARTIST, A CHILD IS BORN, INDIA THROUGH A TRAVELLER’S EYES, I HAVE A DREAM

THE ARTIST

“The Artist is a very sensitive story written by a Japanese writer “Shiga Naoya’. In this story the writer deals with the world of a talented Japanese boy, Seibie. The story shows how the adult world often causes damage to such talents. 

According to the story, Seibei is a Japanese boy, who has a peculiar hobby to collect gourds. He generally goes to market and buys a gourd. He brings it, first he makes a neat hole in the top of it and extacts the seeds. After that he applied tea-leaves to get rid of the unpleasant gourd-smell. He then takes win and carefully polishes the surface. 

Seibei is a twelve years old boy. He lives in a harbour town and read in a primary school. He does not like to play with the other children. He usually wanders about the town looking for gourds. In the evening he sits in the corner of his living room and works on his newly fruit for a long time. After that he ties a string round the middle of it and hangs it in the song to dry. 

One day he goes to school with a gourd and starts polishing it in the class while the teacher has been teaching. The teacher catches him red-handed and rebukes him for such womanish work. The teacher complains to his mother. When his father comes and hears about the teacher’s complaint, he becames angry and beats his son, Scibci. Actually, Seibie’s father does not like his hobby of collecting gours. He wants that his son should study well. Then he smashes all his gourds that Seibei has polished with great care. When he is forced to give up collecting gourds, he begins making pictures and becomes an artist. But, his father scolds him for painting the pictures. 

Thus, the story-writer, throws light over the fact that parents and adult world often causes damage to young talents like a talented Japanese boy, Seibei. 

A CHILD IS BORN

A CHILD IS BORN ‘The Child is Born’ is a social and cultural essay written by Germaine Greer. In this essay the writer deals with the ways of managing child-birth in traditional societies. 

According to the writer, in traditional societies a mother is kept free from the anxiety of childbirth. People manage childbirth in traditional societies in various ways. These ways are accepted culturally and collectively. In this way the mother does not have any mental burden of reinventing the procedures. A woman during her pregnancy is cared by her husband and every member of her family. She does not feel alone, because she has the support of the whole family. Every member of her family takes care of her. 

In many traditional societies women after marriage go to live with their mother’s-in-law and other members of the family in a joint family. But, they are not accepted as the member of the new family until they have borne a child. In such societies a child plays an important role in the life of mother. A mother is known by the name of her child. 

In many societies a pregnant woman has to follow some traditional rules. She goes to her mother’s house for the birth of her child. She has to stay there about the first three months of the baby’s life. There she gets a lot of love and care. The birth of the baby is celebrated. When the baby is seven days old, there is naming ceremony. The baby is given new clothes and mother is given a new sari. There is feasting, singing and dancing, until late at night. The women and girls gather and sing songs. 

Thus, when a baby is born, it is an occasion of joy for the whole family. The whole matter of pregnancy is one of celebrations. 

INDIA THROUGH A TRAVELLER’S EYES-

INDIA THROUGH A TRAVELLER’S EYES ‘India Through a Traveller’s Eyes’ is an extract from ‘My , Several Worlds’ written by Pearl S. Buck. Here, the writer presents the personal records of her life. In this essay, she has. expressed her deep love and affection for Indian people. 

The writer says about her visit to India. She says that the purpose of her visit to India was not to see the Taj Mahal or Fatehpur Sikri or any other historical places, although she saw . all these things. She visited India to see and listen to two groups of people, the young intellectuals in cities and the peasants in villages. She met the young intellectuals in small rooms in cities. She heard their plans for freedom. She found them angry and disappointed, because England had broken the promise to restore India after the first world war. So, the intellectuals are restless. They had planned to rebel against England during the second world war. 

The writer visited rural India and she was shocked to see the miserable condition of the peasants. She found that the condition of Indian peasants was worse than the Chinese. Only Russian peasants under the rules of Czar could be compared with them. 

The writer was very much impressed by Indian culture. She was fascinated by the joint family life of Indians living in villages. She saw that the people were basically cultured and deeply religious. The master of the house was respected by everyone, whether he is physically fit or not. 

The writer says that selfless men could be the real leaders of Indian people. Indians had a great respect for their leaders. In their opinion, a man could be their leader, who was honest high-minded and trustworthy. 

Thus, the writer presents a picture of India as she saw her and understood her. Her expression about India shows her deep love and affection for Indian people. 

I HAVE A DREAM

 I HAVE A DREAM :- WI Have a Dream”is an important speech of Martin Luther King Junior, in 1963. In this speech king Jr. describes the pitiable condition in America. He wants to see his country free from racial distinction between the whites and the blacks. 

Through his speech king Jr. raises his voice for equality and right for Nigroes in America. He reminds them that slavery in America has been abolished but Negroes are not free. They live in Ghettos. They find no justice. There is justice in America, but Nigroes are deprived of it. America is a rich country, but Nigroes live in poverty. They are treated as slave in their own country. Social and economic justice is a dream for them. So, King Jr. asks them to continue their struggle for justice and right. He advises him to keep their fight non-violent and disciplined. He asks his people to maintain good conduct and remain free from hatred and enemity. . 

King Jr. says that he has a dream. He has a dream of seeing Alabama as developed state. He has a dream that one day white boys and girls join hands, with black boys and girls. He dreams that the sons of former slaves and the sons of farmer slave owners will sit down together as brothers. He has a dream that all the people of America will walk together. 

King Jr. is sure that inspite of difficulties and frustration, the situation will change. He hopes that one day will come when injustice and discrimination will end. One day there would be the atmosphare of brotherhood in America and the rough life of the Nigroes would be made smooth. 

Thus, through this speech King Jr. advises the Nigroes of America to fight continuously for their rights. He assures the blacks that one day will come when they will be given their rights and freedom.