The New Constitution Saadat Hassan Manto Summary and Question Answers short stories, Complete Notes for BA English

 

Summary

The story “The New Constitution” conveys the idea that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It also tells the reader about the true feelings of the common people of India for the British.
Ustad Mangu is a tongawala and lives in Lahore. He is illiterate. He is in the habit of overhearing his fares. Once he overhears from his fares about the communal violence. He is worried and tells his friends about the reason for this communal violence.
He hates the English because of their arrogance and insulting behavior. Once a gora soldier insults him and Ustad bears the insult silently. In a rage, he abuses the English.
Once he overhears about the introduction of the new constitution. He is very happy. He returns to the Tonga stand and tells his companions about the news. After that, he overhears about the changes. He overhears that the Indians would be free. He thought that the new constitution would force the English to go back to England. The Indians would have elected assemblies. They would have equal rights. He waits for the introduction of the new constitution very impatiently.
On 1 April, he gets up early in the morning and comes on the road to see the new constitution in force. However, he is disappointed to see no change. He meets a Gora soldier there and picks up a quarrel with him. He beats the Gora soldier. Two police officers lock him up. They tell him that nothing has changed and it is the same old constitution.

Question Answers

Q. Narrate the story in your own words. 

Ans:-  

“The New Constitution” is a story of political awareness at the lowest level of our society. It is a powerful story that shows how the common man looks hopefully at every promise of a change in the political set up. The New Constitution means the Government of India Act, 1935, which introduced a democratic setup in India. Mangu, a tongawala of Lahore eagerly listened to his educated fares talking about the new constitution. They said it would ensure equality of rights. The people of India would form their own government under the new constitution. They would no longer be slaves to the British Rule. Mangu believed what he heard, so he was very happy and hopeful. The new constitution was introduced on the first of April. Mangu hated the ruling nation. To his dismay, he learned that the promise of the New Constitution was a false promise. The promised change had not come.
The story also expressed the falsity of the promises made by politicians in general and alien rulers in particular. As Mr. White, the British Deputy Commissioner of Mayapur in Paul Scott's novel said, “we were in India for what we could get out of it”. At the same time, it tries to create awareness among the people to save them from further exploitation by their rulers in the future.
Manto is famous for his excellent stories on the movement for Pakistan. He is also one of the outstanding critics of society. In this story he makes us realize that the Indians were no doubt against the British rule but they were easily deceived by false promises because of their simplicity and ignorance.

The irony in the Story

“The New Constitution” brings to light the irony of the political situation in the sub-continent under British rule. The rulers introduced the government of India act, 1935 with tall promises. But those promises were never fulfilled. The New Constitution promised self-government. But it was only restricted self-government as it was under complete British control. It did not bring any profitable change for the people. They had been told that this New Constitution would make life easy and comfortable for them. It would ensure respect for the common man. It would give them all the rights which their rulers enjoyed. But all these promises turned out to be false.
The New Constitution was nothing more than a new political set up. It failed to fulfill the hopes of the common man. The story brings out the irony of politics very effectively.
The irony is brought out suddenly when Mangu finds himself arrested for beating a gora soldier. What he did was unfair. He should not have lost his temper. But he was a simple honest man. His feelings of hatred against the alien rulers got the better of his manners. The so-called new setup had given him the courage to avenge the insult and injury he had once suffered at the hands of a gora. His hatred against that gora was generalized to the whole gora nation. In beating the gora soldier he was encouraged by the concept of equality of rights promised by the new constitution. But he soon learned that the promise was false. This lesson of irony came to him as a shock. His fond hopes about the future of his nation were shattered by this incident.

Character Sketch of Mangu

Mangu is a tongawala in Lahore. He stands for the common man of the sub-continent. He is keenly interested in the politics of the country. His political awareness comes from contact with educated people who sometimes happen to travel by his Tonga. He has heard a lot about the New Constitution, which is going to be promulgated on first April. This new constitution promises to ensure basic human rights for all the people in the country. Like everybody else, Mangu, too, is very hopeful. He hopes that the new constitution will bring the British rule to an end. Then no gora will be able to bully an Indian.
Mangu shares his awareness with other tongawalas on the Tonga stand. He tells them what he hears from his fares about the new constitution every day. This has made him quite a leader of his community.
Like every common man in our country, Mangu too is very optimistic about the future of the nation. He hopes things will improve under the new setup. But when the setup comes he learns that he was mistaken. The promised change does not come with it. The alien rulers are still the masters. Every person of their nation still enjoys the same prestige. Mangu's fight with the gora soldier brings this sad fact to light for him. We pity him for having fought with a member of the ruling nation.
Mangu is not just a poor tongawala. He represents the Indian nation under British rule. His hatred for the white rulers reflects the general hatred. It was this hatred that eventually led to the exit of the white rulers.
(In short Ustad Mangu is a wonderful character. He is a faithful representative of the slave nations who detest their foreign rulers but feel helpless against their inhuman treatment. He is a man who tries to look at the outside world in the light of his inner aspirations and expectations. This makes him ridiculous.

The Killer Ernest Hemingway Summary and Questions Answers BSc BA English Notes Short Stories

 

Summary

The story “The Killers” is about the idea that crime does not pay. Criminals try to escape the consequences of their crimes, but they cannot. They have to face them resignedly. Nobody can help them. They are alone and their own.
It is five o’clock. Two men enter a restaurant. Their names are Al and Max. They are killers. They have come to kill Ole Anderson. Ole is a customer. George, Nick, and Sam are members of the staff of the restaurant.
The two men sat at the counter. The order for a heavy dinner. George tells them that it is five O’clock and they can get a heavy dinner at six O’clock. They talk to the members of the staff rudely. They make fun of them and call them bright boys.
After eating his meal, Al takes Nick and Sam to the kitchen. He makes them hostages at the gunpoint. Max sits with George at the counter to handle the situation. Max asks George to tell the customers that the cook is off. Fortunately, Ole does not come. After waiting for almost two hours, they leave the restaurant.
After their departure, Nick goes to Ole’s residence to tell him about the killers. However, Ole listens about the killers very casually. He tells him that nothing can be done. He thanks Nick on his coming and telling him about the killers. Nick returns and tells George about Ole. Nick is afraid of and wants to leave the town. George agrees to it.  

Question Answers

Q: Describe the scene in Henry's Lunchroom on the arrival of the Killers. 

Answer:-    

        Henry's Lunchroom was a small restaurant. It was visited regularly by middle and lower-middle-class people. At the time of the incident, the lunchroom was making preparations for dinner. The killer Al and Max entered the lunchroom. It was almost empty at that moment. They asked for some food that was not ready at that moment. They were provided with the available food. They ate with their gloves on. Their faces were different but they were dressed like twins. They were wearing derby hats, tight overcoats, silk mufflers, and gloves. They talked vulgarly.

They covered the staff with guns and started setting the scene for murder. They gagged the staff. They declared that they had come to kill a man named Ole Anderson. They looked quite calm and composed because they were professionals. 

The atmosphere in the lunchroom was charged with horror and suspense. It could be sworn that a murder was in the offing.
Then, slowly the suspense began to dissolve, as the victim did not turn up at his usual time. The killers decided to go back. They left, and the atmosphere came back to normal. After the killers had gone away, the proprietor sent one of the servants to Ole Anderson's residence to warn him against the danger to his life.
The business in the lunchroom resumed. The shadow of terror cast by the presence of the killers vanished with their departure.
The scene in the lunchroom during the presence of the killers is not unusual. In the slums of all big cities scenes of violence, drunken brawls and dacoities are quite common. Restaurants and lunchrooms are usual venues for such events. That is why there is no unusual commotion or panic in the lunchroom during or after the scene.
They covered the staff with guns and started setting the scene for murder. They gagged the staff. They declared that they had come to kill a man named Ole Anderson. They looked quite calm and composed because they were professionals.
The atmosphere in the lunchroom was charged with horror and suspense. It could be sworn that a murder was in the offing.
Then, slowly the suspense began to dissolve, as the victim did not turn up at his usual time. The killers decided to go back. They left, and the atmosphere came back to normal. After the killers had gone away, the proprietor sent one of the servants to Ole Anderson's residence to warn him against the danger to his life.
The business in the lunchroom resumed. The shadow of terror cast by the presence of the killers vanished with their departure.
The scene at the lunchroom during the presence of the killers is not unusual. In the slums of all big cities scenes of violence, drunken brawls and dacoities are quite common. Restaurants and lunchrooms are usual venues of such events. That is why there is no unusual commotion or panic in the lunchroom during or after the scene.

Q: What does the story tell us about American society? 

Answer:-    

        The story is a realistic picture of American social life at a lower level of society. It is a movie picture. We can see the characters in action and can hear what they say. We learn a lot from what we see and hear. We learn that Americans are very practical and business-like. They are neither romantic nor emotional.
They do not try to sugar coat their bad deeds. They do not waste time on excuses and explanations. The killers in the story just announce that they are going to kill a man.
They do not bother about excuses. They are callous like machines--- horror proof and even shame proof. We see that crime is no longer a horror in American society. For some people, it is just business. You can hire a killer as easily as you can to engage a taxi. This is, of course, the bottom of moral decline. American society of the present day is a purely materialistic society. The people have lost their softer human side. They think only in terms of money and power. Everybody lives for himself. Therefore nobody cares for what another does. Nobody is interested in the affairs of the man next-door. Nobody likes anybody to stand in his way. Therefore they do not hesitate from doing away with their rivals. This purely selfish attitude of individuals results in the collapse of society. And American society is now on the verge of a terrible collapse.

A Brief Note on Ole Anderson

The character of Ole Anderson has great significance in explaining the background of this story. It is through his reaction that Hemingway wants to convey his views about death. He wants to show that even strong men like the boxer feel helpless before the reality of death. The impending danger to his life had made him deeply dejected. He had been running from his enemies for a long time to save his life. He had now resigned himself to his fate and had realized the futility of the escapist attitude. That is why he did not agree with the suggestion of Nick to go to some other place to save his life. He also considered it useless to seek the help of the police. He was convinced that death is unavoidable and it should be embraced calmly and bravely when it comes. In this respect, he has been compared with Nick who felt much upset at the treatment of the terrorists and wanted to go to some safer place. Ole Anderson stands for the stoical acceptance of the reality of death, while Nick symbolizes the escapist attitude to it.

SHORT STORIES BSc BA English Notes Short Stories

 

SHORT STORIES

1- The Killers

The Killers is written by Ernest Hemingway for more detail and questions you can click the visit button below

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2- Rappaccini’s Daughter

Rappaccini’s Daughter is written by Nathaniel Hawthorne for more details and questions you can click on the visit button below

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3- The New Constitution

The New Constitution is written by Saadat Hasan Manto for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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4- Breakfast

Breakfast is written by John Steinbeck for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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5- Take Pity

Take Pity is written by Bernard Malamud for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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6- The Happy Prince

The Happy Prince is written by Oscar Wilde for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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7- Araby

Araby is written by James Joyce for more details and questions you can click on the visit button below

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8- The Tell Tale Heart

The Tell Tale Heart is written by Edger Allen Poe for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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9- The Necklace

The Necklace is written by Guy de Maupassant for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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10- The Duchess And The Jeweler

The Dutchess and the Jeweler is written by Virginia Woolf for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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11- A Conversation With My Father

A Conversation With My Father is Written By Grace Paley for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

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12- The Fly

The Fly is written by Katherine Mansfield for more details and questions you can click the visit button below

After Apple Picking By Robert Frost Reference Context Explanation for BA BSc English Notes Short Stories

 

Robert Frost:

Robert Frost was born in 1874 and died in 1963. The most American of poets he was first recognized as a poet not in his own country but abroad and his first two books were published in England. When the first set of poems came out the English reviewers were captivated by Frost's unaffected lyrics, his simple vocabulary, and sharp observation. He developed a reputation for "Turning the Living Speech of men and women into poetry". [W.W. Gibson].

Idea of Poem:

In this poem, the world of reality and dreams is strangely intermingled. The poet has been collecting his harvest of apples: he has had a wonderful harvest, "there were ten thousand, thousand fruit to touch..." he now, feels tired. The fatigue coupled with the over-powering scent of apples makes him drowsy and even before he falls to sleep he knows what form his dreams will take...he will see his load of apples, magnified, as it were and he will hear the rumbling of apples emptied out of their barrels. While relinquishing his hold on the conscious self, the poet wonders about the nature of sleep.." whatever sleep it is." The question that poses itself is: "Is this sleep the ordinary, everyday sleep? or is it the sleep of death? All these possibilities are suggested and the poet leaves the question unanswered leaving the reader to draw his own conclusions. We feel that the poet would like it to be "just some human sleep."

Reference: 

These lines have been taken from the poem “After Apple-Picking” written by Robert Frost.

Context: 

The poem, After Apple-Picking, begins with the expression of the thoughts of the speaker, an apple-picker, after a day of apple-picking. Having picked apples throughout the day, he is tired now. His day’s work is over, but the task of apple-picking is not yet complete. The speaker tells that his long ladder still stands ‘sticking through a tree’, rising high toward heaven. He seems to have left it there on purpose to do some more apple-picking later.

Stanza

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree 

Toward heaven still, 

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill 

Beside it, and there may be two or three 

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough. 

But I am done with apple-picking now. 

Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

Explanation:

Beside the ladder, there is a barrel that has not yet been filled with apples and can accommodate some more. A few apples may still have been left on the branches of the tree unpicked or yet to be picked. That means, the task of apple-picking is incomplete. But, as the speaker tells, he is fed up with or tired of apple-picking, and does not feel like doing this work anymore.

Stanza

Essence of winter sleep is on the night, 

The scent of apples: I am drowsing off. 

I cannot rub the strangeness from my sight 

I got from looking through a pane of glass 

I skimmed this morning from the drinking trough 

And held against the world of hoary grass.

Explanation:

The speaker feels tired. The scent of apples, which is the ‘essence of winter-sleep’, causes drowsiness to him, and he begins to drowse off. While falling asleep he recollects the sense of strangeness that was experienced by him at the right he saw in the morning by looking through a sheet of ice which he had picked up from his drinking vessel (trough). He looked at ‘the world of hoary grass’ or (grass covered with snow) through this sheet. It seems as if the speaker were in a confused state of mind because of the onslaught of sleep on him that sent him into a trance in which everything seemed to have been blurred or made indistinct to view.

Stanza

It melted, and I let it fall and break. 

But I was well 

Upon my way to sleep before it fell, 

And I could tell 

What form my dreaming was about to take

Explanation:

The sheet of ice melted, and the speaker allowed it to fall down from his hands, and break into pieces. However, before it fell down, he was just on the verge of falling asleep. In this sleepy state, he was able to tell what form his dreaming was to take place, or what kind of dreams he was about to see in his sleep.

Stanza

Magnified apples appear and disappear, 

Stem end and blossom end, 

And every fleck of russet showing clear. 

My instep arch not only keeps the ache, 

It keeps the pressure of a ladder-round. 

I feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend.

Explanation:

These lines describe the dream of the speaker. The dream comprises ‘an exaggerated recreation of the sensations of apple-picking experienced during the day’, Apples of an enlarged size appear and disappear everywhere – at the end of the stem and at the end of the flowering part of the tree. The speaker sees even the most tiny apples and their colours clearly in the dream. His feet do not feel only pain, but also the pressure of the ladder-round. As he picks the apples, the boughs bend down, and with their movement the ladder also seems to sway. The speaker has given here a picturesque description of the dreamland in which he finds himself in his tranced state.

Stanza

And I keep hearing from the cellar-bin 

That rumbling sound 

Of load on load of apples coming in. 

For I have had too much 

Of apple-picking; I am overtired 

Of the great harvest I myself desired. 

There were ten thousand thousand fruit to touch, 

Cherish in hand, lift down, and not let fall, 

Explanation:

From the depiction of the right around him, the poet-speaker turns to a description of the sound. From the ‘cellar bin’, he keeps hearing the ‘rumbling sound’ of carts carrying ‘load on a load of apples’. There is an abundance of apples, and there are tens of thousands of them for him to touch, admire and to pick or lift carefully so as not to let any of them fall down on the ground. Since the speaker has already done enough of apple-picking he feels overtired and fed up with the bumper harvest he has himself desired so much in the past. He does not want anything to do with the apples.

Stanza

For all 

That struck the earth, 

No matter if not bruised, or spiked with stubble, 

Went surely to the cider-apple heap 

As of no worth.

Explanation:

The apples are not to be allowed to fall from the hands of the speaker, because all such apples as happen to fall down on the ground, are treated as discarded or rejected, even if they may not have been ‘bruised or spiked with stubble.; They are set aside in heaps to be used for making cider and are not regarded as fit or of any worth as eatable fruits.

Stanza

One can see what will trouble 

This sleep of mine, whatever sleep it is. 

Were he not gone, 

The woodchuck could say whether it's like his 

Long sleep, as I describe its coming on, 

Or just some human sleep.

Explanation:

In these concluding lines of the poem, the poet-speaker guesses as to what will trouble his sleep, whatever kind of sleep it may be. His sleep may be troubled by the thought or awareness of the reality which has been ignored in the dream. If the wood chunk (a rodent) has not gone to his long sleep for the winter, it would be able to explain the nature of the poet’s sleep and to tell whether it is a long sleep, which may resemble its own torpor or hibernation, or just an ordinary sleep commonly loved by all human beings. The sleep may be a simple sleep or the sleep of death.

Woman Work By Maya Angelou Reference Context Explanation for BA BSc English Notes Summary

 

Maya Angelou:

American born in St. Louis, 4 April 1928. Educated st schools in Arkansas and California.
Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights, activist, and award-winning author. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.

Summary:

Maya Angelou, the poetess, has described the domestic routine of a housewife. The routine is mechanical, i.e. caring for the children, mending clothes, mapping floor, buying and cooking food and pressing clothes etc. It is in fact drudgery. No leisure is available to a woman. Even then she is dreaming of ideal life. She longs for rain, sunshine and snowfall. It gives woman strength to sustenance. She wishes to be one with nature and loves to be a part of the mountain, oceans, leaf and stone, star shine, moon glow. She likes to participate in nature around her. She is tired of her daily mechanical routine and requests the storm to rescue her as follows

Reference:

  These lines have been taken from the poem “Woman Work” written by Maya Angelou.

Context: 

This poem presents the miserable state of a working woman and her wish to live an ideal life. The poetess has shown different phases of her daily life. Basically, it is the poetess's desire to escape from the dull routine of life and having the company of nature It is an indirect praise of the woman's greatness. In general, the poem is an escape from the drudgery of the mechanical routine and taking shelter in an ideal life.

Stanza

I've got the children to tend

The clothes to mend

The floor or mop

The food to shop

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess gives vent to her feelings for her dull and busy life. She is tired of the routine work of a working woman. She says she has to look after children at home. Also, she has to repair the clothes of the members of her family. She has to clean the floor of her house and has to collect edibles from the shop for her family. After that, she has to cook those things which she has brought from the shop.

Stanza

Then chicken to fry

The baby to dry

I got company to feed

The garden to weed

I've got the shirts to press

The tots to dress

The cane to be cut

I got to clean up this hut.

Explanation:

These lines are a continuation of her domestic chores. She has mentioned some of the chores in the previous stanza and of some talks here. She says that she has to cook chicken for the family. Also she has to dry the baby after bathing it. After that she has to prepare meal for her guests. She has to remove unwanted plants from her garden. She has to press the clothes of her children and other members of her family. She has to dress her little children and also has to cut bamboos. She has to clean the whole house. All these chores are quite tough and require courage and forbearance on the part of a domestic woman.

Stanza

Shine on me, sunshine

Rain on me, rain

Fall softly, dewdrops

And cool my brow again.

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess wants to enjoy the natural objects. She has got tired of domestic work and wants to go close to nature. She says that the sunlight should shine on her, rain should fall on her. The dewdrops should gently fall upon her. All these things can cool her brow. All these natural objects can give her satisfaction and peace.

Stanza

Storm, blow me from here

With your fiercest wind

Let me float across the sky

Till I can rest again.

Explanation:

These lines are an expression of her escapism from the busy life of a working woman. The domestic woman remains awfully busy and dreams of an ideal life. In these lines, she asks the storm to blow her from the busy world across the sky with its stormy wind. As such she will be able to get relief from the hurly-burly of life. She asks the storm to take her to an imaginary world for rest. Only imagination can give her, peace, solace, and satisfaction, otherwise, physically it is not possible to run away from this world. Shelley in “Ode to the West Wind” says, oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud! I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!

Stanza

Fall gently, snow flakes

Cover me with white

Cold icy kisses and 

Let me rest tonight.

Explanation:

This stanza is also an expression of taking relief and refuge with natural objects. She asks the snow-flakes to fall gently on her body and completely cover it up and make it all white. When she will be completely under the charm and burden of the white snow, she will get solace. She further asks snow to touch and give her cold icy kisses, so that she may be able to have rest that night. Actually, natural objects can please a person and give the company for some time.

Stanza

Sun rain, curving sky

Mountain, oceans, leaf and stone

Star shine, moon glow

You're all that I can call my own.

Explanation:

In these lines, the poetess addresses all the natural objects to help her in giving relief from the busy life of a working woman. She wants to lose herself among the natural objects. That is why she asks the sun, rain, the curving sky, the mountains, the ocean, the leaf, and the stone to give her relief. Actually, she wants to get relief and joy from all these things and wants to run away from dark and dull life at home. That is why she asks the moon to glow, the shining stars to give her shelter with them. She calls all these things her own because she wants some leisure and satisfaction in these natural things. Nature can give delight to her and can transport her to peace and tranquility.