A Shady Plot is a short ghost story by Elsie Brown.

The
story deals with the appearance of supernatural and
spiritual things.

The writer, John Hallock was urged by Jerkins to write a

new ghost story for his magazine. Usually John was full of
ideas but that day he could not make a start. He started
talking to himself. Then, suddenly he heard the ghost
‘Helen’s voice. He was surprised. She spoke on behalf of
all the people who had turned to ghosts and warned the
writer to stop from calling them often. She said they were
all going to call for a strike. This strike was to not to
appear or provide ideas to people for writing ghost
stories. Thus, Helen warned the author not to involve
himself in Ouija Board's activity or any other which would
mean calling the spirits.

At noon, while he was still trying to work on a story, his

wife Lavinia brought a Ouija Board home and announced her
party with the women from her Book Club. The writer tried
to convince Lavinia, his wife, to drop the idea. However,
his wife made him a partner of Laura Hinkle to work on one
of the Ouija boards.

When the spirit visited, Laura asked it to tell something,

the pointer started moving towards the letters to point out
the word 'TRAITOR '. Bewildered, the writer had nothing to
say so his partner asked the spirit to explain itself more
fully. In response, the spirit spelled 'ASK HIM '. This was
when the wrter realized that it is actually Helen who was
trying to interact with them. They all asked Hallock if he
knew anyone by name ‘Helen’ but he refused. After sometime
the party came to an end. Lavinia had all the reasons to
suspect that John was a traitor and he had an affair with a
woman called Helen. She decided to get separated, packed
her baggage and entered to bid him bye.

Meanwhile, Helen blamed John for having played Ouija with

the ladies instead of stopping them from playing it. John
could not think of letting his wife see a ghost and faint
or go mad. He asked Lavinia to leave if she couldn’t help.

After some time, there was a knock and Lavinia entered

again. Suddenly, she saw the spirit who informed her that
she was Helen of New York and now she was going. Hearing
the words of Helen, Lavinia doubt on her husband is
cleared. Lavinia decided to stay back. The story ends well
with the writer throwing the Ouija board in fire and Helen
being glad. The writer was very happy because he had got a
plot for a ghost story.

Apparition-a supernatural appearance of a person or thing,

a ghost, spectre or phantom
Clairvoyance-the supposed power to see objects or events
that cannot be perceived by the senses
Crystal Ball-a globe of quartz crystal in which images,
believed to portend the future, are supposedly visible to
fortune tellers
Eerie-so mysterious, strange, or unexpected as to send a
chill up the spine
Medium-a person through whom the spirits of the dead are
alleged to be able to contact the living
Transmigration-to pass into another body after death: going
from one state of existence or place to another
Psychic-capable of extraordinary mental processes, such as
extrasensory perception and mental telepathy
Ouija Board-a spelling board device intended to communicate
with and through the spirit world, obtaining answers to
questions
Exorcist- a conjurer who expels evil spirits by conjuration
Premonition a- feeling of anticipation of or anxiety over
a future event
Paranormal-beyond the range of normal experience or
scientific explanation
Tarot Card-any of a set of 22 playing cards bearing
allegorical representations, used for fortune telling
Vampire-a reanimated corpse that is believed to rise from
the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people
Poltergeist -inGerman word, meaning "noisy ghost"-a
troublesome spirit that announces its presence with
unexplainable sounds and the creation of disorder.

Answer the following questions briefly

What genre of stories does Jenkins want the narrator to

write? Why?
Answer: Jenkins wants the narrator to write ghost stories.
He wants them because ghost stories are very popular.
Moreover, the ghosts in the narrator’s stories are highly
convincing.

Does the narrator like writing ghost stories? Support your

answer with evidence from the story.

Answer: The narrator does not like writing ghost stories.

At the beginning, he admits that he writes them because
Jenkins assigns him with writing ghost stories. The author
is not sure about how he is able to come with such stories.
The author also admits that he writes ghost stories because
he needs money to pay for his expenses.

What makes Helen, the ghost, and her other co-ghosts

organize The Writer's Inspiration Bureau?

Answer: Helen used to be a writer when she was in mortal

life. But she was not able to write good stories which she
appears to be repenting. She wants to help other authors so
that they could write convincing ghost stories. Due to
this, Helen and her other co-ghosts organize The Writer’s
Inspiration Bureau.

What genre of stories does Jenkins want the narrator to

write? Why?

Answer: Jenkins wants the narrator to write ghost stories.

He wants them because ghost stories are very popular.
Moreover, the ghosts in the narrator’s stories are highly
convincing.

Does the narrator like writing ghost stories? Support your

answer with evidence from the story.

Answer: The narrator does not like writing ghost stories.

At the beginning, he admits that he writes them because
Jenkins assigns him with writing ghost stories. The author
is not sure about how he is able to come with such stories.
The author also admits that he writes ghost stories because
he needs money to pay for his expenses.
What makes Helen, the ghost, and her other co-ghosts
organize The Writer's Inspiration Bureau?

Answer: Helen used to be a writer when she was in mortal

life. But she was not able to write good stories which she
appears to be repenting. She wants to help other authors so
that they could write convincing ghost stories. Due to
this, Helen and her other co-ghosts organize The Writer’s
Inspiration Bureau.

Why had Helen, the ghost been helping the narrator write
ghost stories? Why was she going on strike? What condition
did she place for providing continued help?

Answer: The narrator fits the preconditions which an author

should have for being eligible to be helped by the ghosts.
His mind is blank (with no ideas) and impressionable enough
for the ghosts to plant their thoughts in his mind. The
ghosts were annoyed by growing popularity of Ouija boards
because a game of Ouija used to disturb them frequently.
Hence, the ghosts were going on strike. She would have
continued to help the narrator if people gave up playing
Ouija board.

How does the ghost undermine the narrator's faith in his

ability to write ghost stories?

Answer: The ghost reveals that the narrator does not know
how to write a ghost story. She tells the narrator how did
she help him in his earlier assignments. She also tells
that the highly convincing ghosts of his stories were
because of inspiration from her only. Thus, the ghost
undermines the narrator’s faith in his ability to write
ghost stories.

Why does John want the ghost to disappear before his wife
appears on the scene? What impression of his wife's
character do you form from his words?

Answer: John does not want his wife to discover about the
ghost. He is afraid that his wife would not approve him of
talking to a ghost; especially a female ghost. His wife is
too possessive about John. She is highly suspicious of John
as if he may be having some illicit affair.

Why does the narrator hesitate to be a partner to Laura

Hinkle during the Ouija Board Party?

Answer: The narrator does not like to play a game of Ouija.

Moreover, he is also turned off by flirtatious attitude of
Laura Hinkle. Hence, he hesitates to be a partner to Laura
Hinkle during the Ouija Board Party.

What message does the ghost convey to the group that had
assembled in the narrator's house? What is their reaction
to the message?

Answer: The ghost tries to say that John has been a traitor
as he could not prevent people in the room from playing
Ouija Board. All the ladies are curious that someone named
Helen was trying to give some message about John. The
ladies begin to doubt John as if he is having some affair
with Helen. Most of the ladies are amused but John’s wife
is annoyed.

Do you agree with the narrator calling the assembly of

women "manipulators?" Give reasons.

Answer: All the ladies were trying to force John in

uncomfortable situation. They wanted to enjoy all the
embarrassment which John must be going through. Hence, John
has rightly said them as manipulators.

Why is John's wife angry? What does she decide to do?

Answer: Joh’s wife is angry because of two reasons. She is

angry because John left the party midway. She is also angry
because of the suspicion she had regarding John and Helen.
She decides to talk to her lawyer for a probable divorce.
She is planning to go to her grandmother’s place.

Why does John wish he were dead?

Answer: John is not happy after reading the threatening

letter from his wife. He is dreading the thought of a life
without his wife. Hence, his wishes he was dead.
When confronted by Lavinia about his flirtations over the
Ouija Board, John insists that 'the affair was quite above-
board, I assure you, my love'. Bring out the pun in John's
statement.

Answer: Above-board means everything is done in a

transparent manner and nothing has been hidden. Since
Lavinia suspects that John was flirting with Hinkle; John
tries to show that he did not do anything under the board.
He candidly admits of doing some harmless mischief.

John's apprehensions about his wife's reaction to her

encounter with the ghost are unfounded. Justify.

Answer: When Lavinia happens to meet the ghost see is

neither scared nor surprised. She is not even angry at
John. This shows that John’s apprehensions about his wife’s
reaction to her encounter with the ghost are unfounded.

Patol Babu

Satyajit Ray

Summary: This story is about a middle-aged person who was

once bitten by the acting bug. Patol Babu is a middle-aged
man with bald pate and short height. When he was young, he
used to act in various dramas and theatres in the
neighbourhood. After that, he had to give up his hobbies in
the pursuit of his livelihood all through these years. But
when he had least expected it, he got an offer to do a
small role in a film which was being made by some famous
director. Patol Babu is quite excited at getting that offer
as it had rekindled the old flame of acting in him. When
Patol Babu reaches the spot where shooting is to take
place, he discovers that all he got was an inconsequential
role. Patol Babu is quite angry at being tortured for such
a useless role where he does not even have a proper
dialogue. But he recalls the precious teachings by his
theatre guru that no role is insignificant and an artist
should do full justice to a role no matter how small or
insignificant it appears. So, Patol Babu does full
rehearsal before the shot and tries to do full justice to
the role. He is deeply satisfied at his effort and so happy
that he leaves the shooting spot without even collecting
his wages for the role. This story shows the contrast
between the life of a common man and the glitter of the
film industry.

Answer the following questions briefly

What was the news that Nishikanto Ghosh gave Patol Babu?

Answer: Nishinkanto Ghosh brought the news that someone has

agreed to offer a role to Patol Babu in a movie.

How did Patol Babu react? Why?

Answer: Patol Babu was surprised. He had acted in dramas

when he was young but now he is in his early fifties and
has left acting a long back. He is a simple middle class
man who is struggling to make ends meet.

Why had Patol Babu lost his first job in Calcutta?

Answer: The Company for which Patol Babu was working

suffered due to the war. It forced the Company to retrench
a large number of employees. Patol Babu was among the
unfortunate employees who lost their job.

How does Patol Babu reconcile to the dialogue given to him?

Answer: Patol Babu remembers the preaching of his guru in

acting. He always advised that no role is small and one
should do full justice to a role; no matter how
insignificant it appeared. So, Patol Babu decided to give
it his whole heart.

Who was Mr. Pakrashi? How do his words help Patol Babu in
enacting his role?

Answer: Mr. Pakrashi was the mentor of Patol Babu during

his theatre days. He advised Patol Babu to never consider a
role below his dignity. He advised that an actor should try
to squeeze every drop of the line given to him. He said
that acting was like a teamwork in which everyone’s effort
brings the whole picture. His words appeared highly
encouraging Patol Babu and thus Patol Babu began rehearsing
to say ‘Oh’ in various styles.

How do we know that Patol Babu was a meticulous man?

Answer: Different activities of Patol Babu show that he was

a meticulous man. To start with; he reached on time for the
shooting. He tried to gather all possible information about
the film; like name of the director, lead actor, etc. He
wanted to get his dialogue beforehand so that he could get
enough time to rehearse for his role. Even when he was
given a monosyllable in the name of dialogue; he continued
rehearsing that. He even counted the number of steps
required to correctly time his collision with the lead
actor.

Why did Mr. Mullick turn down Patol Babu's request for a
rehearsal?

Answer: Mr. Mullick was aware about the inconsequence of

the role given to Patol Babu. Hence, he did not want to
waste time on rehearsal and refused Patol Babu’s request.

What were the special touches that Patol Babu gave to his
role to make it more authentic?

Answer: Patol Babu practiced his dialogue in a variety of

ways to make that as authentic as possible. He wanted to
hold a newspaper to appear like an absent minded
pedestrian. These are the examples of special touches Patol
Babu gave to his role to make it more authentic.

Discuss the following questions in detail

'I hope the part calls for some dialogue?' Who says this?
Why does he /she ask this question?

Answer: Patol Babu enquires this. He wants enough time to

rehearse his dialogue and hence asks this question.

'Were these people pulling his legs? Was the whole thing a
gigantic hoax? A meek, harmless man like him, and they had
to drag him into the middle of the city to make a laughing
stock out of him. How could anyone be so cruel?' Why does
Patol Babu have these thoughts?

Answer: When Patol Babu discovers the insignificant role

offered to him; he develops these thoughts.

Patol Babu is an amateur actor for whom walk-on part in a

movie turns into an ultimate challenge. Discuss.

Answer: Patol Babu is an amateur actor who has left acting

a long time ago. He feels highly elated when he gets the
news of an offer for a role. But Patol Babu feels quite
dejected when he discovers that his role has no
significance. Finally; the preaching of his old mentor
encourages him to take up the challenge and do full justice
to his role. Thus, it can be said that the walk-on part in
a movie turns into an ultimate challenge for him.

Do you agree with the statement that Patol Babu is a

practical man who comes to terms with whatever life has to
offer? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: Patol Babu moves to Calcutta when a better offer is

available. After he loses his job in Calcutta, he begins a
shop which shuts down after some years. After that, he is
working hard to earn his livelihood and appears to be a
content man. When the role is offered to him, he accepts
the fact that he is a small actor who may not deserve a big
role. He also musters enough courage to do full justice to
the role he was offered. These examples show that Patol
Babu is a practical man who comes to terms with whatever
life has to offer.

Why does Patol Babu walk away before he can be paid for his
role? What does this reveal about his character?

Answer: Patol Babu was satisfied at the fact that he did

full justice to his role. For him, getting a role and
playing it to its true potential was more important than
earning money from the role. Hence, he left before he could
be paid for the role. This shows that Patol Babu is a true
artist and a good human being.
Do you think making a movie is an easy job? Discuss with
reference to the story.

Answer: Moving making does not appear to be an easy task.

The unit of a movie needs hundreds of staffs who have to
carry out different tasks. Arrangements for shooting at a
particular location can be cumbersome and time consuming.
In case of an outdoor shooting, crowd management is another
headache.

Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare

Summary Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman who

lived between 100 BC to 44BC. He played an instrumental
role in the demise of Roman Republic and rise of the Roman
Empire. After winning several wars, Julius Caesar became
very popular and powerful. When he was offered the crown by
Mark Antony; he refused the crown. Some people were jealous
of Caesar’s growing power and feared that he might become a
dictator. Cassius hatches a conspiracy to murder Caesar. He
wins over Brutus in this conspiracy because Brutus is the
most trusted and respected in Rome. After the assassination
of Caesar, one of his friends; Antony; succeeds in
motivating people to raise a revolt against Cassius and
Brutus.

Act 1 Scene 1

The first scene depicts the argument between Caesar and his
wife Calpurnia. Calpurnia tries to stop Caesar from going
to the senate because she is apprehensive of some mishap.
She explains the bad omens which she saw in her dreams. In
response, Caesar claims that a brave man should not be
afraid of death because death is the ultimate truth.
Calpurnia wants Mark Antony to convey the message that
Caesar would not attend the meeting at senate and to give
an excuse of Caesar’s sickness. Finally, Decius Brutus
tries to convince Caesar by giving a different and positive
interpretation of the dreams which Calpurnia had. Thus,
Brutus is able to take Caesar alongwith him to the senate.

Act 2: Scene 1
Various courtiers and members of the senate sing paeans for
Caesar. Caesar asks his fellows not to indulge in flattery.
The discussion then veers on the banishment of Publius
Cimber. Finally, all the men who are with Cassius take out
their daggers and kill Caesar. When Brutus stabs Cesar then
Caesar is astonished that even Brutus is against him.

After the assassination of Caesar, Cassius wants the

message conveyed to the people of Rome that they have
succeeded in ending the tyranny and in ensuring freedom for
the people of Rome..
Mark Antony; a close associate of Caesar arrives on the
scene. Cassius and his men convey to Antony that Caesar was
murdered for the good of Rome. They also assure Antony his
due share in power. But Antony insists on mourning for
Caesar’s death. He gets permission for taking the body of
Caesar so that he can organize a public mourning. It is
also agreed that Cassius would speak to the public to
convey the message of protection of Rome’s liberty as a
reason for the assassination of Caesar. After that Antony
could take his time to speak whatever he wishes to speak
about Caesar.

Act 2: Scene 2

Antony gives a speech to highlight that Caesar was kind to

the public and was not ambitious as was claimed by Cassius.
By giving many examples; Antony is able to motivate the
gathered mass of people. He also reads the will of Caesar
which announces many freebies for the people. People then
cremate the body of Caesar and begin the revolt against
Cassius and Brutus.

Virtually True
Paul Stewart

Summary: This story is about virtual reality and can be

termed a science fiction. The narrator of the story has
bought a computer and virtual reality equipments with some
fancy games. The narrator and his father appear to be
deeply interested in computers. While on a train, the
narrator comes to know about the news of a miracle recovery
of a boy named Sebastian Shultz who had been in coma for a
long period. After that, the narrator remembers how he
helped in saving Sebastian in many computer games which he
played. The story carries fanciful details of all the games
he played. The narrator thinks about the possibility of
Sebastian entering the world of virtual reality and comes
to the conclusion that Sebastian’s memory must have been
transferred to computer when he may have accidentally hit
his head against screen. It is said that a computer never
forgets anything, so the computer in this story remembered
everything. The narrator ends up exchanging e-mail with
Sebastian in real life as well.

According to the newspaper, what had happened to Sebastian

Shultz?

Answer: Sebastian was badly injured in a motorway accident

and went into coma. He was in coma for a very long period
and doctors had lost all hopes. Then a miracle happened and
Sebastian came out of the coma.

'Dad's nutty about computers.' What evidence is there to

support this statement?

Answer: The narrator’s dad buys a computer with latest

configuration of that time. He also buys virtual reality
equipments and all the necessary peripherals. He believes
that a computer never forgets anything. These facts tell
that the dad was really nutty about computers.

In what way did the second game seem very real?

Answer: The second game was called DRGONQUEST. It was about

rescuing a princess from a dragon. The princess appears
like Rapunzel; with really long hairs. Everything in the
game has been explained in detail; right from long hairs of
the princess to the hot breathe of the dragon. Thus, it can
be said that the second game seemed very real.

The last game has tanks, jeeps, helicopters, guns and

headings would you put this and the other games under?

Answer: All the games can be put under adventure category.

What was Michael's theory about how Sebastian had entered
the games?

Answer: Michael thought that Sebastian must have hit the

computer screen accidentally and that is how all the data
from his brain got transferred to the computer’s memory.
This enabled Sebastian to enter the games.

Why did the news of the 'miracle recovery' shock Michael?

Answer: The news of the ‘miracle recovery’ shocked Michael

because he had been deeply involved in rescuing Sebastian
from imminent death.

Michael's meeting with Sebastian Shultz had been a chance

meeting. Where had it taken place and how?

Answer: Michael met Sebastian in the midst of a computer

game. This was indeed a highly unlikely place for meeting
of two real human beings.

What kind of computers fascinated Michael and his dad? Why?

Answer: Michael and his dad were fascinated by latest

computers which had all the necessary peripherals. They
were eager to explore the huge potential which a computer
could offer.

Describe the first place where Michael was virtually

transported.

Answer: It was a game called Wildwest. He was in a

classical bar of the Wild West. The bar had swinging doors
and many cowboys could be seen in that.

What help did Sebastian Shultz ask Michael for? How did he
convey this message?

Answer: Sebastian wanted Michael to rescue him and save his

life. He conveyed his message by sending it through the
printer.

Why did Michael fail in rescuing Sebastian Shultz the first

time?
Answer: In the first game, when Michael was trying to dodge
the bullets, something hit Sebastian. A bullet probably hit
Sebastian and he fell in a heap. Thus, Michael failed to
save Sebastian.
The second attempt to rescue Sebastian Shultz too was
disastrous. Give reasons.

Answer: In the second attempt, Michael was playing

Dragonquest. When they were trying to flee from the dragon,
Sebastian fell down in a ditch. Hence, the second attempt
too was disastrous.

Narrate the accident that injured Sebastian Shultz.

Answer: It was a motorway accident which injured Sebastian.

How had Sebastian Shultz entered the games?

Answer: According to the narrator, Sebastian must have

banged his head to computer screen. It resulted in all the
data from his brain getting transferred to the computer’s
memory. Thus, Sebastian could have entered the game.

How was Sebastian Shultz's memory stored on Michael's disk?

Did Michael discover that?

Answer: Same as previous question

Snake
W. W. E. Ross

Summary: This poem is about a snake who is trying to escape

being hit by a stick. It is quite human to hit a snake or
run away from it, because for most of the human being a
snake means a very dangerous animal which can kill in one
bite.

The snake is small and green and is harmless even to

children. The snake was lying on the sand till it was
observed by someone. When the person tries to hit the
snake, the snake turns its body into beautiful curves and
tries to escape from the onslaught. The snake is trying to
run away through the water. While doing so, it creates
beautiful ripples in water and vanishes into green slim
reeds as if mixing its green slender body with the green
slim reeds.

Snake by D. H. Lawrence

Summary: This poem is about a human beings respect for an

animal; which is quite strange because most of us just get
scared at the sight of a snake. The narrator has gone to
the water trough to fetch water to drink. He observes a
strange visitor at the water trough; a snake. Because of
his highly developed civic sense, the narrator prefers to
allow the snake to quench its thirst because the snake was
the first in the queue. The snake silently drinks water and
observes the narrator intermittently.

The snake appeared to be poisonous and the narrator instant

reaction was the thought to kill the snake. But the real
human inside the narrator wanted to treat the snake as some
guest who had come to his water trough. The narrator
enjoyed the beautiful creation of nature. Finally, when the
snake was about to disappear into a dark hole, the narrator
clumsily picks up a stick hits the water puddle to create
some clatter. The snake quickly disappears inside the dark
womb of the earth. Having thrown the stick, the narrator
feels guilty the way the Ancient Mariner felt when he
killed the albatross. The narrator is left with a sense of
pity for himself.

Why does the poet decide to stand and wait till the snake
has finished drinking? What does this tell you about the
poet?

Answer: The snake had arrived at the water trough before

the poet and hence the poet decided to wait for his turn.
This incident shows that poet has respect for other living
beings the way a human being should have for another human
being. His civic sense is highly developed.

In stanza 2 and 3, the poet gives a vivid description of

the snake by using suggestive expressions. What picture of
the snake do you form on the basis of this description?
Answer: The snake is earthy brown and earthy golden in
colour and has a long body. it has a two-forked tongue and
has toothless gum.

How does the poet describe the day and the atmosphere when
he saw the snake?

Answer: It was a hot day of July and the temperature was

further increased by the heat from Mt. Etna.

What does the poet want to convey by saying that the snake
emerges from the ‘burning bowels of the earth’?

Answer: The earthy brown and golden colour of the snake

appeared as if it had just come from the hot innards of the
earth.

Do you think the snake was conscious of the poet’s

presence? How do you know?

Answer: The way the snake paused for a moment and vaguely
looked at the poet shows that the snake was conscious of
the poet’s presence.

How do we know that the snake’s thirst was satiated? Pick

out the expressions that convey this.

Answer: Once the snake quenched its thirst, it lifted its

head dreamily; as if heavily drunk. It also appeared to be
licking its lip; the way people do after drinking
something. The godly expression on the face of the snake
also shows that it was satiated.

The poet has a dual attitude towards the snake. Why does he
experience conflicting emotions on seeing the snake?

Answer: Because of his mental conditioning, the poet wants

to react and kill the snake. But the artist inside him
prevents him to do so. The artist wants to enjoy one of the
unmatched beauty of the nature. He wants to enjoy every
moment of a snake enjoying the bounty of the nature.

The poet is filled with horror and protest when the snake
prepares to retreat and bury itself in the ‘horrid black’,
‘dreadful’ hole. In the light of this statement, bring out
the irony of his act of throwing a log at the snake.

Answer: The poet does not want his amusement to end so

abruptly. He wants to have more of it and hence does not
wish the snake to disappear into the hole. These feelings
convey a sense of admiration which the poet has for the
snake. But ironically, he tries to hit the snake with a
log; as if venting his anger at the snake for daring to
break the dreamy sequence.

The poem seems to be full of admiration and respect for the

snake. He almost regards him like a majestic God. Pick out
at least four expressions from the poem that reflect these
emotions.

Answer: The calmness and confidence with which the snake

drinks water, the royal style with which the snake lifts
its head; convey that the author was full of admiration and
respect for the snake.

What is the difference between the snake’s movement at the

beginning of the poem and later when the poet strikes it
with a log of wood? You may use relevant vocabulary from
the poem to highlight the difference.

Answer: When the snake came to drink water, it was moving

slowly. It appeared from a dark fissure in the earth-wall
and slowly descended over the edge of the stone trough.
When the snake was leaving, it was doing so in undignified
haste. It writhed like lightning and disappeared into the
black-hole.

The poet experiences a feeling of self-derision, guilt and

regret after hitting the snake. Pick out expressions that
suggest this. Why does he feel like this?

Answer: The poet thought that his act was a paltry, vulgar
and mean act. He despises himself and accuses his human
education for hitting the snake.

You may have already read Coleridge’s poem The Ancient

Mariner in which an albatross is killed by the mariner. Why
does the poet make an allusion to the albatross?
Answer: The way the Ancient Mariner felt a deep sense of
guilt after killing the albatross, the poet also feels the
guilt after trying to hit the snake. Hence, the poet has
made an allusion to the albatross.

‘I have something to expiate’ – Explain.

Answer: The poet is repenting at his act of hitting the

snake. He was enjoying the sight of the majestic creature;
when the snake began to disappear into the dark innards of
the earth. The poet probably wanted to enjoy the dignified
manner in which the snake would have disappeared.