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Birth Imp Notes

The document discusses the story 'Birth' by A. J. Cronin, which revolves around Dr. Andrew, a young doctor who miraculously revives a stillborn child during a difficult delivery, bringing joy to the Morgan family. The narrative highlights themes of determination, the preciousness of life, and the fulfillment a doctor experiences in saving lives. It also includes character insights and reflections on the emotional and professional challenges faced by Dr. Andrew during the event.

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3 views13 pages

Birth Imp Notes

The document discusses the story 'Birth' by A. J. Cronin, which revolves around Dr. Andrew, a young doctor who miraculously revives a stillborn child during a difficult delivery, bringing joy to the Morgan family. The narrative highlights themes of determination, the preciousness of life, and the fulfillment a doctor experiences in saving lives. It also includes character insights and reflections on the emotional and professional challenges faced by Dr. Andrew during the event.

Uploaded by

itzmehaps
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
—- Lee 7. Birth (AL Cri ABOUT THE AUTHOR A.1-Cronin wasa doctor by profession, Hay nga Nae op vwon_many writing Competitions. He author nF Mtn wored many bests which were translated into numerous languages. a wonderful narrative skill acute observation and. eed rew subject matter for esti he drew suet matter for Some of his novel and stories ne ‘mesdicalcareer Birth isone such story, 1 from hig, ABOUT THE Lesson Story of a doctor's succes # a new-bom baby hopes sien upasastillbom child by an experienced mid-wite, (Quite raw in the medical field, this ‘Young doctor's relentless efforts - adamantine determination, infalli 7 ible will and a humay me approact sacoeeded in pling the tender child outo the jawsat death mec his satisfaction, sense of achievement and fulfilment as well as othe reat reliefandjoy of the Morgan family. By bringing back the child to life, as if by a miracle, Dr Andrew not only bestowed exquisite joy on the middle-aged parents who were blessed with a child two decades after their martiage but alse ‘experienced a thrilling joy at having done'something real at last, NOTES » AFranticcall ~ Dr Andrew receives call from Morgans to deliver thei ~ Joerestlessly awaits Dr Andrew'sretur home = DrAndrew promptly agrees toaccompany MrMorgan ~ bothmenwalkintothestillnessof the night 4 ye Compo aw W __ on reaching their residence, Morgan chooses stay out during thecilé’s birth xamination ofthe Case "tne doctor finds the mid. yite and Mes Morgan ‘mother eagerly awaiting the baby's birth - examination reveals there'sstill some time forthe baby's arrival - Mrs Morgan's mother wishing the doctor to stay back till the delivery, makeshimacupoftea - sippingteain thektchen Dr Morgan broods over his own affairs «Concern forthe Precious Baby - Mrs Morgan's mother reveals the entire family’s burning desire forthechild = she requests on her daughter Susan's behalf not to administer chloroform fitwould harm thechild ~ Dr Andrewassuresher ofitsharmlessness 1+ The Baby arrives ~ onbeingcalled by the nurse, the doctor rushes to Mrs Morgans ~ thebaby arrives aftera dffcult period ofan hour + Doctor Andrew’sdilemma ~ exhausted after the tough struggle, the doctor is shocked at the delivery ofastillbomnchild, asannounced by nurse = themotherisalsoina critical condition = tom between the desire to revive the almost gone child and to attend tothe sinking mother in a critical condition Dr Andrew focuseshis attentionon Mrs Morgan ~ thedoctor's feverishefforts succeed in restoring the mother | mm Me ttn 8 Hoping against Hope in spite of the presumption of the chi bein doctor doesnt giveu 5 ln, he = reminded of a similar 6 s treatment, th the doctor dipsitincoldandhotwaterhoping toreviveie = the experiment provesfatile ~ ater pressing an reeasing the itl chest thea laseffrttoignitethe spark of ifein the imp alternately loctor makes one body AMiraculous survival = contrary to the expectations the child ld miraculously revy sivingeverybody'a greatjoy asulously revives faithin| tsted doctor eaves for home aftr breaking the happy news to MrMorgan = hehassense of having done something real atlast ‘THEME The story "Birth’ centres around the character of Dr Andrew who miraculously revives anew bor child given up for dead. Dr Andrew ‘was a young doctor who was struggling to establish himself as 1 medical practitioner. His evening had been quite disappointing and Ihe feared that the night would be no better. But he ends up doing something real by reviving an asphyxiated new born, Thus the story hinges on the theme : ‘never say die attitude’ and the precious gift of life which only God can grant and a doctor can retrieve and restor. Thatis what fulfilsadoctor. GLOSSARY + burly = largeand strong, bulky = abruptly — suddenly, unexpectedly + blanched + draggled + oblivious ion, deep thinking, having or showing insight lacking energy or enthusiasm = a strong feeling that something is going to happen anurse trained toassistin childbirth anxious very worried ornervously excited strange laziness lacking enthusiasm confused dishonesty immorally astory of happy innocence revive fromunconsciousness predicament difcuty doneinahurtied and contused way declining flabby aperson'sforehead pale, feeble wwetthrough relaxed ‘consternation - dismay ‘white orpale wetand dirty notaware of whatis happening around one ee Meier Companion SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (tobe anssoere in about 40 words exch) (1. Why did Joe Morgan wait for De Andrew for more than an ho fill midnight? a Havinga greataithinDr Andrew's acumenasa doctor Morgar wanted to seek his assistance for delivering their frst chile conceived twenty years after their marriage. Hence Joe waite fill midnight for his arrival QR. Extremely eagertobe a father, why did joe Morganchooseto stay outtill the child was born? Having full faith in Dr Andrew's capabilities Joe felt relieved after entrusting the birth of his first baby to his care. In spite of that he could not fully get over his tension, apprehension and nervousness. Thus he chose tostay out, Q3._Inwhat tate of mind did the doctor enterMorgan's house? Pre-occupied with his own thoughts about his beloved Christine, the doctor entered Morgan's house least realising that it would ‘bean unusual night of his life. He was feeling somewhat lethargic and listless. Unlike his usual self he was feeling dull and spiritless. QA. Describe the atmosphere in Mrs Morgan's room when the doctor reached there. ‘A-smallil-it and ill-furnished but neat and clean room greeted, Dr Andrew. The atmosphere was tense. Eagemess was writ large on the faces of Mrs Morgan's mother and the nurse. They both tried to read the doctor's expression minutely as he walked ‘upand down the room. @. Why did Mrs Morgan's mother offer to make the doctor acup of teat Wishing to make the doctor stay back till the delivery, the old j pest Compan 1. w@ woman wanted him to remain occupied. So she offered him tea lesthe should thinkof going home during the wsting period, What impression do you get about Mrs Morgan's mother from thestory? This seventy-yearold woman was a calm and composed individual of great experience. Inspite of her obvious eagemess fora grand child, she did not panic during the critical period of thedelivery andrevivalof the child What blunder did the midwife commit? Although quite experienced the midwife confidently declared ‘that the child was stillborn, She placed the child on a pile of ‘newspapers under the bed. However, Dr Andrew proved her wrong by miraculously reviving the baby. The nurse was ‘overwhelmed and did not feel hurtatallatbeing proved wrong. ‘Why did the doctor decide to stay backtill the delivery inspite of there being sufficient waiting period in between? nspite of there being some period of waiting Dr Morgan felttoo lethargic to go home to snatch some sleep. Moreover he felt coming and going would be a mere waste of time asthe effort ‘would yield hardly an hour's sleep. Since it was a precious baby, the case could demand emergent attention. Hence, he decided tostayback Explain:"Her meditation had pursued adifferentcours’. AAs the doctor sat sipping tea, he brooded over the miserable hhuman relationships and unsuccessful marriages. The old Woman, on the other hand, in @ hal-apprehensive and half- ‘optimistic manner visualised the joyful event ofthe birth of her ‘grandchild and thejoys thatit would bring to thefamily |. What particular desire of Susan Morgan did the old woman ‘convey tothe doctor? Why did Susan express this desire? Me Let Mt Cpe Theold Woman told the doctor that thather dag be administered ehorforn if t would ere deste of hers expressed her seltsactficg ee PY Ti immense longing forachld 8 Mature an yp 1. What efforts did Dr Andrew make to resus diane succeed? citate the child Hoy Or How was the child revived? success. Then, he rubbed the body wit didn't work either. But by pressing an ie i releasing the litle ches withhishandshewaseventuallyabletoreviveteeta 12. For Merey's sake, Doctor, it's stillborn whim ; What made the lady say so? Sete ee Seeing the doctor trying frantically to revive the stilbor chil, the midwife was moved. She tried to dissuade him from unnecessarily straining himself by trying to infuse life int the dead. She was convinced thatthe baby waslongead Why didn't Dr Andrew pay heed tothe experienced mid Insistance thatitwasa deadchild? Dr Andrew i nature not to give up without giving a tough ight. Moreover, having seen the revival of some absolutely gone cases in hs brief medical carer, he didn't want to leave evena faction ofa chance unavailed as, jored the midwife's remarks as it was in his id. Yat was the impact ofthe revival ofthe child on thetwo women + the midwife and Mrs Morgan’smother? Both the women were overwhelmed at the turn of the events, ‘when the child emerged alive. The midwife cried out in joY at the Ot ish re Conpiton 11 2 jan smiracleand the newly-tured grandma ~Mrs Morgan's mother expressed her immense gratitude toGod by praying silently. ys, What made Dr Andrew fel giddy and almost faint after the sesuscitationof thechild? Not wishing to betray Morgans’ trustin him, the doctor made repeated and frantic but futile efforts to revive the child. When the defeat wasjust going to vanquish him the child miraculously responded to the treatment. This overwhelmed the doctor so ‘uch thathe felt faintand giddy. (16. How did the child look ditferentafteritwas resuscitated? ‘As a result of asphyxia, the child was limp and white. Its head Jolled on the thin neck and limbs seemed boneless. But after Dr Andrew revived it, the limbs were no longer boneless and hhead became taut and the blanched skinslowly turned pinkand then came its exquisite cry. The litle chest now gasped deeper and deeper. Everyoneheavedasigh of relict, (17. When Dr Andrew entered Mrs Morgan's room it was neat and clean? What shape did he leave the room in when he moved out afterthe delivery? Dr Andrew lft the roomin an awful mess withblankets towels, ‘basins and soiled instruments strewn all over the place. Splt water, used syringes, Kettle on its side and the fallen ewer ragga the lor. Yet heleftbehind ajoyousatmosphere, (018. n what state of mind did Dr Andrew leave Mr Morgan's house after resuscitation ofthe child? COblivious of the strain and exhaustion that he had while delivering and miraculously reviving the child and managing the mother, Dr Andrew felt thrilled and elated at having done something real at last. Absolutely relieved, he knew that the event would substantially add tohis professional reputation, ~ Me Let Companion qas. Hone something oh Gos ve done something relat = hy doesDrAndrewsay#9? What doeshemeany on wan? Cesta ‘The remark means thatthe revival of the sithoan eh 0 mean an achievement. It gave him immenes carne” eT ee ne ttn riraculous sucess pale all that Dr Andiew had dere sen into insignificance. The event was bound to ene cn professional reputation. Hence, he made thi oe isstatement, (020, Whatwas Joe's state of mind as he walked up and d togetherinthestreetousideawaitingtheanivactnenne arrival ofhis baby? Joe was absolutely tense, nervous and apprehen iss salen a spprehensive, Although doctor's capabilities, he didn't trust his ‘own luck Restlessly, he walked up and down during the entire period of suspense awaiting the news from Mrs Morgan'sroom. |. On his way home : 21 Onhiswayhome Dr Andrew brokethe happy nena osinjost six words "All right, Joe, Both are right". Why do you think he didnt give details of the event? Trough mentally relieved Dr Andrew was physically too exhausted to give the details of the untiring struggle that hed taken place in Mrs Morgan's room. Thus, he broke the happy news just briefly. Moreover, these six words said much more thanavolumeofwordscould. (Q22. Why did Dr Andrew give the new bor child instinctively tothe Dr Andrew was in a dilemma whether to save the nearly stillborn baby or save his mother. Quite instinctively he gave the child to the nurse with a view to saving the mother whose condition was fast deteriorating and becoming critical Se lay collapsed and almost pulseless still under the effect of ther pe andzew’sidea wasto revive the mother fist and them fo °° ie baby could berevived ow ide Andrew save Mes Morgan'stife? had to save Mrs Margartwho was sinking fast andrew ; ‘4 refilled some medicine in a nite desperately and frantically, ypodermic singe and gave the worked unsparingly to restore her. His fruitand the mother's hear steadied and the knew she was safe ce ; iy were Andrew’thoughtshenvy and muddled ashe waited at the Morgan’shouse? tr Andrew had an awful evening with Christine whom he Towed so passionately that he shuddered at the idea that his future martiage with her could tum into 2 failure like many other marriages in the neighbour-hood. This thought together ‘with the recall of some failed marriages made Dr Andrew's ‘thoughtsheavy and muddled. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (BASED ON VALUES) (to be answered in about 100 ~ 150 words each) (QL. What dilemma was Dr Morgan faced with after the birth of Mrs. ‘Susan Morgan's child? What values made him handle the situation well and save the lives of both the mother as well asthe child? ‘Soon ater the birth of the stillborn’ child, the doctor instinctively got down to resuscitate it, for its arrival was being eagerly avvaited not only by the Morgan family but also by the dostor himself for his professional reputation wasatstake. Unfortunately, the mother who had just delivered the baby, was ae, a "te jin such 4 Poor state that she : At ahe 100 needed attention. Tor tween i eo Rana mn bety ‘een the two choices, Dr Andrew, iy ‘Over the child to the nu Hos Iesreputation bea ae ae Plting ha dy de unlningeorsoreete body with rough towel, too didnt ed and released the ie chat pene Me Hisperssten efforts thustorefutintioretre, ne ator rutin that both the mother e were saved thanks to his professional acumen, diligence and presence of mind. Dr Andrew's characteris made up of many postive values. Comment. A knowledgeable, enthusiastic conscientious and an energetic young man, Dr Andrew isa good human being and an exellent doctor, Respecting the feelings, yearning and desires cf others, the does not mind bearing inconvenience or diacomtor hinselt Critical moments donot unnerve him fhiimmense confidence. Fe is ruled by his head, rather than by his heart. Inthe face of dllemmas he canbe very decisive. For instance heattend tothe Ueteriorating mother rather than he'silbrn child even at the risk of is professional reputation. His strong will power is revealed in hisrelentless efforts torevive the child Hisvewson love and marrage are sublime, InshortDr Andrew isa gemofa person ' Imagine you are Mes Morgan's mother Weta Teter o YOu tuner deerbing how Dr Andrew's efforts sted not ony YOu? Se ~ sre Come nn daughter but also her ‘inert newborn baby who had been ‘given sp asstillborn. address) (Date) DearLucy ‘Thanks for your congratulations, good wishes and prayers. susan, her husband and I are so happy and relieved that cverything has tumed out to be good and fine both for the smother and her newborn. ‘Things could have taken a tragic turn had Dr Andrew not handled the case dexterously. Susan delivered the baby boy altera laborious struggle of anhour ors0. To our great shock the ‘aby showed no signs oflife on arrival susan herself was in a very critical state. Without getting ‘unnerved, the young doctor immediately administered some injections to her and stabilized her. The very next moment, the tured his attention tothe baby. With a strange sense of confidence, decisiveness, hope and optimism, he worked furiously to revive the baby. At first he lifted and alternately dipped itin hot and cold water but without any results. Then he rubbed the child with a rough towel and started pressing and releasinghislitlechest Eventually, with God's grace and with Dr Andrew's relentless efforts the baby started breathing and cred out. What a joyous ‘momentit was! prayed to God forgiving my daughter the most exquisite joy of life and I blessed Dr. Andrew, the saviour to ‘whom weoweourhappiness. Looking forward to your visio see thenewborn. Withlove by ™ QA, Adoctor is expected to keep his cool and remain, @. in Falcon or warns Then whys be im tthe sight of the his emotions in the face of death and disease, Andrew let a shiver of horror pa stillborn ehita? Repeated. struggle with icase and dey ‘master of hisemotions. He learns to trea sense of detachment, He crt tienen spine. : ‘The reason for such a reaction was tha the Morgans were going tobe blessed with a baby twenty yearsater their marriage. Thus the baby was very precious and Dr Andrew dit not want to shatter the Morgans’ hope and faith, Apart from this, his professional reputation and competence were als at stake. So ‘when he saw the inert child, he was horrified atthe sight ofthe stillborn child. However, it must be added to his credit that despite being overwhelmed withemotion,he first stabilised Mrs Morgan and then revived herbaby. The ctsis lid not fluster him, The way he saved the mother and her hilt from thejaws of death was nothing short of a miracle. [Link]. He weandthe Crevtuad ‘There lies a great difference between textbook me world ofa practising physician. Elaborate, Texthook medicine is based on research, experimentation, “observation and systematic documentation, Flence itis authentic land! it gives the dector a lot of confidence. I is something universally understood and followed, Yet when it comes bs practising doctors many times fn 3 M! treating the patients the difference between what the textbook says and the 8 reality eve comin t's hope and his/her faith in sntal make-up, financial ant teofthe nnumerable factors like the patient the doctor, his/her will-power, mer tocio-cultural background makeall the difference Insp stfcacy of the medicine and the competence of the doctor, ‘hiferent people respond to the treatment differently, Bes many a time itis seen that a prayer works miracles where the textbook offers no cure. Hence, there is a great diffe between the textbook medicine and the world of a practising physician ides, ‘What medical ethics do you think a true doctor should follow? Justify your views with reasons. In this world of crass commercialism that is passed as professionalism, unfortunatly the noble profession of mealicine thas also been mired! in controversies and corrupt practices {Quite often we hear stories of corruption and greed shown by medical professionals who are considered to be demi-gods by the ailing. think, a medical professional must never compromise ‘on the noble principles ofthe profession. The Hippocratic oath ‘must never be allowed to turn into a hypocritical oath. A dex tor should always give priority tohis/her patients, be always ready totreat them to thebestof his/her ability, must never accept any ‘gratification for prescribing diagnostic tests and medicines and must never work negligently. Another thing, never should a doctor consider his/her patients as guinea-pigs and use them to carry out any research or experiment without their knowledge and consent. And finally all doctors must take care that they not held guilty of any harassment by the patients under their uu mee na Laila seth a hudge. Vikram Seth isthe oldest of thre chia the Seth family aaa (1993), Published in fourteen countries, A Suitable Boy sold over one es: eee oe ees ne ee ee Se ee — “The Tale of Melon City” is a humorous poem about a jsst and ee eee ‘ordered that an arch be constructed stretching right across ie thoroughfare. He planned to address! subjects from | this arch from Se So the arch was bull, and when the King was riding down eee oo * ent at het spr dered that all the workmen pee sn pleaded that it was) not their fault as the bricks were fed workme! Made of ON SIZE vrext summoned the masons, who temblin with fear, put he architect. Now the King ordered the exEo08 of the erp that it was his Majesty himself who had me desome changes in the plans Ths he ‘blame for the: rnosking ot ihe crown fell on him. [As per the law, he was to be executed Te people demanded the case to be taken 108 logical conclusion. rated and confounded the King. Hedid not knew hat to do. In utter desperation he thecity should be brought to giveadvice on this matter. ope Kin theblame on spcitect wire remind ‘ordered that the wisest man in aanrerecman. aman who could neither see nor Walk was BOUEY dnt Royal Court and he suggested thatthe arch was the real cUIPUt eane evra banged the royal crown off and therefore it should Be hanged. ur thena Councilor intervened saying that itwasa shameful theory tohans the arch that had touched the royal head. By now the people tad gt restless and the King sensing that some trouble was brewing Tyas scared out oF is wits, He ordered that, any man who fitted the noose should be hanged, Unfortunately since the noose was high and ited noone but the King, the poor King had tebe hanged so that thetownspeoplebeappeased, “The Ministers were satisfied tha justice had at last, been done and set cuttochoose thenextruler. They declared that the next person to pass the city gate would choose the rule. As fate would have it, an idiot happened to pass by the gate and when he was asked to decide about ‘he King hereplid that itshould [Link] standard SS response to all he questions He asked beagge ‘The conscientious ministers carried the crowned if the i monarchisa mel heliked metons Melon to ww King, NOW if the people an lon, their stockreply isthatits He lonand they have no complaints aston, tolivein peace with liberty ead tosuch a state of affairs © throne me and asked why thie ‘Majesty's pleasure "B28 they arealow, tis their policy of non lowed tobeamel vinterference which THEME. Jn "The Tale of Melon City, Vikram Seth : heed the idiosyncratic 'St ON People sometimes. The ‘Keep passing thebuckinthe poem heir folly, Seth also satirizes the mon people in choosing their rulers

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