Chapter 1: The Portrait of a Lady

Summary :

The story is about the author's grandmother. She was old, wrinkled, and deeply
religious. They shared a close friendship during his childhood in the village. Their
relationship changed when they moved to the city and he attended an English school,
creating a distance between them. She disapproved of his new education. When he
went abroad to study, she was not sentimental. Upon his return, she celebrated his
homecoming by singing. The next day, she fell ill and peacefully passed away, her life
ending with a prayer.

Dictionary:

Revolting: Extremely unpleasant or disgusting.

Seclusion: The state of being private and away from other people.

Resignation: The act of accepting something unpleasant that cannot be changed.

Veritable bedlam: A real scene of uproar and confusion.

Frivolous: Not having any serious purpose or value.

Dilapidated: In a state of disrepair or ruin.

QnA:-

1. The three phases of the author's relationship with his grandmother before he left the
country to study abroad.

• Phase 1 (Village School): They were constantly together. She woke him up, got
him ready, and walked with him to school every day.
• Phase 2 (City School): They shared the same room but she no longer went to
school with him. She fed sparrows in the courtyard.

Phase 3 (University): He was given a separate room. The common link of friendship was
snapped. She accepted her seclusion and spent her time spinning and praying.

3. Three ways in which the author's grandmother spent her days after he grew up.

• She sat by her spinning wheel from sunrise to sunset, spinning and reciting
prayers.
• She relaxed for a while in the afternoon to feed the sparrows.
• She rarely left her spinning wheel to talk to anyone.
4. The odd way in which the author's grandmother behaved just before she died.

She did not pray in the evening. Instead, she collected women from the neighbourhood,
got an old drum, and started singing about the homecoming of warriors. This was the
first time since the author had known her that she did not pray.

5. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author's
grandmother died.

Thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor in her room and verandah. There was
no chirruping. They took no notice of the bread crumbs thrown to them. When the
grandmother's corpse was carried away, they flew away quietly.

Poem: A Photograph
Summary :

The poem reflects on a photograph of the poet's mother as a girl, standing at the beach
with her two cousins. Years later, the mother would laugh at this memory. Now, the
mother has been dead for as many years as she lived in that photograph. The poet feels
the silence of loss and the inability to express grief. The sea remains unchanged, while
human life is temporary. The poem explores the themes of time, loss, and the
transience of life.

Figures of Speech:

Alliteration: "stood still to smile," "terribly transient," "laboured ease of loss."

Transferred Epithet: "terribly transient feet" (The feet are not transient, but human life
is).

Personification: "Its silence silences."

Oxymoron: "laboured ease of loss."

QnA

1. What does the word 'cardboard' denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?

The word 'cardboard' denotes the photograph. It has been used because photographs
are often pasted on cardboard frames, and it also suggests the lifeless and material
nature of the picture compared to the living memory.
2. What has the camera captured?

The camera has captured a moment from the past when the poet's mother (as a girl of
about twelve) was at the beach with her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, posing for the
uncle with the camera.

3. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?

The sea has not changed over the years. This suggests that nature is permanent and
eternal, while human life is temporary and transient.

4. The poet's mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?

The mother's laugh indicated her nostalgia and fond memories of her childhood days at
the beach. It showed she looked back at her past with joy and amusement.

5. What is the meaning of the line "Both wry with the laboured ease of loss."

The line means that both the mother's memory of her beach holiday and the poet's
memory of her laughter are tinged with sadness. The phrase "laboured ease of loss"
suggests that while they try to accept the loss, it is not easy and carries a painful irony.

Chapter 2: "We're Not Afraid to Die... if We Can All Be Together"

The author and his family set out on a voyage to replicate Captain Cook's journey. In the
southern Indian Ocean, they are hit by a gigantic wave that severely damages their boat,
the Wavewalker. The ship starts sinking, and they must continuously pump out water.
Despite the dire situation, the children show immense courage and optimism. After
days of struggle, the author calculates their position and they manage to find the small
island of Ile Amsterdam, where they are rescued.

Dictionary:

Honing: Sharpening or perfecting (a skill).

Ominous: Giving the worrying impression that something bad is going to happen.

Mayday calls: An international radio distress signal.

Tousled: Untidy, disordered (referring to hair).

QnA

1. List the steps taken by the captain

(i) to protect the ship when rough weather began. (ii) to check the flooding of the water
in the ship.

(i) To protect the ship when rough weather began:

• Dropped the storm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope in a loop across the
stern.
• Double-lashed everything.
• Went through the life-raft drill.
• Attached lifelines.
• Donned oilskins and life jackets.

(ii) To check the flooding of the water in the ship:

• Stretched canvas and secured waterproof hatch covers across the gaping holes.
• Used hand pumps (later they blocked).
• Connected the spare electric pump to an out-pipe.
• Used an improvised sea anchor of heavy nylon rope to protect the weakened
side.

2. Describe the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January.

• On January 4, they felt some relief after pumping out most of the water and
eating their first meal in almost two days. However, the relief was short-lived as
the weather deteriorated again. By January 5, their situation was desperate
again. Mary and the captain sat holding hands, feeling that the end was very
near. The children, however, showed remarkable courage and optimism, with
Jonathan saying they weren't afraid to die if they could all be together.

3. Describe the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of
the text. Give a subtitle to each section.
• Section 1 (Beginning - "The Wave"): The narration describes the calm beginning
of the voyage and the sudden, violent attack of the gigantic wave. Subtitle: "The
Disaster Strikes"

• Section 2 (Middle - "The Struggle"): The narration shifts to the desperate struggle
for survival, focusing on the damage to the ship, the constant pumping of water,
and the efforts to repair the boat. Subtitle: "Fighting for Survival"

• Section 3 (End - "The Rescue"): The narration shifts to the calculation of their
position, their doubts about finding land, and finally the joy and relief of spotting
Ile Amsterdam. Subtitle: "Hope and Rescue"