The Night I Met Einstein (Maharashtra State Board (SSC) Notes)

 The Night I Met Einstein

 

About the story:

The story is about Jerome Weidman attending a dinner party at a philanthropist where he was not able to enjoy the pianist playing western classical music. That moment, Einstein meets him and teaches him the greatest lesson of life that we should always be open to learn new things, and to explore new fields. The author since then had been listening to Bach and the western classical music with interest.

 

Summary:

Once, the narrator got invited to a dinner party at a kind person's house. The hostess mentioned there would be a music performance by a pianist. However, the narrator didn't like classical music and felt unhappy about it. Still, he didn't want to be rude by leaving the event, so he stayed for the concert.

During the event, Einstein came up to the narrator and asked if he liked Bach, a famous composer. The narrator said no and explained that he was tone-deaf. But Einstein insisted on spending time with him. He played some songs with lyrics and even asked the narrator to sing a song. After hearing the narrator sing, Einstein said, "You're definitely not someone who can't appreciate music."

Einstein used the example of the process of learning math to explain that it's normal to find something difficult at first. He convinced the narrator that, over time, he might come to enjoy classical music.

When the concert ended, the hostess wondered why Einstein hadn't attended the concert himself. Einstein explained that he was busy helping the narrator discover the beauty of music.

Question – Answer:

1)     Why was the narrator not happy with the concert?

The concert was about a pianist who was about to play Bach, the western classical music. The narrator did not understand anything about western classical music, so he was not happy with the concert.

2)     What did the narrator see when he turned to see his neighbour’s face?

When the narrator was getting bored in the concert, he could hear a gentle but firm voice that asked him if he liked Bach. When the narrator turned to see whose voice it was, he realized that it was a very famous face i.e. Einstein.

3)     What made Einstein surprised about the narrator?

When the narrator mentioned that he did not know anything about Bachand and had not heard Bach’s music, Einstein was surprised

4)     What was the narrator’s memory of Einstein?

The narrator’s memory of Einstein was ‘someone with a shock of untidy white hair and a pipe’.

5)     What is the greatest act towards human being?

According to Einstein, the greatest act towards human being is to open up the frontiers of beauty.

 

Think and Answer:

1)      What do you learn from Einstein’s treatment of the young man?

When Einstein met the narrator and realized that the narrator was not a big fan of classical music. Einstein respected the narrator’s opinion though he himself was a classical music lover. On the other hand, he treated the narrator very politely, and with warmth. He asked the narrator about the music that he liked and played the same on the gramophone. He ensured that the narrator was taught like a child to make him like classical music.

2)      In the second paragraph of the story, the writer declares himself as ‘tone-deaf’? What do you mean by ‘tone-deaf’? Was the writer tone-deaf in reality?

At the beginning of the story, the narrator calls himself as ‘tone-deaf’. The word ‘tone-deaf’ means a person who is not good in music, and he does not like good music. The narrator was not tone-deaf in reality because he liked music which has words.

3)      Do you think that the comparison between music and arithmetic was a good one? In what ways?

Yes. I believe that the comparison between music and arithmetic was a good one. Because the comparison is done to understand the process of learning and loving music and arithmetic because both require a learning process that goes from very easy to complex.

4)      As far as listening is concerned, what difference do you notice between the narrator and Einstein?

Einstein was a good listener. He was a great observer. He would listen to music with keen ears and would appreciate the beauty of music.

However, the narrator liked music but not for the purpose of appreciating it.

5)      What do you understand when Einstein said, “The greatest activity of which a human being is capable is to open up the frontiers of beauty’?

Exploring the unknown field, working on something new it called as the greatest activity a human being is capable of. Be it learning a new skill, or visiting a new place, it always provides us new experience, joy and endless memories.