The Bishop’s Candle-sticks

Summary:

‘The Bishop’s Candle-sticks’ is a play about a convict who breaks into the Bishop's house and is clothed and warmed. The benevolence of the Bishop somewhat softens the convict, but, when he sees the silver candlesticks, he steals them. He is captured and brought back. He expects to go back to jail, but the Bishop informs the police they are a gift. The act of the Bishop reforms the convict to a belief in the spirit of God that dwells in the heart of every human being.

Words’ Meaning:

·         settee :                 seat with high back

·         crucifix :               image of Jesus on the cross

·         candlesticks:         a holder made of metal in which a candle stands

·         Monseigneur:        My Lord (a title of respect given to a person of high rank)

·         Mon Dieu :            (French) My God

·         nincompoop :        idiot; fool

·         feeling poorly :      felt unwell; was not feeling well.

·         salt-cellars: containers to shake out salt and pepper kept on the dining table.

·         Mere:                             Mother (pronounced mair)

·         Gringoire:             pronounced Grin-go-ah

·         bailiff :                  an officer of the court.

·         dot:                      dowry

·         presently:             shortly; soon

·         comforter:             muffler

·         dupe:                    a person who is easily deceived

·         scamp:                  a rascal/vagabond

·         parish:                  an area with its own church

·         too old a bird to be caught with chaff: too old to be duped

·         wolf:                     hunger

·         entrails:                intestines

·         to be at the beck and call of: to obey

·         ne'er-do-well:       a good for nothing

·         voraciously:                    greedily

·         Virgin:                   Mary, Mother of Jesus

·         prison hulks:         ships used as a prison houses

·         start me fair:         enable me to get a good start in life.

·         slinking:                moving stealthily

·         dogged :               stubborn

·         prie-dieu:              kneeling desk for use in prayer

Textbook Exercise:

1.   Do you think the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars? Why/ Why not?

Answer:

I think that the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars. A Bishop is a religious person who is not only supposed to talk but act religiously. A Bishop always talks about humanity from the point of view of religion. Here, the Bishop has done the right thing by selling the salt-cellars as they have been used for Mere Gringoire who has been ill and bed-ridden. This help to Mere Gringoire justifies Bishop’s selling of salt-cellars.

2.   Why does Persome feel the people pretend to be sick?

Answer:

Persome feels that the people pretend to be sick because they always want some person (like Bishop) to help them financially and to come at their place for prayers. She means to say they always seek sympathy of others.

3.   Who was Jeanette? What was the cause of her death?

Answer: Jeanette was Convict’s wife. She died of illness and hunger.

4.   The convict says, "I am too old a bird to be caught with chaff." What does he mean by this statement?

Answer:

The convict says, "I am too old a bird to be caught with chaff.” He means to say that Bishop shouldn’t use any trick because he (Convict) is an experienced person. He will not get fooled by anyone or anything easily.

5.   Why was the convict sent to prison? What was the punishment given to him?

Answer:

Convict was a family person. He was jobless. His family did not have enough food to eat. His wife was ill. He was helpless as he couldn’t do anything. In such circumstances, he stole money to buy food. He was caught and was sent to prison for this.

Convict was given ten years of punishment.

6.   Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified? Why/ Why not? Why is the convict eager to reach Paris?

Answer:

The punishment given to the Convict was not justified.

A punishment can be justified from the motive of the crime. Here, the crime done by the Convict was to save his dying wife. He committed the crime of stealing money under such circumstances for which he should have not been punished.

The convict is very eager to go to Paris because he has escaped from the jail and police are after his life. Once he reaches Paris, it would be difficult for policemen to search for him as Paris is a big city and he would not be recognized there. He also wants to start a new life there as a good human being.

7.   Before leaving, the convict asks the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this change in him?

Answer:

The Convict was a good person who became bad (criminal) as a result of circumstances. He lived a miserable life in the ‘hail’ jail. It has made him believe that there is nothing called as good human being. But Bishop’s kind, helpful behavior and calling him ‘friend’ has touched his heart. The Convict, when was caught and brought to the Bishop’s house, was asked to be released by the Bishop saying that he is a friend to him. The Bishop also gives him his mother’s only memory i.e. candle-sticks. This entire incidence makes convict believe that there still exists humanity. That is the reason he asks Bishop to bless him before he leaves for Paris.

Extra Questions:

1.   Identify the situations which be termed as the turning points in the convict's life.

Answer:

The Convict, when was caught and brought to the Bishop’s house, was asked to be released by the Bishop saying that he is a friend to him. The Bishop also gives him his mother’s only memory i.e. candle-sticks. This entire incidence makes convict believe that there still exists humanity. This is the turning point in the convict’s life.

2.   The Convict goes to Paris, sells the silver candlesticks and starts a business. The business prospers and he starts a reformatory for ex-convicts. He writes a letter to the Bishop telling him of this reformatory and seeks his blessings.

As the convict, Jean Valjean, write the letter to the Bishop.

Answer:

Jeanette Mansion

#6, Love Avenue

Paris 7541102

November 18, 2014

Dear Bishop,

I know that you will not remember me because it has been a long time we accidently met, and also because you have helped so many people, that you may not remember all the names and faces. But I will always remember you in my prayers as my encounter with you has changed my life. 

Monsieur, I am the convict who stole your candle-sticks. You gifted me those candlesticks and with your well wishes, I have made a good fortune in Paris. But this is not the final destination of my work. I have got the vision what I am supposed to do, and thanks to you. 

The way you helped me in realizing that God is there everywhere, in every good act, I have started looking for God in other prisoners. I have started a reformatory for ex-convicts. Here, I along with other trained counselor, counsel. We make them understand that they are the result of some bad circumstances. We also help them in by providing employment. We train them in cooking food, selling items in the market, communication skills, etc.

Monsieur, I am not doing anything great but just trying to give other what once you gave me, and I became a good human being.

Remember me in your prayers. I want you to visit my reformatory once and guide people here.

Yours thankfully

Jean Valjean

Class IX: Lord Ullin's Daughter

Concept Map:

About the poem:

“Lord Ullin’s Daughter” is a ballad which tells the tragic story of the daughter of Lord Ullin and her lover who die a very sorrowful death when chased by her father and his men. It begins with a sad note by initiating the elopement of two young lovers. Finally they reached to a place of safety as they approached to boatman and requested him to cross the river. Surprisingly the boatman also agree to do just because of the young and fair lady .In the end both the lovers face the dare consequences of a relationship which was not approved by the parents.

About the poet:

Thomas Campbell (27 July 1777 – 15 June 1844) was a Scottish poet chiefly remembered for his sentimental poetry dealing especially with human affairs. He spent the holidays as a tutor in the Western Highlands and his poems Glenara and the Ballad of Lord Ullin's Daughter were written during this time while visiting the Isle of Mull. He visited the Isle of Mull in 1795.  Located in the Hebrides Islands, it lies parallel to the Isle of Ulva mentioned in Campbell's poem "Lord Ullin's Daughter," published in 1804. Scotland's landscape is a combination of woods, moors, verdant valleys, and beautiful lakes. Lochgyle is an actual lake separating the two isles. 

Summary of the poem:

In the middle of the night, the chief of Ulva’s isle, accompanied with his bonny bird lady, Lord Ullin’s daughter is in a hurry to cross the ferry. He asks the boatman to cross him and his lover despite the water, the stormy sea, the wind and the wild night.   

The chief says that Lord Ullin does not agree with their love, the love of the chief and Lord Ullin’s daughter. So he takes her away. Lord Ullin chases the chief with the help from many equestrians and armed too. Listening to the story, the boatman agrees to cross them over. Not for money, the boatman says. It is because the beauty and the charm of the of Lord Ullin’s daughter that the boatman would cross them over.

Now Lord Ullin and his men are near, they have already on their way. Lord Ullin’s daughter now urges the boatman to be hurry even though they are going through the storm. She does not want to be chased and captured by his angry father.
Reaching the shore, Lord Ullin’s anger turns to regret as he watches her daughter and her lover go to the raging storm. Lord Ullin will forgive her daughter and the chief if they comeback. Lord Ullin’s daughter prefers the stormy sea rather than facing her angry father. Then there he was, Lord Ullin, cannot do anything. Sadly, he can only see her daughter on the deadly storm.

Textbook exercise:

1. Why does Lord Ullin's daughter defy her father and elope with her lover?

Answer: Lord Ullin’s daughter knows that her father would not agree to her love relationship with the Chieftain of Ulva as both these clans have enmity between them. But her love for the chieftain is true. So, for the sake of true love, she defies her father and elopes with her lover.

2. Give two characteristics of the boatman who ferries the couple across the sea.

Answer: The boatman is not a materialistic person. He gets agree to row the chieftain and his lover over the ferry not for the silver pound but to help them in the trouble time. Also, he is a person mature enough to understand the innocence of Lord Ullin’s daughter.

3. Read the following lines and answer the questions given below:

"His horsemen hard behind us ride;

Should they our steps discover,

Then who will cheer my bonny bride

When they have slain her lover?"

1. Who is 'his' in line 1 ? Who does 'us' refer to?

Ans: Lord Ullin is ‘his’ in line 1. ‘Us’ refers to the chieftain and Lord Ullin’s daughter.

2. Explain - 'cheer my bonny bride'.

Ans: The chieftain means to say here, that if he would be killed by Lord Ullin’s men, his lover would not be happy. She would be very sad.

3. Why would the lover be slain?

Ans: The lover would be slain because he is in love with the Lord Ullin’s daughter and has dare to elope with her.

4. "The water -wraith was shrieking". Is the symbolism in this line a premonition of what happens at the end? Give reasons for your answer. (Stanza 7)

Ans: Yes, the symbolism of ‘shrieking water-wraith’ is the premonition of what happens in the end, because in the end, the lovers die in the storm. So, it

5. What does the Chieftain say to the boatman? Why?

Ans: The chieftain tells the boatman not to delay. He also entices him with a silver pound. He entices the boatman because Lord Ullin and his army men have been following them since three days as Lord Ullin’s daughter has eloped with Chieftain of Ulva’s isle.

6. The poet uses words like 'adown', 'rode' which contain harsh consonants. Why do you think the poet has done this? (Stanza 8)

Answer: The purpose of using such (like ‘adown’, ‘rode’)   harsh consonants is to create a tone which describes the harsh nature of Lord Ullin and his horsemen. The poet has used such words to set the tone of fear and death in the poem.

7. In Stanza 10, the poet says -

The boat has left a stormy land,

A stormy sea before her,-----------

1. In both these lines, the word "stormy" assumes different connotations. What are they?

Answer: The phrase ‘stormy land’ refers to the bank of the river where Lord Ullin has arrived with his horsemen. Thus the word ‘story’ means troublesome situation. On the other hand, the phrase ‘stormy sea’ refers to the actual storm in the sea which is a trouble for the lovers in the boat.

2. The lady faces a dilemma here. What is it? What choice does she finally make?

Answer: The dilemma the lady (Lord Ullin’s daughter) faces here is what to choose between death with the lover in the stormy or death of the lover by the hands of her father. Finally, she chooses to be with her lover and embraces death.

8.  "Lord Ullin reached that fatal shore" just as his daughter left it. (Stanza 11).

a.    Why is the shore called fatal?

Answer: The shore is called fatal because there lays the end of the lovers.

b.    Why does Lord Ullin's wrath change into wailing on seeing his daughter?

Answer: Lord Ullin was against the love affair between his daughter and the chieftain. So, he wanted to kill the chieftain. But when, in the end, he sees his own daughter goes in the mouth of the death and dies, his wrath changes into wailing.

9. "One lovely hand she stretch'd for aid." Do you think Lord Ullin's daughter wanted to reach out to her father? (Stanza 12) If yes, why?

Answer: Yes, I think that Lord Ullin’s daughter wanted to reach out to her father. Because she was in dilemma in choosing between her father and her lover. She chooses her lover. But, when she sees death in front of her, she tries to see the same love and care of her father which she has been trusting since her birth.  

Class X: Grammar: Connectors

Connectors

A connector is a word which is used to connect two sentences and to express the relationship between the ideas and the combining sentences.

For example:

Delhi is a very exciting city. Delhi is very expensive.

This sentence can also be said as:

Delhi is a very exciting city; nevertheless it is also very expensive

or

Despite the fact that Delhi is very expensive, it is also very exciting

Connectors are of four types:

1.       Coordinating conjunction

2.       Subordinating conjunction

3.       Correlative conjunction

4.       Linking Adverbs and Transition Words

Coordinating conjunctions:

They connect words, phrases and clauses. They are usually found in the middle of a sentence with a comma (,) just before the conjuction, or at the beginning of the sentence.
Coordinating Conjunctions:

for      and      nor      but      or      yet      so (remember FANBOYS)

Subordinating conjunctions:

They connect a dependent clause and an independent clause and establish a relationship between them. They happen at the beginning of a sentences (with a comma in the middle separating the clauses) or in the middle of a sentence with no comma.
Subordinating Conjunctions:

after	if	though	although
if only	till	as	in order that
unless	as if	now that	until
as long as	once	when	as though
rather than	whenever	because	since
where	before	so that	whereas
even if	than	wherever	even though
that	that	while

Correlative conjunctions:

They connect equal sentence elements together (like two nouns) and are always composed by two words.
Correlative Conjunctions:

both…and not only…but also not…but either…or neither…nor whether…or as…as

Linking Adverbs and Transition Words

They connect two independent clauses or sentences. They provide transition between ideas.
Linking Adverbs and Transition Words:

accordingly	however	nonetheless	also
indeed	otherwise	besides	instead
similarly	consequently	likewise	still
conversely	meanwhile	subsequently	finally
moreover	then	furthermore	nevertheless
therefore	hence	next	thus

Finite, Non-Finite, Participles and Gerund

Finite verbs:

·         It has a subject and it shows tense.

·         It changes according to the change in the subject.

·         It is an action word.

·         For example:

-        You promised me the last ticket.

-        I am excited about going to the amusement park.

-        I went for a walk around the park.

Non-finite verbs:

·         It doesn’t show tense.

·         It doesn’t act like a verb.

·         It can be in the base form of the verb used with the word ‘to’.

·         It can act as a noun when used with ‘-ing’ participle.

·         For example:

-        It took courage to continue after the accident

-        Leaving home can be very traumatic.

Participles:

·         It is a form of verb which is used as an adjective.

·         It can end with ‘-ing’ or ‘-ed’ or the other participle forms. But it is always an adjective.

·         For example:

-        The rising sun is the best thing to watch.

-        Used shoes are good for nothing.

-        Written letters always reminds you of someone.

Gerund:

·         This looks exactly the same as a present participle, and for this reason it is now common to call both forms 'the -ing form'. 

·         However it is useful to understand the difference between the two.

·         The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb)

·         It is an ‘-ing’ for of the verb which can be used:

·         Subject of the sentence:

-          Killing people is not good.

·         Compliment of the ‘to be’ verbs

-          The best thing in the world is loving mother.

·         After preposition

-          She is good at painting.

·         after a number of 'phrasal verbs' which are composed of a verb + preposition/adverb

-          I look forward to hearing from you soon.