DEAR DEPARTED

Summary:

The play ‘The Dear Departed’ presents an interesting situation that has tragically become common place in the world of today. The scene of the play is set in the sitting room of a small house in a lower middle-class district of a provincial town. The setting of the play reveals that the tea-table has been laid. Mrs. Slater, a plump and active lady is in mourning and she is getting ready to receive some guests. She beckons to her daughter Victoria, who is ten year old, and instructs her to change into something sober. It is revealed that Victoria’s grandfather has passed away and the Slater family is getting ready to receive Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Ben.

Victoria expresses surprise at this news because her aunt and uncle had not paid them a visit for years. Mrs. Slater reveals that they were coming over to talk about grandfather’s affairs, on hearing of his death. In the meanwhile Mr. Slater enters. He is a heavy man who stoops he is also in mourning dress. Henry Slater is skeptical whether Elizabeth will come, for the last time when Mrs. Slater and Elizabeth had  quarreled, she had vowed never to pay a visit again to their house. Mrs. Slater gives Henry new slippers of her father.

She also plans to take away the new bureau of the grandfather and shift it to their room, before Elizabeth and Ben arrive. Both the husband and wife, lock the front door and shift the bureau down and put their old chest of drawers there. Victoria wants to know why they were stealing grandfather’s things but her mother tells her to remain quiet. Grandpa’s new clock is also taken away. Meanwhile there is loud knocking at the door and the Slaters take plenty of time to look normal. Mrs. Jordan and Ben pretend to be emotional at the death of Mr. Abel Merryweather.

Both the ladies compare their mourning dresses, criticizing the other’s outfit. Mrs. Jordan is surprised to discover that no doctor had been summoned to check on her father. Mrs. Slater insists in a stubborn manner that she had been keen on Mr. Pringle and if he was out of station, they couldn’t be offensive and call someone else. Mrs Slater reveals that her father had been happy in the morning and he had apparently gone to pay the premium of his insurance policy. He was generally going to “Ring-O-Bells’ frequently and the night before he had come drunk and had gone to bed without having dinner. Mrs Jordan and Ben prefer to have tea before going and looking up father.

All four of them start discussing about the obituary and the kind of announcement in the newspapers to be inserted. Mrs Jordan wants a long poem but Mrs Slater protests by saying that it will cost a lot. Meanwhile Mrs Jordan reveals that her father had willed his gold watch to her son Jimmy. Mrs.Slater feels very offended and refuses to believe it. Victoria says that grandfather had not gone in the morning to pay his premium but had instead gone over to ‘The Ring of Bells,’ the public house, managed by John Shorrock’s widow. Everyone starts blaming the old man for not paying his premium. Victoria is instructed to go over to grandpa’s room to get the receipt of the premium.

Mrs Jordan is surprised to note a new bureau and she wishes to know the details, because she doubts Mrs Slater’s version. Victoria enters, looking dazed. She gives the shocking news that ä  Grandpa was stirring and moving. After some time Mr Abel Merryweather enters and is surprised to see his otherdaughter and son-in-law, Mr and Mrs Jordan. He reveals that he was well and just had a slight headache he notices Henry wearing his new slippers and takes them. Abels wishes to know, why all were in mourning dresses. Mrs Jordan makes up some story to pacify him. Abel Merryweather enjoys tea and has a generous slice of the apple-pie.

He grumbles and scolds Mrs Slater for taking away his bureau. Mrs Jordan gets agitated and accuses her sister of robbing her father. The husbands also join their wives in hurling accusations at each other Abel discovers about his death. He addresses his daughters directly and declares that he was going to change his will and all the money will go to the one, in whose house he dies. Both the daughters fight with each other to keep their father. Abel is amused and watches all the fun. At last he makes his announcement which shocks everyone. On Monday, he would go to the lawyer and alter his will, then he would go to the insurance office and pay his premium.

After that he would go to the church and get married to Mrs. Shorrock. Everyone is shocked. Abel reveals that he had at last found someone who was happy to keep him. He exits with an invitation of his marriage. He also thanks Mrs. Slater for shifting the Bureau down-stairs for now it will be easy to cart it away to “Ring-O-Bells.’

Q.5

1) How does Mrs. Slater plan to outshine the Jordans? What does it reveal about her character?

Ans.  Mrs. Slater was not very happy with the partial mourning dresses that she and her family were wearing. However, she thought that her sister in their hurry to start off for her house, wouldn’t have thought of mourning dresses and so she would outshine them.
Ans.  Mrs. Slater always liked grandfather’s bureau. After his death, she decided to shift it to her room before her sister arrived so she can say that it belonged to them

Mrs. Slater was a very superficial person. She was not concerned about the death in her family but was more bothered about her appearance and how to be better than her sister

(2) Why does Mrs. Slater decide to shift the bureau from grandfather's room before the arrival of the Jordans? How does Henry react to the suggestion?

Henry was shocked at the suggestion because he felt that the sisters should amicably divide grandfather’s things. He also felt that it was too heavy and moreover, he was worried about the arrival of the Jordans while they were shifting it.

(3) What is the reason for the Jordans taking a long time to get to the house of the Slaters? What does it show about the two sisters' attitude towards each other?

Ans.  Mrs Jordan took a lot of time to reach the home of the Slater’s because she wanted to get a complete new mourning dress before coming. Both the sisters are not grief-stricken at the death of their father but are trying to outshine each other in wearing their best mourning dresses.

(4) What does Mrs. Jordan describe as 'a fatal mistake'? What is the irony in the comment she makes on Mrs. Slater's defense?
Answer
Mrs. Slater’s not calling the doctor as soon as she realises that grandfather is dead, is described by Mrs Jordon as ‘a fatal mistake.  According to Mrs. Jordan grandfather could have been revived had Mrs. Slater sent for another doctor. It is this blunder on Mrs. Slater’s part that Mrs. Jordan describes as fatal.

(5) Ben appreciates grandfather saying 'its' a good thing he did'. Later he calls him a 'drunken old beggar'. Why does he change his opinion about grandfather?
Ans.  Ben appreciated grandfather when he came to know that he had gone out to pay his insurance premium. However, when he got to know that he had not paid the premium instead gone to a public house, he calls him a drunken old beggar.
Ben changed his opinion about grandfather when he realised that he hadn’t paid premium because now after his death they could not claim the insurance money.

(6) What change does grandfather make in his new will? What effect does it have on his daughters?
Ans  Grandfather decided that in his new will, he would leave all his money and things to the person he would be living with when he died. This led to another spat between the daughters. Since both of them were very keen to get his money and things, they wanted that he should stay with them.

(7) What are the three things that grandfather plans to do on Monday next?
Ans. The three things that grandfather planned to do on Monday next was first to go to a lawyer and change his will, then pay his insurance premium and finally go to St. Phillip’s church and get married.

6. Answer the following in detail:
(1) Bring out the irony in the title of the play.
Answer
The title of the play 'Dear Departed' is ironical. In the beginning of the play, we come to know that grandfather Mr. Abel has departed from this world. He is not dear to his own daughters though they pretend that he is dear to both of them. They are eager to divide his belongings between them. Even Mrs. Slater with whom he has been living fetches his clock and bureau from his room where he is lying 'dead'. Even they can't wait for the last rites of his burial. Even their husbands Ben and Henry do not love grandfather. So, no one is grieved at his departure. In this way, we can say that the title of this play 'Dear Departed' is an ironical statement of dying love and absence of filial obligations.

(2) How does the spat between his daughters lead to grandfather discovering the truth?

AnsAbel Merry weather recognises his bureau and wants to know the reason for its shifting. Mrs Slater had already told her sister that the bureau belonged to them. This lie is enough to start a fight between the two sisters. Mrs Jordan accuses her sister of stealing her father’s things, thinking him to be dead. That is when Abel discovers that they had gathered there for the official mourning of his death.


(3) Compare and contrast Henry's character with that of his wife. Support your answer with evidence from they play.
Answer
Henry is timid and honest by nature. Soft at heart, he tends to get bullied by his dominating wife. Initially he protests against stealing the grandfather’s slippers and bureau but when Mrs Slater forces him, he gets carried away. He is a worried looking man who believed what his wife says and ends up supporting her. Mrs Slater by contrast is vain, pretentious and greedy. She makes the plans and he executes them with his wife’s help of course.

7. Bring out the traits in Mrs. Slater's personality quoting evidence from the play.

Trait	Evidence from the play
Greedy	She shifted grandfather’s bureau and clock from his room before her sister arrived so that she could not lay a claim on it.
Overpowering/ dominating	She made her husband shift the bureau in spite of his reluctance.
Blunt/ straight talking	She told everybody that her father had been a little drunk that morning
Impolite	She misbehaved with her sister when she accused her of robbing grandfather of his things in spite of the fact that she was guilty of the same.
Insensitive	She did not even wait for grandfather’s funeral before she started dividing things between them.

8. Answer the following with reference to the context.

 1. "Are we pinching it before Aunt Elizabeth comes?"

a) What does 'it' refer to here?

b) How does Vicky conclude that her parents are 'pinching it'?

c) Mention the two reasons that Mrs. Slater gives for her action.

d) What does it reveal about the difference between the attitude of the elders and that of Vicky?

Answer

a) “It” refers to the bureau that was grandfather’s room.

b) When Victoria was told by her father that he and his mother were shifting the bureau downstairs, she concluded that her parents are “pinching it” because everything that was in grandfather’s room had to be equally divided amongst the two sisters.

c) Firstly, she always like the bureau of grandfather. Secondly, she knows that her sister Elizabeth would not let her take it.

d) The elders instead of mourning the death were busy dividing grandfather’s things. Victoria, on the other hand, had wisdom beyond her years. She immediately understood the meaning of their actions. She did not like her parents shifting the bureau.

Page No: 156

2. "I don't call that delicate, stepping into a dead man's shoes in such haste."

a) Who makes this comment?

b) What prompts the speaker to say this?

c) Bring out the significance of this statement.

Answer

a) Mrs. Jordan made this comment.

b) When grandfather sees Henry wearing it, Mrs. Slater quickly gives them back to him. This prompts Mrs. Jordan to make this comment.

c) Stepping into dead man’s shoe is to take the position of the dead man although one might not be capable of it. Mrs. Jordan on seeing her brother-in law wearing grandfather’s shoes feels that he was in too much of a hurry to step into the grandfather’s shoes. He didn’t even wait for his funeral.

3. "Now, Amelia, you mustn't give way. We've all got to die some time or other. It might have been worse."

a) Who is the speaker of these lines?

b) What prompts the speaker to say these words?

c) What does he mean when he says 'It might have been worse'?

d) What does it reveal about the speaker's character?

Answer

a) Ben is the speaker of these lines.

b) When he sees Mrs. Slater shedding tears for grandfather, he makes this formal statement to console and sympathise with her.

c) He means to say that death of grandfather at the age of 72 is quite normal. His death might have been worse than this death.

d) The speaker Ben is not serious at all. He is ironical and formal.



Date:
Day:
Time:
Today is the worst day of my life, when Grandpa was supposed to have passed away. I am deeply shocked at the behaviour of my mother and father, who are pinching the belongings of my Grandpa. Imagine none even went to look up Grandpa. I know Grandpa was not happy living with us, I tried my best but mummy never listens. Even papa supports her. I am so ashamed to see their hypocrisy. I don’t know how they will expect respect from me, when they have behaved so abominably. I pity Grandpa for this treatment. Oh! how I wish I was grown up enough to look after him.
Victoria.

 1

‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’

Notes on 'Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments'

 ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’

 Summary of ‘Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments’

This poem is the 55^th sonnet of the 154 sonnets written by William Shakespeare. Written in blank verses, the poem is about the futility of monuments and statues built by the kings and the powerful.

Absolutely confident of his writing skills, the poet claims that his poetry would outline the ornate marbles, statues and gold-plated monuments built by the rich and the powerful. As a result, the name of his friend, who is referred to in his verses, would live for a much longer time than the monuments that would stand neglected and tarnished with the passage of treacherous time.

The destructive wars would leave no trace of the statues and the devastation caused by them would bring all the magnificent monuments to the ground. However, neither wars not their devastation would wipe out the memory of the ones praised in this poem.

Neither death nor the enemies’ hatred would absolutely affect their reputation and they would continue to be praised by the generations to come till the last judgement day.

The poet wishes this praiseworthy soul to live in his poetry and in the hearts of his admires till he finally rises from his grave, like all the other souls and is rewarded by God on the day of judgement.

Question and answers:

Why do you think the rich and the powerful people get their statues and monuments erected in their memory?

Answer:

The rich and the powerful get monuments and statues carved on the one hand to make an ostentatious display of their wealth and on the other hand, to immortalize themselves so that the future generations know and remember them. However, the monuments and the statues fail to fulfill their wish.

Describe how monuments and statues brave the ravages of time.

Answer:

The statues and the monuments which the rich and the powerful get erected in their memory brave the ravages of time. Initially, they stand neglected and face the evil practices adopted by the future generations. Later, they are tarnished by the destructive wars. In short, they face the difficult and cruel times and thus, brave the ravages of wars and conflicts.

Why does the poetry refer to time as being ‘sluttish’?

Answer:

Time has been personified here as a slut which means being disloyal and untrustworthy. The poet calls time sluttish as it is not loyal to anyone. Just as a slut, loses its charm and beauty with time, the princes and the powerful, who enjoyed great privileges and popularity at one time get lost and forgotten with the passage of time. The ornate monuments and statues that they get erected to perpetuate their names even after their death stand neglected after some time and eventually, they are tarnished by wars. Hence, time displays its disloyalty towards once all powerful kings. 

The poet says that neither forces of nature nor wars can destroy his poetry. In fact, even godly powers of Mars will not have a devastating effect on his rhyme. What quality of the poet is revealed through these lines?

Answer:

Forces of nature or wars can destroy human beings, animals, cities, and even monuments. The power of the God of war, Mars, has a devastating effect on everything that is mortal. However, poetry and the great creations of the poet are immune to such forces of nature. The sonnet written by the poet in praise of his friend will survive all these natural forces, wars and the ravages of time. Even the godly power of Mars can’t diminish the shine and glory of his rhyme. The poem will survive all these and be remembered till posterity.

Sure of his verses not being destroyed by forces of nature, wars and the unmatchable power of God, the poet reveals his self-confidence, optimism and his immense faith in the power of his poetry. He conveys that ‘Pen is mightier than the sword’.

Literary devices :
 Personification- Sluttish time
Here time has been personified as a slut to indicate that it is heartless and cruel .

Alliteration : Not marble, nor gilded monuments
(repetition of 'm', 'n', 'l', and  'r' sounds

2)you shall shine  (sh sound)

3)  unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time

4) when wasteful wars  ( w sound repeated )

Repetition -'nor',  'shall '.

Ans. the qs. in brief :

i) marble  srtands for ornate statues.

ii)  powerful rhyme - verses written by the poet.
iii)  wasteful war - war is destructive .
iv)  'your ' refers to -a worthy friend of the poet .
v) 'oblivious enmity' refers to enmity that makes one forget the values of life.
vi) 'you' will be remembered - till the doom's day.
vii) judgement refers to -the final judgement of mankind .
'dwell in lover's eyes ' means he is alive in the memory of the people who love him.

The Letter

Summary: This story was written by Dhumketu. This story is about an old man who was a hunter during his heydays. When his daughter got married, he understood the pain of separation. After that, he gave up hunting began another phase of his life, i.e. to wait for a letter from his daughter. He goes to the post office every day to enquire about the letter. The post office becomes a pilgrimage for him and he continues his daily pilgrimage for five years. Everyone in the post office makes fun of him but nobody ever tries to understand the pain of an old man who is waiting for a letter from his beloved daughter. On his last visit to the post office, the old man gives five guineas to a clerk and requests him to deliver the letter to his grave whenever the letter comes. One day; the postmaster is anxiously waiting for a letter from his sick daughter and his agony makes him realize the pain and agony which the old man must have suffered. It was on that day when a  letter from the old man’s daughter arrives. But it was too late because the old man had died by that time. However, at the end of the story; everyone in the post office appear to realize the importance of human emotions and relationships.

a.    Who was Ali? Where did he go daily?

Answer: Ali was an old man who was a clever shikari in his youth. He went to the Post Office  daily  for the last five years to receive a letter from his daughter .

b.    
"Ali displays qualities of love and patience". Give evidence from the story to support the statement.

Answer: Ali loves his daughter too much. This is evident from the fact that when his daughter goes away , he realizes the pain of separation. He has a lot of patience which is evident in his daily journey to the Post Office.

c.    How do you know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office?

Answer: All the people at the post office knew him by face and name. They even remembered his daughter’s name. They often discuss the mental state of Ali during breaks. This shows that Ali was a familiar figure at the post office.

d.    Why did Ali give up hunting?

Answer: When Ali’s daughter got married and left him; he understood the pain of separation. He began to feel the pain of the birds whose  dear ones had killed. After that, Ali gave up hunting.

e.    What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story 'The Letter'?

Answer: The postmaster had an expressionless face ard was too occupied with his own affairs to think about others. It is only when he  had  to wait for the news of the well being of his daughter , he realized a father’s anxiety for his daughter. This
incidence totally changes  him.

f.    The postmaster says to Ali, "What a pest you are, brother!" Do you agree with the statement? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: I do not agree with this statement. Though Ali comes daiy to the post office;he waits patiently without disturbing anyone.Hope lures him to the door whenever post office employees jokingly call out his name,but he does not rebuke them.

g."Ali came out very slowly, turning after every few steps to gaze at the post office. His eyes were filled with tears of helplessness, for his patience was exhausted, even though he still had faith." Why were Ali's eyes filled with tears of helplessness? What had exhausted his patience but not his faith?

Answer:   Ali’s eyes were filled with tears of helplessness.  because he felt hurt at the postmaster’s rough and uncivilized  behaviour. His not receiving any letter from Miriam for over a period of five years and the old age had exhausted his patience. But he had still faith that he would receive a letter from Miriam.

h.Tortured by doubt and remorse he sat down in the glow               of the charcoal sigri to wait. Who is tortured by doubt and remorse? Why? What is he waiting for?    
Answer: The postmaster was tortured by doubt and remorse.

The postmaster is tortured by doubt and remorse .He was in doubt about well being of his daughter. He was remorseful because he failed to understand Ali’s pain and anxiety.He is waiting for the news of the wellbeing of his daughter.

         7- Tortured by doubt and remorse. the postmaster sits in the glow of a charcoal sigri                    that night, waiting for news of his daughter. As he sits, he writes his diary. As the                   postmaster, write a diary in about 150 words outling your feeling about the day’s                   events.

         4^th Aug.2016
         9.50 P.M.

I am overburdened with a feeling of doubt and remorse at how I have treated Ali. Today as I was waiting to give the letter Ali had been waiting so long to receive personally to him. I saw Ali coming and knocking at the door. I duly asked him to come in. He was leaning on his stick and had tears on his face. However, his features were unearthly.I gave him the letter. But later Lakshmi Das informed me that Ali had died three months back.

I am feeling a sense of remorse and  guilt at the way I have treated Ali. I  have  insulted Ali. I laughed at his genuine feeling of love for Miriam when he used to wait for a letter from her. I overlooked the human side of his emotions then. But very soon I found myself in the same predicament. I realised my foolishness towards Ali. This has cut me to piecess. How can I make amends for my rough and rude behaviour towards Ali when he was alive ! I really repent my actions and feel  that I should not have been harsh to Ali.

Postmaster