Unit
II: Short Story
The Lost Child (Mulk
Raj Anand)
About the author:
Mulk
Raj Anand was one of the first Indian English writers. He is regarded as one of the founding figures
of Indian English literature. He is popular not only at national level but also
at international level. He formed a significant works that contains several
short stories, novels and essays. He is
prominent for his stories associated to the customary society and the deprived
class. He was born in Peshawar British
India on 12 December
1905 and died 28 September 2004 at Pune, Maharashtra,
India at the age of 98. He completed his graduation in honors from
Punjab University and then went to University College, London. While studying
in England, he worked at a restaurant to finance his education because he was
poor as his father was a coppersmith. He went on to earn a PhD from Cambridge
University. This was also the time when he became involved in India’s struggle
for independence.
The most important works written of Mulk Raj Anand are: The Village (1939),
Across the Black Waters (1939), The Sword and the Sickle (1942), Coolie (1936),
The Private Life of an Indian Prince (1953), The Road (1961) and Summers (1951) etc. He
wrote mostly about the lives of the poor, exploited Indian people and about
social evils like the caste system, untouchability and communalism. He first
gained popularity for his novels, Untouchable and Coolie.
Introduction of the story:
Famous Indian English
author, Mulk Raj Anand has written the well messaged short story “The Lost
Child”. The story is about a small
kid who gets lost in a fair. This short story, deals with the incidents of a
child who goes to a fair with his parents. He is happy and excited and wants
the sweets, toys and flowers, etc like other children. He asks for toys, sweets, flowers etc. form
his parents but they don’t buy them for him. When the child gets lost later, he refuses to
accept the things he asked for earlier and persists on getting back to his
father and mother. The story “The Lost Child” is described by a third person
speaker who does not interrupt into the action. He is the objective spectator
telling, narrating and recording the events himself.
Summary of the story: The story starts
in the early morning of spring in a village. The village people dressed in new
colored clothes and start out to visit the temple fair. A couple takes their
child with them on the fair. The child with his parents was eager and gay. As a child the boy is fascinated towards the
toy shops. As a child he wants to buy the toys but his father gets annoyed when
he demands to buy them. His mother however is in a pleasing temper and tries to
divert his attention by showing him other natural things such as: field, files,
trees and sun etc. The boy is delighted with the dragon flies, butterflies and
the lone black bee in the mustard fields. He also becomes absorbed with the
insects and worms on the road. His
parents call him, and then lift him, up before going on towards the fair. When
they reached in the fair the child like and wants different things such as:
sweets ( gulab jamun, rasgulla, burfi, and jalebies), balloons, and garland of gulmohur etc. He did not
express his wish to his parents because he knows that they will not give him
these things. When the boy reaches the near swirling he wants to have a trip on
it, and turns around courageously to get consent from his parents for a travel
on this. But when he looks there unfortunately he recognizes that he had lost
his parents. He starts crying and tears start continuing from his eyes. Being
terrified he pleads for help but did not know what to do and how to search
parents. His turban becomes free and his clothes become dirty due to mud. He
seeks his parents all over the place but is not capable to find them. He goes
near the temple in the crowd where he is picked by a kind man. The man tries to calm him and offers him all
the things he had wanted one after the other; but the child is terribly upset
and wants nothing but his parents.
Urdu Summary:
کہانی کا تعارف:"دی لوسٹ چائلڈ" ایک مختصر کہانی ہے جو مشہور ہندوستانی انگریز مصنف ملک راج آنند نے لکھی ہے۔ کہانی "دی لوسٹ چائلڈ" لکھی گئی ہے ایک میلے کے بارے میں ایک بچہ کھو گیا ہے۔ انہوں نے متعدد ناول اور مختصر کہانیاں لکھی ہیں۔ یہ مختصر کہانی، "گمشدہ بچہ" ایک ایسے بچے کے واقعات سے متعلق ہے جو اپنے والدین کے ساتھ میلے میں جاتا ہے۔ وہ خوش اور پرجوش ہے اور وہاں مٹھائیاں، کھلونے اور پھول وغیرہ دکھانا چاہتا ہے۔ وہ اپنے والدین سے کھلونے، مٹھائیاں، پھول وغیرہ مانگتا ہے لیکن وہ اس کے لیے نہیں خریدتے۔ جب بچہ بعد میں گم ہو جاتا ہے، تو وہ ان چیزوں کو قبول کرنے سے انکار کر دیتا ہے جو اس نے پہلے مانگی تھیں اور اپنے والد اور والدہ کے پاس واپس جانے پر بضد رہتے ہیں۔کہانی "گمشدہ بچہ" ایک تیسرے شخص کے ذریعہ بیان کی گئی ہے جو عمل میں مداخلت نہیں کرتا ہے۔ وہ ایک معروضی تماشائی ہے جو خود واقعات کو بتاتا، بیان کرتا اور ریکارڈ کرتا ہے۔ کہانی کو مختلف سطحوں پر سمجھنا ممکن ہے۔ کہانی میں، راوی ٹھوس اور خلاصہ، خاص اور عمومی، انفرادی اور اجتماعی کو ملا کر موضوع کی نشوونما کے لیے مناسب ماحول پیدا کرتا ہے۔ مصنف نے منظر اور صورت حال کو زندہ کرنے کے لیے متعدد تمثیلات، صوتی اور ولفیکٹری امیجز کا استعمال کیا ہے۔
کہانی کا خلاصہ: کہانی ایک گاؤں میں بہار کی صبح سے شروع ہوتی ہے۔ گاؤں کے لوگ نئے رنگ کے کپڑے پہن کر مندر کے میلے میں جانے کے لیے نکل پڑے۔ میلے میں ایک جوڑا اپنے بچے کو ساتھ لے کر جا رہا ہے۔ اپنے والدین کے ساتھ بچہ شوقین اور ہم جنس پرست تھا۔ بچپن میں لڑکا کھلونوں کی دکانوں کی طرف متوجہ ہوتا ہے۔ بچپن میں وہ کھلونے خریدنا چاہتا تھا لیکن جب اس کے والد انہیں خریدنے کا مطالبہ کرتے ہیں تو وہ ناراض ہو جاتے ہیں۔ تاہم اس کی ماں خوش مزاج ہے اور اسے دوسری قدرتی چیزیں دکھا کر اس کی توجہ ہٹانے کی کوشش کرتی ہے جیسے: کھیت، فائلیں، درخت اور سورج وغیرہ۔ لڑکا ڈریگن فلائیوں، تتلیوں اور سرسوں میں اکیلی کالی مکھی سے خوش ہوتا ہے۔ کھیتوں وہ سڑک پر موجود کیڑوں اور کیڑوں کے ساتھ بھی جذب ہو جاتا ہے۔ اس کے والدین اسے بلاتے ہیں، اور پھر میلے کی طرف جانے سے پہلے اسے اوپر اٹھاتے ہیں۔ جب وہ میلے میں پہنچے تو بچے نے مختلف چیزیں پسند کیں اور چاہیں جیسے: مٹھائیاں (گلاب جامن، رسگلہ، برفی اور جلیبی)، غبارے اور گل موہور کے ہار وغیرہ۔ اس نے اپنی خواہش کا اظہار اپنے والدین سے نہیں کیا کیونکہ وہ جانتا ہے۔ وہ اسے یہ چیزیں نہیں دیں گے۔ جب لڑکا گھومتا ہوا قریب پہنچتا ہے تو وہ اس پر سفر کرنا چاہتا ہے، اور اس پر سفر کے لیے اپنے والدین سے رضامندی حاصل کرنے کے لیے ہمت سے مڑتا ہے۔ لیکن جب وہ وہاں دیکھتا ہے تو بدقسمتی سے وہ پہچانتا ہے کہ اس نے اپنے والدین کو کھو دیا تھا۔ وہ رونے لگتا ہے اور اس کی آنکھوں سے آنسو جاری ہوتے ہیں۔ خوفزدہ ہو کر وہ مدد کے لیے التجا کرتا ہے لیکن اسے معلوم نہیں تھا کہ کیا کرنا ہے اور والدین کو کیسے تلاش کرنا ہے۔ اس کی پگڑی آزاد ہو جاتی ہے اور اس کے کپڑے مٹی کی وجہ سے میلے ہو جاتے ہیں۔ وہ اپنے والدین کو ہر جگہ ڈھونڈتا ہے لیکن انہیں تلاش نہیں کر پاتا۔ وہ ہجوم میں مندر کے قریب جاتا ہے جہاں اسے ایک مہربان آدمی نے اٹھایا۔ آدمی اسے پرسکون کرنے کی کوشش کرتا ہے اور اسے وہ تمام چیزیں پیش کرتا ہے جو وہ ایک کے بعد ایک چاہتا تھا۔ لیکن بچہ بہت پریشان ہے اور اپنے والدین کے علاوہ کچھ نہیں چاہتا۔
Text of “The Lost Child”
It was the festival of spring. From the
wintry shades of narrow lanes and alleys emerged a
gaily clad humanity. Some walked, some
rode on horses, others sat, being carried in bamboo
and bullock carts. One little boy ran
between his father’s legs, brimming over with life and
laughter. “Come, child, come,” called
his parents, as he lagged behind, fascinated by the toys
in the shops that lined the way.
He hurried towards his parents, his feet
obedient to their call, his eyes still lingering on the
receding toys. As he came to where they
had stopped to wait for him, he could not suppress
the desire of his heart, even though he
well knew the old, cold stare of refusal in their eyes. “I
want that toy,” he pleaded. His father
looked at him red-eyed, in his familiar tyrant’s way. His
mother, melted by the free spirit of the
day was tender and, giving him her finger to hold,
said, “Look, child, what is before you!”
It was a flowering mustard-field, pale
like melting gold as it swept across miles and miles of
even land. A group of dragon-flies were
bustling about on their gaudy purple wings,
intercepting the flight of a lone black
bee or butterfly in search of sweetness from the flowers.
The child followed them in the air with
his gaze, till one of them would still its wings and rest,
and he would try to catch it. But it
would go fluttering, flapping, up into the air, when he had
almost caught it in his hands. Then his
mother gave a cautionary call: “Come, child, come,
come on to the footpath.”
He ran towards his parents gaily and
walked abreast of them for a while, being, however, soon
left behind, attracted by the little
insects and worms along the footpath that were teeming out
from their hiding places to enjoy the
sunshine.
“Come, child, come!” his parents called
from the shade of a grove where they had seated
themselves on the edge of a well. He ran
towards them. A shower of young flowers fell upon
the child as he entered the grove, and,
forgetting his parents, he began to gather the raining
petals in his hands. But lo! he heard
the cooing of doves and ran towards his parents,
shouting, “The dove! The dove!” The
raining petals dropped from his forgotten hands.
“Come, child, come!” they called to the
child, who had now gone running in wild capers round
the banyan tree, and gathering him up
they took the narrow, winding footpath which led to
the fair through the mustard fields. As
they neared the village the child could see many other
footpaths full of throngs, converging to
the whirlpool of the fair, and felt at once repelled and
fascinated by the confusion of the world
he was entering.
A sweetmeat seller hawked, “gulab-jaman,
rasagulla, burfi, jalebi,” at the corner of the
entrance and a crowd pressed round his
counter at the foot of an architecture of many
coloured sweets, decorated with leaves
of silver and gold. The child stared open-eyed and his
mouth watered for the burfi that was his
favourite sweet. “I want that burfi,” he slowly
murmured. But he half knew as he begged
that his plea would not be heeded because his
parents would say he was greedy. So
without waiting for an answer he moved on.
A flower-seller hawked, “A garland of
gulmohur, a garland of gulmohur !” The child seemed
irresistibly drawn. He went towards the
basket where the flowers lay heaped and half
murmured, “I want that garland.” But he
well knew his parents would refuse to buy him those
flowers because they would say that they
were cheap. So, without waiting for an answer, he
moved on.
A man stood holding a pole with yellow,
red, green and purple balloons flying from it. The
child was simply carried away by the
rainbow glory of their silken colours and he was filled
with an overwhelming desire to possess
them all. But he well knew his parents would never
buy him the balloons because they would
say he was too old to play with such toys. So he
walked on farther.
A snake-charmer stood playing a flute to
a snake which coiled itself in a basket, its head
raised in a graceful bend like the neck
of a swan, while the music stole into its invisible ears
like the gentle rippling of an invisible
waterfall. The child went towards the snake-charmer.
But, knowing his parents had forbidden
him to hear such coarse music as the snake- charmer
played, he proceeded farther.
There was a roundabout in full swing.
Men, women and children, carried away in a whirling
motion, shrieked and cried with dizzy
laughter. The child watched them intently and then he
made a bold request: “I want to go on
the roundabout, please, Father, Mother.” There was no
reply. He turned to look at his parents.
They were not there, ahead of him. He turned to look
on either side. They were not there. He
looked behind. There was no sign of them.
A full, deep cry rose within his dry
throat and with a sudden jerk of his body he ran from
where he stood, crying in real fear,
“Mother, Father.” Tears rolled down from his eyes, hot
and fierce; his flushed face was
convulsed with fear. Panic- stricken, he ran to one side first,
then to the other, hither and thither in
all directions, knowing not where to go. “Mother,
Father,” he wailed. His yellow turban
came untied and his clothes became muddy.
Having run to and fro in a rage of
running for a while, he stood defeated, his cries suppressed
into sobs. At little distances on the
green grass he could see, through his filmy eyes, men and
women talking. He tried to look intently
among the patches of bright yellow clothes, but there
was no sign of his father and mother
among these people, who seemed to laugh and talk just
for the sake of laughing and talking.
He ran quickly again, this time to a
shrine to which people seemed to be crowding. Every little
inch of space here was congested with
men, but he ran through people’s legs,
his little sob lingering: “Mother, Father!” Near the entrance to the temple,
however, the crowd became very thick: men jostled each other, heavy men, with
flashing, murderous eyes and hefty shoulders. The poor child struggled to thrust
a way between their feet but, knocked to and fro by their brutal movements, he
might have been trampled underfoot, had
he not shrieked at the highest pitch of his voice, “Father, Mother!”
A man in the surging crowd heard his cry
and, stooping with great difficulty, lifted him up in
his arms. “How did you get here, child?
Whose baby are you?” the man asked as he steered
clear of the mass. The child wept more
bitterly than ever now and only cried, “I want my
mother, I want my father!”
The man tried to soothe him by taking
him to the roundabout. “Will you have a ride on the
horse?” he gently asked as he approached
the ring. The child’s throat tore into a thousand
shrill sobs and he only shouted: “I want
my mother, I want my father!”
The man headed towards the place where
the snake- charmer still played on the flute to the
swaying cobra. “Listen to that nice
music, child!” he pleaded. But the child shut his ears with
his fingers and shouted his
double-pitched strain: “I want my mother, I want my father!” The
man took him near the balloons, thinking
the bright colours of the balloons would distract the
child’s attention and quieten him.
“Would you like a rainbow-coloured balloon?” he
persuasively asked. The child turned his
eyes from the flying balloons and just sobbed, “I
want my mother, I want my father!”
The man, still trying to make the child
happy, bore him to the gate where the flower-seller sat.
“Look! Can you smell those nice flowers,
child! Would you like a garland to put round your
neck?” The child turned his nose away
from the basket and reiterated his sob: “I want my
mother, I want my father!”
Thinking to humour his disconsolate
charge by a gift of sweets, the man took him to the
counter of the sweet shop. “What sweets
would you like, child?” he asked. The child turned
his face from the sweet shop and only
sobbed, “I want my mother, I want my father!”
Glossary/ Meaning of
Difficult Words
Emerged: Come out
Gaily : brightly
brimming over:
be full of a strong emotion
lagged : moved slowly
lined : set up
receding : moving back
gradually
lingering :last
for a long time
farther: distant
suppress: put to an end
tyrant : a cruel and
oppressive ruler
melted: become tender
gaudy : extravagantly
bright and showy
abreast: side by side
teaming out:
empty
intercepting:
obstructing; coming between
cautionary: warning
grove: a small wood
caper : dance or skip in
a lively way
throngs: crowds
heeded: paid attention to
converging : gathering
together in one place
overwhelming:
a very strong emotion
forbidde: not allowed
whirlpool :
a quickly rotating mass of water in a river or sea
coarse : vulgar and
unsophisticated
hither and thither:
here and there
intently: carefully
congested:
full of
hefty: large and heavy
thrust: push
knocked: hit
brutal : harsh
trampled: crushed
shrill : high:pitched and
piercing
surging: powerful
soothe: relax
pleaded: requested
double: pitched strain
bore: carried
reiterated:
repeated
disconsolate:
unhappy
lanes: narrow roads
gaily: gay
clad: dressed
humanity: human race
murmured: low sound
flapping: to swing
tender: having tender
heart
bustling: moving here and
there
Textual Questions:
Comprehension
A. Answer the following in a single word, phrase or sentence
each.
1. Why does the child often lag behind?
Ans.:
He is fascinated
toward the toy shops and wants these toys so he often lag behind.
2. What does the child's mother point out to distract
him?
Ans. She tries to distract child’s attention with natural things as: field, files, trees & sun etc.
3. Why does the child eventually stop asking for the
things he desires?
Ans. When he comes to know that he was lost because he was not able to search
his parents.
4. When does
the child first discover that his parents are missing?
Ans. When he reaches the near
swirling and he wants to take consent from his parents for playing there.
5. Where does the man discover the child?
Ans. He discovers the child in the temple among
crowd.
6. How is the child brought to the man's notice?
Ans. He comes in the
notices of the man when he was weeping bitterly.
B. Answer the following in about 150 words each.
1. What are the things the child sees on his way to
the fair? How do his parents respond to this?
Ans.: On his way to the fair,
the child first comes upon toy shops that were lined on the way. In an attempt
to distract the child his mother shows him the golden mustard field, full of
dragon flies intercepting the flight of a lone black bee. There are also butterflies
fluttering about in search of nectar. He also sees insects and worms which come
out to enjoy the spring sunshine. He asks for toys, sweets, flowers etc. form
his parents but they don’t buy them for him.
2. What things does the child desire in the fair?
Ans.: The
child sees many things at the fair, such as sweets like gulab jamun, rasgulla,
burfi, and jalebies. He wants to have burfi as it was his favourite. Next, he
yearns for a garland of gulmohur; followed by tempting rainbow coloured
balloons. Then he takes fancy to the snake charmer’s music. Finally, he badly
wants to have a ride on the roundabout.
3. How have the lost child's anxiety and fear been
described?
Ans.: The child’s anxiety and fear has been
brought about in an expressive manner. On finding out that he had lost his way
the boy cries out and tears start rolling from his eyes. Panic:stricken he runs
about hither: thither, not knowing where to go or what to do. His yellow turban
becomes untied and his clothes become mud stained.
4. Why does the lost child lose interest in the things
he wanted earlier?
Ans.: The lost child did not take interest in things that he
had demand from his parents. When he gets lost, he refuses to accept the things he
asked for earlier and persists on getting back to his father and mother. In short
the things which the child wished have no value when he has lost his parents,
who are more precious than anything else, and wants them back.
C. Answer the following in about 300 words each.
1. Describe how the story manages to immerse the
reader in the child's feelings over the course of the story.
Ans.: This short story,
“The Lost Child” deals with the incidents of a child who goes to a fair with
his parents immerses all the reader’s feelings with the child. The child is happy and excited and wants the
sweets, toys and flowers, etc displayed
at the fair. As a child like other
children he asks for toys, sweets, flowers etc. form his parents but they don’t
buy them for him. It is naturally that all the readers will immerse in the
child’s feelings that feelings were not fulfilled by his own parents. When the child gets lost later, he refuses to
accept the things he asked for earlier and persists on getting back to his
parents; this may remind the readers about the affection of their own children.
When reader starts to read about child who is
fascinated towards different things at the fair their emotions immerse with
them over the course of the story. As a
child he wants to buy the toys but his father gets annoyed when he demands to
buy them. His mother however is in a pleasing temper and tries to divert his
attention by showing him other natural things such as: field, files, trees and
sun etc. The boy is delighted with the dragon flies, butterflies and the lone
black bee in the mustard fields. He also becomes absorbed with the insects and
worms on the road. His parents call him,
and then lift him, up before going on towards the fair. When they reached in
the fair the child like and want different things such as: sweets balloons, and
garland of gulmohur etc. He did not express his wish to his parents because he
knows that they will not give him these things at this time the reader will
immerse with the feelings of the child.
When the boy
reaches the near swirling he wants to have a trip on it, and turns around
courageously to get consent from his parents for a travel on this. But when he
looks there unfortunately he recognizes that he had lost his parents. He starts
crying and tears start continuing from his eyes. Being terrified he pleads for
help but did not know what to do and how to search parents. His turban becomes
free and his clothes become dirty due to mud. He seeks his parents all over the
place but is not capable to find them. The ending of the story has deeply immersed all the readers in to the child’s feelings
because it is more tragic that a child rejects all what he wanted for the sake
of his parents.
2. How does Mulk Raj Anand bring out the rural flavor
through this story?
Ans.: Mulk Raj Anand was one of the first Indian English
writers. He is regarded as one of the
founding figures of Indian English literature. He is prominent for his stories associated to the customary society
and the deprived class of rural society. He wrote mostly about the lives of the poor, exploited rural
Indian people and about social evils like the caste system, untouchability and
communalism which were more privileged in rural societies.
Mulk Raj Anand
brings out the rural flavor throughout the story “The Last Child”. The setting
of the story is village and have full flavor of rural life throughout the
story. The story starts in the early
morning of spring in a village. The village people dressed in new colored
clothes and start out to visit the temple fair. A couple takes their child with
them on the fair. The child with his parents was eager and gay. As a child the boy is fascinated towards the
toy shops. As a child he wants to buy the toys but his father gets annoyed when
he demands to buy them. His mother however is in a pleasing temper and tries to
divert his attention by showing him other natural things such as: field, files,
trees and sun etc. The boy is delighted with the dragon flies, butterflies and
the lone black bee in the mustard fields. He also becomes absorbed with the
insects and worms on the road. His
parents call him, and then lift him, up before going on towards the fair. When
they reached in the fair the child like and want different things. When the boy reaches the near swirling he
wants to have a trip on it, and turns around courageously to get consent from
his parents for a travel on this. But when he looks there unfortunately he
recognizes that he had lost his parents. He goes near the temple in the crowd
where he is picked by a kind man. The
man tries to calm him and offers him all the things he had wanted one after the
other; but the child is terribly upset and wants nothing but his parents.
In short the
setting as well as the theme and message brings out the rural flavor when we study this story.
Important Additional
Questions
Q1. Describe the “Day
of the Fair” or beginning of the story in your own words?
Ans.:
The story “The Lost Child” written Mulk Raj Anand starts in the early morning of spring in a village. The chief attraction in the beginning is the
village fair. A huge crowd has gathered to participate in the festivities.
There are people from different walks of life. They have colorful and different
looks, as some are gaily dressed while some are normally dressed. The crowd is
thronging out of the town and moving toward the village fair. The hero of the
story who is a young boy is also there with by his parents. He wanders and is
mostly interested in the toys sitting wonderfully in the fair stalls and shops.
He wants to play with them but his wish is rejected by his father. His mother
offers a warm and tender reply and asks him to look at the attractive natural
beauty than to the artificial things.
Q2. How the hero of
the child in the story reacts with the Yellow Fields?
Ans.: In the story the boy
being dejected with unfulfilled desires, his mother asks him to look at the attractive
natural beauty than to the artificial things.
He looks at the massive expanse of mustard fields in front of him. He is
happy with delight and joy after taking such a beautiful sight. The fields are decorated with yellow flowers that are dotting the
landscape with perfect natural beauty. His innocence as a child is reflected by
the fact that on watching such beauty he forgets the pain of his dashed hopes
of a toy. He finds enjoyment and mingles with the nature. Calm by the remains of his desires, he is
absorbed with innocent misbehavior. He enters the fields and fumbles with the
flowers. He finds intention and satisfaction in pursuing his new recreation in
the lap of natural objects such as: butterflies and dragonflies. To him, they
represent a better catch than any toy at the fair. The mother is conscious of
his love with the butterflies and asks him to not ramble off away from
them. The boy returns to his parents and
accompanies them on the path. However, his attention again flirts with new hunts,
little worms, and insects. He moves backward and forward and hunts after them.
The family i.e. parents and their son sit under a humongous banyan tree. The
child being innocent doesn’t know the location of his parents loses his way
this time and reached the fair instead. He is unaware to the fact that his
parents had decided to stop and to take rest.
Q3. Write the scene of the story in which the
child is lost?
Ans.: This short story, “The Lost Child” deals
with the incidents of a child who goes to a fair with his parents. He is happy
and excited and wants the sweets, toys and flowers, etc displayed there. He asks for toys, sweets, flowers etc. form
his parents but they don’t by them for him.
When the child gets lost later, he refuses to accept the things he asked
for earlier and persists on getting back to his father and mother. In the middle of the fair, his
concentration is fixed on the sweetmeat seller who is urging customers to enjoy
the sweet delight of his sweetmeats.
Then, he sees a flower seller
and a balloon seller. He shows a great understanding of his condition and does
not stay behind too long at any of his desired allurements. Now, he meets a
snake charmer. He is apprehended with a wish to look for the adventure of
a man controlling the risky reptile but he remembers his fateful control. He did not express his wish to his parents because he knows
that they will not give him these things. When the boy reaches the near
swirling he wants to have a trip on it, and turns around courageously to get
consent from his parents for a travel on this. But when he looks there
unfortunately he recognizes that he had lost his parents. He starts crying and
tears start continuing from his eyes. Being terrified he pleads for help but
did not know what to do and how to search parents. His turban becomes free and
his clothes become dirty due to mud. He seeks his parents all over the place
but is not capable to find them.
Q4. Who helps the boy in the
story?
Ans.: The boy who
is the hero in the story is lost and wants to find them. He goes near the
temple in the crowd, but the enormous crowd at the door knocks him off of his feet.
Lying on the ground he is about crushed over by the crowd when sympatric man
helps him to his feet. The man
tries to calm him and offers him all the things he had wanted one after the
other; but the child is terribly upset and wants nothing but his parents. The man is kind to the boy’s plight and
enquires about his condition and family. The child is triumph over with angst
and sentiments and cannot stop crying. The only words he can mumble are that
explicate his desire for his parents. The compassionate man consoles
the child and tries to calm him. He suggests him a travel on the about, to
divert him as well. However, the child is heartbroken and not capable to manage
his tears and agonizing cries. The man tries to divert him again by taking
him to the snake:charmer. The child declines this present as well. The man
offers to buy him balloons but to no advantage. At last, he offers him some
sweetmeats. But even this splendid effort is futile to pacify the upset of the
lost child. The child didn’t stop weeping writhing in distress and screaming
for a sight and meeting with his parents.
Q5. What is the Theme of the play?
Ans.:The theme of the story is the association of true love between
parents and a child. Another
theme is that no material possession can repay for the loss of close ones. This short story, “The
Lost Child” deals with the incidents of a child who goes to a fair with his
parents. He is happy and excited and wants the sweets, toys and flowers,
etc displayed there. He asks for toys, sweets, flowers etc. form
his parents but they don’t by them for him.
When the child gets lost later, he refuses to accept the things he asked
for earlier and persists on getting back to his father and mother. The
story has also selfish theme as it tells us about the wishes of a child to have
all he sets his eye upon in this material world. The lost child symbolizes
entire mankind in pursuit of material things.
One did not know the value of vital things like his parents when they
are in front of one but one knows value of valuable things when they are lost.
Q6.
What is the Title of the play?
The title of
‘The Lost Child’ is suitable and appt.
In this story the title reflects the story as the whole story as
revolves around the child who is lost in the fair. In the story, the storyteller merges the factual and
the intangible, the particular and the general, the individual and the
collective to create the proper atmosphere for the development of the theme.
The author uses a number of illustrations, acoustic and olfactory images to
make the scene and situation come alive.
Q7.Why does
the child lag behind from his parents?
Ans. The child lags behind his parents as he is fascinated by
the toys in the toyshop and by the dragonflies, butterflies in the mustard
field.
Q8. Why
does the child move on without waiting for an answer from his parents?
Ans. Although the boy wants all these things, he
moves ahead without waiting for an answer as he knows that his parents would
not admit no matter how much he pleaded.
Q9. When does
the child realise that he has lost his way?
Ans. When the child receives
no reply to his request for a ride on the roundabout, he turns about and
realizes that he is lost in the fair.
Q10. What
do you think happens in the end? Does the child find his parents?
Ans. The author did not mention any thing about the
unification of child and his parents. He has left the story open ended, leaving
it to the reader to decide what happens to the child. In our opinion the child
would be united with his parents. The man who rescued the child from the crowd was
sympatric and he must have helped him find his parents at the end.
Language Activity
Pronunciation
Consonant
sounds: These are those sounds of the language
in which there is narrowing or closure of air passage while producing them. In
case of consonant sounds the air is stopped very shortly in the cavity of
mouth, before passing out. There are several types of consonant sounds,
including stops, fricatives, affricates, nasals, and approximants. Each
consonant sound is produced by a specific configuration of the articulators,
such as the lips, tongue, and teeth.
They are divided into two types on
vibration of vocal cards or duration of time.
Voiceless:
These are those sounds which take less duration of time while uttering them or
the vocal cards do not vibrate while uttering them. Voiceless sounds are; /p/, /t/, /k/, /tʃ/, /f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/, /h/
Voiced: They take more
duration of time while uttering or while producing them the vocal cards
vibrate. /b/, /d/, /g/, /dʒ/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/,
/v/,/ð/, /z/, /ʒ/, /w/, /r/, /j/, /l/
Classification
according to the manner of articulation:
Plosives (6) (Airstream
is released suddenly): /p/, /b/, /t/
/d/, /k/,/g/
Affricates(2)(Stops & conclude) : /tʃ/, /dʒ/
Nasals(3)
(Through nose) : /m/,/n/,/ŋ/
Fricatives(9) (Narrow friction): /f/, /v/,/θ/,/ð/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /,/ð/, /ʒ/, /h/
Approximants (Semi
voewls) (3): /w/, /t/, /j/
Lateral Approximant (1) (Sides): /l/
Classification
according to the place of articulation are:
Bilabials(4): /p/, /b/,/m/,/w/
Labiodentals (2): /f/, /v/
Dentals (2): /θ/, /ð/,
Alveolars (6):
/t/,/d/,/n/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/
Postalveolar
(1): /r/
Palato-alveolars (4): /tʃ/,
/dʒ/,
/ʒ/,/r/
Palatal (1) : /j/
Velar: /k/, /g/
Glottal: /h/
Three Examples of
Phonetic Symbols
Consonant
Sound and Spelling Chart
|
Sound |
Spelling |
Examples |
|
/P/ |
P |
pen,
spin, cap |
|
/b/ |
B |
bed,
about, snub |
|
/ t/ |
t,
tt, th, ed, pt |
tank,
actor, prompt |
|
/d/ |
d,
dd, ed |
door,
sudden, played |
|
/K/ |
k,
C, cc, ck, ch, qu, x |
keen,
cat, occur, pack, chemistry, extra |
|
/g/ |
g,
gh, x |
gate,
ghost, examine |
|
/tʃ/ |
ch,
tch |
chair,
butcher |
|
/ʃ/ |
sh,
s, ss, c, ch, t, ti |
shepherd,
sure, mission, special, machine, nation |
|
/θ/ |
Th |
thin,
think, bath |
|
/ð/ |
Th |
this,
that, mother |
|
/m/ |
m,
mm |
man,
summer |
|
/n/ |
n,
nn, kn |
net,
inner, knee |
|
/ŋ/ |
ng,
n |
sing,
think |
|
/f/ |
f,
ff, ph, gh |
fan,
off, phone, laugh |
|
/v/ |
v,
f |
van,
of |
|
/S/ |
s,
ss, c, sc, ps |
sit,
mass, cent, scene, psychology |
|
/Z/ |
z,
zz, s, ss, x |
zip,
buzz, has, dessert, xylophone |
|
/ h/ |
H |
hat,
happy |
|
/W/ |
w,
wh |
wet,
when |
|
/l/ |
l,
ll |
let,
bell |
|
/r/ |
r,
rr, wr |
run,
carry, write |
|
/dg/ |
j,
g, dg, dge, ge |
jam,
giant, judge, bridge, age |
|
/j/ |
Y |
yes,
yellow |
Consonant symbols with
Examples
|
Phonetic Symbol |
Initial Example |
Medial Example |
Final Example |
|
/p/ |
Pen |
Spin |
Cap |
|
/b/ |
Book |
Cabin |
Tub |
|
/t/ |
Tell |
Water |
Light |
|
/d/ |
Day |
Ladder |
Bed |
|
/k/ |
Cat |
School |
Back |
|
/ɡ/ |
Get |
Bigger |
Bag |
|
/tʃ/ |
Chin |
Teacher |
Watch |
|
/dʒ/ |
Jump |
Major |
Judge |
|
/f/ |
Fun |
Coffee |
Leaf |
|
/v/ |
Van |
Oven |
Live |
|
/θ/ |
Thin |
Method |
Bath |
|
/ð/ |
This |
Mother |
Breathe |
|
/s/ |
Sit |
Castle |
Miss |
|
/z/ |
Zoo |
Puzzle |
Buzz |
|
/ʃ/ |
Shoe |
Fashion |
Wish |
|
/ʒ/ |
(rare) |
Measure |
(rare) |
|
/h/ |
Hat |
Behind |
(rare) |
|
/m/ |
Man |
Camel |
Team |
|
/n/ |
Not |
Runner |
Sun |
|
/ŋ/ |
(rare) |
Singer |
Sing |
|
/l/ |
Leg |
Yellow |
Full |
|
/r/ |
Run |
Carrot |
Star |
|
/j/ |
Yes |
Beyond |
(rare) |
|
/w/ |
Wet |
Always |
(rare) |
Exercise
A.
Transcribe
all the consonants in the following words that occur in the text “The Lost
Child”. One has been done for you.
1. child: /tʃld/
2. sweets: /swits/
3. balloon: /bəˈluːn/
4. rainbow: /ˈreɪnboʊ/
5. father: /ˈfɑːðər/
6. steered: /stɪrd/
7. hefty: /ˈhɛfti/
8. yellow: /ˈjɛloʊ/
9. flashing: /ˈflæʃɪŋ/
B. In the following words complete the words filling
in the missing consonants. The transcritption is provided for your guidance.
One has been done for you. 1. mo….er (/0/): mother,
2. la…ter (/f/): lafter, 3. rai….ed
(/z/): raised, 4. Pre….ed
(/s/): pressed, 5.windi…. (/n/): winding, 6. Mi…le (/ng/): mingle
Vocabulary
Affixes:Affixes are
morphemes that are added to a base word to alter its meaning or create a new
word. They play a crucial role in English morphology, enabling the formation of
a wide variety of words from a limited set of root words.
Importance of Affixes:
Understanding
affixes is essential for:
1. Vocabulary
Building: Knowing common prefixes and suffixes can help you deduce the meaning
of unfamiliar words.
2. Word Formation:
It allows for the creation of new words, enhancing expressive capabilities.
3. Grammar and
Syntax::Helps in understanding the function of words within sentences, aiding
in accurate grammar usage.
Types of Affixes:
Prefix, Suffix & Combined
Affixes can be
broadly categorized into prefixes and suffixes:
Prefixes: Prefixes
are added to the beginning of a base word. They can change the meaning of the
word significantly.
*Prefix* *Meaning* *Example* *Word* *Meaning of Word*
------------ ------------------- --------------- ----------------- --------------------------
un- not unhappy un + happy not happy
re- again rewrite re + write write again
pre- before preview pre + view a viewing before
dis- opposite of disconnect dis + connect to break the connection
mis- wrongly misjudge mis + judge to judge wrongly
non- not nonviolent non + violent not violent
in- not invisible in + visible not visible
im- not (before b, m, p) impolite
im + polite not polite
over- too much overeat over + eat eat too much
inter- between interact inter + act act between
Suffixes:
Suffixes are added
to the end of a base word. They often change the word’s part of speech (e.g.,
from a verb to a noun) or tense.
*Suffix* *Meaning* *Example* *Word* *Meaning of Word*
------------ ------------------- --------------- ----------------- --------------------------
-ness state of happiness happy + ness state of being happy
-ly characteristic of quickly
quick + ly characteristic of
being quick
-ful full of joyful joy + ful full of joy
-less without fearless fear + less without fear
-able can be done readable read + able can be read
-ible can be done visible vis + ible can be seen
-ment action or process movement
move + ment action of
moving
-tion state of being education educate + tion state of being educated
-er one who teacher teach + er one who teaches
-est superlative degree fastest fast + est most fast
Combining Affixes:
Affixes can be
combined with base words in multiple ways to create complex words. For example:
Prefix + Base
Word: un + happy= unhappy
Base Word +
Suffix: happiness = happy + ness
Prefix + Base Word
+ Suffix:: unhappiness = un + happy + ness
Exercises
Word Base
Word Prefix
Suffix
------------- -----------
-------- ---------
repelled repel -ed
sweetness sweet -
ness
teeming teem -ing
irresistibly resist
ir- -ibly
proceeded proceed pro- -ed
invisible visible in-
congested congest con- -ed
difficulty difficult - y
movements move -ments
entrance (n) enter
en- -ance
muddy mud -dy
