1.3 The Cop and the Anthem
The title of the text:
The title does not give any clear idea of the content. Cop and Anthem are just nouns. The word ‘Cop’ stands for a policeman and ‘Anthem’ for a religious song or a prayer mostly sung in a church. We can just imagine that the text is related to the police and the religious song. If we go through the text, we will get the clear idea about the text.
ICE BREAKERS
1) Suppose you have gone to a place where the winter season is very severe, suggest the ways in which you would protect yourself in the cold climate.
Answer:
Ways to protect from cold climate:
a) To wear woolen clothes.
b) To do exercise and keep body warm
c) To sit near bonfire.
d) To drink hot drinks and soups.
e) To use room heaters
f) To take steam bath
g) To stay inside the closed room
2) When you see a cop approaching, you feel either ‘relieved’ or ‘scared’. Give the situations when you felt ‘relieved’ or ‘scared’.
Answer:
a) I felt relieved seeing the cop approaching:
i) When I was walking alone in a dark street.
ii) When I saw a thief stealing my friends bag.
iii) When I was attacked by anti – social elements.
iv) When I missed the correct road.
b) I felt scared seeing the cop approaching:
i) When I was riding a bike without a valid driving license.
ii) When I was driving a car on the wrong side.
iii) When I broke the red signal at the crossing.
iv) When I was carrying two friends on a motorcycle.
3) Write some of the motivating things that can change a person's life.
Answer:
The motivating things that can change a person's life:
a) Listening to an inspiring speech
b) Attending career development and inspirational seminars.
c) Reading success stories of eminent persons
d) Participating extra-curricular activities in the college
e) Seeing the films having inspirational themes.
f) Participating in social work
g) Helping the weaker sections of the society.
h) Becoming a creative participant of the organizations working for the well-being of others.
i) Watching inspirational videos on social media.
Synopsis of the text:
Soapy wanted to go in jail to live idle life. He tried to break law but his attempts were failed. He was not caught by the Cop. He came near the church yard. He heard a musical note of an anthem. Hearing it he remembered his past wonderful days. It brought a sudden and worth change in his soul. He decided to fight and change his life. He also decided to find work. While Soapy was daydreaming, a policeman taped him on the shoulder and asked what he was doing. He was arrested for loitering and the following day sentenced to three months in Blackwell's Island (jail).
New words and meanings:
Asphalt – gravel, grit, small granules of stone used in road development.
Vest – sleeveless shirt, coat, jacket, banyan
Shaven – trimmed the beard, done shaving
Trim – neat, tidy, orderly
Bow – a knot used for to a tie (tie-knot)
Thanksgiving Day – the fourth Thursday of November which is marked by religious observance and dinner.
Roasted – baked, cooked, heated
Mallard duck – a duck mostly used as food in western part of the world
Revenge – avenge, retaliation
Filled – satisfied, fulfilled, content
Winter Island – Here it means jail
Tattered – torn, rags, rugged, worn-out
Decadent – degraded, gone bad
Avert – stop, turn away, ward-off
Ignoble – dishonorable, shameful, disgraceful, insulting
Menaced – forbidden, threatened
Coveted – highly desirable
Coveted island – here, the jail
Limbo – dividing line, midpoint here, boarder between heaven and hell
Devise – set up, plan, formulate
Cunningly – artfully, craftily
Brass buttons – a policeman, a cop
Brainstorming Activities
(A1)
(i) Find out the different ways in which Soapy tried to get arrested.
(a) Soapy tried to enter a luxurious cafe.
(b) Soapy took a stone and dashed it through the glass of shop window.
(c) Soapy ate meal in a common restaurant and declared that he had no money to pay the bill.
(d) Soapy yelled like a drunken person and made noise on public place.
(e) Soapy grabbed the umbrella of one person and asked him to call the police.
(ii) Describe the atmosphere when Soapy reached near the Church.
(a) A soft light glowed through the violet-stained window.
(b) It was a quiet corner with an old church, quaint, rambling and gabled.
(c) The moon was above, full and radiant creating brightness.
(d) Sparrows twittered sleepily in the eaves in the country churchyard
(A2)
(i) Read the story and match the incidents given in Column A with the consequences given in Column B.
(ii) Give reasons and complete the following:
(a) Soapy had confidence in himself because - The portion of him that would show above the table was neat. He was shaven. His appearance would raise no doubt in the waiter’s mind.
(b) The head waiter of the luxurious cafe did not allow Soapy to enter because – when Soapy set foot inside the restaurant door, the head-waiter’s eye fell upon his tattered trousers and decadent shoes.
(c)The cop did not arrest Soapy for breaking the glass window because – according the cop men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police. They run away from the place.
(d) The cop did not arrest Soapy for shouting and dancing because – he considered Soapy as the young person coming from a party at the Hartford College. The police had the instructions to neglect these young persons.
(iii) Pick out the lines from the text which show that:
(a) Soapy wants to enter the cafe for two reasons.
Answer:
i) The cafe catered to large appetites and modest purses.
ii) Now, get busy and call a cop”, said Soapy. “And don’t keep a gentleman waiting.” Soapy wanted to enter the jail.
(b) Soapy was afraid that he won't be able to enter the prison.
Answer: Soapy was seized with a sudden fear that some dreadful enchantment had rendered him immune to arrest.
(c) Soapy was not caught by the cop for throwing stones at the glass.
Answer: The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
(d) Soapy actually did not want the umbrella.
Answer: He hurled the umbrella angrily into an excavation.
(e) Listening to the anthem, Soapy remembered his good old days.
Answer: And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.
(iv) ‘He would make a man of himself again’ – The word ‘man’ in the sentence means
Answer: A working person living worthy and respectable life.
(v)Soapy’s earlier life was much different from his present life. Complete the table to show this contrast.
Answer:
(vi) After listening to the sweet and solemn organ notes, Soapy decides to:
(a) bring back his old eager ambitions and pursue them without losing confidence and determination.
(b) go into the noisy downtown district and find work.
(A3) Vocabulary
(i) O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words.
Answer:
1) Winter island
2) Coveted island
3) Limbo
4) Unattainable Arcadia
5) Island
(ii) Find out the words used for the 'degraded state of Soapy'.
Answer:
1)The pit into which he had tumble
2)Unworthy desires
3)Dead hopes
4)Wrecked faculties
5)Base motives that made up his existence
(iii) The specific meaning of word 'anthem' in the content of the story is.......
Answer:
1) A religious instrumental song or a prayer played by the organist in a church for the celebration of coming Sabbath.
2) An influential musical note played by the organist to inspire an idle person to become a worthy person.
(A4) Language Study
(i) Convert the following sentences into negative without changing their meanings.
(a) The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
Ans. The policeman didn't accept Soapy even as a clue.
(b) Soapy drifted along twice unsuccessful.
Ans. Soapy drifted along twice with no success.
Ans. Soapy drifted along twice but wasn't successful.
Ans. Soapy drifted along twice but he didn’t succeed.
(c) Soapy stopped his unavailing racket.
Ans. Soapy didn't continue his unavailing racket.
(d) The island seemed very far away.
Ans. The island did not seem close by.
Ans. The island didn't seem very close.
(e) The island seemed an unattainable Arcadia.
Ans. The island seemed like an Arcadia which could not be attained.
Ans. The island did not seem attainable in Arcadia.
(ii) Convert the following sentences into affirmative without changing their meanings.
(a) Men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police.
Ans. Men who smash windows hardly remain to chat with the police.
Ans. Men who smash windows avoid to chat with the police.
Ans. Men who smash windows fail to remain to chat with the police.
Ans. Men who smash windows run away instead of chatting with the police.
(b) Why don’t you call a cop?
Ans. Why do you hesitate to call a cop?
Ans. You should call a cop.
(c) On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant of no great pretensions.
Ans. On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant without any great pretensions.
Ans. On the opposite side of the street was restaurant with a very low pretentious.
(d) Noisy; but no harm.
Ans. Noisy; but harmless.
(e) They seemed to regard him as a King who could do no wrong.
Ans. They seemed to regard him as a king who could hardly do any wrong.
Ans. They seemed to regard him as a King who could do only right.
Ans. They seemed to regard him as a king who was unable to do any wrong.
.
Chapter 1: The Cop and the Anthem
Balbharati Solution for English Yuvakbharati 12th Standard HSC Maharashtra State Board
Suppose you have gone to a place where the winter season is very severe, discuss with your partner the ways in which you would protect yourself in the cold climate.
SOLUTION:
i. Wear several layers of warm, loose-fitting clothes and ensure that the head, face, ears, hands, and feet are properly covered
ii. Light a fire in the fireplace and keep the indoor temperature warm
iii. Eat hot meals and consume hot beverages to maintain warmth in the body temperature
iv. Keep the doors and windows properly shut and cut the cold breeze from entering the house.
When you see a cop approaching, you feel either ‘relieved’ or ‘scared’. Discuss with your partner the situations when you feel ‘relieved’ or ‘scared’.
SOLUTION:
Discuss some of the motivating things that can change a person’s life. One is given:
1. Listening to an inspiring speech
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
SOLUTION:
1. Listening to an inspiring speech
2. Listening to a motivational song
3. Hearing about other people’s success stories
4. Interacting with people who are full of positivity despite suffering.
Discuss with your partner and find out the different ways in which Soapy tried to get arrested. The first one is given.
(a) Tried to enter a luxurious cafe
(b) _______________________________
(c) _______________________________
(d) ______________________________
SOLUTION:
(a) Tried to enter a luxurious cafe
(b) Threw a stone at a shop’s window
(c) Ate food at a modest restaurant and announced that he had no money to pay the bill
(d) Yelled drunken gibberish at the top of his voice on seeing a policeman
(e) Walked away with another man’s silk umbrella
Describe the atmosphere when Soapy reached near the Church.
(a) A soft light glowed through the violet-stained window.
(b) _____________________
(c) _____________________
(d) _____________________
(e) ______________________
SOLUTION:
(a) A soft light glowed through the violet-stained window.
(b) An organist played the organ, rehearsing for the upcoming Sabbath.
(c) The full and radiant moon was above.
(d) There were only a few vehicles and pedestrians around.
(e) There were only a few vehicles and pedestrians around.
Read the story and match the incidents given in Column ‘A’ with the consequences given in Column ‘B’:
Column A | Column B |
(1) Soapy tried to enter a cafe | The cop ran after the man |
(2) Soapy broke a glass window | Suddenly a wonderful change came in his heart |
(3) Two waiters pitched Soapy on the callous pavement | Suddenly a wonderful change came in his heart |
(4) Soapy heard the anthem being played in the Church | He stood up slowly beating the dust from his clothes |
(5) Cop arrests Soapy for hanging around | Strong and ready hands of the head waiter turned him around |
SOLUTION:
Column A | Answers |
(1) Soapy tried to enter a cafe | Strong and ready hands of the head waiter turned him around |
(2) Soapy broke a glass window | The cop ran after the man |
(3) Two waiters pitched Soapy on the callous pavement | He stood up slowly beating the dust from his clothes |
(4) Soapy heard the anthem being played in the Church | Suddenly a wonderful change came in his heart. |
(5) Cop arrests Soapy for hanging around | Dream of turning around in life was shattered. |
Give reasons and complete the following:
Soapy had confidence in himself because ________.
SOLUTION:
Soapy had confidence in himself because he was shaven, his coat was trim and he was wearing a neat, black bow which had been presented to him by a lady missionary on Thanksgiving Day.
The head waiter of the luxurious café did not allow Soapy to enter because _______.
SOLUTION:
The head waiter of the luxurious café did not allow Soapy to enter because he happened to see that Soapy was wearing tattered trousers and decadent shoes.
Soapy took a stone because _______.
SOLUTION:
Soapy took a stone because he wanted to get arrested by throwing the stone at the plate glass of a shop window.
The cop did not arrest Soapy for breaking the glass window because _______.
SOLUTION:
The cop did not arrest Soapy for breaking the glass window because he believed that men who smash windows don’t wait around to chat with the police; they run off immediately.
Pick out the lines from the text which show that:
Soapy wants to enter the cafe for two reasons.
SOLUTION:
The total would not be so high as to call forth any extreme of revenge from the cafe management; and yet the meat would leave him filled and happy for the journey to his winter island.
Soapy was afraid that he won't be able to enter the prison.
SOLUTION:
Soapy was seized with a sudden fear that some dreadful enchantment had rendered him immune to arrest.
Soapy was not caught by the cop for throwing stones at the glass.
SOLUTION:
The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
Soapy actually did not want the umbrella.
SOLUTION:
He hurled the umbrella angrily into an excavation.
Listening to the anthem, Soapy remembered his good old days.
SOLUTION:
And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.
‘He would make a man of himself again’ – The word ‘man’ in the sentence means ___.
SOLUTION:
The word ‘man’ in the above sentence refers to a responsible citizen, who earns a living by fair means.
Soapy’s earlier life was much different from his present life. Complete the table to show this contrast. One is done for you.
Earlier life | Present life |
(a) Contained friends and roses | (a) Unworthy desires |
(b) | (b) |
(c) | (c) |
SOLUTION:
Earlier life | Present life |
(a) Contained friends and roses | (a) Unworthy desires |
(b) Ambitions | (b) Dead hopes |
(c) Immaculate thoughts and collars | (c) An existence made up of wrecked faculties and base motives. |
After listening to the sweet and solemn organ notes, Soapy decides to:
(a) _________________________
(b) ________________________
SOLUTION:
(a) pull himself out of his current turmoil
(b) go to the roaring downtown the next day and find work
Write an incident in which you did something wrong and repented for it later. Give reasons.
SOLUTION:
When I was 16, my sister and I had gone camping. However, on our way back, we got into a huge fight and I decided to walk back on my own. This was a bad decision because I didn’t have a compass with me. My sister tried to follow me, but I was soon out of his sight. As I had feared, I did get lost in the forest and had no way of contacting my sister. I tried going back, but there was no way for me to be certain that I was going in the right direction. So, I decided to take shelter under a huge tree and hoped that my sister would find me. Thankfully, my sister found me by that evening and we went home together. I repented my actions because by being impulsive, I had not just lost my way and but also had caused trouble for my sister.
O’ Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words.
SOLUTION:
Different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach are:
winter island
limbo
island
coveted island
unattainable Arcadia
Find out the words used for the ‘degraded state of Soapy’.
SOLUTION:
degraded days
unworthy desires
dead hopes
wrecked faculties
base motives
The specific meaning of word ‘anthem’ in the content of the story is _______.
SOLUTION:
The specific meaning of the word ‘anthem’ in the content of the story is ‘a song of hope’. On hearing the anthem, Soapy is filled with hope and decides to turn his life around. The sweet notes of the anthem being played by the organist set up a revolution in Soapy’s mind and he vows to redeem himself.
Convert the following sentence into negative without changing their meaning.
The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.
SOLUTION:
The policeman did not accept Soapy even as a clue.
Soapy drifted along twice unsuccessful.
SOLUTION:
Soapy drifted along twice without success.
Soapy stopped his unavailing racket.
SOLUTION:
Soapy stopped his racket that did not avail anything.
The island seemed very far away.
SOLUTION:
The island did not seem anywhere near.
The island seemed an unattainable Arcadia.
SOLUTION:
The island seemed like an Arcadia that could not be attained.
Men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police.
SOLUTION:
Men who smash windows refrain from remaining to chat with the police.
Why don’t you call a cop?
SOLUTION:
You should call a cop.
On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant of no great pretensions.
SOLUTION:
On the opposite side of the street was an unpretentious restaurant.
Noisy; but no harm.
SOLUTION:
Noisy; but harmless
They seemed to regard him as a King who could do no wrong.
SOLUTION:
They seemed to regard him as a King who was incapable of doing anything wrong.
‘Forgiveness is often better than punishment’. Write two paragraphs – one for and another against this notion.
SOLUTION:
View on ‘Forgiveness is often better than punishment’
There is a famous proverb ‘To err is human, to forgive, divine’. When people apologise for their errors, it is best to forgive them and move past the incident. Forgiveness helps a person to introspect. It makes him realise the mistake and take note of the following corrective measure. Punishments often result in angst and embarrassment. People being punished might never correct their actions due to the guilt and shame they face. Punishment could make an individual immune towards the concept of ‘apology and correctiveness’. Therefore, when people genuinely apologise for their wrongdoings and feel repentant, the best course of action is to forgive them.
Counter-view on ‘Forgiveness is often better than punishment’
When people commit mistakes, it sometimes becomes important to punish them. Some people learn it the hard way and only when they are punished, will they understand the severity of their mistakes. Consequently, forgiving people may lead to them taking things for granted and they might stop acknowledging their errors. For example, if a pickpocket is not punished for his action, he may go on to commit several more crimes. Punishment generates fear in the mind of an individual. It ultimately deters an individual from performing unacceptable, undesirable and unethical actions.
You are the class representative and you have been asked by the Principal to conduct an interview of a cop. Frame 8-10 questions with the help of the following points, give introduction and conclusion.
1. reasons for joining the department
2. special training
3. developing the skill to identify and locate criminals
4. dealing with criminals
5. achievements and awards.
SOLUTION:
Good Morning, Officer R.S. Shankar! I am Riya Jain, the class representative for Std. XI, M.G. College. It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you here today. All the students and the audience would be delighted to know you better and understand your line of work. So, let us begin this interview.
For how long have you been in the police force?
When did you decide that you wanted to join the force?
What was your reason behind joining the force?
What kind of special training did you have to undergo to become a cop?
How did you develop and master the skill of identifying and locating criminals?
How do you deal with criminals? Is your approach the same for everyone.
Do you think criminals can be reformed?
You have won many bravery awards. How does it feel to be one of the best cop in the country?
Do you think you’ve achieved the goal for which you joined the force?
Many young minds aspire to become a top cop like you. Any message for them?
Officer Shankar, we thank you immensely for giving us your valuable time and sharing your pearls of wisdom.
We, as a society, are proud of you and would like to thank you for your countless years of service.
Make a list of jobs which would give you an opportunity to help the society or serve the country. Also mention the different ways in which they can be beneficial to the people and also the country.
SOLUTION:
Joining the defence forces:
Protect the country’s border from external threat and ensure the safety of its citizens.
Social Worker:
Help distressed and underprivileged people to cope with difficult situations and issues in their lives Connect the people who seek help with the right organisations.
Firefighter:
First responders in not just fire disasters but also for other calamities occurring around us.
Police Officer:
Enforce the law and patrol the neighbourhood to ensure the safety of the community.
Go to your school/college library and read some other stories by O’Henry like, ‘The Gift of the Magi’, ‘The Last Leaf’ and ‘After Twenty years’. Write the stories in short in your notebook.
SOLUTION:
Do it yourself.
