Std. XI - Prose - 1.1 Being Neighborly - Analysis
Brief story
It’s a snowy day, and Jo decided to go out and dig paths in the snow. The Marches’ house – a small, brown, shabby dwelling which lost its summer greenery. It was separated by a low hedge from Mr. Laurence’s large stone mansion. She saw Laurie sitting near one of the windows on the second floor. Jo felt sorry for the poor lonely boy. She threw a snowball at the window, grabbing Laurie’s attention. Laurie admitted that he had been sick with a cold, and he invited Jo to come over. Jo arrived soon after with an armful of offerings for Laurie: a plate of blanc- mange (a kind of custard) from Meg and kittens from Beth. Jo straightened up Laurie’s quarters, and offered to read out loud to Laurie. Laurie begged her to talk to him, and Jo told him about her family. Laurie revealed that he sometimes spied on the March family, but Jo saw that he only did it because he was orphaned (his parents died when he was young, so he was now with his grandfather) and felt lonesome. Laurie stepped out momentarily to see his doctor, and while he had gone Mr. Laurence, Laurie’s Grandpa came in and surprised Jo. Jo told him that she felt Laurie needed to spend more time around kids of his own age. Mr. Laurence invited Jo to tea. As he saw Jo and Laurie chatter, Mr. Laurence realized that there might be some truth to what Jo had told him. Jo revealed that Laurie said he’d been grateful for the “medicine” Mrs. March had sent over, and Meg remarked that Laurie was paying Jo a compliment. Jo is flustered, and chides Meg for being sentimental when all she wanted to do was befriend Laurie. Mrs. March gave Jo permission to invite Laurie over to their house.
Characters:-
1) Josephine March:- The protagonist of the novel and second oldest March sister. Jo, who wants to be a writer, is based on Louisa May Alcott herself, which makes the story semi- autobiographical. Jo has a temper and a quick tongue, although she works hard to control both. She is a tomboy and reacts with impatience to many limitations placed on women and girls.
2) Meg March:- The oldest March sister. She is responsible and kind. She has a small weakness for luxury and leisure but the greater part of her is she is gentle, loving and morally vigorous.
3) Beth March:- The third March daughter. Beth is very quiet and very virtuous. She does nothing but tries to please others. She adores music and plays the piano very well.
4) Amy March:- The youngest March girl. Amy is an artist who adores visual beauty and has a weakness for pretty possessions. She is given to fits of temper and vanity but she does attempts to improve herself.
5) Laurie Laurence:- The rich boy who lives next door to the March family. Laurie, whose real name is Theodore Laurence. He is charming, clever and has a good heart.
6) Mr. Laurence:- Laurie's grandfather and the Marches' next - door neighbour. He seems gruff but he is loving and kind.
7) Marmee:- The March girls' mother. Marmee is the moral role model for her girls. She counsels them through all of their problems and works hard. Her husband is at war.
8) Mr.March:- The March girls' father and Marmee's husband. He serves in the Union army as a chaplain.
9) The Hummels:- A family that lives near the Marches. The Hummels are poor and in bad health.
10) Aunt March:- A rich widow and one of the March girl's aunts. Although irritated and difficult, she loves her nieces and wants the best for them.
Icebreaker:-
An icebreaker is an activity, game or event that is used to welcome and warm up the conversation among participants in a meeting, training class, team building session, or another event. Any event that requires people to comfortably interact with each other and a facilitator is an opportunity to use an icebreaker. It is a kind of preparation activity. It relates the learners to the theme of the topic.
Textual Activities.
Activity :-
i) Complete the web diagram
Friendship to me means:-
1) Get moral support in difficulties.
2) Ready to sacrifice anything.
3) Relation beyond gives and gains.
4) Place to open your heart.
5) Sharing the secrets, happiness and sorrow.
6) Caring and sharing.
7) Ready to help every other in need.
8) Having long conversation.
9) Giving and receiving gifts.
10) Making lots of fun.
11) Accepting each other with vices and virtues.
12) Giving support to each other.
13) Caring each other.
14) Enjoying every moment.
15) Keeping in touch with each other.
Activity:-
ii) Complete the statement
If you see someone lonely or sad you will:-
1) I will help him in difficult times.
2) I will co-operate him in difficult situations.
3) I will be courteous to him.
4) I will overcome his sorrows by walking hand in hand.
5) I will give solution on any distress that the person is suffering from. I will remind him karma i.e. duty which we need to face.
6) I will befriend him or her and start topics in such a way that he / she will feel home.
7) I will ask him what wrong was happen with him.
8) I will talk with him and try to understand his problem.
9) I will offer him or her tea or snacks.
10) I will tell good jokes.
11) I will comfort him or her.
12) I will spend time with him or her.
13) I will try to make him or her forget his or her sorrow.
14) I will cheer him or her up.
15) I will never make him or her feel lonely.
Vocabulary:-
1) Pussy cat- easy going, lazy or inactive person
2) groves- small group of trees
3) hedge- a row of bushes
4) frolicked- overplayed, behaved in a playful way
5) Society- Company of friends (companions)
6) scandalizing- teasing, to cause somebody to feel shocked by doing unusual things
7) croaked out as hoarsely as a raven- uttered a low hoarse sound like raven bird
8) a little gentleman- small aged polite person or boy of etiquettes
9) colored up- changes in colour that shows how you are feeling from the face
10) To wait on- to serve the needs of someone
11) good breeding- good manners, polite and socially correct behaviour
12) pranced- to move about with quick, high steps
13) wicked- morally bad, evil, here mischievous
14) affair- situation, behaviour
Brainstorming:-
A1. i) Jo’s decision to make friends with the lonely boy next door proves to be good one. Elaborate. You may begin with ‘Jo was a bold, friendly and warm person---------
Answer:- Jo was a bold, friendly and warm person. She knew that the next door boy Laurie was lonely and wanted to enjoy the fun with the persons of his age. So she had taken appropriate steps and met the lonely boy. She changed the life of the boy and he became neighbourly with others.
ii) Read the extract ‘Being Neighborly’ and complete the following statements:
a) To Jo the fine house seemed like a kind of enchanted palace, full of splendors and delights which no one enjoyed.
b) Jo swept a path around the garden for Beth to walk in when the sun came out and her broken limbs dolls needed air.
c) Jo entered the old stone house carrying blanc – mange surrounded by a garland of green leaves ant the scarlet flowers.
d) In order to tide the room, Jo needed to place the objects in a right place.
iii) Bring out the contrast between the two houses with the help of the following points.
House of March
House of Laurence
1) Old, brown house
a) Stately stone mansion
2) Robbed of the vines
b) Well-kept grounds
3) Children played all around
c) Lonely and lifeless – no children playing
4) Loving and friendlier
d) No motherly face smiled at the window
A2. The traits of the characters you meet in the extract are jumbled. Sort them out and write them in the appropriate columns.
(Shy, bold, guff, friendly, withdrawn, perceptive, empathetic, playful, lonely, happy, gentlemanly, frank, mature, dull, sharp, adventurous)
A3.(i) Write down in your own words the way Laurie confirmed the names of the March sisters.
Answer:- Laurie described the rosy girl as Beth who stayed at home most of the time and sometimes went out with a little basket. He recognized the pretty girl as Meg while the curly – haired one as Amy. In this way Laurie confirmed the names of the March sisters.
(ii) Give a brief account of the interaction between Grandpa and Jo.
Answer:- Jo expressed her thoughts about Grandpa that he had kind eyes, tremendous will but he was not as handsome as her grandfather. She did not know that Laurie’s Grandpa was hearing her words. Grandpa thanked her hearing her expressions about him. She blushed and felt uncomfortable about what she had said about Grandpa. But Grandpa accepted her remarks and made her comfortable with soft words. He enquired about her presence with his grandson Laurie. She claimed that he needed to become friendlier with neighbours so he would never remain alone. Grandpa accepted her thinking.
A4. (i) Find proverbs, maxims and Idioms related to ‘friendship’.
(a) For example: Birds of a feather flock together.
(b) A friend in need is a friend indeed.
(c) A friend in court is better than a penny in purse.
(d) Isn’t it pleasure to receive a friend from afar?
(e) A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody.
(ii) The extract deals with the atmosphere of two homes. Collect the words associated with-
(a) Home:- Old, brown house, bare and shabby, Stately stone mansion, big coach house, enchanted place, as dull as tombs etc.
(b) Library:- A fellow can’t live on books, lined with books, distracting little cabinets full of coins and curiosities, sleepy hollow chairs, queer tables, bronzes, open fireplace etc.
(c) Garden:- Groves, lawns, robbed of the vines, low hedge etc.
A5. Change into indirect speech.
(a) “Do you like your school?” asked the boy.
“Don’t go to school; I’m a business man – girl. I mean,” answered Jo.
Answer:- The boy wanted to know whether she (Jo) liked school. To which , Jo answered rather emphatically that she did not go to school. She further added that she was a businessman, jovially corrected the gender.
(b) Jo flourished her broom as she called out….. “How do you do? Are you sack?”
Laurie opened the window and croaked out as hoarsely as a raven………
“Better, thank you. I’ ve had a bad cold and been shut up a week.
Answer:- Jo flourished her broom as she called how he (Laurie) was. She further inquired whether he was sick. Laurie opened the window and croaked out as hoarsely as a raven and giving thanks he confirmed her that he was feeling better. He further added he had been suffering from cold and had been shut himself up a week.
(c) “The pretty one is Meg and the curly – haired is Amy, I believe?” – Laurie.
“How did you find that out” –Jo
Answer:-Laurie confirmed that the pretty one was Meg and the curly – haired was Amy.
Jo (surprisingly) asked (him) how he had found that out.
(d) “I’m not afraid of anything,” returning Jo, with a toss of the head.
“I don’t believe you are!” exclaimed the boy.
Answer:- Returning Jo, with a toss of the head assured that she was not afraid of anything.
The boy exclaimed that he didn’t believe she was afraid of anything.
Other Activities
Activity:- Give information
Laurie has:
1. All the riches or physical pleasures
2. Stately stone mansion- full of splendors and delights
3. Servants, Grandfather, Tutor
Laurie doesn't have
1. Parents (mother and father)
2. Children of his age to play
3. Society and fun
Activity: Describe the effect of Laurie's words on Jo.
Answer:-
When Laurie tells Jo about his real condition of being lonely; his grandpa lives among his books and do not bother about what happen outside of his house, his tutor does not stay there and he has no one to go about with him but to stop and get on as he can, Jo becomes cautious. She realizes in what condition, Laurie is going through. She advises him that he needs to make an efforts and go visiting everywhere. He will have plenty of friends, pleasant places to go. He should forget his shyness.
Activity: List the things that Jo notices in the portrait.
Answer:-
1) The old gentleman has got kind eyes
2) His mouth is grim (serious)
3) He looks as if he had a tremendous will of his own.
4) He is not as handsome as her (Jo's) grandfather.
5) She likes him.
Activity:
In spite of Jo's apprehensions, Grandpa is
Answer:-
1) Pleased
2) Gives sharp laugh
3) Shakes hand with her
Activity:
Discuss what Jo meant by this.
1) "Only trying to be neigbourly, sir"
2) seems a little lonely
3) splendid Christmas present
Answer:-
1) Here she only meant that she is doing her duty as a good neighbor. She just wanted the boy of her age should not be lonely. He should get company of his neighbours.
2) The boy is alone as he doesn’t get company of his age persons.
3) Here she reminded the kindness of Laurie's grandfather who had sent them the splendid Christmas present.
Activity:- Name and explain the figures of speech
I’m happy as a cricket here
Answer:-
Simile:-The girl Jo is directly compared as a cricket (insect) who is free from any fear and tension.
It’s as dull as tombs up here
Answer:-
Simile:- The house of Laurie is directly compared with the tombs which are isolated and lifeless.
Activity:- Guess the meaning of the phrase in the context:
go on being neighbourly
In the context the phrase ‘go on being neighbourly’ means the isolated Laurence family (Laurie and his grandfather) is ready to make close and warm contacts with their neighbouring March family. There will be good and healthy relationship in between these two families.
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Chapter 1: Being Neighborly
Balbharati solutions for English Yuvakbharati 11th Standard Maharashtra State Board
Read the following statement and mark those that apply to you.
Question
I make friends easily.
Solution
Yes, this applies to me. I make friends very easily.
Question
I wish to be friends with someone but my friendship is rejected.
Solution
No, this does not apply to me. I am a very outgoing person and my friendship is accepted.
Question
Someone has extended a hand of friendship towards me and I have not accepted it.
Solution
No, this does not apply to me. I accept and welcome new friends in my life.
Question
I have a large group of friends but no best buddy.
Solution
No, this does not apply to me. I have a large group of friends. Yet one of my school friends is my best buddy.
Question
I have a small group of close friends and have no wish to interact with anyone else.
Solution
No, this does not apply to me. Although I have many friends, I am open to interacting with everyone.
Question
I have cordial relationships with all but I cannot connect with anyone.
Solution
No, this does not apply to me. I have cordial relationships with everyone. But I can also connect at a deeper level with anyone.
Complete the following web diagram.
Solution
Question
If you see someone lonely or sad you will –
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Solution
If I see someone lonely or sad I will –
Greet him/her with a genuine smile and ask about his/her well-being.
Offer to go out for a walk with him/her.
Ask him/her whether I can extend my help with anything that has been bothering him/her.
Question
Jo’s decision to make friends with the lonely boy next door proves to be a good one. Elaborate. You may begin with 'Jo was a bold, friendly and warm person...'
Solution
Jo was a bold, friendly, and warm person who sensed that something was just not right with Laurie, the boy next door. All the luxuries and comforts of his home failed to cheer him up and his eyes seemed to be laden with a sense of longing for fun and people. With the noble intention of comforting Laurie and to make him sociable, Jo set out to befriend the boy next door. As Jo got Laurie talking she learned about how he found the March family picture perfect and happy in their own world. Jo was indeed right in her assessment of what exactly was bothering him. Laurie taking Jo‟s advice in the right spirit, their sharing of likes and dislikes, Laurie‟s acceptance to Jo‟s invite and their laughter filled conversations reveal the success of Jo‟s venture. Given Jo‟s nature, her plan was very unlikely to have backfired. Her decision to make friends with Laurie proved to be a good one, one that would go on to do a world of good to lonely Laurie.
Read the extract 'Being Neighborly' and complete the following statement:
Question
To Jo the fine house seemed like ___________________.
Solution
To Jo, the fine house seemed like a kind of enchanted palace, full of splendors and delights, which no one enjoyed.
Question
Jo swept a path around the garden for ________________.
Solution
Jo swept a path around the garden for Beth to walk in when the sun came out and the invalid dolls needed air.
Question
Jo entered the old stone house carrying _______________.
Solution
Jo entered the old stone house carrying blanc-mange in a covered dish in one hand and Beth‟s three kittens in the other.
Question
In order to tidy the room, Jo __________________.
Solution
In order to tidy the room, Jo brushed the hearth, straightened up the things on the mantelpiece, re-arranged the books and the bottles, turned the sofa away from light, and plumped up the pillows.
Bring out the contrast between the two houses with the help of the following points.
Solution
The traits of the characters you meet in the extract are jumbled. Sort them out and write them in the appropriate columns.
(Shy, bold, gruff, friendly, withdrawn, perceptive, empathetic, playful, lonely, happy, gentlemanly, frank, mature, dull, sharp, adventurous.)
Solution
Question
Write down in your own words the way Laurie confirmed the names of the March sisters.
Solution
Laurie asked Jo whether Beth was the rosy looking sister who stayed at home most of the time and carried a little basket whenever she went out. He then confirmed if Meg was the one who looked pretty and Amy was the one with curly hair.
Question
Give a brief account of the interaction between Grandpa and Jo.
Solution
Jo was looking at Laurie‟s grandpa‟s portrait when Laurie‟s grandfather walked into the library. Thinking that it was Laurie who had come in, Jo started commenting on the portrait without turning to see whether it was actually Laurie who had come in. On hearing Jo‟s observations about the portrait, Laurie‟s grandpa thanked her. Jo blushed on realising that Laurie‟s grandfather had heard everything. At first, she wanted to run away, but knowing that she would be termed as a coward if she ran away, Jo decided to stay and face the situation. Grandpa asked her a few questions and seemed to be pleased with her earnestness. Gauging the situation rightly, Jo boldly mentioned Laurie‟s plight to grandpa and offered a solution. Grandpa too acknowledged the same. Further, Jo and grandpa had a hearty conversation about the well-being of the March family. Finally, he urged Jo to visit their house more often. Overall, the interaction between Jo and grandpa was a dramatic but pleasant one. Jo returned ecstatic about how she had handled the tricky situation.
Find proverbs, maxims, and Idioms related to ‘friendship’.
(a) For example Birds of a feather flock together.
(b) _________________________
(c) _________________________
(d) _________________________
(e) _________________________
Solution
Birds of a feather flock together. – Idiom.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. – Latin Proverb.
A friend's eye is a good mirror. – Irish Proverb.
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. – Grace Pulpit.
Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends. – Aesop
A friend will tell you things you don‟t want to tell yourself – Frances Ward Weller.
Friends are relatives you make for yourself. – Eustache Deschamps.
A friend accepts us as we yet help us to be what we should. – Author Unknown.
Friends are like walls. Sometimes you lean on them, and sometimes it's just good knowing that they are there. – Author Unknown.
A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg, even if you are half-cracked – Author Unknown.
The extract deals with the atmosphere of two homes. Collect the words associated with -
Question
Home.
Solution
Home: Brown, bare, shabby, stately, stone, mansion, big coach house, rich, palace, cozy, hearth, mantelpiece, sofa, pillows, lamps.
Question
Library.
Solution
Library: Books, pictures, statues, cabinets, coins, curiosities, hollow chairs, velour chairs, queer tables, bronzes, quaint tiles, portrait.
Question
Garden.
solution:
Garden: Well-kept, conservatory, lawn.
Change into indirect speech.
Question
“Do you like your school?” asked the boy.
“Don’t go to school; I’m a businessman- girl, I mean”, answered Jo.
Solution
The boy wanted to know whether she liked school. To which, Jo answered that she did not go to school. She further added that she was a businessman, and jovially corrected herself by adding that she meant „girl‟.
Question
Jo flourished her broom as she called out… “How do you do? Are you sick?”
Laurie opened the window and croaked out as hoarsely as a raven……
“Better, thank you. I’ve had a bad cold and been shut up a week.
Solution
Jo asked Laurie about his well being as she flourished her broom. She further enquired whether he was sick.
Laurie opened the window and replied to Jo in a rough and unusual voice that he felt better than earlier and thanked her for her concern.
Laurie added that he had been shut up for a week due to a bad cold.
Question
“The pretty one is Meg and the curly-haired is Amy, I believe?” – Laurie
“How did you find that out?” – Jo
Solution
Laurie confirmed with Jo whether the pretty one was Meg and the curly-haired one was Amy. To this, a surprised Jo counter questioned Laurie how he had found that out.
Question
“I’m not afraid of anything, “returned Jo, with a toss of the head.
“I don’t believe you are!” exclaimed the boy.
Solution
Tossing her head, Jo replied that she wasn't afraid of anything. To which the boy exclaimed that he too believed she was not afraid of anything.
Question
Narrate in 100 words an incident, that illustrates the way a friend of yours ‘made you feel happy and accepted’, at some point in your life.
Solution
True Friendship
I had recently moved to a new city and joined a new college. Though I eventually made a lot of friends in college, the first person who befriended me was Tanya. On my first day in college, she offered me a seat next to her and we have been friends ever since. I remember one particular incident that happened when we were in the second year of college. I had chosen a very controversial topic for the debate competition. When I put forth my argument, everyone, including the judges, didn't like what I had to say. However, Tanya stood by me and made me understand that I was not wrong. The topic I had chosen was bound to get that kind of reaction and that I should not let that bother me. Over the next few days, anyone who tried to make me feel bad about the debate topic, Tanya told them off. Eventually, things got better and I had Tanya to thank for it. She was the one who made me feel happy and accepted when I myself wasn't convinced that I had done the right thing.
Question
Give reasons, for us being reluctant to make friends with some strangers, but being comfortable with some, even after meeting them for the first time.
Solution
Because of the way some people carry themselves, we tend to term them as closed or reserved. The gait, body language, and tone of these people make them appear unapproachable. Our inhibitions and apprehensions about a negative outcome stop us from befriending such people. In contrast, some people appear to be warm and welcoming. Their mannerisms and speech indicate that they are willing to befriend anyone. When we come across such people, we feel that they are far more approachable. The pleasing personality of such people gives us the impression that we have known them for a long time even though we are meeting them for the first time.
Question
Are friends different from neighbors? Are you friends with your neighbors? Give examples and write.
Solution
Friends and neighbours denote different sets of people but it is possible to have friends who are neighbours and neighbours who are friends. Interestingly, we become friends with our neighbours very easily as we interact with them on a daily basis. I am friends with almost all of my neighbours. I started visiting my neighbour, Mrs Deshmukh‟s house, to learn charcoal painting from her. Her son, Aarav, and I have been great friends ever since.
Question
Make a note in your exercise book about how people amused themselves in earlier times, without TV, internet, or social media for entertainment.
Solution
Entertainment in the good old days
TV & the internet were both invented in the early and late 20th century respectively. Other inventions during the 19th and 20th centuries included a variety of machines and means of communication. Prior to these inventions, a simple job, like sending messages across or traveling would keep people occupied the whole day. This saved them little time for leisure.
Today, one can simply switch on their TV/computer in their leisure time. But before the advent of TV, the internet, and social media, there were other ways in which people would amuse themselves. Book-reading, listening to music (live or radio), outdoor and indoor games, street plays, story-telling are some of the activities that kept them occupied. Rabindranath Tagore is one of the most famous contributors to the literature, music, and art of that time. Children would spend time playing a variety of games like kho-kho, Gilli danda, marbles, and kabbadi, to name a few. Chess, carrom, ludo, are some of the oldest indoor games that our forefathers have enjoyed playing.
Question
Use your imagination and extend the story in about 100 to 150 words.
Solution
1. That entire evening Jo couldn't stop smiling. Meg warned Jo that it was still very early to expect Laurie to be normal and social, but Jo chose to ignore her advice. To Jo‟s utter disappointment, Laurie was nowhere to be seen in the house the following week. “What could be possibly wrong? Is he sick? Did I freak him out by being very friendly?” All sorts of questions started creeping into Jo‟s mind.
2. Finally, on the 7th day, Jo went up to Laurie‟s grandfather to enquire about Laurie. Jo was relieved to know that Laurie was visiting his uncle for a fortnight. It would be a week more before Jo could invite Laurie over to her house. Jo went to bed early that night. The bell of the March‟s house rang at the stroke of midnight. It was odd at that hour. Surprise! It was none other than Laurie with a giant birthday cake for Jo!
