THE THIRD LEVEL- Notes

 

THE THIRD LEVEL

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What does the third level refer to? What is the significance of the third level? (2001; 2004, Delhi)

Answer: The third level refers to the subway of the Grand Central Station that takes passengers to Galesburg, Illinois. The third level on the station was a medium of escape for Charley, the narrator, from the harsh realities of modern life. It provided him a base where he could interweave fantasy and reality.

2. How did Charley make sure that he was not in the present time? (2002 Delhi)

Answer: When Charley reached Third Level of the Grand Central Station, he found everything delved deep in the old style. In order to confirm, he went to the shop at a newspaper seller. He glanced at the stack of the papers and saw a newspaper named 'The World' of June 11, 1894. This confirmed that he was in the year 1894.

3. How did Charley often get lost on the Grand Central Station? (2010 Delhi)

Answer: The Grand Central Station was growing like a tree pushing out endless corridors, doorways and stairs like roots. It had intricate and tangled pathways. The network of passages was so complicated that instead of reaching his destination, one did tend to move up and down to look for entries and exits. So, Charley often got lost on this station.

4. Why did Charley suspect that Sam had gone to Galesburg? (2011 Outside Delhi)

Answer: Charley suspected that Sam had gone to Galesburg because one night he found a first day cover from Sam informing him that he had found the third level. Through the third level he had reached Galesburg, Illinois in 1894. He further told him the life at Galesburg was quite idyllic. He invited him and Louisa, his wife to join him in Galesburg, Illinois.

5. What did Charley learn about Sam from the stamp and coin store? (2012 Outside Delhi)

Answer: From the stamp and coin store, Charley came to know that Sam had bought old style currency worth eight hundred dollars. This money was sufficient to set him up in a little hay, feed and grain business in Galesburg.

6. How did Charley reach the third level of Grand Central? How was it different from the other levels? (2009 Delhi; 2012, Comptt. Delhi) (2010 Comptt. Delhi)

Answer: One night Charley worked till late at the office. Then he was in a hurry to get back to his apartment. So he decided to take the subway from Grand Central. He went down the steps and came to the first level. Then he walked down to the second level from where the suburban trains left. He ducked into an arched doorway that headed to the subway. Then he got lost. Knowing that he was going wrong he continued to walk downward. The tunnel turned a sharp left and then taking a short flight of stairs he came out on the third level at the Grand Central Station. The general layout of the third level was different from that of the second level. It had comparatively smaller rooms, fewer ticket windows and lesser train gates. The information booth in the centre was made of wood and looked old. The place with its brass spittoons did not look very bright. Dim gaslights flickered and men wore derby hats and four-button suits. It was a rather strange world of sideburns, beards and fancy moustaches. Then he caught a glimpse of an old locomotive and also saw an 1894 issue of ‘The World’ newspaper.

7. Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why? (2005; 2008 Delhi)

Answer: The fears, anxieties and insecurities of the modem world are taking a toll on man’s mind. He feels helpless and frustrated and seeks temporary respite from life’s harsh realities. Charley too was unable to cope up with his fast paced and stressful life so his flight to the third level was undoubtedly a medium of escape for him. It is nothing but a creation of Charley’s own mind. He wants to escape from the modern world’s insecurity, fear, worries and stress and so seeks an exit, a medium to get away into the world of dreams and fancies.

8. What is being inferred from Sam’s letter to Charley? (2003 Delhi)

Answer: The way Charley came across Sam’s letter was surrounded in mystery. Among his oldest first-day covers, he found an envelope. The envelope containing the letter bore the address of his grandfather. It was written on July 18, 1894. The postmark showed the Picture of President Garfield. Generally the first day covers have blank papers in them, but this one contained a letter. The letter was addressed to Charley. The introductory part of the letter confirms Charley’s belief in the existence of the third level. It also suggests that those who find the third level can travel across to Galesburg and enjoy the festivities, songs, music and peaceful world of the 1890s. So the author uses Sam’s letter as a unique combination of the real and fantasy world.  Clearly, the letter was a product of Charley’s imagination.

Competency-based Long Answer Questions:

1. The story reveals refuge from reality to illusion. Jack Finney portrays Charley’s transition from reality to imaginary world through the story.

As Charley you decided to write a letter to Sam for advice as you have fantasies about the third level at Grand Central station. You may begin this way:

Dear friend Sam,

I worked late night at the office and was in hurry to reach my apartment to be with my wife Louisa.....

Ans. Dear friend Sam,

I worked late night at the office and was in hurry to reach my apartment to be with my wife Louisa. I thought of taking the subway since it seemed faster than bus. Grand Central Station was mysterious and mushrooming with subways, staircases and corridors that led to many ways and places. Moving through the tunnel I recounted my past experience that appeared safe and quite normal. I had been to the Grand Central Station hundreds of times. However, at times, I was almost lost in new doorways and corridors. Once, I entered a tunnel and came out in the lobby of a hotel. Another lime, I reached in an office building. I thought it was the second level. But I had reached the third level. I realised this as there were fewer ticket windows; the information booth was of wood and old-looking. The lights were flickering as they were open-flame gaslights. There were brass spittoons on the floor. The locomotive had a funnel-shaped stack.

Modern world is full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and tension. I want to escape from the harsh realities of modem world. I hope you would also agree with the escape theory. Please suggest some remedies.

Charley

My Mother at Sixty Six- Notes

 

My Mother at Sixty Six

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

STYLE OF THE POEM - The poem is confessional and a first-person monologue. It is in the form of a narrative of fourteen lines written as a single sentence punctuated by commas. This is called enjambment. This highlights the stream-of-consciousness effect where one thought leads to another.

1. What do the poet’s parting words to her mother signify? (All India 2009)
Answer: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smile provide a stark contrast to the old familiar fear of childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. She is trying to hide her fear about her mother’s frail and deteriorating health which might separate her from her mother.

2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’? (Delhi 2010)
Answer: The young trees are ‘sprinting’ that is rushing past the poet as she is travelling in a very fast-moving car. While travelling in a speeding vehicle, the objects outside appear to be rushing past us in the opposite direction. These sprinting trees are in stark contrast to the passive old lady sitting inside the car.

3. How did Kamala Das put away the thought of her mother’s old age? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: The poet started looking out of the window because she wanted to drive away the pain and agony she was experiencing by looking at her aged mother. She looked outside at the world which was full of life and activity. She saw young trees running past her and merry children sprinting out of their homes to play.

4. Why did Kamala Das add the image of merry children to her poem? (Comptt. Delhi 2010)
Answer: The merry children symbolise the spring of life, its energy, vigor and happiness. Their image presents a sharp contrast to the poet’s limp and ageing mother. This image is also imperative for the understanding of the process of old age which is associated with decay. The spontaneous outpouring of life symbolised by these children is in contrast to the poet’s mother’s passive and inactive life.

5. What were Kamala Das’ fears as a child? Why do they surface when she is going to the airport? (All India 2011)
Answer: Since her childhood perhaps Kamala Das always feared that she would lose her mother or in some way be separated from her. Now that her mother is old and her health has deteriorated, the poet’s fear surfaces again when she is going to the airport.

6. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’? (Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer: The mother looked pale and ashen faced like a corpse. During late winter, the moon is under the threat of being hidden by cloud, fog and mist. Moreover, it loses its brightness and looks rather pale and colourless like an ill and haggard old person who has become worn-out and tired due to the ravages of time.

7. What were the poet’s feelings at the airport? How did she hide them? (All India 2012)
Answer: At the airport the poet, Kamala Das, feels fearful of leaving her pale, ageing mother alone and unattended. She has an ache and fear inside her heart and is not sure if she will be able to see her mother again. She hides her feelings of anxiety by giving a long and cheerful smile to her mother.

COMPETENCY BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTION

1. The poet brings out the irony of human relationships in the poem 'My mother at sixty-six'. Give a pen-picture.

Ans. The poem 'My Mother at Sixty-Six' portrays that death is inevitable. The poet in the poem is deeply melancholic about her mother and experiences the pain of losing her mother. She is under the dread that she may not be able to meet her mother the next time she comes. She constantly gazes at her mother but tries to conceal the pain by smiling. She tries to be optimistic.

Irony of human relationships lies in the fact that intimate relationships can at times become a burden, but we still have the need to carry such relationships.

THE LAST LESSON (NOTES)

THE LAST LESSON

 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What tempted Franz to stay away from school? (Delhi 2014)

Answer. Franz feared a scolding at school as he had not prepared the lesson on participles, on which his French teacher M Hamel was to question the class that day. Besides the warm and bright weather, the chirping of birds and the watching of the drill of Prussian soldiers also tempted Franz to stay away from school.

2. Why is the order from Berlin called a thunderclap by Franz? (Compartment 2014) OR “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” What were the words that shocked and surprised the narrator? : (Delhi 2013)

Answer. M Hamel told his students that it was their last French lesson, as an order had come from Berlin that henceforth only German was to be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This announcement seemed to be a thunderclap to Franz. He was left in surprise and shock to learn that a new master was going to arrive the next day and they would learn German instead of their mother tongue.

3. What changes came over little Franz after he heard M.Hamel’s announcement? (AI 2010)

Answer: When M.Hamel announced that this was to be their last French class a grim realisation dawned on Franz that he could hardly write his language and now he was being deprived of the opportunity to learn it. He felt very guilty about neglecting his classes and escaping school. The thought of losing his teacher, M. Hamel, also pained him.

4. Who did M.Hamel blame for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz? (D 2011)

Answer: Mr. Hamel blamed various people for different reasons for the neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz. First, he blamed the parents for not being anxious to have their children learn and rather engaging them in household work. He blamed the boys themselves for preferring to work on mills and farms. He also blamed himself for sending boys on errands for his convenience.

5. What shows M Hamel’s love for the French language? (Foreign 2014)

OR

What did M Hamel tell them about the French language? What did he ask them to do and why? (Delhi 2013)

Answer. In his last lesson, M Hamel told the students that the French language was the most beautiful language in the world—the clearest and the most logical. He asked them to guard it amongst themselves and never forget it because when a people were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their language, it was as if they had the key to their prison.

6. What made M Hamel cry towards the end of his last lesson? (Compartment 2014)

Answer. M Hamel had taught French at the school for the last forty years. He was emotionally attached to the school and everything in and about it. He was really heartbroken to leave it all. Besides, his own predicament reminded him that his country would soon lose its independence. All this made him cry towards the end of his last lesson.

7. How did M Hamel say farewell to his students and the people of the town? (AI 2012)

Answer. At the end of his ‘Last Lesson’, M Hamel stood up to say farewell to his students and the people of the town. He tried to speak, but overwhelming emotion choked his voice. He then wrote as large as he could on the blackboard ‘Vive La France’; then he dismissed the class with a gesture with his hand.

8. Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?” What does this tell us about the attitude of the Frenchmen? (All India 2011)

Answer: This shows that the Frenchmen were full of hatred and desperation against the Germans. Besides, they feared German atrocities. They thought that they would be forced to read German and no one will be spared.

Long Answer Type Question (5 Marks, 120-150 words)

Q.9. what changes did the narrator find in the school when the order from Berlin came? (AI 2008)

Answer. The order from Berlin prohibited the teaching of French in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Instead, German was to be taught in the schools. Franz was late for school that day. He noticed that the hustle and bustle were missing. There was no opening and closing of desks, no repetition of lessons and rapping of the teacher’s ruler on the table could be heard. It was all very quiet and still.

Franz was further surprised because, instead of meeting an angry teacher, he was welcomed by a kind and polite teacher, who was dressed in his best clothes, a beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and an embroidered silk cap, which he wore only on inspection and prize days. The back benches were occupied by the village people who never came to school, as they were more concerned about their livelihood. He was further astounded to know that, M Hamel was going to teach his last lesson that day.

Q10. Franz's attitude towards school as well as towards M Hamel changes when he comes to know about the order from Berlin. Do you agree? Discuss with reference to the last lesson.

Ans. Yes, I do agree that Franz's attitude towards school as well as towards M Hamel changed.

At the beginning of the story, Franz was reluctant to go to school. He had not done his homework. He was afraid of scolding. M. Hamel was a strict teacher. Moreover, the warm and bright day was more tempting. When he reached school he learnt that only the German language would be taught in his school. When he heard this, his attitude towards his teacher, his books and school changed completely. He started liking his teacher and was sorry for not learning his lessons. He was sorry that M. Hamel was going away. He forgot everything about his ruler and his cranky nature. His books appeared to him like his best friends. Surprisingly everything that his teacher taught him appeared so easy to him that day. He developed a great respect for M Hamel.

COMPETENCY BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTION

1.      As M Hamel deliver a speech on the last day of school urging the village elders and students never to leave their Native language.

You can begin the speech this way:

People are passionate about their country and language. Excessive pride in one's own language may lead to Language Chauvinism where they feel superior to others and try to impose their language on others

Ans. People are passionate about their country and language. Excessive pride in one's own language may lead to Language Chauvinism where they feel superior to others and try to impose their language on others. The Germans have taken over the districts of Alsace and Lorraine and an order has come from Berlin that French will no longer be taught in this school. From tomorrow the German teacher will come. This is my Last lesson. French is the most beautiful and logical language, we must owe respect to our language and know how to read and write it. No one can enslave us if we have a strong hold of our language. I emphasise on the fact that it is one's language that gives us our freedom. We must not leave our mother tongue.

I find that you all are regretting for not learning your mother tongue seriously and now realise the importance of the mother tongue in your lives.

Thank you.