Tuesday, 29 April 2025

NOTICE WRITING

NOTICE WRITING - CLASS 12 ENGLISH

What is a Notice?

A notice is a formal means of communication used to announce or inform a group of people about important events, functions, rules, or changes.

FORMAT OF A NOTICE (CBSE Prescribed)

1. Name of the Issuing Authority/Organization (School Name)
2. The Word ‘NOTICE’ (in capital letters)
3. Date (top left or right corner)
4. Title/Heading (what the notice is about)
5. Body of the Notice (clear, concise information)
6. Signature, Name, and Designation (of the person issuing the notice)

CONTENT OF THE BODY

Follow the 5 Ws:

What is happening?
When will it happen?
Where will it happen?
Who is eligible/concerned?
Whom to contact?

IMPORTANT POINTS

Word limit: 50 words (excluding heading and signature).
Use formal, impersonal language.
Use present or future tense.
No personal pronouns (I, you, we).
Box the notice properly.

Monday, 28 April 2025

Lost Spring

Lost Spring by Anees Jung — Analysis

Introduction

"Lost Spring: Stories of Stolen Childhood" is a deeply moving narrative about childhood lost to poverty and exploitation. Anees Jung uses two vivid episodes — the lives of Saheb (a ragpicker from Seemapuri) and children in Firozabad (who work in glass-blowing industry) — to highlight the structural injustice that robs children of their dreams.

The title Lost Spring metaphorically suggests:

Spring = childhood, youth, hope.
Lost = due to poverty, traditions, societal apathy.

"I sometimes find a rupee, even a ten-rupee note," says Saheb, his eyes lighting up.

This innocent excitement captures both the hope and tragedy of these children.

Important Points

Part 1: Saheb – Ragpicker of Seemapuri

Background: Saheb’s family migrated from Dhaka after their lands were destroyed by floods.
Current Life: He picks rags every morning, barefoot, with other boys in Seemapuri.
Dreams: Initially, he dreams of going to school, playing tennis, wearing proper shoes.
Reality: Circumstances never allow his dreams to materialize. He eventually works at a tea stall for 800 rupees and meals.

"Saheb is no longer his own master."

This quote signifies the end of whatever little freedom he had. Even his fragile dreams are now buried under the burden of survival.

Saheb’s story illustrates:

Migration's harsh reality: leaving home for mere survival.
Dreams vs. Reality: dreams are crushed under poverty.
Loss of identity: ironically, "Saheb-e-Alam" means "Lord of the Universe" but he is master of nothing.

Living in Seemapuri

Seemapuri is depicted as a bleak and impoverished settlement on the outskirts of Delhi. The living conditions are harsh and barely humane. Here's a summary of the conditions described:

Poor Infrastructure: Seemapuri is described as a place with no sewage, no running water, and unreliable electricity. The homes are makeshift structures, often mud-built with tin or tarpaulin roofs.
Lack of Basic Amenities: The residents live without sanitation facilities and clean drinking water. They survive in unhygienic and cramped surroundings.
Migrants' Settlement: Most people in Seemapuri are migrants from Bangladesh who came in search of a better life. Though they lack proper documentation, they value the ration cards that give them access to food.
Cycle of Poverty: The residents, including children, work as ragpickers, earning barely enough to survive. Education and healthcare are luxuries they cannot afford.
Sense of Belonging: Despite the hardships, Seemapuri is "home" to its residents. It gives them a sense of identity and survival, which they didn't have in their native places.

Part 2: Children of Firozabad – The Glass-blowers

Background: Firozabad is famous for its glass-blowing industry.
Generational Bondage: Children are born into families of glass blowers and forced into the same trade.
Working Conditions: Hazardous (dark dingy cells without air and light), leading to health issues like blindness.
Social Setup: The community is trapped by:
- Poverty
- Tradition
- Corrupt middlemen and politicians
Voice of Resistance: Very few, like Mukesh, dare to dream of something else (becoming a motor mechanic).

"Garbage to them is gold."

In Seemapuri, garbage is a means of survival; in Firozabad, glass is both livelihood and bondage.

"Born in the caste of bangle-makers, they have seen nothing but bangles."

This highlights the oppressive caste and vocational rigidity that stifles aspirations.

Living in Firozabad

Jung portrays Firozabad—famous for its glass-blowing industry—as a place trapped in poverty, exploitation, and tradition. The living conditions of its people, especially the bangle makers, are grim:

Unhygienic Environment: Families live in overcrowded houses with poor ventilation, often working with furnaces in high heat and dust, affecting their health and eyesight.
Child Labour: Children work in dark, dingy cells close to hot furnaces, often losing their eyesight at a young age. Education is almost absent.
Poverty and Helplessness: The bangle makers are caught in a cycle of poverty. Despite working for generations, they remain poor, underpaid, and unable to dream of a better life.
Lack of Awareness and Unity: The people of Firozabad accept their condition as fate. They fear the system and lack the courage to unite and protest.
Exploitation: Middlemen, policemen, bureaucrats, and politicians exploit these workers, ensuring they stay trapped in their misery.

Firozabad, in the story, symbolizes the loss of childhood and dreams, where even hope is a distant luxury.

Lost Spring: Themes

1. Poverty and Exploitation

The root cause of child labor is grinding poverty.
Children work in hazardous environments for meager earnings.

2. Loss of Childhood

Instead of playing and studying, children are forced into labor.
Their innocence and dreams are slowly eroded.

3. Tradition and Entrapment

Generational occupation traps families into cycles of suffering.
There is little room for mobility or change.

4. Hope and Dreams

Despite hardships, some children, like Mukesh, harbor ambitions.
Dreams are fragile but symbolize the human spirit.

Character Sketches

Saheb

Represents lost childhood.
Dreams big but is crushed by circumstances.
Innocent, hopeful, resigned in the end.

Mukesh

Symbol of quiet rebellion.
Chooses to dream differently (mechanic, not glass-blower).
Embodies resilience and hope.

Style and Language

First-person narrative: personal, intimate tone.
Descriptive style: vivid images of Seemapuri and Firozabad.
Use of dialogues: makes characters real and relatable.
Irony: Saheb's name vs. his situation; beautiful bangles vs. ugly reality.
Symbolism: Garbage, glass bangles, shoes.

Important Quotes and Their Analysis

"Saheb-e-Alam," he announces. He does not know what it means. If he knew its meaning — lord of the universe — he would not have believed it.

Analysis: Highlights the irony between Saheb’s name and his powerless existence.
"Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi yet miles away from it, metaphorically."

Analysis: Physically close to India's capital, but socially and economically worlds apart.
"It is his karma, his destiny."

Analysis: Fatalistic acceptance of suffering in Firozabad; society uses religion to justify exploitation.
"I will be a motor mechanic," he announces.

Analysis: Mukesh's simple dream represents hope amidst despair.

Conclusion

"Lost Spring" is a heart-wrenching portrayal of how poverty, tradition, and social apathy steal away the dreams and future of children. Anees Jung uses real-life characters to reflect on systemic injustice while also holding up a mirror to society’s indifference. Yet, even in the bleakest conditions, the small sparks of hope survive.

Final Thought:
Jung suggests that if society truly wants to, it can break the cycle — but it must choose to care first.

Figures of Speech/ Literary Devices

Literary Devices

1. Simile – A comparison using "like" or "as."

Example: She is as brave as a lion.

2. Metaphor – A direct comparison without using "like" or "as."

Example: Time is a thief.

3. Personification – Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Example: The wind whispered through the trees.

4. Implied Metaphor – A hidden or indirect metaphor.

Example: He barked orders at his team. (Compares him to a dog without directly saying it.)

5. Irony – Saying one thing but meaning the opposite or an unexpected outcome.

Example: A fire station burns down.

Situational, dramatic and verbal irony are the three types.

6. Alliteration – Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Example: She sells sea shells by the seashore.

7. Assonance – Repetition of vowel sounds.

Example: The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

8. Consonance – Repetition of consonant sounds, usually at the end or middle of words.

Example: The lumpy, bumpy road.

9. Repetition – Repeating words or phrases for effect.

Example: "I have a dream... I have a dream..." (Martin Luther King Jr.)

10. Enjambment – The continuation of a sentence beyond a line break in poetry.

Example:
The moon was shining on the lake,
So bright it lit the night awake.

11. Transferred Epithet – An adjective applied to the wrong noun, but it still makes sense.

Example: He had a sleepless night. (The night isn’t sleepless, he is.)

12. Oxymoron – A phrase with contradictory words.

Example: Deafening silence.

13. Antithesis – Placing opposite ideas together for contrast.

Example: "Speech is silver, but silence is golden."

14. Hyperbole – An exaggerated statement.

Example: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

15. Symbolism – Using an object to represent a deeper meaning.

Example: A dove represents peace.

16. Imagery – Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Example: The golden sun dipped below the crimson horizon.

17. Onomatopoeia – Use of words replicating sounds.

Example: The cat purred, the squeak of car brakes, a loud thud.

My Mother at Sixty-six

Summary

My Mother at Sixty-Six by Kamala Das is a deeply emotional poem that explores the theme of aging and the fear of losing a loved one. The poet describes a car journey with her 66-year-old mother, who is dozing off with her mouth open, her face pale and lifeless like a corpse. This sight brings a sudden realization to the poet—her mother is growing old and may soon die. As she looks outside, she sees young children playing and trees rushing past, which symbolize life, energy, and contrast with her mother’s frailty. At the airport, while bidding goodbye, the poet notices once again her mother's pale face, comparing it to a late winter’s moon—dim and fading. Though filled with sorrow, she hides her emotions and simply says, “See you soon, Amma,” expressing love and hope despite the pain. The repetition of the word 'smile' shows her increasing effort to hide her fear. The poem captures a universal emotion—the helplessness and anxiety we feel when we see our parents grow old and fear their inevitable departure.

Literary Devices

1. Symbolism

Symbolism is a key device in the poem. Some important symbols include:

"Doze, open-mouthed": This symbolizes helplessness and fragility, linking the mother’s present state with old age and impending death.

"Ashen face": The comparison to ash symbolizes lifelessness and decay, a reminder of the mother’s mortality.

"Children spilling out of their homes": They symbolize youth, energy, and life, creating a sharp contrast with the old, passive figure of the mother.

"Merry children" vs. "wan, pale face": This juxtaposition symbolizes the cycle of life – from vitality to decline.

2. Simile

The poem uses effective similes to deepen the emotional impact:

“Her face ashen like that of a corpse”: A powerful simile that brings a stark image of death into the speaker’s consciousness.

“As a late winter’s moon”: A subtle yet poignant simile. The late winter moon symbolizes fading beauty, dimness, and the cold reality of aging.

3. Imagery

Kamala Das uses vivid imagery to evoke emotions:

Visual imagery: “Face ashen,” “doze, open-mouthed,” “wan, pale,” and “children spilling out” create clear, striking pictures in the reader’s mind.

Auditory imagery is less prominent but implied through the “doze” and the silence in the car, enhancing the solemn mood.

4. Tone and Mood

Tone: Reflective, anxious, melancholic, and tender.

Mood: The reader feels sympathy, a sense of sorrow, and emotional vulnerability, mirroring the speaker’s feelings.

5. Enjambment and Free Verse

The poem is written in free verse with enjambment, reflecting the flow of thoughts and the speaker’s emotional turmoil.

The lack of punctuation in many places adds to the sense of a stream of consciousness, making it feel like a personal confession.

6. Theme

Aging and mortality: The central theme, shown through the speaker’s observation of her mother’s aging and her own fear of losing her.

Mother-daughter bond: Though not expressed overtly, the emotional depth of the relationship is evident.

Separation and fear of loss: A recurring motif, especially in the final lines when the speaker says “See you soon, Amma,” trying to hide her true feelings.

The Last Lesson

Summary of The Last Lesson:

The story is set in the French region of Alsace, during the time when Prussia (now parts of Germany) had defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). As part of the consequences, Alsace and Lorraine were taken over by the Germans, and the new rulers imposed German as the only language to be taught in schools from the next day onwards. This historical shift forms the emotional and political backdrop of the story.

Franz’s Perspective:

The story is narrated by a young schoolboy named Franz, who is usually not very attentive to his studies. On the day the story takes place, he is particularly afraid to go to school because he hasn’t prepared a lesson on participles. As he walks to school, he notices something unusual: the streets are quieter than usual, and there’s a sense of solemnity in the air.

Franz considers running away and skipping school, but his conscience and fear of M. Hamel, his teacher, make him continue.

At School:

When Franz reaches the school, he is surprised by several things:

There is no usual hustle and bustle; the school is unusually quiet.

M. Hamel is wearing his fine green coat, frilled shirt, and black silk cap—his dress reserved for important occasions.

The back benches, usually empty, are occupied by village elders, including former mayor and postmaster, who have come to pay respect to M. Hamel.

Then comes the announcement that stuns Franz:

“This is your last French lesson. The order has come from Berlin that only German will be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.”

Franz is filled with shock, guilt, and regret. He realizes how much he has taken his lessons for granted. Now that he is being denied the opportunity to learn his mother tongue, he suddenly begins to love it.

M. Hamel’s Emotional Address:

M. Hamel, the usually strict teacher, is uncharacteristically gentle and emotional. He speaks about the importance of the French language, calling it the most beautiful language in the world—clear, logical, and musical. He says that when people are enslaved, as long as they hold on to their language, they hold the key to freedom.

He also blames the parents for not encouraging their children to study, the children themselves for being careless, and himself for postponing lessons and allowing the students to neglect learning.

The Last Lesson:

The whole class listens with deep attention, and Franz, for the first time, listens sincerely and understands the lesson clearly. He becomes emotional as he realizes he may never again hear his beloved language in class. The elders sitting behind seem equally emotional, showing solidarity, sorrow, and respect for their language and teacher.

The Farewell:

As the church clock strikes twelve, and the Prussian soldiers march by outside, M. Hamel is overcome with emotion. Unable to speak, he turns to the blackboard and writes in large letters:

“Vive La France!”
(Long live France!)

These are his final words before he dismisses the class with a gesture, his heart too full to speak.

Themes in Detail:

1. Language and Identity:

Language is portrayed as a powerful symbol of identity and freedom. Losing one's language is akin to losing one’s cultural heritage.

2. Regret and Realization:

The story emphasizes how people often do not value what they have until it’s taken away. Franz, the villagers, and M. Hamel all experience deep regret.

3. Patriotism:

The villagers attending the class and M. Hamel’s emotional farewell show deep love for their language and country.

4. Impact of War on Common People:

The war’s consequences are seen in the education system, affecting even the smallest village and its schoolchildren.

5. The Role of a Teacher:

M. Hamel emerges as a dedicated teacher who regrets not doing more but gives a powerful final lesson, leaving a lasting impact.

How do bangle makers go blind?

Many glass bangle makers, especially in places like Firozabad, go blind because of several harsh working conditions:

1. Extreme Heat and Fire Exposure:

They sit for hours very close to furnaces (called bhattis) at 1200–1500°C.
The intense infrared radiation from the fire damages the lens and retina of the eyes over time.
This leads to cataracts (clouding of the eye) or retinal damage, causing gradual blindness.

2. Continuous Eye Strain:

They have to focus very hard on tiny, glowing hot glass rods while shaping them.
The constant strain, combined with poor lighting conditions (except for the furnace glow), wears out their vision fast.

3. Lack of Protective Gear:

Most workers don't wear safety goggles because they can't afford them, or they're never provided.
Without eye protection, their eyes are exposed to heat, sparks, fine glass dust, and bright glare for years.

4. Glass Dust:

Fine glass particles in the air can scratch the surface of the eye (corneal abrasions), leading to infections and scarring.

5. Toxic Fumes:

Fumes from certain chemicals used in colored glass can also irritate and damage the eyes.

In short:
Over years of working under extreme heat, glare, dust, and fumes without eye protection, many glass workers develop permanent vision loss or complete blindness, often by their 40s or 50s.
It's heartbreaking — especially because it’s preventable with good safety measures.

A TRYST WITH ENGLISH