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The Interview

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5 views

The Interview

Uploaded by

s.geeta444
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Interview

- By Christopher Silvester

- QUESTIONS BASED ON EXTRACTS.

1) "It is cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give
it"

a) Who is the speaker?

b) What does the speaker refer to?

c) How did the speaker act contrary to his statement?

d) Who was the victim then?

- Answers.

a) The speaker is Rudyard Kipling.

b) The speaker refers to Interview.

c) He has conducted an interview.

d) He interviewed Mark Twain.

2)"I can't understand how one man can do all the things he does"

a) Who makes this remark?

b) Whom does he refer to?

c) How does' he' manage to do many things?

d) What are the many things that 'he' does?

- Answers

a) The English novelist and academic David Lodge made this remark.

b) He referred to Umberto ECO.

c) He managed to do many things by following a bunch of ethical and


philosophical interests in everything that he writes and by working in
interstices.
d) He was a professor, an academic writer, writer of children's story books
and the author of the best seller 'Name of the Rose'.

- SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. What are some of the positive views on interviews?

Interview, in the 130 years of its existence, has become an inherent part of
journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is, at times,
considered to be an art, serving as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated
that in today's world we get to know "our contemporaries" through their
interviews.

2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere in their private


lives. They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the
interview in some way 'diminishes' them, just like some ancient cultures
believed that a portrait of a person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities
like V.S Naipaul have claimed that interviews leave them wounded, while
others like Rudyard Kipling have referred to it as a crime and an immoral act.

3. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?

Some primitive cultures believed that getting oneself photographed would


rob them of their souls.

4. What do you understand by the expression "thumbprints on his windpipe"?

"Thumbprints on his windpipe" means to choke or suffocate somebody by


applying pressure on his throat. Saul Bellow uses this expression to refer to
the pressure and discomfort felt by a celebrity while giving an interview.

5.Who, in today's world, is our chief source of information about


personalities?

Interviews help us know our contemporaries and their opinions. They serve
as a means of communication between the celebrities and the audience. In
this case, the interviewer is endowed with a very special power and he
becomes our chief source of information about personalities.

6 Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your
opinion.

Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities likes being interviewed. He readily


answers every question asked by Mukund Padmanabhan in an energetic and
lively manner. He does not seem apprehensive about sharing his secrets,
experiences and opinions with the interviewer, and consequently, the world.
There is no indication throughout the interview that he dislikes being
interviewed.

7. How does Eco find the time to write so much?

Whenever Eco has a few moments to spare in between two different tasks,
instead of wasting them, he uses the time to write. Eco explains that just like
the universe has empty spaces, our lives too, have a lot of empty spaces or
'interstices', as he calls them. He even gives an example of his working
technique. He says that while waiting for someone to come up the elevator
he keeps himself busy.

8. What was distinctive about Eco's academic writing style?

Eco's writing style is strikingly different from that of the standard academic
mode. The academicians first make a thorough research, then move on to
prove their hypotheses, and finally, give their conclusion on that subject. The
final outcome, therefore, comes out as tedious. Eco, on the other hand, tells
the story of his research, including his "trials and errors". While the scholars
usually use a very depersonalised and dull manner, Eco's style is
personalised and playful, and in the form of a narrative.

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