MIND MAP

CLASS - X
CHARACTER SKETCH

Jacopo
Jacopo is the youngest of the two brothers. He is innocent and a responsible child and
possesses almost the same qualities as his elder brother, Nicola. Jacopo, the 12 year old is
portrayed to be full of life who the narrator finds to be as ‘lively as a squirrel’.
He has an air of seriousness, too, which is way beyond his age. His childish nature and honest
behaviour is showcased when he seeks a favour from the narrator to drive his brother, Jacopo
and himself to a place named Poleta.

Nicola
The elder of the two brothers, Nicola is a loving, caring and responsible boy. This diligent boy
takes upon himself the task of getting his sister treated for tuberculosis and showers love and
care on his brother. He often lets his little brother sleep while he sells newspapers late at
night. He faces hardships and never indulges in self- pity. He does not expect sympathy from
anyone and keeps his problems as a guarded
secret. Nicola takes life in his own stride and devotes himself whole heartedly.

Narrator
The narrator is a man of keen observation. Sensitive to the world around him, he tries to see
beyond the apparent and identifies others’ joys and sorrows. Though inquisitive, he does not
try to intrude into others’ lives. His helping attitude and friendly nature bring him closer to the
two orphaned children. He admires the gentleman-like qualities of the shabbily dressed boys,
Nicola and Jacopa. He exhibits his kind nature
by driving the boys to Poleta.
CHARACTER SKETCH

Mrs.Packletide
Mrs. Packletide is portrayed in the story as a competitive, jealous and materialistic women.
She makes the decision to go hunting to undermine Loona Bimberton’s success. She was
cunning and deceptive. To control the issue, Mrs. Packletide arranges a hunt and gives the
locals a thousand rupees. She goes after an old tiger because there was no danger involved.
She lacked conscience and was vain. She is happy to pose for pictures while concealing the
truth about the quest. She pays Mebbin to keep quiet. She goes to any length to stand out.
She hosts a party that she claims is to honour Bimberton which infact was just a display of her
success and vanity.

Louisa Mebbin
She is extremely frugal and is always fascinated by the thought of conserving money. She
believed that the old tiger was not worth a thousand rupees to be spent on. She makes a
cunning comment about not paying for the goat if the tiger does not touch it. She threatens
Mrs. Packletide with revealing information about the hunt. She is a cunning opportunist who
can take advantage of the circumstance to realise her ambition of owning a weekend cabin.
She is shrewd and practical. Just like Mrs. Packletide, she is also manipulative and as soon as
gets an opportunity of making money by exploiting a situation, she moves on with purpose.
She is cunning.

Loona Bimberton
She is extremely envious and vindictive and was unable to accept Mrs. Packletide’s
achievement. Due to her fierce nature, she declines to go to Mrs. Packletide’s celebration. She
is egoistic and a frivolous member of high society whose only goal in life was to outdo her
adversary. Her adventurous nature is obvious when she flies eleven miles in an aeroplane only
to receive media attention for her achievement.
She is conceited and self-centred.
THE LETTER (by Dhumaketu)
CHARACTER SKETCH

Ali is an engaging character and the central character of the story, The Letter. Ali’s character
is full of feelings of love and separation. He is a simple, ordinary man but his heart is highly
sensitive and soft. He is an epitome of patience and perseverance. He had been a clever
hunter in his youth and loved to hunt birds and animals. He had a good eye sight, the
moment he sighted a partridge, the bird was in his bag. He had immense love for his
daughter. He suffered pangs of loneliness and separation and gave up hunting after his
daughter Miriam went to Punjab after her marriage. It was then that he realized the pain that
the young ones of the birds and animals suffered whom he had hunted dead. He too feels
lonely and desperately waits for a letter from his daughter. For 5 years he goes to the post
office every morning, in the hope of getting a letter from her. It seemed that the only aim of
his existence was to get a letter from his daughter which came only after his death. He just
wanted to know about her well-being. He desperately waits for her letter, but in vain. In spite
of being subjected to mockery and ridicule, he doesn’t lose hope and visits the post office
every morning until one day when he dies of old age and suffering. Through Ali’s character,
the writer has brought to light, the profound love a father has for her daughter.

The postmaster was a rude and arrogant person. He is initially stubborn and emotionless
but undergoes a change of heart in the story. He only cared about himself. He was full of over
confidence and treated others as inferior. He was an ill-tempered and haughty man who
cared the least about any other person’s life and plight. He was not at all compassionate
towards anybody in need and paid no heed to anyone. He called Ali “pest” and always made
fun of him. He behaved insensitively and indifferently to Ali until he himself went through a
similar pain and suffering. However, his character saw a drastic change when he too became
anxious of not receiving any news from his ill daughter. He deeply felt the suffering of Ali and
realised the affection a father could have for his daughter.Ater going through the pain of
separation from his own daughter, his arrogance was completely transformed into sympathy
for Ali. He empathized with him. He realizes his mistake and goes to Ali’s grave to place the
letter there.
A SHADY PLOT (By Elsie Brown)

CHARACTER SKETCH

John Hallock is a ghost story writer. Whenever his publisher asks him for a new story, he is
able to write one. Usually, he has no idea where the plot will come from; he suddenly gets
inspiration and is able to produce a new story. This made him cocky and overconfident. He has
a wilful and whimsical wife who seems to enjoy spending money on every new fad or fashion.
In order to meet her demands, Hallock has to work as a bookkeeper in a warehouse. His
encounter with the ghost of Helen is a new and shocking thing as he is told that ghosts inspire
him and give him all the ideas for his stories. He is witty, creative, caring and in moral dread of
his wife Lavinia.

Lavinia is John’s wife and seems to be a domineering person. At the same time she is
interested in fashions and fads. She has an alarming tendency to spend money. Her latest
craze is Ouija board. She buys one and calls her friends for an Ouija party. John describes his
wife as a very sensitive little lady. She also gets easily influenced by people. she is very
unpredictable and gullible. She is very possessive of her husband and therefore tends to
suspect him of having an extra-marital relationship. She may come across as a vacuous wife,
but finally displays genuine love and affection for her husband.

Helen is a ghost who helps struggling writers in writing ghost stories. While she was alive, she
was a writer too, but failed miserably. Now, along with her fellow ghosts, she founded ‘Writers’
Inspiration Bureau’ which give extended help to those writers who have no ideas. She is angry
because the ghosts have to be at the beck and call of the Ouija board fanatics to answer their
questions. This does not leave them with any time for their amusement or haunting others. So,
she orders John to stop these things in his house.
CHARACTER SKETCH OF PATOL BABU

‘Patol Babu, Film Star’ by Satyajit Ray, is the story of an unassuming, humble, and
modest man. He is a 52-year old man who gets an offer to play an insignificant
role of a pedestrian in a film. He gets really very excited about his role. However,
when he reaches the shooting scene for enacting his role, he is disappointed to
know the insignificance and shortness of his scene. He is assigned the role of a
pedestrian who is to bump into the hero and just exclaim the word ‘Oh!’ He wants
to get away from the scene. He does not want to play such a small role.

However, he is a passionate actor who reveres acting and stage. He remembers

his mentor, Guru, Gogon Pakrashi’s words. He had told him many years ago that
he must never refuse any role, however small it might be.

As an artist, his aim should always be to make the most of the opportunity and
squeeze the last drop of meaning out of his lines. Remembering his Guru’s words,
Patol Babu resolves to give his best to the small role offered to him. He rehearses
it many times, infusing different shades of emotions into the word ‘oh’. This shows
he is very meticulous. At last, the scene is shot, and everyone appreciates his
acting. Finally, he leaves the shooting scene modestly, without even receiving his
payment.
VIRTUALLY TRUE (By Paul Stewart)
GIST

A young child named Michael, comes across a news item related to miraculous recovery of a boy,
named Sebastian, to life from the state of coma. The narrator is puzzled as he believes that he has met
Michael somewhere. He recalls that he has met him while playing different ‘psycho drive games’, he
knows him to be a computer character so how can that computer character ‘Michael’ be a real man. The
narrator also recalls that his computer ‘nutty’ dad had brought several psycho-drive computer games a
few months back and it was in those games like- Wild west, Dragon quest, Jailbreak and War Zone that
he had met this boy requesting him to rescue him. The narrator is also reminded of the fact that he could
not rescue the boy in different computer games as he was not allowed to control the games. He again
recalls that while he was attempting ‘War Zone’, he could rescue the computer character named Sebastian
the previous day. The narrator finds everything mysterious about Sebastian and his recovery.
He tries to unfold the mystery by surfing the internet and finally his curiosity is addressed. The narrator
comes to know that Sebastian is a real character and his memory had got transported to the computer
memory of his lap top on which he was playing the same psycho-drive games when an accident took
place and when the narrator found the same games from a computer fair he came across Sebastian Shultz-
the computer character. He realises that by cracking the last psycho-drive game War Zone, actually he
has been able to bring out Sebastian from the state of ‘coma’. The mystery is unfolded for the narrator
and he receives a mail from the real Sebastian who thanks him for rescuing him and wishes to meet him.
CHARACTER SKETCH OF THE FROG

The frog was cunning, greedy, proud and insensitive. This nature is revealed when
he sells the
nightingale's songs for money and makes her sing in the cold weather. It has been
portrayed as arrogant, haughty, opportunist and boastful. He is used to his
position as the only singer of the Bingle Bog. He irritates all the animals of the
forest by croaking in the night. He never listens to the requests of the animals. The
entry of the melodious nightingale is an eye opener. Being practical and worldly
wise, he uses his position to influence her. Feeling insecure, he plays a trick with
the nightingale and makes it believe that he is the master of singing. He
manipulates the situation to his advantage, starts making profit by charging
admission fees to the nightingale’s concert. Ultimately, he succeeds in regaining
his lost position when the nightingale dies. As he was a smooth talker, he brushes
away the blame of nightingale’s death by philosophizing it that “your song must
be your own”.

CHARACTER SKETCH OF THE NIGHTINGALE

She is portrayed as the innocent, naive, gullible, polite, unsure, timid, shy and
nervous type. The taste of appreciation enhances her self-esteem making her
gullible. With her extraordinary skills, she wins the hearts of the animals of the
forest including the frog. However, the lack of confidence makes her a prey of the
frog’s trick. Trapped in the cruel circle of success, she pushes herself to a point of
exhaustion. She gets addicted to her status and is unable to get out of the
clutches of the frog. She tries to match the misguided criticism of the frog which
results in her death.
POETIC DEVICES

* Allusion – reference to ‘Mars’ – the God of war and ‘Judgement’ – the day of judgement.

* Alliteration – ‘when wasteful wars’ – ‘w’ sound repeated, ‘shall shine’ – ‘sh’ sound repeated

*Personification – ‘Time’ has been called a ‘slut’ and thus, personified. This poetry has been
personified when called ‘living record’.

* Repetition – ‘shall’ and ‘nor’ repeated to create musical effect

* Epithet – an adjective or adjectival phrase used to describe a distinctive quality of a person or

thing.
‘Sluttish’ describes time, ‘besmeared’ describes statues, ‘wasteful’ describes wars.

* Imagery – visual imagery is used in ‘unswept stone, besmear’d with sluttish time’ as the
reader can imagine statues which become ruins with the passage of time and ‘When wasteful war
shall statues overturn And broils root out the work of masonry’ as the reader can imagine the
destruction caused by wars.
CHARACTER SKETCH OF OZYMANDIAS

Ozymandias was arrogant, conceited, and egoist. He behaved

condescendingly with others. He wanted everyone to bow, fawn,
and obey his orders. He made everyone believe if they did not
act according to his will or command, he could have them
punished. He must have been high-handed and arrogant of his
power, wealth, and valour. He must have thought nobody could
defeat him. He won many wars against his adversaries also. He
got his statues built throughout his kingdom so that people would
look at his works and shudder. However, his glory lasted only a
few years. He became old, weak, and finally died.

Shelley makes usage of cacophonous alliteration to present the

power Ozymandias once had, 'cold command' and 'King of Kings',
these suggest Ozymandias was a stern and authoritative ruler.
'King of kings' also alludes to divine power as Ozymandias
believed himself to be as or more omnipotent than God.
THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER
By SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

◆ Written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

◆ First poem in Lyrical Ballads
◆ Written in the form of a Ballad
◆ Divided in :7 Parts
◆ Inspired by:Captain James Cook’s exploration Journeys
◆ Main idea of the poem:Honor and respect all living things
A thoughtless bad act can have lasting repercussions
◆ Disaster mentioned in the poem: Ship is becalmed and sailors die of thirst

GIST
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is about a man on a
voyage by ship, who in one impulsive and heinous act, changes the course of his life
– and death. The Mariner faces an inner struggle over the crime he has committed,
and must understand his actions and perform his penance. He must also learn to
abandon his negative views and openly accept all of Gods’ creatures. The voyage
now becomes a journey of learning important lessons in accountability, acceptance,
forgiveness, and repentance.

After the Mariner kills the Albatross, it is hung around his neck so he can understand
the seriousness of his act, but he is incapable of realizing the full implications at this
time. The bird was of no danger to the Mariner or the men on the ship, and in fact,
was a spiritual guide to safeguard the crew on their excursion. The murder was
committed on a whim, with no forethought about the act or the repercussions.
CHARACTER SKETCH

◆ THE ANCIENT MARINER

The Mariner was once a sailor, part of a crew of a sailing ship. During a sea voyage he, along
with the ship, is stranded in the ice of the South Pole. It is only when an Albatross appears
that the ice breaks and the ship is freed. The Mariner befriends the bird—it comes at his call.
But then, for some unknown reason, he shoots and kills the Albatross. By killing the innocent
creature, he sets in motion a string of horrors. His crew dies, but he lives on with his sin. It is
only when he accepts that the bird was part of God's great creation that he is partially
absolved of his sin. But his penance is not done even with that realization. He must tell his
story far and wide before moving on again. His is compelled into an act of confession by a
supernatural force that even decides who he should tell the tale to.

◆ WEDDING GUEST

The Wedding Guest is one of three people on their way to a wedding reception and is in a
hurry to attend the festivities. He is next of kin to the bridegroom. He attempts to get away
from the Mariner several times but Mariner’s compels him to sit and listen to the entirety of
his story. At several points during the Mariner’s tale, he interjects to ask questions and to
comment on the Mariner’s expression. He is deeply affected by the Mariner and what he has
to tell him, despite being unwilling to listen at first. When the Mariner offers his moral, the
Wedding Guest doesn’t even go to the festivities; instead, he returns home to think on what
the Mariner told him. He awakes the next morning greatly changed by the experience.
POETIC DEVICES

ALLITERATION
• By the long grey beard and glittering eye
.furrow followed free
• down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down
METAPHORS
• Merry Minstrelsy • Vespers Nine
• snowy clefts
REPETITION
• glittering eye • ice was here etc.
• bright-eyed Mariner • water, water
PERSONIFICATION
* Sun – is personified as a Man
*Storm – is also personified as a Man
* Blast – also as a Bird (“overtaking wing”)
SIMILES
* Like a three year old child – wedding guest
*Red as a rose – the Bride
* As who pursued with yell and blow – the ship
* Like noises in a sound – Thundering and growling sounds
*As idle as a painted ship – ship as if it is painted

THEME
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” explores several themes including the consequences of sin
and guilt,the supernatural, the power of nature and the redemption and salvation of the
soul.The poem also delves into the themes of isolation,penance, and the interconnections of all
living beings.These themes are woven into the narrative of the mariner’s harrowing journey and
his spiritual awakening.
CHARACTER SKETCH
VICTORIA
Victoria Slater, or Vicky is a sweet natured , precocious ten year old daughter of Mr. & Mrs.
Slater. It is true to state that she is the only person in the family who has any genuine
affection or attachment for her grandfather .She is terribly upset that he is no more. Although
the elders in the house are engaged in their own vain and materialistic preoccupations, she
was the only one in the house who realized the loss and agony, her grandfather's death
posed. She feels upset and unappreciative at the haste and cunningness with which her
mother moves to get hold of the clock and the bureau that belong to grandpa. She was a
sensible young girl whose thoughts and actions are governed by a maturity beyond her age.
When her
grandfather's ‘death’ proved to be untrue, she was the only one who experienced any real
relief and joy. She is an image of the innocence of young age. She is grieved to see her
parents pinching her grandfather's possessions. She terms the act of her parents not only
insensitive but also unethical. She is childish, innocent, truthful and sensitive. However, her
parents and other elders are selfish, unfeeling and of competitive nature, devoid of any
compassion or concern.

MR ABEL MERRYWEATHER
Abel Merryweather is an old widower. Ever since he lost his wife, he has been living in turns,
with his daughters Amelia Slater and Elizabeth Jordan. Basically, he is a fun-loving and jovial
man, who loves to go to the pub and drink. He is quick-witted and intelligent. He cannot be
fooled by any competition show of affection by his daughters. He knows them too too well.
Hence he is able to defend himself and disarm them whenever they attempt any mischief or
cunningness. But, he lives with them. He acknowledges them as his own children and he
wants to leave something to them in his will. But when he discovers how disloyal and
dishonest they truly are, believing him to be dead, he decides to change his will, and marry a
widow, Mrs. John Shorrocks, the keeper of ‘’Ring – O – Bells’. Any reader would like him as he
is justified for what he does with regard to the will.
MRS AMELIA SLATER

Amelia Slater is a vigorous, plump,red faced , vulgur woman, prepared to do any amount of
straight talking to get her way. Married to Henry Slater,she has a ten year old daughter,
Victoria. She is vehement and active. She is very dominating by nature and makes sure that
all things happen according to her own will and plan. She makes her husband do all she
wants. She can talk her way through any argument. She is a cunning and sharp person and
cares only for the material comfort. Greed and envy guide her . Being greedy, she is never
contended or happy with what she already has. There is always a need for more in her. She
wants a major part of her father’s inheritance and tries to get it by unfair means. She
outsmarts her sister and gets hold of the handsome, old-fashioned bureau and the mantle-
piece clock before she reaches.She even asks her husband to put on her ‘dead’ father’s
slippers.She has no genuine sorrow at the
loss of her father. She just pretends to be hurt and sad at his death. This shows the hypocrisy
of her nature. Her greed makes her blind to all human sentiments. She never approves of
anyone other than herself. She is mean and vulgur when it comes to taking care of her old
father.In the end, to win over him, she even eats her own words, but without any real
success.

MRS JORDAN

Mrs Jordan is a stout, complacent woman with an impassive face. She has an irritating air of
always being right. In the play, she is seen wearing a complete and deadly outfit of new
mourning crowned by a great black hat with plumes.She is very witty and sharp. When it
comes to bargaining, she is second to no one. Like her sister, Mrs Slater, she too loves
material possessions. She is capable of driving a hard bargain over things to gain possession.
According to her she is always right. Hence she accuses others on and off. She is greedy too.
She does not miss any opportunity or any platform to criticise her sister and brother in law .
She surprises everyone, when she expresses her willingness to take her father to her home.
But her
eyes were fixed on his property only.
MR HENRY SLATER

Mr Henry Slater is Amelia’s husband and the son in law of Mr Abel. A stooping, heavy man,
he grows a drooping moustache. He wears a black tailcoat, grey trousers, a black tie and a
bowler hat.He is a ‘no body’ in the house, whose existence has no significance . He has no
will of his own, and so he has no voice. He just follows decisions, as he is no decision
maker.He is just there to act, as has been instructed by his wife. He just does whatever she
asks. He has no choice, either. For a reader, he generates pity. He is not mean or greedy
like his wife. He just obeys her and does little respectful things, like getting hold of
Grandfather’s possessions. He does this, because he is under her domination. He is not
even reluctant to wear the slippers of his ‘dead’ father in law.

MR BEN JORDAN

Mr Jordan, the husband of Elizabeth,is a man of practical thinking, but a hypocrite in the
play ‘The Dear Departed’. Usually he is rather a jolly little man, accustomed to be
humorous. He has a bright chirpy little voice. The death of the grand father moves him
little. He says bluntly that all must die one day. He is not sorrowful or emotional at his
death, like the ‘dead’ man’s daughters. At times Mr Jordan behaves like a weakling. He
allows his wife to silence him. He has a sharp tongue. He sometimes speaks in the most
disgraceful manner . He is blind to what impact his words would have on others. He calls
the grand father “The drunken beggar”, guessing the old man has not paid the insurance
premium. He fears that none in the family would get the benefit of the insurance policy. He
sounds logical here. But his language is far
from cultured and refined. The reader would think , rightfully, that he does not believe in
the importance and necessity of relationships.
JULIUS CEASER (By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE)

INTRODUCTION

‘Julius Caesar’ is the story of a man’s personal dilemma over moral action, set
against a backdrop of
strained political drama. Julius Caesar, an able general and a conqueror returns to
Rome amidst immense popularity after defeating the sons of Pompeii. The people
celebrate Caesar’s victorious return and Mark Antony offers him the crown which
he refuses. Jealous of Caesar’s growing power and afraid that he may one day
become a dictator, Cassius instigates a conspiracy to murder Caesar. He realizes
that to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Romans, he must win over the noble
Brutus to his side, for Brutus was the most trusted and respected in Rome. Brutus,
the idealist, joins the conspiracy feeling that everyone is driven by motives as
honourable as his own.
SUMMARY

The first scene depicts the argument between Caesar and his wife Calpurnia. Calpurnia tries to stop
Caesar from going to the senate as she is apprehensive of some mishap. She explains the bad omens
which she saw in her dreams. In response, Caesar claims that a brave man should not be afraid of death
because death is the ultimate truth. Calpurnia wants Mark Antony to convey the message that Caesar
would not attend the meeting at senate and to give an excuse of Caesar’s sickness. Finally, Brutus tries to
convince Caesar by giving a different and positive interpretation of the dreams which Calpurnia had.
Thus, Brutus is able to take Caesar along with him to the senate.
All the courtiers and members of the senate sing paeans for Caesar. Caesar asks his fellows not to indulge
in flattery. The discussion then veers on the banishment of Publius Cimber. Finally, all the men who are
with Cassius take out their daggers and stab Caesar to death. When Brutus stabs Caesar, the latter is
astonished that even his best friend had turned against him. After the assassination, Cassius wants the
message to be conveyed to the people of Rome. He wants them to know that they have successfully
ended tyranny and ensured freedom for the people of Rome.
Mark Antony arrives on the scene. Cassius and his men try to convince him by saying that Caesar was
murdered for the good of Rome. They also assure Antony his due share in power. Antony seeks
permission for taking the body of Caesar so that he can organize a public mourning. It is also agreed that
Brutus would speak to the public to convey the message of protection of Rome’s liberty as a reason for
the assassination of Caesar. After that Antony could take his time to speak whatever he wishes to speak
about Caesar.
Brutus is the first one to speak to the people of Rome. He uses this opportunity to state his reasons for
killing Caesar. After Brutus, Antony gives a speech to highlight that Caesar was kind to the public and
was not ambitious as was claimed by Brutus. By giving many examples; Antony is able to motivate the
gathered mass of people. He also reads out the will of Caesar which announces many freebies for the
people. People then cremate the body of Caesar and begin the revolt against Cassius and Brutus.