4. THE WISH
About the
Writer: Roald Dahl
v
Roald Dahl was born 1916 and died in 1990,
v
He was born in Wales of Norwegian immigrant parents,
v
He is a novelist, short story writer, screenwriter,
adult and children's stories writer,
v
He spend his childhood in England,
v
Worked at the Shell Oil Company at the age of 18,
v
Joined Royal Force, fought in the WWII as a fighter
pilot,
v
Went to the USA at the age of 26 and began to write
there,
v
In 1966 he began to write children's stories,
v
His famous works are:
o
James and The Giant Peach
o
Matilda
o
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
About the
Story
v
This is a story about a young boy who is imaginative,
adventurous, fearful, overconfident, curious, careful etc.
v
Use of imagery and metaphor
v
Depicts the delicacy of childhood innocence, as well
as a frightening even in his childhood,
v
Point of view: Third Person
Plot:
Introduction:
Describing the carpet
Rising
Action: The boy begins to cross the carpet/adventure
Climax:
When the boy was about to fall into the snakes,
Falling
Action: When his mother calls him after she hears him yelling
Characters:
The boy
(both antagonist and protagonist)
Setting: Somewhere
in England, midday, in a large carpeted room of his house
Theme:
v
Go for your goal, but don't harm yourself in the
process
v
Don't let your imagination conquer your common sense
v
Don't let your greed overpower your abilities
v
Fear leads to failure
v
Unrealistic and difficult task by freewill of
overconfidence
v
Man enjoys the victory but the successive victories
intoxicate human nature
Connection:
v
In the beginning the boy was analyzing his scab
v
Playing a similar game as a child
v
Playing the floor (lava)
Images:
v
A scab of old cut on the kneecap of the boy
v
Red, black and yellow carpet etc.,
v
The boy's panic when comes too near to the snakes
v
Different colors of the carpet represent different
things (Red- hot coal, Black-snakes, Yellow-passage)
Exercises:
Understanding the Text
Answer the following questions.
a. What did the child do to the scab on his knee?
The child explored the scab cautiously around the edge; he
got his nail underneath it and raised the cover slightly. After he put the scan
on his thigh and flipped with his finger and it flew away and landed on the
edge of the carpet.
b. What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?
The carpet, which was much bigger than the tennis lawn,
stretched from one end of the hall to another, was tapestry of Red, Black and
Yellow colors. The colors brightened mysteriously in dazzling way. The red
colored part turned to be red hot lumps of coal, the black parts were deadliest
snakes and Yellow patches were the ways to reach from one end to another.
c. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet?
He was afraid of the red and yellow colored patches of the
carpet because for him red colored patched were lumps of burning coal which
could burn him completely and black patches were poisonous snakes which could
bite him to death.
d. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and
continue on his journey?
The reward of a puppy for his birthday the following morning
motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey.
e. What did the child see as he looked down on the black
patterns of the carpet?
When the child looked down on the black patterns of the
carpet he saw a great glistening mass of black snakes almost touching him.
Reference to the Context:
a. The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?
The story is being told by two people and they are the
narrator and the boy.
b. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions
that follow.
"…the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders
mostly, and cobras, thick like tree-trunks round the middle, and if I touch one
of them, I'll be bitten and I'll die before tea time. And if I get across
safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy
for my birthday tomorrow."
i. What does 'the black part' mean?
The black part means poisonous snakes such as adders (small
snakes) and thick cobras.
ii. Who is the speaker?
The protagonist of the story- the young boy is the speaker.
iii. Why doesn't the speaker want to be burnt?
The speaker doesn't want to be burnt because he wishes to
get a birthday gift-a puppy tomorrow, after the successful completion of the
deadly journey.
c. Which images and metaphors are used in the story?
Images and metaphors are the literary devices used in the
story. The images are the scab, the boy's panic when coming near the snakes,
the red, black and yellow patches of the carpet etc. The first image, the scab
represents the boys challenge and red and black patches represent adventurous
and risky journey where as yellow patches represent happiness, hope, pleasure
and self confidence.
The
red, black and yellow colors mixed carpet is the metaphor for the challenges
the boy faces in his life. The red spots seem to be hot coals, which can burn
and destroy him. The black sections are writhing poisonous snakes, which
represent evil, lies, and temptations. Although the child is frightened, he
accepts the challenge and begins. Dahl describes the boy's journey across the
carpet through the child's perspective, as if the images he has created in his
mind are real and he is really in danger. In a sense, this is how fantasies
sometimes seem to imaginative children. In a metaphorical sense, the boy's
apprehension in traversing the carpet represents the apprehension he will feel
while growing up as he faces real obstacles in his path to maturity.
The story opens
with a small boy picking a scab off his knee. As he sits on the stairs, he
becomes aware of the large red, black, and yellow carpet that stretches to the
front door. He decides that the red patches are red hot lumps of coal that will
burn him up completely, and the black parts are poisonous snakes that will bite
him and kill him. If he can make it all the way across without getting burnt or
bitten, he will get a puppy for his birthday tomorrow.
The boy
begins his quest. The first part is easy going, but he reaches some difficult
parts and has to take long steps. He wobbles but stretches out his arms to
steady himself. He reaches a turning point and goes left, because although it
seems more difficult, there’s less black. (He’s very afraid of the snakes.) He
reaches the halfway point and knows he can’t turn back or jump off. He begins
to feel panic rising in his chest. He takes another step to the only close
yellow piece, and his foot is only a centimeter from a black patch. A snake
stirs and raises its head to watch him. “I’m not touching you! You mustn’t bite
me!” he thinks. Another snake rises as well, and the child is frozen with
terror for several minutes. The next step is a very long one, too long to jump.
The child manages to get one foot across and transfers his weight. He tries to
then bring up his back foot but can’t. He was doing the splits and he was
stuck. He looked down at the oily bodies of the snakes writhing beneath him. He
began to wobble, but this time waving his arms only made it worse. He was
starting to go over. “The next thing he saw was this bare hand of his going
right into the middle of a great glistening mass of black and he gave one
piercing cry as it touched. Out in the sunshine, far away behind the house, the
mother was looking for her son.”
f. Is "The Wish" a story about self confidence
overcoming fear or about greed?
Reference
beyond the Text
a. Do
you think our wish can be fulfilled? Why or why not?
The
things which we don't have and longing to possess them is our wish. Or in other
words, thinking of having those things which we don't have is our wish. Human
wishes are uncontrollable as it is our nature. We can't get the things we want
because of different circumstance. But sometimes we may able to have the things
we wish. Some of our wishes can be fulfilled some are not. It depends on the
nature of things we wish. However we can make our efforts to fulfill our wish
as the proverb says, "Where there is will there is a way." We need
determination, headwork and continuous practice to fulfill our wish.
b. Why do you
think some people might have a frightening nature? What would you suggest to
them to overcome it?
The story teaches us that self confidence is a key to overcome fear. Everyone fears in dangerous and difficult situation and it is human nature. But such frightening nature can be overcome by collecting self confidence of regular practice. Humans are rational being and we can use our mind to solve different problems. Actually problems make us fearful but if we employ our mind to solve out that problem, fear goes away. We have to make our heart strong and mind sharp to overcome it.
0 Comments
Thanks for visiting this site.