PLUS TWO ENGLISH - REVISION NOTES
PLUS TWO ENGLISH
- REVISION NOTES
UNIT 1
The lessons in the
unit focus on women empowerment. It deals with the challenges and problems
faced by women.
The 3Ls of Empowerment
‘The 3Ls of Empowerment’ is a speech by Christine Lagarde.
She speaks of the need of empowering women in the 21st century. She asserts
that women are capable of contributing to the economic growth of any nation.
Learning, labour and leadership are the ‘3 Ls’ of women’s empowerment. Learning
is the basis of all change. Education is the foundation upon which any change
is built. Learning helps women to help themselves and break the shackles of
exclusion. Labour helps women to progress in life. It facilitates them to
flourish and achieve their true potential. It gives them economic freedom and
brings about a change in their outlook. She calls for equal pay for equal work
for man and woman. Leadership helps women to rise and fulfil their abilities
and talents. Women are competent but they lack self confidence. Therefore, the
speaker urges them to come out of their comfort zones and to dare the
difference.
Any Woman
Katharine Tynan’s ‘Any Woman’ presents the very important
role played by woman in a family. The poet describes her as the pillars and
roof of the house, light of the good sun, the heat that warms the earth etc.
Children warm their hands at her. She is the light of love alive for her
children and the knot of love that holds all the members of the family
together. No child can hence, wander away from her bond of love and care. She
is the wall against all dangers. The woman makes a prayer to Jesus not to take
her away till the children grow. She wants to protect them till they become
mature enough to care for themselves. Altogether the poem portrays the woman as
a symbol of undying love and sacrifice. The major figure of speech used in the
poem is metaphor.
Matchbox
‘Matchbox’ is a short story by Ashapurna Debi. The story
takes place in a Bengali joint family. Nomita is a poor Bengali village girl.
She is very beautiful and is married of to a rich family on the grounds of her
good looks. Nomita’s husband Ajit is doubtful of her. He opens the letters in
Nomita’s name to make sure that they are not love letters. The letters are from
her widowed mother seeking financial help. To the outer world and her mother,
she is a queen who enjoys all comforts of life, but in reality she suffers
silently. Unable to withstand the insult from Ajit, Nomita quarrels with him.
In a wild fury, she lights a matchstick and touches it to the anchol of her
sari. Ajit gets afraid and immediately jumps to her side and puts out the fire.
Justification of the title: The title is highly
appropriate because Nomita has got enough gunpowder to destroy all the members
of the family including Ajit. The title can also mean that ‘Match’ means
‘marriage’ and ‘box’ means ‘trap’. Her marriage proved to be a real trap as she
lost her freedom, peace of mind, joy etc.
Horegallu
‘Horegallu’ is an anecdote by SudhaMurty. In olden days, it
was a stone bench where people who were tired could take rest and regain their
energy. The writer says that a horegallu is essential in every person’s life.
We all carry our burdens according to our situations and capacities. But at
times, we need to stop, put down that burden and rest. Only then can we be
refreshed enough to pick up the load once more. The horegallu gives everyone
that opportunity to do so. It helps people regain their strength. SudhaMurty’s
grandfather and Ratna did good social service by listening to the worries of
others. They are examples of human horegallu.
UNIT 2
The unit focuses on qualities and principles necessary for maintaining human relationships in life.
Mending Wall
‘Mending Wall’ is a poem written by Robert Frost. There is a
stone wall that seperates Frost’s apple orchard from his neighbour’s pine
trees. Each year they find the wall being pulled down. In spring, the two meet
to repair the stone wall. The poet has a modern outlook towards life. He
disapproves of the need of the wall between the properties as there are no
cattle. But the neighbour is a traditionalist who is adamant on sticking on to
the principles which his forefathers have handed over to him. The neighbour
always says “Good fences make good neighbours.” The wall represents the
unhealthy, man‐made barriers in society such as caste, creed, language,
politics, religion etc. Nature itself is against maintaining a wall.
Symbols used: walls – boundaries
Metaphor: boulders—loaves
Simile: the neighbour like an old savagearmed
Imagery: hunters’ trespass with their barking dogs,
neighbours walk on either side of the wall
Amigo Brothers
‘Amigo Brothers’ is a short story written by Piri Thomas.
The main characters are two thick friends, Felix Vargas and Antonio Cruz. They
are both seventeen and they live in NewYork. They both have a dream ‐‐ to
become light weight champions in the world. Both are determined and are tough
opponents in the boxing ring. Both of them want to compete in the Golden Gloves
Tournament. They come face‐to‐face in the ring at Tompkins Square to find out
who will compete in the tournament. They fight like real boxers and in the end
they walk away arm in arm without waiting for the results. Their friendship is
not hurt. The story highlights the fact that true bonding cannot be destroyed
by any sort of competition.
The Hour of Truth
‘The Hour of Truth’ is a one act play by Percival Wilde. The
play focuses on the corrupting influence of money on people. Robert Baldwin,
the central character is working as Governor in a bank owned by John Gresham.
The owner Gresham is arrested for misappropriating funds. Baldwin is the only
witness. Gresham offers him a hundred thousand dollars just to say three words,
“I don’t remember”. His family comes to know of the bribe. They want Baldwin to
accept the bribe and save John Gresham from punishment. But Baldwin stays
honest. His honesty is repaid. He is offered a job at the Third National Bank
by Mr. Marshall, the President of the bank.
The play reminds us of the following maxims:
• God sees the truth but waits.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Truth always Triumphs.
Robert Baldwin is stable throughout the play. However, the
other members of the family were attracted by the offer of such a huge sum.
This highlights the opportunistic nature of the society.
UNIT 3
The lessons in this unit primarily focus on the concept of
entrepreneurship and the notion of success.
A Three Wheeled Revolution
‘A Three Wheeled Revolution’ is an interview with IrfanAlam.
He is the founder and chairman of SammaaN foundation, an Indian company which
organises the rickshaw pulling sector in Bihar. Even today, rickshaws are
widely used in the India as the common means of transportation. He introduced
the concept of pre‐paid cycle rickshaws in India. As an initiative to empower
the otherwise marginalised rickshaw sector, he introduced ways of getting extra
revenue for the rickshaw pullers through advertisements and sales of water
bottles, juices, newspapers etc. This attempt proved to be a fruitful venture.
Irfan asks students to think of entrepreneurship as a career so as to reduce
unemployment in the country.
Didi
‘Didi’ tells us about the experiences of ShaheenMistri, the
founder of Akanksha Foundation. It is a non profit organisation that aims at
improving the education of children in the low income families in India.
Shaheen tells us of her experiences in the Mumbai slums and her motivation to
educate the kids there. She took care of the poor children and taught them
basics in language and maths. So she began the Akanksha foundation to educate
the children and to bring light to the slums.
Stammer
In Satchidananda’s ‘Stammer’, the poet tells us that stammer
is not a handicap but a mode of speech. Stammer is the silence between the word
and its meaning. When a whole set of people stammer, it becomes their mother
tongue. Stammer in itself is a language. Stammer here is the collective
inability of people to do good things. The poet ironically comments that God
himself must have stammered when He created man. That is why all words carry
different meanings. The poet finally comments that the language of poetry is
similar to stammer as poetry fails to express what the poet actually wants to
communicate.
UNIT 4
The unit emphasises on the need to conserve Nature and
preserve the physical and mental health gifted by God.
When a Sapling is Planted
‘When a Sapling is Planted’ is the Nobel Prize acceptance
speech at Oslo in 2004 by the Kenyan environmental and political activist,
WangariMaathai. In the speech she says that forests in Kenya are being cleared
and replaced by commercial plantations. It destroyed local bio‐diversity and
capacity of forests to conserve water. She adds that the tree has become a
symbol of peace in Kenya. WangariMaathai and her Green Belt Movement has
succeeded in planting millions of trees across the world. She calls on young
people to commit themselves to protecting Nature for future generations to
come.
Rice
The poem ‘Rice’ is a satire by Prof. ChemmanamChacko. The
poet is returning from North India after taking doctorate on making toys from
rice husk. On his way home, he knows that it is the time for planting the
saplings and he remembers the various activities which were done previously
during the planting seasons. But he finds everything changed. ‘Modan’ and
‘Vellaran’ have been replaced with rubber plants. His father proudly proclaims
that they have stopped working on rice as it is inconvenient. The poem ends in
satire. He hears the roar of the helicopter sweeping past the skies. The poet
says that it is carrying our chief minister to the centre to ask for more rice
for our state. The poet makes a scathing attack on the social injustice and
exploitation of Nature by man because of his uncontrollable greed.
Dangers of Drug Abuse
This lesson is an essay on the ‘Dangers of Drug Abuse’ by
Hardin Blair Jones. Though use of drugs for medical purposes is advocated, its
abuse leads to many dangers. These include:
• Disturbing the healthy functions of the brain and body.
• The pleasure mechanism fails to respond to the use of
drugs.
• Drug addicts develop discomfort and personality changes.
• They lose their sense of being alive.
• Affects brain functions directly.
• Injecting drugs using dirty needles causes infections.
• The addicts often feel that people are looking at them
strangely.
• Overuse of drugs can bring in liver diseases, venereal
diseases, infection of the kidneys and brain, lung diseases and even cardiac
failure.
UNIT 5
This unit focuses on how humour contributes to effective
crisis management.
Post Early for Christmas
R.H Wood’s ‘Post Early for Christmas’ is a one‐act play. The
play takes place inside a small post office in an English village during the
Christmas season. It is about a parcel that is mistaken for a time bomb. In the
end of the play the postal assistant resigns her job. Except the young lady
assistant, all the other characters are funny, ignorant, hot‐tempered, silly
and foolish. There acts lead the readers to laughter. The language employed
throughout the play is appropriate for illiterate and funny characters. Reading
one act plays of this nature will relieve us of our tensions, stress and chaos.
This is Going to Hurt Just a Little Bit
This poem by Ogden Nash is about a person’s experience at a
dental clinic. The poet says that dental torture is both physical and mental.
The poet compares the work of a dentist on the mouth to a road that is being
repaired. The dentist uses a mirror for help which increases the fear of the
poet. This is because it is feared that there is also a chance for the dentist
to mistake the right of the left and vice versa. The irony is that finally when
the patient is relieved of the ordeal of sitting at the dentist’s chair, the
dentist says he should return after a month for the review check up.
Poetic devices: exaggeration, hyperbole, simile, metaphor
Crime and Punishment
This is a short story by R.K Narayan. It is about a crime done by a teacher (hitting the boy on his cheek) and the punishment the teacher gets. The story humorously presents the plight of the teacher before his student. In order to please the boy, the teacher is compelled to carry out the tasks assigned by him to escape from his parents’ anger. This in itself is a tragedy.
COMMON DISCOURSES –
PATTERNS
1. DEBATE
Probable topics
A.
Nuclear family plays a major role in
women empowerment.
For
1. Nuclear family helps woman to
take decisions on her own.
2. Nuclear family provides space
for woman.
3. Nuclear family gives more
opportunities to woman.
4. Nuclear family provides a good
atmosphere to woman.
AGAINST
1. Nuclear family makes woman
selfish and arrogant.
2. Nuclear family leads to
unnecessary freedom and over indulgence.
3.Nuclear family doesn’t provide
safety and security to women.
4. Nuclear family makes woman
overburdened with responsibilities and work.
B. Is corporal punishment
necessary in educational institutions?
For
1. helps to develop good
behaviour
2. needs positive reinforcement
3. students will think twice
before doing negative deeds.
4. will not repeat the bad
behaviour fearing punishment
Against
1. children will be spoiled
2. loses self-discipline
3. will not understand their
mistakes
4. will create problems in
society
C. Do we need walls and
boundaries?
D. Friendship is more important
than achieving success in life.
2. LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Name
Address
The Editor
The Hindu,
Trivandrum
Sir/Madam,
Subject: Expressing my concern over a social problem.
I am writing this letter to draw
your attention to an important matter. I also wish to draw the attention of the
concerned authorities towards this vital problem .......................................................... .…………………………………………………………… ……............................................................. ..............
.....................................................……… The concerned
authorities are therefore requested to look into this matter and take necessary
steps to solve this problem. Thank you.
Place,
Yours
truly,
Date
Sd/‐ [Name]
3. INTERVIEW
1. Would you mind spending some time with me for an interview?
No, I wouldn’t. You can take as much time as you want.
2. What
prompted you to select this field?
My
childhood experiences, wide reading and the realities around me prompted me to
select this field.
3. Who
is your role model?
I don’t consider anyone as my role model. Everyone who comes into my life teaches me something
new.
4.You
might have come across failures in life. How did you overcome failures?
All my
friends and well wishers stood by me in moments of crisis. My hard work also
helped me to
lessen the
impact of failures.
5. What
are your future plans?
I have
many plans in my mind, but this is not the right moment to reveal them.
6. Would you like to give a piece of advice to the present generation?
Yes, I
think our youth have immense potential to change the ways of the world. They
should use their
talents,
knowledge and skills to create a better world.
Interview
Common Expressions (questions)
1. What is
the turning point in your life?
2. Who is
your role model?
3. Do you
enjoy this career?
4. Can you
tell me a little about yourself?
5. What is
your professional strength?
6. What is
your greatest professional achievement?
7. Tell me about a challenge or conflict
you've faced at work.
8. Can you
tell us something about your childhood?
9. What is
your opinion about the youngsters (in India)?
10. What is
your message to our readers
Job
application letter and Resume/Curriculum Vitae
Name
Address
Date
Name
Address
Dear
Sir/Madam,
Sub:
Application for the post of ______________.
Ref: Advertisement
in The Times of India/The Hindu/The New Indian Express dated 03.09.2017
for the post of ______________ in your institution/company. I am a graduate in________________
and have an experience of two and a half years in a private company in the city.
I will be extremely pleased to be a part of your company. If selected I promise to serve the company in
the best possible way. Please find enclosed a copy of my resume. Eagerly awaiting a call from your
office.
Place,
Yours truly/sincerely/faithfully,
Date. sd/‐
(Name)
Resume
Name:
Address:
Phone number:
Email :
Age and Date of Birth:
Father’s name:
Nationality:
Objectives: To be a part of nation building/ to be humane and understanding/ to reach out to people in
all possible ways
Educational Qualifications: B.Com/ B.Sc/B.A/B.Tech with 60% marks Diploma in
Computer Applications
Experience:Worked for two and a half years as ___________ in Sunny Enterprises
Skills: Decision making, organizing events
Languages known: English, Malayalam, Hindi
Interests: Reading, Playing cricket, Listening to music
Name
sd/‐
REPORT ON SEMINAR HELD/PANEL DISCUSSION HELD
REPORT ON___________________
Trivandrum: A panel discussion/seminar on the topic __________ was held yesterday in the school
auditorium/hall in connection with the Annual Day celebrations.
Sri./Smt. ______________ inaugurated the programme. He/She reminded us that the greatest gift we
can give to the society is our goodwill and sincere hardwork. The seminar started with a prayer.The
PTA President of the school, Sri. __________presided over the meeting. The Principal, Sri. _________
welcomed the gathering. Sri.________, Art’s club convenor, Smt. ___________, NSS P.O, Sri. ______
, School Chairperson and other speakers/panellists spoke on the occasion. There was an interactive
session after the presentation of the panellists/papers. The doubts of the participants were cleared. The
programme concluded with the vote of thanks by the student’s representative, Master______________.
The programme ended with the national anthem. The programme proved to be a great success. All the
students actively participated in the programme. It was informative and interesting. We are waiting for
more of such programmes in future.
Secretary,
Programme Committee
Sd/-
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