Plus Two English First Unit Revision | Complete Revision, Activities & Exam Questions | Kerala SCERT

THE 3 Ls OF EMPOWERMENT

Summary

‘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.

SPEECH

Christine Lagarde suggests various means of empowering women. She persuasively insists on the idea that women should think and act independently. Keeping this in mind; Prepare a script of a persuasive speech on the topic „Education is the Key to Women Empowerment‟ to be delivered at the school assembly on International Women’s Day (March 8).

Respected Principal, teachers, and my dear students, As all of you know, today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. All over the world, the day is observed to ensure that women have an equal share in the developmental activities. In many parts of the world women are still considered second class citizens. India is one of the countries where women suffer most because of discriminations. We still have the dowry system. Female foeticide is common. Although these are prohibited by law, they still go on in our society. The life of an Indian woman, generally speaking, is a series of slaveries. Until she is married, she is a slave of her father; when she is married, she is a slave of her husband and when the husband dies she becomes the slave of her son with whom she chooses to stay. It is usual that husbands die before their wives because they marry women much younger to them. This situation has to change and this can be done by 3 Ls – Learning, Labour and Leadership – as shown by Christine Lagarde, who was first woman Finance Minister of France. Learning helps the woman to know about her rights and duties. Labour or employment gives her the economic power to assert herself. A woman without any income has to depend on her father, husband or son for her needs. Leadership makes the woman powerful. She should be able to lead so that the world becomes a better place to live in. Lagarde says women make better leaders than men. Women tend to make decisions based on consensus -building, inclusion, compassion and sustainability. It is true that sometimes women lack the confidence to match their competence. They have to change their mindset. They should be ready to “dare the difference”, to take risk and step outside their comfort zones. Indira Gandhi and Kalpana Chawla. came out of their comfort zones and that is why we respect them and remember them almost every day. I, therefore, ask the girls assembled here to take charge of their lives. You have a lot to gain and nothing to lose by trying to make yourself equal to men. I wish you success in your endeavours!

Write up

In her speech ‘The 3Ls of Empowerment’, Christine Lagarde speaks about the importance of learning in empowering women. Do Indian women get an equal space in the society? Write a paragraph of about 100 words on the social, cultural and economic status of Indian women.

Christine Lagarde is quite right in saying that in em powering women, learning has great importance. In the Indian society, women do not have equality with men in many areas. Although the Constitution of India ensures equality of women in all aspects of life, in practice that equality remains on paper. In the social, economic and cultural status, women are inferior to men. Even now there is the dowry system. When a man marries, he gets not only a wife, but also a lot of money which is called by euphemistic terms like share, pocket money or gift. But the fact of the matter is women won’t get married unless they pay huge dowries to men. Culturally a woman is discriminated against. She is refused entry in many places, even in some places of worship just because she is a woman. There is also economic discrimination. If a man gets Rs. 800 as his daily wages, a woman is paid only Rs. 400, although she may do more work than a man. Look at the Ministries in the Centre and the States. How many women ministers are there? Look at the Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies. How many women representatives are there? We find in India equality of women is only on paper and to change this, learning has a major role to play.

Agree / Disagree

A debate was conducted by the English Club of your school on the topic ‘Women are not born to do everything a man can’. As a member of the group that supports the topic, write a short paragraph expressing your arguments in favour of the topic. There should be at least four points in your argument. You may use expressions like ‘I agree … ,”1 don’t agree…’ etc.

I quite agree with the idea that “Women are not born to do everything a man can”. I may sound a male chauvinist when I say like that. But look at the facts impartially and decide if a woman can do everything a man can do. Can a woman run as fast as a man? Can a woman lift as much weight as a man can? Can a woman jump as high as a man jumps? Look at the world of science and technology. If you ask people to name some great women inventors they may immediately gone up with the name of Marie Curie and then they will struggle to find a second inventor. But we have hundreds of male inventors. Ask the ladies to name a few literary giants like Shakespeare, Milton, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Dickens and so on. Of course they will come up with some names like Emily Bronte, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. But can we really compare their works with those of the men? Now ask for great painters among women. Do they have any Raphael, Michael Angelo or Pablo Picasso? Do they have any female composer to match Mozart or Beethoven? So, I feel that women can’t do everything that men can do!

 

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.

 

Appreciation of the poem

The poem 'Any Woman' by Katharine Tynan speaks of the importance of the woman in the family. She is the pillars of the house. She is the keystone of the arch. She is the roof and walls. She is the fire upon the hearth. Without her, the home would be colder than a stone. The children come to her for love and affection. She is the light of their love. The children could hardly thrive without her support. She is the one who holds the family together. No child wants to get away from the close-knit family group. She is all over the house, from the floor to the roof. Nothing happens without her knowledge. She decorates the house and makes the children’s bed cosy and warm. She also protects the children from all dangers. She is the door that guards against all kinds of troubles and tribulations that come to pester the inmates. At the end of the poem, the woman prays to Jesus to spare her life till her children are properly grown up. The poem has simple language. The entire poem is an exquisite metaphor. The imagery is great. The woman doing all kinds of jobs and standing guard at the same time make us admire her capabilities. Her love is superb and there is utter unselfishness in her activities. At last, we also see the birth of Jesus in the manger. We see the woman standing before Jesus praying to him to let her live till her children grow up. Katharine has painted a fine picture of a devoted mother with words. The poem is in rhyme. Except in the first stanza, the rhyme scheme is abab.

Write up

The poem ‘Any Woman’ ends with the prayer “Take me not till the children grow!” Analyse this line in the Indian context where women sacrifice their lives for their children. Write a paragraph on the unfailing love of mothers, in about 100 words.

It is often said that since God could not be everywhere at the same time, he created mothers. This is more so in the case of an Indian mother. In the Indian context, a mother lives and dies for her child. „Any Woman‟ ends with the prayer “Take me not till the children grow!”. The mother is praying like that not because she is afraid of death or because she wants to live long but to ensure that her children are grown up and they can stand up and face the world. The Indian woman will go to any extent to ensure the safety and welfare of her child

MATCHBOX

Summary

‘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. 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.

 

Character Sketch of Nomita

Nomita is the wife of Ajit and lives in a joint family of 26 members. She comes from a poor family but is very beautiful, which helps her marry into a rich family. Her widowed mother frequently asks her for money through postcards, making Nomita ashamed. One day, Nomita finds a letter from her mother in Ajit’s pocket, which he had read without her permission. When Ajit says that he checks her letters to see if they are love letters, Nomita becomes angry and calls him a common and vulgar man. Ajit insults her by calling her a dung-picker’s daughter.

Nomita is short-tempered, sarcastic and good at making sharp retorts. In anger, she even sets fire to her sari, but Ajit quickly puts it out. Later, she calmly lies that the sari was burned while she was taking down a hot pot. Though she appears proud and considers herself superior to Ajit, she has not forgotten her mother and secretly helps her with money. Nomita seems to have forgotten her poor roots and behaves like a snob. Her character shows both admirable qualities, such as her concern for her mother, and negative qualities, such as her pride, anger and sarcasm.

Write up

1.    Prepare a write-up discussing the space of women in a family.

The women are the lamps of the family. It is impossible to imagine a family without a woman. Although we say the man is the lord of the family, in most homes’ things are decided by the women. They decide what to cook and what the members of the family should eat. They not only deliver children but look after them and bring them up in the right way. They do all the household chores. They also give a lot of love to their husbands and their children. Men are often rash but women are compassionate and generous. People are so attached to their mothers that often when facing troubles the word that comes to their lips is ‘mother’. It is said that God created mothers because he could not be everywhere at the same time.

2.    How does the author substantiate the comparison between a woman and a matchbox?

The author compares women to matchboxes. Matchboxes contain enough gun powder to make a hundred Lankas burn. But they sit around meek and innocent in the kitchen, in the pantry, in the bedroom, in fact in any pl ace. Women are the same. We see Nomita getting inflamed when Ajit insults her. She takes out the matchbox and lights a stick and puts it to her sari which catches fire. Fortunately, Ajit is able to put the fire out. Soon she becomes a normal person and starts peeling potatoes. That is why the author says that even when they have material within themselves to burn many things, they never flare up to burn away the mask of men’s high-mindedness and their large-heartedness. They don’t burn even their own colourful shells. The men know that. That is why they leave them scattered carelessly in the kitchen, in the pantry, in the bedroom, here, there and everywhere. Without fear, they also put them in their pockets.

Panel Discussion – Welcome Speech

A panel discussion is conducted in your school on the topic “Role of Media in Women Empowerment”. You are asked to initiate the discussion. How would you introduce the topic? Draft an introductory speech. Hints: (media - wide publicity-reach millions of viewers- require careful handling of details-wrong messages conveyed by advertisements and serials – responsibility of media)

Respected Teachers and my dear friends, Good Morning! It gives me immense pleasure to welcome you all to this panel discussion on “Role of Media in Women Empowerment.” If women empowerment has to be a reality, the media, both print and electronic, have to play a big role in it. Media can give wide publicity as they reach the nook and corner of the country. The majority of homes in India have television and many homes get daily newspapers. So by using these media, women empowerment can be given the boost it needs. When using the media for women empowerment the details must be handled carefully. Women empowerment does not mean that women are given the right to do what they like and say whatever they feel. Many people consider w omen empowerment means a woman's ability to smoke publicly, to drink in open bars or wear the kind of clothes she likes. This is not the meaning of empowerment. Its aims are more serious and graceful where women can contribute to the welfare and prosperity of their community and humanity at large. We are often misguided by advertisements and serials. There is a tendency to show women's bodies to sell anything – from salt to satellites! The concept is that men get hooked to the curvaceous bodies and comely faces of women. This should be stopped. Women should not be used as promoters of merchandise! Some of th e serials are grossly immodest and present women in bad light. Women should be bold and courageous but not unnecessarily aggressive and blood thirsty, consumed by vengeance. Media have a big and positive role to play in Women Empowerment in India. We shall now listen to various views by our panellists.

Have a nice and fruitful day!

Letter

Nomita is angry with Ajit for reading the letter sent by her mother. She found the letter in Ajit’s pocket. What could have been the contents of the letter? Attempt it.

Vaishno Devi

13/IV

M.G. Road

Calcutta

 

6 June 2015

 

Dearest daughter,

It’s been quite a long time since I heard anything from you. How are you there? How is Ajit? How are the other members of the family?

I can’t say I am quite fine. Since Last week I have been suffering from some cough and cold. I tried some local medicines, but the cough is persisting. Our neighbours told me I must vi sit the doctor. But the fact is I have no money to pay the doctor’s fee or to buy the medicine. My clothes have become very old and I need a new sari also. So I have to ask you to send me some money. I know I am bothering you. But what can I do?

Your immediate response will help me.

Yours lovingly,

Sd/-

Vaishno Devi

HOREGALLU

Summary

‘Horegallu’ is an anecdote by Sudha Murty. 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. Sudha Murty’s grandfather and Ratna did good social service by listening to the worries of others. They are examples of human horegallu.

 

Write up

1.    Narration

Imagine Nomita gets a chance to talk to Ratna. How would she present her worries? Begin as follows: I am Nomita. Yesterday I had a quarrel with my husband.

I am Nomita. Yesterday I had a quarrel with my husband, Ajit. He received a letter written to me by my mother. He read it without my permission and kept it in his pocket. After three days, when I checked his pockets before giving the dirty clothes to the washerman, I found the letter crumpled and torn. I asked him why he had opened my letter and why he had refused to give it to me. But he rudely told me that he would do whatever he wanted. He even asked me what I could do. I became very angry. I picked up a matchbox, lit a match and set fire to my sari. I wanted to show him that I could also take action. Ajit was shocked and came running to put out the fire. I could see regret on his face. I am sure he will not challenge me like that again. I know, Ratna, I went too far by setting fire to myself. But sometimes men need a shock to bring them to their senses.

2.    Qualities of good listener

A good listener should be patient, understanding, empathetic and compassionate. A good listener should listen to others carefully without interrupting or judging them. They should try to understand the feelings and problems of the person and give them their full attention. They should also respect the speaker’s privacy and keep personal matters confidential. Sometimes people simply need someone who can listen to their problems with patience and sympathy rather than give them advice. Thus, a good listener provides emotional support and helps others feel relieved and understood.

 

3.    The author wishes there were many more horegallus in the world. Comment.

The author wishes there were many more horegallus in the world because people today face numerous worries, pressures, and responsibilities. Like the stone bench that offered rest to travellers, caring and compassionate people who listen to others can provide emotional comfort and support. Such individuals help others overcome difficulties and continue their life's journey with renewed hope and confidence. Therefore, the world needs more people like the author's grandfather and Ratna, who selflessly help others through kindness and understanding.

4.    Character Sketch of Grandfather

The grandfather in Horegallu is a kind, compassionate, and selfless person. He is a retired schoolteacher who spends his time under the banyan tree near the horegallu, listening to the worries of travellers and villagers. Though he cannot solve their problems, he patiently hears them out and offers emotional comfort. He understands that everyone carries burdens in life and needs a chance to rest and regain strength. His wisdom, empathy, and willingness to help others make him a respected figure in the village. Through his simple acts of kindness, he performs a valuable social service.

5.    Character Sketch of Ratna

Ratna is a cheerful, caring, and trustworthy woman. She is a senior clerk who has worked in the company for many years. Despite doing repetitive work, she remains positive and spreads happiness through her infectious cheerfulness. During lunch breaks, she listens patiently to the problems of her colleagues. She believes that sharing worries with a sympathetic listener can relieve half of a person's burden. Ratna never judges others and keeps their secrets confidential. Her compassion, patience, and sense of responsibility make her a source of comfort and support for many people. Like a horegallu, she helps others regain confidence and continue their life's journey.

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