landscape of the sole

        The Laburnum Top

Q. 1. (i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples.

Ans. Chinese view of art is radically different from the European concept. The chinese paintings are based on inner, spiritual and conceptual approach whereas European paintings are based on realism. For eg.-A Chinese landscape is not meant to reproduce an actual view whereas the European landscape would give an actual view. The European painter wants you to borrow his eyes and look a particular landscape exactly as he saw it, from a specific angle whereas the Chinese painter does not choose a single view point.

(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui. 

Ans. The concept of ‘shanshui’ landscape is an inner and spiritual one. Literally, it means ‘mountain-water’. Mountain and water are not opposite but two complementary poles. The mountain is Yang. It is warm and reaches vertically towards Heaven. The water is Yin. It is horizontal and rests on the Earth. It is fluid, moist and cool. Yang is the masculine while Yin is the female aspect. The interaction of the active Yang and the receptive Yin completes the landscape.

Q.2 (1) What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’?

Ans. ‘Outsider art’ refers to the art of those who have no right to be artists as they have recived no formal training yet show talent and artistic insight. Their works are a stimulating contrast to a lot of mainstream offerings. ‘Art brut’ or ‘raw art’ refers to those are works that were in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences.

(ii) Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and the nature of his contribution to art?

Ans. The “untutored genius who created a paradise” was Nek Chand. He made a garden known to the world today as the ‘Rock Garden’ at Chandigarh. He used stones and recycled material to create this garden. He is now hailed as India’s biggest contributor to outsider art.

 Discuss the following statement in group of four.

1. “The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within.”

Ans. Material for help: The given statement explains the fact that even though an Emperor might rule an entire Kingdom and have power over his conquered territory, only an artist would be able to go beyond any material appearance. He knows both the path and the method of the mysterious work of the universe. True meaning of his work can be seen only by means known to him, irrespective of how powerful an emperor is for whom the work is done.

2.The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.” 

Ans. Material for help: The given expression explains the Chinese view of art. The Chinese painter does not want you to borrow his eyes, he wants you to enter his mind and see the painting made by him. He needs your physical as well as mental participation. The landscape created by the artist is to travel up and down, then back again as per viewer’s choice. His landscape is not the real one and you can enter it from any point. The beauty of the creation can be understood in the truest sense by the mind and the heart, and not by the eyes alone.

Q.1. Find out the correlates of Yin and Yang in other cultures.

Ans. The Indian culture lays stress on Nature and God. Nature is the “Yin’ or female part whereas God, the creator, is the male or active part. This concept is also known as ‘Maya and Brahma.’ The combination of two creates the world and all its objects as well as inhabitants.

Q.2. What is the language spoken in Flanders?

Ans. The language spoken in Flanders is French which is a region in Belgium.

     The voice of the rain

L.Q. 1. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate this?

Ans. One of them belongs to the poet and the other To The Rain.the lions that indicate this are – And who art thou…………..,: and I am the poem………….!

Q. 2. What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean?

Ans. The phrase refers to a strange phenomenon-the rain gives an answer to the poet’s query. It is surprising to report the answer.

Q.3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two.

Ans . The following words/phrases indicate the parallel between rain and music: “Poem of Earth’, ‘eternal I rise impalpable out of land a the bottomless sea’ ‘For song issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns. Both originate from a source, rise up, reach fulfilment, wander about whether cared about or not and finally return to source of origin with love.

Q.4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learnt in science.

Ans. Rain water rises untouched out of the land and deep sea and gathers in the sky, where it changes form, and then comes down to earth to bathe the dry tiny particles of dust layers and all that lies buried under it. Then it returns to the place of its origin.Science textbooks indicate that water vapours from the rivers and ocean rise up to the sky due to the intense heat. They assume the form of clouds and after condensation drop down as rain. The water flows back through rivers to the seas and oceans.

Q.5. Why are the last two lines put within brackets?

Ans. The last two ling contain a comment about music and its cycle These differ from the first nice lines . the first two lines are the voice of the Poet whereas lines three to nine are spoken by rain . The cycle of song is put Whitin brackets to mark the difference in speackers but similarity in content

Q.6. List the pairs of opposites found in the poem.

Ans. Rise-descend; day-night; reck’d-unreck’d.

II. Notice the following sentence Patterns 

(i) And who art thou? said to the_ falling shower 

(ii)I am the poet of Earth,said the voice of the rain. 

(iii) Eternal I rise.

(iv) For Song… duly with love returns. 

Rewriting the above sentences in Prose .

(i) I said to the soft-falling shower, “Who are you?”

(ii) The voice of the rain said, “I am the poem of Earth.”

(iii) Irise eternally.

(iv) For song……. returns duly with love.

Ill. Look for some more poems on the rain and see how this one is different

from them.

Ans. Many English poets have written poems celebrating the coming of the rain. But ‘The voice of the Rains’ is a unique rain poem as it presents a

dialogue between the poet and the rain itself.

        Ranga’s Marriage 

Q.1. comment on the influencer of English –  the language and the way of life – on Indian life as reflected in the story. what is the the narrator’s attitude to English?

Ans.The story ‘Ranga’s Marriage’ is set in a village Hosahalli, which was is the erstwhile Mysore state. In those days, there were very few people in the village who knew English. The village accountant was the first one who had enough courage to send his son, Ranga, to Bangalore to study. When Ranga came back, it became almost a occassion for the entire village. People had a lot of respect for Ranga because he knew English, which was very precious for them. Very few people in the village knew English. Even a simple word in English like ‘change’ was not heard of. When Ranga used this word, even his father could not understand its meaning and asked Ranga for it. The author, in this narration, shows that he has a positive attitude, towards English, but he also asserts that learning a foreign language need not affect our culture. This is evident by the emphasis on Ranga wearing the sacred thread and doing ‘namaskars’ to the elders.

Q2.Astrologers’ perceptions are based more on hearsay and conjecture than what they learn from the study of the stars. Comment with reference to the story.?

Ans. This statement is brought out through the character of Shastri in the given story. Shastri, the astrologer, did some calculations on his fingers and moved his lips fast in order to show Ranga that he is reading about his stars. But in actual he was only doing what he was told to do by the narrator, Shyama mut bein order to fix Ranga and Rantna’s marriage. Later Shastri says that his astrology skills helped him to make the plan successful. But in reality, it was hearsay by the narrator that helped him the most. Like Shastri there are many people who fool people merely by acting the calculations of the stars which is nothing but a conjecture in actual.

Q. 3. Indian society has moved a long way from the way the marriage arranged in the story. Discuss.?

Ans. In the past, marriages in India were usually arranged by parents or relatives. The story ‘Ranga’s Marriage’ shows how the narrator arranged Ranga’s marriage with the help of an astrologer. But now the Indian society has moved a long way from the manner marriage is arranged in the story. After independence, certain changes have come in the Indian society. Women empowerment and women education have changed the attitude of grooms towards them. Now the consent of the bridegroom as well as bride is seriously considered. Earlier opposition to love marriages has now weakened. Though dowry is a demon, troubling the girl’s party, the girl’s opinion about the boy or his family does carry some weight. Inter-caste marriages which were a strict no no in the earlier times, now find some acceptance, especially, among the educated and employed youth.

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