Flamingo Class 12 ( XII ) English Summary Easy THURSDAY, 21 MARCH 2013
Summaries of all chapters and poems of Flamingo. For CBSE 12th Examination.
All the chapters are in chapter-wise order. <<
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The summary is given as you scroll down
INDEX Flamingos
The Last Lesson Lost Spring Deep Water The Rattrap Indigo Poets and Pancakes The Interview Going Places
POEMS
My mother at sixty-six An elementary School Classroom in a Slum Keeping Quite A Thing of Beauty A Roadside Stand Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
The last Lesson
The prose 'The last lesson',written by Alphonse Daudet narrates about the year 187
attacked and captured France.The french districts of Alsace and Lorraine went int
discontinued the teaching of French in the schools of these two districts.The Fren
describes the last day of one such French,M.Hamel.Mr. M.Hamel had been transfe school.Still he gave last lesson to his students with utmost devotion and sincerity
whole situation about how people feel when they dont learn their own language an One of his student Franz who dreaded french class and M.Hamel's iron rod, came
punished as he had not learnt his lesson.But on reaching school he found Hamel d
of the village sitting there.It was due to an order on the bulletin board. That was th how important french was for him, but it was his LAST LESSON in French.
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/entertainment/movies/1807888-lesson/#ixzz1
Lost Spring by Anees jung
This story narrates about the children of the bangle makers of Firozabad. The essa
Saheb-e-Alam and Mukesh whose spring or childhood is lost in misery and poverty
from Bangladesh. They came to Delhi in 1971 as their house was swept away by re
Seemapuri, a slum of Delhi. Saheb like many other children of the slum was a rag p
tried to find out coins. Sometimes they found one rupee coins and sometimes eve
school as there was no school nearby. He was too poor to wear chappals. Saheb l pair of tennis shoes. But he would never get the chance to play the game himself. was not happy as he had lost his freedom. But he had no choice in the matter.
The life of Mukesh at Firozabad was no better. Mukesh lived with his elder brother
driver and a motor-mechanic, not at all eager to continue bangle making. But the p
result of their karma in the previous birth that they were born into the caste of bang
bangles and they could not do anything else. Thousands of children are engaged in
eyesight before becoming adults. They did not know that it was illegal for children
factories. The story is the same in every family. Mukesh took the writer to his hous
grandfather had become blind working in the factory. Similarly in another family, th
happy that he had been able to make a house for his own family to live in but the w her whole life.
Hundreds of years of slavery had killed the initiative of people to think of a better li
did not have the courage to rebel against tradition. They did not have money enoug
someone dared to start a new line, there were police, middle-men, sahukars and po
and others would not allow them to take any other vocation. Justice after all is the
helpless like Mukesh. The condition of the life of Saheb or Mukesh was far from de
some people must bell the cat. The writer was happy when he came to know that s the plunge, rebel against tradition and start a new life.
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/classic-literature/2153372-summary-ane
second long summery
Raju works at a roadside dhaba for sixteen hours a day. Idrees has lost his memor
tortured at the carpet-manufacturing unit where he worked. Saheb scrounges the g
daily wages. Munni has travelled long distances from her village home, looking for and Idrees, Saheb and Munni, millions of children all over the country are doomed children, victims of physical and mental abuse, they represent the dark underbelly
Stories of Stolen Childhood, best-selling author Anees Jung exposes a national sh
shanty restaurants; making locks, slates and fireworks; rolling bidis; weaving saris
factories and stone quarries. With her trademark sensitivity and insight, she analys
by caste and religion which condemn these children to a life of exploitation. In this
resilience and fortitude-children who have refused to accept their condition, thus o
them. She also documents incredible profiles in courage-individuals and institution
bureaucratic apathy but also social values and cultural norms that support and acc source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Summary_for_the_lesson_'The_Lost_Spring'#ixzz1nU15hAti
Deep Water
The story, �Deep Waters� tells us how the writer overcame his fear of water an and will power. He had developed a terror of water since childhood. When he was
California with his father. One day on the beach, the waves knocked the child down
the father who knew there was no harm laughed. The experience bred a permanen
mind. Still another incident, more serious, increased his terror. The writer was tryin
pool in Yakima. One day while he was waiting for other boys, a big boy suddenly pl
water. The writer was terribly frightened. He went down nine feet into the water. Hi
reached the bottom, he jumped upward with all his strength. He came up but very s rope but grasped only at water.
He tried to shout but no sound came out. He went down again. His lungs ac
paralyzed with fear. All his limbs were paralyzed. Only the movement of his heart t up. But this time his limbs would not move at all. He looked for ropes, ladders and
again, the third time. This time all efforts and fear ceased. He was moving towards he came to consciousness, he found himself lying on the side of the pool with the
experienced in the pool never left him. It haunted him for years and years to come.
swimming and fishing. It spoilt his pleasures in Maine Lakes, New Hampshire, Des
But the writer was determined to conquer his terror. He took help of a swim
instructor taught him various actions necessary in swimming part by part. He put h
raising it above water. He practiced it for several weeks. He had to kick with his leg
combined all these actions and made the writer swim. He learned swimming but th
experiences! So fearful is the fear of fear! Whenever he was in water the terror retu
terror itself. He tried to face the new challenge. When terror came, he confronted it
do to him? He plunged into the water as if to defy the fear. Once he took courage t deliberately in various places like the Warm Lake. He conquered it at last.
The experiences of the writer throw some important lights on certain aspec
childhood remain in the sub-conscious mind and influence our feelings later too. T
Even after being an expert in swimming, the writer felt terror. There was no reason
That shows most of our fears are baseless. Fear creates dangers where there is n the proverbial truth, �Where there is a will, there is a way.�
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/classic-literature/2153035-summary-wil
The Rat trap
There was a poor man who sold rat-traps and earned his livelihood. His income fro
and stole petty things at times. He was not a born thief as no man is. Necessity co
sleep at night in the houses of people if someone allowed him or some places like struck him that the world is like a rat-trap full of temptations to trap men. If a man is trapped like a rat in a rat trap. The man selling rat-traps lived a poor life without
world in the light of his own sufferings. Once he took shelter in the house of a man man was lonely without any family. He welcomed the rat-trap man as he would ge
The crofter told him about his life and showed him the thirty kronor that the crofter
happy to get the money but very soon the rat trap began to work. He feared detect the forest and lost his way there. He then saw the forge of the Ramsjo Iron-Works
At that time, the iron-master, the owner of the factory, came in. The iron-master by
Olof, with whom he had served in the regiment. To help his friend fallen on bad day
trap man or peddler realized that the iron-master was making a mistake but he did him a little. But he did not like to go into his house as he feared that he might be exposed and
iron-master Edla Willmansson was too compassionate and loving to be resisted. S
committed some crime. But she ignored that and thought that the man, always hau miserable life. She wanted to give him at least a night�s peace and security. She
be safe from ant interference and he would be free to leave anytime. She persuade
genuine compassion of Edla gave the man a sense of peace and security. He slept sleepless nights he had spent throughout his life.
He ate the Christmas delicacies. The daughter gave him the suit that he was given
Christmas and assured him of secrecy and security. The rat-trap man was overwh
house. But before leaving, he left the packet containing the thirty kronor of the crof
the money to the crofter. He wrote that she had treated him with respect as if he w
and not as a thief. That genuine regard had induced him to be a better man and giv and kindness of Edla changed the life of a thief and turned him to a better man.
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/classic-literature/2153374-summary-sel
Indigo
This story portraits Gandhiji�s struggle for the poor peasants of Champaran. The planters. According to one old agreement, the peasants had to cultivate indigo on
British didn�t need the indigo crop any more when Germany had developed synth
the fifteen percent agreement they demanded compensation. Some illiterate peas
were appointed .At that time Gandhiji went to Champaran. He managed to get just also made arrangements for the education, health, and hygiene for the families of self reliance. Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/novel-novella/1830898-indigo/#ixzz1nU2ZwesR
Poets and pancakes (my years with boss) by A for nearly thirty years from 1940, the Gemini Studios of Madras (Chennai) was the
India and its founder, the brilliant multi-faceted entrepreneur S.S. Vasan lent subst unpredictable movie business. The Gemini emblem of two small boys with bugles
�when the bugles blow, there is a great show,� Gemini films entertained millions
Sahitya Akademi award-winning Tamil writer Ashokamitran worked for the Gemini
after he �renounced� films, poet-editor Pritish Nandy persuaded Ashokamitran t
series of articles making up My Years with Boss. The book covers only five of his f
phase of Indian movie business when the key factors of the box office were imper
My Years with Boss is one of the most unusual books to be written about the ente enormous impact of the movies on virtually every aspect of life in India.
The author�s ability to capture the life and breath of people and events, and his p book of film history."
The Interview Part - I
The Interview - a commonplace of journalism: Since its invention a little over 130 y
commonplace of journalism. All the literates must have read an interview at some
Different opinions about Interview: Some claim that an interview is a source of trut
others think that interview is an unwarranted intrusion into their lives and somehow Part-II
Umberto Eco is a professor at the university of Bologna in Italy. He has accomplish (the study of signs). He has written'! wide range of books. His novel 'The Name of
asks Umberto how he can do so many things in his life. Eco reveals a secret about
spaces' in our lives. He calls them 'interstices'. If we fill empty spaces with our wor
also tells Mukund that he considers himself a university professor who writes nove
source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Summary_of_the_interview_by_Christopher_Si
Going Places The theme of this story is adolescent fantasising and hero-worship.
The story revolves around the life of Sophie, a teenager, who, like others of her age
from a poor financial background, but hopes to be sophisticated in the future. Sop being an actress or fashion designer, but her friend Jansie believes that both of th who is more realistic, tries to pull Sophie to reality, but in vain.
Sophie lives in a small house with her parents and brothers, Geoff and little Derek.
parents pooh-pooh her, because they, unlike her, are more mature and know the tru
Sophie finds a sort of fascination for her elder brotherGeoff, who is tall, strong and
and often wonders about his thoughts and areas of his life that she doesn't know a
The centre of this story is that Sophie fantasises about Danny Casey, an Irish footb
innumerable matches. She makes up a story about how she met him in the streets
sensible than Sophie, does not really believe her, even if she wants to. It seems an
in their street, but whe Sophie describes the meeting in all her details, he begins to Danny has promised to meet her somewhere again.
Sophie gets so pulled into the story she made that she herself begins to believe th
obviously, he never arrives. Then, she makes her way home, wondering how her br
Danny Casey never showed up. However, Sophie still fantasises about her hero, un
source: http://summariesofstoriesandpoems.blogspot.in/2010/02/flamingo-and-v
POEMS My Mother at Sixty Six
This poem revolves around the theam of advancing age and the fear adheared to i
The poet is on the way to airport in Cochin ,when she is stuck by the realization of difficult for her to accept that her mother is creeping into the grips of old age.Whe
notices her corpse like ashen face which reminds her of her aproaching death.She
The green trees racing past the speeding car are grim reminders of time which has
her some respite a she is lost in her thoughts of old age.The children represent old
back to the days of her idyllic youth when the mother had been young.Now she wa
feel insecure.She had this feeling when ever she looked at her mother as she had l in her twiligh years had become as pale as the winter moon.
She is happy to see her mother is still breathing.But she is beset with sorrow and i
goodbye to her mother and trying to hide her fears by smiling as she looked at her
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/writing-and-speaking/speech/1808114-mother/
An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum
Stephen Spender highlights the plight of slum children by using vivid images and a
Through this he touches, in a subtle manner, the themes of social injustice and ine Lines 1, 2
The opening line of the poem uses an image to contrast the slum children�s
�gusty waves� indicating brightness, verve and animation. But these are missing
�rootless weeds� produces double effect. �Weeds� indicate being unwante
slum children are like �rootless weeds� unwanted by society and not belonging faces. Lines 3 to 8
Next, a few of the slum children are described. There is a tall girl whose head is w
shame or a mixture of all the three. She is probably over-aged for the class. Anoth
pop out from his thin body looking furtive like rat�s eyes. He seems to have inh
his father. Spender has used the word �reciting� to show that instead of study
had only his inherited crippling disease to show/recite in the class. This could s arisen because of his poverty especially his inability to avail heath services at the
is an unnoticed young boy. He is probably too young for poverty to have stifled squirrel�s game and about the tree house, absent mentally from the classroom. Lines 9 to 12
Spender then describes the classroom. The word �sour� used to describe the c
condition. Contradicting this state and the slum children are Shakespeare�s head
dawn and a beautiful Tyrolese valley indicating beauty of nature and hope, dome o
and progress and a world map awarding the children the world. The lines �Ope
could refer to the map of the world hanging on the wall of the classroom giving/sh out there to explore and know (its world). Lines 13 to 16 But the world of the slum children is the limited world that can be seen though
map promises. All these seem ironic when contrasted with the misery and hopele
foggy, bleak and dull. Their life/world is confined within the narrow streets of th
rivers, seas that indicate adventure and learning and from the stars that stand for
means a dullsky or a dimly lit sky. This symbolises the bleak, dull life and future of Lines 17 to 24
The poet feels that the head of Shakespeare and the map are cruel temptations fo
whose lives revolve around (slyly turns) dullness (fog) and hopelessness (endl
adventure(ships), for a better future (sun) and for love. Their emaciated wasted b
seemed to be wearing the clothes of skin covering their peeping bones and we
looking like bottle bits mended. The slum is their map as big as the doom of the c
and dim. The poet repeatedly uses the word fog to talk about the unclear, vague an
Lines 25 to 32
The only hope of a life beyond the slums that enclose their lives like catacombs
schools or a visitor. The poem ends with the poet fervently hoping that slum chi
better way of life. He uses the words �Break o break open� to say that they have
the slum world so that they can wander beyond the slums and their town on to t unlimited world). These can become their teacher and like dogs lapping up food
the open pages (leaves) of nature and the world which is sustained (whose langua
Keeping Quiet
This poem talks about the need for quiet introspection and creating feelings of mu human beings.
The poet suggests that he count to 12 and we all keep still. The purpose of this ex
togetherness in the minds of all people. In the twelve seconds of silence that the p
on earth to not talk in any language, but to speak through their hearts and understa
exotic moment, with silence. There would be no rush and no noise and all the peop stillness.
Fishermen in the sea would stop their act of killing and men who gather salt would
from the burdens of their toil. For once, they would be able to pay heed to their selv
People who fight wars would stop and walk about with all others, like brothers, doi The poet does not want total inactivity or death. He feels that today, all the people
and fulfilling their duties, that no one has time to think about themselves or others moments of silence, it would unite us in a strange silence and help us understand brotherhood and unity among us. According to the poet, we should all learn a lesson from the earth, who appears to is amazing life, which proves that there can be life under apparent stillness.
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/1965522-keeping-quiet/#ixzz1nU5vNRjF
The Thing Of Beauty
This poem tries to percieve the world through language.The believes that there are be treasured.He points out the intransient nature of beautiful things.THese things
pleasure got by them is not momentary.THey are very valuable as they provide pea
of faith and disappointment are the result of our own making.beautiful things mak finding way for optimism and hope.
The poet names a few beautiful thing which are simplest of things .These include
daffodils ,clear springs ,musk roses growing in the wild are things that give joy and nature have an elixir of life.It is like a precious gift from heaven.
Source: http://www.shvoong.com/books/poetry/1813606-thing-beauty/#ixzz1nU6
A Roadside Stand by Robert Frost In this poem, the poet contrasts the lives of poor and deprived countryside people
people who don�t even bother to notice the roadside stand that these people hav
Lines 1 to 6
The poem starts with the description of the roadside stand and the intention behin
stand at the edge of the highway outside his house in the hope that passing cars w money that supports cities from falling into ruin. He only wants to earn a living, he
Lines 7 to 13
However, no cars ever stop and the ones that even glance in the direction of the st
relatedness (out of sorts) only comment about how the construction spoils the vie
wrongly pointed North and South signs are or to notice without interest the wild be beautiful mountain scene.
Lines 13 to 22
The farmer tells the rich travelers to keep their money if they meant to be mean an
the sorrow he feels on being ignored. He only wishes for some (city) money so tha
beings expand) portrayed by the movies and other media, which the political partie
Lines 23 to 31
Frost goes on to say that even though these people have benefactors (good-doers
they can have easy access to the cinema and the store, they are actually selfish (�
and only help these "pitiful kin" to indirectly advantage themselves. The altruists w
dependent on them for all their benefits and comforts, thus robbing them of the ab
'The ancient way' could mean the old way when people worked during the day and
'greedy good doers' who teach these people to not use their brain. They are unable during day time or because they are troubled by their new lifestyle.
Lines 32 to 43
Frost then talks about his personal feelings, saying that he can hardly bear the tho
windows of the farmer's house seem to wait all day just to hear the sound of a car
always disappointed, as vehicles only stop to enquire the price, to ask their way ah
polished traffic' refers to the rich class who drive their cars to their destinations (w
unmindful of the countryside roadside stand and if at all they did get distracted by seemed out of place in it (out of sorts).
Lines 44 to 51 According to the poet, the progress required has not been found by these country
provide ample evidence to support this fact. He sometimes feels that it might be b
and hardships of existence. However, once rational thinking returns to his mind, he to do him this supposed service.
Aunt Jennifer's Tigers
Adrienne Rich's "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers", depicts a woman trapped within the cultu life. In the first stanza, Aunt Jennifer�s situation and character is contrasted with her
tapestry on which she has knitted tigers are very symbolic of what she wants to be
like the tiger as expressed in the words "They pace in sleek chivalric certainty". The
assuredness of the tiger or the confident bearing of the tiger as it is fearless of life
screen bring to mind a being that is confident, self-assured and happy; all things th
implies that Aunt Jennifer's tigers and their land are more vital and enjoy a sense o topaz) connotes the sun and fierce energy, while green reminds one of spring and
In the second stanza, Aunt Jennifer's present state is depicted. Her fingers are "flu
and mental weakness. She finds it difficult to pull the needle. "The massive weight
Aunt Jennifer's hand" reminds us that her marriage responsibilities weigh her dow
potential as a woman in a male-dominated society. She escapes from her difficult
The final stanza contains imagery that reflects back on the first two stanzas. The r
as a whole. Though her death would free her from her present miserable state, her
which binds her to her ordeals that took complete control of her. The only sign of h
which she escapes into by depicting the prancing, proud and unafraid tigers which
attains through her imagination.
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