There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Conflict between Humans and Nature: The conflict between humans and nature is depicted by the destruction of Lencho’s crop by the hailstorm as Lencho had expected a good rain to have good harvest as it was the only hope for his earning. He worked so hard for the survival of his family, but nature turned violent and due to this, everything was destroyed.
Lencho felt sad and gloomy because of the the damaged crops and could foresee his dark future.This appropriately shows the conflict between nature and man.It also shows another conflict, between humans themselves.The postmaster could manage to collect some money with the help of his colleagues and then sent it to Lencho.They were not related to Lencho in any manner. It shows acts of kindness and selflessness on their part. Even though they did a good deed, they were blamed by Lencho for taking away some amount of money. This shows that man does not have trust in his fellow humans which has given raise to this conflict.
What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat...” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.
greedy naive stupid ungrateful
selfish comical unquestioning
Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country
(i) in the first decade, and
(ii) in the final decade of the twentieth century?
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.
What does Anne write in her first essay?
Kisa Gotami again goes from house to house after she speaks with the Buddha. What does she ask for, the second time around? Does she get it? Why not?
Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?