What makes writing in a diary a strange experience for Anne Frank?
Diary writing was a strange experience for Anne Frank because of two reasons, first she never had a diary and second it was a birthday gift. She considered it her best friend on which she relied the most and with whom she shared all her ups and downs.
What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
What does Anne write in her first essay?
How did Anne justify her being a chatterbox in her essay?
How does Anne feel about her father, her grandmother, Mrs Kuperus and Mr Keesing? What do these tell you about her?
What tells you that Anne loved her grandmother?
Why does Anne provide a brief sketch of her life?
Was Anne right when she said that the world would not be interested in the musings of a thirteen-year-old girl?
What do these statements tell you about Anne Frank as a person?
(i) We don’t seem to be able to get any closer, and that’s the problem. Maybe it’s my fault that we don’t confide in each other.
(ii) I don’t want to jot down the facts in this diary the way most people would, but I want the diary to be my friend.
(iii) Margot went to Holland in December, and I followed in February, when I was plunked down on the table as a birthday present for Margot.
(iv) If you ask me, there are so many dummies that about a quarter of the class should be kept back, but teachers are the most unpredictable creatures on earth.
(v) Anyone could ramble on and leave big spaces between the words, but the trick was to come up with convincing arguments to prove the necessity of talking.
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
What did Lencho hope for?
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
Where did the ceremonies take place ? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstones?
What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
A | B |
---|---|
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so | – a feeling that something good will probably happen |
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing. | – thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.) |
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers | – stopped believing that this good thing would happen |
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes. | – wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible) |
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school. | – showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite |
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone. | – wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely |
How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
This play has been translated into English from the Russian original. Are there any expressions or ways of speaking that strike you as more Russian than English? For example, would an adult man be addressed by an older man as my darling or my treasure in an English play?
Read through the play carefully, and find expressions that you think are not used in contemporary English, and contrast these with idiomatic modern English expressions that also occur in the play.
What did the postmaster do then?
Can you say how 10th May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation? (Remember that the irony of a situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected.)