Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?

The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device of dramatic irony in the story?

What makes Jack feel caught in an uglymiddle position?

Why is an adult’s perspective on life different from that of a child’s?

Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss.

Do you think that the third level was a medium of escape for Charley? Why?

Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?

How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him? Do we find a similarity in today’s political order?

What is the moral issue that the story raises?

There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.

What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?

Apparent illogicality sometimes turns out to be a futuristic projection? Discuss.

What is the moral issue that the story raises?

What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human beings?

How would you describe the behaviour of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him? Do we find a similarity in today’s political order?

The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device of dramatic irony in the story?

While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?

What do you infer from Sam’s letter to Charley?

Philately helps keep the past alive. Discuss other ways in which this is done. What do you think of the human tendency to constantly move between the past, the present and the future?

We need a new system for the age of ecology - a system which is embedded in the care of all people and also in the care of the Earth and all life upon it. Discuss.

Do you see an intersection of time and space in the story?