Invictus, A True Story of Sea Turtles, Somebody’s Mother, The Fall of Troy, Autumn, The Past in the Present · Textbook: English Kumarbharati – Class 9
Lesson 2.1 Invictus
A short, powerful poem by William Ernest Henley about a person whose spirit cannot be defeated, however hard life hits him. The meaning of each stanza in simple words, symbols, difficult phrases, the rhyme scheme, and answers to every Warming up and English Workshop activity.
Lesson 2.2 A True Story of Sea Turtles
A real account by Bhau Katdare of the organisation Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra about how villagers of the Konkan coast, who once stole turtle eggs, became the protectors of sea turtles. The story in simple words, turtle facts, the Velas Turtle Festival and homestay idea, 'conservation through livelihood', main clauses, and answers to every Warming up and English Workshop activity.
Lesson 2.3 Somebody’s Mother
A touching narrative poem by Mary Dow Brine about a kind schoolboy who helps a poor, frightened old woman across a busy, snowy street. The story of the poem in simple words, imagery, rhymes, the message of kindness, word chains, and answers to every Warming up and English Workshop activity.
Lesson 2.4 The Fall of Troy
A retelling of the most famous episode from the Greek epics: the ten-year Trojan War and the wooden horse trick that finally destroyed Troy. Epics and Homer, the story of both parts in simple words, the characters, the cause and end of the war, useful sentence patterns, clauses, the dramatic present tense, and answers to every Warming up and English Workshop activity.
Lesson 2.5 Autumn
A beautiful short poem by the great Sanskrit poet Kalidas, translated into English by Prof. A. W. Ryder, in which the season of autumn is pictured as a slim, graceful young girl. Meaning in simple words, the images of day and night, personification, simile and metaphor, rhyme scheme, the Indian seasons, and answers to every Warming up and English Workshop activity.
Lesson 2.6 The Past in the Present
A funny skit in which teenage Neel grumbles about making his bed, and his mother answers by bringing in boys from his family line across 5000 years — each with a long list of chores and the same complaint. The plot in simple words, the ancestors' clothes, chores and games, features of a play script, the passive voice, and answers to every Warming up and English Workshop activity.
