Unit 2: Wit and Humour – Class 7 English Chapter 2 Notes & NCERT PDF

Unit Overview

Unit 2: Wit and Humour is about laughter — the gentle fun of a doctor who learns to talk to animals, the pure nonsense of a man who wears a shoe on his head, and the comedy of a girl who keeps saying exactly the wrong thing to her mother's guests. The unit shows that humour can entertain us and also teach us something about kindness and good manners.

Animals, Birds, and Dr. Dolittle

About the Story

What Happens

Part I: Doctor John Dolittle is talking to the Cat's-food-Man, who has come with a stomach-ache. The man suggests he give up being a people's doctor and become an animal doctor, because he knows animals so well — his book about cats was wonderful (the man's wife, Theodosia, a scholar, read it to him).

The parrot Polynesia, singing a sailor song at the window, agrees. She reveals that animals can talk. Parrots speak two languages — people's language and bird language:

"Ka-ka oi-ee, fee-fee?" — which means, "Is the porridge hot yet?"

The excited Doctor fetches a book and pencil and writes down the Birds' A.B.C. all afternoon. When the dog Jip comes in, Polynesia explains that animals talk with ears, feet and tails too. Jip twitching one side of his nose means, "Can't you see that it has stopped raining?" — dogs nearly always use their noses to ask questions. With the parrot's help, the Doctor learns animal language and gives up being a people's doctor altogether.

Part II: Old ladies bring pugs and poodles who have eaten too much cake, and farmers bring sick cows and sheep. A plough horse complains that the vet over the hill treated him for six weeks with big pills, when all he needed was spectacles — he was going blind in one eye. He asks for green ones to keep the Sun out of his eyes while ploughing.

"It takes a much cleverer man to be a really good animal doctor than it does to be a good people's doctor."

Soon farm animals wearing glasses become a common sight round Puddleby, and a blind horse is unknown. The Doctor has special doors made — 'HORSES' over the front door, 'COWS' over the side door, 'SHEEP' on the kitchen door, and a tiny tunnel into the cellar for mice. Birds flying to other countries in winter spread his fame, and he becomes famous among animals all over the world.

Message

Listening carefully and understanding others — even animals — is the key to helping them. It also shows the value of being open to new ideas and advice.

A Funny Man

About the Poem

What the Poem Says

A funny man comes walking down the street:

"He wore a shoe upon his head / And hats upon his feet."

He is very polite — he raises the shoe and smiles. He says, "Allow me to present / Your Highness with a rose," but holds a currant bun to the poet's nose! The poet staggers back, saying she never saw a rose with "such a funny looking smell." He then sits on the ground and sings "a funny feeling sound." When asked why he wears two hats on his feet, he turns the other way and hops home on his head.

Poetic Devices

Message

Nonsense and imagination can bring pure joy; the funny man is like a street performer or clown who breaks rules to make people laugh.

Say the Right Thing

About the Play

Characters

What Happens

Scene I: Mrs. Shaw wants Mrs. Harding to become her friend. Mary insists on staying: "Anyone can talk." Her mother advises her to be kind, say things that please, laugh, make people talk if everyone stops, and when guests leave, look sorry and say, "Must you go? Can't you stay?"

Scene II: Mary makes one blunder after another:

Each time she says, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know," and the stage direction reads (No one speaks.) When the guests leave, Mary blurts out the final joke:

"Oh, must you stay? Can't you go?"

Message

Think before you speak. Polite conversation means being sensitive to others' feelings — not judging people you do not know.

Word Power

Grammar & Language Focus

Speaking & Writing Tasks

Common Mistakes