Literary Analysis

What is the little girl doing with a needle and some yarn?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

FRONTIER LIFE
My stockings have a hole in them,
I'm learning how to darn.
Which means that I am mending them
With needle and some yarn.

Ma says my dress is getting short,
We must let out the hem.
My only shoes have come apart,
And Pa is patching them.

The garden must be weeded,
If we want food to eat.
I pick those scratchy blackberries
So we'll have something sweet.

I help my Pa by milking Bess
And stake her out each day.
I help my Ma by hanging clothes
And watching Sissy play.

I go to bed so tired,
And get up before the sun.
There's always work that's waiting.
It never gets all done.
   
But Ma has made Pa promise
To have a family rule
If there's a teacher hired,
I get to go to school!

    Cindy Breedlove

Andrew wanted to make his birthday function a memorable one because

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

It was a sunny day in the month of May. The sun took its rightful position very early; lending credence to the general feeling that Andrew's birthday ceremony was going to be greeted with the blessing of a pleasant climate. The sky looked so bright that Andrew insisted on having an open air party. The habitual doubting Thomases had no dis­senting opinions to express. Andrew had gone to a great length to ensure a hitch-free party; a party which would remain the talk of the town. Although it was not intended to be free for all, a lot had been done to stamp the occasion on the memories of many people long afterwards.
The bright sun continued to smile. Andrew's face beamed with pleasure with every passing moment. Very few of his contemporaries have so succeeded in reaching the top of the ladder. Andrew in particular had been an orphan of storm. His father's death during his third year in the secondary school and that of his mother two years later were the only two of this orphan's `storms'. He suffered a physical misfortune when a machine severed his left middle finger. But Andrew did not despair.

The courage to fail is very cheap. Every fool can afford to fail. But it raises one above the herd of cowards and never-do-wells to be up and struggling. The reward of forbearance in the end is resounding success. And so it was for Andrew. Ever since he finished his university education, it had been success galore. He had got a good job in one of the country's insurance companies. His pay was good, his promotion had been steady and his prospects seemed bright. At forty, he had a good car and had already bought a house of his own. The world was at his feet!

The expression 'The world was at his feet' means

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

It was a sunny day in the month of May. The sun took its rightful position very early; lending credence to the general feeling that Andrew's birthday ceremony was going to be greeted with the blessing of a pleasant climate. The sky looked so bright that Andrew insisted on having an open air party. The habitual doubting Thomases had no dis­senting opinions to express. Andrew had gone to a great length to ensure a hitch-free party; a party which would remain the talk of the town. Although it was not intended to be free for all, a lot had been done to stamp the occasion on the memories of many people long afterwards.
The bright sun continued to smile. Andrew's face beamed with pleasure with every passing moment. Very few of his contemporaries have so succeeded in reaching the top of the ladder. Andrew in particular had been an orphan of storm. His father's death during his third year in the secondary school and that of his mother two years later were the only two of this orphan's `storms'. He suffered a physical misfortune when a machine severed his left middle finger. But Andrew did not despair.

The courage to fail is very cheap. Every fool can afford to fail. But it raises one above the herd of cowards and never-do-wells to be up and struggling. The reward of forbearance in the end is resounding success. And so it was for Andrew. Ever since he finished his university education, it had been success galore. He had got a good job in one of the country's insurance companies. His pay was good, his promotion had been steady and his prospects seemed bright. At forty, he had a good car and had already bought a house of his own. The world was at his feet!

Which of the following can be made out from the second paragraph of the passage about Andrew's early life?

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

It was a sunny day in the month of May. The sun took its rightful position very early; lending credence to the general feeling that Andrew's birthday ceremony was going to be greeted with the blessing of a pleasant climate. The sky looked so bright that Andrew insisted on having an open air party. The habitual doubting Thomases had no dis­senting opinions to express. Andrew had gone to a great length to ensure a hitch-free party; a party which would remain the talk of the town. Although it was not intended to be free for all, a lot had been done to stamp the occasion on the memories of many people long afterwards.
The bright sun continued to smile. Andrew's face beamed with pleasure with every passing moment. Very few of his contemporaries have so succeeded in reaching the top of the ladder. Andrew in particular had been an orphan of storm. His father's death during his third year in the secondary school and that of his mother two years later were the only two of this orphan's `storms'. He suffered a physical misfortune when a machine severed his left middle finger. But Andrew did not despair.

The courage to fail is very cheap. Every fool can afford to fail. But it raises one above the herd of cowards and never-do-wells to be up and struggling. The reward of forbearance in the end is resounding success. And so it was for Andrew. Ever since he finished his university education, it had been success galore. He had got a good job in one of the country's insurance companies. His pay was good, his promotion had been steady and his prospects seemed bright. At forty, he had a good car and had already bought a house of his own. The world was at his feet!

In the last lines, the child cherishes a desire to

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

FRONTIER LIFE
My stockings have a hole in them,
I'm learning how to darn.
Which means that I am mending them
With needle and some yarn.

Ma says my dress is getting short,
We must let out the hem.
My only shoes have come apart,
And Pa is patching them.

The garden must be weeded,
If we want food to eat.
I pick those scratchy blackberries
So we'll have something sweet.

I help my Pa by milking Bess
And stake her out each day.
I help my Ma by hanging clothes
And watching Sissy play.

I go to bed so tired,
And get up before the sun.
There's always work that's waiting.
It never gets all done.
   
But Ma has made Pa promise
To have a family rule
If there's a teacher hired,
I get to go to school!

    Cindy Breedlove

What does the poet mean by 'And watching Sissy play'?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

FRONTIER LIFE
My stockings have a hole in them,
I'm learning how to darn.
Which means that I am mending them
With needle and some yarn.

Ma says my dress is getting short,
We must let out the hem.
My only shoes have come apart,
And Pa is patching them.

The garden must be weeded,
If we want food to eat.
I pick those scratchy blackberries
So we'll have something sweet.

I help my Pa by milking Bess
And stake her out each day.
I help my Ma by hanging clothes
And watching Sissy play.

I go to bed so tired,
And get up before the sun.
There's always work that's waiting.
It never gets all done.
   
But Ma has made Pa promise
To have a family rule
If there's a teacher hired,
I get to go to school!

    Cindy Breedlove

What does the poet mean to say in the following lines?

The garden must be weeded If we want food to eat I pick those scratchy blackberries So we'll have something sweet

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

FRONTIER LIFE
My stockings have a hole in them,
I'm learning how to darn.
Which means that I am mending them
With needle and some yarn.

Ma says my dress is getting short,
We must let out the hem.
My only shoes have come apart,
And Pa is patching them.

The garden must be weeded,
If we want food to eat.
I pick those scratchy blackberries
So we'll have something sweet.

I help my Pa by milking Bess
And stake her out each day.
I help my Ma by hanging clothes
And watching Sissy play.

I go to bed so tired,
And get up before the sun.
There's always work that's waiting.
It never gets all done.
   
But Ma has made Pa promise
To have a family rule
If there's a teacher hired,
I get to go to school!

    Cindy Breedlove

What does the poet mean by ' God gives us them awhile'?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

THE POOR CHILDREN
Take heed of this small child of earth;
He is great; he hath in him God most high.
Children before their fleshly birth
Are lights alive in the blue sky.

In our light bitter world of wrong
They come; God gives us them awhile.
His speech is in their stammering tongue,
And his forgiveness in their smile.

Their sweet light rests upon our eyes.
Alas! Their right to joy is plain.
If they are hungry Paradise
Weeps, and, if cold, Heaven thrills with pain.

The want that saps their sinless flower
Speaks judgment on sin's ministers.
Man holds an angel in his power.
Ah! Deep in Heaven what thunder stirs,

When God seeks out these tender things
Whom in the shadow where we sleep
He sends us clothed about with wings,
And finds them ragged babes that weep!

                      Victor Hugo

What does the term 'want' in the fourth stanza actually mean?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

THE POOR CHILDREN
Take heed of this small child of earth;
He is great; he hath in him God most high.
Children before their fleshly birth
Are lights alive in the blue sky.

In our light bitter world of wrong
They come; God gives us them awhile.
His speech is in their stammering tongue,
And his forgiveness in their smile.

Their sweet light rests upon our eyes.
Alas! Their right to joy is plain.
If they are hungry Paradise
Weeps, and, if cold, Heaven thrills with pain.

The want that saps their sinless flower
Speaks judgment on sin's ministers.
Man holds an angel in his power.
Ah! Deep in Heaven what thunder stirs,

When God seeks out these tender things
Whom in the shadow where we sleep
He sends us clothed about with wings,
And finds them ragged babes that weep!

                      Victor Hugo

Why does the poet think that thea little child is great?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

THE POOR CHILDREN
Take heed of this small child of earth;
He is great; he hath in him God most high.
Children before their fleshly birth
Are lights alive in the blue sky.

In our light bitter world of wrong
They come; God gives us them awhile.
His speech is in their stammering tongue,
And his forgiveness in their smile.

Their sweet light rests upon our eyes.
Alas! Their right to joy is plain.
If they are hungry Paradise
Weeps, and, if cold, Heaven thrills with pain.

The want that saps their sinless flower
Speaks judgment on sin's ministers.
Man holds an angel in his power.
Ah! Deep in Heaven what thunder stirs,

When God seeks out these tender things
Whom in the shadow where we sleep
He sends us clothed about with wings,
And finds them ragged babes that weep!

                      Victor Hugo

What does the poet want to convey through this poem?

Directions: Read the following poem to answer the given question.

THE POOR CHILDREN
Take heed of this small child of earth;
He is great; he hath in him God most high.
Children before their fleshly birth
Are lights alive in the blue sky.

In our light bitter world of wrong
They come; God gives us them awhile.
His speech is in their stammering tongue,
And his forgiveness in their smile.

Their sweet light rests upon our eyes.
Alas! Their right to joy is plain.
If they are hungry Paradise
Weeps, and, if cold, Heaven thrills with pain.

The want that saps their sinless flower
Speaks judgment on sin's ministers.
Man holds an angel in his power.
Ah! Deep in Heaven what thunder stirs,

When God seeks out these tender things
Whom in the shadow where we sleep
He sends us clothed about with wings,
And finds them ragged babes that weep!

                      Victor Hugo

According to the author, a child recognises a parent as

Directions: Read the following passage to answer the given question.

Every child, whether he comes to his family by birth or adoption, discovers what a family is, through the experi­ences of family life. The new-born infant has no way of know­ing which of the many faces that hover above him belongs to a parent. He has no way of knowing what a parent is. He only knows that he is comfortable or uncomfortable, hungry or satisfied.
Gradually, as the months go by, he begins to know who brings comfort when he is uncomfortable and food when he is hungry. He comes to know the feel of the arm that holds him close when he eats and holds him safe in his bath. He grows to know who responds to his needs when he cries out, who is the special person in the whole strange new world who belongs specially to him. This is his first recognition of a parent.
The mother and the father who care for a child, who listen for his voice and try to interpret what he means, who com­fort him, feed him and play with him discover for the first time what it is to be parents. They do not become parents by virtue of conception and birth alone. They grow to be parents just as the infant grows to recognize them as such. They come to know the developing personality of their child in a way that no other person really can. They recognise whether he is a lusty eater or a nibbler, vivacious or reserved, adventurous or cautious. By observing his intellectual and physical abili­ties, they also get to know what he may become in future. They are concerned with meeting his needs and wants, and fostering his growth to maturity.

Sometimes, because of their responsibility to their child, parents have to do unpleasant things. They have to, for instance, take him for injections. He can have no choice about taking medicine when he is ill. He must learn quickly, and not neces­sarily at his own pace, that fire is not a play-thing. In the intimacies of daily living, the child and the parents learn the bitter and the sweet of family relations. It is through the experiences of family life that a child and his parents grow to be a family. For every parent, biological or adoptive, it is the daily loving care of the child and his responsiveness that build up the parents' feelings. When the child feels, it is being loved and being cared for, it produces family closeness.