A Letter to God
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →Author: G.L. Fuentes (translated from Spanish).
- →Lencho's crops are destroyed by a hailstorm — he writes a letter to God asking for 100 pesos.
- →Post office employees collect 70 pesos and send it to Lencho.
- →Lencho, thinking God sent 100 pesos, writes again accusing the post office workers of stealing 30 pesos.
- →Theme: Unshakeable faith vs. human cynicism.
Exam Tips
Central irony: the people who helped Lencho are called thieves by him.
Character traits: Lencho — innocent, deeply religious; Post office workers — kind, helpful.
Moral: Faith is powerful but must be tempered with gratitude and realism.
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →Autobiography extract — describes inauguration as President of South Africa.
- →ANC (African National Congress): Mandela's party that fought against apartheid.
- →Mandela: imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island.
- →Two obligations: family + people/community.
- →Mandela's definition of freedom: not just personal freedom but freedom for all.
- →Twin obligations: to family and to his community/nation.
- →Courage is not absence of fear but triumph over it.
Exam Tips
Contrast: apartheid vs. freedom — before and after 1994.
Mandela's definition of a great man vs. a saint.
Values: courage, sacrifice, resilience — mention in long answers.
Two Stories About Flying
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →His First Flight (Liam O'Flaherty): seagull overcomes fear by diving for food; mother uses hunger as motivation.
- →Theme: Courage, overcoming fear, trust.
- →Black Aeroplane (Frederick Forsyth): pilot in old Dakota encounters mysterious black aeroplane; mystery — no such plane appears in the record.
- →Theme: Mystery, gratitude, unexplained help.
Exam Tips
Contrast the two stories: both deal with flight but have different themes.
The mystery in Black Aeroplane — who was the pilot? Open to interpretation.
Role of hunger/motivation in overcoming fear (seagull story).
From the Diary of Anne Frank
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →Anne Frank: Jewish girl hiding in Amsterdam with family during WWII.
- →Diary written between 1942–1944 while hiding from Nazis.
- →Anne's frustration: she cannot talk to anyone truly; her diary is her only friend.
- →Paper has more patience than people — key quote.
- →Theme: Loneliness, hope in hopeless times, growing up.
- →Anne died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, aged 15.
Exam Tips
Why does Anne consider paper more patient than people?
What does the diary reveal about Anne's personality — intelligent, sensitive, hopeful.
Historical context of Holocaust — mention in 5-mark questions.
Glimpses of India
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →A Baker from Goa (Lucio Rodrigues): Portuguese influence in Goa, bread-making tradition, the 'pader' (baker).
- →Coorg (Lokesh Abrol): People of Coorg — Greek/Arabic origin theory, coffee, spices, Kaveri river, Coorg regiment.
- →Tea from Assam (Arup Kumar Datta): Rajvir and Pranjol's journey, legend of tea discovery, Brahmaputra valley.
Exam Tips
Each sub-part is independent — identify which story the question refers to.
Coorg's martial tradition: only civilians allowed to carry firearms; Coorg regiment.
The legend of tea: Chinese emperor / Buddhist monk — know both versions.
Mijbil the Otter
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →Author: Gavin Maxwell.
- →Mijbil brought from the Tigris marshes in Iraq.
- →Mijbil's journey: Basra → London; airliner incident — Mij escaped from box.
- →Mij's habits: played with marbles, obsession with running along the skirting board.
- →People's reactions to Mij on London streets — curiosity, funny names given.
- →Theme: Human-animal bond, unconventional pets.
Exam Tips
How did Mij travel from Iraq to London? What happened on the plane?
Describe Mij's playful nature with examples.
Why does the author say 'Maxwell's otter' became a recognisable term?
Madam Rides the Bus
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →Author: Vallikkannan (Tamil).
- →Valli: eight-year-old girl fascinated by the bus.
- →Saves sixty paise by not spending on treats.
- →Her first solo bus ride — planned secretly from mother.
- →On the return journey, sees the dead cow — her excitement turns to sadness.
- →Theme: Childhood curiosity, growing up, first encounter with death.
Exam Tips
How did Valli plan her trip? Detail of saving money and gathering information.
Valli's refusal to look out of the window on return — why?
Significance of the dead cow — loss of innocence.
The Sermon at Benares
Key Definitions
Key Points to Remember
- →Author: Betty Renshaw.
- →Siddhartha Gautama becomes the Buddha.
- →Kisa Gotami: loses her son, wants him revived; Buddha asks her to bring mustard seed from a house where no one has died.
- →Lesson: Death is universal; grief is overcome through acceptance.
- →Theme: Suffering, acceptance, wisdom.
Exam Tips
What is the parable of the mustard seed? What does it teach?
How did Buddha attain enlightenment? — sat under peepal tree in Bodh Gaya.
The Buddha's teachings on grief — 'the living are few, the dead are many.'