A DAY IN THE COUNTRY

A Day in a country depicts the beauty of nature and tells us the importance of being in communion with nature.This story is a reflection of nature’s beauty and the wisdom of country folks.It is about two orphaned siblings named Fyolka and Danilka and a cobbler named Terenty who were together in the woods after Terenty rescued Danilka when his hand was stuck into a hole in a tree. In just one day, Danilka's life changed after learning a lot of things from Terenty. In this story author also depicts the beauty of rain clouds, thunder and lightning, drenched earth and wet and soaked  trees, etc

There are three main characters in the story, Terenty a homeless cobbler, two orphaned peasant kids named Fyokla and Danilka. Terenty took care of these kids. They love the cobbler a lot. He teaches them the secrets of nature, shows them the mesmerizing beauty of nature. He shares all his wisdom with the kids. For e.g.: “Don’t touch it, you might disturb them,” says Terenty, wringing the water out of his cap. “The nightingale is a singing-bird, without sin. He has had a voice given him in his throat, to praise God and gladden the heart of man. It’s a sin to disturb him.” 

By showing the ant- heap and drenched bees he teaches them some life lessons. He can easily identify the wild herb which can cure nose-bleeding. He knows how to settle the swarm of bees and even how to catch them without hurting yourself.

Terenty answers all his questions, and there is no secret in nature which baffles him. He knows everything. Thus, for example, he knows the names of all the wild flowers, animals, and stones. He knows what herbs cure diseases; he has no difficulty in telling the age of a horse or a cow. Looking at the sunset, at the moon, or the birds, he can tell what sort of weather it will be next day.

 And indeed, it is not only Terenty who is so wise. Silanty Silitch, the innkeeper, the market-gardener, the shepherd, and all the villagers, generally speaking, know as much as he does. These people have learned not from books, but in the fields, in the wood, on the river bank.

 Their teachers have been the birds themselves, when they sang to them, the sun when it left a glow of crimson behind it at setting, the very trees, and wild herbs. Danilka looks at Terenty and greedily drinks in every word.

 Remember, life on earth is the greatest gift of nature, and it can be found in several hues and shapes. The beauty of nature mesmerizes all of us for without nature, we would not know the greatest gift of our existence.

Through the story Chekhov demonstrates that the simple things in life bring the most joy and the countryfolk are loving and helpful in times of trouble. It also explores a child's desire to learn more about the world.Danilka is awed by nature and its beauty. 

Solitude-summary

The poem “Solitude” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox  is a powerful exploration of an undeniable reality of human nature. There is a natural desire to seek out  happiness and cheer and to avoid pain and darkness. It is our tendency to move toward other people who are joyful and happy and full of positive energy. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I it is healthy to surround ourselves with people who are positive and encouraging and exhibit love, joy and peace. No one wants to be around those who are constantly negative, cynical, sarcastic and depressing. So in one sense, this poem is a clue to the reality that others are attracted to us if we are   cheerful and positive rather than negative and gloomy.

But  we should not ignore those around us who are hurting. Even though our natural tendency is to seek out joy and happiness , the reality is we should cultivate within ourselves a desire to help others in their time of need. We all go through difficult times and need help from others  who can reach out to us and draw us out of depression, pain and grief

Ella Wheeler Wilcox emphasizes the uncaring world by exploring not only how we humans often flee from those in pain, but how the earth itself is indifferent to human suffering:

“Sing and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air”

Eventually, as the last lines explain, we will all travel down “the narrow aisles of pain”. And in some sense we have to be realistic that there are times when no one but God can ultimately save us and help us in our deepest and darkest hours. And while this poem is primarily a warning about our own destiny, it can serve as an exhortation to look around us to find others who need our help and support.

“Succeed and give, and it helps you live,”

Critical appreciation of the poem ‘My Grandmother’s House’

The poem ‘My Grandmother’s House’ was written by kamala Surayya, was an English poet and a leading Malayalam author from Kerala. Her popularity in Kerala is based chiefly on her short stories and autobiography. The poem is a reminiscence of the poet’s grandmother and their ancestral home at Malabar in Kerala.  

Her fond memories of her grandmother and the love she received from her are associated with the image of her ancestral home where she had spent the happiest days of her life.  With the death of the Grandmother, her life that was filled only with emotions becomes numb. Her veins thus become cold rather than warm. It is as cold as the moon, the moon being an emblem of love. The worms on the books seem like snakes at that moment. Now the poet is in another city. She is heartbroken and longs to go back to her childhood days. She wants to peer through the blind eyes of windows which have been dead shut for years or just wanted to listen to the frozen air. She desires to pick a handful of darkness (sad and painful memories) from the ancestral home and wants to keep it near her bed room like a brooding dog. She thinks it will give her some relief from her present depressed state. She feels a void in her mind because she doesn’t get any love from anywhere. She had an unhappy married life. So she begs for love from door to door.

The poet uses many poetic devices in this poem. We can see poetic devices like simile, metaphor, personification, and irony(the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect)etc .we can also see many images in the poem. There are two instances of simile you can in the poem

·        ‘My blood turned like the moon’

·        ‘ Darkness to bring it here to lie

      ‘behind my bedroom door like a brooding dog’

Examples of personification are

·        Pick an armful of darkness (attribute human quality to darkness)

·        Like a brooding dog (attribute darkness, the quality of a brooding dog)

·        Blind eyes of the windows ( attributed human quality of blindness to inhuman object window)

Examples of images are,

Blood turned like moon,Frozen air- tactile images

Snake moved among books-visual image

Peer through the blind eyes- visual image

Listen to the frozen air- auditory image

Pick an armful of darkness- visual image

By now at strangers door- visual image

 Alliteration- behind my bed room door like a brooding dog
Irony- or in wild despair.......................like a brooding dog

(your opinion about the poem)

The image of the window is a link between the past and the present. It signifies the desire of the poet for a nostalgic peep into her past

and resurrect her dreams and desires.