Critical Analysis of Picture Story "THE SELFISH GIANT"

                        Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde  

TITLE OF THE STORY

The title of the story "THE SELFISH GIANT" is appropriate because in this imaginary story the giant is a person who is very big and strong and had an extraordinary power .He was very selfish who had a very cold heart and did not allowed the children to play in his garden.So the wirter has give the title "THE SELFISH GIANT".

PLOT

Exposition-Children were playing hide and seek in the garden after the school and heard a great voiceboom out.Childrenpeered out of their hiding places to see a very angry giant.The Giant decided to come home after living for seven years with his friend,the Cornish Ogre. The giant doesnot want to see the children laughing and shouting.When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden and became very upset ,he kicked all the children out and put a huge wall up with a notice board that is "TRESSPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED".Now the poor children had nowhere to play.

Conflicts-The giant decided to build a high wall with spikes around the garden.Everyday  the children poked their noses through the bars of the gate and looked longingly at the garden and sadly they wandered off to play on the hard,dusty road.The winter came.Snow covered the ground with a thick white mantle and frost painted the trees with silver . The Giant wanted the spring to come .Spring came,the sdnow and the frost disappeared and flowers pushed their heads up against the ground and birds sang merrily in the giants garden the snow,the frost ,the north wind still danced through the bare branches of the trees.Spring refused to come to giants garden.

Climax-The Giant was lying in the bed one morning .feeling sorry for himself .He heard blackbird singing.Giant lept over the window and beamed with pleasure .The snow and the frost were gone.Every tree had burst into blossom .Every tree held one of the children whom the giant frightened away.The children crept into the garden by a hole in the wall .the spring rushed in after the children.One child was standing on the ground .The child was crying bitterly asd he was too small to reach even the lowest branch of the tree giant moved to pity. Giant knew why the spring would not go to his garden.The giant knocked down the walls and turned into the childrens playground.

Falling Action-Everyday after school the children came to play in the giants the beautiful garden.Everyday the giant ask them the same question whether the little boy was with them.The children do not know where to find the boy and the only time they saw him was when he knocked down the walls .Giant felt sad because he loved the little boy very much and only the sight of the children playing made him happy .Giant grew old and weak and could no longer play with the children.

Resolution-A winter morning the giant was sitting by his bedroom window and saw the most beautiful tree he had ever seen.The tree golden branches were covered with delicate white blossom and silver fruit and underneath it stood the little boy .The giant was happy the boy came back .When he reached the little boy ,the giant face was red with anger .The giant was angry .The child smile gently and asked the giant to follow him.The child told the giant to play in his garden which was called PARADISE.The afternoon the children ran into the garden to play in the snow and found the dead giant lying peacefully under a tree,covered with a blossom.

SETTING OF THE STORY

Location of the story-The short story "THE SELFISH GIANT ' by OSCAR WILDE is  a set in the fairy tale setting,castles,beautiful gardens,giants and ogres.The exact location of the events is not known but the reference to the 'Cornish Ogre" suggest the events take place on the British Isles.
Time-It took one year as we see seasons succeeding outside the garden of the giant.
Place-The main place is the giants garden.
Social Environment-The "SELFISH GIANT' look place in marvellous garden with a soft green grass ,beautiful flowers like stars with 12 peach trees.


SYMBOLISM

The story "THE SELFISH GIANT" by OSCAR WILDE can be read as an allegoric fairy tale symbolism used in the text is filled with emotions and make the text beautiful.
The whole story is most likely a symbolic interpretation of the Christian Parable of Jesus and the children.In the Bible Jesus tell people to allow children to come to him for theirs is kingdom of heaven.
Children-The children are the source of happiness.So it symbolises the happiness.
The Seasons-The seasons symbolise the passage of time with winter representing past sufferings and the spring the present happiness .
Giant-Giant symbolises the giant mentality human possess that we are strong and capable of accomplishment by ourselves.
-The tree the child wants to climb may represent the tree of life or the cross Jesus was crucified on.In the story the child Jesus sits close to the tree when he is crying because he cannot climb it.
The snow,wind and frost-The snow ,wind and frost symbolises the human negative emotions such as anger,violence,rush ,coldness,defensives.

Book review on ‘WINGS OF FIRE’

        Wings of fire by APJ Abdul kalam

Title of the book

The title of the book ‘Wings of Fire’, an autobiography of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam is appropriate and justified because in his book he has written two inspirational quotes related to this title :

We all are born with divine fire within us. Our efforts should be to give wings to this fire and fill the world with glow of its goodness.

He hailed from a poor family from a remote village. He worked hard to carve out a niche for himself in the rocket dynamics and later make it large in life to become eligible for the most prestigious position of the country. He later went on to become the President of India.

Let the fire in the heart of every Indian acquire wings and the glory of this great country light up the sky.

Preface of the book

Arun Tiwari asked Abdul Kalam to give a message to the young Indians. His message fascinated Arun so much that he decided to write a book on it. It was not easy for him but realizing the importance of it, he gave much effort to complete it.

In this autobiography, he has mentioned that he came from a poor family but with his efforts and dedication, he became the ‘Missile Man of India’ and the 11th President of India.

To ordinary people of India with hidden knowledge within them, he says that they just have to put some efforts to fly high and they can fill the world with goodness.

Importance of the book and Internal Aspects

This story is written at that time when India’s technological endeavours to assert its sovereignty and strengthen its security were questioned by many in the world. When all the world was technologically strong then India with a population of 1 billion people was also wanting to be a leader in the field of technology. So in a forceful speech he said ”Yes”. To prove his answers he narrated some incidents form his life. He not only narrated his childhood but also emphasised on how he chose to be a rocket engineer. He owed a great debt of knowledge to the distinguished lineage of Indian scientists like Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan, Brahm Prakash who played major roles in his life and in the story of Indian science. Along with his colleague Arun Tiwari, he invented the Akash missile at the age of 60 years. He also has thanked God as he believes that whatever he has achieved in his life has been with the help of God and it’s an expression of God’s will. Hence he said that our efforts and this fire should be given wings.

Chronology of the content

The first chapter starts with his childhood and later chapters give a glimpse of how he grew up to become successful.

Correlation with the recent time

It is relevant at all times as it is related to success and setbacks of the science establishment in modern India. This books helps in creating a vision for a society in where science and spirituality are fused.

Outstandingness of the book

This book presents the lifestyle of Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam and how he acheieved success. His way of motivating the youth in this book is different from others.

The author has portrayed many different characters in this book:

Arun Tiwari – A young colleague who worked with him at the government service since 1982 and who asked him to share his reminiscence.

Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry – He is a close friend of APJ Abdul Kalam’s father

Jainulabdeen – He is Abdul Kalam’s father

Ashiamma – She is his mother

Zohara – she is his sister

Ahmed Jallaluddin – He is a friend

Samsuddin – He is Abdul Kalam’s cousin

Rameswaram Sastry – the teacher of Abdul Kalam

Prof S ponder, Prof Kal Pandalai, Prof Narasingalu Rao – They are the teacher in Madras Institute of Technology.

What do you like in the book

The page in which he wrote a poem to his motheris the page which I have loved the most. The cover page of the book is also very nice as APJ Abdul Kalam is shown in a contemplative mood.

In this book each and every characters are portrayed very nicely.

To whom you recommend this book

I would like to recommend this book to people of every age because if they will read this book, they will get motivated by it as it is an inspiring story.

Poem Analysis on ‘FUTILITY’

Futility by Wilfred Owen

Title and its appropriateness

The title ‘’Futility’ ultimately comes from a latin word meaning easily broken or worthless. This title, then is especially appropriate to this poem. The body of the young soldier, as the poem describes, has indeed been esily broken by war, but that is not necessarily to dsay that his life was worthless. Indeed the very existence of the poem implies just the opposite.

Setting

The poem is set in France during the First World War. World War I (1914-1918) was fought on most of the continent of Europe between Germany and the allies. He wrote this poem when he was enlisted in the war.

Literal meaning and Theme

The theme of the poem is futility of the war. Then theme is developed by consideration of an elementary natural process as futile. The speaker questions the purpose of the hard labour of the sun which roused the sleeping earth. The efforts of the sun rays are considered to be futile because they cannot animate the limbs of a soldier who died in a battle.

Gently – softly

Whispering – to speak very quietly into somebody’d ears

Rouse- to make somebody wake up

Limbs – a leg or an arm of a person

Fatuous – silly and pointless

Relate with the present time

The poem is about the war. It relates to the present time that how the soldiers are shooted and how they are left alone in the heat and scorch of the sun. The sun only takes care of the soldiers by gently touching him.