The Best Christmas Present in the World is written by Michael Morpurgo.

The
story starts with the author making a decision about buying an old roll top desk.
He spotted one in a junk shop in Bridport. It was in bad condition but was
reasonable. So, he thought that he could restore it and brought it home. He
started working on it on the eve of Christmas. He pulled out the drawers and
found them in a damaged condition. The last drawer stuck fast and the author
had to apply more force to open it.
Finally, the drawer opened and he found a shallow space inside. Inside the
drawer, there was another small drawer. On it there was a piece of lined note
paper and it was written “Jim’s last letter, received January 25, 1915. To be buried
with me when the time comes”. Inside the box, he found an envelope and the
address mentioned on it was “Mrs Jim Macpherson, 12 Copper Beeches,
Bridport, Dorset.” He took out the letter and unfolded it. It was written in pencil
with a date at the top — “December 26, 1914”.
He found an envelope in that secret drawer. The author read the letter. The letter
had been written by a German Captain whose name was Jim Macpherson. He had
written the letter to his wife, Connie. Jim Macpherson had narrated a wonderful
experience in this letter that had happened on the battlefield of Christmas Eve.
The British and Germans were at war. Both the armies were standing in their
trenches on Christmas morning. Someone from the German side was waving off
the white flag. Then, they were calling out to the British soldiers. They were
wishing Happy Christmas to the British soldiers who wished them back in return.
Surprisingly, some German soldiers started moving towards them. The Captain
was alarmed as he thought that they might attack them. But, it turned out that
they brought German wine and canned meat along with them. They were hugging
one another and celebrating Christmas Eve. There were no guns between them.
In the middle of the war, they were trying to make peace.
A German officer moved towards Macpherson. He shook hands and introduced
himself as Hans Wolf Dusseldorf. He said that he loved to play the cello in the
orchestra and greeted Macpherson for Christmas. In return, Macpherson also
introduced himself as a school teacher of Dorset. Hans Wolf smiled and said he
knew about Dorset. Although he had never visited Dorset, or been to England
either, he knew about England from school as he had read books in English. His
favourite writer was Thomas Hardy and his favourite book was “Far from the
Madding Crowd”. Dusseldorf and Macpherson also shared a Christmas cake
together. Hans Wolf told Jim that the marzipan was the best he had ever tasted.
Macpherson mentioned in his letter that this was a wonderful Christmas party
that they had ever seen.
Suddenly, another soldier brought out the football on the ground. The British and
German soldiers played a friendly match. Macpherson and Dusseldorf clapped
and cheered the soldiers. Jim Macpherson wished if the problem between the two
nations could be resolved by a football match instead of war. He said so because
in a football match, no one dies – neither do children get orphaned, nor do the
soldiers wives become widows.
Finally, the football match came to an end. The Germans won the match. Soon
after, everyone had drinks and enjoyed the food. Macpherson wished Dusseldorf
and told him that they would meet again with their families. He left with a gentle
note that when the fight ends, they all could go home and enjoy quality time with
their respective families. Dusseldorf saluted Macpherson and walked away slowly
and unwillingly. That night the German soldiers were heard singing a Christmas
carol. The English soldiers also gave them a rousing chorus of “While Shepherds
Watched”. While concluding the letter, Macpherson wrote to Connie that all those
moments were the happiest memories of his life. He ended the letter with the
hope that war would end soon. Both the armies longed for peace and he would
return to Dorset soon and they would be able to spend time together again.
After reading the letter, the author put back the letter into the envelope. He
decided to give the letter to whom it belonged. The next morning, he woke up
early and went to Bridport. He reached House no. 12 and found the house in a
burnt-out shell condition. He knocked on the door of the next house to enquire
about the whereabouts of Mrs Macpherson. An old man staying in the
neighbourhood said that her house caught fire probably due to burning of
candles. However, she was saved by the firemen and was admitted to a nursing
home in Burlington House on the Dorchester road that was on the other side of
town.
Later, the author went there and found Mrs Macpherson was an old lady who was
confined to a wheelchair at the Burlington House Nursing Home. The matron
offered him a mince pie to eat. He introduced himself to Mrs Macpherson as her
husband’s friend who had come to visit her in Christmas. He wished her and
handed over the tin box containing her husband’s last letter to her. That moment
her eyes lit up with recognition and her face was filled with a sudden glow of
happiness.
The author explained that he had come to visit her as he brought a Christmas
present for her and explained about the roll top desk. Mrs Macpherson’s eyes
were filled with tears and she was completely lost in thoughts. She assumed that
the author was her husband and asked him to sit beside her. She expressed that
she missed him badly all the years when he was away to fight the war. Besides,
she also said that she prepared a nice Christmas cake, marzipan all around for
him because she knew how much he relished it. Thus, the story ends with a note
that Mrs Macpherson mistook the author for her long-awaited husband for whom
she had been waiting for many years.

Conclusion of The Best Christmas Present in the World

The chapter – The Best Christmas Present in the World conveys to students a
moral lesson that war only brings sadness and pain to mankind. Soldiers who
fight a war and get killed in it lose their family lives in the process. Therefore,
countries should follow the path of peace to attain happiness and harmony
among people in the world.
Part 1 consists of four stories of people who faced the deadly tsunami on
December 26, 2004. It discusses how the lives of different people who hailed from
the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago were impacted by the effect of the dreadful
tsunami.
In the first story, Ignesious was a manager of a cooperative society in Katchall.
His wife woke him up at 6 a.m. when she could sense a few tremors. However, it
was not just a simple earthquake, it was the sea rising. A tsunami had struck that
place. The waves were so huge that it swept away his family including his wife,
children, father-in-law and brother-in-law.
In the second story of Part 1, a policeman named Sanjeev saved his family
members comprising his wife and his baby daughter from the dangerous waves.
However, he drowned while trying to rescue the guest house cook, John’s wife as
the huge waves washed both of them away.
The third incident of Part 1 is about a thirteen-year-old girl, Meghna who was
swept away by the waves along with her parents and many other people. She was
floating in the sea holding a wooden plank and was brought to shore by a wave.
Although she was saved, she was completely dazed as she walked on the
seashore.
The fourth story of Part 1 is about Almas Javed, a ten-year-old girl. Her father had
noticed that the seawater was receding after the tremors. He realised this was the
sign of a bigger danger so he warned everyone to take shelter in a safer place.
While he was helping others, a huge wave came and washed away Almas’s father
along with her grandfather. Slowly her entire family was swept away, while Almas
had climbed on a floating wooden log and fainted. When she woke up, she found
herself in a hospital in Kamorta. She was so traumatised that she never talked
about the incident with anyone.

The Tsunami : Part 2 Summary

Part 2 is the story about a young British school girl named Tilly Smith who had
visited the Phuket beach in Thailand with her family to celebrate Christmas. On
26th December 2004, she and her entire family were on the beach. She and her
mother noticed that the sea waves were slowly rising, it had started to foam and
was making whirlpools. Although her mother was not much worried about the
signs, Tilly could sense something was not right.
Tilly remembered that her geography teacher had once mentioned that tsunamis
can be caused by earthquakes, violent tremors, volcanoes and landslides. She
raised an alarm that the deadly waves were the signs of a tsunami. She informed
her family and many people on the beach so that they could return to the hotel as
soon as possible. Luckily, the hotel that Tilly’s family was residing in could
withstand the tsunami’s impact and they were all saved from the disaster.
The Tsunami : Part 3 Summary
Part 3 of the unit mentions the sixth sense of animals in identifying disastrous
natural calamities. Many animals both domestic and wild could sense the coming
of the tsunami during December 2004 and they rushed into their shelters and
were hesitant to come out of their homes. Around 1,50,000 people lost their lives
in a dozen countries, while in comparison, only a few animals died in the disaster.
The Yala National Park located in Sri Lanka is home to a huge variety of animals
and birds. Almost 60 visitors died while only two animals’ carcasses were found.
Also, a few park people had observed that three elephants were running away
from the Patanangala beach an hour before the tsunami struck it. In another
incident, a Sri Lankan gentleman who lived near the Galle coast had two dogs
who refused to go for a walk on the beach. This was indeed a warning signal for
them and their master who were saved from the massive impact of the tsunami.

Conclusion of The Tsunami

The chapter – The Tsunami teaches a lesson to students that a tsunami is a
natural disaster that causes massive destruction and immense loss to life and
property. In each story, we learnt about hard life lessons and reassuring details of
determination, courage, resilience and survival. One should exhibit acts of
courage, compassion and responsibility in the tough struggle of endurance and
restoration.
This chapter begins with some events that took place in 1757 when the British
had a strong foothold in India. They had in their possession superior quality arms
and ammunition and were also financially sound. On the contrary, the Princes of
the Indian states were short-sighted and lacked unity. They were unnecessarily
fighting with each other. Some even sought the help of the British to resolve their
conflict with other kingdoms. In the meantime, the East India Company took
complete advantage of this fact. The British strictly followed the policy of ‘Divide
and Rule’ and they also understated the Princes of many Indian states. Although
some people were in favour of the British, there were many who were against
them. Tipu Sultan of Mysore was a far-sighted ruler who fought the British and
died in 1799 while fighting the Anglo-Mysore IV War.
As we progress in the chapter, we learn about evil practices such as
untouchability, Sati, child marriage, etc. that were preached by the religious and
orthodox leaders. The Indians had lost their self-esteem and the British scorned
them. They imposed heavy taxes on the local farmers and forced them to
abandon their fields. They also chopped the thumbs of the skilled artists and
workers. The British manufactured goods in England and the import duty was
tax-free. Thus, the British’s main motive was to maximise profit and optimise their
wealth through implementation of unfair practices.
Starting from 1772 to 1833, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a learned man from Bengal
began reforming the Indian society. He established the Brahmo Samaj and
propagated the idea that all religions have similar teachings and principles, hence
they were no different from each other. He was greatly interested in science and
modern knowledge and started newspapers which were stopped by the British in
1823. He was also against evil practices such as Sati, child marriage, polygamy
and the caste division system in our country. He played a pivotal role in
abolishing the practice of Sati in the society.
The British continued to suppress the Indians as they passed the Regulation III
Act in the year 1818. Under this Act, an Indian could be jailed without trial in a
court of law. This was the oppression phase of Indians. The British exported
British goods worth millions of rupees in 1829. This ruined the Indian industries
to a great extent and the British began to prosper. Furthermore, the British
exploited the Indians in numerous ways. In 1835, Lord Macaulay recommended
teaching of the English language to the natives. The English education produced
clerks and the British gave petty jobs under them to the Indians. Incidentally, the
education policy also produced a new generation of intellectuals who could
understand the social vices of the British rule and they educated their fellow
mates accordingly.
By 1856, the British had conquered almost the entire country and their
suppression of the local residents was at a peak. This led to multiple revolts. In
1855, the Santhals rose to rebellion and massacred the British rulers and their
supporters. In 1857, the Sepoy Mutiny began and Mangal Pandey played a key
role in it as he had attacked the adjutant of his regiment and was soon executed.
The sepoys marched towards Delhi and shouted slogans favouring Bahadur Shah
Zafar. Soon, the landlords also joined them in their revolutionary movement.
People started circulating chapatis along with a message that the native ruler
needed their help. Similarly, lotus flowers were also circulated among the Indian
soldiers to convey the message.
The fight for freedom continued as several rulers such as Begum Hazrat Mahal of
Lucknow, Maulvi Ahmedulla of Faizabad, Azimulla Khan, Tatya Tope, Peshwa
Nana Saheb of the Maratha dynasty and Kunwar Singh of Bihar also joined this
war of freedom. This was indeed the beginning of the Indian struggle for
independence.

Conclusion of Glimpses of the Past

The chapter – Glimpses of the Past teaches a lesson to students that if we stand
together for a good cause, we can achieve success just like our brave freedom
fighters did. They had an organised approach in India’s struggle for
independence as they sacrificed their lives so that we can lead a life of freedom
from the British rule.
Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory is an amusing story about an aged man
named Bepin Choudhury. The story was written by Satyajit Ray and was divided
into four parts. Bepin is the main character of the story who had a habit of visiting
book stores and buying books of his interest. On one such visit, a man
approached him and told him that he was his old acquaintance, Parimal Ghose
from his Ranchi trip. Initially, Bepin was convinced that the man was confusing
him with someone else. However, when Parimal divulged some personal details
about Bepin, the latter was confused. He didn’t have memory of any such past
incidents that the stranger was referring to as he had never gone to Ranchi
earlier.
The man said that Mr Dinesh Mukerji was also there on the same trip with him.
Further, he also told Bepin that he could confirm about this trip from Mr Mukerji
directly. However, Bepin ignored this and continued with his life as usual. Later,
the incident kept bothering him and he finally checked with Dinesh who verified
the authenticity of the story. This confused him even more since he didn’t have
any memory of visiting Ranchi in the past. Meanwhile, his school friend, Chunilal
would often visit him looking out for a job, which Bepin would fairly ignore.
In due course of time, Bepin started getting deeply worried as he felt he must
have lost his memory. Hence, he sought a doctor’s advice for his ailment. After
checking Bepin, the doctor Paresh Chanda was puzzled as he had never seen a
similar case before. Upon seeing Bepin’s mental state, the doctor advised him to
visit Ranchi and clarify his doubts himself. He thought that revisiting the same
place might bring back Bepin’s memories which he assumed that he had
forgotten. Listening to Dr Chanda’s advice, Bepin visited Ranchi with the hope of
reviving his memory of the past incident, but to no avail. He returned to Calcutta
as the visit to Ranchi left him in a state of utter confusion. He called the doctor
again.
However, just before Dr Paresh Chanda arrived for a routine check-up, the
servant brought Bepin a letter marked as ‘Urgent and Confidential’, which
someone had left in the letter box. He opened the envelope and read the letter
carefully. He discovered that his friend, Chunilal had pranked him as a sweet
revenge for not helping him when he was in dire need of a job. He mentioned that
Bepin could have helped him but he chose to avoid him. After reading the letter,
Bepin was dejected and felt guilty for avoiding Chunilal when he asked for help.
Finally, when Dr Chanda arrived, Bepin lied to him stating that he had revived his
memories of his trip to Ranchi, instead he asked the physician to give him a
painkiller for a pain in his hip.

Conclusion of Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

The chapter – Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory teaches a moral lesson to
students that we should help people in time of need. As the famous adage goes,
“As you sow, so shall you reap”.
The Summit Within describes the narrator, Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia’s experiences
and feelings of climbing the mighty Mount Everest and standing at its peak. He
was a member of the first successful Indian expedition to Mount Everest in the
year 1965. Although he was exhausted when he reached the peak of Everest, he
also expressed his joy and felt humbled for being able to scale the highest peak
in the world successfully. This chapter is a reminiscence of an expedition of
Major Ahluwalia in which he experienced a variety of emotions such as
happiness, joy and sadness. He was also thankful to God for his achievement.
Meanwhile, he realised that scaling one’s inner summit was also important and
higher than climbing a mountain.
Major Ahluwalia was of the opinion that in spite of climbing the highest mountain
in the world, it is extremely important to also climb the summit inside the mind.
He observed that a person should possess three qualities to climb a summit
namely, endurance, persistence and will power. These qualities help a person to
overcome the hurdles in his life. It is imperative for a person to possess these
qualities so that he can enjoy his life and overcome whatever obstacles that come
his way resolutely.
On being asked why Major Ahluwalia chose to climb Mount Everest, he stated
that he loves the mountains. Being the highest and mightiest of all mountains in
the world, it is a challenging task for every climber to scale it without interruption.
He further elaborated that he always had a strong urge to face challenges and
overcome the obstacles. Besides, the joy of climbing Mount Everest is
overwhelming as only a few people are capable of completing the expedition
successfully. Most importantly, he mentioned that climbing the mighty Mount
Everest was not just a physical achievement, but it was also an emotional and
spiritual experience for him. The successful attempt to scale the mountain
brought fame and a sense of fulfilment in him.
Additionally, Major Ahluwalia also said that climbing the summit taught him a
lesson of companionship. In the process of climbing the mountain, two or more
people bond with each other as they share the same rope and other materials.
While one person climbs the mountain, the other climber holds the rope firmly
and another climber cuts the hard ice to make the way ahead. Major Ahluwalia’s
sole intention was to convey the message that it is a difficult task for a single
person to scale the mountain all by himself. Along with physical help, a climber
needs emotional support from their partners too.
Furthermore, Major Ahluwalia stated that when he reached the peak of Mount
Everest, all the climbers felt humbled and thanked and bowed down to God for
helping them achieve their dream. Major Ahluwalia left Guru Nanak’s picture,
Rawat left Goddess Durga’s picture, Phu Dorji left a relic of Lord Buddha and
Edmund Hillary buried a Cross under the heap of snow and stones at Mount
Everest.
On a concluding note, Major Ahluwalia emphasized that it was imperative for
every person to climb the inner peak inside himself as that will bring a
transformation in him. He also added that perhaps climbing the inner summit
within one’s mind is higher than the external peak or Mount Everest. It is
definitely worth an effort and truly satisfying.

Conclusion of The Summit Within

The chapter – The Summit Within teaches a lesson that we should try to
overcome any obstacle that comes in our lives by incorporating three qualities
such as endurance, persistence and will power. Being steadfast in optimising our
inner self can help us achieve greater heights in life.
This is Jody’s Fawn is an extract from a story written by Marjorie Kinnan
Rawlings. It is a touching story about a little boy, Jody and his empathetic
feelings towards a young fawn left abandoned in the forest. Jody has a sensitive
mind with a pure heart so he feels others’ pain dearly. One fine day, a rattlesnake
bites Jody’s father. So, in order to save his father, Jody sets off to the forest. He
kills a doe so that he can use its heart and liver to pull out the poison from his
father’s body. Though he manages to save his father’s life, unfortunately the doe
dies and her fawn is left all alone in the dense forest.
Whenever Jody thinks of the little fawn in the forest, he feels dejected for killing
its mother. He is so worried that he finally decides to bring the little animal to his
home. He discusses with his father, who is a little hesitant about it. However,
Jody tells his father that since they killed the doe, it is their responsibility to take
care of the fawn. Hearing this, Jody’s father agrees with him and allows him to
bring the fawn home. He asks Jody to seek his mother’s permission before
bringing it home.
Jody’s mother is initially surprised. However, Jody tries to convince her stating
that it would not be wise to leave the fawn starving in the midst of the dense
forest and it is their responsibility to take care of it. Dr. Wilson also supports his
decision and persuades Jody’s mother, who finally permits him to bring the fawn
home. Meanwhile, Dr. Wilson tells Jody that he needs to act carefully while trying
to bring the fawn. Jody promises to feed the fawn his portion of milk and take
care of it. Jody’s mother extracts a promise from Jody that he would return home
soon and his father also advises him that the spots in a fawn’s body are in
different directions. Soon, Jody sets off to the forest with Mill-wheel who offers
him a ride on his horse.
Mill-wheel drops him in the forest and leaves. Jody wanders around the forest,
scratches his hands in the thorny bushes while searching for the young fawn.
With great difficulty, he finds the fawn in the midst of the dense forest. Thus,
Jody is successful in bringing the fawn home as he carries it in his arms and
happily feeds some milk to the hungry fawn with his own hands. When he
reaches home, he shows the fawn to his parents and they are elated about his
successful attempt in saving the young fawn from starvation.

Conclusion of This is Jody’s Fawn

The chapter – This is Jody’s Fawn highlights values such as compassion, care,
justice and concern of human beings towards animals. It also teaches us that true
compassion is not just about feeling others’ misery, but extending a helping hand
to relieve their pain.
A Visit to Cambridge is a travelogue written by Firdaus Kanga, a Mumbai-based
journalist and writer. Despite being differently abled, he travelled to many places
across the globe and never considered his disability as a hindrance. He was
indeed an inspiration to the surrounding people. In this chapter, he shared one of
his priceless visits to Cambridge University in England where he met Stephen
Hawking, the most brilliant and completely paralysed astrophysicist. Hawking
was the author of ‘A Brief History of Time’, which is one of the biggest bestsellers
worldwide.
During a walking tour to Cambridge University, he heard about Stephen Hawking
who was a genius astrophysicist with a disability. Mr Hawking had succeeded Sir
Isaac Newton’s chair in the Physics Department at Cambridge University. After
Firdaus was done with the walking tour, he had an urge to meet Stephen
Hawking. So, he called at Hawking’s house and told the latter’s assistant that he
had come all the way from India and was confined to a wheelchair. He expressed
his desire to meet Stephen Hawking and also mentioned that he wanted to write a
book based on his visit to England. Hearing this, the assistant gave him an
appointment between 3:30 and 4 p.m. for the meeting.
When the author met Mr Hawking, he was surprised that such a brilliant
astrophysicist was completely paralysed and confined to a wheelchair like him.
He quickly composed himself and started asking a few questions to Mr Hawking.
At first, he asked Mr Hawking how he dealt with things so courageously. To this,
the genius replied that he had no other option than being brave and accept his
current situation. However, he found it funny when people patronized him.
Firdaus then enquired if Mr Hawking ever got annoyed if they disturb him. To this,
Mr Hawking replied in the affirmative tone with a smile. As the author interviewed
the astrophysicist, he realised that Mr Hawking appeared to be a man with a
beautiful heart and soul to him.
Besides, the author also questioned Mr Hawking if he was unable to see the
humility and kindness in the world due to his disability. Hawking agreed to this
with Firdaus. Finally, the interview came to the end with a message for all the
readers. Mr Hawking said that disabled people should focus on the good in
themselves rather than over-thinking about their disability. They should not
become over-zealous, instead concentrate on things they are good at. Saying so,
Mr Hawking went into his garden. Thus, the author felt that his journey to England
was not just inspiring, but successful too.

Conclusion of A Visit to Cambridge

The chapter – A Visit to Cambridge highlights to students that physical disability
should not be considered a hindrance in someone’s path towards achieving
greater heights in life. One should learn to conquer the disability of the mind,
rather than focusing on the physical disability.
A Short Monsoon Diary consists of a few excerpts from the author, Ruskin
Bond’s diary. He is a nature lover. He describes his experiences of the natural
surroundings during the monsoon season in his diary. He enjoys the beauty of
nature and observes the simultaneous changes that happen in the flora and fauna
during this season. This chapter depicts his day-to-day experiences in the midst
of the rainy season in Mussoorie.
On 24th June, the first monsoon mist hit the hill station. The mist was like a white
blanket that covered the hills and the birds were also silent. He could anticipate
that Bijju was calling out to his sister and running about on the hillside. Due to
the mist, he was unable to see Bijju. The forest seemed to be silent and still due
to the mist as though it were midnight.
On June 25th, there was some genuine monsoon rain that was warm and humid.
However, it was more comfortable than the winter rain. The flowers were
blooming everywhere and the mist gave a certain privacy to the residents. When
a school boy asked the author to describe the hill station, Ruskin Bond described
it as ‘A paradise that might have been’.
On 27th June, the rain brought some seasonal visitors such as a leopard and
thousands of leeches. A leopard was seen preying on several animals and lifting
dogs from the neighbourhood. The author said that he got habituated with the
presence of the leeches as they sucked blood every day. Some new birds like
scarlet minivets also arrived in the area. These birds are vibrant-coloured as they
usually sit silently among the leaves. Besides, the neighbourhood also saw the
blooming of seasonal flowers, a tree creeper rapidly moved up the trunk of the
oak tree and snapped the insects up all the way.
On the night of 2nd August, it rained heavily and the drumming of the rain on the
tin roof delighted him. Although he was inside his cottage untouched by the rain,
yet he felt in touch with the rain.
On 3rd August, it stopped raining and there was some sunshine peeping from the
hill. A woman was chopping some sticks and he could hear the tinkling sound of
cowbells. The author noticed that the animals and birds were coming out to soak
in some sunlight. He was pleasantly surprised to hear the song of a whistling
thrush that came from the depths of the valley.
On August 12th, there was endless rain along with a permanent white mist
covering the valley. There had been no sunshine since the past few days.
Everything around looked very damp and soggy. The author looked out of the
window and noticed a few bobbing umbrellas. Although it wasn’t cold, yet the
rain brought a vibrant and lush appearance to the late-monsoon flowers such as
wild balsam, begonias, dahlias and ground orchids.
By 31st August, the lush monsoon growth had reached its peak and could be
seen everywhere. The seeds of the cobra lily started to become red that indicated
that the rains were coming to an end. Snakes and rodents had started taking
shelter in roofs, attics and godowns as their homes underground were flooded
with rainwater. On the same day, the author also received a cheque of a small
amount in the mail.
On 3rd October, the monsoon departed and the winter rain began. There was
snow at higher altitudes. After the evening hailstorm, the sky was filled with a
beautiful and bright golden light.
On January 26th, the author wrote a few beautiful lines about the winter rain. He
mentioned that the winter rain gave him a lonely feeling and a friend who was
staying with him had also left the place. He sat quietly surrounded by the rhythm
of the rain, but there were no flowers in the winter rain like the monsoon rain. The
trees were also not green anymore and this brought a sense of loneliness in him.
By 23rd March, winter ended and the author could see a rainbow forming in the
clear sky after a gloomy hailstorm.

Conclusion of A Short Monsoon Diary

The chapter – A Short Monsoon Diary highlights the experiences of the author,
Ruskin Bond about the monsoon season that brings fresh changes in the natural
surroundings.
The Great Stone Face is an interesting story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The
story is divided into two parts. In this chapter, we shall discuss The Great Stone
Face – Part 1. The first part of the story revolves around a young man named
Ernest and his fascination with the mountains and hilltops that seemed to
assume various shapes. When Ernest was a little boy, his mother would tell him
tales about the Great Stone Face in the valley that was visible from his cottage.
All the people in the valley would talk about the Great Stone Face. Ernest learnt a
great deal about it from the people in his neighbourhood. The Great Stone Face
was a local mountainside that had huge rocks and hilltops that resembled the
features of a human being’s face from a distance. It was very realistic and indeed
a work of nature.
Ernest always felt that the Great Stone Face was looking upon him with a smiling
face. His mother had told him a local legend that a man resembling the face of the
gigantic mountain would come to the valley some day. That man would be the
noblest and greatest person in the valley. This aroused Ernest’s curiosity even
further. He would spend hours gazing at the Great Stone Face, recollecting all
that his mother told him about it. As a child, he was a happy and helpful child
who grew up to be a sedate and quiet man. He had no teacher and felt that the
Great stone Face was like a teacher to him who would often give him a smile of
kindness and encouragement.
Many years ago, there was a man, Gathergold, who left the valley to earn a
fortune for himself. There was a rumour throughout the valley that this man bore
a resemblance to the Great Stone Face. Later, when he returned to the valley after
becoming rich, Ernest was eager to meet this noble man. However, when Ernest
saw that man, he turned away sadly from the wrinkled shrewdness of the
unpleasant face and looked up the valley at the Great Stone Face in
disappointment. He felt as though the Great Stone Face told him that the real
look-alike would definitely come some day that would resemble the giant face.
Meanwhile, another man had joined the army and left the valley. He was a famous
Commander and was known in the battlefield as Blood-and-Thunder. When he
became old and tired, he returned to his native valley. People of the valley treated
him with great respect and honour. Most people believed that he had a close
resemblance to the Great Stone Face. However, when Ernest saw the General’s
face, he couldn’t recognise him and was not content with others’ views. He still
believed that the real look-alike of the Great Stone Face was yet to arrive in the
valley. He felt that the Great Stone Face silently whispered to him that the man
resembling it would come soon. Ernest agreed to wait until the man resembling
the Great Stone Face arrived in the valley.

Conclusion of The Great Stone Face – Part 1

The chapter – The Great Stone Face – Part 1 illustrates to students about Ernest’s
arduous search to find out the man who would return to the valley one day and
resemble the Great Stone Face.
The Great Stone Face – Part 2 is the final instalment of the story. In the second
part, we learn that Ernest was still eagerly awaiting the arrival of the man
resembling the Great Stone Face. Ernest didn’t go out of the valley and continued
to stay there. He was a simple-hearted man who became wiser as he aged.
Instead of leading a lavish lifestyle outside the valley, he stayed back and worked
for the betterment of the people in the valley.
Being humble and helpful in nature, his wisdom spread far and wide. Many
people would come and meet him to seek his advice. One summer day, a poet
arrived at Ernest’s door holding a book in his hand. He requested Ernest to
provide him shelter for a night, to which the latter happily agreed. The poet was
surprised with Ernest’s hospitable behaviour and was pleased to meet a wise,
gentle and kind man. Ernest was delighted to meet the poet too and wondered if
the poet resembled the Great Stone Face. He told the poet that throughout his life
he had been eagerly awaiting the prophecy regarding the Great Stone Face to
come true. He felt that the poet held the likeness of the Great Stone Face. To this,
the poet faintly smiled and replied that he was not worthy of the likeness.
After having a long conversation with Ernest, the poet was greatly impressed by
him. At sunset, he accompanied Ernest as the latter was speaking to his
neighbours. He spoke very gently to the audience. His words were powerful as
they agreed with his real and deep thoughts. The people harmonised with the life
which Ernest had always lived in the valley. It was not late before the poet
realised that the man who resembled the Great Stone Face was none other than
Ernest himself. He was a noble man with a thoughtful face and had a kind
behaviour towards everyone.
When the poet expressed this in the presence of the audience that Ernest was the
actual look-alike of the Great Stone Face, everyone present vouched for the
poet’s keen observation. Thus, the people agreed that the prophecy was finally
fulfilled. However, Ernest was not content with this agreement and still hoped that
some wiser and better man than himself would arrive in the valley bearing a
resemblance to the Great Stone Face.

Conclusion of The Great Stone Face – Part 2

The chapter – The Great Stone Face – Part 2 highlights to students that the man
who was desperately searching for a look-alike of the Great Stone Face turned
out to be the one who resembled the great mountain. However, he didn’t believe
other people’s words and hoped the man resembling the Great Stone Face would
arrive some day.