BLOCK 4 1. Is it necessary to make children critical viewers of Television? Defend? It is necessary to make children critical viewers of television.

This will enable them to analyse the construction of isolated images and to think critically about the composition of the picture. This will increase their ability to learn things and enable them to understand that they should not believe all that they see. 2. Can we use television to develop media literacy? In what ways? Television develops new literacies while enforcing traditional literacy. It develops visual literacy which is essential for survival in the technological world. It is a powerful media for supplying information. It can very effectively educate people. Programmes can take the place of class-room teaching. 3. How can we interpret the internal contents of a programme? We can interpret the internal contents of a programme by analysing the story well. We should have the ability to recall and recognise what happened and why. This also requires knowledge of the type of literature, codes and conventions of TV programmes. 4. Give an example to compare and contrast media representations with reality. Media representations must be contrasted with reality. The best example is the Vietnam War. The histories and documentaries said something that was totally different from the official American media version. 5. The process of reading television has several elements. Pick them out. The elements of reading television comprise interpretation of the internal elements of the programme, interpretation of the internal construction, grasping the external forces and factors that shape the programme etc. comparing and contrasting media representation with reality and understanding the impact caused by television also are important factors. We should check and verify before we believe something to be true. 6. Interview with a film artist Questions 1. What were the circumstances that drew you to the field of acting? 2. Which was your first film? What was your role? 3. How did you feel when you acted for the first time? 4. In how many films have you acted so far? 5. What role do you like most? 6. Living and acting are different. How do you manage both at the same time? 7. What type of role do you like best to play comic, tragic, serious or villainous? 8. Can you say a few words about your family? 9. Which film are you acting in at present? 10. What are your plans and dreams about the future? 7. Mention the three phases of film making. The making of a film consists of the following three phases. The writing of the scenario is the first phase. Scenario is the basic structure of the film. It describes in words what we see on the screen through image and sound. If it is weak, the film will flop. The second phase is selecting the appropriate location based on the scenario or building a set. It may also involve getting the suitable actors and shooting the entire scene. The third phase is editing. It means including the necessary parts in the proper order cutting out unnecessary parts. 8. Editing is a very important stage in film making. Do you agree? Editing is as much important as scenario and direction. The editor has to see the film repeatedly and decide what to include and what to exclude. He has to put that in the logical order without losing its dramatic and artistic value. 9. Find out the reasons for Chaplins depression at the beginning. Several months after his marriage with Mildred, Chaplin could complete only a three reel comedy Sunnyside. After the marriage, it seemed he had no inspiration or idea. He seemed to have lost creative faculties. So there was depression at the beginning. 10. The circumstances under which Chaplin came to know about the talent of Jackie Coogan. In order to escape from the depression, Charlie Chaplin thought a change was necessary. He went to Orpheum. There he saw an eccentric dancer. The dancer had brought his son also. The boy was to take a bow along with his father. After bowing the boy took a few steps and then ran off. The crowd went into an uproar. The child was asked to come and perform again. The second performance was even better and the audience enjoyed every bit of it. Whatever the boy did was appreciated because of his engaging personality. This is hoe Chaplin came to know about the talent of the boy. 11. Why did he think that the boy would be the ideal actor of his movie? The boys performance was forgotten for a while by Chaplin. It was when he heard that Jackie Coogan was signed up by Roscole Arbuckle that the memory of the boy struck Chaplin. He went on to enumerate the possibilities, the gags and the stories he could do with Jackie Coogan. Charlie Chaplin heard that Jackie Coogan had been signed up by Roscole Arbuckle for a film. The news struck him like a fork lightning. Imagine that Chaplin wrote his diary that night. What would be his feelings? I had the shock of my life, when I heard from someone about the newspaper report that Jackie Coogan was signed up by Roscole Arbuckle. I was immediately reminded of the boys performance at the Orpheum. If only I had signed him up, I could have used him for so many gags and stories.

12. The famous film director, Lenin Rajendran is visiting your school to inaugurate a film festival. Prepare a press release for the inaugural ceremony. Write the press release in 50-60 words. Press Release Office of the Principal GHSS Vettimukal, Thrissur It has been decided to organise a film festival in our school on 13 th and 14th August at our school. The famous film director Lenin Rajendran has kindly consented to inaugurate the function. The famous script writer T A Razak and film star Nedumudi Venu would participate in the function. The film Chemmeen, Pather Panchali and Bicycle Thieves would be screened. Entry restricted by pass. BLOCK 5, MIDDLE AGE Kamala Das is a well known Indian poet writing in English. In this poem, Kamala Das portrays the generation gap that happens in the relationship of mothers and children in a touching way. It also reveals her most sensitive heart before the reader. The poem speaks of the dismal state of a mother whose love is rejected by her son. She vividly depicts the loneliness and estrangement of middle aged people through the thoughts of a poor mother whose full-fledged intimacy and motherhood are neglected by her son. In the opening of the poem, she tells us that one's middle age is when her children become a critic all that she does. At this age the children lashes their tongue without any mercy. They use harsh language towards their parents. This change in their attitude is beautifully compared to the transformation that happens to pupae in a cocoon. The children emerge in harsh adult glory. They do not need their mothers except for serving tea and pressing their dress. The mothers do not take this change as something very natural. They need the company of their children all the same. They miss their children very badly. In their loneliness, they touch books and other things of their children. They weep a little secretly. They can only dream of the days when they narrated many animals' stories to their children. As they remember those days, they can only cry in their present helplessness. It gives them a realization that they are no longer as young as they used to be. It reminds them that it is the time to wake up from the daydreams. This poem is written in free verse. It is written in a conversational tone. The rhythm of the poem takes us to a dreamy world of a lonely mother. The visual imagery in the poem like the pupae coming out the cocoon and the jungle stories written in golden ink are very remarkable. The reader gets such a picture in his mind. It also takes us back to our child hood when we used to listen to such stories from our parents. At the end of the poem, she comes to a realization that things are different in their middle age. This poem can be taken as an effort of the mother to accept the harsh reality in one's life that as the children grow up, the parents grow old. The mother is helpless at the callousness shown by the children. To a woman, motherhood is a part of her feminine self that yearns for love and its fulfilment. But the harsh realities of adolescence overturn it without any remorse. The situation she describes here is one that is common place and found in every other household. Once we finished reading the poem, we could hear the cry of a weeping heart of a mother. The Lottery Ticket 1. Review of The Lottery Ticket Chekhovs The Lottery Ticket is the story of a couple who suddenly begin to hate and distrust each other at the thought of winning a lottery. It is an example of how the human mind begins to work when it is lured by the prospect of sudden riches. It also reveals some of the darker sides of life like hatred, distrust, greed, selfishness and lack of love. The two characters Dmitritch and his wife are on the wings of imagination and build castles in the air. The probability of winning a large fortune confuses them. Dmitritch plans buying an estate spending money on immediate expenses and depositing the balance in the bank. She also dreams and enchanted by her thoughts. Dmitritch wants to go abroad. His wife Masha too wants to go with him. But he is against it. Dmitritch even thinks of avoiding his wife and marrying a fresh younger woman. Their tension deepens. In the tense atmosphere the climax comes when they find that their lottery number does not correspond to the number in the result. Thus they open their eyes to the reality. Finally they begin to live as before this incident The story reveals how the human mind works when good fortune comes. People forget their relationships. Their selfishness is exposed. Husband begins to hate wife and wife is unwilling to share her winnings with her husband. Here Dmitritch and his wife open their eyes to the reality as soon as they realize that their ticket has not won the prize. Their hatred and distrust vanish at once. They go back to their daily life. Chekhov has vividly pictured the thoughts and feelings of the couple. He has portrayed the follies and foibles of human beings through them. The characters are typical of the suffering and erring humanity. Hence the story can be called realistic. 2. What do you think about the relationship between Dmitritch and his wife? The prospect of winning lottery exposes the real nature of Dmitirich and his wife. Their attitude changes totally. He feels that his wife is too old for him and that he is young enough for another marriage. He does not like to take her on foreign tours. He dislikes her looks and her nature. He thinks that she will give him only hundred roubles and she thinks that he will take away everything. Masha is equally contemptuous of her husband. She dislikes his habit of daydreaming at other peoples expense. Masha also has dreams of her own.

The Dear Departed 1. Abel Merryweather Abel Merryweather is the father of Mrs. Slater and Mrs. Jordan. He is a widower of seventy years. He likes to enjoy life as much as possible. Once he got heavily drunk and was in a trance for some time. The elder daughter Mrs. Slator mistakes him for dead. She conveys the death message to the younger sister Mrs. Jordan. Both sisters are trying to get whatever property their father has. As they tried to steal the properties of their father, the old man entered the room all on a sudden. The old man noticed the stolen items. He has realised that neither of his daughters likes to look after him. In the end he decides to change his will and also to get married. Abel teaches his daughters a valuable lesson. 2. Humorous elements in the play There are many humorous elements in the play. The removal of fathers bureau, clock and slippers, and fathers discovery of it provide a lot of humour. When the supposedly dead man comes down alive, the situation is very humorous. The decision to change the will, to marry the widow and to invite everyone to the wedding etc. provides a lot of laughter. 3. Family relationships portrayed in the play The Dear Departed has wide implications in our society. Mrs. Slator and Jordan, the two daughters who dont want to look after their father can be seen in every family in our society. The grandfather reminds us of the helpless old men in our society. Such people are viewed as a burden by the near and dear ones. The play is a satire on the hollowness of the society. 4. Do you think what the Grandfather did in the end was right? Was the punishment given to the daughters sufficient? Write your impression. The Grandfather decides to change his will. According to the new will he proposes to give all his property to whomever he is living with at the time of his death. He is going to marry the widow Mrs. Shorrocks. Thus, the daughters who have money grubbing spirit are taught an unforgettable lesson. His decision is right. This is sufficient punishment for his daughters. They deserve what they get. 5. Prepare a character sketch of Mrs Slator and Mrs Jordan. Both Mrs Slator and Mrs Jordan are disgusting characters. Greed and hypocrisy dominate their personality. Mrs Slater tries to take away the articles of their father as soon as he is dead. Mrs Jordan is no better. If she gets an opportunity she wouldnt mind getting everything for herself. Both of them pretend to care for their father. But neither of them wants him. Mrs Slater claims that her heart breaks to see the articles of her father and she asks her husband to put on the slippers of her father. There is hardly anything admirable in the characters of both sisters. 5. An article in the newspaper says that the Government is planning to put up some welfare homes across the state for the old. In the light of your reading the play, The Dear Departed, write a letter to the editor, expressing your views. The other day I came to know about the governments plan to put up some welfare homes across the state for the old. When men and women become old they are ignored by their children. This is a very severe problem in western countries. It is high time that the government started institutions like this. Children are interested only in the wealth of their parents. They dont care to look after their parents in their old age. In fact, it is the duty of democratic governments to take necessary steps for the welfare of citizens. 6. Seminar report A seminar was conducted in our school on the topic Health Tourism A boon or curse. The meeting was inaugurated by Smt. Sheela (President Gramapanchayath) at school auditorium. Mr. Sugathan, our school principal, welcomed the gathering. Prof. P Rajan, Master Sandeep, and Kumari Sini, presented Papers on the topic. After the paper presentations, audience were given chance to ask questions. School leader Varun proposed the vote of thanks. 7. Campus Politics - For a. students are part of the society. Being sensitive to issues that concern the general society, they are bound to react b. Campus politics give some kind of training to those who wish to enter politics. c. Campus politics helps students to develop initiative, resourcefulness and social sense. d. Campus politics invariably helps students to make speeches and counter arguments, discuss idea and strategies. Against - a. Campus politics leads to enmity among students b. they cannot concentrate on studies. c. Number of working days gets reduced considerably due to strikes. d. A student politician never turns out to be a good citizen 8. Write a paragraph on your plans for a career or higher studies after you complete the higher secondary course. Every student must have an ambition in life. Without it no one will be able to make any achievements in life. After completing the Higher Secondary Course I propose to write the Medical Entrance examination. If I get through with a reasonably good rank my plan is to join the Kottayam Medical College. I am ready to do any amount of hard work to come out with flying colours. After passing MBBS, I will take a PG degree from some reputed institution. The medical profession suits my nature. 9. Lottery tickets do more harm than good Against - 1. Lottery ticket brings fortune 2. It brings income to the government 3. It provides employment 4. Poor people can prosper through lottery. For - 1. Lottery ticket will not bring fortune to all buyers 2. There is an element of cheating in lottery 3. Lottery makes people lazy 4. There are other creative methods for employment.