The Bear by Anton Chekhov-GCE-OL-Literature

Summary

The play “The Bear” is a farce. It is full of many absurd situations and remarks. There are three main characters in the play and they all make us laugh with their absurd behavior and comments.

Popova is a widow. Her husband died seven months ago, but she is still in mourning. Her servant, Luka advises her to give up her mourning. He advises her to see her neighbors, but she says that she will keep on mourning until her death.

In the meanwhile, Smirnov comes to take 1200 roubles from Popova. Her husband used to buy oat from him. Popova tells him that her steward is out and she will pay him the day after tomorrow.

However, Smirnov insists on taking the money that day. He behaves rudely. He even makes fun of Popova’s mourning and her state of mind. Popova also becomes rude. They speak against each other’s sex and use insulting words. Smirnov thinks that he has been insulted. He challenges Popova to fight a duel.

Popova accepts the challenge and brings her husband’s revolver. However, she does not know how to fire. She asks Smirnov to teach her how to fire. The situation changes and Smirnov is impressed by her boldness and beauty. He says that he does not want to fight the duel. He expresses his love for her. He offers her his hand.

First, she insists on fighting, but then asks him to go. She changes her decision repeatedly and then decides to marry him. When Luka returns with other servants to beat Smirnov, he is surprised to see them touching each other.

1.                 Describe the reasons behind the marriage of Popova and Smirnov.

Both Popova and Smirnov had their own reasons of marriage. We shall discuss them one by one.

Popova had been mourning the death of her husband for the last seven months. She had been leading a lonely and sad life since then. Seven months was a long period. Now time had conquered her grief. Inwardly, she wanted some change in her life. She did not want to continue this mourning any more. Besides, it is human psychology that man gets sick and tired of doing the same thing for a long period.

The second reason may be the advice of her servant Luka. He shocked her by making her understand that in ten years’ time, she would not be beautiful anymore and no man would look at her. It was shocking for Popova.

The third reason was that Popova had a very romantic nature. Her mourning the death of her husband for seven months shows this. However, when Smirnov assured her of his love, she was greatly moved. It was very romantic that a man was on his knees, was offering her his hand, and was speaking very romantic dialogues. Smirnov said, “…I’m on my knees like a fool, offering you my hand…” It was all according to her romantic nature. She could not resist it and accepted the proposal.

Smirnov decided to marry Popova because he fell in love with her. He was greatly impressed by her beauty and boldness. He said, “But what a woman!” and, “That’s the sort I can understand!” He further says, “I’ve never in my life seen one like her!” He also says, “I love you as I’ve never loved before!”

Therefore, these were the reasons behind the marriage of Popova and Smirnov. (289)

2.                 What was the main issue or conflict between Smirnov and Popova?

When we go through the play “The Bear”, we find that at first, the main conflict between them was money, but later this conflict changed into another conflict – insult.

Popova’s late husband was to pay some money to Smirnov. He used to buy oats for his horses. However, before paying the money he died. Seven months had passed. Now Smirnov and come to Popova to take his money. Unfortunately, Popova’s steward was not present. Therefore, she was unable to pay his money that day. She plainly told Smirnov about this situation. She promised that she would pay his money the day after tomorrow. However, Smirnov insisted on taking the money on that day. Smirnov talked to her rudely and in an uncivilized manner. He made fun of her mourning. Popova also made fun of him. She even abuses him and calls him a bear. She said, “You’re a boor! A coarse bear! A bourbon! A monster!”

Smirnov thought that Popova had insulted him. On the other hand, Popova thought that Smirnov did not know how to behave before women. She wanted to kill him for that. This was the second main conflict between them. This conflict between them grew serious and they decided to fight a duel. Popova brought her late husband’s revolver.

Therefore, we can say that at first the main conflict between them was money. However, later this conflict changed into another conflict – insult. Both of them thought that they had been insulted. Luckily, these conflicts did not bring any serious consequences. (254)

3.                 The play “The Bear” is a farce (ridiculous situation). Discuss.

Describe the comic elements of the play “The Bear”.

When we go through the play “The Bear”, we find that it is a farce. A farce is full of many absurd situations and remarks. These situations and remarks make the readers laugh. There are three main characters in the play and they all make us laugh with their absurd comments. There are also many absurd situations. When the play starts, we see that Luka is advising Popova to leave her mourning and go out to see her neighbours. However, his way of advising her is very absurd. He gives the examples of cats, midges, and spiders. We simply laugh at these examples. Popova looks at the photograph of her husband and calls him a ‘bad child’. The word ‘bad child’ makes us laugh.

When Popova refuses to give Smirnov the money, he says, “I have not the pleasure of being either your husband or your finance, so please don’t make scenes.” These remarks are very funny and absurd and we laugh at them. When Popova accepts the challenge of duel from Smirnov, he says that he will bring her down like a chicken. The word ‘chicken’ is very funny.

We find the most comic and absurd situation in the play when Popova brings her husband’s revolvers and asks Smirnov to teach her how to fire. This is very absurd that she asks her enemy to teach her how to fire. It is also very absurd that Smirnov starts teaching her. What a funny and absurd situation it is! He not only teaches her how to fire, but he also tells her the prices of different revolvers. Another situation is very funny when Popova changes her mind repeatedly. At one time, she asks him to leave and at another asks him to stay.

From the above discussion, we can conclude that it is a farce and there are many comic and absurd elements in the play. The writer has created comedy through funny comments and absurd situations. (327)

4.                 Discuss the title of the play “The Bear”.

The title of the play “The Bear” is quite justified. This title suggests the attitude of Smirnov who is just like a bear. In everyday language, we call ‘bear’ to a person who is rude, bad mannered and bad tempered.

When we go through the play, we find that Smirnov is bad-tempered and rude. On his first appearance in the play, he calls Luka, the servant of Popova, fool and ass. Popova tells him that her steward is not present and so she cannot pay the money that day but Smirnov does not listen to her. When Popova tells him that she is in a state of mind, Smirnov makes fun of her state of mind. He even makes fun of her mourning. He makes fun of her wearing lipstick and powdering her face.

Then he talks against women. Popova is right when she says that he does not know how to behave before women. When Luka asks him to leave, he gets angry and threatens him. He says, “Shut up! Who are you talking to? I’ll chop you into pieces!” these words spoken by Smirnov clearly show how bad-tempered he is.

He is so rude that he challenges Popova to fight a duel. Now it is very rude to challenge a woman to fight a duel. He is ready to kill her and says, “I’ll bring her down like a chicken! I’m not a little boy or a sentimental puppy; I don’t care about this “softer sex.”

Therefore, from the above discussion we can conclude that the title of the play is quite justified. It suggests the attitude of Smirnov who is just like a bear in his attitude. (280)

5.                 Justify the end of the play “The Bear”.

No doubt, the end of the play “The Bear” is very sudden and unexpected. We see that both Smirnov and Popova have revolvers in their hands. They are going to fight a duel and to kill each other but suddenly they decide to marry. This is unexpected. However, when we go through the play, we find that this sudden and unexpected end has many reasons. We shall discuss them one by one.

The reason of Popova’s change of mind was that Popova had been mourning the death of her husband for the last seven months. She had been leading a lonely and sad life since then. Seven months was a long period. Now time had conquered her grief. Inwardly, she wanted some change in her life. She did not want to continue this mourning any more. Besides, it is human psychology that man gets sick and tired of doing the same thing for a long time.

The second reason may be the advice of Luka, her servant. He shocked her by telling her that in ten year’s time, she would not be beautiful anymore and no man would look at her. It was shocking for Popova. The third reason was that Popova had a very romantic nature. When Smirnov assured her of his love, she was greatly moved. It was all according to her romantic nature.

Smirnov decide to marry Popova because he fell in love with her. He was greatly impressed by her beauty. When Popova accepted his challenge of fighting a duel, he was greatly impressed by her boldness too. So, he changed his mind and decided to marry her.

The most important point in that it is a comedy and the end of a comedy cannot be serious. Its end must be funny and pleasant.

 Therefore, we can conclude that although the end of the play is sudden and unexpected, yet it is quite justified. (318)

6.                 Both Smirnov and Popova have the same qualities of character. Discuss.

Both Popova and Smirnov are the chips off the same block. Discuss.

It is quite right to say that both Smirnov and Popova have the same qualities of character.

When we go through the play “The Bear” carefully, we find that both are rude, romantic, quarrelsome and hot-tempered. Both swear not to marry all their lives, but they change their decision.

When the play starts, we see that Smirnov comes right in without getting any permission. He calls Luka fool and ass. Later, he makes fun of Popova’s mourning and her state of mind. He speaks against women and uses insulting words. It is also very rude to challenge a woman to fight a duel. He threatens that he will chop Luka into pieces. He is romantic by nature. He falls in love with Popova. He tells Popova that he had fought duels three times because of women. He changes his decision and decides to marry Popova.

Popova is also just like Smirnov. She is rude too. She abuses Smirnov. She talks against men. When Smirnov challenges her to fight a duel, she at once accepts the challenge. She goes and brings revolvers. Smirnov wants to avoid the duel, but she insists on fighting it. This shows how quarrelsome and hot-tempered she is.

She is romantic by nature. She mourns the death of her husband for seven months. She talks to his photograph and promises to continue mourning until her death. This is romantic but she also changes her decision of mourning until her death and decides to marry Smirnov.

Therefore, we can conclude that both Smirnov and Popova are the chips off the same block and they have the same qualities of character. (272)

The Bear by Anton Chekov-GCE-OL-Literature

The Bear is a comedy play. It has two main characters. Popova and Smirnov. Popova is a young lady, whose husband is dead; but she is still mourning at his death. She does not leave the house and meet any one and she is wearing a black dress to prove that she loves her husband even after seven years of his death. Although he was so unkind and faithless to her, yet she is and will be true to him forever. Her servant, Luka, is reassuring and telling her that she is young and should forget her dead husband now. He says there are many good people around and she should get married again, but she is so attached to her husband’s memories that she does not agree with him.

A young man, named Smirnov, comes to Popova to get his debt back that Popova’s husband had borrowed from him because he used to buy oats for his horse, Toby. He tells Luka that he wants to see Popova, but she refuses to see him. He pushes his way in and sits in the drawing room. Luka goes to tell Popova that the devil has come in forcibly. Popova sees Smirnov and tells him that she is in a state of mind that she cannot pay attention to money matters. She also says that he will get his money when her steward comes back from town; but Smirnov says that he wants the money now because he has to pay the interest and if he does not do that the creditors will take his estate and give him a hard time. At this, Popova says that since she does not have money at the moment, she cannot pay.

Smirnov becomes angry because he has been calling on his debtors; but none of them has paid him and here he is met by Popova in a state of mind. This really annoys Smirnov and he says, “Madam, you have buried yourself within the four walls of your house; but you haven’t forgotten to powder your face yet.” Smirnov behaves awkwardly and rudely and says, “You cannot get round me with your dimpled cheeks and weeds. I have refused twelve women and nine have refused me. I have fought duels three times on account of women.” He calls all women insincere, selfish, faithless, and trivial to the marrow of their backbone. Popova also calls him a bear three times. This leads both of them to a fight, which may decide whether only men need pay for their insults or women must also pay, as they want emancipation. Luka becomes afraid and goes to call gardener and other servants to stop these people from fighting. Popova brings pistols; but she does not know how to fire. Smirnov teaches her. The process of asking for debt and Popova’s stylish attitude makes him fall in love with her. He madly loves her like a student. Popova also begins to like him. Instead of fighting, they are drawn close to each other. When Luka, returns with gardener and other servants, he finds both of them in happy union and Popova says, “Tell them in the stables that Toby is not to have any oats at all today.”

The Bear is a farce. The boisterous situations make it a complete farce. It is a direct criticism on hypocrisy of the people of Russian society that how their states of mind change and how they behave differently from their actual nature.

Great Expectations -GCE-AL-Literature

Great Expectations is an account of a young boy’s moral education. A study in human weakness, it depicts the rise in social status of the seven-year-old orphan Pip, the novel’s narrator and chief character and a kind of Everyman. On Christmas Eve in a cemetery, Pip meets Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict who makes him steal some food and a file from the forge where he lives with his sister and her husband, Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. Shortly thereafter, Pip is hired by a wealthy old woman named Miss Havisham to be a playmate for her beautiful adopted daughter, Estella.

Jilted years ago on her wedding day, Miss Havisham is a recluse. She lives in a world of the past at desolate Satis House, a home whose name means “enough”; the ancestor who built it believed that whoever lived there could never want more. During his frequent visits to Miss Havisham’s home, Pip begins to believe erroneously that her fortune will make him a gentleman, will bring him the love of Estella, and will provide him with prosperity. These are his great expectations.

Miss Havisham, however, has no hopes for happiness and no intention of leaving a legacy of happiness to anyone. Rather, she is a schemer who enjoys making nearly everyone around her miserable. She teaches Estella to hate men, exploits Pip, and vexes her ever-hopeful relatives. Although Pip eventually receives money from another source, Estella continues to scorn him and to be as coldly distant as a star. What Miss Havisham does is turn Estella and Pip into snobs.

In London, Pip matures while dealing with many strange situations. From Mr. Jaggers, a criminal lawyer who becomes his guardian, Pip discovers that he does indeed have a benefactor and great expectations. Jaggers gives Pip some money, and his clerk John Wemmick helps him. Pip takes up lodgings with Herbert Pocket, a relative of Miss Havisham from whom he learns her story and the manners of a gentleman. Soon, Pip feels superior to others, neglects his friends back home, and falls into debt. Proud and selfish, he feels ashamed to have the patient and polite but unpolished Joe Gargery visit him. When Magwitch drops by unexpectedly, Pip finds out that he is his benefactor. The felon tells him that the money he has been sending to Jaggers is part of a fortune he has made as a sheep farmer in Australia. Although aghast, Pip resolves to protect the escaped convict.

As Pip learns more about Magwitch, he begins to redeem himself. He finds out that Molly, Jaggers’ housekeeper, was Magwitch’s lover. Wemmick tells him that Molly strangled a rival in a fit of jealousy over Magwitch. Jaggers gained her release, and she has been working for him since then. Estella, ironically, is the daughter of Molly and Magwitch—not the genteel maiden of Pip’s fantasies. During one of Pip’s visits to Satis House, Miss Havisham promises to procure nine hundred pounds for Pip so that he can purchase a business partnership for Pocket at Clarriker’s. Shortly thereafter, Miss Havisham dies in a fire at Satis House. With his act of generosity toward Herbert and an excursion to smuggle Magwitch out of England, Pip overcomes his selfishness. The latter, however, is unsuccessful. Wounded in a scuffle with the convict Compeyson, Miss Havisham’s former lover and his former partner in crime, Magwitch is captured and taken to a prison infirmary. Pip visits the dying convict there and tells him that he has a beautiful daughter, a lady whom Pip loves. He is referring to Estella.

Although she does not care for him, Estella marries a sulky oaf named Bentley Drummle. When he returns from an eight-year sojourn in India, Pip hears that Drummle has died from an accident involving the ill-treatment of a horse and that Estella has remarried a Shropshire doctor with whom she is living prosperously on the fortune that she inherited from Miss Havisham. One day, Pip sees Estella in Piccadilly. Her carriage stops and the two talk briefly, shake hands, and part. The novel originally ends with Pip estranged from all who were associated with his great expectations.

When Great Expectations was published in book form, Dickens rewrote the ending, offering some hope for his main character. Pip visits Satis House and finds Estella still a widow; she is kinder to him, and Pip again envisions a future together.

Do/Does/Did with question words

You should do this activity in your book.

Do/Does/Did with question words

1.      She went home. Where did she go?

2.      He comes by bus. How does he come?

3.      They buy rice? What do they buy?

4.      He has 10 friends. How many friends does he have?

How many friends has he?

5.      This shirt cost me Rs.1000/=. How much did this shirt cost you?

6.      He will come tomorrow. When will he come?

7.      They had dinner at home. Where did they have dinner?

8.       The letter was posted. What was posted?

9.      Nimal did it? Who did it?

10.  I used Ravi’s pen. Whose pen did you use?

Activity

 Write the following statements in question form using the suitable question words.

(What/which/who/whom/whose/where/why/when/what time/at what time/how/how often/how long/how many/ how much)

1.      Father returned from Colombo last week. -----------------------------------------------?

2.      Father returned from Colombo last week. -----------------------------------------------?

3.      Father returned from Colombo last week. -----------------------------------------------?

4.      He works at Talawa.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------?

5.      He works at Talawa.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------?

6.      The children played cricket. ---------------------------------------------------------------?

7.      The children played cricket. ---------------------------------------------------------------?

8.      Mother prepares dinner in the kitchen. ---------------------------------------------------?

9.      Mother prepares dinner in the kitchen. ---------------------------------------------------?

10.  Mother prepares dinner in the kitchen. ---------------------------------------------------?

11.  I use my father’s laptop. --------------------------------------------------------------------?

12.  I use my father’s laptop. --------------------------------------------------------------------?

13.  He has lunch at 1.00 pm. --------------------------------------------------------------------?

14.  He has lunch at 1.00 pm. --------------------------------------------------------------------?

15.  He has lunch at 1.00 pm. --------------------------------------------------------------------?

16.  Ravi visited his uncle to get a help. --------------------------------------------------------?

17.  Ravi visited his uncle to get a help. --------------------------------------------------------?

18.  Ravi visited his uncle to get a help. --------------------------------------------------------?

19.  They came to see us last week by car. -----------------------------------------------------?

20.  They came to see us last week by car. -----------------------------------------------------?

21.  They came to see us last week by car. -----------------------------------------------------?

22.  They came to see us last week by car. -----------------------------------------------------?

23.  We eat fish once a week. --------------------------------------------------------------------?

24.  We eat fish once a week. --------------- -----------------------------------------------------?

25.  We eat fish once a week. --------------- -----------------------------------------------------?

26.  He likes blue colour.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------?

27.  He likes blue colour.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------?

28.  Sumudu loves his mother. -------------------------------------------------------------------?

29.  Sumudu loves his mother. -------------- -----------------------------------------------------?

30.  The train takes 05 hours to go to Colombo. ------------- ----------------------------------?

31.  The train takes 05 hours to go to Colombo. -----------------------------------------------?

32.  This bag costs me Rs.1000/=.----------------------------------------------------------------?

33.  This bag costs me Rs.1000/=.----------------------------------------------------------------?

34.  This bag cost me Rs.1000/=. ----------------------------------------------------------------?

35.  Lahiru ate 05 mangoes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------?