Here Smt.Jisha K, HSA(English), GBHSS Tirur, shares with us a few discourses Notes and Review of lesson "Half a Day" of IX English. EduKsd blog team extend our sincere gratitude to Jisha Teacher.
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DISCOURSES BASED ON THE LESSON - HALF A DAY
Diary Entry
The little boy in the story, Half a day was very confused. He couldn’t make out why it was necessary to attend school.. He jots down his thoughts in his diary the night previous to the school opening day. Attempt his diary…
Sunday
10 P. M
Oh, God ! Today was the last day of all my comforts and joyfulness. Tomorrow I must go with my father to school. Every one says it is time that I should get cast in a school.. But I have no idea why people around me force me to attend school. Would I be punished there for the mischiefs I have done? Or would they stop me from eating, playing and roaming around? I don’t know. I guess that it must be a serious place. Even my mother didn’t plead for me to stay back. She always has been a huge pillar of support for all my worries and insecurities.. I find no birds that ever go to school and still they live.. Why is it always for me to leave my happiness and do something that I wish not to do.. God only knows what is in store for me. Would I be able to mix up with the kids? Would the teacher be kind and loving enough to bear my pranks? Could I come back home at any time if I felt like missing my mother… Oh… I don’t know… My heart leaps up at the slightest thought of being with a lot of strangers.. I couldn’t really put into words what I feel… God! Please be with me so that I could comfortably face my first day at school.
The boy grows up into an old man. He is waiting at the crossroads to reach his home. But everything seemed changed for him. He jots down his thoughts in a diary. Prepare the same
Monday
11 PM
Oh.. What a tiresome day.. How hard I stood for long at the crossroads to reach my home. I couldn’t make out what happened all on a sudden. The world was not this hectic before. What happened to those beautiful streets lined with gardens? Well, there was much comfort in seeing them. When did these vehicles invade this place? Why is there a huge crowd of humanity just brimming here? And the hills of refuse. Oh God not to speak of it. I really miss the fields that covered it. God, these loud noises, it unnerves me.What a huge mess is on the road! The filthy mouthed taxi driver, I nearly fainted hearing him speaking.. My life was so peaceful. But all on a sudden, every thing went roller coaster.. I just have faint memories of the early mornings and the beautiful sunsets. But things have drastically changed.. I must accept the fact… May be I am reaching the fag end of my life. The world has gone faster and my pace is slow… Oh God. Please help me continue my life as a penance.
Conversation
The boy and his mother talks about the school opening day. Prepare their conversation…
Mother : Naguib, Tomorrow is a very special day for you.
Naguib : Mom, I didn’t get you.
Mother : We are going to cast you in a school..
Naguib: But I didn’t do any mischief
Mother : Don’t be silly honey, it’s not for any punishment.
Naguib : Is it that important to attend a school?
Mother : Yes my son. If you want to be a successful person..
Naguib : You mean it is a good place?
Mother : Of course. It is a place where all your needs will be met.
Naguib : Would I get friends to play with?
Mother : Not just to play, you would also learn a lot of new things from there.
Naguib : Would they hurt me?
Mother : Never. They would take good care of you.
Naguib : Then it must be very interesting..
Mother : Sure. You would find it amusing..
A boy approached the little boy, the protagonist of the story on his first day at school. They
had a conversation. Prepare their conversation..
The boy : Hello, What is your name?
Naguib.. I am Naguib.
The boy.Who dropped you here?
Naguib. My father.
The boy. You are very lucky.
Naguib. Why did you say so?
The boy. Because my father is dead..
Naguib. Oh! I am so sorry..
The boy : It’s okay Naguib..
Naguib.. By the way, what is your good name?
The boy. I am Ajmal.
Naguib. Ajmal, it’s nice talking to you. I feel so home.
The boy. You are always welcome.
Naguib. Thank you so much for your company.
The boy. Oh. It’s my pleasure.
Letter
The boy from the story, Half a day writes a letter to his friend about his anxieties about going to school. Prepare the letter..
Abu Khoda
02.06 .2024
Dear Anush,
It has been a long time since we met. How are things going there? Are you in full spirits? I hope you are good. I am also fine here except some anxieties. My parents plan to cast me in a school this academic year. They say it is time for me to attend school. But you know something, I am at sea. I have no idea what to do. Actually I do not wish to go to school. I feel it will rob me off all my joys and comforts and all my freedom. Also I have a gut feeling that there is hardly any thing good in there. I am scared to death. I fear I might get punished from there. Not only that I also guess that I could not make friends as I know none from there. It is going to be a nightmarish experience. How would I spend the whole day there with out my parents? I have never parted them so far. I feel like crying. What about you? What did your parents say? Would you be also sharing the same plight of mine? Anyways, I wish you best of luck. And please don’t forget to write me back. I will be waiting to hear you..
Yours lovingly
Naguib.
The boy in the story is very inquisitive. He asks a lot of questions to his father. Prepare his questionnaire..
- Why am I send to a school?
- Would they punish me?
- Would I be able to make friends?
- Will the kids play with me?
- Would you stay back until I leave the school?
- Why is it important to attend school?
- Can’t we grow if we didn’t go to school?
Character Sketch of the Boy
The boy in the story, Half a day is very innocent, inquisitive and curious. Prepare his character sketch.
The boy, who is the protagonist of the story, Half a day, seems handsome and energetic in his new clothes, the black shoes, the green school uniform and the red tarboosh . He had a mixed delight in his new clothes. The boy from the story, Half a day is a keen observer of his surroundings as he minutely describes the school premises. But at the same time, he is too eager, anxious and inquisitive. He questions his father about the need to get cast in a school. He also believes that school is some kind of correctional home where they punish kids for their mischief.. The boy, like any other boy of his age is somewhat reluctant to go to school as it would curtail his personal joys and comforts. He knows for sure that he had to abstain himself from all the intimacies of his home. But the boy is so obedient and responsible as he readily listens to his father and obeys him. He is adaptive to the situations and gets mixed up with his classmates. Soon he learned the lessons of care and share and some life skills. The boy also realizes certain things which he had thought otherwise are not that scary.Often times he turns reflective. Hence the boy is a good example of all the good qualities like perseverance, patience, kindness. He also is friendly, caring, understanding and lovable. From an innocent anxious child, he has turned to a worthy person rich with life skills.
Profile
Prepare the profile of Naguib Mahfouz
Born: 11 December 1911
Place: Cairo, Egypt.
Occupation : Novelist, screen writer, playwright..
Major works: The Cairo Trilogy, Children of our Alley, The Harafish
Awards : Nobel prize for literature in 1988
Death : 30 August 2006.
NAGUIB MAHFOUZ
The versatile Arabic screen writer cum novelist and playwright, Naguib Mahfouz was born on 11 December in the year 1911 at Cairo in Egypt. This gifted writer has penned works galore to enrich Arabic literature. Some of his major works are, “The Cairo Trilogy, Children of our Alley and The Harafish. He was awarded the most prestigious Nobel prize for literature in the year 1988. The eventful life of this legend took leave of this world on 30 August in the year 2006.
Write Up
School is a factory that makes useful people out of children.. The father in the story explains to his son. Prepare a write up on the same.
Schools are gateways of knowledge.The four walls of a classroom shapes the future of a nation. The statement, School is a factory that makes useful people out of children is a bit perplexing since the factory is entirely mechanic and focuses on similar kinds of produce as they most often have similar moulds.. But a school even if it shares some of the traits of the factory like standardizing in the sense of providing a common foundation in literacy, math and other subjects, it also prepares the children for further education.. In a school, like a factory, knowledge is transferred to a large group. And one of the most needed strategies, to specify,the discipline, which is the backbone of any productive work is imparted from school. It helps the learners to follow instructions and work in collaboration. But in some other aspects, school is far ahead of factories. The learners are not roughly treated as raw materials to be churned into useful products. Instead, the learners are taken care of individually. And each individual is different. Hence the learning objectives and outcome may vary from student to student. It is a universally acknowledged fact that schools help one to grow to his full . The life skills, the social skills and a lot of other things are provided, kindled and nurtured from school. No one can deny that school creates responsible citizens, morally stable individuals and in all it’s true sense of the word genuine human beings. The all round development of a child is taken care of at schools. Hence they are the centres where a child is moulded according to his tastes and talents. In that sense schools are treasure troves where gems are dug out.The story through the character, the boy's father makes this clear to the readers that schools play a vital role in shaping an individual.
You have gone through the story Half a day by Naguib Mahfouz. You are really overwhelmed by the transition the boy had in this story. Narrate the story to your grand mother....
A couple of days back I have read this beautiful Story, ”Half a day” by Naguib Mahfouz?. I was really amazed by the huge transformation the boy had. In fact it was a very interesting story. At the outset of it, a boy was being led to a school and he had mixed delights. He was very curious and observed that the school premises were beautifully outlined by gardens. But at the same time, he had his share of worries and insecurities as well. He was a bit doubtful whether the school is of any good other than tearing him away from the joys and comforts of his home. Not only that he questions his father why he was send to a school. He was also suspicious that the school is a place where he might get punished. He was blessed to have a supportive and kind father who explained to him that school is a factory that makes useful people out of children. As they reached the school, the boy turned nervous and had a bunch of questions in his mind. His father nudged him and reminded him that it was a decisive day in his life. The boy was worried if he could make friends with the kids or not. His father gave him confidence to enter the class room all by himself. He also reassured him that he would stand by him and wait for him. The boy soon found teachers and other children, all of them strangers. Quite contrary to his belief he gelled up with them easily. He realized a lot of facts. As he was very adaptive he made certain submissions and was very quick to learn that school is not just about playing and fooling around. The element of pain, hurt and sufferings also existed side by side. He also had the hormone induced identity troubles like any other kid of his age. He coped well with the system and with the way of the world. As the story progressed, the boy also grew into an adult and then an old man. Much has been seen and done. Much has been given and taken. A full fledged life was lived to satisfaction. But at the end of the story, the surroundings too have given way to changes. The serene gardens that adorned the streets disappeared. The city seemed hectic with hordes of people and the cacophony of noise. Roads were but long queued places that gets on nerves. No old man who preferred peace would ever like the changed city. With the advent of developments came the risk of mental irritations, impatience and miseries that add up the physical tortures. The old man had but a faint memory of the morning and the sunset. He failed to arrest what really happened in half a day. He couldn't really get it. He made up his mind to resolve this mystery sitting with his father at home. But he wasn’t there either…Time flashed through his life as if a wave . His past is embedded in his present. May be he could dig his future in his past too. That was a wonderful observation by T. S Eliot.. The narrator of the story is mostly in his past and his present is something that he could not identify. Hence the transition is brilliantly drawn.. It has a direct reference to the cycles of his life just like the seasons. The story was a memorable one. It has a philosophic under tone as well. The boy who was once a timid, anxious and nervous one has earned much knowledge to accept the changes and embrace even mortality. The writer has brilliantly portrayed the three phases of human life in this story-the age of innocence, the age of growth and learning and the age of helplessness and dependence..
Prepared by: Jisha K; HST English, GBHSS Tirur, Malappuram
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