Headache

Introduction:
R.K. Narayan (1906-2001) is one of the most famous and distinguished Indian
writer in English. He had a fine insight into various aspects on the lives of the
poor and the middle class people, particularly in South India. He makes the dull
and common place events more interesting and this essay is one such essay. In a
writing career that spanned over sixty years, Narayan received many awards and
honours. His writings are full of humour. In this essay he explains the advantages
of headache.
A blessing for Mankind:
R.K. Narayan explains how headache conferred on mankind as a blessing by a
benign providence and also talks about the usefulness of headache to avoid
difficult situations. He later narrates an incident in his school life about the letter
writing exercise, where his teacher used headache as a cause in the specimen
letter. He always wondered what made his teacher to select for headache as a
cause even in a specimen letter. Later he talks about the drill class during his
school days and how students usually mentioned ‘headache’ as an excuse for
avoiding the drill class after the school hours. One day the instructor asked all the
students suffering from headache to hold their arms. For many students it raised
large hope. The instructor also added that he was going to give them some special
exercise to cure their splitting headache. Not even a boy raised his arms. Thus the
instructor put an end to that problem.
Touch of Importance:
Headache gives the sufferer a touch of importance because it can be mentioned
in any social gathering and is well taken. No other pain can be so openly
mentioned with freedom from punishment. Other aches sound crude and bad
which cannot be mentioned in publish and thus headache helps us to avoid many
embarrassing situation.
What is indisposition?
Indisposition is a superior expression; it can be used only by eminent
people. R. K. Narayan was really concerned about finding the real meaning of the
word indisposition since it is very vague and confusing. He feels that he was not
able to understand the meaning of the word indisposition except that it sounds very
well in press notes or health bulletins or in messages from eminent men to
gatherings to which they have been invited. It cannot be written directly and it will
sound better in the third person. A gentlemen is an eminent one, has a secretary or
a deputy who can speak for him. For example a gentleman regrets his inability to
attend the meeting today owing to indisposition (sickness or
unwillingness). People will understand and accept the statement and will not
question the concerned person.
 R.K. Narayan wants to know the perfect meaning of indisposition. Is the
concerned person down with flu or malaria or cold or rheumatism (pain in joints
and muscles)? He feels that the word indisposition could be used only at a
particular level, not by all and if a school boy says “As I am indisposed, I want to
be let off”, he will have his ears twisted for his intelligence beyond his age.
Headache as an excuse:
If we openly say that we want to avoid the situation or an important meeting,
people will get angry. No one has really got courage to tell that he/she is not
willing to attend a meeting or a social gathering. The world is not yet ripe for such
outspokenness and frankness. So we safely use headache as an excuse.
At home, headache is used as an excuse to avoid many uncomfortable
situations. The mother-in-law, who is angry with the daughter-in-law, uses it to
avoid food. The son, who does not want to take his wife out, gives headache as an
excuse. The boy, who has skipped his homework, claims headache in order to
avoid his tutor and to send him back away. The cultured existence is not to
interfere too deeply, but to accept the face value as expressed by the speaker.
Conclusion:
Headache has become a confirmed habit. Lots of medicines have been produced
to cure headache, which people always carry with them and feels uneasy without
them. Opticians give glasses to cure and relieve headache. All these things prove
that mankind easily begins to believe in myths.

Summary Of Best Investment I Ever Made

A.J. Cronin is Scottish writer of "The Best Investment I Ever Made".

The word investment gives different ideas to different people, but it is generally
associated with money and return gained in terms of money. But gains of an
investment doesn't have to be monetary form, it can be gains of new generations
too.

Cronin is on a travel on a liner. He had decided to relax as he was tired. He

realized that somebody was observing him. After couple of days, the man who was
observing Cronin with his wife approached to Cronin and met him. This man was
Mr.John and he was feeling dissappointed that Cronin had not recognized him.
Finally Mr.John reminded him about an incident.

25 years ago, Mr.John was a orphan and poor boy, who stolen some money from
the office that he was working in. He scared and attempted to suicide and Cronin
was the doctor who healed Mr.John and gave him some money to replace the
amount that Mr.John had stolen from the office.

After incident Mr.John became a grown up and he sacrifices his belongings on

helping orphan kids. Mr.John became a man who loves charity with a small
amount of money that Cronin spent. What can we say is the best investment is the
people and gain of that investment is priceless.

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Introduction

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is easily one of the most famous, as

well as one of the most anthologized, of Robert Frost’s poems. It consists of four
quatrains that have the following rhyme scheme: aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd. The
poem’s central narrative is simple, and the scene is understated, even stark, bare of
elaboration or detail. A traveler pauses late one snowy evening to admire the
woods by which he passes. He reflects that the owner of the woods, who lives in
the village, will not see him stopping to “watch his woods fill up with snow.”

The speaker interrupts his reflections by imagining that his “little horse must think
it queer” to stop without a farmhouse nearby on the “darkest evening of the year.”
In the third stanza, the speaker expands this conceit, suggesting that anxiety over
the untoward action causes the horse to shake his harness bells “To ask if there is
some mistake.” Then, by way of contrast, the speaker notes that “the only other
sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake.”

Something about the woods compels the speaker’s interest, and by the poem’s end,
as most critics note, one has the sense that there is more to these woods than meets
the eye. In the last verse, the speaker acknowledges that the “woods are lovely,
dark and deep.” He seems reluctant, however, to pursue this insight more deeply,
since he immediately observes that he has “promises to keep,/ And miles to go
before [he] sleep[s].” Nevertheless, the central focus of the poem is not the woods.
Of more importance is the inward drama of the speaker as he reflects about and
understands—or fails to understand—why he stops and why he finds the woods so
captivating.

The poem ends, then, ambiguously. The reader learns very little about the
speaker—either where he is coming from, where he is going, or why he stops. The
speaker, however, does not permit himself to reflect too deeply about the occasion,
either. One can only speculate, and this is perhaps the full intent of the poem’s
title: “Stopping by woods” is a gratuitous action, a grace note, an imaginative
possibility. The reader, like the speaker, is always “stopping” by woods, and the
reader, like the speaker, can choose to make the most of them or to go on.

THE VILLAGE SCHOOL MASTER

The poem is an excerpt from a longer poem by Goldsmith called "The Deserted
Village" and conveys the speaker's sentiments about a teacher. The word "village"
in the title clearly suggests that the poem is set in a rural area, probably where the
speaker lived and was taught by the subject of the poem. In the first two lines, the
speaker mentions exactly where the school was located. The fence beside which
the school building was situated is described as "straggling," which means that it
was dilapidated and probably leaning over. The road leading towards and past the
school was lined with flowers, which were "unprofitably gay." The phrase suggests
that the flowers that were blooming beautifully were not being admired or
appreciated.

In the following couplet the speaker refers to the the school building itself, a "noisy
mansion" bustling with the activity of teaching and learning. The village teacher,
equipped to manage a class, taught his lessons there. The term "master" denotes the
respect he enjoyed. The speaker goes on to describe the teacher's character and
style of teaching. Each description is rounded off in a rhyming couplet.

The teacher was very strict and had a stern look about him. The speaker states that
he "knew him well," which means that he had an in-depth understanding of his
teacher and could probably read into his expressions and gestures. This familiarity
could also have been the result of the many personal and individual encounters he
had had with his educator. The word "truant" implies that the speaker may have
been one of those who deliberately missed classes and who had been confronted by
the teacher about his misdemeanors.

Further aspects about the teacher's personality indicate that he had an expressive
face and that his pupils could easily read his mood as a result. They would, for
example, know that a certain ominous look spelled trouble coming, especially for
those who had been disobedient. They would be trembling in anticipation and fear
of what was to come. It is clear that the teacher also had a good sense of humor, for
"many a joke had he." The students would feign pleasure at his funny stories and
laugh at them, probably to avoid being reprimanded.
Word would quickly spread around the classroom about impending trouble
whenever the teacher scowled. The speaker provides a contrast to the teacher's
strict demeanor not only by stating that he was humorous at times but also by
mentioning that he was kind. The speaker states that if one should take it to the
extreme, it could be said that the teacher's greatest flaw was that he loved learning
too much.

...or if severe in aught,

The love he bore to learning was in fault.

The schoolmaster was not only much admired and respected by his students but
was evidently also looked up to by the village residents. Everyone seemed to have
praise for his great knowledge. It was a known fact in the village that he could
write, do mathematics, and predict weather patterns and tides. It was also assumed
that he was an accurate surveyor who could determine borders easily. It is apparent
that he could also debate intelligently and be involved in discussions with the
village parson, a person who was greatly respected by his parishioners. The teacher
seemed to be a fierce opponent in such discourse, for he would continue arguing a
point even after he had already lost the dispute. The master would use difficult
words and emotive language to sound convincing and impress the poorly educated
village folk.

People in this rural community were in awe that the teacher could know so much.
They could not understand how his small head could contain so much knowledge.
The poem ends, however, on a sad and poignant note. The final couplet tells us that
all the teacher's achievements have become a thing of the past. The place where he
had enjoyed so much success has ceased to exist and has been forgotten.

The eulogistic nature of the poem conveys the speaker's respect and admiration for
his erstwhile educator. The poem also reflects the changes that occurred in rural
communities when land was divided and property was abandoned or claimed by
private landowners. Many inhabitants then emigrated to find a home elsewhere.

The Brook: Summary

'The Brook' is an example of Tennyson's superb versification. He had a rare
capacity for creating music out of simple words.Tennyson makes the brook narrate
its history- the history of its origin, itsmeandering and uneven journey through
forest and hills and open spaces until it joins the'brimming river'. The Brook
originates from a source on the highlands filled with mountainforest cover, where
the wild birds of coot (a type of duck) and heron are found in plenty. Itsrushing
waters touch all the ferns that grow on its banks till it reaches the open valley. In
itsinitial rushing journey, the brook passes through the slopes of thirty hills and
flows beneathmore than four dozen bridges. Then it touches twenty different
villages before reaching alittle town.Before joining the main river, the brook passes
by Phillip's farm. As it comesrushing down the hills, its waters produces different
musical notes as it dashes against thestony pebbles. The brook makes its presence
felt when it passes through the different fieldsof uncultivated lands and many front
lying promontory lands where the weeping willowsgrow. It winds about with
immense power and its cool pleasant waters brings all kinds of fresh water fish to a
lively activity.The brook forms the foamy flake which is accumulatd at the shores
where gravelsgather in plenty, as it continues to travel down the hills. Sometimes it
overflows and incur upon the grassy plots in the lawns. It even overflows to the
gounds of Hazel plants andtouches the sweet forget-me-nots. All the different
sounds and movements that a streammakes as it flows are charmingly conveyed
through the words used with feeling. The trees onthe banks, the fish playing about,
the blossoms floating on the water, the stretches of darknessand light are vividly
reflected on the flowing verse. Above all, the spirit of joy and freedomcomes
through eloquently.Each morning when the sun rises, the rays and the beams hit
the waters and brightly reflectthe shiny dance of the active movement of the brook
on the sandy banks. When evening setsin and total darkness covers the
surroundings of the countryside, the flow of the brook continues to murmur under
the light of the moon and stars. The effects of the brook on theshores in the
daytime is as much as in the night.Tennyson significantly relates the brook to
human life to the sad reflection thatman's life is impermanent compared with the
relative permanence of a river (men may comeand men may go, But I go on
forever).
About the authorAlfred Tennyson
(6 August 1809
–
6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the UnitedKingdom during much of Queen
Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poetsin the English
language.Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics, such as "The Charge of the
Light Brigade", and"Crossing the Bar". Much of his verse was based on classical
mythological themes, such asUlysses, although
In Memoriam A.H.H.
was written to commemorate his best friend Arthur Hallam. Tennyson also wrote
some notable blank verse including "Ulysses," and "Tithonus."During his career,
Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success
THE TELL TALE HEART

A nameless person explains that he is and was extremely nervous, but is not and
was not insane. Rather, the narrator has a "disease" which makes all his senses,
especially his hearing, very sensitive. To prove that he isn't insane, the narrator
shares an event from his past. Let's jump into his tale:

The narrator has an idea that he can't shake. He loves the old man and has
nothing against him. Except…his horrible eye, which is "pale blue […] with a film
over it" (2). The narrator hates the eye and decides to kill the old man to be free
of it.

To that end, the narrator goes to the old man's room every night at 12am, for
seven days. Each night the narrator opens the man's door and puts in a lantern
(the kind they don't make anymore, with panels that can be adjusted to release
more or less light). After the lantern, the narrator puts his head through the
doorway, extremely slowly, and then opens the lantern so a tiny beam of light
shines on the old man's eye. Each night the old man doesn't open his eye, so the
narrator feels that he can't kill him.

On the eighth night, the old man hears the narrator at the door and wakes up.
The narrator hangs out there in the dark for a long time, then, with a scream,
plunges into the totally dark room, opening the lantern, and shining light on the
old man's eye. The narrator drags the old man, who has only screamed once, off
the bed, and then pulls the bed on top of the man. When the narrator hears the
man's heart stop beating, he removes the bed and checks to make sure the old
man is really dead, which he is. So the narrator cuts him up and hides his remains
under the floor.

Then three policemen come. A neighbor had heard a scream and called them. The
narrator says he screamed while sleeping, and claims that the old man is out of
town. After convincing the cops nothing bad is going down, the narrator brings
them into the old man's bedroom, and they all sit down to chat. While they are all
shooting the breeze, the narrator starts hearing a terrible ticking noise, which gets
louder and louder until the narrator freaks out, confesses, and points the police to
the old man's body, stating that the sound is coming from the old man's heart.

Summary of The Nightingale and the Rose

This short story written by the 19th-century Irish author and poet, Oscar Wilde, is
literally about what the title implies: a nightingale and a rose. A nightingale is a
small song bird that is often associated with love, innocence and romance. And a
rose, of similar association, is on the other hand a flower which comes in many
colors including white, pink, yellow, and orange. But in the case of Wilde’s story,
the rose in question is, most notably, red.

The story opens with the character of the Student, perhaps a student of philosophy.
This young man is in despair because there are no red roses in his garden. The little
nightingale over hears the student’s desperation and observers. She sees him,
through his sorrow and sobbing, and sees beauty and what she had been searching
for. She fell in love with him.

Next it is revealed why the Student is in such sorrow for a flower: if he brings the
red rose to the Prince’s ball the next night, and gives it to the love of his life, she
will dance with him, embrace him, and ultimately, love him back. But this is
unachievable given that there is no red rose in his garden. This deep emotional
intensity is admirable to the nightingale, as she sympathizes with the Student. She,
too, holds love in very high regard, much like the student does.

As all the little creatures in the garden are inquiring on the student’s exaggerated
weeping and commenting on his ridiculousness, the Nightingale understood his
pain and set out to relieve it. She visited all the rose trees in the garden asking them
to give her a red rose in exchange of her singing her most beautiful song.
Unfortunately, none could produce a red rose, but only yellow pink, and white.

The Nightingale asked the rose tree that grew under the Student’s window for a red
rose. It did produce roses of that color, but could not grow them due to the cold
weather. The Nightingale wept and pleaded, and the tree had a way to produce the
single red rose, but warned that it was a terrible way. But, of course, the love sick
Nightingale did not care.

The tree told the Nightingale that to get her red rose, she had to build it. She must
sing under the moonlight and build the rose with the stain of her blood. In order to
do so, she must sing all night, pressing her breast against his thorn, thus sacrificing
herself for the Student. She did not care, and death was a price she was willing to
pay.

She sang the Oak-tree one last song while the Student rose up and began to walk
away, writing and thinking, soon falling asleep to the thought of his love. While he
slumbered, the Nightingale did as she was told, and sang her most beautiful song, a
love song. And as she sang, the rose blossomed. As she continued to sing and press
her breast into the thorn even more, it helped the flower blossom and turn from
pale white to crimson red. Although painful, the little Nightingale did as she was
told and pressed, and pressed, and sang. Until finally the rose fully blossomed, and
the Nightingale was dead with a thorn in her heart.

The Student of course finds the single, beautiful red rose growing in his garden and
happily plucks it. He immediately ran to give it to the Professors daughter, whom
which he was in love with, and asked her to dance with him. But at his dismay, the
girl was not pleased, proclaiming the red rose would not go with her dress and
scoffing at the fact that flowers are not nearly as expensive as the jewels the
Chamberlain’s nephew sent her. Seemingly unabashed, the student calls her
ungrateful and gets thrown out by the offended girl, still comparing his
unworthiness of a Student to the highness of the Chamberlain’s nephew.

Upon leaving, the Student thought to himself how silly, un useful, impractical, and
untrue love is, and how he was better off studying things like logic, philosophy and
metaphysics. And that’s what he did.