Reading

The Wish

Understanding the Text

Answer the following questions.

a. What did the child do to the scab on his knee?
Ans: The kid picked up the scabs from his knee. He placed the scab he’d carefully plucked with his fingertip on his thigh. Then, with the flick of his finger, he flipped it.

b. What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?
Ans: The child becomes extremely amazed to see the red carpet. He had never really noticed it before in such a way. The different colours of carpet seemed to brighten mysteriously and spring out at him in a most dazzling way. He was thoroughly lost in those colours and his imagination.

c. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet?
Ans: He was afraid of snakes walking across the carpet.

d. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?
Ans: The next day, a dog he would be given for his birthday is what motivated him to start and continue his journey.

e. What did the child see as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet?
Ans: The child saw the oily bodies of the snakes writhing as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet.

Reference to the context

a. The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?
Ans: In the story, the author uses authorial voice and character voice as two different voices. Through the use of third-person narrative, the author transports the audience to an imaginary realm. He is able to let readers think on the fragility of their childhood innocence via the figure of a wonderfully creative little kid. Futhermore, having a kid as a central character in the story allows readers to have a more vivid experience of the magical world.

b. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

i. What does’the black part’ mean?
Ans: ‘The black part’ indicated toxic snakes.

ii. Who is the speaker?
Ans: The speaker is the little child.

iii. Why doesn’t the speaker want to be burnt?
Ans: The speaker doesn’t want to be burnt because he wants to get his wish on his birthday after crossing the carpet safely.

c. Which images and metaphors are used in the story?
Ans: In the story, imagery is built on metaphors. The first image he presents is the sab. Because of the boy’s overwhelming curiosity, the scab represents a special challenger he is never able to resist. The carpet then becomes a metaphor for the challenges the boy faces to achieve his goal. The red spots seem to be hot coals, which can burn him. The black parts are writhing poisonous snakes, which represent evil, falsehoods and temptations. The boy’s worry of crossing the carpet is compared to the apprehension he will feel while growing up as he faces real obstacles in his path to maturity.

d. Summarise the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.
Ans: This short story “The Wish” is about an imaginative game plan as well as the wish of the child. Here in this story, the child plays his imaginative game using the colors of the red carpet. His imaginative game is quite tough to play which is related to life and death. This game is connected with the child’s wish. If he gets success to reach inside crossing the red carpet, he will get a puppy as a gift on his birthday. The wish of the child for a puppy has made him creative and imaginative. In the very beginning, the boy imagines the different colors of the red carpet as different things. He supposes red color parts as a lump of coals, black color parts as black cobras and adders whereas yellow color parts as a safe zone. He decides to cross the carpet stepping on the safe zones. His wish for a beautiful puppy on his birthday encourages him to undertake this terrible game. He movies ahead stepping yellow zones safely at first.

When he reaches halfway across, he starts to wobble around. He starts being panic to find no way ahead. He balances his body by waving his arms. He doesn’t get a proper step ahead. He remains in the yellow zone thinking much about possible ways ahead. The fear of losing the puppy compels him to continue his way ahead. He makes proper use of his mind, pauses himself and steps further quite carefully.

Just a step ahead of halfway, the child has to make a decision. He has to choose an option whether to move on thr left or the right. When he moves his further step, he is a centimetre close to black. His luck saves him. While choosing the way ahead, he movies left because he fears much about black poisonous snakes look up to see if he touches the black part or not, he defends himself through his panic dialogues. Next, he has to take a long stride. When he jumps, his feet fall on the spots too wide. He tries to get back but can’t. He feels stuck.

The snakes starts stirring underneath his feet. He starts to wobble being panic. He tries his best to balance himself by waving his arms. Finally, he falls and gives a loud cry as he touches the black.

e. The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?
Ans: The child represents the story in more interesting and effective where are view than the narrator because the child was a hardship. He faces and won all the challenges. Birthday gift as a puppy motivated and encouraged him to continue his journey. He was strong enough to complete his journey. Not only he faced all the challenges, but he also won them too.

f. Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.
Ans: This is a story of courage triumphing over adversity. The child gains confidence and a hero’s self-image as a result of the first victory against the scab. In the wish story, getting over the carpet safely was his biggest challenge. While it’s true that the child wants a dog, it doesn’t appear to be the driving force behind his determination to face and overcome his problem. So, we can’t say greed made him do so. The primary theme of the story is on the necessity for youngsters to overcome their fears by having self-confidence.

Reference beyond the text

a. Do you think our wish can be fulfilled? Why or why not?
Ans: Not all the wants, desire and wishes are fulfilled. We need hard and complicated practise to fulfil our wish, want, desire, interest. We should be calm while making every decision. The right decision leads to the right path that only can fulfil our needs and desire. When we desire something that is called wish. Hard work is needed for wish to be fulfilled. But all over desire can’t be fulfilled at all. All are not happy because their wish and desire are not fulfilled and when the wish won’t fulfil they will be upset. Almighty helps in every condition. Therefore, to fulfil our wish, needs, desire and satisfaction, we should practice a lot then only we can be happy.

b. Why do you think some people might have a frightening nature? What would you suggest to them to overcome it?
Ans: Fear of little things may be a habit for those who lack self-confidence. According to my suggestion, they should utilize their creativity, intelligence and awareness in new ways, as well as make excellent use of nature as a treatment. Focusing on these things will go a long wayl This may be overcome also by learning more about one’s fear, because we can treat it accordingly, if we know about the nature of fear.

c. Write a folktale that you have heard or read.
Ans: A lion was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: “If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay you kindness.” The Lion laughed and let him go.

It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his teeth and set him free, exclaming: “You ridiculated the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of you favour; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to do benefits on a Lion.”