Quality

Mr. Gessler ek German shoemaker the jo London mein rehte the. Woh apne kaam ke prati extremely dedicated aur passionate the. Unke liye boot-making sirf ek profession nahi, balki ek art thi.

• Shop ka Description:
• Ek small by-street mein thi, fashionable part of London mein.
• Koi sign nahi tha, sirf 'Gessler Brothers' ka naam tha.
• Window mein kuch pairs of boots display the.
• Shop mein ek quiet distinction thi, jahan enter karte hi ek peaceful feeling aati thi, jaise church mein.
• Ek single wooden chair thi jahan customer wait karte the.
• Shop mein leather ki incense (khushboo) rehti thi.

• Mr. Gessler ki Working Style:
• Woh sirf ordered boots banate the, ready-made stock nahi rakhte the.
• Unke banaye boots never failed to fit aur lasted terribly (bahut lambe time tak chalte the).
• Woh har boot ko ek masterpiece ki tarah banate the, har detail par dhyaan dete the.
• Jab customer aata tha, woh thoda bent, leather apron mein, sleeves turned back, aur blinking karte hue aate the, jaise dream of boots se jaage ho.
• Leather ko dekhkar uski beauty appreciate karte the, jaise 'What a beaudiful biece!'
• Delivery time batate the, usually 'Tomorrow fordnighd' (tomorrow fortnight – do hafte baad).

• Unki Personality:
• Shy aur reserved: Zyada baat nahi karte the, apne kaam mein hi khoye rehte the.
• Honest aur principled: Jab narrator ne complain kiya ki boots creaked, toh unhone bola 'Zend dem back, I will look at dem.' Aur agar boots 'bad from birdt' hote, toh bill se hata dete the.
• Proud of his work: Jab narrator ne kisi aur firm ke boots pehne the, toh unhone turant pehchan liya aur kaha 'Dose are nod my boods.' Unhe apne kaam par bahut garv tha.
• Accent: German accent mein English bolte the, jisme 'p, t, k' sounds 'b, d, g' jaise lagte the (e.g., 'Id is an ardt!').

Story Mr. Gessler ke struggle aur decline ko bhi dikhati hai, modern commercial world mein jahan quality se zyada quantity aur advertisement ko importance di jaati hai.

• Competition from Big Firms:
• Mr. Gessler ka sabse bada complaint big firms ke khilaf tha.
• Unka kehna tha ki big firms 'get id all' by advertisement, nod by work.
• Woh logon ka kaam cheen lete the jo apne boots se 'lofe' karte the.
• Unhone predict kiya tha ki 'bresently I haf no work. Every year id gets less.'
• Unhone big firms ko 'no self-respect' wala kaha, kyunki woh quality par compromise karte the.

• Mr. Gessler ki Deteriorating Condition:
• Narrator ne unke chehre par lined face, 'bitter things and bitter struggle' aur red beard mein grey hairs dekhe.
• Unke elder brother ki death ho gayi thi, jisse woh aur akela feel karne lage the.
• Woh aged aur wan (pale aur weak) dikhne lage the.
• Unka business kam ho raha tha, aur unhe 'zlack dime' (slack time – kam kaam) mil raha tha.

• Tragic End:
• Narrator jab do saal baad London wapas aaye, toh Mr. Gessler ki shop band thi.
• Ek young English man ne shop take over kar li thi.
• Usne bataya ki Mr. Gessler 'starved himself' to death, jise doctor ne 'slow starvation' kaha.
• Woh apne kaam mein itne doobe rehte the ki khana bhi bhool jaate the.
• Saara paisa rent aur leather mein chala jaata tha, unke paas 'never had a penny in the house'.
• Unhone kabhi advertise nahi kiya aur kisi aur ko apne boots ko touch nahi karne diya.
• Unki death ka reason unka unwavering dedication to quality aur modern commercial world mein adjust na kar pana tha.

• Narrator ka Realization:
• Narrator ne Mr. Gessler ki death ke baad unki true value aur dedication ko pehchana.
• Unhone kaha, 'Yes, he made good boots.' – Yeh ek simple statement hai, par isme bahut gehra respect aur sadness hai.

Phrasal verbs aise verbs hote hain jinke saath ek preposition ya adverb lagkar unka meaning change ho jaata hai. Yahan 'look' ke kuch common phrasal verbs hain:

• look after: To take care of someone or something.
• Example: I will look after your dog while you are away.
• look down on: To regard as inferior; kisi ko kam samajhna.
• Example: We should not look down on people who do small jobs.
• look in (on someone): To make a short visit to check on someone.
• Example: I will look in on my grandmother on my way home.
• look into: To investigate or examine something.
• Example: The police are looking into the matter thoroughly.
• look out: To be careful or vigilant.
• Example: Look out! There's a car coming.
• look up: To improve or get better.
• Example: After a long spell of heat, the weather is at last looking up.
• look up to: To admire or respect someone.
• Example: Nitin has always looked up to his uncle.

Practice Questions (NCERT-based):

Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrasal verbs:

1. After a very long spell of heat, the weather is at last ______.
2. We have no right to ______ people who do small jobs.
3. Nitin has always ______ his uncle, who is a self-made man.
4. The police are ______ the matter thoroughly.
5. If you want to go out, I will ______ the children for you.
6. I promise to ______ your brother when I visit Lucknow next.
7. ______ when you are crossing the main road.

Answers:

1. looking up
2. look down on
3. looked up to
4. looking into
5. look after
6. look in on
7. Look out

English mein words ko correct tarike se bolna bahut important hai. Yahan kuch common sounds par focus kiya gaya hai:

Vowel Sounds (Short 'o' vs. Long 'o' / 'oa')

Kuch words mein 'o' sound short hota hai, aur kuch mein long 'o' ya 'oa' sound hota hai. Practice karo:

| Short 'o' Sound | Long 'o' / 'oa' Sound | | :-------------- | :-------------------- | | cot | coat | | cost | coast | | tossed | toast | | got | goat | | rot | rote | | blot | bloat | | knot | note |

Consonant Sound 'sh' (as in 'shine')

'sh' sound words ke beginning, middle, ya end mein aa sakta hai. Practice these words:

| Initial 'sh' | Medial 'sh' | Final 'sh' | | :----------- | :---------- | :--------- | | sheep | fashion | trash | | shriek | anxious | marsh | | shore | portion | fish | | sure | ashes | polish | | shoe | pushing | moustache | | nation | | |

Consonant Sound 'ch' (as in 'chair')

'ch' sound bhi words ke beginning ya end mein aa sakta hai. Practice these words:

| Initial 'ch' | Final 'ch' | | :----------- | :--------- | | choose | bench | | child | march | | cheese | peach | | chair | wretch | | charming | research |

Underline the letters representing 'ch' sound:

• (i) feature (yahan 'tu' 'ch' sound deta hai)
• (ii) archery
• (iii) picture
• (iv) reaching
• (v) nature
• (vi) matches
• (vii) riches
• (viii) batch
• (ix) church

Note: Kuch words mein 't' ya 'tu' bhi 'ch' sound de sakte hain (jaise feature, picture, nature).

Story 'Quality' sirf ek bootmaker ki kahani nahi, balki gehre philosophical themes ko explore karti hai.

Main Themes:

1. Quality vs. Quantity / Art vs. Commerce:

• Yeh story ka central conflict hai.
• Mr. Gessler: Represents quality, craftsmanship, dedication to art. Unke liye har boot ek masterpiece tha, jise woh passion se banate the. Unhone kabhi quantity ya profit par compromise nahi kiya.
• Big Firms: Represent quantity, commercialism, advertisement. Woh mass production karte the, quality se zyada marketing par focus karte the. Unka goal profit tha, art nahi.
• Conclusion: Modern world mein, Mr. Gessler jaise artists ko survive karna mushkil ho jaata hai, kyunki log saste aur easily available products ko prefer karte hain, bhale hi unki quality kam ho.

1. Dignity of Labour / Dedication to Work:

• Mr. Gessler apne kaam ko poori shiddat aur garv se karte the.
• Unhone apne kaam ko 'ardt' kaha, jo unke respect ko darshata hai.
• Apne kaam ke liye unka dedication itna tha ki unhone apni life tak sacrifice kar di.
• Yeh theme batati hai ki koi bhi kaam chota nahi hota agar use poori mehnat aur imaandari se kiya jaaye.

1. Struggle of the Individual in a Changing World:

• Mr. Gessler ek aise individual the jo badalte hue economic landscape mein adjust nahi kar paaye.
• Unki traditional values aur meticulous craftsmanship modern consumerism ke saamne feeki pad gayi.
• Yeh theme loss of traditional skills aur values ko highlight karti hai, jahan fast-paced, profit-driven world mein patience aur perfection ki jagah kam ho jaati hai.

Title ka Significance:

• Title 'Quality' story ke main theme ko perfectly capture karta hai.
• Yeh Mr. Gessler ke kaam ki quality ko refer karta hai, jo unka life motto tha.
• Yeh us quality ko bhi refer karta hai jo modern world mein dheere-dheere khatam ho rahi hai.
• Title ek irony bhi hai, kyunki Mr. Gessler ne quality maintain ki, par unhe iski keemat apni jaan dekar chukani padi.
• Yeh title reader ko sochne par majboor karta hai ki humari society mein quality ki kya value hai.

Shirley Bauer ki poem 'Trees' trees ke various uses aur unki importance ko simple aur heartfelt tarike se batati hai.

Poem ka Summary:

• Poem trees ke multiple roles ko describe karti hai, jo human life aur nature ke liye bahut important hain.
• Trees birds ke liye ghar hote hain, children ke liye playground (tree houses, swings).
• Woh wind ko flow karne dete hain, 'Hide and Seek' mein chhupne ki jagah dete hain.
• Tea parties ke liye shade provide karte hain, aur kites ko pakadte hain.
• Summer mein cool shade dete hain, par winter mein 'no shade' (jab leaves gir jaate hain).
• Fruits (apples, pears) dete hain.
• Timber ke liye cut bhi kiye jaate hain ('TIMBER-R-R!').
• Mothers unhe beautiful picture ki tarah dekhti hain, jabki fathers unhe leaves to rake (saaf karne ke liye) dekhte hain.

Key Points aur Themes:

1. Utility and Versatility of Trees:

• Poem trees ke practical uses ko highlight karti hai – shelter, play, food, wood.
• Yeh batati hai ki trees kitne versatile hote hain aur kitne tarike se humari help karte hain.

1. Nature's Role in Childhood:

• Children ke games aur activities mein trees ka role bahut prominent hai (tree houses, swings, hide and seek).
• Yeh theme nature aur childhood ke connection ko darshati hai.

1. Different Perspectives on Nature:

• Poem mein mothers aur fathers ke perspectives ka contrast dikhaya gaya hai.
• Mothers trees ko aesthetic beauty ke roop mein dekhti hain ('lovely picture to paint').
• Fathers unhe practical chores (leaves to rake) ke roop mein dekhte hain.
• Yeh batata hai ki log nature ko alag-alag tarike se perceive karte hain.

1. Environmental Awareness (Implied):

• Jab poem kehti hai 'Trees are to chop down and call, “TIMBER-R-R!”', toh yeh trees ke exploitation ki taraf bhi ishara karti hai.
• Yeh poem indirectly trees ko preserve karne ka message deti hai, unke multiple benefits ko highlight karke.

Literary Devices:

• Repetition: 'Trees are for...' ka repetition poem ko rhythmic aur memorable banata hai.
• Imagery: Poem vivid images create karti hai – children playing, kites caught in branches, cool shade.
• Contrast: Summer mein shade vs. winter mein no shade; mother ka view vs. father ka view.

Working with the Poem (NCERT Questions):

1. Games or human activities which use trees: Tree houses, swinging, hide and seek, tea parties, kite flying.
2. "Trees are to make no shade in winter." What does this mean?

• Iska matlab hai ki winter mein deciduous trees (jo apne patte gira dete hain) shade nahi dete. Yeh summer ki 'cool shade' ke contrast mein hai. Winter mein sunlight desirable hoti hai, isliye shade ki zaroorat nahi hoti.

1. "Trees are for apples to grow on, or pears." Do you agree that one purpose of a tree is to have fruit on it? Or do you think this line is humorous?

• Yes, trees ka ek important purpose fruit produce karna hai, jo food source hai. Toh yeh line factually correct hai. Humorous isliye ho sakti hai kyunki poem mein trees ke bahut saare non-traditional uses bataye gaye hain, aur fir suddenly ek very obvious use mention kiya gaya hai, jo thoda unexpected lag sakta hai.