contd. wizard

FROM THE NET  Lesson 5:SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY?
                                                                                  -John Updike

In 'Should Wizard Hit Mommy?" John Updike presents the worldview of a little child. Jo warmly responds to her father's story-telling. But she can't excuse Roger Skunk's mother for making poor little Roger smell bad again. Her hero must smell like roses and must not stink at any cost. So she wants her father to make a little change in the story. She wants him to tell a different story in which the wizard takes a magic wand and hits Roger Skunk's mommy.

SHORT ANSWERS

1. Father felt empty after two years of storytelling to Jo. What idea do you form about his skill in the art of storytelling?

Ans. It would be wrong to say that Jo's father is a bad story teller. In fact, with all his histrionics, sound effects and gestures, he is quite effective in the art. His only problem is that his stories lack variety and he ends up telling the same old story again and again with slight variation. He feels empty because he has been telling stories for over two years now and has quite naturally run short of ideas.

2. Do you think the father in the story is, more or less, an alter ego of the author, as far as the childhood is concerned?

Ans. John Updike's childhood was tortured by 'psoriasis' and stammering and he had to suffer humiliation and ridicule at the hands of his classmates on account of this. Like him, Jo's father too recalls certain moments of 'humiliation of his own childhood. Thus the father more or less, was an alter ego of the author.

3. What was Roger Skunk's problem? How did he get rid of it?            

Ans. Little Roger Skunk’s problem was that he smelled awful. As a result nobody liked to befriend him and play with him. He got rid of his bad smell with the help of the wizard who cast a magic spell to change the smell into that of roses.

4. Why did the woodland creatures avoid Roger Skunk ? How did their behaviour affect Roger?

Ans. The woodland creatures avoided Roger Skunk because of his awful smell. As soon as they saw him coming they would cry "Uh-oh, here comes Roger Stinky Skunk and they would run away. Roger Skunk would stand there all alone and weep silently- rejected and lonely.

5. How was Jo affected by Jack's story-telling?

Ans. Jo would be immensely engrossed in the story. She liked the way her father used to tell story, particularly his dramatization of it, through gestures and changing voices. She also liked the predictable way the story would unfold for it allowed her to make guesses, draw conclusions and ask questions. The whole world of the story would come alive before her and she would twitch and turn in excitement as the story progressed.

6. ‘This was a new phase, just this last month’. What new phase is referred to here in the story "Should Wizard Hit Mommy"?

Ans. Children's physical and mental growth is very speedy. Earlier Jo used to accept father's word about magic etc, but now she has started having apprehensions about such spells. She has become more inquisitive and less credulous.

7. Why does the wizard instruct the Skunk to "Hurry up"?

Ans. The wizard asks Skunk to hurry up because he was keen to have his full payment for the task performed. The instruction lends pace to the story –almost as if the spell would break if there was a delay.

8. How did the woodland creatures react to the Skunk's new smell? What did Skunk feel about the new change?          

Ans. The woodland creatures found Roger Skunk's new smell to be ''so good''. They gladly took him in their fold as a friend and played many games with him. Naturally, Roger was happy to have been accepted by others as their friend. Moreover, his inferiority complex disappeared.

09. After the Skunk started smelling of roses Jo "thought the story was all over." Why did she think so?

Ans. Viewed from a child's angle, Skunk's smelling of roses and finally finding happiness  is a befitting ending for the story, because first, Skunk's long standing desire has been fulfilled and secondly he is able to do what is dearest to his heart-play with other woodland creatures.

10. How did Skunk's mother react to his new smell? 

Ans. The mother was livid. She liked her baby to smell like a skunk and did not approve of his changing his natural smell just to please others. She was angry with the wizard for making her child smell like roses and asked him to return his original smell. The Skunk's smell is obnoxious for other creatures, but certainly not for other Skunks. Skunks are born with this particular smell and any deviation is violation of Nature.

11. The Skunk accepts Mom's order and follows her to the wizard without demur, but Jo chooses to differ from her father with regard to changing the rose smell. How would you account for this difference in attitude between the two?

Ans. Roger Skunk as a character symbolizes Jack's own personality as a child. He loved and obeyed his mother very much as she had taught him courage and self-regard in dealing with his humiliations. Thus, Skunk is as unquestioningly obedient as Jack himself was. Jo on the other hand is a happy-go-lucky child of four who has had no upsetting experiences.  She like every child likes a rosy world where there is no place for rejection and there’s a solution for every problem. She insists that mommy was stupid to bring so much pain to her child and so her father to change the ending. The wizard must hit mommy on her head and return give Roger skunk the small of roses again. The attitudes of both Skunk and Jo are shaped by their life experience.

12. Why did Jo not approve of Skunk's mother scolding him for his new smell?

Ans. Jo was very happy to hear that Skunk had got rid of his awful smell and had been accepted by the woodland creatures. She did not like Skunk's mother scolding him for his new smell because Jo was happy that it had won Roger Skunk so many friends. Roger’s mother, she thought, was stupid for wanting to take away his happiness and make him sad and lonely. As a child this was unacceptable to her.

13. What is the under lying idea behind the wizard's taking the beating and tamely changing the rose smell?

         By making the wizard take a beating by Skunk's mother quietly, Jack wishes to bring home the idea that mothers are always right and that we should accept what is natural. The wizard also sees the point and tamely changes Skunk's new smell of roses into his original Skunk smell.

14. Why does mother Skunk hug and pat her son as he prepares to sleep?

Ans. The obedience shown by Roger Skunk pleases the mother and she pats and hugs him as he prepares himself to sleep. The idea behind her action is that obedient children will always be loved and patted by mothers. The mother's gesture is also an expression of her satisfaction at her little one getting back his Skunk smell.

15. What inference do you draw from the narrator's statement, "eventually they (woodland creatures) got used to the way he (the Skunk) was and did not mind it at all”?

Ans. The woodland creatures eventually accepted Roger Skunk with his stink for they too realized that what is natural is not disgraceful and should be accepted as an integral part of one's being. One should not hate or avoid others because of something they cannot help.   The woodland creatures got used to the way Skunk smelled.

             

16. What is the moral issue that the story raises ?

Ans.  The author through this story raises a moral question of how much authority parents should exercise in teaching their children what is wrong, what is right, what they should do and what not. Jo, a child does not accept pain Roger Skunk must suffer because of his Mommy. It also raises the issue of changing one’s natural self only to please others. The mother firmly believed that eventually one would be accepted for what one is and Roger’s artificial smell of roses was most unacceptable.

My Mother at Sixty Six

My mother at Sixty Six

In this poem, Kamala Das explores the theme of advancing age and the fear of loss and separation from a dear one, with the realization that the parting may be forever. A sense of guilt, fear and heartache grip the poet as she bids goodbye to her aged mother, apprehensive that this may be their last meeting, yet she hopes for the better.

While driving from her parent’s home to Cochin, she notices her mother sitting motionless besides her dozing, her face pale and drained of all colour, life like a corpse. This reminds her painfully that her mother has grown old is nearing her end and could pass away leaving her alone. Unable to bear the gloomy and oppressive thought she seeks to evade it by looking out of the window at the young trees speeding by and children running out of their homes happily to play. Their youthful energy, exuberance and the velocity of life outside are in sharp contrast to the mood in the car and reassure her.
But after the security check at the airport, looking back at her mother standing a few yards away, she finds her looking pale and bereft of vitality like the winter moon. The poet feels that familiar pain and childhood fear at the thought of losing her mother and of being lonely just as she had felt when she was young. She could only keep smiling to conceal her fears as she did not wish to transmit her anxiety to her mother. She tell her ‘see you soon’ knowing full well that she might not see her again.

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The poet compares her ageing mother to a ‘winter’s moon’ as her tired face seemed as pale, faded and bereft of vitality and life.

The ‘old familiar pain’ refers to the heartache that the poet had experienced ever since childhood when parting from her mother, each time with the fear that it may be forever. It was intense now as her frail mother was in the dusk of her life and nearing her end.                                                                                             1m

The poet hid her fear that this parting could be forever behind a smile and said-‘see you soon, Amma,’ so that her mother would not apprehend her anxiety. The words show her brave effort to reassure herself and her mother that all was well and they would meet again soon.                                                                                                                                                                                     2m

Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers    Adrienne Rich 

Adrienne Rich's "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers", depicts a woman trapped within the cultural constraints and responsibilities of married life.
1.In the first stanza, Aunt Jennifer’s situation and character is contrasted with her artistic creation that portrays her aspiration. The tapestry/panel on which she has embroidered the tigers is a world she desires.  The tigers are symbolic of what she wants to be in life - fearless, assertive, noble, majestic, certain and powerful , as expressed in the words "They pace in sleek chivalric certainty". The tigers depicted as prancing across the screen are confident, self-assured and happy, unafraid of hunters who appear tame in front of them- all things that Aunt Jennifer is not. The use of rich colours implies that Aunt Jennifer's tigers and their land have vitality  and enjoy a sense of freedom that she  has lost. Yellow (bright topaz) connotes the sun and fierce energy, while green reminds one of spring and vitality.

In the second stanza, Aunt Jennifer's present state is depicted. Her fingers are "fluttering through her wool" showing both physical and mental weakness. She finds it difficult to pull the needle. "The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band / Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand" reminds us that her marriage responsibilities weigh her down which makes her unable to realize her full potential as a woman in a male-dominated society. She tries to escape from her difficult situation through her art work she is embroidering, yet fears giving expression to her dreams because of her domineering husband.

The final stanza contains imagery that reflects back on the first two stanzas. She is referred to as 'Aunt' and not 'Aunt Jennifer ' as by the end she would lose her individual identity and be seen only as Aunt, that is Uncle's wife. The reference to the hands symbolizes Aunt Jennifer as a whole. Even after death she will remain terrified because the wedding ring on her finger will bind her to her ordeals that took complete control of her in life. In the last two lines the poet underscores the message that unless women demand their rights in a marriage their dreams will merely live on as art work mocking the reality of their lives.
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Aunt Jennifer’s Tiger  -my answers

By Adrienne Rich

Text questions:

1. How do ‘denizens’ and ‘chivalric’ add to our understanding the tiger’s attitude?

The tigers embroidered by Aunt Jennifer are free inhabitants of the vibrant green forests, masters of their domain and movements. They are ‘chivalric’- i.e. noble and majestic, pacing powerfully and confidently, fearless of the hunters . They stand in stark contrast to their frail creator who is timid, fearful of her husband, confined and crushed in an oppressive marriage.

2. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’ in the second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?

Aunt Jennifer struggles to express her dreams through needlework, but her fingers tremble nervously as she tries to pull the light ivory needle because she fears her domineering husband, which has made her physically and emotionally frail. She is weighed down by uncle’s wedding band-a symbol of her suffocating marriage and the compulsions therein, in a patriarchal society.

3. What is suggested by the image ‘massive weight of Uncle’s wedding band’?  

Uncle’s wedding band is heavy as it is a symbol of bondage, of being crushed in an unhappy marriage. It has kept her encircled and trapped in a burdensome marriage in a patriarchal society- a relationship of subjugation and domination. It has restricted her freedom and eroded her individuality.

4. Of what or whom is Aunt Jennifer terrified in the third stanza?

Even after death, Aunt would carry her fear of her domineering husband as she would yet bear the burden of the wedding band on her finger. The ordeals faced by her in an oppressive marriage would continue to terrify her.

5. What are the ordeals Aunt Jennifer is surrounded by, why is it significant that the poet uses the word ringed? What are the meanings of the word ringed in the poem?

Aunt Jennifer’s ordeals are those suffered by all women who face physical, mental or emotional trauma at the hands of insensitive husbands in a patriarchal society, restricting a woman’s personal liberty and dignity. The wedding ring has kept her ringed in i.e. trapped in a gender role - a victim of male domination.

6. Why do you think Aunt Jennifer created animals that are so different from her own character? What might the poet be suggesting through this difference?

The timid and fearful Aunt Jennifer creates an alternative world of free and fearless tigers to express her longing for freedom, a medium of escape from her grim marriage. The ironical contrast underscores a warning by the poet against acceptance of subjugation by women as it crushes their dreams, individuality and a full life.

Irony: It is ironical that Aunt Jennifer’s creations- the tigers will continue to pace and prance freely, while Aunt herself will remain terrified even after death, ringed by the ordeals she was controlled by in her married life. 

7. Interpret the symbols in the poem

Wedding band- symbol of oppression in an unhappy marriage. Marriage is socially and legally binding, making women silently accept their subjugation and male domination, especially in a patriarchal society. Its weight refers to the burden of gender expectations. Ringed means encircled or trapped, losing individuality and freedom.

 Aunt Jennifer- a typical victim of male oppression in an unhappy marriage, who suffers loss of individuality, dignity and personal freedom silently. She becomes dependent, fearful and frail.

Tigers- symbolize untamed free spirit. Here they are antithesis of their creator’s personality. The use of colours implies that Aunt Jennifer's tigers and their land are more vital and enjoy a sense of freedom far greater than her. Yellow (bright topaz) connotes the sun and fierce energy, while green reminds one of spring and vitality.
They pace and prance freely, proudly, fearless, confident and majestic in their bearing.

Embroidery- symbol of creative expression. The artwork expresses the Aunt’s suppressed desires and becomes her escape from the oppressive reality of her life.

Aunt (last stanza) – as opposed to Aunt Jennifer. It shows that she has lost her identity completely, thus lost even her name.

‘Pace’ and ‘prance’ are action words. The rhyme mimics the movement of the tigers.

Do you sympathize with Aunt Jennifer? What is the attitude of the speaker towards her?

Aunt Jennifer’s plight as a victim of gender oppression in an unhappy marriage draws our sympathy. However, the poet underscores that Aunt by accepting her suffering silently let her life be completely mastered over by her husband and lost her personal freedom and individuality. Her desires expressed in her art work will remain only a dream unless women like her assert their equal status.