Class 7 Notes

Class 7 English Notes Chapter 2 (A Gift of Chappals ; The Rebel) – Honeycomb Book

Philoid

Philoid

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Honeycomb
Alright class, let's focus on Chapter 2 from your Honeycomb textbook. This chapter includes both a story, 'A Gift of Chappals', and a poem, 'The Rebel'. Both are important for your exams as they touch upon themes of empathy, social observation, and individuality. Pay close attention to the details.

Chapter 2: Part 1 - A Gift of Chappals

Author: Vasantha Surya (Adapted from Mridu in Madras: Goruchaka Turns Up)

Setting: Rukku Manni's house in Madras (now Chennai).

Characters:

  1. Mridu: A young girl visiting her aunt's house. She is observant and thoughtful.
  2. Ravi: Mridu's cousin. Energetic, imaginative, talkative, and kind-hearted, though sometimes impulsive. He is the one most invested in the kitten.
  3. Meena: Mridu's cousin, Ravi's sister. Quieter than Ravi, shows empathy, especially towards the kitten and the beggar.
  4. Lalli: Mridu's cousin, Ravi and Meena's sister. Learning to play the violin, but not very well.
  5. Rukku Manni: Mridu's aunt, mother of Ravi, Meena, and Lalli. Represents the adult perspective – managing the household, concerned about appearances and rules, but ultimately fair.
  6. Tapi: Mridu's grandmother.
  7. Paati: Ravi, Meena, and Lalli's grandmother.
  8. Music Master: Lalli's violin teacher. Portrayed as bony, with specific mannerisms, and possessive about his belongings (chappals).
  9. Beggar: An old man with blistered feet who frequents Rukku Manni's house. His plight triggers the central action of the story.
  10. Gopu Mama: Rukku Manni's husband (Mridu's uncle). His chappals become the replacement gift.

Plot Summary:

  1. Mridu's Visit: Mridu arrives at Rukku Manni's house with her Tapi. She meets her cousins Ravi, Meena, and Lalli.
  2. The Secret Kitten: Ravi pulls Mridu to the backyard to show her a secret – a small kitten they found outside the gate, hidden in a torn football lined with sacking and filled with sand, drinking milk from a coconut half-shell.
  3. Ravi's Imagination: Ravi names the kitten Mahendran (Mahendravarma Pallava Poonai, MP Poonai for short) and concocts a grand story about its ancestors being the Mahabalipuram Rishi-Cat, a descendant of the Pallava lions. He struggles to get milk for the kitten secretly.
  4. Lalli's Violin Lesson: The sound of Lalli's poor violin playing interrupts them. Ravi mocks the sound. They observe the music master teaching Lalli through the window. The master plays well, while Lalli struggles.
  5. The Beggar's Arrival: A beggar arrives at the gate, a regular visitor. Rukku Manni, fed up, tells Ravi to send him away firmly, stating he shouldn't come again.
  6. The Children's Empathy: Ravi conveys the message, but the beggar shows his pitiful condition, especially the large, pink, peeling blisters on his bare feet due to the hot tar road. He requests to rest under the neem tree.
  7. The Gift of Chappals: Seeing the blisters, Mridu, Meena, and Ravi feel immense sympathy. Mridu suggests they find some chappals for him. They search the house and find a pair of old, sturdy-looking but dusty chappals near the verandah (which Mridu had noticed upon arrival). Ravi impulsively gives them to the beggar, who blesses the children and leaves quickly.
  8. The Discovery: The music master finishes his lesson and searches for his chappals. He makes a fuss, describing them as brand new (though they were old). Lalli informs Rukku Manni.
  9. Rukku Manni's Reaction: Rukku Manni questions the children. After some hesitation, Mridu implies Ravi gave them away. Rukku Manni is initially angry, mentioning Karna (known for his generosity, giving away even his gold earrings) sarcastically to Ravi. However, she understands the children's intention.
  10. Resolution: To resolve the situation, Rukku Manni gives Gopu Mama's hardly worn, new chappals to the music master. The master leaves, trying to appear happy but clearly disappointed. Rukku Manni is left amused but also worried about what to tell Gopu Mama when he returns and asks for his chappals.

Themes:

  1. Childhood Innocence and Empathy: The children act out of pure compassion for the beggar's suffering, overlooking social rules or consequences.
  2. Kindness vs. Practicality: The children's act of kindness clashes with the adult world's practicality and rules (giving away someone else's belongings).
  3. Social Observation: The story subtly comments on the plight of the poor (the beggar), the pretensions of the middle class (music lessons, concern about appearances), and family dynamics.
  4. Imagination: Ravi's elaborate stories about the kitten highlight childish imagination.
  5. Generosity: Explores true generosity (children's impulsive act, Karna's legend) versus forced or reluctant giving.

Key Vocabulary/Phrases for Exam:

  • Scrawny: Thin and bony.
  • Protested: Objected or disagreed.
  • Descended from: Being a descendant of an ancestor.
  • Stowaway: Someone who hides on a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle. (Used metaphorically by Ravi for the kitten).
  • Weird: Strange or unusual.
  • Fed up: Annoyed or bored with something.
  • Gliding: Moving smoothly.
  • Veshti: A traditional men's garment worn in South India (dhoti).
  • Stumbling: Tripping or losing balance; playing music with difficulty.
  • Lurking: Hiding or waiting secretly.
  • Wailing: Crying loudly.
  • Feeble: Weak.
  • Blisters: Small bubbles on the skin filled with serum, caused by friction, burning, or other damage.
  • Sturdy: Strong and solidly built.
  • Beaming: Smiling broadly and happily.
  • Clattered off: Moved away quickly with a rattling sound.
  • Unappreciative: Not feeling or showing gratitude.

Important Points for Government Exams:

  • Remember the author and the source collection.
  • Know the main characters and their defining traits (Ravi's imagination, Meena's quiet empathy, Mridu's observation, Rukku Manni's practicality).
  • Understand the sequence of events, especially the reason for giving the chappals and the consequences.
  • Be clear about the themes, particularly empathy and the contrast between child and adult perspectives.
  • Identify who owned the chappals originally given to the beggar (Music Master) and who owned the replacement pair (Gopu Mama).
  • Ravi's comparison to Karna is significant.

Chapter 2: Part 2 - The Rebel (Poem)

Poet: D. J. Enright (Dennis Joseph Enright)

Central Theme: Non-conformity and Individuality. The poem describes a person who consistently does the opposite of what everyone else is doing.

Summary/Explanation:

The poem presents a series of contrasting situations to illustrate the behaviour of a 'rebel'. The rebel is someone who deliberately chooses to be different from the group:

  • When everyone has short hair, the rebel lets his hair grow long.
  • When everyone has long hair, the rebel cuts his short.
  • When everyone talks during the lesson, the rebel stays silent.
  • When nobody talks, the rebel creates a disturbance.
  • When everyone wears a uniform, the rebel wears colourful clothes.
  • When everyone wears colourful clothes, the rebel dresses soberly.
  • In the company of dog lovers, the rebel prefers cats.
  • In the company of cat lovers, the rebel praises dogs.
  • When everyone wants sun, the rebel wants rain.
  • When everyone wants rain, the rebel regrets the absence of sun.
  • When everyone goes to a meeting, the rebel stays home and reads.
  • When everyone stays home, the rebel goes to the meeting.
  • When everyone says "Yes please," the rebel says "No thank you."
  • When everyone says "No thank you," the rebel says "Yes please."

Tone: Observational, slightly humorous, and detached. The poet doesn't judge the rebel but simply describes their contrary nature.

Key Takeaway: The final lines – "It is very good that we have rebels. / You may not find it very good to be one." – suggest that while rebels add diversity and challenge norms (which can be good for society), being a rebel can be difficult or isolating for the individual.

Important Points for Government Exams:

  • Remember the poet's name: D. J. Enright.
  • Understand the central theme: The nature of rebellion as constant opposition or non-conformity.
  • Be able to identify specific examples of the rebel's contrary behaviour as given in the poem.
  • Recognize the poem's concluding thought about the value versus the experience of being a rebel.
  • The poem uses simple language and structure (mostly couplets with contrasting ideas).

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):

  1. In "A Gift of Chappals", who secretly brings milk for the kitten?
    (a) Mridu
    (b) Meena
    (c) Ravi
    (d) Lalli

  2. What name did Ravi give the kitten?
    (a) Poonai
    (b) Mahendran
    (c) Rishi-Cat
    (d) Pallava

  3. Why did the children give the chappals to the beggar?
    (a) The chappals were old and useless.
    (b) Rukku Manni asked them to.
    (c) They felt sorry seeing the blisters on his feet.
    (d) The beggar demanded them.

  4. Whose chappals were originally given to the beggar?
    (a) Gopu Mama's
    (b) Ravi's
    (c) Rukku Manni's
    (d) The Music Master's

  5. What instrument was Lalli learning to play?
    (a) Guitar
    (b) Piano
    (c) Violin
    (d) Flute

  6. Who is the author of the story "A Gift of Chappals"?
    (a) D. J. Enright
    (b) Vasantha Surya
    (c) Rabindranath Tagore
    (d) Ruskin Bond

  7. According to the poem "The Rebel", what does the rebel do when everybody talks during the lesson?
    (a) Talks louder than others
    (b) Creates a disturbance
    (c) Doesn't say a word
    (d) Asks a question

  8. Who is the poet of "The Rebel"?
    (a) Vasantha Surya
    (b) William Wordsworth
    (c) D. J. Enright
    (d) Sarojini Naidu

  9. What is the main theme of the poem "The Rebel"?
    (a) Friendship
    (b) Nature's beauty
    (c) Non-conformity and individuality
    (d) Patriotism

  10. What does the poet suggest in the concluding lines of "The Rebel"?
    (a) Everyone should be a rebel.
    (b) Being a rebel is always easy and fun.
    (c) Rebels are bad for society.
    (d) Having rebels is good, but being one might be difficult.

Answer Key for MCQs:

  1. (c) Ravi
  2. (b) Mahendran
  3. (c) They felt sorry seeing the blisters on his feet.
  4. (d) The Music Master's
  5. (c) Violin
  6. (b) Vasantha Surya
  7. (c) Doesn't say a word
  8. (c) D. J. Enright
  9. (c) Non-conformity and individuality
  10. (d) Having rebels is good, but being one might be difficult.

Study these notes carefully, focusing on the characters, plot, themes, and the specific details mentioned. Understanding the motivations and the contrasts presented will be key for your exam preparation. Good luck!

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