On the Face of It
Susan Hill
 |
| On the face of it |
Read
and Find out
1. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Ans: Mr. Lamb is an old
man wit a tin leg. His real leg was blown off years ago during the war. He
lives all alone in his house. There is a garden near the house. It has ripe
crab apples looking orange and golden in colour.
Mr.
Lamb is sitting in his garden when Derry climbs over the garden wall to get
into his garden. Though the gate is open, the boy doesn’t use it.
2. Do you think all this will change Derry’s attitude towards Mr. Lamb?
Ans: yes, all this will
change Derry’s attitude towards Mr. Lamb. Derry’s burnt face made him the
center of ridicule. Although people sympathized with him, it was never a
heartfelt one. This resulted in his pessimistic approach towards life. He
thought that everyone detested and despised him. On the contrary, Mr. Lamb
didn’t show any pity towards him.
He
considered Derry to be his equal and welcomed him in his garden. Mr. Lamb had a
tin leg and Derry had a burnt face. So, Mr. Lamb could empathize. He helped the
boy, Derry to love the life happily with without any contempt for his own self.
Derry had initially considered the old man to be like others, but Derry
gradually started respecting and liking him for what he said.
Reading with
Insight
1. What is that draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb inspite of himself?
Ans: Mr. Lamb is a good inspirer, motivator. He provides
Derry a new approach to things. He tells Derry to see, hear, feel and think
about things around him. He should not hate others. Hatred is worse than acid
because it burns the inside. He has all the God-given limbs. He must take a
firm decision and work towards it. He will succeed. He should not be afraid of
people and people will not afraid of him. All these factors/qualities draw
Derry towards Mr. Lamb.
Additional
Q&A
1. Why and how did
Derry enter Mr. Lamb’s garden?
Ans: The
fourteen-years-old boy, Derry thought that Mr. Lamb’s garden was an empty place
and the house was an empty one. He did not know there was anybody there. So,
Derry entered the garden to get/achieve some peace for and stay alone for a
little moment.
Though the gate was open, Derry climbed over the garden wall to get into
Mr. Lamb’s garden.
2. Why does Derry go
back to Mr. Lamb in the end?
Ans: Derry
goes back to Mr. Lamb in the end. Because he felt that he wanted to sit, look
and listen to the bees singing and Mr. Lamb’s talking. Moreover, he felt that
if he did not go to Mr. Lamb then he would never go anywhere in the world
again.
3. What was the
reaction of Mr. Lamb when he saw Derry entering his garden after climbing over
the garden wall?
Or
What explanation did
the small boy (Derry) offer for the coming into the garden? How does Mr. Lamb
react to it?
Ans: Mr.
Lamb saw Derry entering his garden by climbed over the garden wall. Derry
thought that the garden was an empty place where he could get some peace and
stay alone for a moment. Derry gave explanation that he did not enter to steal
anything. Mr. Lamb assured that it is all right. He told the boy that anyone
can enter the garden. He also asked him to pick-up ripe apples lying in the
long grass.
4. Why aren’t there any
curtains at the windows of Mr. Lamb’s house?
Or
What does Mr. Lamb do
that seems peculiar to Derry?
Ans: Mr.
Lamb isn’t fond of curtains and shutting things out and shutting things in. He
likes the light and the darkness, and the windows open to hear the wind. So,
for these reasons there aren’t any curtains at the windows of Mr. Lamb’s house.
These things seem ‘peculiar’ to Derry.
5. How do people
comment painfully about Derry’s face? And why?
Ans: Derry’s
one side of his face was burnt. Once he got acid all down that side of his
face, then it burned it all way and ate his face up. So, people comment that
Derry has a terrible face and that is the ugliest face. People are afraid of
and disdain for his face.
6) Who should be
friends, according to both Derry and Mr. Lamb?
Ans: According
to both Derry and Mr. Lamb, those who pass in the street and might even speak
to them, but never see them again and still retain friendship with them, they
should be friends. The friends should always support each other in every
condition and don’t make any ill comment on each other and each other’s look.
7. Why does Mr.
Lamb have a tin leg?
Ans: Mr.
Lamb has a tin leg. One of his legs was blown off in the war years ago. So, he
has to walk on an artificial tin leg. Mr. Lamb doesn’t feel like physically
handicapped person nor does he suffer from an inferiority complex. Of course,
the children call him ‘Lamey-Lamb’ but he doesn’t mind it.
8. “I am not afraid.
People are afraid of me,” -says Derry. What do people think on seeing his face?
How do they react them?
Ans: On
looking at Derry’s face people find it bad and frightful. They think that it is
the ugliest thing they have ever seen. They call him a poor boy as one side of
his face has been burnt by acid. They also tell that none but only mother can
kiss on such a face. Some of them are afraid of his ugly and horrible face. So,
Derry says like that.
9. Name the persons who
often entered Mr. Lamb’s garden?
Ans: Tom,
Dick and Harry were the persons who often entered Mr. Lamb’s garden. Mr. Lamb
always welcomed them and felt happy with their visit to his garden.
10. How do people
comment when they see Mr. Lamb? How does he react to it?
Ans: When
Mr. Lamb goes down the street, the kids shout ‘Lamey-Lamb’. But they still come
into his garden, into his house and that is a game for him and them.
Mr. Lamb doesn’t react negatively or tell anything to them. He doesn’t
afraid of them. So, they aren’t afraid of him.
11. “Though both Mr. Lamb and Derry suffer from a physical disability, their attitude to life is different” –Justify their relevance of this statement with reference to the story “On the Face of It”. (HS 12,16,19)
Or
Compare and contrast
the characters of Mr. Lamb and Derry?
Ans: Both
Mr. Lamb and Derry have one thing common -their physical impairment. Both are
victims of these disabilities after birth. One leg of Mr. Lamb is made of tin.
One the legs of Mr. Lamb was blown off during the war. Derry’s face was burnt
by acid. One side of Derry’s face looked ugly and frightful. Apart from these,
they have nothing in common. Mr. Lamb is old, Derry is a young boy of fourteen.
Mr. Lamb enjoys company and wants to talk. Derry is very withdrawn and defiant.
He does not want to come in contact with people.
Mr. Lamb doesn’t bother about his
lameness. He has developed love for reading books, hearing music, seeing
beautiful things and think positively about them. He is calm and patient. He
forces Derry to see that actions are more important than mere looks. In spite
of his lameness, he picks apples, make jelly, maintains a beehive and makes
toffees from honey. The gate of his garden is always open. Derry develops a new
vision of life under Mr. Lamb’s guidance. Derry becomes positive and looks
happy.
11. What impression do
you form of Mr. Lamb? How does he look at life?
Ans: Mr.
Lamb is the main character of the play “On the Face of It”. He dominates the
play from beginning to end. He impresses us as a sensitive, watchful, kind and sympathetic
person. He has a tin leg as one of his was blown off during the wars. But he
never suffered from any disappointment. He tried to overcome it by means of his
attitude towards life. He had built a positive outlook towards life and he was
motivated by it.
His positive outlook towards was
revealed through both of his word and activities. He told Derry that he was lame
and the children called him “Lamey-Lamb”. But he never got irritated by their
calling so. He liked the company of the people and was always cheerful doing
his duty. He talked to all who visited his garden.
Mr. Lamb looks at life in a
different way. He is a person who is very interested in life and doesn’t show
any disinterest in it. He is full of life and has given a new dimension and
meaning to life even after his disability. He also taught Derry the lesson of
positive thinking and optimist outlook towards life. He advised Derry not to
care about what people would talk of him.
12. How did Mr. Lamb’s
meeting with Derry become a turning point in Derry’s life?
Or
Write down the
discussion between Mr. Lamb and Derry. How is Derry greatly influenced by Mr.
Lamb?
Or
How did Mr. Lamb try to
give courage and confidence to Derry?
Ans: Mr.
Lamb was worldly wiseman though one of his legs was blown off during the war.
He welcomed Derry to his garden. During their talks, Derry found him a decent
fellow. The children called him “Lamey-Lamb” but yet he allowed them to enter
his garden without any hesitation.
Mr. Lamb told Derry how to overcome his physical deformity. Mr. Lamb called him blessed because he had got two arms, two legs, ears, eyes, a brain and a tongue except the burnt face. Mr. Lamb also narrates him a story of “The Beauty and the Beast”. He also told Derry many points how to get on with the world inspite of physical disability. In this way, Mr. Lamb tries to give courage and confidence to Derry.
13. Do you think Derry’s chance of meeting with
Mr. Lamb would prove meaningful to him? Give valid reason.
Ans: When
Derry met Mr. Lamb, he was a fourteen years old who had lost all zest of life.
He has lost all self-regard and suffered from a terrible inferiority complex
due to his burnt face. He hated meeting people and remained withdrawn.
After meeting Mr. Lamb, Derry was
filled with enthusiasm for life. Lamb’s words had a profound effect on him and
he changed drastically. He wasn’t overtly conscious of his ugly face anymore.
We could get a reflection of Derry’s transformation in scene two when he
reached his house after a brief encounter with Mr. Lamb.
He told his mother, “you shouldn’t
believe all you hear.” He categorically told her that he wanted to go back to
Mr. Lamb to listen to bees singing and talking with Lamb.
In the end, he rushed to meet his
mentor to keep his promise to the old man. Looking at these developments, one
is bound to conclude that Derry hopefully would not become secluded once again.
He would certainly be confident and happy in the future.
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