1. The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
2. You must have met some interesting characters in your neighbourhood or among your relatives. Write a humorous piece about their idiosyncrasies. Try to adopt the author's rambling style, if you can.
Answers
1. The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.
The instances of humour, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies without making any direct and rude comment on anybody.For instance, the author portrays the make-up artists and the us of the pancakes in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious. The way he tries to help his principal by offering quick solutions to his problems is quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress's career is yet another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the 'mystery surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the instances where the author has incorporated gentle humour.
2. You must have met some interesting characters in your neighbourhood or among your relatives. Write a humorous piece about their idiosyncrasies. Try to adopt the author's rambling style, if you can.
An old lady, in my neighbourhood, loves to criticise people and to gossip about them. All day long she sits on the balcony, knitting and shouting random comments on people. As neighbours, we are aware of her idiosyncrasies and strange habits but the innocent strangers are her usual victims.
One afternoon after school, I had barely started climbing the staircase of our building when a man rushed past me hurrying up the stairs. I had never seen the man in our locality before. Curiosity got the better of me and I followed him and reached the old lady's apartment. Realisation dawned on me; I understood that it was another of the lady's trick to befool a stranger. That day, the woman had shouted for help and this man, thinking it to be a genuine case of emergency, rushed to help her.
Answer:
The author uses expressions which point out some idiosyncrasies
Explanation:
Such instances include,
- He doesn't directly reveal the rude comments or his mocking tone. For example, how the author talks about makeup artists and pancakes.
-the author shows the readers a depiction of gentle humor. This is seen in the example, How Subbu offers some help to his principal by giving suggestions on solving short term issues. This is shown in a funny manner.
-The office boy hated communism and talks about an appreciation of Gandhi is also an example of gentle humor.
+++++++++++++
An old lady, in my neighbourhood, loves to criticise people and to gossip about them. All day long she sits on the balcony, knitting and shouting random comments on people. As neighbours, we are aware of her idiosyncrasies and strange habits but the innocent strangers are her usual victims.
One afternoon after school, I had barely started climbing the staircase of our building when a man rushed past me hurrying up the stairs. I had never seen the man in our locality before. Curiosity got the better of me and I followed him and reached the old lady’s apartment. Realisation dawned on me; I understood that it was another of the lady’s trick to befool a stranger. That day, the woman had shouted for help and this man, thinking it to be a genuine case of emergency, rushed to help her.