A man was sitting with his feet up on a desk. He turned his head when Stanley and the guard entered, but otherwise didn't move. Even though he was inside, he wore sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He also held a can of cream soda, and the sight of it made Stanley even more aware of his own thirst.
He waited while the bus guard gave the man some papers to sign.
"That's a lot of sunflower seeds," the bus guard said.
Stanley noticed a burlap sack filled with sunflower seeds on the floor next to the desk.
"I quit smoking last month," said the man in the cowboy hat. He had a tattoo of a rattlesnake on his arm, and as he signed his name, the snake's rattle seemed to wiggle. "I used to smoke a pack a day. Now I eat a sack of these every week."
Stanley didn't have many friends at home. He was overweight and the kids at his middle school often teased him about his size. Even his teachers sometimes made cruel comments without realising it. On his last day of school, his math teacher, Mrs Bell, taught ratios. As an example, she chose the heaviest kid in the class and the lightest kid in the class, and had them weighed themselves. Stanley weighed three times as much as the other boy. Mrs Bell wrote the ratio on the board, 3:1, unaware of how much embarrassment she had caused both of them.
1. What can you tell about the character of Mr Sir, the man in the cowboy hat? Give evidence from the text. *
2. How does Stanley feel about himself? Give evidence from the text. *
E. Read the following short extracts from acclaimed novels. Find implicit information on the setting.
URN BURIAL by Robert Westall
(Ralph, the main character, has been captured by an alien race and is trapped...)
This was the worst nightmare yet. He was standing with his back pressed against a smooth wall cold as ice. The cold nibbled at his buttocks and legs; it ran up and down the knobbles of his spine, making him shiver; it invaded his lungs so he could hardly breathe; he felt he had been shivering a long time.
COMING TO ENGLAND by Floella Benjamin
This room was my mother's pride and joy. Its brilliant white curtains always smelt fresh and the mahogany furniture was always highly polished, as was the wooden floor. My sister and I spent many hours polishing that room from as far back as I can remember. We had to do the polishing before we left for school each day. The comfortable wooden chairs in the room were draped with crisp white headrests and the round table, which we ate from on Sundays and other special occasions, had a doily in its centre, on which sat a glass of glorious fresh flowers.
1. In Urn Burial, what kind of atmosphere does the writer create? Give two examples of evidence. *
2. In Coming To England, what can we imply about the room based on the descriptions? Give three examples of evidence. *
Answers
Answer:
আজ বাতাসে সুবাসিত স্নিগ্ধতা, পাখিরা সারি সারি গাইছে গান, প্রকৃতি নতুন করে হয়েছে রঙিন, ফুলেরা সব ফুটেছে বাগানে, আজ আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় মানুষের জন্মদিন… শুভ জন্মদিন A friend is like Sunrise, happens daily. A true friend is like rain, it occurs yearly, But someone like you is like TSUNAMI, such disasters are rare… Happy Friendship Dayআজ বাতাসে সুবাসিত স্নিগ্ধতা, পাখিরা সারি সারি গাইছে গান, প্রকৃতি নতুন করে হয়েছে রঙিন, ফুলেরা সব ফুটেছে বাগানে, আজ আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় মানুষের জন্মদিন… শুভ জন্মদিন আজ বাতাসে সুবাসিত স্নিগ্ধতা, পাখিরা সারি সারি গাইছে গান, প্রকৃতি নতুন করে হয়েছে রঙিন, ফুলেরা সব ফুটেছে বাগানে, আজ আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় মানুষের জন্মদিন… শুভ জন্মদিন আজ বাতাসে সুবাসিত স্নিগ্ধতা, পাখিরা সারি সারি গাইছে গান, প্রকৃতি নতুন করে হয়েছে রঙিন, ফুলেরা সব ফুটেছে বাগানে, আজ আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় মানুষের জন্মদিন… শুভ জন্মদিন আজ বাতাসে সুবাসিত স্নিগ্ধতা, পাখিরা সারি সারি গাইছে গান, প্রকৃতি নতুন করে হয়েছে রঙিন, ফুলেরা সব ফুটেছে বাগানে, আজ আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় মানুষের জন্মদিন… শুভ জন্মদিন আজ বাতাসে সুবাসিত স্নিগ্ধতা, পাখিরা সারি সারি গাইছে গান, প্রকৃতি নতুন করে হয়েছে রঙিন, ফুলেরা সব ফুটেছে বাগানে, আজ আমার সবচেয়ে প্রিয় মানুষের জন্মদিন… শুভ জন্মদিন A friend is like Sunrise, happens daily. A true friend is like rain, it occurs yearly, But someone like you is like TSUNAMI, such disasters are rare… Happy Friendship DayWishing you a wonderful day and all the most amazing things on your Big Day! Happy Birthday Be happy!সুন্দর এই ভুবনে সুন্দরতম জীবন হোক তোমার। পূরণ হোক প্রতিটি স্বপ্ন, প্রতিটি আশা, বেঁচে থাকো হাজার বছর। শুভ জন্মদিন Wishing you a wonderful day and all the most amazing things on your Big Day! Happy Birthday Be happy!g
Answer:
Looking at the text, you can tell that the character likes to make an impression and wants to be seen to be in charge. He is sitting 'with his feet up on a desk' which suggests he feels powerful and he knows that he can behave as he likes. He has made his appearance even more striking by wearing sunglasses and a cowboy hat indoors.
When you consider the can of cream soda, you could say that the fact that the character fails to offer either Stanley or the bus guard anything to drink suggests that he is a selfish man. He keeps his drink in full view of Stanley and the bus guard which further suggests that he is cruel and likes to see other people's discomfort.
The character has a tattoo of a rattlesnake - a dangerous reptile that is supposed to have a bad temper - on his arm, which adds to the impression of this man. You are led to believe that the sunflower seeds are there to help him as an alternative to cigarettes, but you don't get the optimistic feeling that they'll be successful.
In conclusion, the character appears to us, through implication only, to be powerful, bad-tempered and selfish.