Discuss the intersection of time and space in the lesson The Third Level. Bring out the incidents in the
lesson that justifies it as a fiction. 5marks questions
Answers
Answer:
Definitely one can see an intersection of time and space in the story “The Third Level” since the story is constantly moving between the past and the present. ... The Third Level at Grand Central Station is a medium of an easy escape for Charley. It is nothing but a 'waking-dream-wish-fulfilment.
Answer:
Question 1:
What does the third level refer to?
ANSWER:
The Grand Central Station of New York has subways on two levels from where the commuters take trains to different destinations. No third level was ever built. However, the protagonist of the story, Charley, believes in the existence of a third level, operating in a time-frame of 1890s.
The third level signifies an escape from the modern world that is “full of insecurity, fear, war, worry and all the rest of it....” The period of 1890s represents a peaceful life not possible in the present era. From this level, the protagonist wants to travel to Galesburg, Illinois, with his wife Louisa. For him, it is a part of reality while his psychiatrist friend calls it a “waking-dream wish fulfilment.”
Page No 1:
Question 1:
Have you ever had any curious experience which others find hard to believe?
ANSWER:
Yes, there is one such incident in my life. Last May, I went to Rishikesh to enjoy river-rafting with my family including my father, mother and sister. We got into a raft with a group of five college friends. While the rafting instructor was giving us instructions, I felt that I had experienced this already although it was going to be my first rafting experience. I knew exactly what he would say, how he would say and also what his audiences would ask. I was puzzled, and shared this with my sister but she simply dismissed it. Even her laughing sounded as if I had experienced it under the same circumstances. Then, we seated ourselves properly in the raft, and the adventure began. Initially we took our raft slowly and enjoyed swimming. After that, we came across several rapids. The thrill of rafting experience and my love for the water made me forget all about my premonitions. Suddenly, as we were about to face another rapid, I recollected everything as if I had seen it in a dream. I started shouting that the boy sitting at the front will hit his head. My mom scolded me while people on the raft simply laughed it off. But I was not to be consoled. I asked our trainer to avoid the next rapid and kept on insisting the same. Time was flying very fast, I repeated that the boy will get injured seriously but nobody paid attention. As we entered the next rapid, our raft hit a rock very hard and all of us were thrown into the water. With great difficulty, our trainer got us all back on the raft to find just one person bleeding. The scene was exactly as I had recollected. The same boy, whom I had pointed out, hit his head on the rock. After examining him, the trainer said that the injury is not very serious but could have been if I had not warned him. For the rest of the journey, everybody was silent. No one spoke anything about the correlation between what I said and what happened. After a few days, I found out that what I had experienced is known as a déjà vu.
(The above answer is only a sample provided for students' reference. It is strongly recommended that students prepare the answer on their own.)