Explain about George in packing packing for the journey lesson
Answers
The writer, Jerome liked to pack luggage for trips and announced that he would do the packing.
I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I feel I know more about than any other person living. (It surprises me myself, sometimes, how many such things there are.) I impressed the fact upon George and Harris and told them that they had better leave the whole matter entirely to me. They fell into the suggestion with a readiness that had something uncanny about it. George spread himself over the easy-chair, and Harris cocked his legs on the table.
pride myself on: am proud of
fell into: here, accepted
Uncanny: strange, weird
cocked his legs: bent the legs on the knee as he sat
Jerome thought that his ability to pack luggage was better than others. He asked his friends George and Harris to leave the task of packing to him. The two friends agreed to his offer instantly which was strange. George sat comfortably on the easy - chair and Harris bent his knees as he sat on the sofa and kept his feet on the table.
This was hardly what I intended. What I had meant, of course, was, that I should boss the job, and that Harris and George should potter about under my directions, I pushing them aside every now and then with, “Oh, you!” “Here, let me do it.” “There you are, simple enough!” — really teaching them, as you might say. Their taking it in the way they did irritated me. There is nothing does irritate me more than seeing other people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.
Intended: planned, meant
potter about: do some unimportant things
By saying that he would pack, the writer did not mean that his friends would sit and relax while he would do all the work. He had meant that he would boss upon them while they would do all the chores. He would nag them and curse them for not knowing the work well and then, he would chip in to sort out the mess that they would create.He was irritated to see them sitting while he did all the work.
I lived with a man once who used to make me mad that way. He would loll on the sofa and watch me doing things by the hour together. He said it did him real good to look on at me, messing about. Now, I’m not like that. I can’t sit still and see another man slaving and working. I want to get up and superintend, and walk around with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can’t help it.
loll on the sofa: to recline or lean in a relaxed manner
messing about: to waste time doing something without a particular purpose
sit still: sit without doing anything
Superintend: supervise, manage
He recollects that once he lived with a man who would sit lazily on the sofa all day through and would watch the writer do all the work. The man would say that he enjoyed watching him go around, doing all the work. This would make the writer mad with anger. The writer adds that he could not sit idle and watch others work like slaves. On the other hand, he liked to check their work, walk around with his hands in his pockets and direct them on how to do the work properly. He feels that as he was energetic, it was a part of his nature to behave in that manner.
However, I did not say anything, but started the packing. It seemed a longer job than I had thought it was going to be; but I got the bag finished at last, and I sat on it and strapped it. “Ain’t you going to put the boots in?” said Harris. And I looked round, and found I had forgotten them. That’s just like Harris. He couldn’t have said a word until I’d got the bag shut and strapped, of course. And George laughed — one of those irritating, senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.
strapped it: closed it
Wild: mad with anger
The writer did not say anything to his friends and started packing. As he closed it, Harris said that he had forgotten to pack the boots. The writer felt that Harris could have reminded him before he had closed the bag but he thought that Harris was like that! This was followed by an irritating laughter by George which made Jerome wild with anger.