इस नाटक में तीन पात्र हैं ,पहले पात्र मिस्टर लैंब है जो काफी बुजुर्ग हैं और अकेले रहते हैं ।वह एक पूर्व सैनिक है और एक लड़ाई में अपना एक पैर खो देते हैं, परंतु वह अपनी इस कमजोरी के बावजूद भी पूरी ऊर्जा और परिश्रम से जीने वाले इंसान हैं।उन्होंने अपने बड़े से घर में फल फूलों के पेड़ पोधे लगा रखे है और वो ज्यादा से ज्यादा समय प्रकृति के साथ गुजारते हैं।उनके घर के दरवाजे हमेशा खुले रहते हैं।दूसरा पात्र चौदह वर्ष का लड़का डैरी है । बचपन में घटित एक दुर्घटना में उसका चेहरा एक तरफ से बुरी तरह जल गया था और देखने में वह काफी भद्दा दिखता है।लोग उसकी तरफ भय और सदमे से देखते हैं।उसे हर पल अपनी कुरूपता का अहसास होता रहता है और इसलिए डैरी पूरे संसार से नफ़रत करता है।वह अपनी कुरूपता के कारण बहुत मानसिक पीड़ा अनुभव करता है। एक दिन वह चोरी छिपे मिस्टर लैंब के बाग में आता है और वहां पर उसकी मिस्टर लैंब से काफी विस्तार से इस विषय पर बात होती है। बातचीत के अंत तक मिस्टर लैंब जिंदगी के प्रति उसके विचारों को बदल देता है और डैरी भी अपने प्रति सकारात्मक भाव महसूस करता है।तीसरी पात्र डैरी की मां है जो अपने बेटे को बहुत प्यार करती है। डैरी उसे मिस्टर लैंब के बारे में बताता है और जीवन के प्रति अपनी नई सोच की बात भी करता है। नाटक के अंतिम दृश्य में डैरी अपने घर से भागकर मिस्टर लैंब के बाग में रहने के लिए आता है।परंतु वह पाता है कि मिस्टर लैंब सीढ़ी से गिरकर मर चुके हैं। डैरी रोने लगता है और नाटक समाप्त हो जाता है........
Word Meanings:-
Withdrawn -अपने आप में खोया हुआ
Defiant- विद्रोही विचारों का
Occasional -कभी कभार
Rustling- पत्तों का खड़कना
Tentatively- हिचकते हुए
On my account- मेरे कारण
Pretend -दिखावा करना
Weeds- खरपत वार
Herbs -जड़ी बूटी
Monstrous- भयानक
Peculiar- विशेष
Trespassing- बिना अनुमति प्रवेश करना
Concerned -संबंधित
Excuse- बहाने बनाना
Slam -जोर से धक्का देना
Thumping down- धड़ाम से नीचे गिरना
Swish- आवाज के साथ ऊपर जाना
Creak- चरचराना
Textual Exercise- On the Face of It--Susan Hill
Q1- Who is Mr. Lamb?
Ans- Mr. Lamb is an old man. He is a retired soldier . He has lost one of his legs in war. He has a tin leg now its place. He lives alone in a big house. He has a large garden . He is fond of nature. He is a positive man . Kids call him Lamey-Lamb. But he doesn't mind it.
Q2- How does Derry get into Mr. Lamb's garden?
Ans- Mr. Lamb keeps the garden gate always open. But Derry doesn't come through the open gate. He climbs over the wall and comes in. He doesn't want to be seen by anyone. So he enters the garden in this way.
Q3- Why had Derry come into the garden?
Ans- He thought it was an empty place and no one lived here. He came in just to see what kind of place it was. He had no intention to steal any apple or other thing.
Q4- Why does Derry say people are afraid of him?
Ans- Derry has a burnt face. Acid had fallen on one side of his face and now it looks very ugly. He says that people look at his face and call it a terrible thing. They call it the ugliest thing they ever saw. That is why he says that people are afraid of looking at him.
Q5- How does Mr. Lamb try to change the topic of Derry's ugly face?
Ans- Mr. Lamb is a wise person. He starts talking of the crab apples in his garden. He calls them magic fruit. He says that these apples are best to be made into jelly. He asks Derry to help him.
Q6- How does Mr. Lamb try to convince Derry that the outer looks don't make any difference?
Ans- Mr. Lamb says that there are flowers, trees, herbs and weeds. They are all growing living things. There is no difference between them. Same is the case with Mr Lamb and Derry. One is old, the other is young. One has a tin leg, the other has a burnt face. These outer differences have not any importance. Inwardly, they are all same.
Q7- What does Mr Lamb want to say by the example of the bees ?
Ans- Mr Lamb says that some people hear bees and say ," Bees buzz." But when he listens to them, he feels that they are singing. It all depends on our view about anything.
Q8- What does Derry tell his mother about Mr Lamb?
Ans- Derry says that Mr Lamb is an old man with a tin leg. He lives alone in a huge house without curtains. He has a big garden. Derry says that he wants to be there. He wants to sit there, look and listen to things.
Q9- What does Derry's mother think of Mr Lamb?
Ans- Derry's mother thinks of Mr Lamb as a worthless person. She says that Mr Lamb's all talk was nothing but nonsense. She doesn't want Derry to go back to his garden.
Q10- Why does Derry go back to Mr Lamb?
Ans- Derry finds Mr Lamb quite different from others. Mr Lamb expresses no repulsion on seeing Derry's burnt face. He talks to him in a loving manner. He even welcomes him to his garden. He also changes Derry's views about his burnt face. So he goes back to Mr Lamb
Q11- What happens to Mr Lamb in the end?
Ans- Mr Lamb tries to pluck apples . He is on a ladder against the branch of an apple tree. But when he pulls a branch, his ladder falls back. He falls with the ladder and dies .
Long-Answer Que.
Q12- What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself?
Ans- Derry finds Mr Lamb quite different from others. Mr Lamb expresses no repulsion on seeing Derry's burnt face. He talks to him in a loving manner. He even welcomes him to his garden. He calls him his friend.
Mr. Lamb says that there are flowers, trees, herbs and weeds. They are all growing living things. There is no difference between them. Same is the case with Mr Lamb and Derry. One is old, the other is young. One has a tin leg, the other has a burnt face. These outer differences have not any importance. Inwardly, they are all same.
He tells Derry never think of his burnt face. He has two arms, two legs, eyes, ears, tongue and a brain. And if he has a firm mind, he can do better than others. Such words of encouragement draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself.
Q13- Write a brief summary of the play, "On the Face of It".
Ans- This is a great play written by Susan Hill. There are three characters in this play- Mr Lamb, Derry and Derry's mother. Mr Lamb is an old man. He has lost one of his legs in war. Now he has a tin leg in its place. He lives in a big house with a large garden. Derry is a fourteen years old kid. The one side of his face is all burnt from acid and he looks very ugly. People look at him with a sense of shock and fear. They call his face the ugliest thing of the world. It gives Derry much mental pain. He hates all world. Once he comes into Mr Lamb's garden, thinking that no one lives there. Mr Lamb talks to him in a very nice and positive manner. He tries to convince Derry that nothing is wrong with his face and he is better than others. Derry is so impressed by Mr Lamb's sweet words that he decides to leave his home and start living there with Mr Lamb. The third character- Derry's mother- stops him to do so. But Derry doesn't follow her. He runs to Mr Lamb's garden but when he comes to the garden, he finds Mr Lamb already dead.
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Rajender Singh
PGT English
GGSSS Kairu (Bhiwani)
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