XII English 2.4 Have you Earned your Tomorrow :- Textual Activities

 2.4 Have you Earned your Tomorrow

By:- Edgar Guest

Ice Breaker Activities

A1) Give different ways to help others.
Answer:-
1) To give financial help to the poor.
2) To donate blood.
3) To give company to lonely persons.
4) To give carrier guidance to the needy persons.
5) To give help in study to younger siblings.
6) To help the blind persons to cross the road.
7) To give seat to the handicapped persons in the public transport
8) To join the social welfare organizations.
9) To take part in a charity run,
10) To comfort someone in grief.
11) To give food for a homeless person.
12) To do household chores.

A2) Write different idioms / proverbs related to word 'tomorrow'.
Answer:-
1) Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
2) Tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.
3) Nobody is too young to die tomorrow.
4) Tomorrow never comes.
5) Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.
6) Who has ever seen tomorrow?
7) Say what you have to say, tomorrow.
8) The rich man plans for tomorrow, the poor man for today.
9) The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.
10) Fools look to tomorrow; wise men use tonight.
11) Never put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
12) Give me wool and tomorrow you will have a sheep.

A3) When you make your future plans you think of ............................
Answer:-
1) Career
2) Expectations of the family members
3) Job opportunities
4) Social status
5) Financial condition
6) Chances for development
7) Learning
8) Success in the plan

A4) 'Plan your tomorrow' by completing the table given below.
Answer:-
 

Function at your home	Function at your home	Function at your home
Making a time table	Preparing the list of duties	Cleaning the house
Concentrating on important topics	Choice of programmes	Give invitations to guests
Revision	Participation in various activities	Help to family members

New words and their meanings

Toiling time - time spent in hard physical work.
Through - over
Utter (v) - speak.
Utter (adj) -  complete, absolute, total
Cheerful - gay, happy, merry
Greeting - polite words or sign of welcome.
Came along - arrived, accompanied someone.
Churlish - rude, i'll mannered.
Howdy - an informal friendly greeting, (How are you?)
Vanish - disappear
Throng - a large crowd
Rushed (v ) - moved with urgent haste ran towards something in hurry
Rushed (n) - sudden quick movement towards something.
Mighty - gigantic, vast, strong, powerful.
Deed - doing Part(ing) with- to give up, let go
Slipping fast - going or moving quickly, sliding, here getting over
Rejoice - joy, glee, thrill, mirth
Fading -  gradually growing faint, disappearing, here losing hope
Courage - bravery
Sorely - extremely hard, painfully, mortally
Trail(n) - a mark or a series of signs or objects left behind by the passage of someone.
Trail(v) - leave behind
Scar - scratch, wound
Discontent - dissatisfaction
Slumber - sleep
Earned - rewarded, deserved to live for one more day
 

Brain Storming Activities

Activity – 1

Discuss with your friend how she/he spent the whole day that was beneficial for others.
Answer:-
1) Helped in daily chores to family members.
2) Read newspaper to grandfather.
3) Participated in cleanliness movement organized by Rotary Club.
4) Gave own seat to a handicapped person in the bus.
5) Assisted illiterate woman in the bank to withdraw the amount.
6) Gave food to the beggar.
7) Carried the patient to the hospital
8) Donated blood.
9) Helped younger siblings in their school project.
10) Gave last year books to the needy poor students.
 

Activity-2

(i).... was it well or sorely spent? Explain the meaning and give illustrations.
Answer:-

The line 'was it well or sorely spent? means that we should check our daily routine and introspect (examine) if we spent it properly or not. The poet suggests that we must utilize our valuable time for doing good to others. We should not involve in wrong things. It may disturb others and at the end of the day you feel that you have spent the day hurting others. If we insult others and behave wrongly, we have wasted our day. It is called day sorely spent. So behave properly and make our day fruitful.

(ii) As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say, 'You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?' Elaborate the idea expressed in these lines.

Answer:-

The poet suggests that everyone should do such good work that God would allot one more day to live. As per the poet's view, God gives future life only to those who do something good in their life. He wants to encourage all for doing fruitful and worthy work.

(iii) The poet suggests that one should do good to others. Complete the table by giving examples of doing good to following people.

 

Family members	Family members	Family members

 
Answer:-
 

Family members	Family members	Family members
Assist in need	Help in difficult situation	Keep loving relationship
Help in daily work	Increase confidence	Give co-operation
Give company	Work together	Help in need
Deal with problems	Help in study	Keep area clean
Take care of old persons	Share study material and other needy things	Celebrate festivals, assist in work

 

Activity 3

i) Pick out the describing words from the poem and add a noun of your own. One is done for you.  (Toiling) time
Answer:-

Describing word	Noun
Happier	Children
Cheerful	Players
Selfish	Friend
Grateful	Neighbour
Fading	Roses
Kindly	Behaviour
Churlish	Howdy
Rejoicing	Heart
Slipping	Moments

 
ii) Match the words given in column ‘A' with their meaning in column ‘B'.

A	A
1) Cheerful	a) with the feeling of disappointment
2) Selfish	b) lack of satisfaction
3) Sorely	c) happy
4) Discontent	d) concerned with one's own pleasure

Answer:-

A	A
1) Cheerful	c) happy
2) Selfish	d) concerned with one's own                 pleasure
3) Sorely	a) with the feeling of                            disappointment
4) Discontent	b) lack of satisfaction

 
iii) There are a few examples of homonyms in the poem. e.g. 'spoke'.
     List homonyms from the poem and give their meanings.
Answer:-
Homonym - a word that is spelt and pronounced like another word but that has a different meaning.
              दुसन्या एखाद्या शब्दासारखाच उच्चारला जाणारा पण अर्थामध्ये फरक असणारा शब्द म्हणजे होमोनिम्स होय.
See homonyms from the poem
Passed -
1) To be successful in examination
2) Left behind
 
Deed -
1) work
2) A legal document
 
Waste -
1) Use carelessly
2) Discarded material
 
Part-
1) One of the pieces
2) A role or character in a play or film
 
iv) Find out expressions/phrases which denote, 'going away', from each stanza.
Answer
Stanza 1:
1) is almost over
2) passed his way
 
Stanza 2:
1) vanish in the throng
2) rushed along
 
Stanza 3:
1) were fading now
2) slipping fast
3) parting with
4) passed
 

Activity 4

(i) The poet has used different poetic devices like Alliteration and Interrogation in the poem. Identify them and pick out the lines.
Answer:-
 

Poetic Device	Lines
Alliteration	1) Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way 2) As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would           say,     (The sounds 's' and 'sh' are repeated in both lines.)
Interrogation	1) Is anybody happier because you passed his way? 2) Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today? 3) Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you? 4) Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along? 5) Or a churlish sort of "Howdy" and then vanish in the throng? 6) Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today? 7) Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that's shipping fast,     That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed? 8) Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead? (The poet has asked questions to emphasize a point and make the readers think.)
Synecdoche	Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said, (The word heart a part- refers to a whole or the person who is rejoicing.)
Rhyme Scheme	aabb
Transferred Epithet	1) This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through.     (The adjective 'toiling' is transferred from person to time.) 2) Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?     (The adjective 'kindly' is transferred from person to word.) 3) Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?     (The adjective cheerful' is transferred from person to greeting.)
Antithesis	1) Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along? Or a churlish sort of "Howdy" and then vanish in the throng?     (Opposite ideas are expressed in cheerful greeting' and 'churlish sort of "Howdy’) 2) Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?     (Opposite ideas are expressed in ‘hopes were fading’ and ‘courage look ahead’.)