THE TALE OF MELON CITY

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist and

journalist. He was one of the influential poets of American literature
and was considered as father of free verse. Leaves of Grass is one
of his most famous works which stirred up controversy regarding its
overt sexual content.
In Voice of the Rain, Walt Whitman composes a conversation
between him and the rain as it felt from the heavens upon the earth.
The poet asks the raindrops, Who are you? and he even gets back
a reply. In his poem, Voice of the Rain, the poet translates the
answer for his readers.
The rain says that it is the poem of the earth. It is born in an
invisible and intangible form which rises from the water bodies and
reaches the infinite sky to change its appearance into clouds of
different shapes and sizes. Yet the rain says it remains the same in
its heart as it was at its birth.
The rain then falls down on the earth as little water droplets which
brings respite to us, rejuvenates the earths soul and washes away
dust and dirt. It gives life to new plants which would have otherwise
remained unborn underground the land as mere seeds. Thus, rain
continues its journey where it returns to the earth, its place of origin
giving it life and making it all the more beautiful and pure.
Walt Whitman feels that the rain is kind of some song. The songs
birth place is the poets heart. Once it is completed, it transfers from
one person to person and one day it returns to all its listeners.
The last lines of the poem are kept in brackets as they do not belong
to the conversation between the poet and the rain.
Analysis:
Voice of the Rain is written in blank verse and the tone of the
poem is conversational in nature. This method has an advantage. It
helps to maintain continuity of thoughts and ideas of the poet and
also bring clarity and vividness in expression. The rain is the speaker
and has been personified. It answers back to the poet when asked
what art thou? by Whitman.
The poem conveys a message to its readers that a rain is the poem

of the earth which symbolizes that it brings happiness and joy to the
humans just like poetry.

BIRTH
Author-A.J.Cronin Andrew Manson, newly out of medical school had had a dispute with his girlfriend
and was feeling very low while returning home. On reaching Home he saw Joe Morgon waiting for
him restlessly. His wife was expecting the birth of his first child after twenty years of their marriage.
The doctor was therefore necessary for the delivery. When Doctor Manson reached Joe Morgan's
house, he found Mrs. Morgon in labor pain. Mrs. Morgan's mother, the midwife and the nurse were
waiting for the birth of a baby eagerly. Mrs. Morgon was anaesthetized, and at the break of dawn a
lifeless child was born. It seemed the child had witnessed asphyxia, pallida. The doctor immediately
remembered a case which he had seen during his days in medical school. He immediately started
working on the stillborn. He desperately wanted the child alive as so many people's happiness
depended on this child. So he started the special method of respiration and after half an hour of hard
work he could breathe the air of success as he was able to save a life. This incident changed his
whole future .Now he was a man with more confidence and courage than he had been a few hours
ago.
RANGAS MARRIAGE
Summary of Rangas Marriage
Ranga hails from Hosahalli, a village in Mysore. Like many other cultural
aspects artistically portrayed by the author the custom of child marriage
too is typical to this village.
Ten years ago when the village accountant sent his son Ranga to
Bangalore for studies, the situation in the village was different. People
never used to use English words while talking in Kannada, their mother
tongue. But now they do it with an abominable pride. For instance, Rama
Raos son was not ashamed to use the word change while buying some
firewood from a woman who knew no English, thereby creating confusion.
Now people are so fond of the foreign language and education that
Rangas homecoming is made a big affair. People crowd his house to see if

he has changed. They return home on finding no significant change in him.

The narrator is particularly happy to find the boy still quite cultured as he
respectfully does namaskara. The narrator spontaneously blesses him
saying May you get married soon.
But the boy is not ready for marriage, he says. He is of the opinion that
one should better remain a bachelor than marry a young girl, as the
custom of the village is. The narrator is disappointed to hear this, but as
he sincerely wants Ranga to get married and settled to be of some service
to the society, he does not lose heart. He takes a vow to get him married,
and that to a young girl of 11 by the name of Ratna, Rama Raos niece,
who has of late come to Hosahalli to stay for a few days.
Now the narrator plans to make the prospective bride and the bridegroom
meet each other. So he does by asking Raos wife to send Ratna to his
house to fetch buttermilk. As Ratna arrives she is asked to sing. As
planned at that very moment Ranga arrives and gets mesmerized by
Ratnas singing and almost instantly falls in love with her being oblivious
of his theories regarding child marriage. The narrator, from his
experience, notices this quite well but purposely disappoints Ranga saying
that Ratna is married.
The next morning the narrator meticulously plots with Shastri, the fortune
teller, to trap Ranga and have him marry Ratna. He tutors him in what is to
be said and done when he will bring the boy to him.
The narrator finds Ranga miserable that day. The latter complains of
headache and the narrator suggests that they visit Shastri. Thereupon
Ranga is taken to Shastri who cleverly reacts by saying that their visit has
been a surprise. The narrator acts foolishly forgetting what he is supposed
to say but Shastri cleverly manages the scene.
Everything goes well as per the plan. Shyama, the narrator, asks Shastri
what might be worrying the boy. Shastri calculates throwing his cowries
and suggests that it is about a girl. On further calculation he suggests
that the girls name has connection with something found in the ocean.
The narrator asks if it could be Kamala. Then he suggests Pachchi,
meaning moss. When Shastri hints pearl or Ratna, the narrator becomes
jubilant and Ranga is amazed. Shyama further asks if there is any chance
of negotiation of the marriage bearing any fruit, to which Shastri
answered affirmative. But once again the narrator pours water on Rangas
hopes by saying that Ratna is married.
However, on the way the narrator enters Rama Raos house and comes out
of the house to inform Ranga that Ratna is unmarried and the previous
information about her marriage was wrong. Now visibly Rangas joys have

no limits. When the narrator asks him whether whatever the astrologer
told is right, he admits that it is true and further adds that there is more
truth in astrology than he thought.
Later the narrator informs Shastri about the success story and makes a
sarcastic comment about astrology. But Shastri is not ready to accept. He
says that the former gave only the hints and whatever he said was the
result of his calculation.
Whatever the case might be, Ranga finally gets married to Ratna and
fathers two children, moreover Ratna is now eight months pregnant. The
narrator is invited to the third birth anniversary of Rangas child, who was
named after the narrator as Shyama. On finding this, the narrator mildly
chides Ranga saying that he knows that it is the English custom to name
the child after someone one likes, but it is not fair to name him Shyama
because he is fair complexioned.
All said and done, it is interesting to find how Ranga forgets what he
learned about happy marriages in cities and gives in to the far deeper
influences the village customs and traditions have on him. And why not, is
it easy to do away with all that one learns so unconsciously day and night
in the society one grows up in?

MOTHERS DAY
This humorous and satirical depiction of a mother's status in a family was written way back in 1950
and till date stands quite true in cases of house wives. Unless and until she fights back for her rights
her contribution is not recognized in the family. The characters in this play are Mrs. Annie Pearson
(the mother); husband Mr. George Pearson., son Cyril, daughter Doris and the neighbor Mrs.
Fitzgerald. Mrs. Fitzgerald knows tarot card reading which she had learnt while she was living in the
east with her husband. She finds out that Mrs. Pearson does not get the due respect she should get
from her family and advices her to take strong steps to be the mistress of her own house . Though
Mrs. Pearson doubted herself if she will be able to follow her advice. She didn't want any
unpleasantness in her house .More over she didn't know when or how to put her point.Mrs Fitzgerald
advised her to start that very day but Mrs. Pearson was reluctant as she won't be able to keep her
promise. Mrs. Fitzgerald had an excellent idea. As she had learnt many magic in the east, she can
change place with Mrs. Pearson i.e.Mrs. Pearson will have Mrs. Fitzgerald's mind and vice versa.
They both held hands and sat on the table quietly. Mrs. Fitzgerald enchanted some magic words and
their minds got exchanged. After Mrs. Fitzgerald with Mrs. Pearson's mind leaves for her house Doris
arrives and sees s her mother smoking. She is shocked. She has an argument with her as now all of
a sudden her mother is not ready to iron her dresses for the evening or prepare tea or even supper.
Dorris was horrified at her mother's attitude and runs away crying. After sometime Cyril appears from

work and he too is flatly denied when he asks for tea. Cyril was alarmed and asks if she was feeling
well or not? Then Mrs. Pearson takes out a bottle of stout and drinks. Both the siblings are
astonished and start wondering if she has had a fall or hit her head. Now Mr. Person arrive and all
three start complaining about tea not being ready as they had worked so hard for eight hours. to this
Mrs. Pearson says that from that very moment she would also work for only eight hours a day and
weekends off.Mr Pearson gets angry and get ready for club when Mrs. Pearson tell him that people
at the club call him Pompy Ompy Pearson and laughs at him. He becomes very sad. Now Mrs.
Fitzgerald with Mrs. Pearson's mind enters the house and seeing everyone sad asks to leave Mrs.
Pearson and her alone for a few minutes and may be everything will be all right. On being alone Mrs.
Fitzgerald enchants some magic words and again their bodies get back their mind but now Mrs.
Pearson's family give her more respect and considers her likes and dislikes also.