My Old Home summary and exercise | Class 12 English Notes

My Old Home summary and exercise | Class 12 English Notes | NEB

Before reading

Answer the following questions.

a.How do you feel if you visit a place after an interval of ten years?

Ans. We feel as if the place is a new one.

b.Who is your best childhood friend? What special memories do you share with him/her?

Ans. Santosh is my best friend. I want to share an accident while trying to swim will him.

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Understanding the text

Answer the following questions

a.How does the narrator describe his feeling at the arrival of his old home?

Ans. When he arrives at his hometown, he was assailed by a depression against which he was utterly powerless because it was not the countryside that he remembered so far. There are no signs of progress. But then again it's probably not so depressing as he seems to feel at the moment either. Since he is not coming back in a happy mood to begin with.

b.What were the three kinds of servants in China then? What does it indicate about contemporary Chinese society?

Ans. The three kinds of servents (labor) in China were, full timers, dailies and part timers. Those who work all the year for one family are called full-timers (short timers); and those who farm their own land and only work for one family at new years, during festivals or when rento are being collected are called part-timers (busy-monthers).

It indicates about inequality in contemporary chinese society.

c.What makes the narrator nostalgic? What did he do with Runtu in the teenage?

Ans. Runtu showed a very respectful attitude towards him and addressed him " Master which makes the narrator nostalgic because they were so formal in their childhood and Runtu used to call him Brother Xun". They (Runtu and Xun) used to hunt a Zha, Catch birds, Collect shells in their teenage.

d.How did Runtu hunt a Zha in his young age?

Ans. In his young age, Runtu used to stab (thrust) with a pitchfork to hunt a Zha, but the crafty animal makes a lightning turn, rurs back between his legs, and makes its good escape.

e.How does the narrator make a humorous picture of Mrs. Yang?

Ans. Mrs. Yang was wearing a pair of trousers, her hands were on her hips, her legs were apart, she was standing balanced on pitiful little pair of bond feet. So, the narrator makes a humorous picture of Mrs. Kang resembling to a compass out of someone's drafting kit.

f.According to the narrator, what were different factors that made Runtu a poor man throughout his life?

Ans. Many children, famines, taxes, soldiers, bandits, officials and landlords gentry made Runtu a poor man throughout his life.

Although at the members of his family worked but still they hadn't enough to eat. There was several factors that made Runtu a poor man through out his life. The factors can be listed as:

There his no security in the field from badgers, Zha, and hedgehogs.
All sorts of people wanted money, there was no fixed rule.
Harvests were bad.
They has to pay several takes and lost money. When he take things to sell, he could not get reasonable price. If he don't try to sell the things might go bad.

g.How does the narrator help Runtu before leaving the old home?

Ans. The narrator helps Runtu before leaving the old home by offering him all the things they were not going to take away, letting him chose for himself.

h.How does the author differentiate two kinds of idols?

Ans. The author differentiates two kids of idols. One, the real and the other ideal. The real is quite different from the ideal one. They seem to be land and sky. So, these was difficulty to them to meet each other. Sometimes there was some sort of burning sensation. Here we should realize that such situations prevail in the present world too.

Reference to the context

a. While reading the friendship between the narrator and Runtu, Hindu readers remember the friendship between Krishna and Sudama. Which particular description reminds you of the mythological example?

Ans. In the story " The old home" the narrator and Runtu were childhood friends. These operated in their teenage. They met after thirty years. The Narrator was Runtu's Master's son. Although they were franks and there was no barrier between them in their childhood but after there meet in adulthood, Runtu addressed him " Master". Which makes the narrator nostalogic. Runtu was poor as compared to the narrator. So, he hesitated to share everything. But the narrator seems to be open-hearted and with unique personality. He tries to understand his condition himself and helped his friend, Runtu.

Similarly, in the mythological example of Krishna and Sudhama. They were childhood friends. Both of them gained knowledge from the same guru and were inseparable during their childhood. But later, Krishna become the king of Dwarika whereas Sudhama became a pandit. Sudhama was very poor. So, he decided to meet Krishna and share his condition with him. But he couldn't take good present. Sudhama tanked Krishna and left the place. And it is said, when sudama went back his home, he found his whole house transformed and he has ll the riches in his house.

So, in both of the stories, friendship makes a person forget every difficult situation. Both, Krishna and the narrator helped the poor friend and became like a prism and spreaded (refracted) the color in their life.

b.How does the story support the proposition that the relationships of childhood are innocent, impartial and disinterested?

Ans. The friendship that existed between Jun-Tu and Hsun were lively, Positive and brother like. They enjoyed talking about catching birds, hunting animals like badgers, Zha and hedgehogs. They were not so worried about the outside world. Their childhood friendship was vivid and mutual. There was no boundary and inequality between them. There exists no superiority and inferiority between them. Both of them were like brothers, not aking advantage of one another and were comfortable with the friend ship they shand.

But the friendship changes because of the hardships they go through. Distance and social barriers influenced their attitude. So, the story supports the proposition that the relationship of childhood are innocent importial and selfless.

c.After reading the story, what inferences can you make about contemporary Chinese economic and social system?

Ans. The story "My old home" describes the relationship between the narrator and Jun Tu; the servents son and also the socio-economic system which exists at that time. When they wer child there exists boundaries between superior and inferior class i.e. actually rich and poor class. The poor used to work as servents in their masters house. That boundary was seen after thirty years too. When JuTu meets the narrator, he addressed "Master" to the narrator. But the narrator want to reduce the barries between them.

d.After reading the story, we can make inference about the contemporary chinese economic and social system?

In the village, there is social barrier between the higher and lower class. This refers there is discrimination in the society. There may be conflicts between people, Most of the population is based on agriculture. The living standard is very low poor due to high taxes, soldiers etc. They are living in traditional way. They are out of the mordern world and technology. But in the city area, people have different way of living, different economic status, different profession. There may also barrier between their profession i.e. upper class and lower class. But some how less than in village area.

d.What does the story indicate about the geographical features of the narrator's hometown?

Ans. The story "My Old Home" describes the relationship between the narrator and JUnTu. it has shown the childhood memory of the narrator. he remembers the things that had done with TunTu in his home town. They used to catch birds, collects shells in the beach, guard the watermelon patch from badgers, porcupines and Zha and kill them.

The story mostly deals with watermelons. So, we can conclude that it must be tropical or temperate region. Which is favorable for watermelon production. The narrator and his friend used to collect shell in the beach; it means there must be sea near tier hometown. he says that there are no any modern infrastructure in the village. The village may lie in the base of hill. There may be forest nearby the village as described by the narrator. The environment of the hometown must be eco friendly, carbonless and green.

Reference beyond the text

a. Human beings are on the road from time immemorial, always migrating to new places. Write an essay on The Trend of Migration in Nepal in about 300 words.

Ans. Migration is the process of movement from one region or place of habitat to another. Human beings are on the road of migration since stone age. Migration can be internal or external. In the context of Nepal, many people are being transformed from one place to another due to natural calamities, geographical hardship, lack of basic facilities, job opportunity and so on.

Labor migration is one of the most important migration that needs to be noted. More than ten percent i.e. around three million Nepalese are migrant workers who have gone abroad for earning foreign currencies. Nepal is the country with geographical diversities having high mountains hills and plain lands. People in mountains and some of the hilly region are not getting the basic facilities of transportation, education and other job opportunities. So many people of Himalayan and Hilly region are migrating to different valleys, terai and other plain lands. These type of migration can be considered as internal migration.

In every migation there exists pull and push factors. Opportunities for employment, physical facilities, entertainment facilities, better future, secure life, social respects are the pull factors where as low productivity. Unemployment and under development, poor economic conditions, lack of opportunities for advancement, exhaustion of natural resources and natural calamities, conflicts, drought, famine etc.are known as the most push factor in Nepal as well as in the world.

In Nepal, labor migration, transferred due to natural calamities and lack of basic facilities are predominant. It can be minimize by providing basic facilities like medical, educational, resources for livelihood in rural areas and in small towns. Labour migration to the other countries can be reduce by providing employment opportunities to the youths.

b. Find one of your relatives or friends, who has migrated to a new place leaving his/her old home. Talk to him/her and prepare a report on what he/she felt while leaving the old home.

Ans. I have met my uncle and family who have migrated to kathmandu from Baglung. Nabin; uncle son and me were classmate in our childhood. He was about 12 years when his family migrated to the capital. I don't have mobile phone, so we couldn't able to control each other. When they came back to village to celebrate dashain festival, I asked my uncle, what he felt while he was leaving old home. he shared his feeling of that time. he said, he was very very nervous and a little bit excited too. He was going to miss us.

Kathmandu is full of religion diversity. So, he felt nervous at that time because he was going toface a new environment. He was a bit emotional because he was going to miss the whole family and society. He was going to face new difficulties and has to struggle in a new way. Grandparents and other elder members used to manage the whole thing is village. But after shifting to Kathmandu he has to manage each and every thing by himself. He has to take all of the responsibilities and decision for the shake of family. He was unknown about the society, how the society will treat them ? do they help them or not. he was going to miss the love and caring of the whole family. But as the other hand. He was excited that they are going to begain the life in new way. The main reason behind the migration was the future of the son; Nabin (my fiend, brother). he was hopeful that Nabin will do best do in his education. He will get other chance to gain knowledge and do best in his future. He was also excited to learn new culture, experiences and job opportunities.

He was migrating with more nervousness and less amount of excitement from the village. He was migrating for the bright future of Nabin and for the job opportunity. In the city he has to start life again from zero level, without other family members (elder members). So, he was feeling nervous and he was also sad at the time of leaving. I have also noticed the sadness in his face and we were also very sad at that time because we were going to miss him. He shared me the whole feeling of that time openly at this meet.

My Old Home summary and exercise | Class 12 English Notes | NEB