The address class-11,[NCERT]-solution, explanation, word-meanings,
The address by
(Marga Minco)
Table of content
- Introduction
- characters
- Explanations
- word-meanings
- summary
- Question and answers
1.Introduction
During world war, II the Germans (the nazis under hitler) (The address class-11 ) invaded Holland where 90 % of the people where jews, ,many of the jews fled in fear to other countries, Thousands, were imprisoned in concentration , camps, A woman and her little daughter had also to leave their home, the woman left all her things with a woman known to her, after some, time the woman died however , her daughter remembered the place where she used to live with her mother, long after the war, she came to the town where she used to live with her mother, she went to meet the woman with whom her mother had left all her things, but the woman refused to recognize her because she didn’t want to return the things she had taken, In this story, the daughter describes how she felt during that visit and later. on another visit,
2.characters
- Author (Daughter)
- Author (mother(Mrs.s)
- Mrs Dorling
- Dorling daughter
3.Explanation
(after many years, the narrator (who is now a young woman ) comes back to the woman with whom her mother bad left all her belonging)
The narrator rang the bell, a woman opened the door, the narrator asked, Do” you know me? the woman looked searchingly at the narrator. came closer on the step. the woman said” No I don’t know you” the narrator told the woman her mother’s name and said that she was her daughter, the woman held her hand on the door, as though she wanted to prevent it opening
any further, her face gave no sign no sign of recognition at all, she kept starting at the narrator silently. the narrator thought that she was perhaps mistaken. perhaps she was not the same woman, she had seen her year ago for a moment only. perhaps she had rung the wrong bell, but then the narrator looked at the dress the woman was wearing the green knitted cardigan that her mother used to wear, the wooden buttons had become pale from washing, the woman saw that the narrator was looking at the cardigan and half hid herself behind the door, the girl now knew that she had come to the right place,
You knew my mother?” the narrator asked.
have you come back?” said the woman, I thought none
of you had come back. only me,
I” regret I cannot do anything for you”
I” ve come here specially on the train, I wanted to talk to you for a moment,
it is not convenient for me now” said the woman, come another time,
The woman cautiously closed the door as though no one inside the house should be disturbed The narrator looked at the nameplate again, Dorling it said in black letters on white enamel. and a bit higher., the number, Number 46.
the narrator walked back slowly to the station, she began to think about her mother, who had given her the address year ago, then it was the first half of the war, the narrator had come home for a few, days, (perhaps she was then a student and lived in the school hostel), she could see immediately, something about the rooms had changed she, missed various things, then her mother told her about Mrs, dorling. the woman she mother hadn’t seen for years, but then she had suddenly turned up and renewed her contact with the narrator’s mother, since then, she had started coming regularly, but the narrator had never heard of her till then,
all the jews living in Holland were in great fear of the Nazis, Many of them had fled in fear, the narrator and her mother were also jews, the mother like the other, jews had decided to leave the place quickly, Mrs Dorling bad perhaps come to know of it, she was not a jew, and bad no fear of the war, she bad very cunningly renewed her acquaintance with the narrator, ‘s mother she bad suggested to the narrator’s mother that she bad suggested to the narrator’s mother that she could keep her things safe with her if she bad decided to get away from there,
As the narrator walked back to the station, she recalled what her mother had said about the woman, Every time she leaves here, she takes something home with her, she took all the table silver in one go and, then the antique plates that hung there, she had trouble carrying those large vases, and I’m worried she got a crick in her back from the crockery” the mother shook her haed pitying and continued I” would never have dared ask her she wanted, to save all my nice things, if we have to leave here, we shall lose everything , she says,
Have you told her that we”II take back those things when we come back?” the narrator asked it” would simply be an insult to talk like that” said the mother and think about the risk she’s running , each time she goes out of our door with a full suitcase or bag”, (the mother means to say that the woman could be in trouble if she was seen by the Nazis).
The narrator was not entirely convinced and they didn’t talk any more about it, while thinking all this, the narrator had arrived at the station, she didn’t pay much attention to things on the way, she walking through those familiar places, again for the first time since the war, but the did not want to upset herself with past memories while sitting in the train, the image of Mrs, Dorling came back to her mind as she had seen her for the first time ,it was the morning after the day her mother had told her about Mrs, Dorling she had go up late and, coming downstairs, she saw her mother about to see someone out, she was a woman with a broad back,
there is my daughter, ” said the mother to the woman , the woman nodded and picked up the suitcase under the coat-rack, she wore a brown coat and a shapeless hat, does she live far away?’ the narrator asked her mother, because the woman had quite some difficulty in carrying the heavy case, In marconi street ” said her mother, number 46. Remember that ”
the narrator had remembered it, but she had waited a long time to go there, Initially after the liberation of country from the Nazis, she was absolutely not interested in all that stored stuff, and she was afraid of looking at things that belonged to her mother who no longer lived in this world , things which had remained hidden in boxes for year, but one day, she became curious about all the things that must still be at that address, she wanted to see them, touch them and remember those old days,
after her first visit in vain to Mrs, Dorling ‘s house the narrator decided to try a second time now, a girl of about fifteen opened the door to her, the narrator asked her if her mother was at home,
No” she said ” my mother has gone for some work”
No” matter,” said the narrator, I” II wait for her”
the narrator followed the girl into the house, an old-fashioned iron candle-holder hung next to
a mirror. the narrator at once knew it was her mother’s they never used it because it was much more difficult to handle than a single candlestick won, ‘t you sit down?” the girl asked the narrator, the narrator stood horrified she found herself in the midst of things she wanted to see again, but she felt oppressed by the stranger atmosphere, by the tasteless way everything was arranged , she scarely dared to took around. her. the girl moved a chair for her, the narrator sat down and stared at the woollen tablecloth, she started rubbing it, her fingers grew warm, from rubbing m she followed the lines of the pattern on, the edge, there was a burn mark that had never been repaired,
my mother II ” be back soon” said the girl I” ve already made tea for her, will you have a cup?” thank you” said the narrator and looked up. the girl put cups ready on the tea-table she, had a broad back , just like her mother, she poured tea from a while pot, the pot had a gold border on the lid, the narrator remembered it, the girl opened a box and took some spoons out, then she poured out tea for the narrator,
that’s a nice box” said the narrator, as if to herself . the girl laughed and said , my mother says it is antique we” ve got lost more” she pointed round the room and said, see for yourself,” the narrator had no need to follow her hand, she knew which thing the girl meant, she just looked at the tea-table as a child, she had always liked the apple on the pewter plate, we” use if for everything , ” she said once we even are off the plates, hanging there on the wall”,
the narrator had found the burn mark on the tablecloth Again the thoughts of her mother flooded her mind , she said as if to herself, my mother once asked me if I would help her polish the silver I asked her which silver she meant and she replied , surprised that it was the spoons, forks and knives, and that was the stranger thing, I didn’t know that cutlery we are off every day was silver” the girl laughed again,
I bet you don’t know it is either ‘ said the narrator,
what we eat with ?” she asked
well” do you know?”
she hesitated , she walked to the siderboard and wanted, to open a drawer, I” II look, it’s in here,
the narrator jumped up, she was forgetting the time, she had to catch her train, the girl had her hand on the drawer don’t you want to wait for my mother?” No I ” must go” said the narrator as she walked to the door the girl pulled the drawer open, as she stepped out, could hear the jingling of spoons and forks,
at the corner of the road she looked up at the nameplate, Marconi street, it said the narrator had been at number 46 , so the address was correct but now she didn’t want to remember it any more, all those things had lost their importance for her, and what could she do with them in a small rented room, and where only a handful of cutlery could fit in the narrow table drawer?” she resolved to forget the address of all the things she had to forget, that seemed to her to be the easiest,
4.word-meanings;
- belongings–जायदाद
- evoke-पैदा करना
- resolve–संकल्प-
- prevent–रोकना
- staring–घूर
- fleetingly–तेजी से
- convenient–सुविधाजनक
- cautiously–सावधानी से
- nodded–सिर हिलाया
- acquaintance–जान पहचान
5. summary
Mrs.S’s daughter visit Mrs.Dorling ‘s house after the liberation war in Holland . she remembers the address, therefore reaches there and meets a woman (Mrs. Dorling ) whom she knows very well, To her surprise, Mrs. Dorling who was a frequent visitor to their home before the war, refuses to recognize her. the narrator introduces herself again and again but all in vain, Mrs. Dorling is wearing a green knotted cardigan which once used to be owned by Mrs.S her mother . Narrator wants to talk to Mrs. Dorling but latter turns a blind eye and shuts the door on her, face the narrator once again confirms the address by looking at the name-plate again which suggests Mrs, Dorling in black letters on white enamel and a house number I: e 46
having been dejected Mrs. Dorling , the narrator walks slowly to the station. while walking down, she recalls the moments spent with her mother and the time when things had started disappearing from her room as well as home, when enquired, her mother told her about Mrs. Dorling who was an old acquaintance, whom she had not seem for years, but suddenly she had turned up and renewed her contact wit her mother, narrator ‘s mother also adds that every time she leaves there she takes something home with her. According to her mother, Mrs. Dorling had taken everything starting from antique plates to the crockery used at their home, In short she would insist to give all those things in order to save them from the war, according to her mother, she would carry a full suitcase or a bag stuffed with house hold things.
her mother wanted the narrator to remember the Number 46, Marconi street” i:e the address of Mrs. Dorling the narrator , once again decides to go to Mrs. Dorling ‘s home this time, a girl of about fifteen opens the door . the narrator enquires if her mother was at home, she denies saying that she has been to market to run an errand. the narrator enters her house and seen an old fashioned Hanukkah candle holder, wooden table cloth, tea-pot spoons and many other things which once belonged to her mother, she even feels the burn mark which is still there on the table cloth, seeing the things placed in a distasteful manner and feeling that they have lost contact with her mother she decides to leave the house, soon she realize that she has to catch her train, she leaves the house and decides never to come back again and to forget the address of Mrs. Dorling ‘s home.
6.Question and answer;
Question:1 who was Mrs Dorling ?” where did she live?
Answer: Mrs Dorling was an acquaintance of the narrator’s mother, it was with her that the narrator’s mother had left her belonging the time of the war. this woman lived at house number 46 in Marconi street
Question:2 what had the narrator’s mother told her about Mrs Dorling?
Answer; the mother had told her that Mrs Dorling was an old acquaintance of hers she had agreed to keep their things with her, and every time she came, she took away some full bag suitcase .
Question:3 what was the first familiar thing that the narrator saw at Mrs Dorling ‘s house during her second visit?
Answer; the narrator saw a woollen tablecloth, she at once recognised it she moved her fingers along the lines of the pattern, she knew that there had been a burn mark somewhere on the edge, after a few minutes, she found the mark, it had not been repaired.
Question:4 have you come back? said the woman , I ” thought that no one had come back. does this statement give some clue about the story?’ if yes, what is it?’
Answer: The given statement shows that the two families knew each other, some people had left their homes due to the war many years ago, those who had stayed back, thought that the ones who had left would never come back, that is why the woman feels surprised to see one of them come back it, also shows the selfishness of human behaviour, people care more for material things than for human beings, but it can’t be said of all human beings, the narrator and her mother were totally different in their nature, they were trusting and loving human beings, thus the given statement does give some clue about the story.
Question:5 why did the narrator of the story want to forget the address?
Answer; it was the address of an acquaintance with whom the narrator’s mother had left al her costly things many years before, but now the mother was no more, and the things had been lying in stranger surrounding for years, they had lost all their emotional value for the narrator, moreover the narrator now lived in a small rented room, she had no place to keep all these. things the old acquaintance of her mother had treated her very insolently, she even refused to recognise her. she did not let her come into the house, that was why she wanted to forget that address,