Part 6 magic of words class 11

The Six Million Dollar Man
Harold J. Morowitz

Summary: Dr. Harold J Morowita is a professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. He is a scientist, teacher, and author. "The Six Million Dollar Man" is a popular essay in which Morowitz examines the statistical statement that the chemical value of the human body is only 97 cents. He spends his essay in refining and improving the statement and tries to arrive at a more accurate definition at the end.

From a biochemical catalogue he collects the information about the price of ingredients that the human body is made of. Then he calculates the average value of a gram dry weight of human being and his own dry weight. When he multiplies both, he finds his price, i.e. Six million dollar. But soon he realizes that each human being is priceless and infinitely precious. He concludes his essay with Alfred North Whiteheads conclusion that "the human body is an instrument for the production at art in the life of the human soul."

The author received a humorous birthday and from his daughter and son-in-law with a caption "According to BIOCHEMISTS the materials that make up the HUMAN BODY are only worth 190 cents." The definition compelled him to make thorough study of the entire matter. He started by sitting down with his catalogue from a biochemical company and began to list the ingredients and their prices. His biochemical value was 97c when he was paying for the informally poorest form of cool, air, water, lime, bulk iron, etc. but in the six million dollar figure he was paying for his atoms in the highest informational state in which they are commercially available.

It can be done for less than six thousand trillion dollars. But we cannot evaluate the human life in biochemical point of view. An incubator can develop micro-organisms artificially but it cannot assemble the cells into tissues, tissues into organs, and organs into a person, fill it with life and make a human being.

Thus, each human being is priceless and infinitely precious. We cannot evaluate a person's life in terms of money. The rationality and humanity are the characteristics of human being. It can produce anything. Alfred North Whitehead is true that "The human body is an instrument for the production of art in the life of human soul."

Morowitz shifts his subject. He starts out talking about the human body and ends up talking about the human being. Human body and human being differ from each other. Human body is made up of chemical organism but a man becomes human being because of consciousness, rationality and some indispensable human qualities.
Important Questions
1. Why did the writer say he was a six Million Dollar man?
Ans: Once, the writer received a birthday card sent by his daughter and son-in-law. In that card, it was mentioned that the price of the human body is only 97 cents. Later he gets price list of all the parts of the body from bio-chemical company. He concludes that the value of dry human body is $ 245.54 per-gram. The weight of the writer's dry body is 244436 grams. He multiplies it and finds the total value of his body $ 6,000,015.44.So he calls himself a six Million Dollar man.

2. How does the writer come to the conclusion that each human being is priceless?
Ans: Once, the writer received a birthday card sent by his daughter and son-in-law. In that card, it was mentioned that the price of the human body is only 97 cents. Later he gets price list of all the parts of the body from bio-chemical company. He concludes that the value of dry human body is $ 245.54 per-gram. The weight of the writer's dry body is 244436 grams. He multiplies it and finds the total value of his body $ 6,000,015.44.So he calls himself a six Million Dollar man.

3. Explain Harold J. Morowitz's Joy in discovering that he is a six million Dollar man.
Ans: The writer ­ Harold J. Morowitz received birthday greeting card sent by his daughter and son ­ in- law. On it he finds the statement, According to biochemists, the materials that make up human body are worth 97 cents. This statement shows that human body is very cheap. Then he visits a biochemist and takes a price list of all the human body. The weight of the writer's dry body is 2444.36 grams. He multiplies it and finds the total value of his body $ 6,000,015.44. So he calls himself a six Million Dollar man. After doing this, he calculates prices of cells, tissues, souls, etc. then he finds a man valuable or priceless. He concludes that the price of human body can't be measured in terms of dollar. The human body is endlessly valuable.
Questions for Practice
Explain the meaning of the title "The Six Million Dollar" as used by Harold J. Morowitz What pleasure does the author feel in making this discovery?
Is every human being a "a Six Million Dollar Man"? Explain your answer.
How does the writer come to the conclusion that each human being is priceless?
In "The Six Million Dollar Man" the writer shifts his subject. He starts out talking about the human body and ends up the talking about the human being. Do you agree, or do you think the author's subject remains the same all the way through?
Explain the title of the essay "Six Million Dollar Man" and author's joy in discovering that he is a six million dollar man.
Describe the author's joy in discovering that he is a Six Million Dollar Man, and write few sentences about the tone of the essay.

On The Vanity of Earthly Greatness
Arthur Guiterman

Summary: "On the Vanity of Worldly Things" is a poem written by Arthur Guiterman, an American poet and journalist, is best known for his humorous verse. Through humour, he has tried to depict the reality of human beings and animals caused by the change in time. It shows the bitter reality that the power of animals or human beings doesn't remain same when time and situation change. We always run after reputation and prestige. We become or want to be great and we think it will remain the same forever. We earn reputation and prestige and we think it will remain the same forever. We earn reputation and we think that the credit won't be lost but actually we won't think that is destroyed in due course of time. Our greatness is dismissed by time. So, time laughs at our blindness and pride.

Time is such a thing on which we cannot get victory. The nature has given us limited time to live and exercise our power. Beyond that time, we cannot move according to our desire. Only in favourable time and situation we can perform our actions or activities.

The "vanity" actually means the degrading value of reputations of any persons and animals in the world. To clarify this point the writer has presented few examples. Julius Caesar was a great warrior and a famous general statesman. He earned a great name and fame in his time through his strength and power. But that power lost its value with the change in the time and situation. He does not posses any arm and power to show his power of the past. His head is on the shelf and weapons and other things belongings are only in the museum in the form of history.

The roman emperor Charlemagne was a great in his time by his sword, power. But the power of his sword also became meaningless due to the change in time. Now that sword has been rusted and is kept useless in the museum. Not only the great kings and warriors, but there is also good presentation of powerful animals whose value has been decreased. Grizzly bear, whose embrace was very dreadful, has become nothing more than a rug to give warmth. Tusks of mighty brawls of mastodons have been changed into playing things like billiard balls.

All the given examples are concerned with the greatness but the greatness has been turned and reduced to valueless things. The vanity human greatness and animals' strength have become a good subject to present irony. That irony makes one feel unwell and quite indifferent to the person.

Everybody becomes great in his time and situation but later on he becomes helpless and valueless. All reputation and achievements will be dismissed quickly. So, it is useless to take pride in one's power as everything decays and fades away in due course of time.
Important Questions
1. What changes to people and objects are described in the poem, "On the vanity of Earthly Greatness?"
Ans: In this poem, the poet shows greatness of time. According to the poet time is powerful. It brings the changes to people or objects. The tusks of mastodons that fought powerful fights in the past have now become playthings (i.e. billiard balls). The brave emperor Charlemagne's sword has now rusted. People were afraid of grizzly bear in the past but now its skin has changed into rug in the same way, the bust powerful Roman general is kept in the self. This shows that every powerful person or things become powerless with the passage of time. So the poet makes the fun of greatness of human beings and things. Every greatness becomes the subject of decay, death and worthless.

2. What are the different examples used by the poet to show the vanity of early greatness?
Ans: There are different examples being used by the poet to show the vanity of earthly greatness in the poem. Generally, we think that the great persons or things of today will be equally great tomorrow but greatness of persons or things of present time may be worthless with the passage of time. The poet makes the fun of greatness and power of great people and things. The tusks of mastodons that fought powerful fights in the past have now become playthings (i.e. billiard balls). The brave emperor Charlemagne's sword has now rusted. People were afraid of grizzly bear in the past but now its skin has changed into rug in the same way, the bust powerful Roman general is kept in the self. This shows that every powerful person or things becomes powerless with the passage of time. So the poet makes the fun of greatness of human beings and things. Every greatness becomes the subject of decay, death and worthless.
Questions for Practice
Describe the examples with which Arthur Guiterman has illustrated the vanity of human greatness in his poem "On the vanity if Earthly Grayness?"
What changes to people and objects are described in the poem, "On The Vanity of Earthly Greatness"?
Give a summary of the poem "On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness". Tell what is ironical about the poem.
Explain the irony in the poem "On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness".

In Bed
Joan Didion

Summary: 'In Bed', an essay by Joan Didion depicts her personal experiences with migraine headache, which she inherits from her parents. She presents something unusual about the disease in a more philosophical and meditative domain of thought.

Joan spends her day in bed there almost five times a month because of the migraine headache. She knows that she is going to be attacked by the headache when she feels some sort of irritation and flow of blood in the vessels of her brain. To avoid the attack she takes some medicines and starts to work. In her earlier days, she thought that she would get rid of the disease just by denying it. Sometimes she even tells lies saying that she did not have the attack frequently. But the truth was that sometimes the attack was quite violent and long lasting. However, she feels good that she does not have any other physical problems, such as brain tumor, eyestrain or high blood pressure. She also tries to do all her normal work in spite of it. During the attack her right temple (head) would suffer extreme pain and tears would roll down from her right eyes. She would also vomit. Generally the headache may also be caused by stress, allergy, and tiredness, an abrupt change in blood pressure, a flashing light or a fire drill.

It's strange that no medicine works effectively in case of migraine, especially when the attack begins. Some people may have hallucination, blinding effect, stomach problem, tiredness and pain in all the senses along with headache. They are even unable to do their normal work. During the attack Didion can't see and speak clearly. She looks as if she has drunk some wine. But the headache never takes anyone's life. It is interesting to know what doctors believe about a migraine sufferer. They said that the individual is ambitious, inward, and intolerance of unbearable pain But Didion's untidy hair and carelessness in house keeping do not point out her migraine quality. However her great effort to write and rewrite a single paragraph for a week reveals some sort of perfection. Finally she accepts the diseases and lives with it. When she has it she simply concentrates on the pain. But after ten or twelve hours she gets some sort of refreshment and spiritual power. She opens the window and feels the air, eats gratefully and sleeps well. She feels as if she is blessed by God. Therefore she is happy.
Important Questions
1. What are the distinctive traits of migraine headaches? Or What are the features of migraine headache?
Ans: Migraine is a type of severe recurrent headache usually in one-side of head. It can't be easily cured. Ordinary headache can be cured by taking aspirins. Migraine can be prevented only by injections or drugs. A sufferer of migraine headache starts vomiting. When migraine starts, some people have hallucination, blinding effect, stomach pain, tiredness, pain in all the senses and they are unable to do their normal work. They look if they are drunk; however, nobody dies of it.

2. Why does the writer consider herself as fortunate?
Ans: Writer's husband had also same problem. He was also suffering from migraine. Her husband understands writer's pain very well. He also faces same pains as the writer. He doesn't blame the writer. Otherwise, he would say that her wife was pretending. So the writer takes herself as fortunate.

3. Write about the suffering and bitter experiences of John Didion as a migraine person.
Ans: In this essay, John Didion writes about migraine headache. She herself suffers from this headache. She feels quite uneasy and a strong flow of blow is fallen in the veins of her brain in the beginning. She doesn't want to reveal. She spends one or two days a week painfully in bed. Tears come from the fight side of her face. She goes to toilet and vomits there. She wishes a surgeon would come to avoid her brain. The writer can't speak clearly when it attacks her. She looks as if she is drunk. She tries to escape from it but she can't. When the migraine starts, she lies on bed with patience.

4. What are causes of migraine headache? And what are its effects?
Ans: Anything can start an attack of migraine headache such as stress, allergy, tiredness, unexpected events, a change in air pressure, lack of sleep, a fire drill , etc. the sufferers of migraine headache have hallucinations blinding effect, stomach problem, weakness, tiredness etc. the migraine headache also causes cold sweating and vomiting etc. But nobody dies of it.

5. What are the misconceptions associated with migraine headache?
Ans: Some people believe that migraine headache is imaginary. They accuse the sufferers as if sufferers are pretending. They accuse the migraine suffers for refusing to cure themselves. They also accuse sufferers as if sufferers have wrong thinking and bad tempers. According to writer, the accusing eyes of the people are more painful for her then the migraine itself.
Questions for Practice
Why does the writer consider herself fortunate that her husband has migraine? What would happen if he did not have it?
According to John Didion, how do migraines differ from ordinary headaches?
What popular misconceptions about migraine headache does Didion want to correct in her essay "In bed?"
How did the writer Joan Didion suffer from migraine headaches?
What were the misconceptions associated with such headaches? Has she been able to correct them?

The Gardener
Rudyard Kipling

Summary: "The Gardener" ends surprisingly revealing the reality of Helen, the protagonist, and her relationship with Michael. Michael, whom Helen calls nephew, is in reality, her son whose father is unknown throughout the story. The gardener is a mysterious character who does not appear at first and in the middle but only at the last of the story creating confusions in the readers. Helen Turrell conceals (hides) the truth about Michael till the end of the story but she does not show any reaction when the gardener confidently says he will tell where her son lies.

The villagers of Hampshire believe Michael to be an unfortunate son of Helen's late brother, George Turrell and his beloved (not wife). Actually it was not so. She had created a false story about Michael's parents. Michael was born when Helen was in southern part of France. She had told lies about her trip that she had long troubles. Because of the fear of social stigma she had told another lie that she had arranged for the passage of the child and a nurse from Bombay. She was thirty-five when she gave birth to the child. She showed much fondness to the child despite the fact that she was not the child lover.

Michael was fearless, Philosophical, and fairly good-looking. At the age of six, he knew that Helen was not her real mother but his aunt. She did not allow Michael to say her mummy because she was unmarried. To escape from the society's contempt, she made Michael know the false reality.

Michael got maturity in due course of time but his interest in Helen was constant and increasing throughout. Though Helen wanted him to go to Oxford University, he took war as his career. The First World War was going on. Many soldiers were killed during war. Michael was killed by the shell-splinter explosion. After getting full proof about his death, Helen, being a next of -kin, prepared to go and see his grave in Hazenzeelein the third Military Cemetery with perfect information.

In a teashop, three kilometers away from cemetery, she met an English Woman, Mrs. Scarsworth. They stopped in a hotel where Mrs. Scarsworth revealed that she had come there to see the grave of someone special to her and also that she was unmarried. Helen told lie that she had come to see her nephew's grave.

Next morning she walked alone towards the grave. As she was searching at the mean time she saw a man knelt behind a line of headstones-evidently a gardener. He did not introduce with her neither did he salute her. He asked her who she was looking for. She said it was Lieutenant Michael Turrell, her nephew. He had finite compassion in his expression and eyes. He said he would show her where her 'son' lay. She went away, supposing him to be the gardener when she left the cemetery.
Important Questions
1. What is the real relation between Helen and Michael?
Ans: The real relation between Helen and Michael can be described as close relatives. Helen Turrell says that her brother George Turrell had a relationship with the daughter of retired non-commissioned police officer. She also says that before George Terrell's death, George gave birth to a child, later on George died falling from a horse. According to Helen, she goes to French because of her lung problem and there she manages to bring the child from India. Her parents and brother are not alive to know the truth. She also says that Michael's mother said nothing for child. At the graveyard the gardener, also she said Michael was her son. In fact, what she said to the villagers was false. She might have created this false story to keep the villagers silent. Otherwise, she would be condemned in the society. To tell the truth, she was unmarried. So she hid the real fact. In fact Helen and Michael were mother and son. She told all these lies so that she would not be condemned in the society.

2. How do we know who the gardener really is?
Ans: The person who was the eyewitness of the death of Michael was a gardener. According to this story, the gardener reveals the truth. The Gardener is seen at the end of this story at the graveyard. And when Helen reaches at the graveyard, the gardener asks Helen who she is looking for. When Helen replies that, she is looking for her nephew. Then the Gardener says "Come with me and I will show you where your son lies." The gardener was able to show her Michael's name through Helen hadn't said any grave number. So I think that God was incarnated in form of a gardener. So the gardener must be God.

3. What was the effect of Michael's death on Helen?
Ans: Helen was eager to know more about Michael's death who had become a soldier. First he was sent to England but later on he was sent to Somme. One day a shell-splinter dropped and killed Michael. Helen becomes so sad when she heard the news about Michael's death. She wrote many letters too many people and offices to find Michael's death. The war stopped but she didn't take any interest in the war. She sat on various relief committees. One day she got an official letter and there was news of Lieutenant Michael Turrell. She knew that Michael's dead body was in Hagenzeele. Hagenzeele was the third military cemetery. Finally, she goes to Hagenzeele to see Michael's grave.

4. Sketch the character of Helen.
Ans: Helen Turrell was a thirty five years independent young woman. She fell in love with a young man of lower status than her and became pregnant. Frightened with criticism of society, she made a false story that her brother George Turrell had a relationship with the daughter of retired non-commissioned police officer. She also says that before George Terrell's death. George gave birth to a child, later on George died falling from a horse. According to Helen, she goes to France because of her lung problem and there she manages to bring the child from India. Her parents and brother are not alive to know the truth. She also says that Michael's mother said nothing for child. She convinced Michael to say her auntie. At the graveyard the gardener also said Michael was her son. In fact, what she said to the villagers was false. She might have created this false story to keep her villagers silent otherwise, she would be condemned in the society. To tell the truth, she was unmarried. So she hid the real fact. In fact, Helen and Michael were mother and son. She told all these lies so that she would not be condemned in the society. She was victim of emotion and fear of social condemnation. At last, emotions got victory over fear.

5. "Helen Turrell is ashamed that Michael is her son." Do you agree with this statement?
Ans: Helen Turrell says that her brother George Turrell had a relationship with the daughter of retired non-commissioned police officer. She also says that before George Terrell's death. George gave birth to a child, later on George died falling from a horse. According to Helen, she goes to France because of her lung problem and there she manages to bring the child from India. Her parents and brother are not alive to know the truth. She also says that Michael's mother said nothing for child. At the graveyard, the gardener also Michael said was her son. In fact, what she said to the villagers was false. She might have created this false story to keep her villagers silent. Otherwise, she would be condemned in the society. To tell the truth, she was unmarried so she hid the real fact. In fact, Helen and Michael were mother and son. She told all these lies so that she would not be condemned in the society.
Questions for Practice
Give a summary of "The Gardener". How do we come to know the Michael is Helen's own son?