IGNOU BEGE-141 - Understanding Prose

Section A Q.I Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each: (i) Images and symbols as figures of speech (ii) A historical perspective of travelogues (iii) Diary writing as a literary form (iv) Difference between biography and autobiography? Section B Q. II Answer the following questions in about 350 words each: 1. Write a note on Kincaid’s prose style as seen in her essay “On Seeing England for the First Time.” 2. How does Bill Aitkin comment upon the cultural divide between the North and South? Give reasons for your answer. 3. Describe the picture that Margaret Laurence paints of a post-nuclear-war world. 4. Write a short note on Strachey’s technique as a biographer. Section C Q. III Answer the following questions in about 500 words each: 1. Write a detailed note on Orwell’s view of imperialism as seen in his essay “Shooting an Elephant.” 2. The title of Chekhov’s story ‘Misery’, aptly summarizes the mood of the story. Do you agree? Give a reasoned answer. 3. Anne Frank’s Diary is a commentary on the terrible impact of war. Discuss this by providing examples from the text. 4. Write a detailed note on Russell’s prose style as seen in his Autobiography. 5. Write a critical appreciation of Gandhi’s art and craft of autobiography.

Section A Q.I Write short notes on the following in about 200 words each: (i) Image and symbol as figures of speech (ii) Narrative Prose (iii) Art and craft of diary writing (iv) What is autobiography? Section B Q. II Answer the following questions in about 350 words each: 1. Justify the comment, “Be strong before people, only weep before God”, from the story ‘Mother’. 2. What do you learn about the life of the English people in Burma from Orwell’s essay, ‘Shooting an Elephant’? 3. What is the theme of the essay ‘On seeing England for the First Time’? 4. Outline the portrait of Queen Victoria as seen in Strachey’s biography Queen Victoria. Section C Q. III Answer the following questions in about 600 words each: 1. What is the significance of the title ‘Misery’ in the story of the same name. 2. Outline the horrors of the Holocaust and the persecution of the Jews as seen from Anne Frank’s diary. 3. Laurence was committed to the cause of nuclear disarmament. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. 4. Comment on the distinctive style of Nehru’s letter-writing as seen in ‘The Quest of Man’. 5. How does Aitken make fun of Indian politicians? Base your answer on your reading of the excerpt from his travelogue.