1.3 The Cop and the Anthem

The title of the text:

The title does not give any clear idea of the content. Cop and Anthem are just nouns. The word ‘Cop’ stands for a policeman and ‘Anthem’ for a religious song or a prayer mostly sung in a church. We can just imagine that the text is related to the police and the religious song. If we go through the text, we will get the clear idea about the text.

ICE BREAKERS

3) Write some of the motivating things that can change a person's life.

Answer:

The motivating things that can change a person's life:

a) Listening to an inspiring speech

b) Attending career development and inspirational seminars.

c) Reading success stories of eminent persons

d) participating extra curriculum activities in the college

e) Seeing the films having inspirational themes.

f) Participating in social work

g) Helping the weaker sections of the society.

h) Becoming a creative participant of the organizations working for the well-being of others.

i) Watching inspirational videos on social media.

Synopsis of the text:

Soapy wanted to go in jail to live idle life. He tried to break law but his attempts were failed. He was not caught by the Cop. He came near the church yard. He heard a musical note of an anthem. Hearing it he remembered his past wonderful days. It brought a sudden and worth change in his soul. He decided to fight and change his life. He also decided to find work. While Soapy was daydreaming, a policeman taped him on the shoulder and asked what he was doing. He was arrested for loitering and the following day sentenced to three months in Blackwell's Island (jail).

New words and meanings:

Asphalt - gravel, grit, small granules of stone used in road develop

Vest - sleeveless shirt, coat, jacket, banyan

Shaven - trimmed the beard, done shaving

Trim - neat, tidy, orderly

Bow - a knot used for to a tie (tie-knot)

Thanks giving Day - the fourth Thursday of November which is marked by religious observance and dinner.

Revenge - avenge, retaliation

Filled - satisfied, fulfilled, content

Winter Island - Here it means jail

Tattered - torn, rags, rugged, worn-out

Decadent - degraded, gone bad Avert stop, turn away, ward-off

Ignoble - dishonorable, shameful, disgraceful, insulting

Menaced - forbidden, threatened

Coveted - highly desirable

Coveted island - here, the jail

Limbo - dividing line, midpoint here, boarder between heaven and hell

Devise - set up, plan, formulate

Cunningly - artfully, craftily

Brass buttons -a policeman, a cop

BRAINSTORMING
(A1) (i) Discuss with your partner and find out the different       
             ways in which Soapy tried to get arrested. The first 
             one is given.
(a) Tried to enter a luxurious cafe.

(b) Soapy took a stone and dashed it through the glass of shop window.

(c) Soapy ate meal in a common restaurant and declared that he had no money to pay the bill.

(d) Soapy yelled like a drunken person and made noise on public place.

(e) Soapy grabbed the umbrella of one person and asked him to call the police.

(ii) Describe the atmosphere when Soapy reached near the Church.
(a) A soft light glowed through the violet-stained window.

(b) It was a quiet corner with an old church, quaint, rambling  
      and gabled.

(c) The moon was above, full and radiant creating brightness.

(d) Sparrows twittered sleepily in the eaves in the country 
      churchyard

(ii) Give reasons and complete the following:

(a) Soapy had confidence in himself because 
The portion of him that would show above the table was neat.
He was shaven. His appearance would raise no doubt in the waiter's mind.

(b) The head waiter of the luxurious cafe did not allow Soapy to enter because - when Soapy set foot inside the restaurant door, the head-waiter's eye fell upon his tattered trousers and decadent shoes.

(c)The cop did not arrest Soapy for breaking the glass window because - according the cop men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police. They run away from the place.

(d) The cop did not arrest Soapy for shouting and dancing because - he considered Soapy as the young person coming from a party at the Hartford College. The police had the instructions to neglect these young persons.

(iii) Pick out the lines from the text which show that:

(a) Soapy wants to enter the cafe for two reasons.
Answer:
i) The cafe catered to large appetites and modest purses.

ii) Now, get busy and call a cop", said Soapy. "And don't keep a gentleman waiting." Soapy wanted to enter the jail.

(b) Soapy was afraid that he won't be able to enter the prison.
Answer: Soapy was seized with a sudden fear that some dreadful enchantment had rendered him immune to arrest.

(c) Soapy was not caught by the cop for throwing stones at the glass.
Answer: The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.

(d) Soapy actually did not want the umbrella.
Answer: He hurled the umbrella angrily into an excavation.

(e) Listening to the anthem, Soapy remembered his good old days.
Answer: And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well in the days when his life contained such things as mothers and roses and ambitions and friends and immaculate thoughts and collars.

(iv) 'He would make a man of himself again' - The word 'man' in the sentence means
Answer: A working person living worthy and respectable life.

(iv) ‘He would make a man of himself again’ – The word ‘man’ in the sentence means
Answer: A working person living worthy and respectable life.

(vi) After listening to the sweet and solemn organ notes, Soapy 

       decides to:

Ans:

(a) bring back his old eager ambitions and pursue them without 

      losing confidence and determination.

(b) go into the noisy downtown district and find work.

(vii) Write an incident in which you did something wrong and repented for it later. Give reasons.

Answer will be added soon

(A3) (i) O’Henry has used different words to indicate prison where Soapy wants to reach. Make a list of those words.

Answer:

1) Winter island

2) Coveted island

3) Limbo

4) Unattainable Arcadia

5) Island

(ii) Find out the words used for the 'degraded state of Soapy'.

Answer:

1) The pit into which he had tumble

2) Unworthy desires

3) Dead hopes

4) Wrecked faculties

5) Base motives that made up his existence

(iii) The specific meaning of word 'anthem' in the content of the story is.......

Answer:

1) A religious instrumental song or a prayer played by the organist  in a church for the celebration of coming Sabbath.

2) An influential musical note played by the organist to inspire an idle person to become a worthy person.

(A4) (i) Convert the following sentences into negative without changing their meanings.

(a) The policeman refused to accept Soapy even as a clue.

Ans. The policeman didn't accept Soapy even as a clue.

(b) Soapy drifted along twice unsuccessful.

Ans. Soapy drifted along twice with no success.

Ans. Soapy drifted along twice but wasn't successful.

Ans. Soapy drifted along twice but he didn’t succeed.

(c) Soapy stopped his unavailing racket.

Ans. Soapy didn't continue his unavailing racket.

(d) The island seemed very far away.

Ans. The island did not seem close by.

Ans. The island didn't seem very close.

(e) The island seemed an unattainable Arcadia.

Ans. The island seemed an Arcadia which could not be attained.

Ans. The island did not seem attainable Arcadia.

(ii) Convert the following sentences into affirmative without    changing their meanings.

(a) Men who smash windows do not remain to chat with the police.

Ans. Men who smash windows hardly remain to chat with the police.

Ans. Men who smash windows avoid to chat with the police.

Ans. Men who smash windows fail to remain to chat with the police.

Ans. Men who smash windows run away instead of chatting with the police.

(b) Why don’t you call a cop?

Ans. Why do you hesitate to call a cop?

Ans. You should call a cop.

(c) On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant of no great pretensions.

Ans. On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant without any great pretensions.

Ans. On the opposite side of the street was restaurant with a very low pretentions.

(d) Noisy; but no harm.

Ans. Noisy; but harmless.

(e) They seemed to regard him as a King who could do no wrong.

Ans. They seemed to regard him as a king who could hardly do any wrong.

Ans. They seemed to regard him as a King who could do only right.

Ans. They seemed to regard him as a king who was unable to do any wrong.

(A5) (i) ‘Forgiveness is often better than punishment’. Write two paragraphs – one for and another against this notion.

Ans: One for:-

One of the inevitable things in life is that someone will do or say something to upset or hurt us.

While forgiveness is a good way to overcome such hurts.

Forgiveness is the process in which victims thoughts, feelings and attitudes towards an offender transitions from negative to neutral or positive of the many ways people deal with transgressions, forgiveness is particularly effective. Forgiving means being vulnerable again. But by bou punishing, victims may feel strengthened and sufficiently confident to risk being vulnerable one more time, so they can forgive

Against:-

If someone hurt us and if we forgive them, they consider us coward amd will try to attack some other time. That's why punishment is better than forgiveness. Their repeated torture can cause damage to mind or body.

That's why punishment should be given to them that they can understand not to hurt anybody. Punishment is also a weapon or rule to change criminal or notorious attitude.

It helps to control the behaviour of one such person.

Forgiveness for long time make us passive or sometimes it makes us negative.

(ii) You are the class representative and you have been asked 

     by the Principal to conduct an interview of a cop. Frame 

     8-10 questions with the help of the following points, give 

     introduction and conclusion.

• reasons for joining the department

• special trainings 

• developing the skill to identify and locate criminals

• dealing with criminals

• achievements and awards

Ans:-

Welcome sir,

1) How will you define the term police?

2) What are the reasons behind joining the police department?

3) What kind of special trainings have you attended?

4) How do you know about criminals and their places?

5) What kind of guidance your department gives you?

6) Which parameters do you use while dealing with criminals?

7) What things you experienced while dealing with criminals?

8) What measures can be taken to stop the crime?

9) What type of achievements or awards you get in 

     this journey?

10) What message will you give to all of us?

Thanks for coming

(A6) (i) Make a list of jobs which would give you an

             opportunity to help the society or serve the country. 

             Also mention the different ways in which they can be 

             beneficial to the people and also the country.

Ans:- 

1) Teacher:- To create new & bright future of country. 

2) Police:- They are maintaining law & order and ensuring

                   public safety are primary role of police. 

3) Doctors:- Doctors are not lower than angels to keep 

                      society healthy. 

4) Firefighters:- They protect people from fire.

5) Social Workers:- Various NGO's & institutes are their,

                                   those are  working for society.  

6) Army:- They are securing our borders to live us safely.

(ii) Go to your school/college library and read some other 

      stories by O’Henry like, ‘The Gift of the Magi’, ‘The 

      Last Leaf’ and ‘After Twenty years’. Write the stories 

      in short in your notebook.

Ans: 

1) The Gift of Magi:- Likly takes place just before christmas in the early 1900s most of the action is in the chief apartment of Della and her husband Jim. Della only a dollar & 87 cents saved to buy christmas present for Jim. It just was not enough. She decided   to sell her long beautiful hairs for 20 dollars. She took herself new found wealth and brought a fabulous platinum chain for the pocket watch that had been in Jim's family for generations. She worried briefly what Jim would think of her short closed cropped curls,but it was too late. Jim came home from work and see her strange look. Della assumed, she didn't approved of her hair cut, but she assured him, it was for a good reason. Jim told her that he didn't care how her hair look like. Then he handed her the present that he bought for her to explain himself here purchase tortoise shell combs with jeweled rings for her long traces which she no longer had. She replied that her hairs would grow back quickly so he didn't need to worry. Then she wanted him to open her present. She unwrapped the watch chain and she asked if she could attached it to his watch. He replied that he sold the watch to buy her the hair combs. This gifts sty into the story of the wise man or Magi, who brought gifts to the new born baby Jesus, which perhaps began tradition of giving gifts at Christmas. There to thought their gifts where wise ones, whether the gifts were used or not. The point is that the people sacrifice to give something to someone else, which mean that they carry great value whether the receiver can actually use them or not. 

2) The Last Leaf:- ' The Last Leaf ' short story by O' Henry pubished in 1907 in his collection ' The trimmed Lamp & other stories '. ' The Last Leaf ' concerns Johnsy, a poor young woman who is seriously ill with pneumonia. She believes that when the ivy  vine on the wall outside her window loses all its leaves, she will also die. Her neighbour Behrman, an artist, tricks her by painting a leaf on the wall. Johnsy recovers, but (in a twist typical of O. Henry) Behrman, who caught pneumonia while painting the leaf, dies.  

3) After Twenty years:- Henry's short story, 'After Twenty Years,' focuses on the reunion of two old friends: Jimmy and Bob. Through their brief encounter, the two explore the themes of friendship, loyalty, and trust. Bob's punctuality in keeping his meeting with Jimmy perhaps best demonstrates his loyalty to their friendship.