Unit 1 - Preparatory Lessons
Lesson Index:
Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5
1.3.1 - COMPETITION MATTERS - Suzanne Sievert
SYNOPSIS
Suzanne recalls the incident where her five year old kid participated in pumpkin decorating contest at his school. He made a wild combination of carving, paint and feathers to decorate the pumpkin. All the participants had decorated splendidly that judges had a difficult time to choose a winner. To resolve the problem of choosing a winner the judges had awarded same colour ribbon to all the entries so as to convey the participants that everyone are the winner and had
done a great job.
The declaration of the judges made the author worry that the school was sending a wrong message that losing in a contest is a difficult task rather than accepting it and working hard to win in the future. The trend followed by the school judges noticed by the author lately was that declaring every entry as the winner was done by considering the fragile nature of the kids to handle the defeat. But, she says that without a potential winner, a game contest loses it excitement and this she proves with her own experience where she bought a game and played with her kids twice and everyone won this game. The game caught the dust as it did not had the incentive to keep playing.
Suzanne states that if her kid had been the judge he definitely would have picked the winner. The competition was a big let down for the kids as the excitement to win the contest was lost but, the kid made himself satisfied by choosing snowman as the winner and accepted his defeat.
Competition is the best way to test all children’s abilities and performance at school. She states that children are not fragile and they have the ability to face defeat. As in the article, if the boy had been the judge, he would have picked the snowman as the winner and satisfied everyone.
Book Back Questions
1. How is the message conveyed in the lesson?
The message is conveyed through the author’s real-life experiences with her children. She explains the importance of competition using school events and games at home.
2. What is the trend that the author has noticed lately?
The author has noticed that schools declare all children as winners. This is done to protect children from feeling sad when they lose.
3. How does the author show the importance of a potential winner in the story?
The author explains it by giving an example of a game where everyone always won. Because there was no real winner, the game became boring and was not played again.
4. Comment on the observation of the kindergartener, “Well, I think the snowman won”.
This shows that the child can think clearly and judge fairly. It also shows that children can accept defeat and understand who really deserves to win.
5. “It has sat gathering dust ever since” – Why?
The game had no competition or excitement because everyone won every time. So, the children lost interest and stopped playing it.
1.3.2 - A PERSONAL CRISIS MAY CHANGE HISTORY - Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
SYNOPSIS
In this essay Kalam brings in an example of how Gandhiji tackled the discrimination he was subjected to. Gandhiji was traveling in the train compartment in which Blacks were not allowed to travel in the same compartments as the Whites. Since Gandhi was dark he was pushed out of the train. After being insulted, Gandhiji contemplated returning to India but realized that would be cowardice. Hence he vowed to stay back and fight apartheid. Gandhiji paved way to uproot apartheid in South Africa through non-violence which Mandela adopted and succeeded after twenty-six years in jail. He fought for freedom for his nation from there. This shows his perseverance as well as unshakeable hope that he nurtured for twenty-six long years. Nelson Mandela magnanimously provided equal constitutional rights to the 10% of the white population who were the main culprits of apartheid. He also gifted his nation a book that he wrote stealthily while in prison- ‘A Long Walk to Freedom’.
On the other hand, Gandhiji’s non-violent movement in South Africa became a precursor to India’s freedom movement. Gandhiji started non-violence in India to fight against the British. Ashoka’s decision to follow Ahimsa Dharma dawned after his visit to the bloodied battle field of Kalinga. Thus it can be observed that how we react to a crisis not only becomes a turning point in one’s life but also changes the lives of others. Gandhiji and Ashoka both believed in Ahimsa Dharma. One particular incident in their lives changed history.
Kalam wants the nation to fight against social and economic impoverishment and the widespread inequality affecting many citizens of India. He also wants India to become a developed nation, and show the way to the other developing nations and all these are possible by the Indian youth.
Book Back Questions
1. How did the ugly experience in South African train change Gandhi?
The incident made Gandhi realize that running away would be cowardice. Instead of returning to India, he decided to stay back and fight against discrimination through non-violence.
2. How does Kalam relate the incident of Gandhi in South Africa to the Kalinga war scene?
Kalam relates both incidents by showing how a crisis changed great leaders. Gandhi chose non-violence after the train incident, and Ashoka chose Ahimsa after seeing the bloodshed in the Kalinga war.
3. What does Kalam say about the indomitable spirit of Nelson Mandela?
Kalam says that Nelson Mandela showed great courage and hope. Even after spending twenty-six years in prison, he did not give up and worked for equality and freedom for his nation.
4. How does Kalam establish that personal crisis may not be a turning point in one’s life, but can alter the course of history?
Kalam explains that Gandhi’s train incident and Ashoka’s experience in Kalinga changed their decisions. These personal crises later influenced the history of their nations and the world.
5. What does Kalam imply by the question, “Will history repeat itself”?
Kalam implies that today’s youth must respond positively to present problems. If they act with courage and responsibility, they can bring great change like the leaders of the past.
1.3.3 - WHY PRESERVE BIODIVERSITY - Prof. D. Balasubramanian
SYNOPSIS
There are three reasons for preserving Biodiversity. The first reason is ethical and aesthetical. It is our responsibility to protect our known living companions in the universe. We like to preserve what we find beautiful and pass it on to our children. We get sheer enjoyment of beauty as with the polar bear, the peacock’s feathers, the adorable panda, the majestic tiger or the culturally important American bald eagle.
The second reason is his utilitarian characteristic that makes him depend on nature. Tall, wild grass might not be aesthetically pleasing but is out of such grasses that wheat, rice and corn were domesticated and cultivated by man for his food. A quarter of all medicines used by man come from plants and microbes. Though there is abundance in the planet at his disposal, his inefficiency in recognizing and utilizing the richness leads him to overuse few things and under using or ignoring the majority. This has resulted in an imbalance in nature.
The third reason is his inability to maintain the ecological network. His anti-pragmatic approach toward utilizing the diversity has resulted in misusing nature. Man’s population pressures, leading to hunger and poverty, have led to deforestation. His attitude of gaining in short period of time and failure to see the long term benefits makes him strip mine and cut down trees of value for trading. His purely utilitarian attitude has made him indifferent towards his responsibility of conservation of the ecosystem. Economic pressures of certain communities have resulted in loss of tropical forests. Civil issues as well have affected the ecosystem considerably. Man, in short, has created a total imbalance in the ecosystem by not adhering to the principal responsibility he had been trusted with.
The lesson also discusses about 5 reasons for the biotic degradation caused by man: 1. Hunger and poverty, 2. Short term gains and long term failures, 3. Anthropocentrism, 4. Economic pressures on certain communities and 5. Policy factors.
To sum up, humans rule this planet. So it is the responsibility of man to protect all matter of nature. Unless we protect nature, the beauty and utility of nature cannot be passed on to the next generations. It is only practical to responsibly preserve what has been bestowed on use because man is both aesthetic and ethical.
Book Back Questions
1. Why does the author say that the loss of biodiversity should be a concern for us for ethical and aesthetic reasons?
2. Why does the author call biodiversity a precious genetic library?
Biodiversity is useful to humans for food and medicine. Crops like wheat, rice and corn came from wild grasses. Many medicines come from plants and microbes. So biodiversity is valuable and acts like a precious genetic library.
3. What were the various reasons for the biotic degradation?
The reasons for biotic degradation are hunger and poverty, short-term gains and long-term failures, anthropocentrism, economic pressures on certain communities, and policy factors.
4. Why does the author say that it is our moral responsibility to protect diversity?
Humans rule the planet and have responsibility to protect nature. If we do not protect nature, its beauty and usefulness cannot be passed to future generations. So it is our moral responsibility to protect diversity.
5. Sum up the three reasons for us to be concerned about the loss of biodiversity.
The three reasons are ethical and aesthetic reasons, utilitarian reasons where humans depend on nature, and failure to maintain the ecological balance due to misuse of nature.