The Ailing Planet by Nani Palkhivala

The Ailing Planet Summary Class 11th English

By Nani Palkhivala

The lesson, ‘The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role’ focuses on the deteriorating health of the Earth because of human being’s growing lust to exploit all its natural resources. A Zoo in Lusaka, Zambia calls the man as the most dangerous animal in this world. Fortunately, the Green movement launched in 1972 has been responsible for a new awareness that has dawned upon the human race. There has been an irrevocable shift from a mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world. There is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism -an enormous being of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs that must be respected and preserved. But, today, its vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development popularized the concept of sustainable development – a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs.

According to Mr Lester R. Brown, there are four biological systems, namely fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. They form the basis of the global economic system. They supply food to us and raw materials for our industries. But in large areas of the world, these systems are reaching unsustainable levels. Their productivity is being damaged.

For the first time in human history, we are concerned about the-Survival of not just the people but of the planet. In this era of responsibility, an industry can play a crucial role. Today, many industrialists and politicians have realized their responsibility in preserving the natural resources for the future generation.

The growth of world population is another factor distorting the future of our children. Development is not possible if population increases. The writer says that fertility falls as incomes rise, education spreads, and health improves. Thus, development is the best contraceptive.

Page No: 43

Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context. 

a holistic and ecological view 

 inter alia sustainable development  

decimated languish  

catastrophic depletion 

ignominious darkness 

 transcending concern 

Answer 

 a holistic and ecological view – It refers to the view that calls for the preservation of the planet. The holistic and ecological view refers to understanding the importance of earth’s resources and environment for the future generations sustainable development – A balanced development that meets the needs of the present while taking care of the needs of the future generations. 

 languish – lot of species are neglected or go unnoticed 

 ignominious darkness – disgraced or dishonoured as nobody has knowledge about them or is enlightened about them 

 inter alia – among other things 

 decimated – to reduce drastically in number 

 catastrophic depletion – a disastrous and harmful reduction in the number of something 

 transcending concern – a concern that surpasses generation, boundaries. It is not only about the present but also about future; not only about people but also about the planet.

Page No: 47

 Understanding the Text 

  1. Locate the lines in text that support the title. 'The Ailing Planet'. 

 Answer 

 The lines that support the title of the chapter are given below. 

 ► “The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health.” ► “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?” ► “…the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated”. 

2. What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify? 

 Answer 

 The notice signifies that there is depletion of resources and deterioration of environment. Man is responsible for this and his own survival is threatened. 

3. How are the earth's principal biological systems being depleted? 

Answer 

 There are four principal biological systems of the earth. These systems are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. However, due to the increasing demand of human beings to such an ‘unsustainable’ extent, the productivity of these systems is being hampered. The excessive demand results in deterioration and depletion of these resources. A country where protein is consumed on a large scale, overfishing is common, which leads to the collapse of fisheries in that area. Grasslands have been turned into deserts and production of crops is decreasing. The forests are destroyed in large proportions to obtain firewood. Depletion of tropical forests has also led to the extinction of several species. 

4. Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society? 

 Answer 

 Over-population is one of the strongest factors responsible for a nation’s poverty and unemployment. It disturbs the earth’s principal biological systems leading to degradation of environment. The author highlights the problem of over-population by pointing out the mental set-up of the poor who feel more children means more workers to earn money. They do not realise that more children only means more unemployed people. He argues that development is the best contraceptive, which includes spread of education, improvement of health and rise in income. Spread of education leads to awareness among people, which in turn results in a fall in the ‘fertility’ rate. The author makes a comment which emphasises the never ending circle of population and poverty by asserting that “The choice is really between control of population and the perpetuation of poverty.” 

Talking about the Text 

 1. Laws are never respected not enforced in India.

Answer 

 India, the biggest democracy in the world, is condemned for its easy attitude towards laws. Laws are constituted but never respected nor enforced in our country. For instance, the Indian Constitution mentions that casteism, untouchability and bonded labour shall be abolished; however, these evils flourish barefacedly even today. The author points out that Article 48A of the Indian Constitution, propounds that “the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. However, little is done in favour of this. What we see is a near “catastrophic depletion” of forests over the last four decades. Forests are disappearing over the decades at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Areas that are officially designated as forest land, in reality, are treeless. The actual loss of forests is eight times the rate pointed by the government statistics. 

2. “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?” 

 Answer 

 As we learn in the text, the first Brandt Report raised the above mentioned question about the deteriorating condition of the planet. Earth is like a “patient in declining health”. The depletion of forests, grasslands, fisheries and croplands are the result of excessive demand for resources. Overpopulation has led to a severe strain on the health of our planet. We must realise soon that in this “Era of Responsibility” it is solely our duty to preserve our planet. We must realise that the earth belongs as much to the future generation as much to us. Rather making it our property, we should do our best to preserve it for the generations we have “borrowed it from”. 

3. “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”. 

 Answer 

 Over the decades, a change has come in the perception of the people in respect to the planet. The human perception has shifted to a “holistic and ecological view of the world”. Earth is a living organism that has limited resources. These resources will not last forever. The earth has its metabolic needs that require to be preserved. The need of the hour is “sustainable development” which propounds the need of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising with those of future generations. The present problems are not necessarily fatal for us but they are a ‘passport for future’. This is the “Era of Responsibility” that calls for a responsible action from us. We must realise that the earth belongs as much to the future generation as much it belongs to us. 

4. The problems of over population that directly affect our everyday life. 

 Answer 

Over-population leads to the issues of poverty and unemployment. The vicious circle of population and poverty will continue unless the root cause i.e. population is taken care of. It hampers the development of a country. It leads to the consumption of the natural resources at a much faster rate. The fossils consumed, the resources depleted, the forests cleared, the heat produced, the global warming caused are all the repercussions of the fast-growing population. 

 Page No: 48 

 Thinking about the Language 

 The phrase 'inter alia' meaning 'among other things' is one of the many Latin expression commonly used in English. 

 Find out what these Latin phrases mean. 1.Prima face 2. ad hoc 3. in camera 4.ad infinitum 5.mutatis multanis 6.tabula rasa 

Answer 

 prima facie means ‘at first sight, before closer inspection’ 

 ad hoc means ‘for the specific purpose, case, or situation at hand and for no other’

 in camera means ‘in secret, in private’

 ad infinitum means ‘to infinity, having no end’ 

mutatis mutandis means ‘changing [only] those things which needs to be changed’, [only] the necessary changes having been made 

 Caveat means ‘a warning or caution’ 

 tabula rasa means ‘blank slate’, ‘without any prior experience or knowledge’

The Voice of the Rain By Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman: Poems Summary and Analysis of "The Voice of the Rain"

Summary:

In this poem, the speaker recounts a conversation he had with the falling raindrops. He asks the rain, "And who art thou?" and strangely, the rain answers, calling itself "the poem of the Earth." The rain goes on to describe how it rises intangibly (as vapor) out of the land and sea and floats up to heaven, where it changes form and becomes a cloud. Then it falls back to Earth to refresh the drought-filled land, allowing seeds to grow into something vital and beautiful. The speaker the equates the role of the rain to a poet's role in crafting this "song" (or poem, because Whitman refers to his poems as songs throughout Leaves of Grass). He goes on to write that the "song" is born in the poet's heart. It leaves the poet's soul and and changes form, but is always the same at its core and eventually returns to the poet as love from his readers.

Analysis:

Similar to most of Whitman's poems, "The Voice of the Rain" does not follow any specific form, rhyme scheme, or meter; it is written in free verse. It is made up of one stanza with nine distinct lines, but some of the lines are so long that they bleed into the next. The first two lines contain the speaker's question to the rain ("And who art thou?"). The rain's response makes up the remaining six lines. Whitman places the final line in parenthesis in order to separate the speaker's words from the rain's.

At the end of the poem, the speaker compares poetry to the rain - equating art with Earth's most essential element. Here, Whitman reveals the high level of importance he put on his poems (and poetry in general). Whitman treated his poems like his children. He put all of his emotional energy into his work and then released his poems into the world like water evaporating into the air. Each reader then has a different relationship with Whitman's words, which changes the effect of the poem while maintaining its spirit. Then, the readers rain praise, criticism, love, and hate back down onto Whitman. After that, the poem occupies a different role in the poet's life.

Whitman's comparison between poems and rain is demonstrative of his transcendental beliefs. Rather than associate his poetry with something modern and manmade, he instead chooses to associate it with the eternal cycles of the natural world. He did not write poetry for the purpose of making a splash. He wanted his work to be affecting, vital, and eternal - just like nature. He describes his audience as "drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe" as if reading Whitman's poetry is all they need to flourish and grow.

NCERT SOLUTION

Page No: 42

Think It Out

  

1. There are two voices in the poem. Who do they belong to? Which lines indicate this? 

2. What does the phrase “strange to tell” mean? 

3. There is a parallel drawn between rain and music. Which words indicate this? Explain the similarity between the two. 

4. How is the cyclic movement of rain brought out in the poem? Compare it with what you have learnt in science. 

5. Why are the last two lines put within brackets? 

6. List the pair of opposites found in the poem.  

Answer 

1. The two voices in the poem are the voice of the rain and the voice of the poet. The poem begins in a conversational tone. The lines are “And who art thou? Said I ……..” and ‘I am the poem of Earth’.

 2. The phrase ‘strange to tell’ means that it is an unusual and extraordinary answer given by the rain drops to the poet who asked who ‘it was’. 

3. 'I am the poem of Earth’ ‘For song, issuing from its birth place After fulfillment, wandering, reck’d or Unreck’d, duly with love returns. They both return to the place of their origin after fulfilling their tasks. 

4. The poet explains that the rain drops in the form of water vapour rise up from land and sea and then descend again on the earth and dry land in order to wash it down and hence comes back to its origin. This is the cyclic movement explained by the poet. 

5. The last two lines are put within brackets because they do not form the voice of the rain or the poet. They only contain a general observation made by the poet about the course of a song. 

6. (a) Day, night     (b) Reck’d, unreck’d     (c) Rise, descend 

2. Notice the following sentence patterns.

1. And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower. 

2. I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain. 

3. Eternal I rise 

4. For song…duly with love returns

Rewrite the above sentences in prose.

Answer 

1. I enquired the soft-falling rain about its identity. 

2. The voice of the rain introduced itself as the Poem of Earth. 

3. The voice of the rain explained its upward movement towards the sky as eternal. 

4. The poet says that, similar to the natural cycle of the rain, a song originates from the heart of the poet, travels to reach others and after fulfilling its purpose (whether acknowledged or not), it returns to the poet with all due love. 

Landscape of the Soul

                                           

  Summary of Landscape of the Soul

Chapter ‘Landscape of the Soul’ by Nathalie Trouveroy is about art. The chapter consists of two parts. The first part has been taken from ‘Landscape of the Soul: Ethics and Spirituality in Chinese Painting’; and the second part is from ‘Getting Inside ‘Outsider Art’, an article written by Brinda Suri in Hindustan Times.

  

The first part deals with the art of painting.

There is mention of two stories in it. The first story is about Wu Daozi, a famous Chinese painter, who lived in the eighth century. He was a master painter and had been commissioned by the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, to decorate a palace wall. He made a beautiful painting with  high mountains,  forests waterfalls, clouds floating in clear, big blue sky, men walking and working on hilly paths, birds in flight, and a cave situated at the foot of the mountain, where dwelt a spirit. As the painter was

showing the painting to the emperor, he clapped hands; the entrance to the cave opened, the painter got in; the painting vanished and Wu Daozi never came out.

The disappearance of the painting from the wall signifies the knowledge of the spiritual inner world. Only the masters know the way within and can go beyond any material appearance. 

In another famous story, a famous Chinese painter refused to draw the eye of a dragon he had painted for he feared it would fly out of the painting.

The third story in the first part is about Antwerp, a master blacksmith called Quinten Metsys fell in love with a painter’s daughter. The father would not accept a son-in-law in such a profession. However, Antwerp had to accept Quinten Metsys as his son in law because he painted a fly on his panel with such delicate realism that it looked real one. 

The author also talks about Chinese philosophy shanshui, which means ‘mountain water’. The mountain represents ‘Yang’, the male principle; and water signifies Yin, the female principle.

In the second part the author writes about the concept of ‘art brut’, which means ‘the art of those who have ‘no right’ to be artists as they have received no formal training, yet show talent and artistic insight. They are artists who think out of the box. Their works are totally different from those of their predecessors. In simple terminology this art can be called ‘unorthodox art.’ In this section the author talks about Nek Chand’s creations. His creation of Rock Garden at Chandigarh is an expression of art brut. 

Reference : Brainly.in - https://brainly.in/question/1950725#readmore

NCERT QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS

Page No: 38 

Understanding the Text 

1. 

(i) Contrast the Chinese view of art with the European view with examples. 

(ii) Explain the concept of shanshui. 

Answer 

(i) The Chinese paintings are based on imaginative, inner or spritiual approach whereas the european paintings reproduce an actual view, of an external or real object. The painintgs of Wu daozi and mater painters of Europe illustarte the difference.

(ii) Shanshui, meaning “mountain-water”, refers to a style of Chinese painting that involves natural landscapes, the landscape which is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space. It represents the two complementary poles (`yin’ and `young’) reflecting the Daoist view of the universe.

2.  
(i)What do you understand by the terms ‘outsider art’ and ‘art brut’ or ‘raw art’? 

(ii) Who was the “untutored genius who created a paradise” and what is the nature of his contribution to art?

Answer 

'Outsiders art' refers to those art who have no right to be artists as they have recieved no formal training yet show talent and artistic insight. 'Art brut' or 'raw art' are the works of art in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences.

(ii) The “untutored genius” who created “paradise” was Nek Chand, an 80- year old creator-director who made the world famous rock garden at Chandigarh. His was an ‘outsider art’ in which he sculpted with stone and recycled materials. He used anything and everything from a tin to a sink to a broken down car to form an artistic piece. One of his famous creations are ‘Women by the Waterfall’.


Talking about the Text 

Discuss the following statements in groups of four. 

1.“The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered, but only the artist knows the way within.”

Answer 


This sentence explains the fact that even though an Emperor might rule an entire kingdom and have power over his conquered territory, only an artist would be able to go beyond any material appearance. He knows both the path and the method of the mysterious work of the universe. True meaning of his work can be seen only by means known to him, irrespective of how powerful an emperor is.

2. “The landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.” 

Answer 

This phrase explains The Chinese art from where a Chinese painter wants you to enter his mind rather than borrow his eyes. This is a physical as well as a mental participation. It is a landscape created by the artist to travel up and down, and back again, through the viewer’s eyes. The landscape is not `real’ and can be reached from any point.

Thinking about the Language 

1. Find out the correlates of Yin and Yang in other cultures. 

Answer

The Indian culture lays stress on Nature and God. Nature is the 'yen' or female part whereas God the creator, is the male part. This concept also known as 'Maya' or Brahma' The combination of two creates the whole world, all it objects and also inhabitants.

2. What is the language spoken in Flanders? 

Answer: 'French 'language spoken in Flanders which is a region in Belgium. 

Laburnum Top

Summary

Laburnum is a very strong tree. It is clad in yellow leaves and flowers in September. On the top of it there is a nest and in it are a few nestlings; babies of a goldfinch bird. The tree is strong and silent now. Suddenly it began to swing, move sideways and shake like a storm! What caused this sudden change? Who moved the strong tree? It was not by any wind or earthquake. It was by the little ones of the goldfinch who made this violent movement. This poem is all about the power of love. On one side the mother goldfinch that goes out early in the morning in search of food for its babies. After a while it returns with food and the young ones scramble for her, for the food she brought. We do not know which is stronger yet there is it – longing for the mother.

On the other there is a over protective mother goldfinch – who leaves her little ones in maximum safety – yellow birds in yellow foliage of the laburnum tree. Notice how she returns – as stealthily as a lizard, hiding her barred identity only once as a password for her little ones.

Stanza 1
 “The Laburnum Top is silent, quite still
 in the afternoon yellow September sunlight, 
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen. 

1. Why is the laburnum top silent? 
The top of the laburnum tree is silent because the goldfinch nestling(s) in the nest is/are anxiously awaiting its/their mother’s return with food.

2. What is the significance of ‘yellow’ in the poem?
 As the poem highlights the high security that the mother bird ensures for her babies, yellow has great implications in the poem. Both the laburnum tree and the goldfinch’s feathers yellow in color, the babies escape being noticed by any predator with the camouflaging effect.

3. How does the laburnum ensure security for the nestlings?

 Apart from the popular belief that the laburnum seeds and even its bark and leaves are poisonous, the laburnum top, rather than its bottom, is a safe area for the nestlings. With the yellow flowers and the yellowing leaves and a yellow breed of goldfinches, the babies are safer than elsewhere.

Stanza 2
 Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup 
A suddeness, a startlement, at a branch end.
 Then sleek as a lizard, and alert and abrupt,
 She enters the thickness,and a machine starts up
 Of chitterings, and of tremor of wings,and trillings.

1. What happens to the laburnum when the goldfinch mother returns?
 On the mother’s return, a sudden movement stirs the tree. Her little ones are excited over her arrival and they start chirruping.

2. Why is the goldfinch stealing into her nest? 
The cautious mother goldfinch enters the tree with great care that no predator would spot her babies securely housed in the nest.

 3. What is the machine that starts up with the mother’s entry? 
The machine in the poem is the combined effect of the love for mother and for food born by the nestlings in the nest along with the excited chirrups that they create to welcome their mother and their food.

Stanza 3
The whole tree trembles and thrills
 It is the engine of her family. 
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
 Showing her barred face identity mask.

1. What is the engine of the machine? What is its fuel?
 The nest is the engine of the goldfinch family. With the little ones inside, chirruping and eating and playing with each other, the mother bird gets her life of it. As fuel to an engine, the goldfinch family’s fuel is not just the food that the mother brings, it is the mother’s love as well.

2. Why does the bird flirt out to a branch end showing her barred face identity mask? 

The mother bird is over cautious about safety but at the same time it is eager to reveal her identity to her babies. A barred mark behind the neck is her mark of recognition. By showing them this identity mark, the mother bird is calling their attention to her, reminding them that she is their mother.

Stanza 4 Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings

 She launches away, towards the infinite

 And the laburnum subsides to empty” 

1. Where does the mother bird fly to? 

Probably the mother bird is leaving the babies for more fuel, food, before they grew hungry again.

 2. What happens to the laburnum with the mother’s departure?

 With the mother bird’s departure, the laburnum tree shrinks to silence again. 

NCERT Questions with Answers

Think It Out 

1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem? 

 Ans: In the beginning of the poem the tree is calm & silent & in the ending it ends with motionless & empty level.  

2. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison? 

Answer 

The goldfinch’s movement is compared to that of a lizard. The basis of the comparison is the sleek, abrupt and alert movements of a lizard. The same kinds of movements are observed when the goldfinch arrives on the laburnum tree. 

3. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet? 

Answer 

The engine is the source of energy to run machine. It is compared to bird as she is too a source of energy for her family. As without engine a machine can’t work in the same without a bird her family can’t survive. 

4. What do you like most about the poem? 

Answer 

I like the simplicity and pictorial presentation of the poem. The comparison between bird's movement with machine and Lizard made in nice way. Also chirruping & trilling of goldfinch. 

5.What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?

Answer

The phrase means that the bird’s barred or covered face becomes her identity mask recognition. 

Reference: 

1. https://www.studyrankers.com/2014/12/laburnum-top-class-11th-ncert-solution.html

2. https://www.kiddingtown.com/the-laburnum-top-ted-hughes-summary-line-by-line-explanation-questions-and-answers/