TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI

Class: VIII Sub:English

UNIT 7:A VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE

- Firdaus Kanga
I.Author note:
Firdaus Kanga (born 1960, Bombay) is a writer and
actor who lives in London. He has written a novel, Trying
to Grow a semi-autobiographical novel set in India and a
travel book Heaven on Wheels about his experiences in
the United Kingdom.Trying to Grow was later turned FI
film, Sixth Happiness, for which Kanga wrote the
screenplay, and in which he starred.

II. Word Web: BOYANT

 blithe
 blithesome
 cheerful
 canty
 eupeptic
 gay
 lightsome
 gladsome
 winsome
III. Frame the sentences:
1. He was blithe about the risks to his health.
2. They bloke with a perpetually cantyattitude.
3. Our eupeptic colleague was unfazed by our gloomy
expressions.
4. A gladsome group of carolers strolling through the
city’s historic district.
5. He had a winsome, boyish smile.

IV.Synonyms:
1. paralysed - disabled
2. propel - push
3. incadesance - glow
4. enthusiastically - energetically
5. cliché - out dated
6. gleefully - joyously
7. lazy - idle
8. sentimental - emotional
9. slump - face
10. eternal - everlasting/immortal

V. Antonyms
1. annoying x pleasing
2. enthusiasm x apathy
3. amuse x depress
4. exhilaration x upset
5. guilty x innocent
6. eternal x mortal
7. urgent x casual
8. idle x active / industries
9. startled x calm
10. considerable x inconsiderable
VI. Answer the following questions.

1. Did the prospect of meeting Stephen Hawking make

the writernervous? If so, why?
Yes, the prospect of meeting Stephen Hawking made
the writer nervous. He was to meet a great personality and
that too one who had achieved greatness despite his
disabilities. Clearly, it was a big moment, a great honour
for the writer. So it is not surprising that he was nervous
at the prospect of meeting Stephen Hawking.
2. Did he at the same time feel very excited? If so,
why?
Yes, he felt excited at the same time because it made
him stronger to see somebody like him achieving
something huge. This made him aware of the many
possibilities present before him, thereby helping him to
reach out further than he ever thought he could.
3.Guess the first question put to the scientist by the
writer.
The writer might have asked the scientist if he had
been brave to reach where he had.
4. Stephen Hawking said, "I've had no choice." Did the
writer think there was a choice? What was it?
The writer thought that there was a choice. Stephen
Hawking could have chosen to leave everything, and be
sad and depressed. He could have sulked. However, he
chose to live creatively knowing the reality of his
disintegrating body.
5. "I could feel his anguish." What could be the
anguish?
 Stephen Hawking's mind was active with many
thoughts that he wanted to express. However, his thoughts
came out in phrases, without reflecting his feelings or
emotions. His sentences were mere lines, without any
sentiment. The writer felt he could understand his anguish
and frustration at that.

6. What endeared the scientist to the writer so that he

said he was looking at one of the most beautiful men in
the world?
The writer asked Stephen Hawking if he found it
annoying that someone like him came and disturbed him
in his work. To this query, the scientist replied in the
affirmative, frankly and honestly. Then, he smiled his one
way smile and this was what endeared him to the writer.
The writer felt that he was looking at one of the most
beautiful men in the world.

7. Read aloud the description of 'the beautiful' man.

Which is the most beautiful sentence in the
description?
The most beautiful sentence in the description is, "…
you look at his eyes which can speak, still, and they are
saying something huge and urgent…."
8. If 'the lantern' is the man, what would its 'walls' be?
If 'the lantern' is the man, its 'walls' would be the
man's body.
9. What is housed within the thin walls?
The incandescence or the inner glow of the man is
housed within the thin walls.
10.What general conclusion did the writer draw from
this comparison?
 The conclusion that the writer drew from this
comparison was that the body exists only like a case made
of shadows. It is just an accessory. It is the soul that
matters. Each individual is what he is from his heart and
soul, and not from the body.

11. What is the scientist's message for the disabled?

The message that he gave to the disabled was that
they should concentrate on what they were good at.

12. Why did the writer refer to the guitar incident?

Which idea does it support?
When Stephen Hawking said that things such as
disabled Olympics were a waste of time, the writer agreed
with him. He remembered the years which he spent trying
to play a Spanish guitar that was considerably larger than
he was. He was very happy when he unstringed it one
night. It supports Stephen Hawking's idea that the
disabled should only concentrate on what they are good at,
and not take up things unnecessarily.
13. The writer expresses his great gratitude to Stephen
Hawking. What is the gratitude for?

The writer expressed his gratitude to Stephen

Hawking because he had been an inspiration for him. He
saw him as the embodiment of his bravest self. He felt that
if he had been as brave as Stephen, he would have
achieved a lot. He felt he was moving towards that
embodiment that he had believed in for many years. That
is why he expressed his greatest gratitude to him as he
had made him realise what great heights he could reach.
 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English
UNIT 7:A VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE
VII. Summary of the lesson:
The name of the lesson is ‘A visit to Cambridge’ and
its writer name is FirdausKanga . In this lesson the writer
could move only a wheelchair. He accepted his disability
as a warrior. He made a journey all over the world. And
he proved his ability is the greatest among normal people.

He went to Cambridge and met Mr. Stephen Hawking who

is totally paralyzed although he wrote a great book. He
thought that disable people should not be worried about
their condition and always thinking positive. If those
people get attention towards their ability then they can get
easily their goal.
This lesson motivates the disable people also the normal
people.
Here are a few points which would help you understand
the chapter better:
 A story of a meeting between two extraordinary
people. They are both brilliant and full of intellect.

 They are, what people call 'disabled'. However, the

story here calls them two people who are 'differently
abled'.
 Stephen Hawking is one of the greatest scientists of
our time. He suffers from a form of paralysis that confines
him to a wheelchair, and allows him to ‘speak’ only by
punching buttons on a computer, which speaks for him in
a machine-like voice.

 Firdaus Kanga is a writer and journalist who lives

and works in Mumbai. He was born with ‘brittle bones’
that tended to break easily when he was a child. He
suffered a lot of fractures in his early childhood.

 The interaction between them proved fruitful to the

extent that it projected the real state of mind of such
people.

 The psychological aspect has been written very well,

describing the simple level of frustration which people feel
when they feel claustrophobic, least bothered about people
considering them brilliant and sympathising their
condition.

 Strong sense of expression such as eyes which can

speak, still, and they are saying something huge
andurgent .

 A small thing understood through this chapter is the

fact that one can never feel the pain and the agony which
a person who is not as capable as other people does.
 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English
UNIT 7:A VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE
Topic sheet - I
I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did the author say ‘Cambridge was my metaphor

for England?

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2. How did the guide at Cambridge Describe Hawking to

the author?

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3. What impression do you form of Hawking from the

account given by Firdaus Kanga?

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4. Who did kanga get an appointment with Hawking?

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5. How did kanga describe himself?

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6. How long was he allowed to see Stephen Hawking?

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7. Which makes one stronger?

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8. Did Hawking consider himself brave? How do you

know?

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9. Did Kanga consider Hawking brave? How?

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10. What is it that Hawking finds amusing?

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11. To what is Stephen Hawking compared?

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12. What is the incandescence of a man?

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 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English
UNIT 7:A VISIT TO CAMBRIDGE
Topic sheet– 2
I. Answer the following questions:
13. What did Hawking &Kanga think was the best thing
about being disabled?

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14. What made kanga to find himself foolish? Why?

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15. Was Kanga satisfied in meeting Stephen Hawking?

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16. Where did Stephen Hawking and Kanga go after the

interview? Why?

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17. Was Kanga satisfied in meeting Stephen Hawking?

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Hots:

1. Disability is a matter of perception. If you ca do just one

thing well, you’re needed by someone” Justify
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2. ‘Disabled –Misfortune is their fortune’, How?

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3. What impression do you form of Hawking from the

account given by Firdus Kanga?
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Activity: 1 Pg.No:108
 Imagine that you are journalist.
 You have been asked to interview the president of
the village Panchayat.
 Write eight to ten questions you wish to ask.
 The questions should elicit comments as well as
plans regarding water and electricity, cleanliness
and school education in the village.
 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English

UNIT 7a:WHEN I SET OUT FOR LYONNESSE

- Thomas Hardy
I. Author note:
Thomas Hardy OM (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was
an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the
tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his
novels and in his poetry by Romanticism,
especially William Wordsworth.He was highly critical of
much in Victorian society, especially on the declining
status of rural people in Britain, such as those from his
native South West England.
II. Word Web:

Hunch Guess

Reckoning

Conjecture

Surmise
Speculationn
nnnnn
Supposition Shot
III. Frame the sentences:
1. This is just idle supposition
2. When the day of reckoning comes, we will have to
face some unpleasant truths.
3. Most of the book is conjecture, not fact.
4. My hunch is that the stock is going to go up in value.
5. Her speculationsleave many questions unanswered.

IV. Synonyms:
1. rime - frost
2. prophet - seer
3. guess - reckon
4. surmise - conjecture
5. wizard - magician

V. Antonyms:
1. Set out x distort
2. lit x extinguish
3. radiance x duskiness
4. rare x common
5.declare x deny

VI. Answer the following extraction:

When I set out for Lyonnesse
A hundred miles away.
What would bechance at Lyonnesse
While I should sojourn there,

a.What was the poet thinking?

The poet was thinking the things that could happen in
Lyonnesse.
b. What does sojourn mean?
It means stay.
c. What is the figure of speech used here?
The figure of speech used here is anaphora.
 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English

UNIT 7a:WHEN I SET OUT FOR LYONNESSE

- Thomas Hardy
VII. Summary of the poem:
The poem is about the poet’s journey to Lyonnesse.
Lyonnesse is actually a mythical place in Arthurian
legend. The poet uses this place to create an ambiance of
charm and happiness. Here the poet refers to the actual
occurrence that changes his life forever. Actually, the poet
goes there to supervise the restoration of a church. In the
first part, the poet gives an account of his loneliness and
cold atmosphere. In the second stanza, the poet speaks of
the unexpected happiness that he comes by at the place.
The third stanza is about the twinkling of his eyes and
immeasurable glow in his heart. The poet as a young
architect went to supervise the reconstruction of a church
near Cornwall. The place was a hundred miles away from
his home. The poet sojourned there for few days where he
happened to meet a young lady named Emma Gifford. He
fell in love with her and later on he married her. This
incident filled his life with pleasure and satisfaction. The
poet was moved to such an extent by the incident that he
left his profession of architecture. This was one of the most
interesting happenings in Hardy’s life. To commemorate
this happy incident the poet composed this poem and used
Lyonnesse as a setting of his poem. Lyonnesse is a
mythical place and here it is used as a land of joyfulness,
gaiety and contentment.
 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English
UNIT 7a:WHEN I SET OUT FOR LYONNESSE
Topic sheet– I
I. Answer the following questions:

1. Who wrote this poem?

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2. What is Lyonesse?

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3. How was the nature when the poet started his journey?

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4. Where was Lyonesse?

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5. What does ‘soujour’ mean?

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6. Where did the people really go? Why did he call this
place Lyonesse?

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7. What happened to the poet when he returned from

Lyonesse?

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8. How did the people respond?

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9. What change did the stay at that place bring in the

poet’s life?

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10. What dis the people see in his pocket?

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11. What did the paper contain?

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12. What is Lyonnesse in the poem?

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 TVIS VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA, PONNERI
Class: VIII Sub:English
Topic Sheet -2
Hots:

1. What do you understand about the change that the visit

to Lyonnesse has brought in Thomas Hardy?

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2. “Love, compassion and care are the means to reach

God”. Justify

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3. How could divinity& spirituality enlight a man?

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