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The Wish by Roald Dahl
MAIN INTRODUCTION
GLOSSARY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE STORY
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THEMES
SETTING
CHARACTERS
DETAILED SUMMARY
This short story "The Wish" has been written by English writer Roald Dahl. This story is completely based on the imagination of the main character, who is a child. This story has presented the imaginative acts of this main character in an imaginative game of red carpet.
This story itself is a fictitious story where the characters are unnamed. This story has also mentioned this main character's mother at the end of the story.
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The title "The Wish" has created confusion among the readers. Here, the main character expects to get a puppy on his birthday after coming across the red carpet and reaching inside safely. But the long wait for the puppy's birthday finishes as the child falls into the black spot of the carpet and loses his imaginative game.
This story has presented the setting of the house's front door's stairs and inside the hall where the huge red carpet has been placed. This imaginative game is about crossing the hall's red carpet, stepping on the right colours, and reaching inside from outside the front door's stairs.
THE MAIN PLOT
In the very first scene, we find an unnamed child looking at his kneecap's scab.
He was sitting alone on his front door's stairs. He had an old cut on his kneecap, and its scab was brown. He bent forward to examine it closely.
After pondering much, he decided to pick up that scab from his wound. He picked up his scab gently with his nail and put it on his thigh. He rubbed his wound's circle and flipped the scab with his finger.
The scab fell upon the edge of the red carpet. When he moved near the scab, different colours of the carpet attracted his attention. He imagined different things on those colours of carpet. He creatively imagined a game plan using different colours of the carpet. In his imagination, he thought of the red spots as a lump of coal that could burn him. The black-coloured spots were the poisonous snakes that could bite him and leave him to die. The yellow-coloured spots were only the safe zones for him where he could step and cross the huge carpet to get inside. If he could get inside, he would be gifted a puppy for his birthday.
The child imagined a very tough and terrible game plan to reach his goal (the wish of completing his game and getting a puppy).
The child started to move ahead in his imaginative game. He moved ahead, stepping on the yellow-coloured spots only. He kept on moving ahead, very carefully stepping on the safe zone (yellow colour).
As he reached halfway across, he started to wobble around. He balanced his body by waving his arms. He didn't get a proper step ahead. He started to panic because there was no turning back due to his body position. The black spots (poisonous snakes) ahead made him so panicky.
He remained there in the yellow safe zone for a long time. He waited and thought about the possible ways to move ahead.
The fear of not getting the puppy compelled him to continue his way ahead. He made proper use of his mind, paused himself, and stepped further quite carefully.
Just a step ahead of halfway, the child had to make a decision. He had to choose whether to move on the left or the right.
The left side was more difficult for him to step on, but there were fewer black spots there. So he decided to move ahead, using the left side.
He took his next step on the yellow spot. He happened to touch the black spot, which was a centimetre away. He felt so panicky because he was nearly going to be bitten by a snake. But his luck saved him.
Again, he had an option to choose from. He could have gone right, but he went left instead because he feared black poisonous snakes.
In his imagination, the snake looked up to see if he had touched it or not. In a very panicked tone, the child said, "I'm not touching you! You mustn't bite me! You know I'm not touching you!"
He continued his journey ahead. His next step was quite far. He decided to slowly step over. But when he jumped ahead, his feet fell on the spots so wide. He tried to get back, but couldn't. He tried to shift all his weight to his front foot, but he couldn't. He was properly stuck.
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The snakes started stirring underneath his feet. He started to wobble in panic. He tried to balance himself by waving his arms; however, it didn't work. He slowly started to fall towards the black. He gave a loud cry as he touched the black. His mother was looking for him far behind the house, outside in the sunshine.
SHORT SUMMARY
This short story "The Wish" is about an imaginative game plan as well as the wish of the child. Here in this story, the child plays his imaginative game using the colours of the red carpet. His imaginative game is quite tough to play and is related to life and death. This game is connected to the child's wish. If he manages to reach inside by crossing the red carpet, he will get a puppy as a gift on his birthday. The child's wish for a puppy has made him creative and imaginative. In the very beginning, the boy imagines the different colours of the red carpet as different things. He supposes red colour parts as a lump of coals, black colour parts as black cobras and adders, and yellow colour parts as a safe zone. He decides to cross the carpet, stepping on the safe zones. His wish for a beautiful puppy on his birthday encourages him to undertake this terrible game. He moves ahead, stepping into yellow zones safely at first.
When he reaches halfway across, he starts to wobble around. He starts to panic to find no way ahead. He balances his body by waving his arms. He doesn't get a proper step ahead. He remains in the yellow zone, thinking much about possible ways ahead.
The fear of losing the puppy compels him to continue his way ahead. He makes proper use of his mind, pauses himself, and steps further quite carefully.
Just a step ahead of halfway, the child has to make a decision. He has to choose whether to move on the left or the right. When he moves his further step, he is a centimetre close to black. His luck saves him.
While choosing the way ahead, he moves left because he fears much about the black poisonous snakes on the right. When the snakes look up to see if he touches the black part or not, he defends himself through his panicky dialogue. Next, he has to take a long stride. When he jumps, his feet fall on the spots too wide. He tries to get back but can't. He feels stuck.
The snakes start stirring underneath his feet. He starts to wobble in panic. He tries his best to balance himself by waving his arms. Finally, he falls and gives a loud cry as he touches the black.
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UNIT 1: CLASS 11: ALL SHORT STORIES SHORT SUMMARIES
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Wish by Roald Dahl
The Wish Exercise
BEFORE READING
Answer these questions
a. What frightens you? Snakes, spiders, or any other things?
Answer:
The concept of ghosts frightens me most. I get nervous when someone starts telling horror stories in the dark. I never feel afraid about snakes, spiders, and so on. I have faced them a lot in my life. But I can't stand the concept of a ghost.
b. What do you do about frightening things: face them or avoid them?
Answer:
When it comes to frightening things, I usually make proper use of my mind. If I think I am able to handle the situations, I face them courageously. But if I feel the situations are beyond my efforts, I avoid them.
c. Do you have any frightening event in your childhood? Share it with the class.
Answer:
Yes, I do have a frightening experience in my childhood. When I was about 8 years old, I was shocked to see the dead body of my neighbour in front of my eyes. The dead body was lying on the house front. I kept watching that body for more than three hours. But after sleeping, I saw the same person in my dream. He was chasing me, carrying a fearful weapon. When he was about to attack me, I cried loudly and woke up. That dream haunts me time and again.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions
a. What did the child do to the scab on his knee?
Answer:
The child examined his kneecap's scab at first. He pondered much and decided to pick it up. He gently picked up that scab with his fingernail and put it on his thigh. Finally, he flipped it with his finger.
b. What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?
Answer:
The carpet had an imaginative effect on the child. When the child moved closer to that carpet and noticed its different colours, he found himself in his imagination. He planned a terrible imaginative game where he supposed different colours of carpet to be obstacles. That particular carpet made the boy undertake the terrible imaginative game to get his wish on his birthday.
c. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet?
Answer:
While walking across the carpet, he was afraid of red and black-coloured spots on the carpet. He thought of the colours of the carpet as different things in his imagination. He thought the red-coloured spots were the lumps of burning coal, and the black-coloured spots were the poisonous snakes. He was afraid to be burned down as well as bitten by burning coals and poisonous snakes during his journey. So he stepped very carefully, only on yellow-coloured spots, which he had thought to be a safe zone.
d. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?
Answer:
In this story, the child imaginatively played a game on a red carpet. He put up an imaginary challenge for himself, supposing the red carpet was an obstacle between him and his goal. Here, his wish of getting a puppy on his birthday motivated him to start and continue on his journey.
e. What did the child see as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet?
Answer:
The child saw black, poisonous snakes and adders stirring as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?
Answer:
The writer creates two voices in the story. The first voice is of the narrator, and the next voice is of the child.
b. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
“…the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders mostly, and cobras, thick like tree trunks around the middle, and if I touch one of them, I'll be bitten and I'll die before tea time. And if I get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow.”
i. What does ‘the black part’ mean?
Answer:
'The black part' means thick, poisonous black snakes like cobras and adders.
ii. Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is the little child.
iii. Why doesn’t the speaker want to be burnt?
Answer:
The speaker doesn't want to be burned because he wants to get his wish (a puppy) on his birthday after crossing the carpet safely.
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c. Which images and metaphors are used in the story?
Answer:
There are various images and metaphors used here in this story. The used images in the story are a scab, a big hall, a sitting boy on stairs, huge red carpet, different colours of carpet, a lump of coals, thick and poisonous black snakes, safe zones, a boy's mother etc. The different colours of the carpet are metaphorically used in the story. Here, red colours are compared with lumps of coal, black colours are compared with thick black poisonous snakes, and yellow colours are compared with safe zones.
d. Summarise the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.
Answers:
This short story, "The Wish" is about an imaginative game plan as well as the wish of the child. Here in this story, the child plays his imaginative game using the colours of the red carpet. His imaginative game is quite tough to play and is related to life and death. This game is connected to the child's wish. If he manages to reach inside by crossing the red carpet, he will get a puppy as a gift on his birthday. The child's wish for a puppy has made him creative and imaginative. In the very beginning, the boy imagines the different colours of the red carpet as different things. He supposes red colour parts as a lump of coals, black colour parts as black cobras and adders, and yellow colour parts as a safe zone. He decides to cross the carpet, stepping on the safe zones. His wish for a beautiful puppy on his birthday encourages him to undertake this terrible game. He moves ahead, stepping into yellow zones safely at first.
When he reaches halfway across, he starts to wobble around. He starts to panic to find no way ahead. He balances his body by waving his arms. He doesn't get a proper step ahead. He remains in the yellow zone, thinking much about possible ways ahead.
The fear of losing the puppy compels him to continue his way ahead. He makes proper use of his mind, pauses himself, and steps further quite carefully.
Just a step ahead of halfway, the child has to make a decision. He has to choose whether to move on the left or the right. When he moves his further step, he is a centimetre close to black. His luck saves him.
While choosing the way ahead, he moves left because he fears much about the black poisonous snakes on the right. When the snakes look up to see if he touches the black part or not, he defends himself through his panicky dialogue. Next, he has to take a long stride. When he jumps, his feet fall on the spots too wide. He tries to get back but can't. He feels stuck.
The snakes start stirring underneath his feet. He starts to wobble in panic. He tries his best to balance himself by waving his arms. Finally, he falls and gives a loud cry as he touches the black.
e. The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?
Answer:
Here in this story, among two styles, I think the narrator presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers. We find the narrator's or Roald Dahl's task of narrating outstanding. He keeps on relating every single event more clearly to make this story interesting. He keeps on narrating this story from the beginning to the end. He uses boys for certain dialogues in the text. He is the person who keeps on telling all the readers about the main character, the boy, and his story and his actions in the story.
f. Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.
Answer:
Yes, this short story is about self-confidence and overcoming fear. The child seems fearful while watching his scab. He thinks a lot about picking it. He raises many questions about himself. He picks out his scab, panicking. But when he sees the carpet, his fear increases. He builds up his confidence to cross the carpet. He creates his obstacles, supposing the colours are coals and snakes. He even puts his goal across the carpet. He moves on bravely on the carpet, wishing for a puppy on his birthday. He tries his best to overcome his fear. His self-confidence and his wish end as he falls into the black colours. The wish of the child itself is so clear in his imaginative game. He wants to get a puppy on his birthday. He is eagerly waiting for his birthday. Due to his longing for a puppy, he undertakes a red carpet game where he puts himself in critical situations. He becomes panicked time and again but continues his carpet journey to reach his goal, which is a birthday gift.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. Do you think our wish can be fulfilled? Why or why not?
Answer:
I think our wish can be fulfilled. This task isn't easy, but it is possible. If we keep on doing our best to achieve our wish with our full efforts, we can certainly achieve it. Thus, nothing is impossible. Our wishes can be fulfilled through our best efforts.
b. Why do you think some people might have a frightening nature? What would you suggest to them to overcome it?
Answer:
I think some people have a frightening nature because they are not satisfied or happy in their lives. They keep on showing their irritation in every tiny I would like to suggest they change their lifestyle by adding yoga, exercise, and entertainment to their lives.
c. Write a folktale that you have heard or read.
Answer:
A lion was awakened from sleep by a mouse running over his face. Rising angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him when the mouse piteously entreated, saying, "If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness". The Lion laughed and let him go.
It happened shortly after this that the lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognising his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his teeth and set him free, exclaiming: “You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favour; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to do benefits on a Lion".
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