The Little Girl Theme

The title of the story refers to the main character that we will come across- the little girl named Kezia. The theme of the story is the relationship between children and their parents and the writer Katherine Mansfield wants to tell us that children share a very important bond of love with their parents. Although when children are small, when they are young they do not feel that their parents love them because their parents are strict and many actions of the parents seems unjustified. But as children grow up they realise that all the acts done by their parents were beneficial for them. The parents were concerned for them and beneath the strictness lies a heart full of love for the children. And this bond of love between parents and their children has been highlighted through this story.

The Little Girl Summary – ‘The Little Girl’ is the story of a little girl, Kezia who misunderstood her father’s strictness and usually remained scared of him. She kept a distance from him, whenever he would be at home. She considered him to be as big as a giant. She would often get nervous and stutter while talking to him. She longed for his love and affection like her neighbour Mr Macdonald.

Once she was kept indoors as she was affected by cold. Her grandmother suggested that she make a gift for her father’s birthday next week. They decided that Kezia would make a pincushion for him. Kezia made a beautiful pin-cushion; but she accidentally made a mistake. She filled it with bits of paper that she got by tearing her father’s important speech. She was punished for that. This incident further estranged Kezia from her father.

She would often look at the neighbours, the Macdonalds playing joyously in their lawn. Mr. Macdonald was such a good father and played so lovingly with his children. She wondered he might be a different sort of father.

Once her mother fell ill and was hospitalized. She was left alone at home under the care of the cook. At night she had a nightmare and woke up screaming. She found her father standing by her bedside. He picked her up and took her to her room. He tucked her up in his bed and soon fell asleep. Kezia felt secure lying near her father. She realized that her father was not as big as a giant. She felt the beating of her father’s loving large heart. Finally, she realized her father was very loving and had a generous heart.

द लिटिल गर्ल’ एक छोटी लड़की कीजीआ की कहानी है, जो अपने पिता की सख्ती को गलत समझती थी और उससे डरती थी।
जब भी वह घर पर होता, वह उससे दूरी बना लेती। वह उसे एक विशाल दानव के समान बड़ा मानती थी। वह अक्सर उससे बात करते-करते घबरा जाती थी और हकलाने लगती थी। वह अपने पड़ोसी मिस्टर मैकडोनाल्ड की तरह उसके प्यार और स्नेह की लालसा रखती थी।
एक बार उसे घर के अंदर रखा गया था क्योंकि वह ठंड से प्रभावित थी। उसकी दादी ने सुझाव दिया कि वह अगले सप्ताह अपने पिता के जन्मदिन के लिए एक उपहार दें।
उन्होंने तय किया कि कीजीआ उसके लिए एक छोटा तकिया बनाएगी। कीजीआ ने एक सुंदर पिन-कुशन बनाया; लेकिन उसने अकस्मात से गलती कर दी। उसने उसे कागज के टुकड़ों से भर दिया जो उसने अपने पिता के महत्वपूर्ण भाषण को फाड़कर प्राप्त किया था।
इसके लिए उसे दंडित किया गया था। इस घटना ने कीजीआ को उसके पिता से और दूर कर दिया।
वह अक्सर पड़ोसियों, मैकडॉनल्ड्स को उनके लॉन में खुशी से खेलते हुए देखती थी। मिस्टर मैकडोनाल्ड इतने अच्छे पिता थे और अपने बच्चों के साथ बहुत प्यार से खेलते थे। उसने सोचा कि वह एक अलग तरह का पिता हो सकता है।
एक बार उसकी माँ बीमार पड़ गई और उसे अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया। रसोइया की देखरेख में कीजीआ घर पर अकेली रह गई थी। रात में उसे एक बुरा सपना आया और चीख-पुकार मच गई।
उसने अपने पिता को अपने बिस्तर के पास खड़ा पाया। वह उसे उठाकर अपने कमरे में ले गया। उन्होंने उसे अपने बिस्तर में लिटा दिया और जल्द ही सो गया।
कीजीआ अपने पिता के पास लेटी हुई अपनेआप को सुरक्षित महसूस कर रही थी। उसने महसूस किया कि उसके पिता एक विशालकाय दानव जितने बड़े नहीं हैं। उसने अपने पिता के प्यारे बड़े दिल की धड़कन को महसूस किया।
अंत में, उसने महसूस किया कि उसके पिता बहुत प्यार करने वाले और उदार हृदय के थे .

Thinking about the text (Page 38)

I. Given below are some emotions that Kezia felt. Match the emotions in Column A with the items in Column B.

A B
1. fear or terror
2. glad sense of relief
3. a‘funny’ feeling, perhaps of understanding		 (i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss
(ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter
(iii) father comes home
(iv) speaking to father
(v) going to bed when alone at home
(vi) father comforts her and falls asleep
(vii) father stretched out on the sofa, snoring

Answers:
1. — (iii)
2. — (ii)
3. — (vi)

II. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

Question 1.Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Answer: Kezia was afraid of her father because he used to talk to her harshly. He was in a habit of finding out her mistakes.

Question 2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
Answer: Kezia’s family had her grandmother, mother and father.

Question 3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine?

  1. before going to his office?
  2. after coming back from his office?
  3. on Sundays?

Answer:

  1. He used to kiss Kezia casually before going to his office.
  2. He would ask for the newspaper and tea after coming back from his office.
  3. On Sundays, he would take rest. He would enjoy sound sleep on the sofa.

Question 4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Answer: Kezia’s grandmother sent her to her father’s room to have a nice talk with him. Besides, she asked her to make a gift of a pin-cushion on her father’s birthday.

III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

Question 1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Answer: Kezia used to be afraid of her father because her father talked to her harshly. One day her grandmother told her to make a pin-cushion to gift him on his birthday which was approaching. Kezia took it an opportunity to please him. So, she stitched cotton cloth three sides and looked for the things that could be stuffed into the stitched cloth. Soon she found out many sheets of paper. Actually they contained her father’s speech for the Port Authority. She tore them into pieces and stuffed her case.

One day when her father looked for the papers, he did not find them. After some time, he came to know that Kezia had tom them into pieces to make a pin-cushion. He got infuriated and beat her with a ruler. Thus, her efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much.

Question 2. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
Answer: In Kezia’s opinion, her father was very harsh. He did not talk to her affectionately but rather he used to speak to her stringently. So she avoided him. She did not want to be in front of him because she was afraid of him. Moreover, her father never spent time with her.

Macdonald family lived next door to her house. One evening she saw him playing tag with his children. A baby was on his shoulders and two little girls were hanging on to his coat pockets. They were laughing. Also, she saw some boys turn the hose on Macdonald and he tried to catch them laughing all the time. She found them feel friendly with their father. So, she wished if her father were like them.

Question 3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Answer: One night Kezia had a nightmare which made her too terrified. She was crying out of fear. When she woke up, she found her father beside her bed with a candle in his hand. He asked her what the matter was. When he came to know about her nightmare, he blew out the candle, bent down and caught up the child in his arms. He carried her to the big bedroom. He laid her on the bed and pulled the covers up around her. Apart from this, he lay down beside her.

After some time, still half asleep, she crept close to him, snuggled her head under his arm and held tightly to his shirt. Now she felt comfortable.

Her father told her to rub her feet against his legs and get them warm.

Now, Kezia realised that her father was not as harsh as she thought. She realised that her father had to work all day long and got so tired that he could not play with her. She realised that her father wanted her to understand his compulsion. At bottom, he was a very good person.

Thinking about language (Page 38)

I. Look at the following sentence.

There was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter…

Here, glad means happy about something. Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms (words or expressions that have the same or nearly the same meaning.) However, they express happiness in certain ways.

Read the sentences below:

  • She was glad when the meeting was over.
  • The chief guest was pleased to announce the name of the winner.

Question 1. Use an appropriate word from the synonyms given above in the following sentences. Clues are given in brackets.

  1. She was ………. by the news of her brother’s wedding, (very pleased)
  2. I was ………. to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
  3. She was ………. at the birth of her granddaughter, (extremely happy)
  4. The coach was ……….. with his performance, (satisfied about)
  5. She was very …………. with her results. (happy about something that has happened)

Answer:

  1. thrilled
  2. delighted
  3. overjoyed
  4. pleased
  5. happy.

Question 2. Study the use of the word big in the following sentence:
He was so big—his hands and his
neck, especially his mouth…
Here, big means large in size.

Now, consult a dictionary and find out the meaning of big in the following sentences. The first one has been done for you.

  1. You are a big girl now. older
  2. Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career …….
  3. Their project is full of big ideas …….
  4. Cricket is a big game in our country……..
  5. I am a big fan of Lata Mangeshkar……..
  6. You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater ……..
  7. What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear ……..

Answers:

  1. most important
  2. great
  3. very popular
  4. great
  5. great
  6. very affectionate/large-hearted.

II. Verbs of Reporting

Study the following sentences.

  • “What! ” screamed Mother.
  • “N-n-no”, she whispered.
  • “Sit up”, he ordered.

The italicised words are verbs of reporting. We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Every reporting clause contains a reporting verb. For example:

  • He promised to help in my project.
  • “How are you doing?” Seema asked. We use verbs of reporting to advise, order, report statements, thoughts, intentions, questions, requests, apologise, manner of speaking and so on.

Question 1. Underline the verbs of reporting in the following sentences.

  1. He says he will enjoy the ride.
  2. Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
  3. No one told us that the shop was closed.
  4. He answered that the price would go up.
  5. I wondered why he was screaming,
  6. Ben told her to wake him up.
  7. Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.

Answers:

  1. says
  2. mentioned
  3. told
  4. answered
  5. wondered
  6. told
  7. apologised

Question 2. Some verbs of reporting are given in the box. Choose the appropriate verbs and fill in the blanks in the following sentences:

were complaining, shouted, replied, remarked, ordered, suggested
  1. “I am not afraid” ………. , the woman.
  2. “Leave me alone,” my mother
  3. The children ……….. that the roads were crowded and noisy.
  4. “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all” ……….., the master.
  5. “Let’s go and look at the school ground”……….., the sports teacher.
  6. The traffic police ……….. all the passers- by to keep off the road.

Answers:

  1. remarked
  2. shouted
  3. were complaining
  4. replied
  5. suggested
  6. ordered.

Speaking (Page 40)

Form pairs or groups and discuss the following questions:

Question 1. This story is not an Indian story. But do you think there are fathers, mothers and grandmothers like the ones portrayed in the story in our own country?
Answer : There is no doubt that the Indian families too have such fathers, mothers and grandmothers. In this world of cut-throat competition everyone aspires for success. So, the parents (father and mother) get employed to provide the children with all the worldly comforts. But they fail to comprehend the psychology of the tiny tots and make them feel isolated. Children need parents’ time and love. They want that then- parents should interact with them humbly and without hurting their feelings.

Question 2. Was Kezia’s father right to punish her?
What kind of a person was he? You might find some of these words useful in describing him:
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 3 The Little Girl Page 40 Q2
Answer: Kezia’s father was not right to punish her. He should have understood that she was only a child and a child tends to make mistakes. A child’s mistake should always be mended.

On the one hand, he was strict, unkind and short tempered. On the other hand, he was hard-working, responsible and caring to his family. He worked hard all day long and got tired. So, he was compelled not to give any time to Kezia. At heart he cared and loved Kezia very much. When she got frightened due to a nightmare, he immediately came to her with a candle to know what had happened to her. It shows that he cared her very much.

Writing (Page 40)

Has your life been different from or similar to that of Kezia when you were a child? Has your perception about your parents changed now? Do you find any change in your parents ’ behaviour vis-a-vis yours? Who has become more understanding? What steps would you like to take to build a relationship based on understanding? Write three or four paragraphs (150-200 words) discussing these issues from your own experience.
Answer: For self-attempt.

Extract Based Questions  (3 marks, each)

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1: To the little girl he was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with ‘Good Bye Father’. And oh, there Was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road! ,

  1. What was the daily routine of the father ?
  2. ‘When did the daughter feel relief ?
  3. Trace a word from the passage which means “answered”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-015)

Answer:

  1.  The daily routine of Kezia’s father was to visit her daughter’s room, meet her and give her a kiss before leaving for work.
  2. The daughter felt relief when the carriage went away from the house.
  3. Responded.

Question 2: But the same old nightmare came the butcher with a knife and a rope who came nearer and nearer, with that dreadful smile, while she could not move, only stand still, crying out “Grandma!”. She woke shivering to see father beside her bed, a candle in his hand. “What is the matter ?” he said.

  1. Why did she get the nightmare ?
  2. Where was the butcher ?
  3. Find a word from the passage that means “shake in fear and cold”.
    (Board Tenn 1,2012, ELI-018)

Answer:

  1. She got the nightmare as she was alone with her father at home and her mother and granny were in the hospital.
  2. The butcher was in her dream.
  3. Shivering.

Question 3: “But it was for your b-b- birth day.” Down came the ruler on her little, pink palms. Hours later, when grandmother had wrapped her in a shawl and rocked her in the rocking-chair, the child clung to her soft body. “What did God make fathers for ?” she sobbed.

  1. Who is responding in the first line and before whom ?
  2. How did the father react ?
  3. Find a word from the passage that means “wept”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-019)

Answer:

  1. Kezia is responding before her father.
  2. The father became angry and beat her pink palms with a ruler.
  3. Sobbed.

Question 4: On Sunday afternoon, Grandmother sent her down to file drawing room to have a “Nice talk with Father and Mother”. But the little girl always found mother reading and father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his flee, his feet on one of file best cushion, sleeping soundly and snoring.

  1. Who was ‘she’ and why did the grandmother send her down ?
  2. What did she notice about her parents ?
  3. Trace a word that means “undisturbed”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-020)

Answer:

  1. “She” is Kezia. Grandmother sent her down to have a nice talk with her parents.
  2. She noticed that her father was sleeping and snoring and mother was reading.
  3. Soundly.

Question 5:
She sat on a stool, gravely watched him until he woke and stretched, and asked the time – then looked at her. “Don’t stare so, Kezia. You look like a little brown owl”.

  1. Who is Kezia watching gravely ?
  2. Why was she sitting there waiting for him to wake up ? ;
  3. Trace the word in the extract which means “seriously”. (Board Term 1,2012, ELI-026)

Answer:

  1. Kezia was watching her father gravely.
  2. On a Sunday afternoon, her grandmother sent her to have a nice talk with father and mother. But Kezia always found her father sleeping on the sofa.
  3. Gravely.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)
(About 30-40 words each)

Question 1:
What orders were passed to Kezia in the evening when father returned home from office ?(SA-1, DDE-2014) (Board Term 1, Sept, 2012, E21-017)
Answer:
When Kezia’s father returned home from office she was supposed to come down, take off father’s shoes and put them outside. She was also to put her father’s teacup on file tea table.