Lesson 2: The Snake and the Mirror
Narrative
Imagine that you were in place of the homeopath. You narrate the dreadful encounter with the cobra. Prepare the likely narrative.
Face to Face with Death When I started
my medical practice, I was staying alone in a rented house far away from my house.
It was a very old house with a tiled
roof and with no electricity connection. There were lots of rats staying with
me in the house. One summer night around at ten o’clock, while I was sitting
on a chair, I heard a dull thud sound. I did not take it serious as I was
familiar with such sounds usually made by rats. But it was quite an unusual
sound as if a rubber tube fell down. Out of curiosity, I turned round to see
what it could be. As soon as I turned, a fat cobra climbed upon the chair and
landed on my shoulder. Soon it slithered along my shoulder and coiled around
my left arm. It was a full-blooded cobra! Spreading out its hood, it stayed there only three or four inches away from my face. I was so frightened. I sat there holding my breath like a stone image in flesh. If I moved, the snake would bite me. I felt ashamed of myself for not having kept any medicine in the room, though I was a doctor. I was afraid to move or call for help. Desperately I thought of God and in imagination I wrote the words ‘O God’ on the wall of my heart. Suddenly the snake turned its head and looked into the mirror on my table. Seeing its reflection in the mirror it uncoiled from my arm and moved towards the mirror. It seemed as if it was looking into the mirror and enjoying its own beauty. Immediately, I rushed out of the room and ran till I reached my friend’s house. The next morning when we returned to the room, planning to collect all my belongings and move to a new house, we found that all my things had already been stolen by some thieves!
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Diary Entry
Imagine the doctor moved to a new house. He feels
safe and happy there. He writes in his diary about the horrible experience he
had the previous night. Prepare the likely diary entry.
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18
March 2021, Thursday 11:00pm Thank God! I’m safe and happy now in this new house - neat and comfortable. I have here good neighbours too. I should be thankful to my friends for arranging this house for me. Last night I met death face to face! I can’t ever forget those moments in my life. When I heard the sound of something falling down, I never thought it could be a cobra. What could I have done if it had bitten me? I didn’t have any medicine to use in case of an emergency. Luckily, the snake was a beauty-conscious one. When it saw its reflection in the mirror, it forgot everything and left me. It was a cobra taken with its own beauty. Really God saved me in the form of a mirror! I will keep a mirror here too.
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The doctor in the story ‘The Snake and the
Mirror’ was very much frightened after his encounter with the snake. He writes
his feelings in his diary. What would the diary entry be?
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Thursday, 18 March 2021 10:30pm
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Formal Letter
The homeopath’s belongings were stolen
in the night when he escaped to his friend’s house. He wrote a letter to the
inspector of police to register a complaint on the theft.
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Villa
No.7
Town Police Station
Dear
Sir,
Last
night I had a terrible experience. A cobra fell on my shoulder and it kept me
between death and life horribly for some time. When I got a chance to escape
from the snake, I rushed out of my room and took refuge in my friend’s house.
But this morning when I returned to my room to take my belongings, I found
everything had been stolen.
;
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Informal Letter
The doctor escaped from the cobra and too
k refuge in his friend's house. Then he
wrote a letter to his mother about his horrible experiences. Prepare the likely letter.
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Villa
No. 7
Spreading
its hood, it stayed on my left arm just three or four inches away from my
face. It was like death lurked three or four inches away. Holding my breath I sat like a stone image.
If I moved, the snake would bite me. I had no medicine in my room. If it had truck
me, it would have been my end.
Mom,
don’t worry about me reading this letter. Now I am safe here at my friends
house. I’ll soon come to see you. Convey regards to dad and all others.
Wishing all the best to both of you,
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Conversation
The doctor reached his friend’s house. His
friend was surprised to see the doctor late in the night. Write the possible
conversation between them.
Friend: Hi doctor, good evening!
Doctor: Good evening! Please give me some water to drink.
Friend: You look very scared! What happened to you?
Doctor: A cobra coiled on my arm.
Friend: What, a cobra! It didn’t bite you, did it?
Doctor: No, it didn’t. God saved me in the form of a mirror!
Friend: Oh my God, do you really mean a mirror?
Doctor: Yes, my friend. When it saw its reflection in the mirror, it left me and moved towards the
mirror.
Friend: If it had bitten you, what would you have done?
Doctor: I can’t even imagine. I didn’t have any medicines in my room.
Friend: Thank God, it didn’t hurt you! Anyway, don’t’ go there tonight.
We can look for another
house later.
Doctor: Yeah, thank you very much.
Profile Writing
Prepare a profile of Vaikom Mohammed Basheer with the help of the hints given.
Hints:
[Birth: January 19 1908 at Vaikom, a princely state of Travancore
Occupation: a novelist, story writer, freedom fighter; Funny stories in simple and open style
Major works: Balyakala Sakhi, Pathummayude Aadu, Mathilukal, Ntuppuppakkoru Aanendaarnnu, Janmadinam, Anargha Nimisham, etc.
Awards: Padma Shri award in1982
Popularly Known as: Beypore Sultan
Death: 05 July 1994, aged 86.]
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Vaikom Mohammed Basheer Shri Vaikom
Mohammed Basheer was born on 19 January 1908 at Vaikom, a princely state of
Travancore. He was a noted writer and a freedom fighter. He wrote novels and
stories in a very simple and open language and in a funny style. His most
famous works are Balyakala Sakhi, Pathummayude Aadu, Mathilukal,
Ntuppuppakkoru Aanendaarnnu, Janmadinam, Anargha Nimisham etc. He was awarded
the Padma Shri in 1982. He was popularly known as Beypore Sultan. The Sultan passed away on 05 July 1994, at the age of 86.
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Write-up
Prepare a write-up on the use of contrasts in the
story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’ to bring out humor in the story.
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Contrasts and Comedy in a Cobra Story Vaikom Mummaed Basheer was a renowned Malayalam writer with a God-gifted ability of using the language with utmost simplicity in a funny way. His story, The Snake and the Mirror, tells us the pathetic story of a homoeopath in a humorous way. The literary device of Contrast is very aptly used throughout the story to create comic situations. The protagonist homoeopath appears to be a poor person. He has only recently started his medical practice. But he wants to be rich in life using a short-cut way. He plans to marry a rich woman doctor having good medical practice. He also wants his would-be wife should be a fat lady. He humorously expects that his future wife should not be able to run after and catch him, if he made any silly mistakes. But ironically, he marries a reedy thin woman with the gift of a sprinter. He always thinks of his appearance and takes earth shaking decisions to increase his beauty. He also thinks that he is a smart, young bachelor and he is proud of being a doctor. He sees many beautiful daydreams looking into the mirror. But his daydreams get only a momentary life. Unexpectedly a cobra falls on him and coils on his left arm. He becomes terribly frightened and sits like a stone image. Now he thinks of himself a foolish and stupid doctor. In the helpless situation, he prays to God silently in his mind. Then the snake leaves him and moves towards the mirror when it sees its reflection in it. He escapes from the cobra and seeks refuge in his friend’s house. Next morning when the homeopath sees all his belongings have been stolen, he humorously says that the rascal insulted him by leaving behind his dirty vest as a final insult. Thus the tragic story of a poor doctor ends very humorously as a comedy!
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News Report
Imagine that the homeopath was bitten by the cobra and died of the snake bite. Prepare a news report about the death of the doctor.
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Doctor dies of snake bite Wed, 13 Mar 2019, Staff reporter. Kochi:Mohammed Basheer (28), a young homoeopathic doctor, died of a cobra bite here at the city hospital last night. He was bitten by a cobra at his residence. Dr. Basheer was a native of Kozhikkode and was working in a private clinic in Kochi. He was unmarried and only just started his practice. He was staying alone in an old rented house. Last night while he was preparing to go to bed, he had heard a sound of something falling down. He didn’t take it serious as he thought it might be created by rats. While he was sitting on a chair, a cobra landed on his shoulder and coiled on his left arm. He was very much frightened and in his frantic efforts to escape from the snake, it bit him. Soon it moved toward the mirror on his table. Immediately he got out and ran to his friends. He explained everything to them, and they took him to the city hospital. But unfortunately, his life could not be saved. “He was a very friendly, humorous young man having many dreams in life. He was very ambitious of his career and hoped to get married soon. But everything ended unexpectedly like a bubble,” his friends lamented.
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Character Sketch
The
Homeopath in the story ‘The Snake and the Mirror’
The homeopathic
doctor is the protagonist of the story The Snake and the Mirror by the
renowned Malayalam writer Vaikom Mohammed Basheer. The story is a humorous
account of the doctor’s encounter with a cobra. He was a young and unmarried
doctor recently set up his medical practice, and therefore, his income was very
meagre. He was staying alone in a rented
house, and there were lots of rats to share the room with him. He was very
beauty-conscious and often lived in the world of dreams. He was very proud of himself for being a
young, handsome bachelor and a doctor by profession.
He wanted to marry a rich, young woman doctor having a good medical practice. The doctor was really a funny character. He wanted his future wife should be a fat woman. She should not be able to run after him and catch him if he did any mistake and wanted to escape from her.
He appeared to be very bold
too. Even when a cobra landed on his shoulder he did not tremble or cry
out. He sat still like a stone image
thinking about the mercy of God. When the snake left him and moved towards the
mirror, he cleverly made use of the opportunity to escape. The doctor was a
jovial person having a good circle-of-friends. He liked to spend time with them
smoking beedis, discussing various topics, joking and telling stories. The
‘snake story’ is one of such stories.
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