-Marga Minco
Text:
Image Courtesy:NCERT;Ncert Books by Supercop
Please tap on the image once to get a more sharper and legible copy of the book.
Summary:
"The Address" by Marga Minco is a story revolving around a girl's journey who goes in search of her mother's belongings.The story rightly highlights human predicament that follows war.The story is most probably set during Holocaust.
The narrator,a Jew,returned back to her native city after the war was over. She has suffered a lot during the war. She had lost her mother. After the war, she faced loneliness and challenges alone. Before the war,her mother had left most of their belongings with Mrs.Dorling,an old acquaintance of hers,and went away.
After the liberation,she returned to her own land.
She remembered those belongings in the care of Mrs.Dorling and wanted to fetch them. She went there and found the address as told by her mother-Marconi Street,Number 46. However, Mrs.Dorling refused to recognise the narrator. Mrs.Dorling's cold and indifferent behaviour also depressed her further.Hurt and anguished,she returned back.
After some days,she again called on Mrs.Dorling.However, Mrs.Dorling was not in the house. Her daughter received the narrator and made her sit. As she entered the house,she saw her mother's belongings used in their house. The Hanukkah,table-cloth,antique plates,crockery brought old memories of her mother.
However,the narrator agreed not to take all those things away.She made of her mind to forget her mother's belongings. According to her, all those things had no significance in their lives anymore as her beloved mother had already passed away. She decided to leave her mother's things and forget them forever.
The story conveys is the important message that we must leave peacefully with everybody. We must sympathise with the war victims. One shouldn't behave like Mrs.Dorling sensitively and greedily. She added to the narrator's troubles by not returning her mother's belongings.
Difficult Words:
1)Poignant: Something very saddening or moving.
2)Evoke: To bring or recall something to the conscious mind.
3)Cardigan: A type of knitted garment that has an open front.
4)Jamb:Side-post or lining of a doorway or other aperture.
5)Lugging:The act of carrying and dragging something.
6)Crick: A painful spasmodic condition of muscles.
7)Running(Here):To suffer.
8)Reprovingly:To scold or express criticism.
9)Coat-Rack: A shelf to keep the coats.
10)Liberation:A kind of settlement to free someone.
11)Hanukkah: A Hebrew festival called "Feast of Lights".
12)Muggy: Unpleasantly warm or humid.
13)Severed:Ended or broken off.
About Author:
Marga Minco is a Dutch journalist and writer. Her real surname was Menco. She was born in a Jewish family. She was one of the most famous holocaust survivors. She was born on 31st March,1920. She is a Dutch by origin. She was also awarded Bureau Voor Postreclame en Adressen De Mutator N.V.and we short story prize for writing the story "The Address".
NCERT Questions:
A)Reading with Insight.
1)Yes,this statement gives us some clue about the story.During the early part of the war,Mrs.Dorling who was an acquaintance of the narrator's mother,had shifted most of the important belongings of Mrs.S to her house.Her(Mrs.Dorling) house was situated in Marconi street on house Number 46.These belongings included table silver wares,antique plates and other nice things such as the iron Hanukkah candle holder, woollen table cloth and green knitted cardigan with wooden buttons.Since,Mrs.S had died during the war,Mrs.Dorling did not expect anybody to come back and claim their costlyand antique belongings.
•The statement indicates the greedy and possessive nature of Mrs.Dorling.She pretended not to open the door to the daughter of her former acquaintance and didn't even recognised her.She didn't let the girl in.This shows Mrs.Dorling had no intention to return Mrs.S's belongings.
2)During the pre-war times,the narrator lived in some other city far away from home in a school.She visited her mother for a few times.Her mother was always apprensive that someday they would have to leave their houses.She was afraid they might have to lose all their belongings.The narrator lived in a small room for rent.The windows were always covered,the bread seemed tasteless.The threat of death loomed large.After Liberation,the narrator faced many difficulties too. Her mother had already given away much of their belongings to Mrs.Dorling in the fear of losing their valuables. However, after the war, Mrs.Dorling did not give them the things she has shifted to her house.
3)The narrator remembered the address her mother had told her only once. It was Number 46, Marconi Street where Mrs.Dorling lived.She was an old acquaintance of Mrs.S and had shifted much of the valuable belongings the narrator's family owned. After her mother's death,she had the urge to visit her mother's acquaintance to claim the belongings. She went to Mrs.Dorling house and found that Mrs.Dorling had no intention of returning the things. Those objects book the memory of old times. However, those things had lost the value because her mother had passed away in between all these. She resolved to forget the address and decided to move on in life.
4)The war creates many difficulties and unpleasant situations for humans. The human predicament that follows war is amply illustrated through the story "The Address". The narrator experiences various difficulties in midst of the war. She lost her dear mother. After the war,she went to an old acquaintance of her mother who had stored all their valuables during the war years. However, Mrs.Dorling the acquaintance, pretended not to recognise her and didn't return the valuables. Mrs.Dorling represents those people in the society who are callous,greedy and insensitive.
📍📍📍
Disclaimer:
No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system of transmitted,in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying,recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
#Hey!This is an in-depth piece of genuine writing by EduRankers' team.There may be some inadvertent typing mistakes.Please report and we will definitely get back to you.Ask your queries in the comments section.Keep hustling!
Links:
Why should I read a blog when I can get the same things in a reference book too?
ReplyDeleteWell,most of the reference books don't have good answers while also not giving any sort of concrete answers.Moreover,a blog is free to use while at the same time you can access it from anywhere in the world.
ReplyDelete