-Patrick Pringle
Text:
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Summary:
'Albert Einstein at School"by Patrick Pringle is a small extract from the biography of Albert Einstein.In this small anecdote,the narrator tries to familiarise the reader with those years in his life where he was struggling everyday in his school.
The lesson begins with little Albert's encounter with his history teacher where the master is asking Einstein about a particular date from the past which Einstein is unable to answer. He argues with the history teacher,Mr.Braun, that he finds it irrelevant to memorize dates which one can easily find by searching in a book. He asserts how he is of the opinion that learning facts is not education. It is ideas which matter more.Upon hearing this,the teacher is very angry and calls Einstein a 'disgrace'.
Albert returned to his quarters but despised them also.Due to poor financial condition of his parent,he had to live in one of the most poverty-stricken neighborhood of Munich.He didn't mind the lack of comfort or amenities but hated the atmosphere of violence in those slums. Eventually he found that his friend's neighborhood was not much of a different than his.
Albert also expressed his apprehension to his cousin Elsa and she advised that he can easily get through his diploma if he only put a little effort.He told her how he wasn't good at learning things by heart.
Albert was only interested in music apart from his science books. Playing his violin was his only comfort and he would play it regularly. However, his landlady told him not to play it at she finds it irritating.
After 6 months in Munich,he was totally in stress.He wanted to get away from there by any means. He made a plan and strategy where he wanted a doctor to prescribe that Albert is having a nervous breakdown and its root cause was the school. He asked his friend,Yuri, if he knows anyone who specialises in nerves.
His friend 'Yuri' become successful in finding a doctor for him.The doctor was Ernest Weil who had just graduated and was a good friend of Yuri.However,Yuri warned Albert that Weil is a very clever fellow and he must be careful.Albert become so nervous that he really had a nervous breakdown before the appointment.
On meeting the doctor,he finds that Yuri had already told everything to Weil and the doctor is ready to help him. He understood that Einstein was completely tired of the school. He had been doing no good to anybody by staying in the school.He was granted a leave for six months by the doctor.
The next day he went to the mathematics teacher name Mr.Koch give him the reference he needed which would help him to get into other institutions.He was genuinely good in mathematics.
He was then summoned to the headmaster's room where he was told to leave the school for everyone's good.He said goodbye to Yuri and left for Italy.
Difficult Words:
1)Sarcasm:The use of irony to mock or convey
contempt.
2)Squalor:The state of being dirty as a result of poverty.
3)Duel:A contest with deadly weapons arranged between two people in order to settle a point of honour.
4)Learn Like a Parrot:Rot Learning.
5)Wailing:Crying with pain or grief.
6)Nervous Breakdown:A period of mental illness
because of result of anxiety.
7)Vaguely:In a way that is certain.
8)Expulsion:The act of forcing someone to leave an institution.
9)Mincing:Affectedly dainty in manner or gait.
10)Lodgings:A place to live in exchange of rent.
About Author:
Patrick Pringle is a famous biographer from whose book "The Young Einstein" is extracted.He was always been interested in the childhood of famous personalities.He has written many other books such as 'lol great lives','Hue' and 'Cry' and the "The Young Dickens" etc.
NCERT Questions:
A)Reading with Insight.
1)Exchanges between Einstein and his teachers suggest various qualities of his character.The argument between his history teacher and himself show that he is honest and truthful.He admits his shortcomings frankly.He has firm and well-defined opinions and has the capability to precisely explain his thoughts.He had genuine interest in mathematics and science.His maths teacher had a high opinion of him.He even states how Einstein would soon be able to teach him.This shows how much of a genius he was.
One day he was summoned to the head teacher's office where he was told to leave the school.The head teacher stated how he is in a mood of perpetual rebellion.For a moment,Albert wanted to revert back to him but controlled himself.This shows how much polite he was to his teachers and how much control he had upon himself.
2)Albert Einstein's miserable 5 year's stay at school is a clear evidence how much the prevalent education system curbs individual talent.The current system for education has no room for individual aspirations,brilliance or aptitude.It has no provisions for encouraging originality.The framework lays greater stress on the facts that we can always refer to in a book. Most students resort to practices such as rot learning,cramming etc.They easily pass examinations but this fails to enrich their mind or inculcate the ideas specified in the curriculum.
3) information gathering and insight formation have a great difference. In our present curriculums most of the things are supposed to be content based.I don't see any point in spending precious time of students learning mere dates from books which can easily ascertained from any book by just looking iup.Learning facts without any ideas or understanding is called 'information gathering'. On the other hand analysing the facts, ascertaining the causes the lead to a certain incident and learning the ideas that spring from such incidents are part of 'insight formation'.It gives us a clear perception into the true nature of a thing.
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