Journey To The End of The Earth Class 12 English Vistas

Key Points of the Story 

• The lesson revolves around the world’s most preserved place, Antarctica. 
• Not many people have been there but out of the few that have, Tishani Doshi is one of them. 
• A south Indian person who went on an expedition with a group of teenagers affiliated with ‘Students on Ice’ programme takes young minds to different ends of the world. 
• Thus, it gives an insight into how Antarctica is the place you should visit to have a glimpse of the past, present and future in its realist form.

Detailed Summary 

Before the emergence of humans, Gondwana thrived for 500 million years. Following the extinction of dinosaurs, this landmass fragmented into the countries we recognize today. The text also delves into the reality of climate change, emphasizing the necessity of visiting Antarctica to closely study its impact.
The discussion then shifts to Antarctica's ecosystem, highlighting its lack of biodiversity and serving as a stark reminder of the environmental consequences of human actions. The depletion of the ozone layer, if unchecked, will profoundly affect the lives of Antarctic inhabitants, including marine animals and birds, as well as disrupt the global carbon cycle.
The narrative explores the various factors contributing to climate change, such as the burning of fossil fuels, which are significantly deteriorating Antarctica's quality and posing significant risks to human life. Examples like phytoplankton illustrate this point. The story concludes with the author pondering the fate of the breathtaking scenes, like seals sunbathing on ice, questioning whether such beauty will endure or if the future holds catastrophic outcomes.

Conclusion 

To sum up, Journey to End of the Earth summary, we learn in detail about climate change and how it is impacting our lives and of other living beings dangerously, it serves as a wakeup call to start working to make the planet a healthier place.

Difficult Words

Word - Meaning

• Haori - a loose outer garment worn over the kimono.
• Kimono - a traditional Japanese garment.
• Heedlessly - carelessly  
• Staggered - walk unsteadily as if about to fall 
• Leaned - bent forward  
• Spiked - covered with sharp points 
• a stain of red - blood stain
• Tended - cared for, looked after  
• Solemn - serious and concerned 
• Stanch - stop or restrict (a flow of blood) from a wound.  
• Sea moss - a kind of seaweed 
• Strewed - to be scattered untidily over a place or area 
• Moaned - a low cry in pain 
• Stupor - a state of unconsciousness 
• Repulsion - a strong dislike
• Inert - motionless
• Battered - torn and worn out 
• Distress - sadness 
• Pallor - an unhealthy pale appearance 
• Influenza - a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory passages causing fever
• Pulse - heartbeat 
• Vitality - energy, life 
• Menace - danger, threat
• Bluntly - in a straight – forward manner 
• Courteously - politely  
• Superstitious - irrational beliefs 
• Stubbornness - firm determination
• Fierce - dangerous 
• Resistance - the refusal to accept or comply with something 
• Dignity - respect 
• Sustained - continued
• Conviction - firm belief
• impulsively - to do something suddenly without thinking
• Ebbing - decreasing gradually
• Rose - stood up 
• Chilled - freeze due to cold weather
• Sterilized - disinfected
• Concise - short 
• Anesthetic - a substance that induces insensitivity to pain
• Superficial - existing or occurring at or on the surface. 
• Leaped - jumped 
• Retching - vomiting
• Ruthless - harsh, merciless  
• Nursed him - taken care of him
• beginning to stir - gaining consciousness. 
• Dusk - the time of sunset  
• Slatternly - dirty, untidy 
• Prejudice - preconceived idea or opinion 
• Bitter - unpleasant 
• Dereliction - failure to perform one’s duty  
• Patriotism - love for one’s country 
• Grateful - thankful  
• Prick - slightest amount  
• Cardinal - basic, first 
• Precise - accurate
• Incisions - surgical cuts
• Quivered - shivered
• Suspected - doubted
• Guts - informal word for bravery and determination
• Profound - very great or intense
• Twilighted - at the time of twilight i.e. sunset or sunrise.
• Feeble - weak
• Hypodermic - needle
• Thrust - pushed 
• Raw - uncooked 
• Apologise - feel sorry
• Gasped - to catch one’s breathe due to astonishment
• Horizon - the line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet, skyline
• Moss - a very small soft green plant
• Pine needles - very thin, sharp leaves that grow on pine trees
• Marred - spoiled
• Contemptuously - disrespectfully
• Wistaria wine - a flowering plant used for decoration
• Traitor - a person who betrays his country
• Runs out - finishes
• Assuage - decrease, reduce
• Kerchief - square piece of cloth 
• Dismayed - shocked
• Mistress - a woman in a position of authority or control
• Inclined - bent towards one side
• Grieving - in a state of sadness
• Briskly - quickly
• Crimson - bright red colour
• Indispensable - necessary
• sentimentality - being emotional 
• execution - legal punishment 
• peculiar - strange
• Overwhelmed - full of emotions
• Assassins - professional killers
• Timid - showing lack of courage or confidence
• Absolute state - a state run by kings having total powers
• Reason - an idea backed by common sense
• Gaunt - gloomy, weak
• Stubbly - unshaven
• Flashlight - torch
• Gripping - holding tightly
• Rustling - the sound made by footsteps
• Twig - branch of tree
• Post - pole
• Shaggy - hairy
• Refrain - a sound that is repeated time and again
• Comprehending - understanding
• Partitions - structures dividing a room into parts
• Wail - cry loudly
• Infected - affected
• Crept - crawled
• Gay - happy
• Washed - bathed
• Weary - tired
• Strain - stress
• Fortifying - putting security at a place 
• Submerged - here, sink into the sea
• Fathom - a unit of measuring the depth of the sea.