Introduction - A House is not a Home | English Literature for Grade 9 PDF Download

INTRODUCTION

This story reflects the challenges of being a teenager and the problems of growing up. In our life sometimes such changes take place that our life becomes intolerable for us and sometimes we (teenagers) want to end this life. But again we find the things change which makes us enjoy life fully. In this story, the same things happen with the author. He finds himself in such an awkward situation when he joins a high school. After some days his house catches fire and he finds that his life has ended. But when his schoolmates show their concern for him, his whole vision for the life changes and he again starts taking interest in life.

Introduction (2)

Being a teenager can be challenging at times because growing up has its own set of problems. These problems need to be tackled with patience and faith – two qualities that teenagers need to inculcate gradually. Opening up to the wonderful world around and thanking God for the little blessings make the difficult task of growing up a wonderful journey.

THEME

The story is based on the theme of adjustment issues encountered by teenagers. Routine problems of life appear grievous and difficult to children in their growing years. They fail to acknowledge the little blessings offered by life and focus on the small missing things. It takes some time, but love and support from people around them rebuild their faith in the goodness of life. Zan felt so pressurized by the changes in his life that he thought of death, the extreme way to escape. However, genuine outpouring of concern from his schoolmates made him realize that his fear and insecurities were unfounded. He connected back with life with the help of his new friends.

Theme (2)

When a student goes to a new school, some problems crop up. He needs time to adjust to the new situation. Further, when a boy faces a situation where his house is burned down it leads him to feel depressed and rejected. He feels the loss of his home badly. The boy is deeply saddened by the loss of his pet cat. But later, things change for better and normalcy returns in his life. Often, people come forward to help us in the time of our grief.

TITLE

The word ‘house’ denotes a structure made of concrete material while the word ‘home’ connotes a place where love and concern bind the people inhabiting a space. “A House is Not a Home” is an appropriate title because Zan did not lose his home when he lost his house. Zan took to heart the burning down of his house and the things like his backpack, his shoes and other belongings. When he received love, support and concern from everyone around him, he realised that the emotion which was present in his house had grown even stronger after the fire tragedy. He had lost the house but the home was still there, stronger than before. Hence, the title aptly conveys the main idea that material losses can be recovered but they cannot cause the loss of genuine emotions.

Justification of the Title

Only if happiness, warmth and comfort are present in a house we can call it home. The house of the narrator, a teenage boy,  get burned down and the family moves into another accommodation. There is a great sense of loss to the boy. He also loses his pet cat which he loved so much. So the boy feels the loss of his home. But things change and he becomes happy again. He gets back his lost things and also his lovely cat. He again gets back his home. So the title is justified.

VOCABULARY

Awkward—inconvenient, difficult; Seniority—being older or of a higher rank; Afford—provide; Freshman—a new student; Isolated—alone; Probably—perhaps; Nonetheless—despite the fact; Windy—with strong winds; Fireplace—hearth; Purring—mewing of a cat; Occasionally—now and then; Swatting—to hit; Entertainment—amusement; Rescued—saved; Stoke—to burn the fire; Pouring in—flowing in; Groping— to search with hands in dark; Flames—areas of brightly burning gas; Spread—become larger; Documents—important papers; Certain—completely sure; Scream—to cry; Hold—catch; Fireman—a person whose job is to extinguish fire; Grasp—hold; Yell—to cry; Firefighter—fireman; Logically—with logic; Wrap—to put something around; Emerge—come out; Hug—to embrace; Argue—to make dispute; Vanish—to end; Inhaled—breathe air in; Struck—suddenly came in mind; Horror—fear; Suffering—facing; Realise—to feel; Regardless—in spite of; Piled into—to go into quickly; Kicked off—take off; Casualty—struck; Embarrassed—agitated; Weird—strange and unusual; Geek—disturbed; Destined—decided future; Curl up—to curve; Zombie—ghost; Surreal—not real; Ripped away—snatched; Put out—to extinguish; Rescue—to save; Ache—feeling of pain; Grieve—to mourn; Rush—to run; Identification—recognition; Withdraw—to take out; Rubble—debris; Cleared off—cleaned; Apartment—a set of rooms; Debris—remains; Robe—a long loose piece of clothing; Crawl—to walk on knee; Plight—bad state; Responsible—answerable; Gym—a hall with equipment for doing physical exercise; Shove—to push; Sweatsuit—sweater; Genuine—real; Outpouring—outflowing; Concern—to worry; Instant—moment; Relief—comfort; Focus—attention; Insecurity—unsafe; Curb—slope; Holding—gripping; Leap—jump; Grab—catch; Freak—frightened; Overwhelming—overpowering; Tragedy—very sad event; Diminish—lessen; Gratitude—the feeling of being grateful.

WORD-MEANINGS

Teenager = between the age of thirteen to nineteen years,किशोरावस्थ ा; awkward =trouble, परेशान ी; isolated =lonely,अकेल ा; involved =n made busy,व्यस्त होन ा; probably =possibly, संभवतया; purring = making low sounds,धुरधरान ा; swatting = hitting with the claw, पंजे से थापी मारन ा; rescued = saved, बचाय ा; stoking = feeding the fire, आग में ईधन डालते हुए; seams =line of  separation,दरार Engulfed =to cover/swallow completely, पूरी तरह से लपेट में लेन ा; documents = written records, दस्तावेज; crazed = like mad people,पागलों की तरह; yelling = crying,चीखते हुए; emerged = came out,बाहर आया Dazed = stupefied, परेशान ; piled = heaped,ढेर लगा दिया ; embarrassed = troubled,परेशान ; weird = strange, अजीब ; destined = fixed by fortune. भाग्य द्वारा तय; outcast = exiled, निर्वासित; geek = foolish, मूर्ख; curl up = to summarize,समेटन ा; zombie =a dull and pathetic person, एक करुणाजनक व्यक्त ि; surreal = strange,विचित्र;  ripped away = split away, बिखर जाना Grieve = pain, पीड़ा ; rubble= debris, मलबा ; vulnerable = tender, नाजुक ; robe = overcoat,लबादा ;  plight = bad condition, दुर्दशा ; milling = getting together,एकत्र होना ; shove = push hard, जोर से धक्का देना ; genuine = real,असली ,वास्तविक Focusing = pay attention,ध्यान केन्द्रित करना ; curb = a restraint,अवरोध  ; leapt= jumped,कूद ा; grabbed = snatched,ले लिय ा; apparently = clearly,स्पष्ट रूप स े; freaked = frightened,भयभीत हो जाना ; sorely = very much, ,अत्यधिक ; diminish = to decrease,घटना/कम होना  ; gratitude = thankfulness, आभार  I