The Daydreamer Chapter Notes | English Class 2 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

The chapter "The Daydreamer" tells us about a person who likes to think about happy things that might happen in the future. It tells the story of a man who did not like to spend money and collected food by asking others. One night, while thinking about his big dreams, he accidentally broke his pot of food. This story helps us understand what daydreaming is and whether it is good or not. It also asks us to think about our own dreams and discuss them with friends.

Key Points

The story is about a man who did not like to spend money and lived in a village.

• He collected a pot of rice gruel by asking people for food.
• He ate a little and hung the pot on a wall peg.
• At night, he lay on his bed and dreamed about selling the gruel for money.
• He thought of buying goats, cows, buffaloes, and horses with that money.
• He imagined building a big house, getting married, and having a son.
• While dreaming, he imagined swinging a stick, but actually struck the pot and broke it.

Explanation

The story starts with a man who lives in a village and does not like to spend money. One day, he gets a big pot of rice gruel by asking people for food. He eats only a little bit for dinner and hangs the pot on a hook on the wall to save the rest. That night, he lies on his bed, looks at the pot, and starts thinking about happy things.

He thinks that if there is no food in the village, he can sell the gruel for a hundred silver coins. With that money, he plans to buy four goats. He imagines the goats will have babies, and soon he will have many goats. Then, he thinks he will sell the goats to buy cows. The cows will have baby cows, called calves. After that, he dreams of selling the cows to get buffaloes.

Then, he plans to sell the buffaloes to buy horses and female horses. The horses will have baby horses, called foals. He thinks he will sell the horses to rich people like kings and get a lot of gold. With the gold, he wants to build a very big house and have many helpers. He also dreams of marrying a beautiful girl and having a strong son.

He imagines sitting in a garden with his family and sees his son playing. Sometimes, he thinks his son might be naughty, and he will tell him to behave or chase him with a stick. While thinking these happy thoughts, he picks up a stick near his bed and starts waving it around. Suddenly, the stick hits the pot, and it breaks. All the rice gruel falls on the floor, and his dreams are gone with the broken pot.

Message

The story teaches us that dreaming is good, but we should not forget what is real. The man lost his food because he was only daydreaming and not careful. We should enjoy our dreams but also pay attention to the present.

New Words with Meanings

• Miser: A person who does not like to spend money.
• Rice gruel: A watery food made by cooking rice with water or milk.
• Peg: A small piece of wood or metal fixed to a wall to hang things.
• Staring: Looking at something or someone for a long time.
• Famine: A time when there is not enough food, and people may suffer.
• Exchange: Giving something to someone and getting something back.
• Mare: A female horse.
• Foal: A young horse.
• Noble: A person who is highly respected in society.
• Enormous: Very big or huge.
• Struck: Hit something.
• Spilled: Fell out of a container and spread in different directions.