Section B:Literature
Unit-3 Essay
Chapter:1 On Libraries
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. Where could the author be
found when he was late for lunch or dinner?
The
author is none other than the greatest neurologist and literary figure Oliver
sacks. There was Oliver’s favorite room, which was very quiet and beautiful in
the house and it was the room of the oak-paneled library. His parents had
libraries in the house. So whenever he was late for lunch or dinner he could be
found absorbed in a book in the library.
b. What are his first memories?
Oliver
was so inquisitive that he was absorbed in a book in his favourite room of
library. He even used to get late for his lunch and dinner as he was found to
be too absorbed in the books. He learnt to read early in the morning at 4 or 5
o’clock. The beautiful oak panel library and books are his first memories.
c. Why did he dislike school?
He
disliked school because he didn’t like to obey the instructions from the
teachers. He gained better information and knowledge exploring books in the
libraries than that from the school. He used to get excellent lessons from the
libraries before the teachers taught in the class. He was not a good student
but was a better learner. Thus, he disliked school because he liked to learn
himself in libraries being free to choose books of his own choice.
d. What did he feel about at
the library?
He
felt free when he is at the library. It is because he is free to choose any
books of his interest out of thousands of books. The atmosphere of the library
was so comfortable and quiet that he roamed through the shelves and wondered by
the books kept in them. He also used to enjoy the quiet companionship of other
readers all like him in the same quest.
e. Why was he so biased about
sciences especially astronomy and chemistry?
He
was biased about science especially astronomy and chemistry because of the two
reasons – The first reason was that all the children used to dream of being
astronauts and explore the space at that time. So he must have wished to know
about it. The second reason was that he got older and he only needed those
books which would support his studies.
f. Why did he become so
fascinated by Hook?
He
became so fascinated by Theodore Hook because he found the books written by him
in the Bodleian library. Actually, Hook was greatly admired for his wit and his
genius theatrical and musical improvisation. He was the greatest star in the
nineteenth Century for what he had done. He had composed more than five hundred
operas on the spot.
g. Describe library at the
Queen’s College.
The
Queen’s College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England.
It has the magnificent building designed in a form of palace by Christopher
Wren, who was a great architect. Beneath the college, there were underground
large rooms which was the library. There were number of book shelves. There
were heating pipes attached to the walls and corners. The design of the library
was classical. The books of original prints and editions from Gesner to Darwin
were available.
h. Why did the students ignore
the bookshelves in the 1990s?
The
students ignored the bookshelves in the 1990s because they had access to the
digitalized books. The access of books from their computers made them rarely go
to the shelves. The books were no longer of their consideration. They felt more
comfortable with the new form of reading books in their electronic devices than
going to the shelves in the library.
i. Why was he horrified when he
visited the library a couple of months ago?
He
was horrified when he visited the library a couple of months ago because the
books from almost all public libraries were thrown out of the shelves and were
digitized. Unfortunately he didn’t know how to use the computers. The books,
the shelves and libraries were gone one by one and he was deeply saddened in
the loss of the centuries of knowledge. Therefore, he was horrified.
Reference to the context
a. The author says, “I was not
a good pupil, but I was a good listener.” Justify it with the textual
evidences.
‘On
libraries’ is an autobiographical essay by one of the 20th century’s greatest
neurologist and author, Oliver Sacks. In this essay, he describes about his
experiences of going to libraries and how successful stories shaped his
personality and made his life better. He describes how he developed his deep
interest in visiting the libraries till he became a successful figure and how
he was deeply affected by the loss of books in the libraries in 1990s.
Oliver Sacks says, “I was not a good pupil,
but I was a good listener.” That’s true. He was always absorbed in the books in
the library and he got real education from there. When he was in school, he sat
in the classrooms, merely listened to teachers but he couldn’t be convinced on
what he wanted in depth from the teachers. He listened to them through one ear
and blew away their sayings from another ear. However, it doesn’t mean he
wasn’t active in the class. He was not passive either. In terms of doing
exercises, submitting assignment he himself considered that he was not a good
student (pupil) but he listened to them. Besides going to school, he preferably
spent most of his time in the library, where he enhanced his skill of gaining
knowledge from the additional books. He used to search the things that he
listened from the teachers, compared the lectures with findings, noted down the
conclusion in the copies and into his mind. This kind of keen interest of
reading in the library made him a good reader, learner even though he consider
himself as a poor student in the classroom.
b. A proverb says, “Nothing is
pleasanter than exploring a library.” Does this proverb apply in the essay?
Explain.
The
given proverb, “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library” is quite
appropriate for the essay “On Libraries”. Nothing is more satisfying than
reading a book in library with a literal companion. Oliver Sacks was a bookworm
who used to spend a lot of time in different libraries in different places. He
disliked school, sitting in class, receiving instruction; information seemed to
go in one ear and out by the other. He had to be active, learn for himself,
learn what he wanted, and in the way which suited him best. So he roamed the
shelves and stacks of the libraries, had the freedom to select whatever he
wanted. His book reading started from his own library at home. All of his
family members loved reading books and he was grown up in that environment. The
oak-paneled library at his own home was his favourite room. Instead of going to
formal school, he preferred to read freely in the library. He especially
enjoyed the library environment and the quiet companions of other readers. Best
of all, he wants to sit at the library table with a pile of books in front of
him. Therefore, he said that he was not a good pupil, but was a good listener
who explored different libraries to gain knowledge for his own academic
excellence. Hence the above proverb fits for this essay.
c. Are there any other services
that you would like to see added to the library?
Yes,
there are some other services that I would like to see added to the library. I
would prefer different rooms for different age groups such as child, adults and
aged people because they prefer books most likely of their interest with their
age. The elders may like to read environment, nature, culture etc., the aged
people may like to read books related to politics, ethics, philosophy etc. and
the kids would like to read stories, comics etc. The other thing I would to see
added in the library is surveillance camera. Many people tear the books or even
take with them due to which other readers are affected. Hence to prevent these
bad activities on library, surveillance camera should be fitted. Good furniture
to read books on is also an essential thing to be added to the library. Readers
may feel bored reading on the tables. So, a small garden in the backyard of the
library may be useful to remove the reader’s tiredness. I would also like to
see a cafe added to the library because peoples who love reading long hours in
the library may get hungry, then they can enjoy reading by eating something,
which can quench their hunger. These are the certain services that I would like
to see added to the library.
Reference beyond the text
a. Write an essay on Libraries
and its uses for students.
Libraries and its Uses for
Students
A
library is a place where books and sources of information are stored. They make
it easier for people to get access to them for various purposes. Libraries are
very helpful and economical too. They include books, magazines, newspapers,
DVDs, manuscripts and more. In other words, they are an all-encompassing source
of information.
Libraries play a vital role in providing
students with reliable content. They encourage and promote the process of
learning and grasping knowledge. The book worms can get loads of books to read
from and enhance their knowledge. Moreover, the variety is so wide-ranging that
one mostly gets what they are looking for. Most importantly, libraries are a
great platform for making progress. When we get homework in class, the
libraries help us with the reference material. This, in turn, progresses our
learning capabilities and knowledge. It is also helpful in our overall
development. It helps us in learning and expanding our knowledge. We develop
our reading habits from a library and satisfy our thirst and curiosity for
knowledge. This helps in the personal growth of a person and development.
Libraries are very economical. The students who cannot afford to buy new books
and can simply borrow books from a library. This helps them in saving a lot of
money and getting information for free.
In short, libraries are a great place to gain
knowledge. They serve each students differently. They are a great source of
learning and promoting the progress of knowledge. One can enjoy their free time
in libraries by reading and researching. As the world has become digitized, it
is now easier to browse through a library and get what you are looking for.
Thus, libraries are found to be very useful for the students. We must not give
up on libraries due to the digital age. Nothing can ever replace the
authenticity and reliability one gets from a library.
b. Do you have any public
library in your locality? If so, do the people in your community use it? Give a
couple of examples.
Yes, we have a public library in
our locality. The name of the library is ‘Bhanubhakta Memorial Library’. It is
named after a Nepali writer, poet and translator Bhanubhakta Acharya known by
the title Adikavi. Of course, the people in our community use it.
This public library is the biggest treasure
present in our society. It has all the resources one can take great benefits
from. One can easily find a lot of resources here that are not available
anywhere on the World Wide Web. Books are free for everyone and we shouldn’t
spend a single penny for any book that we borrow. Books from different genre
such as science fiction, fiction and a lot more are kept here for people to
borrow. One can use the books in the library for many different purpose. This
library helped me to study along with other reference books to help me with my
research. The availability of different kinds of books made mine and community
people’s life easier as we don’t have to go looking for books all over the city
and can get everything under one roof. Also there is free access to internet
due to which its been easier for us to access online books for free. For me
this library has become a great place to socialize with my community members,
as I can get to know people that have the same interests as I do. This helps me
to build relationships with people of similar interests.
