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CH 7 FORGETTING Written By ROBERT LYND

P.K.TE STI NG :Ques 1 :Ques 2 :Ques 3 :Ques 4 :-

What do you mean by forgetting ? Why do people forget ? What are the causes of forgetting things ? How can we overcome from forgetting problem ? Ques 5 :- Tell me your personal experience about forgetting ? Ques 6 :- What type of things people mostly forget? Ques 7 :- What type of things people don’t mostly forget ?

Ques:- What does this picture show us? Explain it.

Illust rativ e Aids: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Blackboard Chalk Duster Pointer

Specific A ids:1. 2. 3. 4.

Lesson Plan Computer Flash Cards Ling Phones

MAIN OBJECTIVES :1. To increase the vocabulary of the students 2. To use such type of words that a child can easily understand 3. To pronounce the difficult words in phonetics way. 4. To increase the communication skills of the student. 5. To develop the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.

for·get (fər-gĕt', fôr-) -got, -

v., -got (-gŏt'), -got·ten (-gŏt'n) or get·ting, -gets.

v.tr.

1.To be unable to remember (something). 2.To treat with thoughtless inattention; neglect: forget one's family. 3.To leave behind unintentionally. 4.To fail to mention. 5. a.To banish from one's thoughts: forget a disgrace. b.Informal. To disregard on purpose. Usually used in the imperative: Oh, forget it. I refuse to go!

v.intr.

d.To cease remembering: Let's forgive and forget. e.To fail or neglect to become aware at the proper or specified moment: forgot about my dental appointment. idiom:

forget (oneself)

To lose one's reserve, temper, or self-restraint.

 

FOR GE TTIN G IN TROD UCTION In this essay, Lynd tells us about an interesting fact of human life. Modern man remembers a lot of things. But still he is absent-minded about many. Only a few of us remember to take the medicine that our doctor advises us to take. We are forgetful in the matter of posting letters. We leave little things like books, umbrellas and walking sticks in trams and taxis. Young persons and sportsmen are very absent-minded because they live in the world of imagination. The writer says that a good memory is not really a sign of a great intellect.

COMPLETE SUMMARY The number of articles lost by railway travelers may give us the idea that man is very forgetful. But the fact is that man has a wonderful memory. Modern man remembers even telephone nos. He remembers the addresses of his friends, dates of good wines, appointments for lunch and dinner, the names of actors and actresses, cricketers and footballers, murderers and dacoits, the name of hotels where tasteless food was once served of him. Again in his daily life also, man remembers almost everything that he should remember. No man forgets a single item of his clothing when dressing up in the morning. Nobody forgets to shut the front door when leaving the house. And nobody forgets to switch off the lights before going to bed. Thus throughout the day, every man remembers to do the right thing at the right moment. Yet there are some matters in which human memory is not very good. There are many people who forget to take medicine at fixed hours. Generally, a medicine is taken before or after meals. Therefore, the meal itself should remind them that they have to take the medicine at fixed hour. The author is very fond of buying medicines. But after buying medicines, he forgets to take them at regular intervals. There is no wonder that chemist become rich by selling medicines, which people forget to use.

Most of the people are forgetful in the matter of posting letters. The author seldom gives his letters to others for posting. He himself is quite forgetful in the matter. If someone gives him a letter, he keeps on holding it in his hand lest he should forget to post it. After some time he feels tired of holding the letter in his hand and he puts it into his pocket. Then he forgets it completely. He forgets to post even those letters which he himself writes. People often leave their walking sticks, books and umbrellas in trains and taxis. The author is quite forgetful in these matters. He likes to carry a walking stick in his hand while going out to visit a friend. But he often forgets it either in the train or at his friend’s house. He does not have the courage to carry an umbrellas while going out, because he is sure of losing it on the way. From the list of articles lost in trains, the author has found that young men are more forgetful than the serious-minded people as a large number of footballs and cricket-bats were forgotten in the trains. It seems that when the sportsmen are returning after playing a match, they are deeply lost in the thoughts of the match. They are lost in a world of imagination. So while getting down from the train, they forget their footballs and cricket-bats in the compartment.

The anglers too are very forgetful. It is because they invent a large number of lies about the size and number of fish caught by them. When they are busy in telling these lies to others, they forget all about their finishing rods. They leave these fishing rods in the train. The persons with weak memories, often feel superior to those who have strong memories. They argue that men with great memories are seldom men of great intelligence. They quote many cases of children who had great memories and yet had no intelligence at all. But Lynd feels that the writers and the great composers of music have excellent memories. Poets have better memories than the stockbrokers. Statesmen seem to possess very bad memories. They often accuse each other of giving wrong details in their speeches of books. Yet the poets have both a good memory and a keen intellect in them. Good memory is very commonly found in people. So we consider a person who does not have it, a strange person. The author narrates a story. A man went out with his baby in the perambulator. The weather was very fine and sunny. So he felt tempted to enjoy a glass of beer in a public-house. He left the perambulator (pram) on the road and went into the bar. After taking a glass of beer, he came out of the bar forgetting all about his baby. By chance, his wife passed that side. When she saw the baby, she was shocked and angry at her husband’s strange behavior. She thought of teaching him a lesson. She brought the baby and the perambulator home. She was sure that her husband would be terrified at losing the baby and would look pale and bloodless.

But to her surprise, the husband walked into the house in a cheerful mood. He had not yet remembered the baby and the perambulator. He greeted his wife very joyfully and inquired of her what dishes she had cooked for lunch. The author feels that very few people below the rank of a philosopher would be as forgetful as this man. However, he is of the opinion that most of us are born with very efficient memories. If it were not so, families could not have survived in great modern cities.

DIFFICULT WORD MEANINGS WORDS

MEANINGS

1. Articles 2. Absent-Mindedness 3. Statistical 4. Moral Giants 5. Destination 6. Delinquent 7. Ought 8. Exploits 9. Unadventurous 10. Occurs 11. Embarrassing 12. Anglers 13. Prosaic 14. Pillar-Box 15. Feats

Things Forgetfulness Of Facts Big Moralists Final Stage Of The Journey Defaulter Should Have Heroic Deeds Dull Takes Place Disturbing Who catches fishes for fun Dull, Commonplace Mail Box Deeds

WORDS

MEANINGS

16. Magnificent 17. Reluctant 18. Potions 19. Genius 21. Saloon Bar 22. Public House 23. Vexation 24. Efficient 25. Quivering 26. Pause 27. Perambulator 28. Inaccurate 29. Composers Of Music 30. Anticipating 31. Mediocre 32. Fallible 34. Make Out 35. Grimmest Jawed

Grand Unwilling Liquid Medicines Intelligent Person Beer Bar Bar Worry Good Trembling Stop A Baby Pram Incorrect Musicians Hoping Something Average Likely To Go Wrong Prepare Harshest Jawed

Short Answer type ques tions :Ques 1 :- What,according to the author, is more astonishing – the absent-mindedness or the efficiency of the human mind ? Ans :- The efficiency of the human mind is more astonishing. Ques 2 :- What are the amazing achievements of human memory? Ans :- The modern man remembers telephone nos, addresses of his friends,

dates of good wines, appointments for dinners, names of actors and actresses, players, murderers and lots of routine matters.

Ques 3 :- Which big failure of memory does the author point out ? Ans :- The author points out the big failure of the people in the matter of taking the medicines at regular intervals, posting letters and forgetting articles in the train.

Ques 4 :- Which failure of the memory is the commonest ? Does the author himself suffer from it ? Ans :- The commonest form of failure is forgetfulness in the matter of posting letters. The author himself suffers from this.

Ques 5 :- Does the author accuse himself or excuse himself as regards articles in trains and taxis ? Ans :- He doesn’t accuse himself much about leaving articles in taxis and trains. He

remembers books but forgets a walking stick. He always leaves an umbrella in a taxi or in a train.

Ques 6 :- Which class of people is the worst in this regard ? Ans :- The Young people are the worst in this regard. Sportsmen, anglers, stockbrokers and statesmen are the worst in this matter.

Ques 7 :- What relation does the author show between memory and intelligence ? Or Is good memory a sign of intelligence ? Ans :- The author shows that there is no relationship between memory and intelligence. A forgetful man is not without intelligence. Forgetfulness is a sign of a noble mind and sublime thoughts.

Questions on Characters, Incidents and Theme

Ques 1 :- Narrate briefly in words of your own Robert Lynd’s views on the absent-mindedness of people ? Ans :- Modern man has a very good memory. In his daily life he remembers many things but he is also very forgetful.No man forgets a single item of his dress. Nobody forgets to shut the front door when leaving the house. And nobody forgets to switch off the lights before going to bed. Forgetfulness is very common in the matter of taking medicines at regular intervals. A large number of people forget their walking sticks, books and umbrellas in trains and taxis. The author also leaves his walking stick somewhere on the way. So he doesn’t carry an umbrella only for fear of losing it. Ques 2 :- What,according to Robert Lynd,are the advantages of forgetfulness? Ans :- Forgetfulness has its own advantages. It makes a man happy. It enables him to reach the object of his greater interest. The moment of forgetfulness is the moment of great joy. An object of joy lives in imagination. He achieves this object when he forgets articles of daily use. Forgetfulness relieves man of the pain of hard life. Failures and disappointments make man unhappy. Absent-mindedness makes him forget everything about the unhappy state of his life. Absent-mindedness enables man to make the best of life. He forgets ordinary things. Poets and philosophers are generally forgetful of ordinary things. Therefore, they are able to create something new and original. They enjoy life better than those who have strong memories.

Ques 3 :- Write a note on the theme of the essay ‘Forgetting‘ by Robert Lynd. Ans :- The modern man has a wonderful memory in the daily matters of his life but he is also forgetful in several things. Only a few of us remember to take the medicine suggested by the doctor. Most of us forget to post our letters. Sportsmen generally forget their footballs and cricket bats. Anglers forget their fishing rods. Absent-mindedness is a real virtue. The absentminded man makes the best of life. A good memory is also necessary for man. A man with a poor memory is regarded as a fool. He gives the example of a father who forget his baby outside a public house. The author thinks that a good memory is also essential for a happy family life. Ques 4 :- How do you value efficient memory ? Ans :- An efficient memory is a gift given to man by God. It is by the help of our memory that we remember so many things in the world. People value memory in different ways. Some say that the absent-minded man is making the best of life. The writer is of the view that great writers and great composers of music have been men with exceptional powers of memory. The golden rule about memory is that we should remember necessary things and forget unnecessary things. Ordinarily good memory is quite common. A man who does not have a good memory is considered eccentric. Philosophers are generally absent-minded.

Ques 5 :- What categories of people,according to Robert Lynd,are the most absentminded? Ans :- Robert Lynd gives a list of people who are generally absent-minded. First, he talk about sportsmen. They, while returning from the games, have their imaginations filled with the dreams of the playing field. So they do not remember such small things as bats and balls. Anglers returning home are inventing grand lies of being late and are lost in the dreams of their imaginary achievements. So they forget their fishing rods. Writers and music composers have very good powers of memory. On the other hand, stock-brokers and statesmen have very bad memories. That is why the description of the same event by two statesmen differs and the facts in their autobiographies and speeches are so often challenged. Ques 6 :- How does the author show that the absent-minded man is often a man who is making the best of life? Ans :- The writer Robert Lynd says that the absent-minded people are generally imaginative and intelligent persons. They remain so much lost in their dreams. They remain so mush lost in their dreams that they often forget the objects of reality. Sportsmen totally lose themselves in the visions of the playing field. So they do not remember such small things as bats and balls. Anglers returning home get busy in inventing lies for being late. They are generally lost in the dreams of imaginary achievements. They forget the fishing rod in reality. The loss of ordinary things of reality, because their minds are full of more glorious things.

Ques 7 :- What does the writer say about the working of human memory in the matter of taking medicine ? Ans :- Robert Lynd says that human memory works imperfectly in the matter of taking medicines prescribed by the doctor. Only a very highly disciplined and methodical man can remember to take his medicine in time. It is indeed very surprising. A medicine is something that should be taken regularly. Generally, one is supposed to take the medicine before, during or after the meals. So the meal itself should be a reminder of it. But only a very few persons take their medicine regularly. Some psychologists say that we forget to take them at the fixed time because we generally don’t like medicines. The writer himself is a life-long taker of medicines. Even then he is quite forgetful about taking medicines regularly. Ques 8 :- What, according to the author, is more astonishing – the absent-mindedness or the efficiency of human memory ? Ans :- The author thinks that the efficiency of human memory is more astonishing than absent-mindedness. People forget their walking sticks, books and umbrellas in trains and taxis. People forget to take prescribed medicines. Many of us forget to post letters. Sportsmen and anglers forget their essential things like balls, bats and fishing rods.

But the author wonders at the efficiency of the human memory. The modern man remembers many things. He remembers telephone numbers, addresses of his friends and appointments for lunch and dinner. His memory is crowded with the names of actors and actresses, cricketers and footballers and murderers. Nobody forgets a single item of clothing when dressing in the morning. Nobody forgets to shut the front door while leaving the house. The ordinary man seldom forgets to switch off the light before going to sleep. All this is astonishing. Ques 9 :- Who, according to Robert Lynd, are the most forgetful people and why ? Ans :- The young and not the adult often forget things. Sportsmen have worse memories than ordinary men. They often forget their footballs and cricket balls. Anglers are said to be very forgetful. They forget their fishing rods. They are very imaginative people. They are inventing grand lies on their way home. Poets, writers and philosophers fail to post letters. They have souls above such things. The author comes to the conclusion that an absentminded man is a man who making the best of life. His mind is full of more glorious things. His mind does not get bogged down in the ordinary and routine affairs of life.

Ques 10 :- “ It is efficiency rather than the inefficiency of human memory that compels my wonders”. What arguments does the author give to establish this idea ? Ans :- Men are forgetful in several things of daily life. They forget their walking sticks, umbrellas, books and magazines in buses and trains. But this is also a fact that the efficiency of human memory is wonderful. A modern man remembers lots of things. He remembers telephone numbers and addresses of his friends. He also remembers the dates of good wines, appointments for lunch and dinner, names of actor, actresses and criminals. He also doesn’t forget the names of hotels and places he might have visited long ago. In his day-to-day life, he remembers everything worth remembering. He doesn’t forget a single item of his dress or to shut the door of the house before leaving the house. An ordinary man remembers to switch off the lights before going to bed. Thus we can say that his memory is remarkable.

Ques 11 :- What does Robers Lynd say about posting letters ? Ans :- Robert Lynd says that a common form of forgetfulness is in the matter of posting letters. He himself does not trust anyone in the posting of an important letter. He puts the person on his oath before asking him to post a letter. The writer himself is very forgetful in posting letters. If he wants to post the letter box before he remembers that he has to post this letter. Then he gets tired of holding the letter in his hand. He puts the letter in his pocket and forgets all about it. It remains there for a long time. It comes out of his pocket only after the sender comes to know that the letter has not reached its destination. He asks the writer about it. It may be said that his forgetfulness is due to a lack of interest in the letters of others. This may not be correct. The writer forgets to post some of his own personal letters.

Ques 12 :- Write in your own words the story of the absent-minded father in the lesson ‘Forgetting’ ? Ans :- The writer gives us a interesting account of an absent-minded father. Once this father took his baby out in a pram. He stopped at a public house. He went in to have a glass of beer. He left the baby outside in the pram. He spent some time in drinking beer. After some time, his wife happened to pass that way. She felt hurt on realizing that her husband was not there. She brought the baby home. She decided to teach her husband a lesson. She thought that her husband would be a worried man. When he would return home, she would tell him that the baby had been stolen by some one. But when he returned home, he was very cheerful. He asked her what she had cooked for lunch. He did not talk at all about the baby. He had forgotten all about the child that he had taken along with him in the pram. It was the finest example of absent-mindedness.

Ques 13 :- Describe the relations between memory and intelligence ? Ans :- There is no definite relation between memory and intelligence. Men with very good memories may have poor intelligence. Some children have wonderful memories, but no intelligence at all. Lynd believes that the great writers and the great composers of music have been men with very good memories. The writer is of the opinion that poets have better memories that stockbrokers. On the other hand, statesmen seem to have extraordinarily bad memories. If two statesmen recall the same event, their accounts will be different. This is why the facts in the autobiographies and speeches of statesmen are challenged. Ques 14 :- What does Robert Lynd say about leaving articles in trains and taxis ? Ans :- Passengers usually leave a number of articles in trains and taxis. This fact shows the absent-mindedness of people. The writer is very careful about leaving things in trains. He rarely leaves any article in the trains. He remembers everything except books and walking sticks. He finds it difficult or impossible to keep walking sticks.

Ques 15 :- “ The institution of the family survives because most of us are born with prosaically efficient memories.” Explain this remark by Robert Lynd in the essay ‘ Forgetting ‘ ? Ans :- Robert Lynd says that forgetfulness is something rare. It is not common among people. Ordinary people have efficient and good memories. Only great thinkers and philosophers are absent-minded. Some professors are absent-minded. Absent-mindedness is a sign of a healthy memory. The common man does not forget his baby, wife and family. The writer gives us an example of an absent-minded father. He took his baby out in a pram (perambulator) on a sunny morning. On the way he stopped for a glass of beer in a public house. He forget all about the baby in the pram. A little later, his wife came there for shopping. She was shocked to see the baby in the pram. She carried away the baby in the pram. She expected that her husband would come back home with a pale face and trembling lips and give The news that the baby had been stolen. But the husband came home smiling. He asked his wife what she had prepared for lunch. He had completely forgotten that he had taken the baby out with him. Such absent-mindedness is very rare, otherwise the institution of the family could not go on.

Made By :- Meenakshi Bindra Computer Faculty Govt. Sen Sec School Katra Sufaid Amritsar