CBSE Class 12 English HOTs On The Face Of It Set 04

Question. This is a play featuring an old man and a small boy meeting in the former's garden. The old man strikes up a friendship with the boy who is very withdrawn and defiant. What is the bond that unites the two? 
Answer: Mr Lamb and Derry have different points of view about life. Mr Lamb has a positive view while Derry's attitude is totally negative. Although Mr Lamb and Derry are totally different, the bond that unites them is that they are both physically disabled or disfigured. Both are made fun of by various people. Mr Lamb has a tin leg because he has lost one leg in a war and people make fun of him due to this. Even then, he does not change his positive thinking towards life. He lived his life to the fullest.
On the other hand, the boy Derry has a disfigured face due to acid having fallen on one side of it. Derry's burnt face makes him want to run away from society. But when he meets Mr Lamb, he gets to know how one should live one's life, because it is very precious. This change in Derry also helps him to create a bond with Mr Lamb. This common predicament has united them.

Question. Who is Mr Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden? 
Answer: Mr Lamb is an old man who lives in a big house. He has no family. He lost one of his legs in an explosion in a war.
As Derry was walking past Mr Lamb's garden, he felt the place was isolated. So, he got into the garden by climbing over the garden wall.

Question. Do you think all this will change Derry's attitude towards Mr Lamb? 
Answer: Derry's attitude towards life itself will entirely change. Mr Lamb was able to show him the bright side of life. Derry was transformed totally and developed a new understanding about his life. Accordingly, his attitude towards Mr Lamb will also change and he will consider Mr Lamb as a true friend.

Question. What is it that draws Derry towards Mr Lamb in spite of himself?
Answer: Derry finds Mr Lamb quite different from the other people he has come across till now. He is impressed by the old man's talk about beauty and the beast, pretty girls and the plain talk about how the world will change its attitude towards Derry. Mr Lamb's concept of the world, friendship, not believing everything one hears, the story about the timid man who locked himself in, and the like, sound peculiar to Derry, but interest him. He understands the underlying message that Mr Lamb has given him.
He is encouraged by Mr Lamb's words, "You will get on the way you want, like all the rest." Gradually Derry is able to shed his inhibitions, insecurities, fears and complexes. The talk with Mr Lamb is the beginning of his transformation. That's the reason for Derry saying, ...... "you don't know what I could do."
Besides, Derry is also drawn towards Mr Lamb because both of them have suffered loss and humiliation and both feel isolated and lonely.

Question. In which section of the play does Mr Lamb display signs of loneliness and disappointment? What are the ways in which Mr Lamb tries to overcome these feelings?
Answer: Mr Lamb lives all alone in a huge house with a large garden. He has no one for company, neither a family nor friends. In spite of this, he is happy because the neighbourhood children come to his garden for stealing apples and pears. He spends most of his time watching, listening and thinking. This shows that he lacks human company. When Derry asks him to name some of his friends, the old man is at a loss.
At the end of Scene One, when Derry promises to Mr Lamb that he will return, as he rushes home, we hear Mr Lamb telling himself, "We all know. I'll come back. They never do, though. Not them. Never do they come back". Thus, although Derry promises to come back, Mr Lamb does not believe him. The words spoken by Mr Lamb reveal his deepest feelings of loneliness.
Although Derry does come back, it is too late, for Mr Lamb is probably dead.

Question. The actual pain or inconvenience caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities. What is the kind of behaviour that the person expects from others?
Answer: The actual pain or inconvenience due to a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person with disabilities because it creates a feeling of loneliness in the physically disabled person. People in society make him realise that he is not like them and maintain a distance from him. A person with a physical disability like a tin leg or a burnt face can live a life of respect and honour if he is not ridiculed or pitied. If everyone else looks at such persons in a negative way, they can never break out of their seclusion from the world. They expect other people to respect them for what they are, instead of continuously reminding them of how they are different.
Here, Mr Lamb understands his situation and copes with it successfully, whereas Derry, who is only 14 years old, is not mature enough to cope with his predicament. That is why he liked Mr Lamb after meeting him for the first time. A person with a physical impairment expects a normal behaviour from others. He wants others to respect him instead of pitying him.

Question. Will Derry get back to his old seclusion or will Mr Lamb's brief association affect a change in the kind of life he will lead in the future?
Answer: Suffering from a physical impairment, Derry had become a pessimist. But after he met Mr Lamb, he gradually began to see the bright side of life. He realised that, in the form of Mr Lamb, he had found a true friend who has shown him the right approach towards life. A brief association with Mr Lamb boosted Derry's self-confidence and made him respect himself as he was. This new self-esteem brought about a major change in Derry and he told his mother that his looks do not matter. A change has certainly come about in Derry's attitude towards himself and towards life in general. It is unlikely that he will revert to his past secluded life, even with Mr Lamb's probable death at the end of the story. In fact, he will now lead a more active life with the positive thoughts given to him by Mr Lamb, because Mr Lamb was the person who taught him the correct approach to life.

Question. Using your imagination to suggest another ending to the above story?
Answer: The above story can be changed slightly to end on a happy note. It can happen that Derry will make efforts to revive Mr Lamb instead of weeping. Mr Lamb regains consciousness, gets up with Derry's assistance and invites Derry to meet him regularly so that Derry can learn more about living a better life from him. Derry is overjoyed and promises to do so.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS 

Question. Why does Mr Lamb leave his gate always open?
Answer: Mr Lamb doesn't mind leaving his gate always open because he likes to meet people who come in his garden. He likes to talk to them and learn different things from them. He further says that everything that belongs to him also belongs to everybody else.

Question. How does Mr Lamb keep himself busy when it is a bit cool? 
Answer: When it's a bit cooler, Mr Lamb gets a ladder and a stick to pull down the crab apples. He calls them magic-fruit and likes to make jelly out of them.

Question. "It ate my face up. It ate me up." Who said these words? Why?
Answer: Derry said these words to Mr Lamb when he narrated the horrific incident when his face got burned by acid. The acid ate up his face. He said this because the burning of the face destroyed all the happiness in his life.

Question. What kind of garden does Mr Lamb have? Why does he like it? 
Answer: Mr Lamb's garden has flowers, herbs, fruit trees as well as a place for rearing bees. He likes the garden because it keeps him busy by looking after the plants, breaking the crab apples from the trees and making jam out of them.

Question. How does Mr Lamb react when Derry enters his garden? 
Answer: Mr Lamb tries to remove Derry's fears when he enters Mr Lamb's garden. In fact, he welcomes Derry into the garden. He tells Derry that his house is open to all.

Question. How does Mr Lamb try to remove the baseless fears of Derry? 
Answer: Derry says that people are afraid of his face. Mr Lamb replies that there are other things in the world to be noticed. He asks Derry how can one distinguish a flower from a weed when both are plants. They are all life. He also tells Derry that he has to take the risk by coming out of his shell. Everybody has problems in his life, but it is our attitude that matters.

Question. Why did Mr Lamb help Derry? 
Answer: Mr Lamb perhaps identified himself with Derry. Though he had conquered his physical disability, he could well understand Derry's pscyhe, having himself gone through a similar phase in life. He probably did not want Derry to be a victim of the same.

Question. What is the bond that unites the two, Mr Lamb, the old man, and Derry, the boy? How does the old man inspire the boy? 
Answer: Physical impairment and alienation from society form the bond that unites Mr Lamb and Derry. Mr Lamb has conquered his physical disability. He doesn't allow it to rule his life. Derry is inspired to see that in spite of his problems, Mr Lamb lives life to the fullest. Besides, he harbours no bitterness towards anyone.

Question. Why does Derry's mother not want him to go back to visit Mr Lamb?
Answer: Derry's mother claims to have heard many things about Mr Lamb. She has been told and warned by the people. She thinks he is not a good person. She asks Derry not to go back there. Derry asks her not to believe all she hears.

Question. What qualities of Mr Lamb attracted Derry to him? 
Answer: Mr Lamb doesn't let his physical disability destroy the happiness in his life. He is not afraid of Derry's face, unlike others. The quality that attracted Derry most to Mr Lamb was his tremendous patience as he listened to him. He talked to him about things which mattered; things nobody else had ever said to him.

Question. In what sense is the friendship between Mr Lamb and Derry fruitful? 
Answer: The friendship between Mr Lamb and Derry helped the latter get over his baseless fears. Derry was inspired by Mr Lamb's positive attitude towards life. The old man's optimism instilled in Derry the confidence to come out of his shell and face the world. In return, Mr Lamb is benefited from Derry's company, and is able to shed his loneliness, though only for brief moments.

Question. If you were to give a different ending to the story, 'On the Face of It' how would you end it? 
Answer: The ending of the story, 'On the Face of It' is very sad as Mr Lamb is probably dead. In the end, Derry should have returned just in time to save Mr Lamb from falling by holding the ladder or, perhaps, the old man regained consciousness with Derry's efforts. Such positive endings would have given a message of hope.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question. What was Derry's infirmity? How had it made him withdrawn and defiant? 
Answer: Derry's face was scarred on one side as it had been burnt by acid. This made him look rather ugly and frightful. It was for this reason that people did not associate freely with him. He was often pitied, ridiculed or shunned by people.
Derry became highly sensitive to what people said about him. His parents, family friends and well-wishers were all greatly concerned about his future. Their anxiety, concern and apprehension pained him more than the impairment itself. This abnormal treatment by the people gradually made the boy pessimistic and bitter, and he became withdrawn and defiant. He often avoided company and began to lead a life of seclusion.

Question. What benefits did Derry reap from his association with Mr Lamb? 
Answer: Though Derry's association with Mr Lamb is rather brief, the boy benefits greatly from the old man's company. Derry had lost all zest for life due to his burnt face. After meeting Mr Lamb, Derry is filled with a new enthusiasm for life. He undergoes a major transformation and develops into a confident youth from the meek young boy that he earlier was. Mr Lamb's words have a profound effect on him and inspire him to see the brighter side of life. He is encouraged to choose happiness in life rather than accept his isolation. He is no more bothered about his impairment, and wants to live his life to the fullest. His entire attitude towards life has changed drastically.

Question. Both Derry and Lamb are physically impaired and lonely. It is the responsibility of society to understand and support people with infirmities so that they do not suffer from a sense of alienation. As a responsible citizen, write in 120-150 words what you would do to bring about a change in the lives of such people. 
Answer: People with some physical disability or impairment are often pitied and ridiculed by others. This makes them develop a sense of inferiority. They form a shell around themselves and begin to lead a life of seclusion.
As responsible citizens, it is our duty to treat such people with love and affection, and not make them a subject of our pity or ridicule. We should try to understand their infirmity and empathise with them. We must give them due respect, and thus motivate them to feel at par with the others in society, so that they do not suffer from a sense of isolation or alienation and are able to live a normal life. We must make them aware of the innumerable opportunities available to them and bring a ray of hope in their lives.

Question. The lesson, 'On the Face of It', is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people on account of a disability. Explain. 
Answer: Mr Lamb and Derry both suffer from physical impairment. Mr Lamb has got a tin leg. His real leg has been blown off in a war. Derry's face got burned, as acid fell on it. Derry, due to his burnt face, tries to keep away from people. He hates it when people have pity on him. He thinks that people are scared of him. Even his mother doesn't kiss him on the burnt side. Such incidents have filled Derry with negativity and bitterness. So, he prefers to live in seclusion and looks for places that are isolated.
Mr Lamb is also somewhat lonely, though he doesn't show it. He himself says that people always promise to return to him, but they never do. He is often misjudged by the other people. Derry's mother considers him to be crazy. She says that people have warned her about Mr Lamb. Thus, the lesson is an apt depiction of the loneliness and sense of alienation experienced by people on account of a disability.

Question. Derry and Mr Lamb both are victims of physical impairment, but their attitudes towards life are completely different. Explain. 
Answer: The conversation between Derry and Mr Lamb reveals their different attitudes towards life. Derry is a fourteen year old boy, half of whose face is disfigured, as it got burnt by acid. The half-face has left him miserable. He feels unwanted. He thinks that people think he is ugly like the devil and they are afraid of him. He gets infuriated when people sympathise with him. All these bad experiences have made him cynical, and he has developed a pessimistic attitude towards life.
On the other hand, Mr Lamb is a complete contrast to Derry. He doesn't let his physical disability destroy his life. He is an optimist. He finds beauty and peace in everything. When children tease him by calling him Lamey-Lamb, he is not offended. He feels that such a name suits him. He is full of hope and positivity.

Question. Do you think Derry's chance meeting with Mr Lamb would prove meaningful to him? Answer giving valid reasons. 
Answer: After meeting Mr Lamb, Derry is filled with enthusiasm for life. Mr Lamb's words have a profound effect on him and he changes drastically. He is not overtly conscious of his ugly face. We get a reflection of Derry's transformation in scene two, when he reaches his house after a brief encounter with Mr Lamb.
He tells his mother, "You shouldn't believe all you hear". He categorically tells her that he wants to go back to Mr Lamb to listen to bees singing and him talking. He says that Mr Lamb talks to him about, "things that matter. Things nobody else has ever said. Things he wants to think about."
Looking at these developments, one is bound to conclude that Derry will not become secluded once again. His brief association with Mr Lamb has left an indelible imprint on him and he will base his later life on the teachings of Mr Lamb.

Question. Discuss the relevance of the title 'On the Face of It'.
Answer: The title of the play 'On the Face of It', seems somewhat odd and awkward. Sometimes people may be quite different from what they appear to be at first. The title is based on this thought. Mr Lamb appears to be a secretive, mysterious, lonely, lame old man who lives all alone. But in the story, he appears to be a gentle, kind, generous and considerate person who helps Derry in overcoming his fears, obstacles, complexes and inhibitions.
In a similar way, Derry seems to be a complex-ridden boy who hates people because of his own ugly face. He is withdrawn and defiant. Later on, in scene two, Derry undergoes a metamorphosis. He understands that the true meaning of life is to live it to the fullest. If we look carefully, we will find that there is an inherent oneness among different things. As the story moves further and picks up tempo, we understand each of the characters better. Thus, the author, has quite appropriately titled her play 'On the Face of It'.

Question. Both Derry and Lamb are victims of physical impairment, but much more painful for them is the feeling of loneliness. Comment. 
Answer: In the case of Mr Lamb, he expresses his feeling of pain at his loneliness at many places during the play. He lives alone in his house, but is happy because the neighbourhood children come to eat fruit growing in his garden. He spends much time watching, listening and thinking, which shows that he lacks company. When Derry asks him to name some friends, he is unable to do so. When Derry departs and promises to come back soon, Mr Lamb does not believe him, which reveals his loneliness.
Derry was an introvert because of his disfigured face and nobody wanted to talk to him. He felt this loneliness very much. However, after meeting Mr Lamb and seeing his attitude to life, he is filled with a new enthusiasm to enjoy life to the fullest. His coming back to meet Mr Lamb again shows his craving for companionship.

Question. Derry says "It's not what you look like; it's what you are inside." What are the qualities this sentence encourages people to have?
Answer: This sentence encourages people to give more importance to the character and good qualities of other people than just to their appearance, as appearances can be deceptive. For instance, a man can look very smart by dressing well and grooming himself for a particular occasion, whereas in normal life he may be careless about his appearance.
So, people should avoid getting carried away by superficial qualities like facial looks, build of body, physical deficiencies etc. They should try to understand whether a person has a good moral and ethical character from the person's actions. They should look for good qualities like generosity, kindness, compassion and tolerance. They should strike up friendships with persons who have these qualities so that they can learn from them and improve their own moral character.
The saying "Handsome is as handsome does" sums this concept up very well. It means that the qualities of a human being can be understood from how the person reacts to a situation, because, as Derry says, "It's what you are inside".