Maharashtra Board Class 12 English Chapter 1.2 On Saying Please Textbook PDF Download

Ice Breakers

List the words of courtesy that we use in our daily life. Discuss them with your partner and explain the purpose of using each.

Words of courtesy: Thank you

Listed below are a few character traits of people. Some are positive traits, while others are not. Tick the ones you feel are desirable.

Characteristic traits: Conniving, Insensitive, Sly, Humorous, Naive, Benevolent, Aggressive, Scheming, Wise, Egoistic, Manipulative, Rude, Boastful, Humble, Servile, Territorial, Patronising, Generous

Etiquette and manners are very important for a person to live in the society. Read the following and put them in proper columns.

1. To receive phone calls while you are in a lecture or class.

2. To knock before you enter your Principal's office.

3. To thank the person who offers you tea or coffee.

4. To be polite and courteous to others.

5. To leave the classroom without the teacher's permission.

6. To occupy the seats reserved for ladies or physically challenged or elderly people on a bus or a train.

On Saying "Please"

About Alfred George Gardiner

Alfred George Gardiner (1865 to 1946) was born at Chelmsford in Essex in 1865. He started his literary career as a journalist. At the age of 37, he was appointed editor of the Daily News, London. Under the pseudonym (pen name) 'Alpha of the Plough', he made regular contributions to the Daily News, The Manchester Evening News etc.

His essays are uniformly elegant, graceful and humorous. 'The Pillars of Society', 'Pebbles on the Shore', 'Many Furrows and Leaves in the Wind' are some of his best known writings.

His uniqueness lies in his ability to teach the basic truths of life in an easy and amusing manner. He raised the question of morality in everyday life.

In 'On Saying Please', he points out the value of good manners in social life and emphasizes the importance of courtesy and politeness in daily behaviour. He shows how polite speech and manner sweeten the atmosphere around and how discourtesy and ill manners spoil or pollute it.

Teacher's Note

Good manners make people like you. When you say 'please' and 'thank you' to your parents and teachers, they feel respected and happy.

Exam Trick

Remember: Courtesy = please and thank you. Just like you say 'please' to your mom for tea, you must say 'please' to everyone!

Points to Remember

Etiquette means good behaviour and manners.
The law cannot punish someone for being rude.
Bad manners can hurt people's feelings more than physical pain.
Good manners make society happy and peaceful.
Saying 'please' and 'thank you' shows respect for others.

The Essay Text

The young lift-man in a City office who threw a passenger out of his lift the other morning and was fined for the offence was undoubtedly in the wrong. It was a question of "Please." The complainant entering the lift, said, "Top." The lift-man demanded "Top-please," and this concession being refused he not only declined to comply with the instruction, but hurled the passenger out of the lift.

This, of course was carrying a comment on manner too far. Discourtesy is not a legal offence, and it does not excuse assault and battery. If a burglar breaks into my house and I knock him down, the law will acquit me, and if I am physically assaulted, it will permit me to retaliate with reasonable violence.

It does this because the burglar and my assailant have broken quite definite commands of the law. But no legal system could attempt to legislate against bad manners, or could sanction the use of violence against something which it does not itself recognize as a legally punishable offence.

And our sympathy with the lift-man, we must admit that the law is reasonable. It would never do if we were at liberty to box people's ears because we did not like their behaviour, or the tone of their voices, or the scowl on their faces. Our fists would never be idle, and the gutters of the city would run with blood all day.

I may be as uncivil as I may please and the law will protect me against violent retaliation. I may be haughty or boorish and there is no penalty to pay except the penalty of being written down an ill-mannered fellow.

The law does not compel me to say "Please" or to attune my voice to other people's sensibilities any more than it says that I shall not wax my moustache or dye my hair or wear ringlets down my back. It does not recognize the laceration of our feelings as a case for compensation. There is no allowance for moral and intellectual damages in these matters.

Teacher's Note

Even though the law does not punish bad manners, we must still be polite. In India, we teach children to respect elders by saying 'namaste' and listening carefully.

Exam Trick

Remember: The law protects you from violence, not from rude words. So saying "please" is more powerful than any law!

Points to Remember

The law punishes only crimes, not bad manners.
Hurt feelings from bad manners can last longer than physical pain.
No law can control every person's behaviour and politeness.
Bad temper spreads from one person to another like a disease.
Being polite is a choice we must all make every day.

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