CBSE Class 12 English On The Face Of It Worksheet Set D

About the Author

Susan Hill (Born: 5 February 1942 ) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, The Mist in the Mirror and I’m the King of the Castle for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971. She had to undergo tragedy early in life. In her semiautobiographical novel, ‘In The Springtime of the Year 1974’, she deals with loneliness and isolation as is experienced by Mr Lamb and Derek in the play, ‘On the Face of It’.

Theme

The play deals with the sense of loss, a sense of isolation and how to overcome it. The actual pain caused by a physical impairment is often much less than the sense of alienation felt by the person. The title ‘On the Face of it’ is used to mean that something seems to be good, true etc. but that needs to be changed when you know more about it.

Appearances are deceptive and most often, we go on dealing with impressions and prejudices about others without bothering to know them. People know Mr Lamb as a lonely, eccentric lame old man but in reality he is a very kind and generous man who longs for company and he loves his fellow human beings along with all the other creations of God. Similarly Derek appears to be an abominable ugly boy with a huge scar on his face whom no one loves or likes or befriends. He is the object of other people’s hateful stares, ridicules and neglect. Even his mother does not dare to kiss him on the cheek with the scar. Yet this boy who is suffering from an acute inferiority complex has a tender and sensitive heart. He wants to love and be loved. Fortunately he meets Mr Lamb who transforms him with his healing touch.

Justification of the Title

“On the Face of It” is an informal expression used to say that what may seem good but this opinion may change when you know more about it. This definition of the expression should leave us in no doubt about the appropriateness of the title. Mr Lamb is called Lamely Lamb and mothers were afraid of sending the children because of his tin leg. Derry has a burnt face and everyone pities him. Only a mother could love such a face. Both Mr Lamb and Derry have been facing hatred and alienation. Mr Lamb takes comments lightly. But Derry does not have the attitude like Mr Lamb. Attitude of the people needs to be changed. On the face of it, both suffer from disability but their attitudes are very different. The title is therefore justified.

Message

The message woven into the plot of the play is that scars do not change a person and handicaps must be accepted by individuals and society with a burned face, Derry had to face discrimination, because of which he had turned pessimistic. He had started hating being around people and had concluded that everyone hated him too because of his face. Then Derry meets Mr Lamb, a person who looks at things with a “half full” perspective. He points out that how one green plant is considered desirable and how the other (weed) is undesirable and how the sound made by the bees may be noise to some and music to others. He teaches Derry not to look at his burned face as a disability and try to overcome it just as Mr Lamb had dealt with his tin leg. The moral is very loud and clear that people who are physically disabled should not be isolated, we should help them expand their social interactions and help them fight loneliness, depression and disappointment. Mr Lamb tells Derry that it all depends upon people’s individual perceptions. A thing is a beauty for one while that beauty may be a beast for others.

Summary

The play is about the friendship between an old man, Mr Lamb, and a young boy, Derry, who is withdrawn and defiant. The child is very disturbed because of his scarred face and feels that people do not want to associate with him. He drifts into Mr Lamb’s garden which looks very inviting but Derry panics when he meets the old man. The latter tries to make him feel at ease and advises him to accept life as it comes. Mr Lamb’s philosophy is to celebrate life in all its forms. To him, difference is a part of life – a flower and a weed are the same, both signs of life, of growth. Having an artificial or a ‘tin leg’, he has had to cope with the cruelty of others but has taken it in his stride. He has a positive and optimistic attitude to life. He tells Derry to live life to the full and to avoid bitterness which can be more destructive than the acid that destroyed his face. He advises Derry to accept life without any pre-conceived notions. The power of choosing what one wants lies in one’s hands. Derry is extremely sensitive about his scarred face and has a fixed opinion that he is repulsive and ugly. He locks himself in a world of his own and avoids contact with others. But in spite of his attitude, he is moved by the old man’s spirit. This is evident from the fact that he defies his mother and returns to the garden, though sadly a little too late. Derry’ s face is scarred while Mr. Lamb’s leg is an artificial one, a ‘tin leg’ as he calls it. Both have to cope with the cruelty of others. While Derry withdraws into his shell, Mr Lamb takes it into his stride. One gets glimpses of the loneliness the old man faces in spite of his outward bravado in the scene when he talks to the bees. From Derry’ s point of view also it is sad that when he finally makes an effort to come out of his shell, he is confronted by the loss of the only person who had befriended him.

CHAPTER IN A NUTSHELL

Reasons for Mr Lamb’s positive influence on Derry

1. Mr Lamb himself was physically handicapped and had also been laughed at and rejected. It was easier for Derry to accept what he said.

2. His Attitude:
(i) Mr Lamb is not scared or repulsed by him.
He accepts him and treats him like a normal person.
(ii) He seems to understand Derry and his anguish and doesn’t pity him.
(iii) He does not lecture or moralise.
(iv) He has positive attitude towards everything. Even feeling that bees sing and do not buzz.
(v) The fact that he doesn’t get angry or put off by Derry’s rudeness and doesn’t force him to stay or listen to him.

3. His views, which are so different from those held by others:
(i) He lets him see he can lead a normal life, unlike Derry’s overprotective parents and others who have isolated him with their negative comments about his appearance.
(ii) He tells Derry he can have the world; that it is in his hands.
(iii) Makes him realise that handicaps are not an obstacle.
(iv) Tells him that all were similar and that there was no difference between him and others who were not handicapped. That beauty was relative.
(v) He also emphasizes that people cannot be grouped together on the basis of their impairments. Each person is different.
(vi) Lets him see that people are important and that you cannot reject them or be afraid of them for then they will do the same.
(vii) Makes him realize that you cannot just remember the bad things people say. That one should remember the good things.
(viii) Tells him that he feels everyone is a friend till proved otherwise.
(ix) The fact that he opens the world to him by telling him to just wait, watch and listen. He doesn’t expect him to do anything difficult.

Derry
1. Scared of meeting people as he hates seeing their fear of him and facing their rejection.
2. Very sensitive–people’s comments hurt him deeply.
3. Upset with parents’ overprotectiveness and mother’s revulsion with his face.
4. Defiant, rude as he is too scared to talk to people.
5. Negative about everything – sees everything in a bad light.
6. Indulges in self pity over his face.
7. Hates sympathy.
8. Hates the world and keeps away from it.
9. Inner deep desire to be accepted which he hides under an abrasive exterior.
10. Change in the end after listening to Mr Lamb. Ready to face the world and overcome obstacles to do so. Finds courage and strength to get what he wants.

Mr Lamb
1. Very positive in his outlook. Sees beauty in everything, including weeds.
2. Doesn’t let his being handicap prevent him from living life to the fullest.
3. Very friendly, opened his doors to the world.
4. Sees world is important and that people are important.
5. Strong; doesn’t let people’s negative comments hurt him.
6. Practical; knows one’s life is in one’s own hands.
7. Understanding of Derry’s problems.

Things which hurt Derry
1. His mother kissing him on the good cheek and not the burnt one.
2. Parents talking of what he would do with his face after they died.
3. Parents’ overprotectiveness and making him feel he could not live a normal life.
4. Woman saying only a mother could love him.
5. Person saying he would be better off with people of his own kind.
6. People scared of him.

Meaning of Title
1. On the surface both Mr Lamb and Derry are similar as both are handicapped, but there are differences in their outlook on life.
2. Mr Lamb is positive about everything and remains happy. He likes people and lives a full life and does not think handicaps are obstacles.
3. But Derry is bitter, hurt at people’s comments, hates the world and isolates himself.

Read the extracts given below and attempt the questions that follow:

1. Mr Lamb: Look, boy, look... what do you see?
Derry: Just... grass and stuff. Weeds. Mr Lamb: Some call them weeds. If you like, then... a weed garden, that. There’s fruit and there are flowers, and trees and herbs. All sorts. But over there... weeds. I grow weeds there. Why is one green, growing plant called a weed and another ‘flower’? Where’s the difference. It’s all life... growing. Same as you and me.
Derry: We’re not the same. Mr Lamb : I’m old. You’re young. you’ve got a burned face, I’ve got a tin leg. Not important. You’re standing there... I’m sitting here. Where’s the difference?

Questions

(i) Like the play, the given extract is a study in contrasts. What does Mr Lamb seek to do by bringing up distinctions?
(a) To explain that weeds are important and should be valued and cared for as much as flowers.
(b) To emphasize that distinctions are made by man to serve specific purposes and uses.
(c) To highlight that labels are arbitrary and essentially reflect a common life experience.
(d) To remind Derry that the only difference that matters is that of attitude and experience.

Answer: C

(ii) How would you describe Derry’s tone when he says—“We’re not the same?”
(a) calm
(b) perplexed
(c) bitter
(d) practical

Answer: C

(iii) Why does Mr Lamb grow weeds?
Answer: For Mr Lamb, all plants have life and are growing: For him there is no difference between a flower garden and a weed garden.

(iv) Describe Mr Lamb and Derry as represented in this extract.
Answer: Mr. Lamb is old and has a tin leg. He is sitting Derry is young, has a burned face and is standing. Mr. Lamb is positive and Derry in bitter.

2. Derry: You think.... ‘Here’s a boy.’ You look at me...and then you see my face and you think. ‘That’s bad. That’s a terrible thing. That’s the ugliest thing I ever saw.’ You think, ‘Poor boy.’ But I’m not. Not poor. Underneath, you are afraid. Anybody would be. I am. When I look in the mirror, and see it, I’m afraid of me.

Mr Lamb: No, Not the whole of you. Not of you. Derry: Yes! [Pause] Mr Lamb: Later on, when it’s a bit cooler, I’ll get the ladder and a stick, and pull down those crab apples. They’re ripe for it. I make jelly. It’s a good time of year, September. Look at them....orange and golden. That’s magic fruit. I often say. But it’s best picked and made into jelly. You could give me a hand.

Derry: What have you changed the subject for? People always do that. Why don’t you ask me? Why do you do what they all do and pretend it isn’t true and isn’t there? In case I see you looking and mind and get upset? I’ll tell....you don’t ask me because you’re afraid to.

Mr Lamb: You want me to ask....say so, then. Derry: I don’t like being with people. Any people. Mr Lamb: I should say....to look at it.... I should say, you got burned in a fire.

Derry: Not in a fire. I got acid all down that side of my face and it burned it all away. It ate my face up. It ate me up. And now it’s like this and it won’t ever be any different.

Questions

(i) What did Derry think about himself?
(a) He was very handsome.
(b) He was very smart.
(c) Everyone loved him a lot.
(d) He was very ugly and everyone was frightened of him.

Answer: B

(ii) Why did Derry get angry when Mr Lamb changed the subject?
(a) People always did that.
(b) He wanted to talk to Mr Lamb.
(c) He wanted to yell at someone.
(d) He did not like Mr Lamb.

Answer: A

(iii) What did Derry not like doing?
(a) Making friends
(b) Talking to people
(c) Being with people
(d) Going out with people

Answer: C

(iv) How did Derry get a burned face?
Answer: He got acid on his face and it burned it away

3. Derry: What do you do all day?
Mr Lamb: Sit in the sun. Read books. Ah, you thought it was an empty house, but inside, it’s full. Books and other things. Full.
Derry: But there aren’t any curtains at the windows.

Mr Lamb: I’m not fond of curtains. Shuttingthings out, shutting things in. I like the light and the darkness, and the windows open, to hear the wind.

Derry: Yes. I like that. When it’s raining, I like to hear it on the roof. Mr Lamb: So you’re not lost, are you? Not altogether? You do hear things. You listen Derry: They talk about me. Downstairs, when I’m not there.

Questions

(i) According to Mr Lamb, what does the idea of being ‘lost’ signify?
(a) He who does not hear what other people say is lost.
(b) He who does not appreciate man and nature is lost.
(c) He who does not pause to reflect on wind and rain is lost.
(d) He who is closed off to nature and its wonders is lost.

Answer: D

(ii) What does Mr Lamb do all day?
(a) Sit in the sun read books
(b) shut things out
(c) open the curtains
(d) wait for people to come

Answer: A

(iii) What does Derry like to hear?
Answer: Derry likes to hear the rain on the roof.

(iv) “You do hear things. You listen.” Choose the option that captures the difference between hearing and listening.
(a) shut in: shut out
(b) smile: laugh
(c) act: reflect
(d) chance: attend

Answer: D

4. Mother: Listen to what?
Derry: Bees singing. Him talking.
Mother: And what’s he got to say to you?
Derry: Things that matter. Things nobody else has ever said. Things I want to think about.
Mother: Then you stay here and do your thinking.
You’re best off here.
Derry: I hate it here.

Mother: You can’t help the things you say. I forgive you. It’s bound to make you feel bad things....and say them. I don’t blame you.

Derry: It’s got nothing to do with my face and what I look like. I don’t care about that and it isn’t important. It’s what I think and feel and what I want to see and find out and hear. And I’m going back there. Only to help him with the crab apples. Only to look at things and listen. But I’m going.

Mother: You’ll stop here.
Derry: Oh no, oh no. Because if I don’t go back there, I’ll never go anywhere in this world again.

Questions

(i) According to Mr Lamb, what do his bees do?
Answer: According to Mr. Lamb, his bees hum and sing.

(ii) What are the things that Mr Lamb talks to Derry about?
(a) His friends and what they do.
(b) How he makes jelly.
(c) Things that matter and Derry wants to think about.
(d) Things Derry wants to forget.

Answer: C

(iii) Why does Derry’s mother say ‘I forgive you’?
(a) Having a burnt face makes her say such things.
(b) She knows what is best for him.
(c) She does not want him to get hurt by talking to others.
(d) She is trying to protect him.

Answer: A

(iv) What is it that Derry does not care about anymore?
(a) his face and what he looks like.
(b) his friends
(c) Looking at things and listening
(d) bees singing

Answer: A