UNIT 3: HUMOUR AND SATIRE
A Story
Dylan Thomas
1 Give a short description of the uncle, Mr. Thomas.
OR, Describe how the boy sketches the character of his uncle.
The boy sketches the character of his uncle in a humorous way. The uncle looks so big as if he fills every inch of the little house. The boy describes him as a buffalo in a cupboard. He covers the whole furniture as he sits. He is very noisy, so his voice is compared with the trumpet of an elephant. His hair is so red that it is compared with forest fire. He doesn’t look good mannered at table. He eats hungrily, making a mess.
2 Describe the aunt, Mrs. Sarah Thomas.
OR, Sketch the character of the aunt.
The boy describes his aunt in a humorous way. She is quite small compared to the uncle. She hardly makes her presence felt. Her voice is so soft that the boy describes her as a squeaking mouse. She is also a perfectionist. She spends most of her time arranging and dusting things in her house. She is a caring wife, too. Although she leaves for her mother’s house, she prepares him food.
3 Describe the narrator’s uncle and his Aunt.
OR, Write the difference between the boy’s uncle and aunt.
OR, How does the boy describe/look at his uncle and aunt?
The boy/narrator describes his uncle and aunt as a mismatched but humorously fitting couple with the use of similes and metaphors.
The boy describes the uncle as a buffalo in a cupboard. He looks so big as if he fills every inch of the little house. He is very noisy, so his voice is compared with the trumpet of an elephant. His hair is so red that it is compared with forest fire. He doesn’t look good mannered at table. He eats hungrily, making a mess.
On the other hand, the aunt is quite small compared to the uncle. Her voice is so soft that the boy describes her as a squeaking mouse. She is also a perfectionist. She spends most of her time arranging and dusting things in her house. Sometimes she gets angry and quarrels with him. But she is a caring wife, too. She prepares food for him when she goes away.
From the boy’s description, the uncle and aunt appear mismatched. But her caring attitude towards him and his readiness to be hit by her show a good understanding between them.
4 Describe the relation between Thomas (the boy’s uncle) and his wife.
Thomas and his wife are a mismatched but humorously fitting couple. Their relation is good in a funny way. While he is big and noisy like a trumpeting elephant, she is little and quiet like a mouse. When she gets angry, she wants to hit him. He lifts her up on the chair so that she can hit him. She dislikes his outings, so she goes to her mother’s house. But before leaving, she prepares food for him. In spite of the mismatch and some dissatisfaction, their relation seems good.
5 How does the boy, the narrator, look at his uncle and his friends?
OR, What role does the narrator have to expose unkind, uncivilized nature of the grown-ups?
The boy, the narrator, looks humorously at his uncle and his friends. Actually, he exposes the unkind, uncivilized nature of the grown-ups. He describes his uncle as filling the whole tiny shop. And when the friends come, the boy says the shop nearly burst. Their nature becomes clear from their activities during the outing. The only thing they care about in the world is drinking. They plan an outing but never reach the destination. Every time they pass a public house, they stop for drinking.
6 Give a description of the outing as Thomas would describe it.
I went on the outing although my wife, Sarah, did not like it. She was angry and went to her mother’s house. But this happened every year. There were some disagreements about the list of members but I approved it. According to the plan, we left for Porthcawl on Saturday. We almost forgot Cadwalladwr because he was late. I took my nephew with me although my friends opposed. I wanted him to keep an eye on the bus. Soon we enjoyed the way as we always did. Suddenly we realized O. Jones was left, so we went back to pick him. Weazley wanted to bring his teeth from the house. We gave him a bottle with a straw. We reached a public house, finished all the drinks within 45 minutes and moved ahead. Every time the bus passed by a public house, Weazley would cough, saying he was dying. And we stopped for drinks. Closing time meant nothing to us. We drank behind locked doors. Finally, we reached a river. I wanted to go ahead but they would not. They played and swam in the river. Until dusk we were still there. Then we entered another pub for rum to keep out the cold. On the way back home, we stopped by a field, stayed there for a long time and drank the remaining beer.
7 The plan was to go to Porthcawl for the outing. Did they ever reach there? Why?
The plan was to go to Porthcawl for the outing but they never reached there. Every time they passed a public house, they stopped for drinking. Within few minutes they finished all the drinks and moved ahead. The whole afternoon was passed in drinking. Finally, they reached a river, swam in it and enjoyed the water until dusk. On the way back home, they stopped by a field, stayed there for a long time and drank the remaining beer. They did not reach Porthcawl. They were too busy drinking.
8 Explain the preparation of the trip to Porthcawl.
For the trip to Porthcawl, the members of the outing have raised money. Franklyn, the treasurer of the committee, comes to Thomas to inform that enough money has been collected for the bus and alcoholic drinks. Next time he comes with the list of the members going on the outing. In spite of some disagreements, everybody approves the plan. They decide to leave on Saturday morning.
9 What is the reason for which Will Sentry always followed Mr. Franklyn?
Will Sentry always followed Mr. Franklyn in order to keep an eye on him. Franklin was the treasurer of the outing committee and carried the money collected for the outing. The ex-treasurer had run away with the outing money. Since then they did not feel safe with the treasurer. And it was decided that the new treasurer must show the account clearly. They suspected the treasurer might cheat them again. Will Sentry was more concerned and followed Franklyn everywhere.
