FREEDOM
BY
G. B. SHAW
Q."......that would be foolish indeed." -What would be foolish?
Ans: The act of taking out all the old beautiful furniture from the old building after Mrs. Field's death and placing them in the gaudy drawing room of the more fashionable mansion of the owner appeared to be the most foolish thing to little John. the dream-son of Lamb.
Q. Where did Mrs. Field live?
Ans: Mrs. Field, grandmother of Charles Lamb. lived in a big old house in Norfolk. The house belonged to a rich man but was entrusted to her care.
Q. Why did the rich man commit the old big house to Mrs. Field's care?
Ans: The rich man committed the big old house to Mrs. Field's care for he lived in a newer and more fashionable mansion bought in the adjoining country.
Q. What are the names of the dream-children of Charles Lamb?
Ans: The dream children of Charles Lamb mentioned in the essay are Alice and John.
Q. With which tragic incident was the big old house in which Mrs. Field lived associated?
Ans: The big old house in which Mrs. Field lived was believed to be the scene of the tragic incident of two innocent children murdered by their cruel uncle as described in the ballad. "The Children in the Wood".
Q. Where was the story of the tragic incident of the two innocent children killed by their cruel uncle carved out?
Ans: The tragic incident of the two innocent children killed by their cruel uncle was described in the ballad. "The Children in the Wood," The scene was accurately carved out in a piece of wooden frame hanging upon the chimney-piece of the big old building in which Mrs. Field lived.
Q. Was the house in which Mrs. Field lived her own?
Ans: The big old house in which Mrs. Field lived was not her own. It belonged to a rich man living in a more fashionable house. Mrs. Field lived in it as a care taker.
Q. How does Lamb describe the oddity of the old beautiful furniture being taken away from the old building to more fashionable building of the owner?
Ans: The old things which suited best in the old mansion in which Mrs. Field lived being taken off and placed in the new house, of the owner seemed as improper to Lamb as to take away the old tombs of the Westminster Abbey and place them in the drawing room of some Lady C.
Q. What became the fate of the picture in which the tragic story of the innocent children being killed by their cruel uncle was carved out?
Ans: The beautiful picture in which the tragic incident of two innocent children being murdered by their cruel uncle was accurately carved out was pulled down and replaced by a modem marble one most foolishly.
Q. Name the fruits which were "good for nothing but to look at".
Ans: The fruits which were "good for nothing but to look at”- were the red berries and the firapples.
Q. What nature of a Lady was Mrs. Field ?
Ans: Mrs. Field was a good natured and religious lady.
Q. What proofs of Mrs. Field's goodness have been furnished by Lamb?
Ans : Lamb thinks that Mrs. Field's goodness is-proved by the fact that she memorised the entire Psalter and a great part of the Bible by heart.
Q. What was Mrs. Field esteemed to be in her youth?
Ans: Mrs. Field was esteemed to be the best dancer in her youth.
Q. Name the disease Mrs. Field died of.
Ans: Mrs. Field died of cancer.
Q. Whom among her grand children did Mrs. Field love most and why?
Ans: Mrs. Field loved John. Charles Lamb's elder brother, most among her grand children because he was the most spirited among the brothers.
Q. What sort of a person Mrs. Field was?
Ans: Mrs. Field was a tall, upright and graceful lady.
Q."..... because they were forbidden fruit." -- Which are the "forbidden fruit" referred to here?
Ans: By the "forbidden fruit" Lamb refers to the nectarines and peaches, hanging upon the walls in the big spacious garden of the big old house where Mrs. Field lived.
Q. Name the fishes Lamb got pleasure to look at in the pond of the big old house in which Mrs. Field lived.
Ans: Lamb got immense pleasure to look at Dace, a small fish darting to and fro, and a great pike. sombre in appearance, hanging midway in the water in the fish-pond of the big old house in which Mrs. Field lived.
Q. What did John, Charles Lamb's elder brother, love to do?
Ans: Instead of staying home in a depressed mood like Lamb. John the elder brother of Lamb loved to ride the most mettlesome horse and made it run half over the country in a morning, and to join the hunters he happened to meet.
Q.".... those innocents would do her no harm." - Who are "those innocents"?
Ans: "those innocents" referred to are the apparitions of the two innocent children killed by the cruel uncle seen by Mrs. Field in the big house gliding up and down the staircase at midnight. Mrs. Field believed that these apparitions of the innocent children would do her no harm.
Q. How did John love his younger brother, Charles Lamb?
Ans: John loved his younger brother Charles Lamb very much.
Q. What was the tragedy of John Lamb?
Ans: In his later life as a result of cancer one of John's legs was. amputated by the doctor, and he died shortly afterward.
Q. "Here the children fell acrying." - Why did the children fall acrying?
Ans: The dream-children of Charles Lamb. John and Alice, fell acrying to hear the heart-rending fact that the doctors had amputated one of the legs of their dear uncle because of cancer.
Q. Who are referred to as "two mournful features"?
Ans: When Lamb was about to wake up from his reverie the sad faces of John and Alice began to disappear. These are referred to here as two mournful features.
Q. Where must the dream-children of Lamb wait before they have their existence and a name?
Ans: Before they have their existence and a name the dream children of Lamb must wait upon the tedious shore of Lethe. the river of forgetfulness referred to in Greek mythology, for a long long time.
Q. What kind of an essay is "Dream-children"?
Ans: The essay. "Dream Children: A Reverie", is an autobiographical essay.
Q. What did John do when his younger brother could not walk?
Ans: When Charles, being lame footed, could not walk for pain John carried his younger brother Charles Lamb, on his back for miles.
Q. Why was Charles Lamb unable to marry Ann Simmons, his lady-love?
Ans: Charles Lamb could not marry Ann Simmons, his lady-love, as he had to look after his sister. Mary, who became insane and was admitted into an asylum.
Q. How long did Lamb court Alice?
Ans: For long seven years Lamb courted Alice Winterton who was in reality Ann Simmons.
Q. To whom was Alice Winterton married?
Ans: Alice Winterton (Ann Simmons in real life) whom Charles Lamb loved was married to one Mr. Bartrum, a pawnbroker of Leicester Square, London.
Q. "I had more pleasure in these busy-idle-diversions." – Which were the "busy-idle-diversion" of the speaker?
Ans : Lamb who preferred loneliness and seclusion passed his time on holidays with his grandmother, Mr.. Field, in a big old house. He spent most of his time by himself, sometimes gazing upon the marble busts of twelve Caesars placed in the big hall, sometimes roaming about at random from one room to another without getting tired. Sometimes he sojourned in the spacious garden among trees like firs and yews, and enjoyed the beauty and smell of different fruits like nectarines, peaches. oranges, etc. Sometimes he lay down upon the fresh grass, basking in the orangery. Sometimes he looked at the fishes like dace and pike in the fish-pond. He was busy passing his time idly in this way all by himself. These were his busy-idle-diversions.
Q. Where did little Alice, Lamb's dream-daughter, resemble her mother?
Ans: Little Alice. Lamb's dream-daughter, resembled her mother in her face.
Q. How does Lamb compare the taking away of the old furniture from the big old house in which Mrs. Field lived to arrange in his other house of fashion?
Ans: When Mrs. Field died, the owner of the house took away all the old beautiful furniture from the big old house in which the former lived to arrange them in his other new house which was much more fashionable. This seemed to Lamb as odd and awkward as to take away the old tombs. from the Westminster Abbey to be arranged in the gorgeous drawing room of some fashionable lady like Lady C.
Q. How was the old big house in which Mrs. Field lived decorated?
Ans: The vast mansion in which Mrs. Field lived was decorated with worn-out gilded hangings, fluttering tapestry and carved oaken panels.
Q. What fruits were there in the big garden?
Ans: Delicious fruits like nectarines, peaches and oranges, and fruits like red berries and firapples were there in the big garden of the big old mansion in which Mrs. Field lived.
Q. What happened with Lamb gazing upon the marble busts of twelve Caesars?
Ans: While gazing upon the marble busts of the twelve Caesars, Lamb got so much absorbed in the busts that he became one with them. The marble busts seemed to come alive again or Lamb seemed to be turning into marble with them.
Q. What happened with Lamb when he spent his time in the orangery?
Ans: Lamb liked much to pass his time basking in the orangery. While doing so, he got so much absorbed that he fancied that he was also ripening with the oranges or the limes there in the warmth of the sun shine.
Q. What are referred to as the "common baits of children."?
Ans: The delicious fruits like the nectarines, peaches and oranges growing in the garden of the big house Mrs. Field lived in are referred to by Lamb as the common "baits of children".
Q. Who is referred to by Lamb as "a king to the rest of us" and why?
Ans: As he was the most handsome and the most spirited youth among them, John Lamb, Charle's elder brother, has been referred to as "a king to the rest of us".
Q. "I missed his kindness, and I missed his crossness" -Whose kindness and crossness did the speaker miss and how?
Ans: Lamb missed the kindness and the crossness of his loving elder brother, John. when the latter died of cancer.
Q. How did the death of John Lamb affect Charles Lamb?
Ans: Charles Lamb at first bore the death of his elder brother, John. patiently, but afterwards it seemed to be an irreparable loss. His death haunted Lamb all through his life.
Q. 'Was Lamb a victim to the "common baits of children"?
Ans: Lamb, unlike most of the children who loved to pluck and eat the delicious fruits from the trees within their reach. loved to pass his time looking at and enjoying the beauty of the fruits in the garden.
