Updated on 03/11/2024
6.
On the Face of it (Susan Hill)
Main Points
of the chapter:
Ø This is a
play about a young boy Derry, an old man Mr. Lamb and Derry’s mother.
Ø The first
and the last scene of the play are placed in Mr. Lamb’s garden and second at Derry’s house.
Ø Mr. Lamb is
an old man; he has lost one of his leg in war and has tin leg on its place.
Ø He lives
alone in his house and kids call him lamely- Lamb.
Ø Derry is
fourteen years old boy; his face got burnt by acid when he was a child.
Ø His face
looks ugly; so people avoid him and hate him.
Ø He thinks
that people are afraid of him as if he is a ghost.
Ø He wants to
spend his time in lonely places where people would not stare at him.
Ø One day, he
reaches the apples garden of Mr. Lamb, to think that there is no one.
Ø When he saw
to Mr. Lamb, he wanted to run away from there.
Ø But Mr. Lamb
welcomes him. He speaks words of love and hope.
Ø He also
reminds Derry, the fairy tale about 'the beauty and the beast'.
Ø Derry is
impressed by the encouragement given to him by Mr. Lamb.
Ø Derry goes
to tell his mother about Mr. Lamb.
Ø But when he
comes back, he finds that Mr. Lamb is dead and his death makes him very sad.
Very Short Type Q-Ans.
1. Who is the
writer of the play, ‘On the Face of It’?
Ans. Susan Hill
2. Who is
Derry?
Ans. A young boy
3. What is
wrong with Derry’s face?
Ans. One side of his face is burnt
4. How was one
side of Derry’s face burnt?
Ans. By acid
5. Why do
people avoid Derry?
Ans. His face is burnt and looks ugly
6. What is Mr.
Lamb’s deformity?
Ans. He has an artificial leg
7. What do
children call Mr. Lamb?
Ans. Lamely Lamb
8. How does
Derry enter the garden?
Ans. By scaling a wall
9. To whom does
the garden belong?
Ans. Mr. Lamb
10.How does Mr.
Lamb talk to Derry?
Ans. In a kind tone
11.Which fairy
tale does Mr. Lamb remind Derry of?
Ans. The Beauty and the Beast
12.How has Mr.
Lamb learnt so much?
Ans. By watching, listening and thinking
Short Type Q-Ans.
1. Who is Mr. Lamb? How does Derry get into his garden?
Ans. Mr. Lamb is an old man. He owns
a big garden and a country house. He keeps the gate of his garden always open.
Derry comes there by scaling garden wall.
2. Who is Derry? Why does he go to Mr. Lamb’s garden?
Ans. Derry is fourteen years old. He is a young boy. One side of his face is burnt due to acid. He thinks that gaden is empty. To hide himself, he enters in the garden by scaling the wall.
3. Why does Derry say people are afraid of him?
Ans. One side of Derry’s face was
burnt. Now he looks ugly. People keep away from him. That is why he says that
people are afraid of him.
4.
What qualities of Mr. Lamb attracted Derry to him?
Ans. Derry found Mr. Lamb was very different from others. He didn’t show any shock on seeing Derry’s burnt face. He
encouraged Derry to face the world bravely. All this attracted Derry towards
Mr. Lamb.
5. How did Derry get his face burnt?
Ans. It was not a fire that had burnt
his face. He got acid all down that side of his face. It burnt the face all the
way. It ate up his face.
6. What idea does the story of Beauty and the Beast convey?
Ans. It conveys the idea that it
doesn’t matter what you look like. It is what you are inside. Handsome is that
handsome does.
7. Why does Derry’s mother warn him not to go to see Mr. Lamb?
Ans. Mr. Lamb is an old man who had
lost one of his leg in war. He lives alone in a house that has a garden.
People have spread many stories about him and no one ever comes to visit him. This
is the reason that Derry’s mother warn him not to go to Mr. Lamb.
8. Why does Derry go back to Mr. Lamb?
Ans. Derry sees that Mr. Lamb is
quite different from others. Mr. Lamb expresses no feeling of repulsion on seeing
Derry’s burnt face. Rather, he talks to him in loving manner. He even welcomes
him to his garden. Naturally, this draws Derry towards Mr. Lamb.
9. What happens to Mr. Lamb in the end?
Ans. Mr. Lamb puts a ladder against
the branch of an apple tree. He tries to pluck apples When, he pulls a branch,
his ladder falls back. He falls with the ladder and dies.
1. Write a brief summary of the play ‘On the Face of It’.
Ans. There are three characters in this play Mr. Lamb, Derry and Derry’s mother. Mr. Lamb is an old man. He has lost one
of his leg in war. Now he has a tin leg in its place. He lives alone in a house
that has a garden. People have spread many stories about him and no one
ever comes to visit him. Derry’s state is also not much different. He is a
fourteen years old boy. One side of his face is burnt and he looks
very ugly. People look at him with a sense of shock and fear. Everyone makes
him conscious of his ugliness and it gives him much mental pain. Once he comes
into Mr. Lamb’s garden thinking that no one lives there. Mr. Lamb sees him enter
the garden. They talk heart to heart. Derry is so impressed
by Mr. Lamb’s encouraging words that he decides to leave his home and start to live with Mr. Lamb. He goes back home to tell his mother of what he has
decided. But when he comes to the garden, he finds Mr. Lamb already dead.
Important spelling & word-meanings
Friendly
Beautiful
Occasion
Handicapped
Deformity
Trespassing
Encouragement
Opportunity
Curtains
Appearance
Behaviour
Disappointment
Artificial
Ladder
Scrump - steal, pilfer
Underneath - below, under
Lamey - lame
Daft - mad
Peculiar - strange
Steady - firm, strong
Trespassing - illigal entry
Scale - to climb up a high wall