Federal board first-year English lesson 04
From mother with love
By Zoa Sherburne
Short Question and answers
Answer the following questions.
Q1. How is the theme of 'From Mother ...With Love' a universal theme present in literature across all cultures?
The theme is the central topic or idea explored in a text. It is generally not stated in the text. It is expressed through the characters' actions, words, and thoughts. Themes are usually universal and relate to the conditions of human beings. The death of a family member and how a young person copes with it is the central theme of the story from Mother With Love Death is a significant and universal, phenomenon that every member of the family experiences. Each culture has its way of coping with it. Its literature explores its values and traditions. Therefore, the death of a family member and how a young person deals with it is present in literature in all cultures.
Q2. Comment on the plot of the story 'From Mother ... With Love'.
A plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. It is how a story develops, unfolds, and moves in time. A plot typically consists of five main elements: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. The story 'From Mother ... With Love' has all the features of a typical plot. Minta and her family are introduced
The rising action comes when John Hawley discusses the impending death of her mother and stops Minta from
going to Mary Hill. The story reaches its climax when, according to John Hawley, Minta's mother Mary Hawley did not know about her fast-approaching death. The falling action appears when she opens the Christmas gifts wrapped and tagged in her mother's beautiful handwriting. The resolution is that Minta is comforted by the fact that her mother bravely accepted death, and she becomes responsible and starts taking care of her father.
Q3. Identify the narrator or speaker of the story 'From Mother ... With Love'.
The person who tells a story is called its narrator. If the narrator is one of the characters of the story, the narrator
is said to be in the first person. If someone who is not a character of a story tells the story, then he is called a
third-person narrator. In the story 'From Mother ... With Love, the narrator is not a character in the story. Therefore, its narrator is a third-person.
Q4. Analyze and comment on the character of Minta?
Minta is the main character of the story 'From Mother ... With Love'. She is an obedient and caring daughter. In
a year, she is about to join the boarding school. But, when her father tells her that her mother is about to die, and he needs her presence at home, she obediently accepts her father's decision. She is also a brave girl. When she comes to know that her mother is going to die, she faces the situation courageously. She prefers the needs of her family over her desires and ambitions. When she comes to know about the impending death of her mother, she becomes serious and behaves sensibly. By the end of the story, she becomes more mature, and after the death of her mother, she takes control of the household and starts caring for her father even more.
Q5. What is the conflict in the story? How Is It resolved
The conflict of the story 'From Mother ... With Love' begins when John Hawley discusses the impending death of her mother and stops Minta from going to Mary Hill. John Hawley thinks Minta's mother, Mary Hawley, does not know about her fast-approaching death, and he discusses and asks Minta to become cautious. After her mother's death, when Minta opens Christmas gifts wrapped and tagged in her mother's beautiful handwriting, she comes to know that her mother knew about her death, and that is how the conflict is resolved.
Q6.Where does Minta's father take her to discuss her mother's Illness?
Minta's father takes her to the beach to tell her about her mother's illness. He tells Minta and her mother that they were going to collect clams. When they reach the beach, Minta's father informs her about her mother's illness and that she has only a few months to live. He also tells her that she cannot go to Mary Hill because he and her mother her present at home.
a person who looks after her father and ensures that he takes his vitamin pills regularly.
Q10. Why was the blue chair significant? Explain.
Minta's mother used to sit on the blue chair. The chair suggests that it belongs to a person who has the responsibilities of the house. After her mother's death, Minta sits in the chair. Minta's sitting in the chair signifies that she has assumed the role of her mother in running the household chores.
Q11. Explain how Minta knows that her mother accepted death. Why is that knowledge comforting to her?
One day Minta's aunt comes to collect her mother's clothes to give them to church. Minta brings her mother's clothes from the closet. She sees two suitcases which her father had given to her mother on her birthday. She finds Christmas presents in the suitcases. On each gift, the name of the person has been written to whom it is to be given. Minta's mother used to do all Christmas shopping just a week before Christmas. This time, she has done
this much before Christmas. This means that she knew that she might not have time to live till Christmas. This is how Minta realizes that her mother knew and was prepared for her death and that knowledge comforts her.
