Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The Eyes are not Here from Class 10 English_FL. Let us begin with the Pre-Reading Activity. Generally, we notice the physically-challenged leading a normal life. The question for discussion in pairs is: Do the physically-challenged accept their condition with resignation?
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Now, we will read the story. I had the compartment to myself up to Rohana and then a girl got in. The couple who saw her off were probably her parents; they seemed very anxious about her comfort, and the woman gave the girl detailed instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean out of the window, and how to avoid speaking to strangers. They said their good-byes; the train pulled out of the station. As I was totally blind at the time, my eyes sensitive only to light and darkness, I was unable to tell what the girl looked like; but I knew she wore slippers from the way they slapped against her heels. It would take me some time to discover something about her looks, and perhaps I never would. But I liked the sound of her voice, and even the sound of her slippers. Are you going all the way to Dehra? I asked. I must have been sitting in a dark corner because my voice startled her. She gave a little exclamation and said, I did not know anyone else was here. Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them. They have too much to take in, I suppose. Whereas people who cannot see, or see very little, have to take in only the essentials, whatever registers most tellingly on their remaining senses. I did not see you either, I said. But I heard you come in. I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from discovering that I was blind, I thought. Provided I keep to my seat, it should not be too difficult. The girl said, I am getting down at Saharanpur. My aunt is meeting me there. Then I had better not be too familiar, I said. Aunts are usually formidable creatures. Where are you going? she asked. To Dehra, and then to Mussoorie. Oh, how lucky you are! I wish I were going to Mussoorie. I love the hills especially in October. Yes, this is the best time, I said, calling on my memories. The hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sun is delicious, and at night you can sit in front of a log-fire and listen to some music. Many of the tourists have gone, and the roads are quiet and almost deserted. Yes, October is the best time.
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She was silent, and I wondered if my words had touched her, or whether she thought me a romantic fool. Then I made a mistake. What is it like? I asked. She seemed to find nothing strange in the question. Had she noticed already that I could not see? But her next question removed my doubts. Why do not you look out of the window? she asked. I moved easily along the berth and felt for the window-ledge. The window was open, and I faced it, making a pretence of studying the landscape. I heard the panting of the engine, the rumble of the wheels, and in my mind’s eye, I could see the telegraph post flashing by. Have you noticed, I ventured, that the trees seem to be moving while we seem to be standing still? That always happens, she said. Do you see any animals? Hardly any animals left in the forests near Dehra. I turned from the window and faced the girl, and for a while we sat in silence. You have an interesting face, I remarked. I was becoming quite daring, but it was a safe remark. Few girls can resist flattery. She laughed pleasantly, a clear, ringing laugh. It is nice to be told I have an interesting face. I am tired of people telling me I have a pretty face. Oh, so you do have a pretty face thought I, and aloud I said: Well, an interesting face can also be pretty. You are a very gallant young man, she said. But why are you so serious? I thought then that I would try to laugh for her; but the thought of laughter only made me feel troubled and lonely. We will be at your station, I said. Thank goodness it is a short journey. I cannot bear to sit in a train for more than two or three hours. Yet I was prepared to sit there for almost any length of time just to listen to her talking. Her voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream. As soon as she left the train, she would forget our brief encounter; but it would stay with me for the rest of the journey, and for some time after.
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The engine’s whistle shrieked, the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm. The girl got up and began to collect her things. I wonder if she wore her hair in a bun, or it was plaited, or if it hung loose over her shoulders, or if it was cut very short. The train drew slowly into the station. Outside there was the shouting of porters and vendors and a high-pitched female voice near the carriage door which must have belonged to the girl’s aunt. Good-bye, said the girl. She was standing very close to me, so close that the perfume from her hair was tantalizing. I wanted to raise my hand and touch her hair; but she moved away, and only the perfume still lingered where she had stood. You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will, but the scent of the roses will linger there still. There was some confusion in the doorway. A man, getting into the compartment, stammered an apology. Then the door banged shut, and the world was shut out again. I returned to my berth. The guard blew his whistle and we moved off. Once again, I had a game to play with a new fellow-traveller. The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned and shook. I found the window and sat in front of it, staring into the daylight that was darkness for me. So many things happening outside the window. It could be a fascinating game, guessing what went on out there. The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie. You must be disappointed, he said, I am sorry I am not as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left. She was an interesting girl, I said. Can you tell me, did she keep her hair long or short? I do not remember, he said, sounding puzzled. It was her eyes I noticed, not her hair. She had beautiful eyes, but they were of no use to her, she was completely blind. Did not you notice?
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Now, let us go through the Glossary. The definitions are stated exactly as in the textbook. slap: the sound produced by the slipper when it hits the soul of her feet. startled: surprised. formidable: powerful or causing fear. registers: records. romantic fool: a stupid person, who is highly emotional. window ledge: window sill, a narrow shelf below a window. mind’s eye: imagination. venture: to say or do something which involves risk. landscape: all the features of an area that can be seen when looking across it. gallant: brave. thank goodness: an expression used in conversation to express relief. tantalizing: making him desire her presence all the more. linger: stay for a while. reverie: day-dream.
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Moving to Comprehension Questions, Section A. Answer briefly. Question 1: The narrator guessed that the couple who saw the girl off at Rohana were probably her parents because, a. they were middle-aged, b. they seemed very anxious, c. they accompanied the girl to the railway station, d. they gave detailed instructions about the care she had to take. Answer: The correct option is d. they gave detailed instructions about the care she had to take. Question 2: Why did the narrator feel that he would never be able to discover something about the girl’s looks? Answer: Because he was totally blind at the time, his eyes were sensitive only to light and darkness, so he could not see her appearance. Question 3: The narrator was born completely blind. True or False? Answer: False. He says he was totally blind at the time, implying it was not necessarily from birth. Question 4: What did the narrator infer when the girl was startled by his voice? Answer: He inferred that he must have been sitting in a dark corner, which is why she did not notice him. Question 5: The girl told the narrator that her aunt was meeting her at Saharanpur. She said this probably because, a. she wanted to introduce her aunt to the narrator, b. she wanted to convey a message that he could not take advantage of her thinking that she was alone, c. it was a casual remark. Answer: b. she wanted to convey a message that he could not take advantage of her thinking that she was alone. Question 6: How could the narrator, being blind, describe Mussoorie? Answer: He relied on his memories of Mussoorie to describe it, recalling the wild dahlias, the delicious sun, the log-fire, music, quiet roads, and the absence of tourists in October. Question 7: With what intention did the narrator remark that the girl had an interesting face? Answer: He made the remark to flatter her, knowing that few girls can resist flattery, and it was a safe remark since he could not actually see her. Question 8: Hiding his blindness was a challenge, game, or child’s play for the narrator. Choose the correct answer. Answer: It was a game for the narrator. Question 9: The new fellow-traveller had made out that the girl was blind. True or False? Answer: True. Question 10: The story ends with a revelation. What is the revelation? Answer: The revelation is that the girl was completely blind, which the narrator had failed to notice because he himself was blind. Question 11: The narrator and the girl reveal something about themselves through their words and actions. The adjectives are: clever, smart, humorous, suspicious, sentimental, curious, emotional, romantic, careful, intuitive, pretentious, confident, guilty, inquisitive. Put each under narrator or girl. Note: Some qualities may be common. Answer: Narrator: clever, smart, romantic, careful, pretentious, confident, guilty, intuitive, sentimental. Girl: clever, smart, humorous, curious, careful, intuitive, confident, inquisitive. Both share qualities like clever, smart, careful, intuitive, and confident as they both successfully hide their blindness and engage in thoughtful conversation.
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Section B: Close Study. Extract 1: You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, but the scent of the roses will linger there still. a. What is the figure of speech used? Answer: Metaphor. b. What is the vase compared to? Answer: The vase is compared to a person or a physical presence. c. What does the shattering of the vase refer to? Answer: It refers to the girl leaving the train or the physical separation. d. What does the scent of the roses refer to? Answer: It refers to the lingering memory and impression of the girl, particularly her perfume and voice. Extract 2: Once again, I had a game to play with a new fellow traveller. a. What kind of game does the speaker play? Answer: The game of hiding his blindness and pretending to see, while trying to guess details about his fellow passengers. b. What do you understand about his attitude? Answer: It shows his playful, adaptive, and slightly mischievous attitude towards his condition and social interactions. c. Who had outwitted whom in the game already played? Answer: The girl had outwitted the narrator, as she was also blind but successfully concealed it from him.
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Paragraph Writing. Question 1: Give instances to show that the narrator tried his best to impress on her that he could see. Answer: The narrator tried to convince the girl he could see by asking her if she was going to Dehra, pretending to study the landscape from the open window, commenting on the moving trees, asking if she saw animals, and complimenting her face. He also asked about her hair length and described Mussoorie vividly from memory. Question 2: We think we could outwit anyone, but sometimes we may be outwitted by others. Substantiate with reference to the story. Answer: The narrator believed he was successfully hiding his blindness and playing a clever game with the girl. However, he was completely outwitted because the girl was also blind. She matched his pretence perfectly, asking him to look out the window and commenting on his serious demeanor, proving that his confidence in outsmarting her was misplaced. Question 3: What would be the narrator's feelings and thoughts after knowing the truth? Answer: The narrator would likely feel a mix of shock, amusement, and profound realization. He would feel foolish for thinking he had deceived her, but also deeply impressed by her composure. The irony would strike him, making him reflect on human perception, the nature of pretence, and the shared experience of blindness that connected them without either knowing it.
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Vocabulary Exercises. Section A: Make sentences using idioms and phrases. to see one off: The family went to the station to see her off. to pull out of: The train will pull out of the platform at 10 AM. to take in: The city has too much to take in for a first-time visitor. to call on: I will call on my memories to describe the hills. to break into: The stranger broke into my reverie. to be deprived of: He was deprived of his sight at a young age. in front of: She sat in front of the window. to be covered with: The hills are covered with wild dahlias. to move away: She moved away before he could touch her hair. to take up: The wheels took up their rhythmic song. Section B: Find differences and make sentences. 1. anxious means worried, curious means eager to know. I was anxious about the exam, but curious about the results. 2. praise is genuine appreciation, flattery is excessive or insincere praise. I value your praise, but I dislike empty flattery. 3. lonely is a feeling of sadness from isolation, alone means physically by oneself. He lives alone but never feels lonely. 4. change means to make different, alter means to modify slightly. We must change our habits, but we can alter the plan slightly. 5. vendor is a general seller, hawker sells goods by moving around. The vendor has a fixed shop, while the hawker walks through the streets. 6. probable means likely to happen, possible means capable of happening. Rain is probable today, but snow is only possible. 7. look means to direct eyes, see means to perceive visually. I look at the painting, but I cannot see the fine details. 8. hear means sound reaches ears, listen means to pay attention. I hear the music, but I listen to the lyrics carefully. 9. loud means high volume, aloud means audibly. The crowd was loud, so I read the poem aloud. 10. hanged means executed by rope, hung means suspended. The criminal was hanged, but the picture was hung on the wall. 11. break means to shatter, brake means to stop a vehicle. Do not break the glass, and apply the brake quickly. 12. desert (noun) is a dry land, desert (verb) means to abandon, deserts (noun) means deserved punishment, dessert (noun) is a sweet dish. The camel crossed the desert, he will not desert his friend, he got his just deserts, and we ate dessert after dinner.
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Section C: Complete sentences with sound words. 1. We pant and puff when we are out of breath. 2. We splutter if we fall into water unexpectedly. 3. We yawn when we are bored. 4. We sniff and cough when we have a bad cold. 5. We stammer or stutter when we have difficulty in saying certain words. 6. We sneeze when we have no handkerchief and need to blow our nose. 7. We snore at night if we lie on our backs and with our mouths open. Language Activities. 1. Report Writing: The Prime Minister arrives at the Bengaluru HAL airport at 8:30 AM on Saturday on a day’s visit to Bengaluru. The Chief Minister along with his cabinet colleagues receives him. At 8:50 AM, he has breakfast at Hotel West End, hosted by the Karnataka Government. At 9:15 AM, he dedicates the Metro Railway Service stage 2. At 10:00 AM, he inaugurates the new block of the Legislators’ House. At 10:30 AM, he addresses a public rally at Palace Grounds. At 11:15 AM, he lays the foundation stone for a Bio-Tech Park at Bannerugatta. At 12:05 PM, he honours the outstanding scientists at IISc. Finally, at 1:00 PM, he returns to Delhi on a special flight from Bengaluru International Airport. 2. Discussion: If both admitted blindness, the story would end with mutual understanding and shared vulnerability. It would remove the dramatic irony but add emotional depth. The ending would focus on connection rather than deception. It might make the story less suspenseful but more poignant, emphasizing empathy over cleverness.
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Speaking Activities. Section A: Pronunciation. Words ending with cious or tious are pronounced as shus, not see-us. Examples: delicious, precious, ambitious, cautious, gracious, voracious, ferocious, fictitious, malicious, pernicious. Words ending with age are pronounced as ij, not ayj. Examples: carriage, village, passage, message, marriage, luggage, baggage, cabbage, garbage, language, damage, mileage, sausage, savage, salvage, leakage, advantage, foliage, envisage, oldage, bandage, image, coverage, beverage. Exceptions: barrage, massage. Words ending with cian or tian are pronounced as shun, not see-an. Examples: musician, electrician, physician, technician, beautician, politician, magician, optician, mathematician, Grecian, paediatrician. Words ending with cial or tial are pronounced as shul, not see-al. Examples: official, commercial, crucial, essential, superficial, partial, artificial, social, palatial, martial, sacrificial, spatial, special, racial, beneficial. Section B: Informal Expressions. i. Teacher: I am afraid, I have not finished the valuation. ii. Girl: Well, I would rather you did not. iii. Wilma: I wonder, if I could make a request to you. iv. Mother: Never mind, I will buy you another. v. Oh dear, I think I left my mobile in the office! vi. Ramesh: How do you do? vii. Mother: Thank goodness, both of you are safe. viii. Kavya: Of course you can take my notes home. Zareena: Thanks. Kavya: You are welcome. ix. Surya: How dare you say that I copied from your answer paper! x. Rajesh: I had better take my studies seriously now on. xi. Shyla: I will make some coffee for you, if you do not mind. xii. Noel: Yes please. Noel: No thanks.
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Project: Form groups of four and collect information about a physically-challenged person who accepted weakness, translated it into strength, and compensated with achievements. Examples include Homer, Milton, Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking, Miher Sen, Sudha Chandran, or others. Present the information to the class. Note on the Author: Ruskin Bond, one of the finest story tellers in English in India, was born in Kasauli in 1934. He has written several novels, short stories and books for children. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1999 for his contributions to children’s literature. The Room on the Roof, written when he was 17, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Many of his stories are based on Mussoorie at the foothills of Himalayas where he lives. Suggested Reading or Activity: 1. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. 2. Watch the Kannada Movie Ganayogi Panchakshara Gavai directed by Chindodi Bangaresh. Grammar Revisited. Section A: Modals. Use could, might, may for possibility. Use must for conclusion. Use can't for strong improbability. Example answers: 1. It could be Arjun. 2. It must be Priya. 3. It may be Mathematics. 4. It can't be boiled vegetables. 5. It must be next Friday. 6. It could be Rohan. 7. It must be Sneha. 8. It may be December. 9. It could be Vikram. 10. It must be Ananya. Section B: Fill in the blanks. 1. c) In spite of. 2. b) besides. 3. d) playing. 4. a) to seeing. 5. b) made friends. 6. a) burst. 7. b) had had. 8. d) fewer. 9. b) searching for. 10. a) had hardly any. 11. d) his/her. 12. b) was delivered. 13. b) with. 14. b) at. 15. c) have not succeeded. 16. d) glare. 17. b) put across. 18. c) was destined. 19. c) not only but also. 20. a) boys'. 21. a) each other. 22. a) on arriving. 23. c) Contrary to. 24. d) let you have. 25. b) the less expensive.
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Fun with Language: Phrase Gems. Fill in the middle with a word that makes five two-word phrases. Example given: Cell: Blood cell, stem cell, solar cell, padded cell, fuel cell. Practice this pattern with other root words to expand your vocabulary. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]