Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The Blind Dog from Class 7 English_FL. Before we begin the story, let us complete the Pre-Reading Task for Listening and Speaking. Please read this passage at home before it is narrated to you in the class. Follow carefully your teacher’s narration. Then answer her questions. The passage reminds us that people love animals as pets, feeding and grooming them, while others keep them to work. It mentions the S.P.C.A., the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which teaches us never to treat animals cruelly. Our story by R.K. Narayan explores this theme. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, for the Reading section, please read the story at home before it is read in the class. Follow carefully your teacher’s model reading. Reading at home will improve your reading ability. Let us now explore the story paragraph by paragraph. Paragraph one introduces us to a very ordinary dog. He is not a high-class breed, but a commonplace street dog with a dusty white coat and a tail mutilated at a young age. Born in the streets and surviving on market garbage, he had spotty eyes and needless pugnacity, meaning unnecessary aggression. Before he was two, he had scars from a hundred fights. On hot afternoons, he rested under a culvert at the eastern market gate. In the evenings, he wandered, fought, scavenged, and returned by nightfall. This harsh routine lasted three years. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph two brings a change. A blind beggar arrives at the market, led by an old woman who leaves him there to collect alms and brings him food at midday. Paragraph three explains how they meet. The dog, stirred by the smell of food, approaches the blind man. When the man asks who is there, the dog licks his hand. The blind man strokes him, says, What a beauty you are, and shares his food. They become friends. The dog stops wandering and stays by the man. He learns that passersby must give coins. Whoever goes away without dropping a coin is chased by the dog. He tugs their clothes, pulls them back to the old man at the gate, and lets go only after something is dropped in the bowl. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph four introduces a mischievous village urchin who teases the blind man and tries to steal coins. Every Thursday, when the boy arrives with a basket of vegetables, it becomes a crisis. Other vendors gather under the arch. One warns the blind man that his scourge, or tormentor, is coming. The blind man calls his dog. Paragraph five describes the confrontation. The boy tries to steal again, but the dog snaps his wrist and chases him out of the market. In paragraph six, the perfume vendor marvels at the dog’s affection. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph seven brings tragedy. The old woman dies, leaving the blind man without a home or caretaker. In paragraph eight, the ribbon vendor gives him a free white cord and suggests tying it to the dog to lead him. Paragraph nine shows the consequence. The dog loses his freedom completely. His world is circumscribed, or kept within narrow limits, by the cord. He must forget his old haunts. Whenever he sees other dogs, he instinctively wants to run, but his master kicks him until he learns to suppress his instincts. He loses all contact with his own kind. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph ten reveals the master’s gain. The blind man finds he can treble his income by moving about. He drags the dog everywhere: shops, schools, hospitals. The dog protects his feet from pits and steps, but gets no rest. The man sleeps with the cord wrapped around his finger. Driven by greed, he whips and goads the dog whenever he slows down. The text paints a heartbreaking picture: long after market traffic stops, the night is pierced by the tired dog’s wail. His ribs show through his fading coat. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph eleven shows the vendors’ pity. They hold a conference because their hearts are torn seeing the dog slave away. They realize the blind man is hoarding money. The perfumer spots scissors and takes them. In paragraph twelve, the blind man struggles with the dog over a bone. The cord pulls tight, hurting his hand, and he kicks the dog. The perfumer steps forward and snips the cord. The dog is free. He grabs the bone, explores ditches, plays with other dogs, and visits his old favourite spots. [CHECKPOINT]
In paragraph thirteen, the vendors watch the blind man struggle helplessly, nearly getting hit by vehicles. They think he deserves it. But the man finds his way back to his corner, exhausted. Paragraph fourteen says neither is seen for twenty days. The vendors assume the dog is free and the beggar is gone. But they hear the familiar tap-tap of the staff. The dog is back, tied to the man again. The ribbon seller rushes to ask what happened. [CHECKPOINT]
Paragraph fifteen and sixteen give the blind man’s explanation. Without the dog, he was starving and imprisoned. The dog returned at midnight. Though the man wanted to kill him, he forgave him, realizing hunger drove him back. To prevent escape, the man replaces the cord with a steel chain. Paragraph seventeen shows the dog’s dead, despairing look as he is forced to walk again. The vendors listen to them leave. In paragraph eighteen, the ribbon seller sighs, saying only death can help that dog. He wonders what to do with a creature who returns to his doom with such a free heart. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us review the key vocabulary from the glossary. Culvert means a passage for water under a road. Stirred here means attracted. Scourge means someone who gives trouble. Leer is a sly, unpleasant look. Circumscribed means kept within narrow limits. Haunt refers to familiar places. Orbit here means a restricted path. Lumber means to cause difficulty by giving unwanted responsibility. Haunches relieved means the bones of the back legs standing out. Keep these meanings in mind for your exams. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us work through Section C, Speaking and Writing. The textbook instructs you to take turns with your partner to ask or answer these questions, explain your reasoning, quote from the text where necessary, and write down your answers. Let us go through them together. Question one: The dog had scars and a mutilated tail because it was timid. This is Not True. The text says he had needless pugnacity and fought constantly. Question two: The last two sentences in paragraph one say that the dog led a carefree life. This is Not True. The text describes a harsh survivalist routine of fighting and scavenging. [CHECKPOINT]
Question three: The dog was a beautiful creature. This is Not True. Paragraph one says he was commonplace with spotty eyes. However, there is irony in paragraph three when the blind man, unable to see, calls him a beauty. Question four: The blind beggar’s alms increased because all the passers-by... The dog chased away anyone who did not drop a coin. Specifically, he tugged their clothes and pulled them back to the old man, letting go only after a coin was dropped. Question five: The village urchin came just for business. Not True. He came to tease and steal. [CHECKPOINT]
Question six: Why did the dog chase the boy out? He was fiercely protecting the blind man’s bowl from theft. Question seven: How did the dog become a prisoner? The ribbon vendor gave a white cord to tie the dog after the old woman died. Question eight: How did his life change? He went from a free street dog to an exhausted, chained labourer. Question nine: The beggar’s alms increased threefold. This is True. Paragraph ten states he could treble his income by moving about. Question ten: Why did vendors meet and how did it end? They met out of pity for the slaving dog. It ended with the perfumer cutting the cord. [CHECKPOINT]
Question eleven: What is ironical about the name Tiger? Tigers are wild and free, but this dog was enslaved and weak. Question twelve: How did he return to his doom? Real hunger forced him back to the blind man at midnight. Question thirteen: Why is the title The Blind Dog? The master is physically blind, but the dog is metaphorically blind to his own freedom, returning to slavery out of instinct and hunger. Remember to write these answers in your notebook and discuss them with your partner. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us complete Section D, Use of Words. Work with your partner and supply the missing words. A type of large working dogs called Huskey are used by Eskimos to draw sledges. Sledges do not have wheels. They slide along ice or snow on metal blades. Eskimos use these carts for transportation in the snowy region where they live. A train of dogs will be harnessed to a sledge, some five to six pairs of dogs in a line. [CHECKPOINT]
Now we will study Section E, Grammar: The Helping Verb must. The textbook explains five uses. First, compulsion: making someone feel it is necessary, like You must be back by ten. Second, self-compulsion: feeling it is necessary for yourself, like I must go home now. Third, no other explanation possible: You must have left the bag in the rickshaw. Fourth, assumption: You must be tired after walking. Fifth, estimate: The pillar must be fifty feet high. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us solve the exercise. Choose the appropriate expression and write it in each blank. One: It will fall down if you keep it there. This shows possibility. Two: Could I use your pen for a moment? This is a request. Three: It is going to rain this evening. This shows likelihood. Four: I would rather take a rickshaw to the station. This shows preference. Five: She must be still in her office working late. This is an assumption. Six: This temple must be at least five hundred years old. This is estimation. Seven: Don’t worry, he can very well look after himself. This shows ability. Eight: You shall not speak to me like this again. This is prohibition. Nine: How dare you say a thing like this? This is a challenge. Ten: I must finish this work today itself. This is self-compulsion. Eleven: Must be at least eighty. This is estimation. Twelve: In our hostel we must switch off the lights at ten p.m. This shows necessity. Thirteen: She can’t be as ill as all that. This shows impossibility. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, let us complete Section F, the Glossary word pairs. Dog is to kennel as pig is to sty. Physics is to physicist as physiology is to physiologist. Music is to musician as flute is to flautist. Smithy is to blacksmith as tannery is to tanner. College is to principal as school is to headmaster. State is to citizen as democracy is to democrat. Notice how the second word relates to the first through profession, place, or system. [CHECKPOINT]
Now for Section G, Writing. Ask your teacher about the dogs that are trained to do police work, the dogs used by the bomb squad, and the shepherd and his dog. After gathering this information from your teacher, write a paragraph about them. [CHECKPOINT]
Finally, Section H, Project. Collect information about these dogs: The St. Bernards and The Mudhol Hounds. Talk to your partner about them. Share what you have learned. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]