Chapter 5 – Acceptance Speech

Acceptance Speech

B. 1.1. Write “T” for true and “F” for false statements

1. The acceptance speech was delivered or September 10, 1991.
2. On the occasion of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Alexander Aris made a speech.
3. Alexander Aris is one of the brothers of Aung San Suu Kyi.
4. Alexander Aris thanked his heart for this honor.
Answers:
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. T

B. 1.2. Answer the following questions very briefly 

Question 2.
Who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991?
Answer:
Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Question 3.
Who was incarcerated in the struggle for peace, freedom, and democracy?
Answer:
Many senior and highly respected leaders along with Aung San Suu Kyi (the mother of Alexander Aris) were incarcerated.

B.2.1. Complete the following sentences on the basis of the lesson

1. The prize is also intended to engage in this struggle.
2. Mr. Chairman, the whole international community has applauded the choice of
3. Let new dawn.
Answers:
1. to honor all those
2. your committee
3. age.

B. 2.2. Answer the following questions very briefly

Question 1.
Why has the whole international community applauded Mr. Chairman?
Answer:
The whole international community has applauded Mr. Chairman for the choice of his committee.
Question 2.

What are more precious than diamond or Silver or gold?
Answer:
The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace are more precious than diamond or silver or gold.

Question 3.
Who is the Chairman of the committee?
Answer:
The chairman is the head of the selection committee for the international Nobel Prize.

C. 1. Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
“And no one must underestimate that plight” Which plight Aris refers to? Explain.
Answer:
Aris has become very much aggrieved to see the miserable condition of his countrymen who are living a very troublesome and pathetic life. They are being tortured by the barbarian Burmese government. As such he refers to the plight of those people living in the countryside and towns spending their days in poverty, having no house of their own to live in. He also expresses his sorrow for those in prison and severely beaten. He further expresses his painful sentiments for the young people dying of malaria in the jungles to which they have fled. He is highly annoyed to see the Buddhist monks beaten and dishonored. Many senior and highly respected leaders including his mother have been imprisoned. Thus referring to the plight he says that no one must underestimate that plight.

Question 2.
Peace, freedom, and democracy are essential for a human being. Do you agree ? Give your own opinion.
Answer:
Peace, freedom, and democracy are the most important factors for a welfare state. No nation can prosper without achieving these objectives.
In my opinion, it is highly essential that a peaceful atmosphere must prevail among the people. Everybody must feel himself to be free from injustice and victimization. There should be a democratic government running by the people’s representatives. There should be equal justice to all. We have the bitter experience of tyranny and torture under British Imperialism.

We were living in slavery in an unpeaceful atmosphere under their political brutality and psychological subjection. After a long time of struggle, we achieve freedom and our country celebrated its independence day on 15th August 1947. Burmese people are also fighting for their liberation from the cruel and oppressive rale under the able leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi and many other highly respected leaders. I am sure that if peace, freedom, and democracy are obtained then there will be equal justice to all the human beings there.

Question 3.
The Nobel Peace Prize belongs not only to Aung San Suu Kyi but to all the men, women and children of Burma. Why does Aris say so?
Answer:
Aung San Suu Kyi, the mother of Aris, is the revolutionary leader of Burma, who has sacrificed all the pleasures and comforts of her life to protect the rights and freedom of her country-men. She is very much pained to see the cruel suppression of the people along with many senior and highly respected leaders like her. She thinks that it is not only her efforts but the contribution of all then, women and children who have continued to sacrifice their well¬being, lives, and comfort for the cause of a democratic Burma.

As such, Aris on behalf of his mother says that the Nobel Prize for the peace does belong not only to his mother, Aung San Suu Kyi but to all the men, women and children of Burma. By saying this, he has expressed his mother’s sentiments, which she has acknowledged after being awarded the Novel Peace Prize in her name.

Question 4.
“The beauty of ‘genuine brotherhood and peace being more precious than diamond or silver of gold.” Why does Aris claim so ? Do you agree with him?
Answer:
Undoubtedly diamond or silver or gold are most valuable articles. We have to spend a lot of money buying them from the market. It proves the popularity and importance of these materials. But these lifeless articles have no capacity to judge human sentiments. They are unable to share our ‘ miseries. We can not buy peace and pleasure of our mind through these costly materials. Aris has rightly told that the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace are more precious than diamond or silver or gold. Really we can not buy or exchange genuine brotherhood and peace by these lifeless articles.

I fully agree with his statement. We can not achieve the real beauty of peace and brotherhood through diamond, silver or gold, because equal justice and sense of humanity cannot be achieved by them. They only provide us, physically the worldly pleasure. Our hearts and soul can not get happiness in the true sense. Martin Luther King Jr. had once’ expressed this view which Aris has reminded us. It is an all-time truth and I totally support it.

C. 2. Group Discussion

1. The survival of human society depends on peace and harmony in society.
Answer:
Man is a social animal which means that he seeks fulfillment, not in insolation but in Society, which implies fellowship, companionship, association, and community. Herbert Spencer’s dictum that “human society exists for the benefit of its members, not the members for the benefit of the society” is an Only half-truth, For the survival of the human society depends on the peace and harmony in the society. Unless the right spirit: is present, the new society would be built on foundations of peace and harmony. So it is, of course, true that everyone is not equal in body or mind. In all other things, there should be equality and freedom from the jealousy that stems from a sense of grievance. It is harmony.

2. The greatest service to society is to establish peace and harmony.
Answer:
India is a democratic country. Our constitution describes India as a sovereign democratic, secular and socialist republic. Democ racy, secularism, socialism is grand concepts, that have caught the I nation of the masses. But they are ideal in theory, but it is not easy to put – n into practice in away. Reservation in govt jobs has made youth unrest. The anti-reservations- raised the cry. So there is no peace and harmony in Indian Society. There is no place for a worthy man. There is no fair field. There is favoritism, castism. So there no harmony in our society. There is no equality. So our method should be worth and not birth; fair field and no favor, open chance for all without any distinction of caste, religion, community or sex. Then only real service to humanity may be achieved. There would be peace and harmony.

C. 3. Composition

You are Vinay. You are the secretary of the cultural society of your school. You want to organize an award giving function in your school. Write a letter to the Mukhiya of your Panchayat and the Chairman of your Zila Parisad inviting him to attend the function.
Answer:

AdarshNagar
Pumia
June 10, 2010

The Mukhiya Gram Panchayat Pali Ganj Or,
The Chairman Zila Parisad
Pali Ganj

Dear Sir,
Sub:-Invitation Letter
Our school is going to organize an award-giving function in Our school premises on 20th June this year. It would be a great pleasure for us if you could come to our function r and award the students. Please try to come over to our school by about 11 a.m. We will be looking out for you.

Yours Sincerely
Vinay
Secretary of Cultural Society.

D. Word Study
D.1. Dictionary Use

Ex.1. Correct the spelling of the following words:
circumstanse, permitt, destitusion, strugglle, secretory, selfisness, gennune, precius, tyrranny
Answers:
Circumstances, Permit, destitution, Struggle, Secretary, Selfissness, Genuine, Precious, tyranny

Ex.2. Find out the words from the lesson which have the following meanings:
act of dedication, society, to put one within the other, to set free
Answers:
Act of Dedication — Sacrifice
Society — Committee
To put one within the other — incarcerated
Extreme bodily pain — destitution
Freedom — emancipation
To set free — release.

Ex.3. Match the words given in Column ‘A’ with their meanings given in Column ‘B’

A	B
(a) detention(b) plight(c) tyranny(d) worthy(e) lonely(f) reason	(i) isolated(ii) cause(iii) valuable(iv) delay(v) condition(vi) cruelty.

Answers:
(a) delay
(b) condition
(c) cruelty
(d) valuable
(e) isolated
(f) cause.

D.2 Word Formation

Great — Greatest
Personal — Personally
Nation — National
Child — Childhood, Children

We see the suffixes’,’-ly’, ‘al’, -hood1, ‘-en’ are added to make new” words. Add suitable suffixes to the words given below and make new words.
heavy   high   bright   love
clear   selfish  brother  hard
bold   slow   pray   music
Answers:
Words Given — New words 
Heavy — heavier/heaviest/heavily clearly boldly
Clear — Clearly
Bold — boldly
High — higher/highest/highly
Selfish — Selfishness
Slow — slowly
Bright — brighter/brightest/brightly
Brother — brotherly
Pray — prayer
Love — lovely/lovliest
Hard — harder/hardly
Music — musical.

E. Grammar

(subject-verb Agreement)
Look at the following sentences.
(1) Circumstances do not permit my mother to be here in person.
(2) Children continue to sacrifice their well being.
in sentences given above “Circumstances and Children” are used as subjects. Both are plural. So, verbs are plural there:

Note: A verb must agree with its subject in number and person. Singular subject takes a singular verb. A plural subject takes a plural verb.

Now study the sentences given below
(i) The colour of there houses is white.
(ii) Oil and water do not mix.
(iii) Nothing but water is seen.
Subject — Verb
(i) colour — is
(ii) oil and water — do
(iii) nothing — is

Some important rules:

1. Two or more singular nouns or pronouns joined by ‘and’ require a plural verb
   He and I were playing there.
   Are your brother and sister at home?
2. If the nouns suggest one idea to the mind or refer to the same person or thing, the Verb is singular.
   Bread and butter is the basic need of human beings.
   The poet and singer are on the stage.
   Two and two make four.
3. Words joined to a singular subject by with, as well as, together with, etc. are parenthetical. The Verb should, therefore, be put in the singular: The teacher with all the students has gone. English, as well as Hindi, is taught here.
4. Two or more singular subjects connected by ‘either .or’ or ‘or’ require singular Verb.
   Ravi or Vinayak does not know how to swim.
   Either the tiger or the bear has not been seen there.
5. When two subjects are joined by’either-or’ or’neither…..nor’the Verb agrees with the subject nearer to it.
   Either he or I am to do it.
   Neither you nor he is to blame.
6. Either, neither, each, everyone, many a, takes a singular verb. Neither of my friends is, guilty.
   Each boy and each girl sings well.
7. A number of takes a plural verb but ‘the number of takes a singular verb.
   A number of students are in the hall. The number of students is eighty, Politics is harmful.
8.  When a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or amount considered as a whole, the Verb is singular. Three fourth of the work „ has been done. Sixty miles is a long distance.
9. A collective noun takes a Singular Verb when the collection is thought of as one whole, but it takes a plural verb when the individuals of which it is composed are thought of;
   The committee has issued its report.
   The committee is divided on this point.
10. A team of, a set of, a bunch of, a flock of, a pair of, etc take singular 4 Verb.
    A team of players has come.
    A set of books has been sold.

Comprehension Based Questions With Answers

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow each

1. Firstly, I know that she would begin by saying that she accepts the Nobel Prize for Peace not in her own name but in the name of all the people s of Burma. She would say that this prize belongs not to her but to all tho men, women and children who, even as I speak, continue to sacrifice their well being, their freedom and their lives in pursuit of a democratic Burma. Theirs is the prize and theirs will be the eventual victory in Burma’s long struggle for peace, freedom, and democracy

Questions:
(i) Who is the speaker here?
(ii) Who is referred to as ‘she’ in this passage?
(iii) How would she accept the Nobel Prize for Peace?
(iv) What would she say about the people of Burma?
(v) Which word in the passage means ‘final’?
Answers:
(i) Alexander Aris is the speaker here.
(ii) Aung San Suu Kyi is referred to as ‘she’ in this passage.
(iii) She would accept the Nobel Prize for Peace in the name of all the people of Burma. ‘
(iv) She would say that the people of Burma continue to sacrifice their well being, freedom and lives in pursuit of a democratic government in their country.
(v) The word ‘eventual’ means ‘final’.

2. Speaking as her son, however, I would add that I personally believe that by her own dedication and personal sacrifice she has come to be a worthy symbol through whom the plight of all the people of Burma may be recog¬nised. And no one must underestimate that plight. The plight of those in the countryside and towns, living in poverty and destitution, those in prison, battered and. tortured; the plight of the young people, the hope of Burma, dying of malaria in the jungles to which they have fled; that of the Buddhist monks, beaten and dishonored. Nor should we forget the many senior and highly respected leaders besides my mother who is all incarcerated. It is on their behalf that I thank you, from my heart, for this supreme honour. The Burmese people can today hold their heads a little higher in the knowledge that in this far distant land their suffering has been heard and heeded.

Questions:
(i) What does the speaker personally believe?
(ii) What is the plight of people in Burma?
(iii) What for does he thank and whom to?
(iv) Find out the word from the passage which means: ‘condition
Answers:
(i) The Speaker personally believes that by her own dedication and personal sacrifice she has come to be a worthy symbol through the people of Borma.
(ii) The plight of those in the country, side and towns, living in poverty and destitution, those in prison, battered and tortured (ekj [kkrs vkSj rax gksrs)] the plight of young people, the dying of malaria in the jungles to which they have fled, that of the Buddhist monks, beaten and dishonored.
(iii) He thanked the awarder who understood Burmese has been heard and heeded.
(iv) The word is plight.

3. We must also remember that the lonely struggle taking place in a heavily guarded compound in Rangoon is part of the much larger struggle, worldwide, for the emancipation of the human spirit from political tyranny and psychological subjection. The Prize, I feel sure, is also intended to hon¬our all those engaged in this struggle wherever they may be. It is not without reason that today’s events in Oslo fall on International Human Rights Day, celebrated throughout the world.

Mr. Chairman, the whole international community has applauded the choice of your committee. Just a few days ago, the United Nations passed a unanimous and historic resolution welcoming Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar’s statement on the significance of this award and endorsing his repeated appeals for my mother’s early release from detention. Let it never be said by future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made us fail to live up to the ideals of humanism which the Nobel Peace Prize encapsulates.

Questions:
(i) What should they remember?
(ii) What does he feel about the prize?
(iii) What did the United Nations pass? ‘
(iv) What does the speaker say about the future?
Answers:
(i) They should remember that the lonely struggle taking place in a heavily guarded compound in Rangoon is part of a much larger struggle, worldwide for the emancipation of the human spirit from political tyranny and psychological subjection.
(ii) About the prize, he feels that it is intended to honor all those engaged in this struggle wherever they may be.
(iii) The United Nations passed a unanimous and historic resolu¬tion welcoming Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar’s statement oh the significance of this award and endorsing his re¬peated appeal for his mother’s early release from detention.
(iv) About the future, he says that future generations that indifference, cynicism or selfishness made them fail to live up to the ideals of humanism which the Nobel Peace Prize expresses.

4. Let the strivings of us all, prove Martin Luther King Jr. to have been correct, when he said that humanity can no longer be tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war. Let the efforts of us all, prove that he was not a mere dreamer when he spoke of the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace being more precious than diamonds or silver or gold. Let new age dawn! Thank you.

Questions:
(i) From which piece has this extract been taken?
(ii) What does the speaker say about the ideals of humanism?
(iii) What did Martin Luther King Jr say about racism and war?
(iv) What is more precious than diamond or silver or gold?
(v) What does the word ‘encapsulates’ in the passage mean?
Answers:
(i) This extract has been taken from the piece ‘ Acceptance Speech’.
(ii) The speaker says that indifference, cynicism or selfishness should not make us fail to live up to the ideals of humanism.
(iii) Martin Luther King Jr said that humanity must be freed from racism and war.
(iv) The beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace is more precious than diamond or silver or gold.
(v) The word ‘encapsulate’ means ‘expresses or shows something in a short way.