Snapshots- Chapter 1: The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

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Chapter 1: The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse

Class: XI
(Snapshots)

Exercise number – 1

Question 1

You will probably agree that this story does not have breathless adventure & exciting action. Then what in your opinion makes it interesting?

Answer 1

‘The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse" is a story about two poor Armenian boys. It highlights their simple longing to enjoy horse riding. Since they don’t possess their own horse, they steal a farmer’s horse but the tribe to which both the boys Aram and Mourad belong to is known for its honesty and trust. So, the boys also return the horse to its owner. The story moves in a slow pace and has no exciting adventures. Nevertheless the story is interesting because of the childish behavior of the two children. The craziness of Mourad’s uncle adds a bit of humour to the story.

Question 2

Did the boys return the horse because they were conscience-stricken or because they were afraid?

Answer 2

The boys didn’t think that they had stolen the horse. They had only taken it out for a joy ride. So at least Mourad didn’t feel guilty. The kept the horse in a lonely barn at night. They weren’t caught for several weeks. Yet they felt sad for using other person’s horse without his consent. Moreover, the horse’s owner, Byro had intensified the search for his lost horse. So the two boys returned it to the farmer.

Question 3

"One day back there in the good old days when I was nine & the world was full of every imaginable kind of magnificence, & life was still a delightful & mysterious dream…" The story begins in a mood of nostalgia. Can you narrate some incident from your childhood that might make an interesting story?

Answer 3

We are a compact happy family consisting of 3 members. Luckily, we had a common interest of travelling. We were in the feet of Himalayas, somewhere near Ranikhet in the Garhwal range, when all of a sudden my parents suggested that I should study in a residential school there. I seemed extremely jubilant with the extravagant idea. Years later, when I was in Class VII, my parents started searching for a good boarding school where they could send me for my further studies. I don’t have words that could describe my feelings at that point of time. I was very happy on one side and equally scared at the very thought of living separate from my family on the other side. I knew this very well by then that this would be a final farewell from my home & family. Further studies, college & now in a job, I have always gone back home on vacations &  had a very great time, but I have always been very aware deep inside that I was a boarder & had to leave within a few days. I never knew where the towel was hung, when the milkman rang the door-bell, when my mother sat down to have her evening tea, nothing. I never found it necessary to know all these minor details because I knew one thing for sure, I was a guest for merely a week, so why bother!

Question 4

The story revolves around characters who belong to a tribe in Armenia. Mourad & Aram are members of the Garoghlanian family. Now locate Armenia & Assyria on the atlas & prepare a write-up on the Garoghlanian tribes. You may write about people, their names, traits, geographical & economic features as suggested in the story.

Answer 4

A short description of the Garoghlanian tribes:-
The entire concept of the existence of this tribe is said to be sham and unreal. It’s said to be formed by William Saroyan in his book "My name is Aram" (1940). The Garoghlanian tribe is an Armenian tribe. The culture of these people, known for their honesty, is at the heart of the story. Hospitality is also plays an important part in the Armenian culture. Social gatherings revolve around humungous amounts of food. The religion of most Armenian people is Christianity, which is structured around forgiveness of sins & focuses on the spirit of forbearance.