📚 Chapter-wise Resources
XII English Literature Resources – Term 1
🌿 June
🟢 Poem 1 – The Wild Swans at Coole – W. B. Yeats
The Wild Swans at Coole is a reflective poem in which W. B. Yeats explores ageing, memory, lost youth and the passage of time. Watching the beautiful swans at Coole Park, the poet becomes aware of how much his own life has changed while the swans appear energetic and timeless. Through this contrast, the poem reflects on human mortality, enduring beauty, love and the desire for permanence.
Resources: Summary • Essays • Question Bank • Detailed Analysis • Stanza-wise Analysis
🔵 Short Story 1 – Doves on the Wing – Salwa Bakr
Doves on the Wing by Salwa Bakr is a thought-provoking short story set on a crowded city bus in Egypt, where an unexpected robbery exposes the fear, helplessness and vulnerability of ordinary people. Blending humour, irony and social criticism, the story portrays different human reactions to danger while drawing attention to crime, social inequality and exploitation. The innocent perspective of a little boy adds a striking contrast to the tense situation.
Resources: Summary • Essays • Paragraph Questions
🟠 Non-Fiction 1 – Excerpts from The Sixth Sense
Excerpts from The Sixth Sense presents the emotional climax of M. Night Shyamalan’s screenplay, where Dr. Malcolm Crowe discovers the startling truth about his own existence. Through suspenseful dialogue, flashbacks and powerful visual details, the screenplay explores love, loss, acceptance and the relationship between Malcolm and Cole. The lesson also introduces students to important features of screenplay writing and visual storytelling.
Resources: Summary • Detailed Analysis • Paragraph Questions • Essays • Fill in the Blanks
🎭 July
🟢 Poem 2 – The Unknown Citizen – W. H. Auden
The Unknown Citizen by W. H. Auden is a satirical poem about individuality, freedom and conformity in modern society. Through the life of an unnamed citizen identified only by a number, Auden criticises a system that measures people through statistics, official records and material possessions rather than their feelings and aspirations. The poem ultimately questions whether outward conformity can truly represent freedom and happiness.
Resources: Summary • Essays • Question Bank
🔵 Short Story 2 – We Too Are Human Beings – Bama
We Too Are Human Beings by Bama is an autobiographical narrative that exposes the injustice of untouchability and caste discrimination through an incident from the writer’s childhood. Her brother’s advice transforms her anger into determination and teaches her that education can become a powerful means of achieving dignity, equality and self-respect. The story strongly affirms that every human being deserves equal rights, respect and opportunities.
Resources: Summary • Paragraph Questions • Essays
🎭 Drama – Pygmalion, Act I – George Bernard Shaw
Act I of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion introduces Eliza Doolittle, Professor Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering during a rainy evening at Covent Garden. Through Eliza’s Cockney speech and Higgins’ remarkable knowledge of phonetics, Shaw introduces the play’s major concerns of language, social class, identity and self-respect. Higgins’ claim that he can transform Eliza’s speech prepares the way for the central experiment of the play.
Resources: Summary • Paragraph Questions • Essays • Extract-Based Questions
🟣 Novella – The Metamorphosis, Chapter 1 – Franz Kafka
Chapter 1 of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis begins with the extraordinary transformation of Gregor Samsa from a travelling salesman into a huge insect. Although his body has changed, Gregor remains deeply concerned about his job and his responsibility towards his family. His family’s fear and rejection after discovering his condition introduce the novella’s central themes of alienation, family responsibility, isolation, misunderstanding and loss of human connection.
Resources: Summary • Paragraph Questions • Essays
⛵ August
🟢 Poem 3 – No More Hiroshimas – James Kirkup
No More Hiroshimas by James Kirkup is a powerful anti-war poem inspired by the poet’s visit to Hiroshima after the atomic bombing. Beneath the rebuilt city and its busy everyday life, the poet discovers the painful memories and lasting scars of nuclear destruction. Through striking images of the river, Peace Park and relics in the Atomic Bomb Museum, the poem becomes a passionate appeal for peace, remembrance and a world free from nuclear war.
Resources: Summary • Essays • Question Bank
🟠 Non-Fiction 2 – In Memory of Azores – Mark Twain
In Memory of Azores by Mark Twain is an engaging travelogue describing his visit to the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. With his characteristic humour and keen observation, Twain portrays the people, customs, traditional way of life and scenic beauty of the islands. Combining admiration with gentle criticism and satire, the essay presents a lively picture of the Azores and the memorable experiences of the traveller.
Resources: Summary • Paragraph Questions • Essays
🔵 Short Story 3 – My Old Home – Lu Hsun
My Old Home by Lu Hsun is a moving short story about memory, friendship, social inequality and hope. Returning to his ancestral home after twenty years, the narrator discovers how poverty and class divisions have transformed both his village and his childhood friend, Jun-tu. Despite his sadness, the story ends with a powerful message that hope, like a road, can be created when people work towards a better and more equal future.
Resources: Summary • Paragraph Questions • Essays
🎭 Drama – Pygmalion, Act II – George Bernard Shaw
Act II of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion marks the beginning of Eliza Doolittle’s transformation under Professor Henry Higgins. Determined to improve her life, Eliza approaches Higgins for speech lessons, leading to his famous experiment with Colonel Pickering. Through Eliza, Higgins, Mrs. Pearce and Alfred Doolittle, the act explores language, social class, education, dignity, morality and personal responsibility, while also questioning whether changing a person’s speech and appearance is enough to change their social identity.
Resources: Summary • Paragraph Questions • Essays • Extract-Based Questions
HSE English 4 U