NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 5

Read and find out (Page No. 48)

Joanne’s nick name is Jo who is a daughter of Jack & Clare. She is four years old and has been listening to bed time stories from her father for the last two years which she likes very much. His father tells him a new story every time but the characters of the story are always same. Roger is always the main character of his story whose name he changes while presenting story to Jo. For example Roger Skunk, Roger Fish, Roger Chipmunk etc. Jo likes and listens to story excitedly and asks questions with curiosity. She enjoyed listening to stories so much that she kept thinking about them for a long time after the story was over.

Jack told the story about Roger Skunk. Roger is an animal with foul smell and due to foul body odour of Skunk, no animal was interested in playing with him. To find a solution to this problem, he went to the old owl. He hoped that owl would definitely fix his problem. Owl sent him to the wizard who changed his foul smell to that of roses. Now other creatures started playing with skunk but when he returned home and his mother came to know about the whole story she felt angry and took Roger back to the Wizard. She hit the Wizard with an umbrella and asked him to change Roger’s smell back. The Wizard did the same and Roger got his awful smell back but now other creatures did not run away, got used to that awful smell of Roger and started playing with him.

Being a four year old, Jo always wanted to hear good end of stories from her father. Jack used to mold stories according to her choices, harsh realities of life and sometimes according to mood. Something similar happened in this story too, the ending of Roger Skunk’s story did not go according to Joanne and she became very disappointed.She wanted it to have a happy ending but her father ended the story keeping his past in mind. Jo didn’t know this so she got upset. She was a little girl who was used to in listening fairy tale’s kind of stories so it was natural for her to be disappointed after this story.

The story raises a moral issue—should parents always decide what their children should do or let the children do what they like to do. Jack, as a father breaks the heart of Jo in order to make the story a reality. Children on the other hand are very innocent who only want to see and hear good things. The same thing happened to Joanne, who didn’t agree with Roger’s mother and was angry at wizard for making Roger smelly again.She was so angry at Roger’s mother that she wanted the wizard to hit her with her magic wand. Jack, like every other father, wants his daughter to believe that parents are always right and know what’s best for their kids and the little skunk loved his mother more than other animals.

As it seems from the story, Jo was extremely unhappy from the ending her father narrated her. She didn’t want Roger Skunk’s mother to resist the wizard. Jo wanted a good ending in which all the animals played together with Roger because the wizard ended his problem of bad odour. She feared that if Roger became the same again, their friendship with animals would end and he’ll become unhappy again.Jo wanted the wizard to hit Roger skunk’s mother with magic wand who ruined the mind blowing story.She started requesting her father to share the same story again the next day and change the ending in it.

Why does Jack insist that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother?

Jack insists that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother because wizard changed the natural foul smelling Roger to a totally new one. Jack tries to explain with his story that what his mother is seeking is for his own good. She wanted his son the way nature created Him. He claims that she was aware of what was right. Second, the baby skunk adored his mother more than any of the other animals. Jack supported Roger’s mother’s views in any way.

What makes Jack feel caught in an ugly middle position?

Jack feel caught in an ugly middle position because his daughter used to ask too many questions and she was not let his father end the story. But Jack was upset thinking about his responsibilities about his pregnant wife and wanted to help her in household chores. Jo was asking too many questions and Jack got frustrated with that. He wanted to end the story telling session which he and his daughter was continuing from past two years. When he completed the story, he became so exhausted that he didn’t even want to talk to his wife either.

What is your stance regarding the two endings to the Roger Skunk story?

Jack and Jo both were not agree on the same ending of the story. Jo insists her father to come up with different ending of the same story next day because she was too young and could not digest what happens to Roger because of her mommy. That’s why she wanted the wizard to hit Roger’s mother with an umbrella and make him smell good again. She knew if Roger got stinky again then none of his friends would play with him. Other animals would make distance from Roger. Hence Jo wanted the wizard to punish the stupid mommy.
But according to jack, Roger’s mother’s anger was largely justified. She got angry because her son lost God given smell which was needed to keep enemies at bay. This smell worked as a protection for tiny Roger skunk.The newly fragrance was life threatening for Roger because that fragrance used to overwhelm everyone towards him.She went to the wizard for the good of her son and her anger was justified and also she proved correct because now other creatures started playing with Roger even Roger having that awful smell because now they all got used to it and of the two endings I approve the one which is narrated by jack.

Why is the adult’s perspective on life different from that of a child?

The perspective of adults is completely different from that of children. Adults are able to use their more superior cognitive ability based on experiences. They have experienced good and bad, happy and sad in every way. Their decisions are not taken out of emotion but by deep thinking. They came out of the world of fantasies or dreams into real world. Children, however take their decisions by heart.They think very simple and do not have hatred towards anyone. That’s the reason why children love fairy tale stories because they transport them to another place with feelings of happiness and excitement.

1. Who all were there in Jo’s family?
   In Jo’s family she had her father Jack, her mother Clare and a younger brother Bobby. Jo was four years old and her brother Bobby was two years old. Jo used to listen stories from her father on Saturday before going to bed.
2. What was the basic tale underlying each story that Jack told?
   A small creature named Roger had some problem. He would go to the wise owl who told him to go to the wizard. The wizard then spins the magic wand and fixes the problem. The wizard takes the money in return from Roger more than what he had. Then he directed Roger to the place where extra money could be found. These characters were mentioned in almost every story of Jack.
3. Why did Roger Skunk go to see the old owl?
   Due to foul body odour of Skunk, no animal was interested in playing with him. To find a solution to this problem, he went to the old owl. He hoped that owl would definitely fix his problem.

1. How did Jack develop interest in his stories?
   Jack always used to make out the voices of the characters while telling his stories and such sounds always create super natural effect. This brought life to the story and Jo used to listen to it with great interest and used to raise questions.The characters of the story were always same, but the diversity of the story line made it very interesting.
2. What kind of questions does Jo put up from her father while listening to the story?
   When Jo hears about Roger skunk’s bad odour, she asks her father why Roger doesn’t go to old owl for his solution.When she learns that the wizard wields a magic wand she asks, do magic spells really exist? When she came to know that wizard was an old man, she asks if he will die soon. She also corrects her dad when he mistakenly said Roger fish instead of Roger skunk in present story. Moreover, she also asked what were pick-up-sticks as she had no idea about this indoor game. She also asks what does eventually mean.
3. What did Roger ask the wizard and did he get it?
   Roger requests the wizard that he smells bad and other animals doesn’t play with him because of that.He wanted the wizard to do something that will solve his problem.Then wizard recites his magic spell and Roger smells of roses.Roger then giggles happily and his happiness knows no bounds on this.
4. Why Roger skunk’s happiness doesn’t last long?
   When the wizard solved Roger’s problem, he happily went home.When his mother saw that Roger had overcome his bad odor with the help of the wizard, she was furious.She immediately took Roger to the wizard, hit her umbrella over his head and asked him to change her son back.The wizard obeys his mother and restores the original foul smell of Roger, hence his happiness only lasts for a limited time.

Jo insists her father to come up with different ending of the same story next day because she was too young and could not digest what happens to Roger because of her mommy. That’s why she wanted the wizard to hit Roger’s mother with an umbrella and make him smell good again. She knew if Roger got stinky again then none of his friends would play with him. Other animals would distance themselves from Roger. Hence Jo wanted the wizard to punish the stupid mommy.

Roger’s mother’s anger was largely justified. She got angry because her son lost God given smell which was needed to keep enemies at bay. This smell worked as a protection for tiny Roger skunk.The newly fragrance was life threatening for Roger because that fragrance used to overwhelm everyone towards him.She went to the wizard for the good of her son and her anger was justified.