question_answer

Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words.                               (a) What lesson does the mirror convey? (b) What purpose do the statues and monuments serve? (c) Ali displays qualities of love and patience.' Elaborate. (d) How does Mrs Slater plan to outshine the Jordans? What does it reveal about her character?  

Answer:

(a) The mirror conveys the lesson that we should accept the reality of life happily. The woman in the poem was young, beautiful and charming a few years ago, but now she has lost her beauty as she has grown old. The mirror always gives an exact image of whatever appears before it. It has no preconceptions and personal likes or dislikes. It shows only the truth. (b) The rich and powerful people believe that the future generations would remember them by these statues and monuments. It is the human tendency to somehow survive even after one's death. Moreover, they are a symbol of magnificence. (c) It was the intensity of All's" feelings of love for his daughter which helped him reach his destination in the biting cold. This had been his routine for the past five years. He patiently waited for his daughter's letter, not losing hope of receiving it even till his last day. (d) Mrs Slater plans to outshine the Jordan's by wearing the mourning dress and thinks that Ben and Elizabeth will never have thought about mourning yet. It shows her inhuman character, wanting to outshine her sister even at a sad time.