L-1 The School for Sympathy.
Summary of ''School for Sympathy''by E.V. Lucas,
The writer had heard a lot about Miss Beam's school for sympathy. One day he got the chance to visit it.He saw a twelve-year old girl. Her eyes were covered with a bandage. An eight-year old boy was leading her carefully betweem the flower-beds.
After that the other met Miss Beam. She was a middle-aged, kindly and understanding lady. He asked her questions about her way of teaching. She told him that the teaching methods in her school were very simple. The students were taught spelling, arithmetic and writting. The other told Miss Beam that he had heard a lot about the originality of her teaching methods.
Miss Beam told him that the real Aim of her school was to make the students toughtful. She wanted to make them helpfull and sympathetic citizens. She added that parents sent there children to her school gladly. She then asked the writer to look out of the window.
The author looked out of the window. He saw a larged garden and playground. Many children were playing there. He tol Miss Beam that he felt sorry for the physically handicapped. Miss Beam laughed at it. She explained to him that they were not really handicapped. It was the blind day for a few while for some it was the deaf day.
There were still others for whome it was the lame day. Then she explained the system. To make the students understand misfortune, they were made to have experience. of misfortunes.In the course of the term everychild had one blind day, one lame day, one deaf day,one maimed day and one dumb day.On the blind day, there eyes were bandaged. They did everything with the held of other children. It was educative to both the blind and the helpers.
Miss Beam told the author that the blind day was very difficult for the children. But some of the children feared the dumb day. On the dumb day, the child had to exercise will power because the mouth was not bandaged. Miss Beam introduced the author to a girl whose eyes were bandaged. The author asked asked her if she ever peeped. She told him that it would be cheating.
She also told the author that she had no idea of the difficulties of the blind . All the time she feared that she was going to be hit by something. The author asked her if her guides were good to her. She replied that they were very good . She also informed the other that those who had been blind already were the best guides.
The other walked with the girl leading her to the playground. She told him that the blind day was the worse day. She did not feel so bad on maimed day, lame day and deaf day. The girl asked the author where they were at the moment. Hw told her that they were going toward the house.
He also told her that Miss Beam was walking up and down the terrace with a tall girl. The blind girl asked whta that tall girl was wearing. When the other told her about the tall girls dress, she at once made out that she was Millie. The other describe the surrounding to her. He felt that as a guide to the blind, once had to be thoughtful. He was full of praise for miss beams system of education which made the student sympathetic and kind. The writer himself had become ten times more thoughtful.
The School for Sympathy Analysis
1.) What sight caught the narrator’s first impression about Miss Beam’s school?
When the narrator arrived Miss Beam’s school, he caught sight of a girl of about twelve. Her eyes were covered with a bandage and she was being led carefully between the flower-beds by a little boy who was about four years younger. He then saw the girl stopping and asking the boy who the visitor was and then the boy seemingly describing the narrator to her.
2.) What had the narrator think about Miss Beam? Was he right?
The narrator had thought that Miss Beam was a middle-aged woman with a lot of authority like the rest of the school managers. Because he had heard of her kind nature, he was of the opinion that Miss Beam would be kindly and understanding. Yes, the narrator was more or less correct in his speculations. Miss Beam’s hair was beginning to turn grey and she had the kind of plump figure that is likely to be comforting to a homesick child.
3.) What had the narrator heard about Miss Beam’s teaching methods? Had he heard rightly?
The narrator had heard that Miss Beam’s teaching methods were simple. Yes, he had heard about it rightly. Children in this boarding school were taught simple spelling, adding, subtracting, multiplying and writing. The rest of the teaching was done by reading to them and by interesting talks during which they had to sit still and keep their hands quiet. There were practically no other lessons.
4.)“The real aim of this school is not so much to teach thought as to teach thoughtfulness.” What did Miss Beam mean by this?
Today, schools are training professionals, not human beings. Most schools are worried about their status, their strength, their score and their pass-outs. There are very few or no school that aim to make children develop sympathy for the disabled and poor. Enabling the child to think and score is essential yet enabling his/her thoughtfulness or concern for others is more important. Thoughtfulness makes us perfect, not just intelligence and smartness.
5.) What did the narrator see when he looked down from Miss Beam’s window?
Looking down from Miss Beam’s window which overlooked a large garden and a playground at the back, the narrator caught sight of a lot of jolly children. He saw a girl with a crutch watching the others at play.
6.) Explain, “She’s not really lame. This is only her lame day. The others are not blind either. It is only their blind day.”
Miss Beam’s school was different from ordinary schools. In order to make every child understand the plight (difficulties) of disabled people in the world, each child had to live like a blind, lame, deaf, injured and dumb person. By self-imposing blindness, deafness, lameness and dumbness, children understand the sufferings of the really disabled people in the world. Thus, the child will grow up in a world where everyone is considerate and sympathetic. This kills one’s selfishness.
7.) What did the narrator feel after visiting Miss Beam’s school?
The narrator discovered that he was ten times more thoughtful than he ever thought he could be. He also realized that if he had to describe people and things to someone else, it made them more interesting to him. On returning, he really felt sorry for having to leave the school of sympathetic people.
8.) If you were a student of Miss Beam’s school, how will you take her system?
If I get a chance to study in Miss Beam’s school, I will be quite glad to do my blind, lame, deaf and … days because it is a rare opportunity in life. Miss Beam’s system is more realistic and practical than just reading about the physically disabled people. After going through a lame day or blind day, I will be able to understand the difficulties faced by a lame person and get to know the importance of having sympathy for them. This experience will make me complete.
9.) Why, for some children, is dumb day more difficult than blind day?
On dumb days, children have to remain ‘dumb’ by not speaking a word. It is more difficult for children because dumb day doesn’t require the child to to bandage his/her mouth. As a result, there always is a temptation to speak. At this point, the child has to exercise a lot of self control and will-power. It’s perfectly ghastly not to see. I wish you’d try.”
10.) “Ah!” she replied, “then there is something in my system after all.”
Name the speaker.
Miss Beam, the director of the school is the speaker.
When did she say this?
She said this when the narrator praised her unique way of teaching feelings rather than subjects.
What does the speaker mean by her system?
The speaker, Miss Beam has a unique system of teaching – teaching to be thoughtful about others. She imparted this sort of education by making every child experience the plight (struggle) of disabled people by living like the disabled for a day.
The School for Sympathy Central Idea
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