Have I understood? (3)

Time to test your understanding of Mr. Nobody. Owh..Don't be nervous. Just a simple assessment =)

Read the following stanza and then answer the questions below.

 

The  finger marks upon the door          By none of us  are  made; We never leave the blinds  unclosed,          To let the curtains fade; The ink we  never  spill; the boots           That lying  round you see Are not our  boots – they all  belong           To Mr. Nobody

1.         What do you think the following lines mean?

            “The finger marks upon the door / By none of us are made;”

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

2.       Why are the blinds never left undone?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

3.         What do these  lines  “the boots /that  lying  round …” tell you 

            about Mr. Nobody?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

4.         Who do you think Mr. Nobody is?

            _______________________________________________________________

            _______________________________________________________________

Roll..Camera..ACTION!

Hye guys!! How are you today? hope you are doing fine..Why? I have a fun activity for you regarding Mr. Nobody. Well, it's time to act! Choose your role, find your drama team and ACT.. Practice your lines well, speak up.. I have a script for you. If you would like to record your role-play, just do it and send it to me! I would love to see acting Mr. Nobody. Have fun =)

Role-Play

 

Role-play Script

MOM   :           Hey, this plate is cracked, almost broken. Who has been so 

                       careless? Was it you, honey?

DAD    :           No, it wasn’t me. Maybe it was Aaron who did it.

MOM   :           Aaron, did you drop this when you were washing it?

ARON :           No, maybe it could have been sis who cracked the plate.

MOM   :           Alice, was it you?

ALICE :           Of course not. I’m always careful, not like Aaron.

MOM   :           Well, as usual, if I ask, the answer is always nobody did it.

DAD    :           Aha, I know for sure that one of the children must have dirtied the

                        carpet. I can see muddy sneaker prints on it. 

                        Weren’t the two of you outside playing in the rain yesterday?

ARON :           Dad, we did not wear sneakers, only slippers.

ALICE :           Nobody’s sneakers were muddy at all. Check the shoe-cupboard.

 MOM  :           What do you know! It’s Mr. Nobody again!

DAD    :           Looks like we need to install a CCTV to see who does not close 

                       the door properly, who leaves the newspapers scattered 

                       everywhere, who forgets to draw the curtains, who spills ink, 

                       who tears the books and whatever else that goes wrong.

MOM   :           Okay, I’ll call the CCTV company tomorrow.

Activate yourself !

Activity for today!! Yeahhaa..evaluate your own behaviour and challenge yourself to do good.

 
For this activity, elicit the negative behavior that is mentioned in the poem.  Then, list the opposite behavior that is positive in nature. Finally, list other positive things that you can do at home to help you parents.

Fill in the positive behavior in the opposite column.

Negative behavior	Positive behavior
crack plates
tear books
leave doors ajar	close the doors tightly
pull buttons from shirts
scatter pins
	oil the doors
put damp wood on the fire
feet bring in mud
soil carpets
mislay the papers
toss papers about
dirty the doors with finger marks
leave the blinds unclosed
spill the ink
leave boots lying around

Synopsis of Mr. Nobody

So, do you have a clue of what the poem is all about after watching the videos? Please say yes. Here, I have the synopsis of the poem. Do read because it can be your note sometimes.

Synopsis

The poem talks about irresponsible behavior. The persona in the poem is most probably a parent who wants to admonish the children for always running away from responsibility and for blaming others for the mischief that they have done.

The message, though serious, is put in a light-hearted manner as a gentle reminder to children that they should not conveniently blame others for something that they could easily do themselves. It is irresponsible to claim ignorance for little misdeeds that occurs frequently in the house.

The repetition of the reference to Mr Nobody emphasizes how conveniently we blame others for our indifference, negligence and irresponsibility. There is a tinge of humour and we can sense the poet chiding us for blaming others for our carelessness and misdeeds.