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Jody allowed his thoughts to drift back to the fawn. He could not keep it out of his mind. He had held it, in his dreams, in his arms. He slipped from the table and went to his father’s bedside. Penny lay at rest. His eyes were open and clear, but the pupils were still dark and dilated.
Jody said, “How are you feeling, Pa?”
“Just fine, son. Old Death has gone thieving elsewhere. But wasn’t it a close shave!”
“I agree.”
Penny said, “I’m proud of you, boy, the way you kept your head and did what was needed.”
Explanation:
The lesson "This is Jody's Fawn", written by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, is about a little, brave and sensitive boy named Jody and his sympathies for a small fawn that Jody's family abandoned in the forest after its mother was killed. Through the main character Jody, the author emphasises the value of compassion and thankfulness in this story.
Jody couldn't help but think about the orphaned fawn, despite his best attempts. In his dreams, he imagined hugging the fawn with his arms. As thoughts about the fawn continued to bother him, he finally got up from the table and headed over to his father's bedside, where Penny (Jody's father) was resting. Jody decided to tell his father about the poor fawn that was left alone after the doe's death.
The Doe and the Fawn
Penny's pupils remained dark and enlarged, despite the fact that his eyes seemed to be open and clear. This is because Penny hadn't slept the previous night after a snake's bite. Though he was not completely cured, he replied that he was alright when Jody inquired how he was feeling.
"Old Death has gone thieving elsewhere. But wasn’t it a close shave". In this context, 'death' is personified as a thief who, according to Jody's father, left to another location without stealing Penny's life as Penny had been saved from a major threat. The comments of his father were accepted by Jody. Also, Penny complimented Jody for keeping his calm and completing the task at hand.
We may deduce from the conversation between the father and the son that Penny was not feeling well since something bad had occurred to him, and he was resting after the incident.
Meaning of difficult words:
S.No | Words | Meaning |
1. | Drift back | To move toward something |
2. | Close Shave | A narrow escape from danger |
3. | Abandon | To leave somebody or something that you are responsible for |
4. | Deduce | To form an opinion about something based on the available information |
5. | Dilate | Wider or more open than the usual |
6. | Sympathy | The feeling of being sorry for someone |
7. | Doe | A female deer |
8. | Fawn | A young deer |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2008). Honeydew. This is Jody's Fawn - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (pp. 86-93). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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