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7. When I had finished, George asked if the soap was in. I said I didn’t care a hang whether the soap was in or whether it wasn’t; and I slammed the bag shut and strapped it, and found that I had packed my spectacles in it, and had to re-open it. It got shut up finally at 10.05 p.m., and then there remained the hampers to do. Harris said that we should be wanting to start in less than twelve hours’ time and thought that he and George had better do the rest; and I agreed and sat down, and they had a go.
8. They began in a light-hearted spirit, evidently intending to show me how to do it. I made no comment; I only waited. With the exception of George, Harris is the worst packer in this world; and I looked at the piles of plates and cups, and kettles, and bottles, and jars, and pies, and stoves, and cakes, and tomatoes, etc., and felt that the thing would soon become exciting.
It did. They started with breaking a cup. That was the first thing they did. They did that just to show you what they could do, and to get you interested.
Then Harris packed the strawberry jam on top of a tomato and squashed it, and they had to pick out the tomato with a teaspoon.
Explanation:
When the narrator finished packing, George asked him whether he had kept soap inside the bag. Hearing this, the narrator became enraged and stated that he didn't care if the soap was there or not. The narrator made the statement because he was utterly fed up with packing and, both of them started questioning him about whether he had taken this or not. Later, he shut the bag even louder and started tying it.
While tying the bag, the narrator realised that he had kept his spectacles inside the bag. So he decided to reopen the bag to take it out. He thought of taking his spectacles out because he needed to use them. Finally, the narrator closed the bag at 10.05 p.m.
While tying the bag, the narrator realised that he had kept his spectacles inside the bag. So he decided to reopen the bag to take it out. He thought of taking his spectacles out because he needed to use them. Finally, the narrator closed the bag at 10.05 p.m.
The narrator got his spectacles
After packing the necessary items like clothes, brushes, and boots, there remained the other things to pack. He had to pack the hampers. The word "hamper" refers to a basket with a carrying handle and a hinged lid used for food, cutlery, and plates on a picnic. They needed to bring it with them on their journey for personal usage.
Meanwhile, Harris interrupted in between and said that they did not have enough time for packing. Also, he stated that they had only less than twelve hours to start their journey. After telling about the time, Harris told the narrator to leave the remaining packing to him and George. Later the narrator agreed with Harris and George and asked them to do the remaining chores, and he sat down to rest for a while.
Harris and George started packing in a cheerful way to show how to pack in a better way. While reading the story, one can understand that George and Harris wanted to prove their packing as best. Also, they wanted to show the narrator that they were better than him. The most important thing to observe was that the narrator had packed the items without the assistance of anyone else. Meanwhile, Harris and George were supporting each other and doing their works. Let's see how both the friends were packing and who was the best packer.
Later, the narrator did not speak anything while they were packing. He simply sat and watched them. His silence was because he was completely tired of packing or wanted to see how well they were packing. The narrator knew that compared to George and Harris, he considered Harris the worst packer in the world. So he waited for them to create a mess while packing things. Later, the narrator looks at the piles of things that were kept for packing. The things that had to be packed into the hampers were plates, cups, kettles, bottles, jars, pies, cakes, tomatoes, etc. Then he felt that the whole place and situation was going to be very soon more interesting. He thought so because he knew how well they do their packing. So he waited in eagerness to have some fun with their packing skills.
The narrator's wish had come true. What he expected had happened. Both of them started their packing by breaking a cup. The narrator says that they broke the cup to indicate what they were capable of and make things more interesting. He said it sarcastically to emphasise how poor their packing was and how their overconfidence had caused them to fail at the start of the process.
After packing the necessary items like clothes, brushes, and boots, there remained the other things to pack. He had to pack the hampers. The word "hamper" refers to a basket with a carrying handle and a hinged lid used for food, cutlery, and plates on a picnic. They needed to bring it with them on their journey for personal usage.
Meanwhile, Harris interrupted in between and said that they did not have enough time for packing. Also, he stated that they had only less than twelve hours to start their journey. After telling about the time, Harris told the narrator to leave the remaining packing to him and George. Later the narrator agreed with Harris and George and asked them to do the remaining chores, and he sat down to rest for a while.
Harris and George started packing in a cheerful way to show how to pack in a better way. While reading the story, one can understand that George and Harris wanted to prove their packing as best. Also, they wanted to show the narrator that they were better than him. The most important thing to observe was that the narrator had packed the items without the assistance of anyone else. Meanwhile, Harris and George were supporting each other and doing their works. Let's see how both the friends were packing and who was the best packer.
Later, the narrator did not speak anything while they were packing. He simply sat and watched them. His silence was because he was completely tired of packing or wanted to see how well they were packing. The narrator knew that compared to George and Harris, he considered Harris the worst packer in the world. So he waited for them to create a mess while packing things. Later, the narrator looks at the piles of things that were kept for packing. The things that had to be packed into the hampers were plates, cups, kettles, bottles, jars, pies, cakes, tomatoes, etc. Then he felt that the whole place and situation was going to be very soon more interesting. He thought so because he knew how well they do their packing. So he waited in eagerness to have some fun with their packing skills.
The narrator's wish had come true. What he expected had happened. Both of them started their packing by breaking a cup. The narrator says that they broke the cup to indicate what they were capable of and make things more interesting. He said it sarcastically to emphasise how poor their packing was and how their overconfidence had caused them to fail at the start of the process.
Broken cup
Later, Harris placed the jar of strawberry jam on top of the tomatoes. The tomatoes were crushed due to the jam bottle's excessive weight. The tomatoes were wasted because their skin was light, and they would be damaged easily. Then, with the help of a spoon, they both removed the smashed tomatoes. From the two incidents, the readers can understand that both were only good at showing off and not good at packing.
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Slam | Shut a door, window, or lid forcefully and loudly |
2 | Kettle | A container or device in which water is boiled, having a lid, spout, and handle |
3 | Hamper | A basket with a carrying handle and a hinged lid, used for food, cutlery, and plates on a picnic |
4 | Light-hearted spirit | To be cheerful or in a happy mood |
5 | Squash | Flat, soft, or out of shape as a result of being crushed or squeezed with force |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2006). Beehive. Packing- Jerome K Jerome (pp. 82-93). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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