The Proposal
The Proposal
Activity 1 (Page 1)
Can you guess what sort of proposal the play is about?
Based on the options and the summary of the play, the proposal is about (iii) the act of asking someone’s hand in marriage.
Activity 2 (Page 2)
Do you think Indian and Russian weddings have any customs in common? Fill in the table.
Customs similar to Indian ones – Arranging for rings, bride’s dress, cars, and a reception. Customs different from Indian ones – The groom has to “fight” or climb stairs and answer riddles to get his bride.
Customs similar to Indian ones – Families sharing wedding expenses (becoming more common). Customs different from Indian ones – The groom must pay cash if he guesses a riddle wrong.
Customs similar to Indian ones – Weddings lasting for two or more days. Customs different from Indian ones – The newly-married couple leaves for a city tour after the registration and before the reception.
Customs similar to Indian ones – A wedding procession of cars. Customs different from Indian ones – The bride gets “stolen” by the groom’s friends, who demand a fee.
Customs similar to Indian ones – Speeches and toasts to the couple. Customs different from Indian ones – (None mentioned).
Customs similar to Indian ones – Guests eating, drinking, and having fun. Customs different from Indian ones – (None mentioned).
Customs similar to Indian ones – Stealing the bride’s shoe (similar to Joota Chupai). Customs different from Indian ones – (None mentioned).
Thinking about the Play
1. What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Ans. Suspicion: Chubukov first suspects that Lomov has come to borrow money. In an aside, he says, “He’s come to borrow money. Shan’t give him any!”.
* Sincerity: No, he is not sincere. His immediate reaction is selfish (refusing a loan). When he finds out the real reason is a marriage proposal, he is “off my balance with joy”, not out of fatherly love for Lomov, but because he sees the proposal as a good economic match. He has “been hoping for it for a long time”. His insincerity is confirmed when he insults Lomov (“The stuffed sausage! The wizen-faced frump!”) as soon as Lomov leaves the room.
2. Chubukov says of Natalya: “… as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat…” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
Ans. No, I would not agree that she is “in love” or “like a lovesick cat”.
* Natalya is completely unaware of Lomov’s intention; when he leaves, she asks her father, “What proposal?”.
* When she finds out he came to propose, she immediately goes into hysterics, screaming, “Bring him back! Back! Ah! Bring him here”. This seems less like love and more like desperation not to miss an opportunity for marriage.
* She accepts the proposal but immediately starts another argument about their dogs, yelling “Worse!” as the play ends [cite: 179-181]. This is not the behavior of a “lovesick” person.
3. (i) Find all the words and expressions in the play that the characters use to speak about each other, and the accusations and insults they hurl at each other.
Ans. Here is a list of descriptions, accusations, and insults:
Chubukov about Lomov: “my dear fellow”, “my angel”, “my treasure”, “my precious”, “my darling”, “my beauty”, “pettifogger”, “malicious, doublefaced intriguer”, “blind hen”, “turnip-ghost”, “stuffed sausage”, “wizen-faced frump”, “Boy! Pup!”, “Milksop! Fool!”.
* Lomov about Chubukov: “honoured Stepan Stepanovitch”, “grabber”, “intriguer”, “Old rat! Jesuit!”.
* Lomov about Natalya: “excellent housekeeper, not bad-looking, well-educated”.
* Natalya about Lomov: “rascal”, “monster”.
* Mutual Insults (about families):
* Lomov says Chubukov’s grandfather was tried for embezzlement.
* Chubukov says the Lomovs have had lunacy in their family.
* Chubukov says Lomov’s grandfather was a drunkard and his younger aunt ran away with an architect.
* Lomov says Natalya’s mother was hump-backed.
* Chubukov says Lomov’s father was a guzzling gambler.
* Natalya says Lomov’s aunt was a backbiter.
3. (ii) Then think of five adjectives or adjectival expressions of your own to describe each character in the play.
Ans. Lomov: Hypochondriac, nervous, argumentative, wealthy, desperate.
* Natalya: Quarrelsome, stubborn, outspoken, lonely, materialistic.
* Chubukov: Melodramatic, opportunistic, insulting, two-faced, desperate (to get his daughter married).
3. (iii) Can you now imagine what these characters will quarrel about next?
Ans. They are already quarreling about whose dog is better (Guess or Squeezer) as the play ends [cite: 179-181]. [cite_start]Their “family bliss” begins with an argument. They will likely quarrel about the wedding plans, their finances, their property boundaries, or any other petty issue.
Thinking about Language
I. 1. Are there any expressions… that strike you as more Russian than English?
Ans. Yes. The most striking examples are the overly affectionate terms an older man (Chubukov) uses for a younger man (Lomov).
* Russian-style expressions: “my darling”, “my treasure”, “my beauty”, “my angel”. These are not typical ways for men to address each other in contemporary English.
* Contrast with English idioms: The play also uses many standard English idioms, such as “Spit it out!”, “off my balance”, “I can’t make head or tail”, and “My foot’s gone to sleep”.
I. 2. Look up the following words… find out which syllable is stressed…
* pal-pi-TA-tions (5 syllables, stress on TA)
* in-ter-FERE (3 syllables, stress on FERE)
* im-PLORE (2 syllables, stress on PLORE)
* THOR-ough-bred (3 syllables, stress on THOR)
* PED-i-gree (3 syllables, stress on PED)
* PRIN-ci-ple (3 syllables, stress on PRIN)
* EV-i-dence (3 syllables, stress on EV)
* mis-FOR-tune (3 syllables, stress on FOR)
* ma-LI-cious (3 syllables, stress on LI)
* em-BEZ-zle-ment (4 syllables, stress on BEZ)
* AR-chi-tect (3 syllables, stress on AR)
* NEIGH-bours (2 syllables, stress on NEIGH)
* ac-CUS-tomed (3 syllables, stress on CUS)
* TEM-po-rar-y (4 syllables, stress on TEM)
* be-HA-viour (3 syllables, stress on HA)
* DOC-u-ments (3 syllables, stress on DOC)
I. 3. Look up the following phrases… and then use each in a sentence of your own.
Ans. (i) You may take it that: (Meaning: You can safely assume; it is certain.)
* Sentence: If you don’t receive a reply by Friday, you may take it that your application was unsuccessful.
* (ii) He seems to be coming round: (Meaning: He seems to be regaining consciousness).
* Sentence: After fainting, he drank some water and he seems to be coming round.
* (iii) My foot’s gone to sleep: (Meaning: My foot has become numb).
* Sentence: I sat cross-legged for an hour, and now my foot’s gone to sleep.
II. Reported Speech
In the following sentences fill in the blanks to list the changes that have occurred in the above pairs of sentences.
* To report a question, we use the reporting verb asked (as in Sentence Set 1).
* To report a statement, we use the reporting verb said (or declared, as in Sentence Set 5).
* The adverb of place here changes to there.
* When the verb in direct speech is in the present tense, the verb in reported speech is in the past tense (as in Sentence Set 3).
* If the verb in direct speech is in the present continuous tense, the verb in reported speech changes to past continuous tense. For example, is getting changes to was getting.
* When the sentence in direct speech contains a word denoting respect, we add the adverb respectfully in the reporting clause (as in Sentence Set 1).
* The pronouns I, me, our and mine… change according to the subject or object… such as he, him, or his in reported speech.
III. Rewrite [the excerpt], changing the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
Here is the rewritten excerpt:
90-year-old A. K. Hangal laughs and asks why we want to know his age. He says that if people know he is so old, he won’t get work. For his age, he is rather energetic. We ask him what the secret is. He replies that his intake of everything is in small quantities and that he walks a lot. He says that he joined the industry when people retire and that he was in his 40s. He says he doesn’t miss being called a star. He is still respected and given work, when actors of his age are living in poverty and without work. He says he doesn’t have any complaints, adding that yes, he has always been underpaid. Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hangal never hankered after money or materialistic gains. He regrets that no doubt he is content today, but money is important. He says he was a fool not to understand the value of money earlier.
Homophones (Page 20)
* close (adjective, /kloʊs/, meaning near) and close (verb, /kloʊz/, meaning to shut).
* present (noun, /’prezənt/, meaning the current time), present (verb, /prɪ’zent/, meaning to give), and present (noun, /’prezənt/, meaning a gift).