NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 4 - Short Stories

Stop and Think

1. What brought Captain Hagberd to Colebrook?

Ans: “The old one and the young one will be strolling arm in arm to get shaved in my place presently,” the barber laughed as Captain Hagberd walked out of the tap-room of the New Inn near the harbour. He stated that this eccentric old Hagberd, a retired coasting skipper, was waiting for the return of one of his sons when he noticed a stranger listening to him with a vacuous grin. Barber claims that Colebrook is the only site in the United Kingdom where his long-lost sons could be found. Captain Hagberd arrived in Colebrook three years ago after selling his old home in Colchester.

2. Why did the people of Colebrook not have a favourable opinion of Captain Hagberd?

Ans: Captain Hagberd does not have a good reputation in Colebrook since he is not in his right mind or presence after losing his kid and then his wife. The residents of Colebrook believe that he is insane and no one pays attention to him.

3. What sort of a seaman had Captain Hagberd been?

Ans: Captain Hagberd was one of the sailors who pursued his vocation while still within sight of the shore. Many sailors have rational hate for the sea, but he had a deep and emotional aversion to it.

4. Captain Hagberd constantly hinted at something that made Bessie blush. What was it?

Ans: Captain Hagberd’s wink was the hint that caused Bessie to blush. When he shared something with her and talked about being excited, she laughed a little to ease her conscience and blushed somewhat.

5. What were Bessie’s reactions to old Hagberd’s ravings?

Ans: When talking about his kid, Hagberd seemed to be optimistic that he would return home soon. She had pitifully attempted to cast doubt on that hope condemned to fail. Captain Hagberd gave her a horrific and unexpected reaction, and for a brief period, he appeared to be about to lose his mind. My youngster can't stay away from the sea, and there's nothing that can stop him from returning. His gaze began to stray. But the next day, Bessie humoured him in silence beside the fence, patiently listening.

6. What sort of a person was Mr Carvil?

Ans: Mr Carvil was a deranged former boat builder with a reputation as a domestic tyrant. He quickly loses control and begins shouting.

7. What was the point of similarity between Captain Hagberd and old Mr Carvil?

Ans: Captain Hagberd and old Mr Carvil are both irritable people who have a tendency to overreact to situations because their ability to deal with them is limited. On the same boat but in a different situation, Captain Hagberd calls Bessie when he wants something, shouting loudly like he is out of control, and old Mr Carvil, a fat blind man who had given himself up to a very lust of laziness, calls Bessie when he wants something, shouting loudly like he is out of control.

8. Why did Bessie sometimes show signs of irritation and disgust?

Ans: He's still advertising for Harry Hagberd in the Sunday papers. He informed Bessie that these sheets had been read in far-flung corners of the globe. Simultaneously, he appeared to believe that his son was in England—so close to Colebrook that he would arrive ‘tomorrow.' Bessie, without committing herself to that position in so many words, maintained that in that circumstance, the cost of transportation was justified. It would be better if you spent that week half-crown on Captain Hagberd instead of advertising. Miss Bessie referred to his outbursts as tantrums. She aggressively shook her finger at him. Captain Hagberd's actions anger and disgust Bessie from time to time.

9. Who was the stranger who met Captain Hagberd?

Ans: Harry Hagberd, Captain Hagberd's son, was the stranger. Captain was anxious at first meeting a stranger since the other was talking about his kid, and then he lost control when the stranger said, "The devil he is!" Captain began shouting, his feet squelched in the puddles left by his work, as the stranger gazed in awe. He crawled across the destroyed grass plot's holes. He dashed into the barrier, blindly.

10. What did young Hagberd think it meant when old Hagberd said that his son would be coming home ‘tomorrow’?

Ans: Young Hagberd became apprehensive and unsure whether or not old Hagberd had recognised him, which is why he changed his tone from telling old Hagberd, "You've been identified," to "You've been identified." 'I've grown a beard like Father Christmas.' If elderly Hegberd did not recognise young Hagberd, the tone should be changed.

11. What reasons did Bessie give for encouraging old Hagberd in his insane hopes?

Ans: Bessie's justifications for boosting old Hagberd's irrational hopes are as follows: First, she advised Harry to persuade old Hagberd that he is merely his son and return him to his normal state. Furthermore, Harry Hagberd stated, "He isn't frisky—is he?" I'd be terrified of grabbing him. Then she told Harry, to support old Hagberd's foolish hope, "Old Hagberd was the most harmless creature that ever lived."

12. What makes Bessie convinced that the young man is indeed Harry?

Ans: When Bessie asked Harry, "Are you truly Harry Hagberd?" he was taken aback. ‘Can you back it up?' Yes, I can prove that Harry said confidently. Harry smeared a fake beard on his chin and asked Bessie, "Do I look like him or not?" 'It's true,' Bessie said mumbling. After that, he told Bessel every detail that proved he is just Harry, such as how Mother chastised me for being idle, and the old man threatened to tear my soul out of my body rather than let me go to sea. Well, it seems that he would as well. Bessie was persuaded by Harry's memory-based information that the young man was definitely Harry.

13. What kind of life had Harry lived after he left home?

Ans: His life was a whirlwind as he told Bessel, "I've done virtually anything you can conceive of save a tailor or a soldier." I've sheared sheep, humped my swag, and harpooned a whale as a boundary rider. I've rigged ships, prospected for gold, skinned dead bullocks, and passed up more money than the old guy would have scraped together in his lifetime.

14. What does Bessie tell Harry about his father’s plans for him?

Ans: Your father starves himself for your sake, she told Harry, and all he has in the world is for you. This is what she told Harry over breakfast when they were discussing Captain Hagberd.

15. What did Captain Hagberd call out to Bessie from the window?

Ans: ‘Send him away, my darling,' Captain Hagberd shouts from the window to Bessie. He's just a wanderer. What you really want is a nice place to call your own. That guy doesn't have a house; he's not like Harry. He can't possibly be Harry. Harry will arrive the next day. Do you hear what I mean? ‘One more day,' he exclaimed, ‘and you will never fear—Harry will marry you.'

Understanding the Text

1. What is the consistency one finds in the old man’s madness? 

Ans: We can certainly say that the older man was very consistent with his madness. There are so many incidents in the story that clearly show that he was somehow mad. When the two went to the barber, he was watching the stance boy there and noticing him. He never shaves his beard; when his wife died, he was a very big smoker, and he thought it would help heal. These points prove the consistency of the older man.

2. How does Captain Hagberd prepare for Harry’s homecoming? 

Ans: Captain Hagbard prepared all the things his son would love; there was a box full of packets of various flower seeds to choose from for the front garden. They decide to change the full furniture of the cottage so that his son loves it and stays with them forever. He decided to cover the overgrown grass with concrete. These all are the plans Captain Hagberd was preparing for “Tomorrow” when his son was coming.

3. How did Bessie begin to share Hagberd’s insanity regarding his son?

Ans: Bessie Begin was a woman who notices everything but generally doesn’t share her feelings. She explains the insanity of Hagberd with the stranger by saying that he has lost his son in the sea and the dreams of his son; he always dug in the front yard but never planted anything because he was waiting for his son, but the son was not coming back home and when he got to know that his son is coming “tomorrow” he then decided to plant the flowers.

4. What were Harry’s reasons for coming to meet old Hagberd? 

Ans: Harry was now thirty-one years old and was a sailor by profession. He told his father that he wanted to marry a simple and beautiful girl now, which is why Harry is coming home. 

5. Why does Harry’s return prove to be a disappointment for Bessie? 

Ans: Harry’s return proves to be a disappointment because both Harry and Bessie were close to each other and shared a special bond of love, but when Harry went back, it broke her completely.

Talking about the Text

Discuss in small groups or pairs 

1. ‘Every mental state, even madness, has its equilibrium based upon self-esteem. Its disturbance causes unhappiness’.

Ans. Yes, every mental state, even madness, has its equilibrium based upon self-esteem, but when it’s not in control, then it spreads unhappiness. Like in the story, the old Hagberd was mad, but he was in equilibrium because of his self-esteem, but when he was not in his senses, he sped up unhappiness near him.

2. Joyce’s ‘Eveline’ and Conrad’s ‘Tomorrow’ are thematically similar.

Ans. Eveline, the protagonist in Joyce's "Eveline," yearns for happiness and love. Captain Hagberd is waiting for his kid in Conrad's "Tomorrow." Thematically, the two stories have a sense of longing in common. Aside from that, Eveline and Bessie are both mistreated and bullied by their fathers. Both desire to get out of their predicament. Both women want to be pleased with their future spouses. But, in the end, both are let down. Captain Hagberd has been waiting for his runaway son for sixteen years. When he returns in the end, he doesn't recognise him and sends him away. Bessie is a dissatisfied girl after learning the truth about Harry after waiting and hoping for a life with him as a child. After sixteen years, he returns only to disappoint his father and the girl he loved. Eveline's storey and Tomorrow's story both end in tragedy. As a result, we can argue that Joyce's "Eveline" and Conrad's "Tomorrow" have similar themes.

Appreciation

1. Comment on the technique used by the author to unfold the story of Captain Hagberd’s past.

Ans. Joseph Conrad masterfully employed this method. There is no mention of the past at first, but as the novel progresses, secrets from the past are revealed. The plot is well-constructed, and there is a sense of tension throughout the storey. Finally, everything has been revealed, and readers have a complete picture of the storey.

2. Identify instances in the story in which you find streaks of insanity in people other than Hagberd. What implications do they suggest?

Ans. In the story, two more people are somehow mad: To begin with, Mr Carvil always overreacts when he wants something and shouts without any reason. Also, there is insanity in the barber as he judges the people on baseless points without knowing the truth.

Language Work

A. Figures of speech: Allusion

Notice the comparison in the following sentence

With his maritime rig, his weather-beaten face, his beard of Father Neptune, he resembled a deposed sea god who had exchanged the trident for the spade.

In this sentence, there is a comparison made between Hagberd and Neptune, the god of the sea in Roman mythology who is shown with a trident in his hand.

The figure of speech that makes a casual or indirect reference to a famous historical or literary event or figure is called allusion.

TASK

Pick out one or two other examples of allusion from the story and comment briefly on the comparison made.

Ans: He wanted to turn me into a miserable lawyer’s clerk, and now he wants to make of me a blamed tame rabbit in a cage. In this sentence, a comparison between rabbit and Harry Hagberd is made.

B. Pronunciation

Words often have a different stress pattern when their grammatical function changes. Read the following words

Verb Noun

‘inform infor’ mation

‘hesitate hesi’ tation

TASK

Now complete the columns below and mark the syllable that receives primary stress.

Verb Noun

present ..............

examine .............

............ production

calculate ...............

............... distribution

specialise ................

Ans:     

Verb Noun

pre’ sent pre’ sen’ ta’ tion

exa’ mine exa’min’ation

pro’ duce pro’ duc’ tion

cal’ cu’ late cal’ cu’ la’ tion

dis’ tri’ bute dis’ tri’ bu’ tion

spe’ cia’ lise spe’ cia’ li’ sation

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Kaliedoscope Short Stories Chapter 4 - Tomorrow

NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English - Free PDF Download

The English Class 12 NCERT Solutions Chapter 4 short stories are given here in the PDF format, and can be downloaded from Vedantu for free of cost. The NCERT Class 12 English Chapter 4 Tomorrow can be accessed by the students whenever they wish to. These NCERT Solutions help students to do a quick revision of the chapter and assess their understanding of it.

Chapter 4 - Tomorrow

What Colebrook knew about Captain Hegbert was not all good. He was not originally from there. He also used to openly tell others about his past. He had very little money because he had purchased a plot of land and also owned a brick cottage which was yellow in colour and looked very ugly. He occupied one of the houses and rented the other to a retired boat builder who was blind. He was an evil man. The cottages had one common wall, and an iron railing, and the daughter of his tenant used to put her clothes on it to dry them.

The captain was there waiting for his son to return. The boy had run to the sea and never returned. The captain was advertising for his lost son in the papers. He was ready to reward anyone who gave him even a little bit of information about his son. He used to walk all the way trying to find his son, but in vain. Unfortunately, now the old man did not even remember a lot about how his son looked.

The sailor, his son, was seen by someone but did not meet the description of the old man who instead portrayed his son to be energetic and young. The old man had also lost his wife a few years back. The barber in the story narrates the entire episode of how finally the captain lost his pursuit of searching for his son. However, he kept thinking that one day his son would definitely return to Colebrooke.

The story is heart touching about the old man’s struggle to find his long lost son. Then one day, he meets a stranger who was his son. However, the captain did not recognize him. The man’s son, Harry told him that he knew everything about his lost son, but the captain was not interested in hearing about it, any more. He started to prepare for his son’s homecoming.

Exercise - Understanding the Text

This exercise has 5 questions, and all are of the long answer type. Practicing these questions will give students a good grasp of the chapter and a thorough understanding of what the story conveys.

Exercise - Stop and Think

The section has 15 questions and by practicing these questions, students can analyze the story and the characters even further. They will have to read between the lines to comprehend and figure out the characters in the story, in detail. This helps to trickle their imagination. The students should go through these questions because it lets them keep themselves in the shoes of the character and feel what he or she may be analyzing at the moment.

Key Features of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 4

• The NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 4 have been prepared by Vedantu’s in-house teachers who have done a lot of research to come up with the best solutions. The simple explanation helps students to build their concepts and develops the confidence in them to tackle any question asked from the chapter.

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