Chapter 4.3 - Mr Nobody
Paraphrase of the Poem:
“Mr. Nobody” is a poem whose poet is unknown. The poem deals with many things that we never bother with and leave carelessly. This attitude of living very laxly about many everyday things and chores has been brought to our attention. The poet also feels that instead of living negligently, we should reflect on and exhibit more responsible behaviour.
The poet begins by stating that there is a funny little person in every house who does all the mischief very quietly. No one can see this person’s face because he does not let himself become visible as he does everything wrong. Yet, all of us agree that every plate that was found cracked (mischief done) was done so by Mr. Nobody.
Mr. Nobody is the one who always damages books by tearing them. He leaves the door slightly open without closing it properly. Mr. Nobody also pulls away the buttons from our shirts, making them unfit for wearing. He scatters the pins here and there and far and wide, making them invisible to everyone and dangerous too. We let the squeaking door squeak and do not bother to oil it because we leave the work of oiling to be done by Mr. Nobody. We do not want to take the time to do anything responsibly.
We never leave finger marks on the door. If at all they are there, they were made by none of us. If the blinds are left unclosed, then the curtains start fading. Even if they remain unclosed, we are never to blame, as we never leave them unclosed. We never spill the ink, for all this is done by Mr. Nobody. The books that are lying around are not ours. They belong to Mr. Nobody.
Meanings:
- mischief – troublesome and playful behaviour cracked – broken glitch
- ajar – slightly open
- scatters – throws about and strews
- afar – at or to a distance
- prithee – please (used to convey a polite request) old English of ‘I pray thee’
- blinds – screens for a window
- fade – lose colour, freshness or strength gradually
- spill – cause to fall or run out of a container
Pointers
1. Read the poem aloud.
Ans: Students must recite the poetry aloud.
2. Complete the following chart of personal pronouns using words from the brackets – (him, our, we, he, her, their, it, me, your).
| Person | Pronouns | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
First | I, ………. | my, ………. | ………., us | mine, ours |
Second | you | ………. | you | yours |
Third | ………., she, it, they | his, ………., its, ………. | ………., her, them | his, hers, its, theirs |
Ans:
| Person | Pronouns | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
First | I, ………. | my, ………. | ………., us | mine, ours |
Second | you | ………. | you | yours |
Third | ………., she, it, they | his, ………., its, ………. | ………., her, them | his, hers, its, theirs |
Which of the above pronouns do you use when you talk about yourself ?
Ans: I, my, me, us, our, ours
Suppose you are telling someone about the good/bad things they have done. What pronoun are you likely to use ?
Ans: you, your, yours
Suppose you are complaining about one or more persons/things to your teacher/mother. What pronouns will you use ?
Ans: he, she, they, him, her, them, his, here, their’s
3. Write all the instances of the mischief done by Mr Nobody.
Ans: The instances of the mischief done by Mr Nobody are;
(i) He breaks plates by causing cracks in them.
(ii) He tears books.
(iii) He leaves the door ajar.
(iv) He pulls the buttons from our shirts.
(v) He scatters the pins afar.
(vi) He does not oil the door and leaves it squeaking.
(vii) He leaves finger marks upon the door, as he does not keep his hands clean.
(viii) He spills the ink.
(ix) He leaves the boots lying around here and there, without putting them in place.
4. What characteristics of Mr Nobody do we learn about from this poem ?
Ans: Mr Nobody seems to be a very mischievous, playful and irresponsible person. He does not handle things with care as he breaks plates. He behaves in a very careless manner by leaving the door ajar. He seems to be very insensitive to others’ problems because he pulls out buttons from shirts and scatters pins.
5. Imagine that there is a Mr Somebody who has to correct all the wrongs that are done by Mr Nobody. Write in the following table, what Mr Somebody will have to do.
| Mr. Nobody's Actions | Tasks for Mr. Somebody |
|---|---|
1. The plate is broken/cracked. | Mend the plate. / Throw it away carefully. |
2. The book is torn. | ……………….. |
3. The door is ajar. | ……………….. |
4. The buttons are pulled from the shirt. | ……………….. |
5. The pins are scattered | ……………….. |
6. The door is still squeaking. | ……………….. |
7. There are finger marks upon the door. | ……………….. |
8. The ink has spilled over. | ……………….. |
9. Boots are lying around. | ……………….. |
10. ……………….. | ……………….. |
11. ……………….. | ……………….. |
Add a few more things to the list in the above table, using your own ideas and experience.
Ans:
| Mr. Nobody's Actions | Tasks for Mr. Somebody |
|---|---|
1. The plate is broken/cracked. | Mend the plate. / Throw it away carefully. |
2. The book is torn. | Mend the book by either sticking a cello tape or any adhesive that is suitable. |
3. The door is ajar. | Shut the door properly. |
4. The buttons are pulled from the shirt. | Tuck the buttons on the shirt. |
5. The pins are scattered | Gather all the pins, put them in a container and keep them safely in an appropriate place. |
6. The door is still squeaking. | Oil the door to prevent it from squeaking. |
7. There are finger marks upon the door. | Wipe and clean the finger marks on the door. |
8. The ink has spilled over. | Clean and wipe the spilled ink. |
9. Boots are lying around. | Arrange the shoes in pairs and put them on the shoe rack neatly. |
10. Expensive clothes are scattered. | Gather the clothes and put them in the laundry basket (to be put for washing). |
11. Dirty plates on the table | Pick up the plates and glasses and place them in the sink for washing. |
12. Leave the comb without cleaning. | Remove the hair from the comb, wipe neatly and keep it in the comb stand. |
6. Write about one occasion each when you have behaved like –
(a) Mr Nobody
Ans: I took out the thermometer to check my temperature as I suspected that I was running a fever. After checking my body temperature, I kept the thermometer on my bed next to me. My mother, who came in to check if I was not keeping too well, sat on it. The thermometer not only broke but also hurt her palm.
(b) Mr Somebody.
Ans: My dad came home in a hurry from the bank and was leaving for the office. In haste, he forgot his mobile. I spotted it as soon as he left. So, I took and went behind him to give it to him so that he would not miss out on any of his urgent business calls.
7. Listen and complete : Close your books. The teacher will dictate some lines from the poem. She will say the first half and you have to write the entire line/verse.
(a) I know a funny……. ……. .
As quiet as a ……..
Who does the mischief that is done
……. ……. ……. !
Ans: I know a funny little man,
As quiet as a mouse,
Who does the mischief that is done
In everybody’s house!
(b) There’s no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all …….
That every plate we break was …….
By ……. …….
Ans: There’s no one ever sees his face,
And yet we all agree
That every plate we break was cracked
By Mr Nobody.
8. Use the following expressions in your own sentences :
(a) We all agree that
Ans: We all agree that we should plant at least one tree each year and nurture it to save our environment.
(b) It is he/she who
Ans: It is he/she who helped the blind old lady to cross the road in spite of being in a hurry to reach school.
(c) Don’t you see
Ans: Don’t you see that all lot of effort and hard work has to be put in order to succeed?
(d) None of us
Ans: None of us ever thought about such an interesting and brilliant idea.