Level: B.A/ B.B.S || Lesson 38 Mr. Know All (W. Somerset Maugham, England 1874-1965)
Words Meaning
Accommodation = loading, room and food
Liners = ship
Rigidly = strictly
Dismay = despair
Wardrobe = stock of clothes
Put up with = bear
Berth = sleeping place
Ebony = hard wood
Monogram = two or more letters combined and one design
Blink = to disregard
Tactless = not clever
Study = vigorous
Sleek = smooth
Drapery = cloth
Tumbler = a kind of glass for drink
Chatty = talkative
Martini = a kind of drink
Furnish = provide
Slam = band
Snub = to stop
Compliment = admiration
Affront = insult
Vanity = falsehood
Frigid = hopeless
Dogmatic = orthodox
Resent = to be angrybet
Acrimoniour = bitter
Interminable = endless
Bulged = swelled
Vehement = powerful
Flicker = shine
Desperate = hopeless
Chaff = joking
Flush = shy with shame
Demeanor = manner
Swarthy = dark and dismal
Patron = one who helps with money and other services
Cocktail = mixture of liquors
Pal = friend
Flask = narrow-necked bottle
Ball = social gathering
Loquacious = talkative
Mister = Mr.
Exasperating = irritating
Seized = caught
Dogmatic = conservative
Fetch = seek and bring
Resume = start again
Vaguely = unclearly
Clasp = joining of two palms
Errand = short journey
Triumph = victory
Swarthy = having dark color of skin
Steward = a person who arranges the supply of food
Jolly = happily
Inevitable = certainly
Chap = man, fellow
Vanity = conceit
Bulged = curved outwards
Flicker = burn lightly and irregularly
Vehement = eager in speech
Triumph = win
Summary
The writer Mr. Maugham himself was going to Yokohama, Japan from San Francisco, The USA. He couldn’t get a separate cabin then he shared a cabin with Max Kelda was also English. The writer didn’t like to share anything with Kelda but serves Maugham drink. The writer was worried that he had to spend 14 days with Kelda. When Maugham reached in his cabin, Max Kelda welcomes him with open arms. But the writer didn’t accept his welcome. The writer started playing game but again Kelda came near him. Kelda talked about plays, politics, etc. with the writer. Kelda was talkative and used to go to each passenger on the ship. He became popular among the people who were on the ship. They share the cabin and table.
One American couple was sitting next to their cabin. The American couples were Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. While they were eating. Food, there was a hot discussion about Japanese imitation of pearl. Mr. Kelda said that he was a jewel dealer. He knows about quality of pearl. Kelda saw pearl on Mrs. Ramsay’s neck and Kelda said that pearl of Mrs. Ramsay is original and costs between 15 to 30 thousand dollors. But Mr. Ramsay said that it was duplicate and cost 18 dollor. Mr. Ramsay said that it was bought in New York. Then they bet for one hundred dollor on the pearl of Mrs. Ramsay. Kelda examined the pearl. He looks at Mrs. Ramsay’s face and saw her face red with fear. Mrs. Ramsay hadn’t told her husband reality, she had told her husband that this necklace was duplicate and same thing told Mr. Ramsay to Kelda. Ramsay didn’t know the reality. Then Mr. Kelda accepted his defeat though pearl wasn’t duplicated. He handed one hundred dollor to Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. The next morning, Kelda received one hundred dollors in an envelop. The envelop was pushed into the cabn of Kelda by Mrs. Ramsay. There was one hundred dollors in that envelop. Then Max Kelda informed the writer that pearl was really original so Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay returned his one hundred dollors to him. In this way he had knowledge of all kinds of things so he was called Mr. Know All.
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Four Levels of Interpretation
Literal Comprehension
The writer Mr. Maugham himself was going to Yokohama, Japan from San Francisco, The USA. He couldn’t get a separate cabin then he shared a cabin with Max Kelda was also English. The writer didn’t like to share anything with Kelda but serves Maugham drink. The writer was worried that he had to spend 14 days with Kelda. When Maugham reached in his cabin, Max Kelda welcomes him with open arms. But the writer didn’t accept his welcome. The writer started playing game but again Kelda came near him. Kelda talked about plays, politics, etc. with the writer. Kelda was talkative and used to go to each passenger on the ship. He became popular among the people who were on the ship. They share the cabin and table.
One American couple was sitting next to their cabin. The American couples were Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. While they were eating. Food, there was a hot discussion about Japanese imitation of pearl. Mr. Kelda said that he was a jewel dealer. He knows about quality of pearl. Kelda saw pearl on Mrs. Ramsay’s neck and Kelda said that pearl of Mrs. Ramsay is original and costs between 15 to 30 thousand dollors. But Mr. Ramsay said that it was duplicate and cost 18 dollor. Mr. Ramsay said that it was bought in New York. Then they bet for one hundred dollor on the pearl of Mrs. Ramsay. Kelda examined the pearl. He looks at Mrs. Ramsay’s face and saw her face red with fear. Mrs. Ramsay hadn’t told her husband reality, she had told her husband that this necklace was duplicate and same thing told Mr. Ramsay to Kelda. Ramsay didn’t know the reality. Then Mr. Kelda accepted his defeat though pearl wasn’t duplicated. He handed one hundred dollor to Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. The next morning, Kelda received one hundred dollors in an envelop. The envelop was pushed into the cabn of Kelda by Mrs. Ramsay. There was one hundred dollors in that envelop. Then Max Kelda informed the writer that pearl was really original so Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay returned his one hundred dollors to him. In this way he had knowledge of all kinds of things so he was called Mr. Know All.
Interpretation
This story tries to show how white Americans behave Negros. Max Kelada was a Negro but Maugham was a white. Maugham didn’t like to share joy and happiness of his journey with Max Kelada. When Kelada welcomes him, Maugham doesn’t care. Next thing the writer shows that how women make her husband fool in the absence of their husbands. Here, Mr. Ramsay was an employee at American Consular Office at Kobe in Japan. He had left his young beautiful wife behind in New York for a year. Now he was taking his wife to Japan though Mr. Ramsay didn’t get good salary. Mr. Ramsay’s wife had bought an original pearl necklace. Mr. Ramsay thought it was really duplicate. But Mrs. Ramsay had bought original necklace in the absence of her husband. These types of circumstances occur when women are away from their husbands. It became clear that Mrs. Ramsay had earned money unfairly to buy the chain when her husband had been away in Kobe.
Critical Thinking
This text is easy to understand. There is use of first person-‘I’. the text shows that one should be valued in terms of intelligence not in terms of color of skin. Friendly and good nature of person shpuld be admired. Same things happens in this story. Next for a happy life, husband and wife should live together otherwise there might be like of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. But it is difficult to believe that writer didn’t like Mr. Kelada at all though he was open-hearted and frank. Why don’t these whites care their own native people though they claim themselves as the greatest democratic people of the world?
Assimilation
When I read this story, I remembered my village Dalits. Some of my villagers who are rich, get Dalits to work in the field and they do their work well. Everything is done for rich people by these Dalits but rich people who aren’t Dalits don’t let their children play with Dalit’s children though some of the Dalits children are hardworking. These rich people don’t like to share their experiences with Dalits.
Possible Questions
- Summarize the story MR. KNOW ALL.
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