TheAddress class 11 summary, meaning of the difficult words, theme of the lesson, questions with answers
🖋️ About the Author – Marga Minco
Marga Minco was a Dutch writer born in 1920 in the Netherlands. She is best known for her works based on the experiences of the Jewish people during World War II. Her writings are simple yet deeply emotional, focusing on loss, memory, displacement, and the pain of war.
Being a survivor of the Nazi persecution, Marga Minco lost most of her family during the war, and her works often reflect this personal tragedy.
Her famous works include “The Address” (Het adres) and “Bitter Herbs”, which won her great recognition.
📘 About the Lesson – The Address
“The Address” is a short story by Marga Minco that talks about the effects of war, loss of identity, displacement, and human greed.
It is written in first person and tells the story of a Jewish girl who returns to her hometown after World War II to retrieve her family’s belongings from a woman who used to be her mother’s acquaintance.
🧾 Summary of the Lesson
After the war ended, the narrator (a young Jewish girl) went back to her native town to recover her family’s possessions that her mother had given to Mrs. Dorling, a woman who had promised to keep them safe during the war.
She remembered the address – Number 46, Marconi Street, where Mrs. Dorling lived. When she reached the house, Mrs. Dorling did not recognize or welcome her. She shut the door, pretending not to know her.
The narrator was hurt and confused but decided to visit again later.
On her second visit, Mrs. Dorling’s daughter opened the door. The narrator entered the house and saw all her family’s belongings — the silverware, antique plates, tablecloths, and furniture — arranged in a strange and unfamiliar way.
Although everything was familiar, it no longer felt like home to her. The house looked suffocating and lifeless, filled with memories of the past that she could no longer relate to.
Finally, she realized that the things she once loved had lost their meaning. They could not bring back her mother, her home, or her past life. She decided to leave everything behind, not taking anything back.
She resolved never to visit Number 46, Marconi Street again.
💡 Theme of the Story
The story beautifully captures:
-
The impact of war on human lives
-
The loss of home and identity
-
The emotional disconnect between the past and present
-
How material possessions lose meaning when loved ones are gone
It shows how war destroys not just homes, but also human relationships and emotions.
(A) Short Answer Type Questions
Answer: When the narrator said, “I’m Mrs S’s daughter,” Mrs Dorling looked at her with surprise. She seemed uneasy and confused. Without showing much warmth, she stood there silently, making the narrator feel unwelcome.
Q.2- Why did the narrator wait a long time before going to the address number 46, Marconi Street?Answer: The narrator waited because she had lost her family and home during the war. She was mentally disturbed and weak. She wanted to gain courage before visiting Mrs Dorling to see her mother’s belongings.
Q.3- When did the narrator become curious about her mother’s possessions? Answer: The narrator became curious after the war was over and peace returned. When she again started living a normal life, she remembered her mother’s belongings and wanted to know what had happened to them.
Q.4-How was the narrator able to recognise her own familiar woollen table-cloth?
Answer: The narrator recognised the woollen table-cloth by its old, familiar design and pattern. It reminded her of her mother and the happy times spent at home. She had often seen it on their table before the war.
Q.5- Why did the narrator resolve to forget the address, No.46, Marconi Street?
Answer: The narrator resolved to forget the address because the belongings kept there no longer gave her comfort. They only reminded her of the painful past. She wanted to free herself from those bitter memories and move forward.
(B) Long Answer Type Questions
Q.1- What impression do you form of the narrator?
Answer: The narrator appears to be sensitive, emotional, and caring. She loved her mother deeply and wanted to recover her belongings. At the same time, she was strong and practical. She realised that memories mattered more than material things. Her decision to forget the address shows her maturity.
Q.2- How did the narrator come to know about Mrs Dorling and the address where she lived?
Answer: Before the war, the narrator’s mother had told her about Mrs Dorling. She had said that Mrs Dorling was taking their valuable belongings for safety. She even gave her the address, No.46, Marconi Street. After the war, the narrator remembered this address and went there to find her mother’s possessions.
📚 Difficult Words – Meanings (With Hindi Pronunciation and Meaning)
| Word | Pronunciation in Hindi | Meaning in Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| Address | एड्रेस | पता |
| Belongings | बिलॉन्गिंग्स | सामान / वस्तुएँ |
| Possessions | पज़ेशनज़ | संपत्ति / स्वामित्व की वस्तुएँ |
| Acquaintance | अक्वेंटेन्स | परिचित व्यक्ति |
| War | वॉर | युद्ध |
| Retrieve | रिट्रीव | वापस पाना |
| Stranger | स्ट्रेंजर | अजनबी |
| Recognize | रेकग्नाइज़ | पहचानना |
| Pretend | प्रिटेंड | दिखावा करना |
| Refuse | रिफ्यूज़ | इंकार करना |
| Visit | विज़िट | मुलाक़ात करना |
| Familiar | फैमिलियर | परिचित |
| Suffocating | सफोकेटिंग | घुटन भरा |
| Displacement | डिसप्लेसमेंट | विस्थापन / स्थान परिवर्तन |
| Memories | मेमोरीज़ | यादें |
| Belief | बिलीफ़ | विश्वास |
| Furniture | फर्नीचर | फर्नीचर / घर का सामान |
| Silverware | सिल्वरवेयर | चांदी के बर्तन |
| Realize | रियलाईज़ | एहसास करना |
| Emotion | इमोशन | भावना |
| Identity | आइडेंटिटी | पहचान |
| Recognizable | रेकग्नाइज़ेबल | जिसे पहचाना जा सके |
| Hostile | हॉस्टाइल | शत्रुतापूर्ण |
| Stranger | स्ट्रेंजर | अजनबी |
| Antique | एंटीक | प्राचीन वस्तु |
| Lifeless | लाइफलेस | निर्जीव |
| Promise | प्रॉमिस | वादा |
| Greed | ग्रीड | लालच |
| Loneliness | लोनलीनेस | अकेलापन |
| Destroy | डेस्ट्रॉय | नष्ट करना |
| Meaningless | मीनिंगलेस | निरर्थक |
| Past | पास्ट | अतीत |
| Present | प्रेज़ेंट | वर्तमान |
| Refugee | रिफ्यूजी | शरणार्थी |
| Painful | पेनफुल | दुखद |
| Hope | होप | आशा |
| Disconnected | डिसकनेक्टेड | अलग-थलग |
| Stranger | स्ट्रेंजर | अनजान व्यक्ति |
| Recognize | रेकग्नाइज़ | पहचानना |
| War-torn | वॉर-टॉर्न | युद्ध से नष्ट |
| Memories | मेमोरीज़ | स्मृतियाँ |
| Emotionless | इमोशनलेस | भावनाहीन |
| Recollect | रिकलेक्ट | याद करना |
| Safety | सेफ़्टी | सुरक्षा |
| Belongingness | बिलॉन्गिंगनेस | अपनापन |
| Grief | ग्रीफ़ | दुःख |
| Refuge | रिफ्यूज | शरण |
| Determined | डिटर्मिंड | दृढ़ निश्चयी |
| Denial | डिनायल | इनकार |
| Stranger | स्ट्रेंजर | अजनबी |
| Evoke | इवोक | याद दिलाना |
| Connection | कनेक्शन | संबंध |
| Broken | ब्रोकन | टूटा हुआ |
| Meaning | मीनिंग | अर्थ. |
No comments:
Post a Comment