LitAide

This story is composed of memories of our narrator about a distinguished and artistic shoemaker.  Although, we are aware that shoemaking is literally a craft, not an art. However, this anecdote tells a different view. If a craftsman is devoted to perfecting the quality of his craft, then surely, why shouldn't we call him an artist? Galsworthy shares his precious memories of his favourite shoemaker, who lives and breathes in his shop, devoting his life to his art or craft, shoemaking. The author knew Mr. Gesslar from his childhood. He had a shop in London owned jointly by him and his brother. One can easily recognize his German accent, giving clue to his ancestry. From the narrator, we know the skill of Mr. Gesslar and his finest quality of shoes. Such was the quality and strength of his shoes that the narrator used to meet him in years as the former hadn't feel the need to visit him. And, after each meeting, he can feel the visible ageing of Mr. Gesslar. The shoemaker had unsha...

A tree symbolizes differently to children, mothers, father, and animals. It doesn't stand for a single thing It is interesting to note that although, a tree is a living being but we, human beings, treat it as a multi-purpose object. Every part of a tree is of utility for us, even after it has been cut down,  Birds build their shelter on trees. For children, trees have always been a source of enjoyment. They love playing around trees, and every child wishes to get a treehouse. Swings are suspended on trees and remain a favourite in a park. Children find a tree a perfect place to hide in their game of hide-and-seek. They find it hassling when their kites get caught in a tree. Adults too love to host their tea parties under a tree. In summertime, a tree provides cool shade for everyone, but during winter, no shade is there due to less sunlight. When a tree has been chopped down, its name changes to "timber", which is again useful to us. Mothers usually tell their children th...

According to the dictionary, the word "chivvy" means to nag, "to continuously urge someone to do something, often in an annoying way". Brief summary For children, there is one thing despicable to them, i.e. getting rebuked all the time by grown-up people like parents, teachers, etc. Parents are always mindful of what the children are doing, and it becomes their habit to utter words of caution and prevention to the children like: "Speak up Don't talk with your mouth full  Don't stare  Don't point Don't pick your nose" According to the grown-ups' psychology, children cannot do anything on their own; they need a little push and help from adults. They fear that the children will hurt themselves doing something without the supervision of the guardians. But, on the contrary side, parents complain that children are too dependent on them and can't initiate something on their own. So, the conundrum for the children is that if they take some ...

"A Gift of Chappals" is an excerpt from a novella (a short novel) by Vasantha Surya, a writer, translator, poet, and journalist. This short story is about the playful activities of a group of cousins:- Mridu, Lalli, Ravi and Meena. Mridu, a young girl resided in Madras (present-day Chennai) with her Tapi (grandmother) and Thatha (grandfather). She visited her aunt, Rukku Manni's house and was welcomed there by her cousins, Lalli, Ravi and Meena. In the beginning, when they entered their house, Mridu took off her slippers unknowingly near old and dusty grey slippers. These slippers are important as we will see later. The cousins were excited as they found a kitten which was the centre of attraction for them. They laid the cat inside a torn football and fed it milk stolen from the kitchen in a coconut shell. Interestingly, they named it "Mahendraverma Pallava Poonai", in short, "M.P Poonai", after the emblematic cat belonging to the Pallava empire. Sudde...

Once upon a time, there was a king who had a fascination to know the answers of the following three questions: 1) What is the right time to begin something? 2) Which people should the king listen to? 3) What is the most important thing for him to do? The king made an announcement that whoever would answer his questions, would get a large sum of money. Many people offered various answers. But the king was not satisfied. He heard about a worldly-wise hermit, so he undertook a journey to the woods where the hermit lived. But there was a catch, the hermit used to meet only common men, so the king went there disguised as a plain man. He saw him digging in front of his hut. The king met him and asked him his questions. He ignored as he was digging the ground. The hermit, being old and weak, tired out soon. The king offered him help and he obliged and gave him his spade. The king worked continuously through the evening. Done with the work, he blurted out the reason why he came to visit him in...

The narrator, a child describes a shed at the corner of his garden. He is afraid to go into it. He can hear the creaking of its rusted door hinges while from being laid in his bedroom. Also he saw spider webs on the door. He resolves to open that door one day   and conquers his fears. The window pane of the shed has three crack on its glass. When he walks past the shed, he fears that someone stares at him from the inside. His brother, taking advantage of his fear of the shed, tells him that a ghost lives underneath the floor of the shed. He cautions the narrator against entering the shed because if he does so, a ghost will chop his head off. But the narrator dispels this ghost theory, owing it to his brother's plan to keep it as his own place. He himself refutes his own misconceptions about it. He plans to go into the shed, some day, but not at the present time. This shows that he is still afraid of the unknown contents of the shed.