The Canterville Ghost - Study Guide 3 - Story Highlights

                              Focus on Humour

  In this book Oscar Wilde trasforms a horror atmosphere in a comic story; in all the chapters the ghost undergoes humiliation and jokes from the  Otis family.

The author uses also the difference between English mentality and American mentality to create some comic parts of the book:

England is an ancient country, so English people beleve in traditions and legends, instead, the USA is a modern country and people are more realistic so they face the strange and unusual situations differently.

E.g. - offering the medicine and lubricating oil, cleaning up the ominous bloodstain, children's pranks.

These particular devices make this book a mix of horror and comic and it has an important  moral: “He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.', Virginia says at the end.

In “ The Canterville Ghost “ , Oscar Wilde makes the criticism of the American culture .
Since the first chapter, he describes and compares it with the British culture .
The American people are more connected to the progress, the technology, the industry, and they believe in the values that this culture produces .
These people are pragmatic, rational , material; they don’t believe in ghosts , in the occult .
The only thing in which they believe is the power of reason and….money. We can see this throughout the book, in particular in the first chapter when Mr. Otis buys the Canterville Chase: for example Mr Otis says “ I come from a modern country , where we have everything that money can buy “.
The British culture is different. These people are more connected to other values that are not in the American conscience, for example tradition intended both as history and legend and consequently also superstition and popular beliefs .

American ways	English ways
money the most important thing	social position the most important thing
status achieved by individual effort	status achieved by birth
no time for ghosts	moving because of the ghost
nothing is impossible	tradition cannot be interfered with
cannot be frightened	easy to frighten
no history or tradition	plenty of history and tradition
believe in the simple life and hard work	jewels important to the upper class

Instances of Suspense

Suspense devices

 

Oscar Wilde introduces some suspense to make this book more involving and exciting. These suspense parts serve to make this funny book also a horror book and, in conclusion, we can say that it is a comic - horror book.

In the first chapter a terrible lighting terrorizes Mrs. Umney and she faints.

“…a terrible flash of lightning lit up the sombre room, a fearful peal of thunder made them all start to their feet, and Mrs. Umney fainted…”

In the second chapter when the ghost appears for the first time and he makes a very strange noise and he wakes up all the Otis family.

“…The strange noise still continued, and with it he heard distinctly the sound of footsteps. He put on his slippers, took a small oblong phial out of his dressing-case, and opened the door. Right in front of him he saw, in the wan moonlight, an old man of terrible aspect. His eyes were as red burning coals; long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils; his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves…”

In the third chapter the ghost makes an inhuman yell that peals in the castle.

 “…had gone to bed they were suddenly alarmed by a fearful crash in the hall. Rushing downstairs, they found that a large suit of old armour had become detached from its stand, and had fallen on the stone floor, while, seated in a high-backed chair, was the Canterville ghost, rubbing his knees with an expression of acute agony on his face…”

In the fifth chapter the ghost brings Virginia through the wall, in fact she trusts the ghost even when she doesn't know where he wants to take her, so the reader waits for the destiny of the girl.

“...the Ghost clutched her hand more tightly, and she shut her eyes against them. Horrible animals with lizard tails, and goggle eyes, blinked at her from the carven chimney-piece, and murmured 'Beware! little Virginia, beware! we may never see you again,' but the Ghost glided on more swiftly, and Virginia did not listen. When they reached the end of the room he stopped, and muttered some words she could not understand. She opened her eyes, and saw the wall slowly fading away like a mist, and a great black cavern in front of her. A bitter cold wind swept round them, and she felt something pulling at her dress. 'Quick, quick,' cried the Ghost, 'or it will be too late,' and, in a moment, the wainscoting had closed behind them, and the Tapestry Chamber was empty…”.

Practical jokes played on the ghost by children

·         throw a pillow at his head

·         they make a pretend ghost out of a brush, a bed sheet and a pumpkin and leave it in the middle of the corridor

·         put things in his way so he would fall over them in the dark

·         put butter at the top of some stairs

·         place a container of ice-cold water on top of the slightly open door to their bedroom

·         hide in a dark corner in the library, wait until the ghost appears and then jump out and shout ‘Boo!’; Washington is ready to hose him with the garden hosepipe

The Canterville Ghost- Study Guide 2 - Character Details

The ghost: The ghost of the castle for centuries. He was Sir Simon de Canterville who died in 1584. His spirit still haunts the Chase. His aspect is very terrible: “He is an old man, his eyes were as red burning coals, long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils, his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.”

Mr. Otis: The father of the Otis family. He is a middle-aged American minister; he is determinated, inflexible, rational, practical and pragmatic, in conclusion a true American. In fact at the beginning he believes that the ghost doesn’t exist, then, when he personally meets him, he is indifferent: he has more important things to do, making money, for example.

Virginia: “She is a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom, in her large blue eyes. She is a wonderful amazon. She is a kind person. The daughter is the only one in the family who helps the ghost achieve salvation.

Washington: the Otises' oldest son; “he is a fire-haired rather good-looking young man; gardenias and peerage are his only weaknesses.”

The twins: “they are usually called The stars and stripes, they are delightful boys and the only true republicans of the family.” These children always play tricks on the ghost and make him depressed and desperate. All  along  the story, they imagine jokes and even dress up as ghosts.

Mrs Otis:  The mother isn't scared of the ghost and even asks him if he wants a remedy for his stomach. “She is a very handsome middle-aged woman with fine eyes and a superb profile. She has a magnificent constitution and a wonderful amount of animal spirits.”

Duke of Chesire: “He is a handsome young scapegrace” desperately in love with the fifteen-year old Virginia Otis. However, his guardians pack him off to Eton, and he must wait to marry. When Virginia vanishes, he insists on being part of the search party. His devotion is rewarded, and Virginia consents to become the Duchess of Cheshire.

Lord Canterville: A respectable descendent of the Canterville family, that was the owner of the Canterville Chase. “He is an English men of the most punctilious honour.”

Mrs.Umney: the old house-keeper of Canterville Chase is very terrified by the ghost and tries to warn the family.

The Canterville Ghost - Study Guide 1 - Story layout and Characters

                         The Story Skeleton

The Canterville Ghost in real life committed a terrible crime – he killed his wife because she was plain and a bad housekeeper. He was punished for it by his wife’s brothers, who locked him up in a room to starve to death.

And yet, the story of the Canterville Ghost is largely a comedy. The ghost has successfully haunted Canterville Chase for hundreds of years, but the Otis family from America prove too much for him, with their practical solutions to all ghostly manifestations, and the terrible twins who tormenthim until all he dares to do is creep around the house as quietly as possible, instead of wailing and rattling his

chains. Finally the ghost confesses his problems to the girl of the family, Virginia, and she helps him to find eternal rest.

                      Layout

 Chapters 1 to 4

·     Protagonist: Mr. Otis

·     Antagonist: the ghost

·     Object: to turn out the ghost

·     Protagonist’s helper: Washington and the twins

·     Antagonist’s helper: his supernatural powers

Chapters 5 to 7

·     Protagonists: the ghost

·     Antagonist: Mr Otis

·     Object: the ghost soul’s liberation

·     Protagonist’s helper: Virginia

·     Antagonist’s helper: his family, excluding Virginia, and the Duke of Chesire

Childhood – Markus Natten

Theme:
In this poem, the poet, Markus Natten wonders when and where he lost his childhood. In this quest to find the moment he grew up, Markus highlights the innocence and faith he lost even as he gained rational individuality.

Adolescence is usually a confusing time for a child who is unable to immediately come to terms with the physical, hormonal and psychological changes in his or her personality. He no longer feels like a child but is not quite ready to call himself an adult either.

In the poem, 'The Rainbow', William Wordsworth claims, 'Child is the father of man'. Markus seems to be echoing this thought as he underscores how in our childhood innocence lay our ability to appreciate the simpler aspects of life and thus, the child can teach the adult how to appreciate things the latter often takes for granted.

The refrain:
The refrain of any poem is/are line (s) that repeat at regular intervals throughout the poem. The refrain often carries the central message of the poem. The two lines which do so in this poem are:
When did my childhood go?.... 
Was that the day!
The first line (which is a question) identifies the central theme of the poem, that is, the attempt to identify when exactly the poet lost his childhood.
The second line begins with a question word but ends with an exclamation. Hence, it is no more a mere question. Rhetorical in nature, this line brings out the poet's sense of realisation.


Stanza - wise interpretation:

Stanza 1: 
The poet wonders when he lost his childhood. He muses that perhaps it was the day he realised that the concepts of Heaven and Hell, he had been taught of since his youngest years, had no standing in the light of the day. Geography textbooks did not give the location of any such place. Education made the poet question his faith and look at the world much more rationally. The poet realises that he might have lost his childhood when he gained this rational outlook.

Stanza 2:
In the second stanza, the poet recalls the time when he realised that the adults around him did not practise what they preached. They told the poet to be loving and caring, however, they were themselves argumentative, violent and discourteous. Their behaviour was a far cry from the love they sermonised about and advocated so reverently to the child. 
Thus, the child lost his faith in the adults around him, whom he had so far, trusted without question. Their latent hypocrisy became evident to the growing child. Perhaps, says Natten, that broken trust was one of the major steps towards adulthood.
Notice, that this is perhaps, the longest line of the poem. Markus Natten is a genius at putting punctuation to use. The length of this line and the difficulty to recite it in one go, indicates that this is perhaps the biggest loss the child has suffered.

Stanza 3: 
As he grew up, the poet realised that his mind was unique, could form its own opinions and could take its own decisions. He gained a sense of individuality which set him free from the prejudiced opinions of others around him. His own experiences shaped his thoughts now and he realised that this might have been the time he lost his childhood innocence completely.

Stanza 4: 
In the final stanza, the poet changes his question. From wondering at what point in time, he had lost his childhood, the poet now wonders where it went.
The last three lines may be interpreted in two ways.
The poet claims that his childhood is nothing more than a long lost memory. He recalls his infancy and believes that his true childhood resides there, in that infant's face, and that innocence cannot resurface in this lifetime.
The poet believes that his childhood has become nothing more than a memory for him but has become the reality of some other infant. Innocence is a cyclical process where lost from one person, it travels to another, finding residence there. Thus, till date, adults can easily recall and seem to almost relive their own childhood, through an infant in their lives.


Why does the poet think that he had lost his childhood?
The poet, Markus Natten, believes that he has lost his childhood. He believes so because he has lost the innocence and purity of his childhood. When he was a child, he used to believe in the existence of Hell and Heaven. He also believed that adults had real love. In his childhood he didn’t have any egoistic attitude.

What did the poet realize when he was twelve years?
At the age of twelve, the poet learnt that Hell and Heaven were not real but mere stories and that science didn’t support the existence of Hell and heaven.

What did the poet realize about adults?
The poet used to believe that his elders were sincere about relationship and love. But later he realized that their love was not real. He saw that the adults were only talking about love but never loved anyone.

What happened to the poet when he was aware of his ego?
At the end of his childhood, the poet realized that he too was a separate individual. He began to take his own decisions. He seldom listened to his elders because he began to place himself at the center of everything.

What misunderstandings did the poet have about adults till he became one? 
The poet, until he was himself an adult, had thought that the grown up people had real love for others. He believed that their love was true and they were ready to die for their loved ones.

How did adults ‘seem’ to the poet when he was a child? 
When the poet was a child adults seemed to him as messengers and poets of love. He heard them singing love songs and talking endlessly about love and romance.

Bring out the hypocrisy that the adults inhibit with regards to love.
Adults talk too much about love and almost every aspect of the adult life is closely connected with love; movies, plays, novels and songs. But the poet believes that the adults are hypocritical about love because in practice they do not have true love for others.

How do social interactions kill a child in a child?
A human being is supposed to live as innocent as a child throughout his life but it is very hard in a society that believes “complexity is maturity and science is the final word.” When the child grows up, he hears, sees, understands and accept new codes of behavior and new concepts of growth.

Where does the poet find his lost childhood? How can he get it back?
The poet, a specimen of the counterfeit personality, finds his lost childhood on the face of a child. he can get it back only when he commits to be child again, forgetting the complex adult concepts and pseudo maturity perceptions.

Reference to Context Questions
When did my childhood go?
Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,
Was it the time I realized that Hell and Heaven,
Could not be found in Geography,
And therefore could not be,
Was that the day!

What is the age of the poet?
What is the poet’s mood?
Why does the poet suspect science in connection with his losing his childhood?

When did my childhood go?
Was it the time I realised that adults were not
all they seemed to be,
They talked of love and preached of love,
But did not act so lovingly,
Was that the day!

How were the adults responsible for the poet’s sadness?
What did the poet realize about adults when he was yet a child?

When did my childhood go?
Was it when I found my mind was really mine,
To use whichever way I choose,
Producing thoughts that were not those of other people,
But my own, and my alone,
Was that the day!

What did the poet discover about his mind? How was that discovery important?

Where did my childhood go?
It went to some forgotten place,
That’s hidden in an infant’s face,
That’s all I know.



Otherwise Questions

The poet asks four questions in the poem but he knows only one answer for sure? What is that and why is it so?

Is it easy to retain one’s childhood innocence throughout his life? How can one do it without being adulterated by religion, education and the mainstream society?

Question Bank:

Short answer questions –

Q.1.Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow:_

       When did my childhood go?

       Was it the day I ceased to be eleven,

       Was it the time I realised that Hell and Heaven,

       Could not be found in Geography,

       And therefore could not be,

       Was that the day!

      

      (a) What questions rises in the poet’s mind?

      (b) Which two occassions come to his mind as an answer?

      (c) Explain the meaning of the line “And therefore could not be.” How does it relate to the end of childhood?

Q.2.Read the lines below and answer the questions that follow:-

       When did my childhood go?

       Was it the time I realised that adults were not

       all they seemed to be,

(a)    What is the name of the poem? Who has written it?

(b)   What realisation comes to the child regarding adults?

(c)    Why does this realisation make him feel that his childhood has gone?

Q.3.Read the lines given below and answer the following questions:-

       They talked of love and preached of love,

       But did not act so lovingly,

       Was that the day?

(a)    Name the poem and the poet?

(b)   Who are they?

(c)    How is the poet’s observation about ‘their’ behaviour significant?

(d)   Complete the question raised in the last line

Q.4.Read the lines given below and answer the following questions:-

       When did my childhood go?

       Was it when I found my mind was really mine,

       To use whichever may I choose,

       Producing thoughts that were not those of other people

       But my own, and mine alone

       Was that the day!

(a)    What do words ‘my mind was really mine’ mean?

(b)   What kind of feeling is generated in the mind of the poet in lines 3,4,5?

(c)    Which day is the poet referring to? Do you think the poet’s feeling is right?

Q.5.Read the lines given below and answer the following questions:-

       Where did my childhood go?

       It went to some forgotten place,

       That’s hidden in an infant’s face,

       That’s all I know.

(a)    Name the poem and the poet?

(b)   What is ‘it’ mentioned in line2?

(c)    What do lines 2 nd 3 mean?

Q.6. What conclusion did the poet come to about Hell and Heaven?

Q.6. What did the poet notice about his mind? How important was this discovery?

Q.7. Where can the poet find his childhood? Is it lost irrevocably?

         Q.8. What did the child observe in the behaviour of adults? How was his observation relevant to question that rose in his mind?

         Q.9. What is the poet trying yo discover in the poem ‘Childhood’?What significant occasions has he mentioned?

         Q.10.Of all the occasions mentioned in the poem,which do you think really shows that the poet is no longer a child?
                 Give reasons for your answer?

  

Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues

This is a living example of technology advancement. We accepted things and events attributing their cause to nature and her wrath. However, advancement and technology could give us a different picture. This way, it has become a habit with us to accept everything that history states and dictates. On the process the modern world has found ways to offer a different view on it. In other words, the modern world has turn impossibilities to possibilities. William’s report gives an insight into this. A mummy scanned after a thousand years has opened new avenues regarding a cause of it’s’ death. The mummy referred to here is that of King Tut or Tutankhamen, meaning the living image of Amun. The earlier ruler, Amenhotep-IV has shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major God, smashing his images and closing all his temples. His family had ruled for centuries before the boy king, Tut took over. However, Tut ruled for nine years and then died both mysteriously and unexpectedly.
The scanning of Tut’s mummy also gave an insight as to how mummies were buried. Howard Carter, who scanned the body found it difficult to extract the mummy. The ritual resins had hardened thereby cementing Tut to the bottom of his solid gold coffin. Carter finally had to chisel the mummy away having no other option. Every major point was severed. Tut was buried with gold which was meant to guarantee the resurrection and was also buried with every day things he would need in his after-life. Tut also had things to take on his journey to the great beyond-glittering goods, precious collars, necklaces and sandals, all of pure gold. The computed Tomography scan couldn’t solve the mysterious death of Tut but gave us clues for sure. The X-rays and C.T. scan reveal a startling fact-the breast bone and the Pont ribs of Tut were missing. Such a revelation would not have been possible without technological precision. This fact gives us a clue that Tut, in all likelihood did not die a natural death.

Technology hasn’t been able to give us a definite answer to Tut’s death. However, it has given us a direction to think and proceed. Maybe in future, technology would solve it for us. The whole excavation and the scan required scores of people. It was a grueling job and the workers had a tough time. After the pharaoh was rested in peace again, Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said, “I didn’t sleep last night, not for a second. I was worried. But now I think I will go and sleep.” It just proves how tough the whole process was. In other words, King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned-in death as in life. He was famous when he was alive and his untimely death has raised the necessity to probe the lingering mysteries of this young ruler who died more than 3,300 years ago.

 

Revision

Tutankhamun was one of the Egyptian Pharaohs. He became a king at a very small age of 15 or so but after a short period of time he was probably murdered by his enemies. We have no clues about why he was murdered, by whom, with what, and many others. What we know now is that he was buried solemnly after being mummified and encased in three coffins one in the other. He was buried with gold, silk garments, diamonds and even with under garments because the ancient Egyptians believed in life after death. After his grand burial, a pyramid was erected upon his tomb. This is a very famous pyramid in Egypt’s long history. All this happened 3300 years ago.

1.    Who was Tutankhamun?

2.    What do you know about his death?

3.    How was Tutanhamun buried after his life?

Centuries passed. In the year 1920, an archaeologist, Howard Carter, discovered this tomb. Note that it was after 3300 hundred years of Tut’s burial! Carter was a British citizen and therefore he didn’t have the beliefs of the Egyptians. The Egyptians never tried to go near Tut’s tomb because they had feared that going near Tut’s tomb was disasterous. It could invite the Pharaoh’s curse! Like other British citizens, carter also believed that this was just a superstition to keep thieves away from the tomb and from the enormous wealth buried with the little Pharaoh. Anyway carter was not scared. He decided to take Tut’s body out.

1.    Who was Howard Carter?

2.    What discovery did he make in 1920?

3.    What superstition had prevailed about Tutankhamun? Did Carter believe this? Why?

But taking Tut’s body wasn’t that easy. Carter and his team broke the three gold coffins one after the other. Finally they broke the innermost coffin and saw the dried, hard body of Tut! It was really wonderful to see the dead body of a 3300 year old mummy and to know for sure that his name was Tutankhamun. Don’t you think so? I would have felt a creeping feeling!!! However, Howard carter was a strong heart. He then decided to take the body out of the coffins but soon realized that that was not so easy because the body had got hardened with the resins and separating the body from the coffin was IMPOSSIBLE! But Carter could not think of leaving the body there. He feared the thieves who could destroy the mummy for stealing the valuable wealth inside, so Carter decided to cut Tut’s body into pieces.

1.    Why wasn’t it easy to take out Tut’s body out of the third coffin?

2.    Why could not Carter think of leaving Tut’s body in the tomb?

That really happened: Carter amputed Tut’s hands, legs and all the other joints. You can call it a kind of a 21st century murder of a 1300 BC Pharaoh and the Murder was committed by HOWARD CARTER. Carter had no other option because for him the mummy was more important than the treasures. Having taken the sliced pieces of Tut, Carter rejoined them into Tut again.Why did Carter ampute Tut’s body? Well, Carter received criticisms from everywhere for killing an ancient mummy but Carter went ahead with his discovery. After some years, probably after Carter’s death, a doctor performed an Xray and found out that one of Tut’s bones was missing from his reassembled body. How did it happen? No one knows! Years passed and archaeologists and scientists performed a number of studies and experiments.

1.    Why was Carter criticized?

2.    Do you think Carter was absolutely wrong in amputing Tut’s body? Why?

3.    What did the Xray images reveal of Tutankhamun?

The most remarkable experiment performed on Tut’s body was that his whole body was CT Scanned in the year 2001. The first Pharaoh to be CT Scanned and Xrayed! The first Egyptian to taste the most modern scientific treatment! The first man to be honored with modern technology! Tut is outstanding, amazing, lucky.

1.    How is King Tutankhamun ahead of his countrymen and all the men who lived and died on this earth?

Questions & Answers

1.    When was Tutankamun’s mummy first discovered?

2.    What are the modern world’s speculation about his death? OR What new clues has the scientific world got about the life and death of Tut?
Tutankhamun’s mummy was first discovered in the year 1920 by archaeologist Howard Caretr’s team. The modern world speculates that he was the last of the Pharaohs of a powerful dynasty. He was less than twenty years when he was probably murdered whereas he became king at a very younger age.

3.    What are the facts behind the curse of the Pharaoh?

4.    Why did Howard Carter ampute Tut’s mummy?

5.    Give an account of Tut’s funerary treasures.

6.    King Tutankamun was outstanding during his life and beyond that. Explain.

7.    What were Howard Carter’s contributions to archaeology? Why was he criticized for the same?