Panorama 2 | Prose
Chapter 2 Me and The Ecology Bit
Joan Lexau
Joan Lexau narrates nicely the importance of a pollution-free environment in this lesson, “Me and the Ecology Bit”. The underlying meaning of the present lesson is that preaching about ecology is easy but difficult to abide by the rules of ecology preservation.
Me and The Ecology Bit
Joan Lexau is the author of many picture books for children including the My First I Can Read Book Go Away, Dog, written under the pen name, Joan Nod set, and illustrated by Paul Merisel. Ms. Lexau lives in Otisville, NY.present lesson ‘Me and the Ecology Bit’ brings out how the issue of preserving the environment and saving ecology is everybody’s concern and difficult to solve. Preaching about ecology is ways but it is difficult to abide by the rules of ecology preservation.
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Sure, it is hard to get people to work for ecology. Everybody is in favor of it but nobody wants to do anything about it. At least I’m doing something, going around telling people what they should do. But all I get is a lot of backtalk.
I have this paper route. My father had one when he was a kid, so he made me get one last year. Between it and my homework, I hardly have time for playing ball and stuff, some days I get in only a few innings.
But anyhow, on Saturdays when I collect, I put in good work for ecology. Like last Saturday morning. It was a good collecting day. It had just turned spring and a lot of people were outside.
I went to Mr. William’s house. As usual, he tried to pretend he’s not home. But I see him burning leaves in the backyard, so he’s stuck. He pays me, and I tell him. “You shouldn’t burn those leaves. It’s bad for air, had ecology. You should make a compost pile like we do. Put in the leaves, garbage, and stuff. Good for the garden.”
He doesn’t agree or hand his head in shame. He says, “That compost pile is your job at home, Jim, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I say proudly, which would shock the idea I hate working with compost. Which I do. Mr. Williams says, “Well don’t you take a little more trouble with it, put enough dirt on top of each layer? Then we wouldn’t have this nose pollution.”
“Huh?” I say “You mean noise pollution.” “No,” he says. “I mean your compost smells up the whole street.”
My feelings are hurt, but that doesn’t stop me from trying again. I go to collect from Ms. Greene. I have to call her Ms. Greene because if I call her ‘Mrs.’, she says she doesn’t have change to pay me.
She is putting her garbage out for the weekly pickup on Monday. She goes away on weekend; so on Saturdays and Sundays, we have to look at the big plastic garbage bags on her lawn. But I don’t say anything about it; I just look at the garbage.
She says to me, “Go pick up that gum wrapper you threw on my lawn. Put it in one of the plastic bags. Didn’t anybody teach you not to litter?”
I hold my temper and pick up my gum wrapper and put it in a bag. Then she says, and there’s a law in this town about keeping dogs in a leash. So, why is yours always all over the place? That dog digs up my garden and messes up my garden and messes up my yard, and last weekend Mr. Williams saw it tear open one of my garbage bags.”
“Well,” I say, but I can’t think of anything to go with it. Then I see she is piling newspapers next to her garbage bags.
“Listen, Ms. Green,” I say, “save those papers for the school pickup, and they can be made into new paper. Save aluminum cans, too.”
“Like the last school pickup?” she asks “When you said you’d come and pick them up, but you never showed up? It’s easier to throw them away a few at a time than have a big mess like that.”
I get tired of trying to get Ms. Greene to do something about ecology. I go to Mr. Johnson’s house. He makes a run for his car, but I can run faster than he can.
“Just trying to get to the post office before it closes. “He says, huffing and puffing.
“You got time,” I say, “You even got time to walk. It’s only two blocks. You shouldn’t take your _____ when you don’t need to. The walk would be good exercise and seven gases and not pollute. That’s ecology.”
“They sure are,” I say. “We had a lot about trees and ecology in school. They make the air better and stuff like that.”
“See that tree over there?” he says, pointing to where there isn’t any tree.
“I don’t see any tree,” I tell him.
“Of course not,” he says. “And no grass either. Because you made a path there taking a short cut from Mrs. Green’s. There was a little tree just starting to get bigger there taking a short cut from Mrs. Greene’s. There was a little tree just starting to get bigger there until you killed it by trying to jump over i8t every day. Remember?”
“Oh,” I say.
“And talking about not driving when you can walk. You drive your motorbike round and round your backyard all summer. And your snowmobile all winter. Isn’t that wasting power and making noise pollution too?”
But “it’s fun,” say.
“Well, I enjoy taking the car to the post office,” he says, “But now you’ve made me too late.” He goes in the house looking very mad.
Then I remember he hasn’t paid me. But I decided to wait until next Saturday. At least I made him not pollute with his car for once.
I don’t talk to the rest of my route about ecology. It’s very boring work, this ecology bit.
But when I get home, I see my mother using the electric mixer.
“You should do that with your old egg beater,” I point out to her.
“Save on electricity. Women use too many electric things.”
She says in a very cold voice, so who watches TV twenty-seven hours a day around here? Or is that some other kind of electricity?
See what I mean? Nobody’s willing to do anything about ecology, except me. And nobody listens to me.
Glossary & Notes:
- Innings: A period or term of play in a game, especially baseball and cricket.
- Stuff: Various items, material, or matter, often of unspecified or mixed character.
- Pretend: To behave as if something is the case when it is not, typically for amusement or in order to deceive someone.
- Compost: Decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer.
- Garbage: Waste material, especially domestic refuse.
- Pollution: The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.
- Wrapper: A covering or covering material for protecting or enclosing a product.
- Keep dogs on a leash: A directive to restrain dogs by keeping them tethered to a leash or lead.
- Mess: A situation or state of affairs that is confused or full of difficulties.
- Huffing and puffing: Breathing heavily, often as a result of physical exertion or anger.
Summary in English
Joan Lexau wonderfully brings out how the issue of preserving the environment and saving ecology is very sensitive and difficult though it is essential for our existence.
Everybody is in favor of saving ecology but nobody wants to do anything about it. Jim, a young boy has undertaken the work of going around and telling people to preserve the environment and to save ecology. Though he gets little time out of his homework, he has fixed Saturday for visiting people to fulfill his mission. He discusses the importance of preserving the environment with them. He also collects filth and wastes from many houses where he visits. His ecology-friendly attitude is admirable.
One Saturday he goes to Mr. William’s house. He finds Mr. William burning leaves in the backyard. He pays some amount to Jim. Jim suggests he make a compost pile of leaves, garbage, and other stuff, which is good for the garden. Mr. William does not agree with him and accuses him of the bad smell coming from his compost itself causing noise pollution. It hurts his feeling. But he goes ahead without becoming disheartened and visits Mrs. Greene to collect. Seeing him she immediately makes him responsible for throwing gum wrappers on her lawn and instructs him (Jim) to put them in the plastic bags.
She also tells him not to keep his dog free, as it digs up her yard and makes it dirty. Seeing her piling newspapers beside her garbage bag he advises her to save those papers and aluminum cans so that new papers and aluminum could be made. He gets tired of trying to get Mrs. Greene to do something about ecology. Then he goes to Mr. Johnson's house, who is getting ready to go to the post office, which is located only two blocks from there by his car. Jim tells him not to go by car for such a short distance to save ecology. But he does not agree with him. At the same time, he makes him (Jim) guilty of killing a tree and grass by running over them every day, making a shortcut path through Mrs. Greene’s house. But due to the long discussion held Mrs. Johnson does not go to the post office. Jim feels satisfaction over it because he made him not pollute by his car at least once.
Then in the last, he returns back to his house because he thinks that this ecology, work is very much boring. When he enters his house, he finds his mother using the electric mixer. He points out to her to do that work with her egg beater to save electricity. She, replies ironically at once asking that why he watches T.V. twenty-seven hours a day, which is also the wastage of electricity. Jim thinks that nobody is willing to do anything about ecology. It is only he, who acts on the issue of saving ecology.
Thus the present lesson teaches us that preaching about ecology is easy but difficult to abide by the rules of ecology preservation.
Summary in Hindi
जॉन लक्सॉऊ ने अत्यन्त अद्भुत ढंग से प्रस्तुत पाठ, “मी एण्ड दी एकॉलोजी विट” के द्वारा यह बताने का प्रयास किया है कि वातावरण संरक्षण तथा पर्यावरण की सुरक्षा का कार्य कितना संवेदनशील तथा कठिन है।
प्रत्येक व्यक्ति इस तथ्य का समर्थन करता है किन्तु कोई भी व्यक्ति इसके विषय में कुछ करना नहीं चाहता है । ‘जिम’ नामक एक नवयुवक लोगों के पास जाकर उन्हें वातावरण संरक्षण तथा पर्यावरण सुरक्षा के विषय में बतलाने का कार्य प्रारम्भ करता है। यद्यपि वह अपने गृहकार्य से बहुत कम समय इस कार्य के लिए निकाल पाता है। किन्तु उसने अपने उद्देश्य की प्राप्ति के लिए शनिवार का समय लोगों से सम्पर्क करने के लिए निश्चित किया है। वह उनलोगों से वातावरण संरक्षण के महत्त्व के विषय में चर्चा करता एवं समझाता है। वह कडे के ढेर नथा गन्दी वस्तुओं को भी अनेक घरों से एकत्रित करता है। उसका पर्यावरण के प्रति मित्रवत् व्यवहार एवं प्रवृत्ति भी सराहनीय है।
एक शनिवार को वह मि० विलियम के घर पहुँचता है ! वह मि० विलियम को अपने घर के पिछले खुले स्थान में वृक्ष की पत्तियों को जलाते हुए देखता है । जिम उन्हें पत्तियों, कड़े वं ढेर तथा अन्य अनुपयोगी वस्तुओं का कम्पोस्ट बनाने का सुझाव देता है । मि० विलियम उससे सहमत नहीं होते हैं। वह उसी पर दोषारोपण करते हैं कि उसके अपने निर्मित कम्पोस्ट से दुर्गन्ध __ आ रही है जिससे नाक का प्रदूषण उत्पन्न हो रहा है। इस बात से उसकी भावनाओं को ठस पहुँचती है। किन्तु निराश हुए बिना वह अपने कार्य में आगे बढ़ते हुए उसे जारी रखता है तथा मिसेज ग्रीन के यहाँ कूड़ा-कचरा इकट्ठा करने के लिए पहुँचता है।
वह अपने मैदान में गोंद लगे कागज के टुकड़ों को फेंकने के लिए जिम को जिम्मेवार ठहराती हैं। इसके साथ ही उन टुकड़ों को उठाकर कूड़ा रखे प्लास्टिक बैग में रखने का निर्देश देती है तथा उसे यह भी कहती हैं कि वह अपने कुत्ते के गले में डोरी (जंजीर) बाँधकर रखे, खुला नहीं छोड़े क्योंकि वह उनके बगीचे में आकर जमीन खोदकर पूरे उद्यान को गन्दा कर देता है। जिम की नजर उनके कूड़े के ढेर के बगल में रखे हुए समाचारपत्रों के ढेर पर पड़ी । वह उन्हें परामर्श देता है कि उन अखबारों तथा अल्युमिनियम के टुकड़ों को इकट्ठा करें जिससे नया कागज अल्युमिनियम बनाया जा सके। वह श्रीमती ग्रीन को पर्यावरण सुरक्षा के लिए कार्य करने के लिए सहमत करने में असफल रहता है। इसके पश्चात वह मि० जॉनसन के घर जाता है। वे अपनी कार से पोस्ट ऑफिस जाने को तैयार हो रहे थे जो वहाँ से निकट ही दो ब्लॉक की दूरी पर स्थित है।
जिम उनसे कार द्वारा वहाँ न जाकर पैदल जाने के लिए कहता है जिससे पर्यावरण प्रदूषित नहीं हो। किन्तु वे इसे मानने से इंकार करते हैं। इसके साथ ही वह उसे एक छोटे वृक्ष तथा घास को नष्ट करने का दोषी ठहराते हैं जो उसके द्वारा मि० ग्रीन के घर जाने के लिए पगडंडी बनाकर उसपर निरन्तर आने के कारण हुआ है। लेकिन जिम तथा जॉनसन के बीच लम्बी बाता के कारण वे पोस्ट ऑफिस नहीं जा पाते हैं । जिम को इस बात का संतोष है कि कम-से-कम एक बार वह कार द्वारा : पण फैलाने से उनको रोक सका।
अन्त में वह यह सोंचकर कि पर्यावरण संबंधी कार्य काफी उबाऊ तथा नीरस है, अपने धर वापस आता है । लेकिन ज्योंही वह घर में प्रवेश करता है, वह अपनी माँ को बिजली के मिक्सर का प्रयोग करते देखता है । वह उन्हें कहता है कि वे अपना वह काम अंडा बनाने वाले उपकरण से करें जिससे बिजली की बचत हो। उसकी माँ तत्काल व्यंग्यात्मक ढंग से उसे उत्तर देती है कि वह भी दिन में सत्ताइस घंटे टी०वी० देखता रहता है, जिसके कारण भी बिजली का दुरुपयोग होता है । जिम सोंचने लगता है कि कोई भी व्यक्ति पर्यावरण की सुरक्षा के लिए कुछ नहीं करना चाहता। केवल वह ही पर्यावरण सुरक्षा के लिए कार्य करता है।
इस प्रकार प्रस्तुत पाट से हमें यह शिक्षा मिलती है कि पर्यावरण के विषय में उपदेश देना आसान है किन्तु पर्यावरण-सुरक्षा के नियमों का पालन करना उतना ही कठिन है। प्रत्येक व्यक्ति वातावरण संरक्षण तथा पर्यावरण सुरक्षा का समर्थक है लेकिन कोई भी व्यक्ति इसे करने का इच्छुक नहीं।
Questions & Answer:
B.1. Write T or F T for True and F for false:
1. People easily get convinced by Jim. [F]
2. He uses the paper routes to convince the people. [T]
3. He gives suggestions on ecology free of cost. [T]
4. Mr. Williams was at his house. [T]
5. People listened to him gladly: for he was an ecology-friendly boy. [F]
B.2. Answer the following questions very briefly:
1. What happens when the narrator calls Ms. Greene, ‘Mrs. Greene’?
Ans: When the narrator calls Ms. Greene, ‘Mrs. Greene’ then she doesn’t have a chance to pay me.
2. What does the narrator do on Saturdays and Sundays?
Ans: The narrator does good work for ecology on Saturdays and Sundays.
3. Which animal messes up Ms. Greene’s yard?
Ans: A dog messes up Ms. Greene’s yard.
4. Why does the narrator ask Ms. Greene to save paper and aluminum cans?
Ans: He says to save paper and aluminum cans because they can be made into new paper and can.
5. Did the narrator succeeds in getting Ms. Greene to do something about ecology?
Ans: No, the narrator did not succeed in getting Ms. Greene does something about ecology.
B.3.1. Complete the following sentence on the basis of the unit you have just studied:
1. It is very boring work, this ecology bit.
2. Women use too many electric things.
3. Nobody's willing to do anything about ecology.
4. The narrator drives his motorbike round and round him backyard all summer and snowmobile all winter.
B.3.2. Answer the following questions very briefly:
1. How many blocks away where the post office from Mr. Johnson’s house?
Ans: It is only two blocks away was the post office from Mr. Johnson’s houses.
2. Hat from electricity did the narrator use?
Ans: The narrator used electricity by watch T.V.
3. Why did Mr. Johnson think that the narrator did not follow the principle of waking?
Ans: Mr. Johnson thinks that the narrator did not follow the principle of walking because he uses a motorbike himself and making noise pollution.
4. Did the narrator enjoy talking about ecology?
Ans: No, the narrator did not enjoy talking about ecology.
C. 1 Long Answer Questions:
1. Nobody’s willing to do anything about ecology. Do you agree with the statement?
Ans: Yes, I agree with the statement, because nobody wants to do about ecology. Preaching about ecology is easy but to save the rules of ecology is difficult.
2. “But anyhow, on Saturday when I collect, I put in a good work on ecology.” This is the narrator’s way of preserving ecology. How are you contributing to ecological preservation in your surroundings?
Ans: I contribute about my ecology where I live. I get up in the morning, clean my room and its surroundings. It is our duty of all to save our ecology. We live in our society and we should make our society.
3. ‘I get tired of trying to get Ms. Greene to do something about ecology.’ Explain in detail the meeting between Jim and Ms. Greene and throw light on the outcome of the meeting.
Ans: When Jim goes to meet Ms. Greene, he looks there Ms. Greene is putting her garbage out for the weekly pickup on Monday. She says to me go pick up that gum cropper. You threw on my lawn. Jim wants to convince her but he fails to do something about ecology. She says to Jim your dog digs my garden and messes up my yard and last weekend your dog tore my garbage bags.
4. ‘Sure, it is hard to get people to work for ecology.’ Do you agree with this statement? What is ecology? What measures have you and your school taken to preserve it?
Ans: Yes, I agree with his statement ecology is the science for saving our environment and natural things. If only people say about ecology but don’t help for ecology. It is maybe difficult to save our atmosphere according to the writer.
5. “Women use too many electric thinks.” What prompts the narrator to say so? How does the use of modern appliances affect ecology?
Ans: I think the narrator wants to say so because, when he came at home, he looks that his mother is using the electric mixer. But at this time we are using lots of modern applications. Such as fan, mixer, toaster, refrigerator, grinder, and washing machine, etc. It’s effect to our ecology.
6. Do you think that Jim is a real ecology-friendly boy? Give your opinion.
Ans: I think Jim is not a real ecology friend boy because he preaches only about ecology but he is not a man of practical. As we know that preach is easy but to do about ecology is difficult.
7. Does Jim understand why his advice is being questioned? Explain.
Ans: I think Jim is not a good follower of ecology because he says anything and does anything. Nobody believes in him because he doesn’t go to the good path of ecology. Perhaps he knows but he can’t solve the problem.
8. What happened to the tree referred to by Mr. Johnson?
Ans: Perhaps, Mr. Johnson shows there where there is not any tree. It shows that there was a little tree. Just starting to get a bigger tree. There until you killed it, by trying to jump over jump it every day. This line shoes Jim was wrong.
9. Is Jim aware of all of the aspects? Does he always practice ecology measures? Give arguments in favor of your answer.
Ans: Yes, Jim is aware of all aspects but he is not practical. He goes to door to door to convince about ecology but in the end, he accepts that it is very boring work nobody wants to listen to me.
10. A hero or heroine does not always arrive on a galloping horse to the potential for action, rather than a completed task. What potential does Jim have as the hero in this story?
Ans: Yes, I think Jim is the hero of this history but he shows his only action but he has the potential of convincing anyone but he has not real potential for action ecology.
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