Summary

The narrative begins with a young child removing a scab from his knee. He notices the extensive red, black, and yellow carpet that le to the front door as he sits on the stairs. He decides that the black areas are deadly poisonous snakes that will bite him and kill him, while the red areas are scorching coal that will completely burn him. Despite that, he is motivated by his imagination that, he will get a puppy for his birthday the day after, if he manages to cross without being bitten or burned.

The boy starts his quest. The first part is easy, but he has to take long strides to reach some difficult parts. He stumbles, but tries to stay upright by extending his arms. Despite the fact that it appears to be more challenging, there is less black on the left, so he turns to the left. He is extremely wary of the snakes. He realizes he can't turn around or jump off when he reaches the halfway point.

His chest begins to tighten with panic. His foot is just a centimeter away from a black patch as he takes another step toward the one yellow piece that is close by. He imagines that in order to observe him, a snake moves and raises its head. He talks to himself and says, “I won't touch you!I won't let you bite me! The child remains terrified for several minutes as yet another snake rises. The subsequent step is too lengthy to jump.

The child transfers his weight after crossing with one foot. He then tries to raise his back foot, but fails. He was stuck while doing the splits. The greasy snakes' writhing bodies below him caught his eye as he looked down. He started to sway, but this time waving his arms just made the problem worse. He was beginning to go over.

"The next thing he saw was his naked hand slamming into a massive black mass with gleaming precision, prompting a piercing scream. The mother was looking for her son far behind the house, in the sun. In this way the story ends.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

a. What did the child do to his knee scab?

At first, the child examined the scab on his knee cap. After much deliberation, he decided to pick it up. He applied that scab to his thigh by gently picking it up with his fingernail.He finally turned it over with his finger.

b. In what way did the child react to the carpet?

The child is astonished when he sees the red carpet. He had never really noticed it in this way before. The carpet's various hues appeared to gleam at him in a most dazzling way as they mysteriously lit up. His imagination and those colors completely lost him.

c. When he was walking across the carpet, what was he afraid of?

He was afraid of the carpet's black and red spots as he moved across the floor. In his head, he imagined the carpet's colors to be distinct things. He interpreted the black spots as black poisonous snakes and the red spots as lumps of burning coal.

d. What inspired the child to begin and continue his journey?

Before starting the game, he imagined what he will receive after the successful completion of the game. He imagined of getting a puppy as a gift on his birthday, the following day. This kept him motivated to continue his journey.

e. When the child looked down at the carpet's black patterns, what did he see?

The child observed the black patterns on the carpet as poisonous snakes with its oily body emerging to catch or bite him.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. The story is told in two different voices by the author. What are they?

Yes, there are two voices in the story—one from the narrator and one from the young boy, also known as the child.

b. Read the following excerpts and respond to the questions.

“…the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders mostly, and cobras, thick like tree-trunks around the middle, and if I touch one of them, I'll be bitten and I'll die before tea time. And if I get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow.”

i. What does it mean to say "the black part”?

The journey's difficulties, obstacles, and suffering are referred to as "the black part".

ii. Who is speaking?

The child is speaking to himself.

iii. Why does the speaker not desire to burn?

The speaker wants to get a puppy as a birthday present tomorrow, so he doesn't want to burn.

c. In the story, what images and metaphors are utilized?

• Images:

i. Scab (the boy's knee).

It is a representation of the boy's curiosity, desire, and interest in continuing his journey.

ii. Parts of the carpet that are black

It depicts difficulties, suffering, and life's unsettling circumstances.

iii. Read Patches (Fire)

It depicts fire as a danger because it has the potential to burn a young child.

iv. Yellow patches (happiness)

In his life, the yellow patches on the carpet symbolize relief, pleasure, optimism, happiness, and self-confidence.

Metaphors:

Metaphor is a figure of speech utilized in literature to compare to completely different things. In this story carpet is used as a metaphor because it symbolized the path we walk in life. As we live through our lives, we come across different situations such as good days and bad days, success and chanllenges. However, it depends on our decision, if we will succeed or fail.

e. The narrative depicts the events through the perspectives of the child and the narrator. Contrasting the two styles, who presents a really fascinating or powerful view for the readers? Why?

Among these two perspective, I find the narrators perspectives provides a powerful view for the readers because the narrator makes the reader feel as if they are there observing the child’s game play. It makes the readers feel like they are participating in the game. This omnipresent narrator also allows the readers to know about he child’s thinking.

f. Is the story "The Wish" about greed or self-confidence winning over fear?

I would say that this story is about greed. That is because even before the child started the game, he sets an award for himself. He immerses himself so much in that goal that even if he finds it hard to complete the game, he tries his best to succeed. I think if he had not thought of that puppy as a birthday present, he would even start the game.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT

a. Do you believe our wish can be realized? If not, why not?

Not all desires, wants, and goals are realized. To achieve our goals, aspirations, desires, and interests, we require laborious and intricate practice, dedication, consistency and perseverance. Every choice we make should be made with calmness. Our desires and needs can only be satisfied by making the right choice.

b. Why do you think some people may have a terrifying personality? What would you advise them to do to get over it?

Because they lack self-confidence, some people may have a frightening nature.

To overcome it, I would suggest the following:

- Learn more about your fear; this may be the most difficult first step, but it is absolutely necessary.

- Make constructive use of your imagination.

- Think differently than you normally would.

- Concentrate on your breathing.

- Engage in meditation.

- Work with nature as a therapist.

c. Compose a folktale that you have heard or perused.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a powerful king named Raja Agrasen. Raja Agrasen had three sons – Prince Rajdev, Prince Chhatrasal and Prince Bhoop Singh. The three brothers were highly respected and revered by the people of their kingdom, and the king too held them in high opinion.

One day, an old man came knocking at the palace gates seeking shelter. Raja Agrasen, being a benevolent and generous ruler, offered him shelter for as many days as he wished. The old man, in turn, asked for three days of sanctuary and also requested Raja Agrasen to send his son Prince Rajdev with him to a far-off place. The king obliged with the request and asked Prince Rajdev to accompany the old man.

The old man and Prince Rajdev traveled for three days and three nights before finally reaching the old man's destination. Upon reaching the entrance of a cave, the old man revealed his true identity as the great sage Guru Vashisth himself and then blessed Prince Rajdev, praising him for being a courageous, loyal and obedient son and rewarding him with prosperity and long life. The sage then gave Prince Rajdev three magical swords and instructed him to use them when he is facing danger and defeat in battles.

When Prince Rajdev traveled back to his father's kingdom, he was accompanied by two of the most beautiful princesses of the entire country – Princess Sonam Kumari and Princess Anjali Gupta. They were sisters, daughters of the King of Gujarat. Raja Agrasen was pleased to see the three of them, and he arranged for their marriage with his three sons. The three brothers got married to the two princesses and lived happily.

Prince Rajdev, being the most powerful of the three brothers, put his magical swords to good use and defeated many enemies of the kingdom with it. He was known as 'Rajdev the Valiant' for his many feats in battles. Thus, the people of the kingdom praised and respected him highly, and his name became immortalized in the chronicles of Hindu folklore.

This wonderful tale of courage and loyalty, as well as of two brave princes and two beautiful princesses, is still talked and retold to this day in India. It has become an integral part of Hindu culture and it is believed that if one recites this folk tale, it brings prosperity, courage and good luck. True to the spirit of Hindu culture, this folk tale is sure to be retold and remembered for generations to come, perpetuating itself along the many rivers of humankind's consciousness.