SREE CHAITANYA JUNIOR COLLEGE, KHAMMAM ENGLISH SENIOR INTERMEDIATE NOTES - POETRY HOW TO LIVE TO BE 200

Stephen Leacock PARAGRAPH ANSWER QUESTIONS:

Introduction common for all the answers : Stephen Leacock is a pre-eminent Canadian essayist, short-story writer and novelist par excellence. His works encompass a range of areas starting with politics to biography, criticism and economy. Leacock is extremely popular for his satirical sketches that poked fun at human follies. His writings present an ingenious mixture of nonsense humour, wit and exaggeration that have made him the most widely read humorist writer of all time. How to be to be 200 is a sarcastic yet entertaining essay that makes fun of health freaks who do absurd things in their desire to lead a long life.

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2. Ans. There are lots of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they havent the time to enjoy it. (Josh Billings). Do you think this is true. What is health mania and what are the different things people do to remain healthy? Mania is an obsession. Todays people are health maniacs, says Stephen Leacock. Quite obviously people today are too much concerned about their health. They, in their anxiety to live a long life, do all sorts of absurdities in the name of fitness, exercise, dieting etc. They spend hours in humping and bumping in the gym or at home much to their own inconvenience as well as that of others. Even at their workplace, they are seen pushing, pulling or stretching themselves, consequently filling every passing second with some heavy physical activity. Thus they are left with little time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. They get up at very inconvenient hours, jog for miles in hot sun. They are so particular even about the food they should consume that the author sarcastically calls these picky-eaters cowards. For them tap water or canned food is completely forbidden. They shun alcohol and so are perfect teetotalers. But, despite all this fuss, people often succumb to some trivial ailment, and some even bite the dust at a young age, comments the author. 2. Ans. Ear right, exercise regularly, die anyway. Why do you think Leacock feels that one should not be a health maniac? The line in question suggest the futility in being excessively disciplined in life. Todays people are health maniacs, says Stephen Leacock. They are too much concerned about their health, and are ready to try out any new diet or exercise programme in order to stay fit and healthy. In their efforts to live a long life, they follow an arduous routine, depriving themselves of the simple pleasures of life. They starve themselves curtailing their menu to food only rich in minerals and other such stuff i.e., albumen, starch, nitrogen etc. They are averse to tap water and canned food. Not content with this, some people subject their body to tremendous exertion in the name of discipline. But, ironically, in spite of all this fuss, they very often incur some simple old-fashioned illness and kick the bucket anybody else. So the bottom-line is very clear. People should enjoy life to the brim. For, whether they eat right and exercise regularly or not, they are destined to die. 3. Ans. What would be a sensible approach to health, according to Leacock? Stephen Leacock is quite categorical that people should enjoy life to its brim. According to him, there is no need for them to exert themselves with too much exercise to be hale and healthy. In his opinion, todays people are so much worried about their health that they follow an extremely arduous routine of exercises and diet to stay fit and fine. They get up at impossible hours, jog for miles in hot-sun, R.M.V. Naga Raj

and do the most difficult exercises all the time. They are very picky even about the food they eat.

They always keep their eyes peeled for starch, nitrogen and pepsin in whatever they eat or drink and dont relish tasty food. They kick up a lot of fuss to live a long life. But in spite of all this they bite the dust, some even at a very young age. point in living it. Annotations 1. He might, of course, have had it done in a shoe-store with a boot-stretcher, but after all it cost him nothing this way, and what is half-an-hour? Introduction : These lines are culled from the humorous yet sarcastic essay How to live up to 200. The essay is written by one of the greatest English essayists of all time, Stephen Leacock. In this treatise, Stephen Leacock pokes fun at health-freaks, who do absurd things in their desire to lead a long life. Context : In the context of explaining the ridiculous routine of exercises Mr. Jiggins followed to stay fit and fine, the author has penned these lines. Explanation : Mr. Jiggins was a health-maniac. He followed a very ridiculous life style of exercises to keep himself fit. He kicked off his day with a hot-shower immediately followed by a cold-shower. He explained that by doing so, he opened the pores of his skin at will. Then he breathed deep for half an hour every day before dressing up, standing near the window. This, he said helped him pump fresh air into his lungs so that they expand. Leackock opines that this was absolutely needless. He humorously comments that Mr. Jiggins could widen his lungs with the help of a boot-stretcher in a shoe shop either, instead of wasting valuable time for mere exercising. Stephen Leacocks comment is highly sarcastic. It shows his disdain for the meaningless health practices of the so called health-mongers. 2. They go out in silly-little suits and run marathon heats before breakfast. essay is written by one of the greatest English essayists of all time, Stephen Leacock. In this treatise, Stephen Leacock pokes fun at health-freaks, who do absurd things in their desire to lead a long life. Context : In the context of explaining the arduous routine of exercises, the so called health maniacs observe to live long, the author has penned these lines. Explanation : Todays people are health maniacs, says Stephen Leacock. unduly concerned about their health out and out. Quite obviously people today are They, in their anxiety to live a long life, do all sorts of Introduction : These lines are culled from the humorous yet sarcastic essay How to live up to 200. The So Leacock advises people to give up this ridiculous business of dieting, humping and bumping. He says life should be enjoyed in all its forms, lest there is no

absurdities in the name of fitness, exercise, dieting etc. They adopt a very arduous life style of exercises and diet much to their own discomfort. They get up at an improper hour and run for miles in scorching sun, in outfits that are very odd and awful. The author rightly and sarcastically calls them silly-little suits. These health-freaks are very choosy even about the food they eat. They keep their eyes peeled for starch, nitrogen and pepsin, and any food that is deficient in these, they simply discard. They kick up a lot of fuss about health and happiness. Stephen Leacock says all this fuss is just needless. He is of the opinion that people should enjoy life otherwise there is no point in living. 3. Now people of this sort have no chance to attain any great age. They are on the wrong track. essay is written by one of the greatest English essayists of all time, Stephen Leacock. In this treatise, Stephen Leacock pokes fun at health-freaks, who do absurd things in their desire to lead a long life.
Context : In the context of discussing the rigorous and needless health practices of todays health-maniacs, the author has spelled these eye-opening words. Explanation : Stephen Leacock is of the opinion that todays people are health-maniacs. They make much ado about nothing to enjoy a long and healthy life. In their efforts to keep themselves fit, they follow an arduous routine,

Introduction : These lines are culled from the humorous yet sarcastic essay How to live up to 200. The

depriving themselves of the simple pleasures of life. They get up at an improper hour and run for R.M.V. Naga Raj

miles in scorching sun, in outfits that are very odd and awful. The author rightly and sarcastically calls

them silly-little suits. These health-mongers, says Leacock, are very choosy even about the food they eat. They keep their eyes peeled for starch, nitrogen and pepsin, and any food that is deficient in these, they simply discard it. But, ironically, in spite of all this fuss, they too incur some simple oldfashioned illness and kick the bucket like anybody else. Thus all their efforts to live long, end in smoke. Thus the futility in worrying about health is driven home in this line.
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But as long as you have the price of a hack and can hire other people to play baseball for you and run races and do gymnastics when you sit in the shade and smoke and watch them-great heavens, what more do you want?

Introduction : These lines are culled from the humorous yet sarcastic essay How to live up to 200. The essay is written by one of the greatest English essayists of all time, Stephen Leacock. In this treatise, Stephen Leacock pokes fun at health-freaks, who do absurd things in their desire to lead a long life.
Context : In the context of giving a word to the wise, about how to add meaning to ones life, Stephen Leacock has spelled these wonderful lines. Explanation : Stephen Leacock frowns upon health-maniacs. He says that they are on the wrong track. He comments that they are missing the bounteous gifts life has bestowed on them, by over-straining and starving themselves with excessive exercises and picky insipid food respectively. In his opinion, all this is ridiculous and should be given up. It doesnt do any good to them, on the contrary, takes them close to the grave faster. He quotes the example of Mr. Jiggins, who dumb-belled himself to death at an early age. According to the author there is no point in living when there is no excitement or enjoyment in life. As for exercises, he suggests alternatives. He advises the so called healthmaniacs to hire people to run and do exercises for them. He exhorts that real thrill lies in sitting in the gallery and watching others playing baseball, running races and doing gymnastics for them. He humorously says that they can even enjoy a smoke while the events. What more do they want?

R.M.V. Naga Raj