Look At A Teacup - Grade 11 Summary & All Questions Answer.

Look at a Teacup

Points to understand

•      In this essay, the writer has symbolically talked about tea- cup.

•   Symbol is a figure of speech in which a concrete thing stand for an abstract idea.

•    Tea cup is a symbol of tradition, cultural norms and value.

• Broken tea- cup symbolically shows the breakdown of old tradition.

•      Hemp's mother bought the teacup in 1939.

•      Hampl’s mother gave it to her daughter as a gift.

• The teacup was unbroken which shows old traditions and cultural norms and values.

•      Due to overuse, it has been discolored.

•      The flower of the teacup seems to have scattered.

•      Each flower has different shape and colour.

•      The flowers in the cup don’t look real.

•      Her mother’s face seems sad and disappointed.

•      In 1939 her mother got married. She bought what she needed.

•      Hampl’s mother wanted to know about her mother’s life.

•      Hampl’s mother wanted to give them to her daughter.

•      She didn’t like to talk about her life with her daughter.

•      After 1939, the world had changed a lot.

•      During the Second World War, people knew how difficult life was.

•      Due to the Second World War, the cup had been broken.

•      The broken teacup showed impact of the war.

•      After the Second World War, there were many changes in the society. In the year 1939, everything fell: arts, virginity and faith in marriage.

•      Human beings lost faith in marriage. Before 1939 marriage was source of harmony and comfort. It became source of pain and tragedy.

•      Hampl tried to understand history and sexuality.

•  In her mother’s generation, they could have sexual relation after marriage.

•  The destructive nature of Second World War lost the faith of people.

• Hampl didn’t like to carry on tradition. She didn’t like to preserve the teacup. The falling of flowers in theTeacup showed the decline of cultural norms and values.

•      Many people lost their lives in the Second World War.

•      By looking at the teacup, the writer thought about her mother and the flowers in the teacup.

•      The falling of flowers showed talking of traditions.

•      It showed the differences between two generations.

•      The writer’s generation lost their faith in tradition.

Summary

The Second World War caused a great fall in the faith of women in marriage and family life. Hampl’s mother got married in 1939 and passed her life with her husband. She handed down the same tradition to her daughter by giving the teacup to her. However, many women lost their husbands, happy family life as well as their virginity in the devastating war. As a result, the destiny and future of the women of the writer’s generation seemed insecure and dark. Thus, the writer and her generation are against the importance of marriage and family. Forthem, marriage is painful. It is a tragedy and an end. Before 1939, the women had sacred sexual relationship after marriage. However, the writer’s generation refuses to carry on such previous traditions. The destructive war fills a sense of fear in their minds. Hence, the writer and her generation are afraid of the dark future and the sense of loss after marriage.

The story/ essay tells us much about the mother daughter relationship. The teacup connects the daughter with her mother in many ways. Hampl’s mother bought the teacup in 1939 and later she handed it down to her daughter. Through it, the mother handed down her tradition and culture to her daughter. Not only that, the writer reads the history of her mother in the teacup. The cup remains the writer of her mother’s marriage, happy family life, her culture, tradition and other many things. The story also speaks about the importance of family life before the war and the failure in its significance after the war. Before 1939, women were passing happy married life with their husbands and children. They tried to hand down the possessions culture and traditions to their children. Hampl’s mother did the same by giving the teacup as a gift to her daughter. However, the importance of this tradition of family life fell down. Women had a sense of fear to be involved in the conjugal life. To get married and to bear children would mean to bear loss for them. The story presents the poor destiny of the women after the year 1939. Many women lost their husbands and happy family life. The previous generation’s great faith in marriage, family and sacred sexual relationship fell down. The women refused to carry on their mother culture and tradition. Marriage and family life meant a great loss and tragedy for them. They visualisation their dark future and crushed themselves of being women.

   1.   Explain the daughter's attitude to marriage?

   · The writer's mother got married in 1939 and passed her life with her husband. However, the year 1939 caused the fall or art, virginity and faith in marriage. Falling of bombs in the Second World War declined the destiny of women. Many women lost their husbands and family in the war. Because of this, the generation of the writer is against the important ace of marriage and family. For the writer and her generation, marriage is painful. It is a tragedy or an end. Before 1939, the women could make their first sexual relationship after marriage. But, in the generation of the writer, sexual relationship fear among the women. Thus, the writer and her generation are afraid of the dark future and the same of loss after marriage.

   2.   What do you mean by 'many things fell that year'?

  · Many things fell in the year 1939. That year was beginning the destructive Second World War. Because of the distinction of the war, arts, virginity, culture, tradition, faith in marriage and many other things fell the falling of bombs caused the innocent people fall dead in the battlefield. The women, who lost their husbands, were compelled to fall in the beds of other people. The importance of marriage and family life also their faith in marriage. It was a tragedy and an end for them. In this way, the year 1939 caused the fall of peace, prosperity, hope and destiny of the whole world.

  3.   How does Hampl see herself and her mother connected by the teacup?

  ·   Hampl's mother bought the teacup is 1930. The cup is later handed over to her daughter. Through the cup, the mother wants to hand down the tradition and culture of her generation to Hampl. For Hampl, the teacup is symbolically significant. In it, she reads the history of her mother. The cup is made is Czechoslovakia. Thus, the symbolizes the culture to which both Hampl and her mother are connected. The teacup given to Hampl by her mother. The Teacup not only remaind Hampl about her mother but also the tragic events of the Second World War.

  4.   When and why did Patricia Hampl's mother buy the teacup?

   · Patricia Hampl's mother bought the teacup in 1939. She liked it because it was made in Czechoslovakia as she was marrying an American Czech. The cup was beautiful to see also.