📖 Understanding the Text

a. Where did the children use to play?

=> Answer: The children regularly gathered in the Giant's garden to play and enjoy themselves.

b. What did the Snow and the Frost do to the garden?

=> Answer: Snow spread a thick white covering over the grass, while Frost made the trees look as though they had been coated with silver.

c. What did the Giant hear when he was lying awake in bed?

=> Answer: The Giant heard a melodious piece of music while he was awake in his bed.

d. Why do you think spring season never came to the Giant's garden?

=> Answer: Spring did not return to the Giant's garden because the Giant's selfishness had driven the children away. Without their cheerful presence, the garden remained cold, unhappy and lifeless.

e. How did the Giant realise his mistake?

=> Answer: The Giant came to understand his fault when he noticed that the garden remained in winter after he had forbidden the children from entering it.

📚 Reference to the Context

A. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

a. “How happy we were there!” they said to each other.

i. Where does ‘there’ refer to?

=> Answer: ‘There’ refers to the Giant's garden.

ii. What does ‘they’ refer to?

=> Answer: ‘They’ refers to the children who used to play happily in the Giant's garden.

iii. Why are they saying so?

=> Answer: The children make this remark because they are thinking about the joyful time they spent in the Giant's garden. They miss those pleasant days because the Giant has prevented them from returning to the place.

b. “I have many beautiful flowers,” he said; “but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.”

i. Who is the speaker?

=> Answer: The speaker is the Giant.

ii. Who is he speaking to?

=> Answer: He is speaking to himself.

iii. Who are ‘the children’ that the speaker is referring to?

=> Answer: ‘The children’ are the innocent young children who used to come to the Giant's garden and play there.

iv. Why is the speaker saying that ‘the children are the …’?

=> Answer: The Giant says this because he has discovered that the children give the garden a special kind of beauty. Their laughter, happiness and playful presence make the whole place cheerful and lively, just as flowers make a garden attractive.

c. When the little child smiled at the Giant, and said to him, “You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise,” shortly afterwards, the happy Giant dies. What is the coincidence of this event? Describe it in relation to this fairy story.

=> Answer: The coincidence is connected with the relationship between the Giant's past kindness and his final destination. In the earlier part of the story, the Giant allows the little child to play in his garden. Later, the same child returns and invites him to a garden called Paradise. This gives the child's appearance a deeper meaning, suggesting that he has come to lead the Giant toward heaven. Since the Giant has already changed into a compassionate and generous person, his death becomes a peaceful ending to his life and transformation.

B. The story makes use of personification as one of the main figures of speech. Cite three examples of personification from the story. What is the significance of the seasons personified in the story?

=> Answer: Personification** is a figure of speech in which non-living things, natural forces or objects are described as possessing human actions, behaviour or qualities.

Three examples of personification in the story are:

1. •
   Snow is presented as spreading its enormous white cloak across the grass.
2. •
   Frost is described as painting the trees with silver.
3. •
   North Wind is portrayed as blowing violently and creating severe coldness in the garden.

The personified seasons help express the effect of the Giant's behaviour on his surroundings. While the children are present, the garden is associated with pleasant and lively conditions. After the Giant sends them away, spring disappears and Winter, Snow, Frost and the North Wind take control. Nature therefore reflects the sadness produced by the Giant's selfishness. When he changes his attitude and permits the children to return, spring comes back to the garden. In this way, the changing seasons represent the Giant's moral development.

C. This story can be read as a fairy story, where the children, the seasons, the tree, the corner of the garden, the snow, the wind and the frost are all used as symbolism. Interpret those symbols.

=> Answer: The Selfish Giant* contains several symbolic elements that contribute to the deeper meaning of the fairy story.

• •
  Children: They symbolize innocence, affection, happiness, kindness and blessings.
• •
  Seasons: They represent the different conditions and stages of human life, including joy, suffering, life and death.
• •
  The tree: It symbolizes hope, patience, affection and spiritual growth.
• •
  The corner of the garden: It represents a mysterious and almost sacred place associated with the little child.
• •
  Snow: It symbolizes sadness, emotional coldness and lifelessness.
• •
  North Wind/Wind: It represents hardship, suffering and discomfort.
• •
  Frost: It symbolizes loneliness, coldness and the negative effects of selfish behaviour.

D. Which figure of speech is used for ‘winter, frost, snow, north wind, hail and little child’? Who is the little child compared to?

=> Answer: The figure of speech used for Winter, Frost, Snow, North Wind, Hail and the little child is personification, because these non-human elements are presented with human-like actions and qualities.

The little child is compared to God Almighty, and his garden is associated with Paradise.

🌿 Reference Beyond the Text

a. What is the main theme of the story?

=> Answer: The Selfish Giant* primarily presents the power of love, kindness and generosity to transform a selfish person. At the beginning, the Giant considers the garden his private possession and refuses to let the children play there. Once they are excluded, the happiness of the garden disappears and it remains surrounded by winter.

The Giant eventually realises that his refusal to share has deprived both the children and himself of happiness. He changes his behaviour by opening the garden to them and treating them affectionately. His transformation from an unkind and selfish individual into a caring and generous person demonstrates that sharing brings joy, whereas selfishness creates loneliness and unhappiness.

b. Does God punish those who are cruel to children and very selfish?

=> Answer: Yes, the story suggests that cruel and selfish behaviour eventually produces its own consequences. After the Giant drives the children away, spring does not return to his garden. The birds become silent, the flowers fail to bloom properly, and the garden remains under the control of Winter, Snow, Frost and the North Wind.

Even the appearance of a flower is affected by the Giant's selfish rule. When it notices the warning preventing children from entering, it withdraws. The Giant therefore loses the beauty and liveliness that his garden once contained. His circumstances improve only after he recognises his wrongdoing, welcomes the children again and develops a loving nature. The story consequently shows that selfishness produces misery, whereas love, kindness and generosity bring happiness and peace.