📖 The Wish

Understanding the Text

=> Answer: the following questions.**

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

=> Answer: The child used his fingernails to remove the scab from the cut on his knee. He put the piece of scab onto his thigh and then flicked it away with his finger.

b. What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?

=> Answer: The carpet produced a powerful impression on the boy. Its familiar patterns suddenly seemed completely different to him. The colours appeared remarkably bright and seemed almost to move toward him. He became fascinated by the various shades and patterns and gradually became immersed in the imaginary world created by his own mind.

c. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet?

=> Answer: While making his way across the carpet, the boy feared that the black patterns were poisonous snakes and that the red areas were burning pieces of coal. He was therefore afraid of being bitten as well as being burned.

d. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?

=> Answer: The possibility of receiving a puppy as a birthday gift inspired the boy to undertake the journey. Whenever fear made the journey seem difficult, his desire for the puppy encouraged him to keep going.

e. What did the child see as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet?

=> Answer: The black patterns appeared to the boy as poisonous snakes. In his imagination, he could see their oily, dark bodies rising from the carpet and preparing to catch or bite him. His imagination continued to give the different colours and patterns frightening forms as he looked at them.

📚 Reference to the Context

a. The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?

=> Answer: Yes, the writer creates two voices in the story and they were (a narrator) and the voice of the young boy i.e. the child.

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

“…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 ‘the black part’ mean?

=> Answer: The black part refers to the difficulty, challenges and suffering in the journey.

ii. Who is the speaker?

=> Answer: The speaker is a young boy.

iii. Why doesn’t the speaker want to be burnt?

=> Answer: He wants to avoid being burnt because he needs to cross the carpet safely and reach the other side so that he can receive the gift ‘a puppy’ on his birthday.

c. Which images and metaphors are used in the story?

=> Answer: Roald Dahl uses the boy's imaginary journey across the carpet as a metaphor for the obstacles and difficulties that can accompany growing up. Ordinary features of the carpet are given frightening forms through the child's imagination. The scab represents the boy's first challenge, while the red patches appear as hot lumps of coal. The black portions, on the other hand, are imagined as evil poisonous snakes. These images transform an everyday carpet into a symbolic world of danger and challenge.

d. Summarize the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.

=> Answer: (Look at top of the page)

e. The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?

=> Answer: The child's viewpoint is more interesting and effective because his imagination gives an ordinary carpet an atmosphere of danger and suspense. Rather than seeing the carpet simply as a household object, he interprets its colours and patterns as obstacles that he must overcome.

From the child's perspective, the black portions become poisonous snakes and the red sections resemble burning coals. Consequently, every part of the journey seems dangerous. His imagined reward of a puppy for his birthday gives him an additional reason to continue despite his fear.

The child's thoughts also allow readers to experience the adventure from inside his imagination. His fear, determination, and hope make the journey more exciting. For this reason, the child's viewpoint creates a stronger emotional and suspenseful effect than the narrator's straightforward presentation.

f. Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.

=> Answer: “The Wish”** can mainly be interpreted as a story about overcoming fear through determination and self-confidence rather than as a story about greed. The boy's wish for a puppy certainly motivates him, but the puppy is imagined as a reward that helps him face the frightening challenge before him.

The child's imagination plays a central role in creating the danger. What is actually an ordinary carpet becomes an adventurous landscape in his mind. The red patterns seem to be burning coals, while the black sections turn into poisonous snakes. Because he believes these dangers are real within his imaginative world, crossing the carpet becomes a difficult test of courage.

The thought of receiving a puppy gives him a reason to continue. Instead of allowing fear to stop him, he focuses on reaching his goal safely. His determination becomes especially important because every stage of the journey requires him to confront another imagined danger.

The story also presents the remarkable imaginative power of childhood. A simple patterned carpet is transformed into a dangerous place where the boy can experience fear, make decisions, and attempt to overcome challenges. The puppy therefore works as a motivating goal, while the deeper experience concerns the child's struggle against fear.

🌍 Reference Beyond the Text

a. Do you think our wish can be fulfilled? Why or why not?

=> Answer: A wish may become reality when it is supported by determination and suitable action, but having a desire alone is not enough. People often have to overcome financial limitations, lack of time, fear, uncertainty, and other personal difficulties before achieving what they want. For this reason, fulfilling a wish requires us to recognize the barriers in our way and deal with them constructively.

Some of the common hurdles that stops us from fulfilling our wishes are:

• •
  I have no money for it / I don’t want to spend my money on it.
• •
  I want to, but I don’t have time for it / I’m too caught up in my everyday life.
• •
  I’m scared. Fear of failure. Afraid of making the wrong decision. Afraid to disappoint other people.
• •
  I have doubts whether it is right for me.

So to fulfill our wishes we should deal with above mentioned problems. For this we can do the following things:

• •
  Try to realize the wish in the small version. Try to satisfy the need behind the wish.
• •
  Trick everyday life and proceed in small steps.
• •
  Address fears and debunk them as much as possible.
• •
  Create clarity. Get a clear picture of where we want to go.
• •
  Strengthen self-image so that our wishes becomes possible.

b. Why do you think some people might have a frightening nature? What would you suggest to them to overcome it?

=> Answer: Fearfulness may arise when someone has little confidence in their own abilities or finds it difficult to interact comfortably with others. People who are inexperienced or especially innocent may become discouraged when they encounter obstacles. If they repeatedly respond to difficulties with doubt and uncertainty, their fear may become stronger.

I would suggest the following points to overcome it:

• •
  Learn more about your fear, this first step can be the hardest one but it's also absolutely necessary.
• •
  Use your imagination in positive ways.
• •
  Use your brain in a different way than usual.
• •
  Focus on your breathing.
• •
  Practice mindfulness.
• •
  Use nature as your therapist.