The wish

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

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

The child gently picked the scab off his cut with his finger nails and put it on his thigh. Finally he flipped it with his finger.

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

The child became extremely amazed to see the red carpet. He had never really notice it before in such a way. The different colors of carpet seemed to brighten mysteriously and spring out at him in a most dazzling way. He was thoroughly lost in those colors and his imagination.

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

He was afraid of the black poisonous snakes and the red coals while walking across the carpet.

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

His wish of getting a puppy on his birthday or as a birthday gift motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey.

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

The child saw different colours brightening mysteriously. He was lost in different colours’ spots. He kept on thinking in his imagination about the colours and their different forms. Hence, the child saw the poisonous snake with the oily body of snake arising to catch or bite him as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet.

Reference to the context

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

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?

The black part means the difficulty, challenges and suffering in the journey.

ii. Who is the speaker?

The speaker is a young boy.

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

He doesn’t want to be burnt because he wants to reach across the carpet safely to receive the gift ‘a puppy’ on his birthday.

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

The main metaphor in the story “The Wish” by Roald Dahl is the child’s journey along the carpet as a representation of the obstacles and challenges he faces as he matures. Vivid images that Dahl uses to reinforce the metaphor include the scab as the boy’s primary challenge, the red spots on the carpet as hot lumps of coal, and the black sections as evil poisonous snakes.

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

(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?

In “The Wish,” a boy uses his imagination to travel across a red, black, and yellow carpet. The child’s represents the story in more interesting and effective than the narrator’s, because it is vivid and suspenseful. The child was a in a hardship situation and he faces hardships and won all the challenges as motivated by a Birthday gift as a puppy by completing his journey at the end.

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

Reference beyond the text

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

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