The Bull Exercise
Class 12 English Chapter 3 One-Act Play Section Bhim Nidhi Tiwari: The Bull Exercise Question Answer Solution note.
Understanding The Text.
Answer The Following Questions.
a. Why have Gore and Jitman come to see Laxminarayan?
Answer➡ Both cowherds Gore and Jitman come to see Laxminarayan to inform him about the death of the bull (Male) of king Rana Bahadur Shah.
b. What, according to cowherds, is the reason behind the death of Male?
Answer➡ Cowherds believed that Male died because he was starving and unable to digest fine rice and split gram, the basic foods.
c. Why does Rana Bahadur want to see the bull himself?
Answer➡ Rana Bahadur wants to see the bull himself because he wants to examine its condition and does not want the bull to be transported to the hill if it can be cured or treated at Thulo Gauchar, Kathmandu.
d. Why does Laxminarayan run ahead of the convoy at Thulo Gauchar?
Answer➡ Laxminarayan runs ahead of the convoy at Thulo Gauchar because he wants to convey the message to cowherds to tell them to take care of the bull. He urges to massage the bull’s back feet and wave the fan at the bull. In actuality, he wants to show king Rana bahadur shah that they are taking care of the bull. If not, the king would become angry and he would punish them.
e. Why do Gore and Jitman cry when the king declares that Male is dead?
Answer➡ Gore and Jitman cry when the king declares that the male is dead to show their supposed sympathy and affection for the bull. They cry in a pompous manner, seeking the king’s forgiveness. They want an excuse from the king’s punishment. Otherwise, the king may become enraged and may punish them, making them responsible for the bull’s death.
f. How do we learn that the bull is dead?
Answer➡ We learn that the bull is dead from the conversation of Cowherds, Laxminarayan and the King. The words of the cowherds and the king are indicating that the bull is dead. The bull's tail has loosened and his eyes are motionless, according to both cowherds, and the king adds, "The bull does not breathe, his tail has loosened, his ears have drooped down, and he doesn't eat anything either."
g. How does the play make a satire on the feudal system?
Answer➡ This drama depicts the feudal regime and its injustices on normal citizens. The tyranny, domination, and dehumanization of people by the feudal system may be observed here. Cowherds, who rely on their lord’s mercy and kindness, have been presented in such a panic. These people are terrified because the lord’s animal is more comfortable, respected, and cared for than they are. To spare their lives in front of the king, they both conceal the actuality of the dead bull. The play is a parody on the feudal system, illustrating the dehumanization and mistreatment of his employees by the feudal lord.
h. Write down the plot of the play in a paragraph.
Answer➡ The male was dead already, but they presented as if they were unknown about it and serving him. When the Rana Bahadur came there and announced the bull's death, they acted well and cried in front of the king and saved their lives from penalty.
Reference To The Context.
a. Discuss the late eighteenth-century Nepali society as portrayed in terms of the relation between the king and his subjects as portrayed in the play.
During the late eighteenth century, the monarchy system was prevalent in Nepal. At that time, Nepal was ruled by Shah Dynasty. The then society was quite rigid. People didn't have freedom in their lives. People had to live under the domination of the king and his people.
The play "The Bull" has presented a very harsh society where people had to live very fearful life under the king/ lords. The condition of ordinary people wasn't so good. They were badly treated by their lords. They got severe punishment if they acted against their lords. We can get a fine example of people's miserable conditions in this play.
If people didn't do swosthi (bowing down to the lords with respect) to the lords/kings, they were punished for their disrespect. There were no fundamental rights provided to the people. The awareness of politics among the people was very low. The patriarchal norms and values were there in most societies. Women had to spend their lives under male domination. Males were allowed to marry many women. In the play, we find Laxminarayan with seven wives. He even seems to add one more wife. The life of ordinary people or subjects was under the mercy of the kings or lords.
b. What does the relation between Laxminarayan and his wives tell us about the society of that time? To what extent has the Nepali society changed since then?
Laxminarayan is the main character of the play and a Forty years old legal officer and king’s bull’s doctor. Taking the scenario of his relationship with his wives, he has seven wives. Yet he is not satisfied with all of them and he is planning to marry his eighth wife. He calls his wives with different nicknames. This practice of having more wives shows about the male dominant society. Men’s are allowed to marry multiple wives whereas women’s are compelled to live their life under the full dominance and violence of their husband. Women’s were illiterate and unconscious about their rights.
People and especially women’s are deprived of political and financial knowledge. Child marriage was prevalent at that time. The society was reliant under male supremacy.
But the Nepalese society has altered this situation dramatically since then. The current situation of Nepali society and especially Nepali women is significantly better. Human rights and women rights are there to protect them with their basic rights. The literacy rate of women has also increased substantially. They were in a higher power of economic and political authority. The concept of equality and equity is operational in Nepalese society. Many of the patriarchal traditions like child marriage and prathas are at the end. Many organizations are working for the betterment of women. Overall the society is significantly changed.
Chakari was a common practice during the king’s rule. Common people served and greeted the kings and their lords with great respect even if they did want to do it from their hearts. In this play, Laxminarayan and two cowherds are doing the chakari of the king Ranabahadur Shah. They themselves sleep on the straw in the cowshed. They pretend to love the bull and massage the bull’s feet and wave the fan at the bull to please the king.
They say ‘bull sir’ even to the animal. Laxminarayan is a character who masters chakari. He has even been punished by the king for speaking loudly in front of the king. Both cowherds tell Laxminarayan after the bull dies. They all dread the king. The dead bull and both cowherds sleep in the cowshed. They act quite cautious around the bull. They massage the bull’s feet and fan him to please the king. In front of the king, they call the bull “The Bull Sir.” When the king proclaims the bull dead, both cowherds sob deeply. So the play is chakari-heavy.
Yes, I’ve seen this a lot in my culture. Everyone does chakari. But chakari is done in a different manner than the society of the time. People practice the chakrai of politicians a lot nowadays in Nepal for money, status, and wealth.
With his trickery, Laxminarayan outsmarts Rana Bahadur. He is a doctor of the king’s bull and a forty-year-old legal officer. He rushes to the king’s palace as soon as Gore and Jitman inform him of the king’s bull death. He has a talent for flattering the king. He does not immediately inform the king of the bull’s death since the king may become enraged by the news. Rather than telling the king the truth, he informs him of the bull’s sickness. He even tells the cowherds to massage and waves a fan at the bull as they approach the cowshed in order to please the monarch and protect their lives.
The king believes the bull died despite receiving excellent care and treatment right in front of his eyes. The king does not disbelieve them as a result of Laxminarayan’s techniques, and they survive the king’s severe punishment.
Laxmi Narayan Dahal is one of the main characters of the play ‘the bull’. he is forty years old, one of the legal officers and king’s bull’s doctor. He is married to seven wives. It is shown that he is still unsatisfied with all of them despite having seven different women at home. He is planning to marry eighth wife. When he learns about the king’s bull’s death, he flatters the king using his intellectual moves. Instead of telling the news immediately, he tells the king about the bull’s sickness first. When king arrives to the cowshed at thulo Gauchar to see his bull, Laxminarayan tells the cowherds to massage and wave fan to the bull in order to please king and save his life .due to this act of Laxminarayan and cowherd, they were saved from king’s punishment. Therefore, we can say Laxminarayan was a cunning man and he unmastered the king with his trickery.
Reference beyond Context.
a. Write an essay in about 300 words on “The Nepali Society: Past, Present and Future”.
The Nepali Society: Past, Present and Future
By society, we mean a long-standing group of people sharing cultural aspects such as language, dress, norms of behaviour and artistic forms. Nepali society has a mixed culture. Even though different cultures live together, cultural practices are often mixed and one cultural group can be seen practising the traditions of another. People are free to choose their own cultural practices and no one is forced to follow any particular pattern.
As a Nepali citizen, I like Nepali society much. I have seen as well as read about Nepali society and its change. Over time, many changes have been seen in the context of Nepali society. The condition of Nepali society wasn't good in the past time. Nepali society was so rigid in the past time. Most people were uneducated and there was a lack of awareness among the people. Patriarchal norms and values were at their height. Class, as well as sex subjection, had played a vital role in every society. The concept of Feudalism was prevalent everywhere. Ordinary people had to face miserable life under the feudalists. They were quite away from the concept of rights and opportunities of lives. Life was so difficult for most of the peasants. There was a lack of facilities in people's lives. In most societies, there were feudalists or lords who used to determine others fate. Talking about women's lives during that time, women had very bad conditions. They were living being dependent on males. The patriarchal norms and values had made them remain limited within the boundaries of their houses. Child marriage was so common. Life in the past was really not favourable for ordinary people including women.
In the present time, different changes are seen in various sectors of Nepal. Nepali societies seem quite different from that of past Nepalese societies. In the present, Nepali society is on the way to development. In the matter of facilities as electricity, drinking water, roads and transportation, education etc., Nepali society has been changed. People in the present time have various rights regarding various things. If there is one thing that upsets me about Nepali society is the political aspect. People in the present time are totally involved in the dirty game of politics. Due to this, Nepali society is facing disorders every single day. At present, the condition of Nepali women is much better than expected. Over time, Nepali women have got many rights according to the constitution of Nepal.
I think the future of Nepali society will be so good if we all Nepali citizens choose the right candidates for the betterment of Nepalese society. We should be away from this dirty game of politics and think about the bright future of Nepali people and society.
But satire, ever moral, ever newDelights the reader and instructs him, too.She, if good sense, refine her sterling page,Oft shakes some rooted folly of the age.
Nicolas aims to convey to his readers in the above stanza that if the satire is moral and novel, it both entertains and teaches the reader about the issue. If the satire has an excellent reason and is created with a decent aim in mind, it has the potential to shake some of the era’s underlying follies and blunders.
Yes, I completely agree with the poet because he wants us to recognise the power of satire. Positive satire can assist to improve the different negative features of society.
In this play “The Bull”, Bhimnidhi Tiwari dramatizes an incident related to Ranabahadur Shah’s craze for bulls to make a biting satire on the feudal system, which dehumanizes human beings to such an extent that their existence depends on their deferential treatment towards the four-footed animals like bulls. Tiwari has supplied his readers with a wealth of information on the society of the time, both positive and negative with the help of satire.
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