ENGLISH READER CLASS IX

PREPARED BY KEERTHI PRASAD B. ED. ENGLISH

The self

unit 1

Unit 1

LEAVING THE VALLEY ( Extract) — Malala Yousufzai

STILL I RISE (poem) — Maya Angelou

What’s your life’s blueprint? ( speech) -Martin Luther King Jr



LEAVING THE VALLEY

“WE REALIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR VOICES ONLY WHEN WE ARE SILENCED.” Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is an activist for the education of girls and womenShe began her activism in her native Swat Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban, at timesdid not allow girls to attend schoolIn 2009when Malala was 12 years old, the growing violence in her regionforced her family to flee. In this extract from her story, Malala describes this experience Malala Yousafzai (b1997) was born in Mingorain the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of PakistanShe was inspired by her father who was an educational activist to take up the cause for girlsAt an early age she began speaking about the right to education for girlsbringing her into the limelightIn 2012 Malala was attackedbut she was not deterred from her pathToday she is internationally recognized as an advocate for the education of women

Leaving our home felt like having ripped my heart out. stood on our roof looking at the mountains, the snow-topped Mount Elum. I looked at the trees all coming into leafThe fruit of our apricot tree might be eaten by someone else this year Everything was silent, pin-drop silent. There was no sound from the river or the wind; even the birds were not chirping. I wanted to cry because I felt in my heart that I might never see my home again Everything I could not imagine happening had happened. I thought my school would not close and it hadI thought we would never leave Swat and we were just about toI thought Swat would be free of the Taliban one day and we would rejoice, but now I realized that might not happen page 1

< I started to cry. It was as if everyone had been waiting for someone else to start. My cousin's wife, Honey, started weeping, then all of us were crying. But and courageousmy mother was very composed² I put all my books and notebooks in my school bag and then packed another bag of clothes. I couldn't think straightI took the trousers from one set and the top from another so I had a bag of things which didn't match. I didn't take any of my school awards or photos or personal belongings as we were travelling in someone else's car and there was little room. My mother also said I must leave my school bag behind. We didn't own anything expensive like a laptop or jewellery-our only valuable items had been our TV, a fridge and a washing machine. We didn't lead a life of luxury-we Pashtuns" prefer to sit on floors rather than chairs. My father had resisted leaving till the end. But then some of my parents' friends had lost a relative in gunfire. Seeing their grief made my mother determined to leave. She told my father, 'You don't have to come, but I am going and I will take the children to Shangla She knew he couldn't let her go alone. My mother had had enough of the gunfire and tension and called Dr Afzal and begged him to persuade my father to leave. He and his family were going SO they offered us a lift. We didn't have a car.

We

were

lucky

that

our

neighbours,

Safina

and

kongandauditomotiatheircurwtikthecs her family, were also leaving and could fit some of us in their car while the rest would go Dr Afzal. with

'composed: having one's feelings under control 'couldn't think straight: was not able to think clearly because one was overcome with emotion belongings: things that belong to a person "Pashtun: a person who comes from the parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan that speak Pashto (a South-Central Asian language) Shangla: a district located in the Swat district in Pakistan that is surrounded by mountains Internally Displaced Persons: people who are forced to flee their home but remain within the country's borders

On 5 May 2009 we became IDPs Persons. It sounded like a disease.Internally Displaced My mother, father, grandmother, my cousin's wife and baby and my brothers were all squashed into the back of Dr Afzal's van along with his wife and children. There were children in the laps of adults and smaller children in their laps. I was luckier there were fewer people in Safina's car-but I was devastated by the loss of my school bag.

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< Safina's father put his foot on the pedal and away we drove out of the small world of our street, home and school and into the unknown. We did not know if we would ever see our town again. The streets were jam-packed. I had never seen them so busy before. There were cars everywhere, as well as

Discuss : What grave danger did Malala and her family face while going to Karshat?

rickshaws, mule carts and trucks laden with people and their belongings. Thousands of people were leaving with just the clothes they had on their backs. It felt as if the whole valley was on the move. Few people knew where they were going, they just knew they had to leave. This was the biggest exodus" in Pashtun history. The road was heaving¹0 with traffic. It was a long slow journey and we were all very sweaty, crammed¹¹ in together. Usually car journeys are an adventure for us children as we rarely go anywhere. But this was different. Everyone was depressed¹². Finally we got through the mountain pass and left Swat behind. It was late afternoon by the time we reached Mardan. My father kept insisting, 'In a few days we will return. Everything will be fine.But we knew that was not true. We were planning to make our way to Shangla, our family village. So far we

exodus: large number of people leaving a place together heaving: very crowded "crammed: stuffed into a space depressed: very unhappy "Karshat: a small place in Pakistan Mingora: a large city in the Swat region in Pakistan, where Malala was born

had driven in the opposite direction, but we had had to take the only lift we could to get out of Swat. My father then left us to go to Peshawar and alert people to what was happening. He promised to meet us later. The next day we met up with my cousin Khanjee, who was going to Besham, from where we would go to Shangla It was not easy to get from Besham to our village and we had to walk twenty-five kilometres carrying all our thingsAt one point we were stopped by the army, who told us we could go no further and must turn back. Our home is in ShanglaWhere will we go?we begged. My grandmother started cryingFinally, they let us through. The army and their machine guns were everywhere. Because of the curfew and the checkpoints there was not one other vehicle on the road that didn't belong to the military. We were afraid that the army wouldn't know who we were and would shoot us.

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< We stayed in my mother's village, Karshat¹³, with my uncle Faiz Mohammad and his family. I was happy to be with my cousin Sumbulwho is a year older than me. Once we were settled, I started going to school with her. I was in Year 6 but started in Year 7 to be with Sumbul. It took over half an hour to walk to schoolMy uncle gave me pocket money to buy snacks at school-they sold cucumber and watermelon, not sweets and crisps like in Mingora¹4.

Malala said she was upset Which of the following synonyms for upset best describes how she was feeling jittery agitated or hurt?

One day at school, there was a parents' day and prize-giving ceremony. I read a poem. about working hard to achieve your heart's desires. A diamond must be cut many times before it yields even a tiny jewel,I said. It was nice being with my cousins but I missed my books. I kept thinking of my school bag at home with copies of Oliver Twist and Romeo and Juliet waiting to be read. But now we were living our own dramaWe had been so happy, then something very bad had come into our lives and we were now waiting for our happy ending After we had been in Shangla for about six weeksmy father said we could travel to PeshawarIt was very emotional to see him againThen, a complete family once more, we travelled down to Islamabad, and then we went to Haripur, where one of my aunts lived. It was our fourth city in two months. I knew we were better off than those who lived in the camps, queuingfor food and water for hours under the hot sunbut I missed my valleyIt was there I spent my twelfth birthday. Nobody remembered. I was upset and recalled how different my eleventh birthday had beenI had shared a cake with my friendsThere were balloons and I had made the same wish I was making on my twelfth birthday, but this time there was no cake and there were no candles to blow outOnce again I wished for peace in our valley - Adapted from I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

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COMPREHENSION Reading 1. The setting is the backdrop of a storyIt can include the time of day, year, season place country and atmosphere. A story can have more than one setting. Choose the right answer related to the setting of the story you have just read Malala's story begins in Swat/Haripur Malala had to leave her home in the season when apricot treesgrow new leaves/apricots are harvested Malala left her home in 2009/2011. Malala left her home during the day/at night Malala was born in 1997/1987. 2 Read the following statements from the chapter and answer the following questions It was not easy to get from Besham to our village and we had to walk twenty-five kilometres carrying all our things a. Name the village that Malala refers to in these lines b. Why did they not get transport on this part of their journey? c. Malala and her family carried what they could with them. What did Malala most regret leaving behind? It was our fourth city in two months. I knew we were better off than those who lived in the camps... aWhich was the fourth city'? b. Why did Malala have to journey to four cities in two months? cWho lived in the camps? In what way was their situation worse than Malala's?

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Read, reflect and write Describe Malala's life before she became an IDP Describe the sights and sounds that Malala noticed on the journey from her home to Mardan On the journey that Malala took from her home to Haripurwhich three hardships according to youwere the most challenging ones that she faced? A diamond must be cut many times before it yields even a tiny jewelIn your own words explain what this line means to youWhy do you think Malala chose to recite this poem How does this extract show that education and learning were important to Malala? If you had to leave your home as Malala had towhat would you miss the most?

LANGUAGE BUILDING BLOCKS

A suffix is a letter or a group of letters, added to the end of a word in order to make another word Examples: better + ment = betterment musical musical The spelling of some of some words change when a suffix is added Examples: twelve + th = twelfth terrible + ly = terribly

2. The words given below are taken from the textUse the suffixes given in the box to make new wordsThe spelling of some of the words may change value big emotion four rare

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GRAMMAR

NOUNS The table given below shows how we group and classify nouns read the definitions provided and circle the noun that does not belong in the category

COMPOUND NOUNS

A compound noun is made of two or more wordsThe compound noun has a meaning that is different from the words it is made up of Compound nouns can be single words (such as breakfast)hyphenated words (such as commander-in-chief)or separate words that go together (such as bus stop) as they have a single meaning Let us read a few more examples

A motor glow arm rain black police

B fall Cycle bore worm Man chair

Compound

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Communication WRITING Writing a notice 1. You are the Team Leader of your class Literary ClubTo mark Malala Day, you have planned to organize an inter-class poetry writing competitionDraft a notice informing your schoolmates about the competitionYour notice must include all the parts marked on the sample notice given on the next page. Also add the theme you will chose for the competition and mention which classes are invited to take part. You can also write who will judge the competition

NEW ENGLISH SCHOOL NOTICE

23rd march2023 Inter-School Debate An inter-school debate will be held on 5 June 20XX, at the Ashoka Hall at 3:30 p.mAll students from classes VI-VII who are interested in participating should contact the Secretary of the Debate Team by 28th May 20XX. Naina secretary Debate team

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Application of learning READING Answer the following questions based on your understanding of the story 1. why do you think Malala says it sounded like a disease? 2. why had Malala’s fathergone on his own to Peshawar? 3. what grave danger did Malala and her family face while going to Karshat?

GRAMMAR Read the definitions below. Use the word bank words to create the correct compound word that matches each definition. Word Bank: cake, chop, coffee, man, mug, pan, spoon, snow, stick, tea A breakfast food made on the stovetop. A wintery creation that looks like a person. A common utensil in Asian cuisine. A cup used to enjoy a hot beverage. A small measurement in a recipe.

SPEAKING Based on your u of the lesson prepare a speech about The right of education for every child page 9

STILL I RISE

“DEVELOP ENOUGH COURAGE SO THAT YOU CAN STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND THEN STAND UP FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.” Maya Angelou

'Still I Rise' by Maya Angelou is an inspiring and moving poem that celebrates self-love and self-acceptance. The poem takes the reader through a series of statements the speaker makes about herself. She praises her strength, her body, and her ability to rise up and away from her personal and historical past. Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, was an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. In 2001 she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. Maya Angelou is known for her series of six autobiographies, starting with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, (1969) which was nominated for a National Book Award and called her magnum opus. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die (1971) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room

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Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes? Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries? Does my haughtiness offend you? Don't you take it awful hard ’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard.

⚫ Beset : To be set upon or attacked by. ⚫Springing: To "spring" is to leap into the air. ⚫ Soulful-Expressing profound and heartfelt feeling. ⚫ Welling: A rising forth of, usually in reference to a liquid. Here, the waves of the ocean rise forth.

You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? Does it come as a surprise That I dance like I've got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs? Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide, Welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.

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COMPREHENSION Reading 1 Think before you answer 1. As it is used in the first stanza, the word tread most nearly means: A. fight. C. step on D. talk about B. save 2The tone of the poem can best be described as: A. triumphant C. soothing D. bossy B. apologetic 3. As it is used in the fifth stanza, haughtiness most nearly means: A. anger C. Arrogance B. modesty D. Good looks 4. The “you” being addressed in the poem is most likely: A. white oppressors B. all Americans C. an ex-love D. black men

2. Answer the following questions based on your understanding of the poem 1. The writer addresses “You” several times in the poem. Who is meant by “You”? 2. What are the symbols moons, suns and other natural phenomena suggest? 3. What does the phrase “the huts of history’s shame’ mean? 4. What are the inherited “gifts” that the writer brings with her? 5. What is the implication of Still I Rise page1 2

language building blocks LITERARY APPRECIATION Angelou makes use of several poetic devices they are : Still I rise

Metaphor Use of words or phrases to compare seemingly unlikely things

Simile Use of words or phrases to compare seemingly unlikely things using like or as

Alliteration Use

of repeated sounds at the beginning of multiple words

Examples

huts of history

Just like hopes springing high

Cut me with your eyes

1. write two examples each of the following literary devices

Metaphor simile alliteration page 13

COMPREHENSION Application of the learning 1 write a short literary appreciation of the poem

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WHAT’S YOUR LIFES BLUEPRINT 1. "IF YOU CAN'T FLY THEN RUN, IF YOU CAN'T RUN THEN WALK, IF YOU CAN'T WALK THEN CRAWL, BUT WHATEVER YOU DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD."

Martin Luther King Jr Martin Luther King Jr. delivered some of the most famous, most eloquent speeches in American history. His best-known speeches, though, were given on a national stage, about national issues. This speech is different. In it, Dr. King speaks directly to teens just like you, and he offers very personal advice. The speech was delivered to teens at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967-less than six months before Dr. King was assassinated I want to ask you a question, and that is: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1929. At the time in that part of the country, segregation—or the separation of races in places like schools, buses, and restaurants—was the law. He experienced racial predjudice from the time he was very young, which inspired him to dedicate his life to achieving equality and justice for Americans of all colors. King believed that peaceful refusal to obey unjust law was the best way to bring about social change.

What is in your life's blueprint? This is a most important and crucial period in your lives. For what you do now and what you decide now at this age may well determine which way your life shall go. Whenever a building is constructed, you usually have an architect who draws a blueprint, and that blueprint serves as the guide for those who are to build the building. A building is not well erected without a good, sound, and solid blueprint. Now, each of you is in the process of building the structure of your lives, and the question is whether you have a proper, a solid, and a sound blueprint.

< I want to suggest some of the things that should be in your life's blueprint. Number one in your life's blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your own worth, and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you feel that you are nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel thatyour life has ultimate significance. Now, that means that you should not be ashamed of your color. You know, it's very unfortunate that in so many instances, our society has placed a stigma on the Negro's color. Secondly, in your life's blueprint, you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You're going to be deciding as the years unfold what you will do in life-what your life's work will be. Once you have decided what it will be, set out to do it, and to do it well. And I say to you, my young friends, that doors are opening to each of you-doors of opportunities that were not open to your mothers and to

Dignity : the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect. Stigma : a mark of disgrace associated with a particular person Sociological : concerning the development, structure, and functioning of human society. Opportunity : a time or set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. Plight : a dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.

your fathers- and the great challenge facing you is to be ready to enter < these doors as they open. Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great essayist, said in a lecture in 1871 that if a man can write a better book or preach a better sermon or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, even if he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door. That hasn't always been truebut it will become increasingly true, and so I would urge you to study hard, to burn the midnight oil; I would say to you, don't drop out of school. I understand all of the sociological reasons why we often drop out of school, but I urge you in spite of your economic plight, in spite of the situation that you're forced to live-stay in school. And when you discover what you are going to be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. Do that job so well that the living, the dead, or the unborn couldn't do it any better.

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< If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the - hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper.

< If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, be a shrub in the valley. But be the best little shrub on the side of the hill. For it isn't by size that you win or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are. Finally, in your life's blueprint, there must be a commitment to the eternal principles of beauty, t love, and justice. Don't allow anybody to pull you so low as to make you hate them. Don't allow anybody to cause you to lose your self-respect to the point that you do not struggle for justice. However young you are, you have a responsibility to seek to make life better for everybody. And so you must be involved in the struggle for freedom and Justice

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COMPREHENSION Reading 1 Think before you answer 1. What is the best definition for the term “blueprint”?​ a. A paper describing a local c. A newspaper building’s construction d. Writing of those suffering from segregation b. A pattern to follow 2. Dr. King says which of the following is most important in the blueprint of our life? a. A deep belief in our own self-worth c. Friends and family b. A well-paying career d. Honesty

3. Which is the second basic principal we must have in our blueprint? a. Trust c. Economic plight d. Determination to achieve excellence b. Sympathy 4. Dr. King states you should “always feel that your life has ultimate significance.” In this context, what does the term significance mean? c. Goals a. Emptiness d. Meaningfulness (importance) b. Meaningless 5. Ralph Waldo Emerson is described as being a. A great essayist c. Michelangelo b. God Almighty

d. An amazing songwriter

2. Answer t following questions based on your understanding of the lesson 1 What three components does King say should be in your life’s blueprint? 2. How can life be considered a blueprint? 3. Why do you think King have this particular speech to this particular audience . Explain? 4. W hats your life’s blueprint now . Reflect 5. What is meant by “doors of opportunity not open to your mothers and fathers “?

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Listening 1 Listen to the excerpts from the speech given below and answer the following questions

Number one in your lifes blueprint should secondly in your blueprint you must

if you can’t be a pine

finally in your blueprint there must

Language building blocks Phrasal Verbs A phrasal verb is made up of a verb and a preposition, or, an adverb that functions as a verb in a sentence. The meaning of the phrasal verb is different from the verb that is used to make it For example: Lots of very clever men get smashed up in Wall Street. I thought I could pull through. Underline the phrasal verbs in the following sentences. 1. She is strong and will never give in to unreasonable demands. 2. I think they traced over the illustration. 3. The plane took off as per the schedule. 4. You must not take up the cudgels for anyone. 5. Once you take a stand, stick to it. 6. The poor animal was so badly injured, it had to be put down.

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Grammar Independent clause A clause is a group of words with a subject and a finite verb. It may or may not express a complete thought. For example:My room is up in a tower.(complete thought) that used to be the contagious ward (incomplete thought) When it represents a complete thought, it is called an independent or a coordinate clause. For example: Our day is divided into sections. Underline the independent clause in the sentences given below. 1. I ate a lot of dessert last night at the party. 2. Can we have a clown entertain us during the event? 3. The school management has decided to supervise its teachers afterin today's meeting 4. She will come home soon, so dinner needs to be ready! 5. I want to take care of the plants in the garden. 6. Do you need to shop some more, before the wedding?

Communication Speaking Work in small groups and identify the factors that make one’s blueprint

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Writing Imagine that Dr Martin Luther King Jr was still alive draft a letter telling how how much the speech inspired you

Application of the Learning Reading What question does King want us to ask ourselves? why do you think Dr King refers to the lecture make by Ralph Waldo Emerson

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vocabulary Make sentences with the following phrasal verbs. 1. Breathe in 2. Clean up 3Hand over 4. Rule out 5. Try on 6. Write down

Grammar Underline the independent clauses in following sentence 1She was tired but she wrote the letter before sleeping 2The matron was angry so she called the girls to her office 3. I love college and love you 4She told me to mind my steps and be respectful towards you 5. She had never met the boy, yet she knew she had seen him somewhere 6I imagine things and get really upset

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