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English for Today
Unit One: Father of the Nation Bangabandhu's Family in 1971 The Tale of Homecoming Bangabandhu at the UN Bangabandhu's Relationship with other countries Unit Two: Pastimes Have You Any Favourite Pastime? Reading Really Helps Change in Pastime Change in Pastimes in Bangladesh Pastimes Vary Unit Three: Events and Festivals Mother's Day May Day International Mother Language Day - 1 International Mother Language Day - 2 Independence Day Pahela Baishakh Unit Four: Are We Aware? The Ferry Boat Are We Too Many? Our Food and Shelter The Story of Lipi Let's become skilled workforce Unit Five: Nature and Environment The Greed of the Mighty Rivers Environmental Pollution Man and Climate Putting Our Fish In Hot Water A Friend of The Earth Unit Six: Our Neighbors Nepal, The Land of Everest Sri Lanka: The Pearl of the Indian Ocean The Maldives India: Unity In Diversity Bhutan: The Land of Happiness Unit Seven: People Who Stand Out Zainul Abedin, The Great Artist The Art Of Silence The Beginning Love For Humanity Love For Humanity The wizard of Apple Job's Childhood Unit Eight: World Heritage The Shat Gambuj Mosque The Somapura Mahavihara The Statue of Liberty Lake Baikal Unit Nine: Unconventional Jobs Jobs That People Do Weired jobs Around Floral Career Unit Ten: Dreams Have a Dream What I Dream to be They Had Dreams (Part- 1) They Had Dreams (Part- 2) Unit Eleven: Renewable Energy Renewable Energy Sources (Part 1) Renewable Energy Sources (Part 2) Unit Twelve: Roots My Roots My Roots 2 The Return Of the Native In Search Of Identity Unit Thirteen: Media and Modes of E-communication Media and Modes Of E-Communication Social Network Sevices E- Learning Unit Fourteen: Pleasure and Purpose Books Two Mothers Remembered The Sands Of Dee Time, You Old Gipsy Man Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The Purple Jar (Part -1) The Purple Jar (Part -2) The Purple Jar (Part -3) A Pond of Flesh The Three Caskets The Trial

The Return Of the Native

নবম-দশম শ্রেণি (দাখিল) - English for Today - Unit Twelve: Roots | | NCTB BOOK
6

A. Read the following text.

 Michael Madhusudan Dutt, was a celebrated 19th century Bangalee poet and dramatist. He was born in Sagordari on the bank of the Kopotaksho River, a village in Keshabpur Upazila under Jashore district. From an early age, Michael aspired to be an Englishman in form and manner. Though he was born in a sophisticated Hindu family, he converted to Christianity as a young man, much to the ire of his family, and adopted the first name Michael. In his childhood, he was recognised by his teachers as a precious child with a gift of literary talent. His early exposure to English education and European literature at home and his college inspired him to imitate the English in taste, manners and intellect. Since his adolescence he started believing that he was born on the wrong side of the planet, and that his society was unable to appreciate his talent. He also believed that the West would be more receptive to his creative genius.

Madhusudan was an ardent follower of the famous English poet Lord Byron. So after adopting Christianity, he went to Europe and started composing poems and plays in English. They showed his higher level of intellectual ability. However, he failed to gain the right appreciation. To his utter frustration he found that he was not esteemed as a native writer of English literature. Out of his frustration, he composed a sonnet in Bangla "Kopotaksha Nad" which earned him huge reputation in Bangla. Gradually he could realise that his true identity lay in Bengal and he was a sojourner in Europe. Afterwards he regretted his fascination for England and the West. He came back to Bengal and devoted himself to Bangla literature from this period. He has written the first Bangla epic Meghnad Badh Kabya.

 

B. Write notes about Madhusudan under the following headings. One is done for you.

Madhusudan as a manMadhusudan as a poetAttitude to his roots
 
  • celebrated 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist
 

 

C. Read some more information on Madhusudan. Make questions for those statements.

 

a. .…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
He introduced amitrakshar chhanda (blank verse) in Bangla literature.
 

b. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Madhusudan passed most of his European days in Versailles, France.
 

C. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
His days in Europe were full of hardship.

d. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
It was unbearable to him as he had to suffer extreme poverty.
 

e. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
It was Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar who helped him to pay off his debts and return to India.
 

f. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Madhusudan married twice. While living in Madras, he married Rebecca Mactavys of English descent.
 

g. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Later he married Henrietta Sophia White, who was also ethnic English.
 

h. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
His second marriage lasted until the end of his life.
 

i. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Madhusudan and Sophia had a son Napoleon and daughter Sharmistha.
 

j. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Madhusudan died in Calcutta General Hospital on 27 June 1873, three days after the death of Henrietta.

 

D. Work in pairs and decide how the story of Madhusudan is related to the unit theme Roots.

 

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