English - Prose Chapter 9: The Earth Long Answer Questions

Long Answer Questions

Question 1 . Did Benjy treat his parents justly? What would you do if you were Benjy?

Answer:No, Benjy treated his parents most heartlessly and unjustly. They made every sacrifice for him. They gave him hens, built coops on their land, and helped him save as much money as they had never had. But Benjy was never grateful to them. They forgave him because they had always believed he was not right in his mind. But at the end, Benjy drove them out of the house and left them to look after themselves. He showed no emotions and no affection. He never for a moment thought how the old parents would live. If I were Benjy, I would treat my parents with respect. I would have been thankful to them for their love, care and help. I would have never driven them out of the house. If there was not enough accommodation in the house. I would have added two or three more rooms to it. But I would have never made them leave the house where they had lived for the last forty years.

Question 2 .On how many occasions were Benjy’s parents disappointed with Benjy’s behavior? Describe each occasion briefly in your own words.

Answer:The parents were disappointed with Beny’s behavior at least on five different occasions. At first, the parents were disappointed with Benjy’s behavior when they gave him the passbook. They had saved a lot of money for him. They expected Benjy to say a word of gratitude, and willingness to share the money with them. But Benjy opened the passbook, looked at the balance, and put it in his pocket, The parents were hurt by this kind of behavior. Secondly, they were disappointed when Benjy was going to buy their land from Sanders. They asked Benjy what he was going to do with the land. Benjy simply told them that he was going to put more incubator houses on it.

His parents have hurt once again because they expected him to say something different. Perhaps some plan for them to use it. They were once again disappointed when he decided to marry Florence. They asked him where he would live and without a moment’s hesitation, he said he would live here. He asked them to vacate the front bedroom because he wanted it. They were no’ only disappointed, but even frightened of Benjy when he told them to leave the house. For the last time, they were disappointed when Benjy drove them into the town and said, “You’ll be better by yourselves in lodgings.” His words were without emotion. The parents were stupefied with grief.

Question 3.‘Looks are deceptive.’ How does this apply to Benjy?

Answer:As a child, Benjy looked not only innocent but simple-minded. He had large loose limbs, thick soft fair hair on his face and blue eyes. All-day long there was a smile on his face. His parents believed that he was not like other children. In their opinion, he lacked normal intelligence. His brain needed proper development. But in fact, Benjy proved to be the most cunning person. He was selfish and cruel. He had no love for his parents. He did not feel grateful. The climax was reached when he drove out his parents who had sacrificed every think for him. Indeed his simple and innocent looks were deceptive. They hid his cunningness behind them.

Question 4.What is the role of Florence in this story? How did she affect Benjy’s life?

Answer:Florence was one of Benjy’s employees. She helped him in cleaning the chicken houses. She was not good looking. She had thick short legs and hanging lips. Benjy fell in love with her. So far he had been interested only in hens. This was a turning point in his life. Beny decided to marry her despite his parents’ disapproval. He wanted her because she could help him with the hens. After Florence moved in as Benjy’s wife, there was an uneasiness in the house. Her relations with Benjy’s mother were sour. They did not like each other.

Benjy’s mother felt she was taking him away from her. There were quarrels. At first, Beny’s parents had to vacate their bedroom for Benjy and Florence. Later they lived in separate portions of the house. Finally, Benjy told his parents, rather in a rage, to leave the house and move to lodgings in the town. It was the final break between their relations. Florence must have played her role in this breaking up. But Benjy too was a heartless person. Florence was also like him. They joined together to drive out the old parents.

Question. 5 Johnson himself was responsible for his tragedy or troubles. Do you agree with this? Give reasons.

Answer:Johnson and his wife loved Benjy to a fault. From the beginning, they had believed that Benjy was a simple-minded and simple-hearted child. They took the doctor’s advice and helped Benjy to keep hens. They saved every penny for Benjy. They kept it in the bank. When Benjy was 21, they gave the passbook to him. He accepted it without showing any gratitude.

He was selfish. But Johnson and his wife always forgave him because they believed that Benjy was not in his right mind. At last, Benjy drove them out of the house. Johnson was at fault. Firstly, he was lazy and never tried to get a better yield from his land. Secondly, he saved no money for a rainy day. Thirdly, he never learned any lesson from Benjy selfish behavior. Had he been a little wiser, he would not have suffered in his old age.

Question 6.How is a simple-minded man defined in the story? Do you agree with this definition?

Answer:In the story, Benjy is described as a simple-minded person. He had large loose limbs and fair hair on his face. He had blue eyes and had a smile on his face. His parents believed that he was simple-minded and simple-hearted only because he looked different from others. I don’t agree with this definition because Benjy was not an idiot. He was not insane or imbecile. When he went to school he learned reading and writing and counting like other children. Of course, he was selfish and did not like to play with other children. He paid all his attention to his hens. He built a profitable business. When his parents told him that they were saving money for him, he understood everything. In fact, to consider a person simple headed just by his looks is erroneous. A simple-headed person can never be selfish.

Questions 7.Sketch the character of Johnson.

Answer:Johnson was a tenant farmer. He had a four-acre plot, a plough, a mare, a cart, and tools. But he loved talking more than working on his farm. He was also a local preacher and on Sundays, he liked to talk to village congregations. He would even stand at the back-door, over his field gate, in the road outside the house to talk to people. He believed that God, who has created this earth, would also take care of it. He had a faith that somehow the land would recover from its poverty. He was content with what little he got out of the land. Johnson loved his only son Benjy. He believed Benjy was simple-headed. He helped Benjy. He made several sacrifices for him. He was time and again disappointed by Benjy’s selfish behavior. But he never learned his lesson. He always forgave him, thinking that Benjy was not in his right mind. In the end, Johnson suffered because of his foolish faith and laziness. Though he arouses our sympathy, we also feel he got what he deserved.