A Wrong Man in Worker’s Paradise

About the Author & Lesson

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941): A polymath who reshaped Bengali literature and music, Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He is the celebrated author of 'Gitanjali' and the composer of India's national anthem.

The Lesson: "A Wrong Man in Worker’s Paradise" is a satirical story that explores the conflict between 'utility' and 'art.' It tells the tale of an artist who is mistakenly sent to a paradise where everyone is obsessively busy with productive work. Through the artist's "meaningless" creations, the story illustrates how art, though seemingly useless, provides essential spiritual and aesthetic nourishment to the human soul.

I. Comprehension Questions (Brief Answers)

Answer: (c) The people in workers' paradise.

Answer:
a) 'some boys' compared to: the artist.
b) 'Their not studying' compared to: he is wasting all his time in a painting.
c) 'Yet passing in the test' compared to: going to heaven.

Answer: (b) they are happy and proud to be busy.

Answer: It doesn't waste its energy in making a sound.

Answer: (a) she was interested only in her work.

Answer: She noticed that he had no work to do and was sitting idle.

Answer: (c) she was afraid of the elder's rebuke for wasting her time.

Answer: (b) she was attracted by art.

Answer: More and more people in the worker's paradise were becoming idle, wasting their time on painting and sculpture.

Answer: (c) saw new possibilities open up before her.

Answer: The man appreciated the beauty in everything and liked those which pleased the senses even though they were not useful for any activity.

Answer:
a) Before giving her pitcher: She was slightly angry because she thought pictures did not help in making a pitcher more useful.
b) After giving her pitcher: She became curious and spent a lot of time looking at the "meaningless" designs.
c) When offered ribbons: The girl offered her ribbons more readily than before and used them immediately, resulting in more time being wasted.
d) When following the man out: The girl no longer hesitated. She went running after him, asking him to stop for her. Her love for art was total.

Answer: The credit goes to both the artist's ability to impact others and the girl's readiness and open-mindedness to change.

II. Close Study (Extracts)

a) What does 'Moving Finger' mean here?
Answer: It can mean God or Fate that keeps an account or record of everything that a man does.

b) What figure of speech is used?
Answer: Metonymy.

c) What does the sentence mean in the context?
Answer: Even in heaven, records are kept. Though everything is expected to be perfect in heaven, mistakes are made.

a) Who is the person?
Answer: The girl of the silent torrent.

b) Why was she filled with pity?
Answer: She was filled with pity to see that the artist had no work.

c) What did she do?
Answer: She offered him work.

a) What had happened the previous night?
Answer: The artist had drawn colorful and "meaningless" lines on her pitcher.

b) What does "hurrying feet" suggest?
Answer: Since there were no thoughts worrying her mind, her feet were moving fast toward her work.

c) Why did they become less hurried?
Answer: She was lost in her thoughts about art and the beauty of the lines on the pitcher.

III. Paragraph Writing

Answer: The men in workers' paradise had a lot of work to do and they were happy to do that work. They were glad to mention the huge amount of work they had. Hence, they found no pleasure in just standing and chatting for a long time with one another. They found happiness in no activity other than work.

The artist, on the other hand, was involved in visualizing and imagining beautiful pictures which he wanted to transfer onto some surface. Hence, he felt working would distract his mind which was full of colorful images. The artist found pleasure in indulgence in art whereas the people in workers' paradise found pleasure in working. They had totally contrasting lifestyles.

Answer: The world of an artist is filled with colors and designs, while the world in the Workers' Paradise is filled only with work. These are totally extreme worlds. Neither is good on its own.

The idler spends his time standing by a stream or painting objects with no purpose. On the other hand, workers have no time for recreation or beauty. To them, time is precious and they have too much to do. Neither world is ideal. A life of idleness does not do any good, and working all the time with no breaks or entertainment is not good either. The two worlds should come together for a balanced life.

Answer: When an individual creates art for the sake of art, his mind and soul are satisfied. He has done justice to his imagination and ability. However, even an artist has to survive, for which he needs food, clothing, and shelter. Hence, he should be ready to part with his products of art in exchange for money; however, he cannot create art only for the sake of earning money.

Similarly, knowledge for its own sake is not very relevant unless it is applied to real-life problems. Man cannot live by bread alone because he is not an animal. He has a soul which needs to be satisfied through art and literature. It is these finer aspects of life that lift man's life above that of an animal's and make life beautiful and divine.