CBSE Class 11 Mother's Day
Mother’s Day
- J. B. Priestley
About the Author: John Boynton Priestley was born in 1894 in Bradford, a city in the north of England, in what he famously described as an "ultra respectable" suburb, perhaps not too dissimilar from Brumley, the aspiring middle-class town. He studied at a grammar school, after which he spent some time working as a junior clerk in a wool office.
In 1914, he joined the army and served during World War I in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 10th Battalion. In 1916, he was wounded by mortar fire. Priestley moved to London in 1922, where he quickly gained a reputation as a writer.
In his volume of reminiscences, Margin Released (1962), he reflects on his early life and war service, and he is aggressively critical of the army, particularly the officer class. He received an ex-officers' grant in 1919, and went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, to study.
His most significant work from the postwar period are his novels Bright Day (1946), Festival at Far bridge (1951), and The Image Men (1968). His most ambitious literary critical output, however, can be found in his reflections on theatre, The Art of the Dramatist (1957) and a wider survey, Literature and the Western Man (1960). He also published Journey Down a Rainbow (1955) and a play, Dragon's Mouth (1952), with his third wife, Jacquelta Hawkes.
He also famously wrote a book on Edwardian England, The Edwardians. Priestley was awarded the Order of Merit in 1977, seven years before his death in 1984.
About the Lesson: Mrs. Pearson is a weak minded woman. She is docile by nature. She runs after her family members all the time. She stays at home every night whereas her husband and children go out enjoying themselves. Her neighbor Mrs. Fitzgerald wanted Mrs. Pearson to be tough with them. She advises her to be the mistress and boss of her family. Mrs. Fitzgerald in order to help Mrs. Pearson, speaks a spell and changes her personality with that of herself (Mr. Fitzgerald). Now she deals with her family in a tough way. All her family members are surprised at her behavior. Doris, her daughter is in tears. Cyril, her son is at loss to know what has happened to his mother. Her husband becomes a laughing stock in his friends. Their lives become miserable. Mrs. Pearson can't take it any longer and urges Mrs. Fitzgerald to change their personalities again. Mrs. Fitzgerald warns her not to be soft to her family members else her life would be a wretched one.
Theme: The play deals with the theme that a mother is milled in her never ending household work. Everyone in the family takes her for granted and heavily depends upon her to make their lives click. In the process, unfortunately, her needs are awfully neglected.
She takes all the humiliation and sufferings in her stride but eventually there comes a time when she cannot stand it any longer.
Message: The play is J.B. Priestley's earnest appeal for a better and humane treatment of all mothers. He has sent a message to the society that the mothers should be given due respect and their dignity should be maintained. A mother has a soft approach for her family because of her affectionate nature which should not be anyhow misconstrued as her weakness.
Summary: Annie Pearson was a mother and a wife and she had a ruined family. She saw that her children and husband considered her like a slave at home, she is supposed to make food for them and iron their clothes and all the rest of the household chores. She longed for a change but couldn't have it.
Her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald feld sorry for Mrs. Pearson's condition and wanted to help her. She wanted Mrs. Pearson to be tough with her family. She advises her to be the mistress and boss of her family. Mrs. Fitzgerald, in order to help Mrs. Pearson casts a spell and changes her own personality with Mrs. Person's.
Hereafter, the play catches everyone's attention and one starts laughing loudly. When Doris Pearson returned from work, she was shocked to see her mother (that was Mrs. Fitzgerald in Annie Pearson's body) Then came Cyril, the matter had worsened. The son and the daughter had never seen their mother drinking liquor and smoking cigarettes after cigarettes!
Finally came the HEAD of the family - George Pearson. When he saw what his children had seen and heard more than what the children had heard, George found no tongue in his mouth. His wife had never been like this. She called him a name that his friends teased him at the club and laughed at him.
She declared that she had decided not to cook for them, iron their clothes and wait for them to have food. She made it very clear that she was not willing to work in the house unless she were paid due respect and be thanked for every favor.
The family learnt a great lesson that day Later, the two friends returned their characters and the play ends happily, Annie Pearson was now duly accepted and respected.
Short Answer Type
Q.1. What is Mrs. Fitzgerald's suggestion to Mrs. Pearson? How could she maintain that atmosphere of discipline and realization that she created?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald suggested that Mrs. Pearson was not to start any explaining or apologizing or it would spoil the good work that was done. She was asked to just give her children and husband a look, or a tone of voice off and on to suggest that she might be tough with them if she wanted to be.
Q.2. Why is Mrs. Fitzgerald insisting upon Mrs. Pearson's being the boss of her family?
Ans. Mrs. Pearson's husband and children considered her as a housemaid rather than a loving and caring mother and wife. They demanded everything from her, ordered her to make tea to tiffin and never thought of her pleasure and liking. They thought that it was her duty to work for them while they never considered her work as efforts to run her family.
Q. 3. What went well in the Pearson family?
Ans. When observed from outside, Annie Pearson's family was an ideal one. The center of the family was a silent mother and wife so everything turned and moved silently. Her husband and children were free to live their lives unquestioned and they enjoyed a business class life, half spent at workplaces and half spent with society. They got their food prepared and served in time and got their clothes washed, mended and ironed by someone who never complained.
Q.4. What was wrong in the Pearson family?
Ans. Annie Pearson's family was an ideal one when observed from outside its fence but essentially something was wrong inside. The life of the family, Annie Pearson, had reached an alarming level of intolerance and impatience. She had her grunt unheard but wanted it heard by all. She had been living like a slave in the family, doing work for her husband and children. She wanted them to acknowledge her worth, at least recognize her presence in the family but she was too scared of speaking out lest a spark of ill feeling flew in the family.
Q. 5. How was Annie Pearson responsible for her fate?
Ans. To a certain level, Annie Pearson was herself responsible for her fate. She was, besides the other things, loving and caring. He loved and cared for her children and husband so much that they failed to understand her value and worth. She had wished to correct them but for fear of hurting them, she didn't mention it.
Q. 6. How did Doris and Cyril consider their mother?
Ans. Both Doris and Cyril are employed so they are aware of the workload issues yet they had never got time to consider doing household work. They took her for granted. They learned what their mother had wanted them to learn. Though their mother worked harder and longer, without a word of appreciation or salary, they could not see the essential worth and hardship of the works she did.
Q. 7. What was Mrs. Fitzgerald's unusual idea for helping Annie out?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald suggested equipping Annie with a bolder and stricter personality by means of magic. She offered to infuse her character into Annie in exchange of the latter's weak character. By doing this, Mrs. Fitzgerald hoped to bring Annie's family to encounter a change in the family system.
0.8. What were the immediate effects of the magic spell?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald's magic had far and near repercussions. When it was spelled, the two women stirred out of their selves and transformed into contrasting characters. Annie became bold Fitzgerald and visa-versa. With the change of character, they also got the additional features such as sound and movement.
0.9. Why didn't Fitzgerald - as Doris' mother - like her going out with Charlie Spence?
Ans. Fitzgerald was of the opinion that Charlie Spence was not a pence worth young man to go out with. With buckteeth and half-witted, Spence was not the right man for a girl like Doris. She was also of the opinion that it was wise to give up a man like him and go for a sensible one.
O. 10. "I was yawning at your jokes before you were born." What does this mean? What sent Doris into tears on hearing this?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald (as Mrs. Pearson) had a low regard for the kind of jokes that Doris and Cyril cracked at their age. She liked them behave to in a more mature manner and behave as grownups. The intended sense is - as a mother, Mrs. Pearson had laughed at the funny movements that Doris made in her uterus at the time of her birth.
Q. 11. How does Mrs. Fitzgerald plan to show the Pearson's their rightful places?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald had learnt some magic during her few years stay in East. She offers to exchange her personality with Mrs. Pearson for some time. While she would look like Mrs. Pearson she would use her domineering nature to show the Pearson family its rightful place. This plan was a temporary agreement.
Q. 12. Mrs. Fitzgerald is portrayed as Mrs. Person's alter ego. Comment.
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is everything that Mrs. Pearson is not. She is her alter ego. She is older, heavier and stronger than the mild Mrs. Pearson whereas Mrs. Pearson is pleasant looking and has a sinister personality. It is Mrs. Fitzgerald who makes Mrs. Pearson realize that she doesn't have to put up with the nasty treatment meted out to her by her family.
Q. 13. Do you agree that Doris and Cyril's behavior with their mother was extremely rude and unheard of?
Ans. There have never been a son and daughter in stories or in real life who were as aggressive with their mother as Doris and Cyril were. Their asking "is tea ready" and "you are going to iron it for me are rude and out of the ordinary. When they are informed that tea was not ready and the dress was not ironed, their responses are equally unexpected. They talk like tyrants ordering to their slaves.
Q. 14. What does Mrs. Fitzgerald mean by comparing the works at home and works at work places?
Ans. The speaker, Mrs. Fitzgerald in Mrs. Annie's body, draws a stark contrast that exist between concept of office work and home work. It is always like that - the teacher in the school gets paid while the student who does homework gets scolded. Similarly, people take the work done by a wife for granted while the work duly salaried is considered to be as work. The author's voice sounds criticism.
Q15. Why does Doris think that her mother is being silly?
Ans. In fact Doris didn't find her mother being silly though she put it that way. She found her mother extraordinarily different and out of her wits. She had never got home from her work without her mother waiting for with tea and having done all her work such as washing and ironing her clothes but today there was no tea ready and her clothes were not ironed. Besides, for the first time, she saw her mother smoking and planning to go out for dinner.
Q. 16. On what note does the play end.
Ans. It ends at a happy note. Children (Doris and Cyril) and husband (George) decide to stay at home and play a game of rummy with Mrs. Pearson. They even accepted the suggestion that while Mrs. Pearson would have a private talk with her husband, the children would prepare supper.
Q. 17. Do you think Mrs. Pearson was herself responsible for spoiling her family? How?
Ans. Yes it is true. Mrs. Pearson should not have succumbed to the undue demands of her family members. She waited hand and foot on them and the three followed and enjoyed their own interest never bothering about her's. She never asserted her's rights and sacrificed her own pleasures to keep her family happy.
Q. 18. What does Mrs. Pearson tell George Pearson what people's conception about him in the Club is?
Ans. Mrs. Pearson, who is actually Mrs. Fitzgerald, told her husband that he was a standing joke for the other club members and they called him Pompy-ompy Pearson as they thought that he was very slow and pompous.
Q. 19. What was Cyril's prime fault as expressed by Mrs. Pearson?
Ans. According to Mrs. Pearson, Cyril spent too much time and money at greyhound races and dirt tracks and ice shows.
Long Answer Type
Q. 1. What are the issues that the play, 'Mother's Day' highlights?
Ans. The play 'Mother's Day' basically highlights the different real aspects related to the status of the mother in a family. In most families, the mother is a housewife who stays at home while the father and in some cases, the children go out for work. The reality is that the job of mother in a family is a twenty four hour harsh job, she cannot have the luxury of even enjoying any weekend and holidays.
That is the case with Mrs. Pearson in this play. Her two grown-up children Cyril and Doris Pearson and her husband George Pearson, always take her for granted and gives absolutely no credit to her. Who's love, care and concern of her family that ins created trouble for her and has spoilt them perfectly.
The mother needs to be harsh and assertive every now and then with her children and husband, reminding them that the work she does is a round the clock work and worth much more than theirs. If the mother of the family turns out to be too soft with her altitude towards her children and husband, then the children are bound to be led astray and spoilt as is the case with Cyril and Doris Pearson. Ultimately, Mrs. Fitzgerald's idea of changing bodies and personality with Mrs. Pearson reforms the errant family members.
Q.2. How does Mrs. Pearson reform her spoilt family members?
Mrs. Fitzgerald is Mrs. Pearson's neighbor. She is domineering, practical, quite opposite to the character of Mrs. Pearson. Mrs. Pearson is soft, unassertive, too fond of her children and husband. She knows about their mistakes but cannot be harsh with them. Mis Fitzgerald compels her friend to agree to change personality with her, with magic ostraighten her family members. So they change bodies, (personalities). Mrs. Pearson actually Mrs. Fitzgerald) first takes on her daughter Doris whom she scolds for her erratic behavior. She becomes tough with her daughter Doris and refuses to iron her vellow silk. She disapproves her daughter's decision to go out with Charlie. Next, she fakes on her son Cyril whom she scolds scathingly for preparing to go out for late night parties. Ultimately, she attends to her husband who has acquired very bad name in his club where he spends most of his time. She smokes, plays cards and drinks stout. She is ready to do a bit of cooking if she is given respect and treated well. Actually Mrs. Fitzgerald behavior is puzzling for the three confused family members. The three ultimately are made to be aware of Mrs. Pearson's actual status in her home. They promise to reform themselves. Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald change back their bodies.
0.3. Make a character sketch of Mrs. Pearson.
Ans. Before her personality changes with Mrs. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Pearson was a mild, weak-minded and docile woman. She runs after her family members all the time, take their order as if she were the servant of the house. She stays every night at home while all others go out and enjoy themselves. They treat her like dirt. She in fact is a weak character. After the personality changes the body, we find a sea change in her character.
All the personality traits of Mrs. Fitzgerald enter her body. Now she becomes bold and treats all her family members in a tough manner. She becomes real mistress and boss of her family. She becomes tough with her daughter Doris and refuses to iron her yellow silk. She disapproves her daughter's decision to go out with Charlie Spence. She doesn't prepare for her children and tells Cyril that she doesn't remember taking his things out.
She makes fun of George, her husband, on his being called pompy-ompy Pearson at the club. She bothers little about the distress of her family. She smokes, plays cards and drinks stout. She is ready to do a bit of cooking if she is given respect and treated well. Before changing back to her previous-self, she wants to see all of them in their places. In short, she provides us a good feast by her firmness and toughness.
Q.4. What impression do you form of Mrs. Fitzgerald from the play?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is an old lady, heavier and a strong and a sinister personality. She is domineering fond of playing cards, smoking and drinking stout. She is distressed to see the miserable plight of Mrs. Pearson. She advises to be firm and tough with her family members and put her foot down once and for all. When Mrs. Pearson shows her inability to deal with them firmly she exchanges her personality with Mrs. Pearson and deals with the family members firmly. She always advised Mrs. Pearson to be the boss and mistress of the house. She doesn't like Mrs. Pearson to be a slave all the time.
She is a frequent visitor at Mrs. Pearson's house and is greeted by her warmly and the latter has a high opinion of her. When Cyril makes fun of her (after personality change), she becomes angry and warns him not to do so. She is sympathetic to Doris and asks her mother to let her go out with Charlie, but Mrs. Pearson (real Mrs. Fitzgerald) tells her firmly not to interfere in her family affairs and manage her own family. In the end, she again changes her personality with Mrs. Pearson. She warns the later not to be soft, but to be firm with the members of her family. In short she pays her part well and deftly.
- J. B. Priestley
About the Author: John Boynton Priestley was born in 1894 in Bradford, a city in the north of England, in what he famously described as an "ultra respectable" suburb, perhaps not too dissimilar from Brumley, the aspiring middle-class town. He studied at a grammar school, after which he spent some time working as a junior clerk in a wool office.
In 1914, he joined the army and served during World War I in the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, 10th Battalion. In 1916, he was wounded by mortar fire. Priestley moved to London in 1922, where he quickly gained a reputation as a writer.
In his volume of reminiscences, Margin Released (1962), he reflects on his early life and war service, and he is aggressively critical of the army, particularly the officer class. He received an ex-officers' grant in 1919, and went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, to study.
His most significant work from the postwar period are his novels Bright Day (1946), Festival at Far bridge (1951), and The Image Men (1968). His most ambitious literary critical output, however, can be found in his reflections on theatre, The Art of the Dramatist (1957) and a wider survey, Literature and the Western Man (1960). He also published Journey Down a Rainbow (1955) and a play, Dragon's Mouth (1952), with his third wife, Jacquelta Hawkes.
He also famously wrote a book on Edwardian England, The Edwardians. Priestley was awarded the Order of Merit in 1977, seven years before his death in 1984.
About the Lesson: Mrs. Pearson is a weak minded woman. She is docile by nature. She runs after her family members all the time. She stays at home every night whereas her husband and children go out enjoying themselves. Her neighbor Mrs. Fitzgerald wanted Mrs. Pearson to be tough with them. She advises her to be the mistress and boss of her family. Mrs. Fitzgerald in order to help Mrs. Pearson, speaks a spell and changes her personality with that of herself (Mr. Fitzgerald). Now she deals with her family in a tough way. All her family members are surprised at her behavior. Doris, her daughter is in tears. Cyril, her son is at loss to know what has happened to his mother. Her husband becomes a laughing stock in his friends. Their lives become miserable. Mrs. Pearson can't take it any longer and urges Mrs. Fitzgerald to change their personalities again. Mrs. Fitzgerald warns her not to be soft to her family members else her life would be a wretched one.
Theme: The play deals with the theme that a mother is milled in her never ending household work. Everyone in the family takes her for granted and heavily depends upon her to make their lives click. In the process, unfortunately, her needs are awfully neglected.
She takes all the humiliation and sufferings in her stride but eventually there comes a time when she cannot stand it any longer.
Message: The play is J.B. Priestley's earnest appeal for a better and humane treatment of all mothers. He has sent a message to the society that the mothers should be given due respect and their dignity should be maintained. A mother has a soft approach for her family because of her affectionate nature which should not be anyhow misconstrued as her weakness.
Summary: Annie Pearson was a mother and a wife and she had a ruined family. She saw that her children and husband considered her like a slave at home, she is supposed to make food for them and iron their clothes and all the rest of the household chores. She longed for a change but couldn't have it.
Her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald feld sorry for Mrs. Pearson's condition and wanted to help her. She wanted Mrs. Pearson to be tough with her family. She advises her to be the mistress and boss of her family. Mrs. Fitzgerald, in order to help Mrs. Pearson casts a spell and changes her own personality with Mrs. Person's.
Hereafter, the play catches everyone's attention and one starts laughing loudly. When Doris Pearson returned from work, she was shocked to see her mother (that was Mrs. Fitzgerald in Annie Pearson's body) Then came Cyril, the matter had worsened. The son and the daughter had never seen their mother drinking liquor and smoking cigarettes after cigarettes!
Finally came the HEAD of the family - George Pearson. When he saw what his children had seen and heard more than what the children had heard, George found no tongue in his mouth. His wife had never been like this. She called him a name that his friends teased him at the club and laughed at him.
She declared that she had decided not to cook for them, iron their clothes and wait for them to have food. She made it very clear that she was not willing to work in the house unless she were paid due respect and be thanked for every favor.
The family learnt a great lesson that day Later, the two friends returned their characters and the play ends happily, Annie Pearson was now duly accepted and respected.
Short Answer Type
Q.1. What is Mrs. Fitzgerald's suggestion to Mrs. Pearson? How could she maintain that atmosphere of discipline and realization that she created?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald suggested that Mrs. Pearson was not to start any explaining or apologizing or it would spoil the good work that was done. She was asked to just give her children and husband a look, or a tone of voice off and on to suggest that she might be tough with them if she wanted to be.
Q.2. Why is Mrs. Fitzgerald insisting upon Mrs. Pearson's being the boss of her family?
Ans. Mrs. Pearson's husband and children considered her as a housemaid rather than a loving and caring mother and wife. They demanded everything from her, ordered her to make tea to tiffin and never thought of her pleasure and liking. They thought that it was her duty to work for them while they never considered her work as efforts to run her family.
Q. 3. What went well in the Pearson family?
Ans. When observed from outside, Annie Pearson's family was an ideal one. The center of the family was a silent mother and wife so everything turned and moved silently. Her husband and children were free to live their lives unquestioned and they enjoyed a business class life, half spent at workplaces and half spent with society. They got their food prepared and served in time and got their clothes washed, mended and ironed by someone who never complained.
Q.4. What was wrong in the Pearson family?
Ans. Annie Pearson's family was an ideal one when observed from outside its fence but essentially something was wrong inside. The life of the family, Annie Pearson, had reached an alarming level of intolerance and impatience. She had her grunt unheard but wanted it heard by all. She had been living like a slave in the family, doing work for her husband and children. She wanted them to acknowledge her worth, at least recognize her presence in the family but she was too scared of speaking out lest a spark of ill feeling flew in the family.
Q. 5. How was Annie Pearson responsible for her fate?
Ans. To a certain level, Annie Pearson was herself responsible for her fate. She was, besides the other things, loving and caring. He loved and cared for her children and husband so much that they failed to understand her value and worth. She had wished to correct them but for fear of hurting them, she didn't mention it.
Q. 6. How did Doris and Cyril consider their mother?
Ans. Both Doris and Cyril are employed so they are aware of the workload issues yet they had never got time to consider doing household work. They took her for granted. They learned what their mother had wanted them to learn. Though their mother worked harder and longer, without a word of appreciation or salary, they could not see the essential worth and hardship of the works she did.
Q. 7. What was Mrs. Fitzgerald's unusual idea for helping Annie out?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald suggested equipping Annie with a bolder and stricter personality by means of magic. She offered to infuse her character into Annie in exchange of the latter's weak character. By doing this, Mrs. Fitzgerald hoped to bring Annie's family to encounter a change in the family system.
0.8. What were the immediate effects of the magic spell?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald's magic had far and near repercussions. When it was spelled, the two women stirred out of their selves and transformed into contrasting characters. Annie became bold Fitzgerald and visa-versa. With the change of character, they also got the additional features such as sound and movement.
0.9. Why didn't Fitzgerald - as Doris' mother - like her going out with Charlie Spence?
Ans. Fitzgerald was of the opinion that Charlie Spence was not a pence worth young man to go out with. With buckteeth and half-witted, Spence was not the right man for a girl like Doris. She was also of the opinion that it was wise to give up a man like him and go for a sensible one.
O. 10. "I was yawning at your jokes before you were born." What does this mean? What sent Doris into tears on hearing this?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald (as Mrs. Pearson) had a low regard for the kind of jokes that Doris and Cyril cracked at their age. She liked them behave to in a more mature manner and behave as grownups. The intended sense is - as a mother, Mrs. Pearson had laughed at the funny movements that Doris made in her uterus at the time of her birth.
Q. 11. How does Mrs. Fitzgerald plan to show the Pearson's their rightful places?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald had learnt some magic during her few years stay in East. She offers to exchange her personality with Mrs. Pearson for some time. While she would look like Mrs. Pearson she would use her domineering nature to show the Pearson family its rightful place. This plan was a temporary agreement.
Q. 12. Mrs. Fitzgerald is portrayed as Mrs. Person's alter ego. Comment.
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is everything that Mrs. Pearson is not. She is her alter ego. She is older, heavier and stronger than the mild Mrs. Pearson whereas Mrs. Pearson is pleasant looking and has a sinister personality. It is Mrs. Fitzgerald who makes Mrs. Pearson realize that she doesn't have to put up with the nasty treatment meted out to her by her family.
Q. 13. Do you agree that Doris and Cyril's behavior with their mother was extremely rude and unheard of?
Ans. There have never been a son and daughter in stories or in real life who were as aggressive with their mother as Doris and Cyril were. Their asking "is tea ready" and "you are going to iron it for me are rude and out of the ordinary. When they are informed that tea was not ready and the dress was not ironed, their responses are equally unexpected. They talk like tyrants ordering to their slaves.
Q. 14. What does Mrs. Fitzgerald mean by comparing the works at home and works at work places?
Ans. The speaker, Mrs. Fitzgerald in Mrs. Annie's body, draws a stark contrast that exist between concept of office work and home work. It is always like that - the teacher in the school gets paid while the student who does homework gets scolded. Similarly, people take the work done by a wife for granted while the work duly salaried is considered to be as work. The author's voice sounds criticism.
Q15. Why does Doris think that her mother is being silly?
Ans. In fact Doris didn't find her mother being silly though she put it that way. She found her mother extraordinarily different and out of her wits. She had never got home from her work without her mother waiting for with tea and having done all her work such as washing and ironing her clothes but today there was no tea ready and her clothes were not ironed. Besides, for the first time, she saw her mother smoking and planning to go out for dinner.
Q. 16. On what note does the play end.
Ans. It ends at a happy note. Children (Doris and Cyril) and husband (George) decide to stay at home and play a game of rummy with Mrs. Pearson. They even accepted the suggestion that while Mrs. Pearson would have a private talk with her husband, the children would prepare supper.
Q. 17. Do you think Mrs. Pearson was herself responsible for spoiling her family? How?
Ans. Yes it is true. Mrs. Pearson should not have succumbed to the undue demands of her family members. She waited hand and foot on them and the three followed and enjoyed their own interest never bothering about her's. She never asserted her's rights and sacrificed her own pleasures to keep her family happy.
Q. 18. What does Mrs. Pearson tell George Pearson what people's conception about him in the Club is?
Ans. Mrs. Pearson, who is actually Mrs. Fitzgerald, told her husband that he was a standing joke for the other club members and they called him Pompy-ompy Pearson as they thought that he was very slow and pompous.
Q. 19. What was Cyril's prime fault as expressed by Mrs. Pearson?
Ans. According to Mrs. Pearson, Cyril spent too much time and money at greyhound races and dirt tracks and ice shows.
Long Answer Type
Q. 1. What are the issues that the play, 'Mother's Day' highlights?
Ans. The play 'Mother's Day' basically highlights the different real aspects related to the status of the mother in a family. In most families, the mother is a housewife who stays at home while the father and in some cases, the children go out for work. The reality is that the job of mother in a family is a twenty four hour harsh job, she cannot have the luxury of even enjoying any weekend and holidays.
That is the case with Mrs. Pearson in this play. Her two grown-up children Cyril and Doris Pearson and her husband George Pearson, always take her for granted and gives absolutely no credit to her. Who's love, care and concern of her family that ins created trouble for her and has spoilt them perfectly.
The mother needs to be harsh and assertive every now and then with her children and husband, reminding them that the work she does is a round the clock work and worth much more than theirs. If the mother of the family turns out to be too soft with her altitude towards her children and husband, then the children are bound to be led astray and spoilt as is the case with Cyril and Doris Pearson. Ultimately, Mrs. Fitzgerald's idea of changing bodies and personality with Mrs. Pearson reforms the errant family members.
Q.2. How does Mrs. Pearson reform her spoilt family members?
Mrs. Fitzgerald is Mrs. Pearson's neighbor. She is domineering, practical, quite opposite to the character of Mrs. Pearson. Mrs. Pearson is soft, unassertive, too fond of her children and husband. She knows about their mistakes but cannot be harsh with them. Mis Fitzgerald compels her friend to agree to change personality with her, with magic ostraighten her family members. So they change bodies, (personalities). Mrs. Pearson actually Mrs. Fitzgerald) first takes on her daughter Doris whom she scolds for her erratic behavior. She becomes tough with her daughter Doris and refuses to iron her vellow silk. She disapproves her daughter's decision to go out with Charlie. Next, she fakes on her son Cyril whom she scolds scathingly for preparing to go out for late night parties. Ultimately, she attends to her husband who has acquired very bad name in his club where he spends most of his time. She smokes, plays cards and drinks stout. She is ready to do a bit of cooking if she is given respect and treated well. Actually Mrs. Fitzgerald behavior is puzzling for the three confused family members. The three ultimately are made to be aware of Mrs. Pearson's actual status in her home. They promise to reform themselves. Mrs. Pearson and Mrs. Fitzgerald change back their bodies.
0.3. Make a character sketch of Mrs. Pearson.
Ans. Before her personality changes with Mrs. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Pearson was a mild, weak-minded and docile woman. She runs after her family members all the time, take their order as if she were the servant of the house. She stays every night at home while all others go out and enjoy themselves. They treat her like dirt. She in fact is a weak character. After the personality changes the body, we find a sea change in her character.
All the personality traits of Mrs. Fitzgerald enter her body. Now she becomes bold and treats all her family members in a tough manner. She becomes real mistress and boss of her family. She becomes tough with her daughter Doris and refuses to iron her yellow silk. She disapproves her daughter's decision to go out with Charlie Spence. She doesn't prepare for her children and tells Cyril that she doesn't remember taking his things out.
She makes fun of George, her husband, on his being called pompy-ompy Pearson at the club. She bothers little about the distress of her family. She smokes, plays cards and drinks stout. She is ready to do a bit of cooking if she is given respect and treated well. Before changing back to her previous-self, she wants to see all of them in their places. In short, she provides us a good feast by her firmness and toughness.
Q.4. What impression do you form of Mrs. Fitzgerald from the play?
Ans. Mrs. Fitzgerald is an old lady, heavier and a strong and a sinister personality. She is domineering fond of playing cards, smoking and drinking stout. She is distressed to see the miserable plight of Mrs. Pearson. She advises to be firm and tough with her family members and put her foot down once and for all. When Mrs. Pearson shows her inability to deal with them firmly she exchanges her personality with Mrs. Pearson and deals with the family members firmly. She always advised Mrs. Pearson to be the boss and mistress of the house. She doesn't like Mrs. Pearson to be a slave all the time.
She is a frequent visitor at Mrs. Pearson's house and is greeted by her warmly and the latter has a high opinion of her. When Cyril makes fun of her (after personality change), she becomes angry and warns him not to do so. She is sympathetic to Doris and asks her mother to let her go out with Charlie, but Mrs. Pearson (real Mrs. Fitzgerald) tells her firmly not to interfere in her family affairs and manage her own family. In the end, she again changes her personality with Mrs. Pearson. She warns the later not to be soft, but to be firm with the members of her family. In short she pays her part well and deftly.
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