On Libraries
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Oliver Sacks
About
the Author
·
Oliver Sacks was born in 1993 in London
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Neurologist and author
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Educated at the Queen’s College, Oxford
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Completed his medical training at San Francisco’s
Mount Zion Hospital and at UCLA before moving to New York
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Spent almost fifty years working as a
neurologist and wrote a number of books
About
the essay
“On Libraries” is
written in praise of intellectual freedom, community work and the ecstasy of
serendipitous discovery. Among the titans of mind and spirit shaped and saved
by libraries was the great neurologist, author and voracious reader.
Understanding
the text
Answer the
following questions
a. Where
could the author be found when he was late for lunch or dinner?
When the author was late for lunch or dinner, he could
be found in his home library, completely absorbed by a book. For him, the
library was the quietest and the most beautiful room in the house.
b. What
are his first memories?
His first memories are books which he learned to read with
early at the age of three or four and their home library where he learned to
read. The books with which one learns to read automatically becomes the things
of memory and so is the case of the place as well.
c. Why
did he dislike school?
He disliked school because he had to sit quietly in
the classroom receiving teachers’ instruction. He was so passive in the
classroom that the information seemed to go in one ear and out by the other.
The school couldn’t ensure learner autonomy.
d. What
did he feel about at the library?
He felt free at the library, free to look at the
thousands, tens of thousands of books. He also felt free to roam and enjoy the
special atmosphere. He felt free to enjoy quiet companionship of other readers
on quests of their own just like himself.
e. Why
was he so biased about sciences especially astronomy and chemistry?
He was so biased about sciences especially astronomy
and chemistry as he got older because he had a keen interest on those subjects.
He preferred books on science to the abundance of books on history and
politics. The books on sciences were not sufficient for him.
f.
Why did he become so fascinated by
Hook?
He became so fascinated by Hook that he decided to
write a sort of biography or case history of him because Theodore Hook was
greatly admired in the early nineteenth century for his wit and his genius for
theatrical and musical improvisation. He was said to have composed more than
five hundred operas on the spot.
g. Describe
library at the Queen’s College.
The library at the Queen’s College was complicated in
structure and very rich in books in their original publication. The magnificent
building was designed by Christopher Wren. It had ancient books richly
illustrated with drawings of animals such as rhinoceros and volumes on fossil
fishes. It also had books on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature
produced by famous writers like Dryden, Pope, John-son and Hume. The books were
available freely for those who want to study being present at the library.
h. Why
did the students ignore the bookshelves in the 1990s?
The students ignored the bookshelves in the 1990s
because they had access to the books that were available in computers and also the
books seemed to be unnecessary for them. Therefore, the majority of users were
no longer using the books themselves.
i.
Why was he horrified when he visited
the library a couple of months ago?
He was horrified when he visited the library a couple
of months ago because he found the bookshelves, once overflowing, sparsely
occupied. The books seemed to be thrown out with remarkably little objection
from anyone. For him, this act was a serious crime like a murder. Its fact, it
was an act of destroying centuries of knowledge.
j.
What did the librarian assure the
author? (Grade Increment Examination 2079)
The librarian assured him that all the books even old
and rare ones have been saved and preserved in a special room.
Reference
to the Context
a. The
author says, “I was not a good pupil, but I was a good learner.” Justify it
with the textual evidences.
The author says, “I was not a good pupil, but I was a
good learner”. This statement reveals his dislikes to school education. A pupil
is a person who is taught in a school but a learner can’t be confined within
the four walls of a classroom. This is true in the case of the author too. He
disliked school. He felt boring to sit in the classroom receiving information
from the teacher. He couldn’t pay attention to the teacher’s instruction. He
tried hard to be active but all in vain. On the contrary, he felt happy and
excited in the libraries. He was willing to learn the matter of his interests
in his own manner. He was completely absorbed by books. At the library, he felt free to look at
abundance of books. He enjoyed complete freedom of learning and the quiet
companionship of other readers on quests of their own.
b. The
proverb says, “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library.” Does this
proverb apply in the essay? Explain.
The proverb “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a
library” presents the importance and preference of library to the books imposed
in the school. A library offers people books of interests and quiet learning
environment. Readers in the library are found to be absorbed by the books of
their interests. They enjoy the freedom of choosing books and the way they read
and learn.
This proverb is applicable to this essay as the
central idea is on the praise of intellectual freedom and ecstasy of serendipitous
discovery. The author disliked school since he was bored by the teacher’s
instruction. He wanted to be active in learning in the classroom but he
couldn’t do so. But when he visited libraries, he appeared to be a good
learner. He was completely absorbed by books in the library. He learned to read
early at the age of three or four in his home library. If was late for lunch or
dinner, he could be found in the library. He seemed active, happy and satisfied
in the library. Being a voracious reader, library is the most pleasant place
for the author.
c. Are
there any other services that you would like to see added to the library?
In my opinion, one would like to see added to the
library are:
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Availability of digital copies of the books
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Provision of membership cards so that one
can borrow books for certain time span
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Availability of photocopies for those who
wants to take
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Availability of Audio books
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Catalogues and book sections
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Security Cameras
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