On Saying Please by A.G.Gardiner summary

Satavahana University Karimnagar.Telangana

I Year English Semester-1

Unit 2-AY yr.2020-21 onwards

Osmania University Degree English Sem 1

With effect from AY 2020-21

Unit 2 Prose

A.G.Gardiner was an essayist, editor, and journalist . He wrote under the pen name ‘Alpha of the Plough’. The essay ‘On Saying Please’ is taken from the collection ‘Many Furrows’. His popular works are “Pebbles on the Shore”, Pillars of Society’ and “Leaves in the Wind”. This essay throws light on the importance of expressing small courtesies like thank you, please, pardon, and sorry in conversation and the negative impact of bad temper and rudeness in daily life. A.G.Gardiner explores the themes of responsibility, politeness, good manners and control over the emotions. These small courtesies do a lot in leading our life smoothly. Negative things such as Impoliteness, discourtesy and bad temper hurt others self-respect. The writer analyses the two contrary characters in this essay i.e. an angry lift man and a polite bus conductor.

 An young Lift man in a City office demands ‘Top please ‘ when he is asked ‘Top’ by a passenger while entering the lift. The lift man is hurt by passenger’s discourtesy and in retaliation the passenger is thrown out of the lift. Though the lift man is offended, he can’t file a case against him. Discourtesy is not a legal offence and The lift man can't sue passenger for his impoliteness . The writer opines that the lift man may express his angry at his wife in the evening as he is thinking much about the incident happened in the lift. The writer gives an account of Sir Anthony Absolute, Captain Absolute, Fag and Lift passenger who see the only way of restoring their equilibrium by passing anger and frustration on to others

 The writer narrates his experience when he boards a bus without any money in his pocket and he is surprised by the kind gesture of conductor for booking a ticket to his destination. The writer gives an elaborate account of good natured conductor about his concern for old passengers and the blind on board. The polite conductor illuminates an atmosphere of good temper and kindness and a journey with him is a great pleasure to the writer. The writer says that Courtesy, civility and morality in every day life are the key ingredients to a happy and cheerful life.

englishlanguage-lit.blogspot.com

  Annotate the following.

1. "Discourtesy is not a legal offence and it does not excuse assault and battery". 

Reference:-These lines are taken from the essay ’On Saying Please’ written by A.G.Gardiner. He was a British Journalist, editor and author. He wrote under pen name “Alpha of the Plough”. This essay is extracted from his collection ‘Many Furrows’.

 Context:-  The author explores the themes of responsibility, politeness, good manners and control over the emotions. These small courtesies do a lot in leading our life smoothly. Impoliteness, discourtesy and bad temper have ill-effects on others. In this essay he explains two contrary characters .i.e. a rude lift man and a good natured bus conductor. 

Meaning :-The author highlights the importance of politeness in the society with the lift man character. The lift man is offended by the passenger so he is thrown out of the lift for not saying please. The author says that discourtesy is not a legal offence because it is not a physical or verbal attack. If a burglar breaks into his house, he can hit the burglar .The law permits him to retaliate with the reasonable violence if he is physically assaulted by the burglar.

S. Rajesh Kumar