Drama : Chapter 14 The Bishop’s Candlesticks ENGLISH [Communicative] - Drama : Chapter 14 The Bishop’s Candlesticks

Suffer? (puzzled) suffered? My God, yes. (Drinks) But that's a long time ago. Ha! ha! That was when I was a man. Now I'm not a man; now I'm a number; number 15729, and I've lived in Hell for ten years.
a. When was the Convict a man?
b. Why was he reduced to a number?
c. Where did he live in for ten years?
d. What kind of prison-life did the convict suffer in the prison?

Monseigneur, I am glad. I didn’t get away with them; curse me, I am. I’m glad.
(a) Why is he glad he did not get away with them?
(b) What does he ask the Bishop for before he leaves?
(c) What do you think is the state of mind of the speaker?
(d) What does the word ‘them’ refer to?

You are like a child. I can’t trust you out of my sight. No sooner is my back turned than you get that little minx Marie to sell the silver salt-cellars.
(a) Who is the speaker and who she refers to as child?
(b) What does the word ‘minx’ mean?
(c) Why did she not want the salt-cellars to be sold?
(d) Why did the listener get Marie to sell the salt-cellars?

Ah, that is hard, very hard, I...I-He might have left me those. They were all I had.
(a) Who speaks these words and to whom?
(b) What does ‘those’ refer to here?
(c) What does the word ‘hard’ mean in this context?
(d) Why were the silver candlesticks precious to the Bishop?

That was when I was a man. Now I’m not a man; I’m a number; number 15729, and I have lived in Hell for ten years
(a) What has changed the speaker?
(b) What does ‘that was when I was a man’ refer to?
(c) What idea does the play highlight?
(d) What do you understand by—‘I’m a number’?

Which offer of the Bishop does the Convict refuse? Why?

Bring out the mental conflict of the Convict before stealing the candlesticks.

How does the Bishop’s attitude touch the Convict?

What is the significance of the final lesson given by the Bishop to the Convict?

Why does the Convict ask the Bishop to bless him?

‘It is easy to close the door but difficult to open a window’. Comment with reference to the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.

In the end realization dawns upon the convict that he is a man again and not a wild beast. Who do you think is responsible for this change in the Convict and what qualities would you associate with him?

“I am a number, number 15729”. An individual’s human identity is being degraded to a mere number. What does your conscience tell you about this?

The prison is meant for reformation, not punishment. Justify this statement with reference to the lesson ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.

‘Minds are open only when hearts are open’. Keeping this in mind, the Bishop’s house had unshuttered windows and unbarred doors for thirty years. Discuss.