LITERATURE
FORM ONE
POEMS
1. THE RIVER BY VALERIE BLOOM
2. MR NOBODY BY UNKNOWN
AUTHOR

THE RIVER BY VALERIE BLOOM
River is about the many
faces of a river.

The river is a wanderer where he
moves all over the place.

He meanders.

He is also a winder where he
twists and turns.

He does not sit still and is always
in motion.

He is also a hoarder where he
keeps things deep down in his
river bed.

Sometimes, he is a baby when he
is happily flowing along.

At times, he is a singer as seen
through the happy sounds of the
water.

Finally, he is also a monster and
can devour trees (most probably
referring to a flood).

MR NOBODY BY UNKNOWN
AUTHOR
 MR NOBODY
 Synopsis
The poem talks about irresponsible behavior. The persona in
the poem is most probably a parent who wants to
admonish the children for always running away from
responsibility and for blaming others for the mischief that
they have done. The message, though serious, is put in a
light-hearted manner as a gentle reminder to children that
they should not conveniently blame others for something
that they could easily do themselves. It is irresponsible to
claim ignorance for little misdeeds that occurs frequently in
the house. The repetition of the reference to Mr Nobody
emphasizes how conveniently we blame others for our
indifference, negligence and irresponsibility. There is a
tinge of humour and we can sense the poet chiding us for
blaming others for our carelessness and misdeeds.

 Flipping Fantastic
 By Jane Langford


Synopsis
 „Flipping Fantastic‟ by Jane Langford is a story about twin brothers and their mother. Tristan
is an outstanding, brilliant and a capable boy but James is shy, nervous and lacks
confidence. Both of them are about to finish their primary education at Peter Hill Primary
soon and plan to begin their new school term in two different schools.

 Their mother decides to enrol James in Highfields and Tristan who is physically challenged
and wheelchair bound, in a special school (Chesterlea Grange). Both brothers are confused
over the thought of being separated as they have never been apart from each other. Since
they rely on each other, the twins are concerned about how they are going to cope in their
new school environment.

 The mother wants the twins to be independent. She is confident that Tristan would
be able to cope well at Chesterlea Grange. However, she worries about James and wonders
how he is going to manage all alone at Highfields. Tristan changes his mind about Chesterlea
Grange, in order to be with James. Besides that, the school is far away from home and he
would only be able to see James once a week. On the other hand, James manages to
persuade him by reminding him of all the facilities and activities in his new school that Tristan
dreamt of.

 Knowing James cannot cope himself alone, Tristan calls on their friend Kiara Jones to help
James in Highfields. The twins at last realise that they have made the right decision and
their new school environment is flipping fantastic.



Elements
 SETTING
 Peter Hill Primary: Tristan and James are finishing their
final year in this primary school. They perform in a play
entitled “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” which is the last
activity in the school.
 Chesterlea Grange: This is a residential school for
students of special needs situated far away from Tristan‟s
home. Tristan looks forward to be enrolled in this special
school which has all the facilities that he has dreamt of
such as a drama studio, games room, swimming pool and
a paddock. The school also has sports activities such as
basketball tournament, archery contest, wheelchair games
and so on.
 Highfields: This is the school that James is going to be
enrolled in when the new school term begins. At the end
of the story, James feels excited about his new school as
most of his schoolmates are there including Kiara Jones.

 CHARACTER
 Tristan and James : They are the main
characters in the story. They are twin brothers
who are dependent on each other. Tristan is more
confident and outstanding than James. James is
shy, nervous and has a low self-esteem.
 Mum: She is the mother of Tristan and James.
She is determined to send her sons to different
schools so that they would be independent and
confident about their own abilities


 THEMES
 Fear of the unknown: James dreads being alone in
Highfields without the help of Tristan. Although Tristan
feels excited about his new school, at times he feels
confused at being alone and far away from home and his
brother in the new school.
 Motherly pride: Mum takes pride in her boys‟ ability. She
admires James‟s courage to perform on stage despite
being an introvert and appreciates Tristan‟s great
performance. as „Tom Sawyer‟ in the school play.
 Other themes/ sub-themes: a caring society, being
independent, brotherly love.

 VALUES
 Independence, concern, gratefulness, appreciation,
consideration, helpfulness

 Jules Verne was born in 1828 in France and died
in 1905. He wrote over eighty books. His passion
was Geography. He learned everything from
reading and kept up with the emerging knowledge
in many fields of Science. He was considered the
“Father of Science Fiction”. Verne‟s adventures
and inventions were based on the then current
Science knowledge which makes his work
unique. He forecast with remarkable accuracy
many scientific achievements of the 20th century.
He anticipated flights into outer space,
submarines, helicopters, air conditioning, guided
missiles and motion pictures long before they
were developed in his novel The Time Machine.

 SYNOPSIS
 This graphic novel is adapted from a book of the same name.
The story is about the quest to the centre of the earth. The
expedition is led by Professor Otto Lidenbrock and includes Axel
and their Icelandic guide, Hans. Lidenbrock decodes a message
written by an Icelandic alchemist, Arne Saknussemm, found in a
300-year-old book in Germany in 1862. In the message Arne
writes that he has been to the centre of the earth. He goes on to
describe how exactly he did it. So Professor Otto Lidenbrock,
Axel, and Hans depart for Mt Sneffles, the point through which
they gain access to the core of the earth. Throughout many
stumbles and setbacks, this team discovers an underground sea
and face several prehistoric creatures. They finally get blown out
of the earth and land in Sicily, over 3,000 miles from where they
started their adventure. After the journey, they return to Hamburg
to great acclaim - Professor Lidenbrock is hailed as one of the
greatest scientists of history, Axel reunites with his sweetheart,
Gretchen. Hans eventually returns to Iceland.



 PLOT SUMMARY
 Chapter 1 – A Great Discovery
 Hamburg, Germany, May 1862, Professor
Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel, decoded a
message written 300 years ago by a famous
Icelandic explorer, Arne Saknussemm. In his
coded message, Arne Saknussem wrote that he
had been to the center of the earth and he went
on to describe how he did it. Brushing aside the
concerns of his nephew, the Professor insists that
Axel accompany him on the expedition.
Sadly, Axel takes his leave from his beloved
Gretchen.

 Chapter 2 – Our Journey Begins
 Professor Lindenbrock and Axel travel for ten
days by ship before reaching Iceland. Professor
Lidenbrock employs, Hans Bjelke, as their guide
on their adventure. Gathering supplies, the trio
depart for Mt. Sneffels, the point through which
they can gain access to the core of the earth.
Ten days later, on Monday, June 29th, they reach
the top of Mount Sneffel. The shadow of the
afternoon sun shows which crater they should
descend.

 Chapter 3 – Into the Earth
 The trio descend into the crater and they travel
downward until they reach the bottom of the pit.
There are two tunnels and the Professor chooses the
one on the right. After several days trekking
underground and almost out of water, they have to
retrace their steps because the path leads to a dead
end. Finally returning to the beginning of the two
tunnels, Axel collapses and assumes they will return
to the surface. Although the Professor shows concern
for Axel, he asks for one more day to find water
before they abandon the journey. On
Wednesday, July 8, they descend into the second
tunnel and emerge into a chamber of clear white

 Chapter 4 – Lost
 Hans finds an underground river and they quench
their thirst. On Thursday, July 9, they continue on
with their journey. By the next evening the
professor estimates their position to be 90 miles
southeast of Mount Sneffels and eight miles
deep. They come to an abyss and make their way
down a naturally formed staircase. On Sunday,
July 12, they climb down about 20 miles. Over
the next two weeks they climb down deeper and
deeper into the earth. On Thursday, August 6,
Axel finds himself alone. In desperation he
retraces his steps but becomes hopelessly lost.

 Chapter 5 – The Great Sea
 It is only after much suffering that Axel is reunited with his uncle and
Hans. They can hear the sound of waves. In fact, the three have arrived
at a vast underground body of water which is given the name
Lidenbrock Sea. Exploring the area around the sea, the travellers find
what looks like a forest of giant mushrooms. They also see ferns as tall
as trees and a mastodon skeleton. On Tuesday, August 11, the
Professor decides that they must cross the ocean. Hans builds a raft
from giant reeds and a sail from a sleeping rug. On Thursday, August
13, they push out to sea leaving behind the shore which they named
Port Gretchen. The raft moves quickly and they travel about 75 miles in
24 hours. On Friday, August 14, Hans drops a hook and soon a fish is
caught. It is an ancient species long extinct in the world above and they
cook it for their meal. The professor wants to learn the depth of the sea
so Hans attaches a pickaxe to a long rope and throws it overboard.
When Hans retrieves the pickaxe it bears marks that look like teeth. On
Tuesday, August 18, two huge sea monsters surface, battle, and almost
swamp the raft. On Friday, August 21, a storm hits them. The raft is
eventually cast up on a rocky shore in the midst of the storm and Hans
carries Axel to safety. As the storm dies down they find, to their dismay,
that they have been carried back to the same shore from which they left.

 Chapter 6 – The Boiling Tunnel
 Exploring an area which is farther along the shore than their starting point, the
Professor and Axel find a huge field of bones. The Professor is delighted when
they find a human skull. Continuing their exploration they come across a vast
forest of prehistoric plants. They spot gigantic mastodons and in the distance see
a twelve-foot tall human being. Afraid of confrontation, they leave the area. Going
back to the shore they find a huge rock, with the initials A. S. carved on it, beside
the entrance to a dark tunnel. With evidence that Arne Saknussemm has traveled
this way, they enter the passage only to discover that it is blocked by a big
boulder. They decide to blast the boulder using gunpowder. They set the charge
and retreat to the raft. The explosion opens a deep hole that lets in the
underground sea. They and their raft are swept along with the rushing waters.
They head up the tunnel at an amazing speed. They ascend swiftly as the waters
push up the raft along a narrow shaft. Axel worries about the rising temperature.
The trio soon discover that the water beneath the raft is boiling hot. Finally Axel
sees a tiny circle of light above. The professor realizes that they are inside an
erupting volcano which leads out to the earth‟s surface. They land outside the
volcano. While making their way down, they learn from a young shepherd that
they are on the island of Stromboli in Italy. They have entered the earth by one
volcano and come out by another, over 3,000 miles apart. Four months after
discovering Arne Saknussemm‟s coded message they return to Hamburg where
the trio are treated like heroes and the Professor's achievements are recognized.

 SETTING
 This adventure story is set in 1862 when there
were no modern facilities. The story starts in
Hamburg, Germany and the journey takes
Lidenbrock and Axel to Iceland where they meet
Hans and together they go below the earth‟s
surface. After four months, they get blown out of
the center earth in Sicily before they finally make
their way back to Hamburg, Germany.

 CHARACTERS
 Professor Otto Lidenbrock - An
intelligent, determined and adventurous scientist
 Axel Lidenbrock - A faithful and loyal
nephew. He is young and easily
 scared.
 Hans Bjelke - A brave Danish
guide. He is very quiet but is always
 on hand to save
the other two explorers.
 Gretchen - A young woman who
loves Axel.

 THEMES
 1. Seeking knowledge
 Professor Otto Lidenbrock went on a journey to the center of the earth to seek knowledge.


 2. The spirit of adventure
 The trio went on an adventure and experienced wondrous sights.

 3. Explorations
 To explore unknown places where humans have not gone before.

 4. The wonders of the human mind
 The human mind is forever seeking new knowledge and the mind of Professor Lidenbrock is
a good example of this.

 5. The wonders of Science
 There is still so much that we do not know. We have to be brave to discover new wonders of
Science.

 VALUES
 Some values found in this graphic novel are:
 1. When we really want something, we should persevere.
 Uncle Lidenbrock refused to listen to Axel‟s excuses on why they should not go
on the journey.

 2. We should not endanger others because of our passion for something.
 Otto Lidenbrock put Axel, Hans and himself in danger by going to the center of
the earth.

 3. We must dare to take risks.
 Otto Lidenbrock dared to go on an adventure to the center of the earth.

 4. We should take the opportunity to discover the wonders of Science.
 The trio were willing to go down into the center of the earth to find out more about
the earth beneath their feet

 5. It is important to be courageous.
 It took a lot of courage on their part to go into the enter of the earth.