West Bengal Board Class 9 English All About a Dog Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Bliss Book
All About a Dog– Are you looking for Summary and Lesson Explanation for West Bengal Board Class 9 English Lesson 2 All About a Dog from Bliss Book? Get notes, summary of the Lesson followed by line by line explanation of the lesson along with the meanings of difficult words.
A.G Gardiner
- All About a Dog Introduction
- Theme of the Lesson All About a Dog
- All About a Dog Summary
- All About a Dog Summary in Hindi
- All About a Dog Lesson Explanation
All About a Dog Introduction
The lesson “All about a Dog” by A.G Gardiner tells us about an incident on a bitterly cold night when the narrator was travelling on a bus. It is an incident where the bus conductor is adamant on following the rules but the conditions are such that a humane understanding is expected from him. Finally, he has to allow the passengers to travel with a dog and the narrator also tells him that at times, we have to be empathetic and bend the rules.
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Theme of the Lesson All About a Dog
The theme of “All About a Dog” by A.G Gardiner revolves around the conflict between strict adherence to rules and compassionate understanding. In the story, the conductor’s rigid enforcement of a bus rule against the presence of a dog contrasts sharply with the compassionate reactions of the passengers and the narrator. The conductor’s refusal to allow the dog on the bus, despite the harsh weather and the dog causing no actual harm, shows a rigid application of rules without regard for common sense or empathy. The narrator points out that while rules are necessary, they should be applied with good sense and consideration for others’ situations.
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All About a Dog Summary
The lesson “All about a Dog” by A.G Gardiner talks about the narrator’s bus journey on an extremely cold night. The wind is so harsh that it feels like a knife cutting through the air even while he is sitting inside the bus.
During the ride, two women and a man get on, one of the women is carrying a small Pekingese dog. Although the dog causes no trouble, the bus conductor decides to make an issue of it. Annoyed by passengers being warm while he has to stand in the cold, he orders the younger woman to remove the dog from the bus. The woman refuses, citing the cold weather and her cough as problems due to which she cannot follow his order. The conductor is bent upon enforcing the rule, stops the bus and steps outside, feels victorious for upholding the rule. Inside the bus, passengers express their anger and shout words like “Shameful” and demand that the conductor must refund their fares. The conductor refuses, and a few passengers leave the bus to walk in the cold night. A policeman arrives but offers no help, he merely notes that the conductor is following the rules. The passengers’ protests continue as the bus remains standing. Meanwhile, the little dog blinks at the lights, unaware of the chaos that it has caused. Eventually, the young woman decides to go to the top deck of the bus to comply with the conductor’s demand. Once she’s upstairs, the conductor resumes driving the bus, feeling victorious despite the passengers’ criticism. However, the bus soon breaks down, and the conductor has to help the driver fix it. During this delay, the young woman sneaks back downstairs with her dog. When the bus is ready to move again, the conductor spots the dog and prepares to confront the issue once again. The narrator, the last passenger left, advises the conductor that rules should be applied with common sense and compassion and not just followed blindly. The conductor listens to the advice and, as the narrator leaves, wishes him a “Good night,” showing that he has reflected on the criticism.
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All about a Dog Summary in Hindi
ए.जी. गार्डिनर का पाठ “आल अबाउट अ डॉग” एक बस में कड़कड़ाती ठंडी रात में कथावाचक की यात्रा के बारे में बात करता है। हवा इतनी तेज़ है कि वह चाकू की तरह काटती हुई महसूस होती है । सवारी के दौरान, दो महिलाएँ और एक पुरुष बस में चढ़ते हैं, जिनमें से एक महिला के पास एक छोटा पेकिंगीज़ कुत्ता होता है। हालाँकि कुत्ते से कोई परेशानी नहीं होती, लेकिन बस कंडक्टर इसे मुद्दा बनाने का फैसला करता है । बस कंडक्टर को ठण्ड में खड़े होना पड़ता है और उसे लगता है की यात्री गर्म माहौल में हैं। परेशान होकर, वह छोटी महिला को कुत्ते को बस से हटाने का आदेश देता है। महिला ने ठंड के मौसम और अपनी खांसी का हवाला देते हुए मना कर दिया। कंडक्टर नियम लागू करने पर अड़ा रहता है, बस को रोकता है और बाहर निकलता है, नियम बनाए रखने में अपनी जीत महसूस करता है। अंदर, यात्री अपना गुस्सा व्यक्त करते हैं, “शर्मनाक” जैसे शब्द चिल्लाते हैं और कंडक्टर से उनका किराया वापस करने की मांग करते हैं। कंडक्टर मना कर देता है और कुछ यात्री ठंडी रात में चलने के लिए बस छोड़ देते हैं। एक पुलिसकर्मी आता है लेकिन कोई मदद नहीं करता, केवल यह नोट करता है कि कंडक्टर नियमों का पालन कर रहा है। बस बंद रहने से यात्रियों का विरोध जारी है। इस बीच, छोटा कुत्ता रोशनी की ओर झपकाता है, इस बात से अनभिज्ञ कि इससे होने वाली अराजकता पैदा हो रही है। आखिरकार, युवती ने कंडक्टर की मांग को पूरा करने के लिए बस के शीर्ष डेक पर जाने का फैसला किया। एक बार जब वह ऊपर पहुंच जाती है, तो यात्रियों की आलोचना के बावजूद विजयी महसूस करते हुए, कंडक्टर बस चलाना शुरू कर देता है। हालाँकि, बस जल्द ही ख़राब हो जाती है, और कंडक्टर को इसे ठीक करने में ड्राइवर की मदद करनी पड़ती है। इस देरी के दौरान, युवती अपने कुत्ते के साथ चुपचाप वापस नीचे आ जाती है। जब बस फिर से चलने के लिए तैयार होती है, तो कंडक्टर की नज़र कुत्ते पर पड़ती है और वह एक बार फिर समस्या का सामना करने के लिए तैयार हो जाता है। कथावाचक, जो अंतिम यात्री बचा था, कंडक्टर को सलाह देता है कि नियमों को सामान्य ज्ञान और करुणा के साथ लागू किया जाना चाहिए, न कि आँख बंद करके उनका पालन करना चाहिए। कंडक्टर सलाह सुनता है और, जैसे ही वर्णनकर्ता चला जाता है, उसे “शुभ रात्रि” की शुभकामनाएं देता है, यह दर्शाता है कि उसने आलोचना पर विचार किया है।
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All About a Dog Lesson Explanation
Passage:
I was travelling in a bus. It was a bitterly cold night, and even at the far end of the bus the east wind cut like a knife. The bus stopped and two women and a man got in together and filled the vacant places. The younger woman carried a little Pekingese dog. The conductor came in and took their fares. Then his eye rested on the beady-eyed dog. I saw trouble coming up. This was the opportunity for which the conductor had been waiting, and he intended to make the most of it. I had marked him as the type who had a general vague grievance about everything. He seemed to have a particular grievance against passengers who came and sat in his bus while he shivered at the door.
Word Meanings:
pekingese dog (n): a small dog with flat face and long, soft fur
beady-eyed (adj.): small eyed
grievance (n): a complaint or a strong feeling that you have been treated unfairly
Explanation: The narrator describes his experience on a very cold night while he was travelling on a bus. The cold wind was so harsh that it felt painful even inside the bus. The cold wind blowing from the eastern direction felt like a knife that cut through the body. When the bus stopped, three new passengers got on, including a young woman carrying a small Pekingese dog. The bus conductor, who was annoyed and seemed to have a dislike for passengers, saw the dog as an opportunity to cause trouble. The narrator describes the conductor as someone who always seems to have an issue, especially towards passengers who are warm inside the bus while he shivers and is cold, standing at the door.
Passage:
“You must take that dog out,” he said.
“I shall certainly do nothing of the kind. You can take my name and address,” said the woman. She had evidently expected the challenge and knew the reply.
“You must take the dog out—that’s my order.”
“I won’t go on the top of the bus in such weather. It would kill me,” said the woman.
“Certainly not,” said her lady companion. “You’ve got a cough as it is.”
“It’s nonsense,” said her male companion.
The conductor pulled the bell, and the bus stopped. “This bus doesn’t go on until that dog is brought out. He stepped on to the pavement and waited. It was his moment of triumph. He had the law on his side.
Word Meanings:
conductor (n): someone whose job is to sell tickets on a bus
triumph (n): a very great success, achievement, or victory
Explanation: The conductor demanded that the woman take the dog out of the bus. The woman firmly refused, offering her name and address, as if ready for a fight. He companions also supported her that as she was suffering from cough, she should not get off the bus. The woman added that such bad weather would kill her. The male companion said that the conductor’s order was senseless. The conductor insisted that the dog must be removed or the bus wouldn’t move, stepping outside to wait on the pavement, feeling victorious for enforcing the rule. While the woman and other passengers challenged the conductor’s unfair demand, he took advantage of his authority to create a problem over a minor issue.
Passage:
Everybody in the bus was on the side of the lady and her dog. They talked in raised voices:
“Shameful.” “Call the police!”
“Let’s all report him!”
“Let’s make him give us our fares back.”
“Yes, that’s it; let’s make him give us our fares back!”
The little animal sat blinking at the dim lights, unconscious of the trouble he had caused.
The conductor came to the door. Some passengers demanded, “Give us our fares back— you’ve engaged to carry us— you can’t leave us here all night!” “No fares back,” said the conductor.
Word Meanings:
unconscious (adj.): here, not aware
Explanation: On the bus, everyone supported the woman and her dog, loudly expressing their anger. Passengers shouted things like “Shameful,” “Call the police,” and demanded refunds for their fares, upset that the conductor was causing trouble for the dog. The little dog blinked at the bus lights, unaware of the issue caused because of its presence. When the conductor returned to the door, some passengers insisted on a refund, arguing that he couldn’t leave them stranded. The conductor then refused to give a refund.
Passage:
Two or three passengers got out and disappeared into the night. The conductor turned on the pavement, went to the driver to have a talk with him. Another bus, the last on the road, went by. It seemed indifferent to the shouts of the passengers to stop. A policeman strolled up and looked in at the door. The passengers burst out with indignant protests and appeals. “Well, he’s got his rules, you know,” he said genially. Then he went away to stand a few yards down the street. There he was joined by two more constables.
Word Meanings:
strolled up (v): walked up
indignant (adj.): angry
genially (adverb): pleasantly
Explanation: After the conductor refused to either start the bus or give a refund, a few passengers left the bus. He then spoke with the driver, and another bus passed by without stopping or paying heed to the shouts of the stranded passengers. A policeman arrived and listened to the passengers’ complaints but simply said that the conductor was following the rules. The policeman then walked a short distance down the street and was joined by two more officers, leaving the situation unresolved.
Passage:
Still the little dog blinked at the lights and the conductor walked to and fro like a captain in the hour of victory. A woman passenger’s voice rose above the gale, threatening the bus conductor. But he was cold as the night and hard as the pavement. She expressed her anger to the three policemen who stood up in the street watching the drama. Then she came back, called her companion, and vanished. The bus was emptying.
“I’ll go to the top,” said the young lady with the dog, at last. “You’ll have pneumonia,” the man said.
Word Meanings:
pneumonia (n): a serious illness in which one or both lungs become red and swollen and filled with liquid
gale (n): storm
Explanation: While the little dog blinked at the bus lights, the conductor paced proudly, feeling victorious for stopping the bus over the dog. A woman angrily challenged him, saying he was unfair, but the conductor was emotionless like the cold night and hard-hearted like the hard pavement. The woman expressed her anger to the three policemen but they just continued watching them. The woman left the bus, and more passengers got off in frustration. Finally, the young lady with the dog went up to the top of the bus despite the cold, as the man warned her it could make her sick.
Passage:
When she had disappeared up the stairs, the conductor came back and pulled the bell. The bus went on. He stood triumphant, while his conduct was criticised in his face by the passengers.
Then the bus developed engine trouble and the conductor went to the help of the driver. It was a long job. Meanwhile, the lady with the dog stole down the stairs and re-entered the bus. When the engine was put right, the conductor came back and pulled the bell. Then his eye fell on the dog, and his hand went to the bell-rope again.
Word Meanings:
bell-rope (n): a rope attached to a bell or to the tongue of a bell.
Explanation: After she went upstairs, the conductor felt victorious even though he was criticised and then he restarted the bus, but it soon broke down. While helping the driver fix the engine, the young lady with the dog sneaked back onto the lower level of the bus. When the engine was fixed, the conductor ordered for the bus to start and then, saw the dog again and prepared to confront the issue once more by stopping the bus.
Passage:
The driver looked round, the conductor pointed to the dog, and the bus stopped. The whole struggle began all over once again. The conductor walked on the pavement, the little dog blinked at the lights, the lady again declared that she would not go to the top, and finally went.
The bus was soon empty, and I was the last passenger left behind. “I’ve got my rules,” the conductor said to me. He had won his victory, but felt that he would like to justify himself to somebody.
Word Meanings:
justify (v): to give or be a good reason for something
Explanation: The narrator describes how the conductor, after already stopping the bus for the dog, restarted the conflict by pointing at the dog again. As the bus stopped, the conductor proudly walked back and forth, enjoying his role in enforcing the rules, while the little dog blinked at the lights, unaware of the commotion. The young lady with the dog again refused to go to the top of the bus but eventually gave in. With the bus nearly empty, the narrator was the last passenger. The conductor tried to justify his act and told the narrator that he had to follow certain rules.
Passage:
“Rules,” I said, “are necessary things. Some are hard and fast rules, like the rule of the road, which cannot be broken without danger to life and limb. But some are only rules for your guidance, like that rule about the dogs. You can use your common sense here. They are meant to be observed in the spirit, not in the letter, for the comfort of the passengers. You have kept the rule, but broken its spirit. You should mind your rules with a little good will and good temper.” He took it very well, and when I got off the bus he said “Good night” quite amiably.
Word Meanings:
guidance (n): help and advice about how to do something
temper (n): to succeed in staying calm and not becoming angry
amiably (adverb): in a pleasant and friendly way
Explanation: The narrator told the conductor that while some rules are strict and must always be followed like rules for road safety, others are more flexible and meant to guide us. The narrator tells the conductor that the rule about dogs being allowed in the bus should be followed with common sense and kindness for everyone’s comfort, rather than being enforced too strictly. The conductor understands this and, when the narrator gets off the bus, he responds with a friendly “Good night.”