Maharashtra State Board Class 9 English Lesson My Financial Career Summary, Line by Line Explanation, Theme along with difficult word meanings from English Kumarbharati Book
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My Financial Career Maharashtra State Board Class 9 English
– Stephen Leacock
- My Financial Introduction
- Theme / Central Idea Lesson Intellectual Rubbish
- My Financial Summary
- My Financial Summary in Hindi
- My Financial Lesson Explanation
My Financial Career Introduction
The narrator, a seemingly ordinary individual, experiences an overwhelming sense of anxiety and discomfort when he enters a bank. This seemingly simple act of banking transforms him into a nervous wreck, causing him to behave in an irrational and awkward manner.
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Theme / Central Idea of the Lesson My Financial Career
Fear of the Unknown: The narrator’s anxiety stems from his unfamiliarity with banking procedures and the formal atmosphere of the bank. He is overwhelmed by the unfamiliar and the complex.
Social Anxiety and Insecurity: The narrator’s self-consciousness and lack of confidence lead him to make awkward social interactions and poor decisions. He fears judgment and ridicule from the bank staff.
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My Financial Career Summary
The narrator of the story is a person who is extremely uncomfortable and anxious when going to a bank. The formal atmosphere, the stern-looking clerks, and the complex procedures overwhelm him.
Despite his discomfort, he decides to open a bank account due to a recent salary increase. However, his anxiety takes over as he interacts with the bank staff. His anxiety leads him to make a series of awkward and embarrassing mistakes. He requests a private meeting with the manager and behaves mysteriously.
He makes a mistake while writing his check. Instead of writing six, he wrote fifty-six and ultimately withdrew all his money that he had deposited in the new bank account, after the minor error.
The narrator’s experience highlights the fear and confusion that many people may feel when dealing with financial institutions. His ultimate decision to avoid banks altogether, while humorous, underscores the importance of creating more welcoming and less intimidating banking environments.
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My Financial Career Summary in Hindi
कहानी का वर्णनकर्ता एक ऐसा व्यक्ति है जो बैंक में बेहद असहज और चिंतित रहता है। औपचारिक माहौल, कठोर दिखने वाले क्लर्क और जटिल प्रक्रियाएँ उसे अभिभूत कर देती हैं। अपनी असुविधा के बावजूद, वह हाल ही में वेतन वृद्धि के कारण बैंक खाता खोलने का फैसला करता है।
हालांकि, बैंक कर्मचारियों के साथ बातचीत करते समय उसकी चिंता हावी हो जाती है। उसकी चिंता उसे कई अजीब और शर्मनाक गलतियाँ करने के लिए प्रेरित करती है। वह प्रबंधक के साथ एक निजी बैठक का अनुरोध करता है और रहस्यमय व्यवहार करता है।
वह अपना चेक लिखते समय एक गलती करता है। छह लिखने के बजाय, उसने छप्पन लिखा और अंततः मामूली त्रुटि के बाद अपना सारा पैसा निकाल लिया।
वर्णनकर्ता का अनुभव उस भय और भ्रम को उजागर करता है जो कई लोग वित्तीय संस्थानों से निपटते समय महसूस कर सकते हैं। बैंकों से पूरी तरह से बचने का उसका अंतिम निर्णय, हालांकि हास्यपूर्ण है, लेकिन अधिक स्वागत योग्य और कम डराने वाले बैंकिंग वातावरण बनाने के महत्व को रेखांकित करता है।
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My Financial Career Lesson Explanation
Passage: WHEN I go into a bank I get rattled. The clerks rattle me; the wickets rattle me; the sight of the money rattles me; everything rattles me.
Word Meaning
Rattled: to be nervous, agitated, or upset.
Wickets: small windows or openings in a counter or partition, often used in banks to interact with customers.
Explanation: Whenever the author went to the bank, he felt very nervous. The bank workers made him nervous, the small windows where you talk to the office staff made him nervous, and even seeing all the money made him nervous. The author felt nervous about everything in the bank.
Passage: The moment I cross the threshold of a bank I am a hesitating jay. If I attempt to transact business there I become an irresponsible idiot.
Word Meaning
Threshold: The entrance or starting point of something.
Jay: A simpleton or a fool. A “jay” is also a type of bird.
hesitating jay: This is a metaphorical expression used to describe someone who feels nervous, unsure, or awkward in a particular situation, especially one involving authority figures or formal settings.
Explanation: Whenever the author went into a bank, he felt nervous and unsure of himself. If he tried to do something there, he would feel stupid and clumsy.
Passage: I knew this beforehand, but my salary had been raised to fifty dollars a month, and I felt that the bank was the only place for it.
Word Meaning
beforehand: “in advance” or “ahead of time.”
raised: “increased” or “made higher.”
Explanation: The author already knew about his nervousness in the bank, but now he earned $50 more every month. He thought the best place to keep this extra money was in the bank.
Passage: So I shambled in and looked timidly around at the clerks. I had an idea that a person about to open an account must needs consult the manager.
Word Meaning
shambled: To walk awkwardly, with dragging feet.
timidly: In a shy, nervous, or hesitant manner.
consult: To seek advice or information from someone.
Explanation: The author walked into the bank slowly and looked around at the employees nervously. He thought that he should talk to the manager before opening an account.
Passage: I went up to a wicket marked ‘Accountant.’ The accountant was a tall, cool devil. The very sight of him rattled me. My voice was sepulchral.
Word Meaning
Sepulchral: This word means deep and hollow, like the sound of someone speaking from a tomb. It’s often used to describe a voice that sounds very serious and gloomy.
Explanation: The narrator went to the accountant’s desk. The phrase “tall,cool man” paints a picture of the accountant as intimidating, perhaps even slightly threatening, due to the accountant’s height, composure, and intelligence. The author was so nervous when he saw the accountant that his voice sounded deep and scary.
Passage: “Can I see the manager?” I said, and added solemnly, “alone.” I don’t know why I said ‘alone.’
Word Meaning
Solemnly: In a serious and formal manner, often with a sense of gravity or importance.
Explanation: The author said that he had asked to speak to the manager, privately. The author didn’t know why he said that he wanted to talk to them alone.
Passage: “Certainly,” said the accountant, and fetched him.
Word Meaning
Fetched – to go and get someone or something and bring them back.
Explanation: The accountant said that certainly he could meet the manager and called the manager.
Passage: The manager was a grave, calm man. I held my fifty-six dollars clutched in a crumpled ball in my pocket.
Word Meaning
grave: serious, solemn, dignified
clutched: held tightly
crumpled: wrinkled, crushed
Explanation: The manager was a serious, quiet person. The author held his $56 tightly in his pocket, crumpled up.
Passage: “Are you the manager?” I said. God knows I didn’t doubt it.
“Yes,” he said.
Explanation: The author asked if the person was the manager, though the author didn’t doubt it for a moment. Yet, he confirmed that the person was indeed the bank manager.
Passage: “Can I see you?” I asked, “Alone?” I didn’t want to say ‘alone’ again, but without it the thing seemed self-evident.
Word Meaning
self-evident: so obvious that it doesn’t need to be explained or proven.
Explanation: The author asked the bank manager if he could see him alone. The author didn’t want to repeat the word “alone,” but it seemed necessary to emphasize the privacy of the meeting.
Passage: The manager looked at me in some alarm. He felt that I had an awful secret to reveal.
Word Meaning
Alarm: A feeling of fear or anxiety that something bad is going to happen.
Awful: Extremely bad or unpleasant.
Reveal: to make known or disclose something that was previously secret or hidden.
Explanation: The manager looked worried. He thought that the author was going to tell him something very bad.
Passage: “Come in here,” he said, and led the way to a private room. He turned the key.
Explanation: The manager took the author to a secret room. Then, he locked the door.
Passage: “We are safe from interruption here,” he said; “sit down.”
Word Meaning
Interruption: a break in the continuity of something, like a conversation or an activity.
Explanation: The manager said that they were safe there and advised the author to sit down.
Passage: We both sat down and looked at one another. I found no voice to speak.
Explanation: Both the men sat down and looked at each other. The author couldn’t say anything.
Passage: “You are one of Pinkerton’s men, I presume,” he said.
Explanation: The manager presumed that the author was one of Pinkerton’s men. “Pinkerton’s men” refers to detectives from the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. This was a famous private detective agency in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for their work in investigating crimes and apprehending criminals.
Passage: He had gathered from my mysterious manner that I was a detective. I knew what he was thinking and it made me worse.
Explanation: The manager thought that the author was a detective because he was acting strangely. This made the author feel even more uncomfortable.
Passage: “No, not from Pinkerton’s,” I said, seemingly to imply that I came from a rival agency. “To tell the truth,” I went on, as if I had been prompted to lie about it, “I am not a detective at all. I have come to open an account. I intend to keep all my money in this bank.”
Word Meaning
imply: to suggest or indicate something indirectly.
prompt: to encourage or persuade someone to do something.
rival: a competitor or opponent
Explanation: The author said that he was not from Pinkerton’s, which made the bank manager assume that he came from a rival agency. He went on to say that to tell the truth, he was not a detective at all. He had come to open an account and intended to keep all his money in that bank.
Passage: The manager looked relieved, but still serious; he concluded now that I was a son of Baron Rothschild, or a young Gould.
Explanation: The manager looked relieved, but still serious; he concluded that the author must be a son of Baron Rothschild, or a young Gould. Baron Rothschild and Jay Gould were both extremely wealthy and influential figures in the 19th century. By comparing the speaker to them, the manager is implying that he is either a member of a very wealthy family or an incredibly wealthy individual themselves.
Passage: “A large account, I suppose,” he said.
“Fairly large,” I whispered. “I propose to deposit fifty-six dollars now, and fifty dollars a month
regularly.”
Explanation: The manager assumed that it was a large account. The author whispered that it was fairly large and that he proposed to deposit fifty-six dollars then and fifty dollars a month regularly.
Passage: The manager got up and opened the door. He called to the accountant.
Explanation: The bank manager stood up and opened the door. Then he called out to the person who does the accounts.
Passage: “Mr. Montgomery,” he said, unkindly loud, “this gentleman is opening an account; he will deposit fiftysix dollars. Good morning.” I rose.
Word Meaning
rose: here, stood up or got up from a sitting position
Explanation: The manager called Mr. Montgomery his voice was loud and unkind, perhaps because he was irritated; and told him that the gentleman will open an account and would deposit fifty-six dollars in it. The accountant greeted the author. The author also stood up.
Passage: A big iron door stood open at the side of the room.
“Good morning,” I said, and stepped into the safe.
“Come out,” said the manager coldly, and showed me the other way.
Explanation: A big iron door was open next to the room. The author greeted the manager with a “Good morning” and proceeded into the secure room. The manager, in a harsh tone, instructed him to exit and showed an alternative route.
Passage: I went up to the accountant’s wicket and poked the ball of money at him with a quick, convulsive movement, as if I were doing a conjuring trick.
My face was ghastly pale.
Word Meaning
Poke: In this context, it means to quickly thrust the ball of money towards the accountant.
Convulsive: sudden, violent, and uncontrollable.
Conjuring trick: A magical illusion or deception performed by a magician.
Ghastly pale: extremely pale, in a way that is shocking or frightening.
Explanation: The author quickly pushed the money towards the accountant, like a magician doing a trick which is unnoticed by most of the spectators. His face was very pale.
Passage: “Here,” I said, “deposit it.” The tone of the words seemed to mean, “Let us do this painful thing while the fit is on us.”
Word Meaning
while the fit is on us: The phrase suggests that the narrator is taking advantage of a temporary moment of determination or resolve to complete the task, knowing that he may regret it later.
Explanation: The author told the accountant to deposit it there, adding that the tone of his words seemed to mean they should do this painful thing while they were still motivated. The speaker implies that depositing the money is a painful or unpleasant task, as if it’s something they don’t want to do but feel forced to.
Passage: He took the money and gave it to another clerk. He made me write the sum on a slip and sign my name in a book. I no longer knew what I was doing.
The bank swam before my eyes.
Explanation: The accountant took the money and gave it to another bank staff. He made the author write the amount of money on a piece of paper and sign his name in a book. The author was so confused and didn’t understand what was happening. He felt dizzy and couldn’t think clearly.
Passage: “Is it deposited?” I asked in a hollow vibrating voice.
“It is,” said the accountant.
“Then I want to draw a check.”
Word Meaning
Hollow: describe a feeling of emptiness or despair.
Vibrating: This means trembling or shaking rapidly.
Hollow vibrating voice: “hollow vibrating voice” describes a voice that sounds weak, unsteady, and lacking in emotion.
Explanation: The author asked in a hollow vibrating voice if it was deposited. The accountant said that it was. The author then said that he wanted to draw a cheque.
Passage: My idea was to draw out six dollars of it for present use. Some one gave me a check-book through a wicket, and some one else began telling me how to write it out. The people in the bank had the impression that I was an invalid millionaire.
Word Meaning
invalid: in this context, a person who is weak or sick, often unable to do normal activities
Explanation: The author wanted to take out six dollars from his account to use in the present. One of the bank staff gave him a checkbook through a small window, and another bank staff started explaining how to write a check. The people at the bank thought he was a sick rich person who couldn’t do things for themselves.
Passage: I wrote something on the check and thrust it in at the clerk. He looked at it.
“What! Are you drawing it all out again?” he asked in surprise. Then I realised that I had written
fifty-six instead of six. I was too far gone to reason now. I had a feeling that it was impossible to explain the thing. All the clerks had stopped writing to look at me.
Explanation: The author wrote something on the check and quickly gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked at it and was surprised. He asked the author if he was taking out all his money again. Then the author realized he had made a mistake, writing “fifty-six” instead of “six.” The author was too confused to explain it, and all the other clerks stopped working to look at the author.
Passage: Reckless with misery, I made a plunge.
“Yes, the whole thing.”
“You withdraw your money from the bank?”
“Every cent of it.”
“Are you not going to deposit any more?” said the clerk, astonished.
“Never.”
Word Meaning
Reckless with misery: This phrase means that the person was so overwhelmed by sadness or despair that they acted without considering the consequences.
Plunge: This means to jump or dive suddenly into something, often with a sense of risk or danger.
Astonished: This means to be greatly surprised or amazed.
Explanation: The author was feeling very sad and made a sudden decision. He told the bank clerk that he wanted to take out all his money because he had opened the new account and deposited the money a few minutes ago. The clerk was surprised and asked the author if he wasn’t going to put any more money into the bank.
Passage: An idiot hope struck me that they might think something had insulted me while I was writing the check and that I had changed my mind. I made a wretched attempt to look like a man with a fearfully quick temper.
The clerk prepared to pay the money.
Word Meaning
Idiot hope: This is a humorous way of saying that the hope was foolish or illogical.
Wretched attempt: A very poor or unsuccessful attempt.
Fearfully quick temper: A very quick temper, often used to describe someone who gets angry easily.
Explanation: The author gave the bank staff an impression that he was offended by something while he wrote the check and that he had changed his mind. He tried to look really angry. The clerk was about to give him the money.
Passage: “How will you have it?” he said.
“What?”
“How will you have it?”
“Oh!” I caught his meaning, and answered, without even trying to think, “In fifties.”
Explanation: The clerk asked how he wanted the money. The author asked what he meant. The clerk repeated his question. The author then replied without thinking that he would have it in the notes of fifty dollars.
Passage: He gave me a fifty-dollar bill.
“And the six?” he asked dryly.
“In sixes,” I said.
He gave it me, and I rushed out.
Word Meaning
Dryly: In an unimpressed manner.
Explanation: The clerk gave the author a fifty-dollar bill. The clerk then asked plainly about the six dollars. The narrator replied that he wanted them in the notes of six dollars. The clerk gave it to him, and the author rushed out of the bank.
Passage: As the big doors swung behind me I caught the echo of a roar of laughter that went up to the ceiling of the bank. Since then I bank no more. I keep my money in cash in my trousers pocket, and my savings in silver dollars in a sock.
Word Meaning
Silver Dollars: “silver dollars” refers to large silver coins that were once used as currency in the United States.
Explanation: When the author left the bank, he heard everyone inside laughing very loudly. Since that day, the author has never gone to the bank. He keeps his money in his pocket and his savings in a sock.