English 2nd Year Notes
Q1. How accurate is the title of Thurber’s essay?
Ans. The title of the Thurber’s essay; The Day the Dam Broke" i& quite accurate, The sudden fear, running, weeping, shouting, vacating the houses, shops, movie theatre, offices and even living rooms of the soldiers, clearly show that really the dam had broken and so the people were running to the east side to save their lives. Actually the fear caused due to great spring floods of twenty years ago as there was thirty feet of water in Columbus City.
Q2. What can we gather about grand father’s age, physique and mental conditions?
Ans. The age factor is not mentioned by James Thurber, one is unable to form any exact idea of his grand father’s age. However, he was an old man, taller than six feet and weighing almost a hundred and seventy pounds. He does not seem to be mentally sound and it is an idea hat he is always haunted by imaginary fears.
Q3. How does the panic appear to have started?
Ans. The main cause of panic was nothing but the behavior of the people based on mass psychology. All of sudden, some one started running when everyday business in the busy city of Columbus was in full swing.
When a man who had to meet his wife at Maramor Hotel began to run feeling that he was late.(educationsight.blogspot.com) Then, a news boy and another man of affairs started to run to the east side. An old little lady who always feared for getting drowned or the news boy cried due to electric sound or traffic cop that the dam had broken and go east. in this way, within ten minutes the rumor spread in the city and every body was running to the east side. Afterwards about 2000 people started running in full flight go east from the river was the slogan of every-body.
Q4. How did Thurber’s mother cope with the situation?
Ans. According to James Thurber, his mother did not lose his sense and courage, she turned out all the fires, took with her a dozen eggs and two loaves of bread. It was her plan to reach Memorial Hall, two blocs away and take refuge some where in the top of it. In this way, she copes with the situation that arose with the rumor of the break up of the dam.
Q5. What caused the lieutenant colonel of infantry to lead a fleeing company of three hundred persons?
Ans. James Thurber has criticized the training procedure of the army officers and obedience of the soldiers. Likewise, when the lieutenant colonel was in a drowsy condition on the porch, heard the cries of a girl came down and passed the girl crying go east. The colonel stopped and asked the girl what had happened. The girl at once replied that the dam had broken and goes east. At once, the colonel took the girl in him arms, caught hold of the old man and declared that the dam had broken and goes east. Hence, very soon he was leading three hundred men all running towards East as quickly as their legs could carry them.
Q6. How long the panic did last and how was order restored?
Ans. James Thurber has given the description of maintaining discipline in the city. The panic lasted within two hours in all when the military men announced in motor lorries through mega phones that the dam had not broken and there was no danger at all. In this way, the people who ran for four to twelve miles, started to come back to the original places giving various reasons for running.
Q7. Why did Dr. Mallory think that the flood waters were about to engulf him?
Ans. Actually there was a boy on the roller — skates and Dr. Mollory mistook the swishing of skates for the sound of rushing water. He shouted in bewilderment and fear. "It’s got us". So he thought that the flood waters were about to engulfed him.
Q8. Why did the citizens of Columbus not care to talk about the events of the 12 March, 1913, specially the Great Run?
Ans. The citizens of Columbus did not care to talk about the events of the 12 March, 1913 because they felt ashamed of their conduct. They became demoralized at the cry of "The dam has broken" and never tried to verify it. So they kept silence when some one spoke to them about such events. The author gives it the name of "The Great Run" but the people were never prepared to listen a single word about these incidents.
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