10th Class English Chapter 10 Notes

Definition

A King wants answers to three questions, believing that if he knew them, he would never fail in anything he undertook: what is the right time to begin every action; which people are the most necessary to listen to; and what is the most important thing to do.

The King first turns to the learned men of his kingdom, offering a reward for correct answers. Their suggestions vary widely and contradict one another: for the right time, some suggest a strict schedule of days and months, others say it's impossible to know in advance and one needs wise counsellors, and others suggest consulting magicians or soothsayers; for the most necessary people, different men name courtiers, priests, doctors, or warriors; and for the most important pursuit, answers range from science to warfare to religious worship.

Dissatisfied because no answer convinces him and the learned men disagree with each other, the King decides to visit a hermit known for his wisdom, who lives simply in the forest and receives only common people, refusing to see anyone of high rank.

The King disguises himself as an ordinary man and approaches alone. He finds the hermit weakly digging garden beds in front of his hut. The King asks his three questions, but the hermit only continues digging, tired and struggling. Out of pity, the King takes the spade and digs for him, continuing until evening.

As the sun sets, a wounded man comes running out of the woods, bleeding heavily from the stomach. The King and hermit wash and bind the wound (using the hermit's own shirt) until the bleeding stops, then carry him into the hut, where the exhausted man falls asleep. Worn out himself, the King falls asleep at the doorstep.

When the King wakes, the wounded man asks his forgiveness — revealing he was the King's sworn enemy (avenging his brother's execution and seized property by the King) and had planned to kill the King on his way back from the hermit, but was recognized and wounded by the King's bodyguards, escaping only to be saved, unknowingly, by the King himself. The King forgives him, promises to return his property, and sends his own physician and servants to care for him.

The King then asks the hermit his three questions again. The hermit replies that they have already been answered: if the King hadn't taken pity and dug for him, he would have left earlier and been killed by the waiting enemy on the road — so the most important time was while he was digging, the most necessary person was the hermit, and the most important action was helping him. Then, when the wounded man ran to them, the most important time was spent tending his wound, the most necessary person was that wounded man, and the most important action was caring for him.

Definition

The hermit's final teaching, and the story's central moral: there is only one important time, and that is Now — the only time we actually have any power to act. The most necessary person is always whoever you happen to be with at that moment, since no one can be certain they'll ever deal with anyone else. And the most important pursuit is always to do good to the person you're with, since that alone is why we are sent into this life.

Definition

When changing direct speech (someone's exact words in quotation marks) into indirect/reported speech, several changes usually apply together: the tense generally shifts one step back into the past (present simple $\to$ past simple; present continuous $\to$ past continuous; present perfect $\to$ past perfect; past simple $\to$ past perfect; 'will' $\to$ 'would'; 'can' $\to$ 'could'; 'may' $\to$ 'might'; 'must' $\to$ 'had to').

Pronouns change to match the reporting context (e.g. 'I' becomes 'he'/'she' when reporting someone else's words), and time/place references shift accordingly: 'now' $\to$ 'then', 'today' $\to$ 'that day', 'tomorrow' $\to$ 'the next day', 'yesterday' $\to$ 'the day before', 'here' $\to$ 'there', 'this' $\to$ 'that'.

For statements, the reporting verb is typically 'said (that)' or 'told (someone) that'. For questions, the reporting verb changes to 'asked', normal statement word order is used (not question order), the question mark is dropped, and 'if'/'whether' is added for yes/no questions (wh-questions keep their question word instead). For commands or requests, the reporting verb becomes 'told'/'ordered'/'commanded' (or 'asked' for polite requests) followed by an object and a to-infinitive (or 'not to' for a negative command).