Answer the following questions

1. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences each based on your understanding of the story.

a)        Who did the narrator meet at the outskirts of Verona?

The narrator met two small boys at the outskirts of Verona.

b)       Why did the driver not approve of the narrator buying fruits from the boys?

The driver did not approve of the narrator buying fruit from the boys, because of the boys’ shabby appearance.

c)        The boys did not spend much on clothes and food. Why?

The boys did not spend much on clothes and food because they had saved the money for their sister’s treatment expenses.

d)       Were the boys saving money to go the States? How do you know?

No, the boys were not saving money to go the States. They told the narrator that they had some other plans.

e)        Why did the author avoid going to Lucia’s room?

The author did not want to interfere their happy family party. So he avoided going to Lucia’s room.

f)         What was Lucia suffering from?

Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.

g)        What made the boys join the resistance movement against the Germans?

The hate for Germans made the boys join the resistance movement against the Germans.

h)       What made the boys work so hard?

The money needed for their sister’s treatment made the boys work so hard.

i)          Why didn’t the boys disclose their problem to the author?

The boys didn’t disclose their problem to the narrator, because they did not want anybody's sympathy or charity. They accepted their responsibilities of life. They were determined to work hard to earn their living and for her sister’s treatment.

2. Answer the following questions in three or four sentences each.

a)        Describe the appearance of Nicola and Jacopo.

Nicola put on a worn jersey and cut-off khaki pants. Jacopo wore a shortened army tunic gathered in loose folds about his skinny frame. They had brown skins, tangled hair and dark earnest eyes.

b)       What were the various jobs undertaken by the little boys?

They shined shoes, sold fruit, hawked newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands. These were the various jobs undertaken by the little boys.

c)        How did the narrator help the boys on Sunday?

The boys usually make a visit to the country, Poleta, every Sunday. Jacopo asked the narrator to drop them there in his car. Since the driver had the Sunday off, the author himself took them in his car.

d)       Who took the author to the cubicle?

A pleasant-looking woman dressed in the white uniform with steel-rimmed spectacles took the author to the cubicle. She seemed to be a trained nurse.

e)        Describe the girl with whom the boys were talking to in the cubicle.

The girl with whom the boys were talking to in the cubicle was their sister. She was about 20 years old. She was propped up on pillows, wearing a pretty lace jacket. Her eyes were soft and tender. She took after her brothers. And she is suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.

f)         Recount the untold suffering sunder gone by the siblings after they were rendered homeless.

After the siblings were rendered homeless, they had suffered from starvation. They were exposed to the cold winter. They had stayed in a sort of shelter amidst the rubble. They participated in the war against Germans. Their sister was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. They worked hard for her.

g)        The narrator did not utter a word and preferred to keep the secret to himself. Why? Substantiate the statement with reference to the story.

The boys did not want to disclose their problem to the narrator. He understood that the boys did not want anybody's charity. He did not want to interfere into their problem. So he did not utter a word and preferred to keep the secret to himself. It depicted his generousness.

3. Answer the following in a paragraph of 100–150 words each.

a)        What was the driving force that made the boys do various jobs?

The narrator met two small boys at the outskirts of Verona. They were Nicola and Jacopo. The boys’ father, a widower, had been killed in the war. During war, a bomb had destroyed their home. They had suffered from starvation. They were exposed to the cold winter. They had stayed in a sort of shelter amidst the rubble. They joined the resistance movement against the Germans. They participated in the war against Germans. When they returned after the war, they had found their sister Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. Every week, they had to pay the money for her treatment. It made the boys work so hard. They shined shoes, sold fruit, distributed newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands for money. Thus the war ruined their future and their sister’s disease made them do various jobs. These were the driving forces that made the boys do various jobs.

b)       How was the family affected by the war?

The narrator met two small boys at the outskirts of Verona. They were Nicola and Jacopo. The boys’ father, a widower, had been killed in the war. During war, a bomb had destroyed their home. They had suffered from starvation. They were exposed to the cold winter. They had stayed in a sort of shelter amidst the rubble. They joined the resistance movement against the Germans. They participated in the war against Germans. When they returned after the war, they had found their sister Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. Every week, they had to pay the money for her treatment. It made the boys work so hard. The war had not broken their spirit. Thus the family of the two boys was ruined by the war.

c)        Write a character sketch of Nicola and Jacopo.

The ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’ were the boys in the story, Nicola and Jacopo. Nicola, aged 13, was the elder brother of Jacopo aged 12. Both the siblings were very sincere and self-sacrificing. They worked hard for their sister Lucia to recover her from tuberculosis. They lived a hard life. They undertook all sorts of odd jobs. They shined shoes, sold fruit, distributed newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands for money. They did not spend much on clothes and food. Because they had saved the money for their sister’s treatment. But they still maintained their self-respect. They don’t have the intention of talking about their family problem and want to keep it a secret. The boys didn’t disclose their problem to the narrator, because they did not want anybody's sympathy or charity. They accepted their responsibilities of life. They were determined to work hard to earn their living and for her sister’s treatment. Though they had suffered a lot from the war, it had not broken their spirit. Thus, their selfless action brings a new nobility to human life. It gives promise of a greater hope for human society.

d)       What message is conveyed through the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’?

The ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’ were the boys in the story, Nicola and Jacopo. Nicola, aged 13, was the elder brother of Jacopo aged 12. Both the siblings were very sincere and self-sacrificing. They worked hard for their sister Lucia to recover her from tuberculosis. They lived a hard life. They undertook all sorts of odd jobs. They shined shoes, sold fruit, distributed newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands for money. They did not spend much on clothes and food. Because they had saved the money for their sister’s treatment. But they still maintained their self-respect. They don’t have the intention of talking about their family problem and want to keep it a secret. The boys didn’t disclose their problem to the narrator, because they did not want anybody's sympathy or charity. They accepted their responsibilities  of life. They were determined to work hard to earn their living and for her sister’s treatment. Though they had suffered a lot from the war, it had not broken their spirit. Thus, their selfless action brings a new nobility to human life. It gives promise of a greater hope for human society. This is the message conveyed through the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’.

e)        Justify the title of the story ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’.

The ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’ were the boys in the story, Nicola and Jacopo. Nicola, aged 13, was the elder brother of Jacopo aged 12. Both the siblings were very sincere and self -sacrificing. They worked hard for their sister Lucia to recover her from tuberculosis. They lived a hard life. They undertook all sorts of odd jobs. They shined shoes, sold fruit, distributed newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands for money. They did not spend much on clothes and food. Because they had saved the money for their sister’s treatment. But they still maintained their self-respect. They don’t have the intention of talking about their family problem and want to keep it a secret. The boys didn’t disclose their problem to the narrator, because they did not want anybody's sympathy or charity. They accepted their responsibilities of life. They were determined to work hard to earn their living and for her sister’s treatment. Though they had suffered a lot from the war, it had not broken their spirit. Thus, their selfless action brings a new nobility to human life. It gives promise of a greater hope for human society. Really the two boys are fit to be called ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’.

f)         Adversity brings out the best as well as the worst in people. Elucidate this statement with reference to the story.

The ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’ were the boys in the story, Nicola and Jacopo. The boys’ father, a widower, had been killed in the war. During war, a bomb had destroyed their home. They had suffered from starvation. They were exposed to the cold winter. They had stayed in a sort of shelter amidst the rubble. So they hate the Germans. This adversity of the children made them to join the resistance movement against Germany. This was the only worst choice they made. When they returned after the war, they had found their sister Lucia was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. Every week, they had to pay the money for her treatment. It made the boys work so hard. They shined shoes, sold fruit, distributed newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands for money. Though adversity ruined the two brothers’ life, they were very determined. They worked hard for their living and for their sister’s treatment. Though they suffered a lot, their selfless action brought a new nobility to human life. It gave promise of a greater hope for human society. Thus the adversity brought these best in them.

g)        Which character do you like the most in the story and why?

I like the narrator of this story very much. He is very generous, kind and helpful person. Even after his driver’s warning, he wants to buy fruits from the boys to help them. He notices the honesty and sincerity of the shabbily dressed and nearly-starved boys. He also drops the boys to the hospital where their sister is admitted. He does not decide to reveal to the boys that he knows about their family crisis. He knows they will prefer to feel that they have safely kept their secret. But their devotion has touched him deeply. He finds war does not broke their spirit. Their selfless action brings a new nobility to human life, gives promise of a greater hope for human society. The narrator’s sympathy, helping tendency are highlighted in the story.

(OR)

I like the two boys, the real heroes of this story very much. They suffer a lot in their life. But they never give up their responsibility and self-respect. The boys’ father, a widower, has been killed in the early part of the war. They become homeless. They have suffered from starvation. They join the resistance movement and participate in the war against Germans. War has not broken their spirit. Their sister Lucia is suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. They have to pay the money for her treatment every week. So they shine shoes, sell fruits, distribute newspapers, conduct tourists round the town, and run errands for money. They do not want to disclose their problem to the narrator. They do not want anybody's sympathy or charity. They accept their responsibilities of life. They are determined to work hard. But they still look contented and maintain their self-respect. Their selfless action brings a new nobility to human life and it gives promise of a greater hope for human society.

ESSAY

❖ Introduction

❖ Two gentlemen of Verona

❖ The boys’ starvation

❖ Lucia’s Suffering

❖ Narrator’s kindness

❖ Conclusion

Introduction:

Archibald Joseph Cronin, in his story ‘Two gentlemen of Verona’ depicts love, devotion, sacrifice and sincerity of the two little boys.

Two gentlemen of Verona:

The two gentlemen of Verona are Nicola and Jacopo, aged 13 and 12. They lived a hard life and did all sorts of odd jobs. They shined shoes, sold fruits, hawked newspapers, conducted tourists round the town, and ran errands for money.

The boys’ starvation:

Their father had been killed in the early part of the war. During the war, a bomb had destroyed their home and thrown the children into the streets. They built a shelter with their own hands amidst the rubble. They had suffered horribly from near starvation.

Lucia’s suffering:

German ruled the city. They hated the Germans. They joined in the resistance movement against Germans. When the war was over, they came back to their beloved sister. They found that she was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine. They admitted her in the hospital of Poleta. Every week, they had to pay money for her treatment. This made them work hard.

Narrator’s kindness:

The narrator was kind and helpful person. He was fascinated towards the boys. He bought fruits in order to help them. He dropped them to the hospital where their sister is admitted. Being a gentleman, he did not want to disturb their family party. Their devotion had touched him deeply.

Conclusion:

Though the boys’ suffered a lot, War did not broke their spirit. They were determined to work hard and earned their living. Their selfless action brought a nobility to human life. Eventually, they were really two gentlemen of Verona.

Moral: Humanity inculcates virtues, sympathy and selfless action.