Education and Humanity (Education First)

A. Find the words from the text which mean the following.

• a messenger or representative, especially one on a diplomatic mission → envoy
• the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect → dignity
• harm done to someone in response to harm → revenge
• a person who holds extreme views in political or religious matters → extremist
• sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others → compassion
• a person who is believed to speak for God → prophet
• the study of the nature of knowledge, reality and existence → philosophy
• the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage or destroy → violence
• an unreasonable dislike of a particular group of people or things → prejudice

B. Match the words on the left with their opposite meanings on the right.

C. Using dictionary

Dictionary contains at least three forms of information about a word: pronunciation, word class and meaning.

Look at the following dictionary entry of the words ‘humanity’ and ‘humanize’ (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 9th edition):

humanity /hjuːˈmænəti/ noun 1 [U] people in general: He was found guilty of crimes against humanity. 2 [U] the state of being a person rather than a god, an animal or a machine: The story was used to emphasize the humanity of Jesus. united by a sense of common humanity 3 [U] the quality of being kind to people and animals by making sure that they do not suffer more than is necessary; the quality of being humane: The judge was praised for his courage and humanity. OPP inhumanity 4(the) humanities [pl.] the subjects of study that are about the way people think and behave, for example literature, language, history and philosophy: The college offers a wide range of courses in the arts and humanities. humanize(BrE also -ise) /ˈhjuːmənaɪz/ verb~sth to make sth more pleasant or suitable for people; to make sth more HUMANE: These measures are intended to humanize the prison system.

a. Study the dictionary entry above and answer these questions

• What is the headword in the first entry? → Humanity
• How many meanings of the word ‘humanity’ are given? → 4
• What do the abbreviations U, OPP, pl, and sth stand for? → U = uncountable, OPP = opposite, pl = plural, sth = something
• What is the British English spelling of ‘humanize’? → Humanise
• How is the word ‘humanize’ pronounced? → /ˈhjuːmənaɪz/
• If we say Every person should have the sense of humanity, which meaning of ‘humanity’ is applied? → If we say Every person should have the sense of humanity, the meaning of ‘humanity’ applied is the quality of being kind to people and animals by making sure that they do not suffer more than is necessary; the quality of being humane (दयालु).

b. Arrange the following words in alphabetical order.

• advance analysis amuse assure allergy attain aid anxiety acute agreement → advance, analysis, amuse, assure, allergy, attain, aid, anxiety, acute, agreement
• smoke small smart speaking smelling smoothly smuggler smashed smearing smallpox → smoke, small, smart, speaking, smelling, smoothly, smuggler, smashed, smearing, smallpox
• terminal terminate terminology termite terms terrace terrible terribly territory terror → terminal, terminate, terminology, termite, terms, terrace, terrible, terribly, territory, terror

c. Make a list of five new words from the reading text. Using a dictionary, write their meanings and use the words in sentences of your own.

1. envoy → a person who is sent as a representative of a government to another country: The envoy was sent to negotiate a peace treaty.

2. dignity → the quality of being worthy of honor or respect: The dignity of the office of the president is being undermined.

3. compassion → sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others: The doctor showed compassion for the sick patient.

4. prophet → a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God: The prophet was sent to the people to teach them about God.

5. philosophy → the study of the nature of knowledge, reality and existence: The philosophy of the school is based on the teachings of Plato.

6. violence → the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage or destroy: The violence of the storm destroyed the house.

Answer the following questions

1. Why did the speaker receive thousands of good-wishes cards and gifts from all over the world?
   The speaker, Malala Yousafzai, played a remarkable role for the betterment of children who are deprived of education and their fundamental rights. She raised her voice for the rights of women and the communities suppressed by the extremist Taliban. So, people from all over the world sent her thousands of well wishes and gifts to encourage and support her.

2. According to the speaker, what are hundreds of human rights activists and social workers struggling for?
   According to the speaker, hundreds of human activist and social workers are struggling for achieving their goals of education, peace and equality.

3. What has she learnt from Gandhi?
   She learnt the value of nonviolence from Gandhi.

4. In what sense is peace necessary for education?
   Peace is necessary for education because it is only in a peaceful environment that education can flourish. War and conflicts create a hostile environment that prevents students from going to school.

5. According to the speaker, what are the main problems faced by both men and women?
   According to the speaker, poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and deprivation of basic rights are the main problems faced by both men and women.

6. What is Malala calling upon all governments?
   Malala is calling upon all governments to ensure free education for childrens, to fight against terrorism and violence, and to protect them from brutality and harm.

7. What is the main message of this speech?
   The main message of this speech is that education is the only endeavor to eradicate problems like illiteracy, terrorism, violence, and harassment of fundamental human rights. So, concerned authorities should prioritize providing free education for all.

a. All children have the right to quality education. How can we ensure this right to every child? Discuss the role of the government and the parents to make sure that every child can attend school.

Quality education is crucial for the development of a person and their surroundings. All the children have the right to a quality education, and none of them should be held back due to poverty, racism, religious background, or discrimination. As responsible citizens, we can ensure that every child has this right by educating the government and parents about the importance of their role for the quality education.

Role of Government:

• The government should provide free education to all the children and should make sure that the schools are safe and secure for the children.
• They should ensure that teachers are well paid so they are motivated enough in providing their services.
• The government should make sure that the schools are well equipped with all the necessary facilities like books, stationary, and other resources.
• They should regularly update the curriculum and make sure that the students are learning the latest and relevant information.
• They should host regular seminars and workshops for the teachers to make them aware of the latest teaching methods and techniques.

Role of Parents:

• The parents should make sure that their children are going to school regularly and are getting proper education.
• They should make sure that their children are not being harassed or bullied by anyone.
• They should talk to their children and make sure that they are not being forced to do anything against their will.
• They should give their children the freedom to choose their own career and should not force them to do something they don't want to do.
• They should spend some time with their children and listen to their problems and concerns.

b. Do you think that there is still discrimination between sons and daughters in terms of providing education in our country? What strategies do you suggest to overcome such discrimination against girls?

In our country, discrimination between sons and daughters is still practiced in terms of providing education. The parents still prefer to educate their sons rather than their daughters. They think that educating their daughters is a waste of money and resources because daughters have to go to their husbands' homes after marriage. So, they prefer to educate their sons and spend the money on their daughters' marriage. This is a very wrong practice and should be stopped.

To overcome this discrimination, the government should make sure that the parents are aware of the importance of educating their daughters. They should also make sure that the parents are aware of the fact that educating their daughters is not a waste of money and resources but an investment in their future. Parents should be aware of the fact that educating their daughters will help them become independent and self-reliant. They should be aware of the fact that educating their daughters will help them become a better mother and wife. They should know about the other benefits of educating their daughters, like they will be able to earn money and help their parents in their old age.

There are many examples of women like Malala Yousafzai and Queen Elizabeth I who have achieved great heights in their lives by getting a good education. So, we should inform the parents about that fact and encourage them to support their daughters in getting a good education. We should actively involve ourselves in helping them overcome their misconceptions and prejudices. Policies should be made to encourage parents to educate their daughters. The government should provide them with some financial incentives to encourage them to educate their daughters.

Thus, we can overcome this discrimination by making the parents aware of the importance of educating their daughters.

c. A Chinese philosopher Confucius said, “If your plan is for one year, plant rice; if your plan is for ten years, plant trees; if your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.” What is the meaning of this saying? Elaborate this with examples.

The saying by Confucius is a metaphor for long-term thinking and planning. It suggests that we should think about the long-term consequences of our actions and make decisions that will have positive effects over the long term.

The first part of the saying, "If your plan is for one year, plant rice," means that if you only have a short-term plan or goal, you should focus on something that will have immediate benefits. Planting rice is a good example of this, as it is a crop that can be harvested within a year.

The second part of the saying, "if your plan is for ten years, plant trees," suggests that if you have a longer-term plan or goal, you should focus on something that will have benefits over a longer period of time. Planting trees is a good example of this, as trees take longer to grow and mature, but they can provide benefits such as shade, oxygen, and habitat for wildlife for many years.

The final part of the saying, "if your plan is for one hundred years, educate children," suggests that if you have a very long-term plan or goal, you should focus on something that will have even longer-lasting benefits. Educating children is a good example of this, as the knowledge and skills they learn will stay with them for their entire lives and can be passed down to future generations.

Overall, the saying by Confucius is a reminder to think about the long-term consequences of our actions and to make decisions that will have positive effects over the long term. It encourages us to think beyond our own needs and to consider the needs of future generations.

Classify the underlined words into different word classes

• The man who is wearing glasses is my uncle's friend. → who - pronoun, wearing - verb
• I bought a round table in the supermarket. → round - adjective, the - determiner
• Alas, she is dead. → alas - interjection, is - verb
• Hari works very hard all the time but his wife is very lazy. → hard - adverb, but - conjunction, wife - noun, very - adverb
• I have never been to Japan. → never - adverb, to - preposition

Read a paragraph of an English newspaper and make a list of about 20 words. Categorize them into different 'Word classes'. You can refer to the grammar book for help