Maharashtra State Board Class 9 English Lesson A Synopsis – The Swiss Family Robinson Summary, Line by Line Explanation, Theme, Poetic Devices along with difficult word meanings from English Kumarbharati Book
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A Synopsis- The Swiss Family Robinson Maharashtra State Board Class 9 English
A Synopsis- The Swiss Family Robinson Introduction
The Swiss Family Robinson is a classic adventure novel that tells the story of a Swiss family shipwrecked on a deserted island. The family, consisting of a father, mother, and four sons, uses their courage, and cooperation to survive in this challenging environment.
Through their experiences, the family learns to build a new life, finding food, creating shelter, and even raising livestock. Their journey is filled with both hardships and triumphs as they adapt to their island home.
The novel is a timeless tale of survival, family, and the human spirit.
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Theme / Central Idea of the Lesson A Synopsis- The Swiss Family Robinson
The Swiss Family Robinson is rich in themes that resonate with readers of all ages. Here are some of the prominent ones:
- Survival and Self-Reliance: The core of the story revolves around the family’s struggle to survive in a hostile environment. It highlights the importance of resourcefulness, adaptability, and using available means to overcome challenges.
- Family Unity and Cooperation: The novel emphasizes the strength of family bonds and the importance of working together to achieve common goals. The Robinsons exemplify the power of unity in overcoming adversity.
- Education and Knowledge: The novel showcases the value of education and practical skills. The father’s ability to apply his knowledge in various fields, from mathematics to geometry, proves crucial for their survival.
- Overcoming Adversity: The Robinsons face numerous challenges, from natural disasters to encounters with wildlife. Their perseverance and determination in overcoming these obstacles inspire readers.
- The Power of Nature: The novel highlights the beauty and challenges of the natural world. The Robinsons learn to respect and harness the power of nature while also recognizing its potential dangers.
A Synopsis- The Swiss Family Robinson Summary
The Swiss Family Robinson is a popular adventure novel that has captivated readers worldwide for over two centuries. Written by Swiss clergyman Johann David Wyss, it’s more than just a thrilling tale; it’s a valuable tool for teaching young people about self-reliance, cooperation, and resourcefulness. While the story stretches the bounds of reality, its emphasis on practical skills and family values makes it a timeless classic.
The Swiss Robinson family was on a big ship when a bad storm came. Everyone else got off the ship, but the family was stuck inside the ship. Luckily, the ship didn’t break apart during the storm, but got washed away to a lonely island with no people.
The family was very smart. They made a little boat and went to the island. They took things like animals, tools, and food from the ship.
On the island, they made a place to live and started to grow food. They were good at finding ways to survive. They even made their home in a cave to be safe.
The family had to be strong because there wasn’t much food and wild animals were around. They learned to use things on the island, like making bowls from plants and a ladder with ropes.
Big animals like elephants were present on the island, so the family made their home high up in trees. After many years, they made the island their home and called it “New Switzerland.”
The novel centers around a Swiss family shipwrecked on a deserted island. Forced to survive with limited resources, they demonstrate remarkable ingenuity and courage as they build a new life. From constructing shelters and cultivating crops to exploring their surroundings, the family faces challenges with determination and unity. Their story is a testament to the human spirit and the power of family bonds.
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A Synopsis- The Swiss Family Robinson Summary in Hindi
स्विस फैमली रॉबिन्सन एक लोकप्रिय साहसिक उपन्यास है जिसने दो सौ से अधिक वर्षों से दुनिया भर के पाठकों को मोहित किया है। स्विस पादरी जोहान डेविड वाइस द्वारा लिखित, यह केवल एक रोमांचकारी कहानी नहीं है; यह युवाओं को आत्मनिर्भरता, सहयोग और संसाधनशीलता के बारे में सिखाने का एक मूल्यवान उपकरण है। हालांकि कहानी वास्तविकता की सीमाओं को बढ़ाती है, लेकिन व्यावहारिक कौशल और पारिवारिक मूल्यों पर इसका जोर इसे एक क्लासिक बनाता है।
स्विस रॉबिन्सन परिवार एक बड़े जहाज पर सवार था जब एक भयंकर तूफान आया। अन्य सभी यात्री जहाज से उतर गए, लेकिन परिवार जहाज के अंदर फंस गया। सौभाग्य से, जहाज तूफान में टूट नहीं पाया, लेकिन एक सुनसान द्वीप पर बह गया जहां कोई भी नहीं था।
परिवार बहुत होशियार था। उन्होंने एक छोटी सी नाव बनाई और द्वीप पर गए। वे जहाज से जानवरों, उपकरण और भोजन जैसी चीजें ले गए। द्वीप पर, उन्होंने रहने की जगह बनाई और खाना उगाना शुरू किया। वे जीवित रहने के तरीके खोजने में अच्छे थे। उन्होंने सुरक्षित रहने के लिए गुफा में अपना घर भी बनाया।
परिवार को मजबूत होना पड़ा क्योंकि खाने की कमी थी और जंगली जानवर थे। उन्होंने द्वीप की चीजों का उपयोग करना सीखा, जैसे पौधों से कटोरे बनाना और रस्सियों से सीढ़ी बनाना। द्वीप पर हाथी जैसे बड़े जानवर थे, इसलिए परिवार ने अपना घर ऊंचे पेड़ों पर बनाया। कई सालों बाद, उन्होंने द्वीप को अपना घर बना लिया और इसे “न्यू स्विट्ज़रलैंड” नाम दिया।
उपन्यास एक स्विस परिवार के बारे में केंद्रित है जो एक सुनसान द्वीप पर पहुंच जाते हैं। सीमित संसाधनों के साथ जीवित रहने के लिए मजबूर, वे एक नया जीवन बनाने के लिए उल्लेखनीय सरलता और साहस का प्रदर्शन करते हैं। आश्रय का निर्माण करने, फसल उगाने और अपने परिवेश का पता लगाने से लेकर, परिवार दृढ़ संकल्प और एकता के साथ चुनौतियों का सामना करता है। उनकी कहानी मानव भावना और पारिवारिक बंधनों की शक्ति का प्रमाण है।
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A Synopsis- The Swiss Family Robinson Lesson Explanation
Passage: The Swiss Family Robinson is a well- known adventure novel that people of many countries have enjoyed for more than two hundred years. It has also been made into graphic novels and films.
Word Meaning
Novel: a long story about imaginary people and events
Graphic novels: stories told in pictures with text
Explanation: The Swiss Family Robinson is a famous book about a family who go on an adventure. Many people from different places have liked reading this book for more than two hundred years. The story has also been made into comics and movies.
Passage: The novel, written by the Swiss clergyman Johann David Wyss, is not just an adventure. It aims at teaching young people values like self-reliance, determination, love for your family, co -operation and prudent use of resources. It also has good lessons relevant in natural sciences, good husbandry and even mathematics!
Word Meaning
Clergyman: A person ordained for religious service, especially a Christian priest.
Self-reliance: The ability to depend on one’s own efforts and abilities.
Determination: Firmness of purpose; resolve.
Co-operation: Working together to achieve a common goal.
Prudent: Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.
Husbandry: The practice of agriculture and animal husbandry.
Natural sciences: The study of the physical world and its phenomena.
Explanation: The book was written by a Swiss priest named Johann David Wyss. The book is not just a fun story about an adventure but the writer wanted to teach kids important things. He wanted them to learn how to take care of themselves, to never give up, to love their family, to work together, and to use things wisely. The book also teaches about nature, farming, and even numbers.
Passage: Some elements of the novel do stretch reality to a certain extent- but we must consider that it is a work of fiction and not a fact file. Given below is a synopsis- an outline of its basic story.
Word Meaning
Elements: parts or components
Stretch: to extend or expand beyond normal limits
Extent: degree or range
Fiction: imagined stories, not based on fact
Fact file: a collection of information about a particular subject
Synopsis: a summary or brief overview
Outline: a general plan or summary
Explanation: Some parts of the story might not be real, but that’s okay because it’s just a made-up story. It’s not a true story. Now, let’s talk about the main points of the story.
Passage: William, Elizabeth and their children had been travelling in a ship when the ship was caught in a great storm. The other passengers evacuated without them. William, and his family including the young children Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz, were left to survive alone. They weathered the great storm waiting in the ship’s hold. The ship survived the night and the family found themselves within sight of a tropical desert island. The next morning, they decided to get to the island they could see beyond the reef. With much effort, they constructed a vessel out of tubs. After they filled the tubs with food and ammunition and all other articles of value they could safely carry, they rowed toward the island. Two dogs from the ship named Turk and Juno swam beside them. The ship’s cargo of livestock, guns and powder, carpentry tools, books, a disassembled pinnace, and provisions had also survived.
Word Meaning
Evacuated: left a dangerous place
Weathered: endured or survived
Tropical: relating to the hot, wet parts of the world
Desert island: an island with no people living on it
Reef: a long, narrow strip of land or rock in the sea
Vessel: a large ship or boat
Ammunition: supplies of bullets, bombs, etc.
Livestock: animals kept on a farm
Powder: gunpowder
Carpentry: the skill of making things out of wood
Disassembled: taken apart
Pinnace: a small boat
Explanation: William, Elizabeth, and their kids were on a ship when a big storm came. Everyone else left the ship, but they couldn’t. William and his kids, named Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Franz, had to stay on the boat by themselves. They stayed safe inside the boat during the storm. The boat survived the storm which lasted for the whole night.
When the storm ended, they saw a beautiful island. The family wanted to go there, so they made a boat out of big tubs. They put food, weapons, and other important things in the boat and took their two dogs named Turk and Juno with them. The ship still had a lot of things left on it, like animals, guns and powder, tools, books, parts of a small boat and food.
Passage: Over the next few days, William (father) attached the floatable old kegs to one another and built a bow that curved around them. The family had landed successfully on the island. They set up a tent and softened the floor with armloads of grass they cut and spread to serve as their beds. They came to a grove of trees. One tree grew what looked like gourds on its trunk. The father told Fritz, the gourds would make excellent bowls and spoons, and they cut them into various utensils.
Word Meaning
Kegs: Small barrels used for holding liquids.
Bow: A curved part of something. Here, it’s the curved front part of the raft they built.
Grove: A small group of trees growing close together.
Explanation: For a few days, the father (William) joined old, floating barrels together to make a curved shape. The whole family safely reached the island. They made a tent and used lots of cut grass for their beds.
They found a place with many trees. One tree had things that looked like big round vegetables on it. The father told Fritz that the big round vegetables could be used as bowls and spoons, so they cut them into different shapes to make utensils.
Passage: After some days, Elizabeth informed William that she wanted the family to move to a safer place. Their current camp was not only exposed but also very dry and hot. If they built a house up in one of the large trees, they would be safe from jackals. She described a perfect tree for the project, one whose trunk was nearly forty feet in diameter. The branches were very long and extended straight out from the trunk, making them perfect platforms for a structure. Later, when determining the height of the lowest branches, the father taught the boys geometry and how to use triangles to measure big objects. He measured a defined distance from the trunk, then he calculated angles using several measured rods, determining that the lowest branch was thirty feet off the ground.
Word Meaning
Diameter: the length of a straight line passing through the center of a circle or sphere
Extended: stretched out, reached out
Platforms: flat, raised surfaces
Geometry: the branch of mathematics concerned with the properties and relations of points, lines, surfaces, solids, and higher-dimensional spaces
Rods: long, thin pieces of wood or metal
Explanation: After a few days, Elizabeth told William that they should find a safer place to live as the tent where they were living was not hidden (from wild animals) and it was very hot and dry. They could be safe from wild animals called jackals if they made a house in a big tree.
Elizabeth found a very good tree to build a house in. The tree was very wide, about 40 feet across. The tree’s branches were long and went straight out, so they could make a house on them.To find out how high the lowest branch was, the dad taught his sons how to measure using shapes and sticks, using the concepts of geometry. The dad measured the distance from the tree and used rods to figure out that the first branch was 30 feet high.
Passage: The men knotted a rope at certain intervals and attached pieces of bamboo in each knot. Thus, they created their ladder. Father returned to the beach and collected driftwood, thinking it would be perfect to build a ‘sledge,’ on runners rather than wheels. Later, they used it to transport materials.
Word Meaning
Knotted: Tied together in a series of loops.
Intervals: Spaces of time or distance between things.
Bamboo: A tall, hollow, woody grass.
Driftwood: Wood washed ashore by the sea.
Sledge: A vehicle without wheels, used for carrying heavy loads.
Runners: The parts of a sledge that slide over the ground.
Explanation: The men tied the rope into loops at different points and put the pieces of bamboo into each loop of the rope.They made a ladder using the rope and bamboo. The father went to the beach and gathered pieces of wood that had washed up on the shore.He thought the wood would be good to make a flat sled without wheels. Later, they used the sled to move things from one place to another.
Passage: Meanwhile Elizabeth announced that the garden she had been tending was producing healthy plants. Corn, melons, pumpkins, and cucumbers were already growing. The next day, only the father and Fritz travelled to the woods, exploring and finding such exotic plants as one with waxy fruit, from which candles could be made. Fritz discovered a tree exuding a rubbery sap, from which his father claimed that they could make boots.
Word Meaning
Tending: taking care of, looking after, nurturing.
Exotic: unusual, strange, foreign
Exuding: releasing, giving off, emitting
Explanation: Elizabeth said that the plants she was taking care of were growing well. She had corn, melons, pumpkins, and cucumbers growing in her garden.
The next day, just the dad and Fritz went into the forest. They found strange plants. One plant had a hard, shiny fruit that could be used to make candles. Fritz found a tree that was oozing a sticky, rubbery liquid. His dad said they could use this to make shoes.
Passage: Thinking ahead of the next winter, father decided to create a place safe from the elements, a strong storage spot to protect themselves and their belongings. Fritz came up with the idea of a cave. Not finding one, they thought of carving out their own cave in the rock abutting their camping site. On the smooth face of the rock, father marked the dimensions for an opening and they picked away at the hard surface with their axes, chisels, hammers, and shovels. Over the next several days, the family cut windows in the rocks to allow for crosscurrents of air and for sunlight to enter the cave. When they had finished, they had four rooms, complete with a fireplace. They now had a new winter home.
Word Meaning
Elements: weather conditions, such as wind, rain, and cold
Abutting: next to or bordering on
Crosscurrents: currents of air moving in different directions
Oppressive: uncomfortable and unpleasant
Explanation: The father was thinking about what they would do in the cold weather. He wanted to make a place to keep the family safe from the bad cold weather.
They needed a place to keep themselves and their things safe. Fritz thought that they should live in a cave. They couldn’t find a real cave, so they decided to make one in the big rocks near their camp. The father drew a shape for the door on the rock and then they used tools to make a hole. They made holes in the rocks for air to come in and light to get in. After they were done, they had four rooms with a fireplace. Now, they had a new place to live in the winter.
Passage: Because of the low light, the cave house they had built felt oppressive. To remedy this, father and Jack rigged up a new light. They found a bamboo pole that would reach from the floor to the ceiling. Then after securing it, Jack climbed to the top of the pole and hung a large oil lamp that they had rescued from the ship.
Word Meaning
Oppressive: heavy or unpleasant to bear; suffocating
Remedy: a solution to a problem
Rigged up: quickly put together or assembled
Secure: fasten firmly in position
Rescued: saved from danger or harm
Explanation: The cave house was dark, and it made the family members feel uncomfortable.
To fix the problem, Dad and Jack made a new light. They found a long, tall bamboo stick.
They made the stick stand still and Jack climbed up it. He put a big lamp on top of the stick. They had got the lamp from their old ship.
Passage: One day, they found that one of the family’s huts had been completely destroyed and the cultivated fields around it had been trampled and ruined. There were huge footmarks everywhere. Father saw massive damage to trees as well as many huge footprints, which he identified as belonging to an elephant herd.
Word Meaning
Cultivated: grown or raised (plants) for food
Trampled: crushed or damaged by people or animals walking on it
Ruined: destroyed or damaged badly
Footmarks: marks made by a person’s or animal’s foot
Massive: extremely large and heavy
Herd: a group of animals that live together
Explanation: One morning, they saw that one of their houses was broken into pieces. The plants they were growing near the house were also damaged and destroyed. They saw very big marks of feet all over the place. Dad saw that the trees were badly hurt and there were many big foot marks. Dad said that the big footmarks were from a group of elephants.
Passage: The next morning, the family began to design a new defence to discourage all wild animals from entering their cultivated lands. They also finalised their ideas about the new residence. Rather than building a house on stilts, which the elephants could knock down easily, they would use four strong trees growing in a square near one another as the foundation. The trees were of equal size, approximately twelve feet apart. Thus, they built another safe home.
Word Meaning
Stilt: a long pole or post used to support something above the ground
Explanation: The next day, the family planned how to stop animals from coming into their farm.
They also decided on what their new home would look like. Instead of making a house on tall posts (which elephants could break), they would use four big trees close together as the base of their house. The trees were the same size and about 12 feet away from each other. This is how they made another place to live that was safe.
Passage: Ten years passed and the young boys were now young men, and their parents were very proud. They called the island New Switzerland. Many adventures occurred over the years.
Word Meaning
New Switzerland: A new name given to the island, similar to their home country.
Explanation: Ten years passed and the kids who were once small boys grew up and become big men. Their parents were happy because their kids had grown up well. They gave the island a new name, which was New Switzerland. Lots of exciting things happened during those ten years.
Passage: On the shore of another island, Fritz had knocked down an albatross, which was threatening to attack him and found a rag tied to the large bird’s leg. On the rag was a message that an Englishwoman had been stranded on the ‘smoking rock.’ Fritz had no idea how old the message was. His father suggested that “smoking rock” sounded like a reference to a volcano. Since there were no volcanoes in the vicinity, the bird might have come from hundreds of miles away. However, Fritz felt that someone needed his help, and he was determined to do his best to find the sender. Before returning home, he had written his own note on the rag, retied it to the albatross’s leg, and had watched the bird fly off. The note told whoever received it “Do not despair. Help is near!” Fritz, then successfully, rescued the young woman, Jenny Montrose. Though shy at first, soon, she got used to living with the Robinson family.
Word Meaning
Albatross: A large seabird with very long wings.
Stranded: Left alone and helpless in a place from which it is difficult to escape.
Vicinity: The area immediately surrounding a place.
Despair: A complete loss or absence of hope.
Threatening: Showing an intention to cause harm or danger.
Explanation: Fritz was on a different island and he made a big bird called an albatross fall down. The bird was trying to hurt Fritz. Fritz found a piece of cloth tied to the bird’s foot. There was a message on the cloth saying that a woman from England was alone on a hill by the name- smoking rock.
Fritz didn’t know how long the message had been there. Fritz’s dad said the “smoking rock” might be a volcanic mountain. There were no volcanoes nearby, so the bird probably came from a very far place.
Fritz thought the woman needed help and wanted to find her. Before going back to his tent, Fritz wrote a message on the cloth, put it back on the bird’s leg, and watched the bird fly away.
The message said to the person who found it, “Don’t give up, help is coming!”
Fritz saved the young woman named Jenny Montrose. Jenny was shy at first, but then she became comfortable being with the Robinson family.
Passage: One day, they saw a ship, which had laid anchor. An encampment had been set up on one of the smaller islands. After checking the people through their spyglass, Fritz and his father decided to announce themselves after they had returned home and cleaned it up. They did not want the crew to think they were savages. The next day, Fritz and his father, met the captain and told him their own history as well as Jenny’s. To everyone’s surprise, it had been Jenny’s father who had inspired the captain’s search; he believed his daughter was still alive after three years. The captain had decided to attempt to find her.
Word Meaning
Laid anchor: dropped the anchor of the ship to hold it in place.
Encampment: a temporary camp or settlement.
Spyglass: a small telescope used for looking at distant objects.
Savages: uncivilized or primitive people.
Explanation: One day the family saw a big boat stop in the water. People from the boat had made a camp on a small island. The Robinson family looked at the people with their hidden glasses to see them better. Then they decided to tell the people about themselves after they made their home look nice. They didn’t want the people on the boat to think they were wild people.
The next day, Fritz and his dad talked to the captain of the boat and told him their story and the story of Jenny.
Everyone was amazed because Jenny’s dad had made the captain look for people. Jenny’s dad thought that his daughter was still alive after three years had passed.
The captain was trying to find Jenny.
Passage: With a burst of celebration, the family, passengers, and crew of the British vessel headed towards New Switzerland. Everyone was amazed by the prosperity and good health of the survivors.
Word Meaning
Vessel: A ship or large boat.
Prosperity: Success in material terms; wealth.
Explanation: Everyone was very happy and excited. The people on the boat went to the island that the family had made their home. All the people were surprised that the Robinson family was happy, healthy, and doing well on the island.
Passage: As the day ended, the father realised that decisions must be made about who wanted to stay on the island or return with the ship. Elizabeth and her husband did not wish to live anywhere but on the island. They had been there for so long and had grown used to their life. Jenny asked if anyone would support her return to England. Fritz was the first to respond. He offered cheers for ‘us’ who were going to Europe. Ernest, on the other hand, wanted to stay on the island. Jack also decided to stay back. Franz, the youngest boy, decided to join Fritz in leaving. Franz wanted a chance to receive an academic education. Before Fritz left, he told his parents of his love for Jenny and his wish to marry her.
Word Meaning
Island: a piece of land surrounded by water
Respond: to answer or reply
Explanation: When the day was over, the dad knew they had to decide who would stay on the island and who would go back to their home on the ship.
Elizabeth and her husband wanted to stay on the island and not go back home. They had lived on the island for a long time and liked their life there.
Jenny wanted to know if someone would help her go back to England. Fritz said he would go back to Europe and cheered for the people going with him. Ernest wanted to stay on the island.
Jack also chose to stay on the island. The youngest boy, Franz, wanted to go with Fritz.
Franz wanted to learn more in school and get an academic education. Before going, Fritz told his parents that he loved Jenny and wanted to marry her.
Passage: The father had kept a record of all the adventures they had had on the island. He handed over the journals to the captain to be published. Then the ship departed.
Word Meaning
Adventures: exciting experiences
Journals: books in which you write down your thoughts and experiences
Captain: the leader of a ship
Departed: left
Explanation: The dad wrote down everything exciting that happened to them on the island. He gave the book of stories to the ship captain to get it published into a real book.
Then the ship left.
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The Swiss Family Robinson: Main Characters
The Swiss Family Robinson is centered around a family who find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island. The main characters are:
- William (Father): The head of the family, intelligent, resourceful, and a skilled leader. He guides the family through their ordeal with wisdom and faith.
- Elizabeth (Mother): The mother, strong, resilient, and a pillar of support for the family. She manages the household and cares for the children.
- Fritz: The eldest son, adventurous, strong, and often assists his father in various tasks.
- Ernest: The second oldest, intelligent and thoughtful, often providing practical solutions.
- Jack: The third son, energetic and impulsive, with a knack for finding trouble.
- Franz: The youngest, still a child, but learns quickly and adapts to island life.
- Turk and Juno: The family’s loyal dogs.
Jenny Montrose: A young girl who also finds herself shipwrecked on the island.
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