The Last Leaf (English CBSE).pptx

"The Last Leaf" is a poignant poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes that reflects on the beauty and fragility of life through the imagery of a lone leaf clinging to a tree branch despite the onset of autumn and the falling of other leaves. Here's a descriptive summary:

In the quiet embrace of an autumn day, where nature whispers in hues of amber and gold, a solitary leaf steadfastly clings to its bough. It is the last remnant of a season's vibrant canopy, defying the inevitable passage of time and the chill of impending winter. Each fluttering breath of wind threatens its grasp, yet it holds on with a quiet resilience, a testament to the enduring spirit of life.

Surrounded by the emptiness of barren branches and the melancholy of fallen comrades, this leaf becomes a symbol of hope and tenacity. Its presence, though fleeting, speaks volumes about the fleeting beauty of existence and the strength found in solitude. Against the backdrop of a changing world, it stands as a silent sentinel, a reminder that even in the face of adversity, there remains a whisper of life's resilience and the promise of renewal.

Holmes captures the essence of this moment with lyrical precision, weaving a tapestry of imagery that resonates with themes of perseverance, mortality, and the poignant beauty of fleeting moments. Through "The Last Leaf," he invites readers to contemplate the delicate balance between life and death, and to find solace in the quiet strength of nature's enduring rhythms.

1. CHAPTER 7 THE LAST LEAF O. HENRY

2. Born :  11 September 1862 ,  Greensboro, North Carolina, United States Died :  5 June 1910 ,  New York, New York, United States Full name :  William Sydney Porter Short stories :  The Gift of the Magi ,  ‎ The Ransom of Red Chief  · ‎ The Duplicity of Hargraves ABOUT THE AUTHOR O.HENRY

3. Elements of prose Setting : Where the story takes place. Characters : The people that are part of the story. Plot : What happens in the story. Mood : The feelings or the emotions the author creates or the feeling you get when reading the story. Tone : is the attitude or approach that the author takes towards a subject, character or audience and the work's central theme. Works of literature can have many different types of tone, such as humorous, gloomy, suspenseful, arrogant and so on.

4. It is autumn. The wind is blowing hard and it is raining heavily. All the leaves on an ivy creeper have fallen, except one. Why doesn’t the last leaf fall? INTRODUCTION

5. SUE and Johnsy , two young artists, shared a small flat. The flat was on the third storey of an old house. Johnsy fell very seriously ill in November. She had pneumonia . She would lie in her bed without moving, just gazing out of the window. Sue, her friend, became very worried. She sent for the doctor. Although he came every day there was no change in Johnsy’s condition. One day the doctor took Sue aside and asked her, ”Is anything worrying Johnsy ?” “No,” replied Sue. “But why do you ask?” The doctor said “ Johnsy , it seems, has made up her mind that she is not going to get well. If she doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help her.” Sue tried her best to make Johnsy take an interest in things around her. She talked about clothes and fashions , but Johnsy did not respond. Johnsy continued to lie still on her bed. Sue brought her drawing-board into Johnsy’s room and started painting. To take Johnsy’s mind off her illness, she whistled while working. Pneumonia : Lung inflammation caused by bacterial or viral infection, in which the air sacs fill with pus and may become solid.

6. Two girls Sue and Johnsy lived together in a small flat. They were artists. The flat was on the third floor of an old house. In the month of November Johnsy was struck by pneumonia. She remained in bed and would look out of the window. Sue was worried and called the doctor. The doctor visited them daily but there was no improvement in Johnsy’s health. VALUE POINTS CONTINUE…

7. The doctor said that it seemed that Johnsy had decided not to live and did not want to recover from the illness. In such a case, medicines would not work on her. Sue tried to liven up Johnsy . She discussed interesting things like clothes and fashion. Sue sat beside her and started painting in order to take her mind off her illness. Sue would whistle at times to brighten up Johnsy . CONTINUE…

8. Suddenly Sue heard Johnsy whisper something. She quickly rushed to the bed and heard Johnsy counting backwards. She was looking out of the window and was saying, “Twelve!” After sometime she whispered “eleven”, then “ten”, then “nine”, “eight”, “seven”. Sue anxiously looked out of the window. She saw an old ivy creeper climbing half-way up the brick wall opposite their window. In the strong wind outside, the creeper was shedding its leaves. “What is it, dear?” Sue asked. “Six,” whispered Johnsy . “They are falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred leaves. There are only five left now.” “It is autumn,” said Sue, “and the leaves will fall.” “When the last leaf falls, I will die,” said Johnsy with finality. “I have known this for the last three days.” “Oh, that’s nonsense,” replied Sue. “What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well? The doctor is confident that you will get better.” Ivy Creeper : A woody evergreen Eurasian climbing plant, typically having shiny, dark green five-pointed leaves.

9. Sue heard that Johnsy was speaking softly. Johnsy was making a backward counting while looking out of the window. Sue was curious and looked outside. She saw an ivy creeper plant beside the window of the room. As strong winds were blowing, the leaves of the creeper were falling. Johnsy said that the leaves were falling faster. She added that three days ago there were a lot of leaves on the ivy creeper - almost one hundred but now only five were left. VALUE POINTS CONTINUE…

10. Sue replied that it was autumn season and it was natural for the creeper to shed its leaves. Johnsy said that she would die when the last leaf fell. She added that she had known this for the last three days. Sue replied that this did not make any sense. The leaves had nothing to do with her health. The doctor was sure that she would recover. CONTINUE…

11. Johnsy did not say anything. Sue went and brought her a bowl of soup. “I don’t want any soup,” said Johnsy . “I am not hungry… Now there are only four leaves left. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I will sleep forever.” Sue sat on Johnsy’s bed, kissed her and said, “You are not going to die. I can’t draw the curtain for I need the light. I want to finish the painting and get some money for us. Please, my dear friend,” she begged Johnsy , “promise not to look out of the window while I paint.” “All right,” said Johnsy . “Finish your painting soon for I want to see the last leaf fall. I’m tired of waiting. I have to die, so let me go away peacefully like one of those poor, tired leaves.” “Try to sleep,” said Sue. “I have to paint an old miner. I will call Behrman up to be my model.” Sue rushed down. Behrman lived on the ground floor. He was a sixty-year-old painter. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece but that had remained a dream. Sue poured out her worries to Behrman. She told him how Johnsy was convinced that she would die when the last leaf fell. Masterpiece : A work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship.

12. Johnsy remained quiet. Sue got a bowl of soup for Johnsy . Johnsy did not accept the soup. Then she said that four leaves were remaining on the ivy plant. She wanted to see the last leaf fall before sunset and than she could die peacefully. Sue tried to show affection towards Johnsy . She said that Johnsy would not die. She kept the curtain open because she needed the light to complete the painting. She would sell it to fetch money for them. Sue requested Johnsy not to look out of the window. VALUE POINTS CONTINUE…

13. Johnsy agreed and asked Sue to finish the painting. She was tired of waiting to see the leaves fall. She wanted to die and was tired just like the poor tired ivy leaves. Sue asked her to try to get some sleep. As she had to paint an old miner, she would call upon their neighbour , Behrman to be a model for her. Behrman was a 60 year old painter and aspired to paint a masterpiece. Sue discussed Johnsy’s condition with him. She said that Johnsy was sure that she would die when the last leaf fell off the ivy plant. CONTINUE…

14. “Is she stupid?” asked Behrman. “How can she be so foolish?” “She is running a high temperature,” complained Sue. “She refuses to eat or drink and that worries me a lot.” “I will come with you and see Johnsy ,” Behrman said. They tiptoed into the room. Johnsy was sleeping. Sue drew the curtains together and they went to the next room. She peeped out through the window. There was only one leaf on the creeper. It was raining heavily and an icy-cold wind was blowing. It seemed as though the leaf would fall any minute now. Behrman did not say a word. He went back to his room. Johnsy woke up next morning. In a feeble voice she asked Sue to draw the curtains. Sue was nervous. She drew back the curtains very reluctantly . “Oh!” Sue exclaimed as she looked at the vine creeper. “Look, there is still one leaf on the creeper. It looks quite green and healthy. In spite of the storm and the fierce winds, it didn’t fall.” Tiptoed : Walk quietly and carefully with one's heels raised and one's weight on the balls of the feet. Feeble : Lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness. Reluctantly : In an unwilling and hesitant way.

15. Behrman commented that Johnsy was being silly. Sue said that Johnsy was suffering from high fever. She was not eating too. Sue was worried about her. Behrman went to see Johnsy . They entered the room quietly. Johnsy was asleep. Sue drew the curtains and they went to the adjoining room. Sue looked out of the window. There was only one leaf left on the creeper plant. There was heavy rain accompanied by strong, cold winds. The leaf was due to fall any moment. VALUE POINTS CONTINUE…

16. Behrman did not say anything and went back to his room. The next morning, Johnsy woke up and in a weak voice, asked Johnsy to open the curtains. Sue was worried and hesitantly drew them back. Sue was glad as she announced that there still was one leaf on the creeper. It appeared green and healthy. It hadn’t fallen despite the storm. CONTINUE…

17. “I heard the wind last night,” said Johnsy . “I thought it would have fallen. It will surely fall today. Then I’ll die.” “You won’t die,” said Sue energetically. “You have to live for your friends. What would happen to me if you die?” Johnsy smiled weakly and closed her eyes. After every hour or so she would look out of the window and find the leaf still there. It seemed to be clinging to the creeper. In the evening, there was another storm but the leaf did not fall. Johnsy lay for a long time looking at the leaf. Then she called out to Sue. “I have been a bad girl. You have looked after me so lovingly and I have not cooperated with you. I have been depressed and gloomy. The last leaf has shown me how wicked I have been. I have realised that it is a sin to want to die.” Sue hugged Johnsy . Then she gave her lots of hot soup and a mirror. Johnsy combed her hair and smiled brightly. In the afternoon the doctor came. After examining his patient he told Sue, “ Johnsy now has the will to live. I am confident she’ll recover soon. Now I must go downstairs and see Behrman. He is also suffering from pneumonia. But I am afraid, there is no hope for him.” Clinging : Adhere or stick firmly or closely to; be hard to part or remove from.

18. Johnsy said that she had heard the winds the previous night. She had thought that the leaf would definitely fall. She added that it would fall that day for sure and then she would die too. Sue said that Johnsy would not die and had to live for her friends. She added that she would become lonely if Johnsy died. Johnsy smiled and closed her eyes. She was weak. After almost every hour, she would look out if the leaf was still there or not. It seemed that the leaf was stuck to the creeper. There was another storm that evening but the leaf did not fall. Johnsy kept on looking at it and then she called to Sue. VALUE POINTS CONTINUE…

19. Johnsy said that she had been a bad girl. The last leaf had made her realize her mistake. She said that the desire to die was a wrong one. Sue was glad to see the change in Johnsy . She got soup for her, gave her a mirror to tidy her hair. Johnsy was happy and bright. The doctor visited that afternoon and said that the desire to live was back in Johnsy . He was sure that she would recover. He went downstairs to check Behrman who was suffering from pneumonia and there was no hope that he would recover. CONTINUE…

20. The next morning Sue came and sat on Johnsy’s bed. Taking Johnsy’s hand in hers she said, “I have something to tell you. Mr Behrman died of pneumonia this morning. He was ill for only two days. The first day the janitor found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering. He had been out in that stormy night.” Then they found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor near the ladder. “ Johnsy dear,” said Sue, “look out of the window. Look at that ivy leaf. Haven’t you wondered why it doesn’t flutter when the wind blows? That’s Behrman’s masterpiece. He painted it the night the last leaf fell.” Janitor : A person whose job is to look after a building

21. The next morning Sue sat beside Johnsy and told her that Behrman die that morning. He had been ill for the last two days. The caretaker of the building had found him in his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering. He had gone out at night during the storm. A ladder and a lantern were lying near his bed. Paint brushes, green and yellow coloured paint were also lying nearby. Sue asked Johnsy to look at the leaf. It did not flutter when the wind blew. It was the masterpiece that Behrman aspired to paint. When the last leaf fell at night, he painted this one. VALUE POINTS

22. In the early part of the story it remains associated with Johnsy's ailment and depression while later on, it conveys the message of courage, hope and optimism. The last leaf saves Johnsy's life and fulfils Behrman's lifelong dream to paint a masterpiece. However, it also turns out to be his last masterpiece, too. Mood and Tone This story is about Sue, Johnsy , and Mr. Behrman; Sue and Johnsy live in an apartment in Greenwich Village, a favorite place for aspiring painters to live at. Sue and Johnsy had met at a restaurant and became soul-mate friends. SETTING

23. It is a story of 2 friends Johnsy and Sue. They both were artists. They lived in a common room. But Johnsy fall ill and she was suffering from pneumonia. She was not willing to live. According to her when the last leaf of the ivy creeper would fall she would die in no time. Medicines were not working to cure her. Sue tried her best to make her realize that she would not die but Johnsy not mind her advice. Sue told this to an old artist Behrman about it . He visited Johnsy and found that her condition was very bad. At the night of the heavy rain and storm , he painted a leaf. That leaf was looking too much original that no one can say was real or a painting. And that night Behrman got too much sick . And he died. But that last leaf saved Johnsy's life and that was a "masterpiece". PLOT

24. CHARACTERS BEHRMAN SUE JOHNSY

25. ASSIGNMENT Answer these questions in 30-40 words: What is Johnsy’s illness? What can cure her, the medicine or the willingness to live? Do you think the feeling of depression Johnsy has is common among teenagers? Behrman has a dream. What is it? Does it come true? What is Behrman’s masterpiece? What makes Sue say so?

26. THANK YOU