UNIT II PROSE 2.1 THE UNEXPECTED BY ROBERT LYND ( BBA & BHM STUDY MATERIAL)

UNIT II  PROSE 

2.1 THE UNEXPECTED 

                                                        -BY ROBERT LYND 

 BBA & BHM NOTES

INTRODUCTION: 

                                             The unexpected is an essay written by Rober Lynd (1879-1949). He was an Irish writer. He has written number of essays on a wide variety of subjects. His essays are marked by a rare combination of playfulness, wit, satire and self-revelation. This essay shows his keen observation on nature. He also shows us how nature disappoints us when we expect the expected but surprises us with the unexpected.

CONTENT:

                                  Lynd opens the essay expressing the desire of listening to the nightingale. He then puts reminisce of his childhood where he was fascinated to spend time with hens and compares those hens with the present ones. He says that today’s hens are captive, incapable of oddity and work like slaves for the humans.

                                  Lynd differentiate the wild birds and the captive birds.  He says that the wild birds cannot be tamed they are free and don’t work for the master like the country/ firm birds. Wild birds are the legends. They have no command over their coming and going, their singing and their nesting. Lynd says that bird lover are the slave of the wild bird and they search for their desired bird for years but the bird will not search for the lovebird. Thus, the respect for wild birds is never lost were as the love and fascination for the captive birds is lost.

                                 Further Lynd says that the nightingale is the supreme among all the birds kind as the famous poets have written poetry about the beautiful song sung by the nightingale. The beauty of bird consists not only in its song but its surroundings. The author also mention about the bird ‘Skylark’. To listen to this bird an American poet who read and loved Shelley’s poem named Skylark longed her to listen to Skylark singing. Then he confessed that he went to the country deliberately to hear the nightingale. But, he could not get what he expected rather he had seen the unexpected novelties of the nature which delighted him. He had seen the Lapwing that he had never seen before.

CONCLUSION: 

                                        The essay “unexpected” is the one which lets everyone to appreciate the nature for the beauty which it shows us beyond our expectation. Lynd is trying to take us towards the natural beauty by taking the example of the wild birds and their singing ability which takes you to the imaginary world. The author is also trying to convey that the animals and the birds should not be captivated as they lose their oddity and no more be the legendary as the wild birds.