Seven Important Questions with Answer from "Look at Teacup" and Summary

English | Questions
Look At Teacup
Patricia Hampl
Class : 11 | The Magic of Words

Summary

This essay is written by Patricia Hampel. In this essay, the writer reads her mother's history in a delicate tea cup after The Second World War. This essay represents the relationship of the writer and her mother. The Second World War had begun in 1939 and the writer's mother was married in 1939.However the year 1939 was the cause of declining of art, culture, hope, faith and virginity and faith in marriage. In The Second World War, women lost their husband and lost their happiness. In the same year, the mother got teacup as gifts. And later it was given to the writer. And tea cup has inspired her to collect family life and mother daughter relationship. There was destruction of art, culture, humanity, and peace because of terrible war. Hampel's mother wanted to hand over her culture and art to her own daughter. But the writer does not like to accept the traditional values. Such is marrying and bearing children. When the writer looks at the teacup, she begins to remember different events of the 1939. She tries to know about the culture, art, and history of year 1939 although she does not want to follow her mother's suggestions. The falling flowers and the teacups are related to each other. The falling flowers and the teacup have symbolic meaning of the degradation of art and culture. The falling bodies indicate that the tragic moment of dying people in the war. The writer says that there was first sexual relationship before 1939.But today, in writer's age, sexual relationship before marriage, was important but in writer's opinion, work is important. So in this essay, after 1939, the attitude of modern generation has completely changed. So the writer tries to show the relationship between old tradition and modern tradition. By holding the teacup in her hand, she felt that her mother and the flowers in the tea cup. The writer knows about the symbol of traditions. She talks with her friends about it. She says that history had to be written. Therefore in the essay, the writer has pointed the relationship between the teacups and flowers, about the history 1939, the relationship between old generation and young generation, relationship between mother and daughter by presenting tea cup. Tea cup is the all thing which describes everything of 1939. 

Important Questions 

1. How does Hampel see herself and her mother connected by the teacup? 

Ans: Hampel's mother bought a teacup in 1939. The Second World War also started in the same year. That teacup was brought to America from Czechoslovakia before the beginning of the war. The level of tea in the cup can be seen from outside. There are thin bands of gold around the edges of the saucer and the cap. There is also a band of gold on the inner, which has been disappeared by the constant use. There is no decoration outside cup. There were flowers, later on, Hampel's mother handed that cup to Hampel to hand over the tradition and culture of her own generation to Hampel. This is the gift given to Hampel by her mother. Hampel's cultural values are disappearing as the bands of inner circle of the saucer and tea cup disappearing. This cup reminds Hampel about not only her mother but also the tragic destruction of the Second World War 

2. What do you mean by "many thing" fell that year? 

Ans: Here, many things fell that year indicates the destruction that happened during the Second World War. The second war started in 1939. The falling off bombs caused much destruction. The countries were captured by their enemies. Many European innocent youths lost their lives in the battlefield. The married women who lost their husband were compelled to fall in the beds of other people. Hampel's mother had bought a teacup from Czechoslovakia before the Second World War began. But it was also destroyed in the war. In this way art, virginity, culture, tradition, and faith in marriage fell in that year. 

3. How does the writer in her essay, "Look at a Tea cup" show the relationship among the falling flowers and teacups, falling bodies and beds, and falling off bombs onto women and falling countries. 

Ans: The teacup about which the writer Hampel talks was brought from Czechoslovakia which was later on destroyed in the Second World War. Hampel's mother offered that teacup to hand down her culture to her daughter but Hampel didn't follow her mother's culture of marrying and bearing children. The flowers inside the cup are scattered and they are falling separately. The band of gold on the inner circle is disappearing due to constant use. This indicates that the old tradition is disappearing. The Second World War began in 1930, many women lost their husband in the battlefield, and enemies compelled these widows to fall in the beds of others. Here, falling bodies and beds indicates the miserable condition of married women of that time. The Second World War made women's future dark. The young girls were afraid of getting married. In the same way, many countries means falling of freedom, peace and their own identify after the Second World War. 

4. What is Hampel's attitude to marriage? 

Ans: The Hampel's mother got married in 1939 when the Second World War began. It destroyed many things. Many married women who lost their husband and family members were compelled to fall on the beds of strange persons after own husband's death in the battlefield. The destructive Second World War caused a sense of fear in young girl's life. The writer herself saw miserable condition of married women of that period. They lost the faith in marriage. Hampel takes `work' as the important thing but not marriage. For writer and her generation marriage is a tragedy. 

5. What does the story "Look at a Teacup" tell us about being women? 

Ans: Hampel says that in the generation of Hampel's mother, there was a great faith in marriage and family relations before marriage. The traditional women wanted to hand over their tradition and culture to their daughters. They considered that women Fshould marry for sexual relations. For them family life was greater than work. But modern women don't follow the traditional values and work is greater than families for modern women. Marriage and family life is tragedy for Hampel's generation. 

6. What does the essay "Look at a Teacup" tell us about marriage? About mother-daughter relationship? About importance of family? 

Ans: The `tea cup' about which is talking was bought from Czechoslovakia. Later on this country was destroyed in the Second World War. According to the writer, Hampel before the Second World War marriage and family life was considered a great thing. The mother used to hand over culture and their possession to their daughter. Hampel's mother also did the same thing as other women used to do. Her mother gave her a teacup as a gift. The teacup reminds the writer her mother's marriage, happy life, etc. they didn't have sexual relations before marriage. This essay also tells us about the importance of happy family life before the Second World War. But during the Second World War, many married women lost their husbands and family members in the battlefield and compelled to fall in the beds of strange ones and these women cursed themselves of being women. After the Second World War, the importance of married life fell down. The Second World War caused fear in young women. Married life means to means to Hampel and Hampel's generation is a tragedy. 

7. Explain "The cup is a detail, a small uncharged finger from the mid-century bonfire". 

Ans: The cup, which was offered to the writer Hampel, was brought from Czechoslovakia. It was beautiful cup with beautiful flowers inside it. In that century, Czechoslovakia was destroyed in the Second World War. The Second World War started in 1939 or in the mid-century. The married women lost their husbands as well as family members in the war. Everything was destroyed but the cup remained unaffected. Here, uncharted finger indicates that whole body or everything brunt except little finger or little tea cup in the war. The country Czechoslovakia lost its culture, tradition, identity, freedom, etc. in the war. Here, unchanged finger is the symbol art of Czechs. 

Questions for Practice 

1. What major event took place in 1939 and what were the "many things that fell that year?" 

2. What does "Look at a Teacup" tell us about marriage? About mother daughter relationship? About the importance of family about women? 

3. In what significant ways are the mother and the daughter different from each other in "Look at a Teacup"? 4. Explain the daughter's attitude to marriage. 

5. How does the write in the essay, `Look at the Tea Cup' show the relationship among falling flowers and tea cup, falling bodies and beds, falling of the bombs into women and falling countries. Also, write Patricia Hampel's view on Marriage.

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