Questions and answers of the play 'The Bishop’s candlesticks'.

The Bishop’s candlesticks
                                                                                                      Norman mckinnel

1.   "I’m too old a bird to be caught with chaff"--- What does the speaker mean by this?

  Ans:  The convict is the speaker here. He means to say by this that he is an experienced criminal. He is like an old bird that knows well what may go against him. So he cannot be deceived easily.

2. What did the Bishop do for Mere Gringoire?

     Ans: Mere Gringoire could not pay her house rent. She sought the Bishop’s help. The Bishop had no money. So he disposed of the silver salt cellars to pay the house rent of Mere Gringoire.

3. ’" Brother I am frightened."---- Why is Persome frightened?

   Ans: When the Bishop calls his sister Persome for the keys of the cupboard, she enters and finds a man standing there with a knife in his hand. He had a wild look in his eyes. So Persome is frightened.

4. "Well, for my part I believe that charity begins at home"---

    Ans; The Bishop sells all the valuable things to serve the poor and the ailing. He does not care Persome. So Persome thinks that the primary duty is to help and care his family and then to others.

5. "Ah, you are admiring my candlesticks. I am proud of them."—Why is the Bishop proud of his candlesticks?

   Ans: The Bishop was proud of his candlesticks because his mother gave them to him on her death bed and told him to keep them in her memory.

6."For the first time in thirty years"--- Who is the speaker here? What happened for the first time in thirty years?

      Ans: The doors and windows of the Bishop’s cottage remained open so that people could come in to seek his help. But the convict shut them all. So the Bishop said that such thing happened for the first time in thirty years.

7. How did the convict escape from the prison?

      Ans:  The convict was chained up in the prison like a wild beast by the jail authorities. One day they were careless and forgot to chain him up. He took this chance and escaped from the prison.

8. "No, no, sister, not my candlesticks"--- Why did the Bishop not wish to sell the candlesticks?

     Ans: The Bishop did not wish to sell the candlesticks because his mother gave them to him on her death bed and told him to keep them in her memory.

9. Who was the convict originally?    What was he convicted for?                               

     Ans: The convict was originally a poor peasant.

     The convict lived in a village cottage with his wife and there was no sufficient food for them. He had no work. His wife became ill. He stole to buy her food. He was caught and sent for jail. Thus he was convicted.

10. How does the Bishop succeed in winning the convict’s trust?

     Ans: The convict lost his faith in man. But the Bishop Wins the partial trust of the convict by his kind and sympathetic look. His affectionate and kind words help him to win the convict’s trust. The Bishop gave him food and shelter which he needed most. He shows sympathy for his sufferings. Above all, by his gentle and friendly behavior the Bishop was able to win the convict’s trust.

11. Show how the Bishop’s character is different from the characters of Persome.   

OR    Persome is presented as an ordinary woman, while her brother is a saintly person. Show how the Bishop’s character contrasts with hers. 

  Ans: The Bishop and his sister Persome are two contrasting characters. The Bishop is an ideal Christian, who can sacrifice everything for the sake of the suffering humanity. He has no attachment to any earthly thing. But Persome is an ordinary woman with a practical outlook. She is fond of her household articles. This contrast is evident in their attitudes to the convict too. Persome hates him, but the Bishop pities him for his misery.

12. Describe the mental conflict before stealing the candlesticks.
 
Ans:  When the convict saw the beautiful candlesticks of the Bishop, he could not control his temptation to steal them. At first he hesitated to steal from his benefactor. Later he thought that his chain mates would ridicule him for his goodness. So he decided to steal them and not to listen to the Bishop’s religious sermon.

13. "That was when I was a man, now I am not a man."--- Describe the life of the speaker when he was a man.

Ans:  The convict was originally a poor peasant. He lived with his wife Jeanette happily in a little village cottage. In a bad year he had no work, no food. But his wife fell ill. So, he had to steal to buy food for his dying wife. But he was caught and sent to prison.

14.   Who do you think is the central character in the play---the Bishop or the convict? Give reason for your answer.

   Ans: According to me, the characters of the Bishop and the convict are equally important in the play. Of them, the Bishop is certainly the central character. His kind and generous treatment turns the convict into an honest man from a criminal. The main aim of the writer was to show how a criminal is changed into an honest man. The main architect behind this is the Bishop, who can sacrifice everything for the benefit of the suffering humanity.

 15. What is the Bishop’s parting speech to the convict?

Ans: When the convict is about to leave the Bishop’s house for Paris, the Bishop puts his hands on his shoulder and advises him to always remember that the poor human body is the Temple of Living God.

16." I am a fool, a child to cry--- "---- Why did the speaker call himself a fool?                    

Ans: The convict lost all faith in mankind as he was badly treated in jail. But the kind and sympathetic treatment got from the Bishop made him feel that still there was goodness in the world. He called himself a fool as he was unable to control the emotion and cried like a child.

17. "If people lie to me they are poorer not I"---- Who is the speaker? What does the speaker mean to say?

Ans: The Bishop is the speaker here.
      The Bishop means to say that if people tell lies to get his help, they became morally poorer. They are the losers. But he by good to them would be blessed by God.

                                                               

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