The Chocolate Cream Soldier - My English Folder - Class 8 - English

The play seems to be about 

i. a fugitive soldier seeking refuge in the home of a young woman. 
ii. the perils and dangers of warfare. 
iii. an unconventional soldier. 
iv. a young girl comes to learn about the practical reality of war and soldiering.

On reading the play for the first time you 

i. were amused and entertained by the wit and humour of the soldier. 
ii. were irritated by the silly ideas of the young woman. 
iii. were upset by the soldier’s attitude and behaviour. 
iv. realised that the dramatist was using humour to convey a serious message.

What news does Catherine bring about Sergius? How does Raina react to the news? What do you think of the way she behaves here?

Describe Raina's first meeting with the soldier who invades her room. Why does she look at him 'disdainfully'?

What is the nationality of Raina? Would the soldier thus be a 'friend' or an 'enemy'? What do you think of the way Raina deals with him?

The soldier says grimly Keep out of the way. It will not last long. What will not 'last long'? What is the implication of his words?

Why do you think Raina decides to hide him instead of revealing his presence to the Bulgarian soldiers who come searching for him? What do you think of the manner in which she deals with the Russian officer?

Make a list of things the soldier does or says that shocks Raina who has a different perception of what a soldier should be like or how he should behave. How does the soldier respond to Raina’s reactions?

Of all the fools ever let loose on a field of battle, that man must be the very maddest. 

a. To whom is the soldier referring here? How does he describe the actions of this person on the battlefield?
b. What is the soldier’s opinion about this person’s action? What is his tone and attitude towards this person while describing his actions? Why does he behave in this way? 
c. In what way is the soldier’s opinion about the cavalry charge different from Raina’s perception of the same event?

Raina describes the man as a very poor soldier….A chocolate cream soldier. What do you think she means by the term ‘chcolate cream soldier.’ Do you agree with her assessment that he is a ‘poor soldier’?

The dramatist is very particular that the actors speak their lines exactly the way he wants them to. He therefore uses a number of adverbs in his stage directions to suggest the tone of voice to be used by the actor. Some of the adverbs are listed below.  
Match the adverbs in column A with their definitions in column B. 
                   A                                                                             B 
a. ecstatically                                                   i. lacking clarity in uttering speech. 
b. authoritatively                                             ii. arrogantly; with contempt 
c. disdainfully                                                   iii. commandingly; with authority. 
d. impulsively                                                   iv. scornfully. 
e. petulantly                                                     v. with joyful excitement. 
f. superciliously                                                vi. in an irritable, ill-tempered manner. 
g. inarticulately                                                vii. spontaneously. 

Replace the word or phrase highlighted in the following sentences taken from the play with words or phrases in the box below. 
sad regret                           physique                              happy and content 
cat-like                                 opening wide                     unhappy face 
daydreaming                     disgusting                            unimaginative 
a succession of shorts from a gun 
 
i. Her reverie is interrupted by her mother, Catherine. 
ii. .... her eyes dilating... 
iii. yes, I was only a prosaic little coward! 
iv. The firing breaks out again:  there is a startling fusillade quite close at hand. 
v. He is a man of middling stature.... 
vi. with soft, feline politeness and stiff military carriage.... 
vii. He makes a grimace at it, ...... 
viii. Yes, Isn’t it contemptible? 
ix. (with sincere remorse) 
x. A blissful expression comes into his face. 

Bernard Shaw's play, Arms and the Man, from which the extract you have just read is taken, was first produced on April 21, 1894, at the Avenue Theatre and published in 1898. The art of war was quite different at that time as compared to today. Do you think Shaw's ideas of warfare and soldiers, as depicted in this play, are still relevant today?

Discuss the parts of the play which you found funny and entertaining and those parts which, in your opinion, hinted at the serious message of the play.
Imagine you are a television talk show host interviewing George Bernard Shaw. Write the conversation that takes place as you question him about the first part of his play Arms and the Man (in which a fugitive soldier takes shelter in the young woman's bed chamber), exploring his dramatic technique of using humour to put across serious ideas about war and soldiers.

What has Louka come to inform Catherine and Raina?