WATCH THIS LITTLE SHORT STORY OF LOVE, SWEETS AND GHOSTS, AND LEAVE YOUR CHILD MESMERISED IN WELCOMING THEIR GRANDPARENTS HOME!!
Remember those syrupy summer mornings, when Mom opened the curtains to the smiling sun and it struck us that it’s the last day of school, and the summer holidays desperately await us?
How we hopped out of the bed early (without mom needing to call), happy to adorn the uniform– for one last time of the session?
It’s that feeling when our mind blew bubbles of plans one after the other and sometimes, we got the news of granny visiting our place! The quintessential Indian granny – our ‘Nani-maa’ and her tales from the village! Her visit made it seem like the entire village is our guest!
Join Samaira and her day-dreaming of spending this quiet but enjoyable summer vacation; this time with Nani-maa in her courtyard! Enjoy this new story by Story Over my Pillow titled – ‘Nani-maa in the courtyard’, a short story in English for kids aged 4 to 7 years.
Order the digital transcripts (Only Story Over my Pillow Originals) of any two stories along with pictures in just ₹100!
Drop a message @sneharmonic on Instagram OR contact from the ‘About Me’ section of this blog, to claim your copy NOW.
Irony is when something is just the opposite of what is expected and is not an arrangement of two opposing words (Read oxymoron)
Difference between paradox and oxymoron –
Paradox is a statement of contradiction that can be true. While oxymoron is just a pairing of two opposite words to enhance reader experience.
Example of a paradox – ‘Standing is more tiring than walking.’ Although people usually consider walking as more tiring but this statement when applied in real life can prove to be true.
Difference between Paradox and Irony –
Both irony and paradox involve contrast or contradiction.
Irony is when there’s a difference in –
Expression and literal or apparent and intended meaning of the words (verbal irony)
Expectation and reality (situational irony)
difference in knowledge of audience and characters. (dramatic irony)
Paradox is where there’s contradiction in –
The statement itself or when the statement is counterintuitive.
For example, drinking a lot of water can make you thirsty. This statement is irresolvable and can be true. It is counter-intuitive and self-contradictory.
Also, ‘Less is more.’ This statement is self-contradictory but it is true that when people have less, they value it more!
Examples –
Irony due to Difference in expression of words and their literal meaning – (when apparent and intended meanings are different) –
The Unauthorized Autobiography (By Lemony Snicket)
“Today was a very cold and bitter day, as cold and bitter as a cup of hot chocolate; if the cup of hot chocolate had vinegar added to it and were placed in a refrigerator for several hours.”
In the first line the analogy seems awkward. It seems contradictory to the established facts – a cup of hot chocolate cannot be cold and bitter. But Snicket goes on to put it in perspective and we realise it was a humorous and ironical way (for which he is famous) of describing the day.
In the poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written by Samuel Coleridge, Coleridge wrote:
“Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”
This is an example of situational irony giving the piece a dramatic effect.
Irony is also present when one of the stakeholders in the occurrence of an event possesses more knowledge about it than the other. It is required to dig deeper on the part of the reader to get the intended message as a witness.
For example, when there’s a difference in the knowledge of audience and that of the character in a story (the character doesn’t know about the murder, the audience does), there’s a DRAMATIC irony.
Paradox involves irresolvable contradiction in a sentence.
Oscar Wilde is considered to be the master of paradoxes. His famous paradoxical usage goes – “I can resist everything except temptation”. When you can resist everything except temptation, you cannot really resist anything! That’s quite a paradox.
When I say – “I always lie.” Is this a paradox, irony or oxymoron?
Creative writing is much like performing an act on stage. You’re making things up. The difference lies in the fact that in the former all you have is words weaved on a contrasting backdrop. You create a world of illusion for your reader through a tapestry of words, making an appeal to their five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.
While the process of creative writing, is not defined; it varies from writer to writer, there are a few techniques to give your writings a boost in terms of reader engagement. (more…)
Pictures by MAURICE SENDAK | English to Hindi Stories
To add Story Over My Pillow’s own flavour, we have decided to read aloud this wonderful story by also simultaneously translating it into Hindi for our children who have Hindi as their first language!
Kids can be as imaginative as a dream. They can come up with any idea and are all game to make it come true. This sweet story of a little bear being playfully mischievous wants to land to the moon with just a..guess what?- His Space Helmet!!
Often parents find recluse in these innocent tantrums of their child making them blush with pride and sometimes a hearty smile..:)
Today, 1 out of every 5 kids has an ANXIETY DISORDER.
Is your kid much like our ‘Chika’? Help him find ways to deal with his SHYNESS.
As a child, I remember standing near the brick planter of the primary school playground during the lunch break and observing the sparrows sitting on the cemented boundary of the sand pit. I played in the pit till the time there would be only one or two kids rollicking in it. And then on seeing the crowd, would quickly scurry into a corner near the planter.
I would come back home with remarks in the handbook for not mixing up enough with my classmates.
