'A Remarkable Rocket' Story in English by Oscar Wilde | Summary | Question-Answers.
'A Remarkable Rocket' by Oscar Wilde is a
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Let us read a story about the fate of an arrogant rocket.
The king's son was going to be married, so there were general rejoicings. He had waited a whole year for his bride, and at last she had arrived. She was a Russian princess, and had driven all the way from Finland in a sledge drawn by six reindeer. So pale was she that as she drove through the streets all the people wondered. 'She is like a white rose!' they cried, and they threw down flowers on her from the balconies. At the gate of the castle, the prince was waiting to receive her. He had dreamy violet eyes, and his hair was like fine gold. When he saw her, he sank upon one knee, and kissed her hand.
After three days of preparation, the marriage was celebrated. It was a magnificent ceremony, and the bride and bridegroom walked hand in hand under a canopy of purple velvet embroidered with little pearls. Then there was a state banquet, which lasted for five hours. The prince and princess sat at the top of the Great Hall and drank out of a cup of clear crystal. After the banquet there was to be a ball. The bride and bridegroom were to dance the Rose-dance together, and the king had promised to play the flute. He played very badly, but no one had ever dared tell him so, because he was the king.
The last item on the programme was a grand display of fireworks, to be let off exactly at midnight. The princess had never seen a firework in her life, so the king had given orders that the royal pyrotechnician should be in attendance on the day of her marriage.
'What are fireworks like?' she had asked the prince one morning, as they were walking on the terrace.
'They are like the Aurora Borealis,' said the king, who always answered questions that were addressed to other people, 'only much more natural. I prefer them to stars myself, as you always know when they are going to appear, and they are as delightful as my own flute-playing. You must certainly see them.'
So at the end of the king's garden, a great stand had been set up, and as soon as the royal pyrotechnician had put everything in its proper place, the fireworks began to talk to each other.
Suddenly, a sharp, dry cough was heard, and they all looked round. It came from a tall, supercilious-looking Rocket, who was tied to the end of a long stick. He always coughed before he made any observation, so as to attract attention.
'Ahem! Ahem!' said a Rocket, and everybody listened.
'Order! Order!' cried out a Cracker. He was something of a politician, and had always taken a prominent part in the local elections, so he knew the proper parliamentary expressions to use.
As soon as there was perfect silence, the Rocket coughed a third time and began.
'How fortunate it is for the king's son,' he remarked that he is to be married on the very day on which I am to be let off. Really, if it had been arranged beforehand, it could not have turned out better for him; but princes are always lucky.'
'Dear me!' said the little Squib, 'I thought it was before exploding quite the other way, and that we were to be let off in the prince's honour.'
'It may be so with you,' he answered; 'indeed, I have no doubt that it is, but with me it is different. I am the Remarkable Rocket, and come of remarkable parents. My mother was the most celebrated Catharine Wheel of her day, and was renowned for her graceful dancing. When she made her great public appearance, she spun round nineteen times before she went out, and each time that she did so she threw into the air seven pink stars. She was three feet and a half in diameter, and made of the very best gunpowder. My father was a Rocket like myself, and of French extraction. He flew so high that the people were afraid that he would never come down again. He did, though, for he was of a kindly disposition, and he made a most brilliant descent in a shower of golden rain. The newspapers wrote about his performance in very flattering terms. Indeed, the Court Gazette called him a triumph of pyrotechnic art. I was thinking, suppose, for instance, anything happened to me tonight, what a misfortune that would be for everyone! The Prince and Princess would never be happy again, their whole married life would be spoiled; and as for the king, I know he would not get over it. Really, when I begin to reflect on the importance position, I am almost moved to tears.'
'If you want to give pleasure to others,' cried the Roman Candle, 'you had better keep yourself dry.'
'Certainly,' exclaimed the Bengal Light.
'It is a most joyful occasion,' exclaimed a small Fire-balloon.
'Ah! what a trivial view of life!' said the Rocket; 'but it is only what I expected. There is nothing in you; you are hollow and empty.'
'You had really better keep yourself dry,' said the Fire-balloon. 'That is the important thing.'
'Very important for you, I have no doubt,' answered the Rocket, 'but I shall weep if I choose.' And he actually burst into real tears, which flowed down his stick like raindrops.
Then the moon rose like a wonderful silver shield; and the stars began to shine, and the sound of music came from the palace.
The prince and princess were leading the dance. They danced so beautifully that the tall white lilies peeped in at the window and watched them, and the great red poppies nodded their heads in appreciation.
Then ten o'clock struck, and then eleven, and then twelve, and at the last stroke of midnight everyone came out on the terrace, and the king sent for the royal pyrotechnician.
'Let the fireworks begin,' said the king; and the royal pyrotechnician made a low bow, and marched down to the end of the garden. He had six attendants with him, each of whom carried a lighted torch at the end of a long pole.
It was certainly a magnificent display.
Whizz! Whizz! went the Catharine Wheel as she spun round and round. Boom! Boom! went the Roman Candle. Then the Squibs danced all over the place, and the Bengal Lights made everything look scarlet. 'Goodbye,' cried the Fire-balloon, as he soared away dropping tiny blue sparks.
'Bang! Bang!' answered the Crackers, who were enjoying themselves immensely. Everyone was a great success except the Remarkable Rocket. He was so damp with crying that he could not go off at all. The best thing in him was the gunpowder, and that was so wet with tears that it was of no use. All his poor relations, to whom he would never speak, except with a sneer, shot up into the sky like wonderful golden flowers with blossoms of fire. 'Huzza! Huzza!' cried the Court; and the princess laughed with pleasure. 'I suppose they are reserving me for some grand occasion,' said the Rocket; 'no doubt that is what it means,' and he looked more supercilious than ever.
The next day, the workmen came to put everything tidy. 'This is evidently a deputation,' said the Rocket; 'I will receive them with becoming dignity.' So, he put his nose in the air, and began to frown severely as if he were thinking about some very important subject. But they took no notice of him at all till they were just going away. Then one of them caught sight of him. 'Hallo!' he cried, 'what a bad rocket!' and he threw him over the wall into the ditch.
'BAD rocket? BAD rocket?' he said as he whirled through the air, 'Impossible! GRAND rocket, that is what the man said. BAD and GRAND sound very much the same, indeed they often are the same.' Then, he fell into the mud.
He sank a little deeper still into the mud, and began to think about the loneliness of a genius, when suddenly two little boys in white smocks came running and some sticks.
'This must be the deputation,' said the Rocket, and he tried to look very dignified.
'Hallo!' cried one of the boys, 'look at this old stick! I wonder how it came here.' and he picked the rocket out of the ditch.
'OLD stick!' said the Rocket, 'Impossible! GOLD stick, that is what he said. "Gold stick" is very complimentary. In fact, he mistakes me for one of the Court dignitaries!'
'Let us put it into the fire!' said the other boy, 'it will help to boil the kettle.'
So, they piled the sticks together, and put the Rocket on top, and lit the fire.
'This is magnificent,' cried the Rocket, 'they are going to let me off in broad daylight, so that everyone can see me.'
'We will go to sleep now,' they said, 'and when we wake up the kettle will be boiled.' The boys lay down on the grass, and shut their eyes.
The Rocket was very damp, so he took a long time to burn. At last, however, the fire caught him.
'Now I am going off!' he cried, and he made himself very stiff and straight. 'I know I shall go much higher than the stars, much higher than the moon, much higher than the sun. In fact, I shall go so high that-'
Fizz! Fizz! Fizz! and he went straight up into the air.
'Delightful!' he cried, 'I shall go on like this for ever. What a success I am!'
But nobody saw him. Not even the boys. They were fast asleep.
- Oscar Wilde
# Summary :
The King's son was getting married. The princess who was going to marry the prince had never witnessed fireworks before. So, as a part of the festivities, a display of fireworks was planned. As a pyrotechnician was assembling all fireworks together, the fireworks began talking to each other. Amongst them was a tall, supercilious-looking Rocket, who was tied to the end of a long stick. The rocket was full of self-importance and considered itself to be the best.
In this allegorical narrative, the fireworks display human emotions. The rocket boasted of its remarkable lineage. Its mother was the most celebrated Catharine Wheel of its time, and was renowned for its graceful dancing. The rocket also bragged about its father who had a French origin and was a majestic rocket like itself. It had displayed splendour and grace on the day it was ignited, so much so that the newspaper, Court Gazette, had written about the performance in flattering terms. In fact the paper had called it a 'triumph of pyrotechnic art'. With an air of self-importance, the rocket declared that it was indeed a luck day for the prince that he was getting married on the day the rocket was being let off.
The rocket was so moved by its own importance that it burst into tears. However, it did not realise that it should have stayed clear of water for its gunpowder to catch fire. In spite of repeated warnings from other fireworks, the rocket went on crying and eventually dampened its gunpowder.
During the fireworks, all pyrotechnics displayed a dazzling performance. The Catherine Wheel, the Roman Candle, the Squibs, the Bengal Lights, the Fire-Balloon, the Crackers were all successful.
However, the rocket was completely damp because of crying. Still it did not learn a lesson. Rather it claimed that it was being reserved for some grand occasion. The next day when the workmen came to tidy everything, they called it a bad rocket and threw it over a wall into a ditch. Despite its failure, the rocket couldn't accept defeat or acknowledge its mistake. It mistook the word 'old ' for 'gold' and 'bad' for 'grand'. It is a prototype of all those people who can't accept their mistakes or any criticism because they are full of conceit.
When some boys saw the rocket, they put it along with some wood to kindle a fire. The rocket slowly caught fire and went up in the air unnoticed. This was because it was daytime and the sun was blazing, so no one could see the rocket, which had fired off into oblivion.
# Word-Meanings :
⁕ Pyrotechnician : A person responsible for the handling and functioning of fireworks.⁕ Aurora Borealis : Bands of coloured light that are seen in the sky in the southern countries.
⁕ Supercilious : Behaving towards others as if you are better than they are.
⁕ Squib : A small firework that burns with a hissing sound before exploding.
⁕ Extraction : (here) ancestry
⁕ Disposition : character; temperament
⁕ Descent : fall; drop
⁕ Court Gazette : (here) the name of a newspaper
⁕ Scarlet : A brilliant red colour
⁕ Sneer : A mocking smile, remark or tone
⁕ Deputation : A small group of people which acts or speaks for others
⁕ Smocks : loose, long shirts
# Question-Answers :
A1. Choose the correct options to answer these questions.
1. For how long did the king's son wait for his bride?
a. a year
b. two years
c. half a year
d. few months
2. How many reindeer drew the sledge?
a. two
b. four
c. six
d. seven
3. What was the colour of the prince's eyes?
a. purple
b. brown
c. blue
d. violet
4. How long did the state banquet last?
a. four hours
b. five hours
c. six hours
d. three hours
A2. Answer these questions.
Q1. Describe the princess. How did she reach the castle?
Answer. The princess was Russian princess. She was beautiful, graceful and her skin was so pale that the subjects called her white rose. She reached the castle from Finland in a sledge drawn by six reindeer.
Q2. What were the three stages of the wedding ceremony?
Answer. The three stages of wedding ceremony were - It has started with state banquet, after the banquet there was to be a ball. The last item on the programme was a grand display of fireworks, to be let off exactly at midnight.
Q3. Why did the Remarkable Rocket say that the king's son was fortunate? Did the little Squib agree with the Rocket?
Answer. The Remarkable Rocket said that the king's son was fortunate because he is to be married on the very day on which the rocket has to be let off. The little Squib did not agreed, even he laughed at Rocket's vanity.
Q4. Who were the parents of the Remarkable Rocket? What did they do?
Answer. The remarkable rocket's mother was a Catherine wheel who was famous for her graceful dancing. She spun nineteen times and each time threw seven pink stars into the air. She was three and a half feet in diameter, and made of the very best gunpowder. Rocket's father was also a rocket of French extraction. He was of a kind disposition and he flew so high and made a most brilliant descent in a shower of golden rain. He was also graced as triumph of pyrotechnic art by the Court Gazette newspaper. They both were famous fire work that were used in royal celebration.
Q5. What happened when the fireworks began?
Answer. When the fireworks began all the fire crackers lit and rose high into the sky with dazzling colours and sound which delighted the crowd. Everyone was a great success except the Remarkable Rocket which was so damp with crying that he could not go off at all.
Q6. What happened when the Remarkable Rocket finally took off?
Answer. When the remarkable rocket finally took off, he made himself very stiff and straight so that he could go much higher than the stars, moon and even higher than the sun. He was delightful and thought that his took off is a success. But nobody saw him in the daylight, not even the boys who put him into the fire, as they were asleep.
A3. Answer these questions with reference to the context.
'What are fireworks like?
a. Who said these words and to whom?
Answer. The Russian Princess said these words to the prince.
b. What answer did the speaker get?
Answer. The speaker got the answer from the king that the fireworks are like the Aurora Borealis and are as delightful as his flute-playing.
c. Name the different types of fireworks mentioned by the narrator.
Answer. The different types of fireworks mentioned by the narrator were Catharine Wheel, Roman Candle, Squib, Bengal Lights and Fire-Balloon.
'If you want to give pleasure to others, you had better keep yourself dry.
a. Who said these words and to whom?
Answer. The Roman Candle said these words to the Remarkable Rocket.
b. Did the listener pay heed to the advice?
Answer. No, the listener Remarkable Rocket did not pay heed to the advice.
c. What did the listener do?
Answer. The listener Remarkable Rocket continued to weep and made himself more damp.
'BAD rocket? BAD rocket?
a. Who said these words and to whom?
Answer. One of the palace workmen said these words to the Remarkable Rocket.
b. Why did the speaker call the rocket 'BAD'?
Answer. The speaker call the rocket 'BAD' because the rocket had got damp and did not caught fire at the time of grand display of fireworks during prince's wedding ceremony.
c. What did the speaker do with the rocket?
Answer. The speaker threw the rocket over the wall into the ditch.
A4. Think and answer.
Q1. What message is the writer trying to convey in the story?
Answer. The message that the writer 'Oscar Wilde' trying to convey in the story 'A Remarkable Rocket' is that arrogance and pride may lead to isolation and failure. As in the story the rocket believes that he is superior to other fireworks and expects admiration without doing anything to deserve it. At the end he left isolated and had failed to achieve the admiration of people that he was expecting.
Q2. Draw a character sketch of the Remarkable Rocket. Was the Rocket truly 'remarkable'? Support your answer with examples from the story.
Answer.
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