Answer the following question in 120-150 words:

Both Derry and Lamb are victims of physical impairment, but much more painful for them is the feeling of loneliness. Comment.

OR

How did Jack end the Roger Skunk story? How and why did Jo want to change it?

In the story ‘On the Face of It’ we see that both Derry and Lamb are victims of physical impairment. Mr. Lamb is an old man with a tin leg that had been blown off in a war, while Derry’s face was burnt on one side due to an acid attack. The two had been subject to immense physical agony for sure, but much more overpowering was the pain of loneliness, which they were constantly subjected to.

No one preferred coming close to Derry because of the ugliness of his face, and this continuous seclusion had made him aversive to others as well. People such as Derry and Lamb, who are not as physically capable or ‘perfect’ as others, are often ridiculed or looked down upon. Some people tend to see them with pity, but even this attitude can become really disrespectful at times.

As a result, they tend to hide their self within a shell, and keep away from others. Without any friends or family, receiving sympathy instead of empathy and always looked down upon as someone who will not be able to secure much in life, people like Derry and Lamb are the ones who face loneliness in the face of it.

OR

When Jo heard Jack end the Roger Skunk story, she wasn’t convinced of it at all. In a kid’s world, affection and acceptance takes centre place, and having friends to play with is something of prime importance. Therefore, when she hears the story end as Roger Skunk restoring his earlier foul body odour, even at the cost of losing out on friends that he had acquired, she wished to change it.

Mothers are not always correct, according to Jo. It seemed difficult to understand why Mother Skunk hit the wizard without being hit back, and why of all things did she sacrifice her son’s happiness for her own merit. The hero of the story ending up yet again as ugly and stinky, and the ‘stupid mommy’ disliking the smell of roses were the things she wished to change too.

Therefore, according to Jo, the story should have ended with the wizard hitting the mother skunk instead, instead of her hitting him. She wanted Roger skunk to retain his rosy smell, so that he could also retain his group of friends and play with them. She did not want the wizard to reverse his spell at all.