Old Man at the Bridge by Ernest Hemingway | ICSE Class 9 English Explanation

Old Man at the Bridge is the story of a conversation between an old man and the narrator and without showing or talking about any bloodshed, Hemingway tells us how war results in destruction for people who have nothing to do with it or ``politics''.

Note : I mentioned in the video lesson that a cat is seen to have nine lives which is why the old man says it will escape. The point I missed elaborating on is : The pigeons too will escape and since they are symbols of peace, their escape will be significant as they are seen as saying No to War. The ones who will get killed are the goats which are sacrificial animals. That is like a metaphor for people who get caught in the war.

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[StudywithSudhir]

Note : I mentioned in the video lesson that a cat is seen to have nine lives which is why the old man says it will escape. The point I missed elaborating on is : The pigeons too will escape and since they are symbols of peace, their escape will be significant as they are seen as saying No to War. The ones who will get killed are the goats which are sacrificial animals. That is like a metaphor for people who get caught in the war.

[mukulsrivastava]

Sir your daughter must be truly blessed to have a father like you i wish i was staying somewhere near you so that i could get to know you and study from you more efficiently nevertheless you have actuallyarived in all of us class 10 and 9 as a true blessing thank you so much Sir

[poonamsaha]

Sir ur explanation is so clear and deep i subscribed to this channel at January and actually ur videos have helped me a lot in my English literature and I never had full marks in my class and I scored average but this time I got the highest marks in my class it's all thanks to ur teaching.

[gupt_uv]

Sir, are these Questions imp
OLD MAN AT THE BRIDGE
1. Name the author? Where was he? What was his duty?
2. Who was sitting by the bridge? Why could he not walk further?
3. Describe the old man.
4. What does the term ‘Pontoon bridge’ mean?
5. Describe the activity on the bridge. What was the reason for this activity?
6. What did the narrator seeing upon returning to the bridge?
7. Where did he want the Old man to go? What was the old man’s reaction to it?
8. What does the Old man symbolize?
9. Which is the old man’s native hometown? Why did the Old man leave his home town?
10. Who is the enemy in the story ‘Old man at the bridge’?
11. What do the animals Cats, goats and pigeons symbolize?
12. Why did the Old man leave San Carlos?
13. How does the narrator comfort the Old man? Does it affect the Old man in a positive way?
14. What politics does the Old man and the narrator have?
15. Why does the narrator feel that there was nothing to be done about the old man?
16. What are the only two pieces of luck the Old man has?
17. Why could the fascists planes not fly? What was the irony about the day being an Easter Sunday?
18. How does the author portray the theme of destruction of war through the story?

[sharmilam]

Symbols of Old Man at the Bridge:
1. Bridge = Uncertainty, Dangers
2. Pigeon = Peace, Harmony ( They fly away from war like refugees who flee from war to safer places. )
3. Cat = Independence ( Does not need anybody to survive. )
4. Goat = Sacrificial Animal ( Represents the old man who reconciles with his impending death.)

[jayasarkar]

Thank you sir for making such a great and digital classroom, I am Manish Majumder a student of class 10 who will give the ICSE board exam on 2020

[akansharangari]

Thank you so much sir for your beautiful explanation it really helped in understanding this r just fab sir👍Thank you once again

[starpapertoys]

Best video to just mug up or rewise what we have studied till now. Thank you so much sir 🙂✨

[aditidhingra]

Sir please correct me if I am wrong.
1.cat is symbolic of those people who are saved in the war because they have enough power.
2.pigeon is symbolic of the refugees who flee.
3.Goat is symbolic of those innoncent people who die in the war.

[agastya]

Thank you so much Sir, this is very useful as my exam is day after

[salmakhatoon]

Sir thanks a lot for this great explanation on this chapter.
In our school online classes are continuing and In our school study has become a joke(in this time of covid-19) and every teachers are just giving two -three voice messages and tell to understand yourself.

[_o]

12:34 sir u mean to as -the truck " forks " for tortosa _ ( to that the truck carry people to pontoon bridge to tostosa ) . Or any other meaning about forks . And I think in this line means that " did you leave the dove cage unlocked ? " The dove 🕊️ means about the sign of peace .

[mohinimajithia]

Hello sir, if the question is -- The story starts with the old man sitting in 'very dusty clothes' and ends with the man sitting down backwards 'in the dust'. What does 'dust' signify here? -- what should be included?

[basheerahmed]

Thanks alot sir! Your explanations help students like us alot. You are a wonderful and a very meticulous, and a teacher who teaches with utter sincerely and enthusiasm.

[somyakumari]

sir can u answer me these question (The old man in the story "The old man at the bridge " represents the victims of war who are
without politics.
What is the relevance of this line in present days.)

[habeebali]

Thank you so much sudhir sir you are the best teacher 😊

[crack]

Thanku so much sirr it's really helpful in my terminal examinations 🙂

[abhishaa]

This was extremely helpful!
Thank you so much sir
Regards

[mig_raiden]

Legends watching this one day before there exams 😎

[jinsflsg]

Thank you sir for the great explanation.
Sir in the text there is a para "I was watching the bridge and the African looking country of the Ebro Delta and wondering how long now it would be before we would see the enemy, and listening all the while for the first noises that would signal that ever mysterious event called contact, and the old man sat still there."
Could you please explain the meaning of "ever mysterious event called contact"? What does this phrase signify?
Would be highly obliged if you reply.
Thank you sir!