Class 8 • Honeydew • Lesson 6: This is Jody’s Fawn
Bilingual Summary, Writer, Characters & Original NCERT Q&A (English + Hindi)
Summary
English
This is Jody’s Fawn shows a boy’s compassion and responsibility toward nature. Jody’s father, Penny, survives a rattlesnake bite using a folk remedy made from a doe’s heart and liver. Feeling guilty for orphaning the fawn, Jody seeks permission to bring it home and care for it. With kindness and patience, he rescues, feeds and shelters the young deer. The story celebrates empathy, moral duty and the human–nature bond.
हिंदी
“This is Jody’s Fawn” करुणा और जिम्मेदारी की कहानी है। पेनी (जोडी के पिता) को सांप काट लेता है और उनकी जान बचाने के लिए हिरनी का हृदय व जिगर औषधि की तरह उपयोग किया जाता है। हिरनी के बच्चे को अनाथ करने का अपराध-बोध जोडी को उसे घर लाकर पालने के लिए प्रेरित करता है। वह धैर्य व स्नेह से उसे बचाता, दूध पिलाता और सुरक्षित रखता है। पाठ मनुष्य-प्रकृति के रिश्ते, संवेदना और नैतिक दायित्व पर प्रकाश डालता है।
Writer
About the Writer — Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896–1953)
- American author celebrated for rural Florida settings and human–nature themes.
- Pulitzer Prize for The Yearling (1939) — a classic about a boy and a fawn.
- Her works often explore compassion, maturity and responsibility toward wildlife.
सार: लेखिका प्रकृति और मनुष्य के भावनात्मक संबंध को संवेदनशीलता से उकेरती हैं।
Characters
Main Figures in the Lesson
- Jody — Sensitive, responsible boy; rescues and raises the fawn.
- Penny Baxter (Father) — Snake-bitten; saved by the doe’s sacrifice.
- Jody’s Mother — Practical; initially hesitant, later supportive.
- Mill-wheel — Neighbour who helps Jody reach the forest.
- The Fawn — Innocence of nature; becomes Jody’s companion.
Comprehension Check 1
1) What had happened to Jody’s father?
Answer (EN): He was bitten by a rattlesnake while cutting wood.
| (HI) लकड़ी काटते समय रैटलस्नेक ने उन्हें काट लिया था।
2) How did the doe save Penny’s life?
Answer (EN): Penny used the doe’s heart and liver as a folk remedy to draw out the poison.
| (HI) हिरनी का हृदय व जिगर औषधि के रूप में लेकर विष निकाला गया।
3) Why does Jody want to bring the fawn home?
Answer (EN): Without its mother, the fawn would starve or die; he felt responsible to care for it.
| (HI) माँ के बिना बच्चा हिरन भूख से मर सकता था; जोडी ने जिम्मेदारी समझी।
4) How does Jody know that the fawn is a male?
Answer (EN): His father had told him that a male fawn’s spots lie in a line; he observed this pattern.
| (HI) पिता ने बताया था कि नर फॉन के धब्बे लाइनों में होते हैं—जोडी ने यही चिन्ह देखा।
Comprehension Check 2
1) Jody didn’t want Mill-wheel with him for two reasons. What were they?
Answer (EN): If the fawn was dead, he didn’t want anyone to see his disappointment; if alive, he wanted to keep the joy to himself and bond quietly.
| (HI) फॉन मर चुका होता तो वह अपनी निराशा दिखाना नहीं चाहता था; और यदि जीवित होता, तो खुशी अकेले बाँटना व उससे अपनापन बनाना चाहता था।
2) Why was Mill-wheel afraid to leave Jody alone?
Answer (EN): The forest was risky; he feared Jody might get lost or harmed.
| (HI) जंगल खतरनाक था—उसे डर था कि जोडी खो सकता है या किसी खतरे में पड़ सकता है।
Comprehension Check 3
1) How did Jody bring the fawn back home?
Answer (EN): He alternated between carrying it in his arms and letting it walk; finally he lifted it up the steps.
| (HI) वह उसे कभी गोद में उठाकर, कभी चलवाकर लाया; सीढ़ियों पर अंत में उठाकर ही ले गया।
2) Jody was filled with emotion… find at least three words/phrases showing how he felt.
Answer (EN): “the touch made him delirious”, “light-headed with his joy”, “the boy’s eyes were as bright as the fawn’s”.
| (HI) “स्पर्श से वह उत्साह से उन्मत्त हो उठा”, “आनंद से हल्का-सा चक्कराया”, “लड़के की आँखें फॉन जैसी चमक रही थीं।”
3) How did the deer drink milk from the gourd?
Answer (EN): Jody dipped his fingers in milk; the fawn sucked his fingers and learned to drink.
| (HI) जोडी ने उँगलियाँ दूध में डुबोईं; फॉन ने उन्हें चूसते-चूसते दूध पीना सीख लिया।
4) Why didn’t the fawn follow Jody up the steps?
Answer (EN): Its legs were weak and it wasn’t used to stairs or a house.
| (HI) उसके पैर कमजोर थे और उसे सीढ़ियों/घर का अभ्यास नहीं था।
Working with the Text
1) Why did Penny Baxter allow Jody to find and raise the fawn?
Answer: He felt morally responsible—since the doe saved his life, caring for her orphaned fawn was right.
| हिरनी के बलिदान के बाद उसके बच्चे की देखभाल नैतिक दायित्व था, इसलिए अनुमति दी।
2) “Nothing in the world ever comes quite free” — Doc Wilson. Meaning?
Answer: Every benefit involves cost/responsibility; Penny’s life was saved at the cost of the doe, so they must look after the fawn.
| हर लाभ के साथ उत्तरदायित्व/मूल्य जुड़ा है; इसलिए फॉन की देखभाल आवश्यक है।
3) How did Jody look after the fawn?
Answer: Fed it milk with fingers, protected it from vines, stroked it gently, kept it safely indoors.
| उँगलियों से दूध पिलाया, काँटेदार बेलों से बचाया, दुलार-सहलाया, घर में सुरक्षित रखा।
4) Jody’s mother’s reaction & why?
Answer: She was doubtful at first (home chores, safety) but agreed seeing Jody’s sincerity and Penny’s approval.
| पहले संदेह/असहमति; फिर जोडी की नीयत और पेनी की हामी देखकर मान गईं।
Working with Language
1) Direct → Reported Speech (Questions)
Rules (Quick): (i) Question → use if/whether for Yes/No, keep wh- words; (ii) backshift tense (e.g., is→was, will→would) if reporting verb is past; (iii) change pronouns/time; (iv) remove “?” and use full stop.
- (i) Penny said, “Do you really want it, son?” → Penny asked Jody if he really wanted it.
- (ii) Mill-wheel said, “Will he ride back with me?” → Mill-wheel asked if he would ride back with him.
- (iii) He said to Mill-wheel, “Do you think the fawn is still there?” → He asked Mill-wheel if he thought the fawn was still there.
- (iv) He asked Mill-wheel, “Will you help me find him?” → He asked Mill-wheel if he would help him find him.
- (v) He said, “Was it up here that Pa got bitten by the snake?” → He asked if it was up there that Pa had been bitten by the snake.
2) Transitive / Intransitive (use the “what/whom” test)
Rule: If the verb takes a direct object (answers “what/whom?”) → Transitive; otherwise → Intransitive.
| Sentence | Verb | Type |
|---|---|---|
| (i) Jody then went to the kitchen. | went | Intransitive |
| (ii) The fawn wobbled after him. | wobbled | Intransitive |
| (iii) You found him. | found | Transitive (him) |
| (iv) He picked it up. | picked | Transitive (it) |
| (v) He dipped his fingers in the milk. | dipped | Transitive (his fingers) |
| (vi) It bleated frantically and butted him. | bleated / butted | Intransitive / Transitive (him) |
| (vii) The fawn sucked his fingers. | sucked | Transitive (his fingers) |
| (viii) He lowered his fingers slowly into the milk. | lowered | Transitive (his fingers) |
| (ix) It stamped its small hoofs impatiently. | stamped | Transitive (its hoofs) |
| (x) He held his fingers below the level of the milk. | held | Transitive (his fingers) |
| (xi) The fawn followed him. | followed | Transitive (him) |
| (xii) He walked all day. | walked | Intransitive |
| (xiii) He stroked its sides. | stroked | Transitive (its sides) |
| (xiv) The fawn lifted its nose. | lifted | Transitive (its nose) |
| (xv) Its legs hung limply. | hung | Intransitive |
3) Dictionary Order + Idioms/Phrasal Verbs
Order (A→Z): clearing, close, draw, light, make, parted, pick, scrawny, sweet, wonder
Phrasal / Idiomatic
- draw up/back/in; make up/out/off; pick up/out/on
- light up; in the light of; close in/down
Collocations
- sweet talk / sweet tooth
- wonder at / no wonder
- scrawny kid / scrawny limbs
Speaking
Discussion Prompts (with points)
1) Is it right to kill an animal to save a human life?
Points: value of human life vs. animal rights; emergency ethics; responsibility after sacrifice (as in caring for the fawn). | तर्क दोनों पक्ष: आपदा में मानव-जीवन, पर पशु-अधिकार; बलिदान के बाद जिम्मेदारी।
2) Persuading parents to keep a rescued pet
Points: take full responsibility, hygiene, vet care, study–routine balance. | जिम्मेदारी, साफ-सफाई, डॉक्टर, पढ़ाई-समय संतुलन।
Writing
1) Paragraph: My New Pet (Sample)
EN: My pet is frisky and playful; it hides the newspaper, drinks up milk and sometimes dirties the bed. Yet its loyalty and warm company make me happy.
HI: मेरा पालतू फुर्तीला व चंचल है; अख़बार छुपा देता है, दूध पी जाता है और कभी-कभी बिस्तर गंदा कर देता है, लेकिन उसकी वफादारी और साथ मुझे खुश कर देता है।
HI: मेरा पालतू फुर्तीला व चंचल है; अख़बार छुपा देता है, दूध पी जाता है और कभी-कभी बिस्तर गंदा कर देता है, लेकिन उसकी वफादारी और साथ मुझे खुश कर देता है।
2) Human life & Nature
(i) Resources: air, water, soil, forests, minerals, sunlight, animals. | वायु, जल, मिट्टी, वन, खनिज, धूप, पशु।
(ii) View: We must conserve water, plant trees, reduce waste, live sustainably. | संरक्षण, वृक्षारोपण, अपशिष्ट-कमी, टिकाऊ जीवन।
(ii) View: We must conserve water, plant trees, reduce waste, live sustainably. | संरक्षण, वृक्षारोपण, अपशिष्ट-कमी, टिकाऊ जीवन।
3) If a snake bites you (Do’s & Don’ts)
Do: keep calm; immobilise limb; remove tight items; reach hospital for anti-venom. Don’t: cut/suck the wound, apply tourniquet, or alcohol. | शांत रहें; अंग स्थिर रखें; अस्पताल जाएँ; कट-चूसना/टूर्निकेट/शराब न करें।