Class 10 English solution of chapter ‘His First Flight’ is a story about a young seagull who is afraid of trying learn his first flight. The story explains as how its parents force it to attempt his first flight.
Below is given the solutions to the chapter “His First Flight” of class 10 English book ‘First Flight’.
Liam O’ Flaherty (1896-1984) was an Irish writer who wrote short stories and novels. More than Irish she wrote more in English. He also played a major role during the Irish literary renaissance. He also involved himself in politics and was the founding member of the Communist Party of Ireland.
His First Flight Class 10-Introduction:
It is rightly said that ‘Every journey of a thousand miles begins but with a single step’. This story ‘His First Flight’ also conveys a similar message that overcoming our fears and hesitations is the first step toward achieving anything needed as a natural part or way or manifestation of our life. Once we gather courage to come out of fear and suspicion then we would realise the potential of our wings that are part of body to take flights.
‘His first flight’ describes the plight of a young seagull who is afraid of testing even his first flight because he is lacking confidence whether his wings would support! His parents make fun of this cowardice approach. Even the taunt is not able to wake him to his natural ability to fly. Ultimately the trick adopted by his parents work and just to reach food in the beak of his mother, he dives and this way tastes his flight.
His First Flight: Summary
In the story ‘His First Flight’ family of seagull bird is described with four young ones. One of the young seagulls is shown to be a coward incarnate. His other three elder brothers and sister had already flown. The entire family member boosted him to fly, but he couldn’t gather courage to fly. One day he mustered up his courage to fly but all went in vain. Finally, the parents decide to become harsh on him to force him fly.
The family leaves him on the ledge and does not come to even to see how hungry he was there. He was left all alone on the ledge starving for twenty-hours. Even in this situation he wouldn’t dare to fly. He cried with hunger. Mother took final decision to put before him bait. She flew and reached just near him hovering in the air. There was food item in his beak to tempt her young seagull to reach to snatch the scrap of fish. The young one tried to snatch and, in this effort, he came directly in the air. The trick had worked. Now, mother moved high up in the sky and he was in the open air falling down and down. He opened his wings and found himself flying. This was the way he was taught to make his first flight. The birds have the natural ability to fly and it is this ability he was now experiencing.
The story also highlights the parental care and some needed disciplinary or harsh decisions to properly shape their children.
Class 10 English: His First Flight: Solutions to Book Exercises
1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds timider than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Answer: The young seagull was afraid if the wings would support his flight or not and this fear was the hindrance whenever he tried or thought of testing his first flight. Of course, the young ones of birds must be fearful or suspicious of testing their first flight. It is a matter of behaviour of bird types that some may be more willing to dare or timider to test their first flight. So far as human body or a human baby is concerned, we can say that human babies have been found more willing to take the challenge of taking first step toward standing or walking. They keep on trying despite frequent falls. They are afraid but are amusingly adamant on achieving their target.
2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?
Answer: The young seagull had been hungry for almost the last twenty-four hours and it was just unbearable for him. The very sight of food item in the beak of his mother excited his joy and therefore when its mother came towards it with food in her beak, it screamed with joy in anticipation of getting food. But the mother stopped midway. It wondered why she did not come nearer. Not being able to resist or control its hunger any longer, it dived at the food in its mother’s beak. At that moment, his hunger overpowered his fear of the great expanse of sea beneath the cliff. Finally, and this plunge into the air began his natural flight as his wings spread and he began to experience his first flight.
3. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. “Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
Answer: The young seagull was afraid to fly. Even when it saw its brothers and sisters flying, and its parents helping and teaching them, it could not gather enough courage to make that first flight. That is why its father and mother were calling to it shrilly and scolding it. They threatened to let it starve on its ledge if it did not fly. They did so because they wanted it to leave its fear behind and learn to fly.
