Stanley & Ramanujam Essay

STANLEY FINDS LIVINGSTONE
- Lawrence Wilson....
James Gordon Bennett, Jr., son of the proprietor of the New York
Herald had his meeting with Stanley in October 1869 when he was at the
Grand Hotel Paris. Stanley, the special correspondent was invited to assign
a job to find out whether Livingstone, the famous medical missionary cum
explorer was alive or not. Livingstone was the one who explored one-third
of Africa (the Dark Continent) and he was observed by millions in England
and the US. eagerly. The rumours spreaded that he was murdered in his
third visit, he started from Zanzibar in 1865. It was disapproved by his
letters from Africa yet the people were baffled since there was no tidings
for the last 12 months reg. his whereabouts, health, and activities.
Bennett took this chance of Livingstone‘s absence to make a good

story hence he employed Stanley. The aim was to find Livingstone no
matter how much expenditure it would fetch. Stanley called himself an
American citizen but he was born in Denbigh, North Wales in 1841, the
illegitimate son of Elizabeth Parry a butcher’s daughter and John Rowlant.
He was forsaken by his parents at the age of six and worked in a
workhouse run by a sadist ex-miner. After years of ill treatment he turned
against the miner and ran away and did odd jobs until the age of 17 when
he set sail to New Orleans from Liverpool. In America he was adopted by
Henry Morton Stanley and hence got his name. When Henry died Stanley
fought in the army & navy and was employed as a special correspondent
for the New York Herald. He took the task of finding Livingstone as it could
make him a hero.
Stanley set off on his journey in 1871 and his first difficulties started
in Zanzibar. His aim was to reach Ujiji, a place on the Eastern shore of lake
Tanganyika, the place where Livingstone had last been seen. The journey
was 750 miles. Stanley had only 80 pounds so he borrowed money from
the American consul and continued his journey. Stanley carried all supplies
he needed which could last for two years. He also carried with him all kinds
of native currencies viz. beads, cloth, wire etc. (The beads were a problem:
Most tribes would accept beads of certain shapes and colours, Black
beads were accepted in one area, Egg-shaped beads were accepted in
Ujiji, Red beads in Unyamwezi) The currency was spent on to persuade the
tribal chief to pass through their territoty. He employed 200 porters and
bought a few donkeys to carry their supplies. They started their journey in
high spirits, singing as they went.
Stanley made a wrong decision to go west thereby choosing the

hardest route. The country was just open savannah and the temperatures
reached about 128 degrees. The men were attacked by insects causing
fever. Stanley had bigger problems than this because his workers just
wanted money and most of them ran away robbing Stanley. For eight
months it was up to Stanley to organize the group.
He faced lot of problems like men running away, workers falling sick
and dying along the way, native chiefs demanding huge payments and
savage tribes robbing them of their belongings. Ten miles from the starting
point they joined Arab traders and moved from village to village. Two of
Stanley‘s horses died and though his men were sick but he gave them
medicine and forced them to proceed by whipping them. They halted next
at the village Simbamwenni where Stanley caught malaria. For two months
he was sick and when he was physically fit he took over the expedition
again. They crossed the Usagara Mountains and joined an Arab convoy for
safety. Stanley again fell sick but he continued to proceed. At a village
named tabora, Stanley received bad news about a war happening in the
area he had to cross. Stanley and his men joined the war. He was saved by
the tribe leader Mirambo.
After three months in Tabora, Stanley resumed the journey with new
recruits and he took a longer route to avoid the war. His men tried running
away but he caught them and chained them together. He was now closer to
Ujiji and Stanley kept on marching through all adversities. After several
weeks they were 60 miles short of Ujiji when Stanley got news from a
caravan of Africans that a man with grey beard was in Ujiji. Stanley wrote
“Hurray!” in his diary, because he was quite certain that this man was
Livingstone. He continued his journey faster till he reached the Waha tribe
where the king demanded a high amount of bribe to let the group pass.
Stanley paid and went on to the next village where he again had to pay a
huge sum of money to the king‘s brother. Stanley had to pass through five
more villages. Since he wasn‘t able to pay the bribe; they ran away in the
night. They reached Lake Tanganyika.
Stanley was overwhelmed, he told his servant to keep everything

ready so he could make a presentable appearance when he met
Livingstone. The group was near Ujiji and the villagers rushed to welcome
them. Suddenly Stanley heard a voice say: ―Good Morning Sir!. Turning
around he saw a man whose name was Susi, the servant of Dr. Livingstone.
Susi ran back and told his master of Stanley‘s arrival. Stanley felt
uncomfortable as the doctor was from the British Isles where Stanley
suffered a lot. He felt nervous as he thought how he should address the
learned doctor.
He walked up to Livingstone and took off his hat and said:

―Dr.Livingstone I presume? Though Stanley was a bit rude but doctor
greeted him kindly. After staying with the doctor Stanley found the true
meaning of veneration or honour. He felt extremely happy about the
experience of his exploration of the African continent which he would never
forget.
Questions:
2 Marks:
1. Who is Bennett? What is the task he gives Stanley?
2. Identify any two details which show that Stanley treated the natives
in a harsh manner?
3. What was the devastating news‘ that Stanley received when he

reached Tabora?
5 Marks:
1. Describe briefly Stanley‘s experience which helped him later in his

career as a journalist?
2. What were the difficulties faced by Stanley during the expedition

regarding the following: a) weather b) diseases c) terrain d) demands made
by the tribal chiefs
10 Marks:
1. Describe the adventurous journey of Stanley in your own words.
Srinivasa Ramanujan
- C.P. Snow
“Srinivasa Ramanujan” is an extract from Variety of Men by C. P. Snow

and it is a part of the biographical sketch of the Mathematician Hardy. It
tells how Hardy discovered Ramanujan. C. P. Snow was a scientist and a
prolific English writer. Hardy Penned down the interesting incident and
significant detail about Ramanujan, Madras born Prodigy. It is a
conversation between Ramanujan and Hardy. In 1913, one early morning,
Hardy found a few letters on his breakfast table decorated with Indian
stamps. When he opened, he found sheets of papers written in a non-
English script, and he glanced at the symbols with no enthusiasm. He could
find theorems without proofs and he wished to find if it was a work of a
fraud.
By the time Hardy was a world famous mathematicians, he used to

receive such manuscripts for his opinion of these mathematical
discoveries of Ramanujan. Hardy couldn’t understand the content as it was
in non-English and it was signed by an unknown Indian. The theorems
appeared wild and fantastic, but he was irritated and bored him. Hardy’s
routine went as usual but he was kept nagged by the scripts. His mind was
occupied by recurrent images of symbols and wanted to get the
epigrammatic clarity whether those theorems were formulated by a fraud
or an unknown mathematician. He went through the scripts once again as
he was highly disturbed by the recurrent strange symbols. He could not
determine the nature of symbols functions of calculations.
He summoned Littlewood helplessly, who was a professor of
Mathematics at Cambridge University to discuss the script. Hardy and
Littlewood studied the manuscripts intensely yet they could not
comprehend the content. Before Midnight, They discovered the writer of
the manuscripts was a man of genius. They could judge that the unknown
Indian was of natural mathematical genius. He was on par with Gaus and
Euler, World famous German Mathematicians. Due to the defect of his
education, he appeared ordinary and who was born in the line of
mathematical history to contribute on the same scale.
Ramanujan’s script was sent to two other highly professional English

Mathematicians. They returned the manuscripts without any comment.
Hardy decided to bring Ramanujan to England and made all the financial
arrangements. Trinity College did its best in exploring unorthodox talents
and the college did the same for Kapitsa (Russian Physicist, Nobel Prize
winner).
Ramanujan was a poor clerk in Madras, living with his wife on 20

pounds a year. He was a Brahmin, who strictly observing beliefs of a
religion. His mother was not willing to permit her son to cross the waters,
as it was a religious and social taboo. But his mother had a highest
respect for the Goddess of Namakkal ( Shrine of Sri Namagiri Amman, wife
of Lord Narasimha). One fine night, she had a dream in which his son was
being seated in a big hall amidst a group of Europeans and the Goddess
commanded her to fulfill his life’s purpose.
In 1914, he arrived in England; he braved so much of difficulties

including caste laws and believed in a pantheistic benevolence and rituals.
Within four years, he became a fellow and lived a disciplined life with good
transformations. According to Hardy’s report, he was amiable and good
–natured. Ramanujan was self taught, and teaching Ramanujan was a
unique experience for Hardy. Together they produced 5 research papers of
the highest class. This is a story of human virtue for which he was
honoured by the English. He was selected by the Royal Society and Trinity,
a fellow in the same year. He was the first Indian to be given these
distinctions.
Hardy used to visit him, as he lay dying in hospital at Putney. Hardy
was good at introducing conversation. He informed him that his taxi
number 1729 was dull and Ramanujan replied that it was a very interesting
no. He also added that it was the smallest no. expressible as a sum of two
cubes and the product of 3 prime numbers.
SUM PRODUCT
1729= 1 + 12 1729= 7x 13x 19
1729 = 9 +10
C. P. Snow concluded the essay by quoting that he died of

tuberculosis two years after the First World War. Hardy in his apology
stated: “Galoi (French) died at twenty three, Abel (Norwegian) at twenty
seven, Ramanujan (Indian) at thirty three, Riemann (German) at forty”.

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STANLEY FINDS LIVINGSTONE

Bennett took this chance of Livingstone‘s absence to make a good

Stanley made a wrong decision to go west thereby choosing the

Stanley was overwhelmed, he told his servant to keep everything

He walked up to Livingstone and took off his hat and said:

1. Who is Bennett? What is the task he gives Stanley?

3. What was the devastating news‘ that Stanley received when he

1. Describe briefly Stanley‘s experience which helped him later in his

2. What were the difficulties faced by Stanley during the expedition

1. Describe the adventurous journey of Stanley in your own words.

“Srinivasa Ramanujan” is an extract from Variety of Men by C. P. Snow

By the time Hardy was a world famous mathematicians, he used to

Ramanujan’s script was sent to two other highly professional English

Ramanujan was a poor clerk in Madras, living with his wife on 20

In 1914, he arrived in England; he braved so much of difficulties

1729= 1 + 12 1729= 7x 13x 19

C. P. Snow concluded the essay by quoting that he died of

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