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    Travel by Train-Summary

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    22vicm43
    Priestley humorously describes the various types of passengers often seen on trains in England. He notes the eccentric behaviors exhibited by many, such as the loud middle-aged woman who brings her dog into the smoking car, or those who pack too much luggage or allow noisy, untidy children. Other passengers are overly fussy about windows or end up on the wrong train by mistake. Priestley enjoys poking fun at the English tendencies and pretensions displayed by different travelers, while also showing empathy for some. The essay provides insights into human behavior and uses wit and precise language to entertain the reader.

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    Travel by Train-Summary

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    22vicm43
    961 views3 pages
    Priestley humorously describes the various types of passengers often seen on trains in England. He notes the eccentric behaviors exhibited by many, such as the loud middle-aged woman who brings her dog into the smoking car, or those who pack too much luggage or allow noisy, untidy children. Other passengers are overly fussy about windows or end up on the wrong train by mistake. Priestley enjoys poking fun at the English tendencies and pretensions displayed by different travelers, while also showing empathy for some. The essay provides insights into human behavior and uses wit and precise language to entertain the reader.

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    Priestley humorously describes the various types of passengers often seen on trains in England. He notes the eccentric behaviors exhibited by many, such as the loud middle-aged woman who brings her dog into the smoking car, or those who pack too much luggage or allow noisy, untidy children. Other passengers are overly fussy about windows or end up on the wrong train by mistake. Priestley enjoys poking fun at the English tendencies and pretensions displayed by different travelers, while also showing empathy for some. The essay provides insights into human behavior and uses wit and precise language to entertain the reader.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    961 views3 pages

    Travel by Train-Summary

    Uploaded by

    22vicm43
    Priestley humorously describes the various types of passengers often seen on trains in England. He notes the eccentric behaviors exhibited by many, such as the loud middle-aged woman who brings her dog into the smoking car, or those who pack too much luggage or allow noisy, untidy children. Other passengers are overly fussy about windows or end up on the wrong train by mistake. Priestley enjoys poking fun at the English tendencies and pretensions displayed by different travelers, while also showing empathy for some. The essay provides insights into human behavior and uses wit and precise language to entertain the reader.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    ON TRAVEL BY TRAIN

    J.B. PRIESTLEY

    INTRODUCTION

    The essay ‘On travel by Train’ is selected from ‘Papers from Lilliput’
    written by John Boynton Priestley (1894-1984), the British novelist and
    playwright, script writer, social commentator and broadcaster. Priestley
    has written a number of essays. Established as a prose stylist, J.B.
    Priestley’s essays are remarkable for the personal tenderness and
    literary informality. Apes and Angels, Journey Down a Rainbow and
    Papers from Lilliput are well known collections of his essays. ‘An
    Inspector Calls’ is one of his popular plays. The unique feature of
    Priestley's works is the relaxed light humorous tone and the friendly
    atmosphere in which communication becomes easier. His ideas
    maintain the democratic ideology of mutual respect and tolerance. He
    does not distance the reader from the idea discussed in his essays with
    the use of rigidity and formality in the usage of English language.

    Summary
    ‘On Travel by Train’ begins with a rather humorous but critical sketch of
    the English eccentricities. The essay depicts how common experiences
    in life are full of humour. It shows how the travelers in train behave.
    The essayist has cautiously selected the words to stress on the element
    of humour in the traditional assumptions and the meaningless

    Page 1
    pretentious of self righteousness put on by the general public. As we
    read we come across the hearth and home, corporal life, frozen
    exterior, quiet neighborly fellow, black murder, mere sight and devils of
    wrath. In the first paragraph the author humorously describes the
    various expressions usually seen on the face of the commuters in a
    train journey. Conventional habits of general public and also of
    individuals are subjected to mockery. Self mockery is an effective
    technique of reducing the sore feel of it. It also minimizes the offense
    which would have otherwise displeased many of us who are a bit
    unsympathetically represented: the large middle aged woman, people
    who bring too much luggage, the ill mannered consumers of food and
    drink, the noisy and untidy children, the fussy ones with obsessions of
    the window, the innocents travelling on wrong trains, the sleepers who
    know where to wake up, the commentators on punctuality of trains.

    Priestley says a good Englishman becomes different individual when he


    travels by train. There are different types of travelers. One much hated
    traveler is a fat middle aged woman, whose voice is very loud. She
    enters the smoking compartment without any hesitation, shouts at the
    porter, brings in her dog also and destroys the silence and comfort in
    the compartment. Some travelers bring too many things and vessels
    into the train. Children with chocolate smeared faces make very much
    noise and they create a lot of trouble to the co-passengers. Some
    eccentrics open windows during coldest days and close them during
    hottest days. Among all these different varieties of travelers, Priestley
    likes the innocent travelers who always find themselves in wrong trains.
    He expresses pity for them. He envies the mighty sleepers whom he
    compares with seven Ephesus. The last variety of travelers is described

    Page 2
    humorously as the ancient mariners of train. They can provide each and
    every bit of information about trains and make others bored.

    Amidst all these descriptions we recognize ourselves and even enjoy


    being made fun of in this way. However to write like this, it is essential
    to have a far-reaching vocabulary and a precise understanding of
    nuances and connotations of words. To try to have such a control over
    these aspects of English usage is a valuable intent for anyone aspiring
    to improve communicative skills.

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    Page 3

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