Class | Subject | Book | Chapter | Session | Questions covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XI | English | Snapshots (NCERT) | 3 – Mother’s Day | 2026-27 | 5 of 5 |
Chapter at a glance
Item | Details |
|---|---|
Author | J.B. Priestley (English playwright), written in the 1950s |
Genre | One-act humorous, satirical play |
Characters | Mrs Annie Pearson (the mother), her neighbour Mrs Fitzgerald (a fortune teller), George Pearson (husband), Doris and Cyril (children) |
Plot | Mrs Pearson is treated like a servant by her family. Mrs Fitzgerald uses an Eastern spell to exchange personalities with her; as “Mrs Pearson” she shocks the family into respect by refusing to work, smoking, drinking and threatening them; the personalities are switched back and the family promises to change |
Themes | Status of mothers and homemakers, recognition of household work, family relationships |
Exercise Questions
This play, written in the 1950s, is a humorous and satirical depiction of the status of the mother in the family.
Answer
- What are the issues it raises?
- Do you think it caricatures these issues or do you think that the problems it raises are genuine? How does the play resolve the issues? Do you agree with the resolution?
Answer
(i) Issues raised:
- The mother is taken for granted and treated like an unpaid servant; her work is not valued.
- Family members are selfish and inconsiderate — the children go out after making her prepare tea and iron clothes; the husband goes to the club.
- Household work has no fixed hours or holidays, unlike office work.
- Lack of respect and gratitude towards homemakers; the mother has no say.
- The mother herself is too soft and cannot assert herself.
(ii) Caricature or genuine?
Answer
The play exaggerates for humour — the magic exchange of personalities, Mrs Pearson (as Mrs Fitzgerald) smoking, drinking and threatening to slap Doris. But the problems are genuine and continue in many families even today: mothers’ work is unpaid and unnoticed.
Resolution: the shock treatment works — the family becomes humble and obedient, agrees to stay home, play rummy with the mother and prepare supper while she talks to her husband. Mrs Fitzgerald advises Mrs Pearson to be firm and not to apologise.
Do I agree? Partly. The idea that the mother must assert herself and the family must share work and show respect is right. But the method (magic, threats) is not practical; in real life, change requires dialogue, awareness and sharing of responsibilities.
- The mother is taken for granted, overworked and disrespected by a selfish family. (ii) It exaggerates for humour but the problems are genuine; it resolves them by a shock personality exchange that makes the family respect her — a sound idea of assertion and shared work, though the method is unrealistic.
If you were to write about these issues today what are some of the incidents, examples and problems that you would think of as relevant?
Answer
Answer
- Working mothers’ double burden — office work plus all household chores.
- Children glued to mobile phones and gadgets, not helping at home.
- Husbands who consider cooking and cleaning only the woman’s job.
- Lack of appreciation — Mother’s Day greetings on social media but no help in real life.
- Mothers neglecting their own health, career and hobbies for the family.
- Unequal decision-making in families; elderly mothers being neglected.
- Positive examples: families sharing chores, fathers doing childcare, children cooking.
The double burden of working mothers, children absorbed in gadgets, husbands not sharing chores, token Mother’s Day wishes without real help, and mothers neglecting their own health and careers.
Is drama a good medium for conveying a social message? Discuss.
Answer
Answer
Yes. Drama is a powerful medium because:
- It is visual and live — the audience sees real situations and characters, which makes the message more direct and memorable.
- Humour and satire, as in Mother’s Day, make serious issues entertaining and easy to accept.
- People identify with the characters and see their own behaviour reflected.
- It reaches all kinds of audiences, including those who cannot read (e.g. street plays — nukkad natak — on dowry, sanitation, voting).
- It encourages discussion after the performance.
Limitation: the message may be lost if the play is merely entertaining or too preachy. But on the whole, drama is very effective.
Yes; being live, visual and often humorous, drama makes social issues vivid, relatable and memorable for all audiences, as street plays and Mother’s Day show.
Read the play out in parts. Enact the play on a suitable occasion.
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Answer
Suggested plan for enactment (e.g. on Mother’s Day or Annual Day):
- Cast: Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald, Doris, Cyril, George (five actors).
- Props: a living room set — a table, chairs, teapot and cups, cards (for the fortune-telling and the game of rummy), a cigarette prop, a stout bottle and a glass.
- Key scenes to rehearse: the personality exchange; Doris’s and Cyril’s shock when “Mrs Pearson” refuses to iron or prepare tea; George being mocked about his club; the switch back and the family’s humble promise.
- Tips: use exaggerated expressions and contrasting voices for the two personalities; practise timing for comic lines; keep the pace brisk (about 20–25 minutes).
Assign the five roles, prepare a simple living-room set and props, rehearse the personality-switch scenes with exaggerated, well-timed comedy, and stage it on Mother’s Day or Annual Day.
Discuss in groups plays or films with a strong message of social reform that you have watched.
Answer
Answer
Examples for discussion:
- English Vinglish (2012) — a homemaker who is mocked for not knowing English learns it and wins respect; similar to Mother’s Day.
- Taare Zameen Par (2007) — understanding children with learning difficulties (dyslexia).
- Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) — sanitation and open defecation.
- Pad Man (2018) — menstrual hygiene and low-cost sanitary pads.
- Thappad (2020) — domestic violence and women’s dignity.
- Swades (2004) — rural development.
- Plays: Vijay Tendulkar’s Silence! The Court Is in Session (women’s position), Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (women’s independence).
Points for discussion: the issue raised, how the story conveys it, its impact on audiences, and whether it suggests practical solutions.
E.g. English Vinglish (respect for homemakers), Taare Zameen Par (learning disabilities), Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (sanitation), Pad Man (menstrual hygiene), Thappad (domestic violence), A Doll’s House (women’s independence).
Topic checklist
- Characters and plot of Mother’s Day
- Humour, satire and the personality exchange
- Status of homemakers then and now
- Drama as a medium of social message