An Artist's Story

 Augustus Pokewhistle smiled at the immense man who had come secretly into his room. Augustus
thought that the stranger was a doctor sent by some interfering so-called friend to save him from
his sufferings.
 Augustus began to tell the stranger his own life story.
 He was delicately brought up and it soon became clear that he was not an ordinary boy. At the age of
seven, he won a prize for a drawing of an animal, though he had intended to show sunset, on London.
 His proud parents provided him with pencils and paper and gave him the opportunity of studying under
great painters.
 At the age of twenty-one he started a business as a painter of people and he painted eleven pictures
of his own face. Nobody wanted them and they were still hanging sadly on the wall in his sitting room.
Nobody came to have their pictures painted, and decided not to paint any more of himself.
 Augustus turned from painting people to painting the country. He painted the views from the windows
of his room; nine times from the back window, and seven times from the front window. He did not
sell any of those pictures. He became poor.
 To get money, Augustus decided to draw funny pictures for the newspapers. He made thirty or
forty funny drawings every day and sent them to the papers. But he got no money. He just got his
drawings back. This expression means that a picture is extremely funny. Augustus said that his
drawings for the newspapers were so funny that his cat laughed until it was sick. However, Augustus
got his pictures back and was dishearten.
 Augustus tried drawing for advertisements. He sent off pictures by the hundred, and all he received
was a sample bottle or a sample card of wool.
 Augustus fell into despair and illness. So he decided to take to his bed and felt he would never rise
from it again.
 The stranger was not a doctor as Augustus thought. As soon as Augustus stopped talking, the stranger
said that Augustus would certainly rise from bed. He placed Augustus on the carpet saying that he
had come from the furniture shop to take the bed away as it was not paid for.

Questions and answers

1- What did Augustus believe visitor was?

- He believed the visitor was a doctor.
2- Describe the visitor. How did he arrive?
- He was an immense man who had arrived secretly while he slept.
3- What did Augustus decide to do? Why?
-He decided to tell the visitor his life story because he believed he was a
doctor who came to help him.
4- Why did Augustus think the man was not interested in his story?
-Because he believed the man was one of the uncaring public.
5- What did Augustus say about himself?
- He was a clever young man who took to his bed at the height of his
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youth and never to rise again.
6- By whom did Augustus think the visitor was sent?
- By interfering so-called friend to save him from his suffering.
7- How was Augustus brought up?
- He was delicately brought up.
8- What did Augustus win at the age of seven?
- He won a prize for a drawing of an animal.
9- What did he intend that drawing to represent?
- Sunset over London
10- When did he start business as a painter?
- At the age of twenty-one .
11- What kind of painting did he start at the age of twenty-one?
- He painted eleven pictures of his face.
12- Where were these paintings kept?
- In his sitting room.
13- Why would he never sit in the empty chair in the sitting room?
- Because he would never rise from his bed.
14- What made him stop painting people?
- Nobody came to have his pictures painted
15- Why did the stranger keep repeating the word "But"?
-He wanted to tell Augustus that he was not a doctor and he came to take
the bed as it was not paid for.
16- What did Augustus do when he stopped painting people?
-He began to paint the country. He painted the view from the back
window nine times and the view from the front window seven times.
17- What was the result of painting the country?
- He did not sell any of them.
18- What did he decide to do when he did not sell the county pictures?
-He decided to forget his soul and paint for money.
19- What did he draw for newspapers?
- He drew funny pictures for newspapers.
20- What would have happened if he had been married?
-His wife and children would have cried for bread.
21-What was the result of drawing for newspapers?
-He got his drawings back and didn't get any money.
22- How did he test his drawings?
-In the cat and the cat laughed until he was sick.
23- What was the result of drawing for advertisements?
- He sent them by the hundred, but received only samples of bottles and
cards of wool.
24- What was his final decision?
- To take to his bed and never to rise again.

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25- Why was the visitor sure that he would rise from his bed?
- Because he came to take the bed away because it was not paid for.
26- Show that Augustus was talkative.
-He talked all the time and did not give his visitor a chance to talk to him.
27- What kink of life had Augustus?
He had a miserable life.
28- What was Augustus's job?
-He was an artist.
29- How did Augustus's parents help him?
They gave him pencils and paper and gave him the chance of studying
under great painters.
30-Do you think that the reader should fell any sympathy for Augustus?
- The reader shouldn't feel any sympathy for him because he is not gifted
and pompous.
31-How does Augustus Pokewhistle describe his friends? Do you think he would be a
nice person to have as a friend?
-He described them as interfering so-called friends. No, he wouldn't be a
nice friend.
32- Why didn't Augustus's business as a painter of people do well?
- Because he only painted portraits of his own face.
33-Why did Augustus describe selling his drawings as selling his soul?
-Because it is against the principles of a true artist.
34- Augustus turned to paint the country, but he failed. Give a reason.
-He only painted the view from his front aback window.
35- What happened when he failed to draw for the newspapers?
-He decided to take to his bed and never to rise again.
36- What made him decide to take to his bed?
- All his attempts to earn his living failed.
37-Do you think that Augustus was a true artist? Why?
-He wasn't a true artist because his drawings weren't sold.
38- What is the moral of this story?
- One mustn't give up hope.

Quotations and answers

1) “I am an Artist. I paint pictures and draw drawings.’’

a- Who is the speaker? Augustus pokewhistle

b- To whom he was speaking? to the stranger.
c- Do you think that the speaker is justified in this statement? Give reasons?
No, because he wasn’t a successful painter.

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2) “It’s kind of you. But I don’t think you couldn’t help me”

a- By whom did Augustus think the man was sent?{by an interfering so–called friend}

b- why did He think the stranger couldn’t help him?

{because the stranger didn’t know the story of his life}

c- By whom was the stranger really sent ? {The furniture shop to take the bed}

3) “May I mention that there’s a certain repetition in your

remarks let me finish and then you can say but…….”

a- What did Augustus want to finish? { The story of his life }

b- Why did the visitor repeat but? {To tell him he was not the doctor}
c- Is August us justified in saying this?{No, as one must speak and listen to others}

4) “I decided, after severe struggle with my self. To Forget my soul and paint for
money.”

a- What did he mean by forgetting his soul? { Painting for money. }

b- What did he paint for money? What was the result? { He painted funny pictures for the
news papers but he got no money, he got them back.}
c- What was his last attempt to get money?
{He painted for advertisements and got only some samples}.

5) "So, I gave up the struggle. My heart was broken and I determined to take to my
bed never to rise again. "

a- Why did Augustus give up struggle? {He failed to get any money}
b- What was his last decision? {To take to his bed never to rise again.}
c- What made the stranger sure he will rise from his bed?
{ He came from the furniture shop to take the bed away}

6) “ I was delicately brought up and it soon became clear that I was not an
ordinary boy ’’

a- What happened when he was seven? He won a prize for a drawing of an animal
b- How did his parents help him? They gave him the chance to study under great painters
c- What happened at the age of twenty-one? He started a business as a painter of people.

7) “ And I fell certain that you will , because I’ve ….."

a- Who was the speaker? the immense man

b- What was the speaker certain of? Pokewhistle would rise from his bed
c- Why did the speaker really come? to take the bed as the bed wasn’t paid for

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