NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 8 Going Places

Both the girls Sophie & Jansie were likely to get job in a biscuit factory. Sophie was engrossed in the world of her dreams but Jansie lived in reality.

Sophie had many dreams for her future. She wanted to become a fashion designer, boutique owner and also an actor. She wanted to live a glamorous life and used to get lost in dreams even during the day. On the other hand Jansie was better aware of the hardships of real life. That’s why she always advised her to avoid such dreams. She knew the dreams of the lower middle class didn’t come true so easily and they get hurt badly. She wanted Sophie to be practical from being an emotional.

Sophie was thinking that her father would not believe Geoff’s words and would reprimand her. No one in the house believed in her words like this. The reason for this was clear that meeting a middle class girl and a celebrity was no joke. Being attracted to Danny was a different thing, but meeting him was difficult for anyone to digest. It was natural to be scolded for.

No Geoff does not believe on his sister about her meeting with Danny Casey. He asks many questions about their meeting but he doesn’t believe on any such claims.

Sophie’s father, like Geoff, does not wish his daughter things and tells her to be careful when she comes. He said that living with such stories or dreams; she would one day land in big trouble. He knew these antics of her from childhood and disliked such dreamy dreams.

Sophie used to share all secrets with her brother Geoff because she believed in him so much. So she told him all the things about Danny Casey and also told about the upcoming meeting with him. She used to dream that she is going to date Danny Casey wearing a yellow dress and Geoff is the one who’ll drop her till venue.

Danny Casey is an Irish Footballer. He was born in Ireland and he plays for Sacramento Republic.

Sophie didn’t want Jansie to know about her story with Danny because she wanted to keep this thing a secret for a while. If everyone in the neighborhood came to know about Danny Casey, then there could be trouble in her good relation. She wanted to express it herself when the time came. Moreover the way of thinking of both of them was very different, so she did not tell her secrets and fantasy stories to Jansie first.

No, Sophie had never actually met Danny. She was just in her dream world. She used to think about his style and good looks and used to think that if she becomes his partner then how good life will be. She thought so deeply that she felt Danny Casey was sitting right in front of her and both of them were talking.

The only occasion when Sophie got to see Danny Casey in person was when the family went to watch USL Championship on Saturday. Sophie, Derek and their father sit down together by the goal and Geoff sits upstairs with his friends. In this match, Danny’s team wins and the whole family enjoys the match to the fullest. So this was the only occasion where she saw Danny in person.

Sophie & Jansie were classmates but the special thing is that despite having different nature, they were good friends. Jansie being mature before her age always used to explain her about hardships of life. Sophie was into her day dreaming and she didn’t live in the present. She was not very strong financially but her dreams were those of the rich which were almost impossible to achieve. Jansie wanted to make a living by doing a small job but Sophie used to dream of becoming an actress. Jansie was serious in life whereas Sophie was absolutely not.

Sophie’s father was like any normal middle class father. He had gained a lot of experience in life by working hard. His temperament was different from rest of the family members because Sophie was not mature by age and she still used to act childish. Her father didn’t like her dreaming and discussions of becoming a big star one day. Even though Sophie’s father was not financially strong, he does not miss a soccer match or going to the pub for his hobbies.

Sophie trusted her brother Geoff more than anyone else because he kept secrets and other stuff to himself and did not tell anyone. The main reason for this was that he was introvert and was lost in himself. Derek also used to make fun of her and his father was short tempered who did not entertain such things. From her perspective, Geoff symbolises an elder brother who has grown up and visited places unknown to her. As an elder brother he also warns Sophie from dreaming of Danny Casey because he knows that she will land into trouble when his sister is faced with bitter truth of life.

Sophie belongs to a lower middle class family who could hardly meet necessities of daily life. Luxury was a distant thing for them. This story shows that she lived in a normal house. She had a bed and a stove in the same room with lots of dirty clothes lying on floor. His brother Derek also used to make fun of her for strange dreams. Geoff was an apprentice mechanic and his father too didn’t have a very good job. And keeping all these things in mind, dreams of becoming an actress or opening a boutique used to take Sophie far away from reality. Only a miracle could make her dreams come true.

Everyone has the right to dream but Sophie should have had dreams that could come true considering her financial background. First she should have tried to strengthen her financial background and supported her father. However, her focus was only on weaving dreams of opening a boutique, becoming an actress or going on dates with celebrities. Jansie tried a lot to bring her on the right path, but those things were rarely understood by her. Sophie also dreamed of dating Danny Casey and discussed these things in the family as well. She felt scared but happy inside that a celebrity liked her or came to meet her. However, some people understand only by stumbling in life and Sophie was one of those. This was the reason when she waited for Danny the next week and he did not come, she was very disappointed and felt sad. All thoughts, good and bad, were always running in her mind. Day dreaming had become a habit.

Teenage is when the child steps out of the world of toys and is welcomed by the reality outside. Books give him knowledge and his future stands in front of him, from which the decision to choose is up to him. Children at this age have different types of dreams and they try to fulfill them. But most children have dreams that are unrealistic. They don’t know the struggles of real life and what the difference is between dreams and reality. Like Sophie had a dream to become an actress but she didn’t have money to go to acting school or open a boutique, because she was from a lower middle class family and she could not fulfill her dream even after taking loan. Or someone has a dream that he should become the Prime Minister of the country and serve the nation but he does not have money to contest elections. We call such dreams as unrealistic dreams.
If you have a desire in your heart that’s so strong you dream of it night and day, its certain that the dream will come true. The only thing you require is to have a zeal or passion to achieve it. There should be dreams in life for which we are firm and concentrated to achieve. Another aspect of dreaming leads to the destruction of teenagers is that it sometimes leads them to despair, depression or suicide. If there is mental stress due to dreaming of any kind, it is obviously a deal of loss.