Unit

3
Two Stories About Flying
1. His First Flight
2. The Black Aeroplane
 His First Flight
Liam O’ Flaherty
• An Irish novelist, who was born on August 28, 1896 in
Ireland, was also a short story writer, whose works
combine brutal naturalism, psychological analysis,
poetry and biting satire with an abiding respect for the
courage and persistence of the Irish.
• Best-selling novels: ‘The Informer’ and ‘Return of the
Brute’.
• Major figure in the Irish literary renaissance.
•
 Introduction

‘His first flight’ by Liam O’Flaherty, an Irish novelist, a major figure in the Irish
literary renaissance, wrote an interesting swing of hesitations, trials and errors and
finally achieving success in the art of flying at the end, proving the maxim
“The journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step”.
 His First Flight
THE young seagull was alone on his ledge. His
two brothers and his sister had already flown away the day
before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow
when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the
ledge and attempted to flap his wings he became afraid.
The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and it
was such a long way down — miles down. He felt certain
that his wings would never support him; so he bent his
head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge
where he slept at night.
Seagull: a bird that lives near the sea and has short legs, long wings, and white and grey feathers
Ledge: a narrow horizontal shelf projecting from a wall or (here) a cliff
Brink: edge, verge; Expanse: region
 Even when each of his brothers and his little
sister, whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran
to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he
failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which
appeared to him so desperate. His father and mother
had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him,
threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew
away. But for the life of him he could not move.
That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then
nobody had come near him. The day before, all day
long, he had watched his parents flying about with his
brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight,
teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive
for fish.
 He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his
first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his
parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all
the morning the whole family had walked about on the
big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting
him with his cowardice.
The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on
his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because
he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.
He stepped slowly out to the brink of the
ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg
hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the
other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took
no notice of him.
 He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on
the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their
necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white
back. Only his mother was looking at him. She was
standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white
breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a
piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each
side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food
maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way,
scrapping his beak now and again to whet it.
“Ga, ga, ga,” he cried begging her to bring him some
food. “Gaw-col-ah,” she screamed back derisively. But
he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so he
uttered a joyful scream.
 His mother had picked up a piece of the fish
and was flying across to him with it. He leaned out
eagerly, tapping the rock with his feet, trying to get
nearer to her as she flew across. But when she was just
opposite to him, she halted, her wings motionless, the
piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his
beak. He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why
she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by
hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream he fell
outwards and downwards into space. Then a
monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still.
He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute. The
next moment he felt his wings spread outwards.
 The wind rushed against his breast feathers,
then under his stomach, and against his wings. He could
feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was
not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually
downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He
just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and
he soared upwards. “Ga, ga, ga, Ga, ga, ga, Gaw-col-ah,”
his mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud
noise. He answered her with another scream. Then his
father flew over him screaming. He saw his two brothers
and his sister flying around him curveting and banking
and soaring and diving. Then he completely forgot that
he had not always been able to fly, and commended
himself to dive and soar and curve, shrieking shrilly.
 He was near the sea now, flying straight over it,
facing straight out over the ocean. He saw a vast green sea
beneath him, with little ridges moving over it and he
turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly. His
parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this
green flooring ahead of him. They were beckoning to him,
calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green
sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and
attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was
tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise,
exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the
green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no
farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family
was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering
him scraps of dog-fish. He had made his first flight.
Summar “His First Flight” by “Liam O’ Flaherty” is about a young seagull
y who is afraid to fly. All his younger siblings despite their much
shorter wings flew fearlessly while he could not gather the courage
to trust his own wings. The young seagull becomes sad when he
sees his parents perfecting his younger siblings in the art of flying.
His parents scold and taunt him for not even trying. They even call
him a “coward”. They tell him a lot to at least try and also threaten
him to leave him alone and hungry if he does not. The following
day, he is left in isolation and upon feeling hungry; he tries to seek
the attention of his family members. Only his mother, who is
withering a fish in an attempt to eat it, notices his son. The young
seagull cries out of starvation hoping his mother would help. On
seeing his mother come to him with the fish, he gets excited. But
on noticing that his mother stopped mid-way, he gets maddened
out of hunger and takes a dive at the fish, forgetting for a moment
that he is afraid to fly. Finally, he took his first flight. All the family
members celebrate his victory by cheering and dancing around
him. He also attempts at floating in the sea that he was once afraid
of. Thus, he overcomes his fear and realizes that it is all in the
Mind-Map • A young seagull: a pessimistic, coward and unconfident, was afraid
of flying, seeing the vast expanse of the sea fearing that his wings
won't support him.
• His brothers and sister had already flown away even with shorter
wings.
• His parents, brothers and sister encouraged, scolded, tempted and
taunted him to make his first flight. But he could not collect
enough courage to fly.
• He was left alone for twenty four hours and he ate nothing.
• He was extremely hungry. His brothers and sister were taking a
light nap. His father was preening his feathers and his mother was
looking at him. He begged her for food.
• She picked up a piece of fish and flew across him. The sight of the
food maddened him. He dived.
• He cried and screamed. His wings opened up automatically. He
flapped his wings and enjoyed diving, soaring, curveting.
• He was joined by his family in his first flight. His family praised him
for his efforts and offered him scraps of dog fish skimming the
waves of the sea.
 Thinking about the Text
1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to
make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others?
2. Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
3. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled
the young seagull to finally fly?
4. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and
mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?
5. Have you ever had a similar experience, where your parents encouraged you to
do something that you were too scared to try? Discuss this in pairs or groups.
6. In the case of a bird flying, it seems a natural act, and a foregone conclusion that
it should succeed. In the examples you have given in answer to the previous
question, was your success guaranteed, or was it important for you to try,
regardless of a possibility of failure?