Progress: "Love and Peace Can Make The World Heaven" John Milton

PROGRESS
Q: What is the significance of the title of the play ‘Progress’?

Ans: The word progress means establishment and advancement but St. John Ervine has
used it ironically. He mocks at the attitude of war-mongers. Professor Henry Corrie is a
pioneer scientist who has invented a new formula which will lead him to invent the most
destructive bomb to be used in the next wars. He thinks that his invention is progress but
devastation. The play has also sufficiently exposed the motive behind the wars which is
to perpetuate and extend he class interest of the war-mongering imperialists and
exploiters, who sits safe and secure far behind the fighting lanes, when the poor sacrifice
their lives in the trenches.
Q: What is the central idea of the play progress?
Ans.: ‘Progress’ by St. John Ervine is a powerful anti-war play. The writer conveys he
notion of pacifism i-e the love of peace and to abolish war. The war in general is always
tragic. The devastating effects of war are widely spread and can be long term and it
includes mass destruction. War is not the solution but it expands issues. It brings
annihilation, the merciless butchery, disability for life and leave many mothers childless
and incredible number of widows and orphans. Through the play ‘Progress’, the writer
advocates for peace to save the succeeding generation from the scourge of war.
“Love and peace can make the world heaven”
John Milton
Q: What is plot? Write down the plot of the play ‘Progress’
Ans. The plot is the sequence of events in the story or drama. It tells how the story
develops, unfolds and moves in time. It consists of exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action and resolution. When the play begins we see Professor Corrie eager to tell
the news of his new invention to his sister Mrs. Meldon. In the rising action we come to
know through a maid-servant that Mrs. Meldon painful at heart due to the death of her
husband and son in the war. Professor reveals his devastating invention to his sister
which she denounces and there is an exchange of dialogues between which creates
conflict too. The climax comes when she goes to destroy the invention of her brother. In
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the falling action she stabs her brother to death. She kills her brother to save the humanity
is a resolution.
Q: Write the character sketch of Mrs. Meldon.
Ans.: A highly sensitive lady Mrs. Meldon is a true philanthropist. She is a true well-
wisher of humanity. She was against wars, war weapons and war mongers. The death of
her son Eddie in war has altered her life made her kind and sympathetic to all human
beings. She deems war an ‘organized butchery of boys.’ She wants that other boys like
Eddie must not fall prey to horrors of devastating wars. She turns against her own
brother, Professor Corrie, who is intended to spread huge destruction in wars. She calls
her brother fool and condemns his action. She pleads peace and asks her brother to
abolish his invention in the name of humanity. She even does not hesitate to take his life.
Her bereavement has naturally produced in her a strong abhorrence for war and violence.
Q: Write a character of Corrie as a despiser/hater of humanity.

Ans. Professor Corrie is a very greedy scientist. To quench the thirst of greed and lust he
has discovered a formula of a dangerous bomb. It will wipe out big cities in a single
stroke. People will be mutilated and obliterated. It will release gases without colour and
smell. Those who inhale the poisonous gases their body will rot and rust and nothing will
save them. The mass destruction of humanity is no sin to him because he wants to have a
‘lump sum’ against it. When his sister insists on destroying the formula of deadly bomb,
he says, in such case a few cranks and religious maniacs might praise him whereas
average people would call him a fool and damned unpatriotic. Greed and lust of wealth
has turned him not only materialistic and selfish but also a sheer despiser of humanity.
Q: Was Mrs. Meldon justified in killing her brother? Give your considered view.
Ans. When Mrs. Meldon came to know about Corrie’s cruel intention of making the war
stupendously horrible by inventing a deadly bomb, she made him strong appeals to give
up his invention and made it a memorial. She hoped that if he destroyed his formula it
would safe thousands of life and ruled out the fear of huge destruction. She was an
enthusiastic person. She became an extremely emotional when her adamant brother
denied to destroy his invention, she picked up a knife and stabbed her cruel brother to
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death. The stubborn scientist fell dead and all his cruel ambition went with the wind.
Although Mrs. Meldon committed a crime and it seemed to be an act of madness too but
she was justified in doing so as far as humanity is concerned. Therefore, to save the world
from destruction, she was justified in killing Corrie.
Q: Contrast the characters of Mrs. Meldon and professor Corrie, highlighting the
dominant traits of their personalities.
Ans. Progress is a bitter play. It shows the conflict between Pacifism and war-mongering.
Mrs. Meldon is a highly sensitive lady and a true philanthropist. She is a pacifist as she is
against wars, war weapons and war mongers. The death of her husband and son
reinforces her hatred for war. She believes that war is nothing but the game of politicians
who send the soldiers to the battlefields to be killed mercilessly. She is a war antagonist
and deems war to be an organized butchery of boys. On the other hand, her brother,
Professor Corrie, was a very greedy and arrogant scientist. He is a war monger and wants
to bring revolution into the warfare to fetch glittering gold coins. He invents a deadly
bomb and considers it humanitarian invention as he thinks that human beings are
pugnacious by nature and they are ever ready to fight against each other. Therefore, the
purpose of his invention is to make war more expeditious and stupendously horrible. In
this regard Mrs. Meldon calls her brother ‘a dull, unimaginative, bloodless fool’ and
condemns his actions.
Q: True progress means ‘the destroying of the means of destruction.’ Elaborate this
statement in the light of the play ‘progress’.
Ans. The word progress means establishment and advancement and to have a quality life.
We can only get progress in the presence of peace and tranquility. One should discourage
those who promote violence by means of destruction and try to stop them at all levels.
Professor Corrie, a war-monger, invents a sophisticated weapon of mass destruction to
bring an ultimate annihilation and deterioration and calls it a real progress. But Mrs.
Meldon thinks it suitable to nip the evil in the bud before it causes destruction of
humanity. Therefore, she first tries to destroy his formula but when he says it’s of no use
since it is in his mind and will revolutionize warfare, she stabs her brother to death and
eliminates the means of destruction.
Q: What is professor Corrie views about war?
Ans: Professor Henry Corrie is a devoted scientist who spends most of his time in
laboratory trying to make new discoveries. His intention is to make a marvelous
contribution to warfare by developing such a powerful bomb which the war mongers
have never used before. He considers it the most humanitarian invention as blown to
pieces by bomb is more merciful than stabbed to death by a bayonet. According to him
human beings are pugnacious by nature and they are ever ready to fight against each
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other. The possession of this bomb will put one in a dominant position and they can reach
the limits of horror which they have not reached so far in World War I. Therefore, the
purpose of his invention is to end war as soon as it begins. He reveals about his invention
in the following words. “The formula for a bomb that will make war not only more
stupendously horrible, but will end it almost as quickly as it begins.”

Progress: "Love and Peace Can Make The World Heaven" John Milton

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Progress: "Love and Peace Can Make The World Heaven" John Milton

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PROGRESS

Q: What is the significance of the title of the play ‘Progress’?

Q: Write a character of Corrie as a despiser/hater of humanity.

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