Chapter 11 of Class 9 English textbook – Beehive – is a prose piece titled If I Were You. It begins with the playwright, Gerrard, as he prepares to leave home for a rehearsal. He lives alone in his cottage until an intruder breaks in with the goal of murdering Gerrard. Is the invader thus successful? Students in Class 9 may read the prose summary of CBSE Class 9 English Prose Notes – If I Were You in CBSE English Notes Class 9 format to learn what happened in the chapter. We hope that this overview will be beneficial to students as they prepare for their examinations.
Students may also learn how to write an excellent essay during the test by reading the writings at SkillYogi
CBSE Class 9 English notes will assist students in studying the topic thoroughly and clearly.
These CBSE Class 9 English notes were written by subject experts who made the study material very basic, both in terms of language and format.
Introduction
Introduction to the Chapter
If I Were You is an interesting play that contains elements of mystery, suspense, surprise, and humour.
It is a tale about an Intruder who intends to murder Gerrard and impersonate him in order to evade the law, but finds himself trapped due to Gerrard’s presence of mind.
Thus, the play demonstrates how intelligence and mental presence can assist us in resolving even the most puzzling situations.
If I Were You Summary in English
If I Were You is Gerrard’s tale as a cultured playwright. He is somewhat of an enigma. He is not a social person; he lives alone in a remote cottage in the Essex countryside, places his orders over the phone, and never meets the tradesmen.
The play begins with Gerrard taking a phone call from a client to whom he has promised to deliver the rehearsal props.
He is busy packing for this trip when a flashily dressed Intruder enters the room, wearing an overcoat and a soft hat and holding a revolver in his hand.
However, before he can surprise Gerrard, the Intruder accidentally bumps into a table, alerting Gerrard to his presence.
Gerrard, not to be outdone, attempts to ascertain the identity of the Intruder when the latter threatens him with dire consequences if his questions are not answered.
The Intruder declares that he has come to learn more about Gerrard, not to tell him about himself.
The Intruder, who resembles Gerrard somewhat, wishes to murder Gerrard and then steal his identity. He is a jewel thief who intends to use Gerrard’s house and car for his schemes.
He can evade the police and live a peaceful life by assuming his identity.
The Intruder continues to astound Gerrard by stating that he has taken note of his (Gerrard’s) manner of speech and has taken care to adopt a physical resemblance to him as well.
He needs to change his identity because cops are looking for him on suspicion of murdering one of their colleagues.
He also tells Gerrard how he learned about him and his habit of remaining aloof by overhearing two people conversing.
However, it is the cunning Gerrard who has the final laugh when he dupes the Intruder into believing that he, too, is fleeing from the law.
He informs the Intruder that one of his men has been apprehended.
He predicts trouble that evening. That is why he is prepared to flee. He’s prepared a disguise outfit, complete with fake moustaches and other accessories.
He adds that he has stationed a man on the road to contact him if he sees police.
The Intruder appears to have succumbed.
Gerrard informs the Intruder that the telephone bell may be the Informer’s call.
He completely fools the Intruder by requiring him to check outside before they escape to ensure that everything is safe.
He tricks him into staring into a dark cupboard, creating the illusion that it leads to the garage. Gerrard shoves the Intruder into the cupboard, knocking the revolver from his grasp.
While the Intruder continues to rattle the door and shout, “Let me out!” Gerrard gets to work.
He answers a phone call calmly, apologising for his inability to deliver stage props in time for rehearsal. Simultaneously, he requests that the caller dispatch the sergeant to his location.
While he is doing this, he is guarding the cupboard with the Intruder’s revolver.
Gerrard is so taken aback by this incident that he uses it as the basis for his next play.
ENTRY OF THE INTRUDER
Gerrard was on the phone when the intruder (a criminal) entered the room armed with a gun.
Gerrard was taken aback by this, but he maintained his composure and did not panic.
He attempted to enquire about his identity but he refused. The intruder was very interested in learning Gerrard’s full name.
He also inquired about his habits, his speaking style, and his extracurricular activities. Gerrard was taken aback to discover that the intruder knew a few details about him.
SURPRISE TO GERRARD
Gerrard interacted with the intruder and discovered that the intruder intended to kill him and steal his identity.
He was a jewel thief who was being pursued by police for allegedly murdering a cop.
GERRARD MADE A FALSE STORY
When Gerrard discovered the intruder’s intent, he concocted a false tale to save himself and capture the intruder.
He informed the intruder that he was unable to assassinate him because he himself was wanted by the police.
He made it seem real by informing him that he, too, is being followed by the police and must live in isolation.
INTRUDER FELL INTO THE STORY OF GERRARD
The intruder initially disbelieved Gerrard, but the decorative items and materials used for appearances compelled him to believe him. As a result, he decided to flee in his car with Gerrard.
Gerrard shoved him into the cupboard rather than taking him into the garage. Then he called a friend and requested that he send a cop to his house.
Gerrard
If I Were You’s protagonist, Gerrard, is portrayed as a man of many virtues. He possesses a brilliant wit, a razor-sharp mind, intelligent reasoning, and a sense of humour.
All of these characteristics, combined with his ability to maintain a level head, enable him to deal with even the most life-threatening situations with ease and success.
Gerrard is associated with theatre. He is a playwright who also performs in and provides props for theatrical productions.
He is not a social person; he lives alone in a distant location cottage in the Essex countryside, places his orders over the phone, and never meets the tradesmen. This is probably because he enjoys writing in solitude.
Gerrard is a refined and cultured gentleman who maintains his composure in even the most trying situations. He is unbothered by the sight of an Intruder and speaks to him very courteously and pleasantly.
His sense of humour frequently irritates the Intruder. He characterises the situation as melodramatic and himself as a sympathetic audience member.
Even when confronted with a potentially deadly situation, Gerrard maintains his composure and sets a trap for the Intruder.
He skillfully manages the situation with the Intruder. He convinces the Intruder that he, too, is a wanted criminal, and the two can flee together.
Everything comes naturally and spontaneously to him, and the Intruder falls unknowingly into his trap.
Gerrard’s wit not only defeats the Intruder and saves his own life, but also assists the police in apprehending a Wanted criminal. Indeed, Gerrard’s calm, composed body language serves as a foil to the villainous Intruder, who is tense and agitated.
Intruder
The Intruder is a wanted criminal. His “expertise” is jewel heists. He is being sought by the police.
As a result, he is on the lookout for a secure hiding place. The villainous scoundrel devises an ingenious scheme to evade the police.
As cold-blooded as he is, he has devised a cunning plan to accomplish his objective. He intends to assassinate Gerrard and take over his identity.
He is intelligent and has chosen Gerrard because he recognises that he is a bit of a mystery man – a recluse – and that they share a similar physical appearance. He decides to take advantage of these facts.
The Intruder is a thief who has surprised the police since he murdered a cop.
He demonstrates no remorse for the crime he committed. Indeed, he is sinking deeper into the quagmire of criminal activity by killing Gerrard and stealing his identity.
The Intruder is a bumbling idiot. This is most likely due to his heightened state of alertness and agitation.
He enters Gerrard’s cottage quietly but bangs his head against a table by accident. This serves as a warning to Gerrard of his presence. As a result, he is unable to surprise him.
Finally, he goes to inspect what is actually a cupboard but is mislabeled as a garage by Gerrard and becomes trapped.
The Intruder mimics American speech patterns. “Raise those paws!” Gerrard, amused, inquires, “Are you American, or is that a clever imitation?” This demonstrates that he either watches a lot of Hollywood films or reads a lot of crime fiction.
Outro
SOLVED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS NCERT SOLVED QUESTIONS
1. “At last a sympathetic audience.”
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does he say it?
(iii) Is he sarcastic or serious?
Answer : (i) Gerrard says this.
(ii) He says it because the intruder had asked him to talk about himself.
(iii) He was being sarcastic. The audience, i.e. the intruder was in no ways sympathetic. In fact, he cold Gerrard, at gunpoint, to talk about himself so that he could use the information to further his own interests.
2. Why does the intruder choose Gerrard as the man whose identity he wants to take on?
Answer: The intruder chooses Gerrard as the man whose identity he wanted to rake on because he was of the same build as Gerrard. Also, Gerrard lived alone and did not meet a lot of people.
3. “I said it with bullets”.
(i) Who says this?
(ii) What does it mean?
(iii) Is it the truth? What is the speaker’s reason for saying this?
Answer : (i) Gerrard says this.
(ii) It means that when things had went wrong with him, he shooted someone.
(iii) No, it was not the truth. Gerrard said so because he wanted the intruder to believe that he too was dangerous. The intruder would have killed him if he had not lied about his identity.
He told him that he himself was a crook; that he had also killed someone and escaped. However, his partner had been caught and he had not burnt
the papers that should have been burnt.
Therefore, the cops were after him too and this meant that the intruder would still not be safe even after taking on his identity.
4. What is Gerrard’s profession? Quote the parts of the play that support your answer
Answer: Gerrard could have been a theatrical artist, perhaps a playwright. There are several parts in the play which suggest that he had something to do with theatre.
When he saw the intruder, he said, “This is all very melodramatic, not very original, perhaps, but. .. ”
When the intruder asked him to talk about himself, he said, “At last a sympathetic audience!”.
He also asked the intruder, “Are you American or is that merely a clever imitation?”. When the intruder had told him his plan of killing him and taking over his identity, he said, “In most melodramas the villain is foolish enough to delay his killing long enough to be frustrated.”
Later, he again said, “I said, you were luckier than most melodramatic villains.”
When he told the intruder about his false identity in order to save himself, he told him ‘’That’s a disguise outfit; false moustaches and what not.” Finally, after locking him up, he answered the phone and said that he can’t send the props in time for rehearsal. He also said that he was in a tough situation and may put in his next play.
5. “You’ll soon stop being smart”.
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does the speaker say it?
(iii) What, according to the speaker, will stop Gerrard from being smart?
Answer: (i) The intruder says this.
(ii) The speaker (intruder) said this as Gerrard was not anxious or upset at his breaking into his house. Moreover, he was completing the words whenever the intruder fumbled.
(iii) According to the intruder, Gerrard would stop being smart when he would know what was going to happen to him. The intruder’s plan was to kill Gerrard and take on his identity.
6. “They can’t hang me twice”.
(i) Who says this?
(ii) Why does that speaker say it?
Answer: (i) The intruder says this.
(ii) The intruder had been telling Gerrard that he had murdered one man and that he would not shy away from murdering him too. This is because the police could not hang him twice for two murders.
7. “A mystery I propose to explain.” What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
Answer: The mystery that Gerrard proposed to explain was the story that Gerrard himself was a criminal like the intruder. When things went wrong with him, he had
committed a murder and got away.
Unfortunately, one of his man had been arrested and certain things were found which his man should have burnt. Due to this, he was expecting some trouble that night and therefore his bag was packed and he was ready to escape
8. “This is your big surprise.”
(i) Where has this been said in the play?
(ii) What is the surprise?
Answer: (i) The given line was spoken twice in the play. First, it was spoken by the intruder when he revealed to Gerrard why he was there and what he was going to do with him. On the second occasion, it was spoken by Gerrard when he was about to reveal his made up story to the intruder.
(ii) When the intruder said this line, the surprise was that he was going to kill Gerrard and take on his identity. When Gerrard said this line, the surprise was that he too was a criminal like the intruder.