Back to: Andhra Pradesh Board Class 9th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
“The Accidental tourist” by Bill Bryson is a humorous story about the frustation of an explorer, and the ways he encounters chaos in his everyday life. The writer appears to be optimistic and humorous, who does not mind in highlighting his foolishness. His patience is also highlighted in this story as he doesn’t become intemperate (showing lack of self-control) after loosing the opportunity to visit Bali after the refusal of the airline.
Not a Good Living
The author begins by admitting that he is not very good at living in the real world. He describes his trouble and struggle in performing the easiest tasks, which other people seem to accomplish with great ease.
He visits the hotel desk multiple times to assure his room number whenever he stays at a hotel. Besides finding difficulties while staying in a hotel, he also finds trouble in locating lavatories at cinema halls. He admits that he is a confused minded personality.
Trip to England
He continues to narrate one of his stories about his family trip on Easter that they were travelling to England for a week and were checking in at the Logan Airport in Boston. He realised that he had joined British Airways’ flyer programme and the card was in the bag which he was carrying around his neck. It was the beginning of his difficulties.
He describes that the zip of the bag got stuck and the author had no other option left with him so he pulled at it harder. Suddenly the side of the bag flew open and the material kept inside it was scattered all over the floor. It consisted of his passport, a hundred pages of documents, English money, film and a 14-ounce tin of pipe Tobacco.
He was tensed on the thought of his tobacco that how expensive it would be in England. He then discovers a cut in his finger after he tried hard to open the zip of his bag. Because of his own confusion, the people around him also got confuse. Once he bent to tie his shoe lace and someone pushed his seat back. He got pinned to the floor and caught the leg of the man near him.
His Other Bad Experiences
Another instance of his bad experience was on an occasion, when he knocked soft drinks on the lap of a lady not once but twice.
His worst experience was on the day, when he was travelling on a plane flight and talking to a lady, sitting in the next seat. He had his pen in his mouth as he was writing his thoughts, and unfortunately the pen leaked resulting him getting embarrassed once again.
The author did not get his flyers miles because he lost his card on time. He must fly 1,00,000 miles a year but he could only gather 212 miles from twenty-three airlines. The reason behind all these confusions was because of his forgetfulness of asking for the air miles. Sometimes ,the airline did not record these and the airline clerk informed him that he was not entitled to them.
When he hoped to flew to Australia to get about million miles, the airline clerk informed him that he was not entitled to them, because the ticket was in the name of B. Bryson while the card was in the name of W. Bryson. Even after explaining that Bill and William are hardly different, the clerk did not accept that.
At the end, the author did not get his air miles
The Accidental Tourist Questions and Answers Class 11
