Refund by Fritz Karinthy
This humorous one-act play "Refund" has been written by a famous Hungarian playwright Fritz Karinthy in the year 1938. This one-act play has been adapted and translated by the American playwright Percival Wilde. This play is an absurd and satirical play that has satirized the present day education system, which is quite backward to prepare good students for the future. Here in this play, we find an extraordinary situation that has created extreme humour. This play is based on the theme of wit and unity. This play is about a former student of a school in Hungary named Wasserkopf who goes back to his school in which he had studied and demands a refund of the tuition fees he had paid eighteen years back claiming that he had learnt nothing useful at school and he is now good for nothing. This play has shown the fine ability of teachers to manage the situation and how they tackle Wasserkopf without spoiling the reputation of their school.
Summary
Wasserkopf, a former student, unexpectedly returns to his old school. He had gone there nearly eighteen years before. He enters the Principal’s office with arrogance. He tells the Principal his name. He gives a negative response to the Principal’s questions. He informs him of his failures and demands a refund of the tuition fees he paid for his education eighteen years ago. He believes he has not gotten his money’s worth and knowledge from their education. He expresses his and his friend Leaderer’s feelings about him. He demands a re-examination and threatens the Principal with a complaint to the education minister if his request is denied.
The Principal asks him to wait and convenes an emergency meeting of the masters. They have a serious discussion about the issue. The masters decide to give him the test and ask him simple questions. They decide to assist one another by declaring his incorrect answers correct.
Wasserkopf confronts each teacher one at a time. To irritate them, he refers to them as loafers. He calls them derogatory names and responds inanely. The teachers accept his responses positively. He has been gifted with excellent patriarchal manners, gentlemanliness, courtesy, physical culture, alertness, perseverance, logic, and ambition.
He faces history teacher with a simple question. “How long was the ‘Thirty Years’ War?” In his first question, he answers incorrectly as ‘seven meters’. Through their reasonings, both the History and Mathematics masters prove his answer correct.
The Physics master then asks him a simple question about optical illusions. In response, Wasserkopf refers to the master as an ass. However, with proper reasoning, his answer is accepted as the correct answer. The Geography teacher asks him to say the capital city of Brunswick, a German province. The answer, according to Wasserkopf, is “Same.” It is claimed by the masters to be the correct answer.
The Mathematics master then asks a meaningless question about the circumference of a polyhedron with 109° sides. Even the data used in the calculation is meaningless. According to Wasserkopf, the answer is 2629 litres. The master becomes enraged when he realizes his answer to a simple question is incorrect.
The master then instructs Wasserkopf to calculate the amount of fees to be refunded. He describes it as a difficult question. Wasserkopf computes the total and provides an exact answer.
Each teacher questions him and justifies his incorrect answers as correct, and they all give him high marks. Even though Wasserkopf gives incorrect answers and uses abusive language toward each master, they do not show their displeasure because they must prove him to be an excellent student to expel him. Finally, his masters declare him excellent and expel him from school.
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BEFORE YOU READ
a. Will you demand your tuition fees back from the school if you don't get any job in the future?
Answer:
No, I won't. I am not a fool to demand my tuition fees back from the school for being unable to get a job. I don't want to be the worst person like Wasserkopf.
b. What do you want to be after getting education?
Answer:
I want to be a good person with a good job after getting education. I want to establish myself in the social sectors too. I will try my best to help miserable people.
c. Does one's certificate show the talent of that person?
Answer:
No, it doesn't. Talent is related to the inner art or knowledge of the person. Talent remains lifetime and leads anyone towards perfection. A certificate can never judge hidden talents of a person.
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Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. Why does Wasserkopf demand a refund of his tuition fees from the school?
Answer:
Wasserkopf demands a refund of his tuition fees from the school because he claims that he didn't learn anything from the school and his 18 years education made him nothing but an incompetent ass.
b. Why does Wasserkopf consider himself good for nothing?
Answer:
Wasserkopf considers himself good for nothing because his school taught him nothing and he becomes failure many times in his life in the matter of getting a job too.
c. What did the teachers decide to do when Wasserkopf asked for a refund?
Answer:
The teachers approved Wasserkopf's request for a re-examination and pass him in all subjects. even if his answers were incorrect. They agreed to prove Wasserkopf's answers to their questions correct.
d. Why did Wasserkopf give ridiculous answers? Why did the teachers accept these answers?
Answer:
Wasserkopf gave ridiculous answers so that he could fail the exam by any means necessary and receive a refund. Teachers accepted his answers because they wanted him to pass the exam to preserve the school's reputation.
e. How does the Mathematics Master describe Wasserkopf's character?
Answer:
The Mathematics Master describes Wasserkopf's character as a sly and crafty individual who intends to deliberately fail his exam in order to recoup his tuition fee. He is a unique individual who irritates all of the teachers with his abusive language.
f. How did the teachers outwit Wasserkopf?
Answer:
He gave wrong and ridiculous answers to fail the test. But the teachers were cleverer than him. After asking Wasserkopf the easy question, the mathematics teacher said that he failed the exam and asked him to calculate the amount the school had to refund. He did it very well. The mathematics teachers said that he solved the difficult question as he was a mathematical genius. The teachers declared that he passed the exam. In this way, they outwitted Wasserkopf.
g. What is the final judgment on Waserkopf's demand of refund?
Answer:
Waserkopf's demand of refund is rejected finally. The principal declares that Wasserkopf has passed the re-examination with distinction in every subject, and has again shown that he is entitled to the certificate they awarded him on his graduation.
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Reference to the context
a. Read the extract from the play given below and answer the questions that follow:
"It's possible I've changed. What the hell...! Your class records will show I've got a right to come here."
i. Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking to?
☞ Wasserkopf is the speaker. He's speaking to the principal of his former school.
ii. Why is the speaker say these words?
☞ The speaker says these words because he is dissatisfied with his educational records from his previous school, which he obtained eighteen years ago.
iii. Where is the speaker at this moment?
☞ The speaker is in the Principal's office at this moment.
b. Read the extract dialogue given below and answer the questions that follow:
"THE STAFF: (bowing, heartily) How do you do?
WASSERKOPF: Who the hell are you? Sit down, you loafers! (He grins, waiting to be thrown out!
THE PRINCIPAL: How dare you- "
i. What is to be the response to 'How do you do?"
☞ 'How do you do?' is to be the response to 'How do you do?'.
ii. Is Wasserkopf's response polite enough to the staff?
☞ No, Wasserkopf's response to the staff isn't polite enough. He uses derogatory language against them.
iii. How does Wasserkopf rebuke the staff?
☞ Wasserkopf rebukes the staff, calling them "loafers" and asking. "Who the hell are you?"
iv. What does the principal mean by "How dare you -"?
☞ The Principal is expressing his anger or indignation towards Wasserkopf's abusive remarks about masters when he says, "How dare you-".
c. Explain the following line of the play: "Because I didn't get my money's worth, that's why!"
☞This line was spoken by the main character of the play, Wasserkopf. In this line, Wasserkopf explains his reason for his arrival and demand of a refund to the school's principal. He claims he has learnt nothing in school because of constant failure and rejection from jobs. He thinks himself good for nothing. He is fired from the job and is in financial crisis. Wasserkopf is, therefore, justified in claiming for a refund. He adds that a re-examination will prove that his demand is valid.
d. What is the theme of the play?
☞ This play is a satire on today's educational system, which has failed to prepare students for their career. It deals with the theme of uselessness of theoretical knowledge. This play showcases teachers' wit in the face of an ill-natured old pupil Wasserkopf who returns to his old school with an absurd demand of a refund as he has got nothing reading there.
e. Sketch the character of Wasserkopf.
☞ Wasserkopt is a forty year-old poor and greedy man who was born in Hungary. He is a short-tempered man who has been fired several times for his bad manners and rude behaviour. Wasserkopf seems to be the type of person who does not do his duty and blames others. While at school, he just wanted to pass and did not study well. He does not even know about foreign exchange. That is why he did not get a good job. He himself says he is good for nothing. Wasserkopf also sounds like an undisciplined man with no good manners. He does not respect his teachers and uses bad words and derogatory language with them. He thinks that he is clever enough to get the refund but because of his foolishness and stupidity, he falls in his Mathematics teacher's trap.
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Reference beyond the text
a. The play is a satire on the present day education system. Do you think that our education system does not prepare students for life? Discuss.
☞ Yes, I believe that our educational system does not adequately prepare students for life. I think that our education system has some loopholes. Our education system is based on memorization. Students hardly learn skills useful for real life. But today's students also do not care about real knowledge. They just want to pass the exams with good marks rather than learning. Courses are more theoretical than practical. Our curriculum doesn't prepare us for our future struggle and survival. For example, we are taught the things which are useless in our real life. It makes students dull and less creative in practical life. Hence, sadly it is true that our education system does not prepare us for life.
b. Our education system focuses on memorization rather than creative thinking. Do you think the knowledge imparted by education may not have practical relevance in one's day- to-day life? Who do you blame for this?
☞ Yes. I believe that the knowledge imparted by education may not be practical in daily life. Our education system is more based on memorization than on learning the skills useful for real life. I think that our government is mainly responsible for the cause. The government should make curriculum more practical than theoretical so that the students can learn the thing practically rather than from writing into the papers. Students are focused on remembering than in doing the things creatively. Creativity has no place in their lives. They just want to pass the exams with good marks rather than learning. Students too are responsible for this because they are doing the things blindly whatever they are said and taught without focusing on learning things practically. They are doing their job as an elephant in a circus. Thus, I blame the government and the students for this.
c. Most of the students want to learn just for examination rather than knowledge. Do you think that certificate will help them in their future career?
☞ It's true that most of the students want to learn just for examination rather than knowledge. They want to get higher marks only by hook or crook. But that certificate won't help them in their future career. Students who only prepare for exams won't enjoy credentials throughout their future careers. They're far from the concept of knowledge, but they trust quick solutions to pass their exams. The method they have chosen doesn't benefit their future. Since certificates never demonstrate genuine knowledge or skills, true knowledge will certainly be lacking in the future. Many certificate holders don't get proper job due to insufficient skill and hence they are forced to do manual jobs in foreign countries although they have degree in Nepal. By this we can say that the certificate is just a piece of paper and gaining certificate by memorizing rather than learning would lead a person to a dead end.
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