Virtually True | Fiction | By Paul Stewart | Gist of the Chapter | Class 10 English #eduvictors

About the title "Virtually True"

The phrase "Virtually True" is an example of an oxymoron, a literary device that combines two contradictory or opposite terms to create a paradoxical effect. In this case, "virtually" suggests something that is almost or nearly true, while "true" implies absolute truth. The juxtaposition of these words creates a thought-provoking or ironic effect, often used to highlight complexity or ambiguity in a situation.

Chapter Summary:

"Virtually True" by Paul Stewart is a fascinating story that blends reality and virtual reality. It’s about a boy named Michael who loves playing computer games. One day, he reads a newspaper article about Sebastian Shultz, a boy who was in a coma after a car accident. Strangely, Michael starts experiencing weird connections to Sebastian through his games.

Michael buys some second-hand game CDs, and when he plays them, he finds himself in situations where he has to rescue a character who looks exactly like Sebastian. In each game, Michael tries to save Sebastian, but something always goes wrong, and Sebastian gets trapped again. It’s almost as if Sebastian is trying to communicate with Michael through the games.

Eventually, Michael realises that Sebastian’s consciousness is stuck in the virtual world of the games. With each attempt, Michael gets closer to freeing him. In the final game, Michael successfully rescues Sebastian, and shortly after, Sebastian wakes up from his coma in real life.

The story explores themes of technology, reality, and the blurred line between the virtual and real worlds. It leaves readers wondering: was it all just a game, or was it virtually true? The ending is open to interpretation, making it a thought-provoking and exciting read!

Gist or Another Chapter Summary:

A young boy named Michael reads a news article about a boy named Sebastian, who miraculously recovered from a coma. Michael feels puzzled because he thinks he’s seen Sebastian before. He remembers meeting Sebastian while playing different ‘psycho-drive games’ like Wild West, Dragon Quest, Jailbreak, and War Zone. In these games, Sebastian, as a computer character, kept asking Michael to rescue him. Michael’s dad, who’s a big computer enthusiast, had bought these games a few months earlier.

Michael recalls that he couldn’t save Sebastian in the earlier games because he didn’t have full control over them. However, the day before, while playing War Zone, he finally managed to rescue Sebastian. This makes Michael curious about how a computer character could be connected to a real person. To solve the mystery, he searches the internet and discovers that Sebastian is a real boy. During the accident that put Sebastian in a coma, his memory got transferred to the laptop he was using to play the same psycho-drive games. When Michael bought those games at a computer fair, he unknowingly encountered Sebastian’s trapped memory.

By completing the final game, War Zone, Michael helped Sebastian recover from his coma. The mystery is solved when Michael receives an email from the real Sebastian, thanking him for the rescue and expressing a wish to meet him in person.

Movie Suggestion Ready Player One (similar to the plot "Virtually True")

Steven Spielberg returns to sci-fi in this story of a young outcast shortly who escapes from his daily drudgery by logging on to an online game called The Oasis. In a virtual treasure hunt, the avid gamer faces off against corporate foes after the prize as well.

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