Essay Narayan
Building the Prose Essay
How does the writer make the red-faced American in R.K. Narayan’s ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ particularly memorable? Support your ideas with careful reference to the writer’s words.
Plans
The writer at work
Points and Evidence
The Question
R.K. Narayan, the writer, the author, the narrator (third person narration):
Writes, describes, says, conveys, invokes, depicts, connotes, tells us, and communicates.
We/us/ the reader:
Senses, feels, understands, knows, invites feelings of…
Themes of clashing cultures and tradition.
From Muni, the protagonist’s perspective, the American is a ‘red-faced man’, a ‘foreigner’ and ‘the stranger’.
Narayan depicts a tourist/business man who is culturally misplaced.
Humour through misunderstanding used by the writer in the dialogue entertains the reader.
From the comfortable perspective of the ‘red-faced American’ the statue is a trophy he must have.
Arrogance, expecting Muni to know English. Why did he not speak Tamil?
From Muni’s humble world of struggle and poverty, this would never make sense.
Language techniques used in the dialogue to enhance humour: punctuation, hyperbole or technical language of business?
The ‘red-faced American’
‘foreigner’, ‘red-faced’ ‘American’ ‘stranger’
‘particularly memorable’ –
What do I remember first when I recall this story?
Cultural misunderstanding and the language barrier.
Economic situation:
Rich country/poor country
Business, profit, comfort verses an existence of eking out a daily living for survival.
Humour: the ‘value’ of the statue.
The ‘American’ views the statue as a commodity to be bought, and taken away, to bring him status at home.
Muni sees a fixed structure that reflects stories, traditions and religion. He assumes the ‘foreigner’ wants to buy the goats.
The red-faced man’s appearance in ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is made memorable through R.K. Narayan’s use of the themes of culture and tradition. Writing from the perspective of the
How does the writer make the red-faced American in R.K. Narayan’s ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ particularly memorable? Support your ideas with careful reference to the writer’s words.
Plans
The writer at work
Points and Evidence
The Question
R.K. Narayan, the writer, the author, the narrator (third person narration):
Writes, describes, says, conveys, invokes, depicts, connotes, tells us, and communicates.
We/us/ the reader:
Senses, feels, understands, knows, invites feelings of…
Themes of clashing cultures and tradition.
From Muni, the protagonist’s perspective, the American is a ‘red-faced man’, a ‘foreigner’ and ‘the stranger’.
Narayan depicts a tourist/business man who is culturally misplaced.
Humour through misunderstanding used by the writer in the dialogue entertains the reader.
From the comfortable perspective of the ‘red-faced American’ the statue is a trophy he must have.
Arrogance, expecting Muni to know English. Why did he not speak Tamil?
From Muni’s humble world of struggle and poverty, this would never make sense.
Language techniques used in the dialogue to enhance humour: punctuation, hyperbole or technical language of business?
The ‘red-faced American’
‘foreigner’, ‘red-faced’ ‘American’ ‘stranger’
‘particularly memorable’ –
What do I remember first when I recall this story?
Cultural misunderstanding and the language barrier.
Economic situation:
Rich country/poor country
Business, profit, comfort verses an existence of eking out a daily living for survival.
Humour: the ‘value’ of the statue.
The ‘American’ views the statue as a commodity to be bought, and taken away, to bring him status at home.
Muni sees a fixed structure that reflects stories, traditions and religion. He assumes the ‘foreigner’ wants to buy the goats.
The red-faced man’s appearance in ‘A Horse and Two Goats’ is made memorable through R.K. Narayan’s use of the themes of culture and tradition. Writing from the perspective of the