This is evidenced by the her regrets for seducing Otsu, her failing in her marriage because her husband is the opposite of Otsu, and her epiphany in the Ganges when she discovers the meaning of life that she so desperately longed for. Readers are challenged to consider what they believe gives meaning to their life, and whether or not it has anything to do with religion or a higher…
‘The God of Small Things’, Arundhati Roy’s debut novel is now considered to be a world renowned literary sensation, mainly due to the distorted manner in which the story is told. Roy utilises the subversion of genre, a playful approach to language (especially when Estha and Rahel are concerned) and a complex temporal structure to portray a poetic retelling of “small things” and their importance. To fully appreciate the importance of the primary chapter we must reflect upon it with the rest of the novel in mind due to the non-linear chronology of the narrative.…
The central idea in this story is of a young man slowly losing the meaning of his life as he changes himself to try to make everything in his life fit together. The protagonist is a young Indian man who has moved out of the reservation and into the city (363).…
Siddhartha, the celebrated book by swiss author Hermann Hesse, is acclaimed for its spiritual story arc. Nonetheless, it is also a minefield for symbolic themes such as the recurring water imagery and the omnipresent circle motif. The most important theme however, is unity, as Siddhartha realizes it is the answer to his search for nirvana. Unity is explored in many ways throughout the whole book, but one way in particular stands out: the idea that opposites attract to form balance and symmetry. Hermann Hesse uses the relationships of the titular character in his book to substantiate the concept that opposites attract and the notion that harmony between antipodes is primordial. Siddhartha’s opinions on materialism, enlightenment and wealth vary from that of his friends Kamala, Govinda and Kamaswami, yet they ensure balance between himself and his companions.…
The few first steps are the hardest in the universal journey of life. In Herman Hesse’s book, Siddhartha, the main character named Siddhartha sets out on a life-changing journey striving for enlightenment. Symbolism is used in the story to give a deep understanding of life and wisdom to the reader. Throughout the journey, Siddhartha encounters many events that help him achieve his self-goal. The river, Kamala’s songbird, and the smile are the most impacting symbols that guide Siddhartha to reach his enlightenment and inner peace…
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Like all great journeys, the journey towards gaining wisdom starts with one step, understanding one's self. Self-knowledge is the skillful power that helps one comprehend and control their life in the right path. This is evident in many works of art and literature in which readers see or read that the journey within a character is the greatest and most challenging of all. What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself. Hence, this leads to self enlightenment. An example of this amazing journey is the struggles faced by Samuel from The Amazing Absorbing Boy by Rabindranath Maharaj. Samuel manages to push through the struggles associated with losing his mother, having an uncaring father and immigration to a new country to make a better life for himself. In the process, he grows up significantly. “After the Wedding,” a poem by Marisa Anlin Alps is another literature piece that stresses the importance of being familiar with self identity. The protagonist of the poem realizes the importance of her value within her family only after realizing who she truly is. Self-awareness allows one to have enhanced learning through the experience of failures and success. It enables one to keep growing into a better and more accomplished person. In brief, being confused about who one is and where they belong can lead to an empty, lost feeling. On the contrary, when one starts to proceed down to route to self discovery, he or she also discovers their surrounding and the people in them. Consequently, one will finally find himself or herself in a comfortable and happy place. The admired works of both Rabindranath Maharaj and Marisa Anlin Alps stress how having an insight on self identity is really important because it ultimately leads to independence and success.…
Alexie's sophisticated use of humor unsettles conventional ways of thinking and compels re-evaluation and growth, which ultimately allows Indian characters to connect to their heritage in novel ways and forces non-Indian readers to reconsider simplistic generalizations.…
In today’s society, the issues of fate and free will are hotly debated, drawing in heated discussions of religion, chance, and the extent of free will. While some believe we have a significant amount of control over our lives exercised through free will in our choices, others believe an entirely different power is at hand in controlling our lives. These issues often find themselves associated in literature, with examples such as John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World. Among these books, there are different interpretations on the role of fate and free will in human life. In particular, these three different works of literature express varying shows of balance between fate and free will, and how easily that balance can be changed. Ultimately, it is the decisions made by the different characters, the reasons behind their choices, and the respective consequences that ensue that lead understanding of the different demonstrations of the authors’ interpretations of free will and fate.…
I am writing this paper on the video clip of the amazing catch made by the ball girl. This paper is going to be my perception of the video as I go through the three stages of perception. I will also be explaining my thoughts throughout the three stages of perception while watching the video. In addition, I will in the end be deciding whether or not I believe the video to be true or fake.…
Chimamanda Adichie gave an inspiring speech on the danger of the “single story”. The evident danger of the single story creates stereotypes among large amounts of people that are easily viewed as true. Although some might be true, Adichie explains that any single story about a person, culture or place is incomplete. There are many stories to be told about any place. According to Adichie, one of the main problems of the single story is that it robs people of their dignity. The single story does not give justice to the setting, culture or magnificence of equal human life. It makes a stereotype very easy to hold to the certain topic, which can be a positive or negative outlook. Yet, having a stereotype for anything creates a faulty error of limiting the society.…
"Terror is nought but prompt, severe, inflexible justice; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is less a particular principle than a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to the most pressing needs of the fatherland."Maximillien Marie Isidore de Robespierre Address, National Convention, 1794…
There are many themes present in the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. One particular theme that is present throughout the story is feeling isolated doesn’t just mean being alone.…
One Amazing Thing by: Chitra Divakaruni. It was first published in the US in voice by Hyperion in 2009 and later published by Penguin books India February 2010. The book also has 240 pages. Chitra B. Divakaiumi is an award winning author poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 500 magazines. Including Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. She was born in India and lived there until 1976. At which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States.…
The interview starts, as with so many others he has done, with Funny Boy and in 2011, Shyam’s take on his writing way back in the early 90′s. I ask him whether he is frustrated by being pegged so much to Funny Boy, given that he has come out with two other books, and is working on the release of a third this year. I asked him whether and how his exile from Sri Lanka helped in his fiction, and in his words, anchor his books to “a voice that is deeply Sri Lankan”. We explore the concept of home, and what it means to Shyam and also how his fiction often deals with the minutiae of life amongst certain classes, including unseen but appreciated acts of courage and kindness amidst hate and harm. I ask him about the process of writing and of literary prizes, and we both refer to the excellent essay Eyes on the Prize by Booker Prize winning Hillary Mantel, published in the Winter 2010 edition of Intelligent Life.…
Gita Hariharan’s novel successfully juxtaposed and intermingled the lives of a foreign returned young girl Devi, her artistically inclined mother Sita, an old caretaker Mayamma, to present a picture of the multifaceted Indian woman. The Thousand…