Harkness Question

1. Why do you think the author made the decision to put the chapter about Hagar's death in the middle of Milkman's quest. It is such a change of pace from the novels and takes the readers off guard.

Thoughts on the Seven Days

The philosophy behind the Seven Days draws a stark contrast to the rest of the civil rights movements we have heard of in school. Even the Black Panthers, seen by some as a radical group, only policed the police in an attempt to stop the police brutality. The philosophy of the Seven Days shows that the members have no hope in humanity. Guitar believes that every white person when in the right circumstances would commit the heinous acts of murder such as the Till murder. What also really interested me about the group was the idea that they had to keep the races balanced. This seems almost counter to the civil rights movement and something a white supremist would say. It makes the races out to be an us vs. them thing. Instead of promoting racial harmony they have been so jaded by the evil acts of whites in the south that they see no solution in sight. The act of killing a white person who seems to similarly match the black victim seems to only further the problem. They are not killing a man who thinks black are inferior, but a child going to school and unfortunately matches the descriptions of an African American murdered earlier in the week.  The Seven Days represent those who have completely given up on society and see no hope in a solution.  

3 questions and a word

1. What is the importance of the biblical names? (Corinthians, Pilate)
2.  Why was Robert Smith wearing blue silk wings?
3. Why does the author bring up a racially motivated murder in the south from the perspective of northern African Americans?

Fingers

Why did Rahel and Estha Break the Love Laws?

The ending of The God of Small Things left me speechless. Estha and Rahel breaking the love laws came as a shock to me. While it was foreshadowed in an earlier chapter when Rahel views Estha changing and taking a shower. I thought that chapter was just another example of how close the twins were, but it was actually foreshadowing what was to come. I believe that the twins break the love laws together because they have been broken by the society around them. The twins have quite the traumatic childhood and only they can truly relate to each other. The one's closest to them hold them in content for what they did to Sophie Mol. They are no longer seen as equals to their own family because their mother acted on true love. The twins are so tired of the societal constructs of who can or can not be loved that they give in. The twins are the only ones who truly understand each other and they do not want to deal with Baby Kochama's or anyone else's judgment. In conclusion, the breaking of the love laws is Estha and Rahel giving up trying to conform to the society that has broken them up over their lives.

Three Questions and a Word

1.  Why does Comrade Pillai get so nervous at the fact Velutha is a card carrying Communist if Comrade Pillai appears to be a Communist as well?

2. Why does Baby Kochamma appear to be happy of the scandal between Ammu and Velutha?

3.  Is Estha and Rahel's connection at the history house ( when they could feel each other's presence  but not see each other) supernatural or is it just hyperbole for being very close?

Word
Caste

Thoughts on The God of Small Things

In the past two novels we have read, both which take place in India, a sexual assault has occurred.  I believe Estha's assault did not have as much to do with the caste system, but a child being taken advantage of.  The language during the assault seems so matter of fact and not villainous. Estha's assault become a major event as after the assault he is in constant fear of what is going to happen next. Estha is in such a state of terror that the Lemondrink man is coming for him that it shapes his actions for the rest of the novel. When waiting to greet Sophie Mol at the airport he thinks the Lemondrink man could come at any second, and this leads him to get in trouble with Ammu. I think that Estha is afraid to tell anyone what happened because the Lemondrink man was older. In the conversation after his assault Estha is punished for not being respectful to the Lemondrink man. This puts in Estha's head that he should not stand up to the Lemondrink man and let it slide. Estha is so scared of repercussions from the Lemondrink man that he does not tell Rahel who seemingly knows everything that happens to Estha. Estha's mentality reflects that of many Indians in the novels we have read because they do not want to stand up to the norms of their culture.

The God of Small Things- Word and Question

Question
What is Roy trying to achieve by treating time as fluid and not linear in the novel?

Word
Old

Thoughts on The God of Small Things

     The first two chapters of this novel were packed with information, but what interested me the most was the foreshadowing. It is known that Sophie Mol died, most likely to drowning, but not who did it. The foreshadowing in the book makes it clear that it was somehow the faults of Rahel and Estha. The strongest evidence of this occurs at the funeral. At the funeral they are not allowed to be near the family and have to stand apart. It appears as if them being allowed to  attend the funeral was in question.  Another thing that makes the death so interesting is that the portraits of their grandparents do not face the river. This seems to be done purposefully and hints at something terrible happening in the family. The death of Sophie hangs over the novel and is even compounded when the novel goes back in time. When the novel goes back in time it excites the reader to see how Sophie died and what role the twins had in her death.
     Another thing that interests me about the novel is the role of Christianity.  The story of Velutha's attempts to pull himself out of the caste system illustrates how Christianity appealed to some Indians. It allowed them to break the cycle of mistreatment from the upper castes. This also relates to the appeal of communism because this would be an opportunity for the untouchables to be seen as equals.

Harkness Question for Untouchable

1. What is the meaning of the argument between the lawyer and poet after Gandhi's speech?

Three Questions and a Word

1. Is it expected for the upper castes to give food to the lower ones?

2. Why does Bakha's father favor his younger brother over him?

3. What was the meaning of Bakha's dream on the porch?


Word: Throw

Three Questions and a Word

1. Why does the author not use chapters in the novel?

2. What is the relation between Muslims and the caste system?

3. How could Bakha defended himself in the street when he was being accused of running into the higher cast member?

Word: Tommy

A Temporary Matter

 In the short story "A Temporary Matter" by Jhumpa Lahiri it tells the story of a married couple and their struggles to be together. The tone of the story is extremely grim. At the beginning of the story Lahiri paints the picture of a bleak marriage. After the still birth the romance is gone and there is nothing left for the family. Shoba, once someone who cared dearly about organization has turned into a slob. The tone of the story remains bleak, but then rises once they begin this game. As this game goes on it appears to the reader that the love has been rekindled. The attitude at this time seems optimistic as this marriage may be salvaged. This is symbolized by they have sex again. This leads the reader to believe that the rough times are past them and that they have finally gotten over the pain of the still birth. However, the end crushes this hope as Shoba reveals she wants to move out and this deteriorates to Shukmar telling her the gender of the baby. The attitude is like a mountain in this story. It starts out depressing gets optimistic then spirals back to depressing. The attitude contribute to the theme of the importance of having an open dialogue with your spouse. The struggles in their marriage had been brought about by internalizing their pain. They tried to move past the still birth but they could not. The game allowed them to finally vent what was going on and talk about their worries and tell secrets. This dialogue improves their relationship again. However the communication comes back to them at the end as Shukmar in a rage drops the bomb that he knew all along the gender of their baby rehashing the pain of the death.