Why we should include “The Treatment of Bibi Haldar” in our curriculum The need to belong in one’s community is as intrinsic a human need as food, water, or sleep. It is through these interactions with our peers that we learn societal customs and feel accepted. Feeling that somebody genuinely cares can be a tremendous source of comfort, and get people through the most grim of mindsets. In Jhumpa Lahiri’s anthology “Interpreter of Maladies,” the common theme among the stories is the sense of belonging. Whether it be by becoming comfortable in one’s marital life in “This Blessed House,” adopting American customs, such as driving, in “Mrs. Sen’s,” or finding friends that will nurture and care even when blood relatives do not, as in “The Treatment …show more content…
The story of an unfortunate orphaned woman, stricken with epilepsy, is marked as a disgrace to her cousin and his wife, her only local family. They provide no comfort to her during her seizures, and their treatment of her can only be described as callous and cruel. Haldar, her cousin, described her in a way unimaginable for a family member: “She was a bane for business, he told her, a liability and a loss” (p 164). Lahiri’s employment of pathos in this description evokes deep empathy within the reader. Despite her condition seeming incurable, shunned by her family, this story showcases the power of community that rallies around even their most desolate members. Bibi’s friends never abandoned her amidst these struggles and supported her unconditionally: “We consoled her; when she was convinced a man was giving her the eye, we humored her and agreed” (p 167). Lahiri employs contrast, juxtaposing the heartless treatment of Bibi by her family with how the community unites to help her during her attacks: “A group encircled the convulsing girl at once, eager to assist in whatever way possible,” (p 167) shows the community’s readiness to provide aid. They even boycotted Haldar’s store in protest of his abusive ways. This is juxtaposed with Haldar’s unsympathetic response to the same episode: “But when we
In her conclusion paragraph she alludes to the Ancient Greeks, “For the Ancient Greeks, drama taught and reinforced compassion within a society. The object of Greek tragedy was to inspire empathy in the audience... Could it be that the homeless, like those ancients, are reminding us of our common humanity?” (14) Ascher appeals to logic by emphasizing this similarity between Ancient Greek Theatre and the modern world crisis of homelessness. Barbara Lazear Ascher provokes her readers into making this connection. Homeless people of the nation our the new teachers of compassion. The world can no longer count on being taught empathy and compassion through the acts of plays; people worldwide must rely on real life examples of homelessness and tragedy to teach them how to be
Society is quick to identify problems in the lives of others, but always fails to recognize its own shortcomings. From the past to the present, this has been an issue that continues to plague mankind. In John Oskison’s, “The Problem of Old Harjo”, Miss Evans, a Caucasian missionary in the Indian
Symbolism is a poetic and literary element that interacts with readers and engages their feelings and emotions. In Sold, thirteen-year-old Nepali girl, Lakshmi, is forced to take a job to help support her family. Involuntarily, she ends up in prostitution via the Happiness House; this sex trafficking battle forces Lakshmi to envision her future and possibility of never returning home. The very first vignette of the novel speaks of a tin roof that her family desperately needs, especially for monsoon season. At the brothel, Lakshmi works to pay off her debt to the head mistress, Mumtaz, but cannot seem to get any sort of financial gain in her time there. Both the tin roof and the debt symbolize unforeseen and improbable ambitions, yet she finds the power within herself to believe. How does Lakshmi believe in herself despite her unfathomable living conditions and occupation?
Whenever a stranger enters an unfamiliar society, a clash between the outsider’s practices and society’s guidelines undoubtedly occurs. Whether the resulting conflict minimally or powerfully affects the people involved depends on the situation, but usually the results are monumental. In the short stories “The Blue Hotel,” “The Displaced Person,” and “Bernice Bobs her Hair,” and the novel In Dubious Battle, society’s fear of the stranger has severe negative consequences for the newcomer, as the community’s rules prevail over the outsiders in the end.
The average person wants one thing more than anything else, and that thing is to belong. Usha, a young girl from Calcutta, is no different. Already trying the find her place in the world, Usha must now assimilate into cultural society within the United States. Usha’s uncle, Pranab Kaku, came from Calcutta as well having first come to America, his experiences start off worse than Usha’s, which causes him to join the family in an act of social grouping. With the Old World trying to pull them back and the New World just out of reach, both must overcome tradition and develop their own personal values.
Pressure from society influences everyone but human synergy keeps people connected and able to accomplish unexpected situations that life throws at us. In the book Interpreter of Maladies written by Jhumpa Lahiri, Lahiri illustrates the seriousness for human affection and the necessity of belonging in a community to demonstrate the characters gains and losses while being surrounded by harsh cultural expectations.
The characters in Love Medicine exhibit distinct personality traits and live their lives accordingly. Yet, very strong ties exist among all the characters—the ties to their common families and heritage. For example, while Albertine has chosen to leave the reservation to study nursing, she is drawn back home upon hearing about her Aunt June’s death. Back on the reservation, Albertine wants to connect with her grandfather, hoping to understand more of her heritage. She asks him questions about his days as an advocate for Indian rights, hoping that something she says will rekindle his memory. The other characters also tell their stories through their relationships to June. Thus, the familial bonds provide a common thread throughout Love Medicine, offering a universal theme to which everyone can
Writer, Barbara Lazear Asher, uses the quintessential use of persuasive appeals to inform and persuade the reader. Her purpose to illustrate compassion through observation and experiences is acknowledged and thoroughly detailed throughout the text. “On compassion” uses an ideal amount of logos, pathos, ethos within the essay drawing from life in the city. Barbara’s account of experienced kindness is felt and understood to the reader. The acts of sympathy and compassion are clearly detailed within the text. Asher imposes her attitude on compassion through figurative language welcomes in the idea of
Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, written in 1984, and Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers, published in 1925, are both aimed at adolescent and adult audiences that deal with deep disturbing themes about serious social conditions and their effects on children as adults. Both books are told in the first person; both narrators are young girls living in destitute neighborhoods; and both young girls witness the harsh realities of life for those who are poor, abused, and hopeless. Although the narrators face these overwhelming obstacles, they manage to survive their tough environments with their wits and strength remaining intact.
This story tells a story of people struggling under the pressure of society and its disgusting lifestyle. Although Kezia is a part of a high class society she shows that even people of superior class can be kind and remove the idea that people similar to her social status are entirely selfish and harsh just as a lamp scatters the darkness.
Monique’s father could feel the life escape out of his wife as the machete cracked her skull. Her death symbolizes not only the Rwanda genocide but also displays how unity in a family especially of different cultures is extremely
In the Third and Final Continent, Jhumpa Lahiri uses her own experiences of being from an immigrant family to illustrate to her readers how heritage, cultural influences and adaptation play a major role in finding your true identity. The Third and Final Continent is the ninth narration in a collection of stories called the Interpreter of Maladies. In this story, it discusses themes such as marriage, family, society, language and identity. In this story, we focus on an East Asian man of Bengali descent who wants to have a better future for himself so he leaves India and travels to London, England to pursue a higher education. His pursuit for higher education takes place on three different continents. In India, he feels safe in his home country and welcomed, but when he travels abroad he starts to have fear and anxiety. Through his narrations, we learn how he adapts to the European and American and through these experiences he learns to assimilate and to adapt to the new culture he travels to.
Understanding someone else’s culture is not easy, and takes time to comprehend most of it. In the book The Thing Around Your Neck there are 12 different stories, and only a few demonstrate the understanding of different cultures. In this paper I will use the story The Arrangers of Marriage and The Shivering to show how the characters who immigrated to the United States had trouble understanding the culture here.
Societies vary greatly throughout the world, as do human experiences. What it means to be a social being in Japan, may not equate with what it means to be a social being in Central Africa. Throughout this essay I will argue that, while society may vary, the desire to be social exists in all cultures throughout history. The world may have always had its recluses, those who attempt to live a solitary life, but even these people can be seen as a reflection of their previous culture and society, fulfilling a role and remaining tied to their pre-existing relationships, using and being used by society like any other social being (Stone 2010: 6). Throughout this essay I will use the example of the Japanese and Central African social being to show how experiences of society change and are shaped by one's location. Further I will explain what it is to be a social being, and how society shapes our experiences, whether we remain within it or not, through the experiences of various hermits and recluses throughout history.
The union of my parents stands at 37 years. My parents migrated to The United States to better themselves and their families. Their struggle to obtain the “American Dream” instilled family values, and showed my siblings and myself a direct link to education and work. During my childhood, my mother was the first woman to show me what tenacious means. She stood front and center to save her family from becoming victims of society. In order to move her family out of the ghetto, she worked three ...