To begin, throughout the various readings of the different styles of writing I have read this semester, their is one which I believe is an outlier from all literature which is “The Perforated Sheet” by Salman Rushdie. The reason being is because of throughout the story I had got confused and lost on what he was trying to express Rushdie's writing structure in some sentence are hard to understand or relate to. Moreover, after reading the story over a few time I had acknowledge that to not to underestimate short stories because I had read over the message what Rushdie is trying to express. First, In the beginning of the story I could understand what is going on which is the City of Bombay is celebrating its independence at midnight fairly easy to imagine as Rushdie also includes details that there is fireworks in the background. Moreover, I realized that he thought the firework celebration was for him but it was not as it was a celebration of India’s independence. Yet, the next page middle paragraph I did not understand Rushdie when he said “One Kashmiri morning in the early spring” (Rushdie,1132). I could not imagine where was Kashmiri until the next page which is a State in northern India and also did not include details of how the climate is which …show more content…
My mind is bit confused because I do not know why he may describe his grandfather like that or he can be a role model for Saleem as he sees something inside him that is good. Moreover, Rushdie mention Saleem Grandfather again where he says “Doctor Aziz’s nose-comparable only to the trunk of the elephant-headed god Ganesh.”(Rushdie,1135). For all that, the god Ganesh is "Lord of the Ganas" (the ganas are Shiva's divine army) according to religion facts web. What I realize is that Doctor Aziz overrules other
Page 2 - “I sat on a park bench near a willow tree. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an afterthought. I looked up at those twin kites.”
The author’s intention in the beginning of Mahtab’s story is to give the reader a descriptive introduction regarding the feelings and cricumstances of Mahtab’s journey. She uses descriptive language to inform the reader of Mahtab’s feelings of uncertainty as the “fog of darkness” (p.2) closes in on the family as they travel by truck through the Afghani mountains in a search for a better life.
Critics have already begun a heated debate over the success of the book that has addressed both its strengths and weaknesses. The debate may rage for a few years but it will eventually fizzle out as the success of the novel sustains. The characters, plot, emotional appeal, and easily relatable situations are too strong for this book to crumble. The internal characteristics have provided a strong base to withstand the petty attacks on underdeveloped metaphors and transparent descriptions. The novel does not need confrontations with the Middle East to remain a staple in modern reading, it can hold its own based on its life lessons that anyone can use.
raced through the streets of Birmingham\ calling for her child.” The narrator’s bluntness and lack of sympathy further magnifies the reader’s perception of the tragedy. By omission of sympathetic words in favor of straightforward words, the narrator’s voice pushes the reader to recognize the bombing of
Rushdie, Salman. `Outside the Whale' Imaginary Homelands: Essays and criticisms 1981-1991 Penguin Books Ltd. (1992)
The following essay is on the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, which is a New York Times bestseller. The main character in the story is named Amir, and he is also the narrator. Amir lives in Kabul, Afghanistan with his father who he calls Baba. Baba is a wealthy, and well respected man in Afghanistan. They both live in a mansion house that Baba built and designed himself. In Afghanistan there are two different types of people; there are pashtuns which are the more wealthy ones and more privileged. Then there are hazaras which are the poor people and have little to no protection in Afghanistan. Baba and Amir have two hazara servants that live in a hut with them in the backyard. Their names are Ali and Hassan. Baba and Ali are childhood friends whose families are both really close, and Hassan and Amir are around the same age. Amir 's mom died in childbirth, and Hassan 's mother ran away shortly after he was born. Baba was not a good man because he says that lying is the worse sin a man can commit, yet he lied his whole life. Another reason Baba is not a good man is because he has too much pride and that isn’t a good thing. The last reason why Baba is not a good man is because he didn’t treat Amir well and never seemed to care for him when
Baba teaches Amir the ways to become a virtuous man, however Amir is not as courageous as his father and it is difficult for Amir to demonstrate his teachings. Baba teaches Amir how to be a strong good man, but Amir does not seem to grasp these values as much as he may want to. Thusly, Amir constantly seeks his father’s approval, yet he does not follow the one thing his father has taught him, being a decent man. This does not just include knowing the difference between right and wrong, it is being strong enough to stand up for what is just. Courage and bravery are two characteristics Amir needs to gain acceptance not only from his father but also from himself. Amir overhears his father talking to Rahim Khan about him and Hassan. He hears his father say, “A boy who won’t stand up for himself becomes a man who can’t stand up for anything,” (Hosseini 22). This saddens Amir, because he re...
The reader is put in the middle of a war of nerves and will between two men, one of which we have grown up to learn to hate. This only makes us even more emotional about the topic at hand. For a history book, it was surprisingly understandable and hard to put down. It enlightened me to the complex problems that existed in the most memorable three months this century.
When discussing the controversial authors of Indian literature, one name should come to mind before any other. Salman Rushdie, who is best known for writing the book “Midnights Children.” The first two chapters of “Midnights Children” are known as “The Perforated Sheet”. In “The Perforated Sheet” Rushdie utilizes magic realism as a literary device to link significant events and their effects on the lives of Saleem’s family to a changing India. In fact, it is in the beginning of the story that the reader is first exposed to Rushdie’s use of magic realism when being introduced to Saleem. “On the stroke of midnight/clocks joined palms” and “the instant of India’s arrival at independence. I tumbled forth into the world”(1711). Rushdie’s description of the clocks “joining palms” and explanation of India’s newfound independence is meant to make the reader understand the significance of Saleem’s birth. The supernatural action of the clocks joining palms is meant to instill wonder, while independence accentuates the significance of the beginning of a new era. Rushdie also utilizes magic realism as an unnatural narrative several times within the story to show the cultural significance of events that take place in the story in an abnormal way.
The short story “Araby” written by James Joyce tells the story of an unnamed boy who lives on North Richmond Street. The short story starts off by giving the reader a brief overview about the boy's life and other relevant background information. It is soon expressed that the boy has a very intense infatuation with his friends Mangan’s sister. The story goes on to explain his interaction with this girl which leads him to attend an event later that week. By James Joyce’s use of literary devices, the short story is able to progress and give the reader an accurate insight into this young boy's life and experiences.
In Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, women possess power within the sphere of their home and family, otherwise known as the domestic sphere (the private realm of domestic life, child-rearing, house-keeping, and religious education). Throughout the course of their lives, the possession of power changes as women’s role shift from childhood and adolescence to being a wife and mother. This possession of power manifests as their ability to control their decisions in life and the lives of those around them once they enter this domestic sphere. The process of change that turns Naseem Ghani into the Reverend Mother and Mumtaz into Amina demonstrate how women gain or lose power in the Indian society that Rushdie depicts. Before her marriage to Aadam Aziz, Naseem Ghani was a young woman who is owned by her father and has little or no power in her childhood home due to being viewed as object to be traded as a wife in exchange for a dowry. Naseem is seen one part at a time through a hole in a sheet held by three female bodyguards. This objectification of Naseem by Aadam Aziz reveals that she is viewed by the sum of her parts instead of as a complete person. Aziz’s perception of Naseem is “a badly-fitting collage of her severally-inspected parts" which he glues together with his "imagination" (Rushdie 22). By introducing her under the patriarchal male gaze, Rushdie reveals how little power she has as an unwed woman in her father’s household.
Riot (2001), Shashi Tharoor’s third novel is set in the context of a fictitious riot that has resemblance to the riot that rocked Uttar Pradesh in 1989 as an aftermath of the Babri Masjid- Ram Janmabhoomi controversy. Tharoor unravels the history of communal India from the fictional context of the investigation of the death of a twenty-four year old idealistic American girl, Priscilla Hart, who was slain in India in the riot. From its premises, Tharoor also communicates his ideas “about ownership of history, cultural collision, religious fanaticism and the impossibility of knowing the truth” (
Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children employs strategies which engage in an exploration of History, Nationalism and Hybridity. This essay will examine three passages from the novel which demonstrate these issues. Furthermore, it will explore why each passage is a good demonstration of these issues, how these issues apply to India in the novel, and how the novel critiques these concepts.
There have been very few writers who have been dogged by controversy throughout their careers. Some have been persecuted in less enlightened times such as Mark Twain, and some have been ridiculed by the press like Edgar Allan Poe. Yet, Salman Rushdie was the first author in the free world to have been pursued from across continents and forced into hiding because of a death sentence by a foreign government. To say Salman Rushdie is a very controversial writer in today’s society would be a gross understatement.
In his short story, “The Prophet’s Hair,” Salman Rushdie make use of magic realism, symbolization and situational irony to comment on class, religion, and the fragility of human life. The story is brimming with ironic outcomes that add to the lighthearted and slightly fantastic tone. Rushdie’s use of the genre magic realism capitalizes on the absurdity of each situation but makes the events relevant to readers’ lives. In addition, the irony in the story serves as a way to further deepen Rushdie’s commentary on class and religion. Finally, his use of symbolization focuses on the concept of glass, and just how easily it can be broken.