¶ … Punishment" by Tagore and "Chike's School Days" by Achebe are very different. The first story is very heavy and dramatic and shows what happens to people when the lie about the truth. The second story is very happy and innocent and tells the story about a young boy and what he learns at school. There is not much in common between the two stories, except they are stories about human nature. This paper will compare and contrast these two stories to show how they are different and how they are the similar.
"Punishment" deals with tragic consequences. The tragedy in the story is that Chidam convinces his wife Chandara to take responsibility for his brother Dukhiram's actions. Dukhiram has murdered his wife in a fit of rage. Chidam fears that his brother will be punished so he makes up the story that his own wife accidentally killed Radha. Chandara goes along with it but she is very upset by her husband's lie and she confesses in a way that makes her look guilty so she will be executed. This is her way of getting back at her husband. She is willing to have her own life ended so that he is hurt. It is a very terrifying and sad ending. Even as the brothers feel guilt and attempt to confess for themselves, the jury will not hear them because they are already convinced by Chandara's own confession. Therefore, she dies and before she dies she refuses to see her husband, whose lie put her in the position. There is some sad spite in this story that makes the heart weep.
It is very different from Achebe's story in this point: Tagore's story is very dark and sad, while Achebe's story is simple and heartfelt about a small boy. For example, Chike is mesmerized by English language and loves to hear the sounds of words. This is a very innocent way of living life and is not at all like the way that the brothers live their lives in Tagore's story. The brothers want to complicate life by not being truthful, and they do not accept responsibility for their actions. They do not think of punishment for their crimes. Chike, on the other...
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