¶ … English literature texts
Both Rohinton Mistry's "Squatter" and Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's "Decolonizing the Mind" utilize literature to challenge the idea of a uniform national and cultural identity, primarily through the means of depicting situations in which there are clashes of culture. Both are cautionary tales that warn against the forsaking of one's initial, primary heritage in exchange for a Westernized adaptation. The primary difference between the two works lies in the perspectives of both the authors and the events which affect the characters in the stories: Mistry's does so from the perspective of assimilation, while Thiong'o's does so from the perspective of suppression.
That Mistry's short story, definitely farcical in nature, is a warning to those who risk abandoning their culture in favor of willfully assimilating to another, is evident from the subject matter: that of a triumphant Parsi young man settling into Canada to become a fully integrated Westerner. Mistry has the principle character Sarosh recite the moral of his tale -- which is told in the third person by an uncle figure to a group of aspiring youths -- to levy a warning about assimilation, as the following quotation denotes. "Tell them,' said Sarosh, 'that the world can be a bewildering place, and dreams and ambitions are often paths to the most pernicious of traps' (p.343)." The fact that the story's main character is offering this insight to posterity (in the forms of the youths who will hear of his story, referred to by the pronoun "them") after his failed attempts to assimilate to
Interestingly enough, both authors make use of the oral tradition of storytelling to impart their specific stances of a dearth of uniform cultural identity. Mistry's chronicle of Sarosh is told by another character to a group of children fully immersed in their South Asia neighborhood -- and culture. The interposing of several native language references and concepts directly juxtaposes Sarosh's tale of assimilation, as the following quote, in which Sarosh's mother makes him promise to return to his native land if he is not fully Canadian in 10 years, demonstrates. "Kassum kha' -- on the Avesta. One last thing for your mother (p.330)." By having Sarosh swear an oath on a…
To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient
For the poet, Christianity must be devoid of the cultures of corruption and hypocrisy that prevailed during his time. Ideally, a religion, in order to be respected and followed by the people, must maintain a clean image -- that is, an image that reflects the truth of its teachings, wherein its religious principles are embodied by the people who make up the Church. It is also through "Canterbury" that Chaucer
English Literature Death in Venice - Cultural Criticism & Reader Response Criticism Reader-Response Criticism is a legitimate, proven method for readers to use when digging into the deeper meaning of a piece of literature; it's always a good idea to broaden one's understanding of literature by gaining a grasp at how others view the same work. And meantime, employing the use of Cultural Criticism as research into the meaning of literature is
Upon first meeting, Albert is not the most noble of men. However, we begin to see aspects of Albert that are more worthy as the novel progresses. We learn that Albert is quite devoted to his father Fernand. When the Count of Monte Cristo speaks badly about Fernand, Albert reacts in a very noble way, wanting to fight the Monte Cristo for the harsh words he has spoken. Mercedes
Case in Point: Interview with an Employer: Jon Lurie started his career almost 15 years ago as a sole proprietor of a computer trouble shooting expert who repaired computer connections for private clients by appointment in New York City. He eventually transitioned to installing the first cable modem configurations when they became available, and as more advanced computer technology filtered down to private users, he offered more and more services,
English Literature Thin-is-in Culture, Mass Media, & Thin Body Ideals Mass media affects the people who watch it. In the beginnings of mass media, there was no public research about how it affects people. In the late 20th and 21st centuries, there is now substantial research that shows that mass media affects consumers and that there are a variety of affects. Thus, it is not just that mass media affects people, we
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