Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Setting- by Laura
I find the setting of this novel intriguing. I'm learning more about India's history by reading it. It's convenient that we've been learning about India in AP World as well so I have some background knowledge regarding the revolution against Britain. Kashmir sounds like a beautiful and tranquil area, but the rest of India seems very tumultuous. I don't think I would enjoy living in one of the bustling cities, and the violent riots would certainly be disconcerting. Aziz's move away from the simplicity of Kashmir seems symbolic. Once he is an adult with a European education, he outgrows the traditional way of life in his home region. He moves to more urban areas where there is more political conflict just as he is experiencing great personal conflict- he is torn between being European and being Indian. This precisely reflects India's status during that time period. It was torn between its British connections and its true Indian roots.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that Aziz moving away from Kashmiri is symbolic, and how he represents India's struggle. Also, in AP Euro we are also learning a little bit about India and how precious it is for the British.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really interesting how Aziz's life is reflected in India's status. Maybe there's a family connection in how their lives relate to India, because we know that Saleem's life is also similar to India's history.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marcella, that perhaps Saleem was destined to be who he is, because of his family. I also agree that Aziz life's reflects India's status, it starts off fine, but then grows discontent with British rule. Like Aziz is fine with Kashmiri but then becomes discontent and moves and becomes involved with politics.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the difference between Saleem and Aziz's connections to India is that Aziz just reflects the general feeling of the time, like the overall turmoil or peacefulness, while Saleem's is more specific. I haven't actually gotten to Saleem's birth yet, but according to the back of the book, it's like Saleem's every move is directly mirrored in India's history.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about it as I was reading, but now that Marcella said that I totally agree. I also think that maybe Saleem got his powers because of the fact that his family seems to be so intertwined with India's history. So maybe its his destiny to be intertwined with India's history as well. We briefly mention India's history in AP Euro as well, but I wish we got to learn as much as those in AP World do because now that I'm reading about it, it sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the whole "destiny" thing is going to play a big part in the book. I just got to the part where Saleem's mother gets his fortune told, and thinking back to Tai's telling Aziz to pay attention to his nose, and it seems like there's a lot of foreshadowing kinds of things in the book. It'll be interesting to go back after we finish and how big a part the predictions played.
ReplyDeleteThere certainly is a lot of foreshadowing. Tai provides a lot of it. He seems to be the classic character who is wise and perceptive but is also a strange outcast- like the Fool in King Lear. Bits of foreshadowing also come from Saleem's narration. I've noticed he throws in random tidbits of information that don't relate to the story he is telling at the time, but will probably be relevant later.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you too, Laura. I think Saleem is an alagorical character in a way. He really symbolizes India's struggle for independence, both politicaly and socialy. I thought there were many parallels from AP World too. I found that it helped me understand how the plot was moving, and the kind of struggle that was taking place.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to wish I had this AP World knowledge that everyone's talking about! We have a brief nod to India in AP Euro, but not to the extent to which the World kids get. I think it's good that we first did a character post and now a setting post, because I think it helps us realize the connections between the two themes. By analyzing this, we also get a better understanding of the intertwining themes in the story as a whole. Characters do seem to resemble their surroundings, mostly because they are immersed to it and the new ideas that come along with it.
ReplyDeleteHuzza for AP world! sorry couldn't help it. anyway it is always nice when we can apply knowledge from one class in another. it really helped me with understanding what was going on and gave me some more precise ideas of what was happening in India during this time period.
ReplyDelete