Solipsism

Solipsism - All encompassing. No other aspect matters or "exists" in a sense. It is overwhelming.

According to wikipedia, it is a philosophy where only the things in one's mind truly exists and everything else is unjustifiable.

As we read in the packet of poetry by Faiz, love is all encompassing, it is solipsism. Nothing but those emotions and all aspects concerning love matter.

HEGEMONY/POWER

The definition of hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power exerted by a dominant group over other groups, regardless of the explicit consent of the latter. This is not to get confused with brute power or dominance, but is better defined as emphasizing how control is achieved through consensus or force.

The theme of hegemony/power was seen in Moretti's essay "Conjectures on World Literature." He would state that world literature, even though is one global system, is an unequal one. He wants to show that there is in fact a hierarchy of literature which brings about power and domination. Power is seen to be symbolic capital. Automatically when one thinks world literature one would think world domination.

In Said's essay "Secular Interpretation, the Geographical Element, and the Methodology of Imperialism" he takes Moretti's argument a step further by claiming literature to be eurocentric. "to speak of comparative literature therefore was to speak of the interaction of world literatures with one another, but the field was epistemologically organized as a sort of hierarchy, with Europe and its Latin Christian literatures at its center top." he is clearly stating that western styles of wring has become the pinnacle of world literature, with all the other styles of literature circling around it. English has begun to gobble up more and more languages globally.

Edward Said

[ These are basically my lecture notes on Said... feel free to ask or add anything. :) ]

Edward Said defines the relationship between a world culture and the history of modern Imperialism. He discusses a few of the mutual relationships between the two seemingly different concepts.
+ Said defines literature as a planetary system that is profoundly European-centric.
+ "the ability to view the world in this way remains a Western privilege."
--> This line creates structure and equality in the world, in cultural terms.

A) Notions of Resistance and how he thinks about resistance
~ where there is dominance, there is also resistance. (This is not directly political or violent; It is some orientation of the mind or body that pushes back against power at the same time.) They are mutually inseparable elements.

B) Notion of Social Identity
~identities - understanding of our most personal selves- are a part of external social forces. (People have been deeply formed in ways we do not understand) Identity is historically produced. Social Identity, something we belong to by birth, cannot be a basis of our resistance against the imperial government.

*Imperialism is an asymmetrical system that, in cultural terms, is Euro-centric. [It contains a center and a periphery, with implications of the Empowered and the Subordinate.]
` In what ways are the empowered and the subordinate shown in literature? *They are shown in the difference between the older, colonial generation, and a younger, post-colonial generation.

Flaneur

FLANEUR-French term derived from the Masculine noun with basic meanings of "stroller", "lounger", or "loafer". According to Wikipedia this term describes "a person who walks the city in order to experience it." Professor Mufti referenced this term in lecture (Week 2, 4/6) to describe Bakha from Untouchable. Like a flaneur, Bakha wandered throughout a modern city and found a great interest in this free urban space. Professor Mufti compared Untouchable to the novel Mrs. Dalloway to further illustrate the significance of this term.

Symbolic Capital

A countries power and domination can be viewed through symbolic capital. Symbolic capital can be language, clothes, stores and ideology. When one country's culture can be seen in another culture their power is also visible. An example of this can be seen when a powerful country speaks one language and eventually this language becomes dominate around the world. The dominant language displays the country's large amount of symbolic capital. A countries cultural "reach" is another way to view symbolic capital. American businesses like McDonalds are all over the globe. This displays the United States large symbolic capital reach. This is present in the one and unequal ideology of World Literature by Franco Moretti.

These are my notes on Lyric Poetry

· Lyric Poetry

o Usually relatively short poems

o Related to music

o Can be said in a song

o Most likely the great majority of people encounter poetry in some form rather than a printed form

o Reaches its largest audience to people that can’t read

o Linked to music in certain ways

o Subjective poems very internal poems

o Subjective state of minds rather than history or society

o Love poetry

o Internal states

o Love of the divine

§ At various levels many different kinds of meanings can be laid out at the same time

· There is very often a speaker (devotee) (lover)

o Is very distant

o Aching for union as the beloved

o Distant even cruel in some ways

o Unresponsive

o Strange in the emotional universe

o Morality and orthodox morality is spoken

o Force in society seeks to kill imagination on love

National Allegory

Let me define allegory first.
An allegory is a story or visual image with a second distinct meaning that is partially hidden behind its literal meaning. In a written narrative, allegory involves a continuous parallel between two (or more) levels of meaning in a story, so that its people and events correspond to their equivalents in a system of ideas or a chain of events external to the tale.

Okay, now an example of allegory: I didn't have that many notes from lecture of what national allegory was but I do remember that Professor Mufti said that there was an allegorical moment in "Untouchable." He said that the fact that Bakha wants and tries to emulate the British soldiers represents (the literal meaning) him wanting to separate himself from his peers. And it also expresses the larger concern of India as a nation and how parts of it express a desire for westernization.

National allegory: Since we have been discussing in class how western ways of writing literature have and continue to be a dominating force in eastern countries, it follows that almost every piece of nonwestern literature has an underlying "national" allegory, no matter what the topic of the story is, because the style in which the piece is being written is in a form of western literature writing techniques. So since these nations are producing there own works of national literature, they are writing or structuring their pieces in western literary techniques, like the novel, and thereby (whether intentionally or not) are producing a work of national allegory.

If you have any other notes on this, feel free to correct me or add on to this post :)

Partition

Partition: a change of political borders cutting through at least one community’s homeland

Partition of India:

-British partition of India (August 15, 1947)

-Basis: religion and led to the creation of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India in 1947

-The partition was put in effect in the Indian Independence Act of 1947 and resulted in the end of the British Indian Empire

-Radcliffe line: border between India and Pakistan, crosses the region of Punjab

-The partition displaced 12.5 million people and thousands of people died

-Partition ended 350 years of British colonial rule in India

World Literature

The term world literature refers to literature from nations on both the Western and Eastern hemisphere. These works are universally produced and distributed. In assessing world literature, it is important to consider thoughts of hierarchy domination and power. Some regions, countries, etc. have more power and more cultural prestige. For example, the novel, being Western in origin and very specific to France, England, and Germaly, has inequalities already built into it. Another example would be the English language, and its emergence as a language of power in the world.

Related works:
1. "Conjectures on World Literature" - Franco Moretti

Canon

The term canon refers to the select works that are considered to be the most influential in shaping culture. These works come from various aspects of culture that "educated" individuals would be exposed to. However, in the case of World Literature, there is an ongoing argument as to what the canon actually consists of. Meaning, does the canon include works from across the world, or does it only include works that are considered Eurocentric.

Related works:

1. "Conjectures on World Literature" - Franco Moretti

2. "Secular Interpretation, the Geographical Element, and the Methodology of Imperialism" - Edward Said

3. "Minute on Indian Education" - Thomas Macaulay

Season of Migration to the North

In Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih, it begins with the narrator coming back from Europe to the village he grew up in. He describes his homing as warm and welcoming. "I felt not like a storm-swept feather but like that palm tree, a being with a background, with roots, with a purpose." This feeling of assurance swept over him, and engulfed him. In lecture today, professor Mufti assured us that this optimistic attitude that the narrator carried in the beginning slowly turns into this sense of a weird, and almost scary attitude towards his village as the story continues. This novel has a non-linear narrative as professor Mufti pointed out in lecture. This means that, unlike in Untouchable, there is a complex time structure. You may be reading, and my not know if this is a moment in narrators past or present.

Season

In Season of Migration to the North, we have an unknown narrator, who, as Professor Mufti said, has a very strong connection to his motherland. He went away to Europe to study for seven years and longed to come back to his home. He feels in tune with the people of his town, the land and the rivers but he is immediately puzzled and uncomfortable with the pressence of this new stranger to his homeland. This stranger is Mustafa, a man whom nobody in the village really knows much about, and seems to be functioning quite normally in this land. The narrator seems to sense that he doesn't belong and eventually confronts Mustafa about it and learns that Mustafa previously spent his time "colonizing" or seducing women into sleeping with him. He possessed so much power, charm, and mystery to them that they would eventually kill themselves, or he would kill them. He did this as a way to get back at Europe for colonizing his people. The irony here was that he was using everything that the Europeans taught him to destroy and seduce these women; the mystery of his home in the East, the womens' lack of knowledge tof his past, and the wonderful mastery of the English language allowed him to become this monster.

Season of Migration to the North

Season of Migration to the North tells the story of Mustafa Sa'eed, a Sudanese born man, who left to study in London, only to return after being struck by a tragic incident that led to his incarceration. The story, which is told through the narrators point of view, reveals bits and pieces of Mustafa's story throughout the novel, pieces that have been collected from those who knew Mustafa, the narrator, and Mustafa himself. I have read up to the section in the novel where Hosna is pressured into marrying the 70 year old man named Wad Reyes. As the story unfolds, she continuously attempts to resist his sexual advances, but finally he attempts to rape her. This ends in tragedy, as she kills him and then commits suicide. It was very ironic that her fate was very similar to Mustafa's and the continuous chain of tragedy that follows Mustafa and his legacy.

Season of Migration to the North

Season of Migration to the North is a novel that shows the story of the interaction between an unnamed narrator and Mustafa. Mustafa was a mysterious character because he seemed to show no emotion or gratitude towards others. He takes pride in sexually dominating the women from Britain and drives them to death. He seems to take pride in all of his actions relating to the death of these women and throughout the novel he explains how he seduces them and dominates them. He shows an attraction to western culture, he is obsessed with the smell, the language, everything about western culture attracts him and we see this initial attraction when he encounters Mrs. Robinson. She represented the western culture and he became obsessed with her which later drove him to lie to other women in order to seduce them and dominate this western culture that was mysterious yet so intriguing. He would feed them false stories about the east to seduce them and here we see an encounter between the curiosity of both east and west towards each other. The women would find Mustafa intriguing because he embodied a part of the world that was unknown to their western eyes and Mustafa took pride in dominating their western being.

Season of Migration to the North

Adding to what Amanda has said i want to point out page 94 and 95 where i feel Sa'eed clarifies that he is colonizing the women he sleeps with as a way to get back at the Europeans for colonizing his people. Sa'eed says "...and I, over and above everything else, am a colonizer, i am the intruder whose fate must be decided" (94). He continues by saying " ...the schools were started so as to teach us how to say 'Yes' in thier language...Yes, my dear sirs, i came as an invader into your very homes: a drop of the poison which you have injected into the veins of history. " (95)

Season of Migration to the North

In the last paragraph of Season of Migration to the North the narrator swims out into the river and contemplates being engulfed by the river or asking for help. Once he realizes his decision he says, “…this was the instant of waking from the nightmare…my mind cleared and my relationship to the river was determined. Though floating on the water, I was not part of it. I thought that if I died at that moment, I would have died as I was born – without any volition of mine” (pg. 132-133). This was the first decision he believed he has ever made in his life. The river and water is representative of the European world. This world he has been educated in and lived a large amount of time in. He has finally realized though that he “floats” on this world and does not sink in. He realizes he will always be attached to his roots in the Sudan where he was born and where his family is. He finally decides to start making decisions of his own rather than following the expected plan of education and government set before him. As discussed in lecture today, the author initially sets up this connects to the narrators roots through depiction of his grandfather and loved ones. The author also sets up the curiosity about the unknown figure of Mustafa Sa’eed whom acts as a connector between the narrator and the European world.

Season of Migration

Season of Migration to the North tells the story of a nameless narrator and how he has returned to his village after 7 years of studying in Europe. The narrator upon returning to his village meets a man named Mustafa Sa'eed who tells the narrator his story of the West. Mustafa Sa'eed is a man that since a young age has been drawn to the West and we learn that as a student in Europe would seduce women to get them in bed with him. The women are drawn to Mustafa because he is from the East and depicts everything they believe the East is like. I believe that Mustafa's sexual "domination" of the women in a way represents a domination of the Western culture. Mustafa, in a sense, embodies the East, a part of the world that has been colonized by Europeans for centuries and he is fighting this colonization by "colonizing" their women.

Season of Migration to the North

As stated in the introduction, this novel is supposed to reveal the colonized's intrigue and anger towards the culture of the colonizer. However, the sense of interest and admiration seems to be more prevalent in the early stages of the story, especially when Mustafa tells the narrator his life story. Mustafa's journey for education is particularly important as it seems to reveal a sentiment of superiority within himself, "I used to take their help as though it were some duty they were performing for me" (19). Mustafa not only felt entitled to having certain things done for him, but he expected it. His own native country may have contributed to his arrogance because as the time came for him to go past beginner and intermediate school, the system in place could not provide for him, and he was shipped off to more "European" places that distanced him from home, "I felt as though Cairo, that large mountain to which my camel had carried me, was a European woman just like Mrs Robinson, its arms embracing me, its perfume and the odour of its body filling my nostrils" (20). Mustafa's continuous desire to study led him to leave his native country and attend school in more European places, such as Cairo and later London. He felt as though these places "embraced" him, and he already felt as though he was superior to those in his hometown. Thus, it seems as if his admiration for European-ness stemmed from his want for more education, and how he felt embraced by the European culture which made it more like his home than his actual home.

Seasons of Migration to the North

Season of Migration to the North is a novel concerning about various issues ranging from colonial arrogance, the politics of "independent" Sudan, the status of women and their sexuality in which are revealed by an unnamed narrator. The narrator himself is also a complex character as demonstrated through his nameless character, his relationships with his parents, his grandfather, and other village people. Like Professor Mufti mentioned in lecture today, the title of the novel itself gives an ideology of the North-South dichotomy as the narrator himself chooses to go North to study. The narrator's confrontation to the West opens up new feelings of confusion, lack of will, and indecision in which he battles by the end of the novel. This further demonstrates the overarching theme of the class of the clash between the West and the "rest" or the North and the South as it is referred in the book.

Wed - Season of Migration

Tayeb Salih writes simply, yet is able to incorporate much description into the text. It is an interesting story about how one man can have great impact over another. Mustafa Sa'eed is a foreigner in the small village newar the bend in the Nile. When the protagonsit returns home, he finds it odd thatsuch a man resides in his village, and approaches him. Sa'eed tells him his story, and it never leaves. I found it strange that Mustafa had 'killed' all the women he had ever been with, and it left me wondering how he killed them, and whether it was intentional or not.

"...and those men who had migrated came back; the land returned to its former state..."[48]
- I was drawn to this line, as it seemed to speak of something that is ingrained into all the people who leave. When people migrate away, and the land is left to perish, the absence of people leaves the land barren and lonely, and it begins to die. However, when the people come back to their home land, the land begins to be nourished back into existence. The culture is no longer fading, but being re-supported.

There are a few themes to the novel, some of which I found were a sort of perverse sexuality, death (by hanging), and what seems or is real. The concept that life is a lie comes up, and seems to foreshadow some event that will occur near the end of the novel.

"Speak" by Faiz

"Speak" by Faiz Ahmed Faiz is about someone telling someone else to speak whatever they wish to, and what is on their mind during their short time on earth. In regards to Professor Mufti's comments on "Love, Do Not Ask" and "Lyre and Flute", "Speak" can be seen as not letting the external world control the individual's internal state. The external world may consist of multiple rules regarding what you can and cannot do, and it is constantly changing as India goes from a colonized nation to a free nation. In addition to native rules, there are also British rules in the external world that may inhibit an individual from what they really wish to do. With "Speak", Faiz encourages people to simply speak. Although the external may consist of restrictions, individual's control their own lives and what they do, "Speak, your life is still your own".

Prayer

In his poem "Prayer," Faiz is literally praying for those whom have given up on hope. He is praying for those who have forgotten the "custom of prayer" or who do not remember "any god." He prays that their paths are luminated and for their eyes to a wonderful tomorrow. For those whom have given up and submitted to the misfortunes of life Faiz seeks to remind them through prayer that God will be their light at the end of the tunnel. "May it light some candle in their nights." He is calling for them to not give up on life or on themselves, but to put there trust in God. He will be their salvation.

"Speak" by Faiz

In the poem “Speak”, written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, one can see continuous themes from other poems written by Faiz. The first stanza explains how no one but your self can restrict speech. Faiz uses a metaphor of the hot metal in the blacksmiths shop in the second stanza. The metal when heated can finally be opened. When the metal is cold it is oppressed and restricted but when it is heated and opens up it can change. This is similar to an individual breaking away from suppression and speaking the truth. The last stanza explains the importance of saying what needs to be said because every life is so short. The theme of action verse inaction is present in this poem. Faiz is displaying his opinion that action (speech) should be done. This theme can also be seen in “Lyre and Flute”.

Poetry's Theme

This peom is a little hard to follow. I feel like it begins by describing a pearning for a "beloved". "And now hese eager eyes shall have their will, these avid fingers feel the touch of those." Then in line 15 the peom begins to discuss the problems that have befallen Adam and Eve's children. It states " The multitudinous creatures of these glittering cities, why do they keep living 0nly in desire of death? These lovely fields, whose bloom is brusting out, why does only hunger keep growing in them?" These lines show lifes beautiful things coming to a negative end. People live only to die in the end and fields bloom only to continue hunger. After making these comments i believe he gos back into talking about his beloved "But the slowly opening lips of that saucy one, ah the cursed alluring lines of that body." This i find very confusing how he ends the poem by talking about her.

PRAYER

The poem Prayer by Faiz is a prayer to god for those that have lost hope. It is attempting to unite the people by encouraging prayer. It shows prayer a s a powerful action that would help in a time of war. It gives hope to those that are weak. It was a poem written when he was in jail in the time of war to give courage to men who have lost everything. He recognizes the power of prayer and reinforces how valuable praying is. This poem brings a sense of hope for a reform. It encourages everyone to come together and once again pray for change.

Faiz "Prayer"

In his poem "Prayer," Faiz calls for a collective prayer to "smooth today's venom with sweets of tomorrow." He asks everyone to join in and collectively call out to a higher power to improve the issues that individuals might be presently dealing with. He clearly has firm beliefs in the abilities and powers of this higher authority and has faith that they can better everything. He also writes "may there be... courage to men whose hands tyranny's sword hovers over, to fend off the murderous hand." He asks for strength for those who lack it, and love for those whom have been hurt by "truth's potent word." It is his prayer for all those who are dealing with pain from the actions of others, whether it be love, war, or inequality. The poem is essentially a call for action to ease the pain of all mankind that is suffering.

Season of Migration to the North

The narrator's return to his native village is initially difficult for him. The instant he arrives, he feels as though he is no longer really a part of his own home because he had been gone for so long, "I felt as though a piece of ice were melting inside of me, as though I were some frozen substance on which the sun had shone - that life warmth of the tribe which I had lost for a time" (1). The ice represents a barrier between him and his culture, as if any form of connection and similarity had a frozen barrier between them that would take time to be removed, or melt. This idea is further reinforced by the use of, "something rather like fog rose up between them and me the first instant I saw them" (1). "Fog" symbolizes the haziness that grew between him and what he used to be, meaning that the connection has been blurred. Any difference he may have felt between him and his origins are eventually dispersed as he, "felt not like a storm-swept feather but like that palm tree, a being with a background, with roots, with a purpose" (1). As the narrator comes to this realization rather quickly, he no longer feels distant, rather he feels rooted in his culture once again, but with a meaning; indicating that there is a specific reason or reasons as to why he has gone "north" and returned.

Prayer

Faiz's poem "Prayer"speaks to the people who have lost hope in life or who find themselves in desperate situations. He is telling these people that they should not lose hope because there is always prayer. "For those whose eyes have not strength for (seeing) the face of dawn, May it light some candle in their nights;" (lines 9,10). In these two lines, Faiz is explaining to those who have lost their way and their strength to pray because prayer will give them the strength they need to continue. Faiz is explaining the beauty of prayer and how it can provide people with hope even in the most dire consequences.

Faiz - Poetry's Theme

In this poem, Faiz seemingly parallels the theme of love and bounty with that of death. Faiz describes in the periphery the coming of a sort of darkness. The use of the descriptors: fringed veil, hanging gauze, and vague mist suggest that something is being hidden from view. He starts describing the haunting beauty of a woman who he deems his muse.His poem then takes a turn toward the side that is bombarded by suffering, and he questions the presence of bounty there and yet not accessible by people. He speaks of "walls dark with secrets" and "scaffolds on which dreams have died". Faiz then ties it back to the mysterious figure of the woman; she is enchanting and yet something that is almost forbidden and devastating to him.

Season of Migration

I thought that the title of the novel was kind of interesting because it is actually part of the story that Mustafa tells the narrator. Mustafa makes references to the north as meaning a lot more than just a direction on the compass. He sees it as an ideology. He states in the story that, "in her eyes I was a symbol of all her hankerings. I am south that yearns for the North and the ice" (24). This shows some competition between the north and south. Though Mustafa eventually goes to Sudan he never brings himself to fully separate from the North. This can be seen when the narrator sees Mustafa's study, after his death, and finds an actual shrine to the North, that I think is like a room full of books and pictures and stuff. Anyways the significance of the shrine is that is shows how Mustafa still loved and was interested by the North, even though he couldn't actually live there.

Faiz "Prayer"

Faiz' poem titled "Prayer" was an extremely powerful poem as it illustrated the truth and beauty of praying. Faiz describes the power of prayer as the "Truth 's potent word that keeps prickling the heart like a thorn." Faiz emphasizes the role of tradition along with the value of prayer to emphazise how important it is to recognize its' power. The author also reminds the reader how this is proved with the simple yet incredible gift of life. Furthermore, Faiz demonstrates that prayer reinforces how valuable life is and in order to discover its' purpose one should pray.

Faiz

I found Faiz's poem a little bit difficult to read, but it was pretty easy to tell that the unifying subject of his poems is love. He discusses the struggles of love and the emotions brought about by his beloved. I find that after reading his work, one is uplifted by the romantic language in the poems. I bet it would be a lot easier to read the poems and that they would flow even nicer if I could understand the original language that the poems were written in. I like how he addresses the uncertainty involved in love and life because it is relatable to. Overall the poems were kind of inspiring.

Faiz

Faiz writes about love, life, and the uncertainties that come with both. The author questions what it is to love and how this falls into a life full of despair. Although the poem was a bit difficult to read, I felt that the author's writing style in which he questions everything really helps put into perspective his everyday struggles and how this falls into reality. I particularly liked how he questions why there is so much despair in the world and how we can feel love in such terms. I believe that this falls into the whole class discourse on world literature as the world has felt the feeling of love and therefore can relate to some of the questions he presents in his poem. The author reminds us that love is a universal feeling which can be felt and expressed in many different ways.

Faiz Poem

Although Faiz's poems were difficult to analyze, I was able to understand that he struggles being able to enjoy love, when the world around him is struggling. He can't find happiness in his love for his partner because his mind is occupied with the issues that are surrounding him. He states in "Do Not Ask From Me, My Beloved, Love Life That Former One." "there are other sufferings of the time (world) besides love, there are other pleasures besides the pleasure of union." This theme carries over to his poem entitled "Poetry's Theme," where Faiz adds that "...the lamps of the youth of thousands have burned away." I interpreted this as meaning that the lamps are the equivalent of life, and that the lives of many adolescents are over because of issues that are plaguing the world. Overall, I was able to take away certain concepts, and grasp that his poetry is meant to spark social consciousness.

Faiz Poem

in the poem, "Love, Do Not Ask" by Faiz he explains his perception of love based on the world around him, and how it differs from his view of love. although he has not witnessed the "true" form of love that has been formed through media and such, he wishes to. his great use of the superficial definition love, created by the media, makes the reader think that he has actually been in a love like the one describes. in the first stanza, Faiz would imply that the love he ONCE had made life worth living; it gave him great pain; its beauty "kept the earth's springtimes from decay;" his whole life was dedicated to this love. Within the first line of the following stanza he states, "it was not true, all this, but only wishing." it turned out that he was imagining all of this. this unrealistic romantic view of love generated by the romantic novels or the media, he found out, does not ring true to everyones perception of love. i think he just wants the reader to understand that love, as defined by others, will not be the same for everyone. and the love that we read about in novels or see on tv is not the reality of true love, even though the reader would like it to be.

Faiz Poem

The poem “Do Not Ask from Me, My Beloved, Love like that Former One” by Faiz the Lover or the devotee is declaring love to its beloved. As mentioned in class today by the professor the gender is ambiguous in some way between the beloved and the lover. The main tension seems to be a conflict battling itself out between a conception of love that is subjective and something much more worthy, not just interior, concerned with emotion but rather with the external work . It shows a conflict between interior world and exterior world, he loves this person, however we see concern with something that is greater than the love the poem expresses. He recognizes that there are other problems in the world besides suffering for love, as well as other pleasures. He shows an internal conflict within the lover and the external conflict of the world.

Faiz Poems

Faiz's poetry seems to center around the idea of taking advantage of the time people have to be alive. The life that individuals have belongs solely to them, and they must do what they want and must do in their short time. One idea that I found interesting in "Poetry' Theme", was when Faiz questions certain oxymoron aspects of society, "The multitudinous creatures of these glittering cities,/Why do they keep living only in desire of death?/These lovely fields, whose bloom is bursting out,/Why does only hunger keep growing in them?" (93). In this quote, Faiz questions why things occur only to meet a negative ending. Meaning, why are there so many people in lively cities throughout the world, if they are all going to die eventually, and why do fields that are harvested for the sole purpose of feeding people only result in more hunger for the populations. Faiz refers to this relationship as "the daily battle-array of death and life" (93). This idea seems to tie into the idea of Wester imperialism, and how on the surface it may seem as if the colonizer is trying to "help" another country, but in the background it is really having negative effects on the colonized.

Prayer 54.

This poem makes me think of a prayer that might be said during a social, political, or physical war . It reminds of a soldier fighting day and night and their fear of night coming because they may night live to see another day. "That for those who have not strength for the burden of the days" This prayer bring a sense of hope for those who are trying to overcome thier trials. "Come let us present a petition that life , our beloved , will pour tomorrow's sweetness into todays poison." Poison referring to the trials and petition representing hope for tomorrow. "For those whose eyes have not strength for seeing the face of dawn,May it light some candle in their night," The light of the candle again representd hope in this prayer." These lines "May there come courage for denial, resolution for truth,: to those waiting for the sword of oppression, may there come capacity to shake of the murderer's hands." These line seem to be referring to war or the hope of social reform.

Faiz

In the poem, “Do Not Ask From Me, My Beloved, Love Like That Former One” by Faiz the lover in the poem describes it’s love to a beloved. Although the lover adores the beloved, it tells the beloved that there are other things in the world that hurt more and bring more joy than love. The lover is using situations from the outside world to describe his love. The poem, I believe, is also one of heartbreak. The lover is asking the beloved to not expect it to feel the same feelings. This tells us that the lover has been hurt by the beloved and is comparing his anguish to the anguishes of the world. I believe that at the end of the poem, the lover realizes that there are greater emotions than the love he feels for the beloved and tells the beloved that he can no longer love the same way.

Season of Migration to the North

Season of Migration to the North, written by Tayeb Salih, has an interesting style to it. Salih has very sharp transitions that seem to jump abruptly. This can even be seen in the first paragraph of the novel. He jumps right into the action with no subtle “leading in” statements. The abrupt transition can be seen most obviously between some chapters. At some points he skips years and crucial moments that he intends to go back to later. This can be seen when Mustafa dies. To the reader it almost doesn’t seem real because it happens so fast. I think this is the purpose for making this transition so fast because this is how the narrator was feeling at the time, “…the disturbing thought occurs to me that Mustafa Sa’eed never happened, that he was in fact a lie, a phantom, a dream or a nightmare…”(pg.37). This style of writing is also engaging because the plot moves very quickly and it makes the reader very curious about what is going to happen next.

Poems - Faiz and Ali

Ali's poems were both very short, and a little strange and hard to understand. 'Beyond English' was confusing, although you can tell that there was something that Ali was trying to get across. There was a sarcastic tone to it.
There was more to go off of in Faiz's work, all having to do with his imprisonment and the sact that despite his incarceration, as long as he is alive, he has a voice. As long as a person is not dead, they have the ability to make a difference. Professor Mufti spoke of how Urdu poetry is usually internal, and not narrative, and yet when reading Faiz'soems, you get the impression he is internalizing what is external. We are able to see what events are passing in his life in a particular period of time, for example when he was incarcerated [Ink and Pen], or during times of conflict.

untouchable

During lecture i thought it was interesting how the teacher pointed out how the simple acts if everyday living becomes dangerous for Bakha and his family. In the scene were Bakha goes into the temple during service, he is even discriminated against making it seem as though following God would lead to danger and humility. Through various scenes in the novel there is this fear that Bakha and his family carry, the fear of defiling the upper caste and the fear of being put into a dangerous and sometimes manipulative situation. It is like the people of the low caste are in this fear-based box, were their freedom is limited. Where fear cannot catch Bakha is where he finds his freedom.

untouchable

I feel like untouchable is about the realization that as humans we have rights. Bakha was neglected these rights. He was born into his social status. His father encourages this injustice by accepting it and allowing his children to accept it. In lecture we discussed three options of obtaining these human rights and freedom. A missionary brings about the idea that god loves everyone and for this reason converting into christianity becomes an option. Second, Gandhi also makes a speech in which he makes it known that in order for change to take place in india the minority must take a stand. And the third option involved a change in technology. Adding the "flush system" would allow untouchables to move away from doing dirty jobs and reclaim their dignity.

Untouchable-revelry and submission

In Untouchable we see various occasions in which Bakha would try to rebel his lower class status by performing activities that were limited to the Hindus. In pg. 60 we see that Bakha’s curiosity led him to the temple in order to see the deited that he was deprived of seeing because of his social status. Although Bakha knew that this was wrong he went on the steps of the church and was looking into the temple taking in the sounds, which moved him and inspired him. However this glory was promptly taken away from him when he heard the words “Polluted, polluted, polluted” (pg. 60) the people soon rushed at him and screamed demeaning him and treating him worse than an animal because he attempted to go into the church. His revelry was soon overtaken by submission and he was once again defined to the lowest rung of society.

Bakha

In the story, Bakha represents all untouchables who do not accept their place in the caste system. Although Bakha is a sweeper who knows it is unfair how the Hindus treat those of the lower castes, his father is one who accepts the treatment of the Hindus. Bakha’s father, Lakha, accepts his low position in the caste system and justifies the Hindu’s treatment of the untouchables by explaining to Bakha that it is only because of their religion that they treat the untouchables a certain way. In this passage, we see two different generations. Lakha’s generation has accepted the dominant Hindu caste system, while Bakha’s generation is more Westernized and question their place in the caste system and even attempt to dress and act like the British soldiers.

Untouchable-revelry and submission

In Untouchable we see various occasions in which Bakha would try to rebel his lower class status by performing activities that were limited to the Hindus. In pg. 60 we see that Bakha’s curiosity led him to the temple in order to see the deited that he was deprived of seeing because of his social status. Although Bakha knew that this was wrong he went on the steps of the church and was looking into the temple taking in the sounds, which moved him and inspired him. However this glory was promptly taken away from him when he heard the words “Polluted, polluted, polluted” (pg. 60) the people soon rushed at him and screamed demeaning him and treating him worse than an animal because he attempted to go into the church. His revelry was soon overtaken by submission and he was once again defined to the lowest rung of society.

Bakha

In the story, Bakha represents all untouchables who do not accept their place in the caste system. Although Bakha is a sweeper who knows it is unfair how the Hindus treat those of the lower castes, his father is one who accepts the treatment of the Hindus. Bakha’s father, Lakha, accepts his low position in the caste system and justifies the Hindu’s treatment of the untouchables by explaining to Bakha that it is only because of their religion that they treat the untouchables a certain way. In this passage, we see two different generations. Lakha’s generation has accepted the dominant Hindu caste system, while Bakha’s generation is more Westernized and question their place in the caste system and even attempt to dress and act like the British soldiers.

Interesting....

While flipping through the book again, I had noticed an alternative theme. I had initially picked out a few passages or lines that I found particularly interesting and now, looking back at those lines, I found that a good majority of them had to do with death. For example:

+ page 36 : "...in the lives of this riff-raff...only silence, grim silence, the silence of death fighting for life, prevailed."
+ page 41: "Bakha stared at it and felt for a moment the grim fear of death, a fear akin to the terror of meeting a snake or a theif."
+ page 83: "...his old father was as good as dead, a putrefying corpse like that of a stray dog or cat on the rubbish heap."
+ There is also a part where Bakha's very existence came into the novel. His father, trying to console him, tells Bakha of the story of when he was a child and very ill.

Thoughts of the incorporation of death into the story full of tension, and battle with oneself is particularly intriguing to me. I was wondering if anyone else had noticed, and what they thought about it.

[Sorry that this is late, if we had a blog due for Wednesday, I usually post while I am at school because it is a long commute home.]

Today's in class discussion concerning how Bakha describes his sister Sohini in a sexual manner was particularly interesting when analyzing the whole notion of submission and rebellion. Although the professor concentrated more on the idea of competition, desire, and the woman's body as a "battlefield" I felt that Bakha's intimate description of his sister further emphasized his submissive status in society. For instance, throughout the novel Bakha is always reminded of low status in every aspect of his life. Even as he timidly walks down the streets, those who are superior to him continually reprimand him of his status as an untouchable. In certain instances, Bakha rebels (internally) through his actions and his thoughts. I feel that his sexual desire for his sister is a representation of his submission to even think in that manner, and more importantly attempts to rebel by thinking of his sister in a sexual manner as he knows he is unable to have her.

Untouchability

As mentioned today in lecture, at the end of the novel Bakha is presented with three options for how to change. One option that is presented by the poet is to progress technologically. He says, “…when we accept the machine…the flush system. Then the sweepers can be free from the stigma of untouchability…” (pg.155). I found this interesting that others, such as the poet, that were not untouchables accepted the fact that they did not touch them do to performing a degrading job. This is similar to what Bakha said earlier in the novel when he said “…because we touch dung” (pg.52) they are untouchable. It is interesting that the poet believes that changing technology would change the degradation of the untouchables. Would this really change though since the caste system is based on religious beliefs? Won’t the Hindus still believe that they will be polluted, not due to a physical contamination, but due to a spiritual one? It seems more of an issue within societal norms rather than a lack of technology.

Demi's Post for Wednesday's discussion

I think the point made in lecture today about the possibility and purpose of incest in “Untouchable” is quite interesting. Personally, I feel that there is definitely something that needs to be examined here because the feelings that Bakha has for his sister seem to cross the line between protection and jealousy. It is normal for siblings to love each other and to want to protect each other from people who are mistreating the other, but to feel jealous of the possibility of them getting married to someone that isn’t you is kind of creepy. In this sense, I think Anand’s point in adding this aspect of Bakha’s lust for his sister is to show that Bakha longs for virtually everything that he cannot have. He wants to live life as the Tommies do, smoke cigarettes, move in his social class, and possibly marry his sister, all of which are forbidden in the Hindu community. This is a stretch, but I also can see how this may just be one of the other ways Bakha is trying to rebel submissively from the Hindu rules and system. Maybe his secret longing for his sister is him rebelling against the fact that his community says that he cannot have her, so in his mind he longs for her beauty and thinks about the possibility of possessing her in marriage to defy their rules in his mind, which is the first step in him finally being able to rebel against the system physically. If Bakha can overturn the caste system in his mind, or deprogram his mind from the old Hindu ways, then he will be closer to being free to try to liberate himself from the system and stop thinking like an Untouchable.

untouchable

Untouchable really did open my eyes to the life of a person who lives in poverty. This novel takes place in India during a time where castes (hereditary groups) greatly influenced who you are and the type of life you would be able to have. Being that as it may, this novel takes you through the life and thoughts of a boy who was born into a lowest-caste family. He has to work as a sweeper, cleaning unsanitary toilets, and brushing down the streets. He has to even announce his mere presence when he is around others of higher-castes. Because if this caste system, that was so prominent during this time, this poor boy had to witness discrimination, and abuse from even his own father. The theme submission and rebellion comes up many times in this novel. For instance, submission comes up when the boy, Bakha, accepts his everyday life working in the latrines and later when he accepts the abuse of the Hindus in the city. His rebellious side comes out when he realizes that his freedom is being taken away. Bakha feels truly free when he is one with nature and his surroundings.

Untouchable

I think the most interesting part of the book is the idea of class so far. When professor mufti talked about the idea of such a degrading form of labor bringing pride and being honorable that really struck a chord with me and made me think about the book in a new light. I think the idea of a person being born into a lower class and working as hard as they can and using the body they were given to make the most of it is such an honorable thing. The book also talks about how people thought he didn't belong in the class he was in because of how he carried himself. I also liked this passage, "to him work was a sort of intoxication which gave him a glowing health and plenty of easy sleep" (18) I really like this idea of labor and the pride that comes with doing a good job, no matter what the job may be.

Untouchable

Untouchable written by Mulk Raj Anand depicts life in India during the early 1900’s for a low class individual. Bakha is a boy who has been born into the lowest class of society. The class system in India during this time was called the caste system and related to the Hindu religion. Untouchable shows societal issues through Bakha’s experiences. The “untouchables” to which he belongs to are suppressed and degraded by their own society. An example of this can be seen when Bakha is attacked for accidentally bumping into another individual. What is unique about this experience is how Bakha feels that he should fight back and rebel as well as be submissive and let himself be abused. In this Indian society individuals of the lower class believe the upper class is superior to them and have the right to abuse them. When Bakha explains what happened to him in town to his father, his father replies with this ideology. Bakha is upset with the caste system and toward the end of the novel begins to realize there are other ways to live. He starts to listen to a Christian missionary who says Jesus love the rich and the poor. Later on he sees Gandhi who also believes that the “untouchables” should no longer be so degraded and rather calls them “men of God”.

Untouchable

" 'Why is it,' he had often asked himself, 'that I can't go and ask now but dared to do so when I was a child?' He couldn't find the answer to this. He didn't know that with the growth of years he had lost the freedom, the wild, careless, dauntless freedom of the child, that he had lost his courage, that he was afraid." (Pg. 102-103)

Although Bakha resists the dominant Hindu society by dressing like the Tommies, he also respects and fears the Hindu people that have been his oppressors for such a long time. The quote above, I believe, is melancholy and shows that life for the sweepers and those of the lower caste is one of fear and hardships. As a child, Bakha was not afraid to communicate with the dominant culture, but as he grew up and became more aware of his life and the caste he belonged to, he grew afraid of them. As he realized he was of a lower cast and began to think of himself as one of the lower cast, he became subservient. In a sense, this quote shows us that freedom is both mental and physical. Once Bakha deemed himself as one of the lower caste he came to fear the dominant culture, and this fear of them does not allow him to fight the oppressive society he lives in.

"Untouchable"

Untouchable greatly deals with the themes of submission and rebellion. From the start of the novel, Bakha relates to us the complete submission he must endure under his father, along with the responsibility of doing his job. As a sweeper, society sees him as the equal of the feces he clean, and through that Bakha must face even more bad treatment. He tries to rebel from his low position by copying the dress of the Tommies, the British soliders, in his attempts to be a sahib. It's funny that Bakha thinks its more realistic to become a sahib through the British, who don't share anything with him, than his fellow Hindus. The caste system in Hindu society is embedded in his mind, and Bakha cannot escape from it. It seems the only time Bakha feels free is when he doesn't think of anything, when his mind is blank. He frees his body from stress through mindless cleaning, and frees his senses when he walks through the city, before the incident.

Societal Divisions

Anand’s “Untouchable” raises the important issues of human exploitation and societal divisions. The caste system severely separated members of Indian society based on occupation and income, with the “untouchables” at the bottom of the system, unskilled laborers and domestic servants right above, skilled workers such as traders and merchants next, warriors and rulers, followed by priests who were at the top of society. Children were expected to inherit the positions that their parents were in, for example Bakha was expected to become a sweeper when his father died and was never given an opportunity to better himself or his family. Another example of this division is with the water well, where individuals from lower castes are not allowed to get their own water, and must wait by a well until someone from a higher class gives them water. These individuals were deemed “untouchable” and the higher caste members feared that if they fetched their own water, they would contaminate the water. These conditions severely limited the economic and social development of untouchables such as Bakha.

"Untouchable"

Untouchable brings up the issue of poverty around the world. In this book we see the story of Bakha who works hard and lives in an environment where he is considered an outcaste, meaning he is an outsider an untouchable. Most cultures have social hierarchies like the ones presented in the book. When a person falls below a certain level of poverty, the condition becomes so crushing that there is no way out without extreme help. For example Bakha’s father was a sweeper and when his father died Bakha would take over this job and it was passed down from generation to generation. In this environment disease and hunger become excruciating, we see this in Untouchable when we see that the lower class citizens have to wait by the well in order for a person from a higher class to have a noble heart and give them water because otherwise they would not get this opportunity. These people were considered to contaminate if they were touched or were touched. These conditions are present in many places around the world and if we do not help then these conditions will continue to be carried down to future generations.

Untouchable essay brainstorm- Demi

Theme of Submission and Rebellion: These two themes are closely related by Anand in “Untouchable,” because without the act of being forced to submit to abuse by the upper caste Hindus, there really wouldn’t be a need for the Bakha to rebel against the system to get through the day. Bakha feels that he must rebel against the torture and slander cursed against him everyday because if he doesn’t fight it then he’s accepting that all of the horrible things everyone says about him and the people of his caste are true, and that would make for an even more miserable and unbearable life. Bakha doesn’t rebel in the normal sense of the word, his rebellion stems from a mind set against the system. He dresses different to set himself apart from his low class comrades, but he doesn’t go out and attack the Hindus who oppress him. The irony here is that by dressing like the Tommies instead of the Hindus, he is somewhat submitting to the power of Britain and their control over India. It is a somewhat never ending cycle of being tired of the abuse by the harsh Hindu custom and rebelling against those traditions by trying to accept the ways in which the British lives and in doing this submitting to their customs over Indian tradition.
What it means to be free: It seems that to Anand, being free doesn’t necessarily mean to have India not colonized/controlled by Britain because in reality that wouldn’t change the lives of the untouchables. In fact, for Bakha, it would take away one of the ways in which he rebels because if the British never came, then he wouldn’t have learned to dress like them. Also, in order to be free the lower castes do not need to try to break away from Britain’s hold on India, but need to find a way to get their fellow mankind to accept them. The untouchables will not be free until everyone in their society sees how wrong and horrible the caste system is and stops abusing people according to their ancestry and their occupations.

Untouchable

Bakha's understanding of freedom and his desire to obtain freedom reaches a pinnacle when he listens to and begins to understand Gandhi's speech. It seems as if Bakha's understanding of freedom occurs simultaneously to the masses understanding of what it means to be free. However, unlike many other countries or social classes fights for freedom, Gandhi preaches for a peaceful revolution. This seems to mean that a revolution must come from within the people that wish to see changes, before any changes will begin to occur to the nation as a whole. By stating this, Anand uses Gandhi to represent his message that in order for a class such as the untouchables to obtain emancipation, they must first clean up their own images and stop acting like untouchables.

At first, it appears as if Anand is blaming the untouchables for their own poor conditions of life. However, he is not actually blaming the untouchables, rather he is requesting that the masses lead the way for their own freedom. If the untouchables want to be free and treated equally, they must show the upper classes that they are indeed equal humans, not inferiors.

Untouchable - Essay Brainstorm

What does it mean to be truly 'free'? Bakha can become free from his position in the social class - free from the higher up and free from his father, who acknowledges his status as an Untouchable - and free from British oppression. These are two instances in Untouchable where I feel there is a double meaning in the word "free".
The themes of submission and rebellion both play off each other in the novel. It is hard to see one without the other. Within Bakha himself, he is conflicted by these two concepts. He is unsure whether to be submissive to the abuse by other Indians, or submissive to the British rule, but he rebels against his culture by accepting the European dress, and by dismissing the fact that the Untouchable should not be seen, for example, spending money or smoking in the city.

untouchable

The book Untouchable takes place in India with the main character, Bakha, a boy who desperately wanted to run way from his Indian lifestyle and engulf himself into the British European Tommies) lifestyle. During this time in the novel, Bakha is a low-caste sweeper, meaning that he cleans up dung (crap). one morning Bakha decides to go into the city with the little money he made from cleaning the latrines, and while walking down the streets a higher-caste Hindus start circle him while saying things like, "Why don't you call, you swine, and announce your approach," and, "Now i will have to go and take a bath to purify myself." Even while stepping foot into a chapel he was ridiculed and discriminated against because of his profession...a profession that is necessary in their society. After that horrible morning, he declared himself untouchable.

Untouchable

In Bakha's outcaste colony, he is a minority that dresses and acts differently than everyone else. In this sense, "Indianness" can be seen as the dominant force that he encounters on a daily basis. One of the most evident ways that he resists the culture around him is by dressing like Tommies, or the British and Indian soldiers. Bakha wishes more than anything to be a superior like them, and does his best to imitate the soldiers by dressing like them. Bakha tries to push "Indianness" away from him by "guarding [his clothes] from all base taint of Indianness" (12). He believes that any resemblance to the Tommies makes him superior to the other citizens of his colony, and that any detail in his life: the way he walks, talks, or dresses, should not be "tainted" by his own culture. If he is in any way tainted, Bakha believes that he will not be part of his supposed superior social standing, and will only assimilate with his culture and be of a low social standing. This assimilation would mean that Bakha is no longer "resisting" the dominant "Indianness" that he encounters daily.

Blog 2

Edward Said's article presents resistance as a direct result of imperialism. Many individuals struggled to achieve freedom and their resistance was the only way in which they, the oppressed, could attempt to regain their dignity and respect. When European nations began to violently expand their empires, they attempted to not only conquer the lands, but the minds of the people. This included imposing their social norms and religious beliefs on the natives of the lands. Said portrays this European domination in his article, writing that we can still see the remnants of this period of domination today. A prime example would be the emergence of English as a language of power on an international basis. This domination is also illustrated in Mulk Raj Anand's novel, where the protagonist, Bakha, deals with the consequences of imperialism in his nation. In Untouchable, a voice is given to the "untouchables" and the story of European expansion is represented by the British attainment of India. The story depicts the social changes that occured in India, and how individuals either resisted or assimilated to the foreign presence in their nation.

Said's article implicates the notion of "resistance" when explaining the effects of imperialism on culture and its desire of emancipation. He describes the process of domination and resistance as a "fissure" that affects every level of society including individual's social identity. In other words, the overarching existence of the dominant forces that colonize those at the peripheries vigorously complicate cultures' position in relation to the world. Individual cultural identities struggle to understand their place as a part of the external ideas/systems that continue to obscure their traditional views. Like Said, Mulk Raj Anand understands imperialism in cultural terms as described in his novel Untouchable. In Untouchable Anand gives an insight of the British acquisition of India by illustrating the voice of the "voiceless" class. Anand and Said demonstrate the huge social transformation that is caused by imperialism and how different cultures respond and resist to colonial domination.

European Imperialism

In lecture today, Mufti discussed how imperialism has produced what we now today call world literature. Imperialism has placed Europe and western ideology at the center of literature. European desire for assimilation by their colonized people resulted in European culture dominating the native culture. This is the reason that I believe that, as Mufti mentioned, everywhere there is domination, which therefore results in resistance. The resistance results from a lack of respect for those being colonized and a suppression of their culture. In world literature we are able to better understand the resistance that resulted from European domination. We are also able to see how the western world has left imprints of itself throughout the modern world. In the history of India we are able to see how even though many people assimilated and became Anglophone, eventually they still resisted the European domination and eventually became an independent state.

Untouchable

In“Untouchable,” by Mulk Raj Anand, the main character, Bakha, exemplifies Said’s idea of resistance by trying to do little things that are not common of his low “untouchable” class. One such act that Bakha does to separate himself from his fellow sweepers is to dress as British as he possible can. He decides to dress like the Tommies, who were the British soldiers that were located in India at the time, in order to establish some sort of identity for himself besides the polluted stereotype that his ancestors passed down to him. Also, Bakha’s way of thinking is another way that he resists his low class fate. He tries to picture himself breaking out of his occupation and becoming more western instead of just accepting his duty as a latrine cleaner. One last aspect that is somewhat out of Bakha’s control, but still shows some sense of resistance is Bakha’s body itself. Bakha does not look like the average sweeper, he is not scrawny, though he barely eats, and he is very good looking, which is not typical of a person who is abused and forced to clean latrines on a daily basis. In essence, Bakha does his best to resist rather than merely accept his fate by making subtle changes to his lifestyle and by carrying himself with worth.

Being an Untouchable

In Untouchable, Anand documents one day in the life of a sweeper by the name Bakha. In the first half of the work, readers can observe how Bakha starts his day to the verbal abuse of both his father and the people of higher status than him. Lakha seems proud of his status, yet is also tired of his work, and he pretends to feel unwell so that his children accommodate and perform the daily work for him. Lakha represents the traditional, unchanging mind of the elder generation, who finds fault in Bakha, who tries hard to be like the British- maybe because he is ashamed of the unfairness of his culture.
Readers can see that Bakha tries hard to be proud of himself as a sweeper. He does not seem acknowledge the fact that he is an Untouchable, dressing like the Tommies and 'forgetting' to announce his presence in the town. In the Indian caste system, Bakha himself is differentiated as an Untouchable, yet the character adds to this differentiation by dressing like the Europeans.
It is later in the evening, after Bakha has encountered numbers bouts of abuse where he begins to realize and acutally think about his status. It is with the epiphany where Bakha acknowledges himself as an Untouchable that he begins to dislike himself.
Bakha then distances himself from his family and even his friends, who had no qualms about his status. This turning point, where Bakha sees himself not as closer to the British or close to his own ethnicity, but far from both. He isolates himself, and it is here where he becomes enlightened to his status and the views of the society. He meets a missionary, who teaches him of Christianity- of the son of God, who died for the sins of the people; Bakha thinks of the equality of all men. After this he is caught up in a crowd which rushes to see Gandhi. Bakha feels he can relate to what Gandhi is saying, and his already troubled mind continues to toss the idea of being an Untouchable aroound in his mind.

Untouchable

Said’s idea of resistance as mentioned by professor Mufti is “the orientation of mind and body that pushes back power”. This idea is present in the novel by Mulk Raj Anand “Untouchable” when Bakha the main character refuses to accept mainstream society and attempts to imitate the Tommies which were the British soldiers that occupied India at the time. Bakha is part of the lower class in India and is considered to be an outcastes or an “untouchable” meaning he could not touch or be touched because he was considered to be contaminated. Bakha represented the resistance in this novel because he denies his position inherited by his forefathers of a sweeper and latrine cleaner to become like the British soldiers in order to challenge his superiors which were the Hindus. The British soldiers were Bakha’s heroes because they were free to roam around the country and he was a slave to his lower class status that did not allow him to have freedom. He believed that by wearing clothes like the soldiers and acting like a soldier gave him capitol and relieved him of his “outcaste” status in society. He wants this freedom and resists his lower class status given to him by his culture by imitating another.

Untouchable

Bakha is a a character in Untouchable who is a Bhangi. Bhangis are the lowest of the low in the Hindu hierarchy because they are given the job of cleaning the latrins and sweeping the streets. Consequenlty this job creates a lack of hygiene. The Hindu's view Bhangis to be impure and filthy . I feel that Bakha attempts (resists) to rise above his caste by westernizing. He does this by dressing like the british whom he admires. He thinks about western education as a form to escaping his social status. Bakha uses the western influence as a way to resist Hindu domination.

UNTOUCHABLE...SO FAR

I think it is very interesting how the protagonist,Bakha, tries so desperately to assimilate to look and dress and act like the Tommies. He tries to reject his Hindu culture and assimilate into the British culture as much as possible. He uses all of his extra money to dress like them and will even freeze to avoid putting on an Indian quilt. "He had felt that to put on their clothes made one a sahib too." -11 I think that is a very interesting point as it ignores the inward culture and thoughts of someone and bases their identity on outward appearance. This book, as far as I have read, goes along with Said's idea that their is a clear cut "empowered group" and a "subordinate group" Bakha tries to assimilate into the empowered group to avoid the rough conditions of the subordinate group. It is a strictly heirarchial system and it is not desired to be on the bottom.

Untouchable

Said tells us that wherever there is dominance, there is also resistance. By resistance, Said means an orientation of the mind or body that pushes against the act of domination. In the novel, as far as I have read, Bakha, the protagonist, attempts to resist the domination of the Hindu power by dressing like the Tommies, the British soldiers that occupy India. By attempting to dress like the British, another dominant force in India at the time, Bakha represses the fact that he is an Untouchable. He attempts to resist the dominant Hindu religion that oppresses him daily by embodying what he believes represents the British culture.

what is world literature???

During lecture, professor Mufti stated that world literature is now being produced all over the world, and because of this world literature is seen as profoundly unequal in its uniformity. This unequal literature systems stems from power and domination. Moretti wants to show that their is a hierarchy of literature from a world wide view point, which implies that some countries have more "symbolic capital" than others. Because in most countries, no matter the language, there will always be novels in English. We can see that the English language is swallowing up more and more languages globally, and this is because of this system of world literature. This western domination has greatly influenced, and is now influencing, the way authors around the world write their novels.

World Literature

The idea of world literature seems pretty obvious and self explanatory to many. They believe it is the study of literature from around the world. Yes, this is true, but that is not a complete explanation. World literature has arisen since WWII, before this all literature was western. Similarly to how history books have always been written by the “winners” the suppressed minority voices of a country and/or culture have been neglected in the study of literature. World literature today encompasses these left out voices and incorporates them into the already heard voices of the majority. World literature is also used to better understand the world around us. To know how and why people interact the way they do. It allows for a variety of cultures to be acknowledged and not just western cultures and ideologies. As Edward Said says, “...its goal [is] the unity of mankind…” (p.24) and this unity and understanding can only be done “…from the perspective of the whole of secular human history” (p.39). The minority is no longer neglected, but rather a crucial part to the puzzle of understanding human interactions.

world literature?

World Literature in my opinion is the sharing of experiences, values, and beliefs of all countries and therefore expands global knowledge. World Literature allows someones personl, religious and political beliefs to be shared among the rest f the world without having to travel to every country to share it. It is said that there are always two sides to any story. World literature opens the doors for all countries and everyplace in the world to show each side of every story. Its a way of uniting people and allowing people from different places of the world to experience the same feelings.

What is world literature?

World literature is writing/literature that is created for a world audience, rather than a small localized place, such as a city or state. The system of literature is distinguished by institutions of literature, and is largely dominated by works of Western European origin, and usually in English. The novel has now become a world phenomenon, appearing and proliferating in places where it does not have a cultural tradition. That being said, the system of world literature is unequal, as defined by the dominance of English and Western Europe, where the novel and most prestigious literary institutions were created. When the novel appears in places where they are not the native genre, per se, it is interesting to note the influence that "traditional literary culture" has on it (such as Britain, France, Germany, America, etc...). Even within literature, there is a power struggle of sorts, of unsaid influences and the hidden power struggle to be completely original while attaining a larger audience.

World Literature

World Literature consists of a balance between different cultures and literary styles. However, this balance has become extremely difficult to maintain as there is an inequality between different regions of the world in terms of contributions to world literature. Moretti refers to this as "a system that is ... one, and unequal: with a core, and a periphery" (56). All the nations of the world must attempt to come together as "one" in order to have world literature, but within this "one", there are some nations that have more of an influence on literature than others. These influential nations, or the core, consists of the United States and Western European countries. The "foreign" countries, or the periphery, always attempt to conform to western literary styles, while simultaneously trying to maintain a style that is unique to their own culture. In order to have a true world literature, there must not be a western core with a foreign periphery, rather countries must put their own style as the core with any other literary contributions they want as the periphery. Thus, every nation has a chance to be the core of it's own literary works, rather than attempting to conform to western literary standards. The intersection between local nations trying maintain their unique characteristics, and all the diverse characteristics of countries trying to mesh with one another would create a true world literature if a perfect balance could be maintained.

What is World Literature...

World literature creates unity throughout the world through literature. It creates a body of writing that can span different cultures and locations. Instead of national literature that spreads ideas as well as a style of writing through one individual region, it is a global system of writing. As Franco Moretti argues, it is a product of institutions. It is literature that has been stream lined because authors have conformed to win mass appeal through gaining literary awards or becoming literary scholars. World literature means the distribution of literature and the kinds of writing has all become universal. Moretti also argues that world literature is a product of the unequal system of our world. It is a product of some countries and some regions having more power thus using this influence to spread their culture and writing styles. An example of this is the novel. The novel is only a few centuries old and is European in origin, but is now a world-wide phenomena.

Demi's take on world literature

Literature itself has come a long way from the days when writing was just getting started to the advancements in technology now that allow us to translate literature from all parts of the world, so that everyone can take part and learn from literature, no matter where or how it is originally written. This has allowed world literature to come about, as opposed to being solely confined to reading the works of your native nation alone. The good thing about world literature is that it aids in uniting people from all walks of life and areas with a literary piece. People that live countries apart and live completely different lives can all sit down in their rooms and read the same book and be enlightened by the same piece of work. Their interpretations of the piece may not be the identical, due to religious backgrounds and the customs of their respected nations, but they still share something with each other by reading the same work. I feel that the whole idea of world literature is to unify everyone in a noninvasive way that allows critics and people that read for pleasure to get insight into the different ways people from other cultures live and the struggles that they and their countries are facing without having to physically travel there to see it. The main problem which understanding world literature pieces is that in order for critics to fully grasp the text they are reading and see it from all possible sides, they need the help and patience of those who have mastered the language, customs and problems of the land in which the piece was written, or the setting of the story (if the author is describing a land from which they are not from). And this requires unity in people from all around the world, if we are to fully appreciate and understand all of the wonderful pieces of literature from the world.

World Literature

World literature, as it was said in class, can be very unequal. Although it can be unequal, I believe world literature also unites people. World literature has enabled different ideas, beliefs, customs, and traditions to be shared around the world. Those who read novels and poems from different parts of the world, for the briefest moment, can be transported to the region of the world they are reading about. It allows us to learn about others and to learn more about the world we live in. World literature, in a sense, has become what connects different worlds to one another. Although it is said that world literature is unequal it has become the factor that connects people to one another.

"What is World Literature?"

World Literature can be defined in many different ways. However world literature in my perspective means unison. Writing is a means of power within a person and literature shows different emotions, which give people the power to express themselves. Although literature may be different according to culture, geographic location and views of the world it is a common cause, because we all have something to say. World literature gives the reader perspective of the world and allows us to understand the world through the eyes of many writers. World literature shows us many cultures and traditions that otherwise would be unknown therefore world literature in my perspective is a unison of the world.

Ann Mao - "World Literature"

My definition of “World Literature”:

To me, “World Literature” is something that can stand the test of time. It is a collection of works that have been of either great influence or have offered insight into a place in the world at some point in time. “World Literature” is something that can be translated into many different languages so that people everywhere can become aware of the social phenomena taking place in a part of the world. Without this particular form of literature, it would be pretentious for any one region of the world to feel as if they understand how people worldwide live their everyday lives.

Let's Get This Started. :)

( I hope it is ok that I have made the first post. If it needs editing in any way, feel free to comment, and I will be happy to do so.)

Upon commencing Spring Quarter 2010 at UCLA, we have found ourselves enrolled in Comparative Literature 2DW:: Survey of Literature: Great Books from World at Large with Professor Mufti.

Course Description: Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours. Study of major literary texts usually overlooked in courses that focus only on canon of Western literature, with emphasis on literary analysis and expository writing. Texts from at least three of following areas read in any given term: African, Caribbean, East Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern literature. [taken directly from registrar.ucla.edu]

We are introduced to the course by two texts: Franco Moretti, “Conjectures on World Literature” and Edward Said, “Secular Interpretation, the Geographical Element, and the Methodology of Imperialism.”

Now we are asked to answer the question:

What is “World Literature”?