Indian lit. in english - Untouchable :: essays research papers fc

Indian lit. in english paper The Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand Mulk Raj Anand, one of the most highly regarded Indian novelists writing in English, was born in Peshawar in 1905. He was educated at the universities of Lahore, London and Cambridge, and lived in England for many years, finally settling in a village in Western India after the war. His main concern has always been for "the creatures in the lower depths of Indian society who once were men and women: the rejected, who has no way to articulate their anguish against the oppressors'. His novels works have been translated into several world languages. Untouchable (1935) Coolie (1936) Two Leaves and a Bud (1937) The Village (1939) Across the Black Waters (1940) The Sword and the Sickle (1942) Private Life of an Indian Prince (1953) The Indelible Problem: Mulk Raj Anand and the Plight of Untouchability Andrew M. Stracuzzi The University of Western Ontario Mulk Raj Anand, speaking about the real test of the novelist, once said: It may lie in the transformation of words into prophesy. Because, what is writer if he is not the fiery voice of the people, who, through his own torments, urges and exaltations, by realizing the pains, frustrations and aspirations of others, and by cultivating his incipient powers of expression, transmutes in art all feeling, all thought, all experience - thus becoming the seer of a new vision in any given situation. (qtd. in Dhawn, 14) There is no question that Mulk Raj Anand has fashioned with Untouchable a novel that articulates the abuses of an exploited class through sheer sympathy in the traditionalist manner of the realist novel He is, indeed, the "fiery voice" of those people who form the Untouchable caste. Yet if the goal of the writer, as Anand himself states, is to transform "words into prophecy," then the reader's struggle for meaning in the closing scenes of the novel become problematic and contestatory. It is reasonable to assume -- and as I would argue, it is implied -- that Anand has ventured to address a specific question with writing Untouchable; this is, how to alleviate the exploitation of the untouchable class in India? He then proceeds to address this question through the dramatization of Bahka, the novel's central character. Having said this -- and taking into account Anand's notion of the novel as prophesy -- I will argue that the author has failed to fully answer the ques tion he has set before him.

Imagination vs Reality in Literature Essay

â€Å"Aren’t grown-ups supposed to read realistic fiction? What good are these wild tales, anyway? † (â€Å"Speculative† 200). In author Vandana Singh’s â€Å"A Speculative Manifesto†, she describes how important speculative fiction is in the education of students in literature. Speculative fiction is combination of several different genres of literature, such as mystery, science fiction, historical fiction and fantasy. Vandana Singh asks in her manifesto if education is based on the truth then â€Å"[w]hy not discard the old myths, legends, tall tales, and their modern counterparts, as we discard other childish things† (200). Vandana Singh believes that both children and adults need the literature for their imagination. In the manifesto, she describes who imagination allows us as humans to dream. Although science fiction and fantasy can also help ones with their imagination, through our imagination we can make up â€Å"ingenious thought-experiments, through asking ‘what-if’ questions and attempt[] to answer them† (202). According to Vandana Singh, speculative fiction allows us to question our lives and â€Å"live out possible futures before we come to them† (202). Speculative fiction and feminist literature can be intertwined together to make stories as well. Vandana Singh uses a blend of these two literature genres in order to write her short story The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet. Although these two genres may be viewed as two separate pieces of literature, Vandana Singh uses her imagination and her background in her Indian culture to create the story. In one of Vandana Singh’s short stories, The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet, she uses her speculative fiction beliefs and her imagination to describe a story about a woman going through â€Å"changes†. This story starts off at the kitchen table where Ramnath Mishra is partaking in his usual morning routine when his wife announced, â€Å"’I know at last what I am. I am a planet’† (39). Shocked and confused about his wife’s announcement, Ramnath believed that his wife, Kamala, had merely lost her mind. Ramnath believed that the only way for his wife to get better was to phone the doctor, however Kamala did not think she was ill. Kamala states to Ramnath, â€Å"’I am a planet. I used to be a human, a woman, a wife and mother’† (40). Ramnath could not understand how he did not actually know the person whom he has lived with for the past forty years, â€Å"[s]he looked like a stranger† (43). He thought that a planet has to be â€Å"an inanimate object circling a star† and that there was no way Kamala, a human, could be a planet (40). Living in an Indian culture, Ramnath was extremely embarrassed by his wife’s actions. She constantly tried to undress her clothes because she believed that planets do not need a sari. As Ramnath described how his great aunt went mad, â€Å"[w]hat a terrible dishonor the family had suffered, what indignity† (41). He worried that Kamala was going to create great embarrassment, not only for him but for his family’s name as well. At night, Ramnath found himself wishing Kamala dead, even began plotting different ways for going about killing her, â€Å"[h]e could not live like this† (46). One evening, as Kamala was sleeping, Ramnath noticed that she seemed to be coughing something up, which was exciting for Ramnath because he believed that she was going to die on her own, without his help. Moments later, Ramnath observed some â€Å"jelly-like† substance coming out of her mouth. He realized that this substance was made up of â€Å"small, moving things† (47). These â€Å"aliens† began pouring out of Kamala’s mouth attacking Ramnath, but not waking Kamala. In the morning, still terrified by what happened last night, Ramnath laid in bed until his wife woke up. Once awake, she explained that if she knew what was happening she would have explained to these creatures not to hurt him. Kamala explained to Ramnath that these creatures were â€Å"inhabitants† and reminded him that she is a planet. Kamala then went on to describe how the younger â€Å"inhabitants† were trying to colonized and asked Ramnath to be a planet with her. Kamala explained to Ramnath that â€Å"[a] planet needs sun†¦ My journey is just beginning† (50). Later, Ramnath and Kamala went on a walk, where Kamala ran into the park where there was a man selling balloons, which she is fascinated by. After being captivated by the way the balloons floated into the sky when letting them go, Kamala began â€Å"[s]lowly and majestically†¦ rise over the ground† (52). Her clothing slowly began to fall from the sky, as she was rotating and floated higher and higher. â€Å"For a moment [Ramnath] almost envied her† as she floated into the starts, he ran into the house and as he went to scream, â€Å"the insectoids were already marching up his back, over his shoulder and into his terrified, open mouth† (54). In an interview, Vanadana Singh was asked what her appeal to speculative fiction was, her response being, â€Å"[t]he best speculative fiction demands a boldness of imagination and a vastness of scope that no other literature can offer (Tan). In Vandana Singh’s short story, The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet, it is shown that her imagination was used enormously in order to not only come up with the story, but to use such great detail. Speculative fiction, â€Å"with its aliens and magic and warp drives, set against the backdrop of the universe itself. † (â€Å"Manifesto† 203). In the interview, Vandana Singh also adds that â€Å"the sense of wonder that [speculative fiction] evokes, the engagement with ideas, and the fact that it provides a two-way mirror for looking at the world one wonders why everyone doesn’t read the stuff† (Tan). Not only does Vandana Singh’s short story, The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet, use great imagination, it also includes the truths behind the Indian culture in marriage. The man of the house is the â€Å"leader† of the family. Also this story shows how it is extremely embarrassing for a woman to not only get nude in public, but in the house. The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet is a wonderful example of a piece of feminist literature. Feminist Literature is described as a question of women’s role in society and complex conceptions of gender. In this short story, it shows that Kamala was trying to become her own woman. She believed that there were â€Å"inhabits† inside of her. She routinely attempted to take her clothing off, which infuriated Ramnath and also embarrassed him to an extreme end. An additional example of how The Woman Who Thought She Was A Planet was used for feminist critique is that it shows that in other cultures besides our own, woman are always trying to be themselves and not have to be held down to the â€Å"norms† that are expected of them. Although in this story Kamala may not have been able to control her actions completely, it shows the way the Indian culture views people when they act out and how one little action can be viewed as such an embarrassment. Works Cited Singh, Vandana. A Speculative Manifesto. Framingham: n. p. , 2008. 200-04. Print. Singh, Vandana. The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet: And Other Stories. New Delhi, India: Zubaan, in Collaboration with Penguin India, 2008. 39-54. Print. Tan, Charles. â€Å"The World SF Blog. † The World SF Blog. The World SF Blog, 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. .

US Womens Soccer - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1311 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/04/04 Category Sports Essay Level High school Tags: Soccer Essay Did you like this example? Inequality for women in the United States is something that has long been investigated and argued controversially. Its one of those issues, like injustice for people of color, that we are making progress in but are still far from reaching true and fair balance. We often see this inequality in the workplace, where women are put into different work environments, with adjusted benefits and pay solely based on the gender factor. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "US Womens Soccer" essay for you Create order It is no different for professional athletes. Playing a sport professionally IS their job, and players still see the same unfair discrimination as seen in more corporate settings. US womens soccer has long been struggling in the fight to receive fair pay and equal benefits compared to the men, especially given that womens soccer sees more success in their games, and attract a greater audience. How is it that women still are forced to play of turf fields, while the men almost always get grass fields? The womens team plays the majority of their matches on turf, which has been shown to increase the risk of injuries and a force a more cautious style of play, while the men get the luxury most often playing on grass. Clearly, the success of the womens team means nothing to the Football Association when it comes to ensuring their safety. The US mens team still receives higher pay, even though US women often make it past group stages into the quarter, semi, and championship round, bringing home more victories and trophies. They are overlooked in even the simplest matters, such as hotel and family accomodations. The issue is that US womens soccer players are still being ill-treated when its clear they deserve more. They should be able to make a decent life for themselves with all the work they put in and the results they produce for our country. FIFA and the USSF need to provide the womens team with more equitable benefits when it comes to equipment and field quality, and better salaries and bonuses for the achievements of the team. Of course, the mens team should be entitled to their bonuses when they perform well too, its just a fact that they tend to not do as well as women in the World Cup, Olympics, and other tournaments. Based on their higher number of viewers and numerous wins and championships they bring home for our country, and, there is no reason the womens team should not be given fairer pay, the right to play in a safe environment, receive unbiased travel and living accommodations, and be seen as soccer players without a sexist bias. The greatest portion of funding for the United States Soccer Federation comes from their broadcasting and sponsorship revenue, with their main partner being ESPN. The US womens national team has established a growing audience which has certainly surpassed the viewership of the mens games. According to a network ratings report, In 2011, the womens world cup final ranked as the most-viewed soccer telecast (regardless of gender) ever on ESPN; the sixth-most viewed soccer telecast ever on a single network (also, regardless of gender); and the second-most viewed daytime program in the history of cable television. It drew a 7.4 U.S. rating and 13.458 million viewers (Wile). The womens team has broken records with ESPN as well as cable television in general. They are attracting a greater audience, and generating more budget money for the USSF. However, they are not getting the proper credit and fair rewards. The world cup isnt the only tournament these women have taken over in ratings. The team put on an intense semi-final battle with Canada in the 2012 London olympics, ending the nail-biting game with a 4-3 victory. Reports state, In 2012, the U.S.-Canada womens Olympic semifinal contributed the then- single most-viewed half-hour of the Olympics on NBCSN, breaking another record for broadcasters partnered with the USSF (Wile). The mens team fails to come close to the positive ratings and viewers the women have brought, and continue to be a weak source of income for the federation. The women continuously make themselves known, proving them worthy of getting compensation for their growing popularity. Men still make roughly 40% more than the women, regardless of how interested viewers are in their games, or what ratings they receive (Close). In addition, a budget report from the USSF shows the womens team is projected to bring in more than $17 million in revenues, including a $5 million surplus for fiscal year 2017, nearly doubling their male counterparts, who are expected to run a deficit (Santhanam). Bringing in more money than the men from sponsorships and viewers across multiple networks is a point worthy of consideration, but the USSF seems to overlook that, and refuses to give women the wages they so rightly deserve. The mens team, which is actually LOSING money for the federation is somehow getting payed better than the women who are constantly producing more money for the budget. In some ways, they are just giving money to the men, since thats where most of it goes. Given that the womens games are more popular than the mens through various statistics, it is only fair that they receive more of the money that they bring in for the federation. A big part of the viewership the women see from their games comes from the fact that they make it further in events like the FIFA world cup, the Olympics, friendly matches, and various tournaments than the men do. Both the men and womens team participate in the same number of friendly matches with other countries. Chaddha highlights how unimportant success is for these players, stating that The women would earn $99,000 each if they won 20 friendlies, the minimum number they are required to play in a year. But the men would likely earn $263,320 each for the same feat, and would get $100,000 even if they lost all 20 games (Chaddha). Players on the mens team will still get a higher salary no matter how successful they are in their games. Aside from friendly matches, The womens team has won three World Cups, with their most recent triumph occurring in 2015. The mens team has yet to advance past the quarterfinals of a World Cup, let alone win the whole tournament (Chaddha). These competitive women have a passion for soccer and love the game, but they are still ultimately playing to bring titles home for their country. Given their success in the world cup, one might believe that these women are getting paid a sufficient amount for their efforts to take home these trophies. However, Close points out that the men made 8 million dollars for getting 11th place in their world cup, while the women made one-fourth of that, 2 million, for hosting and placing in 1st for their world cup (Close). Its hard to find justification for a championship team getting less pay than a team that fails to even reach the quarter-finals. The olympic games is the only instance in which the men and women received equal pay. In this case, The Federation offered equal pay of $15,000 to each womens and mens national team member who qualified to play in the Olympics and another $15,000 to everyone who made the roster (Santhanam). While this is a step in the right direction, this is just a small pay increase the USSF granted to take some of the pressure off and temporarily satisfy the players. They stray away from larger issues involving the world cup and friendly matches these women partake in. They support their families and themselves with the salaries from matches that occur more often, and participation in said matches is not earning them the pay increase they want. The womens team has proven their strengths on the field, qualifying and making it far in esteemed tournaments and winning matches, from which they should be receiving more money for their hard work and dedication.