'Draupadi' is a short story written by Mahasweta Devi. It takes us into the life of Dopdi Mejhen. She is described in the first few lines of the short story as "Name Dopdi Mejhen, age twenty-seven, husband Dulna Majhi (deceased), domicile Cherakhan, Bankrajharh, information whether dead or alive and/or assistance in arrest, one hundred rupees … Continue reading Mahasweta Devi’s ‘Draupadi’: The Symbolism of a Name
Tag: Literature
Let’s Talk About Literature
Often times, when one talks about literature, one thinks of the greats- of Shakespeare, of Milton, of Chaucer. Often times, when one talks about literature, one thinks of the long list of dead white men and what the things that they wrote that have been considered over the years, centuries even, the highest forms of … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Literature
The Symbol of Rhinoceros in Ionesco’s Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros is a play by Eugene Ionesco written in 1959. The play has elements of absurd and avant-garde theatre, but more significantly, the play provides a political commentary on the rise of mass hysteria, fascism, and totalitarianism. Written in the aftermath of the Second World War and with the backdrop of the rise of the … Continue reading The Symbol of Rhinoceros in Ionesco’s Rhinoceros
The Namesake and Diaspora
The Namesake, published in 2003, is the first novel written by Jhumpa Lahiri. Lahiri was born to Indian parents in England who then moved to America while she was still a child, making her a part of the Indian diasporic community. This theme of Diaspora is recurrent in her writings, including The Namesake. In the … Continue reading The Namesake and Diaspora
Tragedy in Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, is a landmark text in African writing in English. At the most basic level, the novel is a story about Okonkwo, his rise to status in the Igbo community and the subsequent fall culminating, eventually, in his suicide. The combination of hubris and misfortune that leads to … Continue reading Tragedy in Things Fall Apart
Poetry Appreciation: ‘Lady Lazarus’ by Sylvia Plath
This post is a part of my ‘Poetry Appreciation’ segment wherein every once in a while I share a poem that I like. Today I've chosen Sylvia Plath's 'Lady Lazarus'. About Sylvia Plath: Sylvia Plath (27 October 1932 - 11 February 1963) was an American poet, short-story writer, and novelist. She is often credited with … Continue reading Poetry Appreciation: ‘Lady Lazarus’ by Sylvia Plath
Madness in Manto’s ‘Toba Tek Singh’
Saadat Hasan Manto's short story 'Toba Tek Singh' (1955) was written in the aftermath of the Partition of India and Pakistan that accompanied independence in 1947 and satirises the insanity of the violence of partition. The satire is achieved by making a mental asylum the primary setting of the story and its inmates, including the … Continue reading Madness in Manto’s ‘Toba Tek Singh’
Inter-generational Liberation in Ama Ata Aidoo’s ‘The Girl Who Can’
'The Girl Who Can' is a short story by Ama Ata Aidoo. Set in a village in Ghana, the story takes us into the world of Adjoa, the seven-year-old protagonist, who lives with her mother (Maami) and grandmother (Nana). Set in a household comprising only of three generations of women, the grandmother-the mother- the daughter, … Continue reading Inter-generational Liberation in Ama Ata Aidoo’s ‘The Girl Who Can’
Borders in The Shadow Lines
The Shadow Lines is a novel by Amitav Ghosh and it interrogates the notion of borders. As implied in the title itself, it shows borders not as concrete but as shadows. This interrogation is done through one of the main characters in the text, the narrator's grandmother, Thamma. Thamma is the narrator's grandmother and a … Continue reading Borders in The Shadow Lines
The ‘Treasures’ in Bessie Head’s ‘The Collector of Treasures’
The short story 'The Collector of Treasures' was published in Bessie Head's collection of short stories - The Collector of Treasures: and other Botswana Village Tales. The story is about a woman named Dikeledi Mokopi who is charged with the murder of her husband, Garesego, and imprisoned. The story starts with her journey to her … Continue reading The ‘Treasures’ in Bessie Head’s ‘The Collector of Treasures’
Not So Random Ramblings 