Chapter 5.
Page. 148-160
The fifth night
Summary:
The fifth chapter starts off with Balram explaining the "Rooster Coop" to the prime minister.
If you leave a black bag with a million dollars in a Mumbai taxi. The taxi driver will call the police and return the money by the day’s end.
That’s because he is the in the "Rooster Coop".The people in the "Rooster Coop" don't even try to get out of the darkness. They do not rebel. The trustworthiness of servants is the basis of the entire Indian economy.
Like Balram tells he never thought of telling the judge the truth about what happened, the night Pinky Madame drove the girl over.
He remained silent because of the rooster coop.
He remembers the day the stork came to Delhi. They told him that his help in that case won’t be needed. There were no witnesses who could report the case to the police.
During the storks stay he drove him to the hospital a couple of times.
One night Pinky Madame wanted Balram to drive her to the airport without her husband.
That was the day Pinky Madame left and the marriage between her and Mr. Ashok came to an end.
Before she left she gave Balram an envelope with some money in it.
The next morning Mr. Ashok found out she had left. He was devastated.
Balram was a consolation to him, he looked after him and helped him where ever he could.
When Mr. Ashoks brother came back the intimacy between Balram and Mr.Ashok was over.
The Mongoose handed Balram a letter from his Grandma. Once again she tried to persuade him to get married. Besides that she wanted him sent some more money home.
The day Balram dropped the Mongoose off at the railway station he saw Mr. Ashok massaging his feet by himself. He refused Balrams help.
Balram thought about getting married or not.
While he was waiting in the car he got a vision of a “ pale stiff foot pushing through a fire”.
That was the moment he decided he wanted to break out of the “rooster coop”.
He started to do Yoga in the car. The other servants made fun off him. Once again the Rooster coop was doing its work.
Servants have to keep other servants from becoming innovators, experimenters, or entrepreneurs.
Personal Part:
Something I found particularly interesting was the “Rooster Coop”.
The opinion I have about India is that 1. you can’t trust anybody 2. everybody just thinks about themselves .
This Opinion developed by reading this book.
The stories Balram tells about his life in darkness and his life as a servant don’t seem to be so nice and trustworthy.
In that case it surprised me even more that the servants are actually that honest and trustworthy.
I don’t think the narrator is lieing about that. I just think it sounds really odd.
Why are the suddenly so trustworthy? Just because they’re are servants and drivers?
The storks family always says they can trust Balram he’s from home. That sounds to me like you can’t trust everybody.
Maybe Balram carries it to far with the rooster coop?
I believe there is something like a Rooster Coop but I don’t think it’s exactly like Balram tells us.
When Balram talks about the Rooster Coop he starts off with telling about the chickens and how they wait for their death and do not even rebel.
He made it sound like something horrible that happens to the people in India and i agree with that.
Taking the chances in life and the dreams away from people is horrible.
But later he makes it sound like something great. "The trustworthiness of servants is the basis of the entire Indian economy."
Links:
While reading this article I thought more and more that this is just away off stealing somebody theire chances in life.
Those people in the Rooster Coop will never have a chance to get out of there and do what they would like to do in life.
I don’t think there is anything good about the Rooster Coop.
http://jagruti.orangy.in/2009/02/great-indian-rooster-coop.html
Samstag, 25. September 2010
Mittwoch, 22. September 2010
Chapter 4. "the fourth night"
Chapter 4
Page. 98-145
the fourth night
Summary:
Delhi is the capital of India and they call it “the showcase of the republic”.
Balram tells about Delhis street system which is confusing and illogical.
Balram remembers and continues his story.
The Mongoose and his brother Mr.Ashok got in some arguments about money,about Mr. Ashoks wife and his American lifestyle.
Mr.Ashoks plan was to stay in Delhi.
In Delhi Balram had to drive his masters to the mall a couple of time.
That’s where he met some other drivers. One of them told him everything he needed to know about Delhi.
At his masters house was a quarter for the servants. The other servents made fun of him and called him “village idiot”.
Balram decided to sleep in a room by himself.
One day Mr. Ashoks told Balram to drop Mukesh of at the train station.
After he dropped Mukesh of he noticed two things about Mr.Ashok:
1. nothing held his attention for long
2. He was weak, helpless,absent-minded, and completely unprotected by the usual instincts that run in the blood of a landlord.
Balram saw a servant trying to go into a mall in Delhi.
Servants were not allowed to go into a mall. Balram tried it as well.
He bought a rich mans t-shirt, a pair of shoes and some toothpaste.
He tried the same thing like the other servant and he walked into a mall for the first time in this life. Nobody noticed that he was a servant.
Balram calls it “his first taste of the fugitives life”.
One night he picked Mr.Ashok and his wife up from a party. They were drunk.
Pinky madame wanted Balram to get out of the car so she could drive by herself.
In that night Pinky Madame drove a girl over and killed her.
The next morning the Mongoose and man in a black coat wanted Balram to sign a paper
which said that the accident was caused by Balram when he was driving the car.
Underneath were the names of the witnesses listed.
Kusum Halwai was one of them.
Personal Part:
Delhi is a very interesting city. Like Balram says on page. 98 “ It’s the capital of our glorious nation.The seat of parliament , of the president, all ministers and prime ministers. The pride of our civic planing. The showcase of the republic.”
Delhi seems to be multicultural. Like Mr.Ashok says on page. 101 Gurgaon, is the most American part of the city. There are malls in Delhi, American restaurants like T.G.I Fridays etc.
On the other hand it seems to be like in any other city in India. There are rich people who live in houge houses, hire servants, drive nice cars etc. and on the other hand there are thousands of homeless people on the streets.
On page. 140
A conversation between Mr. Ashok and Balram.
“Oh, she was one of those people.”
“who live under the flyovers and bridges sir.That’s my guess too.”
“ In that case, will anyone miss her...?”
This is a good example for the class differences in Delhi. Homeless people are treated like animals. The riches don’t care about them. Poor and rich are two different worlds in Delhi.
Links:
This link is more about the touristside of Delhi
http://www.tourism-delhi.com/sightseeing-in-delhi.html
this link is more for the citizens of Delhi.
http://delhigovt.nic.in/index.asp
This picture shows a slum in Delhi.
Page. 98-145
the fourth night
Summary:
Delhi is the capital of India and they call it “the showcase of the republic”.
Balram tells about Delhis street system which is confusing and illogical.
Balram remembers and continues his story.
The Mongoose and his brother Mr.Ashok got in some arguments about money,about Mr. Ashoks wife and his American lifestyle.
Mr.Ashoks plan was to stay in Delhi.
In Delhi Balram had to drive his masters to the mall a couple of time.
That’s where he met some other drivers. One of them told him everything he needed to know about Delhi.
At his masters house was a quarter for the servants. The other servents made fun of him and called him “village idiot”.
Balram decided to sleep in a room by himself.
One day Mr. Ashoks told Balram to drop Mukesh of at the train station.
After he dropped Mukesh of he noticed two things about Mr.Ashok:
1. nothing held his attention for long
2. He was weak, helpless,absent-minded, and completely unprotected by the usual instincts that run in the blood of a landlord.
Balram saw a servant trying to go into a mall in Delhi.
Servants were not allowed to go into a mall. Balram tried it as well.
He bought a rich mans t-shirt, a pair of shoes and some toothpaste.
He tried the same thing like the other servant and he walked into a mall for the first time in this life. Nobody noticed that he was a servant.
Balram calls it “his first taste of the fugitives life”.
One night he picked Mr.Ashok and his wife up from a party. They were drunk.
Pinky madame wanted Balram to get out of the car so she could drive by herself.
In that night Pinky Madame drove a girl over and killed her.
The next morning the Mongoose and man in a black coat wanted Balram to sign a paper
which said that the accident was caused by Balram when he was driving the car.
Underneath were the names of the witnesses listed.
Kusum Halwai was one of them.
Personal Part:
Delhi is a very interesting city. Like Balram says on page. 98 “ It’s the capital of our glorious nation.The seat of parliament , of the president, all ministers and prime ministers. The pride of our civic planing. The showcase of the republic.”
Delhi seems to be multicultural. Like Mr.Ashok says on page. 101 Gurgaon, is the most American part of the city. There are malls in Delhi, American restaurants like T.G.I Fridays etc.
On the other hand it seems to be like in any other city in India. There are rich people who live in houge houses, hire servants, drive nice cars etc. and on the other hand there are thousands of homeless people on the streets.
On page. 140
A conversation between Mr. Ashok and Balram.
“Oh, she was one of those people.”
“who live under the flyovers and bridges sir.That’s my guess too.”
“ In that case, will anyone miss her...?”
This is a good example for the class differences in Delhi. Homeless people are treated like animals. The riches don’t care about them. Poor and rich are two different worlds in Delhi.
Links:
This link is more about the touristside of Delhi
http://www.tourism-delhi.com/sightseeing-in-delhi.html
this link is more for the citizens of Delhi.
http://delhigovt.nic.in/index.asp
This picture shows a slum in Delhi.
Montag, 20. September 2010
Chapter 3. "the fourth morning "
Chapter 3.
Page.79-95
the fourth morning
Summary:
Chapter 3. starts with a little introduction into Indians democracy.
Balrams tells about the elections in his village. He tells how the great socialist had ruled the Darkness by winning election after election but this rule was weakening. The animals had joined together and started a party of their own.
“ I am India’s most faithful voter, and I still have not seen the inside of a voting booth. “
That sentence basically describes Balrams view of democracy in India.
He also remembers a man who went mad at the election day. He went to the voting booth because he wanted to vote. They beat him up and killed him.
In the darkside of India people don’t vote for themselves.
Balram owns the democracy his birthday. When he went to the voting booth for the first time he was supposed to tell his age but he didn’t know his age. The man from the government decided that today was his birthday and he turned 18.
Balram remembers.
The great socialist came to the storks house one day and forced the stork to pay him a million and a half rupees. Otherwise they’d have to leave Dhanbad.
The storks family decided to go to Delhi for about 3 month. At first they wanted the first driver to join them. But Balram found out about his secret.
The first driver, Ram Persad, pretened to be a Hindu but actually he was a Muslim. Because the stork didn’t like Muslims, he lied.
Because Balram knew about his secret the first driver left.
From that day on Balram was the first driver
He joined the family when they left to go to Delhi.
Personal Part:
Something I found interesting while reading this chapter was the democracy in India.
Like other countries around the world India calls themselves a “democracy” but actually it’s like Balram say on page. 86 “ I am India’s most faithful voter, and I still have not seen the inside of a voting booth. “
The election in India is basically about power and money. If you got both you don’t need any voters you just buy the votes and pretend they won the election legally.
Especially the people in the darkness don’t get the chance to vote for themselves.
Page. 84 “ I’ve heard that people in the other India get to vote for themselves- isn’t that something?”
I think it’s a shame how a country calls himself a democracy but in some parts of India they are not even able to vote for themselves.
When I looked for some links on the Internet I could not find any links about “ Indias bad democracy” all I found were articles about “ Indias great democracy”.So I’m wondering what is the truth?
The people in India seem to be unscrupulous. They kill each other because of an “election”, they marry people against there will and because of those weddings they ruin someone elses life and take a little boy out of school.
Balram talks about the teacher how he took everything from the government what was supposed to be for the children in school, he tells about the hospital and how there was no doctor to save his fathers life etc.
It sounds like the people just think about themselves and they don’t care about anybody else.
Until now Balrams story left a bad impression on me.
Links:
Unfortunately I could not find a specific link on the democray in the”darkness” of India. All I found is a link about Indians democracy in general.
http://www.123indiatravel.com/travel-to-india/india-democracy.html
http://www.beyondbooks.com/wcu91/3p.asp
Indians democracy
Map of the Indian parties
Page.79-95
the fourth morning
Summary:
Chapter 3. starts with a little introduction into Indians democracy.
Balrams tells about the elections in his village. He tells how the great socialist had ruled the Darkness by winning election after election but this rule was weakening. The animals had joined together and started a party of their own.
“ I am India’s most faithful voter, and I still have not seen the inside of a voting booth. “
That sentence basically describes Balrams view of democracy in India.
He also remembers a man who went mad at the election day. He went to the voting booth because he wanted to vote. They beat him up and killed him.
In the darkside of India people don’t vote for themselves.
Balram owns the democracy his birthday. When he went to the voting booth for the first time he was supposed to tell his age but he didn’t know his age. The man from the government decided that today was his birthday and he turned 18.
Balram remembers.
The great socialist came to the storks house one day and forced the stork to pay him a million and a half rupees. Otherwise they’d have to leave Dhanbad.
The storks family decided to go to Delhi for about 3 month. At first they wanted the first driver to join them. But Balram found out about his secret.
The first driver, Ram Persad, pretened to be a Hindu but actually he was a Muslim. Because the stork didn’t like Muslims, he lied.
Because Balram knew about his secret the first driver left.
From that day on Balram was the first driver
He joined the family when they left to go to Delhi.
Personal Part:
Something I found interesting while reading this chapter was the democracy in India.
Like other countries around the world India calls themselves a “democracy” but actually it’s like Balram say on page. 86 “ I am India’s most faithful voter, and I still have not seen the inside of a voting booth. “
The election in India is basically about power and money. If you got both you don’t need any voters you just buy the votes and pretend they won the election legally.
Especially the people in the darkness don’t get the chance to vote for themselves.
Page. 84 “ I’ve heard that people in the other India get to vote for themselves- isn’t that something?”
I think it’s a shame how a country calls himself a democracy but in some parts of India they are not even able to vote for themselves.
When I looked for some links on the Internet I could not find any links about “ Indias bad democracy” all I found were articles about “ Indias great democracy”.So I’m wondering what is the truth?
The people in India seem to be unscrupulous. They kill each other because of an “election”, they marry people against there will and because of those weddings they ruin someone elses life and take a little boy out of school.
Balram talks about the teacher how he took everything from the government what was supposed to be for the children in school, he tells about the hospital and how there was no doctor to save his fathers life etc.
It sounds like the people just think about themselves and they don’t care about anybody else.
Until now Balrams story left a bad impression on me.
Links:
Unfortunately I could not find a specific link on the democray in the”darkness” of India. All I found is a link about Indians democracy in general.
http://www.123indiatravel.com/travel-to-india/india-democracy.html
http://www.beyondbooks.com/wcu91/3p.asp
Map of the Indian parties
Samstag, 18. September 2010
Chapter 2. part 2. "the second night"
Chapter two part 2.
Page. 63-78
The second night
Summary:
Balram remembers how the stork's sons were different to each other one of them had his father mind he was married to a homely woman. The other son, Mr. Ashok had his father body he was married to a christian woman called Pinky Madame.
He also remembers his trip back to Laxmangarh.
One day Mr. Ashok wanted Balrams to drive him and his wife down to Laxmangarh to see the village he was born in.
At the car drive Pinky Madame and Mr. Ashok got into an argument. Pinky Madame asked her husband when they’re ever going to go back to New york.
Mr. Ashok wanted to stay in India.
That’s where Balram learned this sentence “what a fucking joke”which he uses a couple of times while he tells his story.
After he had dropped the Landlord and his wife off he visited his own family.
Everybody was angry with Balram because he hadn’t sent money for over two month.
Even though they were angry they showed him a lot of respect because he wore a uniform which means a lot in the”darkness” of India.
Kusum wanted Balram to marry he girl she chose. Balram was against the arranged married because he didn’t feel ready to be married. He left the family without an apologie.
Balram tells about his brother Kishnan how he looked more and more like his father. The woman in his family were eating him alive just like they had done with his father before he died.
On the way back to Dhanbad Mr. Ashok noticed how Balrams touched his eye every time they drove by a temple. Mr Ashok was impressed how religious Balram was.
On the way into Dhanbad there where mans with red headbands shouting slogans.
It was election time in Dhanbad.
Personal Part:
Something I found particularly interesting is how Kusum tries to decide about Balrams life.
She tries to marry him with some girl he doesn't even know and who's probably about 12 years old.
Don’t people in India have there own will and don’t they fall in love with somebody before they get married?
I think it’s a shame that these people don’t care about love.
Love is something that forms your personality. Because of these arranged marriages they’ll never experience any of that.
I think it’s against nature to marry someone you don’t love. That’s not the point of getting married.
The people in India don’t seem to care about feelings when they get married. All they care about is the dowry they get and the cast. So I am asking are these people happy?
Dating is taboo in India how are they ever goning to know who’s the right person for them.
Links:
http://berchmans.tripod.com/arrange.html
this link provides some arguments against and for arranged marriage in India.
http://weddings.iloveindia.com/features/arranged-marriages.html
Page. 63-78
The second night
Summary:
Balram remembers how the stork's sons were different to each other one of them had his father mind he was married to a homely woman. The other son, Mr. Ashok had his father body he was married to a christian woman called Pinky Madame.
He also remembers his trip back to Laxmangarh.
One day Mr. Ashok wanted Balrams to drive him and his wife down to Laxmangarh to see the village he was born in.
At the car drive Pinky Madame and Mr. Ashok got into an argument. Pinky Madame asked her husband when they’re ever going to go back to New york.
Mr. Ashok wanted to stay in India.
That’s where Balram learned this sentence “what a fucking joke”which he uses a couple of times while he tells his story.
After he had dropped the Landlord and his wife off he visited his own family.
Everybody was angry with Balram because he hadn’t sent money for over two month.
Even though they were angry they showed him a lot of respect because he wore a uniform which means a lot in the”darkness” of India.
Kusum wanted Balram to marry he girl she chose. Balram was against the arranged married because he didn’t feel ready to be married. He left the family without an apologie.
Balram tells about his brother Kishnan how he looked more and more like his father. The woman in his family were eating him alive just like they had done with his father before he died.
On the way back to Dhanbad Mr. Ashok noticed how Balrams touched his eye every time they drove by a temple. Mr Ashok was impressed how religious Balram was.
On the way into Dhanbad there where mans with red headbands shouting slogans.
It was election time in Dhanbad.
Personal Part:
Something I found particularly interesting is how Kusum tries to decide about Balrams life.
She tries to marry him with some girl he doesn't even know and who's probably about 12 years old.
Don’t people in India have there own will and don’t they fall in love with somebody before they get married?
I think it’s a shame that these people don’t care about love.
Love is something that forms your personality. Because of these arranged marriages they’ll never experience any of that.
I think it’s against nature to marry someone you don’t love. That’s not the point of getting married.
The people in India don’t seem to care about feelings when they get married. All they care about is the dowry they get and the cast. So I am asking are these people happy?
Dating is taboo in India how are they ever goning to know who’s the right person for them.
Links:
http://berchmans.tripod.com/arrange.html
this link provides some arguments against and for arranged marriage in India.
http://weddings.iloveindia.com/features/arranged-marriages.html
Donnerstag, 16. September 2010
Chapter 2. Part.1 "the second night"
Chapter two Part.1
Page. 38-60
The second night
Summary:
The second chapter is mostly about Mr.Ashok Belrams exemployer.
Belrams starts telling about Mr. Ashok and his wife Pinky Madame and how he killed him.
Even though he killed his employer he protects his good name.
He also tells how his father died on TBC and how he, his brother Kishna and his cousin Dilip left to go Dahnbad. They found work in a tea shop.
They fired him at the teap shop in his village because he spied on the custumers to educate himself. No one in Laxmangarh would hire him.
In Dahnbad he took driving lessons to become a driver. His grandma paied for the driving classes but Belrams had to pay everything back once he got rich.
Belrams tells about his first time and how he became a man.
After he got his driverlicence he walked from house to house and asked the rich people if anyone needed a driver. He got rejected by every houseowner. Until he came to the storks house. The stork was one of the landowners in Laxmangarh. He bagged the Stork for work.
He and his sons asked him some questions about ist family etc. just to make sure that they can trust him.
Belram tells about his life as a driver and about all the other work he had to do around the house.
He also tells about all the conversations about religion and politics he got to listen to during his stay at the storks house.
Another major topic in this chapter is the cast system. Belram explains the prime minister about the system before 1947 and afterwards.
Before the british left everybody belonged to a cast and everybody did what they were supposed to do. These days there are just two castes left: Men with big bellies and Men with small bellies. The ones with the big bellies eat and the others get eaten up.
Belrams last name is “Halwai” which means something like sweet-maker.
Personal Part:
The cast system is something I found particulary interesting.
I'll start with a little explanation about the caste system.
The caste system is like a religious social standing system. The population is divided in higher and lower groups.
The four main castes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vashaya and Shudra. They are called "Varnas". There are also some subgroups of the castes. The Jati- they depend on the profession of the people.
Once you are born in a cast there is no way to reach a higher cast. The Hindus believe in reincarnation.
I knew about the cast system before but I’ve never realized how much it affects the life in India and how much it changed after the british left India in 1947.
It was interessting to hear about the cast system from the view of an Indian.
The way he discribed the castsystem today made it clear how the society in India is divided.
Even though the cast system is abolished in India people still care about the castes.
A good example is the Stork. He aked Belram about his cast before he hires him .
Belram explains how his cast is his destiny. When people know his name they know everything about his life.
Links:
http://internet.cybermesa.com/~rotto/caste.htmlhttp://www.friesian.com/caste.htm
Page. 38-60
The second night
Summary:
The second chapter is mostly about Mr.Ashok Belrams exemployer.
Belrams starts telling about Mr. Ashok and his wife Pinky Madame and how he killed him.
Even though he killed his employer he protects his good name.
He also tells how his father died on TBC and how he, his brother Kishna and his cousin Dilip left to go Dahnbad. They found work in a tea shop.
They fired him at the teap shop in his village because he spied on the custumers to educate himself. No one in Laxmangarh would hire him.
In Dahnbad he took driving lessons to become a driver. His grandma paied for the driving classes but Belrams had to pay everything back once he got rich.
Belrams tells about his first time and how he became a man.
After he got his driverlicence he walked from house to house and asked the rich people if anyone needed a driver. He got rejected by every houseowner. Until he came to the storks house. The stork was one of the landowners in Laxmangarh. He bagged the Stork for work.
He and his sons asked him some questions about ist family etc. just to make sure that they can trust him.
Belram tells about his life as a driver and about all the other work he had to do around the house.
He also tells about all the conversations about religion and politics he got to listen to during his stay at the storks house.
Another major topic in this chapter is the cast system. Belram explains the prime minister about the system before 1947 and afterwards.
Before the british left everybody belonged to a cast and everybody did what they were supposed to do. These days there are just two castes left: Men with big bellies and Men with small bellies. The ones with the big bellies eat and the others get eaten up.
Belrams last name is “Halwai” which means something like sweet-maker.
Personal Part:
The cast system is something I found particulary interesting.
I'll start with a little explanation about the caste system.
The caste system is like a religious social standing system. The population is divided in higher and lower groups.
The four main castes are Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vashaya and Shudra. They are called "Varnas". There are also some subgroups of the castes. The Jati- they depend on the profession of the people.
Once you are born in a cast there is no way to reach a higher cast. The Hindus believe in reincarnation.
I knew about the cast system before but I’ve never realized how much it affects the life in India and how much it changed after the british left India in 1947.
It was interessting to hear about the cast system from the view of an Indian.
The way he discribed the castsystem today made it clear how the society in India is divided.
Even though the cast system is abolished in India people still care about the castes.
A good example is the Stork. He aked Belram about his cast before he hires him .
Belram explains how his cast is his destiny. When people know his name they know everything about his life.
Links:
http://internet.cybermesa.com/~rotto/caste.htmlhttp://www.friesian.com/caste.htm
Sonntag, 12. September 2010
Chapter 1. Part.3 "the first night"
Chapter 1.Part.3
Page. 19-36
The first night
Summary:
Balram remembers.
He tells about the tea house which was the central point of his village and he tells about the landlords.
There were some landlords in Laxmangarh. Every one of them owned parts of the village. The people had to pay them their feed.
The buffalo owned the rickshaws and the roads. Everybody who ran a rickshaws or used the roads had to pay him one third of whatever he earned.
Balrams father ran one of the rickshaws.
He also describes is father as a man of honor and courage and as a man with a plan.
Balram was his plan. He wanted him to finish school and have a career.
One day Balram left school early because he was scared of a lizard in his classroom.
The next day Balrams father went up to the school and he killed the lizard which is against the mural of Lord Buddha surrounded by the gentle animals.
He killed the lizard because he wanted “at least one of his sons to live like a man” and go to school.
Balrams school was in a bad shape. They never got any uniforms or food because the teacher kept everything for himself or he selled it.
One morning there was a surprise inspection in his school.
The suspector asked the students to read a sentence he wrote on the board.
None of them was able to read it.
The teacher told the suspector to ask Balram he is the smartest in class.
He asked him a couple of questions. Balram knew every single one of them.
The suspector called him an “ intelligent, honest, vivacious fellow in a crowd of thugs and idiots”. That’s how Balram got his second name “the white tiger”.
The white tiger is the rarest animal in the jungle.
Before the suspector left he promised Balram a scholarship.
Balram tells how they took him out of school. Because his family needed money for his cousins wedding. He had to break coals at the tea shop.
At the last part of the chapter he talks about the Black fort and how he wanted to go up there and go through the entrance way, and into the fort. He tried it a couple of times but he always lost his nerves. The first time he finally went there was when he came back to his village for a short visit.
The last words of Balram in the chapter are” eight month later, I slit Mr. Ashok’s throat.”
Personal part:
Something I found particularly interesting is the discussion on page 24-25.
“ You let Kishna drop out of school, but I told you this fellow had to stay in school. His mother told me he’d be the one who made it through school. His mother said- “
“Oh to tell with his mother!” Kosum shouted “she was a crazy one, and she’s dead, and thank goodness.Now listen to me: let the boy go to the tea shop like Kishna, that’s what I say.
I think it's interesting to see how there is one woman in the family who tells everybody else what they’re supposed to do. She doesn’t seem very nice. She talks about Balrams mother like she would be happy to be rid of her.
They always pretend family would be the most important thing in life but It actually seems like everybody is just thinking about themselves and just pretends it would be for the family.
They take Balram out of school because he needs to earn money for the family but they don’t care about his future.
I thought family would be more important for the people in India.
Links:
ttp://family.jrank.org/pages/859/India-Family-Life-Family-Values.html
http://countrystudies.us/india/83.htm
An Indian family
Page. 19-36
The first night
Summary:
Balram remembers.
He tells about the tea house which was the central point of his village and he tells about the landlords.
There were some landlords in Laxmangarh. Every one of them owned parts of the village. The people had to pay them their feed.
The buffalo owned the rickshaws and the roads. Everybody who ran a rickshaws or used the roads had to pay him one third of whatever he earned.
Balrams father ran one of the rickshaws.
He also describes is father as a man of honor and courage and as a man with a plan.
Balram was his plan. He wanted him to finish school and have a career.
One day Balram left school early because he was scared of a lizard in his classroom.
The next day Balrams father went up to the school and he killed the lizard which is against the mural of Lord Buddha surrounded by the gentle animals.
He killed the lizard because he wanted “at least one of his sons to live like a man” and go to school.
Balrams school was in a bad shape. They never got any uniforms or food because the teacher kept everything for himself or he selled it.
One morning there was a surprise inspection in his school.
The suspector asked the students to read a sentence he wrote on the board.
None of them was able to read it.
The teacher told the suspector to ask Balram he is the smartest in class.
He asked him a couple of questions. Balram knew every single one of them.
The suspector called him an “ intelligent, honest, vivacious fellow in a crowd of thugs and idiots”. That’s how Balram got his second name “the white tiger”.
The white tiger is the rarest animal in the jungle.
Before the suspector left he promised Balram a scholarship.
Balram tells how they took him out of school. Because his family needed money for his cousins wedding. He had to break coals at the tea shop.
At the last part of the chapter he talks about the Black fort and how he wanted to go up there and go through the entrance way, and into the fort. He tried it a couple of times but he always lost his nerves. The first time he finally went there was when he came back to his village for a short visit.
The last words of Balram in the chapter are” eight month later, I slit Mr. Ashok’s throat.”
Personal part:
Something I found particularly interesting is the discussion on page 24-25.
“ You let Kishna drop out of school, but I told you this fellow had to stay in school. His mother told me he’d be the one who made it through school. His mother said- “
“Oh to tell with his mother!” Kosum shouted “she was a crazy one, and she’s dead, and thank goodness.Now listen to me: let the boy go to the tea shop like Kishna, that’s what I say.
I think it's interesting to see how there is one woman in the family who tells everybody else what they’re supposed to do. She doesn’t seem very nice. She talks about Balrams mother like she would be happy to be rid of her.
They always pretend family would be the most important thing in life but It actually seems like everybody is just thinking about themselves and just pretends it would be for the family.
They take Balram out of school because he needs to earn money for the family but they don’t care about his future.
I thought family would be more important for the people in India.
Links:
ttp://family.jrank.org/pages/859/India-Family-Life-Family-Values.html
http://countrystudies.us/india/83.htm
Donnerstag, 9. September 2010
Chapter. 1 Part. 2 "the first night"
Chapter.1 Part.2
Page. 11-19
The firsth night
Links:
http://www.southasianconnection.com/blogs/106/India---Rich-and-Poor.html
Page. 11-19
The firsth night
Summary:
Balram continues his story.
He tells the prime minister of china to turn everything around what the prime minister of India says than he’ll know the truth.
The Ganga is called the river of emancipation that’s why all the tourist come to see it.
But basically it’s the the opposite of that.
He describes it as a river whose banks are full of rich, dark, sticky mud whose grip traps everything that is planted in it. That’s why he calls it the black river.
Balram describes how they carried his mothers body to the ganga when she died and how they put her on fire.
He tells about the village of Laxmangarh. That’s where he was born.
It’s a small village in India close to Bodh- Gaya which is the town where Lord Budha sat under the tree and found his enlightenment.
He also tells about his dad and how they used to go up to the black fort and overlooked the whole village.
Personal Part:
In this part of the book I was really interested in the “typical Indian village paradise”
The difference between rich and poor people in India is huge.
There are people living in nice areas with huge houses and with people who work for them and then there are people living on the streets and children who are starving.
35 per cent of the Indian population lives on less than $1 a day. In 2005 the world bank reported India is the 12th wealthiest nation in the world.
This is just a prove for the class differences in India.
I think the cast system is a reason for this problem. Even though it's abolished there are still many people in India who believe in this system. Poor people almost never have a chance to get out of the slums and to become rich. The rich people get born into wealth and it’s easier for them to make a carrier.
Links:
http://www.southasianconnection.com/blogs/106/India---Rich-and-Poor.html
Dienstag, 7. September 2010
Chapter 1. Part.1 "the first night"
Chapter.1 Part.1
Page. 1-11
The first night
Summary:
The first chapter of " the white tiger" is called “ the first night”.
Balram an Idian entrepreneur, heard an announcement on the radio which said that the “ Premier Jiabao is coming to Bangalore next week and he is on a mission: he wants to know the truth about Bangalore and he wants to meet some Indian entrepreneurs and hear the story of their success.
That’s why Balram decides to write a letter to the prime minister of china.
He considers himself as the one who knows the truth about Bangalore and as one of the most successful businessman in Bangalore .
Balram offers to tell him the truth by telling him his the story of his life.
At first he talks about his great admiration for the ancient nation of china.
He believes that the future of the world lies with the yellow and the brown man.
He starts his story by telling about him being”half-baked”.
Half baked is someone who can read and write,but who doesn’t get what he reads.
India is full of people like him. Most of the children get taken out of the school after 2 or 3 years.
That’s what happened to Balram as well.
Balram calls his story: “ an Autobiography of a Half-Baked Indian.”
In his opinion entrepreneurs are made from half-baked clay.
He continues with describing some basic facts about himself. How he got to his name, where he was born etc. He does that by telling about a poster a police man once made about him when he was wanted for questioning.
Personal Part:
Like I mentioned before the narrator talks about his admiration for china and how there are only three nations in the world who never let them selves be ruled by foreigners: China, Afghanistan, and Abyssinia. This is an aspect i found particularly interesting.
I think its amazing how every culture besides those three, got influenced by another country and their cultur. There are so many connections we don’t even know about.
Only those three countrys formed theire own cultur and theire own country without any influence from foreigners.
Besides that its interessting to know why they were the only ones who never let them selfves rule by anybody else. What made them different to all the other nations in the world?
Links:
I think this aspect is controversial that’s why I couldn’t find a specific link I just found some debates about that topic.
http://www.blurtit.com/q623917.html
Page. 1-11
The first night
Summary:
The first chapter of " the white tiger" is called “ the first night”.
Balram an Idian entrepreneur, heard an announcement on the radio which said that the “ Premier Jiabao is coming to Bangalore next week and he is on a mission: he wants to know the truth about Bangalore and he wants to meet some Indian entrepreneurs and hear the story of their success.
That’s why Balram decides to write a letter to the prime minister of china.
He considers himself as the one who knows the truth about Bangalore and as one of the most successful businessman in Bangalore .
Balram offers to tell him the truth by telling him his the story of his life.
At first he talks about his great admiration for the ancient nation of china.
He believes that the future of the world lies with the yellow and the brown man.
He starts his story by telling about him being”half-baked”.
Half baked is someone who can read and write,but who doesn’t get what he reads.
India is full of people like him. Most of the children get taken out of the school after 2 or 3 years.
That’s what happened to Balram as well.
Balram calls his story: “ an Autobiography of a Half-Baked Indian.”
In his opinion entrepreneurs are made from half-baked clay.
He continues with describing some basic facts about himself. How he got to his name, where he was born etc. He does that by telling about a poster a police man once made about him when he was wanted for questioning.
Personal Part:
Like I mentioned before the narrator talks about his admiration for china and how there are only three nations in the world who never let them selves be ruled by foreigners: China, Afghanistan, and Abyssinia. This is an aspect i found particularly interesting.
I think its amazing how every culture besides those three, got influenced by another country and their cultur. There are so many connections we don’t even know about.
Only those three countrys formed theire own cultur and theire own country without any influence from foreigners.
Besides that its interessting to know why they were the only ones who never let them selfves rule by anybody else. What made them different to all the other nations in the world?
Links:
I think this aspect is controversial that’s why I couldn’t find a specific link I just found some debates about that topic.
http://www.blurtit.com/q623917.html
Abonnieren
Posts (Atom)