Gandhi 2 July 1, 2008

What is Parodied in this clip?

- The most eye-catching parody is the non-violence, the passive resistance Gandhi had asked for. You can see this in the clip, where Gandhi is involved in a fight, in which he beats his disputants and at last wins against them.

After this scene he drives with a racy car, what he never would have done, because he always has gone  on foot if it would have been possible.

Thirdly his ascetic way of life is parodied, because he is presented as a womanizer in the clip, with two women on each of his side.

Finally the Indian traditions are parodied, because they show Gandhi eating some meat of a cow, which is forbidden in the Hindu religion, because the cow is an holy animal there.

In the documentary “In search of Gandhi” an interviewed states that Gandhi would grab a gun, if he would live nowadays. He justifie his statement in saying that Gandhi’s ideas and principles are not up to date anymore. The society has changed within this long time of Gandhi’s absence. He is of the opnion that nowadays you are respected if you have success. Successfull people have the power to decide about what to do in India. In India 80% of the population belong to the caste of untouchables, so 80% of the population of India have nothing to say and to decide.

The Interviewed also says, that the power just went over from the Britains to the rich social class. So everything is more or less like in the past. That’s why he thinks that even a so steadfast person like Gandhi would not withstand and grab a gun to defend himself and his ideas.

Key scenes Gandhi June 19, 2008

1. the assasination scene

2. Gandhi’s first public meeting

3. the first fasting scene

4. the mass murder of the Idiens by the British

5. the Salt March

6. the separation of India and Pakistan and the following second fasting scene

7. Gandhi’s arrival in Bombay

8. the funeral scene

Explain Olivia’s decision to have an abortion June 5, 2008

Olivia heard from Harry that the Nawab is very happy to get a son and that the baby is just for scoring off the Britishs. When she heard that, she told Harry that she have thought about an abortion due to the fact that Douglas also is looking forward to the baby. He already made plans for the baby’s life: that it will be christened and that his whole family will be there. But when he sees, that it is an indian baby, all plans and hopes will be deleted. Olivia is afraid of this exposure and doesn’t want her marriage with Douglas to break up. Due to this inevitable confrontation, she decided for an abortion.

Abortions in India May 30, 2008

What attitude towards abortion comes across in this section, and what does it say about Indian society

- it seems as if abortion is a very common thing in India. You can see this in the story when Maji tells the narrater that “all the midwives in town would come to me to offer their services”. (p. 127 ll. 30). Maji herself was a midwive too, so she also offers her help in the form og an abortion.

- it is said that an abortion often is “the only way to save people from dishonour and suffering” (p.129 ll. 8), because illegitimated children are proscribed (verpönt)

- In India many girls are aborted purposeful (up to 10 million in the last two decades and 500.000 per annum),  because boys continue the family honour, usually earn money and care for their parents when they’re old, whereas the girls leave the home when they marry and on top of that have to be equiped (jmd mit etw ausstatten) with a dowry for the marriage.

- abortions are more often made in wealthy regions than in meager ones

- new measure of the government: pregnant women have to sign, that they won’t ask for the baby’s sex, so that they haven’t the chance to abort the baby if it is a girl

useful link:
http://www.3sat.de/3sat.php?http://www.3sat.de/nano/news/87449/index.html

Reactions towards suttee (Witwenverbrennung) May 5, 2008

Douglas
„[…] are in some quarters regarded as martyrs. We even had a bit of trouble outside the jail today” (p. 57, ll. 22/23)
=>helpless as he could not fullfill his duty

The Nawab
“[…] they will still cling to their barbaric customs” (p. 57, l.17)
=>pretends to be “modern” but we cannot be sure whether he is honest

Olivia
“[…] a noble idea. In theory, “Oh, I could! […] I’d be grateful for such a custom.”
=>wants to bring in another point of view; tolerant towards the traditions of the country

Dr. Saunders
“like everything else in this country, plain savagery and barbarism […] in the name of religion” (p. 60)
=>does not tolerate the Indian culture and the Indian traditions

Beth Crawford
“Too noble for me, I fear […]” (p. 60)
=>realistic attitude; we don’t know what she really thinks about suttee

Characters May 5, 2008

Douglas:

- The narrator’s grandfather

- grew up in India and served as a junior officer in the Britishcolonial government –> hard-working administrator

- have the respect of both British and Indians
- Englishman
- conservative
- feels superior to the Indians
- dislike Indian customes
- like sati
- strict
- intelligent
- sometimes is annoyed with Olivia

Nawab:
- prince/ruler

- he changes his behaviour–> inconstant; mood swings
- just do what a prince has to do
- sentimental, when he spend time with Olivia, but sometimes he also ignores her
- emotional
- possesive

- egoistic

- selfish
- dominant
- Muslim
- against Hindu culture
- educated in India
- dislike the British, tries to beat them
- he bosses Harry around as if he has no right to say anything against him

- uses Harry as a connection to the British and dominates him

- when he knows that he will “win” a conversation, he is the prettiest man alive and shows no anger whatever the conversational partner says

- always behaves as if he is the host

Harry:

- had been with the Nawab for 3 years, as a semi-permanent guest in the palace

- sometimes wanted to return to England, because his mother was ill, but the Nawab wouldn’t allow him and Harry  submitted…

-  strange relationsship between Harry and the Nawab –> both need each other in a way

- he uses the Nawab’s hospitality

summery section 4 April 15, 2008

The narrator’s next journal entry is dated February 20th. She visits Inder Lal and get to know his mother and his wife Ritu. With them she tries out her Hindi and notices that she has to work harder at it. Inder Lal’s mother appraises the narrater, but by now being contemplated is just normal for her, because everyone does it. She thinks about how strange it has to be for Indians seeing the British living in their country and wearing their clothing. She, as well, had bought Indian clothing for herself directly after going to Satipur, because they are cooler and cheaper than European’s.

There is one word that the narrater is often called after, the word “hijra,” whose meaning she knew from one of Olivia’s letters (it means transvestite). On one walk, Inder Lal and the narrater walk past a group of hirjas, who dance and sing, dressed like women but, she thought, with sad faces. That is why she wondered if they’ll be paid for their work. Inder Lal isn’t interested in this  performance, because it is ‘a very common thing’ to him.

summery section 3 April 15, 2008

The date of her second journal entry is February 16th. The narrator is in Satipur, where she has found a room, in which she feels very private and comfortable. From her window she can look down at a bazaar, which she likes to observe. In her room she has just a little furniture, so she fears that her sparse furnishings disappoint her landlord, Inder Lal, who coincidentally works near the house where Olivia had lived with Douglas.

summery section 2 April 15, 2008

The date of the narrator’s first journal entry is February 2nd. She had just arrived in Bombay, which was totally different from what she had imagined. She spent her first night in a missionary hostel, in a room with seven other women. One woman, her neighbour, gives her the advices to always boil her water, never eat any of “their” food, which she hates, and be careful with her possessions. Besides she tells her, that she had been in India for 30 years, where she had seen everything you could imagine and that she lives totally in God’s will. To demonstrate her point of view of India, she urges the narrator to look outside their dormitory window, where she sees some people sleep on the sidewalk, several crippled children and some people who look into the gutters to find something to eat.Out of another window she sees the A’s Hotel, from which she had heard about before arriving. She looks and sees no Indians but a derelict lot of Europeans. The neighbour finishes her speech with the conclusion that no one can live in India without Jesus, because nothing human, means anything in India.

summery first section April 14, 2008

The narrator introduces herself as the granddaughter of Tessi and Douglas, whom she just hardly remembers. Tessie, her sister Beth and Douglas all had lived in India for a couple of years, Douglas firstly with his first wife Olivia, of whom Tessi and Beth never spoke when they had returned to England later. After a long time, when they were all quite old, some letters appeared, letters from Olivia to Marcia, who had been in touch with Harry and gave them to him. That is how the narrator got them and therefore got to know about Olivia. She decided to travel to India to retrace the steps of Olivia and her grandfather Douglas. She brought the letters with her and besides started a journal to make a note of her impressions of India