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Author's Information - Aileen
Author's Information - Aileen
Anita Desai 
Works:
-Cry, the Peacock (1963) 
-Voices in the City (1965) 
- Bye-Bye, Blackbird (1971) 
-Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975)
- Fire on the Mountain (1977) 
*Games at Twilight and other stories (1978, genre: historical fiction)
-Clear Light of Day (1980) 
- In Custody (1984)
-Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988) 
-Journey to Ithaca (1995) 
-Fasting, Feasting (1999)
-The Zigzag Way (2004)
Background:
Born from a German mother and Bengali father in Mussoorie, India, Anita Mazumdar grew up speaking German (at home), Hindi, and English (preference outside). Bengali and Urdu was learnt on her own time. 
She grew up to attend grammar school amongst British colonists' children in Old Delhi starting at age seven; this led for her to read and write in English for the first time, explaining her preference of English to become her "literary language". She published her first story at the age of nine.
She is able to receive and critique (considered India's most prolific contemporary authors due to her) as originally, her work wasn't groundbreaking and not received as well until after her third work was published and recognised by the then-popular critic Janet Powers reviewed her work. Her perception of seemingly simple solutions is presented as unique observations dedicated to each story- no story will be written the exact same as she puts in different fictional techniques depending on the story's demands. This ends up conveying the meaning of it spectacularly, a harmonious balance between the form and the content of this novel being settled. 
Though not intending to do so, she is recognised as a political and social commentator.
It's clear that her technique drives her themes into the reader's mind to think about more later on. The content of Desai’s novels exemplify the ideal projection of a unified artists'  vision.
Plot Diagram - Aileen
Plot Diagram - Aileen
 
Historical Context - Aileen
Historical Context - Aileen
>Growing up during World War II and having her mother transparent about her worries about Germany, her stories often circle insightful situations. 
>Having her mother and father in an interracial relationship, Anita was able to experience India as both an insider and outsider.
>Experienced the Hindu–Muslim conflict (during the division of British India into the nations of India and Pakistan) when her Muslim peers fled from Hindu violence. It is presumed that this violence influenced her early fiction.
>Attended: British grammar schools -> Queen Mary's Higher Secondary School (New Delhi, US implaced) -> Miranda House (elite women's college in Delhi) -> Delhi University.
> Anita was an adult in the year of 1962 , when the Chinese invaded India (Sino-Indian war) when the US was trying to keep Pakistan from opening a second front against India.
>Anita entered the scholarly world in a position as the Helen Cam Visiting Fellow at Girton College in Cambridge University, England (1986-1987)
Narration - Gabe
Narration - Gabe
In this story the narration is 3rd person

When its in 3rd person we can see more action but at the same time you can see less emotions. This caused the reader to make their own opinion of the situation and how the main character felt during the whole ordeal.
Setting - Gabe
Setting - Gabe
A farm in India

It puts the children's actions in perspective and the way they act seems kinda foreign and how they react differently. Because in comparison to America now there wouldn't have been such an reaction to losing a game of tag but because of the different time periods and location of the people there is so much more that can shift around.
Structure - Gabe
Structure - Gabe

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Anita Desai
Works:
-Cry, the Peacock (1963)
-Voices in the City (1965)
- Bye-Bye, Blackbird (1971)
-Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975)
- Fire on the Mountain (1977)
*Games at Twilight and other stories (1978, genre: historical fiction)
-Clear Light of Day (1980)
- In Custody (1984)
-Baumgartner’s Bombay (1988)
-Journey to Ithaca (1995)
-Fasting, Feasting (1999)
-The Zigzag Way (2004)
Background:
Born from a German mother and Bengali father in Mussoorie, India, Anita Mazumdar grew up speaking German (at home), Hindi, and English (preference outside). Bengali and Urdu was learnt on her own time.
She grew up to attend grammar school amongst British colonists' children in Old Delhi starting at age seven; this led for her to read and write in English for the first time, explaining her preference of English to become her "literary language". She published her first story at the age of nine.
She is able to receive and critique (considered India's most prolific contemporary authors due to her) as originally, her work wasn't groundbreaking and not received as well until after her third work was published and recognised by the then-popular critic Janet Powers reviewed her work. Her perception of seemingly simple solutions is presented as unique observations dedicated to each story- no story will be written the exact same as she puts in different fictional techniques depending on the story's demands. This ends up conveying the meaning of it spectacularly, a harmonious balance between the form and the content of this novel being settled.
Though not intending to do so, she is recognised as a political and social commentator.
It's clear that her technique drives her themes into the reader's mind to think about more later on. The content of Desai’s novels exemplify the ideal projection of a unified artists'  vision.

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>Growing up during World War II and having her mother transparent about her worries about Germany, her stories often circle insightful situations.
>Having her mother and father in an interracial relationship, Anita was able to experience India as both an insider and outsider.
>Experienced the Hindu–Muslim conflict (during the division of British India into the nations of India and Pakistan) when her Muslim peers fled from Hindu violence. It is presumed that this violence influenced her early fiction.
>Attended: British grammar schools -> Queen Mary's Higher Secondary School (New Delhi, US implaced) -> Miranda House (elite women's college in Delhi) -> Delhi University.
> Anita was an adult in the year of 1962 , when the Chinese invaded India (Sino-Indian war) when the US was trying to keep Pakistan from opening a second front against India.
>Anita entered the scholarly world in a position as the Helen Cam Visiting Fellow at Girton College in Cambridge University, England (1986-1987)

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In this story the narration is 3rd person

When its in 3rd person we can see more action but at the same time you can see less emotions. This caused the reader to make their own opinion of the situation and how the main character felt during the whole ordeal.

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A farm in India

It puts the children's actions in perspective and the way they act seems kinda foreign and how they react differently. Because in comparison to America now there wouldn't have been such an reaction to losing a game of tag but because of the different time periods and location of the people there is so much more that can shift around.

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Ma- literally their mom, flat, serves no real purpose other than to be the safe space that Ravi runs to when he comes out of the darkness that is symbolic of the harshness of life
Mira- flat, motherly character, acts as a commanding and organizing "adult" in their group. She's that one friend that wants fun, but safe fun.
Manu- flat, he is the younger brother person. he is caught first in hide and seek.
Raghu- flat, this is the older cousin. He is chosen to be "IT" in the game. He is flat but he is the second most important character in the story. Raghu is the "villain" and is the reason that Ravi is scared into hiding in the shed. Raghu is symbolic of hardships of life. He could also be symbolic of experiences in life that cause us to grow up. This could also be foreshadowing, foreshadowing that eventually Ravi will become the smarter, older figure.
Ravi- Rounded, this is the main character. He starts out at the beginning of the story as the small little cousin who just wants to win. This is symbolic of the ignorance of youth. As the story progresses he is put into a scary situation because of his older cousin Raghu. Even though he is afraid of what's happening, overall he just wants to win and that makes him stay inside the shed.This starts a change in him where he turns into this wiser character that has been through a scenario that changed him so much he didn't just lose his innocence, he now thought life was insignificant and didn't care about anyone around him.

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Chronological Order is how the story is set up.

The story is very linear with no repeating scenes or themes.

The pacing of the story is very fast when the character is outside but when he gets into the barn he feels time kinda slow down.

The storys duration was very short but also the duration in the story was short as well because of the characters viewpoint, everything was fast when he needed it to be.

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Loss of Innocence - This theme can obviously be seen in this short story. A thematic statement to go along with this could be that "No matter how one grows up, we all grow up and experience a loss of innocence sometime" Although Ravi is not purposely looking to lose his innocence during this simple game of hide-and-seek-tag, he does anyway. Like many things in life, learned life-lessons are not things one has to go looking for, or strive to achieve. They simply occur in one's life.

Self Realization - "The effects of a traumatic childhood experience on self realization" Self realization, or self awareness, is often a common theme in adults, but not usually seen in young children. Typically, a large event must occur to cause one to realize their place in the world. This is what happens to Ravi when he realizes his so called friends and family have forgotten all about him. However, Ravi is too young to truly deal with this new self awareness of himself, for this event has occurred at a very young age. Hence, the crying.

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"..everything was still curtained and shuttered in a way that stifled the children, made them feel that their lungs were stuffed with cotton wool and their noses with dust and if they didn't burst out into the light and see the sun and feel the air, they would choke."
Here, we see an example of a metaphor, more on a large scale than a singular metaphor. Overall, the inability to go outside and play makes the children feel like they can't do anything at all. To them as young children, the despair of being forced to be inside is immensely strong, and though they know they will eventually be able to go outside and play, the house-prison is still killing them (although not literally). This is towards the beginning of the story, and really demonstrates what motivates the kids in the story, and helps to shape the future 'conflict' of sorts.

"They faced the afternoon"
This quote shows how the actions of the children are always exaggerated upon. Obviously, no one has to actually face the afternoon, as if it is a complicated task. However, for young children, most things in life are a big undertaking. The reader can see that being outside and playing like they do is the children's entire world, and again demonstrates what motivates them in their everyday life.

"The bougainvillea hung about it, purple and magenta, in livid balloons."
The bougainvillea flowers are referenced multiple times in the story, and while it is an example of a metaphor, considering flowers really aren't balloons, it is also symbolistic of the environment. In the beginning the flowers are full of life and energy, like livid balloons. However, the state of the bougainvillea at the end of the story represents how the main character, Ravi, now feels after he is not found in the game.

"The garden outside was like a tray made of beaten brass, flattened out on the red gravel and the stony soil in all shades of metal - aluminium, tin, copper and brass."
This time, we see a simile, but this time it lends more towards the setting of the story. Without this important simile, the reader would not have nearly as good of an idea about what the setting is like, especially in the eyes of the children, since that is whom the story is seen from the point of view of.

"The bougainvillea had lost its lividity, hung in dark bundles that quaked and twittered and seethed with masses of homing sparrows."
Again, taken in context with the previous quote, we can see the gradual change in both time, and a symbolism of Ravi's quick growth in a short period of time. The state of the flowers represents the mood of the story, as we see that soon, Ravi will grow up very fast, in a harsh way.
"He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance."
This quote emphasizes a main theme in life, which will connect later to themes. Specifically to our story, it represents how our main character has abruptly grown up, and experienced a main change. He is no longer innocent.