Anita Desai: Games at Twilight by Audra Amir liow https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv Notes, Chapter Summaries, Reflection en-us 2023-02-13 00:48:10 UTC 2023-05-15 01:11:35 UTC hello@padlet.com Aims of the teaching syllabus audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478185972 The aims of the syllabus are to:
Ethical
• raise awareness of timeless issues concerning society
• promote the appreciation of multiple perspectives; and
• build empathy and global awareness.
Aesthetic
• inculcate the habit of close reading
• promote heightened appreciation of nuances of language; and
• sensitise students to artistic decisions made by writers.
Intellectual
• cultivate metacognitive habits of mind as students pay attention to the impact of language on one’s thoughts and feelings 
• develop greater acceptance for ambiguity and open-endedness; and 
• equip students with the skills to convince others of their interpretations, based on sound reasoning with evidence. ]]> 2023-02-13 00:50:56 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478185972 Candidates will be assessed on their ability to: audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478186809 (i) demonstrate, through close analysis, knowledge of the literary texts studied 
(ii) respond with knowledge and understanding to literary texts from the genres of prose, poetry and drama 
(iii) demonstrate understanding of the ways in which writers’ choices of form, structure and language shape meanings 
(iv) communicate a sensitive and informed personal response to what is read; and 
(v) express responses clearly and coherently, using textual evidence where appropriate. ]]> 2023-02-13 00:52:19 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478186809 Context: Burnout audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478188165 2023-02-13 00:54:26 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478188165 Context: The Park audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478188563 https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/aug/13/edward-park-to-subhash-park-story-of-british-raj-and-freedom-1642657.html]]> 2023-02-13 00:55:00 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478188563 What is the relationship between Suno and his family? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478189425 His father: continuous pressure to do well and constant reminders about getting a job. But he distracts Suno by listening to the radio in different languages.

His mother: Tries to be supportive by giving him large glasses of milk with sugar, cooking, cleaning. The only one who showed concern and comforted him.

His siblings: unnamed, noisy]]> 2023-02-13 00:56:21 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478189425 What are the difficulties that Suno is facing? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478189607 2023-02-13 00:56:39 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478189607 What role(s) does the Park play in Suno's life? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478190231 2023-02-13 00:57:39 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478190231 Let's discuss the 'scene that stopped it all, stopped me just before I died." audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478193418 (1) What did it make Suno feel?
(2) Why is it important to include it?
(3) Why is a woman who is dying more 'real, human and alive as no one else in my life had been real and alive'?]]> 2023-02-13 01:02:26 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478193418 Paper 1: 1hr 40 mins (50%) audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478216424 • There will be two sections in this paper. 
• Candidates will select one question from each of the two sections. 
• In total, candidates will answer two questions. • Each question is 25% of the total weighting. ]]> 2023-02-13 01:32:29 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478216424 Paper 1: Prose and Unseen Poetry audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478216771 Section A: Prose [25%] 
• For each of the six set texts in this section, one passage based question and two essay questions will be set. 
• Candidates will answer one question [25%] based on one of the six set texts. 
• For every year of examination, one or two Singapore texts will be set. ]]> 2023-02-13 01:33:04 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478216771 audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478217198 2023-02-13 01:33:50 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478217198 Biography: Anita Desai audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478219323 Anita Desai was born Anita Mazumdar on June 24, 1937, in Mussoorie, India. Her mother was a German immigrant, and her father was Bengali. Desai grew up speaking German with her family and Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and English in the outside world. English was the primary language at school, and it was the first language in which she learned to read and write.
In 1947, when Desai was ten years old, India gained independence from Britain and split into India and Pakistan. Old Delhi, where Desai spent much of her childhood, was the capital of the British empire and combined elements of British, Islamic, and Hindi culture. The school Desai attended was nearly half Muslim, but all those girls left with the division of the two countries. This change greatly affected Desai and influenced some of her later writing.
Anita Desai's novels are very psychological, exploring the inner lives of her (often female) protagonists. She writes complex and emotional characters that allow the author to investigate the nuances of the human psyche. Desai works with various themes, including isolation, interpersonal relationships, femininity, and identity.]]> 2023-02-13 01:37:18 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478219323 Points to note: audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478240493 1. Biracial
2. Multilingual
3. Multiple award winner 
4. Unconventional childhood - lived in rural areas before moving to Mumbai
5. Surrounded by cultural elements which could have been simultaneously divisive and unifying
6. Elements like religion (and thus rules that govern behaviour, dietary requirements and values), language, stereotypes are issues that are presented in her stories.]]> 2023-02-13 02:02:18 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478240493 How does the writer build up tension in the start of the story? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478241896 p1: Their faces were red and bloated from the effort, but their mother would not open the door, 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.

p1: ... they burst out like seeds from a crackling, over-ripe pod into the verandah, with such wild, maniacal yells...]]> 2023-02-13 02:03:22 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478241896 What are your impressions of the main character? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478243227 p7: What fun if they were all found and caught - he alone left unconquered! He had never known that sensation! 

p10: ...silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance.]]> 2023-02-13 02:04:10 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478243227 What are your impressions of the other children? How does the author shape your impressions? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478244200 p9: All this time no one had remembered Ravi. Having disappeared from the scene, he had disappeared from their minds. Clean. 
L: The effective repetition of the word 'disappeared' to emphasise that the children had been completely unaware of Ravi. The use of the single word further adds to that emphasis.  ]]> 2023-02-13 02:05:30 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478244200 How does the author create the feelings of alienation in the story? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478246904 Consider the close analysis of the paragraphs that we completed in class.]]> 2023-02-13 02:08:14 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478246904 What do you think is the authorial intent in this story? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478247640 Let us consider the theme of identity.

What is the meaning of the word identity? 
How is identity shaped?
What is the importance of having an identity?
Does identity evolve or change or remain static?
What are the roles that members of a family play? 
How are those roles assigned? ]]> 2023-02-13 02:08:52 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478247640 PBQ 1: Online Learning Day on 20 Jan audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478249157 2023-02-13 02:09:44 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478249157 How does Desai present the relationship between Mr Bose and his family? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478252056 p12: When he could not bear it any loner, he turned his head, slightly, just enough to be able to look out of the corner of his eye through the open door, down the unlit passage at the end of which, in the small, dimly lit kitchen, his wife sat kneading dough for bread, their child at her side.

p13: Mr Bose's moustache lifted up and out with almost a laugh of tenderness and delight. Beginning to laugh herself, she quickly turned, pulled down the corners of her mouth with mock sternness, trying to recall him to the path of duty, and picking up a lump of sticky dough, handed it back to the child, softly urging him to be quiet and to let his father finish the lesson.

p15: ...so all he did was bend and touch the snall curls of hair on his son's neck. They were so soft, they seemed hardly human and quite frightened him.

p16: Quite steadily he read, his tongue tamed and enthralled by the rhythm of the verse he had loved (copied on a sheet of blue paper, he had sent it to his wife one day when speech proved inadequate).

p18: 'Why? So that you can read poetry to that girl in peace?'

p19: 'He is asleep,' she said, glancing at him with a rather ashamed face, conciliatory.

p19: - as though the extra puree were a peace offering following her rebellion of haf an hour ago. 

p19: 'One more,' he told her, 'just one more,' he teased, and they laughed. ]]> 2023-02-13 02:11:16 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478252056 What are your impressions of the main character? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478252683 2023-02-13 02:11:46 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478252683 What is the role of the students in the short story? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478253554 Pritam, son of a Brahmin priest

Upneet, student at a convent school]]> 2023-02-13 02:12:27 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478253554 How does Desai present the sense of unrest and despair in the short story? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478254045 2023-02-13 02:12:50 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478254045 How does Desai present the sense of unrest and despair in the short story? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478367192 2023-02-13 04:32:06 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478367192 Context: Tulsi Plant and significance in Hinduism audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478367960 In Hinduism
The holy basil plant is revered in Hinduism as a manifestation of the goddess Lakshmi (Tulsi), the principal consort of the god Vishnu. The plant is especially sacred to Vaishnavites (devotees of Vishnu), and the Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, is said to wear a garland of holy basil leaves and flowers around his neck. The plant is grown in many Hindu homes, often in the courtyard in a dedicated four-sided structure, and the presence of a holy basil plant is believed to increase piety, foster meditation, purify, and protect. Devotees commonly worship in the morning and evening with mantras and offerings of flowers, incense, or water from the Ganges, and Tuesdays and Fridays are considered especially sacred. Even the ritual act of watering and caring for the plant, usually undertaken by the women of the house, is considered worshipful and meritorious. Holy basil is cultivated at many temples, and the woody stems of plants that have died are used to make beads for sacred japa mala (rosaries). The beginning of the Hindu wedding season is marked by a festival known as Tulsi Vivah, in which homes and temples ceremonially wed holy basil to Vishnu. Water infused with the leaves is often given to the dying to help elevate their souls, and funeral pyres are commonly fitted with holy basil twigs with the hopes that the deceased may obtain moksha and be liberated from the cycle of rebirth.
]]> 2023-02-13 04:33:15 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478367960 Context: Caste system audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478369061 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35650616]]> 2023-02-13 04:34:51 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478369061 Context: Mahabharata audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478369951 The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic where the main story revolves around two branches of a family - the Pandavas and Kauravas - who, in the Kurukshetra War, battle for the throne of Hastinapura. Interwoven into this narrative are several smaller stories about people dead or living, and philosophical discourses. Krishna-Dwaipayan Vyasa, himself a character in the epic, composed it; as, according to tradition, he dictated the verses and Ganesha wrote them down. At 100,000 verses, it is the longest epic poem ever written, generally thought to have been composed in the 4th century BCE or earlier. The events in the epic play out in the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas. It was first narrated by a student of Vyasa at a snake-sacrifice of the great-grandson of one of the major characters of the story. Including within it the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata is one of the most important texts of ancient Indian, indeed world, literature.]]> 2023-02-13 04:36:09 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478369951 Context: Bengali Poetry audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478370704 Bengali poetry is a rich tradition of poetry in the Bengali language and has many different forms. Originating in the Bengal region of South Asia, the history of Bengali poetry underwent three successive stages of development: poetry of the early age (like Charyapad), the Medieval period and the age of modern poetry. All ages have seen different forms of poetry and poetical tradition. It reached the pinnacle during the Bengali Renaissance period although it has a rich tradition and has grown independent of the movement. ]]> 2023-02-13 04:37:07 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478370704 Context: Weltschmerz audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478371181 It is a literary concept describing the feeling experienced by an individual who believes that reality can never satisfy the expectations of the mind, resulting in "a mood of weariness or sadness about life arising from the acute awareness of evil and suffering". The word weltschmerz initially came into being as a by-product of the European Romanticism movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A combining of the German words for "world" (Welt) and "pain" (Schmerz), weltschmerz aptly captures the melancholy and pessimism that often characterized the artistic expressions of the era. The term was used in German by the Romantic author Jean Paul (pseudonym of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter) in his 1827 novel Selina, but it wasn't adopted into English until the middle of the 19th century.]]> 2023-02-13 04:37:49 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2478371181 Context: Burnout audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2480920403 Is Suno burnt out, disillusioned, unmotivated, lazy or indifferent?]]> 2023-02-14 04:38:46 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2480920403 audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2491903635 2023-02-23 01:21:31 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2491903635 Theme 1: Suno's struggles with individuality audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2491961236 Suno vs his family and their expectations.

Suno vs the students in the park

Suno vs the body-beautiful worshippers

Suno vs the elderly men]]> 2023-02-23 02:25:04 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2491961236 Theme 2: Death in Life and Life in Death audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2491965039 Suno coming across the young Muslim lady was an epiphany - start of his transformation. Although, it was clear to Suno that she was dying due to unknown illness, she was alive as she enjoyed the park with her loved ones - an elderly gentleman and the young children. 

Suno came to realise that he was leading a life-in-death as he studies for an examination that his parents have pressured him to take.  So he decided to take control of his own life and will not take the examinations. Suno now considers himself on a search, assumingly for purpose and meaning. He still goes to the Park with his book opened but he confident and speaks to the others like they are visitors. ]]> 2023-02-23 02:30:05 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2491965039 Style: First person narration audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495619372 The story is told in first person. Suno is a character in the story. Therefore, reader's knowledge is restricted to Suno's perspective. 

The reader is privy to his internal monologue - that is his struggles, his distractions, his epiphany, which results in his transformation. 

Suno's stream of consciousness can be messy and jumbled. But it expresses his truth - frustration, exasperation, violence, joy, confusion, realisation. ]]> 2023-02-27 00:42:14 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495619372 Context: Obsession with Textures audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495820208 2023-02-27 04:50:20 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495820208 Context: Conventions audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495826067 What is Desai trying to say about the roles men and women play in a marriage?

What is Desai saying about society when Harish is treated as a holy man by the end of the story?]]> 2023-02-27 04:58:05 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495826067 Context: Definitions audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495830364 Texture: the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance.

Surface Texture: local deviation of a surface from a perfectly flat plane.

Texture is important to differentiate various objects and surfaces, transform light, and influence scale, but it can also communicate a particular design style.]]> 2023-02-27 05:04:04 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2495830364 Context: What is an obsession? What is insanity? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2502027085 - An obsession is an occurring thought which can appear as thoughts, dreams, urges and fantasies.
- An obsession is intrusive, unwelcoming and concerning.
- A compulsion can be a result or an outcome of an obsession. A compulsion is a repeated behaviour with a purpose of trying to deal with the obsession.
- Insanity is a general condition of mental disorder. It is a state where one cannot discern what is logical or not and what is right from wrong. It is a general break of the mind from the realities of life.
- With insane people, they have lost their ability to function effectively in almost all areas of life. They will not be able to take care of themselves and will not be able to establish social interaction. They are completely detached from reality thus they lose all normal functions.

]]> 2023-03-03 02:34:24 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2502027085 Society: What does Harish ignore? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2502036491 1. Marriage - role as a husband and provider
2. Family - role as a father
3. Job - role as an administrator who issues ration cards 
4. Holy Man - he did not offer anything]]> 2023-03-03 02:43:19 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2502036491 Description of Harish's Physical Appearance audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2502052143
p35: 'regarded it with eyes that seemed newly opened' 
: 'his eyes remained fixed' 
: 'he reached out to touch the melon that so captivated him' 
: 'He gave her a reproachful look' 
: 'went about dividing the melon into quarter-moon portions with sighs that showed how it pained him'
: 'with a fearful expression on his face - as though he were observing cannibals at a feast.'
p36: 'his eyes continued to slide about'
p37: 'Always said he looks like a hungry hyena ... not human at all, but like a hungry, hunchbacked hyena hunting along the road'
p39: 'Nor had they seen a Swami who looked holier, more inhuman than Harish'
: with his matted hair, his blue, starved skin and single-focused eyes.]]> 2023-03-03 02:56:10 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2502052143 What is ART? Artistic expression? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506076659 What is art?
Dictionary definition: the making of objects, images, music and other forms of visual art that are beautiful or that express feelings

What is imagination?
Dictionary definition: the ability to form images in the mind

What is creativity?
the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas

Does the artist have imagination and creativity? ]]> 2023-03-07 01:50:09 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506076659 Narrative Voice: Third Person audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506083563 No one is named in this short story.

Why? What is the impact on the reader?
- No sense of individuality
- They are stereotypes: the poor, tortured artist, the long-suffering wife and the rich but pretentious artists  
- There were no real relationships established between and among the characters
- ??? 

]]> 2023-03-07 01:55:17 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506083563 What is your impression of the artist? How does Desai create this impression? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506210049 p42: She sees him then, at the door, like a dog hanging about, wanting something, and immediately her nostrils flare.

p44: 'There you see - my birds and my flowers,' he tells her, clapping his hands as though enjoying a practical joke he has played on her. 

p46: Only now and then he grows aware of his wife, breathing heavily because of the weight of the child asleep on her arm, straining to hear at the door, frowning because she could not understand, is not certain, is worried, worried to death... and then he draws down the corners of his mouth and is silent.

p47: 'I don't paint figures,' he says shortly. 

p49: As they drive out of the lane and the smoke smudges and obscures the tail-lights, he hears his wife come out on the stairs behind him. ]]> 2023-03-07 03:43:26 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506210049 What is your impression of the buyers? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506222630 POINT: pretentious - trying to appear more important or clever than they actually are
p43: One cannot pinpoint any school, any technique, any style - one can only admit oneself in the presence of a continuous and inspired act of creation: so they tell themselves. 
L: in an incredulous and yet mocking tone - the third person voice enables Desai to belittle the buyers

POINT: fake, lacks real skill, superficial
p44: she is so artless, so completely without any vestige of imagination
L: description of character - judgment passed onto by the author

POINT: lacking imagination, practical, unable to appreciate art
p45: I can't believe you haven't actually painted them on the spot.
L: tone of disbelief

POINT: superior, they know they are the customers
p47: 'Yes, yes.' they all assure him together, upset by his change of tone. 
L: their manner of grouping together - distinguishing themselves from the artist/seller

POINT: tactless, cruel, mean, they fail to understand that this is his livelihood and not a sideshow
p48: They laugh at his haste, his trembling, shrill excitement.
L: flippant tone]]> 2023-03-07 03:56:02 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506222630 Context: audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506251959 2023-03-07 04:27:23 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506251959 Context audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506273127 2023-03-07 04:47:27 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2506273127 Childhood - Relationship between mother and child audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2534192908 Mrs Fernandez:
(p50) by holding out the bait of pineapple cake, his favourite,
(p50) had the boy dressed in his new frilled shirt and purple velvet shorts and new shoes that bit his toes and had him sitting quietly in church right through the long ceremony.
(p50) sighed to think how much easier it would be if she had a daughter instead.
(p51) Yes, the collar of the frilled shirt was a bit tight and the church was airless and stuffy but it wasn't very refined of him to sweat so.


Victor:
(p50) Victor was a nervous rather than rebellious child.
(p51) Victor hadn't much faith in his mother's promises. They had a way of getting postponed or cancelled on account of some small accidental lapse on his part.
(p52) and his mother was digging him in the ribs, shoving him out
(p53) He felt that he was being shoved out, he was not wanted, he had no place here.
(p53) Instinctively he put out his hand to find his mother's and received another shock
(p54) Victor's mother gave him a pinch that made him half-rise 
(p55) when the boy didn't move but stared down at the pastry dish as though it were the corpse ]]> 2023-03-28 01:54:38 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2534192908 Games at Twilight audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549496381 "The motherly Mira intervened. She pulled the boys roughly apart."

Their mother rose from her basket chair and came towards him, worried, annoyed, saying, ‘Stop it, stop it, Ravi. Don’t be a
baby. Have you hurt yourself?’

'... even Mira said, ‘Stop howling, Ravi. If you want to play, you can stand at the end of the line,’ and she put him there very firmly.'

The women are firm with Ravi. They show little compassion and understanding. They did not comprehend the importance of winning and of affirming the self.
]]> 2023-04-11 02:16:00 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549496381 Private Tuition by Mr Bose audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549507673 'Both of them seemed bound together and held down in some deeply absorbing act from which he was excluded.'

'She only glanced at him, pretended not to care, pursed her lips to keep from giggling, flipped the puree over and rolled it finer and flatter still.'

‘Why? So that you can read poetry to that girl in peace?’

‘Eat more,’ she coaxed. ‘One more’ – as though the extra puree were a peace offering following her rebellion of half an hour ago.

Mrs Bose is a docile housewife. She is not named and is simply 'his wife'. Her identity is wrapped around serving Mr Bose, the child and the house. However, she is easily jealous as she feels that the poems are her love language between Mr Bose and herself. They have a close and loving relationship. Mr Bose is constantly distracted by her and longs to be physically close to her.

Please do something similar for Upneet.
]]> 2023-04-11 02:24:34 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549507673 Studies in the Park audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549516194 '—And my mother. She cuts and fries, cuts and fries. All day I hear her chopping and slicing and the pan of oil hissing.'

Only my mother became resigned and gentle. She must have seen something quite out of the ordinary on my face to make her so. I felt her hand on my forehead and heard her say, ‘Leave him alone. Let him sleep tonight. He is tired out, that is what it is – he has driven himself too much and now he must sleep.’
Then I heard all of them leave the room. Her hand stayed on my forehead, wet and smelling of onions, and after a bit my tears began to flow from under my lids.
‘Poor Suno, sleep,’ she murmured.

While the mother has a small role in the story, it is a loving and compassionate one. Initially, Suno is irritated as Suno only sees her as a housewife who is noisy while completing her chores. But in the second half of the book, she comforted and consoled Suno. Her hands which were seen as simplistic are now familiar and safe. Suno felt safe enough to break down.

You can do something similar for the women in the park, in particular the one young woman whom Suno witnesses in a moment of tenderness.]]> 2023-04-11 02:31:21 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549516194 Surface Textures audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549522626 'her only thought had been Is it worth a rupee and fifty paise?'

'He left most of his rice and pulses on his plate, to her indignation.'

'The first few days Sheila stormed and screamed like some shrill, wet hurricane about the house.'

'After that, she wept. She lay on her bed in a bath of tears and perspiration,'

'What is my shame to you? I will have to hang my head and crawl home and beg my father to look after us since you won’t,’ and that was what she did.'

The wife is named in this story. Sheila seems preoccupied with money. She is easily annoyed and angered. She is totally dependent on Harish and later on her father to help raise the children. It is interesting that the story begins in her perspective but moves to Harish's by the end. This could be because she had dominated Harish's life in the beginning but she completely faded out as soon as he lost interest in his family.]]> 2023-04-11 02:36:55 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549522626 Sale audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549531910 'She sees him then, at the door, like a dog hanging about, wanting something, and immediately her nostrils flare. ‘Can’t you answer the door?’ she cries. ‘What’s the matter with
you?'

Only now and then he grows aware of his wife, breathing heavily because of the weight of the child asleep on her arm, straining to hear at the door, frowning because she cannot understand, is not certain, is worried, worried to death ... and then he draws down the corners of his mouth and is silent.

As they drive out of the lane and the smoke smudges and obscures the tail-lights, he hears his wife come out on the stairs behind him.

Both husband and wife are unnamed in this short story. The wife is tense and anxious. She is worried about having enough money to support the family. She is highly strung and pressures her husband to make a sale. She is not physically present in the room but her presence is intimidating, and the artist is constantly reminded of his responsibilities. ]]> 2023-04-11 02:44:53 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2549531910 What can we say about Mrs Fernandez audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552208238 p52: his mother was making a din about finding a vehicle

p52: 'Those de Mellos must have money - they can't be so badly off - tea at Green's, after all.'

p52: 'When Mrs Fernandez realized this, she set her lips together and looked dangerously wrathful, and the party atmosphere began quickly to dissolve in the acid of bad temper and the threat to her dignity.'

p54: 'it was seats at a suitable table that Mrs Fernandez demanded, could not find, then spotted, was turned away from and, finally, led to two others by a slippery-smooth waiter used to such scenes.

p55: 'her mouth gave an impatient twitch and she reached out to fork the pineapple cake onto her own plate. She ate it quickly. Wiping her mouth primly, she said, 'I think we'd better go now.' ]]> 2023-04-12 23:03:16 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552208238 What can we say about Victor? audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552215671 p50: 'trying hard to keep his loud breathing bottled inside his chest and leaning down to see what made his shoes so vicious,'

p51: 'Victor hadn't much faith in his mother's promises.'

p52: 'He had seen nothing of it, only followed, disconsolately and confusedly, the smells and sounds of it, like some underground creature, an infant mole, trying to make out what went out outside its burrow, and whether it was alarming or enticing. 

p52: 'Victor stupidly began a fantasy of slipping out of her hold and breaking into a toy shop for skates...'

p53: 'Victor sat still, not breathing.'

p53: 'He had been promised pineapple cake at Green's, sufficiently overwhelming in itself - he hadn't the wherewithal to cope with the Gateway of India as well.'

p55: 'and when the boy didn't move but stared down at the pastry- dish as though it were the corpse on the red rexine sofa' ]]> 2023-04-12 23:16:49 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552215671 Context: Pineapple Cake audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552478480 p55: 'and, to his amazement, a plate of pastries was actually on the table now - iced, coloured and gay. ]]> 2023-04-13 03:11:31 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552478480 Context: Bombay Harbour audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552485157 p53: 'Victor looked about him at the wonders of Bombay harbour'
'Had his father brought him here on a Sunday outing, with a ferry boat ride and a fresh coconut drink for treats, he would have enjoyed the Arab dhows with their muddy sails, the ships and tankers and seagulls...']]> 2023-04-13 03:17:30 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2552485157 Authorial Intent: audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2556137606 1. Why is the short story titled "Pineapple Cake'?

2. What is the Desai saying about social status?

3. What is Desai saying about children?]]> 2023-04-17 01:07:12 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2556137606 Compare Ravi and Victor audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2569738102 Ravi: 
1. one of many children - does not have any attention
2. wants to be a winner and prove his worth
3. has a vivid imagination 
4. feels isolated and alienated from his family

Victor:
1. the only child - has all of his mother's attention and disappointment
2. used to unfulfilled wishes
3. feels isolated and alienated from his mother
4. unconcerned with status and wealth
5. has a vivid imagination]]> 2023-04-27 03:40:58 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2569738102 Compare the students: Pritam, Upneet and Suno audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2569738500 Pritam: p13 'Pritam, the scabby, oil-slick son of a Brahmin priest'
1. comes from privilege and pedigree
2. indifferent and resentful
3. looks down on Mr Bose - condescending

Upneet: p15 'Under this Upneet's gaze such ordinary functions of a tutor's life as sitting down at a table, sharpening a pencil and opening a book to the correct page became matters of farce, disaster and hilarity.'
1. chooses the subject for personal interest
2. academically weak and incompetent
3. passive learner

Suno: p32 'I was a 'professional'. My life was dictated by the rules and routine of the park.'
1. pressured to perform 
2. unmotivated 
3. escaping from reality
4. chooses to live in the present - privileged to have understanding parents ]]> 2023-04-27 03:41:27 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2569738500 Compare the babies audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2569739682 What is the difference in how the children are described and treated in Private Tuition by Mr Bose and Sale.

Baby: 

]]> 2023-04-27 03:42:42 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2569739682 Context: Basic Terms for Understanding audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590400308 2023-05-15 00:42:48 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590400308 Literary Device: First Person Narrative audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590404270 The story is told from Bhaiyya's perspective.
How does this strengthen and / or weaken the quality of the story telling?]]> 2023-05-15 00:46:05 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590404270 Relationship between Ustad Rahim Khan and the narrator, Bhaiyya audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590414822 1. Do you think it is a supportive mentor relationship or an exploitative relationship?

2. Do you think the closeness is imagined or real?

3. What do you think will happen to the narrator when the Ustad Rahim Khan gets too old?

4. How and why did the narrator become so dependent on the Ustad Rahim Khan?]]> 2023-05-15 00:56:07 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590414822 Similarities and differences audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590417657 1. How is the narrator, Bhaiyya, similar and different to Harish in 'Surface Textures'?

2. How is the narrator, Bhaiyya, similar and different to Mr Bose in 'Private Tuition with Mr Bose'?

3. How is the narrator, Bhaiyya, similar and different to the male artist in 'Sale'?  ]]> 2023-05-15 00:58:48 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590417657 Authorial Intent: audra_amir_liow1 https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590427092 1. Why is the short story titled 'The Accompanist'? How is he, simultaneously, the main character and the supporting character?

2. What is Desai saying about self awareness and sacrifice?

3, What is Desai saying about acceptance and ambition?


]]> 2023-05-15 01:06:59 UTC https://padlet.com/audra_amir_liow1/rv1kngmo50b0auyv/wish/2590427092