Eng 113 Afro Asian Literature PDF

ENG 113 AFRO ASIAN LITERATURE GROUP REPORTINGS Themes GROUP 1 – AFRICA BY DAVID DIOP Identity & Nationalism “Africa,” a poem by French-African poet David Diop, In “Africa,” Diop reminisces about the marvelous paints a compl...

ENG 113 AFRO ASIAN LITERATURE GROUP REPORTINGS Themes GROUP 1 – AFRICA BY DAVID DIOP Identity & Nationalism “Africa,” a poem by French-African poet David Diop, In “Africa,” Diop reminisces about the marvelous paints a complete picture of Africa, including its pre- land of his ancestors and the history that has been colonial glory and colonial suffering as the nation passed down to the generations and finally reached traversed a difficult journey through time and him. evolution. Colonization & Suffering The poem expresses a hope; a hope for a post- Diop’s “Africa” is a protest against the atrocities of colonial Africa that can spring beautifully like a colonizers. flower after finally being freed from the heavy, corroded chains of oppression. Diop regularly Cultural Heritage contributed to the Négritude literary movement. Diop explores the theme of cultural heritage in this His poems, like “Africa,” also known as “Africa my poem. Africa,” are considered a piece of protest against the oppressive French colonial rule. He supported the History of Africa African liberation movements and had empathy for Another important theme of this poem is history. all his fellow brothers and sisters fighting for The speaker takes pride in his nation’s glorious past. freedom. His emotions related to the freedom and independence of Africa are what he explores in this Symbolism poem. Black Blood: The “beautiful black blood” of Africa is Summary symbolic of identity. In this poem, Diop addresses Africa as a human Tree & Fruit: The “tree” in the poem is a symbol for being as he calls out to the nation’s past, present, the nation, and its “fruit” represents Africans. and future. He does so with a voice that is filled with longing and nostalgia. Tone & Mood Structure, Form, & Rhyme Scheme The tone of the poem is filled with the poet’s admiration and empathy for Africa and its people. Diop’s “Africa” consists of a total of twenty-three His voice reflects a sense of nostalgia for its past. lines with no stanza breaks in between. Setting It is written in free verse without a fixed rhyme scheme or meter. Diop wrote this poem while he was in Bordeaux, France. The poem is set in a foreign land. It presents This patriotic lyric is composed out of one speaker’s a speaker who nostalgically thinks about his nation, devotion to their motherland, Africa. Africa, and describes his steadfast love for his country. The speaker is the poet himself. Historical Background He writes this piece from the first-person point of view and expresses his underlying rage for the The poem “Africa,” also known by its first line, colonial rule in Africa and how desperately he “Africa my Africa,” was first published in French as desires to see a free and firm nation. “Afrique” in David Diop’s only collection of poetry, Coups de pilon (“Pounding”) in 1956. There is no specific rhyme scheme in the poem. What is the poem “Africa” by David Diop all about? Literary Devices & Figures of Speech “Africa” by David Diop is all about the poet’s love for Personification Africa. The speaker attributes Africa with human characteristics ONCE UPON A TIME BY NADINE GORDIMER Apostrophe Allegory Diop uses this poetic device to personify Africa. In the very first line, he addresses the nation, “Africa The bedtime story the writer tells herself is symbolic my Africa,” with passion. for the system of racial segregation in South Africa that lasted over 40 years. Metaphor  The title, Once Upon a Time, is how fairy Diop uses metaphors in order to draw comparisons tales begin. between two distant ideas. For example, Diop’s persona compares “blood” to water in the line, “You  The frame story establishes that the writer beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields” was asked to come up with a children's story, and it's presented as a bedtime story.   The setting, "In a house, in a suburb, in a POINT OF VIEW city," is vague. Third Person Point of View  None of the characters have names, THEME suggesting they're representative rather than real individuals. Sometimes the things that we anticipate are already there. It’s just that we fail to appreciate them and  The family seems perfect and is completely only see them when we don't have any options or happy when the story starts. when we simply got bored.  The husband's mother is referred to as a In the story the society views marriage as an "wise old witch." assurance for a better life. This is evident on how Allusions to Apartheid the women are being portrayed. They are marrying a rich or noble man, to the extent that they disregard There are many details that parallel apartheid: the fact that the man is already been married on the "[P]eople of another color were quartered" outside first place. This action that we consider deviant has been tolerated by the culture and the society in the the city and weren't allowed in the suburb except as workers. story. The economic status also has something to do with this practice. Nana Adaku is an Omanhene in his The family lives in a gated community, representing town. Here we can deduce that he is rich and the separation between races. This separation is powerful, giving him the rights to practice this intensified by the numerous security measures, polygamous act, since the only ground for it is that particularly the coiled razor wire. the man should have the capability or as long as the man can support his wives and his families. The people of another color riot. There are police and soldiers to suppress them. GROUP 4 I HAVE A DREAM BY DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. Theme: Fear of the "Other" ‘I have a dream’ by Martin Luther King Jr. is a public What Is the Purpose of the Frame Story? speech the civil rights activist delivered on August The story the narrator makes up could have been 28th, 1963. In it, he called for an end to racism in the told without any preamble. United States and all its related policies. What’s the Significance of the Boy’s Death? - one of the greatest speeches in American history. Delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. The boy dies from the final security measure, the (1929-68) in Washington D.C. in 1963, the most effective deterrent the couple can find, the speech is a powerful rallying cry for racial "Dragon's Teeth" brand blade-filled coil on the wall. equality and for a fairer and equal world in The irony of a security feature designed to keep a which African Americans will be as free as criminal out killing a family member is obvious. white Americans. His death illustrates the effect of extreme fear on They were marching for several reasons, including people. It ends up figuratively killing them. jobs (many of them were out of work), but the main reason was freedom: King and many other Civil THEME: TRAGIC DEATH Rights leaders sought to remove segregation of black GROUP 3 ANTICIPATION BY MAVEL DOVE and white Americans and to ensure black Americans were treated the same as white Americans. CHARACTERS 1963 was the centenary of the emancipation · Nana Adaku II- the Omanhene of Akwasin, and proclamation in which then US President Abraham was celebrating the twentieth anniversary of his Lincoln (1809-65) had freed the African slaves in the accession to the stool of Akwasin, the man who has United States in 1863. But a century on from the 40 wives. abolition of slavery, King points out, black Americans · Effua- One of the 40 wives of Omanhene still are not free in many respects. · Linguist- the trusted person of the Omanhene GROUP 5 MAHABHARATA BY VYASA · Men of Akwasin- are wearing tokota sandals The Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic, explores on their feet and rich multi-colored velvet and themes of duty, morality, justice, and the human gorgeous, hand-woden. condition123. It emphasizes virtues like bravery, honesty, and nobility, but also shows instances of · Women of Akwasin with golden ear-rings individuals violating codes of conduct24. The epic dangling, with golden chains and bracelets. Looking provides profound philosophical insights through the dignified in their colorful native Attire. Bhagavad Gita3. Some lessons from the Mahabharata include the importance of knowledge, SETTING(S) mentorship, avoiding stubbornness, choosing · Nkwabi, the capital of Akwasin. companions wisely, dedication to a cause, and building powerful alliances Conflict The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic that Man vs. Society- the character in this story became revolves around two branches of a family, the the victim of its own society, of its own tradition. Pandavas and Kauravas, who battle for the throne of Hastinapura in the Kurukshetra War. The epic also Gitanjali is a collection of poems by Rabindranath includes smaller stories about people living or dead, Tagore that was published in India in 19101. Tagore as well as philosophical discourses1. It is based on a then turned it into English prose poems called real war that took place between the Kuru and Gitanjali: Song Offerings, which was published in Panchala tribes in the 13th or 14th century B.C., and 1912 with an introduction by William Butler Yeats. is considered both a historical account of Hinduism's The poems in Gitanjali are based on devotional birth and a code of ethics songs from India in the Middle Ages. The book is a collection of beautiful prayers written after a gut- SYMBOLISM: TREE wrenchingly painful period in Tagore's life, during The Mahabharata (compiled between 300 BC and which he lost his father, wife, daughter and a son in 300 AD) has the honor of being the longest epic in quick succession. The poems are about love and the world literature. It consists of 100,000 2-line stanzas internal conflict between spiritual longings and (although the most recent critical edition edits this earthly desires3. Much of the imagery is drawn from down to about 88,000). This makes it eight times as nature, and the dominant mood is minor-key and long as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey together, and over muted three times as long as the Bible (Chaitanya vii). REPORTINGS According to the Narasimhan version, only about 4000 lines relate to the main story; the rest contain “Half a Day” is a short story by Nobel Prize-winning additional myths and teachings. Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz (Midaq Alley, Palace Walk, Zaabalawi). The name Mahabharata means “great [story of the] Bharatas.” Bharata was an early ancestor of both the Published as part of Mahfouz’s 1991 collection The Pandavas and Kauravas who fight each other in a Time and the Place and Other Stories, “Half a Day” great war, but the word is also used generically for departs from the social realism for which Mahfouz the Indian race, so the Mahabharata sometimes is became famous, instead employing elements of referred to as “the great story of India.” allegory and surrealism. The epic is divided into 18 books, concerning an 18- SUMMARY: day war among 18 armies. The main narrative The short story begins with the storyteller who is concerning the war is contained in the first ten enchanted with his new garments going to his first books. day of school, as he runs along close to his father. Themes GROUP 6 RAMAYANA BY VALMIKI "Half a Day" is best understood as an allegorical tale The Ramayana is a Hindu epic about the life of the where each element symbolizes a broader meaning. legendary Prince Rama of Kosala. Rama and his wife The primary allegorical theme is that a single Sita are exiled from Rama's homeland. While in exile, morning spent in school represents an entire lifetime Rama battles the demon king Ravan, who abducts in the school of life. Everything that happens in the Sita. Rama defeats the demons and rescues Sita. story reflects universal human experiences: birth, They return from exile and Rama becomes king1. childhood, old age, death, the afterlife, religion, love, The epic teaches about ideology, devotion, duty, friendship, pain, fear, joy, learning, memory, and dharma, and karma2. It is the story of King Rama nostalgia, as well as the life cycle from one who must save his kidnapped wife, Sita, and is told generation to the next. and retold through various forms of popular culture. RYTHMIC EXERCISE BY Mohamed Makhzangi - is an Arab writer and doctor known in the Themes and symbols in the Ramayana include: literary world for his novels and short stories. Dharma (duty): The concept of moral duty and righteous path in life. “Rhythmic Exercise” is about a family living through a war in the Middle East. Karma (action): The consequences of actions. - it narrates the simple idea of a family’s Bhakti (devotion): The deep connection between quest to combat obesity and gain fitness God and devotees. during a time where Egypt’s sunset-to-dawn Moksha (liberation): The pursuit of spiritual curfew was active. The family resorts to freedom. dancing and making simple exercises, latching on to any resemblance of having a Good vs. Evil: The eternal battle between these normal life during times of political unrest. forces. The story ends in a shocking twist. The title of the Ramayana means “Rama’s Journey” THE OPEN DOOR BY ABDELRAHMAN MUNIF in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language, and the (SHORT STORY) motif of journeys, both physical and metaphysical, is present throughout the epic. This is a fantastic short story by one of the most prominent novelists of the Arab world, Abdelrahman GITANJALI Munif. The latter, author of ‘Cities of Salt’, wrote two short story collections, twelve works of non-fiction - is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet and twelve novels. Having adopted an anti- Rabindranath Tagore. imperialist stance for years, Munif was also critical of A man can do anything for love, even sacrificing Saudi Arabia’s regime and the war in Iraq. Many of themselves just to save the man or their loved ones. his life experiences, namely his immigration and FISHERMAN AND THE JINEE travels were reflected in his work. BY SCHEREZADE This emotional masterpiece narrates the story of a young man due to travel away from his family and The theme of “The Fisherman and the Jinnee” is to country only to find resistance from his grandmother not be gullible. The Jinnee, as well as the fisherman, at his decision. Bit by bit, Munif unravels a tragic both get fooled by each other. backdrop story which leaves the reader to reflect on themes of family, grief and travel. THE HUNCHBACK’S TALE A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS (INTRODUCTION) Characters One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of  The hunchback Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic  The tailor language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first  The physician English-language edition, which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights' Entertainment  The steward Scheherazade is a legendary figure from Middle  The broker Eastern folklore, most famously known as the  The hunchback’s king storyteller of "One Thousand and One Nights," also known as "Arabian Nights." THE SEVEN VOYAGES OF SINBAD THE SAILOR THE LADY AND HER FIVE SUITORS BY Sir Richard In “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,” the Francis Burton famous sailor Sinbad tells a poor porter about the challenges of his life on the sea. Sinbad has survived TIMES AND MILLEU seven adventurous and dangerous voyages. Over the - is set in a medieval Islamic society, likely in course of these voyages he faced shipwrecks, Persia or a similar region within the Middle strange beasts, and the supernatural. The thrill and East. The story's milieu is a patriarchal and excitement of the sea kept Sinbad coming back. restrictive society where women are Finally, after seven voyages, he has decided to settle expected to be subservient and men hold down on land with his wealth. positions of power. In “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,” the CHARACTERS: famous sailor Sinbad tells a poor porter about the challenges of his life on the sea. Sinbad has survived Five Men seven adventurous and dangerous voyages. Over the 1. Wali/ Chief of Police course of these voyages he faced shipwrecks, strange beasts, and the supernatural. The thrill and 2. Kazi/ Cadi excitement of the sea kept Sinbad coming back. Finally, after seven voyages, he has decided to settle 3. Wazir/ Vizier down on land with his wealth. 4. King In “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor,” the 5. Carpenter famous sailor Sinbad tells a poor porter about the challenges of his life on the sea. Sinbad has survived Woman- beautiful, married woman, and seven adventurous and dangerous voyages. Over the merchant class. course of these voyages he faced shipwrecks, strange beasts, and the supernatural. The thrill and THEMES: CLEVERNESS AND DECEPTION excitement of the sea kept Sinbad coming back. Finally, after seven voyages, he has decided to settle As the woman outwits her would be lovers by down on land with his wealth. developing a unique defense. THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD SETTING: Persia, in woman’s lodge The Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad POINT OF VIEW: THIRD PERSON Three wealthy and beautiful sisters invite, over the Issues course of an evening, a porter, three one-eyed Trickery, Infidelity, Morally Corrupt Kalandars, and three merchants—who turn out to be the Caliph and his companions in disguise—into their Symbolism home for shelter, food, and drink. Upon entering each guest must take the following oath: ‘‘Whoso Garments, Foods, and kissing the ground represent speaketh of what concerneth him not shall hear customs and practices. what pleaseth him not!’’ Genie and Qur'an symbolize Islamic beliefs and INSTANT JUSTICE by Tewfik al-Hakim protection. The story is set in a small village where a group of Messages villagers decides to take justice into their own hands. They form a vigilante group called "The Committee INVICTUS BY WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY of Instant Justice" to punish those they believe have ABOUT : The indomitable human spirit and the committed crimes. The committee consists of power of resilience in the face of adversity. ordinary villagers who have grown tired of the slow and corrupt legal system. - overcoming obstacles and finding strength within oneself. THE BIWLEDRED ARAB OUT OF THE NIGHT THAT COVERS ME Summary: BLACK AS THE PIT FROM POLE TO POLE The man arrived in Baghdad for the first time.He got confused where to go. He got confused because of I THANK WHATEVER GODS MAY BE the chatting, clanking, and running all around him. While traveling, he got dizzy and tired , so he rest for FOR MY UNCONQUERABLE SOUL a moment. When he woke up, he forgot about himself, almost like he got amnesia. So, he tied his ankle and tried to walk in a corner. He got really IN THE FELL CLUTCH OF CIRCUMSTANCE confused of Baghdad, the people, and himself in his head. But he found another person. He has the same I HAVE NOT WINCHED NOR CRIED ALOUD looks as the bewildered man. So, the man agreed to UNDER THE BLUDGEONINGS OF CHANCE help the bewildered Arab. He slept with him beside and tied the rope to his ankle. The Arab woke up and MY HEAD IS BLOODY, BUT UNBOWED. looks for the signal of the man, but he found another man who had a rope on his ankle. In the end, he's still confused about what happening BEYOND THIS PLACE OF WRATH AND TEARS Imagery: The man looks like he's got amnesia. LOOMS BUT THE HORROR OF THE SHADE, Figurative Language: Verbal Irony/ Sarchasm AND YET THE MANACE OF THE YEARS Rhyme Scheme: A-B-C-B A-A-B-B FINDS, AND SHALL FIND ME UNAFRAID. DEAD MEN’S PATH "Dead Men's Path" is a short story that examines IT MATTERS NOT HOW STRAIGHT THE GATE, HOW the conflict between European values and traditional CHARGED WITH PUNISHMENTS THE SCROLL, Nigerian beliefs12. Michael Obi is appointed headmaster of a school in a small village in Nigeria. I AM THE MASTER OF MY FATE, He intends to reform the school based on European I AM THE CAPATIN OF MY SOUL. values and modern ideas13. The story raises issues central to many works of postcolonial writing such as modernity versus tradition, urban versus rural life, and Christianity versus Indigenous religion, as well as the overall effects of European colonization on life in SONNETT 18: SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A Nigeria. SUMMER’S DAY BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ‘Dead Men’s Path’ is a short story by the Nigerian - is about the speaker’s beloved, whom he author Chinua Achebe. First published in 1953, the praises and hopes to immortalize. The story features a culture-clash that becomes violent speaker compares his beloved to a when Obi, the new headmaster, starts interfering summer’s day but ultimately rejects the with the traditional beliefs of the native people. comparison. The main theme of the poem is the power of beauty to overcome normal THEMES comparisons, and Shakespeare explores the ‘Dead Men’s Path’ is a tale of cultural conflict. Two idea that while natural beauty is fleeting, different sets of values are represented by Obi and the beauty captured in his poem will endure the villagers, and the collision of these opposing forever values forms the central tension of the play. The SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY tension is cultural, political, and of course, ideological. The graveness of the clash between THOU ART MORE LOVELY AND MORE TEMPERATE: traditions and imposed modernity is indicated by how total chaos erupts at the end of the story. ROUGH WINDS DO SHAKE THE DARLING BUDS OF MAY, CHARACTERS IN THE STORY AND SUMMERS LEASE HATH ALL TOO SHORT A Michael Obi DATE; Nancy The priest SOMETIME TOO HOT THE EYE OF HEAVEN SHINES POINT OF VIEW: omniscient narrator introducing the AND OFTEN IS HIS GOLD COMPLEXION DIMM’D; setting and main character of the story. AND EVERY FAIR, FROM FAIR SOMETIME DECLINES, POEMS BY CHANCE OR NATURE’S CHANGING COURSE WHEN THE STARS THREW DOWN THEIR SPEARS, UNTRIMM’D; AND WATER’D HEAVEN WITH THEIR TEARS, DID HE SMILE HIS WORK TO SEE? BUT THY ETERNAL SUMMER SHALL NOT FADE DID HE WHO MADE THE LAMB MAKE THEE? NOR LOOSE POSSESSION OF THAT FAIR THOU OWS’T; TYGER! TYGER! BURNING BRIGHT NOR SHALL DEATH BRAG THOU WANDRE’ST IN HIS SHADE, IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT, WHEN IN ETERNAL LINES TO TIME THOU GROW’ST: WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE SO LONG AS MEN CAN BREATH, OR EYES CAN SEE, DARE FRAME THY FERAFUL SYMMETRY SO LONG LIVES THIS, AND THIS GIVES LIFE TO THEE. BLUGEONINGS - "under the hardships life brings" or "in spite of the blows that fate rains down on me." THE TYGER BY WILLIAM BLAKE Themes: Death, Identity, Journey - questions the nature of God and creation123. The poem uses the image of a Emotions Evoked: Courage, Fear, Pride tiger to represent the paradox of evil under an omniscient and loving God, challenging "My head is bloody but unbowed" is a phrase that the ethics of a God who could create both means showing signs of a struggle, but not defeated divine good (the lamb) and divine evil (the "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my tiger)23. The speaker is essentially soul" reflect the speaker's determination and questioning the implications of a God who resilience. Despite enduring hardships, the speaker would invent such a terrifying animal23. asserts control over their destiny and inner strength, Some readers see the tyger as an emblem emphasizing a message of self-mastery and of evil and darkness, and some critics have unwavering resolve in the face of adversity. interpreted the poem as an allegory of the French Revolution TYGER! TYGER! BURNING BRIGHT, IN THE FOREST OF THE NIGHT; WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE, COULD FRAME THY FEARFUL SYMMETRY? IN WHAT DISTANT DEEPS OR SKIES BURNT THE FIRE OF THINE EYES? ON WHAT WINGS, DARE HE ASPIRE? WHAT THE HAND, DARE SEIZE THE FIRE? AND WHAT SHOULDER AND WHAT ART, COULD TWIST THE SINEWS OF THY HEART? AND WHEN THY HEART BEGAN TO BEAT, WHAT DREAD HAND? AND WHAT DREAD FEET? WHAT THE HAMMER? WHAT THE CHAIN? IN WHAT FURNACE WAS THY BRAIN? WHAT THE ANVIL? WHAT DREAD GRASP DARE ITS DEADLY TERROR CLASP?