Tobin Siebers’ Disability in Theory: From Social Constructionism to the New Realism of the Body (Summary)

Siebers begins the essay with an allusion to the Graiae Sisters (blind sisters of Medusa) in mythology who possess a single eye ball and six empty sockets. They pass the eyeball among themselves to have a look at the outside world; the hands hold the eye ball and this acts as a metaphor to the experience of people with disabilities (PWD). It becomes the reality of the body where people with disabilities also interchange different organs to perform different function. For instance, deaf hands speak and deaf eyes, listen. Disabled body depicts that all bodies are socially constructed and the societal attitudes determine the reality of every body. This insight was developed after the publication of Autobiography, June 2000 issue of American Quarterly Journal. This publication ended up to be autoethnography, which means one’s record of personal experience in a social context. This proves how the society deems a body as abled or disabled. Body becomes a site of oppression, thereby linking with gender theory, race theory, etc.

Social constructionism exists in weak and strong forms. Weak form consists of dominant ideas, attitudes and customs of the society in regard to bodies. For instance, in an ableist society, civil rights legislation is unnecessary because they assume that PWD do not want to meander with the mainstream. On the other hand, strong constructionism does not rely on human ignorance but is based on a linguistic model where sign precedes representation. It refers to the social and cultural markers that shape societal perceptions of PWD, resulting in how they are viewed and treated. Strong constructionism stresses that political ideologies and cultural belief anchor their authority on natural objects.

Michel Foucault, a French critic, defined biopower as the force that controls human bodies through subjection. Techniques of biopower are statistics, demographics, eugenics, medicalization and sterilisation. These techniques combine knowledge and power, but also treat human body as a subject that is linguistically represented by social ideologies. Judith Butler, an American critic, distinguishes bodies as bodies in pain and abject bodies. Abject bodies are miserable and exist outside the domain of subject as their desires cannot be incorporated into societal norms. They live in the realm between accepted and unaccepted. According to Rosemarie Garland Thomson, disabled bodies are freak show as they are unorthodox bodies that refuse to be normalised.

Disability exposes the different constraints on bodies by societal norms. Facilities such as staircase for public use convey the message that the society is ableist in nature, ignoring the needs of PWD, thus displaying disability as socially constructed. On the other hand, disability has its own problems where the reality of the body is with its own limitation. This is avoided and performance of an individual in the society is prioritised over the reality of the body.

Foucault compares a pre-modern soldier and a modern soldier by insisting that the pre-modern soldier is strong and fit, whereas the modern day soldier has an unsuitable body with limitation that is supported by weapons. The modern day soldier represents the docile body; docility resembles disability and so has to be transformed and improved. Body theory looks at the docile body as an evil to be eradicated and mirrors the attitude of the ableist society. Lennard Davis argues that disability is a nightmare for the ableist society. Proper representation of disability is necessary to understand disability. Consequently, this will help in tackling political issues such as access to citizenship and voting rights.

Pain and more Pain: The mainstream believes that PWD is a stable population. But only 15% of the world’s population is born with impairment. Most people become disabled during the course of life, yet, the mainstream does not easily accept the disabled body. Pain is a subjective phenomenon and so it becomes the site to describe individuality which is an unhealthy representation. It is because pain must be communicable for better understanding. The incommunicability of pain reinforces the hyperindividuality, where every person with disabilities is confined into separate bubbles of pain. This isolation further marginalises PWD. Medical science catalogues disabilities by identifying distinctive features, thereby individualising PWD. No two individuals have the same diagnosis, symptoms and treatment. This robs PWD from a sense of political community. Pain is a tool to enforce the norms of the society as it is believed to be controlled by the ailing.

According to Butler‘s body theory, pain is not physical but is based on guilt and social repression. Siebers believes that pain is both psychological and physical. It is psychological because able bodied bully them and it is physical because of the reality of the body, Donna Haraway’s cyborg theory looks at disabled body as a mutation of machine and organism. This theory assumes that people who are paired with devices are powerful than the able bodied. Siebers argues that cyborgs are powerful super human. On the other hand, Haraway’s comparison falls short as PWD experience sub-human status. Thus, disability is mythologised as an advantage because of their reliance on gadgets. PWD thereby become sources of fear for the able bodied. Reality of the body is such that the PWD cannot navigate the society without the device. Physical pain is unpredictable and individualistic; it is not a friend to humanity as it marginalises PWD further and makes the experience of suffering difficult to believe.

These Blunt, Crude Realities: the practical difficulty of being disabled is the reality of the body. The experience of PWD displays their pain and humiliation. Cheryl Marie Wade narrates her body related experience of having her privacy invaded. She individualises pain, but represents the suffering of PWD by using the plural ‘We’. The political plural brings in a sense of community to help obtain rights in the society. PWD form communities based on their healthcare needs and need for access to rights in the society. 

Siebers debates on assisted suicide, abortion and genetic research. He highlights how disability is seen as an evil to be eradicated and the economic policies portray PWD as a small needy group. Siebers discusses how body is capable of influencing the society. The disabled body has three major representation as being powerful (cyborg), deserving sympathy and needy because of disease and being villainic. None of these improve the status of disabled in the society. PWD understand that disability is part of their life, and thus try to function with it. They need a place in the world, where they are not judged or dominated by their caregiver and other able-bodied people. Siebers concludes by insisting on the need for the right mode of representation to obtain political rights in the mainstream.

Tales of an Urban Indian(Darrell Dennis) ⁃Scene-wise Summary

 PROLOGUE

Aboriginal music plays in the background and Simon says that he is an urban

Indian, unlike the stereotypical Indian, who is expected to shapeshift and

understand animal sounds. He recalls the performance as a tale of survival. He

lives in Coyote Lake Reservation Number Four. The coyotes scared the

missionaries who came to the lake, but after taking over the land, the coyotes

have mysteriously disappeared.

Scene 1: Genesis

Simon‟s mother Tina is single and pregnant. She is supported by her mother-in-

law Kye7e Josie who encourages her to be brave. Tina wants to name her son as

Robert but the white officers name him Simon Doughlas. Tom, Simon‟s father

visits them after three years and leaves them shortly. The family is converted to

Christianity and baptised.

Scene 2: Coyote Lake

Simon introduces his friends Nick and Daniel. Simon‟s mother Tina is working

at a restaurant. A seemingly progressive man named Alistair falls for Tina. He

persuades Tina and Simon to move from the reservation to the big city of

Vancouver. Tina‟s mother believes that Simon would become an alcoholic if he

remains in the reservation. She claims that she has no choice but to go to

Vancouver. However, Kye7e Josie argues, “Choice is the only thing you never

lose” (11). Simon does not want to go to Vancouver and reaches out to his

father who fails him. His grandmother consoles him and hands over a small,

plastic container and tells him that it is a piece of their land.

Scene 3: Lotus Land

Alistair, a German, brings Tina and Simon to live with him. His mother detests

Simon‟s behaviour and reprimands him. Alistair wants to prove himself as a

progressive man, devoid of gender and racial prejudices. They consume alcohol,

thus exposing Simon to alcohol consumption at a young age. Three years pass

and Alistair feels that Tina is trying to assimilate in the white society and

comments that she is not very aboriginal. This offends Tina and she leaves with

Simon to the reserve.

Scene 4: New Beginnings

The children in the reserve are curious to learn about the big city of Vancouver.

Simon becomes a ten-year-old tribal storyteller. Daniel, one of Simon‟s friends,

is gay and is often mocked by everyone in the reservation. Simon is close to him

but is accused of being gay and so he looks for a girlfriend and finds Becky to

prove that he is straight. People cannot handle the friendship of Simon and

Daniel. So Simon detaches from Daniel, and rudely remarks at Daniel‟s

sexuality. Daniel is fed up of the repeated taunts and commits suicide in a

forest.

Scene 5: Girls, Girls, Girls

Simon is thirteen-year-old and is curious to make out with a girl. Becky had

already left him as she thought he is immature. Janine, another girl, comes to

the reserve to stay with her uncle. She is promiscuous and spends the night with

both Simon and Nick. A week later, she leaves the reserve.

Scene 6: Forbidden Fruit

Simon starts eighth grade and is awestruck by the beauty of white blonde girls.

The school bus is flooded with children of all sorts and Simon is particularly

attracted by Kimberly Thompson. He contacts her through phone, but gets

rejected because he is an Indian. He looks at the lifestyle and living conditions

of the Natives and is disgusted by it.

Scene 7: New Identity

Simon understands that he cannot get ahead in life with the „Indian‟ identity.

During this time, movies portray Indian men as exotic beings with savage

lifestyles. They are represented as play-boys, alcohol and drug addicts and lady

killers. Simon makes it as an Indian actor by enrolling into a Drama

programme.

Scene 8: Liquor is Quicker

Simon is fifteen and wants to experiment with liquor. He consumes plenty of

alcohol and starts throwing up badly. Nick and Simon hang out with Gordon,

the chief‟s son. He invites them on a five-hour road trip and Simon lies to his

mother to join him. Simon tells her that he is camping with Uncle Charlie and

might go fishing. The boys carry two cases of beer, vodka and a bag of weed.

They drive fast and are drunk causing an accident. Simon‟s mother takes him

home and decides to move to the city. Grandmother Kye7e Josie is disappointed

with Simon.

Scene 9: Lotus Land II

Simon and his mother Tina go to Vancouver, British Columbia. Simon wants to

right the wrongs and he registers for his elective courses. The school is big and

Simon hits at a popular girl who insults him. Simon finds it hard to fit in and so

he visits the Native Friendship Centre. He realises that there is discrimination in

the centre against the different indigenous communities. Simon wanders and

reaches Hastings Street and finds the natives to be very „friendly‟. In a bar, he

befriends Walter and Edna who are a couple and have been there for twenty

years. They are drug addicts and persuade Simon to take a needle. Simon

refuses and somehow manages to reach home to learn that Nick is died due to

alcohol abuse.

Scene 10: Red Power

Simon is seventeen and still struggles to fit into the school. He starts denying

his Indian identity. He changes his reserve accent to gets friends and people talk

to him and assume that he is just well-tanned. He continues visiting Hastings

Street and lives a double life. The portrayal of Indians in movies changes. So

Simon gets Native pride and is surprised by how Indians have become the lead

stories in news. He learns of how the Mohawk people are protesting against the

conversion of burial grounds into golf courses. One of his classmates, Gerald,

remarks that the Mohawk people must be killed and the women with their

children must be displaced and the soldiers must be given a medal of honour.

Simon gets angry and argues with Gerald. He isolates himself and does not hide

his accent any longer. He decides to become a movie star and reaches out to

Rhonda, an Indian Talent Agent.

Scene 11: A Star is Born

The cinematic portrayal of Indians has not changed much. It focuses on white

men captured by Indians or Indians saved by Whites or White men riding with

beautiful Indian maiden. He quits school and oscillates between acting and

Hastings Street.

Scene 12: Brenda

Simon is twenty and meets Brenda, an Anthropology student of the University

of British Columbia, working as a waitress in a Strip Club. Brenda is White but

falls for Simon, almost immediately.

Scene 13: Blow

Simon is twenty-one; he snorts cocaine and believes that it boosts his

confidence. At four o‟ clock in the morning, Simon sees Walter and Edna with a

stranger on the street. Walter holds a spoon and Edna adds water to cook the

paste over a lighter. The stranger contaminates the drug by putting in his rig,

angering Edna. The stranger puts needle in his arm and Edna fights him and the

couple gets killed by the stranger.

Scene 14: The Dinner

Simon visits Brenda‟s parents who are surprised by his mild manners. He feels

uncomfortable talking to them and the prejudices they have about the natives.

He starts comprehending the subtext in everyone‟s conversation. He realises

that Brenda‟s parents are egging on her future with Simon. His pride and ego

gets tested and he gives a sarcastic response which hurts Brenda.

Scene 15: Money, Money, Money

Simon visits Hastings Street and meets a young Native girl. The girl used needle

in her arm as Simon shares his share. She offers Simon her needle and for the

first time, he uses it. When he regains consciousness, he recounts that he has

used her dirty needle. He realises that he may contract AIDS or other sexually

transmitted diseases through the dirty needle. The girl drains his funds and

leaves him penniless.

Scene 16: Pokey

Simon is twenty-two and visits the aboriginal centre. There he meets Stephanie

Daniels, a beautiful native woman. She is his new processor, responsible for his

welfare funds. She reads his files and questions him about his history of alcohol

and drug abuse. She realises that Simon is blaming his Indian identity to cover

his inefficiency and laziness. She calls him „handsome‟ and Simon is excited.

Scene 17: Courting

Simon loves Stephanie and realises that she is smart, funny, independent and

proud of her native identity. Stephanie, surprisingly, falls for Simon and tries to

help him come out of drug abuse. When Simon confesses his love, Stephanie

questions about his lies and drinking problem and insists on his quitting it.

Scene 18: Moment of Truth

Stephanie books the twenty-two-year old Simon into a Native Treatment

Centre. She remarks that she is proud of him for admitting to join the treatment

centre. He says that he wants to drink beer once for medicinal purpose. Then he

loses the passage of time and misses work the next day, only to get fired. The

same night, Stephanie visits his house and finds him in his favourite bar with a

hooker. Stephanie is completely disappointed with Simon and he realises that it

is the same look that Kye7e Josie gave him before. After that, he drinks a lot

and has an encounter with God at 5 a. m. in the morning. God confirms with

Simon that he is solely responsible for his current condition and asks him to be

good to himself and others. Stephanie is fed up with Simon‟s irresponsibility

and she breaks up with him and Simon decides to take the treatment seriously.

Scene 19: Treatment

On Halloween Day, Tina, Simon‟s mother takes him from Vancouver to the

Treatment Centre. She reminds him of Kye7e Josie‟s words that choice is the

only thing one never loses. He meets several alcohol and drug addicts.

Incidentally, he meets Janine who states that she has AIDS and is a heavy drug

addict. So, her three-year-old daughter has been taken away by the social

services and now she wants her back. Simon, finally, realises that this is his

second chance in life, as he had lost everyone.

EPILOGUE

Simon makes it through all six weeks of treatment. He makes a wish that a

native child born in future will feel proud about its identity. He prays that one

day things will positively change for the native people.

Tales of an Urban Indian by Darrell Dennis- Summary

Darrell Dennis is an Indigenous Canadian actor, screenwriter and radio

personality from the Secwepemc Nation of British Columbia. Tales of an Urban

Indian by Darrell Dennis is a one person play that unwinds the childhood and

adolescence of the protagonist, Simon Douglas. The play begins in 1972 and spans 22

years. It takes place in Lake Coyote Reservation Number Four and Vancouver. The

playwright questions the stereotypes of indigenous people and uses the same to justify

that the indigenous people cannot behave otherwise because of the pollution of their

culture.

The play has a variety of human and non-human characters, all enacted by

Simon Douglas. Darrell Dennis describes Simon’s childhood friendships and their

endings, his experiences with racism, and his battle with alcoholism and drug

addiction. The playwright presents Simon with all his flaws but he manages to gain

the sympathy of the audience. The play is divided into nineteen scenes, each with a

title. The play has a prologue and an epilogue too. Dennis explores the different ways

in which aboriginal people suffer in the society in this semi-autobiographical play. He

portrays the stigmatised stereotypes of alcohol and drug abuse and the challenges with

unemployment and lack of proper education. He presents the life of Simon from the

age of seven.

Simon lives with his mother Tina and grandmother Kye7e Josie in Lake Coyote

Reservation Number Four, Canada. He has two friends: Nick and Daniel. Simon’s

mother Tina gives birth to him at a very young age. His father is not around and Tina

later falls in love with Alistair, a German. Simon wonders if he should accompany his

mother. So Josie says, “Choice is the only thing you never lose”. Simon wants his

father Tom to rescue him, but he fails to express fatherly love and does not turn up.

Simon is dejected and Kye7e gives him a small container full of soil stating, “Inside

this can is a piece of land. Your home”. Later, Alistair takes Tina and Simon to

Vancouver. He expects her to be an exotic aboriginal, while she tries adapting in the

white community. As Alistair is unhappy about her adaptation, Tina leaves him and

they come back to the reserve to Simon’s grandmother. As Simon returns to the

reservation, all the children are excited to learn about city life. Simon’s sexuality is

questioned at a time and he struggles hard to wipe off the rumour. One of his best

friends, Daniel, is gay and commits suicide because of the indifference of the people

in the reserve. He leaves a note stating, “. . . I didn’t ask to be born this way”.

Simon loses his identity in the white community. He fails to connect with the

other students as they do not want to be friends with him. He tries to assimilate into

the society but miserably fails due to racism. Meanwhile he starts acting in plays, but

is a failure. His agent Rhonda finds him contracts and he receives stereotyped crude

and rustic Indian roles. Still, he likes this new identity as a theatre artist. As time

passes, Simon gradually descends into alcoholism and drug use in the company of

Walter and Edna.

Simon lives in unhygienic conditions and is robbed off what is left with him.

He is in relationship on and off for sexual favours and is with Brenda, a white woman,

for a while. She leaves him because he does not have a proper job. Later, Simon

witnesses the brutal murder of Walter and Edna by a stranger during drug abuse. He

flees the place in fear. His friend Nick also passes away due to drug abuse.

Simon tries to get support from the community welfare and meets a very

beautiful and efficient aboriginal officer named Stephanie. She does not believe the

lies of Simon but calls him “handsome”. This encourages Simon to pursue the woman

in a romantic affair and he keeps visiting the office. He later gains her trust but does

not come out of his addiction. She tries to bring out the good in him but he never

realises that.

Later, Stephanie takes him to a rehabilitation Native Treatment Centre with his

mother Tina. Stephanie and Tina’s disappointment in him disturbs Simon. He has a

brief encounter with God and retrospects his condition and realises that he has a

second chance at life. His mother reminds him of his grandmother’s saying about

choice. Eventually, Simon accepts the truth in her statement. He then wishes for

education, employment and the freedom of choice for all future generations. He also

scatters the soil given by Kye7e that he had been carrying all this while,

acknowledging his aboriginal bond with Mother Nature.

Plains of Promise Detailed Summary

  Plains of Promise

- Alexis Wright 

Part I Timekeeper’s Shadow

Ivy Koopundi Andrews - 7 year old 

Errol Jipp

Beverly Jipp

Dot - Jipp’s daughter

Maudie

Pugnose

Elliot - Pugnose’s son and the Traveller 

Gabriel & Mervin - left handed identical twins

 Dorrie - Pugnose’s sister

Jimbo Delainy - Dorrie’s son

Gloria

Ruby - Gloria’s mother

Pilot, the old chinaman

May Sugar - Pilot’s wife

Ivy arrives with her mother as a young girl of 7 years old at St Dominic’s Mission for aborigines. The inmates observe a crow sitting on the tree facing the mission camp and suspect a death. Ivy’s mother keeps crying for the missionaries to give back Ivy. They chase her away and so one day, she sets herself on fire with the kerosene that she takes from Maudie’s hut. Following Ivy’s mother’s suicide, several suicides and deaths follow. Everyone starts taunting Ivy, believing that she is responsible for the curse on the otherwise peaceful life of the people.

Old Jipp is the protector of the Aborigines in St Dominic’s Mission and he shows special ‘interest’ on Ivy. Beverly, Jipp’s wife, wants company as her two daughters had left home; she demands Jipp to bring Ivy home, so that she can take care of her as her daughter. She hands over a pretty white dress that belonged to her daughter for Ivy’s mother’s funeral. Ivy is not deeply moved by her mother’s death until she sees her in the coffin. Ivy feels lonely and depressed as the girls in the dormitory consider her an ill omen. They are jealous of her because every night Jipp comes to take her away and the girls assume that Ivy has seduced Jipp. Jipp, the protector of the Aborigines and church priest, physically abuses young Ivy at night. Ivy is unable to share her pathetic condition with anyone. The girls beat her up and leave her injured quite often. Ivy’s appearance and her attitude gains her the name ‘the timekeeper’, as they superstitiously believe Ivy is behind the innumerable deaths in the camp.

People in the camp see Ivy as a slut and the deaths in the camp still continue. The Elders decide to send a traveller secretly to inquire about the curse by visiting Ivy’s mother’s place. Elliot is chosen to be the traveller and he sets on a journey to the strange land. He chants the song lines all about his travel and seeks the spirits’ approval to enter the different lands. On his first journey, he finds an old chinaman named Pilot, his wife May Sugar and another woman. The three old people tell about the strong spirits of the woman’s land. The traveller returns back to the camp and sets on a second journey to the land during the corroboree ceremony of the people. He encounters a near death experience before arriving at the land and gets himself terribly injured and buried for a long time. He continues his travel and sees the people’s faces painted in white for the ceremony. He learns from the chinaman that the people of the land want the girl: Ivy.

The traveller carries the message and visits a house on the way where he sees a young girl of fifteen, named Gloria with bright painted lips. They offer him shelter for the night and early in the morning, he hears the voice of the chinaman and May Sugar. Through their conversation it becomes clear that the woman in the house is related to Ivy. Elliot is strongly attracted towards Gloria and wants to marry her.

Elliot returns to the camp and is surprised to find Gloria who is held back in St Dominic. Jimbo Delaiany places a request to Jipp wanting to marry Gloria and he sanctions the request. Elliot visits Jipp in the office and he gets him to marry the fourteen year old pregnant Ivy. Ivy is subjected to torture in the hands of her husband Elliot and her father-in-law Pugnose who cooks up fake stories about Ivy’s infidelity. Elliot and Gloria continue their relationship even after their respective marriages. Gloria gives birth to two of Elliott’s children and then her husband ties her down with a chain to secure her fidelity. Elliot detests Ivy but cruelly kills the old chinaman who comes to take her away. Ivy has a difficult pregnancy and her baby is taken away immediately. Ivy never gets to know about her child. She struggles with milk gorged breasts and cries in vain in front of the Jipps’ house who tell her that the baby was quite sick and was taken away by the flying doctor. Ivy and Elliot are still not at peace and so are separated. Elliot gets married to Joan Chapel but carries a life long passion for Gloria.

Part II Glimpses of Distant Hills

Ivy - 15 years old

Des Penguin - Head of Sycamore Heights Mental Health and Research Institution

Madame Sylvia Sadaan

Bessy (Bessie)

Bob

Ivy is transferred to another camp at Sycamore Heights where she is put in an asylum. She is incapable of revealing her past and is in a bad mental condition. Des Penguin takes charge of the administrative duties and is curious to learn about Ivy’s past. He displays her as a marvel for patrons to make generous donations towards the psychological health of the aboriginal women. Madame Sadaan is an attractive belly dancer who believes that belly dancing could be used as a therapy for the aboriginal women. Days pass by without any improvement as Ivy coils to the audience status. Finally Ivy gathers courage to dance and that is when she liberates her emotions. Des Penguin is glad about the positive impact of the therapy but unfortunately, funds grow weaker and Madame Sylvia Sadaan eventually leaves due to the lack of payment. Ivy is left without a proper enclosure but surprisingly manages to regain consciousness. Des Penguin no longer wants to keep Ivy around, so he sends her away to Bessy, a Christian charity woman who had lost her husband Bob, eighteen years ago.

Ivy is sent far away from Sycamore Heights to live with Bessy as Ivy has no place to call as her ‘home’. She tidies the old woman’s house. Ivy is given Bob’s room and she scantily sleeps at night due to uncanny sounds of night and the haunting of Bob in the form of a small dog. Bob tells Ivy that his wife had poisoned him and it was not through suicide that he jumped off the bridge during flood. Ivy is shocked by the revelation and suspects Bessy of murder. She stops eating the food served by the old woman and gets food poisoning frequently. She checks the food supplies and tin cans if they are marked poison. Bessy suspects Ivy that she is attempting to poison her. Every night Bob (as dog) comes looking for his wife and Ivy directs the dog to the outside of the house where Bessy is sleeping; the dog strangely coils under the feet of the woman.

Bessy loves gardening and grows varieties of fruits and vegetables, rears goat for milk and supplies it to the townspeople. Ivy is afraid of the people around and sneaks out only at night to take a shower, wash her clothes or even to use the bathroom. The old woman accuses Ivy of theft, which she really was doing to buy perfumed soaps and talcum powder to wear on some special day. Years pass by and finally on a rainy night full of thunder and lightning, the two women get violent and fight. That is when the explosive chemicals that Bob had secretly collected and stored on the roof gets struck by lightning and the entire place blows up. Bessy is burnt with her dog Pal, but Ivy manages to escape by taking shelter with the goats.

Ivy starts living with the goats and a Tuberculosis epidemic starts in the aboriginal camps. Ivy’s hair turns long and grey and she lives with the goats in a refrigerator box in an isolated area. Local legends spread regarding Ivy and her terrific ways towards young children. People suspect that goats are a carrier of Tuberculosis and one day the goats are mercilessly shot dead and Ivy is rescued and taken away to be checked for Tuberculosis and for recovery post trauma.

Part III Victory Lane

Mary Nelson

Jessie - Mary’s daughter

Buddy Doolan - director of the coalition 

Lesley - Receptionist

Johnno Scott

Mary Nelson is a young woman who was brought up by white parents. She learned of her aboriginal origin only after the death of her adoptive parents. She had worked in a computer company for twelve years and was in Victory Lane to work with the coalition of the aboriginal governments, a team of aborigines set to work for the land rights of the aborigines and autonomy. Buddy Doolan is the director of the coalition and quickly starts an affair with Mary; he even stays with her and eventually gets her pregnant with Jessie. Mary is the unfortunate recipient of buddy’s anger and hard emotions. She has a difficult labour and gives birth to Jessie in the absence of buddy. Earlier, Mary was so innocent and unable to fight back, but after the birth of her daughter she is extremely protective and shrewd.

Lesley is the office receptionist who is friends with Mary. She visits her in the hospital with stuffed animals and gifts from buddy and brings her home. Buddy visits Mary and his daughter Jessie with his brother Donny and his father. His father finds something unusual with the place due to the visit of a crow at midnight in the kitchen. He instructs his son to find the history of Mary’s family and leaves immediately. Buddy leaves for his village soon and informs that he cannot come to the city because his brother Donny had met with an accident and required support.

Mary stays in the house with Jessie and joins duty after a few days. The office gets into trouble with the police for their ideals and Mary is transferred for safety. She has to keep changing places for security purpose. Buddy Doolan never comes and remains in the village. Mary brings up the child in different places and Johnno arranges the places of Mary’s stay. Mary gets to visit Delainy through Johnno who welcomes her to set an office at St Dominic’s Mission.

Part IV Plains of Papery Grass

Ivy

Mary

Jessie

Johnno

Elliot

Delainy Victor Victoria Gloria

Buddy Doolan

 Johnno insists Mary to visit St Dominic’s Mission which might help her find her origin. Mary wants to go but wonders if that would be right for her daughter. Johnno suggests her of setting up an office at St Dominic’s Mission. Mary decides to travel once to Buddy Doolan’s place to show Jessie her father. Jessie feels happy to meet her father, Buddy. Buddy spends some time and leaves after a while on some business. Mary does not wish to stay longer and she leaves.

Mary, then, visits St. Dominic’s Mission to set up an office and she is shocked to find Delainy paralysed. His son Victor helps Mary to set her office and shortly they start an affair. Elliot helps Mary with the works outside the house and Gloria has turned old and crazy. Victor takes Elliot, Delainy, Mary and Jessie on a trip. Elliot cooks and everyone has dinner but suddenly it rains. They take shelter in a deserted house and find an old woman groaning with long grey hair. She looks scary and the sound that the old woman makes terrifies Jessie and she starts crying. Elliot picks old Ivy like a pile of bones and warns her to remain quiet. Ivy is scared and she calms down.

Meanwhile, Johnno betrays the aboriginal coalition and joins hands with the government. After the strange experience and the unfavourable decision regarding land rights of the aborigines, Mary does not wish to remain longer in the place for the betterment of everyone and goes away. She compromises that living with the ties of white culture and the roots of her aboriginal culture make her life meaningful. She cannot deny either, as she has a dual identity. Even though she finds her mother, she feels detached from her and finds promise and resilience only in moving out of St Dominic’s Mission.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Summary (Chapters 10 – 13)

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Summary (Chapters 10 – 13)

 

Dr Jekyll’s butler, Poole, visits Mr Utterson one night after dinner and asks him to come to Dr Jekyll’s house. Poole brings Mr Utterson to the door of Dr Jekyll’s laboratory and insists that the voice they heard from the laboratory does not belong to his master. Mr Utterson wonders why the murderer would remain in the laboratory if he had killed  Dr Jekyll. Poole describes how the man in the laboratory seems desperate for some ingredient that no drugstore in London sells. He reveals that the person inside the laboratory looks nothing like Dr Jekyll. 

Mr Utterson suggests that Dr Jekyll may have some disease that changes his voice and deforms his features, making them unrecognisable, but Poole declares that the person he saw looked like Mr Hyde. Mr Utterson calls inside the laboratory, demanding admittance. The voice begs to have mercy and to leave him alone. The lawyer recognises the voice as Mr Hyde’s and orders Poole to smash the door. Once inside, the men find Mr Hyde’s body lying on the floor with a crushed vial in his hand. He appears to have poisoned himself. Mr Utterson notes that Mr Hyde is wearing a suit that belongs to Dr Jekyll and that is too large for him. The men search the entire laboratory but do not find Dr Jekyll or his corpse. They find a large mirror and note it strange to find it in a laboratory. 

On Dr Jekyll’s business table, they find a large envelope addressed to Mr Utterson that contains three items. The first is a will, much like the previous one, except that it replaces Mr Hyde’s name with Mr Utterson’s. The second is a note to Utterson, with the present day’s date on it. The note instructs Mr Utterson to read the letter that Dr Lanyon gave him earlier. It adds that if he desires to learn more, Mr Utterson can read the confession letter of Dr Henry Jekyll – the third item.

Mr Utterson opens Dr Lanyon’s letter. He writes that he had received a strange letter from Dr Jekyll, the night after the dinner. The letter instructed Dr Lanyon to break into Dr Jekyll’s laboratory and remove a specific drawer with its contents and wait for a man until midnight. Dr Lanyon goes to Dr Jekyll’s home and finds several vials inside a drawer. As promised, at the stroke of midnight, a small, evil-looking man appears, dressed in clothes much too large for him. Dr Lanyon does not recognise Mr Hyde as he has never seen him. Dr Lanyon directs him to the contents of the drawer, and Mr Hyde asks for a measuring glass. In it, he mixes the ingredients from the drawer to form a purple liquid, which then turns green. In front of Dr Lanyon’s eyes, Mr Hyde drinks the glass in one gulp and then seems to swell – his body expanding, his face melting and shifting, until, shockingly, Mr Hyde is gone and Dr Jekyll stands in his place. Dr Lanyon ends his letter, stating that the horror of the event has wrecked him and that he will soon die.

Mr Utterson, then, reads Dr Jekyll’s confession letter. Dr Jekyll traces his life since his birth and how he possessed a large inheritance, a healthy body, and a hardworking, decent nature. He maintained good nature in public while hiding his indecent side. By the time he was an adult, he realised that he was leading a dual life, in which his better side constantly felt guilt for the mistakes of his darker side. Dr Jekyll insists that, “man is not truly one, but truly two”, and he how he dreamed of separating the good and evil natures.

Dr Jekyll reports that, after much research, he eventually found a chemical solution that might serve his purpose. Buying a large quantity of salt as the required ingredient, he took the potion with the knowledge that he was risking his life, but he remained driven by the hopes of making a great discovery. At first, he experienced incredible pain. But as these symptoms subsided, he felt vigorous and was filled with recklessness and sensuality. He transformed into the shrunken, deformed Mr Edward Hyde. He believes that Mr Hyde’s small stature was because of his repressed evil side. Dr Jekyll delighted in living as Mr Hyde as he was becoming too old to act upon his more embarrassing impulses. He furnished a home and set up a bank account for his alter ego, Mr Hyde. But each time he transformed back into Dr Jekyll, he felt no guilt for Mr Hyde’s evil actions; yet, he tried to right the wrongs that had been done.

While asleep one night, he involuntarily transformed into Mr Hyde, without the help of the potion. This incident convinced him that he must cease with his transformations or risk being trapped in Mr Hyde’s form forever. But after two months as Dr Jekyll, he took the potion again. Mr Hyde who had been repressed for long, emerged wild and vengefully savage, and beat Carew, the Member of Parliament to death, delighting in his crime. Mr Hyde showed no remorse for the murder, but Dr Jekyll knelt and prayed to God for forgiveness even before his transformation back was complete. The horrifying nature of the murder convinced Dr Jekyll never to transform himself again.

Eventually, Dr Jekyll spontaneously transformed into Mr Hyde while sitting in a park. Hence, he sent word to Dr Lanyon to break into his laboratory and get his potions for him. After that night, he had to take a double dose of the potion every six hours to avoid transformation into Mr Hyde. As soon as the drug began to wear off, the transformation process would begin. Mr Hyde grew stronger and Dr Jekyll grew weaker. Moreover, the salt necessary for the potion began to run out. Dr Jekyll ordered for more but realised that the original salt must have contained an impurity that made the potion work. Hence he used the last of the potion to compose the final letter to Mr Utterson and ended his life.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson Summary (Chapters 5 – 9)

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

                   Summary (Chapters 5 – 9)

Mr Utterson returns home after his unpleasant encounter with Mr Hyde. He is much worried for Dr Jekyll, since Mr Hyde is the heir to Dr Jekyll’s property. He meets Dr Jekyll during a party and expresses his dissatisfaction regarding the will. Dr Jekyll expects Mr Utterson’s support for Mr Hyde, in case of his disappearance.

Approximately one year later, the scene opens with a maid enjoying the moonlight by her window. She witnesses a small, evil-looking man, whom she recognises as Mr Hyde, encounter a polite, aged gentleman. When the gentleman offers Hyde a greeting, Hyde suddenly turns on him with a stick, beating him to death. The police find a letter addressed to Mr Utterson on the dead body, and they consequently summon him. He identifies the dead body as Sir Danvers Carew, a popular Member of Parliament and one of his clients.

Mr Utterson accompanies the police to Hyde’s house which is located in a poor, evil-looking part of the town. Hyde’s landlady lets the men in, but the suspected murderer is not at home. The police find the murder weapon and the burned remains of Hyde’s cheque book. Upon a subsequent visit to the bank, the police inspector learns that Hyde still has an account there. In the days and weeks that follow, no sign of Hyde turns up.

Mr Utterson visits Dr Jekyll, whom he finds in his laboratory looking extremely ill. Dr Jekyll feverishly claims that Hyde has left and that their relationship has ended. He also assures Mr Utterson that the police shall never find the man. Dr Jekyll shows Mr Utterson a letter which could damage his reputation if he hands it over to the police. The letter is from Hyde, assuring Dr Jekyll that he has means of escape, and that he deems himself unworthy of Dr Jekyll’s generosity. Mr Utterson asks if Hyde dictated the terms of Dr Jekyll’s will—especially its insistence that Hyde inherit the property in the event of Jekyll’s ‘disappearance’. Jekyll replies in the affirmative, and Mr Utterson tells his friend that Hyde probably meant to murder him and that he has had a near escape.

On his way out, Mr Utterson runs into Poole, Dr Jekyll’s butler, and asks him to describe the man who delivered the letter. Poole claims to have no knowledge of any letters being delivered other than the usual mail. That night, Mr Utterson consults his trusted clerk, Mr Guest, who is an expert in handwriting. Mr Guest compares Hyde’s letter with Dr Jekyll’s writing and suggests that the same hand inscribed both; Hyde’s script merely leans in the opposite direction, as if for the purpose of concealment. Mr Utterson reacts with alarm at the thought that Dr Jekyll would forge a letter for a murderer.

As time passes, Dr Jekyll becomes healthier-looking and more sociable, devoting himself to charity. After two months, Dr Jekyll holds a dinner party, which both Mr Utterson and Dr Lanyon attend, and the three talk as old friends. But a few days later, when Mr Utterson visits DrJekyll, Poole reports that his master is not receiving visitors. Hence Mr Utterson goes to visit Dr Lanyon and shockingly finds him in poor health with a frightened look in his eyes.

 

Dr Lanyon explains that he has had a great shock and expects to die in a few weeks. When Mr Utterson mentions that Dr Jekyll also seems ill, Dr Lanyon violently demands not to talk about Dr Jekyll. Mr Utterson writes to Dr Jekyll, inquiring as to what caused the break between him and Dr Lanyon. Soon Dr Jekyll writes, explaining that he understands why the doctor says they must not meet. He adds that he will be maintaining a strict seclusion as he is suffering a punishment that he cannot name.

 

Dr Lanyon dies a few weeks later. Mr Utterson, then, takes from his safe a letter that Dr Lanyon meant for him to read after he was dead. Inside, he finds another envelope, marked to remain sealed until Dr Jekyll also has died. Out of professional principle, Mr Utterson overcomes his curiosity and puts the envelope away for safekeeping. The following Sunday, Mr Utterson and Mr Enfield go for a walk. Mr Enfield mentions that he has learned that the run-down laboratory they pass is physically connected to Dr Jekyll’s house, and they both stop to peer into the house’s windows. To their surprise, the two men find Dr Jekyll by the window, enjoying fresh air. Dr Jekyll complains that he feels low and Mr Utterson invites him to join them. Then, just as they resume the polite conversation, a look of terror seizes Dr Jekyll’s face, causing it to alter and melt. Dr Jekyll gives a strange cry and quickly shuts the window and vanishes. Mr Utterson and his nephew Mr Enfield depart in shocked silence.

 

 

 

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson Summary (Chapter 1 - 4)

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson

Summary (Chapter 1 - 4)

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an allegory about the good and evil present in every human being. The tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is mostly told in the perspective of Dr Gabriel John Utterson, a lawyer. The gothic novella opens with Mr Richard Enfield witnessing a horrible incident during the early hours of a morning. As Mr Enfield could not sleep, he walks down the street. He sees a little girl of 12 years old walking fast. On the opposite side, another man of a short stature collides with the girl. They both fall down and the man tramples on the little girl and leaves her injured on the street. Mr Enfield realises that the girl would get help as people start coming out of the house. 

 

Mr Enfield wants to get hold of the horrible man and so he pursues him and brings him back to the crowd. The angry mob waits to punish the wicked man. The doctor arrives soon and confirms that the little girl is in deep shock. Mr Enfield convinces the strange man, named Mr Hyde, to give money to the poor girl in compensation for the injury he had caused. 

 

Mr Enfield, demands hundred pounds from Mr Hyde, who takes him and the girl’s father to his house. Mr Hyde hands over ten pounds and a cheque for ninety pounds signed by a renowned doctor named Jekyll. The cheque confuses Mr Enfield and makes him wonder if Mr Hyde is blackmailing Dr Jekyll for some reason.

 

Mr Enfield narrates the incident to his uncle Mr Utterson, who is also a good friend of Dr Jekyll. Mr Utterson is a prominent London lawyer and is already perturbed by Dr Jekyll’s will. The will states that the entire possession of Dr Jekyll should be transferred to his friend Mr Hyde, on the event of his death. It also stated that Mr Hyde should immediately step in the position of Dr Jekyll owing to his disappearance for a period more than three months.

 

Mr Utterson decides to find the mystery behind the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He reaches the door of an old house and waits for a long time. His wait is rewarded with the arrival of Mr Hyde whom Mr Utterson surprises with greetings and says that he knows the place as the back door of Dr Jekyll’s laboratory. They indulge in a short conversation and part ways.

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Novella by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Novella by Robert Louis Stevenson

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a narrative about the complexities of science and the deceitfulness of human nature. Dr Jekyll is a kind, well-respected and intelligent scientist who meddles with the darker side of science, as he wants to bring out his repressed evil nature. He does this by transforming himself into Mr Hyde, his evil alter ego, who does not repent or accept responsibility for his evil crimes. Jekyll tries to control his alter ego, Hyde, and for a while, Jekyll has power. However, towards the end of the novel, Hyde takes over and this results in their deaths.

The tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is told mostly from the perspective of Mr Gabriel John Utterson, a lawyer from London and a friend of Dr Henry Jekyll. He recollects the events with his friend, Mr. Richard Enfield’s story. Mr Enfield describes of returning home in the early hours of the morning when he witnessed a horrible incident. A small girl, running across the street, was trampled by a man named Mr Edward Hyde, who left her screaming on the ground. After being caught, Hyde agreed to pay the child’s family, and he retrieved a cheque from the account of Dr Jekyll.

Utterson has a will in which Jekyll entrusts his property to Hyde. Troubled, the lawyer visits Dr Hastie Lanyon, a longtime friend of both Jekyll and Utterson. Lanyon says that he has not seen Jekyll for more than 10 years, since Jekyll had gotten involved with “unscientific balderdash,” and that he does not know Hyde. Utterson traps Hyde and introduces himself and then goes around to Jekyll’s house. He understands that Jekyll is not at home and that his servants have orders to obey Hyde.

Almost a year later, a maid witnesses Hyde beating to death a prominent gentleman who is also a client of Utterson’s. Utterson leads the police to Hyde’s home. Though he is absent, evidence of his guilt is clear. Utterson goes to see if Jekyll is protecting Hyde, and Jekyll gives Utterson a letter from Hyde, in which Hyde declares that he will be able to escape. However, Utterson’s clerk notices that Jekyll and Hyde appear to have the same handwriting. Jekyll seems healthier and happier over the next few months but later starts refusing visitors. Utterson visits a dying Lanyon, who gives Utterson a document to be opened only after Jekyll’s death or disappearance.

Weeks later, Mr Poole, the servant, requests Utterson to come to Jekyll’s home, as he is scared that Hyde has murdered Jekyll. When Poole and Utterson break into the laboratory office, they find Hyde’s body on the floor and three documents for Utterson from Jekyll. Lanyon’s letter to Utterson and Jekyll’s documents reveal that Jekyll had secretly developed a potion to allow him to separate the good and evil aspects of his personality. He was thereby able at will to change into his increasingly dominant evil counterpart, Mr Hyde. While the respectable doctor initially had no difficulty in returning from his rabid personality, he soon found himself slipping into Mr. Hyde without in taking his drug. He temporarily stopped using the potion, but, when he tried it again, Mr. Hyde committed murder. After that, it took a vast amount of potion to keep him from spontaneously becoming Mr Hyde. Unable to make any more of the drug because of an impurity in the original supply, Jekyll soon ran out of the drug. He took the last of it to write a confession before becoming Hyde permanently. Thus, the book acts as a parable about what it means to be a good person, and presents a deeply critical portrait of medicine, with its power and potential harms. Jekyll's struggle with his good and evil sides demonstrates how there is good and evil in everyone.

A Letter from India (Partition Short Story by Intizar Hussain) Summary

 A Letter from India by Intizar Hussain

            Intizar Hussain was a famous Urdu poet short story writer and novelist he was born in 1925 in Dibai (India). A letter from India as a short story about the partition of India that took place in 1947 and deals with the loss of family heritage associated with it. The short story is written in the form of a letter. The letter is written by Kurban Ali, an orthodox Shia Muslim who had seen better days during the British rule. The letter is addressed to his brother’s son Kamaran, who lives in Karachi.

            The letter begins with general salutations and And Kurban claims to have reached out to Kamaran, but failed because of lack of communication. The narration gradually moves to the violence associated with the partition in 1947. He talks about Imran Miyan who had visited him long time back in a very bad state. He could not speak anything about his wife and children. He managed to visit the grave of Miyan Jani and possibly left for Karachi. 

            The problems between the Hindus and Muslims had not subsided yet in 1974, the year in which Kurban Ali writes the letter. The narrator talks about the Harshringar tree and it’s lovely, sweet smelling flowers whose smell filled the house hold all the time. The flowers were used for different purposes like dyeing the clothes and cooking biriyani. The Harshringar tree is a symbol of their family heritage which is lost at the time of writing the letter. Kurban Ali claims that Miyan Jani was so obsessed with the tree that he used to pray to God to let the smell of the flowers fill his grave all the time. At the point of narration, the last Harshringar tree which was near the grave has also fallen, indicating the complete loss of family heritage. 

            It has been 27 years since the partition and several members of the family have been murdered by Hindus and Muslims of other denomination, in different ways. He describes the various social changes that took place in both India and Pakistan after the partition. Kurban has knowledge of Kamaran’s new found luxury and seeks help to repair the ancestral bungalow. Kurban’s letter also hints on his old age. 

            The narrator then talks about a few family members who were very much interested in cinema and  idolised the actors. He tells about his son Akhtar who had changed his name to Premi and had started acting in dramas. Then he talks about the women and his family members who had married non-Muslims and had stopped wearing veil to cover their faces.

            Kurban Ali’s elder brother and younger brother are no more. He feels that the dead family members had good fate because they did not have to see the chaos of partition. He feels proud that the graves of some of their ancestors are still considered as pilgrimage whereas due to the partition, several of their family members bodies have been scattered in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Kurban Ali feels proud of his ancestors and states that they are actually from the city of Isphahan, a city in Iran. Hence he feels that Kamaran should take the responsibility of passing on their family heritage to the young generation. Kurban tells about his family members who are respected positions in the government and concludes the letter by enquiring about Kamaran’s family members and invites them to visit him in future. Thus, the epistolary short story records the changes and destruction of Kurban Ali’s family heritage due to partition. It also depicts the narrow minded nature of Kurban regarding the empowerment of women and the quality of living of the other family members. 

The Little Match Girl Summary

                                             The Little Match Girl

                                                                    Hans Christian Anderson

The Little Match Girl is a fairy tale about a dying little girl’s wishes and her visions. The

harsh reality of poverty, hunger and lack of parental care is presented in this story.

The story begins on a freezing New Year’s Eve. A small, poor girl is shivering and

bareheaded. She had lost her mother’s big slippers, hence barefooted too. She tries to sell

match sticks in the street, but she is unable to get even a cent.

Despite the harsh weather, she is afraid to go home because her father usually beats her for

the unsold matches. As it is New Year’s Eve, all the houses are bright with lights she is

tempted by the smell of roast goose. She huddles between two houses and lights a match to

warm herself.

The freezing weather and hunger cause hallucinations. In the flame of the first match, she

sees a large warm stove and so she stretches her legs to get some warmth. The

stove disappears, as the match goes off. Then she strikes another match stick on the wall and

sees a big roast goose. That too disappears and with the striking of the third match, she sees a

large and beautiful Christmas tree with bright candles.

In the sky, she sees a shooting star and says that a soul is on its way to Heaven, just like her

beloved grandmother had taught her. Her grandmother was the only person who was kind and

loving to the little girl, but even she was no more. In the flame of the next match she sees her

grandmother and in order to prolong the vision, the little girl lights the entire bundle of

matches. She pleads her grandmother to take her along and so she carries the little girl’s soul

to Heaven. The Heaven is a place where there is no starvation and hunger.

The next morning, people find the little match girl with a smiling face sitting frozen and

express pity. They did not know anything about the amazing visions that the little match girl

had seen before she died.

Evil Allures, but Good Endures (Short Story by Leo Tolstoy) Summary

                                        Evil Allures, but Good Endures

                                                    Leo Tolstoy

        Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He is best known for the novels War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877). This short story "Evil Allures, but Good Endures", is about the evil ways in which the devil tempts us to commit sins against the kindness of God, and how God’s love sustains forever.

        The narrator introduces us to a few slaves who love their master for being very kind and gentle to them. The slaves speak about his greatness and the way he takes care of all their needs. The master is a gentleman who does not punish the slaves with difficult tasks. The Devil keeps listening to the praises about the master and feels jealous. So, he catches hold of one of the slaves named Aleb to fulfil his wish. He tempts Aleb to anger his master, so that his real face comes out.

        The next day, Aleb tries to persuade the other slaves to join him. The slaves start praising the master and refuse to join him. At last they agree to bet with him. If Aleb manages to make their master angry, the other slaves were to give him their holiday garments and also to defend him against the master, and to set him free if he should be imprisoned. If he fails, he was to lose his holiday garment. Having arranged this bet, Aleb gets ready to make his master angry the next morning.

        Aleb was a shepherd and the master brings a few visitors to see his ewes and lambs, and wishes to show them his finest ram. The ram had closely twisted horns and he treasured it so much. The master asks Aleb to catch the ram carefully, and hold him still for a moment. Aleb rushes in among the sheep and seized the left hind leg with one hand, so that it broke. The visitors and the slaves are shocked, and the Devil rejoices that Aleb had cleverly done his task. The master appears upset and angry but does not utter a word. After remaining silent for a while, the master lifts his eyes towards heaven, then smiles at Aleb. His anger has vanished and he says that Aleb had obeyed his master: the devil; and the master assures that he will obey his master: God. The master further angers the Devil by granting Aleb freedom without punishing him and offers him a holiday garment.

        The kind master returns with his guests to the house, but the disappointed Devil, grinds his teeth and falls down from the tree. Thus, the master overcomes the Devil’s temptation and upholds his serene Godly virtues.

Trifles (One-Act Play by Susan Gaspell) Summary

 

“Trifles”

Susan Gaspell

Susan Gaspell’s one-act play “Trifles” was written in 1916. This psychological play is loosely based on true events. The play begins with the murder of a farmer named Mr John Wright, for which his wife Minnie Foster Wright is suspected. The theme of the play deals with the psychological state of men and women along with their social roles. The word “trifles” typically refers to objects of little to no value. The interpretation may also be that men do not understand the value of women, and consider them trifles.

 

The sheriff, his wife Mrs Peters, the county attorney, and the neighbours (Mr. and Mrs. Hale) enter the kitchen of the Wright household. Mr. Hale explains how he paid a visit to the house on the previous day. Once there, Mrs. Wright greeted him but behaved strangely. She eventually stated in a dull voice that her husband was upstairs, dead. Mrs. Wright claimed that she was sound asleep while someone strangled her husband. It seems obvious to the male characters that she killed her husband, and she is taken into custody as the prime suspect.

 

Unlike the men, who are looking for forensic evidence to solve the crime, Mrs Peters and Mrs Hale observe clues that reveal the bleakness of Mrs. Wright’s emotional life. They theorise that Mr. Wright’s cold, oppressive nature must have been dreary to live with. The couple, Mr and Mrs Wright, has been married for thirty years and do not have children. Mr Wright is very strict and restricts his wife from indulging in social activities. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters’ conversation unveil the psychological profile of a desperate housewife.

 

When gathering up the quilting material, the two women discover a fancy little box. Inside, wrapped in silk, is a dead bird. Its neck has been wrung. The implication is that Minnie’s husband did not like the bird’s beautiful song (a symbol of his wife’s desire for freedom and happiness). So, Mr. Wright busted the cage door and strangled the bird. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do not tell the men about their discovery. Instead, Mrs. Hale puts the box with the deceased bird into her coat pocket, resolving not to tell the men about this little “trifle” they have uncovered.

 

The play ends with the characters exiting the kitchen and the women announcing that they have determined Mrs. Wright’s quilt making style. She “knots it” instead of “quilts it”—a play on words denoting the way in which she killed her husband, Mr Wright.

“More Sinned against than Sinning” (Short Story by Umm-e-Ummara) Summary

“More Sinned against than Sinning”

                                                             by Umm-e-Ummara

“More Sinned against than Sinning” is an Urdu short story translated into English by Vishwamitter Adhil and Alok Bhalla. The story is written in first person and narrated by Munni Bitiya (Bibi). The title is taken from William Shakespeare famous tragic play King Lear where the titular character makes this utterance. The phrase means that though someone may be guilty of wrongdoing, they think themselves as the victim of a more serious wrong.

“More Sinned against than Sinning” talks about the violence and the destruction of Munni Bitiya’s family, because of her father’s decision of taking the family to Dhaka much against the wishes of the other family members. Though the action of the story takes place a few years after the Partition, the enmity between the two communities still existed, and both tried to destroy the other.

Munni Bitiya and and her family live in Patna, where their mother takes care of every household necessities efficiently. Their father visits them occasionally. Munni’s elder sister is married; she has an elder brother (Bade Bhaiya), younger brother and two younger sisters: Rani and Baby.

Munni’s life is very peaceful, under the efficient hands of her mother. She loves her father and feels happy to see him. The children are well-educated and live a comfortable life. During one visit, Baba tells them that they have to move to Bangladesh because of the political condition. Meanwhile, Bade Bhaiya marries a woman named Pakhi. She is a lovely woman and adopts the language, ritual and traditions of her husband’s family.

Bade Bhaiya is a man who is ready to forget his past and hopes for a bright future in the new land. Then the family leaves for Dhaka and Munni goes to the university. Bade Bhaiya leaves for Phoolbari with his family. Munni’s younger brother takes active part in the politics of the country and frequently gets arrested, much to the dismay of Amma and Baba. When Amma was on her deathbed, she had neither of her sons near her. After Amma’s death, Munni gets an opportunity to visit her brother and his family in Phoolbari.

Phoolbari was a very beautiful village, rich in greenery. Munni was able to rekindle her childhood love for flowers. Pakhi was cheerful always and her brother too looked like a Bengali. They adopted the lifestyle of the land, but still the scar of the partition was so deep. One day, Phoolbari was set to fire and the entire family, except Munni were burnt to death; even Amma’s grave was destroyed and her body floated on water.

The story gives a subtle description of the impact of Partition in the separated regions. The title is justified by the burning of Phoolbari, where Munni silently feels that she is responsible for the death of her brother’s family and also she considers herself a victim. This is because she has to live with the burden of witnessing the entire family’s death. Life itself is a punishment for Munni henceforth. 

"Homework" (Poem by Allen Ginsberg) Summary

"Homework" by Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg was a famous American writer, born in 1926. He was the founder of the Beat Generation. His poet usually discusses the problems in the society. The poem "Homework" begins with a homage to Kenneth Koch, another contemporary famous writer. This poem is about the cleansing of the world and to make the entire planet pollution- free. The poet uses 'washing' metaphor and puts forth his opinions about the cleansing of the world.

The poet begins by washing the dirty Iran and the United States as there is always war between the two countries. He wants to soap and scrub Africa and restore the animals and bats back into the jungle. He wants to wash the Amazon river in South America and clean the oil spills from Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. These two places have several oil rigs; hence the pollution of water due to oil spills.

He moves to the North Pole to rub the smog out of it. The poet focuses on the pollution of air water and land resources next. He talks about cleaning the oil circulating pipelines in Alaska. Rocky Flats was the place where the spare parts for nuclear bombs were made; Atom bomb was created in Los Alamos. The poet wants to cleanse these places from nuclear pollution and atomic wastes; Caesium is a sparkly gold colour liquid-metal which was disposed in large quantity by a chemical factory in love canal Niagara Falls.

The Greek Goddess Athena's temple is in Parthenon, Greece. Due to the acid rain, the heritage site is losing its beauty just like the Sphinx in Egypt. Sewage wastes have been directed into different Oceans and Ponds all over the world polluting the water bodies. The poet wants to cleanse the Mediterranean basin and colour the sky blue over river Rhine. He talks about cleansing river Hudson, Thames and Neckar and Lake Erie all of which were dangerously polluted due to human activities.

            Then he wants to throw the whole of Asia into the washing machine and clean the Agent Orange sprayed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War by the US soldiers. The poet moves on to throw Russia and China in the wringer. He also talks about the atrocities of US Central American police state. He lays stress on the cleansing of the planet and so, he says that it he wishes to put the whole planet inside the dryer for 20 minutes or for a thousand years until it comes out clean. Thus, the poet discusses about the cleansing of the world, by strongly putting forth the political problems and pollution associated with the places.