'How write about India'

Start off by including the words 'spiritual' , 'Indian' or 'Hindu' in your title. Subtitles may include words like 'overpopulation', 'brown' and 'temple'. 'Curry' and 'run-down' are also suitable.

Do not have a picture of an Indian wearing a suit on the cover of the book unless the Indian is an immigrant. Impoverished children, polluted skies: use these. If you must include an Indian, use one who is covered by cloth wrapped around his waist, surrounded by a broken society.

In your text treat India like it is divided into two parts. One, that is dominated by the rich plump royalty, who recline in their leather chairs watching huge flatscreen TV's under beautiful crystal lit chandeliers, and drive BMW's, while not working at all. The other, being the majority, are the common people who work day and night in order to send their children to school and earn their daily bread. These are the ones who are impoverished, the ones who live on the streets. They have no place in society.
India, being one of the world's largest democracies, is divided into 28 states: each with it's own distinct culture and language. However, don't bother the reader with such details, as they are not important and authentic. Rather, describe the structure of society as one relatable to monarchy. A specific group of people dominate and prevent the progress of the nation. This will evoke a spirit of exoticness in the readers.

Make sure to show how Indians only play musical instruments made from wood, and how it is their only medium of entertainment. Do not mention food like rice and meat and wheat as a part of Indian cuisine; rather include curry, and how spicy all the curries are. The curries are not described as what is in them, but by their colour:red curry, green curry and yellow curry. Negate the fact that the people from the southern state of Kerala eat coconut garnished food. Just describe how spicy the curries are, and how you have learned to love them. Do this; This will show that you actually care about the Indians.

Always make sure to keep your tone as an 'I-expected-more' one. Talk about how you have fallen in love with the cultures and the food here, and how the liberalism by the colonisers has actually brought out the best in India. Don't mention the great leaders who have come and gone, but talk about the current generation of corrupt politicians and how growth is halted by their actions. Don't talk about the highly developed metropolitan cities; instead talk about the famous palaces and compare the plight of the villages to that of a slum.

You'll also need a beach that is shored by crystal blue water, where the tourists, royalty and politicians hang out to discuss matters of 'National Importance'.

Always end with a quote by Gandhi; which relates to goodwill and non-violence, and how India will become a superpower in the future. Because you care.

Paper #2 Exercise

Paper #2 questions: 

Q.1) How does Things Fall Apart conform to, or deviate from the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?

Q.2) Show how and to what effect Achebe make use of myth, legend or other stories and tales.

A.2)

Things Fall Apart is classic novel written by Chinua Achebe. This book tries to depict African society and the culture that is Igbo. Traditionally, this culture is oral. A lot of the know-hows of the Igbo people relate to what they're told while growing up. Also, the different stories that Achebe tells in this book are vivid descriptions of the symbolism present in Igbo culture. It is also mentioned that the Igbo people thrived on story-telling and the use of language, hence making oral culture a core part of Igbo society.

An example is the story of the birds and the tortoise. This story was told to Ezinma by Ekwefi. In this story, a tortoise cheats the birds out of a hearty meal that they were supposed to have with very prestigious hosts. The turtle before coming home then asks a parrot to tell his wife to lay out soft things in their backyard so as to break the turtle’s fall. Instead, the parrot maliciously tells the turtle’s wife to lay out hard objects, because of which the turtle’s shell breaks. The medicine man then fixes the turtle’s shell, but the shell is still rough This story is told all of a sudden without no apparent purpose behind it. But through just the inclusion of this story, Achebe is able to reflect the values of the Igbo people, and how strongly they’re held. The turtle is like person who breaks the law. The broken shell symbolises the broken law and how the person can never be the same again. Such an analogy helps the book progress well without sounding unrealistic, and helps Achebe achieve his objective of reflecting on his culture in a realistic but non-derogatory way.

The coming of locusts is another example. Legend said that the locusts reappeared each year for seven years every generation from a distant cave which had been guarded by stunted men. A question would then come to the readers mind: how did the elders know? Such an induced thought reemphasises the importance of oral culture in Igbo land. The fact that the people believed this myth makes the reader formulate an identity that the Igbo people recognise themselves by.

Hence, the story telling tradition in Igboland is identified as an important one. Without all these stories in the master plot, the book would not be able to tell the story of what the things were; far from telling how they actually fell apart.

Obierika's memoir (Reflection)

What is happening now is not good. Everything is falling apart, from the language to the customs of our culture. Our way of life is being threatened by the white people. I don't know why this is happening, but it might be because of the fact that there has been increased violence in the past couple of days.  Okonkwo had been interfering with the white people far too much, and now this is happened. He had been recently imprisoned, falling prey to an ambush. Then the hammer broke the nail. Okonkwo, trying to keep his culture's dignity, was even more humiliated. Everything then just started to break down. Okonkwo, oh how dear a friend was he- committed suicide. I knew then that things had become really bad.
Ever since then, the white people have gradually taken power of our land. There is chaos everywhere, as the remnants of the culture are being wiped out. The district commissioner has assumed the power of his queen in our land, and thinks that we are being civilised. He seems like a benevolent holder who thinks of himself as the one who connects the dots for us. But this is far from the truth. Even though this might be better in some aspects, I think this sudden change is bad for us. All these years, Igbo tradition has been carefully preserved and evolved. But now, the actions of certain people have provoked the actions of the colonisers. Only if certain people like Okonkwo had kept their cool, things might have been a bit better. We are helpless. We are breaking down. Things are indeed falling apart.

Paper #2: Analysis: 'Discuss the significance of social status in Things Fall Apart, and comment on its contribution to characterization.'

In the book Things Fall Apart, the characters have constructed in a critical and meaningful way. A lot of their actions characterize them, but a large part of their identity is influenced by social status. The importance of social status in Igbo society cannot be understated. The Igbo judged and ranked their people according to what one has accomplished; not what his ancestors have done. This can be seen in the book when the readers are informed that 'Even if a man washes his hands with elders, he can have food with an elder'. However, this was often only true to males. 

The laureates of men ranged from heads from wars to the titles they bought and the number of wives they had. A lot of the men when presented in this book are seen through the lens of a typical Igbo citizen. For example, Okonkwo was characterised as one of the most important and influential men in Umofia. He had started working hard from a tender age,  and was a famous wrestler in his young years. He had thrown Amalinze the cat, who at that time was considered to be one of the best wrestlers in the village. Okonkwo worked hard on his farms, even in the hardest of times, and never gave up. He eventually began fighting wars and winning them with ease. This social power that he gained accelerated him towards getting titles. Earning these was a mark of accomplishment in the Igbo community. Okonkwo in the book had earned two titles, and with his hard-earned money, bought two barns and had three wives. The effect that his social position has had on his characterization can be clearly understood here. Having all of the above helps Achebe to characterize Okonkwo as one who has great strength, emotionally and physically.

On the other hand, Okonkwo's father, Uknoka, is characterised as a lazy and nonchalant person. Unoka hasn't earned titles all his life, and hence is characterized as a blemish on Igbo society. All he used to do was play the flute, and rejoice during the harvesting season. Unoka was a very good mooch though. His tongue was said to have a silver lining. As seen in the text, whenever any lender used to ask Unoka for their money back, they would receive no money. Instead, Unoka says that he has bigger debts to pay off, and that he would pay back the lender's money when his bigger debts were repaid. According to Achebe, Igbo was a language which used a lot of metaphors and imagery. Hence, according to the society's language and his unique abilities, he should have been respected. However, the Igbo people fail to see this side of him and he is looked down upon in the society. This disrespect for Unoka ultimately leads to a characterisation of Unoka as a man who had no skill, and was unwilling to work. The readers are blinded by his social status, and understand his character in a lower light than they should.

Some of the women characters in this book aren't regarded in the highest position of society as well. For example, Okonkwo's third wife had once gone to plait her hair, leaving Okonkwo's children and meal behind. When she returns late, Okonkwo starts beating her, only to be eventually stopped by other members of the house. The children were safe at home in the care of the other wives anyway. This portrays his third wife as an outlet for Okonkwo to vent all his angers. This objectifies and minimises the social status of the third wife. She has no power over where she can go just because of her social position, i.e., being the third wife of Okonkwo. The third wife is ended up being characterised as a weak and helpless woman due to this. Similar instances in the book that cannot be discussed in the commentary, such as how Okonkwo follows Ewkefi solely to give her 'moral support', also undermines the social status of women in Igbo society, leading to lot of controversy around the book. This portrayal of a lower status of  women in this book is a large indication of the effect of social status on characterisation, and the importance of characterisation in this book as a whole