...Diasporic Cross-Currents in Michael Ondaatje’s Anil’s Ghost and Anita Rau Badami’s The Hero’s Walk HEIKE HÄRTING N HIS REVIEW of Anil’s Ghost, Todd Hoffmann describes Michael Ondaatje’s novel as a “mystery of identity” (449). Similarly, Aritha van Herk identifies “fear, unpredictability, secrecy, [and] loss” (44) as the central features of the novel and its female protagonist. Anil’s Ghost, van Herk argues, presents its readers with a “motiveless world” of terror in which “no identity is reliable, no theory waterproof” (45). Ondaatje’s novel tells the story of Anil Tessera, a Sri Lankan expatriate and forensic anthropologist working for a UN-affiliated human rights organization. Haunted by a strong sense of personal and cultural dislocation, Anil takes up an assignment in Sri Lanka, where she teams up with a local archeologist, Sarath Diyasena, to uncover evidence of the Sri Lankan government’s violations of human rights during the country’s period of acute civil war. Yet, by the end of the novel, Anil has lost the evidence that could have indicted the government and is forced to leave the country, carrying with her a feeling of guilt for her unwitting complicity in Sarath’s death. On one hand, Anil certainly embodies an ethical (albeit rather schematic) critique of the failure of global justice. On the other, her character stages diaspora, in Vijay Mishra terms, as the “normative” and “ exemplary … condition of late modernity” (“Diasporic” 441) — a condition usually associated...
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...VATE INSIDE STORIES 2014—MABO INSIDE STORIES MABO Film directed by Rachel Perkins Teaching notes prepared by Sarah Catton Edited by Marion White CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................3 WAYS INTO THE TEXT ..............................................................................................6 RUNNING SHEET AND STRUCTURE OF THE TEXT...............................................8 PERSPECTIVE ON THE TEXT.................................................................................13 CHARACTERS..........................................................................................................15 THEMES AND ISSUES.............................................................................................20 LANGUAGE AND STYLE..........................................................................................24 CLOSE ANALYSIS....................................................................................................28 FURTHER ACTIVITIES.............................................................................................31 KEY QUOTES ...........................................................................................................34 TEXT RESPONSE TOPICS ......................................................................................36 REFERENCES ........................
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...essay, I will discuss my experience of interviewing a family and constructing a genogram guided by their narrative. For this task, I purposely chose a family that is very different from my family of origin in terms of their cultural heritage. I will reflect on differences and similarities between our families as well as my prejudices and hypothesis that I inevitably constructed before and during the process. To identify this family, I had to approach some colleagues proposing to them to participate in the interview. Fortunately, one of them introduced me to her friend. Francesca had an interest in psychology, and since she was free and not much committed, I did welcome her with a cup of coffee to share more about the interview. After I formally introduced myself to her, I laid down to her the framework of the interview, and she agreed to participate with her husband, Matteo. Family context The family I interviewed comes from Italy, but they moved to the UK 3 years ago. I noticed that knowing these few details I was already constructing hypothesis based on stereotypes. I was dreading the interview because I was expecting to have difficulty in stopping them talking since I was concerned about getting enough information to construct the genogram. I also hypothesized whether being new to the UK makes them consider participating in projects like mine to increase a sense of belonging. Another hypothesis where I imagined them to have very firmly attachments to their extended family was...
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...significance do media systems have for the construction of national identities? How far, if at all, is it possible to have a (sense of) national identity without the media? ------------------------------------------------- Introduction I will argue that national identity is a problematic concept, constructedthrough imagined indicators of unity, as well as through a process of othering. I will look at how national identity is more valuable for political and commercial purposes, than for the development of authentic or peaceful national and internationalcommunities.Furthermore, I will explore howdominant national power influences identity, with education as the foundational cornerstone, andmediaas the toolfor the normalisation and reinforcement of national identity. Debunking the homogeneity of national identity Das and Harindranath write that individuals’ ability to identify themselves through nationality signals a “shared acceptance of the nation-state as a reasonable and ‘natural’ way of organizing social and political life” (2006: p.7). However, the fallibility of the homogeneity that is presupposed to constitute a national identity becomes apparent when examining various related definitions. In the case of nation-states, Smith writes that they must have “a measure of common culture and a civic ideology, a set of common understandings and aspirations, sentiments and ideas, that bind the population together in their homeland” (Smith, 1991, p.11). But how can a sense...
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...hunter.” Chinua Achebe, Home and Exile Literature is the expression of life in words of truth and beauty.It encompasses all genres of literature-poetry,prose,fiction,drama,philosophy,history etc.Among them,fiction is any narrative,whether in prose or verse,which is invented instead of being an account of events that actually happened. The voice of Africa in the world of letters tries to emancipate Africa from its literary stereotype.Africa is no longer a gloomy phenomenon,a dark continent.Chinua Achebe, the major exponent of the modern African novel,is greatly concerned with the two realities of social man –his individual and group identity,the legacy of colonialism, and the shift in the system of values of life leading to rampant corruption- moral and monetary. He is also concerned with the use of English as the medium of expression of African experience defining the relevance of colonial and post-colonial experience to the present .Achebe’s novels are dialectic tranformation of experience, a new way of looking at tradition to create a different order of reality through universalizing imagination.Though he has followed the established tradition of novel writing in English, Achebe has put few things ‘African’ and has successfully employed certain narrative techniques of narration to give authenticity and African flavour to his novels in order to attract the native audience and overseas readers as well. Chinua Achebe , the doyen of African writing, the major exponent of...
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...Between the years of 1915 and 1917, a fatal plan of ethnic cleansing was implemented against the minority Christian Armenian populations in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian Genocide took the lives of upwards of a million people, many of which left behind numerous children and loved ones. Why is it that intellectuals and individuals so often refer to the Armenian Genocide as the forgotten genocide? The reason that this phrase has been attributed to the Armenian Genocide is because of the conditions that have existed in Turkey in the one hundred years following the atrocities. The experiences and memories belonging to the victims of the Armenian Genocide have been severely repressed, as a result of legal and social sanctions implemented by the...
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...In recognising the value of individual languages we acknowledge the dignity and worth of our fellow human beings. – Desmond Tutu (Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights Follow-up Committee. April, 1998) It all began with the steam engine. The industrial revolution, which kicked off in late 18th Century set off a series of rapid improvements in technology, which provided us with mass transit and mass communications. Many places that were once exotic realms barely set upon, became multi million dollar wellness centres for exhausted western tourists, complete with western television, McDonalds outlets and internet cafes. Professor Austin’s quote rightly alludes to the fact that the developments of modern technology over the past century have been a major factor in permanently concentrating the world closer together, a place where cultures bleed into one another. And it is having a dramatic effect on the number of languages. If means are not devised to stop it, half of the worlds 7000 odd languages that are spoken today will disappear within the next couple of generations. (SBS, 2013). This will also correspond to the loss of half of the world’s cultural wealth and ancestral knowledge. I will discuss the reasons why language diversity is important, and the challenges that are presented to it by contemporary society. Language is the most important tool we as humans have at our disposal. It is the means by which we learn, and the means by which we teach. It provides us...
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...Sociology. They argue that we are now living in an unstable, fragmented, media-saturated global village, where image and reality are indistinguishable. For postmodernists, this new kind of society requires a new kind of theory – modernist theories no longer apply. Many sociologists argue that we are now increasingly affected by globalisation which have been brought about through technological, economic, political and cultural changes. Postmodernists argue that there are no true foundations to knowledge which is known as ‘anti-foundationalism’. This view has two consequences. Firstly, although the Enlightenment project of achieving progress is true, the absence of scientific knowledge restricts them from guaranteeing their knowledge is correct, therefore they cannot use it to improve society. Sociologists would disagree and argue that knowledge can be used to solve human problems. The second consequence of their anti-foundationalism view is that postmodernists take a relativist position and reject all-embracing theories such as Marxism, and refers to them as meta-narratives that claim absolute truth. They believe that it is just someone’s version of reality, not the truth. Therefore there is no reason to accept the claims that the theory makes. Postmodernist Baudrillard argues that society is no longer based on the production of material goods, but rather on buying and selling knowledge in the form of image and signs. For example, tabloid newspaper articles about fictitious...
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...Area of Study: Belonging * ‘As You Like It’ written by William Shakespeare * ‘Towelhead’ directed by Alan Ball in * ‘The Surfer’ written by Judith Wright | As You Like It | Towelhead | The Surfer | Language Form and Structure | * ‘As You Like It’ is a stage play in the form of a comedy * It also qualifies as a pastoral romance * Shakespeare wrote the lines of the play in both verse and prose | * ‘Towelhead’ is a film | * Poem * 3 stanzas * Free verse | Personal, cultural, historical and social context | * Written during the reign of Elizabeth I and ironically, both Rosalind and Celia would have been played by men * Appealing nature to both lower and higher classes * Used as a model of social critique | * Set in Houston, Texas during the 1990s * Occurred during the Gulf War * Follows the sexual awakening of Jasira (an American-Lebanese girl) | * Set in Australia | Identity One’s sense of belonging is built upon their exploration of self and the confidence they establish through their own identity. | Identity is explored most obviously with Rosalind’s disguise as Ganymede. This concealment of her true identity allows Rosalind to discover whether Orlando truly loves her. It also allows Rosalind to gain a deeper understanding of herself. This is seen through the use of dramatic irony, this enhances the audience’s connection with the characters and adds to the humour of the play. “Nay, you must call me Rosalind”. Ultimately, it...
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...Worldwide, both policy and research pay a lot of attention to extremism, and radicalization as the process leading to extremism (Van de Linde & Rademaker, 2010). Scholars and policymakers increasingly focus on unravelling the processes of radicalisation, hoping to prevent the violent radicalisation of their own youth and eventually political violence (Van de Line & Rademaker, 2010). The Internet and its constant technological developments in particular are causes of concern (Conway, 2012). Recently, we have seen a boom in new social media (NSM) and other web 2.0 applications, bearing a large potential for communication and networking (Conway, 2012). These developments have transformed the world in an online village, with every offline actor being represented online. It is therefore no surprise that criminals, radicals, violent extremists and terrorists also use this medium to their advantage (Benschop, 2006; Stevens & Neuhmann, 2009; Weimann, 2004). By means of the Internet and NSM, violent extremist organisations and individuals are able to easily reach each other and address a broad, global audience, using an extensive and dynamic set of narratives. This has caused a growing fear that recruitment and violent radicalisation will increase under influence of the Internet (Thompson, 2011). According to the AIVD1 (2006) the Internet may even be...
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...Described by Terry Eagleton for The Guardian as the “literary mainstream”; these characters are often referred to as the Outsider due to their exclusion from the community in which the text is set. The characters who are referred to as Outsiders can be portrayed in different ways; their initial exclusion from society can ultimately lead to a narrative of their acquisition of power throughout the text but similarly, can portray a story of their maintenance of the minimal power they have over the course of the text’s plot. However, this is not to argue that some Outsiders presented within literature do not have power over the course of the development of the text so, as a consequence, remain excluded from the society. In this case, the text would then be considered an exposition of the character’s experience from their position in society rather than the author’s attempt of trying to integrate their character into society through their work. Furthermore, the author themselves may be considered an Outsider through their own status in society; they command their readers to be Outsiders themselves within the novel. As well as to read and observe the narrative in order to emulate the same feeling within themselves, within the reader or to have a specific impact on the issues surrounding humanity at the time. The contrast in the ways in which the portrayal of an Outsider can develop arose within the study of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea as the novels highlighted...
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...network on which their society rested upon was that being criticized. •Dependency Theory: Students were sure that these two previous explanations were merely methods to blame the victims of abuse. They believed that Latin American economies stood in a dependent position relative to the world’s industrial powers. Therefore other nations took their overpowering stand, and forestalled Latin America’s industrialization. “Economic dependency” is why the nation did not follow the path it was supposed to follow. •Social Constructionism: The way race, gender, class, and national identities are “constructed” in people’s minds. Discuss Michel Rolph Trouillot’s theory of historical narratives •History understood as the distinction and overlap of the socio-historical process (“what happened”) and the narratives about it (“what is said to have happened”). •Three capacities people have within socio-historic processes: actors, agents, subjects a) Agents: or occupants of the structural positions. (b) as actors in constant interference without a context. (c) as subjects, thats is...
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...individual’s body as a ‘contested sight’. Jails and prisons often emphasize containment, control, and unfortunately segregation within solitude. These are all factors that can bring out a contrast of strength and vulnerability within an individual’s body. An element about this film that I found very interesting is that it included several men who have been previously incarcerated. The film was developed and shot on Alcatraz Island. I felt that the use of real, past prisoners and a real prison setting was extremely essential when it came to telling the story. As an audience member I felt constantly connected to the body language of the performers. This is due to the fact that they did not come off as dancers; they came off as prisoners. I felt a personal connection to all aspects of this film and decided to look into it more. Upon researching, I read an article where Dowling makes the statement, ““memories live in our bodies”” (Hunter Maso). This was a quote that I was able to immediately relate back to her film. I feel that I was so connected to the performers who were once incarcerated because their bodies never forgot how it felt to be locked...
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...meant freedom without chaos. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, there exists “unalienable rights” of men. Rights were unalienable because they were provided by God. This was important because in most societies up until that time, and even in some countries today, rights are only conferred by whomever is in power at the time. An important aspect of our system of government is that it is based on the Rule of Law. This concept is a direct descendant of Hebrew law and the Ten Commandments. Together with the concept of unalienable rights from God, these concepts helped ensure a way of life that respected the dignity of every individual. The combination of these biblical concepts is a foundation of our government that helps overcome political power of potential tyrants. The First Amendment of the US Constitution...
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...Much of the current debate about Fight Club focuses on the political implications of the text, but most often recourse to it by way of referencing the film. These arguments usually question or celebrate the transgressive potentials of the book (Giroux; Mendieta), or address issues of masculinity brought into the fore by their literary and cinematic representations emergent in the same decade (Tuss; Friday). However, few, if any, have addressed the literary aspirations of the text and its author. Although none of the approaches to the thematic concerns of Fight Club are unjustified, in the argument that follows I will suggest that conclusions drawn and critical judgments passed have been hasty, and not only failed to take into account the formal aspects of story-telling, but that the narrative features of Palahniuk’s text have largely went unexplored, and constitute a blind spot of the reception. Critics condemning or acclaiming the novel, and, indeed, many a cultic reader of Palahniuk ignored Fight Club as a literary narrative, and have inadvertently been repeating the catchphrases of the text, either reinforcing or trying to undermine what they have understood as their meaning. I see the significance of Palahniuk’s fiction and the literary event of Fight Club’s publication in somewhat different terms. Palahniuk’s emphasis and continued insistence on minimalism suggest that his fiction is properly understood as belonging to a literary tradition whose evaluation remains troubled...
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