Gender Discrimination in Mahesh Dattani’s “Tara”

                                         Name: Darshangi Andharia

                    Paper: E-c-202: Indian Writing in English

       Topic: Gender Discrimination in Mahesh Dattani’s “Tara”

                                       SEM: 2, part 1

                                    Year: 2011-2012



                                       Submitted to,

                                     Dr.Dilip Barad,
                                  Bhavnagar University,

                                        Bhavnagar.



Gender Discrimination in Mahesh Dattani’s “Tara”

Mahesh Dattani is an Indian director, actor and writer. He wrote the plays like Final solution, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Tara and 30 days in September. He is the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Academy Award. “Tara” was first published in 1990. This plays is talks about the family tragedy in which the members of the family are suffering. It shows gender difference in Indian society. 

Chandan is thinking in London about his past life and he wants to write a play. He had already given the title to the play that is “Twinkle Tara”. They were Siamese child and after the operation they are physically separated but mentally they are joined. There is a difference between sex and gender, it is related to biological term and gender is given by society. Throughout the play Dattani has used this difference of male and female. Even in our primary’s lesson we had one lesson that “Ram khir kha” and “Sita kam kar.” It shows in the play when Tara talks to Roopa about her father and son, she says that 

“The men in the house were deciding on whether they were going to hunting while the woman looked after the caves.”

Women have not their own identity in the society. If she is more capable than the man though she will not permitted by her family to go for work. For example Mr. Patel says to Chandan, 

“I was just thinking …… It may be a good idea for you to come to the office with me.”

Why Mr. Patel tells only Chandan to join the office. Why not Tara? Because she is girl? Even Chandan says that if Tara will come then and then I will come. She is more capable than me for office work but Mr. Patel don’t allow Tara to come at office. 

The play is about issues of class and modern life style and values. Patel and Bharati are educated parents but they crested discrimination in the play. Even Bharati’s father, a resourceful person, is also considered to be one of the factors in this misfortune. She offers her kidney to give a new charge of life to Tara. She knows the reality that after giving the kidney she will not survive but she wants to sacrifice because of her mistake, now she realize the truth and that is why Patel is not agree to donate her kidney. Mr. Patel knows the reality of his wife.

Dr. Thakkar occupies the one on the highest level throughout the play. Tara and Chandan are conjoined, Siamese twins who must be separate to survive. The dichotomy between the twin ‘gendered’ selves is recognized and a physical separation is made through surgery. He is aware that the third leg would stick on better to the female half, yet becomes party to the decision. Tara never got a fair deal, not from nature and not from human being.

Bharati address Tara as “My lovely, beautiful girl and my twinkle Tara.” Bharati is pathetic victim of patriarchy. She was exceptionally conscious for her own sake.

 Tara was more enthusiastic and full of jest and spark of life. She had high aspirations which she could not achieve because of her handicapped state while the boy had given the second leg. Why not Tara? Because she is girl? Is being girl in the society a curse? Even this biased thing was done by the woman. Why woman can’t understand the problem of other girl? Always woman have to sacrifice for the man in the society. 

 The social system in which the girl child has to live and to die. Tara is killed by social system, which controls the minds and actions of the people. At the end of the play, we see Chandan apologizing to Tara in the most moving of all the lines 

“Forgive me, Tara

Forgive me for making it

My tragedy.”

Cultural Studies

                                                  Name: Darshangi Andharia
                            Paper: E-E-205-B: Cultural Studies
                                     Topic: Cultural Studies
                                            SEM: 2, part 1.
                                          Year: 2011-2012


                                               Submitted to,
                                            Dr.Dilip Barad, 

                                     Bhavnagar University, 

                                              Bhavnagar.



Cultural Studies


A field of academic study that finds its origins in the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies and the work of critics like Raymond Williams, Richard Hoggart and later by Stuart Hall, Tony Bennett and others, cultural Studies is a discipline between disciplines.


What “Cultural” has meant before and now


A word Culture was derived from “Cultura” and “Colere” it means “To Cultivate”. By nineteenth century in Europe it means the habits, customs and tastes of upper classes but now it is the mode of generating meanings and ideas. Through meanings we can understand the things or it gives us idea to understand the society. It gives importance to the popular culture also. Cultural Studies argues that culture is about the meanings community/society generates. It’s not a natural thing it is produced. Culture is interested in the production consumption of culture. It is like class, economy and representation. These three will be with the culture. Who have money they can afford it and it will be the good culture. But those who have no money they will consider as low cultural people or not cultured people. It has five types and four goals. They are,


(1)Cultural Studies transcendent the confines of the particular discipline such a literary criticism or History.


It involves scrutinizing the cultural phenomenon of the text. Cultural studies is not necessarily about ‘Art’ It emphasize that the intellectual promise of cultural studies lies in its attempts to “cut across diverse social and political interests and address many of the struggle within the current scene.” Intellectual works are not limited by there own “Borders” as single texts, historical problems, or disciplines and the critics own personal connections to what is being analyzed may also be described. Henry and others write in their Dalhousie review manifest to that cultural study practitioners are “resisting intellectuals” who see that they do as “As emancipator project” because it erodes the traditional disciplinary divisions in most intuitions of higher education. For students, this sometimes means that a professor might make his or her own political views part of the instruction, which, of course, can lead to problems.


(02)A cultural study is politically engaged:-


Cultural critics se themselves as “oppositional”, not only within their own disciplines but to many of the power structures and society at large, they question inequality within power structures and seek to discover models for restructuring relationship among dominant and “Minority” or “Subaltern” discourage. Because meaning and individual subjectivity are culturally constructed, they can thus be reconstructed.


(03)It denies the separation of “High” and “Low” or Elite and popular culture:-


Some where at an art museum, you might here someone remark that, “I came here to get a little culture.” Being a cultural used to mean being acquainted with “Highbrow” art and intellectual pursuits. But isn’t culture also to be found with a pair of tickets and tickets to a rock concert? But now the team culture include mass culture, whether popular, Falk, or urban. Transgressing of boundaries among disciplines high and low can make cultural studies just pain fun. You can’t neglect the popular culture. Most of time Classic culture will be among 50-60 people. But popular is full of masses, because, it shows our regular day life.


(04)It analyzes not only the cultural work, but also the means of production.


Marxist critics have long recognized the importance of such Paraliterary questions as these: who supports a gives artist? Who published his or her books, and how are these books distributed? Who buys books? For that matter, who is literate and who is not?


All these questions are come out from it. These studies help us recognized that literature does not accurse in a space separate from other concerns of our lives.

Culture and Anarchy

                                       Name: Darshangi Andharia 

            Paper: E-c-204: The Victorian Literature 

                            Topic:  Culture and Anarchy 

                                      SEM: 2, part 1                                              

                                           Year: 2011-2012

                                   Submitted to,
                                 Dr.Dilip Barad,
                            Bhavnagar University, 

                                   Bhavnagar.





Culture and Anarchy

By Matthew Arnold


Culture and Anarchy was published in 1869. It is in response to specific Victorian issues; commentators have since examined the work for its relevance to universal ethical question and social issues in subsequent generations. This essay argues for a restructuring of England social ideology. It reflects Arnold’s passionate conviction that, the uneducated English masses could be molded or converted into conscientious individuals who strives for human perfection through the harmonious cultivation of all of their skills and talents. Arnold is in favor of high culture he doesn’t give any importance to popular culture. it is divided into many chapters.


(01)Arnold and three classes: - the Barbarians, the Philistine and the Populace.


He has divided the society of England into three classes and analyzes them with their virtue and defects. His scrutiny of three classes of his time proves him good critic.


The Barbarians: - For aristocratic class he used this word and he views that this class lacks adequate courage for resistance. They have personal individualism, liberty and doing as one likes. They had great passion for field sports. Their external styles in manners, accomplishments and powers are inherited from the Barbarians.


The Philistine: - The middle class, known by their wisdom, expert of industry and found busy in industrialization and commerce. Their eternal inclination is to the progress and prosperity of the country by building cities, railroads and running the great wheels of industry. They have produced the greatest mercantile navy. So, they are Empire builders. In this material progress, the working class is with them.


The Populace: - This class is known raw and half developed because of poverty and other related diseases. This class is mostly exploited by the barbarian and philistine. The author finds democratic arousing in this class because they are getting political consciousness and are coming out from their hiding places to assert an English man’s heaven-born privilege of doing as one likes, meeting where he likes, breaking what he likes.


(02)Arnold’s concept of Hebraism and Hellenism: -


In this he takes about concept of doing and thinking. His general view about human beings is that they prefer to act rather than to think. He rejects it because mankind is to err and he can’t always think right. He takes about the great idea to know and the great energy to act. Both are the most potent forces and they should be in harmony by the light of reason. So, they are Hebraism and Hellenism. The final aim of Hebraism and Hellenism is the same as man’s perfection and salvation. He further discuss that the supreme idea with Hellenism or Greek spirit is to see things as the really are and the supreme idea of Hebraism or the spirit of bible is conduct and obedience. Hebraism studies the universal order and observes the magnificence of God apparent in the order, whereas Hellenism acquires spontaneity of consciousness with a strictness of conscience with its clarity of though. In brief, Hebraism shows stress on doing rather than knowing and follows the will of God. Its primary idea is absolute obedience to the will of God.


Hellenism and Hebraism both are directly connected to the life of human beings. Hellenism keeps emphasis on knowing or knowledge, where as Hebraism fastens its faith in doing. In conclusion, it must be added that the rule of life should be based on the theory of Hellenism and Hebraism because the final aim of both is man’s perfection or salvation.

Tradition and Individual Talent

                                           Name: Darshangi Andharia
                            Paper: E-c-203: Literary Criticism
                   Topic: Tradition and Individual Talent By T.S. Eliot
                                         SEM: 2, part 1. 

                                        Year: 2011-2012

                                          Submitted to,
                                        Dr.Dilip Barad,
                                   Bhavnagar University,
                                           Bhavnagar.




                           Tradition and Individual Talent By T.S. Eliot  
was extraordinarily influential in the middle of the last century. His essay “Tradition and Individual Talent” was published in 1919 in the Egoist-times literary supplement. Later, the essay was published in the Sacred Wood: Essay on poetry and criticism in 1920 or 1922. This essay is described by David Lodge as the most celebrated critical essay in the English of the 20th century. The essay is divided into three main sections. They are 


(1) Concept of tradition


(2)Theory of Depersonalization and poetry


(3)Poet’s sense of tradition and the impersonality of poetry are complementary things.






Part:-I Concept of Tradition


Eliot’s critical writing offers intellectual insight into the work of literature or art. He says that poem requires a mental exercise should be happen in the minds of the readers. The word ‘Tradition’ and ‘Individual Talent’ gives some clues to us about his work and what is it about. He explain the concept of tradition what we had adopted it in normal course or in easier way. It is somewhere connected to the reconstruction because if the reader will read the text of the poems then he/she will interpret-it in their way of understanding the thing. He says that the meaning is within the text not out of the text. So it is related to reconstruction. Some one said, “The dead writers are remote from us because we know how much more than they did.” Precisely, and they are that which we know. Eliot is the favor of which we know, however unconsciously. Someone in the starting point of the essay he writes that ‘Criticism is as inevitable as breathing’, but almost in the some breath that ‘We should be none the worse……for criticizing our own minds in their work of criticism.’ Eliot believes in objective capability through it he has present with his own self or with his feelings and emotions.


For him tradition has three fold significance. Tradition cannot be inherited and involves a great deal of labor means someone must obtain it by hard work. It involves appreciation not only of the past but also of its presence. And the historical sense enables to write not only with his own generation in mind, but with feelings that down to the literature of his own country forma a continuous literary tradition.


All the same time the poet must be conscious of his place in his contemporary time. He says that the Englishmen have a tendency to insist, when they praise to poet, in these aspects of his work they try to find out what is individual. They try to find out the difference of the poet with his contemporaries and predecessors, especially with his immediate predecessors. They try to find out something that can be separated in order to be enjoyed.


It means, poet couldn’t be appreciated in isolation but he should be seen in relation to the dead poet. Contrast comparison among the dead makes the present poet traditional. Because present poet has used the references from the past poet’s or writers work of art. For example in the poem “The Waste Land” he himself has used the Indian myths as his reference with the poem. Even Plato, the pioneer of the criticism has said that, “Poem is thrice removed from the reality.”


Eliot says that the improvement in the conscious present is an awareness of the past. He also says that the poet can absorb essential knowledge required to create a work of art. The progress of an artist is a continual self sacrifice a continual extinction of personality. This shows he gives importance to the interdependence of past and the present. He finds not contradictory but supplementary elements in the co-relationship of the pat and the present.


He also adds that the relationship of a poet’s work to the great works of the past. He says that present work of art should not be judge by the standards of the past. We cannot say that this on is good or bad. To be traditional in Eliot’s sense means to be conscious of the main current of art and poetry.






Part:-II The Theory of Depersonalization


In this he defines the process of depersonalization and its relation to the tradition. He start with “Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation is directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.” Process is “A continual surrender of himself as he is at the moment to something which is more valuable. He gives the example of two gases oxygen and Sulphur dioxide. Trough this example he wants to say that if poet wants to write a poem then he doesn’t have any history or background or any feeling then the writing process will be stopped. So the mind of the poet or knowledge of is the shred of platinum.”


There are two elements which are experience of poet-feelings and emotions. It shows the relation between the poem and poet. He further says that “the poet has not a ‘Personality’ to express, but particular medium, which is only a medium and not a personality, in which impressions and experiences combine in peculiar and unexpected ways. Impressions and those which become important for the poetry may play quite a negligible part in the man, the personality.”


The business of the poet is not to find new emotions, but to use the ordinary once and, in working them up into poetry, to express feeling which are not in actual emotions at all. And emotions which he has never experienced will serve his turn as well as those familiar to him. We must believe that “Emotion recollected in tranquility” is an in exalt formula. These experiences are not “Recollected” and they finally unite in an atmosphere which is tranquil what is important in it is a kind of concentration by the poet.


He says that bad poet is usually unconscious where he ought to be conscious where he ought to be unconscious. Both


Errors tend to make him personal.

I Sense of tradition and the impersonality of poetry are complementary things.

third and last part he says that the poets of tradition and the impersonality of poetry are complementary things. He writes: “To divert interest from the poet to the poetry is laudable aim: for it would conduce to a juster estimation of actual poetry, good and bad.” He ends his part with the words that expression of significant emotion, emotion which has its life in the poem and not in the history of the poet. And emotion of the art is impersonal. Poet cannot reach this impersonality without surrendering himself wholly to the work to be done unless he lives in the present moment of the past, unless he is conscious, not of what is dead, but of what is already living.


In the conclusion we can say that “Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality.” In this essay reader response and reception theory have elaborate or we can apply it with this approach.


So, as per T.S.Eliot’s view point poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have, personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.

Themes, Motifs and Symbols in ‘Wuthering Heights

                                                 Name: Darshangi Andharia
                      Paper: E-C-201: The Romantic Literature
            Topic: 'Themes, Motifs and Symbols in ‘Wuthering Heights’
                                           SEM: 2, part 1.
                                         Year: 2011-2012

                                              Submitted to,
                                            Dr.Dilip Barad,

                                        Bhavnagar University,

                                               Bhavnagar.

Themes, motifs and Symbols in Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights is a novel by Bronte which was published in 1947. It starts with the dream. Nelly tells the story to Lockwood and through Lockwood’s point of view we are traveling in the novel. There are two families, first is Earnshaw family and second one is Linton family. And location of the novel is like
Moorland is between the Wuthering Heights and Thrush cross Grange. Structure of the novel depends on the Karl Marx’s reference of Master and Slave. In the beginning Earnshaw is Master and Heathcliff is slave but in the end Heathcliff is master/owner and others are under his rule. At the end of the novel each characters dies and only Haretone and Cathy are lives. There are themes of destructiveness of love, classicism, struggle for power, industrialization in the novel.




Theme: - Through major themes we can easily understand what writer wants to tell throughout the novel.




(01) The destructiveness of a Love:-




In the novel there are two loves story first is Catherine and Heathcliff, second is Hareton and Cathy. The whole novel is surrounded by the first generation and second generation’s feelings, love, separation and revenge between two because of love. Catherine and Heathcliff’s love story is rooted in their childhood and it is converting into refuse. As a young lady she wants material comfort, fame in the society, live very peacefully without any problem of class or any social class system. She loves Heathcliff a lot but she marries with Edgar Linton, Who is born and raised as a gentleman. He is graceful, ell mannered, and instilled with civilized value. These qualities attract her towards Edgar. Even she doesn’t love him but for status she marries him. At the end Heathcliff comes with new look because he had heard the conversation between Catherine and Nelly, “I loves Heathcliff but cannot marry him” This is the climax of the novel and the point of revenge in Heathcliff’s mind. Through the novel the love is only thing which makes him very brutal. He takes his revenge with Catherine so he marries with Edger’s sister Isabella as a medium. And after that both dies, second generation remains, Isabella’s son and Catherine’s daughter. Heathcliff force Cathy to marry Linton Heathcliff, Who is very weak in the novel and he dies after his marriage.




(02)The precariousness of social class:-




In the novel there is two/three part. First Earnshaw family who are upper middle class people, Linton family who are aristocratic family and third is Heathcliff who is brought up in a good atmosphere but he is orphan and moor. The big element is the refusal of Catherine to Heathcliff because he is not that much wealthy person than Edgar, Earnshaw and Linton occupies a somewhat precarious place within the hierarchy of the century. In The top society the royalty was followed by the aristocracy, then by the gently, and the lower classes. She marries Edgar because she will be, “The greatest woman of the neighborhood.” The characters are prejudged by their race/class/education. When Heathcliff is first introduced he is described as a skinned and dark hair. He also called as “Gypsy”. And Cathy laughs at Hareton because of his lack of education. Even because of Hareton’s skin Heathcliff hates his own son Hareton.




(03)Revenge:-




Revenge is major theme of the novel. Heathcliff’s revenge affects everyone in the novel. In the first part he described as plotting revenge against Hindley and his descendants for his mistreatment of him and against Edgar and his descendants for Catherine’s death.




(04) Supernatural element:-




Supernatural element happens in the beginning and continues until the very end. In third chapter Lockwood grabbed and pleaded to by Catherine’s ghost through a window. And in the last chapter Ellen takes about people seeing ghosts of Heathcliff and Catherine walking on the moors.




Motifs: - Motifs are recurring structure and literary devices that helps to develop and inform the text’s major themes.




(01) Doubles:-


Bronte’s elements of the novel are into pairs. Two narrators are there, Nelly and Lockwood. Catherine’s character is divided into two warring sides: First side that wants Heathcliff and second is wants Edger. Catherine and young Cathy are both remarkably similar and strikingly deferent. Two houses Wuthering Hiegh6ts and Thrush cross grange. Two families are quite opposite and complicated, Mr. Earnshaw and Mr. Linton Family. In Contrast Linton family is Aristocratic family and Earnshaw family is upper middle class family. Heathcliff have two faces he is orphan but grow up in good family or well manner.




(02)Repetition:-




Repetition is another technique which is used by Bronte in the novel. It seems nothing ever ends in the world of this novel. The way that the names of the characters are recycled. So, names of the characters of the younger generation seem only to be rescrubbing of the names of their parents. Catherine’s daughter name is young Catherine.




(03)The conflict between Nature and Culture:-




Two families represent Nature and Culture. Mr. Earnshaw family, Specially Heathcliff & Catherine represent particularly. These characters are governed by their passions, not by the house where they live-Wuthering Heights symbolized a similar wilderness. On the other hand, Thrush cross Grange and the Linton family represent culture, refinement, conviction, and cultivation.




Symbols: - Symbols are objects, characters, figures and colors used to represent idea or concept.




(01)Moors:-




The constant emphasis on landscape within the text of Wuthering Heights and it is very useful for the plot construction. This landscape comprised primarily of moors: Wide, Wild expanses, high but somewhat soggy, and thus different and infertile, Moorland can’t be cultivated, and its uniformity makes navigation difficult. It is associated with love affair.




(02)Ghosts:-




A ghost appears throughout the novel as they do in most other works of Gothic fiction. Catherine’s ghost appears to Lockwood as nightmare. The villagers shows Heathcliff’s ghost could be dismissed as superstition.