The White Tiger by Arvind Adiga
Arvind Adiga's debut novel The White Tiger marks the arrival of a storyteller who strikes a fine balance between sociology and humanism of his homeland. He tries to make heard the many unheard voices of so many alternative Indians, which exist and are being acknowledged globally through movies, fiction, and media. The multitiered realities, presented by this young journalist turned writer, who is trying to pull down the patronizing edifice, was applauded with the 2008 Man Booker Prize.
How far do you agree with India represented in the novel The White Tiger?
Arvind Adiga won the Man Booker prize for Fiction 2008 for his novel The White Tiger and emerged significantly on the Indian literary scene. Though The White Tiger was praised for highlighting the injustices and poverty present in the rapidly changing India when it won the Man Booker Prize, then many Indians critics expressed outrage at the judges' decision. They felt that the novel presented India in a poor light. Some have compared him to Naipaul in presenting only the hateful aspects of the country. While many found an uncanny parallel in Danny Boyle's much-hyped movie Slumdog Millionaire.
Do you believe that Balram's story is the archetype of all stories of 'rags to riches'?
Generally the story about needy or poor ends with rich. According to the general archetypal pattern, all poor boy's life turns out into rich. Same is the case with Balram Halwai who grows in a very poor family. He left his schooling and started working in a tea stall. Then he learns driving and becomes the driver of rich entrepreneur Ashok Sharma. His dreams are big therefore he decided to kill Mr Ashok to get his position. After killing his master he grabs his identity and become the same rich entrepreneur. In the same story like 'Slumdog Millionaire' movie become to rags to riches in to end of the movie. Other examples are the Boss and Laila movie. It is also similar archetypal - begin to end as rags to riches.
"Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique, deconstructive criticism aims to show that any text inevitably undermines its own claims to have a determinate meaning, and licences the reader to produce his own meanings out of it by an activity of semantic 'Freeplay' (Derrida, 1978, in Lodge, 1988, p. 108). Is it possible to do a deconstructive reading of The White Tiger? How?
The written phrase, in Derrida's view, relies upon its meaning via the context in which it is embedded. Both signified and signifier, though, are related in such a way that, there is, with respect to the very structure of language, no proper context to provide proof of final meanings making any claim to 'truth' an impossibility; 'truth' is both relative and plural. In the context of the White Tiger characters are portraying harsh reality of truth which is connected with the common people. Nobody can deny this kind of truth and reality. Language bears within itself the writer or author present his own way and culture dynamic language whatever they used it. The writer or author writes their own way and perceptions, his method of style and thoughts are different than the reader. It depends upon the situation and criteria. The author writes his own or another inspiration. Accordingly, the reader read his own way and meaning. One author who is published his work and reader is read then the death of the author for the reader. Reader praised his work of art, not author.
With ref to a screening of select scenes of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in today's class:
Write a blog on similarities between The White Tiger and Slumdog Millionaire. Include the following points:
=). Narrative structure - Wanted Poster # KBC show
The novel and the movies both are in the parallel structure of narratives. In the novel, Balram is reading wanted poster scene and another side is remembering his past and crime which he has done. In the movie we can see that the KBC show is running questioning and answering, Jamaal is recalling his past and his flashback. In this way, two stories are working parallel.
=). Indianness
From the text and movie, images are highly connotation and speak deeply at many levels the sensuous, the intellectual. The tapestry of modern India has a close-knitted structure. Poverty, Corruption and exploitation that is highly depicted in the movie. Begging part of the movie the train, dog, dirty images of India. People are very poor and lived in bad condition. Indianess Is highly portrayed by Dany Boyle. He is an English director and he is noticed the harsh situations of India poverty and social-political exploitation.
=). List of the questions asked in the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'
1. Who was the star in the 1973 hit film "Zanzeer".
a) Shah Rukh Khan
b) Salman Khan
c) Amitabh Bachhan
d) Ranbir Kapoor
2. A picture of three lions is seen in the national emblem of India. What is written underneath it?
a) The Truth alone triumphs
b) Lies alone triumphs
c) Fashion alone triumphs
d) Money alone triumphs
3. In the depiction of God Rama, he is famously holding what in his right hand?
a) A bow and arrow
b)A sword
d) A flower
c) A child
4. The song " Darshan Do Ghanshyam" was written by which famous Indian poet?
a) Surdas
b) Tulsidas
c) Mira bai
d) Kabir
5. On the American One Hundred Dollar Bill, there is a portrait of which American Statesman?
a) George Washington
b) Franklin Roosevelt
c) Benjamin Franklin
d) Abraham Lincoln
6. Who invented the revolver?
a) Samuel Colt
b) Bruce Browning
c) Dan Wesson
d) James Revolver
7. Cambridge Circus is in which UK City?
a) Oxford
b) Leeds
c) Cambridge
d) London
8. Which cricketer has scored the most first-class centuries in history?
a) Sachin Tendulkar
b) Ricky Ponting
c) Michael Slater
d) Jack Hobbs
9. In Alexander Dumas' book, "The Three Musketeers", two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What was the name of the third Musketeer?
a) Aramis
b) Cardinal Richelieu
c) D' Artagnan
d) Planchet
10. While the police inspector was questioning Jamal's knowledge, he asked Jamal whose picture was on the Indian 1000-rupee note, and then showed him when Jamal claimed not to know. Whose picture was it?
a) Mohandas Gandhi
b) Muhammad Jinnah
c) Jawaharlal Nehru
d) Gopal Gokhale
=). On what grounds can u deconstruct the film with reference to postcolonial tools/theories.
The film Slumdog Millionaire is directed by an English director Danny Boyle. He presents the harsh reality of India. His centre of focus is the slum area of India. He satirizes on the Indian education system, Police system, crowd at the station, portrayal of a gangster. This shows how most of the American looks at India which is a land of poor for them. Even after so many years of freedom, still, we are slave, not physically but mentally.
There are various tools of the postcolonial affects important roles express contesting, the ideological difference between classes, caste, generation, religions and races in the contemporary societal organisation. It is observed that the form of language the upper, superior class and caste people in the multicultural situation use is a means by which they establish their identity and control over others, social superiority or status in the hierarchical setup. The lower classes struggle to adjust and, at the same time, revolt with a fire of intolerance.
=). Compare with Texture and Treatment of subject content in film and novel.
The technique of the film and novel is much similar which presents the dark side of India rather than looking at the light side. Themes like corruption, poverty can be found in both. The show host, gangster, police, Salim everyone is corrupt in the film. Salim sells the autograph of Amitabh Bachhan to get money. However, it is his younger brother Jamal who get the autograph. From a very early age, Salim begins corruption. In the novel the character of the protagonist himself is corrupt. If someone did small corruption like taking more money from masters to repair a car or to get petrol, then keeping the remaining amount is also corruption. However big dealers corruption looks more problematic than workers of small hierarchy. Both present the same texture of India.
Treatment of subject is also going similar in the movie and the novel that is treating a serious element of India with dark comedy. Movie and novel well orderly treatment and local narrative and narration of the nation. Adiga’s tone is humour, but humour is dark.
Arvind Adiga's debut novel The White Tiger marks the arrival of a storyteller who strikes a fine balance between sociology and humanism of his homeland. He tries to make heard the many unheard voices of so many alternative Indians, which exist and are being acknowledged globally through movies, fiction, and media. The multitiered realities, presented by this young journalist turned writer, who is trying to pull down the patronizing edifice, was applauded with the 2008 Man Booker Prize.
How far do you agree with India represented in the novel The White Tiger?
Arvind Adiga won the Man Booker prize for Fiction 2008 for his novel The White Tiger and emerged significantly on the Indian literary scene. Though The White Tiger was praised for highlighting the injustices and poverty present in the rapidly changing India when it won the Man Booker Prize, then many Indians critics expressed outrage at the judges' decision. They felt that the novel presented India in a poor light. Some have compared him to Naipaul in presenting only the hateful aspects of the country. While many found an uncanny parallel in Danny Boyle's much-hyped movie Slumdog Millionaire.
Do you believe that Balram's story is the archetype of all stories of 'rags to riches'?
Generally the story about needy or poor ends with rich. According to the general archetypal pattern, all poor boy's life turns out into rich. Same is the case with Balram Halwai who grows in a very poor family. He left his schooling and started working in a tea stall. Then he learns driving and becomes the driver of rich entrepreneur Ashok Sharma. His dreams are big therefore he decided to kill Mr Ashok to get his position. After killing his master he grabs his identity and become the same rich entrepreneur. In the same story like 'Slumdog Millionaire' movie become to rags to riches in to end of the movie. Other examples are the Boss and Laila movie. It is also similar archetypal - begin to end as rags to riches.
"Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique, deconstructive criticism aims to show that any text inevitably undermines its own claims to have a determinate meaning, and licences the reader to produce his own meanings out of it by an activity of semantic 'Freeplay' (Derrida, 1978, in Lodge, 1988, p. 108). Is it possible to do a deconstructive reading of The White Tiger? How?
The written phrase, in Derrida's view, relies upon its meaning via the context in which it is embedded. Both signified and signifier, though, are related in such a way that, there is, with respect to the very structure of language, no proper context to provide proof of final meanings making any claim to 'truth' an impossibility; 'truth' is both relative and plural. In the context of the White Tiger characters are portraying harsh reality of truth which is connected with the common people. Nobody can deny this kind of truth and reality. Language bears within itself the writer or author present his own way and culture dynamic language whatever they used it. The writer or author writes their own way and perceptions, his method of style and thoughts are different than the reader. It depends upon the situation and criteria. The author writes his own or another inspiration. Accordingly, the reader read his own way and meaning. One author who is published his work and reader is read then the death of the author for the reader. Reader praised his work of art, not author.
With ref to a screening of select scenes of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in today's class:
Write a blog on similarities between The White Tiger and Slumdog Millionaire. Include the following points:
=). Narrative structure - Wanted Poster # KBC show
The novel and the movies both are in the parallel structure of narratives. In the novel, Balram is reading wanted poster scene and another side is remembering his past and crime which he has done. In the movie we can see that the KBC show is running questioning and answering, Jamaal is recalling his past and his flashback. In this way, two stories are working parallel.
=). Indianness
From the text and movie, images are highly connotation and speak deeply at many levels the sensuous, the intellectual. The tapestry of modern India has a close-knitted structure. Poverty, Corruption and exploitation that is highly depicted in the movie. Begging part of the movie the train, dog, dirty images of India. People are very poor and lived in bad condition. Indianess Is highly portrayed by Dany Boyle. He is an English director and he is noticed the harsh situations of India poverty and social-political exploitation.
=). List of the questions asked in the film 'Slumdog Millionaire'
1. Who was the star in the 1973 hit film "Zanzeer".
a) Shah Rukh Khan
b) Salman Khan
c) Amitabh Bachhan
d) Ranbir Kapoor
2. A picture of three lions is seen in the national emblem of India. What is written underneath it?
a) The Truth alone triumphs
b) Lies alone triumphs
c) Fashion alone triumphs
d) Money alone triumphs
3. In the depiction of God Rama, he is famously holding what in his right hand?
a) A bow and arrow
b)A sword
d) A flower
c) A child
4. The song " Darshan Do Ghanshyam" was written by which famous Indian poet?
a) Surdas
b) Tulsidas
c) Mira bai
d) Kabir
5. On the American One Hundred Dollar Bill, there is a portrait of which American Statesman?
a) George Washington
b) Franklin Roosevelt
c) Benjamin Franklin
d) Abraham Lincoln
6. Who invented the revolver?
a) Samuel Colt
b) Bruce Browning
c) Dan Wesson
d) James Revolver
7. Cambridge Circus is in which UK City?
a) Oxford
b) Leeds
c) Cambridge
d) London
8. Which cricketer has scored the most first-class centuries in history?
a) Sachin Tendulkar
b) Ricky Ponting
c) Michael Slater
d) Jack Hobbs
9. In Alexander Dumas' book, "The Three Musketeers", two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What was the name of the third Musketeer?
a) Aramis
b) Cardinal Richelieu
c) D' Artagnan
d) Planchet
10. While the police inspector was questioning Jamal's knowledge, he asked Jamal whose picture was on the Indian 1000-rupee note, and then showed him when Jamal claimed not to know. Whose picture was it?
a) Mohandas Gandhi
b) Muhammad Jinnah
c) Jawaharlal Nehru
d) Gopal Gokhale
=). On what grounds can u deconstruct the film with reference to postcolonial tools/theories.
The film Slumdog Millionaire is directed by an English director Danny Boyle. He presents the harsh reality of India. His centre of focus is the slum area of India. He satirizes on the Indian education system, Police system, crowd at the station, portrayal of a gangster. This shows how most of the American looks at India which is a land of poor for them. Even after so many years of freedom, still, we are slave, not physically but mentally.
There are various tools of the postcolonial affects important roles express contesting, the ideological difference between classes, caste, generation, religions and races in the contemporary societal organisation. It is observed that the form of language the upper, superior class and caste people in the multicultural situation use is a means by which they establish their identity and control over others, social superiority or status in the hierarchical setup. The lower classes struggle to adjust and, at the same time, revolt with a fire of intolerance.
=). Compare with Texture and Treatment of subject content in film and novel.
The technique of the film and novel is much similar which presents the dark side of India rather than looking at the light side. Themes like corruption, poverty can be found in both. The show host, gangster, police, Salim everyone is corrupt in the film. Salim sells the autograph of Amitabh Bachhan to get money. However, it is his younger brother Jamal who get the autograph. From a very early age, Salim begins corruption. In the novel the character of the protagonist himself is corrupt. If someone did small corruption like taking more money from masters to repair a car or to get petrol, then keeping the remaining amount is also corruption. However big dealers corruption looks more problematic than workers of small hierarchy. Both present the same texture of India.
Treatment of subject is also going similar in the movie and the novel that is treating a serious element of India with dark comedy. Movie and novel well orderly treatment and local narrative and narration of the nation. Adiga’s tone is humour, but humour is dark.
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