Opgavebeskrivelse
The characters for you to focus on are: Balram, Mr. Ashok, Pinky Madam. Other characters like The Stork play interesting roles, but you will not have to go into depth with them as characters in your notes.
You do not have to note everything about the characters, but the important characteristics.
Indholdsfortegnelse
First Night
• The plot (briefly)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
- Pinky Madame:
- The Stork:
Second Night
-> The plot (briefly)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
- Pinky Madame:
- The Stork
The fourth morning
-> The plot (briefly)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
The fourth night
-> The plot (briefly)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
- Pinky Madame:
The fifth night
- The plot (briefly)
- Significant observations (+ p.)
- Characters (+ p)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
- Pinky Madame:
The sixth morning
- The plot (briefly)
- Significant observations (+ p.)
- Characters (+ p)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
The Sixth Night
- The plot (briefly)
- Significant observations (+ p.)
- Characters (+ p)
- Balram:
- Mr. Ashok:
Optimer dit sprog - Læs vores guide og scor topkarakter
Uddrag
The Indian entrepreneur decides to dictate a letter to the Premier of China, Mr. Wen Jiabao.
He wants to tell the truth about Bangalore through his own life’s story and think it is the only thing necessary to learn the truth about India.
He warns the Premier not to buy the “bootlegged copy of an American business book” (p. 6 ll. 7-8) that the Indian children will sell to you on the street and criticizes the Indian politicians:
“You can take almost anything you hear about the country from the prime minister and turn it upside down and then you will have the truth about that thing.”. (p. 15 ll. 7-10)
Balram also writes about the village of Laxmangarh, in the district of Gaya. He uses the story to describe “a typical Indian village paradise” - meaning defunct electricity poles, broken water taps and children too lean and short for their age.
---
Balram continues his story and explains how he still feels a certain closeness to Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madame whom he has murdered.
He continues telling his life-story and explains just how important both Mr. Ashok and Pinky madame has been in his learning of life, India, America and a different language, English.
After his father’s death, Balram is sent to work in a teashop in Dhanbad. Instead of scrubbing the floors, Balram tries to learn as much as he can from the Teashop visitors.
His listening eventually pays off as he hears about the perks of private driving. Balram finds a driving instructor willing to take him on, and he learns how to drive and how to fix a car.
After having learnt how to drive, Balram strikes out to find someone to drive for. He ends up driving for The Stork and his family (including Mr. Ashok).
Balram is looked as a servant rather than a driver. This means that he must help in the house and even massage the Storks feet each night. During the massages, Balram learns about their life and politics.
One day, Balram is set to drive Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madame to Laxmangarh. In the meantime, Balram visits his family who praises him for his success.
On the drive back home Mr. Ashok mistakes Balram taking a finger to his eye while driving past a temple, for being a religious gesture.
The devotion impresses both Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madame and he continues to repeat it multiple times, pretending to have passed important marks.
---
Balram continues writing his letter to the Chinese Premier. This time, he writes about the injustice within politics in India. Balram describes his critique of the Indian democracy and warns the Premier, yet again, to not trust the government.
Balram describes his first experience with the Indian policy and “democracy” when his boss at the teashop in Laxmangarh sold his employers votes to The Great Socialist Party.
In order to vote, Balram agrees to register as an 18-year-old, receiving a birth date from the government. The party wins the election.
Balram then returns to describe the present election and the great Socialist’s visit to The Storks house.
Balram listens in on their conversation and hear that The Great Socialist demand a large amount of money - apparently as punishment for him being the source of the family’s fortune.
To ensure their business, Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madame decides to move out of the city for a while. The two servants are both desperate to go with them because it earns them a lot of money.
Balram is eager to become the number one servant and blackmails Ram Persad (servant no. 1) for his faith to earn the right to come along with Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madame.
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