Researcher: Your job is to find some background information related to an important idea in the reading. Search through available references such as library books, reference books such as the encyclopedia, magazines. You might even interview someone who knows about your topic. Find some websites on the Internet so that you can do your investigation online. Share an interesting tidbit related to your reading.
Please respond to each others' Research entry.
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While I was reading I was fascinated by the small historical facts that were laced into the story's events. I find history fascinating, and I found myself excited to keep reading so I could learn something new about this time period. One of the facts that I found most interesting is found on pages 9-10. On these pages Kitta and Vidya talk to each other about why the Nazi's use the swastika as they watch Ponni draw a kolam, or geometric pattern, on their front steps with rice flour. This really intrigued me and I began to research the origin of the swastika. Further research led me to discover that the swastika can be found as a symbol in many countries and can be found in artifacts from the Slavs, Native Americans, Greeks, Celts, Persians, and other cultures. Hinduists and Buddists also used the swastika as a sacred religious symbol. Most of these cultures used the swastika as a symbol of luck. Following WWII the swastika has become stigmatized. It is a symbol of hate and white supremacy. When I first saw the word swastika on the page, thoughts of horror and hatred filled my mind, but as I continued to read and realized the Nazis used a sacred Indian symbol as their party's icon, I was appalled. How could something that is so precious and innocent in one culture, become something that brings such terrible thoughts to mind? This symbol of luck has turned into a symbol of hate.
ReplyDeleteI read several sites about the origin of the swastika, but I found wikipedia provided the most complete information.
I found the section entitled As a Symbol of Nazism the most interesting. The paragraph beginning "The use of the swastika..." was the most interesting because it references the Indian caste system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
Hi girls. It's Laura, however I am on my mother's computer so it's posting under Martha.
ReplyDeleteIn India, the caste system originally was not supposed to lead to certain occupations or social status. The system was supposed to be flexible. Because British society was divided into classes, the colonizers tried to use the caste system in India as a way of dividing Indians into social classes. They made the caste system more rigid during their rule, and encouraged priviledges granted to the higher castes. This was evident in the book by the treatment of servants in Vidya's parents's house opposed to her father's family's house.
I found information on four main varnas, or castes. The Brahmins, which Vidya's family was, were usually priests, scholars, and teachers. There is another caste made up of kings and soldiers. Yet another caste was made of farmers and traders, and the fourth was made up of artisans and service providers.
I found this information on Wikipedia, using "Indian Caste System" as my search term.
I looked up the Indigo Famine (page 35) I found that in the early 1770s there was a short fall in crops followed by another season of drought. As reports began to come in that people were starving in the rural areas the British did nothing to help. In the early to mid 1770s starvation was reported as a large-scale problem. The British East Indies Company has been blamed because of their taxation policies at this time of the crisis. They raised taxes from 10% to 50% on the value of agricultural products. As the famine reached the worst point the ruling company announced another 10% increase in tax for the upcoming year. The company is also faulted for not permitting farmers to “hoard” rice, so farmers were not allowed to hold back crops to tide over the population through the winter months. Farmers were also ordered to plant indigo instead of rice thereby cutting back on food crops for the more lucrative crops that was used to produce dye for material. All of the profits from the taxes and managed farming were taken out of the country to the Britain.
ReplyDeleteI looked for information on the song mention on page 48 Vande Mataram (English translation Bow To Thee Mother). I found that this is quite a complex song with difficult words therefore it is the national song of India not the national anthem. Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay wrote the song in protest to the Indian people being forced to sing God Save the Queen honoring England. This song became the Indian’s national cry for freedom during the freedom marches.
Laura, I am so glad that you did some research on the caste system. I found it very interesting to learn about it while reading. I admired Vidya's family for treating their servants so differently than other people of their caste such as her uncle. Upon reading more of the article you referenced, I also discovered that your social class is passed down from one family to the next. I expect that families pushed their children to become a priest, scholar, or teacher so they could become a productive member of this class. I just can't imagine having my life path determined for me. Perhaps this is why Kitta's family said he would be dead to them if he joined the army. This is not a job that fits the life of a Brahmin.
ReplyDeleteHey Ladies, while reading this book the caste system also struck me. I hadn't ever given it much thought. I knew that Britain had controlled India, yet I didn't realize the people were treated so unfairly. I also had no idea that within that system there was also the caste system which separated the Indians amongst themselves. It was nice to read what you researched Laura. It seems that choice wasn't part of the everyday life like it is for us today. Things were the way they were and your lot was chosen for you long before you were born.
ReplyDeleteAshley, I also was confused with the swastika references in the story, before I realized that the swastika isn't suppose to be a negative symbol. However true that may be, I feel it will always carry a negative association now, due to its horrible history.
I researched Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi; because I was interested in the peace movement that Appa was so devoted to that he ultimately sacrificed himself for. I learned that it was a resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, although it was through total nonviolence. Gandhi amazes me, because he led the way to resist injustice in a peaceful manner, that was emulated all over the world. So often we feel that war is the only answer, however he proved that change can be done through peace and nonviolence, which we saw with our own civil rights movement in the United States. I didn't know that Gandhi was well educated and was a lawyer. He lived so simply, that this fact surprised me.
I have never heard of the researcher in literature circles. I think this is an awesome role. I know that my research enhanced my literature experience and reading everyone else's research really brought many points forward. I think this book in particular had many references to be explored. There is little overlap in our topics which really allows each member of the lit. circle to explore their own area of interest. I think teens would like this individualized approach to their learning.
ReplyDeleteI found myself frequently questioning the caste system as I read this book. I remembered a few things from a undergraduate class on the Indian culture, but I wanted to learn more about where if this tradition still takes place in this modern age, and if so is it still fairly common or followed in certain sections of India?
ReplyDeleteAs I read through several sites online, I found that social order is still alive and followed by many citizen of India. Citizens in urban areas are more relaxed with the social castes, while rural areas focus a great deal on the castes. I also found that some states have implemented a positive discrimination, which mandates a certain percentage of jobs and openings in schools go to people from a particular lower caste. It seems as though even though the systems are not as strict as previous times, but the lower castes are still looked at as “untouchable.” Gandhi named the lowest caste the Harijan, children of god, to help accept the lowest level of the social order; this piece of the social order is still seen as dirty and not pure. Social order takes place in their culture. The following is one site where I found some information. The other national geographic is the beginning to a cover story on the caste system.
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Talk/talk.politics.misc/2008-02/msg00137.html
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0306/feature1/index.html
Hi Ladies, I also didn't realize the swastika came from the Hindu religion. I agree that it will through many cultures hold a negative perception due to the world's history. Too many fresh memories are still held in the minds of those who experienced it.
ReplyDeleteI have also never heard of the researcher as a role in literature cirlce. I think this is an excellent way for students to gain more understanding of what they are reading and a deeper interest and desire to learn more.
Sarah, I found the research you did on how caste systems are a part of Indian culture in the present very interesting. While I found it fascinating in the story, I did not give a second thought to how it was now. I guess I assumed it was not as prominent nowl. The way they keep jobs open for people in lower castes sounds like affirmative action in the United States. I am not surprised that Ghandi gave the lowest caste a name with a positive meaning. The belief that they were unclean would be such a hard thing to change people's thinking about. I think it would be interesting to see what caste the majority of people are from in the slums of India. It sounds like they would be from the lowest castes.
ReplyDelete