Siljeheat's Weblog

Key scenes of the movie “Gandhi”

siljeheat — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:37:25 +0000

The scene on the train in South Africa, where Gandhi is thrown out.

The behaviour of the conductor clarifies to Gandhi the attitude of whites towards coloured people. For the first time he realizes the injustice of the British and their empire.

His arrival in India.

The crowd of people show, who much influence and support Gandhi has in India. Probably all of them have the same opinion as Gandhi and without their suoort, he wouldn’t have reached his aims.

The salt march.

The conversation between Nehru, Jinnah and Gandhi, when they talk about Indias future.

The fast during the riots.

Gandhis behaviour in this scene proves the absolutness of his attitude. He made no compromises.

The assassination scene at the end of the film.

Whereas the narrator decides to get the baby, Olivia opts for an abortion. What could have been the author’s reason to end the plots in such different ways? How do you feel about the way both women deal with their pregnancy?

siljeheat — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:00:40 +0000

I think with the different ends of the two plotlines, the author wanted to show the differences between Olivia and the narrator. Both have different characters and their situations are different as well. Olivia has a weak character and she is dependant of a man, who cares for her. I already showed in the letter from Olivia to Marcia, that Olivia probably has no other choice than an abortion. The narrator is the contrary of Olivia. She is a strong person and independent. She is able to care for her baby on her own, as she can work and earn money.

I can understand both of them, Olivia and the narrator. Olivia has to do the abortion, because she has no other choice. Her behavior is irresponsible, she should have thought about a pregnancy before she had sex with the Nawab. I don’t feel sorry for her. However, she got pregnant and I understand that she couldn’t keep her baby. And she has surely bad conscience because of her abortion, this is punishment enough. The narrator is able to care for her baby. She can leave Satipur and live somewhere else, without Inder Lal, so he isn’t burdened. At first, the narrator wants to abort her baby. I guess that she didn’t really thought about it. But while Maji is doing the abortion, the narrator feels that this is wrong.

Write a letter from Olivia to Marcia concerning her dilemma regarding the paternity and her pregnancy

siljeheat — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:47:02 +0000

Dear Marcia,

yesterday I found out, that I’m pregnant. As I already wrote to you, I have been wishing to gat a baby for several months. I thought I could strengthen my relationship to Douglas. Well, everything could be perfect now, if I knew the father. I’m not sure if I had already told you, but I had sex with the Nawab, so I’m not able to say who is the father. I don’t know what to do, because it would become visibly who is the father. Probably, my only choice is an abortion, but I don’t think that I could kill my baby. Furthermore, my baby is a part of Douglas or the Nawab as well and if I would kill the baby, I would kill a part of one of them, too.

So an abortion would be the last step to do. I’m not sure: would Douglas forgive me for my carry on with the Nawab? I don’t think so, he hates the Nawab and if he knows everything abut my relationship to him, Douglas would surely disown me. And I don’t think he would believe that I had a liaison with another Indian man. And what would say the Nawab, if I would tell him he was my babys father and my baby is white? He would know that I told a lie and it is Douglas’ baby. The Nawab is too proud to accept a foreign baby in his palast, especially if it’s a white one. And there’r the Begum, she would never let this happen, too. Besides, I can’t imagine that the Nawab would let me live in his palace or even marry me. His feelings concering the British are to blended.

Well,I guess I really have no choice. I have to kill the baby. Oh my god, what have I done. Killing my baby because of my infidelity is a shame. Please don’t tell it anybody! And please: write back! I need your help and your support, you’re the only one I can talk to!

Yours, Olivia

What attitude to abortion comes across in this section, and what does it say about Indian society?

siljeheat — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:59:39 +0000

In this section, Maji informs the narrator that she was pregnant. She also tells her about the midwives in Satipur, which will come to her to offer her their services. Later, she also tells the narrator, that she had been a midwife, too, and she could help her. At first the narrator doesn’t understand, but then she realizes, that Maji offers her to make an abortion. She also assures the narrator that she could trust her, as she knows all about it. This qualification was very necessary, because “in many cases it is the only way to save people from dishonor and suffering” (p.129, ll.8-9). In addition to that, Maji explains the narrator, that there are “several ways to procure an abortion and she has at one time or other performed all of them” (p.129, ll.6-7). She tells the narrator about these abortions and the narrator is fascinated of them.

The section proves that abortion is a very important subject in India. I can imagine that there are several reasons to make an abortion, for example the lack of contraceptives. I’m sure that Inder Lal couldn’t stand the dishonor, if the narrator’s pregnancy would become public. Another possible reason, we already talked about in our school lessons, is, that many families couldn’t pay an expansive wedding and the dowry, if they’d get a girl. So they make an abortion because of absence of money. As the public health system and the hygiene in India aren’t the best, the risk, that the mother or the baby die, is pretty high. Perhaps families that know they couldn’t care for a baby prefer an abortion.

All in all, there are many possibilities, why a woman or a family makes an abortion. However, I got the impression, that an abortion isn’t something special in India; at least the narrator doesn’t seem to be shocked by Maji’s offering. It seems odd, because in Europe an abortion is always something negative and the parents are always accused.

Why does Olivia so eagerly wish to have a baby?

siljeheat — Sun, 04 May 2008 14:28:28 +0000

In my opinion, there are two possible reasons, why Olivia would love to have a baby.

On the one hand, there’s the fact that she is alone. She has Harry and the Nawab, but if she had a baby, she would have something to care for, a new occupation. Something like a task, she has to fulfill

On the other hand, this baby would be another connection between Olivia and Douglas. If Olivia is together with his baby, it reminds her about Douglas. Perhaps it would look like him and Olivia would love to have a part of his husband with her the whole day. In addition to that, the relationship between her and Douglas would change, too. They would have something else to talk about. Above all, Olivia and Douglas have not much in common, concerning their daily life. This baby could strengthen their relationship.

Describe the relationship between the narrator and Chid

siljeheat — Sun, 04 May 2008 13:12:20 +0000

The relationship between the narrator and Chid is somehow one-sided.The narrator and Inder Lal find Chid in a tomb, where he is living. He is ill and in a very bad condition. He asks the narrator, if he might live with her. The narrator is reluctant, but Inder Lal seems to be interested in him and in his kmowledge about Hinduism, so they take him home with them. A few days later, Chid is healthy again, but still lives with the narrator. He eats the food, she prepares for him and enjoys his stay. But the narrator doesn’t like his presence, not only because he exploits her hospitality, but he also uses her for his sexual satisfaction. This means to Chid, that he reaches a higher state of consciousness, but the narrator just feels used. Nevertheless, she feels a kind of emanation, which doesn’t come from him, but from the power surroundung him. In addition to that, the inhabitants of the town considers his stay as a privilege and an opportunity to acquire merit by serving him in charity. Besides, Inder Lal likes Chid very much and the narrator accepts Chid, although she is annoyed of him. But finally, Maji convinces him to go on a pilgramage. Chid agrees and the narrator is happy to get rid of him.

The suttee

siljeheat — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:17:18 +0000

In my opinion, the author of the thesis interpretated Olivias behavior wrong. I don’t think that she is in favour for this ritual, as she isn’t interested in the indian culture in general. She pretends to be, because she is looking for attention. Anybody, especially Douglas, is interested in her opinion. They seem to ignore her, because she isn’t involved in the indian, daily life. With her comment on the suttee, she provocates and gets the attention of the others. In addition to that, Olivia feels untended by Douglas. He is working the whole day and they havn’t much time to talk to each other.

So with her comment, she reaches her goal and is attended by the others and Douglas.

Plotting the Story (pp.24-49)

siljeheat — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:13:27 +0000

Explain why it is difficult (p. 30, l. 11) for Olivia in Satipur.

I think there are several circumstances, which make it difficult for Olivia to live in Satipur.

She is married with Douglas for just four months. This is not too long, so I’m sure that she misses him a lot. Douglas works the whole day and Olivia and he see each other only in the morning and in the evening. And in the evening, Douglas works, too. Olivia doesn’t know about Douglas’ work, so she doesn’t really understand what is on his mind and I think this is not helpful in a relationship. In addition to that, Olivia hasn’t got many other friends. When she’s together with the other British women like Beth Crawford and Mary Minnies, she feels like an outsider. She hasn’t got much in common with the other women, because they’re older and had surely went through hard times together, so they are best friends and have no real ambition to get to know Olivia better. We can see this, when they only talk about superficial subjects.

Besides, Olivia isn’t a very open-minded character. She prefers to be at home, where she feels protected and where she is reminded to her home. She isn’t interested in other cultures and doesn’t want to explore her new home, India. I’m sure she would prefer to live in Great-Britain, but for Douglas’ sake she stays in India.

Plotting the Story (pp. 24-49)

siljeheat — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:43:02 +0000

Outline the experiences of the „odd trio“(p. 26, l. 3), describing their motivation for coming to India and their feelings now.

The “odd trio” contains a couple and another young man. They are British. The couple got interested in the Hindu religion, when they visited a swami in London. The atmosphere and his words about love influenced them strongly, so they decided to visit India, searching for spiritual enrichment. When they finally reached India, they experienced a whole lot of misadventures during their journey through the country. They were robbed, cheated; the girl had been molested and so on. They also got ill. Now they seem to feel disappointed and embittered. Especially the girl is very indignant and disappointed of the people, who are all “dirty and dishonest”.

The other man came to India, after he had read some Hindu scriptures. In India, he had found a guru, who had given him initiation. From that point on, he lives as an ascetic, without any possession. He also travels through the country, to visit several temples. His food, he has to collect in a bowl, but this doesn’t work very well, so his family has to send him money. He had some illnesses too. At first, he wasn’t disappointed of India, like the couple, but now he had “renounced the world”. Nevertheless, he still lives as an ascetic and doesn’t seem to feel as disappointed as the couple.

Biography of the unkempt European (Diary entry No. 1)

siljeheat — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:07:06 +0000

Biography of the unkempt European (Diary entry No. 1)

If I had known what was waiting for me in India, I would have stayed at home. My aim was to let the old, boring world behind me and settle down in India, this marvellous country. Some friends of mine, who had already visited India, had told me about it and I became totally enthusiastic about it. They reported on the beautiful countryside, the friendly people and the spiritual experiences they had made. I started dreaming about it, about the life I would live there. The reason for my dream has probably been my knowledge about reality. My whole family was arguing. My parents splitted up with my grand-parents, because my grandfather had been a party member of the NSDAP and has still been a Nazi. I hated them too, but this conflict was not the only reason for my escape from Europe. It has been the whole, western society. The most important matter was: Money! All they cared about was money. Money and how to earn it. No place for feelings and dreams. For love and friendship. This had been my image of my home, before I left it. One day I had the chance to flee: My best friend and his sister decided to leave home for travelling all over the Asian continent. Immediatly I saw my perfect image of India in front of my eyes and without thinking another second about it, I decided to join them. The first months, all of us were really happy and content. We had n’t much, but we didn’t need much to eat. We had all these impressions to digest. Six months after our departure, we finally reached Bombay and decided to stay there for some time. Our plan was to search jobs and to look for a spiritual community, we could join. Unfortunately, we failed. Slowly we realized that it wasn’t that easy to live in this strange country. We missed our families and friends, the familiar environment, the german food and our whole, comfortable life. At the same time, our money seemed to flow away. My best friends’ sister was the the first who wanted to go back home. She became more and more frightened every day. Three months after our arrival in Bombay, my best friend got ill. He became a victim of the smallpox epidemic. That was the final argument for them to leave India. But I hadn’t finished with my dream, I wanted to stay. I wondered, how they planned their return journey, both of them hadn’t enough money. When I asked them about this subject, they told me that they wanted to collecht some money and leave as early as possible. This was the last conversation. The next day they had gone, not without taking my whole money with them. This was the turning point. I had nothing, only the clothes on my body. I wasn’t able to pay the hostel and lived on the streets, begging for food and something to drink. Of course, I became ill, too. I have no idea what to do; I havn’t got anybody who helps me. India, especially Bombay, possesses enough of these stranded, homeless, illusionated Europeans, who have no place in life. And I’m no exception.