evaluation of the blog

Of course working with the blog is really time- consuming and sometimes it was hard to overcome my laziness. Still I think working with a blog has a lot of advantages:

1. I was somehow forced to do the homeworks

2. The teacher is paying regard to all the texts

3. I concentrated on the spelling and the language

4. I went in for a closer look on the book, than I usually would have done

5. It was helpful to read and look at other blogs and it was an incentive as well

6. It was far more easier to include pictures or interesting links etc.

conclusion: I liked/ like working with the blogs and would like to continue with it, although I would sometimes like to have more precise tasks…

 Paula !

film review: Heat and Dust

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First of all I have to say that I can hardly find something positive to say about the film in comparison with the book.

The aspect of the cultural clashes between India and Britain, the Indian religions and habits as well as the devaluating behaviour of the Colonialist towards the Indians and the problems this caused was, in my opinion, the most interesting part of the book. These topics, much to my regret, were not well dealt with in the movie “Heat and Dust”.

Besides, the elopement shown right at the beginning of the movie takes away all the tension.

Another huge mistake was made by the directors by not at all paying regard to the importance of the character Maji, who on the one hand represents an important side of Indian culture and the role of the women and on the other hand is very important for the narrator and her personal development.

Seeing that the narrator can actually see the mountains at the end of the movie changes to whole outcome and turns the whole story into a rather “happy” love story. This assertion is supported by the fact that the Nawab’s change into an unattractivee, fat man is left out.

Generally I think the characters are only partly well chosen, although I have to admit that movies usually destroy my own imaginations and therefore disappoint me. Harry is leading the list of the bad chosen characters being, in contrast to the book, rather handsome and small.

Summing up, I would advise everybody to read the book instead of watching the movie, which is a hundred times worse and as well very difficult to understand for somebody, who has not read the book.

greetings Paula

a book review from amazon

“This review is from: Heat and Dust (New Longman Literature) (Paperback)

This is a well-written book that explores Anglo-Indian relations through the power of romance. Set in two distinct eras, colonial India of the nineteen twenties, during the time of the Raj, and the independent, freewheeling India of the seventies, during the time when India was a mecca for disenfranchised youth, it tells the story of two women.

One story is that of Olivia, the wife of a minor district official in colonial India, who in 1923 caused great scandal by running off with the Nawab, a local Indian prince. Divorced by her husband, Douglas, for this scandalous transgression, Olivia remains in India, while Douglas remarries. The second story is that of the narrator, a descendant of Douglas and his second wife. During the nineteen seventies, fascinated by the story of the now deceased Olivia, she goes to India, visiting those locations where Olivia had lived and those that would have been a part of her existence at the time. As did Olivia, she falls under India’s spell. As did Olivia, she, too, has an Anglo-Indian love affair, and picks up where Olivia left off, giving the reader a powerful sense of de-ja vu.

The book is a beguiling story of two women from two different generations who come under the spell of India. The book is evocative of British colonial India, as well as of India of the nineteen seventies. During both eras, Anglo-Indian relations are pivotal to the budding romances. The book is evocative of the rhythms of Indian life in all its richness and tumultuousness, as well as its lingering poverty and superstitions. It is redolent of a time gone by and hopeful of what is to come. It is also an interesting dichotomy of the good and bad in both cultures, Anglo and Indian, and the influence that both cultures have on these two women, who are so different, yet so alike.

This is a book that whets the appetite, leaving the reader wanting more than the author is prepared to give. It is, nonetheless, a book well worth reading. The book was also made into a Merchant Ivory film starring Julie Christie and Greta Scacchi that is well worth watching.”

my comment:

I really agree with the demonstration of the content of the book but although I also like the book somewhow I would not advise someone to read it for good entertainment but for getting interesting information about Indian culure etc.

Paula

a new end..

the narrator:

When I left Maji’s hut I felt much better and I was really looking forward to my pregnancy. Soon I recognised that Inder Lal was not being a father out of conviction and that I did not want to destroy his family, neither did I truly love him. Additionally I more and more noticed the change of my personality India was causing, so I decided to go back to England.

Having retraced Olivia’s life in India I was afraid of living the same life, only 50 years later. Still I wanted to visit Olivia’s house up in the mountains and say good bye to India in an adequate way.

I will miss India, Marji, the culture and of couse Inder Lal, but it is not the country in which English people should live, it belongs to the Indians..  I took the next ship home.

(sorry not that imaginative) - Paula

the end

my opinion

I really do not like the end. During the whole book I was waiting for the turning point or at least a more spectacular elopement. As well I am a person preferring a happy end and this is definitely not given. Everyone just seems to accept the situation, Douglas marries again but does not seem happy, Olivia turns out to live alone, and the Nawab is still in big financial problems and even lost his good looks.Only Harry somehow seems to be satisfied with his life.The only interesting thing about the end of the book is that the narrator suddenly mixes up the to plots, which in my opinion serves to illustrate the climax of the parallels between Olivia’s story and the narrator’s story and of cause supported by the fact that narrator is probably giving birth to her baby at the same place where Olivia lived the rest of her life….

by Paula

Olivias’s baby

by Paula

the narrator’s pregnancy

Heat & Dust page 127-143

Describe the narrator’s feelings about being pregnant:

To say it in the narrator’s own words: “At first I didn’d believe her” ( page 127.l. 28 ). This is basically the way the narrator “feels” about her pregnancy, she seems not to really realize that she is pregnant. This can also be proved by looking at her behaviour during the whole conversation with Maji. The narrator is more interested in Maji’s life and her narratives than in the fact that she is pregnant. This conclusion can be drawn from line 30 on page 128 and from line 11 on page 129, where she herself says that she “forgot about her own case”.

In the end her reaction towards Maji’s offer of an abortion ( laughing and skipping in and out of puddles) however could be seen as an indication of anticipation of the baby and that she declines an abortion.

Attitude towards abortion in the Indian society:

The attitude is being reflected in one single sentence Maji says: “It is a necessary part of an Indian midwife’s qualification because in many cases int is the only way to save people from dishonour and suffering (page.129 ll.7-9). This sentence and the fact that Maji immediately offers the narrator and abortion shows that in India it seems to be quite normal and common.

It is also striking that saving people from dishonour is named before saving them from suffering, which would rather indicate a physical suffering. Dishonour seems to be an often used excuse or reason for an abortion and this information also adverts to the Indian culture, religion and caste system which divides the people into different classes of society. An example for an abortion because of saving the women from dishonour could maybe be that a woman is expecting a child from a man belonging to a lower caste.

by Paula

useful Heat & Dust vocab

page 1-20…

1.induce sb.- persuade sb.

2. shy away from sth – avoid sth. Because you are nervous or frightened of it

3. elope- run away with sb.

4. grope for sth- try and & sth. you cannot see, by feeling

5. steadfast- very loyal

6. bleak- cold & depressing

7. with all your might & main- with all your strength

8. toughened up- made tough & strong

9. contempt- Geringschätzung, Verachtung

10. demure- wohlerzogen

11. conceals sth. – hide sth.

12. packed to bursting point- very full

13. set sb’s teeth on edge- make sb feel physically uncomfortable

14. to be favourably disposed to(wards) sb.- jdm. wohlgesonnen sein

15. obeisance- gesture to show respect

16. impoverished- verarmt

17. interminable- lasting a long time & therefore boring

18. cluster- small group

19. encase sb./sth. – cover sb./sth. completely

20. esteemed – respect and admired

 

by Paula

A Passage to India Heat and Dust

©www.teachwithmovies.org

“A passage to India” is a novel/film, written by E. M. Forster and it depicts the racial tensions and problems between the Indians and the British colonists.

Like in “Heat and Dust” there are to different sorts of British colonists, the ones who totally consider the Indians as subordinate and only accept them as lower workers. As well there are British who are interested in the Indian culture and do not have such prejudices. In “Heat and Dust” during the colonial times, Olivia represents this character somehow, by her relationship to the Nawab and by having respect for the Indian culture and religions. In the film Mrs. Moore and Adela Quested (at least in the beginning) and Cyril Fielding represent this side being interest in Dr. Aziz and in liking him. On the other hand in the book “Heat and Dust” the rest of the colonial society rather belongs to the negative and devaluing side  ,which in the film is represented by nearly everyone of the colonial society belonging to “the club”, including Adela’s  fiancé.It has to be said that the Nawab is wealthy and rich whereas Dr.Aziz is rather poor.Of cause in both stories the British are the  rich and ruling part of the society and the Indians are the poorer and working part of the society.It is as well remarkable that always the British women seem to be more affected by the cultural clashes. Another parallel can be seen in the way that different characters in the book and in the film point out the fact that India somehow changes the people…

by Paula

 

letters

Heat and Dust: p.90-102

  

    © www.fendt.de                  © www.johnny-goertz.de

 Task: Compare and contrast Olivia’s and Chids’s letters.

 

	Olivia’s letters	Chid’s letters
content	- personal events (emotions) - a lot of facts - historical, political information	-mainly philosophy -some facts - a request
look	-clear and graceful handwriting -written on delicate lilac stationary with scent - ink is faint but look as if written yesterday	- very stained and crumpled - appear soaked in spices, urine and betel - written on impersonal post office forms
emotions	-very emotional (written fast) -intensely personal	-absolutely impersonal
meaning for narrator	- part of her past (historical documents) - reason for journey -important information about India -comparison to her life	-interesting documents -didn’t think Chid would remember her and look back -( important for Inder Lal) - letters addressed to her not to Marcia

 

 

by Paula