Motifs+and+Symbols

MOTIFS: The English Teacher 1.  ****Jasmine: **  a.  Symbolises happiness at parts and foreshadows some bad endings.   b.  Links to Susila   c.  Represents love and family life   d.  Repeated throughout the last chapter as if to foreshadow his successful link to his wife   <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">Quotes: <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">48 || <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Krishna <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> nicknames Susila Jasmine ||
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">55 || <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Krishna <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> names the house ‘The Jasmine Home’ ||
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">178 || <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Krishna <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> receives a Jasmine garland when he retires and hangs it in his bedroom before he sleeps. He says ‘Their essences came forth into the dark night as I lay in bed, bringing a new vigour with them.’ This is the first time that he actually sees Susila’s spirit. ||

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">a. Peculiarly, Krishna personifies his alarm clock <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">b. The alarm clock provides Krishna with an aspect of chaos in his routine life <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">c. Even though the clock does not alarm regularly and is not entirely dependable, Krishna continues to rely on it, and somehow it does manage to function adequately when called upon most times. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">d. Krishna treats the clock as if it is human, he doesn’t have friends at the hostel so he talks to his clock. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">e. The clock starts his new routines e.g. first swim in the river <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">f. Krishna used Taine’s book to stop it from ringing=English taking over India. Another motif introduced here is the Taine’s History of Literature <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">Quotes: <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">P.5 <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">In order to get up early to go for a swim in Chapter 1, Krishna sets the alarm and tells it ‘Much depends on you.’ <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">P.5 If I placed a heavy book, like Taine’s History of Literature…it stopped shrieking.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> 2.  **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> **Alarm clock:**

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> a.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">A place for calming, relaxation of the soul <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> b.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">Krishna <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> goes to relief his stress, to take a walk or to write poems. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> c.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">River=optimism and happiness <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> d.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">Hinduism=rivers wash you clean of sins <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">P.6 <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">After swimming Krishna has ‘a new lease of life.’ <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">P.137 <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">The municipal government use the beauty of the river Sarayu to make up for the town’s poor services <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New';"> 3.  ****<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';">River: **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> a.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Connects life and death (when he tried to communicate with Susila, had to sit at near a shrine or a temple) <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> b.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Believes praying can save them from death <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> c.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Indian’s religion over English <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> d.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">A way to express their opinions on the English colonial rule (when headmaster decided to pray before his meal).
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> 4.  ****<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Praying: **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> a.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">A place for communication <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> b.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">A place for reunion <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> c.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Good memories from the house are made here “My wife liked the veranda”. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> d.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">It’s a place for “business” discussions and family time
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> 5.  ****<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The veranda: **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> a.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">Krishna <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">’s clichéd and pathetic attempts to write poetry reinforce his arrogant and pretentious nature <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> b.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">Krishna seems to view poetry as something romantic, a way to demonstrate that he has hidden emotional depths, when, in reality, his inability to find a subject to write about shows that he has only the most shallow understanding of what it is to write poetry. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> c.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';"> Loses his pretentiousness, and his desire to write poetry as the novel progresses and as he gains emotional depth through his various experiences. Examples: <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> i.   <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">The poem about hostel toilets being hell and God using them as a form of punishment which ‘promises to be a very good poem’ <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> ii. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">The ice pack poem‘ <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> iii. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">The handsomely bound notebooks’ contain Krishna’s ‘most cherished thoughts on life and nature and humanity’ <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> 6.  ****<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Krishna ****<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">’s poetry: **

<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> a.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Krishna <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">’s appreciation of his wife in this dress <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> b.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Symbolizes his affection towards his wife portraying his true inner love for her, **“I looked at her indigo saree and smiled to myself”** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> c.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Symbolizes wife. –it was on her when she lived and when she died it went with her <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> d.  <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Shows that Krishna couldn’t bear to see it lying around the house unless it was on his wife
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> 7.  ****<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Indigo Saree: **

<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">          **8. Light:**

a. The first poem Krishna wrote about Susila was based around themes of light. Light can be associated with heaven, or the afterlife, and therefore the use of light to describe Susila may have been a foreshadowing of her death.

When she first gleamed upon my sight: A lovely apparition, sent To be a moment's ornament ... And yet a spirit still, and bright With something of an angel-light" (page 41 - 42)
 * Quote** - "She was a phantom of delight

b. Krishna, after Susila's death, regretted the fact that he had never been able to take a walk with Susila along the river by the moonlight, as they had planned to do together before she died.

Quotes Susila: "Even when you just think of me anywhere and everywhere, on the road, at home, or on the river bank when a streak of moonlight lights the water surface, and you think of me, I feel it and know your thoughts." Krishna: " Suddenly there **dawned** on me the meaning of her statement: ' When you see the moonlight lighting up the water surface.' Weeks ago, in my period of desolation, as I sat on the sands of Sarayu, a late moon rose in the east, and the flowing water shimmered with it. It only added to my desolation. Again, it reminded me of my wife. How often had she expressed a wish to walk along the river in moonlight, and for all the years of married life I had not been able to give her that fulfilment even once; some pointless thing postponed it every time; we never went out in the moonlight at all. And this regret tormented me when I saw moonlight on water, that night..."

c. When Krishna describes Susila's beauty, he usually associates her with having a glow, or having light. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Courier New'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Angsana New';">