16 July 2017

Another Woman – Imtiaz Dharker (A Detailed Analysis)




Another Woman – Imtiaz Dharker (A Detailed Analysis)
Basic themes on which the poem revolves around

  • Wife/Daughter-in-Law = Servant
  • DOWRY
  • Importance/Significance of the Male compared to the Female
  • Could relate to any ‘Indian’ Woman (rural areas of the Indian Subcontinent)
  • Domestic Violence
  • Born on 1954, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Moved to Glasgow with her parents when she was less than a year old
  • 5 books of poetry, all self illustrated
  • Seen as one of the most inspirational contemporary poets of Britain
  • Awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry


The Poet – in a Nutshell
Ø   Purdah (1989)
Ø   Postcards from God (1997) – including Purdah
Ø   I Speak for the Devil (2001)
Ø   Terrorists at My Table (2006)
Ø   Leaving Fingerprints (2009)
Ø   Over the Moon (2014)
 The Poem – A detailed Summary:

             The poem starts off with the Protagonist buying her usual grocery for her family. She buys ‘methi’, choosing the freshest bunch available. After that, she picks up a radish, imagining the sweet and sharp sensations that it would create in her mouth when she would eat it. But then again, she steps back into reality and keeps the radish aside because the money she has, it is not her money. It is considered as her ‘husband’s family’s money’ and she would not be allowed to spend it the way she liked. There could be no extravagant spending on her part. So, after carefully counting her coins and tying them in a bundle into her sari, she left for home.
When she reaches home, the first thing she faces is her Mother-in-Law’s dark looks. Looks that contained not just anger but hatred of the deepest kind. Without any response, the Protagonist goes on with her work. She cut the ‘methi’ that she had bought and chopped them, turning her hands yellow in the process due to the juice. She finely cut an onion and cooked the whole thing in a pot with salt and cumin seeds on the stove, shielding her face from the heat.

                In the first paragraph we find that the lady, although she is the wife/Daughter-in-Law, she has to live life there with a very servile attitude. Maybe even servants were treated better than she was. At least they would not have to face the dark looks from their masters when they return after buying groceries for their masters. The lady’s life in her husband’s house has no value. She is treated as an object that cleans, cooks, does all the household chores and also as an object on which the other family members can take out their frustration on.

               The Mother-in-Law comes in again and piles up her usual scolding on the Protagonist. She scolds her for spending the money and for countless other reasons which she is not even responsible for. She curses the lady’s parents for giving birth to her and more so for marrying this lady to her son. She feels the Protagonist is a bad omen and due to her presence, the home is darkened.

               In the second paragraph, we find the Mother-in-Law scolding and cursing the Protagonist. The main and the only reason behind this is because the Protagonist’s father/family has not been able to pay the required amount of Dowry.

                      As usual, she crouches on the floor and continues with her work. Her husband comes home and she does not even have the usual liberty of a normal wife to talk to her husband about their day and their problems. The unpaid Dowry stole her every single liberty, even vocal liberties.

                         The third paragraph shows us that the unpaid dowry has caused a failure not just in the lady’s in-laws’ family but also in her marriage, the relationship that only she and her husband shared. She cannot even look him in the eye, forget about talking to him. Their marriage is not even like a marriage. It is more like a failed business deal.

                     She now helplessly watches the flame glow and touch the cheap old pot, “a wing of brightness against its blackened cheek”.
She thinks about her life. About the man with whom she was forced to marry, the house she was forcefully sent to and the future that awaited her, that is, the life which she had to spend there.

                     Paragraph four and five is all about the lady’s thoughts and her contemplation about her own life. As she watches the flame rise up and touches the cheap old pot, she even contemplates this very view. The fire gives a kind of brightness to the pot when it touches the pot and yet, it is the same fire which in the long run blackens the ‘cheek’ of the pot. She can totally relate this view to her life as marriage being the fire and her life being the pot. The marriage gives her the status of a respectable woman in the society but it is the same marriage which is the reason for most of the unhappy things in her life.

                          After much pain and contemplation, she threw the kerosene on herself. For her, it was the only escape. It was the only choice she ever had.

                        The last paragraph depicts the helplessness of the protagonist. For her, death is the only relief from this lifelong journey of pain and torture. This was the only way she could get peace and she went for it, losing her life in the bargain

                     The last three lines are the strongest lines in the poem. It depicts that she immolates herself in search for peace and escape from torture.

“Another torch, blazing in the dark
Another woman
We shield our faces from the heat”

                      Those three lines are like a separate Nanotale by itself. It talks about ‘another’ woman setting herself on fire, giving light in the dark.
‘Another’ depicts that it is a very common thing in the land. This incident could take place with any woman because the treatment is almost the same.

                   The last line shows the failure, the failure of her family, her in-Laws’ family, her husband and also the society, her family’s failure by not looking for good husband and household for her daughter and also for not paying the Dowry. Her in-Laws’ failed by treating her as an object and torturing her throughout. Her husband failed by not giving her the status, respect and treatment that a wife deserves and lastly, the society’s failure. Even after knowing everything, they just keep quiet and do not seem to bother about it, just like “shielding the faces from the heat”

Afterthoughts:

                 The title of the poem is very aptly chosen as it is a very prevalent and common thing, at least in the rural areas of the Indian Subcontinent, where these customs are followed. Mrs. Dharker, being a British citizen, has written a very effective and factual poem on the customs prevalent in her land of birth and the nations around it. The title, in my opinion, is the most effective one because this treatment and this incident can happen to any woman. Any other woman. Maybe not in the western countries but here, the Indian Subcontinent, especially rural areas, any married woman can/could relate to this poem.
This poem is like the song which plays in every married woman’s head but she is scared to sing it out, due to the fear that it might just become a reality for her and in that way her very life would be at stake.

Thanks to Sri Rohan Pradhan for his contribution.







Another Woman – Imtiaz Dharker (A Detailed Analysis)
Basic themes on which the poem revolves around

  • Wife/Daughter-in-Law = Servant
  • DOWRY
  • Importance/Significance of the Male compared to the Female
  • Could relate to any ‘Indian’ Woman (rural areas of the Indian Subcontinent)
  • Domestic Violence
  • Born on 1954, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Moved to Glasgow with her parents when she was less than a year old
  • 5 books of poetry, all self illustrated
  • Seen as one of the most inspirational contemporary poets of Britain
  • Awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry


The Poet – in a Nutshell
Ø   Purdah (1989)
Ø   Postcards from God (1997) – including Purdah
Ø   I Speak for the Devil (2001)
Ø   Terrorists at My Table (2006)
Ø   Leaving Fingerprints (2009)
Ø   Over the Moon (2014)
 The Poem – A detailed Summary:

             The poem starts off with the Protagonist buying her usual grocery for her family. She buys ‘methi’, choosing the freshest bunch available. After that, she picks up a radish, imagining the sweet and sharp sensations that it would create in her mouth when she would eat it. But then again, she steps back into reality and keeps the radish aside because the money she has, it is not her money. It is considered as her ‘husband’s family’s money’ and she would not be allowed to spend it the way she liked. There could be no extravagant spending on her part. So, after carefully counting her coins and tying them in a bundle into her sari, she left for home.
When she reaches home, the first thing she faces is her Mother-in-Law’s dark looks. Looks that contained not just anger but hatred of the deepest kind. Without any response, the Protagonist goes on with her work. She cut the ‘methi’ that she had bought and chopped them, turning her hands yellow in the process due to the juice. She finely cut an onion and cooked the whole thing in a pot with salt and cumin seeds on the stove, shielding her face from the heat.

                In the first paragraph we find that the lady, although she is the wife/Daughter-in-Law, she has to live life there with a very servile attitude. Maybe even servants were treated better than she was. At least they would not have to face the dark looks from their masters when they return after buying groceries for their masters. The lady’s life in her husband’s house has no value. She is treated as an object that cleans, cooks, does all the household chores and also as an object on which the other family members can take out their frustration on.

               The Mother-in-Law comes in again and piles up her usual scolding on the Protagonist. She scolds her for spending the money and for countless other reasons which she is not even responsible for. She curses the lady’s parents for giving birth to her and more so for marrying this lady to her son. She feels the Protagonist is a bad omen and due to her presence, the home is darkened.

               In the second paragraph, we find the Mother-in-Law scolding and cursing the Protagonist. The main and the only reason behind this is because the Protagonist’s father/family has not been able to pay the required amount of Dowry.

                      As usual, she crouches on the floor and continues with her work. Her husband comes home and she does not even have the usual liberty of a normal wife to talk to her husband about their day and their problems. The unpaid Dowry stole her every single liberty, even vocal liberties.

                         The third paragraph shows us that the unpaid dowry has caused a failure not just in the lady’s in-laws’ family but also in her marriage, the relationship that only she and her husband shared. She cannot even look him in the eye, forget about talking to him. Their marriage is not even like a marriage. It is more like a failed business deal.

                     She now helplessly watches the flame glow and touch the cheap old pot, “a wing of brightness against its blackened cheek”.
She thinks about her life. About the man with whom she was forced to marry, the house she was forcefully sent to and the future that awaited her, that is, the life which she had to spend there.

                     Paragraph four and five is all about the lady’s thoughts and her contemplation about her own life. As she watches the flame rise up and touches the cheap old pot, she even contemplates this very view. The fire gives a kind of brightness to the pot when it touches the pot and yet, it is the same fire which in the long run blackens the ‘cheek’ of the pot. She can totally relate this view to her life as marriage being the fire and her life being the pot. The marriage gives her the status of a respectable woman in the society but it is the same marriage which is the reason for most of the unhappy things in her life.

                          After much pain and contemplation, she threw the kerosene on herself. For her, it was the only escape. It was the only choice she ever had.

                        The last paragraph depicts the helplessness of the protagonist. For her, death is the only relief from this lifelong journey of pain and torture. This was the only way she could get peace and she went for it, losing her life in the bargain

                     The last three lines are the strongest lines in the poem. It depicts that she immolates herself in search for peace and escape from torture.

“Another torch, blazing in the dark
Another woman
We shield our faces from the heat”

                      Those three lines are like a separate Nanotale by itself. It talks about ‘another’ woman setting herself on fire, giving light in the dark.
‘Another’ depicts that it is a very common thing in the land. This incident could take place with any woman because the treatment is almost the same.

                   The last line shows the failure, the failure of her family, her in-Laws’ family, her husband and also the society, her family’s failure by not looking for good husband and household for her daughter and also for not paying the Dowry. Her in-Laws’ failed by treating her as an object and torturing her throughout. Her husband failed by not giving her the status, respect and treatment that a wife deserves and lastly, the society’s failure. Even after knowing everything, they just keep quiet and do not seem to bother about it, just like “shielding the faces from the heat”

Afterthoughts:

                 The title of the poem is very aptly chosen as it is a very prevalent and common thing, at least in the rural areas of the Indian Subcontinent, where these customs are followed. Mrs. Dharker, being a British citizen, has written a very effective and factual poem on the customs prevalent in her land of birth and the nations around it. The title, in my opinion, is the most effective one because this treatment and this incident can happen to any woman. Any other woman. Maybe not in the western countries but here, the Indian Subcontinent, especially rural areas, any married woman can/could relate to this poem.
This poem is like the song which plays in every married woman’s head but she is scared to sing it out, due to the fear that it might just become a reality for her and in that way her very life would be at stake.

Thanks to Sri Rohan Pradhan for his contribution.




11 July 2017

Read and Reflect Activity for Formative Assessment a model

A Model Read and Reflect Activity for Formative Assessment


It is an attempt to give a model Read and Reflect reporting under Formative Assessment. Here it is tried to give two models, particularly written work. One is "Review of a Story" and the other is "Review of a Poem." If you like it share the link in  your social media. To download the file click the link given below.


A Model Read and Reflect Activity for Formative Assessment


It is an attempt to give a model Read and Reflect reporting under Formative Assessment. Here it is tried to give two models, particularly written work. One is "Review of a Story" and the other is "Review of a Poem." If you like it share the link in  your social media. To download the file click the link given below.


25 June 2017

A MODEL PROJECT WORK AND IT'S REPORT FOR UNIT 1 CLASS 10 ENGLISH AND THE SUPPORTING MATERIAL


A MODEL PROJECT WORK AND IT'S REPORT FOR UNIT 1 CLASS 10 ENGLISH AND THE SUPPORTING MATERIAL

Here is a model project report for the students of class ten for their English subject unit-1 for TS modified syllabus for the year 2017-18. And it is given the detailed information how to write a project report and how to do a project and the process of the project work. You may download it by clicking the link given below. For more updated please visit frequently to this site. Thank you.



A MODEL PROJECT WORK AND IT'S REPORT FOR UNIT 1 CLASS 10 ENGLISH AND THE SUPPORTING MATERIAL

Here is a model project report for the students of class ten for their English subject unit-1 for TS modified syllabus for the year 2017-18. And it is given the detailed information how to write a project report and how to do a project and the process of the project work. You may download it by clicking the link given below. For more updated please visit frequently to this site. Thank you.


28 March 2017

50 Simple Comprehension questions from Attitude is Altitude, the key words and structural words

50 Simple Comprehension questions from Attitude is Altitude,  the key words and structural words


                          Here is a list of simple comprehension questions from Attitude is Altitude for the children to comprehend the text better. They can take the help of the textbook to answer the questions. So that one could gain confidence to answer oneself. The list of key words and structural words is given for help. You can download the pdf file by clicking the link at the end of the post.

50 Simple Comprehension questions from Attitude is Altitude,  the key words and structural words


                          Here is a list of simple comprehension questions from Attitude is Altitude for the children to comprehend the text better. They can take the help of the textbook to answer the questions. So that one could gain confidence to answer oneself. The list of key words and structural words is given for help. You can download the pdf file by clicking the link at the end of the post.

19 March 2017

Key for SA 3 English AP for classes 6 to 9 (expected only)

ENGLISH
*SA III : IX Class: Paper-I- Part-B: Key Sheet:.*                                                            
 9) a- is,.    b- control,.  c- moderation, d- while,  e- discipline.         
10). 1  - C,. 2 - D,.  3 - C,.  4 - D,. 5 - B.                       
11) If I had played well, I would have won the game.
12) Is every part of the Earth sacred to people?                                   
13) The Head Master asked Swami why he had not come to school previous day.                                     
 14) No sooner had I arrived at the station than the bus came in.               
15) As he raced down the golden- lined wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by.   
16) After he had completed his homework, he went to bed.                            
17) You should not write something  bad on the blackboard.                            
18) Could you stop smoking here, please?                                                       
19) A,.  20) i- d,. ii - d

*SA - III : VIII CLASS        English- Paper - I : Part - B.  
 Key Sheet:.*                                                      
8) a - steps,  b - steadily,. c - ran,. d - immediately.                                                  
9)a - lost/ unowned / lacked, b - hard, c - ugly,.  d - robust/ indelicate / strong/ tough....                     10) a- travel, b - practise,.    c - medical,.  d - moved.                                
11)a) I - ou ,.  ii - ua ,       b) i -  ment  , ii - tely ,       c) i - tradition,  ii - calculation,.                                              
12) Persons: nurse, widow,. Beadle, giant,.                                                         
Things: armchair, ladle, letter, blackboard.                                               
13) a)sum= a quantity of money.            
He borrowed a large sum.                    b) quiet = silent,.                                       The room was dark and quiet.                 c) mind= be bothered by,.                       I don't mind your behaviour.                      d) answer= to give the answer,.           You can answer the riddle easily.          ( Any other relevant answer should be considered)                                           
14) a - an ,.  b - to,.   c - his ,   d - was.                                                          
 15) 1  - A,.    2 - B ,.  3 - C,. 4 - A.                
 16) A) 1 - isn't it?                                           2 - don't you?                                             B) I) Rani asked John what he was doing.                                                              ii) John said that he was watching  a movie.                                                    C) I) Swathi, my younger sister, lives in Amravati.                                     ii) Gandhi, the Father of Nation, fought for freedom.                                 iii) Pattiseema, the river linking canal, feeds Krishna and Guntur Districts.

*SA III: VII Class:.                                        English : Part-B -. Key Sheet :.*                   
8) a - selected,. b - kingly                       
9) a - timid,. b - displeased/ unhappy/ sad.                                                
10) a - angry,. b - cruelty ,.                         
11) A ) ea , ia,    B) i- lly ,. ii - ment,      C ) proposal.                                     
12) Persons: thief,. granny,.                     Places: porch,. bed,.                                 
13) A)  i ) pm - post meridian.                            ii) DVD- Digital Versatile Disc.                       B )   2- arrangement,. 3- fixedly,  4- darkness,. 5 - bravery.                              
14) a - a,.  b - learn,.  c - and,. d - it.        
15) 1- A,. 2 - B,.  3- A/ B,.  4- B,.              
16)A)  a) Tendulkar is greater than Lara. b) No other soldier in the world was as great as Alexander.      B) (I) B,. (ii) A.                     C) on, at, in
*It is not an Official key-shared by What's App Groups...Wait for official key*
ENGLISH
*SA III : IX Class: Paper-I- Part-B: Key Sheet:.*                                                            
 9) a- is,.    b- control,.  c- moderation, d- while,  e- discipline.         
10). 1  - C,. 2 - D,.  3 - C,.  4 - D,. 5 - B.                       
11) If I had played well, I would have won the game.
12) Is every part of the Earth sacred to people?                                   
13) The Head Master asked Swami why he had not come to school previous day.                                     
 14) No sooner had I arrived at the station than the bus came in.               
15) As he raced down the golden- lined wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by.   
16) After he had completed his homework, he went to bed.                            
17) You should not write something  bad on the blackboard.                            
18) Could you stop smoking here, please?                                                       
19) A,.  20) i- d,. ii - d

*SA - III : VIII CLASS        English- Paper - I : Part - B.  
 Key Sheet:.*                                                      
8) a - steps,  b - steadily,. c - ran,. d - immediately.                                                  
9)a - lost/ unowned / lacked, b - hard, c - ugly,.  d - robust/ indelicate / strong/ tough....                     10) a- travel, b - practise,.    c - medical,.  d - moved.                                
11)a) I - ou ,.  ii - ua ,       b) i -  ment  , ii - tely ,       c) i - tradition,  ii - calculation,.                                              
12) Persons: nurse, widow,. Beadle, giant,.                                                         
Things: armchair, ladle, letter, blackboard.                                               
13) a)sum= a quantity of money.            
He borrowed a large sum.                    b) quiet = silent,.                                       The room was dark and quiet.                 c) mind= be bothered by,.                       I don't mind your behaviour.                      d) answer= to give the answer,.           You can answer the riddle easily.          ( Any other relevant answer should be considered)                                           
14) a - an ,.  b - to,.   c - his ,   d - was.                                                          
 15) 1  - A,.    2 - B ,.  3 - C,. 4 - A.                
 16) A) 1 - isn't it?                                           2 - don't you?                                             B) I) Rani asked John what he was doing.                                                              ii) John said that he was watching  a movie.                                                    C) I) Swathi, my younger sister, lives in Amravati.                                     ii) Gandhi, the Father of Nation, fought for freedom.                                 iii) Pattiseema, the river linking canal, feeds Krishna and Guntur Districts.

*SA III: VII Class:.                                        English : Part-B -. Key Sheet :.*                   
8) a - selected,. b - kingly                       
9) a - timid,. b - displeased/ unhappy/ sad.                                                
10) a - angry,. b - cruelty ,.                         
11) A ) ea , ia,    B) i- lly ,. ii - ment,      C ) proposal.                                     
12) Persons: thief,. granny,.                     Places: porch,. bed,.                                 
13) A)  i ) pm - post meridian.                            ii) DVD- Digital Versatile Disc.                       B )   2- arrangement,. 3- fixedly,  4- darkness,. 5 - bravery.                              
14) a - a,.  b - learn,.  c - and,. d - it.        
15) 1- A,. 2 - B,.  3- A/ B,.  4- B,.              
16)A)  a) Tendulkar is greater than Lara. b) No other soldier in the world was as great as Alexander.      B) (I) B,. (ii) A.                     C) on, at, in
*It is not an Official key-shared by What's App Groups...Wait for official key*

07 February 2017

FA4 model sliptests in English subject for classes 6th to 10th for AP syllabus


FA4 model slip tests in English subject for classes 6th to 10th for AP syllabus



Here are the model formative assessment 4 (FA4) slip tests for Andhra Pradesh Syllabus in English language for classes 6th to 10th. To download the model slip test question papers click the links given below.

6th class        7th class        8th class        0th class        10th class

FA4 model slip tests in English subject for classes 6th to 10th for AP syllabus



Here are the model formative assessment 4 (FA4) slip tests for Andhra Pradesh Syllabus in English language for classes 6th to 10th. To download the model slip test question papers click the links given below.

6th class        7th class        8th class        0th class        10th class

31 January 2017

Formative Assessment 4(FA-4) Slip test for class 6 English subject






Class 6         Class 7          Class 8       Class 9          Class 10
Formative Assessment 4(FA-4) Slip test for class 6 English subject
Here is a model slip test for the formative assessment i.e., FA4 for the class 6. It is useful as a model for Telangana State syllabus and CCE pattern. To download the file, click the link given below.





Class 6         Class 7          Class 8       Class 9          Class 10
Formative Assessment 4(FA-4) Slip test for class 6 English subject
Here is a model slip test for the formative assessment i.e., FA4 for the class 6. It is useful as a model for Telangana State syllabus and CCE pattern. To download the file, click the link given below.

Formative Assessment 4(FA-4) Slip test for class 8 English subject





Class 6         Class 7          Class 8       Class 9          Class 10
Formative Assessment 4(FA-4) Slip test for class 8 English subject
Here is a model slip test for the formative assessment i.e., FA4 for the class 8. It is useful as a model for Telangana State syllabus and CCE pattern. To download the file, click the link given below.




Class 6         Class 7          Class 8       Class 9          Class 10
Formative Assessment 4(FA-4) Slip test for class 8 English subject
Here is a model slip test for the formative assessment i.e., FA4 for the class 8. It is useful as a model for Telangana State syllabus and CCE pattern. To download the file, click the link given below.

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