Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Laurence Sterne was an English author, novelist, and cleric who was born in November 1713 and died in March 1768. His first successful novel was titled The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman which was published in nine volumes from 1759 to 1767. The novel appears to be a lengthy biography of the titular character Tristam Shandy. The novel is known for its degression, double entendre, and graphic devices. Tristam Shandy appears to be a sarcastic take on the style of novel writing pointing out the sham of the imposition of reality upon the distinctly unrealistic nature of the novel.

Laurence Sterne used Tristam Shandy in part as a way to expose the inescapable reality that novels simply could not be realistic. Tristram Shandy shuns, evades, challenges, and parodies conventions of realistic expectations in several creative and entertaining ways. German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer mentioned Tristram Shandy in his essay titled "On the Comparative Place of Interest and Beauty in Works of Art" as one of "the four immortal romances." The other three mentioned in the essay are Don Quixote, La Novelle Heloise, and Wilhelm Meister. In Tristram Shandy, Corporal Trim’s brother Tom describes the oppression of a black servant in a sausage shop in Lisbon that he visited. This episode is inspired by a letter Laurence Sterne received from a black man, the composer, and former slave Ignatius Sancho. Sterne’s reply to Ignatius Sancho became an integral part of 18th-century abolitionist literature.

Characters of Tristram Shandy:

Tristram Shandy is the titular character and narrator of the novel who is writing his biography. He mentions a series of accidents at a very early age such as his conception, his broken nose, and his weird name. But being a narrator of the novel he gives a detailed account of other characters and incidents. Walter Shandy is the father of Tristram who is a philosophical man who loves reading, discussions, and philosophical argumentation. Walter is a sensible and honest man suffering from sciatica. Mrs. Shandy is Tristram’s mother whom Tristram blames for his weird nature because she interrupted her husband while they were having sex. She is suspicious of her husband and often spies on him by peeking at the keyhole while he is having conversations with others. Toby Shandy is a retired military man. He is the brother of Walter Shandy and Tristram’s uncle. He is a gentle, honest man devoted to fortifying and glorifying the history of the Military. Yorick is a clergyman, a good friend, and the adviser of Walter and Tristram Shandy. James Butler, also known as Corporal Trim is a servant of Toby Shandy. He likes to give speeches and advises people a lot. Tom is Corporal Trim’s brother. Widow Wadman is a woman full of sexual desire. She was disappointed with her husband and was looking for another man who could satisfy her sexually. Later she meets Toby and falls in love with him but she wants to be sure that he can function properly in bed too. Susannah is the caretaker of Mrs. Shandy. She is responsible for many small disasters but she is the one who supports Mrs. Shandy as a midwife. Obadiah is a servant and butler of Walter Shandy. Dr. Slop is the physician of Tristram’s village. He broke Tristram’s nose during surgery, and he left him in pain. He always bleeds people rather than curing them.

Summary of Tristram Shandy:

In Volumes 1 to 6, the narrator describes the situations of his conception, birth with a smashed nose that supposedly bodes ill warnings for his future, and his mistaken naming, while his father believes that “Tristram" is the worst possible name for a child, he is named Tristram, and his accidental circumcision. While describing these events in six big volumes of the novel, Tristram Shandy also offers stories, diatribes, and opinions concerning family history, Walter Shandy's hypotheses and theories, and Uncle Toby's penchant for military fortifications. Tristram's own birth is not even reached until Volume 3.

Volume 1)

Rather than beginning at birth or childhood as do many biographies, this one begins at the moment of Tristram's mother and father having sex and conceiving him. The remaining part of Volume 1 is used to introduce various other characters of the novel including His father, Walter Shandy, who is overbearing and ridiculous in his intellectual ramblings, which cover a wide range of philosophical and pseudo-scientific hypotheses. His mother, Elizabeth Shandy, is the exact opposite of Walter in temperament, responding to her husband's arguments passively to not inflame him further. Tristram's Uncle Toby is a war veteran who suffered a grievous wound to his groin area. Though non-violent by nature, Uncle Toby obsesses over military history and tactics. Other characters introduced include Dr. Slop, the scientific-minded male midwife, and an unnamed female midwife who delivers Tristram at Elizabeth's insistence. There's also Yorick, the witty local parson and family friend, and Yorick's advisor, the ever-discreet Eugenius. The Shandy family servants, Susannah and Obadiah are also described.

Volume 2)

The second volume is dedicated to Uncle Toby, describing his characters, his war record, and the wound to his groin. The narration also flashes back to the day of Tristram's birth. Despite his wife's complaints, Walter insists that Dr. Slop serves as a backup to the female midwife. Dr. Slop fancies himself a very revolutionary and forward-thinking doctor, having invented a pair of forceps designed to pull the newborn baby during birth from its head. Tristram doesn’t take birth even in Volume 2.

Volume 3)

Volume 3 begins as Dr. Slop displays the forceps he invented by using them on Uncle Toby's hand. Much to everyone's distress, the forceps rip Toby's skin off. However, before Walter and Toby can protest, the other midwife calls Dr. Slop for assistance. With the situation seemingly out of their control, Walter and Toby take naps. They are awakened, however, by mechanical sounds emanating from the kitchen. They learn from Toby's servant, Trim, that Dr. Slop's dreaded forceps have caused significant damage to newborn Tristram's nose, and now, Dr. Slop is making a synthetic nose bridge for young Tristram in the kitchen. As is his way in times of crisis, Walter—rather than doing anything to help the situation—launches into a detailed, academic lecture on why humans need to have noses. The smashed nose supposedly bodes ill warnings for Tristram’s future.

Volume 4)

Walter learns from Susannah that the birth was very hard on young Tristram and that the boy may not survive the night. Walter calls Yorick immediately so the baby can be baptized. However, Walter can't be bothered to actually be in the room for the baptism and so Susannah must be the one to relay the name Walter has chosen to Yorick. Walter chooses the name "Trismegistus" (a "strong" name, he tells Uncle Toby), but Susannah misremembers it as Tristram. Unfortunately, the baby is baptized Tristram; most of the rest of the chapter concerns Walter's arguments with Yorick about changing the name. Tristram, Walter argues, is the weakest of all possible names, unlike Trismegistus, which is the name of some mystic Walter adores. Such a comparatively trivial concern is put into perspective at the end of the volume when Walter learns that his eldest son, Bobby, has died in London while away at school. In the 65th chapter of Volume 4 of Tristram Shandy, Tristram offers a "tender tale" in which Tom, the brother of Corporal Trim describes the oppression of a black servant in a sausage shop in Lisbon, which he had visited.

Volume 5)

This volume describes Walter's efforts to formulate a superior education plan for young Tristram, who is now five years old. After Bobby’s death, he became very conscious about Tristram’s education and he started writing Tristram-paedia in which he stated, how to teach his young child. But then he did not pay attention and ignored Tristram's education because he was busy writing the book. Tristram's poor fortune continues when the young boy is accidentally circumcised by a falling window. Tristram had been urinating out the window because Susannah hadn't replaced his chamber pot.

In Volume 6, Tristram relates his "life and opinions," and they come to him in a disjointed fashion.

Volume 7 concerns an older Tristram traveling in France for health reasons. The book seems isolated from the story that precedes and follows it.

Volumes 8 and 9 revolve around Uncle Toby's affair with the Widow Wadman, who is concerned about Uncle Toby's supposed groin injury and seeks to find out just how injured his groin is. Again, as in earlier books in the novel, numerous digressions and interruptions are spread throughout these two books, and Tristram through his mother, Mrs. Shandy, finally asks, "What is all this story about?"

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English Literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

Copperfield in the Jungle by Ruskin Bond | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. ‘Copperfield in Jungle’ is a short story written by Ruskin Bond that was first published in his short stories collection titled ‘Tigers For Ever’ in 1996. This is an autobiographical story in which Ruskin Bond expressed one of his own experiences during his childhood. The title of the story mentions David Copperfield, one of the famous titular characters created by Charles Dickens in his book David Copperfield, and shows the influence of Dickens over Ruskin Bond.

Like his other stories such as The Tiger in the Tunnel, No Room for a Leopard, Dust on the Mountains, and others, Copperfield in the Jungle is a short story that explores the relationship of humans, animals, and the environment and ecology. The story is set staged against the Terai forests of the Siwaliks where Bond spent the better years of his childhood. The story highlights the lack of empathy of adult humans against animals and how adults no longer provide role models for our children. Models of right thinking and right behavior. Children are making them aware of their misdeeds.

Characters of Copperfield in the Jungle

The main character of the story is a twelve-year-old child who remains unnamed but one can guess he is Ruskin Bond himself during his childhood. While the child belongs to a family of hunters, he is much inspired by his grandfather who doesn’t like killing innocent animals for fun. Rather, the child loves reading literature. Uncle Henry is the child’s hunter uncle who takes him on an expedition. While Uncle Henry and his friends claim to be great hunters, they hardly succeed in any big hunt. They only managed to shoot two miserable, underweight wild fowls at the end of the week and they blamed it on the bad weather.

Summary of Copperfield in The Jungle:

The twelve-year-old narrator remembers his grandfather, who had a great influence on him. He says that like his grandfather, he too loves reading books and despises the idea of killing animals for fun during hunting expeditions. However, he says that his uncle Henry enjoys such wild sports.

The young boy could never get interested in the hunting expeditions of his Uncle Henry and some of his sporting friends. Perhaps he had inherited this from his grandfather who never understood the pleasure some people obtained from killing the creatures of our forests. Killing for food –most animals die that could be justified to an extent but killing just for the fun of it could not be justified or understood.
Even at the tender age of twelve, the bo disliked anything to do with shikar or hunting. He also found it terribly boring. To explain his point of view, the boy narrates one of his experiences.

Uncle Henry and some of his sporting friends once took him on a shikar expedition into the Terai forests of the Siwalik hills. The prospect of spending one whole week in the jungle with several adults with guns only filled him with dismay. They would all the time be thinking and talking of hunting a tiger or an elephant and he did not all the look forward to it. So, on their second day in the jungle, he managed to be left behind at the rest house. And in a corner of the back verandah of that old bungalow, he discovered a shelf of books –some thirty volumes, obviously untouched for many years. Much too young to know what was good and what was not. He would have read anything and everything with pleasure. However much to his delight the bookshelf contained among others. P.G. Wodehouse’s “Love Among The Chickens”, M.R. James’s ‘Ghost Stories of an Antiquary,’ Edward Hamilton Aikten’s “A Naturalist on the Prowl” and Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield. This chance acquaintance with M.Micawber and family, Aunt Betsy Trowood, Mr.Dick, Peggoty, and many other characters in Dickens’s novel seemed to set him off on the road to literature.
At the end of the week, the four men guns could only see a spotted deer and shoot two miserable, underweight wild fowls. Sitting in the rest house with his treasure of books Ruskin Bond saw not only the spotted deer crossing the open clearing in front of the bungalow but also a large leopard had done it only to help itself to a meal, it did not disturb the young Ruskin beyond a point and he returned to his reading. The hunting party however refused to believe this attributing this bit of information to his overactive imagination under the immediate influence of Dickens’s vivid portrayal of Master Copperfield. The boy brings the half–finished novel with him.

Thus, the expedition proved to be futile for the hunter Uncle Henry but for the boy, it was a treasure hunt that he won in the jungle successfully.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. John Steinbeck was an American author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. He was born on February 27, 1902, and died on December 20, 1968. He was a prolific writer who wrote 16 novels, six non-fiction books, and two short story collections. He was known for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining sympathetic humor and keen social perception because of which he was called “a giant of American letters.”

Tortilla Flat was his first successful novel was published in 1935. It is a comic novel that tells the humorous tale of the adventures of a group of pleasure-loving Mexican-American countrymen (Paisanos) who drink, steal, chase women, make music, and dance until they are eventually undone by a climactic fire. The novel is based on the theme of sharing and how sharing doesn’t help or improve things if we share things with those who do not deserve it.

Characters of Tortilla Flat

Danny is the protagonist of the novel. He is a simple non-chalant carefree man with no interest in materialistic things. He and his friends have no ambitions beyond their present enjoyment. He is poor and homeless but suddenly he gets two houses and an inheritance after his grandfather’s death. However, Danny has no interest in this newly acquired wealth and social status. He invites his friends to share their wealth with them. Pilon is Danny’s friend. He is a debauched person who gets involved in cheating and stealing but continues to convince himself that he is doing so to help others. Pablo is another friend of Danny who shares his house with him. Unlike Pilon, Pablo is not so dominant and has some artistic streak. Jesus Maria Corcoran is another of Danny’s friends who is humanitarian and prefers helping people in need. Unlike Pablo, he doesn’t get involved in stealing and scheming for selfish reasons. Big Joe Portagee is a friend of Pablo who is a known criminal and has been serving jail term. Paolo introduces him to Danny and they become friends. Unlike other friends of Danny, Big Joe follows no moral code. The Pirate is a lonely poor homeless man who likes dogs and keeps five street dogs with him, taking care of them. He lives in squalor on scraps, stashing away the little money he earns every day. He is the only one in the group of Danny’s friends who earns a little. He feeds the household and happily does the kind of physical labor the others always avoid. Tito Ralph is the jailor of Tortilla Flat, a decent and friendly man.

Summary of Tortilla Flat:

In the beginning, the narrator describes the small fishing town of Monterey and a poor countryside Tortilla Flat. Most of the inhabitants of Tortilla Flat belong to a multiracial group of Spanish-Americans called paisanos. These are simple living people who are yet untouched by the commercialism and greed of capitalism. Danny is a pasiano living in Tortilla Flat. He is a poor homeless guy who enjoys his time with his friends drinking and chasing women. Danny’s grandfather owns two houses but Danny prefers living in the forest. During the First World War, Danny and his friends get drunk and suddenly feel a surge of patriotism and enlist themselves but none of them get a chance of action in war. On his return, Danny finds out that his old grandfather has passed away and now he owns the two houses and the wealth of his grandfather. Danny isn’t prepared for this as he feels property means responsibility and he is not ready for that. Confused, he drinks too much and breaks some windows in the street. As a result, he gets jailed for a month.

After coming out of the jail, Danny starts living in one of his grandfather’s houses. Pilom, his old-time friend reaches him and asks for help as he is homeless. Danny allows Pilon to take his other house on rent. However, Pilon does not earn anything and hence, he hardly pays any rent.

Danny and Pilon then find out about their other Pablo and Pilon invites Pablo to live with him so that he may help him in paying the rent to Danny. However, Pablo too earns nothing. Sometimes later, Pablo and Pilon find out Corcoran, another friend of Danny and Pilon and he too starts living in the second house of Danny but none of them earn anything. Pilon is a scheming person who doesn’t flinch away from stealing and cheating and that is how the group makes enough money for their fun and drinking. In addition, Pilon also convinces his friends to rent rooms in the second house. Corcoran does some odd jobs and makes some money but he is too selfless and often spends all his money helping others like, feeding hungry children or helping someone get medical aid.

One night, after drinking too much wine, the group of friends loses consciousness while Pablo's Saint Francis candle burns the entire house to the ground. None of the friends get hurt though but they are sad because all of them are again homeless. Danny allows them to shift into his house but insists that they should stay away from his bed.

At Danny’s house, the four friends continue their debauchery, drinking and partying. They would often sit around a round table and the narrator compares to the Knights of the Round Table. None of the four men are earning anything substantial while they have their spending. One day, they find another man living in squalor on scraps and make friends with him. The man calls himself the Pirate. He earns a little by chopping wood and selling it in the market. The Pirate is often accompanied by five dogs whom he calls his friends and protectors. Pilon notices that while the Pirate makes money, he hardly spends any and deduces that the Pirate must have saved a lot of money. He starts following the Pirate in the hope of finding where he hides his money so that he can steal but fails. One day, the Pirate tells them about one of his dogs who was sick. He prayed to Saint Francis to cure the animal. Saint Francis came through, and the dog lived—only to be struck and killed by a truck later. Nonetheless, the Pirate feels a debt to Saint Francis and saves his money to buy a candle in his honor. The group becomes compassionate towards the Pirate and invites him to live with them at Danny’s house. Pilon continues to try to sneak in and steal his money. However, he soon gets another idea of making money with the help of one of his friends Big Joe who has just been released from jail. Big Joe Portagee informs him about a hidden fortune in the jungle that supposedly makes the ground glow on Saint Andrew’s Eve. Pilon and Big Joe decide to find the hidden treasure and steal it. On Saint Andrew’s Eve, they get heavily drunk and visit the jungle and spot a place on the ground from where a blue light appears emanating. The next day, they visit the place and dig it up only to find an old surveying map of no use.

Meanwhile, the Pirate begins trusting Danny and decides to retrieve the buried stash of money he saved and hands it to Danny for safekeeping. Danny stores it under his pillow. When Big Joe and Pilon return to the house, they come to know about the money saved by Pirate. Big Joe decides to steal that money but when he tries to do so, all four friends confront him and beat him until he gets unconscious. The group then counts the money and Pilon announces that it is enough money for the Pirate to buy the golden Saint Francis Candle. The group then visits the Church and the Pirate purchases the candle from Father Ramon, who tells his congregation about the Pirate and his tribute to the Saint. At the same time, the Pirate’s dogs rush into the Church and create a ruckus and as a result, the Pirate and others are thrown out of the Church.

The friends return to Danny’s house and they continue their lives of revelry and debauchery but the monotony of the paisano way of life and the weight of property ownership begins to wear on Danny. He begins feeling trapped and feels that his life in the forest is much easier and freer, so he leaves the house and runs away to the forest. As a vagabond, he steals from everyone including his friends, and continues an incessant spree of petty crimes. Husbands all over town call for vengeance for what he has done to their wives, and the police swear that he will be arrested on sight for his vandalism and fighting. After spending a month in the jungle, Danny decides to return. He is greeted well by his friends, however, Danny is still unsure if he wishes to lead a paisano’s normal life.

His friends then decide to throw a party to cheer him up but they have no money. When Pilon asks for help from Tito Ralph, he suggests that they should work hard to earn and save money for the party. The group then decides that they will work hard at the squid yard to earn and save enough to arrange for the party. Tito Ralph and Big Joe to accompany them at work. Everyone works hard and the news of these indolent men getting to work to earn money makes rounds throughout Tortilla Flat. At last, they have enough money to throw a nice party to which everyone is invited.

Danny is highly thrilled by knowing that his friends worked to arrange the party. At the party, he drinks too much alcohol and flirts with many girls. He then engages in light-hearted fights with others that escalate. He takes up a broken leg of a wooden table and challenges the whole world to fight against him but nobody accepts his challenge. He then leaves the house with a wooden piece to fight against his enemies outside. He continues walking in a drunken state straight off the edge of a cliff and into a gulch.

After his death, his friends decide to attend his funeral but they are broke again with no money and decent clothes. Thus, they are forced to watch the service from outside the cemetery. After the funeral, everyone gets emotional and they decide to throw another party as a tribute to their friend Danny. They return to his house and drink wine. While everyone is too drunk, the fireplace releases a spark that inevitably engulfs the entire house in flames. The friends all escape intact and do nothing to stop the fire. They stand by and watch, realizing their journey together is ending. As the house burns, each man walks off in a different direction, on his own.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American English Literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is another short story from The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent that was written by Washington Irving and was published in the year 1820. The story is especially popular in America because of the character of Headless Horseman believed to be a German (Hessian) soldier fighting for the British Army who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle during the American Revolution. The story is about Ichabod Crane and his hapless attempt to win the heart and hand of Katrina Van Tassel in the context of a comical ghost story.

Characters of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:

Ichabod Crane is the main character of the story who is from Connecticut, America. He gets a job as a school teacher and singing master in Sleepy Hollow, New York. He is a tall and thin young man who is a little greedy by nature. He is a strict master who uses a rod on misbehaving students but only against those, who can bear the rod. Ichabod Crane believes in mysterious happenings, ghosts, and the supernatural. Katrina Van Tassel is the only daughter of a wealthy farmer in Sleepy Hollow named Baltus Van Tassel. She is very beautiful, young, playful, and flirt and would often wear revealing dresses, expressing her figure in the best possible manner. She learns music from Ichabod who falls for her. Baltus Van Tassel is a rich, happy, and contended farmer who is not rude or proud. Abraham or Brom Van Brunt is the main rival of Ichabod as he too wishes to marry Katrina. Brom is a well-known rich person of Sleepy Hollow who is burly and boisterous in his behavior. He is known for his bravery and heroics and thus is nicknamed Brom Bones by the locals. Brom is a mischievous prankster and he is a skilled horse rider. Hans Van Ripper is a farmer of Sleepy Hollow at whose farmhouse Ichabid lodges. Ripper is a good helping man who lends a horse to Ichabod whenever he needs it. Diedrich Knickerbocker the narrator of the story was a Dutch historian.

Summary of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow:

The story begins with the statement that it has been found among the possessions of a deceased man named Diedrich Knickerbocker. The narrator describes the setting of the story which is based around 1797 in a bucolic area of ‘Tarry Town’ in New York. There is a village named Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane who originally hails from Connecticut moves to Sleepy Hollow for a job as a school teacher and singing master. It is a Dutch settlement in New York which appears to be a bit gloomy and bewitched. All the inhabitants of Sleepy Hollow believe in ghosts and witches and they would often tell different ghost stories, especially involving a Headless Horseman, an old Hessian trooper whose head was shot off during the Revolutionary War, and who gallops off in search of it each night. The Horseman is seen most often riding by the church, where local historians say he was buried.

Ichabod, who himself was interested in ghosts and supernatural elements, found the village pleasing. He started living there at a farmhouse owned by Hans Van Ripper who appear to be a decent content man. Ichabod is a strict teacher but not a cruel one, doling out his punishment of the rod only to those who can handle it. Ichabod teaches students of the village leads the psalm singing lessons at church and enjoys flirting with the young women, who admire him for his intellectualism. Ichabod feels that he is the intellectual superior of every member of Sleepy Hollow. He also looks down on their old-fashioned, insular country ways. He enjoys spending time with the old Dutch wives to hear ghost stories and to tell his own, many of which come from Cotton Mather’s “History of New England Witchcraft,” which is his favorite book. Ichabod gets no salary or income through his teaching job and it is customary in the village for the farmers whose sons he teaches to feed and board him in rotation. To make some money and save, he begins offering private singing lessons.

Katrina Van Tassel is the daughter of a wealthy Dutch farmer in Sleepy Hollow. She is a student of Ichabod who is impressed by her beauty and flirtatious attitude. Once, her father Baltus Van Tassel invites Ichabod to his farmhouse and he gets startled by observing the wealthy environment of the house. He begins thinking that if he succeeds in getting the hand of Katrina in marriage, he will lead a rich life. However, soon he realizes that Katrina is loved by many, including the brawny, clever, and mischievous Brom Bones, who wander the villages looking for trouble with his gang of sidekicks. Brom isn’t a ruffian but he is a boisterous prankster with a good heart. Brom has already scared off many of Katrina’s other suitors, but Ichabod is harder to shake. Ichabod always avoids any physical altercation with Brom as that is Brom’s strength but he easily manipulates Brom intellectually. Brom, on his part, continues his pranks on Ichabod. He fills the schoolhouse with smoke, trains a dog to follow Ichabod around howling, and sets many other pranks to frustrate and humiliate Ichabod. Meanwhile, Ichabod continues his tries to woo Katrina who appears to be responding positively.

One day, a messenger comes with an invitation to Ichabod for a party at Baltus Van Tassle’s estate. Ichabod decides that it is the best chance for him to ask for a hand of Katrina in marriage. He feels thrilled and prepares well for the party in the evening. He even borrows a horse named Gunpowder from Hans Van Ripper.

At the party, Ichabod feels that he is the best man in the house. He decides to stay behind after the party and proposes to Katrina. However, Katrina disappoints him and Ichabod suffers a heartbreak. He immediately returns to the village. He finds the path home dark and eerily quiet. He tries to keep himself from getting too scared, but soon after he has passed the possibly haunted Major Andre’s tree, he sees a large, dark figure looming nearby. It does not respond to his call, but as he passes by, it starts to move and joins him on the path riding a large, dark horse. Ichabod is greatly disturbed and tries to shake off his pursuer, but he fails. Finally, he notices that the rider has no head on his shoulders; the head seems to be sitting on the saddle in front of the man. Ichabod tries to get his decrepit horse to run home as fast as it can, but he is not a skilled rider and the horse resists. He rides faster and faster, at one point losing Gunpowder’s saddle and fearing how angry Hans Van Ripper will be.

When Ichabod reaches near the church, he finds that the headless horseman is closing in. Thus, he hurriedly races to the bridge where the ghost is said to disappear and not follow. Ichabod crosses the bridge and looks back, but he sees the Horseman, instead of disappearing, hurls his detached head at him. It knocks Ichabod off of his horse. The next day Ichabod is missing, and a search party eventually finds the fallen saddle and horses’ hoof tracks next to a smashed pumpkin. Sometime later, an old farmer returns from New York with the news that Ichabod had run from the village from fear and to escape Katrina’s rejection but had become a successful lawyer and judge.

But the old Dutch wives and local folklore maintain that he was taken by the Headless Horseman.

At the end, there is a postscript from Diedrich Knickerbocker who claims that he heard this story at a restaurant during a business meeting in New York. Knickerbocker describes the storyteller as an older country gentleman with a good sense of humor. One of the elderly gentlemen who is tall, thin, and serious-looking, got annoyed at the storyteller and asked what is the moral of the story. The storyteller responded by saying that the story has three messages, first is to take a joke as we find it. Second, competing with someone sure to beat you is foolish. And thirdly, that some losses in life lead to better opportunities in the future. The annoyed gentleman claimed he still doubted the story’s veracity. At that point, the storyteller claimed he didn’t believe half of it himself. The postscript suggests that Ichabod surely survived the attack by the Headless Horseman which was nothing but another prank of Brom Bones. The storyteller appears to be Brom Bones himself during his older days while the other old, annoyed, tall, thin gentleman is Ichabod himself.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of American English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

Hamas-Israel War and the Rights of Palestinians | An Analysis of Indian Perspective

Hamas-Israel War and the Rights of Palestinians | An Analysis of Indian Perspective

Hello and welcome to the Discourse.

On October 6, 2023, Palestine-based terrorist group Hamas launched thousands of missiles and seized villages near Gaza. Hamas fighters crossed out of Gaza, taking hostages and killing Israeli civilians. The leaders of Hamas declared that the attack was a response to the Israeli treatment of Palestinians at the al-Aqsa Mosque last week. However, the terror attack on Israel appeared to be a well-planned strategic operation. Another terror outfit Hezbollah, supported by Iran helped Hamas in planning out the attack on Israel to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

Over 1000 innocent Israelis including fourteen American citizens were killed in the attack by Hamas. The terrorists of Hamas entered Israeli villages and cities, captured innocent people, killed them, or took hostages. Among the captives are soldiers and civilians, including women, children, and older adults, mostly Israelis but also some people of other nationalities.

On Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately gave a responsible response in favor of Israel and criticized the terrorist attack by Hamas.

In response, Israel formally declared war and ordered the largest call-up of reservists in the country’s history. On Monday, Israel’s defense minister announced a “complete siege” of Gaza. “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we will act accordingly.” Israel attacked Gaza and killed hundreds of Hamas terrorists, and hundreds of innocent Palestinians who have nothing to do with Hamas.

Nothing can justify the inhuman attack on Israel but there is nothing that can justify the innocent butchering of already depleted people of Palestine too. Israeli air strikes couldn’t distinguish between Hamas Terrorists and the innocent people of Palestine.

On Monday, a Hamas spokesman threatened to broadcast the execution of an Israeli hostage for every unannounced strike, saying, “The enemy does not understand the language of humanity and morals, so we will address him in the language he knows.”

On Thursday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India believes in its long-standing support for the establishment of a "sovereign, independent and viable" state of Palestine.

Indian position on the current situation is pretty clear. We cannot support any terrorist attack on the innocent people of Israel, nor can we support any organized attack by a recognized state on the innocent people of Palestine.

War, Peace, and the State

War is no trivial subject. It’s violence on the widest scale. At their best, wars can throw off the worst tyrannies and liberate the oppressed. But they can also bring about the worst atrocities. This is why it is necessary to properly examine the situation and always stick to the principles of humanity. It is necessary to have a fine understanding of when violence is justified. There is a difference between war and crime. Killing even a known criminal without due course of legalities is considered a huge crime. So what changes in a war?

Murray N. Rothbard wrote an essay titled "War, Peace, and the State" outlining that the difference between war and all other questions of crime and punishment is simply a matter of scale. Everyone has a right to defend themselves, to resist and repel any invasion of their person or property; to extract restitution or exact punishment in response to an invasion, or to help someone else do the same. However, any violence committed against an innocent third party in response to a crime is itself a new crime.

Let us consider a hypothetical situation. Rahim attacks the farmland of Ram and tries to burn the crop. Ram has every right to defend his property, to repel Rahim and try to catch him. While doing so, if Ram kills Rahim, even that would be justified because Ram certainly has the right to self-defense. However, let’s assume Rahim succeeds in burning the crop and then runs away and hides in a neighboring village. Outraged, Ram decides to complain against him and offers enough proof to the security agency against Rahim. Now the security agency must capture and punish Rahim. But neither Ram nor the security agency has any right to repel Rahim by bombing the neighboring village and murdering innocent people or to catch him by spraying machine gun fire into an innocent crowd. The fact that wars are often fought between groups does not change the fact that attacking innocent people is a crime.

Israel declared all Palestinians living in Gaza as human animals and blocked electricity, food, water, fuel, and supplies of other necessities. Is it justified? No, It is not justified to punish innocent people for the crime of Hamas. It is against morality. Israeli airstrikes are killing hundreds of Hamas terrorists but they are also butchering hundreds of innocent citizens of Palestines, their women, and toddlers and while doing so, Israel is committing the same crime that Hamas did.

Do Palestinians Support Hamas:

Hamas has been the de facto ruler of the Gaza Strip since 2006. They won the 2006 presidential and legislative elections. The election was judged by international observers to have been "competitive and genuinely democratic". In fact, the EU said that they had been run better than elections in some member countries of the union, and promised to maintain its financial support.

In 2009, the Wall Street Journal interviewed Mr. Cohen a Tunisian-born jew who worked in Gaza for more than two decades.

“Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel’s creation,” said Mr. Cohen. Mr. Cohen watched the Islamist movement take shape, muscle aside secular Palestinian rivals, and then morph into what is today Hamas, a militant group that is sworn to Israel’s destruction. Instead of trying to curb Gaza’s Islamists from the outset Israel for years tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged them as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its dominant faction, Yasser Arafat’s Fatah.

Israel’s experience echoes that of the U.S., which, during the Cold War, looked to Islamists as a useful ally against communism. Anti-Soviet forces backed by America after Moscow’s 1979 invasion of Afghanistan later mutated into Al Qaeda.

Now when Israel understands that it cannot control Hamas, it is ready to kill innocent Palestinians who have nothing to gain from the war. Yes, Palestinians have a soft corner for the terrorists of Hamas. Most probably, they are friends, or family members of the common men of Palestine. Killing someone’s friends and family motivates them to fight back—not roll over and put down their weapons. When innocent Israelis were murdered by Hamas, Israel decided to go to war. Now when innocent Palestinians are being killed by Israeli airstrikes, it won’t weaken Hamas, rather it will embolden them. The innocent and mostly secular common Palestinians too, out of grief and loss will start supporting Hamas. The same thing happened after 9/11 when to take revenge on Osama Bin Laden, the U.S. and Britain attacked Iran, and then Afghanistan, killing millions of innocent Iranians and Afghans. America’s wars in Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya, and especially the covert war against the Syrian government from 2011–2017 created support for Ladenian political and religious radicalism and violent conflict throughout the region and into northern and western Africa and gave rise to various other more deadly groups like ISIS and Boko Harem.

The same thing happened with Pakistan. In the garb of fighting the ‘War against Terror’, the Pakistani army harassed and murdered thousands of Afghanis in Afghanistan. Now when American and British troops are out of Afghanistan and Taliban rules again, Afghanis have a bitter memory of Pakistan and they consider Pakistan an enemy state. Outfits like TTP continue to kill innocent people in Pakistan. Killing innocent people in the name of war never brings any good. When the Indian government under Rajeev Gandhi sent the Indian army to Sri Lanka to fight LTTE terrorists, the Indian army did certain atrocities against innocent civilians and that became the cause of revenge of LTTE against Rajeev Gandhi.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu termed Hamas as human animals, but along with those animals, Israeli forces are killing innocent Palestinian humans too. It will bring no good to anybody but will strengthen the regime of terror and immorality. Indian government rightly put forth its views by supporting Israelis in their time of need but also standing for the rights of innocent Palestinians as a sovereign nation.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the Ethics of Liberty. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Expedition of Humphry Clinker is an epistolatory novel written by Tobias Smollett that was first published in 1771. It is a satirical novel designed to point out flaws in English society during the 1700s. The story is presented in the form of letters written by six characters: a Welsh Squire named Mathew Bramble; his sister Tabitha; their niece Lydia and nephew Jeremy Melford; Tabitha's maid Winifred Jenkins; and Lydia's suitor Wilson. The novel exaggerates the mannerisms and motives of the characters in order to highlight the personal prejudices, contradictory beliefs, and discriminatory values held by people during the 18th century.

Being an epistolatory novel, it is written mainly in the immediate past tense, but the characters occasionally use the present and future tense in their letters.

Characters of The Expedition of Humphry Clinker:

Mathew Bramble is a Welsh squire who openly claims to be a misanthrope, however, often proves to be a sympathetic charitable person. He continuously tries to improve the lives of people around him. Mathew is suffering from Gout, rheumatism, and hypochondria. A hypochondriac is a person who obsesses about their health and often diagnoses themselves with illnesses based on their observations. Mathew is unmarried and his former name was Mathew Lloyd. During the journey, he continues to write letters to Dr. Lewis, his physician. Tabitha Bramble is the younger sister of Mathew. She is a forthright, outspoken woman who is tired of being overlooked in favor of younger, prettier women. She is very attentive towards the business of Brambleton-hall as she feels that her estate’s success can help her win a desirable husband. She does so by writing letters to Mrs. Gwyllim, the housekeeper at Brambleton Hall while she is traveling. She is a foolish and cantankerous spinster who wishes to marry a high-class rich man. Jeremy Melford is Mathew and Tabitha's nephew, an intelligent young man. He is over-protective of his younger sister Lydia Melford. Jeremy writes letters to his friend Sir Watkin Phillips of Jesus College, Oxford while Lydia writes letters to her friend Miss Letitia Willis at Gloucester. John Thomas is a carriage driver and footman of the Barmble family.

Humphry Clinker is a poor stableman who joins the Bramble family on their journey. He impresses the Bramble family with his good nature and devotion to God. He is a naive but good-hearted man who values the importance of forgiveness. Winifred Jenkins is Tabitha’s maid. She is a young beautiful girl who appears to be more intelligent than Tabitha and Lydia. She falls in love with Humphry. Winifred too writes letters to other servants at Brambleton Hall. Lt. Obadiah Lismahago is a proud, selfish, argumentative man who is not very rich but pretends to be. His interactions with Mathew, Tabitha, and Humphry mellows him down and he improves in his nature. Mr. Dennison is a rich old man who has known Mathew for a long. Mr. Dennison has a son George Dennison who became estranged from his parents after refusing a marriage they had arranged for him. He is a kind, intelligent gentleman with a flair for poetry and acting. He temporarily discards his true name and takes up the last name of his friend Charles Wilson.

Summary of The Expedition of Humphry Clinker:

Mathew Bramble is a Welsh squire who is suffering from Gout that causes great pain and stiffness. His physician Dr. Lewis advises him to travel to Bristol which is known for its curative mineral waters. His family members, younger sister Tabitha, niece Lydia Melford, and her elder brother Jeremy Melford accompany him. Tabitha decides to take her maid Winifred along with them to help during the travel. Two days before their departure to Bristol, Jeremy catches some letters written by a young poor man Wilson which reveals that Lydia is in a love affair with him. Jeremy is against this relationship because Wilson is a poor man and he fears that Lydia won’t lead a happy life with him. He questions Wilson about the letters who refuses to explain his relationship with Lydia. Angried, Jeremy calls Wilson for a duel with the pistol. When Mathew Bramble comes to know about this escalating argument, he intervenes and both Jeremy and Wilson get arrested. Mathew and Tabitha try to explain to Lydia that Wilson is a poor actor with no apparent family name and fortune and thus he is an unfit suitor for someone of Lydia’s social status. Jeremy continues to fume and to calm him down, Lydia promises that she will not keep any contact with Wilson.

The family travels to Bristol and Wilson follows them in the guise of a peddler. He tries to meet Lydia to explain to her that Wilson is his temporary name and in reality, he belongs to a rich family. However, he fails to meet Lydia and encounters Winifred instead. He tells Winifred about his reality but Winifred forgets his real name. Despite spending some time in Bristol, Mathew feels no improvement and his health. Rather, he feels that the damp environment of Bristol is worsening his situation. Thus, the family decides to move to Bath which is a seaside city known for its sea-bathing resorts. Mathew hopes that the saltwater may cure him. In Bath, Mathew meets many of his old friends including James Quinn, the famous actor. However, his health doesn’t improve. He comes to know that the water in the city's bathhouses passes through an old graveyard. He further learns that the residual water from the bathhouses is transferred to city inns and cafes where it is served to customers. Mathew is appalled by these revelations and decides to leave the city immediately. They decide to head to London. On their way, they meet an accident near Marlborough when their career overturns. Tabitha gets outraged and admonishes the carriage driver. John Thomas gets offended and immediately leaves the job as he gets bitten by Tabitha’s dog Chowder. This forced Mathew to hire a new footman. He hires a local peasant and stableman named Humphry Clinker who becomes the carriage driver. Humphry is very poor he doesn’t even have a pair of pants. Matthew learns that Humphry was born out of wedlock and currently lives in abject poverty. He buys Humphry new clothes. Tabitha objects to such spending but Mathew decides to take Humphry with him throughout their travel to London.

Lydia and Jeremy are happy to live in the beautiful and busy city of London but Mathew finds little comfort. Mathew knows that Humphry has no formal education but he is surprised when he learns that Humphry gave sermons at the Methodist Church in London and got appointed there. This upsets Mathew because he supports the church of England. Soon after, Humphry gets arrested on suspicion of being a highway ruffian. The constable in charge of the case is certain that Humphry is innocent even though another man identified him as the robber. The accuser thought he would receive a reward for naming a potential suspect. Jeremy tries to help Humphry while a local man Edward Martin comes forward and argues for Humphry. Humphry is sent to jail for a day before his trial. Meanwhile, Mathew and Jeremy find out about the man who was robbed. The victim claims in the court that Humphry is not the man who robbed him. This episode alerts Mathew about the robberies on the roads and he decides to promote Humphry as the guard of the carreer. Since Mathew fails to find any cure in London, they decide to move to York. At Harrogate, some robbers attack the carriage of the Bramble family. Humphry faces the robbers with bravery and he also gets help from Edward Martin who was travelling in the same direction. After that, Martin asks Mathew to help him find an honest job and Mathew agrees to help him. At York, the Bramble family meets their distant relatives and Tabitha comes in contact with a wealthy man Mr. Micklewhimmen, and tries to woo him but learns that he is a charlatan who pretends to be suffering from physical infirmities to get special attention. She criticizes him and gets rid of him.

Mathew decides to move to Scarborough and hopes that bathing in the sea will help him but he fails to get any cure at Scarborough too. However, the other family members enjoy their time at Scarborough. Mathew decides to take a bath in the sea and removes his clothes before going into the water. But he finds that the sea water is unusually cold and this startles him. Meanwhile, Humphry who was observing him, feels that Mathew is struggling and drowning. He jumps in the water and drags Mathew out of the sea by picking up his ears. Mathew gets embarrassed as he finds himself naked in front of a score of onlookers.

The family soon leaves Scarborough and they decide to move to Stockton where they meet Edward Martin again. Edward reminds Mathew of his promise to help him find an honest job. Mathew convinces him to find work in the East Indies. They meet a retired soldier Lt. Obadiah Lismahago. Obadiah tells various stories of his bravery. He appears to be an argumentative and proudish person. Tabitha is fascinated by his stories. Lismahago travels with the Bramble family. Jeremy appoints a new valet Dutton. Both Dutton and Humphry struggle to attract Winifred’s attention. Dutton finds another woman and runs away with him and Winifred gets interested in Humphry. The Bramble family then moves to Scotland.

Tabitha is interested in Lt. Obadiah but she learns that he is not as wealthy as she would prefer. Nonetheless, she thinks that if she loses this chance, she may never get married. Meanwhile, Mathew feels that his health is improving and he determines that physical exercise has helped him get rid of his Gout. The family then decides to return to Brambleton Hall. Lt. Obadiah proposes to Tabitha and she agrees. Mathew too supports their marriage. Matthew Bramble nearly drowns when the family's carriage is overturned in a river. Humphry saves him and takes him to a nearby home which turns out to be the house of Charles Dennison. Charles Dennison is one old-time friend of Mathew. Mathew learns that Mr. Dennison’s only son ran away from home because he didn’t wish to marry the girl the family chose for him. Through Matthew's conversation with Dennison, Humphry learns that Matthew's original name was Matthew Lloyd. It comes out that Matthew is Humphry's father and that Humphry's real name is Matthew Lloyd Jr. Mathew accepts Huymphry as his son and Humphry too forgives Mathew for leaving him and his mother alone. During the same time, Mr. Dennison’s son returns to his home. Mathew and Lydia get startled when they see Wilson in front of them and then they learn that Wilson is his false name while his real name is George Dennison, the son of Mr. Charles Dennison. Everyone is happy after these revelations. Jeremy was happy for his sister who chose a wealthy handsome man as a life partner. Mathew and Mr. Dennison agree to the marriage of Lydia and George while Tabitha gets engaged to Lt. Obadiah. Humphry too proposes to Winifred and Mathew agrees to their marriage. Lydia and Wilson spend their honeymoon in Bath while the rest of the family returns to Brambleton-hall.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!

No Room for a Leopard by Ruskin Bond | Characters, Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. No Room for a Leopard is a short story written by Ruskin Bond that was first published in his story collection A Bond with the Mountains in 1998. the story highlights the ecological crisis that we are facing in current times and is intended to increase our ecological consciousness. ‘No Room for a Leopard’, is about deforestation and its accompanying aftermath. It presents the pathetic condition of the animals after deforestation. It is a very moving account of the killing of a trusting leopard by a group of shikaris/hunters. Because of deforestation taking place in the hills and surrounding areas, many animals have been driven into the valleys inhabited by human beings. This exposes them to grave risks and fatal encounters – one such encounter has been described in this story. The story also reveals the difference between the children’s thinking and the adult thinking that has also been brought out. Children love nature. They love all the creatures. It comes naturally to them. No ulterior consideration enters their innocent minds. They can never ever think of harming the animals or exploiting them for their personal gain or profit. But the adults are solely driven by mercenary considerations. If a leopard’s skin can fetch them a good price, they would not think twice before killing him. Compassion, trust, love… these mean nothing to them. An idyllic world stands shattered because of this selfish cruelty.

Characters of No Room for a Leopard:

The main character of the story is Ruskin, a twelve-year-old boy who lives in a cottage just above the forest in the mountains with his family. The boy loves animals in the jungle and has a complete affinity with nature. He would often visit the jungle for playing, bird watching, and sightseeing. His family is aware of his activities but it appears that they do not worry about him going alone in the jungle. The boy represents innocence and the co-dependence of life forms in the world. The other characters in the story are a group of hunters or shikaris who are traveling around the jungle in search of a leopard that they wish to hunt for his skin. The shikaris represent the selfish attitude of greedy humans willing to exploit nature for their profits which is contrasted with the child’s spontaneous love for the animals.

The theme of No Room for a Leopard:

The general theme of children’s stories often involves a long hazardous journey in pursuit of something noble. The perilous journey exemplifies the value of cooperation and the quality of friendship. In this story, the boy crosses the forest and the small stream at the bottom of the hill every morning and evening, all by himself. The purpose that is apparent is ‘understanding nature in its nascent form.’ The boy develops a relationship with the jungle and its inhabitants and he has no fear of the wild animals who find him friendly. The story reminds me of Henry David Thoreau’s experiences in the wilderness of Walden. The story offers a message about the norms of the society in which we live. The transmission of ethical and social values is skillfully depicted in the story. The story highlights the difference between an innocent child’s thinking and that of the greedy, corrupt, nonchalant adult Shikaris. The story suggests that while a child is naturally inclined to love and appreciate nature, as we grow adult, we forget our connection with our environment and what remains in our mind is our own selfish, irrational attitude.

Summary of No Room for a Leopard:

Ruskin is a twelve-year-old teen boy who lives in a cottage just above the jungle on the mountain. He lives with his family. There is a stream of water flowing in the jungle down the mountain. There is a distinct path on the mountain going down but the trail of path disappears in the forest where a stream appears. At dawn, and at dusk Ruskin regularly goes for a walk around the stream. Ruskin loves the water of the stream making a soft gurgling sound flowing down the ravine. The ravine is so deep that below only shadow appears, nothing else.

He is a frequent walker through that path. Birds, monkeys, and other herbivorous animals are familiar with his smell. They know he is not a hunter. The birds would no longer fly away, they would just watch him with some curiosity and continue to munch up the tender green shoots of the oak. Not only that, when one day they saw a leopard poised on a rock about twenty feet above the young boy, they tried to warn him of the hidden danger by grunting and chattering. They thus showed their concern for him. A deep bond thus got established between Ruskin and the animals' world without their ever exchanging a single word. The leopard noticed Ruskin.

At times, he spots the silent leopard at the stream for drinking water. Ruskin often stops upon seeing it. That also happened that they both crossed each other’s path several times. Even animals can smell the intentions of man. Like other animals, the leopard sensed Ruskin as a harmless human. It trusted him. That trust developed a sense of friendship. Neither the leopard is afraid of Ruskin, nor does Ruskin have any fear of the leopard.

One day, while Ruskin was on his walk, he saw some strange men resting under a tree. He notices their modern guns that appear ominous and he gets apprehensive. These men are shikaris. They wonder about the little boy wandering in the jungle and caution him that there is a deadly carnivorous leopard lurking around the jungle and Ruskin is not safe there. Ruskin says that he is a regular visitor and he denies seeing any leopard around the area. Ruskin hears them discussing how the skin of wild leopards is in demand and how easily they can make big money by hunting down the leopard.

Ruskin is worried about the leopard. Seeing the shikaris, he gets a bad feeling about the situation and thus tries to help the leopard by denying its existence in the jungle.

Several days pass by and Ruskin does not see that leopard. One day Ruskin goes to a serene and silent hill. The silence there begins gnawing him. He sensed something was eerie. When he focuses on one cave, it is dark inside, and he feels that there is that leopard. The leopard is aware of him but isn’t afraid or startled. The leopard finds him familiar and friendly. Ruskin taught the leopard to trust human beings. Ruskin returns home silently and safely.

The next day while on a walk, he sees some men making a jubilant sound. When he sees them, he freezes with disbelief. On a bamboo pole, the same leopard’s corpse is hanging. The men were singing their songs. “We told you that there is a leopard in the jungle”, said one of the shikaris.

Ruskin feels bad about the situation. He wonders if he helped the Shikaris in hunting down the leopard. Because of him, the leopard began trusting human beings became less cautious, and got killed. He, then, remembers the lines of a poem by D.H. Lawrence: ‘There was a room in the world for a mountain lion and me’.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!