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Sunday, January 27, 2013

Child Rights and State Intervention - Topic for Group Discussion

Dear children
Read the content and follow the links given below for information on child rights and state intervention.

http://www.childrensrightsindia.org/pdf/OurRights.pdf

"Out of school children comprise the workers and non workers. In our view they together signify a measure of deprivation among children and can be considered as a potential labour pool always being at the risk of entering the labour force" - NCEUS, 2007
India is sadly the home to the largest number of child labourers in the world. The census found an increase in the number of child labourers from 11.28 million in 1991 to 12.59 million in 2001. M.V. Foundation in Andhra Pradesh found nearly 400,000 children, mostly girls between seven and 14 years of age, toiling for 14-16 hours a day in cottonseed production across the country of which 90% are employed in Andhra Pradesh. 40% of the labour in a precious stone cutting sector is children. NGOs have discovered the use of child labourers in mining industry in Bellary District in Karnataka in spite of a harsh ban on the same. In urban areas there is a high employment of children in the zari and embroidery industry.
Poverty and lack of social security are the main causes of child labour. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor, privatization of basic services and the neo-liberal economic policies are causes major sections of the population out of employment and without basic needs. This adversely affects children more than any other group. Entry of multi-national corporations into industry without proper mechanisms to hold them accountable has lead to the use of child labour. Lack of quality universal education has also contributed to children dropping out of school and entering the labour force. A major concern is that the actual number of child labourers goes un-detected. Laws that are meant to protect children from hazardous labour are ineffective and not implemented correctly.
A growing phenomenon is using children as domestic workers in urban areas. The conditions in which children work is completely unregulated and they are often made to work without food, and very low wages, resembling situations of slavery. There are cases of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of child domestic workers. The argument for domestic work is often that families have placed their children in these homes for care and employment. There has been a recent notification by the Ministry of Labour making child domestic work as well as employment of children in dhabas, tea stalls and restaurants "hazardous" occupations.
According to HAQ: Centre for child rights, child labour is highest among schedules tribes, Muslims, schedule castes and OBC children. The persistence of child labour is due to the inefficiency of the law, administrative system and because it benefits employers who can reduce general wage levels. HAQ argues that distinguishing between hazardous and non hazardous employment is counter-productive to the elimination of child labour. Various growing concerns have pushed children out of school and into employment such as forced displacement due to development projects, Special Economic Zones; loss of jobs of parents in a slowdown, farmers' suicide; armed conflict and high costs of health care. Girl children are often used in domestic labour within their own homes. There is a lack of political will to actually see to the complete ban of child labour.
Bonded child labour is a hidden phenomenon as a majority of them are found in the informal sector. Bonded labour means the employment of a person against a loan or debt or social obligation by the family of the child or the family as a whole. It is a form of slavery. Children who are bonded with their family or inherit a debt from their parents are often found in agricultural sector or assisting their families in brick kilns, and stone quarries. Individual pledging of children is a growing occurrence that usually leads to trafficking of children to urban areas for employment and have children working in small production houses versus factories. Bonded labourers in India are mostly migrant workers, which opens them up to more exploitation. Also they mostly come from low caste groups such as dalits or marginalised tribal groups. Bonded child labourers are at very high risk for physical and sexual abuse and neglect sometimes leading to death. They often are psychologically and mentally disturbed and have not learnt many social skills or survival skills.
In 2000 the ILO estimated 5.5 million children had been forced in labour in Asia, while the Bonded Labour Liberation Front placed 10 million bonded children in India alone. In 1998 the government of India labelled bonded child labour as a marginal problem with only 3000 or so cases. A survey in Tamil Nadu in 1995 found 125,000 bonded child labourers in the state alone. Child bonded labour in India is mostly in the agricultural sector but has in recent times been moving into other sectors as well such as beedi-rolling, brick kilns, carpet weaving, commercial sexual exploitation, construction, fireworks and matches factories, hotels, hybrid cottonseed production, leather, mines, quarries, silk, synthetic gems, etc.
Child labour in India is addressed by the Child Labour Act, 1986 and National Child Labour Project.

Audio Books

Dear children,
you can follow this link to download audio books of your choice

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Tale of Melon City - Post Reading Task




Armed with the tools of wit, irony and sarcasm, author Kalki wrote a satire about a king who tried to challenge his fate. You will read the complete story in class XII. For now, enjoy a poetic version of Kalki's 'THE TIGER KING'!


The Maharaja Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur took his infamous birth
One day, said the astrologers, death would dance at his hearth
Lo and behold! The ten day old king spoke to the men few
"Stop fooling around and tell me something new!"

The king was born in the hour of the bull
Hence, a tiger, one day, would have his skull
Courage reincarnate, the king growled
Let tigers beware as they prowl.

He killed his first tiger, threw a party and began to boast
Was quickly told, the hundredth tiger will have him toast
Seventy lords of jungle, the Tiger King murdered
No more were left and the king shuddered

He chose the ball and chains 
Where tigers were still to be found
He fought the marriage pains
For to tigers, he was bound

He banned tiger hunting
For all save one
Even risked the Brit ire
To kill another one

At last came the day
When the ninety ninth was dead
The jungles were vacant
Not a word was said

Then sheep began disappearing
Oh a tiger must be about
The sad king heard the news
And gave a merry shout

But no one could find this animal
Several incompetent lost their jobs
The land taxes became criminal
As the king's temper rose by knots
When the Dewan faced the brunt
He produced the old tiger he had hidden
The poor beast was tethered forcibly
And the fake king tither bidden

The king raised his gun
He was a good shot
The tiger rolled over in fright
The king was done with the lot

He went back to his happy life
Fearless of death forever more
And bought a cheap wooden tiger
When his son turned a year less than four

The wood was poor carpentry
Slivers where tetanus would linger
Worried all the lovely gentry
As the king pricked his finger

Surgeons were summoned
But the infection spread
The operation was successful
The king was finally dead!

The Tale of Melon City: Analysis






ABOUT THE AUTHOR
·                                 
  1. Born 20 June 1952 (age 59)
  2.    A polygot, a poet, novelist, travel writer, librettist, children's writer, biographer and memoirist
  3. NOVELS: The Golden Gate, A Suitable Boy, An Equal Music, A Suitable BOY
  4.    POETRY: Mappings, The Humble Administrator’s Garden, All You Who Sleep Tonight, Beastly Tales, Three Chinese Poets, The Frog and the Nightingale
  5. CHILDREN’S BOOK: Beastly Tale
  6. NON FICTION: From Heaven’s Lake, Two Lives



THE TALE OF MELON CITY : poem from Mappings, Seth’s first volume of poetry published in 1980



TERMS TO KNOW
·            Monarchy - a political system led by a king or a queen
·     Democracy - a political system which believes in the freedom, equality and power of choice of its people who elect representatives from among themselves to lead the nation
·      Satire - a piece of writing which criticises people or ideas in a humorous way
·     Irony - a situation in which something which was intended to have a particular result but has the opposite or a completely different result. Irony can be a powerful tool when writing a satire.
·     Couplet - two consecutive lines in a poem, which rhyme and have the same length/rhythm



THE CONTEXT:

The poet dedicates the poem to Idries Shah, an author in the Sufist tradition who maintained that spiritual teachings should  be present in forms and terms familiar in the community where they take root. Used humour and irony extensively influencing many intellectuals and authors, apparently including Vikram Seth.

One extraordinary aspect of Shah’s work is the wide spectrum of readers his books attract: they are read and studied by psychologists and novelists, physicists and by social workers, by actors, lawyers and housewives.

Idries Shah wrote 'The Tale of Melon City' as a short story in his book, The Caravan of Dreams. That story was converted into a poem by Vikram Seth.

The poem is similar in style to a folklore but written with a satirical quill and ironical twists using couplets which do not break with the end of a line.

The King is described throughout as 'just' and 'placid'. However, the irony lies in the execution of this 'justice' and 'calmness' which is carried too far by both the king and his ministers.

REFLECT UPON:

 - the fickle-minded, whimsical king and his decision
  - the blame game played by the accused in the poem
  - the tone of the accused as they appeal to the king and what it shows about their social status  
 - the pettiness of the initial incidence with respect to the enormity of the eventual outcom
 - the role of the crowd which can even make the king 'tremble  - the postponing of finer points like who was guilty to accommodate the crowd's expectations
  - the criteria for the choice of the wisest man and the man's so-called 'wisdom'
 - the silliness of the counter-argument to defend the arch
   - the idiocracy of the way the eventual decision is arrived at
   - the irony of the slogan shouted by the ministers and the crowd
  - the 'idiot' and his decision for the idiots of the city
  - the concept of laissez faire and its presence in the city making the life of the citizens 'peaceful'

ANALYSE THE FOLLOWING:
·     The king is a parody on those in power who take extreme steps to combat petty issues. He is also a reflection of those in power who claim to be 'just' but prove to be 'foolish' instead

·   The ministers are a mirror to those in the ruling and opposition parties who do not fulfil their true purpose in the parliament which is to help the leader make the right choices.

·  The blind faith of Indians in age and experience as opposed to awareness and true wisdom. This blind devotion and criteria to label someone as 'wise' is presented craftily through the personality of a man who could not see or walk but was still termed wise no matter how absurd his persona or words spoken.

·  The blame game which is, unfortunately, so utterly a part of our political structure as well as daily lives. There is no sense of accountability and the buck continues to be tossed from one to another when any issue arises.

· The crowd's enjoyment of a 'hanging' even at the cost of justice takes from the irrational demands and expectations of the public without patience or understanding of the true cause of an event
·   The principle of Laissez Faire and its possible implications. 

QUESTION BANK:
Q.1. “The Tale of the Melon City” consists of a series of humorous incidents. Describe the events that led to the hanging of the King by his own order.

Q.2. Why did the King order the construction of the arch? Does it tell you something about the tone of the poem/poem?

Q.3. Why did the King ordered that chief of the builders be hanged?

Q.4. What was the criteria for choosing a man to be hanged? Who was found fit?


Q.5. What do you think of the ‘just and placid' king?


Q.6. Pick out the irony of the poem. Why do you think it is so?


Q.7. What is the principle of ‘Laissez Faire’? How is it established in this poem?

Q.8. Many people are mentioned  in this poem.Whom do you find the most humorous other than the king?

Q.9. Comment upon the verse form used for narration in the poem “The Tale of Melon City”

Q.10.Justify the title of the poem “the Tale of Melon City”.
  

Friday, January 11, 2013

The Canterville Ghost - Study Guide 3 - Story Highlights

                              Focus on Humour

  In this book Oscar Wilde trasforms a horror atmosphere in a comic story; in all the chapters the ghost undergoes humiliation and jokes from the  Otis family.
The author uses also the difference between English mentality and American mentality to create some comic parts of the book:
England is an ancient country, so English people beleve in traditions and legends, instead, the USA is a modern country and people are more realistic so they face the strange and unusual situations differently.
E.g. - offering the medicine and lubricating oil, cleaning up the ominous bloodstain, children's pranks.

These particular devices make this book a mix of horror and comic and it has an important  moral: “He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.', Virginia says at the end.

In “ The Canterville Ghost “ , Oscar Wilde makes the criticism of the American culture .
Since the first chapter, he describes and compares it with the British culture .
The American people are more connected to the progress, the technology, the industry, and they believe in the values that this culture produces .
These people are pragmatic, rational , material; they don’t believe in ghosts , in the occult .
The only thing in which they believe is the power of reason and….money. We can see this throughout the book, in particular in the first chapter when Mr. Otis buys the Canterville Chase: for example Mr Otis says “ I come from a modern country , where we have everything that money can buy “.
The British culture is different. These people are more connected to other values that are not in the American conscience, for example tradition intended both as history and legend and consequently also superstition and popular beliefs .

American ways
English ways

money the most important thing
social position the most important thing

status achieved by individual effort
status achieved by birth

no time for ghosts
moving because of the ghost

nothing is impossible
tradition cannot be interfered with

cannot be frightened
easy to frighten

no history or tradition
plenty of history and tradition

believe in the simple life and hard work
jewels important to the upper class





Instances of Suspense
Suspense devices
 
Oscar Wilde introduces some suspense to make this book more involving and exciting. These suspense parts serve to make this funny book also a horror book and, in conclusion, we can say that it is a comic - horror book.

In the first chapter a terrible lighting terrorizes Mrs. Umney and she faints.

“…a terrible flash of lightning lit up the sombre room, a fearful peal of thunder made them all start to their feet, and Mrs. Umney fainted…”

In the second chapter when the ghost appears for the first time and he makes a very strange noise and he wakes up all the Otis family.

“…The strange noise still continued, and with it he heard distinctly the sound of footsteps. He put on his slippers, took a small oblong phial out of his dressing-case, and opened the door. Right in front of him he saw, in the wan moonlight, an old man of terrible aspect. His eyes were as red burning coals; long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils; his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves…”

In the third chapter the ghost makes an inhuman yell that peals in the castle.

 “…had gone to bed they were suddenly alarmed by a fearful crash in the hall. Rushing downstairs, they found that a large suit of old armour had become detached from its stand, and had fallen on the stone floor, while, seated in a high-backed chair, was the Canterville ghost, rubbing his knees with an expression of acute agony on his face…”

In the fifth chapter the ghost brings Virginia through the wall, in fact she trusts the ghost even when she doesn't know where he wants to take her, so the reader waits for the destiny of the girl.
“...the Ghost clutched her hand more tightly, and she shut her eyes against them. Horrible animals with lizard tails, and goggle eyes, blinked at her from the carven chimney-piece, and murmured 'Beware! little Virginia, beware! we may never see you again,' but the Ghost glided on more swiftly, and Virginia did not listen. When they reached the end of the room he stopped, and muttered some words she could not understand. She opened her eyes, and saw the wall slowly fading away like a mist, and a great black cavern in front of her. A bitter cold wind swept round them, and she felt something pulling at her dress. 'Quick, quick,' cried the Ghost, 'or it will be too late,' and, in a moment, the wainscoting had closed behind them, and the Tapestry Chamber was empty…”.


Practical jokes played on the ghost by children

·         throw a pillow at his head
·         they make a pretend ghost out of a brush, a bed sheet and a pumpkin and leave it in the middle of the corridor
·         put things in his way so he would fall over them in the dark
·         put butter at the top of some stairs
·         place a container of ice-cold water on top of the slightly open door to their bedroom
·         hide in a dark corner in the library, wait until the ghost appears and then jump out and shout ‘Boo!’; Washington is ready to hose him with the garden hosepipe

The Canterville Ghost- Study Guide 2 - Character Details



The ghost: The ghost of the castle for centuries. He was Sir Simon de Canterville who died in 1584. His spirit still haunts the Chase. His aspect is very terrible: “He is an old man, his eyes were as red burning coals, long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils, his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.”

Mr. Otis: The father of the Otis family. He is a middle-aged American minister; he is determinated, inflexible, rational, practical and pragmatic, in conclusion a true American. In fact at the beginning he believes that the ghost doesn’t exist, then, when he personally meets him, he is indifferent: he has more important things to do, making money, for example.

Virginia: “She is a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom, in her large blue eyes. She is a wonderful amazon. She is a kind person. The daughter is the only one in the family who helps the ghost achieve salvation.

Washington: the Otises' oldest son; “he is a fire-haired rather good-looking young man; gardenias and peerage are his only weaknesses.”

The twins: “they are usually called The stars and stripes, they are delightful boys and the only true republicans of the family.” These children always play tricks on the ghost and make him depressed and desperate. All  along  the story, they imagine jokes and even dress up as ghosts.

Mrs Otis:  The mother isn't scared of the ghost and even asks him if he wants a remedy for his stomach. “She is a very handsome middle-aged woman with fine eyes and a superb profile. She has a magnificent constitution and a wonderful amount of animal spirits.”

Duke of Chesire: He is a handsome young scapegrace” desperately in love with the fifteen-year old Virginia Otis. However, his guardians pack him off to Eton, and he must wait to marry. When Virginia vanishes, he insists on being part of the search party. His devotion is rewarded, and Virginia consents to become the Duchess of Cheshire.

Lord Canterville: A respectable descendent of the Canterville family, that was the owner of the Canterville Chase. “He is an English men of the most punctilious honour.”

Mrs.Umney: the old house-keeper of Canterville Chase is very terrified by the ghost and tries to warn the family.





The Canterville Ghost - Study Guide 1 - Story layout and Characters

                         The Story Skeleton
The Canterville Ghost in real life committed a terrible crime – he killed his wife because she was plain and a bad housekeeper. He was punished for it by his wife’s brothers, who locked him up in a room to starve to death.
And yet, the story of the Canterville Ghost is largely a comedy. The ghost has successfully haunted Canterville Chase for hundreds of years, but the Otis family from America prove too much for him, with their practical solutions to all ghostly manifestations, and the terrible twins who tormenthim until all he dares to do is creep around the house as quietly as possible, instead of wailing and rattling his
chains. Finally the ghost confesses his problems to the girl of the family, Virginia, and she helps him to find eternal rest.

                      Layout
 Chapters 1 to 4

·     Protagonist: Mr. Otis
·     Antagonist: the ghost
·     Object: to turn out the ghost
·     Protagonist’s helper: Washington and the twins
·     Antagonist’s helper: his supernatural powers
Chapters 5 to 7

·     Protagonists: the ghost
·     Antagonist: Mr Otis
·     Object: the ghost soul’s liberation
·     Protagonist’s helper: Virginia
·     Antagonist’s helper: his family, excluding Virginia, and the Duke of Chesire