The Voter by Chinua Achib

THE VOTER

1.Change in the attitude of the villagers

In this story , Achebe makes an attempt to give the reader a glimpse in to the life of Igbo people and offers a satirical remarks of how politics generally works.

The people of Umuofia were very ignorant and naive and voted Marcus. He won the election and became the minister of culture. Igbo people witnessed Marcus’s growth and development as a wealthy powerful Politian. Marcus builds a huge mansion in his native and names it ‘Umuofia Mansions.’ He hosts a grand dinner to all the people of his village. Now people realized how ‘politics’ can make people rich and powerful. By observing all these changes, they realized that they had underrated the power of ballot paper. So in the second election they demanded money for their votes.

3.Roof is an intelligent manipulator :

 Roof was a very strong and intelligent person of Umuofia, a village in Nigeria. Roof worked as a bicycle repairer’s apprentice for two year in Port Harcourt. He gives up his bright future and comes back to the village with the obvious intention of guiding people in difficult times.

Roof had become expert in election campaigning and a trustworthy follower of Marcus. He could tell the mood of the electoral at any given time and inform Marcus accordingly. Roof knew how to extract money and other benefits from Marcus. Even when the villagers demanded money he gave out four shillings and declared that was all he could give and he didn’t care about whom they voted for. The elders without losing their decorum, agreed to cast their vote to his leader. Thus Roof was successful in his attempt to manipulate people.

III.

1.Misuse of transparency in the democracy set up:

In this story Achebe , describes the advantages and disadvantages of democracy in Umuofia. Democracy is a system where anybody can be bribed . In the same way POP campaign leader comes to Roof  and places five pounds. Roof is mesmerized by them . there is no transparency in democratic system , as all the candidates can bribe people in the form of money or things. Roof says that he has to be loyal to Marcus he works for him. The leader reminds him that it is secret ballot and hence Marcus will not be there when Roof puts in his paper. Hence Roof accepts five pounds as his greed tempts him to do so. But he asks for assurances that the news will not be leaked and leader takes the promise on Iyi that he would cast his vote for Maduka. Through Roof  POP wanted to spread  across that they would pay in pounds and in shillings. Thus , its clearly portrayed the misuse and the absence of transparency.  

2. To every human comes a time of reckoning.

Roof , an energetic young man works for Marcus . He sacrifices his future for Igbo people. Roof becomes an expert campaigner, who successfully deals Igbo people. Roof knows how politics works and enjoys all the benefits, working for Marcus.

Roof  being an expert campaigner strikes a bargain with the voters, paying them four shillings. Everything was going according to the plans of Roof , until the visit of POP campaigner. He tempts Roof  to vote for Maduka paying him five pounds. He is trapped as they take swear on Iyi. On the day of election when Marcus suggested him to vote first, his spirit  fell and covered his deep worries , moved towards the booths. He was confronted by the car and the head. He took out his ballot paper from his pocket and looked at it. He was in a dilemma. He wondered how he could betray Marcus even in secret, on the other hand he remembered he had sworn on Iyi. He resolved to go back and return five pounds. He knew it was impossible. In a few seconds a thought leapt into Roofs mind , he folded the paper and tore into two and dropped the first half into the box meant for Maduka , as he has promised and the other half he drops for Marcus, to show his loyalty. Thus he comes out relieved.

3.Democracy is more than holding an election:

The story comments that electoral system is not transparent in the present democratic setup as there is a chance of running these election with notes instead of votes. The secret ballot is actually a mockery of the electoral system.

In this, Marcus contest in the elections and get elected. He becomes wealthy, owns two cars and big mansion. But the people of the village remain same of being poor, ignorant and naive. But after feasting in Marcus Mansion, they realized that their votes are of high value and demand money for their votes. Here roof  successfully manages the situation and pays in shillings. Roof is the representation of ordinary human who take money for his livelihood. He betrays his leader, Marcus, for whom he was a loyal  campaigner and accepted money swearing on Iyi. If every individual decides to behave in such a way then there can be no democracy.

We cannot guarantee democratic governance by merely holding elections regularly, but by educating people about their rights and duties. Such a step will make a way for good and smooth administration.

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Where there is a wheel by P. Sainath

 WHERE THERE IS WHEEL                                                                                                          P.Sainath

                                                                    

1. Role of Arivoli Iyakkam:

The cycling movement was started by Arivoli. N.Kannammal one of the pioneer and central co-ordinator of the cycling movement. Pudukottai’s vigorous literacy drive led by Arivoli Iyakkam (light of knowledge Movement) created a good number of the neo-literates and neo-cyclist. N.Kannammal says cycling gave women confidence and reduced the dependence on men. This organisation conducted many camps to encourage rural women. Arivoli gave cycling a social sanction and contributed a lot to train the learners. A very large number of those who learnt cycling come to train the beginners. And this way they helped nearly 70,000 rural women to learn cycling. And they proudly displayed their new skill in public exhibitions.

2.In what different ways does the cycle empower rural women?

 Cycling is the way for development of the rural women. It enables them to be free and work for themselves without depending on men. Women need not walk long distances to fetch water and even they can take their children with them. They can take their product easily to the market, as they need not wait for public transport. They can go on with their bicycle and cover a wider distance. It also assures self-respect to women.

Cycling also empowers women economically, as it boosts income. Some rural women sell agricultural or other produce within a group of villages can have a great deal of time by going to such places on bicycles. It gives much more time to focus on selling their produce. Besides it enlarges their area they can hope to cover. And thus they can make use of their leisure time. These women can rush back home early and tend their children and perform other works. Finally cycling gives freedom to women.

3.Cycling Training Camp:

 Arivoli activist conducted training camps in Kilakuruchi village. Arivoli gave cycling a social sanction and thus conducted many training camps. The writer who visited the camps calls it an unusual experience. The leaner makes best use of Sunday’s to learn cycling. They developed a deep passion to learn cycling and they had to learn, as they wanted to give their answer to the criticism and filthy remarks. Cycling offered a different and unique way to move out of the enforced routines, which male-dominant society posed on women. The neo-cyclist sang songs produced by Arivoli to encourage bicycling.

III. “O, sister come learn cycling, move with the wheel of  time”                                                                                                                                                                                              

The essay, ‘Where there is a wheel “ is taken from  ‘Everybody loves the drought’ by P.Sainath. The essay talks about how cycle has changed the lives and livelihood of rural women of Pudukottai. Here women felt cycling is a symbol of freedom, independence and mobility.’ This humble vehicle has become a metaphor for freedom. It gave them confidence and reduced their dependency on men.

The author mentions Arivoli activists N.Kannammal , who pioneered cycling movement and this vigorous literary  drive broughtout   many neo-literates and neo-cyclists. It enabled the women to do their routine work in a new way. As she can travel a long distance to collect water, to bring provisions, to sell agricultural produce. It also boosts their income and could do their work more quickly and easily, as they need not wait for buses or not to depend on men.

Arivoli encouraged these women, who had passion to bring a chance in their own lives and in the society. They sang song produced by Arivoli to encourage women. Muthu Bhaskarn, a male Arivoli activist, wrote the famous cycling song to call upon the women folk to learn cycling.                                                                                 It says:“O, sister come learn cycling, move with the wheel of time”

It calls upon the woman to change herself and move out of the house, hammering the fetters that hold them. Here wheel refers to the progress of women. Thus the song suggests that the cycle is an instrument of social progress and it changes the lives of the Indian rural women by giving them better options

Water by C.S Rani

WATER

The poem water by CHALAPALLI Swaroopa Rani presents the struggle, humiliation, anguish and sufferings undergone by the dalits to obtain their rightful share of water. It describes problems faced in the rural areas of Andra Pradesh. Dalits were considered as untouchable by upper caste people. They had to face many difficulties as they were prohibited from the basic necessities of life, the water.

Water acts as a silent spectator for the ‘Generations- old strife.’ 
It knows that untouchability will never disappear like the dampness on the well’s edge. Dalits live outside the village and their colony is called ‘Wada’. They had no right to draw water from the well because water becomes impure. The poet cites biblical incident in which Jesus, the Jew, goes to Samarian woman and asks her for water, who belongs to an inferior race. The speaker says whether one is a cobbler or a weaver, water is essential to all. The speaker presents the instances of panchama who is forced to wait with a pot all day long, until a shudra comes to serve him.

The speaker mentions the humiliation of wada girl, when the water is poured on her instead of pot. Water has lead many quarrels between upper caste and lower caste. When the upper caste boys were washing dirty buckets, which was questioned by a lower caste boy, who was beaten up and this act was opposed by a woman, Suvarthamma, who had come to draw the water, raised her pot in self defense. Thereon there was a communal clash between upper caste and lower caste .The poetess also recalls how the thatched roof in Malapalle were reduced to ashes as there was not a pot pot of water to extinguish it. This led to a wide spread water movement to gain, ‘Right to water’, by dalits.

The poetess reminiscences how her wada was in thirst for a glass of water, and how they eagerly waited to take bath onces a week, as a wonderous festival, whereas the village bathed twice a day. Water is not just H2O, But a mighty movement. She expresses her views how water gave a way to mighty revolution. She cites the Mahad struggle at Chaddar tank led by                  Dr.B.R.Amebedkar. Dalits were denied the access to public tank, inspite of the resolution sent by the municipality that to allow the untouchables to access water, so he led the to the reservoir and drank the water asserting the right of dalits. Even now we can find the fights between people states, Karnataka and Tamil nadu, causing a huge loss on the property and lives too, over the question of sharing water.

Later she remembers how she would walk a long way, balancing heavy pots on their heads. And when the thatched root fire they did not have a drop of water to dampen the fire. The water that failed to fulfill the needs of the lower caste became the heinous murderer as the Tsunami swallowed the whole village after village.

People are the toys in the hands of water. It’s not a simple thing. It can turn a village into a dry desert as well can drown them in flood. The water for which many lives were lost, wars were fought has become an international commodity. It has got a new name, ‘Mineral water, Pepsi and sold in market places. Thus water can sit silently in a bottle and witness the strife, of the life of the lower caste.

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Japan and Brazil through the traveler's Eye.

JAPAN AND BRAZIL THROUGH A TRAVELER’S EYE

Introduction: Travel writing is about writing ones experience of travelling and visiting alien places. The writer, George Mikes, writes about his travelling experiences of Japan and Brazil in his work ‘The Rising of the Yen’ and ‘How To Tango’.

Japanese Manner: The writer is impressed by exquisitely well – mannered people of Japan. Though they live in a small over crowded Island, they respect others’ privacy. They don’t over hear the others conversation. So courtesy has a double function as it is courtesy and it is substitute for privacy. They conduct their confidential business transactions, intimate love quarrels in public in perfect privacy. A man’s telephone – receiver is his castle.


Bowing: Japanese bow to each other with a ceremonious and dignified way, yet with a great deal of natural grace. Bowing is a mania. Bowing is quainter, formal and oriental and infectious too. Japanese have a complicated hierarchy in bowing: who bows to whom, how deeply and for how long. The most complicated is if two Japanese bow, neither has to straighten up before the other stands erect in front of him. In some cases there are clear-cut differences in position. For e.g.: The basic rules inside the family like wife bows to her husband, the child bows to his father and so on. Even, when the mother carrier the babies in a little saddles, bows from the majestic height when mother bows.
Japanese stores employ bowing girls whose only duty is to bow to each and everyone.
The writer pen down the incidents of Nara, where he met a deer, which bowed ceremoniously but jumped at him and snatched the little bag of food. He compares then to Japanese, despite of their courteous bow they act like savage when they see the bus.

Eating soup: Has more dangers than anything else. One must make a fearful noise while eating soup as it is the sign of appreciation. If one makes a disgusting noise then its considered as ill-mannered lout.


Traffic Brazil: Brazilians are leisurely characters. They spend their time in decorating pavements with mosaic. If they get a steering wheel in their hands no speed is fast enough. Though the motor cars are extremely expensive in Brazil, motor vehicles are growing by leaps and bounds. Thus the life of pedestrians is hazardous.
The drivers are on the lookout for pedestrian, as they notice a pedestrian step off the pavement they take it as a game; aim at him and accelerates. He jumps, leas and runs for dear life. The war between the driver and pedestrian are compared to hunter and prey. They smile at each other with a notion “I win today you will win tomorrow”. Though the war between drivers are murderous but good tempered. They commit all heinous crime of the road, with no hostility or anger.
The worst place of Brazil is Avenida Presidents vargas. One cannot cross the road and need to contemplate for hours, without a ray of hope of an auspicious crossing. He exemplifiers it, as one man suddenly catches the sight of a friend on the other side and starts waving with a mystified look: “How on earth did you get over there?’ where the other yells, ‘How? I was born on this side?”

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