Abstract Rabindranath Tagore has his own way to speak for the downtrodden of the society. His name does not configure in the category of Dalit writers. But there is ample example that proves his writing is pregnant with Dalit issues. Many characters like servant, sweeper, vendor etc. with several aspects of poor life are portrayed in his novels and dramas. His poems are also no less important in this matter. In the present article I have tried to explore the Dalit issues Tagore has dealt with in his poems. The “Shudra”, “Downtrodden”, “Outcast” all are justifiably present in his verses. Key Words: Caste, Community, Dalit, Downtrodden, Outcast, Poor, Untouchable, Domination, Power. “Come Ye Outcast, come Ye lowly ones Fling away your load of shame!” Tagore welcomed the downtrodden people for the building of nation. Along with the “Aryans”, “non-Aryans”, “Hindu”, “Muslim”, “English”, “Christian” “Brahmin” he also called the “poorest and lowliest, and lost” to “hold others by hand” and “Unite and consecrate the waters on the shore of vast Humanity that is India.” Tagore, through his works tried his best to reform the society. He took up many themes and penned them down to change the mind of so called “touchables” and orthodox Indians to accept the poor and lowly people as fellow human being. The term to define the downtrodden, oppressed and neglected peoples varies from time to time, place to place. Sometimes they are” Negro” or “Black”, sometimes …show more content…
The poet here describes the ‘Zamindaripratha (system)’ of Bengal and how the innocent and poor peasants were brutally tortured and abused by the cruel and rich Zamindars. The poet himself being a landlord was quite acquainted with the brutal behaviour of the other Zamindars which he never accepted. It inspired him to write this very
Based on the title of the book alone, it is easy to say that racism is one of the many social issues this book will address. Unlike the normal racism of Caucasians versus African Americans, this book focuses on racism of the black elite versus African Americans, also known as colorism. Colorism is the discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically by others of the same racial group. Margo Jefferson says, “Negroland is my name for a small region of Negro America where residents were sheltered by a certain amount of privilege and plenty” (p. 1).
A few upper caste youths, hiding behind parapet of the building in an opposite auction place, stoned the pot. “C-r-a-ash” a sound Teeha heard. The youths struck Methi’s pot and her whole body became drenched completely. It is her caste that is her flaw. By the time, Teeha moved towards Methi as soon as the pot shattered. Methi’s companions stood at some distance from them. Mathi was wet from head to feet. She stood rooted to the ground. The upper caste youths’ eyes roved over Methi’s breast and navel visible through her wet clothes, because the woman was an untouchable’s community in that village. So the upper caste youths wanted to humiliate her in public place. Look at this caste that became a weak and means of under-estimation. Teeha, a Dalit and an outsider, has openly hit a Patel youth that is a burning issue. But a low-caste girl was assaulted which is considered as sign of upper caste
Minorities have made significant strides towards autonomy and equality over the last century. They had been subjected to oppression and cruelty. There was no proper representation for the natives and were considered ‘barbaric’ by the Europeans and Americans. In both continents, the Africans have been exploited to suit the needs of the colonizers. They have always been stereotyped, which are hasty generalizations, in all walks of life.
Americans have used the term "black" or "negro" to describe all persons with any African ancestry. The rules were really tricky about being black. There was a black leader who leaded African American in twenty five years from 1890 to 1915. He had a speed of the African American which was known as Booker T. Washington Delivers the 1895 Atlanta Compromise Speech. The speech became one of the most significant speeches in American history.
This ranges from small offenses to crimes, or from them being seen as a threat. In this case, African Americans are treated as the minorities, therefore making them the underdogs. This does not include the entire population within the world, but rather, the people that are considered to be oppressed and not the “elite”. Margaret Canovan says “In a more restricted sense, the term can be contrasted with some kind of elite or upper class to refer not to the whole community, but to the less privileged majority of its members,” (Canovan 315). This means that “the less privileged” refers to African Americans because they are considered to be at the lowest level of society, making them inferior and not important.
“Despite so many reforms, the idea of untouchability is still very much a part of Indian life." (doc A) There are hundreds of millions of people trapped under the poverty line in India, who can’t escape. They are kept in a cycle of poverty with no end. However, instead of getting the help that they need, they are being pushed further down into poverty, leading to generations of families trapped. The cycle of poverty in India is being pushed along by discrimination of the poor. The poor are discriminated against by being denied health care, pushed out of school, and targeted by officials, which leads to more poverty.
Punishment, by Rabindranath Tagore, is a short story involving Indian culture and a dilemma for two brothers. Dukhiram and Chidam slaved in the fields all day, as their wives would fight and scream at each other at the house. One day the brothers came home to their wives with no food awaiting them. Dukhiram, furious and enraged, asked his wife where the food was. Radha, his wife, said sarcastically," Where is the food? You didn't give me anything to cook. Must I earn the money myself to buy it?" (Punishment, pg.1451) After a hard days work, Dukhiram couldn't handle the sarcasim. So he stabbed Radha in the head with his knife. In the mean while, Ramlochan, the pillar of the village, came to collect rent from the brothers. He walked in the house and witnessed Dukhiram sobbing in the corner. Chidam rushed over and explained the recent events to the Ramlochan. Since Ramlochan was the man who took care of legal matters, he decided to help Chidam. They both decided it would be best to place the blame on Chidam's wife, Chandara. Chidam did not wish to lose his brother, and he felt he could make up a story to clear his wife from the charges anyways. Word of the murder spread around town and soon the police came to question Chandara. Chidam had instructed her to say that Radha attacked her with a slicer, and she reacted in self-defense. However, Chandara told the police the opposite. She said that Radha didn't attack her in any way. Chidam, absolutely shocked, couldn't believe what his wife had said. She continued to confess her guilt to all who questioned her. The case then went to trial, where once again she pronounced her actions of murder. Chidam was que...
This chapter focusses mostly on the injustice against black people and commences with an insert from Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous ‘I have a Dream’ speech. The chapter describes an America that has a lot ‘unfinished business’ and due to this unfinished business not being remedied, black people continue to be among the most impoverished races within the United States. This chapter makes for a very interesting read as authors sum up the issues within the US while they include their theory of fairness and stories to explain why special poverty among minorities
It must be noted that for the purpose of avoiding redundancy, the author has chosen to use the terms African-American and black synonymously to reference the culture, which...
To begin with, one must find a peaceful approach to defeat discrimination. According to the text, on “from Letter to Viceroy, Lord Irwin”, Gandhi stated “My ambition is no less than to convert the British through non-violence and thus make them see the wrong they have done to India.” This evidence shows that Gandhi wants to be heard without using violence. Another example is on lines 17-24 which says “It has impoverished the dumb millions by a system of progressive exploitation…reduced politically to serfdom…sapped foundations of our culture…degraded us spiritually.” This evidence reveals that Gandhi is showing the effect the British is having a right now in India.
Singh, Hira. 2008. “The real world of caste in India,” The Journal of Peasant Studies 35 (1):
The corruption in hospitals, where “doctors can keep their government salary and work in private hospitals”, sees people like Balram’s father die of horrible deaths every day. Dismayed by the lack of respect of the government for its dying citizens, Balram is corrupted by the fact that in the “darkness”, there is no service, not even in death. Balram also claims that “the schoolteacher had stolen our lunch money”, which was for a government funded lunch program. However, Balram doesn’t blame him, which justifies that Balram, from such a young age gives into the idea of corruption saying that “...you can’t expect a man in a dung heap to smell sweet”. In addition to his father and the school teacher, Balram is corrupted by his childhood hero Vijay. Growing up, Balram idolises Vijay for having escaped “the darkness”. However what he is ignorant of is that even though Vijay is in “the light” he is still corrupted by “the darkness”. Balram explains that “Vijay and a policemen beat another men to death”, yet he doesn’t see it as a problem, because he understand that one cannot become successful in such a corrupt system without becoming as corrupt as the system itself. It is here that Adiga asks the question of how are impoverished Indians are expected to refuse to engage in corruption when they live in such poor conditions. Thus, the reader is able to sympathize with Balram’s corruption,
India has come a long way, from being ruled by a foreign entity for two centuries to become a free and fast-growing economic power in the modern world. However, poverty and social exclusion still prevail in large parts of the country. They are often more inter-related than people would otherwise think. This essay will begin by defining the two terms; moving on to the history of poverty and social exclusion in India and finally to the causes and effects through a multi-dimensional view.
Of the themes which dominate the representative writings of the forth world literatures include the theme of resistance, rebellion, opposition, assertion, challenge, sacrifice, suffering and displacement. All these general ideas are interconnected with the common concept of ‘freedom’ and an aspiration for which is truly a driving force for the indigenous people. In this paper an attempt has been made to look into the theme of resistance and how it contributes to the development of the spirit of self-determinism as it is reflected and re-presented in the Fourth World literatures with special reference to dalits’ writings in India in order to appreciate and advance the common cause of freedom in the larger interest of Humanity.
The current manifestations of the caste system are now far more generalized across the Indian subcontinent than was the case in former times. Caste as we now recognize has been endangered, shaped and perpetuated by comparatively recent political and social developments. This is evident even i...