The Perfect Paper 1 (Highly Idealistic)

Why fight for Russia?

The following text is a leaflet written by British Pacifist Norman Angell in 1914 in response to Britain’s decision to enter the World War 1 alongside Russia. The extract displays conventions of a leaflet all throughout including bold titles, use of a variety of persuasive techniques and also facts and figures. The given extract was written in 1914 when essentially Britain was an empire where the sun never set. Norman Angell approaches this issue not only as a pacifist but also as a patriotic British national. Through the effective use of stylistic devices such as rhetorical question, anaphora and antithesis to compare Russian and British ideologies, Angell establishes the argument that Britain has no need to enter the World War 1 alongside Russia.

The purpose of this leaflet is to persuade the audience to protest against Britain’s decision to enter World War 1. The audience can be anyone as leaflets are freely distributed to the public but the target audience is clearly the working class as Norman Angell says “Make your Trade Union, you I.L.P., or B.S.P. branch pass strong resolutions”. He therefore creates this leaflet as a call to action, the action being to protest against Britain’s involvement in the war. The theme of this leaflet is merely the notion that war causes violence and this is also obvious as Norman Angell was a Pacifist.

The content of the leaflet revolves around this idea and Angell provides factual information to drives the desired response from the reader. He compares Russian and British ideologies and states that Russia’s system is against British ideals of liberty and justice and against ‘western civilization’ as a whole. Norman Angell then asks a direct question which compares Germans to Russians and provokes a logical thought process. He calls Russians ‘slaves of a corrupt autocracy’ and does this to send the message that that Great Britain as a civilized nation should not relate or associate itself with Russia. Norman Angell goes a step further to state that Germans are of the same race and blood and just like the British, are engaged in trade and industry and peaceful occupations. This induces the reader to relate to a German rather than a Russian and also adds to his purpose to persuade the reader to protest against War. He also mentions that a war for Russia is like a war against civilization and this further provokes the desired response from the working class, that is, to vote against Britain taking part in WW1 and to live in peace and harmony.

The tone of this leaflet is preachy and is therefore convincing and this creates a patriotic mood that turns it into a matter of urgency. The author indicates that the information should be spread by saying “write your member that you will try and turn him out”. Norman Angell essentially questions what the reader expects of their country and the values it upholds. The author effectively uses logos to explain why Britain shouldn’t take part in the war using and example from Crimea where Great Britain spent 50 million pounds. He also uses figures to compare the population sizes of Germany compared to Russia to emphasize the much greater threat Russia could be in comparison to Germany. He also indirectly uses pathos in the form of a patriotic angle to change the opinion of a reader that Britain should fight alongside Russia in World War 1. The author effectively uses a range of literary devices in the leaflet, such as anaphora when he repeats ‘Russia’ three times to grab the reader’s attention. He uses the antithesis that a war for Russia is a war against civilization to directly influence the reader’s opinion and perspective to one that is for peace and thus against Britain taking part in WW1.

The structure of this poster is one that is organized and shows a logical but biased thought process. The title itself asks a question ‘Why fight for Russia?’ This rhetorical question indicates the start of the thought process. The reader can then use the information and the question provided by Norman Angell to think about the War and its consequences. The author’s intention to re-emphasize that this is a violent war to be fought alongside Russia, is satisfied with the the statement ‘A War for Russia is a War against Civilization.’ Again, the use of an antithesis combined with the big bold black text conveys the underlying message to the reader. Lastly Angell reiterates what he means: ‘BRITAIN, STAND CLEAR!’ and this provides a conclusion to his well-organized argument.

In conclusion, Norman Angell effectively uses persuasive techniques and bias to create a leaflet that questions the patriotism of the British by comparing them to Russians who he mentions in the leaflet, are against the values and ideals of the nation. He therefore provokes the desired response from the reader, to protest and vote against Britain taking part in World War 1.

Obviously he failed…. hahaha

Are you caring?

Rationale:

This propaganda poster aims to present ‘Caring’, one of the essential IB learner profile ideals as the most important. The poster has been created using propaganda appeals such as card stacking which involves testimonials, glittering generalities and transfer device.

The transfer device takes the form of an image where a dog is feeding milk to a goat using a bottle. Since most people will agree that the picture is cute, they will also identify the fact that the dog and the goat are from 2 different species and this gives an essential realization that we as one species should take care of each other. The quote from Mahatma Gandhi has been provided to contribute to the ethos of this propaganda just as the picture of the caring dog has been used to apply to the pathos of the viewer in a subtle way. The testimonials provide physical evidence on the importance of being caring, and solidify the message being conveyed.

The glittering generalities (...Strive to be EXCELLENT at...) provide a new dimension to the poster. It showcases an IB learner as one who shines even amongst the most clean of mirrors. The visual language contributes to the importance of caring for each other as the bold font emphasizes the ideal. The background picture also provides a general overview, as the heart sign made using the hand is a mainstream thing and it can be easily identified. The picture of the globe within the heart has an obvious connotation, to love and take care of the world around us.

Poster: http://www.docdroid.net/zYKX3MJ/caring-propaganda.pdf.html 

It is acceptable for a government to try to shape public opinion through information campaigns

During the Iraq War, the Pentagon and the Bush White House controlled what went out to the world about what was happening through media centers such as CNN, BBC and Fox News. They did so by providing vague information about the location of the American troops and also by emphasizing the glory and might of the American army in Iraq.

Al Jazeera, a famous Doha-based news channel tried to provide a balance of stories by presenting the war from the perspective of a civilian in Iraq to tell the world that the Iraq war was not a clean one by any means but was rather messy and bloody. Pentagon officials called Al Jazeera the 'mouthpiece of Bin Laden'. For example, the story of Jessica Lynch was so dramatized  and the Pentagon was giving out false information of what had happened when Lynch was rescued. They told the media that Lynch had sustained stab and bullet wounds and had been slapped but it was later found out that Lynch only suffered injuries from the accident in which her team was caught. Also the Pentagon claimed that the US troops came under fire during the 'rescue' operation but the doctors at the hospital said that the Iraqi troops had fled the area two days prior to the arrival of the American special troops. So who fired at the American troops?

Personally, I believe that it is not acceptable for a government to try and shape public opinion through information campaigns. It is inevitable to some extent to glorify the American army based on patriotism of the people in power and of the people and reputation of America as the most powerful nation in the world but that is still not a good enough reason to provide biased information campaigns that can shape the public opinion to a massive extent. I was personally appalled by what the Pentagon did and i believe that this is why I disagree with this statement but yet I don't strongly disagree because it is tolerable to some extent.

Migrant Crisis: A BOON or a CURSE?

Rationale

The article that has been chosen was published recently on October 14, 2015 by Tom Porter, a reporter for the International Business Times UK who had previously worked for the BBC and the East London Guardian. It has a clear bias against the migrant crisis and provides facts and figures to concretely explain the negative impact of the crisis and the unpopularity of Angela Merkel's decision among the people of Germany.

This pastiche will look at how the influx of refugees may turn out to be advantageous for Germany. Personally, I believe in the ideology that although Germany may have had good intentions about helping people, it has now turned into a massive political and economic necessity to counter balance Germany's ageing population. This ageing population needs migrants to take the menial jobs in order for the economy to work efficiently, and this is going to be the basis of my pastiche.

FYI! This pastiche represents a perspective of a group of people and of myself on this massive world issue that is the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian civil war and the up rise of the extremist group, ISIS, or ISIL, or IS, or Da'esh.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BY TOM PORTER, published on the IB times UK

Migrant crisis: Germans increasingly feel the country cannot cope with influx of refugees.

Most Germans believe there are too many refugees in the country and that Chancellor Angela Merkel was wrong to say "we'll manage this". Approximately 800,000 refugees and migrants are expected to arrive in the Germany this year.

The survey by YouGov, published on 13 October, found that 56% believe there are too many refugees in the country, a 10 point raise on the previous month.

It also found failing confidence in the German government's insistence that Germany could cope with the influx, with only 32% of respondents agreeing with Merkel's repeated insistence "we'll manage this", down by 11 points from a month ago.

Only 19% thought the country could take in more refugees, down from 28% in mid-September.

The survey comes as support for Merkel's Conservatives dropped to its lowest levels since June 2014 in the wake of the refugee crisis. The Forsa poll conducted for broadcaster RTL and Stern magazine showed that support for the party has slipped to 38%.

Merkel and Horst Seehofer, the leader of the Conservative's Bavarian sister party, are currently locked in dispute, with Merkel favouring an open door policy towards those wanting to enter the country, and Seehofer threatening to take the government to court unless it does more to stem the flow of refugees and migrants, with Bavaria often their point of entry.

PASTICHE

Many say that Germany's attitude towards the refugees stems from an event that happened in the dark history of Germany, the Holocaust of 1941 when the Germans were forced to be refugees themselves. But, realistically, that is just a load of nonsense, these scholars might have been on moonshine!

The way to look at it politically is from statistics that are completely entrenched in economic values and not in values of the general German populace. For a country like Germany to take in so many refugees there’s no two way about it. Of course, it is easy to fool the people and make them sympathize with the refugees, this will only benefit the German economy.

Generally in the EU, over 50% of the population is above 45 years old and as humans, the older people get, they become less active and therefore it becomes harder to do menial jobs that require no skill but a lot of physical labor. For countries like Germany, people inflow requirements can't be met just by policy changes that allow more migration to the country. The fact is that most western European countries need an inflow rate of 7x- 8x higher than the current rate. 

So what is the advantage of this influx of refugees?

Angela Merkel announced late in August that Germany is willing to accept a massive 800,000 refugees this year. Merkel's decisions are ones to be admired though as she is trying to make economic as well as political gains by taking advantage of this the crisis. She uses the ideology articulated by Michael Heppell in his book 'FLIT IT: How to get the best out of everything.' and turns this crisis into a massive boost for an ageing economy. 

The introduction of younger, healthier refugees into the German workplace will surely benefit the German economy as it may be able to increase its output overall as an economy as the immigrants bring specific skill sets with them. The real tragedy here is that the pitiful plight of the persecuted masses might turn out to be an excuse to cause them still more pain and adversity.

GOOD LUCK TO THE ASYLUM-SEEKERS!

 

PS: I am sorry about the pictures if they aren’t displayed.

Random IOC- Act 1, The Tempest by Shakespeare

Please leave your comments below....

https://soundcloud.com/rhit-1/ioc-3

Does the analysis of literature actually help people become more emotionally intelligent and empathetic?

David Foster Wallace explores how education leads to a better adult life due to the added benefits of having the ability to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic. He validates this by going into the intricate details of the essence of life, to know what to pay attention to and to know how to use experiences to your advantage by seeing the meaning in each and every one of them. He argues that everyone knows all the information they see around them already and that its "codified as myths, proverbs, clichés, bromides, epigrams, parables" and to acquire true "freedom" it is important to see the truth up front in your daily conscious mind. Wallace unravels the truth behind how our minds work, how we have default settings that stop us from seeing the things that are important. He talks about a really important form of freedom where you truly care about other people and sacrifice for them and this kind of awareness is what is very essential to keep us going. He also reminds us that we have constantly remind ourselves of the present and the experiences within life.

David Foster Wallace uses examples of people around us, examples which can be relatable to an adult. He takes specific examples such as getting frustrated because a man dangerously overtakes you with a Hummer and makes us realise that there might be factors that are causing the man in the Hummer to do that. Maybe he has a sick child and is rushing her to the hospital? Who knows. He argues that if we think about every experience through a different perspective, not our own we might be able to become more happy, more adjusted, conscious and sympathetic. He also uses the example where a mother shouts at a child at the paying counter and tells us how people having boring, routine oriented lives get irritated quickly and do not understand that maybe that very same mother might have had a bad day at the office or he husband might be in the hospital. So it is important to see everything from a different perspective an it is absolutely essential to push ourselves to do it.

What David Foster Wallace talks about has great significance and connection to Part 3 of the English Language and Literature course as one fo the main things literature allows students to do is see different lives and experiences and makes connection their own lives and their societies and culture. One of the key inquiry questions in this part of the course is 'How can literature develop empathy and emotional intelligence?' The Wikipedia definition for Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise one's own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different feelings and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behaviour.

Through critically analysing literature we can understand what it is to be a character within each story and we naturally empathise with them even though they might just be fictional. Alice Munro's stories gives a different perspective on life, a realist one. Through stories like 'Runaway', 'Passion', 'Boys and Girls', etc., we get to know what it was like to be a woman or just a normal poor or middle classed human back in her time and it is amazing that we can still relate to some of things she says. So, I believe that analysing literature is extremely important to understand people, to care for them and most importantly to make us better, more understanding human beings.

Royal Beatings- Excerpt IOC

Good Luck!

https://soundcloud.com/rhit-1/royal-beatings-excerpt-ioc

your comments and feedback are much appreciated!! :)))

Excerpt from 'Boys and Girls' - Practice IOC

Hello! Try not to laugh.... :)))

https://soundcloud.com/rhit-1/excerpt-from-boys-and-girls-practice-ioc

Comments and feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Literature Reflection

Literature is a means through which we can understand different cultural perspectives. I believe that literature also teaches us life lessons as embracing each story will help us understand what is right and what is wrong. This will then help us(if we are smart) to not repeat it in our own lives. The topic of women's literature based on the notion that the experience of women, historically, has been shaped by their gender, and so women writers are known as group worthy of separate study. Women's literature enlightens the society about the difficulties women face around the world. It provides a perspective of women in order to let people understand the oppression that women have faced over the centuries.

During the 1950s-1980s the second wave of feminism had started and Munro's themes of social realism really stood out as it represented what the feminists were fighting against. Munro's depictions of what it was like to be a housewife in southern Ontario probably came out as being a way in which she was using the short stories as a resistance. Short stories like 'Boys and Girls' shows the real divide in how people were expected to do jobs that 'fit' their gender. 

What I enjoy most about Munro's stories is the flow and character development in them. She creates very complex characters like Clara in 'Runaway' in 35 pages and this makes her stories a delightful read as she jumps right into the heart of the plot. Her stories have made me realise the gender differences in society and how the first wave of feminism might have been based on. her narrative of each scene is very enjoyable and I like her use of language. All the short tories that i have read were an easy read and therefore it was far less time consuming and boring. 

To be honest, I am neither a fan of literature, nor am I a fan of fictional novels or short stories. But something about Alice Munro's stories makes me want to think about which otherwise would be waste according to me. I can relate a lot of her short stories to my mother as she has her own perspective on what a 'woman's job' is and what a 'man's job' is. For example, whenever I over-indulge in some work in the kitchen, she yells at me and tells me to just do a man's job. What she meant by that is that its a woman's job to clean the dishes and not mine. So I guess, literature is not all bad...

Why 'Changes' by Tupac Shakur has the greatest lyrics of the past century

‘Changes’ by Tupac Shakur has one of the greatest lyrics of the past century because it echoes the discrimination the African-American community used to face back in the 1990’s in the midst of the drug war in America. It got to the point where every African American on the street was checked for drugs. But Tupac does not only complain about the system but blames his community as well for the situation they put themselves in. He discusses how there is a lot of hate among the blacks, probably referring to the East Coast and West Coast hip-hop rivalry and about adults introducing drugs to the youngsters within the community itself.

In the first verse, Tupac voices discloses that nobody cares about the black community and he does so by questioning if life is worth living in poverty, especially when one is African American. He takes the perspective of an underprivileged black person who because of his circumstances has to do things he doesn’t like such as stealing a purse or dealing and selling drugs. He also makes reference to Huey Newton and quotes him to spread the message that the black community must fight this inequality together and treat each other like ‘brothers’. He also voices his opinion that the community have to start making changes rather than hate on each other.

In the second verse, Pac articulates his feelings about the rivalry between white people and black people and he does so by using tough language. He pronounces that there’s an evident evil that needs to be taken out of people that will help them think straight.  He disputes that neither sides is better than the other as both black and white people smoke crack and get wasted. There is an authentic profound meaning in this, as Tupac understands that it is all a matter of misunderstanding. He moreover describes to what extent this evil has taken over people’s lives saying that the “only time we chill is when we kill each other” in reference to elevated crime rates in his area. He also argues that the penitentiaries are ‘filled with blacks’ because the norms for arrests are highly racist, thus voicing his views about the police and the judiciary system. Despite this he wonders why some things will never change like why black people in the drug game don’t want to be helped, which shows a greater understanding of two sides of the coin. Tupac believes that his ‘brothers’ are not being ‘real’ by ignoring the advice of people who cares about them.

In the 3^rd verse, he tells the people of America to change their lifestyle by treating each other better and he argues that the old system wasn’t working and it is the whole of America’s responsibility to change for the better to avoid conflicts.

In the 4^th verse, Tupac claims that the government has a war on drugs instead of poverty just to bother the African-American community who have people dealing drugs because of their deprived circumstances and not because they are born to be criminals. Tupac warns everyone to be independent and look after themselves as the white people will try to get them to deal drugs and frame them as criminals. He declares that he was not raised as a fool to lay victim to this prejudice. He moreover describes everyday life of an African-American in rough neighborhoods by saying that he always has to stay armed to save himself from the wrong doings of his past.

I believe that this song has one of the greatest lyrics of the last century, as it describes the harsh realities that society, especially the African –American community used to experience back in the 1990s. Tupac sees the bigger picture and gives advice to his brothers and sisters on how to live properly and explains why it is also his society’s responsibility that they are in the situation they are in. He criticizes the judiciary system and tries to correct the whole structure and erase abhorrence within four minutes of his song. Individually, this song is one of my favorites not because I associate with it because I don’t have the right to say that; I can never know what it was like in the 1990s in America. However, it does portray the life and the struggles faced by both communities in the midst of the drug war and therefore I respect and admire this song and Tupac Shakur.

Lessons i have learnt this summer....

Well this summer has been one of the most reflective i have ever had. I was certainly not reflecting on how good I did last year because I did not. When i look back there are so many things i could have done better. I could have done better in French, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, and definitely English. I could have been more concentrated in class, I could have shown more seriousness to my studies and I definitely could have cut down on my over-confidence. I don't know what drove me to be like what I was last year.

Maybe it was my ignorance, maybe it was my pride, maybe it was my reputation, or maybe it was just my immaturity. I made a lot of mistakes last year, like not studying French, not revising English, not studying well for my Chemistry test, not taking Economics seriously throughout the year and most of all being disrespectful to the teachers who have taught me so well. I would correct all of it if I could go back but all I can do now is move on and correct it in 12th grade.

Going back to India, has made me realize my mistakes more than anything. My ignorance last year made me feel like a complete jerk when I saw my old school and all that i had left behind here. I am so fortunate to have ended up in an IB school, which was never part of the plan when I came to study in Abu Dhabi in 10th grade. I was going to join a GCSE school like Yasmina. My luck turned around at the right time, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I did work in 10th grade but like always I lost my motivation to carry that on in 11th grade.

Why me? Why couldn't I just stay my 10th grade self: Studious, nice to everyone, and serious about my assignments. I think I know the answer to that. When i was in 10th grade, I wanted to get a medical degree because I thought that my caring attitude was a sign that i was passionate about being a doctor. That did motivate me to work hard, especially when i didn't have any experience with the IB. But towards the end of 10th grade i changed my decision to pursue hotel management because I wanted to work in the hospitality industry in which i found my passion. My caring attitude was just part of my character that stemmed from this passion.

This decision did change a lot of things for me. The main one being that if you want to get into any good university for medicine,the minimum IB score is 38 and even then the chances of getting in is very minimal. As for hotel management, I just have to pass the IB diploma and I'm set. All the universities which provide the degree want students with real passion for the hospitality industry, not to forget good interpersonal skills. So that brought my target IB score way down and that resulted in me working with no dedication at all. Now that seemed like a reasonable argument at the time, but now I realize the mistake which resulted in the 34 I got as my final grade in 11th grade. Its not a bad score by any means, but i know i can do way better and hence I have decided to raise the bars and strive to reach my full potential. The last thing i want is to look back on my IB diploma score after 12th grade and tell myself that I could have done better.

Redeeming is part of our lives and from what I remember OSHO said, without change, there is no life, I have decided to redeem myself, take control of the opportunity i have and erase the bad aspects of last year. I am hoping to do great this year and to my friends, hears to our school and our teachers who have set us up for great things and hears to our 2016 batch which I believe is going to yield Raha International School's highest IB diploma scores!

PEACE OUT

A strangely nostalgic return back to India

         For me, summer has so far been busy and i don't mean that in terms of my holiday homework but nonetheless, busy. I had to go to many temples around Thiruvananthapuram and my native place to complete rituals which had been promised to the gods. This is normal of a trip to India as it is a time to really be in sync with my culture and my religion because studying in an international school makes it hard to stay informed and educated about what is happening everyday back here in Kerala.

Although i came back here in 2014 as well, this time it feels different. I feel nostalgia and I don't know why. I had started to hate this place when i left here after 9th grade because i didn't like my experiences here but now i have started to love it again. I feel free when I'm here. I talk to everyone without any frustration and anger. Its like once you step out into the balcony at 5 am it is complete and utter bliss. I feel a rejuvenating energy running through me every time a cool breeze catches me. Everyday, I look at the mountains far away from me covered with a sheet of mist and memories flow back. I know, its deep.

The city has changed, rapidly. While i was gone for an year, hundreds of new developments
have been completed and the places where i once saw bare land, is now full of residential buildings and office towers. There are now air conditioned buses, better transport services, better roads and a lot more things to do.

I lived in the city for 4 years of my life from 6th grade to 9th grade. I really blended in well to the city culture and so it was hard to leave it after 9th grade. I think this is why i felt nostalgic but what i still don't understand is the fact that i did not feel the same way last year after my 10th grade. Maybe studying in an international school had made me become more distant from my culture over 2 years as I have made many more friends from different cultural backgrounds. This apartment has looked the same for the past 5 years and this certainly brought back many memories. I remembered the time when i stuck glow-in-the-night stickers on the walls of my study room and how it ended up being a bad idea. Don't judge me, I was in 6th grade!

One thing is for sure I will never ever forget those 4 years as it has shaped me into who I am.

How to write about India

Disclaimer: This response is inspired by the article authored by Binyavanga Wainaina, 'How to write about Africa'. The article I am writing is not meant to offend any culture, religion or ethnicity. Just so that I make it clear, I am an Indian  and this is my opinion about how she is represented in the popular media, through books and other tools of entertainment. If anyone finds this offensive, please bear with it and keep in mind the purpose and intent of writing a pastiche.

Remember: Overflowed sewages and Slums are vital to creating the perfect setting for your story and MAKE SURE that very important quote that “in India, even exceptions run into millions” is known to your readers, actually never mind, that should be your title. It is key to making let the world know what millions of people are doing with their miserable lives.

FIRST, list the values and ideals that define India, that basically are the essentials that make up their everyday life; the ideals upon which the 1.3 billion people of India have laid the very foundation of their lives:

 
1. Arranged Marriage/Child Marriage is okay.

2. Rape is normal.

3. Corruption is fine.

4. Curry is the staple of their diet.

5. Every Indian aspires to be an engineer, or a doctor.

 
Most of them are one of those call center lads who have a hard time talking because the only language they know how to fluently speak is 'Indian' or the more popular name 'Hindu'. Not to mention that it seems kind of odd that the followers of Hinduism and the language of India are both called the same. Such is the logical Indian approach. Overpopulated, dirty, jammed with stupid 1980's cars: without these things you might as well not write about India.

 
Your Indian characters could include rich people,  or no...... include call center lads, struggling teenagers, construction workers, clerks because it won't feel right to the audience to have a rich or successful guy because that takes the whole thrill out of it, which is the whole purpose about writing about India. Show in detail what you intend to do as you would only want to write about something that would benefit India, because you care. You care about the people below the poverty line, you care about the Indian economy, you care about what our government is and what it will do. Show this love to the people of India and they will love it. They are oppressed, they are misguided, they are lost in the enormity of the population,, they have no purpose to their lives, and therefore you should be the mentor and you should preach and they should follow.

 
Describe, in detail, the food in India and how they eat too much of those spicy curries. Tell the audience the plight of the poor lads and girls who have to everyday go through the pain of letting the smell out through their sweat pores. Indians don't eat anything else, they don't know how to make anything else. All the way from north to the south, from the east to the west, all they eat the thick red curry because that is the Indian cuisine. They also make 'roti' and 'naan' to go along with their rich spicy curries which will kill you if you try it. Make sure that your audience knows the facts: Indians are vegetarians, the small amount of people who are non-vegetarian don't eat beef because its religious. After all, Indians, all of them in fact, follow cultures that are no different to each other. 'Hindis', and the minorities: that's it.

 Talk about the very small amount of educated professionals in India and talk about how you called an Indian to help you out with your laptop. Such generalization is good as it makes other Indian people feel educated. ABSOLUTELY, NO DOUBTS, INCLUDE in your text that women are oppressed like never before, they are held within the four walls of the house. Chuck in some pictures of sad women into your text and make sure that it is colorful so that through that diversity, you can communicate the magnitude of the number of women who don't have basic human rights. Remember, this way, you are empowering them, you are teaching the simpletons of India how they should treat their women. Also, make sure that you include the traditional norms of the Indian life. They get married to people they have never seen before and both families of the husband and wife have fights all the time. Through that you can bring in that 'desi' mood you have been waiting for so long and this will allow you to add an extra layer of important information about the ‘common’ culture of India, which you really care about.

Through ‘BOUNCE’, the all-knowing Iggy Azalea has enlightened us with the interest of the Indian people. They love to ride elephants, all of them love to dance, and all of them worship idols which are taken care of by priests who smoke weed. Mention that India’s culture has benefited from the 400 years of British rule and it has made them more civilized. Also talk about the accents, about how everyone in India sounds like Russell Peters’ dad. You must talk about Bollywood: it is such an essential tool to your success because literally every single Indian loves it. Movies like ‘Singham’, ‘Dabaang’, ‘Phatta Poster Nikla Hero' are the building blocks of the Indian society…….

I have so much more to write about the media representations of India. I could go on talking about how to represent India in the manner that popular culture does, but for now I have other priorities than this. Mock exams after all decide what your life will be like afterwards. You might as well die if you fail for a subject in these tests.

Again I don’t intend to offend anyone, this is written solely for the purpose to mock the media for its popular descriptions of what India is like which creates stereotypes . Quite honestly, I find these funny because in Chinua Achebe’s words people don’t have that ‘balance of stories’ to make educated decisions.

How does Things Fall Apart conform to, or deviate from, the conventions of a particular genre, and for what purpose?

Things Fall Apart, authored by Chinua Achebe, is a book that is one of a kind. It shows characteristics of conforming to be part of the genre of realistic fiction but is also close to creating a whole new genre as well. The author’s use of non-linearity in his book makes it an interesting read which is away from the conventional norms of realistic fiction.

In realistic fiction, real conditions found in the real world are used along with fictional characters. This is evident in Things Fall Apart as the theme is set in the 1800’s and the book, in the first part, informs the reader about traditional African culture but to give it life and humaneness, Achebe uses fictional characters such as Okonkwo, Obierika and Ezinma. Achebe puts his fictional characters in the environment he created and presents them as following their everyday lives and through that he shows the great dynamics of his Ibo culture by adding events such as marriages, funerals,, sacrifice, exiles, crimes etc. Since most of the book is dedicated to inform the reader about the Ibo culture and the people in it, we can deduce that Achebe aims to bring the African people, specifically Nigerian culture to the forefront to give it meaning and significance. This is one of the main evidences of Achebe’s book conforming to the norms of realist fiction.

The non-linearity present in the first part of the story deviates from the conventional linear approach of most realistic fictional writers. This has a very significant implication as it is following the art of speaking which is highly prized in the Ibo culture. Achebe’s non-linear way of presenting the culture in the first part presents a direct parallel of how skilled Ibo speakers can speak for long periods of time and hit the point at last just like Achebe did for part 3 of the book where at last Okonkwo commits suicide. Achebe also uses a significant amount of proverbs to express the importance of them being the palm oil with which words are eaten. Therefore the art of speaking or conversation is held in high value in the production of this book and hence is deviating from the norm of a linear approach used within realistic fiction. It could also be that Achebe wanted to prove himself as a matured writer and wanted to add his own personal flair to the book.

The purpose of not following the conventions of European realist fiction could be the cause of one of many reasons. It is possible Achebe wanted to embrace his culture or show how complex its structure actually is and it’s actually just not a matter of “black and white” as Reverend James Smith says. Achebe intends to bring out the whole culture in front of the readers like an open book before the start of its rapid decline due to colonization to show the readers that the Ibo were once great people, who had unknowingly given into the cunning plots the white people like Mr. Brown had created...............................