TagoreThe Cabuliwallah

Qustions to consider:

•Where is it? •What do they wear? •What do they eat?•What animals? •Anything else?

What do you know about India?

South Central Asia2nd largest

populationDemocracyRich literary history

India Quick Facts

Imagine you had to tell the truth (and ONLY the truth) for a whole day. Consider not only direct lies, but also white lies, secrets, manipulations, or anything else that could be considered “lying.” Could you do it? Why or why not?

Quick Write

How does the sun feel about the girl in “The Sun Witness”? Do you agree or disagree with the sun?

Why is the truth so hard to tell sometimes? What complications arise from telling the truth?

Comments/Questions

TOD

Cabuliwallah (Kabuliwallah) means: The fruit-seller from Kabul

short story by Rabindranath Tagore written in 1892.

The Cabuliwallah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh_xvKLhZHg Take 5 notes on the video (5 min)

Indian Caste System

The Cabuliwallh would have been part of Sudra class. The narrator would have been part of the Viasya class.

Caste System in India

1890sCalcutta, India

Setting of the story

Migrants from Kabul were associated with two activities – neither of high standing“usurers” (money lenders) fruit vendors

Kabul Migrants in India

Think about a person you know who is very different from you. Maybe this person is much older or much younger, much richer or much poorer. Maybe this person comes from another ethnic background. What can you learn from someone who is different from you?

In The Cabuliwallah, you’ll read about a father who learns important lessons from a peddler – someone who seemed very different from him.

When you are done, turn in your PH Text (blue) to pg.

Quick Write

What is the relationship between Mini and the Cabuliwallah?

Do you think this relationship is appropriate? Why or why not?

Questions/Comments

TOD

1. DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer makes direct statements about a character's personality and tells what the character is like.

2. INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION - the writer reveals information about a character and his personality through that character's thoughts, words, and actions, along with how other characters respond to that character, including what they think and say about him.

Characterization

Dynamic vs. Static

Dynamic Character - a character which changes permanently during the course of a story or novel Example: Ebenezer Scrooge was very stingy. He worked

his employees very very hard for little pay. After his experiences with the ghosts that visited him, he changed his ways, paying his employees a more than fair wage, providing days off work and actually giving gifts.

Static Character – a character that remains primarily the same throughout a story or novel. Events in the story do not alter their outlook, personality, motivation, etc. Example: Bert, a bumbling salesman, doesn’t organize his files,

properly record his sales, or follow up with customers. Finally, his boss gets fed up and fires him. Bert struggles for months to find a new sales position. His car is repossessed for nonpayment and he maxes out his credit cards. Bert finally finds a new sales position but, before a week passes, the new boss fires Bert after he fails to follow up with an important customer.

Round vs. Flat

Round Character - a well developed character who demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory traits. Example: Elaine tells her friends and

coworkers that charity and compassion have no place in society. On the other hand, Elaine can never pass up feeding a stray kitten or puppy, and always tries to find a good home for lost or abandoned pets.

Flat Character - a character who reveals only one, maybe two, personality traits Example: In a story about a friendly teacher

named Sandra Smith, Louis Drud is a janitor in her building. Louis is always tired and grumpy whenever Sandra runs across him and says hello.

Character Quotation from the story

What I learn

Narrator

Cabuliwallah

Mini

Mini’s Mother

Characterization

In “The Cabuliwallah,” the author has vividly drawn the characters of the narrator, Mini, and the Cabuliwallah. Which character speaks most directly to you? Choose a character from the story and explain why you connect with that person.

Quick Write

1. Mini likes the Cabuliwallah becauseA. He is kind, generous, and funnyB. He is rich, talkative, and musicalC. He is wild, violent, and unpredictableD. He is careful, predictable, and studious

2. The narrator feels conneced to the Kabuliwallah becauseA. They are both creative writersB. They are both natives of CalcuttaC. They are both fathers of daughtersD. They are both members of the same caste

A.3. Why does Mini feel differently about the Cabuliwallah on her wedding day than she did as a child? Use details from the story to support your answer.

TOD

1. Mini likes the Cabuliwallah becauseA. He is kind, generous, and funny

2. The narrator feels conneced to the Kabuliwallah becauseC. They are both fathers of daughters

A.3. Why does Mini feel differently about the Cabuliwallah on her wedding day than she did as a child? Use details from the story to support your answer.

Sample answer: As a young child, Mini is outgoing and unaffected by physical, social, and cultural differences. She most likely becomes more aware of these differences as she gets older, and sh eis more inhibited because of them.

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