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Anil. Stacey, Vicky, Natalie and Scarlett. The title. Doesn’t give much away – can link to the ending and how that doesn’t give much away either
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Anil Stacey, Vicky, Natalie and Scarlett
The title • Doesn’t give much away – can link to the ending and how that doesn’t give much away either • Only his name, Indian for wind (free-spirited, strong and ever-changing) and Arabic for indigo (a strong, vibrant colour usually associated with peace) which sums up Anil’s character.
Who is the single main character? • The main character is Anil. • He is a young boy of 7 years, too young to know what is going on in the world around him • He is troubled, obedient (because his father beats him if he’s not) • He is strong in his own way, unlike his father who’s ‘a timid mouse’ to authority, but ‘a bully’ to his family. • He is honest and shows strong moral throughout the story. • He is curious, like most children are, but he knows not to cross the line.
Characterisation • Third person narration, telling Anil’s story. • The way they’re presented to the audience by the ‘narrator’, it’s easy to like Anil, and to dislike the headman, the headman’s brother, and Anil’s father. • He doesn’t say a lot but it voices his opinions when he needs to.
Who tells the story • A narrator • In the style of the 3rd person. • In the past tense. The story has already happened.
Where does the action take place? • Family Hut • The Village • The Tree • Ends at Train Station
How much time does the story cover? • Not made explicit. But over the course a couple of days, enough time for Anil to be sent away to school by his father. • The main action takes place over the course of 24 hours; Anil witnessing the murder, the gathering crowd around Marimuthu’s dead wife, and his father talking to the headman.
Exposition • Give general information about the village and life there. • During the second to the sixth paragraph we are given information about Anil’s mother and father (Amma and Appa) • We are told of his fathers brutality, his mothers gentle nature and how Anil is an only child who loves stargazing and is afraid of the tree outside of his hut.
Inciting incident • The inciting incident takes place after the tension is risen throughout the scene of Anil in the middle of the night, and starts the moment when he hears then sees the headman of the village and his brother killing his wife.
Rising action • The next morning the body of the woman is found around the tree. Crowds gathered around the body, and the woman’s mother laid “cradling” the woman’s head on her lap whilst the dead woman’s daughter and husband ( who murdered her) stood mourning her death.
Climax • The climax is when the secret that Anil had been keeping inside him is revealed to another character; Anil confronts the headman- Marimuthu and accuses him of killing his wife.
Denouement • Anil gets sent away by the headman and his own father to protect the truth about the murder of Marimuthu’s wife, which was claimed to be a suicide. • Being only 7 years old, he does not understand what is happening to him and why he is being sent away. • At this point, his father suddenly realises how much he loves his only son, but it’s too late because the train has already left the station.
Specific mood the story creates • Mystery- the shadows in the dark and the mystery surrounding the tree’s being • Confusion – as Anil is so young and doesn’t understand the reasons behind the killing • Relief – After Anil is sent away the brothers “heaved a sigh of relief” as they got away with murder • Anxiety – As to what happens after he’s sent away? Are the murderers ever found out? Does Anil return to the village?
Is the story realistic? • The incident of Marimuthu killing his wife in such circumstances doesn’t seem too close to reality. However, some of the issues that the story covers for instance the ‘behind closed doors’ blackmail seems like a good representation of how this would occur, especially in different cultures.
Themes • Power – The headman’s power over Anil’s father • Corruption • Poverty • Culture- Indian, Hindu religion • Child abuse • The hierarchy system
Did you identify with any character? • We identified with Anil because of his fear of the tree and the dark. • We all had a ‘bear in the cupboard’ or a ‘monster under the bed’ that would scare us witless when we were seven. • Also, as a seven year old we were very curious, but adults would never respect this, as is shown in Anil.
Was there a villain? Was there a hero? • There was no real hero in this story, although you could argue that Anil is a hero in his own right • There were several potential villains in this story. The headman, who persuades Anil’s father to send him away, Marimuthu, who kills his own wife and tries to pass it off as suicide, and potentially Anil’s father, because he is a really weak character and sends away his only son.
Figurative language • Line 1-2 ‘the mosquitoes were in their reign of terror’ makes a rather small creature seem intimidating and overpowering. • Line 19-20 ‘Because his dreams were bigger than him’ shows that he is a small boy in a big world. • ‘Whee’ onomatopoeia - sliding
Key personality traits • Anil - Strong morals, stubborn, honest, dreamer, obedient, scared. • Appa – Weak, scared, obedient, loyal (but to the wrong people) • Headman – Strong, dishonest, cruel, secretive, overpowering (dictator)
My overall opinion of this story • We thought this story was slightly weird, but this could be because of the differences in culture. • We also saw the opposites in this story e.g. Anil is strong and his father is weak, Anil is honest and Marimuthu and his brother are dishonest etc.
How effective is the ending? • We thought the ending was unsatisfying, because we never found out why they killed Marimuthu’s wife and we also never found out what happened to Anil and his family after he was sent away.
