"Wee Willie Winkie"

Since we're planning to discuss "Wee Willie Winkie" in class tomorrow, I decided to look up the rhyme and share a few things about it with you all now. Considered a Scottish poem or nursey rhyme, "Wee Willie Winkie" was first published in 1841 by William Miller. Most people agree that the title character is a personfication of sleep, while a few believe that Miller created the character in order to satirize King William III of England. I posted the English version below, which was first translated in 1844. How do you all think Rushdie's character corresponds to the original version of Wee Willie Winkie, and why do you think the author chose to incorporate this figure into his novel?

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,

Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown,

Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,

Are the children in their bed, for it's past ten o'clock?

Hey, Willie Winkie, are you coming in?

The cat is singing purring sounds to the sleeping hen,

The dog's spread out on the floor, and doesn't give a cheep,

But here's a wakeful little boy who will not fall asleep!

Anything but sleep, you rogue! glowering like the moon,'

Rattling in an iron jug with an iron spoon,

Rumbling, tumbling round about, crowing like a cock,

Shrieking like I don't know what, waking sleeping folk.

Hey, Willie Winkie - the child's in a creel!

Wriggling from everyone's knee like an eel,

Tugging at the cat's ear, and confusing all her thrums

Hey, Willie Winkie - see, there he comes!"

Weary is the mother who has a dusty child,

A small short little child, who can't run on his own,

Who always has a battle with sleep before he'll close an eye

But a kiss from his rosy lips gives strength anew to me.

Snakes and Ladders

Rushdie's analysis of life as a series of snakes and ladders strikes me as interesting and thought provoking. On page 160, Saleem states, "All games have morals; and the game of Snakes and Ladders captures, as no other activity can hope to do, the eternal truth that for every ladder you climb, a snake is waiting just around the corner; and for every sanke, a ladder will compensate." The rest of the chapter describes situations that contain both snakes and ladders, but Saleem learns from an early age that the line between snakes (misfortune) and ladders (happiness) is thin and blurry. After baby Saleem gets typhoid, snake venum cures him, exemplifying the positive aspects of a seemingly evil creature. As Saleem also mentions, ladders can be descended just as snakes can be benefitial.
The snakes and ladders game mirrors the cyclical nature of life, which is especially important in Indian culture.
What other snakes and ladders appear in Midnight's Children, and what do you all think about this metaphor?

British Colonization of India

Many historians have debated between whether British's Colonization of India was detrimental or beneficial to the Indian society. Some have argued that the colonization of India was positive in the long run because it united the many territories of India that may have never joined on their own. Others suggest that the Britain's push for Indian's independence caused serious conflicts between India and Pakistan (The Indo-Pakistani War among many others). Also, many historians believe that Britain positively enlightened India in many literary and technological aspects and broadened their economy. However, others argued that these same technological advancements allowed India to create destructive weapons that destroyed their nation and others.

What are yall's opinions on this issue?

Britian's colonization of India

7 Years War In India/ The Third Carnatic War

I found it extremely interesting that the 7 years war in India extended from Southern India into Bengal. The battle between the British East India Company and French East India Company were fought on land dominated by the Mughal Empire. British and French forces fought to win over major Indian territory, especially Calcutta. In 1761, the French-Indian capital fell to British forces. The Carnatic Wars lasted almost 20 years; the "third Carnatic war" coincided with the 7 years war in America, reigniting conflict between the French and British forces.

100 Years of Solitude and Midnight's Children

While reading "Midnight's Children," I was reminded of "100 Years of Solitude." Both novels seem to have fantastical elements interweaved with realistic and historical events. For instance, we discussed the banana massacres that appear in "100 Years of Solitude," which actually occurred in Santa Marta from 1947 to 1957. Similarly, the conflict between religious factions like Muslims and Hindus discussed in "Midnight's Children" mirrors the historical violence in India.
Also, the concept of time seems to be a major theme in both novels. We talked about time as a cyclical element of life in "100 Years of Solitude," especially noting the prophecy and its implications. In Midnight's Children, time is often mentioned and prophecy appears frequently. For example, after Saleem's father discovers that his wife is pregnant with Saleem, he replies, "I told you so; it was only a matter of time." Saleem, after retelling his father’s words, makes this interesting observation of time: "... but time has been an unsteady affair, in my experience, not a thing to be relied upon. It could even be partitioned: the clocks in Pakistan would run half an hour ahead of their Indian counterparts..." (Rushdie, 86).
The unreliability of time also reminds me of Stoppard's "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," especially when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern converse about memory in their question games. What do you all think about the concept of time in these novels, as well as other pieces of literature we have studied? What else do “Midnight’s Children” and “100 Years of Solitude” have in common?

Midnight's Children and The Tin Drum

While reading Midnight's Children, I was constantly reminded of The Tin Drum and could not stop making connections between the two post-modern novels. Firstly, both works are narrated by unreliable, male protagonists in their thirties, who record their life stories in the presence of an audience who consists of a single individual. Both Grass and Rushdie employ magical realism in order share the tragic violence and hardships that plague their homelands with the reader. The protagonists, Oskar and Saleem, both commence their narratives with a story about their grandparents and build suspense up until the instant of their own births. At this point, they continue to share both the monumental and mundane moments of their lives with the reader. Recounting their stories in a stream of conscious manner, Oskar, Saleem, and the two authors comment upon the relativity of truth and whether or not one valid version of reality exists. Finally, despite being outcasts and feeling inferior, Oskar and Saleem, are meanwhile, both profoundly egotistical. What other similarities have you all found between the two novels?