June 16, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
Welcome to read my writing portfolio! This is a collection of my selected works written for the Academic Writing course of Fudan University in the spring of 2007. During this semester, the class concentrated on the book entitled “The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction.” Both our class activities and written homework revolved around four stories of different times and national backgrounds. I enjoy reading the stories and taking this course because I have improved my ability to write in English.
Although English has always been my favorite subject, I used to think of writing in English an intimidating task because I did not consider myself good at analyzing and interpreting and it was difficult to convey my exact ideas in a foreign language. However, by studying the particular book and listening to the teacher’s instructions, I realize that there are certain rules and steps to follow when writing an interpretive essay. I have learned the importance and strategies of making a strong thesis statement, how to incorporate quotations more effectively, and the usages of punctuations, to name but a few. I am excited whenever I absorb such knowledge, trivial as it may appear, because it dispels my fear of writing an interpretive essay, as well as makes my writing more formal than it used to be. What’s more, my teacher, Mr. Corio, always gives me encouraging comments and useful advice, which helps me become more confident in my writing ability.
The first three drafts in my portfolio deal with one of the assigned stories. This is the first time I have done process writing, and I find it both interesting and effective. Writing the trial draft appeared to be tough at first, but the routine practice of free writing helped my ideas flow. Since the trial draft did not have to be perfect, I was fairly relaxed when writing it, so the process was not as stressful as I had expected. During the three stages, I found editing a crucial step because it polished my essay. When I finally finished draft three, how satisfied I was to see the improvements!
Timed-writings are indeed very challenging. I feel the tension whenever I think of it. However, I managed to get through the three timed-writings in this semester, with positive comments from my teacher. Though there is plenty of room for improvement, I am quite satisfied with what I have been able to accomplish because there are not many grammatical mistakes in my timed-writings, and I am able to allocate time efficiently in order to form a fairly good organization of my writings.
The reading log deals with the story “The Grass-Eaters” by Krishnan Varma. I chose this one because it was typical of the style of my reading logs. Writing reading logs was my favorite assignment because I was supposed to be honest with my feelings about the stories, which prompted me to read them more intensively. And I had a good time communicating with my classmates in the online discussion room of nicenet.
All in all I learned many things in this class and I enjoyed taking this course. Thank you for taking the time to read my writing portfolio. I hope you will find my writings interesting and worth reading.
Sincerely yours,
Rachel Zheng
June 15, 2007
How Religion Helps Shadrach Cohen
America, known as a melting pot, draws to its shores many immigrants every year. Some of them are affected by the American culture and are thus Americanized. However, when these people are adapting to a new environment, they are losing their cultural identities at the same time. A lack of sense of belonging is rather common amongst those immigrants. They tend to question where indeed they belong.
Aware of this situation, an author named Bruno Lessing presented a story "The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen" to set a good example to the immigrants. In the story Shadrach Cohen, an old-fashioned Jewish father, goes to the United States to live with his two Americanized sons. In coping with the conflicts with them, Shadrach makes the family business prosper and adjusts well to the American society, thus gaining the respect of both his sons and some Americans. Although the Americanization happened in Shadrach Cohen seemingly should be given credit to his accomplishments, the way he firmly clings to his Jewish religious beliefs is actually the key factor that contributes to his success in a broader sense.
What is Shadrach Cohen like? The first sentence of the story gives us a hint. "There is no set rule for the turning of the worm; most worms, however, turn unexpectedly" (45). A worm can represent something submissive or obedient, just like Shadrach Cohen first appears. "Shadrach never lost his temper; never upbraided them [his sons]" (47). He is a gentle person by nature. Although his sons boldly ridicule his beard and garment the moment they see him, he shuts his lips tightly for a moment rather than counter or criticize his sons. Despite his sons' unfair treatment to him, Shadrach still loves them deeply, even though the only thing that concerns his sons is money.
Shadrach and his sons might as well remain in the peaceful situation if his sons don't touch the bottom line—Shadrach's religious beliefs. When Gottlieb doesn't want Shadrach to see his future bride for fear that the girl doesn't like Shadrach's Jewish ways, Shadrach finally loses his temper. He can tolerate his sons' dapper way of dressing and their lack of care for him, but he cannot stand the fact that his sons are ashamed of Jewish religion and consider Jewish lifestyle inferior to American one. "Shadrach was red in the face with suppressed rage." (48) He suddenly acts tough and scolds his sons, making Gottlieb "dumbfounded" (48) because "he had not heard that tone since he was a little boy" (48). So we can see that religious belief is of great importance to Shadrach, almost his foremost principle, since he would rather risk his relationship with his sons than give in when it comes to his religious belief.
There are many places in the story that demonstrate the fact that Jewish religion has already been fused into Shadrach Cohen's life, which can first be seen from the way he dresses. He "wore a gabardine—the loose, baglike garment of the Russian Ghetto—and had a long, straggling grey beard and ringlets that came down over his ears" (46). This is a fine specimen of Jewish way of dressing, and it at once defines his ethnic traits. Except for dressing, Shadrach's table manners also reveal his identity as the disciple of Judaism. "When the meal was over Shadrach donned his praying cap and began to recite the grace after meals" (46). Abel and Gottlieb's "consternation" (46) at having to "go through this at every meal" (46) indirectly reveals that this has become a most natural practice of Shadrach Cohen. The strongest proof may come from what Shadrach says to a young man in his store. "Young man, whenever you address a person who is older than you, do it respectfully. Honor your father and your mother." (49) Do you doubt Shadrach's loyalty to Judaism when one of the Ten Commandments pops out of his mouth without much thinking?
Now that religion plays such an important role in Shadrach's life, what influences does it have on him? In the first place, it has shaped his point of view as well as his character. There is little doubt that the United States is much more powerful and influential than Shadrach's homeland. But the worship of Jehovah makes Shadrach believe that Americans and Jewish are on the equal status because "that same Jehovah rules supreme over America even as He does over the country that [they come] from" (47). This belief keeps him from feeling inferior and infuses him with confidence. Therefore, when Shadrach's sons try to persuade him to shave his beard in order not to appear like the newly landed Russian Jews, he counters with a resolute tone: "Then I will keep my beard as it is. I am a newly landed Russian Jew." (46) What a powerful answer! It arouses others' respect for him immediately.
Shadrach's self-respect as well as self-confidence brought mainly by religion enables him to do well in his business. Some may argue that the Americanization of Shadrach contributes more to his success than religion does. True, Shadrach is affected by the American culture to some extent. "The charm of American life, of liberty, of democracy, appealed to him strongly." (50) He is deeply attracted by the best parts of American culture, which in turn changes his character in some respects. "[H]e became broader-minded, more tolerant, and, above all, more flexible in his tenets" (50). It certainly helps him do business with American businessmen. However, the realm of business is by no means a place for fun. Shadrach is bound to experience some hard time. Then here comes the religion, the thing that gives him comfort and power spiritually:
When life is light and free from care, religion is quick to fly; but when the sky grows dark and life becomes earnest, and we feel its burden growing heavy upon our shoulders, then we welcome the consolation that religion brings, and we cling to it. (50)
This statement confirms that religion is Shadrach's strongest backup, his source of power and his reason to persist. It is religion that assists him to make his way in the realm of business in an unfamiliar country.
Shadrach's personality has won the respect of many businessmen. What's more, his sons' attitude towards him has gradually changed. At first, the change originates from Shadrach's capability of doing business. When his sons realize the prosperity of their business under the charge of their father, they "became proud of their father" (50). And when they notice the deference shown to their father by some American businessmen, "their admiration for their father increased." (50) This gradually leads to their "implicit obedience and profound respect" (50) towards Shadrach.
Now the opportunity for Shadrach to educate his sons has come. He, a kind and loving father to the core, teaches his sons how to earn their own living, which produces good result because Abel and Gottlieb have learned many things including "the value of discipline", "the beauty of filial reverence" and "the severe joy of the earnest life." (50) The tenets of Jewish religion have been successfully instilled to the minds of the sons. Religion triumphs in this sense.
The climax of the story arrives after Gottlieb suggests bringing Miriam, his future bride, to have supper with the family. What a contrast to his former attitude towards this matter! And Miriam's reaction when seeing Shadrach displays a sharper contrast:
The girl looked in surprise at the venerable figure that stood before her—a picture of a patriarch from the Pentateuch, with a long, straggling beard, and ringlets of hair falling over the ears, and clad in the long gabardine of the Russian Ghettos….Impulsively she ran toward him and seized his hands. And, with a smile upon her lips, she said, "Will you not give me your blessing?" (51)
Miriam's behavior is totally the opposite of Gottlieb's guess. She is absolutely amazed by the image of Shadrach. Most dramatic of all, it is Shadrach's resemblance to a patriarch from the Pentateuch that arouses Miriam's reverence. The word "impulsive" is worth our attention. It means that an action is undertaken without careful thought, which vividly describes the excitement of Miriam at that time and strongly demonstrates the power of religion.
At the end of the story, Shadrach intones the grace after meals as usual. But this time he has company. When Gottlieb responds to the grace in a fervent tone, the story reaches the most touching point. For Shadrach, he successfully wins back his sons' respect and enhances it to a higher level. As for the Jewish religion, it successfully inspires another young man with its profound beauty. "Blessed be He!" The blessing draws the story to a close, leaving the readers in deep reflection.
Throughout the story, we see how the protagonist, Shadrach Cohen, succeeds in both his career and interpersonal relations by clinging to his religious belief. Although Americanization has its contribution, and the title of the story also suggests its importance, religion actually plays a much more significant role. The way Shadrach shows pride in his ethnic traits, his religion and his culture is indeed thought provoking. When so many immigrants are at a loss how to survive in a new environment, Shadrach Cohen's deeds are worth advocating and are qualified as a good example for the immigrants.
Work Cited
Lessing, Bruno. "The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen." 1903. Rpt. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin's, 1994. 6-8
May 19, 2007
Title
America, known as a melting pot, draws to its shores many immigrants every year. Some of them are affected by the American culture and are thus Americanized. However, when these people are adapting to a new environment, they are losing their cultural identities at the same time. A lack of sense of belonging is rather common amongst those immigrants. They tend to question where indeed they belong.
Aware of this situation, an author named Bruno Lessing presented a story “The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen” to set a good example to the immigrants. In the story Shadrach Cohen, an old-fashioned Jewish father, goes to the United States to live with his two Americanized sons. In coping with the conflicts with them, Shadrach makes the family business prosper and adjusts well to the American society, thus gaining the respect of both his sons and some Americans. Although the Americanization happened in Shadrach Cohen seemingly should be given credit to his accomplishments, the way he firmly clings to his Jewish religious beliefs is actually the key factor that contributes to his success in a broader sense.
What is Shadrach Cohen like? The first sentence of the story gives us a hint. “There is no set rule for the turning of the worm; most worms, however, turn unexpectedly” (45). A worm can represent something submissive or obedient, just like Shadrach Cohen first appears. “Shadrach never lost his temper; never upbraided them (his sons)” (47). He is a gentle person by nature. Although his sons boldly ridicule his beard and garment the moment they see him, he “shuts his lips tightly for a moment” (46) rather than counter or criticize his sons. Despite his sons’ unfair treatment to him, Shadrach still loves them deeply, even though the only thing that concerns his sons is money.
Shadrach and his sons might as well remain in the peaceful situation if his sons don’t touch the bottom line—Shadrach’s religious beliefs. When Gottlieb doesn’t want Shadrach to see his future bride for fear that the girl doesn’t like Shadrach’s Jewish ways, Shadrach finally loses his temper. He can tolerate his sons’ dapper way of dressing and their lack of care for him, but he cannot stand the fact that his sons are ashamed of Jewish religion and consider Jewish lifestyle inferior to American one. “Shadrach was red in the face with suppressed rage.” (48) He suddenly acts tough and scolds his sons, making “Gottlieb dumbfounded” (48) because “he had not heard that tone since he was a little boy”. (48) So we can see that religious belief is of great importance to Shadrach, almost his foremost principle, since he would rather risk his relationship with his sons than give in when it comes to his religious belief.
There are many places in the story that demonstrate the fact that Jewish religion has already been fused into Shadrach Cohen’s life, which can first be seen from the way he dresses. He “wore a gabardine—the loose, baglike garment of the Russian Ghetto—and had a long, straggling grey beard and ringlets that came down over his ears”. (46) This is a fine specimen of Jewish way of dressing, and it at once defines his ethnic traits. Except for dressing, Shadrach’s table manners also reveal his identity as the disciple of Judaism. “When the meal was over Shadrach donned his praying cap and began to recite the grace after meals.” (46) Abel and Gottlieb’s “consternation” (46) at having to “go through this at every meal” (46) indirectly reveals that this has become a most natural practice of Shadrach Cohen. The strongest proof may come from what Shadrach says to a young man in his store. “Young man, whenever you address a person who is older than you, do it respectfully. Honor your father and your mother.” (49) Do you doubt Shadrach’s loyalty to Judaism when one of the Ten Commandments pops out of his mouth without much thinking?
Now that religion plays such an important role in Shadrach’s life, what influences does it have on him?
In the first place, it has shaped his point of view as well as his character. There is little doubt that the United States is much more powerful and influential than Shadrach’s homeland. But the worship of Jehovah makes Shadrach believe that Americans and Jewish are on the equal status because “that same Jehovah rules supreme over America even as He does over the country that you came from”. (47) This belief keeps him from feeling inferior and infuses him with confidence. Therefore, when Shadrach’s sons try to persuade him to shave his beard in order not to appear like the newly landed Russian Jews, he counters with a resolute tone: “Then I will keep my beard as it is. I am a newly landed Russian Jew.” (46) What a powerful answer! It arouses others’ respect for him immediately.
Shadrach’s self-respect as well as self-confidence brought mainly by religion enables him to do well in his business. Some may argue that the Americanization of Shadrach contributes more to his success than religion does. True, Shadrach is affected by the American culture to some extent. “The charm of American life, of liberty, of democracy, appealed to him strongly.” (50) He is deeply attracted by the best parts of American culture, which in turn changes his character in some respects. “He became broader-minded, more tolerant, and, above all, more flexible in his tenets.” (50) It certainly helps him do business with American businessmen. However, the realm of business is by no means a place for fun. Shadrach is bound to experience some hard time. Then here comes the religion, the thing that gives him comfort and power spiritually:
When life is light and free from care, religion is quick to fly; but when the sky grows dark and life becomes earnest, and we feel its burden growing heavy upon our shoulders, then we welcome the consolation that religion brings, and we cling to it. (50)
This statement confirms that religion is Shadrach’s strongest backup, his source of power and his reason to persist. It is religion that assists him to make his way in the realm of business in an unfamiliar country.
Shadrach’s personality has won the respect of many businessmen. What’s more, his sons’ attitude towards him has gradually changed. At first, the change originates from Shadrach’s ability to do business. When his sons realize the prosperity of their business under the charge of their father, they “became proud of their father”. (50) And when they notice the deference shown to their father by some American businessmen, “their admiration for their father increased”. (50) This gradually leads to their “implicit obedience and profound respect” (50) towards Shadrach.
Now the opportunity for Shadrach to educate his sons has come. He, a kind and loving father in the core, teaches his sons how to earn their own living, which produces good result because Abel and Gottlieb have learned many things. “They learned the value of discipline, learned the beauty of filial reverence, learned the severe joy of the earnest life.” (50) The tenets of Jewish religion have been successfully instilled to the minds of the sons. Religion triumphs in this sense.
The climax of the story arrives after Gottlieb suggests bringing Miriam, his future bride, to have supper with the family. What a contrast to his former attitude towards this matter! And Miriam’s reaction when seeing Shadrach displays a sharper contrast:
The girl looked in surprise at the venerable figure that stood before her—a picture of a patriarch from the Pentateuch, with a long, straggling beard, and ringlets of hair falling over the ears, and clad in the long gabardine of the Russian Ghettos…Impulsively she ran toward him and seized his hands. And, with a smile upon her lips, she said: “Will you not give me your blessing?” (51)
Miriam’s behavior is totally the opposite of Gottlieb’s guess. She is absolutely amazed by the image of Shadrach. Most dramatic of all, it is Shadrach’s resemblance to a patriarch from the Pentateuch that arouses Miriam’s reverence. The word “impulsive” is worth our attention. It means that an action is undertaken without careful thought, which vividly describes the excitement of Miriam at that time and strongly demonstrates the power of religion.
At the end of the story, Shadrach intones the grace after meals as usual. But this time he has company. When Gottlieb responds to the grace in a fervent tone, the story reaches its most touching point. For Shadrach, he successfully wins back his sons’ respect and enhances it to a higher level. As for the Jewish religion, it successfully inspires another young man with its profound beauty. “Blessed be He!” The blessing draws the story to a close, leaving the readers in deep reflection.
Throughout the story, we see how the protagonist, Shadrach Cohen, succeeds in both his career and interpersonal relations by clinging to his religious belief. Although Americanization has its contribution, and the title of the story also suggests its importance, religion actually plays a much more significant role. The way Shadrach shows pride in his ethnic traits, his religion and his culture is indeed thought provoking. When so many immigrants are at a loss how to survive in a new environment, Shadrach Cohen’s deeds are worth advocating and are qualified as a good example for the immigrants.
Work Cited
Lessing, Bruno. “The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen.” 1903. Rpt. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin’s, 1994. 6-8
May 7, 2007
Title
The United States, known as a melting pot, draws to its shores many immigrants every year. Some of them are affected by the American culture and are thus Americanized. However, when these people are adapting to a new environment, they are gradually losing their cultural identities at the same time. A lack of sense of belonging is rather common amongst those immigrants. They begin to question where indeed they belong to.
Aware of this situation, an author named Bruno Lessing presented a story “The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen” to set a good example to the immigrants. In the story, Shadrach Cohen, an old-fashioned Jewish father, went to the United States to live with his two Americanized sons. In coping with the conflicts with them, Shadrach made the family business prosper and adjusted well to the American society, thus gaining the respect of both his sons and some Americans. Although the Americanization happened in Shadrach Cohen seemingly should be given credit to his success, the way he firmly clings to his Jewish religious beliefs is actually the key factor that contributes to the success.
What is Shadrach Cohen like? The first sentence of the story gives us a hint. “There is no set rule for the turning of the worm; most worms, however, turn unexpectedly”. A worm can represent something submissive or obedient, just like Shadrach Cohen first appears. “Shadrach never lost his temper; never upbraided them (his sons)”. He is a gentle person by nature. Although his sons boldly ridicule his beard and garment the moment they see him, he “shut his lips tightly for a moment” rather than counter or criticize his sons. Despite his sons’ unfair treatment to him, Shadrach still loves them deeply, even though the only thing that concerns his sons is money. “But you may have whatever money you need. After all, I have no one but you two.”
Shadrach and his sons might have maintained the peaceful situation if Abel and Gottlieb hadn’t touched the bottom line—Shadrach’s religious beliefs. When Gottlieb doesn’t want Shadrach to see his future bride for fear that the girl doesn’t like Shadrach’s Jewish ways, Shadrach finally loses his temper. He can tolerate his sons’ dapper way of dressing and their lack of care for him, but he cannot stand the fact that his sons are ashamed of Jewish religion and consider Jewish lifestyle inferior to American one. “Shadrach was red in the face with suppressed rage.” He suddenly acts tough and scolds his sons, making “Gottlieb dumbfounded” because “he had not heard that tone since he was a little boy”. So we can see that religious belief is of great importance to Shadrach, almost his foremost principle, since he would rather risk his relationship with his sons than give in when it comes to religious belief.
There are many places in the story that demonstrate the fact that Jewish religion has already been fused into Shadrach Cohen’s life, which can first be seen from the way he dresses. He “wore a gabardine—the loose, baglike garment of the Russian Ghetto—and had a long, straggling grey beard and ringlets that came down over his ears”. This is the typical traditional Jewish way of dressing, and it at once defines his ethnic traits. Except for dressing, Shadrach’s eating habit also reveals his identity as the disciple of Judaism. “When the meal was over Shadrach donned his praying cap and began to recite the grace after meals.” According to the context of the story, a praying cap is “a small head covering that, by symbolically separating man from God, shows reverence and respect”. Abel and Gottlieb’s “consternation” at having to “go through this at every meal” indirectly shows the fact that this has become a most natural practice of Shadrach Cohen. The strongest proof may come from one of the sentence Shadrach says to a young man in his store. “Young man, whenever you address a person who is older than you, do it respectfully. Honor your father and your mother.” When the Ten Commandments pops out of a person’s mouth without much thinking, do you doubt his loyalty to Judaism?
Shadrach’s firm religious belief has shaped his point of view as well as his character. It leaves no doubt that the United States is much more powerful and influential than Shadrach’s homeland. But the worship of Jehovah makes Shadrach believe that Americans and Jewish are on the equal status because “that same Jehovah rules supreme over America even as He does over the country that you came form”. This thought keeps him from feeling inferior and infuses him with confidence. Therefore, when his sons try to persuade Shadrach to shave his beard in order not to appear like the newly landed Russian Jews, he counters with a resolute tone: “Then I will keep my beard as it is. I am a newly landed Russian Jew.” What a powerful answer! It raises others’ respect for him immediately.
In this paragraph, I am going to talk about how religious belief supports Shadrach in the matter of business. Despite the fact that the charm of American culture helps him make the family business prosper, religion gives him comfort and power in the spiritual sense. “When life is light and free from care, religion is quick to fly; but when the sky grows dark and life becomes earnest, and we feel its burden growing heavy upon our shoulders, then we welcome the consolation that religion brings, and we cling to it.”
In the following paragraphs, I am going to discuss how Shadrach wins people’s respect by observing the Jewish religion. I will focus on the change of his sons’ attitude towards him and what they have learned from him, ending with Gottlieb’s suggestion of bringing Miriam to see Shadrach.
Focus on Miriam’s reaction when she sees Shadrach, how it contrasts to Gottlieb’s expectation before, and how it strengthens the ending.
Conclusion
June 21, 2007
Directions: If you were to create a filmed advertisement (a "trailer" for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, which scene would you select? Why? Discuss ways in which you might film the scene.
If The Grass-Eaters were to be adapted to a film, it would be a thought-provoking one for sure. If I were given the opportunity to create a trailer for it, I would certainly strive to make it impressive.
First of all, I will select a typical scene of this story--the one in which Ajit Babu and his wife resides on the roof and eats grass. The scene will also include the last part of the story in which Ajit Babu sees all sorts of chaos around him with indifference.
In my opinion, the scene mentioned above precisely depicts the miserable living condition of Indian people at that time. It is beyond most people's imagination that roof can be "home", and it is even more startling for others to realize that grass, the thing used to feed animals, is considered a luxurious meal by human beings. The miserable life that Ajit Babu and his wife are leading will be well displayed to the audience by the scene of their living and eating conditions. Moreover, what Ajit Babu witnesses are even more appalling. In the original story, Ajit Babu sees many horrible things around him every day. For example, a mother dumps her new-born child into a dustbin. What a horrible thing to hear! If it is included in the trailer, it will not only shock the audience, but also reveal the theme of the story more effectively. More people will realize the extreme poverty of some people in the world.
Speaking of the ways I might film the scene, I will first give a close shot to the roof where Ajit Babu lives. There is a dirty blanket, and he will be sitting on it, looking down. Then here comes the excited voice of Ajit Babu's wife. "I've found it! The grass! We can have it for dinner!" And she will appear as a pregnant woman. Ajit Babu helps his wife to get on the roof, thanks her for the hard work and cautiously gets the grass from his wife's hands, with a broad smile on his face. Then he dispatches the limited amount of grass between him and his wife and starts eating it with a most satisfied expression on his face. Then the camera will move downward to the street to focus on a wretched mother. She holds a weeping baby and dumps it to the dustbin just the way people dump their trashes. Passers-by see it, but no one gives a comment or cast a disapproving eye on her. Ajit Babu's eyes follow the mother who runs away. He sees the last piece of grass in his hand for a while, and sends it to his mouth. The screen gets dark, and the trailer will end with the continuous weep of the child.
This is the idea that comes to my mind for the trailer. If I had a chance to realize it one day, I would be very excited.
The writer's depiction of the Misrilals aroused my interest at first. It was my first time to have seen the collocations of "spherical boy", "ovoid father" and "cuboid wife". What a family! It looked like a cartoon. I began to wonder the writer's purpose of using these adjectives. Did he want to point out that there were still some well-off people when Ajit Babu and his wife were so impoverished that they had to live in a pipe? Or maybe it was only an unplanned reflection of the writer's sense of humor. I was most impressed by Ajit Babu's attitude towards the never-ending miseries in his life. I couldn't even imagine myself living on the roof, eating grass, or wearing a piece of cloth. But he endured both physical injuries and spiritual strain without much complaint. He took upon himself the hardship in an unbelievably optimistic way. I was surprised when he and his wife exulted at residing in a place with doors and when he listed the advantages of living on the roof rather than below it. It suddenly led to my realization that there were people who would be happy about things I took for granted. I respect Ajit Babu and his wife very much, for they refused to lose hope and insisted living on even when life seemed to be the black hole. It reminded me of numerous stories of people who remained cheerful in adversity and built their success step by step. However, I inferred from the last paragraph that the writer didn't write this story only to talk about Ajit Babu's own experiences. Although Ajit Babu appeared not to care much about his own miseries, he was actually very concerned with the severe social problems at that time. It seemed that the dark side of human nature was easily exposed during the hard time. Ajit Babu was very worried about that, but he wasn't mighty enough to make any change, so he could only quietly look at the passing scenes. And the word "content" was rather ironic. I could feel the torrents inside Ajit Babu's heart which was covered by the writer's ordinary words and indifferent tone.