THE CABULIWALLAH
Tagore
WHAT DO YOU
KNOW ABOUT
INDIA?
Qustions to
consider:
• Where is
it?
• What do
they
wear?
• What do
they eat?
• What
animals?
• Anything
else?
INDIA QUICK FACTS
South Central Asia
2 nd largest
population
Democracy
Rich literary history
QUICK WRITE
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?
TOD
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
THE CABULIWALLAH
Cabuliwallah (Kabuliwallah) means:
The fruit-seller from Kabul
short story
by Rabindranath Tagore
written in 1892.
INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh_xvKLhZHg
 Take 5 notes on the video (5 min)
CASTE
SYSTEM
IN INDIA
T h e C a b u l i wal l h
w o u l d h av e
been part of
Sudra class.
T h e n a r r a to r
w o u l d h av e
been part of
t h e V i a s ya
class.
SETTING OF THE
STORY
1890s
Calcutta, India
KABUL MIGRANTS IN INDIA
Migrants from Kabul were associated with
two activities – neither of high standing
“usurers” (money lenders)
fruit vendors
QUICK WRITE
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.
TOD
What is the relationship between Mini
and the Cabuliwallah?
Do you think this relationship is
appropriate? Why or why not?
Questions/Comments
CHARACTERIZATION
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.
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.
CHARACTERIZATION
Character
Narrator
Cabuliwallah
Mini
Mini’s Mother
Quotation from
the story
What I learn
QUICK WRITE
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.
TOD
 1 . Mini likes the Cabuliwallah because
A.
B.
C.
D.
He
He
He
He
is
is
is
is
kind, generous, and funny
rich, talkative, and musical
wild, violent, and unpredictable
careful, predictable, and studious
 2. The narrator feels conneced to the Kabuliwallah because
A.
B.
C.
D.
They
They
They
They
are
are
are
are
both
both
both
both
creative writers
natives of Calcutta
fathers of daughters
members of the same caste
A. 3. Why does Mini feel dif ferently about the Cabuliwallah on her
wedding day than she did as a child? Use details from the story
to support your answer.
DID YOU GET IT RIGHT?
 1. Mini likes the Cabuliwallah because
A. He is kind, generous, and funny
 2. The narrator feels conneced to the Kabuliwallah
because
C. 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.