Non-Western Literature
Introduction &
Nectar in a Sieve
Chapters 1-6
Name:__________________________________________
Vocabulary
1. sieve
2. monsoon
3. acrid
4. daunt
5. injunction
6. jauntily
7. ravenous
8. reproach
9. ruddy
10. solace
11. taciturn
12. palanquin
Introduction
Read pages 2-5 (or 9-12 in the actual document) in the .pdf document titled Introduction to Nectar in a
Sieve and answer the following questions.
1. Please list the five divisions of the caste system in India. Into which caste was the author born?
2. What is a criticism that has been presented against the author? How does she counter this
criticism?
3. What are some of the themes you should look for in this book? (name the four that page 3/10
mentions).
4. When and where does the novel take place?
5. Under who's leadership did India gain independence from the British?
6. What characterizes commonwealth author?
The Title and Epigraph
First examine the title.
1. What is nectar?
What is a sieve?
What happens if someone tries to collect nectar in a sieve?
Now examine the epigraph. (Hint: it's on the third page of the book)
2. What is an epigraph? What is the epigraph of this book?
3. Why might an author include an epigraph?
4. How does the epigraph relate to the title?
5. Explain the metaphor in the first line.
What does the second line mean?
How would you interpret the two lines as a unit of meaning?
The epigraph comes from the following poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge:
“Work Without Hope”
Lines composed 21st February 1825
All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair—
The bees are stirring—birds are on the wing—
And Winter slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!
And I the wile, the sole unbusy thing,
Nor honey make, nor pair nor build, nor sing.
Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow,
Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.
Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,
For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!
With lips unbrightened, wreathless brow, I stroll:
And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?
Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And Hope without an object cannot live.
1.
In stanza 1, what is the season of year?
2.
What parts of nature are at work?
3.
Explain the personification in lines 3-4:
4.
How does the speaker contrast with the nature he observes?
5.
What do amaranths and nectar have in common?
6.
Describe the speaker's state of mind:
7.
Paraphrase the question in line 12:
8.
Explain the answer in lines 13-14:
9.
Is this a poem of home? Explain your answer.
Chapter 1
1.
What is the age of the narrator at the beginning of this book and how do you know?
2.
What happens to the time setting between paragraph 4 & 5?
3.
What kind of status did the narrator's family have at the beginning of her life? What was their
status when it came time for her to marry? How did her family's status decline?
4.
What kind of match did the narrator have? How did it turn out to be better than anyone knew?
5.
What first indication do we get about how women are to treat their husbands?
6.
Describe the other women in Rukmani's community:
Name:
Physical Appearance
Personality
6.
What does Kali say that changes Rukmani's view of her home and her husband?
7.
What do we learn about the land that Nathan works?
8.
Describe Rukmani's relationship with Kunthi:
Chapter 2
1.
What skill does Rukmani have that most other women & men around her do not have? How
does Nathan react to Rukmani's skill?
2.
Why is Rukmani sad that her first child is a girl?
Chapter 3
1.
What is Rukmani's fear at the beginning of this chapter?
2.
How do Rukmani and others view their gods?
3.
We are introduced to Kenny in this chapter. What is his profession? What do you think is is
country of origin?
4.
What is Rukmani's attitude towards going to Kenny for medical help and how does Kenny
respond to her fears?
5.
What do you think Nathan's response would have been had he know that Rukmani had sought
help from Kenny?
6.
How many more sons does Rukmani bear?
7.
Why does Rukmani shift most of her business from Old Granny to Biswas?
8.
By the end of chapter 3, how has the daily diet of Rukmani and her family changed? Why?
Chapter 4
1.
“Change” is the first word of this chapter and a theme in this book. What kind of change is
Rukmani experiencing now and how is it different from past experiences?
2.
What is being built in the village?
3.
What “good” did the tannery builders bring to the village and how is it really not good for
Rukmani's family?
4.
Rukmani describes the affects of the tannery on all of her five senses. Quote a line that indicates
the tannery's affect on her:
Sight
Smell
Taste
Touch
Sight
5.
How do the other three women respond to the tannery?
Kunthi
Janaki
Kali
Chapter 5
1.
How often do Rukmani and Nathan see the man who owns their land?
2.
Who reappears in this chapter?
3.
How do the women use dung? How does Kenny think they should use it? What wise reply does
Rukmani have for Kenny's suggestion for how to use the dung?
4.
What does Kenny bring for the children? For Selvam?
Chapter 6
1.
Who does Rukmani get to be the arranger of the marriage for Irawaddy?
2.
List some of the wedding traditions & customs:
3.
What things does Rukmani say that give us a sense that the marriage might not work out as well
as everyone thinks?