Question # 2
Aunt Misra plays a crucial role in the children's upbringing. Yet, as the children grow older, all but Bim leave her and don't return until her death. Describe the importance of Aunt Misra's presence as the children were growing up. What did she provide for them? What did they, in turn, provide for her? How did this contribute to her downfall?
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The importance of aunt misra's presence is that she provides a parent figure for the children after their parents died.she becomes the one who cares for them and who ensures that they grow up without feeling neglected.This can be seen from the fact that aunt Misra's family house served as a retreat for Tara from her own home as a child.The children in turn provided her with a family.This contributed to her downfall because she grew so attached to them that when Raja and Tara finally left home she felt neglected and lonely. posted by Kendra Rover.
ReplyDeleteI may have to disagree with you slightly Kendra...you are right that Aunt Misra was a parental figure when the children's parents died, but what i would also like for you to take into consideration, is that she has always been that authoratative figure for the children even when their parents were alive...The children's parent were almost never there and when they were, they never provided the love and nuturing that their children needed, the mother always slept and the father always worked and even when they had a bit of free time, it was always spent at their bridge games.
ReplyDeleteThe one and only time that the Father tried being a father, he faltered. This was when he was trying to give his son advice on what life was about, which by the way turned into a one sided conversation, because no matter what Raja beliefs were, in his heart he knew that his father would not agree with them.
Yes, they provided Aunt Misra with a family in return, but they also provided the Alcohol which lead to her demise in the end. Lets not forget, her morning and afternoon teas were always laced with Alcohol. Bim was the one who always heeded to her negative wants of alcohol in her tea. Raja and Tara leaving did not have much to do with how she ended up, because as it can be seen in the Novel, Raja was sick for some time and Tara was busy trying to get out in life. So who was left, Bim and it has always been Bim when it comes to everything laid out in the story...
Nikki Andrew, Annesia Evans, Latianna Robinson and Phylicia Joseph.
As Kendra stated earlier the importance of aunt Misra's presence in the story is that she provides for the children a parent figure. However as Phylicia mentioned it was not after the children's parents died that aunt Misra took on the role of parenthood but even when they were alive. This was evident throughout the children's lives when they were younger. Aunt Mirsa took care of Baba who was mentally challenged. She taught Baba how to play games with his pebbles. This he maintained even when he became an adult. Aunt Misra also took care of Raja, Bim, and Tara. She gave them the attention that they so desire from their parents who colud not be bothered with them for they were to busy going to the club at nights. Tara was the one who was very close to Aunt Misra. As a matter of fact she saw Aunt Misra as a comforter some one who she could run to when she needed to get away from it all, especially when she felt left out by Bim and Raja. Aunt Mira provided them with that loving care and affection that made them feel at home.
ReplyDeleteThe children in turn provided Aunt Misra with a home where she "perceived" to be happy. They showed her the respect that one would show their parents. That even throughout their lives the memories of Aunt Misra still lingered in their minds. This on the other hand contributed to her downfall as Aunt Misra took on the pressure of being alone and not finding happiness. this may be so as when Tara left Anut Misra feared that they would all leave her. She had grown accostomed to their love towards her and them being around that she felt neglected when Tara left. Moreover Aunt Misra could not take the pressure of Raja's sickness. This helped her to go off as she could not have taken on anymore problems and the thought of losing Raja probably made it worse.
Shemez Browne
Do you think it was one specific incidence that had Misra turn to alcoholism? or Do you think it was her life on a whole?
ReplyDeletePERSONALLY I THINK IT WAS HER LIFE ON A WHOLE AND I HONESTLY FELT THAT BEING THE LEVEL MINDED PERSON THAT BIM WAS, SHE COULD'VE HELPED HER BY REFRAINING FROM ADDING ALCOHOL TO HER TEA EVERY TIME SHE ASKED...HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR BIM, RAJA AND TARA OR EVEN BABA TO HAVE PROVIDED HER A HOME...MAYBE YOU CAN SAY THEY LOVED THEIR AUNT BUT PROVIDING A HOME AND SECURITY WHEN THEY WERE CHILDREN..THATS PREPOSTEROUS!!!!
ReplyDeleteI belive that Aunt Misra started to consume alcohol because yes of a particular reason which was her fear of the children leaving her. However after she started to reflect on her whole life and the hardship that she went through it encouraged her more. She felt neglected again.
ReplyDeleteShemez Browne
Aunt Mira's role was unboubtedly imporatnt to the children. It provided some stability to them in those formative years of youth when all that is majorly required is love. Even though they grew close to her and her to them, every right thinking adult knows that one day children will move out and get on witht heir lives. As musch as she would love to shelter and provide for and protect them, this state is not permanent. Aunt Mira must have known this.
ReplyDeleteIt may be disheartening but it cannot be the only factor which lead to her demise. Aunt Mira's kwhole life has been one of tragedy. Her early marriage and early state of widowhood then her subsequent condemnation to a life of cruel servitude. It must have been a relief to have these children to tcare for but such a past will no doubtely leave lasting effects on an individual and now that her only sorce of joy -caring for the children - is removed, why not wallow in the self-pity of empty yesterdays? why not try to drown out such emotion? Could not this be a plausible reason for her lacing her tea with alcohol all these years.
Aunt Mira's condition is therefore dependant on many factors
Roland Moore
The life of Aunt Mira plays a crucial role in her alcohol addiction. She has been through a lot and needed something to ease the pain. From the death of her husband to being ill treated by his family who felt that she was responsible for his death and then being shipped off to Bim, Baba, Raja and Tara. She was greatly comforted by their desire to be around her and listen to her stories. However there was also a flip side to this scene. Aunt Mira often worried about Raja who consistently went over to the Hyder Alis' for afternoon readings. She felt that he would get hurt because the Hyder Alis' were Muslims and they were Hindus. This event led to Aunt Mire taking little drops of liquor in her tea which eventually grew to an addiction.
ReplyDeleteLet me clarify myself when i said that the children provided aunt Mirsa with a home. When i said home i did not mean a house which is quite different from a home. A house is basically a building or roof(as we would say) to put over someone's head (in other words where someone lives). Whereby a home is where love is shared respect is gained and a sence of warmth and security is present and where one can feel wanted. Aunt Misra never had that joy from the time she got married although she was living in a house it was far from a home. As soon as she got to know the children and vise-versa she felt at home. The children gave her back to an extent the joy that she lost or never had. In other words a home. Is this more clear than the comment I made earlier before?
ReplyDeleteShemez Browne
NO HOW ABOUT THIS...SHE NEVER FEARED THAT THE CHILDREN WOULD LEAVE HER, BECAUSE WE ALL KNEW BABA WAS NEVER GOING ANYWHERE AND WE ALL ARE QUITE AWARE THAT BIM'S CHARACTER WOULD'VE NEVER LEFT BABA BECAUSE OF HER MOTHERLY INSTINCT. THERE ARE SO MANY INSTANCES WHERE HER PERSONALITY SHOWED LOVE AND CONCERN. SO AUNTIE MISRA KNEW BIM WOULD'VE NEVER LEFT HER SIDE AND SHE KNEW EVEN IF BABA WANTED TO HE WAS STUCK WITH HER. HERE'S THIS INTERESTING TWIST, DON'T YOU GUYS THINK THAT AUNT MISRA KNEW THAT BABA WAS GOING PLACES AND TARA BEING THE BEAUTY THAT SHE WAS, WOULD'VE BEEN MOVING ON IN LIFE TOO...IF YOU GUYS SAID THAT THE PRESSURES OF HAVING A DEAD SISTER, PLUS HER DEAD HUSBAND, A HOUSE TO MAINTAIN, PEOPLE TO PAY..THINGS TO OVERSEE, DROVE HER TO TRY TO REMAIN IN AN ALCOHOL INDUCED STATE...I FEEL THAT NO MATTER HOW YA'LL TURN AND TWIST THE STORY...AUNT MISRA WAS THE ONLY ONE TO BLAME FOR HER DEMISE...DID YOU PEOPLE EVENT THINK THAT THE WOMAN FELT THAT DEATH HELD SOLACE, SO INSTEAD OF TRYIN TO PROLONG LIFE, SHE WANTED TO END IT AND LEAVE BIM TO DEAL WITH EVERYTHING BECAUSE SHE KNEW BIM WAS CAPABLE OF DOING SO...HMMM!!!!COME BETTER THAN THAT PEOPLE!!!
ReplyDeleteLol again Phylicia you do have a point. I don't agree with Latoya though because if that is the case everyone has problems so should we all start to drink ourselves into a drunken stupor and turn mad? Yes she has been through so much but at every turn she could have said know, or left at some point in time. She could have even remarried. Aunt Misra is not a strong individual then and is not capable of taking care of children. She clearly needs a trip to the rehab and Bim could have not satisfied her wishes and who knows maybe she would've still been alive as we see that she just kept getting worse everyday. SHE is the cause of her pwn demise as SHE chose to drink and SHE chose to be irresponsible
ReplyDeleteoh and typo no lol
ReplyDeletepersonally i think aunt misra is using the alcohol as an escape point. another problem to restrain her from moving on with her life ,(shes obviously afraid of moving on with her life) she keeps on clinging on to excuses. first the children now the alcohol.In the Indian culture it is a norm for a woman to get married and have children so why is she denying herself these privileges????
ReplyDeleteand mabye phylisha is right, maybe she's trying to end her life.
ReplyDeleteOk, ok. I do agree that Aunt Mira was indeed responsible for the decisions that she made, which eventually killed her, but to an extent. Not everyone works well under pressure. I mean, the old saying goes, "when life gives you lemon, make lemonade", but in Aunt Mira's case, so many lemons were coming her way, she didn't have hands enough to make any lemonade or straighten out her life. So she practically ran mad. Look at the woman's life and tell me who wouldn't want to just end it? I don't think that Aunt Mira is entirely to be blamed for her demise. It is the people around us that make us who we are. Take Hitler for example, did he just magically turn into the radical person that he was? No. His fierce personality began from his childhood days. As he grew and learned more about what was happening around him, his life began to change, there were some good decisions that he made but there were also bad ones, which he eventually paid the consequences for. So, yes Aunt Mira was driven into a drunken state, but there were legitimate reasons for her actions.
ReplyDeleteYes Yes....i agree Latoya...i totally agree...but then again People do not make us who we are, we make ourselvess---remember that!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Phylicia because Aunt Mira was a parental figure in the children's life even before the death of their parents when they were not around.
ReplyDeleteMauricia Frith
Aunt Mira to me used aalchol as a comfort because she thought she could no longer protect the children which started with the small amounts in her tea.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of Aunt Misra's presence, as the children were growing up was that she acted as a safe zone for the children. She filled the motherly role within the Das family household. Despite her addiction to alcohol, she still served to be a role model to the children by her sustainability through the trials she had gone through life and her guidance.
ReplyDeleteShe stands as a buffer as she intervenes into bad circumstances within the lives of the children.
The children served as a scapegoat for Aunt Misra as she held the children as excuses for her stagnant lifestyle. Furthermore, in the Indian culture it is seen as a norm for a woman to be married and have children. This was the drawback seen from Aunt Misra since she neither continued with her life thus preventing her from finding a husband and starting her own family. Instead she filled the motherly role of her sister since she [the biological mother] was unable to do so because of her illness, therefore she [Aunt Misra] was the main pillar for the children; the children always went to her when ever they needed help and affection. Eventually when Raja and Tara (her favourites) left the household she gained an addiction for alcohol. Inadvertently, the alcoholism contributed to her death.
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I agree that Aunt Mira's plays a crucial role in the children's upbringing. She is a source of comfort to the children when their mother fell ill and died. She comforted Tara when she felt left out because of Raja and Bim. She also help to protect the children form the dangers lurking outside. The children helped to provide joy and comfort to Aunt Mira's but yet some of the children caused her to worry and become frantic. For example when Tara kept coming home late and when Raja fell ill. This all caused her to turn to alcohol for support. Therefore resulting in alcoholism which brought about her death.
ReplyDeleteAunt Misra, acted as a motherly figure, towards all the children, both before and after the children's parents had died. She guided and protected all of them, and took on the role of being a parental figure, by providing them withaffection, which was truly an element, which the children needed,especially since the children's parents when they were alive, were not present in their children's lives.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what the children provided for Aunt Misra, I would definitely have to say family support. Though the children leaving might have possibly aidede in her constant consumption of alcohol and would have tken a toll on her, this is not the only factor. For Aunt Misra had gone through past demises with her marriage and so forth throughout her lifetime and as Latoya stated above earlier, that not everyone is able to cope with pressure. Many times addicts such as alcoholists as in Aunt Misra's case use alcohol many times to relieve stress. Alcohol to them helps them to escape from the negatives which lives brings to them. I'M not saying that Aunt Misra was right in consuming the alcohol, but unfortunately for her this was an escape from the negatives within her world, and alcohol acted as her medicine.
Definitely, as stated by my classmates above, Aunt Misra was the parental figure in all the of the children's lives. She is the one who takes care of all the children, even when their parents were alive. The father was never home, because of work and the mother was always sleeping. So in essence Aunt Misra provided them with the love, care and affection which was lacking in their household.
ReplyDeleteThe children clearly had alot of love and respect for Aunt Misra, of course most likely because they were grateful towards her for being present, whenever they needed, so they in turn provided her with the love and security which needed. In terms of Aunt Misra turning into an alcoholic, this was brought on by many factors. Aunt Misra was mistreated by her husband's family, her husband dying and leaving her alone, the children served as a comfort to her, and her knowing that the children would leave her, this comfort was then removed. All of these factors all together I believe would have led to her turning into an alcoholic.
hmmm interestingly enough everyone is answering this question...PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE...THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS HAVEN'T BEEEN SEEING MUCH RESPONSES..COME ON GUYS...THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS DUE FOR MONDAY!!!
ReplyDeleteIt can be clearly seen that Aunt Misra was the parent figure that the children had even though their parents existed they never excluded her for she raised them through out like a nanny. For the father was always working and the mother sleeping so lack of attention from them only drove them to be attached to Aunt Misra.
ReplyDeleteBut after they grew up and she died the only thing they could do was pay their last respect. They provided aunt Misra a family which she never had and at the same time their downfall of leaving the nest caused aunt Misra to think of her own life without them which drove her to drinking. For she was a lonely woman and probably if they came around she would be alive and Bim would not have to deal with giving her daily buse!
Conica