Answer to either or both:
- This short story is based on the Mandarin Paradox, posed in 1802 by the French writer and philosopher François-René Chateaubriand, and later retaken by Eça de Queirós in his novel "The Mandarin". Look at the qoute by Chateaubriand, as he phrased the paradox, and relate it briefly to at least two diasporic texts read in the class (including, of course, the one by Vaz):
I ask my own heart, I put to myself this question: "If thou couldst by a mere wish kill a fellow-creature in China, and inherit his fortune in Europe, with the supernatural conviction that the fact would never be known, wouldst thou consent to form such a wish?" (Chateaubriand, 1802)
- Synesthesia has become a stylistic mark for Katherine Vaz. Where do you find it in the story and what are its effects?
1. Yes. As I understand it, the short story depicts how our everyday lives are made up of choices in which everyone, whether aware of it or not, chooses their own well-being above that of the unknown.
ReplyDeleteFaye Silva initially believed she would never ring the bell. However, like how the cows eventually learn that the once soothing violin music now symbolises approaching death (“It had entered the collective bovine consciousness that music could signal danger” – p.29 of the Anthology), she gradually realises her past (namely, the men in her life, starting with her father) had already answered the Mandarin Question for her.
Thus, this “old philosophical puzzle” (p.30, Anthology) might be nothing more than a test for naivety, which distinguishes between the “two types of people these days” (p.34, Anthology): the blissfully ignorant and those conscious of their ghosts while aware of the beauty of life.
It’s clear for me that the short story doesn’t justify the assertion of Henry, as Faye refuses to let Mr. Redken die and help him doing it by “ opening the valve in the drip and giving him some pills? “ despite of no one will never know, and knowing she would take part of his fortune. The story precisely justifies the opposite, that not all people are “ bell ringers”. That not all of us tend to abandon our moral/ethical principles when no one’s around “surveilling” us.
ReplyDeleteSynesthesia is a literary device that Katherine Vaz uses to describe the sensory experiences of the narrator, Maria, in her short tale "Our Lady of the Artichokes." In the course of the narrative, Maria uses vivid, sensory language to describe the flavour and texture of various foods, evoking a variety of feelings and sensations.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, Maria describes the flavour of artichokes as being "tender and a little bit nutty, like the petals of a flower," while describing the texture as being "soft, almost velvety, but with a slight crunch." This synesthetic description not only captures the sensory sensation of eating artichokes, but it also suggests the emotional and cultural significance of this dish in Maria's life.