ENGLISH INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Literary Awareness Me Beals CRYO ayMOTHER’S HELP BY RUTH RENDELL English Intermediate LevelCRIME STORIES: Characters © Nell- The Nanny. © Daniel - The little boy Nell is employed to baby sit. © Ivan- The father. © Charlotte- The mother. co Denise- Emma's baby sitter. co Emma- Ivan’s and Nell’s daughter. © Neighbours Summary In this crime story, Ruth Rendell explores the criminal mind of a straying husband's homicidal use of his precocious children. At the start of the story the reader is introduced to a wealthy couple, Ivan and Charlotte, who because of demanding careers decide that the best thing to do would be to employ a nanny, Nell. It is also not only immediately evident that this marriage is in a crisis but that lvan and Nell are having a relationship. What is also evident is Ivan’s ruthlessness and selfishness. To start with he clearly has no feelings in anyone's regard. He's not in love with his wife, is only physically attracted to Nell and exhibits no warmth or care in his children’s regard. He’s a man who sees nothing wrong with eliminating obstacles to his pleasure. Nell is young and beautiful. Charlotte on the other hand seems to have lost her youthful looks. Ivan clearly intends to end his marriage. In a conversation with Nell he replies to her observation that Daniel is an only child with: “And likely to remain one,” said Ivan, “in the circumstances.” In an effort to keep the relationship secret Nell pretends to have a boyfriend whom she pretends to go out with. Early in the story the author also establishes Daniel's character. A precocious child he seems to be unwilling to speak but is extremely intelligent. He is very interested in cars a fact which will prove to be catalytic to the story. He also seems to feel more comfortable being with his nanny then with his mother. Ivan and Nell take all the opportunities to spend time alone. Ivan drives her to the shops. On one such circumstance Daniel seizes the opportunity to start the car whilst his dad goes toCRIME STORIES close the garage door. The car shoots forward nearly killing Ivan. This incident, which to the parents is proof of their son’s intelligence, is later related to neighbours, to the doctor and to employees. On her return from a two week holiday Charlotte begins to suspect that something is going ‘on between Nell and her husband. She decides to spend more time at home. One day Nell accidentally cuts her wrist when Daniel runs to hug her legs while she’s dicing vegetables. Charlotte is about to drive Nell to the hospital, when Ivan appears and insists on doing so himself. Whilst having words with Ivan, Charlotte steps out of the car to shout the garage door. Seeing a golden opportunity to get rid of his wife Ivan starts the car and accelerates towards the garage door, breaking it and killing Charlotte. Exhibiting a shocking detachment he explains to Nell that he intends to blame his son for the accident. Not only he also asks Nell to cover for him by telling the police that she was alone in the car with the Daniel when the accident happened and that he was upstairs. Nell’s weak character is very much her downfall. She unwillingly acquiesces thus becoming implicated in the crime. They eventually marry and have a daughter, Emma. It is at this point that history begins to repeat itself. Ivan loses interest in Nell and is attracted to his employee Denise who is, in turn, employed to babysit Emma. She is an attractive twenty three year old. Emma loves being with her and Ivan’s attentions quickly tecome apparent. Nell realises that she is now herself on the receiving end. Like her brother had done before her, Emma unwittingly nearly kills her mother by locking her in an airless cupboard. Again Ivan takes advantage of this and relates the incident to relatives and friends. It becomes clear to Nell that her ruthless, vicious husband is making plans... The reader is left wondering whether there is poetic justice in the final terrorized screams of Nell, when she realizes that Ivan is planning her end in a merciless twist of fate. Characters Ivan He is a psychopath who feels no remorse for his actions. He is clearly very violent and dangerous. Ivan is doubly dangerous because he is a handsome man who can hide hisCRIME STORIES cruel streak, is charming, and intelligent. He is also an able liar. Rendall uses imagery to infer his cruel nature he is compared to a wolf throughout the story. (pages.145, 148, 154) Charlotte She is a career woman who initially seems to have no time for her family, this is because of a successful career but also because she seems to have a rather detached character in fact besides working long hours she also seems to enjoy holidays alone. It is only when she suspects her husband is being unfaithful that she decides to stay at home. Nell She is a weak character, who is easily taken in by Ivan’s attentions. She is very easily manipulated by Ivan's dominating ruthlessness, a fact which makes her an accomplice in crime when she commits perjury. Daniev/Emma Both children seem to have inherited their fathers character, the same cruel streak, both nearly cause someone’s death proof to this are the scenes where: a) Daniel is described drawing squiggles in blood on a cupboard door b) Emma gleefully walks away from the cupboard she has just locked her mother in spite of the fact that Nell sounds very scared. History Repeating Itself On reading the story it becomes evident that there is parallelism between Ivan’s marriages: a) Ivan bringing a nanny, he himself has chosen. b) The nanny claims to have a boyfriend that doesn't exist. c) Both children seem to prefer the nanny to their mother. d) There is an incident related to the children in both marriages, incidents that Ivan takes advantage of. ) Both women seem to underestimate Ivan’s cruelty and both are taken in by his lies.CRIME STORIES Point Of View The author chose to have this story told through the third person, therefore, the omniscient narrator. The advantage of this is that the narrator has knowledge of everything- the characters, places, times. It allows the author to examine the characters’ minds, as Ruth Rendall does in the case of Ivan Charlotte and Nell. We get to know of Ivan’s evil plans, his disgust at what his wife has come to look like, we are made aware of Charlotte's dawning suspicions of her husband’s betrayal. We become privy to Nell’s realisation that history is going to repeat itself. The role of the omniscient narrator is also to chronicle the events of the story in an impartial way. This point of view therefore makes the account complete as it allows the narrator to jump from scene to scene following the characters and assessing the progress of the narrative. In this case the narration moves from Ivan’s and Charlotte’s marriage, Daniel's mishaps, Charlotte’s murder etc...., giving the reader a complete overview. Setting In the first part of the story we have a rich family. The parents are successful, hardworking career people. They live in a detached Victorian villa with a coach house which is converted into a garage. It is the door of this garage that Charlotte is closing when Ivan runs her over. In the second part of the story we move into a bigger house with a large cellar, a dark dusty little room with a heavy door and a broom cupboard which Nell is locked into by Emma Daniel and Cars Daniel seems to be unwilling to speak in spite of his intelligence so it is curious to note that his first utterance is related to cars. His love for vehicles is important in the development of events. An important incident happens while he is accompanying his nanny and father on an errand. As they are getting ready to leave, Daniel climbs to the front of the car, starts it and nearly hits his father. This is a key incident as it is later used by Ivan to explain what happens to Charlotte.NO PLACE TO PARK BY ALEXANDER MC CALL English Intermediate LevelCRIME STORIES Characters © George Harris o The critic o Frizzie © Parking Officer ©. Driver and passenger of illegally parked car © Passenger’s brother Setting This story, written by Alexander McCall Smith, is set in Wester Australia. Much of the action is setin Perth. Its port, Fremantle, is a town inits own right with a population of approximately 26,000 people. Point of View This story is written in the third person narrative mode. Therefore each and every character is referred to by a narrator. In fact in this story we have an omniscient narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of the main protagonist and follows all the action, dialogue and events in the story. Theme: Realism Life imitates Art This is a literary theory whose most notable proponent is Oscar Wilde (Oct 1854-Nov 1900, an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist and poet): ‘Life imitates Art more than Art imitates Life.’ This is anti-mimesis, a philosophical position that Wilde strongly believed in. He claims that anti-mimesis ‘ results not merely from life's imitative instinct but from the fact that the self- conscious aim of life is to find expression, and that art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realise that energy.” What is found in life and nature is not what is really there but is that which artists have taught people to find there, through art.CRIME STORIES Plot Summary and Analysis An Australian author, George Harris, is attending a festival for crime writers. At the time he is in the process of writing a crime story about a surfer who plans to murder a rival by diving under him and killing him with a knife which has been shaped to look like the teeth of a shark. However, during this festival as a result of what an art critic points out, he decides to scrap the story and write a story about parking offences. Ata particular point in the story the two plots of George's crime stories come together in an unexpected way but strangely this does not happen in the realm of fiction but in George’s own life....Life imitates Art!!! When George decides to change the plot of his crime story to write about a more mundane. crime he decides the best thing to do is to spend time with police officers, observing them at work. It is during a day in the company of a parking officer that an incident happened which triggered a weird chain of events in the writer's life. The police officer decides to book the driver of a car which was illegally parked. Since the driver was in the car together with another man, the police officer approached them but as soon as he addresses them the driver quickly makes off. As the car moves away the police officer and George find themselves looking at the corpse of a dead man. As a result of this George has to testify in court. This incident brings together the two plots of George's novels. 1. The surfer’s plot 2. The police officer’s plot. The author relies on three secondary events in the plot which are very important in the narration's development. 1. Aman the writer vaguely knew was killed by a shark. (This incident is the springboard for the surfer’s plot in George's crime story) 2. The writer's girlfriend often goes surfing on her own and gets a man to help her put her surfboard onto the car. 3. The writer divulges the plots of his upcoming novels to his girlfriend.CRIME STORIES The story's ending is creates an aura of suspense. George decides to give evidence in court, against his girlfriend’s advice and.....the passenger's brother's dire warning. In the meantime he goes for a swim but suddenly feeling frightened he looks around and below him. Just beneath him he sees the shiny blade of a knife... The ending leaves both George and the reader grappling to reach conclusions as to who was the murderer-to-be and how did he get to know about George's surfer’s plot.A DEVOTED SON BY ANITA DESAI English Intermediate LevelWORLD STORIES Summary This is the story of Dr. Rakesh, who was born in a poor village in India, studied medicine in America and later grew up as the city's richest and most known man back in India. The story portrays Rakesh's double standards - a devoted son in appearance but a coldblooded, hard- hearted traditionalist on the other. Varma, Rakesh's father, favoured his doctor-son more than others but had a painful old-age under Rakesh's ‘professional’ care for the old, widowed man. The Title The title suggests satire. Rakesh was a traditionalist who thought that touching his father's feet and respecting was of prime importance. Even Varma, his father, thought likewise but later realizes how hollow it is to be treated like a patient by his own son. Rakesh the Son co Rakesh scored the highest rank in the country for his Medical Examination. © Instead of getting lost in the most envied success, Rakesh bent down and touched his father's feet. This cooled the father for it was another reason for the vegetable vender to be proud of being Rakesh's father. © For an uneducated family like Rakesh's, this success brought cheers. Setting Rakesh educated was Varma's greatest dream. © Neighbours came to congratulate the winner, his father Varma and his mother. © Presents flowed into Varma’s house as garlands, halwa, party clothes ard fountain pens to last years, even a watch or two. © To his neighbours Varma told about his son's touching his feet even a'ter becoming a doctor with a first rank. © Some of the good neighbours appreciated this son and this father while others, envious as neighbours are, felt that Varma was giving himself airs.WORLD STORIES Rakesh the Doctor © Soon Rakesh cleared his MD course with flying colours. Having won a scholarship, Rakesh went to the USA. (Varma didn't know the difference between USA and America) co Rakesh worked in some most prestigious hospitals in the USA and won awards from his American colleagues which were sent to his admiring and glowing family © Finally Rakesh returned to his native village. His brothers and sisters came to embrace him but the great son of all times (you will see why) bent down and touched his father's feet. Rakesh married a girl that his mother wanted him to marry and set up his own clinic. She was a girl of double standards. © For some years Rakesh worked in the city hospital, quickly rising to the top of the administrative organization, and was made a director before he left to set up his own clinic. © Rakesh bought a new car and unfailingly drove his parents in it to his clinic. Varma and his wife were the happiest in the world. o For awhile, Rakesh's fame seemed to grow just a little dimmer but soon he became the richest doctor in town. © Varma grows very old and number of ailments leave him bed ridden. He retires from his job in the kerosene shop where he had worked for forty years. Rakesh, both as a doctor and a son Rakesh's mother passes away. (She was quite fortunate that her famous doctor-son rubbed her feet during her last days) © Varma was quite helpless and his old age was going to be more miserable. Varma fell ill so frequently and with such mysterious diseases that even his son could not cure him. © Even when his other sons and daughters ignored his strange illnesses, Rakesh (the pearl of his father) was always with him. © Rakesh took great care of his father, brought him morning tea, read him newspaper and reminded him to take medicines. © After a while Rakesh began to impose certain restriction upon his father. No sweets, not too much food and no fried food.WORLD STORIES When the old man resented or tried to bribe Rakesh's son and wife for his delicacies, Rakesh scolded his father. o Rakesh had by this time developed a doctor-patient relation with his father. (That's how it happen with those who always stand first in exams; they fail in life!) o Rakesh was only concerned with his father's health but the old man thought his son was being miserly. One day Varma met his neighbour old Bhatia, next door. He told old Bhatia how his son and daughter-intaw refused him food. o Varma realized that, even with a doctor at home he was not half as happy as old Bhatia. He began to think that his son had crossed all limits. o Determined, Varma announces that he didn't need his son's medicines. All that he wished was death. ical Questions and Answers Was Rakesh being hypocritical about his touching his father's feet or is he simply A DEVOTED SON? Whether Rakesh was aware of it or not, he was a hypocrite. He knew how to please his father and mother and probably everyone in the world around him for his own benefit. More than fame and money, he held his ideal-son status super high. His back bones were always ready to bend to please his parents and get their blessings. If he were a really devoted son, the first rank holder had to know that an ageing father's first need is freedom to breathe, eat and drink. Unfortunately, Rakesh didn't know that. This is one opinion. Can you disagree with above? 4 Was Rakesh really a successful son? Rakesh was more unsuccessful than successful. All that he achieved in life was good marks, reputation and money on one hand and his father’s appreciation on the other. As a duty- bound son, Rakesh was an excellent son to his father and mother. He left prime place for his parents first and never failed to show them respect. If touching a father's feet day in and day out while treating them like patients in their old age and breaking their heart could be called devotion, Rakesh was a devoted son. But the flat reality is that Rakesh ceased to