Ateneo de Davao University

Instructions:
Read the short story “The Darkening Sky” and “Midnight’s Children.”
Write a brief, substantial, and concise essay. Maximum of one page only, 12 font size,
Times New Roman, Double-spaced.

Compare the way that the two stories - Midnight's Children and "The Darkening Sky" make use
of HISTORICAL events to convey their message. As historical fiction, what devices did these
two stories use to narrate the history of their respective countries?
In the story, Midnight’s Children, Saleem contrasts sharply with the protesters who want to create
a separate linguistic zone. They are Pakistan's rigorous monotheistic religion and Indira Gandhi's
suppression of conflicting disagreement. His telepathic abilities enable him to overcome linguistic
boundaries. Saleem also exemplifies India's diversification and extensiveness with his English
ancestry, humble childhood, affluent lifestyle, and myriad religious influences.

The narrative of Saleem doubles as a mirror for Indian history. The historic occurrences he went
through highlight contradictions and analogies like the antagonism of tradition and modernity
symbolized by Tai, the boatman, and Salem's ancestral granddad, Aadam Aziz. Other instances
of allegories were Saleem and Shiva, who represented Muslims and Hindus, and Aziz and
Naseem, who represented various Islamic ideals.

The incidents in Saleem's life reflect historical occurrences in India, and the conflicts they cause
stand in for social conflicts there. It imitates endless disputes between various racial or religious
communities or politicians.

Meanwhile, most Indonesian Muslims denounced Langit Makin Mendung or The Darkening Sky.
Being offensive to God, the Prophet, the archangels, the 'ulama,' and the traditional scholars, the
story was deemed blasphemous and treasonous.

The Darkening Sky was a short fiction written by Kipandjikusmin to uncover the corruption in
Sukarno's regime. He concentrated on the religious figures who had supported Nasakom,
especially when doing so was politically convenient.

In addition, the author chastised individuals who turned against the Indonesian Communist Party
while the group was being pursued and its members were being murdered. Kipandjikusmin
compared God to Batara Guru in the Javanese Kahyangan and the Catholic paradise to the
Javanese Kahyangan.