studies in the park Flashcards
Theme: Family and societal pressures
“ ‘suno, suno listen. Your milk— your studies — your exams, Suno!’ “
“ ‘Suno,Suno,’ i heard them croon and coax and mourn.
“ ‘Suno, drink milk.’ “
“ ‘Suno, study.’ “
“ ‘suno take the exam’ “
Theme: Life versus death
the women was “Too pale, too white — i could see she was dying”. she was “lay(ing) in the lap of a very old man.”
This alters Suno’s perception of himself and his life. In the presence of a dying woman, he learns the value of life. He realises he has been isolating himself for the sake of the exam. it’s ironic that the woman is dying yet she makes him realise that there is still life and time and opportunity to embrace what it means to be alive. The scene is completely silent till she laughs. This silence adds to an atmosphere of importance and sacredness
Theme: Change (metamorphosis)
“but now i was changed, i had stopped being a student— i was a ‘professional’
Literary device: first person narration
“I know i ought to study. And how do you expect me to study— in this madhouse?”
-trying to defend himself
-expresses his own irritation
Auditory/ sound imagery
“Broom, bbroom”
Literary device: punctuation
dashes:
- turn it off, turn it off, turn it off!
ellipsis:
“I can make out a bill…”
Literary device: repetition
“suno” “Suno”
“study” “study”
emphasises the unending pressure he faces and frustrations with parents’ nagging/ reminders/ smothering.
Use of similes
“like parasites…. sucking us dry”
books are like parasites which leave him drained, lifeless because of the amount of energy and effort the books require from him
“like a railway engine, it went charging over me, grinding me down, left me dead and mangled on the tracks.”
disturbing violent imagery, emphasises suno’s utter despair and metaphorical death from studying/ pressure he faces
symbolism of park
the park acts as a microcosm of society, it offers Suno both a refuge from stress of studies and home life and also a place of rest and focus. Here, he is the “prince in his palace garden” , a place where he can be free from societal expectations. he falls into its “routine, it’s rythmn” as if he owned it. it’s finally a place that gives him the epiphany moment, when he realised that there’s more to life than studying. he realised the purpose of life is meant to be searched for.
