Metaphors
Two very powerful literary devices Rabindranath Tagore uses in his novel 'Ghare Baire' are metaphors and imagery. They have a way of fuelling one's imagination and filling the head with multiple images and visuals. They work synaesthetically almost, linking two sensory experiences like visualising words , probably even smelling or tasting them. Their impact is profound yet different on each reader. Everyone has their own interpretations regarding what they mean. The time , the kind of literature, the way and mannerisms of even normal conversations then , affects the depth of the novel and its writing. Also the kind of richness his language possesses has become extinct with the course of time. Hence , Tagore's writing is very vivid and descriptive ,using metaphors and imagery to a great extent , while painting the picture in the minds of the readers.
This section explores these literary devices based on our interpretations of Tagore's multilayered language.
The Craft of Words
-Ria Patel
"Saltshaker of Stars" - Pico Iyer
Could you think yourself capable of stringing two completely unrelated words that together create an image in your head almost instantly, much like the phrase above? It has always intrigued me how authors , playwrights and poets are capable of guiding the reader's mind so skilfully. They use literary devices with such finesse and subtlety that before you know it, you have a visual.
My curiosity regarding the craft of using words, led me into gathering many visual and literary metaphors from all resources, including the book Ghare Baire, that we were exposed to during the course .
Inspired from the imagery and metaphors from these resources , a series of illustrations has been created . The series looks to convert the play and interplay of words into visuals. This is also a humble attempt at decrypting Tagore's writing and my interpretations of what these phrases could mean in context to the book and in a wider perspective
The foreign perfume
..or talking about the foreign commodities in general, during that particular time. The question that pops into my head is, would it really help enhance lives of all citizens if they were done away with entirely??
It would help the Indian economy, but only after ensuring that the local merchants could make both ends meet. Also, Swadeshi was a success. But once these cheap commodities were brought in, they were a means for the survival of the local merchants. They were already comfortable with them. Doing away with it suddenly, just like the methods of Swadeshi would leave the farmers in a poor state. Sure, Swadeshi was a success to some extent; though it could have been done in a more eloquent way, by making sure that it actually is helping the nation build its economy.
The imported perfume is, in fact, a metaphor of how the British ruined the indian economy and subsequently the means of survival for many.
Maybe if the commodities were never introduced, in the first place, people would be buying only Indian goods, which, therefore, would be cheaper. But that’s a different scenario…now that the indian markets were already thriving on these, getting rid of them needed a much more meticulously planned strategy.
There is definitely an intention, a purpose, a message conveyed in the scene where the sister-in-law comments on the perfume. “I can’t stand the smell of foreign perfume. It makes me sick.”, she says…