The+White+Tiger



=**SYNOPSIS:**=

Recipient of the [|Man Booker Prize] in 2008, Aravind Adiga's __The White Tiger__ is a witty, honest, daring novel about the "real and true India." Written in the form of a series of dictated letters to [| Wen Jiabao's] (Preimer of the People's Republic of China) on the on the eve of his visit to India, protagonist Balram Halwai "The White Tiger" dictates his rags to riches story from from his lowly origins to his current position as an entrepreneur in Bangalore, as well as his views on [|India's caste system] and its political corruption.

Born the son of a rickshaw puller in the fictional village of Laxmangarh (not to be mistaken for the town of Laxmangarh in Rajasthan), Balram describes the poverty, poor living conditions, and personal struggles deep in the "Darkness" of rural India. Due to financial woes, Balram is pulled out of school to work in a teashop, breaking coals and wiping tables. Through these experiences, Balram learns much about the world and later states that the streets of India provided him with all the education he needed.

After learning how to drive, Balram gets his break when a rich man from his village, "The Stork," hires him as a chauffeur, providing him the opportunity to live in Delhi the "Light". As he drives his master and his family to shopping malls and call centers, Balram becomes increasingly aware of immense wealth and opportunity all around him, while knowing that he will never be able to gain access to that world. As Balram dwells over his situation, he realizes that there is only one way he can become part of this glamorous new India — to murder his employer's son, Ashok "The Lamb". Having recently returned from a stint in America, Ashok is conflicted by the corruption and harshness of life in India. However, his complicity in corruption leads to his demise and Balram's chance to become an entrepreneur, and thus a cog in India's new technological society.

** A) In what grade level / course would you teach this text? Are there other courses for which it might also be appropriate? **
After reading this novel, I initially felt this book would be most appropriate for grade eleven or twelve academic/applied English. However, due to the stories straightforward plot, and vocabulary, I feel that this novel could be used in grade ten academic or applied English classes depending on the time of year (first or second semester) and ability of the students.

Due to the plot and general themes of the story, this book is practically boundary-less for classrooms. Within the English department, I could easily see this book being used in ETS4U Studies in Literature as it would provide students the opportunity understand the role of literature in society. Specifically, how certain texts can foster social, cultural, and political awareness. Outside the English classroom, this book could be used in a grade twelve World Issues class as a means of exploring and emphasizing the varying standards of livings between the global north and global south. In addition, this book could be used in either a grade eleven Travel and Tourism or grade twelve Human Geography course where students can make connections to international destinations by reading fictional stories that describe the socio-cultural, political, and economic conditions of a particular country.

** B) ** **What are the main ideas/ issues/ teaching points which you would emphasize when teaching the text? (Consider the knowledge possibilities: Social, topic, cultural, textual.)**
The main ideas and issues that I would emphasize in text are

1) The theme of Dark Vs. Light" in the context of rural vs urban living conditions, social hierarchy, as well as developing vs developed nations.

2) The theme of Self-Improvement vs Moral Ethics. In particular, the idea of what is ambition and personal growth/development acceptable given the right circumstances?

3) The motif of Animals: Specifically, how animals are used as literary symbols in the text i.e The White Tiger, The Stork, The Lamb etc.

**C)** ** What are the issues/ challenges you might encounter in teaching the text? **
There are two main challenges or shortcomings that could conceivably arise from teaching this text. These include, the possibility of addressing parental concerns or student immaturity over particular scenes involving course language and sex. To combat this, I would ensure that majority if not all students were capable of reading such a text as well to articulate to parents that this text would be discussed in a professional and appropriate manner.

** D) Describe one possible assignment / activity which you could use when teaching the text. **
For an assignment, I feel that the most accommodating and interesting activity for students would be to dictate their own letter in either the character of Balram or quite possibly as themselves but to a different political figure. Depending on the grade level, this activity could be very elementary or very technical depending on the class, amount of time, and necessary requirements.