Game Of Polo Flashcards
(7 cards)
East vs west
The title - juxtaposition of the western game of polo with the ridiculous barbaric image of a headless goat - polo is usually a spry with colonial connection and it is still considered an upper class sport. The image of the headless goat is both absurd and primitive with goat associated with a simpler and less sophisticated way of life in the east. Levine also uses western cultural references such as wacky races and formula one without rules to give the readers some reference posts with which to compare her experience. Perhaps this could be seen as quite judgemental and maybe she is mocking the way people in Pakistan go about life pr perhaps she is genuinely intrigued by the differences between the Easter life vs the western lifestyle.
Cultural differences
Cultural differences are highlighted at the end of the passage when yaqoob reveals that he is underage and doesn’t have a license which he and Iqbal find quite hilarious whereas Levine states ‘glad he hadn’t told me before’ suggesting that she views this as a breach of the rules and the law. The whole race and how it is conducted is an example of something that simply would not happen in Britain. Furthermore, the tension at the end of the race caused by the arguments over the winner mean that Levine two young drivers decided to remove her from the situation: they were ‘nervous of hanging around a volatile situation’ and ordered her to stay in the car. This suggests that the situation might turn quickly into something more hostile, emphasizing the lack of rules or laws governing the event.
Technique and language
Media res - passage beings in the middle of the action, referring to people as lads without context - makes it exciting
Juxtaposition - while Levine finds the donkey race quite chaotic and possibly dangerous, the locals find it completely normal - this may be a warning not to impose western ideals and expectation into different cultures.
Tone - judgemental as author compares what she considers to be normal to the sense of lawlessness she finds in this event. This implies that this culture is perceived to be uncivilized in comparison
Wacky races Formula One without rules a city center rush hour gone on
Presents donkey race, something peculiar to her being from Western. I can race to wacky races reference to western cartoon - actually bizarre this races to her
And she describes it as … both metaphors analogies, which emphasize to a western reader, the chaotic nature of the race.
However, the metaphor enables the reader to imagine the importance of the race skill of drivers, but also perils of the race .
Adjective anarchic - Lenny judgmental of race as words suggest race, completely unruly or uncivilized
Roaring vehicles revved up engines a cloud, a few dust, orange, hooting, and bells ringing
Extract develop buildup of excitement in Levine, roaring vehicles and revved up engines at rising action, and she finally sees the donkeys
Cartoonish imagery of them appearing through a cloud of human and dust as to drama, as well as onomatopoeic sounds horn, shooting, and bells ringing create sense of excitement through the visual and auditory imagery, immersing reader into action
Survival of the fittest
Further, adding to suspense, she describes race amongst spectators behind the donkeys, describes it as this
Hyperbolic superlative refuses the talent of her driver, but also creates a sense of danger, competitiveness and lawlessness regarding the event . Fact there are two races, double chaos and excitement.
 my employing range of long complex sentence on describin race. Writer creates fast paced that helps build suspense, and mirror the fast paced atmosp
It was on the main road
Towards end moments of disbelief and Naveen, how race were conducted her parenthetical statement …
Shock reader that such chaotic race would take place on public road heading towards oncoming traffic. so there more irony of the finish line being a hospital gate truly astonishing considering a hospital should be a place of safety in order
Nothing quite much is the disbelief, however, that her driver eventually reveals that he is under age doesn’t have a license, leaving this until the end of the extract seem even more dangerous in hindsight, but the level of humor and incredulous perception of the event to describe
