A Writer's Nightmare (Narayan)

What most marks these essays is the author's realistic, humorous, skeptical, and humanistic expression of his democratic right to say what he thinks and feels about whatever he wishes to write about. For example, when India won its independence, a rash of renaming of "streets, towns, parks and squares" (94) struck the nation. One would think that any properly patriotic writer would take a reverential attitude toward such an expression of newly-won independence. To the contrary, Narayan clearly sees his role in a free and democratic India to be that of a balloon-puncturing watchdog. He combines idealism and skepticism in his respon

. . .
stification of India and Indians for the sake of more realistic perception on the part of Westerners: . . . We have a large background of religion and plenty of inner resources, but normally we also have to be performing ordinary tasks, such as working, earning, living and breeding (104). Successful international relations also calls for a sense of humor---a perspective in which the participants can begin to take themselves and one another not quite so seriously. A sense of humor lets people have a flexibility of position and policy. Certainly there is much humor, in the traditional sense, in Narayan's essays. For example, in "Fifteen Years," the author effectively shows the English language as a seductress aiming to confuse the Indians. But even more effectively and significantly, Narayan employs humor as a way to supply a light-hearted perspective to subjects which otherwise might be seen as serious as death. For example, in "When India Was A Colony," Narayan certainly deals with very serious issues, but he puts the whole question of colonialism into a brand new perspective with the ending of the piece. He writes of the planter who was "the hardiest among the British settlers" and was somehow attracted to India. . . . He lov
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Writer's Nightmare, Indians American-grown, Colony Narayan, Parliament Cabinet, India Indians, American University, Indians Indian, Indian America, Writing Indians, Indians Narayan's, international relations, narayan's essays, india indians, writer's nightmare, learn depend own, nation culture, india , learn depend, views india, depend own, successful international relations, hope,
Approximate Word count = 1609
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)