AMITY LAW SCHOOL NOIDA

BATCH: 2020-2025

END SEMESTER EXAMINATION,

EVEN SEMESTER 2021 for
ACADEMIC SESSION 2020-2021 (EVEN SEMESTER)

SUBJECT: ENGLISH LITERATURE

Submitted by
NAME: PARI MISHRA

ENROLLMENT NUMBER: A032134720120

TOPIC:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my English professor Dr Lekha Rani

Singh for their able guidance and support which has been the one that helped me patch this

project and make it full proof success her suggestions and her instructions has served as the

major contributor towards the completion of the project.

Then I would like to thank my friends who helped me with their valuable suggestions and

guidance has been helpful in various phases of the completion of the project.

~PARI MISHRA
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. “A SHADOW” by R.K. NARAYAN (short story)

 SUMMARY

 JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE

 MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE STORY WITH THEIR

CHARACTERSTICS

2. “GLORY OF TWILIGHT” by BHABHANI BHATTACHARYA

(short story)

 SUMMARY

 JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE

 MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE STORY WITH THEIR

CHARACTERSTICS

3. “ THE MERCHANT of VENICE” by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

(play)

 SUMMARY

 JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE

 MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE STORY WITH THEIR

CHARACTERSTICS
“A SHADOW” by R.K. NARAYAN (short story)

SUMMARY

This story is one from Malgudi days in the collection of Narayan. It is a story dealing

with privation, loss, tragedy and learning to cope with such events. This story also

highlights how different individuals deal with grief differently, according to their age,

experience and personality.

In this story, Sambu and his mother are grieving the loss of his father. They both

miss sambu’s father and grieve in their own respective ways. But, they both were

lonely in their struggles with the loss.

Sambu’s father was an actor so he loves to see him on the film screen. It reminds

him of his father and also gives him an escape into a reality where he is still alive.

On the other side, his mother feels it is painful and hurtful to see her husband on a

Screen when in real he is dead.

Sambu frequently asks his mother to accompany him to the theatres but she declines.

She also thinks that going to theatres frequently is going to ruin sambu’s studies.

Every time Sambu tries to share his father’s stories with his friends but no one seems

interested. He then decided to see his father’s last movie.

On the screen, he watches his father interacting with a young a girl which reminds

him of his own interaction with his father.

He loves his father’s singing and dancing. After the movie, he was excited to return to

his mother, and persuade her to come with him the next time.
After relenting for so long, she finally agrees to go to the movie. Before the movie

begins, she started getting nervous and anxious while Sambu was excited. Soon,

the trailer ends and movie begins. Sambu was enamoured with his father’s

performance while his mother was overwhelmed to see her husband again.

After a few minutes, there was some commotion in the female section of the theatre

and then sambu learns that it was due to his mother who has fainted. He rushed

towards his mother. She opened her eyes and asked him to carry her back home.

On their way home, the unquestionability of his father’s death hit Sambu and his eyes

tears up instantly. He shared his grief with his mother and finally found a vent for his

repressed sorrow.

In the end, even though the mother-son duo accepted their loss, they also realized that

they have each other to offer support.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE *A SHADOW *

In A Shadow by R. K. Narayan we have the theme of grief, letting go, struggle,

connection, loss, acceptance, loneliness and memories. Taken from his Malgudi days

collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after

reading the story the reader realises that Narayan may be exploring the theme of

letting go. Both Sambu and his mother have difficulty letting Sambu’s father go.

Though Narayan never told the reader how how long it was since Sambu’s father

passed away. Sambu and his mother still nonetheless had difficulty in moving on from

the past. Which is understandable as a loss of a parent or husband can be a struggle

for an individual. It also appears as though Sambu was to overcome the loss of his

father and the struggle he felt about his father’s death by continually to the cinema to

see his father’s last film. The reader aware that Sambu likes to see his father on the

cinema screen. It provides sambu with a link or connection to his father. Even though

the reality is that all Sambu had was memories of his father. Regardless of this the

images of his father on the cinema screen helped Sambu to forget that his father died.

It is as though Sambu can forget about his loss for a small period of time when he is

looking at his father acting on the screen. The title is well justified as the child

Sambu is trying to feel the presence of his dead father through his performance in

the movie kumara. The shadow of his father makes him happy and feel him his

presence. He keeps his father alive in his memories through his appearance in movie.
CHARACTER SKETCH OF SAMBU

Sambu lives in a village with his widowed mother. He was eagerly waiting to see the movie

of his dead father. He was seen as a small,innocent child who is unaware of the fact that how

mother would feel when she will see her dead husband walking,talking and singing. Sambu

u very well portrays the emotions,feelings,innocence and sentiments of any child who is

deprived of his fathers love.

“GLORY OF TWILIGHT” by BHABHANI BHATTACHARYA
(short story)

SUMMARY

The Glory of Twilight is a story about Satyajit, who leads a happy and a prosperous life with
his wife. He accomplished success from working hard and staying determined. He had faced
various challenges along the way but nothing had concerned him as much as his economic
downfall. He wants to go to his wife and his new born child and he saved some money for his
baby’s perambulator. After the disaster, he attends his uncle Srinath’s daughter’s wedding in
the village where he is welcomed with immense pleasure by the villagers as he is a
millionaire in their eyes. Srinath demands a huge amount of money to give as a dowry for his
daughter’s marriage. Ashamed and unable to pay, Satyajit suggests taking a loan and in return
he has to mortgage his house and a fish pond, the only properties left in his name, Satyajit
had Rs. 200/- in total. He decided to give Rs. 101/- to Beena since had all he needed. He
wanted to save Rs. 50/- to buy a perambulator for his newborn son and if knew that if he will
give all of his money to his uncle’s daughter then he will left with no money, but still Satyajit
decided to enjoy himself. He felt sad for not coming to Shantipur to bask in the people's
homage. He wanted to be happy for the day even with a false echo. He wanted to bask in the
twilight glory of his life. Satyajit wondered at the value of his house and the fishpond if they

were more valuable than his signature. The house and the fishpond was his only possession.

These were all he could give to his wife. Srinath came with folded hands before Satyajit in

order to overcome the daughter's crisis. Satyajit agreed to the condition and the problem was

solved. The villagers hated the moneylender Harish for his activities. The story presents the

greatness of Satyajit.
JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE “GLORY OF TWILIGHT”

Glory Of Twilight' is a a story  about Satyajit,an honest,hardworking [Link] in a humble

village home self educated,struggle had been his life [Link] is leading

aprosperous,chearful life,he is happy with his wife and new born [Link] has risen in life

from ashes to glory but finds himself shorn of his wealth,status and peace of mind at one

stroke of [Link] life that he has so carefully built,lying in shreds around him,but wants

to taste glory one last time and decides to go to his village where he is still regarded as a

millionaire,to attend a [Link] his attempt to taste glory for one last time proves more

disastrous than anything he could have ever [Link] his economic downfall,he goes to

the village to attend marriage of daughter of uncleSrinath,a neighbour at a village where

uncle demanded a huge amount of money so that he could give dowry in his daughter's

[Link] that his business was at [Link] when uncle Srinath did not get

any money Satyajit,went to moneylender where he mortgages the only property left with

him,his house in village,which was the only thing he could gift to his wife and newly born

[Link] story shows how Satyajit gives away even his last property left to help his

[Link] author has beautifully depicted the glory Satyajit used to cherish earlier and his

situation after his economic [Link] title is well justified as Satyajit is able to taste

the glory even after his economic downfall.

CHARACTER SKETCH OF SATYAJIT

Satyajit was tall and thin and was forty with sharp features. He wore smart glasses to hide the

hated glare in his eyes. His hair was receding on his temple in wide smooth patches. His thin

mouth suggested his strength of will. He breathed heavily on his present plight, which has

ecome an obsession with him. With the sudden collapse of his bank all his private property

was gone overnight. He had lost all his equities, the house on Tagore Street and the two cars.

Therefore, he had to travel on that wretched train. His wife was away with her parents at

Delhi. She was unaware of the extent of his ruin. The hair reciding wide in wide shiny

smooth patches characteristics he was honest, hard working man. Born in a humble village

home, self educated, struggle had been in his life breath .His heart felt pain for lack of air

when a person tried to withdraw money from some other's account. Instances from story

show that he loved his wife. He was also very sympathetic. He could have refused to give any

help to his uncle but he did help him out by mortgaging his house in village which was the

only thing he possessed after his economic downfall. Even though he had a new born child

and had nothing but then he also helped his uncle. He was a self esteemed person.
“THE MERCHANT of VENICE” by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
(play)

SUMMARY

A young Venetian, Bassanio needs a loan of three thousand ducats so that he can woo

Portia, a wealthy Venetian heiress. He approaches his friend Antonio, a merchant.

Antonio is short of money because all of his wealth is invested in his fleet, which is

currently at sea. He goes to a Jewish money lender, Shylock, who hates Antonio

because of Antonio’s anti-Semitic behaviour towards him. Shylock nevertheless

agrees to make the short-term loan, but, in a moment of dark humour, he makes a

condition- the loan must be repaid in three months or Shylock will extract a pound of

flesh from Antonio. Antonio agrees, confident that his ships will return before the

time. Because of the terms of Portia’s father’s will, all suitors must choose from

among three caskets, one of which contains a portrait of her. If he chooses that he may

marry Portia, but if doesn’t he must vow never to marry or court another woman. The

Princes of Morocco and Arragon fail the test and are rejected. As Bassanio prepares to

travel to Belmont for the test, his friend Lorenzo elopes with Shylock’s daughter,

Jessica. Bassanio chooses the lead casket, which contains her picture, and Portia

happily agrees to marry him immediately. Meanwhile, two of Antonio’s ships have

been wrecked and Antonio’s creditors are pressuring him for repayment. Word comes

to Bassanio about Antonio’s predicament, and he hurries back to Venice, leaving

Portia behind. Portia follows him, accompanied by her maid, Nerissa. They are

disguised as a male lawyer and his clerk.

When Bassanio arrives the date for the repayment to Shylock has passed and Shylock

is demanding his pound of flesh. Even when Bassanio offers much more than the amount in

repayment, Shylock now infuriated, by the loss of his daughter, is intent on seeking revenge

on the Christians. The Duke refuses to intervene. Portia arrives in her disguise to defend

Antonio. Given the authority of judgement by the Duke, Portia decides that Shylock can have

the pound of flesh as long as he doesn’t draw blood, as it is against the law to shed a

Christian’s blood. Since it is obvious that to draw a pound of flesh would kill Antonio,

Shylock is denied his suit. Moreover, for conspiring murder a Venetian citizen, Portia orders

that he should forfeit all his wealth. Half is to go to Venice and half to Antonio. Antonio

gives his half back to Shylock on the condition that Shylock bequeaths it to his

disinherited daughter, Jessica. Shylock must also convert to Christianity. A broken Shylock

accepts. News arrives that Antonio’s remaining ships have returned safely. With the

exception of Shylock, all celebrate a happy ending to the affair.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE TITLE

The plot is set up mainly in two cities- Venice and Belmont. Major part of the

play is seen to progress in Venice with exception of the casket lottery taking

place in Belmont.

Bassanio, the protagonist of the play is able to woe and win Portia with the

help of financial aid from his friend Antonio, who stakes his life for a matter

of three ducats.

The play starts with the melancholy of the merchant, it proceeds with his

loyalty and sacrifice for his friendship. The story further unveils how the

Jewish merchants and traders are treated and how this racial discrimination

creates havoc is Antonio’s life.

The play ends on a happy note for Antonio, the silent hero and disastrous for

Shylock, the victim and villain.

This justifies the title being named as “THE MERCHANT OF VENICE”

MAIN CHARACTERS OF THE STORY WITH THEIR
CHARACTERSTICS
ANTONIO
The merchant whose love for his friend Bassanio prompts him to sign Shylock’s contract, and
almost lose his life. Antonio is something of a mercurial figure, often inexplicably
melancholy and, as shylock points out, possessed of an incorrigible dislikes of Jews.
Nonetheless, Antonio is beloved of his friends and proves merciful to Shylock, albeit with
conditions.

BASSANIO
A gentleman of Venice, and a kinsman and dear friend to Antonio. Bassanio’s love for the
wealthy Portia leads him to borrow money from Shylock with Antonio as his guarantor. An
ineffectual businessman, Bassanio proves himself a worthy suitor, correctly identifying the
casket that contains Portia’s portrait.

SHYLOCK
A Jewish moneylender in Venice. Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of Venice’s
Christians, particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to eke out his revenge by ruthlessly
demanding as payment a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Although seen by the rest of the play’s
characters as an inhuman monster, Shylock at times diverges from stereotype and reveals
himself to be quite human. These contradictions, and his eloquent expressions of hatred, have
earned Shylock a place as one of Shakespeare’s most memorable characters.

PORTIA
A wealthy heiress from Belmont. Portia’s beauty is matched only by her intelligence. Bound
by a clause in her father’s will that forces her to marry whichever suitor chooses correctly
among three caskets, Portia is nonetheless able to marry her true love, Bassanio. Far and
away the most clever of the play’s characters, it is Portia, in the disguise of a young law
clerk, who saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife.
LIST OF REFRENCES