Output for Eng104 (Afro-Asian Literature) Quennie N. Quiobe BSED2A Title of Selection: Mahamaya by Rabindranath Tagore 1.

What point of view is used by Tagore in Mahamaya? Does his angle of narration freely enable him to tell what he likes to emphasize and omit what he wants to play down? Tagore used the omniscient point of view, through this he was able to directly convey his readers the strong emotions and feelings of his characters and effectively describe the scenes in the story. He was also able to focus on the details that are important in the development of the story. 2. This selection is one of those stories of Tagore published between 1893 to 1895. Prove this through an analysis of his style. The knowledge of Tagore in such marriage practice and Indian tradition already hints he has already witnessed such event. The way he has described the position of women in society also indicates that the time from which he has based his story was in those years where women were treated unequally. He also mentioned one of the customs in ancient India where a person with a high social rank must be wed before he dies and the horrible fate of his widow. Tagores story revolves around the things that were happening in real life during his time. 3. What advantage is there by having Mahamayas beauty licked by the flames of the funeral pyre? Does it achieve Tagores intention as author? Mahamayas beauty is crucial in the story being it one of the reasons why Rajib has fallen for her. Her beauty being licked by the flames of the funeral pyre lead to the formulation of how the story should end, it helped in the development of the conclusion. Tagores intention was clearly achieved since it helped in the ending of the story, that even though Mamaya survived the flames of death, she was not allowed to continue living the life that she used to have. 4. State the general idea of this story. The story generally informs the reader the importance of social status in ancient India, wherein the poor cant be wed to a person who is has higher social status, it opens the eyes of the reader to one of the most hostile fate of a woman. It also seeks to inform the readers that one single decision could change our lives forever; we can never bring back the things that are lost no matter how much we pray for it. What we can do is to live with, accept our decision and try to bring out good things from it.