Language

The language of the short story “English Babu” by Vijay Medtia is descriptive and generally simple and easy to understand. To convey the local British colour the author uses several typically British phrases and idioms such as “ ‘bloody tart’ ” (l. 71), “a bit posh” (l. 75), or “took him to the cleaners” (l. 86).

Medtia also includes Hindi words like “babu” (l. 51) which means ‘sir’, or “sari” (l. 97) which is a traditional Indian dress. He also mimics the way some Indians speak English: “ ‘Going to England Ramesh telling many lies!’ ” (l. 33); “ ‘You will fly to England yes?’ ” (l. 36).

Indhold

Choice of words
Allusions and direct references
Antithesis
Imagery
Similes and metaphors
Humour and irony
Rhetorical questions
Symbols

Choice of words

The choice of words reveals the writer uses the contrast between positive and negative words to highlight the opposition between what Ramesh expected of England and his experience when he arrived there. Positive words like “high hopes” (ll. 21-22), “good job” (l. 22), “bigger house” (l. 40) describe his expectations and some of his achievements. Negative words convey Ramesh’s and Anita’s disappointment after first arriving in England: “rejection” (l. 22), “feeling stressed” (l. 25), “hated” (l. 41), “loneliness” (l. 42), “irritation” (l. 149), “cold damp climate” (l. 41), “strange white faces” (l. 41), “a lonely and miserable existence” (l. 62) “difficult times” (l. 25).

Some other negative words help convey the main conflict of the plot, describing Ramesh’s worries about his son marrying an English girl, or Prakash’s contempt: “trouble” (l. 1), “humiliation” (l. 2), “nightmare” (l. 7), “hypocrisy” (l. 150).

Numerous descriptive adjectives – often combined with nouns – describe the setting. Some relevant examples are: “red bricks darkened with age” (l. 15), “Short stubby chimneys” (ll. 15-16), “slated roofs” (l. 16), “dark smoke” (l. 16), “grey skies” (l. 16), “old patterned paper” (l. 17), “cold, damp and miserable” (l. 18), “old blankets and hot water bottles” (l. 20), “heavy snowfalls” (l. 27), “old gas lamps” (l. 28), “smoke-filled pubs” (ll. 68-69), etc.

Other adjectives describe characters in terms of physical appearance or attitude: “light coloured sari...