ASHS English - Q & A by Vikas Swarup

Chapter Summary
Prologue

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

1,000 The Death of a Hero

Plot summary - At the movies more is revealed about Salim and it talks about Salim's hero (Armaan Ali). Salim idolizes Armaan Ali and refuses to believe any  bad rumours about him. The plot summary was about how they go and watch a action movie about Arraman Ali. Thenk a man comes into the movie halfway through and trys to touch Salim in the Cinema. Salim reacts when he tries to touch his crutch and runs after him and pulls off the mans fake beard and realises that it is the movie star Arraman Ali.

Significant Quotes - "Now theres Armaan Ali. The ultimate action hero. The Indian greek god. The heartthrob of millions." "Bloody mother f**ker you fithly pervert. I am going to kill you!" He screams and slaps the man hard. Page 43. "Arrmaan Ali, his hero, is dead". Page 44

A significant relationship - The relationship between Ram Mohammed Thomas and Salim. This is because Ram is like an older brother to Salim.Between Arrmann Ali and Salim. THis shows conflict when they are watching the movie with Arraman in it, Arraaan being salims hero. Then this guy sits beside him and trys  to feel him up. But this isnt any orniary guy. This is his hero. When Sailm finds out it was him and he is gay everything changes. This chapter is set in - Set in a movie theatre in Bandra, The Chawl which they are living in.

2,000 The Burden of a Priest

Plot summary - This chapter covers the early years of Ram's life. It is explained that Ram was abandoned at an orphanage shortly after birth. His dark skin means he was not popular amongst adoptive parents,  Significant Quotes - " Because today I really became an oprhan." - Ram and "He was my father. Just as he was a father tot all those who came to this church. Ram: "It was then, I understood the distinction between father and Father"   A significant relationship  - How Father Timothy becomes a father figure to Ram, however he is not his dad. This relationship was important as it is the only  time in Ram's life where he has a parent figure.    This chapter is set in  - Ram's early childhood.   In your opinion what is the most important part of this chapter when considering the novel?  - This is the onlyhttp://wikieducator.org/index.php?title=ASHS_English_-_Q_%26_A_by_Vikas_Swarup&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1 time in his life that he has a family.

5,000 A Brother's Promise

Plot summary - In this chapter a family who have lost their job move into the chawl where Ram and Salim are staying. The father beats and sexually harasses his daughter. During the chapter the daughter gets sent to the hospital and Ram promised her that he would look after her cat Pluto (who is killed by the father). At the end of the chapter, Ram who thinks of the girl as his sister kills him.

This chapter is set in the Mumbai chawl.

Significant Quotes:

- "He is the smallest in the house so we should name him pluto"

This helped him answer the third question which was: what is the smallest planet - "As Mr Brave told me once, the rich people those who live in their marble and granite four bedroom flats, they enjoy.

The slum people, who live in squalid, tattered huts,they suffer.

And we, who reside in the over-crowded chawls, we simply live."

A significant relationship - Between Gudiya and Ram (Brother-sister like relationship)

The important parts of this chapter:

He learned about planets that helped him answer the third question.

He helped Gudiya in time of her need who later turned up to be his lawyer later in the book.

The most important part in my opinion is the fact that he "killed" the dad, and suffered so much guilt from it afterwards.

10,000 A Thought for the Crippled

Plot summary - In this chapter, Ram is in juvenille where he was taken after the death of father Timothy who took care of him. he meets a lot of boys like him and many with diffrent backgrounds.

Later in this chapter he and his new found friend salim are chosen by sethji .A man known to change young peoples lives. In Mumbai he(Ram) discovers what Sethji real plan really is and also learns about how abuses helpless children in order to make money. It is also in this chapter where he his given a lucky coin

Ram gets out of the Juvenile Home, moves to Mumbai. Ram meets Salim at Juvenile Home travel to Mumbai together both escape from Maman    Significant Quotes

- "It's a lucky coin. Keep it. You will need it"

- "We are both orphans, with no hope of being restored"

A significant relationship :

Ram and Salim meet for the first time here, in the scene where Ram overhears Maman and Amnoose planning. He does everything in his power to covince Salim to run away with him, even though Salim loves it there. Salim trusts in Ram Ram cares for Salim

The chapter is set in Dhavari and later in Mumbai. The most important part of this chapter when considering the novel is him meeting his best friend ram.

Mumbai- city of major landmarks, Mustafa and Punnose pointing them out.

' The sun seems brighter, the air feels cooler, the people appear more prosperous, the city throbs with the happiness of sharing spare with the megastars of Bollywood.' Another Important part about the chapter is him finding the lucky coin that he mostly uses to decide what he want to do later in the book.

meeting Salim, having brotheerly relationship with him.

Ram Mohanned Thomas-Brief physical description: Dark complextion, mature face, straight, short and black hair. Personality: Thinks quickly,takes risks and by chnaces when making decisions. Motivations: has seen abuse before, not very trustful, only gives people one chance before judging and acts quickly. Characterisation: Ram shows fear and care fore the well-being of others in this chapter,showing emotions.

Salim-Brief physical description:Baby face with dimples, wheatish complextion, black curly hair. Personality: DOes not believe that maman could do worng to him, but trusts ram. Motivations: Believes anything he is told. Passion for being for famous. How they chnage: he decides to go along with Ram showing that he was thinking about his wellbeing as well as potential fame and is beginning to act realisticly. Characterisation: is declined by the promise of fame wishfull thinking is a very human trait.

50,000 How to speak Australian

Plot Summary-In this chapter,it tells us about Ram being a servant in the Taylors home. Some guy comes and trys to ask questions to Ram and the other servants but the Father bribes the guy with a bottle of liquor. It tells us all about Ram's days as a servant.

Significant Quotes-

A significant relationship-Between Ram and the Taylor's (he is a servant in their home). Ram's relationship with the Taylors is good, they trust him. This chapter is set in- mainly in the Taylor's home.

100,000 hold on your buttons

Plot summary - This chapter is all about when Ram is living in Dharavi, Mumbai, and he is working as a barman at Jimmy's Bar. Ram learns how to up his tips by taking advantage of peoples drunkenness and getting them to buy more and more snacks and drinks. However, through this learning experience, Ram meets some unusual characters, one in particular, who tells him all about his Haitian wife and his brother who died of a heart attack. The poor man is in despair as he pours out his story to Ram that he stole money from his brother, and his wife, who is a voodoo priestess, makes him, Prakash Rao, a voodoo doll of his brother. Prakash Rao admits to Ram that he had the guilty pleasure of taking all his troubles out on the voodoo doll of his brother, giving him painful headaches and small heartattacks. Prakash Rao soon found out that his brother died a week ago of a major heart attack that he had caused on the voodoo doll. Significant Quotes - "Here. Better hold onto our buttons." - Smita

"Well, all I can say is that at times truth is stranger than fiction." - Ram Mohammed Thomas

A significant relationship - Between Ram Mohammed Thomas and Manager Sahib. The relationship between Ram and Sahib is boss to employee. Ram does not agree with what Sahib tells him to do, taking advantage of their customers' drunkenness and making them spend their money, but he feels intimidated by him and does what he is told anyway.

"Don't you dare argue with me or I'll break your jaw." Sahib at Ram.

This chapter is set in - Dharavi, Mumbai. "I live in a corner of Mumbai called Dharavi, in a cramped hundred-square-foot shack which has no natural light or ventilation, with a corrugated metal sheet serving as the roof over my head." "Dharavi's grim landscape of urban squalor deadens and debasens us." "Dharavi sits like a cancerous lump in the heart of the city."

200,000 Murder on the Western Express

Plot summary - to travel to mumbai to see salim, after working for the Taylors. He travels with his 50,000 rupess he had earned form working. He meets a family tells the boy about the money, then a robber comes in and the boy rats him out. Then Ram ends up killing one of the robbers, but the other one took his money.

Significant Quotes - A significant relationship - This chapter is set in -

500,000 A Soldier's Tale

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

1,000,000 Licence to Kill

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

10,000,000 Tragedy Queen

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

100,000,000 lkdfjlsdk (a Love Story)

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

1,000,000,000 The Thirteenth Question

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

Epilogue

Plot summary -  Significant Quotes -   A significant relationship -   This chapter is set in -

= Character =

Primary Characters
When Ram kills Shantaram he doesnt kill him on purpose it is more like a non-calculated killing. Ram quotes " I would never allow this to happen, a brother promise" so it is more like a promise to protect shantaram daughter. he didn't actually plan to kill him.

Secondary Characters
= Setting =

India
India culture is very colourful and have a lot of beliefs. We had a guest speaker come in and talk yo us about her experience she had when she went to India for a holiday with a friend. She said she loved it their and would highly recommend it to everyone to go and visit. Her favourite part of India was when she went and saw the "Taj Mahal" it was magical, I quote.

Another thing that I found interesting about India is the main river called "Ganges river " there they do everything they wash their clothes, float dead bodies down it and observe their reflections in the water.

There are 4 million orphans in india alone. India is the spiritual home of Hinduism. Over 600 million people in India live in deep poverty. 300 million don’t have enough to live on each day. world’s poorest people.

Mumbai
Mumbai is considered the prosperous city of India because of the many Bollywood stars that reside there. It is the centre of the film industry. Mumbai is the home of Neelima Kumari where Ram Mohammed Thomas worked as her servant.

Quotes:

"He is mainly concerned with the fact that the big man is from Mumbai - the centre of the film industry" - Ram talking about Salim

"The sun seems brighter, the air feels cooler, the people appear more prosperous, the city throbs with the happiness of sharing space with the megastars of Bollywood." - Ram as he is driven through the streets of Mumbai

The Chawl
-Everybody knows what is going on in a chawl so everybody knows that Mr Shantaram is a drunk.

Dharavi
On the Corner of the city Mumbai. Small wasteland providing for over 1 million people. Little houses with corrugated roofs, which has no light or ventilation. A bad place to stay, "there are daily squabbles - over inches of space, over a bucket of water - which at times turn deadly." It seems like a dangerous place to live, when you have to fight for everything you need to survive. The city of Mumbai is ashamed of having Dharavi, so they tried to make Dharavi and everything to do with it illegal. But the people are so desprete that they still live in the dirty swampy area. Many people go to Mumbai from all over India, and hope to forfill their dreams. But they end up in Dharavi and their dreams disappear. It is a dirty, infested and over crowded place. People struggle to stay alive, " we live like animals, and die like insects." It's a hard place to live and survive in, so you have to be brave and stand strong for yourself "Dharavi is not a place for the squeamish."

Agra
= Theme =

Abuse
There is not one chapter where someone is not abusing someone else in Q&A. Swarup is making a harsh comment on society in this novel, why is it that humans are so frequently capable of harming eachother? The unusual thing about this novel is that the abundance of abuse does not make it an overly negative novel. It appears that Ram's nonchalant narrative may be why the novel isn't too negative. But karma is in force when looking at abuse, as each person who commits an awful crime against someone else gets what they deserve in the end. Is this realistic or is it wishful thinking by Swarup? "Place of women Drug abuse (Includes Alcohol)- there are examples of this in the chapter 'a brother promise', quote: 'it got worse, he started drinking more then started throwing things' Authority - there are examples of this in the first chapter when Ram is taken by the Police who then abuse him in order to obtain a signed statement declaring he cheated on the game show. 'there is no one to police the Police' Innocence/Naivety Power Physical - examples in 'a brother promise' quote: ' he would throw a pepper shaker, a glass, a plate at his wife, his daughter, his cat' Religion Verbal Emotional Abuse of Privacy Sexual - 'papa, dont touch me! papa, please don't touch me' this is a example from the chapter 'a brother promise'" The quote "you bloody bitch! you are the one who has brought me down in life' this could be Verbal abuse because he is yelling at his wife but it could also be emotional/physcoligical abuse because it could make his wife upset and depressed and could bring her down and make her blame herself for everything.

Role of luck / fate
The events that happen in Ram's life are extreme and what is even more extreme is that he is able to answer all of the W3B questions to win a billion dollars. One has to constantly ask, was Ram really just lucky? Was it his fate that all of these things should happen in his life? Ram is an admirable person, so is it karma that works in his favour in the end? Or is Ram actually creating his own luck? Which answer to these questions does Ram believe? In Q&A, the symbol for luck is the coin that Ram constantly flips to make important decisions. At the end of the novel we find that it has heads on each side of the coin.

Luck or fortuity is good or bad fortune in life caused by accident or chance, and attributed by some to reasons of faith or superstition, which happens beyond a person's control.

Cultural views of luck vary from perceiving luck as a matter of random chance to attributing to luck explanations of faith or superstition. For example, the Romans believed in the embodiment of luck as the Goddess Fortuna, while the atheist and philosopher Daniel Dennett believes that "luck is mere luck" rather than a property of a person or thing.

Luck is a way of understanding a personal chance event. Luck has three aspects which make it distinct from chance or probability.

* Luck is good or bad. * Luck is by accident or chance. * Luck applies to a person.

Some examples of Luck:

* Ram finds 100 rupees * You get all the questions on a game show that you can answer

Ram kind of controls his life but also has a certain amount of luck. we think it is more karma because he normally gets luck because he makes the right choices so we think karma kind of controls most of his life. for example in chapter "a thought for the crippled" he finds 100rupees and chooses to take it to the owner of the house so he does and on the way he finds out he he going to be turned crippled so he escapes. this is a example of karma.

In the chapter "Hold Onto Your Buttons" the character, Prakash Rao, is fooled into believing that he is unlucky by his wife. She forces him to think that he is unlucky rather than lazy in the button business just because Prakash's brother has all the ambition to run the company.

In the same chapter, "Hold Onto Your Buttons", Ram Mohammed Thomas is faced with an unlucky experience when Prakash Rao dies of a heart attack right in front of him. The quote from this chapter says, "Looks like I have missed out on my tip once again". This shows that he finds it unlucky that he has missed out on his tip again. However, he finds it even more unlucky that this time it wasn't his fault that made the man pass out infront of him, but the evil doings of the man's wife with her Voodoo doll.

The chapter "Murder On The Western Express" shows Ram's luck as he walks around in his new clothes. He says, "I am wearing a starched white bush shirt made of one hundred percent cotton and Levi jeans - yes, Levi jeans, bought from the Tibetan Markets". This shows his excitement in the lucky experience as he emphasizes the branded jeans that he wears. Because it is not what he is used to, Ram is lucky to be living with such good quality clothes.

Poverty
'As Mr.Barve told me once, the rich people, those who live in their marble and granite four-bedroom flats, they enjoy. The slum people, who live in squalid, tattered huts, they suffer. And we, who reside in the over-crowded chawls, we simple live.' shows the society class.

One cannot escape the poverty that exists in Q&A and it appears that one cannot escape poverty in India. Because India has this huge underbelly of poverty it has all of the problems that are associated with poverty; disease, crime, begging and corruption etc. But through Ram's impoversihed life and the stories he tells, we learn about how other members of India's society live. It seems unfair and unjust for there to be such extreme differences between classes and it appears that this is what Swarup wants us to think about. -less fortunate being less knowledgeable- Ram can answer all the questions in the W3B(Who Will Win a Billion) by his own experience. One part of his experience is when he arrived Agra after the train robbery after he left the Taylors with his salary and lost all his money, he went to Taj Mahal and heard the tourist guide on the history of it and he remembered it. Then a Japanese tourist asked him about Taj Mahal and afterwards he realised the he could earn money from being a tourist guide and he started to work as a tourist guide.'Haven't I told you that the real tombs are underground? Therefore all the area above the ground must have been the guest house. Now insid the mausoleum you will see the tombs of Mumtaz and the Emporer.'It leads to his life in Agra and how he entered the game show. It shows that having less or no money doesn't limit their opportunity to gain knowledge and they can be intelligent and can solve different problems in their lives.

-its not the matter of luck or fate and luck can happen to all people even they own different amount of money, they can make their right decision:Ram escape from Maman with Salim using the lucky coin but it has both heads.'You believe in destiny, don't you? So let this coin decide our future. Heads we leave, tails we stay. OK?' He knew that they deseperately need to leave and he didn't need education from school which requires a lot of money to notice that. The different classes doesn't have an influence on people's ability to make the right decision.

-Money doesn't bring happiness: A famous actress, Neelima Kumari, had a lot of money and was known for her heroine roles in movies. She wasn’t happy and she didn’t enjoy her life. She didn’t have a close connection with the society and her family. She was hurt by Prem Kumar, ‘But this time things are more serious. She is in bed with a deep cut above her left eyebrow and her cheek is swollen. She has difficulty speaking.’ She wasn’t popular anymore and could get the roles she wanted so she wanted to remove her mask. She was pessimistic and hopeless for her life. She was committed suicide at the end because she can’t stand the pressure. It means that money doesn’t give happiness to people and they really don't have a successful life. They should find a way that they can both get enough money for their lives and they enjoy what they are doing.

Does money and/or fame buy happiness?
The poor have unfortunate lives in Q&A but those that have all, the rich and the famous, don't appear to be any better off than the impoverished. So is Swarup examining the old cliche, can money buy you happiness? If he is suggesting that no it can't buy you happiness, what will happen to Ram with all of the money he wins? Is there are reason that he may be a rich, happy and fulfilled person? Why could he be different to the other characters?

-having more money doesn't mean that they are more happy- Neelima Kumari being hurt: She was a famous actress and was known for her heroine role in movies. She had lots of money but she wasn't happy and didn't her life. She was also being physically abused by Prem Kumar.'She is in bed with deep cut above her eyebrow and her cheek is swollen. She has difficulty speaking.' She also had cigaratte marks on her body like her arm and chest. ' She wants to remove her mask, but does not have the mental strength to do so.'. She couldn't get the role she wanted and she felt hopeless about life because she wasn't that popular as before. She was committed suicide at the end. It tells us that money can't buy happiness and they will find it that the thing that they are passionate about.

Beliefs
Agnostic

Does not believe in superstitions Does not believe in fotune telling/ fate

- Ram says he doesn't believe horoscopes. Ram is also not bound to any religion but he appears to be fond of fate. he takes values from all different types of religions. karma is a aspect because he is rewarded from his good deeds. ..... He uses the coin as a reassurance symbol.

In the the chapter "hold on to your buttons" Ram seems to have some belief that voodoo is real or at least a possibility. This is shown when he says to Smita that she is fine not to believe that a man was killed by voodoo but then how would she explain his answer to the following quiz show question about capitals of the world. I think that Ramwill believe a lot of things if given proof even if the proof was not strong.

Orphan
Ram is an orphan and appears to be constantly searching for people to connect with to fill the void of having no family in his life. Salim is his 'brother' and Guida is his 'sister'. He also finds paternal figures. Ram has had to be self reliant since he was 7 and since then has taken it upon himself to protect other people in his life. The woman in the white sari is a symbolic figure of the mother he never knew. This vision appears to come to him in times when he needs reassurance to do the right thing in his life. What the baby does in the arms of the woman appears to be advice a mother might give her child.

= Structure =

Foreshadowing

Why the order?

Framing

Prologue Epilogue

First Person Narration.

When the narration is set in prologue, chapters, epilogue?

Smita's questions - "co-narrator"

Juxtaposition

Repitition

= Motif =

The woman in the white sari

Where does it appear in the novel? In any situation where Ram begins to have hope for a positive outcome in any situation. (Arrival of Gudiya/Smita when he is arrested, upon meeting Neelima) How does it support the theme of that chapter/whole novel?

The flashing red lights

Where does it appear in the novel? How does it support the theme of that chapter/whole novel?

The lucky coin - Laura

Where does it appear in the novel?

An example of where the lucky coin is in the novel is when Ram makes a show for the audience to convince them his million dollar answer was based on a coin toss.

Another example is when Smita comes at the beginning of the novel and Ram needs to decide whether he will trust Smita or not, he tosses the coin and it is heads so he will trust her.

Another example is at the end when Ram shows Smita his coin was heads of both sides and throws it away.

Another example is when Ram must decide whether he will give the money he has to the man whose sun has Rabies or keep it for himself.

How does it support the theme of that chapter/whole novel? This supports the theme that you create your own luck as the coins is heads on both sides so Ram knows that when he has an important decision to make the one he wants to be heads is the one he wants more and thinks is the better option. At the end Ram throws away the coin and says that he doesn't need it anymore as he creates his own luck. However this juxtaposes what Ram says at the beginning, when he said that he knew all the answers to the questions because he was lucky.