English Literature

1. Class and Caste conflict in ‘The
Curse or Karna’ and in Present time.
Himanshi Parmar.

2. Date - 2/10/2022
Day - Sunday
Time -11 - 1:30
Name - Himanshi Parmar
Semester - 3 (Three)
Roll Number - 8
Email. Id. - himanshiparmar3004@gmail.com
Enrollment number - 4069206420210025
Paper number - 201
Paper name - Indian English Literature – Pre-
Independence
Subject Code - 22406

3. What is Caste?
Ketekar – in his book "History of caste in India” –'Caste is a social group having two
characteristics (a) membership is confined to those who are born of members &
includes all persons no born (b) the members are forbidden by an inexorable social
law to marry outside the group.”
In his book ‘The Caste System Of Northern India’ - E. Blunt gave definition that -
Caste is an endogamous group bearing a common name, membership of which is
hereditary, imposing on its members certain restrictions in the matter of social
intercourse, either following a common traditional occupation a claiming a common
origin & generally regarded as forming a single homogenous community. (Pg-12)
Click to read more definitions of cast.

4. What is class?
Max weber – held that "classes are aggregate of individuals who have
the same opportunities of acquiring goods. The same exhibited
standard of lining.
Mac Iver & Page - "A social class is any portion of community marked
off the from the rest by social status 'Ongburn & Nimk off. A social
class is the aggregate of persons having essentially the same social
status in a given society." i.e. a class consciousness.
Click to read more definitions.

5. Class and Caste conflict in ‘The curse or Karna’
and in Present time.
Caste/Class conflict in education -
Raama only gives education to Bramhins.
Karna learned ‘Vidhyas' as a Kshatriya.
Karna get curse from Raama. (Act - 1)
IF EVER YOU SHOULD HENCEFORTH SORELY NEED THE USE OF ARMS YOU’VE LEARNT OF ME.......THE
BAREST TALK, THE MEREST THOUGHT OF THY SUPPOSED SOOTHA BIRTH CROSSING THY MIND...WILL
SWELL THY HEART TO SENSE OF SHAME, WILL DULL THINE EYES AND MIND, NUMB AND PARALYSE
THY LIMBS BEYOND THEIR PO’WR_ TO HELE. THER. MAKEN THES SLIGHTEST SMALLEST USE OF
KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU’VE LEARNT OF ME! AVAUNT! AVAUNT!, ERE I INFLICT A FURTHER CURSE ON
THEE! (Raama to Karna)

6. Guru Drona imparts Vidya only to princes. (pandavas and kauravas)
Being a Suta, Karna is not allowed to compete with the princes. (Act
- 2)
He is capable but he is not given a chance.
All the acts are ends with similar
Dilogue,
POOR KARNA! POOR, POOR KARNA!
“OUR ANGA!” “OUR GREAT ANGA!”
"OUR POOR POOR ANGA”!

7. Education system of present time -
Privatization of education and class conflict.

8. Caste based reservation system for
SC/ST/OBC.

9. Reservation is necessary.
Watch this ted talk video to understand what is the
importance of reservation and why cast based reservation is
necessary but not sufficient.
Click to watch.

10. Class and caste conflict in marriage
https://youtu.be/exEfbf-IKZI
Act - 3
Swayamvar of Draupadi.
Karna is there with his friend Suyodhana.
He is able to fulfill the condition given by king to marry his daughter.
But Draupadi denied to marry karna and the reason given by her is ‘She don't
want to marry him because he is sutha’.
Even he is king, more capable than all the Kshatriya princes, he marginalized
because of his lower cast.

11. In present time
Social barriers.
Intercaste marriages are still not
acceptable by majority.

13. Subaltern can not speak.
Act - 4
Pandvas and Kauravas are playing ‘dhyut’ (Gamble).
Pandvas lose their everything Accepting their wife Draupadi.
Humiliation of Draupadi.
Karna raise his voice but Suyodhana remind him his sutha identity.
Subaltern can not speak. (Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak)

14. In present time

15. Draupadi Swayamvar and Current situation

16. Citation
Blunt, E.A.H. “The Caste System of Northern India : E.A.H Blunt C.I.E : Free Download,
Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, Public Resource, 25 Jan. 2017,
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.187247/page/n95/mode/2up?q=hereditary.
“Class System.” Class System, Definition Of Class, Class System Sociology, Class
System Definition Sociology, Difference Between Caste And Class System, Civil Service
India , https://www.civilserviceindia.com/subject/Sociology/notes/class-system.html.
Kailasam , T. P. “The Curse or Karna : T. P. Kailasam : Free Download, Borrow, and
Streaming.” Internet Archive, ttscribe1.Sok, 1 Jan. 1970,
https://archive.org/details/unset0000unse_h8e3.
Ketkar, S. V. “History of Caste in India : Ketkar, S.V. : Free Download, Borrow, and
Streaming.” Internet Archive, Public Resource , 1 Jan. 1970,
https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.532372.

17. Thank you.