Analysis Of Santha Rama Rau's By Any Other Name

There has always been tension between the Indian and British people because of the the British People's colonial rule in India from 1858 to 1947. In By Any Other Name you will see many examples of the tension between the two ethnicities. The memoir about two Indian sisters, Premila and Santha, and their difficulties in British schools. In By Any Other Name, the author Santha Rama Rau uses diction, imagery, and tone to express a central message about personal culture and how you should stay true to your personal identity even if you are judged. To start off, Rau uses diction and imagery to demonstrate their Indian lives and their troubles with the British schools. For example, Santha the younger sister says,“Up to then, my mother had

Premila says,“We’re going home for good” (Rau,32). Santha was very confused because the school day was not finished. When the sisters came home their mother and ayah were very concerned. Premila talks about her insular teacher and states,“She said it was because Indians cheat” (Rau,38). Premila added,“So I don't think we should go back to that school”(Rau,38). The readers can get a understanding of how Premila was treated proving their culture was not as “great” as the British culture. Rau forces readers to recognize that in their society no matter what the problem is insular people make it worse. Also, the mother and Premila thought Santha didn't know what was going on but she did by saying,“I understood it perfectly and i remember it very clearly. But I put It happily away because it all had happened to a girl named Cynthia, and I never was really particularly interested in her” (Rau,42). Rau makes readers to recognize that Santha didn't care about her English name and Premila didn't care about the school. Both girls stayed true to their personal culture and no one could change who they really