Assignment Paper 205A: Cultural Studies

"Prosthetic Memory and Historical Trauma: Exploring Collective Narratives in Schindler's List, Hotel Rwanda, and 12 Years a Slave"

Abstract 

Alison Landsberg’s theory of "prosthetic memory" is interesting to study in  the context of historical trauma as depicted in films like “Schindler's List” (1993), “12 Years a Slave”(2013) and “Hotel Rwanda”(2004). Prosthetic memory refers to memories that are not directly experienced but are acquired through media or storytelling, often in the form of movies or books. These films, which portray events such as the Holocaust, and the Rwandan Genocide, allow viewers to "experience" the horrors of these tragedies. This study looks at how prosthetic memory shapes our understanding of historical trauma, collective memory, and empathy, even for events that we did not live through. Through visual storytelling, these films help preserve and communicate the legacies of these atrocities, fostering a shared memory that transcends individual experience.

What is Prosthetic Memory?

Prosthetic memory refers to memories that are not personally lived or experienced  but acquired through mediated representations such as films, television, and other forms of mass media. The term  was coined by Alison Landsberg, the concept emphasizes how individuals can adopt memories of historical events, especially those tied to trauma, through technologies of mass culture. These memories, though artificial or mediated, feel real and deeply affect an individual's emotional and intellectual understanding of past events.

The media, especially cinema, plays a pivotal role in creating these prosthetic memories. By offering visual narratives and emotional engagement with historical events, cinema allows viewers to experience events they haven't personally encountered. This interaction enables a kind of "intimate" relationship with history, and the viewer adopts these memories, integrating them into their own archive of experiences. Such cinematic representations of historical trauma, such as films on the Holocaust or Tutsi genocide, exemplify how individuals can come to "remember" these collective traumas even without personal involvement.

Building Cultural Memory Through Mass Media

The creation of prosthetic memories by means of  media significantly impacts cultural memory, shaping how societies understand and process historical events. Cinema, through its narrative power and emotional appeal, makes it possible for people from different ethnic, social, and cultural backgrounds to share memories of events they did not experience firsthand. Movies like Schindler’s List, and Hotel Rwanda, not only provide factual depictions but also emotional engagement, making viewers empathize with the victims of these events.

These memories foster a collective understanding of historical traumas, transcending personal or familial experiences. Prosthetic memory, therefore, works as a tool for building a sense of solidarity across different groups by allowing individuals to participate in a shared history and engage with collective traumas, even when they are not direct witnesses. In the age of mass media, these memories contribute to the formation of public and cultural memory, reshaping how societies remember and relate to their pasts​

Schindler's List and the Holocaust

In her article “Memory, Empathy and the Politics of Identification,” Landsberg argues that various types of media are able to produce prosthetic memories, but film is the most proficient medium for creating them. The 1993 movie “Schindler’s List” by Stevan Spielberg is symbolic of creating the prosthetic through its depiction of Jews massacred by Fascist government of Nazi party. It focuses on the exceptional case of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi who saved 1,200 Jews, instead of the broader tragedy of six million victims. Steven Spielberg’s film plays a crucial role in creating prosthetic memories for its viewers and brough the holocaust event into mainstream consciousness.

The film uses cinematic techniques like close-ups and point-of-view shots, which allows viewers to emotionally engage with the characters and historical events. These techniques help create a sense of intimacy between the audience and the characters, fostering empathy and encouraging viewers to imagine themselves in the characters’ situations. This aligns with Landsberg's concept that prosthetic memory forms when viewers engage emotionally and cognitively with historical narratives through media.

Moral Development of Oskar Schindler 

The central character, Oskar Schindler, undergoes a moral transformation from a self-interested and hedonistic businessman to a savior of Jews during the Holocaust. His narrative arc allows viewers to experience, through cinema, the horrors of the Holocaust and the redemptive power of individual action. Schindler’s realization of the Nazi atrocities is mirrored in the audience’s growing awareness, making his emotional journey a conduit for the creation of prosthetic memories in viewers.

The film's portrayal of the Holocaust allows viewers to "remember" the suffering of Jewish victims and the moral actions of those who resisted Nazi crimes, thus becoming part of the global collective memory of the Holocaust.

Creating Empathy Through Historical Trauma

 

This movie does more than recount historical facts. It constructs an immersive emotional experience that allows viewers to engage with the Holocaust as a lived memory. The intense scenes of suffering, survival, and moral choices made under extreme duress contribute to a prosthetic memory that integrates historical knowledge with emotional and ethical reflection. ​ 

Hotel Rwanda and Rwandan Genocide 

Hotel Rwanda, directed by British filmmaker Terry George, is a feature film that portrays the real life story of Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of Kigali's Hotel des Mille Collines, who saved 1,268 people during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Rusesabagina protected these individuals from the genocidaires by offering them accommodation in the hotel and bribing the killers with money, alcohol, and cigars.

In Alison Landsberg's view, prosthetic memory allows people to emotionally connect with experiences they haven't lived, like seeing through someone else's eyes. This can encourage empathy and even motivate social change by bridging cultural and national divides. For example, ‘Roots’ helped white Americans better understand the black experience of slavery.

However, Landsberg notes that people are always aware that these memories aren’t their own, similar to how one knows a prosthetic limb isn't natural. Despite this, such memories can still have a strong emotional impact, though they are shaped by filmmakers, writers, and other creators.

Landsberg illustrates this idea with ‘The Thieving Hand’, a film where a beggar receives a prosthetic arm that continues to steal, showing how memory or behavior can "attach" to someone. This raises questions about the authenticity of such memories.

False Prosthetic Memory

While prosthetic memory has the potential to promote empathy and justice, it also has risks. For example, “Hotel Rwanda” has been criticized by genocide survivors for misrepresenting their experiences, leading to inaccurate memories. Additionally, there’s concern that prosthetic memory can reinforce the "white savior complex," where privileged viewers feel superior rather than truly empathetic.

Landsberg’s work encourages us to think about how media shapes our understanding of history and whether prosthetic memory can genuinely foster empathy or merely serve to make privileged viewers feel good about themselves.

12 Years a Slave and Prosthetic Memory

Directed by Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave (2013) movie is based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, offers a harrowing depiction of American slavery through the story of a free Black man who is kidnapped and sold into bondage. As a narrative that both reveals and critiques the system of slavery, it serves as a powerful example of prosthetic memory. A concept whereby media, especially movies, constructs and transmits collective memories of past historical traumas.

In 12 Years a Slave, the viewers are offered access to the pain, suffering, and injustice of slavery through the lived experience of Solomon Northup, a freeman who is torn from his family and subjected to the brutalities of the plantation system.

The film serves as a prosthetic memory because it presents a narrative arc that is both individual (Solomon’s personal trauma) and collective (the shared suffering of enslaved people of African region). The viewers are immersed in the specifics of Solomon’s experience, the emotional and physical torment, the degradation of his humanity, and the psychological toll of enslavement. McQueen's emphasis on a realistic and raw portrayal of these horrors, without romanticizing or sanitizing the past, allows the audience to confront the brutal truths of American slavery.

The memory presented in the film is not just Solomon’s but also one that collectively reconstructs a memory of the horrors faced by millions of enslaved African Americans. This prosthetic memory operates not only as a vehicle for historical awareness but also as a means of cultural reckoning, giving viewers a chance to reckon with the pain and trauma that slavery inflicted on Black Americans. 

Conclusion

To conclude, movies like  “Schindler's List”, “Hotel Rwanda”, and “12 Years a Slave” demonstrate how film can serve as a powerful medium for prosthetic memory, enabling audiences to engage with historical trauma and collective narratives that they have not directly experienced. These films reconstruct memories of horrific events such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, and American slavery, shaping public consciousness by providing intimate, emotional access to these painful histories. Through their compelling storytelling, they challenge sanitized or forgotten versions of history, offering a means to remember, reflect, and reckon with the past, while also emphasizing the ongoing impact of these traumas on contemporary society.

Wordcount: 1510

Images Used: 4

References

Dargis, Manohla. “‘12 Years a Slave’ Holds Nothing Back in Show of Suffering.” The New York Times, 17 October 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/movies/12-years-a-slave-holds-nothing-back-in-show-of-suffering.html. Accessed 16 November 2024.

Gottlieb, Akiva. “Commentary: Why 'Schindler's List' remains brilliant and troubling 25 years after its release.” Los Angeles Times, 5 December 2018, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-schindlers-list-25-20181205-story.html. Accessed 11 November 2024.

Hitchcott, Nicki. “Seeing the Genocide against the Tutsi through someone else’s eyes: Prosthetic memory and Hotel Rwanda.” Sage Journals, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 1-14, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1750698020959811. Accessed 11 November 2024.

Landsberg, Alison. “Prosthetic Memory: The Ethics and Politics of Memory in an Age of Mass Culture.” Memory and Popular Film, edited by Paul Grainge, Manchester University Press, 2003, pp. 144–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt155jfm0.12. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Szczypa, Piotr. “New Article: 3Heroes and the Monstrous Event of the Holocaust in Schindler’s List and Korczak.” The Polish Review, vol. 60, no. 1, 2015, pp. 23–38. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/polishreview.60.1.0023. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024.

Assignment Paper 203: The Postcolonial Studies

"Breaking the Chains: Fanon’s Theory of Violence as Liberation in Cinematic Portrayals of 'Django Unchained'"

Abstract

This assignment examines the role of violence as a means of liberation in films about slavery, using Frantz Fanon’s theory from “The Wretched of the Earth” as a framework. Fanon argues that violence is necessary for the oppressed to reclaim their humanity, a concept explored in films like “Django Unchained” (2012). Through a Fanonian lens, this study analyzes how these films portray violence as both a path to freedom and a source of trauma, highlighting the complex relationship between oppression, resistance, and liberation.

Introduction

"no gentleness can efface the marks of violence; only violence itself can destroy them."

Throughout his life, Fanon aimed to free Black people from colonial oppression, not just in his homeland of Martinique and in South Africa, but for Black identity worldwide. His book “The Wretched of the Earth”(1961), originally written in French and later translated into English, discusses the role of violence in the decolonization process. Fanon argues that colonial rule is violent, extreme, and racist, leaving no room for communication or negotiation between the colonizers and the oppressed. He believes that because colonialism is built on violence, the oppressed must use violence to free themselves from their white oppressors.

Violence in the colonies is not only used to control the enslaved people but also to take away their sense of humanity, making them feel inferior. The colonizers aim to erase the natives' traditions, replace their language with that of their white masters, and destroy their culture. According to Sartre, at first, the natives don’t fully realize the extent of the violence they are deeply frightened by it. However, the impact of this violence remains in their subconscious, and eventually, they turn that violence back against their oppressors.

“to destroy the colonial world means nothing less than demolishing the colonist's sector, burying it deep within the earth or banishing it from the territory.”

Fanon believes that to truly free ourselves from the chains of colonialism, we must destroy the symbols of oppression like violence, racism, and mental suffering and bury them deep within the earth. He argues that violent resistance, while difficult, can have positive effects. It can strengthen the minds of those fighting for freedom and pave the way for a new, just society. If we don't fight back violently, we risk falling victim to a new form of colonialism, where a different group of powerful people continues to oppress us.

The use of counter violence is suggested by Fanon, and this paper tries to examine Django Unchained which is more or less connects with this theme of counter violence as liberation force as propounded by Frantz Fanon. 

Django Unchained and Slavery

“Django Unchained”, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is a 2012 film that blends elements of the spaghetti western with a revenge narrative set against the backdrop of American slavery in 1858, just before the Civil War. The movie follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave turned bounty hunter, as he embarks on a violent quest to free his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from the clutches of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a brutal plantation owner. Accompanied by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist-turned-bounty hunter, Django takes a mythic, blood-soaked journey through the horrors of slavery to gain his freedom and reunite with his wife.

The film’s portrayal of slavery is raw, violent, and deep. It depicts the brutality of the institution through scenes of whipping, torture, and the degradation of Black people, while also weaving in Tarantino’s signature style of exaggerated violence. Slavery is not merely a historical backdrop but a key element driving the film's action and character motivations. The movie showcases how violence is intrinsic to the system of slavery which Fanon has advocated in his work long before, where individuals like Django are dehumanized and controlled, but also how violence becomes a tool of liberation as Django seeks revenge and freedom.

Tarantino's film touches upon several aspects of slavery, including the use of derogatory language and the ‘N’ word, the psychological and physical abuse of slaves, and the commodification of Black bodies through practices like Mandingo fighting, where slaves are forced to fight to the death for their masters' entertainment. “Django Unchained” plays on the grotesque nature of the system and uses its extreme depiction of violence to underline the inhumanity of slavery. 

Violence and Django

In Django Unchained, the theme of revenge and personal liberation is a central narrative force, which is similar to Fanon's idea of reclaiming humanity through violence, particularly as it relates to the struggles of colonized people. Fanon, in The Wretched of the Earth, argues that violence is a necessary means for the oppressed to reclaim their humanity and to assert their agency, as colonial violence strips away the subjectivity and dignity of the oppressed. Same in Django Unchained, where the protagonist, Django, seeks not just personal vengeance but also a form of self-assertion and freedom from the system that oppresses him.

Reclaiming Humanity Through Vengence 

Django’s journey is one of liberation from the dehumanizing forces of slavery, which reduce him to a mere commodity of ownership and exploitation. In Fanon’s view, the process of liberation for the colonized involves the rejection of the imposed identity and the violent reclamation of self-worth and agency. For Django, violence becomes a tool through which he reasserts his identity. Each violent act he commits against his oppressors can be seen as an act of reclaiming his humanity. Just as Fanon sees the colonized person’s violence as a necessary purge of the internalized oppression, Django's violence against his masters, whether through gunfights or retribution serves as a cathartic release from the centuries of racialized violence and subjugation. 

Critique and Problems of Violence

However, Fanon also acknowledges the complexity and potential destructiveness of violence in the liberation struggle. While violence is necessary for liberation, it does not guarantee the construction of a just or humane post-colonial order. In Django Unchained, while the violence provides immediate satisfaction and retribution, it does not directly lead to a new, liberated society. The film’s ending, which focuses on Django's violent triumph, does not offer a clear resolution for the broader structural inequalities of the system he has dismantled, much like Fanon’s caution that violent liberation does not necessarily resolve the deeper social and political crises that the oppressed face.

Moreover, the film’s portrayal of violence often teeters between serious narrative and farce, presenting the violence of liberation as almost a spectacle. This exaggeration of violence could be interpreted as problematic, as it risks reducing the seriousness of the emotional and moral struggles inherent in the Fanonian view of violent liberation.

Conclusion

To conclude we can say that, through Tarantino's lens, Django Unchained becomes a cinematic embodiment of Fanon's philosophy. The film's graphic violence serves as a cathartic release, mirroring Fanon's assertion of violence as a necessary tool for liberation. Django's journey from enslaved to vengeful warrior resonates with Fanon's emphasis on the transformative power of violence in forging a new identity and reclaiming agency. However, the film's stylized violence and Tarantino's signature dark humor raise questions about the ethical and problematic implications of such a violent portrayal of liberation.

Wordcount: 1186

Images used: 4

Video: 1

References

Allen, Candace. “Django Unchained: is its portrayal of slavery too flippant?” The Guardian, 10 January 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/10/django-unchained-portrayal-slavery-flippant. Accessed 15 November 2024.

Denby, David. ““Django Unchained”: Put-On, Revenge, and the Aesthetics of Trash.” The New Yorker, 22 January 2013, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/django-unchained-put-on-revenge-and-the-aesthetics-of-trash. Accessed 15 November 2024.

Fanon, Frantz. The wretched of the earth. Grove Press, 1963

Jack, Ian. “All that bloody mayhem and we're still supposed to take Django Unchained seriously? | Ian Jack.” The Guardian, 25 January 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/25/bloody-mayhem-tarantino-django-seriously. Accessed 15 November 2024.

Tarantino, Quentin, dir. Django Unchained. The Weinstein Company, 2012

Assignment Paper 202: Indian English Literature – Post-Independence

“Myth and Legend: A Study of  A.K. Ramanujan's Poetry"

Abstract

This assignment examines how A.K. Ramanujan uses myths and legends in his poetry to explore cultural memory and identity. By reimagining traditional stories in his poetry, Ramanujan connects ancient myths with modern life, highlighting themes like family, exile, and emotional complexity. Through this study, his poetry reveals how cultural heritage shapes personal identity while also reinterpreting old narratives for contemporary readers.

Introduction

A. K. Ramanujan was a distinguished Indian poet, translator, and scholar whose work spanned in multiple languages, English, Kannada, Tamil, and Sanskrit and diverse disciplines like literature, linguistics, and folklore. He was born in Mysore, India, and studied English and linguistics before becoming a professor at the University of Chicago, where he taught for over three decades. His poetry, known for its exploration of identity, tradition, and modernity, includes collections like The Striders and Relations. He also made significant contributions as a translator, bringing classical Tamil and Kannada poetry, as well as Indian folklore, to global readers through works such as The Interior Landscape and Speaking of Siva. His most controversial and celebrated work, the essay Three Hundred Ramayanas, highlighted the diversity of Ramayana traditions across South and Southeast Asia, sparking significant debate. He has published four volumes of poetry to date: The Striders (1966), Relations: Poems (1971), Second Sight (1986) and The Black Hen (1995), a posthumous publication.

A. K. Ramanujan and His Engagement With Indian  Myths

 “I must seek and will find my particular hell only, in my Hindu mind” 

Ramanujan is determined to seek his identity in India’s past and his engagement with Indian myths and folklore is central to both his scholarly work and his poetry. His attraction with the richness of Indian cultural narratives, including myths, legends, and folktales, is prominent  in his translations of classical Tamil and Kannada literature, as well as his exploration of Hindu myths in his poems. Ramanujan viewed myths as a way of understanding human behavior and societal values, often contrasting  them with contemporary realities. His essays, such as the controversial “Three Hundred Ramayanas”, renders his deep commitment to revealing the multiplicity of interpretations that Indian myths have fostered across cultures.

In his poetry, myths serve as a bridge between personal identity and collective cultural memory. Ramanujan often uses mythological references to reflect on existential questions, as seen in works like "Still Another View of Grace." Myths allow him to explore the complexities of selfhood and cultural belonging, presenting a dialogue between the past and present. His use of myth goes beyond political discourse, focusing instead on the ethical and personal dimensions of human experience. 

Use of Ramayan and Other Myths

In the poem "Love Poem for a Wife", Ramanujan explores the tension between idealized mythic figures like Rama and Sita, and the more complex human dynamics of his own marriage and relationships. The mythic ideals confront the realities of modern life. such as Rama and Sita, with their human, fallible counterparts in modern life. 

“After a night of rage that lasted days quarrels in a forest, waterfalls, exchanges, marriage, exploration of bays and places we had never known we would never know…mythic men, rubberplant and peppervine, frocks with print patterns”

The poem reveals the tension between the ideal of perfect devotion and love symbolized by Rama and Sita and the real, often flawed, human relationships in everyday life. Ramanujan uses the myth not to celebrate its ideals but to bring out the disparity between the mythic past and the imperfect present. By doing this,  he explores how the myth fails to provide a realistic model for contemporary human relationships. His ironic and mocking tone critiques how people hold themselves and others to impossible standards of mythic perfection, leading to dissatisfaction and alienation in marriages.

Ramanujan often draws on the legend of the Tamil heroine Kannagi from the epic Silappadikaram. Kannagi's story of moral righteousness and pursuit of justice against injustice symbolizes feminine strength and cultural identity in his work. Her character allows Ramanujan to explore the intersection of personal and cultural experiences, as well as the consequences of unfairness. Kannagi represents resilience in the face of loss and the weight of historical responsibility.

In his other poems like “The Striders” and “Relations”, A.K. Ramanujan shows a strong desire to reconnect with his roots, and this desire improve his poetry in various ways. His second collection, “Relations”, has even more mythical references and storytelling. In the poem "One, Two, Maybe Three Arguments Against Suicide," Ramanujan offers reasons why a person should not commit suicide. 

"Remember what the wise callous hindus

Said when the love-god burned: keep your cool,

Make for love’s sake no noble gesture.

All symbol, no limbs, a nobody all soul,

O Kama, only you can have no use

for the Kamasutra.  Ashes have no posture"

In the third part of the poem, he suggests that desire is "endless" and that someone considering suicide should calm themselves and get rid of all desires, including Kama, or passion. The poem specifically refers to the “Kamasutra”, a famous text about love, and the legend of Kamadeva, the God of Love and Passion, who was burned by Lord Shiva.

In a poem “A Minor Sacrifice”, Ramanujan retells the ancient story of Raja Parikshit and his son Janmejaya, which focuses on a sacrificial ritual. The story starts when Raja Parikshit, during a hunting trip, kills a snake and, for entertainment, places it around a sage’s neck. This disrespectful act brings the wrath of the sage, who curses Parikshit to die by a snakebite. After the king’s death, his son, Janmejaya, vows revenge and performs a powerful ritual, a snake sacrifice, which compels all the snakes to fall into the sacrificial fire.

"that draws every snake from everywhere,  till snakes of every stripe, begin to fal,l through the blazing air into his altar fires."

The ritual is so potent that snakes from everywhere are drawn into the fire and burned. However, one snake, Takshak, the very snake responsible for Parikshit’s death, manages to escape by hiding on Lord Indra’s throne. When the recited mantras begin to affect Indra’s throne, the god advises Takshak to disguise himself as a Brahmin in order to avoid the ritual’s power. Takshak does so, and the sages conducting the ritual, believing that no snakes remain in the universe, conclude the sacrifice, calling it a ‘minor sacrifice.’

This poem reflects on the cyclical nature of revenge, myth, and the powerful forces of fate intertwined with human actions, all while questioning the value and meaning of such rituals.

His Ironic View of Life

A.K. Ramanujan's ironic perspective on Hindu life is woven into many of his poems, where he critiques aspects of Hinduism with both subtle humor and sharp observation. In the poem “The Hindoo: he doesn’t hurt a fly or a spider either”, Ramanujan satirizes the Hindu ideal of non-violence, showing how it can turn into a paralyzing passivity.

"Why, I cannot hurt a spider either, not even a black widow, for who can tell Who’s Who? Can you? May it’s once again my great swinging grandmother”. 

This passage pokes fun at the Hindu belief in reincarnation, where even small creatures might be seen as one's ancestors, thus causing the character to refrain from harming them out of fear and uncertainty.

In “Obituary”, Ramanujan ironically critiques Hindu death rituals. The poem describes the death of the poet’s father, but instead of mourning, the speaker focuses on the practical burdens that are left behind.

"left debts and daughters, a bedwetting grandson, and a changed mother".

The poem goes on to describe the Hindu ritual of scattering the ashes in a sacred river, but this act, traditionally viewed as spiritually significant, is portrayed with detachment. The father’s death becomes almost a non event, stripped of its sacred significance by the material concerns that follow.

Ramanujan’s use of irony in these and other poems reflects his ability to maintain a critical distance from Hindu rituals and beliefs, allowing him to explore their contradictions and absurdities without entirely rejecting their value. His work shows both an intimate understanding of Hindu traditions and a modern, skeptical outlook that questions their relevance in contemporary life.

Conclusion

To conclude, A.K. Ramanujan’s poetry skillfully blends myth and legend by reviving the forgotten stories from Indian culture and reinterpreting them for the modern world. By drawing on epics like the “Ramayana” and legends such as “Silappadikaram”, “Kamdev” and “Raja Parikshit”, he contrasts idealized pasts with the complexities of contemporary life. His use of myths reflects his deep cultural roots while addressing the challenges of his expatriate condition. By doing this , Ramanujan’s work gets the essence of post-colonial literature, turning his personal displacement into a strength that brings the image of India vividly alive in his poetry.

Wordcount: 1456

References

Govindrajan, Dr. M. “A.K. Ramanujan’s Ironical Vision of Hindu’s Life: A Confrontation between Eastern Wisdom and Western Skepticism.” Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, vol. 6, no. 3, 2019, https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIRAG06195.pdf. Accessed 14 November 2024.

“The literary legacy of an Indian modernist.” The Caravan, 31 July 2013, https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/reading-small-print. Accessed 14 November 2024.

Sharma, Mona. “Myth and Folklore in A.K. Ramanujan’s Poetry.” Navbharat Memorial Foundation, vol. 4, no. 3, 2015, http://www.ijcms2015.co/file/2019/vol-4-issue-3/aijra-vol-iv-issue-3-06.pdf. Accessed 14 November 2024.

Sinha, Dr. Mosam. “A CRITICAL STUDY OF MYTHS AND LEGENDS IN THE POETRY OF A.K. RAMANUJAN.” Express Online Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 2014, https://www.academia.edu/9179527/A_CRITICAL_STUDY_OF_MYTHS_AND_LEGENDS_IN_THE_POETRY_OF_A_K_RAMANUJAN_Dr_Mosam_Sinha_Associate_Professor_and_Head_Department_of_English_TMIMT_TMU_Moradabad. Accessed 14 November 2024.

Srivastava, Dr. Pallavi. “TREATMENT OF HINDU MYTHS AND LEGENDS IN A.K. RAMANUJAN’S POETRY.” https://shriprbhu.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-particular-hell-only-in-my-hindu.html. Accessed 14 November 2024.