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Yasmine goonaratne
- 1. A Change of Skies Yasmine Goonaratne
- 2. Yasmine Goonaratne • Born 1935 in Srilanka, educated – University of Ceylon and Cambridge • Professor, critic, editor, bibliographer, novelist, essayist, poet • Resident of Australia 1972, English at Macquarie University, Visiting prof • 16 books – Shortlisted for commonwealth fiction prize 1991, 1996 • A change of Skies- 1991 -First novel • Hilarious narration
- 3. A change of skies • Srilankan family living in Australia • unlikely, culturally-mixed marriage of Navaranjini, a Tamilian and Barry, a Sinhalese Christian • Immigrant experience – story of Bharat and Navaranjini, 1970, Temporary migration plan • Bharat – Visiting professor in Linguistics at Southern Cross University in Sydney • Navaranjini plays a sitar • changes his name to Barry and that of his wife's to Jean Mundy • The earlier generation is represented by Edward Mangala-Davasinha, the grand father of Bharat • 'Edwina’ (veena)- third generation- She is the daughter of Jean and Barry
- 4. • Mr. Bruce Trivally, the neighbor, was very courteous and helpful to the new emigrants • Taxi experience, swimming • Mr. Koyako –engineer, settled 10 years, retains moral and traditional values of homeland, children in danger growing in Australia • Mrs Koyako – good cook, Srilankan delicacies • Margot and Mike, neighbour – invite for 20th anniversary – Bed secret • Ronald Blackstone’s – radio comment racist – Asian food • Changing names – Australian attitude
- 5. • In the beginning Bharat and Navaranjini have been involved in the clash of cultures and are treated as newcomers in the strange land of Australia. But in the course of their five year stay they began to feel that Australians have Asian identity • Edward’s diaries provide themes of hostility and superiority. He finds the Australian settlers uncouth • Edward shows a compassionate characteristic of adaptability, and acceptance. He is prepared to disguise himself as a labourer to travel to Australia. Meat unpalatable • Cultivating the habit of acceptance, breaking away from one's ethnicity and absorbing the new culture are the only way for survival. This successful acculturation and assimilation of Barry and Jean into a new landscape
- 6. • Jean is recruited to the campus branch of the women's movement. Jean had got a diploma in librarianship, later establishing a restaurant and school of cuisine. She starts her project of writing 'A COOKERY BOOK’, Jean leads the busy, busy life of a restauranteuse and TV presenter. at the end of the novel, when Barry chooses to set up a school to teach English to other newcomers, Jean provides the true meeting point of cultures by establishing a restaurant and school of cuisine Barry and Jean die in a plane crash while going to see Bruce and Maureen- Christmas celebration Edwina taken care by Maureen and Bruce, she meets them for Christmas -Epilogue
- 7. • People do change their souls when they change their skies. More importantly, when they change their skies, they do not abandon the past, but produce a new future and new possibilities. • These possibilities will determine the shape of the coming Australian republic. • Reclaiming past – Edwina converts to Veena- shake herself clearly off the colonial burden.
- 8. Themes • Gooneratne portrays the natives in bright colours • 2 centuries, 2 continents • Reflection upon past and future • Difficult Assimilation with host culture • Original and adoptive homes • Belongingness, migration • Expatriate experience • Identity threat and culture threat
- 10. Diaspora • Etymology Greek term ‘diasperien’. • ‘Dia’ means ‘across’ and ‘sperien’ means ‘to sow or scatter seeds’. • referred to those displaced communities which have been dislocated from their homeland through migration, immigration or exile. • ‘Diaspora’, therefore, suggests dislocation from a geographical location of origin and relocation in another territory or country. • This physical movement of dislocation of human beings from the homeland contains multiple feelings of trauma, joy, security, peace etc. • It denotes four major elements in the historical process, namely, homeland, migration, displacement and settlement. • Displacement, whether forced or self-imposed, results into a sense of loneliness, calamity, insecurity, nostalgia and alienation.