The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

LLCER Study Guide: tips and activities

Studying a book

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is an amazing novel that has many surprises in store for you, twists and turns in the story that will keep you reading and thinking.

You can find the full transcript for this video here.

You can test how much you've learnt here with a quiz and questions to help you dig deeper.

See how many questions you can answer in the checklist below, by simply watching this TED-Ed video.

• Don't hesitate to watch and pause.

• Boost your listening skills. Use the cartoon to help you understand.

• Use subtitles in English first and the transcript.

• Use subtitles in French to check you got it right and create a language card.

• Learn these sentences by heart. Test yourself.

DOWN TO BASICS >>>> DIG DEEPER

QUESTIONS - ANSWERS

Here's a checklist of what you need to know for exams:

> THE STORY

• Where is the story set?

• When does it take place?

• Who is this story about?

• Who are the main characters?

• How are they related?

• What happens to them?

• How did it happen?

• Why did it happen?

• What were the consequences?

> NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE

• How is the story told?

• Whose point of view are we getting?

• Is it objective or subjective?

• How does the story move forward?

• What is the narrative structure of this story?

• Are events presented in chronological order?

• What is the time-scheme in this novel?

• Are there any flashbacks?

• What role does memory play? Who remembers things?

TIP: use diagrams to help you visualize how writers can play with Point of View:

Try this activity to help you understand how Arundhati Roy plays with time and why:

• Which places play a key role in the story?

• What part do settings play in the novel?

• How does the author keep us reading?

• What role are readers given? Are they supposed to be passive or active?

• How does the story end? Were you surprised or shocked?

• Is the action completed and closed, or incomplete and left open?

Notice how the novel starts:

Chapter 1, p2: Paradise, Pickles and Preserves

"May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. The river shrinks and black crows gorge on bright mangoes in still, dustgreen trees. Red bananas ripen. Jackfruits burst. Dissolute bluebottles hum vacuously in the fruity air. Then they stun themselves against clear windowpanes and die, fatly baffled in the sun. The nights are clear but suffused with sloth and sullen expectation."

Click on the diagrams and

check coursehero.com study guide

on The God of Small Things

> CHARACTERISATION

• How do we get to know the characters?

• What are their characteristics?

• How precisely are they described?

• What impressions do we get?

• How real and natural do they seem?

• How do they speak?

• How does the author use language and voice?

• How easily can we put ourselves in their shoes?

• Do the characters have secrets they are trying to hide?

• Do the characters suffer from traumatic past events?

• How much do they love each other?

> STYLE AND GENRE

• What kind of story is it?

• Does it fit into a specific genre in literature? What are its characteristics?

• To what extent is it based on a true story?

• Is it pure fiction?

• Are there autobiographical elements in this story?

• Does it refer to historical events?

• What's Arundhati Roy's stance on Indian history and society?

• What does it tell us about human nature?

• What makes this story moving / shocking / thought-provoking?

• What is unique about the way Arundhati Roy writes?

• What role does language play ? What does it reveal?

• Are there any repetitions? Is there a specific pattern?

• What is repeated? Words, images or events?

• What effects do repetitions produce?

> THE AUTHOR

• Where and when was she born?

• What was her childhood like?

• Who raised her? Where did she grow up?

• What kind of background did she have?

• What subjects did she study?

• What are her jobs? Where did she work?

• When did she become a writer?

• How many novels has she written?

• Is she married? Does she have children?

> THE ACTIVIST

• What does Arundhati Roy believe in?

• As a social and political activist, what has she been fighting for?

• What does she think about women's rights?

• What does she think about the caste system in India?

• What does she think about Indian history?

• What does she think about the weight of traditions?

• What does she think about the pandemic?

• What does she think about Modi and his government?

Read her full essay in The Financial Times (link at the end)

> BACKGROUND AND THEMES

• What vision of India and Indian society does this story give?

• To what extent is it still relevant now?

• How much do you know about India?

• How big is it compared to France?

• What are its main cities?

• How many languages are there?

• Why does Arundhati Roy write in English?

• What is kathakali ?

Click on the picture >>>

• What are pickles and chutney?

• Have you ever eaten Indian food?

• When did India become independent?

• Who started the Green Revolution?

• What role does religion play in Indian society?

• What happened in the 1960s?

• How important is the past in shaping the present?

Watch this BBC documentary on ancient India

• How important is the caste system in India?

• How important is love in this story?

• How much power do the characters have? Why? Why not?

TIPS: reading in English

1) Read the book more than once. Start by reading the book quickly for pleasure. To enjoy it more, listen to it at the same time.

N.B. If you're serious about studying Literature in English, start an account at Audible through an Amazon account. Your first audiobook will be free and then you'll pay 9.95 Euros a month. It sounds expensive, but in fact your credit adds up even if you don't use it. So, you don't have to download new books every month. There's no limit in time. There's a user-friendly Audible app to have your own library of audiobooks on your devices. You can use it for Literature in French, too.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial to get Audible audiobooks on your mobile phone or tablet.

2) Then read it again - this time, slowly and thoroughly. Select key passages and use post-it notes or a highlighter with a colour code.

3) Memorize details of the story. Focus on what is unique and what draws your attention, especially the way the story is told.

VOICE YOUR OPINION

Here are some questions to help you with your Reading Response.

SELF-STUDY & ACTIVITIES ON OFFER

4) Create a family tree and visualize who is who and how they are related to other characters and what kind of bonds there are? Draw arrows and hearts to show relationships

5) Create language cards with key quotes you can use for each studying point to justify your answers and prove your point.

Check our slideshow on VOCAB & SELF-STUDY

6) Draw a mind map or a diagram with key elements focusing on how the story is told.

7) Do extra research, become an expert on Indian culture, history and society. Create a slideshow presentation for instagram or create a short movie with Moviemaker.

8) TRUE OR FALSE? Create a quiz with multiple-choice questions to test how much you / your classmates know about The God of Small Things

See the checklist above + model from Grade Saver below (click for more inspiration)

9) ROLE PLAY: THE WORLD BOOK CLUB

You are the host. Arundhati Roy is your guest. She's here to talk about her first novel The God of Small Things. There is a live audience and readers/fans can ask the author questions.

Listen to BBC Radio 4 for inspiration. Boost your listening and speaking skills (click below)

10) CREATIVE WRITING:

FOUND POEM / SONG / SPOKEN WORDS

Use your favourite quotes from the book. Create a found poem / song / spoken words for your favourite character. Record your voice. We must guess which character's speaking.

TIPS: When you listen to the audiobook, take your time to listen and pause.

Use Google Translate to listen and repeat as many times as your want.

TIC-TAC-TOE READING ACTIVITIES

REMEMBER

BONUS

Write a book review

Create a book trailer

for our website =D

GETTING READY FOR EXAMS

What exam themes can this book fit into?

Work on your LLCER file REGULARLY:

Get ready for the oral exam.

• What would you like to focus on?

• Find a key question you're interested in.

• What's your favourite scene and why?

• What other stories could you link The God of Small Things to?

• Find book reviews, interviews, documentaries, films or artwork you'd like to talk about?

• Practice makes progress: speak for 1 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes + record your voice

SMILE

MAKE AN EFFORT

WORK HARD

TRY YOUR BEST

MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL

S U R P R I S E Y O U R S E L F !