Point of View: By Any Other Name

Santha Rama Rau

About the Essay

1. Consider closely the description of the girls' home (p. 245) and the school (p. 243). How does the atmosphere of each differ? What does this say about Rau's attitude toward each?

*she feels very comfortable at home.
*intensity to heat.

2.Why does the girl with the braids touch Santha's arm?

*To comfort her in class.

3. From which point of view is the essay written? How can you tell?

*First person, the author is the person in the one telling how it all happened and no one else.

4. What would you say is the main theme of Rau's account? How does the essay's point of view strengthen the theme?

*To explain how life was for her and how it was for Cynthia and not her.
*So that you know that it is not fiction and the author is the character in the book.

5. What do Premila's actions on the first  day of school and on the day of the test reveal about her? How does she seem to differ from Santha?

*Premila was not easily intimidated when she had her name changed.
*She was defiant during the test and left.
*Santha was submissive and easily distracted.

6. The title of Rau's essay cocmes from William Shakespeare's classic play Romeo and Juliet. The chracter Juliet states, "That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet," meaning that the identity of a person or thing cannot be determined exclusively by its name. How, then, might the title "By Any Other Name" relate to the theme of Rau's essay?

*She was given another name on the first day of school because the teachers couldn't pronounce her real name.
*She was given another name but that did not change her personality.