Cultural Literature Analysis Ramu and Rani vs
Shahriyar Rahman
Mr. Corrigale
ENG3U0-I
February 24, 2015
Cultural Literature Analysis: Ramu and Rani vs. Geert Hofstede
“Culture is the sum of all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the coarse or centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved” (A. Malraux). There are many different cultures in the world but the Indian culture is a unique one. The Indian culture has been influenced by a history that is many millennia’s old, and still has a big influence on the world with over 1.2 billion followers who don’t just reside in India; but all over Earth itself. The short story, Ramu and Rani, is a cultural story from India and was written by Iqbal Ahmad. In this story, a soon to be married man learns about the tale of Ramu and Rani; two lovers and they’re struggle to be together because of culture. The short story, Ramu and Rani, written by Iqbal Ahmad, is a typical Indian culture story compared to Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model. Ramu and Rani demonstrates similarities to Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model through power distance, masculinity, and indulgence/restraint.
Power distance is defined as the fact that all individuals in society are not equal and that power is distributed unequally. If a culture has a high amount of power distance this leads to different types of castes. Some castes that are considered poor and other castes that are considered to be above everyone else. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model this is India’s highest scoring dimension. An example of high power distance in Ramu and Rani is: “Ranis father… he was almost like a king to the villagers… apart from his wealth and rank that earned him honour and respect, there was his high cast too” (Ahmad 80). From this quote we learn that Rani is part of the high caste since her father and the rest of her family have a very high rank in their society. We also learn that Rani’s soulmate, Ramu, is a descendant from the low caste from the example, “the
Mr. Corrigale
ENG3U0-I
February 24, 2015
Cultural Literature Analysis: Ramu and Rani vs. Geert Hofstede
“Culture is the sum of all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the coarse or centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved” (A. Malraux). There are many different cultures in the world but the Indian culture is a unique one. The Indian culture has been influenced by a history that is many millennia’s old, and still has a big influence on the world with over 1.2 billion followers who don’t just reside in India; but all over Earth itself. The short story, Ramu and Rani, is a cultural story from India and was written by Iqbal Ahmad. In this story, a soon to be married man learns about the tale of Ramu and Rani; two lovers and they’re struggle to be together because of culture. The short story, Ramu and Rani, written by Iqbal Ahmad, is a typical Indian culture story compared to Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model. Ramu and Rani demonstrates similarities to Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model through power distance, masculinity, and indulgence/restraint.
Power distance is defined as the fact that all individuals in society are not equal and that power is distributed unequally. If a culture has a high amount of power distance this leads to different types of castes. Some castes that are considered poor and other castes that are considered to be above everyone else. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model this is India’s highest scoring dimension. An example of high power distance in Ramu and Rani is: “Ranis father… he was almost like a king to the villagers… apart from his wealth and rank that earned him honour and respect, there was his high cast too” (Ahmad 80). From this quote we learn that Rani is part of the high caste since her father and the rest of her family have a very high rank in their society. We also learn that Rani’s soulmate, Ramu, is a descendant from the low caste from the example, “the