Question

Briefly describe the tone of the creative nonfiction piece By Any Other Name by Santha Rama Rau and how the writer develops tone in the essay.

Answer 1

The creative nonfiction piece "By Any Other Name" by Santha Rama Rau has a tone of irony and frustration. The writer develops this tone by recounting her experiences attending a British-run school in India with her sister, and how their Indian names were changed to more "acceptable" English names by the school administration.

Throughout the essay, Rama Rau uses a sarcastic and sardonic tone to convey her frustration with the cultural insensitivity and ignorance of the British administrators, who fail to understand the importance of names in Indian culture. She also employs irony to highlight the absurdity of the situation, such as when the administrators try to convince Rama Rau and her sister that their Indian names are "too difficult" to remember or pronounce, while simultaneously requiring them to learn and memorize complex British names and titles.

Overall, the tone of the piece is one of exasperation and indignation, as Rama Rau critiques the colonial mindset and cultural imperialism of the British administrators and defends the importance of cultural identity and self-expression.