A Moment In Dawn by Ava Seberg
Digital Art
नाम रोशन करगी; झाँसी क रानी by Ananya Sharma
Nonfiction
नाम रोशन कर गी; झासी क रानी
In Hindi, written in English: naam roshan karegi; “Jhansi ki Rani”
Pronunciation: “Naam roe-shun kur-eg-ee; jha-see kee raanee”
Literal English Translation: “She’ll make your name shine; “The Queen of Jhansi’”
Describe the mixture of literal and inferential information given and how the latter might allow the memoir to be interpreted in various ways.
Literal: The audience can assume that Jhansi is a place since there is a queen of it. Additionally, they can assume it is not the current queen since Jhansi is not in England, and that is the only area with a “monarch” figure. The audience can also assume that the 6-word memoir is about a young girl, and that “she’ll” indicates what is going to happen in the future. For those who cannot read Hindi, they can assume that the 6-word memoir is probably written in a foreign language.
Inferential/Latter Based Interpretation: The audience can assume that this memoir could be about an agent and a role of a queen in a movie. “She’ll make your name shine” as “The Queen of Jhansi” in a movie could be advice for an agent who wants to be famous. Another interpretation could be that the Queen of Jhansi would be the one making someone proud. Many people who know about “Manikarnika”, (the Queen of Jhansi), see her as a representation of strength, which would lead them to believe the memoir talks about her. For those who don’t know about “Jhansi ki Rani”, they can assume that the author strives to be like this person. However, many can assume that “she’ll make your name shine” could be another way to say that “she’ll make you proud”, which allows the reader to believe that someone has said this about the author. The semicolon represents a slight pause of explanation, which indicates what the author is specifically referring to. “The Queen of Jhansi” could be a comparison to the girl being referred to in the first part, which allows the audience to infer that that queen must be important in the author’s life.
For those who do not understand Hindi, the interpretations could be related to the words reflecting a religious saying. This could lead a few to believe that this is about someone who is very religious or knows how to write in Hindi (I don’t but my parents helped me). Another interpretation could be that the memoir was written in Hindi so it would be open to various interpretations. This would be a part of my intention since life, too, has different people who interpret who you are differently. This memoir is open to several perspectives, allowing the audience to be creative, and allowing my intention to be met.
Explain specific choices you made with language and how they impact the piece.
“;” (Semicolon)
At first, I was going to use a comma in this sentence. However, a semicolon represents an ongoing sentence based on the one before it. The first part of this memoir starts from when I was born, and the second part is a continuation of who I am, which is why I chose a semicolon. It creates a cohesive bond between what has made my life whole.
Hindi I chose to write the memoir in Hindi for 2 reasons. Firstly, the unique perspective about languages is that they often can mean something more meaningful or “beautiful” in one, but sound possibly arrogant or strange in another. This isn’t the fault of the languages. Each language is beautiful for different reasons of expression. Similarly, I have been raised and believe in my cultural heritage to hold beauty to its languages. For instance, “Namaste”, in English, means “Hello”, but the history, background, and importance are not even closely represented in the simple every day “Hi” we use on a daily basis. Similarly, many English sentences would sound strange if translated into Hindi. Namaste, in a sentence, comes from the words “namas” (bowing) and “te” (to you)” in Sanskrit, which defines to become “The god in my eyes salutes the god I see in yours”. But that would be a bit strange to say the first time you meet someone. As a result, I chose to write my life story in the language that I find comforting. This language is a part of my identity that I am proud to withhold and is extremely meaningful. These words were said in Hindi, felt in Hindi, and experienced in Hindi, so, therefore, I chose for them to remain in their original, beautiful form. Additionally, Hindi does not have “capitals” and “lowercase” letters. Though I cannot write in Hindi, I know that, when speaking, all 32 letters are variations of each other, with different kinds of emphasis put on each letter. For instance, “Baag” and “Bhaag” look the same but mean completely different things. One means garden, while the other means “to take part”. Similarly, in English, words such as “raise” and “race” are two completely different terms. These forms of emphasis, alone, are unique and important when speaking this language of history and beauty. The words just flow, with no need for extra emphasis as well.
To add on, the literal English translation does not hold the strength of these words spoken in Hindi. “She’ll make your name shine” and “Naam roshan karegi” are in two different stratospheres. Naam roshan karegi is another way to say, “she will make you very proud”. The interpretations are completely different, which makes this memoir even more sentimental and significant to who I am as a person. I am proud to be American, but I am proud to be Indian as well. I choose to embrace my origins.
Lastly, the language is foreign and written in a way that looks strange to most people unless it is being read by someone who knows the language. This reflects who I am as well. I may be perceived to be a certain way by some people, but my life journey is unique and unknown to anyone else, just like everyone else. Everyone has a story that we’d never think they had.
As part of the above, you should discuss how you changed (or could have changed) the six words or their order during the drafting process and the difference the changes might have made in the impact/meaning of your memoir.
The original memoir was “Jhansi’s Queen will make you proud.” I found this to lack meaning, and I thought it sounded plain and boring. Additionally, it would sound like I was referring to myself as a queen, which I wasn’t. This memoir wouldn’t be relatable to anyone, nor would it be as meaningful as it had been to me. As a result, I changed the memoir to be “She will make you very proud.” I found this to be more meaningful, but at the end of the day, I found the sentence to make it look like I was living under the basis of making someone else proud. It may sound like I was overthinking it, but these 6 words had to be a clear representation of me. These words have only been encouraging in my life. I decided the portion of “Jhansi’s queen” was a necessary aspect to express how my parent’s words are meaningful and a representation of my personality. I kept repeating the memoir in my head and it made so much more sense in Hindi. I asked Mrs. Fleck if I could write the memoir in Hindi, and when she said I could, I was extremely excited. At first, I wrote, “Jhansi Ki Rani, Naam Roshan Karegi”. However, after reading it aloud, I felt like the sentence was talking about the “Queen of Jhansi” making someone proud, so I chose to switch the order. Soon after, I began repeating “Naam Roshan Karegi, Jhansi Ki Rani” out loud, but found the comma still making it sound like the memoir was about Manikarnika, which is known as “Jhansi Ki Rani”. I tried adding a period, however, this caused a feeling of abruptness when in reality, both of these phrases were apart of one another. As a result, I added a semicolon and wrote the phrase in Hindi.
Share the full story behind the memoir from your perspective: Where did it originate? Why did you choose this experience or idea?
“Tera naam roshan karegi”. This is what my dad told my mom the moment I was born. In English, this means “She’ll make you proud”. My mom never told me that my father told her this until much later in my life, but when she did, it meant the world. Ever since I was a child, I have been keen on working hard and trying my best. As I grew older, I became self-driven, often causing myself to push and challenge myself enough, but not to the point where I had crossed my limits. My parents are always supportive of me. They know that I am one who naturally challenges myself, and loves it. Whenever I make my parents proud and they tell me, it always encourages me to grow and continue to evolve, which has built me up to become who I am today. Additionally, I am very close to my parents, so their unconditional support that I am extremely grateful for keeps me going.
Jhansi Ki Rani Manikarnika married King Gangadhar Rao and became the Queen of Jhansi in 1842. After her marriage, she became known as Lakshmibai in honor of the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. She has a son in 1851 who died at 4 months and adopted another son to continue their legacy. However, her husband requested the British government of India to be the ruler of Jhansi after his death. However, after the death of her husband, the British took over Jhansi. The “Doctrine of Lapse” stated that if an Indian ruler died without a male child, an adopted son cannot succeed him. Eventually, by 1857, Indian troops were able to kill the British, and Manikarnika took over Jhansi. She only believed in one thing. Independence. She didn’t care about the “male king” dominated world. She was the one who always broke stereotypes and often would sword fight and goes horseback riding since she was extremely young. So when British forces returned in 1858 to take over the Jhansi again, the determined, stereotype breaking queen, herself, fought, until she died, with her last words being “Azadi”, which means freedom. This determined, strong, beautiful, and hardworking Queen has been an inspiration for numerous people, including me.
Whenever I would be upset when I was younger, my parents always comforted me and said “Yeh toh meri Jhansi ki Rani hai”. This translates to “You’re my Queen of Jhansi”. I always felt stronger when my parents told me this, especially since my grandma, a history teacher, had told me the tale of Manikarnika ever since I was 4. Jhansi ki Rani is a representation of a tale of strength and never giving up, which is something I attempt to live up to every day of my life. Whenever I got hurt, if my parents reminded me I was “Jhansi Ki Rani”, I would smile and feel less pain. It is a way of encouraging me to remember that girls, in any part of history, including the part that I am currently a part of, have the strength to make an impact on the rest of the world. Therefore, I choose Jhansi Ki Rani as one of the most courageous historical figures I know.
Discuss how family or friends interpret the memoir and what they think it is about vs. your intended meaning.
In class, my peers did not understand the words written in Hindi. However, they assumed that it represented my heritage and something meaningful from my religious background, which is why it was written in Hindi. This is definitely what I wanted to have the phrase come off as without explanation. Additionally, they thought it was mysterious, which wasn’t intended, but the drill sounded like an amazing description of a foreign language. Once I showed them the literal English translation, “She’ll make your name shine; the Queen of Jhansi”, my peers assumed that the memoir could be about an agent making someone famous, a metaphor for being a leader, or a compliment from someone. In reality, “she’ll make your name shine” was another way to say “she’ll make you proud”, which was a quote from my dad when I was born. Additionally, this memoir was not supposed to be talking about the Queen of Jhansi. This had sentimental value to me but also was meant to express strength and unique perspectives on life.
My parents, who understood Hindi, were quick to understand I used their words to express how they keep me going. My parents smiled as told me now both of the phrases were “me in a nutshell”. My grandma from India told me that I was clearly represented in both phrases based off of my journey in life and what I’ve been through. My older cousin told me that I was making him proud and the terms “Jhansi Ki Rani” matched me since I was in Taekwondo and I was mentally strong. These were my exact intentions when writing this memoir, which goes to convey another point that needed to come through; the people that don’t know us never know our journey until they get to know us.
In Hindi, written in English: naam roshan karegi; “Jhansi ki Rani”
Pronunciation: “Naam roe-shun kur-eg-ee; jha-see kee raanee”
Literal English Translation: “She’ll make your name shine; “The Queen of Jhansi’”
Describe the mixture of literal and inferential information given and how the latter might allow the memoir to be interpreted in various ways.
Literal: The audience can assume that Jhansi is a place since there is a queen of it. Additionally, they can assume it is not the current queen since Jhansi is not in England, and that is the only area with a “monarch” figure. The audience can also assume that the 6-word memoir is about a young girl, and that “she’ll” indicates what is going to happen in the future. For those who cannot read Hindi, they can assume that the 6-word memoir is probably written in a foreign language.
Inferential/Latter Based Interpretation: The audience can assume that this memoir could be about an agent and a role of a queen in a movie. “She’ll make your name shine” as “The Queen of Jhansi” in a movie could be advice for an agent who wants to be famous. Another interpretation could be that the Queen of Jhansi would be the one making someone proud. Many people who know about “Manikarnika”, (the Queen of Jhansi), see her as a representation of strength, which would lead them to believe the memoir talks about her. For those who don’t know about “Jhansi ki Rani”, they can assume that the author strives to be like this person. However, many can assume that “she’ll make your name shine” could be another way to say that “she’ll make you proud”, which allows the reader to believe that someone has said this about the author. The semicolon represents a slight pause of explanation, which indicates what the author is specifically referring to. “The Queen of Jhansi” could be a comparison to the girl being referred to in the first part, which allows the audience to infer that that queen must be important in the author’s life.
For those who do not understand Hindi, the interpretations could be related to the words reflecting a religious saying. This could lead a few to believe that this is about someone who is very religious or knows how to write in Hindi (I don’t but my parents helped me). Another interpretation could be that the memoir was written in Hindi so it would be open to various interpretations. This would be a part of my intention since life, too, has different people who interpret who you are differently. This memoir is open to several perspectives, allowing the audience to be creative, and allowing my intention to be met.
Explain specific choices you made with language and how they impact the piece.
“;” (Semicolon)
At first, I was going to use a comma in this sentence. However, a semicolon represents an ongoing sentence based on the one before it. The first part of this memoir starts from when I was born, and the second part is a continuation of who I am, which is why I chose a semicolon. It creates a cohesive bond between what has made my life whole.
Hindi I chose to write the memoir in Hindi for 2 reasons. Firstly, the unique perspective about languages is that they often can mean something more meaningful or “beautiful” in one, but sound possibly arrogant or strange in another. This isn’t the fault of the languages. Each language is beautiful for different reasons of expression. Similarly, I have been raised and believe in my cultural heritage to hold beauty to its languages. For instance, “Namaste”, in English, means “Hello”, but the history, background, and importance are not even closely represented in the simple every day “Hi” we use on a daily basis. Similarly, many English sentences would sound strange if translated into Hindi. Namaste, in a sentence, comes from the words “namas” (bowing) and “te” (to you)” in Sanskrit, which defines to become “The god in my eyes salutes the god I see in yours”. But that would be a bit strange to say the first time you meet someone. As a result, I chose to write my life story in the language that I find comforting. This language is a part of my identity that I am proud to withhold and is extremely meaningful. These words were said in Hindi, felt in Hindi, and experienced in Hindi, so, therefore, I chose for them to remain in their original, beautiful form. Additionally, Hindi does not have “capitals” and “lowercase” letters. Though I cannot write in Hindi, I know that, when speaking, all 32 letters are variations of each other, with different kinds of emphasis put on each letter. For instance, “Baag” and “Bhaag” look the same but mean completely different things. One means garden, while the other means “to take part”. Similarly, in English, words such as “raise” and “race” are two completely different terms. These forms of emphasis, alone, are unique and important when speaking this language of history and beauty. The words just flow, with no need for extra emphasis as well.
To add on, the literal English translation does not hold the strength of these words spoken in Hindi. “She’ll make your name shine” and “Naam roshan karegi” are in two different stratospheres. Naam roshan karegi is another way to say, “she will make you very proud”. The interpretations are completely different, which makes this memoir even more sentimental and significant to who I am as a person. I am proud to be American, but I am proud to be Indian as well. I choose to embrace my origins.
Lastly, the language is foreign and written in a way that looks strange to most people unless it is being read by someone who knows the language. This reflects who I am as well. I may be perceived to be a certain way by some people, but my life journey is unique and unknown to anyone else, just like everyone else. Everyone has a story that we’d never think they had.
As part of the above, you should discuss how you changed (or could have changed) the six words or their order during the drafting process and the difference the changes might have made in the impact/meaning of your memoir.
The original memoir was “Jhansi’s Queen will make you proud.” I found this to lack meaning, and I thought it sounded plain and boring. Additionally, it would sound like I was referring to myself as a queen, which I wasn’t. This memoir wouldn’t be relatable to anyone, nor would it be as meaningful as it had been to me. As a result, I changed the memoir to be “She will make you very proud.” I found this to be more meaningful, but at the end of the day, I found the sentence to make it look like I was living under the basis of making someone else proud. It may sound like I was overthinking it, but these 6 words had to be a clear representation of me. These words have only been encouraging in my life. I decided the portion of “Jhansi’s queen” was a necessary aspect to express how my parent’s words are meaningful and a representation of my personality. I kept repeating the memoir in my head and it made so much more sense in Hindi. I asked Mrs. Fleck if I could write the memoir in Hindi, and when she said I could, I was extremely excited. At first, I wrote, “Jhansi Ki Rani, Naam Roshan Karegi”. However, after reading it aloud, I felt like the sentence was talking about the “Queen of Jhansi” making someone proud, so I chose to switch the order. Soon after, I began repeating “Naam Roshan Karegi, Jhansi Ki Rani” out loud, but found the comma still making it sound like the memoir was about Manikarnika, which is known as “Jhansi Ki Rani”. I tried adding a period, however, this caused a feeling of abruptness when in reality, both of these phrases were apart of one another. As a result, I added a semicolon and wrote the phrase in Hindi.
Share the full story behind the memoir from your perspective: Where did it originate? Why did you choose this experience or idea?
“Tera naam roshan karegi”. This is what my dad told my mom the moment I was born. In English, this means “She’ll make you proud”. My mom never told me that my father told her this until much later in my life, but when she did, it meant the world. Ever since I was a child, I have been keen on working hard and trying my best. As I grew older, I became self-driven, often causing myself to push and challenge myself enough, but not to the point where I had crossed my limits. My parents are always supportive of me. They know that I am one who naturally challenges myself, and loves it. Whenever I make my parents proud and they tell me, it always encourages me to grow and continue to evolve, which has built me up to become who I am today. Additionally, I am very close to my parents, so their unconditional support that I am extremely grateful for keeps me going.
Jhansi Ki Rani Manikarnika married King Gangadhar Rao and became the Queen of Jhansi in 1842. After her marriage, she became known as Lakshmibai in honor of the goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. She has a son in 1851 who died at 4 months and adopted another son to continue their legacy. However, her husband requested the British government of India to be the ruler of Jhansi after his death. However, after the death of her husband, the British took over Jhansi. The “Doctrine of Lapse” stated that if an Indian ruler died without a male child, an adopted son cannot succeed him. Eventually, by 1857, Indian troops were able to kill the British, and Manikarnika took over Jhansi. She only believed in one thing. Independence. She didn’t care about the “male king” dominated world. She was the one who always broke stereotypes and often would sword fight and goes horseback riding since she was extremely young. So when British forces returned in 1858 to take over the Jhansi again, the determined, stereotype breaking queen, herself, fought, until she died, with her last words being “Azadi”, which means freedom. This determined, strong, beautiful, and hardworking Queen has been an inspiration for numerous people, including me.
Whenever I would be upset when I was younger, my parents always comforted me and said “Yeh toh meri Jhansi ki Rani hai”. This translates to “You’re my Queen of Jhansi”. I always felt stronger when my parents told me this, especially since my grandma, a history teacher, had told me the tale of Manikarnika ever since I was 4. Jhansi ki Rani is a representation of a tale of strength and never giving up, which is something I attempt to live up to every day of my life. Whenever I got hurt, if my parents reminded me I was “Jhansi Ki Rani”, I would smile and feel less pain. It is a way of encouraging me to remember that girls, in any part of history, including the part that I am currently a part of, have the strength to make an impact on the rest of the world. Therefore, I choose Jhansi Ki Rani as one of the most courageous historical figures I know.
Discuss how family or friends interpret the memoir and what they think it is about vs. your intended meaning.
In class, my peers did not understand the words written in Hindi. However, they assumed that it represented my heritage and something meaningful from my religious background, which is why it was written in Hindi. This is definitely what I wanted to have the phrase come off as without explanation. Additionally, they thought it was mysterious, which wasn’t intended, but the drill sounded like an amazing description of a foreign language. Once I showed them the literal English translation, “She’ll make your name shine; the Queen of Jhansi”, my peers assumed that the memoir could be about an agent making someone famous, a metaphor for being a leader, or a compliment from someone. In reality, “she’ll make your name shine” was another way to say “she’ll make you proud”, which was a quote from my dad when I was born. Additionally, this memoir was not supposed to be talking about the Queen of Jhansi. This had sentimental value to me but also was meant to express strength and unique perspectives on life.
My parents, who understood Hindi, were quick to understand I used their words to express how they keep me going. My parents smiled as told me now both of the phrases were “me in a nutshell”. My grandma from India told me that I was clearly represented in both phrases based off of my journey in life and what I’ve been through. My older cousin told me that I was making him proud and the terms “Jhansi Ki Rani” matched me since I was in Taekwondo and I was mentally strong. These were my exact intentions when writing this memoir, which goes to convey another point that needed to come through; the people that don’t know us never know our journey until they get to know us.