Curing Caste by Sahodaran Ayyappan_ Comprehension Questions
- I Semester UG Common Course
Comprehension Questions:
What, according to the author, are the two types of cures for the Caste disease?
Sahodaran Ayyappan suggests two cures for the caste disease: one is applied from the outside and the other is from the inside.
Why are external ointments not effective for the caste disease?
The cures that are only applied externally leave the real causes of the caste problem unsolved. External ointments or solutions applied outside are short-lived.
What are the symptoms of caste disease according to sages?
According to sages, hate, gossip, and nationalist rhetoric are symptoms of inwardly drawn caste disease. These symptoms exist dormant in the collective psyche of society.
Explain the phrase “hate rhetoric”.
Hate rhetoric is hate speech. Individuals who nurture caste- bias are prone to become successful as politicians who rally masses in the name of caste and hate speech. Politicians exploit caste disease to gather support and secure power.
How do those who have faith in caste glorify caste?
Those who have faith in caste glorify caste by equating caste with truth, morality and divinity. For them, breaking caste is forbidden and living casteless in a society is a cause of shame.
Whom does the “medico” in the poem represent?
The term “medico” indicates a physical or doctor, which here means the doctors who treat society, the social reformers.
What is meant by the word “dogma”?
The term dogma means blind faith of unquestioned belief. Ayyappan speaks about the importance of exterminating the dogmas of caste in the poem “Curing Caste”.
What happens when the dogmas and conventions of caste change?
When change occurs in dogmas and conventions of caste, human beings can appreciate each other fully.
What is the power gained by those who are cured of the caste disease?
Only those who are completely cured of the caste disease can observe the defects and qualities of a person.
Mere intelligence and learning are not sufficient to gain full human potential. What else is needed?
Without getting rid of caste, according to Ayyappan, no result shall be obtained by mere intelligence or learning.
