Kashmir and Qazigund analysis

Kashmir and Qazigund analysis

Kashmir and Qazigund are two very different regions. Such a difference is further elaborated in the extract taken from An Area of Darkness, by V.S. Naipaul. Two extracts are taken from this book and each extract has its own place to be talked about. I am going to discuss how these extracts made me feel when reading them.

Starting with the first paragraph, in Kashmir, the place strikes me as one of the most beautiful places. "Kashmir was coolness and colour" is the first thing that was said about it. I take this phrase literally, when I think of coolness I imagine a fresh gust of air blowing between a valley. Mentioning color also leads me to believe that the place is not only colorful, but the colors are bright and welcoming as well. Not only is Kashmir a beautiful place but it has a "blue sky in which we rediscovered the drama of clouds." This sentence is talking about how calming the blue sky is and how while the clouds were once mundane in nature they have become one of the most exciting things to see. It further accentuates how beautiful this place is. From the ground all the way to the sky.

The second paragraph is about Qazigund. Qazigund is described much differently than Kashmir is. Kashmir is described by the beauty of the colors and the elaborate environment. Qazigund on the other hand is described by the smell and dirtiness of the town. "a smell in the cold air of charcoal, tobacco, cooking oil, months-old dirt, and human excrement." This town is not only dirty but reeks of a mixture of terribly strong and bad smells. This setting makes me feel disgusted by showing smells rather than sight. By showing what the smells are we can develop a much better understanding of disgust rather than being described the sight. For example, the smell of tobacco is much more impactful than what it looks like. There still is some sight explained, "mud-packed roofs of cottages" but this too is the best way to describe the environment. It's easier to imagine the sight of this rather than the smell.

It's easy to say that the author is very in tune with the senses and can very accurately describe the environment in the best way possible. Despite both paragraphs being described in completely different senses and environments, I was able to easily depict exactly what emotions were being portrayed.