A 1996 commencement speech

A 1996 commencement speech

                                                                        - Salman Rushdie, India (1947- )

I. Literal Comprehension

Context: This text is a speech delivered by Salman Rushdie (1947- ) at the commencement programme at Bard College in 1996. In this text, the writer has given some suggestions to the students attending the programme while sharing his experience of similar occasion at Cambridge University.

            Mr Rushdie graduated from Cambridge University in 1968. A few nights before his graduation day, someone littered his room with a thick brown gravy-and-onion sauce. The administration accused him of muck-spreading and decided to make him pay fine. He paid up the fine though he was not guilty. In a defiant spirit, he went to the ceremony wearing brown shoes instead of black ones, but he was plucked out of the parade and sent back to his room to change. He changed his shoes hurriedly and reached the ceremony. As his turn came, he held a university officer by his little finger and followed him slowly up to where the Vice-Chancellor sat upon a throne. As instructed, he knelt at his feet, held up his hands, palms together, in a gesture of supplication, and begged in Latin for the degree. The elderly Vice-Chancellor admitted him to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Now, he thinks he made mistake then by accepting the injustice and humiliation for the degree. He should not have compromised.

            Mr Rushdie advises his audience (the Bard graduates) to defy all sorts of gods because they demand to be worshipped and obeyed, and seek to limit and control their thoughts and lives. He says that it is by defying the gods that human beings have best expressed their humanity. The Greeks have told many stories of quarrels between human beings and the gods. In those stories, the gods and goddesses have treated the human beings very cruelly. Therefore, the rule of such cruel gods should not be preferred to self-rule, however flawed that may be. The gods are weakened by their show of strength while human beings grow stronger even though they are destroyed. Therefore, we human beings should not bow our heads to the gods.

II. Interpretation

This text might be trying to tell us that we must be critical thinkers. We must think well before doing something. We must raise questions against any kind of authority, even the authority of gods and goddesses, if we want to save ourselves from being slaves. We must not accept humiliation and blame if we know we are not guilty. We must not compromise with anybody at the cost of our dignity. Otherwise, we will be in agony for whole life like the writer. Nowadays, he regrets the compromise he made long ago for his B.A. degree. This text also encourages us to be guided by our own nature. We mustn't pretend to be anybody else or a god. We must accept and appreciate our humanly weaknesses and stop bowing our heads to gods.

III. Critical Thinking

The writer thinks that all gods are cruel and do not take care of human beings. I don't think so and don't agree with him that defying is the only means of getting freedom. It is also not possible to fight with everybody and everywhere. There are many occasions in one's life when one has to compromise with others. If the writer had not compromised, he would not have got the university degree. If he had not got the degree, he would not have the confidence to face the world and express his opinions so boldly. It is also not always possible to act on our own volition. An individual is not above the rules and regulations of an institution. Therefore, the writer should not have taken his university's action on him as humiliation. It is his own weakness that he could not prove himself innocent.

IV. Assimilation

This text has taught me to raise voice against any kind of injustice. I am also going to raise questions to the wrong-doings of the authorities in the days to come.