Passage to India - Be Prepared

A. A Passage to India

Mr Simen spoke about a literature classic which he read called "A Passage to India (1924) by E. M. Forster. The theme was to 'be prepared' and to be aligned with the school environment and culture.

Set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s, Foster's book (since then made into a movie) revolves around Adela Quested, a young Englishwoman, who travels to India in the late 1920s to visit her fiance, a British judge, Ronny Heaslop who is posted to a small town. Adela's companion is Ronny's mother, Mrs. Moore. They want to see something of the country and to meet everyday Indians, but are frustrated by the British colonial attitudes which prevail. The colonial mentality is that relations with the locals are best experienced from a distance. Finally, they make the acquaintance of Dr Aziz who brings them on an outing to the nearby caverns to view the real India.

The visit is a disaster. Mrs Moore is unable to take the heat and hears an echo in one of the caves which shakes her confidence in everything she believes in. She experiences an overwhelming sense of horror which completely overcomes her good naturedness and sense of good good humour; Afterwards, Mrs. Moore becomes sullen and depressed and soon dies from heat exhaustion on the journey home to Britain.

B. Be Prepared

The key theme is to "Be Prepared". It is very important to be "in-sync" with the school culture and tone.

Mr Simen spoke about how it would have been convienient and easy to get the discipline master to pull out those with long hair, to get a scissors and snip their hair. There would be 100 percent compliance.

However, he told us that it was not the Montfortian way of doing this. How else could you teach students discernming in accordance to the school mission and vision? How else could you teach them gentlemanliness and initiative? He gave the students with long hair till Friday to get it cut. He also challenged all to do what is right and to exercise good judgement by simply looking at the school visio and mission.

C. The Rest of the Passage to India

After the visit to the cave, Mrs Moore's companion, Adela has delusions that Aziz is making sexual advances toward her. She flees the cave in a panic and is discovered running headlong down the hill, bloody and disheveled. Aziz is immediately jailed to await trial for attempted rape, and an uproar ensues between the Indians and the English.

Her condition was brought about by the remorseless heat, the strangeness of her surroundings, her growing dismay over her future husband's character, and (perhaps) her feelings of attraction, fraught with shame, for Dr. Aziz

As the trial proceeds, matters get more exciting. Mrs. Moore's feelings concerning old age and her impending mortality haunts her. She firmly believes in Aziz's innocence but refuses to testify before deciding to leave for England.

Fortunately, Adela's mind gradually clears and she realizes she has made a mistake. Adela clears Dr. Aziz in open court. The English are forced to make an ignominious retreat while the Indians carry Dr. Aziz out of the courtroom on their shoulders, cheering wildly. In the aftermath, Adela breaks off her engagement and leaves India, while Dr. Aziz doffs his Western attire, dons traditional dress and withdraws completely from Anglo-Indian society. Although he remains angry and bitter for years, the final scene shows Miss Quested at home in England, reading a letter from Dr. Aziz conveying his thanks and forgiveness