IGNOU MEG 8 Solved Question Paper

Welcome to our blog, In this post, we’re sharing the IGNOU MEG 8 Solved Question Paper of June 2021 examination, focusing on New Literatures in English.

This guide is here to help you prepare for your exams with clear answers and explanations. Whether you’re just starting or revising for your exams, this resource will make studying easier and more effective.

In this post, we’ll discuss all the answers including the short and long answer questions.

You can also download all previous year question papers of Meg 8 from our website.

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Question 1

1. What is ‘Postcolonial Literature’ ? What part have diasporic writers played in the creation of postcolonial literature ?

Postcolonial literature refers to the body of literary works produced by writers from countries that were once colonised, especially by European powers such as Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal. It includes writings that reflect the experience of colonisation and its impact on people, culture, identity, language, and politics. Postcolonial literature often explores themes such as racial discrimination, cultural clash, loss of identity, displacement, and resistance against imperial powers. It gives voice to those who were historically silenced or misrepresented during colonial rule.

This type of literature usually aims to challenge the dominant colonial narratives that glorified the empire and portrayed colonised people as inferior. Instead, postcolonial writers present their own side of the story, showing the emotional, cultural, and political damage caused by colonialism. They often question the authority of the colonisers, recover native histories, and try to rebuild their own cultural identities. Postcolonial literature can be written in the native languages of the former colonies or in the language of the coloniser—often English or French. Writers sometimes use the coloniser’s language to speak back and reclaim their own stories, identities, and dignity.

Diasporic writers have played a very important role in the creation and development of postcolonial literature. These writers are part of a diaspora—a group of people who have left or been removed from their homeland and now live in different countries, often due to colonisation, slavery, or migration. Diasporic writers bring a unique perspective to postcolonial literature because they write from a position of cultural in-betweenness. They often belong to two or more cultures and write about the feelings of dislocation, identity crisis, and longing for home.

For example, Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born British writer, is one of the most famous diasporic voices. His novel Midnight’s Children uses magic realism to retell the story of India’s independence and partition. It mixes personal memory with national history and challenges the way history is officially written. His writings show how colonial history affects both personal lives and national identity.

Another important diasporic writer is V. S. Naipaul, who was born in Trinidad to Indian parents. In novels like A House for Mr. Biswas, he explores the experience of Indian communities in the Caribbean and the struggle for identity and belonging in a post-colonial world. His characters often feel rootless, caught between old traditions and modern life.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer who lives in the United States, also contributes to postcolonial literature. Her works, such as Americanah, show how race, identity, and culture shift when people move from former colonies to Western countries. She writes about African history, colonial education, and the challenges of migration, giving voice to modern diasporic experiences.

Through their works, diasporic writers have enriched postcolonial literature by showing how colonialism’s effects continue even after independence. They help readers understand how identity, memory, and history are shaped by migration, cultural loss, and the constant search for a sense of home. Their voices make postcolonial literature global, diverse, and deeply human.

Question 2

2. Write a note on Ngugi’s world-view based on your reading of A Grain of Wheat.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s world-view in A Grain of Wheat is shaped by his strong opposition to colonialism, his belief in African unity and freedom, and his deep concern for justice and moral responsibility. The novel is set during the final days of British colonial rule in Kenya, just before the country’s independence in 1963. It focuses on the lives of ordinary people in a Kenyan village and how they are affected by the Mau Mau rebellion—a real-life armed struggle against British rule.

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Question 3

3. What purpose does the ‘play within a play’ serve in A Dance of the Forests ?

In A Dance of the Forests by Wole Soyinka uses the technique of a “play within a play” to serve various several important purposes. This inner play takes place during a mystical journey where characters from the main story witness scenes from their past lives. The device is not used just for entertainment; it adds spiritual depth, reveals hidden truths, and delivers powerful messages about personal responsibility, history, and the future of African society.

One major purpose of the “play within a play” is to reveal the hidden past of the characters. Soyinka introduces two spirit characters known as the Dead Man and the Dead Woman. They are not just ghosts; they represent the forgotten and unresolved past. During the festival of independence, when the living are busy celebrating a new future, the spirits demand that the living first confront their past sins. The inner play shows how the characters in the present had committed serious mistakes in their earlier lives. For example, Demoke, a carver in the present, is shown to have caused the death of another carver in a past life. This inner drama forces him—and others—to reflect on their guilt and failures.

Secondly, the “play within a play” helps Soyinka criticize the idea of blind celebration of independence. Nigeria was gaining freedom at the time this play was written, and many people were excited about building a new nation. But Soyinka warns that a new beginning must not ignore past mistakes. Through the scenes shown in the inner play, he reminds the audience that people must understand their history, accept their guilt, and learn from their errors before moving forward. Otherwise, the same mistakes will be repeated in the future.

The inner play also serves as a mirror to the audience. It is not just the characters on stage who are being judged—the audience is also invited to look at their own actions and history. Soyinka believes that African societies should not blame only colonialism for their problems. He shows that corruption, pride, and injustice existed even before the arrival of Europeans. The inner play becomes a way to explore African self-examination and cultural renewal.

Finally, the “play within a play” is deeply connected to Yoruba mythology and traditional African theatre, which often includes music, dance, spirits, and symbolic journeys. Soyinka blends these traditional elements with modern theatre techniques to create a rich, multi-layered drama. The inner play adds a mystical and symbolic layer to the overall story, making the main message more powerful and thought-provoking.

Through this device, Soyinka brings together past, present, and future in one space and shows that true freedom comes only when individuals and societies face their truth with honesty and courage.

Question 4

4. Examine the trauma of partition based on your reading of The Ice-Candy Man.

Bapsi Sidhwa’s Ice-Candy-Man is a powerful novel that captures the trauma of the Partition of India in 1947 through the innocent yet observant eyes of a young Parsi girl named Lenny. Though Lenny belongs to a neutral community, she witnesses the deep pain, violence, fear, and betrayal that tore apart millions of lives when British India was divided into India and Pakistan. The novel presents the Partition not just as a historical event but as a human tragedy, especially for women and minorities.

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Question 5

5. Examine the social concerns expressed in A House for Mr. Biswas.

V. S. Naipaul’s A House for Mr. Biswas is a deeply reflective novel that expresses several important social concerns, especially within the context of the Indian diaspora in Trinidad. It portrays the struggles of Mohun Biswas, a man of Indo-Trinidadian heritage, who spends his entire life fighting for personal independence, identity, and dignity in a society shaped by colonial history, poverty, and traditional family expectations. Through Mr. Biswas’s life, Naipaul brings attention to several key social issues.

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Question 6

6. Examine Walcott’s poetry in the light of the relationship between history and language.

Derek Walcott’s poem A Far Cry from Africa is a powerful example of how he uses poetry to explore the deep connection between history and language. Walcott, a Caribbean poet born in St. Lucia, lived in a postcolonial world shaped by European colonisation, slavery, and cultural mixing. In his poetry, he often shows how the history of violence and oppression in the Caribbean is tied to the language people speak, especially English—the language of the coloniser.

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