As we know, blackboards are where teachers write lessons and students pay attention. This simple technology facilitates the giving and receiving of knowledge. The blackboard cannot be separated from the teacher. It is their first and last sign, like the flag in a scene of defeat. 

Justice, the formulation of which is always unfinished, constantly produces thrilling stories, grand ideals, strong desires, and violence.

Historians note how Napoleon managed to change France, Europe and other parts of the world. After the French Revolution ended the feudal order, he, a revolutionary army officer, emerged as ‘Consul’ from the political ruins.

Yes, death and cruelty do not disappear because of One Thousand and One Nights, but life can be better because of stories and their tellers.

The ‘Malay world’ in this novel is not a closed, impenetrable world. In this novel at least, that kind of world does not become ‘local color’. Usually in literary criticism, what is called ‘local color’ is something identifiable—because it is whole, homogenous and distinctive: descriptions of landscape, customs and local dialects used in the story.

Kartini’s language, the language of a 20-year-old, is like a storm, although not immediately evident. It is not linear, or flat. Hyperbole arises in many sections, particularly when she mentions something (or someone) that she likes. Exclamation marks abound.