On the 16th of April 2022, Books and Beyond of Kumaraguru conducted an online book discussion event named “Tug of Words”. The event commenced at 6pm and the discussion went on for about 2 hrs. Microsoft Teams was used as the online platform. Tug of Words provides a platform for people to interpret and share their views and perceptions on a specific book, short story or article.

The short story that was chosen for our open discussion was “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’ Connor. A brief welcome address was delivered followed by a short summary of the story.

About 10 participants participated with zeal and shared their opinions and views about each character. It’s a story of a family of six that, on its way to Florida for a vacation, gets wiped out by an escaped convict who calls himself the Misfit. It paved a way for participants to view the characters from different angles and had a chance to hear everyone’s perspective. Serious discussions were happening while analysing the morals and values the characters hold. The session was made more interactive and understanding, movies and series such as “The Attack on Titan”, “The Avatar”, “Katradhu Tamizh” and “12 Angry Men” were used as references. “Thirukkural” played an important factor in the discussion as it provided solutions for various problems humans face physically and mentally and thus providing emotional stability.   

The session was very interactive overall. The ideas of hope and morals were thrown to light. The discussion ended with a note on the belief of hope even in complete darkness. The session came to an end by 8pm.