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The Shah of Bratpuhr
Khashdrahr Miasma is the Shah of Bratpuhr’s translator and nephew. Although he speaks perfect English, he has never ventured beyond the confines of the Shah’s palace—until now. A polite young man who deeply reveres the Shah, Khashdrahr accompanies his leader on a visit to the United States, where he acts as an interpreter between the Shah and everyone he meets. When angry Ghost Shirt revolutionaries block the limousine escorting the Shah, Khashdrahr, and Halyard, Khashdrahr viciously defends the Shah with a knife. This, however, doesn’t save them from the enraged mob; the Shah and Khashdrahr end up getting dragged into the uprising, since they are mistaken for Ghost Shirts themselves. They later find themselves lying in a trench near a blockade built to keep the police out of Ilium during the overthrow.
Khashdrahr Miasma Quotes in Player Piano
The Player Piano quotes below are all either spoken by Khashdrahr Miasma or refer to Khashdrahr Miasma. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 2 Quotes
“[…] we’ve raised the standard of living of the average man immensely.”
Khashdrahr stopped translating and frowned perplexedly. “Please, this average man, there is no equivalent in our language, I’m afraid.”
“You know,” said Halyard, “the ordinary man, like, well, anybody—those men working back on the bridge, the man in that old car we passed. The little man, not brilliant but a good-hearted, plain, ordinary, everyday kind of person.”
Khashdrahr translated.
“Aha,” said the Shah, nodding, “Takaru.”
“What did he say?”
“Takaru,” said Khashdrahr. “Slave.”
“No Takaru,” said Halyard, speaking directly to the Shah. “Ci-ti-zen.”
“Ahhhhh,” said the Shah. “Ci-ti-zen.” He grinned happily. “Takaru—citizen. Citizen—Takaru.”
“No Takaru!” said Halyard.
Khashdrahr shrugged. “In the Shah’s land are only the Elite and the Takaru.”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Khashdrahr Miasma Character Timeline in Player Piano
The timeline below shows where the character Khashdrahr Miasma appears in Player Piano. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...Bratpuhr—who is the “spiritual leader” of the “Kolhouri sect”—sits in a limousine with his translator, Khashdrahr Miasma. The two men are on a tour of the United States led by Doctor...
(full context)
...the lives of the “average man” by getting rid of human error and unnecessary competition. Khashdrahr asks Halyard what he means by “average man,” since there’s no translation for it. Halyard...
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Chapter 7
The Shah of Bratpuhr goes with Halyard and Khashdrahr to visit the US Army. The Army company marches before him, saluting him as the...
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Chapter 11
Doctor Halyard, the Shah of Bratpuhr, and Khashdrahr are at the Carlsbad Caverns, which is home to the country’s largest computer. The computer...
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...States, Jonathan Lynn, arrives to give a speech, and Halyard sits with the Shah and Khashdrahr in the audience in one of the caverns. The Shah doesn’t quite see the purpose...
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...on his knees, and sings something to it. He’s disappointed not to receive a reply. Khashdrahr explains that the Shah asked EPICAC an “ancient riddle,” but the President says this is...
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Chapter 17
Doctor Halyard brings the Shah and Khashdrahr to Chicago so they can visit the family home of a typical Reclamation and Reconstruction...
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...“Get a little fun out of life,” he adds. This perplexes both the Shah and Khashdrahr, who follows up this question by asking what Wanda actually does for fun. Wanda thinks...
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...on the window, peering into the house and saying “Brahouna!” as he waves at them. Khashdrahr stands next to him and translates, saying, “‘Live!’”
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Chapter 24
...gives it to her, speaking comfortingly as he opens the limousine to let her out. Khashdrahr translates, telling the woman that the Shah wishes her good luck and that “some of...
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Chapter 33
Halyard rides through Ilium with the Shah and Khashdrahr, who can sense that his social status has diminished ever since he came back from...
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The driver of the Shah’s limousine tries to make a run for it, but Khashdrahr puts a knife to his neck and forces him to keep driving the limousine through...
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...he tries to reconstruct what happened, he hears two Ghost Shirts mistaking the Shah and Khashdrahr for members of their own society, sending them to help block a nearby road.
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As the Shah and Khashdrahr are escorted into a truck full of grenades and taken away, Lasher and Finnerty use...
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Chapter 35
...their way to the roadblock—where the authorities are waiting for them—Paul and the others pass Khashdrahr and the Shah sleeping peacefully in a trench. Paying them no mind, Lasher takes out...
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