Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist and poet whose magnum opus or masterpiece novel 'Things Fall Apart' is one of the widely read African novel. Published in 1958, the novel covers the pre colonial and post colonial period in Nigeria.
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Que. 1 What is historical context of Things Fall Apart ?
The novel Things Fall Apart is historically connected with the independence of Nigeria. Nigeria was under British empire's occupancy. Nigeria became independent on 1st October 1960.
“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.”
― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Que. What is the significance of the title ?
Ans: The title of the novel is taken from W B Yeats' poem 'The Second Coming'. The poem was written in 1919.
Here is the video presentation made by our group in which 5 students worked on the various aspects and devices of the novel. We recorded the series of the videos and presented in the hybrid lectures.
THE SENSE OF AN ENDING – GROUP TASK
1. Author's Introduction - Julian Barnes
2. Novel's Introduction
3. Structure
4. Setting
5. Characters
6. Plot of 'The Sense of an Ending'
7. Themes
8. Symbols
9. Title Significance
10. Film Adaptation
11. Learning Outcome - Rohit
Additionally, my following analogy about the novel is something which everyone, specifically youngsters who are assumed as cream of every society, must read and apply. So here it goes.
I raise my anger on Tony's character. Not because of what he did in his younger days, but because of why he didn't do the things which were necessary to do when he was young. Instead of envying Adrian's clarity of life, Tony could have exercised to make himself clear about his own false assumptions.
I pity him. Because in his sixties, the decades in life which should be lived peacefully, he had to experience "the great unrest". I pity him for his remorse and regret. Because it has no significance. He has wasted his 'time' and has lived a bit careless life being young. Later in life being apologetic is of no use, especially when he knows nothing about Veronica's life, her relationship with Adrian. It's always better to bear and work on our 'unrest' than the 'great unrest'.
Karmic Philosophy and Theory of Relativity
If I look at my past Karmas, ranging from recent past times to many years back, there's always something which I have some sad feeling, or regret for. There has been time in which I submerged myself into deep solitude, and there has also been the time when I have found myself highly engaged with the crowd. What difference these two situation have is, they both don't exist without my consent. Being in solitude may not give me happiness and being in crowd may not.
Well, this doesn't make me a believer in Karmic philosophy but a practitioner of rational thinking. Because whatever we think, whatever we perceive as a reality, we become likewise. We might not have shared our thoughts everytime but they definitely leave their impressions in an individual's life. Sometimes they causes tremendous pain or sometimes they create pleasure. On the whole, it's a relativistic idea of thinking.
---: Knowability :---
If I'm not aware of the basic facts about something, I must not create any assumptions or hypothesis on any idea. No matter how that thought or idea pressurizes me to materialize it into action and into language. Instead of forcing outworldy entities to get me to the fact, I must practice individualism. The more we set ourselves at the centre of the subject, the more we become open to the knowledge which would fall into our place, without any effort.
---: Consciousness :---
Actions speak louder than language. Our actions bring the positive and negative feedback from people at large. So, the more we become conscious about ourselves, the more peaceful surrounding we recieve.
If 'The Sense of an Ending' puts the core message of giving mutual spaces to one another, it also gives the impression of taking all the possible responsibilities of actions, languages, and even 'thoughts' (yes, even if the last one is never visible to anybody on the Earth.) Hence, if my mere existence is philosophically self evident (yes, that's the humorous way of looking at such brightest gems of thoughts) I must relook, reread, and analyse all of my past actions, words, and thoughts being skeptical about it and by asking questions to myself, I must put all the possible efforts to make everything clear. I must acknowledge and accept all of my guilt, regrets, and past actions, good and bad experiences and remain true to myself.
Yes, here's the point when the subjectivity and objectivity matter the most. I'm no one to judge someone else's behaviour, decisions and thoughts. If I get myself actively involved into others matters, I may ruin my individual positivity. While doing formal interaction with others, one has to be objective in order to maintain the decorum.
Consciousness, the key to actively witness all the actions and events, is a remedy to our confusions and dilemmas of life. The more conscious we become in our actions the more we become aware about the outcomes and results.
-----
I found this novel highly meditative. It would be excessive to call Tony Webster an overthinker. Though he made his every effort to clarify and justify his mistake, but he couldn't. He didn't give up on the idea of seeking the truth.
As a practitioner of Yog and meditation, my meditation never allows me to be something which I'm not. Meditation has always played a key role and has been a loyal friend to me in all walks of life. With my meditation and reading this novel, I happen to emerge myself as a new version. If the collective motto of life is to acquire happiness and peace, all the initials lie in Yog and meditation.
Some ideas and thoughts come with uncontrollable thrust whenever they strike. If any of my readers are poets, painters and writers, they might have experienced it and could relate. The keen and sharp thoughts which brood into our subconscious, find a direct way through either brush, pen, pencil or keyboard, surpassing our entire consciousness.
But there's always a way to channelize such outbursts and flow. Sometimes I fail to channelize them, and sometimes I succeed. In such situations what activity we choose is vital to see.
I'm telling this because I have experienced such outbursts several times, but to name a single, it was on fortnight of the virtual annual day function in which I have written the following poem with flow of emotions.
Click Here to read my poem titled :
"March 8th 2021"
Enjoyed?
Such is a situation, if this flow is channelized properly, it can create some productive work, build a new social standard... and similarly can destroy many beautiful things and relations. I remember the dialogue from the film Andhaadhun,
"What is life? That depends on the liver."
To me, life is an ocean, water is salty, we can't drink. But what we can do is swim, to keep treading water with all the energy we have. Someday I may get tired of swimming, but I can't let myself drowned in the dark depths. Keeping myself utmost postive, accepting all the challenges, fighting the odds, one day... the journey will find its destination.
- Rohit Vyas
12. Learning Outcome - Ruchi
13. Learning Outcome - Kavisha
14. Learning Outcome - Dharti
15. Learning Outcome - Dhara
Videos will be updated soon.
Click here to read the detailed social media post about our group activity.
How often do we recall our past? Do we really narrate our memories with neutral point? What happens when certain memories flash up in mind and becomes unbearable? Do our memories shape our present self? If yes, then how much justifiable that self is?
Well, such questions largely focus on our own psyche and our own real self. We represent lot many persons in one. For example, at school we carry some responsibilities as student, teacher, principal so and so forth. Among friends we are different from work place, we remain much free and informal among friends. At office we are either a boss who strictly scolds the employees or either an employee who sincerely works and gives best out of anything.
This blog is a thinking activity assigned by our teacher Dr Dilip Barad sir. Click here to visit the teacher's blog with detailed questions.
(II) A general critique of the novel
The Sense of an Ending is the novel written by Julian Barnes and published in 2011. It is critically acknowledged as a masterpiece of the postmodern fiction. The novel has much complex style of writing yet it holds the subtlety of thoughts.
(III) Study of film adaptation
The film holds very lose context and connection with the original text.
Here's a blog post about a very well known novel series, Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling has won several awards for this novel. First book published in 1997 and successively the last book was published in 2007.
Here's a blog link from which these questions and activities are instructed by the teacher.
* Self-Help culture and Harry Potter: How does it stand by an argument that Self-Help Culture serves as a tool of social control: it soothes political unrest . . . one blames oneself for not getting better off in society and remains in one's own pursuit of self-invention, blaming oneself for the failure rather than the systems?
Ans: Self-help culture in modern literature has been much witnessed in recent times. This genre of literature deals with an individual's person life and belief system. Self help literature and self help culture are two supplementary entities between which, people seek their societal upbringing and fulfill their desire to be a part of high brow culture, largely enjoyed by the people who control many things together, by the people who hold power.
By one way or another, it can be read that, self help culture is a conditioning over minds. It is gulped down, drunk and dissolved by people either in form of politics, religions, books, videos etc. Albus Dumbledore doesn't directly help Harry but indirectly makes him make some decisions.
Power is likely to be transient and very lucid, just like water. It keeps on changing it's dimensions. (Read more here) Self help culture is controlled by elite group of society, who are wealthy,
* The theme of Choice and Chance: How does Harry Potter discusses the antithetical concepts of ‘choice’ and ‘chance’?
Ans: Choice and chance have been a matter of discussion since long. When we have choices, we hardly notice them and act. There are lot many things that we can't get to choose or make choice, for example, birth, location of birth (city, or country), gender, cultural backdrop etc.
Albus Dumbledore states about choices:
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
* The theme of Love and Death: How does Harry Potter make use of age old theme of Love of the dead as well as living as protecting armor? How does Harry Potter deal with the concept of Death as something inevitable?
Ans: Harry remembers his parent's love and care by the help of his teachers, Hagrid and Dumbledore and others. He uses this element of Love to gain strength to fight back against Voldemort. Another theme like death is stretched as part of the life journey. The death is inevitable and it's the strongest reality. So the theme of love and death is used as theme.
Confused by these words ? Obviously it's difficult at first place to read it. Actually it is Hello Readers!
Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian painter who is popular through his famous painting Mona Lisa, was read with numerous interpretations and theories. There are many books and films are released annotating Da Vinci. The time in which Da Vinci was exercising his talents was Renaissance time. Many new branches of knowledge were emerging.
"I have taken all knowledge for my province." is a famous quote by Francis Bacon of the same age. This seems to be very true with reference of Da Vinci. He has maintained his religiosity and hunger for knowledge. Back then it was difficult to cross the boundaries set by churches, so in order to gain some knowledge he had to cross the bounds.
This blog is written as a response to the film screening of Ron Howard's film The Da Vinci Code. The film was screened for better understanding of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code.
Click here to visit the teacher's blog from where the questions are answered.
Write your response to any five or more questions given in Post-viewing tasks.
Que 1. Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian, though he is on a 'constant spiritual journey' himself, and says that his book The Da Vinci Code is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith."
Ans:
Que 3. (If)You have studied ‘Genesis’ (The Bible), ‘The Paradise Lost’ (John Milton) and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (Dan Brown). Which of the narrative/s seem/s to be truthful? Whose narrative is convincing to the contemporary young mind?
Ans:
Que 4. What harm has been done to humanity by the biblical narration or that of Milton’s in The Paradise Lost? What sort of damage does narrative like ‘The Vinci Code’ do to humanity?
Ans:
Que 5. What difference do you see in the portrayal of 'Ophelia' (Kate Winslet) in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, 'Elizabeth' (Helena Bonham Carter) in Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or 'Hester Prynne' (Demi Moore) in Roland Joffé's The Scarlet Letter' or David Yates's 'Hermione Granger' (Emma Watson) in last four Harry Potter films - and 'Sophie Neuve' (Audrey Tautau) in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code? How would you justify your answer?
Ans:
Que 7. Have you come across any similar book/movie, which tries to deconstruct accepted notions about Hindu religion or culture and by dismantling it, attempts to reconstruct another possible interpretation of truth?
Ans: There are some books which, to an extent have made an attempt to uncover or re-read the Hindu religion. There are many retellings of the Hindu myths, epics and scriptures. The respective authors might have focused on cultural practices, and by doing so, they might have dismantled or reconstructed new interpretations.
1. The Hindus an Alternative History by Wendy Doniger. It can't be said that the author has tried to establish the new notions and truths. But an attempt has been made to look at the ages old religion with different insight.
3. Sita Sings the Blues - An animated fragmented retelling film of narratives around Valmiki's The Ramayana. The film does not reconstructs the new truths, but sheds light on the modern culture and the perspective of young generation to understand old myths and epics. Dialogues and visuals are humorous as well as new to ears and eyes.
What do you think? Is literature to be written for the sake of moral preaching? Is it so that if literature doesn't tell the moral of the story, is it bad literature? What kind of literature is sold nowadays in market?
Well, these are the questions which every literature student can raise. Here in this blog, topics like globalization, self-help literature, narrative structure and problems of youth are discussed taking a popular novel by Chetan Bhagat, One Night @ the Call Center. Here is the link from which the topics are elaborated and discussed. https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2014/12/chetan-bhagars-one-night-call-center.html
Write on any two or all topics:
1. Globalization and on@tcc
The word itself suggests that it has something to do with global matters. But mostly this word has many connotations with business and economics. But what a literature student has to do with economics and globalization? Literature, as it expands its horizons through history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science. has connection with lot many other branches of studies. That's why humanities is multidisciplinary.
As far as this novel is concerned, there are some layers which touch this area in terms of globalization. In the global market there's a term called BPO which stands for Business, Process and Outsourcing. The
2. Self-help and on@tcc
Self-help literature is a genre largely connected with individual development. This genre contains books which help people, grow from within, make people motivationally charged up and ready to fight with emotional odds. Reading self-help literature may not give the sense of aesthetics, but it is full of moral values and anecdotal narration, which enables readers to work on their weaker parts of personality.
Taking a bird eye view of self-help books, the tone of these books seems to have similar voice and tone. Topics like success, failure, time management, money management, personal life developments, emotional intelligence can be are largely remain at the center.
If we look at the background of genre, self-help spans few phases of its emergence and development.
The first phase touched the secular world, which was largely based on religious books. Because religion was the base which made people wise by making things great. Things which were out of the control of human agency, were made superior by narration. Mainly the god was at the central figure in those books.
The second phase can be seen as literature as whole. The very purpose of literature primarily is to make people better and think on themselves. In this way it can be stated that all literatures are self-help. Even in today's time books based on self-help are sold more than any other genres. It has a huge market.
The third phase in self-help literature was based on writings of non-fiction. This was the phase in which the narration and guidance shifted from religion or god to one's own self. Samuel Smiles in 1859 wrote the first self-help book entitled 'self-help'. It's first opening sentence was popular and groundbreaking which read: "Heaven helps those who help themselves." In 1902 James Allen wrote 'As a Man Thinketh'. A quote from it: A man is literally what he thinks, his character being a complete sum of all these thoughts.
3. Popular Literature and on@tcc
Generally, popular literature has some shallowness in terms of lesser interpretations and further discourses. The word popular is used in a derogatory way for the literature which lacks high seriousness. Literature with high seriousness and abstract thoughts is considered as high brow literature.
What popular literature does not do ?
The term popular literature is to be seen as derogatory when ON@tCC is concerned.
With reference of an online film screening conduced online on 24th Nov 2020, this blog contains the worksheet and follow up of the play "Waiting for Godot" discussed in the class. Samuel Beckett was a modern playwright and was associated with the "Theatre of the Absurd". This play is originally written in French with the title En Attendant Godot.
* What connection do you see in the setting (“A country road. A tree. Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?
Ans: These are the paintings by Casper David Friedrich, titled as "Longing." Samuel Beckett has taken the inspiration for the setting of the play "Waiting for Godot". Two persons in the paintings connects us with two main character of the play Vladimir and Estragon. The barrenness of the tree also suggests absurdity of life, emptiness and nothingness. As the two persons in the painting are waiting for something, Vladimir and Estragon are also waiting for Godot.
* The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ?
Ans: Optimistically looking at the leaves, one can say that leaves are symbol of growth, newness and hope. As such there is no hope, no newness and no tone of growth in the play, still tree as part of nature works in its own way. As natural elements like water, greenery, air, fire. . . have nothing to do with human pain, agony, anxiety, frustration and restlessness. Nature is uncaring and indifferent to human being.
* In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot?
Ans: The fall of night and rise of the moon in the play can be read as if the moon is observing the miserable humans from the heavens. In the play an interesting dialogue comes,
Vladimir: Will night never come ?
Estragon: (Contemplates Moon) "Pale Wariness... of climbing heaven and gazing on the like of us."
The absurdity and paleness is felt from this dialogue.
* The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?
Ans : Debris is a useless biproduct of building materials. While demolishing the buildings and houses, lot of debris is found. The director has used the debris very cleverly as the setting of the play is countryside road. In order to increase coarseness and barrenness in the play, debris is used.
* The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?
Ans :
* Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?
Ans :
* How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?
Ans : Hat signifies mind. Boots signify body. Estragon wears boots and he is not able to remove the boots at first, just like desires and body urges. Just like boots get vanished and get rusty, Estragon also forgets many things as if his memory is also like his boots. Vladimir wears hat and he thinks a lot. He remembers many things.
* Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?
Ans:
* Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? Or . . .
Ans : Godot is an object of desire. Desire is an endless vicious chain that ultimately leads us nowhere. If we observe a toddler playing with toys, we come to know that as soon as it looks at the better toy than it carries, it will leave that toy and will crave, run and cry for the better toy. This desire perhaps comes from the binary comparison that is hardwired in our mind. For grown ups, this desire is perhaps money, material wealth, luxuries, physical fulfilment, emotional acceptance, public recognition and fame, and what not. . . Goals and success are also sprouted from desire. Passion is also nothing but desire. Desire can be compared as fire also, which never gets extinguished.
* “The subject of the play is not Godot but ‘Waiting’” (Esslin, A Search for the Self). Do you agree? How can you justify your answer?
Ans :
* Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?
Ans : For many, reading a play is more preferable than to watch it. But, plays are actually performed in the mind of the playwright. Then it gets penned on the paper. So basically its a matter of performance. Theatrical performance makes the written play more lively and meaningful. So far as Waiting for Godot is concerned, it should be read first and then to be watched also. Because, even after reading the simple and straight forward language of this play, one requires visual clarification for what one has read. Then, the torrent of dialogues and rapidness of speech becomes more clear while watching.
Yes, the audio-visual helps in better understanding of the play.
* Which of the following sequence you liked the most:
- Vladimir – Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting
- Pozzo – Lucky episode in both acts
- Conversation of Vladimir with the boy
Ans:
* Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?
Ans:
* Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?
Ans: Suicide is a very bold statement against all the whys of living life. Albert Camus mentions about philosophical suicide in which if one denies to think or question anything one is doing a philosophical suicide. In this play, Vladimir and Estragon can be read as profound existentialists. They are ready to try everything to meet Godot. But at the same time they feel insecure whether they might fail to kill themselves.
* Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'?
Ans: Germany stands for Godot. As the character of Godot is absent and silent but to consider Godot as God then, Germany best fits in terms of World War II. Adolf Hitler was a German dictator and he occupied many countries including many European countries like Russia France, Italy, England.
(Click Here to view the map. Click Here to know more about World War II). In this way one can politically connect all the characters and countries which are waiting for Germany to liberate them.
* So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?
Ans:
* The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy's question, Vladimir says:
"BOY: What am I to tell Mr. Godot, Sir?
VLADIMIR: Tell him . . . (he hesitates) . . . tell him you saw us. (Pause.) You did see us, didn't you?
How does this conversation go in Act II? Is there any change in seeming similar situation and conversation? If so, what is it? What does it signify?
Ans: The lines are changing with the word from 'us' to 'me'. In the Act II, Vladimir changes the tone of the thought and speaks: 'tell him you saw me'. In the Act II, This conversation happens between Vladimir and Boy, where Estragon is sleeping. If Estragon represents the body and Vladimir mind, then perhaps one can state that, mind is the ultimate master of the body and mind knows that the body is material thing and going to decay with time, but perhaps it is the consciousness that goes somewhere. This way one can see the selfishness in Vladimir's character. Even after being together throughout the play, Vladimir changes his mind and willingly forgets Estragon. A Gujarati quote that comes to mind,
"અંતે તો સગા સૌ સ્વાર્થનાં"
Vladimir's selfishness also seems forgivable because on a larger way if one thinks, all the humans are tied with one another with some kind of need and requirements. If its all about give and take, then such selfishness is also legible, and forgivable as per the human temperaments. Even after the death of any near and dear ones, people forget them and move on with life. So, this is also a considering aspect of human predicament.
Sometimes life gives many crucial choices to make. And humans mostly go for the personal benefits. For better prospects of life, children go for foreign countries and they forger their parents. Even after death of their parents they don't come to native place.
These are the slightly awkward sides of human life and various situations but if one thinks about a larger and most adverse situations, one comes to know that nothingness prevails everywhere. Still its life, that goes on. . .
On 10th November 2020, an online talk session was organized by the English Department, MKBU. Dr. Devang Nanavati was invited as a speaker to talk on "Ecocrotical Thinking: Sitanshu Yashaschandra's Tree Once Again". It was quite thoughtful and productive talk session with Devang sir and students got many new points to ponder about ecocriticism and postcolonialism.
* Literary Expressions - Ecocriticism
Sitanshu Yahashschandra has written many Gujarati poems. "Jatayu", "Vakhar" and "Odysseus nu Halesu" are the collection of his poems. 'Tree Once Again' is basically an English translation of a Gujarati poem 'ફરી પાછું વૃક્ષ'. The poem is a part of a collection of poems Odysseus nu Halesu published in 1974. The poem is translated into English by Devang Nanavati, the speaker himself. A blog link was shared earlier by Dr. Dilip Brarad sir for references about this talk. Click here to visit.
The poem 'Tree Once Again' gives much of the material to think about ecocriticism. The way literature has given space to nature in works has much to do with the binaries such as nature/culture, man/nature.
In this blog, postcolonial reading of ecology is mentioned.
* The Reference of postcolonialism.
Postcolonial studies also opens many strands of thoughts to read the ecocriticism in depth. If one looks at nature with the lens of postcolonialism, one gets a question in mind that can nature be seen as a colonized subject ? If it is so, then how humans have taken the control over nature is worth to think about. Though, the human agency has imaginarily taken the thought of control over nature as granted. The process of colonizing the land requires human power, efforts and most importantly one needs to know the language of the the colonized subject, here, people.
Why nature is seen as the subjugated entity ? Perhaps our reading of nature is being mistaken. We have several example to look into it. Some of them, are cited here.
[Chipko Movement] is one of the evident example. Power dynamics works as the undercurrent of colonizing the land and other bodies of ecology. The word, legitimization is interesting to read. Bureaucrats and officials legitimize their policies through advertisements, and highlighting the numbers of beneficiaries from various schemes.
The Chipko movement in India, for example, which is largely organized by women, has been traced back directly by Vandana Siva to beginnings initiated by Mira Behn, one of the closest to Gandhi. Shiva has argued that national colonization brought with it a colonization of living natural resources such as the forests, and then a mental colonization in its prescription of technological and market oriented responses to farming and environmental issues. (Young, 100)
Vandana Shiva strikes on the governments schemes as follows:
As usual, in every scheme that worsens the position of the poor, it is the poor who are invoked as beneficiaries. - Vandana Shiva
[...] individuals such as Hima Devi and Sunderlal Bahuguna moved from village to village, spreading the word and advising on methods. Although some people moved into leadership roles, as in most grassroots movements that did not achieve a public prominence comparable to the party leaders of conventional political organizations. The Chipko movement was the product of collectives of activities. together they achieved widespread and remarkable success in preventing deforestation in their own areas throughout the Garhwal Himalayas. From then on, the Chipko movement moved deliberately towards the conservation of the forest as an ecosystem as well as a social system. (Young, 104)
Colonization of common land through privatization, and colonization through the introduction of exotic tree species, work in the same direction against the interests of local people, making their lives literally on sustainable by taking away their means of livelihood. Finally, such schemes are usually administered through local bureaucratic organizations, which profile the local pageantry into the clutches of corrupt alliance of the forces of power, privilege, and property. (Young, 105)
One more example of NBA - Narmada Bachao Andolan can be read in this way.
Thanks.
Works Cited:
Young, Robert J. Postcolonialism: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford, 2003.
Postcolonial literature is one of the widely discussed and studied discourse in humanities. It covers not only the nuances of postcolonialism, but also touches other disciplines such as sociology, political science, psychoanalysis, foreign affairs and many others.
In this blog we shall see how the idea of color, idea of belongingness of nativity is looked at.
There is also a documentary with the same title.
Frantz Fanon was a French psychiatrist and postcolonial thinker. His famous works are Wretched of the Earth, Black Skin, White Masks. Much of his works has non-fiction genre.
Fanon, in Black Skin White Masks, has brought out the utmost juxtaposition of human mindset. Desire of being white, desire of being superior and upfront. It is the question of race, desire and identity. The subjugation of blacks by European thought.
Language dynamics plays a significant role in colonial studies. A colonizer needs access to language of the colonized in order to rule of establish the clan. Similarly, any colonized subject would acquire the language of the colonizer to liberate the subject from post-coloniality. English, for example, was widely spoken language in British India. Britishers were the colonizers and Indians were the colonized subject. M.K. Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and many leaders went to England and learned the English language first. After qualifying in the Bar of Law exam, they came back to India and raised voice against the colonizers.
Creole is the dialect which was spoken by Martinicans, as Fanon mentions as follows,
The middle class in the Antilles never speak Creole except to their servants. In school the children of Martinique are taught to scorn the dialect. One avoids Creolisms. Some families completely forbid the use of Creole, and mothers ridicule their children for speaking it. (Fanon, 10)
Fanon sees the subject of desire as a central to the universal attribute to mankind.
Marrying a white woman was a desire of black men. Marrying a white man was a desire of black women. This attraction towards whiteness is questioned by Fanon. Blacks were having inferiority complex among the whites.
O my body, always make me a man who questions ! (Fanon, 220)
This prayer has significance of asking question to the foundations of colonialism and raising voice against racism.
Reference:
Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. PDF, Pluto Press, 1986.
Lee, Christopher J. "CHRISTOPHER J. LEE - Fanon's Project Remains Unfinished—and Still Relevant Today | The Elephant."The Elephant, 16 May 2020, www.theelephant.info/op-eds/2020/05/15/fanons-project-remains-unfinished-and-still-relevant-today/.
Literature has captured many sides of society and almost every nook and corner of human psyche also. It doesn't only talks about love, tragic end of life, social issues and political agendas, but it also covers the bizarre, horrific and investigative side of crime, murder and similar darker recesses of human mind. Writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Conan Doyle have contributed to the genre of this dark fiction.
As part of the curriculum, we have the following short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.
1. The Fall of the House of Usher
2. Cask of Amontillado
3. The Gold-Bug
4. The Purloined Letter
5. The Tell Tale Heart
Every year at the Department of English, invites many expert faculties, and students are benefitted from the knowledge of experts. Dr. Jay Mehta has an interesting way of explaining all these stories of Poe. Before attending his classes we are given the pre thinking activity task to complete. Here is the link of Jay Mehta sir's blog with questions.
Explore AUTHENTIC print, electronic and social media, filter through various incidents that have happened in last 06 months or so. Narrow down your focus to the news headlines of horrible, gruesome and shocking crime stories. (murder, suicide, brutal violence, perversity, terrorism, domestic conflicts, animal abuse and so on).
* Here are some of the news cuttings, screenshots from web series and films and from news video.
Example of sexual perversity and ruthless killing.
A ruthless face of Hathoda Singh, a psychopath character in a web series Paatal Lok, who kills three students.
Taufiq Hammed is unknown about the next moment of death.
Walid Al Abed regrets killing Taufiq Hammed
These above screenshots are form an Israeli television show Fauda. Which means chaos.
This screenshot is from film Parasite. After a nightmarish sequence of mass killing in the mansion sympathizes to his master Mr. Park. The one who is the successful wealthy businessman and owner of mansion, in which the Kim family tries to intrude in form of servants in Mr. Park's mansion. Kim is apologizing Mr. Park after killing him.
Al Pacino killing the police officer in 1983 film Scarface
No sign of Regret
In March 2019, Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch. He streamed live on Facebook this 19 minutes' deadliest killing. It was the deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman in New Zealand’s history.
Here, I found some news videos about this from YouTube in
03. Note down your first impressions while they met your eyes. What thoughts they generated in you? What possible abyss of human mind did you observe that you can even try to fathom?
Ans. What first came to my mind by reading and watching such scenes and reading those crime stories is why can't we think about everyone equally ? This question lead me to another thought that perhaps upbringing and environment can be the possible responsible element behind all these crimes. No criminal becomes criminal by passion, or hobby. Criminals are created by the very society live in and by the mindset they forcefully imply on one another.
Another thought came about multimedia and entertainment industry. Films, TV shows and OTT platforms and video games are there, firstly to entertain the public, then, to convey the message to masses. It is the responsibility of people to learn how to read media, power, politics and other driving forces which effect us in day to day life. Events which take place in real life highlighted artistically and dramatically in films, TV shows and web series. People mistakenly inspire from the malpractices shown on the screen, and they commit similar crime.
God of War is one of the most horrible, ruthless and savage video game series I have ever played. It gives a very sharp graphical idea about Greek Mythology. Several Greek characters and gods are introduced like Kratos, Deimos, Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Thera, Pandora, Thanatos, Gaia, Ares and many others. The game also cinematically narrates the connections of the Greek myths.
Kratos - The Marked One
Kartos fights Hades - The God of the Underworlds
Intro Screen of GOW-III
Its the game for the grown ups and adults because it contains extreme violence, blood and gore, and strong speeches. One has to be mentally balanced and aware that this is the only a video game, not a part of life. Even being an adult, if one fails to carry such mental balance, one may become paranoid or patient of hysteria.
Youth mistakenly takes wrong message from such mediums. They turn towards theft, robbery, murders and rapes also. Sometimes the reason is nothing but feeling a sense of pride only. But not all the times these media platforms are responsible. Society also plays the vital role. We have the example of Hitler. He faced much rejection in childhood.
These criminals are the result of negligence, rejection and hate. They undergo in such traumatic situation that they find a weak medium for bringing out their frustration. Psychology and Criminology studies such cases and take out the reasons why crimes take place and what are the possible reasons for the crime.
