How Literature shaped me ?!!

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How Literature shaped me???


Soon, I am going to complete my journey of 5 years of studying literature. So, now I must look back and observe changes in me due to literature.
Though before writing, let me confess that Literature is a 'huge Ocean', no one can discover &knew its vastness, secrets and mysteries in totality. I have quenched my thirst from this ocean by drinking a few sips of it. So, my views also are limited as per what I've read.

Let me tell you something about my personal life that after studying Western theories  & literature I've become more LIBERAL, open-minded towards everything. Now I don't resist changes. I travel every day 110 KM in a bus ( since six years of B.A.(3), B.Ed (1), M.A. (2))., so meet various people every day. Many people pass comments about female's modern clothes or excessive use of mobiles or their new way of approaching the world.

But I don't agree with them. Now I laugh at silly matters like girls should not wear jeans or not to use mobiles. Now I can read PATRIARCHAL Language, that how it operates& I start deconstructing it. I strongly now believe in the concept of 'Individualism'- one has the right to do whatever he/she likes in her personal lives. I try to bring margin(female) into the centre, and then try to read from their point of view.

The very curious thing I observed last month, I don't remember the date but it was a time when Dilip Barad sir was in conference at Chennai, so I left Department early and sat in Rajkot local intercity bus at 4:30. it so happens that in the bus there was a 'Lady Conductor' (Which is a very recent phenomenon that Females are recruited as a conductor in buses, earlier it wasn't so)-i inquired & she told me that she's from 'Modasa' & it is her first trip to Bhavnagar. The main point is that a middle-aged man, sitting in my side seat started arguing with her about the ticket. He wanted to go to a very small village, which didn't mention in the ATM- Automatic Ticket Machine. So, she requested to take a ticket of next stop but he denied & quarrel went on...(how can she give ticket if the place is not in machine & the man refuse to pay a ticket of further place)

Now the main point comes is that:- He started complaining to me about the government that why the government is allowing girls as a conductor?? Govt. should stop this. Females look good as a teacher, not as a conductor. They cant do this tough job and many more...

I was listening to his complaints and laughing sarcastically over his thinking without letting him known. Soon, this discussion was joined by another man, who joins the bus from Press Quarters. He was young & looking educated, doing some good job. He spoke a line, which is centre of my attention that -"If females will start doing a job, then what will we (men) do???- cooking in the kitchen!!!!("LANGUAGE BEARS WITHIN ITSELF THE NECESSITY OF ITS OWN CRITIQUE"(Post Structuralism-Derrida)- This is a LOOSE STONE ( Aporia) to Deconstruct their views. Now I got the loose stone, so I'll undermine, subvert, blast this entire(building) discourse & create ( New discourse)something which was hidden meaning. (Thank u, Derrida!!!)

While studying CULTURAL STUDIES, there was a line that "NOTHING IS INNOCENT, THERE IS A DEEP POLITICS BEHIND EVERYTHING". I read this incident like this that the real problem is not a ticket or extra money. but the problem is that the privileged position of men is now being challenged by women. The real problem is that your JOBS are taken away by someone, so you despise them in one or another way.

Conditioning girls from childhood as soft, delicate, giving toys rather than hard tools, teaching household things is ALL WELL PLANNED CONSTRUCTION.
IT IS A POLITICS BY MEN TO SECURE THEIR JOBS. As time is changing women are competing with men in every respects. so their jobs are taken by females. 
So, this incident I observe opens up the gate for new discourse. Many people were there on the bus. But they don't read this the way I've read. So, this is a gift of literature & various theories that I can think in this way, which is obviously anti- established order.
I am telling to you since beginning literature shaped me, but almost forget to tell you  What is Literature??

Literature is not just imaginative stories written in leisure time only for entertainment. But it is a reflection of time, place and society in which we are living. Literature is a mirror or photographic image of society. equally, literature is also an x-ray image portraying ugly, darker sides of society.
Still, whatever definition we try to give literature will remain incomplete because its exactly like 5-7 blind men defining Elephant, by touching it. Whatever aspect they will touch upon, will define like that. So, lets it leave it aside and come back to the point.
Even though I am studying literature for five years, texts and theories which I've studied in M.A have affected & shaped me more. In B.A. while reading my focus was largely on aesthetics. I choose the text on the principle that whether it gives aesthetic delight or not. & even after completing reading books like 'Namesake', 'Heart of Darkness', 'Kim', 'Moby Dick' or 'The Bluest Eye', I wasn't able to derive anything except story(summary) part of the book. After reading, if someone tells me to explain by implying theories then I cant.
But now when I revisit the texts, I can realize its worth in a far better way.
Dr Jakyll & Mr Hyde taught me how humans have two faces- one public and other personal. It gave me a deep understanding of the human psyche. 'Ghasiram Kotwal' taught me that at what extent one can fall to gain power. At the same time Vijay Tendulkar being Brahmin criticizes (Peshwas) his own Brahminical traditions. Which taught me to remain very much open towards self-criticism. Rather than hiding hypocritically, accept it. It will give the opportunity to learn from the past & make a better tomorrow.

Literature taught me to be an observer, not judgmental. Rather than preferring one over others, I try to view both neutrally. While reading books, I unintentionally put myself into the place of character & start thinking that what if I were in his or her place. which cultivated in me a humanitarian approach. Now I strongly believe that Humanity is more important than religion, authority or so-called morality. The finest example of it is Hester Prynne, of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Even though she has committed Adultery, literature will always stand for humanism. Even how society tags individual is also interesting to observe.
Another change now I can see in myself is challenging and doubting everything. Now everything is held to be open for question.

While returning from Bhavnagar to my village every night, I pass nearby a village temple. Rather than viewing them as God, whenever I pass from there I remember a line from The White Tiger for Hanuman-  "...You will find an image of a saffron-coloured creature, half man half monkey: This is Hanuman, everybody's favourite god in darkness. Do you know about Hanuman sir? He was the faithful servant of the god Rama, and we worship him in our temples because he is a shining example of how to serve your masters with absolute fidelity, love and devotion. These are the gods they have foisted on us, Mr Jiabao. Understand, now, how hard it is for a man to win his freedom in India." - So, my faith or say blind faith is somewhat disturbed by reading literature. Two ideas are at a clash in my mind. Emotional and rational thinking goes parallel in my mind, but now I see rational thinking overpowering, winning over the other.

Because now I believe in the words of Franz Kafka, that..."I think we ought to read only the kinds of books that WOUND and STAB us. If the book we are reading doesn't wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for?..... we need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like a suicide. A book MUST BE THE AXE FOR THE FROZEN SEA INSIDE US".

Books like Harry Potter taught me that LIFE IS ALL ABOUT CHOICES YOU MAKE, Right choice at right time will decide your future. No one will come from the sky to help you.
Dedication, determination and hard work I learn from Santiago of The Old man and the Sea. Even though he fails, he wins in the minds of the readers.

Frankenstein kind of science fiction still terrifies me. But when Narration turns to Monster it is one of the best parts of literature I've ever read. And I think, This is the beauty of Literature that Monster (Antagonist, villain, murderer) is given very WONDERFUL LINES. I was born innocent, but society corrupted me-, is I think the best line we can apply for the character of Monster. 

When we read Monster's narrative we start sympathizing for him. (which perhaps won't happen in real life. We never allow Other, second to put forward his arguments. We directly judge people. we must give chance to others to explain his/her side.)After reading Monster's narrative, anyone will question that Who is real Monster??? Victor or Monster? This happens only because Marry Shelley has given voice to Monster, but imagine what will happen if we'll know the story only from Victor's point of view??? (We are always Tigers in our own stories, like Pi, from Life of Pi)The hideousness of Victor's act will never come out. By changing the perspective everything changes. in real life also we should check, observe & evaluate single incident from various perspectives before deriving any conclusion.

While writing how literature shaped me, suddenly I feel nostalgic & remember an incident which Dilip Barad sir told us while discussing that what is usefulness or importance of Literature?
We had discussed an example of terrorists and 9/11 attack in America. Who was the terrorist?? They were not common people like you and me. It is not everybody's cup of tea to do that. THEY ALL WERE HIGHLY INTELLECTUAL PEOPLE. It requires a high level of intelligence and ability of multi-tasking to do that. 
Even if they were people with very high IQ, Then even WHY did they do such HIDEOUS ACT. The research made on them had proved that they never had studied HUMANITIES. They never study literature, which is very much important to make them human.
If not all, then most of Engineers, doctors, businessman or scientists etc considers literature as time pass activity. & perhaps that's why humanity is suffering.

• Back then ( Ha, ha, ha!!!!!, Tony's style of writing from Sense of an Ending to return from flashback -"Back then"!!!!!), let's talk about a few more texts...

Even though people criticize a lot, Chetan Bhagat, we give a little bit more respect to his book in classroom discussion. One Night @ the Call Center is love to read kind of book, touching upon social issues and bringing NEW MORALITY. it says it is difficult to please and make everybody happy at the same time. YOU FIND YOUR OWN HAPPINESS, OTHERS WILL FIND THEIRS ON THEIR OWN.
"Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes gave me the vision to doubt "Memory" & "History". Wonderful lines, which I had chosen as my presentation topic:- "History is that certainty produced at a point where the imperfection of memory meets the inadequacies of documentation"-Explain with reference of Tony Webster". "There was unrest, there was Great unrest"!!!!!!!!

• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, though controversial is a thought-provoking book. This gave me insight that everybody is examining their culture, religion critically. It is a false belief that all are attacking Hinduism. Those who believe so are the people who have read nothing. If they come to me, I will suggest them to read The Da Vinci Code. They just come out in street protesting, vandalizing by holding banners in their hand.(SHEOPLE) If they burn books today, they will burn people tomorrow -remember that & be careful. Now I believe that if any artist /writer portraying a negative side of culture then ITS A GREATER PROCESS OF SELF EXAMINATION. Dickens, Balzac, Flaubert also did the same with their respective Nations & that's why England and France are better societies compare to us. so, always remain open for self-criticism is gift to me by literature.

• If you don't like the book, then write another book opposing it. But to burn books or kill an artist is not a good idea. Let's take the example of Britain... Salman Rushdie has to left his country due to religious Fatwa against him because of writing a book like 'Satanic Verses'. Now he is living in Britain. When I read Rushdie's book "Imaginary Homeland"- which is a collection of various essays, I found that living in Britain, he is criticizing British policy & white people. Imagine if this would happen in India then???

England is the country which gave him shelter when his life was under threat. Then even Rushdie is writing about downsides of country & If white people don't like Rushdie's views then they publish books, article deconstructing his views. They had neither beaten Rushdie nor told that you leave our country. This is how they are better, well-grown society than us. Development progress doesn't mean material progress with big buildings and cars. It should be a growth of each & everyone as a society.

How without our first-hand experience, we imagine people(Through images that come in media, literature, movies etc) is wonderful to observe in Orientalism by Edward Said.(How Arab misrepresented by West & everybody believed as the reality). I learnt that First-hand experience is necessary & be careful from Media Monster.

• Oh my god!!!!, I almost forgot my dear Godot. How can I???!!!!!! My journey or say anybody's journey of literature will remain incomplete if we don't talk about Waiting For Godot, by Samuel Beckett. It is said that there are three plays discussed and debated time and again by critics and scholars, -Oedipus, Hamlet, and Waiting for Godot.

While studying I don't get it that what is this all about. whats going on??!!!.
It's about nothing. Yes, it's about "NOTHING"!!!!. Even though the play is nothing about, it is about something. Nothing is something in the play. (Confused?????, Me too!!! Ha, ha, ha).
I must say Waiting For Godot is my favourite play, leading us towards Existentialism, Nothingness, meaninglessness, Absurdity of our life.
I also like Vladimir & Estragon, go on waiting that Godot will come tomorrow, but Godot never comes!!!!. WAITING IS ENDLESS. 
What is life except waiting? We all go on waiting for things one after another every day. Now I don't see any difference between me & Sisyphus repeating the same thing every day. (We have to imagine that Sisyphus is happy !!! what else)

Though The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter looks dull, boring it is menacing. Petey's last line of the play is wonderful that -"Stan!, Don't let others tell you what to do".
I appreciate Pinter's Anti American views, Brave!!! with powerful evidence & arguments. Society is by and large like Meg & Petey- Impotent & forgets everything. & Individual artists, free thinkers like Stanley are always under danger from power.

Derozio's The Fakeer of Jungheera make me realize that don't be proud of your rotten Tradition & rituals ( Sati Pratha). Be human first. Life is more important than anything.
In the beginning, I mentioned that now I try to read incident by Decentering the centre or say by bringing the margin of meta-narrative centre. That's because of texts like The Purpose by T.P. Kailasm and A Tempest by Aime Cesaire. 

"Hamlet" by genius Shakespeare warns us that "Thinking and thinking and never putting into action is dangerous", at the same time quite opposite to it is "Othello" by the same master - who acts too hastily without thinking and then suffers. So, these teach that excessiveness of anything is fatal, dangerous.

• Christopher Marlowe's heroes are always "HUNGRY FOR MORE...". The same is the case with Dr. Faustus also, who had acquired all the available knowledge of the time & still he wanted more. But his fall is tragic. I personally don't like his tragic end, but it was inevitable because he misuses the power (plays silly magic tricks) he had got at great cost. (cost was his own soul)For gaining knowledge he's ready to give away his own soul to Lucifer is something amazing spirit to learn. Because knowledge is power. He knew that God is just. his soul will suffer perpetual damnation. What knowledge Dr Faustus had in the 16th century, that much knowledge you & I don't have even today (Knowledge of almost all subject- History, law, medicine, metaphysics etc).

Learn thirst for knowledge from Faustus, but be careful of misuse of it.

• in "Paradise Lost" by Milton Adam's choosing of Eve in spite of knowing that God's wrath will fall upon him, they will lose paradise is a shining example of Individual's CHOICE. For him, Eve is more important than God. We also have a need to learn from Adam and be like him.

Till how long time, we will go on killing people on the name of religion & god ????? Who killed more people?? History will undoubtedly prove Religion. 
God gave us free will, so one is free to do whatever they like. Individual's happiness & Humanism is more important. learn this from Adam.
T.S. Eliot highly self-critical, calls his own land The Waste Land- a barren land where nothing grows. Eliot was disturbed by spiritual degradation and sexual perversion. (Well, how can I underestimate The Waste Land, because this is the text on which I had tried to write my first research paper, comparing The Waste Land with Manvini Bhavai- a Gujrati novel by Pannalal Patel. 

Reading Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse & Room of One's own, leads us towards stronger feminist discourse. For the progress of women, total freedom is essential. (Including economical, social, cultural etc). I must not agree with Charles Tansley-: That women can't paint or write".
Rober Frost's Nature is quite opposite to Wordsworthian Nature. This is the beauty of literature that how same Nature seen differently by two different poets.
I also enjoy travelling into darker streets of 'Mind', with Edgar Allan Poe.

'Gulliver's Travels' by Jonathan Swift, 'Tom Jones' by Henry Fielding, 'Middlemarch' by George Eliot is a wonderful to study of contemporary English society. Its covers a wide range of issues like love, sex, morality, corruption, heritage, New morality, Individualism, money and many more. Gulliver's Travels is the darkest criticism of a human being ever written. Through Oliver Twist, Dickens takes us on the tour of corrupted London, where there was a school of teaching pickpocketing & innocent children were suffering in workhouses.

African Literature, books like "A Grain of Wheat", "Things Fall Apart", "Waiting for Barbarians" or "The Swamp Dwellers" never gave me aesthetic delight, pleasure or a moment of relief. Because it is the literature of anger, angst, frustration, rebel, dissatisfaction, slavery, violence, cultural clash, struggle, fight, killing, torturing. These books were not written out of compassion but out of compulsion. Its writer's catharsis by pouring inner turmoil into books.

I remember Chinua Achebe's wonderful lines from Things Fall Apart that : - “…Until the lions produce their own historian, the story of the hunt will glorify only the hunter”. It is enough to falsify & doubt history written by winners. (we can apply to white man's written history also).
This is what I had posted on Facebook while reading literature
#Radical thinkers always suppress by the authority. Shocked to read that Ngugi wa Thiongo was detained and after release Govt. dismissed from his academic job & harassed him out of the country in 1982. The reason was that his writing and 'peasant' workshop were bringing tremendous social changes, and this panicked the Govt.( Really people are by and large 'Lucky'- a character of #Waiting for Godot- who will kick you if you try to make him free)
-Interesting parallel we find happening around us also......
# Until we won't protect our intellectual people, humanity will never progress.#POWER is not always right.
So, this is how I think & believe after reading literature.

Generally, students don't like a paper of Literary theories & criticism. But I like the most. Begin with Aristotle & Plato, Dryden, Matthew Arnold- Touchstone method (Compare & analyse), Roland Barthes- From work to text,  Raymond Williams, Northrop Frye- Archetypal criticism, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Practical criticism, Reader response theory and so many other theories & critics change my world view.

• Dilip Barad sir taught us how to write your answers, that - You begin with one idea and then slowly and steadily change your trajectory of answer over another. what you want to prove as a conclusion should come second. But here it isn't the case. I don't want to provI anything, I am just telling the thing as it is !!!!! (Advantages / Disadvantages)

One of the disadvantages of reading too many books- Literature Is that now I find difficulties in matching up with group/ community. I consider myself different than them. I think that they won't understand me & my ideas. I remain in the minority because now I don't agree with all- mass- group over most of topics (about politics, Nation, state, corruption, morality, jobs, education, technology, privatization, Globalization, so-called 'development' and many more)
Another thing I doubt about literature is its "PRACTICAL USABILITY". How literature is useful when you'll have to work hard on your farm at noon ??? All knowledge & theories will collapse there. Neither Shakespeare nor Coleridge is going to help you there !!!! Reading literature will not satisfy your appetite. After studying medicine, one can use his skill in curing people & earn a livelihood, what LITERATUREWALA will do???? that is a big question. No one is going to listen to your bookish ideas. If we look back in history then most of writers & poets had suffered, lived very poor, isolated, tragic life. 

• Reading everything is also time-consuming. & To understand properly one has to read intensively. Sometimes it looks like, WE ARE LIVING IN THE WORLD (of literature)WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REAL WORLD. the outside world is totally different than what the book says.

• IT IS EASY TO READ, BUT DIFFICULT TO ACT. 
• Literature also makes us escapist from the real world.

• I remember Dilip sir's words while discussing Cultural Studies that "We know that fire burns, but our knowledge will not stop the fire from burning. Knowledge of Cultural Studies is also like this. We know how power operates, but our knowing won't stop power operating".

I will add that Literature is also like this. You read it on your chair, knew it & then remain just spectator & then forget it. As such nothing changes.
Reading literature is individualistic - benefits to only those who have read it, unlike scientific invention which brings tremendous changes in the life of everyone.

• But why am I comparing literature with science?? Any well-read person will question me. Its Literature, not science.

Well, my this controversial statement will lead us towards F.Y.B.A. debate of Nature & Function of literature. Let me tell you that I am well aware of this debate- that what is literature & what is the function of literature?? & so on....so let's leave it aside.

I agree with it. I shouldn't expect this from literature.

Because it is something that you observe and absorb how to live a life with a better understanding of other people as well as society as a whole. It will bring change WITHIN yourself, which may not be visible, but reflects in your behaviour as well as in your way of approaching the world.

 But my intention was just to convey what I truly feel after reading this much literature.

Comparison between an epic poem‘The Waste Land’ by T. S. Eliot and a Gujarati novel “Manavini Bhavai” by Pannalal Patel.

Abstract:-

This article tries to compare texts fromtwodistinct literatures.The Waste Land by Eliot from British background and Manavini Bhavai by Pannalal Patel from Indian (Gujarati) background. Both the texts are located in first half of 20^th century. This article is an attempt to read contemporary society with the help of both the texts. How there wasdehumanization, sexual perversion, spiritual draught were wide spread in society. Culture was being totally rotten.

Key Words: spiritual draught/degradation, sexual perversion, dehumanization, World War, Draught, rottenness of culture.

Comparison betweenanepicpoem‘The Waste Land’ by T. S. Eliot and aGujarati novel  “Manavini Bhavai” by Pannalal Patel.

Introduction

‘The Waste Land’ is written by T. S. Eliot in early 20^th century. The title of this long epic poem itself suggests the essence of this poem that what is all about.

            ‘The Waste Land’ means barren land where nothing grows- a desert, or any barren or uninteresting place. Eliot is very self/auto critical. So he criticizes his own nation (country) or say entire Europe by calling it Wasteland & people living in it as Wastelanders. He criticizes Sexual perversion, spiritual degradation and dehumanization of Western society. He is showing mirror to the world who they are, Rather than praising his culture he attacks the rottenness of his culture.One of itsmajor themes is the barrenness of a post-warworld in which human sexuality has beenperverted from its normal course and thenatural world too has become infertile.

Northrop Fryesays in his essay “Archetypal criticism” that “some where we all (entire human race) (East or West) are connected.”Basic human nature is common everywhere. We share common Psyche. Then the question came to my mind is that where is this kind of rottenness in our culture? AreweresemblingcharacteristicsofwastelandersorHollowmaninEliot'ssense??Whatarethepitfallsandshortcomingsofourculture?

And if it istherethen how it is mirrored in our (regional) literature. So I think “Manavini Bhavai”- a Gujarati novel by Pannalal Patel is suitable option to compare with “The Waste Land”.

★Titularsignificance:-

Significance of the title:-

Title suggests the essence of the work. Both the writers have carefully choosen the title of their work.

Through reading of literature ultimately we come to know about the self. if literature is mirror orX-Rayimageofselforsociety, then reading literature is the quest for the self. We have to identify where we are/ ami in literature?

Eliot's title of the poem is very significant, suggestive & appropriate because it signifies three Wasteland- that of Fisher King, Oedipus and Biblical or Modern Europe.

Where as Pannalal Patel clarifies the meaning of the title in the preface of the novel. Because the Gujarati word 'Bhavai' has various contextual meanings.

Bhavai is in traditional Gujarati folk culture isa kind of play/ drama performance by all male members of vivid historical events & figures- especially during Navaratri festival.

So the title has connotation that 'Manavini' means people's/ Human being's,  &'Bhavai' means drama. It connotes that human being's entire life is like a drama & we are just like puppet. We have to play our roles and exit the stage. Nothing is in one's hand. Inspite of knowing we can't do anything. It signifies the futility of human's life.

But Pannalal Patel says in the preface of the novel though the word 'Bhavai' has its literal meaning, another meaning of word 'Bhavai' is  'MILKAT'means property (something that is owned)

-belongings

-important types of property include real property(land), personal property(other physical profession), & intellectal property etc.

So we can roughly translate the title of the novel as "people's property".

Which is the property of human bengs??

- a piece of land? gold etc jewellery ? animals? money? or good relations with other??

The novel is serious debate over this question. As the novel progresses because of severeDraught slowly and steadily people looses their everything. After loosing all the material things, even human relations are under danger. People are killing other, looting others only to get food/tosatisfytheirhunger.

Such dehumanization & downfall of people is unimaginable. So the tone of the title of the novel is bitter & ironic.

★Setting:-

The setting of both of this text is common. Dehumanizing effect of First World War (1914-1918) is clearly seen in the Waste Land, whereasChappaniyo Dushkal(Draught of 1900) plays a vital role in this novel.

★The Waste Land

Aprilisthecruellestmonth....

InTheWasteLandAprilisnotthehappymonthofpilgrimagesandstorytelling,butinthemodernworldwinteristhetimeofforgetfulnessandnumbness.Marie'schildhoodrecollectionsarealsopainful.Thesimpleworldofcousinsandcoffeeintheparkhasbeenreplacedbyacomplexsetofemotionalandpoliticalconsequencesresultingfromthewar.Thisshowshowbadlythingshavedecayed.Eliotdescribes the boredom, emptiness and pessimism of modern age in bitter, ironical and satirical verse.

Unreal City,

Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,

A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,

I had not thought death had undone so many.

Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,

And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.

-(Part-1-Burial of the Dead)

Through this T. S. Eliot shows the realistic picture of mechanical life of the people living in London of that era. Thisfinalepisodeofthefirstsectionisthemostsurreal.ThespeakerwalksthroughaLondonpopulatedbyghostsofthedead.People are lifeless, feeling/ emotionless, dull and mechanical. Running like machine according to clock. The same scene is created in the beginning of the movie “Modern Times” by Charley Chaplin. These lines are very suggestive- that Death has undone so many means even if they were living are lookinglike dead. And each man walking fixed his eye before his feet- means following/ obeying others blindly without rational thinking just like sheep. In short he criticizes MECHANICAL LIFE of Modern Man.

In the novel “Manavini Bhavai” Pannalal Patel also portrays the realistic rural picture of people living in Gujarat. (Though Gujarat became separate state in 1^st may 1960, and novel is written much earlier. I mean people living in that region)  Kalu is the protagonist, hero of the novel& Raju is heroine. At large extent this novel is abouttheir love. But as I. A. Richards has said(in New criticism )isclose reading of text.( Wikipedia)and“to read between the lines”.MeansTo study the society we also have to read what is not written.

Novel tells about the time that- there was poverty in society. In entire novel there is not even name of education. Except farming /agriculturepeopledon’t have other work. People were addicted of intoxication. Individual was not free to do what he wants to do, he was bounded by so many social chains. Marriages were decided at the age of 1 or 3 years or many times even before the birth of children. (Issue of child marriage)  And because of such rules individual has to suffer a lot- marriages became monotonous, cause of destruction, ruin of the lives of the people.

The same thing happens in this novel also, that from childhood marriage of Kalu and Raju was decided but because of adverse circumstances both gets married to different partner. Both still continues to love each other by heart, but because of society they can’t make it public.

Kalu is not happy in his married life, same with Raju also but then even they go on stretching the relations. Kalu clearly says to his wife that though we are united by body, we cannot be united by soul.

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(Means after death of kalu’s father their engagement is broken. Childhood friends thus departs and Kalu marries to a girl, whomhe don’t like. And his mother has taken promise from him that he will not marry twice or he will not bring second wife. He is like sleeping on the edge of thorns- neither hecanlive nor die.)

In The Waste Land we find Mechanical people, then in this novel Manavini Bhavai  we find the mechanical relationship- lifeless, feeling less and dull.What is the use of relations where individual is not happy. 

2

                                                                                                                                                           

Other major theme of The Waste Land is Sexual Perversion and Spiritual degradation of Western society. As Eliot is Modernist writer he does not say this clearly, but uses various myths /allusions/referencesfrom different cultures to tell his point. Myth of Hycinth girl, myth of Apollo, myth of Tristan and Isolde, myth of   Philomela and Procne indirectly presents the sexual perversion of Western society.Thereissymbolicuseofmythstoconnectthepresentwiththepast.

The change of Philomel, by the barbarous king

So rudely forced; yet there the nightingale

Filled all the desert with inviolable voice

And still she cried………….

(2- A Game of Chess)

……………, and think of poor Albert,

He’s been in the army four years; he wants a good time,

If you don’t give it him, there’s others will, I said.

(2- A Game of Chess)

Instead of a life-giving act of love, sex occursin the poem as seduction or rape, leading toabortion-whichcanbesymbolicallyinterpretedfromabovelines.

TherelationbetweenTypistandClearkalsosignifiestheirlustratherthanpurelove.

Theme of “The Waste Land” is spiritual degradation and sexual perversion. So same thing is also therein the novel “Manavini Bhavai”. For example in the novel there is an incident that when Raju was working in the farm at that timeamanfromvillage,whohaddesireforRaju comes and tries to misbehave with her. He wanted to take disadvantage of her being alone.BecauserumourswerespreadinthevillagethatRaju'shusbandisillandimpotent,sosheissexuallyunsatisfiedwithherhusband.

            This shows the sexual perversion of our culture also. Generally peoplethink that this kind of things happen only in Western Countries.

There is also another incident in the novel, Manavini Bhavai which attacks on our so called ‘saints’, or ‘sadhu’, or ‘religious leaders’.

In Manavini Bhavai, there is a chapter “ Bavani Langoti”, which is a story within a story & through comedy, rather in a humorous way writer criticizes such people.

In the novel Kalu’s father Vala Patel tells stories to the other…

Once there was a “Bavo”- (a priest) of the temple of Lord Shiva. He was living by begging from village.& at the progress & end of the story he develops illegitimate sexual relation with a widow. When he came to know that this woman is going to give birth to a child- he runs away.

Now the point is that is he really spiritual (Pious) person??

Indian spirituality, since thousandsofyearsis famous in the world. Saints are the person who have achieved a state of mind- from which nothing else remains to achieve. They are above human emotions like happiness, unhappiness, misery, greed,suffering etc. saints have shown path to the world- how to live life.

This reference from the novel shows us that how there is also spiritual degradation in our society.

T[YLI A[C] K]\ K[<,F 5SZ6 c pH0 VFE,[ VDLc DF SF/]GL TZ; DFG;LS TZ; lK5FJJF ZFH] V[GF DMDF\ VG] :TG VF5[ K[PT[ HFlTI J'lT 36L HUTDF\ K[P56 SF/] H[JF TG[ G[ DG[ T\N]Z:T T[DF\ G ;50FI V[ :JEFlJS K[P

v NX"S

(Last chapter is also suggestive to present the mental thirst of Kalu. The novel ends when Raju- heroine of the novel gave her breast in Kalu’s mouth to satisfy his thirst. Symbolically we can also read as Kalu’s sexual desire for Raju.)

♣Impotency:-

Eliot picks up on the figure of the Fisher King legend's Wasteland as an appropriate description of the state of modern society.

AsmentionedinthebiginningofthearticlethatTitleconnotesthreewasteLand,oneofthemisofFisherKing'sWasteLand.Fisher Kingisthe impotent  ruler of the waste land, and the prevailing spirit of The Waste Land.

AndinWasteLandword"Nothingness"comesagainandagain,symbolisesasexualfailure,amomentofimpotence.Thereisnotasinglemomentofjoy.Sothereisneitherreconciliationnoractionispossible.

similalyin"ManviniBhavai"Impotencyrevolvesaroundthelivesofthecentralcharacter.HeroineRaju'shusband'Dyalji'wassufferingfromillnessandimpotentency.Evenaftersomanyyearsoftheirmarriagetheyhadnochild.AndinthenoveltownfolkmakesgossipaboutRaju'sbeautyandherhusband'simpotency.Husband'sconstantillnessandimpotencyaswellasseveredraughtbringscatastropheinRaju'slife.Butaboveallimpotencysnatchesawayallthejoysandgloriesofpastfromher.Howpowerful,attractiveandconfidentgirlshewasinpast!!!Andnowtotallytransformedgirl!!

So,inboththetextImpotencyissomethingthatisdeeplysymbolicallyconnected.

3

DCFZFHGF WFGGL Z1FFG[ A\NMA:T AD8[ VFJ[,F ,xSZL 8M/FJF/L A\N]SM HM.G[ V[ RL; GFBL p9[ K[P cc VZ[ UMhFZF E}lZIF ! DFZJFDF\ TFZL K+LS/F JF5ZL tIFZ[ V[ SZTF SFSF lHFJ0JFG]\ BM/L SF-I] CMT TM HF6TF S[ GF K+L S/FGM T]\ BZM lGS?IMP

(Because of draught, people don’t have food to eat. At that time there is incident in the novel that an Englishman was passing from village with grains of king. People of village tries to rob him. An Englishman tries to threaten by Gun, at that time Kalu speaks very beautiful line that ‘AreBhuriya’ (Oh!Whiteman) you have invented gun to kill the people, but if you have shown this skill to save/ protect people than it would be better.) This is the bitter criticism on modern man and its technological advancement.

   V[S V6]AMdA ;F0F K VAH 0M,ZGM AG[ K[PV[S lJDFG SFO,M V[S GFGF ZFQ8=GL GLXF/ H[8,M BR" DF\U[ K[PAF/SMG[ N}W GYL 5CMrI]\ 4ZMULVMG[ NJF GYL 5CM\RL 4lGZFzLTMG[ VFzI GYL 5CM\rIM4E}bIFVMG[ 5MQF6 GYL V5FI]456 AMdA 4h[ZL U[;4 G[ GF{SFSFO,M JWTM HFI K[PV[DF VWL" 5F.GLV[ BFDLI N[BFTL GYLPDFGJLGL A]lwWV[vS,FV[ HF6[ lJGFXGF ;WGMG[ tIF ;[JF VF5L K[PGlCTZ X]\ JZ;FNG[ AF\WL 8L5[8L5FG[ ;FRJL N]QSF/G[ CO\OFJM T[ D]xS[, K[P?-Darshak – Manubhai Pancholi

‘Darshak’ writes in the preface of Manavini Bhavai that cost of one atom bomb is billions of rupees. Rather than school more money is spent on Army. We have failed in providing milk to children, medicines to patients, home to homeless people and food to people. But military is increasing day by day. If all this is possible than why it is not possible to save people from draught?)

4

Dehumanization of Society

The effect First World War is clearly seen in the poem The Waste Land. Because of war there is ruin, destruction in society.

Because of war, people became blood thirsty. Poverty, mass- killing, immorality, chaos in society was there. As soldiers have to live away from their family, so women had developed extra marital relations with other men. And because of this newer problems came into being- illegitimate children, workhouse, child laboring etc.

            The role that First World War played in Europe same role was played by Draught

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It was a time when all the people have lost theirfaith from human beings as well as from god also. But Kalu like T. S. Eliot himself keeps faith in humanity. He says people are not bad but hunger makes them so.

JF{XFBGF J\8M/F J/L X~ YIF 56 VF JZ;[ G DF/FVMGF 3F; p0IFv CMI TM p0[G[? S[ G TM p0TF T6B,F 4;}SF\ 5F\N0FI V[8,[ S[ T[ ;}SF YTF 5C[,F H ,MSM BF. UIF CX[!

cc p0TL CTL ,}\ G[ ALHL WZTLGL W}/ S[ SF.S p0TF CTF DFGJLVMGF DFYFGF ;]UZF JF/cc

The draught was so terrible that there was not even dry grass in nest. People have eaten even leaves of trees!!!!

                                  WZTL 5Z DMTGM JZ;FN JZ;L ZCIPJGDF\  4B[TZDF\ AHFZDF\ VG[ X[ZLVMDF\ \HIF\ H]VM tIF\ D0NF H D0NFP ccSIF AF/JF G[ SIF NF8JFcc5KL SF64;]TS VG[ ;ZFJJFGL TM JFT H SIF ZCL?5FK/ ZC[,F TM ;\AWLVMG[ VFU. SIF" GL ZFCT VG]EJTF CTF4B]X YTF CTFPccU6TF ZCIF PPPPG N[BJFv G NFhJFPcc

The scene looks as if there is rain of corpse, dead bodies. In farm, street everywhere corpses were lying here and there. No one was thinking about even burying them, but rather people were happy.

DF,L 0M;L 5M8,F ;MTL H ,}8FI K[ G[ 8F8LIF 3;0L DZ[ K[P

The picture of society was worst that, robbers have looted the ornaments of Mali Doshi –anoldman- a villainous character in the novel. Not only that but they even robbed a woman’s clothes- killed her and left her naked. What can we say this except dehumanization of human!!??Andmorethanthatherson'Naniyo'wascrying,notbecausehermotherwasdeadbutbecauseherallthejewellerywerelooted.Thereisfuneralprocessioninwhichsonhastoputapieceofgoldinthemouthofdeadone(mother)(Mali),buthersondeniestodothat.Forhimandhiswifeapieceofgoldismorepreciousthandeadmotherlyingonfuneralpyre.

Asareferenceletstake one more example from “ Saurashtrani Rasadhar”abook by Jhaverchand Meghani(very well known Gujarati writer)toconnectwiththistext&toreadthecontemporarysociety.he also portrays the picture of contemporarysociety. In oneofhisstorytitled “ Jato Halkaro”  we come to know what kind of people we were just before 100 or so years, not so far. though Meghani has described it in Veer Rasa, but we can read society. In  the story  husband and wife were passing  ( by walking)nearly at evening and they were looted. ( it means that there were not good medium of transportation. Oursociety was not developed) (Peopleusedtotravelbybullockcart,andthosewhowererichtheyhadhorses)Jato Halakaro-apostmanfromnearbyvillage tries to save them and dies. But my point is that how can we say that our past was glorious , if people passing by  just at evening were not safe. Only for few jewelry and money people were robbed and killed. This is the reality. In Gujarati culture there are so many famousstories about the ‘Baharvatiya’  ( robber) who were looting entire village. If this is the reality then how can we be proud of our rotten culture? This aspect leads us to another question that why someone do robbery? It means that there was poverty in society. People were ready to kill each other for few money. Education was not there. Even with her husband woman were looted then what if she beingalone?

ccEL,M -MZ RMZL HFI K[PWF0 5F0JF VFJ[ K[PvSF/] E]bIF H[JF EL,0FGF 8M/F HM.4E]bIF KMSZF G[ J,J,F8 SZTF DM8FVMGF 5UDF\ VF/M8TF HM.G[4SF/] X]\ SFD lGS?IM CTM V[ E],L H. DGDF\ G[ DGFD SC[ K[occ VF ,MSM SIFZ[ DFZL Z[X[ VG[ SIFZ[ BFJF E[UF YFX[? G[ lARFZ] -MZ SIFZ[ K]8X[?

Pannalal Patel shows the harsh reality of that time- that people were looted even in daylight.  Not only money and jewelry   but animals were also not safe. Once there is an incident in the novel that  “Bhil”- tribal people attacks the village and drive away people’s domestic animals like cows and buffaloes etc. so Kalu- the protagonist with few friends follows them to protect animal. But there he saw a terrible scene, which one can never forget….. That there were many groups of people, looking exactly like skeleton ( because they had no food to eat, so they werelike living dead) are eating a living/alivebuffalo. Someone is drinking blood, others are eating other body parts like leg etc. they had no weapon to kill or cut, for them their teeth was everything.!!!!

Another scene which he saw was that people were hitting stones to animal to kill & eat.

  VG[ R-TFGL ;FY[ H[ NxI HMI] V[ TM SF/] V[GF VJTFZDF\ v VZ[ ;FT VJTFZ[I GlC E},L XS[!JL;v5rRL; CF0l5H\Z 45[,F DZ[,F -MZ 5Z T]8L 50TF CTF4NFT H KZLVM CTL G[ N[JTF TM 5[8DF\ E0E0TM H CTM G[? SF/] S\5L p9IMP1F6EZ TM V[G[ JC[D 50IM S[ 5KL ULW0F K[P?

ULWGL H[D H Y. ZCI] CT]PSM. 5[,F KMSZFG[ C0;[,F DFZT] CT]\ TM SM. 0MXL B}G 5LTL CTLP

-MZGF V[S[S 5U[ A[A[ H6 AR0F EZTF CTF4HIFZ[ T,FJZM ;FY[ R0L A[9[,F A[ H6M TM SF5LvSF5LG[ v,\UM8L p5ZF\T S50] CMI TM BM/MI J/[G[!AU,DF\ DFZTF\ TM J/L 5[8G[ ;FY. JrR[ NAFJTF CTF.T,JFZGM 0Z CTM TMI SM. V[SFN ,MRM TF6L ,[T] CT]\P

VF AWFGF 5UDF\ VFJTF KMSZF o cBFJ]\ VF.! BFJ]\ PPPP SF/] HF6TM CTM S[ V[DGF CFY5UDF\ V[S T6B,]\ TM0JF H[8,LI XlST GYLP KTFI V[S 5F0LGF U/F5Z BF0]\ hLSL 5F0I]\ PPPP VG[ V[ 50[,F -MZ 5Z HF6[ UM/GF -[OF 5Z DSM0F OZL J?IF P5[,F ,MSM ARSF EZLG[ ,MCL 5L G[ HFOT p0FJTF CTFP

V[S 8M/FV[ KZLYL SFD ,LW]\ TM ALHL 8M/LV[ S]CF0LGM p5IMU SIM"PTM ClYIFZ lJGFGL +LHL 8M/LV[ 5[,L 3F8L JrR[ V[S -MZ 5}I]"P A[p AFH]YL 5yYZ GM DFZM R,FjIMP

B]Gg;[ R0[,F VXST DFGJLGL VWLZTF G[ 5[,F ;XST -MZGF WD5KF0F 56 JF8DFI HIF H]VM tIF\ V[GL V[ H pHF6LVM ! SF/]G[ TM BFTZL Y. occUFDG]\ A;M +6;MI -MZ NG VFYDTFDF\ HF6[ K[ H G. ! VG[ V[G[ YJF ,FuI]\ SIFZ[VF 0]\UZVMDF\YL ACFZ GLS/L HFpP

             The climax is there in the next scene, when he saw that a lady, seating near bush was eating her own child to satisfy her appetite/ Hunger !!!

  56 0]\UZLVM 5}ZL SZL JF8[ R-IF HFI K[ TIF\ 5[,L HF/ GLR[ NxI HMTF SF/]G[ Y. A[9]\PA[ 5F\R 1F6 ;]WLTM G VFU/PVZ[ 4GHZ 56 tIF\YL GCMTL B;TL PPPP56 tIF\ HF6[ T}8[,L SZM0ZHH] RF,] Y.P;;,FGL H[D V[ AFH]GF AF\8\DF\ V,MI Y. UIMP DGG[I DGFJTM CTM oc GF GF 4 V[ TM 0FS6 CTLPPPVZ[ EF.4 A{~ DG[I CT]\ 56 BFTLcTL V[ TM ;;,]\ H CT]\P

Kalu- a protagonist  don’t believe himself what he has seen. He tries to convince himself that what  has seen is not true. How can a mother  eat her own child?? Itmustbearabbit!!Butitwaschild!And if this really happened then we can realize the  downfall of  people.

                                       DL DFZL ;UL VF\B[ VF56F -MZ S5FTF EFjIF G[ V[ S5FI[,F -MZ 5Z vHF6[ VF56[ VlC\ DZ[,F  -MZ 5Z VFJ[ K[PV[JF ;D0F\ UZHF G[ ULW0F HM. <IM! V[ H  O[NF\O[N VG[ V[ H B[\RFB[\R!

                                      TG[ CH] BAZ GYL PPPP UF\DDF\ 3Z0F CMI V[DG[ HM.G[ 5}KL VFJ[ S{I[ SM. NG DFGJLV[ DFGJG[ BFW] CMI V[J]\ ;F\E?I]\ K[PPPPPP VZ[ V[ ;F\E?I]\ CX[ SNFR 456 5}KH[4 S{I[ DG[B 4 G[ T[DFI DF\4 5[8GF H^IFG[ bFFTL CX[P                     

It also mentioned by novelist that women were selling their body only to get food.

       K%5GLIM VFYDTL 5[-LGL ;F\EZ6GL DCF VFOT CTLP V[DF GFGLIF H[JF 5TLV[ 5MTFGL :+LVMG[ KM0L4lNSZFVMG[ DFG[ -F\SJF ,]U0F 56 GF ZCIF4 E,L 4~BL H[JL AF.VMV[ ,FH XZD D]SL 4 G[ DF6; G[ DF+ V[S JF\;GF ZCL v S[D SZL G[ NF6M VGFH D[/JJ]\ v ELB DF\ULG [ 4RMZL SZLG[ 4 VZ[ S]TZF\ GF DM\ DFYL G[ S[ V[9 GL S]\0LVM RF\8LG[I AF.VM V[ TM XZLZ J[RLG[ 5[8GL VFU VM,,JJF DF\0LP DFGJL G]\ VF VW 5TG HM.G[ JFTF" DF\ X\SZNF BZ]\ H SC[ K[ E,L K[ 5ZYDL s5'yJLf S[ ;ZJZG[ C[0JF N[ K[P

                                                   HIFZ[ :+LV[ W6LGL DF\ V[ lNSZL GL lNSZL V[ AF5GL XZD KM0LG[ ;F{V[ SF,[ DZL HX]\ VFHGM lNJ; UD[ T[D SZLG[ SF-L GF\BM4 HLJFI T[8,] HLJM4 EMUJFI T[8,]\ EMUJMP X]\ gIFI  VG[ X]\ VgIFI X]\ GLTL VG[ X]\ VGLTL ?

Chappaniyo draught( of 1900) was the biggest calamity on the  people. The situation was such that women started selling their bodies only to get food. Anyhow, people wanted something to eat- by begging, by doing theft or even sometimes people snatch a piece from dog’s mouth to eat. Such degradation is umimaginable.

5

★Urgetodie......

"NamSibyllanquidemCumisegoipseoculismeis

vidiinampullapendere,illipueridicerent:

Sibylla ti thelesis; respondebat illa: apothanein thelo".

ThisepigraphcomesfromSatyricon,asatirefromPetronius.InEnglishitmeans"I saw with my own eyes the Sibyl at Cumae hanging in a jar/ cage, and when the boys said to her, Sibyl, what do you want? She replied I want to die".It hasmanyinterpretations.oneissheissayingwhatthepeoplewhoinhabitthewastelandaresaying.

(Sibyl:-Granted  eternal  life  by  Apollo,  she  neglected  to  ask  also  for eternal  youth  and  lived  a  life  in  death,  continually  withering but never dying.)(Bloom)

Sibyl looks at the future and proclaims that she only wants to die. The Sibyl's predicament mirrors what Eliot sees as his own. He lives in a culture that has decayed and withered but will not expire, and he is forced to live with reminders of its formerglory.

Similarlypeoplealsowantstodieinthenovel.Thedraughtissoterriblethatpeopleneitherhavefoodnorwater.Becauseofseveredraughtnotevenleavesoftresstoeat.Entirefamilywaslivingbyonlyhandfulofgrains.Allhavesoldanimals,jewelleryamdothermaterialthingsonlytosatisfytheirappetite.Theirlifebecamemiserable.Monsonistooaway,thereisnohopeforhelpfromanybody.Waitingfordeath,becausetheythoughtthatitisbettertodiethantosufferlikethis.

Thus,somewhereurgetodieiscommoninboththetexts.

6

★ Mother image is broken

In every culture very respectable position is given to the  mother. This novel deconstructs the aura of respective mother. No one can imagine worse picture than this that mother eating her own child. ( True test of your character is in the moment of crisis)  InSanskritlanguageitisfamouslysaidthat"JananichaJanmabhumiswargadapigariyasi"meansMotherandMotherlandaregreaterthanheaven.AndinGujaratithereisproverbthat"Maatemaa,bijabadhavagadanavaa"meansnoonecanbecomparedwithmother.Myintentionbehindputtingthislinesistojuxtaposerealismversusidealism.Bookpresentstherealityofcontemporarysociety.atthesametimewecepebrateideals,whicharefarawayfromreality.

★Faith:-

T.S.Eliothasfaithinhumanity.Hebelievedthatregenerationispossible.Thelostsocialordercanbereestablished.Itispossibletomakewastelandagainafertileland.AndhegivessolutionthatbridgebetweenEastandWestisthesolution.Itisappropriatetoquotethe remarks made during the Noble Prize award ceremony in 1948by Gustaf Hellström of the Swedish Academy.

“Humility is also the characteristic which you, Mr. Eliot, have come to regard as man's virtue. ‹The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility.› At first it did not appear that this would be the final result of your visions and your acuity of thought.

(The) contact was a shock to you, the expression of which you brought to perfection in The Waste Land, in which the confusion and vulgarity of the civilization became the object of your scathing criticism.

But beneath that criticism there lay profound and painful disillusionment, and out of this disillusionment there grew forth a feeling of sympathy, and out of that sympathy was born a growing urge to rescue from the ruins of the confusion the fragments from which order and stability might be restored.

................. You, Mr. Eliot, are of the opposite opinion. For you the salvation of man lies in the preservation of the cultural tradition, which, in our more mature years, lives with greater vigour within us than does primitiveness, and which we must preserve if chaos is to be avoided.

ThoughEliotiscriticizedasregressive/backwardlooking,hissolutionofcontemporaryproblemisunique.

Pannalalpatelalsospeaksthroughprotagonistthathewillnotloosefaithfromhumanity.Basicallyhumansarenotbad,butsituationmadethemso.Whateverhappenhewillnotleavefaitheitherfromgodorfromhumanity.Howeverworstconditionofsocietyis,revivalispossible.

problemsarecreatedbyhumans.So,itisthepeoplewhohavetotakeresponsibilityofmankindandpreservationofitsculturaltraditionsandvalues.Thesolutionlieswithintheself.

So,itprovesthatboththewritershavegreatfaithinhumanity.

Conclusion:-

My point is that whether West or East, England or India, London or Gujarat “ KAGADA BADHE KALA”. (means "Crows are black everywhere) It is not true to criticize only Western culture. Because somewhere we are also like them, or say basic human nature is common everywhere.

Work Cited:-

Wikipedia contributors."Modern Times (film)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 29 Sep. 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

https://youtu.be/_jLHVT0-GgM

Wikipedia contributors."I. A. Richards." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Oct. 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.

Frye, Northrop. "The Archetypes of Literature." Frye, Northrop. Fables ofIdentity. NewYork: Harcourt, Beace and World, 1951. 7-20.

Manubhai and Manubhai ( Darshak) Pancholi. "truptino ghunt." Patel, Pannalal. Manavini Bhavai. 11. Sadhana Prakashan, 1962. 9-30.

patel, Pannalal. Manavini Bhavai. Ed. auro books. 11. Vol. first. Ahmedabad: Sadhana Prakashan, 1947.

Patel, Pannalal. Manavini Bhavai. Ahmedabad: Sadhana Prakashan, 1947.

The Modern Times. By Charlie Chaplin. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf. Chaelie Chaplin. 1936.

www.poetryfoundation.org. 13 10 2015. 13 10 2015 <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176735>.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

 1)

Feminist reading of Harmione’s

character in Harry Potter: How do the character

portrayal of Harmione and other female

characters support feminist discourse?

Lets begin the discussion with the question that why do we need to discuss Feminist discourse time and again?  Lets illustrate it with an example that "Man would be proud to call himself wizard, but will women be proud in calling her witch? definitely not. Because there is something wrong in the structure and language of society. obviously it is patriarchal. we tend to see everything in binaries.Where one automatically comes into dominating power position and Other is labled as "Lack", something that they doesn't have.

And to uncover, unearth this binaries we will require counter discourse which is obviously our point of discussion Feminist reading of Hermione's character.

When we judge any character we've to keep in mind with whom we are comparing? If we compare Hermione with Ophelia(Hemlet) or Hester Prynne (The Scarlet Letter) then definitely Hermione is far better female character. And we can also derive the conclusion that day by day the role and place of female in society as well as in literature also.She is very intelligent girl from childhood and beats boys also in learning magic tricks, which proves her a fast learner.And that's why in Deathly Hallows part Ron says to Harry that without Hermione they cant survive a day or two. Ron says but don't tell this to Hermione.  they admire Hermione's knowledge and strength as a great witch. so it looks very good . But is it so? Is there really no problem with the portrayal of Hermione?

Yes, there is problem. She is used as a OBJECT for the rivalry between Ron and Harry. This OBJECTIFICATION is problematic. Writer could have use something else for rivalry between two friends.

More than that 'Padma' and 'Parvati'- Patil sisters and 'Cho' are also Used as object, nothing else.

another thing is that All the intellectual talk happens between Harry and Dumbledore. why Hermione is not part of that? if she is really intellectual character then why she is absent from the scene? Other charge can be that "How many Horcruxes were really destroyed by Hermione? Unluckily, the answer is not favorable.

Because somehow it is deep rooted in our Psyche that women are always weaker than men.

But perhaps surrounded by Patriarchal structure Rowling can't do that. Some how she is also a subject. Imagine what would have been happen if Hermione will be protagonist, not harry??Then perhaps the series won't be as popular as it is. Only female protagonist will not work for sure. So even Rowling wish she cant do that.

So, after deeply pondering these points one can conclude that Strength of Hermione's character is superficial and surfacial only. If we dig deeper then Hermione fails as a strong character(compare to Harry).

2)      Discourse on the purity of Blood and

Harry Potter: How do the novels play with the

thesis of pure blood (Master Race) giving an

anti-thesis by belonging protagonists to half-

blood / Mud-blood? What sort of synthesis is

sought in this discourse in Harry Potter series?

Concept of purity of blood (race) is very much present in the Harry Potter. Establishing social order by master race is not a new idea. Killing other as inferior race is very prominent in the history.

Now the point is that what is attacked by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter? And what she finally wants to establish as a conclusion by the thesis- antithesis on race?

Protagonist- Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are  Mud -blood. Ron Weasley is a pure blood. Draco Malfoy is also pure blood. Where as evil Voldemort is Mud Blood but craving for pure blood.

Rowling SUBVERTS the entire narrative by making protagonists who are mud bloods. And important thing is that they are equally or sometimes more powerful in magic than Pure blood. so, definitely it leads us to think that what should be criteria to judge the people - Race/ blood or merit?.

At the same time we have to keep in mind that Rowling is not despising Pure blood. Voldemort is evil and he is also mud blood. if writer make Voldemort as a pure blood, then definitely it is problematic.Witches and wizards consider themselves superior than non-magic people or non-human species like elves and giants. This act again shows racism working within the magical world. 

It is a satire on Voldemort kind of people that idea of superior race is dangerous/ harmful.  recent History has proved us that how dangerous it is.

many times reference comes in the novel they how pure blood were insulting mud bloods as inferior. And if we hear this kind of dialogue even today in and around us, then we've to be double careful.

5)      The discourse of Power and Politics in

Harry Potter: How does Ministry of Magic

control the resistance? How do they prosecute

the ‘Other’?

It will be interesting if we bring in Michel Foucault's view regarding Power, knowledge and Politics.According to Foucault Knowledge is created by those who are in power position about Other. For Foucault, power and knowledge are created by discourse. Truth, morality and meaning reside within discourse,

Where is the politics in the novel? The answer is that ministry of magic is  the law making body in the wizarding world. The information about Hogward or magical world is kept secret from the non magical people. It is also controlled that one should not strictly do magic in front of muggles outside the Hogward. and if one does then they are punished. This control and punishment itself are the sufficient example of power and politics in Hogward.

Lets quote Foucalt's views abut power......

In his “History of Sexuality” Foucault approaches the concept of power in this manner:

“ power is everywhere, not because it embraces everything but because it comes from everywhere. And power insofar is repetitious, inert and self-reproducing…power is not an institution, not a structure; neither is it a certain strength we are endowed with it; it is the name of a complex strategical situation in a particular society.”   

   

We can also apply Althusser's concept of ISA- ideological State Apparatus, Where Ministry of Magic functioning as a ISA.  they defy rules to gain knowledge. At the same Other (Students) those who are not in power position they are constantly under SURVEILLANCE. There are always two - one who Sees and other are being seen.(The kind of  phobia of constantly seen by somebody CCTV as shown in 1984 by George Orwell is also present here)  but one is trapped in this ideology. of one wants to get real/ true knowledge then they've to break the rules.

 

The specific function of a school means that essentially a power structure. Starting from the headmaster, professors, students and finally servants- Hogwarts presents a HIERARCHICAL POWER STRUCTURES  Students are split up in houses and each house has a common room that is accessed through a secret password. In order to navigate the school the students must be aware of the rules, the signs and symbols that regulate life. Harry Potter manages to defy these rules by gaining knowledge of the castle’s secret passages from the maradaurer’s map.

Interpretation challenge of play Breath by Samuel Beckett.

Dear friends, 

this blog is written as a task while studying Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett at Department of English. This is my comment under the blog of Dr. Dilip Barad. For further reading and interesting video you can visit blog of Barad sir, http://dilipbarad.blogspot.in/2014/09/interpretation-challenge-breath.html

Interpretation challenge of play Breath by Samuel Beckett.

I would like to use quote for play Breath, which is used for Waiting for Godot is that "Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes, its awful. there is not a single character in the play. No story, no plot. Neither begining nor end.

 In these videos there is nothing except darkness, or garbage or absurd sound. The play is rather symbolic. Human life is meaningless and full of absurdity. The video of modern interpretation shows people walking like machine. People have no time, they have become more mechanical. Or say people are running, but what is meaning of their life. Camera also moves on photo of children, then every thing is empty. Later on chair is empty- symbolizes death.

Other video focuses on medical waste, symbolizes nothingness, meaninglessness.  Camera also focuses on symbol  “Swastik” symbolize Hitler- and we can connect with death of so many people. Massacre done by Hitler is signified. Human existence is futile. 

Even Breath- title suggests Absurdity. We breath to live, but even Breathing is absurd. Similarly human life is also like this. Essence of the play is feeling of uncertainty. Sound, garbage, waste  means nothing. It reflects the mentality of people.  Effect of war is clearly seen on the people. It presents despair and disillusionment of post world war generation.

The Swamp Dwellers by Wole Soyinka.

• The Swamp Dwellers is a play by Nobel prize winner writer Wole Soyinka.
• The play is very short, but it opens up deeper layers for discourse.
• The Swamp Dwellers is a close study of pattern of life in the isolated hamlets of the African countryside as well as an existential study of the simple folk who face rigors of life without any hope or succor. the play is a necessity for a balance between the old and new. Soyinka is not for excessive glorification of past. In the play we can see Soyinka's crusade against authoritarianism, complacency and self delusion.
• The play expresses a kind of angst, showing the wrong effect of colonialism, imperialism, globalization etc.
• Before interpreting the play it is necessary to know the time and place of book of written. For example  text of 16th century will be quite different than 21st century text. 
• The Swamp Dwellers was written nearly at the end of colonialism. it was published in 1958, a year after Ghana's independence and few year before Nigeria's anticipated freedom.
• So, rather than just presenting or criticizing other, it focuses more on where should we move as a society and Nation.
• Makuri and Alu are husband and wife. Their two sons Awuchike and Igwezu went to city to make money. Igwezu returns in village all alone, without his wife. Because his wife Desala left him and she chooses Awuchike, Igwezu's brother only because of money.
• The play is very serious debate on the concept of tradition and modernity. 
• In the play village stands for tradition, at the same time city is for modernization. older people think city as a breeding place of immorality, corruption and rottenness. Alu & Makuri's son went into city and they changed, so parent's hate for city becomes stronger. Priest Kadiye also comes because he thought that Igwezu came from city, so he might have money. The swamp dwellers have mixed feeling about city. for many people city is the place of comfort, money and luxury.
• The concept of Modernization is connected with colonialism, imperialism and industrialization.
• The play mirrors the socio cultural pattern, the pang and the suffering of the swamp dwellers and underlines the need for absorbing new ideas.

Sense of an Ending by Julian Barne

Sense of an Ending is a Man Booker Prize (2011) winner text by Julian Barnes. The novel is comparatively shorter, but has unique philosophical depth to think.

The novel centre arounds the Tony Webster - narrator, who is in his 60s, and recreates past about his school days, girlfriend Veronica, and friend Adrian through his memory.The book is divided into two segments, the first part is entirely his memory narrative. The same incidents are narrated again in second part with DOCUMENTS. and surprising thing is that what Documents says is quite opposite from his story told by memory- example is Tony's Letter written to Adrian and Veronica. so, it will open new discourse on memory- that how far can we rely on memory?? it opens up the gate to deconstruct many narratives that are based on memory. Tony turnes out as unreliable narrator.

Apart from memory novel also critically ponders upon History & Documentation, as well as Existentialism- Concept of Suicide (philosophically).

*  What is the meaning of

phrase ‘Blood Money’ in

Veronica’s reply email?

Sarah pays Tony to compensate him for the loss of Adrian. (This definition of blood money is payment by the murderer to the victim’s kin.) There is so little to tell us about Sarah and Adrian’s relationship, She says Adrian spoke highly of Tony. She says Adrian’s last months were happy. Perhaps she sees this payment as a way to wipe away her guilt and Tony as the only party remaining she can plausibly make it to. After all, how could she ever make it up to Veronica?

*How do you decipher the

equation: b = s – v x/+ a1 or

a2 + v + a1 X s = b?

until the secret opens, no one knew what does this equation mean? Later on it make sense. b= stands for baby, child.

s= stands for Sarah Ford, mother of Veronica.

a1= stands for Adrian

a2= stands for Antony(Tony Webster)

v= for Veronica.

After break up with Veronica, when Tony comes to know about relation of Veronica with Adrian, Tony writes a letter to Adrian. So, due to letter Adrian meets Sarah Ford.what happen between them is not told, but later on it is revealed that Young Adrian, who is age of 40- is mentally retarded is child of Adrian and Sarah. So young Adrian is brother of Veronica. Due to this Adrian Finn has to commit suicide.

so now, who is to be blamed for this???

It is Tony who wrote so terrible letter which lead Adrian to meet Sarah. so Tony also shares the chain of responsibility. at large extent his letter is to be blamed for consequences.

Adrian’s diary is willed to

Tony by Sarah Ford. How

come Sarah Ford owned it?

Why was it in the

possession of Veronica?

Diary of Adrian was possesed by Sarah, because he had relation with her. she told that last day of him were happy. so we can connect the dot that when both were spending time with each other, Adrian may have given diary to her.

Was the mentally retarded

middle aged ‘Adrian’, Tony’s

friend who did not commit

suicide and was suffering

from trauma and thus gone

mad, and was living with

hidden identity?

NO, it is not so. Adrian had commited suicide. But mentally retarded person is Sarah & Adrian's son, who is like this may be because of pregnency of Sarah at late age.

In the light of new

revelations, how do you

read character of Veronica?

Instinctive, manipulative,

calculating, stubborn,

haughty, sacrificial,

trustworthy, good

Samaritan?

Interestingly we find two Veronica in the novel. The first image Tony created through his memory is not appropriate for the Veronica of the second part. We believe about Veronia whatever narrated by Tony in the first part. But when as a reader we directly come in contact with her- she is more carring, trustworthy, good samartian, who is taking lot of care of young Adrian. she is not calculative or stubborn, but rather more sacrificial.

What do you mean by

Unreliable Narrator? Is

Tony Webster classifiable as

Unreliable Narrator?

Yes, in second part Tony turns out as unreliable narrator.“Was this their exact

exchange? Almost certainly not. Still, it is my

best memory of their exchange.” (Pg 19) This single dialogue from the text itself is able to deconstruct Tony' s entire memory narration. Because he himself says that this are my best memories. Another example can be added is that of Tony's letter. In the first part Tony only says that he had written letter to Adrian & Veronica, but did not mention the ugliness of his letter. in part two when Veronica gives letter to him, even he is shocked to read his own letter.