Saturday 24 April 2021

The Sense of an Ending (Thinking Activity)


Hello friends,


I’m just thinking of a thing that has influenced a life. If I talk personally, books have played very important part. The Sense of an Ending has terribly influenced me. There is a whole new level of slightly more complicated knowledge, a new chapter to my own book of learning. Probably I have to confess that literature hasn’t shaped me but it has reshaped me!


Listen this explanation from Ruchi Joshi's video and her learning outcome on 'The Sense of an Ending'.




It’s characters are as catchy as a glue stick, even if I try to remove- it can’t. It can never be removed as sometimes directly or sometimes indirectly, I’m the character of Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending. If it seems exaggerated, it's a truth and I think this is the only truth of each human being (I would love to imitate the words of Tony as he quotes ‘I called up the only Veronica in my address book).

This is perhaps totally clashing with what I was believing throughout the last decade of my life. Earlier I used to believe what was said in history. With the passing of time I intensified my critical skill and started to believe in ‘not to believe even on what I see, listen and have learnt. Not to believe the surface and try to ponder deep down because this is what needs to be but reading of this text my province and my strong concern of knowing collapse and it thrills me till

the date. 

Earlier I was of the opinion that there are no truths and lies but different truths or let me say three truths but I found an excellent abstraction that ‘Who has told the story even they must not be represented as liars but as survivors’!


Before I’d rounded off my reading of this novella, I was hankering to read Adrian’s diary and still, of course! I don’t want to be one of those secret spoilers and so I won’t ponder anything on that point to decrease your charm and glamour to read but probably I need to quote the words of ‘Daily Telegraph’ for the novella, ‘I would urge you to read and reread - The Sense of an ending’ and want to read Adrian’s diary again and again’. Adrian’s diary is one of those life’s strengths I want to reach yet I must not reach. The question remains still in front of the eyes and behind the mind,

‘What if I don’t even urge to read Adrian’s diary?’ ‘I know that, I know very well that I can never be even the shadow of Adrian but what if I become Tony?' Equally as the text even I have to wait for the unrest, great unrest and for the responsibility. Tony has everything in his life like comfort, retirement , marriage, children or we may say that we'll settle in life. Then the question arises Why at the sense of his end he thinks about his past?


Why ?
Is there any purpose ?
Why does he recall everything in his 60s?

Things don’t get settled down here but this leads us to think that Tony is a kind of character who keeps on swinging from his words or speaks a lie? At some of the extent Tony is honest to me, more honest to me or let me say, is he really a liar or unreliable? Because not to believe or say Tony’s unreliability has made patches on my mind that I wont be able to trust even Adrian.


Thus, without the character of Tony, I would remain just with the critical thinking that History is the lies of victor but the way it is revealed made a greater impact that without that I’ll certainly remain in the perfect frame of imperfection, yet I know what I don’t know and my journey is towards to be the honest to myself that ‘I must not know, what I don’t know’!


Thank you







Wednesday 21 April 2021

Problems of Youth and ON@TCC



Hello friends,


Of course we know, challenges and problems are important parts of life that give us experiences, make us learn and help to become wiser and stronger. Problems make us grow and shape us. The biggest problem people have is that they hope for a life without problems! Regardless of that result, one must value the experience and personal growth.


Problem solving is at the core of human evolution. It is the methods we use to understand what is happening in our environment, identify things we want to change and then figure out the things that need to be done to create the desired outcome. Problem solving is the source of all new inventions, social and cultural evolution, and the basis for market based economies. It is the basis for continuous improvement, communication and learning. 


If this problem-solving thing is so important to daily life, what is it? Problem-solving is the process of observing what is going on in your environment; identifying things that could be changed or improved; diagnosing why the current state is the way it is and the factors and forces that influence it; developing approaches and alternatives to influence change; making decisions about which alternative to select; taking action to implement the changes; and observing impact of those actions in the environment.






Saturday 17 April 2021

Literary Memes

Hello friends,


We are living in the privilege era where everything is in the pocket. During the last several years, funny reality shows and special programmes on jokes were being organized. Now-a-days social media platforms have brought drastic change in the medium of entertainment. Jokes and memes are becoming a daily routine of people’s life. Of course, you may also find some of the elders advising or keeping on instructing not to waste our time on mobile phones and the internet. One might have heard, ‘Be careful, whether you use the internet or Internet uses you!’ But it would be difficult to find a person who is totally unaware of ‘mems'


Rahm Emanuel says, 

"Never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before." 


Same way, Memes are newer and interesting too to satire and also to laugh. 



This blog contains some interesting memes on literature and upon some particular  literary texts. 


What is a meme and who has coined?


Before You read interesting memes and about the memes, let me make you fresh with two or three memes on literary writing, literature classroom and literature's professor and discussion in classroom as literary person and literary critique sees and interprets each and everything much deeply with totally different lens. But as we know, 'To look differently at particular thing is always looked at differently, derogatory and differently which makes everyone laugh!


The internet meme has become a crucial part of online discourse as a mainstream vehicle for humor. The most popular form of the meme generates humor through the interplay of image and text. This manipulatable template of the text-image dynamic allows for fresh representations of existing tropes of humor. However, the anti-meme, a popular offshoot of the meme, has features that make it function differently.





If you are thinking that jokes and memes are the same let me make you clear on this. There is a slight difference between joke and meme.  A joke has humorous intent,and is not meant to be taken seriously. Meme is a word coined by Dr Richard Dawkins to represent an idea,that spreads from person to person within a culture—conveying a meaning. Generally of life, Meme, culture.


An Internet meme is a viral idea,which modifies as it spreads.Popularly it takes the form of a movie clip or scene with added subtext which has an altered context.

 

A joke could be a story or a prank or a meme. 

A meme need not be funny. It could be an astounding idea.

 

Memes on Shakespeare







Memes on Harry Potter






















Memes on The Old man and the sea







Memes on Waiting for Godot








Memes on Doctor Faustus





Memes on Chetan Bhagat





I would also like to end this blog by adapting line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, 'To be, or not to be- that is the question!'. Because memes are not mere memes but


Read and watch my presentation on 'Feminist reading of Jokes' as a part of my MA sem-2. Click Here:

This paper will help you to read about 'ANTI MEMES'. Click here to read the paper.


Thank You.

 


Monday 12 April 2021

Harry Potter

Hello friends,

We live in society. We are doing something to pass our lives. Myth and ritual can satisfy individual needs in everyday life. Whether we are conscious of it or not, you have certain personal myths and shared myths concerning your own identity and you perform certain rituals to enhance these myths. Daily living is filled with mini ceremonies (ritualistic acts), that bring us out of the ordinary and connect us to ourselves and the world. By expressing these otherwise unexceptional actions with purposeful awareness and affection, our life gains meaning.

Reading is so important in everyday life: when driving, we need to be able to read road signs; in a restaurant, we need to read the menu; when shopping, we need to read ingredients; we receive post, such as bank statements and communications – the list is endless and it’s clear that reading is more important than ever.

Our ancestors had very little need to read things. They could interact and communicate solely through talking and not being able to read wouldn’t necessarily limit you. These days, it’s possible to communicate only with the written word: sending texts or emails, reading and writing articles or posts means we actually never need to speak out loud ever again!

When encouraging reading, we generally tend to focus on how reading can broaden your horizons and improve your imagination. We also look at how being exposed to language can support learning vocabulary and grammar – all of which are incredibly important. 


“Reading and even watching is dual most important skill necessary for a happy, productive and successful life.”

The importance of reading, watching – or, how Harry Potter really is magic!

If we jump down to popular fiction like Harry Potter, then it itself becomes something to be given worth! This can be truly believed and experienced only if one urges to read and watch this series!

 One more interesting thing needs to be pondered upon for Harry Potter is,

Parents who feel guilty about letting their young children watch too many fantasy movies on TV can relax. Researchers have discovered that youngsters who watch films like Harry Potter improve their imagination and creativity. This is believed to be the first attempt to study whether there any educational benefits in exposing children to magical content like witches and wizards, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy.

Here is the list of all parts of the Harry Potter series and it will help you to expand more about this.

(1)Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone


Lord Voldemort was defined by his fear and anxiety of death, and devoted his life to conquering and worrying about it. This is no way to live, says J.K. Rowling. We must treat death as not something to be cheated, but as a natural part of life. Take her lesson on what it really means to be the Master of Death:

 ‘It is not about striving for immortality, but about accepting mortality.’

You see the birth of this theme in Philosopher’s Stone. Compare Dumbledore’s attitude towards death with Voldemort’s, for example. When Dumbledore told Harry that the Stone must be destroyed, therefore condemning his friend Nicolas Flamel and his wife to die, he reacted to Harry’s dismay with: 

‘To one as young as you, I’m sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.’

It’s this attitude, and this wisdom, which will guide Harry right up until Deathly Hallows, where he must confront death himself, with a focused mind and a brave heart. And that, ultimately, is why he won, while Voldemort lost.

(2)Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets



It turns out that Ginny had opened the Chamber of Secrets under the guidance of Voldemort, who controlled her through his enchanted diary. Gilderoy Lockhart is revealed as a fraud. Dobby is Lucius Malfoy's elf and was trying his best to protect Harry from harm. Dumbledore puts to rest any suspicion that Harry is Slytherin's heir and makes his famous comment:

 "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." 

Harry could not have wielded the sword of Gryffindor if he did not truly belong to that house.
 

(3)Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban



Simply by introducing the element of time travel, Prisoner of Azkaban naturally raises questions about time travel that many stories do--namely, what the rules of time travel are and when or if "changing time" is ever appropriate. By comparing the novel's two uses of time travel, the first being Hermione's using it to take a double course load and the second being Hermione and Harry's trip back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak, the novel suggests that while time travel is a tool that can be used for many reasons, it's best employed for purposes that seek to right moral wrongs rather than for an individual's personal gain.

(4)Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire


In The Goblet of Fire, Rowling depicts for her readers the bureaucratic side of running the magical world, which is embodied by Ministry wizards, primarily Percy Weasley, a recent graduate of Hogwarts and a new hire in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, who obsesses over the tedious work of regulating magical goods. 

For instance, in the beginning of the book, Percy talks nonstop about his report aiming to "standardize cauldron thickness". And while attending the Quidditch World Cup, Barty Crouch Sr. (Percy's boss), discusses the issue of a wizard from a different region of the world attempting to import magic carpets, which, apparently, have been outlawed in England. Percy and his boss Bartemius Crouch place all of their trust in the rule of law without considering the consequences of those laws, regardless of whether they are net good or net negative. While this depiction of bureaucracy begins as a humorous character portrait of Percy, as the book progresses, Rowling demonstrates how bureaucracy can damage the moral fiber of those who govern and paralyze effective governance.

(5)Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix



Knowledge is absolutely crucial to Harry’s survival, and, fittingly, his experiences as a boarding school student provide the most prominent narrative arcs in the series. Unlike contemporary students, who have access to computers and other knowledge-accelerating technology, Harry’s education must happen slowly and carefully over an extended period of time, often via trial and error. 

For Harry, the acquisition of knowledge is explicitly and often painfully linked to the passage of time. For example, Harry must live with his last remaining blood relatives, the hideous Dursleys, for eleven years until Dumbledore finally decides Harry is ready to experience life as a Wizard. Likewise, Harry must wait until he is no longer an “underage wizard” before he is allowed to safely use his magic outside of Hogwarts. 

Harry must also wait nearly sixteen years until he is allowed to know the truth about his scar and hear about the prophecy that was made before his birth. He must wait for Dumbledore to finally explain Harry’s kill-or-be-killed link to Voldemort. He does not learn the mission of the Order of the Phoenix until he discovers it himself.

(6)Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price


In our world, the war between good and evil is widely acknowledged philosophical idea. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the dire rivalry between Harry and Voldemort is a parallel to the theme of good and evil, with Harry in the position of good and Voldemort in the position of evil.

The nature of identity exerts a powerful thematic force over the entire book. The most obvious case, of course, is the wealth of background information on how Voldemort became Voldemort in the first place. The passages showing the evolution of Tom Riddle are arguably the best in the entire series.

Equally obvious and ultimately every bit as important as Tom Riddle discovering the nature of his identity is the mystery of the Half-Blood Prince which is intensified with the genuinely shocking disclosure of the true nature of Snape. Punctuating the novel’s obsession with secret nature of identity is Dumbledore’s instructions to Harry about the power that lies in fearing the name that lends someone their identity.


(7)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1


Harry has been plagued by loss throughout the entire series. Deathly Hallows most notably explores the effects of losing someone and the legacy that a lost life leaves on those who loved them. For instance, Harry in the seventh book is still dealing with Dumbledore’s death, but the impact of Dumbledore’s living memory continues to aid Harry even after Dumbledore is physically gone: 

“I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help.”

Instead of being held back by the death of Harry’s greatest mentor, Harry uses the memory of Dumbledore as a motivator to continue his quest to destroy Voldemort. Moreover, Dumbledore’s death in book six does not mean he is not present in book seven. 

The trio receives help from Dumbledore even after he’s gone:

(1)The Deluminator that led Ron back to Harry and Hermione, 
(2)The Tales of Beedle the Bard that revealed information of the Deathly Hallows,
(3)the snitch hiding the Resurrection Stone that brought back Harry’s parents in his time of greatest need.

Similarly, it was the memory of Harry’s parents that provided Harry with the final strength to sacrifice his life for the greater good of destroying Voldemort. Even though his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, and Lupin are physically gone, they transcend death through Harry’s mind. In the end, memory is a much more powerful tool than the body. Though our loved ones may be physically gone, they never truly leave us.

(8)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2



The main theme running throughout the novel is good versus evil. Harry Potter represents the good, whereas Voldemort is evil personified.

Harry's upbringing as the oppressed foster child raised by relatives in a very conventionalized English household forms him into an unspoiled and compassionate adolescent who knows what it is to suffer and be treated unfairly. He is very grateful for the friendship, love, and community he enters into in Hogwarts—the simple nurture and caring that he receives in the wizarding world is new to him. He is, as a result, a well-balanced individual who does not have an inflated ego or high self-opinion despite his importance in his new world.

Click here to go on two worksheet Ruchi Joshi prepared on Harry Potter film series, one is individually prepared and  one is prepared in pair by Kavisha Alagiya and Ruchi Joshi. 

Click here to go on google site to see discussion on various questions regarding Harry Potter series. 

During the early years of one’s life is when one has the broadest imagination. Harry Potter helps expand that imagination even greater. Even though Harry Potter has witches and warlocks doing witchcraft, it is all just fantasy and is like any other fantasy movie or book, except better. Things like a three-headed dog, a flying broomstick, and an invisibility cloak allows the reader to leave the reality world and go into a different world of their own.

In conclusion, Harry Potter films do not teach people witchcraft and they do not encourage them to become witches or warlocks. The films actually give characters for children to learn and relate to, expand their imagination, and allow them to read more. If one could just try to be more considerate, they can enjoy and actually learn a few things from the books.

Thank You.