Sunday, 1 March 2020
All My Sons by Aurthur Miller
All My Sons' is a play by Arthur Miller. Setting of the play is time of second world war.
Thinking Activity: The Sense of an Ending
1) How do you understand memory and history with reference to your reading of this novel.
After reading this novel the understanding related to history and memory both have changed. I used to think about memory that it will at some extent forgotten but never distorted. After reading this novel I really feel that we also have those distorted memory, which we want to store as something which has actually not taken place. By doing that we are cheating our selves and others also. So memory and history both are connected. History is written from memory. Now we have seen in this novel how distorted memory can be stored by individual. If historians takes their statements in to consideration, we can not trust history either. In novel Tony says history is not lies of victors or self delusion of defeated, history is the memory of survivors. It is told by them who has not gone for fight from either side and they have survived. They don’t even have first hand experiences of the things. So these people will remember history in different way. We can not trust them without any evidence. So we should not trust anything without evidence, not the person and not even the history.
2) How do you understand the concept of suicide with reference to your reading of literature ranging from Renaissance play Hamlet, 20th century Existentialist philosophy and this 21st century novel The Sense of an Ending?
The journey from Renaissance play to the 21st century novel was very interesting. Suicide is very ambiguous topic. Mostly people think suicide has something bad. Our law also consider as crime. When Hamlet thinks, “To be or, not to be” he concludes that it is untraveled land from where no ones return, and they don’t know also what suffering they have to go through. So living current life is better then suicide. Existentialism says, life is meaningless but ending life is not the solution. So keep on living and try to find meaning in your life. Now here in this novel “The Sense of an Ending” Adrian says that life is a gift which no one has asked for and now if person thinks to return it they have right to do that. Adrian has lived his life at fullest capacity. He knows what he was doing in his life. He knows how he wants to live and he also knows how he wants to die. So in this novel suicide has not been seen as something bad or crime. It is kind of wish or right which every person has. After living your life as one wants and after getting satisfaction in life one can go for suicide. This is what my concept of suicide is now.
Whatever might be the reason people have committed suicide innumerable times. But the problem is society has always seen this as something negative. Why society thinks that one should keep on living, even if they had lived enough or they no more feel life worthy of living. May be because society is made up of coward people. People who shows their slightest wound to the hundreds of people and will consider cowards to those who have guts and strength to kill them selves. Of one think logically, will definitely find problem in understanding the rules of society. May be because the rules are created for Mass and not for Individuals.
1) How do you understand memory and history with reference to your reading of this novel.
After reading this novel the understanding related to history and memory both have changed. I used to think about memory that it will at some extent forgotten but never distorted. After reading this novel I really feel that we also have those distorted memory, which we want to store as something which has actually not taken place. By doing that we are cheating our selves and others also. So memory and history both are connected. History is written from memory. Now we have seen in this novel how distorted memory can be stored by individual. If historians takes their statements in to consideration, we can not trust history either. In novel Tony says history is not lies of victors or self delusion of defeated, history is the memory of survivors. It is told by them who has not gone for fight from either side and they have survived. They don’t even have first hand experiences of the things. So these people will remember history in different way. We can not trust them without any evidence. So we should not trust anything without evidence, not the person and not even the history.
2) How do you understand the concept of suicide with reference to your reading of literature ranging from Renaissance play Hamlet, 20th century Existentialist philosophy and this 21st century novel The Sense of an Ending?
The journey from Renaissance play to the 21st century novel was very interesting. Suicide is very ambiguous topic. Mostly people think suicide has something bad. Our law also consider as crime. When Hamlet thinks, “To be or, not to be” he concludes that it is untraveled land from where no ones return, and they don’t know also what suffering they have to go through. So living current life is better then suicide. Existentialism says, life is meaningless but ending life is not the solution. So keep on living and try to find meaning in your life. Now here in this novel “The Sense of an Ending” Adrian says that life is a gift which no one has asked for and now if person thinks to return it they have right to do that. Adrian has lived his life at fullest capacity. He knows what he was doing in his life. He knows how he wants to live and he also knows how he wants to die. So in this novel suicide has not been seen as something bad or crime. It is kind of wish or right which every person has. After living your life as one wants and after getting satisfaction in life one can go for suicide. This is what my concept of suicide is now.
Whatever might be the reason people have committed suicide innumerable times. But the problem is society has always seen this as something negative. Why society thinks that one should keep on living, even if they had lived enough or they no more feel life worthy of living. May be because society is made up of coward people. People who shows their slightest wound to the hundreds of people and will consider cowards to those who have guts and strength to kill them selves. Of one think logically, will definitely find problem in understanding the rules of society. May be because the rules are created for Mass and not for Individuals.
3) What is the meaning of phrase ‘Blood Money’ in Veronica’s reply email?
Boold money in veronica reply email means.It was the money that Sarah ford gave it to Tony where there is something hidden intention was there and as it also show some relations like Sarah Ford is responsible for Adrin's suicide so that's why Veronica called Boold Money.
4) How do you decipher the equation: b = s – v x/+ a1 or a2 + v + a1 X s = b?
b = s – v x/+ a1. In this first formula doesn't involved Tony and seems to imply little more than Sarah and Adrin together in veronica's absence.
a2 + v + a1 X s = b? In this formula, A2 = Antony Webster, V = Veronica, A1 = Adrin, S = Sarah Ford, B = Baby, a1xs = a1's relationship with S. Antony Webster ,Veronica and Adrin are friends and the relationship of Adrin with Sarah came as a result of baby.
5) Adrian’s diary is willed to Tony by Sarah Ford. Why did Sarah Ford own it? Why was it in the possession of Veronica?
Adrin wrote his diary for Tony. This dairy he gave to Sarah Ford because he had affair with Veronica's mother. "Adrin was happy in his last days". It shows that Adrin was happy with Sarah, and she was with Adrin in those days. As Adrin and Sarah were in relation than it's obvious should have Adrin Diary. So until her Death diary was in her possession and in her will she passed that diary to Tony but Veronica was reluctant to hand it over to Tony.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Herman Melville, (born August 1, 1819, New York City—died September 28, 1891, New York City), American novelist, short-story writer, and poet, best known for his novels of the sea, including his masterpiece, Moby Dick (1851).
Moby Dick, novel by Herman Melville, published in London in October 1851 as The Whale and a month later in New York City as Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. It is dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Moby Dick is generally regarded as Melville’s magnum opus and one of the greatest American novels.
The very first line of Moby Dick, for instance, identifies Ishmael as the narrator; Ishmael was the illegitimate (in terms of the Covenant) son of Abraham and was cast away after Isaac was born. There are a number of other Abrahamic names in the book as well, including Ahab—who, according to the Hebrew Bible, was an evil king who led the Israelites into a life of idolatry. Melville’s Ahab is obsessed with Moby Dick, an idol that causes the death of his crew. The ship that saves Ishmael, the Rachel, is named for the mother of Joseph, known for interceding to protect her children. It is Rachel, as depicted in the Book of Jeremiah, who convinced God to end the exile placed upon the Jewish tribes for idolatry. The rescue of Ishmael by the Rachel in Moby Dick can thus be read as his return from an exile caused by his complicity (because he was on the Pequod’s crew) in Ahab’s idolatry of the whale. Melville’s use of these names grants his novel a rich layer of additional meaning.
The whale itself is perhaps the most striking symbol in Moby Dick, and interpretations of its meaning range from the Judeo-Christian God to atheism and everything in between. Between the passages of carefully detailed cetology, the epigraphs, and the shift from a hero’s quest narrative to a tragedy, Melville set the stage for purposeful ambiguity. The novel’s ability to produce numerous interpretations is, perhaps, the main reason it is considered one of the greatest American novels.
The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
During his time in the Congo, Conrad experienced extreme physical and mental stresses, which eventually affected his health for the rest of his life. Resettling in London, Conrad went into exile for various reasons including political. Ending his mariner career that spanned more than twenty years of sea-faring experiences, Conrad was able to draw from there intricate characters and stories which spoke of the human condition, and the complexities of the inner psyche. One such important literary work titled Lord Jim, in which Jim, a young British seaman accompanies his captain and other crew members in abandoning the passengers of their ship. Later hounded by his misdeed, Jim settles at a remote island where the natives title him “Tuan” or “Lord”. While there he protects the villagers from bandits and a local corrupt chief. Lord Jim speaks of the rise and fall of the human spirit, and the honor and redemption inherent in noble deeds.
These themes are present throughout Conrad’s stories, and in the Heart of Darkness he also makes heavy use of colors, primarily white and black, and references to light and dark, often intermingling the socially accepted view of each one respectively. Conrad also deals with the issues surrounding imperialism in the Heart of Darkness (Sparknotes), yet there is also a larger underlying issue of race and equality, or lack thereof, within the overall story.
The story revolves mainly around Marlow, and his journey through the Congo River to meet Kurtz, purported to be a man of great abilities. In his job as a riverboat captain with a Belgian Company organized for trade within Africa, Marlow encounters much brutality against the natives within in the Company’s settlements. The inhabitants of the region have been pushed into forced labor, and they suffer terribly from overwork and ill treatment in the hands of the Company’s agents. The cruelty of the imperial enterprise contrasts sharply with majestic and massive Congo jungle that surrounds the white men’s stations, causing them to appear like small islands amongst the vast darkness of Africa. Amidst problems with the oppressed natives, Marlow manages to survive his time in the Congo, but because of the extreme conditions and harsh living in the area at the time, he returns home with ill health.
The events depicted in Heart of Darkness truly could have occurred anywhere, but Conrad chose the Congo for the feeling and impact of the climate, the individuals involved, and the very way of life there. The title itself reflects the “heart of darkness” within men, who can sometimes use others for their own benefit and profit, casting away human life as if it had no value. The title may also refer to the Congo itself, due to the darkness and uncharted territory and mysteries that lurked within at that time. Conrad creates a build-up of tension and mysteriousness to the plot, which causes one to wonder what may happen next, and even though nothing overly climactic occurs, each individual event adds to the foreboding of the story. Deaths and other “dark” happenings are spoken of, and Conrad’s technique in describing these events conveys the darkness and hopelessness of the entire situation.
The story portrays darkness as emanating from the depths of the jungle; it fills men with evil and allows them to act upon it. The main example of this darkness is within the station manager Kurtz, who performs such debauchery in the jungles that he eventually becomes ill and dies. The character of Kurtz could be considered a catalyst for change, and the symbol for the Europeans’ failure in the Congo. Unaware of his own evil, Kurtz is unable to fight the darkness within. There is a question of good and evil that is addressed within Heart of Darkness; the motifs of “light” and “dark” in which the darkness in Africa is separate from its “blackness”, and the “whiteness” in Europe being far removed from the goodness of light.
Ultimately Heart of Darkness is a story of the pitfalls and perils of greed, lust, and the corruption of ideals and values by the darkness that dwells within all of mankind. It tells of the madness that the greed for riches or power can create within the heart and mind, and that even the best of intentions can become twisted into something evil and oppressive.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
About Writer:
Toni Morrison, original name Chloe Anthony Wofford, (born February 18, 1931, Lorain, Ohio, U.S.—died August 5, 2019, Bronx, New York), American writer noted for her examination of black experience (particularly black female experience) within the black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Morrison’s first book, The Bluest Eye (1970), is a novel of initiation concerning a victimized adolescent black girl who is obsessed by white standards of beauty and longs to have blue eyes. In 1973 a second novel, Sula, was published; it examines (among other issues) the dynamics of friendship and the expectations for conformity within the community. Song of Solomon (1977) is told by a male narrator in search of his identity; its publication brought Morrison to national attention. Tar Baby (1981), set on a Caribbean island, explores conflicts of race, class, and sex.
The critically acclaimed Beloved (1987), which won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, is based on the true story of a runaway slave who, at the point of recapture, kills her infant daughter in order to spare her a life of slavery. A film adaptation of the novel was released in 1998 and starred Oprah Winfrey. In addition, Morrison wrote the libretto for Margaret Garner (2005), an opera about the same story that inspired Beloved.
About Novel:
"The Bluest Eye", published in 1970, is the first novel written by author Toni Morrison. Morrison is an acclaimed African American novelist, Pulitzer, and Nobel Prize winner whose works are praised for addressing the harsh consequences of racism in the US. This novel is also based on the topic of racism.
“The Bluest Eye” tells the story of an African – American girl named Pecola. Pecola is a young girl of may be 9 or 10 years old. She suffers mentally and physically. Her father is a drunkard and her mother works at the house of white wealthy family. Both of them don’t have time for Pecola. Both of them used to fight verbally and physically. Pecola suffers the racism at school, in her neighbourhood and mostly every where. Claudia and Frida, are sisters. They both are friends of Pecola.
Once Pecola’s father raped her, and it happened again also. After raping second time Cholly runs away, by leaving pregnant Pecola behind. Then Pecola comes to know about their parents suffering by having black skin. Everybody except Claudia and Frida wants that Pecola’s baby should die. Her baby born pre mature and that is why baby dies. Pecola now had lost her mental stability. Now she wish for blue eyes, which in hypocritically racist society believes as standard of beauty. At the end she also believes that she has got blue eyes, and that is why everybody has changed their behaviour with Pecola.
So, this is how the racism affects the life of every African American person. Of this is what they suffer then there is something wrong in other peoples’ culture and thinking. That something wrong should be identify and removed, so others Pecola can live with their own eye color.
Thinking Activity: The Da Vinci Code
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."
I agree on what Brown is saying. His book “The Da Vinci Code” has many interesting things which will attract people. The book is highly controversial but what Brown is saying is also can be taken in to the consideration. He is on a constant spiritual journey, and if there he finds some faults in religion, it is his duty to let others know about that. There is not only one religion in the world and if Brown is finding other religion better than one which he knows that, then he can try to change it, after all religion is made by humans. Spirituality is in knowing our own self and this book let the characters do it. He also have shown some flaws of Christianity, which if we look at it with sceptic eye seems true to us. Then everything needs change with time, so does the religion. So I agree what Brown is talking about debate, that this book give us the different angle for looking towards the things and it doesn’t mean to be anti – Christianity. It provides us the ground for healthy discussion and debate and the book can be used as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith.
2. “Although it is obvious that much of what Brown presented in his novel as absolutely true and accurate is neither of those, some of that material is of course essential to the intrigue, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has retained the novel's core, the Grail-related material: the sacred feminine, Mary Magdalene's marriage, the Priory of Sion, certain aspects of Leonardo's art, and so on[1].” How far do you agree with this observation of Norris J. Lacy?
I do agree with Lacy’s observation. What film is trying to show as fact those are just made up theories. But it obviously held the viewers attention as it is unfolding in very interesting way. It will beautifully fooled those who don’t have enough historical sense and proofs to prove Brown’s narration wrong. I do agree with second statement also that screenwriter has held the core of the novel till the end, by focusing on Grail, Sacred Feminine, Mary Magdalene, Priory of Sion, and Leonardo Da Vinci’s art.
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?
If we look towards these three text by its style of genre of narration than, “The Da Vinci Code” is more convincing to the contemporary young mind than “Genesis” and “”The Paradise Lost”. “Genesis” (The Bible) is written as words of God, where there is no space to question anything which seems totally foolish or unbelievable. “The Paradise Lost” (John Milton) tries to give some different personality to the characters of “Genesis”. But it still shows the fear of God. When we talk about “The Da Vinci Code” (Dan Brown) he is trying to free human being from blind faith in religion. It also tries to give logical reasons (though not fact) to convince the readers. Other texts are trying to show God as divine but “The Da Vinci Code” is trying to show God as human being who has done good deeds. It tries to says that religion is made by human being, for the betterment of human being according to the ancient time, and if there is necessity we can make change according to the recent time. So, “The Da Vinci Code” is more convincing to the contemporary mind.
4. What harm has been done to humanity by the biblical narration or that of Milton’s in The Paradise Lose? What sort of damage does narrative like ‘The Vinci Code’ do to humanity?
Every narrative left it imprints in the mind of human beings. Same every narrative has done something good or bad for humanity. Here we are looking for the harms which has done by “The Paradise Lost” (John Milton), and “The Da Vinci Code” (Dan Brown). Milton by portraying God as punishment giver, it tries to make humans afraid of something and tries to control the free will of human being. It also seems to say that questioning mind is not good because it leads towards the punishment. So it kills the basic human instinct to be curious and free. While on the other hand “The Da Vinci Code” is trying make humans free from the shackles of religion, but humans also need something to believe in it, from which they gain strength to fight the difficulties in their life. On the other hand there are some people who have grown up with religion and if suddenly someone snatch the very base of their existence it will become hard to live for them. So from both the ways it damages humanity.
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 Neveu (Audrey Tautau) in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code? How would justify your answer?
Mostly these all female characters are similar but at some extent they differ from each other. If we talk about Ophelia and Elizabeth are portrayed as subordinated to the male characters while Hester Prynne, Hermione Granger and Sophie Neveu have their own voice in movies. Another big difference between all these characters and Sophie is objectification of their body. Directors have shown women’s body very openly and also when there is no need of such scenes, but Ron Howard has remain faithful to the theme of novel and which he keeps in his film is that Female Sacredness. He has not shown Sophie’s body as a object. This is the big difference between portrayal of all other female characters and portrayal of Sophie Neveu.
Monday, 10 February 2020
Web Tools for Teaching Language Skills
The key benefits of learning English with apps is that it allows you to practice anytime, anywhere, at your own convenience. Learning English with apps is definitely a game changer in terms of cost-effectiveness and making language learning available to everyone. Some are completely free, the others will charge you a very small monthly fee to get access to all of their features. Most of the apps tend to use learning methods that contain images, sounds, videos and games, which is very effective and motivating at the same time. English learning apps are often designed to help learners improve different English skills. They provide all kinds of cutting-edge features, such as adaptive algorithms to suit users’ learning speed and purposes (for example, learn for exams, communication, business, travel etc)
Technological innovations are part of education and English language teaching, but not all have staying power. The novelty of some innovations will wear out, and there are growing concerns about privacy and data protection. Only the innovations that come with solid teaching practices will stand the test of time.
Here, are some innovations that has changed the English language teaching and learning:
- Blended learning
- Mobile learning
- Gamification
- Embodied learning
- English as a lingua franca (ELF)
- Multi-literacies and trans-languaging
- Supporting learners of specific needs
Now, let's have a look on some applications or tools for learning English language:
1. English Attack:
- Pricing: Free or from $6 to $8 per month to get full access to features.
- Platforms: web
- Special features: learn English with videos and interactive games.
- English level: Beginner – Intermediate
English Attack is an English learning website focusing on young English learners who are around 15-25 years old. The given lessons combine video clips (movies,TV shows, music videos and news) and language games in an immersive learning experience to help learners improve their English in an exciting way.
2. Busuu:
- Pricing: Free trial or $3 – $7 per month to get full access to different features.
- Platforms: Android, IOS, Web
- Special features: Learn vocabulary, grammar and basic conversations.
- Level: Beginner – Intermediate (A1-B2)
Busuu is an online social network that will enable you to learn a language on your own or with other learners. Each course on Busuu is developed using the CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Featuring 150 different topics for each course, Busuu also provides learners with learning materials such as audio, podcast, pdf files to help them improve their pronunciation and vocabulary. Besides English, you can also learn any of 12 different languages with free online courses on Busuu.
3. Duolingo:
- Pricing: free
- Platforms: IOS, Android, Windows Phone, Website
- Special features: Basic grammar, vocabulary, translation, listening and pronunciation
- Level: Absolute beginner
Duolingo is one of the most popular and well-known tools for learning a language online. Each lesson in Duolingo includes different modules (the circles in the screenshot below) which are grouped to form certain skills. Your mission is to complete those modules.
Before taking any lessons, you can test out your English skills with an entry test so that the app can determine your fluency level and give you the most appropriate modules. In addition, you can access additional study options when using the website platform. These include conversations, stories, podcasts that will help to improve your listening and reading comprehension. Duolingo also allows you to add friends to the app and challenge them in language study. You can also join clubs on the app to discuss and practice English with other learners.
These tools may appeal because they seem shiny and new. But the true value of innovations lies in how much they can help learners to become better communicators in English., and the extent to which they can help teachers encourage learners in the most efficient, motivating ways.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)