Day: December 7, 2021

Feminism in Margaret Atwood’s poem “This is a Photograph of Me”

Margaret Atwood is a well known feminist author who writes about the oppression of women in a patriarchal society. Her poem This is a Photograph of Me also shares this idea symbolically through the image of a photograph. The title of the poem itself shows the passive role of women in society. In a society which is regulated by men the role of women is passive. But without them the society will not survive. Atwood begins the poem by describing the photograph. It is a blurred photograph which was taken some time ago. And throughout the lines she continues the description of the photograph’s each element. There is the branch or part of a tree in the left hand side of the photograph, which has emerged to the right hand side. This branch without any roots can be considered as the role of women in a society who is placed on the left side or weaker side. But on the right hand side of the photograph a frame house is visible which is associated with men. The background of the photograph is a lake which represents the society. And beyond that lake there is low hills. The hills and lakes keep the women in shadow. Margaret Atwood is trying to show that the society and men exploits the true potential of women. The narrator says that I’m in the lake, in the center of the picture. But it is difficult to say precisely where she is. This shows the nature of a patriarchal society. The place of womanhood in a society is mandatory. However the world tries, the women’s place cannot be underwritten. Atwood focuses on this truth by saying that her place in the photograph is not clear. But when we look long enough everyone will be able to see her place in the photograph or the society itself. Through the image of a photograph Atwood strongly presents the oppression faced by women. Photograph stands for history which is not clear. The contribution of women to the society is necessary but the history created by men does not praise of give importance to them. Women are always hidden or drowned as Atwood says. This truth is underlined by Atwood in this feministic poem, This is a Photograph of Me.

RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL ELEMENTS IN THE NOVEL ‘THE SLAVE’ BY ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER

Written in the socio-political background of Polish- Cossack war and the Khemelnsky massacre, the novel The Slave unfolds many layers of religion, philosophy, vulnerabilities and guilt of man. The novel also portrays the critical or unbiased representation of the jew community. Isaac Bashevis Singer is a Jewish immigrant writer, and he is known for his unbiased representation of the Judaism. In this novel also Singer portrays this criticism of religion and Judaism and he questions the aim or meaning of the religion if it only serves for the separation of humans. The novel carries various religious allusions, symbols and philosophical truths.

The protagonist Jacob is a religious Jew, with extreme beliefs. He is described as ” he resembles the men in the holy pictures that hung in the chapel in the valley”. He upholds his Jewish identity. At the same time he is in a religious conflict and dilemma. Being an ardent believer , sexual relations and marriage with an “outsider” or non Jew is not allowed in Judaism. But his intense love for Wanda is in conflict with this. Here, a juxtaposition between free will and determinism is evident. The question that does God control his destiny or does Jacob controls his destiny is always in juxtaposition in his mind. In the relationship between Jacob and Wanda the novel questions the religion and the customs by giving the notion that, why do we follow certain rituals if it intends the seperatedness of individuals rather than their union. Apart from this internal dilemma, one external dilemma is there, that is the thought of discrimination or exclusion in the village. And this made him to tell that Wanda is deaf and mute to hide her ethnic Identity.

Another question of choice, righteousness comes in the instance where Teresa tries to seduce Jacob. But Jacob refuses and Teresa feels guilt and she laments.

There are several biblical allusions present in the novel. When Jacob changes Wanda’s name to Sarah, he is alluded to Abraham who changes his wife’s name to Sarah. The name of their son Benjamin also carry biblical allusion. And he takes him to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. Towards the end novelist presents the ultimate philosophy of life by the growing cemetery, which included the remains of Sarah, which was not accepted by the community because of Sarah not being a Jew. So here Singer portrays the ultimate philosophy and truth of life, the death. Death is the leveller, which is equal for everyone irrespective of race and religion. And everyone gets equality through death.

ELON MUSK:-

ELON Musk is one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the world.He is ceo,founder and chief engineer in space X.His net worth is 29,700 crores.He is the richest man in the world currently.Musk was born to a Canadian mother and South African father, and raised in Pretoria, South Africa. He briefly attended the University of Pretoria before moving to Canada at age 17 to avoid conscription.Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971 in Pretoria, South Africa.He is now 50 years old.He attended the University of Pretoria for five months Musk arrived in Canada in June 1989, and lived with a second-cousin in Saskatchewan for a year, working odd jobs at a farm and lumber-mill.In 1990, Musk entered Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.


In 2001, Musk became involved with the nonprofit Mars Society. He was inspired by plans to place a growth-chamber for plants on Mars and discussed funding the project himself.SpaceX attempted their first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket in 2006,[69] and although the rocket failed to reach Earth orbit, they were awarded a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program contract from NASA later that year.After two more failed attempts, which reportedly caused Musk so much stress.SpaceX received a $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services program contract from NASA for 12 flights of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, replacing the Space Shuttle after its 2011 retirement. In 2012, the Dragon vehicle berthed with the ISS, a first for a private enterprise.Working towards its goal of reusable rockets, in 2015, SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9. In 2015, SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9. Landings were later achieved on an autonomous spaceport drone ship, an ocean-based recovery platform. In 2018, SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy; the inaugural mission carried Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster as a dummy payload. In 2017, SpaceX unveiled its next-generation launch vehicle and spacecraft system

Books that can scare the wits out of you!

 

This is an image of Books that can scare the wits out of you!

This one is for all you horror fans out there! Would you care for a ‘lights on’ experience at night? Then you should definitely check out some of the books on this list as they are filled with horror inducing components. Books in the horror genre have the ability to excite its readers and keep them hooked till the end. So all those who don’t mind some good scares coming your way, here are some books that are written to scare the wits out of you. 

1.Mrs Peregrine’s home for peculiar children

A family tragedy drives a 16 year old boy to an island off the coast of Wales where he discovers a crumbling structure. Upon navigating its living rooms and bedrooms he discovers that the place is inhabited by young residents. However, their peculiar mannerisms and behavior scares him out of his wits and makes him wonder if they are truly alive or long past dead! 

What happens to him from there on? Who are those residents of that crumbling structure? Only the pages of this fantasy horror book can tell. The texts in this book are also accompanied by vintage photographs that add to the already scary reading experience. There are also sequels written for this book so you can read up further after you are left on a cliffhanger. 

2. Sharp Objects

Consider this a PG-13 book due to its portrayal of drug use, foul language, and sexual situations. The story follows Camille Preaker, a reporter who recently got discharged from a psychiatric hospital. She is told to cover a murder story in her hometown which you might think will make her feel at home. But with a hypochondriac mother and an eccentric half-sister, her experience only turned to the worse. While battling the problems of her own, she not only covers the story of the murder but is also close at heels with the murderer. 

This book has the makings of a handsome psychological horror that will refuse to let you go before scaring the wits out of you. 

3. Lord of the flies

The book ‘Lord of the flies’ proves that a story doesn’t require supernatural elements to make it scary. In fact, young children are the source of sheer terror and shock in this novel by William Golding. Replace Tom Hanks in the movie Cast away with a couple of school boys and that forms the premise of this book. However what follows is way worse than a single man fighting on a lone island for survival. All innocence and morals are lost as young boys indulge in evil practices to survive an uncharted island with no adult supervision. 

This book is often treated as an allegory, political satire, and a prediction of the apocalypse due to its uncanny resemblance with the contemporary occurrences. 

4. Pet Sematary

It hit them like a ton of bricks when a family that recently moved into a remote town lost their little girl in a road accident. All hopes are lost until the father from the family of three discovers a cemetery that is claimed to bring back the dead! So first goes their dead family cat and then the little girl beneath the surface of the eerie cemetery. However, what comes out from the cemetery happens to be more than just a normal living being. 

The very sight of the cemetery in the first place is sure to scare anyone out of their wits. What follows during the rest of the story is a treat for genuine horror fans. There have also been movie adaptations of the book, but reading the book delivers the wholesome experience without having anything missed out or altered for cinematic constraints. 

5. The Stand

Living through a pandemic is no joke. Several lives are lost. Many fall sick. And when such an occurrence is used as a central theme in a horror fiction novel, all hell breaks loose over its readers! ‘The Stand’ portrays a deadly virus that almost wipes out the entire world. With a partial pandemic looming over our heads, this could be a very relatable and terrifying novel to read during this time. 

Here ends your quest for scary books to read. Do drop in more books from this genre in the comment section below. 


References


Jeffrey Somers, 5 October 2020, 25 of the most terrifying horror books ever, https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/25-terrifying-horror-books-ever/



Feel-good books that can turn your bad days around!

 

This is an image of feel-good books that can turn your bad days around!

Having had a bad or lonely day, who wouldn’t want to find something to do that makes them forget reality and simply have a nice time? But apart from scouring through Netflix and Prime Video looking for movies or shows to watch, you can also give books a chance as it gives you the privilege of imagining everything in your head as you read. In other words, you can create your own movie or visual adaptations of the books you read right in your head! 

Now let us shift focus to the ‘feel-good’ portion of this article and dive into the list of feel-good books that can put a smile on your face!

1.Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a popular book series that comprises heartwarming short stories that you would wish were true if you read them. And fortunately they are real as these stories are personal accounts of people from different walks of life. These stories are rich in kindness, encouragement, help and generosity exchanged among people. 

With the Indian souls having a lot of short stories to share, this popular series has dedicated the book ‘Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul’ to the Indian readers and writers. This book contains short stories written by Indian souls that would definitely put a smile on your face. The genre of feel-good books would remain meaningless without this book. Or the entire series of Chicken Soup books for that matter. 

2. Everyone has a story to tell- By Savy Sharma

When 4 separate lives intertwine with each other, it need not always result in a crime thriller. It could also become a heartwarming union. ‘Everyone has a story to tell’ follows the lives of four different individuals with different desires and dreams. As the story goes on they form a strong connection and help each other in the pursuit of their dreams. As readers you will find yourself rooting for their success and relationships with each other. 

The incidents in the story are very relatable, giving you the sense of comfort in knowing that you are never alone with your negative feelings. Thus it becomes an important addition to the segment of feel-good books. Like the previous entry on this list,this book is also a part of a series so you can follow this up with the sequels if you liked it. 

3. A man called Ove

‘A man called Ove’ follows a man in his late 50s who’s most obvious possession is his sour attitude. He seems to dislike everything and tries to avoid confrontation with his neighbours everyday. As he awaits the final days of his life, the story unfolds in a way that the readers are left with love and admiration for this man named Ove. 

This feel-good book could be your company during the days filled with feelings of loneliness and hopelessness. If you let it. You might also start admiring your own life alongside the lovable character of this story!

4. The Namesake- By Jhumpa Lahiri

Relocating to a new location can be a stressful and scary experience. Excluding the benefits of seeing and experiencing new things, it brings with it a host of challenges in the form of language barriers, unknown cultural backgrounds, and foreign beliefs. The book ‘The Namesake’ highlights this struggle as it focuses on a family originating from Calcutta who shifted to Massachusetts and went through everything that you can expect after traveling half the way across the world and trying to fit in. 

Just like a good song that comforts you as it’s lyrics resonate the instances in your life, this feel-good book also reassures you that it understands and relates to your feeling of being left out in an unfamiliar society. It’s coverage of themes such as generation gap, coming of age and self identity are the icing on the cake. 

5. The hundred year old man who climbed out the window and disappeared

Upon reaching the brink of his life by his age, yet being strong and energetic in his heart. A 100 year old man embarks on a unique journey to escape his 100th year birthday celebration! The story rightfully begins by justifying the long title. However what follows is not only what happens afterwards, but also a journey heading back towards the important events of the 20th century in which the man has played important roles. 

This synopsis indeed reminds us of the movie Forrest Gump. It can be considered as the Swedish and written version of the movie which leans more on the humorous side of the line. 

So these are some of the feel-good books that are written to spread the feel-good vibes among readers. Sky is the limit when it comes to the sources from where you can buy these books. After-all, you have the internet in your hands!

Happy feel-good reading!


References


Joanne Finney, 17 of the best feel-good books, http://www.goodhousekeeping.com

Sinigdha Kulkarni, 2 April 2020, 11 feel-good books to read while in lockdown, http://www.vogue.in


COMPUTER AND IT’S TYPES:-

A computer is a programmable device that stores, retrieves, and processes data. … The term was later given to mechanical devices as they began replacing human computers. Today’s computers are electronic devices that accept data (input), process that data, produce output, and store storage the results.A computer is a machine that can store and process information. Most computers rely on a binary system, which uses two variables, 0 and 1, to complete tasks such as storing data, calculating algorithms, and displaying information.Computer has become very important nowadays because it is very much accurate, fast and can accomplish many tasks easily.

TYPES OF COMPUTER:-

* ANALOG COMPUTER.

* DIGITAL COMPUTER.

* MAINFRAME COMPUTER.

ANALOG COMPUTER:-

An analog computer or analogue computer is a type of computer that uses the continuously variable aspects of physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved planimeters, nomograms, operational amplifiers, mechanical integrators, slide rules, tide pool predators, electric integrators are some examples for analog computers.

DIGITAL COMPUTER:-

Digital computer, any of a class of devices capable of solving problems by processing information in discrete form. It operates on data, including magnitudes, letters, and symbols, that are expressed in binary codes using only the two digits 0 and 1.smartphones, calculators, tablets, personal computer are some examples for Digital computers.

MAINFRAME COMPUTER:-

A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and large-scale transaction processing. IBM zSeries, System z9 and System z10 servers are some examples for Mainframe computers.

What is online Casino

Online casinos, also known as virtual casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of traditional casinos. Online casinos enable gamblers to play and wager on casino games through the Internet. It is a prolific form of online gambling.

Casino games are enjoyed by millions of people all over the world and have been for many years. Ever since the first online casinos began offering their services over the internet, this form of gambling has grown even further in popularity. It’s now easier than ever before to play, and you don’t even have to leave the house.

Playing at online casinos can be a lot of fun, and of course, there is also the opportunity of winning some money. It’s also really quite straightforward, even if you’re not particularly great with computers, and perfectly safe, too. Despite these facts, the idea of playing online for real money can be quite daunting for some. That’s why we put together this introduction to online casinos.

In this section of our casino guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know in order to enjoy playing casino games on the web. It includes a collection of useful articles explaining what online casinos have to offer and how they work. These articles cover the bonuses and rewards you can benefit from online, and there’s also some advice for choosing where to play. There is also a handy online casino FAQ.

You can see a more detailed description of each of these articles below, along with a link to each article. Further down the page, we’ve offered a step-by-step guide to joining an online casino, including our recommendations of where to play. We’ve also listed our top tips for playing online


Understanding Online Casinos – Essential Information

Online Casinos vs. Land-Based Casinos
It’s fair to say that playing casino games over the internet is a different experience than playing in a land-based casino. The basic principle remains the same, of course, but there are several notable differences. In this article, we compare playing live to playing online, and take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of both.

About Random Number Generators
Randomness occurs naturally in a live casino with the spin of a roulette wheel or the roll of a dice, but it has to be artificially reproduced online. This is achieved with the use of computer programs known as random number generators. You don’t really need to know how these work to enjoy playing online, but we explain all about them in this article.

Fairness and Security at Online Casinos
People can be put off the idea of playing online for a number of different reasons. Two particularly common concerns are whether the games are fair and whether it’s safe to provide your personal details. Such concerns are largely unfounded, as most online casinos make sure that they are both fair and secure. Find out how in this article.

Online Casino Software Explained
In this article, we explain how the software at online casinos works to provide accurate simulations of all the different games. We look specifically at the three main types of software used – downloadable, instant, and mobile – and we also address the reasons why most casinos choose to use third-party software providers.

Welcome Bonuses at Online Casinos
Welcome bonuses are offered by most online casinos as an incentive for new players to sign up. They are also known as sign-up bonuses, and they usually take the form of additional funds to play with. You typically have to make an initial deposit to be eligible, but some places offer a few chips completely for free. This article explains bonuses in more detail.

Rewards and VIP Schemes at Online Casinos
Once you have signed up at an online casino, they’ll want you stick around. This is why they tend to offer rewards based on playing activity and have VIP schemes for their most valuable players. You can gain some real benefit from these opportunities if you play regularly, but you need to know how they work. You can find out how in this article.

Choosing Where to Play
Choosing which online casino to play at can be difficult, primarily because there are so many to choose from. Most of them are decent enough, but some are better than others. Ideally, you want to choose somewhere that is top quality and provides for any specific preferences you may have. This article gives advice on how to do this.

Online Casino FAQ
In this article, we list a range of frequently asked questions relating to online casinos. We also provide detailed answers to these questions, along with details of where to find additional information if required. The topics covered include which games are available, how much money you need, legal issues, and much more.

Getting Started Online – A Step-by-Step Guide

If you want to play casino games online but don’t really know what to do, this step-by-step guide will help you get started. We explain the importance of playing at the right places and talk you through exactly what you need to do to open an account and start playing. The whole process is simpler than you might think!

1Choose the RIGHT Online Casino

The very first step you need to take is to decide which casino you are going to join. You may have noticed that we’ve suggested choosing the right casino and not the best one, and there is a good reason for this. Online casino players have their own ideas about what makes the “best” online casino, and not all players will agree on this point.

For example, a player that loves playing slots would probably consider the best casino to be one that has plenty of different slot games and offers regular slot-related bonuses. A player that prefers playing blackjack, however, is likely to view the best casino as one that offers good bonuses and rewards for playing blackjack.

The point we’re trying to make here is that you should really be playing at a casino that suits your own preferences. You should consider what is important to you, and then try to find a casino that offers what you want. The following are some of the questions you might want to ask yourself when deciding which casino is right for you:

  • Does the game selection include your favorite game(s)?
  • Are there bonuses/rewards available for your favorite game(s)?
  • Can you deposit using your preferred deposit option(s)?
  • Can you play in your preferred currency?
  • Do the minimum/maximum deposits suit your budget?
  • Do the minimum/maximum stakes suit your budget?
  • Is the game software compatible with your preferred device?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it covers some of the main factors that are important to online casino players. It’s also worth noting that not all casinos are open to players in all parts of the world. Therefore, the right option for a player in the United Kingdom, for example, is not necessarily going to be the right option for a player in the United States.

This is precisely why we don’t just list the “best” online casinos at GamblingSites.com. We have our top overall rankings, which provide a very good indication of where we think you should be playing, but we also recommend the top casinos in a variety of different categories.

We rank the top casinos by region, for instance, and the top casinos for high rollers. We provide lists of recommended places to play specific games, too.