Introduction: The novel Journey to Ithica is a literary genre from the second half of the 19th century. Novel as a literary genre rose in Spain in the 17th century, France and Europe in the 18th century and America in the first half of the 19th century. Literary novel is a criticism of life and gives an authentic picture of life. It’s only character based and the central character revolves around the growth and development of that character.
The main theme is how Sophie wants to prove that what the Mother is seen for is fake, and she wants to expose her true self. Things weren’t exactly harmonic between Sophie and her husband Matteo, Matteo was ill from hepatitis (dangerous form of jaundice). He finds the Mother/Guru and starts to live in her ashram and blindly believes everything be sees. On the other hand, Sofie, the more mature one, realized that there is more to what meets the eye and tries to uncover the truth as only then can Matteo be treated in the hospital. In this article, I’ll be expanding my thoughts on how the character of the Mother is dubious.
About the author: Anita Desai was born on June 24, 1973 in Missouri, India. She is an English language Indian novelist who excels in evoking character and mood through visual images. Most of her novels reflect the tragic view of Life. Journey to Ithica was first published in 1995.
Journey to Ithica describes a pilgrimage to India by a young couple, Matteo and Sophie and the life of a mysterious woman, ‘the Mother’, who runs the ashram where they live. The ashram is located at the foothills of the Himalayas.
~ The character of ‘the Mother’ in the novel is portrayed as very suspicious or dubious. Even though Matteo completely trusted and devoted himself to her, Sophie was still unsure about her and the fact that she went on a whole journey just to learn more about her or learn about her spiritual journey does raise a lot of suspicion.
~ We see how Matteo was so ill, he still chose to stay with ‘the Mother’ and learn more about scriptures rather than go home to his kids and wife. This shows how devoted he was to ‘the Mother’. It is also suspicious how every time the mother falls, all her devotees fall ill too. It is very a natural for something like that to happen.
~ Even though, in the story she is shown as someone who might be doing better than other gurus, the readers do not find it amusing or any different as she sits among her devotees and not at the top. This raises suspicion of her being a Guru.
~ The novel tells us how ‘the Mother’ has childhood roots from Egypt but the doubtful part here is that she possesses the Indian English accent of dragging the letters.
~ It is still a question as to why she travelled to India and what was the reason that she decided to do things differently compared to other cult leaders. All of her actions points towards the fact that she has not yet attained enlightenment or even any kind of divinity. Her actions are childish and immature which makes us question if she is even worthy of the title ‘Guru’.
~ She also does not treat her devotees equally. She mainly focuses on the new members and ignores the old members which is suspicious.
Conclusion: Henceforth, all her actions prove that she is a very doubtful and dubious person.
A memorable event organised by the management committee of Jyoti nivas college was the visit of the chief minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yediyurappa on 1st November 2019. The seminar was held in the jam-packed auditorium where the air was filled with ambition, enthusiasm and curiosity. Even though the audience was intrigued and was greatly looking forward to this event, they managed to maintain decorum and made sure that nobody was hurt in the process of entering the venue. This showed the positive spirit of the college and the students.
A memorable event organised by the management committee of Jyoti nivas college was the visit of the chief minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yediyurappa on 1st November 2019. The seminar was held in the jam-packed auditorium where the air was filled with ambition, enthusiasm and curiosity. Even though the audience was intrigued and was greatly looking forward to this event, they managed to maintain decorum and made sure that nobody was hurt in the process of entering the venue. This showed the positive spirit of the college and the students.
When the event began, there was a lamp lighting ceremony and was followed by a mesmerising performance by the classical dance team of the college. The principal Sister Dr. Elizabeth gave a very welcoming speech and the audience were looking forward to learn something meaningful from our beloved chief minister. The MC introduced the chief minister and requested him to share his knowledge with the audience. The entire audience was looking forward to those words of wisdom and gaining knowledge which might not be able to gain through textbooks.
As the event progressed, Mr.B.S. Yediyurappa gave a heartwarming speech about his attachment towards the language and the state Karnataka. It made the audience aware of how Karnataka has been neglected by its own people and how we need to respect and cherish more of it. He described how much the land meant to him, it’s special features and the beauty of the state.
The event was to help the students understand the importance of the language Kannada on the auspicious day of Kannada Rajyotsava(November 1). On that occasion we could see the joy and respect for our respected chief minister as there was pin drop silence as he kept us entertained with his experienced words and also at the same time educated us in a friendly manner. The great chief minister spoke true words which were from his heart and that was very visible as he spoke so fondly and proudly of his language and culture. The audience learnt so much that they were left speechless. He made sure we understand how important it is to be in touch with our culture and tradition and have deep respect for our language.
As the event came to an end, few teachers and volunteers distributed refreshments and beverages to the students who were part of the occasion. This acted as a morale booster as the students were excited to look forward to how to make use of the wise words from the principal and the esteemed guest.
Conclusion: At the end of the event, the entire audience was In awe and had even more respect for the language and the state. The event was very helpful and meaningful. It spread positivity among its audience and helped us gain perspective. It made us realize that it’s important to love yourself and your roots and not be ashamed of it. Being able to accept who you are is the truest way you can pay back for everything you have received from the nature and it’s resources.
Introduction: Philosophy is defined as a set of beliefs which explains the true meaning of life. Through the years, money is the one thing that I value the most. The main reason being money solves all our problems and it’s the main tool to survive in a competent world like ours. It also helps us achieve what we want and stay ahead in life. Most people may deny this but deep down they know it too. Even if we are in desperate need of money, we need to remember our morals in order to have a clear conscience.
Morals: Morals help us differentiate between right and wrong. They help us to make decisions which can benefit us and even at times everyone around us. Whenever making a decision, the first thing to keep in mind would be not to hurt anyone , to not be selfish and only think about ourselves but considering others opinions and thoughts would be great. If we have to ever choose between things then it’s better to first understand what they are or what they can do and then listen to others point of view and to keep in mind the consequences of that decision. It’s not easy making the “right” decision but we have to factor in all the possibilities before making that decision and going with our intuition may save the day. To make the right decision, we must believe in ourselves.
From the time I could think for myself, one thing I’ve known is God doesn’t exist. I believe in cleaning up the mess I created and not depend on a non-existential being to solve my problems. I also don’t believe in an afterlife. I believe in the fact that when a person dies he is reborn with a clean slate and nothing of his past life would matter. Even if God doesn’t exist, having faith surround us Is important.
I believe having good and healthy relationships with people, be it our parents or friends or anybody makes our life worth living and adds value to it. For most of us, the purpose of our life is still pretty unclear but leading a happy life would definitely be one of the reasons for existing. Achieving anything in life is easy if we work hard and focus on what we want. Right now, living a financially stable life and having a steady job is maybe something I would like to achieve for myself.
To find the truth, we must check all the facts and being truthful shouldn’t be difficult for anyone. Science gives us all the facts and therefore we must believe In science and not blindly believe in anything people ask us to believe in. My intuition is what helps me decide if it’s the truth or not. It’s what helps me to “know” when things are right and when something’s not right. An example would be knowing the fact that “honesty is the best policy” as whenever we lie, we need to make up more lies to cover the truth but instead of we’re just honest from the start then we wouldn’t get into any troubles and it wouldn’t haunt us forever.
Free will: Free will is something I do believe in as every person must make a decision for himself and held accountable if it’s the wrong decision as that’s how we learn to make the right decisions and grow. Any choice I make, it’s because I wanted to and not because I was pressurised into making that decision.
Anything which catches the eye is beautiful. Everyone is beautiful. We may not believe that because of these beauty standards but what really matters is a person’s personality. Nature is beautiful. If not for nature, mankind wouldn’t exist. Art usually helps us capture what the eye witnesses. I really don’t believe “extreme” forms of artistic expressions should be censored as I believe everything is beautiful and should be accepted within judgement.
Every person should be entitled to basic human rights. It’s in the name itself. There shouldn’t be any discrimination when it comes to these rights as everyone deserves a voice. Justice is doing right by the people.
Conclusion: I believe in being true to oneself, helping others and minding my own business. This is something people should really inculcate in themselves.
Introduction: In this article, I’ll be exploring the themes of Hybridity and completeness. One of the most recurring themes in Hayavadana is the theme of incompleteness and Hybridity. Through this incompleteness, we learn that no matter how much one yearns or desires completeness, it is unattainable. In this play by Girish Karnad, we see three expressions of hybridity. One is in the opening act where the narrator speaks about lord Ganesha, the embodiment of imperfection, of incompleteness, the second concerns Hayavadana and the third is the story about two men whose head were swapped due to an incident.
The play opens with Bhagavatha performing a puja to Ganesha and asking him to bless the performance. He then moves on to introduce the characters when he hears a scream off stage and notices nata, an actor who is causing the ruckus. He then proceeds to question him as to why he is screaming and nata tells the story of how he heard a voice but when he looked up, there was no one but a horse. Bhagavata is unable to believe this and doubts nata but a few moments later, he himself witnesses Hayavadana. Hayavadana proceeds to explain his story and Bhagavatha suggests he visit the Kali temple to fulfill his wish/dream of being complete. He then proceeds with the story where two men fell in love with a woman and lost themselves.
In the beginning of the play when Bhagavatha was praying to Ganesha, he mentions how even though Ganesha is a form of different being, he is still considered complete and perfect. He also says that this might not be something a mere mortal can comprehend. At the end of the play, no other mortal is able to achieve this completeness or perfection.
As the play progresses, we see Hayavadana who longs for completeness. Hayavadana is a creature with a man’s body and a horse’s head, the offspring of a deity in horse form and a woman. He tries very hard to get rid of his horse head but fails every time and when he leave to go to the Kali temple, he requests Kali to turn him into a complete being and she fulfills his request by turning him into a complete horse. Even though, he loses his body of a man, his voice remains the same and worries about if he will ever find completeness but towards the end of the play, he magically achieves completeness with the help of a little boy. As they sing and laugh together, he loses his human voice and starts neighing.
The primary story line is about two friends Devadatta and Kapila who fall in love with the same woman, Padmini. Even though Padmini marries Devadatta, notices that she has feelings for Kapila and is in despair. This drives him to cut off his own head the Kali temple. Seeing his best friend in that state, Kpaila decides to cut off his head too. Padmini found them lifeless and begs goddess Kali to help her. She then swaps the heads, that is, Devadatta’s head is on top of Kapila’s body and vice versa. When this happens, one might think that Padmini has gotten the best of two worlds as she was physically attracted to Kapila’s body while being married to Devadatta. This isn’t true as at one point, she realizes that both of those men cannot go on and live like that their whole life. She realizes that this would end only with bloodshed as it did. The incompleteness of the two men becomes the main conflict between all three characters. Their inability to find a sense of wholeness drives them to kill each other/themselves at the end of the play.
Conclusion: Karnad tries to make us realize that completeness is not something every or any human being can achieve. It must be left to the divine beings.
Introduction: In this article, I’ll be focusing my writing on the concept of middle class morality. Middle class morality is the way a person is expected to behave and think when they are a part of the middle-class. this was because the poor and the rich weren’t compelled to follow rules but the middle class had to.
~ Firstly, with the rise of industrialization and trade, there was a great inflow of Wealth in England. Thus we are aware that the Victorian society was a very successful one. The ‘Victorian Morality’ included a class structure, focus on work ethics and economy, and charity. It shows us the immorality and sentimentality of the values and norms of the British society which consisted of hypocrisy, corruption, and injustice of the British social system infects everyone affiliated with it. It was hypocritical as respect was only received by those who held high places in society and everyone else were treated like dirt, charity was just a social responsibility and not a willing done act in order to help the less fortunate. Victorian era also discriminated between men and women which played a major role in the legacy of Victorian morality.
~ Industrialization saw the middle class of the society making their way up the social ladder. They worked hard towards wanting a better life and wanted to live life like the upper class society. They aspired for new goals and were desperate to improve their working condition. Even though they couldn’t enjoy all the luxuries of the upper class, they still could get a taste of how the upper class society led their life. If one was a part of the middle class society, their thoughts, opinions were dictated. Even though they worked hard, only some of them enjoyed all the privileges while some were suffering to make ends meet. These morals were applied to middle and high class society but honestly, most of the Victorian era were not moral at all.
~ In this play, Shaw throws light on how Mrs Warrens has defied social expectations by working as a prostitute and has no problem with owning or accepting reality. Why is it that when the rich baron, Mr. Croft who runs a prostitution ring which is considered highly immoral but is always treated with respect? This is because of the discrimination which happens between men and women. If there was a woman in the place of Mr. Croft, then nobody would true a blind eye. It is also because he belongs to the higher class society. We can see the luxuries the higher class society members enjoy through this example.
~ Women who wanted to express their emotions through prostitute were considered “morally incorrect” as in the Victorian era, people would encourage one to starve rather than prostitute their own bodies to make a living. People who belonged to the Victorian era consideration prostitution to be a huge threat to the society. The society had the audacity to judge women when they weren’t even provided with stable jobs/ good opportunities for women. They always thought that the women were weak and always had to be dependent on men. They forgot that women were their own people and were not existing to satisfy the needs of men.
~ In the Victorian society, respect was earned not by working hard or achievements but it was from how much income one earns. Monetary worth is given utmost importance. Shaw brings out the skepticism by showing us different means of earnings money by Mr. Croft and Mrs Warrens. Even though Mr. Croft is respected, Mrs Warren’s profession is considered as vulgar and completely inappropriate. They make comments about how Mrs Warrens is going against the society’s values like feminity and oppression.
~ Being aquatinted with Victorian society, we know that they were quick to blame Mrs Warrens for choosing the profession of prostitution even though that wasn’t her first choice. Shaw uses this opportunity to point out the hypocrisy and unjustness actions of the society where women weren’t given enough opportunities to be independent.
~ Shaw portrays most of his major female characters as unconventional. Women were highly objectified and considered as creatures of oppression, dependency and passiveness. They thought that women weren’t worthy of education and therefore Vivie was not considered to be feminine. She is strong, realistic and a rational thinker, independent and ambitious and refuses to think that marriage is her end goal. Mrs Warrens expects Vivie to listen to her as she is her mother and wants her daughter to follow these Victorian society Norms but Mrs Warrens break these Norms when they tend to benefit her. She refuses to accept Vivie and her bold outlook but enters the field of prostitution when it’s beneficial.
~ We can see the inequality between men and women. Even though, the era was thriving under a female monarch, even though there was abundant growth in art, culture and wealth, it was very unjust towards women. Even though it had it benefits, it failed to uphold the rights of women which would’ve led them to lead better and happy lives.
Introduction: Korean drama or popularly known as k-drama are television series which are made in the Korean language and made in South Korea. These days, these dramas are popular worldwide due to the spread of the Korean Pop culture which attracted many more audiences and now it’s appreciated everywhere. They’re also easy to stream as subtitles in many languages are offered. They’re also very engrossing and compelling. In this article, I’ll be writing about 5 such k-dramas which will forever be my “all time favourite”.
1)Hotel del Luna: This drama was aired in 2019 and was loved by many fans. The genre is Romantic Comedy and Dark fantasy. In the heart of Seoul, we can find a curious and peculiar hotel which is very antiquated and something very new to the sight. This hotel is only visible to ghosts who have grudges from their lives and Jang Man Wol ( IU) is the establishments acting CEO. She is a bitter, greedy and materialistic soul who spent the past thousand years in hatred as she can’t leave the hotel because she is tied down to by a deity so she doesn’t self destruct herself with rage and mania. The only way she could escape that life of hell is if she gets over this hatred and finds love. Things get interesting when Goo Chan Sung (Yeo Jin Goo) shows up. Fate ties them together. He is the youngest assistant manager to ever work there. He is forced to work there because of a deal his father made with Jung Man Wol. With his arrival, things start to change around her life and the hotel. He’s an excellent money manager and therefore starts to put her affairs and financial situation in order.
2) Sweet home: Sweet home was aired in 2020. The genre is Korean horror and Apocalyptic and post – apocalyptic fiction. It’s about a boy named Cha Hyun Soo (Song Kang) who becomes a loner after an incident which caused the death of his entire family. He then moves to a new apartment. Not soon after his move, strange things begin to happen around him and throughout Korea. The strange event is that people start to turn to monsters and Hyun Soo and the other residents need to fight these monsters in order to survive.
3) It’s okay to not be okay: This k-drama was released in 2020 and this is a romantic genre and rated really high among fans. The male protagonist Moon Gang Tae (Kin Soo Hyun) is a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who is favoured and privileged with smarts, a good looking face, ability to sympathize and patience, etc. On the other hand, the female protagonist Ko Moon Young (Seo Ye Ji) who seems selfish, rude and arrogant. The whole series is about how one person who doesn’t allow love to be in his life and the other one who doesn’t know what love is, fall in love and defy fate, finding themselves in the process.
4) Vincenzo: Vincenzo is a dark comedy released in 2021. Park Joo Hyeong (Song Joong Ki) was abandoned by his mother and went to Italy after being adopted. He is now known as Vincenzo Cassano. He is employed as a consigliere for the Mafia. Due to the war the Mafia families have been in, he flees to South Korea and his involvement with Lawyer Hong Cha Young (Jeon Yeo Bin) begins. She is the type of attorney who would do whatever it takes to win a case and never backs down from any challenge. Their main aim is to defeat the corrupt and twisted conglomerate and prevail justice.
5) My roommate is a gumiho: This is a romantic comedy which was released in 2021. Shim Woo Yeo (Jang Ki Yong) is a nine tailed fox who is about to complete his 1000 years on earth without transforming into a human. His main goal is to be turn into a human in order to not disappear. He is a smart, rich and handsome writer. He collects human energy through a bead in order to become a Human. Lee Dam (Lee Hye Ri), a university student who accidentally swallows his bead and for the sake of him turning into a human, he decides to protect Lee Dam who has the bead with her. They end up living together and face many struggles in their journey.
Conclusion: I recommend these k-dramas for audiences who are just getting into the K-pop culture freshly. These are perfect for beginners as these 5 k-dramas explores many genres and you can later add on to your list of things to watch after making yourself acquainted with this side of entertainment.
Introduction: Bangtan Sonyeondan / Bangtan boys / BTS is a kpop boy group from South Korea. Permission to dance(PTD) by BTS was their third English single after Dynamite(2020) and Butter(2021) which were huge accomplishments and loved greatly by their fans. Permission to dance was released on July 9 2021, which was the day they named their fandom called “Army’s”. PTD was a present for army’s. The genre was Pop and they teamed up with Ed Sheeran for this particular single.
This Music Video was pleasingly executed and was very meaningful and worthwhile. Each member (RM, Jin, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook) showed off their individual charms and attractiveness. It is very much visible as to how each member was enjoying themselves throughout the music video.
In their MV, they make use of American sign language (ASL) to spread the message that anyone can dance and there shouldn’t be any barrier between a person and what they want to achieve. The main tagline “we don’t need permission to dance” has made use of ASL and many people all over the world, fans and non fans have found this very heartwarming. It was also very significant as there are many who could overcome their problems or sadness through this song. July is known as the disability pride month and they tried their best so that everyone could enjoy their song without being left out.
Themes: The main idea or theme of this song was to tell the viewers that we just have to be positive and try to get back to our normal routine once covid ends. It tries to portray the idea of letting go, having fun and being cautious when necessary. They mainly wanted to advocate that even though we went through these difficult times, we must be able to bring out our best selves and go back to normal when the time comes. While watching the MV, we can see that they were were considerate and made sure to pay their respects and include those whose contributions were immaculate during these difficult times. It included people like waitresses, helpers and those who fought bravely like children and elders. BTS leader RM mentioned how they overcame the prejudice that only the members could be a part of the MV. J-hope mentioned that this particular MV was more meaningful as there were non celebrities included. The main vocalist Jimin also mentioned how out of all their music videos, this particular one made him genuinely happy.
During this pandemic, they wish to give us hope that things will go back to normal and we just need to prepare for whenever that is. The lyrics “cause it’s not over, till it’s over” is a perfect fit for this theme. They show faith in us by telling us that we’re capable of overcoming this and not letting this be a hindered in our daily lives. The line “we don’t need to worry cause when we fall, we know how to land” has comforted a lot of fans and anyone who listens to their music.
Conclusion: By the end of the MV, all the actors remove their masks and toss it in the air which represents the fact that this pandemic will end soon and we can finally live like our old selves and the suffering too, will end one day. Nothing lasts forever and that’s why we must try to live each day meaningfully and joyfully.
Introduction: There are many definitions of existence but the most simple and understandable one would be that Existence is the state of being alive or being real. For example, you and your friend disagree about the existence of demons if you think it’s real and your friend doesn’t. Both of these arguments or acceptance about something is valid. Some things just exist in this world and not everyone has to be aware of it. Even if it’s not accepted, it’s existence doesn’t vanish. It mostly deals with being alive or just simply “being”. It’s about existing, creating an impact or not but just being there is called existing. You can exist with or without having an impact or being a change in others lives. The fact that you’re aware of your surroundings is a sign that you exist and it may or may not stop until your death. The main purpose of existing is to gain information, learn new things, be productive, useful, to help people who are in need and gain new experiences. When you exist, being nice to others and helping their existence go smoothly so yours won’t be too difficult on you is important. To make sure you live your life to the fullest, be happy, spread happiness and being resourceful can make you more happier.
Some of many synonyms of existence are actuality and reality. As the name suggests, actuality is basically talking about facts, about why things happen which also tells us that everything that happens, happens for a reason. Throughout our entire existence we would have experienced different kinds of situations where we would have stopped to think about what’s happening, why is it happening and that “thinking” is what gives our existence meaning.
There is no exact definition of existence but Existence is the ability to interact with physical or mental reality. Reality is completely based on truth, it’s an “at the moment” kind of thing, it’s about our surroundings and how it affects us or how we react to it when we exist, we can also call it the real deal. Reality is what’s happening right now and how we choose to gain from it. Being aware of your surroundings, taking mental notes about what’s happening around you, trying to learn new things and showing interest in objects and even trying to find happiness in the smallest of things is a sign of your existence.
Aristotle developed a comprehensive theory of being, according to which only individual things, called substances, fully have to be, but other things such as relations, quantity, time, and place have a derivative kind of being, dependent on individual things.
At first, people thought that existence is just being there but as time passed people learnt more about life and the meaning behind existing and realised it is all about how we spend our time, how well me make use of our resources and how much our existence has mattered to us and other people.
Conclusion: Every existing being is important, every being is important in it’s own way and it’s our duty as fellow existing beings to respect each and every being.
Introduction: Five feet apart is directed by Justin Baldoni and written by Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis. This genre of drama and romance was released in 2019. Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is a seventeen year old who is diagnosed with cystic fibrosis whose life is full of restrictions and boundaries but she doesn’t fail to amaze us with her lively nature and her love for life and all of her restrictions are put to test when she meets Will Newman ( Cole Sprouse) a handsome young man who is also a CF patient and therefore they’re supposed to be a safe distance from each other.
Their connection grows stronger which makes them want to break all the rules and be together. Will is a kind of person who doesn’t like following rules but after meeting Stella he is inspired to live life to the fullest and embrace every moment. Eventually they fall in love and will realises that in order for Stella to be safe he needs to be away from her and therefore he is determined to leave her even though he loves her and Stella is only left with his memories.
Themes: This movie explores the themes of life and death, being rebellious and love. These are the main themes as throughout the movie, we get to witness how they fought bravely for their lives, they even sacrificed themselves for each other and how they didn’t let their illness be a reason for them to be apart and tried to love each other and themselves even more each day and how they made each others life more meaningful and beautiful. This entire movie was beautifully directed and the actors complemented each other. At, first when they meet, they realize that they’re of opposite personalities and there are misunderstandings but as time passes, they get to know each others circumstances and grow to understand and like one another. When they realize that they really are attracted to each other and even fall in love, it’s the distance they have to maintain but they still don’t give in to it as they truly love each other and thinking that even if they have very little time to be with eachother, they need to spend it wholeheartedly and by enjoying each others company. But that put their lives in danger. The background musics are a good touch to the movie as they add to the emotions of the movie and they enhance our experience which gives it a sad but dramatic effect.
Conclusion: This is a very good movie according to me as we get to see what people can do to save their loved ones and how sacrifice also plays an important role in love. This also shows us how having that one person by your side helps you to be stronger and happier. This movie was “one of a kind” and I really enjoyed and appreciated all the themes and motifs of this movie. It was a very emotional and thoughtful movie, according to me. As I really enjoyed watching this, I’d rate it a 9/10.
Introduction: In this article, I’ll be examining the ideas of dignity, loyalty and nobility that the novel explores.
The novel Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is a reflective novel. It explores many themes but the one I am going to elaborate about is the theme of dignity, loyalty and nobility. In this novel, the tone is controlled, the language is carefully crafted, and the themes revolve around the position of the individual within a society. The story takes place in July 1956, the same month and year as the Suez Crisis. The novel portrays the decline of the aristocracy and of the practice of keeping a large staff of house servants on English estates. It is staged alongside the histories of Great Britain and Europe in the years preceding and following World War II. In the novel, the first person narrator, Stevens is a butler on the verge of retirement who takes on a journey to meet his former coworker, Miss Kenton. He also tries to come into terms with his past by remembering the time he spent in Darlington hall.
Idea of dignity: Stevens’s Idea of dignity is one of the central themes of the novel. Stevens’s definition of dignity is quite different from that of the usual meaning. On one hand where dignity is referred to as being honourable and worthy, Stevens Idea is to completely suppress his emotions which leads to him losing Miss Kenton forever. To him, this kind of ‘dignity’ is the highest Ideal. He believes to be a great butler, one needs to have dignity which one can strive for throughout their career. He believes in professionalism which cannot be compromised at any cost and that’s what makes a great butler, but also adds that the ‘lesser butlers’ who don’t understand dignity will be swayed by the luxuries and etc and forget their professionalism. The fact that his idea of dignity is so misguided is sad because we are aware that he has always wanted great things from life but fails to take the right path in order to achieve his goals. Stevens Idea of dignity is to follow all orders even if one doesn’t agree with it. For instance, Lord Darlington had ordered all the Jews to be stripped from their post and even though Stevens felt that it was an atrocious step to take, he still believed that following that order would be the right thing to do as he is a dignified professional. He knew that it was wrong and yet carried out because of blind loyalty.
Theme of loyalty: We can see the theme of loyalty in Stevens by witnessing the way he always followed his employers orders even though he knew some were wrong. Mr. Stevens is so ingrained in his job to please his employer he almost becomes detached from his own self and becomes an extension of Lord Darlington. People always mentioned that his blind loyalty was like being a slave to Lord Darlington but he refused to believe all of it as he thought he was just being loyal to his employer. Stevens makes great sacrifices to dedicate his life to his understanding of dignity and professionalism. We can also see how his choice to blindly be loyal to Lord Darlington takes a toll on him and he breaks down in front of a stranger as he cannot even state that the mistakes were his but he is aware that it’s his employers which makes him a bit sad. It was clear that Lord Darlington sympathised with the Nazis and was Hitler’s pawn in a diplomatic game to influence the British government. Even after being aware of this fact, Stevens remained loyal and stated that Lord Darlington was not a bad man but was just a victim to politics. Stevens says that Lord Darlington was a courageous man. He chose a path in his life which he thought was right and even though it was a misguided one, he chose it for himself. He says, that’s something he can never say about himself. He always followed orders and did what was expected of him and due to that his personal life was lost. The blind loyalty makes him wonder about his life choices.
Theme of nobility: We can also see the theme of nobility in the novel. His role as a servant is fixed within the hierarchy of social classes left over from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. As a butler, his duty demands to be loyal to Lord Darlington. He followed his fathers footsteps who was also a butler as it was a tradition of service without families. His position and duties as a butler are defined by the rules and customs that bind the servant class. The class conditions under which Stevens serve are rigid. It says that marriage interferes with service and If one is interested in marriage, they have to first quit the job and Stevens always strives to meet these standards. Later in life he realises that it was a grave mistake and he should’ve just followed his heart.
Introduction: Alita, a female cyborg is revived by cyber medic expert Dyson Ido and she sets out to learn about her past and true identity. The main cast is Rosa Salazar as Alita, Christoph waltz as Dr. Ido and Keean Johnson as Hugo. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and released on 8 February 2019 in India. It is based on the Japanese manga artist Yukito Kishiro’s 1990s series Battle Angel Alita and its 1993 original video animation adaptation, Battle Angel. Alita is a cyborg who awakens in a new body with no memory of her past and sets out to uncover her destiny. It belongs to the genre of science fiction. The movie was set 300 years after the fall or the big war.
In my opinion, the movie was good enough to be entertaining but not good enough to be talked about for a long period of time. Even though they claim it’s a sci-fi movie, there are a few scenes which would pass for a romantic movie. Alita has the need/drive to find her own self, her own identity but during the end, she aspires to avenge Hugo, her boyfriend who was brutally murdered by Nova, who resides in Zalem.
Alita is someone who is drawn to violence without any hesitation. She was alive even after the span of 300 years. Her brain was intact which shocked Dr. Ido and he realised that she is a warrior from United Republic of Mars (URM) who was considered the enemy and therefore he tried his best to keep her away from danger. Her mission was to end Nova from Zalem but she and her other team mates failed to do so and now, 300 years later, she swore to complete her mission.
In the iron city, where she resides, there’s a play called motorball which can get pretty rough and If one manages to win the final round or become the championship, they are sent to Zalem which the other people, the common citizens don’t even dare to imagine.
Nova isn’t someone who is used to losing, so he hired vector and a cyborg known as Grewishka to end Alita but she was strong enough as her technology was very advanced (URM Technology), so she emerged victorious.
The character I liked the most was Alita. How, even though she remembered nothing, she still longed to know where she belonged, who she was, her past and unraveling truths about her self. It shows how much important it is to have an identity for oneself and to be able to remember who you are.
I, also liked the character of Dr. Ido, who was hesitant to let her out into the real world at first but later realized that one cannot be kept from their destiny for long, no matter how much they try. He was from Zalem originally but never failed to show his humanity by helping Alita.
Conclusion: I would recommend this sci-fi movie to an amateur or a beginner who developed new interest in sci-fi movies. I rate this movie a 7.4/10
Introduction: A natural disaster us an event which results from the natural processes of the earth. Some of the examples or some of what I’m gonna be elaborating in this article would be Earthquakes, Landslides, Volcanoes, Famines and Droughts and Floods. The main purpose of this article is to enlighten you readers about what are natural disasters, what are the measures we can take to keep ourselves safe and the after effects of being a part of the disaster. After the traumatic experience, make sure to get therapy as you might experience PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and getting therapy could be a great way to overcome the fear which the disaster left inside you.
1) Earthquakes: Earthquakes are also known as a tremor or a quake. It’s defined as the shaking of the Earth resulting from the sudden energy release in the lithosphere which results in creating seismic waves. Earthquakes can be very weak where there might not be much damage or it could be very violent causing a lot of damage and ruckus and cause destruction. The main thing to do during an earthquake could be to stay away from objects which could easily cause harm to you like glass, windows, doors or anything which could fall. If possible, during an earthquake, sit on your bed and take shelter with the help of your pillow but move away if there’s any object hanging on the ceiling which could fall. Make sure to stay inside and take cover by getting under a sturdy piece of furniture.
2) Landslides: When large mass of either rocks, debris or earth shows movements by going down a slope, it’s called a landslide. It can be defined as “mass wasting” as there is great movement downslope which is directly caused by gravity. When it comes to landslides, there could be 5 modes or stages of slope movement, i.e., falling, toppling, sliding, spreading and flowing. There might be multiple caused as to what caused a landslide. It could be due to gravity, rainfall, snowfall, Earthquakes, volcanic activity or disturbance by Human activities etc. The first thing you have to do during a landslide is stay away from the slide area, make sure to keep in touch with the radio or television to know what’s happening and to be informed about emergency information.
3) Volcanoes: When there is a rupture in the crust of any planetary mass object like Earth, it allows stuff like volcanic ash, hot lava and gases to escape which is stored in the magma chamber below the surface. Most of the volcanoes are found underwater or where tectonic plates are either converging or diverging. One of effects of volcanoes on nature could be that they can cause thunder, lightning and rain. If fast moving lava comes in contact with people, it could kill them and the falling ash could make it difficult for them to breathe. It could also cause Famines, fires she earthquakes. The most important thing is to protect yourself during a volcanic eruption. Keep in mind to not drive if there is heavy ash fall and protect yourself from it. Always follow evacuation orders and look for emergency alerts.
4) Famines and Droughts: Famines are usually the cause that lead to death of people due to extreme shortage of food. Droughts are long periods of insufficient rainfall. Droughts have had worse effects on humankind as they make people suffer. People may suffer due to various reasons, like it could be the reason most farmers don’t get to grow their crops as a result of no rainfall of they might even suffer from thirst which cannot be quenched. Famines can be caused due to inflation, crop failure or even war. The side effects could are malnutrition, starvation and increased mortality.
5) Floods: Floods are usually described as an overflow of water that submerges dry land. There is major concern in the areas of agriculture, public health when it comes to floods. When there is human changes like deforestation or removal of wetlands, it causes floods. It may occur from water bodies like river, lakes or oceans. To protect yourself against floods, make sure to secure your home and turn off the main utilities like main switches and disconnect electrical appliances.
Conclusion: After all these traumatic experiences, make sure to get therapy as you might experience PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and getting therapy could be a great way to overcome the fear which the disaster left inside you.
Introduction: Abortion is ending of the pregnancy by killing the embryo. This could take place for many reasons, the mother may not be ready to take responsibility of the child yet or it could be due to the sex of the child or it could be as there may be abnormalities in the child.
Pro-life v/s Pro choice : People who choose not to end the pregnancy by getting an abortion are pro-life. People who choose to end their pregnancy for a number of reasons, valid or not, are pro-choice. Free will is definitely a factor in both of these choices. For many reasons, it could be considered ethically and morally wrong but there are equal number of reasons why it should not be a judge of character and there should be an understanding as to why it is done. Abortion could take place due to a medical issue. There are two ways of aborting a child, namely, non-surgical and surgical methods. Non-surgical methods include abortion pills and morning after pills. Some people may not find this morally right as according to them a life holds a lot of importance. But, what they don’t understand is sometimes it is necessary to get an abortion so that the mothers life is not In danger and everything cannot be morally correct. Selective abortion sometimes takes place when the parents find out the gender of the child. Sex selective abortion, even though, illegal is still practiced in many places due to the preference for the male child. Many a times, a child is aborted as it poses a threat to the mothers life. Sometimes, parents don’t want to have a child with an abnormality as it might affect the child later in life and they might have problems coping with it. People argue that it is better to at least give them a chance to shape their life instead of just ending their life. Sometimes, pregnancy is unintentional and the woman might be using contraception but it may have failed as a measure. When this happens, the parents cannot be blamed for the abortion as they never wanted the child in the first place. Ethically, people still believe that if the parents weren’t ready for a child then maybe they shouldn’t have been having sexual relations. The mother could get an abortion as it might affect their lifestyle. The child could be an obstacle for achieving their dream or it was very sudden and it doesn’t exactly work out with what they have planned for their future. Though, people argue that the child has rights of its own and it had the right to live and it should at least be given a chance to have their own life, it still depends on the parents. Some people think that abortion is a way to punish the man but it is not a fact at all. The mother could be having her own problems or complications with the pregnancy and the man just doesn’t want to accept that as for some men, family means everything. If people think it doesn’t affect the woman at all, they are absolutely wrong. It affects her mentally and physically. So, we just cannot blame the woman without getting to know the root of the problem. Sometimes, a woman gets an abortion as she mislead the father about the fact that she actually wanted a child or wanted a family. Usually, the man is blamed but in some cases, it isn’t true.
Conclusion: Personally, I support abortion. Pro-choice is what I believe in. There are many reasons a woman would want to abort a child and it should be up to her to make that decision as free will plays an important role in my life and therefore, I would like to know that every other person, at least, has the choice of their own. People usually look down on women who get an abortion but that shouldn’t be the situation at all. We need to understand their needs and think about all the reasons why they wouldn’t want the child and we should also respect their decision and support them.
Laura Mulvey was born on 15 August 1941 and is a British feminist film theorist. She is best known for her essay on visual pleasure and narrative cinema.
I’m going to write about 4 films which clearly validates all the aspects or ideologies of the film industry which Laura Mulvey opposes and tries to teach us what is wrong with it and why.
In this part, Laura Mulvey tells us “how the fascination of film is reinforced by pre-existing patterns of fascination already at work” which basically tells us how we already have existing ideas and thoughts and also our thinking and cinema is what validates it. We also have a set of ideologies which movies reveal and we feel like we can put that into practice.
There is also a gender assymetry which is revealed to the common people and the movies validate them which makes people think that there is nothing wrong with it and it is what it is. From the beginning of time we see how women are being suppressed and not given their own voice and therefore even now, there are many films following the same pattern of filmmaking which is not justified as it gives the wrong idea to society.
We see how Laura Mulvey appropriately portrays psychoanalytic theory by demonstrating patriarchy has a structured film form.
Laura Mulvey in her essay also describes phallocentricism which is the idea of having a penis and how it is the central element of the world and how everything revolves around men. She also mentions “castrated woman” which talks about the lack of penis and because our society is a patriarch society, we do not give much importance to the ones which lack a penis. She tells this is a paradox as in order to enhance these male characters, a female is always necessary and how they are only used as a plot to forward the film. This shows us the concept of active male and passive female.
In every movie there is a concept of an active male and a passive female. An active male is when the main character has a very important role and given all the attention or importance and is also the central reason the film is being made. The male protagonist is given all the dominant roles or is portrayed in a way that makes the audience believe that he is the most important aspect of the movie. The filmmakers try to show that the movie would not have been possible if the male character was not present. A passive female is where in a movie, the female part is not given that much importance and is just used for the sole purpose of entertainment. It’s also how women are not given the lead roles or is just used to elevate the film, they are mostly used as foil characters, mostly to enhance the role of men. She is used as a plot and does not have any real importance in the film. It also shows how she needs a man to be protected and cannot be independent as that would hurt the ego of the man or make him feel less powerful.
An example for this would be the movie “Hero” release in 2015. The entire movie depicts how without the main protagonist which is Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya shetty would be in danger even though she is the daughter of a very well known police commissioner. It depicts how a woman would be in danger without a man, how she is dependent on him and how she “needs” him to protect her. The whole movie shows the man’s power and how he’s the only one who can save her from any problem or any situation. It shows how weak females are and how it is necessary for them to have a male by their side to be safe in this society.
Laura Mulvey talks about 2 things. The first one is how In a female’s life if there is an absence of a penis then there is a threat to her and secondly to overcome this threat she needs to raise a male child.
She tells how “woman’s desire is subjected to her image as bearer of the bleeding wound, she can only exist in relation to castration and cannot transcend it”. This tells us about how woman due to an absence of phallus is dependent on men or how she is identified as someone’s daughter or someone’s wife or a mother but she never has her own identity. They are also just displayed as objects and their appearance is in such a way that it cannot be anything apart from being erotic.
She tells how women are used to signify the men and how they are a bearer of meaning and not maker of meaning. This shows how women are always related to a male and how they lack individuality.
This essay reminds us of how we are being oppressed and how even though we are independent females, some people think that it is important to depend on men as it is a patriarchal society and that’s how it’s always been. This essay also talks about women as a “non- mother” where according to the society, in order to be complete, she needs to have a child or motherly instincts or she is not considered as a woman.
An example for this would be the movie “dilwaale dulhaniya le jaaenge” This movie shows the patriarchy of society where the female character ie Kajol is subjucated by her father, not allowed to listen to music,not allowed to go out with friends and is forced to marry a guy of his choice even though she was in love with Shah Rukh Khan. Futhermore, this concept is amplified when the male lead is the one who must save her from getting married.
Laura Mulvey talks about how cinema can offer a number of possible pleasure but she specifically talks about scopophilia. It is the pleasure of looking at another person in an active controlling sense or by objectifying others. In this, looking at something itself is a form of pleasure. She also mentions voyeurism which is the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from objectifying or observing others. When someone is looking at someone they are trying to find erotic basis by objectifying them.when we watch a movie, we tend to detach from the outside world or our surroundings and start to relate to the character and try to associate ourselves with them. She explains how we relate to the characters. She tells it is because we repress our emotions or thoughts and when we see the protagonist do the same, we feel like our thoughts are validated. An example for scopophilia is the song “Chikni Chameli”from the movie Agneepath. In this song we see how all the men take pleasure from watching a single woman dance for them which makes them feel dominant or powerful as they do it to make the woman feel like a object but she is told that she is “glorified” which is definitely problematic.
Male gaze is the term used to describe or objectify females and what their thought about an “ideal woman” is. This term was coined by Laura Mulvey. It is characterized by a tendency to sexualize women. Male gaze is problematic as women in our society are expected to be seen in a certain way and they fear of not being accepted if they don’t fulfill that criteria. The thought of “not being enough” is always at the back of their heads. This is shown from a male’s perspective keeping in mind the male audience and therefore everything is over sexualized. Female gaze is also quite similar to male gaze. This also talks about how we the women view men as an object but we don’t fully objectify them. Female gaze also talks about how we view things from our perspective and therefore even of it’s something which is sexualized, it still seems to be normal.
An example is the movie “Babadook” Directed by Jennifer Kent. In this movie, the main character Amelia who is in denial of being depressed was seen to pleasure herself in the bedroom and because this movie was directed by a female, this act of masturbation was completely normalises and it was not sexualized at all. This is also because it was seen from a female’s perspective. If the same scene was directed by a male director then it would be overly sexualized as it would be seen from a man’s perspective. This is the best example for male and female gaze.
Conclusion:
Laura Mulvey tries to tell us about how cinema is all about visual pleasure and how every movie is made just to satisfy the audience and how it is always filmed from a male perspective and how females lack major role in our society.
Abstract : In the Disney world, we can see that gender role-play a very prominent role. It is something people look forward to and observe while watching a movie and depicting certain characters in certain ways could change the way men and women are expected to be like and it sets a standard of how their role should look like. Very frequently, many female characters are portrayed as weak, and always in need of a man to save them. For instance, Cinderella, snow white, etc. There are only a handful number of movies where the female takes it upon herself to not give in to societal norms and standards.
Introduction: The main focus of this article is to throw light on the representation of female characters in gynocentric Disney movies. Disney was originally founded on October 16, 1923. It was finally renamed The Walt Disney Company in 1986. Disney has given a lot of people all over the world comfort through their unparallel storytelling, extraordinary productions, and unbeatable attention to detail. Even with all the amazing storylines, it’s mostly gynocentric and male-oriented. Their portrayal of women is very outdated and affects the perception of women in the real world. This research is important as it helps us realize why the way men and women are portrayed in a particular manner can be harmful and deceiving, as in the movies men are shown to be powerful, strong, level headed and manly while the female characters are shown to be weak, always in need of help, in need of a male character to help them be liberal and achieve happiness. This can send the wrong message to people who are trying to accept themselves as they are and not care about how others wish them to be. In modern times like this, media or visual entities hold a lot of power and therefore it is important for the messages to be conveyed in the right manner and make sure that it doesn’t change the progress of the real world. If men and women are given equally important roles and represented with equality, it would spread a positive message and the receiver would also have a positive outlook of the world.
Data Analysis, Result, and Discussion: The first movie is Tarzan release in 2003 was an orphaned his parents were killed by the cheetahs when he was a baby. He was adopted by a gorilla and Kala and spent his early years trying to imitate them. The entire movie displayed him as a masculine, strong, fierce hunter, worrier, and independent. When the ape Kerchak attacks and tried to kill him, he wins the fight the takes Kerchak’s place as the king of the ape. On the other hand, Jane has been portrayed as weak, emotional, and fragile. Jane and her father research Gorilla, so she came to the jungle with Clayton to get more information about them. At first, Jane has shown bravery and courage trying to stop Clayton from killing the gorillas. Clayton was using the trip so that he can kill the gorillas and sell them. But once she meets Tarzan and falls in love with him, she completely relies on him and the others to save her from every difficult situation she faced. While the baboons chased her Tarzan save her. When the pirate guy tries to hit her again Tarzan saves her. When they are imprisoned on the boat instead of trying to find how to escape, she just stays there and waits for Tarzan. In the movie, Jane always follows Tarzan wherever he goes. The way how Jane was portrayed in the movie is common to many other female characters, it says something not about them as an individual but how the society view women and their place and expectations.
The second movie is Cinderella release in 2007 is a classic fairy story, a rags-to-riches tale about a kind-hearted girl who suffers various hardships only to marry the prince of the kingdom. In Cinderella, men are portrayed as the upper gender, because of the sociological position of women at that time when they were considered inferior and of an inferior class and wealth. Cinderella’s father played no important role in Cinderella’s life. Most of the time, she was controlled by her evil mother-in-law. Cinderella was seen as happy and she looks like she is enjoyed doing household chores she still dreams of her happiness ever after. Cinderella is a typical image of a distressed lady because the only one who can save her from her miserable life was the prince. Cinderella will be stuck in her miserable life forever if the prince won’t save her. This shows the status of women at the time who idealized marriage and the role of being at home to taking care of babies and care for the husband. In addition, by showing the differences the step-sisters had with Cinderella, children can think that step-sisters share a nasty relationship, which isn’t the case on many occasions. It is important to not label or relate certain achievements or actions to a person’s gender because that’s not always the case.
The third movie with a strong female character is Frozen which was released in 2013. This movie talks about women’s power and how there is strength in unity and beauty in accepting oneself as they are. The movie starts with two sisters, Elsa and Anna where Elsa was born with magical powers to create ice but she unintentionally hurts Anna and is no longer confident about her powers, and their parents decide that it’s best to hide her powers. Due to this, the two sisters grow apart and there’s a distance between them but one day during Elsa’s coronation, Anna meets Prince Hans of Isle. They fall in love but Elsa doesn’t approve of them and accidentally shows her powers to the world and that’s where Anna realizes how difficult it must’ve been for Elsa. Elsa escapes and Anna follows her where she meets Christoph, a very ordinary man who works in the business of collecting ice. They both leave to find Elsa and convince her to go back but to no avail. Elsa realizes that the mountains are where she belongs as she cannot hurt anyone and can freely do magic. Elsa strikes Anna’s heart which can only be healed by “an act of true love”, so she travels back to Arendelle to Hans but quickly realizes that it was all an act and he was only after her wealth. In the meantime, Hans captures Elsa to put an end to her but she successfully escapes. Hans finds her and is about to strike her when Anna throws herself to save her sister’s life and Elsa is in disbelief and starts weeping and that’s when Anna comes back to life as the “act of true love” mentioned above was sisterly love. This movie has a strong message that women need to stick together and how there is power in being one.
The fourth movie chosen is Moana released in 2016. This movie is about a girl who is supposed to be leading an island but shows very little interest in that particular topic but she finds water to be very fascinating and is drawn to it from the very beginning but isn’t allowed to be anywhere near water as it’s considered to be dangerous or unknown. Moana tries her best to make sure she fulfills her duty as someone who should lead but is unable to do so and therefore begins her journey with water. In the movie, we can see how her grandmother always encouraged Moana to find her true calling and follow her dreams and find happiness in whatever she does. The movie starts with her grandmother reading an ancient tale to the children of the island which nobody considers to be true but her grandmother is sure that it’s not all a lie. Maui is a demigod who runs away with the stone or nature’s heart which starts to corrupt the world and destroy it. Moana is the only one why can put things back to place as she is the chosen one and is supposed to deliver the stone with Maui beyond the reef. She goes on an adventure to save the world and finds Maui and even though she faces a lot of hardship in her path, she still makes sure to deliver the stone as the fate of her island and the world depended on her. During the journal, she realizes that her ancestors were voyagers and the island residents started voyaging again once the issue was solved as they deeply believed in Moana. This entire movie has proved that women need to take matters into their own hands and face obstacles head-on and have faith in themselves. They should be able to freely follow their gut feeling and be able to do whatever they want to without needing anyone’s permission or approval.
Conclusion: This article aimed to view the gender representation of female characters in gynocentric Disney movies. It analyzes four different Disney movies. Earlier the female characters are given a minor role and did not hold any importance in the movies. Even in this age and time, Disney shows how women need men to achieve happiness and freedom. Movies like Mulan and Moana need to be advocated more so women can find their happiness in their way and they don’t need a man to fulfill their interests. However, as gender roles have changed, the female characters in Disney animations have also changed with gaining more importance in their roles.
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