Category: Book Review

A book review is a thorough description, critical analysis, and/or evaluation of the quality, meaning, and significance …

Communication skills

Good communication is very important to convey what is there in the mind. Whatever language, communicating in a understandable way is very important. communication today is very important both in the business world and in private life.

Even though the person is good at skills and is capable of doing things better, lack of communication degrades the skills and brings a negative mark on the person which is a bad thing for the individual.

Top 5 communication skills and How to improve them

Developing strong communication skills is essential when it comes to building a successful careee. Communication skills play a key role in your private life too. These 5 skills are absolutely necessary for sucessful commuincation in the workplace or private life.

1. Listening :

Listening is one of the most important aspects of communication. Successful listening is not just and understanding of spoken or written information, but also an understanding of how the speaker feels during communication. If a speaker can see and feel that someone is listening and understanding that can help build a stronger, deeper realtionship between interlocutors.

Careful listening can also create an environment in which everyone feels safe to express ideas, opinions and feelings, or plan and solve problems in a creative way.

2. Straight talking :

Conversation is the basis of communication, and one must not neglect its importanc. Even a simple, friendly conversation with colleafues can build mutual trust and even detect problems before they become serious. A healthy does of chatting with and unknown person can lead to a business opportunity . Be accessible and friendly because then you will be able to talk to almost anymore.

3. Non- verbal communication :

When we talk about things that matter to us then we send a lot of nonverbal messages. Non verbal signals are wordless communication, body position, facial experssion, hand movements, gestures, eye contact, attitude and tone of your voice, muscle tension and the way you breathe. The way you look, listen create, react, gesture , speaks far more about feelings than words will ever be able to.

4. Stress Management :

In small quantities, stress can be very useful and encouraging for work . However, when the stress becomes constant and completely begins to take effect, it can affect communication, clarity of opinion and appropriate behavior and action. When you are under stress you may misunderstand other people, send confusing nonverbal signals, and use funny patterns of behavior.

5. Emotion control :

In communication, feelings play an important role. Making decisions more often affects the way you feel than the way you think. Gudided by emotions, your nonverbal behavior affects the understanding of other people and how others understand and perceive you. Control of emotions provides you with tools to understand others, yourself and the messages you send. Though recognizing feelings makes it simple, many people have strong feeling like anger, sorrow, or fear being pushed under the carpet.

Importance of communication :

Communication thus helps understand people better removing misunderstanding and creating clarity of thoughts and expression. The communication brings people together, closer to each other. The communication is an important management function closely associated with all other managerial functions.

Everybody has their own way of communicating. It is influenced by cultural background, the way someone was raised, their gender, their temperament, and much more. At that point true communication may become utterly impossible. Sometimes we may have a difficult time understanding anothers feelings , needs and habits.

* communication serves four major functions with a group of organization :

* control

* Motivational

* Emotional expression

* Information

* communication serves five major purposes :

* to inform

* to express feelings

* to imagine

* to influence and

* to meet social expectations

For example:

For instance, if an individual is going to an interview with great confidence. An individual who is good at different kinds of skills, and also good at executing them and he is lack of communication skills. As the person is not a good communicator, the person faces difficulty in explaining the things to the other person which is known to him. Instantly, this brings a bad impression on the person and a negative mark will be marked on him. The negative mark has a lot to do with. The negative mark can also lead to the rejection of the person in the interview.

Being knowledgeable is very important to achieve certain goals in life, attaining good communication skills and being a good communicator is also equally important to achieve high in the life. Being a good communicator is not A big deal. It is so easy as the lifestyle. Any individual can be good communicator if he communicates all the time with other people in the possible way.

Education in the present

Education is very important in every individual’s life as it is very important for the living. The person who is educated will be well treated by the society and will you have good potential wherever he or she goes. Education as the extra energy to the individual’s life and a moles the individuals character into a good one. It is very important to be educated as the competition in the world is comparatively very high.

Online classes are the greatest and the biggest task to all the students. It is so difficult for all the students to understand the topics in a detailed manner. Even though the students try their level best to understand the topics during the online class, it is only the 50% of learning but the topics are not understood properly but the students and face lots of difficulties.

It is also equal difficult to conduct exams to all mine because it’s exams are connected through online then there is a chance formal practices. Basically, students commit malpractices during exams in a view to get good marks but not about the knowledge. So,many of the students commit malpractices.

Ways to improve the education system

* skill – based learning :

As of now , the education system is such that everyone is forced to study science and math. If this system can be revamped to identify the strengths of a student, then they can be given appropriate training in the chosen field. This will ensure that the child shines in that particular field.

* Rural Education :

As the sad thing about the Indian education system is the fact that its focus is only on urban clusters. There are hardly any decent centres of learning in the rural areas. This is especially true in terms of higher education. If a country has to actually develop, urban and rural development have to go hand in hand.

* Gender Neutral Education :

The education system has always favoured men over the fairer sex. The major change that must be brought about is to involve women in the same. Particularly subjects that are now considered to be the strength of men alone ( like carpentry, engineering, etc). Should be made more accessible to women. Pioneer women in these fileds should be given due encouragement and appreciation.

* Teacher Training :

India has a very good quality of dedicated teachers. However, the sad fact here is the fact that after they join this service, they receive little or no training. In such a situation, giving them periodic training will not just ensure that they are updated with the changing times, but will also improve the entire education scene of the country by leaps and bounds.

* Infrastructure :

As in every other sector, the indian education sector is one that suffers from the acute death of infrastructure. Most of the government schools do not even have proper chairs, tables, restrooms, let alone a playground, libraries and laboratories. Thus ,the first step in revamping the education scene in the country should begin with improving the infrastructure so that the students are given an evironment where they can learn to the best of their abilities.

* subsidising professional courses :

It is a sad reality that many meritorious students are not able to afford professional corses because of the sheer expense involved in the same. This is all the way truer in case of students from the general category who do not have access to many scholarships. In such a situation subsidising the cost professional education will ensure that the same is within the reach of deserving students from the lower and lower middle class strata of the Indian society.

* Basic computing In Rural Areas :

On one hand , India is a land of IT giants; on the other, rural India is completely digitally ill- equipped, in a sitiation like this, the first change that the education system must bring forward is to start free computing classes for skill development in rural areas. Only then will rural Indian move in the same pace as that of the urban Digital India and the country embark on the journey of development.

* Make sports compulsory :

One of the main reasons for the alarming rise in suicide amongst students in the country is the fact that they cannot handle stress. That in turn is because they are subjected to too much mental pressure. By making sports compusory it can be ensured that all the students indulge in some sort of some physical activity. This will lead to their mind performance better and enable them to grasp their theory lessons well.

* Educate parents :

Most of the times it is seen that the children’s woes centre atound that of their parents. In the Indian scenerio, parents are the ones who force their wards into a career they do not like. As a result students do not excel and upon failing to meet their parents expectations, they suffer from a number of mental health issues. To prevent such a thing from happening, the first step that must be taken is to educate the parents about the different carrer options that are available to the students and the possible scope of future in them.

* Remove The Reservation system :

The reservation system in India has been so obsessed with providing the best of opportunities to the reserved that it misses out on many opportunities for the ones who actually deserve the same. This results in not just personal loss for certain people but also brain drain for the entire country and fosters a massive loss to the nation’s economy.

Today’s education system may be good to score marks, but fails to retain the knowledge once students have completed their examinations. This leads to young minds being stifled at an age when they should be asking questions, learning and gaining knowledge, and developing a thirst for more knowledge.

Science textbook analysis

Of class 6th NCERT book

We all are going through this science book in class 6th. But now we will see how much our book are gender netural. At class 6th students started their puberty. It is important that our textbook should be gender netrual.

About the book 

The textbook is published  by the National Council Of Educational Research and Training. This textbook is an updated version. The syllabus is based on the latest pattern of CBSE. All the three subjects- physics, chemistry and biology are included in the syllabus.

Grade 6th science textbook is fully child centric. The pictures are bright and big. The colour of the textbook is really attractive and good. The quality of paper used to develop the content is flexible and does not leave any impression behind the page. The pages are properly numbered and activities are low cost or no cost activities. The activities can easily be performed by the student and provide them a better conceptual understanding. Assessment, evaluation, learning and facts are in different colours so the child can attract them.

Cover page of the textbook

The cover page of the science textbook for 6th class are designed by Mr. Dev Anand and Mr. Sunil Kumar. The cover page designers are both men. There is no woman. The government should include the woman candidate too for designing the cover page. Might the cover page be more attractive. 

The director of the book is also a man and even the production committee is also heard by Mr. Anil kumar sharma. I found that all the members of the design  production and direction committee are men. There is no participation of women in any such work. 

Introduction is also given by an male IAS officer Mr. Binay Bhushan- director of education and sports. There are many other women IAS officers who worked in the education department.

Textbook development committee 

The textbook development committee consists of 26 members in itself. The number of women participants is ten which is not even half the man participants. The higher ranking office belongs to one woman out of 10. 

Chapter1 ; food: where does it come from 

Page no. 2 image no. 1.3- transportation of wheat 

Here a man carries the food to the market. A woman can represent the same. The content developer should use a woman representative too. A sixth class student considers that transportation is only related to man. Women do not participate in this work.

Chapter 2: component of food

Page no.15 image there is a fat boy who represents the over eating. They can use the girl too. But there is a stereotype that a girl should be slim. It will be ok if a man is overweight.

Chapter 3; fiber to fabric

Page no.20, 21 and 22 image no. 3.7, 3.11 and 3.13, the work represents the status of women. The women are working with charkha and weaving meaning at home whereas men are working in the field of cotton. But the reality is different as shown in pictures.

Chapter 5:separation of substance 

Page no 37 image 5.4 and 5.5- there is a man who worked in the field and the woman works with the execution method of separating wheat and dust.  The picture shows the gender roles of men working in the field and women working at home.

Pageno. 38 image 5.7- man is working on a filtration method. The man is labour but why do they use only men and women also do the same thing in the same way.

Chapter 9: living -features and habitat 

Page no. 88 image no. 9.10- in the growth process images mostly man used as the representative. I rarely see any woman as the representative of the growth process . Do women have a different growth process than men? 

Chapter 10; measurement of speed and distance 

In this chapter women’s representation is neglected . All the activities are performed by a single gender ( male). Might be content developers consider that women are not good in numbers so he does not include pictures of women.

Chapter 15; air in our surrounding 

Page no. 148 image 15.5 – the mountaineer is a man why not a woman. The women also climb the mountain but the picture again is a reflection of less representation of women in the text development committee.

Page no. 150 image no. 15.8 There is a policeman who controls the traffic. When they look at the book he /she considers that only a man could be a traffic police woman not.

Dialogue 

The textbook consists of two characters known as the bhuju and pheli. Pheli is a girl who is very curious to know everything whereas bhuju is a boy who knows everything and performs activities. I feel that somewhere the content developer considers that girls are curious whereas boys are silent observers

. 

Conclusion 

The science textbook of 6th class is published by the NCERT. The book is updated but somewhere gender equality is missed by the content developer. The picture can develop a gender role distinguished in the child mind. Same as the pheli bhuju creates and thinks that girls are curious and boys have answers to the all query. We should neglect this type of representation of women in the textbook and there is an urgent need for more female participants in content developing and cover designing.

A single touch amounts to sexual harrassmet ? POSH 2013 ( in brief )

What did this POSH Act refer to ? So it commonly referred to, an Indian law enactment with the objective of making workplaces safer for women by preventing, prohibiting and redressing acts of sexual harassment against them in the workplace.

Why this act was needed ?The need for such legislation was observed first time by the Supreme Court, in Vishaka v State of Rajasthan. Sexual harassment at a workplace is considered violation of women’s right to equality( article 14 and 15) , life ( article 21) and liberty ( article 19(1)g) . It creates an insecure and hostile work environment, which discourage women’s participation in work, thereby adversely affecting their social and economic empowerment and the goal of inclusive growth. So there was much need for legislation against this sexual harassment at working place.

What is the objective behind POSH 2013 ? The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 (“the Act”) was enacted with the objective to provide protection against sexual harassment of women at workplace and for the prevention and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment and for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto , that was mentioned under section 2(o) of the act .

What is sexual harrassment? Section 2(n) discribe a sexual harassment as unwelcome acts or behavior (whether directly or by implication) namely, physical contact and advances, a demand or request for sexual favors, making sexually colored remarks, showing pornography, any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature .

Can a touch to women amount to sexual harrament ?

a women can commit sexual harrassment on another women ?

So both the question were answered in Shanta Kumar vs CSIR , where Delhi high court held that “undoubtedly, physical contact or advances would constitute sexual harassment provided such physical contact is a part of the sexually determined behaviour. a physical contact which has no undertone of a sexual nature and is not occasioned by the gender of the complainant may not necessarily amount to sexual harassment.

What are the offensive circumstances in which sexual harassment is done ?

The Act also provides the circumstances under which an act may amount to sexual harassment under section 6(2) . These are:

(i) implied or explicit promise of preferential treatment in her employment; or

(ii) implied or explicit threat of detrimental treatment in her employment ; or

(iii) implied or explicit threat about her present or future employment status; or environment for her; or

(iv) interference with her work or creating an intimidating or offensive or hostile work

(v) humiliating treatment likely to affect her health or safety.

Where the problem would be redressed under POSH : so section 4 provides for setting up of Internal Complaints Committee at every office of the organisation or institution, having more than 10 employees, to hear and redress complaints pertaining to sexual harassment. Section 11 reads that , The committee has to complete the inquiry within a period of 90 days. As per section 12, The committee can give certain interim reliefs to the aggrieved woman during the pendency of the inquiry.

What if the complaint by said victim is Mala fide ? case of filing of false or malicious complaint or false evidence the committee may recommend to the employer or District Officer to take action in accordance with the provisions of service rules or where no such service rules exist, in such manner as prescribed in Rule 10 of the Rules

Is identity of a women victim disclose ? No according to section 16 of posh 2013 , There is a prohibition on publication of identity of the aggrieved woman, respondent, witnesses, contents of the complaint, inquiry proceedings or recommendations of the committee, except information regarding the justice secured to any victim of sexual harassment.

In last what would be the punishment for accused ? When the employer fails to constitute an Internal Committee or breaches provisions of this Act or any rules made thereunder, they shall be punishable with fine of fifty thousand rupees (INR 50,000).

Book Review of The Kite Runner – A book by Khaled Hosseini

Talking about the author, Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Here is a book review of The Kite Runner which was published in the year 2003.

The unforgettable and heartbreaking story of the improbable friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country about to be destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of salvation; and an exploration of the power of parents over children: their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping tale of family, love, and friendship advised in opposition to the devastating backdrop of the records of Afghanistan during the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an uncommon and effective novel that has to turn out to be a beloved, one-of-a-type classic.

The book gave a good cry to so many people with the brilliant writing and the emotions it holds. There was from praising all around the world.

“An astonishing, powerful book.”
—Diane Sawyer

“This powerful first novel, by an Afghan physician now living in California, tells a story of fierce cruelty and fierce yet redeeming love…In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini gives us a vivid and engaging story that reminds us how long his people have been struggling to triumph over the forces of violence – forces that continue to threaten them even today.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Like Gone with the Wind, this extraordinary first novel locates the personal struggles of everyday people in the terrible sweep of history.”
—People 

“Poignant…The Kite Runner offers a moving portrait of modern Afghanistan, from its pre-Russian-invasion glory days through the terrible reign of the Taliban.”
—Entertainment Weekly (Grade: A)

“A marvelous first novel… an incredible story of the culture. It’s an old-fashioned kind of novel that really sweeps you away.”
—San Francisco Chronicle

“A powerful book…no frills, no nonsense, just hard, spare prose…an intimate account of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation that requires no atlas or translation to engage and enlighten us. Parts of The Kite Runner are raw and excruciating to read, yet the book in its entirety is lovingly written.”
—The Washington Post Book World 

“The Kite Runner, Hosseini’s first novel, is more than just good writing. It is also a wonderfully conjured story that offers a glimpse into an Afghanistan most Americans have never seen, and depicts a side of humanity rarely revealed.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

Photo by Olga Lioncat on Pexels.com

A gripping and moving story of betrayal and redemption, The Kite Runner moved me at the same time it tells the story of Amir and Hassan, closest friends, as well as brothers. The two boys lived in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and that year they tried harder than ever to win the local kite fighting tournament, a popular Afghan pastime, and this is Amir’s only hope of winning his father’s race.

But as dragons fight in the sky, war comes to Afghanistan and the country becomes an extremely dangerous place.

People are frequently compelled to make huge sacrifices in conflict, and the young Amir himself commits a betrayal, directed at his best friend Hassan, that will plague him for the rest of his life. Amir and his father are forced to flee Afghanistan for America, and The Kite Runner becomes the story of Amir’s redemption quest – righting the wrongs he committed as a boy in Afghanistan.

The novel is fast-paced and never dull, and it brought me to a weird, interesting, yet oddly familiar world – the world of Afghan life. Not only is the story itself brilliantly constructed, but the book also explores the very art of storytelling.

Hosseini’s writing strikes a great balance between being clear and yet powerful, and not only is the story itself brilliantly constructed, but the book also explores the very art of storytelling.

The best aspect of the kite runner, in my opinion, is its sense of fate and justice, of good triumphing over evil in the end, despite all odds. Without giving anything away about the plot, Amir returns to Afghanistan and makes a new series of sacrifices in order to put things right.

The book’s closing chapter is possibly my favorite, and I’ve found it moving even after revisiting it.

The message underlying the finale could be perceived differently by different readers, but I believe it offers a glimmer of hope for the characters’ futures, as well as perhaps for war-torn Afghanistan.

This beautiful, moving novel deals with complex adult issues about religion, prejudice, forgiveness, and the nature of “goodness.”

Gulliver’s Travels

Gulliver’s Travels, original title Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, four-part satirical work by Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift, published anonymously in 1726 as Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. A keystone of English literature, it was one of the books that gave birth to the novel form, though it did not yet have the rules of the genre as an organizing tool. A parody of the then popular travel narrative, Gulliver’s Travels combines adventure with savage satire, mocking English customs and the politics of the day.

Summary

The book is written in the first person from the point of view of Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon and sea captain who visits remote regions of the world, and it describes four adventures. In the first one, Gulliver is the only survivor of a shipwreck, and he swims to Lilliput, where he is tied up by people who are less than 6 inches (15 cm) tall. He is then taken to the capital city and eventually released. The Lilliputians indulge in ridiculous customs and petty debates. Political affiliations, for example, are divided between men who wear high-heeled shoes (symbolic of the English Tories) and those who wear low ones (representing the English Whigs), and court positions are filled by those who are best at rope dancing. Gulliver is asked to help defend Lilliput against the empire of Blefuscu, with which Lilliput is at war over which end of an egg should be broken, this being a matter of religious doctrine. Gulliver captures Blefuscu’s naval fleet, thus preventing an invasion, but declines to assist the emperor of Lilliput in conquering Blefuscu. Later Gulliver extinguishes a fire in the royal palace by urinating on it. Eventually he falls out of favour and is sentenced to be blinded and starved. He flees to Blefuscu, where he finds a normal-size boat and is thus able to return to England.

Gulliver’s second voyage takes him to Brobdingnag, inhabited by a race of giants. A farm worker finds Gulliver and delivers him to the farm owner. The farmer begins exhibiting Gulliver for money, and the farmer’s young daughter, Glumdalclitch, takes care of him. One day the queen orders the farmer to bring Gulliver to her, and she purchases Gulliver. He becomes a favourite at court, though the king reacts with contempt when Gulliver recounts the splendid achievements of his own civilization. The king responds to Gulliver’s description of the government and history of England by concluding that the English must be a race of “odious vermin.” Gulliver offers to make gunpowder and cannon for the king, but the king is horrified by the thought of such weaponry. Eventually Gulliver is picked up by an eagle and then rescued at sea by people of his own size.

On Gulliver’s third voyage he is set adrift by pirates and eventually ends up on the flying island of Laputa. The people of Laputa all have one eye pointing inward and the other upward, and they are so lost in thought that they must be reminded to pay attention to the world around them. Though they are greatly concerned with mathematics and with music, they have no practical applications for their learning. Laputa is the home of the king of Balnibarbri, the continent below it. Gulliver is permitted to leave the island and visit Lagado, the capital city of Balnibarbri. He finds the farm fields in ruin and the people living in apparent squalor. Gulliver’s host explains that the inhabitants follow the prescriptions of a learned academy in the city, where the scientists undertake such wholly impractical projects as extracting sunbeams from cucumbers. Later Gulliver visits Glubbdubdrib, the island of sorcerers, and there he speaks with great men of the past and learns from them the lies of history. In the kingdom of Luggnagg he meets the struldbrugs, who are immortal but age as though they were mortal and are thus miserable. From Luggnagg he is able to sail to Japan and thence back to England.

In the extremely bitter fourth part, Gulliver visits the land of the Houyhnhnms, a race of intelligent horses who are cleaner and more rational, communal, and benevolent (they have, most tellingly, no words for deception or evil) than the brutish, filthy, greedy, and degenerate humanoid race called Yahoos, some of whom they have tamed—an ironic twist on the human-beast relationship. The Houyhnhnms are very curious about Gulliver, who seems to be both a Yahoo and civilized, but, after Gulliver describes his country and its history to the master Houyhnhnm, the Houyhnhnm concludes that the people of England are not more reasonable than the Yahoos. At last it is decided that Gulliver must leave the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver then returns to England, so disgusted with humanity that he avoids his family and buys horses and converses with them instead.

The Handmaid’s Tale – A Terrifying dystopian Novel

As readers, we travel through many stories and live in those unrealistic worlds that make us feel more realistic the way it is written, some stories imprint in readers’ minds, and some of these imprints in a writer’s mind. However “Handmaid’s Tale” is a novel that is a tormented dystopian story and a novel that kept the readers in an Appalling state throughout the story.

The Gileadean Era: A Foundation intended for the destruction of Humans.

This particular Novel is a dystopian novel that begins with the creation of the “Republic of Gilead” which is formed by a political group namely, the Sons of Jacob which tries to suppress the people of the USA by a strict but environment which is not less than a hell.

The Handmaid’s Tale is a perfect example of How hell would look like if it’s situated on earth. The Gilead Regime is a perfect example of how humans can be hazardous to each other and how they can create a place of agony by being inhuman towards each other and take all rights from the people who are less powerful than them.

This novel is not just about Marxist Feminism,  it is not even feminism, it is a  novel which talks about suppressing humans who are fragile and powerless and taking away the Right to Speak and Right to express themselves, but this novel is also about how religion is misused against the humans and haunt them in the name of Almighty.

“My Name isn’t Offred. I have another name, which nobody uses now because it’s forbidden. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, your name is like your telephone number useful only to others, but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter. I kept the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I’ll come back to dig up, one day.”

– The Handmaid’s Tale

A very Important quote highlighting the crux of the novel in these lines is beautifully written by the author who explains to us about the protagonist of the story: June Osborne who was forcibly turned into Offred who was a mere Handmaid of a commander.

This quote draws us the image that how a person loses their identity when their name is taken away from them. It is the very weird fact that we as a human never use our word, but when someone takes our names from us ultimately, we even lose our identity and our real self-fades away with the spark of our name.

The very same situation happened with June and other women whose names were taken away from them and in return, they were made as Handmaids or we can say a sexual pleasure for their following commanders.

As mentioned in the “Historical Notes” of the novel where Dr. Piexoto explains to the readers that this novel is a transcript of a tape recording which portrays us that the whole novel is written with the perception of an imaginary Character named Offred/June.

Gilead has proved that even advanced technology fails in front of religion. This is a very controversial line that even can hurt people’s sentiments. Gilead abused the people by giving them physical, mental and emotional torcher and treated them as an object for satisfying their pleasure.

A Dystopian story that breaks all norms of society –

If you dig into the story, then “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian novel that is not one element centric novel, but a novel that has divergent themes and elements. The Protagonist of the story, Offred tells the novel with her viewpoint as a form of a tale where she talks about her sufferings in a form of nostalgia and this novel keeps the reader in curiosity through the suspense drawn in the novel. the story has a nostalgia within a nostalgia. Offred living in a hell called “The Republic of Gilead” makes her a fragile woman cause of the injustice she and other women goes through. The sufferings made her a different person as such she came to a state where she was accustomed to be living like a handmaid and for her freedom was never a word to be dreamt of.

She explains to us how not only women but people who belong to other genders were treated like slaves by the patriarchal society. The author shows us that the patriarch society crossed all the boundaries to break down humanity from the regime and The commander’s wives, the aunts, Martha’s, all were like puppets under this awful patriarch world.

When Humankind is lost, it’s the end of Humanity!

There are many segments of the novel which describe to us the real picture of  Gilead and how people in this place are humans but are apathetic towards each other. Gilead is a place where things like emotions, respect, pity don’t exist rather is invisible in this hell-like place.

These handmaids are not allowed to do anything of their own choice as such; going out alone, shopping, watching movies, reading magazines, roaming around the streets, and even having their real names are forbidden in this place. Offred reminiscent of her went days when she was an editor, wife, and a mother and lived a bustling life but in peace. Her freedom is taken away and her bustling life is turned into a life that is just a nightmare for every day.

However now she just has to be fruitful to bear fruits and complete the Procreation ceremony, which is a holy custom for the Gilead community but is merely a form of rape that all handmaids go through. “The Rachel and Leah center “also unofficially known as the “Red Centre” is a cell for those handmaids who disobeyed the law and are followed through the punishment which is a form of clearing mistakes of the young handmaids by making them perfect in the eyes of almighty to bear the seeds planted by the commanders according to the aunts.

In Gilead everything was uncanny, love was substituted with lust, Humans were like slaves, those genders who were not under the category of male and female were sent to “The Colonies” which was not less than a concentration camp that ultimately brings death towards them.

Yet offered never lost hope and always protected herself from the devastation and chose many paths to get over from this hell. Later in the story, we see that his beloved “Nick” who was assumed to be the part of “The eyes” helped him to get out of the regime but in the end, they failed to do so.

We can conclude that; this sci-fi dystopian novel was terrifying at all levels which can devastate human minds. It shows that a sinister human can reach any level of madness and destroy each other by being greedy and sinful.

“You see, Humans are always egoist and sometimes they destroy themselves in search of satisfying themselves with worldly pleasures.”

Vitamins

Vitamins and minerals are very important for everyone to be fitter and healthier. It is very important to consume the food which is rich in vitamins and minerals. And there are many side effects of not consuming vitamins and minerals like vitamin deficiency. Vitamins and minerals are good source of energy.

Nutrients are very important to consume and have good cause. An individual must prefer nutritious food than the junk food. It is very important to eat the fruits and vegetables rather than eating the high calorie food.

Many of the people does not include those fruits and vegetables in their diet. When they do not include the fruits and vegetables it leads to the malnutrition sometimes.

Types of vitamins :

There are 13 essential vitamins. They are vitamins A,C,D,E,K, and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid , biotin,B6, B12, and folate). Vitamins have different jobs to help keep the body working properly. Some vitamins help you resist infections and keep your nerves healthy, while others may help your body get energy from food or help your blood clot properly.

Food sources :

* vitaminD from fatty fish, fish liver oils, fortified milk products, and fortified cereals.

* vitamin B12 from meat, fish, poultry milk, and fortified breakfast cereals. Some people over age 50 have trouble absorbing the vitamin B12 found naturally in foods. They may need to take vitamin B12 supplements and eat foods fortified with this vitamin.

* calcium is a mineral that is important for strong bones and teeth, so there are special recommendations for older people who are at risk for bone lkss. You can get calicium from milk and other dairy, some forms of tofu, dark green leafy vegetables, soyabeans, canned sardines and salmon with bones, and calcium – fortified foods.

* Magnesium is found in foods containing dietary fiber, such as green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds. Breakfast cereals and other fortified foods often have added magnesium. It is also present in tap, mineral, or bottled drinking water.

* pottasium is found in fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy foods. Foods high in potassium include dried apricots, lentils and potatoes. Adults get a lot of their potassium from milk, coffee , tea and other nonalcoholic beverages.

* preparing your own meals at home without using a lot of processed foods or salts will allow you to control how much sodium you get.

* vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods . The richest sources of vitamin B6 include fish, beef liver, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, and fruit ( other than citrus).

* vitamin A can be found in products such as eggs and milk. It can also be found in vegetables and fruits, like carrots and mangoes.

* vitamin C is found in some of the best fruits and vegetables. Citrus fruits, tomatoes, and potatoes can be large source of vitaminC

* vitamin E can be found in nuts like peanuts and almonds and can be found in vegetable oils, too. It can also be found in green vegetables, like broccoli and spinach.

* vitamin B1 in meat- especially pork- and fish. It’s also in whole grains and some fortified breads, cereals, and pastas.

* vitamin B2 in eggs and organ meat, such as liver and kidneys, and lean meat. It is found in green vegetables, like asparagus and broccoil.

* vitamin B3 can be found in some types of nuts, legumes, and grains. It can also be found in poultry , beef, and fish.

* vitamin K can be found in many foods including green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale and in some fruits, such as blueberries and figs . It can also be found in cheese, eggs and different meats.

* Folate can be found in vegetables and fruit, such as broccoli brussel sprouts, spinach, and oranges. It can also be found in nuts ,

Most of the teenagers consume junk food instead of eating the healthy food that is the fruits and vegetables. The junk food contain some preservatives in it and they’re also rich in fats and carbohydrates which are not so good. Doing a mistake is acceptable but doing the mistake even after knowing the truth is a bad one. So, all the teenagers must know the need of the situation and must bring the awareness among the people who are addicted to the junk food. They must motivate the people who are in it all the time.

Why you should read ‘Born a crime’ by Trevor Noah

I recently read ‘Born a crime’ by Trevor noah.I’ve been watching Trevor Noah for a long time now.He is a stand up comedian ,and often talkes about racism in his work, but here we really get to see its spread and depth.

Summary: The book basically tells us about life during apartheid[1] .Trevor Noah is born to a white man and black woman,and that was a crime during apartheid.He speaks about the abuse their family suffered at the hands of his alcoholic stepfather,his struggle being ‘coloured’ ,poverty,and most importantly his mother.

“Where most children are proof of their parents’ love, I was the proof of their criminality.”-Born a crime.

Two things that Trevor has talked the most in the book is

  • Racism
  • His mom

And both of them surprised me.

1) Racism

This book showed layers of racism and how the colour of your skin wasn’t the only thing that would constitute the importance of your race.

For example Chinese people were classified as black.But since the Englishmen wanted the develop good relations with the Japanese, they were given the honorary ‘ ‘white’ status.

“I always like to imagine being a South African policeman who likely couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese but whose job was to make sure that people of the wrong color weren’t doing the wrong thing. If he saw an Asian person sitting on a whites-only bench, what would he say?

“Hey, get off that bench, you Chinaman!”

“Excuse me. I’m Japanese.”

“Oh, I apologize, sir. I didn’t mean to be racist. Have a lovely afternoon.”

And by the way they had a whole different perspective of what racist behavior is.They didn’t apologize for being racist,they apologizd for aiming their racism at the wrong person.

Trevor says the was was considered ‘white’ by black people and ‘black’ by white people.But that wasn’t it,there were many divisions among the black themselves. He says that his biggest tool was languages.His mother taught him English and many other languages,he himself picked up a few by listening.

“I became a chameleon. My color didn’t change, but I could change your perception of my color.

If you spoke Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu. If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn’t look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you.”

Racism has so many layers,its crazy.This book navigated through it like butter.For the first time we get to see how it is to be stuck in a cycle.

And this whole system was created to keep black people in a cycle.I knew what apartheid was in defination,but we get to see it in true sense.

It was illegal to be mixed (to have a black parent and a white parent), but it was not illegal to be colored (to have two parents who were both colored). So my mom moved me around the world as a colored child. She found a crèche in a colored area where she could leave me while she was at work. There was a colored woman named Queen who lived in our block of flats. When we wanted to go out to the park, my mom would invite her to go with us. Queen would walk next to me and act like she was my mother, and my mother would walk a few steps behind, like she was the maid working for the color.

_______________________________________________________________

He says how a lot of people don’t have the most basic block of improvement ie.opportunity.

“People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.”

Then there’s the hood[2] .The hood is basically a more poorer parts of the society. Like slums in Mumbai.The people of the hood were taught how to fish,but they weren’t given a fishing rod.

These people couldn’t get higher education since they couldn’t afford it.if they got a decent manual Job,they would often get fired on suspicion on stealing.They would have to come back to the crime they were surrounded by.

Although Trevor wasn’t originally from the hood,we feels he belongs there due to their sense of community.

2) Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah.(Mother)

Patricia—this woman is EPIC. .She is 30 years ahead of her time.If you follow Trevor, you’ll know he often talks about how badass a his mom was.Now– I truly understand.

When Trevor said that his parents were an interracial couple,I thought Trevor was probably not a planned child and it for brave of their parents to keep him.well I was surprised to know that he was in fact a planned child.His mother wanted a child and she knew that Trevor’s dad was the man she wanted her child with.She knew the consequences so did Trevor’s dad,Robert, but he agreed anyway.She told him he doesn’t need to be involved in Trevor’s life of he doesn’t want to.But Robert decided to stay.They obviously never got to live together due to apartheid laws.

One of my favourite and most amusing Patricia’s-rebellion stories is when she gets married to boyfriend, Abel and they have a kid.

They go to visit his village Tzaneen for the first time.

“Tsnoga culture,I learned was extremely patriarchal.We’re talking about a world where women have to bow when they greet a man.

Men were not allowed in the kitchen.As a nine year old boy,I thought this was fantastic. At my house my mom was forever making me do the chores–wash the dishes, sweep the house.

My mom thought the whole ‘bowing to men tradition’ was absurd.

Patricia Noah stayed at no one kitchen,she was a free spirit.She didn’t refuse to bow,she overdid it.

My mom would go down and cower,grovelling in the dirt like she was worshipping a deity,and she would stay down for like a really long time,long enough to make everyone uncomfortable.”

Throughout the book,the things that she does,I wouldn’t have the guts to do today inspite of living in much more advanced society. Its obvious how she played a very important role in Trevor’s upbringing.

This book touches many other topics such a masculinity and what it means to Trevor.

Despite of dealing with many heavy topics, ‘born a crime’ is actually pretty humorous. One of the very funny things was when he was talking about this time in hood,he said many people sold things that were obviously stolen (from white people) but no one really feel anything because apparently all ‘white people have insurance’ . No guilt.

This is definitely a book everyone should read.I myself am not a big fan of biographies, but I think this was one of the best books I’ve read so far.

A COMPUTER WILL NEVER REPLACE A BOOK

In this digital era we always use an electronic device like computer for getting our works done but coming to the taste of experience a computer will never replace a book. There might be several reasons to say that computer is best than a book but for sure what ever the epic information that we see today in a computer was written in a book priorly. A good book in the words of John Milton is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up to a purpose of life.

The thoughts and ideas contained in a book are immortal like tulasidas’s Rama Charitra Manas, Veda Vyas Mahabaratha, The Bible and many other religious literary works like shakespere’s play etc… On the other hand, a computer is a machine that can visualize the contents of a specific book but thinking about the replacement of a book by a computer is unthinkable and far fetched.

A book provides the most cost effective for spreading education and literacy. It is available at a fraction of the cost of a computer. Moreover it is extremely portable and handy, it is not dependent on any external factors like availability of power supply, software and space which are essential prerequisites for a computer. To go through the contents of a book, the two basic ingredients required are time and inclination. It can be read at any time of day or night and anywhere, like while travelling or even while dozing off to sleep.

Though the above mentioned all phases can be full filled by an electronic gadget also reading a book does not create any physical discomfort or eye strain. We all are aware of the hazards of back pain and eye strain caused by a long stretch of viewing a computer screen. Another factor in favor of the book is the general high degree of respectability and faith commended by the written word. Thus while we may see or hear event on our computer terminal, there is nothing better than to confirm the same from a newspaper or a book. Besides helping in spreading education to masses, a plays an important role in developing our power of expression, and the generation of new ideas and thoughts, which help in modelling our personality .

A book is a source of knowledge on a particular subject, offering no diversion or distraction while a computer offers multiple sources like reading, entertainment, games or news on one go along with several advertisements which some times leads to the distraction of our mind and consequently hinders the acquisition of knowledge.

Thus the computer can never replace a book either now or in the near future, this is for the conviction and convenience offered by a book and it can never be possible through a computer. Moreover being a machine it has chance to break down or show an error, these factors are non-existent while reading a book.

Want to start your own successful business? Here’s a book for you.

Peter Theil in his book ‘ZERO to One’ has given descriptive pathways on every aspect of entrepreneurship. The author is a German-American billionaire entrepreneur and a co-founder of Pay-Pal and various other successful businesses.

  In this book, the author suggests starting a business that is new in the market and the first of its kind. Doing what we already know how to do, takes the world from 1 to n, adding more of something familiar. But every time we create something new, we go from ‘Zero to 1’, and that’s how the book is named. “Creating something new is absolutely difficult, but not impossible”, says the author. One needs to find a problem, and a business should be erected by focusing on solving that problem. Similarly, a business can be focused on fulfilling a ‘need’ as well. There is a simple problem that we face every day ie. not able to find a cab or an autorickshaw easily. Bhavish Agarwal focused on solving this problem and started a business that each one of us is familiar with ie. OLA. Now people can easily book cabs/auto rikshaws through their mobile phones and can also get ‘pick-up’ service right outside their building/colony.

  The writer further shares insights into his entrepreneurial journey. It was in the 1990s when the US was undergoing a recession. Unemployment was proliferating. Commercial use of the internet was allowed in 1992 and the ‘Mosaic browser’ was officially released in Nov 1993. With the advent of a search engine, people started seeing a prospective online business opportunity. Subsequently, there was a ‘Dot Com’ boom. Many startups were emerging in the US, precisely in Silicon Valley. There was exuberance all over. Some people started having 5-6 startups at a time. Pay Pal was a startup that provided a service of sending money through email. Initially, they did not get much of the anticipated response and audience. So, the team came up with an excellent scheme which proved to be very effective. They gave customers $10 for joining and $10 more every time they referred a friend. They gained thousands and thousands of new customers and an exponential growth rate. But this scheme wasn’t financially viable as they gave out money for getting customers. But seeing such exponential growth within a short span, they received a lot of funding later.

  The author, further, suggests that one should not start a business related to a market that already has a lot of competition. For example, launching a new biscuit brand wouldn’t be a good idea because there already exist many biscuit brands and people are very familiar with them. So, why would they abandon other brands and buy yours? Rather, a lot of revenue has to be spent on marketing. On the other hand, by creating a monopoly, your customers do not have many choices and will continue to be your customers. Besides, a considerable part of your revenue can be spent on research and development, which would’ve rather been spent on marketing had we entered into a competitive market. You can update and develop your product from time to time which would help you gaining customer loyalty, just as Google does. Most people use Google despite there being many other search engines. They constantly upgrade their functions, bring in new features, etc.

  Further, the author has emphasized the need to use technology. Amazon, when launched, claimed to be ‘Earth’s largest bookstore’. Amazon didn’t need to physically store any books. It only requested the title from its supplier whenever a customer made an order. To create a monopoly, your product/service should be 10 times better than your immediate competition. The author has profoundly highlighted the need for innovation and has quoted, “Always invent-Never stop”. Nokia was a successful brand, but since it did not cater to the developing times, it has completely vanished from the market.

   While highlighting few aspects of Human Resource Management, the author has suggested that hire employees who are not just talented but will enjoy working with you. While hiring, sell mission and not perks. Paying salaries, in the initial stages would not be viable and would be difficult. Instead, you can give a stake (share) of your company to them. The initial employees of your startup are very important and giving them a stake in your company would make them feel like being the owner and would put in more effort.

  Similarly, the author has excellently talked about every aspect of starting a startup and further scaling it. Hence, I awfully suggest you to read this book and start your journey to become a successful entrepreneur.

5 Must Read Books on Ancient Egyptian History :

  • Glory of Ancient Egypt

Once a French novelist , Gustave Flaubert said , “ (Egypt) is a great place of contrast ; splendid things gleams in the dust “. Egypt is one of the great civilizations with its flourishing & mysterious historical significances. Their history make you wonder ,mysteries will make you interested & their story will make you addict .If you are a history lover then you must be a curious knowledge gainer about various aspects of ancient Egypt .Here are some recommended books for you to read & help you to know the Egypt in a new light .These book will take you to their time & experience you the glory of ancient Egypt at that time .

1.The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt –– This book is written by famous archaeologist Richard H. Wilkinson , which is published in 2003 . This is one of the great book on Egyptology . This books talks about the mythology of ancient Egypt in great view . Worshiped gods & goddesses , their  myth , beliefs of ancient Egyptians all of those are recorded in this book very prominent way . It is a very detailed book . This book is available on Amazon .

2.The Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt —  This book is written by two renowned Egyptologist of United Kingdom , John Baines  & Jaromir Malek which is published on 31st October in 2000. This the most favoured book of ancient history for almost last 23 years in the whole world , As it’s name it has indeed lots of geographical photographic pictures , maps, table presentations , charts about ancient history . This book talks about the civilization of Egypt in ancient time. It includes architectural works ,social daily life , artistic sides of Egyptian people in detailed & analyzing manner. This is a very favourite book for history lover specially for Egyptology fans .

3.The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt —  This book is written by Elizabeth Payne which was published in 1964 & an still now it has it’s glory in the field of Egyptian history . It is a type of landmark book which obviously gives a geographical presentation on ancient Egypt’s great architectures with times . This book has a detailed information about every individual Pharaohs ,lifestyle at the time of their ruling period , their grat works which is engraved in history . It also give away an idea about the works a of archaeologists behind these discoveries.

4.Pyramid — This renowned book is written by an British-American writer & illustrator Davis Macaulay which was published on 26th April, 1982 .This is a highly recommended book for interested readers . This book focuses on the pyramids of Egypt .The black & white illustrations give a detailed knowledge about how pyramids built , what is the ingredients used ,their engineering & archeological signification , the land chosen for pyramid , what is founded inside them , The reason to built & Egyptian myth related to it . If you want to know abot pyramids of Egypt then it is a must read book .

5.Ancient Egypt & Her Neighbor — This book is written by Lorene Lambert , which is published in 2013 . It is a one of the great book great book on ancient history lovers . This book depicts a clear picture on Egyptian culture , their civilization of that time through some story-telling .This books also focuses on the relation between ancient Egypt & their neighboring countries , historical facts of those country & connect the big historical events with ancient Egyptian historical time & geography of ancient Egypt . This book is understandable & knowledgeable for kids also.

There are only 5 books are mentioned above but apart from them there are so many fundamental books about Egyptian history –‘The Rise & Fall of Ancient Egypt’  written By Toby Wilkinson ,’The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt written by Ian Shaw’ ,’The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt’ written by Richard H. Wilkinson , ‘Tutankhamun’s Armies’ written by John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Manassa , ‘Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)’ written by Dorothea Arnold etc. There are hundrades & millions of books on this interesting subject just you have to browse it .

How to stop worrying and start living- Book Review

“How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” is a self-help book by Dale Carnegie. Although the book was first published in 1948 this book still holds much importance in human life and all the principles are as accurately applicable now as then in those days, simply – a timeless classic. I read this book in the darkest days of my life, in a phase where I didn’t even have the slightest motivation of getting out of bed in the morning and it helped me to overcome all those fears and implanted a sense of peace within my heart and lightened the emotions with those words. 

The book is divided into 8 sections-

PART I: Fundamental facts you should know about worry.

PART II: Basic Techniques in Analyzing Worry.

PART III: How to Break the Worry Habit Before it Breaks You.

PART IV: Ways to Cultivate a Mental Attitude That Will Bring You Peace and Happiness.

PART V: The Perfect Way to Conquer Worry.

PART VI: How to Keep From Worrying About Criticism.

PART VII: 6 Ways to Prevent Fatigue and Worry and Keep Your Energy and Spirits High.

PART VIII: “How I Conquered Worry”.

By seeing all the section names you must have guessed how power-packed the book is. 

This book helps you to analyze and identify your worries and tells you if they are worth worrying about or not. It gives many techniques to conquer your worries and stay relaxed. It helps to see the little things to be grateful for. The wisdom of this book is far beyond any reviewer’s words. This is a must-read for anyone who has taken worrying to the next level or those who want to be more aware of themselves and the people around them. The language, the writing style, the explanation everything is simple and lucid. 

This book is not for those light readers or those who just read for fun. This is a book to read and highlight and take down notes and to read and re-read them and constantly improving yourself.

This book has many lines or I can say paragraphs which I want every person in the world to read but some of them are lengthy and I cant out everything here so I suggest you read the book and find out yourself but here are some of them-

“Every day is a new life to a wise man.”

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.

When we have accepted the worst, we have nothing more to lose. And that automatically means, we have everything to gain!

I would rather be a carefree person with no responsibility than wreck my health at forty-five by trying to run a railroad or a cigarette company.

The most relaxing recreating forces are a healthy religion, sleep, music, and laughter. Have faith in God—learn to sleep well— Love good music—see the funny side of life— And health and happiness will be yours.

‘I am not going to worry! I am not going to cry! And if there is anything to mind over matter, I am going to win! I am going to LIVE!’

Let’s not allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. Remember “Life is too short to be little.

Here I was, wanting to change the whole world and everyone in it—when the only thing that needed changing was the focus of the lens of the camera which was my mind. When moments of uneasiness try to creep in (as they will in everyone’s life) I tell myself to get that camera back in focus, and everything is OK.

I hope this review convinces you enough to read the book.

The Flash Theory: Iris Brings Back The Arrowverse Multiverse Post-Crisis

Warning! Spoilers ahead for The Flash season 7 episode 16, “P.O.W.”

The Flash season 7 is barreling towards its two-part finale and Iris West-Allen’s latest storyline could bring back the Arrowverse’s multiverse following its collapse in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Time and interdimensional travel have been heavily utilized in the shared universe ever since The Flash unlocked the titular character’s abilities to move backwards and forwards in time. The team’s trip to Earth-2 opened up yet another gateway to traversing the multiverse. While Crisis on Infinite Earths changed that for good, Iris’ situation could unlock the multiverse once again. 

Iris has been noticeably absent from two episodes of The Flash. In season 7’s episode 15, Barry revealed she wasn’t feeling well and was recovering from a bout of illness at home. In the following episode, however, Iris confirmed what she was experiencing was far more than a regular cold; when she sneezed, her eyes briefly and startlingly flashed green before returning to their normal color afterward. Why the illness is affecting Iris in this way remains unclear, but her symptoms have led her molecules to become unstable, inducing headaches and time displacement.   

At the end of the episode, Nora West-Allen confirms that Iris will be okay, but there’s no telling when her symptoms will clear up or what will happen before they do. That said, it’s possible Iris moving in and out of the timeline could play a crucial role in the future of the multiverse and the reason for her predicament may be hiding in plain sight.

Iris Is Phasing In & Out Of The Timeline

Iris’ absence from The Flash season 7’s episode 15 was suspicious, especially since it involved a possible pregnancy storyline that was happening without her. In the following episode, however, fans learned why Iris has been absent. As it turns out, her cold wasn’t a normal one and it was somehow causing her to phase in and out of the timeline. It got so bad apparently that Deon, the Still Force, swooped in to protect Iris by using his abilities to stabilize her from phasing through various temporal planes, moving her to “pure temporal strains” to keep her alive. If it wasn’t for Deon, Iris would have fractured through time itself, which doesn’t sound very pleasant and could have unprecedented repercussions.

This subplot creates an interesting twist considering everything happening on The Flash right now. Between what’s going on with Iris, the Godspeed clones, August Heart — who originated as Godspeed in 2049 pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths — coming into the picture, and Barry dreaming about Nora telling him there seems to be something wrong in the future, Iris’ timeline instability may be the one thing connecting each of these separate storylines. That said, the reason why she’s suddenly phasing in and out of the timeline has yet to be confirmed on the show, but all roads seem to be leading back to one cause.  

Iris Being Pregnant Is Causing Her To Be Unstuck From Time

Barry and Iris have been trying to conceive for a few episodes now. After Barry dreamed about Nora the first time, he assumed Iris was pregnant only for the results of the test to come back negative. However, this could have been a false negative. Considering that Iris’ presence in the timeline has been unstable, it’s possible that she is already pregnant and doesn’t realize it. What’s more, being pregnant with speedster babies won’t follow the same patterns of a normal pregnancy and it’s possible that Iris carrying metahumans is causing her to be unstuck from time. Her phasing in and out of the timeline could be The Flash’s equivalent to morning sickness. 

This could also explain why she will be able to regain her speedster powers in the season 7 finale. In the comics, Iris phases back and forth in time because it’s revealed she is actually from the future and was sent back to the 20th century by her birth parents. The Flash showrunner Eric Wallace has teased this storyline coming into play, but like with all things that make their way onto the show, it will probably be a loose adaptation from the comics storyline it’s based on. Traveling between timelines because of a pregnancy might be the closest the series gets to this particular comics arc in this instance.

Jay Garrick’s The Flash Return Hints At Alternate Earths Connection

Jay Garrick (aka, The Flash of Earth-3) was last seen prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths, warning Barry of the impending doom facing the multiverse. However, the speedster didn’t participate in the crossover, nor was he confirmed to be alive in the aftermath that saw the multiverse rebooted and Earth-1 merge with others (including Supergirl’s Earth-38) to become Earth-Prime. Jay will be appearing in The Flash’s two-part season 7 finale to aid in the Godspeed clone war. How his reappearance will be explained remains to be seen, but it’s possible he will show up courtesy of Iris’ temporal phasing. Jay originally hails from Earth-3 and his return to The Flash coinciding with Iris being able to phase through time (and maybe dimensions) could be connected. Iris may be acting as the bridge between Earth-Prime and Jay’s world without even realizing, and the superhero series might confirm that he is now from Stargirl’s Earth-2 instead.

Theory: Iris’ Temporal Phasing Brings Back The Multiverse

In The Flash season 6, Nash Wells detected particles of Eternium, an interdimensional (and multiversal) element, on Iris prior to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. At the time, nothing much came of it, just another tease that seemed to lead nowhere. However, this could come back into play now that Iris is phasing through temporal planes in season 7. It’s possible the combination of Eternium and her moving in and out of time now allows her to connect to not only different time periods on Earth-Prime, but alternate universes as well. Perhaps before she is finally stabilized, Iris will indeed fracture through time and that’s what breaks the barrier separating Earth-Prime from the rest of the multiverse, which has remained a secret post-Crisis.

Namely, Iris’ temporal instability could alert her and The Flash to the fact there are still other worlds out there despite the collapse of the multiverse during Crisis. After all, Stargirl exists on the rebooted Earth-2 and it’s been confirmed that Jay Garrick will make an appearance on the series in its sophomore season. And so Iris’ temporal imbalance could open the gateway to interdimensional travel once more, reestablishing the connection between Earth-Prime and other earths. There has to be a reason for why Nash detected Eternium on her. All of this could also be setting up The Flash’s five-episode crossover event in the fall. Whatever the reasons behind Iris’ phasing in and out of time, the introduction of this storyline for her could finally tie together so many loose plot threads for The Flash and the Arrowverse at large. 

Normal People or not so Normal People.

“Life offers up these moments of joy despite everything,”

Sally Rooney, Normal People.

About the book:

Author: Sally Rooney

Published on: 28th August 2018

Publisher: Faber and Faber

Genre: Literary fiction.

My rating: 3.5/5

The Plot:

The story follows the lives of two teenagers, each unique in their own way and personality. We have Marianne, who is very private, lonely, proud and studious and always looking for a good conversation, you can sometimes also call her pretentious and then there’s Connell, the popular football star who is well-liked by everyone. Their lives are intertwined in many ways, with them attending the school and Connell’s mother working at her house, they see each other every day and the only conversation they have are pleasantries. However, something shifts and a connection forms, one that both are determined to keep secret.
After school, Marianne and Connell are studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has a whole new social circle to explore, while Connell has gone into his shell. However, as their college life begins they come together and together on a path of self-destruction each acting as a black hole, taking each other with them. With new opportunities coming their way, each having to choose an option.

Review:

This book received too much hype among the GenZ and Millennial groups, a lot of people were either recommending it or posting stories on various social media about it. Nowadays a lot of us, rely a lot on social media, and the things that we’ve seen too many times, we regard the same as the gold standard. So I went into this book, with so much enthusiasm and expectation, however, after reading it, the book did not live up to the amount of hype for me. However, this book paints a very realistic depiction of what teenagers are and how we think and that the only thing we cared about is how society perceives us, and judges us for who or what we are doing and how awkward and flawed we are! The book also addresses issues about the anxiety of moving to a new place, and the idea of not fitting in makes us feel. The thing about Sally Rooney’s writing is that she does not use quotation marks, which takes a while to get accustomed to. The thing about Sally Rooney’s this novel, makes me feel like all the fan-fiction I have read, however, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like this book, I honestly did and but would I re-read it again? Maybe.

Trigger Warning: sexual assault; domestic abuse; drug use; casual racism (called out); depression; anxiety; suicide and suicidal ideation.

“Life is the thing you bring with you inside your own head.” 

Sally Rooney, Normal People.

About the author:

Sally Rooney is an Irish author and screenwriter, with her debut novel, ‘Conversations with Friends‘ which was published in 2017. It was nominated for various prizes like Folio Prize, International Dylan Thomas Prize and many others. Her debut novel won the 2017 Sunday Times/Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award. ‘Normal People‘ was also nominated for various prizes and an adaptation of the same novel was premiered in the year 2020. Her upcoming work,’ Beautiful World, Where Are You‘, is set to be published in September of this year (2021).