How Literature Shaped Me?

 What is Literature?

Literature is considered by many as the most effective means to comprehend the world. This is because it has been described by critics as a "Mirror of Society," which reflects the society's true nature. Literature has also been likened to an "X-ray image of the world," providing an in-depth understanding of society's inner workings. Additionally, literature is often referred to as a "Window of the World," allowing readers to see and experience different perspectives and cultures through the stories it tells.

Tree is metaphor to literature :

There are a lot of metaphors for literature. But I would like to give the metaphor of Tree to Literature. Because trees and literature both have roots or foundations. Just as a tree's roots anchor it firmly in the ground and provide it with nutrients, literature is often grounded in historical, cultural, or philosophical contexts that shape its themes, characters, and plot.

 Just as a tree grows and branches out in different directions, literature also grows and branches out into various genres, styles, and forms. Both trees and literature have the ability to adapt and evolve over time, as they are shaped by environmental factors or cultural trends.

 As a tree can be seen as a symbol of life, growth, and resilience, literature also has the power to inspire and give life to new ideas, perspectives, and worldviews. Both can serve as a source of inspiration and reflection, inviting us to explore the beauty and complexity of the world around us.

How Literature Shaped Me ?

When I started my journey to the English department in the first year of M.A. It is an alien term for me. But when time passes I learn so many things from literature. Today when I look back in memory of time I realise that I am not the same person I was before entering into this department. Now I am a totally different person from my earlier life. Some positive changes happened to me with the help of reading and studying literature. 

Literature has had a profound impact on shaping who I am today. Prior to studying literature, I read texts purely for the purpose  of exams, without really connecting the dots. However, when I began my Master's studies in the Department of English Mkbu, I   learned a great deal and my perspective on the world shifted. I have developed a greater understanding and appreciation of the power of language, which has greatly influenced my view. So studying literature has helped me to grow as a person and has broadened my horizons in numerous ways.

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Assignment : 207 Contemporary Literature

 Name :- Bhavna Sosa

Batch :- 2021-2023

Roll no. :- 02

Enrollment No. :- 4069206420210034

Paper No. :- 207 (Contemporary Literature)

Topic :- The Only Story as Memory novel

Email id :- bhavnasosa211@gmail.com 

Submitted to :- S.B.Gardi Department Of English,MKBU

About  Author  :

Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with The Sense of an Ending, having been shortlisted three times previously with Flaubert's Parrot, England, England, and Arthur & George. Barnes has also written crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh. In addition to novels, Barnes has published collections of essays and short stories.

About Novel  : 

The Only Story is a novel by Julian Barnes. It is his thirteenth novel, and was published on 1 February 2018.  The novel is the life story of Paul Roberts, who we first meet as a 19-year-old Sussex University undergraduate returning to his parents' house in the leafy southern suburbs of London (Sutton, in Surrey, is suggested as a model.) The time is the early sixties, and there are a few references to current events. Paul joins the tennis club, which is the one of the few opportunities such places offer for socialising. In a random-draw mixed doubles, he is thrown together with Susan MacLeod, a 48-year-old married woman with two daughters older than Paul. Paul and Susan become lovers and she eventually leaves her family to set up house with Paul in South London. Having nothing to do but a little housekeeping, Susan soon descends into alcoholism and, years later, to dementia. Paul departs and embarks on foreign travels, picking up jobs and women at random.

As Paul narrates his life in this book, he freely admits that memory is unreliable and he may not be telling us the truth.

Memory sorts and sifts according to the demands made on it by the rememberer. Do we have access to the algorithm of its priorities? Probably not. But I would guess that memory prioritises whatever is most useful to help keep the bearer of those memories going. So there would be a self-interest in bringing happier memories to the surface first. (Barnes, 2018, p. 34)

Julian Barnes, according to Groes and Childs, “is perhaps the most idiosyncratic and innovative of contemporary British authors; a writer who with each fictional departure does not just make it new for himself but for the entire history of the novel’” (2011, p. 10). In other words, “with each novel,” as Childs asserts, Barnes “aims to write not just fiction that seems fresh to him but fiction which reinvents the novel itself” (2011, p. 9). 

Barnes’s The Only Story (2018) should be considered as one of his most recent departures and reinventions. Barnes’s “literary tastes,” as Childs asserts, “are broad” (2011, p. 4). The Only Story is about the known Barnesian themes, “some underlying themes” in Barnes’s works, according to Guignery, “can be identified, such as obsession, love, the relationship between fact and fiction, or the irretrievability of the past” (2006, p. 1).

 While exploration of an extended and a sustainable definition of love is the primary narrative concern in The Only Story, finding an appropriate contextual situation for the realisation of love is another important issue. 

The Only Story is primarily about the nature of love, and its impact on the people involved in it. The novel begins with a quotation from the eighteenth-century poet, essayist, and literary critic Dr. Samuel Johnson. In A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), Dr. Johnson defines the newly arising genre of the novel as “[a] small tale, generally of love” (qtd. in Barnes, 2018, p. 9). Unlike Dr. Johnson’s irony, Barnes’s quotation does not tend to challenge either the novel as a genre or love as its main theme.

 Instead, As Barnes proves in his novel, the only story of the so-called “small tale” is, or should be, love. By focusing on the complexities of the concept of love from a continuously transforming perspective, Barnes encourages us to interrogate our conventionalised understanding of love. In this regard, the narrator begins his act of narration with a general statement. He enters into an imaginary conversation with his ideal hypothetical audience on the opening page. By addressing his implied reader, he foreshadows the central theme in his own act of storytelling: 

 

Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question. 

 You may point out – correctly – that it isn’t a real question. Because we don’t have a choice. If we had the choice, then there would be a question. But we don’t, so there isn’t. Who can control how much they love? If you can control it, then it isn’t love. I don’t know what you call it instead, but it isn’t love. (Barnes, 2018, p. 11) 

Through a chain of rhetorical questions and the possible answers to them, the narrator tries to persuade the readers into believing the fact that the most fundamental question of being and existence should be a question related to love. Hence, in the opening page the narrator tries to justify the central point of his narration which turns out to be a narration totally dedicated to love: “Most of us have only one story to tell. I don’t mean that only one thing happens to us in our lives: there are countless events, which we turn into countless stories. But there’s only one that matters, only one finally worth telling. This is mine” (Barnes, 2018, p. 11). 

The narrator does not mind admitting that he has been telling his story of love for a long time despite the fact that its reiteration has not brought him any certainty about either the nature of love or its impact on his life. In other words, he does not know whether this time his storytelling, which is mostly based on his act of remembering, will finally reveal to him the “truth” about love and the love affair he experienced five decades ago, “The question then is: do all these retellings bring you closer to the truth of what happened, or move you further away? I’m not sure” (Barnes, 2018, p. 11).

All love is, in some ways, a celebration of the human spirit. To embark on the choppy waters of rapturous love, undaunted by the sea of shipwrecks, is to validate - every time - the triumph of hope over experience. More so when, as happens with protagonists Paul and Susan, it is a love that dare not speak its name.

He, a 19-year-old university student; she, a 48-year-old married woman and a mother of two; they, in London’s suburban “stockbroker belt”, sometime in the 1950s. Their love was by its very nature disruptive, cataclysmic; but then, if it were not, it may not have been love, would it have?

In The Only Story , Julian Barnes, arguably one of fiction’s most elegiac cartographers of the heart and of the human condition, returns to his ‘first love’, the Metroland of his debut novel, with a haunting narrative of an audacious love - and a distant memory of it - mapped over decades.

The increasing of a frown

Fusing clinical efficiency of prose with languid lyricism, Barnes lays bare the anatomy of a heartache, from a time when love’s infinite possibilities render lovers carefree until the time when all that is left of the Grand Emotion is a scar tissue. “I was nineteen, and I knew that love was incorruptible, proof against both time and tarnish,” says Paul, in the first flush of love - or, rather, the flush of first love. It was, he ventures, like the vast and sudden increase of a lifelong frown.

The question, to which Paul returns, over the span of decades, is this: “Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, the only real question.”

The answer, to some, may be that you don’t always have a choice - and even if you do, you don’t always exercise it in ‘rational’, suffering-minimising fashion.

With the power of hindsight, Paul reflects on the permanence of that first love’s influence. First love, he reckons, “fixes a life for ever… It may not outrank subsequent loves, but they will always be affected by its existence. It may serve as a model, or as a counterexample. It may overshadow subsequent loves; on the other hand, it can make them easier, better. Though sometimes, first love cauterises the heart, and all any searcher will find therefore is scar tissue.”

First love, first person :

Soaring high on love’s light wings, lovers may not be fully aware of the grammar of passion, but, as Barnes observes, first love always happens overwhelmingly in the first person -and in present tense. It takes us time to realise that there are other persons, and other tenses.

And just as lovers wrapped up in themselves may shut out the world, Barnes’s narrative in the first one-third of the novel sways to the urgent, feverish I-me-myself cadence of Paul and Susan’s relationship.

By the time the narrative switches to London and to the second person, realisation dawns on the cohabiting couple that loving each other does not necessarily lead to happiness. And that you cannot outrun your pre-history, which is central to all relationships.

The curdling :

Paul doesn’t quite forsake love, not yet, not even when Susan compensates for the dislocations in her life - which are admittedly harsher on her than on him -by seeking solace in drink. But he bears the guilt of knowing that where once he imagined he was ‘rescuing’ Susan from a loveless marriage, he may have accentuated and accelerated her isolation.

From there onwards, there is an inevitability to love’s end-game, which is played out in the third person, symbolising the distance that has crept up between the two. Paul makes the terrifying discovery that even the most ardent and the most sincere love can, given the correct assault, curdle into a mixture of pity and anger. Worse, he realises to his shock, the emotions that slip in in its place are just as forceful - even as violent - as the love that earlier colonised every fibre of his being.

“Everyone has their love story,” Susan once tells Paul. It may have been a fiasco, it may have fizzled out, it may never even have got going, it may have been all in the mind. But it’s their story, she says. “It’s the only story.” This, then, is Paul and Susan’s story.

And Barnes, working with the clinical precision of a cardiac surgeon, lays open the affairs of their heart with a wrenching narrative that, even when it doesn’t quite validate the redemptive power of love, is curiously therapeutic.

The nature of relationships may be that there always seems to be an imbalance of one sort or another. And yet, though lovers are lost, love is not.

Thank you...

Assignment : 209 Research Methodology

  Name :- Bhavna Sosa

MA Sem :- 04

Batch :- 2021-2023

Roll no. :- 02

Enrollment No. :- 4069206420210034

Paper No. :- 209 ( Research Methodology)

Topic :- Documenting Sources

Email id :- bhavnasosa211@gmail.com 

Submitted to :- S.B.Gardi Department Of English,MKBU

Introduction :

A documentation style is a set of guidelines that dictate how sources should be cited in a paper, including in-text citations and a list of references at the end. Each academic discipline may use a different style, and your teacher may require you to use a specific one or allow you to choose. These guidelines can also include formatting guidelines for headings and margins.

Definition of citation : 

A "citation" is the way you tell your readers that certain material in your work came from another source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find that source again, including:

 To keep track of the information used in research, one should create a list of sources known as "works cited" and include in-text citations indicating where specific facts and ideas came from. The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is commonly used for documenting sources in the United States.

 Documenting Sources :

 Documenting involves providing evidence of the sources used to support the information in a research paper. A successful research paper combines the author's ideas with those of other sources, and proper documentation makes it clear which ideas are the author's and which are from outside sources.

 When creating a research paper, it is important to document where information that is not original came from. This is necessary because a research paper incorporates both the writer's own ideas and external information and ideas. Documenting sources helps readers to differentiate between the author's original ideas and those from outside sources.

Definition of Documentation Defined as written evidence of the interactions between and among health professionals, patients, and their families; the administration of procedures, treatments, and diagnostic tests; the patient’s response to them and education of the family support unit.

Documentation :

When writing a research paper, it is important to not only list the sources used in a works cited section, but also provide specific and detailed documentation throughout the paper. This can be done by inserting brief acknowledgments within the text whenever using another author's words, facts, or ideas. These acknowledgments typically include the author's last name and page number to identify the source and location of the borrowed material.

 Why Document?

By correctly documenting, you establish your credibility as a writer and researcher. You're letting your reader know that you've consulted experts whose ideas and information back up your own thoughts and ideas. Consequently, you make your viewpoint or argument more believable.

When you don't document correctly, your academic integrity can be called into question, because it may seem as though you're passing off others' ideas as your own.

If you don't document, you could inadvertently plagiarise, which is grounds for dismissal from college.

 Reasons Why Citation of Sources is Important When Writing :-

Attribution serves as a fact-checking tool.

 Citation makes you a better researcher.

Good citation practices make you a better writer.

A good bibliography shows off your scientific knowledge.

Careful citation practices will build your credibility as a scientist or scholar.

 Citation enables better verification of your work. (Sankaran)

Medieval Europe had a dual nature, where on one hand, there were constant incidents of raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion, while on the other hand, there was a flourishing trade with travelling merchants, monetary exchange, towns, if not cities, and active markets in grain. 

Townsend, in his work, talks about the different aspects of Medieval Europe, where despite the occurrences of violent activities such as raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion, there was also a thriving trade with travelling merchants, monetary exchange, towns, if not cities, and active markets in grain. (paraphrase of the first sentence with reference to the author and source)

According to Townsend, Medieval Europe was characterised by both violent activities such as raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion, as well as a bustling trade economy with travelling merchants, monetary exchange, towns, if not cities, and active markets in grain. (paraphrase of the first sentence with the author's name and a rewording of the sentence structure)

The author Townsend explains that Medieval Europe had a dichotomous nature, with instances of raids, pillages, slavery, and extortion, alongside a thriving trade system involving travelling merchants, monetary exchange, towns, if not cities, and active markets in grain. (paraphrase of the first sentence with a change in sentence structure and the use of the author's name)

References in the text must clearly point to specific sources in the list of works cited. The information in your parenthetical references in the text must match the corresponding information in the entries in your list of works cited. For a typical works-cited-list entry, which begins with the name of the author (or editor, translator, or narrator), the parenthetical reference begins with the same name. When the list contains only one work by the author cited, you need give only the author's last name to identify the work: "(Patterson 183-85)." If your list contains more than one author with the same last name, you must add the first initia.

 If two or three names begin the entry, give the last name of each person listed: If the work has more than three authors, follow the form in the bibliographic entry: either give the first author's last name followed by et al., without any intervening punctuation -or give all the last names. If the work is listed by title, use the title, shortened or in full; if two or more anonymous works have the same title, add a publication fact, such as a date, that distinguishes the works . If the list contains more than one work by the author, add the cited title, in full, after the author's last name .

For sources that use page numbering, give the relevant page number or numbers in the parenthetical reference . A page reference is similarly unnecessary if you use a passage from a one-page work. Electronic publications sometimes include paragraph numbers or other kinds of reference numbers .

If you are citing an entire work, for example, rather than a specific part of it, the author's name in the text may be the only documentation required. The statement "Booth has devoted an entire book to the subject" needs no parenthetical documentation if the list of works cited includes only one work by Booth. If, for the reader's convenience, you wish to name the book in your text, you can recast the sentence: "Booth has devoted an entire book, The Rhetoric of Fiction, to the subject."

 This technique can be useful when an entire paragraph is based on material from a single source. When a source is stated in this way and followed by a sequence of borrowings, it is important to signal at the end of the borrowings that you are switching to another source or to your own ideas. For example: According to Karl F. Zender, Romeo and Juliet presents an opposition between two worlds: "the world of the everyday," associated with the adults in the play, and "the world of romance," associated with the two lovers. Romeo and Juliet's language of love nevertheless becomes "fully responsive to the tang of actuality".

 Two kinds of notes may be used with parenthetical documentation: Content notes offering the reader comment, explanation, or information that the text cannot accommodate.Bibliographic notes containing either several sources or evaluative comments on sources. In providing this sort of supplementary information, place a superscript arabic numeral at the appropriate place in the text and write the note after a matching numeral either at the end of the text (as an endnote) or at the bottom of the page (as a footnote).

In your notes, avoid lengthy discussions that divert the reader's attention from the primary text. In general, comments that you cannot fit into the text should be omitted unless they provide essential justification or clarification of what you have written. You may use a note, for example, to give full publication facts for an original source for which you cite an indirect source and perhaps to explain why you worked from secondary material.Use notes for evaluative comments on sources and for references containing numerous citations. Many observers conclude that health care in the United States is inadequate.1 Technological advancements have brought advantages as well as unexpected problems.

 Conclusion :

To wind up, understanding the importance of documents is crucial. As you've previously learned about summarising, paraphrasing, and quoting when taking notes, it is now necessary to apply these techniques in your paper to integrate source material and support your arguments.In order to effectively support your ideas, it's important to grasp the significance of documents. As you've previously been taught about summarising, paraphrasing, and quoting while taking notes, you can now use these skills in your paper to seamlessly incorporate source material.

Work cited : 

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook For Writers Of Research Papers (Large Print). Modern Language Association Of America, 2009.

Thank you...

Assignment : 210 Dissertation Writing

 Name :- Bhavna Sosa

MA Sem :- 04

Batch :- 2021-2023

Roll no. :- 02

Enrollment No. :- 4069206420210034

Paper No. :- 210 (Dissertation Writing)

Topic :- Aspects of Neo-colonialism in Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart 

Email id :- bhavnasosa211@gmail.com 

Submitted to :- S.B.Gardi Department Of English,MKBU

Aspects of Neo-colonialism in Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Petals of Blood and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart 

Conclusion :

In conclusion, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's novel "Petals of Blood '' explores neocolonialism and its impact on African societies. The novel depicts a postcolonial Kenya that is still struggling to achieve true independence and self-determination. Neocolonialism, as portrayed in the novel, is not only a continuation of colonialism but also a new form of exploitation that is more insidious and difficult to resist.

One aspect of neocolonialism that the novel explores is the economic domination of Western powers over African countries. The characters in the novel are caught up in the struggle for economic survival, and they are often forced to make compromises that undermine their dignity and self-respect. The multinational corporations that operate in the country, such as the Kilanga Oil Company, are portrayed as agents of neocolonialism that are more interested in profits than in the welfare of the people.

Another aspect of neocolonialism that the novel explores is the cultural domination of Western values and norms over African societies. The characters in the novel are constantly struggling to reconcile their African identities with the Western ideals that are imposed on them. The education system, for example, is portrayed as a tool of neocolonialism that seeks to erase African culture and replace it with Western values.

The novel also explores the political dimensions of neocolonialism. The characters in the novel are disillusioned with the postcolonial government, which they see as corrupt and ineffectual. They are aware that the government is not truly independent but is instead controlled by Western powers that use it to maintain their economic and political dominance over the country.

In "Petals of Blood" is a powerful critique of neocolonialism and its impact on African societies. The novel raises many questions about the nature of independence, the role of multinational corporations in developing countries, and the struggle for cultural identity in a world dominated by Western values. Ultimately, the novel challenges us to rethink our assumptions about the legacy of colonialism and the possibilities for genuine self-determination in the postcolonial era.

"Petals of Blood" by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a novel that explores neo-colonialism in post-colonial Kenya. The author uses the characters and their experiences to highlight the ways in which imperialism and capitalism have continued to exert influence in Kenya even after independence.

The novel shows how the Kenyan government, under the guise of modernization and development, has embraced neo-colonialism, which is the continuation of the economic, political, and cultural domination of former colonial powers or their allies. The government's policies favour multinational corporations and wealthy elites at the expense of the poor and marginalised populations. This has led to massive inequality, corruption, and political instability.

The author depicts the effects of neo-colonialism on different social classes in Kenya. For instance, Munira, Wanja, and Karega are portrayed as victims of the system as they struggle to survive in a society that has neglected their basic needs. Munira, a schoolteacher, becomes disillusioned with the education system, which he sees as perpetuating neo-colonialism by teaching Western values and neglecting indigenous knowledge. Wanja is a prostitute who is forced to sell her body to make a living due to the lack of opportunities in the country. Karega is a university student who is radicalised by the injustices he witnesses and becomes a revolutionary.

The novel also shows how the ruling class in Kenya has benefited from neo-colonialism. The wealthy elites have acquired vast tracts of land and control the country's resources, leaving the majority of the population impoverished. The government has also used state power to suppress dissent and maintain its grip on power.

 "Petals of Blood" is a powerful critique of neo-colonialism and its effects on post-colonial Kenya. The novel exposes the contradictions of the modernization project and the ways in which it perpetuates economic exploitation and political domination. The author challenges readers to think critically about the legacies of colonialism and the ways in which they continue to shape the world.

  "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe is a novel that explores the effects of colonialism and neo-colonialism on traditional African societies. Neo-colonialism refers to the practice of using economic, political, and cultural power to maintain control over a formerly colonised country or region, even after formal independence.The novel highlights several aspects of neo-colonialism in the context of the Igbo society in Nigeria. One of the most significant aspects is the imposition of European values, beliefs, and practices on the Igbo people. This is seen in the introduction of Christianity, the use of Western education, and the adoption of European-style government and legal systems.

Aspect of neo-colonialism in the novel is the exploitation of the Igbo people by European colonists and their African collaborators. This is demonstrated in the way the Europeans and their African allies use violence, coercion, and manipulation to control and exploit the people and resources of the Igbo society.The novel also shows how neo-colonialism leads to a loss of cultural identity and a sense of disorientation and confusion among the Igbo people. As they are forced to adopt new ways of life, many Igbo people feel torn between their traditional beliefs and practices and the new, foreign values and practices being imposed on them.

In conclusion "Things Fall Apart" offers a powerful critique of neo-colonialism and its effects on traditional African societies. Through the experiences of the Igbo people, the novel shows how neo-colonialism can lead to the erosion of cultural identity, the exploitation of resources, and the loss of self-determination.In one questions that could be further explored regarding neo-colonialism in "Things Fall Apart" include: What are some of the ways in which the Igbo people resist neo-colonialism in the novel, and how effective are these 

"Things Fall Apart" is a novel that explores the clash of cultures between the Igbo people of Nigeria and European colonists. Throughout the novel, I raise questions about power, identity, tradition, and change. Our question is how to reconcile tradition and modernity. The protagonist, Okonkwo, fiercely clings to the traditional values of his culture, which include masculinity, strength, and courage. However, as European colonists arrive and introduce new technologies and ideas, Okonkwo's way of life is threatened. We ask some people to consider whether it is possible to maintain tradition while also embracing change.

In the novel is the role of power in human relationships. The European colonists exert their power over the Igbo people through violence, exploitation, and cultural imperialism. We ask some people to consider how power is gained and maintained, and how it can be used for good or evil.

 The novel is about the nature of identity. Okonkwo struggles with his own identity as he tries to live up to the expectations of his culture and family. Meanwhile, the European colonists impose their own identity on the Igbo people, labelling them as primitive and inferior. We ask some people to consider how identities are constructed and how they can be manipulated. "Things Fall Apart" is a powerful novel that raises hard questions about power, identity, tradition, and change. Achebe challenges us to think deeply about these issues and to consider their relevance to our own lives and societies. Ultimately, the novel serves as a warning against the dangers of cultural imperialism and the importance of respecting diverse cultures and traditions.

Neo-colonialism refers to the indirect control of a country or region by a foreign power through economic, cultural, or political means, and its effects can be devastating for the people and culture of the colonised nation.

In "Things Fall Apart," Achebe tells the story of Okonkwo, a powerful warrior in the Igbo tribe who struggles to maintain his cultural identity and traditions in the face of British colonialism, which destabilised the traditional power structure and undermines the authority of the tribal leaders.

Similarly, in "Petals of Blood," Ngugi wa Thiong'o explores the effects of neo-colonialism on a fictional African country called Ilmorog, where four characters represent different aspects of society and struggle to adapt to changing economic and cultural systems.

Both novels highlight the impact of Western economic systems on African societies, which often favour the interests of the colonisers and result in the exploitation of the local population, leading to poverty, unemployment, and environmental degradation.

The novels also discuss the impact of Western education and culture on African societies, which can erode traditional customs and beliefs, leading to a loss of cultural identity and a sense of dislocation for many people.

 Both novels of neo-colonialism on gender relations in African societies, where traditional gender roles and power structures are often undermined or replaced with new forms of oppression and exploitation.

The novels Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe describes the influence of neo-colonialism on African societies. Neo-colonialism is a term used to describe the continued economic, political, and cultural domination of formerly colonised countries by their former colonisers, often through indirect means such as multinational corporations, international organisations, and foreign aid. Both novels depict the effects of neo-colonialism on African cultures, economies, and political systems.

Petals of Blood is set in post-colonial Kenya, where the promise of independence has given way to corruption, poverty, and inequality. The novel follows four characters who represent different aspects of Kenyan society: Munira, a teacher who dreams of a socialist revolution; Karega, a revolutionary who has been forced into hiding; Wanja, a barmaid who becomes involved with both Munira and Karega; and Abdulla, a wealthy businessman who uses his power to exploit the poor. The novel describes the themes of capitalism, socialism, and the struggle for African independence.

The novel highlights the influence of multinational corporations and foreign aid on Kenya's economy. The multinational corporations are shown to exploit the natural resources of the country while giving little back in return. The foreign aid provided by the Western countries is used as a tool to control the African governments and their policies, thereby allowing them to continue their dominance. The novel portrays how neo-colonialism has led to the underdevelopment of Africa, creating a vicious cycle of poverty and dependency.

In the same way, Things Fall Apart describe the influence of neo-colonialism on African cultures, economy, and political systems. The novel is set in pre-colonial Nigeria and depicts the arrival of European colonisers and their impact on the Igbo society. The novel tells the story of Okonkwo, a warrior and leader of his village, who struggles to maintain his traditional way of life in the face of colonialism. The novel explores the themes of colonialism, cultural clash, and the struggle for independence.

The novel portrays the impact of colonialism on the African economy. The arrival of the colonisers leads to the introduction of new economic systems that benefit the Europeans at the expense of the Africans. The novel highlights how the African societies were forced to adopt new economic systems that did not suit their needs, leading to poverty and underdevelopment. The novel also highlights the political impact of colonialism, where the Europeans imposed their political systems on the Africans, leading to the loss of traditional African political systems.

The novel also describes the influence of colonialism on African cultures. African cultures are shown to be undermined by the Western beliefs and values. The novel highlights how the African people are made to feel ashamed of their culture and are encouraged to adopt Western ways of life. This process of cultural assimilation is portrayed as a form of neo-colonialism, which serves to undermine the African identity and cultural heritage.

Both novels highlight the impact of neo-colonialism on African societies. The novels explore the themes of capitalism, socialism, and the struggle for African independence. They also depict the impact of multinational corporations, foreign aid, and the imposition of Western beliefs and values on African cultures. 

Thank you...

Assignment: 208 Comparative Literature and Translation Studies

  Name :- Bhavna Sosa

MA Sem :- 04

Batch :- 2021-2023

Roll no. :- 02

Enrollment No. :- 4069206420210034

Paper No. :- 208 (Comparative Literature & Translation Studies)

Topic :- Siting Translation (History, Post- Structuralism, and The Colonial Context ) by Tejaswini Niranjana

Email id :- bhavnasosa211@gmail.com 

Submitted to :- S.B.Gardi Department Of English,MKBU

Introduction:

The issue at hand concerns how colonised people are portrayed in a way that justifies colonial rule and encourages them to embrace English culture. In this colonial setting, the concept of translation gives rise to a particular set of interrelated questions. Typically, translation is based on Western philosophical ideas about reality, perception, and understanding. Reality is seen as objective and easy to comprehend, while knowledge requires representing this reality accurately. Representation is believed to provide direct and unfiltered access to a transparent reality.

As Jacques Derrida suggests, the concepts of metaphysics are not bound by or produced solely within the "field" of philosophy. Rather, they come out of and circulate through various discourses in several registers, providing a "conceptual net-work in which philosophy itself has been constituted."2 In forming a certain kind of subject, in presenting particular versions of the colonised, translation brings into being overarching concepts of reality and representation. 

These concepts, and what they allow us to assume, completely occlude the violence that accompanies the construction of the colonial subject.

In creating coherent and transparent texts and subjects, translation participates-across a range of discourses-in the fixing of colonised cultures, making them seem static and ~n-changing rather than historically constructed. Translation functions as a transparent presentation of something that al-ready exists, although the "original" is actually brought into being through translation. Paradoxically, translation also proVides a place in "history" for the colonised. The Hegelian conception of history that translation helps bring into being endorses a teleological, hierarchical model of civilizations based on the "coming to consciousness" of "Spirit," an event for which the non-Western cultures are unsuited or unprepared. Translation is thus deployed in different kinds of dis-courses-philosophy, historiography, education, missionary writings, travel-writing-to renew and perpetuate colonial domination.

In the final chapter, with the help of a translation from Kannada, a South Indian language, into English, I discuss the "uses" of post-structuralism in post-colonial space. Through-out the book, my discussion functions in all the registers-philosophical, linguistic, and political-in which translation "works" under colonialism. If at any point I seem to dwell on only one of these, it is for a purely strategic purpose". 

This work belongs to the larger context of the English" that is a consequence of the impact of structuralism and post-structuralism on literature studies by the civilising mission of colonialism is still propagated by discourses of "literature" and "criticism" in the tradition of Arnold, Leavis, and Eliot. These disciplines repress what Derrida, in the words of Heidegger, calls the logocentric or ontotheological metaphysics by which they are constituted, which involves all the traditional conceptions of representation, translation, reality, unity, and knowledge. 

My study of translation does not make any claim to solve the dilemmas of translators. It does not propose yet another way of theorising translation to enable a more foolproof "method" of "narrowing the gap" between cultures; it seeks rather to think through this gap,. this difference, to explore the position in . of the obsessions and desires of translation, and thus to describe the economies within which of translation.

 My concern is to probe the absence, lack, Or repression of an awareness of asymmetry and historici in several kin sown ng on rans a on. tough Euro-American literary modernists such as Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and Samuel Beckett persistently foregrounded the question of translation, I have not discussed their work, since it has, in any case, been extensively dealt with by mainstream literary critics, and since the focus of my interrogation is not poetics but the discourses of what is today called "theory."

My main concern in examining the texts of Jones IS not necessarily to compare his translation of Sakuntala or Manu's Dharmasastra with the so-called originals. Rather, what I propose to do is to examine the "outwork" of Jones's .translations the prefaces, the annual discourses to the A SIatic Society, his charges to the Grand Jury at Calcutta, his letters, and his "Oriental" poems-to show how he contributes to historicist, teleological model of civilization that, helps construct a powerful version of the "Hindu" .that tater writers of different philosophical and political persuasions incorporated into their texts in an almost seamless fashion.

The sign of origin, for Derrida, is a writing of a writing that can only state that the origin is originary translation. Metaphysics tries to re appropriate presence, says Derrida, through notions of adequacy of representation, of totalization, of history. Cartesian-Hegelian history, like the structure of the sign, "is conceivable only on the basis of the presence that it defers and in view of the deferred presence one intends to re appropriate" (SP, p. 138). 

Here Derrida points to historicism's concern with origin and telos and its desire to construct a totalizing narrative. "History," in the texts of post structuralism, is are press force that obliterates in a chain that includes meaning, truth, presence, and logos. We shall see later how Walter Benjamin, in a similar critique of monolithic histories, instead uses materialist historiography as a means of destabilisation. 

Derrida's critique of representation is important for post-colonial theory because it suggests a critique of the traditional notion of translation as well. In fact, the two problems have always been intertwined in Derrida's work. He has indicated more than once that translation perhaps escapes "the i\ orbit of representation" and is therefore an "exemplary question."90 If representation stands for the re appropriation of If.1 presence, translation emerges as the sign for what Derrida y would call "dissemination."91 We must, however, carefully f' interrogate the conventional concept of translation that belongs to the order of representation, adequacy, and truth.

Conclusion :

Clearly, the notion of hybridity, which is of great importance for a Subaltern critique of historiography as well as for a critique of traditional notions of translation, is both "ambiguous and historically complex." 96 To restrict "hybridity," or .A\' what I call "living in translation," to a post-colonial elite is to deny the pervasiveness, however heterogeneous, of the transformations wrought across class boundaries by colonial and neocolonial domination. This is not to present a meta-narrative of global homogenization, but to emphasise the need to reinvent oppositional cultures in non essentializing ways. Hybridity can be seen, therefore, as the sign of a post-colonial theory that subverts essentialist models of reading while it points toward a new practice of translation.

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Assignment : 206 African Literature

 Name :- Bhavna Sosa

MA Sem :- 04

Batch :- 2021-2023

Roll no. :- 02

Enrollment No. :- 4069206420210034

Paper No. :- 206 (AfricanLiterature)

Topic :- Fanonism and Constructive Violence in Petals of Blood

Email id :- bhavnasosa211@gmail.com 

Submitted to :- S.B.Gardi Department Of English,MKBU

Introduction :

The novel "Petals of Blood" by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o strongly condemns the ruling elites in Kenya for exploiting workers and peasants, and also criticizes neo-colonialist institutions such as Christianity, politicians, schools, business, banks, landlords, and highways. The book emphasises the importance of collective action to empower ordinary people to resist oppression, and Ngugi advocates the use of violence to resist the oppressive social order, echoing the views of Franz Fanon. Fanonism holds that violence is a constructive force, particularly in colonised countries where decolonization can only be achieved through violence.

 Kenya has a long history of struggle and violence, both before and after its independence in 1963. "Petals of Blood" tells the story of four protagonists - Munira, Abdullah, Wanja, and Karega - who are disillusioned with the neo-colonial world of independent Kenya and struggle against it.

About Ngugi wa Thiong'o:

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o born James Ngugi; 5 January 1938) is a Kenyan writer and academic who writes primarily in Gikuyu and who formerly wrote in English. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature. He is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri. His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright, is translated into 100 languages from around the world.

Fanonism In the Violence as a force:

Fanon argues in Wretched of the Earth that violence is an essential part of the decolonization process, which always involves violent acts, including the use of guns and knives. The level of violence used by the colonised people will be determined by the violence inflicted upon them by the colonial regime. 

However, violence can also be a unifying force for the colonised people, liberating them from feelings of inferiority and despair, and empowering them to take action. Violence can be seen as a cleansing force, providing a release for pent-up frustration and anger.

Ngugi and Constructive Violence:

Violence in order to change an individual, unjust social order is not savagery; it purifies man. Violence to protect and preserve an unjust oppressive social order is criminal, and diminishes man”-Ngugi declares in a review of Majdalany's state of emergency, in 1963. It provides the point of view of Ngugi towards violence as a constructive force and his attitude is quite positive like Fanon. He also believes that, “Imperialism, the power of dead capital, in its neo-colonial clothes will not be able to destroy the fighting culture of African peasantry and working class for the simple reason that this culture is a product and a reflection of real life struggles going on in Africa today”. (p. xvii)

Kenyan History of Violence:

The history of violence in Kenya is deeply rooted in its colonial past, which saw the displacement of indigenous communities from their ancestral lands and the imposition of oppressive and violent systems of governance by European colonisers. 

The struggle for independence, led by a range of Kenyan leaders and liberation movements, was marked by intense violence and repression, with the Mau Mau uprising being one of the most significant and bloody episodes in the country's history.

The Mau Mau uprising was an armed struggle against British colonial rule, waged primarily by the Kikuyu community, but involving other ethnic groups as well. The movement was initially driven by a desire to reclaim land that had been taken by British settlers, as well as to challenge the discriminatory policies and violence perpetrated by colonial authorities.

 Mau Mau fighters targeted British officials, settlers, and their African collaborators, as well as those they perceived to be traitors to the cause of liberation.

The British responded with brutal force, including the use of concentration camps, torture, and extra-judicial killings, in an attempt to quell the rebellion. The violence on both sides was extreme, with estimates of the number of deaths ranging from 11,000 to 50,000. The Mau Mau uprising was eventually suppressed, but it had a profound impact on Kenya's history and identity, and is remembered as a symbol of resistance and resilience in the face of colonial oppression.

After independence in 1963, Kenya experienced a period of political instability and violence, as different ethnic groups vied for power and resources. This led to a series of ethnic clashes in the 1990s and early 2000s, which left thousands dead and displaced many more. More recently, Kenya has seen a rise in political violence, particularly during elections, which have been marked by allegations of rigging and voter fraud.

Despite these challenges, Kenya has made significant progress in recent years, with a growing economy and a vibrant civil society. However, the legacy of violence and injustice from its colonial past continues to shape the country's social and political landscape, and remains an ongoing challenge for Kenyan society.

Indirect Violence in Petals of Blood:

In Petals of Blood, Ngugi's 1977 novel, he is searching for a political strategy to successfully end “e Whole ing”- global monopoly capitalism of which Africa is constituent part. (Dorn,1999). In this novel, the Kenya Ngugi writes about, the Kenya that nobody can take away from him, is the 'Kenya of working class of all nationalities and their heroic struggle against domination by nature and other humans over the centuries.’Here we see the face of Kenya whose face is reflected in Ilmorog, the centre of action for the novel. 

Ngugi chooses a barren, drought stricken part of Kenya where neo-colonialism puts the interests of foreigners and abandons the people who had suffered and died for the land. Us capitalism was burying Ilmorog and putting a new Ilmorog in its place. the people reached a point of no return and raised the protagonists to resist the destruction.

The Protagonist's about violence:

Petals of Blood is so bloody deep and detailed that by the time it ends nobody cares for the fate of the three petty preys, Krupps, Rockfellers and Delameres, or whether it was Wanja, Karega, Munira or Abdullah who has killed them. Wanja, the extraordinary struggling female character, like Kenya itself, has to fight to stay alive and for whom destruction is never too far away.

 

Wanja :

 Being humiliated by society and the hostility of the world, she allows herself to turn cruel like the surroundings. She described the reality of the neocolonial situation in a plain formula- “You eat somebody or you are eaten. You sit on somebody or somebody sits on you”. She questioned, has Kimeria sinned less than her, why is she the only sufferer. She stroked his head with the punga before the arson. According to Fanon this is individual freedom and it will calm and clean her burning heart.

Abdullah: 

Abdullah, the introverted Mau Mau fighter, was totally betrayed by the country he fought for. e independent Kenya failed to rehabilitate the one legged fighter who sacrificed his family and land for the country. The unsung hero had the ability to rehabilitate himself, but the same person Kimeria, who betrayed his friend during Mau Mau, was involved with the spoil of his business, his earning. By killing Kimeria he wanted to avenge the death of his friend, Ndinguri and save Wanja from his claws. He reserved his manhood by this act of violence.

Karega :

Karega, the man of many wanderings, devotes himself to the unity of workers and helps the trade union. He opposed Wanja's philosophy and kept searching for a lost innocence, hope and faith. He believed one could not prevent violence by being one of the violators. He was sure that there must be another way to a 'new world'.

Munira  :

Munira the 'man of God' was also haunted by the need to break out from the situation, the passive “spectator of life” he wanted a connection that prompted him to do something. Even taking personal revenge by dismissing Karega, was a step to prove the activity to himself. Finally inspired by a divine feeling, he too desired to establish a 'secular new world'. He wanted to save Karega from the fatal embrace of Wanja. He decided to burn the 'Sunshine Lodge', the place of prostitution. It was also a common place for Kimeria, Chui, Mzigo, the neocolonial agents. The act was a repetition of his early life, throwing the sin, the corruption into the fire. 

Conclusion :

To conclude this novel, Ngugi finally exposed some optimism by means of constructive violence. All the protagonists actively take part or provide silent support in the violent act of purification. After the arson, Wanja's pregnancy, Joseph's school rebellion, Karega's fate in renewed strikes and protests in Ilmorog, the future generation with the spirit of purification and courage from the parents involved in freedom fighting and social revolution, will be born to restore serenity. Constructive violence, like arson will burn down the corrupted, rotten society and there is a hope and promise for the rebirth of a new Kenya.

Work Cited:

Dorn, Paul. (1999) “Turning Toward the World: Ngugi’s Petals of Blood.” Post Colonial Literature, Taught Spring <http://www.runmuki.com/paul/writing/Html/> (Retrieved on: 5.2.15)

Fanon, Frantz. (1985)e Wretched of the Earth. Penguin Books: London. pp. 27-75

“Fanonism” (1998) Key Concept in Post-Colonial Studies, Routledge.

Isegawa, Moses. (2005). Introduction. Petals of Blood. By Ngugi wa thiong'o. Penguin: UK.

 Maughan, Brown David. (1985). Land, Freedom and Fiction: History and Ideology in Kenya. e Barth Press: London.

 Ressler, Lara. (1997) “Uhuru: A Study of Ngugi wa thiong'o” Eastern Mennonite University.http://www.Emu.edu/courses/eng402a/ressler/html> (Retrieved on 5.3.15) 

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Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh

Hello friends 

This blog is about Gun Island. This task is assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad Sir.

Gun Island 

by Amitav Ghosh 

Introduction:

Amitav Ghosh is an Indian-born, internationally acclaimed author and one of the most prominent voices in English-language fiction. He is best known for his novels, which often explore themes related to history, migration, and globalisation. Ghosh's writing is characterised by its rich and evocative language, as well as its deep engagement with the cultural and political issues of our time.

"Gun Island" is a novel by Amitav Ghosh, published in 2019. The book follows the journey of Deen Datta, a rare-book dealer from Kolkata, as he travels to Venice in search of answers about a mysterious legend surrounding the goddess of snakes and firearms. Along the way, Deen encounters a diverse cast of characters who challenge his beliefs and force him to confront the impact of climate change on our world. With its rich, atmospheric writing and its powerful exploration of themes related to environmentalism, "Gun Island" is a must-read for fans of Ghosh's work and for anyone interested in the intersection of fiction and environmental activism.

How does Amitav Ghosh use the myth of Manasa Devi to create the myth of a Gun Merchant ('Bonduki Sadagar') and initiate discussion on the issue of Climate Change and Migration/Refugee crisis / Human Trafficking?

In the novel Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh, the character of Manasa Devi is introduced through a conversation between Kanai Dutt and Deen, where they discuss the myth of Chand Saudagar. This myth serves as a central thread that connects the novel's themes and draws parallels between the Little Ice Age and our present-day reality.

Deen initially sees the myth of the Gun Merchant as just a story and not worth considering, but he is later inspired by a young speaker and Cinta to visit Venice and uncover the truth behind the myth. Through his journey, Deen uncovers the suspenseful and amusing names of places while striving to determine whether the myth holds any truth.

Migration is a prevalent theme in Gun Island, with various characters having migrated for different reasons such as natural calamities, communal violence, poverty, and socioeconomic conditions. Some characters have moved in search of a better life, while others have been forced to migrate.

Gun Island is a novel featuring academics studying animal life, including dolphins, bark beetles, spiders, snakes, and shipworms, to demonstrate the far-reaching effects of climate change. The book's conclusion involves a mission to protect refugees, which faces opposition, drawing parallels between past and present events. The bioluminescence phenomenon occurring during the mission emphasizes the myth of Manasa Devi's presence, highlighting its significance in the novel's context. Gun Island explores critical issues such as climate change, migration, and human trafficking, providing insightful perspectives and raising essential questions for readers to reflect on their actions' impact on the world and others.

What are your views on the use of myth and history in the novel 'Gun Island' to draw the attention of the reader toward contemporary issues like climate change and migration?

The use of myths and legends in storytelling can make a novel more emotionally engaging and memorable, while providing a timeless quality and universal appeal. Incorporating history into the narrative can also give readers a deeper understanding of contemporary issues and their causes and consequences. The East has a strong connection to myths and legends, which can help readers better comprehend complex subjects when presented in a mythological context. Finally, combining myth and history can provide a solid basis for understanding and making informed decisions for the future.

Generate fan literature with the help of ChatGPT (An ode on Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island)

From the banks of Hooghly's winding stream,

Where the sun sets golden and gleam,

Rises the story of Gun Island,

A tale of journey, hope, and land.

The air is thick with mystery and myth,

As a rare book sets the story's pith,

And Deen, the protagonist, embarks on a quest,

To find the truth that lies at rest.

Through the bustling streets of Kolkata,

And the tranquil waters of the Sunderbans delta,

Deen travels far and wide,

In search of tales lost and buried deep inside.

A journey that takes him to Venice's old city,

Where history and myth intertwine and gritty,

And the ancient goddesses of the earth,

Speak to him of the land's ancient birth.

Onward he goes, with hope and passion,

In search of a truth that defies all reason,

Till he finds the gun island, where the tale began,

And uncovers the truth, and the world's hidden plan.

For beneath the surface of the land and sea,

Lies a truth that sets the world's destiny,

And in this tale, we find the hope,

That even the darkest secrets can be unrope.

So come, let us journey with Deen,

And discover the truths that lie unseen,

In the pages of Gun Island,

Where hope and faith shall never be outdone.

Thank you for visiting blog.