Roktakto Prantor by Munir Chowdhury: Summary

The play Roktakto Prantor (translated as Field of Blood) is a Historical Tragedy written by the well-known playwright of Bangladesh, Munir Chowdhury. Even though on the surface, the play seems to be about the third battle of Panipath between the Maratha Hindus and the Muslims, there is actually an underlying romance involving the two main characters Ibrahim Kardi and Johora Begum.

Ibrahim Kardi is a Muslim. It is indicated in the play that before the war took place, he was appointed  in the Maratha Army by the chief Peshoba himself with due respect. He was rejected by armies of all ethnicities including the Muslims and since then he was serving for the Marathas. For this reason, he feels a moral obligation towards the Hindus in the third battle of Panipath against the Muslims, even though his religious orientation is Islam as well.

On the other hand, his wife Johora Begum was the daughter of the deceased Muslim chief. She was fighting for the Muslims under the guise of a fierce Muslim male warrior, Monnu Beg to avenge her father, who died at the hands of the Marathas. Hence, the main conflict of the play was evidently between the two main characters driven by moral obligations rather than the war itself.

Reminiscence: Play with only a single character

[The stage is dark with huge black curtains. A fake ball of light is on the left side of the stage, acting as a full moon. A fake road is to be drawn on the stage with a fenced wall on the left acting as the graveyard. There will be single streetlight at the middle of the stage in the background. The lightings on the stage should be dim to create an eerie night-time vibe. The protagonist is supposed to walk slowly from the right to the left towards the fenced wall. After entering the stage, he stops and speaks.]

Protagonist: I finally decided to meet her. It’s been two years since I last saw her. Her face had been pale and weak, guilt steaking all over it. I was angry. I did not even like to look at her. How could she do it? After all these years being together, after going through all the will and woe. Did I love her less? Did she love me less? What went wrong? Everything was going well. What happened suddenly?

[The protagonist looks at the moon and acts scared and confused.]

Protagonist: I should not have smoked the last one, especially since it was the mint flavored one. Mint always made me dizzy.

Reminiscence: Original Short Story by Afifa Farzana

I finally decided to meet her. It’s been two years since I last saw her. Her face had been pale and weak, guilt streaking all over it.

I was angry. I did not even like to look at her. How could she do it? After all these years being together, after going through all the will and woe. Did I love her less? Did she love me less? What went wrong? Everything was going well. What happened suddenly?

I shook my head to get rid of the sad memories. It was past twelve in the night. The moon was full, a bit too big for my liking. I looked at it without slowing my pace down. The street was empty except for the constant buzzing of the crickets. I did not have to think about bumping into them.

I could imagine faces on the yellow surface of the moon. Was that pity I see? Sympathy? Darn! I should not have smoked the last one, especially since it was the mint flavored one. Mint always made me dizzy.

A dog barked suddenly in the distant, shaking me back to reality. I looked up and saw two dogs on the verge of fighting. Fight. Anger. These human emotions had already begun to go non-existent in me. Maybe that’s what happened to you when you overflow with a pack of emotions at once. The last time I was overwhelmed was the last day I allowed myself to see her.

How to download Youtube Videos and MP3 for Free

In this tutorial, I will show you how you can download YouTube videos in both MP4 and MP3 format as you like for free. All you have to do is download this software called ClipGrab. A simple Google search will take you to their free download site.

After downloading and installing the software, proceed with the following steps.

1. Go to your desired video on Youtube.

2. Copy the URL of the video. The link in the blue highlight is the URL of your desired video.

3. Go to ClipGrab and paste the URL in the box as shown in the picture.

4. If you want the original video, just change the format to Original or if you want an MP3, change the format to MP3 (audio only)

5. You can also change the quality of the video or music but only the available ones on YouTube. For example, if the YouTube video is only in 360p format, you cannot change it to HD in ClipGrab.

6. After that, simply click "Grab this Clip" and save the video in any file location on your PC.

7. The video will then be automatically downloaded and saved.

I hope this tutorial is helpful. Make sure, you do not use this for illegal or unfair purposes.

6 Super Fruits Mentioned In the Quran With Amazing Benefits

NOTE: I wrote this piece back when I was still a Muslim. I have, since then, left my religion and do not agree to most or all of what is written here. However, these posts are very much part of my life and helps understand the changes I went through. That's why, I am against deleting them. 

The Quran is the most important and precious Book for any Muslim out there and all of us Muslims consider Quran to be not only a Book of Guidance for Muslims, the followers of Islam, but also a Book of the Way of Life for whole of mankind. The Quran talks about a lot of necessary things that are beneficial to human beings. It teaches us how to live our life the proper way and also what to do and what to avoid. It also talks about the right kind of foods that we should eat.

It is mentioned in the Quran:

And it is He who sends down water from the sky. With it We produce vegetation of all kinds, from which We bring greenery, from which We produce grains in clusters. And palm-trees with hanging clusters, and vineyards, and olives, and pomegranates—similar and dissimilar. Watch their fruits as they grow and ripen. Surely in this are signs for people who believe. [Surah Al-Anam: 99]

20.9 Million Views in 24 hours: BTS Marks Another Record in the History of Kpop

BTS did it again. ARMYs did it again. BTS once again holds the record for most-viewed Kpop Music Video within the span of 24 hours with more than 20 million views on YouTube with their latest comeback – DNA.

As we all know, BTS had announced about their already released latest mini album, Love Yourself: Her, quite a while ago making all the ARMYs anticipate their title track DNA eagerly. DNA got released yesterday on 18^th of September. Since then their huge fandom, rightfully called ARMYs, having been streaming their Music Video non-stop.

My Top 10 Favorite BTS songs

In honor of their latest comeback – DNA – I thought that it is a very appropriate time to share my top favorite songs done by this amazing group of individuals – BTS – Bangtan Sonyeondan. Their newest comeback, the title track DNA of their new mini album – Love Yourself: HER – talks about love being in the core of their bodies.

As I have mentioned earlier, BTS is my all-time favorite Kpop group and I’m a hardcore ARMY. I love the boys both on stage and off it. I love how real they on the camera and how likable their personality is. Each of them is unique in their own and so very different but their differences complement each other so perfectly, it’s basically divine.

Before I present the list, let me tell you that I avoided including their individual performances as well as mini-group performances. That means, you will not see any Cypher songs or solos in this list. I have only included their original song done as a group of seven people.

BTS Releases DNA And We Are Shook For The Wrong Reasons

I am probably one those very few percentages of ARMY who actually did not like the latest comeback by BTS and yes, I am ready to be hated by the fandom.

On 18^th of September, Monday, BTS, an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan, releases the newest comeback – the most awaited DNA. Fans have been anticipating its release right from the moment BigHit announced about BTS’s comeback. We all know how enormous the fandom is, so the hype was all-over the internet. Being an avid ARMY myself, I was waiting eagerly to listen to their new song as well, because all their previous songs were already played a million times on my phone.

Namariel Legends IRON LORD: detailed plot with spoilers and gameplay

Namariel Legends: Iron Lord is a steampunk fantasy game for young children which was published by Ubisoft in 1989. The game follows a young girl called Amelie who lived with her uncle, Davencino, on a remote hill in the kingdom of Namariel which was ruled by the usurper – the Iron Lord – presently. The story is about her adventures through Namariel as she plots to overthrow the Iron Lord.

As I mentioned in my Top 5 Point-and-Click Mystery Games you should play right now, this game might be my favorite Steampunk Fantasy beginner’s game at the moment, especially because of its gameplay format. What I most like about this game is that there is no separate Hidden Objects Scene. The main Scenes are Hidden Objects scenario themselves so you do not have waste time looking for useless items while there is monster waiting to kill you on the main screen.

How to use MUA Lip Scrub

I recently bought this little kiddo from our local shop, BD Budget Beauty, to help treat my lips. But at home I got a bit confused about how I should apply it. I looked up the internet and it was very difficult to find the process. So, to make it easier for you guys, I decided to write down all the information I gathered from the net.

How to apply

• Remove lipstick or lip-gel off your lips.
• Make sure your lips are clean and dry.
• Apply MUA Lip Scrub on your lips for a few times like regular lipstick.
• Rub your lips together.
• Clean the excess product with a cloth and apply your favorite lipstick or just plain simple lip balm.
• You do not have to wash it with water or any other liquid.
• It is better to use it every second day instead of daily.

Benefits

• It removes the dead cells off your lips
• Plumps up your lips, making it appear fuller.
• Gives a pinkish glow if regularly used.
• Removes blackness.

I hope this post was helpful to you guys.  

The Vampire Saga PANDORA'S BOX - detailed plot and gameplay

As I mentioned in my latest article Top 5 Point-and-Click Mystery Games you should play rightnow, the Vampire Saga series is at the very top of my favorites-list. It consists of three parts and now I will be talking about the first installment – Pandora’s Box.

In terms of storyline, Pandora’s Box is the most intriguing. In fact, the storyline is so captivating that I’m pretty sure the players will be completely hooked to the game even though it has some annoying gameplay. The Hidden Objects Scenes are some of the most annoying parts I have ever played in the game, which ruins the game a bit for me. But if you are solidly looking for games which focus mainly on the HOS, I solely recommend this game. But if you are someone like me who gets annoyed with irrelevant HOS, I recommend you still play this game but use a walkthrough for the HOS to progress quicker.

The story of this installment is quite intricate and elaborate. But I will still try my best to be as detailed as possible, otherwise I won’t be doing justice to the game. With that in mind, let’s proceed with the gameplay and the plot.

The Vampire Saga WELCOME TO HELL LOCK - detailed plot and gameplay

As I mentioned in my latest article Top 5 Point-and-Click Mystery Games you should play rightnow, the Vampire Saga series is at the very top of my favorites-list. It consists of three parts and now I will be talking about the second installment – Welcome to Hell Lock.

Out of the three, in terms of gameplay and graphics, this installment is my most favorite. It is also longer in terms of plot than the first and the last installments. In terms of the scare factor, this one is the most frightening and is more likely to keep the fans of horror genre on the edge while playing this. The music is creepy and the locations are absolutely horrifying. If you are below the age of twelve, I recommend you do not play this game alone.

Anyways, with the short review done, let’s look at the gameplay and the plot of Welcome to Hell Lock, the third installment of the Vampire Saga series.

The Vampire Saga BREAK OUT - detailed plot and gameplay

As I mentioned in my latest article Top 5 Point-and-Click Mystery Games you should play right now, the Vampire Saga series is at the very top of my favorites-list. It consists of three parts and now I will be talking about the third installment – Break Out.

Even though Break Out is the first game of the series that I ever played, out of the three, I liked it the least, because compared to the other two installments, the story of this one was pretty weak. It was also the least scary of the three. But don’t let this discourage you, because even though I liked it the least, I still like it more than other games out there. I personally feel that this game, along with the previous installments, offers some great graphics and matching music. Especially, the spooky cathedral music and creepy dark location in an abandoned old mining town gives the perfect atmosphere for a really scary game.

I would recommend that you play this game before the other two. It won’t affect the storyline, but it will make you appreciate the game more.

The story is about a Doctor, mourning his recently deceased daughter, Grace, who was invited to a local hospital in the creepy, seemingly abandoned mining town called Hill Lock. An unknown and obscure disease has spread out through the town making its victims have unidentifiable symptoms and the break out is especially from the mines – the main source of income of the locals. Due to the fleeing of the superstitious medical staff of the hospital, it is up to the Doctor to research the disease and find a viable cure.

Top 5 Point-and-Click Mystery Games you should play right now

I am an avid fan of mouse-pointer games, especially if they belong to the Mystery genre. After hours of skimming through the internet I came up with these little gems, that too, for absolutely free. Mind you though, these games are beginner’s level games where you barely have to read a walkthrough. You can figure out how the game progresses yourself. So, let’s get into it. Simply click on the game names to get the download links.

• 1.      Vampire Saga series

This is my most favorite starter mystery game ever. The story, as the name suggests is about vampire. The first game in the series Pandora’s Box (2009) is followed by two sequels: Welcome to Hell Lock (2011) and Break Out (2012). The games offer Hidden Objects scenes, where you need to collect various item that will help you progress in the story. It also has a good number of cut scenes giving it a cinematic and sophisticated feel. The setting and premise of the story give the player the perfect creepy chills. This is the perfect game for a chilly Halloween night.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and My Aching Heart

I never knew a story about time travelling can be so exciting and at the same time, so heartbreaking. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (what the title means, I have no idea but it does sound a very romantic) is the very first and so far, the only Kdrama I ever watched and it shattered my heart to pieces. I don’t remember alternating between crying and laughing during each episode of the same serial. In fact, I was so hooked into the plot that I finished all the twenty episodes each an hour long in the span of six days. So, I won’t go into the plot details since you can find it on Wikipedia and other sites, but, I will tell you why you must watch it.

First of all, if you like romantic and historical fiction, this is right up your alley. It has the most classic blend of heart-warming romance, tad bit of sci-fi, historical setting and stimulating drama…a lot of it. In fact, the series has some of the most impelling plot twists ever (which I won’t give away and you should look it up). Basically the story is about a young girl (played by Kpop singer IU) who’s going some life crisis when due to a splash of fate, she happened to go 500 years back in time and finds herself in the body of another girl who looks exactly like her called Hae Soo. She may be stuck in a new body but her mind is totally in present time. Her lack of knowledge about her current time period and the familiarity of her face ensues a lot of drama, especially when she gets herself involved with the royal family.

Semantics: Prototype Theory using Birds

Everything we see around us or every word we utter has a different meaning and by meaning we can say that it is a list of properties. The meanings then can be compared and categorized into different groups each with their unique properties. The word meanings are stored as the properties of a prototype. From our basic knowledge, we can say that prototype is a unit representing a set of typical features. For example, chair can a prototype for furniture since it fulfills almost all of the typical features of a prototype; that is, it is either made of wood/metal, it has four legs, used to sit on etc.

We can make a list of these ‘typical features’ and match the features of a particular object with the list and see if we can place it anywhere within the list. In other words, we measure the typicality of the object. There is a reason why we have to see where we ‘can place’ the object within the list. The position of an object is not always concrete or fixed. The position will depend on how many matches we get. Some objects are much more centralized – meaning they have more or less all the properties. Others are not so clear. Some of the properties may match whereas others may be completely different. Let’s look at the prototype of mammals.

Papermaking in China: A detailed discussion

After the invention of writing, people searched for a way to preserve their writings for a longer time. Previously, before papermaking technology was invented, the Chinese carved their characters on tortoise shells, animal bones, bamboo slices, wooden plates and thin tough silk. This carving technique on bones and shells was popularly known as Jiaguwen. However, tortoise shells, animal bones and wooden plates were too heavy, took a lot of space and was hard to carry and on the other hand, silk was too expensive. So, the Chinese searched for a more convenient method for preserving their writings.

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC to 25 AD), paper made with hemp and ramie was invented. But the paper turned out to be course and not suitable for writing. These type of paper was first unearthed in Han Tomb in Ganshu Province, making it the earliest type of paper found till date.

Lost by BTS: Brief Discussion

BTS, an acronym for Bangtan Sonyeondan, is currently the South Korean sensation all-over the world. They are the first boy band group from South Korea to ever make the Billboard Hot Hundred Chart. The song titled as “Lost” is one of their side tracks from their latest album You Never Walk Alone, released in 2017. It talks mostly about the struggles one faces as he or she transitions from adolescence to adulthood.

Since the song is originally written in Hangul – the language South Koreans use – the main focus is put on the English translation instead. But before getting into the actual imagery and symbolism of the song let’s talk about the structure in which the song is written. If we look at the first stanza, it goes something like this:

TWICE: Rejoicing Femininity

The fact that I hated these girls just for their concepts really hurts me to this day.

Like I promised in my last blog, I am here with a new article on another trendy and popular South Korean idol group known as TWICE. Currently they are the leading girl group idols in the Pop world of South Korea. In this blog, I will share my experience about how TWICE made me embrace my feminine, youthful and cutesy side while not making me feel fragile or unimportant. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who got converted.

Who are these girls?

TWICE is a group of nine beautiful and talented girls who debuted on October 20, 2015 from the popular company JYP Entertainment with their hit single “Ooh Ahh”. The members, in no particular order, includes Nayeon, Sana, Mina, Momo, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Tzuyu, Jihyo and Jeongyeon. Among them, Sana, Mina and Momo are from Japan and Tzuyu is from Taiwan. The rest of them are South Koreans.

Their debut music video “Ooh Ahh” was the first debut music video which hit 50 million views on YouTube within five months of their debut and became the most viewed debut music video for any Kpop group. Well, I watched it myself and I know why it was so popular. Not only the music has a catchy beat but the concept of their music video was curing zombies with their amazing vocal and dance skills. And who doesn’t like a good zombie flick. It was mainly their unique concept along with a fantastic song that made them so appealing, and not to mention, each of them is an embodiment of innocent beauty.

How I got into Kpop aka how BTS became my bias group

BlackPink "Playing with Fire" photoshoot

Thanks to BlackPink.

I am fairly new to this whole Kpop thing but I must say I am very impressed and don’t regret anything (well, apart from the fact that I love so many groups and have so many biases and spend so much time streaming their comebacks and whatnot). It’s been only six or seven months, I guess, that I began to love this whole new world. Let me warn you newcomers, though. It’s an addicting world. So, enter on your own accord. Anyways, here’s the detailed story of how I got myself into this amazing mess.

BTS? Fire? What is this?

So, I was watching Superwoman videos on YouTube one day and like every other unicorns, I was skimming through the comments. And oh my Lord! The comment section was crazy! About 90% of the comments were something like “Lilly, please react to BTS-Fire!” or “OMG! Please make your parents react to Fire by BTS.” Even some usernames were like “React to BTS-Fire.” This got me really interested to see what the hype was all about. So, I made the best decision (or worst mistake) of my life.

Comparison of two songs in terms of Poetry

For Poetry Assignment this semester, we were given two iconic songs from the 70s and 80s and were told to find the similarities and differences in the songs. The songs are One of these things first by Nick Drake and I'm your man by Leonard Cohen.

So, I thought why not share my essay with you guys. You never know when you might need them whether for another assignment or a homework. Okay then, without a further ado, let's jump right in.
The following essay is about the comparison of the two songs: “One of these things first” by Nick Drake and “I’m your man” by Leonard Cohen. Click on the song titles to hear them.

Foreword: The essay informs about the similarities and differences of the two songs on the basis of their imagery, main theme, internal meaning, structure and pattern, repetitions etc. By the end of the essay, the reader will be aware of the messages each song provides and will know where they are similar to each other or different from each other.

Arsenic and Arsenocosis

Arsenic shown on Periodic Table

Arsenic

Definition: A natural semi-metallic chemical that is found all over the world in groundwater. [chemical formula: As]


Natural Source:

• Earth crust
• Volcanic materials
• Rock and mineral erosion
• Forest fires
• Sulfur-bearing mineral deposits (like gold and copper)
• Strong affinity to pyrites and iron oxides

Essay Sample: How to learn new things

Learning new things can be a fun and exciting experience. It brings color and variation in one’s life. However, one cannot learn anything new on a whim or without a proper planning. To actually gather knowledge about some fun stuff, one must follow these three rules: visualization, preparation and action.

No one can force anyone to learn anything new unless and until that person actually has interest in it. So, the first and foremost step to learn something new is to imagine it in one’s mind first and to find out if he or she is actually finding some interest in it. For example, if you want to learn origami, visualize yourself folding paper creatively. If it arouses any interest, go for it. If it does not, try to visualize something else. Without the correct visualization, things may go downhill.

Essay Sample: How Bogra is different from Dhaka

Dhaka landscape

Bogra and Dhaka cities are similar when it comes to high population density and living standards but they quite dissimilar in other ways. People who live in two cities have the same traditional cultures. Although there are several similarities between Bogra city and Dhaka city, there are many obvious differences between them as well.

First, the climate in Dhaka city is different from climate in Bogra city. This point proves that the climate of Bogra is very cold from October to December, warm from July to September and cool around year. In contrast, the climate of Dhaka is very intensely hot in the dry season but cooler during winter, though not as cold as Bogra. In fact, Dhaka does not seem to have winter at all, due to all the warmth still felt during the season. For instance, when you stay at Bogra, you feel the weather that changes follow the four seasons annually, whereas, the climate of Dhaka remains almost the same throughout the year. You barely feel cold during winter. It also gets less rainfall during summer or monsoon. Compared to Bogra, Dhaka is quite humid, dry and barren.

Paragraph Sample: Eating waffles for the first time

I had always been a foodie with a sweet tooth. So, when a friend suggested that I try waffles, I was more than delighted. We fixed a date and a restaurant which sold some great waffles in various flavors. On the fixed date, we went to the restaurant and ordered a plate of regular butter waffles with a drizzle chocolate syrup and a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. For those of you who don’t know, a waffle is a thick slice of round pastry made with eggs, butter, milk and flour and toasted inside a special pan. Anyways, when the waffles arrived, I was enamored with its rich chocolaty aroma. Moreover, when I took the first bite, I thought I was in heaven. It was very delicious and the chocolate and the vanilla added a burst of flavors to it. I am definitely going to try all the flavors of the waffles available in my neighborhood.

Foreword to Informative Speech: Vlad, the Impaler

Vlad Tepes, collected

Why I chose him:

Honestly, I chose him because I wanted to do something out of the box. We all knew what Dracula is or who Bram Stoker is. But not every one of us knows about the real inspiration behind the iconic dark prince, Dracula. People should know that the person who was the blueprint for Dracula was even more sinister than the fictional character.

Dracula was vampire, he needed blood to survive. But his real counterpart was a flesh and blood human. He enjoyed hurting people only for the sake of his satisfaction. I believe he might be one of the earliest examples of a sadist. People my age really like to know about such historical facts about real life torturers, whether we admit it or not. So, I think this topic will be a bit more appealing because it is not usual. Also, I did not want to coincide with someone else with the same topic, so I chose someone who nobody may think about.

Impromptu Writing

How to do Impromptu Speech

Here are the topics our professor gave us to practice Impromptu Speech. Take a look.

Topic-1: Desire

Desire is a strong wish to achieve or get something. For example: one may desire to get a rooftop penthouse someday or an expensive BMW car. Desire also includes romantic attraction towards another person. Unlike wish, desire is more about passion. When we wish something, we don’t necessarily mean to get it. However, when we desire something, we work hard and passionately for it. We may or may not get what we want. But the effort is certainly there and that’s why we call it desire.

Desire is also a recurring theme in contemporary fiction. For example: there is a magic mirror in the Harry Potter books called the Mirror of Erised, where Erised is just Desire spelled backwards.

My experience with Public Speaking

I define public speaking as all kind of interaction with people using language. My experience with public speaking has faced quite a lot of ups and downs. At certain situations, like at home with parents or some close friends, I am very comfortable to speak. 

Other times, during hang-outs where there are a lot people, I may not be so extrovert. However, during a presentation or a performance (one which had a lot of rehearsals), you would not be finding me sitting quitely at a corner. I am rather active in such circumstances. In fact, I have hosted quite a few shows back in my school days. On the contrary though, I am not so good at prompt speeches.

Vlad, the Impaler

Portrait of Vlad Tepes III

Here is the transcript of the speech I gave on Information about a Person for my class project. My topic was Vlad, the Impaler. Hope you like it.

First of all, let me know if there is any single soul in this class who does not have the slightest idea about Dracula? Well, let me refresh, Dracula is the most iconic and pioneering character in the Horror genre who gave rise and popularity to a whole new Vampire sub-genre.

Now, do we know who the author of this famous character is? Right, Bram Stoker. However, today we are neither going to talk about the fictional Dracula nor its amazing author, Mr. Stoker. Today we are going to talk about what, more specifically who, was the inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s most famous anti-hero of all time: Vlad the Impaler.

Hello again, everyone, it’s Afifa Farzana and for the informative speech today, I have chosen the notorious historical figure, Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, who, according to Historian Vambery, was the main inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula. We will try to analyze what heinous deed this man did which prompted Stoker to write about such a horrific character. Yes, believe it or not, this guy, who looks like an Anorexic Charlie Chaplin, is the main reason the infamous Dracula took birth. And the reason we don’t see him in history books is because he’s way too gory to be in them.

Things to Know About Prophecy: A tale of two sisters

Final Book Cover

Basically the story is about two sisters who are born in a fantasy land with magical powers and because of the twisted nature of their fates, they are destined to fight each other to save the world from a bigger danger. But you guys should read it not only because of the plot alone. Here I will be stating five reasons of why should give this book a chance.

It belongs to the fantasy genre: The fantasy genre generally deals with daily problems using magic and mystique. It puts a different perspective on our daily chores and produces a lot of “what if”s. Fantasy genre is a great escape from reality. It is an adventure to a relatable yet different world. And since this book is set in a fantasy world itself, whether written poorly or good, it may not solve all your problems but it sure will at least relieve you from the stress of daily life.

It is short: Most of the time, the books in a fantasy genre tends to be long and in series. However this is a standalone book that roughly has about a hundred and fifty pages. It is a very quick read. 

You don’t have to invest a lot of time or brainwork into comprehend the story fully. Since it’s quite short, you can easily put bits and pieces of it in your work schedule and finish it off quickly. You won’t even feel like that you have wasted any time reading it even if you don’t like it.

Ramadan by Neil Gaiman

Being a practicing Muslim, the first thought which came to my mind is that this graphic novel is offensive and wrong. Islam is not about big cities and emperors owning thousands of concubines. But as I continued reading, I realized it was more about Arabian culture than Islamic teachings. Anyways, I could clearly see what the inspiration behind the story was.

The theme of the story is basically a satirical and quirky version of the Arabian Nights or One Thousand and One Nights. In fact, it is purposefully told in a fashion as though the story was being told by a story-teller because of the unexpected plot twist at the end.

Here is my version of the analysis:

Protagonists: Caliph Haroun Al Raschid – emperor/caliph of Baghdad, who liked to spend his time wooing his beautiful beloved city and the exotic women present in his harem ready to give him any pleasure he wanted.

Antagonists: I did not see any antagonist in the story but a conflict. It was Al Raschid’s everlasting tension and anxiety about the lasting of his city.

Setting: I was set in the city of Baghdad, a middle-eastern Asian kingdom/country which was described in such a way that it felt like it was some utopian kingdom of the future.