The Enigma in The Listeners

The Listeners by Walter de la Mare is the exploration of the dichotomous relationship between silence and response. The poem begins with the arrival of a Traveller, a mysterious figure, at an isolated house in the middle of the forest on a moonlit night. Despite his urgent knocks on the front door of the house, he fails to receive any response from the inhabitants of the house. In fact, it is implied that the house is supposedly empty, except for a “host of phantom listeners” who are lurking in the darkness and listening to the cry of the Traveller. In essence, the poem is a depiction of the paradoxical nature of humans having a thirst for knowledge despite being aware of the astounding and inevitable mystery which lies in the path of gaining that knowledge.

The setting of the poem includes a house, residing alone in the middle of a forest and a lonesome Traveller visits it on a moonlit night. As if being one with the nature, even the horse of the Traveller is silent, as it chomped on the desolate “ferny floor” of the forest. All of these together paints a melancholic and meditative picture within the poem. In addition to that, the intentional unresponsive nature of the ghostly inhabitants of the house, which the Traveller is unaware of, adds a supernatural element to the setting poem.

The Inherent Contradiction in Pied Beauty

Pied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins is a deconstructed sonnet that applauds the diversity of nature created by God. The structure and verses of the poem are reminiscent of a prayer, similar to Bible verses. The little sonnet is the celebration of diverse creation of God. The poem is divided into two stanzas. The first stanza comprises of an assorted set of examples the poet finds beautiful. Meanwhile, the second stanza is more of a generalized statement about the sundry of nature. The poem begins with the call to praise the Lord and it ends on a similar note as well.

All in all, the poet reasons that the God is worthy of any worship simply because of the varied nature of his creation. According to him, only a being as omnipotent as God can paint the sky in dual colors as such of a brinded cow; can put rose-hued speckles on trout; can plot and piece a land beautifully etc. Only a powerful being like God can create something original and beautiful but so strange. However, there is a huge contradiction with the poet’s reasoning. Even though he praises God for creating a multitude of objects and creatures, God himself remains eternal and absolute with no scope of diversity. God himself is an infinite constant – an unchangeable being. Hence the question remains that how something as static as God can create myriads of different things. The poem finds beauty in difference. But as God is unvarying and perpetual in qualities, it almost appears as though God himself may not be the most beautiful being. Hence, the message of the poem is inherently in contradiction to itself.  

        

What is Poetry through the Lenses of Dickinson, Chakravarty and Reed

The following essay is a brief discussion of finding out what poetry is. The three poems mentioned in the essay are: That's What Poetry Is by Nirendranath Chakravarty, I Dwell in Possibility by Emily Dickinson and finally, Beware: Do Not Read This Poem by Ishmael Reed. It maintains the structure of a conventional essay with a word count of 464 words. 

Nearly every poet in their life has tried to define the features that constitute a poem. That’s What Poetry Is, I Dwell in Possibility, Beware: Do not read this poem by poets Nirendranath Chakravarty, Emily Dickinson and Ishmael Reed respectively are three such poems which explore the idea of what poetry is through the lens of the aforementioned three poets. Despite having some dissimilarities, the poems do share a common ground in terms of thematic messages, use of metaphors and concrete imagery and symbolism.

The Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy: Prose and Analysis

A young girl from the countryside happens to meet her former friend one day while visiting the Town. Her friend goes by the name Amelia and the country girl is perplexed to see how Amelia is dressed in such a fancy gown and moves with a regal poise. So, she stops her old friend and expresses her surprise in meeting her so suddenly. She also asks her how Amelia managed to get herself such fair garments and prosperity. In response, Amelia asks the country maiden whether she knows if she is ruined, implying that losing her innocence by either being an escort to a wealthy lord or a high class sex worker brought her all these lavishness.

The country maiden further goes on to ask Amelia how she has been able to change her life while simultaneously providing little details of her former life in the countryside. She mentions how Amelia did not even own shoes or sock and how her clothes were in tatters. Moreover, she details how she used to speak in dialect, especially the dialect of old Irish countryside. Furthermore, she briefs about how her hands used to resemble a paw due to all the hard work she had to do in the potato fields and her face was always bleak and blue due to the cold and dirt. But now, Amelia has rosy cheeks, speaks in a language befitting an aristocratic company, and wears gloves that fit her delicate hands and also bracelets and feathers. To all of these details about her transformation, Amelia replies by saying that she has achieved this by being ruined.

Metaphors in the Poems of Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson

Metaphors are not only integral part of poetry but a significant addition as well, since the presence of metaphors enriches the standard of the literary work. The strength of a metaphor in enhancing the beauty of a poem as well as amplifying its core message can be observed in the poems – “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath and “My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun” by Emily Dickinson. Both poems successfully used this important literary device in order to paint a coherent picture.

“Metaphors” is a clever little poem by Plath which contains nine lines, each with nine syllables. In fact, in the very first verse of the poem, the narrator mentions that this poem is a riddle of nine syllables. Such arrangement is intentionally made by Plath to mimic the nine-month duration of pregnancy, which the poem is all about. Calling the poem a riddle was an interesting move Plath did as metaphors are normally left up to the reader’s interpretation just like a riddle is. The poet wanted the readers to decipher the imagery created in the poem much like they would decipher a riddle. All in all, “Metaphors” is a poem with a collection of metaphors symbolizing the gestation period a woman goes through.

Use of myth in The Shield of Achilles by W. H. Auden

W. H. Auden’s poem – The Shield of Achilles – is a great poem that incorporates both the thesis and anti-thesis into it formulating an interesting synthesis. On one hand, there is Thetis, a minor goddess from the Ancient Greek mythology who embodies fortune, virtue and goodness and on the other hand, there is Hephaestus, a firesmith god from the same mythology, who portrays poverty, hardship and misfortune. The poet uses these two contradicting characters to showcase the conflicts between war and love.

The poet employs two significant characters from the Ancient Greek poet Homer’s Iliad – Thetis and Hephaestus – through whom the readers get to learn about the greatest Greek hero of all time, Achilles. Achilles is the son of Thetis, a goddess, and Peleus, a mortal king. When he was still an infant, his mother gave him a bath in the river Styx of the underworld which gave him immortality. Unfortunately, as he was held by one of his heels, the water failed to reach that spot, making that part of his body vulnerable. Years later in the battle with the Trojans, Achilles would pass away after an arrow went through that heel.

What not to do During Eid Prayer

NOTE: I wrote this piece as a ghost-writer for a friend. My aim was to help a friend, not to promote Islam in any way.

Eid, regardless of being a day of festivity in the lives of countless Muslims across the globe, is also a day of prayer and introspection. It is quite easy to get carried away on this day and lose the virtue you rehearsed so much in the month of Ramadan. Such setbacks can be easily avoided if we are aware of what not to do right from the morning prayer, the very first task of Eid-ul-Fitr.

Do not neglect to groom yourself

The topmost priority of Eid Morning Prayer should be to groom yourself properly for the act. It is Sunnah scrub down promptly first thing in the morning of Eid, followed by wearing a fresh set of clothes and adorning oneself with perfume. Since, prayer is an assembly, it is essential to keep one’s hygiene top notch so not to bother others during their prayer. On top of that, everyone likes the company of a well-prepped person.  

Why I speak mostly against Islam?

One of the frequently asked questions the ex-Muslims of Bangladesh gets is – if we are atheists, why do we choose to speak against one particular religion, namely Islam, and rarely talk about other religions. They accuse us being Islamophobic and also claim that we are not true atheists because we only speak against Islam. I will try to address their concern in this article.

Long story in short, the reason I choose to speak against Islam mostly is because I am surrounded by Muslims. All my life, I have been a practicing Muslim. On top of that, my whole family is still a group of practicing Muslims. Their ideology, Islam, affects me in all shapes and forms. Not only that, the society I live in is filled with people, most of whom claim to be Muslims.

It is quite difficult for indoctrinated people like Muslims to accept an ex-Muslim, let alone an atheist, in the community. So, I want to normalize atheism in this community. I want people to realize that atheists do exist and it is okay to be an atheist. I cannot do that unless I tell them again and again why I left Islam in the first place; what the flaws are in their ideology. It is not a personal attack against them, it is a criticism of their belief system.

Ecofeminism: Spiritual or Political by Maria Meyes and Vandana Shiva: Summary

The given paper tries to define ecofeminism and its purposes. It is a general overview of ecofeminism as a whole told from the perspective of the author. The author tried to differentiate ecofeminist universalism from that which emerged after the Enlightenment and through the capitalist patriarchal roots. According to this school of thought, instead of there being basic and higher needs, there is simply needs – one is not greater than the other.

According to Ynestra King, Ecofeminism is a connection between practice and theory. Basically well-being of the earth ensures well-being of all the living creatures. According to ecofeminist theory, the main threat to environment or nature is the capitalist mentality, which exploits the nature for material gain and in the process, harms individuals.

The 'Gender Lens' by Sarah C. White: Summary

In her research paper, White brings up an important issue to light. That is, race is often ignored due to all the importance given to gender and sexuality. White states that, focus on gender and gender-related issues makes race and race-related issues appear less important, if not, completely ignored. But in reality, issues related to race often go hand in hand with gender based issues. The aim of her research paper was to bring importance of race and its issues into discussion alongside gender.

While working on this paper, she came across various obstacles. For example, she realized how race-based issues are worked upon so seldom and whatever little work there was, it was moved aside. Next, she found out how she herself was guilty of referencing her works as white-washed in the past. 

White correlates gender with race by giving the example of the second wave of feminism in the 1960s, which included the civil rights movement in USA. She claims that racial awareness along with gender awareness was vastly important in that time. Furthermore, she adds that race and race-related issues should be included within the domains of GAD. But she does not forget to address the lack of absolutism about race. Just as gender, race is controversial and broad in terms of definitions.

From Development to Empowerment by Rekha Datta: Summary

The article is a summation of the activities and impact of SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) in the lives of women, especially the underprivileged and rural women, of India. It talks about the different measures taken by the organization in order to solve various problems a woman has to face in her regular life. The aims of SEWA is to make sure full employment of women is established. 

The organization is situated in Gujarat state of India and since its inception, it has displayed massive success rates in the fields of economy. It is also actively participating to eradicate different social obstructions women face in order to earn a livelihood. One of the biggest hurdles it came across is lack of recognition of self-employed women, such as, women who work in agricultural field, weaving, vending and so on. Previously, the state refused to give these working women the status of “employed”. But with the efforts of SEWA, especially due to the contribution of the young lawyer, Ela Bhatt, the state finally gave these women the proper recognition. This ensured that these women get the benefits of laws when necessary. This is also a stepping stone in the eradication of exploitation of these working class self-employed women.

Types of Feminism and Other Important Terms

Structuralism: The idea that everything can be confined within a structure. This idea was inspired from Saussure’s linguistic structure and the main proponent of this idea is Claude Levi-Strauss. Binary opposites and hierarchy are two main features of this ideology. This is a scientific approach.

Post-Structuralism: The main proponents were Foucault and Derrida and they talked about a decentered universe and deconstruction, meaning that there cannot be a hierarchal order. There is no absolute truth.

Post-modernism: It basically dealt with parody and pastiche. It is a cultural movement which used flashy and festive colors and exaggerated forms of expression.

Colonialism: The idea which leads a state to obtain authority of another state partially, initiating with the aim of trading. Generally, this enables the colonizing country to gain benefits bereaving the colonized country of its powers.

Men, Masculinity and "gender in development" by Andrea Cornwall: Summary

In her research, Andrea Cornwall points out that even though GAD claims to talk about gender in general, it mainly focuses on women and how they are oppressed. At the same time, it demonizes men. This creates an imbalance since, it has already proven that the problem is not “male versus female”; the problem lies in unequal power dynamics. She also points out that GAD emerged only because many of projects under WID failed, and people realized that it’s the institutionalized male privilege or patriarchy, or simply, the system that is at fault; not the biological male or female. Furthermore, she mentions that the current practices within GAD has some limitations.

At the start of 1980s, the idealization of the Universal Woman made even the mainstream feminists uncomfortable and created a power disequilibrium among the western perception of womanhood and other forms of womanhood, namely, black, lesbian, working class etc.

Why I cried when I saw the Ka’ba?

In 2017, I went to Mecca to perform Omrah with my family. On the very first night after landing in Mecca, we went to Masjid Al Haram to perform Omrah right then and there. It was a short walk from the hotel to the Masjid. At this point I should mention that during my time of Omrah, I used to be a young devout Muslim girl. I strongly believed in the fundamentals of Islam and defended it with all my heart. If you are a Muslim, you can already understand my excitement as I neared the Masjid.

It was a dry and peaceful night. There was no wind and the wide clean streets of Mecca were blindingly bright like a day. I could feel my heart pounding as I neared the Masjid. I was happy and excited. Our group walked through the Masjid and after what felt like an eternity, we entered the central courtyard where the Ka’ba stood.

Beauty and the Beast: Post-Structuralism and Deconstruction

“Beauty and the Beast” (1991) is a beloved classic Disney fairy tale enjoyed by both the children and the adults through generations. It is a romance between a beautiful young woman and a beast-like creature who used to be a prince but cursed by a sorceress. In this research, this treasured piece of literary text will be analyzed from the perspectives of two literary theories: Liberal Humanism and Deconstruction (Post-Structuralism).  

Even though the expression “Deconstruction” does not have a proper definition, in fact, quite difficult to define, roughly it can be said that it is the re-imagination of a literary text from an alternate point of view which the author or the creator might not have initially expected to do. It is one the central factors of Post-Structuralism. For example, while decoding Beauty and the Beast from a liberal humanist approach, it is already established that Belle, who is the “beauty” of the story is the supposed casualty of the Beast’s actions. But the deconstructive approach questions that notion. Even if on the surface, Belle is portrayed as the victim, is there genuine evidences for her to be the real victim? As a matter of fact is the Beast an oppressor or the back story of the Beast substantially more vile than really depicted? To be fair, the whole film is a concoction of unaddressed mental disorders and unusual preferences of a mate.

Beauty and the Beast: Liberal Humanism

“Beauty and the Beast” (1991) is a beloved classic Disney fairy tale enjoyed by both the children and the adults through generations. It is a romance between a beautiful young woman and a beast-like creature who used to be a prince but cursed by a sorceress. In this research, this treasured piece of literary text will be analyzed from the perspectives of two literary theories: Liberal Humanism and Deconstruction (Post-Structuralism).  

To read the text as it is – is the essential factor of the Liberal Humanist Approach. The founding rules the Liberal Humanist criticism was laid by F.D. Maurice in 1840 and later, the theory was much worked on by F. R. Leavis. According to this theory, any literary text has to be analyzed without any form of personal or historical influences. The intentions of the story are to be found from the text irrespective of any external influences or any underlying unspoken meaning. Even though, the definition of Liberal Humanism is much more complex than simply reading the text as it is, for the sake of understanding, this central idea will be used to decipher the text in question her, which is the classic Disney film, “Beauty and the Beast.”