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.

Bazar of Bangladesh

A Bazar of Bangladesh

So you take your first spoonful of biriyani and the taste hits you harder than a nuclear bomb? Ever wondered what made it so delicious? The best kind of rice, the best kind of spice and the best of meat combined together makes the best biriyani. Guess where you can find all of these?

At a bazar of course. 

A bazar is the local name of the market place where you can find all the groceries you need. From the freshest of fruits to the freshest of vegetables, what not. Right now, we will try to understand the whole concept of bazar as a whole.

The market complex is actually in an open space. There are small stalls all over this complex arranged in neat rows and open in all sides. The owner sits in the middle and displays his goods around him. You can actually bargain here literally. There are a lot instances where you can get a 500 taka product for only 120 taka. 

How the atheists turned me into a Believer

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. 

Our beliefs are heavily rooted in our birth and so is our choice of religion. Instead of choice, I shall say it is more of a command. I am Muslim because my parents are Muslims, my friend is a Hindu because her parents were Hindus. My love for Islam used to be just that – I used to love Islam because I taught to not because I actually wanted. Then one day, I met a bunch of atheists over social media and my thoughts and beliefs changed.

I was young and like other youngsters of my generation, I was hooked with Facebook. I was constantly on the web, liking different posts, chatting with friends and what not. Facebook recommends some pages one may like at one corner of the screen. That was how I came to know of the popular (or should I say notorious) group called Atheist Republic.

Auchin Pakhi (Dream Bird) by Hasan Azizul Haque

The exposition of the story is about this poor father and his son, who live well under the poverty line at a time when strikes were fairly common. The time period is clearly not mentioned but I am guessing it is during the liberation war or during one of the many events that leads up to it. The father was the only earning member of the family who worked as a school master at a local school and barely made enough money to lead a comfortable life let alone dream about luxuries as obtaining a pet.

The story is told in third person limited narrative where the father was the main narrator. The main character’s family consisted of only himself, his wife and their only son, Babul. Now they may be living under poverty due all this strikes and the husband’s not-so-much earning, but the man surely was a doting father as he tries to fulfill all his son’s wishes; sometimes even going for extreme measures for that. For example, when he bought that chandana bird for his son. Now, owning a pet might not seem like a big deal but under the circumstances of the family’s poor financial situation, buying a bird and taking care of it was quite a deal as it meant that they will now have lesser food and money to buy other stuff. Now, it is not clearly mentioned but implied that the father’s job is currently on hiatus because of all the strikes. So, just like the atmosphere of the story, the mood of the characters were kind of restless all throughout.

Should private universities in Bangladesh teach their students morality?

Topic: Should private universities in Bangladesh teach their students morality?

My answer: Yes.

In fact, I believe morality should never even be out of our system. I do not mean that there should another extra subject on morality. That would be awful, because as human beings we like to learn things and enjoy doing it when we are not under some kind pressure of exams and stuff. What I am suggesting is to instill the sense of morality subconsciously, like hanging posters and fliers here and there on walls or notice boards, so that one can some moral values while walking or doing whatever they are doing. It should be like a reminder, not something forced upon the students.

I also do not support some extra free classes where there is a certain teacher teaching us morality. That would be nothing different from normal classes. But, if necessary, the universities can arrange some sessions where different people can discuss what morality is and what should be about it; though I believe that would not be much fruitful since everyone has their own opinions.