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.