Thinking Activity on John Keats: Finding out approaches to Death in Literature

Thinking Activity on John Keats: Finding out approaches to Death in Literature

Death, the ultimate reality. People normally don't want to talk about death. They cannot accept it. But writers have some special kind of fascination towards death. Death is always the beloved topic of all writers however their approach to death differ. John Keats in his Ode to Nightingale writes 'half in love with ' and wants to die at midnight with 'easeful' death.

One example from Keats is given. Students are suppose to find out how Death is generally dealt by other writers in literature.  

Quiz on The African Literature:

A Grain of Wheat

The Swamp Dwellers

Things Fall Apart

Waiting For the Barbarians

Quiz on Selected Poems (The African Literature) 

Colonial Power and the Native:

Where to start from? What to say? Because colonialism or postcolonialism is a never ending issue. Postcolonial studies have a fashion in today's world. Ironically it has become a fashion to study the 'wretched class'.

The identity of the 'native' is constructed for the westerner's gaze. A community of the 'native' with some traditions and customs, with a family,  with a voice, and with a history, has been transformed into an object or let say 'oriental' by the colonizer.

For some last five-six centuries the world has been trained to see everything from a western perspective. The knowledge is generated by the West and a king of 'whiteman's myth' was created that everything of the West or White will definitely be good or rather say 'Best'. The phrase 'White man's burden ' was very popular. So the White took it as their responsibility to reform the 'other' world.

The world was divided. The West has become a metaphor of patriarchy and the non-western world are feminized.The culture of the native was not respected. The native became the synonym for barbaric and savage. The colonial power marginalized the native. In the process of transforming and reforming the natives, they were dehumanized.

The history of the 'native' was eradicated and was recreated by the colonizer. The 'native' is taught the language, religion, tradition, etc... of the colonizer. In that way the 'native' is translated. Translation means transforming the material identity. With Colonization the culture of the 'native' is transformed into the subordinated culture of a colonial regime, and all aspects of the original culture have to reconstructed and reshaped.

In that way the nation suffers from the death pangs as the culture, creativity, imagination, knowledge and history of the 'native' dies and it cannot be covered up. 

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein v/s Kenneth Branagh's movie Frankenstein:

Pre-viewing tasks:

·        What is gothic scientific fiction?

·        What is a frame narrative?

·        What is the point of view of the author?

·        What are the viewpoints of different characters?

·        Do you have confusion about the title of the novel?

·        Who do you think is the real monster, the Creator or the Creature?

·        What is tabula rasa?

·        What is the significance of the subtitle "The Modern Prometheus"?

·        Do you think Mary Shelley's Frankenstein stands on the brick of revolutionary changes?

While viewing the movie:

·        How is the beginning and the end of the movie?

·        Do you feel the effect of horror in the movie?

·        What do you think about the character of the monster in the movie?

·        What do you think about the conversation between Victor and the monster?

·        Do you think that some scenes are omitted or replaced by other scene? How is the effect of these changes?

·        Do you think the director has used appropriate symbols in the movie?

Post-viewing tasks:

·        What is the difference between the movie and the novel?

·        Does the movie help you to understand narrative structure of the novel?

·        Do you think the movie is helpful to understand the viewpoints of different characters?

·        What do you think about the creation of lady monster in the novel and Elizabeth's look of a monster in the movie?

·        Think about Victor's acceptance of Elizabeth and rejection of the monster.

·        Do you think the director is faithful to the novel?

Screening  Kya Kehna in the context of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

1.    What are the names of the protagonists in both the works?

2.    Write their story in brief.

3.    What is the role played by society in Hester’s life?

4.    What is the role played by society in Priya’s life?

5.    Compare and contrast the male characters, Roger Chillingworth, Arthur Dimmesdale, Rahul, and Ajay.

6.    Compare and contrast ‘The scaffold scene in The Scarlet Letter’ and ‘a year-end performance in Kya Kehna in which a group of students performs a play on Priya and her pregnancy’.

7.    What are the reasons that Arthur Dimmesdale and Rahul do not come forward to accept their fatherhood? How do you they differ and what are the similarities?

8.    What is the role played by Chillingworth in Hester’s life? Why do you think he wanted to take revenge on Hester and Dimmesdale?

9.    What is the role played by Rahul’s mother in Priya’s life? Why do you think she wants to take revenge on Priya?

10. Write a note on class difference in Kya Kehna.

11. Why do you think the director has lifted the character of Ajay to the ideal state? Is it possible in real life? What are the reasons of your YES or NO?

12. How do you see Hester and Priya as individuals?

13. Write a critical note on the end of the movie and the novel. Why do you think the novelist has not given happy ending?

The Oldman and The Sea

The Oldman and The Sea is a novella written by Earnest Hemingway an American writer. The novella is with single action, single thought and single plot. Hemingway has used very limited characters to express the grand importance of struggle in life and an individual’s strength and capacity of fight against the odds of life.

The Oldman, Santiago goes for fishing and comes back with nothing for eighty-four days. He still continues to go without losing courage. Though he has faced failure in life for many times, he is still hopeful in his eyes about skill and luck. He feels that he is still capable of bearing the weight of great fish. On the eighty-fifth the oldman goes for fishing. He goes deep into the sea to catch a big fish. A huge fish is stuck in his fishing bait but he has not seen his pray. He can just feel the weight. The fish starts pulling the boat and it continues for 2-3 days. Finally it appears on the surface then starts circling the boat. The oldman respects the fish’s strength and mightiness and calls the fish his brother and gathering all his courage he kills the marlin. The oldman is victorious but the victory is short lived. The sharks come to eat the marlin. The oldman tries to save is price but cannot do anything. The body is marlin is mutilated. When the oldman comes back only the head of the great fish was left. He was tired and goes to sleep.

In the critical journey of life the oldman tries to get inspiration. Manolin is as such character in the oldman’s life. The readers look at the oldman from the boy’s eyes. When the oldman was alone in the sea he desperately wishes for the boy’s company. In the critical time of life the oldman’s frequently visits his past. The scene of young lions playing at seashore is his pleasant memory. Every time he dreams lions. Yeats: “ Some one scene, some one adventure, some one picture that is the image of his secret life, and this one image, if he would buts brood over it his lifelong, would lead his soul.” The dream of lions has a special space in the oldman’s life. These particular person and scene helps him to be positive in his life. So the oldman fails but he never loses.

Here are some questions: Enjoy thinking

1.      Can you mark a critical phase of your life?

2.      Do you have any such person whom you recall in the crisis?

3.      What is the importance of that person? Why?

4.      What is the importance of dream of lions in the novel?

5.      Do you have any such scene or image you frequently like to visit?

6.      What is the reason of your obsession for that scene?

7.      Replace the oldman with yourself. How would be the approach if you fail like the oldman in life?

Middlemarch by George Eliot (Applying Feminism) Task for Students

In Middlemarch Eliot notably focuses on women of The Victorian society. As the novel is by a woman and for women Feminism can be applied at its best. Eliot has portrayed women of slightly different classes. She has put them in different situations.

Dorothea, majorly concerned one, is an upper class woman with idealistic ideas about life and marriage. Her decision to marry Edward Casaubon is because she wanted to a part of intellectual discourse with her husband. She decides to marry him because she wanted to help him in his research work as an assistant. It can be also interpreted that she wanted to satisfy her intellectual hunger by marring him. It was the time in which education and knowledge was limited to men only. Women were excluded from it. Perhaps for Dorothea it was the only way to be knowledgeable but she fails.

Rosamond is a girl of upper middle class. She wants to marry someone who does not belong to Middlemarch. By marrying someone life this she wants go out of Middlemarch town. She is very materialistic. She marries Dr. Lydgate but ultimately the marriage fails. One can't blame Rosamond for what she is as she has learned everything from the patriarchal society where the law of the father is powerful one.

Mary Garth is a middle,class woman but she is very realistic and natural. She stretches herself to help her family. She does not believe in romanticizing love and marriage instead she is very strict and hard on wrong decisions of Fred. She fulfills her responsibility of making him into a man.

All these women are involved in the process of creating 'safe zone'. They wish to have 'E' securities (Emotional and Economical). To see, at what extent they get success, requires critical thinking. 

Frankenstain by Mary Shelley (Pre-task)

Mary Shelley traveled through Europe and during her travel she visited Frankenstein castle. An alchemist used to do experiments there before two centuries. After coming back from her travel she had a dream and then she composed the novel, at the age of Eighteen. The novel is about the creation of a monster by the protagonist. The creation is given the name of 'Monster'. The word 'monster' has many connotative meanings. Based on this you are suppose to answer following questions?

1) When did you have a dream?
2) What did you see in your dream?
3) Based on your dream if you are asked to create something, What type of creation would be there?
4) The creation will be ugly or beautiful?
5) If ugly, why? If beautiful, why?
6) What are your interpretations for the word 'monster'?
7) Have you ever visited such kind of places which has some connections with horror and terror?