The Black Cat by Edgar Allan poe

 Hello Reader!!

I am writing this blog as part of academic study the short story by famous American writer, editor and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe's famous mysterious story "The Black Cat".

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

          -Edgar Allan Poe

Introduction:-

"The Black Cat," one of Edgar Allan Poe's most memorable stories, is a classic example of the gothic literature genre that debuted in the Saturday Evening Post on August 19, 1843. Written in the form of a first-person narrative, Poe employed multiple themes of insanity, superstition, and alcoholism to impart a palpable sense of horror and foreboding to this tale, while at the same time, deftly advancing his plot and building his characters. It's no surprise that "The Black Cat" is often linked with "The Tell-Tale Heart," since both of Poe's stories share several disturbing plot devices including murder and damning messages from the grave—real or imagined.

About Author:-

Edgar Allan Poe, (born Jan. 19, 1809, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died Oct. 7, 1849, Baltimore, Md.), U.S. poet, critic, and short-story writer. Poe was raised by foster parents in Richmond, Va., following his mother’s death in 1811. He briefly attended the University of Virginia and then returned to Boston, where in 1827 he published a pamphlet of youthful, Byronic poems. By 1835 he was in Richmond as editor of the Southern Literary Messenger, the first of several periodicals he was to edit or write for. There he married a 13-year-old cousin, who died in 1847. At various times he lived in Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia. Alcohol, the bane of his irregular and eccentric life, caused his death at age 40. His works are famous for his cultivation of mystery and the macabre. Among his tales are “Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Black Cat,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Pit and the Pendulum.” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter” initiated the modern detective story. His poems (less highly regarded now than formerly) are musical and sensuous, as in “The Bells,” a showcase of sound effects; they include touching lyrics inspired by women (e.g., “Annabel Lee”) and the uncanny (e.g., “The Raven”).

Characters of the short story:-

Unnamed Narrator:-

The narrator is another of Poe’s unnamed and unreliable men driven to madness. All we really know about him—if his word can be trusted, that is—is that he has enjoyed a lifetime love of animals and that the animals have reciprocated this love. The narrator does make clear what it is about animals that inspires in him a higher level of love and respect: he particularly admires their loyalty and perception. In other words, if an animal remains loyal to you, you must be a good person—which should bring into question the character of any person whose pet begins to exhibit disloyal behavior.

The Narrator's Wife:-

Not much information is provided about the narrator’s wife other than that she shares his love of animals. We do learn that she might be more superstitious than he is since she is fond of mentioning the belief that cats and witches are inextricably linked. Of course, this information arrives courtesy of a narrator that is not entirely trustworthy, and even he is careful to assert that just because she mentions this superstition, doesn’t necessarily mean she believes it. Ultimately, it is the narrator that seems to possess a deeper belief in supernatural explanations. One thing is for certain: the wife is willing to intrude on behalf of animals when in danger, even if that danger is her husband.

Pluto:-

Pluto is the black cat that joins the goldfish, rabbit, dog, birds, and monkey in the menagerie of pets that the narrator and his wife invite into their home. The close bond between cat and owner (i.e. the narrator) even manages to initially shield the cat from the abusive effects of the owner—effects that were already affecting the man's relationship with his other pets and his wife. The passage of time and the rise of addiction tolerance eventually takes their toll, however, resulting in Pluto first losing an eye at the narrator’s hand before losing his life at the end of a noose.

The Second Black Cat:-

Following rather quickly upon the death of Pluto and an unexplained fire that destroys the narrator’s home, a second black cat enters the narrative. This cat remains nameless, like the narrator. It is almost identical to Pluto, right down to having only one eye, but it has one distinguishing difference: a patch of white fur covering almost its entire breast. The lack of an actual name indicates the emotionless connection between it and the narrator that claims to be such an animal lover: despite a seemingly strong desire by the cat for them to become best friends, the narrator is utterly repulsed by the cat, to the eventual point of attempted murder.

The Police:-

The police arrive to investigate the disappearance of the narrator's wife. They catalyze the mad narrator's hubris, which leads him to inadvertently give away the murder he has continued.

Plots overview of The Black Cat:-

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author of the 19th century, famous for his work in the mystery genre. “The Black Cat” is one of his mystery short stories, written in 1843. It is a story about a frightened man who is also the narrator of the story. He is a loving person and His family owns a cat, a black one. Its name is Pluto and it becomes a good friend of the narrator. Even if people around him said that black cat is evil, Pluto is his favourite. Then Slowly the narrator‟s attitude is changed by alcohol. He becomes more emotional than before; He sometimes hits his wife; he even hits Pluto. One night, he comes back home drunk and Pluto bites him. He is so blinded by the drink he cuts one of the animal‟s eyes. Since then Pluto does not come near him again and it makes him sad, and then angry. The next thing he does is hang Pluto by its neck on a tree until it is dead. That night his house is on fire and he is lucky to be able to escape from the building. The next morning, in the remains of the building, there is a new plaster of wall standing in the centre of the ruins and on its surface There is a black shape similar to a cat. It is not supposed to be there since he hung the cat in the tree in the garden.

Months later, he misses Pluto and tries to find a new one similar to it. One night he finds a cat very similar to Pluto; this cat was suddenly showed up out of nowhere, except for the white hair on the front of its body. It comes home with him and it becomes a very good friend to his wife. The next morning he realised that this cat also lost one of his eyes like Pluto. Soon enough, he hates the animal, and keeps away from it so as not to hurt it like he did with Pluto. The cat follows the narrator everywhere and he wants to kill him but he is too afraid to do that. Slowly, the shape of the white hair on the cat‟s front body changes into the shape of gallows. The narrator becomes more and more uneasy about this cat; he has a terrible dream and finds the cat sitting next to his face and pressing down on his heart. He is now a very bad man who only has evil thoughts and hates everyone. One day, on his way to cut a log, the cat almost trips him; he suddenly wants to kill it but his wife stops him. He is very angry at his wife so he hit his wife‟s head with the axe. However, he has to bury her body but he is afraid his neighbours will find it. So he buries her in the new plaster of the wall. When he finishes he realises that the cat is not there anymore. For some time, he feels calm. On the fourth day, a group of police come to his house; he brags about his strong new wall and knocks on it. A voice, like a child‟s cry, replies to the knock and it is followed by a long scream. The Police hurry to break down the wall. When the wall is opened, there is a cat screaming, standing on his wife‟s head. Its evil voice sends the narrator to his death.

Setting:-

''The Black Cat'' is set in an ambiguous time period implied to be approximately contemporary with when the story was written. It takes place over the course of a few months. ''The Black Cat'' setting starts in the protagonist's jail cell where he is awaiting his execution the following day. He then takes the readers on a journey back to his old house. The first part of the story, where Pluto features, is set primarily in the narrator's house. When that house burns down, he and his wife find a new place to live. The second part of the story, set a few months after the fire, takes place in the narrator's new house. These events take several years but the narrator recounts all incidents in only one day. 

Symbols:-

Symbols are a key component of Poe's dark tale, particularly the following ones.

The black cat:

More than just the title character, the black cat is also an important symbol. Like the bad omen of legend, the narrator believes Pluto and his successor have led him down the path toward insanity and immorality. 

Alcohol: 

While the narrator begins to view the black cat as an outward manifestation of everything the narrator views as evil and unholy, blaming the animal for all his woes, it is his addiction to drinking, more than anything else, that seems to be the true reason for the narrator's mental decline.

House and home: 

"Home sweet home" is supposed to be a place of safety and security, however, in this story, it becomes a dark and tragic place of madness and murder. The narrator kills his favorite pet, tries to kill its replacement, and goes on to kill his own wife. Even the relationships that should have been the central focus of his healthy and happy home fall victim to his deteriorating mental state. 

Prison: 

When the story opens, the narrator is physically in prison, however, his mind was already imprisoned by the shackles of madness, paranoia, and alcohol-induced delusions long before he was apprehended for his crimes. 

The wife: 

The wife could have been a grounding force in the narrator's life. He describes her as having "that humanity of feeling." Rather than saving him, or at least escaping with her own life, she becomes a horrible example of innocence betrayed. Loyal, faithful, and kind, she never leaves her husband no matter how low he sinks into the depths of depravity. Instead, it is he who is in a sense unfaithful to his marriage vows. His mistress, however, is not another woman, but rather his obsession with drinking and the inner demons his drinking unleashes as symbolically personified by the black cat. He forsakes the woman he loves—and eventually kills her because he can't break the hold of his destructive obsession.

Major Themes:-

Love and hate are two key themes in the story. The narrator at first loves his pets and his wife, but as madness takes hold of him, he comes to loathe or dismiss everything that should be of the utmost importance to him. Other major themes include:

Justice and Truth:- 

The narrator tries to hide the truth by walling up his wife's body but the voice of the black cat helps bring him to justice.

Superstition:-

The black cat is an omen of bad luck, a theme that runs throughout literature. 

Murder and Death:-

 Death is the central focus of the entire story. The question is what causes the narrator to become a killer.

Illusion versus Reality:- 

Does the alcohol release the narrator's inner demons, or is it merely an excuse for his horrendous acts of violence? Is the black cat merely a cat, or something embued with a greater power to bring about justice or exact revenge?

Loyalty Perverted:-

 A pet is often seen as a loyal and faithful partner in life but the escalating hallucinations the narrator experiences propel him into murderous rages, first with Pluto and then with the cat the replaces him. The pets he once held in highest affection become the thing he most loathes. As the man's sanity unravels, his wife, whom he also purports to love, becomes someone who merely inhabits his home rather than shares his life. She ceases to be a real person, and when she does, she is expendable. When she dies, rather than feel the horror of killing someone he cares for, the man's first response is to hide the evidence of his crime.

Man’s Descent into Insanity:-

In "The Black Cat," the narrator was aware that his thoughts and actions were transforming into a downward spiral. He was aware of his increased irritability, his disregard of the feelings of others, and the unreasonable violent actions he carried out towards his wife. He was even aware that his favorite pet and playmate, Pluto, was falling victim to the ill-effects brought by alcoholism onto the narrator. However, for reasons that remain inscrutable to the reader, he continues his descent into moral degeneration. Is he affected with "perverseness"? Is it a result of the alcohol? Does he not know what he is doing?

The ill-effects of Alcoholism:-

In this story, the narrator describes to the readers the effects of the “Fiend Intemperance." It was due to the increased intake of alcohol that the narrator experienced a radical alteration for the worse. He became more irritable, cared little for the feelings of others, and often used intemperate language with his wife—not to mention the violent acts he committed towards her. He abused the rabbits, the dogs, the monkey, and even his favorite pet, Pluto. We do not know why he was driven to drink, and being drunk did not explain all of his evil deeds—but alcohol certainly exacerbated his behavior and helped him stray further from a unified self.

Supernatural Beliefs:-

The theme of supernatural elements pervades this story. The title itself suggests supernatural elements, for there are various superstitions regarding the bad luck that a black cat allegedly brings. In this story, the narrator kills his pet—Pluto, a black cat—by hanging him from a tree branch. After the murder of the black cat, bad luck followed the narrator. His house burned down, only one wall remained, and that wall had an impression of the black cat with a rope about the animal’s neck. A few days later, another black cat appeared in front of the narrator. This cat looked exactly like Pluto except it had a patch of white fur at the bosom, which later represented the "gallows." The events that followed the hanging of Pluto can be attributed to supernatural explanations, for it is a common belief that a black cat brings bad luck.

Guilt:-

The narrator's guilt is what brought the black cat back to haunt him. The cat represents his guilt: as the narrator became more guilty, the cat became more realistic. For example, the only time the cat was heard was when the police were searching the narrator's house, at which point his guilt and fear finally pushed him into full madness. The narrative shows that guilt is a key factor in man's descent into madness—yet also a vital part of what keeps us human.

The Divided Self:-

The narrator experiences a fragmented, divided self. This is apparent not only in the dichotomy between the man telling the tale and the man committing the acts in the tale, but also in terms of nearly all of his actions once his "perverseness" set in. He vacillated between sanity and insanity, between fear and horror of the cat and the impulse to act. He had nightmares, drunken stupors, and paroxysms of rage and despair. He killed his cat and then desired another one; he felt poorly for his long-suffering wife but murdered her without a thought. The only bliss and peace he had were when he completely lost himself after killing his wife and walling up the cat in the tomb.

Thank You for Visiting!!

Work Citation:-

Barzun, Jacques , Cestre, Charles and Mabbott, Thomas Ollive. "Edgar Allan Poe". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Nov. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe. Accessed 20 December 2023.

Lombardi, Esther. ""The Black Cat" Study Guide." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/the-black-cat-themes-and-symbols-738847.

Osborne-Bartucca, Kristen. Suduiko, Aaron ed. "The Black Cat Themes". GradeSaver, 12 March 2019 Web. 20 December 2023.https://www.gradesaver.com/the-black-cat/study-guide/themes

Poe, Edgar Allan, and Jose Menendez. Elegant Ebooks . 1843, www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Poe/Black_Cat.pdf.

The Colour Purple Novel by Alice Walker

Hello Everyone,

This blog is based on Alice Walker's Novel "The Colour Purple." This novel won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.

Assignment Dessertation Conclusion

Name:- Hinaba D.Sarvaiya.

 M.A. sem 4

Paper no:- Research Project Writing: Dissertation Writing 

Roll no:- 09

Enrollment no:- 4069206420210032

Email ID:- hinabasarvaiya1711@gmail.com

Submitted by:- S.B.Gardi Department of English MKBU.

Batch:- 2021 to 2023

Conclusion:-

Eco-criticism is a relatively new field of literary and social research that emerged as a response to the human-centric attitude of dominating nature. It is a tool for interpreting literature to raise environmental awareness among readers. The modern world is facing ecological disasters, and eco-criticism seeks to investigate the global environmental crisis through the intersection of literature, culture, and the physical environment. Literature has a mission to fulfil, and ecocriticism argues for a better understanding of nature. This field has grown into a global movement in recent decades, emphasising the need for a better attitude towards nature.

Ecocriticism is a relatively new field of literary criticism that examines the relationship between literature and the natural environment. This approach is particularly relevant in today's world, where environmental issues have become increasingly urgent. 

Literature can reflect and influence our attitudes towards the environment, and ecocriticism examines how authors have represented the natural world in their works. In this Dissertation will discuss the key concepts of ecocriticism and explore its various approaches. Then apply ecocritical theory to a comparative study of two novels by the Indian author Dhruv Bhatt: Akoopar and Samundrantike.

Ecocriticism can be defined as the study of literature and the environment. It examines how literature represents the natural world and how humans interact with nature. Ecocritical theory emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as part of the environmental movement. It is a multidisciplinary field that draws on literature, ecology, philosophy, and other disciplines. Ecocritics seek to understand the relationship between humans and the environment, and how this relationship is represented in literature.

There are several approaches to ecocriticism discussed in this dissertation thesis like, Ecofeminism, Deep Ecology, Ecological Marxism, and Ecopsychology, each of which emphasises different aspects of the relationship between literature and the environment. One approach is the nature-focused approach, which examines how literature represents the natural world. 

This approach is concerned with the aesthetics of nature and how writers have represented the beauty and power of the natural world.There are several approaches to ecocriticism, each of which emphasises different aspects of the relationship between literature and the environment

In this Dissertation thesis deals with the Comparative Study of Dhruv Bhatt's Novels Akoopar and Samundrantike.Dhruv Bhatt is an Indian author who has written several novels that address environmental themes. In this comparative study, I will examine two of his novels: Akoopar and Samundrantike.Both novels address environmental themes and can be interpreted through an ecocritical lens.

In this dissertation compared to both novel characters who are very conscious about nature and how nature connected with humans. Both novels described nature as part of life. Both the novel protagonists learnt the lesson of nature like Akoopar novel unknown narrator who does not know about the relationship with the human and wild animal.how possible to human leave with nature as a member of the family. In the Akoopar novel many characters are given the name of the animal as the name of the human. Like the Ramjana and Saryu this the name of the lioness and another name is Girvan this the name of the Lakshmi’s cow names. 

The novel's title suggested the human connection with nature. In Akoopar novel there are many characters like Aaima, Sansai, Lakshmi, Dhanu, Rava Aata those character are very conscious about the nature.another novel Samundratike are many character presented the conscious about the nature like the Noorbhai, Haada Bhatt, Saboor and His Wife, Bangali baba, and Krishna Tindal ect.both novels use characters to emphasise the importance of the human-nature relationship and the need for humans to live in harmony with nature.

Akoopar is an exemplary work of ecocritical literature that explores the complex relationship between humans and nature. Through its portrayal of the Gir forest and its inhabitants, the novel highlights the importance of recognizing the intrinsic value of nature and the need for conservation. 

The title Akoopar, meaning "infinite" or "unfathomable," reminds us of the timeless nature of the forest and its ability to regenerate despite past destruction. The analogy between the turtle and the forest suggests a deeper connection between humans and nature, emphasising the need to shift our attitudes towards the environment. 

By using ecocritical approaches such as deep ecology, Akoopar advocates for a radical shift in human behaviours and attitudes towards the environment. It serves as a poignant reminder of the urgent need to prioritise environmental protection and take action to preserve the natural world for future generations. Overall, Akoopar stands as a testament to the power of literature in promoting ecological awareness and inspiring action towards a more sustainable future.

Samundrantike is another compelling work of ecocritical literature by Dhruv Bhatt that explores the intricate relationship between humans and nature. The novel portrays the sea as a living, breathing entity that interacts with and shapes the lives of the characters. The sea is not just a backdrop, but a dynamic force that influences the characters' thoughts, emotions, and actions. The novel also highlights the impact of human activities on the environment, particularly on marine life, through the characters' actions and choices. 

When you see the comparative study of characters in both the novels at that time Akoopar and Samundrantike both are novels presented in different ways of using characters which are very conscious about nature. . Both novels are presented in different places but nature is central in both the novels. Akoopar tells the story of Gir and Gir people who are kindly connected with each other. And another novel Samudrantike is tells the story of Savrastra place and here is central object of ocean and living in oceanside people who is connected with the ocean.  

Akoopar highlights the importance of nature 's connection with humans. In novel's characters are more connected with nature. Ecocriticism means to study how humans are connected with nature. Here all characters are not only connected to nature but nature became a part of their life. Nature gives life as they are living in Gir. Gir is not only forest but Gir is Life of all Maldharis those who are living in Gir. Gir became a character which gives life to all peoples who live here. 

The Akoopar highlights the importance of recognizing the significance and value of nature, not just as a resource for humans but as a living, breathing entity that deserves respect and protection. The novel Samudrantike depicts the lives of coastal communities and how they thrive in the harsh coastal environment. The novel highlights the significance of nature as a source of strength and joy, and how it can enrich human lives even in the most challenging circumstances. 

Noorbhai who is the character of the Samundrantike and another character is Dhanu who is the Akoopar character. In both the novels Bhatt's is presented through the characters which are very conscious about nature. Noorbhai is an uneducated man and he worked as a forest guard. He tells many situations which change nature. He is an eyewitness to see how the forests are cut down and land becomes infertile. That is a very serious issue Presented through this character. He has witnessed the degradation of the area, and the lush jungle has been replaced by dry, sand terrain with only a few babul trees that he has planted himself. Noorbhai's memoirs and observations serve as a poignant reminder of the environmental damage caused by Human activity. 

Aval is also one character who is very conscious about the natural elements. When natural disasters like floods happened at times she served many people in haveli. At times in the Floor scorpion at times she sympathises towards the scorpion. This indicates that they understand the importance of all living beings in the ecosystem and value their role in maintaining a balance in nature.

Bangali Baba who has a deep understanding of changing environmental conditions. He represents the relationship between humans and nature. Bangali Baba explores the tension between nature and culture, suggesting that humans need to find a way to balance their needs and desires with the preservation of the environment. 

Saboor is one who is very conscious about the land. He gives the metaphor of land as like a mother. Without land like a child of an orphan. He and his wife were able to transform the barren landscape into a fertile and productive one. 

Akoopar's character is Dhanu, who is also a forest guard but here is very different from Noorbhai's character. Dhanu's duties to those foreigners or researchers who went to Gir and knew about Gir at the time he guided them. Dhanu is known as the entire Gir in every corner. He is very conscious about the Gir and also their Animals. When lions attacked him at that time he retained a positive attitude towards the Lion. They not only respect the animals but also have a deep understanding of their behaviour and motives. 

Character of Sansai is also known as an entire Gir. She entire life around the Gir. We do not talk about Gir without Sansai. She is not only conscious about the Gir but also conscious about their animals. In Akoopar, Sansai is a female character who is portrayed as taking care of the entire Gir. When the narrator and Sansai organise the meeting to campaign against lion hunters. At that time she says that the Gir is a lion walk and that the map of the forest for tourists should not decide where the lion can go. It shows that she is very conscious about Gir and Lions. 

Aaima is the main character who is connected with nature. She sees everything in Gayr as alive, even inanimate objects, and personifies them with a sense of life. She is a true caretaker and lover of Gayr and its nature. Aaima was discussing the life of the wild animal and the Gir which like as she is talking about her family members. Aiama has deep connection with nature and sees everything around her as alive and interconnected. She does not separate animals from nature or see nature as separate from herself. Instead, she recognises that all the living things in the forests of Gir are part of a larger, interconnected ecosystem.

Most important character of Rava Aata who is also connected with nature. He is living in Gir and Gir gives life to them. Lions are also a part of them. When humans are hunting a lion at times they are hunting as Gir and Also the Life of Gir People. Because the Lion is the life of Gir. He saved the lion hunting from the Lat Saheb. This is show that how Rava Aata very conscious about the life of animal and Gir which is the part of the life of entire Maldharies people who live in Gir. 

Through the lens of ecocriticism, the novel emphasises the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness of all living beings and the need for conservation. Dhruv Bhatt's deep ecological approach reminds readers of the urgent need to shift our attitudes towards the environment and promote sustainable practices. Samundrantike serves as a powerful reminder of the vital role that nature plays in our lives and the importance of preserving it for future generations. Overall, the novel stands as an excellent example of the ability of literature to promote ecological awareness and inspire action towards a more sustainable future.

Words:- 1,888

Assignment: Research Methodology

  Name:- Hinaba D.Sarvaiya.

 

 M.A. sem 4

Paper no:- Research Methodology 

Roll no:- 09

Enrollment no:- 4069206420210032

Email ID:- hinabasarvaiya1711@gmail.com

Submitted by:- S.B.Gardi Department of English MKBU.

Batch:- 2021 to 2023

Mechanics of Writing In Research Methodology:-

Introduction:-

Writing skills are an important part of communication which allow us to communicate with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than face to face or any other communication. The good thing is that writing skills can be learned as well as any other skills . When we write a Research Paper at times the Mechanics of Writing is very important. Mechanics of Writing like, spelling, punctuation, Italics, Name of Person, Numbers, Quotations etc.. Let's discuss of Mechanics of Writing. 

 

Spelling:-

Spelling, including hyphenation, must be consistent, except in quotations: quoted material must be reproduced exactly as it appears in the original.

Word division:-

 

Avoid dividing words at the end of a line. Where divisions are unavoidable, practice in [North America] is to divide words according to pronunciation (“rep-re-sent”), whereas the British divide according to word derivation (“re-pre-sent”). Other languages have their own rules for dividing words: French, for instance, usually divides on a vowel (“ho-me-rique”; in English, “Ho-mer-ic”). If in doubt, consult a dictionary.

Punctuation:-

 The primary purpose of punctuation is to ensure the clarity and readability of your writing. Although there are many required uses, punctuation is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference. But, while certain practices are optional, consistency is mandatory. Writers must guard against adopting different styles in parallel situations. The remarks below stress the conventions that pertain especially to research papers. More comprehensive discussions of punctuation can be found in standard handbooks of composition ….

Apostrophes:-

Apostrophes indicate contractions (rarely acceptable in scholarly writing) and possessives. General practice is to form the possessive of monosyllabic proper names ending in a sibilant sound (s, z, sh, zh, ch, j) by adding an apostrophe and another s (Keats’s poems, Marx’s theories) except, by convention, for names in classical literature (Mars’ wrath). In words of more than one syllable ending in a sibilant, only the apostrophe is added (Hopkins’ poems, Cervantes’ novelas) except for names ending in a sibilant and a final e (Horace’s odes). Note that the possessive of a name ending with a silent s is formed by adding an apostrophe and another s (Camus’s novels).

 Colons:-  

Colons are used to indicate that what follows will be an example, explanation, or elaboration of what has just been said. They are commonly used to introduce quotations (see §§ 14b, 14c, and 14f). For their use in documentation and bibliography, Always skip one space after a colon.

Commas:-

Commas are usually required between items in a series (blood, sweat, and tears), between coordinate adjectives (an absorbing, frightening account), before coordinating conjunctions joining independent clauses, around parenthetical elements, and after fairly long phrases or clauses preceding the main clause of a sentence. They are also conventional in dates (January 1, 1980), names (W. K. Wimsatt, Jr., and Walter J. Ong, S.J.), and addresses (Brooklyn, New York). A comma and a dash are never used together in modern English usage. If the context requires a comma (as it does here), the comma follows a closing parenthesis, but a comma never precedes an opening parenthesis. 

 Dashes :- 

dash is typed … with no space before or after. Some writers tend to overuse [em] dashes, substituting them loosely for other marks of punctuation. The [em] dash, however, has only a few legitimate uses: around parenthetical elements that require a number of internal commas, and before a summarizing appositive. example,

Many twentieth-century American writers—Faulkner, Capote, Styron, Williams, to name only a few—come from the South.

Hyphens:-

Hyphens are used to form some types of compound words, particularly compound adjectives that precede the word(s) they modify (a mind-boggling experience, a well-established policy, a first-rate study). Hyphens also join prefixes to capitalized words (post-Renaissance) and link pairs of coequal nouns (poet-priest, teacher-scholar). Many other compounds, however, are written as one word (wordplay, storytelling) or as two (social security tax, a happily married man). Consult a standard dictionary or writing manual for guidance in determining which compounds require hyphenation. [En dashes rather than hyphens should be] used to connect numbers indicating a range.

Semicolons:-

Semicolons are used to separate items in a series when some of the items require internal commas. They are used between independent clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction, and they may be used before the coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence if one of the independent clauses requires a number of internal commas. For the use of semicolons in documentation and bibliography.

Slashes:-

Slashes are used to separate lines of poetry and elements of dates to enclose phonemic transcription, and occasionally to separate alternative words.

Square brackets []:-

Square brackets [] are used for an unavoidable parenthesis within a parenthesis, to enclose interpolations in a quotation or in incomplete data and to enclose phonetic transcription.

Italics:-

Italics …. Avoid frequent use of italics … for emphasis. Phrases, words, or letters cited as linguistic examples and foreign words used in English text are [italicized]. The numerous exceptions to this last rule include quotations entirely in another language, titles of articles in another language (placed within quotation marks), proper names, and foreign words anglicized through frequent usage. Since [North] American English rapidly naturalizes words, use a dictionary and your own knowledge of current usage to determine which originally foreign expressions still require italics. Much, of course, depends on the audience. Foreign words, abbreviations, and phrases commonly. In discussions of the arts, such words or expressions as the following are also.

Quotation marks:-

Quotation marks is enclosed in double quotation marks words to which attention is being directed (e.g., words purposely misused or used in a special sense, words referred to as words, and parenthetical English translations of words or phrases from another language). Note, however, that words used as examples in linguistic studies are [italicized] and not enclosed in double quotation marks . Use single quotation marks for definitions or translations that appear without intervening punctuation (e.g., ainsi ‘thus’). For the use of quotation marks with titles, and, for use of single and double quotation marks in quoted material. 

 Number:-

 Numbers that cannot be spelled out in one or two words may be written as numerals (one, thirty-six, ninety-nine, one hundred, two thousand, three million; but 2½, 101, 137, and 1,275). Numbers compared or contrasted should be in the same style (5 out of 125, 2½ to 3 years old or two-and-a-half to three years old). In technical or statistical discussions involving their frequent use or in notes, where many space-saving devices are legitimate, all numbers may be written as numerals. Common practice is to put a comma between the third and fourth digits from the right, the sixth and seventh, and so on.

Exceptions to this practice include page and line numbers of four or more digits, addresses, and year numbers. The comma is added in year numbers if a fifth digit is used, example, In 20,000 B.C.

Roman numerals. Use capital Roman numerals for … books and parts of a work, volumes, acts of a play, or individuals in a series. Examples like, Book I of Spenser’s Faerie Queene. 

Names of Persons:-

 Since there are exceptions to almost any rule, good judgment based on knowledge of common usage is essential in dealing with persons’ names.

 Titles:-

 Formal titles (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Dr., Professor, etc.) are usually omitted in references to persons, living or dead. By convention, titles are associated with, or used for, certain names—for instance, the poet Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, is referred to as Surrey, not Howard. By custom, however, some titled persons are not referred to by their titles: Benjamin Disraeli, first earl of Beaconsfield, is commonly called Disraeli. A few women are traditionally known by their married names (Mme de Staël). Otherwise, women’s names are treated the same as men’s (Dickinson, Stein, Plath, not Miss Dickinson, Miss Stein, Miss Plath).

Authors’ names:-

It is common and acceptable to use simplified names of famous authors (Vergil for Publius Vergilius Maro, Dante for Dante Alighieri). Many authors are referred to by pseudonyms, which should be treated as ordinary names. examples like George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). In a few cases, however, surnames and pen names are virtually inseparable from initials (O. Henry, not Henry).

Work Citation:-

Armstrong , Keir. “Mechanics of Writing .” https://doi.org/https://carleton.ca/keirarmstrong/learning-resources/essay-guidelines/mechanics-of-writing/. 

Gibaldi, Joseph. “The Mechanics of Writing .” MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Modern Language Association of America, New York, 2009, pp. 63–112. 

Words:- 1500

Assignment: African Literature

 

 Name:- Hinaba D.Sarvaiya.

 

 M.A. sem 4

Paper no:- The African Literature  

Roll no:- 09

Enrollment no:- 4069206420210032

Email ID:- hinabasarvaiya1711@gmail.com

Submitted by:- S.B.Gardi Department of English MKBU.

Batch:- 2021 to 2023

Neocolonialism in Ngugi Wa Thiong'o Novel Petals of Blood.

Introduction:-

Ngugi Wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan postcolonial writer whose works bear on the persistent impacts and ruin of colonialism on once-colonized nations. Although both his fiction and non-fiction works concentrate on postcolonial issues, especially political matters and exploitation of the masses in Kenya, they also question similar problems which would possibly come into existence in almost all of the once-colonized nations around the world and harass them acutely. The novels of Thiong'o, Petals of Blood emphasis on the writer's concerns about the emergence of local elites in the wake of independence and the role of colonial languages in mental colonization. For the writer, postcolonial period is very likely to amount to the outset of neocolonialism on the grounds that white colonizers are replaced with upper classes of the native population in order to initiate a new phase of exploitation. Thus, gaining political independence does not come to signify an anti-colonialist system; rather, it indicates a grim reality in which exploitative power passes into the hands of the native elites that work at the white man's service. The writer also raises the major role that colonial languages play in begetting minds which are disposed to be servants of the colonial system. Thiong'o asserts that acquiring a language expresses much deeper implications than simply being a tool of communication since language carries a reserve of collective memories and cultural background of a society. Using colonial languages  alienation of the native society from their local culture and adoption of Western values without questioning.

About Petals of Blood:-

Petals of Blood is a successful catalysis of the genre of the crime thriller and the art of novelization of 'high' literature. This fusion makes Ngugi a populist modernist on the one hand and the anti-canonical novelist on the other. The interrogative at each step associated with crime detective solving murder mystery gives Petals of Blood its mass appeal as a novel. Despite being written in English "20,000 copies were sold overnight in Kenya alone." 

The story opens like a detective novel with its three main characters- Munira, Abdullah and Karega-in jail, as suspects, being interrogated in the murder of three African directors-Chui, Kimeria and Mzigo, of the Theng'eta Brewery Ltd. The fourth suspect Wanja is convalescing in a hospital from burn injuries. Munira is the recording consciousness of the novel. Therefore, the structure of the novel is Munira's recollections as he sits in his cell, writing copious notes in order to clarify, to explain, to ascertain and to come to terms with himself as well as to satisfy the queries of the probing Chief Inspector Godfrey who shares half identity with Munira (as inspector's half identity is common with Godfrey Munira).

This way inspector Godfrey's interrogation of Munira becomes Munira's self-introspection and the whole novel becomes a direct interior monologue where Munira's self is inextricably woven with the external socio-political reality of Kenya. Petals of Blood emerges from Munira's prison diary almost narrating sequentially twelve years of history, from old Ilmorog to New Ilomorog since Uhuru. Though most of Munira's reminiscences are in sequential order, yet they overflow into the various historical periods, for example the time of 1895, when colonialism made its sly entry into Kenya etc. 

The novel is interwoven through two time frameworks-one in the present in which Munira writes his notes on what happened where, when and why, during his twelve day interrogation in the jail and the other is the historic time which is that of twelve years since Uhuru, which has brought Munira and others and Kenya and Africa to such a pass. The imprisonment of The central characters throughout the narrative symbolically suggest the manacled spirits and liminality of the people in Africa.

The titanic battle in Petals of Blood is not only for the homecoming of the wretched of Kenya alone or of Africa but of the whole world. Though nativism in the shape of Gikuyu patriotic songs and Swahili expressions is quite audible in Petals of Blood, The novel takes on a pan-nationalist and universalist perspective. 

Neocolonialism in Petals of Blood:-

Thong Petals of Blood might be handled through the same emphasis placed by Thiong'o on the potency of the colonial languages as regards putting out new alienated identities and minds. To illustrate, when imparting the school memories in the past, Karega complains of the fact the Western literature and English language are taught at school in place of their national historical achievements and literature by turning attention to the black headmaster's reprimand of the teachers concerning the insufficient education of English: Teach them good idiomatic English (Petals 173), which points out his adoption of the significance ofEnglish and his anxiety to impose it on the colonized students Karega continues to narrate the approach of the headmaster to Shakespeare whom he speaks in praise of since he attributes significance and perfection to this poet as is disclosed in the novel. He read a passage from Shakespeare. Those words are words of a great writer- greater even than Maillu and Hadley Chase." whoever heard of African, Chinese and Greek: mathematics and science?" (Petals 172). 

This specifies the belief that the Eastern nations have not been able to make any contributions to the scientific world whereas the Western science and literature as more estimable and praiseworthy subjects have to be instructed at each school in Africa. Karega reveals his discomfort caused by the subjects and fields of study at their school that are inculcated into them in order to make the Western figures and historical events absorbed well when he mentions it "Chaucer, Shakespeare, Napoleon Livingstone Western conquerors, Western inventors and discoverers were drummed into our heads with eren greater fury Where, we asked, was the African dream?" (Petals 173). 

In preference to the indigenous subjects and fields of African studies, the English language and other branches of Eurocentric studies are always chosen to enlighten the fresh and blank minds of the native students. As regards the intense effect of language on imposing a worldview on its users.  

Therefore, the educational system with English and the Western subjects carry the means of removing the African culture and civilization from the native students brains and cramming them with the so-called supreme European thinking With the colonial languages and Western studies taught at native schools, a new phase of colonialism which does not take in any violent and bloody actions forming the first phase emerges. 

Being aware of the possibility that the ex-colonized nations might enter the protests and nationalist struggles against the colonial system, the Western powers have endeavored to set up formidable barriers between the native peoples and these peoples civilization or indigenous culture with the help of the colonial languages and education that have enabled them to make the native peoples forget their local values and to make them overcome by an inferiority complex as well as deviated by the desire to mimic the European models. 

While accentuating the nationalist premises and discourses in order to delude the natives into the conception that he strains only for his society's advantage and well-being, Nderi, on the other hand, does not display any interest for the native citizens' anxieties about famine and poverty, only suspending the agency of solutions and pointing them to beseech assistance from other citizens in Ilmorog Turning to certain evasive expressions like "Thank you. My people of Ilmorog. This is the happiest day of my life since you gave me your votes and told me to go forward and forever fight as your servant in Parliament (Petals 182), his speech encompasses so-called sincerity and modesty which at first alleviate these people's apprehension, however, they rapidly notice their misunderstanding and being misled by Nderi whom they see as the only prospect of hope and concrete solution (Petals 182). These natives, as innocent and poor citizens who come near Nderi after a long travel merely in order to ask for his assistance, are arrested by the police since they are accused of prompting a protest and not against Nderi although they are not involved in such a protest which is triggered by a number of citizens in the streets being really bothered by Nderi's delusive and vain promises that he never stands by faithfully (Petals 183) Supposing these citizens as those who could pose an obstacle to his private and self-centered financial schemes, Nderi decides to exterminate them when dwelling on his profits as the writer puts it

KCO had originally been a vague thing in his mind. It had grown out of his behalf in his cultural authenticity which he had used with positive results in his business partnership with foreigners and foreign companies He Nderi wa Riera, was convinced that Africa could only be respected when it had had its own Rockefellers, its Hughes, Fords, Krupps, Mitsubishis KCO would serve the interests of the wealthy locals and their foreign partners to create similar economic giants! (Petals186)

Conclusion:-

As a black politician who is convinced that the European logic and styles are essential to be imitated and attained by such societies as themselves, Nden pursues the colonialist desires covering Kenya's transformation into a setting which is a quintessential European country where imperialistic ambitions are brought into action. He wishes to produce a native country that does not lag behind the modern and developed European countries. Rather than getting a handle on Ilmorog's sufferings and famine. 

Work Citation:-

Karagoz, Cengiz, and Sedat Bad. “Thiong'o's Criticism of Neocolonial Tendencies: Petals of Blood and Weep Not Child.” 16 June 2020, https://doi.org/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342199989_Thiong'o's_Criticism_of_Neocolonial_Tendencies_Petals_of_Blood_and_Weep_Not_Child. 

Nidhi. “Ngugi's Petals of Blood: A Novel of Praxis .” Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) Www.jetir.org, vol. 3, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 57–60., https://doi.org/https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1601012.pdf. 

Thiong'o, Ngugi, Petals of Blood, New York Penguin Books, 1991

Words 1677

Assignment: Contemporary Literature in English

 Name:- Hinaba D.Sarvaiya.

 

 M.A. sem 4

Paper no:- Contemporary Literature in English 

Roll no:- 09

Enrollment no:- 4069206420210032

Email ID:- hinabasarvaiya1711@gmail.com

Submitted by:- S.B.Gardi Department of English MKBU.

Batch:- 2021 to 2023

Climate Crisis in Amitav Ghosh's Novel 'The Gun lsland' :-

Introduction:-

In the 21st century new genres of literature are emerging. Through literature, art and creative interventions people are able to understand serious problems like climate change, global warming, racism, environmental conditions, Postcolonial elements, existentialism,colonialism and migration. These all things affect human life and the environment. Every step taken by humans is affecting the environment. That is why it is important to study these

effects. Literature tries to unfold and address these serious problems through different narratives. Among these all problems, climate change has a vast field of study. There are debates and talks going on about climate change. Amitav Ghosh. Gun Island told a very interesting story of a pilgrimage as well as climate change. The narrative of Ghosh use to the myth Manasa Devi helps readers to understand this issue. Small things are helping us to look at

how it's affecting the whole world.

Amitav Ghosh:-

Amitav Ghosh was born in Calcutta and grew up in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He studied in Delhi, Oxford and Alexandria and is the author of The Circle of Reason, The Shadow Lines, In An Antique Land, Dancing in Cambodia, The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide, and The Ibis Trilogy, consisting of Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, Flood of Fire and Gun Island. His book, The Great Derangement; Climate Change and the Unthinkable, a work of non-fiction, appeared in 2016 and to give the answer that he

raised in this book he wrote Gun Island.

Amitav Ghosh holds two Lifetime Achievement awards and four honorary doctorates. In 2007 he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest honors, by the President of India and second in 2018 the Jnanpith Award, India’s highest literary honor, was conferred on Amitav Ghosh. He was the first English-language writer to receive the award. 

His novel Gun Island talks about climate change and its effect on human beings and on animals. It's not talks about climate change only but other serious problem like human trafficking is also the concern of the novel. This novel was published in 2019. Recently he has published one book called "Jungle Nama".

Climate Crisis in Amitav Ghosh's Novel The Gun Island:-

Climate Change and Global Warming are already beginning to transform the life of being on Earth.They threaten to catastrophically damage our world. Human activities are principally responsible for the increasing alterations of climatic conditions. As Nupur Pancholi and Sanjit Mishra write in their article, Ghosh’s Gun Island reflects that the ecological mishaps occurring in the Sunderbans and Venice indicate that the planet is on the brink of an environmental catastrophe. Humans are taking nature as an object to exploit to fulfill their all desires. 

The Great Environmental Derangement: Climate Crisis and Crisis of Culture Ghosh's nonfiction, The Great Derangement prepares the understructure for his novel Gun Island. The nonfictional highlights the cataclysmic phenomena fuelled by changing climatic conditions and underscores the prime factors that create these predicaments. Climate change has been occurring across the globe and it is very evident in the form of frequent floods, increased intensity of hurricanes and melting ice caps resulting in the collapse of ice shelves and so forth. Human interventions and climate change, both are gearing up the geophysical alterations of the planet. Ghosh's The Great Derangement narrates this situation while representing rapid ecological destruction in the Sundarbans:

"The great mangrove forest of the Bengal Delta, the Sundarbans, where the flow of water and silt is such that geological processes that usually unfold in deep time appear to occur at a speed where they can be followed from week to week and month to month. Overnight, a stretch of riverbank will disappear, sometimes taking houses and people with it, but elsewhere a shallow mudbank will arise and within weeks the shore will have broadened by several feet. For the most part, these processes are, of course, cyclical. But even back then, in the first years of the twenty-first century, portents of accumulative and irreversible change could also be seen, in receding shorelines and a steady intrusion of saltwater on lands that had previously been cultivated". (Ghosh, 2016, p. 7)

“Gun Island,” his ninth novel, deals with two of the biggest issues of the current moment: climate change and human migration. But it’s not homework. Ghosh is mindful of his task as a novelist — to entertain. The confidence with which he shapes a good, old-fashioned diversion around these particular poles is instructive. Escapism has its virtues, but a book unafraid of ideas can be bracing.

The novel’s narrator is Deen, a 50-something rare-book dealer. He lives in Brooklyn, but we meet him in Kolkata, where he winters, and eventually follow him to Venice — the global village and all that. In India, a relative tells Deen the folk tale of Bonduki Sadagar, or the Gun Merchant.

The Sundarbans are now one of the world’s vanishing regions but have always been difficult terrain. The 1970 Bhola Cyclone killed half a million people in this corner of the globe. But the story Deen hears, from yet another relative, is that a small pocket of survivors rode out the storm inside the aforementioned shrine, protected by Manasa Devi.

Deen’s quest also involves Piya, a marine biologist whose research involves tracking river dolphins fleeing pollution in the Sundarbans. “Wouldn’t you be stressed, if you had to abandon all the places that you know and were forced to start all over again?” she laments over the creatures (who deliberately beach themselves in a genuinely affecting turn). The writer doesn’t want his reader to miss that the animal’s plight is no different from the migrant’s.

Subtlety has its virtues, but the authorial heavy hand in addition to the doomed dolphin, there are forest fires in Los Angeles, a flooding Venice, boats ferrying migrants to Europe, even a moment involving a book from 1592 that feels like something Dan Brown might enjoy does not grate. Of course, this is what the headlines are like these days. The truth is stranger than fiction, and “Gun Island” is a novel for our times.

The Crisis of Climate and Immigration:-

Cinta who is an Italian historian in the text offers a pragmatic interpretation of the ancient legendary story of the Gun Merchant. The parallel journey of the climate-driven migrants of the past (the Gun Merchant) and the present (the underprivileged from the Sundarbans) elucidates that the legend is “an apocryphal record of a real journey to Venice” (Ghosh, 2019, p. 138). 

According to Cinta, the Merchant’s 

“homeland, in eastern India, is struck by drought and floods brought on by the climatic disturbances of the Little Ice Age; he loses everything including his family, and decides to go overseas to recoup his fortune” (Ghosh, 2019, p. 141). Pia despondently describes the present environmental condition of the Sundarbans and the world, “We’re in a new world. No one knows where they belong any more, neither humans nor animals” (Ghosh, 2019, p. 97). It is portrayed that the outcomes of anthropogenic environmental 

devastations like global warming, sea-level rise, and water pollution pose an existential threat to all living beings on earth during the climate apocalypse.

Inhabitants of the Sundarbans live a storm-tossed and cyclone-ravaged life of incessant struggle and are forced to adapt to the frequently changing climatic conditions. Horen, a fisherman from the Sundarbans, stopped his fishing business. One sees in Gun Island, the resolute young people of the lands taking the bold decision of moving abroad, albeit illegally, to earn money for an improved and stable life.

The number of traffickers increases after each cyclone and they come to trap the poor and earn profit by using their crisis as an opportunity; they manipulatively take women to faraway brothels and able-bodied men to worksites. According to Tipu, a local boy of the Sundarbans, the downtrodden people from the Sundarbans choose to cross national boundaries illegally since they cannot easily arrange officially authorized documents like passports and visas. 

Tipu remarks that “the Internet is the migrants’ magic carpet; it’s their conveyor belt” 

(Ghosh, 2019, p. 61) 

Tipu and Rafi plan their illegal journey to Western countries in search of employment. But they get caught in the web of international politics of migration that takes away their independence and strips them 

of their dignity. 

Conclusion:-

Gun Island showcases how in the time of climatological alterations and ecological damage, the natural resources of the mangrove region cease to be abundant, which ruins the lives of the poor of the Sundarbans leading to conspicuous mass migrations.

Work Citation:-

Alam, Rumaan. “With ‘Gun Island,’ Amitav Ghosh Turns Global Crises into Engaging Fiction.” 8 Sept. 2019, https://doi.org/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/with-gun-island-amitav-ghosh-turns-global-crises-into-engaging-fiction/2019/09/08/efe6b35e-d0ce-11e9-b29b-a528dc82154a_story.html.

“Amitav Ghosh.” 2011, Amitav Ghosh - Official Website,

https://www.amitavghosh.com/.

Bose, T., & Satapathy, A. (2021). 

The crisis of climate and immigration in Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island. Litera, 31(2), 473-489.

https://doi.org/10.26650/LITERA2021-871879

Ghosh, A. (2019a). Gun Island. Gurgaon: Penguin Random House.

Pancholi, Nupar, and Sanjit Kumar Mishra. “The Era of Environmental Derangement: Witnessing Climate Crisis in Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island.” Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, vol. 13, no. 2, 15 June 2021, pp. 1–10., https://doi.org/https://rupkatha.com/v13n229/.