Language Lab Group Task

 Language Lab group Task

 "Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift. Learning a new language is becoming a member of the club – the community of speakers of that language." Frank Smith

 Learning a language can sometimes be a challenging and frustrating experience. At times you might feel that you have reached a dead-end or hit a brick wall and motivating yourself can become difficult. Don’t forget that speaking a second language not only opens new doors but also has numerous other advantages. And now with the help of technology and technological tools it become very easy as well as interesting to learn basic language learning skills. 

 Owing to the second wave of Covide19, we were not able to gather at the Department to complete this task of reviewing the Language Lab software which is basically very important for LSRW Skills but now we are somewhat feeling relief from the second wave and we got a reminder from our Professor to complete the task so, we have formed a group and completed this task.

 What is Language Lab Software?

 Language Lab is a language learning software that provides all the features required by teachers for language teaching-learning process using various activities such as pronunciation practice, video presentation, audio broadcasting, quiz and exercise. 

 What Happens in a Language Lab?

 Language labs provide practice in an entertaining and interactive way to acquire the 4 main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. ... Complimentary: Language labs allow students to reinforce material learned in class by putting them into practice through interactive activities. 

 Advantages of Language Lab Software :

 If some one wants to say about language lab's advantages so there will be a one answer its works on learners LSRW skills very effectively and also gave something good to read apart from stories too for eg.paragraph on Abraham Lincoln etc. Helps to enhance four basic skills. -It gives some kind of test so learners can evaluate them selves, -phonetics is part of this language lab which helps learners how pronounce particular word or sentence, -It can be considered perfect program for primary students -It has 3 different levels so all type of students can learn from this software. 

 Disadvantages of Language Lab Software?

 Fixed and static in place, sometimes it's hard to sit at the same place for hours, Learner distraction is possible Lack of physical surveillance Technical glitches, coz of old versions of software, one feels bored and loses interest in learning. ESL was not working at all, The Drag and drop answering method was so difficult as one has to try several times to drag the drop the correct answer to fill the blank, We have done this task in a group, almost every member felt difficulty during the listening task coz of the assent. 

 Comparison of Mobile app language lab with language lab programme in DELL.

 Mobile learning is very prevalent in the current scenario. Mobile learning is also known as mLearning and is a new way to get access to a variety of content available online through the use of a mobile. Mobile learning is the easiest way for students to get help.

 As the device changes and the apps, being supported only on simultaneous devices. it would obviously be having some differences regarding its operating, accessing and functioning systems. We only had to see how when it comes to experience such a type of learning on two simultaneous devices, it differs a lot. On tab, one is supposed to install the "namo e-tab application", which is incorporated with British Council Language Lab. Under the Menu section, one can find many language learning related topics; like enhancement of Skills : LSRW, Grammar, Vocabulary, Business English, IELTS related courses etc. The latter tests your language proficiency, competency, and provides you with techniques, tips, and strategies to have command on the concerned language. However the course is paid one, distributed into 12 weeks, allotting 3 hours per week. The good thing about this application is, especially for the basics of learning a language. It will provide you with all the related tasks, videos(if needed), downloadable worksheets, concerning any pursued topic, and lastly ask you to take a quiz, to check your understanding. After completing any quizzes, it will show you the level of language(where you're standing). Either on elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate or at advanced level. Thus perceiving your position, you may come to know, now what to do to further improve your language proficiency. In a way, except the device distinction, there isn't any remarkable difference between the two than providing two variants of software for language learning. The structure and the method have differences, but not the means through which it is provided, altogether adopting a different strategy to make students' learn. In Dell Software, each and every lesson is given explicitly. For example : Under "Question Formation" how to make 'wh' questions and how to attempt 'Is/Are/Have/Has' questions and how with specificity the answers should be given. In an exercise named 'Preposition' an object is highlighted, to identify the position and give the position its name, one has to identify where the object is and accordingly name the spot considering the prime position of the main object(in, above, below etc). It is the way through which one can learn easily, only by identifying the objects. Accordingly the treatment is given to 'singularity' and 'plurality', subsequently one can learn all the grammar portion; comprising tenses,articles(articles related to vowels) etc. When visualizing the childhood days, we had been given an opportunity to learn in this way. This would have been more interesting and fun making than experiencing today, as in our 2nd class book the similar pattern was adopted. Which makes one wonder if the entire pattern is digitalized so succinctly. One main difference is, in mobile apps, they are giving quizzes, while in e-dell software, the traditional pattern is followed by giving an exercise, after understanding each lesson. In Dell software particularly it is found, though the lesson starts systematically from the home tab and finishes as highlighted in index, but somewhere when such lessons like, 'sentence correction' where you have to drag the item from the given table, drop where you have to restructure the sentence again, with all its comprising elements. There might be some intended errors considering singularity, plurality of verbs or indicators. When going through this exercise drag and drop tools didn't work(as felt by one of the students), seemingly it was as one is supposed to see, read and learn, rather than doing any  activity actively. 

Assignment Paper - 15 Mass Communication and Media Studies

 Prepared by :Sima Rathod

Paper – 15 Mass Communication and Media Studies.

Email Id : rsima144@gmail.com

Submitted to :Smt.S.B.Gardi.Department of English, MKBU.

Abstract : 

In this Assignment I have tried to discuss about the importance of Short films,history of short films, types of short films and purpose of short films.

Keywords : Short films, Charlie Chaplin, Thomas Edison, George Melies Whiplash.

Introduction :

What is a short film? Academy of motion picture arts and Sciences define a short film as an original Motion Picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less including all credits in the United States short films were generally term short objects from the 1920 is into the 1970 when confined to to 35mm reels or less and feature  for a film of three or four reels, short was an abbreviation for either term. Short films definitely capture the attention of the audience, since the time is shorter than a feature film. You don’t have to wait an hour or so for the ending — a perfect film for the impatient movie-goer.

 

History of Short Films :

In the beginning of all films where short films only lasting a few seconds the very first film wear on Thomas Edison Kinetoscope a device that allowed one weird to see a series of photographs on film telling a story or an action his first films were filled with celebrities current affairs and small exhibition shows. The first ever us copyright for a motion picture was given to Thomas Edison for a 5 second film of Edison’s assistant Fred Ott Sneezing.

As Technology took off so did the film industry started making longer pictures George melies’s short film a trip to the moon was one of the first longer but still short since this was an internationally successful film about a group of astronauts to take a trip to the moon a trip to the moon was an inspiring to other filmmakers because Melies used innovative editing and special effects techniques.

During the 1910 and 1928 Charlie Chaplin was claimed to be the most famous man alive his comedy short films like laughing gas and champion made him the first real international star it was considered as the golden Era for shorts films.

The shots in started to lose favour to bigger and longer feature films films begin to required dialogue and actors as story group from shots into longer stories eventually sound was played in time with the film which lead to the invention of the take talking picture aur Talkies .as longer pictures increasing popularity the short film moved into the world of animation the addition of sound and colour to film Led way to the popularity of the Disney universe and creation of the Warner Bros’s Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series. This short animated films were often shown before feature length movies from the 1920 through the 1960 as audience mood from movie theatres to television so did the short films giving life to shows such as the Jetsons, Top cat and Scooby Doo. Internet given new life to the short films YouTube Vimeo and many other free video streaming services for anyone with phone and motivation and the chance to make a short film for wider audiences 2014 movie whiplash started off as a short film from director Damien Chazelle. He was unable to get financial for the movie but no he had a great idea so he made an a 3 minute short film after winning the 2013 London film festival short film jury award he was able to end time in A Baker's to make his Oscar winning feature film Whiplash. 

Characteristics of short films:

The structure of short films has been experimented with but usually it follows the simplest structure of introduction conflict and resolution.

A short films screenplay focuses mainly on the theme and concept.

Presented scenes are explored way more in depth as compared to feature films.

The theme needs to be well thought out as that would then lead to better storytelling.

Types of short films:

Drama Short Films

Comedy Short Films

Horror Short Films

Sci-fi Short Films

Animated Short Films

Experimental Short Films

Documentary Short Films

Importance of Short Films :

1. Expose independent cinema to new audiences

Most of the general public are bombarded with marketing messages about mainstream movies. A good festival shows films and related content that are resistant to the commercial pressures of the standard mainstream fare. It is through independent films made by independent voices that new ideas are expressed. A great film festival champions these ideals at its core.

2.Test screenings

Over the decades we have seen many filmmakers use the platform of our festival as a test screening. They attend and canvas the audience in much the same way as commercial film production companies test screen their films. After weighing and gauging the audience reaction at a film festival screening, the filmmaker may choose to re-edit their film prior to a commercial release.

3.Marketing exercise

The importance of film festivals to a filmmaker rests in the marketing nous of the film festival they attend.

Any filmmaker, large or small, needs to raise awareness of their film. Large studios use large-budgeted public relations and marketing campaigns out of the financial reach of an independent filmmaker.

There are three ways a film festival strives to assist the filmmaker in their film’s marketing:

a. Awards

Winning an award is a great reason to put laurels on a festival poster. Of course, the stature of the festival will determine the importance of the award. But does a passerby really read which festival has awarded the film? And if the laurel comes from a prestigious festival like Raindance – wouldn’t the filmmaker make the important laurels larger? Raindance Film Festival has a wide range of awards, from its features and (OscarTM qualifying) shorts, to its dynamic Virtual Reality strand.

b. Reviews and interviews

One of the great reasons to attend a festival is to start the hype of the film. Getting local bloggers and reviewers to view and comment on a movie is one way filmmakers start the buzz about their latest projects.

c. Selling the film

Certain festivals are really good at attracting film acquisition executives and commissioning editors to their screenings. These film buyers attend hoping to discover and acquire the latest hot property before their competitors do.

4.Learning

Many festivals have engaging panel discussions and masterclasses on aspects of filmmaking. These are of interest to both filmmakers and to the general public. Events like these are a useful way to promote the filmmakers and their films, as well as to help attendees learn about what goes on behind the mysterious black curtains shrouding the film industry.

A good series of learning events at a festival will also strive to create debate about important issues facing not only filmmakers, but humanity in general. At Raindance festival past we have engaged on panel discussions on a wide range of general interest topics: everything from climate change, to racial and sexual prejudices and social injustices.

5.Networking

The film industry is a people industry. It’s not what you know, but whom!

Attending a festival with an audience of like-minded people from all walks of life is a great way to expand your circle of influence, underscoring again the importance of film festivals.

Whatever your position in the film industry, or whatever your interest in filmmaking, a film festival is a terrific place to meet new people.

6.Platform for new talent

Festivals have traditionally been the place where professionals and filmmakers alike go to spot new talent.Raindance itself has championed new filmmakers like Edgar Wright, Christopher Nolan and many others since it’s launch in 1993.

 

Conclusion :

Problems are important to audience and societies because they are simple form of entertainment that usually are edited tightly and well and stay entertaining throughout the entire length of the short movie short films are important to filmmakers audiences society and Studios also in the age of short attention span and 2 minut YouTube viral video short films are more important than ever the short film form is more digestible to audiences it has become normal comfortable and desirable for audiences would now take in entertainment more frequently in short sleep throughout the day where they can fit in it. Short films is effective and useful it enhances the memorization and the comprehension it enables the student to remember the subject easily and creates a special feature is about Creative Thinking. Short films are budget friendly easy to make and more easy to watch it provides a wider scope for experiment and creativity short films provide an outlet for creative expression and opportunity for learning and the chance to be discovered it has an Universal appeal also. 

References :

•        Burt, Kayti . Den Of Geek. 23 November 2019. 29 April 2021 <https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/a-tribute-to-the-first-ever-science-fiction-film-a-trip-to-the-moon/>.

•        Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Georges Méliès". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Jan. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Georges-Melies. Accessed 29 April 2021

•        Hall, Mark. "WarnerMedia". Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Time-Warner-Inc. Accessed 29 April 2021.

•        HENDRICKSON, PAULA . Script. 30 October 2020. 29 April 2021 <https://scriptmag.com/screenplays/the-power-of-short-films>.

•        Josephson , Matthew . Britanica. 7 February 2021. 29 April 2021 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Thomas-Edison>.

•        Kamath, Sudhish . The Hindu. 24 May 2016. 29 April 2021 <https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/cinema-reviews/whiplash-review-the-music-of-violence-works/article6919751.ece>.

•        MANJULAA. 7 July 2017. 29 April 2021 <http://asu.thehoot.org/research/special-reports/why-short-films-have-begun-to-make-it-big-10217>.

•        RICH, KATEY . Vanity Fair. 16 FEBRUARY 2017. 29 April 2021 <https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/02/the-big-script-cne-josh-hutcherson>.

•        Stein, Frankie . Film Daily. 11 January 2020. 29 April 2021 <https://filmdaily.co/craft/short-films/>.

•        Ziegler, Jacob . TOPEKA & SHAWNEE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY. 12 September 2019. 29 April 2021 <https://tscpl.org/books-movies-music/short-films-a-short-history>.

 

 

- 14 African Literature

 Prepared by :Sima Rathod

Paper – 14 The African Literature

Email Id : rsima144@gmail.com 

Submitted to :Smt.S.B.Gardi.Department of English, MKBU

Abstract : In this Assignment I have tried to compare two texts One is Waiting for Barbarians by South African Novelist J. M. Coetzee and another one is by Italian novelist, short story writer, Journalist and Dramatist Dino Buzzatti’ Il Deserto Dei Tartari (The Tartar Steppe) which almost deals with the same subject of Colonialism, Empire and the Barbarianism of the Empire on the nomads.

Keywords : Colonialism, Barbarians, Empire, Magistrate, Colonel Joll, Drago. 

Introduction :

John Maxwell quotes a South African novelist and translator who is noted for his novels about effects of colonisation according to great writers inspire every novel is carefully structure every sentence carefully crafted every word carefully selected all information is disclosed or not it seems for a reason reason that is nevertheless elusive and tricky to pin the if there is a General feeling that a reader text from a codes in oval it would be safe to say that it is not one of the resolution indeed most often we find ourselves asking why? Gem quizzes Prize winning novel is a startling allegory of the war between operation and oppressed the magistrate is not simply a man living through a crisis of confidence in a place in remote X situation is that of all man living in an unreliable complexity which regions that ignored justice and decency for decades the magistrate has been a loyal servant to The Empire running the affairs of a tiny Frontier settlement and ignoring the impending war with the barbarians when interrogation expert arrived they were he witnesses the empires Cruel and answers treatment of prisoners of War bolted into sympathy for their victims and helps them to fight back with the Empire and in return he himself the enemy of Empire. Il Deserto Dei Tartari and waiting for Barbarians share some crucial elements in common and it may seem strange that the two authors with such diverse backgrounds light dinner Gujarati and M codes choose the sum setting a world space on the border and the same allegory the threat of an invasion from the northern desert it seems a reasonable hypothesis that are similar climate of political claustrophobia and insecurity as well as a sense of looming disaster shaped their works. The novel Il Deserto Dei Tartari is often linked to kafkas The Castle, the Tartar Steppe is both a scathing critique of military life and a mediation on the human thirst for glory. It a tell of a Young soldier Giovanni Drogo, who is posted to a distant fort overlooking the vast Tartar Steppe, as almost without his I'm not saying he has come to share the others wait for a foreign invasion that never happens. 

Research objectives :

 Drogo and Magistrate are same? Drogo’s suicide can be considered a philosophical suicide? 

Research Methodology :

The study contains narrative research and follows descriptive method. 

Colonialism :

What is the practice of domination which involves the subjugation of one people to another one of the difficulties in defining colonialism is that it is hard to distinguish it from imperialism frequently the two concepts are treated as synonyms like colonialism and imperialism also involved political and economic of control over a dependent territories of the two terms have a word provide some clues about how they differ the term Colony comes from the Latin word for learners meaning farmer this rule reminds us that the practice of colonialism usually involved the transfer of population to a new territory where the arrival lived as a permanent set love while maintaining political allegiance to their country of origin imperialism on the other hand comes from the Latin term imperium which means to command the term imperialism Rose attention to the way that one country exercise power over another whether through settlement. Colonialism is not a modern phenomenon world history is full of examples of one society gradually expanding by incorporating adjacent territory and settling its people on unique Concord a territory the ancient greeks set of colonialism as did the Romans the most and the ottomans to name just a few of the most famous examples of colonialism.

Comparison of IL Deserto Dei Tartari and Waiting for Barbarians. 

Neither novel can be located by any precise historical or geographical coordinates so as to stress their allegorical nature Gujarati detect a Kingdom which is almost computer image of Italy in mid 1800 as we can infer from a number of details in the fourth a painting has an inscription in letting the monocular is in fashion the army uses 32 grams lead bullets but the telegraph is still unknown he also mentions of you real place and people names for land the tartars Surjit sees along with some other that do not exist the village of San Rocco, King Pietro the third, Prince Sebastiano, cosy though stretches this ambiguity in for other by accumulating conflicting details that leaves The Reader completely disoriented and make it impossible to locate the Empire anywhere in the world or at any precise time in history the main elements of the family are is the nation is introduced at the very beginning of the novel when the magistrate us that he has never seen a pair of sunglasses before sunglasses or rather smoke colour take what lenses have been owned by different cultures from time immemorial and they were definitely common at a time when glass Windows glass decoration clocks pencils Muscat and guns were in use as it is the case with waiting for the barbarians detail the only one of the kya and but not and has a very significant one in the text would locate the narrative in a totally unknown time in history for has an apocalyptic field future.

The Subtle interplay between familiar and unfamiliar parameters the valve novels for example the magistrate mentions a proverb cold heart cold hand which is not quite the  The Reader is  familiar with a cold heart a warm hand. Gujarati employee similar device an unfamiliar effect when he mentions a real Nation Holland The Reader is totally at a loss having to accept that a smooth passage does exist from the fictional world of the novel into our country on the map.

The protagonist of waiting for barbarians is simply the magistrate and jewels victim the Barbarian girl my Joel and Mandal the only people with the name are characterized by implications whether ironical or not contained in their names. Mai recalls MA, a linguistic near Universal for mother found in many of the world's languages and she is in fact the mother figure in the novel is not a Jolly person neither does he Jolly people to win their cooperation for the more in Africans Joel means to pay around to have fun with singles out the worst kind of torture somebody whose job is also his recreation his dark glasses and the black carriage he travels in identify him as an informational creature who brings about death and destruction with his Lethal touch each changes healthy people into cripples and dead bodies and that tool heart by granary a single of life into a horror chamber.

In the two novels there is no state religion either and religion in general plays a very minor Road this is most surprising considering that Coetzee is describing the history of imperialism submission to a region goes hand in hand with colonization but neither the fisherfolk nor the Barbarian seem to have been touched by any activity means to convert them Gujarati portrays the life at a military outpost where oddly enough there are no religious observances whatsoever and not even Chaplin is ever mentioned.

In Coetzees’s novel The Clash between the two embedded in the magistrate and Joll is above all the conflict of interest political and moral where is in Buzzatti’s novel the Fort and the capital town represents two irreconcilable forces. Two incompatible words that of the soldier and that of the civilians the masculine and the feminine. 

Conclusion :

Il Deserto Dei Tartari and Waiting for Barbarians do not offer simple answers for strategies they reflect in different ways Tamil ise of those intellectuals who are unable to produce any meaningful transformation and therefore waiting for a change that comes from the outside the former is the historical product of the political climate in Italy during the period of fascism and the letter of that of South African during Apartheid to paraphrase roll number regular in all these are the data is an example of complexity the magistrate in waiting for barbarians of importance both experience and in escapable feeling of alienation. 

References

•        Davies, Dominic . Great Writers Inspire. n.d. 27 April 2021 <https://writersinspire.org/content/jm-coetzee-1>.

•        HOWE, IRVING . Archive The New York Times . 18 April 1982. 27 April 2021 <https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/11/02/home/coetzee-barbarians.html>.

•        Keene, Frances . The New York Times. 24 August 1952. 27 April 2021 <https://www.nytimes.com/1952/08/24/archives/the-useless-waiting-the-tartar-steppe-by-dino-buzzati-translated.html>.

•        Nobel Prize.Org. n.d. Nobel Media. 27 April 2021 <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2003/coetzee/facts/>.

•        Pugliese, Cristiana . "Waiting on the Border: a Comparative Study of Dino Buzzati’s Il deserto dei Tartari and J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians." African Journals Online 14.2 (2013): 22.

•        SARNA, NAVTEJ . The Hindu. 3 April 2010. 27 April 2021 <https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/navtej_sarna/Second-Thoughts-In-the-twilight-zone-with-Coetzee/article16123607.ece>.

•        The Editors of Encyclopaedia . Britanica. 5 February 2021. 27 April 2021 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/J-M-Coetzee>.

•         

Assignment Paper - 13 The New Literature

 Prepared by : Sima Rathod

Paper – 13 The New Literature

Email Id : rsima144@gmail.com 

Submitted to : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English, MKBU.

Abstract :

In this paper I have compared two texts first one is Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and another text is examining the issues raised by the book and movie discussing in The Da Vinci Code written by Lee Storbel and Garry Poole. Religion is always considered as something very pious and no one is allowed to question the religion and even the religious people and their beliefs but In the DA Vinci Code, Dan Brown created his own history and created a meta narrative about Jesus Christ and Marry Magdalene. But people opposed it and come out with other narratives to oppose the narrative of Dan Brown, a book versus a book.

Key Words : Da Vinci Code, Jesus Christ, Holy Grail, Mary Magdalene, Religion.

Introduction :

Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by then it is brown second novel to include the character Robert Langdon the first was his 2009 model Angels and Demons The Da Vinci Code follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Katra colleges open you after a murder in the Louvre museum in Paris causes them to become involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and opposite day out the possibility of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene haven't had a child together the novel explore and alternative religious history would Central plot is that the European king of France where descended from the Bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene ideas derived from the climb princess the temple Revelation which was published in 1997 and books by Margaret starbird the davinci code both in book and film form has been subject to Extreme criticism going to the fact that is visible number of claims made by the third and round are rooted in religious historical and scientific inaccuracies apart from this does it depiction of European art history and culture trade muddy waters. the davinci code has fascinated  millions it allegations against historical Christianity are colourful he portrayed but at the true or nearly inaccurate accounts of searching a centuries-old mis and DSS to give answers to all this question this two authors Gary pool and least Orwell  come together  and prepared this book  the book deals with the question like has the true historical record been suppressed where 80 different Gospel contending for the new testament was Mary Magdalene really directed to lead the church does a secret society keep Jesus Bloodline hidden is the divinity of Jesus the fabrication of third century Church Council how accurate is the research behind this and other assertions in The Da Vinci Code .

Controversy around the book and the movie:

Existence of the Knights templar and the Priory of Sion.

Facts about the Louvre museum and its paintings.

Certain inner Workings of Opus Dei,

Certain claims about Leonardo da Vinci 

certain claims about Jesus and Mary Magdalene and copyright issues.

Research questions?

Is Literature versus a literature good idea?

Is it good to come out with a new narrative to oppose another narrative?

Research Methodology :

The study is a narrative research.

Literary Review :

There is no restriction explicit reference to the year in which it takes place the Vinci Code is a set in a time contempt yours with its Publication in 2003, it equally strong claims about an alternative history of Christianity have provided many biblical Scholars to counter in a growing number of books written exclusive to do discredit the novel is portrayed of religious fanaticism place in to readers fears of spiritual politics especially in the wake of recent terrorist committed by religious fundamentalists while the novel is obviously fiction as a thriller that follows its protagonists through some extremely narrow S and ends with a complete resolution it does make interpretation of two Historical events worth mentioning here the origin of the Priory of Sion in the 11th century and the Council of nicaea in 325AD as a secret society the Priory of Sion is sold in history on the first page of the novel unambiguously title fat brown claim it is a European secret society founded in 1099 and rights that in 1975 documents were found that identify figures from Sir Isaac Newton to Leonardo Da Vinci's Priory members.

, brown uses the last names of the two letter a third straight forward and enigmatic sources for his fictional history and leaping their book refers to the true story of a prince appointed in 8085 Rangers on air who mysterious Li acquires great wealth in a short period of time and emotionally purchase is a lavish state through the story of a Rangers on here is widely accepted as fact the holy blood and the Holy Grail assume that Sonia as well as a direct result of his finding secret papers that prove the existence of Jesus and Mary Magdalene line age.

In the book examining the issues raised by the book and movie discussing The Da Vinci Code written by Lee strobel and Gary pool. Has four sessions which addresses the following questions

What can history really tell us? 

Can we trust the four gospels? 

What's the role of women in Christianity? 

Is Jesus really the son of God? 

For the content of this book The writers created a small forum which is designed for use with an accompanying participants guide that includes discussion questions sidebar information background material Bible verses and relevantcodes each session includes interviews with experts and concludes with a facilitator perspective also. Ashford and round the legendary Holy Grail is not the literal chalice used in the last supper but in fact Mary Magdalene as protected by the knight templar historically the Knights templar or the order of solomon's Temple was a Catholic military order founded in 1119. Who were closely tied with the crusades as their protectors of Christian pilbeam's the first Association between the templar and the Holy Grail can be tracked back to German writer Wolfram von Eschenbach and his Arthurian epic poem, Parzival. This poem presents The Grail as a mysterious live restoring Cup which is used as a reference point by brown who then ultra the promisor into claims about Jesus and Mary is sacred Bloodline moreover there is no historical event that the Knights templar discovered the Grail and annihilated due to the knowledge of the same the existence of the Priory of Sion was indeed real as it was a fraternal organisation founded by Pierre Plantared in 1956. However the nature of the group was widely from brown portrayal who claims that the Priory boosted members like Leonardo da Vinci and Victor Hugo while this is not true the historical binary of signed it present a series of documents to prove the existence of Bloodline descending from Jesus and Mary Magdalene  was later exposed as an elaborate Hoax in the form of an esoteric puzzle. 

Saloora Museum is a key narrative  made by Brown as the murder of  Museum curator Sauniere which takes place within this place and Langdons quest for the Grail and clearly as well have a work brown makes a series of claims about the world-renowned Museum especially the Louvre pyramid which  was made of 663 panes of Glass at the behest of architect François Mitterrand. This is overwhelmingly false, as the Louvre states that the number of glass panes used is 673. Brown also delves deep into the paintings featured in the holy the grand gallery, including Monalisa claiming that The Da Vinci means to symbolise and any drug tumors was through this work which is content by various art historians apart from this the most glaring in accuracy is Leigh Teabings  interpretation of The Last Supper in which he claims that the DA Vinci’s last supper in the depiction of Mary Magdalene this is majorly refuted by artist who point that Da Vinci painted John with a feminine touch to distinguish him as the youngest apostle. 

Opus De was founded in Spain in 1978 by Catholic Saint Josemaria Escriva and remains controversial to date brown incorporate the inner workings of the organisation in order to add layers to the character of silas the main antagonist who Resorts to murder on being ordered by the teacher brown portrays some of the inner workings of a first day in a fairly accurate light such as when he shows silence using a spiked belt to carry out corporal mortification which is in keeping with the organisation actual practices the teachings of escriva including the mantra repeated by silas pain is good is a loose exaction but accurate brown also describes the new headquarters of opposite day in New York with great accuracy and touches upon the controversies the organisation is of an embroidered in on the other hand there are grows in accuracies when it comes to certain historical facts in relation to Opus Dei. Both Langdon and Sophie refers to Silas as a Monk, which is inaccurate, although this might be deliberate to highlight the utter lack of knowledge when it comes to secretive societies. 

One of the most controversial claims made by brown in The Da Vinci Code was the union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene and the Bloodline that existed you to the same while planning this to Sophie Robert starts off by claiming that Magdalene descended from the tribe of Benjamin much like the first king of Israel Saul making the Bloodline Royal in nature the problem with this came is the lake of historical evidence and the fact that Magdalene mean from Magdala. Thinking she did not help from the tribe of benjamin besides textual evidence in the Canonical journalistic gospels in the new testament which is the source of Brown games do not support his Interpretation for the more the falacity of this claim can be traced back toPlantards ideas. Which have already been exposed as an elaborate fabrication. 

Conclusion :

 21st century is the Era of the development, technology and social unrest especially people are becoming very intolerant now a days, especially when it comes to religion, Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code is mainly consisted of The relations between Jesus and Mary Magdalene and the existence of their Bloodline which is quite controversial. It created so many controversy but people handled it with the Power of literature. To show their disagreement towards the facts presented by Brown in his book people come against him with their own facts and narratives. Which is a very great way to showcase agitation and disagreement rather than slitting throats or harrassing someone’s ideas, or abusing them. Literature versus literature is the best way to resist to order to criticize something rather than sleeping thought or damaging public property by creating riots bloodshed for damaging the public property is not the only way to show disagreement anger or education one can express it by writing it down in a good manner. 

References :

Bannerji, AVANTIKA . Hindustan Times . 10 April 2006. 25 April 2021 <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/copyright-issues-da-vinci-code-case-a-landmark-one/story-eKrsXia1ZqbQDV9xrONmpJ.html>

•        Brown , Dan. Da Vinci Code . Great Britain : Bantam Press, 2009.

•        DUTTA, DEBOPRIYAA . Screen Rent. 3 December 2020. 25 April 2021 <https://screenrant.com/da-vinci-code-movie-true-story-real-fake/>.

•        Goodstein, Laurie . New York Times. 27 April 2004. 25 April 2021 <https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/us/defenders-of-christianity-rebut-the-da-vinci-code.html>.

•        Jain, Saudamini . Hindustan Times. 10 January 2016. 25 April 2021 <https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/dan-brown-decoded/story-NJ7CRdR2xC3obMmrBudPlK.html>.

E Portfolio ELT - 2

 Every year in the last Stage or I can say final term of Masters We the students of English Department Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, prepare a Digital Portfolio to showcase the activities done by the students during this two years, it contains Students Blogs, Special Sunday Reading Blogs, Their Mark sheets, Certificates, You Tube Videos and many more interesting things which were done by the students. Every year students gather around at the Department for the portfolio demonstration but this year due to the Corona crisis owing to the guidelines of the social distancing we were not able to gather at the Department but no matter what happens "the show must go on" we demonstrated our portfolios through Google Meet. 

Click Here to View My E Portfolio

How To Creat E Portfolio? 

Watch the Live Streaming of E Portfolio Demonstration here :

Things Fall Apart

Chinua Achebe

 Chinua Achebe, in full Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, (born November 16, 1930, Ogidi, Nigeria—died March 21, 2013, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.), Nigerian novelist acclaimed for his unsentimental depictions of the social and psychological disorientation accompanying the imposition of Western customs and values upon traditional African society. His particular concern was with emergent Africa at its moments of crisis; his novels range in subject matter from the first contact of an African village with the white man to the educated African’s attempt to create a firm moral order out of the changing values in a large city.

About The Novel : Things Fall Apart. 

Characters of The Novel :

Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected warrior of the Umuofia clan, a lower Nigerian tribe that is part of a consortium of nine connected villages. He is haunted by the actions of Unoka, his cowardly and spendthrift father, who died in disrepute, leaving many village debts unsettled. In response, Okonkwo became a clansman, warrior, farmer, and family provider extraordinaire. He has a twelve-year-old son named Nwoye whom he finds lazy; Okonkwo worries that Nwoye will end up a failure like Unoka.

In a settlement with a neighboring tribe, Umuofia wins a virgin and a fifteen-year-old boy. Okonkwo takes charge of the boy, Ikemefuna, and finds an ideal son in him. Nwoye likewise forms a strong attachment to the newcomer. Despite his fondness for Ikemefuna and despite the fact that the boy begins to call him “father,” Okonkwo does not let himself show any affection for him.

During the Week of Peace, Okonkwo accuses his youngest wife, Ojiugo, of negligence. He severely beats her, breaking the peace of the sacred week. He makes some sacrifices to show his repentance, but he has shocked his community irreparably.

Ikemefuna stays with Okonkwo’s family for three years. Nwoye looks up to him as an older brother and, much to Okonkwo’s pleasure, develops a more masculine attitude. One day, the locusts come to Umuofia—they will come every year for seven years before disappearing for another generation. The village excitedly collects them because they are good to eat when cooked.

Ogbuefi Ezeudu, a respected village elder, informs Okonkwo in private that the Oracle has said that Ikemefuna must be killed. He tells Okonkwo that because Ikemefuna calls him “father,” Okonkwo should not take part in the boy’s death. Okonkwo lies to Ikemefuna, telling him that they must return him to his home village. Nwoye bursts into tears.

As he walks with the men of Umuofia, Ikemefuna thinks about seeing his mother. After several hours of walking, some of Okonkwo’s clansmen attack the boy with machetes. Ikemefuna runs to Okonkwo for help. But Okonkwo, who doesn’t wish to look weak in front of his fellow tribesmen, cuts the boy down despite the Oracle’s admonishment. When Okonkwo returns home, Nwoye deduces that his friend is dead.

Okonkwo sinks into a depression, neither able to sleep nor eat. He visits his friend Obierika and begins to feel revived a bit. Okonkwo’s daughter Ezinma falls ill, but she recovers after Okonkwo gathers leaves for her medicine.

The death of Ogbuefi Ezeudu is announced to the surrounding villages by means of the ekwe, a musical instrument. Okonkwo feels guilty because the last time Ezeudu visited him was to warn him against taking part in Ikemefuna’s death. At Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s large and elaborate funeral, the men beat drums and fire their guns. Tragedy compounds upon itself when Okonkwo’s gun explodes and kills Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s sixteen-year-old son.

Because killing a clansman is a crime against the earth goddess, Okonkwo must take his family into exile for seven years in order to atone. He gathers his most valuable belongings and takes his family to his mother’s natal village, Mbanta. The men from Ogbuefi Ezeudu’s quarter burn Okonkwo’s buildings and kill his animals to cleanse the village of his sin.

Okonkwo’s kinsmen, especially his uncle, Uchendu, receive him warmly. They help him build a new compound of huts and lend him yam seeds to start a farm. Although he is bitterly disappointed at his misfortune, Okonkwo reconciles himself to life in his motherland.

During the second year of Okonkwo’s exile, Obierika brings several bags of cowries (shells used as currency) that he has made by selling Okonkwo’s yams. Obierika plans to continue to do so until Okonkwo returns to the village. Obierika also brings the bad news that Abame, another village, has been destroyed by the white man.

Soon afterward, six missionaries travel to Mbanta. Through an interpreter named Mr. Kiaga, the missionaries’ leader, Mr. Brown, speaks to the villagers. He tells them that their gods are false and that worshipping more than one God is idolatrous. But the villagers do not understand how the Holy Trinity can be accepted as one God. Although his aim is to convert the residents of Umuofia to Christianity, Mr. Brown does not allow his followers to antagonize the clan.

Mr. Brown grows ill and is soon replaced by Reverend James Smith, an intolerant and strict man. The more zealous converts are relieved to be free of Mr. Brown’s policy of restraint. One such convert, Enoch, dares to unmask an egwugwu during the annual ceremony to honor the earth deity, an act equivalent to killing an ancestral spirit. The next day, the egwugwu burn Enoch’s compound and Reverend Smith’s church to the ground.

The District Commissioner is upset by the burning of the church and requests that the leaders of Umuofia meet with him. Once they are gathered, however, the leaders are handcuffed and thrown in jail, where they suffer insults and physical abuse.

After the prisoners are released, the clansmen hold a meeting, during which five court messengers approach and order the clansmen to desist. Expecting his fellow clan members to join him in uprising, Okonkwo kills their leader with his machete. When the crowd allows the other messengers to escape, Okonkwo realizes that his clan is not willing to go to war.

When the District Commissioner arrives at Okonkwo’s compound, he finds that Okonkwo has hanged himself. Obierika and his friends lead the commissioner to the body. Obierika explains that suicide is a grave sin; thus, according to custom, none of Okonkwo’s clansmen may touch his body. The commissioner, who is writing a book about Africa, believes that the story of Okonkwo’s rebellion and death will make for an interesting paragraph or two. He has already chosen the book’s title: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.

What is historical context of Things Fall Apart?

In 1958 much of Africa was still under the colonialist yoke, although a few countries (most notably Ghana) had already achieved independence. Set in a time of great change for Africans, Achebe's novels illuminate two painful features of modern African life: the humiliations visited on Africans by colonialism, and the corruption and inefficiency of what replaced colonial rule. Things Fall Apart in particular focuses on the early experience of colonialism as it occurred in Nigeria in the late 1800's, from the first days of contact with the British to widespread British administration. Achebe is interested in showing Ibo society in the period of transition when rooted, traditional values are put in conflict with an alien and more powerful culture that will tear them apart. Achebe paints a vivid picture of Ibo society both before and after the arrival of white men, and avoids the temptation to idealize either culture. In this context, he believes that the novelist must have a social commitment: "The writer cannot be excused from the task of re-education and regeneration that must be done.I for one would not wish to be excused. I would be quite satisfied if my novels (especially the ones I set in the past) did no more than just teach my readers [Africans] that their past-with all its imperfections-was not one long night of savagery from which the Europeans acting on God's behalf delivered them."

What is the significant of the title?

The phrase "things fall apart" is taken from the poem, “The Second Coming” by W.B Yeats, which Achebe quotes more extensively in the epigraph. Achebe’s literary allusion to Yeats’ poem might deepen or extend—by comparison and/or contrast—the meaning(s) of Achebe’s title and his novel. The beginning four lines of the poem are referred as a preface of the novel.

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,”

"Things fall apart" can be said when something we believed would last forever, comes to an end. The title Things Fall Apart refers to the fact that without proper balance, things do fall apart. The notion of balance in the novel is an important theme throughout the book. Beginning with the excerpt from Yeats' poem, the concept of balance is stressed as important; for without balance, order is lost. In the novel, there is a system of balance, which the Igbo culture seems but at the end of the novel the society people can not listen the leader, so a chaotic situation is created.

Write a brief note on the concept of 'Chi' in Things Fall Apart?

The Umuofia clan believe in a personal god called Chi. The concept of chi is discussed at various points throughout the novel and is important to our understanding of Okonkwo as a tragic hero. The chi is an individual’s personal god, whose merit is determined by the individual’s good fortune or lack thereof. Along the lines of this interpretation, one can explain Okonkwo’s tragic fate as the result of a problematic chi—a thought that occurs to Okonkwo at several points in the novel. For the clan believes, as the narrator tells us in Chapter 14, a “man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi.” But there is another understanding of chi that conflicts with this definition. In Chapter 4, the narrator relates, according to an Igbo proverb, that “when a man says yes his chi says yes also.” According to this understanding, individuals will their own destinies. Thus, depending upon our interpretation of chi, Okonkwo seems either more or less responsible for his own tragic death. Okonkwo himself shifts between these poles: when things are going well for him, he perceives himself as master and maker of his own destiny; when things go badly, however, he automatically disavows responsibility and asks why he should be so ill-fated.

A Hymn to God the Father

 

The poem begins with a simple question for God: will He forgive the sin that all humans are born into? The speaker acknowledges that this sin isn't his (the speaker's) fault, and that it happened before he was even born. Then, without waiting for an answer, he asks God another question, this time if He will forgive the sins that the speaker continues to practice. The speaker ends the first stanza by telling God that when God has finished forgiving him for these sins, He isn't quite done yet… there are plenty more sins a-comin'.

In the second stanza, the speaker echoes his earlier questions, but this time he's concerned with the sins he's caused others to participate in, not to mention the sins which he was able to briefly avoid for a while before giving in and enjoying. He again reminds God that this isn't the end of sins that need forgiving. They are starting to pile up, in fact.

The final stanza focuses on the speaker's fear of dying before being forgiven for all these sins. He doesn't want to get stuck in Limbo—the place between heaven and hell—and he considers this fear to be another one of his sins: the sin of doubt. Unlike the first two stanzas, though, the final stanza contains a sort-of answer to the speaker's worries. The speaker decides that, as long as God swears that Jesus will still stand as a buffer between man's sins and God, he'll stop being afraid. Sounds like a deal to us.