Petals of the Blood

Petals of Blood

Hello Friends!

                            Today I'm going to write about Neo-Colonialism in Petals of Blood Thinking Activity task given by Yesha Ma'am. 

Neo-colonialism

This study is an analysis of Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s portrayal of neo-colonial elitism and its influence in Kenya in his postcolonial novels, Petals of Blood (1977), Devil on the Cross (1982a) and Matigari (1989). The study employed a content analysis approach where the three novels were read and studied in depth before emerging themes, relating to neo colonial elitism in Kenya, were unpacked. The analysis was informed by two theoretical frameworks, namely the Postcolonial and Marxist literary theories. The Postcolonial theory, as used in this context, deals with literature produced in countries that were once colonies of other countries. This theory assisted in examining the relationship between the colonisers, the British, and the Kenyan elite in the new government. The Marxist literary theory postulates that emancipation of the masses from exploitation, oppression, discrimination and inevitable linkage between the privileged people and the miserable ones can only come from the struggle by the exploited and disadvantaged group. 

The Marxist literary theory assisted in analysing how the masses are trying to defend themselves against their exploiters, the ruling elite. An example is how the ex-freedom fighter, Matigari, mobilises the workers and the masses in the search for truth and justice in Kenya, which leads to the wrath of the Government. The findings of this study show that the most persistent concern of Ngugi’s literary work is exploitation generated by colonial injustice and perpetuated through unaltered colonial structures and policies. There is a complex linkage between colonial exploitation and violations of the rights of the masses in postcolonial Kenya. Furthermore, the study revealed that there is a continuous struggle for freedom from the ruling elite by the masses. Finally, the study concluded by indicating the possibility of a new political revolution that will bring a new Kenya.

The novels, Petals of blood (1977), Devil on the Cross (1982a) and Matigari (1989), posit a message that the neo-colonial Kenyan society is mainly dominated by the local elite, whose actions and conduct bring about social and political changes that further the exploitation of the disadvantaged group, the masses. The change of Ilmorog from a primitive to industrial town is a good example that has brought about the exploitation of the masses. Because of the change, the families are breaking out (Munira’s family), lack of employment (Abdulla unable to find employment) and the degradation of rural people who become destitute and beggars (Wangari and Karega respectively). Furthermore, the change in Ilmorog also brings change in labour and the values of its citizens. Wanja becomes a prostitute, which represents people’s immoral values. 

Wanja cannot sustain herself through small business enterprises as before because the rich, like the Kimerias, Chuis and the Mzigos, have erected big enterprise structures against which the small shops cannot compete. The change that has come to Ilmorog has been initiated by the big businessmen who are the owners of the big shops and estate structures which bring a great deal of money in their pockets. In this case, the poor are employed by the elite as cheap labour. The social and political changes assist the ruling elite to enrich themselves from the labour and sweat of the masses. The ruling elite use the authority and power bestowed on them to run their own personal affairs, and in that way obtain more riches. All their political utterances are directed at corruption, exploitation and blackmail as indicated by Kihaahu when he presents his speech at the Devils’Feast: I hardly need to tell you that after two years, the millions that I did invest in the election campaign had yielded quite a tidy sum. And, you will note, I had not shed a drop of sweat in that sum of money. All my money came from the very people who had voted for me. 

How, one may ask, it was their tax that would go to pay the money borrowed from foreign banks. (Ngugi, 1982a, p. 116)Kihaahu’s statement shows how the members of the political elite grab the political power, that they have received from the colonisers, for their own interests and how they use their political offices for their personal benefit. Like all competitors who gathered at the cave, Kihaahu is a member of the local elite and believes in the ideology of modern theft and robbery. Ngugi’s neo-colonial elitism story is a direct consequence of the colonial influence. During colonialism, the Europeans trained the local bourgeoisie according to the basic principles of modern capitalism which, according to Ngugi, teaches that “the sweat of the workers are the wellsprings of wealth”(Ngugi, 1982a, p. 79). In Devil on the Cross, Ngugi remarks that “Today money is the ruler of all industry and commerce. Money is the field marshal of all forces of theft and robbery on earth. Money is supreme and money rules the world” (Ngugi, 1982a, p. 173). The speeches of the thieves and robbers at the cave are testimonies to the above statement.

Thematic Study of the Poem : You Laughed and Laughed and Laughed

Thematic Study of the Poem:

Hello Friends! 

                        Today I'm going to write about Thinking Activity task given by Yesha Bhatt ma'am. So I'll going to write about the theme of the poem You Laughed Laughed and Laughed.

Racism:-

The poet mainly focuses on the theme racism faced by the people in Africa and also brought out the problems and suffering faced by black, created by white, they did not understand the feeling of black people who suffered with pain given by white. The entry of European language paved way to the white people to enter Africa and the try to make African’s as their slave.

The white people laughed at black natives for whatever things they do. They sing song which brought out the pain, emotion of the people was not understood by the white people, its sounds them as misfiring and choking of car which has stopped. The sound of song was harsh, and it was criticized and laughed by white.

 

               “In your ears my song

                Is motor car misfiring

                Stopping with a choking cough

                And you laughed and laughed- 

               and laughed (lines no: 1-4)

The natives are not stylish are modern when compared to white people, they have a clumsy figure. They were mocked for their walk and it was said has an ‘Ante natal ‘which is an immature man’s walk. The clumsy figure was overwhelmed by the extraordinary power which they gained naturally, that was not noticed by white and laughed for their appearance.

             “In your eyes my ante –

             Natal walk was inhuman, passing              

             Your ‘omnivorous understanding”

             (line no:6-7)

Again, they were teased for their mad furious dance along with heavy beating of drums, which was considering to be a traditional and cultural rituals. The drum beaten in curious and wild way which made them to look as if barbarians. The sound which produce, reveals the mood of the people of native. the sound produces by drum made them to dance which brought out the inner feeling of the black people. The white people shut their eyes and ears which was considered to be a clumsy one and laughed at them.

           

            “You laughed at my dance 

             You laughed at my inside

             You laughed and laughed

             and laughed" (line no:18-20)

The white people did not treat the natives as a ordinary human they did not understand the inner feeling of native and dominate by their appearance, colour and their actions. Black natives were laughed by the white people.

Revolution Twenty20

Revolution Twenty20

Hello Friends!

                Today I'm going to write about the novel "Revolution Twenty20" by Chetan Bhagat. This is the thinking activity task given by our Professor Dr.  Dilip Barad sir. We have a paper on Contemporary English Literature. R2020 novel is the contemporary popular literature written by Chetan Bhagat.

About Chetan Bhagat.

        Chetan Bhagat is an Indian author and columnist. He was included in Time magazine's list of World's 100 Most Influential People in 2010. Bhagat graduated in mechanical engineering at IIT Delhi and completed a PGP at IIM Ahmedabad. Chetan Bhagat is the author of nine blockbuster books. These include seven novels

Five Point Someone (2004)

One Night @ the Call Center (2005)

The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008)

2 States (2009)

Revolution 2020 (2011)

Half Girlfriend (2014) 

One Indian Girl (2016) 

 - and two non-fiction titles

What Young India Wants (2012) 

Making India Awesome(2015). 

Also he write a book 400 Days is now available also and it was release at 17th September 2021. Chetan’s books adapted into successful Bollywood films and the others are in process of being adapted as well. 

About Revolution Twenty20

Revolution Twenty20: Love, Corruption, Ambition is a 2011 novel by Chetan Bhagat. Its story is concerned with a love triangle, corruption, and a journey of self-discovery. R2020 has addressed the issue of how private coaching institutions exploit aspiring engineering students and how parents put their lifetime earnings at stake for these classes so that their children can crack engineering exams and change the fortune of the family. While a handful accomplishes their dreams, others sink into disaster. The book is available as an Audiobook on Amazon.

Now Let's discuss the questions:

1) If you have to write a fan-fiction, how would you move ahead with the ending of this novel or what sort of change you would bring at the end of the novel?

- Yes, I would like to add some of the changes in the novel. First of all I want to keep changes in the characters and title of the novel. We can find in Aarti’s character that she is a very confusing person. We can’t get an idea of what she wants in her life. Because when Gopal has some issue related to money she goes towards Raghav and when Raghav loses his power and money then she goes with Gopal. We cannot get an idea about what Aarti wants. And also Gopal’s character we find that at the end of the novel he left Aarti only for his power and money. The title is also confusing because the title is something about ‘Revolution’ but we can’t find anything about Revolution. In this novel we read about love and the love triangle between Gopal, Raghav and Aarti. This theme is very highlighted rather than Revolution. The cover page we learn from the title that love is also highlighted then also we understand the idea about the theme love. 

2) If you were to adapt this novel for the screen, what sort of changes you would make in the story and characters to make it better than the novel? (For example, keep Five Point Someone and 3 Idiots in your mind)

- Yes, I would do some kind of changes in the novel. I would make changes in the story and characters to make it better than the novel. First I would like to change the characters of Aarti and Raghav because Chetan Bhagat only highlighted Gopal's character; he doesn't talk about Aarti and Raghav’s character. We know that Gopal, Aarti and Raghav are also the narrator of the novel.Chetan Bhagat only talks about Gopal’s point of view. But we can’t get an idea about what Aarti and Raghav talks about? Threw their perspective on what they feel and think that idea not given in this novel that I want to give my point of view in this. And also i want to add about revolution because the novel’s title represents revolution but Chetan Bhagat writes about the love theme rather than revolution.

3) 'For a feminist reader, Aarti is a sheer disappointing character.' Do you agree with this statement? If yes, what sort of characteristics you would like to see in Aarti. If you disagree with this statement, why? What is it in Aarti that you are satisfied with this character?

- Yes, I agree with this statement, ‘For a feminist reader, Aarti is a sheer disappointed character’ because in the novel we read that Aarti belongs to a rich and educationalist family and she also belongs political background but we can’t find any characteristics in Aarti like that.Even we can’t understand that what she wants. She has no ambition, vision and passion for her future and career. We notice that when Raghav has power and money that time she is attracted towards him and when Gopal becomes wealthy and has money that time she is ready to sleep with him.

THANK YOU...

Sample Research Paper

 Scientific invention for the future good or bad ? With Reference to ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ and ‘Frankenstein’

Abstract :-

Towards the end of the 19th century, the portrayal of science in literature became more frequent than before; science has been progressing and it began to spark the interest of the readers of fiction. Supernatural elements in stories have been ascribed to scientists and experiments rather than God and miracles. However, since science still covered much of the unknown and inexplicable, the characters of scientists have occasionally been given almost godlike powers, thus prompting the readers to consider the question of morality. The scientist characters in both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have initially been successful with their scientific experiments and achieved groundbreaking discoveries, but have ultimately been punished for having gone too far with their experiments on humanity. Both of them also use science to project their evil side into creatures separate from themselves; either by separating their evil alter-ego from their ‘natural’ self, or by creating a whole new creature and projecting their negative traits onto him.

Keywords:- Science, Fear,Degeneration, Uncontrolled Creativity, Disadvantages of Technology

Introduction:-

      Scientific research can change our lives for the better, but it also presents risks either through deliberate misuse or accident. Think about studying deadly pathogens; that’s how we can learn how to successfully ward them off. Science is the system of systematic knowledge based on facts and human experiences.

       These works move from the first decades of the century, when electricity and chemistry dominated the progress made, to the end of this century also we get biology and psychology that were scientific forerunners. Thus, Anne K. Mellor talks about how Shelley founded Frankenstein’s venture to form a man “on the most advanced scientific research of the early nineteenth century", i.e. chemistry and electricity (305). 

       In Frankenstein, Shelley explores the fears created by seemingly limitless possibilities recently offered to scientists. Shelley also Introduces with her character Victor Frankenstein given the idea that, for the sections of the scientific community, morality and forethought are of little importance. Major theme in Frankenstein “relies upon and even exploits public anxieties about scientific progress and about the direction of this progress if undertaken in the absence of moral guidance. (242)

         A similar point provides the major theme in ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. In this novella in addition to trening humanity, degeneration also puts modern society as such at risk. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Dr. Jekyll created a potion because he has a lot of evil emotions inside him but he does not release them when he is Jekyll. Jekyll is liked by everyone he knows but he has no way to express his negative emotions. Hyde becomes Jekyll’s outlet to those emotions. And all are possible because of creating a potion and Jekyll takes it and after it and after he becomes Hyde. So we can see in the end that he also died because of potion. What he created to release his emotions. 

           So, The aim of this essay is to show the changeable role of science in Frankenstein, The strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, how scientific progress can constitute a friend as well as afoe and that the direction is decided by the human factor. 

Science and Fear of Uncontrolled creativity in Frankenstein :- 

        The first chapter will talk about how it awakens the fear of uncontrolled creativity. We can see the fear in Mary Shelley’s portrait of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist taking full advantage of the potential of science to create a life without reflecting over the moral or social consequences. Frankenstein seems to have lost all his initial good intentions to use science to benefit humankind. Frankenstein finds the means to create life in new science. Especially electricity and chemistry provide scientific resources to Frankenstein’s work in realising his visiar. He was introduced to those new fields by a family friend who later became violent.  

       A slave to the thrill that Frankenstein does not allow himself himself to pause during the creation of his being. And lastly it became very dangerous for him. Frankenstein creates a creation of a being that might be described as a monster. The string of killings his family makes (monster) Frankenstein start to realise his guilt. He created a being that kills almost everyone he cares so, he feels he “had no right to share their intercourse…he had unchained an enemy among them.”

Science and Fear of Degeneration in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll andMr. Hyde :- 

                      In this chapter we will analyse Dr. Jekyll’s motive for using science; Dr. Jekyll also makes use of science and his intentions, resembling those of Frankenstein’s, can in fact also wecan seen as initially good. Jekyll talks about how he and all humans have a particular split personality, one side is good and the other side is bad. He also claims that “man is not truly one, but truly two.”

             The idea of separating the good and bad elements in a person is the truth that an evil creature must come into being contrast (different) from the good one. Jekyll “begins with good intentions, but his project(potion) is internally contradictory: Frankenstein tries to become the benefactor of his race by turning his back on it, while Jekyll and wishes to rid himself of shameful secrecy by secret means" (145) The risks connected with Jekyll’s experiment are also highlighted by the theories of evolutionary psychologist James Sully. He suggested that Jekyll's experiment is risky since it aims at transforming the human mind, the weakest part of humans "since it has been recently acquired"(Henderson 106). From this concept we can also remark that he also reveal directly but he choose different way to create a potion threw the potion he change into Mr. Hyde and does bad behaviour. But at last it became the reason for his death. Hyde's violent nature makes him infamous also. In this case Dr. Jekyll's strange behaviour makes Lanyon (His Friend) doubt and he fears that Jekyll is suffering from the brain disorder. 

               The ever-lasting struggle between Jekyll and Hyde goes to show how Jekyll has failed in reaching his goal. Since Dr. Jekyll is unsuccessful in creating two opposite beings, one entirely evil and the other entirely good. 

Disadvantages between both scientific fiction :- 

                   In 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' and 'Frankenstein' two themes are very prominent. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Jekyll created a potion (Medicine powder) which turns him into what he learns from Mr Hyde. Jekyll doesn't want (intend) to drink that potion that he created but his curiosity towards potion consumes him. 

               In 'Frankenstein' after getting an education, Victor wonders if he can create life and he also was very curious about creating a life and he did not stop thinking about that. 

               In both texts we can find the similarity that both are scientific fiction. And in both texts we learn that the use of scientific things can sometimes become dangerous for human life. No doubt science is also very important and useful for humans but it also becomes dangerous. That we learn from both fiction. 

Conclusion :- 

                We learn from both fiction that the role of science in these works is changeable and constitutes both a friend and an enemy, depending on the motives of protagonists. Victor in Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll explores science selfishly and without thinking, creating fear of uncontrollable speculation as well as unpredictable degeneration. 

              Victor Frankenstein's scientific obsession results in an isolated, mad scientist and a dangerous creature, hungry for revenge. The violent and hateful, dirty Mr. Hyde, a symbol of primitive backlash, is the outcome of Dr. Jekyll's scientific venture. Frankenstein might be seen as positioning himself as both God and nature when he forms his creature, Dr. Jekyll might be seen as ignoring God and contesting nature when he uses science. 

              We also not denied that science and technology have advantages also. It will make our life easier. We can learn many things from lots of digital tools that are also inventions of science and technology. But nowadays we also learn the bigger disadvantages of science and technology because of the spread of coronavirus. It also spread because of many technical tools and things. So we last point out the fact that science has advantages and disadvantages also. This all depends on humans what they do with it.    

References : 

Baldick, Chris. In Frankenstein's Shadow: Myth, Monstrosity, and Nineteenth-century Writing. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1987.

Hendershot, Cyndy. The Animal Witbin: Masculinity and the Gothic. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1998.

Lisa, Jacobson. The Changing Role of Science in Frankenstein,The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,and Dracula (Research Paper), Linkoping University, Department of Culture and Communication English

Mellor, Anne K. "Frankenstein: A Feminist Critique of Science." In Levine, 287-312.

Punter, David. The Literature of Terror: A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the present day. London and New York: Long man, 1980. 

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. 1818. Rev. ed.1831. London: Penguin Classics, 2003. 

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Other Tales of Terror. 1886. London: Penguin Classics, 2003.