ALL MY SONS : BY ARTHUR MILLER

        All My Sons is a 1947 play by Arthur Miller.  The genre of the play is a tragedy. However, we can categorized it as a family drama too. As per the background of the play, it denotes an event related to world war- 2.  The protagonist of the play, [Joe Keller ] for the sake of financial benefits, dishonestly sales cracked cylinder to the US army which causes the death of 21 pilots. As a result of it he puts blame onto his business partner [ Steve Deever ]. Here writer criticizes the idea of American Dream too. The materialistic life becomes the reason of great fall. At the end of the play the protagonist finds himself entangled in a  miserable situation and commits suicide.
     
       A Note on Arthur Miller :
       Before we move further, let us discuss some important things about the writer. He was born in Jewish family. His father was financially ruined in the great economic depression. This knowledge of business remains the great source of his plays. He was much interested in writing from his college days. Among his most popular plays are : Death of a Salesman (1949)- it is said that this play had been taking shape in his mind for ten years, though he wrote it in six weeks. Death of a Salesman received the Pulitzer Prize for theatre.
        The Crucible (1953) - a play dealing with a witch hunt in Salem in 1692, was rightly assumed to have a contemporary relevance in view of the persecution of real and alleged Communists in the America of the fifties. This was followed by A View from the Bridge in 1955, a tragedy of sexual rivalry and betrayal. Apart from these all, his personal life was very much political. He used to rank himself as American Liberals.

           Characters of the Play : 

          Miller is usually regarded as an intellectual dramatist and that seems in the characterization of the play. Almost all the characters represents the real life situations.  Moreover,  Miller's characters are never aristocratic.  They may make money but they remain culturally underprivileged. 

• Joe Keller
• Kate Keller
• Larry Keller (Never appears onto stage)
• Chris Keller
• Steve Deever (Never appears onto stage)
• Ann Deever
• George Deever
• Dr.  Jim Bayliss
• Sue Bayliss
• Frank Lubey
• Lydia Lubey
• Bert

     Major themes : 

   √  Social Responsibility : In Keller family, character of Joe ( portrays the situation of Bourgeois ) has more responsibility for his family.  Whatever he has done it is for Chris, for his family.  But he becomes the victim of American Dream. Here Miller criticizes the competition amongst the individual and society. 
   √  Money : Another element of fall. In the play we see Joe doesn't want a loss in business, and tells his business partner (Steve) to  sale faulty aircrafts. Similarly,  Sue wants his husband to focus on his financial career rather than further study. 
   √  Guilt : Most of the characters have guilt for their family members. 
   √  Bravery and Sacrifice : The decision made by Chris and Ann, requires great courage. Larry's decision of committing suicide, these all the events shows the positive side of human behavior.  Ultimately, it teaches that one shouldn't cross the limit of affection,  because it can be possible that opposite person may not understand your feelings. 

     At the end of the play we can say that Miller criticizes the capitalism.  He favours Marxism. 
     
     

'Re- Organisation' for Humanity.

Political and Cultural Blueprint for a certain social order :

            In the present 'climate' some of the so called #Leftists forgot the meaning of 'Left'-( Liberal, Progressive,  Revolutionary,  Socialist,  Radical). (Feigned Leftist - Suffering from preconceived notions.)  What they do, merely opposes the #Rightist ideologies ( Some ideologies may have faults - That can oppose) without any contemplation.  

            By taking the contemporary issue of J&K, these leftists arugues about the identity of 'people'. Many #Separatists wants to see #J&K as a separate 'state'. ( One can not imagine a separate 'state' within a democratic 'Nation'/ Particularly in a #Multicultured Nation, or in Globalized World. Because it is against the idea of #Unification. See in contemporary time it is almost difficult to survive as a small 'state' - that can easily invaded by other nation.  Moreover it triggers the demand of separate state to the other cultures.  -  Ultimately it might create Anarchy in the Nation.) For that they can look back in history.  Nobody can forget the #Khalistan Movement. During that period Central Government of India( Government of Indira Gandhi - Congress ) had opposed that movement and as a result of it government took military action #Operation Blue Star - 1984 against #Sikh Militants.- (Humans)( A movement for a separate 'state'.) ( Sikh community considers them as a Martyred. )

    It seems that these #Separatists ( They have their selfish motives,  nothing to do with 'people' ) are suffering from Egoistic mind set.These are the groups which tries to create atmosphere of #Xenophobia. They tries to turn 'Temple', 'Mosque', 'Gurudwaras' into #Orthodox Religious Arsenal. But a civilian should know that they are #Proselytizer,  #Brainwasher,  #Sponsor.

 

     Similarly that is what happening in J&K. These #Separatist proselytizes ( In the name of Religion - Oldest weapon of mass Destruction)  - the common 'People' and tries to fix #Rightist Ideologies as an #autocratic, #Jingoistic #Other people in the mind of indigenous people. Which creates different mindset between different person.  

    The unification is necessary for the development of common 'people'. Invest your time for the humanity rather than #religious beliefs.  

( I am not propagating any particular party,  these are my personal views regarding contemporary event.)  

   

    

' Brief Answers To The Big Questions ' - Stephen Hawking

 

   In this era we are being introduced with so many questions related to the Universe. Which are necessary for the survival of human beings.
         Similarly,  Stephen Hawking has tried to give a brief explanation of each curious questions related to the cosmos.  Unfortunately,  his work published posthumously but many of the answers are  taken from his interviews and articles.
       In this book,  Hawking has tried to expand our understanding of the universe and unraveled some of its greatest mysteries. There are total 10 questions  in this book.

• Is there a God ?

      By answering this question,  Hawking tells that people clings to religion, because it gives comfort,  and they do not trust or understand science. For that he gives an example of Aristarchus.  Who studies  the heaven and gives the solutions of eclipses - As the shadow of the Earth passing over the moon.
    For Hawking / Einstein the universe is made up of mass and energy. - E= mc square. In conclusion he says that, this question it self makes no sense. As no one created the universe and no one directs our fate.

• How Did It All Begin ?

       Many province of religion argues that God created the universe.  Here one question arises that What was God doing before he made the world?
         To explain this, he emphasizes on Big Bang Theory.

• Is There Other Intelligent Life In The Universe ?

        According to him, one needs to understand DNA of human beings.  In nutshell he frankly answers that if there is intelligent life elsewhere,  it must be a very long way away otherwise it would have visited Earth by now.

• Can We Predict The Future ?

      Most of the time we hear about the Astrology.  To explain this here Hawking uses the references of various scientists. Like,  Heisenberg Planck, John Bell and etc.  Thus, some of the theories tells that at a single time one can not know the position and speed of a particle. However, both answers can be given  - yes and no. As the laws allow us to predict the future.  But in practice the calculations are often too difficult.  For Laplace, future can be determined  if one knew their positions and speeds at one time.

• What Is Inside A Black Hole ?

 

 
 Now a days we see news related to the Black Hole.  A Black Hole - It has a boundary called the event horizon.  It is where gravity is just strong enough to drag light back and prevent it from escaping.  To understand it one needs to study Quantum Mechanics.  But in simple words one can loose existence.

• Is Time Travel Possible  ?

     As light travels faster then anything else. So, if one could not go faster than light,  then it becomes impossibles to reach at the centre of Galaxy.  If general relativity is correct and energy density is positive,  time travel is not possible.

• Will We Survive On Earth ?

         By explaining this answer,  Hawking talks about the immense catastrophe created by the atomic weapons. He points the line from Bhagavad-Gita, " Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. " And the Earth is becoming too small for us.  In addition he censures the activities and technologies which affects the climate.
           What he really thinks is that either a nuclear confrontation or environmental catastrophe will cripple the Earth at some point in the upcoming years.

• Should We Colonise Space  ?

       The obvious answer is,  it won't solve any of our immediate problems on planet Earth,  but it will give us a new perspective on on them and cause us to look outwards rather than inwards. The main aim is it will unite us to face  the common challenge.
           As Earth is becoming too smaller,  there is no any other options.  If humanity is to continue for another millions years,  our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before.

• Will Artificial Intelligence Outsmart Us ?

    As we know that Hawking was suffering from Motor Neuron Disease. So,  technological advancements proved boon for him. In this book he says that with more powerful technologies such as nuclear weapons, synthetic biology and strong artificial intelligence,  we should instead plan ahead and aim to get things right the first time. Our future depends the wisdom of technology.

• How Do We Shape The Future ?

     He sees the internet as a source of improvement.  Most of the work will be done only by internet.
        Mainly he advocates that all young people should be familiar with and confident around scientific subjects. They need to be scientifically literate,  and inspired to engage with the developments in science and technology in order to learn more.
        In nutshell, I can say that everyone should read this book. Because there are so many answers related to the science.  In addition, book provides a new way of thinking, it inspires the students to cultivate the habit of scientific imagination, wisdom of technology and how a human endeavors can make life more interesting.  Further,  it tries to provide the solution related to clean energy and global warming.

" Be brave,  be curious,  be determined,  overcome the odds.  It can be done. "


         

 

 
           

'Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind' : Yuval Noah Harari

     

   If you are interested in the history of Human Evaluation (I am saying evaluation not creation ! ) and also in the process of 'Life' then this book can be the book of your desk. 

      'Sapiens' is a non- fictional work written by Yuval Noah Harari. This book is about how a Human being evolved on Earth. Here writer has tried to prove his arguments by providing an accurate example.  

    Mainly this book is in four parts. 

• The Cognitive Revolution 
• The Agricultural Revolution 
• The Unification of Humankind 
• The Scientific Revolution

 

   In the beginning chapter ( An Animal of No Significance)  writer has tried to represent the Big Bang Theory. Particularly, the whole process takes place through the ideas of Physics,chemistry and biology. In addition it tells the story of how these above four revolutions have affected humans and their fellow organism/ Biology.   

    Earlier there were total four Homo Species.

1. Homo rudolfensis (  East Africa ) 
2. Homo erectus ( East  Asia ) 
3. Homo neanderthalensis ( Europe and western Asia )
4. Homo Sapiens ( us ! ) 

 
     Homo Sapiens survived ! the reason was the thinking capacity of Homo Sapiens.  They were able to cooperate / conquer the others. The diversity in behavior patterns becomes the 'Cultures'. These unstoppable alterations take place of 'history'.

  The another interesting chapter is History's Biggest Fraud.  It is mainly about Agricultural Revolution. For Homo Sapiens wheat becomes the most successful plants in the history of the earth. But in this process Wheat domesticated us ! Consequently, an idea of investment, led sapiens towards the violence. Ultimately,  it's hard to avoid the impression that for the vast majority of domesticated animals, the Agricultural Revolution was a terrible catastrophe.

        This revolutions led sapiens in the material world.  In the subsequent chapters, we see how bureaucracy works, how injustice in history has affected the present day context, and also the so called idea of race.  For that we see that how these all laws and norms invented.  Furthermore,  he gives the example of the Vicious circle - If you want to keep any human group isolated : women, Jews, Roma, Gays,  blacks, -  the best way to do it is convince everyone that these people are a source of pollution.

      Another point we see is about He and She : for that we find a valid argument that- A good rule of thumb is Biology enables,  culture forbids.' Biology is willing to tolerate a very wide spectrum of possibilities.
     

        The third part discusses about Money. Philosophers, thinkers and prophets have besmirched money and called it the root of all evil. But money became more open minded. Because it doesn't discriminate on the basis of religion,  gender, race, age or sexual orientation.  

     

         Many time we questions the idea of Imperialism. Similarly,  in this book we get the idea of how it works.  For that it raises the question of cricket and chai in India. 

          Now a days the so called idea of religion became a mean way of politics. However,  humanity is considered as the new religion.  

     In the last part,  writer has tried to give so many answers related to science. How Homo Sapiens have questioned the nature...!?  Moreover,  this part focuses on the idea of capitalist creed.  

     Furthermore,  we see that how this modern world seeks for happiness.  Their life became meaningless. Yet, homo sapiens remains more and more active to gain more,  they reached at the idea of artificial intelligence. 

        By concluding,  I can say that it is a wonderful book to read.  Because it has covered almost all the phenomenon of Human being. Apart from these all, it has tried to represent the real danger of contemporary time.  And also the capacity of Homo Sapiens !  

         

       

'M. P. Ajmera' a short story.

 

    'M. P. Ajmera' is a short story written by Mahendrasinh Parmar and published in 2016. This story is a part of Short Story Collection named 'Polytechnic.' The genre of the story can be categorized as a Black Comedy. This tale follows Third person narrative technique with an omniscient view.


      Narendrakumar Ajmera ( M. A. Sanskrit )  is the protagonist of this story. By designation he is a primary teacher but dreams to be a University Professor. In the beginning of the story he shows the vexation of primary teachers. which is being load on them by government.  ( According to Narrator!  ) For Ajmera , his degree is in a vain as he remains busy in census survey, polio immunization campaign,  family planning,  literacy campaign and etc. He considers these all things as a donkey work.
     However, as he is an onus teacher,  this time he gets work as an Election Officer.  It is his first duty as an election officer, here things becomes more comic as he gets his duty in super sensitive booth. For him this is like an important duty to fulfill.

      Here, an interesting thing starts.  He reaches at the booth.  ( EVM machines were not developed ! ) People from village invites him for a dinner but he denies to go as he considers this as a bribe / trap !
        Now Narendrakumar seems more serious,  responsible and faithful to the democracy.  He remains hungry for a whole night. On the other hand we see poor condition of primary school. The same narration we find in 'The White Tiger' - novel by Arvind Adiga. Even he doesn't sleep at night.  When he goes for ' Morning Work', he carries all the voting papers / Ballot with him. But he leftover as he sees foxes and dogs - doesn't cast his 'morning' vote...! On the other side policeman enjoys the treat given by villagers, especially by Power. On the day of voting Ajmera sees a man with big moustache. Who again invites him for the lunch.  But suddenly he finds issues regarding bogus voting. People just gathered around booth. Albeit of the risk of his life,  he warns a herd.  At the same time he doesn't find policeman ! He just threatened by that herd but he replied that I will not let die the democracy of a nation.

        At the end of the day,  he submits the Ballots,  but the voting percentage are lower compared to other booth.  He says : It is because of his integrity. After 3days's labour he reaches at home and finishes his
'Morning Work.' Now,  Narendrakumar seems totally exhausted.  
 
        After three months again he gets notice from collector to work in an election.  But nobody becomes ready to work in that super sensitive booth.  Here , we see that suddenly Narendrakumar gets selected for University Professor. Thus , some how some questions raises in our mind that how Narendrakumar makes himself free from the duty of an election officer...!? Is he withdrawals his name by giving money...?  But we know that he is a man of integrity.

     But the last conundrum is, how he gets name of M. P.  ...!? ( For that you can read story...!)

     By concluding this review I can say that writer has used a comic tone to show the hardship of teachers.  At the same time we see two nation : Nation of light - darkness.  Also the satire on Police system and etc.
 

   
     
      

Language Lab Programme Review

 

   So many times we think to introduce language software in our education system.  But it seems, for that we need some good training.  Though,  we have tried to do practical with this language lab software.  To know more about the task,  click here...

     What is language lab... ?

     In general we can say that it is introduced in the classrooms to teach English language. For that this programme needs various computers, along with appropriate software.  Which provides some other features like,  video,  audio,  writing task and etc. Including all,  it is like an information technology based learning where you needs net connection with computers.

      History of Language Lab...

      The first recorded language lab was established at the University of Grenoble in 1908 Frank Chalfant brought the concept to the United States establishing a 'phonetics lab' at Washington State University in 1911 or 1912. 
       
     Advantages : 

•  Helps in enhancing four basic skills.  
• It provides Test,  So,  learner can evaluate themselves.
• As it has a feature of phonetics, Lerner can develop pronunciation skills. 
• This software, perfectly fits in primary schools. 
• Different levels helps in displaying the standard of students. 

      

     Disadvantages : 

• Take much time to start. 
• Seems quite an old software.  
• It has lots of stuff.
• It is difficult to carry out in all the classes. 
• It should be affordable.       

Harry Potter Series mini reviews

1. Harry Potter and philosopher's stone

     Harry Potter is an average bespectacled 11 year old boy who has lived with the Dursley family ever since his parents died in a car crash. For some reason the family has always mistreated him. On his 11th birthday a giant man named Rubeus Hagrid hands him a letter telling him that he has been accepted as a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry learns that his parents were wizards and were killed by an evil wizard Voldemort, a truth that was hidden from him all these years. He embarks for his new life as a student, gathering two good friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger along the way. They soon learn that something very valuable is hidden somewhere inside the school and Voldemort is very anxious to lay his hands on it.

2. Harry Potter and The Chamber of secrets : 

     It’s the summertime and Harry is feeling miserable. The year before, Harry attended at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it changed his life forever. That was when he found out he was a wizard, lived through Voldemort’s killing curse, and made the two best friends he would ever have.

       A short while into the passageway, Lockhart injures himself so Ron stays behind with him. Harry goes forward, alone. He enters the Chamber by whispering something in Parseltongue. He sees Ginny Weasley’s still body on the far side of the Chamber. Harry sees Tom Riddle next to her. Tom is actually the preserved younger version of Voldemort. There beside Tom is the basilisk. Dumbledore’s pheonix and Gryffindor sword comes to Harry’s aid. He kills the basilisk with the sword and stabs the diary, where Tom Riddle was being preserved, with the basilisk tooth. Ginny wakes up at that moment. It turns out that Ginny was being possessed by Voldemort through the diary and she was the one who wrote the bloody message on the wall. Harry emerges from the chamber with Ginny, safely. He explains his experience to Dumbledore. Harry is a hero. 


3 - Harry Potter and The prisoner of Azkaban :

   In this installment, fledgling wizard Harry is in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The story finds Harry and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley dealing with their concerns over Sirius Black, a potential ally of Lord Voldemort who is in pursuit of Harry.

          Harry is unable to join the Hogwarts students on a trip to Hogsmeade, because he lacks a permission slip. In their absence, he spends time with Professor Lupin. Lupin explains to Harry that he was not allowed to fight the Boggart because he (Lupin) feared that it would take the shape of Voldemort. At that point, Harry had been more filled with fear of the Dementors than Voldemort. Snape gives Lupin a potion to drink, which surprises Harry. 

4 - Harry Potter and The Goblet of fire :

    The goblet of fire choose the name of participants. Harry’s name is chosen, though he is not qualified by age to take part in this tournament but, everything is planned by the servant of Voldemort. The trophy was transferred in to the portkey, which is a thing when one touches it they reach at another place. At the end of this movie Voldemort possesses his full body. This part gives very interesting idea of pensive the memory keeper, in which we can preserve our memory. We can also see the reporter Rita Skeeter here and her way of writing in to the newspaper. We can also question news in real world. At last Dumbledore gives Harry a rational advice that dead people can’t come back and also warned him to be ready, because now he has to make choice between right or easy.

5 . Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix :

        It's another year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter and his friends. The previous year, he witnessed not just the death of Cedric Diggory, but also the return of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. The ministry of magic doesn't believe everything Harry says and will do anything to keep everyone calm. Hogwarts begin changing, especially when Dolores Umbridge arrives to take over the school. Now, with Voldemort's army getting closer, Harry and his friends must teach themselves and form an army to take on the upcoming threat.

6 . Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince :

      In Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, Harry finds a book marked mysteriously, "This book is the property of the Half Blood Prince," which helps him excel at Potions class and teaches him a few dark and dangerous ones along the way. Meanwhile, Harry is taking private lessons with Dumbledore in order to find out about Voldemort's past so they can find out what might his only weakness.

7- 8 : Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1-

     As Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.
       
        Voldemort's power is growing stronger. He now has control over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore's work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. But little hope remains for the Trio, and the rest of the Wizarding World, so everything they do must go as planned.

  2- Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue to find the rest of Voldemort's Horcruxes, until Harry discovers that one is at Hogwarts, they flee there as soon as possible but Voldemort instantly finds out about their mission. The battle is drawn at Hogwarts as many people fight to protect Harry Potter. Harry then realises that people are dying constantly for his mistakes and then eventually fights Voldemort for the last time. Along the way, crucial secrets are unraveled, and the mysterious but legendary Deathly Hallows reappear.