What Should Be First? Video Resources or Text Book Reading.

                        After watching the video, students can not properly concentrate on the reading of the text book because while reading students compare the things to the video clips and thus they can not go beyond the video clips. They do not have their own imagination, as their imagination system is restricted through the video clips.  This is how the students are diverted of the sincere reading.  And the students should first read the authentic source which is the text itself because the text is written by the author on whom we are concentrating and the video clips are made by another one. So it is better to read the text first and then the video clips. After all, video resources are only for the better understanding of the text book.  I also agree with the fact that in current times students do not have time to read the whole text book, but they, at least can go through the summery of the text book.  I am not against the idea of video clips’ demonstrations in the class but, I firmly believe that text book or summery reading should be given first preference.

          

          

   Clash and Conflict between an individual and society.

The Old Man and the Sea, the novella, is having a mystic sense of life in it. The multiple layers of meaning are pervaded throughout the novella. It suggests not only life and death but the middle part of them, the life span what is more important than life and death. The Sea itself symbolizes the lifespan which is having lots of voyages (tasks, attempts in life etc.), the Old Man is the whole mankind, Marlin as desire of mankind, Sharks are the societies and circumstances of life and Manolin is the success and stamina of life. The old man wishes to show to the society that he is no more salao (unlucky) and he wants the stamina from that boy (Manolin) as he eight times says “I wish I had the boy”. The mankind craves for success is presented through this statement. Men try to satisfy their desires but the sharks (circumstances or society) pull their legs and make them disappointed, so, it also shows if circumstances get succeed and the men drop their wish to achieve something, then they would be successful if they face struggle.  And this happens in the case of the Old man that he, though he is aged, decides to fight with vicissitudes of life and struggles for his desire (Marlin). That is all together a different thing that he does not get marlin but its carcass at the end of the novella, albeit, he proves himself enough capable for fishing among the people. So, what makes a man successful here is struggle. And it also reminds of a proverb “Try and try you will be succeed”.

Importance of Placement and Campus Recruitment

                                                                  India is a beautiful country which is not only a tourist attraction but also a place where many talented people search for a good job, their main job is to get an opportunity in an organization which enhances their capabilities. Nowadays placements have become temples for the students. There are many jobs in the market but how can one know about them. So, in this matter those colleges play very crucial role which are having campus recruitment. There are also some students who do not know anything about placement and all, so, colleges make them aware of the placements and their need. Placement consultants are the platform for business. Companies share their requirement for the employees on different profiles from time to time and these placement consultants in turn help them to fulfill their requirement. But there is a disadvantage of placement that the talented students only get opportunity for job but what about the average students? When they are in the Market they have to fumble for jobs and sometimes they do not get it. Searching for a job is the most critical thing today and there are huge list of unemployed people in market and everybody is waiting for his/her chance. Placement consultants are the organizations which are helpful in providing jobs in India or wherever one wants. After the completion of their studies the only thing students want is a good job which helps them to show their skills.

                                                                  

Many students in India do part time jobs while studying. For them this is not only to earn money but also to get experience. And the experienced students are required the more. So, this is how placements is a coin having two sides of advantages as well as disadvantages.

What is Literature.

                             

Before giving my view about literature, I would like to quote and explain C.S. Levis’ statement about literature. He writes;

“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”

Very briefly C.S.Levis has put all the aspects related to Literature in above quotation. We generally believe that literature represents imagination with creativity, but it also involves reality of life in one or another way. For example reading of “Oliver Twist” makes us aware of the life of Victorian people. Charles Dickens not only shares his creative imagination but also describes the manners and matters of his time. Literature thus, helps us to understand the history and the past of the society of different ages. Another thing is that, it boosts our life, as we get inspiration from it. Literature represents a language or people, culture and tradition and it leads us towards the new worlds of experiences. We, get some experiences through literature which are not meant to be learned as it is said that “one can’t play with fire.”

Though Literature represents our day to day life, it differs from everyday speech. There are some different qualities which make literature and other sources different. For example, though advertisements are imaginative and creative we can’t call them as literature. Terry Eagleton has rightly said, “Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech.”

‘Literature’ is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works(for example, “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley) and the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination including works of poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. It also transfers human beings from one place to another, as it is a travel agent that makes the traveler travel free of cost. E.M.Forster has rightly said regarding this point,

“What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote.”

                       Soliloquy of Life 

“Everything will be fine”. He consoles himself.

Fine?   He gets hysterical.

Because he also knows that nothing will be fine. From his childhood he had learned this statement and thinks what sort of life he had. Aryaam  Chattopadhyay.

He was.

A successful business man, who had never seen the struggles of life before. This situation reminds him of the famous phrase “All is Well”. But perhaps he persuades himself.  In his office he was a king like man. He ruled over the people there.  But he could not rule over the hearts.

Aryaam Chattopadhyay.

But now,

Now he is only Aonu. ‘Aonu’ was for his relatives and friends. And today one of these categories makes him Aonu. He is not at all Aryaam Chattopadhyay. A man who had never paid attention to his parents.

His parents have left the ‘House’.

Forever.

Things were getting worse and worse in office also. Now Aonu realizes the importance of home and the home men.

“Everything will be fine” with a share of negativity this statement constantly bangs his heart.

“They should have pondered over my situation once.”  He feels.

“I was earning for them after all.”

“Really?”   His heart denies. 

[The conflict between mind and heart had been felt.] 

“They had never understood my aspiration. I wanted to get first class in M.B.A and I have got it.”

“Yes, I have got.”

“They expected me to get degrees of M.A with Literature and then PHD.”   

 “Why… Today I have come to know.”

 Silence

“Hey look at the bird mamma it is flying in the sky.”

“Dady… give me that binocular.”

“Oh it’s a wonderful sight. Isn’t it?”

“Mamma, Will you leave me ever?”

                                                                       Written  by: Payal Patel

                                                                                M.A- Sem-II

                                                                        Department of English

                                                                        Bhavnagar University,

                                                                                Bhavnagar