હૃદયના કોઈક ગહન ખૂણે મંદ વહેતા લાગણીના જળમાં ભરતી આવેલી, ને તેના મોજા આંખોના કાંઠા ઓળંગીને ગાલ પર ધસી આવેલા. કાયમ કોઈપણ પુસ્તકને વિશ્લેષણ કરવા ટેવાયેલ મારું મન ભાવ અને શબ્દ પ્રવાહમાં એવુ તો તણાયેલું કે પુસ્તક પૂરું થયાં પછી પણ તેના પ્રભાવમાંથી બહાર નીકળવું અઘરું હતું. વિશ્લેષણ પણ વિસરાઈ ગયેલું. પાને - પાને નીતરતી નારીની વેદના, અને પરિસ્થિતિઓની આંટી - ઘૂંટીમાં અટવાતા, પછડાતા લોકો પ્રત્યે સહજ જ સહાનુભૂતી થઇ આવે. આ પુસ્તકે ખુબ રડાવી,મન વ્યાકુળ કરી મૂક્યું, ઊંડે હૃદયમાં નવી સમજણ રોપી, કંઈ કેટલુંય શીખવાડ્યું. વાંચ્યા પહેલાથી જ મારાં હૃદયમાં અનેરું સ્થાન પામેલ આ પુસ્તકને વાંચી લઈને સમજાણું કે શા માટે શરૂઆતથી જ આ પુસ્તક તરફ મને ખેંચાણ રહ્યું હતું. ખરેખર મારું મન મોહી ગયું.
Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about why people always so scared of Robots and Als, with the reference of some short films. Read teacher's blog and watch films there. (Click) .
What is Robot?
According to Oxford Dictionary Robot Means (especially in science fiction) a machine resembling a human being and able to replicate certain human movements and functions automatically.
A robot is a type of automated machine that can execute specific tasks with little or no human intervention and with speed and precision.
Term 'Robot' was drawn from an old Church Slavonic word, robota. That mean “servitude,” “forced labor” or “drudgery.” The word also had it's roots in German, Russian, Polish and Czech, was a product of the central European system of serfdom by which a tenant’s rent was paid for in forced labor or service. The modern meaning of the word ‘robot’ has its origins in a 1920 play by Czech writer Karel Capek.The play, titled R. U. R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), begins in a factory which manufactures artificial people, the ‘universal robots’ of the play’s title. In literature, the term used in Mary Shelley’s classic book 'Frankenstein ; The modern Prometheus', and the Yiddish-Czech legend The Golem.
Any digital equipment is dangerous one or another way. But with robotic colleagues, the fear of this danger emerges differently. Moto of making Robots is to help people. But when we look around the digital world we find that people are more afraid of robotics instead of being relax. And this fear is not just limited to people's mind but one or another way it is coming in our movies, literature, social Medias. This all platforms are generally known as mirror of society, So that are reflecting the fear of Robots or AIS that people has in their mind. Here is some shortfilms where robots playing role of antagonist and had been Enemied. Watch this shortfilms here.
If we see this short films we find that, in the beginning it is showing how human rely on Robots, also how Robots are carrying and helping humans. and at the end how due to technical issues or other reasons robots destroy their life, harm humans. The moral of all this short films is 'Robots / ALS are not trustworthy. Fear of robots are known as 'Robophobia'. There are many reasons that people are scared of robots. For example, when one human working with another human, they have mutual understanding, they are aware of each others mood, behavior, action - reaction, but while working with robots, we have lack of mutual understanding.it make us unnerved.even if robots has safety system, we have no surety of safety. we subconsciously fret that this isn’t enough. What happens if the safety systems malfunction?
Another reason is Robot get more capable than us.also they are complex.Humans are not capable to fight with robots, both physically and mentally. There is always question that If the robots cannot understand our experiences, how can we be sure that they will even know how to keep us safe?
Robots are seen as a threat for human being, but time and again the narration is changing, From Enemied to hero of the story. Let us take two examples.
1) Film Robot
Robot is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film written and directed by S. Shankar. The film was released on 1 October 2010 (India) and became so popular. In the film Robot, Vaseegaran, a brilliant scientist, builds Chitti, a unique robot, who is programmed to protect mankind and also feel human emotions. Problems arise when Chitti falls in love with Vaseegaran's girlfriend, at the end part of the movie we find that just because of changing small chip in Chitti (The Robot) it became dangerous for human beings. It also harmed his own master and other people. Chitti a friendly robot in the beginning, turnes into monster at the end. Here, we see that how narration about Robot is changing within the story only. Now let us take second example, that is the sequence of this Film, 'Robot'.watch trailer of the film here.
2) Film 2.0
2.0 is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film, directed by S. Shankar who co-wrote the film with B. Jeyamohan and Madhan Karky.The film was released on 29 November 2018 in India. Meaning of 2.0 is refers to the upgraded antagonist version of the eponymous super-robot Chitti, who designates himself in the second half of this film's prequel, 'Enthiran'. Read story line of the movie here. Click to read
Watch trailer of film here.
If we analyze this movie we find that there is a pakshirajan who is antagonist.And the Movie is all about climactic battle between 2.0 and Pakshiraja. 2.0 is Robot, latest version of chitti from film 'Robot'. But here, it is not antagonist like it is in film Robot. Here it is portrayed as human Savior. So we can conclude that the narration of film Robot, which made in 2010 is portrayed Robot as a villain, and the narration is changing in the sequel of that film, which came as 2.0 in 2018 which is showing robots as saviour. So we can say that people started looking more acceptable way to robots now then past.
Robots in Literature
Here is one chart saying usage of term Robot in English.
1) Robots and androids have frequently been depicted or described in works of fiction. The word "robot" itself comes from a work of fiction,Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), written in 1920 and first performed in 1921. The story begins with Helena, the daughter of the president of a major industrial power, arrives at the island factory of Rossum's Universal Robots. She bring lots of Robots. And with passing time the robots turns into danger for human being.The robots storm the factory and kill all the humans except for Alquist, the company's chief engineer. The robots spare him because they recognize that "he works with his hands like the robots."
2) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. People usually think monster as a robot. Because it is manmade. In novel this also monster murder family members of his own creator Victor Frankenstein. And taken as a disaster for human beings.
3) Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Everyone’s favorite resident cyborg is a perfect example of why we love books with robots!Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future. In this book we find robot as a friendly nature.
Read about more novels with Robot characters. Click to Read.
If we analyze all this books we find that Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are quite old literature and it is depicting horror and fear of Robots because lack of information of technology and usage of technology. But in modern time we find Robot is seen as friendly natured and saviour. As we find in the book Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
Here, This is a Instagram post of R. J. Goswami. He explained fear of robot in future with the good examples.
Now, i am ending my blog with the question that what is Robot according to you?Disaster or Saviour. (Comment your answer)
I hope this information will be helpful to you. Thank you!
Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about Definitions of ecocritical theory, meaning of ecocritical theory, role of eco critics and examples.
Definition :-
Cheryll Glotfelty's working definition in The Ecocriticism Reader is that "ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment", and one of the implicit goals of the approach is to recoup professional dignity for what Glotfelty calls the "undervalued genre of nature writing".
According Oxford Dictionary, Ecocriticism is an interdisciplinary field of study that analyses how the natural world is portrayed in literature, typically in relation to modern environmental concerns.
Simon Estok noted in 2001 that "ecocriticism has distinguished itself, debates notwithstanding, firstly by the ethical stand it takes, its commitment to the natural world as an important thing rather than simply as an object of thematic study, and, secondly, by its commitment to making connections".
Origin and meaning of Ecocritical theory :-
Ecocriticism was first originated by Joseph Meeker as an idea called “literary ecology” in his The Comedy of Survival: Studies in Literary Ecology (1972).The term 'ecocriticism' was coined in 1978 by William Rueckert in his essay "Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism". Mainly Ecocritical theory being use to analyzing the works of authors, researchers and poets in the context of environmental issues and nature. Ecocritical theory is also finding solution of current environmental problems.In the United States, ecocriticism is often associated with the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE),which hosts a biennial conference for scholars who deal with environmental matters in literature and the environmental humanities in general.Ecocriticism is an intentionally broad approach that is known by a number of other designations, including "green (cultural) studies", "ecopoetics", and "environmental literary criticism", and is often informed by other fields such as ecology, sustainable design, biopolitics, environmental history, environmentalism, and social ecology, among others.
Role of ecocritics
1)They give special canonical emphasis to writers who foreground nature as a major part of their subject matter, such as the American transcendentalists, the British Romantics, the poetry of John Clare, the work of Thomas Hardy and the Georgian poets of the early twentieth century.
2)They re-read major literary works from an ecocentric perspective, with particular attention to the representation of the natural world.
3)They turn away from the 'social constructivism' and 'linguistic determinism' of dominant literary theories (with their emphasis on the linguistic and social constructedness of the external world) and instead emphasise ecocentric values of meticulous observation, collective ethical responsibility, and the claims of the world beyond ourselves.
4)They extend the applicability of a range of ecocentric concepts, using them of things other than the natural world -concepts such as growth and energy, balance and imbalance, symbiosis and mutuality, and sustainable or unsustainable uses of energy and resources.
India is known as country of Festivals. Not all the festivals are eco - friendly, some festivals often harm nature. Festivals like Navratri, Durga Puja, Ganesh Chaturthy are responsible for making noise population. A study conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) confirms that noise pollution is not only a nuisance to the environment, but it also causes a considerable threat to public health. Also in the festival of Ganesh chaturthy and Durga puja immersion areas are littered with many flowers and parts of idols. And doing water pollution. Also rituals of burning firecrackers in Diwali, and in private functions leading to the release of toxic gases and severe air pollution. Here i prefer one article that is talking about pollution in India because of celebrating some festivals. Click to read.
Hindi poem -
हरे पेड़ पर चली कुल्हाड़ी धूप रही ना याद।
मूल्य समय का जाना हमनेखो देने के बाद।।
खूब फसल खेतों से ले ली डाल डाल कर खाद।
पैसों के लालच में कर दी उर्वरता बर्बाद।।
दूर दूर तक बसी बस्तियाँ नगर हुए आबाद।
बन्द हुआ अब तो जंगल से मानव का संवाद।।
ताल तलैया सब सूखे हैं हुई नदी में गाद।
पानी के कारण होते हैं हर दिन नए विवाद।।
पशु पक्षी बेघर फिरते हैं कौन सुने फरियाद।
कुदरत के दोहन ने सबके मन में भरा विषाद।।
- सुरेश चन्द्र
In our literature also we find problems of ecology. This poem is showing how human beings for their own benefits harming nature, not only to trees, but to land, soil, animals, waiter resources and each and every part of earth.
Some Bollywood movies also throw light on environmental problems. For example Film'Kadvi Hawa'. The film was directed by Nila Madhab Panda and released in 2017.starring are Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey, and Tillotama Shome and others.The film throws light on the state of farmers and the consequences faced by them due to the climatic changes. 'Kadvi Haava' is inspired by true events from the drought-prone Bundelkhand region. In this film, the community of Mahua is affected by a lack of rainfall, barren soil, agricultural failure, and climate change. The film clearly depicts the difficulties farmers face as a consequence of climate change's wrath. Watch trailer here.
Also read this article which has list of movies on environmental problems. Click to read.
In our advertisements also we find that problems related to environment are the biggest problem in the world. For example in the advertisement of 'Google app' we find they are raising problem of climate change and leading our attention towards the need of solution of this problem. Watch this advertisement for better understanding.
Cartoons and animations are the latest sources to aware people in very interesting way. We find subject of Ecocriticism is also being used in Cartoons and Animated videos. Here are some,
Here are some short films that raising Environmental problems.
Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of English Department, MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about one Docuseries by Discovery+(2022) named My Daughter Joined a Cult based on life of one Indian 'Sadhu' named Swami Nityananda.
'My Daughter Joined a Cult' Following the life of the controversial and self-styled godman, Swami Nithyananda,He is the founder of the trust Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, which has temples, gurukulas, and ashrams in many countries. The series giving a voice to individuals who were at the epicenter of it all. First episode of this Docuseries released on 9 June 2022 in English Language. The series directed by Naman Saraiya. The series is about a Cult and trapping of women by cult. To understand the series it is important to understand meaning of cult first.
What is Cult?
Cult is a type of religion or religious group, especially one that is considered unusual. In another meaning, Cult means a person or thing that has become popular with a particular group of people.
An older sense of the word cult involves a set of religious devotional practices that are conventional within their culture, are related to a particular figure, and are often associated with a particular place.References to the "cult" of a particular Catholic saint, or the imperial cult of ancient Rome, for example, use this sense of the word. In the 1930s, cults became the object of sociological study in the context of the study of religious behavior.
Mind controller :
'My Daughter Joined a Cult' webseries showing how cult trapping girls and controlling people's mind. The story based on real life story of Swami Nityanand and his cult, Swami Nityanand pretending himself as a 'avtara' of Lord Shiva. His aashram known as 'Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam', where people from various States and country living. They all have to follow rules decided by Nityananda and his team while living in 'Aashram' and if they dare to disobey their rules, they got punished harshly. Still no one raised voice against him, that the way he control mind of people.
Cult controlling behavior of people
People feel they do not belong and go searching for somewhere to fit in, and in many cases, unknowingly end up joining a cult. A cult consists of a group of followers that are completely devoted to a leader. Cult leaders have a way of preying upon vulnerable people and roping them into situations they do not fully understand.Behavior modification is a tool that cults often use on their followers. This technique uses different kinds of positive and negative punishment and reinforcements, to reach the desired behavior. Members are taught to stop the doubts about the cult that enter their minds and replace them with good thoughts about the cult or with a key phrase that they repeat over and over. Some cults use techniques that prey on the phobias or fears of the members. They often threaten that bad things will happen to them, such as developing cancer or going insane, if they ever leave the group. Some groups take it to the extreme levels of mass suicide.
In this webserie, Swami Nityananda use various kind of punishments to control people's behavior. For example there id one incident in which a girl named Sangeetha, who refused to live in Nityananda's 'ashrama' and found dead after sometime. So this is the punishment for her of going against the cult.
Trappingby Nityananda
Swami Nityananda was excellent speaker. He mesmerized his devotees by his speech. He used say that, "The moment you sit in front of me, enlightenment starts". This is the reason that large number of people fall for him, including educated and rich people. Also he has many foreign devotees, just like other 'Guru'. In one of the part of Series we find two foreign devotes named Jordan Lozada and Sarah Landry were talking about the treatment given to them in the asharam. And the point they made was they got better treatment than other national or rural devotees because they are foreigners.
Many of their followers came as a whistleblowers. They left the cult and share their experiences with all. The series is all about their life stories, from they joined cult to detached themselves from the cult of Nityananda. Main person who telling the story is anonymous woman, who Sharing her experience of been part of the cult of Nityananda. She talked that how Nityananda trap people, shouting on his devotes. She also talked that Nityananda divided his trusted people into various committees and gave them different works like management of ashram, cleaning, social media and promotion of ashram etc.
Experience of Sarah Landry and Jordan Loazada.
There are two foreign disciples who was part of Nityananda's cult and share their story in webseries. One of them was Jordan Loazada who help to revealed homosexuality of Nityananda. While sharing his experience, he said that he has to go to serve Nityananda as a duty, one day Nityananda forced him for homosexual relation and he had no way out of Nityananda's decision.
The another disciple was Sarah Landry, who was named as a Sudevi after joining the cult of Nityananda who claimed himself as a avtara of Lord Shiva. She was social media manager and highly influenced by Swami Nityananda. She had large number of followers in social media, Nityananda very much aware about usage of social media to let people in into his cult. So he used to gave targets to Sarah, that in each of his speech and meetings Sarah has to bring as much as people she can bring by social media usage. And as sarah share her experience that whenever she fail to fulfill the target given by Nityananda, she was punished and has to listen abused words from Nityananda.
Also she shared her story that how she physically abused by Nityananda. She said that she was "brainwashed". Nityananda ordered her to be physical with him for her own person development as he said that sarah is a form of 'Shakti' and to Awake her 'Shakti' she has to be physical with him. She also forced to share her nude selfi and photos as a part of her own personal development and goods. She said that,
"If we don't do as he tells us, we are made to seem like a raakshas (devil)."
She also met two girls in foreign land when she sent there to convince that Nation's government for helping Nityananda and for giving protection to Nityananda. The girls were from same asharam of Sarah, and yet she wasn't aware how they get beaten up and tortured and locked up in the underground cages. She heard all about this from small girls, and that's the turning point which detached her from cult. She removed her 'Kavi', meand saffron robes and chronicle that they have to wear while in the ashram. She Also neglected her identity as a 'Kailashians'. And never go back to the asharam. After a long time she put video in which she announced bad desires and deeds of Nityananda. Here is the video by Sarah Landry.
Role of Journalists
There are several Journalists who played vital role in this docu- series. There are several news reporters took interview of Nityananda and try to reveal his true side. One of them is Dhanya Rajendran. Founder of The NewsMinute. While working for Times Now channel, he took revealing interview of Nityananda and documentary shows how he was forced to get out of ashram and abused by words and labelled liar.
Controversial Death of Sangeetha
'My Daughter joined a Cult' webseries also includes controversial death of Sangeetha, 24 year old girl, deciple of Swami Nityananda, living under his shadow in the ashram. One day she call her mother Jansi Rani from unknown number and show her desire to flee from ashram as she seems tired of living there. And within a few months she found dead and reason given to her mother was Heart attack. Her mother wasn't ready to accept this reason for her daughters death, she filed case against Nityananda and fought till last but she lost the case. And Nityananda never got punishment.
Nityananda's Own Country
Following accusations and charges of rape and abduction in Indian courts, Nithyananda fled India and went into hiding. He subsequently announced the founding of his own self-proclaimed island nation called 'Kailaasa'. He introduced his own Currency and rules there. Also they have their own national anthem, and flag. This showing how one can commit crime at one place and live happily at another place.
Against the narration that this webseries making of Nityananda, there is YouTube video, in which a girl from the cult of Nityananda saying her good experience and benefits of living in the cult of Nityananda. Do watch it here.
Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about Queer Criticism with examples of several advertisements and movies, serials. Before that it is important to understand that what is Queer criticism.
QueerCriticism
Definition
According to Oxford learner's dictionary Queer means describing or relating to a sexual identity or gender identity that is different from traditional ideas about sex and gender, for example if somebody is non-binary, bisexual or transgender.
According to Jay Stewart, "Queer theory and politics necessarily celebrate transgression in the form of visible difference from norms. These 'Norms' are then exposed to be norms, not natures or inevitabilities. Gender and sexual identities are seen, in much of this work, to be demonstrably defiant definitions and configurations."
Queer theory is the lens used to explore and challenge how scholars, activists, artistic texts, and the media perpetrate gender- and sex-based binaries, and its goal is to undo hierarchies and fight against social inequalities.
About Queer theory
The term Queer theory first used in 1990s by Gloria Anzaldúa and other scholars. The term was influenced by the work of French post-structuralist philosopher Michel Foucault. It is a part of critical studies. The term Queer studies or queer theory has various meanings, it is changing according to it's usage. But this term mainly concerned with gender, sexual practices and heterosexuality. This theory trying to make convince the world that heterosexuality is a normal.
Queer theory emphasises the fluid and humanly performed nature of sexuality – or better, sexualities. It questions socially established norms and dualistic categories with a special focus on challenging sexual (heterosexual/homosexual), gender (male/female), class (rich/poor), racial (white/non-white) classifications.As the word ‘queer’ was used to describe homosexuals in the nineteenth century, queer theory traces its lineage from the study of sexuality in its private and public forms.
Here is some points that what is the role of lesbian/gay critics.
1- Expose the 'homophobia' of mainstream literature and criticism, as seen in ignoring or denigrating the homosexual aspects of the work of major canonical figures, for example, by omitting overtly homosexual love lyrics from selections or discussions of the poetry of W. H. Auden (Mark Lilly).
2- Identify and establish a canon of 'classic' lesbian/gay writers whose work constitutes a distinct tradition. These are, in the main, twentieth-century writers, such as (for lesbian writers in Britain) Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West, Dorothy Richardson, Rosamund Lehmann, and Radclyffe Hall.
3- Foreground literary genres, previously neglected, which significantly influenced ideals of masculinity or femininity, such as the nineteenth-century adventure stories with a British 'Empire' setting (for example those by Rudyard Kipling and Rider Haggard) discussed by Joseph Bristow in Empire Boys (Routledge, 1991).
4- Foreground homosexual aspects of mainstream literature which have previously been glossed over, for example the strongly homo-erotic tenderness seen in a good deal of First World War poetry.
Shakti — Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki (transl. Strength — feeling of existence) was an Indian Hindi-language social drama television series produced by Rashmi Sharma Telefilms airing from 30 May 2016 to 1 October 2021 on Colors TV. Serial shakti try to spread awareness in society about transgender and their acceptance. In this serial, the female protagonist 'Somya' is transgender person. Who in childhood faced lots of hatred by her father 'Maninder' and her grandmother 'Nalini'. They also attempted to kill her but her mother 'Nimmi' save her and be her protractor. Throughout the life she face lots of problems as a transgender identity. In childhood hatred by Father and Grandmother, her sister 'Surbhi' got all the love from family not somya. After marriage also when her mother in law 'preeto' came to know about her queer identity, she tried to harm her. In beginning when her husband 'Harman' came to know her queer identity, he also started disliking her, but later fall in love with her and become her protractor.
Even though she has supporters as well Foes, more she suffered in her life, this serial is showing what kind of problems transgender identities are facing in society and in family also. Also how important to accept this community for people who are either male or women. This serial try to bring queer community equal to community of male and female And normalizing their existence.
Red label is advertisement of tea. In that advertisement we find transgender person play a role, when old lady with her granddaughter first saw transgender person, she thought the person came to ask for money, the grandmother's dilogue was, 'yeh kinnar bhi na, pareshan karne aa jate hai'. She Lengthen rupees towards her but she denied and gave tea to grandmother and her driver, grandmother also feel ashamed of her thought about transgender people, and give her blessings. This advertiseadvertisement breaking stereotypes about Kinnar/Hijjra/third gender /transgender people. This Advertisement showing that how people making prejudice about this kind of people. Read more about this advertisement from perspectives of Queer Criticism. Click
3- Transgender in Bollywood movies :-
Read this article about transgender roles in Bollywood movie. Click
We have lots of movies in which we find transgender characters as a protagonist or minor. Before transgender as a character uses to creat comedy, and show them as a inferior and unacceptable. But in present time's movies we find much awareness about this community and current movies coming with the concept of acceptance to third gender. Film Subh mangal Jyada savdhan, Lakshmi Bomb are current example of it. Some old movies are also spread awareness about third gender. For example movies like,Njan Marykutty (2018),Tamanna (1997),Shabnam Mausi (2005),Super Deluxe (2019) etc. Read about all this movies in a article, link given above.
4- Transgender in Literature
We find transgender characters in literature also. As we all know literature is consider as reflection of society.
1- Birthday by Meredith Russo :
Two kids, Morgan and Eric, are bonded for life after being born on the same day at the same time. We meet them once a year on their shared birthday as they grow and change: as Eric figures out who he is and how he fits into the world, and as Morgan makes the difficult choice to live as her true self. Over the years, they will drift apart, come together, fight, make up, and break up – and ultimately, realize how inextricably they are a part of each other.
2- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe :
Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, charts eir journey of self-identity, which includes the mortification and confusion of adolescent crushes and grappling with how to come out to family and society. More than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity – what it means and how to think about it – for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.
Queer characters became increasingly visible in literary fiction, taking starring roles in novels by a range of writers, including Carson McCullers, Truman Capote, Angus Wilson, James Baldwin, Christopher Isherwood, Jane Rule, and Maureen Duffy. Along with them we find several twentieth century writers like Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West, Dorothy Richardson, Rosamund Lehmann, and Radclyffe Hall.
6- Transgender in Bollywood -
1) Karan Johar
Karan Johar is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema.who openly announced himself as a third gender. Bollywood is always considered as open space for all where anyone can work and built their career without being judge by their identity. Karan Johar also adopted children and became single parent.Discussing his sexual orientation, Johar said "Everybody knows what my sexual orientation is. I don't need to scream it out. If I need to spell it out, I won't".In February 2017, Johar became father to twins (a boy and a girl) through surrogacy. The twins were born at Masrani Hospital in Mumbai. Johar named his son Yash after his father, and his daughter Roohi named by rearranging his mother's name Hiroo.
2)Tushar Ravi Kapoor
Tushar Ravi Kapoor (born 20 November 1976), popular as Tusshar Kapoor, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi films.He is also transgender personality and adopted children.
This Bollywood celebrities are setting examples and make respectable space for third gender. People are influenced by celebrities, and when celebrities accepting something, people also accept it.
So here is all about queer theory, i have also wrote one poem about transgender people and interpretation of my poem.click to read
Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about Marxist Criticism. And will do criticism of some movies. Before that, it is important to understand that what is Marxist criticism and what Marxist critics do.
Marxism :-
Definition :-
According to Oxford Dictionary, 'Marxism is the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, later developed by their followers to form the basis of communism.'
According to Cambridge Business English Dictionary, 'Marxism is a social, political, and economic theory based on the ideas of Karl Marx, who imagined a society where the methods of production would be owned and controlled by all its members.'
Meaning :-
Theory of marxism was applied by Karl Marx (1818–83) and his fellow-thinker Friedrich Engels (1820–95). Karl Marx was highly critical of politics, economics and capitalistic system. Marxism applies political science and economic to study of literature.Marxist criticism is analyzing how government and business empires controlling means of productions and even working class people. Marxism is concerned with class conflicts, wealth distribution, work and other issues. Here, we can relate one quote of Karl Marx,
"The history of all existing society is the history of class conflict."
Watch this videos to understand theory of Marxism more clearly.
What Marxist critics do?
1) Marxist practice is to relate the literary work to the social assumptions of the time in which it is 'consumed', a strategy which is used particularly in the later variant of Marxist criticism known as cultural materialism.
2) Marxist critics is relate the context of a work to the social-class status of the author. In such cases an assumption is made (which again is similar to those made by psychoanalytic critics) that the author is unaware of precisely what he or she is saying or revealing in the text.
Movie 'Taal' was directed by Subhash Ghai.Taal is a 1999 Hindi musical drama film starring Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai. In this movie we find aishwarya Rai is from poor or we can say lower middle class family, Son of one rich businessman called Manav falls in love with Mansi (Aishwarya Rai), while Manav's aunties, uncles and Father opposed it. When Mansi and her Father visit Manav's bungalow to talk for their engagement, Manav's rich family members insulted them, forced them to sit with dog, ignored them, showoff, and created huge quarrel. This seen is proper symbolism of crisis between Rich and poor. After that Mansi started doing modeling and becomes famous, also one music director fall in love with her and proposed her for marriage, but at last out of all the conflicts Mansi and Manav get married, Means difference of rich and poor ended and equality or we can say balanced cycle emerged in Marxism.
In this poster we find Manav is standing at height and Mansi is at bottom, it is also symbolizing their character's social status, or we can say economic conditions. Where Manav is richer than Mansi. He is in the dominant power.
Watch entire movie here.
2)Ishq Movie
In this movie, there is two rich businessman are friends and both their childs are of same age group. They both want their childrens to marry each other, but they are in love with someone eles, who are belonging from Lower class or working class, when their parents came to know about that, they make every effort to sperate them from their poor lovers. And when they found that they are getting failed in convincing their childrens to leave their poor lovers, they started torturing poor lovers, with the help of police and government power. Also they hired Coadjutors and try to kill them also.
This all bad things they able to do because they have money, so in 'Marxism', money is always at the center. Those who have money, they town's the power, government, and sometimes even a nation. Moneyless people are always marginalized community and working class. And Marxism trying to balance this inequality by various ways, marriage between rich and poor is one of the way of balancing the cycle. In this movie also we find at the end all four, Rich hero and heroin and poor heroin and hero happily came together and get married. Again we find 'Marxism' in this movie.
