Edger Allen Poe’s “The Black Cat”

Edger Allen Poe’s “The Black Cat”

                          

Biography of the writer-

Born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts, U. S. American short story writer, poet, critic, and editor Edger Allan Poe’s tales of mystery and horror initiated the modern detective story, and the atmosphere is his tales of horror is unrivaled in American fiction. His “The Raven” (1845) numbers among the best-known poems in national literature.

Synopses:

The narrator from his childhood love animals, especially pet animals. So, he kept animals and passing his time, and at a young age he marries a woman who also loves pets. In their household they have a number of animals, including a large and beautiful black cat named PLUTO. Pluto is his favorite animal. But his wife doesn’t like Pluto because she often refers to the superstition that black cats are actually disguised witches.

As time passes he loses his interest in Pluto. The narrator becomes moody and irritable due to alcoholism and abusing his wife as well as his cat. One day, he comes home drunk and imagining that Pluto is avoiding him. In response, the narrator loses control and cuts one of Pluto’s eyes out with a pen-knife. Moreover he hate Pluto because of Pluto's one eye and he kill Pluto by hanging the cat from a tree.

Afterward, the next day his house completely burned out accept one wall. It makes narrator doubt. As time passes one day he seemed one cat who is look like Pluto and because he wants to replaced the regration, the narrator take that cat at his home.

Everyday this cat follows the narrator, this thing completely disliked by the narrator. Out of this dislike he tries to killed that cat but instead of that his wife killed by him.

Realizing that he cannot remove the body from the house, he plasters the body into cellar. Few days after police came for investigation. At the first time they couldn’t found anything but something latter narrator realizes some voice came from the cellar. Out of the frustration he speaks everything in front of police and check out everything. With his wife he found that cat also into the cellar. The narrator realizes, to his horror, that he must have trapped the cat behind the wall along with his wife.

Critical Analysis:

The characters of Edger Allan Poe also can be read psychologically, because all the characters especially the heroes who are unnamed narrator are mentally disordered. The hero of the Black Cat also can be read in same context.

The narrator brought up with pet animals so but obvious that he hasn’t any company of human being. Second thing is that because of the pet animals he couldn’t shares his emotions and feelings or expressions. So, the jar is fulfilled with frustration. Killing the cat brutally is maybe the result of frustration.

Next is that, he got human companion in a form of his wife at the very early stage. So, he got responsibilities at the very early stage in his life. The frustration or mental disorder came in a result of the tragic end of hero or in a way the tragic end of the story “The Black Cat”. The short story “The Tell-tale heart” highly resemble with the short story “The Black Cat”.

A Marriage Proposal - Anton Palovich Chekhov

A Marriage Proposal

    - Anton Palovich Chekhov

Anton Palovich Chekhov (1860-1904) is a major world classic, being an incomparable artist who touches the right chord of not only the Russians but of human beings everywhere. Chekhov fashions his plots to focus attention on his “message’’ or underline particular aspects of a character, with the result that the conventional plot is always kept to the minimum.

Character List:

Stepan Stepanovitch Tschubukov, a country farmer.

Natalia Stepanovitch, his daughter (age 25).

Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov, Tschubukov’s neighbour.

This short play is surrounded with these three characters. “A Marriage Proposal” is a comedy bordering on a farce. There is much noisy fun here, if not actual horse play.

A Marriage Proposal is built on the theme of human vanity which blinds a person even to his best interests and lands him in all sorts of inconvenient or compromising situation.

Lomov:

               He was thirty-five years old. He lives a well regulated life. A person, who has weak heart, continual palpitation, and very sensitive and always getting excited and has the disease of insomnia.

Natalia:

                 Natalia was a young beautiful lady. Natalia was twenty-five years old. Natalia wants to marry with Lomov but having very egoistic mind set.

Tschub:

               Tschub is father of Natalia and neighbour of Lomov. Tschub impressed with the characteristic of Lomov and he also like Lomov because of his well settlement and his personality.

Lomov wants to be husband of Natalia so he comes with the marriage proposal to Tschub house. First of all, Tschub very happy with this proposal and also agree with this. Natalia is totally unaware about this matter and start quarrelling with Lomov. Both are quarrelling for very silly matter is that the meadow belongs to whom? Chekhov make fun on society that how on silly thing people quarrelling?

Meanwhile Natalia comes to know that Lomov came here with proposal. So, she tries to removing the quarrels but somehow he quarrel start again with other subject that which dog is better: Otkatai or Ugadi? The quarrel end after long argument or maybe it is end because of the illness of Lomov. And about the end of this play is happy end.

In this short play Chekhov covers the very invisible matters happens in an around us. Chekhov tries to bring that satirical matter with funny way. Moreover it is also brings out some patriarchal comedy and also the patriarchal view point on women.

For example- When Lomov choose his life partner what are the matters he wants from his life partner. What he think for Naltalia as a life partner?

Lomov: “Natalia is an excellent housekeeper, not at all bad-working, well-educated what more could I ask?”

So, these are the parameter to judge any girl as a life partner. So, here Chekhov tries to throw light on the reality of patriarchal power.

Chekhov raises laughter by stressing the incongruity of the central situation. The father of Natalia anxious to marry off his daughter to anyone. But Natalia believe in suitability. The eligible bachelor is interested in marriage simply because he has arrived at ‘a critical age’. Everything is good without ego. Each one of them is obsessed with the idea of his own importance, besides being a bundle of nerves. No wonder a serious thing like the marriage proposal is thrown about as of no concern of anybody!

Important matter is that Chekhov never used farce for his own sake. The farce is always wedded to social purposes. The shaft of satire goes straight to its mark.

Telephonic Conversation - Wole Soyinka

Telephonic Conversation

       Wole Soyinka

The title itself suggests that it’s about the conversation between a white lady and an African American man. It is the spots light that Wole Soyinka throws. Wole Soyinka throws harsh light on the racism and prejudice which grips society.

 An African American man searching for house and he agree with one land lady. But something happened with his past or maybe humiliated by white because of his identity so in advanced he clarifies his identity that he is an African man.

“But self confession. ‘Madam’, I warned, ‘I hate a wasted journey – I am African”.

After hearing this land lady more curious about the identity of that man and she ask various questions like:

“HOW DARK?... I had not misheard… ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?”

Before this there was long silence and black man can pressurize good-breeding, voice, when it came. All the lines like:

“Lip-stick coated, long gold rolled cigarette-holder pipped.”

Symbolized the richness of that lady. She is from upper class family. Afterward asking such questions maybe she wants to felt to black man a shame on his color or identity that he has. In a way it is the habit of white to mock on black color or identity through asking questions like this or through laughing. They got snick pleasure from doing such things. It can be read in psychological context also of that lady.

Wole Soyinka also puts very good imaginary such as:

“Red booth. Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered”

It shows the reaction of blackman that he shows everywhere red or in a way it’s his reaction of anger against that lady who asked such dangerous questions.

The lady is very positively present herself. It shows that she wants to overcome to that Blackman because she judges an African American man through his skin color. How ridiculous it that one should go through the book cover instead of what is inside in the book? Same thing happen here that lady judge that man with color not through his personality or humanity.

There is one word in the poem is “Self-Confession”. It shows that one cannot control over the color of skin. It is not in the hand of person to change color. Moreover it is more ridiculous to shame over the skin color. Soyinka here mock on them who are shame on their own personality or identity just because it is not like by other. Likewise Wole Soyinka criticizes the society where the people like the lady live who are full of prejudices and tries to convince themselves as a good or superior one than the “other”.

So, at the end speaker of this poem criticized that lady that first you look at yourself that “how ugly you are”.

“Madam, I pleaded, wouldn’t you rather see for yourself?”

No, doubt that African is black from their skin but conscience of them is white while white people are white by the skin but consciences of them are black. So, Fanon wrote-

“Black Skin, White Mask”.

Shamitabh- movie review

Shamitabh

Genre- Comic Drama’
Caste- Amitabh Bachchan, Dhanush and Akshara Haasan
Director- R Balki




This movie is about the two opposite qualities mixed together and from that the born of the title and the theme of the movie is “SHAMITABH”.

SHAMITABH- the born of the title is very interesting scene in the movie. “SH” from Danish (Dhanush) and the remaining part is fulfilled with Amitabh Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) and the rise of Shamitabh- a hero.

Danish is from his childhood highly impressed by films. He is filmopher and also wants to be actor at the initial stage of his life. He is full of passion and ambition and wants to see his name up on the movie billboards. But the problem is that no one is perfect. Danish has also the problem of voice. He is voiceless. His vocal chod is paralyses. But his dreams are unstoppable.

                               “Try and try will be man success.”

This phrase highly applicable here. Danish wants to be actor and he tries a lot to fulfill his dream. Ultimately he got voice from Amitabh through technology. Now he covered the whole Bollywood in his hand with the help of Akshara. Danish has brilliant quality of performance and the remains one is voice fulfilled with the arrival of Amitabh.

The plot moves around the three characters Danish, Amitabh and Akshara. Likewise the problems are arises from two extraordinary qualities or in a way conflict between two ego. Both of them tries to overcome to each other but Akshara tries to evaluate the things that both are interdependence. Both are everything for each other and both are nothing without each other.

The importance of each other compared various time like "Whiskey" and "Paani" that without "Paani", "whiskey" is impossible. Moreover the dialogue-

“Without my voice you finished, if I finished your voice will be finished”.

The ego is more powerful to destroy everything. The clash of two ego leads towards the destruction of two extraordinary qualities but in between Akshara played a vital role and save the destruction of the name and fame of Shamitabh.

Furthermore, the story moves around the soliloquy on death and life of Amitabh. The movie also talks about the distance of real life and reel life. Due to reel life the destruction of the life of Amitabh happen. Once upon time Amitabh rejected in reel world because of his voice and now people like his voice. So, in a way Amitabh mock on the world of reel and time and again he criticized the world of reel also.

For example-

“It is not picture, it is mixture otherwise Bollywood become the furniture of wood.”

"Jao jake film industry se poocho ki woh hum mein dhoondne mein itne late kyun ho gaye ... jao jake duniya waalon se poocho ki woh hamari awaaz sunane mein itne late kyun ho gaye ... jao jake sapno se poocho ki woh sach hone mein itne late kyun ho gaye"

"Go and ask the film industry as to why was it so late in finding me ... go and ask the people of the world as to why were they so late in hearing my voice ... go and ask the dreams as to why were they so late in becoming a reality"

Moreover the politics run in the Bollywood, Amitabh talks also about that.

Likewise this movie falls under the category of self help movie because it's also teach and giving moral lesson and also gives the facts and figure of life.





 For example- Akshara teaches the lesson of "ABCD of LIFE" to Amitabh and Danish and in general to the world because if someone wants to be great the things are required which expressed well in the lesson of "ABCD of LIFE". Move on, it is also talks about the natural facts and figures such as- in the world there is the importance of opposite. Nothing can be survive without the "Binary Opposition". The concept of night and day is the best example of that. Second thing is the speech or soliloquy of Amitabh on the death and life in graveyard.

Furthermore the facts of life is REALITY. "TRUTH" is the best option to overcome enemy or defeat the cruel idea of enemy that what Danish do. He tries to overcome his enemy, a journalist tries to reveal the secret of Danish and Amitabh but Danish move ahead. He believe that-

"Truth is the world's most beautiful idea",

and he tried to reveal his own secret but he meet with accident and at the end the soliloquy of Amitabh becomes truth and the sentence of Danish that if he will be finished, the voice of Amitabh will be finish. In other way Danish meet the secret of life-Death. This movie also talks about the reality of life that nothing is permanent, everything will be destroyed when time came though how much you got. This movie also throw the light on the work of journalist.

It can be also read in a context that in the film industry there is no space for "Truth". The reel world is far ahead from the truth.

Movie review of Reluctant Fundamentalist

"The Reluctant Fundamentalist"

                  - Mohsin Hamid

Directed by Mira Nair

Produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher

Written by Mohsin Hamid

                 Ami Boghani

Screenplay by William Wheeler

                Rutvik Oza

Based on The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Starring:

Riz Ahmed

Kate Hudson

Liev Schreiber

Kiefer Sutherland

The novel “Reluctant Fundamentalist” is written by a Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid. It is based on 9/11 incident. This is adopted as a movie by Mira Nair. The protagonist is Changez Khan. The image was created by American as a superior, he has in his mind. He has an American dream. He works in America very well. But as time passes he comes to know that he exploiting his ‘‘own people’’. He himself drives thousands of people into unemployment.

  Afterward he comes to know that they are considered as a Pakistani terrorist instead of a Pakistani man. It is also constructed image by English people. Here Changez tries to remove this image through the postcolonial tool. He is coming from third world country, so he knows very well about the aspects of post colonialism. And through this tool he tries to remove the identity which is imposed or constructed. He tries to remove the identity through the basic fundamental. He comes into introduction of two different persons, who are talked about fundamental at the surface level.

For example –

Jim Cross – ‘‘we do that by focusing on the fundamentals’’ and

Mustafa Fazil – ‘‘our only hopes as a people are the fundamental truths…’’

  Everybody talked about fundamental but the thing is that nobody knows the basic fundamental. Changez tries to gave basic fundamentals like, 

      ‘‘Acts of love’’ and ‘‘Humanity’’.

  Colonial people forget these two aspects. So through the mouthpiece of Changez, Mohsin Hamid tries to reached these two aspects to the people through postcolonial. American people created the image of Pakistani as a terrorist. Moreover the component represent as a dull, dark and deserted country. The identity of them is as a terrorist. Here in this movie it shows that how the companies of America run and how they exploited other countries. Moreover hero tries to remove that identity which was imposed or created by American elites for their own profit. This movie we saw on the base of Edward Said’s “Orientalism”. “Orientalism” is also talked the same thing. He criticized on the mentality of American People that they have the habit to see Orient people as an inferior and also imposed the mentality of them on the people of Orient so they also seemed themselves as an inferior.

Movie review of "Midnight Children"

Midnight's Children

Directed by Deepa Mehta

Produced by David Hamilton

Doug Mankoff

Steven Silver

Neil Tabatznik

Andrew Spaulding

Written by Salman Rushdie

Based on Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Starring :

Shriya Saran

Satya Bhabha

Shabana Azmi

Anupam Kher

Ronit Roy

Siddharth Narayan

Shahana Goswami

Samrat Chakrabarti

Rahul Bose

Seema Biswas

Darsheel Safary

  “Midnight’s children” is written by controversial writer Salman Rushdie. This is adopted as a film by Deepa Mehta. In the movie Deepa Mehta used very well Salman Rushdie’s narrative style – magic realism. Magic realism is literary devise whereas post colonialism is literary theory. Thus, magic realism is a postcolonial device. Salman Rushdie very well composed literary theory in his writing through his style magic realism.

  Saleem Sinai is the protagonist. Saleem born on midnight that time India got freedom in the hand of British. So Saleem Sinai’s generation of midnight’s children to the generation of Indians with whom he was born and raised. Saleem’s entire life struggled with self – identity, conflicts of living between two worlds and the forces of new cultures. Saleem’s life represents the life of Salman Rushdie.
 
  Salman Rushdie felt that he hasn’t his own land, there was only Imaginary Homelands. Same thing he gave to his character – Saleem that he became the sandwich between two identities, two nations. He hasn’t his own neither blood nor love or neither identity nor nation. This we can say through what he said that

       ‘‘My wrong blood changed my father’s love into hate.’’

And also said that

      ‘‘I have many families and no family’’

                         Or

  We can say that he have many nations and no nation, what Salman Rushdie talked about ‘‘Authenticity’’ that there is no authenticity. Authenticities in everywhere like ideas, nations and also narrator. We cannot say that these all things are truth. We cannot rely on that. Because nothing is ours, we are just part of that. The only thing is about the ‘‘Acts of Love’’ and ‘‘Humanity’’.

  This idea is reflect at the end of the movie when Saleem said to his child that

       ‘‘A new generation but more careful Acts of Love’’.

"All My Sons" -Arthur Miller

All My Sons

   -Arthur Miller

                          

All My Sons is a 1947 play by Arthur Miller. It is his second play came after his first play The Man Who Had All the Luck. All My Sons based upon a true story which was capture by Miller here very beautifully.

The news story described how in 1941-43 the Wright Aeronautical Corporation based in Ohio had conspired with army inspection officers to approve defective aircraft engines destined for military use. The story of defective engines had reached investigators working for Sen. Harry Truman’s congressional investigative board after several Wright aircraft assembly workers informed on the company; they would later testify under oath before Congress. In 1944, three Army Air force Officers were relieved and later convicted of neglect of duty.

Character List:

Joe Keller

Kate Keller

Chris Keller

Ann Deever

George Deever

Frank Lubey

Lydia Lubey

Jim Bayliss

Sue Bayliss

Bert

Unseen Characters:

Larry Keller

Steve Deever

About the Play:

The play is divided into three acts. Joe Keller is a protagonist of this play. Arthur Miller portrayed the central character as a type character. At the surface level he is a very ordinary man, decent, hard-working and charitable, a man no one could dislike. Joe is a self made businessman. He was doing business with his friend Steve Deever. He has very beautiful wife Kate Keller and two sons- Larry Keller and Chris Keller. Steve Deever, is in prison for selling cracked cylinder heads to the Air Force; causing the death of twenty one pilots in plane crashes. Due to this the family of Steve Deever destroyed especially his son and daughter, George and Ann Deever. In between the son of Keller is Larry missing. His mother is in worry about her missing son and because of Kate’s request, Frank is trying to figure out the horoscope of the Keller’s son Larry, who disappeared three years earlier.

Chris proposed Ann who was girlfriend of Larry Keller and he also wants to marry with her but because of the interruption of George. George insists his sister Ann will not marry Chris Keller, son of the man who destroyed the Deevers. Likewise the family of Keller and also Deever came to know that Geroge visited the prison to meet his father. The latter has confirmed that Joe told him to cover up the cracked cylinders and to send them out. Meanwhile, Frank announces his horoscope, implying that Larry is alive but later on Ann came with the latter is about the suicide letter by Larry. Meanwhile, Chris life also disturbed because of the offence of his father that’s what Chris think. The relationship of father-son becomes secondary. Further he dislikes himself with his father.

Additionally Joe himself guilt for his offence and he suffer from that. At the end he killed his life. At the end Chris regret to what he done but Kate insisted him that he was not responsible for his father’s death.

The reflection of the great Grecian tragedies:

All My Sons- the play based on the Grecian tragedies of the likes of Aeschulus, Sophocles and Euripides. In these play main character or the protagonist committed crime and due to that offence they must learn his fault and suffer as a result, and perhaps even die. In All My Sons the elements of Grecian tragedies are presented. Joe Keller first committed a crime and later on he suffering from a previous offence, and punishment for that offence. Likewise it explores the father-son relationship, also a common theme in Grecian tragedies. Ann Deever could also be seen to parallel a messenger as her letter is proof of Larry’s death.

Moreover this play is also considered as the influenced from the play of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, where Miler took the idea of two partners in a business where one is forced to take moral and legal responsibility for other. This is mirrored in All My Sons. He also borrowed the idea of a character’s idealism being the source of a problem. In a way we cannot blame the protagonist because whatever he done it is out of circumstances. He did whatever due to the responsibilities of his family. He wants to make him family well-settle. But in between his wrong work effect on other family and because of that they suffer a lot.

This play also takes into consideration as a failed idealism of American Dream. Arthur Miller later uses the everyman in a criticism of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman, which is in many ways similar to All My Sons.