Papers by Creative Saplings
Anti-fascism is a complex theme, and one that Dylan Thomas's life intersected with in a number of... more Anti-fascism is a complex theme, and one that Dylan Thomas's life intersected with in a number of ways: as a young man in Swansea, as a wartime propagandist, and as a horrified spectator to the destructive impact of Nazism and Holocaust. Remembering this a spect of Dylan's life is important both to understand Dylan's own politics, and to recall the ways in which fascism impacted on European culture more widely too. As we move further away from the era of fascism, and the postwar consensus that emerged rejecting nationalist extremism, the ways in which Dylan's anti-fascism was of great significance to his identity have, perhaps, become ever more clear. In general terms, historians of postwar Europe, such as Tony Judd and Dan Stone, have commented on the ways in which the post 1945 era was marked by an instinctual response rejecting Hitler, Mussolini and all that their politics entailed. But Dan Stone also worries about what the decline of this anti-fascist attitude holds for the future of European culture holds too. So, following on from this concern, it important to recall the variety of ways in which anti-fascism manifested itself, and so Dylan's typically idiosyncratic engagement with the various anti-fascist milieus that he existed within offer a telling example of how creative energies of the mid century period were indelibly marked by a mood rejecting nationalist extremism. Moreover, examining such anti-fascist attitudes is more important than working out whether a particular form of anti-fascist material remains 'good' art or not. Moreover, a truly historically driven understanding of anti-fascism is far more concerned with establishing whether anti-fascist material was useful, whether it helped in some way with the immense struggle against the Nazi regime in some manner or another. In this essay, I hope to re-appraise Dylan in this regard, presenting his as a typically minor, but passionate, anti-fascist activist and intellectual, and representing one case study in a legacy that ought not to be forgotten. To do this I will focus primarily on his wartime films, an aspect of his oeuvre that often comes across badly in the critical reception of Dylan's various materials. Andrew Lycett has discussed this at some length, but in his biography of Dylan emphasises quotes suggesting he considered his film experiences to be merely 'hack work'. 1 Meanwhile, Paul Ferris dismissed wartime scripts as 'facile' in his brief treatment of this chapter in the Thomas story. 2 The latter is a particularly regrettable viewpoint, especially if we consider these film scripts as products of a specific historical situation, created primarily as functional, anti-fascist media, and produced for an immediate purpose and never for lasting posterity.
Draupadi, the co-wife of the Pandava brothers, is an important character in the epic. She is know... more Draupadi, the co-wife of the Pandava brothers, is an important character in the epic. She is known to have been the quintessence of beauty and femininity. Her life has largely been a plausible canvass of determination and a majestic display of integrity. She is often regarded as the first feminist voice who had raised concerns about women's rights, wife's rights and husband's authority over the wife. Yet, there has been an enigmatic aspect to her character. The more one delves deeper into her character, the more one is confounded with Draupadi's heroism. Her strength of character and unyielding will makes her a hero, more heroic and greater than the others. And hence, the paper tries to explore the heroic nature of Draupadi's character-to unravel the 'he' in 'her'.
Creative Saplings
Chinua Achebe is one of the pioneering figures of African Fiction. In his several critical essays... more Chinua Achebe is one of the pioneering figures of African Fiction. In his several critical essays and interviews Achebe has discussed the role of an author belonging to a postcolonial country, and declared that he writes his fiction with a definite role. He has penned five novels including his masterpiece Things Fall Apart (1958) in which Achebe, with his realism, has taken up the task of telling his people the greatness and weaknesses of their Ibo culture. Here, the object of his criticism is the colonizer British exercising power under the guise of a civilizing mission. On the other hand, in one of his most discussed novels Anthills of the Savannah (1987) he takes the role of a conscience builder in a new nation engulfed in cutthroat power politics; and the object of his criticism shifts to his own people, the corrupt educated elite and military officials who have failed to contribute in nation building. However, the role of women in Nigerian society is also one of the prominent i...
Creative Saplings
Kamila Shamsie’s novel, Burnt Shadows, is a riveting rendition of lost homelands, resilience, new... more Kamila Shamsie’s novel, Burnt Shadows, is a riveting rendition of lost homelands, resilience, new beginnings, cross-cultural relationships, terrorism, violence, love, and loss. Spanned over a period of fifty-seven years, the geo-political narrative traverses five countries showcasing the entwined lives of the three generations of the Weiss-Burtons and Tanaka-Ashrafs families, covering a vast expanse of history ranging from the Second World War to Guantanamo Bay. It chronicles the horrors of the Nagasaki bombing, the brutalities of the Partition of India and Pakistan, the paranoia around the nuclear race in the sub-continent, the Cold War and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and its response, and the aftermath of 9/11 New York. The novel is a critique of politics, conflicts, and violence. Shamsie critiques the maddening struggle between the power structures and their devastating consequences. The novel also delineates the fundamentalist notion of treating people with different worl...
Creative Saplings
This paper examines how Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Kashmir Files (2022) participates in recreatin... more This paper examines how Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Kashmir Files (2022) participates in recreating trauma, reconstructing memory, and how ‘history gets short-changed in movies’. It showcases the conflict in two narratives; radical Islamic extremists’ Jihad and the traumatic narrative amongst non-violent Kashmiri Hindus, ‘a war of narratives’ (1.22.0). The focal point is the complexities of adapting history to the silver screen, which creates complicated and debatable negotiations between knowing and unknowing, reality and history, and truth and fiction. Traumatic memories of Genocide3 often challenge the rational faculties. The article investigates how the intelligentsia needs to address traumatic narratives as a genre. ‘Traumatic neurosis’4 reflected through ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Kashmiri Pandits5 in The Kashmir Files, offers new assertiveness. The text hits upon the ethical dilemma of how not to betray the past. The ‘not knowing’ or ignoring Traumatic incursion is thus recreated ...
Creative Saplings
Ranu Uniyal, one of the important personalities of confessional mode, is always under review for ... more Ranu Uniyal, one of the important personalities of confessional mode, is always under review for her obsessive openness and pervasiveness, but she reaches her destination by displaying the sterling image of patriarchy. Uniyal’s poems not only present the everyday lived reality of ordinary women but also the strong independent women having power and who must outbrave the societal regulations and norms to assert their identity as human beings full of love and affection. Ranu Uniyal’s poems incorporate the strong experience both as a mother and as the daughter of powerful mothers whose personalities shape their identity as women. Among the modern Indian poets who are writing in English today, she has been ranked with such poetesses of dissatisfaction and discontent as Kamala Das. By engaging with the everyday life of her mother and her motherhood, the poet tries to understand the reality of universal motherhood in a poetic way. The studies of Ranu Uniyal’s poems add a new dimension to ...
Creative Saplings, Mar 26, 2023
Poetry has immense potential to soothe the senses and heat the wounds. Through poetry, mental hea... more Poetry has immense potential to soothe the senses and heat the wounds. Through poetry, mental health and peace of mind can be maintained with pace immeasurable. The waves of passion that runs through poet's sensibility, soothes the senses of the readers. Poetry reading, writing and listening casts good therapeutic effects. Poetry provides peace, calmness, and comfort to the minds by elevating mood in distress and duress. Studies show that poetry therapy proves a boon to patients suffering from serious ailments and augment their emotional resilience and brings joy in their life. Our brains are electrified with rhyme and rhythm of the poetry to give emotional reaction to joy and sadness both. Like sweet melody of music, poetry heals our emotional hurts. The metaphors embellish the poetic lines with magical brilliance, and they glitter with astute meaning and message. Diction plays a very emphatic role in discerning poet's leanings. Reflection, perception and attachment are interwoven in diction so inextricably that they turn poet's mouthpiece, and roar and rave with perfect resonance to poetic experiences. Through the intoxicated taken-for-grantedness of the laidback reading public will take somersault by the melody of the tone and exquisiteness of diction. The paper, however, explores how poetry can be a natural tool to heal mental stress, trauma, and agony and maintain mental health well. We will examine some poetic utterances of great romantic poet William Wordsworth and see how they can be a tool to heal the emotional hurts and wounds. Moreover, we will too examine that how the nature can extend peace, purpose, poise to mind.
Creative Saplings, Jan 25, 2023
The adverse consequences of war and violence are always more on women and children. Men are alway... more The adverse consequences of war and violence are always more on women and children. Men are always the active participants in violence, and women are invariably observed as the passive receiver of the same. Women have to face the harmful effects of war and violence in the form of lost husbands and loss of self-respect. This paper explores the life and struggle of a single woman who lost her husband during the ethnic conflicts. Arupa Patangia Kalita is a famous Assamese novelist who lives in Darrang, Assam. Her novel Felanee was originally written in Assamese in 2003 and translated by Deepika Pukan in 2011. The story of Felanee reveals the awful experiences of a woman, Felanee in the midst of ethnic riots and frenzy atmosphere in Assam. The events mentioned in the novel relate to the real lives of the people living there. Through her protagonist, the writer describes some of the adverse experiences of people during ethnic conflicts, especially the women living in such places. At the time of Felanee's birth, she was thrown into damp to die but somehow, she survives and starts her battle against all odds. The paper reveals how women sustain their families, especially children, while facing many troubles due to ethnic violence and bloodshed. It also explores how they are marginalized in society and how they support each other in difficult times. Felanee has to face all the brutal consequences of the communal frenzy. She lost almost everything she had, including her loving husband. She was once a queen, but after the riots, she was forced to live like a laborer.
Creative Saplings
Cli-fi is an innovative genre of fiction that modernizes climate science into human stories. Writ... more Cli-fi is an innovative genre of fiction that modernizes climate science into human stories. Writers of cli-fi discover, what it means to be human in a world that is influenced by warming temperature, powerful storms and rising seas. The cli-fi narratives arouse consciousness about the complex issues of climate change. The novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, published in 2003, is about a post-apocalyptic world which will be a reality in the future. The novel carries two distinct genres- a pre apocalyptic world and a post-apocalyptic world. The pre apocalyptic world is an exaggerated representation of the mid of twenty first century and the post-apocalyptic world is portrayed as the end of twenty first century. Oryx and Crake discusses a world that is completely destructed due to unscientific acts, war, global warming, climate change and diseases. The two genres narrate through the character Snowman who is the only survivor of the destruction. Oryx and Crake, towards the end, n...
Creative Saplings, 2022
is an eminent literary figure in the field of modern fiction, non-fiction, and travelogue writing... more is an eminent literary figure in the field of modern fiction, non-fiction, and travelogue writing in English literature. He earned a number of literary awards and accolades, including the covetous Nobel Prize and Booker Prize. His non-fiction e.g., An Area of Darkness, India: A Wounded Civilization, The Loss of El Dorado, India: A Million Mutinies Now and Beyond Belief are a realistic portrayal of the various types of religion, culture, customs, and people of India. As an author, the main purpose of V. S. Naipaul is to deliver the truth; because poets are the unacknowledged legislators of mankind. The fact that V. S. Naipaul has presented in his non-fiction is more authentic and realistic than that of his fiction. Nonetheless, it is fictional work that is elaborately explored, discussed, and analyzed in abundance. On the other hand, his non-fiction, by and far, remains aloof. In the last few decades, non-fictions are also taking the ground strongly. Now non-fiction writings are being analyzed, elucidated, and explored based on various theoretical principles of literary criticism. V. S. Naipaul carried the new genre to new heights and achievements. He is of Indian descent and known for his pessimistic works set in developing countries. He visited India several times, like Pearl S. Buck and E. M. Forster. So, his presentation of Indian religion, society, culture, and politics are very realistic. His vision and ideas are very close to the modern thoughts and visions of both the east and the west.
Creative Saplings, Nov 25, 2022
Sarojini Naidu was an Indian political activist, feminist, and poet, a proponent of civil rights,... more Sarojini Naidu was an Indian political activist, feminist, and poet, a proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas. Despite all these qualities, she was known as "The Singer of Beautiful Songs" she will always be remembered and recalled by her two names: "The Nightingale of India" and" Bharat Kokila" as Mahatma Gandhi ornamented her. The present paper is a genuine effort to reveal her personality as a singer of beautiful songs; she emerged as the very soul of India and was attached firmly to its soil. Despite all her western garb and literary affiliation with the English poets, her sensibility was "wholly native." Blessed with remarkable creative talent, she adroitly composed charming songs with a striking note of native fervour. In this task, she fell into the tradition of Indian women writers since the Vedic age. In the tradition of Vishwavara and Ghosha, the singers of sonorous songs in Vedas of Gargie, Maitreyi, and Sulabha,
Creative Saplings, Nov 25, 2022
Poetry is the passion that a poet possesses in genes, and through poetry, mental health and peace... more Poetry is the passion that a poet possesses in genes, and through poetry, mental health and peace of mind can be maintained at a pace immeasurable. The waves of passion that run through the poet's sensibility soothe the readers' senses. Poetry reading, writing, and listening cast good therapeutic effects. Poetry provides peace, calmness, and comfort to the minds by elevating moods in distress and duress. Studies show that poetry therapy has proven a boon to patients suffering from serious ailments, augments their emotional resilience, and brings joy. Our brains are electrified with the rhyme and rhythm of the poetry to give emotional reactions to joy and sadness. Like the sweet melody of music, poetry heals our emotional hurts. The metaphors embellish the poetic lines with magical brilliance and glitter with astute meaning and message. Diction plays a very decisive role in discerning the poet's leanings. Reflection, perception, and attachment are interwoven in diction so inextricably that they turn the poet's mouthpiece and roar and rave with perfect resonance to poetic experiences. Through the intoxicated taken-forgrantedness of the laidback reading public will take a turn at the melody of the tone and exquisiteness of diction. The paper, however, explores how poetry can be a natural tool to heal mental stress, trauma, and agony and maintain mental health. We will examine some poetic utterances of great poets like Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Emily Dickinson, Kamala Das, etc. Moreover, we will also examine how nature can extend peace, purpose, and poise to the mind.
Creative Saplings, Nov 25, 2022
The colonization of India had awful consequences on the lives of people as the nation was severel... more The colonization of India had awful consequences on the lives of people as the nation was severely affected by problems like poverty, illiteracy, unhygienic and callous living producing, in addition to the already prevailing sociological and economic problems, environmental and conservational crisis, the root cause of which was to be found in the incessant exploitation of natural resources by the ruling European colonial powers in India. Resultantly, the Gandhian struggle for independence could not restrict itself merely to the primary objective of acquiring a politically independent statehood for India, but it had to keep on its agenda also problems of ecology, hygiene and conservation. The novel Tamas describes analogous labors made by the congress working committee volunteers in the Muslim area despite antagonism by the Muslim League workers. This ecology of nationalism, however, could not sustain long as the ecological purity of a mosque and a temple, in retaliatory action, was polluted by the perpetrators. The novel regularly, throughout the narrative, establishes a connection between the ideas of pureness and dirtiness and the consequential communal clashes in the city by showing how harmony and mutual veneration for each other's community, the so-called ecology of nationalism and political unity, was thwarted by an error of Nathu, a member of the lower caste community. In a broad sense, the character of Nathu is presented representatively in a way to demonstrate how the act of a socially impure community was accountable for the fall of the ecology of Indian nationalism rather than the political desires and mistakes of leadership.
Creative Saplings
This paper aims at exploring the texts of Haruki Murakami, namely his novels Norwegian Wood (1987... more This paper aims at exploring the texts of Haruki Murakami, namely his novels Norwegian Wood (1987) and Kafka on the Shore (2002), and an anthology of short stories Men Without Women (2014), to observe with a close eye the phallocentric tongue, literary devices, characters, and plot; the depiction of a man’s world through a quintessential male gaze. Studying his art of characterization and the recurrent motifs he employs towards that very realization are a key reference point to understand the covert stance of Murakami, which appears to be misogynistic in its stead. Murakami creates his fictional women with certain key characteristics omnipresent in almost all of them, their exhibition of ludicrously unnatural and overt sexuality as if deliberately strengthening a stereotype of the seemingly new “modern woman” who has no qualms in expressing her sexuality even to near-strangers. While his protagonists, in most cases heterosexual men, in every literary creation of his are blueprints o...
Creative Saplings
In her latest novel, The Earthspinner(2021), Anuradha Roy profusely paints a poignant picture of ... more In her latest novel, The Earthspinner(2021), Anuradha Roy profusely paints a poignant picture of delicate human relationships, giving more profound insights into shared human vulnerabilities. Roy is particularly adept at weaving a sensitive narrative that resonates with her readers. Infused with myth, memory and history, The Earthspinner chronicles the splintered lives of Sarayu, Elango and Chinna over five years. The novel beautifully portrays an artist’s quest for art and how an artist’s dream creation and his beloved are inextricable. Sectarian strife and the madness of fanaticism drive the protagonists towards irretrievable losses and inconceivable fates. The binaries of creation and destruction are skillfully depicted. The voiceless comforter, Chinna, who transgresses social and religiousbarriers and provides solace with his unconditional love, is the one to be abandoned repeatedly. The loss of and a longing for ‘home’ find prominence throughout the novel. The lapse of five yea...
Journal of Women Empowerment and Studies
This paper attempts to evaluate the resistance to the ethnic and gender subalternity portrayed by... more This paper attempts to evaluate the resistance to the ethnic and gender subalternity portrayed by Mahasweta Devi in the story, Draupadi. Mahasweta Devi portrays a figure of resistance to the multilayered subalternity through the rejection of gender performative acts in both theatrical and non-theatrical contexts of subaltern. The story, Draupadi, challenges the conventional phallocentric representation of gender subalterns and colonial domination over marginalized ethnicity through the construction of the character, Dopdi Mejhen (or Draupadi), a young Santal widow, fighting for the socioeconomic freedom of her tribe, who radically stands naked exposing her blood spotted body against the oppressive colonizer after extreme physical oppression, to protest the patriarchal and colonial domination over her body and ethnic community. She is subaltern by her class, caste and gender; but liberates herself from subalternity through noncooperational resistance. This paper applies the theory of...
Creative Saplings
Legal language is the essence of our lives as law touches every walk of our lives. There is an in... more Legal language is the essence of our lives as law touches every walk of our lives. There is an indivisible connection between law and language. Laws are expressed in language and language has its own laws. Legal lexicon is an indispensable entity of legal language. In order to understand the laws, duties, rights and legal matters, it is imperative to understand legal language which is full of distinct lexicon. Same words carry different meanings in legal and ordinary contexts. There are archaic words and phrases besides the overpowering of foreign words which have been fully assimilated in the legal language. All these need to be taken into consideration. The present paper focuses on the various facets, features and nuances of legal lexicon.
Creative Saplings
Lustus: The Prince of Darkness, the first book in Dr. J.S. Anand's Mahakaal Trilogy, is said ... more Lustus: The Prince of Darkness, the first book in Dr. J.S. Anand's Mahakaal Trilogy, is said to be a living picture of a nightmare, apocalyptic, postmodernworld that has been torn apart by the evil-incarnate Lustus, who is Satan's successor, and his destructive artefacts. Satan anoints Lustus, whose evil plans are the underground forces that move human civilization toward its destruction. The poet focuses his lens on horrible and blatant social, political, ethical, religious, and moral decadence of the modern world, which makes for a fascinating and engrossing study of evil and a fascinating and engaging look at the modern human condition.Dr. Anand has skillfully dealt with the moral problems ofthe war between good and evil. He has done this by using a lot of metaphors, symbols, and multiple layers of identification. For example, Ravana is the head of the postmodern corporate world, Adam wears postmodern clothes, and Lustus is the Satan of postmodern times. These characters ...
Creative Saplings, Aug 24, 2022
Taslima Nasreen is a Bangladeshi author whose name is always in the news. Sometimes it's because ... more Taslima Nasreen is a Bangladeshi author whose name is always in the news. Sometimes it's because she said something bold and honest about fanaticism, and other times it's because she gave a voice to oppressed people who had never dared to say what they felt inside. Today, the world is moving forward in the area of technology. Art and writing are getting better and better as time goes on. Still, it's sad to say that there is a corner where everything is dark, even though it looks like everything is fine from the outside. The author who has the courage to bring this darkness out into the open is Taslima Nasreen, who is not afraid of the oppressive powers. The poet in Taslima Nasreen can't ignore how important it is to touch the body, which also needs to rest and feel safe. Love is the medicine that makes the body feel better. The kiss is a way to show love. When the poet has done everything from early morning until late in the evening, he or she is too tired. Love is what she needs. She is used to getting two kisses on the lips from her lover. She can't get enough of love being shown through a kiss on her lips. She can't picture being able to sleep or rest without a kiss from her lover.
Creative Saplings, Aug 24, 2022
Social realism, as derived from the Marxist ideology, is something which adheres to reality, avoi... more Social realism, as derived from the Marxist ideology, is something which adheres to reality, avoids romantic embellishments, and creates truthful portraits of life that expose human flaws. In it, we find characters with genuine jobs and problems. It records the life of an average farmer or labourer. The novel the Gypsy Goddess by Meena Kandasamy is an indictment of Communism and atrocities inflicted upon untouchable coolies and paddy workers. Mena Kandasamy presents the fictionalized version of the tragedy, portrayed on the documents taken from history and interviews of people who faced that actual incident. The landlords murder a communist leader. After that, the Dalit labourers go on strike, Dalit workers are forced to work back on farms, and those who refuse are assaulted and punished by the police. The democratic demand for justice by the untouchables farmers of Kilenmani, Tamil Nadu, are faced with a terrible series of actions which prove 'might is right', and the poor, helpless farmers are only left to suffer and die due to hostile conditions. The novel is a fine narrative of their plight and the traumatic conditions caused by the violence inflicted upon them. In brief, it is a fictionalized work on social realism. The present paper is a brief study of events that occur in the lives of Dalit, unprivileged paddy workers and their exploitation by so-called Upper Caste or Landlords and their realistic representation.
Uploads
Papers by Creative Saplings