Assignment Sem-3 : Various Aspects of Film Studies

 

Name : Pina Gondaliya 

Semester  : 3 

Assignment : Paper No Contemporary Western Theory and Film Studies 

Topic  : Film Studies 

Submitted : Department of English M.K.Bhavnager University 

Film Studies 

Films can be analyzed both as stories, like novels, and as visual objects, like paintings. Narrative films are constructed in the same way as novels through the selection and combination of scenes; the same critical approaches that apply to verbal fiction, such as Formalism and Structuralism or Historical and Psychological Analysis, also apply to film. But as a visual medium, film demands a different set of analytic and critical tools in order to be understood. Films are carefully constructed visual objects, and each element of that construction can function to generate meaning. The primary elements of meaning in film are composition (the arrangement of objects within the visual frame), editing, and art direction, which encompasses everything from color and sound to set and location. An important element of compositional meaning is the frame. Where the camera is placed in relation to the action determines the size and shape of the frame of the image. Terms like “long,” “close,” “medium,” and “high angle” describe the various possibilities for camera placement. A close shot (one in which the camera is close to the action) generates “tight framing,” while a long shot (one in which the camera is distant from the action) generates “loose framing.”

The same kind of image, say a close-up, can vary in use and in meaning. In one film it may signify emotional openness and authenticity; in another, it might signify untrustworthiness, especially if it is combined with other elements of image construction such as dark lighting. Film techniques and the meanings they convey vary according to the context in which they are used. No particular meaning is guaranteed by a particular technique. The individual images created by the camera are combined in a narrative chain through editing. Most narrative editing provides “continuity,” the smooth flow from one image to another through similitude of setting and action. But editing can also use contrast to create meaning. And sometimes a long editing sequence (a montage sequence) can constitute a significant part of a film’s narrative.

The third major element of film meaning – art direction – comprises set design, sound, choice of location, props or significant objects, lighting, and color.

• Sound 

Sound, voice and music are integral to most films and/or film viewing experiences. Even the earliest silent films were often shown with live musical accompaniment. Sound enhances the imaginary world, it can provide depth, establish character and environment, introduce a new scene or cue the viewer to important information. We have organized the page according to the following categories: sound source, sound editing and film music.

DIEGETIC VS. NON-DIEGETIC SOUND

Diegetic sound is any sound that the character or characters on screen can hear. So for example the sound of one character talking to another would be diegetic. Non-diegetic sound is any sound that the audience can hear but the characters on screen cannot. Any appearance of background music is a prime example of non-diegetic sound. This clip from Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Deadsimultaneously depicts both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The sounds of the characters speaking, the records flying, and the zombies are all diegetic; the characters can hear them. Meanwhile, the beats and riffs of the background music serves as an example of non-diegetic sound that goes unheard by Shaun, Pete, and the menacing zombies.

  2 . Camera Angles and moments 

There are so many camera movements and camera angles; it can be hard to keep track. To make film and television like the masters, you need to practice and learn the various camera movements, angles, shots, and tools. 

Shot sizes

Camera angles

Camera movements

Once you understand the basic principles of each type of shot, you can use them as building blocks to make more interesting combinations.

• Shot Sizes

Shot size refers to how big or small the frame is in relation to the subject. Does your character fill the frame or are they so far away as to be nearly invisible? What else is visible in your shot? Multiple characters? Objects? Landscapes?

Let’s look at the 5 most important shot sizes and see how they work

Close-up (CU)

The close-up is one of the most common shot sizes in cinema. It’s used when you want to highlight the facial features of your character without any other distractions in the shot. A typical close-up shows the character’s face from their forehead to their chin.

However, there’s room for some variation. An extreme close-up goes further, often showing nothing more than the character’s eyes. Think of a classic Western in which two characters stare each other down before a duel. This shot draws the viewer’s attention to facial features and expressions that would be lost in a wide shot.

• Long shot (LS)

A long shot is in some ways the opposite of a close-up. It shows the character’s entire body in frame, from their head to their toes. This gives the viewer a better sense of the subject’s surroundings, and conveys information that would be lost in a close-up.

Long shots are often used in action scenes, when it’s important to see how the character is moving through his or her environment. You might cut from that extreme close-up of your two dueling characters to a long shot that shows just how far they’re actually standing from each other, giving the viewer a better perspective on the scene.

One variation of this shot is an extreme long shot, in which the character is so far away they’re nearly lost in the frame or obscured by their surroundings. Think of a character riding off into the sunset, getting smaller as they get further away from the camera.

• Medium shot (MS)

The medium shot or mid shot is somewhere between a close-up and long shot. A typical medium shot shows the subject from their head to their waist. It’s close enough that you can still see their face, while also including some of their body language.

You might use this shot when a character is carrying an object or pointing a gun. Or, if they’re sitting at a desk, you can show them writing in a book, while avoiding wasting valuable screen space on their feet or their knees.

It’s also useful for when a character is moving through the frame, since it contains enough background information that the viewer doesn’t get disoriented.

Single, two shot, three shot

Another way to categorize a shot is by the number of people in the frame. We call this a single shot, a two shot, or a three shot, depending on how many people are in it.

Typically, you’ll combine this with one of the other shot sizes we’ve already looked at. For example, you might use a two-shot close-up for a scene of two characters kissing. Three characters in an office might call for a medium three .

• Camera Angles

The next category that we’ll look at is camera angle. Once you’ve decided on a shot size, you can add a bit more perspective to your shot by choosing an angle. The camera angle can help you create a sense of fear, empathy, or disorientation in the viewer.

Eye level

The most neutral camera angle is the eye level shot. The camera points straight ahead at about the same level as the subject’s face. This is how you would shoot an interview scene if you wanted to maintain a sense of objectivity.

The goal is to let the viewer follow the action without manipulating their emotions. While it’s called “eye level,” it doesn’t have to be a shot of the character’s face. You can get an eye level shot of an object by maintaining a neutral camera angle.

Low angle

A low-angle shot adds some subjectivity to the scene. Instead of facing straight ahead, the camera looks up at the subject from a low angle. This can make a character appear threatening, dominant, or in a position of power relative to another character.

As with some of the other shots we’ve looked at, you can vary the intensity of it. A slight low angle might be used to convey a sense of authority, such as a teacher looking down at a student. An extreme low angle shot might be used to show a monster like Godzilla or King Kong bearing down on other characters.

High angle

The reverse of the low angle shot is the high angle shot, which creates the opposite impression, and makes the subject of the camera seem small. For example, a shot from King Kong’s POV might point down from a higher angle to show how powerless the characters are in relation to him.

You can also take this to the extreme with a top angle or bird’s eye view. This shot looks down on the character from above and can be used indoors or outdoors. For example, you might look down on your subject entering a church or stadium.

Or, you could use this to show your character running away from a helicopter, in which case it would be an aerial shot or a drone shot.

Dutch angle

A Dutch angle is one of the most common ways to convey disorientation. For this shot, simply tilt the camera to one side so it isn’t level with the horizon. You might use this shot to show the POV of a drunk character stumbling down the street, or in a horror movie to give the impression that the walls of a haunted house are closing in.

Over-the-Shoulder (OTS)

An over-the-shoulder shot is another angle that can shift a viewer’s perception of the scene. A OTS shot is generally a close-up of another character’s face from “over the shoulder” of another character and is used to convey conflict or confrontation.

You could also use an OTS wide shot to show a character looking out over a landscape or moving through an action sequence, when you don’t want to use a POV.

Camera Movement

The third category that we’ll look at is camera motion or movement. Most of the shot sizes and angles we’ve look at can be used as either static shots or moving shots. By adding motion to a scene, you can move between camera angles easily, sometimes even within the same shot. Let’s look at 5 common camera movements here:

Pan or tilt

The simplest camera movement is a pan or tilt. A pan is when you keep the camera in one place and turn it to the side, and a tilt is when you turn it up or down.

If your camera is on a tripod, then you can simply turn the head of the tripod, just as you would turn your head to one side to get a new perspective on a scene. If a subject stands up, you can turn an eye-level shot into a low-angle by tilting the camera up as they rise.

A pan or tilt is also a good opportunity to experiment with speed. You could spend an entire minute slowly panning from left to right to show off a room or a landscape, or you can do a whip pan, in which the movement happens so fast that it becomes a blur.

Tracking shot, dolly shot, or crane shot

The key to a pan or tilt is that the camera itself doesn’t move, so the viewer feels mostly like a spectator. If you want to move with a subject and make the viewer feel like a part of the action, you can use a tracking shot, dolly shot, or crane shot.

Typically, a tracking shot moves sideways, a dolly shot moves forwards or backwards, and a crane shot moves up or down. Depending on your equipment, you can use these movements separately, or combine them to move on multiple axes at once.

Zoom

A zoom shot moves into or out of the frame by using a zoom lens rather than moving the camera. You can turn a medium shot into a close up by slowly zooming in on a subject’s face as they deliver an emotional monologue. Or you can zoom out to reveal a character or object that wasn’t previously in frame.

A zoom can be slow and subtle so that the viewer barely notices it happening, or it can be more obvious to give the shot a cinema verite style.

Random motion

Random motion is used to create energy and intensity, particularly in an action scene. Think of The Bourne Identity, in which the camera bounces around so quickly that the subject of the scene isn’t even always framed in the shot.

While random motion can be effective in creating a sense of disorientation, sometimes it can be too effective, leaving viewers dizzy and confused.

360-degree motion

The last type of motion that we’ll look at is 360-degree motion, in which the camera moves entirely around the subject of the shot. These shots can be challenging to do on large film sets, because they require hiding the crew and equipment from view, but they’re more common in the days of Steadicams and CGI.

The Matrix used a special camera setup for its 360-degree fight scenes, but you can also use a handheld camera or a drone.

Compound motion

The great thing about camera motion is that you don’t have to restrict it to one axis at a time. You can combine movements to move in multiple dimensions at once and create more complex shots. Let’s look at two popular compound shots:

Dolly zoom

The dolly zoom is used to create a sense of vertigo or unease. It was famously used in Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. In this shot, the camera moves forward or backwards while the lens zooms in the opposite direction.

Single Take

A single take combines multiple movements, shot sizes, and angles into one extended shot. Rather that cutting from a long shot to a close-up, for example, the camera might track, zoom, pan, and tilt between a variety of different shots.

This can be the hardest to get right, but it’s an effective way to orient viewers to a new environment, such as with the opening shot in Goodfellas. It can also lend a theatrical feel to a movie, as in Birdman, which is made to appear like one very long shot.

3 . Lighting 

Without good lighting, the best camera in the world can’t capture a perfect picture. Learn how a film crew uses lighting to enhance images, create depth, and support the story’s mood and atmosphere

What Is Cinematic Lighting?

Cinematic lighting is a film lighting technique that goes beyond the standard three-point lighting setup to add drama, depth, and atmosphere to the story. Cinematic lighting utilizes lighting tricks like bouncing light, diffusing light, and adjusting color temperatures.

Why Lighting Is Important

Lighting is fundamental to film because it creates a visual mood, atmosphere, and sense of meaning for the audience. Whether it’s dressing a film set or blocking actors, every step of the cinematic process affects the lighting setup, and vice-versa.

Lighting tells the audience where to look. The lighting setup guides the eye to a specific actor, prop, or part of a scene.Lighting reflects the psychology of characters. The amount, size, color, and harshness of light surrounding a character can be adjusted to match their emotions.Lighting defines and supports the genre of the film. Lighting is the tool that conveys mood most clearly. For example, one of the film genres most known for its distinct lighting style is film noir, characterized by stark contrasts between light and dark, dramatically patterned shadows, and unique framing and composition choices.

Who Determines the Lighting Setup for a Scene?

The director shares visual inspirations and ideas for cinematic lighting.The director of photography or cinematographer: creates the lighting plan with input from the director.The gaffer designs and executes the cinematographer’s lighting plan and oversees the crew that brings the lighting plan to life.

How to Create a Simple But Effective Lighting Setup in 3 Easy Steps.

The most basic lighting setup is a three-point lighting setup, which highlights the main actor or subject of a scene and makes them stand out from their background. Here’s how to do it:

Place your main and strongest source of light, called a key light, off to one side of the actor to create a slight shadow on the opposite side of their face.Add a second light, called a fill light, on the opposite side of the actor to soften any harsh shadows created by the key light.Place a third light, a back light, behind the actor to help define and highlight their features and outlines.

4 . Explain Montage

it’s a technique that can help the director and editor of a movie advance the story quickly and effectively.

What Is a Montage?

Montage is a technique of film editing that combines a series of short shots or clips into one sequence, often set to music. The word montage is French for “assembly” or “editing.”

Montage sequences often imply the passage of time or multiple simultaneous events, and are a vehicle to present the audience with a lot of information at once. They can be used to evoke a range of emotions—for example:

In a romantic comedy, a montage can show a sense of growing love or attraction between two love interests getting to know one another. Example:In a sports movie, a montage can show an athlete training for a big game, and heighten suspense or tension about the outcome.In a drama, a montage can underscore grief and sadness by showing a widow struggling with the loss of her husband.In a horror movie, a montage can show the main characters preparing to defend their home against a killer or supernatural force.

Why Use Montage? 6 Things Successful Montages Do

A montage can accomplish various goals in a motion picture, including:

Speed up time. Whether it’s a day, a week, a month, a year, or a decade, a montage can accelerate time in a way that makes sense to the audience and stays true to the story. It can be like a highlight reel for the action passing.Convey a lot of information at once. Sometimes, a story has crucial details to communicate, but a director doesn’t want to devote a great deal of time to explaining them. A montage can speed up that process and catch the audience up in a matter of seconds.Heighten tension. You may have noticed that many montages happen about two-thirds of the way through a movie, often right after the climax of the story. A montage can renew and reinvigorate an audience’s interest in a character or a storyline as the film builds to a conclusion.Compare and contrast. Alternatively, sometimes montages happen at the very beginning of a movie. A montage that compares and contrasts the daily lives or routines of two characters can establish their statuses, and thus their levels of power, in relation to one another.Reveal character. A montage can be a vehicle to reveal the ways a character is changing. From quick cuts of a drug hallucination one night to the effects of illness over the course of six months, a montage can help the audience quickly understand a dramatic shift in a character’s physical and/or mental state.Combine multiple storylines. There isn’t always time to feature every single storyline from start to finish. A montage is an effective way to combine storylines and ensure every character gets their due.

Citation 

Film sound and music. College Film & Media Studies. (2011, September 27). Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://collegefilmandmediastudies.com/film-sound-and-music/. 

MasterClass. (2020, November 8). Learn about montage in filmmaking: How to create a memorable movie montage - 2021. MasterClass. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-montage-in-filmmaking-how-to-create-a-memorable-montage#common-montage-film-techniques.

MasterClass. (2021, August 23). Film 101: Understanding Film lighting - 2021. MasterClass. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/film-101-understanding-film-lighting#who-determines-the-lighting-setup-for-a-scene. 

Sudhakaran, P. author B. S., Christensensays:, J., Johnsonsays:, J., Mikesays: JAREDsays: & Sawantsays:, R. S. (n.d.). 15 essential CAMERA Shots, angles and movements. wolfcrow. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://wolfcrow.com/15-essential-camera-shots-angles-and-movements/. 

Thinking Activity : Final Solutions Movie Adaptation by Mahesh Dattani

 

Hello Readers!

Welcome to my blog I'm going to write about The play Final Solutions written by Mahesh Dattani and the movie adaptation of The Final Solutions. Let's we look at. This task was given by Vaidehi ma'am. 

👉Mahesh Dattani 

Mahesh Dattani is an Indian playwright, actor and director who is the first playwright in English to receive Sahitya Akademi award. He has written successful plays for acclaimed play directors like Arvind Gaur, Alyque Padamsee and Lillete Dubey. Thirty Days in September, Dance Like a Man, Final Solutions, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai, Tara and Bravely Fought the Queen are his noted plays as a playwright.His plays are often described as `total theatre'. He often incorporates dance forms in his plays. He is trained in Bharatnatyam and ballet too. Mahesh Dattani was born in Bangalore. He went to Baldwin Boys High School and then went on to join St. Joseph's College, Bangalore. Dattani is a graduate in History, Economics and Political Science. He is a post-graduate in Marketing and Advertising Management.

👉Final Solutions by Mahesh Dattani 

Mahesh Dattani has written many illustrious plays but his Final Solutions have been considered as the masterpiece among the other plays. It centers on the Hindu-Muslim problem Final Solutions foregrounds. It also tackles the theme of transferred resentment in the context to family relations. The large part of the play is good theatre and that makes it technically sound. The language is handled quite competently. Our present concern is with the play’s thematic side so let us focus on that. Dattani has attempted a neat balancing act when It comes to tracing the malady of communal disharmony to certain elements within both the communities-Hindu and Muslim. The diagnosis offered is also sound enough. Paid people cause riots or neither plays upon the susceptibilities of the two communities on certain key issues.

👉Does the movie help you to understand the narrative structure of the play?

Through the Movie adaptation of the final Solutions it was very easy to understand whole concept of play. Any adaptation helps us to understand the structure of the literary work, if they are truthful with the original work. In The Final Solution, we see the story is told by the perspective of Daksha in diary form. She wrote a diary and tells us what and how everything has happened. The other perspective is Javed. His experience and his story also shown in flashback mode. Bobby's story also shown different perspective. So this all Techniques are used in the play, which we understand better through screening of a film. 

👉What do you think about women’s situation during the time of communal riots? 

The situation of women during the time of communal riots very bad. Even in common situation it is not good. They don't have freedom of speech, not right to do what they wanted, and also they don't have right to choose her hobby. So slowly and steadily the situation is changing nowadays. In the movie and play we see that Daksha wanted to be a singer, but her father in law and mother in law denied to do so. Even she haven't right to listen songs also. 

👉Does the women characters like Daksha, Aruna etc. have helped you in understanding it.If you were the director of the movie, what kind of changes would you make in the movie. Does the movie do justice to the play? 

Dattani has always given importance to women in his plays. The women in his plays are sometimes meek, submissive, calm and cool in nature. Whereas sometimes they are intelligent, brave, courageous and protest when required. In this particular play Dattani talks about three different women who represent three different generations. Hardika represents the first generation, Aruna represents the second generation and Smita represents the third generation. Hardika, is also known as Daksha in the play, who has seen the partition of India and the communal tension as well. Hardika even talks about her father's dream of an independent India. Hardika is such a woman who did love the Muslims until they killed her father in a communal riot. Aruna, daughter in law of Hardika is a typical Indian house wife who is seen busy in doing Pooja and household chores most of the time in the play. She even teaches her daughter to learn the works of God and the household chores as well. Aruna is very particular about her God and she can never really compromise with anything when it comes to her God.She loves her mother but at one point of time she feels stifled and expresses her feelings to Aruna. She requests her mother not to bind her with prejudices any more. She even did not have hatred for the Muslims as her close friend is a Muslim girl whose name is Tasneem.

All women characters helps us to understand the play. If I was the director, I will end the play with solution. And all we know the solution is to be aware about what others says about other religions. We should not conclude any point without knowing everything about the matter. We have to see that we should not provoked by other peoples.  So overall this adaptation is good and it helps us to understand the concept of the play by Mahesh Dattani. The play is also portrayed in a very interesting way, and also it presents the harsh reality of society. We have to be careful while watching and listening to those nusense. Because many times it's happened that we don't know anything, but we join the groups of those people who are violent and provoke us against other religions. 

Thank you ! 

Thinking Activity : Feminism and Cyberfeminism: Artificial intelligence and unconscious business

 Hello Readers! 

Welcome to my blog I'm going to write about what is Cyberfeminism and talk of Kirti Sharma on How tobkeep women bias out of AI and talk of Robin Hauser on Can we protect AI from our biases. This task is given by Dr. Dilip Barad click here to learn more about this. 

• What is Cyberfeminism

Social and artistic practices on the net with feminist ideological content. Learn more in: Collaborative and Open Education by Interdisciplinary Women's Networks: FemTechNet and Feminist Pedagogies in Digital Education.

Feminist movement interpreting the evolution of cybernetics as allowing the development of a culture in which inequalities are eradicated and traditional gender relations and stereotypes are defied (for instance, through the experimentation with gender identities or the creation of sisterhood networks on the Internet), empowering women and marking a shift away from their traditional symbolic representation as technologically ignorant. Learn more in: From Digital Divides to Digital Inequalities.

Discipline within feminism that sees cyberspace and virtual reality as neutral realms in terms of gender. This school of thought visions a society beyond gendered bodies where women can communicate and act outside the restrictions imposed by patriarchal societies. Learn more in: Gender, Body, and Computing Technologies in the Science-Fiction Film.

Cyberfeminism: Artificial Intelligence and the Unconscious Biases

Cyberfeminism appeared in the 1980s and founded on the ideas post-humanist feminist thinker Donna Haraway expresses in her A Cyborg Manifesto. In this manifesto, she lays the groundwork for the concept of the internet being a revolutionary tool to overthrow patriarchy, destroy the existing gender binary and achieve feminist liberation. She sees the internet as a new neutral space women need to ally with and that needs to be shaped by women in a way that will allow them to overthrow the existing social order.

1. Kirti Sharma: How to keep human bias out of AI?

We see this everywhere. This media panic that our robot overlords are taking over. We could blame Hollywood for that. But in reality, that's not the problem we should be focusing on. There is a more pressing danger, a bigger risk with AI, that we need to fix first. 

When you work in technology and you don't look like a Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk, your life is a little bit difficult, your ability gets questioned. 

Here's just one example. Like most developers, she often join online tech forums and share my knowledge to help others. And she've found, when she log on as myself, with my own photo, my own name, she tend to get questions or comments like this: 

"What makes you think you're qualified to talk about AI?" "What makes you think you know about machine learning?"

 So, as you do, she  made a new profile, and this time, instead of her own picture, she chose a cat with a jet pack on it. And she chose a name that did not reveal my gender. You can probably guess where this is going, right? So, this time, she didn't get any of those patronizing comments about my ability and she was able to actually get some work done. And it sucks, guys. She've been building robots since she  was 15, she have a few degrees in computer science, and yet, she had to hide my gender in order for my work to be taken seriously. 

Kirti Sharma very asked question that ,

Are men just better at technology than women? 

Another study found that when women coders on one platform hid their gender, like myself, their code was accepted four percent more than men. So this is not about the talent. This is about an elitism in AI that says a programmer needs to look like a certain person. What we really need to do to make AI better is bring people from all kinds of backgrounds. We need people who can write and tell stories to help us create personalities of AI. We need people who can solve problems. We need people who face different challenges and we need people who can tell us what are the real issues that need fixing and help us find ways that technology can actually fix it. Because, when people from diverse backgrounds come together, when we build things in the right way, the possibilities are limitless.

2. Robin Hauser: Can we protect AI from our biases?

Robin is the director and producer of cause‐based documentary films at Finish Line Features, Inc. and Unleashed Productions, Inc. As a business woman, long time professional photographer and social entrepreneur, Robin brings her leadership skills, creative eye and passion to her documentary film projects. Her artistic vision and experience in the business world afford her a unique perspective on what it takes to motivate an audience. Her most recent award‐winning film, CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2015, and has caught the eye of the international tech industry and of policy makers and educators in Washington, DC and abroad. Robin is currently directing and producing bias, a documentary about unconscious bias and how it affects our lives socially and in the workplace.

As humans we're inherently biased. Sometimes it's explicit and other times it's unconscious, but as we move forward with technology how do we keep our biases out of the algorithms we create? Documentary filmmaker Robin Hauser argues that we need to have a conversation about how AI should be governed and ask who is responsible for overseeing the ethical standards of these supercomputers. "We need to figure this out now," she says. "Because once skewed data gets into deep learning machines, it's very difficult to take it out."

Thank you ! 

Sunday Reading : Visit to an Art Gallery: Ajanta Exhibition

 

Hello Readers!

Welcome to my blog. This blog is a part of Sunday Reading activities.  We have a task that we go to visit Art  Gallery about Exhibition of Ajanta Caves as a part of cultural studies. We have to write experience of visiting Art Gallery Exhibition. 

History of Ajanta Caves 

The Ajanta Caves are generally agreed to have been made in two distinct phases, the first during the 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE, and a second several centuries later.

The caves consist of 36 identifiable foundations, some of them discovered after the original numbering of the caves from 1 through . The later-identified caves have been suffixed with the letters of the alphabet, such as 15A, identified between originally numbered caves 15 and 16. The cave numbering is a convention of convenience, and does not reflect the chronological order of their construction.

Painting of Ajanta Caves 

While showing this all painting of Ajanta cave we feel like we are in Ajnta cave. Very beautiful painting. 

The paintings in the Ajanta caves predominantly narrate the Jataka tales. These are Buddhist legends describing the previous births of the Buddha. These fables embed ancient morals and cultural lores that are also found in the fables and legends of Hindu and Jain texts. The Jataka tales are exemplified through the life example and sacrifices that the Buddha made in hundreds of his past incarnations, where he is depicted as having been reborn as an animal or human.

Mural paintings survive from both the earlier and later groups of caves. Several fragments of murals preserved from the earlier caves (Caves 10 and 11) are effectively unique survivals of ancient painting in India from this period, and "show that by Sātavāhana times, if not earlier, the Indian painters had mastered an easy and fluent naturalistic style, dealing with large groups of people in a manner comparable to the reliefs of the Sāñcī toraņa crossbars". Some connections with the art of Gandhara can also be noted, and there is evidence of a shared artistic idiom.

Some painting of Ajanta Exhibition 

👆Bodhisattva Padmapani 

A painting in cave number 1 of Ajanta caves, this is Buddha’s former existence portrayed as a painting. Cave number 1 of Ajanta caves is known for some of the most elaborate carvings and sculptures from the life of Gautam Buddha.

Thank you !

Thinking Activity: Foe . M. Coetzee

 

Foe  By  J . M. Coetzee 

• Cruso: the anti-hero

In the character of Robinson Crusoe, whose counterpart in Coetzee's novel is only called 'Cruso', we find the most evident and startling alterations of all characters. From the positive hero and master of even the most desperate situations in life, the former protagonist of Defoe's novel has turned into an anti-hero in Foe.

The actions of the original Robinson Crusoe are probably well known, so the behaviour of Cruso in Foe will mostly be contrasted to them[10].

Especially in his mode of living, Cruso differs enormously from his literary predecessor.

Cruso does not save anything from the wreck except for a knife [F16]. Moreover, he says that there is no need for tools [F32], and the few tools he has made himself are a needle made of fishbone [F9f.], a wooden spade, a "sharp stone lashed to a stick" as mattock, and carved blocks of wood as bowls [all F15f.]. Those are only the most essential tools for survival, i.e. the tools to build a hut, sew clothes, and eat. Compared to the equipment of his 18th-century predecessor, Cruso's equipment is indeed relatively poor: Robinson Crusoe had gotten clothes, tools, and firearms from the wreck [RC39], also razors, scissors, knives, and forks [RC41ff.]. Later on, he manages to make baskets [RC80], earthenware [RC89], a mortar and pestle [RC90], candles [RC106], a canoe [RC100], a tobacco pipe [RC106], etc. While Robinson Crusoe puts a lot of effort into improving his equipment and is always eager to get new tools[11], Cruso is satisfied once he reaches the state when mere survival is guaranteed[12]. In a way, both Crusoe and Cruso represent different 'stages' of civilisation: whereas Crusoe is constantly progressing to reach the state of an early agricultural society, Cruso does not intend to 'develop' or even change his lifestyle[13] but stays 'hunter and collector'. He is in no way interested in progress, and he rationalises not making any candles in a rather philosophic way: "Which is easier: to learn to see in the dark, or to kill a whale and seeth it down for the sake of a candle?"[14]. His cryptic explanation is both a hint to human laziness and a critique of progress itself. Juxtaposed with the never-ending energy of the original Crusoe to better and enhance his daily life towards a state of higher civilisation, Coetzee's interpretation of the castaway's character doubts the ideal of man as master of all nature. Instead of being the innovative, self-made engineer like Crusoe, Cruso is very much indifferent to his environment, also to his fellow castaways[15]. He thus is the exact opposite of Robinson Crusoe as representative of humanism, who first saves Friday and then a Spanish prisoner of the 'savages' (later on also Friday's father, who is tied in a canoe) from being slaughtered [RC148;171] and frees the victims of a mutiny [RC187].

Summary of the 'Foe'

Part 1

Susan Barton, searching for her missing daughter in Brazil, is thrown up on the island after a shipboard mutiny, and gradually adjusts to the basic environment and company of long-term castaway Cruso and African slave. Friday. Rescued a year later and upon Cruso's death from fever, Captain Smith, their rescuer, predicts great interest in the story and encourages Susan to write or team up with a writer.

Part II

Marooned again in English society when the chosen writer, Daniel Foe, flees his debits and runs from the bailiffs, Susan struggles to survive with the newly freed Friday in tow, impoverished and in danger, searching for the writer who has taken on her project - and taken over her life.

Part III

Susan eventually finds Foe and queries the book's progress, disputing content, shape and emphasis and exploring their conflicting views and goals. Susan is a realist and seeker of truth and Foe represents the commercial class in the new capitalist system but he is also a philosopher. Together they speculate about story and truth and the act of writing. And what to do with Friday is a key concem.

Part IV

An unidentified, neutral voice traces the generalised beginning and end of the story-unhinged from the embodied search for verifiable fact. Is this the "true" perspective? In two versions, it comes upon the characters in the submerged wreck of the ship. lifeless, only Friday is still barely alive. The speaker's point of view then travels out into a dimension of experience and sensation beyond humans and island and sea, beyond both speech and writing. "But this is not a place of words. This is a place where bodies are their own signs. It is the home of Friday" (157)

Themes

The Power of Stories

The novel explores the power of stories. Coetzee's book is written in parallel to Robinson Crusoe (1719) and the narrative of Foe repurposes an existing story. The book then examines the difficulty of telling such a story Coetzee's reinterpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe dwells on the potential power of the story whereas Daniel Defoe's original book does not. Foe switches the focus away from Robinson Crusoe and toward Friday Coetzee portrays the world through the eyes of Susan Barton and examines the way in which a secondary character in the original story can find a voice and thus become imbued with new power.

Thinking Activity: Wide Sargasso Sea

 Hello Readers!

Welcome to my blog. Now I'm going to write about the comparison of Jane Eyre and wode Sargasso Sea. This task was given by Yesha ma'am. 

Question:1 Compare Jane Eyre with Wide Sargasso Sea. 

The two books Jane Eyre’s novel by Charlotte Brontë and Wide Sargasso Sea Novel by Jean Rhys, reveal various motifs including the concepts of feminism and postcolonialism. As such, the authors bring up substantial ideas on the way of living for people after colonization. They also reflect on the diversity of women globally by introducing a different approach to address human issues whereby a system of fairness, justice, and equal rights replaces the presiding patriarchy. This essay will explore the concepts of postcolonialism and feminism theory, as presented by Jane Eyre’s novel by Charlotte Brontë and Wide Sargasso Sea Novel by Jean Rhys.

In the novel Jane Eyre, Brontë reveals a firm stance on feminism by critiquing the assumptions about social class and gender. She also places the context within the postcolonialism era during the Victorian society age. Throughout the novel, Jane is subjected to some kind of oppression, where she has no financial or social freedom. The challenges she faces existed during the Victorian era, whereby women were considered powerless and as objects to serve their families and society. Jane fights gender hierarchies and class to ensure a status quo.

Jane is the epitome of femininity, the first instance where Jane starts to reveal feminism is when she fights with her cousin, blamed even if she was not the one at fault, and locked up for a night. She says to Mrs. Reed, “I’m not deceitful. If I were, I should say I loved you, but I declare, I don’t love you (Brontë, 2016).” Jane’s words seem mean; nonetheless, they are true. It is only fair to precisely tell others what one feels, instead of pretending as Mrs. Reed did even though she did not like Jane. The words are also ironic. In some way, Jane is trying to tell Mrs. Reed that she is deceitful as she had always acted as if she loved Jane and therefore being unfair.

More feminist ideals are revealed in Jane’s relationship with Rochester. The two do not belong to the same social class. Jane is a governess and, therefore, less than a family member. Her financial status can also not be compared with Mr. Rochester, who is successful and wealthy, while Jane is just an employee. Despite the clarity on the differences between the two, Jane refuses to consider herself inferior. For example, she says to Mr. Rochester, “Do you think I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong — I have as much soul as you, — and full as much heart…I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh; — it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal, — as we are” (Brontë, 2016). The statement shows Jane denying being of lesser status. She even ignores the fact that she is a woman and Rochester, a man, and instead focuses on a spiritual stance to define their identities, which demonstrates equality.

Further, more ideas on feminism theory reveal Jane’s belief in love. When she realizes Mr. Rochester is married; she does not agree to marry him. Jane believes marriage should be based on respect, equality, true love, not appearance, social class, or material possessions. Jane further demonstrates the same belief when she turns down John after proposing. Jane believes John’s love would be “one of duty and not of passion” (Brontë, 2016). This reveals Jane’s irony reflection of her determination to pursue true love.

Brontë’s work also demonstrates postcolonialism whereby Western culture is considered Eurocentric. This means that European values are universal and natural compared to Eastern ideas that are inferior (Hobson, 2012). For instance, Bertha, a foreign woman, reflects the Eurocentric and dominant ideologies of England in the 19th century concerning race. Bertha is the racial other and colonized madwoman who threatens British men and women as embodied in Mr. Rochester and Jane. Jane presents Bertha Mason as Vampiric, who sucks away from Mr. Rochester’s innocence. According to Mr. Rochester, he was innocent until the savage woman took his goodness. Also, Jane, a British, cannot get married because Bertha has occupied the wife’s position, denying Jane’s identity. The situation shows how British people characterized and feared women and foreigners during postcolonialism. The fear was not because they thought the subjects were powerful, but because they considered them inferior and evil. The “blood-red” moon reflected in Bertha’s eyes represents her sexual potency, whereby Bertha refuses to be controlled. Her stature is almost equal to her husband’s. According to postcolonialism, Bertha’s death is meant as a sacrifice to restore British people’s superiority, whereby Mr. Rochester acquires freedom to marry Jane while Jane achieves her self-identity.

Further, in the postcolonialism era, men considered women to be their appendages (Katrak, 2006). Men would work, own business, and remain in public. However, only family life and marriage belonged to women. They had to depend on men spiritually, financially, and physically. For example, Adele and her mother demonstrate this idea, whereby they depend on Mr. Rochester for everything. Their dependence is further despised by the British people like Jane and Mr. Rochester consider them sensual and materialistic, characteristics associated with foreign women at the time.

Jane’s description of Bertha Marson and Adele and her mother is ironic. Jane is driven by feminism theory. The goal of feminists is to ensure there is gender equality in all humanity. As such, no woman should be discriminated against, oppressed, or subjected to the hierarchy (Tong, 2018). Nonetheless, Jane plays a significant role in discriminating against foreign women. She represents Jane as Vampiric and Adele and the mother materialistic. By doing so, she supports Mr. Rochester, who considers himself innocent even though that is not the case. The actions go against what she stands for.

Additionally, Wide Sargasso Sea Novel by Jean Rhys also reveals aspects of feminism theory and postcolonialism. Rhys is a British born writer who wrote the novel Wide Sargasso Sea in 1966 in response to Jane Eyre’s novel by Charlotte Brontë. Rhys describes the marriage of Rochester from Antoinette, his mad wife. The author creates another picture and perspective of Antoinette by focusing on the reasons behind her madness. During the postcolonialism era, the English people prejudiced against the West Indies. Antoinette was from this discriminated group, and she was married to an English Black man. Therefore, Antoinette went through a double tragedy due to racism that was common during the postcolonialism period. First, she grew up in slavery and received barely any attention from her mother. The black community also did not accept her as she was white. Additionally, her marriage was arranged, and she got married to a man that did not like her and, together with his English community, discriminated against her (Rhys, 1992). These events reveal oppressions which Antoinette had to overcome. All her life, Antoinette was caught up between the black native and English imperialists; hence, she tried to fight for acceptance, love, and happiness. Her efforts represent the propositions of feminism theory, whereby equality in all humans is necessary. However, this leads to her being renamed and enslaved in the Thornfield attic.

According to Rhys, patriarchal oppression and imperialism drove Mr. Rochester’s first wife mad (Olaussen, 1993). The reasoning represents the feminism concept where oppression, discrimination, and torture for women was real. This is unlike in Brontë’s Jane Eyre, whereby Antoinette’s madness represents the evilness and inferiority of foreign women.

Further, the idea of inequality and dependence of women on men is revealed more in Rhys’ work. This can be seen as the author intertwines madness, enslavement, and womanhood. The author presents feminine deportment ideals to the protagonists since she was young while studying at the convent school. Two Creole girls, including Helene de Plana and Miss Germaine, symbolize the feminine virtues that Antoinette should emulate. These include even-tempered manners, chastity, and mild and beauty. Further, mother St. Justine praises the “imperturbable” and the “poised” sisters. This indicates that Creole women in the 19th century were supposed to assume such ideals of womanhood. Nonetheless, Antoinette’s nature was at odds with the suggested requirements as she was fiery and hot. Consequently, her behavior contributes to her implied madness and melancholy.

It is unexpected that positive energy attracts problems, as in Antoinette’s case. This also reveals more irony. People turn a blind eye to the challenges the protagonist goes through. The problems have the potential to affect someone as they did to Antoinette. However, still, no one seems to consider that, based on the statement that her fiery and hotness contributed to her madness and melancholy. The irony can be noted in Mr. Rochester’s words when he says, “I hated the mountains and the hills, the rivers, and the rain. I hated the sunsets of whatever color, I hated their beauty and its magic and the secret I would never know. I hated its indifference and cruelty, which was part of its loveliness. Above all, I hated her. For she belonged to the magic and the loveliness. She had left me thirsty, and all my life would be thirst and longing for what I had lost before I found it” (Rhys, 1992). This statement has antagonism where the beauty that attracts Antoinette to Rochester initially drives her away in the end. Rochester’s words also indicate that she does not like the loveliness of her wife and home, too, as they threaten to bewitch and ensnare him. The passage palpably exposes his cruel desire to gain control over Antoinette. Again, an indication of women’s oppression associated with feminism during the postcolonialism period.

Moreover, Rhys represents women as appendages to men who depend on them for financial and legal support (Friedman, & Fuchs, 2014). In the beginning, Antoinette’s mother depends on her husband, Antoinette’s father, who was a slave. When the father dies, Antoinette’s mother seeks a second marriage and uses it as a way to regain status and escape her poverty life at Colibri. Also, men increase their wealth by marrying women and gain access to the inheritance of their wives. The two scenarios present womanhood as synonymous with dependence exhibited by children by relying on the nearest man for survival. Antoinette seeks to assuage her fears of a vulnerable outsider by marrying the White English man; however, the husband, Mr. Rochester, betrays and abandons her.

Another aspect that comes out in Rhys’ novel Wide Sargasso Sea is irony. To begin with, the representation of the entire book, whereby she antagonizes Brontë’s Jane Eyre, is ironic. Rhys considers Antoinette as a woman who has gone through many challenges in life and became mad while trying to discover her happiness. This is quite the opposite of Brontë’s version, which represents Bertha’s madness, an unfortunate and inferior behavior associated with foreign women. Brontë’s heroine, Jane, does not examine the case of Bertha in-depth when she finds out Mr. Rochester is married. Instead, she believes in Mr. Rochester’s version of the wife, which gives the representation of the Creole woman. This kind of stereotyping was common in England in the 19th century (Dhawan, 2000).

The Wide Sargasso Sea novel also portrays irony as the author tries to describe the idea of postcolonialism. Rhys wants readers to realize that being a casted woman is demanding. Therefore, with Antoinette’s Creole character, individuals have to understand that they cannot change their inevitable, and thus they should accept events as they turn out.

In conclusion, aspects of feminism and postcolonialism contributed a lot to the works of the 19th century. Rhys and Brontë reveal this as they reveal the representation of women in the Victorian era. The authors also utilize irony to develop feminism further and postcolonialism ideas.-

Question: 2  Compare character of Jane with Antoinette  

Jane and Antoinette

Rhys draws parallels between Jane Eyre and Antoinette:

• Both are isolated, powerless and without protection, in a world hostile to unsupported women.
• Both of them lose their mothers, if in different ways, but find important substitutes who are teachers or servants.
• Both experience dreams that are significant for later events in their stories.

However, there are also strong contrasts between them:

• Antoinette is vulnerable while Jane is made stronger by her experiences.
• Jane has a more coherent sense of herselfJane establishes equality in her relationship with Rochester.

Thinking Activity : The Home and The World by Rabindranath Tagore

 

Hello Readers!

 Welcome to my blog I'm going to write about the Novel The Home and The world by Rabindranath Tagore. This task was given by Heena ma'am. 

Rabindranath Tagore 

Rabindranath Tagore, , Bengali Rabīndranāth Ṭhākur, (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, painter, educator, philosopher and humanitarian. He also composed roughly 2,230 songs. His writings address a variety of topics. He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the west and vice versa. In 1913 he became the first non-European as well as the first lyricist to receive the Nobel Prize for literature. In 1915, he was knighted by the George V, King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India, but he later renounced the knighthood as a protest against the 1919 Jaliānwala Bāgh massacre. His songs, Jana Gana Mana and Amar Śonar Bangla, later became the national anthems for India and Bangladesh respectively.

To the west, Tagore is mainly known as the voice of India’s spiritual heritage; and that certainly does not do justice to his all pervasive influence upon generations of authors as well as common people. In India, his authority is exploited to justify all sorts of political and ideological stance – expanding from extreme right to the liberal and the left. What is really missing is a healthy critical discourse on this great author. Tagore’s genius is comparable with that of Shakespeare's.

The Home and The world by Rabindranath Tagore  

The Home and the World (in the original Bengali, ঘরে বাইরে Ghôre Baire or Ghare Baire, lit. "At home and outside") is a 1916 novel by Rabindranath Tagore.  The book illustrates the battle Tagore had with himself, between the ideas of Western Culture and revolution against the Western culture. These two ideas are portrayed in two of the main characters, Nikhilesh, who is rational and opposes violence, and Sandip, who will let nothing stand in his way from reaching his goals. These two opposing ideals are very important in understanding the history of the Bengal region and its contemporary problems. 1 To see the growth of individual character. 

Write about Rabindranath Tagore’s art of characterization. 

The novel "The Home and The World" is a 1916 novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The book illustrates the battle Tagore had with himself, between the ideas of Western culture and revolution against the Western culture. Here our main concern is his art of characterisation. 

The ‘Home and the World’ is a superb study in the psychological analysis of character. In the novel, we feel Tagore’s adept use of the multiple points of view technique which makes for a clear renunciation of the motives and states of mind of the principal characters. The device of presenting separate segments of the story through different characters helps Tagore to highlight the internal conflicts and convulsions. The principal characters in the novel are Nikhil, his wife Bimala and his close friend Sandip. 

In the character of Nikhil, we see a true picture of a patriot who reflects the extra-national ideas that one should possess. Nikhil, a landlord of substantial means, is a man of noble ideas. Gently, rational and thoughtful, he cannot approve of any political programme based on violence and cunning. Nikhil has a rationalistic and constructive approach with emphasis on self-reliance and righteous means, to the problem of Indian emancipation. Nikhil though supports Swadeshi has not wholeheartedly adopted the spirit of Bande Matram. His “dull, milk and watery Swadeshi” does not appeal to his wife Bimala. Nikhil, though perturbed and pained by Bimala’s growing infatuation with Sandip, refuses to intervene and waits patiently for her to realize the truth of circumstances and recent herself headlong rush to ruin. He even refuses to banish foreign goods from the markets and argues that it is for the people to choose between indigenous and foreign goods. He declares, 

“To tyrannize for the county is to tyrannize over the country” 

He believes in the eventual triumph of the good. 

As opposed to Nikhil’s genuine patriotism, sandip is opportunistic and means for achieving personal power. He is a hypocrite, unscrupulous, capable of sweeping along everyone with magnetism, sophistry and rhetoric. He is a man of action, dynamic, adventurous, experienced in the use of stratagems. Sandip goes about inflaming the people with the cult of Bande Matram and the concept of freedom by force Sandip exploits Bimala, Nikhil’s wife by exploring her as the “Queen Bee” of the Swadesh workers. Through clever flattery she lays a share for her mind and body by hailing her as the “Shakti of the Motherland” A juggler of words, Sandip succeeds however in winning the sympathies of Bimala and also prepares her to steal the gold sovereign’s from her own house. Tagore has represented Sandip as a black-hearted Patriot who shut the door on humanity and truth, and for his own utterly selfish and inflamed, immature minds to frenzy in the name of patriotism. 

In characterizing Bimala, Tagore has put his great efforts to expose, beautiful young wife torn between two men she loves and likes. Bimala has lived the sheltered a life of a Hindu wife and the “Home” is the world for her until Sandip makes his disturbing appearance. In the opening chapter, we are acquainted with Bimala as a true house wife, devoted to her husband and shares his ideals until she is swept off her feet by the eruption of the Swadeshi Movement. It breaks down the barriers between the home and the world for Bimala. In this critical situation the fiery eloquence of Sandip holds Bimala spellbound. She admires the seemingly glowing patriotism of Sandip. Bimala’s attraction for Sandip at first is purely intellectual but soon changes from admiration to infatuation. Bimala is temporarily swayed by the maddening cry of “Bande Matram” and robs her own house. Like a cunning thief, for the sake of so called national cause. But, she is horrified when in lucid interval the ugly truth flashes on her, and she detests wholeheartedly the filthy means of Sandip to worship the Mother. His greed and lust masqueraded and paraded as nationalism, are extremely repulsive to Bimala now. She repents sincerely for her folly in looking down on her husband Nikhil, as an impotent idealist, whom she misunderstood up till now.