Organizational Process

The Organizational Process

Organizing, like planning, must be a carefully worked out and applied process. This process involves determining what work is needed to accomplish the goal, assigning those tasks to individuals, and arranging those individuals in a decision‐making framework (organizational structure). The end result of the organizing process is an organization — a whole consisting of unified parts acting in harmony to execute tasks to achieve goals, both effectively and efficiently.

A properly implemented organizing process should result in a work environment where all team members are aware of their responsibilities. If the organizing process is not conducted well, the results may yield confusion, frustration, loss of efficiency, and limited effectiveness.

In general, the organizational process consists of five steps (a flowchart of these steps is shown in Figure 1):

    1.Review plans and objectives.

Objectives are the specific activities that must be completed to achieve goals. Plans shape the activities needed to reach those goals. Managers must examine plans initially and continue to do so as plans change and new goals are developed.

        2.Determine the work activities necessary to accomplish objectives.

Although this task may seem overwhelming to some managers, it doesn’t need to be. Managers simply list and analyze all the tasks that need to be accomplished in order to reach organizational goals.

     3.Classify and group the necessary work activities into manageable units.

A manager can group activities based on four models of departmentalization: functional, geographical, product, and customer.


    4.Assign activities and delegate authority.

Managers assign the defined work activities to specific individuals. Also, they give each individual the authority (right) to carry out the assigned tasks.


    5.Design a hierarchy of relationships.

A manager should determine the vertical (decision‐making) and horizontal (coordinating) relationships of the organization as a whole. Next, using the organizational chart, a manager should diagram the relationships

Tabulation Meaning

Tabulation Meaning:

Tabulation is a systematic and logical representation of numeric data in rows and columns to facilitate comparison and statistical analysis. It facilitates comparison by bringing related information close to each other and helps in statistical analysis and interpretation.

In other words, the method of placing organised data into a tabular form is known as tabulation. It may be complex, double, or simple, depending upon the nature of categorisation.

Objectives Of Tabulation:

(1) To simplify complex data

  • It reduces the bulk of information, i.e., it reduces raw data in a simplified and meaningful form so that it can be easily interpreted by a common man in less time.

(2) To bring out essential features of data

  • It brings out the chief/main characteristics of data.
  • It presents facts clearly and precisely without textual explanation.

(3) To facilitate comparison

  • The representation of data in rows and columns is helpful in simultaneous detailed comparison on the basis of several parameters.

(4) To facilitate statistical analysis

  • Tables serve as the best source of organised data for statistical analysis.
  • The task of computing average, dispersion, correlation, etc., becomes easier if data is presented in the form of a table.

(5) To save space

  • A table presents facts in a better way than the textual form.
  • It saves space without sacrificing the quality and quantity of data.

Also Read: What are Measures Of Dispersion?

Multiple Choice Questions:

Q.1- Tabulation makes the data
a. Simple
b. Complex
c. Very complex
d. None of the above
Q.2
a. To bring out essential features of the data
b. To facilitate statistical analysis
c. To save space
d. All of the above
Q.3 Tabular presentation of data saves space without compromising ________ of data?
a. Quality of data
b. Quantity of data
c. Both (a) and (b)
d. None of the above
Answer Key
1-a, 2-d, 3-c

Related Read: T.R. Jain and V.K. Ohri Solutions for Presentation of Data

The above-mentioned concept is for CBSE Class 11 Statistics for Economics – Meaning and Objective of Tabulation. For solutions and study materials for Class 11 Statistics for Economics, visit BYJU’S or download the app for the best learning experience.

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Exercise to Keep Healthy

1. Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do to combat stress.

It might seem contradictory, but putting physical stress on your body through exercise can relieve mental stress.

The benefits are strongest when you exercise regularly. People who exercise regularly are less likely to experience anxiety than those who don’t exercise .

There are a few reasons behind this:

  • Stress hormones: Exercise lowers your body’s stress hormones — such as cortisol — in the long run. It also helps release endorphins, which are chemicals that improve your mood and act as natural painkillers.
  • Sleep: Exercise can also improve your sleep quality,  which can be negatively affected by stress and anxiety.
  • Confidence: When you exercise regularly, you may feel more competent and confident in your body, which in turn promotes mental wellbeing.
  • Try to find an exercises routine or activity you enjoy, such as walking, dancing, rock climbing or yoga.

Activities — such as walking or jogging — that involve repetitive movements of large muscle groups can be particularly stress relieving.

Certain supplements can reduce stress and anxiety, including ashwagandha, omega-3 fatty acids, green tea and lemon balm.

3. Light a candle

Using essential oils or burning a scented candle may help reduce your feelings of stress and anxiety.

Some scents are especially soothing. Here are some of the most calming scents:

  • Lavender
  • Rose
  • Vetiver
  • Bergamot
  • Roman chamomile
  • Neroli
  • Frankincense
  • Sandalwood
  • Ylang ylang
  • Orange or orange blossom
  • Geranium

Using scents to treat your mood is called aromatherapy. Several studies show that aromatherapy can decrease anxiety and i

4. Reduce your caffeine intake

Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks. High doses can increase anxiety (10Trusted Source).

People have different thresholds for how much caffeine they can tolerate.

If you notice that caffeine makes you jittery or anxious, consider cutting back.

Although many studies show that coffee can be healthy in moderation, it’s not for everyone. In general, five or fewer cups per day is considered a moderate amount.

Stress and anxiety are common experiences for most people. In fact, 70% of adults in the United States say they feel stress or anxiety daily.

Here are 16 simple ways to relieve stress and anxiety.

walking the dog

1. Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do to combat stress.

It might seem contradictory, but putting physical stress on your body through exercise can relieve mental stress.

The benefits are strongest when you exercise regularly. People who exercise regularly are less likely to experience anxiety than those who don’t exercise (1).

There are a few reasons behind this:

  • Stress hormones: Exercise lowers your body’s stress hormones — such as cortisol — in the long run. It also helps release endorphins, which are chemicals that improve your mood and act as natural painkillers.
  • Sleep: Exercise can also improve your sleep quality, which can be negatively affected by stress and anxiety.
  • Confidence: When you exercise regularly, you may feel more competent and confident in your body, which in turn promotes mental wellbeing.
  • Try to find an exercise routine or activity you enjoy, such as walking, dancing, rock climbing or yoga.

Activities — such as walking or jogging — that involve repetitive movements of large muscle groups can be particularly stress relieving.

SUMMARY

Regular exercise can help lower stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins and improving your sleep and self-image.

2. Consider supplements

Several supplements promote stress and anxiety reduction. Here is a brief overview of some of the most common ones:

  • Lemon balm: Lemon balm is a member of the mint family that has been studied for its anti-anxiety effects (2Trusted Source).
  • Omega-3 fatty acids: One study showed that medical students who received omega-3 supplements experienced a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms (3Trusted Source).
  • Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha is an herb used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat stress and anxiety. Several studies suggest that it’s effective (4Trusted Source).
  • Green tea: Green tea contains many polyphenol antioxidants which provide health benefits. It may lower stress and anxiety by increasing serotonin levels (5Trusted Source).
  • Valerian: Valerian root is a popular sleep aid due to its tranquilizing effect. It contains valerenic acid, which alters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors to lower anxiety.
  • Kava kava: Kava kava is a psychoactive member of the pepper family. Long used as a sedative in the South Pacific, it is increasingly used in Europe and the US to treat mild stress and anxiety (6Trusted Source).

Some supplements can interact with medications or have side effects, so you may want to consult with a doctor if you have a medical condition.

4. Reduce your caffeine intake

Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks. High doses can increase anxiety (10Trusted Source).

People have different thresholds for how much caffeine they can tolerate.

If you notice that caffeine makes you jittery or anxious, consider cutting back.

Although many studies show that coffee can be healthy in moderation, it’s not for everyone. In general, five or fewer cups per day is considered a moderate amount.

SUMMARY

High quantities of caffeine can increase stress and anxiety. However, people’s sensitivity to caffeine can vary greatly.

5. Write it down

One way to handle stress is to write things down.

While recording what you’re stressed about is one approach, another is jotting down what you’re grateful for.

Gratitude may help relieve stress and anxiety by focusing your thoughts on what’s positive in your life.

6. Chew gum

For a super easy and quick stress reliever, try chewing a stick of gum.

One study showed that people who chewed gum had a greater sense of wellbeing and lower stress (11).

One possible explanation is that chewing gum causes brain waves similar to those of relaxed people. Another is that chewing gum promotes blood flow to your brain.

Additionally, one recent study found that stress relief was greatest when people chewed more strongly 

7. Spend time with friends and family

Social support from friends and family can help you get through stressful times.

Being part of a friend network gives you a sense of belonging and self-worth, which can help you in tough times.

One study found that for women in particular, spending time with friends and children helps release oxytocin, a natural stress reliever. This effect is called “tend and befriend,” and is the opposite of the fight-or-flight response (13Trusted Source).

Keep in mind that both men and women benefit from friendship.

Another study found that men and women with the fewest social connections were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety

Girl Child Protection

A recent news report revealed that not a single girl was born in 132 villages in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand in the previous three months. Census 2011 had indicated that the child sex ratio of girls to boys (0-6 years) had deteriorated to 919 girls per thousand boys from 927 girls per 1000 boys in 2001. The adverse sex ratio is the result of a patriarchal mindset due to which families do not want to give birth to a daughter and raise her to fulfil her potential. How can we convince people of the importance of the girl child in India? How can we make everybody celebrate daughters?
Girl Child Protection- the need for Beti Zindabad
The struggle of a girl child begins even before the day she is conceived. In India, female foeticide is a worrying practice, as cheap abortion technology allows households to exercise their preference for sons over daughters. She is ‘lucky’ if she is allowed to be born. Even after birth, the girl child faces discrimination and oppression. She is not provided with proper nutrition compared to her male siblings, her education is not given much importance and in many cases, parents prefer that their sons continue schooling, and want their daughters to stay at home and do household work. After marriage, the trials faced by women do not end as she continues to face oppression and even violence in her marital home.
We, at ActionAid Association, launched Beti Zindabad –a nation-wide campaign to tackle the adverse sex ratio. The campaign has grown since its inception and come to address a wide variety of issues of violence against women, the need to recognize and celebrate women’s place in the world of work, and efforts to ensure women’s access to the property, including housing and agricultural land.
Through all our interventions at ActionAid Association, we seek to reach out to the women in the communities we work with. We encourage them to take up positions of leadership in the family and the community. When we support the creation of collectives or community-based organisations in these communities or in our partner civil society we actively look for strong women community leaders and empower them to take up key positions in these groups. Our allies and partners are encouraged to take pride in their daughters and value the contributions of the women in their communities. This can be seen through programmes like the Beti Utsav where communities celebrate the birth of a girl child amongst them.
The Government is also concerned with declining child sex ratio and in 2015 it launched “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” Scheme, to create awareness on the need to protect the girl child and focus on their education. We at ActionAid have welcomed this scheme and wish to support the government’s initiatives through our interventions. We seek to work with communities to celebrate the girl child and ensure the protection of the girl child.
How can we save girl children in India?
A girl smiling

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution of India has said, “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.” A country that empowers women empowers every individual! We have to start with protecting the girl child, ensuring that her birth is greeted with joy and she receives all the care and love needed to grow to her full potential. As a woman, we need to work to ensure that she gets every opportunity to realise her potential. By celebrating, protecting and educating the girl child, we empower her. By empowering our daughters we empower their communities which means empowering the nation! We must start making significant steps in the following directions:
Spread awareness and change mindsets to ensure that communities and families welcome and celebrate daughters.
Education for all girl children.
Create a safe environment for all women and support women’s resistance to violence.
Mobilize society, private enterprise and the government to recognize and celebrate women in the world of work.
Recognize, redistribute and reduce care work.
Ensure decent work, fair and equal wages and a safe working environment for women.
Ensure that women have access to the property, including house and land.

What is Junk Food

What Is Junk Food?

Junk food is the best example of an unbalanced diet categorised by a huge proportion of simple carbs, refined sugar, salt, saturated fat and with very low nutritional value. These foods are processed to a great extent where they almost lose all of their vital nutrients, fibre and water content. Junk food may be quite convenient, readily available on the go, cheap whereas healthy food is best for maintaining weight, getting an adequate amount of essential nutrients and for keeping you in good state of health.

Junk Vs Healthy Food

Healthy food refers to a whole lot of fresh and natural products such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and good fats that deliver your body with essential nutrients for carrying out several bodily processes, combat sickness and keep diseases at bay. Some of the healthy foods include apples, greens, carrots, oatmeal, whole grain, beans and legumes, fish, eggs, avocado, milk and milk products and olive oil to mention a few.

While, junk food is a highly processed food that is made up of ‘empty’ calories foods loaded with full of saturated fat, sugar and devoid of nutrients which neither helps the body to nurture, focus and perform vital functions all through the day. It includes packaged food products like chips, cookies, cakes, pastry, candy soda, ice-cream and a list of fast food items on the restaurant menus like pizza, pasta, burgers and French fries.

Why Is Healthy Food Better Than Junk Food?

When you consume a diet that is packed with natural fresh produce, it facilitates to lower the risk of several chronic disorders like cancer, obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and many more. Furthermore, healthy foods are mostly low on calories and contain huge amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fibre that are well-known for promoting total well-being.

Advantages Of Healthy Foods

Healthy foods like fruits and veggies or whole grain cereals are a source of good dietary fibre. An adequate amount of fibre in the diet helps with delaying gastric emptying time, keep you satiated and prevent you from overeating. Fibre-rich foods also benefit to maintain the digestive system healthy and function effectively thereby lowering cholesterol and blood glucose level.

Lean meat, legumes and nuts packed with a complete source of protein in a balanced meal plan promotes growth and development, maintain muscle mass, repairs and build body tissues, promotes cell regeneration and proper functioning of the brain and nervous system.

Advantages Of Healthy Foods

Junk Food Vs Healthy Food: Advantages, Disadvantages And Healthier Food Choices

October 13, 2020

Many of us love greasy and sugary foods and for those used to eating junk food – cheese, deep-fried, sweetness loaded delicacies are an obsession of sorts.

Thanks to globalization, various junk foods belonging to global cuisine have crept into your daily diet plan in the last couple of decades leading to an increase in the rate of childhood obesity and the risk of developing chronic diseases like cancerdiabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc.

If you ask, which one is better from the taste point of view, the battle between healthy food and junk food never ends. Mindful eaters might argue that nutritional food items are tastier too but when it comes to choosing between the two, junk food always win the race.

But why? Well, agree or disagree cravings are irresistible and unhealthy eating habits are actually a norm. We can kill our mid-day hunger pangs with an apple or a fistful of nuts, but most of us end nibbling upon a pile of French fries or pizza and even guzzle down fizzy drinks. It in fact, has become a mammoth task for these days parents in convincing their children to pick fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, salads, soups over these unhealthy and calorie loaded recipes.

What Is Junk Food?

Junk food is the best example of an unbalanced diet categorised by a huge proportion of simple carbs, refined sugar, salt, saturated fat and with very low nutritional value. These foods are processed to a great extent where they almost lose all of their vital nutrients, fibre and water content. Junk food may be quite convenient, readily available on the go, cheap whereas healthy food is best for maintaining weight, getting an adequate amount of essential nutrients and for keeping you in good state of health.

Also Read: Craving For Junk Food? Try These Healthy Swaps Loaded With Nutrition – Infographic

Why do we enjoy junk food so much when we know that it is unhealthy for us? Read through this article to get a clear view on how junk food impacts your health and the merits of consuming nutritional food items.
Junk Vs Healthy Food

Junk Vs Healthy Food

Healthy food refers to a whole lot of fresh and natural products such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and good fats that deliver your body with essential nutrients for carrying out several bodily processes, combat sickness and keep diseases at bay. Some of the healthy foods include apples, greens, carrots, oatmeal, whole grain, beans and legumes, fish, eggs, avocado, milk and milk products and olive oil to mention a few.

While, junk food is a highly processed food that is made up of ‘empty’ calories foods loaded with full of saturated fat, sugar and devoid of nutrients which neither helps the body to nurture, focus and perform vital functions all through the day. It includes packaged food products like chips, cookies, cakes, pastry, candy soda, ice-cream and a list of fast food items on the restaurant menus like pizza, pasta, burgers and French fries.

Why Is Healthy Food Better Than Junk Food?

When you consume a diet that is packed with natural fresh produce, it facilitates to lower the risk of several chronic disorders like cancer, obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and many more. Furthermore, healthy foods are mostly low on calories and contain huge amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fibre that are well-known for promoting total well-being.

Advantages Of Healthy Foods

Healthy foods like fruits and veggies or whole grain cereals are a source of good dietary fibre. An adequate amount of fibre in the diet helps with delaying gastric emptying time, keep you satiated and prevent you from overeating. Fibre-rich foods also benefit to maintain the digestive system healthy and function effectively thereby lowering cholesterol and blood glucose level.

Also Read: 5 Healthy Food Choices To Start Your Day

Lean meat, legumes and nuts packed with a complete source of protein in a balanced meal plan promotes growth and development, maintain muscle mass, repairs and build body tissues, promotes cell regeneration and proper functioning of the brain and nervous system.
Advantages of eating healthy

Healthy foods are basically unprocessed, low on calories and do not miss out on vital nutrients. Consuming a wholesome meal comprising of whole-grain cereal, legume, low-fat dairy –paneer or curd, veggies and fruit meets your daily demands of nutrition.

Natural food produce is low on saturated fat, trans fat and calories which help you to manage weight.

Incorporating a rich array of healthful foods imbued with dense nutrient profile safeguard your heart, maintain lipid profile, control blood pressure and blood sugar levels, avert the risk of inflammation, boost metabolism, promote smooth digestion process, bolster immunity and keep diseases at bay.

Yes, healthy food not only provides you with needed essential nutrients but also delivers you with a spectrum of health incentives which hold a significant role in uplifting your overall physical, mental and emotional well-being.

The perks of healthy food and cons of junk food are quite clear, making mindful choices with your meals and snacks will let you to focus and concentrate well throughout the day. As the body’s needs are met by nutritionally loaded food choices it will keep you satiated and content. Moreover, this averts untimely snacking or binge eating.

When kids prefer healthy food it ensures them to be more productive and efficient with time and memorize things they have learned, rather than being sleepy and reading the same things over and over again.

High fibre foods release energy slowly, whereas sugar laden foods offer you a sudden burst of energy. You may be tempted to reach for that pack of chocolates around afternoons but choose an apple with peanut butter or banana or carrot sticks with yoghurt for conferring you with sustained energy needed to accomplish your day task.

Journey of the Flying Sikh

Overview and Early Life Milkha Singh, a legend in the history of Sports and Athletics was an Indian track and field sprinter born on 20th November, 1929. He was born in a Sikh family in Govindpura, a village 10 km from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab Province. He had 14 other siblings, eight of them died during the partition of India. Milkha was orphaned during the partition, when his parents were killed by a Muslim mobs in violence. He witnessed the killings. After seeing the deadly situation in Punjab, he decided to escape and came to Delhi, India in 1947 and lived with the family of his married sister for a short period of time. He was imprisoned in Tihar Jail for travelling in Train without ticket. His sister, Ishvar helped him in getting released. He spent his further some time at Refugee Camp , at Purana Quila and at a resettlement colony in Shahdara, both in Delhi. Milkha was discontented with his life and decided to become a dacoit, but was instead persuaded by his brother, Malkhan, to attempt to the recruitment to the Indian Army. He successfully gained entrance on his fourth attempt, in 1951, and while stationed at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secunderbad he was introduced to athletics. He had run the 10 km distance to and from school as a child and was selected by the army for special training in athletics after finishing sixth in a compulsory cross-country run for new recruits. Singh has acknowledged how the army introduced him to sport, saying that “I came from a remote village, I didn’t know what running was, or the Olympics”. International Career He was introduced to athletics and sports when he was recruited in Indian Army, at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secundarbad. He represented India in the 200 and 400 m competitions held in Olympics at Melbourne in 1956. In 1958, Singh set records for the 200m and 400m in the National Games of India, held at Cuttack, and also won gold medals in the same events at the Asian Games. He then won a gold medal in the 400m 2 / 3 (440 yards at this time) competition at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games with a time of 46.6 seconds. This latter achievement made him the first gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games from independent India. Before Vikas Gowda won the gold in 2014, Milkha was the only Indian male to have won an individual athletics gold medal at those Games. Jawaharlal Nehru tried to convince Milkha Singh to set aside his memories of his past during the Partition era, to focus on the to race successfully in 1960 against Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, where a post-race comment by the then General Ayub Khan led to him acquiring the nickname of The Flying Sikh. At the 1962 Asian Games, held in Jakarta, Singh won gold in the 400m and in the 4 x 400m relay. He attended the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where he was entered to compete in the 400m, the 4 x 100m relay and the 4 x 400m relay. He did not take part in either the 400m or the 4 x 100m relay and the Indian team of Milkha Singh, Makhan Singh, Amrit Pal and Ajmer Singh were eliminated when they finished fourth in the heat stages of the 4 x 400m. There have been claims that Singh won 77 of his 80 races, but these are spurious. The number of races in which he participated is not verified, nor is the number of victories, but he lost a 400m race at the 1964 National Games in Calcutta to Makhan Singh and he did not finish first in any of his four races at the 1960 Olympic Games or the aforementioned qualification races at the 1956 Olympics. Singh’s time in the 1960 Olympics 400m final, which was run on a cinder track, set a national record that stood until 1998 when Paramjit Singh exceeded it on a synthetic track and with fully automatic timing that recorded 45.70 seconds. Although Singh’s Olympic result of 45.6 seconds had been hand-timed, an electronic system at those Games had determined his record to be 45.73. Later Life Milkha was promoted from the rank of sepoy to junior commissioned officer in recognition of his successes in the 1958 Asian Games. He 3 / 3 subsequently became Director of Sports in Punjab Ministry of Education, a post he retired from in 1998. Milkha was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, following his success in 1958. In 2001, he turned down an offer of the Arjuna Award from the Indian government, arguing that it was intended to recognize young sports people and not those such as him. He also thought that the Award was being inappropriately given to people who had little notable involvement as active sports people at all. He said that “I have been clubbed with sportspersons who are nowhere near the level that I had achieved” and that the award had become devalued. While sharing his wealth of experience in a college in Goa on 25 August 2014, he also said, “The awards nowadays are distributed like ‘prasad’ in a temple. Why should one be honored when he or she has not achieved the benchmark for the award? I rejected the Arjuna I was offered after I received the Padma Shri. It was like being offered an SSC [secondary school] certificate after securing a Masters degree.” All of Singh’s medals have been donated to the nation. They were displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and later moved to a sports museum in Patiala, where a pair of running shoes that he wore in Rome are also displayed. In 2012, he donated the Adidas shoes that he had worn in the 1960 400m final to be sold in a charity auction organized by actor Rahul Bose. Milkha was admitted to the intensive care unit at Fortis Hospital in Mohali on 24 May 2021 with pneumonia caused by COVID-19. His condition was, for a while, described as stable, but he died on 18 June 2021 at 11:30 PM IST. His wife, Nirmal Kaur, had died a few days earlier on 13 June 2021, also due to COVID-19.

Habit 4 Think Win-WinBook by Stephen Covey.

Most of us learn to base our self worth on comparison and competition . We think about succeeding in terms of someone else failing . Here, Balancing between both courage and consideration is required .when it comes to interpersonal leadership the more genuine character is the higher our level of proactivity, the more committed we are to win ,the more powerful influence will be.

In order to establish effective interdependent relationship we must commit to create in Win-Win situation that are mutually beneficial and satisfying to each party .

So one time Stephen was asked to work with a company whose president was very concerned about the lack of cooperation among his people . Stephen was told the basic problem of the company that the people are not cooperative .if this problem is solved, they would definitely be able to produce so much more . Stephen was said to help them to develop a human relations program that will solve this problem . When Stephen looked deeply into this, he found that there was real selfishness and unwillingness to cooperate, a resistant to Authority ,defensive communication .when he look into it ,he found out the reason behind This behaviour of the managers, is it because of the reward which is somewhere for not cooperating or well known that the reward are much more greater for the people who cooperate .

Covey noticed a chart on the wall of the office behind a curtain , were a numbers of racehorses all lined up on a track, super imposed on the face of each horse was the face of one of his managers ,at the end of the track was a beautiful travel poster of Bermuda , once in a week the president use to show them this chart and discuss about cooperation ,about working together and to make more money by their efforts and will asking about the one who is going to win the trip to Bermuda. It was like telling one flower to grow and watering another. he wanted cooperation , he wanted his people to work together to share idea to all benefit from the effort ,but he was setting them up in a competition with each other .One manager’s success means failure for the other managers.

The problem in this company was the result of a flawed paradigm .The president was trying to get the fruits of the cooperation from a paradigm of competition and when it didn’t work he wanted a technique , a program ,a quick fix antidote to make his people cooperate. But you can’t change the fruit without changing the root working on the attitude and behaviour would have been hacking at the leaves so we focused instead on producing personal and organisational excellence in an entirely different way by developing information and reward system with reinforced the value of cooperation.

Whether you are the president of a company or the janitor , the moment you step from Independence to interdependence in any capacity, you step into a leadership role you were in a position of influencing other people and the habit of the effective interpersonal leadership is think Win-Win.

This habit is about working in collaboration with others and not competitively it’s about getting the most out of every relationship you have ,it is where two people form a group because the value gained from sharing ideas thinking collaboratively and finding the winner is so significant developing this habit in was consistently thinking of others ,considering their values and ensuring their thoughts and feelings are at the forefront of your mind. In doing this you can ensure that your behaviour is appropriate given the time in situation and you can work with that person without any healthy conflict or upset but it’s not just about being emphatic it require confidence courage and openness as well.

Stephen covey states that in order to manage our relationship with others effectively we need think win /win . beyond being a technique it is a philosophy .

According to the author there are six Paradigms of human interaction:

1.win / win : all of the parties win agreements and solution are mutually beneficial to everyone involved . With a win/win solution , all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan . It sees life as a cooperative , not a competitive arena .

2. win / lose : if I win ,you lose,” win lose people tend to use their power positions and authority to get their way . One alternative to win/win is win/lose, the paradigm of the race to Bermuda . Most people have been deeply scripted in win/lose mentally since birth . There is a place for win/lose thinking truly competitive and low trust situation . But most of our life is not a competition, most of life is an interdependent , reality .most result depend on cooperation between people . And the win/lose mentality is dysfunction to that cooperation .

3. Lose /win : the other way around – “I loose ,you win “. This is the paradigm of people pleasing . Lose – win people seek popularity and validation . Lose/win is worse than win/lose because it has no standards , no demand , no expectation, no vision . People who think lose/win are usually quick to please or appease. Both win/lose and lose /win are weak position , based in personal insecurities.

4. Lose/ lose : both people lose, this happens when two win-lose people get together both of whom as stubborn and ego invested if the philosophy of conflict and war. Lose/lose is also the philosophy of the highly dependent person without inner direction who is miserable and thinks everyone should be too “ if nobody ever wins , perhaps being a loser isn’t bad.”

5. Win / simply think win : people with the wind mentality don’t necessarily want others to lose its is relevant they just want to get what they want. When there is no sense of contest or competition . Win is probably the most common approach in everyday negotiation .

6. Win /win or no deal: if you can’t reach a mutually beneficial agreement then there is no deal. .According to convey , ideal paradigm is to always think Win-Win in any and all situation .As it helps to create better relationship and build character.But many times “it depend” .if you win a football game , that means the other team loses .If you work in a regional office that is miles away from another regional office , and you don’t have a functional relationship between the offices , you may want to complete in a Win/lose situation to stimulate business. However ,you would not want to set up a win /lose situation like the “race to Bermuda” contest within a company or in a situation where you need cooperation among people or groups of people to achieve maximum success . If you value a relationship and the issue isn’t that really important , you may want to go for lose/win in some circumstances to genuinely affirm the other person. Than even you might go for lose/win if you feel the expenses of time and effort to achieve a win of any kind would violate other higher values. Maybe it isn’t worth it .

To best choice , than depends on reality. The challenge is to read the reality accurately and not to translate win/lose or other scripting into any situation .

Five dimensions of win win

1. Character

Covay identifies three traits that he considered essential to win win paradigm

1. Integrity

There’s no way to go for win win in our own lives if we don’t even know in a deep sense what constitutes a win, what is in fact harmonious with our innermost values .and if we can’t make and keep commitments to ourselves as well as others, our commitment become meaningless.

2. Maturity

Maturity Is the balance between courage and consideration. if I am high on courage and low on consideration, how will I think win/ lose .if I am high and consideration and low on courage, I will think lose /win the basic task of leadership is to increase the standard of living and the quality of life for all stakeholders.

3. Abundance

The abundance mentality ,is the flow out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security . It is a paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. it result in sharing prestige, or recognition of profit,of decision making.

2. Relationship

Without trust the best we can do is compromise ; without trust ,we lack the credibility for open, mutual learning and communication and real creativity. This especially true when dealing with someone who has a win /loss paradigm. We have to plan a communicate more and do so with genuine courtesy, respect, and appreciation for that person .even when the point of view clashes with our own .it is also important to listen with great depth not just to hear the word but to really understand the root of other person worldview .

3. Agreement

Covey provides five element for creating win /win agreement.

• Desired result – identify what is to be done and when.

• Guidelines – specify the parameters within which results are to be accomplished.

• Resources – identify the human, financial, technical ,or organizational support available to help accomplish the results .

• Accountability- set up the standard of performance and the time of evaluation.

• Consequences- specify good and bad ,natural and logical what does and will happen as a result of the evaluation

4. System

If you want to achieve the goals and reflect the values in your mission statement ,then you need to align the reward system with these goals and values .It does not matter whether dealing with a business, community, family etc .If cooperation is the goal, the reward system must line up accordingly.

5. Processes

By processes , covey appears to mean , to solve the problem . There is a four step process covey suggest :

• See the problem from the other point of view. Really seek to understand and to give expression to the needs and concern of the other party as well as or better than they can themselves.

• Identify the key issue and concern(not position ) involved.

• Determine what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution.

• Identify possible knew options to achieve those result .

Thank you

Climate Change

In the atmosphere, because ecosystems play a key role in the global carbon cycle and in adapting to climate change, while also providing a wide range of ecosystem services that are essential for human well-being and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Biodiversity can support efforts to reduce the negative effects of climate change. Conserved or restored habitats can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thus helping to address climate change by storing carbon (for example, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation). Moreover, conserving in-tact ecosystems, such as mangroves, for example, can help reduce the disastrous impacts of climate change such as flooding and storm surges. Ecosystem-based Adaptation Ecosystem-based adaptation, which integrates the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into an overall adaptation strategy, can be cost-effective and generate social, economic and cultural co-benefits and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. Conservation and management strategies that maintain and restore biodiversity can be expected to reduce some of the negative impacts from climate change; however, there are rates and magnitude of climate change for which natural adaptation will become increasingly difficult. Options to increase the adaptive capacity of species and ecosystems in the face of accelerating climate change include: Reducing non-climatic stresses, such as pollution, over-exploitation, habitat loss and fragmentation and invasive alien species. Wider adoption of conservation and sustainable use practices including through the strengthening of protected area networks. Facilitating adaptive management through strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems. Ecosystem-based adaptation uses biodiversity and ecosystem services in an overall adaptation strategy. It includes the sustainable management, conservation and restoration of ecosystems to provide services that help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Examples of ecosystem-based adaptation activities include: Coastal defence through the maintenance and/or restoration of mangroves and other coastal wetlands to reduce coastal flooding and coastal erosion. Sustainable management of upland wetlands and floodplains for maintenance of water flow and quality. Conservation and restoration of forests to stabilize land slopes and regulate water flows. Establishment of diverse agrofo

Power of life and death in the tongue

Two frogs:A group of frogs was traveling through the woods and two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that they were as good as dead. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump up out of the pit with all their might. The other frogs kept telling them to stop, that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs said, “Did you not hear us?” The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time.

Moral: There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day. So be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path. The power of words… it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way.

General Science

General science or Science in general is a systematic enterprise, which builds and organizes information and knowledge in the form of verifiable explanations and predictions about the world in general. This body of knowledge is well researched and documented with sufficient evidence. Though, science is usually categorized into: physical, chemical, medical, and life sciences, all these broad areas of science are directly or indirectly linked to natural sciences, as all of them discuss the various natural phenomena of this planet and the universe as a whole. While physical sciences encompass a vast variety of disciplines including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and related subjects, life sciences talks at length about microorganisms (prokaryotic and eukaryotic), plants, animals, and marine life on the earth. Industrialization and associated advancements in the science and technology, have resulted in immense growth in all fields of science including, medicine, engineering, and communication.

Political Science and International Relations

Political Science and International Relations are complementary and inter-related disciplines that explore power and politics in many different contexts. They provide concepts with which to explain, justify and critique the modern world. They examine ideologies such as colonisation and socialism. They explore systems of ideas like the new right, religious fundamentalism, and postmodernism. They analyse social movements that call for justice, development, gender equality or environmental protection. They help us to understand processes of electoral competition, government, and policy- making in New Zealand and a range of other countries across the world. They uncover the structures and motivations behind cooperation, conflict and war in the international system. They dig into issues of power, conflict, diplomacy, arms control, democracy, revolution, terrorism, developmental politics, civil society, human rights, foreign policy, humanitarian aid, and the international political economy.

Globalisation links people, cultures and countries much more closely than they have ever been. International Relations studies the relationships among countries and the roles of governmental and non-governmental organisations and multi-nationals. In an increasingly inter-connected world, people who understand and can work with these complex relationships have a significant advantage.

WHY STUDY POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS?

Studying these disciplines brings many benefits. There is the personal satisfaction and social confidence that comes from training your brain and raising your understanding of not only world events but also the events of daily life. Being able to step back and see a larger (political) process at work is very empowering at an individual level. It can take the sting out of tense or emotional situations and provide you with strategies that enable you to behave constructively and proactively. Being able to rise above difficulties and move on is enormously valuable in any work environment, particularly when professional issues or competing interests are involved.

Political Science and International Relations are embedded not only in social processes and group dynamics, but also different cultural realities. This raises your sensitivity to the taken-for-granted aspects of cultural experience, making you more open to different points of view and value systems. The ability to move comfortably within and between different cultures and political systems is fundamental to international business and trade activities, development support, humanitarian aid and peacekeeping missions. People with this kind of understanding are more likely to be successful in multi-national corporations and professional practices, non-government organisations (NGOs) such as aid agencies, and government agencies including diplomatic services and defence forces. They are also valuable ‘at home’ working in organisations where cultural or ethnic identity has a relationship with other social or political processes.

Both Political Science and International Relations are linked to the media and public perceptions and these connections are studied specifically. Those able to work with spin, impression management and damage control techniques, either for the purpose of debunking them or doing them convincingly, are also dealing with deeper issues of truth, accuracy and the right to know. These issues underpin many political, social and educational institutions, business enterprises and systems of justice, particularly where public accountability is a requirement.

Public administration

Public administration, the implementation of government policies. Today public administration is often regarded as including also some responsibility for determining the policies and programs of governments. Specifically, it is the planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling of government operations.

 Consumer preferences towards online food products

1 .     Abstract :

Food is one of the most common products for human beings. It is a basic source of survival. Today where people are at home or office or maybe at the spot of exchange, online food is one of the best and most productive ways for ordering as well as to satiate the hunger.

. Shopping for food online is a different thing from shopping for other things. Despite most of the population who, are dependent on online food services, many people Or consumers are still concern about the food safety of online food products.

Even where the internet has directly given a positive impact on consumers to get a better amount of satisfaction towards its easy access. However, even today, many factors are affecting the consumer Behaviour towards it,  that involve, the prices,  the accessibility, the preferences of the individual.

In this running world, online shopping is the only thing that is preferred with a believe of getting most out of whatever people need .

But whenever the term arises for shopping or ordering  food products online their attitude lead  to  An arena  in terms of their psychological state in terms of making purchases on internet .

Well , its all depend upon , identifying the problem of deciding to make purchases which are always based on there ever – evolving expectations and need .

Online

Online food products

Online shopping

3.        Introduction :

With an advancement of internet, the extension of the online food services has been boosted enabling people to search , compare prices and access to these  services conveniently .When compared to physical presence the consumers are more satisfied towards the services provided by online food delivery service and with its products .

In today’s words , the industry are providing a services leading to its 70%  in gross domestic product .Nowadays , many online food portal provide the better usage of facilities provided by the restaurant .

Many people , just from the start of the child to an working professional is accustomed to ordering the food for breakfast , lunch , dinner which is rapidly increasing in the metropolitan cities in the country .

One of the reason was for the maximum convenience and transparency .To get through to consumer needs , the person involve in the  online food servicing business constrain up with providing with increase facilities and services to them . With an updated knowledge of ones expectations will enable the firm to retain the customers to the greater extent .

The process of delivering a food from a restaurant with the help of cooperative web page created involves in  online food ordering , as it takes place .Payment of which is made with either the credit cards and with the  availability of cash on delivery. So basically, it’s a platform to reach a customer with their right  preferences and their needs .

So , with a growing online, platform to ordered the  food products is increasing with the fast pace . Due to the development in the cities and urbanization . Especially with the continuous arrival of professionals the  online food products, service segment is now thriving at a Sizzling  pace , some of the online food services includes food panda , Zomato , swiggy , just eat etc .

Even the customers , attraction towards the advertisement squeeze their time making them attracted towards it leading to of the factors for increasing sales and buying preferences . Even the most convenient method opted for their attraction was cash on delivery . It get easily delivered  their home and  with an easily assess to it putting a Breakout time free zone , buy just  a top of their  Smartphone which get  them food home .

The recent creativeness offer online food servicing accent kept them fascinating  towards it , Which involves :

  • Facebook ordering
  • Mobile ordering
  • Online coupons
  • One and only smartphones .

4.     Following questions are asked while doing research :

1. Why people are more prone to buy online food products?

2. What factors are affecting customers to purchase or order food online?

3. Why are people so attracted towards buying online food products ?

4. How often customer go ahead to order online food products?

5.OBJECTIVES :-

1.  changing attitude of customers from buying food from restaurants to buying

food online .

2. To study which segment is prone towards buying online food products.

3. To know the reason for preference towards online buying of food.

4. To analyse the level of satisfaction towards the consumption or purchase of online food.

Questionnaire

1.Name (optional)

2. Gender :- Male, Female, Other

3. Age group :- 0-10 , 10-20 , 20-above

4. Occupation :- Student , Professional, Other.

5. Education :- Schooling, Graduation, Post graduation, Other.

6. How often do you order online food products :- Regularly, Sometimes, Never.

7. Why you prefer buying online food products? :- Price, Taste, Easily accessible.

8. Do you think buying of food online is an effective substitute? :- Yes, No

9. Are you aware of various online portals that provides the platform to purchase food

online? :- Yes, No

10. If not why don’t you prefer buying food online? :- Quality issues, price, taste, Other ___

11. Which online method do you prefer :- Facebook ordering, Smartphone ordering, Digital Menu Board, Other ____

12. Which online portal do you prefer :- Zomato, Swiggy, Just eat , Other ____

8.  OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS :–

  • Maximum of the respondents are in our survey is students who are pursuing graduation .
  • Most of the respondents are from 10- 20 years of age.
  • Maximum of the respondents are aware about online food products and their services.
  • Most of the respondents prefer online food products.
  • Maximum of the respondents are choosing to buy online food products and services for quality.
  • Most of the respondents said that the online food products are meeting their expectations.

9 .  Conclusion :

When compared to physical presence the respondents are satisfied with buying online food products .Main reason for the purchase of food products online comes here as to sometime , and with convenient access to it. Both male and female have the same type of behaviour towards liking and purchasing physically . Many of them are students pursuing graduation .Many buyers are attracted towards the advertisement and fascinated towards a delivery faculty at home or the work place. Where main reason for dislike of the food products goes is, the inability to touch and feel the product utmost.

 Well all after the other ,a good way of network mainly in this pace of running life. It takes consumer ,all their psychological thinking with a better expectations. Last but not the least is about the new online portals and credit cards give them a one tap access to whatever they are in need. So, it’s a medium of far more accessible than on wandering for it physically providing them comfort zones.

Thank you .

Internet Slangs

Internet Slangs With the increase of use of social media and chatting apps, there also has been an increase in the usage of slangs in the conversations. Internet slangs are basically the unofficial forms of language used among peers or in informal conversations. Since, these slangs are constantly being updated, here are some widely used internet slangs:

• AMA- Ask Me Anything

• ASAP- As Soon As Possible

• ATM- At The Moment

• BRB- Be Right Back

• BBL- Be Back Later

• BFF- Best Friends Forever

• BTW- By The Way

• DM- Direct Message

• DND- Do Not Disturb

• ETA- Estimated Time of Arrival

• FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions

• FIFY- Fixed It For You

• FOMO- Fear Of Missing Out

• FWB- Friends With Benefits

• FWIW – For What It’s Worth

• FYI- For Your Information

• GTG- Got To Go

• HTH- Hope This Helps

• IC- I See

• IDK- I Don’t Know

• IDC- I Don’t Care

• IKR- I Know Right

• IMO- In My Opinion

• IRL – In Real Life

• JAM- Just A Minute

• JFY- Just For You

• LMK- Let Me Know

• LOL- Laugh Out Loud

• MYOB- Mind Your Own Business

• N/A- Not Available

• noob- Newbie

• NP- No Problem

• NVM- Never Mind

• OMG- Oh My God

• OMW- On My Way

• PC-Personal Computer

• Pls-please

• RBTL-Read Between The Lines

• ROFL- Rolling On Floor Laughing

• TBA- To Be Announced

• TBC-To Be Continued

• TC- Take Care

• TIA-Thanks In Advance

• TMI- Too Much Information

• TTYL- Talk To You Later

• TY-Thank You

• WBU- What About You

• w/o- without

• WDYM- What Do You Mean

• XOXO-hugs and kisses

• YOLO- You Live Only Once

AVOIDING JUNK FOOD AND EATING HEALTHY

Health is wealth: this is an adage that is forever true. We are living in an age where everyone lives life in the fast lane. People want to get everything done quickly and on the go. Unfortunately, this attitude is also being applied to our eating habits, which has given rise to fast foods, aka. junk foods.

Of course, junk foods are extremely tasty and offer you a palatable taste and quickly satiate your hunger. They are easily available and have the ability to suit a wide variety of taste buds. But, taste is not everything, and researchers have pointed out that a diet consisting primarily of junk food can lead to many health problems.

Avoiding junk food once you’re used to it can be very difficult, but certainly not impossible. There are many healthy alternatives to junk food that can satisfy your palate as well as provide the essential nutrients that are required for the smooth functioning of the body and mind.

Adopting a diet that is free of junk food brings about many benefits such as weight loss, stronger bones, better digestion, sharper memory and a healthy heart. So, ditch that urge for fast food and hop on to the healthy-eating bandwagon.

What Is Junk Food?

Junk food is the best example of an unbalanced diet categorised by a huge proportion of simple carbs, refined sugar, salt, saturated fat and with very low nutritional value. These foods are processed to a great extent where they almost lose all of their vital nutrients, fibre and water content. Junk food may be quite convenient, readily available on the go, cheap whereas healthy food is best for maintaining weight, getting an adequate amount of essential nutrients and for keeping you in good state of health.


0Why Is Healthy Food Better Than Junk Food?

Junk Food Vs Healthy Food: Advantages, Disadvantages And Healthier Food Choices

October 13, 2020

Many of us love greasy and sugary foods and for those used to eating junk food – cheese, deep-fried, sweetness loaded delicacies are an obsession of sorts.

Thanks to globalization, various junk foods belonging to global cuisine have crept into your daily diet plan in the last couple of decades leading to an increase in the rate of childhood obesity and the risk of developing chronic diseases like cancerdiabetes, cardiovascular diseases etc.

If you ask, which one is better from the taste point of view, the battle between healthy food and junk food never ends. Mindful eaters might argue that nutritional food items are tastier too but when it comes to choosing between the two, junk food always win the race.

But why? Well, agree or disagree cravings are irresistible and unhealthy eating habits are actually a norm. We can kill our mid-day hunger pangs with an apple or a fistful of nuts, but most of us end nibbling upon a pile of French fries or pizza and even guzzle down fizzy drinks. It in fact, has become a mammoth task for these days parents in convincing their children to pick fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, salads, soups over these unhealthy and calorie loaded recipes.

What Is Junk Food?

Junk food is the best example of an unbalanced diet categorised by a huge proportion of simple carbs, refined sugar, salt, saturated fat and with very low nutritional value. These foods are processed to a great extent where they almost lose all of their vital nutrients, fibre and water content. Junk food may be quite convenient, readily available on the go, cheap whereas healthy food is best for maintaining weight, getting an adequate amount of essential nutrients and for keeping you in good state of health.

Also Read: Craving For Junk Food? Try These Healthy Swaps Loaded With Nutrition – Infographic

Why do we enjoy junk food so much when we know that it is unhealthy for us? Read through this article to get a clear view on how junk food impacts your health and the merits of consuming nutritional food items.
Junk Vs Healthy Food

Junk Vs Healthy Food

Healthy food refers to a whole lot of fresh and natural products such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and good fats that deliver your body with essential nutrients for carrying out several bodily processes, combat sickness and keep diseases at bay. Some of the healthy foods include apples, greens, carrots, oatmeal, whole grain, beans and legumes, fish, eggs, avocado, milk and milk products and olive oil to mention a few.

While, junk food is a highly processed food that is made up of ‘empty’ calories foods loaded with full of saturated fat, sugar and devoid of nutrients which neither helps the body to nurture, focus and perform vital functions all through the day. It includes packaged food products like chips, cookies, cakes, pastry, candy soda, ice-cream and a list of fast food items on the restaurant menus like pizza, pasta, burgers and French fries.

Why Is Healthy Food Better Than Junk Food?

When you consume a diet that is packed with natural fresh produce, it facilitates to lower the risk of several chronic disorders like cancer, obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes and many more. Furthermore, healthy foods are mostly low on calories and contain huge amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fibre that are well-known for promoting total well-being.

Advantages Of Healthy Foods

Healthy foods like fruits and veggies or whole grain cereals are a source of good dietary fibre. An adequate amount of fibre in the diet helps with delaying gastric emptying time, keep you satiated and prevent you from overeating. Fibre-rich foods also benefit to maintain the digestive system healthy and function effectively thereby lowering cholesterol and blood glucose level.

INDIAN AGRICULTURE

Agriculture is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to live in cities.

There are some basic agricultural practices for crop production -:

  • Soil preparation
  • Sowing
  • Adding manure & fertilizer
  • Irrigation
  • Weeding
  • Crop protection
  • Harvesting
  • Storage
  • Soil preparation

Soil is prepared before sowing the seeds. The soil is loosened to increase the absorption of water and manures. Loosening of soil particles adds humus and nutrients in the soil that increases crop yields. Tilling or loosening the soil is done by ploughs which are pulled by a pair of bulls.

  • Tools used

    Hoe, cultivator , plough

  • Sowing –

Sowing is a process of planting seeds into the soil. … All these precautions are essential for seed germination – the process of seeds developing into new plants.

The Characteristics of Metaphysical Poetry

Metaphysical poetry is a group of poems that share common characteristics; they are all highly intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradox, and contain extremely complicated thought. The most common characteristic is that metaphysical poetry contained large doses of wit. Although the poets were examining serious questions about the existence of god or whether a human could perceive the world, the poets were sure to ponder those questions with humor. In addition, many of the poems explored the theme or carpe diem(seize the day) and investigated the humanity of life.

Delight in novel thought and expression The metaphysical poet deligthed in novel thoughts and expression. As Scott said, they played with thoughts. There is a fusion of passionate feelings and thought in their poems. Instead of the Elizabethan splendor of sound and imagery, the metaphysical employed subtlety of thought and verbal fancies.

conceit Metaphysical poetry uses conceit. A conceit is a far-fetched simile, an ingenious parallel between two highly dissimilar things. It is the ingenuity of a conceit rather than its justness that invites the reader’s attention. A metaphysical conceit is used to prove or define a point. In ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’, Donne compares two lovers to the two legs of a compass. In ‘The Ecstay’ he compares the eye beams of the lovers to a twisted thread that connects the lover’s eyes. This is exemplified in Cowley’s comparison of the experience of loving different women with traveling through different countries.

Concentration Metaphysical poetry is noted for its concentration. The reader is not allowed to pause and muse over the poem; he is required to pay attention and read on. A metaphysical poem tends to be brief. Words and thoughts are compressed. Length of line and rhyme scheme enforces the sense. Hence the reader is expected to concentrate.

Affectation, Hyperbole and Obscurity Metaphysical poetry is characterised by affectation and hyperbole, and occasional obscurity. The metaphysical poets had the license to say something unexpected and surprising. Their fancy and amplifications have no limit. In the task of finding verbal equivalents for their thoughts and feelings, the metaphysical poets often become obscure. As Dr. Johnson said, dissimilar ideas are yoked by violence together leading to obscurity. In Donne’s A Valediction of Weeping’, the use of geographical conceits makes it a little difficult to understand.

A Valediction of Weeping by John Donne

Argument and persuasion Argument and persuasion are two of the elements of a metaphysical poem. Every poem two is based on the memory of the experience. A need to argue arises out of it. The argument is done with help of conceit and dramatic presentation of thought and feelings.

The Scholarship of author Metaphysical poetry shows the scholarship of its authors. As Dr. Johnson pointed out they drew their similes and conceit from the recesses of learning unfamiliar to an average reader. The poems of Donne, Marvell, and Cowley especially show their vast learning in philosophy, literature, science, astronomy, and geography.

Love Metaphysical poetry includes the most impassioned love poetry in English. Donne’s poems like ‘The Anniversarie’, ‘The Good Morrow’, ‘The Canonisation’ and ‘The Extasie’ are love poems that raise the great metaphysical question of the relation of the spirit to the senses. Similarly is Marvell’s ‘To His Coy Mistress’. Some of the finest religious poems in English are also metaphysical poems. The poems of Herbert, Vaughan, and Marvell are examples.

The Good Marrow

https://track2training.org/2022/01/12/the-metaphysical-school-of-poetry/

FREEDOM OF PRESS

Why freedom of press is important? A fundamental need for a democratic society is free press. Freedom of speech is a universal human right. Without fundamental right India would just be another one of the countries like Syria, North Korea and cretain African countries, where there is still dictatorship and one party rule. Jawaharlal Nehru said “I would rather have a completely free press, with all dangers involved in the wrong use of that freedom,than the suppressed or regulated press.” In union of India vs association for democratic reforms the supreme court observed that freedom of speech and expression includes right to impart and receive information which includes freedom to hold opinion. Freedom of press has three essesntial elements.
              1. Freedom of access to all sources information
              2. Freedom of publication
              3. Freedom of circulation.
    The constitution of India gives us the ability to express what we want to say. This is called freddom of speech and expression.But it doesn’t really mean that what we can say or do whatever we want.Freedom of press is not specifically mentioned in article 19(1)(a). However it was made clear by the drafting committee that the press and an individual or a citizen were the same as far as their expression was concerned. In fact the constitution of India enforces a few terms and conditions that come along with this called “reasonable retrictions” This is expressed in article(19)(2) which lists eight restrictions that limits this freedom.
1. SECURITY OF THE STATE
          Speeches which insite or encourage the commission of violent crimes comes under threat to the security of state. Eg: for rebellion, war against the state, breaches of pubic safety etc
2. FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH FOREIGN STATE
           To prohibit unrestrained malicious propaganda against a friendly state which could jeopardize the good relations between the two states.
3. PUBLIC ORDER
             Implies absence of violence and an orderly state of affairs in which citizens can peacefully pursue their normal avocation of life. Thus creating internal disorder or rebellion would affect public order. Law punishing utterences made with the deliberate intention to hurt the relegious feelings of any class of person is valid because it imposes a restriction on the right of free speech in the interest of public order. Since such kind of speech or writing has the tendency to create public disorder
4. DECENCY OR MORALITY
           Sections 292 and 294 of Indian penal code provides instances of restrictions on the freedom of speech amd expression in the interest of decency or morality. These sections prohibit the sale or distribution or exhibition of obscene words etc in public places.
5. CONTEMPT OF COURT
            Restriction on the freedom of speech and expression can be imposed if it exceeds the reasonable and fair limit and amounts to contempt of court.
6. DEFAMATION
           A statement which injures a man’s reputation, amounts to defamation. Defamation consists in exposing a man to hatred, ridicule or contempt.
7. INCITEMENT TO AN OFFENCE
            Freedom of speeech and expression cannot confer a right to incite people to commit offences.
8. SOVEREIGNTY AND INTEGRITY OF STATE
             The main purpose is to guard the freedom of speech and expression from being used to assail the sovereignty and integrity of the state.
            
           A free press has a huge responsibility of reporting the truth and shaping people’s opinions. Responsible Journalism must be practiced to stop people from spreading hate and maintaining the harmony of a country.

DRUG-ADDICTION: CAUSES AND REMEDIES

What is Drug Addiction?

Drug addiction is a complex neurobiological disorder, which affects a person’s brain and behaviour in a way that they lose the ability to resist the urge to use drugs. It isn’t just about illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. You can get addicted to substances like medication drugs, alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and other legal drugs as well. Drug dependence usually starts with an experiment. Initially, you take drugs because you like the way it feels. You think it’s a one-time experience and you can handle it. Also, many people start using drugs as self-medication or to cope with stress. But repeated misuse of drugs physically changes how your brain works. It makes you lose self-control and messes with your ability to avoid the desire to take drugs. These changes in the brain can be long-lasting. People who are in recovery from drug abuse are likely to return to drug use even after years of being in recovery from drug addiction. This is called drug relapse.

Effects of Drug Addiction

Drugs are chemicals which affect the brain and body. Different drugs have different compounds and affect the human body differently. Effects of drug abuse also depend on the way you consume it. There are few ways a drug can be consumed, like injection, inhalation and ingestion.

If the drug is injected into the bloodstream, it works almost instantaneously. But when ingested, it takes time for the drug to get into the bloodstream. According to the WHO, around 31 million people worldwide have drug abuse disorder, and among them, 11 million consume drugs by injecting it.

Effect of Drug Addiction on the Brain

Here are some effects of drug addiction in your brain:

  • Altered brain functions
  • Loss of rational decision-making
  • Loss of self-control
  • Drug viewed as necessary to survival
  • Inability to feel pleasure without drugs

Effect of Drug Addiction on the Body

Here are some common effects of drug misuse on the human body:

  • Drug abuse damages the immune system and makes you vulnerable to infections.
  • It causes heart conditions, including abnormal heart rates, heart attacks and the collapse of veins.
  • Drugs cause nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting.
  • Some drugs increase the risk of liver failure due to the excessive strain on the liver.
  • Misuse of drug abuse causes permanent brain damage, including memory loss, and problems with decision-making and focus.

Social Effects

Apart from these, there are social effects of drug abuse that are also damaging:

  • Damaged relationships with family and friends
  • Losing job
  • Financial trouble
  • Sexual abuse
  • Accidents and injuries
  • Legal consequences (e.g. going to jail).

Causes of Drug Addiction

  1. Genetics – According to the National institute of the drug abuse (NIDA) genetics (the genes a person is born with) account for approximately half, or 50 percent, of a person’s risk for developing an addiction.
  2. Environment – Like with many other disorders, drug addiction is also largely environmental. A person’s surroundings – including family, friends, home and neighborhood – can all influence their chances of drug addiction in some way. .
  3. Development – Both genetic and environmental factors correlate with a person’s critical developmental stages. For example, when a teen uses drugs in adolescence (when the brain is still maturing), the risk for disrupting brain development is high. 
  4. Mental health disorders – When an individual is struggling with a mental health issue – such as anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD, or schizophrenia – he or she is more likely to get addicted to drugs.

Prevention From Drug Addiction

When it comes to prevention from drug abuse, there is no foolproof way. But you can certainly do some things that will help you protect yourself and your loved ones from becoming addicted to drugs.

  • Educate yourself – Learn about the physical, biological, and social effects of drug misuse. Evaluate the risk factors like losing a job, isolation from society, dropping out of college. No one sets out to be addicted to drugs, so be careful in thinking using a drug “just once” will not be harmful.
  • Learn healthy ways to cope with stress – Stress is one of the primary reasons that drive people to drug misuse.
  • In this fast-paced world, stress is inevitable – And sometimes to escape from stress, people turn to alcohol and drugs. In the end, this can make life more miserable and stressful. To avoid this, you should learn to handle stress without using drugs. Take up exercising, read a book, volunteer for a good cause, create something. Anything positive that will give you a sense of fulfillment and take your mind away from using drugs to relieve stress.
  • Develop close bonds with family – Research has shown that people who have a close relationship with their families are less likely to abuse drugs. A loving family works as a support system and helps you deal with your pressures in life. It helps you to keep a distance from addictive substances.
  • Choose your friends mindfully – Teenagers and young adults are easily influenced by others. Often they start to explore different addictive drugs to impress their friends and portray themselves as “cool”. Find friends who won’t force you to do harmful things or be okay with possibly facing rejection when you turn down drugs.
  • Develop a healthy lifestyle – There is no better prevention of drug problems than adopting a healthy lifestyle. Being active and fit makes it easier to manage stress. This, in turn, helps to reduce the urge to use drugs or any other harmful substances to manage stress.

These are some of the preventive measures one can take to avoid drug addiction. But if you already developed an addiction, it is advisable to seek professional help and treatment for your drug problem.

Aristotle as a Critic

Crucial to Aristotle’s defense of art is his 

  • Rejection of Plato’s Dualism

Man is not an “embodied” intellect, longing for the spiritual release of death, but rather an animal with, among all the other faculties, the ability to use reason and to create

  • Rejection of Plato’s Rationalism
    We must study humans as we would study other animals to discover what their “nature” is. Look among the species; see who are the thriving and successful and in what activities do they engage? For Aristotle, this is how to determine what is and is not appropriate for a human and human societies
  • Rejection that Mimesis= Mirroring Nature

Aristotle: Art is not useless

  • It is Natural:
  1. It is natural for human beings to imitate
  2. Any human society which is healthy will be a society where there is imitative art
  3. Nothing is more natural that for children to pretend
  • Art production and training is a necessary part of any education since it uses and encourages the imaginative manipulation of ideas
  1. Nothing is more natural than for human beings to create using their imagination
  2. Since art is imitation, it is an imaginative use of concepts; at its heart art is “conceptual,” “intellectual”

Aristotle: good art is not dangerous

A) Art is not deceptive:

  • Artists must accurately portray psychological reality in order for characters to be believable and their actions understandable
  • It teaches effectively and it teaches the truth
  • Convincing and powerful drama is convincing and powerful because it reveals some truth of human nature
  • Introduces the concept of “Organic Unity” – the idea that in any good work of art each of the parts must contribute to the overall success of the whole
  • Just as in biological organisms each part contributes to the overall health and wellbeing of the creature, so too in good works of art reflects or imitates reality
  • Unified action, “with its several incidents so closely connected that the transposal or withdrawal of any one of them will disjoin and dislocate the whole”

B) Sensuous art is not a bad thing:

  • Aristotle did not believe that the mind was one thing and body was something else and therefore Aristotle did not have the bias against physical pleasure that Plato had
  • The only way of acquiring knowledge at all, according to Aristotle, was through the senses and so developing, exercising and sharpening those senses through art was a healthy thing to do
  • Art was not solely concerned with the sensual pleasures, but rather was/should be an intellectual, conceptual affair.

C) (Good) Art is tied to Morality and Truth

  • (Successful Tragic) Drama always teaches morality. When trying to understand how tragedies achieve their peculiar effect (Pathos), he notes the psychology and morality on which they must be based
  • NB: Aristotle believe that drama imitated not only “evens” but actions. As such they imitated intended behaviours, psychological forces and the unseen “inner life” of persons
  • He unwittingly set up two functions for a work of art to fulfil; to imitate nature’s perceptual detail and to imitate nature’s “organic unity.”

Aristotle agreed that art did stir up negative emotions but, he claims it then purged these in harmless, healthy way. This led to the principle of Catharsis

  • Art is neither psychologically destabilizing nor politically destructive
  • Art is a therapeutic part of the healthy life of not only the individual, but of the nation

Aristotle: Mimesis is not equal to imitation

Mimesis is more like

  • Rendering
  • Depicting
  • Construing
  • Idealizing
  • Representing

Aristotle’s Critical Responses

  • Poetry is more Philosophical than History
  • “Poetry is sometimes more philosophic and of graver importance than history (He means a mere chronicle of events here), since its statements are of the nature rather of universals, whereas those of history are singulars”
  • Poetry describes “not the thing that has happened” as Aristotle imagines history does “but a kind of thing that might happen, (i.e, what is possible) as being probable or necessary”
  • Thus history mere “mirrors,” but not art. Art is necessarily conceptual /cognitive.

Aristotle on Tragedy

In the Poetics, Aristotle compares tragedy to such other metrical forms as comedy and epic. He determines that tragedy, like all poetry, is a kind of imitation (mimesis), but adds that it has a serious purpose and uses direct action rather than narrative to achieve its ends. He says that poetic mimesis is imitation of things as they could be, not as they are — for example, of universals and ideals — thus poetry is a more philosophical and exalted medium than history, which merely records what has actually happened.

The aim of tragedy, Aristotle writes, is to bring about a “catharsis” of the spectators — to arouse in them sensations of pity and fear, and to purge them of these emotions so that they leave the theater feeling cleansed and uplifted, with a heightened understanding of the ways of gods and men. This catharsis is brought about by witnessing some disastrous and moving change in the fortunes of the drama’s protagonist (Aristotle recognized that the change might not be disastrous, but felt this was the kind shown in the best tragedies — Oedipus at Colonus, for example, was considered a tragedy by the Greeks but does not have an unhappy ending).

According to Aristotle, tragedy has six main elements: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle (scenic effect), and song (music), of which the first two are primary. Most of the Poetics is devoted to analysis of the scope and proper use of these elements, with illustrative examples selected from many tragic dramas, especially those of Sophocles, although Aeschylus, Euripides, and some playwrights whose works no longer survive are also cited.

Several of Aristotle’s main points are of great value for an understanding of Greek tragic drama. Particularly significant is his statement that the plot is the most important element of tragedy:

Tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and misery. And life consists of action, and its end is a mode of activity, not a quality. Now character determines men’s qualities, but it is their action that makes them happy or wretched. The purpose of action in the tragedy, therefore, is not the representation of character: character comes in as contributing to the action. Hence the incidents and the plot are the end of the tragedy; and the end is the chief thing of all. Without action there cannot be a tragedy; there may be one without character. . . . The plot, then, is the first principle, and, as it were, the soul of a tragedy: character holds the second place.

Aristotle goes on to discuss the structure of the ideal tragic plot and spends several chapters on its requirements. He says that the plot must be a complete whole — with a definite beginning, middle, and end — and its length should be such that the spectators can comprehend without difficulty both its separate parts and its overall unity. Moreover, the plot requires a single central theme in which all the elements are logically related to demonstrate the change in the protagonist’s fortunes, with emphasis on the dramatic causation and probability of the events.

THANK YOU BRO

Thank you for staying connected
During my pathetic plights and sleepless nights
Thank you for lending your shoulder
For my rivers  of tear and bundles of fear
Thank you for taking an extra mile
To bring a pile of smile in my face
Thank you for putting your hands together
To dry up my tear and fly up higher
Thank you for teaching me
Not to be scared to fall or to fail
Thank you for loving me
In times of good and times of bad
Thank you for accepting me as your sister
And being my problem duster
Life is worth living again under your arms
To the infinity and beyond ❤
                            -Ur lil sis

The Metaphysical School of poetry

The term ‘metaphysical’ was first applied to Donne by Dryden and later extended to a group of poets by Dr. Johnson. It has been used to describe the special characteristics of the poetry of John Donne and his followers in the 17th century. John Dryden first used this term in connections to the poetry of John Donne and the same was confirmed by Dr. Samuel Johnson. At the beginning of the 17th century, there appeared a group of poets who reacted against the conventions of Elizabethan love poetry and wrote more colloquial, witty, passionately intense, and psychologically probing poetry. This group came to known as the metaphysical poets. They include John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Abraham Cowley, Richard Crashaw, and Henry Vaughan. They were men of learning, but wrote colloquial and often metrically irregular lines filled with unusual metaphors, similes, and conceits.

Dr. Samuel Johnson

Dr. Johnson thought that from the Aristotelian point of view they were not poets at all. Though their learning and subtlely were high, they were wholly concerned with something unexpected and surprising. Johnson says that their attempts were analytic and they broke every image into fragments. “The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together; nature and art are ransacked for illustrations, comparisons, and allusions”. Dr. Johnson was certainly not impressed by them. However, T.S. Eliot in the present century discovers several beauties in the metaphyscial. He sees in their Poetry “a direct sensuous apprehension of thought, or a recreation or thought into feeling”. Eliot places them in the direct current of English poetry and points to their ‘quaint and pleasant taste’.

John Donne, Founder of Metaphysical poetry

The metaphysical style was established by John Donne. Dryden pointed out that Donne ‘affects the metaphysics not only in his satires but in his amorous verses’. Donne inspired a host of others like Suckling, Cleveland, Crashaw, and Cowley.

Metaphysical poetry resolves itself into two broad divisions amorous verse and religious verse. The amorous verse was generally written by the courtly poets like Carew, Suckling, and Lovelace and religious verse by Herbert, Crashaw, and Vaughan. Donne wrote amorous, devotional, and satirical poems. In his poetry sensuality and cynical wit mingle at times. He excelled in reflective imaginations and sober meditation. Herrick wrote amorous and religious verses and several epigrams. Crashaw was best in his religious verse. Abraham Cowley’s lyrics were sweet and graceful.

In conclusion, the age of metaphysical poetry successfully presented great educational benefits and presented significant value to English literature. The significance of this age is quite clear as it presented new aspects of value and new methods of expression that were not known before the seventeenth century, the language and concepts used in metaphysical poetry are unique and present significant cleverness. It also focuses on driving the audience to imagine what they have not thought of before and capture their imaginations. Most metaphysical poets suffered from different struggles, but the one they almost all had in common was self anxiety, presented in the fear of the future of the human soul, which is what lead them to speak and express their thoughts on the journey of life and turning points. Also, most of the metaphysical poets were born in the seventeenth century and raised into religious families and therefore carried out a religious mindset, and some of them even held religious positions during his lifetime, which explains the majority of religious poetry over other types of poetry, other topics such as love was also present, and it shared the common point of desiring reciprocity results whether from God or the loved one.

DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION IN THE VICTORIAN ENGLAND:

THE VICTORIAN ERA:

The period of British history when Queen Victoria ruled; includes the entire second half of the nineteenth century, a time when Britain was the most powerful nation in the world. The Victorian period was known for a rather stern morality.

The importance of Education was not fully realised by the people of England Before the Nineteenth century. There was no state Educational system for the common people, and the Majority of the working class was completely Illiterate. Different sections of people followed Different Systems and Standards.

SCHOOLS IN EARLIER PERIOD:

In the earlier period, there were many kinds of Schools in England. The only schools available for the working Classes were three Kinds-dame schools, the schools supported by private subscription, and the charity and Sunday schools. the only aim of these schools was to save the soul of men and women by bringing them up a Bible reading, evangelical Christians. Primary education of the poor was neglected in England. The secondary education of the well-to-do underwent remarkable Development. children of the upper and middle class went to the public schools which were founded by kings and town corporations in the earlier centuries.in many villages (dames) old women taught the children the alphabet for a small fee.

Dr.ARNOLD’S EDUCATION SYSTEM:

Dr.Thomas Arnold, the illustrious Headmaster of Rugby and Father of the poet Mathew Arnold. He focused on the Moral Education of the Boys. He emphasized the study of religion and introduced the monitoring system for maintaining discipline among students. He retained the practice of flogging and he insisted on the right to expel any boy. Arnold introduced the modern history, geography, and modern languages.

GLADSTONE’S EDUCATION ACT:

Gladstone’s education act made provision for the establishment of a school board in every District. Gladstone’s government made attendance at elementary schools compulsory. The school board must provide education for children between the ages of five and twelve. This education was cheap but not free, Elementary Education improved after1870. Some of the famous schools founded by Arnold were Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and Westminster.

BOARD OF EDUCATION:

A Royal Commission was appointed to study the system of education in the country. The board of education was established in 1899. Something more effective was done by Prime Minister, Arthur James Balfour. His Education act of 1902 was established. this act insisted that elementary education was restricted to children under fifteen. For older children, Central schools were started. An education committee was set up to look into the running of schools. Training colleges for teachers were set up to improve the teaching methods.

DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN EDUCATION:

During the Victorian period, There was a great development in women’s education. Some of the examinations of Oxford and Cambridge were opened to girls as well as boys. In 1848, Queen’s college for women was established and it was followed by Bedford and Cheltenham College. London University gave it’s degree to women for the first time in 1879. The Victorian Age is a “Golden Age to every woman and Middle class and poor class people in England .

Published by

AYISHA SHABANA. M

ayishashabana474@gmail.com

Broken Friendship

With the arrival of new
You tend to forget few
You didn’t give due
Instead gave a cue
That was the clue
Which made me blue
As you want to blow
I’ll go with the flow
When you are not fair
Why should I care?
You lost nothing and
I learnt something
My drear friend
Here comes THE END.






After We Fell by Anna Todd

Book Three of the After series—now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!


Tessa and Hardin’s love was complicated before. Now it’s more confusing than ever. AFTER WE FELL…Life will never be the same. #HESSA
Just as Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes. Revelations about first her family, and then Hardin’s, throw everything they knew before in doubt and makes their hard-won future together more difficult to claim.
Tessa’s life begins to come unglued. Nothing is what she thought it was. Not her friends. Not her family. The one person she should be able to rely on, Hardin, is furious when he discovers the massive secret she’s been keeping. And rather than being understanding, he turns to sabotage. Tessa knows Hardin loves her and will do anything to protect her, but there’s a difference between loving someone and being able to have them in your life. This cycle of jealousy, unpredictable anger, and forgiveness is exhausting. She’s never felt so intensely for anyone, so exhilarated by someone’s kiss—but is the irrepressible heat between her and Hardin worth all the drama? Love used to be enough to hold them together. But if Tessa follows her heart now, will it be…the end?


5 stars(this review contains spoilers for After and After We Collided)


The After series keeps on getting better and better! After We Fell is by far my favorite of the three!
At the end of After We Collided we were left again on a cliffhanger with a rather unexpected turn of events, Tessa is trying to find a way to break the news of her impending move to Seattle to Hardin when she runs into her estranged father outside a tattoo shop…
I hope you guys are fond of rollercoasters because, this book like its two predecessors, is nothing short of one, so hang on tight! 

It’s no surprise when I tell you that as soon as I started I was already frustrated.Tessa is going ahead with her plans to relocate to Seattle with Vance Publishing, Things are rocky with Hardin though not completely called off.Hardin is wayyyyyyyy frustrating though, when one thinks that he is starting to understand that a relationship takes compromise and that it’s not all about him and what he wants, he turns into the most unreasonable person ever. He doesn’t have a valid reason at all to not want to move with Tessa to Seattle other than his insecurities, but yet even when he knows this he still chooses to be a total idiot about it.Tessa talks him into coming on a weekend trip with her and his family, in an effort to try and mend things and have some fun together.The trip will prove to be anything but fun! I felt like jumping into the book and screaming at Hardin I just couldn’t even process what he was doing!

 Once again the Hardin from the past surfaces and it’s like we took 10 steps backward rather than forward, again he proves he can be overly controlling and inconsiderate. I was seriously pissed with him when I found out the lengths that he went to in order to try and get his way. I couldn’t blame Tessa for being tired of his antics, when over and over he screws things up and then expects her to just forgive and forget.

I was glad though to see that Tessa didn’t give in to Hardin’s wishes, and put herself and her career first. I think Hardin needs to learn that not everything can go his way.Though while super smart for some things Tessa can be soooo dense for others. She gets invited to a “going away” party at the frat house out of all places. Why would she even consider going there and hanging out with all those people that were nothing but horrible to her? I was screaming at the top of my lungs in frustration, ok fine maybe I was screaming into my Goodreads updates, but seriously Tessa!!

This is the point when things start getting really screwy and my heart was racing out of my chest, I mean we have seen betrayal before and I really didn’t think I would see anything that would have me totally flabbergasted again…! I was crying angry tears for Tessa, I had to put the book down and walk away from it for a bit… I was in total and absolute disbelief…

I don’t want to give you tooo many details but just know that there is drama, frat house drama, Tessa’s dad drama, Tessa’s mother drama oh! and if you didn’t guess it? Yeah, there is plenty of Zed drama!I mean I get it Zed is hot, he is nice, he shows up at the right time and at the right place but come on Tessa!!!! How much more are you going to push Hardin? Again I found myself wanting to slap some sense into this girl.

In After We Fell, like After We Collided, we have Hardin’s POV which again is crucial to the story because while he still makes you mad you can understand why he is the way he is. I cant deny the growth in him, trying to control his temper, trying not to be impulsive and especially being much more considerate with Tessa, even his relationship with Landon makes you smile in this book. Again you see the wonderful guy he can be if he can learn to love himself.

But, it’s Hessa we are talking about here so drama doesn’t stay at bay for too long and the last part of the book will prove to be jaw dropping totally unexpected drama, and for this I won’t drop even a hint because you really need to experience this for yourself. All I can say is that it was unexpected and devastating, I’m scared for Hardin and his state of mind and him falling into that downward spiral he seems to often flirt with. What he will face will definitely be a very tough pill to swallow.

The last line in this book left me hyperventilating and in disbelief…

and in need of wine.. lots and lots of wine… 

It has been a very long time since I’ve had a book hangover, years even. I finished After We Fell and couldn’t stop thinking about it, let alone start another book right away.

The fourth and final installment will be hitting shelves on February 24, yup that’s 49 days from today (but who’s counting), I can totally wait, because I’m so not dying to know what happens next….

New Criticism

New Criticism is a movement in 20th-century literary criticism that arose in reaction to those traditional “extrinsic” approaches that saw a text as making a moral or philosophical statement or as an outcome of social, economic, political, historical, or biographical phenomena.

New Criticism holds that a text must be evaluated apart from its context; failure to do so causes the Affective Fallacy, which confuses a text with the emotional or psychological response of its readers, or the Intentional Fallacy, which conflates textual impact and the objectives of the author.

New Criticism assumes that a text is an isolated entity that can be understood through the tools and techniques of close reading, maintains that each text has unique texture, and asserts that what a text says and how it says it are inseparable. The task of the New Critic is to show the way a reader can take the myriad and apparently discordant elements of a text and reconcile or resolve them into a harmonious, thematic whole. In sum, the objective is to unify the text or rather to recognize the inherent but obscured unity therein. The reader’s awareness of and attention to elements of the form of the work mean that a text eventually will yield to the analytical scrutiny and interpretive pressure that close reading provides. Simply put, close reading is the hallmark of New Criticism.

The genesis of New Criticism can be found in the early years of the 20th century in the work of the British philosopher I. A. Richards and his student William Empson. Another important fi gure in the beginnings of New Criticism was the American writer and critic T. S. Eliot. Later practitioners and proponents include John Crowe Ransom, Cleanth Brooks, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Reni Wellek, and William Wimsatt. In many ways New Criticism runs in temporal parallel to the American modern period.

From the 1930s to the 1960s in the United States, New Criticism was the accepted approach to literary study and criticism in scholarly journals and in college and university English departments. Among the lasting legacies of New Criticism is the conviction that surface reading of literature is insufficient; a critic, to arrive at and make sense of the latent potency of a text, must explore very carefully its inner sanctum by noting the presence and the patterns of literary devices within the text. Only this, New Criticism asserts, enables one to decode completely.

New Criticism gave discipline and depth to literary scholarship through emphasis on the text and a close reading thereof. However, the analytic and interpretive moves made in the practice of New Criticism tend to be most effective in lyric and complex intellectual poetry. The inability to deal adequately with other kinds of texts proved to be a significant liability in this approach. Furthermore, the exclusion of writer, reader, and context from scholarly inquiry has made New Criticism vulnerable to serious objections.

How to study productively at home

Are you struggling to be productive while studying online? This unexpected situation is not easy for anyone. We each have to create a new temporary lifestyle! Here are a few tips from Les Roches Global Hospitality Education to help you make the most of your time at home.

Create a designated study area

It is important to separate your studying and leisure spaces to avoid distractions. Your ideal studying area should be quiet, organized, free from distractions and comfortable: so avoid studying in your bed as you might be tempted to take a nap!

Manage your time

Create a plan to help you organize your time and keep track of your daily tasks. You’ll be more effective and feel in control of your day. Scheduling breaks is also helpful. Consider separating study subjects with breaks to help you focus.

Prioritize your daily tasks to achieve

At the end of the day, make sure your tasks have been carried out, and if they haven’t, put them back on your to-do list. Carry them out on the next day according to their priority, but try not to fall behind!

Be ready with questions

Keep track of each topic covered and prepare specific questions if needed. You may want to ask your teacher to clarify any unclear points during live sessions or in discussion forums.

Reward yourself

Striking a task off your to-do list is satisfying on its own, but when you finish a task, consider rewarding yourself with something you enjoy to keep yourself motivated!

Stay connected with your peers and teachers

Human connections are essential, so it’s important to create a support network to stay in touch with others. There are many ways to stay in contact virtually. For instance, you can attend virtual classrooms, take part in discussions boards, or organize a videoconference with your peers, for group work, a study circle, or just to hang out and decompress.

Build your routine

If you’re not used to this study from home situation, it’s critical to establish a routine. For instance, set an alarm, wake up, and get dressed to get yourself into a productive mood. Treat your day like any other, whether you’re going into school or not.

Human behaviour is largely a function of learned habits. To build a new routine, you need to start by forming new habits which will help your brain switch to automatic mode. Based on various studies, it often takes around 21 days to form a habit, so start now!

The situation around the coronavirus requires a high-level adaption. It is indeed challenging, but it’s an opportunity for you to learn and practice self-discipline which is a critical skill to have in life. Learn more about how Les Roches Global Hospitality Education can help you develop the skills you need for a great career.

Scientific ways to learn anything faster

Say it out loud

Learning and memory benefit from active involvement. When you add speaking to it, the content becomes more defined in long-term memory and more memorable.

Take notes by hand

Most of us can type very fast, but research shows writing your notes by hand will allow you to learn more.
Taking notes by hand enhances both comprehension and retention.

Chunk your study sessions

Studying over some time is more effective than waiting until the last minute.
The distributed practise works because each time you try to remember something, the memory becomes harder to forget.

Self-testing is highly effective

Regularly testing yourself will speed up learning. When you test yourself and answer incorrectly, you are more likely to recall the right answer after you look it up. You will also remember that you didn’t remember.

Change the way you practice

Repeating anything over and over might not be the best way to master that task. If you practice a slightly different version, you will learn more and faster. For example, if you want to master a new presentation:

  • Rehearse the basic skill. 
  • Wait at least six hours to allow your memory to consolidate.
  • Practice again, but speak a little faster. 
  • Practice next by speaking slower.
  • Break your presentation into smaller steps. Master each chunk, then put it back together.
  • Change the conditions. It will prepare you better for the unexpected.
Exercise regularly

According to research, regular exercise can improve memory recall.
Exercise also increases a protein (BDNF – brain-derived neurotrophic factor) that supports the function, growth, and survival of brain cells.

Sleep more, learn more

When you sleep, most of the consolidation process occurs.
In contrast, sleep deprivation can affect your ability to commit new data to memory and consolidate any short-term memories.

Concepts in parallel

Interleaving – studying related concepts or skills in parallel – improves your brain’s ability to differentiate between concepts or skills. It helps you to learn and gain an understanding at a deeper level.
Instead of focusing on one subject during a learning session, learn several subjects or skills in succession.

Teach someone else

Research shows that those who teach, speed up their learning and remember more.
Even just preparing to teach means that you will seek out key points and organize information into a coherent structure. 

Build on what you know

When you have to learn something new, try to associate it with something you are already familiar with. Then you only have to learn where it differs. You’ll also be able to apply greater context, which will help with memory storage and retrieval.

Reference

https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/these-10-scientific-ways-to-learn-anything-faster-could-change-everything-you-know-about-dramatically-improving-your-memory.html

TOP 5 HABITS TO AVOID IN 2022

  • PROCASTINATION

I’ll do it tomorrow. But you want to watch Netflix. Ofcourse you’re gonna ditch your work. I would say this is the most dangerous habit of all the times that would not only eat your mind and soul but also your whole life. Your weeks, months and then years would pass out in no time and you’ll wonder about what you even did in the past year.

The time which  you could use to improve yourself into a better person went in vain. Now, don’t regret it because there’s no point in it. Don’t forget about your past mistakes instead learn from them and use your precious time in a better way. Keep procrastinating and one day, you’ll regret so much that you’ll be wanting to rewind the time. But in reality, there’s no time machine unfortunately.

  • SKILLless

Well, we have been spending our lives more in homes due to the corona period, so what skills did you learn in that time? Don’t give the excuse that you didn’t get the time at all. Because that’s going to be a pure white lie, so better be vigilant about it. During quarantine, we got abundant time to make ourselves a person with some skills which’ll help us to become financial independent. You had the time to watch some web series but not for developing any technical skills inside you. Well, you are not late even now. It’s better to start late than not doing for the whole life. Life is not all about living it but living it to the fullest. If you don’t have something which makes you unique or something useful or someone who has his or her own identity then what’ve been you doing till now?? Question yourself, is this some kind of life you wanted where you have to sleep the whole day in your cozy bed or watching drama series? Don’t narrow down the meaning of your life.

  • No Exercise

Did you do the exercise the whole day? If your answer is YES then “you deserve my salute” but if it is “NO” then get up and do it now. Your screen time has increased, you don’t know how to get up and do some warm up then man!! Your life is going to be very short. It’s sad but its true. Your body is not a machine that it does not need to be cared for day by day. Not only the exercise helps your body to be flexible but it also helps the mind to think better and in a calm manner.

  • No time management

You are not procrastinating, well that’s good for you but you are just doing the work while eating or you are waking up at 1 pm and sleeping at 2 am. Well, that’s not the kind of life a human lives, I guess. You need to manage your time. PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF ASSETS BUT I WOULD SAY MY MOST IMPORTANT ASSET IS TIME. If you don’t use it carefully, your other assets would not be valuable enough anymore then. Better use it wisely.

  • No family and friends’ time

I know that work is important but sacrificing your friends and your FAMILY for your work is not worth it at all. Sacrificing and killing the time that you give to your friends and family is worthless. Why we are earning the money and why are we participating in the rat race of this life. We want that our families would not suffer.  You can’t live alone at all. We are social animals. We need to do socializing whether we want or not. We need families besides whatever we do is for our family, friends and ourselves. The little-little things that we enjoy with them are what makes this boring life soothing and bearable. If you have this opportunity to treasure them then better use it carefully!

What is an Essay?

An essay is generally a short piece of writing outlining the writer’s perspective or story. It is often considered synonymous with a story or a paper or an article. Today the word essay is applied to several kinds of literary compositions in prose. An essay may contain reflections, quotations, or a few pages of concentrated wisdom. It may contain thin or diluted thought, profound or light observations, or even didactic musings or personal gossip. An essay can be as short as 500 words, it can also be 5000 words or more. However, most essays fall somewhere around 1000 to 3000 words; this word range provides the writer enough space to thoroughly develop an argument and work to convince the reader of the author’s perspective regarding a particular issue.

Orgin of The Essay

The word ‘Essay’ means an attempt or assay – an attempt to dwell on some subject or part of a subject. This is an apt name for this writing form because the essay’s ultimate purpose is to attempt to convince the audience of something. Since an essay does not necessarily deal with every aspect of a subject, it is usually short. Thus, the essay may be defined as a ‘composition of moderate length on any particular subject or branch of a subject’. It is limited in range though sometimes elaborate in style. The essay comes in many shapes and sizes; it can focus on a personal experience or a purely academic exploration of a topic. Essays are classified as a subjective writing form because while they include expository elements, they can rely on personal narratives to support the writer’s viewpoint. The essay genre includes a diverse array of academic writings ranging from literary criticism to meditations on the natural world.

History of Essay

Michel de Montaigne first coined the term essayer to describe Plutarch’s Oeuvres Morales, which is now widely considered to be a collection of essays. Under the new term, Montaigne wrote the first official collection of essays, Essais, in 1580. Montaigne’s goal was to pen his ideas in prose. In 1597, a collection of Francis Bacon’s work appeared as the first essay collection written in English. The term essayist was first used by English playwright Ben Jonson in 1609.

Definitions of The Essay

There are several definitions of the essay available. Dr.Johnson defined it as a loose sally of the mind, an irregular, undigested piece, not a regular and orderly composition’. The essay is characterized by comparative brevity and comparative want of exhaustiveness.

According to W.H. Hudson, an essay is essentially personal. It belongs to the literature of self-expression. This is most true of modern essays. In the essays of E.V. Lucas, G.K. Chesterton, A.G. Gardiner, etc. we find the personal elements dominant. We read them not to acquire facts or information but to acquire contact with the personality of the writer. Hugh Walker remarks that no subject may not be dealt with in an essay. The essay is easily distinguished by its manner and style rather than by its matter. The important elements in the essay of Charles Lamb, Hilaire Belloc, or A.G. Gardiner are the style and manner and the theme is secondary.

Sainte beuve, himself a delightful essayist, thought that a good essay should be characterized by conciseness and thoroughness. the essay is brief not because the writer knows little about the subject but because he is a master of the subject that he can present his ideas concisely and adequately. Thus brevity in an essay does not mean superficiality.
considering the various aspects of the essay, it can be defined as a composition of moderate length, usually in prose, which deals in an easy cursory manner with the chosen subject and with the relation of that subject to the writer.

Principles of Essay

One of the elementary principles of essay writing is selections and distribution of emphasis. In spite of its fragmentariness, as an essay should impress as complete within itself. Another trait of the essay is its freedom and informality. The essay provides the freedom of conversation. Bacon called his essays ‘brief notes set down rather significantly than anxiously’. The essay is relatively unmethodical though modern essays have undergone some transformation in this respect.

The essay is subjective and personal. The central fact of the essay is the play of the writer’s mind and character upon the subject matter. In the study of the essay, one has to consider the writer’s personality and standpoint, and outlook on life. we have to follow the evolution of thought, presentation, exposition, and illustration. Finally, we have to assess the value of what he says and the beauty of how he says it.

Five scientific steps to ace your next exam

1. When to Study

Studying time is more efficient if it is spread out over many sessions throughout the semester, with a little extra right before the exam.
Cover each piece of info five times from when you first learned it until your exam. It will enable you to retain the information with minimal effort.

2. What and How to Study

Testing yourself, so you have to retrieve the information from memory, works much better than repeatedly reviewing the information, or creating a concept map (mind map).
After the first time learning the material, spend the subsequent studying to recalling the information, solving a problem or explaining the idea without glancing at the source.

3. What Kinds of Practice to Do

For a particular exam, use the following:

  • Mock tests and exams that are identical in style and form.
  • Redo problems from assignments, textbook questions or quizzes.
  • Generate your questions or writing prompts based on the material.
4. Make Sure You Understand

Passing and failing rest on whether you understood some important ideas.
Your top priority should be to understand the core concepts. Identify the core concepts and make sure you can explain them without looking at the material.

5. Overcome Anxiety

Anxiety makes it difficult to remember things. To help overcome this, make some of your studying sessions like a mock exam, using the same seating posture, materials, and the same time constraints.

referEncE

https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2019/03/18/5-strategies-ace-exam/

Study less study smart

  1. Break your study time down into chunks such as 30 minutes and then take a 5-minute break to keep your brain fresh and awake as you are studying.
  2. Teach what you learn to others. This is one of the big values from study groups.
  3. Know the difference between recollection and recognition. Recognition is when you are studying and you turn the page and read something and you think, ‘I know that.’ But what is going on is that you recognize it.
  4. Use specific locations for studying. Have a study chair and a study desk so you know when you are sitting there you need to be studying.
  5. Don’t listen to music when you are studying especially if it has lyrics.
  6. Understand the difference between concepts and facts. The goal of learning is understanding. It is important to learn and remember facts but make your goal of understanding concepts not learning facts.
  7. To remember more of what you learn in class you should take notes. Take enough notes to trigger your brain after class but don’t take so many notes that you can’t focus during class.
  8. Getting enough sleep is key to remembering more of what you study.
  9. Test your memory by writing what you can recall without looking at your notes.
  10. The Survey, Question, read, recite and review method is when you survey or look over what you are going to learn and then develop questions that focus your brain.
  11. Use memory training techniques to study less study smart! When you use memory techniques such as the mind palace or the memory palace you are going to remember more of what you studied.
Reference

Study Less Study Smart by Marty Lobdell

Human skills for the future of work

“Becoming is better than being.” – Carol Dweck

Empathy Mindset
  • Listening: Ask questions to understand.
  • Appreciation: Show sincere appreciation and celebration of others’ contributions.
  • Self-Awareness: Part of feeling what others feel is also about understanding your own biases and limiting beliefs.
  • Judgment: When people seek advice or share a problem, they are not looking for your criticism. 
  • Presence: Time is one of our most valuable assets, so be there fully.
Emotional Intelligence

Being aware of how your behaviour affects others is at the heart of emotional intelligence.
This means building self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

Effective Communication

Consider the following principles:

  • Intention: Know what you want to say and be clear about your objective. 
  • Organization: Take the time to organize your thoughts and straightforwardly deliver them.
  • Framing: “I think, I feel” is much more effective than starting with “you,” which puts people on the defensive.
  • Affirmation:  Asking if the information makes sense may reveal a potential problem. 
Curiosity + Instigation

Curiosity is a natural part of any creative cycle. It paves the way for “possibility thinking,” rather than business as usual. 
Instigation is an invitation to challenge quick fixes, lacklustre solutions and mediocrity. 

Strategic Analysis and Analytical Thinking

Strategic analysis helps to identify complex problems by providing a top-level view into the interconnected web of what can often seem like isolated issues.
Analytical thinking enables people to suspend emotional decision making and instead look logically at evidence-based research and tests.

Complex Problem Solving

To get into problem-solving mode, you need to understand the true problem at hand, identify challenges in the way, resist simple solutions, identify constraints and pathways to feasibility, and, above all, make sure you’re open to experimentation. 

Conflict Resolution

Among the most effective skills to learn to resolve conflict are mastering deep listening, mediation and facilitation. 
Giving people the benefit of the doubt and leading with curiosity are also powerful tools. 

Negotiation and Persuasion

They are not required just for the sales team. You need to be clear about what you want and what you’re willing to let go of to get it.

Leadership

A great leader will understand that it’s not enough to build a culture, it needs to be protected and maintained. 
A great leader also needs to make difficult decisions and hold everyone, including themselves, accountable.

Reference

https://creativecloud.adobe.com/discover/article/ten-human-skills-for-the-future-of-work

HAMMURABI – THE BABYLONIAN RULER OF MESOPOTAMIA

‘A youth full of fire and genius, a very whirlwind in battle, who crushes all rebels, cuts his enemies into pieces, marches over inaccessible mountains, and neve loses an engagement’ – Inscriptional evidence, William James Durant

WHO IS HAMMURABI ?

Hammurabi (Khammurabi/Ammurapi) was the 6th king of the Amorite first dynasty of Babylon, reigning from 1792 – 1750 BCE. He conquered all of Mesopotamia, from Babylon by 1750 BCE. The Sources that give us information about his life and achievements are inscriptions, letters and administrative records. He is famously known for his ‘Law code’.

HAMMURABI’S ACHIEVEMENTS

  • He centralized and streamlined the administration and heightened the fortifications
  • He issued a proclamation – cancelling all debts
  • He improvised Irrigation of fields and maintenance of infrastructure of the cities under his control.
  • A popular title – ‘BANI MATIM’ (builder of the land) was given to him, as he issued building projects like granaries, palaces, canals and a bridge across the Euphrates River that allowed city to expand on both banks
  • He built temples to the gods, as well as, renovated the sanctuaries of gods, especially Marduk (Babylon’s patron deity)

POLITICAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND OF HAMMURABI

  • Hammurabi – Hammu (family in Amorite) and Rapi (great in Akkadian) came from the Amorites, who were nomadic people coming from the coastal region of Eber Nari to Mesopotamia around c. 2 – 3rd millennium BCE. They were ruling the Babylonian region by 1984 BCE.
  • Hammurabi is credited with expanding the city of Babylon to unite all of Southern Mesopotamia.

HAMMURABI’S ‘CODE OF LAW’ (C. 1772 B.C.)

Hammurabi’s stele (Image credit: KJZ/Flickr. Copyright 2021)
  • Jacques de Morgan, found the stele on 1902. He was a French mining engineer, who led the archaeological expedition to excavate the Elamite capital of Susa, located at a distance of 250 miles from Hammurabi’s kingdom.
  • The black diorite block, nearly 8 feet high, was broken into three pieces, probably by the Elamites who brought it to Susa as spoils of war in mid 12th century B.C.
  • It is the longest inscription of early Mesopotamian History, containing almost 51 columns of text, housed in the Louvre museum of Paris.
  • Code of Law covers the following aspects: False accusations, Sorcery, kidnapping, burglary and robbery, duties and privileges of officer’s and constable, Land Laws, Debts deposit, Family and Marriage, and the economic matters like penalties for crimes and slaves.

HOW DOES THE CODE OF LAW STAND OUT?

  • It is one of the earliest examples of the doctrine – ‘lex talionis’/laws of retribution i.e. an eye for an eye
  • It provides the provision of ‘one crime, one punishment’
  • Even though the code does not include harsh punishments like removing the tongue, hands, breasts, eye or ear of the guilty, it sets an example for the principle of accused person being considered innocent until proven guilty.
  • The code shows a shift from communal to individual ownership, family or clan revenge to individual responsibility and marriage laws safeguards the legal status of a woman, despite the society being patriarchal.

PARALLELS TO THE CODE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETIES

  • There are similarities between the English law back then and the code – in terms of the provision sales before witnesses being legal
  • There are similarities between the American law and the code – in terms of the provision penalties for aiding the escape of slaves
  • There are similarities between the Hindu law and the code – with the provision of paying the owner of the land the value of the crop that should have grown and infidelity of wife.
  • There are similarities between the European law and the code – with the provision of gradation of fines and damages for injuries to members of different social classes and divorce.
  • Similarities with other societies include, Berbers in the case of ill – treatment of wife and a Japanese fiction matching the provisions for children of a concubine and wife.

CONCLUSION

As Gwendolyn Leick said, Hammurabi was an ‘outstanding diplomat’ and ‘negotiator’, who waited for the right moment to fulfill his aims, with the right amount of resources and ruthlessness. He managed to create a civilized society, uniting the multi – ethnic, multi – lingual empire through his laws, so this is a classic example of ‘learning from the past’, not only in terms of the Mesopotamian region, but also for the political leaders all over the world.

REFERENCES

‘Laws of Hammurabi’ – George E. Vincent (American Journal of Sociology, 1904)

‘Review: The Code of Hammurabi’ – J. Dyneley Prince (American Journal of Theology,1904)

https://www.ancient.eu/hammurabi/

https://www.history.com/news/hammurabi-babylon-mesopotamia-city-state

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hammurabi

https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/northandsouthwalls.pdf

Marxist Literary criticism

Marxism was introduced by Karl Marx. Most Marxist critics who were writing in what could chronologically be specified as the early period of Marxist literary criticism, subscribed to what has come to be called “vulgar Marxism.”

In this thinking of the structure of societies, literary texts are one register of the superstructure, which is determined by the economic base of any given society. Therefore, literary texts are a reflection of the economic base rather than “the social institutions from which they originate” for all social institutions, or more precisely human–social relationships, are in the final analysis determined by the economic base.

According to Marxists, even literature itself is a social institution and has a specific ideological function, based on the background and ideology of the author. The English literary critic and cultural theorist Terry Eagleton defines Marxist criticism this way: “Marxist criticism is not merely a ‘sociology of literature’, concerned with how novels get published and whether they mention the working class. Its aim is to explain the literary work more fully; and this means a sensitive attention to its forms, styles and, meanings. But it also means grasping those forms, styles and meanings as the product of a particular history.”

Karl Marx‘s studies have provided a basis for much in socialist theory and research. Marxism aims to revolutionize the concept of work through creating a classless society built on control and ownership of the means of production. In such a society, the means of production (the base in the architectural metaphor Marx uses to analyze and describe the structure of any given society in written human history) are possessed in common by all people rather than being owned by an elite ruling class. Marx believed that economic determinismdialectical materialism and class struggle were the three principles that explained his theories. (Though Marx does attribute a teleological function to the economic, he is no determinist. As he and Friedrich Engels write in The Communist Manifesto, the class struggle in its capitalist phase could well end “in the common ruin of the contending classes,” and as Terry Eagleton argues in Why Marx Was Right, “Capitalism can be used to build socialism, but there is no sense in which the whole historical process is secretly laboring towards this goal.”) The bourgeoisie (dominant class who control and own the means of production) and proletariat (subordinate class: the ones who do not own and control the means of production) were the only two classes who engaged in hostile interaction to achieve class consciousness. (In Marx’s thought, it is only the proletariat, the working class, that must achieve class consciousness. The bourgeoisie is already quite well aware of its position and power in the capitalist paradigm. As individuals, workers know that they are being exploited in order to produce surplus value, the value produced by the worker that is appropriated by the capitalists; however, the working class must realize that they are being exploited not only as individuals but as a class. It is upon this realization that the working class reaches class consciousness). Marx believed that all past history is a struggle between hostile and competing economic classes in the state of change. Marx and Engels collaborated to produce a range of publications based on capitalism, class struggles, and socialist movements.

These theories and ideologies can be found within three published works:

The first publication Communist Manifesto (1848) argues that ‘the history of all hitherto existing societies is the history of class struggle’.[4] As class struggle is the engine room of history, to understand the course of history, one must analyse the class relations that typify different historical epochs, the antagonisms, and forms of class struggle embodied in such class relations. This involves the development of class consciousness and follows the revolutionary movements that challenge the dominant classes. It extends to rating the success of these revolutions in developing new modes of production and forms of social organization.

In contrast to the ManifestoPreface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (1859) and Capital (1867) focus on the unfolding logic of a system, rather than class struggle. These provide an alternative account of historical development and emphasize the self-destructive contradictions and law of motion of specific modes of production.Preface argues that society’s economic organization consists of a distinctive pattern of forces and relations of productions. From this foundation arises a complex political and ideological superstructure, where economic development impacts societal progress.

Capital was more concerned with the genesis and dynamic of capitalism. As Mclellan (1971) states, “it refers to class struggle mainly in the context of the struggle between capital and labor, within capitalism, rather than over its suppression.” Capital was less concerned with forecasting how capitalism would be overthrown, than considering how it had developed and how it functioned. The key to understanding this logic was the ‘commodity form of social relations – a form that was most fully developed only in capitalism.

Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism

Psychoanalytic literary criticism is literary criticism or literary theory which, in method, concept, or form, is influenced by the tradition of psychoanalysis begun by Sigmund Freud.

Psychoanalytic reading has been practiced since the early development of psychoanalysis itself, and has developed into a heterogeneous interpretive tradition. As Celine Surprenant writes, ‘Psychoanalytic literary criticism does not constitute a unified field. However, all variants endorse, at least to a certain degree, the idea that literature … is fundamentally entwined with the psyche’.

Psychoanalytic criticism views the artists, including authors, as neurotic. However, an artist escape many of the outward manifestations and end results of neurosis by finding in the act of creating his or her art a pathway back to saneness and wholeness.

The object of psychoanalytic literary criticism, at its very simplest, can be the psychoanalysis of the author or of a particularly interesting character in a given work. The criticism is similar to psychoanalysis itself, closely following the analytic interpretive process discussed in Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams and other works. Critics may view the fictional characters as psychological case studies, attempting to identify such Freudian concepts as the Oedipus complexFreudian slipsId, ego and superego, and so on, and demonstrate how they influence the thoughts and behaviors of fictional characters.

However, more complex variations of psychoanalytic criticism are possible. The concepts of psychoanalysis can be deployed with reference to the narrative or poetic structure itself, without requiring access to the authorial psyche (an interpretation motivated by French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan‘s remark that “the unconscious is structured like a language”[citation needed]). Or the founding texts of psychoanalysis may themselves be treated as literature, and re-read for the light cast by their formal qualities on their theoretical content (Freud’s texts frequently resemble detective stories, or the archaeological narratives of which he was so fond).

Like all forms of literary criticism, psychoanalytic criticism can yield useful clues to the sometime baffling symbols, actions, and settings in a literary work; however, like all forms of literary criticism, it has its limits. For one thing, some critics rely on psychocriticism as a “one size fits all” approach, when other literary scholars argue that no one approach can adequately illuminate or interpret a complex work of art.

As Guerin, et al. put it in A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, The danger is that the serious student may become theory-ridden, forgetting that Freud’s is not the only approach to literary criticism. To see a great work of fiction or a great poem primarily as a psychological case study is often to miss its wider significance and perhaps even the essential aesthetic experience it should provide.

Freud wrote several important essays on literature, which he used to explore the psyche of authors and characters, to explain narrative mysteries, and to develop new concepts in psychoanalysis (for instance, Delusion and Dream in Jensen’s Gradiva and his influential readings of the Oedipus myth and Shakespeare‘s Hamlet in The Interpretation of Dreams). The criticism has been made, however, that in his and his early followers’ studies ‘what calls for elucidation are not the artistic and literary works themselves, but rather the psychopathology and biography of the artist, writer, or fictional characters’.[3] Thus ‘many psychoanalysts among Freud’s earliest adherents did not resist the temptation to psychoanalyze poets and painters (sometimes to Freud’s chagrin’). Later analysts would conclude that ‘clearly one cannot psychoanalyse a writer from his text; one can only appropriate him’.

Early psychoanalytic literary criticism would often treat the text as if it were a kind of dream. This means that the text represses its real (or latent) content behind obvious (manifest) content. The process of changing from latent to manifest content is known as the dream work and involves operations of concentration and displacement. The critic analyzes the language and symbolism of a text to reverse the process of the dream work and arrive at the underlying latent thoughts. The danger is that ‘such criticism tends to be reductive, explaining away the ambiguities of works of literature by reference to established psychoanalytic doctrine; and very little of this work retains much influence today’.

Formalism

Formalism, also called Russian Formalism, Russian Russky Formalism, innovative 20th-century Russian school of literary criticism. It began in two groups: OPOYAZ, an acronym for Russian words meaning Society for the Study of Poetic Language, founded in 1916 at St. Petersburg (later Leningrad) and led by Viktor Shklovsky; and the Moscow Linguistic Circle, founded in 1915. Other members of the groups included Osip Brik, Boris Eikhenbaum, Yury Tynianov, and Boris Tomashevsky.

Although the Formalists based their assumptions partly on the linguistic theory of Ferdinand de Saussure and partly on Symbolist notions concerning the autonomy of the text and the discontinuity between literary and other uses of language, the Formalists sought to make their critical discourse more objective and scientific than that of Symbolist criticism. Allied at one point to the Russian Futurists and opposed to sociological criticism, the Formalists placed an “emphasis on the medium” by analyzing the way in which literature, especially poetry, was able to alter artistically or “make strange” common language so that the everyday world could be “defamliarized.” They stressed the importance of form and technique over content and looked for the specificity of literature as an autonomous verbal art.

They studied the various functions of “literariness” as ways to separate poetry and fictional narrative from other forms of discourse. Although always anathema to the Marxist critics, Formalism was important in the Soviet Union until 1929, when it was condemned for its lack of political perspective. Later, largely through the work of the structuralist linguist Roman Jakobson, it became influential in the West, notably in Anglo-American New Criticism, which is sometimes called Formalism.

Victor Erlich’s Russian Formalism (1955) is a history; Théorie de la littérature (1965) is a translation by Tzvetan Todorov of important Russian texts. Anthologies in English include L.T. Lemon and M.J. Reis, eds., Russian Formalist Criticism (1965), L. Matejka and K. Pomorska, eds., Readings in Russian Poetics (1971), and Stephen Bann and John Bowlt, eds., Russian Formalism (1973).

The focus in formalism is only on the text and the contents within the text such as grammar, syntax, signs, literary tropes, etc. Formalism also brings attention to structural tendencies within a text or across texts such as genre and categories. Formalism is based on an analysis of a text rather than a discussion on issues more distant to the text.

So Formalism is based on the technical purity of a text. Formalism is divided into two branches Russian Formalism and New Criticism. Formalism also argued that a text is an autonomous entity liberated from the intention of the author.

A text according to Formalism is a thing on its own without the need of external agents. As the name suggests, Formalism is a scientific, technical mode of understanding texts which expects a greater degree of mental intelligence instead of emotional intelligence from the readers.  

Russian Formalism was a school of literary criticism in Russia from 1910 to 1930. Some prominent scholars of Russian Formalism were Viktor Shklovsky, Yuri Tynianov, Vladimir Propp, Boris Eichenbaum, Roman Jakobson, Boris Tomashevsky and Grigory Gukovsky. Russian Formalism brought the idea of scientific analysis of poetry. Russian Formalism alludes to the work of the Society for the Study of Poetic Language (OPOYAZ), 1916 in St. Petersburg by Boris Eichenbaum, Viktor Shklovsky and Yury Tynyanov.

SHAKESPEAREAN COMEDY

A Shakespearean comedy has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare’s other plays. Shakespeare started to write comedies by the year 1600. Shakespeare wrote more comedies than any other kind of play. Shakespeare comedies (or rather the plays of Shakespeare that are usually categorised as comedies) are generally identifiable as plays full of fun, irony and dazzling wordplay. They also abound in disguises and mistaken identities, with very convoluted plots that are difficult to follow with very contrived endings. But Shakespeare’s plays are not in the rigorous sense either pure tragedies or pure comedies. 

Shakespeare’s comedies represented a significant departure from the classical comedy that had dominated the stage before he arrived in London. Whereas classical comedies were fairly straightforward, Shakespearean comedies introduced several elements that made for more complicated plots. Classical comedies typically opened with an already established pair of lovers, and they told of how these lovers had to overcome some obstacle or another to confirm the legitimacy of their union. Shakespeare, however, did not write comedies with already established lovers, and instead emphasized the plot on the process of wooing itself.

Some of the chief characteristics of Shakespearean comedy:

Love and Marriage as motif:

Love and marriage are the main themes in Shakespeare’s comedies. The preoccupation of the noble characters is love. Sometimes love leads to intrigue but is happily resolved at the end. The course of true love never runs smooth and thus conflict arises. But sighers and lovers live side by side. Love is mingled with sighs and even sorrow in some cases, but finally it converges into laughter. Love is treated as a divine passion and life is a pilgrimage towards its realisation.

Love and Marriage in Twelfth Nigth

Supernatural:

Shakespeare uses the supernatural in some of his comedies like ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. However, the supernatural acts as a foil to human actions and errors.

The supernatural element in A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Women Characters:


Shakespeare’s comedies are dominated by women characters. As Gordon says “his comedies are a riot of feminine supremacy, a feminine revel”. Shakespeare’s men love and remain idle; his women characters use their brain, wit, and grace to enlarge the progress of love. Such are Rosalind, Viola, Portia, and Beatrice. They are guided by a certain clear-headedness and frankness in facing facts.

Clown:

Clowns and fools are a part of Shakespeare’s comedies. They provide fun and laughter. they are the satiric commentators on life and correctors of the excesses of the urbane characters. Falstaff, Malvolio, and Jaques provide laughter of a high order whereas characters like Dogberry, Verges, Bottom, and Touchstone provide a good deal of farcical mirth by their vanity, stupidly and complacency.

Realism and Fantasy:

In Shakespeare’s comedy, there is a fine blending of observation and imagination, fact and fiction, realism and fantasy. The story and the plot move between the real and the illusory. The forest of Arden assumes a realistic existence due to Shakespeare’s imagination and fancy. In his comedies, the base is real but the superstructure deal.

Laughter:

Shakespeare’s philosophy of laughter is tolerance. His comedies bring together different points of view and contrasts. The end is the realization of perfect order through laughter. Dowden says “Shakespeare made laughter wise and taught seriousness how to be winning and gracious”.

Music:

Shakespeare uses music in most of his comedies. As Orsino says, music is the food of love. It enhances the romantic atmosphere of the play and relieves the tension. There is music in As You Like It, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night”s Dream, and The Merchant of Venice.

Disguise:

In most comedies, Shakespeare has used disguise. This takes the action to several funny situations and complications as in As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and The Merchant of Venice. Disguise brings to focus the incongruities and irrationalities of life’s endeavors.

Voila disguise as Cesario in Twelfth Nigth

Feminist Literary Critisim

Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theory, or more broadly, by the politics of feminism. It uses the principles and ideology of feminism to critique the language of literature.

This school of thought seeks to analyze and describe the ways in which literature portrays the narrative of male domination by exploring the economic, social, political, and psychological forces embedded within literature.This way of thinking and criticizing works can be said to have changed the way literary texts are viewed and studied, as well as changing and expanding the canon of what is commonly taught. It is used a lot in Greek myths.

Traditionally, feminist literary criticism has sought to examine old texts within literary canon through a new lens. Specific goals of feminist criticism include both the development and discovery of female tradition of writing, and rediscovering of old texts, while also interpreting symbolism of women’s writing so that it will not be lost or ignored by the male point of view and resisting sexism inherent in the majority of mainstream literature. These goals, along with the intent to analyze women writers and their writings from a female perspective, and increase awareness of the sexual politics of language and style were developed by Lisa Tuttle in the 1980s, and have since been adopted by a majority of feminist critics.

The history of feminist literary criticism is extensive, from classic works of nineteenth-century female authors such as George Eliot and Margaret Fuller to cutting-edge theoretical work in women’s studies and gender studies by “third-wave” authors. Before the 1970s—in the first and second waves of feminism—feminist literary criticism was concerned with women’s authorship and the representation of women’s condition within the literature; in particular the depiction of fictional female characters. In addition, feminist literary criticism is concerned with the exclusion of women from the literary canon, with theorists such as Lois Tyson suggesting that this is because the views of women authors are often not considered to be universal.

Additionally, feminist criticism has been closely associated with the birth and growth of queer studies. Modern feminist literary theory seeks to understand both the literary portrayals and representation of both women and people in the queer community, expanding the role of a variety of identities and analysis within feminist literary criticism.

Feminist scholarship has developed a variety of ways to unpack literature in order to understand its essence through a feminist lens. Scholars under the camp known as Feminine Critique sought to divorce literary analysis away from abstract diction-based arguments and instead tailored their criticism to more “grounded” pieces of literature (plot, characters, etc.) and recognize the perceived implicit misogyny of the structure of the story itself. Others schools of thought such as gynocriticism—which is considered a ‘female’ perspective on women’s writings—uses a historicist approach to literature by exposing exemplary female scholarship in literature and the ways in which their relation to gender structure relayed in their portrayal of both fiction and reality in their texts. Gynocriticism was introduced during the time of second wave feminism. Elaine Showalter suggests that feminist critique is an “ideological, righteous, angry, and admonitory search for the sins and errors of the past,” and says gynocriticism enlists “the grace of imagination in a disinterested search for the essential difference of women’s writing.”

More contemporary scholars attempt to understand the intersecting points of femininity and complicate our common assumptions about gender politics by accessing different categories of identity (race, class, sexual orientation, etc.) The ultimate goal of any of these tools is to uncover and expose patriarchal underlying tensions within novels and interrogate the ways in which our basic literary assumptions about such novels are contingent on female subordination. In this way, the accessibility of literature broadens to a far more inclusive and holistic population. Moreover, works that historically received little or no attention, given the historical constraints around female authorship in some cultures, are able to be heard in their original form and unabridged. This makes a broader collection of literature for all readers insofar as all great works of literature are given exposure without bias towards a gender influenced system.

Women have also begun to employ anti-patriarchal themes to protest the historical censorship of literature written by women. The rise of decadent feminist literature in the 1990s was meant to directly challenge the sexual politics of the patriarchy. By employing a wide range of female sexual exploration and lesbian and queer identities by those like Rita Felski and Judith Bennet, women were able attract more attention about feminist topics in literature.

Since the development of more complex conceptions of gender and subjectivity and third-wave feminism, feminist literary criticism has taken a variety of new routes, namely in the tradition of the Frankfurt School‘s critical theory, which analyzes how the dominant ideology of a subject influences societal understanding. It has also considered gender in the terms of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, as part of the deconstruction of existing relations of power, and as a concrete political investment. The more traditionally central feminist concern with the representation and politics of women’s lives has continued to play an active role in criticism. More specifically, modern feminist criticism deals with those issues related to the perceived intentional and unintentional patriarchal programming within key aspects of society including education, politics and the work force.

When looking at literature, modern feminist literary critics also seek ask how feminist, literary, and critical the critique practices are, with scholars such as Susan Lanser looking to improve both literature analysis and the analyzer’s own practices to be more diverse.

Structuralism

The advent of critical theory in the post-war period, which comprised various complex disciplines like linguistics, literary criticism, Psychoanalytic Criticism, Structuralism, Postcolonialism etc., proved hostile to the liberal consensus which reigned the realm of criticism between the 1930s and `50s. Among these overarching discourses, the most controversial were the two intellectual movements, Structuralism and Poststructuralism originated in France in the 1950s and the impact of which created a crisis in English studies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Language and philosophy are the major concerns of these two approaches, rather than history or author.

Structuralism which emerged as a trend in the 1950s challenged New Criticism and rejected Sartre‘s existentialism and its notion of radical human freedom; it focused instead how human behaviour is determined by cultural, social and psychological structures. It tended to offer a single unified approach to human life that would embrace all disciplines. Roland Barthes and Jacques Derrida explored the possibilities of applying structuralist principles to literature. Jacques Lacan studied psychology in the light of structuralism, blending Freud and Saussure. Michel Foucault‘s The Order of Things examined the history of science to study the structures of epistemology (though he later denied affiliation with the structuralist movement). Louis Althusser combined Marxism and Structuralism to create his own brand of social analysis.

Structuralism, in a broader sense, is a way of perceiving the world in terms of structures. First seen in the work of the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss and the literary critic Roland Barthes, the essence of Structuralism is the belief that “things cannot be understood in isolation, they have to be seen in the context of larger structures they are part of”, The contexts of larger structures do not exist by themselves, but are formed by our way of perceiving the world. In structuralist criticism, consequently, there is a constant movement away from the interpretation of the individual literary work towards understanding the larger structures which contain them. For example, the structuralist analysis of Donne‘s poem Good Morrow demands more focus on the relevant genre (alba or dawn song), the concept of courtly love, etc., rather than on the close reading of the formal elements of the text.

With its penchant for scientific categorization, Structuralism suggests the interrelationship between “units” (surface phenomena) and “rules” (the ways in which units can be put together). In language, units are words and rules are the forms of grammar which order words.

Structuralists believe that the underlying structures which organize rules and units into meaningful systems are generated by the human mind itself and not by sense perception. Structuralism tries to reduce the complexity of human experiences to certain underlying structures which are universal, an idea which has its roots in the classicists like Aristotle who identified simple structures as forming the basis of life. A structure can be defined as any conceptual system that has three properties: “wholeness” (the system should function as a whole), “transformation” (system should not be static), and “self-regulation (the basic structure should not be changed).

Structuralism in its inchoate form can be found in the theories of the early twentieth century Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure (Course in General Linguistics, 1916), who moved away from the then prevalent historical and philological study of language (diachronic) to the study of the structures, patterns and functions of language at a particular time (synchronic). Saussure’s idea of the linguistic sign is a seminal concept in all structuralist and poststructuralist discourses. According to him, language is not a naming process by which things get associated with a word or name. The linguistic sign is made of the union of “signifier” (sound image, or “psychological imprint of sound”) and “signified” (concept). In this triadic view, words are “unmotivated signs,” as there is no inherent connection between a name (signifier) and what it designates .

The painting This is Not a Pipe by the Belgian Surrealist artist Rene Magritte explicates the treachery of signs and can be considered a founding stone of Structuralism. Foucault‘s book with the same title comments on the painting and stresses the incompatibility of visual representation and reality.

Saussure’s theory of language emphasizes that meanings are arbitrary and relational (illustrated by the reference to 8.25 Geneva to Paris Express in Course in General Linguistics; the paradigmatic chain hovel-shed-hut-house-mansion-palace, where the meaning of each is dependent upon its position in the chain; and the dyads male-female, day-night etc. where each unit can be defined only in terms of its opposite). Saussurean theory establishes that human being or reality is not central; it is language that constitutes the world. Saussure employed a number of binary oppositions in his lectures, an important one being speech/writing. Saussure gives primacy to speech, as it guarantees subjectivity and presence, whereas writing, he asserted, denotes absence, of the speaker as well as the signified. Derrida critiqued this as phonocentrism that unduly privileges presence over absence, which led him to question the validity of all centres.

Saussure’s use of the terms Langue (language as a system) and Parole an individual. utterance in that language, which is inferior to Langue) gave structuralists a way of thinking about the larger structures which were relevant to literature. Structuralist narratology, a form of Structuralism espoused by Vladimir Propp, Tzvetan Todorov, Roland Barthes and Gerard Genette illustrates how a story’s meaning develops from its overall structure, (langue) rather than from each individual story’s isolated theme (parole). To ascertain a text’s meaning, narratologists emphasize grammatical elements such as verb tenses and the relationships and configurations of figures of speech within the story. This demonstrates the structuralist shift from authorial intention to broader impersonal Iinguistic structures in which the author’s text (a term preferred over “work”) participates.

Structuralist critics analyse literature on the explicit model of structuralist linguistics. In their analysis they use the linguistic theory of Saussure as well as the semiotic theory developed by Saussure and the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. According to the semiotic theory, language must be studied in itself, and Saussure suggests that the study of language must be situated within the larger province of Semiology, the science of signs.

Semiology understands that a word’s meaning derives entirely from its difference from other words in the sign system of language (eg: rain not brain or sprain or rail or roam or reign). All signs are cultural constructs that have taken on their meaning through repeated, learned, collective use. The process of communication is an unending chain of sign production which Peirce dubbed “unlimited semiosis”. The distinctions of symbolic, iconic and indexical signs, introduced by the literary theorist Charles Sande  Peirce is also a significant idea in Semiology. The other major concepts associated with semiotics are “denotation” (first order signification) and “connotation” (second order signification).

Structuralism was anticipated by the Myth Criticism of Northrop Frye, Richard Chase, Leslie Fiedler, Daniel Hoffman, Philip Wheelwright and others which drew upon anthropological and physiological bases of myths, rituals and folk tales to restore spiritual content to the alienated fragmented world ruled by scientism, empiricism and technology. Myth criticism sees literature as a system based or recurrent patterns.

The French social anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss applied the structuralist outlook to cultural phenomena like mythology, kinship relations and food preparation. He applied the principles of langue and parole in his search for the fundamental mental structures of the human mind. Myths seem fantastic and arbitrary yet myths from different cultures are similar. Hence he concluded there must be universal laws that govern myths (and all human thought). Myths consist of 1) elements that oppose or contradict each other and 2) other elements that “mediate” or resolve those oppositions (such as trickster / Raven/ Coyote, uniting herbivores and carnivores). He breaks myths into smallest meaningful units called mythemes. According to Levi-Strauss, every culture can be understood, in terms of the binary oppositions like high/low, inside/outside, life/death etc., an idea which he drew from the philosophy of Hegel who explains that in every situation there are two opposing things and their resolution, which he called “thesis, antithesis and synthesis”. Levi-Strauss showed how opposing ideas would fight and also be resolved in the rules of marriage, in mythology, and in ritual.

In interpreting the Oedipus myth he placed the individual story of Oedipus within the context of the whole cycle of tales connected with the city of Thebes. He then identifies repeated motifs and contrasts, which he used as the basis of his interpretation. In this method, the story and the cycle part are reconstituted in terms of binary oppositions like animal/ human, relation/stranger, husband/son and so on.

Concrete details from the story are seen in the context of a larger structure and the larger structure is then seen as an overall network of basic dyadic pairs which have obvious symbolic, thematic and archetypal resonance. This is the typical structuralist process of moving from the particular to the general placing the individual work within a wider structural content.

A very complex binary opposition introduced by Levi-Strauss is that of bricoleur (savage mind) and an engineer (true craft man with a scientific mind). According to him, mythology functions more like a bricoleur, whereas modern western science works more like an engineer (the status of modem science is ambivalent in his writings). In Levi-Strauss’s concept of bricolage, what is important is that the signs already in existence are used for purposes that they were not originally meant for. When a faucet breaks, the bricoleur stops the leak using a cloth, which is not actually meant for it. On the other hand the engineer foresees the eventuality and he would have either a spare faucet or all the spanners and bolts necessary to repair the tap.

Derrida, the poststructuralist, opposes Levi-Strauss‘s concept of bricolage in his Structure, Sign and Play, saying that the opposition of bricolage to engineering is far more troublesome that Levi-Strauss admits and also the control of theory and method, which Levi-Strauss attributes to the engineer would seem a very strange attribution for a structuralist to make.

In Mythologies he examines modern France from the standpoint of a cultural theorist. It is an ideological critique of products of mass bourgeois culture, like soaps, advertisements, images of Rome etc., which are explained using the concept of ‘myth’. According to Barthes, myth is a language, a mode of signification. He reiterates Saussure’s view that semiology comprises three terms: signifier, signified and sign, in which sign is a relation between the signifier and signified. The structure of myth repeats this tri-dimensional pattern. Myth is a second order signifying system illustrated by the image of the young Negro in a French uniform saluting the french flag, published as the cover page of the Parisian magazine, Paris Match, which reveals the myth of French imperialism at the connotative level.

The complexity and heterogeneity of structuralism, which is reflected even in the architecture of this period (eg., structuralist artefacts like Berlin Holocaust Memorial, Bank of China Tower, etc) paved the way to poststructuralism which attacked the essentialist premises of structuralism. Poststructuralism argues that in the very examination of underlying structures, a series of biases are involved. Structuralism has often been criticized for being ahistorical and for favouring deterministic structural forces over the ability of people to act. As the political turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s (especially the student uprising of May 1968) began affecting the academy, issues of power and political struggle moved to the centre of people’s attention. In the 1980s deconstruction and its emphasis on the fundamental ambiguity of language—rather than its crystalline logical structure—became popular, which proved fatal to structuralism.

How BTS Saved Millions of Lives

BTS

In 2013, a group of seven boys, all from different backgrounds, who left behind their friends and family to follow their dream of becoming K-pop artistes, were about to debut. But soon afterwards, their hopes were crushed as the bad press from the media, internal strife and lack of proper finance forced them to almost disband multiple times. But they kept on fighting for their dream, even if that meant living in one cramped dorm room and having to beg people to come to their concerts. These boys had very humble beginnings – one of the members, Yoongi, recently had a surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum. The tear was related to an injury that occurred in 2012, when the performer was hit by a car during one of his delivery-boy shifts.

Flash forward to years later, that same group of boys from South Korea, Bangtan Sonyeondan (BTS), are now one of the biggest boy bands in the world. Among other outstanding achievements, they have multiple No. 1 albums in the US Billboard Hot 100, 15 Guinness World Records and over 300 awards. BTS are the youngest recipients of South Korea’s Order of Cultural Merit award and the first ever K-pop act to receive a Grammy nomination. They are changing the world and the face of K-pop forever, paving the way for others.

For years, BTS struggled to get their music heard. They were not an overnight success, like some people might believe. But because of their struggles and despite of it, they became worldwide superstars and South Korea’s pride and joy. BTS refuse to be confined within the boundaries of the “K-pop” industry, instead often experimenting with different, versatile styles and musical genres like Hip-Hop, Jazz, EDM, R&B, Latin pop, Ballad, Country and Rock among others. Each of the seven members embody various roles and positions in the group, such as dancer, vocalist, leader, rapper, producer, choreographer, and more.

BTS

BTS’s music transcends language, time and cultural barriers; their raw and relatable lyrics resonates with people, going through different stages of life. The healing power of their music does not discriminate. The majority of their self-written and self-produced songs discuss socio-political issues found in contemporary society such as mental health, toxic-masculinity, women’s empowerment, self-love, capitalism, burn-out and the struggles of growing up among other things. Most of their topics are still taboo in the culturally-conservative Asia and are often brushed away as non-existent.

The Korean music industry is known for their “manufactured” and “engineered” sound, where the artistes themselves have no say in what they are singing about, but instead, have their music written and produced by a group of professionals fit for the industry standards. BTS breaks all those preconceived rules by having a voice in their own music. They have started a new trend for Korean singers to explore more complex and impactful themes.

These motifs are often seen in both their studio albums and individual mixtapes. In their latest album “BE”, which was released on November 20, 2020, BTS shared their experiences and hopes during the pandemic, as they as embrace “Be”-ing in this new reality. The relatable lyrics and catchy beats in titles like “Fly to my Room”, “Dis-ease”, “Stay” and “Telepathy” are contrasted with the raw, emotional ballads like “Blue & Grey” and “Life Goes On”.

This album also features their first ever completely English language song, “Dynamite”. It consoles anyone struggling with their mental health during these times and is a beacon of hope for listeners that everything will be okay and life goes on. To me, this album feels like a warm hug from a loved one on a cold winter morning.

BTS’s fans, known as ARMY (short for Adorable Representative MC for Youth) are a group of passionate and creative individuals, from all walks of life, who stand by BTS and each other through thick and thin. Shehrin Tabassum Odri, a digital marketer and an ARMY since 2018, shared her story of how much of an impact BTS has had in her life. “When I was at my loneliest, having hit rock bottom and losing the will to live, BTS was there for me. It was the day they released their ‘Life Goes On’ music video,” she says. “The song was like a wakeup call. It made me realise how many future opportunities and loved ones I will be losing if I give up now and that I’m not the only one feeling this miserable and lost, the members of BTS have gone through this phase too. If they have found a way to stay hopeful for the future to change and better times to come, maybe I should hold on a bit longer too. BTS gave me the hope to keep living.”

 “In conservative countries like ours, masculinity is associated with tall, bearded men with deep voices,” mentions Sumaiya Islam, a Nuclear Science and Engineering student.  “In a society where men struggle to be vulnerable and be seen as ‘manly’ enough, BTS breaks the gender norms by wearing makeup, jewellery, gender-neutral clothes, and long, colourful hair. They have completely changed my viewpoint on Asian men.”  Sumaiya has been an ARMY since 2018.

Atanu Roy Chowdhury shared that the band makes him feel “seen”. “Mental health is affecting our lives, but people don’t want to talk about it.  BTS is using the universal language of music to tell the world how important mental health is,” he says. “One of my closest friends died by suicide in 2012, and there are times when it still breaks my heart thinking that I will never see her or talk to her again. Songs from BTS albums help to ease the pain.  Having my favourite musicians talk about such issues makes me feel more connected to them.”

By breaking down age-old, ignorant ideas like “men don’t cry” and “only girls can wear makeup”, openly talking about their struggles and sharing their emotions, BTS are showing the world that gender does not have to confine anyone and there should be no one standard of being. Group members Min Yoongi (Suga), Kim Namjoon (RM) and recently, Kim Taehyung (V) and Kim Seokjin (Jin), are known for being open about their struggles with anxiety, depression and burn-out. “I have been called ‘girly’ because I like cooking, cleanliness and keeping my hair long. Even the way I walk has been criticised. Terms like ‘girly’ and ‘gay’ are so easily used as insults, when they should not be,” adds Atanu. “Toxic masculinity is so ingrained in us, and it affects people of all ages. BTS is fighting a difficult fight, and kudos to them for that!” Seeing someone like BTS’ Jungkook be named “Sexiest International Man Alive 2020”, in a sphere usually dominated by white men, can do wonders for brown, Asian men worldwide, giving them an ideal person they can actually relate to.  Another ARMY, Niaz Ahmed, shared that messages from the band to “Love Yourself” (a trilogy of their albums in 2018) resonated with him. “Their music was eye-opening, and helped me to start thinking that being happy with who I am is very important,” he says.

Subyeta Sarwar mentioned how being a part of the BTS fandom in Bangladesh has helped her connect with other ARMYs easily, creating deep bonds and long-lasting friendships. Going to different events such as the BD Korean Festival, hosted by BD K-Family, has helped her socialise and meet fellow ARMYs. Since there is a lack of K-pop concerts in Bangladesh, these events are the closest fans can get to experiencing them.

 For fans who have been with BTS for a couple of years like myself, it feels like we are growing up with them, experiencing the highs and lows of their lives and career alongside them, not as a distant fan, but as a close friend. There is a popular saying in the fandom, “If you are not a fan of BTS now, it’s because you’re not at a point where you need them yet. Just wait, they’ll find you and come to you when you need to be healed, never too early or too late.”

In the pop-dominated culture we live in, BTS have successfully utilised their music platform to spread the message of social inequality and injustice, which the youth often face. By speaking up about these issues, BTS are not only breaking the preconceived societal stereotypes and creating awareness, they are also urging their fans to do the same. To quote the group’s leader, Kim Namjoon (RM), from his UNICEF speech at the United Nations in 2018, “No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin colour, gender identity: speak yourself.” 

SHAKESPEAREAN ROMANCES

Romance” was not a generic classification in Shakespeare’s time. The plays of Shakespeare’s final period (1608-12) are called Romances. In Shakespeare’s own time they were simply classified as tragedies or comedies. These plays are Pericles, Cymbeline, The Tempest, and The Winter’s Tale. Perhaps another play The Two Noble Kinsmen also may be included in this group. They are called romances because they exhibit several characteristics of romance literature. 

Shakespeare must have written these plays under the influence of his younger contemporaries Beaumont and Fletcher whose tragic comedies were becoming very popular. The masques at the court of James 1 also must have influenced Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s romances are, in fact, neither tragedies nor comedies but are a mixture of both.
Dowden has pointed out that the last plays of Shakespeare reveal sobriety, serenity, and sanity as contrasted with the storm and strain of the tragedies. They supplement the tragedies with their more relaxed atmosphere and are marked by great forbearance, a sense of reconciliation, and forgiveness. However, Lytton Strachey thinks that these plays express a mood of boredom rather than serenity.

Romance is a natural step in describing the human experience after a tragedy. In Romance, time seems to be “reversible”; there are second chances and fresh starts. As a result, categories such as to cause and effect, beginning and end, are displaced by a sense of simultaneity and harmony. The tragedy is governed by a sense of Fate (Macbeth, Hamlet) or Fortune (King Lear); in Romance, the sense of destiny comes instead from Divine Providence.
Tragedy depicts alienation and destruction, Romance, reconciliation, and restoration. In tragedies, characters are destroyed as a result of their actions and choices; in Romance, characters respond to situations and events rather than provoking them. Shakespeare had made use of romance material throughout his career The Two Gentlemen of Verona is based on a famous romance, for instance, and small-scale masques are performed in many plays, while others contain masque-like elements.

The romances of Shakespeare have certain common characteristics. They have motifs common in romance literature such as improbable happenings, separation, wanderings, reunion, and reconciliation. They contain several elements of the tragicomedies made popular by Beaumont and Fletcher. There are only a few memorable characters in these plays Shakespeare has returned to his lyrical style of the earlier plays.

The main characteristics of the Shakespearean romances:

  • The scene of these plays is unknown, remote and the setting is imaginary. Cymbeline is set in early Britain and the setting of The Tempest is somewhere in the Mediterranean.
  • The happenings are fanciful. There is no logical cause-and-effect relationship. In the light of reason, the events may appear absurd. The feats of magic in The Tempest, the concealment of Hermione for sixteen years in The winter’s Tale, and the abduction of the two sons of Cymbeline would appear unnatural. But in Shakespeare’s world of imagination, these events are delightful.
  • Characters are types. They do not have the marked personalities of the characters in the great comedies or tragedies. However, heroines are more memorable than heroes. Miranda, Perdita, and Imogen are lovely but weak. Villains like Iachimo in Cymbeline and Leontes in The Winter’s Tale are not hardened, villains. Even Ferdinand in The Tempest is no match for Benedick or Orlando.
  • The supernatural element is predominant in romances. The Tempest and Cymbeline are examples. The Tempest also shows Prospero’s magic and the elusive character Ariel. In The Winter’s Tale, the Delphic Oracle is introduced and in Pericles, the King’s wife Thaisa becomes a priestess in the temple of Diana. 
  • In romance’s sea is dominant. There is a shipwreck in Pericles and The Tempest. Sea voyages are mentioned in all of them. Sea is the symbol of regeneration.
  • The romances are marked by a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness. In The Tempest, Prospero forgives his wicked brother Antonio; in Cymbeline posthumous reconciles with Hermione.

SAMSUNG

When you hear this name “ Samsung”, I guess most of the people think about cell phones and that too typically the Samsung Galaxy. Even right now, you must  be reading this article on Samsung Galaxy. They have been selling hundreds of millions of those cell phones more than any other company. But little do you know that Samsung is not just about the smartphones or should I say, Samsung is more than just you know.

Samsung electronics has been consistently ranked by the Fortune as the one of the largest companies in the world. Their sales have been more than $200 billion each year. You can see Samsung LEDs in most of the houses in your neighborhood or in your house as well. They’re from South Korea and for their entire country, their GDP is like about $1.6 trillion meaning that this only company accounts an eighth of that. Not only South Korea is ahead in electronics field but their dramas and songs (K-pop) always remain popular. This country is ahead of many country in so many areas. Samsung electronics is just a small part of whole Samsung group.  After combining all, they hold responsible for atmost 20% of Korea’s GDP.  Samsung started in the year 1938 before the electronics branch started. It was all started by Lee Byung- Chul. He was 28 years old back then and their official logo featured three stars which actually depicted the longevity of the business. The Korean war made things more

difficult but when it ended in 1953, he took advantage of the opportunity and expanded into all of these other industries. First, it was commodities when he built a sugar refinery that happened to be the first of its kind that was

built in the country after the war. Following that was textiles when he opened the largest woolen mill in the country, after that it was insurance a tv station and a department store for these first 30 years. They seemed to be involved in everything

except electronics. They were already generating over 100 million dollars in annual revenue before what became Samsung electronics company. Samsung became so successful so fast because of Chaebol  that is a Korean word that is defined as a family controlled industrial conglomerate in South Korea.

Samsung fits that definition perfectly because they are the biggest in their kind. Following the Korean war, the country’s economy was in some trouble that they weren’t producing much and they definitely weren’t exporting much then in 1963. There was this new president named Park Chung-hee who was very set on expanding this economy.

His main method of doing it was to try to centralize everything. He essentially wanted to take the bigger businesses and help make them bigger. The idea is simple enough if the companies grow so does their economy.

Now Samsung already being one of these larger businesses was tremendously helped by this intervention. The Korean government would help Samsung, they would be providing them loans under favourable terms and by giving them special tax breaks.

The market pushed the consumers towards Samsung.

Later in that decade, when they started making semiconductors, the Korean government said that they would only allow International companies to enter their market only if they handed over some of their technology secrets to Samsung.

The methods were successful in growing Samsung and the Korean economy in general but it may not have been the best way to do it.

The country is now very reliant on one company. Not only in electronics, Samsung has produced washing machines, vehicles and has sold life insurance as well.

Samsung is not just about phones but it holds big parts in different areas !!

The Princess who Chased the Butterflies

A princess in a castle,

A castle, as beautiful as paradise,

But it’s beauty clutched by the shadows of the forest.

Darkness smiled inside the castle,

The princess fought bravely in the battle.

On one side were the ugly butterflies,

On the other were her two beautiful guardian angels.

The butterflies scanned the princess’ body from top to bottom,

The angels, whom she loved the most,

Lectured her the lessons from the book- “How to be a Princess?”

The angels breathed in the young princess’ heart,

So she took the notes of the lecture with her beautiful pen,

Whose red ink was supplied from her own veins.

She was shrinking and all her blood became letters on the paper,

But her love blindfolded her eyes and she still took the notes.

As she filled two notebooks with the important quotes,

She realized that she could not write ’cause the twilight no more touched the castle,

But the darkness now failed to conceal the evil

Inside the butterflies fluttering around the mansion.

The princess opened her eyes,

And with her sword, she tore the butterflies into two halves.

She was proud of herself and returned to her lessons,

But she saw the butterflies of the same colour and size inside her guardian angels’ soul.

She didn’t knew how to kill the evil inside her beloved angels,

But she tried and managed to flew them away from the castle.

Now the path of the sunlight was clear and the shadows disappeared,

But the two butterflies, were still alive and watching the princess from far away.

The princess was happy because her lovely angels tore the book of lessons into two halves,

And started a new chapter, whose notes she took with love and smiles and laughter.

Even the trees in the forest were proud of the little princess,

And cherished her victory by holding the waters from the heavens in the petals.

The princess of the beautiful castle,

Indeed fought bravely in the battle!

The 9 Elements of a Shakespearean Tragedy

In Shakespeare’s tragedies, the main protagonist generally has a flaw that leads to his downfall. There are both internal and external struggles and often a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure (and tension). Often there are passages or characters that have the job of lightening the mood (comic relief), but the overall tone of the piece is quite serious. Below we are going to take a more in-depth look at each of the elements of Shakespearean tragedy, as well as explore a few examples

  • The Tragic Hero
    A tragic hero is one of the most significant elements of a Shakespearean tragedy. This type of tragedy is essentially a one-man show. It is a story about one, or sometimes two, characters. The hero may be either male or female and he or she must suffer because of some flaw of character, because of inevitable fate, or both. The hero must be the most tragic personality in the play.
    An important feature of the tragic hero is that he or she is a towering personality in his/her state/kingdom/country. This person hails from the elite stratum of society and holds a high position, often one of royalty. Tragic heroes are kings, princes, or military generals, who are very important to their subjects. In the classic Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Montague is the tragic hero, whose undoing is his obsession with Juliet Capulet. Juliet’s fake death triggers his emotions, leading him to take poison and die right beside his sleeping love.
Romeo and Juliet, two of Shakespeare’s tragic characters
  • Good vs. Evil
    Shakespearean tragedies play out the struggle between good and evil. Most of them deal with the supremacy of evil and suppression of good. Evil is presented in Shakespearean tragedies in a way that suggests its existence is an indispensable and ever-enduring thing. For example, in Hamlet, the reader is given the impression that something rotten will definitely happen to Denmark (foreshadowing). Though the reader gets an inkling, typically the common people of the play are unaware of the impending evil.
    In Julius Caesar, the mob is unaware of the struggle between good and evil within King Caesar. They are also ignorant of the furtive and sneaky motives of Cassius. Goodness never beats evil in the tragedies of Shakespeare. Evil conquers goodness. The reason for this is that the evil element is always disguised, while goodness is open and freely visible to all.
  • Hamartia
    Hamartia is the Greek word for “sin” or “error”, which derives from the verb hamatanein, meaning “to err” or “to miss the mark”. In other words, hamartia refers to the hero’s tragic flaw. It is another absolutely critical element of a Shakespearean tragedy. Every hero falls due to some flaw in his or her character.
    Once again, Hamlet comes into focus as a perfect illustration of hamartia and its role in the tragedy. His indecisiveness and overthinking lead him to overreact, killing Polonius thinking that he was Claudius, his father’s murderer. His obsession with vengeance leads to the senseless murder of the innocent man stirring up tragedy after tragedy. He could have killed Claudius when he was praying at the church but could not act due to his overthinking.
  • Tragic Waste
    In Shakespearean tragedies, the hero usually dies along with his opponent. The death of a hero is not an ordinary death; it encompasses the loss of an exceptionally intellectual, honest, intelligent, noble, and virtuous person. In a tragedy, when good is destroyed along with evil, the loss is known as a “tragic waste.” Shakespearean tragedy always includes a tragic waste of goodness. Hamlet is a perfect example of tragic waste. Even though Hamlet succeeds in uprooting the evil from Denmark, he does so at the cost of his death. In this case, the good (Hamlet) gets destroyed along with evil (Claudius). Neither of them wins. Instead, they fail together.
Tragic waste in Hamlet.
  • Conflict
    In Shakespearean tragedies, two types of conflict take place:
    • External conflict – The hero faces conflict from his antagonists.
    • Internal Conflict – The hero faces conflict in their mind.
    Macbeth struggles internally, wondering whether to take power by force. He has to choose to either remain loyal to Duncan or heed his wife’s advice. He faces an external conflict when Banquo and Macduff rise to challenge his illegitimate rule.
  • Catharsis
    Catharsis is a remarkable feature of a Shakespearean tragedy. It refers to the cleansing of the audience’s pent-up emotions. In other words, Shakespearean tragedies help the audience to feel and release emotions through the aid of tragedy. When we watch a tragedy, we identify with the characters and take their losses personally. A Shakespearean tragedy gives us an opportunity to feel pity for a certain character and fear for another, almost as if we are playing the roles ourselves. The hero’s hardships compel us to empathize with him. The villain’s cruel deeds cause us to feel wrath toward him. Tears flow freely when a hero like Hamlet dies. At the same time, we feel both sorry for Hamlet and happy that Claudius has received his proper punishment.
  • Supernatural Elements
    Supernatural elements are another key aspect of a Shakespearean tragedy. They play an important role in creating an atmosphere of awe, wonder, and sometimes fear. Supernatural elements are typically used to advance the story and drive the plot. The ghost Hamlet sees plays an important role in stirring up internal conflict. It is the ghost who tells Hamlet his father was killed by his uncle Claudius and assigns him the duty of taking revenge. Similarly, the witches in Macbeth play a significant role in the plot. These witches are responsible for motivating Macbeth to resort to murder to ascend the throne of Scotland.
Supernatural Element in Shakespeare: The three witches in Macbeth
  • Lack of Poetic Justice
    Shakespeare’s tragedies share a strikingly similar trait; the lack of poetic justice. Poetic justice occurs when both good and evil characters experience justice. In the real world, good deeds do not always beget rewards, and evil may go unpunished. King Lear’s benevolent daughter, Cordelia, dies while trying to rescue her father. Her tragic end depicts the unfairness of life, which is relatively common and relatable to most people.
  • Fate
    Othello is a tragedy that depicts the powerlessness of man when it comes to the destiny. His love for Desdemona elicits disapproval from her father due to his black skin. He never chose to be born black and cannot change his appearance. His black skin feeds his insecurities, and the fact that he is commonly referred to as the Moor makes it worse. His insecurities eventually lead him to kill Desdemona and stab himself.

How to improve Loving Mindful relationships?

Plenty of exercise. Healthy food. Positive attitude. Plain old good luck. There’s lots of advice out there about how to keep body and brain in optimal shape as the years roll by.

But Louis Cozolino, professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, is deeply engaged with another idea. In Cozolino’s book, Timeless: Nature’s Formula for Health and Longevity, he emphasizes the positive impact of human relationships.

“How we bond and stay attached to others is at the core of our resilience, self-esteem, and physical health,” Cozolino writes. “We build the brains of our children through our interaction with them, and we keep our own brains growing and changing throughout life by staying connected to others.”

Mindful Couple

5 Effective ways to strengthen your relationship:

Spend time with the right people

We generally become more and more like the people with whom we spend our time. The more we see someone model a behavior and see that behavior being reinforced in positive ways, the more likely we are to try it out ourselves—whether it’s a friend having success with a new exercise routine or a partner staying calm during disagreements by tuning into their breath.

One of the most fundamental ways to make sure your relationships are helping you grow is to surround yourself with the right people. Some relationships frustrate us, some make us happy, and some challenge us (and some relationships do all three!). While it isn’t always easy to stop and start relationships, of course, we can aim to spend more time with the people who challenge us.

Create goals with others

Who says that goal setting should be a solitary venture?

When we share our goals with others, we immediately have someone to keep us accountable. It is difficult to stay on track with a goal all the time, but it’s easier if we have someone to help us work through an obstacle or pick us up when we fall.

The social support that we receive from others is incredibly powerful, particularly during those tough times. When the pressure is high, those who have greater levels of social support tend to experience less stress.

We may also be more motivated when we are working toward a goal with someone else. Think about being pushed by a running mate to jog a little faster than you would otherwise. Or giving up your Saturday for a service project because a friend is doing the same thing. Sometimes we need someone else to inspire us to be our best.

Ask for feedback

It’s usually up to us to decide on the areas where we could use some self-improvement. And while this process of self-reflection is important, we can sometimes be bad judges of our own abilities; we usually assume we know much more than we actually do. So why not look to our relationships as a source of feedback about where we can improve?

Feedback is crucial for our development. Research has shown that when we seek feedback and use it as an opportunity for growth, we are more likely to improve over time. How much faster would that process be if we went and asked for feedback instead of waiting for it to come? Imagine your partner’s reaction if you were to ask for feedback on what you could have done differently after a big fight, or how blown away your teenager would be if you asked how you could be a better parent this school year.

Our positive relationships represent a safe space for us to work on ourselves with support from people who care about us. But sometimes we have to make the first move and ask for that support.

Use your broader network

Just like financial capital, social capital is a valuable resource that we can invest in for our own good. The more meaningful relationships we have, the more social resources become available. We often find work or beloved hobbies through our relationships, even at three or four degrees of separation—like your brother’s wife’s friend, who heard about that great new job opening.

In addition to exposing us to new ideas, activities, and opportunities, social capital also frees us up to do more of the things we are good at when we find others to help with the things we aren’t as good at. This has benefits at home and at work: For example, employees are more engaged when they get to spend more time using their strengths. And teenagers are happier and less stressed when their parents focus on building their strengths.

Be grateful

Gratitude has long been promoted as a way of increasing our happiness, but it also motivates us toward self-improvement. If you want a simple boost from your relationships, you can start by just practicing gratitude for them. The act of being thankful can increase our confidence and encourage us to move forward with our goals, perhaps because it tends to make us feel more connected to people and creates feelings of elevation—a strong positive emotion that comes when we see others do good deeds.

So think about someone who has helped you a great deal in the past, and reach out to thank them. Not only will that exchange feel good for both of you, but it might also reignite a relationship that can spark your further growth.

What Is a Shakespearean Tragedy?

A Shakespearean tragedy is a play penned by Shakespeare himself or a play written in the style of Shakespeare by a different author. Shakespearean tragedy has got its own specific features, which distinguish it from other kinds of tragedies. Traditionally Shakespeare play types are categorized as Comedy, History, and Tragedy, with some additional play categories proposed over the years. The plays grouped as Shakespeare tragedies follow the Aristotelian model of a noble, flawed protagonist who makes a mistake and suffers a fall from his position before the normal order is somehow resumed. It must be kept in mind that Shakespeare is mostly indebted to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy in his works.

Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy
A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language; in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.”
— Aristotle

What Is a Tragedy?

A tragedy is a play which when adequately acted before an audience can produce a complete cleansing of the emotions. To effect such a catharsis the dramatist much move the audience; he must have a capacity to feel the patho of human suffering, a strong moral sense, and great craftsmanship. The word tragedy was derived from the Greek word tragoidia, which means ‘the song of the goat.’ It is called “the song of the goat” because in ancient Greece the theater performers used to wear goatskin costumes to represent satyrs. Today in theater and literature a tragedy is a work that has an unhappy ending. The ending must include the main character’s downfall.

List of Shakespeare Tragedy Plays

Shakespeare wrote eleven tragedies beginning with ‘Titus Andronicus’. They include the four great tragedies ‘Hamlet’, ‘Othello’, ‘Macbeth’ and ‘king Lear’, the two great Roman tragedies ‘Julius Caesar’, and ‘Antony Cleopatra’ and the lyrical tragedy ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

The Origin of Shakespearean Tragedy

One of the main features of Renaissance art is that it was inspired by classical art and philosophy. This is evident in the work of such artists as Michelangelo who, caught up in the spirit of Humanism that was sweeping across Europe, focused on the human form. Focusing on the human form during Mediaeval times would have been impossible as it would have been a distraction from the necessary focus on God.

The essence of Humanistic art was that human beings were created in God’s image so it was possible for Michelangelo even to portray God – as a beautiful and physically powerful man with realistic human features, presented as perfection – in fact, the human form at its most beautiful. Artists became anatomists, going as far as buying human bodies for dissection. The result was a new realism in the representation of human beings in art.

Shakespeare is, in a way, the Michelangelo of literature. That he could, in one play, Othello, written four hundred years ago, represent what we can recognize as a modern psychopath and a modern alcoholic, in Iago and Cassio respectively, is incredible. Iago is a fully realized psychological character just as David is a fully realized man physically.

Greek drama was an important model for Renaissance drama after the flat, unrealistic morality plays of the medieval centuries. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined tragedy and asserted that it was the noblest and most serious, dignified, and important form of drama. Many of the plays of the Renaissance resembled those Greek tragedies. In several of Shakespeare’s plays, there is a central protagonist who undergoes a harrowing experience as he is brought down from his lofty height, ending up dead.

There is also a special feeling created in an observer of those Shakespeare dramas, similar to the feeling described by Aristotle as the effect of tragedy on an observer. Critics thus thought of those Shakespeare plays as tragedies and that notion has remained with us to this day, although many of those interested in Shakespeare are now thinking differently about the plays from this ‘Shakespearean tragedy’ label. There are still teachers, though, who teach the ‘tragedies’ as though they were Aristotelian tragedies and miss a great deal of what those plays are doing.

EXAMPLES OF SHAKESPEARE’S TRAGIC CHARACTERS

Using the term ‘Shakespeare tragedy’ about any of Shakespeare’s plays invites attempts to fit them to the Aristotelian pattern but none of them fits exactly. Othello seems to conform to the pattern but when one thinks about it, Othello, superficially resembling a tragic hero, doesn’t even seem to be the main character in the play. It can be seen as a modern psychological drama about a psychopath who manipulates every one around him just for fun – just because he has nothing better to do – and destroying other human beings gives him pleasure or is necessary because they get in his way.
Othello may seem to have a fatal flaw – too trusting, gullible – but so do all the other characters, because Iago has deceived them all with his psychopathic charm and a deliberate effort of making himself appear trustworthy. Every misjudgment Othello makes is the hard work of Iago. Easily manipulated? Jealous? Does he have all those ‘tragic flaws’ as well? The feeling at the end is not quite Aristotle either. Perhaps it is more of disgust for Iago than pity for Othello, who comes across as more stupid than tragic. And to make things more complicated, our feeling of pity is directed more to, Desdemona. And yet some teachers miss the meaning of this play by their insistence on teaching it as an Aristotelian tragedy.
Antony and Cleopatra are sometimes called a ‘double tragedy’. While Othello appears to fit the Aristotelian pattern because of the huge charisma of Othello at the beginning of the play Antony and Cleopatra cannot fit it in any shape or form. In tragedy, the focus is on the mind and inner struggle of the protagonist. The emotional information comes to the audience from that source. In comedy the information comes from a variety of sources and the comic effect is produced by a display of many different points of view, coming at the audience from different angles. That is exactly what happens in Antony and Cleopatra, so we have something very different from a Greek tragedy. What we have is a miracle – a tragic feeling coming out of a comic structure.
So what is Shakespearean tragedy? Perhaps there is no such thing. And yet we can identify tragic moments, feelings, and even a cathartic effect in some of the plays. We must be very careful not to insist on fitting them to any pattern because that wouldn’t help us understand the plays. We must look elsewhere for our understanding of them. Moreover, all of Shakespeare’s plays have elements of both tragedy and comedy, sometimes very finely balanced, creating effects that Aristotle could never have dreamt of.

REMEDIAL TEACHING

Remedial Teaching is a kind of teaching method or instructional work carried out to provide remedial measure to students. The word “ remedy” means “to rectify” or “to improve” something. So, Remedial teaching is carried out to provide remedial measures to get rid of common or specific weakness of students. The major objective of remedial teaching is to provide learning support and additional help to pupils who are not good as their peers in performance. Students with learning difficulties have some psychological needs. Some have less ability to comprehend abstract ideas and concepts. Others may have poor memory. So it is integral in remedial teaching to identify the specific weakness of pupils.

The learning difficulties in students are various. They may include poor memory, weak in problem solving power, short attention span, lack of learning motivation, lack of self confidence and self expectation, difficulty in understanding new or abstract concepts. So assessment is the first step in remedial teaching. Assessment is also the important factor, because through this the teacher gets a knowledge about the skills and weaknesses of a student. The capacity of students should be assessed by the teacher through survey testing. This will help the teacher to find the present level of achievement and difficult areas of a student. This will also aid the teacher in preparing suitable individual teaching materials. The survey testing reveals the strength and weakness of the class as a whole and the levels of discrepancies in the various basic skills of each student. So the test will help in classifying the students into groups for works like reading, spelling etc.

Teachers use various methods in remedial teaching. There must be diverse learning activities with the same teaching objective to develop abilities and skills of students. Quizzing is the most common method used in remedial teaching. Analyzing the progress of students will help in regrouping them if necessary. Designing meaningful learning situation is important. Suitable language environment is very important in second language classes. Games and activities also stimulate the interest and initiative in learning. Different teaching methods should be adapted by the teacher to improve the learning capacity of students. For example, the teacher should give valuable examples before proceeding to abstract concepts, which will help in easy understanding. Providing clear instructions is also important for students who are less competent in understanding written language. There must be short and clear instruction to avoid confusion among students. Summarising main points is another method which enhances the audio visual memories. Teachers can also guide the students to link up classroom knowledge with life experiences. This will enhance effectiveness of learning. Enhancing learning interest is important in remedial teaching. Teachers can design interesting activities coupled with reward scheme to stimulate the interest of students, for example role play, debate, narrating incidents and games related to language learning initiate learning. Remedial teaching should enhance the active participation of students to enhance their self confidence. Concern for individual performance is important. If individualized remedial teaching is necessary it should be done before or after the class, so the students can remove learning obstacles as soon as possible. Teachers should also note common errors made by these students

Thus remedial teaching is a very significant method . This provides correct foundation to rectify mistakes and for future learning. It hastens the process of learning. Underachievers are promoted to update learning and other students are promoted to expand learning. Remedial teaching also creates confidence in students and it help them to realize their full potential.

WHAT IS A SONNET?

The sonnet is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries. Traditionally, the Sonnet is a lyric in fourteen lines in iambic pentameter governed by certain prescribed rules in general and in the arrangement of the rhymes. It aims at concentrated expression, but fairly complex development of a single theme also is possible. It derives its name from the Italian ‘sonnetto’ which means ‘a little song’ or sound sung to the strain of music. It has only one leading thought or emotion as in Milton’s ‘On His Blindness’ or Keats’s ‘On first looking into Chapman’s homer.

Primary Types of Sonnets:

In English literature, there are two basic sonnet patterns:

Petrarchan Sonnet:

The first and most common sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the octave has two rhymes ‘a’ and ‘b’ arranged in ab ab, ab ab scheme. The sestet has three rhymes arranged in various forms as abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd is suited for the rhyme-rich Italian language, though there are many fine examples in English. The octave may be divided into two stanzas of four lines each called tercets. Since the Petrarchan presents an argument, observation, question, or some other answerable charge in the octave, a turn, or volta, occurs between the eighth and ninth lines. This turn marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever answer the octave demands.

Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet to England in the early sixteenth century. His famed translations of Petrarch’s sonnets, as well as his own sonnets, drew fast attention to the form. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, a contemporary of Wyatt’s, whose own translations of Petrarch are considered more faithful to the original though less fine to the ear, modified the Petrarchan, thus establishing the structure that became known as the Shakespearean sonnet. This structure has been noted to lend itself much better to the comparatively rhyme-poor English language.

Shakespearean Sonnet:

The second major type of sonnet, the Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a different set of rules. Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end. In sonnet 130 of William Shakespeare’s epic sonnet cycle, the first twelve lines compare the speaker’s mistress unfavorably with nature’s beauties, but the concluding couplet swerves in a surprising direction.
 

Shakespeare Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ eyes

Variations on the Sonnet Form

John Milton’s Italian-patterned sonnets (later known as “Miltonic” sonnets) added several important refinements to the form. Milton freed the sonnet from its typical incarnation in a sequence of sonnets, writing the occasional sonnet that often expressed interior, self-directed concerns. He also took liberties with the turn, allowing the octave to run into the sestet as needed. Both of these qualities can be seen in “When I Consider How My Ligth is Spent”.

The Spenserian sonnet, invented by sixteenth-century English poet Edmund Spenser, cribs its structure from the Shakespearean—three quatrains and a couplet—but employs a series of “couplet links” between quatrains, as revealed in the rhyme scheme: abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee. The Spenserian sonnet, through the interweaving of the quatrains, implicitly reorganized the Shakespearean sonnet into couplets, reminiscent of the Petrarchan. One reason was to reduce the often excessive final couplet of the Shakespearean sonnet, putting less pressure on it to resolve the foregoing argument, observation, or question.

THe Theme:

The common theme of a sonnet is love as in the sonnets of Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. However several poets have used other themes also in their sonnets. Milton’s sonnet ‘On His Blindness ‘,Wordsworth’s sonnet addressed to Milton, Keat’s sonnet ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer and Arnold’s sonnet on Shakespeare are examples.

Examples of Famous Fisrt Lines in Shakespeare’s Sonnet:

William Shakespeare is credited with writing 154 sonnets, collected and published a few years after his death. Shakespeare featured many themes and subjects in his sonnets, and his works in this poetic form are arguably the most famous in English literature. Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets are known by their first-line rather than their number. Here are some examples of famous first lines in Shakespeare’s sonnets:

  • Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war
  • Those lines that I before have writ do lie
  • To me, fair friend, you never can be old
  • My love is as a fever longing still
  • Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
  • So are you to my thoughts as food to life
  • My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
  • No longer mourn for me when I am dead
  • Love is too young to know what conscience is
  • Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface

Sonnet Sequences:

There are several types of sonnet groupings, including the sonnet sequence, which is a series of linked sonnets dealing with a unified subject. Examples include Elizabeth Barrett Brownings’s Sonnet from the Portuguese and Lady Mary Wroth’s The Countess of Montgomery’s Urania, published in 1621, the first sonnet sequence by an English woman.

Within the sonnet sequence, several formal constraints have been employed by various poets, including the corona (crown) and sonnet redoublé. In the corona, the last line of the initial sonnet acts as the first line of the next, and the ultimate sonnet’s final line repeats the first line of the initial sonnet. La Corona by John Donne  is comprised of seven sonnets structured this way. The sonnet redoublé is formed of 15 sonnets, the first 14 forming a perfect corona, followed by the final sonnet, which is comprised of the 14 linking lines in order.

All about the increase in marriage age of girls in India.

The government on Tuesday 21st December 2021, introduced a bill in Lok Sabha which focuses on the amendment of the prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 to raise the marriage age for girls from 18 to 21 years and bring it at par with men. This bill has successfully started socio-political debates over whether social attitudes can be fully legalised.

The government made it clear that the bill seeks to override all existing laws which govern the parties in relation to marriage. All the existing laws like the Indian Christian Marriage Act, the Divorce Act, the Hindu Marriage act and all others will be brought in consonance to this particular amendment. This bill will come into force two years from the date it receives the signature of the President.

According to the government on the Prime Minister it is necessary for the girls to be married at the right age this bill will empower Young women by increasing their access to education and reducing infant mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio. However there have been a lot of protests against this bill as a number of elites and people believe that this bill will only strengthen patriarchy and might prove to be problematic instead of improving the condition of women in India.

Various women organisation have show their concern regarding this bill according to them the scope of this bill is very narrow as it focuses only on increasing the marriage age rather than focusing on the circumstances that early marriage is a symptom of. Increasing the age of marriage will either harm or have no impact by itself under the root causes of the women’s disempowerment are addressed. As it is a no hidden the fact that the Indian society is deeply entrenched in patriarchy and this act might come handy for parents and allowe them to control the autonomy of young girls and to penalise them for their sexual choices.

People are also concerned that if a married girl of 18 on 19 years faces matrimonial problems and issues and approaches the code for a solution then her husband might plead that the marriage is void and she is devoid of her matrimonial rites. For solving this problem the government it need to specify the condition of women in under age marriage and the government needs to ensure that these women will not lose their matrimonial rights.

The task force had asked the government to increase the number of educational institutions for girls and provide better accessibility to such institutions. Government needs to provide skill training ,better opportunities to girls then only such acts and laws will be able to truly achieve their objectives. Government needs to focus on bringing in structural changes by providing better employment opportunities, a safe and sound environment and society. These are the more pressing issues at the moment and trying to solve them will actually impose a financial burden on the government whereas implementing an act in the parliament won’t be imposing any kind of economical or financial burden on the government. The priorities need to be sorted before making any further amendments in the constitution.

Let’s talk about TIK-TOK

TikTok is the app which made a chaos in the world with  its features and popularity. Almost every corner of the world has some people who either make TikTok videos or watch them.

But there are countries like India and Indonesia that applied the censorship on this app due to its negative effect on the young generation and Spreading the misleading information out there in the world.

What were the reasons behind this app and what made this app super famous?

In 2014, two friends, Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang had the idea of making an educational app. They wanted to make a short video app through which people would learn more about the educational topics in short period of time.

They thought that there was this need of that idea and had the funding of $2.5 Lakh. They created that product but they failed in the market as the educational content was not sufficient to absorb and understand that quickly.

They learnt from these mistakes and decided to go for some other ideas. They observed that the younger generation at that time was indulged in the taking selfies and having cameras on all the time. They got the idea of creating a social platform which would be the combination of video, music and photos after observing in the market. They focused more on the duration of the video that the video should be at least of 15 seconds and more. With these ideas and the old experiences, they launched the app named “ Musical.ly”. It was getting the responses but it did not turn out to be a trend.

They had the feature of lip-syncing and they saw potential in this feature. They started to promote their app through this feature and it turned out to be a trend. This app has always been in top apps in the iTunes

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

People already had Instagram, snapchat and Facebook, they needed  something new now. So, the creators decided to come up with a platform consisting all these features.  Musical.ly had an overwhelming response. In 2017, Chinese company ByteDance bought that company in 1 billion dollars. There are in-app purchases in the app through which it generates the revenue. Through funding as well, this app reached the revenue of 75 billion dollars. Also, Musical.ly turned into the Tik-Tok in 2018.

This app has been growing and creating controversies ever since then. Even when everything has turned online, this app did not get affected much but despite it grew more bigger.

Ideas to change your life!

“People don’t like to think, if one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.” – Helen Keller

Think big, act small

Never let anything hold you back when you think of ideas.
You’ve got nothing to lose. Just make sure you act small. Put in the work and stay practical.

Problems are unanswered questions

Every time you experience stress over a problem, you’re sabotaging your life.
A problem is nothing but an unanswered question. So stay calm. And figure out the answer.

firm foundation for relationships

Wrong reasons to start relationships include money, fear of being alone, abuse, needing attention.
The foundation of all relationships should be based on love, respect, support, trust, patience, good company, laughter, sadness, and more support.

Nothing in life is free

You always pay for something with money, time (the most valuable thing you have), or other resources.
Life is a business. And smart business people spend their resources wisely.

Never be afraid of making decisions

Waiting, postponing, doubting, researching too much — it’s all not useful. Get your act together, and decide firmly whenever you have to make one. 
And when you made the wrong decision, own it, apologize, and make another decision.

Decide to become a leader

Being a leader also has nothing to do with your title.
When everyone looks at each other because no one wants to take responsibility, decide that you will take responsibility.

Productivity yields results

There’s only one thing that helps you to go from nothing to something: You have to put in the work. 
Make sure you value effectiveness over everything. Results matter. Get things done and move on to the next thing.

See yourself as a salesperson

In almost everything you do, you’re selling yourself.
When you sell, be transparent, honest, and to the point. Don’t waste your time on people who don’t like you anyway. 

Improve your skills

To improve your self-confidence.
You only improve your self-confidence by becoming good at something: By learning, doing, seeing results, and repeating that process for years. Your confidence will grow slowly every day.

Value your friends

We’re social animals. When we’re alone, we die early.  
So be nice to each other. And respect that your friends also have lives of their own.

Don’t believe everything you see

Don’t believe all the success stories you see everywhere. YouTubers, Instagram models, millionaire entrepreneurs: They seem perfect. But you only see the outside.
You don’t have to be a cynic. Just don’t take appearances for facts.

Learn to love criticism

It’s fuel for you. You can use criticism to improve yourself, your product, or your service. 
Or, if the criticism makes no sense, it can make you angry, which is also a good thing. That type of anger is useful. “I’ll show them!”

Take care of your body

If you can’t take care of your body, you can’t take care of anything.
You can influence your health by eating healthy, exercising, and treating your body with respect.

Happiness is a choice

You control your thoughts. That means you decide what you do with your life. If you’re unsatisfied, angry, or frustrated, that’s all you.

Create something

Make yourself useful. 
Instead of consuming so much information, products, and entertainment from others, spend a fraction of that time on creating something yourself.

Reference

https://observer.com/2017/02/i-have-15-ideas-to-change-your-life-do-you-have-five-minutes/

PEPSI

Pepsi, the name that we often hear when our throat gets dry and we need something other than water. But this name is bigger than what we think of.

Their products are sold in over 200 countries and territories. The company that sells over 1 billion dollars over a year would be very big, right?

Pepsico is the owner of 23 separate brands that all exceed that figure in addition to numerous offers. It all combines to over $70  billion in revenue.  They have been consistently placed in the Fortune top 500 list which means they are one of the biggest companies out there in the market.

They sold their first time under the name “Pepsi”. It was initially made by the pharmacist “Caleb Doc Bradham” who created the original Pepsi. Coca- Cola was somewhat popular back then so he created something similar to that demand. He first named the drink as “Brad’s Drink” but later on he changed it to “Pepsi-Cola”. Afterwards, he started his business of it quite similar in the terms of Coca-Cola.

He would sell the formula to the soda stores to add soda to it and then sell it to customers. Once, this business started gaining the momentum then he closed his idea of selling the formula rather than that he started to make syrup for his own company.By 1910s, he built up a company for colas  of a very good size. During the world war, fearing that the price of sugar would go high, he spent a lot of his money on the sugar. Unfortunately, instead of increment in the price, the price went down which was quite shocking for me.

He after that returned to his original career of being the pharmacist. Pepsi went through two bankruptcy with the two owners of that product which means only third owner of the Pepsi was successful to make Pepsi to what it is right now!

The third owner of the brand was Charlie Guth. He actually was selling Coca-Cola which he stopped and started selling Pepsi-Cola. He decided to increase the quantity with having the same price. So, now Pepsi-Cola was coming more than Coca-Cola at the same price which was a great move to boost up their sales.

In 1977, the Pepsico bought Pizza Hut then in 1986, they bought Kentucky Fried chicken for about  850 million dollars meaning they were the owners of three top brands of Fast food including Taco Bell in 1978. It shows that Pepsico is not aiming to have the ownership of only Pepsi but other top brands as well.

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

Everything they owned were surely selling the Pepsi with their own original product. So, you could say that it was one of their marketing strategy as well.

Now, with this we can conclude that Pepsico is not all about Pepsi but other things as well. Pepsico is surely a bigger company than Coca-cola as in the recent years, it had $64 billion in revenue that is almost twice as Coca-Cola.

It’s unpredictable to judge its further future growth but there’s no doubt that it has been growing itself like crazy!!

Building best habits!

Building habits

Our habits have the power to enable us, most of the time, to live a more organized life. However, we might find it quite challenging when it comes to establishing new habits, as they require time and strong will. 
We should start by taking small steps every day to get used to eventually taking big ones for long periods.

Set measurable targets as habits

When trying to build new habits, be specific by thinking about ways to measure the evolution of your action: set clear targets that can help you, when the deadline previously decided on approaches, to evaluate your progress.

The pros and cons of building new habits

When picking up a new habit, think it well through: take into account the possible inconveniences as well as the most attractive advantages. 
Remember that sometimes it might get harder to keep to the habit, but eventually, you are doing it for a good cause that is related directly to yourself.

Get used to planning

Whenever you plan on building a new habit, make sure that you have already planned thoroughly what to do when difficulties appear: how to handle the situations that make it harder to respect your new routine. 

Associate new habits with the old ones

If you feel like picking up a new habit, don’t start from scratch. It is easier when you associate a new habit with one that already exists. 
This way, it will seem less work and fewer changes. In the end, both notions tend to scare us, so why not better avoid them?

Ensure the means

When building a new habit, make sure you have all the means that would enable you to get to like it faster. 
Equipment is often what matters the most when trying to get used to a new routine.

Provide the proper reward

When considering a new habit, make sure you see its accomplishment as satisfying rather than tiring. Therefore, choosing the proper reward after the completion of the habit can make you feel more at ease when it comes to your new routine.

Reference

https://zapier.com/blog/effective-habit-change/

Job offer

Shift yоur mindset аbоut the jоb оffer

Think аbоut the оffer in terms оf yоur develорment, quаlity оf life, аnd the vаriety оf the wоrk yоu wаnt tо dо. Think аbоut the trаde-оffs yоu аre gоing tо mаke.

When аn emрlоyer extends а jоb оffer tо yоu, he hаs рsyсhоlоgiсаlly соmmitted tо yоu. Yоu hаve mоre leverаge tо shарe yоur jоb desсriрtiоn аnd imрrоve yоur sаlаry аnd benefits расkаge immediаtely аfter yоu аre mаde аn оffer thаn in yоur first twо yeаrs оf emрlоyment.

Соmmitment аnd enthusiаsm

The рurроse оf the interview is tо get the оffer. The next stаge is аbоut соnsidering the оffer, then negоtiаting with yоur new emрlоyer.

Emрlоyers need tо feel thаt yоu аre соmmitted. Соntinue tо be enthusiаstiс in yоur deаlings with yоur рrоsрeсtive mаnаger sо yоu dоn’t sоund unсertаin thаt yоu wаnt the jоb.

Metriсs fоr аssessing а jоb оffer

Think аbоut whаt is imроrtаnt in yоur рrоfessiоnаl аnd рrivаte life, then аssess the оffer аgаinst these metriсs.

  • Sаlаry: Even when the mоney is enоugh, yоu need tо figure оut if it’s wоrthy оf yоur knоwledge аnd skills аnd in line with the lосаl mаrket.
  • Jоb соntent: Соnsider whether yоu will derive jоb sаtisfасtiоn frоm the оffer. Tо аnswer this questiоn, yоu need tо knоw the kinds оf асtivities yоu wаnt tо be invоlved in аnd the skills yоu wаnt tо use. Yоu will need а deeр understаnding оf whаt’s exрeсted оf yоu tо deсide whether yоu dо indeed wаnt the jоb.
  • Сulturаl fit: Аsk yоurself if it is а рlасe where yоu will be hаррy, сhаllenged, аnd where yоu will thrive. It might mаke sense tо dо а triаl run tо see whаt yоur соlleаgues аre like.
  • Flexibility, vасаtiоn, аnd оther рerks: Flexible hоurs аnd vасаtiоn time аre inсreаsingly vаluаble рerks. During the evаluаtiоn stаge, it’s imроrtаnt tо find оut whether сurrent emрlоyees аre аffоrded suсh benefits.
  • Оther орtiоns: Аlsо, аssess yоur wаlk-аwаy аlternаtives. Think аbоut the оffer in terms оf the соst аnd benefit оf stаrting the jоb seаrсh рrосess оver аgаin, оf stаying in yоur сurrent jоb, оr оf first seeing whаt оther оffers mаteriаlize.
Negоtiаting а jоb оffer: Devise yоur рlаn

Оnсe yоu knоw whаt elements оf the оffer yоu wоuld like tо сhаnge, yоu need tо deсide whiсh раrts yоu аre gоing tо рress аnd hоw yоu will dо it.
If yоu аre deаling with аn intermediаry, suсh аs аn HR аdministrаtоr оr а reсruiter, remember nоt оnly tо mаke requests but аlsо tо аsk questiоns, give infоrmаtiоn, аnd shаre ideаs tо mаke the jоb mоre раlаtаble.

Be tоugh but сheerful during the negоtiаtiоn

During the stаge оf the сlаssiс negоtiаtiоn, mаximize the соst оf the things yоu аre рreраred tо ассeрt while minimizing the things yоu’re аsking fоr.

Sаy nо (роlitely) if the jоb feels nоt right

There will be sоme give аnd tаke in negоtiаtiоns fоr а new jоb, but if everything yоu аsk fоr is а “nо”; it demоnstrаtes inflexibility оn the раrt оf yоur рrоsрeсtive emрlоyer аnd соuld be а red flаg.
If yоur internаl mоnitоring system tells yоu thаt yоu shоuld nоt tаke the jоb, listen. Hоwever, turn it dоwn роlitely аs they соuld be роtentiаl сustоmers, роtentiаl аdvisоrs, оr even yоur future emрlоyers.

Reference

https://hbr.org/2017/04/how-to-evaluate-accept-reject-or-negotiate-a-job-offer

Throne of Glass Novellas: Throne of glass

The second book in the series, Throne of Glass, is chaotic but beautiful. It tells the story of the gorgeously vicious assassin Celaena Sardothien, whom we have already been familiar with in the previous book. But this tale is nothing like its former, a fresh world if you ask me. Not like the next page of a book, which is new but familiar, this book mirrors a whole new story, though a few points are mentioned from the past in the second half, don’t expect anything from me, I don’t like the idea of me giving you readers any significant spoilers. After all the drama and catastrophes and tragedies in the past book, two things about our protagonist stay the same, her charming sarcasm and her intoxicating personality, which somehow catches up on every character in the book. Literally.

It is usual for Sarah to stop our hearts once or twice as we flip the pages, for this book does exactly that, and every other in the series as well. Nevertheless the tension, drama, and riot of climaxes, this whole book is perfect for a vacay-read, at least for me. If you are just beginning to enter the world of fantasy, or even books as well, this series is perfect for you. It will, somehow, amidst all the suspense, give you purpose. It gave me, I enjoyed my days more, especially during a time like the quarantine, It helped me cope through the days where I felt most lonely and almost on the verge of falling apart. Celaena’s courage, her iridescent confidence, made me a greater person. I started to see beauty in things usually undermined, things considered fallacious. Before reading this series, if anyone told me that an assassin could be the kindest person you’ll ever see, I’d have laughed straight in their face. But, I don’t know-how, this cruel vicious assassin is kind, loving, and almost frustratingly emotional.

Lastly, It’s not a tome with arid, bland, dreary text spit all over the pages, but a heart-throbbing story, of which you’ll surely savor every word.

ZOOM – THE VIRTUAL LIFE

Well, I think there is no one out there who is working but not heard the name of Zoom. From students to office workers, it has become a common virtual workplace. Who could have thought that such a world would be contracted to a small screen and to a small video meeting platform. Almost every big company has its own video meeting platform, be it google or Microsoft. But the growth that Zoom has shown in the recent years is really remarkable and incredible.

What makes them so special to rule over this industry??

Growth in the market:

When there are new customers out there then they don’t need to worry for the growth. When the online market was increasing its expand then new customers will be more too.

The company started in April,2011. Initially, it called to be Saasbee. They soon changed it into Zoom Communications. And then ultimately to Zoom Video Communications. It has been released before Apple launched their face time app and Microsoft decided to buy Skype for $8.5 billion. Zoom has been growing so much especially during this social distancing thing.

People using this app have increased so much in the number.

Easy to learn and use:

If you have used other video meeting apps, then you would be able to compare Zoom to them. It’s quite obvious how Zoom is more convenient to use than other apps. It is easy to learn and has more features. The closest substitute that it has is probably Google Meet but still ZOOM will be ZOOM.

It’s stock price has also increased from June 2020 that was $68 to over $200 till this date. It is unclear whether it would stay at this height or not.

Zoom came from the vision of a man named “Eric Yuan”. He is the perfect leader and has been the CEO of the company ever since.

He is originally from China. He had this idea when he was in the college and wanted to meet his wife. But he had to take 10 hour long train to get to meet her. He despised that idea and started to think whether there could be a better way out there. He wanted to work in the Silicon Valley after keeping that thought in his mind. Though he was denied for the American VISA for about 9 times but he still did not give up. Eventually, he got the VISA and found the job of software developer despite not being influent in English. He worked at a small company called WEBEX. They soon become known for their communication services.

Cisco acquired Webex for more than $3 billion. Eric Yuan became the vice president of the communication services department then. He quitted his job after the company started to ignore that department. He decided to make his own company which would be customer-oriented company. This is the another trait of Zoom that it has been providing the customer oriented services.

With the success of the company, Eric Yuan has become one of the richest persons out there with network in billion dollars. Eric Yuan identified a growing market and applied his passion and experience into creating a customer oriented highly accessible service because of that they’ve been able to attract investors and steadily grow into a multi-billion dollar industry leader and then on top of that in 2020 when the demand reached unexpectedly high levels they were in a position to take advantage of it. Zoom has been growing at an unexpected rate since then.   !!

Right to Information

By – Supriya

Right to Information Act (RTI) 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. Since every citizen pays taxes, therefore he is entitled to know how the government is functioning . The Act empowers every citizen to seek any information from the government, obtain copies of any government documents , inspect any government documents , works and records , and take certified samples of materials of any government work. According to Act No . 22 of 2005 , The Right to Information Act is ” An Act to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities , in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority , the constitution of a Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 13 October 2005. The RTI Act extends to the whole of India except the state of Jammu and Kashmir . All bodies, which are contributed under the Constitution or are under any government notification ,or all bodies , including NGO’s , which are owned, controlled or substantially financed by the government are covered under the Act. All authorities covered must appoint their Public Information Officer (PIO) . In addition, every public authority is required to designate Assistant Public Information Officers (APIOs) to receive RTI requests and appeals for forwarding to the PIOs of their public authority. Any person may submit a requests and appeals for forwarding to the PIOs of their public authority .
Any person may submit a request to the PIO for information in writing along with the application fees, which is ₹ 10 for Central Government Departments and different for different states.The application fees can be deposited either in cash, demand draft , cheque or money order. In the case of all Central Government Departments ,629 post offices have been designed as APIOs. This means that one can go to any of these post offices and submit his/her fee and application at the RTI counter in these post offices. A receipt will be issued as an acknowledgement and it is the responsibility of that post office to deliver it to the right PIO. It is the PIO’s obligation to provide information to citizens of India who request information under the Act. However, in case, one has problems locating their PIO/ APIO , one can address their RTI application to the PIO C/o Head of Department and send it to the concerned public authority with the requisite application fee. The Head of Department will have to forward his/her application to the concerned PIO. The PIO cannot refuse to accept application for information under any circumstances . Even if the information does not pertain to his/her department / jurisdiction, the PIO has to accept it and would have to transfer it to the right PIO within 5 days under sec 6(2). If the PIO or the concerned Department does not accept the application , it can also be sent by post. Moreover, the applicant can also make a formal complaint to the respective Information Commission under Section 18. The Information Commission has the power to impose a penalty of ₹25000 on the concerned officer who refused to accept the application. The Act also casts a direct accountability on the officer for non – performance . If the concerned officer does not provide information in time , a penalty of ₹ 250 per day of delay can be imposed by the Information Commissioner and if the information provided is false , a penalty of a maximum of ₹ 25000 can be imposed. The applicant is not required to disclose any information or reasons other than his name and contact particulars to seek the information . The Act specifies time limits for replying to the request. If the request has been made to the PIO, the reply is to be given within 30 days of receipt ; in case of an APIO , the reply is to be given within 35 days of receipt , and information concerning corruption and Human Rights violations is to be provided within 45 days. However, if life or Liberty of any person is involved , the PIO is expected to reply within 48 hours.
If the applicant does not receive information or is dissatisfied with the information received , s/he can file an appeal with the first appellate authority under Section 19 (1) of the Right to Information Act . One can file their first appeal within 30 days of receipt of information or within 60 days of filing RTI application, if no information is received. Even after the first appeal , if no information is received , then one can take the matter forward to the second appeal stage with the Information Commission, without paying any additional fees and within 90 days of disposal of first appeal . A second appeal is the last option under the RTI Act to get the information requested . For appeals against Central Government Departments, there is Central Information Commission (CIC) and for State Government Departments , there is State Information Commission.

THANKYOU !

Aftermath of kdramas


You may wonder what is mean by aftermath of kdramas? There is no returning back from Korean dramas, I understand, but still sometimes you may be busy and you may have a very little time to have entertainment in your schedule. In that cases, you couldn’t afford to watch 16 episodes of a drama, I know some of you finish a drama at single night though. If you want some alternatives of drama or shorter version of it, this article will help you. So no delay any longer, let’s get into it.



People watch kdramas for a lot of things, like for it’s plot, great scenes, good actors and lot of things. If you love the plot of kdramas, you could watch Korean movies which is shorter version of kdramas. And if you like actors or actresses of kdramas, you can watch the movies they starred in. For example, if you love Goong Yoo of Goblin, you can watch his movies like Train to Busan, Silenced and Kim JiYoung Born 1982. If you like Park Seo Joon, you can watch his Midnight Runners and Parasite (he had a cameo role, but it can be one of the reason for watching this Oscar winning film). If you loved the chemistry of Hun Bin and Seo Ye-jin in Crash Landing on You, you can watch their pair in Negotiations. There are enormous movies like these for you to watch.

Original Sound Track (OST) of kdramas is another notable traits for the success of it. You may like Stay With Me OST of Goblin, Paradise of Boys over Flowers or anyother OST. If so, then you can try hearing K-pop music. K-pop industry has tremendous success in the recent years, there are various K-pop bands that acquired world wide reach. There are bands like BTS, Got 7, Seventeen, Astro, Monsta X,Stary Kids, Black Pink, Red Velvet etc.. Well, most of you watch kdramas after being a k-pop fan, but still it’s my duty to mention them.



If you are a reader, then I got something for you. After watching Korean dramas, you may want to read more stories about Korea. Here, I’m going to suggest some novels and books of Korean literature which is available in English. Kim JiYoung Born 1982 by Cho Nam Joo (yes, it was a book first, then adapted to movie), b, Beyond Me by Kim Sagwa, The Plotters by Un-Su Kim, Untold night and day by Bae Suah, At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yung, The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun and The Vegetarian by Han Kang.

And if you want to know more about Korea and Korean Culture, you could go up to social media creators who make content based on Korea like the tourism, fashion and food. There are some channel like Assian Boss and Tree man which make social awareness videos in Korea. There are some Indian creators like Piyuchino, Radhiga_bangia who make content based on kdramas and Korea. And if you need more, you need to stop your obsession, don’t have rage on me, as RM of BTS says focus on your studies. What’s you favourite OST of Kdramas? Tell me in the comments