Things Fall Apart
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One of the greatest warriors of Nigeria, Okonkwo, is a leader of the Umuofia clan. He is a highly respected man in his village; the only problem he has to face is his son, Nwoye, who, in his father's eyes, is an idle and negligent young man of twelve years old.
When Okonkwo retrieves two adolescents, a boy and a girl, from another tribe in return for a great evil against his village, the girl goes to another family while the boy is left in Okonkwo's care. As the the 15-year-old boy gets used to Okonkwo and his family, Okonkwo finds a perfect descendant in Ikemefuna, but because of Okonkwo's strict view of masculinity, Okonkwo can’t open his heart to the boy.
On the Week of Peace, Okonkwo breaks the "law" when he beats one of his wives, Ojiugo, because she was too negligent. This was the first case when he shocked his family and tribe.
Three years later, during a rare invasion of locusts, the Oracle makes a decision: Okonkwo's "adopted son" has to be sacrificed. A village elder tells Okonkwo not to take part in the murder since he is called "father" by Ikemefuna.
When the chosen clansmen take Ikemefuna out of the village and strike Ikemefuna, he runs towards Okonkwo for help. Since Okonkwo does not want to appear weak, he kills Ikemefuna with great cruelty. Nwoye, who had become great friends with Ikemefuna, grieves and is again afraid of Okonkwo, whom he could stand when Ikemefuna was around.
At the funeral of the old clansman, Ogbuefi Ezeudu, who warned Okonkwo about the murder of Ikemefuna, a tragedy happens: during the salvo Okonkwo’s firearm blows up and takes the life of Ezeudu’s son.
Because of village tradition, Okonkwo must atone for his accidental killing, so he and his family are exiled from the village for seven years. Once they leave for Mbanta, the native village of Okonkwo’s mother, Ezeudu’s family destroy everything that was related to the ex-leader of the clan in order to cleanse the village of the sin.
Okonkwo and his family rebuild everything in Mbanta, the land of his mother, and reconcile themselves to their new life. They start a farm and sell yams. Everything seems to be fine and peaceful until the second year of the exile when white missionaries arrive in Mbanta who try to Christianize the villagers. Nwoye also Christianizes.
Seven years have passed and Okonkwo returns to his village where the missionaries have already converted most of the local people. When the peaceful leader of the missionaries, Mr. Brown, is followed by the brutal Reverend James Smith, the method of the conversion changes: the Reverend uses violent methods. Enoch, one of the new converts, tries to provoke the heathen villagers: during a traditional ceremony he unmasks an egwugwu, killing it. In retribution, the egwugwu burn Enoch’s house and the new Christian church the next day.
The response of the District Commissioner comes soon: the leaders of the Umuofia clan are arrested and held for ransom. After their release the village decides to start organizing an uprising. Okonkwo, attends the meeting where the village will decide whether or not to go to war. During the meeting, five court messengers arrive and tell the villagers that the white man has ordered the meeting to end. Okonkwo becomes enraged and kills the lead man. When Okonkwo kills the man, the rest of the village looks on in amazement. Okonkwo realizes that the village will not go to war, even with the threat right in front of them.
Once he sees, to his astonishment, that the clan isn’t going to go to war with him, Okonkwo hangs himself. When the District Commissioner finds out about the ironic situation, he finds it interesting enough to include it into his book about Africa: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.
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Major Characters
Okonkwo
Husband of three, father of eight, he is the most respected warrior and leader in his village. All his life he endeavors to get rid of the memory of his father, Unoka, who was an unmanly, idle, and lazy person.
Okonkwo is a conservative person who believes that the only thing a man has to do is to fight for his family and for his tribe. He can’t tolerate any other attitude, that’s why he worries about his 12-year-son, Nwoye, who seems to be similar to Okonkwo’s despised father.
He always wants to prove that he is a real man (not like his father) but he regularly makes big mistakes and even falls into sin as a result of excessive manliness and frustration.
He is not able to accept any change in life including the white converters and the Christianity. But when the clansmen compromise and choose peace instead of war against the white people, he is forced to realize that he has no future in the community because of his lack of ability to conform.
Okonkwo is a "classical" tragic hero: he is a superior person and his tragic flaw - the compilation of manliness with violence, arrogance, and impatience - brings about his destruction.
Obierka
Okonkwo's best friend. He takes care of Okonkwo's yams after Okonkwo is exiled for seven years. He also questions some of the tribal morals and consequences. Chinua Achebe uses this character as a foil to Okonkwo because Obierka is a man that thinks instead of acts like Okonkwo
Nwoye
Okonkwo’s oldest son who is, similarly to his grandfather, a rather "feminine" boy and that’s why he is unacceptable to his father. He wants to meet his father’s requirements but can’t hide his personality and feelings. However, when Ikemefuna arrives and becomes Nwoye’s best friend, with the help of his "stepbrother", he is able to show some manliness to Okonkwo.
When Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna, Nwoye becomes alienated from his father and his values. He joins forces with the white converters, and although Okonkwo disowns him, he finds peace at last far way from his father.
Ezinma
Daughter of Okonkwo who has more "masculine" spirit than her brother, Nwoye. Okonkwo wishes Ezinma was a boy, and interestingly she is the only child who has won Okonkwo’s respect.
She shares an interesting relationship with her mother Ekwefi. The relationship is more like one of equals than of the typical mother-daughter seen in the tribe. This could be because Ekwefi has lost so many other children, Enzinma is her only child, and so she loves her less because she has reached the crowning achievment of a woman, motherhood, but more because she relishes the love and companionship that she finds with Ezinma.
Ezinma shows great love for her father. She constantly tries to help him, and after he is taken hostage by the white District Commissioner, she breaks the traditional 28 day stay with her husband to be's family in order to return home and wait for her father's return. And after Okonkwo gets back, she is the only one who can persuade him to eat.
Ikemefuna
Similar to Ezinma, he also confuses Okonkwo’s feelings and beliefs: though he is not a real child but a gift of another tribe, Okonkwo finds him a much better and suitable son than Nwoye. Though Ikemefuna calls Okonkwo "father", the strong leader shouldn’t show anything but masculine strength – so, in order to prove his manhood, he kills the innocent boy. The death of Ikemefuna is one of the most important incidents that will lead to the tragedy of Okonkwo.
Ekwefi
One of the wives of Okonkwo whose only aim is to protect her only child, Ezinma – from Okonkwo and even from the gods.
Mr. Brown
The first leader of the missionaries: a gentle and kind man who tries to convert the villagers only verbally and through his hospital and school, and he never uses aggressive methods.
Reverend James Smith
He is the one who uses violence in order to convert the local people. He believes that the quality and zeal of the converts counts more than Mr. Brown's large quantity of followers.
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1
Okonkwo, the greatest warrior of a Nigerian tribe, the Umuofia clan, lives in the little village called Iguedo. He is the most respected man in Iguedo: when he was a young man, he beat Amalinze the Cat, the undefeated warrior, in a wrestling match. Okonkwo wants to ignore his father, Unoka’s memory: he was an idle and shy flute player who hated everything what is important to Okonkwo: fighting, war, honor, manliness, and family. But it’s not easy to forget about his father because Okonkwo’s oldest son, Nwoye, is very similar to Unoka which makes Okonkwo angry and brutal towards him: he often beats up and nags at his 12-year-old son in order to change his "feminine" attitude.
Chapter 2
The war threatens to break out between Umuofia and Mbaino, a neighboring village, because of an unsolved murder. In order to avoid the destruction, Umuofia sends Okonkwo, since Okonkwo has a great reputation everywhere, to Mbaino to offer an ultimatum: give Umuofia a virgin and a young boy, or go to war. Mbaino readily consents, not wanting to battle against the superior might of Umuofia.
Chapter 3
Okonkwo is not just a great warrior but a successful farmer as well: he grows yam, the king crop. Unlike his father, he is a wealthy man in the village, owning an obi (house), a shrine, a barn, and three huts, one for each of his wives. Okonkwo believes only in hard work and the display of masculinity through anger and aggression, that’s why he despises his father who was never be able to succeed because of his laziness and shyness for blood.
Chapter 4
Ikemefuna, who becomes a very popular boy in the family, starts calling Okonkwo "father". Although Okonkwo likes him, he doesn’t want to show his feelings since he hates sentimentality, because he believes that sentimentality is weak.
On the Week of Peace, Okonkwo breaks the "law" when he beats one of his wives, Ojiugo, because she was too negligent. He has to sacrifice two animals and pay fine (they use shells as currency) based on the decision of the priest. This is the first case when the great warrior sins.
Chapter 5
Since Okonkwo is not involved in the Feast of the New Yam, because he is not a woman, he becomes full of pent up anger from unemployment. Finally, he finds an excuse to beat his second wife Ekwefi. When he finishes, he decides to go hunting. Ekwefi, still shaken from the beating, murmurs about a gun that never shot. Angry again, Okonkwo loses his head and he tries to shoot Ekwefi – without success.
Later that day, Ekwefi and her daughter, Ezinma, begin to cook dinner with the other wives. Ezinma asks many questions and helps her mother and Nwoye's mother. When dinner is done, the daughters present their mother's food, one at a time, to Okonkwo. As Ezinma gives him her dish, she asks about the wrestling tournament and offers to carry Okonkwo's chair. Okonkwo replies that that is a boy's job, though inside he is very proud of her. Not wanting to seem too affectionate toward Ezinma, he criticizes her.
Chapter 6
At the wrestling contest, an essential part of the culture, Ekwefi meets with Chielo, the priestess of the Oracle. They are talking about Ezinma’s future, since all of Ekwefi's past children have been ogbanje, or evil children who die and then re-enter their mother's womb to cause them pain. Chielo refers to Ezinma as "my child".
Chapter 7
Ikemefuna has been the member of the family for three years. He makes an impression on Nwoye who has become a quite masculine character which makes Okonkwo satisfied. Okonkwo often tells stories about wars to the boys. During these stories, however, Nwoye wishes again for his mother's stories, but does not voice this thought.
An invasion of locusts begins, an event that everyone celebrates in Umuofia. That night, everybody starts to collect them, because though there had not been an invasion of locusts for many years, everyone knows instinctually that they are good for eating. Ogbuefi Ezeudu visits Okonkwo in order to inform him about the Oracle’s decision: Ikemefuna must be sacrificed. Okonkwo is shocked but he hides his feelings. Ezeudu warns Okonkwo that he should not take part in the murder since he is called "father" by Ikemefuna.
When the chosen clansmen take Ikemefuna out of the village to commit the sacrifice and strike him once, he runs away to Okonkwo for help. Since the strong leader of the clan does not want to be seen as weak, Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna with great cruelty. Once he realized what he has done, everything falls apart inside him.
Chapter 8
Okonkwo hides in his hat, he doesn’t eat and sleep for two days. Ezinma tries to look after him and they talk with each other everyday. With all of Ezinma's help, Okonkwo can't help but wish that she were a boy. Frustrated with himself, Okonkwo reprimands himself for not being able to put up with the death of one boy, and visits his friend Obierka. There, Obierka states that he would not have killed his son.
Later another man arrives and tells them that a great man has died and his wife died after hearing the news. They will put off the burial of the man until his wife is buried.
Obierka invites Okonkwo to be present when he and another man deal with his daughter's bride price. Once there, Achebe walks the reader through the ritual of dealing for a bride price: what the men do, what the women do, etc.
Chapter 9
For the first night in three days, Okonkwo sleeps. In the middle of the night, Ekwefi knocks at his door and tells him that Ezinma is dying. Ekwefi remembers the trials she went through, and still goes through, for Ezinma, from having a live child to sneaking her eggs, a delicacy. Okonkwo prepares a medicine and tries to heal the child.
Chapter 10
A trial begins in the village. The leaders of the justice are the egwugwus: masked men who represent the ancestral spirits of the clan. Although it’s forbidden to talk about it, everybody knows that one of the egwugwus is Okonkwo. This particular trial is about a man who beat his wife, who was taken away by her brothers. The trial ends with the egwugwus stating that if the husband gave the brothers the necessary wine, they would have to give back his wife. The brothers agree to do so, and threaten the man that if he ever beat her again, they would cut off his genitals.
Chapter 11
Ezinma is recovered from her sickness and she and her mother are telling stories. Chielo appears and says that the god Agbala would like to see her. However, Okonkwo and Ekwefi are afraid of the meeting, but they cannot refuse a god’s will. Chielo walks with Ezinma to the Oracle’s cave. Despite Chielo's strict warning, the parents follow them and Ekwefi is ready to step into the sacred cave if anything happens with her precious daughter, even if it meant challenging a god.
Chapter 12
Fortunately, nothing happens with the girl: Chielo takes Ezinma back to Okonkwo’s hut. Okonkwo does not let anyone know that he was extremely worried about his daughter, and had made several trips to the cave before Ekwefi, who was following Chielo, had even reached the cave.
Obierka holds uri, a betrothal ceremony for Obierika’s daughter. The ceremony is an enormous celebration, every woman helps in the cooking of the gigantic meal. Everyone attends the ceremony. Everything goes well, and the entire village is happy.
Chapter 13
At the funeral of the old clansman, Ogbuefi Ezeudu, who warned Okonkwo about not killing Ikemefuna, a tragedy happens: during the salvo Okonkwo’s firearm blows up and takes the life of Ezeudu’s son.
Okonkwo must atone for this act, so he and his family are exiled from the village for seven years. Once they leave Iguedo for Mbanta, the native village of Okonkwo’s mother, clansmen destroy everything that was related to the ex-leader of the clan in order to cleanse the village of the sin.
Chapter 14
The exiled family is received warmly by the relatives of Okonkwo’s mother. With the help of the villagers they start a new life. They build huts and start growing yam. Of course, Okonkwo is very disappointed – he wanted to be the greatest leader of his clan, and now he is an exile - but seeing that his family is trying to work hard for their new life, he resigns himself to his destiny.
Uchendo, Okonkwo’s uncle, tries to encourage Okonkwo: he also lost everything several years ago and yet ‘I did not hang myself, and I am still alive’.
Chapter 15
Two years later Obierika brings cowries to Okonkwo: he is selling Okonkwo’s yams until he returns to his village. He also tells a story about a destructed village, Abame. A white man appeared recently in Abame on an ‘iron horse’ (bicycle), and out of fear of the Oracle’s warning that more would come and destroy the village, the villagers killed the white man – despite the fact that he didn’t do anything but speak to the villagers in a foreign language. Once the other white men found their mate’s bicycle and guessed his fate, they murdered the entire village. Uchendu and Okonkwo call Abame’s people fools because they should have been prepared for the attack and otherwise, they shouldn’t have killed a man who did nothing but talk.
Chapter 16
When Obierika returns to Mbanta, he tries to get Okonkwo to tell the story of how Nwoye converted to Christianity, but Okonkwo does not wish to speak on the subject. Through his first wife, Nwoye's mother, that Obierka discovers the details.
One day, the entire village of Mbanta went to see the white men who are to live there. They spoke of their religion and sang a hymn. Most of the villagers pay them no heed because their language is slightly different. Nwoye, however, finds great comfort in the Christian belief, but is not quite ready to convert.
Chapter 17
The converters would like to build a church and the villagers offer a piece of land in the Evil Forest because they think the white men will not accept it. Of course, the missionaries are not afraid of the villagers’ myths, so they start building the church. To the villagers’ surprise, nothing happens with the white man and the church is built within a few weeks. More and more villagers have been converted, including Nwoye. Once Okonkwo finds it out, he disowns and evicts his son from the village.
Chapter 18
The white man's church gains more and more converts; they even accept the osu, or rejects of the clan. Because their brothers have joined the church, the villagers cannot kill them, for fear of being kicked out of the village. Tensions rise between the church and the village, until one day a Christian kills the sacred python. Okonkwo suggests the use of violence on the men, but the clansmen decide instead to ostrasize them. In the end, the man accused of killing the python dies.
Chapter 19
Seven years have passed since the exile and Okonkwo can return to his tribe. He organizes a great feast for his relatives and thanks them for everything, but inside he regrets that he has wasted seven years of his life with such cowardly people. Before he leaves, his uncle warns against the splitting of the clan.
Chapter 20
Okonkwo is very enthusiastic: his plans include building new huts, marrying two more wives, getting titles for his sons, and persuading her daughters to marry young and brave warriors. But once he arrives in Iguedo, he has to realize that his village has changed: Christianity has overcome most of the villagers.
Chapter 21
Everything seems to be peaceful. Mr. Brown, the pacific leader of the converters and Akunna, a leader of the clan often meet and discuss religious issues in public. They can’t convince each other but each accepts and tolerates the other’s views. Besides the church, the missionaries have built a school and a hospital as well. When Mr. Brown tells Okonkwo that Nwoye goes to a training college and he is going to be a teacher, Okonkwo threatens him and chase him away.
Chapter 22
Mr. Brown gets sick and Reverend James Smith follows him in the leader position. He is an aggressive, rather violent man who refuses Mr. Brown’s peaceful converting methods. He encourages the new converts to disturb and humiliate the heathen villagers. During a traditional ceremony, Enoch, one of the new converts, unmasks an egwugwu who burns Enoch’s house and the new Christian church the next day.
Chapter 23
The District Commissioner asks to have a talk with the leaders of the village about the church burning. Okonkwo tells the leaders to bring their machetes, but even with these preparations, the District Commissioner's men are able to capture them in the meeting room. The guards constantly whip and hit the leaders, who eat nothing they are given. In the meantime, the court messengers arrive in the village and demand a fine from the villagers, which they increase for their personal benefit.
Chapter 24
Once Okonkwo and the other leaders are released and return to the village, they start planning revenge. The most anxious and enthusiastic man is, of course, Okonkwo, who has been waiting for this day since he was exiled. The only thing he wants is to show his courage and fighting skills to the clansmen. The villagers gather and discuss the issues. Okonkwo becomes the leader of the rebellion killing the leader of the court messengers who tried to hinder the uprising. He thinks he gets back his honor with this act but he has to realize that the threat of the court messengers has frightened the clansmen: they are not going to fight. Okonkwo leaves the village.
Chapter 25
The District Commissioner arrives at Okonkwo's compound with the intention of arresting him for killing his messenger, but when he arrives Obierika shows him Okonkwo's dead body hung from a tree. The District Commissioner, complying with Obierika's plea, tells his men to take down the body and bury it. Obierika accuses the District Commissioner for pushing Okonkwo past his limit, making him kill himself. The District Commissioner finds the ironic scenario interesting, barely enough to include it in his book about Africa: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
A MAn of the people
A MAn of the people
In Chinua Achebe's novel, A Man of the People, two contrasting groups of people from a political and social aspect based in West Africa. The groups are the old and the new generations of politics and two characters represent them. Odili, the narrator, represents the new intellectual generation, while Chief Nanga, Odili's former teacher, represents the old style of bush politicians. The conflict between the old and new ways is portrayed through the two characters as they not only disagree and quarrel over political views but also women. The story ends with a military coup that foreshadows the Nigerian Revolution of 1966. "Chinua Achebe proved to be a better prophet than any of the political scientists"(K.W.J. Post, xiii). Achebe captures the inside reality of the lives of the contrasting characters as he demonstrates energy and brightness as well as violence and corruption.
About the Author
Chinua Achebe, a strong voice for African literature, was born in 1930 in Ogidi. His father was a Christian evangelist and teacher. Achebe's full name is Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. He studied broadcasting with the BBC and received a BA in 1953. Over the course of his life he has written nearly 300 books and has become a powerful influence in the Nigerian politics. His writings are aimed toward a select group of people in Africa, not only those who can read, but those educated above the basic level, who have enough money to purchase the book. "Paradoxically enough, his writings are probably better known outside his own country than in it." (K.W.J. Post, v) This idea of an "aimed audience"implies that Achebe wants countries with power and a say in the world to understand the lives of the people from his part of the world, West Africa.
RACISM
When thinking about different cultures from different parts of the world one cannot help but to think of colonialism and racism and the whole meaning behind the two. Slavery is a broad term that does not give a clear view from different perspectives of what racism is. Do not get me wrong, slavery in the United States was based mainly on racism, but in order to understand what racism is, reading literature is a great way to learn about it.
Colonialism and racism can be used interchangebly. What is racism? A person or group of persons that feel they have more rights, better beliefs, and more power to expand these beliefs by physical or verbal force, over another person or group of persons, based on skin color. I think that is a decent definition, but it needs to go beyond just skin color. I feel there is religious racism, political racism, ethnic racism, and gender racism that involves one group having a feeling of ethnocentrism as these people think they are meant to have the most power in the world. I think I would define colonialism very closely to racism. Colonialism involves the expansion of one group over another based on beliefs, religion, land, money, power, and race.
In order to eliminate racism there has to be more voices like Martin Luther King Jr. There has to be more voices like Jesus Christ. There has to be more voices like Mother Theresa and more voices from people fighting for equality among different groups of people. Achebe and other literary writers play a big part in speaking for the country they are from. Literature in itself is a strong voice that must not be overlooked. Teachers can play a huge role in helping his or her students learn about racism. In my high school we never talked about racism or colonialism and the repercussions they create in the world. I came from a small town and all the people consider themselves the same race. This environment can really cause people to focus on just at the bad points of a single race and develop a stereotype about that race. Especially when teachers are not teaching anything about racism and colonialism, let alone pieces of literature that are from anywhere but England or the United States.
It is crucial to introduce to students pieces of literature from all different parts of the world. This will at least allow them to think about the world from different eyes, if only for a moment, that moment is so beneficial to a person and his or her ability to relate to the world. The world is controlled by humans and we as an organization or community need to realize that the world is continuing to grow smaller and smaller in terms of space left for humans to occupy. Before long people are going to have to either respect their neighbor's property or fight with their neighbor for their property. With all hope, we can learn to respect each other before it is too late. Unless one knows the history of the United States, for the most part, one that is born in the U.S.A. is oblivious to what it to really means to be an American. Some kids growing up have no idea what America was founded upon and why so many people from so many parts of the world came to America. They all had a common dream in their mind, opportunity. People that move to America today from foreign countries still have that dream. To escape whatever aversive factors are pushing them out of their own country and to seek favorable factors pulling them into the U.S.A.
Kids in America need to be taught why America is the most powerful country in the world. Children and young adults need to be informed that America is the most diverse country in the world. They need to be taught that in order to have a well-run and developed house, community, country, or world, people need to come together with a common goal. Kids need to be taught that America is only 227 years old, and only colonized around 400 years ago. They need to be taught how it was colonized and they need to know the literature that went along with it. They need to be taught the true stories of colonization and of the Native Americans. Kids need to learn that to be racist in America is like being racist against one's own blood.
Students need to understand that America has the most technology and the strongest military in the world because of the ideas that created them. They need to understand these ideas derived from, not one single race, but from cultures all over the world. How better to learn about the lifestyle of another country than to actually talk to a person from that country? Imagine a huge group of diverse people mixed together with the same goal in mind. This was the reality for newcomers coming to the U.S.A. during the last 4 centuries. However, some children today are never taught these things, the true meaning of America and how lucky he or she is to be living in a land so diverse and so advanced. They need to understand that these ideas and advancements did not come from one man or one race, but from millions of men and women and hundreds of different cultures.
Malcolm Wells writes in an article called A Jigsaw Puzzle, "Still at 62, it's hard to convince myself that this is not the country I was taught to love. It's painful to look at the truth. My grade-school indoctrination was so effective I still want to believe it all, from the home of the brave to the purple mountains majesty. I'd been told about slavery, about the great buffalo massacres, and about the Indian wars, but they had all been presented in such a rosy light each page of the nation's history seemed justified, almost sanctified, when seen against the grand tapestry of our progress across this shining continent. Waving field of grain, great heroes, American know-how. . . I bought them all. That we had stolen this shining continent from its native people bothered my not in the least." (Whole Earth Review, 24) These beliefs come from the ways Wells was taught growing up as he was oblivious to the problems that stem from America and was only taught about America the beautiful.
He goes on to say, "Before I looked in the mirror, however, I looked everywhere else, blaming racists, the military, politicians, hunters, developers. When I finally saw my reflection I said Oh my god, and saw that he too had been part of the myth. I wanted to go back and start over, to undo all I'd done. When we see the whole picture we may stop all this brutalism and cruelty and get ourselves together just in the nick of time." (Whole Earth Review, 25)
Dialogues
LEADERS
In A Man of the People , Chief Nanga, is referred to by the narrator, Odili, as a man of the people, and the most approachable politician in the country. He is the minister of culture and his speeches to the public represent everything that a politician should do and be. But as Odili tells the story, it becomes clear that Chief Nanga does not practice what he preaches. The money that is supposed to go towards helping his community he uses instead to build four-story buildings, which he rents out for his own profit.
Chief Nanga is supposed to be standing up for the traditions and beliefs of the pre-colonial African culture by defending the common man and opposing the European-oriented post-colonial intellectuals. This notion of defending the unique and colorful African culture is evident in another book of his called Arrow of God where he explains in detail the various rituals, artistic creations, clothing, beliefs, politics, and a sense of community and disagreement among tribes in Africa. However, in A Man of the People Achebe focuses more on the politics of West African communities. Achebe shows the switching of power between the old and new styles of politicians and how the old style bush politician, Chief Nanga, is becoming more and more greedy as he learns the political system.
The politicians in this novel stand as an intermediary between the government and the common people but are portrayed by Achebe as the evil side. Chief Nanga learns to be greedy and learns how to win elections through the corrupt system of politics he was against in the first place. The important thing for Chief Nanga is that the people trust him. He relates to them more, because he considers himself closer to the common man and far away from the intellectual, who represents a more European style of living and thinking. By representing his country after colonialism he has the incentive to stay as far away from the European style of life and politics as possible. As Odili explains the story, however, Chief Nanga only tells the people what they want to hear about defending their culture and way of thinking, and Nanga acts in a voracious way to obtain what he wants in his personal life; money, power, and women.
Chief Nanga's corrupt way of leading the people by telling them one thing and doing another is what eventually brings his reign to an end. Nanga taught Odili when he was young and Odili respected and liked him as a teacher. He learned many things from him and was happy when he heard he was first elected. But as Nanga grew more powerful within his office and country Odili began to grow smarter and he became more aware of the corrupt reality. It was not finally realized though, until he actually had the chance to live with Chief Nanga and witness how Nanga abused his money and power by over-spending his money and having his way with the women he desired.
Odili gives his insight on this situation when he narrates, "We ignore man's basic nature if we say, as some critics do, that because a man like Nanga has risen overnight from poverty and insignificance to his present opulence he could be persuaded without much trouble to give it up again and return to his original state. A man who has just come in from the rain and dried his body and put on dry clothes is more reluctant to go out again than another who has been indoors the whole time. The trouble with our new nation as I saw it then lying on that bed was that none of us had been indoors long enough to be able to say, to hell with it. We had all been in the rain together until yesterday."
He goes on to talk about his group of people as the smart and the lucky and how they had scrambled to the one shelter their former rulers left and taken it over. The metaphor here is very powerful and it really makes it clear the point Achebe is trying to explain. The point is that a person who goes from having nothing (Nanga) to having everything is going to be more reluctant to go back to having nothing compared to someone that has had everything the whole time, thus making him more greedy to gain power and more defensive against giving up this power. Odili emphasizes that the new nation was never indoors, but together in the rain, and they desprately needed to experience a little shelter.
VOICES
A voice is a powerful source for spreading beliefs and enforcing laws. In the political voice of A Man of the People, Chief Nanga tells his fellow citizens only the things that he feels they need to hear. His motivation is to gain the approval of the people through the things he says and he persuades them to think that his one voice will represent everyone's voice. He is not only a man of the people, but also a voice for the people. The only side of Chief Nanga the people hear, however, is his politically persuading West African voice that is heard as a voice that will defend and protect against the European style of living and colonizing while representing the African culture. His methods work to not only persuade the people to vote for him, but to believe he is doing everything he can to help them. The people are in a way a puppet being controlled by Nanga and his thugs.
In the novel Heart of Darkness , by Joseph Conrad, the voice of Mr. Kurtz plays a huge role in the actions of his followers and the people seeking to meet him. People trust his voice as a powerful sound and that sound echoes through their minds like a drum pounding in an African jungle. His voice, like Chief Nanga's, is heard as the voice of the people. Both voices in each novel are listened to as though it is a gavel striking down upon the table. What is heard by the people to do is what is done. Both men use their voice to enforce laws and actions. Kurtz is in charge of a huge ivory production line that is meant to make him and his home country a fortune. Nanga is in charge of his country and is the Minister of Culture, and his thugs do whatever he needs done to ensure he keeps winning elections. In this story, Odili sees a different side of Chief Nanga that the people do not see. He sees the greedy and gluttonous Chief Nanga and he sees the lust and passion driving Nanga to have his way and to have women bow down to him.
This evil side of Nanga that no one ever sees due to his power and way of hiding the truth and having his way with women is seen by Odili as a powerful enough reason to run against him in the upcoming election. This dark and empty side of Nanga motivates Odili to seek a friend he has not seen in quite sometime, Max. Together they split away from the two political party systems in West Africa that they see as corrupt and self-centered and they form their own political party that is meant to represent the common man. The argument Nanga uses against Odili is that Odili is an intellectual who has a European style of education and thus is farther away from the common man. This is a good argument, but coming from the mouth of Nanga, it is hypocritical and untrue. Nanga finds a way to take the women that Odili has feelings for away from him, and thus Odili seeks revenge as he is determined to defeat Chief Nanga in the upcoming election and win back the woman he desires.
A voice is so powerful; people fail to realize this until they think of voices that stand out in history and the meaning of the voice. The voice of Martin Luther King Jr. has touched so many and made such a huge impact on the world. He is one man with one voice and it really makes one realize the influence that one man can have on the world. Adolf Hitler on the other hand, used his voice to kill millions of Jews while attempting to spread his view on what the world should look like on the outside. Jesus Christ used his voice much like Martin Luther King Jr. as he spoke without using his fists or guns to spread his message. He touched so many people with his one voice that it is hard to believe the largest religion in the world originated from one man. Muhammad's voice played a huge role in the history of the world as he started a religion known as Islam that is the fastest growing religion in the world today. The power of one voice, as one can see, is incomparable to anything else in the world. In the novels, A Man of the People, and Heart of Darkness the power of the voice is evident and plays a crucial role in the behaviors of the people listening.
MOTIVES
In the novels A Man of the People and Heart of Darkness, the characters are motivated by different underlying factors that ultimately control their behavior. The motives for each character determine what methods each uses to achieve his goal. Violence, discovery, power, curiosity, greed, money,lust, and revenge are some of the different variables controlling the behaviors of the characters in these two novels.
In Heart of Darkness, Marlow's motive for travel and exploration is curiosity. He simply loves every bit of discovering new places and seeing things for the first time. Marlow wants to find new sights and sounds, and he wants to explore for the sake of exploring, not for the sake of colonizing and overtaking. Unlike Marlow, the other main voice in the novel, Mr. Kurtz, explores to seek money and power. Each man has the urge to travel and explore, but each man has a different motive driving him to behave in different ways.
In A Man of the People , Odili's motives for running against Chief Nanga in the election is to seek revenge and to prove that he is closer to the common man than Nanga. Odili is upset and jealous of Chief Nanga as he wins out both the girls Odili attempts to have relations with. Nanga wants to prove that no matter how old he is, his political power, money, and charming good looks will always win over the younger less powerful intellectual. When asked if he (Odili) was serious about Elsie from Nanga, Odili played it off like he did not care and told Chief Nanga that he was not serious about her. It was not until one night that Odili had the intentions of sneaking up to Elsie's room when he realized Nanga has beaten him to the spot and the competition begins. Nanga justifies his actions by explaining to Odili that the reason he (Nanga) asked him about whether or not he was serious about Elsie was to find out whether she was spoken for. Elsie screams Odili's name, but Odili does not care enough about her to react. If he did care he would have responded. Instead he packs his bags and leaves, and is only mad at Nanga for competition's sake.
This creates a motive for Odili to find his old buddy, called "cool" Max, and to start a new third political party in an attempt to undermine Chief Nanga. However, as Odili becomes more involved in politics he begins to see the corruption within the whole political process. His father is very much against him for attempting to run against the Honorable Chief Nanga, and this creates a controversy between the two men. At one point when Odili has established himself as the voice of the new party, Nanga tries to bribe him to drop out of the election, and Odili refuses. This episode takes place in front of Odili's father and is a two vs. one-person debate. The two being Nanga and Odili's father team up against Odili in the argument about whether or not Odili should accept the money and drop out of the election. Nanga tells Odili that his friend Max accepted money and Odili couldn't believe it. He later finds out that Max, using is wits, accepts the money to help fund Odili's campaign.
Chief Nanga has motives to obtain as much power as possible and he uses violent and greedy methods to obtain this power. He lives in a fabulous house, constructs big building to rent and profit from, and has hired thugs to kill or arrest the person he needs killed or arrested. He arrests Odili's father at one point, bribes Max and eventually has Max killed, wins out the two girls Odili is after, tries to bribe Odili, and at the end tries to exploit Odili in front of the mass of people gathered to listen to his (Nanga's) campaign speech. Nanga stuffs ballet boxes and does everything he can with the power he has to suppress Odili's attempt to overtake his position.
Motives can play a crucial role in determining the methods a person uses to acquire the things he wants in life. Many men have the same motive, to spread their beliefs and thus to have people listen to them and respect them. The modes of spreading ones beliefs will determine the fate of the world. If a man believes he is doing the correct thing based on his beliefs there is always going to be a controversy. Politicians have to persuade the people that their beliefs will not only come true, but will benefit everyone. If a politician has a powerful enough voice, most often, that man will persuade his listeners to believe in him. Nanga makes the people believe that they are so much better off than they would have been under European control that they do not even question what Chief Nanga is doing with all the power and money he has. Odili realizes that the country could be made so much better if the people just knew the facts, but in order for him to gain the faith of the people he must go up against the man known as "a man of the people.
In Chinua Achebe's novel, A Man of the People, two contrasting groups of people from a political and social aspect based in West Africa. The groups are the old and the new generations of politics and two characters represent them. Odili, the narrator, represents the new intellectual generation, while Chief Nanga, Odili's former teacher, represents the old style of bush politicians. The conflict between the old and new ways is portrayed through the two characters as they not only disagree and quarrel over political views but also women. The story ends with a military coup that foreshadows the Nigerian Revolution of 1966. "Chinua Achebe proved to be a better prophet than any of the political scientists"(K.W.J. Post, xiii). Achebe captures the inside reality of the lives of the contrasting characters as he demonstrates energy and brightness as well as violence and corruption.
About the Author
Chinua Achebe, a strong voice for African literature, was born in 1930 in Ogidi. His father was a Christian evangelist and teacher. Achebe's full name is Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. He studied broadcasting with the BBC and received a BA in 1953. Over the course of his life he has written nearly 300 books and has become a powerful influence in the Nigerian politics. His writings are aimed toward a select group of people in Africa, not only those who can read, but those educated above the basic level, who have enough money to purchase the book. "Paradoxically enough, his writings are probably better known outside his own country than in it." (K.W.J. Post, v) This idea of an "aimed audience"implies that Achebe wants countries with power and a say in the world to understand the lives of the people from his part of the world, West Africa.
RACISM
When thinking about different cultures from different parts of the world one cannot help but to think of colonialism and racism and the whole meaning behind the two. Slavery is a broad term that does not give a clear view from different perspectives of what racism is. Do not get me wrong, slavery in the United States was based mainly on racism, but in order to understand what racism is, reading literature is a great way to learn about it.
Colonialism and racism can be used interchangebly. What is racism? A person or group of persons that feel they have more rights, better beliefs, and more power to expand these beliefs by physical or verbal force, over another person or group of persons, based on skin color. I think that is a decent definition, but it needs to go beyond just skin color. I feel there is religious racism, political racism, ethnic racism, and gender racism that involves one group having a feeling of ethnocentrism as these people think they are meant to have the most power in the world. I think I would define colonialism very closely to racism. Colonialism involves the expansion of one group over another based on beliefs, religion, land, money, power, and race.
In order to eliminate racism there has to be more voices like Martin Luther King Jr. There has to be more voices like Jesus Christ. There has to be more voices like Mother Theresa and more voices from people fighting for equality among different groups of people. Achebe and other literary writers play a big part in speaking for the country they are from. Literature in itself is a strong voice that must not be overlooked. Teachers can play a huge role in helping his or her students learn about racism. In my high school we never talked about racism or colonialism and the repercussions they create in the world. I came from a small town and all the people consider themselves the same race. This environment can really cause people to focus on just at the bad points of a single race and develop a stereotype about that race. Especially when teachers are not teaching anything about racism and colonialism, let alone pieces of literature that are from anywhere but England or the United States.
It is crucial to introduce to students pieces of literature from all different parts of the world. This will at least allow them to think about the world from different eyes, if only for a moment, that moment is so beneficial to a person and his or her ability to relate to the world. The world is controlled by humans and we as an organization or community need to realize that the world is continuing to grow smaller and smaller in terms of space left for humans to occupy. Before long people are going to have to either respect their neighbor's property or fight with their neighbor for their property. With all hope, we can learn to respect each other before it is too late. Unless one knows the history of the United States, for the most part, one that is born in the U.S.A. is oblivious to what it to really means to be an American. Some kids growing up have no idea what America was founded upon and why so many people from so many parts of the world came to America. They all had a common dream in their mind, opportunity. People that move to America today from foreign countries still have that dream. To escape whatever aversive factors are pushing them out of their own country and to seek favorable factors pulling them into the U.S.A.
Kids in America need to be taught why America is the most powerful country in the world. Children and young adults need to be informed that America is the most diverse country in the world. They need to be taught that in order to have a well-run and developed house, community, country, or world, people need to come together with a common goal. Kids need to be taught that America is only 227 years old, and only colonized around 400 years ago. They need to be taught how it was colonized and they need to know the literature that went along with it. They need to be taught the true stories of colonization and of the Native Americans. Kids need to learn that to be racist in America is like being racist against one's own blood.
Students need to understand that America has the most technology and the strongest military in the world because of the ideas that created them. They need to understand these ideas derived from, not one single race, but from cultures all over the world. How better to learn about the lifestyle of another country than to actually talk to a person from that country? Imagine a huge group of diverse people mixed together with the same goal in mind. This was the reality for newcomers coming to the U.S.A. during the last 4 centuries. However, some children today are never taught these things, the true meaning of America and how lucky he or she is to be living in a land so diverse and so advanced. They need to understand that these ideas and advancements did not come from one man or one race, but from millions of men and women and hundreds of different cultures.
Malcolm Wells writes in an article called A Jigsaw Puzzle, "Still at 62, it's hard to convince myself that this is not the country I was taught to love. It's painful to look at the truth. My grade-school indoctrination was so effective I still want to believe it all, from the home of the brave to the purple mountains majesty. I'd been told about slavery, about the great buffalo massacres, and about the Indian wars, but they had all been presented in such a rosy light each page of the nation's history seemed justified, almost sanctified, when seen against the grand tapestry of our progress across this shining continent. Waving field of grain, great heroes, American know-how. . . I bought them all. That we had stolen this shining continent from its native people bothered my not in the least." (Whole Earth Review, 24) These beliefs come from the ways Wells was taught growing up as he was oblivious to the problems that stem from America and was only taught about America the beautiful.
He goes on to say, "Before I looked in the mirror, however, I looked everywhere else, blaming racists, the military, politicians, hunters, developers. When I finally saw my reflection I said Oh my god, and saw that he too had been part of the myth. I wanted to go back and start over, to undo all I'd done. When we see the whole picture we may stop all this brutalism and cruelty and get ourselves together just in the nick of time." (Whole Earth Review, 25)
Dialogues
LEADERS
In A Man of the People , Chief Nanga, is referred to by the narrator, Odili, as a man of the people, and the most approachable politician in the country. He is the minister of culture and his speeches to the public represent everything that a politician should do and be. But as Odili tells the story, it becomes clear that Chief Nanga does not practice what he preaches. The money that is supposed to go towards helping his community he uses instead to build four-story buildings, which he rents out for his own profit.
Chief Nanga is supposed to be standing up for the traditions and beliefs of the pre-colonial African culture by defending the common man and opposing the European-oriented post-colonial intellectuals. This notion of defending the unique and colorful African culture is evident in another book of his called Arrow of God where he explains in detail the various rituals, artistic creations, clothing, beliefs, politics, and a sense of community and disagreement among tribes in Africa. However, in A Man of the People Achebe focuses more on the politics of West African communities. Achebe shows the switching of power between the old and new styles of politicians and how the old style bush politician, Chief Nanga, is becoming more and more greedy as he learns the political system.
The politicians in this novel stand as an intermediary between the government and the common people but are portrayed by Achebe as the evil side. Chief Nanga learns to be greedy and learns how to win elections through the corrupt system of politics he was against in the first place. The important thing for Chief Nanga is that the people trust him. He relates to them more, because he considers himself closer to the common man and far away from the intellectual, who represents a more European style of living and thinking. By representing his country after colonialism he has the incentive to stay as far away from the European style of life and politics as possible. As Odili explains the story, however, Chief Nanga only tells the people what they want to hear about defending their culture and way of thinking, and Nanga acts in a voracious way to obtain what he wants in his personal life; money, power, and women.
Chief Nanga's corrupt way of leading the people by telling them one thing and doing another is what eventually brings his reign to an end. Nanga taught Odili when he was young and Odili respected and liked him as a teacher. He learned many things from him and was happy when he heard he was first elected. But as Nanga grew more powerful within his office and country Odili began to grow smarter and he became more aware of the corrupt reality. It was not finally realized though, until he actually had the chance to live with Chief Nanga and witness how Nanga abused his money and power by over-spending his money and having his way with the women he desired.
Odili gives his insight on this situation when he narrates, "We ignore man's basic nature if we say, as some critics do, that because a man like Nanga has risen overnight from poverty and insignificance to his present opulence he could be persuaded without much trouble to give it up again and return to his original state. A man who has just come in from the rain and dried his body and put on dry clothes is more reluctant to go out again than another who has been indoors the whole time. The trouble with our new nation as I saw it then lying on that bed was that none of us had been indoors long enough to be able to say, to hell with it. We had all been in the rain together until yesterday."
He goes on to talk about his group of people as the smart and the lucky and how they had scrambled to the one shelter their former rulers left and taken it over. The metaphor here is very powerful and it really makes it clear the point Achebe is trying to explain. The point is that a person who goes from having nothing (Nanga) to having everything is going to be more reluctant to go back to having nothing compared to someone that has had everything the whole time, thus making him more greedy to gain power and more defensive against giving up this power. Odili emphasizes that the new nation was never indoors, but together in the rain, and they desprately needed to experience a little shelter.
VOICES
A voice is a powerful source for spreading beliefs and enforcing laws. In the political voice of A Man of the People, Chief Nanga tells his fellow citizens only the things that he feels they need to hear. His motivation is to gain the approval of the people through the things he says and he persuades them to think that his one voice will represent everyone's voice. He is not only a man of the people, but also a voice for the people. The only side of Chief Nanga the people hear, however, is his politically persuading West African voice that is heard as a voice that will defend and protect against the European style of living and colonizing while representing the African culture. His methods work to not only persuade the people to vote for him, but to believe he is doing everything he can to help them. The people are in a way a puppet being controlled by Nanga and his thugs.
In the novel Heart of Darkness , by Joseph Conrad, the voice of Mr. Kurtz plays a huge role in the actions of his followers and the people seeking to meet him. People trust his voice as a powerful sound and that sound echoes through their minds like a drum pounding in an African jungle. His voice, like Chief Nanga's, is heard as the voice of the people. Both voices in each novel are listened to as though it is a gavel striking down upon the table. What is heard by the people to do is what is done. Both men use their voice to enforce laws and actions. Kurtz is in charge of a huge ivory production line that is meant to make him and his home country a fortune. Nanga is in charge of his country and is the Minister of Culture, and his thugs do whatever he needs done to ensure he keeps winning elections. In this story, Odili sees a different side of Chief Nanga that the people do not see. He sees the greedy and gluttonous Chief Nanga and he sees the lust and passion driving Nanga to have his way and to have women bow down to him.
This evil side of Nanga that no one ever sees due to his power and way of hiding the truth and having his way with women is seen by Odili as a powerful enough reason to run against him in the upcoming election. This dark and empty side of Nanga motivates Odili to seek a friend he has not seen in quite sometime, Max. Together they split away from the two political party systems in West Africa that they see as corrupt and self-centered and they form their own political party that is meant to represent the common man. The argument Nanga uses against Odili is that Odili is an intellectual who has a European style of education and thus is farther away from the common man. This is a good argument, but coming from the mouth of Nanga, it is hypocritical and untrue. Nanga finds a way to take the women that Odili has feelings for away from him, and thus Odili seeks revenge as he is determined to defeat Chief Nanga in the upcoming election and win back the woman he desires.
A voice is so powerful; people fail to realize this until they think of voices that stand out in history and the meaning of the voice. The voice of Martin Luther King Jr. has touched so many and made such a huge impact on the world. He is one man with one voice and it really makes one realize the influence that one man can have on the world. Adolf Hitler on the other hand, used his voice to kill millions of Jews while attempting to spread his view on what the world should look like on the outside. Jesus Christ used his voice much like Martin Luther King Jr. as he spoke without using his fists or guns to spread his message. He touched so many people with his one voice that it is hard to believe the largest religion in the world originated from one man. Muhammad's voice played a huge role in the history of the world as he started a religion known as Islam that is the fastest growing religion in the world today. The power of one voice, as one can see, is incomparable to anything else in the world. In the novels, A Man of the People, and Heart of Darkness the power of the voice is evident and plays a crucial role in the behaviors of the people listening.
MOTIVES
In the novels A Man of the People and Heart of Darkness, the characters are motivated by different underlying factors that ultimately control their behavior. The motives for each character determine what methods each uses to achieve his goal. Violence, discovery, power, curiosity, greed, money,lust, and revenge are some of the different variables controlling the behaviors of the characters in these two novels.
In Heart of Darkness, Marlow's motive for travel and exploration is curiosity. He simply loves every bit of discovering new places and seeing things for the first time. Marlow wants to find new sights and sounds, and he wants to explore for the sake of exploring, not for the sake of colonizing and overtaking. Unlike Marlow, the other main voice in the novel, Mr. Kurtz, explores to seek money and power. Each man has the urge to travel and explore, but each man has a different motive driving him to behave in different ways.
In A Man of the People , Odili's motives for running against Chief Nanga in the election is to seek revenge and to prove that he is closer to the common man than Nanga. Odili is upset and jealous of Chief Nanga as he wins out both the girls Odili attempts to have relations with. Nanga wants to prove that no matter how old he is, his political power, money, and charming good looks will always win over the younger less powerful intellectual. When asked if he (Odili) was serious about Elsie from Nanga, Odili played it off like he did not care and told Chief Nanga that he was not serious about her. It was not until one night that Odili had the intentions of sneaking up to Elsie's room when he realized Nanga has beaten him to the spot and the competition begins. Nanga justifies his actions by explaining to Odili that the reason he (Nanga) asked him about whether or not he was serious about Elsie was to find out whether she was spoken for. Elsie screams Odili's name, but Odili does not care enough about her to react. If he did care he would have responded. Instead he packs his bags and leaves, and is only mad at Nanga for competition's sake.
This creates a motive for Odili to find his old buddy, called "cool" Max, and to start a new third political party in an attempt to undermine Chief Nanga. However, as Odili becomes more involved in politics he begins to see the corruption within the whole political process. His father is very much against him for attempting to run against the Honorable Chief Nanga, and this creates a controversy between the two men. At one point when Odili has established himself as the voice of the new party, Nanga tries to bribe him to drop out of the election, and Odili refuses. This episode takes place in front of Odili's father and is a two vs. one-person debate. The two being Nanga and Odili's father team up against Odili in the argument about whether or not Odili should accept the money and drop out of the election. Nanga tells Odili that his friend Max accepted money and Odili couldn't believe it. He later finds out that Max, using is wits, accepts the money to help fund Odili's campaign.
Chief Nanga has motives to obtain as much power as possible and he uses violent and greedy methods to obtain this power. He lives in a fabulous house, constructs big building to rent and profit from, and has hired thugs to kill or arrest the person he needs killed or arrested. He arrests Odili's father at one point, bribes Max and eventually has Max killed, wins out the two girls Odili is after, tries to bribe Odili, and at the end tries to exploit Odili in front of the mass of people gathered to listen to his (Nanga's) campaign speech. Nanga stuffs ballet boxes and does everything he can with the power he has to suppress Odili's attempt to overtake his position.
Motives can play a crucial role in determining the methods a person uses to acquire the things he wants in life. Many men have the same motive, to spread their beliefs and thus to have people listen to them and respect them. The modes of spreading ones beliefs will determine the fate of the world. If a man believes he is doing the correct thing based on his beliefs there is always going to be a controversy. Politicians have to persuade the people that their beliefs will not only come true, but will benefit everyone. If a politician has a powerful enough voice, most often, that man will persuade his listeners to believe in him. Nanga makes the people believe that they are so much better off than they would have been under European control that they do not even question what Chief Nanga is doing with all the power and money he has. Odili realizes that the country could be made so much better if the people just knew the facts, but in order for him to gain the faith of the people he must go up against the man known as "a man of the people.
ULABs headen violence written by someone
This is not to offend anyone just for a better intellectual and social climate.
I really wish your success making ULAB a genuine higher educational institution devoid of the slightest trace of corruption. This is a dire necessity for the time and for the country.
I was a part time faculty in the Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) Department of your esteemed institution, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) for last two semesters. This letter is to seek your intervention in the said events. I think you are aware of the events, but without my version of the narration. The surprise action taken against me is not only an unjust act, but also a crafted hostility which I believe you should be aware of. I request for your intervention both in terms of my further professional involvement with ULAB and for the sake of a secured professionalism in future in one of the promising private education ventures.
I taught TV News Production Skills in my first semester. The outcome of the course was a twenty minutes original TV news production, done by the students under my supervision. For the first time (as per students' feedback) they visited Ekushey Television (ETV) and SISIMPUR Studio at National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). They got optimum cooperation and warm reception from both of the organizations because of my previous professional relationship with them.
In the second semester, I taught two courses titled 1) Visual Communication and 2) Advanced TV Production. A documentary film on SIDR and a feature film titled 'Misfire' got produced by the students under my supervision. In Visual Communication course, students carried out two seminars titled 'SAFE Face SIDR' and 'Field Focus and Future of Visual Communication' along with a day long photography exhibition titled 'Dawn to Dusk' with their photographs. The event was attended by the leaders of the media and communication field. Teamed with the faculty of Advertising, a field trip to the SIDR affected area of Pathaghata was conducted for the students. In Advanced TV Production, students developed their script and shooting plan and even acted themselves in the film. The premier of the film was attended by the prominent media personalities. I tried to achieve best out of available resources.
Yeah there were some kind of unhappy proceedings for my part with students when they showed substantial amount of negligence towards there study and was demanding higher grades without working up to the mark. They openly misbehaved with me which at the time get solved by Brian's positive intervention. I asked students to attend practical exam of news casting with proper dressing like formal for boys and shari for girls. For heavens sake this was just to follow standard local media norm and this also used against me! Why students should be entertained this sort of ill manners? Is it the general practice at ULAB or just used as a plot against me?
Something was going wrong from the very beginning. I applied for the full time faculty position of Assistant Professor and was selected from a number of qualified candidates after several interviews and a presentation. Finally Dr. Shoesmith greeted me with the sentence that the board found me 'the best qualified candidate' for the post and sent me to Dr. Jahir, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs. Surprisingly I found Dr. Jahir telling something very different and that was that the ULAB management which he was representing for had not an offer of a full-time Assistant Professor for me, but of a part time Senior Lecturer. According to him, the post was supposed to be regularized after one semester. I accepted as I had no option at that time. Though I tried to convey my uneasiness to Dr. Shoesmith, I worked hard with my full energy and complete devotion. But after successful completion of the first semester, Dr. Jahir came again with the message that Dr. Shoesmith had told him to keep my position as part-time for one more semester. I immediately contacted to Dr. Shoesmith and found the fact otherwise and asked him to rescue me from bureaucratic atrocity. He made some initiatives and orally confirmed me that from January 2008 my position of Senior Lecturer in the Department would be regularized and after one year I would get the status of Assistant Professor. He told me that he had discussed the matter with you and the mentioned decision had been made. I agreed to the proposal and was preparing myself to serve ULAB at my level best.
This very Dr. Jahir was trying to pursue me from the beginning to accept his fishy propositions of hidden formula; he on and off suggested me to go and having suggestions from Mr. Asiujjaman. Beginning I thought it was simple thing but after having two three sitting with Mr. Asiujjaman I found the hidden agenda of their power formula in which I was not really very interested. I proceed on my own way of straightforward proceedings.
At the end of my second semester, I got the bolt from the blue. After finishing Patharghata field trip, I received a queer mail from Dr. Shoesmith. Immediately I called him. He asked me to share a serious matter at his apartment next morning. I was informed at my utter astonishment that a student had made a serious allegation against my behavior which advising committee found as 'sexual harassment'. I was shattered beyond measure and challenged the finding immediately. Dr. Shoesmith asked me not to be agitated as the matter would go to the disciplinary committee and they would be listening to my version of the said event before making any further evaluation. I was waiting and that was severely tortuous. Dr. Shoesmith left for home keeping the matter unresolved.
I asked Dr. Jahir to settle the matter at the earliest and free me from the unbearable mental sufferings. But, as before, he did things in his macabre style. He confused me further by telling that the very student did not share the matter with advising committee, just talked to a faculty unofficially and notes were taken from that only. His approach was hardly convincing at my end. I was trying to contact the student but she was not available. After a week or so, she phoned me apologizing for dropping the course I was conducting. I asked her about the allegation. She showed her innocence and told that she did not put any allegation against me. I immediately reported the matter to Dr. Jahir. He bothered little though and kept on asking me to give the result sheet early. His attitude made me guessing the obvious plot to throw me out of ULAB after getting the required sheets. Though it is hard to prove, a kind of conspiracy prone environment existed in ULAB where students are used in an unethical way. This time for unidentified reason I have become the target.
I sent several mails to Prof. Shoesmith, between, to help meout of these conspiracies: I felt certain power block of ULAB was not doing properly to me and just when I was supposed to be regularized, they played the final card. He replied me after long. This time he turned me down by telling that all my speculation about conspiracies against me would not help. According to him, students were not happy with me and I got my salary because they paid (!!). I found his position frustrating for sure, but more than that pathetically irrelevant to what the issue was about. Especially on the backdrop of my status as being charged for what some of the officials, quite in an unofficial manner though, found as 'sexual harassment'. I remind Prof. Shoesmith advising me at my beginning in ULAB to be hard to maintain discipline. Also when I asked about the expense of the course, he suggested me not to bother about that.
On around the third week (17th Jan 2008) the meeting of what is referred as disciplinary committee took place. By that time I had submitted my result sheets, and on time. To my surprise, there was only Vice Chancellor himself accompanied by Dr. Jahir in VC's room. After asking me a couple of formal questions like 'how are you?', 'how many semesters you taught here?' the VC concluded by telling 'we are not going to renew our contract with you.' Ironically I had already been named as tutor for three courses in the next semester. Politely I asked about what made them to decide in that way. The Honorable VC suddenly became terribly angry (!) and told me about so called allegation and its subsequent investigation by a lady member of the Board of Governors (BoG). I exclaimed how it was possible to make any investigation complete without never asking me anything about the matter! Why I am not given any opportunity to defend myself? Why are you not listening to my version of the event? Why do you accept my assessment on academic matters of students and in this case you are not even listening to me. How this particular student become so trustworthy to you, who in my view hardly compatible to be in the Media Studies Department. Laughably enough honorable VC told me that if I was a full time faculty, then only they would evaluate my explanation. For God's sake, who made this rule of discrimination? If I knew before about this disgraceful conduct for part time faculties I would never joined at ULAB. I strongly believe such is not the case. I strongly denied this and told that to reach in this kind of conclusion of convicting one is fully devoid of any sensible pattern of judgment. And about the very student, I have my set of assessment which should be counted at first.*
I challenged him of his way of judgment as inhuman. Then he become furious and starts threatening me and suggested me not to make any further stirring the matter. If I do so, I will be in trouble of getting job anywhere. Whether it is in any universities or in any TV channels; he used the phrase, "you know my connections". I simply get puzzled. I did not believe my ear; is this sort of abusive language coming from the mouth of a famed intellectual? It is totally barbaric, not at all at per with the philosophy of liberal arts. It is in sane, bordering almost blood thirsty cannibalistic attitude cloaked under civilized disguise. I just controlled myself and come out of his room calmly. Why he showed this kind of atrocity towards me? Is it for that I did not rallied behind him to strengthen his highly complicated mechanism for making ULAB a Bengali medium University?
I came to the media lab to assemble myself and tried to understand what has happened. Within a couple of minutes Dr. Jahir came to pacify me with his unbelievable calm and cruel mockery and shade crocodile tears for me. I asked him about the lady member of the BoG, who carried out the investigation. He made his hypocritical smile and told that the VC has made a mistake. The lady was not from the BoG, but certain faculty. Again I smelt the fishy manners in Dr. Jahir's behavior, which irritates me further. In fact, I was wondering, he is working for what! From the beginning he was trying to pursue me with his kind of politics of grouping. Irrelevantly he wanted me to go under the authority of Mr. Asiujjaman which I find highly inconvenient. Once he exposed a secret about Mr. Intekhab's conspiracy of using voice recorder and blackmailing you with me which I find tricky! (for the first time I am disclosing it for your convenience). From all this I smelt a kind invitation for group politics. I never go with this sort of narrow politics and feel a kind of betrayal to my sense of dignity. Anyway, I mailed to Dr. Shoesmith about my unhappiness regarding the development of the events. He showed pity on me that he was sorry and he could do nothing for me as if I asked any favor from him. Its not that... Basically, I was seeking justice.
I need to share with you another similar unhappy matter related to greater GEMCON family.**
Unlike Meena Bazar incident this time Brian just bends under the pressure of conspirators and turned me down otherwise. I came to know that before this sort of girl abuse happened in students' group politics; now it has become convenient way for turning down faculties who do not conforms to some particular power monger group. ***
So finally its you, to whom I may seek justice.
Last six) months, I pondered on and on and finally convinced to make the statement below:
You have made a wonderful educational environment and logistic system for hi-tech modernist education in Bangladesh. But the functional management understood very little about your good intension, only pursuing their own interest of solely personal benefits and contaminated the whole environ with their myopic lust and greediness, which is very much evident in all spheres of our ill fated motherland. I tried my best within my limited knowledge and resources to prevent another failure of a good wish. I took my job at ULAB as a fierce passion rather than a prosperous profession and that has made all the difference. Apart from curricular activities, I was inventing a series of creative activities, which is really beyond to the previous design of MSJ. I was confident enough with your infrastructural arrangement that within a couple of years the Department will reach truly in an international standard. I differ with Dr. Shoesmith that we will not be able to produce international standard of education here in Bangladesh. It is not my fancy. I got this confidence from my working experience with internationally acclaimed professionals and institutions previously. May be my passion got in truce with other's profession. I failed, they won. I do not bother because I fought for noble cause not for personal benefits. I believe in the phrase, "loose the battle field but win the war". And those scums may be contended by making me out of ULAB, but obviously will be thrown out to the garbage of time in near future.
I wish you will look after the matter earnestly and provide me with a proper justice more than that I wish you will not allow your clever and dishonest employees to spoil the wonderful institution you envisioned.
Best regards,
Dr. Shazedur Rahman
Theater and Media Expert
*I was really wanted to help her by seeing her weakness and inability to follow courses properly. I suggested a series of activities to follow from English competency to TV production techniques. Her ill manner of pursuing matter annoyed me. She undertook a documentary project and I was helping her by giving suggestions and connections, after dilly dallying sometime finally she reluctantly abandoned the project which involves university resources and lot of efforts from my part. This was surely annoying…. Moreover she was giving more importance to participate in fashion cat walking than her classes. So as a teacher it was my duty to warn her severely of her ill conduct…..there were no vengeances only good wishes. I strongly believe those conspirators got an opportunity of using her against me some way…I never wanted to make any intimacy out of teacher – student relationship parameter… may be she expected something else which I did not delivered and may be that made her ill manners provoked… or she might be used by those corrupt individuals against me...
(read her sms sent to me on 14th Oct. 2007: Some events in life are so beautiful that is never has an end but always a new beginning.Wish u a wonderfull eid.Eid mubarak. Sender: 0172336332)
I have carried out a mini private investigation about the girl after my technical sack from ULAB: I got remarks from her locality's distinguished person that the girl has been spoilt and they gave up all hope from her.
**I was invited to conduct a training program for Meena School for salesmanship performance development and direct a show by Ms. Sonia of Meena Bazar. Mr. Pravin, COO of Meena Bazar had a meeting with me and suggested me about the job. While I was trying to do the best accordingly I got a conspiracy lead assault from a official responsible for the management of the school as he wanted to make the show otherwise. He also used some salesgirl against me to satisfy his grudge against me. Finally the show was abandoned and Ms. Sonia apologized and pacifies me
*** Brian came to sense about their crooked way after another conspiracy lead sacking of another MSJ employee without Brian's consent. This time it is lab assistant Mr. Amin which made him frustrated beyond measure. He exclaimed his utter frustration to me in a personal meeting with me. Now only he understood the matter related to my case; he agreed with me that it was not students who wanted me out of ULAB but some high officials. He told me that he tried his best to keep me in but due to two faculty's total enmity against me and they were Dr. Jahir and Mr. Khaled Khan (!).
Like Brian Me too wonder why they become so authoritative and vindictive against me and my way while showing too much friendliness manner in person.
I really wish your success making ULAB a genuine higher educational institution devoid of the slightest trace of corruption. This is a dire necessity for the time and for the country.
I was a part time faculty in the Media Studies and Journalism (MSJ) Department of your esteemed institution, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) for last two semesters. This letter is to seek your intervention in the said events. I think you are aware of the events, but without my version of the narration. The surprise action taken against me is not only an unjust act, but also a crafted hostility which I believe you should be aware of. I request for your intervention both in terms of my further professional involvement with ULAB and for the sake of a secured professionalism in future in one of the promising private education ventures.
I taught TV News Production Skills in my first semester. The outcome of the course was a twenty minutes original TV news production, done by the students under my supervision. For the first time (as per students' feedback) they visited Ekushey Television (ETV) and SISIMPUR Studio at National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). They got optimum cooperation and warm reception from both of the organizations because of my previous professional relationship with them.
In the second semester, I taught two courses titled 1) Visual Communication and 2) Advanced TV Production. A documentary film on SIDR and a feature film titled 'Misfire' got produced by the students under my supervision. In Visual Communication course, students carried out two seminars titled 'SAFE Face SIDR' and 'Field Focus and Future of Visual Communication' along with a day long photography exhibition titled 'Dawn to Dusk' with their photographs. The event was attended by the leaders of the media and communication field. Teamed with the faculty of Advertising, a field trip to the SIDR affected area of Pathaghata was conducted for the students. In Advanced TV Production, students developed their script and shooting plan and even acted themselves in the film. The premier of the film was attended by the prominent media personalities. I tried to achieve best out of available resources.
Yeah there were some kind of unhappy proceedings for my part with students when they showed substantial amount of negligence towards there study and was demanding higher grades without working up to the mark. They openly misbehaved with me which at the time get solved by Brian's positive intervention. I asked students to attend practical exam of news casting with proper dressing like formal for boys and shari for girls. For heavens sake this was just to follow standard local media norm and this also used against me! Why students should be entertained this sort of ill manners? Is it the general practice at ULAB or just used as a plot against me?
Something was going wrong from the very beginning. I applied for the full time faculty position of Assistant Professor and was selected from a number of qualified candidates after several interviews and a presentation. Finally Dr. Shoesmith greeted me with the sentence that the board found me 'the best qualified candidate' for the post and sent me to Dr. Jahir, Deputy Director of Academic Affairs. Surprisingly I found Dr. Jahir telling something very different and that was that the ULAB management which he was representing for had not an offer of a full-time Assistant Professor for me, but of a part time Senior Lecturer. According to him, the post was supposed to be regularized after one semester. I accepted as I had no option at that time. Though I tried to convey my uneasiness to Dr. Shoesmith, I worked hard with my full energy and complete devotion. But after successful completion of the first semester, Dr. Jahir came again with the message that Dr. Shoesmith had told him to keep my position as part-time for one more semester. I immediately contacted to Dr. Shoesmith and found the fact otherwise and asked him to rescue me from bureaucratic atrocity. He made some initiatives and orally confirmed me that from January 2008 my position of Senior Lecturer in the Department would be regularized and after one year I would get the status of Assistant Professor. He told me that he had discussed the matter with you and the mentioned decision had been made. I agreed to the proposal and was preparing myself to serve ULAB at my level best.
This very Dr. Jahir was trying to pursue me from the beginning to accept his fishy propositions of hidden formula; he on and off suggested me to go and having suggestions from Mr. Asiujjaman. Beginning I thought it was simple thing but after having two three sitting with Mr. Asiujjaman I found the hidden agenda of their power formula in which I was not really very interested. I proceed on my own way of straightforward proceedings.
At the end of my second semester, I got the bolt from the blue. After finishing Patharghata field trip, I received a queer mail from Dr. Shoesmith. Immediately I called him. He asked me to share a serious matter at his apartment next morning. I was informed at my utter astonishment that a student had made a serious allegation against my behavior which advising committee found as 'sexual harassment'. I was shattered beyond measure and challenged the finding immediately. Dr. Shoesmith asked me not to be agitated as the matter would go to the disciplinary committee and they would be listening to my version of the said event before making any further evaluation. I was waiting and that was severely tortuous. Dr. Shoesmith left for home keeping the matter unresolved.
I asked Dr. Jahir to settle the matter at the earliest and free me from the unbearable mental sufferings. But, as before, he did things in his macabre style. He confused me further by telling that the very student did not share the matter with advising committee, just talked to a faculty unofficially and notes were taken from that only. His approach was hardly convincing at my end. I was trying to contact the student but she was not available. After a week or so, she phoned me apologizing for dropping the course I was conducting. I asked her about the allegation. She showed her innocence and told that she did not put any allegation against me. I immediately reported the matter to Dr. Jahir. He bothered little though and kept on asking me to give the result sheet early. His attitude made me guessing the obvious plot to throw me out of ULAB after getting the required sheets. Though it is hard to prove, a kind of conspiracy prone environment existed in ULAB where students are used in an unethical way. This time for unidentified reason I have become the target.
I sent several mails to Prof. Shoesmith, between, to help meout of these conspiracies: I felt certain power block of ULAB was not doing properly to me and just when I was supposed to be regularized, they played the final card. He replied me after long. This time he turned me down by telling that all my speculation about conspiracies against me would not help. According to him, students were not happy with me and I got my salary because they paid (!!). I found his position frustrating for sure, but more than that pathetically irrelevant to what the issue was about. Especially on the backdrop of my status as being charged for what some of the officials, quite in an unofficial manner though, found as 'sexual harassment'. I remind Prof. Shoesmith advising me at my beginning in ULAB to be hard to maintain discipline. Also when I asked about the expense of the course, he suggested me not to bother about that.
On around the third week (17th Jan 2008) the meeting of what is referred as disciplinary committee took place. By that time I had submitted my result sheets, and on time. To my surprise, there was only Vice Chancellor himself accompanied by Dr. Jahir in VC's room. After asking me a couple of formal questions like 'how are you?', 'how many semesters you taught here?' the VC concluded by telling 'we are not going to renew our contract with you.' Ironically I had already been named as tutor for three courses in the next semester. Politely I asked about what made them to decide in that way. The Honorable VC suddenly became terribly angry (!) and told me about so called allegation and its subsequent investigation by a lady member of the Board of Governors (BoG). I exclaimed how it was possible to make any investigation complete without never asking me anything about the matter! Why I am not given any opportunity to defend myself? Why are you not listening to my version of the event? Why do you accept my assessment on academic matters of students and in this case you are not even listening to me. How this particular student become so trustworthy to you, who in my view hardly compatible to be in the Media Studies Department. Laughably enough honorable VC told me that if I was a full time faculty, then only they would evaluate my explanation. For God's sake, who made this rule of discrimination? If I knew before about this disgraceful conduct for part time faculties I would never joined at ULAB. I strongly believe such is not the case. I strongly denied this and told that to reach in this kind of conclusion of convicting one is fully devoid of any sensible pattern of judgment. And about the very student, I have my set of assessment which should be counted at first.*
I challenged him of his way of judgment as inhuman. Then he become furious and starts threatening me and suggested me not to make any further stirring the matter. If I do so, I will be in trouble of getting job anywhere. Whether it is in any universities or in any TV channels; he used the phrase, "you know my connections". I simply get puzzled. I did not believe my ear; is this sort of abusive language coming from the mouth of a famed intellectual? It is totally barbaric, not at all at per with the philosophy of liberal arts. It is in sane, bordering almost blood thirsty cannibalistic attitude cloaked under civilized disguise. I just controlled myself and come out of his room calmly. Why he showed this kind of atrocity towards me? Is it for that I did not rallied behind him to strengthen his highly complicated mechanism for making ULAB a Bengali medium University?
I came to the media lab to assemble myself and tried to understand what has happened. Within a couple of minutes Dr. Jahir came to pacify me with his unbelievable calm and cruel mockery and shade crocodile tears for me. I asked him about the lady member of the BoG, who carried out the investigation. He made his hypocritical smile and told that the VC has made a mistake. The lady was not from the BoG, but certain faculty. Again I smelt the fishy manners in Dr. Jahir's behavior, which irritates me further. In fact, I was wondering, he is working for what! From the beginning he was trying to pursue me with his kind of politics of grouping. Irrelevantly he wanted me to go under the authority of Mr. Asiujjaman which I find highly inconvenient. Once he exposed a secret about Mr. Intekhab's conspiracy of using voice recorder and blackmailing you with me which I find tricky! (for the first time I am disclosing it for your convenience). From all this I smelt a kind invitation for group politics. I never go with this sort of narrow politics and feel a kind of betrayal to my sense of dignity. Anyway, I mailed to Dr. Shoesmith about my unhappiness regarding the development of the events. He showed pity on me that he was sorry and he could do nothing for me as if I asked any favor from him. Its not that... Basically, I was seeking justice.
I need to share with you another similar unhappy matter related to greater GEMCON family.**
Unlike Meena Bazar incident this time Brian just bends under the pressure of conspirators and turned me down otherwise. I came to know that before this sort of girl abuse happened in students' group politics; now it has become convenient way for turning down faculties who do not conforms to some particular power monger group. ***
So finally its you, to whom I may seek justice.
Last six) months, I pondered on and on and finally convinced to make the statement below:
You have made a wonderful educational environment and logistic system for hi-tech modernist education in Bangladesh. But the functional management understood very little about your good intension, only pursuing their own interest of solely personal benefits and contaminated the whole environ with their myopic lust and greediness, which is very much evident in all spheres of our ill fated motherland. I tried my best within my limited knowledge and resources to prevent another failure of a good wish. I took my job at ULAB as a fierce passion rather than a prosperous profession and that has made all the difference. Apart from curricular activities, I was inventing a series of creative activities, which is really beyond to the previous design of MSJ. I was confident enough with your infrastructural arrangement that within a couple of years the Department will reach truly in an international standard. I differ with Dr. Shoesmith that we will not be able to produce international standard of education here in Bangladesh. It is not my fancy. I got this confidence from my working experience with internationally acclaimed professionals and institutions previously. May be my passion got in truce with other's profession. I failed, they won. I do not bother because I fought for noble cause not for personal benefits. I believe in the phrase, "loose the battle field but win the war". And those scums may be contended by making me out of ULAB, but obviously will be thrown out to the garbage of time in near future.
I wish you will look after the matter earnestly and provide me with a proper justice more than that I wish you will not allow your clever and dishonest employees to spoil the wonderful institution you envisioned.
Best regards,
Dr. Shazedur Rahman
Theater and Media Expert
*I was really wanted to help her by seeing her weakness and inability to follow courses properly. I suggested a series of activities to follow from English competency to TV production techniques. Her ill manner of pursuing matter annoyed me. She undertook a documentary project and I was helping her by giving suggestions and connections, after dilly dallying sometime finally she reluctantly abandoned the project which involves university resources and lot of efforts from my part. This was surely annoying…. Moreover she was giving more importance to participate in fashion cat walking than her classes. So as a teacher it was my duty to warn her severely of her ill conduct…..there were no vengeances only good wishes. I strongly believe those conspirators got an opportunity of using her against me some way…I never wanted to make any intimacy out of teacher – student relationship parameter… may be she expected something else which I did not delivered and may be that made her ill manners provoked… or she might be used by those corrupt individuals against me...
(read her sms sent to me on 14th Oct. 2007: Some events in life are so beautiful that is never has an end but always a new beginning.Wish u a wonderfull eid.Eid mubarak. Sender: 0172336332)
I have carried out a mini private investigation about the girl after my technical sack from ULAB: I got remarks from her locality's distinguished person that the girl has been spoilt and they gave up all hope from her.
**I was invited to conduct a training program for Meena School for salesmanship performance development and direct a show by Ms. Sonia of Meena Bazar. Mr. Pravin, COO of Meena Bazar had a meeting with me and suggested me about the job. While I was trying to do the best accordingly I got a conspiracy lead assault from a official responsible for the management of the school as he wanted to make the show otherwise. He also used some salesgirl against me to satisfy his grudge against me. Finally the show was abandoned and Ms. Sonia apologized and pacifies me
*** Brian came to sense about their crooked way after another conspiracy lead sacking of another MSJ employee without Brian's consent. This time it is lab assistant Mr. Amin which made him frustrated beyond measure. He exclaimed his utter frustration to me in a personal meeting with me. Now only he understood the matter related to my case; he agreed with me that it was not students who wanted me out of ULAB but some high officials. He told me that he tried his best to keep me in but due to two faculty's total enmity against me and they were Dr. Jahir and Mr. Khaled Khan (!).
Like Brian Me too wonder why they become so authoritative and vindictive against me and my way while showing too much friendliness manner in person.
Transcendental theology
{{this|Transcendentalism in nineteenth-century America|transcendence}}
'''Transcendentalism''' was a group of new ideas in [[literature]], [[religion]], [[culture]], and [[philosophy]] that emerged in [[New England]] in the early to middle 19th century. It is sometimes called '''American Transcendentalism''' to distinguish it from other uses of the word ''[[transcendental]]''.
Transcendentalism began as a protest against the general state of culture and [[society]] at the time, and in particular, the state of [[intellectualism]] at [[Harvard]] and the doctrine of the [[Unitarian]] church which was taught at [[Harvard Divinity School]]. Among Transcendentalists' core beliefs was an ideal [[spirituality|spiritual]] state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions.
Prominent Transcendentalists included [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], [[Henry David Thoreau]], [[Margaret Fuller]], as well as [[Bronson Alcott]], [[Orestes Brownson]], [[William Ellery Channing (1818-1901)|William Ellery Channing]], [[Frederick Henry Hedge]], [[Theodore Parker]], [[George Putnam]], [[Elizabeth Peabody]], and [[Sophia Peabody]], the wife of [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]. For a time, Peabody and Hawthorne lived at the [[Brook Farm]] Transcendentalist [[utopia]]n [[intentional community|commune]].
==History==
The publication of Emerson's 1836 essay ''[[Nature (book)|Nature]]'' is usually taken to be the watershed moment at which Transcendentalism became a major cultural movement. Emerson wrote in his essay "[[The American Scholar]]": "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds ... A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the [[Divinity|Divine]] [[Soul]] which also inspires all men." Emerson closed the essay by calling for a revolution in human consciousness to emerge from the new idealist philosophy:
{{Quotation| So shall we come to look at the world with new eyes. It shall answer the endless inquiry of the intellect, — What is truth? and of the affections, — What is good? by yielding itself passive to the educated Will. ... Build, therefore, your own world. As fast as you conform your life to the pure idea in your mind, that will unfold its great proportions. A correspondent revolution in things will attend the influx of the spirit.}}
In the same year, Transcendentalism became a coherent movement with the founding of the [[Transcendental Club]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], on [[September 8]], [[1836]], by prominent New England intellectuals including [[George Putnam]], [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], and [[Frederick Henry Hedge]]. From 1840, the group published frequently in their journal ''[[The Dial]]'', along with other venues.
The practical aims of the Transcendentalists were varied; some among the group linked it with utopian social change (and, in the case of [[Orestes Brownson|Brownson]], it joined explicitly with early [[socialism]]), while others found it an exclusively individual and idealist project. Emerson believed the latter. In his 1842 lecture "[[The Transcendentalist]]", Emerson suggested that the goal of a purely Transcendental outlook on life was impossible to attain in practice:
{{Quotation|You will see by this sketch that there is no such thing as a Transcendental ''party''; that there is no pure Transcendentalist; that we know of no one but prophets and heralds of such a philosophy; that all who by strong bias of nature have leaned to the spiritual side in doctrine, have stopped short of their goal. We have had many harbingers and forerunners; but of a purely spiritual life, history has afforded no example. I mean, we have yet no man who has leaned entirely on his character, and eaten angels' food; who, trusting to his sentiments, found life made of miracles; who, working for universal aims, found himself fed, he knew not how; clothed, sheltered, and weaponed, he knew not how, and yet it was done by his own hands. ... Shall we say, then, that Transcendentalism is the [[Saturnalia]] or excess of Faith; the presentiment of a faith proper to man in his integrity, excessive only when his imperfect obedience hinders the satisfaction of his wish.}}
[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] wrote a novel, ''[[The Blithedale Romance]]'', satirizing the movement, and based it on his experiences at [[Brook Farm]], a short-lived utopian community founded on Transcendental principles.
==Origins==
Transcendentalism was rooted in the [[Transcendence (philosophy)|transcendental]] philosophy of [[Immanuel Kant]] (and of [[German Idealism]] more generally), which the New England intellectuals of the early 19th century embraced as an alternative to the [[John Locke|Locke]]an "[[sensualism]]" of their fathers and of the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian church]], finding this alternative in [[Veda|Vedic]] thought, [[German idealism]], and English [[Romanticism]].
The Transcendentalists desired to ground their religion and philosophy in transcendental principles: principles not based on, or falsifiable by, sensuous experience, but deriving from the inner, spiritual or mental essence of the human. Immanuel Kant had called "all knowledge transcendental which is concerned not with objects but with our mode of knowing objects." The Transcendentalists were largely unacquainted with [[German philosophy]] in the original, and relied primarily on the writings of [[Thomas Carlyle]], [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]], [[Victor Cousin]], [[Germaine de Staël]], and other English and French commentators for their knowledge of it. In contrast, they were intimately familiar with the English [[Romanticism|Romantics]], and the Transcendental movement may be partially described as a slightly later, American outgrowth of Romanticism. Another major influence was the mystical spiritualism of [[Emanuel Swedenborg]].
Thoreau in ''Walden'' spoke of the debt to the Vedic thought directly, as did other members of the movement:
{{Quotation|In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the [[Bhagavat Geeta]], since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial; and I doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is its sublimity from our conceptions. I lay down the book and go to my well for water, and lo! there I meet the servant of the [[Brahmin]], priest of [[Brahma]], and [[Vishnu]] and [[Indra]], who still sits in his temple on the Ganges reading the Vedas, or dwells at the root of a tree with his crust and water-jug. I meet his servant come to draw water for his master, and our buckets as it were grate together in the same well. The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges.}}
==Other meanings of ''transcendentalism''==
====Transcendental idealism====
The term '''''transcendentalism''''' sometimes serves as shorthand for "[[transcendental idealism]]," which is the philosophy of [[Immanuel Kant]] and later Kantian and German Idealist philosophers.
====Transcendental theology====
{{See|Transcendence (religion)}}
Another alternative meaning for '''''transcendentalism''''' is the classical philosophy that God transcends the manifest world. As [[Johannes Scotus Eriugena|John Scotus Erigena]] put it to [[Franks|Frankish]] king [[Charles the Bald]] in the year 840 A.D., "We do not know what God is. God himself doesn't know what He is because He is not anything. Literally God is not, because He transcends being."
'''Transcendentalism''' was a group of new ideas in [[literature]], [[religion]], [[culture]], and [[philosophy]] that emerged in [[New England]] in the early to middle 19th century. It is sometimes called '''American Transcendentalism''' to distinguish it from other uses of the word ''[[transcendental]]''.
Transcendentalism began as a protest against the general state of culture and [[society]] at the time, and in particular, the state of [[intellectualism]] at [[Harvard]] and the doctrine of the [[Unitarian]] church which was taught at [[Harvard Divinity School]]. Among Transcendentalists' core beliefs was an ideal [[spirituality|spiritual]] state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions.
Prominent Transcendentalists included [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], [[Henry David Thoreau]], [[Margaret Fuller]], as well as [[Bronson Alcott]], [[Orestes Brownson]], [[William Ellery Channing (1818-1901)|William Ellery Channing]], [[Frederick Henry Hedge]], [[Theodore Parker]], [[George Putnam]], [[Elizabeth Peabody]], and [[Sophia Peabody]], the wife of [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]. For a time, Peabody and Hawthorne lived at the [[Brook Farm]] Transcendentalist [[utopia]]n [[intentional community|commune]].
==History==
The publication of Emerson's 1836 essay ''[[Nature (book)|Nature]]'' is usually taken to be the watershed moment at which Transcendentalism became a major cultural movement. Emerson wrote in his essay "[[The American Scholar]]": "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds ... A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the [[Divinity|Divine]] [[Soul]] which also inspires all men." Emerson closed the essay by calling for a revolution in human consciousness to emerge from the new idealist philosophy:
{{Quotation| So shall we come to look at the world with new eyes. It shall answer the endless inquiry of the intellect, — What is truth? and of the affections, — What is good? by yielding itself passive to the educated Will. ... Build, therefore, your own world. As fast as you conform your life to the pure idea in your mind, that will unfold its great proportions. A correspondent revolution in things will attend the influx of the spirit.}}
In the same year, Transcendentalism became a coherent movement with the founding of the [[Transcendental Club]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], on [[September 8]], [[1836]], by prominent New England intellectuals including [[George Putnam]], [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], and [[Frederick Henry Hedge]]. From 1840, the group published frequently in their journal ''[[The Dial]]'', along with other venues.
The practical aims of the Transcendentalists were varied; some among the group linked it with utopian social change (and, in the case of [[Orestes Brownson|Brownson]], it joined explicitly with early [[socialism]]), while others found it an exclusively individual and idealist project. Emerson believed the latter. In his 1842 lecture "[[The Transcendentalist]]", Emerson suggested that the goal of a purely Transcendental outlook on life was impossible to attain in practice:
{{Quotation|You will see by this sketch that there is no such thing as a Transcendental ''party''; that there is no pure Transcendentalist; that we know of no one but prophets and heralds of such a philosophy; that all who by strong bias of nature have leaned to the spiritual side in doctrine, have stopped short of their goal. We have had many harbingers and forerunners; but of a purely spiritual life, history has afforded no example. I mean, we have yet no man who has leaned entirely on his character, and eaten angels' food; who, trusting to his sentiments, found life made of miracles; who, working for universal aims, found himself fed, he knew not how; clothed, sheltered, and weaponed, he knew not how, and yet it was done by his own hands. ... Shall we say, then, that Transcendentalism is the [[Saturnalia]] or excess of Faith; the presentiment of a faith proper to man in his integrity, excessive only when his imperfect obedience hinders the satisfaction of his wish.}}
[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] wrote a novel, ''[[The Blithedale Romance]]'', satirizing the movement, and based it on his experiences at [[Brook Farm]], a short-lived utopian community founded on Transcendental principles.
==Origins==
Transcendentalism was rooted in the [[Transcendence (philosophy)|transcendental]] philosophy of [[Immanuel Kant]] (and of [[German Idealism]] more generally), which the New England intellectuals of the early 19th century embraced as an alternative to the [[John Locke|Locke]]an "[[sensualism]]" of their fathers and of the [[Unitarianism|Unitarian church]], finding this alternative in [[Veda|Vedic]] thought, [[German idealism]], and English [[Romanticism]].
The Transcendentalists desired to ground their religion and philosophy in transcendental principles: principles not based on, or falsifiable by, sensuous experience, but deriving from the inner, spiritual or mental essence of the human. Immanuel Kant had called "all knowledge transcendental which is concerned not with objects but with our mode of knowing objects." The Transcendentalists were largely unacquainted with [[German philosophy]] in the original, and relied primarily on the writings of [[Thomas Carlyle]], [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]], [[Victor Cousin]], [[Germaine de Staël]], and other English and French commentators for their knowledge of it. In contrast, they were intimately familiar with the English [[Romanticism|Romantics]], and the Transcendental movement may be partially described as a slightly later, American outgrowth of Romanticism. Another major influence was the mystical spiritualism of [[Emanuel Swedenborg]].
Thoreau in ''Walden'' spoke of the debt to the Vedic thought directly, as did other members of the movement:
{{Quotation|In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the [[Bhagavat Geeta]], since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial; and I doubt if that philosophy is not to be referred to a previous state of existence, so remote is its sublimity from our conceptions. I lay down the book and go to my well for water, and lo! there I meet the servant of the [[Brahmin]], priest of [[Brahma]], and [[Vishnu]] and [[Indra]], who still sits in his temple on the Ganges reading the Vedas, or dwells at the root of a tree with his crust and water-jug. I meet his servant come to draw water for his master, and our buckets as it were grate together in the same well. The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges.}}
==Other meanings of ''transcendentalism''==
====Transcendental idealism====
The term '''''transcendentalism''''' sometimes serves as shorthand for "[[transcendental idealism]]," which is the philosophy of [[Immanuel Kant]] and later Kantian and German Idealist philosophers.
====Transcendental theology====
{{See|Transcendence (religion)}}
Another alternative meaning for '''''transcendentalism''''' is the classical philosophy that God transcends the manifest world. As [[Johannes Scotus Eriugena|John Scotus Erigena]] put it to [[Franks|Frankish]] king [[Charles the Bald]] in the year 840 A.D., "We do not know what God is. God himself doesn't know what He is because He is not anything. Literally God is not, because He transcends being."
Speech Organs
Speech Organs
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
June 12, 2007.
Content Page Number
Contents 02
Abstract 03
Chapter One: 04
Introduction 04
Chapter Two: 05
Background Knowledge 05
Defination of Speech Organs 06
Description of Speech Organs 07
Chapter Three:
Conclusion
Abstract:
Speech organs are one of the most important subject in the study of phonetics. The scope of organs of speech is as important as the scope of phonetics. It helps us to understant the articulators which are involved in the production of sounds or phones. A clear conception about articulators can change the style of any individual’s pronounciation. The knowledge helps a native more accurate in his first language (mother tongue). Moreover, it helps a person to be more nativelike in his or her second language. Overall, a well rounded knowledge of organs of speech is not only necessary for the students of linguistics but also for the general people.
Chapter One
Introduction:
The organs invovle in the production of sounds are called speech organs. It is placed in the fundamental level of the study of phonetics. According to the division of phonetics, speech organs are placed in the articulatory phonetics. The subject matter of articulatory phonetics is how the different parts of our body are helping to produce any speech sounds. It indicates the organs of speech, how speech sounds are pronounced and from where any speech sounds are pronounced. In this way, one person can improve his or her pronouncing ability. The knowledge of speech organs can help both a native as well as a fareign speaker. A copehensive knowledge about the organs of speech can be an effective skills for pronouncing correctly and more accurately.
Chapter Two
Background Knowledge:
Phonetics is an important branch of linguistics. Phonetics comes from the Greek word phone meaning ‘sound’ or ‘voice’. It is the study of the sound of human speech. It deals with the actual properties of speech sounds, their production, audition and perception. Many famous linguistics defines it many ways.
Davenport defines phonetics as:
Phonetics deals with speech sounds themselves, how they are made,… how they are perceived and the physics involved.
Another famous linguist David Crystal in his “A Dictionary of Linguistics & Phonetics”, defines Phonetics as:
The science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially those sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription.
Phonetics is classified into three branches. They are:
• Articulatory Phonetics: Articulatory phonetics is the study of the way speech sounds are made by vocal organ.
• Acoustic Phonetics: Acustic phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sound, as transmitted between mouth and ear.
• Auditory Phonetics: Auditory phoneticsstudies the perceptual resposnse to speech sounds, as meditated by ear; auditory nerve and brain.
Defination of Speech Organs:
Organs of speech or articulators are part of the study of articulatoey phonetics. Articulator or speech organs are those organs of our body which helps us to produce speech sounds. Interesting charactaristic of theses articulators is that though they are helping to produces speech sounds, their primary job is to do something else for our body than articulate speech sounds. Different linguist defines speech organs in different ways. Some of the definations are as following:
Famous linguist David Crystal in his Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, defines articulator as:
…any specific part of the vocal apparatus involved in the production of a sound is called an articulator.
Description of Speech Organs:
David Crystal divides the articulators into two different ways according to its mobility. They are:
1) Active Articulator: Any mobile or movable speech organ involves in sound production is called active articulator. E.g. Lips, tongue.
2) Passive Articulator: Any static or immobile speech organ involves in sound production is called active articulator. E.g. Palate, vocal tract etcetra.
Davenport in his Introducing Phonetics and Phonology shows the figure of the vocal tract and articulatory organs (Fig-01). There he shows fifteen diferrent speech organs. They are as following:
• Nasal cavilty
• Oral Cavity
• Epiglottis
• Larynx
• Lungs
• Upper lip
• Lower lip
• Teeth
• Alveolar ridge
• Palate
• Tongue
• Velum
• Uvula
• Pharynx
• Trachea
Nasal Cavity: Nasal Cavity is a part of upper jaw and works as a passive articulator. It covers the total hollow placed upon the palate from the velum to nostril. The sounds produced from this part are called nasal sound. The term nasal is classified in the phonetics on the basis of manner of articulation. Both consonant and vowel can be pronounced in this way. Nasal consonant is pronounced when there is a complete closure in the mouth and all air pass through the nose. E.g. in Bangla, we have / n /, / m / as nasal consonant. In case of nasal vowel, air passes through both nose and mouth. E.g. in Bangla all seven vowel phonemes can be pronounces as nasal vowel.
Oral Cavity: Oral cavity or oral chamber is considered as the articulatory area of the mouth. It consists of several speech organs situated in the mouth hole. Phonetically ‘oral’ is opposed to ‘nasal’. Oral cavity is opposed with nasal cavity, in this way the pharynx, oesophagus and lungs are also excluded from the notion of ‘oral’. Tongue and teeth are two important articulators of oral cavity. We pronounced each and every sound except nasal and nasalized through the oral cavity.
Epiglottis: Epiglottis is an anatomical structure which closes over the larynx during swallowing. It is a passive articulator which can produce an audible trill.
Larynx: Larynx is the windpipe, containing the vocal cords. It is also named as ‘voice box’ which is a casing of muscle and cartilage. It is very much vivid in the front part of male neck known as ‘Adam’s apple’. It works both biologically and linguistically. Biologically it works as a valve to shut off the lungs. And, linguistically the voice box is involved in the production of different types of sounds like voicing, pitch, whisper, glottal, stop and glottalic. Speech sounds produced in the larynx are sometimes referred to as laryngeals. According to the different states of vocal cords, it produces spread, constricted, voiced, unvoiced, stiff and slack sounds. The process of laryngealization refers to variation mode in the production of the vocal cords e.g. creaky voice. We can observe larynx in different ways. The traditional method of observing it to use laryngoscope, a mirror
Davenport, M & Hannahs, S. J. (1998). Introducing Phonetics and Phonology. London: Arnold.
Crystal, D. (1991). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. UK: Blackwall.
University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh
June 12, 2007.
Content Page Number
Contents 02
Abstract 03
Chapter One: 04
Introduction 04
Chapter Two: 05
Background Knowledge 05
Defination of Speech Organs 06
Description of Speech Organs 07
Chapter Three:
Conclusion
Abstract:
Speech organs are one of the most important subject in the study of phonetics. The scope of organs of speech is as important as the scope of phonetics. It helps us to understant the articulators which are involved in the production of sounds or phones. A clear conception about articulators can change the style of any individual’s pronounciation. The knowledge helps a native more accurate in his first language (mother tongue). Moreover, it helps a person to be more nativelike in his or her second language. Overall, a well rounded knowledge of organs of speech is not only necessary for the students of linguistics but also for the general people.
Chapter One
Introduction:
The organs invovle in the production of sounds are called speech organs. It is placed in the fundamental level of the study of phonetics. According to the division of phonetics, speech organs are placed in the articulatory phonetics. The subject matter of articulatory phonetics is how the different parts of our body are helping to produce any speech sounds. It indicates the organs of speech, how speech sounds are pronounced and from where any speech sounds are pronounced. In this way, one person can improve his or her pronouncing ability. The knowledge of speech organs can help both a native as well as a fareign speaker. A copehensive knowledge about the organs of speech can be an effective skills for pronouncing correctly and more accurately.
Chapter Two
Background Knowledge:
Phonetics is an important branch of linguistics. Phonetics comes from the Greek word phone meaning ‘sound’ or ‘voice’. It is the study of the sound of human speech. It deals with the actual properties of speech sounds, their production, audition and perception. Many famous linguistics defines it many ways.
Davenport defines phonetics as:
Phonetics deals with speech sounds themselves, how they are made,… how they are perceived and the physics involved.
Another famous linguist David Crystal in his “A Dictionary of Linguistics & Phonetics”, defines Phonetics as:
The science which studies the characteristics of human sound-making, especially those sounds used in speech, and provides methods for their description, classification and transcription.
Phonetics is classified into three branches. They are:
• Articulatory Phonetics: Articulatory phonetics is the study of the way speech sounds are made by vocal organ.
• Acoustic Phonetics: Acustic phonetics studies the physical properties of speech sound, as transmitted between mouth and ear.
• Auditory Phonetics: Auditory phoneticsstudies the perceptual resposnse to speech sounds, as meditated by ear; auditory nerve and brain.
Defination of Speech Organs:
Organs of speech or articulators are part of the study of articulatoey phonetics. Articulator or speech organs are those organs of our body which helps us to produce speech sounds. Interesting charactaristic of theses articulators is that though they are helping to produces speech sounds, their primary job is to do something else for our body than articulate speech sounds. Different linguist defines speech organs in different ways. Some of the definations are as following:
Famous linguist David Crystal in his Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, defines articulator as:
…any specific part of the vocal apparatus involved in the production of a sound is called an articulator.
Description of Speech Organs:
David Crystal divides the articulators into two different ways according to its mobility. They are:
1) Active Articulator: Any mobile or movable speech organ involves in sound production is called active articulator. E.g. Lips, tongue.
2) Passive Articulator: Any static or immobile speech organ involves in sound production is called active articulator. E.g. Palate, vocal tract etcetra.
Davenport in his Introducing Phonetics and Phonology shows the figure of the vocal tract and articulatory organs (Fig-01). There he shows fifteen diferrent speech organs. They are as following:
• Nasal cavilty
• Oral Cavity
• Epiglottis
• Larynx
• Lungs
• Upper lip
• Lower lip
• Teeth
• Alveolar ridge
• Palate
• Tongue
• Velum
• Uvula
• Pharynx
• Trachea
Nasal Cavity: Nasal Cavity is a part of upper jaw and works as a passive articulator. It covers the total hollow placed upon the palate from the velum to nostril. The sounds produced from this part are called nasal sound. The term nasal is classified in the phonetics on the basis of manner of articulation. Both consonant and vowel can be pronounced in this way. Nasal consonant is pronounced when there is a complete closure in the mouth and all air pass through the nose. E.g. in Bangla, we have / n /, / m / as nasal consonant. In case of nasal vowel, air passes through both nose and mouth. E.g. in Bangla all seven vowel phonemes can be pronounces as nasal vowel.
Oral Cavity: Oral cavity or oral chamber is considered as the articulatory area of the mouth. It consists of several speech organs situated in the mouth hole. Phonetically ‘oral’ is opposed to ‘nasal’. Oral cavity is opposed with nasal cavity, in this way the pharynx, oesophagus and lungs are also excluded from the notion of ‘oral’. Tongue and teeth are two important articulators of oral cavity. We pronounced each and every sound except nasal and nasalized through the oral cavity.
Epiglottis: Epiglottis is an anatomical structure which closes over the larynx during swallowing. It is a passive articulator which can produce an audible trill.
Larynx: Larynx is the windpipe, containing the vocal cords. It is also named as ‘voice box’ which is a casing of muscle and cartilage. It is very much vivid in the front part of male neck known as ‘Adam’s apple’. It works both biologically and linguistically. Biologically it works as a valve to shut off the lungs. And, linguistically the voice box is involved in the production of different types of sounds like voicing, pitch, whisper, glottal, stop and glottalic. Speech sounds produced in the larynx are sometimes referred to as laryngeals. According to the different states of vocal cords, it produces spread, constricted, voiced, unvoiced, stiff and slack sounds. The process of laryngealization refers to variation mode in the production of the vocal cords e.g. creaky voice. We can observe larynx in different ways. The traditional method of observing it to use laryngoscope, a mirror
Davenport, M & Hannahs, S. J. (1998). Introducing Phonetics and Phonology. London: Arnold.
Crystal, D. (1991). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. UK: Blackwall.
food and food politics
Assignment on food and food politics
Report on Friday
December 22, 2006
Yesterday I went to bazaar for buying muri and chili’s dust. A shopkeeper who is very knowing faces. I wanted to buy some muri and chili’s dust from him. I said please mama give me ½ kg muri and ¼ kg chili’s dust. The shopkeeper gave me a brand new packaging muri and chili’s dust. I asked him please give me open item , I do not want brand and packaging item. But the shopkeeper said to me, open item is not good quality and not good for health. I asked again in this packet’s muri is fried with mixed urea, do you know? The shopkeeper said to me he did not know, he angry to me and said if you want to buy product then take it, if you do not want then you can go. At last I bought some muri and chili’s dust and think packaging food is everywhere even you do not want.
Report on Saturday
December 23, 2006
I was walking in the footpath suddenly I heard, a small children was crying and saying I want pran I want pran I want to drink it. Pran is a brand name mango juice. It is very popular in our whole country. Every child knows about it. I thought sometime, it is the reality everyone is influenced by branding. This is not only for food item. When someone pronounces a brand name then we can understand oh! It is a particular product item.
Report no Sunday
December 24, 2006
I was going to bazaar for buying something. One of my roommates told me, please buy a pack of chanacor for him. I came back to room after half an hour and gave him a pack of
Chanacor. But my roommate was not satisfied to me because the Chanacor pack was none branded. He said to me it is a local item. It is not good for health. That’s why he wants ruchi chanacur because it is a famous branded chanacu.But he can not understand that brand item also not so good.
Report on Monday
December 25, 2006
Today is unmukh’s uncle’s birth day. I and my friend unmukh were walking in baily road for buying birth day’s cake. At first we want to swish cake shop. I want to buy a pasty cake. But unmukh said his aunt told to him to buy a choke let cake. His aunt also said that it will be buying from hot cake shop because the shop was new and they made good cake. That’s why we go back to hot cake shop and bought chocolate cake. But when unmukh’s sister saw the cake, she said that it is not good quality. She thought swish cake is best quality. I thing she is influenced by old branded because swish cake shop is older and famous rather than hot cake shop.
Report on Tuesday
December 26, 2006
Today I sat in ULAB café for eating something. I saw one of my friends was drinking pepsi. He was smart guy and fell good. I asked him. You know it is not good for health. In this café had other branded soft drinks and fruit juice. But he was not interest about those kinds of drinks. He only wants pepsi….!
Report on Friday
December 22, 2006
Yesterday I went to bazaar for buying muri and chili’s dust. A shopkeeper who is very knowing faces. I wanted to buy some muri and chili’s dust from him. I said please mama give me ½ kg muri and ¼ kg chili’s dust. The shopkeeper gave me a brand new packaging muri and chili’s dust. I asked him please give me open item , I do not want brand and packaging item. But the shopkeeper said to me, open item is not good quality and not good for health. I asked again in this packet’s muri is fried with mixed urea, do you know? The shopkeeper said to me he did not know, he angry to me and said if you want to buy product then take it, if you do not want then you can go. At last I bought some muri and chili’s dust and think packaging food is everywhere even you do not want.
Report on Saturday
December 23, 2006
I was walking in the footpath suddenly I heard, a small children was crying and saying I want pran I want pran I want to drink it. Pran is a brand name mango juice. It is very popular in our whole country. Every child knows about it. I thought sometime, it is the reality everyone is influenced by branding. This is not only for food item. When someone pronounces a brand name then we can understand oh! It is a particular product item.
Report no Sunday
December 24, 2006
I was going to bazaar for buying something. One of my roommates told me, please buy a pack of chanacor for him. I came back to room after half an hour and gave him a pack of
Chanacor. But my roommate was not satisfied to me because the Chanacor pack was none branded. He said to me it is a local item. It is not good for health. That’s why he wants ruchi chanacur because it is a famous branded chanacu.But he can not understand that brand item also not so good.
Report on Monday
December 25, 2006
Today is unmukh’s uncle’s birth day. I and my friend unmukh were walking in baily road for buying birth day’s cake. At first we want to swish cake shop. I want to buy a pasty cake. But unmukh said his aunt told to him to buy a choke let cake. His aunt also said that it will be buying from hot cake shop because the shop was new and they made good cake. That’s why we go back to hot cake shop and bought chocolate cake. But when unmukh’s sister saw the cake, she said that it is not good quality. She thought swish cake is best quality. I thing she is influenced by old branded because swish cake shop is older and famous rather than hot cake shop.
Report on Tuesday
December 26, 2006
Today I sat in ULAB café for eating something. I saw one of my friends was drinking pepsi. He was smart guy and fell good. I asked him. You know it is not good for health. In this café had other branded soft drinks and fruit juice. But he was not interest about those kinds of drinks. He only wants pepsi….!
Psychological Experiment
Submitted to:
Justin Freiberg
Course Instructor
Introduction:
Money is necessary for human life because of it is main currency for interchangeable wealth.
Happiness
There is a picture; here a van puller who drives his van. His face is so smiling. And some of the people sit on his van. They are a family member. They are going to there home from the city. But they are not happy .They are alarmed. Because that day is stuck, that’s why every bus, human holler, and other vehicles have closed without van and rickshaw.
Now the question is why the van puller is smiling? But he is hared working. Why people alarmed who sit in the van.
That day was obrod. Bus and human holler has closed in this day. Some rickshaw and van is running on the road. That’s why the entire family member sits on the van. But they have to pay much money environment is not so good. In the road where is very anarchy. So they are alarmed. On the other hand the van puller was so smiling because we know he would income more money today. That’s why he is smiling though he is hard working. This picture will be change dramatically. If obrod is suspended today. Then we can see the van puller sit on his van. But there have no passenger. So we can see this van puller is a actor in the obrod day. And other day he is not happy at all. Because his have not enough income that’s day. My hypothesis is money makes people happy than goods. Money has value and money is exchangeable for goods.
Psychological experiment: For my psychological experiment laboratory will be in ULAB and outside.
At first I have choose three groups of people. First two groups from ULAB: one group is made up of ten students; the other group is made up of ten professors. The third group is made up by ten Rickshaw pullers.
Those three groups of participants selected from different professions because they are from different social classes and their needs and choices are also different. Not only their professions are different; their age and sex is also different.
I ask some questions that are very relevant to their lives (set-1, see attacked). The question is about the value of money or goods to a particular individual. In the problem sets I have included seven conceptual objects and seven normal objects representing goods that’s have value. We know money is a valuable thing. They have chosen objects or money. The three chosen groups from the general population have chosen differently. Though my class mates (Shafiul and Mahamud) help me for this experiment
For more representative results, I have asked male, female and different groups. I have careful about my hypothesis because participants could be hypothesis guessing for what purpose I am collecting their answer. They would not know and I will not give any clue why I am collecting their answer. If they do question to me what kinds of product or it is small or long. But I have not given their questions answer.
Independent variable for my psychological test will be three groups of participations motivational level depend on like-sex, profession, age. Dependent variable of my experiment will be result of their choice.
My hypothesis is most of the Rickshaw pullers will choose money rather than conceptual and general objects. But some Rickshaw pullers who are old (up to forty-five years) will choose conceptual objects rather than money. This is because they are very experienced in their lives. They know family is important for happiness rather than money. And most of the students will choose money rather than general and conceptual objects because most of the time students are facing money problems. But female students will choose conceptual objects rather than money and general objects. And all of the professors will choose both general and conceptual objects rather than money. Because they are idealistic and can distinguish choose. They think if some one is not honest, has no friends or has no love, that man is not happy.
Problem Set-1
Age:
Gender:
Profession:
I will ask some questions that are much related to our life. Now which one do you prefer most (general, conceptual objects or money).
serial Objects(general and conceptual) Money
1 A banana/(akti kola) 2 taka
2 A pen /(akti kolom) 5 taka
3 Good health/ (soo sahasto) 1 lakh
4 New shirt/(notun jama) 250 taka
5 Love/(valobasa) 1 lakh
6 Better job/promotion/(cakrir unoity) 2 lakh
7 Honesty/ (satata) 50 thousand
8 A cup of tea/(ak cup ca) 3 taka
9 Human beauty/(manobic soungargo) 50 thousand
10 A bottle of mineral water/(ak bottle bisuddha pani) 10taka
11 Food(lunch)/(doopoorar khabar) 50 taka
12 Keeping a friend/(bonduthata) 50 thousand
13 Responsibility/dhaiatta) 1 lakh
14 Good advice/(valo oopodes) 50 thousand
I have asked the same problem set to my all three group of population but get different kinds of result for different groups.
My psychological experiment result
Object name
Question no
Student’s choice (10 person) Professor’s choice (10 person) Rickshaw puller’s choice (10 person)
Object Money Object Money Object Money
General
1 8 2 7 3 9 1
General
2 5 5 8 2 9 1
Conceptual
3 9 1 9 1 10 0
General 4 7 3 5 5 8 2
Conceptual
5 6 4 9 1 9 1
General
6 9 1 9 1 10 0
Conceptual
7 9 1 10 0 9 1
General
8 10 0 9 1 8 2
Conceptual
9 8 2 9 1 9 1
General
10 6 4 8 2 10 0
General
11 6 4 8 2 10 0
Conceptual
12 9 1 9 1 8 2
Conceptual
13 6 4 9 1 9 1
Conceptual
14 5 5 8 2 10 0
My hypothesis was most of the Rickshaw pullers will choose money rather than conceptual and general objects. But some Rickshaw pullers who are old (up to forty-five years) will choose conceptual objects rather than money. This is because they are very experienced in their lives. They know family is important for happiness rather than money. And most of the students will choose money rather than general and conceptual objects because most of the time students are facing money problems. But female students will choose conceptual objects rather than money and general objects. And all of the professors will choose both general and conceptual objects rather than money. Because they are idealistic and can distinguish choose. They think if some one is not honest, has no friends or has no love, that man is not happy.
But my result is not true. The experiments result is most of the rickshaw pullers choose object rather than money and students have choose object than money.
My next hypothesis was that professors always will chose object rather than money.
My experiment shows that it is true.
Justin Freiberg
Course Instructor
Introduction:
Money is necessary for human life because of it is main currency for interchangeable wealth.
Happiness
There is a picture; here a van puller who drives his van. His face is so smiling. And some of the people sit on his van. They are a family member. They are going to there home from the city. But they are not happy .They are alarmed. Because that day is stuck, that’s why every bus, human holler, and other vehicles have closed without van and rickshaw.
Now the question is why the van puller is smiling? But he is hared working. Why people alarmed who sit in the van.
That day was obrod. Bus and human holler has closed in this day. Some rickshaw and van is running on the road. That’s why the entire family member sits on the van. But they have to pay much money environment is not so good. In the road where is very anarchy. So they are alarmed. On the other hand the van puller was so smiling because we know he would income more money today. That’s why he is smiling though he is hard working. This picture will be change dramatically. If obrod is suspended today. Then we can see the van puller sit on his van. But there have no passenger. So we can see this van puller is a actor in the obrod day. And other day he is not happy at all. Because his have not enough income that’s day. My hypothesis is money makes people happy than goods. Money has value and money is exchangeable for goods.
Psychological experiment: For my psychological experiment laboratory will be in ULAB and outside.
At first I have choose three groups of people. First two groups from ULAB: one group is made up of ten students; the other group is made up of ten professors. The third group is made up by ten Rickshaw pullers.
Those three groups of participants selected from different professions because they are from different social classes and their needs and choices are also different. Not only their professions are different; their age and sex is also different.
I ask some questions that are very relevant to their lives (set-1, see attacked). The question is about the value of money or goods to a particular individual. In the problem sets I have included seven conceptual objects and seven normal objects representing goods that’s have value. We know money is a valuable thing. They have chosen objects or money. The three chosen groups from the general population have chosen differently. Though my class mates (Shafiul and Mahamud) help me for this experiment
For more representative results, I have asked male, female and different groups. I have careful about my hypothesis because participants could be hypothesis guessing for what purpose I am collecting their answer. They would not know and I will not give any clue why I am collecting their answer. If they do question to me what kinds of product or it is small or long. But I have not given their questions answer.
Independent variable for my psychological test will be three groups of participations motivational level depend on like-sex, profession, age. Dependent variable of my experiment will be result of their choice.
My hypothesis is most of the Rickshaw pullers will choose money rather than conceptual and general objects. But some Rickshaw pullers who are old (up to forty-five years) will choose conceptual objects rather than money. This is because they are very experienced in their lives. They know family is important for happiness rather than money. And most of the students will choose money rather than general and conceptual objects because most of the time students are facing money problems. But female students will choose conceptual objects rather than money and general objects. And all of the professors will choose both general and conceptual objects rather than money. Because they are idealistic and can distinguish choose. They think if some one is not honest, has no friends or has no love, that man is not happy.
Problem Set-1
Age:
Gender:
Profession:
I will ask some questions that are much related to our life. Now which one do you prefer most (general, conceptual objects or money).
serial Objects(general and conceptual) Money
1 A banana/(akti kola) 2 taka
2 A pen /(akti kolom) 5 taka
3 Good health/ (soo sahasto) 1 lakh
4 New shirt/(notun jama) 250 taka
5 Love/(valobasa) 1 lakh
6 Better job/promotion/(cakrir unoity) 2 lakh
7 Honesty/ (satata) 50 thousand
8 A cup of tea/(ak cup ca) 3 taka
9 Human beauty/(manobic soungargo) 50 thousand
10 A bottle of mineral water/(ak bottle bisuddha pani) 10taka
11 Food(lunch)/(doopoorar khabar) 50 taka
12 Keeping a friend/(bonduthata) 50 thousand
13 Responsibility/dhaiatta) 1 lakh
14 Good advice/(valo oopodes) 50 thousand
I have asked the same problem set to my all three group of population but get different kinds of result for different groups.
My psychological experiment result
Object name
Question no
Student’s choice (10 person) Professor’s choice (10 person) Rickshaw puller’s choice (10 person)
Object Money Object Money Object Money
General
1 8 2 7 3 9 1
General
2 5 5 8 2 9 1
Conceptual
3 9 1 9 1 10 0
General 4 7 3 5 5 8 2
Conceptual
5 6 4 9 1 9 1
General
6 9 1 9 1 10 0
Conceptual
7 9 1 10 0 9 1
General
8 10 0 9 1 8 2
Conceptual
9 8 2 9 1 9 1
General
10 6 4 8 2 10 0
General
11 6 4 8 2 10 0
Conceptual
12 9 1 9 1 8 2
Conceptual
13 6 4 9 1 9 1
Conceptual
14 5 5 8 2 10 0
My hypothesis was most of the Rickshaw pullers will choose money rather than conceptual and general objects. But some Rickshaw pullers who are old (up to forty-five years) will choose conceptual objects rather than money. This is because they are very experienced in their lives. They know family is important for happiness rather than money. And most of the students will choose money rather than general and conceptual objects because most of the time students are facing money problems. But female students will choose conceptual objects rather than money and general objects. And all of the professors will choose both general and conceptual objects rather than money. Because they are idealistic and can distinguish choose. They think if some one is not honest, has no friends or has no love, that man is not happy.
But my result is not true. The experiments result is most of the rickshaw pullers choose object rather than money and students have choose object than money.
My next hypothesis was that professors always will chose object rather than money.
My experiment shows that it is true.
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