Sunday Reading : Post Truth

                                                         Post -Truth

This blog is in response to the task as a part of Sunday Reading and also critical thinking of The term Post-Truth assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English, MKBU. In this blog, I am going to present my understanding of the Word Post-Truth and I will also deal with some examples related to it.

POST-TRUTH WORD OF THE YEAR(2016):-

 

            According to Wikipedia The Word of the Year need not have been coined within the past twelve months but it does need to have become prominent or notable during that time. There is no guarantee that the Word of the Year will be included in any Oxford dictionary. The Oxford Dictionaries Words of the Year are selected by editorial staff from each of the Oxford dictionaries. The selection team is made up of lexicographers and consultants to the dictionary team, and editorial, marketing, and publicity staff.

 

           In 2004 Oxford Dictionary started to give a word of the year under the rules I described above. The word of the year 2004 was CHAV. Interestingly in 2012 the very famous word of this century, GIF, was declared as a US word of the year. In 2015 surprisingly 😂 (Face with Tears of Joy emoji) this emoji was declared as a US and UK word of the year. After the word of the year 2016 Post-truth Oxford Dictionary declared Aadhar as a Hindi Word of the year 2017. 2020 is considered a blank year in the UK and US world of the year. And the recent 2021 word of the year was vax.

 

Oxford Dictionary declared POST-TRUTH as a word of the year based on the Brexit referendum in the UK and the presidential election in the US

WHAT IS POST-TRUTH? 

        The phenomenon of  "Post-Truth" rocketed to public attention in November 2016, when the Oxford Dictionaries named it 2016's word of the year. According to the Oxford Dictionary, Post-Truth is.

"Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief."

       Post-Truth is a term that refers to widespread documentation of and concerns about disputes over public truth claims. Post-Truth as a contemporary phenomenon is not "What is Truth?", but "Why don't we agree that this is or that is true?" While referring to the word Post-Truth, we may, at first sight, apply the prefix Post as time after a specified situation or event. Like in post-war. But the word post-truth refers to the idea of belonging to a time in which the specified concept has become important or irrelevant. 

To understand the word and its definition, we have to look at three major parts of it.

Fact: A piece of information presented as having objective reality.

Truth: The body of real things, events, and facts, the property of being in accord with fact or reality and forcing somebody to be objective truth must be a fact.

Opinion: Belief stronger than impression or less strong than positive knowledge or A view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter. Opinions are the product of one's feelings.

 

There are two important aspects of Post-Truth, which are spreading many fake things, which are also very important to build the Nation or Society.

 

Post-Truth in Politics 

Post-Truth in Social media/news/journalism

Post-Truth in Politics-

             

 When we talk about post-truth in politics, the very first name of Donald Trump comes into the picture. And after that Indian politicians will never disappoint us in such a negative area. And it will lead to a never-ending debate.

Michael Deaton of The Daily Telegraph, summarising the core message of post-Truth politics, says,, “Facts are negative, Facts are pessimistic, and Facts are unpatriotic.” In the Indian context, we may add a few more adjectives to Facts: “Facts are seditious, Facts are anti-social, or anti-national, Facts disturb social harmony, or they incite hatred.” 

From the very recent incident of machchhu pool in Morbi, we can clearly see that how politicians gave importance to the citizens. This article of 'saurashtra Samachar' will make this more clear-

More pityful thing is that, one side people were digging grave for their beloved ones and on the other hand civil hospital is being decorated because PM was going to see the 'half dead's' !! Here's the cutting of some news from Saurashtra Samachar.

Here I am linking an e- newspaper of Dainik Bhaskar 🗞️

*मोरबी हादसा-मातम के बीच स्वागत:*

 

Post-Truth in Social Media/news/journalism-

       The term post-truth in journalism has been made strong by fake and irresponsible reporters and journalists like Arnab Goswami and many more corrupt journalists.

* The very known and Our favorite Shushant Singh Rajput died a few years ago and Aaj Tak News telecast or we can say published fake news of the last word of Sushant Singh Rajput that we can see in the below picture.

 

             Due to the developments in information technologies in the last 20 years, social media is frequently used especially for mobile devices for news announcements and follow-ups. This has led to a large increase in the number of information produced, too. Considering information/news sharing pages on social media around the world and sharing/posting too much information or news, many news sources need to be verified after being accessed. There is no accurate filtering process in the dissemination of information on social media and therefore, unverifiable news can affect the masses in a very short time. Nowadays, users must check the reality of such information on social media.

 

         Social media are very vital to spread news or facts, at the same time we can see that by the name of sharing facts, they are the main cause to spread fake news instead of fact. We are having free media but I don't think media is free. They present what is happening, not the fact behind the situation and they are even spreading lies. And whoever tries to check the truth or presents the truth is either killed or imprisoned. Let's take a very recent example of India, where a reporter is accused of checking facts and proving false news as false.

To survive in the era of post - truth only one thing which can help us is...

Religious fervour and A Tale of Tub

 Religious fervour and A Tale of Tub

Thinking activity -Religious fervor and "A Tale of Tub"

            Hello readers, this blog is in response to the task assigned by Kavisha Ma'am, the department of English, MKBU. In this blog I am going to discuss the myth and science behind the festival "Shitala Satam". 

            Shitala Satam festival is celebrated on the 7th day of the Shravan month, i.e., the day before Krishna Janmashtami, and a day after Randhan Chhath. It is also referred to as Shitla Saptami or Shitala Satam. The benefits of worshipping Mata Shitala have been explained in the Skanda Puranam that consists of the Shitala Mata Strotra, also known as ‘Shitalaashtak’ written by Lord Shiva.

Shitala '"coolness"', also spelled as Shitala and Seetla, is a Hindu goddess venerated primarily in North India.She is regarded to be an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. She is believed to cure smallpoxes, and diseases, and most directly linked with the disease smallpox. Sheetala is worshipped Saptami (the seventh day of a Hindu month), followed by Shashthi in the month of Shravana according to the Gujarati Calendar.

            The deity is principally featured as a woman goddess, portrayed as a mother who defends children from pediatric ailments. According to religious beliefs, The Goddess carries a 'Kalash' and a 'broom' in her hand. Legends say that around 33 crore Gods and Goddesses reside in the Kalash of Mata Shitala. Shitala Satam is a festival celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal across India, especially in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The custom of Shitala Satam is similar to that of 'Basoda' and 'Sheetala Ashtami' which is observed just after Holi in the northern parts of India. In Gujarat, Shitala Satam is observed a day before Krishna Janmashtami. Families, especially in Gujarat, observe Shitala Satam rituals to obtain blessings from the goddess. According to mythology, it is believed that Goddess Shitala protects her devotees from health-related problems like measles and chickenpox. She also serves as a fertility goddess, who assists women in finding good husbands and the conception of healthy sons. Her auspicious presence promises the welfare of the family and is also considered to protect the devotee's sources of livelihood. Sheetala is also summoned to ensure refreshing rainfall and the prevention of famines, droughts, as well as cattle diseases. There is one temple of Shitala in each village. 

            On the occasion women observe Vrat. The Katha of Vrat is given in Bhavishyottara Purana . The story is associated with the legend of Indraluma, the king of Hastinapur and his wife Pralima who had great faith in performing religious ceremonies. The whole story is about the Vrat and the outcome of it of the Daughter of Indraluma, Shubhankar. Click here to read the full story. Like this story, so many stories are woven around the deity. All these are about Chamatkar and there is no touch of science. 

SMALLPOX VS SHITALA SATAM:

            Between the second and sixth centuries, a series of pandemics destabilized the Roman empire. The first of these was the Antonine Plague, between 165-180 AD, and the second was the Plague of Justinian, between 541-542 AD. The first outbreak killed some five million people across Europe and Asia while the latter was even more deadly, killing close to 50 million people. Historians have concluded that the first outbreak would have been either smallpox or measles, while the second one was probably bubonic plague. What’s clear is that these pandemics contributed to the decline and eventual decimation of the Roman empire.

 

            So what do these pandemics have to do with India? The outbreak of the Antonine Plague coincided with the first artistic depictions of South Asia’s first “epidemic" goddess, Hariti. This demonic yakshi-turned-protector of Buddhism was a well-known figure around the turn of the Christian Era. The Mother of Demons, as she was called in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, Hariti and her demonic progeny were notorious for stealing and eating newborn children. According to Buddhist legends, she was made to see the error of her ways by the Buddha and converted into the chief protector of the Buddhist sangha. In her new avatar as a benevolent goddess of plenty, among other roles, she would grant boons of healthy childbirth.And she was also a protector from diseases, mainly smallpox.

 

            There have been many other “fever" goddesses in India but I will mention two other, related goddesses: Parnashavari and Shitala. Parnashavari is a Buddhist tantric or Vajrayana deity, most likely borrowed from tribal sources (her name translates to “the leaf-clad tribal lady"). Her cult as a goddess who heals fevers and smallpox coincided with the same areas where the goddess Shitala is venerated for similar attributes—eastern India, primarily Bengal and Odisha.

 

"Sitala is not to be identified with disease, as the label ‘smallpox goddess’ seems to imply. Smallpox, measles and fevers exist independently, and they are already in our body—though inactive. Sitala simply controls them, as many of her names suggest,

Thinking Activity- Wordsworth's Preface

 

Thinking Activity- Wordsworth's Preface

This blog is written in response to the thinking activity of the bridge course- Wordsworth's Preface

Wordsworth's preface to lyrical ballads.

               William Wordsworth was a great English Romantic Poet. Wordsworth and  Samuel Taylor Coleridge together launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication of  Lyrical Ballads. In the preface of Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth gave his famous definition of poetry and his idea of What is a Poet. 

Difference between classicism and romanticism.

                    To understand the difference between Classicism and Romanticism, we first have to understand both terms. Classicism and Romanticism are opposing movements and styles which influenced all the major arts like Architecture, Painting, Music, and Literature. Both have different ways of looking at and thus different ideologies. In Classicism, Intellect is the Guiding force, While in Romanticism Imagination is the guiding force. In Classicism there were certain restraints but in Romanticism, there was Liberty, Freedom, and free play of emotions and feelings.

Major CLASSICAL WORKS:

                major classical works were written during the Augustan Age(1700-1740) and during the age of Dr.Jonson(1740-1800). classicism has its impact even during the modern age.

-Alexander Pope's 'The Rape Of The Lock'.

-Samuel Richardson's 'Pamela'.

-Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe'.   

-Jonathan Swift's 'Gulliver Travels'.

-Joseph Conrad's 'Heart Of Darkness.

-T.S.Eliot's 'Murder In The Cathedral'

Major  Works of the Romantic Age : 

-the publication Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge

- the composition Hymns to the Night by Novalis

-poetry by William Blake

-poetry by Robert Burns

-Rousseau's philosophical writings

-"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman

-the poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

-the written works of William Wordsworth

                It is a movement in literature that lasted from about 1750 to 1870. Characterized by reliance on the imagination and subjectivity of approach freedom of thought and expressions and idealization of nature.

                To understand the difference between Classicism and Romanticism, we first have to understand both terms. Classicism and Romanticism are opposing movements and styles which influenced all the major arts like Architecture, Painting, Music, and Literature. Both have different ways of looking at and thus different ideologies. In Classicism, Intellect is the Guiding force, While in Romanticism Imagination is the guiding force. In Classicism there were certain restraints but in Romanticism, there was Liberty, Freedom, and free play of emotions and feelings.

 Classicism :

           Classicism defines beauty which demonstrates balance and order, as it originates in the Greek and Roman societies. Romanticism developed in the 18th century partially as a reaction against the ideas of classicism and expresses beauty through imagination and powerful emotions. The name "Classical" was given to the Greeks and Romans retroactively by Renaissance writers. Artists and thinkers of The Renaissance which literally means, 'rebirth' saw themselves as the heirs of that world following the middle ages. Its ideals continued to exert a strong influence on the Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries. But after the publication of Lyrical Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, the influence of classical ended, and there we find the emergence of the Romantic movement. In classicism, poets believed in the intellectual. Poets like Pope and Dryden, their poetry was intellectual. They believed that restraint was ruling the world. They relied on classical masters like Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. They believed in them and followed them. So their poems were well made but they lacked emotions and not connecting to common people. Classical poems were more based on city and urban life. The classical poems were more focused on objectivity. 

Romanticism :

                   In romanticism, there were poets like Wordsworth, Keats, and Shelly. They believed that imagination is the guiding source for creating poetry. Their poetry was highly imaginative. They believed in liberty, so we find their free play of emotions and imagination. They turned to inspiration from medieval poets and writers. Medievalism prevailed during the romantic period. They wrote about rustic life and rural people. They were subjective writers. The French revolution had a deep influence on Romanticism and Wordsworth and thus imitated them for their writings. This led to "Liberalism in literature". The political liberalism of the French revolution inspired the liberation of individuality and the rejection of prescribed rules in Romantic literature. Romantic poets were inspired by the ideals of equality, fraternity, and liberty which were the three watchwords of the French revolution.

What is poetic diction? Which sort of poetic diction is suggested by Wordsworth in his Preface?

Wordsworth gives importance to "what is a poet?" rather than who is the poet?

                According to Wordsworth " A poet is a man speaking to men, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm, and tenderness. Who has a greater knowledge of human nature and a more comprehensive soul, who rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life; habitually impelled to creative volition, passion, and situation where he does not find them.

      Poetic diction simply means 'choice of words resulting in the style of the particular poet or poem. however, Wordsworth, here, deeply advocates avoiding poetic diction of the previous age. he does not support the idea of using artificial metaphors and other figures of speech or any other device to decorate the poem or to make the style higher. He rather suggests choosing a selection of language really used by men especially men of 'humble and rustic life' to make the poetry more interesting, and popular among common readers and to give poetic pleasure to all.

                wordsworth also asserts that there is no difference between the language of prose and poetry. the arrangement or order of words used in the best poetry can also be found in the prose. only the use of a meter can differentiate the difference between the two. he favors the use of meters in his views. According to him, readers can easily follow the rules of the meter. it does not make interference with the passion of readers.

The definition of poetry.

        According to Wordsworth’s definition of poetry, “ The spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling: it takes its origin from emotions recollected in tranquillity.”

                So the poet said that poetry is based on powerful feelings that are reflected as memories. those emotions are too strong that he expresses them through poetry. Expressing those emotions is not that easy, poets have to think deeper about those emotions because poets are more learned and thoughtful than other people, so they have to become more aware of their actions.

That’s why the poet says “it takes its origins from emotions recollected in tranquillity.”

Wordsworth's poem The Daffodils

                We can easily understand Wordsworth’s definition of a poem  in his own famous poem “The Daffodils”. The Daffodils is a lyric poem by William Wordsworth that was written in 1804 and published in 1807 in Poems, in Two Volumes.

                The poem contains four stanzas, the first three stanzas are in the past tense where he sees the field full of daffodils and becomes impressed by that natural scenery.  He describes daffodils in the second stanza,

“Continuous as the stars that shine

and twinkle on the Milky Way,”

And he expresses his feelings in the third stanza through lines’

“A poet could not but be gay,

in such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

what wealth the show to me had brought:”

                The fourth stanza is written in the present tense as he lies on the couch in his house and is in a mood of seriousness and in the tension he tries to remember that field of Daffodils to feel the joy and contentment that he felt in the past when he visited it. He expresses it in lines like,

“For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in a pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;”

            After remembering those movements of solitude and of nature he comes back to a joyful mood and is pleased by those memories. We can see that in the line’

“And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.”

            The poem 'Daffodils' is also known by its first line 'I wandered as lonely Cloud'. It is a lyrical poem, published in 1807. The poem contains Four stanzas. The first three stanzas are in the Past tense and the last stanza is in the present tense. The poem begins with,

"I wandered as a lonely cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,"

              We can find that the first line is in the past tense. Further two stanzas are also in the past tense. This shows that the poet is sharing something that took place in the past, but if we move toward the last stanza the poet uses the present tense.

"For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood"

        In the last Stanza, the poet comes to the present. If we observe the poem, we can find that the poet is presenting his thoughts and feelings while lying on the couch and recollecting his nature walk, as he is a Lake poet- who writes while having a walk through the Lake. So in vacant time, he recollects his emotions and feelings about Daffodils. According to his definition of poetry, it is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, which took place by recollected tranquility. By the observation of the poem, we can find that this poem clearly justifies his definition of poetry.

Words - 1560

Images - 4

Gif - 1

Video - 1

'Dryden's Essay On Dramatic Poesy'

  'Dryden's Essay On Dramatic Poesy'

                This blog is in response to  Bridge Course - Essay of Dramatic Poesie by John Dryden assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir. John Dryden’s “An Essay on Dramatic Poesy” presents a brief discussion of the Neo-classical theory of Literature. He defends the classical drama saying that it is an imitation of life and reflects human nature clearly.

            

                An Essay on Dramatic Poesy is written in the form of a dialogue among four speakers: Eugenius, Crites, Lisideius, and Neander. The four speakers are Sir Robert Howard [Crites], Lord Buckhurst or Charles Sackville [Eugenius], Sir Charles Sedley [Lisedeius], and Dryden himself (Neander means "new man" and implies that Dryden, as a respected member of the gentry class, is entitled to join in this dialogue on an equal footing with the three older men who are his social superiors). Eugenius favors the modern. Crites favors the ancients, blank verse French vs English. Lisideius Favours French drama. Neander favors the modern-English plays, rhyme.

Difference between Aristotle's definition of Tragedy and Dryden's definition of Play:-

           Before we jump into the discussion of the difference between Aristotle's definition of Tragedy and Dryden's definition of Play, let's understand each of their Definitions.

According to Aristotle, 

"Tragedy is an imitation [mimesis] of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude…through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation [catharsis] of these emotions.”

According to Dryden,

"A play ought to be a just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humors, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind." 

                                                                                                                                                                                Aristotle and Dryden, we can say that both have in one way a similar opinion of the work of art when we took the first part of both definitions. And that is an Imitation of action and A just and lively image of human nature. Both have the same idea that it should be a presentation of human life. The second part of the definition of both is yes, same but while completing the second part, we must understand that Aristotle only defines Tragedy and Dryden defines Play in general. So both give the same idea. In the third part, there is an idea of instruction and delight. Aristotle's definition of Tragedy ended with the therapeutic word Catharsis while Dryden's definition of Play ended with delight and instructions.

        By comparison, we can say that both have similar ideas but Dryden moves a step forward when he says it is for the delight and instruction of mankind.

                                    

Do you think that the arguments presented in favor of the French plays and against favorh plays are appropriate? 

ANS:

 

                Lisideius speaks in favour of the French. He agrees with Eugenius that in the last generation the English drama was superior. The French are superior to the Efavor for various reasons. One of them being they follow the Ancients. They favour the Unity of time and they observe it so carefully. When it comes to the Unity of Place, they are equally careful. In most of their plays, the entire action is limited to one place. 

                 thate French do not burden the play with a fat plrepresent a story which will be one complete action, and everything which is unnecessary is carefully excluded. But the English burden their plays with actions and incidents which have no logical and natural connection with the main action so much so that an English play is a mere compilation. Hence the French plays are better written than the English ones. 

                    It is wrong to believe that the he Frenselectionsent no part of their action on the stage. Instead, they make proper selection. Cruel actions which are likely to cause hatred, or disbelief by their impossibility, must be avoided or merely narrated. They must not be represented. The French follow this rule in practice and so avoid much of the tumult of the English plays by reducing their plots to reasonable limits. Such narrations are common in the plays of the Ancients and the great English dramatists like Ben Jonson and Fletcher. Thereforwell-managedh must not be blamed for their narration, which is judicious andl managed. 

 

                            

 

 

                In short, the English drama has decayed and declined because they live in an awful age full of bloodshed and violence, and poetry is an art of peace. Thtoamas did not decline because they stick to the ancient unities. The English tried to do something new in order to differ from them. 

If you are supposed to give your personal predilection, would you be on the sid,e of the Ancient or the Modern?

Ancients vs Moderns:

      In Essay of Dramatic Poesy, Eugenius, Crites, Lisidius and all four present different opinions of Ancient and Modern plays, and French and English plays.If I am supposed to give my personal predilection I would be on the side of the Modern. I would also be in favour of the English plays.In Of Dramatic Poesy, Eugenius is in the defence of the Moderns. 

            "Moderns are standing on the shoulders of the Ancients. Modernity is always both a mixture of History as well as a new way of looking.

                While thinking about the superiority of modern and ancient's playwrights or the plays, we should not underestimate the contribution of Ancients. As we all know that Ancients give us a way to look upon, they are pillars of the modern world. At the same time it is not right if we would say that ancients are the superior or Moderns are not. Because Moderns have both quality, adaption of Ancient tradition and Idea and power of Modern way of looking or we can say that they are mixture of Old and New ideology. We cannot ignore that all we have is because of Ancients but Moderns have their different way of looking with the new ideas towards life.

      In the essay, Neander favours the moderns but does not underestimate the ancients. He also favours English drama and has some critical -things to say of French drama: "those beauties of the French poesy are such as will raise perfection higher where it is, but are not sufficient to give it where it is not: they are indeed the beauties of a statue, but not of a man.

                So, for this reason I want to be on the side of Moderns. here's the video on- Dramatic Poesie by John Dryden which will help to understan the topic in detailed -video on Dramatic Poesie by John Dryden

                                        

*  Words      1084

*   Images     3

*   Video       4 ( included the link of                                video )