Wednesday 31 August 2011

Writer and Reader Praxis


Sir,

I read the essay "Where to Begin" from Granta.

Here the author, Nadeem Islam, explains how a writer connects to his readers by sharing his own views of life, and when a fiction writer lacks this quality he fails, i.e when he burdens his work with unnecessary identities and surrounding information of the characters. In doing so he is unable to connect all the information to flesh and blood human being and thus the book fails as the people are not real. According to the author, his writings are an exploration of his own world- an attempt to discover his true self. He always begins with the conviction that there is nothing extraordinary or special about him, and that he is just a mere part of billions of people. So whatever is true to him would be true to them too. And in doing so, without even realizing and making an effort to connect with the people, he does so. A writer is heavily influenced by his surroundings and environment. He observes everything around him but later when he writes, his own culture subconsciously reflects in his writings. While writing his novella, the author resisted his thoughts on Leila and Qes legend but he found it inevitable that they should affect his writings.  it enters my thinking automatically each time my heart beats and the blood is sent to my brain. Thus what makes up a writer is his perception of his culture and motherland, and it is the basis of what motivates him to write. A writer is portrayed as the spokesman of the society overall. He/she possesses the ability to convey radical social messages which acts as an eye-opener for its people, and initiates them to think differently and question conventional social laws. Due to this they are feared by the politicians and some of them even had to escape from their own countries such as Qurratulain Hyder. Her novel "River of Fire" questioned the Islamic fundamentalists who regarded that Pakistan was all about Islam and the Islamic world. It dared to trace back the ancestry of its characters back to Pakistan's Buddhist past and more shockingly, back to Hinduism. 


When you are writing you see your own very ordinary ‘face’ behind the words. But when you finish and hand it to the reader, the reader sees his or her own ‘face’ behind the writing. 


Thus the author concludes that the writer and the reader are linked by their basic human concern and that is where the connection occurs. Thus whether it is writing about IranSpainArgentina or Uk, the basic essence of it all is the same. good writing is writing on a mirror. 

Sukanya

Tuesday 30 August 2011

A progress report! Identity undisclosed


Sir,

I just wanted to let you know my progress. My math sections are going well, the raw score almost reaches close to the maximum and i am able to maintain mistake counts of 2 or 3. After doing some princeton's 11 test my writing section has improved, even though the time management is pretty much the same but the frequency of mistakes has decreased.

Unfortunately in the critical reading section the part where we have to choose appropriate words is not much improving as it requires a very strong and wide vocabulary. Even though in some sentences I am clearly able to predict what word should fit in but the lack of knowledge of the words given causes me to skip those unless I can make an educated guess. The comprehension always varies, if it is easy or anyway related with science then I am able to achieve good scores but whenever the passage is tough my scores drastically drop and mantaining within the time frame becomes extremely tough. Up till now I have not been able to finish the whole critical reading section nor the writing sections within the time limit even if they are easy. I am hoping more improvements are yet to come through the SAT tests.

SAT Registration - My return to Dhaka - Meeting Parents

As it appears that SAT Registration this year is US$ 78. I would also like to know who are still to register for SAT as the deadline is on the 9th September.

Please let me know through e-mails.

I am returning to Dhaka on the 5th Evening. I will definitely have class on the 6th from morning and continue throughout the whole day.

You are requested to keep the day free of all other engagements. Come equipped with Logbook-Laptop-Papers & Documents of any kind that you want to show me. Parents are requested NOT to meet me on this day. I will set aside another day by the 10th September for meeting parents who are interested to talk to me in person. However, let me make it clear that such parent-teacher meeting is not very necessary if the student can keep the parent well-informed. 

Monday 29 August 2011

The issue of Rootlessness and Belonging - SAT item


Sir, 

I read the essays,  "missing out" from Granta.

I really liked the narrator's style of writing in "Missing Out". It is very realistic and life-like, and animates the reader by observing the simple things of life from an unique perspective. To sum up my emotions in one word- I found it really sweet. 

It basically depicts a person's longing for her own roots- her birthplace, culture, people, customs etc. It manages to convey a sense of belonging to the reader. When we are at our own country, say for example a third world country as ours, we usually complain about the miserable poverty-stricken conditions of the masses,  the dirty and chaotic streets, the horrifying traffic, and what not! But while living abroad, at a certain point, we tend to miss even the things we utterly despised at our home country. This is exactly the case with Samra who, after marrying Majdy and going off to London, could not cut off her ties with her homeland. At first Majdy regarded her behavior as "homesickness " but soon he realized that it was something more than that. It was her unbreakable bond and deep love for her homeland, whose memories followed her everywhere and they were, in fact, a part of her true identity. Majdy was well settled in London,and was reluctant to leave all its luxury and grandeur to go back to Sudan, his homeland. London for him was a place of opportunities, a dreamland compared to Sudan, devoid of all its political unrest and backwardness that hindered him from achieving his goals. He repeatedly tried to convince Samra to adjust to her surroundings, and take pleasure in London's modern lifestyle. But what she loved was Sudan's old, noisy fan, the old jar where her mom stored pickles for their neighbors, the sun lighting up their home's terrace, the uneven streets with all its puddles. 

It was no longer enough, as it once had been, that he was here, that he was privileged to walk London’s streets, smell the books of its libraries, feast his eyes on its new, shining cars.


He would walk on wet roads that never flooded and realize that he would never know what it would be like to say, ‘my ancestors built this, my grandfather borrowed a book from this library.’ London held something that could never be his, that was impossible to aspire to.


These lines show that no matter where we go, or how hard we try to shake off our so-called "embarrassing" homeland, we ultimately would end up embracing it as it is there that we truly belong, and it defines who we truly are. 

Saturday 27 August 2011

What NOW

All Students,

First, make sure that All the tests from Official + Princeton 11 + Barron's + 10 Real SAT are done.

6th September - Class Timing - 8 am to 4 pm.

During this time every student will have individual time. If necessary I will continue the class till 8 pm if more people are left.

7th September - regular class 8 am - 12 pm.

The Absconding Students

The following students are asked to contact me immediately. You are almost all but disappeared from my WORLD.

Radh - Rakin - Tanzid - Rizal - Samin - Serajul - Shanzat

You will NOT get any mercy when I meet you next time. If you do not want to make the situation worse PLEASE mail me NOW.

Thursday 25 August 2011

Priority - Urgent - Post

All attention. I am waiting to hear from Every One of you by Today. Please address the following items.


1. How many tests you are DONE with.
2. What are your plans in the next 7 days.
3. Have you been revising following vocabulary: the 100 words list + 430 Words List + Official SAT Words List + Words Smarts List
4. Have you COMPLETED your SAT Registration?
5. Have you short-listed at least 5 universities/colleges? [in the list put at least 2 NORMAL names] [Before you shortlist CHECK whether they have aid for international students.]
6. Get prepared for a LONG meeting with me. It shall run for whole day. Tentative date could be 1st September.


Sadia, Abanti, Sukanya, Lamia - thanks to you for responding to the queries so promptly.



Tuesday 23 August 2011

Ravi Shanker

Just came out of LIVE performance of Ravi Shanker in Edinburgh Hall. Hope to write about more on it.

Monday 22 August 2011

Very Important Message to All Other Students


  1. Sir, The SAT tests i am solving at home aren't helping much as after giving 5 or 6 tests there are no improvement in the marks I am scoring. I think that after reading more and learning the word meanings then i should sit down for a Test so then i might be rewarded with some improvement. So will I study meanings more and read more items or will I continue to give constant Tests. I have to either do any one of them as the Test takes to about 5 hours in one day and then there is the Test corrections taking 1 or 2 hours more. Doing both is not possible at all in one day even if i reduce my sleep. So would you please suggest which one to do? 
    1. My Reply: If you say something is NOT possible - don't you ever approach me again.
    2. Student's Response: Well I predicted that you will get mad. Anyway I guess I will have to reduce my sleep further and further till I can make it possible. I see no other way.
  2. Sir,

    I've been doing the tests. I'm currently done with Princeton 11's sixth test. My test timings are getting better. But sir, in critical reading, I still have a gap in my way of perceiving a passage and responding to it. Somewhere lies a difference between what the question asks and what I answer. But thankfully, my mistakes -I feel- follows a similarity.

    Maybe I need a little bit of your help personally when you come back. Would you please make me sit with you one day, make me solve 3 critical reading sections in front of you, and help me analyze my lacking? A little time for one day would be very helpful.

    MY RESPONSE:

    Becoming dependent on me is the last thing I want you to do. I will give you as many hours as you need - BUT NOT for SOLVING critical reading sections.

    I am sure you get my point.

No Application Essay

Students are requested NOT to forward any US College/Univ essay for my feedback. This is currently not on my agenda.

I asked you to write essays so that you get an early flavor of what is coming.

However, none of the essays have even a distant possibility of what you will be expected to send. Take this as an encouragement not as a deterrence.



Another Calibanesque RETORT!


sir i have read the post on 'The distant near'..how is it goin so far.and is this like a big thing that u wanted to achieve,i mean is this global or something?and ur going to be a super famous?

On Plagiarism

For me there are both agreement and disagreement to the post. Copying directly is wrong. The smart ones will definitely embellish their reports with their own ideas. In this way we get to know a person's thoughts or qualities which make them distinct and this is very important as it helps to make them even more competitive. But on the other hand say when we read a certain item and report on it sometimes we find it a bit difficult to express our thoughts in words so in that case we borrow certain words or phrase from it for help, in this way we learn and practice which enables us to be more clearly expressive.

SAT Registration Queries

Dear Sir,

I had some questions regarding SAT registration.

I am staying at my aunt's place in Dhaka. However, the present address on my passport is the one of my house in Chittagong. Which address should I include in the "Mailing Address" section?

In the details section, for last year's family income, should I choose not to respond? Or should I place an estimation?

What grades and percentages should I consider when calculating my grade point average?

Please let me know.

Thank You,
Protik





REPLY


Mailing address can be anything - provided you will get it easily.


You need NOT make any response on the Family Income and Grade Point Average.


You ONLY answer on the Required Fields on the SAT registration page.

Sunday 21 August 2011

SAT Registration Options - IMPORTANT


You create your own Collegeboard Account to register.
No Debit Card can be used.
Result Arrive Option - By e-mail

Of Plagiarism and Policing Thoughts - A reverse 1984 Situation

Sir,

I have not received a reply from you regarding plagiarism. I have cross-referenced many other posts by some of your students on your blog, and a quite a few of them are plagiarisms. I shall not tell you again which ones though - as I cannot 'rat out' my fellow classmates. But I can tell you one word that best describes the situation - shocking! The Internet is a useful tool for all of us, where we can earn, yes earn, knowledge about everything. But when these *** [unacceptable word expunged] copy and paste the hard-earned expressions and reports of other writers, it is very disappointing. It is injustice. From one writer to another, I am sure you can understand the gravity of what I am feeling write now, I am utterly cantankerous about this matter. These people are unique,intelligent human beings who can write their own reports showcasing their OWN opinions - then why are they copying other people's writing? I truly believe all of them are capable of writing far better reports than the ones they have copied. I am looking forward to your reply on the matter.

Sincerely,

XYZ


NOTE


The above post is a very good example of certain issues regarding the questions of Morality, Policing, Duty, 'Other' - etc. I expect short-sharp-intelligent response on this.



An Old Blog-post of Mine for Archive Purpose


In 2009 I wrote a comment on one of the posts in Bangla Blog SHOCHOLAYOTON. I just found the writing. I am posting it for my own reference. Anyone interested can access the writing along with the original Bengali Writing through this LINK - http://www.sachalayatan.com/suman/27408
_______________________________________________________________
It would be quite interesting to see how the German nationalists respond to the post-war pan-Germanism in a changed century. It might be platitudinous to say that Germany was born in 1872 as an artificial state out of the need for the newly emerging capitalists who saw it an opportunity to cash on a weakening Monarchical hold on small German-speaking principalities.
I am sure that the presence of Suman Choudhury in Germany and his first-hand experience of the forthcoming election will provide us with some fresh insight.
I have a few doubts though. I throughly enjoyed a young Bangladeshi's views of German political scene as described in the first section of the writing. However, the first para on the second section, the so called 'success' of the economic model should have raised a few eyebrows - including the auther's. I would like to hear more of the artificiality of such an economy at the expense of large amount of taxpayers' money from the western countries - money's that were siphoned into German economy through various means. In fact, the German industrial "success" looks really grim in the face of a virtual absence of large overseas "markets" [Germany 'can not' have any more territorial gains] and in the possibility of demise of western backing.
Regarding the comments on the German political parties it should be noticed that German political parties are probably the most hierarchically rigid of all the European parties. It is no wonder that Germany is still referred to as a "Party State" where formation of political parties are methodically controlled through legislative means. Imagine a state where legislation still exists where formation of political parties based on ideological basis is still forbidden under the constitution.
Shahidul Mamun

Hear of Darkness - Sukanya's Post


Dear sir,

After I finished reading the novel, “Heart of Darkness”, my mind was flooded with various questions. While reading it I soon discovered that it was not just Marlow who was undergoing the process of self discovery, I too was subconsciously involved. This exceptional novel questions the very basic foundation of modern civilization. It vividly portrays the hypocrisy of imperialism and reveals its true dark side. The Europeans in the novel term their colonizing process as trade and a part of their selfless deeds. But while colonizing Africa they treated the natives in the most inhuman ways possible, and literally stole from them and ripped them of their land. Thus this “benevolent” process of civilization was in fact a false pretence through which the Europeans satiated their greed.
So what is civilization after all? Is it achieved through oppression and exploitation of the weak by a dominating super power? At the beginning of his journey Marlow doesn’t have a single idea of the various atrocities he is about to behold, and only wishes to explore the “blank spaces” on the map due to his longing for adventure. Instead he comes face to face with the “heart of darkness” found in all men. This novel depicts that the civilized and primitive man differ only in a single aspect- the former is cunning and shrewd, and knows how to satisfy his selfish desires through “sophisticated ways” while the latter is naive and acts on his natural instincts without much thinking. The civilized man is bound by the chains of society and is forced to suppress his greed. Thus instead he adopts a new way and hides his inner greed beneath his false pretence of “altruism”. But in the jungles of Africa Kurtz, being free from societal rules, gave in to his primitive instincts. Initially he started off his journey to Africa pursuing a noble cause and unaware of his darker side. But soon he became overwhelmed by his selfish greed for ivory and adopted brutal ways to achieve it. He establishes himself as some sort of a God among the natives due to which they worship him. He even values his quest for ivory greater than his own life. Thus all his noble ambitions end in the scrawled message on his pamphlet which says “exterminate all the brutes!” I was intrigued by the way Conrad described Kurtz’s obsession with ivory that eventually caused his downfall. His last words “the horror! the horror!” is an epitome of the disastrous face of imperialism. At one point there was his conscience and morality, and at the other there was his insatiable greed for ivory. But I found a certain charm in Kurtz-his honesty. Most people held a very high opinion of him due to his eloquent style of speaking and communicating with people. But he possessed a certain kind of honesty which the other characters in the novel did not. For example the manager proves to be shallow, and though he craves for ivory just as much as Kurtz does, he is reluctant to face the truth and tells that the company’s operations are a sort of kindness they are bestowing upon the natives.
“Heart of Darkness” embodies Europe . In the end I, just like Marlow, could conclude that imperialism yields nothing but madness. The tragedy of imperialism is unveiled. All the characters seemed to be enveloped in a state of chaos and avarice. They behave in a completely different manner while they are in Africa as opposed to their European norms. Marlow observes that the natives are subjected to harsh treatment by the Company and are made to work against their wills. The Europeans look at them as nothing but mere savages. The whites evade their land and extract all their valuable resources and in return the natives are treated so mercilessly as though they were animals. And the Company terms this on-going process of tyranny as “civilization”.

“ The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much”  

The above few lines depict Marlow’s utter disgust of the colonizers.
At the end of his journey Marlow is transformed into an introspective and philosophic being, and he is described as “a meditating Buddha”. Having confronted the most dark and degrading side of human nature, he no longer could adjust himself into European society. I could totally relate the major protagonists of the novel to real life characters in modern days. Yes, a Kurtz could be present in us all, the reason being that society has changed but only a little. We all, to some extent, are drawn towards material gains, power and ambition. Times may have changed but imperialism has taken another form. Aren’t the weak, developing nations still dominated by the powerful ones? Aren’t innumerable people still subjected to injustice and racial degradation? Thus man is still crippled by his “heart of darknes”...

Reading Report responses from me

Those who have not got a response on an item you dearly EXPECTED - let me know.

Why is everyone thinking that since I am not in Dhaka - you can take a break from sending me reports? Have you ALL gone mad? DO I have to scream? This is absolutely ...

I shall not accept display of reluctance.

One of those posts that keeps me strong on the foothold


Bertrand Russell

As I kept reading the extract “I am Not a Christian” I was totally amazed and shocked- as it redefined my thoughts on how we see this world and everything in it. At first Russell talks about the basic foundation of Christianity by asking a very simple question, ”What is a Christian?” In one line he says,”… properly call yourself Christian. Then, further than that, as the name implies, you… some kind of believe about Christ. The Mohammedens, for instance, also believe in God and immortality… not call themselves Christian.” And he goes on talking about the “The First Cause Argument”, where he explains that if everything has a cause for existence than what is God’s cause of existence? As John Stuart Mill’s Autobiography read “My father taught me that the question, Who made me? cannot be answered, since it immediately suggest the further question, Who made God?”, so on Russell says, “The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our imagination.”

Then the other argument that caught my eye is, “The Argument From Design”, as we are taught for a very young or if I may say it from infidel age, that everything in this world is design in such a way that we can manage to live in this world, but if it differed a little then we couldn’t have managed to live in it. As it refers to Voltaire’s remark on the design of our nose, where he says that our nose is made in such a way so it can fit spectacles, as this was said in the eighteen century, now if we were to be taught this knowledge we would laugh our heads off! As after the time of Darwin we understand much better why living things adapted to their environments. As they grew to be suitable to it, and that is the basis of adaptation. This words of Russell made me think, ”Do you think that, if you were granted omnipotence and omniscience and millions of years in which to perfect your world, you could produce nothing better than the Ku Klux Klan, the Fascisti and Mr. Winston Churchill?” just in simple terms if I were to put what I have come to understand is that even with all this knowledge and technology we would be unable to create anything better of what we see now as every evolution or adaptation takes time and it goes through many trial and error’s just to some to a stage where it is able to survive or to last longer. Here Russell nicely puts this words in form, “it is merely a flash in the pan; it is a stage in the decay of solar system; at certain stage of decay you get the sort of conditions and temperatures and so forth which are suitable to protoplasm…” just the words “it is merely a flash in the pan” says it all. In some place of the solar system or even some were in this huge universe there might be a planet in its decaying stage where it might conger up a suitable conditions and temperatures, and new life can start there. Who knows?

This whole argument goes very long and slowly it starts to attack our morals and believe on what we have known and been taught this whole life time. Now I know how I have made decisions on what I did, they were all on emotional level never have I stopped to think this through using logic, just a simple question like “Who made God?” can turn around you whole world and let alone seeking answers for that question! From now I have opened my eyes again and now I am seeing things totally in different way.

Sincerely,
Akif Hassan


Sir, 

Neither of my parents have an international credit card but I need that to register for SAT. We are in the process of making one but I need one urgently in order to pay for SAT. All the seats in ISD are full and the only seats left are in Notre Dam and CGS. I am afraid that if all the seats in Notre Dam are full then I will have to go to chittagong and give my SAT-1. Meanwhile, I am giving all the SAT tests and learning  all the vocabulary.

Sukanya


RESPONSE


If you do not have a credit card - you can use anyone else's. You need to request the parson to register for you. Fill up the entire registration page except for the PAYMENT page. Then the person shall enter the necessary information.


If anyone has any other question - mail immediately.



Urgent and Important Notice - Test Centre and Plagiarism

Everyone - when registering for SAT must - MUST - should choose Notre Dame their Test Centre. If Notre Dame is not available ONLY the you should go for ISD.

Everyone is requested to send me reports that are not plagiarized - large scale quoting should be mentioned in a double quotation mark and references should be used. 

Saturday 20 August 2011

SAT Registration - Query


Sir I already have registered for the SAT-1 exam on the first of October so will I also register now for the SAT-1 exam for December and for the SAT-2 in November?

Farhan Scholastica


Reply: You can register with the collegeboard for SAT-I in October and December. Additionally, you can also get registered for SAT-II in November. 

You will need an International Credit Card [one that can release US$]. Payment should be around US$ 72. [Someone should correct me if I am wrong].


Sadia Majid's post on History

The post is pretty fundamental - but some of the SAT students MAY find it a bit of a starter. Out target is Historiography - the History of Philosophy. Please read posts by others.


"History is soooo boring." "Who cares about what a bunch of dead guys did anyway?" "We'll never use this stuff in the real world." These are just a few of the gripes about my favorite subject, history. How can the stories of fascinating people and monumental events be boring? Don't you know how much impact a guy like William the Conqueror had on us? Won't you use history of some sort in some way when you elect public and national officials? History is exciting, befuddling, and funny, not to mention helpful in analyzing current events or understanding why a certain group of people act the way they do. Most people fail to see what is great about it because they only look at what's on the surface. Dates and facts are only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more!

Throughout time, people have lived in groups whose customs and beliefs have evolved to give societies their unique qualities. What makes them different from our culture and how they got to be the way they are is quite intriguing. Places like Java have an entirely different way of life than we do. Or perhaps Islamic people may be of particular interest. You may already know that Islam spread quickly throughout the Middle East and North Africa. But why? Other religions like Christianity were persecuted for hundreds of years before being given a chance to flourish. Islam was developed from the idea of one man, Mohammed. He told others about his revelations, and they joined him in a quest to make everyone a Muslim by the sword. Interesting tidbits like these are what make history tick.

We know how a group of people can be fun to learn about, but how about the people in that society? There is so much information about individuals that one could drown in it. And it's not just relevant facts like Washington was our first president, it's also trivial sidelights like Washington cut down his father's cherry tree and later admitted to it. Did you know James Polk had diarrhea? Or that Michelango was left-handed? What's also piquant is what motivated people to do what they did. Why did Nixon feel compelled to participate in criminal misdoings against his opponent in an election he was sure to win? 
We know how a group of people can be fun to learn about, but how about the people in that society? There is so much information about individuals that one could drown in it. And it's not just relevant facts like Washington was our first president, it's also trivial sidelights like Washington cut down his father's cherry tree and later admitted to it. Did you know James Polk had diarrhea? Or that Michelango was left-handed? What's also piquant is what motivated people to do what they did. Why did Nixon feel compelled to participate in criminal misdoings against his opponent in an election he was sure to win? 

The development of government, from early democracy in Greece to the writing of the Communist Manifesto, has shaped the world. Had changes such as the conjuring of democracy not happened, we might be living in a country with oppressive rulers. When people have taken control in government, it is often intriguing to note what resulted from their actions. The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 paved the way for the U.S.S.R., and the signing of the Magna Carta lessened greatly the power of the monarchy. Large-scale events are fascinating to read about. The Industrial Revolution transformed Western civilizations from agrarian to industrial in a relatively quick time. If not for the European discovery of the New World, we Americans wouldn't be where we are now. Learning how certain occurrences affected us now isn't irrelevant, it's fun.

History gets a bum rap because of its methodical memorization of dates. It should be seen as a study of what people have done, why they did it, and how it affects us now. History has enough to offer everyone something to be interested in, and for me, it's not hard to find something.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Terrible cold and Little Lime

It is cold cold everywhere - not a single sun to be sen anywhere - food aplenty - people unnecessarily happy and jovial - all of us making tall claims about Bangladesh - about our own play - and our ability to charm with the performance - all lies and truths are now indistinguishable - my students famishing at home - how do I describe myself - in silence and tear.

A level results should not stand between any grand schemes and you - my child! My student!

Send me reports and big fat inflated scheme of things to come.

Here you find us -

The Daily Star article

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=198777

The New Age 2nd Article [Greater detail and summary of Content of the play]

http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/timeout/30031.html

Wednesday 17 August 2011

I just reached UK

I will keep the posts ready the moment I will get regular internet connection.

Please everyone keep working on TESTS and send me reports from Granta and LRB.

Mamun

Sunday 14 August 2011

Our Class is Tomorrow (Monday) at 8 am

Everyone is requested to attend. This is important. Unfortunately, the SHOW of The Distant Near is closed for general viewing. The Bangladesh Premiere of the play shall take place after I return from UK. 

Heart of Darkness - post from Sukanya


Dear Sir,

After I finished reading the novel, “Heart of Darkness”, my mind was flooded with various questions. While reading it I soon discovered that it was not just Marlow who was undergoing the process of self discovery, I too was subconsciously involved. This exceptional novel questions the very basic foundation of modern civilization. It vividly portrays the hypocrisy of imperialism and reveals its true dark side. The Europeans in the novel term their colonizing process as trade and a part of their selfless deeds. But while colonizing Africa they treated the natives in the most inhuman ways possible, and literally stole from them and ripped them of their land. Thus this “benevolent” process of civilization was in fact a false pretence through which the Europeans satiated their greed.
 
 So what is civilization after all? Is it achieved through oppression and exploitation of the weak by a dominating super power? At the beginning of his journey Marlow doesn’t have a single idea of the various atrocities he is about to behold, and only wishes to explore the “blank spaces” on the map due to his longing for adventure. Instead he comes face to face with the “heart of darkness” found in all men. This novel depicts that the civilized and primitive man differ only in a single aspect- the former is cunning and shrewd, and knows how to satisfy his selfish desires through “sophisticated ways” while the latter is naive and acts on his natural instincts without much thinking. The civilized man is bound by the chains of society and is forced to suppress his greed. Thus instead he adopts a new way and hides his inner greed beneath his false pretence of “altruism”. But in the jungles of Africa Kurtz, being free from societal rules, gave in to his primitive instincts. Initially he started off his journey to Africa pursuing a noble cause and unaware of his darker side. But soon he became overwhelmed by his selfish greed for ivory and adopted brutal ways to achieve it. He establishes himself as some sort of a God among the natives due to which they worship him. He even values his quest for ivory greater than his own life. Thus all his noble ambitions end in the scrawled message on his pamphlet which says “exterminate all the brutes!” I was intrigued by the way Conrad described Kurtz’s obsession with ivory that eventually caused his downfall. His last words “the horror! the horror!” is an epitome of the disastrous face of imperialism. At one point there was his conscience and morality, and at the other there was his insatiable greed for ivory. But I found a certain charm in Kurtz-his honesty. Most people held a very high opinion of him due to his eloquent style of speaking and communicating with people. But he possessed a certain kind of honesty which the other characters in the novel did not. For example the manager proves to be shallow, and though he craves for ivory just as much as Kurtz does, he is reluctant to face the truth and tells that the company’s operations are a sort of kindness they are bestowing upon the natives.
 
 “Heart of Darkness” embodies Europe . In the end I, just like Marlow, could conclude that imperialism yields nothing but madness. The tragedy of imperialism is unveiled. All the characters seemed to be enveloped in a state of chaos and avarice. They behave in a completely different manner while they are in Africa as opposed to their European norms. Marlow observes that the natives are subjected to harsh treatment by the Company and are made to work against their wills. The Europeans look at them as nothing but mere savages. The whites evade their land and extract all their valuable resources and in return the natives are treated so mercilessly as though they were animals. And the Company terms this on-going process of tyranny as “civilization”.

The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much - The above few lines depict Marlow’s utter disgust of the colonizers.
 
At the end of his journey Marlow is transformed into an introspective and philosophic being, and he is described as “a meditating Buddha”. Having confronted the most dark and degrading side of human nature, he no longer could adjust himself into European society. I could totally relate the major protagonists of the novel to real life characters in modern days. Yes, a Kurtz could be present in us all, the reason being that society has changed but only a little. We all, to some extent, are drawn towards material gains, power and ambition. Times may have changed but imperialism has taken another form. Aren’t the weak, developing nations still dominated by the powerful ones? Aren’t innumerable people still subjected to injustice and racial degradation? Thus man is still crippled by his “heart of darknes”...

Epistemology - interesting post from Farhan


Epistemology- Karl Popper  


The blog on Karl Popper’s perspective of epistemology describes a very interesting theory of three Worlds each with different contents but they are strongly linked to each other. These interdependent  worlds together form the solar system of knowledge.        


If a boy let’s say is walking knowledge thirsty in an indoors zoo, he steps up to the fishes in the tank  and merely touches them he feel the slippery surface of the fishes body, then he moves on to the baby panda and hugs it and plays with it for a long time and shares a pleasant experience. The boy then confronts a girl of the same age as his and eagerly interacts with her and spends a lot of time with her in the zoo, after that is done the huge majestic doors of the Zoo’s library catches his attention and as he enters he is awed by a heaps and heaps of books waiting to be read. He then learns more about the animals in the zoo he met through the books and pictures and some videos from the library’s computer. Later his zoo trip comes to an end when his parents pick him up expecting their son to have perceived enough knowledge for a 10 year old.       

So accordingly most of us reading the above short story will entitle the story as e.g. “A 10 year old’s Zoo experience” or  “Trip to the Zoo”, but Mr.Popper will entitle “Entering into the Three Worlds of Knowledge”. Mr. Popper has already understood that the young boy has been travelling from one world to another throughout the story, the boy when he felt the slippery skin surface of the fishes in the water and the softness of the fur of the panda these physical sensations are registered into World 1. This world consists of the reality and the knowledge gained physically, it consists of what is actually there in front of us but not that which we have pictured about it. The boy thinks that the fishes are fun to touch and the panda is very huggable, playful and completely harmless even though in reality news of attacks of wild pandas are not non-existing (World 1 has just been linked with World 2). The boy also has fun with the girl he met as talks to her and creates his own superficial opinion about her despite who he really is. These pleasantly experience of animal touching, boy’s thoughts of the animals and the girl all are registered in World 2. This world has all the things that we are have understood from the reality and the memories fun or boring that we have experienced. The boy when he finally enters the library and starts to scroll through the books he actually has landed on World 3 where the knowledge of the zoo animals are all printed in books or are saved in the computer as pictures or video files, these consist of all the observations by professionals of World 1. 

We now can definitely connect the three Worlds where World 2 is a human interpreted World of World 1 and all the evidences of World 2 are safe in World 3. 


Farhan Hasan

Saturday 13 August 2011

Dhaka in the Past - One of the sweetest mails I received

When I saw the pictures of our old Dhaka, at that time I was thinking of my Fupa, he always talks about how dhaka city used to be, empty, old but yet stylish, he talks about the old cars which used to be there and how he loved those cars. When I saw the pictures, I felt he was so right about all the descriptions he gave. This image of Dacca was always in my imagination, on my mind, as, when he told me the stories I kept imagining the city and environment, and yesterday I felt like my imagination took the form of all those images being projected on the screen. Before, the city used to be enriched with culture and fine old architecture, but modernisation is making them gradually disappear; only few remains but still there is no proper maintenance. The image of Dhaka city has completely changed - probably for good. 


I felt like entering into that world through the pictures I saw on the screen.

Sir if you don't mind, may I please bring my pendrive to copy those pictures, I want to show them to my Fupa and Dad.



Lamia


Yes Lamia, Please bring your pendrive.

Zarat - thank you so much for taking a WHOLE Lecture!

Does the Universe have a purpose?

The great philosopher Plato believed that everything in the world has
a purpose. Why do plants grow? To be a source of food to the animals.
When their purpose ends, they die.The reason human beings and every
other creature in the world is created because each of them has a
purpose. Life is created for the fulfillment of its purpose. Our world
therefore must serve a purpose as well. And the world is a small part
of the momentous and gigantic universe. So does the universe have a
purpose as well?


If we consider religion, then the universe definitely has a purpose.
In most of the major religions of the world, the establishment of the
universe is not an accident. If the Great Design had been to create a
universe, then there must be some purpose behind it.
Another argument for the universe having purpose is that it is not
everlasting. Because the universe has an end, it makes me think that
it has a purpose. The pattern is similar to those things with a
purpose, a book, a plant or a cow—it is created, it serves its
purpose, and it demolishes. I feel inclined to believe that creation
arises when there is need, in other words, the “created” has a purpose
to serve.


Science also supports the purposeful universe. First of all, the vast
and enigmatic universe goads the scientists on their quest to find the
“meaning”. It in itself is serving a huge purpose by providing the way
for scientific study. Also, the universe holds many substances, carbon
atoms most specifically, in abundance. It is well designed and not
just a haphazard amalgamation of everything. Thus, it must have a
purpose.
“Everything happens for a reason”—can the creation of the universe be
just a mistake or a coincidence? How can something so well designed
develop from folly? One look at the universe tells us that there is
planning behind it. However, what is the purpose of the universe is a
more difficult question to answer. In fact, I think this question
doesn’t have a definite answer at all, yet. The challenge to find the
answer is something we have taken up and in the course we might make
several extraordinary discoveries. Can this not be a purpose of the
Universe?


Does moral action depend on reasoning?


Human beings are born with innate conscience. Even though it might be
dormant or less developed in some people, it can be argued more or
less strongly that all human beings possess conscience—the ability to
identify right from wrong. The fact may be that the conscience present
in a person is very rudimentary and that interaction with the social
world and mental development through learning process flourishes it to
give it a full-fledged form. In that case, conscience will differ from
person to person, depending on their social, moral and cultural
upbringing and the quality of their education. However, the true
essence of conscience must be similar for every human.
I think conscience plays a big role in deciding our moral actions.
Even if you do something against your conscience, you will feel guilty
about it and try to amend it in most cases. But does conscience always
coincide with our reasoning? Reasoning is also present in every human;
it is one of the distinguishing characteristics of humans. Reasoning
surely develops from brain but so does conscience—really? Conscience
has been attributed to the soul by ancient Greek philosophers. But if
we are to decide that, then we must debate on the existence of soul, a
separate entity from the mind and body.


When someone acts against common sense of reasoni
ng, we deem them to
be “crazy”. However, when someone opposes his conscience, it does not
mean he is without the faculty of reasoning.


A sudden action may not depend on either but last second impulses. It
is easy for a person to take part in a fire drill but when an actual
fire breaks out, what the person will do may not depend either on his
conscience or reasoning but his instinct to survive. I had read a book
called “The Selfish Gene”, where the author claims that human genes
are “selfish”, that is, their most important task is to live in. It is
by their manipulation that humans try to save their life. The author
has also given persuasive examples. I will quote a short one:
When a train is about to crash, a man, who was travelling with his
wife and son, throws his son out of the window to a safe distance. His
first instinct was to save his son. The author claims that it was the
doing of the “selfish gene” in him. The son is the carrier of the
man’s genes and will be able to pass them on to the next generation.
This means that by saving the son, the genes will be able to live on
and be passed on.  Thus this seeming act of altruism is actually
selfish indeed.


I feel that reason is not enough to decide moral action.

In the present world we are obsessed about gaining knowledge;
knowledge that will help us to survive in the increasingly competitive
world. We ask many questions that help us to know more but
epistemology takes us back to the most fundamental question of them
all: what is knowledge? What is this “substance” that people in the
ancient times sought and we still search for?
According to philosophers, knowledge is comprised of 3 worlds


1.    Physical world, physical perception
2.    Cognition, subjective personal perceptions
3.    Abstract items , objective abstract products of human mind


The quest for the meaning of knowledge thus begins. First of all,
there are two ways in which we can view the topic; one is objective
where the reality we experience everyday is considered the truth, the
other is the subjective way where the reality we experience is our
version of the truth. So subjectivism splits ‘me’ from the ‘us’ and
looks at me as an individual of the society. My version of truth may
not match with someone else’s; my reality may be someone else’s dream.
Knowledge is that which we interpret according to subjectivism however
in objectivist’s view, knowledge may or may not be known to us but it
is fixed.


Epistemology has developed throughout the age. The earliest known
theory associated with this subject may be behaviorism. Behaviorism is
about motivation and rewards and is connected mainly with people’s
intentions and desires which decide their course of action or
behavior. Many theories have also been suggested regarding
epistemology, to name a few: cognitivist theory, interactionalist
theory and adult learning theory.


If we briefly summarize each of the aforementioned theory for quicker
understanding, we can observe several new theories branching from
them.


Cognitivist theory focuses on the acquisition of knowledge through
cognitive structure. This is important because many philosophers
believed that “thoughts and reasons are legitimate sources of
knowledge”. This includes:


1.    Meaningful receptional learning which is learning through
association. The new things that we learn have to be linked to the
things we already know for improved learning.
2.    Cognitive information processing, which holds the human memory and
processing in a computer model. Through Rehearsal and Chunking (chunks
of information) the learner can put information in the Long-Term
Memory and retrieve that information if it is needed for responses.
Interactionalist theory focuses on the social and cultural factors of
learning. This includes:
1.    Vygotsky’s interactional theory which is related to the method
followed in our SAT class. Effective learning can take place through a
discourse between the instructor, who is more knowledgeable, and the
students. This kind of social interaction leads to the development of
cognition and reasoning.
2.    Bruner’s interaction theory is related to MRL. It states that the
knowers, or to be knowers, form a new idea in their mind by
associating it with past or present knowledge. However this raises a
question: when a child first learns something new, he does not have
any pre-knowledge, so how can the association theory work? Does this
mean every human being has some innate knowledge from birth or do they
just use their mental reason?
3.    Schema theory-I did not quite understand this theory but it is
stated that “schemas are non-hierarchical templates (data structures)
for representing the generic concepts stored in memory.” This seems to
be related to the CIP.
Adult learning theory mainly focuses on the fact that the learning
process of adults and children is not same. However, learning is a
process that occurs continuously throughout life, but the rate varies
at different periods of one’s life. Usually we consider childhood to
be one’s learning age and this may decrease an adult’s receptiveness
to knowledge. This includes:


1.    Constructivism is the application of knowledge, that is, applying
existing knowledge to solve new problems. Unless constructivism can be
achieved through learning, the learning has less meaning.
2.    Andragogy is recognizing the fact that children and adults learn
differently. They respond differently to the information offered to
them.
3.    Self directed learning is the most interesting form of learning. We
usually indulge into this type of learning the most. This is when we
pursue a topic of interest; so obviously, the subject varies from
person to person. Since this type of learning is driven by one’s own
will, it is less burdensome than any other types.
4.    Transformational learning aims to change how we know rather than
what we know.


Zarat.

2 Posts by Zarat


Does the free market corrode moral character?
The answer to this is a difficult one. At one side, it seems to enhance the moral characters in men while on the other side, it is dehumanizing.
The free market is spurred on strictly by the “profit-motive”. Competition increases and just as many opportunities open up, the failure to perform up to the standard can mean the end. Indeed, it is only “survival of the fittest”. When the people are threatened with their survival, there can hardly be any room for decency or moral action. Do we not value our lives above all? In this fierce competition, where defeat can question our survival, acts of altruism are strictly prohibited. It introduces novelty and “stirs up individual desire”.
It is true that it makes some rich and powerful men who might be able to contribute to the poor but it is human nature to want more. The gluttony of the human cannot be quenched. They will keep wanting more and more. In the process they will forget to think about those who are barely surviving. A group of French thinkers from the 1930s, called the “non-conformists”, had this view. It was also the main theme of fascism which called for an end to materialistic times.
If we check out the other side of the coin, we may find a different picture. Increased globalization leads to better income and decreased poverty. This encourages more schooling for the children which can act to nourish moral characters within them. The free market economy has also significantly bridged the gap between male and female wages. More people from different culture, religion and class come in contact with each other. This leads to increased socialization. People become connected and more “feeling”.  This may actually enhance their moral characters.
In the end it comes down to this: how easily can a person be changed? Can a person’s moral character be diluted just for the sake of competition and better earning? Can the surroundings induce a change in people’s characteristics which they have developed since birth?
Why Philosophy needs history? (TLS essay)-Bernard Williams
‘Lack of a historical sense is the hereditary defect of philosophers . . . So what is needed from now on is historical philosophising, and with it the virtue of modesty.’ Nietzsche.
Williams claims that most philosophers have neglected the history—not the history of philosophy but the history of the concepts philosophy is trying to understand. We need to understand our ethics and political ideals throughout the ages. We need to understand who we are from the roots, and that root does not mean from infancy but from the beginning of mankind. Thorough knowledge of history helps a philosopher to perceive the human nature, the way a human holds the world in his view.

Sadia's first Post on our BLOG

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a timeless book packed with symbolism and insight into the darkest depths of human instinct. It explores the fundamental aspects of evil and the impulses that may cause people to generate violence that they never knew they were capable of. This alone is an impressive topic to cover in a mere 208 pages but Golding doesn't stop there. Lord of the Flies is crammed with symbolism, including many interesting parallels to the Bible. To fully understand all the campanologies the novel must be read many times. However, there are numerous equivalences that can be seen at first glance.

Foremost, the island where the boys' plane crashes represents Eden. It is a pristine and unspoiled place until humans arrive and corrupt it with their barbarity. In the beginning it seems like the island and the boys might be able to work in harmony but that is unfortunately not the case. As a matter of fact by the end of the book the whole land mass is up in flames due to savage human instincts.

In terms of people, Simon is definitely the most obvious Biblical parallel in the novel. He represents a Christ-like figure, saintly and selfless. From early on in Lord of the Flies he helps the littluns by finding fruit for them. Simon continues to show his altruistic characteristics throughout the book until he is met with the island's version of a crucifixion.

In my opinion, the most significant Biblical analogy occurs when Simon has a conversation with an impaled pig's head in the forest. Supposedly, this encounter represents Jesus' confrontation with the Devil during his 40 days in with wilderness. As Simon speaks with the pig's head which manifests itself into the Lord of the Flies his beliefs that the Beast is nonexistent are confirmed. To be more specific, he realizes that the Beast is not a creature but something that lives inside all of the boys. The Lord of the Flies says to him “I'm the Beast… Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!”

To add on even more Biblical symbolism to Simon's encounter one must remember how the Devil was originally created. God sent one of His most prized angels down to Hell to keep guard but that angel ended up turning into the Devil. This fact basically expresses the whole theme of Lord of the Flies. All people have an evil that resides within them and given the “right” situation they may become cruel and violent in ways they never expected.

Of course, all of these comparisons just scratch the surface of what Golding managed to encompass in his classic novel. Lord of the Flies is a well written adventure story but it's more than that. It's a book that communicates the universal topic of morality, exploring what's right and wrong and how humans act when faced with challenging circumstances. I applaud Golding's ability to do this and I'm sure that his story will not soon be forgotten.