Department of Gujrati ,Mk Bhavnagar university organized one beautiful program " Sarjak sathe savvand", in this program renowned personalities like Krishnkant Unadkat , Jyoti Unadkat and poet Vinod Joshi were invited as a guests. Krishnkant Unadkat and his wife Jyoti Unadkat both are very well known columnist and writer. Jyoti Unadkat worked 20 years in Chitrlekha magazine also. They shared useful information that how writers wrote , and also shared their writing style that how they wrote. And sheared their experiences. They said that writing is important, and in the 21st century we have technology and social media so it help a lot, now a days social media like FB made a young good writes also. It help to enhance your writing skill. Jyoti Unadkat shared their experiences of as journalist and said about Godharakand and Akshardham incident .
So, It was really very healthy and knowledgeable interaction with them. It's became fruitful for me. So thank you so much Pro. Dr. Dilip Barad and department of Gujarati for providing this wonderful opportunity.
AS a student of English Literature we studied various ages. In sem - 3 in the paper of Modernist literature we studied 20th century, and for further or deep understanding we watched two movies. Both are classic movie made by very well known English comic actor sir Charlie Chaplin. Here i am shearing my views regarding these movie.
(1) Modern Times
Released - in 1936
Director - Charlie Chaplin
This is a comedy film. It was screened " out of competition" at the 2003 cannes film festival. In this movie two major characters are there Charlie Chaplin as a Factory worker employed on an assembly line, and where he screws nuts. But he was like Tramp boy, so he can't focus on his work and not done any work seriously. But because of industrialism he did same work monotonous way, and his mind also worked same way. But because of poverty and unemployment he did it. Other character is Gamin, she was an orphan girl and she had a lots of responsibility of their two little sisters or unemployed father also so she steal food items and their primary needs. And time and again both the characters mat in cafeteria and Buckingham palace etc and they struggle to survive .
so, through this two characters director poverty the time and the condition of 20th century. In that time problem of poverty, unemployment, orphan childes, class problem , industrialization we find. And because of all people worked hard they can't enjoy nature also , and they face pathetic situation. people control ed by time. Workers time and again going on strike, because of freedom, liberty and money. This type of situation now a days we also face because of industrialism, mall culture and etc. In this movie we can find that charlie wants to stay in prison, because he had no home . This movie satirized on department store and industrialism, mall etc. so, through this movie charlie shaw the bitter truth of industrialism, people always lives under the authority of any power person, now cctv cameras. When we see the condition of poor people at that time we find out the real progress of any country.
In the novel Oliver Twist , Charles Dickens also wrote about the what is the impact of industrialization on people.
Symbols : -
1) sheep 2) Clock
This movie is best for cultural studies also. Movie end with a beautiful message that " Life is a Journey" . So, be happy and moving is important. Find your happiness.
( 2 ) The Great dictator
Released - in 1940 during second world war
Director - Charlie Chaplin
It is a comedy drama film. It is a political satire . In this movie Charlie played a double role. His acting is such a great. This movie is hard to understand but with the help of Google 's we can understand. Because it is based on history, and history is always boring . But as per T.S. Eliot,
write about, " historical sense" in " Tradition and the Individual Talent". He writes that the historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of past but of it's present.so the knowledge of history is important. And this movie very well shows the Hitler's rules and regulation and how he ruled at that time.
This is first Chaplin's sound film. He was Jewish Barber and in other role he was great dictator - Hynkel, instead Hitler. How Jewish people harassed by Hitler, they lived with fear in gheeto. we can find that which kind f leader ruled and people suffered.
So, this movie is also important for cultural studies, because literature and politics both are interrelated. and how power plaid vital role in culture also. this kind of some characteristic of politics we can see in current time also.
The last speech of this movie is very meaningful and important. And very famous also, this speech given by one Jewish barber, because by mistake he caught as a Hynkel. He said " Fight for liberty not for a leaders" . Above i share the video of this last speech.
Both movie help a lot to understand the history of 20th century.
The literature of the 20th century can, in fact , be read as an attempt to deal with the discovery of the hopelessness of courage and fallibility of mankind in the face of war. so the modernist literature is all about 'Realism'. In which all writers and poet , artists shows that time and the impact of war on the people.
So, this blog is my classroom activity and here i try to interpret these 10 poems of modernist literature as per my views.
Embankment is an area of London . In this poem poet recold their happy days of past. ' Flash of gold heels ' but then suddenly he prayed a God that he want one blanket because he want warmth in cold nights. Here ' star - eaten blanket' metaphor used. Here star used in negative sens. God provide this blanket for star not this poor man, so we can find out that what is the social condition of poor or homeless people.
The title of this poem it self suggest that this poem is about darkness, because the time of this poetry is after world war so the dark impact of these world war easily we can saw in poet's mind through this poem. Poet wants to watch stars but he can't so he just find only the light of the stars. so ,how this night is looking dark without stars, generally night is always beautiful with stars and moon. So, darkness symbolically represent and it's sagest the condition of that time.
(3) Image by Edward Storer
Forsaken lovers,
Burning to a
chaste white moon
Upon strange
Pyres of loneliness and
drought.
This is love poem. ' Forsaken lovers' means the people, who became helpless, because of Victorian time's problems like racism, poverty, unemployment or disease, sexual perversion and nothingness. so, here poet say that the ' Burning to a chaste white moon' means their heart burn and they felt loneliness and drought. so this poem 'Image' is image of modern time.
The title of the poem it's suggested the modern life, because during 20th century entertainment , industry, television, radio, cinema became popular aspect of modern life. poet beautifully explain all things with the examples of natural elements ' tree'. we all live in same civilization like one tree, but tough we are different like various parts of tree. Here poet gave the examples of petals and wet black bough. we can't stay any particular one place for long time same like petals and bough falls down. So we can say that poetry talks about robotic life of people .
Water is not free moving , but stored at one particular place, and the water became spoil so same way the life of is not free and that's why poet ask question that ' Are you alive?'. people live with a lots of fears . " Sea fish " means people ,it's a modern metaphor , and fish is covered with net same way people also under the dark impact of war and Victorian time so they controlled not free. They trapped under social, political and religious rules and regulation. On the other side we can said that poet talked about the women condition also, and that's why she ask " Are you alive"?
(6) Insouciance by Richard Aldington
In and out of the dreary trenches
Trudging cheerily under the stars
I make for
myself little poems
Delicate as a
flock of doves
They fly away
like white-winged
Doves.
" White winged doves" is modern metaphore. This poem about the freedom. poet wants freedom and fly away because he faces the dark time of wars. Here poet talked "dreary trenches" dreary means dark and trenches means hole then " Trudging cheerily" means ch earful long walkso here poet portray dark and bright side of life.
This poem talked about poverty, but the when we read first title " Morning at the window" it suggested good or positive so the title and poem both are completely different. " Muddy Skirts", " Twisted Fad faces", " Basement Kitchenes" these all words shows the poverty and slum area. so poet shows the miserable and pathetic condition of people.They can't fulfill their primary needs also. Poet talks about the layman's life.
(8) The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams This poem has various agriculture metaphors like " Red wheel", "rain", " white Chicken" so, it's talked about farming. poet deny the old style of farming, because 20th century is the time of technology and perhapes this person or farmer don't know how to use new technique in farming. That's why he was very much depended on rain, bull-cart and etc.
Tennessee is the state of America. In modern age poet used symbol well, and here in this poem also Jar- man made symbol used. and on the other side poet put this jar on the hills .so at the end or ultimately nature win. so, the natural elements or symbols are more powerful. Poet very well elaborate the beauty of jar. (10) Leaf fall on loneliness by E.E. Cummings The structure of the poem is very different, but is directly connected the situation and the time of war and that's why poet wrote poem in broken words. Poet gave an example of " Leaf Fall" means here he talkes about the loneliness or isolation.