Comparing Narrative frames of the movie Life of Pi| Slumdog Millionaire | Maharaja by Nithilan Saminathan

Hello readers this blog is a task of the activity assigned by our professor Dr.Dilip Barad sir. This blog is based on the comparative analysis of the narrative frames of the three movies i.e Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire and Maharaja. 

For the more background you can refer Teachers blog . So let's dive into the narrative frames of thise movies. 

Before talking about the narrative frames let's just know what is narrative frame?

'Frame narrative' is a form of storytelling that has never gone out of fashion. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms describes frame narrative as 'a story in which another story is enclosed or embedded as a 'tale within the tale', or which contains several such tales.'

                                       Life of Pi

Life of Pi was released in 2012, movie by Ang Lee. The film uses a frame narrative where a present-day writer interviews the protagonist, Pi Patel, who recounts his past adventures. This layered storytelling blurs the lines between reality and fiction. The outer story of the film is set in the present, with Pi narrating his past, creating a layered structure. The primary narrative is a flashback of Pi's journey at sea after a sinking of ship. 

The narrative shifts between Pi’s time on the lifeboat and his life before and after the incident talks about the non- linear narrative frame. The structure of the film emphasizes themes of storytelling and belief, with multiple perspectives on truth and reality being central.

When we look at the ending part of the film when the Pi was rescued and transferred to the hospital at that time he was asked about the incident like how he met with an accident and what happened, at that time those two insurance agencies officers wanted something realistic or believable story which they could believe. 

Whereas at that time Pi just changed the names of the animals and replaced them with the names of real life characters or believable characters and created his own story so that those officers could believe him. At that moment we can see the mentality that no one is willing to accept something new like they think that those things which happened with Pi can only happen films but those were the things which were really faced by Pi in the film. 

Slumdog Millionaire 

The Slumdog Millionaire is a movie released in 2008, directed by Danny Boyle. The film uses a non-linear narrative to reveal the protagonist Jamal Malik’s life through flashbacks during his interrogation. Each question in the game show triggers a flashback that connects to a critical moment in his life.

The story unfolds through a fusion of real-time interrogation scenes and flashbacks, creating suspense and strengthen the audience's understanding of Jamal’s motivations and experiences. The structure combines elements of drama, romance, and thriller, with the game show format serving as a framing device for the broader narrative.

When we look at the narrative frames we also observe that how the film opens with the protagonist in the prison is tortured and the very next scene comes of the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Where he is playing the game and while answering each  question there's a flashback technique in narration beginning from the very first flashback scene of his childhood and many more scenes when we look at the movie.

                                       Maharaja 

Maharaja is a movie directed by Nithilan Swaminathan released in 2024. Story begins with the past narration of the life of the protagonist, back in 2009 that how he used to work in the salon and was a middle calss man have a small family and had a daughter, lost his family into an accident and how he takes care of the daughter which was not even his blood though he gave all the love and care as if she was her own daughter.  

Then the movie goes again into the past, a week ago where his daughter is going into the camp amd returns back during that time he is in search of a dustbin which he calls Laxmi. Later while watching the movie and coming ti the end of the movie we are able to analyse that he was not in the search for that dustbin but the victims of her daughter's condition. The whole movie is in the suspense. As the movie progresses and the audience is slowly getting to know about the storyline of the movie and main reason orr motive of the protagonist.

Comparing the narrative frames of all the movies.

Life of Pi incorporates a dual-layer structure, whereas Slumdog Millionaire and Maharaja intertwine flashbacks with real-time events to build narrative depth and suspense. Life of Pi uses its frame to explore themes of belief and storytelling, emphasizing the subjective nature of truth. Slumdog Millionaire uses flashbacks to enhance suspense and provide background to Jamal’s current situation, enriching the narrative through emotional and dramatic layers. Maharaja employs non-linear storytelling to create suspense and engage the audience, gradually revealing the protagonist’s deeper motives.

Conclusion 

The comparative analysis of the narrative frames in Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, and Maharaja highlights how different storytelling techniques can deeply impact the viewer's experience and thematic interpretation. Life of Pi employs a dual-layered frame narrative to challenge insights of reality and fiction. By embedding Pi's adventure within an interview framework, the film explores the nature of storytelling and belief, inviting viewers to question the truthfulness of its multiple versions of the truth. 

Slumdog Millionaire uses a non-linear structure that interlaces flashbacks with real-time interrogation scenes. This method heightens suspense and enriches the audience's understanding of Jamal Malik's character, as each game show question unveils a critical piece of his past, linking his experiences to his present situation.Maharaja similarly employs non-linear storytelling, but with a focus on suspense and gradual revelation. By shifting between past and present, it maintains an air of mystery and slowly uncovers the protagonist's motives, keeping the audience engaged and intrigued.

I hope this would be helpful,

Thank you.

R.K. Narayan Short Stories

Hello readers this blog is a part oof task assigned by Megha ma'am in which I'll be discussing about the two short stories of R.K.Narayan. For more information visit teachers blog Click here

About the Novelist 

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami  who was born at 10 October 1906 and died on 13 May 2001. He is better known as R. K. Narayan, was an Indian writer and novelist known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.

Narayan highlights the social context and everyday life of his characters. He has been compared to William Faulkner who created a similar fictional town and likewise explored with humor and compassion the energy of ordinary life. 

In a career of his over sixty years Narayan received many awards and honours including the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, India's second and third highest civilian awards, and in 1994 the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour of India's National Academy of Letters.

An Astrologers Day 

Pre-Viewing Tasks:

Q. Observe the setting, plot, character, structure, style, theme of the original short story.

Ans:-

Setting

Aatrologer is sitting under a spreading tamarind tree which flanked a path running through the Town Hall Park. It was a crowded moving place where there was various vandors. There's no particular time mentioned, the setting just talk about the streets, shops and the interaction throughout. 

Plot

The plot of the story revovels aroumd the astrologer who has been struggling with with his livelihood, faces life challenges and tangles of human life. He was a hard working astrologer whoes most of the work is done on the bases of his powerfull guess work. Unexpectedly there comes his past hin front of him, and a moment comes where he is haunted by his past mistake and somehow manages to tell everyting to his wife and gwts free from the guilt. 

Character

There's only one major charater i.e An Astrologer. Another charater is the stranger, who has came to ask about the one who has tried to kill him in his past life and was still searching him. An Astologers wife and the crowed arund him. 

Structure

The structure of the story is very simple as it begins with the description of an Astrologer. And then later it encounters with an unexpected stranger, which later creates tension and astologer is trying to control over his fear. 

Style

R.K.Narayan deals with very straight forward and easy to understand method of writing, charaterized by various descriptions and internal strugle of an Astologer. Yet the story is rich in its characterisation and description. 

Themes 

There can be noticed various themes, sucha s fate and free will, identity and truth. Around which the story revolves.

While - Viewing Tasks:

Q.The beginning, important Scenes – The encounter with Guru Nayak, the conversation with wife, the market scene,the End,the Climax Scene.

Ans:-

The story begins with the description of an astrologer who is getting ready with an equipment of his work to start his day. Also occurs the description of his looks and the surroundings where he is doing his palm reading job along with the other vendors. When the question arise about the encounter of the Guru Nayak it creates a serious of scenes where an astrologer is haunted by the past mistakes. He faces the flashback in front of his eyes in those seconds when he saw the Guru Nayak and realized that he was the one to whom is has tried to murdered when he was a young boold.

While conversation with his wife, is seen very too the pont and accurately described that how an astrologer is sharing about his past mistakes with his wife and is getting guilt free as he gets to know that, that person is alive. The market scenes gives the story a beautiful effect as it has a very natural things, which readers and can easily relate with their day to day life, also enhances the story line. That market was the place where an astrologer gets his livelihood. The place filled with lot's of interactions with various customers and vendors. 

When talking about the climax of the story for an astrologer looks like facing a great shock when he saw the face of the customer in that dim firestorm light. That was the time when he actually realized that Guru Nayak was the man whom he had tried to murder during his young phase of life in his village.

Then story end with the realization of power of fate that an astrologer had. And the satisfaction he had that the one whom he had tried to murder is alive and gets relief from the guilt. The scenes where collectively effecting the themes such as fate, the consequences of past actions and a thought provoking narrative. 

Post- Viewing task

Q.How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

The short film which we watched, while looking overall it was faithful to the original story. But there are some changes in the scenes. Like the amount of cost he was charging in the story is three pies per question, while looking at the short film it talks about the cost in ruppes it maybe due to the modification and to add the modern version to the film. 

Q. After watching the movie, have your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

When we look at the characters and the situations that have occured in the short film is almost the similar to the story line and plot of the short story. Though I can definitely say that the short film helped in making the characters and situations more clear.

Q. Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

Definently yes, the very beginning of the story it talks about the beauty of the Indians i.e the market place the groundnut vendors and the surrounding feels so real that it definitely gives ' aesthetic delight'. The more beautiful scene occured at the end of the story i.e when an astrologer accepts his mistake and confronts in front of his wife about his past mistakes and gets free from the gulit of murder. 

Q. Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the short story?

Yes absolutely, it has enhanced the understanding of the short story because it's always an exciting method to watch something happening visually, as it gives more ckear understanding of the concept of the story. 

Q. Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?

The very scene that I felt was perfect, was the time when an astrologer didn't changed his facial expression when he saw Guru Nayak he handled his fear very calmly and aslo the Guru Nayak who was very eager to take revenge of the one who had attacked on him. At that moment an astrologer tackled the situation so well by saying Guru Nayak that the one who attacked has already been died and that made Guru Nayak calm. That scene is very perfect to me.

Q.If you are director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K.Narayan?

If, I would have given an opportunity to direct, then I would have added some mythical elements which would give spark to the plot of the story, as it creates the suspicious thoughts to the viewers. 

                     Crime and Punishment 

Exploring the dynamic roles of teacher and student.

Typically the very first role which comes after parents is of the teacher who builds the students life in an intellectual as well as builds his moral character. When we talk about the story the teachers expectation is weighing the student, later the time comes when the student misuses the teachers one single mistake and is constantly trying to make things do what he is willing to do.

The students often navigates by teacher. Students are the one who looks at the teacher and spends most of his time observing them and just wants to be the way they do. The students first role models are most of the time thier teachers only. 

            Through the Examples of movies

                         Tare Zamin per

This movie also talks about the teacher and student relationship. It talks about how the teacher is willing to work hard for the student who is lacking in his academic skills and is helping him to learn. Later in the movie we can also observe that how the parents are unable to understand the childs capacity of learning while the teacher was the one to observe it and worked on him so that he can be just like other students do.

                                 Black

One of the movie which talks about the girl who neither hear nor be able to see. His father couldn't even understand her situation and was about to send her to hospital. But somehow her mother manages to find the great tutior for her who taught her how to behave, how to eat, how to feel things and even taught her to survive during her academics. She took almost 10 years to complete her graduation as she was bit different from the normal students still she kept on working hard and achieved his bachelors degree. 

I hope this would be helpful,

Thank you.

Words:- 1,601

Images:- 6 

ThAct: Lab Activity: Poetry and Poststructuralism: An AI Powered Analysis

These blog task is the part of an activity in which we have to use the ChatGPT to generate the poem, also have to deconstruct and analyse respectively. For more detail to dive into the process go through Teachers blog . So lets begin. 

Summer's Love Serenade 

In summer’s warmth, our hearts entwined anew,

Beneath the sky, a boundless azure hue.

Soft whispers danced upon the balmy breeze,

As time stood still beneath the ancient trees.

Our laughter echoed through the golden light,

Two souls united, basking in delight.

The sun’s embrace, a tender, gentle kiss,

In summer's love, we found our boundless bliss.

With every touch, a fire’s tender spark,

Eternal love ignites the summer’s dark.

Analysis of the Poem

Verbal Stage:

These internal contradictions indicate the slipperiness of language, where words do not always convey stable or coherent meanings. "Eternal love ignites the summer’s dark." The juxtaposition of "eternal love" and "summer’s dark" suggests a contradiction, as summer is typically associated with light and warmth, not darkness. "As time stood still beneath the ancient trees." This line suggests the impossibility of time standing still, a literal contradiction. At the verbal stage, we look for paradoxes and contradictions at the purely verbal level. In "Summer's Love Serenade," the following lines present potential contradictions:

Examining Imagery and Contradiction:

The poem creates a vivid imagery of a perfect summer love, but a closer look reveals underlying contradictions and complexities. The line "time stood still" contradicts the natural flow of time, suggesting an impossible stasis within a fleeting moment.

Binary Oppositions:

The poem relies on several binary oppositions such as light/dark, warmth/coolness, and eternal/temporal. "Golden light" and "summer’s dark" set up a light/dark binary. Traditional associations of light with positivity and dark with negativity are complicated by the poem's suggestion that love can ignite even in the dark.

Textual Stage:

At the textual stage, we look for shifts or breaks in the continuity of the poem, revealing instabilities of attitude and a lack of fixed and unified positions: The poem shifts from the present ("our hearts entwined anew") to a timeless, almost mythical past ("beneath the ancient trees"). The tone shifts from the serene ("soft whispers danced") to the more passionate and intense ("with every touch, a fire’s tender spark"). These shifts in focus and tone reveal the poem's instability and lack of a consistent perspective, highlighting the complexities of love and time.

Linguistic Stage:

The linguistic stage involves moments when the adequacy of language as a medium of communication is called into question: The phrase "eternal love" suggests an idealized, perhaps unattainable, concept, calling into question the ability of language to capture the essence of such an emotion. The poem's use of sensory descriptions (e.g., "balmy breeze," "golden light") emphasizes the limitations of language in conveying the full experience of love and summer. These moments highlight the inadequacy and unreliability of language, suggesting that the poem itself is an attempt to express something ultimately inexpressible.

Conclusion:

"Summer's Love Serenade," when analyzed through a deconstructive lens, reveals underlying contradictions and shifts that challenge the coherence and stability of its surface meaning. The poem's verbal contradictions, textual shifts, and linguistic limitations underscore the complexity and fluidity of language and meaning, aligning with deconstruction's aim to uncover the inherent instability within texts. This analysis reveals how the poem, while seemingly unified in its celebration of love and summer, contains fractures and conflicts that destabilize its apparent harmony.

Shadows of Mortality

In twilight's grip, we face the final breath,

Life's fleeting dance gives way to silent death.

The stars, like whispers, fade into the night,

As shadows merge with everlasting light.

A chill descends, the world in stillness keeps,

While hearts left grieving fall to silent weeps.

The echoes of our lives, a distant song,

Remind the living where they still belong.

Through memories, our spirits softly trace,

The fragile line between time and space.

In death's embrace, we find a solemn peace,

An end to pain, a timeless sweet release.

Yet in the darkness, hope’s faint glimmers shine,

Life’s legacy in hearts and dreams divine. 

Analysis of the Poem 

Challenging Binary Oppositions:

The poem sets up several binaries such as life/death, light/dark, and pain/peace. Traditional associations of life with vitality and death with cessation are complicated by the line "In death's embrace, we find a solemn peace," suggesting a peaceful resolution in death rather than sheer finality. Light and dark are traditionally seen as opposing forces, yet "shadows merge with everlasting light," blending the two into a single continuum rather than maintaining their separation.

Interdependence of Subject and Object:

The poem speaks to the interconnectedness of life and death, reflecting poststructuralist ideas that subjectivity and objectivity are intertwined. The line "The echoes of our lives, a distant song" implies that the impact of one's life (subject) reverberates and influences the world (object) even after death.

Multiplicity of Meanings:

The phrase "hope’s faint glimmers shine" in the context of darkness underscores the complexity of hope and despair coexisting. This destabilizes the binary of hope/despair, suggesting that even in dark times, hope can persist. "A timeless sweet release" offers multiple interpretations: it could signify the end of suffering or the transcendence of time through death, challenging the linear progression of life.

Fluidity and Instability of Language:

The imagery of "twilight's grip" and "silent death" highlights the fluid and unstable nature of language. Twilight, a time between day and night, symbolizes the transition between life and death, emphasizing the continuous flux and transformation rather than fixed states.
The poem's language, while aiming to capture the essence of mortality, reveals its own limitations in fully expressing the experience of death and the afterlife.

External Influence on Subjectivity:

Poststructuralism argues that the subject is produced outside itself. In the poem, "Through memories, our spirits softly trace" suggests that identity and subjectivity are shaped by memories and external experiences, reflecting the influence of the external world on the internal self.

Conclusion:

"Shadows of Mortality" exemplifies the principles of deconstruction by revealing the instability and complexity of its central themes. The poem's binaries, language fluidity, and interdependence of subject and object challenge traditional notions of life, death, and meaning. Through this deconstructive lens, the poem invites readers to embrace a multiplicity of interpretations and the continuous interplay between opposites, highlighting the richness and depth of the human experience.

I hope this would be helpfull, 

Thank you.

"How to Deconstruct a Text"

 Deconstructive reading of the pomes i.e "In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound, "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos William and "Sonnet 18" by William Shakespeare. To know more about Deconstruction visit this Blog

What is Deconstruction?

Deconstruction is a philosophical movement spearheaded by French thinker Jacques Derrida and other critics during the 1960s. As a literary theory, it focuses on exposing cultural biases in all texts, whether a passage television ad. When engaged in deconstruction, it analyze words and sentences to identify inherent biases and call into question commonplace interpretations of the text. While this may sound presumptuous or cynical on the front end, deconstruction isn't about destroying meaning. Rather, it's about undermining ingrained assumptions to view things in a new light.

Deconstruction as a literary criticism.

Deconstruction, as applied in the criticism of literature designates a theory and practice of reading which questions and claims to "subvert" or "undermine" the assumption that the system of language provides grounds that are adequate to establish the boundaries, the coherence or unity, and the determinate meanings of a literary text.

A deconstructive reading sets out to show that conflicting forces within the text itself serve to dissipate the seeming definiteness of its structure and meanings into an indefinite array of incompatible and undecidable possibilities.

Possible Meanings.

After an individual analyzed the text for biases, see if your discoveries support a new interpretation. While many associate deconstruction with destruction of meaning, the opposite is true.

According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Holland, ("Deconstruction | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy."), text it by evaluating the biases of a given the social and historical conventions that helped produce you've opened up the words and sentences to an infinite amount of possible readings.

Deconstructing "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carols Williams

So much depends

 upon 

a red wheel 

barrow 

glazed with rain 

water 

beside the white

 chickens.

The poem a common object, the wheelbarrow, a place of importance. It suggest that beauty can be found in everyday things. By observing on simple observation and scenes, it encourages and appreciate the details around them. The juxtapostion between the vibrant red wheelbarrow and the white chickens adds depth to the image.   

the shiny and clean srrounding may come from the imagination of poet which one has seen somewhere in the book. The absense here is that of mud, dust and dung which isolated image from the reality and makes it idealize. While main interpretation could be the celebration of the everyday life and the appreciate the srroundings.

In conclusion, readings of the poems highlight the complexicity of the meanings, role of binanry opposition, freeplay of meaning and so on and so forth. Whenever one meaning is at the centre other all interpretation put on the periferry. This provides the new ways of reading the poem.

 Deconstructing Ezra Pound’s "In a Station of the Metro" 

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

Apparition word, often associated with ghost, creates a sense of mystery around the faces. The faces in crowd create anonymous faces, a fleeting glimpse of strangers in a busy place like a metro station. Petals on a wet, black bough is compared with the faces of petals. The "wet" adds a touch of life and movement, while "black" emaphasizes the fleeting nature of the encounter.

The poem captures a fleeting moment of beauty in the midst of an ordinary experience in riding the metero. The speaker is struck by the sight of these anonymous faces, and compares them to something beautiful and momentary. Despite being strangers, there's sense of shared humanity and the fleeting nature of human connection. 

"Deconstructive Reading of Sonnet 18." 

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

   So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

In this poem the "thee" i.e beloved which has binaries like beloved- human being and summer's day- nature. The poem is celebrating self; lines, writing, poem or sonnet, it atributes such as temperate, rough winds, complex on dimmed, hot the eye off. These may lead to adultery/ cheating also, there's  the poem trying to say, these beloved may have the attributes of the nature and this beloved may have the tendecy to cheat or not, while it is entirely deconstructing the idea of beloved. 

The poem was supposed to be one of the most loved poems ever recited by the lover for the beloved, but this is trying to say that beloved maybe liking, nature, frame, infidle, cheating also. Poem is celebrating itself that when things are writen, when poem is writen then it become important. We usually make critic of a language of poem and we keep on making binaries after binaries. It dramaticizes in a very interesting way ' power struggle' and it goes with implied threats and where things become very interesting to read this poem. 

Conclusion

Deconstruction, as a philosophical and literary movement led by Jacques Derrida, offers a way to uncover and question the inherent biases and assumptions within texts. It is not about destroying meaning, but rather opening up texts to a multitude of interpretations by analyzing the words and sentences in context. This approach reveals the complex interplay of meanings and the limitations of language to fully encapsulate a text's significance.

In literary criticism, deconstruction reveals how texts contain conflicting forces that undermine their apparent coherence and unity. This method emphasizes the indefinite and often contradictory nature of meaning within a text. 

For more information to understand it in depth, here below I'm sharing the link of the videos.

I hope this would be helpful,

Thank you. 

'Pre- Thinking activity- What's in a name?'

Hello readers this blog is fun task in which we'll discuss that what's the significance of name in  life.

Teachers blog

Q.1 What is your name? What is the meaning of it?

Ans- My name is unnati, which means progress, moving forward, increase of prosperity.

Q.2 What qualities commonly linked with your name do you believe reflect your attributes?

Ans- Qualities which are commonly linked are being cheerful, patient, and reliable and are very trustworthy. At some extent it does reflect my features, but a time comes where I can't find any of the features in my behaviour.


Q.3 Why do you think the name is important?

Ans- I personally believe that name gives an identity to individual. The name gives uniqueness, as it stands between the Talents and to identify them it's necessary.
And it's also said that what's their in name just keep on doing good work everything will fall in your favor. But that only looks good when talking philosophically. In actuality it's totally different, because when we want to call someone specifically then what we'll do, like how we'll entitle them so for that to have name is important. 

'Socrates: Life and Trial'.

 Hello reader in this blog I'll be sharing my understanding about the Socrates: Life and Trial thorough various video's.  So, let's begin....

Socrates: Life and Trial 

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher, one of the three greatest figures of the ancient period of Western philosophy, who lived in Athens in the 5th century BCE. A legendary figure even in his own time, he was admired by his followers for his integrity, his self-mastery, his profound philosophical insight, and his great argumentative skill. He was the first Greek philosopher to seriously explore questions of ethics.

Socrates wrote nothing. All that is known about him has been inferred from accounts by members of his circle, primarily Plato and Xenophon as well as by Plato’s student Aristotle, who acquired his knowledge of Socrates through his teacher. The most vivid portraits of Socrates exist in Plato’s dialogues, in most of which the principal speaker is “Socrates.” However, the views expressed by the character are not consistent across the dialogues, and in some dialogues the character expresses views that are clearly Plato’s own.

Socrates could have saved himself. He chose to go to trial rather than enter voluntary exile. In his defense speech, he rebutted some but not all elements of the charges and famously declared that "the unexamined life is not worth living." After being convicted, he could have proposed a reasonable penalty short of death but initially refused. He finally rejected an offer of escape as inconsistent with his commitment never to do wrong. Socrates was a widely recognized and controversial figure in his native Athens, so much so that he was frequently mocked in the plays of comic dramatists.

when Socrates was given the cup of poison, his last words were, "Crito, we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Make sure to pay it." Socrates, who never wrote any books, has his life documented by his two disciples, one named Naftan and the other named, as you know, Plato, also known as Aristophanes. 

Teachers blog

Socrates joined the army and took part in several battles. The story of Socrates becoming a philosopher is pretty interesting. In Athens, there was this area called Delphi where the Oracle lived, which was kind of like a fortune teller. People in Athens believed that the Oracle had the blessing of Apollo, who was a deity with the power of prophecy according to Greek myths.

The story goes that once a guy went to the Oracle and asked him who the smartest person in the world is. The Oracle replied, "Socrates." When the guy came back to Athens and told Socrates about it, Socrates was amazed. As Socrates didn't find any smartest thing among themselves, so Socrates started wandering around the markets of Athens, grabbing people and asking them what justice is, what goodness is, what evil is.

The method of question and answer that moves forward is called the Socratic method, which is still used today for philosophy and logic.  Anyway, besides the Socratic method in philosophy, Socrates made significant contributions to the field of ethics. When you ask a person who smokes cigarettes, they know that smoking is harmful to health, yet they still smoke. The answer to this question is often given that the person lacks willpower, courage, or is unable to let go of their weakness. It's like the weakness of will. 

The person knows the truth, but they find it difficult to follow. As Socrates said, it's wrong. According to Socrates, every person knows what the danger of something is, but they are unable to resist the benefits that come from it.
The solution to this is what Socrates calls "self-examination". There is a famous saying associated with Socrates that "The unexamined life is not worth living", meaning that life has no meaning without examining your own life. 

Socrates asked a question, "Tell me, what is beauty? Is only a human beautiful, or can animals and inanimate objects also be beautiful?" The answer was that whatever is made for a specific purpose fulfills that purpose perfectly.

Let's first understand the allegations which were against Socrates. There were two allegations - first, that Socrates insulted the gods of Athens, and second, that Socrates corrupted the youth of Athens."According to Roman philosopher Sisir, Socrates is worth quoting. He was the first person to bring philosophy down from heaven and stand it among common people. 

Socrates, one of the founding fathers of Western philosophical thought, was on trial. Many Athenians believed he was a dangerous enemy of the state, accusing the philosopher of corrupting the youth and refusing to recognize their gods. However, Socrates wasn’t feared for claiming to have all the answers, but rather, for asking too many questions. 

Socrates himself may not have been the most subtle Socratic teacher. Historians believe he was deeply critical of Athens’ particular brand of democracy, and known to pass those concerns onto his followers. These subversive beliefs were distorted in public forums and thought to have inspired two of his pupils to treasonous ends. It was likely for these ideas Socrates was brought to trial, and eventually, sentenced to death. But even on his deathbed, artists depict a serene philosopher.

Plato's apology is one of the most famous pieces in the history of not just philosophy but world literature in general depicting the trial of Socrates it is not actually him apologizing but instead it is his defense against the charges that's what the Greek word apologia means after all if you've ever heard of a Christian apologist or something like that and been confused now you know it means someone who defends something not apologized for it since Plato was actually present at the trial it.

So here blow I'm attaching the video which will help you to provide information about the Socrates life and trial.

I hope this would be useful,

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Flipped learning: Derrida and Deconstruction

Hello readers in this blog I'll be dealing about a bit complicated topic i.e 'Deconstruction' and as a flipped learning task there are some video to make the concept of deconstruction easy, and also some questions from those videos, so let's dive.

About Jacques Derrida 

A French philosopher, who was born on 15 July 1930 and died on 9 October 2004. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, and which was developed through close readings of the linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and Husserlian and Heideggerian phenomenology.

He is one of the major figures associated with post-structuralism and postmodern philosophy, although he distanced himself from post-structuralism and cast aside the word "postmodernity".

Throughout his career, Derrida published over 40 books, together with hundreds of essays and public presentations. He had a significant influence on the humanities and social sciences, including philosophy, literature, law, anthropology, historiography, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychoanalysis, music, architecture, and political theory.

Deconstruction

deconstruction is a form of philosophical and literary analysis which was derived mainly from work begun in the 1960s by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, that questions the fundamental conceptual distinctions, or “oppositions,” in Western philosophy through a close examination of the language and logic of philosophical and literary texts. In the 1970s the term was applied to work by Derrida, Paul de Man, J. Hillis Miller, and Barbara Johnson, among other scholars. 

During the 1980s it nominated more loosely a range of radical theoretical enterprises in diverse areas of the humanities and social sciences, including in addition to philosophy and literature in law, psychoanalysis, architecture, anthropology, theology, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, political theory, historiography, and film theory. In critical discussions about intellectual trends of the late 20th-century, deconstruction was sometimes used abusively to suggest nihilism and jokey rationalism. In popular usage the term has come to mean a critical dismantling of tradition and traditional modes of thought.

1st Video 

Why is it difficult to define Deconstruction?

The questions which Derrida keeps on asking is that; Is it possible to define something? What are the limits or to what extent can we define something? Derrida refuses to define the term deconstruction, it is similar to all other terms used in philosphy or literary criticism, the deconstruction can not be once and for all finally define. That's why one can't find a particular meaning and find's it difficult to reach to a definite meaning.

Is Deconstruction a negative term?

Deconstruction is not a negative or destructive term, but its an inquiry into the foundation. Derrida wants to transform the way people think.


Is Deconstruction a negative term?

Deconstruction is not a negative or destructive term, but its an inquiry into the foundation. Derrida wants to transform the way people think.

2nd Video

The influence of Heidegger on Derrida

Heidegger sprouted the seeds of deconstruction along with Freud and Nietzche, which Derrida acknowledges. The term 'destruction' in German translated as 'Deconstruction' in French. It is one of the direct connection between Heidegger and Derrida, such thoughts of Heidegger influnces Derrida.


Derridean rethinking of the foundations of Western philosophy.

In the very famous book ' Being and Time' by Heidegger, in this book he has taken the project in which he is transforming the way westerners think. Derrida in many ways continues this project of deconstructing and transforming of western philosophy. Derrida wants to rethink the western philosophy like Heidegger. Derrida wants to rethink the way western philosophers think and also wants to reinvent the language in which philosophy is done.

3rd Video

Ferdinand de Saussureian concept of language (that meaning is arbitrary, relational, constitutive).

Saussures writing is that relationship between the word and its meaning, it's not natural but it's a convectinal one. " What connects a word with its meaning or as signal with its meaning is the convention and the convention is always social.


How Derrida deconstructs the idea of arbitrariness?

Derrida deconstructs by saying that, the meaning of the word is usually thought of as something in our mind according to Saussures, but Derrida points out that the meaning of the word is nothing but another word.


Concept of metaphysics of presence.

We usually associates a being of something with its presence and this bias is one of the things which Heidegger is questioning, association of being with its presence. Presence of something can only be understand by the absence of something and that bias is built in the western philospshy.

4th Video

Derridean concept of DifferAnce.

Derrida says DifferAnce implies a force, its not an idea or a concept but a force which makes differentiation possible, which makes postponing possible. Throughout the western philosophy there is a tendency to assume that final meaning can be grasped and that final meaning is what he calls ' Transcendental signified'.

Infinite play of meaning.

Saussurean sign is equal to signifier which signifies something, but Derridean sign is free play of signifiers signifying nothing. Derrida is drawing attention to the fact that wetake things for granted, we assume that we have understood. Meaning is always postponed, ultimate and final meaning is myth according to Derrida.


DIfferAnce = to differ + to defer.

Derrida combines two terms differ and defer. Differer is use to imply both the word and so it's a pun( in french) it means to differ, it also means to differentiate, so postpone and differentiate only one word for them is used to signify. You can never pronounce ( speak) it differently, you can only spell (write) it differently. Derrida is drawing attention towards difference between speech and writing, he question privilege ove writing.

5th Video

Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences.

The essay ' Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences' is the very important document of contemporary literary theory. This essay is actually a critique of Claude- Levi Strauss who made structuralism very popular.The structuralism when it began it began as a criticism and attack on metaphysics and science on another hand.


Explain: "Language bears within itself the necessity of its own critique."

Derrida says that the language contains all the believes coded into it and as shown in differAnce ultimate final meaning can never be grasped. There's always something missing in language, the language demands critique, any philosophical statement will contain a blind spot which asks for criticism and that applies much to deconstruction also. Deconstructive writing is most of the time auto-critical.


6th Video

The Yale School: the hub of the practitioners of Deconstruction in the literary theories.

During 1970's , it was a kind of real new thing breaking on the scene after new criticism which was something, which was more new criticism, so it became very fashionable and also for people associated with it. 1.Paul de Man 2. J. Hillis Miller 3. Harold Bloom 4. Geoffrey Hartman. They made deconstruction very popular or unpopular in America. For the very first time it became the school of deconstruction because of Yeal school, it is responsible to bring deconstruction in the literary criticism.


The characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction.

The characteristics of the Yale School of Deconstruction looks at the literature as the rhetorical or figurative construct. They showed that the literature can create multiplicity of meaning by focusing various figures of speech. They questioned the aesthetic as well as formalist approach to litrature and also question the historicist or sociologist approach to literature. Their preoccupation with romanticism, they often read important romantic texts as creating a different kind of meaning that usually is accepted.

7th Video

How other schools like New Historicism, Cultural Materialism, Feminism, Marxism and Postcolonial theorists used Deconstruction?

1. New Historicism:- Is influnced by deconstruction and what Louis Montrose, one of the very important new historicist, is that new historicism is interested in reciprocal concern between textuality and historicity of text.

2. Cultural Materialism:- It emphasize the materiality of language. Language is material construct and it has got ability to unmask the hidden ideological agendas.

3. Feminist theories:- Are interested beacuse it deals with how to subvert the binary between male and female to subvert patriarchal discourse.

4. Postcolonial theories:- Are fascinated by its ability to show that the texts or the discourse of the colonizing can be deconstructed from within the narratives. 

I hope this would be helpful,

Thank you.