Frankenstein: Victor suffers from narcissistic complex

Q7 Do you agree with the point that Victor Frankenstein suffers from Narcissistic in complex in Frankenstein?

Yes Victor Frankenstein suffers from Narcissistic Complex in Frankenstein. There are many points which reflects that Victor is Narcissistic from his mind.

1. Narcissus nature 

Narcissus fall in love with his own reflection. He has pride of his own beauty. He saw his reflection in pool of water. He becomes so much egoistic that he started rejecting the world and also he rejects the proposal of nymph Echo.

2.  Reflection of Narcissism in Victor

Victor also reflects the same quality as Narcissus have. Victor becomes blind in the glittering of his own knowledge that he cant see the reality of world. He was unaware about what was happening all around the society.

3. Excessive Pride

Victor Frankenstein have excessive pride of his knowledge. i.e. Hubris. Just like Narcissus who has excessive pride of his beauty. Victor thinks that he can do anything and can discover unimaginable thing. That's why he deals with an experiment in which he brings life to the dead ones. He discover a creature by collecting different body parts from different dead  bodies.


4. Responsible for the plight of Elizabeth

Victor promises Elizabeth that he will married to her, but when he lost in discovering creature, he forgets everything and forgets his past promises. This is same as Narcissus who rejects the Proposal of nymph Echo. Victor also doesn't care about the feelings of Elizabeth and busied himself in experiments.


5. Center of attention

Victor wants to become a great creator, he wants that the world knew him as a father of bringing life to the dead ones. He wants to be a center of attention. Just like Narcissus who is stuck in the trance of his own illusion. In this way both the characters shows their lack of empathy or cares for others.


6. Monster as Victor's reflection

Narcissus saw his own reflection into water and becomes blind in his own beauty, similarly monster is the reflection of Victor who creates it and after creating monster Victor becomes blind and egotism leads to his own downfall.


7. Tragic doom

Both Narcissus and Victor meets their tragic doom. in the end. Narcissus stared at his reflection until he died. Victor who wants to kill his own creation, when he saw the destructive result of his creation who becomes danger for humanity but he died with his half wish. All this happens only because of egotism of Victor Frankenstein.


In this way in the whole we can see the character of Victor as suffering from Narcissism complex.

Sense and Sensibility: Marianne decision

Q14- Do you find Marianne's  decision to marry colonel Brandon to be plausible conclusion? Why or why not?

In my opinion Marianne decision to marry colonel Brandon is plausible conclusion. Colonel is right and perfect partner for Marianne. He helps Marianne in many ways:-

1. Marianne got company 

Marianne get right company, she finds someone with whom she can share her feelings, her thoughts, her passion. She also reads novels of Shakespeare with Colonel. Colonel also listen each and every talk of Marianne.

2. True love

Colonel Brandon have genuine love for Marianne. He was always there to help Marianne in every situation. He was not attracted towards the beauty of face but towards the beauty of soul. He knows that Marianne loves someone else but still he loves her without any type of reciprocate love. He knows that Marianne will come to him at last if his love was true for her.

3. Responsible and honest

Colonel Brandon is very much responsible and honest. He honestly helps Marianne when she was ill. He was worried about the health of Marianne and stands outside the room of Marianne. When Marianne ailment was cured, he was become so much happy.

4. Real Protector

Brandon is the real hero who protects Marianne. He is like father to her who always look after her. He is always ready to support Marianne whenever he finds her in trouble. Many women in that time married older men who could run who could provide for them much like father did.

In this way we can say that Marianne decision is right and Colonel is appropriate for her in every way.

Structuralism and Literary Criticism

Thinking activity on Structuralism and Literary Criticism

Somehow Structuralism connected to linguistic branch. Ferdinand de Saussure gives the basic Idea of Structuralism in his work "General linguistic". This text becomes the basic text for studying Structuralism. The Linguistics looks at language from scientific point of view. All literary writers do something with science.

Saussure used three terms 

1. Langage
2. Langue
3. Parole

Langage includes the entire human potential for speech, whatever we understood or not, all kinds of words included in Langage. Langue is the part of langage, the words we understand and speak, Parole is the words which we utter.

We can see same or different structure in films also. In many films same structure applied, For eg, Boy and Girl are in love with each other but their family are enemies, therefore they cant meet and becomes two star crossed lovers. That similar pattern we can see in Isaaq and Romeo and Juliet. Both these films have similar structure.

Gerard Genette

Gerard Genette speaks about various things and gives more influential detail of Structuralism which we can applied in many films, advertisements and many other things. He speaks about sign in Literature and from that we conclude or think about its significance. He says that if writer questions the universe, the critic questions the literature, that is to say, the universe of signs, but what was a sign for the writer, becomes meaning for the critic, and in another way what was the meaning for the writer becomes a sign for the critic.

Examples of films

Here I would like to take one example of a film, i.e. Khiladi 786. As we all know that mostly the Bollywood films who has title of Khiladi and related to it deals with Akshay kumar, who is famous for his action. The title itself is a sign that something is about action Hero. There is arbitrary in our mind. However the significance of the film is different, it is more comedy rather than action. Therefore sign and what does it signify is not always the same as we think. Sometimes the meaning is totally different.

In the film Bajrangi Bhaijan also we can see that the character of Munni also come out with common stereotypes of mind, that is because she is white Bajrangi Bhaijan assumes that she is Brahmin, but when she ate nonveg, he assumes that she might be Rajput girl. That is common beliefs regarding skin color but in reality, Munni is totally different character, she is Pakistani. in that way we can see change in the significance. Each and every signs bring many meanings some are in our mind and some are out of our understanding.

Sign= Signifier+ Signified

In this way we can see that significance of various signs changes according to different situation or place. The meaning is always depends upon other adjoining words. What is signified is according to the arbitrary of the word. Meaning keeps on changing from time to time of different words.  Structuralist concerned with Signifier not with Signified. As signifier remains common for everyone

Significance of words "Fire" and "Ice" in the poems of Robert Frost and Spenser

We have many pre- assumptions  regarding the words Fire and Ice. Whenever we think about fire, we have thoughts like something connected to anger, fury or like elements of violence, whereas on the other hand when we speak about Ice we think of peace, something related to calmness. we have given totally opposite meaning to both these words.

Amoretti XXX: My Love is like to ice, and I to fire

By Edmund Spenser

 

 

 

My Love is like to ice, and I to fire:

How comes it then that this her cold so great

Is not dissolved through my so hot desire,

But harder grows the more I her entreat?

Or how comes it that my exceeding heat

Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold,

But that I burn much more in boiling sweat,

And feel my flames augmented manifold?

What more miraculous thing may be told,

That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,

And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,

Should kindle fire by wonderful device?

Such is the power of love in gentle mind,

That it can alter all the course of kind.

These words are totally opposite to each other but the way it is presented in poem, it changes  our pre-thoughts. Its significance changes according to the langue. 
In this poem the Fire signifies the desire of lover who is unable to melt the feelings of his beloved.  He wants to change the thinking of his beloved with power of fire, but cold also same strong as fire and therefore he is unable to dissolved.

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Both the words are same destructive, on one hand fire burns our skin, then on other hand Ice also gives us some kind of burning. Both Ice and Fire has a power to kill something. There is simmilarty  of perishing the things. We waits for summer for getting cure from disease. Summer brings elements of Fire, similarly in foreign countries, where there is cold weather, the peoples waits for snow fall for getting cure from any types of disease. In short  we can say that both can destroy the world, both are same powerful.
 

Sense and Sensibility: Representation of society

Q7- "Austen has presented the society in which she lived". Explain with special reference to sense and sensibility.

Austen presented the real society in her novel. We can see the reflection of her own contemplative society.  Austen is very domestic kind of person. She always present story revolving around domestic Idea. She deals with many household problems also in her novel. There are many points which shows the reflection of her own society:-

1. Marriage for money

Austen was live in society where, marriages are held for the sake of own profit, for money. In this novel Sense and sensibility we can see  that Willoughby married to Sophia for money and left Marrianne heartbroken. Even we can also see greediness in the character of Lucy who replace her choice when Edward to Robert Ferrar when Edward get disinherited from the wealth of his family.

2. Female as gossipers

Female are normally known for gossip and during the era when Austen write that novel Female are much household creature who engage in talking of useless things inside the four walls of home. In the novel also three sisters and their mother Mrs Dashwood always involved in gossip, the youngest sister Margaret also love to involve in gossip and when she is going outside she request to wait till she come and then began their arguments.

3. Match maker

In most of the novel of Austen we can see some character who involves in match making. In Emma also we can see that Emma was interested in match making and always ready to make couple of her own thinking without knowing what other thinks. We can find that type of mindset of peoples who don't think of their own and engage in public welfare. In sense and sensibility also we can see that the mother in law of  Sir John Middleton always busy in making pairs, she also paired Colonel Brandon with Marianne a perfect suitor and in last her wish also proceed in right way.

4. Gender

We can see gender discrimination in Austen novels. The position of female in society is also get reflected. We can see that women are not allowed to inherit the property, only son will get the entire property of his father. In novel also we can see that female are supposed to stay in four walls and didn't get a small amount from property.

5. Social Order

We can see the conflict between upper and lower class, means marriage are only done with those family who has equal status in society, below their status or order they cant marry. In novel Edward wants to marry with Elinor, but his sister denied because Elinor doesn't have any wealth, all wealth gone to her brother John and she is outcasted from the inheritance of her father.

In this way we can see many social problems which are highlighted in the novel of Jane Austen and reflect the current situation of society.

Yugaantar: Natonal Youth Conference

We went to Baroda for attending national youth conference for Three days. Total 22 participants from our English department went.to Yugaantar. There we stay total 3 days and two nights, that is from 11 to 13 January.

We attend seminars and speech of many great speakers at big auditorium of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad University Baroda. Me and my partner also presented research presentation on Indian Idea of spirituality and Philosophy.

There are many speakers came and present their view on India's contribution to the world. They speak about past glory of India.

Most of the speakers speaks about Iron pillar of Delhi which never get rusted. This was a matter of proud for our Indians.

Message of Pranab Mukherjee 

In first day we saw video message of our former President Pranab Mukherjee. he spoke on various current topics His speech was really motivating. He speaks about Yugaantar theme Karan nahi Nirakaran and says that don't give excuses think about solution. He speaks about innovative solution of nation. He also speaks about the population of India. India covered more young population than any other nation. Education Simultaneously incultivate the sense of youth conference. At the same time he also speaks about the Idea of Digital India.

Next Department of Dramatics performed skit on Yugaantar Theme song.

"Mere sine mai nahi, To tere sine mai sahi, ho kahi bhi na kahi, Ye aag jalni chahiye"

Lord Bhikhu Parekh 

Bhikhu Parekh, is the professor and  work in many western University. He worked at London school of Economics also. He completed his mastery at Bombay University. He also get Padmabhushan award in 2007.
He says that we not only need Kaaran, but we need Nirakaran also, as per the theme of Yugaantar. He says that we Indians have many weaknesses and because of that weakness we can't compete with the world. The very first weakness is we are avoiding our past glory, culture and civilization and blindly follows the western culture. We can see natural glow on BHIKHU PAREKH SIR. Glow of proud to be an Indian.

Dinesh Pratap Singh 
 
Dinesh Pratap also speak about past glory of India. He says that "Bharat ko Bharat ke Chashme se dekho". He gives one beautiful example of a man who is running towards west and wants to get rid of his own shadow, but he got tired and at last he saw one man coming out from east. That man was walking very slowly in relax manner. The first man asks him how to get rid of shadow. the second man smiles and reply that stop running towards west and follow east, you will easily get rid of your own shadow. The moral of that example is, we have to think about our own culture, and do not have to blindly follow the western culture, only the we can reach top of the sky.

There is one speech by Parimal vyas he change the theme of Yugaantar, he says that " KAARAN NAHI LEKIN NAVINYA PUNYA NIRAKARAN" needed to change the old mindset of Indians.

Baba Satyanarayan Maurya 

Baba Satyanarayan Maurya seems to be most effective speaker. He has power to keep audience concentrate on his speech. He is also speaks about bitterness of Indian Culture. He is Multi tasking man. He can sing, dance, paints, and gave speech at same moment. He is very skillful person. He also know about the "raga" of Indian music. He says that In Dwapar Yug and Treta yug, God take birth when sin reached its top level, But In kalyug still we are not that much sinful that's why God didn't take birth on earth. He has power to convert negative thoughts into positive. At last he draws beautiful painting of Bharat Mata and also worship her.

Second day- our presentation session

On second day 12 january, we present our presentation on Indian idea of spirituality and philosophy. Me and my partner presented first time in front of more than 200 peoples. It was really very nice experience. We tried our best and with full confident we have done our work. After the presentation completed, there is one sir who is judging us, he spoke on our faults. He is not much satisfied with our work, but from sir's direct advice we learn a lot and will do best in future.

English Department

At noon we visited English department and there we communicate with the students. They interact  very well with us. They manage everything without their proffessor and warmly welcomes us. Their syllabus is quite different from our syllabus. They are learning comparative study of Literature. But one weakness of that department is that they are not much digital like us. They are not using any blog to record their material. Blog can be used in multiple ways, it also work as digital diary to record our experience of events.They prefer our blog for some beneficial reading also.

Nidhi Shendurnikar

Nidhi mam manage each and every event very smartly. She is a jornalist and teaching journalism in her department. She is very hard working lady, and girls get motivation from her of multi tasking. She helps a lot for our presentation and always answers with smile. I am very much impressed by her personality.

Chirayu Pandit

Chirayu sir is to co-ordinator Yugaantar. Only because of sir's permission we are allowed to present jointly our presentation, me and my partner Kavita on stage. Sir is  always ready to help anyone.

Sunny Kabrawala

The highlight of third day is Sunny sir's speech. He is very perfect in expressing his views actively. He has power to make audience more active. He says that to be in market we have o accept changes. We didn't have to think about possibilities of work, we have to only think about that how can we make each and every work possible. Whenever we start to research on any work we start from "what" and "how", we never think about "why", that make a huge difference towards success. He also gives perfect definition of Innovation, it is not about creating new product, it is about experimenting new things, about connecting to different ideas. He motivate us of taking risk in life. He says that "taking no risk in life, is itself a big risk". He also encourage us to do not stop after first success, we have to keep on moving just like clean water flowing in chemical reaction, where dust particles settles down at bottom and clean water is on top. Similarly in life also we think of settlement we remain at bottom.

C.U Shah Pragna Chakshu  Mahila Seva Kunj is the organisation where all blind ladies are working, they are studying, sewing, painting, and also doing beauty parlour and so many things. This organisation also arranging marriage between blind men and women. They made more than 200 couples.

"Ahmedabad ka Rikshawala" is very famous for providing free service without any corruption to the passengers. In his Rikshaw there is all kinds facilities, like newspaper, magazine, dustbin etc. He is doing service for helping mankind, who are frustrated from usual corrupt Rikshaw man who take so much money from passengers. 

Vadodra Museum is reflects the richness of Baroda's past Culture. We visited at evening the full museum. It is very big and if we want to read minutely about each art of museum, we required a full day. But still we have great evening there. Afterwards we receive certificate of participation in Yugaantar. Overall my experience was awesome at M.S.U Baroda.

Video on Partial nature of Guru Drona

Video on difference between Practical and Theoretical criticism