Smart Moves Journal IJELLH (International Journal of English language, literature in humanities)
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The Theory of Government in Arabic Grammatical Traditions: Chomskyan Generative Grammar Perspective
Get PDFEarly Arab grammarians used scientific tools to analyze the sentence structure. Their scholarship is best manifested in the establishment of the Governor theory. It assumed that governors change the parsing signs of the word. Two major types of governors were identified: the expressed and the abstract governors. Governor theory dominated the linguistic thinking not only at that time but it is still at the core of Arabic linguistic discussions nowadays. The purpose of this study is twofold: (a) to give a brief introduction about the theory of governor in Arabic, and (b) to compare the governor theory in Arabic with the theory of government presented in Chomsky’s (1988) Government and Binding theory. The study revealed that Sibawayh (793) laid the foundations of the Governor theory and it matured in the works of the Basrans and the Kufans. The study also showed some agreement between Chomsky’s theory of government and Arabic Governor Theory. Nevertheless, there is a difference in the nature and the types of governors between the two theories
Defamiliarization of the Myth of Meerabai in Kiran Nagarkar’s Cuckold
Get PDFKiran Nagarkar’s Sahitya Academy Award Winning novel Cuckold is a twisted tale of love and war set in the early 16th century during the era of Bhakti movement. It is based on the life of mystic saint Meerabai and her husband Bhoj Raj. Meerabai is considered to be the first woman saint of Bhakti movement in the Indian History and still remembered throughout the world for her utmost devotion towards Lord Krishna. There are several novels and movies based on her life and in most of them she has been celebrated and pedestalized as a saint. Nagarkar’s Cuckold is an exception. A novel dealing with the life of saint Meerabai and her husband with such title makes it out of the ordinary. This paper aims to scrutinize the character of Meerabai in this novel
Modernity Versus Tradition in Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel: A Critical Analysis
Get PDFWole Soyinka has been recognized as one of the most talented of twentieth century playwrights. Nigerian writer Soyinka who wins the Nobel Prize for literature in 1986, always emphasizes his Yoruban roots in plays. His play, The Lion and the Jewel, was published in 1959, just before Nigeria becomes independent and while Nigerians are debating whether to move into the future or leave their past behind. The focus of this paper is to explain how Soyinka uses art of characterization and plot construction to investigate the Nigerian conflict between modernity and tradition
Draupadi’s Quest for Identity and Selfhood in Divakaruni’s “The Palace of Illusions”
Get PDFOur ancient text plays an important role in creating a conservative image of women, which is one of the main reasons why women have been deprived of their rights from the beginning, as these ancient texts still impact our society in different ways. Writers have constantly questioned this conservative image created by these ancient texts. Rewriting and rephrasing of Ramayana and Mahabharata is the most common practice performed by many authors. These epics are transcended from one generation to the next in various forms and genres. These epics are presented in our society in various genres such as poems, folk tales, paintings, novels, and television series. Every time a writer reviews these epics, it gives a new dimension to make them relevant to contemporary times. This paper attempts to explore Draupadi’s feminist journey by examining her attempts to establish her identity as woman
Emotional Acuity in Lorrie Moore’s “How to be an Other Woman” from Self-Help
Get PDFLorrie Moore is one of the famous fictionists of contemporary America. Using the first-and-second-person narratives and shuttling of narrative between past and present, she proves herself a typical postmodernist even in her first collection of short stories titled Self-Help published in 1985. She does not brand herself a feminist, yet woman related issues are dealt by her in almost all the stories in this collection. While focusing her attention on women issues, she relates them to the world which is overflowed with various internal and external relationships. Man-woman relationship in love, marriage and in extra-marital relationship determines woman’s position in the family as well as the society. Hence with the strained relationships the women of Moore suffer from a kind of psychological imbalance and mental turmoil. The protagonist, Charlene of the short story titled “How to be an Other Woman” is obsessed with the thought, being a mistress to a married man and hence suffers from guilty consciousness
Gandhi’s My Experiments with Truth: Cultural and Social Expression of an Indian
Get PDFGandhi a social reformer, philosopher, thinker, educationist and above all a seeker after truth also developed the new dimensions of expression through his writings. His writings reflect the contemporary society and its vast panorama in which his global vision is absorbed deliberately with an acute analysis made by him through his incessant experiments towards life and society. With the help his spiritual memoir My Experiments with Truth Gandhi poured his philosophical views analyzing the social and cultural facets searching for Truth and inculcating the Self. Influenced greatly by the typical Indian tradition Gandhi assimilated himself with society and paved the path of morality including truth, non-violence, perseverance, positivity, love, respect and human values. To him culture is inseparable; it is an integral part of individual. Culture is the sole factor on which the foundation of individual character lies. His ardency for culture is quite evident in his practice of self-introspection. He considered the social and cultural codes as instruments by means which self can be attained and this self is manifestation of Truth and Ahimsa.  
Discourses of Ecofeminism in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things
Get PDFThe God of Small Things, which Arundhati Roy took four years to write, took the world by storm and received unparalleled praise from reviewers and readers. Being a contemporary writer, it is interesting to observe Roy’s skeptical approach towards traditional values and practices many of which encourage social inequality. Her literary work is known to make the readers contemplate about the pitiable situation of the downtrodden especially women. The projects in the name of development in postcolonial societies affect people and more specifically women. This effect needs to be studied from an ecofeminist viewpoint. The issues related to nature in The God of Small Things provide a basis to study the connections between subjugated human beings and nature. However the novel is mostly taken as a repertoire of environment related issues but there are instances which substantiate the ecofeminist theory.
 
Translations of Lajja: a Comparative Study
Get PDFTranslations have always created great controversies. A new translation of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen’s Lajja in 2014, after an interval of twenty years of the first translation in 1994 raises the question: Why is one more translation required when there is already one available by the same publication house? It cannot simply be the politics of money. Surely, there must have been certain issues which remained unresolved in the first translation. The availability of two translations poses serious problems to the reader as to which one to be considered more authentic, which one is to be a voice similar to that of the original author. For a scholar of Translation Studies, it is a matter of great interest and he/she approaches such texts in the light of existing as well as new theories of translation. Hence, the present paper aims at ascertaining the relevance of the new translation in the present socio-political scenario keeping in perspective the boom in translated literature as a cosmic phenomenon transcending all barriers. The present study also intends to bring out the gaps in the translations by accessing them from various approaches of Translation Theory and comparing the various translated texts from thematic, linguistic as well as rhetorical points of view
Un-Silencing the Past: A Juxtaposition of Personal and Political in Elif Shafak’s Novel, The Bastard of Istanbul
Get PDFThis paper explores the thematic aspect of bastard and the alternative spaces present in the novel to show how Armenian genocide is addressed and unsilenced from the censorship of the State. The juxtaposition of the Armenian issue with the tribulations of ‘Kazanci’ family is argued as a metaphorical and personalised account of Armenian genocide. Such an engagement with the past has been made possible by bringing political and personal together in the form of a family in Istanbul and a family in America; one belonging to a Muslim majority and the other belonging to an Armenian religious minority
Nehru’s Vision of Swaraj and Socialism
Get PDFThe thought of socialism is an age old phenomenon in the human society. Its traces can be found in the writings of Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Shades of socialistic thoughts can also be discovered in the Santan Dharma scriptures, Islamic scriptures and the teachings of Jesus Christ. But it was only in the beginning of the 19th century that socialism as a political, social and economic philosophy gained momentum.
Jawaharlal Nehru believed that no country or individual could develop much without social freedom and a socialist structure of the society and the state. The idea of socialism had been a constant thought in his mind since the pre-independence days. As an economic modernist of his times, Nehru believed in the development of large-scale industries, which he thought was the only key to overcome poverty in the country. Nehru’s concept of socialism was not merely a rigid theoretical doctrine. Theories when put to practice entertain pragmatic difficulties. When Nehru got the opportunity to apply his concept of socialism as the first Prime Minister of India, he had to confront with many complications. His idea of socialism was subjected to many changes looking to the vast population of India. A strict adherence to any doctrine may prove detrimental at times, more so in a country, like, India. Nehru, therefore, envisaged a policy of mixed economy, of course socialist in nature, which would be best suitable to the needs of the country. India has both a rural and an urban economy and what is required is a harmonious blend between the two for the growth and development of the country. The construction of a series of big dams for agricultural irrigation along with the production of hydroelectricity i.e. energy for industrial purposes reflects Nehru’s idea of drawing a balance between the two major sectors of the country.
What Nehru meant by Swaraj was not merely political freedom but beside political freedom it should include social and economic justice for the Indian masses. Independence should bring not only a change of the officials but should also bring a change in the fundamentals of the life of a nation.
The year 1991 will always be remembered in India as a year which is witness to a drastic change in the Indian economy policy. This was the year when the Government of India drifted from Nehru’s policy of mixed economy and announced the new economic policy which consisted of a wide range of reforms. Thirty years have passed under this new economic system and now the time has come when we should evaluate and analyze how far this new approach has been beneficial to the country.
Today, the country is face to face with innumerable problems; problems related to inflation, unemployment, caste, class and religious activism. The country needs to address these problems in a determined way before it is too late. I understand that the time has come when we need to once again look back to Nehru’s vision of Swaraj and socialism for a pragmatic solution to these problems