To the light house blog

 


This blog is about the novel ‘To the light house’ by Virginia Woolf. The novel is about different ways of perceiving the process of life. According to Arnold Benet he summarized about ‘To the light house’ as…

                      “a group of people plan to sail in a small boat to a lighthouse in small boat  that is the externality of the plot.”

Therefore, we can say that the novel has in many ways revolutionary looked which Woolf has attempted something new in the novel.

Ans: 2)     In the novel To the light house Mrs., Ramsay was main character into the novel she was portrayed as the caring mother, wife, host, etc.  Woolf was related with the Bloomsbury group and her arguing that the sympathies of women are too broad to be contained within national boundaries.

“As a woman I want no country. As women my country is the whole world”    It is the topic of her groups thinking. And this topic Woolf Has presented as the social concern  with Mrs. Ramsay  she has all the qualities which were presented into a house wife she is a beautiful and loving women. She is a wonderful host who takes pride in making memorable experiences for the guests at their family’s summer home. She always take attention on male gusts, who believe have delicate egos and need constant support and sympathy.  She is good wife but she has to always struggle with her husband’s difficult mood and selfishness. It means as women she has not any type of self-ego but she takes care of other especially male members’ ego that will not hurt.

                 If we talk about Lily’s painting, we can say that in her painting she represents a struggle against gender convention, represented by Charles Tinsley’s statement that women cannot paint. With it Lily wants to describe that or her desire to describe about Mrs. Ramsay that her essence as  a wife and mother in painting  to know the impulses among modern women  and gender differences , In lily’s painting Mrs. Ramsay ‘s  character will reflected as Woolf wants to describe her character as women.

              The painting represents dedication to a feminine artistic vision, expressed through Lily’s anxiety over showing it to William Banks. We can also say that Mrs. Ramsay has all feminine qualities presented, which we can found into the dinner party and her decoration and care of home.

Can we read Mrs. R in context of the idea of Ideal Indian Woman –

 Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri; Bhojeshu mata, Shayaneshu rambha; Kshamayeshu dharithri, Roopeshu lakshmi; Satkarma yukta, Kuladharma pathni.

           By reading above shlok we can say that Mrs. Ramasay was a typical Indian women who fulfills all the desires of her family members so she has all the qualities which were decided into the Indian women like…

The sloka says that: A homemaker (wife) must be a good loyal worker just like a maid; a good adviser like a minister of King’s court; a caretaker like a mother; Romantic like Rambha, in bed room; a pardoner just like a goddess of earth; a beautiful like Lakshmi, the goddess of leaning and wife of Brahma; and perfect duty minded one.

Though this sloka was written 1000+ of years back, it still holds the key to a happy family. The most wonderful thing about our ancient literature is not everything said is time bound… it is like eternal truth so try to understand in between lines. The author here is saying a kula dharma patni (perfect house wife) should posses the qualities like loyalty, intelligence, unconditional love, cheers for good causes, dedication, humility and boundless compassion..

 So all the good quality of Indian women will prevalent into the character of Mrs. Ramsay.

In Gujarati literature Pragya Lokhande in his poem entitled ‘ ‘Stri kshane kshane nandavati putli che in this poem she has describes very well that how was the condition of the Indian women which role she has to play into the patriarchal society.  The lines were

         “   Is virat virane me

             Jane kabse nirantar khat rahi hai stri

             Andhere me angaro par

           Sadiyon se sek rahi hai rotiyan

          Jane kabse dho rahi hai akhot dhulai

         Jane kabse saf karrahi hai juthan

         Jane kabse nidhale suryasta me

        Sukha rahi hai apne apko stri

                                                       Prgy Lokhande  such a things were   find into the character of Mrs. Ramsay which reflects into the Virginia Woolf also.

 Ans: 3  

 “As a woman I want no country. As a woman my country is the whole world”

 This was the topic, which is related with her groups thinking in Bloomsbury group. Therefore, we can say that this topic was represented into the novel ‘To the light house’. It was the theme of social concern which Woolf has portrait very well threw her characters. So we can say that Woolf was presented into whole novel who narrates everything which she wants to represent her thought into the novel. If we talk about Lily Briscoe we can say that her character was into the form of Virginia Woolf because she narrates Mrs. Ramsay in her painting and  tries to show that which type of male dominated society is where every women has to suppress her desires for her family and her husband.

 If we talk about Mrs. Ramsay, she was represented as a caring homemaker, which shows the reality of the Woolf,   stressing understanding between certain of the characters in the novel and her own family. She explicitly relates the contents of the look to her own parents and childhood that she has to always suppress herself ego in front of the male.

If we talk about the symbols into the novel we can say that all the symbols were represents the reality and maturity of the characters. First symbol is…

The sea

 Is appearing as through the novel broadly. The ever-changing waves parallel the constant forward movement of time and the changes it brings. It also represents that into the life of human beings the sorrows and sufferings were comes parallel into every humans life. Wolf describes the sea lovingly and beautifully, but her most evocative depiction of it points to its violence. Which brings destruction, which we were found, into the character of Mrs. Ramsay? The sea is impermanence and delicacy of human life and accomplishments.

The boar’s skull

                     If  we talk about Woolf she has lost her parents at  very young age so I think threw the representation of the Skull she wants to explain that death is always at hand. The Skull is also reminds an ear which prevalent into the people and Mrs. Ramsay also that they has to obey their all duties otherwise they were perish into the male dominated society. After the dinner party we will find that Mrs. Ramsay retires upstairs to find that what wee the children were doing and

During that time, Mrs. Ramsay hangs the cloth, which shows the skill of Mrs. Ramsay if caring everything. It also reflects into the thought of Woolf about perfectness and dedication into the life, which generates threw fear into the life, which we find threw the symbol of the Skull. It also shows the grave digging means a death also. It also represents endurance , struggle web relations etc. so in that way if we talk about  Lily’s painting we can say that her painting is not a dead painting but it was direct portrayal of Mrs. Ramsay and her character that how she has loving and caring nature and how she used to take care of her children and husband. Painting also represent the dedication to a feminine artistic vision as  Charles Transley gave statement about a women  can’t  paint or write  it means that a women only  has to serve herself such things we were find threw the Lily’s painting a Half fulfill desire of a women. If we talk, about the fruit basket that was arranged well but that was the symbol of unity of a family that once they were departed and then mingled with each other. It also testifies both to the “Frozen” quality of beauty that Lily described. Therefore, Woolf has great quality we will found to show the symbolism, as she was present into the whole novel. Moreover, it helps a lot to understand about the novel and Virginia Woolf as she present in the novel also.

Ans 1)   Virginia Woolf has great quality of representation of stream of consciousness. In stream of consciousness, the speaker has thought processes are more often depicted as overheard. It is narrative mad of device that seeks “to depict the multiple thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind.  For example, when we are reading this novel if we read one sentence at that time many ideas were comes into our mind that was call stream of consciousness, which was, happens by reading this novel.

             It also includes interior monologue and free association, which was the main device of the stream of consciousness technique.   It is the technique to representing the psychic content and process at various levels of representing consciousness .Virginia Woolf has often use this technique to give the novel its special character  of seeming to be always within the consciousness of the  chief characters. So we can say that maybe Woolf wants to show her personal psychological problems which she was facing into her life which she tries to represent by using the technique of stream of consciousness.  The monologue also leads us that we will found ourselves into the war like situation.  And such situations were very much confusing our mind because many thoughts were comes into our mind. We can also find that Mrs. Ramsay discussing about the problems of rich and poor  and the things which are shown in her own eyes  weekly , daily or in London  she tells how she has noted down the details of wages, showing unemployment  among the people to whom she met so such things we were find by thinking by stream of consciousness technique.

Ans- 9

             One new symbolism we will found threw this novel about refrigerator, which we can say that refrigerator is the great example of reserve things as it is ant to save the time also. It also reflects the human culture because when  the James starts to cutting the catalogue of regenerator many ideas will comes into the mind of the reader is that James not only cuts the catalogue but also cuts the time of Mrs. Ramsay which she has lost into her hand and now she got  everything but nothing such a thing we will find we can also find that how Mrs. Ramsay takes care of her family which is the great symbolism of the refrigerator because it also preserve things as Mrs. Ramsay preserves the family members.

                       One more thing we will find is that the time shows, as the wartime was consumering the anti capitalistic things were going on, Army, and Navy plays vital role into the war of anti capitalism where money plays important role. So we can say that war and consumption linked together. So such things we will find threw the symbol or we can say that example of refrigerator which we will find as an example as technical device also.

Ans-10)  In  this novel we will find the representation of fairy tale told by Mrs. Ramsay  to her children which shows barrenness  and unreasonable demand from the husband which shows that how Mrs. Ramsay has to   bent upon the bad mood of her husband that a women should not speak or quarrel with  anybody especially her husband otherwise she will known as  uncultured women. So it shows suppressed desires of a women like Mrs. Ramsay. Mrs. Ramsay always used to fulfill the ego of her husband, which we will find into the story of fisherman’s wife also. So the cutting of the fish is also shows the comment upon the maledominent and the danger of male willfulness. So we can say that fisherman’ fairy tale was related with Mrs. Ramsay and Lily has suppressed desires as womanhood. Which is great narrative quality found into the novel by Virginia Woolf?

                      

 

 

       

The feminist approach

The feminist approach

                                     According to Sharon Spencer “feminine as applied to literature now a days customarily indicates the author’s  preoccupation with intimate human relationships concern with emotional aspect of life and with the dynamics of the psychic realm of  experience.

                                                    Feminist also implied a position stressing the beliefs that women are inadequate. Feminist literature written by men or women is depicting a search for identity, quest for self and lost prestige and position of women. Feminist literature highlights the basic difference between a man and a woman in the changed context of contemporary life. The growth of women’s self – awareness is a major motif in the feminist literature.

                                                The projection of female psyche reaches at height in the works of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and’ To the light house’. The women writer allies herself intimately with her female reader through this identification.

                                         Feminist in Indian writing

                                                                       Feminism in Indian writing involves two questions the creative writing and the critical approach. It has become common place of literary interpretation to topic as ‘women characters of Mulkraj Anand’, The Feminine principles of Raja Rao’s novels, Female protagonist in Anita Desai,

               Earlier generation of Indian novelist in English Couched extra- marital or illicit relationships, the more recent ones go to the extreme in their enthusiasm.

                History of feminist writing

                       In the first phase of Feminist t writing, writer imitating the norms and traditions cultivated by the more writers. The second phase expresses a strong protest against the patriarchal standard of society. The third phase is a period of self- discovery and self- assertion for women in the west.

                    Feminism is not today view as something limited to a women’s world but something that concern both woman and men together constitute a human family. The cast factor plays dominant role is determination of the status of Indian women.

v Formalist approach

            The Formalist approach regards a work of art in isolation from all the external point of reference. It analyses the work of art as a self- sufficient entity constituted by its parts in their internal relations. And sets out to judge it solely by criteria intrinsic to its own mode of being

v Aristotle’s study of the formal characteristics of a work of Art

                            The analysis of an art from occurs in the central portion of Aristotle’s poetics. Aristotle isolates the species ‘tragedy’ and established its relation to the universal as imitation of a certain action and effected in purging pity and fear. The tragic  work  itself can be  analyzed  formally as a self determining whole made up  of parts, the tragic plot are integrated by the internal relations of ‘ necessity or probability’. Aristotle’s poetics, classical rhetoric and Renaissance theories are earlier examples of systematic approaches to literary discourses.

v Art for art’s sake

                           Certain critics of early 19^th century particularly in Germany expanded upon Kant’s formula that a work of art exhibits ‘purposiveness without purpose’. As Poe expressed it ‘the aim of a poem for poem’s sake’. And it constitutes eloctrin ‘Art for artist sake’. In its extreme form, this doctrine changes into the moral ‘life for art’s sake’. It has been important in the later development in the systematic studies. T.S. Eliot’s dictum’ when we are considering poetry we must consider it primarily as poetry and not another thing’ gained wide approval.

v New criticism As a Healthy Reaction

             New criticism was a healthy reaction against the older philological, historical and biographical approach to the literature. It compelled the reader to be close text instead of read its author. Coleridge traced the formalistic method.

           Modern critics given a linguistic turn to criticism. But the formalist approach has its drawback also because it only stresses on text and neglect the author and milieu of text.

o   Marxist Approach / sociological Approach

                         Sociological criticism begins with the understanding that all literature is an expression of society, social forces, form and conditions. A Marxist critic typically explained literature in any historical era. Usually the Marxist critics examine the relation of a literary product to the actual economic and social reality of its time and place.

                                     The Hungarian thinker George Lukas the most widely influential of Marxist Critics, represents such a flexible view of the role of ideology.  Raymond Williams also adopted Marxist concepts. Most historian and critics believes that literature is related to the era in which author lived society which is addressed.

v Literature as a social institution

                  Literature is a social institution. Language and literary devices are a social creation. Literature imitates life and life is a social reality. In Marxist view of the economic basis of social organization, class ideologies and class conflict have influences the works of many critic.

                   Study of social background of an author’s work and the influence of that background on that work present in ‘The Dickens World’ by Humphy House which gives the readers sociological criticism. We also find the social scene in Dickens’s novels, Social convention in Jane Austen’s, the relation between social issues and morality in Thackeray.

                          Sociological criticism has a deeper insight into the works of the writers and given understanding of the time and condition of the writer. So the feminist approach is related with the solving the problems of women or the mindset of people for the wemen.

Film Review on Midnight's children and the reluctant 

fundamentalists

 

“Prince and governments are by far more dangerous than other elements within a society”

                                                                                            ------------- By Niccole Machiavelli………….
 In war you can be killed only once. In politics, many times

                                                                 By…. Winston Churchill

                  Threw writing the above quotations my intention is not to indicate about politics or about harm or benefit of politics but I am going to explain about postcolonealism or postcolonial theory. The post colonialism questions and reinvents the modes of culture perception the ways of viewing and of being viewed.

What is postcolonealism?

                      It is a critical with examples drawn from the humanities, history and political science etc. Postcolonealism is an academic discipline featuring the methods of intellectual discourse that analyze, explains and response to the cultural legacies of colonialism and of imperialism, to human consequences of controlling a country and establishing settlers for the economic exploitation of the native people and their land.  It also related with the power of hegemony and the mindset of the people. Such a things we were find into the two movies which we have watched:

1) Midnight’s children and
2) The reluctant fundamentalist.
   
  I am going to give film review of both of the movies by applying the postcolonealism. In both of the films we were find politics, expression of power duality and love for own nation, Castism, Indian myths and freedom struggles were found threw these films.
 

1) Midnight’s children by Deepa Mehta   Written by Salman Rusdi
The director of this film was Deepa Mehta and was written by Salman Russdi in 1981. This film based on two the birth of two children during India has achieved its independence.  This film shows the journey of two individuals and their struggles into their live, we can also find tragedy, and romance and comedy also threw this film. It becomes controversial film because the postcoloniealism between two nations we can found threw this film. The two children were born at Bombay hospital one is Saleem child of beggar women whereas the other is Shiva who gets all the prosperity and wealth in his life. Here we can see that how the narrator draws our attention towards the bloody war between Pakistan and India it shows that two nations were still not got independence with each other and it also indicates us that if any Indian wants to live into the Pakistan so he has to change his identity as Hindu and become a Muslim or a Muslim has to became Hindu to live into the India otherwise the people will throw out from his life also. We can also see into the movie that a nurse does crime and she changes infant by changing their religion which was a big crime s boy who lives with the does here we find a corruption and misuse of power and politics. Also we can observe that how a woman can does such a unexpected crime. We can find the differences between poor and rich people and  also how they were treated into the society because rich has all the prosperities but poor people have to struggle allot.   We can see the child who lives with the poor parents his nature was found different than the Saleem has good nature whereas Shiva has villain type of nature and it indicates the social problems that rich people always things that the poor were bad people and richer were type of filtered people and that difference will found into this movie. In Black skin whit mask novel also found that blacks were indicates as bad people and whites were good and such things we were found throw the appearance of rich and poor people. In this movie we can also see that Mr. Sinai always tries to see his child as rich and progressive and so he always used to scold him and he says that   “He is not my blood” and so we can find the cruelty of a father.  After  the marriage Saleem’s mother has also extra affairs were shown into this film which is also indicates that the women were not so much pious than the men  so such things were shows and rejects the idea of postcolonealism is that and  difference between  male and female relationships as equal.  So the film is shows three   generations threw this movie.  So this film was fibulas for understanding the post colonialism by applying the theory and its effects. We can also found symbolism also that when the midnight’s children were born the atmosphere and weather was found as full of thunders and also indicates that something bad will going to happen so it also brakes the myths and morality of the Indian and other religions mindset. 

2) The second movie is about the Reluctant Fundamentalism  written by Mohsin Hamid  and directed by Mira Nair Dir was fabulous movie and we can watch that movie with full of enjoyments because  it is a film which shows  the colonialism between two nations as we know that India and Pakistan. The film was described by the protagonist of this film Changese Khan so the narrator was first person singular who narrates the story into his past life by using the flashback technique. The story is about the person who is went to America to be a successful person and he also achieves allot into his life very fast he gets name, fame and money and also a good girlfriend. It shows that how the every people want to be a rich and wants all the facilities into their life which was not an easy task of life. 

                    We can see that many terrorist attacks were happening into the world so the period of 9/11 was described into this film which shows the mindset of the people that “ If any attacks  were happens into any of the place so the people first indicate the Muslim community that he has attacked because all the attacks were happened by Muslims so it was become the mindset of the all people and in this film such thing we were  found. Also it leads us towards the psychological aspect also that during the attack of world tread center every people were became lifeless because that was a big terrorist attack which has broken and shook whole America or we can say American economy. So the people of America and American police started to see Changes as terrorist because of his cast and his physical look.  It was the difference of the native people and the outsiders’ people shows the effect of the “Third world” country where  every humans  who were rising up but some circumstances were suppresses to the people of the other countries that how the employment systems were related with the  political game. We can also find That Changes’s girlfriend also not give support to him because she was also from American citizen and it also shows colonial power that every nation wants his own identity and for it they can do anything.    So the movie is into the interior monologue and so the protagonist tells the story of his own life to Boby the reporter that how and why he has leave the nation and his packaged job also which is shows the psychological torture and stress of the young man who have to left his beneficial life because of the colonial mid set of the people.

                 So at last I wants to say that the movie gives message to remove the colonialism between different nation and “to live and let the live”   it also gives message of “ Give respect and take respect” that if anyone can torture any nation or people so that nation also not bear  so we have to first remove the Castism and give equality to all the nation to live the life peaceful.  So this movie is related with the reality of the colonial nations and their capitalism and effect of “ Third world “ country people that how to live life by becoming  equal but truth is always bitter and it gives
 Harm of Ego and Super Ego which leads us towards the difficulties of two different countries so such nice movie” The reluctant Fundamentalism” was which is the great example of post colonialism. 

 Because “Truth and failure was always bitter”.