Mard-e-Musalmaan

by

Allama Iqbal

Madam Noor Jehan has sung some parts of this  poem very beautifully. To listen to the song on YouTube, click here.

The Tell-Tale Heart

Short Tastes - Your personal guide to the world of short stories

Writer: Edgar Allan Poe

Year of Publication: 1843

Genre: Gothic thriller

Plot Summary:

A young man plots to murder his employer in the dead of the night. After having committed the deed, he suffers from guilt and is haunted by the ominous sound of the old man’s beating heart.

Comments:

A perfectly gruesome look into the mind of a mentally-deranged man. The Tell-Tale Heart is one of the absolute gems of classic literature and is the perfect embodiment of Poe’s style of horror. A must-read for all fiction fans!

Excerpt:

“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.”

Click here to read the complete story!

 Source of Image: http://www.vam.ac.uk/apps/uploads/uploads/largeImages/1183164275.jpg

Elite Class aur Industrial Class ke Modern Zaviay

by

Hammad Nasir

Who else was disappointed by The Lost Symbol?

Title: The Lost Symbol
Author: Dan Brown
Year of Publication: 2009
Genre: Thriller


The first half was an absolute drag. 

This from the man who brought us brilliant page-turners in the past! As a much-awaited sequel to the blockbusters Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol has failed to live up to the hype. 

Firstly, the entire concept of the Ancient Mysteries is beyond me - a power that can turn humans into gods, that power residing within one’s mind, can only be unlocked through some mysterious symbol, that symbol being only a word, and that word being a book hidden beneath an underground pyramid…. or was it an underground portal? Dan Brown is all over the place. The reader fails to understand what exactly is being looked for. Characters crowd the book without having any reason of being there. And I could not grasp the urgency of solving the mystery. There is no end-of-the-world-bringing subatomic bomb ticking (A&D) nor is there a solve-the-puzzle-and-clear your-name-before-the-police-catches-you sword hanging over the characters’ heads (DVC). The whole objective here is to rescue a Yale professor, someone the reader never feels sympathetic enough towards.

So one just can’t understand the significance of either the plot or the characters. I even found myself rooting for he bad guy at one point!

The only good thing in the story (other than a small plot twist towards the end) is Robert Langdon. The character is one of the few totally original personalities of fiction out there today, even though his claustrophobia is a little overdone now. Sadly, one doesn’t see enough of Langdon’s problem-solving skills this time (probably because there is not much of a problem here to begin with!).

Dan Brown, in the past, has specialized in bringing conspiracy theories to light and giving them a completely believable and realistic form. Here, however, he tries to find a connection between science and the supernatural, and, in my point-of-view, fails miserably. Like, in one experiment, a character is shown succeeding in measuring the mass of a human soul through a ridiculously childish experiment….?? Don’t get me started!

What can one say but that Dan Brown has completely botched it for once (or rather the second time; Digital Fortress was no plume in the hat either). Here’s hoping that something better is to come. And here’s wishing that this particular symbol had stayed lost!

Azma Humayun 

Source of Image: http://images.smh.com.au/ftsmh/ffximage/2009/09/17/lost_symbol_narrowweb__300x462,0.jpg

If I could change something, what would it be?

by 

Syeda Areeba Najeeb

(This essay was entered in the IBA Literary Society essay writing competition 'The Think Tank' held in April 2010)

Why do we follow each other all the time?

Whey don’t their views differ from mine?

Why don’t we follow rules and try standing in a line?

Why don’t we take an initiative, why all we do is just whine?

If I could change something it would definitely be the orthodox mindset and cliché pattern of thinking of the average Pakistani people. I believe if I could do this I would be able to bring a magnanimous transformation for the whole of Pakistan. We Pakistanis, in my opinion, have all the potential in ourselves to make Pakistan a heaven to live, where there would be peace and prosperity everywhere in this Pak land. But the only problem is that we lack the confidence in our ability and are unable to think out of the box to which we have been confined by the rest of the world.

Educated Parrots

Aren’t we all individuals with distinct brains that function differently? So why not use them for a change instead of following others’ lead, especially when we know that we are being taken down the wrong lane. It is high time that we start having our own views and voice our personal opinions rather than being spoon fed.

If some one dresses differently or speaks a foreign language all Pakistanis give them importance and respect (and stare as if they are from another planet). This is because it has been drilled into our minds that we are in some way inferior to the West; this hole needs to be filled with pride in our nationality, culture and language.

In Pakistan It is normal to see people breaking traffic signals, cars parked right below the ‘no parking sign’ and betel-spit marks all over walls saying “Keep your country clean”. This is what needs to be changed. We think if one person is breaking the law it is only natural that we do so too. Do we ever stop and think that instead of following, why don’t we become an exception and hence a role model for all? Do we ever feel guilty? NO!

The easy way out for us is to blame other people for it like the government, the police, the others who are breaking rules and even the signal itself.

It is also common among people to show their anger and frustration by hurting other people, destroying public property and burning cars.

Why don’t they give it a second thought and realize that it doesn’t extinguish their pain and instead fuels the fire that burns down everyone and everything. If only they would resort to peaceful demonstrations….

Pakistanis have a stereotype that USA and India are our enemies. We protest against any treaties with them and deny any aid from them, but I am sure we ourselves are the biggest market for Hollywood and Bollywood movies Are we so naïve as to not realize this? No we aren’t. We just do not want to follow logic and make sense of things because if we do we will be thrust into harsh, unbearable reality only to realize what great fools we have been while living in our home-made fool’s paradise.

So, in my opinion, if given a chance I would change the stereotypes that Pakistanis have and their thought pattern. The only way to save our beloved Pakistan from going down is to think differently, wisely and independently. Because it’s only when you come up with a good thought that you can mould the world the way you want and when you want.

Source of Image:
http://pakedu.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Respecting-individuality.jpg

Desiderata (Desired Things)

by

Max Ehrmann (1927)

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

This poem was recommended as 'Poem of the Week' by Faraz Karim. 

It is a prose-poem, read without any rhythm. An interesting fact about it is that it was widely believed to have been written in 1692 by some anonymous writer, until proved otherwise in the '70s. Desiderata is more of a piece of advice than a poem and can be compared to such works as Polonius' speech in Shakespeare's Hamlet and Rudyard Kipling's If.

Premchand ke Sau Afsanay

A Poison Tree

by

William Blake

I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I waterd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole.
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see,
My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.

William Blake (1757 - 1827) was an English poet of the pre-Romantic Age, also known as the Transition Period. Though not much widely read during his lifetime, he has since become one of the most popular poets of that age.

Infinite Probabilities

by

Talha Ahmed

What is an accident? Unfortunate mishap or some incident with very less probability; what about the incidents with high probability? There is a high probability that I will watch TV tonight. But, is there really a high probability that I will watch TV tonight? When we calculate probabilities, we observe the event with respect to the events that can happen. But why don’t we take in calculation the events that could have happened before the present time? An answer would be “because the events have already happened!” OK. For the sake of argument, I agree. Then we only take the events which can happen in the future. What if I take a distant event like “My grandson’s grandson will sit on the sofa and watch TV while drinking Coca cola on 21st October 2145”. What is the probability? This is one event; what are the total events possible? Imagine and imagine; anything can happen. The only answer that comes is “infinity”. And one event divided by infinite possibilities comes up with the probability of “zero”.

Now, what if, my grandfather’s grandfather thought about the probability of me watching TV and drinking Coca Cola on 21st October 2010? The probability is ZERO.

[Take your time. Think about it]

Don’t just stop and decide that your probability of reading this article is zero (which it is). Start thinking about everything! The clothes you are wearing, the home you are living in, the computer on which you are reading this, the mobile which you adore so much, everything, everything, everything. Start realizing that the probability of you being “you” is absolutely zero.

So, let’s come to the ideology of everything being an “accident”. We are all a sweet accident, Earth is an accident, living beings are an accident, me and you are accidents, etc. Now, let’s apply our previous deliberation to the event “earth an accident”. If you go beyond earth, study the universe, and talk to the scientists, they will tell you that there could have been millions of possibilities for the small rock now called “Earth”.

The point of all this is as follows: There is no such thing as an accident. The history of earth bears witness that the events had absolute zero probabilities and still, they happened and were not accidents, they were MIRACLES.

I am not an accident. I am a MIRACLE; ALLAH’s miracle. The probability of me, lying on my bed, is ZERO. That is why, the mere creation of me, is a miracle, an act of Allah.

“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which God Sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they Trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- (Here) indeed are signs for a people that are wise.”                           

 -  (Al Quran 02:164)

Believing in Allah is the key.

For more about infinite possibilities, click here to watch a video on Youtube.

Source of Image: http://www.google.com.pk/imgres?imgurl=http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/8624827/nasa-hubble-space/nasa-hubble-space.jpg

The Luncheon

Short Tastes - Your personal guide to the world of short stories

Writer: Jeffrey Archer

Year of Publication: 1980 (from the short story collection 'A Quiver Full of Arrows')

Genre: Humour

 

Plot Summary: 

A struggling writer invites a famous socialite and publisher's wife to lunch in the hopes that she would speak a favourable word about him to her husband. The lunch costs him all his savings, but was it a profitable investment?

Excerpt & Comments:

She waved at me across a crowded room of the St. Regis Hotel in New York. I waved back realizing I knew the face but I was unable to place it. She squeezed past waiters and guests and had reached me before I had a chance to ask anyone who she was. I racked that section of my brain which is meant to store people, but it transmitted no reply. I realized I would have to resort to the old party trick of carefully worded questions until her answers jogged my memory. 

And thus, begins the most hilarious and rib-tickling short story that I’ve ever read in my life. It is evident from the first paragraph itself how the writer wants his reader to perceive the narrator as well as the woman coming towards him. What follows is an extremely entertaining encounter, between a man and a woman of different classes and backgrounds.  

The story masterfully manages to capture both the artistic humor as well as the psychological perceptions of Mr. Archer regarding the ‘elite woman’ and the ‘poor but talented author’. 

Furthermore, for business students the narrative offers something extra.  During our courses, we learn that networking is extremely important to succeed in life but this story here tells you how such an endeavor can sometimes lead you into hot water.

It also proves something else that I’ve always believed in namely: “NO ONE IRRESPECTIVE OF CLASS, STATUS, and MONEY EVER REFUSES A FREE LUNCH.” 

Warning: Possible side effects may include a sudden urge to binge on junk food.

I have forewarned you, so please read this along with a packet of crisps or cookies, because the story not only entertains you immensely but it strangely produces an urge within you to binge on junk food. So don’t blame me when that happens. You have been warned. Cheers reading!

Adil Majid 

Click here to Read the complete story! 

Source of Image:  http://www.orientalfood.com/gif/steam_wok.gif

Ghazal - Tum Aaye Ho by Faiz Ahmed Faiz

This ghazal has been performed by many  noted singers. Three of the renditions (present on Youtube.com) are those sung by  

Madam Noor Jehan, Habib Wali Muhammad & Saima Jehan.

(Click on their names to listen to these renditions!)

Savage Lands & Inner Demons (Part II): Lord of the Flies

This book was one of those featured in Part 1of the IBA Literary Society's 'Literary Discussion Series' Event entitled 'Savage Lands & Inner Demons' held in IBA Main Campus on November 25, 2010.

Title: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding
Year of Publication: 1954
Genre: Morality, Adventure

Available Online? No

There is a heart of darkness in every man; a palpitating, throbbing proclivity towards evil and malice, which only shows itself in times of desperation and survival. Evil resonates within the heart of humanity: call it Satan, Lucifer, capitalism, communism or the survival of the fittest. This habitual inclination of ours is often controlled and channeled through society and its fetters. But purity, piety and virtue seem to vanish when man is exposed to his primal instinct and true, carnal nature. 

The loss of innocence and man’s descent or fall into darkness is epic; after all, Adam and Eve, the first humans created by God succumbed to temptations! It seems the seed of evil and cruelty is embedded in the heart of new-born child before he or she even realizes the repercussion of what will come into fruition. This evil culminates into malice that was unimaginable and incomprehensible until one experiences the torment of its bearing. 

What could be more apt to fit this theme than the novel or the story that defined the true nature of man? 

His malice, greed, hunger for power and Darwinian urges towards survival can best be seen in the novel that aptly depicted the loss of humanity; the loss of innocence; the loss of childhood in a stride. 

‘The Lord of the Flies’, by William Golding narrates the story of young boys marooned on an island after a plane crash in what seems to be a post apocalyptic world. (Golding, 1954)

At first, the young boys try to act in unison, understanding that one half of the group should stay and watch the signal fire, making sure its lit perpetually, so that a ship can spot the children and come to rescue.

The instinctive urge to be civilized is wrought with the frustration that comes with leadership, obeying rules and acting in an ethical manner to fit into a framework of that society desires us to be. This increases the appeal of violence and brutality as well as totalitarianism. Taken from an allegorical perspective, the novel still depicts man’s descent into savagery: how a social system collapses to lead way towards anarchy and chaos. 

For any one who is a fan of twentieth century literature, this book cannot be ignored. The terror of a child's descent into darkness and the heart wrenching tale can be interpreted on so many planes; from the moment of the crash, the words in the book speak for themselves and no praise merits this gem of literature! 

Maham Usman

Source of Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9b/LordOfTheFliesBookCover.jpg

Savage Lands & Inner Demons (Part I): Heart of Darkness

This book was one of those featured in Part 1of the IBA Literary Society's 'Literary Discussion Series' Event entitled 'Savage Lands & Inner Demons' held in IBA Main Campus on November 25, 2010.

Title: Heart of Darkness
Author: Joseph Conrad
Year of Publication: 1902
Genre: Novella, Colonialism & Morality
Available at the IBA Library? Yes
Available Online? Yes, here

“[The episode] seemed somehow to throw a kind of light on everything about me—and into my thoughts. It was somber enough too—and pitiful—not extraordinary in any way—not very clear either. No, not very clear. And yet it seemed to throw a kind of light.”         - Heart of Darkness

Are questions of morality ever clear? What is not governed by rules must be open to interpretation, must it not? Because every man’s morality is different from everyone else’s. So how does one decide what is right and what is wrong? Especially when one resides in a society where no laws shackle one to any determined code?

“[It was] not very clear” is how Joseph Conrad refers to this subject in his book Heart of Darkness (1902) and he does that by telling us a story which according to him is also “not very clear” but is meaningful for readers just the same. The story is of Charles Marlow, a captain of a steamboat who is commissioned to travel to the very ends of the Congo River, surrounded by the wilderness of dark jungles and savage societies, on a mission for the company he works for. The savagery that he witnesses is, however, not performed by the native cannibals, but by the representatives of the so-called civilized European societies sent there to ‘enlighten the natives’. These Europeans found themselves unregulated by any governing body and consequently made use of this freedom to act in all sorts of barbaric ways imaginable. Revolted by what he witnesses, Marlow puts all his hopes into a meeting with Kurtz, an ivory dealer whom it is part of his mission to fetch from his station. Kurtz is known to be a genius, an enlightened man, sent to the colony to in turn enlighten the natives and deliver them from their state of degeneration. Marlow desperately longs to meet this enlightened Kurtz, but is in for disappointment, and is forced to reassess his own values.

Heart of Darkness superbly illustrates how selfishness, greed and lust for power can overcome any nobler ideas, if left unchecked by the lack of a society or a strong code of ethics.

Azma Humayun

Source of Image: http://www.shawnswaner.com/content/binary/image001.gif

The Most Dangerous Game

Short Tastes - Your personal guide to the world of short stories

Writer: Richard Connell

Year of Publication: 1924

Genre: Adventure

Plot Summary:

Sanger Rainsford of New York City falls from his yacht into the sea in the middle of the night and swims to the nearest island, which is rumoured to be inhabited by something of a monstrous nature. Expecting savage cannibals on the island, Rainsford is surprised to find its owner a civilized General living in a mansion. The General is a self-proclaimed hunter and after travelling the world killing all kinds of animals, he has decided to take his profession one step further and hunt the most dangerous game in the world, an animal with reason – man. Thus starts an unbelievable chase with man both as predator and prey. Rainsford must now outwit his opponent in order to save his own life or have his head hung on the hunter’s display wall.

Comments:

An excellent story full of twists in its short length of 20 odd pages.

Excerpt:

"An apprehensive night crawled slowly by like a wounded snake and sleep did not visit Rainsford, although the silence of a dead world was on the jungle. Toward morning when a dingy gray was varnishing the sky, the cry of some startled bird focused Rainsford's attention in that direction. Something was coming through the bush, coming slowly, carefully, coming by the same winding way Rainsford had come. He flattened himself down on the limb and, through a screen of leaves almost as thick as tapestry, he watched. . . . That which was approaching was a man."

Read the complete story here!

Source of Image: http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/upload/public/docimages/Image/u/w/d/Frederick-Selous-rifle.jpg

Sonnets 29, 72 & 145

by

William Shakespeare

Though known mostly for his plays, Shakespeare was also a very accomplished poet. His 154 sonnets covering themes such as love, mortality, depression and hope, are definitely a collector's item, especially for those bitten by the love bug. Tip for all the guys out there - most girls melt when they hear a Shakespeare sonnet!

As I couldn't choose one, here are three of my favourite sonnets. 

 29

  

When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon my self and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,
Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven's gate,

For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

72

O lest the world should task you to recite,
What merit lived in me that you should love
After my death (dear love) forget me quite,
For you in me can nothing worthy prove.
Unless you would devise some virtuous lie,
To do more for me than mine own desert,
And hang more praise upon deceased I,
Than niggard truth would willingly impart:
O lest your true love may seem false in this,
That you for love speak well of me untrue,
My name be buried where my body is,
And live no more to shame nor me, nor you.

For I am shamed by that which I bring forth,
And so should you, to love things nothing worth. 

145

Those lips that Love's own hand did make,

Breathed forth the sound that said 'I hate',
To me that languished for her sake:
But when she saw my woeful state,
Straight in her heart did mercy come,
Chiding that tongue that ever sweet,
Was used in giving gentle doom:
And taught it thus anew to greet:
'I hate' she altered with an end,
That followed it as gentle day,
Doth follow night who like a fiend
From heaven to hell is flown away.

'I hate', from hate away she threw,
And saved my life saying 'not you'.

A complete collection of Sonnets 1-154 can be found here.

What is and What should be?

by

Syed Hasan Abid

The act of renunciation is what leads to emancipation. If we are to be recognized as free men, we must abandon some of our desires which yield temporary satisfaction. Our lives must be purged from the notion of personal gratification; for, solely, in pursuit of personal gain one ends up being slavish, failing to contribute to the beauty of human thought. For an empiricist, observation is more or less, an impregnable building; a pedestal of further discovery and insight. As an empiricist, one shall observe life intimately; but with caution. Attempts should be made to disparage confounding variables; and even the most novel insights must be ennobled but never ignored. Logic, importantly, must be revered, which is its rightful share, if we are to obviate the difficulties surrounding our world of ideals.

'The inexhaustible mystery of existence', in Russell's words, is perhaps the greatest paradox man could ever confront. Man, as servile as ever, never found in himself anything as powerful as death or fate. Their omnipotence compelled him to worship the non-human forces. But even nature, being austere and invincible, could not prevent man to progress and reason, and to conclude that these laws simply did not suffice. Man's struggle against a universe which cared nothing for his aspirations is a story of courage and greatness.

We exist in a world, which could most accurately and precisely, be referred to as the turmoil of uncertainty. It is an onerous task to foster our own ideals against forces unaware of the futility of their actions. Indifferent to the vacillation embodied in our lives, we engage ourselves in daily strife, merely to overcome the possibility of failure. Failure, as I hold implies the inability to meet certain demands; a dispute ended in vain, but may have been won, had opportunities not been squandered. These are the notions which weave the fabric of our lives. Happiness, perhaps, is what each one of us craves for. It is the most significant strand of our existence. Aristotle believed that goodness in life is unavailing, if there is no room for happiness. It is with such an approach we should fashion ourselves and embrace the world with all its disparate laws.

But what is the inevitable conclusion of life? Betrayal. We must acknowledge that we, as a conscious entity, will at last cease to exist. All the knowledge gained, the decks stacked against others, all grudges and every faint memory shall fade away with death. Then why struggle, do the daily chores or face humiliation at the hands of those self-righteous donkeys? To be honest, we do not have many options. This mechanism is responsible for the passivity and submission of man before the omnipotence of nature. One of the most senile tricks is being used here; coerce the opponent into surrender by making sure that he runs out of options. Nature and the One who decides all the edicts, its ruler, is Whom we are ought to serve. It may be equivocal to regard that we deserve more; for, each one of us is liable to God, each one of us is a debtor.

In search of knowledge, wisdom and love we shall live and hope that some day a thousand splendid suns will resolve all the enigmas; that once men will realize that preference for dance over meditation, intellect over impulses is the cause of all sorrows. Finally, I would like to give the reader a personal insight into the meaning of life by furnishing the following lines:

'Meticulously, if one gazes into the eye of an impecunious, one would discover an array of ambience. There would be indescribable pain, fear and anxiety. One would find courage and hope too, obscured in a corner. Then perhaps we shall find all our answers, which are more important than all political debates and religious dogmas of the world.'

Hamd by Nasir Kazmi

1984: A Commentary on the Present?

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Year of Publication: 1949
Genre: Political fiction, Science fiction

Looking at an era of the past is always illuminating. One can learn from the mistakes one made or rejoice in one’s achievements. On the other side of the mirror it can also reflect a disturbing picture, especially if the reflection displays an apt representation of the present itself.

Let me make one thing clear at the outset. I do not intend to write a review of the famous book by Mr. Orwell. What I would simply like to do is discuss some of the themes in this book and how they do or do not bear a striking similarity to the present time.

It seems to me that Mr. Orwell was quite unaware of the fact that his book was years ahead of its time, and rather prophetic in nature. The 80s may not have turned out to be the way he imagined them to be in the 40s, but the 2000s definitely bear a remarkable resemblance to his imagination.

The lead character in 1984 is a skilful portrayal of today’s youth. The distrust and deceit experienced by Wilson throughout the book is common amongst us. Just like the concept of ‘Thought Police’ monitoring each and every aspect of life, today the same thing is happening. The use of Artificial Intelligence has enabled man to maintain tons of gigabytes of surveillance information on each and every individual who has at any point used an electronic device. 

In the book there are several instances when the protagonist realizes that however hard he tries to defy the authorities, someone, somewhere will eventually be able to apprehend him. A very similar thing is happening today. The Defense Departments of the world can frame anyone for anything. May it be terrorist attacks, helping fundamentalist organizations flourish, or even something as inconsequential as wearing a scarf. No one is safe. Just because you were friends with someone on “Facebook”, who was friends with someone else, who had an uncle living in Saudi Arabia, whose wife went to study the Quran, and whose teacher shared the same name with Osama, you would suddenly appear on their radar as a suspicious character.

The helplessness experienced by Wilson after being captured can be compared to the misery of several innocent Pakistani, Indian, Arabic men and women who were imprisoned for crimes so heinous that they are even difficult to imagine being performed. They were kept in extremely harrowing circumstances and treated as inhumanly as possible. Just like the prisoners of ‘Thought Police’ their voices were also hushed. No one came to their rescue.

If anyone is reading this, I would recommend you to go ahead and read the book. You may find it tragic, depressing, and troubling but one thing you will not be able to say is “There is no truth to it.”

Adil Majid

 

Source of Image: http://knowledgefiles.com/kfwp/wp-content/gallery/covers/1984.jpg

GHAZAL by Zauraiz Ahmed

 

Aik Ahd Afreen Afsana

Source of Photo: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRtOOMCkAJepMYIKfm7vGxQ_pdruw9FnPCp9DYdmwJ_I7yVp7FOOdIYe3m8oCAD6frFKosJjU6r1itlAm62ojbhyphenhyphenthPC_WdlGEVcZDVY4C66jPxbKQeJRdVz7hVbTdFkrLVugbzKUI86U/s1600/yakhuda.jpg

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

by

Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep. 

Robert Frost (1874 - 1963) was an American poet mostly known for his simple-worded short poems full of imagery.

A complete collection of his poems can be found here.

A Whale of a Venture

Title: Moby Dick
Author: Herman Melville
Year of Publication: 1851
Genre: Classic Adventure
Rating: 3.5/5
Available at the IBA Library? Yes
Available Online? Yes

Summer still had a few weeks to go and internship was going to be over in a week. To kill the many days I had ahead of me, I couldn’t have done better than pick up Moby Dick to read. Little did I know that this book about a whale would turn out to be a whale of a book, gargantuan – both in size and scope. It took me a month to read this 500 odd page novel, and the task was surely momentous. I challenge anybody brave enough to try finishing this book in less than 30 days. The winner gets a special mention on our blog, and a salute from me every time s/he passes by!

The reason reading this book seems such an uphill task is not just its length (which isn’t something out-of-this-world, especially compared to Tolstoy’s and other such classics), it is the tone and the descriptions that leave you with little motivation to continue with your perusal. However, you still cannot let go of the whale for very long, and the book you had put down swearing never to lift again would once more be in your hands, providing more joy and annoyance.

Moby Dick covers a wide range of themes, the principal theme being obsession. The narrator of the story is Ishmael, a merchant sailor out on his first whaling cruise on the ship the Pequod, the captain of which is on a cruise of retribution. Having had his leg eaten away by a ferocious white sperm whale on an earlier cruise, Captain Ahab is now hell-bent to chasing the whale, dubbed Moby Dick, all around the world to have his ultimate vendetta by killing it.

His obsession is not only unhealthy (keeping him up at nights) but also dangerous. He puts his entire crew and ship in peril and despite realizes the futility of his mania, he does not have the will power to forget. The solitary musings of the captain make for interesting reading and so do his dialogues with his chief mate, Starbuck. These show the inner conflict within the captain.

The human parts in the book are, however, sandwiched between lengthy descriptions of whales and the profession of whale-hunting. These dominate the story in dimension, and however much were necessary to familiarize the nineteenth century audience to the then only heard-of phenomena, they only end up making the book a drag for modern readers. The one good thing about these descriptive passages is the humour and ‘epic’ nature of Melville’s prose. Indeed, his philosophical musings are what will have the most impact with the readers.

"There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness. And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he for ever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than other birds upon the plain, even though they soar."

- Moby Dick, Herman Melville

Melville can render even the most boring of descriptions amusing, for example, while noting that the whale does not have a nose, he writes:

“Sure it is, nevertheless, that the Sperm Whale has no proper olfactories. But what does he want of them? No roses, no violets, no Cologne-water in the sea.”

- Moby Dick, Herman Melville

The story is deep, the characters involving, the descriptions tedious (Ishmael spends countless chapters lamenting the lack of good whale depictions in art), and the prose melodic and heavy. However much you may hate the book, you cannot dare to hate the author. People just cannot write like that anymore.

Word of Caution – To be read only if you have lots of spare time and nothing else to do, otherwise you would never get to the end.

Azma Humayun

Source of Image:http://www.penguinclassics.co.uk/