Reflective Blog on Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories

"Truth is stranger than fiction." - Edgar Allan Poe

It has always been a pleasure, pride and privilege to discuss short stories by Edgar Allan Poe with students. New interpretations and perspectives emerge from each discussion and new techniques of teaching are learnt with each session. That's the charm of teaching literature. However, the quality of teaching depends on the outcome of learning and one of the ways to measure the outcome is to assign some post-task.

Hence, here is a list of areas to be pondered over in preparing a reflective blog on the aforementioned works. Students are expected to think on the below given points, read the stories once again and answer the questions with utmost sincerity and zeal.

Please do comment the links of your blogs in the comment box here and don't forget to tag me in social media posts about the same.

Answer the following questions:-

01) Make a comparative study of 'The Tell-tale Heart' and 'The Black Cat'.

02) Elucidate various narrative techniques in Poe's stories. How far do they help in achieving the 'pre-conceived effect'?

03)  Write a note on the various psychological disorders to be found in the characters of the stories and their significance to that particular text.

04) Analyze the genre of short story keeping in mind Poe's works. References of stories by other writers and/or regional writers are expected in it.

05) Read the translation of 'The Tell-tale Heart' by Mr. Paresh Vyas and published in a leading Gujarati daily Gujarat Samachar dated 18-08-'19. Note down your observations about that translation.

Feel free to ask for any assistance needed in this.

Heartiest wishes...!!!

Thanks.

Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories : Pre-Task

Pre-thinking Task for Poe's Stories

 

Horror, macabre, bloodshed, crime, death, perversity, insanity.....

All these links pop up on the screen of our mind when we think of Poe's stories.

Why is that so?

One of the reasons is:-

The writer creates an ambience of spine-chilling terror without the use of audio-visual tools and that too, almost 150 years ago when there was no emoji, no gif and no software!

How does he do so?

One of the answers is:-

Words, words, words (to use Hamletian phrase!)

His remarkably placed adjectives and efficacious phrases need a special attention when we study his stories.

What can be done to observe his usage of linguistic craftsmanship?

One of the techniques is:-

We can observe this phenomenon in a few gems of regional literature before doing the same to the aforementioned writer's works.

They are:-

• માનસંઘ - ડૉ. જયંત ખત્રી 

CLICK HERE to read the story.

• પાનકોર ડોશી - ઝવેરચંદ મેઘાણી 

The first one is attached herewith as a scanned copy. Read it.

The other is available on Jalso App (treasure of regional literature in form of audiovisual). TO LISTEN TO THIS AUDIO, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE JALSO APP FROM PLAYSTORE.

INSTRUCTIONS:-

Download Jalso app from Playstore, open a folder named "VAACHIKAM: Dramatic Reading" and there you will find the story - or -

Click on the below given link:-

http://www.jalsomusic.com/share.aspx?sid=11077&title=Pankor%20Doshi%20-%20Jhaverchand%20Meghani

Hence, your PRE-THINKING TASK is:-

1. Read the first Gujarati story and listen to the audio recitation of the second story. Observe how the two wordsmiths work wonders through words! (Absolute obsession of alliteration)

2. List out various adjectives that contribute the most in creating the "pre-established design" or effect that the author intended to create.

3. Which are the phrases you find frightening? How are they placed in the text?

4. Can you find out any other lexical varieties such as figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification etc? Briefly explain their significance in the story.

5. What is the impact of listening  to the stories on your mind? Which Rasas/emotions erupt in you during and after the reading/listening sessions?

Please feel free to make an apt use of emoticons, gif etc as and where applicable in your answers.

Prepare a blog for the given task and share your link in the comment section here. The deadline for this task is 16th of August 10 am.

You can refer to my blog of similar activity given to the previous batch (September 2018) and their responses:-

https://jaynmehta.blogspot.com/2018/09/passion-perversity-and-poe-introduction.html

Wish you all the very best!
Happy Learning!

Pen, Poetry and Mic 08: Set Your Words Free

Pen, Poetry and Mic 08: Set Your Words Free

A poem a day keeps psychiatrist away. For some, poetry is a nourishment of the soul. For others, it's a catharsis of disturbing emotions. Whatever be the propelling factor, what matters ultimately is to read and to listen to some appealing poetic attempts. The concept of open mic is prevalent in many western countries and now it's rapidly getting acceptance in Indian cities as well. Ahmedabad is no exception. Open mic is a sort of open platform where you can simply come and manifest whatsoever creativity you have - poetry, prose, stand up comedy, mimicry, singing and so on.

These days, open mics are mushrooming in Ahmedabad but few have sustained quality in later seasons. For example, Pen Poetry and Mic. Credit goes to Dilip Rangwani - key person behind the event. There are people who are really passionate about aesthetics and who work selflessly and tirelessly to create a space for budding poets. Dilip Rangwani is one such guy. I have been witnessing tremendous hard-work, meticulous precision and dedication that he and his team have invested in Pen, Poetry and Mic right from Season 01 to Season 08. They started with Ahmedabad and now they have stretched their wings to Baroda, Surat, Mumbai, Indor etc.

What attracts the youth the most is that the organizers video-shoot each performance and upload it on their YouTube channel (Flashback Stories) from where budding writers can fetch and share their videos. Digital documentation is the need of the hour and sadly, Gujarati literature is lagging behind in it.

I got an opportunity to compere this unique Poet's Meet where around 20 creative guys and girls presented their feelings. Language was no barrier for them. It ranged from Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu (including Hindustani) to English.

If literature (in general) is on my mind 24×7, poetry resides in my bone marrow. Hence, I thoroughly enjoyed anchoring the event where I not only got to enjoy fresh poetry but I could also cite some gems by stalwarts like Ghalib, Gulzar, Mareez, Nida Fazli, Wordsworth, Keats, Ramesh Parekh, Mukul Choksi, Bashir Badra etc.

Imagine a scene. A boy comes up for the first time, his face brimming with nervousness and reads his poem. A girl talks about her creative writing process. A man recites his ghazal in Tarannum (sings it in accordance with meters). Aah... it's so soothing to witness all of them. Themes range from universal human emotions to personal experiences, social problems like gender discrimination, nostalgia of school life to rozy dreams for future.

Major attraction of the season were Arpan Christy and Chaula Doshi - two renowned poets and art-practitioners who joined us on our special request. It was enthralling to listen to their works.

Shading all modesty, let me unabashedly accept that I got not just warm but huge response and accolades for my anchoring. Needless to say, it has triggered my creative urges and passion to soar higher in the sky of aesthetics.

It's a crime unpardonable to formally thank friends so I wouldn't dare to thank Keyur Trivedi, Dilip Rangwani, Kuldip Brahmbhatt and my beloved wife cum bestie Darshita. Keep rocking buddies! Blessed be the name of God!

'Sahitya Sarita' 2019

A poem a day keeps psychiatrist away!

'Literature' and 'Engineering' seem to be sort of paradoxical terms these days. In fact, they are not so, especially when one of the most reputed engineering colleges in Gujarat organizes a magnificent literature festival. L.D. College of Engineering organized 'Sahitya Sarita' - an annual literary fair where connoseiurs of aesthetics interact and perform. What makes it even more interesting is that the event is planned and managed solely by a group of students.

In 2019, they came up with a novel concept called 'Teacher's Corner' that offers platform to creativity of teachers working in technical colleges. Bearing the yoke of responsibilities they can't manage to write and present their poetry anywhere.

By God's grace, I was given an opportunity to compere this unique Poet's Meet. I also recited two of my poems. It was my first experience of anchoring a poet's meet and I must say it was not just enjoyable but a cherishable experience, beyond doubt. Besides, the presence of renowned Gujarati poet Shobhit Desai was an icing on the cake. His accolades to my poetry and anchoring has propelled me to explore other avenues in aesthetics. Such events charge my dynamo.

As P.B. Shelley said:-

"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world."