8th Semester Part 2

Part 2: World Literature KAINAT | BS English Literature
“The Hangmen” by Pablo Neruda
The Hangmen is the first poem of Canto V, named La arena betrayed ("The Sand Betrayed),
by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973). This dissertation develops a study on the
history of America in Canto General. Analyzing of various historical contexts from the
Colonization of America to 1949. "It contains some of the fiercest satire written by Neruda in
the area of caricature and mendacious grotesqueness. These caricatures are acid and brutal
realism.
An exemplary poem, which serve as an introduction and paradigm to the gallery of demonic,
infernal and disastrous characters in America is, The Hangman, from the immediate political
reality the speaker moves in a marvelous poetic leap, towards the area of amphibians and
reptiles. Moves towards nature in a state of transition both positively and negatively.
The author of this poem shows that the dictators of America are products of the serpents,
children of the serpents, and as whole is a Sauria. All these animals present only rudimentary
traits and even these are senselessly contaminated.
It should be noted that both the Cat and the scorpion are symbols of evil. The Cat is always
associated with darkness and death. During the middle ages, the scorpion appears in Christian
art as an emblem of treachery and as a symbol of Jews. These symbolic representation in this
poem shows the anger and cruelty of American dictators. Tyrants are the evil products of the
American soil.
Entangled in the scales of saurian, nourished by the serpents, the executioners of their people
were born in the most recondite and corrupt places of American land. Essential attribute of
dictators, hatred, was born with them, has the same place of birth.
The oppressors, the executioner, the tractors of America are reptiles, emissaries of the world
below. The crawling animals, the infernal once are the performal factors to rupture the nature
and agents of disorder, regression and death.
The poet speaks of Gonzalez Videla, for whom the poet keeps strongest diatribes. Gonzalez
Videla for Neruda the perfect image of betrayal, because the traitor masks himself, appearing
as a friend of the people, to later shows his face of a reptile, a dog, a cat, a rat, selling the the
people, and stealing their hope.
As Santi points out, Neruda was probably very effected by Gonzalez Videla's political turn,
feeling responsible for collaboration he gave him during his election campaign. This is the
main reason the author shows in this poem, all dictators are reptiles because of their treachery
and evil nature.
Gabriel Gonzalez Videla had been elected with the help of the Left, with the disciplined
support of 25000 Chilean communists. Later the president declares the communist party an
outlaw. In 1945, he became a senator and joined the Communist Party. Neruda, then a
senator, denounced his president for selling out to the United States and cracking down on the
Left, outlawing the Chilean Communist Party, and imprisoning intellectuals and activists in
the concentration camps. Neruda was forced into exile after publicly denouncing Gonzalez
Videla.
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KAINAT | BS English Literature
Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah‘s real name was Abdullah Shah, was a Punjabi Muslim Sufi poet, a humanist
and philosopher.
Born: 1680 Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
Died: 1757 (aged 77) Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan
Early life and background
Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur,
Punjab, now in Pakistan. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara in modern Uzbekistan.
When he was six months old, his parents relocated to Malakwal. There his father, Shah
Muhammad Darwaish, was a preacher in the village mosque and a teacher. His father later
got a job in Pandoke, about 50 miles southeast of Kasur. Bulleh Shah received his early
schooling in Pandoke, and moved to Kasur for higher education. He also received education
from Maulana Mohiyuddin. His spiritual teacher was the eminent Sufi saint, Shah Inayat
Qadiri.
Little is known about Bulleh Shah’s direct ancestors, except that they were migrants from
Uzbekistan. However, Bulleh Shah’s family was directly descended from the Prophet
Muhammad(PBUH).
Career
A large amount of what is known about Bulleh Shah comes through legends, and is
subjective; to the point that there isn’t even agreement among historians concerning his
precise date and place of birth. Some “facts” about his life have been pieced together from his
own writings. Other “facts” seem to have been passed down through oral traditions.
Bulleh Shah practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like Shah
Hussain (1538 – 1599), Sultan Bahu (1629 – 1691), and Shah Sharaf (1640 – 1724).
Bulleh Shah lived in the same period as the famous Sindhi Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai
(1689 – 1752). His lifespan also overlapped with the legendary Punjabi poet Waris Shah
(1722 – 1798), of Heer Ranjha fame, and the famous Sindhi Sufi poet Abdul Wahad (1739 –
1829), better known by his pen-name, Sachal Sarmast (“truth seeking leader of the
intoxicated ones”). Amongst Urdu poets, Bulleh Shah lived 400 miles away from Mir Taqi
Mir (1723 – 1810) of Agra.
Poetry Style
The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi, Sindhi
and Siraiki poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab, but also by Sikh gurus.
Bulleh Shah’s poetry and philosophy strongly criticizes Islamic religious orthodoxy of his
day.
A Beacon of Peace
Bulleh Shah’s time was marked with communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs. But in
that age Baba Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of Punjab. While
Bulleh Shah was in Pandoke, Muslims killed a young Sikh man who was riding through their
village in retaliation for murder of some Muslims by Sikhs. Baba Bulleh Shah denounced the
murder of an innocent Sikh and was censured by the mullas and muftis of Pandoke. Bulleh
Shah maintained that violence was not the answer to violence.Bulleh Shah also hailed Guru
Tegh Bahadur as a ghazi (Islamic term for a religious warrior) and incurred the wrath of the
fanatic muslims at the time.
Banda Singh Bairagi was a contemporary of Bulleh Shah. In retaliation for the murder of
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Guru Gobind Singh’s two sons by Aurangzeb, he sought revenge by killing common
Muslims. Baba Bulleh Shah tried to convince Banda Singh Bairagi to renounce his campaign
of revenge. Bulleh Shah told him that the same sword which fell upon Guru Gobind Singh’s
sons and innocent Sikhs also fell upon innocent Muslims. Hence killing innocent Muslim was
not the answer to Aurangzeb’s reign of oppression.
Humanist
Bulleh Shah’s writings represent him as a humanist, someone providing solutions to the
sociological problems of the world around him as he lives through it, describing the
turbulence his motherland of Punjab is passing through, while concurrently searching for
God. His poetry highlights his mystical spiritual voyage through the four stages of Sufism:
Shariat (Path), Tariqat (Observance), Haqiqat (Truth) and Marfat (Union). The simplicity
with which Bulleh Shah has been able to address the complex fundamental issues of life and
humanity is a large part of his appeal. Thus, many people have put his kafis to music, from
humble street-singers to renowned Sufi singers like the Waddali Brothers, Abida Parveen and
Pathanay Khan, from the synthesized techno qawwali remixes of UK-based Asian artists to
the rock band Junoon.
Bulleh Shah’s popularity stretches uniformly across Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, to the point
that much of the written material about this philosopher is from Hindu and Sikh authors.
Modern Renditions
In the 1990s Junoon, Asia’s biggest rock band from Pakistan, rendered such poems as Aleph
(Ilmon Bas Kareen O Yaar) and Bullah Ki Jaana. In 2004, Rabbi Shergill successfully
performed the unlikely feat of turning the abstruse metaphysical poem Bullah Ki Jaana into a
Rock/Fusion song, which became hugely popular in India and Pakistan. The 2007 Pakistani
movie Khuda Kay Liye includes Bulleh Shah’s poetry in the song Bandeya Ho. A 2008 film,
‘A wednesday’, had a song, “Bulle Shah, O yaar mere” in its soundtrack. In 2009, Episode
One of Pakistan’s Coke Studio Season 2 featured a collaboration between Sain Zahoor and
Noori, “Aik Alif“.
“Ik nuktay wich gal mukdi aye”

“One is enough”
Explanation:
‘Ik nuktay wich gal mukdi aye’ is a wisdom-rich poem for the ones searching for God
Almighty; Bulleh Shah unleashes the righteous path by concentrating all his thinking powers
and beliefs on this single thought i.e. one needs to look into the pure heart of oneself. The
purer the heart, the clearer the path to virtue; the virtuous we are, the better beings we are in
the eyes of God Almighty.
God loves purity and nobility of heart. So, Bullah wants us to attain that stature of goodness
that helps us stand out in the multitudes of this world. He advises us to forget the pains of
grave and the fears of hell. Just think not either about the good or bad dreams we have. For a
moment, do away with the long prayers and the ‘mehrab’, a sign of scratching the forehead
on the ground; instead, focus on that one point i.e. purify your heart. It will ensure your
salvation. Without purity and cleanliness of heart and emotions, we would not find God.
“All in One Contained” is a poem by Bulleh shah emphasizing the oneness of God. The poem
highlights the philosophy of reunion with God. Bulleh Shah conveyed that spiritual progress
lay in detaching one’s mind from the outside world and attaching it to the God within. He
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preaches divine love. He condemns all futile ways for searching God. He believes that Man
and God are inseparable. He says that the Beloved is not apart from me. Without the Beloved,
there is nothing. But there is no eye to judge. Doing good and serving humanity, is in fact
serving God. He advises us to study only one single point in which all knowledge is
contained and to leave all other calculations. He strictly disapproves the hypocritical religious
or social behavior of the people and condemns the malicious or greedy behavior of mullahs,
hafiz, or common people, who run after accumulating wealth, gaining high positions, and
lusting in his mind for enjoyment. They become evil and they start drowning spiritually into
the polluted ocean of their worldly wishes. They lose their attachment with the Pivot. They
indulge in a sinful life and lose their humanity. Meanwhile, if they perform the religious
practices, they become just affection to impress others as they are very virtuous.
“In vain, you rub your forehead on the ground and you display a long visible mark on it.”
By prostrating during the prayer, the forehead gets rubbed and gets a mark, Bulleh Shah says,
“Why do you show this mark as a mark of your piety?”
A “nukta” that we call the point here has all knowledge condensed into it. Bulleh Shah
advises us to study that point and leave all other calculations aside. All other pretentious
rituals are futile. He tells us to be far away from people who talk about kufar. Kufar is a term
used in Islam for something that is related to non-belief. Someone who commits or talks
kufar is doomed to go to hell for eternity. One who believes goes to heaven. Bulleh Shah asks
everyone to remove these punishments and rewards from their lives. And to cleanse one’s
heart of desires of going to heaven. The point of knowledge resides in such a heart and who
understand this doesn't need to understand anything else.
Is alifon do tin chaar hoye...
Pher lakh karor hazaar hoye...
Pher othon baaj shumar hoye...
Ik alif da nukta nyara ae...
Ik alif padho chutkara ae...
This paragraph basically means that there existed only Alif at one point, then from Alif the
second, third and fourth objects were formed. Then they became thousands and millions, after
which they became countless. All from one Alif. So in Bulleh Shah’s opinion if you know
this you are free of all the religious rituals. In the sense that there is no fruit to doing useless
rituals when in your heart there is no realization of the truth.
In the given poem Baba Bulleh Shah advocates his views and ideas on God. He states that
offering namaz, reciting Kalma, performing Hajj, wandering in Jungles, fasting to death, etc.
are not the means to find God, these are intended only to show off your deeds to the world to
get worldly in order get worldly pleasures and praises. True way to find him, to serve him is
to place HIM in our hearts and remember HIM in every single thing you do. He further points
out that those who follow the above mention steps are just misleading others since they
themselves do not understand what God is, he who has a pious heart without any greed,
selflessness, etc. is a true teacher and a right person to guide you to the path of GOD. Bulleh
Shah Further unleashes the righteous path by concentrating all his beliefs on this single
thought: "One only needs to look into the pure heart of oneself to Find God Almighty".
At this one point, all talk ends. "It has many layers of meaning and can be read in more than
one way. At one point the matter ends. In a dot, the whole mystery is solved. It’s all in one
contained. Wisdom is contained in a Single point. Hold this point tight and forget your
calculations and worldly profit. Don't think about the miserable state of unbelief and do not
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torment yourself with the fears of death and hell because these are imaginary fears. Become a
devotee of all creation.
“Kar Kuttan Wal Dihyan Kuray”

“Lass Look to your Spinning”
Explanation:
Perhaps in the whole poetry of Bulleh Shah, the most important symbol he employs is that of
the spinning wheel. It stands for the physical frame of man, and spinning signifies the
spiritual practice through which the soul is vacated from this frame to be collected at the eye
center. For, it is only then that experience of the divine is possible.
Using the analogy of the spinning wheel, Bullah graphically portrays the picture of an
unmarried girl, whose mother admonishes her for her lack of interest in spinning. Since she
got the wheel free, she does not realize its immense value (human birth is the only one out of
84 lakh species, in which union with the Lord can be attained.) The mother further impresses
upon her not to idle away the precious opportunity in frivolous play, but to prepare herself for
the house of her husband (the Lord), where she has to live permanently. Her parent’s house
(this world) is meant only for a short stay. Continuing her advice, the mother says that if she
cannot spin all the cotton herself, she should get the help and guidance of her master (get it
spun). Bullah, then, shifts to the analogy of the dowry and gives counsel to the girl to prepare
her dowry properly, get your wedding clothes dyed, so that she should not have to feel
penitent when she reaches her husband’s house.
Coming back to spinning. Bullah emphasizes on hard work keep awake throughout the night,
and work tirelessly on your wheel.
At the end, Bullah, in gratitude to his Master, declares that despite all his faults, the Master
will safely ferry him across this phenomenal world at the time of departure from this world.
History of mankind is replete with examples of ruthless oppression of the weak and the
marginalisation of the powerless. But subjugation never goes unopposed because of the
inherent desire in man to be recognised by others as a free conscious being having a unique
identity. At every point in history there have been people who spoke against the tyrannical
ruler, religious bigotry and social repression of dissenting opinions. In 18th Century Punjab
Baba Bulleh Shah, a Sufi saint, raised voice against the oppressive institutions of the society
and questioned the very basis of everything that was taken for granted. His defiance of the
hierarchical structure of society and religious beliefs that were propagated by the clergymen
of his time made him an object of hatred for Mullahs and Pundits. His poetry intended to
bring together people separated by the boundaries of religion, caste and class. Bulleh Shah
desired an aesthetic community that would be based on communal amity.
Baba Bulleh Shah’s poetry and life has another very important aspect that has not been given
much attention.
In his poetry, one can observe his hatred for gender oppression and inequality engendered by
patriarchal social constructs. He masked his poetry in female voice on the one hand, to
express his thoughts of love and peace and on the other hand, to counter the patriarchal
hegemony of 18th Century Punjab. At a time when women fettered by the social norms were
turned into domestic slaves and were denied the right to have an identity, Bulleh Shah
emerged as a poet whose voice became the voice of the oppressed. His poems often assumed
the form of a dialogue between women who complain about their unhappy lives and express
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the desire to break free from the tiresome routine of their lives in which they do not have the
autonomy to make decisions.
Here Bulleh Shah portrays a woman who is working on a spinning wheel is annoyed and
wearied of performing the same task over and over again. The spinning wheel here actually
represents the sameness of a woman’s life where she completely lacks the power to make
decisions for herself. All the decisions about her life are made by others and she spends the
rest of her life in domestic slavery. However, towards the end of this Kafi her spinning wheel
breaks down and she takes a sigh of relief, Bulleh Shah invokes a feeling of ‘liberation’, thus,
indicating that to smash the manacles of patriarchal bondage to smithereens is not an
unsurmountable task for women.
To rebel against the patriarchal system is not an easy task for a woman in two ways: first,
most of the women in our society are socialised in a way that makes them narcotised and
anesthetised as a result of which they are unable to recognise the injustice that is being done
to them. This is because every act of repression is normalised by making servility and
submissiveness a part of her personality. Secondly, if a woman decides to liberate herself
from the yoke of the oppressive social norms, then she has to face immense pressure from the
society to harmonise and mold her individuality upon a model that is accepted by it. But
Bulleh Shah shows us through his poetry that the norms, inequality, and hierarchical
arrangement of the social apparatus are mere constructs and are not given the stamp of
approval by the divine decree.
“Ranjha Ranjha Kardi Hun Mein Apey Ranjha Hoi”
Explanation:
Ranjha Ranjha Kardi hun mei apey Ranjha hoi is a famous kaafi of Baba Bulleh Shah written
during the year 1710. The first line of this famous kaafi has become a proverbial in Punjabi
language with the variation between hun mein (‘now’ and ‘I’) and way mein (hey! It’s I
).Punjabi speakers in general are able to relate to this kaafi because of its popularity. As an
example this kaafi provides a broad spectrum of deep and surface meanings within each
clause. Choosing this kaafi for metafunctional analysis can be justified on the grounds which
provides a blue print for the application of the three metafunctions of language. This kaafi
reflects the personal experiences of the poet as the poet Baba Bulleh Shah wishes to be
personified as his mentor or beloved referred to as Ranjha. The interpersonal function is not
only reflected through the communication between the protagonists (Ranjha and Heer),but
also through the metaphoric presence of a dialogue between God and his disciple or Mentor
and his disciple. Ranjha and Heer, who are popular characters originally created by Warris
Shah,( a predecessor of Baba Bulleh Shah). These two characters are popular metaphors of
love in Punjabi folk poetry just like Romeo and Juliet by Shakespear. In the context of this
poem the characters are referred to as the mentor (Ranjha) and as the disciple (Heer),
respectively.
The poet Baba Bulleh Shah, uses female pronouns and implores the company of his mentor.
He wishes to surrender himself in the hands of divine authority i.e God. The poet also
involves some other participants in the poem, i.e. the people around him. He says Heer na
aakho koi, i.e. “O people! Do not call me Heer”. The distribution of personal and other
pronouns in the kaafi maintain the interpersonal tone of the poem. Another major participant
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in the poem is kuriyae, (girl) a common noun used for a maiden. Here kuriyae is a maiden
who is in love, either in the ishq-e majazi (infatuation/human love) or in ishq-e haqiqi (real/or
divine love). Bulleh Shah himself provides his readers with interpersonal experiences
offering the best interpretations to understand the gravity of this love.
In the love of Ranjha I myself have become Ranjha. Here the poet declares his love for
Ranjha. “Ranjha” which is used as a noun for God or Godly love. In the love of Ranjha the
poet says that he, himself becomes Ranjha. Call me “dheedoRanjha” and Do not call me
heer. “Dheedo Ranjha” here means the reflection or manifestation of Ranjha. The author
says, “O people call me Ranjha”. Ranjha resides in my heart and my heart resides in Ranjha.
Author says l love God, he resides in my heart, and God also loves me. These lines deals with
the spiritual development in which the poet talks about in the love of Ranjna, he himself
become Ranjna. Ranjha the main them of this kaafi that is "love for God". Here "Dheedo
Ranjha" means the reflection or manifestation of Ranjha. The author says, "O people call me
Ranjha", where the world ""people" stays as a hidden subject. Bulleh Shah advocates Ranjha
is resides in my heart and my heart resides in Ranjha as the God loves me and God present in
my heart, this also shows the oneness of God. Another major participant in this poem is
Kuriyae, (Give`) a maiden. Here kuriyae used for a maiden, a maiden who is in love, either in
the ishar-e-majazi or in ishaj-e-haaqiqi.
Bullen is talking about spiritual oneness of God in these lines. Metaphorical phrase "andar
Wasse”, alludes to the inner self. "Jis dey nall nall main nunh Igaya, aaho jesi hoy!" In this
following line "the team 'nonh" refers to the inner eye that links Godly love versus eartly
love. This Further reflects his devotion towards his beloved that is God. Bulleh Shah has used
metaphors "Chitti chadar” donates white sheet and "loyi" refers to Cape worn by a faqeer.
These Metaphors as used by Bulleh Shah to transform a maiden in a white sheet to wearing a
Faqeer Cape. The white sheets will show the stains but the red cape will hide your sins and
Stains. Here vivid massages about the reality of virtue and sin presented in surface of this
Kaafi. In the last verse, Bullen is showing his desire to visit Takht Hazara where he has not
been for ages. The poet wants to go back in and engages himself and the readers in a
monologue to visit his beloved place, called “takht hazara”. In this poem, the poet
successfully manage to keep himself in place and praises the attributes of his mentor in this
connection. He uses different analogies to analyse the relationship with his mentor.
This poem not only envelope their readers in ecstasy but also gives directions to the righteous
path on which lie their worldly and spiritual success. This Kaafi expresses spiritual
connections through emerging themes such as poetic voice, self-reliance, universality,
transformation and displacement.
Nazim Hikmat
Nâzım Hikmet Ran (15 January 1902 – 3 June 1963), commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet,
was a Turkish-Polish poet, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, director and memoirist. He was
acclaimed for the "lyrical flow of his statements". Described as a "romantic communist" and
"romantic revolutionary", he was repeatedly arrested for his political beliefs and spent much
of his adult life in prison or in exile. His poetry has been translated into more than fifty
languages.
The son of an Ottoman government official, Nazım Hikmet grew up in Anatolia; after briefly
attending the Turkish naval academy, he studied economics and political science at the
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University of Moscow. Returning home as a Marxist in 1924 after the advent of the new
Turkish Republic, he began to work for a number of journals and started
Communist propaganda activities. In 1951 he left Turkey forever after serving a lengthy jail
sentence for his radical and subversive activities. From then on he lived in the Soviet
Union and eastern Europe, where he continued to work for the ideals of world Communism.
His mastery of language and introduction of free verse and a wide range of poetic themes
strongly influenced Turkish literature in the late 1930s. After early recognition with his
patriotic poems in syllabic metre, in Moscow he came under the influence of the Russian
Futurists, and by abandoning traditional poetic forms, indulging in exaggerated imagery, and
using unexpected associations, he attempted to “depoetize” poetry. Later his style became
quieter, and he published Şeyh Bedreddin destanı (1936; “The Epic of Shaykh Bedreddin”),
about a 15th-century revolutionary religious leader in Anatolia; and Memleketimden insan
manzaraları (“Portraits of People from My Land”), a 20,000-line epic. Although
previously censored, after his death in 1963 all his works were published and widely read,
and he became a poet of the people and a revolutionary hero of the Turkish left. Many of his
works have been translated into English, including Selected Poems (1967), The Moscow
Symphony (1970), The Day Before Tomorrow (1972), and Things I Didn’t Know I
Loved (1975). Nazım Hikmet is also known for his plays, which are written in vigorous prose
and are also mainly Marxist inspired.
"I Love You”

Explanation:
This poem circulates warm, deep feelings of love. The poet shows no fears and someone can
call it the power of love. Loving you is like saying I'm alive. Loving you eagerly, happily,
cautiously, and softly over Istanbul. He wrote poignant love poetry.
This poem and other love poems of Nazim Hikmat give good message to those who are wives
of prisoners who are feeble-hearted. It is a booster of long-lasting love and care. It is one of
the mind-refreshing poems in which the poet gives message of hope and love.
According to Hikmat, there is much difference between Love in theory and Love in
traditionally. The theoretical love has human solidarity thus traditional love depicted as
obstacle to the inspiration of poet. His thoughts mostly focused on the love of universe and
kind people of the planet.
I love you like flying over the sea in a plane for first time, like something moves inside me
when it gets dark softly in Istanbul. Through these lines, the poet gives sheer power to his
lover. This poem shows the poet’s excellence in poeticism, the concept of love is not an
emotional pleasure but a philosophy of life that reflects passion and responsibility towards
existence. In this sense love is an existential responsibility for life, the work one put towards
living, and a reciprocal bond that occurs and feeds into each other as a result.
It is due to this connection of love that Nazim has been able to talk about abstract ideas of
love by using simile in this poem. The author used similes, I love like you like dipping bread
into salt. I love like drinking water when waking up at night with a high fever. I love you like
flying over the sea in a plane for the first time. I love you like thanking God that we live.
Through this poem poet shows and expresses his timeless love feelings for his wife when was
in exile, he started focusing on concepts of life, death, love, and longing.
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Nazim himself was not always perfect in the department of love. But he is an important
figure when it comes to reminding us of the resilience of love. We are capable of
withstanding so much hardship by the feelings of love.
"This poem reminds us to celebrate love beyond the box of chocolates. Love does not need a
specific period, month, or day. You can celebrate love during your hardships because love
feelings give power to live your life and help to seize over harsh reality of life.
“All through eternity”
All through eternity The rose gives tidings of His beauty.

Beauty unveils His exquisite form
in the solitude of nothingness; Whenever Beauty looks,
He holds a mirror to His Face Love is also there;
and beholds His own beauty. Whenever beauty shows a rosy cheek
he is the knower and the known, Love lights Her fire from that flame.
the seer and the seen; When beauty dwells in the dark folds of
No eye but His own night
has ever looked upon this Universe. Love comes and finds a heart
entangled in tresses.
His every quality finds an expression: Beauty and Love are as body and soul.
Eternity becomes the verdant field of Time Beauty is the mine, Love is the diamond.
and Space;
Love, the life-giving garden of this world. They have together
Every branch and leaf and fruit since the beginning of time-
Reveals an aspect of His perfection- Side by side, step by step.
They cypress give hint of His majesty,
Explanation:
In all Rumi’s poems, we can see that he is an excellent mystic. “All through Eternity” creates
a wonderful interpretation of God, of his beauty being infinitely echoed. Rumi considers all
types of feelings as a derivative of the Supreme love. The beauty of love is the central point
of this work. While reading this poem the reader can feel the deepest tranquility.
For the whole period of his existence, Rumi has been trying to understand the meaning of life
and shared his ideas through poetry. The Persian poet inspired millions of artists all over the
world, his poems are still considered important and ingenious. The whole life and work of
Rumi were devoted to love; he taught that it is love that unites people of all races, religions,
and cultures. He always believed that even the Devil himself can fall in love and lose all the
evil inside. According to Lee Briccetti, executive director of Poets House, Rumi’s poems
“articulate what it feels like to be alive. And they help us understand our search for love and
the ecstatic in the coil of daily life.”
Rumi’s works are based on traditions of Islam, but he managed to find many global concepts
of human life. The poet’s works show ways to reach inner peace and harmony, stop hatred,
and lead happy lives. These are the main reasons why Rumi’s words are still echoing all over
the world as he invokes the most basic human feelings that make people think of love and
push artists into creating new masterpieces.
To conclude, it can be noted that many scholars compare Rumi to Shakespeare as their works
are considered to be timeless. The Persian poet was a great mystic, a philosopher, and a
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scholar, whose thoughts remain relevant even in the XXI century. His ideas are still popular
among people all over the world as they are based on love, the foundational principle of life.
Summary of “All Through Eternity”
This poem by Rumi exemplifies what I believe would be an ideal rendition of a God. All
through eternity his beauty is echoed. Love and beauty together live in eternity. Love is
beautiful, this is true and to me this is the focal point of this poem. They go hand in hand for
eternity. And God's eye watches them as he watches all. The poem gave me a very calming
feeling and I did not even read in a completely peaceful environment.Furthermore, Rumi has
been trying to find meaning in human life since time eternal. Every human being attempts to
associate some meaning with his or her life.However, historically, some individuals have
developed very powerful concepts of humanity and moved millions of people by articulating
their thoughts creatively.The eminent Sufi and Persian poet Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-
1273) has been one such figure who has not only given an inspirational meaning to human life
but has also expressed his thoughts through poetry and inspired countless people across
centuries.Though all of Rumi’s work is admirable, his famous Mathnawi has received perhaps
the greatest attention. The powerful allegorical and metaphorical expressions within it have
transcended time and context. Even after the passage of several centuries his poetic message is
still considered relevant.Building on the spiritual tradition of the Abrahamic faiths, particularly
focusing on Islam, Rumi developed some universal concepts of human life.
Whenever beauty shows a rosy cheek
Love lights Her fire from that flame.
(All through eternit y)
The explanat ion of this data is first ly discussed by t he love.
In mystic vision, on the other hand, he professes and actually realizes oneness of God (tawḥīd),
the eternal and true reality, one without partners, beside whom the mystic’s temporal existence
has no claim to reality and his self no right to selfhood. In realizing tawḥīd, the mystic has to
pass away from any trace of individual self-consciousness so that his self is blotted out in actual
non-existence and God alone exists and in truth subsists (al-fanāʾ fi’l-tawḥīd).
“The Miniature Woman”
Explanation:
Nazım Hikmet has gained an important place in Turkish literature as a socialist realist poet.
He wrote poems with the desire for an egalitarian peaceful world, especially in his poems
where he touched on the problems of society. Nazim Hikmet was imprisoned many times in
various years due to his thoughts. The poet has also made a name for himself with his love
life and love-themed poems. One of the most well-known poems of the poet is the poem of
the blue-eyed giant. Here are the words of the poem "The blue eyed giant".
It is the poem that Nazim wrote to his lover, nuzhet. But it is true that he got angry and wrote
it. The poet Nazım Hikmet wrote to his lover. He was a giant with blue eyes, a tiny woman
loved him, he was tiny, the woman was hungry for love'. It is a pleasant poem full of sadness
that shows in every verse that it is a poem of verse wisdom. Undoubtedly, Nazım described
himself as the Blue-Eyed Giant in this poem. A giant tiny woman with blue eyes loved it!
The love of great people would also be great, he would fear and tremble without hurting the
other person unintentionally. It was an impossible love, you are a giant, she is a tiny woman!
He loved the little one with his big heart! You obviously wanted a woman to be comfortable,
maybe the tiny body was tired on those big roads. She chose to enter the house of her dreams
not with the one who loves her, but with a rich dwarf.
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The common point is that the adjective 'miniature' is used specifically for women, and a story
of leaving because of a money issue. In Nazim’s poem, a tiny woman leaves her loved one
because of money and enters a house that opens marbling honeysuckles in the garden of
another man.
She is a small woman who has no purpose other than to want a regular life by establishing a
home and having children, away from emotional ups and downs, and does not have big goals
in her personality. She is related to a structure that is weak physically and spiritually, its
expectations from life are quite classical -even ordinary-, and it tends to choose to live
comfortably as a personality. After all, it is such a 'petty-bourgeois' attitude that is ruthlessly
criticized in poetry.
He is one of the most well-known Turkish poets, who wrote poems with the desire for an
egalitarian peaceful world, especially in his poems where he touched on the problems of
society, and who spent years in prison for his thoughts.
Nazim wrote this poem for nuzhet berkin, that is, for a woman he knew and loved in turkey
before he went to Russia. However, when they went to Russia together, Nuzhet said that she
dreamed of a home and family life with him. In the face of the dreams of the woman he
loves, which are so different from his own ideals, Nazım sent him off to Turkey with
disappointment and anger. Nuzhet later married a professor. It was said that nuzhet nazim's
first love, which he loved maybe more than Vera. This poem describes the most painful state
of love in the most beautiful way.
Nazım Hikmet's most important passion is women. Romantic communist, passionate lover,
great poet and writer, thinker, ambassador of peace, who lived his long years in prison and
under various oppressions... This is how verse wisdom is generally described. Maybe without
them his life would not have been so exciting, emotional, meaningful and full of enthusiasm.
We know that his first great love in his relationship with women is Nuzhet. Their relationship
starts with childhood friendships. They got married in Moscow in 1921. This love remains
limited with their relationship that will last for two years. In 1921, nuzhet fell ill and returned
to Istanbul. He leaves Nazım with the influence of his family. This abandonment touches
Nazım a lot. He can't get it out of his mind for a long time. On the other hand, nuzhet marries
a professor when she returns to Istanbul.
He experienced two separations and abandonment in his poetic life. one by his mother, Celile
Hanim, who was in love with Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, and the other by his first love, nuzhet...
he always left and cheated on other women who entered his life later on. After that, it has
always been a man who left, not abandoned. Piraye and Münevver are women who are
abandoned and deceived.
This husband poet has a personality that is very jealous of his loved ones and cannot tolerate
indifference. He wrote angry, angry and reproachful poems for nuzhet who left him. He sends
his reproaches to nuzhet in his poem.
A poem full of jealousy, love and anger by Nazim, who was struck by his first great love,
Nüzhet Hanim. It is a poem by Nazım Hikmet. According to Memet Fuat, this poem was
written for his mother.
Even love cannot resist the insatiable ego of man. We even give up on love. We think we will
be happy. We are leaving the blue-eyed giants. Nazım has told us very well, how beautifully
the master expressed his love and impossibility.
Free verse poetry theme love rhyme scheme aaabbccddeea. Elements of harmony in poetry is
provided by rediff, rhyme, sound-word and line repetitions.
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Significance of Title “THE METAMORPHOSIS”

Franz Kafka “The Metamorphosis” Originally published in 1915The original title of this
novella in German is Die Verwandlung, which means transformation. But this is translated
into The Metamorphosis as it is used more formally, and has literary connotations. It is often
compared to Ovid's Metamorphoses, which tells the stories of punishments of mythical
characters that were penalized for their sexual offences. Thus it relates this work both to
ancient and modern literatureopening ways for many connotative meanings. Though there is
nothing told of Gregor's crimes, rather, all he has done is good. This title smells a bit ironic!
When you hear the title "The Metamorphosis" your first thought is probably "Aww, a lil'
caterpillar turning into a majestic butterfly!"Not quite what Kafka had in mind.The English
word"metamorphosis" is more formal and fancies up the German original by linking
Kafka's tale to one of the great works of classical antiquity, Ovid's Metamorphoses, a series
of stories describing mythical characters who are punished for sexual misbehavior by being
turned into plants and animals.
Interestingly, Kafka's title doesn't specify who or what is being transformed. While
Gregor's transformation into a bug is certainly front and center, the generic title invites the
reader to consider all of the other ways that Gregor and the other characters are
transformed in the courseof the story.
Significant relationship between the title, The
Metamorphosis,and the theme of change:
Metamorphosis, this means a change in form, structure, or appearance. Change is a major
themethroughout Franz Kafka's novella, The Metamorphosis. There is a significant
relationship between the title, The Metamorphosis, and the theme of change. As reflected
in the title, transformation - both physical and psychological is at the core of The
Metamorphosis.
Kafka's Metamorphosis, will be discussed as a means to a deeper understanding of the
literary developments which inspired Kafka's Metamorphosis. The novella addresses a
wide variety of topics; as the title suggests, Kafka's main character, Gregor Samsa,
undergoes many changes and his transformation evokes change in his family. Several
metamorphoses take place involving Gregor.
 Physical change
First, a physical change occurs "When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from
unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin." After
that happened, Gregor's voice changes from human into the voice of a bug. "That was the
voice of an animal," Gregor's manager said, but the words seemed perfectly clear to him.
Beginning to see things lessand less, Gregor experiences a change in his vision. In terms of
physical transformations, Gregortransforms from man into vermin, Grete transforms from
girl into woman, and Mr. Sam transforms from a disheveled old man into a well-put-
together member of the workforce.
Simultaneously, each member of the Samsa family undergoes transformations in their
identity. Gregor goes from being the primary breadwinner of the family to the shameful
secret, figuratively and literally kept in darkness from the family as he is isolated from
familial relationships, affairs, and the core of the family home. Meanwhile, the rest of the
Samsas allbegin to rely upon themselves and they are left without the support of Gregor's
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income.
 Mental change
A mental change in Gregor occurs when he starts not caring about or having no
consideration forhis family." It hardly surprised him that he was showing so little
consideration for the others; once such consideration had been his greatest pride."
Everyone in the Samsa family experiences changes brought on by Gregor's metamorphosis.
Since Gregor's physical change renders him no longer able to work, the family's financial
situation changes. Gregor's mother, father, and sister have to get jobs.
 Gregor transformation evokes change in his family
Mrs. Samsa, Gregor's mother, sews lingerie for a local clothing store. His sister, who took
a job as a salesgirl to help the family, also learns French in the evening so she might get a
better position in the future. Mr. Samsa, Gregor's father, takes a job as a messenger for
banking institutions. Turning into a bug, Gregor causes a lack of harmony among the
family members. They keep away from him and will not even look at him. Now, because
they are afraid of Gregor, at least two people always stay home together. Lifestyles that
they used to have change. No maids want to stay. "...On the very first day the maid- it was
not completely clear what and how much she knew of what happened- had begged his
mother on bended knees to dismiss her immediately..." (26) Besides that, the necessity
arises to rent rooms out to three borders to add totheir income. Grete, willingly at first and
unwillingly at the end, does everything for Gregor, such as clean his room and give him his
food.
Symbolic Significance of the Title “The Metamorphosis”
The title of this novel “The Metamorphosis” is a symbolic representation with several
layers of meaning. It can be analyzed from social, political, personal, and psychological
points of view. It can focus on different transformation aspects.
 Social point of view
From a social point of view, the story explores the main character's relationship with his
family. Since his conversion, his main goal was to rejoin his family. He wanted to adjust
to his new condition without becoming a burden. His family rejected him and Gregor
suffered from estrangement. He died being unable to find his place in society.
 Abandon His Identity: Metaphorically, Kafka emphasizes that Gregor was eager
to abandon his identity. He would do it for the sake of society's approval. This idea
appearsto have a religious connection to the concept of self-sacrifice.
 Id, Ego, And Superego: According to Freud's, three members of Gregory's family
represent three aspects of himself. These aspects are: id, ego, and superego. His
sister means his id's subconscious drives. The father plays the role of the superego
disciplining his id. Gregor's mother is the ego. It strives to establish a balance
between two other aspects of identity. The ego cannot resolve the conflict, which
leads to Gregor's self- destruction.
 Social Exclusion: Gregor Samsa, the hero of the novel, is a story of social
exclusion, inwhich Gregor Samsa was treated as a social exclusionary individual
and his family as a micro-scale society. Social exclusion is also described as a
phenomenon that arises from contradictions between the individual and the society. The
contradictions leading to socialexclusion between society and the individual have been tried
to be revealed by analyzingthe discourse of heroes of the novel. This work, which has been
done, aims to present a different perspective to the novella “The Metamorphosis”.
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 Political point of view

From political point of view, Kafka criticizes capitalism by manifesting, in a literal way,
the dehumanizing effects of modern life; Gregor's actual physical transformation reflects
how his lifewas metaphorically that of a bug before the physical, literal transformation into
one.
 Existential (and politcal) allegory: Capitalism and bureaucracies of the modern day
dehumanize people and force them to live lives that are insect-like in quality (living in
close quarters, often dirty; families torn apart by financial stress; identifying oneself
primarily withone's job). . It shows the difficulties of living in a modern society and the
struggle for acceptance of others when in a time of need.
"The Making of an Allegory," by Edwin Honig and “Franz Kafka's 'Metamorphosis' as
Deathand Resurrection Fantasy," by Peter Dow Webster illuminate how sacrifice and
transformation are a vital part of the deeper meaning of "The Metamorphosis."
 Economics and Work: The nature of work and political economy were significant
sources of political debate during Kafka's time, particularly given the rise of Marxism.
After Samsa'stransformation, his father must return to work to support the family,
despite the father's old age. Kafka, drawing on the tradition of Marx, shows how
dependence on work can alienate people from their families and how financial
difficulties can spell disaster not only for the person who has them but for the
surrounding family and community.
 Personal point of view
 Father/son relationship: Kafka's had a strained relationship with his own father,
whom he viewed as overbearing and random in his expressions of disappointment in
his son.
The novella is an exploration of feelings of loneliness and estrangement. Kafka himself
suffered his whole life from it. Gregory's transformation undergoes three stages,
starting withdenial, then acceptance, and decline. When Gregor discovers that he
became an insect, he denies that it will affect his life. Then he realizes that he is an
insect, accepts it, and starts acting like an insect. At the last stage of the transformation,
he withdraws from the world andstops eating, and dies.
 Psychological point of view
The first lesson that can be learnt from the transformation of Gregor's life is the absurdity
that exists in everyday life. The transformation of Gregor's life from human to that of an
insect symbolizes how life operates or at times exists. In nature, insects undergo three
steps of metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult) as does Gregor (realization, coping,
surrender). This seems to express the author's dismay at how maturity means accepting
surrender to the whims of one's.
 Human Nature: The story follows Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesperson who for no
apparent reason -- turns into an unattractive insect. Through this transformation,
Samsa's personality changes from a confident and slightly rebellious salesman to a
shame-filled shellof a person. In telling Samsa's story, Kafka aims to demonstrate that
human nature is not permanent and fixed, but something that is constantly evolving and
based on individual,social and political circumstances.
 Detachment and Alienation: As he transforms into an insect, Samsa becomes
increasingly alienated from his own body, and this leads to disruptions in his sense of
self as well as his relationships with others. During Kafka's time, the concept of
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alienation of people from their very nature was an ongoing subject of philosophical
debate, thanks mostly in part to the workof Karl Marx. Kafka tracks how progressive
alienation limits the ability to work and have relationships and, ultimately, to be
human.
 Human Obligations: The entire Metamorphosis is an allegory about Gregor changing
into avermin, symbolize that he wanted to free himself from his family obligation. "As
Gregor Samsa awoke from unsettling dreams one morning, he found himself
transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin"
 Samsa's family provides care for him, even though they find him repulsive. There is
ongoingscholarly debate about the meaning of this message. Kafka is clearly
exploring familial obligations, human decency and compassion. In doing so, he also
shows the toll that caring for another can exact and the ways in which being a
recipient of such care can lead to shameand humiliation, which is a theme that often
overlaps with politics.
The Metamorphosis Themes

Economic effects on human relationships
Gregor is enslaved by his family because he is the one who makes money. Thus, with the
possible exception of his sister, the family seems to treat him not as a member but as a
sourceof income. When Gregor is no longer able to work after his metamorphosis, he is
treated with revulsion and neglected. Once the family begins working, they also find
difficulty communicating with each other, eating dinner in silence and fighting among
themselves. The exhaustion of dehumanizing jobs and the recognition that people are only
valuable so long
they earn a salary keeps anyone who works isolated from others and unable to establish
humanrelations with them.
Family duty
The theme of family and the duties of family members to each other drive the interactions
between Gregor and the others. His thoughts are almost entirely of the need to support his
parents and sending his sister to the Conservatory. Though Gregor hates his job, he follows
the call of duty to his family and goes far beyond simple duty. The family, on the other
hand, takes care of Gregor after his metamorphosis only so far as duty seems to necessitate.
He is kept locked in his room and brought food. In the end, his room is barely cleaned and
his sister no longer cares about what food she brings him. Her actions are routine, as she
only wants to do enough that she can claim she has fulfilled her duty. When she decides she
has had enough, she insists that their duty to him has been fulfilled: "I don't think anyone
could reproach us in the slightest," she says as she suggests that they need to get rid of him.
Alienation
Before his metamorphosis, Gregor is alienated from his job, his humanity, his family, and
even his body, as we see from the fact that he barely notices his transformation. In fact,
even his consideration for his family seems to be something alien to him, as he barely
notices it when he loses this consideration at the end. After his metamorphosis, Gregor feels
completely alienated from his room and environment and, as a symbol of this, can't even see
his street out the window. The Metamorphosis, then, is a powerful indictment of the
alienation brought on by the modern social order.
Freedom and escapism
Gregor is trapped in his job by his duty to his family, but he dreams of the day when he can
finally pay off their debts and quit his job. His need for freedom from the restrictive
49
demands ofwork is expressed in his metamorphosis, by means of which he escapes. This

escape, however, fails to bring Gregor freedom, for he is now imprisoned by his family in
his room. Thus, when Gregor works, he is enslaved by his job and, when he doesn't work, he
is enslaved by his family. There is no way of balancing out freedom and duty, and in the end
one is always a slave. The only means of escape turns out to be death.
Guilt
Guilt stems from family duty, and is Gregor's most powerful emotion. When he is
transformed into an insect, Gregor is made unable to work by circumstances beyond his
control. Despite the fact that his metamorphosis is not his fault, however, he is racked by
guilt every time that the family mentions money or that he thinks about the pain that he has
inadvertently inflicted on them by losing the ability to support them. Guilt, it turns out, is
deadly, as Gregor realizes at the end that his life is the only thing keeping the family from a
better life. He dies for them just as he lived for them: out of guilt.
Personal identity
Alone in his room, Gregor tries to rebuild the self-identity that he had lost by living entirely
for others and ignoring his own needs. He cannot, however, escape from what he sees as his
familyduty, and continues to act only to serve his family by doing his best not to
inconvenience them. Gregor's comments about his family's behavior are often tinged with
resentment at the way they treat him, but he will not allow himself to recognize his
bitterness. Gregor manages to escape his self-effacing sense of duty only in the last chapter,
when he asserts himself in realizing that his family has been neglecting him. Gregor's search
for his identity seems hopeless, however, because he never had an identity to start with. He
finds his humanity only at the end, when his sister's playing reminds him of his love for his
family. This love, coupled with his freedom, is the final ingredient he needs to establish his
identity.
The Metamorphosis Symbols
The Picture of the Woman

Mentioned right at the outset of the story, the picture of the woman in furs serves as a
symbolof Gregor’s former humanity. Exactly why the picture, which shows a woman
wearing a fur hat, a fur boa, and a thick fur muff that covers her arms, originally attracted
Gregor is never made clear (though it could be that it embodied Gregor’s desires—the
presumably attractive woman may be sexually alluring while the furs she wears could signal
wealth to Gregor). But Gregor’s strong attachment to it does not derive from the content of
the picture so much as from the fact that he put it on his wall when he was still human. He
clings to it in panic when Grete and the mother are clearing out his room because, as he
looks around the room in desperation, he sees it as one object from his former life that he
can save. The content of the picture is irrelevant at that moment. It acts foremost as a
reminder that a human lived there and chose that object to frame and display.
The Father’s Uniform
The uniform the father wears for his job symbolizes the father’s dignity, as well as
Gregor’s shifting feelings of pity and respect for him. Throughout the story, we see the
father primarily from Gregor’s point of view. We learn about the failure of the father’s
business, for example, from Gregor’s thoughts as he overhears the father explaining the
family’s financial situation, and through Gregor we gain a picture of the father as a
shiftless and depressed man whom Gregor appears to feel sorry for but not necessarily
respect. But when Gregor runs out of his room in Part 2 and sees the father for the first
time in weeks, Gregor’s opinion of the father changes. This shift is most evident through
50
Gregor’s description of the father’s uniform, whichgives the father an air of dignity:
Gregor notices the “smart blue uniform with gold buttons,” and thinks the father looks to
be “in fine shape,” suggesting the father’s self-respect has beenrestored, and with it
Gregor’s respect for him.
As the story continues, however, the father again declines—apparently from the pressure of
living with Gregor—and in the evenings Gregor watches him sleep in his uniform, now dirty
and covered with grease spots. As a result, the dignity the uniform conveyed to the father
deteriorates, and Gregor again looks at him with pity. (Notably, there is also a picture in the
house of Gregor in uniform. It is an army uniform, and in the picture Gregor smiles,
“inviting one to respect his uniform and military bearing.”)
Food
Food represents the way the members of the Samsa family feel toward Gregor. Notably, it is
Grete, the family member Gregor feels closest to, who feeds Gregor for most of the story. At
the beginning of Part 2, she leaves milk and bread for him, showing sympathy and
consideration for him after his transformation, particularly as milk was one of his favorite
foods when he was human. When she sees he hasn’t drank the milk, she goes so far as to
leave a tray of various foods out in order to discover what he now likes. Eventually,
however, the work suggests that the family loses interest in feeding Gregor. One night, after
the borders have moved in, the charwoman leaves his door open, and able to see everyone
gathered, he watches as his mother feeds the borders. The scene causes Gregor to feel a great
deal of resentment, and he thinks that he is starving while the borders stuff themselves,
suggesting that as the members of the Samsa family have lost their sympathy for Gregor,
they have stopped taking the same interest in feeding him. Significantly, the father inflicts
the injury in Gregor’s back with an apple, and this wound appears to weaken Gregor and
contribute to his death.
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52
Post. Colonial Perspective in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred

Yearof Solitude”
"One Hundred Years of Solitude", then, is partly an attempt to render the reality of Garcia
Marquez's own experiences in a fictional narrative. "One Hundred Years of Solitude is an
extremely ambitious novel. To a certain extent, in it’s sketching of postcolonial point of view,
i.e.the histories of civil war, plantations, and labor unrest. "One Hundred Years of Solitude"
tells a story about Colombian history and, even more broadly, about Latin American's
struggles with Colonialism and with its own emergence into modernity. It reflects political
ideas that apply to Latin America as a whole, Latin America once had a thriving population of
native Aztecs and "Incas, bid slowly, "European explorers avowed, the native population had
to adjust to the technology and Capitalism that the outsiders brought with them. Similarly,
Macondo (imaginative town in "One Hundred Years of Solitude") begins a very simple
settlement, and as amoney and technology become common only when people from the
outside world begin to arrive.
In addition to mirroring this early virginal stage of Latin America's growth, "One Hundred
Yearsof Solitude" reflects the Current political status of various Latin American countries Just
as Macondo undergoes frequent changes in government, Latin American nations, too, seem
unable to produce governments that are both stable and organized." His Controversial
journalism was only of the various political activities that shaped his life. He was considered a
leftist and a liberal. One of his well-known Friends included Fidel Castro and Garcia Marquez
was even invited to talks during the Cuban revolution because of his political beliefs and
friendship with Castro. Just before Garcia Marquez's birth, Colombia had faced a civil war
between the liberals and Conservatives (the thousand Days War). Garcia Marquez would
ultimately weave this event into the narrative "One Hundred Years of Solitude". The historical
events taught by his grandfather and an imbedded respect for the supernatural from his
grandmother became the basisof "One Hundred Years of Solitude". He used politics in his
works to bring awareness to the political turmoil of Colombia.
"A new and sweeping utopia of life, where no one will be able to decide for others how
theydie, where love will prove true and happiness be possible, and where the races
Condemnedto one hundred years of Solitude will have, at least and forever, a second
opportunity on earth." (Speech)
A piece of his speech is a direct reference to "One Hundred Years of Solitude" In the novel the
utopia of Macondo is destroyed, love and happiness does not seem possible and the family
does not receive a second opportunity on earth. His novel explores much of what he disagree
with andsees as wrong within his country. Garcia masks what he sees as Flaws way to create
in Latin America, as a change in the system that lead to their "Condemnation". Colombia
struggled towards a liberal republic, the Country constantly disagree between the liberal and
the centralist ideas of government.
Many of the Latin American Countries faced political turmoil due to a Colorized past.
Colombia in particular was not only effected by its past but by other countries choosing to affect
It’s present as well. "The United States" expressed its interests in influencing Latin American
politics and trade in the famous Monroe Doctrine.
Magical realism as postcolonial discourse: See point magical realism already discuss.
53
KAINAT
BS English Literature | KAINAT
Call to Arms
Only you, O Iranian woman, have remained For that person who is your creation,
In bonds of wretchedness, misfortune, and cruelty; to enjoy preference and superiority is shameful;
If you want these bonds broken, woman, take action because a world
grasp the skirt of obstinacy awaits and is in tune with you.
Do not relent because of pleasing promises, Sleeping in a dark grave is happier for you
never submit to tyranny; than this abject servitude and misfortune;
become a flood of anger, hate and pain, where is that proud man..? Tell him
excise the heavy stone of cruelty. to bow his head henceforth at your threshold.
It is your warm embracing bosom Where it that proud mane? Tell him to get up
that nurtures proud and pompous man; because a woman is here rising to battle him;
it is your joyous smile that bestows her words are the truth, in which cause
on his heart warmth and vigor. she will never shed tears out of weakness.
Explanation:
The spiraling words have been appropriated from the Iranian feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad,
whose candor in expressing sexual desire was at odds with the religious rules that had been
imposed by the Islamic Republic.
Fighting for right is wise step taken ever. Women should be recovered from all sufferings. They
should get equal rights in society. This poem is very beautifully penned. We hear a complete
story of awareness through wonderful expression in this poem. woman, take action because a
world awaits and is in tune with you. Yes, it's high time, women, not only from Iran, but of the
world need take the reins of their fate into theirs. Thanks poetess for such a brave inspirational
poem.
Woman has suffered a lot over the ages in almost all the male dominated societies. But with the
spread of education, knowledge and awareness in women things have started changing. They are
ready to fight for their legitimate rights even at the cost of taking on the male chauvinists in the
society. It was long overdue. Never submit to tyranny.... For that person who is your creation, to
enjoy preference and superiority is shameful; Tell him.... to bow his head henceforth at your
threshold.
Let me quote a stanza from the poem 'Sleeping in a dark grave is happier for you than this abject
servitude and misfortune; where is that proud man..? Tell him to bow his head henceforth at your
threshold.' calling her friends not to feel weak and slavish. If required take up arms to fight for
your rights. Very nice poem. Loved it.
Taking its title from Call to Arms, a poem by the late Iranian poet (and director) Forough
Farrokhzad (1935-1967), the exhibition explores the subject of female identity. Popular poet
during her lifetime and in the years following her death. She had such an effect on Iranian culture
that she was often called "the poet of her generation" (Darznik 107).
Forough Farrokhzad used her poetry to express her frustration with the circumstances of her
marriage. Divorce was not encouraged in Iran, and she faced harsh judgement from her father
when she left her husband and returned home (Talattof 85). Another complication enters the
picture when she considers her son, whom she would need to leave behind if she were to separate
from her husband. She wonders how she could ever leave him, even if that were the only route to
freedom. Farrokhzad creates a beautiful, intimate poem by sharing her experiences of being
22
confined in a bad marriage. Farrokhzad's poems consistently addressed the conditions in which
women found themselves; in "Call to Arms," Farrokhzad chastised Iranian women for remaining
"in bonds of wretchedness, misfortune and cruelty," advising them to "grasp the skirt of
obstinacy" if they wanted to break those bonds.
Forough Farrokhzad's "Call to Arms" which advocates for women's liberation. At a time when
the news media consistently tends to focus on the threat of Iran and its burgeoning nuclear
program, there is perhaps no better alternate view than that of the everyday citizen, particularly
women. In a country often depicted as cut off from the outside, this show takes a closer look at
the clash of modernity and tradition in a society often hidden from Americans.
Call to Arms, shows feminine theme which tells women to "never submit to tyranny." "For that
person who is your creation, to enjoy preference and superiority is shameful; woman, take action
because a world awaits and is in tune with you."
The abandonment of a conventional family life turns her into a target of stereotypes and public
disapproval. In spite of the social reconstruction that accompanied Iran's modernization in 1940,
criticizing the choice options available to women was still taboo, as Farrokhzad does in the
poem"Call to Arms".
Only you, O Iranian woman, kept In bonds of misery, misfortune and cruelty; If you want those
ties broken, grab the skirt of stubbornness.
In 950s, Farrokhzad's works, such as “The Captive”, “Call to Arms”, and “The Wedding Band”
reflected her feminist perspectives on cultural perspectives regarding marriage, the conventional
lifestyle expected of women and the female experience within the Persian culture. In “Call to
Arms” she chastised Iranian women for having fallen behind other women in the world.
Farrokhzad played a leading role in encouraging Iranian women to put an end to their age-old
oppression and to demand equality with men. Apart from her sexually explicit poems that for the
first time in Persian literature speak about women’s sexual desires, she addressed a number of
poems directly to women, calling on them to demand their rights.
Forough Farrokhzad used her poetry to advocate for women’s liberation from all oppressive
circumstances, not just marriage. In “Call to Arms,” she laments the oppression of Iranian
women by addressing them directly. She complains that women have suffered too long “in bonds
of wretchedness, misfortune, and cruelty” (Farrokhzad line 2). She also points out the hypocrisy
that men depend on women for so much, yet continue to oppress them: It is your warm
embracing bosom that nurtures proud and pompous man; it is your joyous smile that bestows on
his heart warmth and vigour (Farrokhzad lines 9-12). Farrokhzad’s unwaveringly honest poem
calls attention to the injustice Iranian women face. Forough Farrokhzad did not shy away from
using her poetry to comment on the oppression of women.
23
The Pity of Partition

Manto’s Life, Times, and Work across the India-Pakistan Divide
By Ayesha Jalal
“This is a masterful historical study of partition as seen through the life and writings of one of the
subcontinent’s foremoststorytellers—Saadat Hasan Manto. A work at once scholarly and emotive,
panoramic and personal, gripping and empirical,this is Jalal at her spectacular best.”
—Seema Alavi, author of Islam and Healing
Saadat Hasan Manto (1912–1955) was an
established Urdushort story writer and a
rising screenwriter in Bombay at the time
of India’s partition in 1947, and he is
perhaps best knownfor the short stories he
wrote following his migration to Lahorein
newly formed Pakistan. Today Manto is an
acknowledged master of twentieth-century
Urdu literature, and his fiction serves as a
lens through which the tragedy of
partition is brought sharply into focus. In
The Pity of Partition, Manto’s lifeand work
serve as a prism to capture the human
dimension of sectarian conflict in the final
decades and immediate aftermathof the
British raj.
Ayesha Jalal draws on Manto’s stories,
sketches, and essays,as well as a trove of
his private letters, to present an intimate
history of partition and its devastating toll. Probing the creativetension between literature and
history, she charts a new way of reconnecting the histories of individuals, families, and
communities in the throes of cataclysmic change. Jalal brings to life the people, locales, and
events that inspired Manto’s fiction, which is characterized by an eye for detail, a measure ofwit
and irreverence, and elements of suspense and surprise. In turn, she mines these writings for fresh
insights into everyday cosmopolitanism in Bombay and Lahore, the experience and causes of
partition, the postcolonial transition, and the advent of the Cold War in South Asia.
“This lovingly written, informative, and thought-ful book by Ayesha Jalal is a fitting tribute to the
life and work of her great-uncle, Saadat Hasan Manto, one of the leading writers of modern South
Asia, on the occasion of his centennial birthday. Jalal moves deftly between history, biography, and
literature, experimenting with a narrative method that succeeds in capturing the sense of ‘cosmopoli-
tanism in everyday life’ that Manto championed. The Pity of Partition deserves a wide readership.”
—Dipesh Chakrabarty, University of Chicago
The first in-depth look in English at this influential literary figure, The Pity of Partition
demonstrates the revelatory power ofart in times of great historical rupture.
Ayesha Jalal is the Mary Richardson Professor of History at Tufts University. Her books include
Partisans of Allah: Jihad inSouth Asia, Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian
Islam since 1850, and The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League, and the Demand for
Pakistan.
24
THE PITY OF PARTITION: Manto’s Life, Times,

and Work across the India-Pakistan Divide | By
Ayesha Jalal
Lawrence Stone Lectures. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2013. xv, 265 pp. (B&W
photos.) US$27.95, cloth. ISBN 978-0-691-15362-9.
This is a highly readable book on the life and writings of the most outstanding Urdu short-story
writer Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955), by the historian Ayesha Jalal, a close relative of
Manto’s; her father was his nephew.
Jalal expands her ambit from archival material, which hitherto has been her only source of
writing on the Partition, to include oral history as she moves away from high politics to the stark
ground reality of unprecedented violence that claimed more than a million lives and forced 14-
18 million people to cross the India-Pakistan border at the time of Partition in mid-1947.
However, she expresses doubts about oral history as a reliable source for scholarly research.
She remarks: “Privileging memories shaped by violent ruptures cannot but provide a distorting
prism for looking into the history of the entire gamut of social and political relations” (13). It is an
involved construction because there is nothing to suggest that memory should be privileged.
Methodological innovation which does not privilege one source material over the other and
attempts a multi-layered analysis combining high politics, the conduct of officialdom in the field,
and the experiences of the people, three levels in the structure and process of the partition, is
certainly an option.
Conventional historians, including Jalal, put their pens down once government reports on the
partition prepared by the British ceased to be available (not written at all or those that remain
classified up to this day) after the 14th of August, when power was transferred to Indian and
Pakistani administrations in the partitioned Punjab. However, political scientists can link these
levels in a theoretical framework to attempt a holistic and comprehensive study of that great
upheaval. In my book, The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed: Unravelling the 1947
Tragedy through Secret British Reports and First-Person Accounts (Karachi: Oxford University
Press, 2012), I have demonstrated the usefulness and relevance of such methodology.
Reviewers have, without exception, found the employment of oral history collected from
hundreds of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs a very useful methodological innovation.
Consequently, when Jalal attempts a biography-cum-literary evaluation of Manto, she
combines newspaper editorials and news items, articles on Manto, letters he wrote and
received, some official documents and reports, with oral history collected through discussions
and interviews with his family, relatives, friends and contemporaries. The result is an amazingly
informative, even-handed, and lifelike portrait of the great writer.
Manto’s elders were from Kashmir. They were shawl merchants who settled in the Punjab. His
father was a magistrate. Saadat Hasan was born to his second wife, whom his relatives never
accepted. The genius grew up lonely, discriminated against, and angry. He was an
unsuccessful student who found himself in the company of leftists wanting to overthrow British
colonialism and imbibed that message. Long years of struggle in Lahore, Bombay and Delhi to
make a living from writing fiction and film stories and scripts followed. He was victimized for
allegedly writing obscene stories and dragged into courts. Married to a woman also of Kashmiri
extraction, Safia, he found in her his bedrock, though he had wanted to marry a cousin whom
some rich suitor claimed successfully. Together they had four children, three daughters and a
son. The son was the apple of his eye but he died when still an infant. Manto could never
overcome that blow.
Manto became a rebel; an anti-imperialist to the end of his life; jealously independent and
irreverent, hounded by right-wing forces and ostracized by orthodox communists. He could
make fun of religion. He had many close Hindu friends, including the famous actors such as
Ashok Kumar and Shyam; yet wrote the Arabic numerals 786 (symbolizing the Quranic formula
“I begin in the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”) on the top of each story he
wrote. A critic of religious fanaticism, he was simultaneously a realist convinced that religion
25
shapes human behaviour and cannot be wished away. Jalal tries to explicate these
contradictions and does it very well.
The selection of the short stories is extremely fair. The breadth of Manto’s writings covering
sexuality, violence, corruption, politics, culture, individualism, class and society is amply
presented. Equally, his skills, ranging from portraying tragedy and horror to sarcasm and
humour and pique absurdity, are aptly demonstrated. Jalal devotes a whole chapter to the
fictional letters he wrote to Uncle Sam with regard to how Pakistan would be used and
exploited. He could foretell that the Americans would be promoting fanaticism and extremism in
Pakistan. History has proven him right. Yet Manto left India and came to Pakistan, where under
the influence of literary critic and ideologue Hassan Askari, he began to assume some typical
Pakistani nationalist standpoints vis-à-vis India.
Jalal mentions that Manto used to celebrate March 23rd, the date of the 1940 Lahore resolution
passed by the Muslim League demanding Pakistan. This is doubtful, because not until 1956
was that date declared the national day of Pakistan. By that time Manto was dead, succumbing
to mounting debts, excessive drinking and an intellectually suffocating milieu that emerged in
Pakistan as the demand for making Pakistan a proper Islamic state picked up momentum.
It is widely mentioned that Manto wrote to Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (a Kashmiri
Brahmin like Manto but a Hindu) urging him to vacate Muslim Kashmir just as he (a Muslim)
had left India and migrated to Pakistan. If such a letter was written then Manto succumbed to
the logic of the two-nation theory on which Pakistan is based. It would have been interesting to
know if such a letter was written at all. Jalal has not taken it up in her discussion, which is
rather peculiar.
Published 13 years later, and many decades in the making, The Pity of Partition is Jalal’s determined endeavour to demonstrate how the
astute Ludhiana-born writer’s brief life and work may provide the basis for “an imaginative retelling of the history of South Asia” in the
early to mid-20th century.
Jalal’s methodological intention is to point to the validity, as a practice, of mining realist fiction for historical insights which may
destabilise dominant nationalist and communal narratives around the bloody birth of the postcolonial states of Pakistan and I ndia. In
pursuit of this end she seeks to explore and showcase the breadth and significance of the socially critical and satirical creative outputs of
the relative she called Manto Abajan within the context of his times (although he had died a year before she was born, Jalal describes
Manto “an absent presence” for whom she says — in somewhat portentous terms — that she had a “bond ... which transcended”
relationships of family).
Importantly, she interweaves not just the Urdu writer’s best-known Partition stories but also his other short fiction, personality sketches,
essays on the postcolonial transition and private letters with the events of his life as she explores what light they might shed on the
meaning of historical matters from the 1919 Amritsar massacre to the newly independent Pakistan’s alliance with the United States in the
early 1950s — for, temporally as well as geographically, Manto’s life straddled the divide. And, doing so, Jalal attempts to demonstrate
how a recognition of the “cosmopolitan humanism” exuded by the man himself and instilled in the “information” -based works contained
in his archive may “become a catalyst for reassessing” “statist” and “communal” narratives of the “dislocations of partition” and later
“episodes of violence.”
The different parts of this study are grouped according to genre. The first titled ‘Stories’ introduces fact-based fictional narratives of
Hindu-Muslim friendships placed under strain (but by no means necessarily broken) in pre-Partition Bombay. It provides impressions of
Manto’s boyhood immersion in revolutionary literature and thought under the polemical Marxist Abdul Bari Alig’s mentorship, leading
to autobiographically-informed accounts of anti-colonial struggles. Memorably, this section also covers Manto’s 1936 arrival in Bombay,
where he strove to write film scripts in addition to Urdu short stories, which remained true to his “opinion” that the “life” — whether of a
pious house-wife or an illiterate tonga driver anticipating the introduction of a ‘Naya Qanun’ — “ought to be presented as it is.”
The Pity of Partition’s ensuing parts cover ‘Memories’ which, Jalal contends, point to “the other [cosmopolitan] side” of everyday life at the
time of Partition, countering “narratives of social conflict” which have naturalised ‘tragic incidents’ of violence, and obscured more humane
ones. The ‘Memories’ part also includes a consideration of Manto’s candid Bald Angels sketches of writers, film-makers, artists and editors —
an array of celebrity friends and acquaintances whose religious affiliations were no impediment either to his amicability or his wit. This second
part’s final section, ‘Living and Walking in Bombay’ draws on correspondence and works such as the Manto Nama to retell extraordinary
moments when the author’s life seemed to mimic fiction (instead of vice-versa), for example when his friend, the matinee idol Ashok Kumar,
was hailed by a Muslim ‘mob’ as “Ashok Bhai” and given safe passage via a side-lane through their “sectarian” neighbourhood.
The final part, on ‘Histories’ of Partition, “the Postcolonial Moment” in which Manto arrived in Lahore, and ‘Pakistan and Uncle Sam’s Cold
War’ draw in particular on his essays on subjects ranging from the predicaments of abducted women to accounts of his trials for obscenity in a
fledgling nation whose artists and writers remained hamstrung by colonial censorship laws. Jalal’s discussion of the supportive correspondence
he received when booked on obscenity charges in respect of the short story ‘Thanda Gosht’ is particularly interesting when we consider how
narratives of Partition’s traumatic events may be perceived: as indicative of an endemic “lewdness” and depravity, or as examples of
exceptional incidences in which “flashes of light” may be gleaned “in the depths of darkness.”
Lastly, part three includes a consideration of his ‘open’ correspondence with his American uncle, brilliantly poised so as to ridicule the US’s
ruthless pursuit of its foreign policy interests in the region, its growing cultural influence, and the wisdom of Muslim Paki stan’s associations
with this rich and unscrupulous relative. Jalal’s Epilogue briefly probes Manto’s memorialisation and legacy, and points to the still ambiguous
status of his life and work in a “postcolonial state anxious to protect its Islamic credentials,” where “conservative circles” who would censure it
remain “eager to make social capital out of their contrived piety,” even as “growing ranks of Manto enthusiasts” continue to read, discuss and
disseminate his work nationally and globally.
Switching between the genres of history, literature and biography, Jalal makes a strong case for the inclusion of a consideration of Manto’s
writings in any study of 20th-century South Asian history, and in particular of what she terms “the pity of Partition, and the pity that Partition
continues to be.” Jalal’s lengthy retellings of Manto’s complex, realist and — in her own terms — “impartial” fictions almost as fact in The
Pity of Partition blur the boundaries between the two, encouraging the reader not only to acknowledge their proximity (and hence therefore the
26
expediency of their incorporation, along with other forms of “evidence” into any nuanced historical account). They also encourage us to reach
again, both for the more familiar ‘Partition’ stories, and for the less-read letters, sketches, and biographies, as we search not only to reacquaint
ourselves with the full versions of the originals, but also to verify and more subtly to understand the basis for Jalal’s assertions about the
“percipience” of this “all to honest” subcontinental writer in her highly personal homage to his greatness.
The reviewer’s doctoral thesis at the University of East London explores contemporary South Asian fiction
The Pity of Partition: Manto’s Life, Times, and Work across the India-Pakistan Divide
Self and Sovereignty:

Individual and Community in South Asian Islam since 1850
 The idea of the individual in Muslim thought has often been obscured in historical
scholarship by an all too easy elision of religious difference with an essentialized Indian
Muslim community. This book explores and interprets the historical processes through
which the relationship between the Muslim individual and the community of Islam was
reconfigured in colonial South Asia. By unravelling the myriad threads and twists in the
Muslim sense of identity, their ideas of sovereignty and the ways in which they adjusted to
the concept of citizenship in the modern nation-state, it radically reconceptualizes the
formation of religiously informed identities.
 The historical spotlight of this work is on Muslim conceptions of khudi or self, and the
related concept of self-determination or khudikhtiyari, in collective assertions of
sovereignty But it is not exclusively focused on the Muslims. It contributes as much to an
understanding of Hindu and Sikh discourses on identity, nationalism and citizenship rights,
not to mention the welter of regional and sub-regional identities in the subcontinent.
 The study begins with a historically and culturally nuanced exploration of the interplay
between the individual and the community in the period before the great mutiny-revolt and
formal loss of sovereignty in 1857. The substantive chapters offer a historical investigation
of Muslim identity and politics from c.1857 to 1947 in both the majority and minority
provinces of colonial India with special reference to the Punjab as the locus of historical
initiative in moulding communitarian discourse and politics shifts to that region in the
1920s. The epilogue offers an analysis of the implications of the post-colonial transition for
Muslims scattered across separate sovereign states. By historicizing the twin issues of
Muslim cultural differences and Muslim politics, the book forms the basis to completely
rethink and renegotiate the problem of difference and identity in the South Asian context.
 Self and Sovereignty charts a new path in South Asian historiography while contributing to
the wider literature on identity formation, contested sovereignties, competing nationalisms
and the normative issue of balancing communitarian and individual citizenship
rights. Using a wide array of rare primary sources, the book offers a dazzling
reinterpretation of religion, language, culture and politics in colonial South Asia. An
important historical study of the Muslims of the subcontinent, it will transform
understandings of the Muslim individual and the community of Islam the world over.
 IN her book Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam Since
1850 which reflected on the “social convulsions of 1947” and in particular the partitioning
of the Punjab, Ayesha Jalal took a moment to relate the events of ‘Parhiya Kalima’ by
Saadat Hasan Manto, not a historical account, but a work of literature. One of the many
unsettling short fictions her prolific granduncle penned in the aftermath of the
subcontinent’s painful separation, ‘Parhiya Kalima’ — or, in its English translation,
‘Nothing but the Truth’ — tells the story of a Muslim man’s killing, in that fractious period,
of his Hindu lover, a murder which in fact has nothing to do with the creation of Pakistan or
communal antipathies. Having provided her précis of this specific tale, Jalal proceeded to
assert: “It is to the credit of … storytellers like Manto that individual pain at the moment of
Partition was not lost sight of in the recounting of a human tragedy attributed solely to
27
religion. Escaping the exclusionary trapdoor of collective memories, [his] characters
resoundingly defy the straightjacketing of religious categories ... these were men and
women for whom the politics of religious identity were not necessarily more important than
personal relationships cutting across religious denominations. Celebrated in literary circles,
Manto’s social intuition has yet to inform historians searching for ‘communal’ trails to
unknown ghosts in the killing plains of the Punjab.”
AYESHA JALAL, Self and Sovereignty: Individual and Community in South Asian Islam since 1850, Delhi: Oxford
University Press, 2001, pp. 630. In Ayesha Jalal’s argument, the obsession of historians with the growth of Muslim
’communalism’ in the century before 1947 has vitiated serious scholarly analysis of Indian Muslim thought and politics.
Focusing on the politics of north Indiaand particularly on the Punjab-Jalal argues in this study that Muslim thinking and politics
were far more complex than has generally been assumed. . The greatest strength of Jalal’s study is to explode unequivocally the
myth that there was any unified ’Muslim’ approach to politics during these years. As she shows in considerable detail, Muslims
were divided by a range of issues, some ’ religious and some not. Looking primarily at the writings of Muslim poets, she rejects
at the outset the orientalist notion that Islam somehow pre-determined. Muslim political interests. She argues instead for
Muslim individuality and a Muslim self that was not predetermined by community. Many Muslims undoubtedly held fast to
distinctive religious sensibilities and worked toward an Indian politics that would make room for religious difference. But their
politics can hardly be understood, she argues, through the fixed lens of ’communalism’. Jalal’s forceful arguments for
complexity are an important corrective to frequently-held assumptions about Muslim politics in India. Her book is, in fact,
filled with critical insights about Muslim politics and Muslim thinking. She shows the undoubted bigotry that marked the
politics of some Muslim political leaders ’ in Punjab, and yet she shows how such sentiments were often directed at other .
Muslims (particularly the Ahmadis) as much as at Hindus. Perhaps equally importantly, she shows how, in Punjab at least,
bigotry was in no way a Muslim monopoly. The events that led to the partition of the Punjab and to the violence that
accompanied it were every bit as much a result of the attitudes and ideas of Hindus and Sikhs as Muslims. Yet, when it comes
to historical argument, Jalal’s book is surprisingly thin. The analysis, which relies heavily on British-compiled native
newspaper reports and on British intelligence summaries, is largely focused on an urban arena of conflict and disputation. And
yet the changing structural position of this arena within the larger framework of Indian colonial society is never subjected to
effective analysis. . While she rightly criticises Benedict Anderson for his overemphasis on colonial institutions in shaping
nationalist discourse, she never addresses his central argument about the role of print in defining a world of newly re-imagined
communities in which increasing individualism and increasing commitment to community went hand in hand. In spite of her
anti-orientalist protestations, Jalal’s vision of the relationship between individual and community is, in fact, a largely static one
(and this in spite of her considerable analysis-and strongly positive assessment-of the ideas of Muhammad Iqbal). Ironically, in
light of her criticism of Anderson, the only historical argument she offers for the course of the events she describes is that the
British defined fixed notions of religious community (through the census, separate electorates, etc.) to which Indians
unwittingly responded. The impoverished character of her historical analysis is also evident in her failure to analyse seriously
the social and intellectual dynamics of the relationship between competition and solidarity that lies at the heart of much of her
story. Once again, this is because characteristically, she makes virtually no attempt to grapple with the ideas that other scholars
have advanced on these subjects. She dismisses, for example, the work of Sandria Freitag on the grounds that it gives too much
credence to ’communalism’. And yet, she pays no attention to Freitag’s arguments about the relationship between intra-
community competitions on the one hand, and symbolic appeals to unity on the other, and about the ways that this dynamic
shaped local urban politics-and urban riots-in India. Some discussion of this relationship would have been highly relevant to her
focus on ’self and sovereignty’, but of this we get virtually none. She is also completely unselfconscious in her use of sources.
Though she relies heavily on British newspaper summaries and on intelligence reports, she never asks what the purposes of
these sources were or the biases that they might entail, in spite of the work by Gyanendra Pandey and others demonstrating
clearly the importance of understanding British biases relating to ’communalism’ in using British sources. Indeed, this
introduces a significant bias into her account. Her overwhelming focus is on the urban arena of print and association, the arena
of ’communal’ competition par excellence, with which these sources were preoccupied, and yet this is never balanced by a
sustained discussion of the broader would of community and power relations in which this arena was embedded. The result,
quite contrary to her apparent intentions, is a book that significantly overstates the importance of communitarian conflict (her
choice of word as an alternative to communalist) in the politics of the Punjab during this era. Though she alludes at various
points to the varied alternative forms of social organisation in which Muslims were embedded (such as patronage structures and
biradari), we get no serious analysis of the relationship between these structures of power and the politics of Muslim ’self and
sovereignty’. Quite to the contrary, she seems to assume that all such forms of organisation should be seen as merely subsets of
communitarian politics; she thus refers to Muslim biradari organisations as ’subdenominational’ forms of organisation. All of
this of course runs contrary to her stated goal of questioning ’communal’ politics as an all-encompassing framework for
understanding Muslim history, and the net effect is to convey an impression that is quite the opposite.
This is not to suggest, of course, that the book is without considerable value. Jalal has given us detailed reconstructions of
important (and understudied) Punjabi political movements, such as the Ahrar; she has provided much new information drawn
from hitherto not commonly used sources; and she has underscored the critical importance of the tortured dynamics of Punjabi
popular politics in shaping the events leading to partition. All of this will prove very useful to historians. But she has structured
her arguments not as a contribution to scholarly dialogue on the history of Indian Muslims in this period, but simply as an
answer to polemicists who have seen modern Indian history as shaped by a monolithic Muslim community. driven by
communalism. Unfortunately, given its length and mass of detail, this book is no more likely to succeed as an intervention in
polemical debate than as an effective contribution to scholarly dialogue.
28

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Part 2: World Literature KAINAT | BS English Literature

“The Hangmen” by Pablo Neruda

“Ik nuktay wich gal mukdi aye”

“Kar Kuttan Wal Dihyan Kuray”

“Ranjha Ranjha Kardi Hun Mein Apey Ranjha Hoi”

"I Love You”

“All through eternity”

All through eternity The rose gives tidings of His beauty.

“The Miniature Woman”

Significance of Title “THE METAMORPHOSIS”

 Political point of view

The Metamorphosis Themes

demands ofwork is expressed in his metamorphosis, by means of which he escapes. This

The Metamorphosis Symbols

The Picture of the Woman

Post. Colonial Perspective in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred

The Pity of Partition

THE PITY OF PARTITION: Manto’s Life, Times,

Self and Sovereignty:

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