Messages

1

Permanent Campus of DIU / Re: DIU permanent Campus Building Construction will be kicked off shortly

« on: February 05, 2011, 11:51:46 AM »

stunning projection mapping

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Islam & Science / Inside Hazrat Fatima Az-Zahra (AS)'s House in Madina

« on: December 28, 2010, 01:37:09 PM »

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English / Assignment on Robert Frost

« on: December 28, 2010, 01:15:25 PM »

Robert Frost and Nature

Frost's use of nature is the single most misunderstood element of his poetry. Frost said over and over, "I am not a nature poet. There is almost always a person in my poems." "Spring Pools" and "A Winter Eden" are two rare exceptions to this rule, although both poems embody the idea of perfection - the spring pools "almost without defect" and the snow scene described as "paradise." Nature does not idealize - that is the work of man, so perhaps there is a person there after all.
 
Most of Frost's poems use nature imagery. His grasp and understanding of natural fact is well recognized. However Frost is not trying to tell us how nature works. His poems are about human psychology. Rural scenes and landscapes, homely farmers, and the natural world are used to illustrate a psychological struggle with everyday experience met with courage, will and purpose in the context of Frost's life and personal psychology. His attitude is stoical, honest and accepting. Frost uses nature as a background. He usually begins a poem with an observation of something in nature and then moves toward a connection to some human situation or concern. Frost is neither a transcendentalist nor a pantheist.

   

    There is much in nature against us. But we forget:
        Take nature altogether since time began,
        Including human nature, in peace and war,
        And it must be a little more in favor of man,
        Say a fraction of one percent at the very least,
        Or our number living wouldn't be steadily more,
        Our hold on the planet wouldn't have so increased

Nature is separate and independent from man. Man "keeps the universe alone," even though he may call out for "counter love," he will not find it. Even though he loved natural beauty, Frost recognized the harsh facts of the natural world. He viewed these opposites as simply different aspects of reality that could be embraced in poetry. He accepts these facts with honesty and is remorseless in his realization of them. He probes the quality of truth and accepts that there may be no answer.
 
Frost uses nature as metaphor. He observes something in nature and says this is like that. He leads you to make a connection, but never forces it on the reader. Read on a literal level, Frost's poems always make perfect sense. His facts are correct, especially in botanical and biological terms. But he is not trying to tell nature stories nor animal stories. He is always using these metaphorically implying an analogy to some human concern. The reader may or may not be reminded of the same thing that the poet was thinking of when he wrote the poem, but he hopes the reader is close. Frost is often described as a parablist. His poetic impulse starts with some psychological concern and finds its way to a material embodiment which usually includes a natural scene. Frost always takes time to describe it with sensitivity and care while using good poetic technique especially figurative language. Many of his poems are text book examples of the use of imagery and poetic devices of all kinds. He was a skilled versifier.

Submitted by:
Shahriar
072-10-381
Department of English
Daffodil International University

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English / Mark Twain's Autobiography Topping Bestseller List

« on: November 21, 2010, 01:39:15 PM »

The Autobiography of Mark Twain: Vol I

Mark Twain was a figure larger than fife: massive in talent, eruptive in temperament, unpredictable in his actions. He crafted stories of heroism, adventure, tragedy, and comedy that reflected the changing America of the time, and he tells his own story--which includes sixteen pages of photos--with the same flair he brought to his fiction. Writing this autobiography on his deathbed, Twain vowed to he "free and frank and unembarrassed" in the recounting of his life and his experiences. Twain was more than a match for the expanding America of riverboats, gold rushes, and the vast westward movement, which provided the material for his novels and which served to inspire this beloved and uniquely American autobiography.

About the Author

Mark Twain, who was born Samuel Clemens in Missouri in 1835, wrote some of the most enduring works of American fiction, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He died in 1910

Topping Bestseller List

When editors at the University of California Press pondered the possible demand for “Autobiography of Mark Twain,” a $35, four-pound, 500,000-word door-stopper of a memoir, they kept their expectations modest with a planned print run of 7,500 copies. Now it is a smash hit across the country, landing on best-seller lists and going back to press six times, for a total print run — so far — of 275,000. The publisher cannot print copies quickly enough, leaving some bookstores and online retailers stranded without copies just as the holiday shopping season begins.

Excerpt: The Autobiography of Mark Twain

I was born the 30th of November, 1835, in the almost invisible village of Florida, Monroe County, Missouri. My parents removed to Missouri in the early 'thirties; I do not remember just when, for I was not born then and cared nothing for such things. It was a long journey in those days and must have been a rough and tiresome one. The village contained a hundred people and I increased the population by I per cent. It is more than many of the best men in history could have done for a town. It may not be modest in me to refer to this but it is true. There is no record of a person doing as much-not even Shakespeare. But I did it for Florida and it shows that I could have done it for any place-even London, I suppose.

Recently some one in Missouri has sent me a picture of the house I was born in. Heretofore I have always stated that it was a palace but I shall be more guarded now.

The village had two streets, each a couple of hundred yards long; the rest of the avenues mere lanes, with railfences and comfields on either side. Both the streets and the lanes were paved with the same material-tough black mud in wet times, deep dust in dry.

Most of the houses were of logs--all of them, indeed, except three or four; these latter were frame ones. There were none of brick and none of stone. There was a log church, with a puncheon floor and slab benches. A puncheon floor is made of logs whose upper surfaces have been chipped flat with the adz. The cracks between the logs were not filled; there was no carpet; consequently, if you dropped anything smaller than a peach it was likely to go through. The church was perched upon short sections of logs, which elevated it two or three feet from the ground. Hogs slept under there, and whenever the dogs got after them during services the minister had to wait till the disturbance was over. In winter there was always a refreshing breeze up through the puncheon floor; in summer there were fleas enough for all.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/20/books/20twain.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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English / Re: ENG: 401 20th-Century Poetry (Reference Guide)

« on: September 29, 2010, 10:46:01 PM »

Thank You so much Miss for the references.

Its quite interesting as i was going through the life history of W.B.Yeats, I learn t that critics often credited W.B.Yeats for taking Rabindranath Tagore’s writing to the western audience which eventually made Tagore the first winner of Nobel prize amongst Asians. It is also being rumored that Yeats was ‘disappointed’ with the writings of Tagore in his later years. Renowned Economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen wrote an article explaining the difference as “inability of Tagore's many-sided writings to fit into the narrow box in which Yeats wanted to place—and keep—him.”

This might be a little bit off-topic but if anyone wants to read Amartya Sen's article "Tagore and His India" please visit the link below:

http://www.countercurrents.org/culture-sen281003.htm

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English / ENG: 401 20th-Century Poetry (Reference Guide)

« on: September 27, 2010, 02:11:11 PM »

The Twentieth Century In Poetry - A Critical Survery by Peter Childs

Download the free ebook: http://bit.ly/ca1L9x

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English / Re: Assignment for 11th Batch, Department of English

« on: April 17, 2010, 07:07:34 PM »

Although my name is not enlisted, but I had been given the topic, Character Analysis of Major Callender from "A Passage to India". Instead of starting a new thread I submit my assignment as a reply to the following post. (Word file sent as an attached document)

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Debate Forum / Re: English Debate

« on: September 04, 2009, 02:33:50 AM »

I think we can provide useful information in this Forum section regarding the English debating styles.

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Alumni / Re: Regarding the death of Dr. Wazed

« on: May 12, 2009, 04:23:49 AM »

The nation will recall with respect the contribution of Dr Wajed in development of nuclear science in Bangladesh. We salute him for the dedication and efforts he made throughout his life for the betterment of this country.