Where the Mind Is Without Fear

                                                                                 Rabindranath Tagore, India (1861 – 1941)
Summary in English

"Where the Mind is Without Fear" is one of the influential and persuasive poems by the Nobel Prize winner poet, Rabindranath Tagore. The poem focuses on true patriotism of the world so that human beings live, work and help with light in the absence of darkness, discrimination, fear and violence. It also represents that peaceful and happy life remains as if there is peaceful mind.

The poet makes a satire looking at full of violence, fear, discrimination, hatred throughout the modern world. Therefore, by poem he wishes all people and world to be without any kind of darkness, fear, war and discrimination. So, he wishes and wants to go to or to be in such world where there is love, wisdom, light, peace and freedom. Anyway, he wishes to change the face of present world.

The poet reflects that the present world is full of darkness, evils, fear and injustice. So, this world is like hell. Fear has ruled over people's mind. The knowledge possessed by human beings is not free from such fear and violence. Inequality, conflict, war, selfishness, jealousy, violence and corruption have dominated in the human society as well as all over the world. In such world, self-respect, dignity, love, help, peace, equality and justice have been made shadow. The poet further says that human beings have broken the world into different parts and they take other people as their enemies. Therefore, there is no existence of harmious relation among the people of the world as well as peaceful world itself. The concept of humanity, spiritualism and brotherhood feeling has been disappeared in this world.

On the other hand, the poet wishes to see and be the world with lightness, peace and freedom. In such world, people start loving each other, help and united each other. They take all people equal and behave with justice. There is no fear, war and discrimination rather knowledge is free and constructive. He wants to see the world of freedom, peace, humanity, justice, unity and co-operation. For that, the poet prays to God to reform his society, country and the world as the heaven of freedom.

What is Intelligence, Anyway?

                                                                                           Isaac Asimov, USA (1920 – 1992)

Summary in English

Asimov argues that intelligence is not absolute but is a function of the society we live in and of the fact that a small subsection of that society has managed to impose itself on the rest as an arbiter of such matters. Asimov explains that there is more than one kind of intelligence. He realizes that if an intelligence test required to him to use his hand to repair something, he would get a low score. First, being intelligence can have many ways. Academic education is one way of it. Second, the universe and knowledge in the world are limitless while a human being's intelligence is limited.

According to the writer, intelligence can never be determined by only one dimensional IQ test. Human minds are the unique mixture of intelligence and stupidity. In fact, our intelligence and skills are the products of the small subsection of the society where we live in.

When Asimov was in the Army, he received the kind of aptitude test and scored 160, against a normal of 100. In the one hand, he is pleased to have such intelligence. At the same time, he is not more intelligence because he can't fix a car by himself. So, he must go take help of an autorepair man. Therefore, he assumes that he is inferior to farmer, carpenter or autorepair man in terms of intelligence they have in the particular field. He says that even the great scholars as academicians can be proved to be foolish in the fields where their academic training does not work. The writer criticizes western tradition of measuring intelligence which is based on prejudices and discrimination, too.

TV Can be a Good Parent

                                                                                               Ariel Gore, USA (1970 - )
Summary in English

This essay defends on the modern TV culture. TV is a good parent and good friend. It socializes children at home when the single mothers go to work. In other words, TV is a boon for the poor and single mothers who can't afford staying at home and caring the children. In a TV environment, a child can use cognitive skills in a fun setting. The writer argues creative thinking of children can be developed by asking them questions about the shows they are watching on television.
The writer compares her past childhood life with her daughter who is child at present and shows the great role of TV. In the past, TV was not necessary. Child care was communal. The poor mothers helped to care each other's children. For example; when the writer was a small child, there was no TV at home. Her mother could afford to stay at home and look after her daughter. So, TV was not necessary. Life was cheap and easy. In the contrast, life has become very complex and expensive at present. So, she as mother could not afford staying at home and socializing her daughter. In fact, mothers have been facing great problems. When she comes home, she sees her daughter spoiling her uniform. TV takes care of her daughter better programme takes care of her daughter. The government does not provide welfare programmes and child care assistance for the poor and single mothers.
AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) presents the guidelines and claims that TV hampers the growth of healthy brain and development of appropriate social, emotional and cognitive skills. The writer believes on this assumption. But she rejects the assumption that they do not think that TV can mot more is interactive. Thus, she argues that TV in integral part for the children when the poor single mothers go to work leaving the house. So, TV functions as the second mother for those children.

To Know a Fly

                                                                       Vincent Gaston Dethier, USA (1915 – 1993)
Summary in English

to know fly

The essay "To Know a Fly" is about the beauty of scientific discoveries and investigations. According to essayist, a property conducted experiment is a beautiful thing. It is a victory of conquest or inquiry. An experiment is a scientific way of asking nature a question. Experiment depends on the act of faith and proper observation. However, some scientists commit scientific crimes. They involve into foolish and wrong investigation so that they would bring the hasty conclusion. This is due to the lack of proper experimental control and confusion of correlation with cause and effect in the name of scientific experiment.
Scientific experiment is not a game for a disorderly mind. It is based on the cause and effect where one can get meaning by reason. Writer talks about commonly committed scientific sin that is the lack of proper experimental control. He gives some example of such scientific sin/crime.
A man makes an experiment on a Flea to justify whether it listens through its ears. When flea jumps up, the man begins to amputate different organs of flea. At last, he amputates the hind legs of the flea so that it couldn't jump. The foolish man does not think of the amputation of all legs rather he becomes happy and assumes that it only listens through the legs.
The next scientific crime is confusing with cause and effect. For example; an apartment house saves the gentle immediately after an earthquake. He says that the building got collapsed because he pulled down the window shade.
There are many types of sugarcane: beet sugar, milk sugar grape sugar, each is chemically different and fly tastes sweet differently. The fly goes there because of the sweetness of sugar but does not go to other artificial sweetness. In this sense, flies accept materials that taste sweet to us. Similarly, when the flies see the food, they fly around it. Then, they stretch their feet and land on the food. It is said that when they know the food, they fly around it and lower down their feet. When the food is tasty, they land on it. They know the tastiness from their feet. This proves that a fly is more sensitive than man. A starving fly is ten million times more sensitive than man. Even a fly reacts differently in case of different things and tastes.
Therefore, the writer talks about an experiment about flies. He says that the experiments about flies began few decades ago. In short, this essay shows that scientists should arrive at conclusion through scientific processes, experiments and observation.

To His Coy Mistress

                                                                             Andrew Marvell, England (1621 – 1678)
Summary in English

  "To His Coy Mistress" is divided into three stanza or poetic paragraphs. It is spoken by a nameless man, who does not reveal any physical or biographical details about himself to a nameless woman, who is also biographiless.
During the first stanza, the speaker tells the mistress that if they had more time and space, her coyness wouldn't be a crime. He extends this discussion by describing how much he would compliment her and admire her. He would focus on "each part" of her body until he got the heart (and 'heart' here is both a metaphor for sex and a metaphor for love).
In the second stanza he says, "We don't have the time, we are about to die!" He tells her that life is short, but death is forever. In a shocking moment, he warns her that when she's in the coffin, warms will try to take her "virginity" if she doesn't have sex with him before they die. If she refuses to have sex with him, there will be repercussion for him, too. All his sexual desire will born up to "ashes" for all the time.
In the third stanza he says, "I have told you what will happen when you die, so let's have sex while we're still young". Then, he wants to play a game. He suggests furthermore that they release all their pain and frustrations having the sex act and be free. In the final couplet, he calms down a little. He says that having sex can't make the "sun" stop moving. Whenever we have sex, we pursue time instead of time pursues us.
This poem is a metaphysical one since it combines the physical and spiritual love. The speaker (lover) tries his best to involve his beloved into sexual game. He even says that beauty, charm, virginity, power, youth can't be fresh forever because when we enter into the grave or die, all these things will be meaningless. Therefore, one has to have the experience of all these desires on time.

Third Thoughts

                                                                                     E. V. Lucas, England (1868 – 1938)
Summary in English

This story 'Third Thoughts' is by E. V. Lucas about how the human mind is changing so as the thoughts keep on changing in the present business world. People have become more materialist, selfish, mechanical, and money-minded. These all are caused by the practice and result of business world. Furthermore, this story tries to represent that there is bargaining, buying and selling, profit and loss and nothing else without considering sympathy, love, liberalism and kinds, etc. in business. In fact, feelings and emotions or sentiments have nothing to do with business. No doubt, the dealer (seller) tries to get much more benefit from the customer and the customer (buyer) tries to make bargaining to get the thing at low price. At a certain point, both parties agree. The thing is sold thereafter; there is no any relation between the customer and the dealer.
This story is told to the writer by his friend. One day writer's friend goes to London and on the way he sees a beautiful shop with colorful painting. He loves that painting very much and thinks its price very expensive. Then, he wants to know the actual price so that he directly goes to the shop and asks to dealer. The shopkeeper says that the price of that pointing is only ten shillings. Then, he becomes happy and buys the painting and returns back.
He sells the painting for fifty pound. It is the largest profit he has never made earlier. Then, he also thinks to share half of the profit with the dealer. But that night he again thinks and in the early morning he himself thinks not to share since it is his luck and skill to get such profit. But at night he again thinks that he is ready to give ten pound, but at last he decides to five, then, one pound to his dealer.
Deciding to give only one pound to his dealer, he writes a letter and makes checque according. Then, he goes to club to play card thinking that he has enough money. He loses all money except one pound that he has decided to send to his dealer. At last, he feels hungry and takes breakfast paying even that one pound. Therefore, neither he sends the profit to his dealer nor he saves but all is lost. At last, he gets relief saying that there is no love, kindness, feelings and sentiments nut only loss and profit in business.

The Wretched Stone

                                                                                           Chris Van Allsburg, USA (1949 - )
Summary in English

'The Wretched Stone' is a metaphorical story that critiques on modern TV Culture. It presents the disadvantages of modern TV Culture. The writer says that modern TV set is like the Wretched stone. TV is a curse. In short, this story is a criticism on TV that has caused a great disturbance in working activities.
The voyage starts on May 8 that the captain Randall Ethan Hope is sailing the Rita Anne. The weather is pleasant with clear sky, fair winds and fresh breeze. The crew members are singers, story tellers, musicians, dancers and readers. So, they are fine and interesting people. There is no boredom. The voyage goes on smoothly for few days.
On 5th of June, the captain and his crew members see a strange Island which is not recorded on the map. They hope to get some fresh fruit there. They go there but they could not find any fruit or life in the Island. There are only flavors but not fruits, plants but no life. Water is there but bitter to drink.
On the Island they find an extra ordinary rock: two feet across, grey in color, flat and smooth like glass. It has glowing light and is pleasing to look at. It requires six men to lift it. They take it abroad. The crew members are fascinated to it. They gaze it in silence missing music, storytelling and reading. They seem perfectly happy. They rarely speak. They believe that the captain can sail the boat alone. So, they show some abnormal behavior thereafter.
On 15th June, they encounter a great sea storm. The captain is unable to sail the ship alone. He sees a horrible scene inside. They are not men anymore, but apes, hairy beasts sitting and grinning at the terrible rock. They do not understand the words captain says. They are sitting around the wretched stone. Because of the positive effect of the treatment, the apes come back to human life.
They are sad without the stone. However, the writer is hopeful for a rescue. Gradually, all men return to Hormel condition. Then, they start reading as well. They are saved. A ship appears to resume them and decide to leave the Rita Anne, their ship. Before they leave the ship, they also decided to set fire on the wretched stone. Finally, Rita Anne is burnt along with the wretched stone. They also agree not to tell anybody about the strange events.