Swan Song (Drama)

                                                                                  Anton Chekhov, Russia (1860 – 1904)

Summary in English

Nature of text: one act play

Characters:

• Vasili Svetlovidov: a 68-years –old actor
• Nikita Ivanich: an elderly promoter  

Swan Song is a 'one act play' by famous Russian dramatist, Anton Chekhov. The central character of the play is Svetlovidov, 68 years old actor. The play is tragic in nature since it shows the miserable condition of the old actor, central character that he gets nothing more than misery, emptiness, hatred, loneliness and full of pain and suffering instead of love, relationship, happiness and peaceful life in the Russian society.

Svetlovidov reflects his performance in relation to the reality of the Russian society. In fact, stage artists are taken as just playthings in that society. Even they are assumed to be dust and prostitutes. The play also shows the despair, failure and tragic story of Svetlovidov's real life, not stage life in his old age. Besides, it represents the creative power of art.

This play is the last performance or a swan song for the central character, Svetlovidov. When the curtain goes up, Svetlovidov is asleep in the dressing room. He drinks alcohol too much and finds the stage empty. Those audiences have already disappeared from there. Therefore, he finds himself alone thinking that he has nobody to help, even no family, friends, relatives and people. By the way he feels no solace looking at his life.

Svetlovidov compares his past life with the present life. He remembers his successful journey and wonderful achievement in his long acting career. He also never forgets a very beautiful and rich woman's love with him at the time when he was at the peak of success. There was a good love relationship between them but she refused him later thinking that being the actor in the society is to adopt the profession of low social prestige. The dream of marriage with his beloved got broken just because of being actor. So, he looks no happy in his life.

When Svetlovidov was young, then, he joined to army. Being attracted to the art, he again joined to the theatre. He got many successes from the art. But he did not get success in love, life and relationship. After breaking the relationship with his beloved, he becomes too old for marriage so that no gentlemen after him to get marriage with their daughter. Rather he lives alone with negligence and hatred life. At present, he is lonely, poor, old, and sick his life is empty. He finds nobody to help, love, care, encourage and sympathize him. Even he has no home, family members and relatives.

At present, he is 68 years old but unmarried, old, neglected and frustrated by himself as well as by other people in the society. He thinks that his song is sung. His race is run. It means his life gets no social respect and prestige at all.

However, in the play Svetlovidov is admired, respected and encouraged by another character, Nikita. It is he who tells another story that resembles Svetlovidov's own life. Nikita finds his as talented, genuine and great dedicated man even in his old age. Nikita even argues that where there is talent, there is no old age. Finally, it is Svetlovidov who expresses the statements from Othello, "Fare well the tranquil mind! Farewell Content!..........". It makes Nikita to know the painful, miserable and tragic life of the old man, Svetlovidov. At last, Svetlovidov consoles himself saying that art has the universal strength.

Arranging a Marriage in India

                                                                                                  Serena Nanda1, USA
Summary in English

This story based on culture and anthropological notion tries to explore the cross-cultural differences between India and the USA regarding marriage system. As an American woman, at the very beginning, writer finds the custom of arrange marriage as oppressive in India. For her romantic love is important for a happy marriage. Nanda says that marriage in India is quite different from that in the United States. In the US, a girl or a boy looks for his/her life partner. Before the marriage, they introduce each other, know and love each other. But in India, responsibility of arranging a girl or boy for marriage is given to the family, basically to their parents. Anyway the writer prefers love marriage at the very beginning but she realizes that arrange marriage is not oppressive but it is better at the end. The writer involves into different surveys, observation and research about marriage system in the cities and villagers of India. On her first visit to India, she meets many young men and women whose parents are in the process of getting them married. In many cases, bride and bridegroom do not meet each other. For the first time, she finds this custom of arranged marriage oppressive. She asks question to the young people how they feel about this practice. She also interacts with a number of India young girls. Most of the girl she meets favor arrange marriage. She is impressed by Sita's (Indian lady) remarks. Sita says that she had let her parents choose a boy for her. She even argues that meeting with a lot of different people do not sound like any fun at all. She evokes that her parents would never arrange a marriage without knowing all about the boy's family background. As Nanda comes to India second time, she finds that most of the India couples with arranged marriages seem happy. She also notices that no one would want their daughter to marry into a family that is not good. Indian girls knowing their husbands after marriages would have mystery and romance. However, she finds that the American couples with love marriages are in the process of divorce. Therefore, the writer sees the positive aspects of arranged marriage. Nanda is found of taking part in matchmaking process in Bombay. But matches would be arranged only within the same caste, or sometimes sub-castes and economic class. The family reputation and their capacity to arrange marriage are very significant factors, too. Nanda observes her friend's family. The boy is well-educated. His mother is modest, soft spoken and religious. The boy has just left Air force and joined his father's business. So, the writer thinks that it is easy to get a girl for him. However, his mother is worried for her son. First, they try to arrange his marriage from the relation with the writer's friend's social club, a family having five daughters; they offer him to get married with any one of them. But this family they would be unable to give proper wedding. Another offer also comes but it is rejected since girl is educated but too frank. The third candidate, the daughter of Client is also rejected because she is short, fat and uses glasses. Finally, the family decides to postpone his marriage. Two years later, Nanda comes to India again. The boy is still unmarried having the age of 30. But the writer meets a girl's father where his daughter is educated and home loving, who has completed graduation is fashion design. Finally, there is the marriage between her friend's son and daughter. So, Nanda is delighted when she receives an invitation for a wedding. As a result, the writer becomes success in matchmaking between her friend's son and friend's daughter.  

Scientific Inquiry: Invention and Text

                                                                         Carl G. Hempel, Germany (1905 – 1997)
Summary in English

This is a scientific essay. The process of scientific discovery often involves formulating hypotheses, testing predictions, and an interdisciplinary search in the real world. A scientific inquiry carries on several assumptions and testing to get the invention of scientific discovery. Thus, the writer tries to say that one should formulate a good hypothesis, test the possible conditions and reach the conclusion through a rigorous scientific inquiry.

Hempel talks about the research of Ignaz Semmelweis who discovers the main cause of the death of a large number of women who believed babies in the First Division. Semmelweis, a physician of Hungarian birth, did this work during the years from 1844 to 1848 at the Vienna General Hospital. As a member of the medical staff first Maternity Division in the hospital., he was distressed to find that a large proportion of the women who were delivered of their babies in that division contracted a serious and often fatal illness known as perpetual fever or childhood fever. They died from it while they delivered their babies.

Semmelweis began by considering various explanations that were current at the time. He chose some for the experiments. One of the views assumed that the cause was epidemic influences. However, he argued that such influence could not affect the First Division only. In both the First and Second Division, women delivered babies suffered from childbed fever and died of it. But the surprising thing was that the number of women who died of such fatal illness was greater in the first Division. But the crowd was more in the Second Division because the patients wanted to avoid the notorious First Division.

Semmelweis formulated his hypothesis by rejecting some meaningless or confused explanation. He adopted some logical predictions as follows:

• He knew that epidemic influence was one of the causes but did not know why it was fatal in the First Division.
• Overcrowd might be another cause but the crowd was more in the Second Division.
• Another cause might be that the trainees were doing rough experiments and causing injuries. However, the death rate in the First Division was the same even after decreasing such number of medical students.

Finally, the research of Semmelweis reached to the significant conclusion that the women in the First Division died due to blood poisoning. The doctors and medical students used to come to the First Division from the autopsy room without washing their hands properly, and they used to examine the women who delivered babies. Therefore, when the doctors and trainees washed their hands properly and examined the women, the mortality rate in the First Division got decreased. Similarly, the midwives examining patients in the Second Division required no autopsy training. Thus, the death rate among the women they examined was low in the Second Division. Similarly, infected mothers transmitted the infection to their babies as well.

Adaptive Failure: Easter's End

                                          Adaptive Failure: Easter's End
                                                                                                   Jared Diamond, USA (1937 - )

Summary in English

This is a research based essay. The writer talks about how the virgin paradise like Easter Island turned into wasteland. It explores the past culture and civilization of the Easter Island. In addition, it deals with vanished civilization of Easter Island as an example to warn the modern human beings about the potential threat to our own civilization.

Easter Island lies in the pacific ocean about 2000 miles west of South America. This Island was discovered in 1722 by Jacob Roggeveen. According to Roggeveen, the Island was a Wasteland in 1722 because there were to forest, wildlife, bird life and natural resources, rather than only dry bushes, insects, domestic chickens and barren lands. The Island was occupied by 2000 Polynesian people. The first settlers of Easter Island ate the meat of sea birds, the land birds, rate and seals. Their only source of energy for cooking was the firewood of the jungle. In the course of time, the jungle area gradually diminished because of deforestation. The destruction of the forest had a serious impact on all the creatures dwelling in that island.

The Islanders were totally isolated, unaware that other people existed. They had no knowledge that their exploitation of nature would lead them to such condition. As the forest disappeared, life became more uncomfortable and complex. Springs and streams dried up, woods were no longer available for fires. And people also found it harder to fill their stomach. When they had nothing to eat for their survival, they began killing each other. They also revolted against the government. By around 1700, the population began to crash toward between one-quarter and one-tenth of its former number. Around 1770, they probably stared to destroy the statues of their enemies' camp. Thus, Easter's civilization got declined. As a result, the lost civilization of the Easter Island is very much painful to all mankind since people today are easily affected by the global issue.

Easter Island's most famous feature is its huge stone statues. DNA extracted from 12 Eastern Island skeletons was shown to be Polynesian. According to the researchers, the first colonists that stepped on Easter Island were Polynesians. They had gone there travelling at least 1400 miles in the good canoes. They found the Island as pristine paradise. At that time, there was dense forest, rich food, good wild life, many springs and other resources. Life was really comfortable gut with the growth of the population; the Islanders began to exploit the natural resources. Then, there was the decline of Easter's civilization.

Thus, most of the serious global issues like population growth, exploitation of nature, hunger, war are the present problems. So, if we do not learn serious lesson from the histories of vanished civilization of Easter Island, our own civilization and coming generations will be surely in danger. Anyway, this is our right time to think and do in order to save our existence and civilization.

A Sound of Thunder

                                                                                          Ray Bradbury, USA (1920 - )
Summary in English

"The Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury is a scientific fiction that makes a critique on the modern society. It deals with wonderful safari on a time machine through not space but time to enjoy the thrill of hunting the monstrous beast. It can also be discovered as the "Butterfly Effect". Furthermore, the death of an animal, plant or an insect can change the view of the world because they are all part of ecosystem.

The central character of this story is a thrill-speaker, Eckels who sees an advertisement on the office wall. When Eckels enters the Time Safari Inc, he is shown photos of dinosaurs, and promised that they were really taken only yesterday. Eckels and the others in the office express their happiness that Keith has become the president of America. He gets on the Time Machine with other four people. He is strongly advised by Mr. Travis, the guide, not to do what is not allowed.

Eckels could enjoy the thrill of hunting just by paying ten thousand dollars. He pays that amount and the safari begins there are penalties for shooting without permission. Travis demands him a biographical computer card. In fact, Eckels is a hunter who claims to have shot everything in the world. He says frankly that he is bored, that is why he has come to Time Safari Inc.

The guide, Travis makes Eckels choose a weapon. Then, Eckels picks up the biggest. And both of them with other two hunters move towards the time machine landed in the forest of sixty millions two thousand fifty five years back. They arrive in the jungle. Travis explains that they must not leave the path at any time. Eckels is very excited to enjoy the severest thrill of hunting the monstrous lizard like animal called dinosaurs, a giant animal with 30 feet height and huge weight appears in front of the machine. They shoot the giant animal turn by turn. But they become failure to kill it.

Suddenly, a giant tree feel upon the Dinosaurs and it fall on the ground with loud roar. There is the full of blood and huge heap of flesh. The time machine is also full of blood. At the same time, Eckels steps out of the metal path and kicks some dirt of earth. That is the serious mistake committed by Eckels.

The time machine returns to the present. Nothing is same that they have left in the morning. Everything is upset. Keith is not the president of the USA. The biosphere, the politics, the human history, civilization, eco-cycle, i.e. everything is upset.

Mr. Eckels finds out a butterfly dead embedded with mud in his shoes. He regrets and wants to pay millions of dollars as compensation. But he could not mistake the butterfly alive. Similarly, he could not maintain balance in the biosphere. Finally, Eckels is shot and dead by Mr. Travis for his fatal error. So, there is a sound of thunder.

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.