Graphic Novel vs Movie Essay Example for Free

Graphic Novel vs Movie Essay Books that have become sources of scholarly learning have been categorized under these titles to make the field sound more appropriate than comic book, which could be mistakenly perceived by others as something that may be childish or adolescent. Such a thing would cost the literature its’ credibility and cause people to lose sight of what is really important, the content. So why is there such a sudden sense of acknowledgment on the academic end? This type of literature has never been sophisticatedly observed up until recent times. More and more complex stories have been using this form as their outlet. Reading and comprehending the world of comics has evolved into quite the mental task that is not as basic as pictures and words. Most graphic novels/narratives (GN) are basically composed of frames and gutters, which call reader’s attention visually and spatially to the act, process, and duration of interpretation. GN use the artwork to help narrate the story. This leaves an important part of translation up to the artist. GN offer an intricately layered narrative language (the language of comics) that include the verbal, the visual, and the way the two both interact on the page. The world of GN are so complex that books have been dedicated to understanding them. Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics(1993) was used as a medium for comics. It defined comics as â€Å"a medium using words and pictures for reproduction. † This guide may have proved useful before but now the field has evolved into longer more elaborate and complex books rather than your old traditional comics. Some of the more recent GN drawing attention include Watchmen and V for Vendetta. Both of which are written by Alan Moore who is recognized as a major graphic novelist of our time. In a interview Moore once stated about GN that â€Å"Its a marketing term that I never had any sympathy with. The term comic does just as well for me. † Alan Moore is recognized as one of the famous comic writers in the history of the genre. Few writers in the field can compare to his level of success. Moore was born in North Hampton, England on November 18th, 1953. He was also raised in North Hampton and still lives there to this day. Moore considers himself an â€Å"anarchist† and you see him express this in his writings. Moore is popular for creating alternate universes of actual history. He does this by placing several of his stories in alternate histories, meaning that many details to the time period are accurate, but some event has been changed. This is seen in Watchmen and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Watchmen is set in an alternate history during the presidency of Richard Nixon. The story includes other altered historical events such as the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and the Vietnam War. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen alters history such that England landed on the moon in 1901. These alterations of history are one of the signatures Moore is most popular for. They often have political meanings behind them and are a way for Moore to subliminally express his own personal thoughts and feelings in his stories. His popular works also include From Hell, Swampthing, and V for Vendetta. Moore is such a distinguished writer that many of his works have been targeted for adaptation into film. Comics and GN have long been major targets for films. They are often very popular and draw a large fan base of readers that are eager to see a version of their favorite comic book characters brought to life. A major popular string has been categorized as â€Å"Superhero Films†. All these films are comic book adaptations onto the big screen. Some the pioneers of this type of film were the Adventures of Captain Marvel(1941), Batman (1943),Captain America(1948) and Superman (1948). This was just the first generation of comic adapted films. The trend would continue through the years. The decade where these films would pick up and become most popular in would be the 2000s. The list of adapted comics and GNs were endless. X-men(2000),Spider-Man(2002), Daredevil(2003),The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen(2003),Hulk(2003), Catwoman(2004), Hellboy (2004),Ghost Rider ( 2007),Iron Man (2008) and Watchmen(2009). Sequels to many of these would also come out after a successful first film. The decade of 2000 was a major generation for comic adaptation. Several of these were graphic novels. The biggest box office hits were the traditional Superhero films such as The Dark Night which brought in $533. 3 million dollars followed by the wall crawler in Spider-man which brought in $403 million. The films actually based off books categorized as graphic novels didn’t do so bad as well. Frank Miller’s 300 made number 10 on the list of the top 50 comic book movies in history by bringing in $210. 6 million. The very same director, Zack Snyder, whom directed 300 also directed Watchmen. In his second major adaptation of a graphic novel Snyder didn’t due to shabby, Watchmen brought in $107. 5 million and was considered to be a pretty true representation of the graphic novel (it’s was the original source). Other graphic novels that made it into the top 50 include Sin City, Hellboy, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and V for Vendetta. The latter two were both original works of Alan Moore. Alan Moore hasn’t exactly had the greatest history with directors, especially with the ones being paid to adapt his films. Whether the director of the film was very distinguished or even a fan of Moore’s work it did not gain him any more cooperation on Moore’s end in the adaptation to film. Zack Snyder who was both well distinguished and a fan of Moore’s mentioned in an interview about the making of Watchmen When I arrived to do the movie and I said to the producer So when do we call Alan and he said Never. He doesnt want to talk about it, Snyder said. Moore has refused to cooperate since he felt Hollywood butchered his last novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The film itself was a success and Moore was still left unsatisfied. Moore has had several conflicts with DC comics and Warner Bros. regarding the film adaptations of his novels. Moore refused to be associated with anything he did not write and told Warner Bros. to keep his name out of any of the films. During a press conference at Warner Bros. about the film adaptation of V for Vendetta producer Joel Silver said that Larry Wachowski had spoken to Moore about the film and that Moore was very interested in what he had to say. This was it for Moore and he asked that his name not be included with anything done in Hollywood. The film version of V for Vendetta opened in theatres on March 17, 2006. The film was directed by James McTeigue and its screenplay was written by the Wachowski Brothers who are well known for their work on The Matrix. Alan Moore was not credited in the movie as he wished. The film version contrasted to its original version in many ways. The film was not an exact translation of its graphic novel, but rather another version of the story with the same type of concept. Alan Moore’s GN was written as a political response to British Thacherism and set a conflict between a fascist state and anarchism. The screenplay written by the Wachowski Brothers kept the theme of the film as a political expression that also involved anarchy but chose to incorporate more current political issues in the film. The film involved many of the same characters and plots from the graphic novel. The actress cast in the role of Evey Hammond was Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving was chosen to play V. The graphic novel was set in the early 1990’s while the movie chose to set itself in the near future between the years of 2028 and 2038. That alone would leave many differences in setting and technology between the GN and film. My Analysis of the film†¦To be continued..

Metaphysics SHort essay 4 Essay Example for Free

Metaphysics SHort essay 4 Essay Price begins by describing how things we see in nature share elements. He explains how a tomato, sunset in the sky and a blushing face share nothing more in common than the color. However, some objects have many things in common. These objects group themselves together into Natural Kinds. Price describes a Natural Kind as a group of objects, which have many, perhaps indefinite, features in common. He explains that while this repetition makes things seem dull and monotonous, they are important because they are what makes conceptual cognition possible. In a world of incessant novelty, where there was no recurrence at all and no tedious repetitions, no concepts could ever be acquired. It would also make difficult the act of thinking because nothing would be recognizable. Price goes on to describe different terms of quality and relation. Quality is a recurrent feature of the world, which presents itself in individual object or events taken singly. Redness and bulginess are examples of this. A relation is a recurrent feature of the world, which presents itself in complexes of objects or events, such as this besides that, or between A and B. These terms allow us to give a simple analysis of change. Price explains how change has puzzled philosophers since the time of Heraclitus. Understanding objects in terms of quality and relation help us understand the concept of change. Another term that allows us to do so is the term ‘characteristics’. Characteristics are of at least two different types of qualities and relations. For Price, allow of this leads us to Aristotle’s theory of univeralia in rebus, or philosophy of universals. The philosophy of universals agrees that all objects characterized by x resemble one another. However once must be cautious and note the difference between exact resemblance in a certain aspect, and total or complete resemblance. While some have debated whether complete resemblance can be achieved, the important thing to note is the different intensities of resemblance that exist. Price goes on to list differences between the philosophy of resemblance and the philosophy of universals and deals with classical arguments against them both. Price concludes by saying that one must have a good knowledge of both. Since both can be misleading at times, when in danger of being misled by one of the theories, then can turn to the other for truth. D. C. Williams, on the other hand, comes out against the philosophy of universals in â€Å"The Element of Being. † He attempts to explain this in his example of the three lollipops. He tires to prove that when one says a is similar to b, one is only saying that a part of a is wholly similar to a part of b. He states that entities or abstract components are the primary constituents of this or any possible world. Many know these to be ‘abstract particulars’. Williams decides to name these parts tropes. He defines a trope as a particular entity either abstract or consisting of one or more concrete entities in combination with an abstraction. Tropes are connected to each other by way of location and by way of similarity. He goes on to explain and concludes by saying any possible world, and this one, is completely constituted by tropes and their connections of location and similarity. He explains how they would pertain to the notion of abstract and universal by using the example of Socrates (concrete particular), his wisdom (abstract particular/trope), Socratesity (concrete universal) and all of the wisdom (abstract universal). He goes on to explain how tropes would apply to different areas of philosophy, such as the philosophy of knowledge. He concludes by saying that all the things we see are no universal but consist of parts, tropes, which these things are a part of. Williams differs from Price by stating that objects consist of tropes and they are what create these appearances or similiarties. Price on the other hand states that objects share a certain resemblance in quality, relation and characteristics. Resemblance Theory and Trope Theory Carlos Manuel Jordan PHI 3500 Metaphysics December, 4 2014.

Factors That Affect Resistance and Electric Power

Factors That Affect Resistance and Electric Power A report into the electricity practical investigation and problems Samerah Mansha Abstract: This experiment was regarding electricity and its features. The experiment determines factors that affect resistance and electric power. The results showed that by increasing the number of bulbs within the electric circuits affected both electric power and resistance value in both series and parallel circuits. Introduction: The scope of the investigation was to find out the factors that affect resistance within a circuit by constructing series and parallel circuit’s whilst varying the amount of bulbs used. Additionally, a voltmeter was connected within to measure the electrical potential difference in volts between two points within the circuit. An ammeter was also used to measure the current in amps within the circuit. Direct current is known as the continuous movement of electrons from areas surrounded with negative charge to areas surrounded with positive charges through a conducting material such as metal wire. Whilst the intensity of current can vary the general direction of movement stays the same throughout. A common example of a direct current is a battery. Parallel circuits and series circuits are two basic types of electric circuits that can be found within electrical devices. They both differ in terms of where the components are placed within circuit In series circuits there are no branches present thus components are connected one after another in a single pathway, allowing current to follow the circuit from one side to the other side of cell passing through each of the components, one after the other. In a series circuit, if a lamp breaks or even a component is disconnected, the circuit is broken causing all the components within to stop working. The current found in series circuit is found to be the same anywhere within the circuit, whilst the voltage is shared in ratio to resistance. Figure: 1 an example of series circuit. In a parallel circuit, there are multiple pathways between circuit’s beginning and end, whilst different components are connected into different branches of the wire. Therefore the electric current has more than one route to take, thus circuit has the potential to still function even if one path fails, for example if a lamp breaks or a component is disconnected from one parallel wire, the components on different branches are still able to work therefore parallel circuits are more commonly used in household applications. Regardless of how many different paths the circuit has, the total voltage stays the same, as the voltage across each pathway equals to the supply voltage. The current through parallel circuits splits up as it passes through the passageways. Figure: 2 an example of a parallel circuit Electromotive force abbreviated as e.m.f is when charge flows through a cell or battery, it is given energy.The number of joules of energy given to each coulomb of charge that passes through the cell is known as called e.m.f. of cell and is measured in volts (V). It is equal to the potential difference across the terminals of the cell when no current is flowing. Examples of sources of e.m.f are cells, batteries and generator Potential difference (p.d) is known as the amount of electrical energy that is changed into other forms of energy per coulomb of charge. In circuits there are components that put energyinto the circuit and components that take energyout. Any device putting energy into circuit is providing an e.m.f whilst any device taking energy out has p.dacross it.The p.d across an electrical component is needed to make current flow in it. Cells or batteries usually are responsible for the p.d needed. P.d is measured in volts using a voltmeter. Electrical cells are made from materials and chemicals, which have some sort of resistance. Therefore, a batteries and cells must have resistance known asinternal resistance which ismeasured in ohms. When electricity flows round a circuit the internal resistance of the cell itself causes a drop in soruice of voltage whilst resisting the flow of current thusthermalenergy is wasted in the cell itself. Ohms law is commonly used to portray that current flowing through a metal wire is proportional to the potential difference across it, providing that temperature remains constant. Resistance is measured in ohms.ÃŽ ©rthus greater the number of ohms, the greater the resistance. The relationship between voltage, current and resistance is V= IR, Potential difference (volt, V) = current (ampere, A) Ãâ€" resistance (ohm,ÃŽ ©). Figure: 3 – Graph showing the relationship between current and voltage following Ohms Law that electric current is proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance Electric power is the rate of energy consumption and the way electric energy is transferred n within an electrical circuit. The electric power is measured in watts. Planning: Equipment: Locktronics electricity kit Bulbs Ammeter Voltmeter Wires Electric Source Safety Measures: As the mains voltage electricity was used throughout the experiment, it was dangerous. Thus significant risk of electrocution may occur if mains voltage electricity is allowed to pass through the body. The mains voltage was made sure it was switched of when connecting wires and components together. There could be a risk of fire and explosion if electricity is not cabled and fused correctly and if near water. Therefore precautions were taken when mains electricity was. Before any equipment was used they were checked to see any visible damage to the leads and equipment. Method: Firstly a simple series circuit was conducted out using an locktronics electricity kit is which simplifies the process of learning electricity using wires, mains source, voltmeter, ammeter and one light bulb. Secondly, 3 other simple series were conducted out in the same way each increasing the amount of light bulbs used. Lastly, 3 apparel circuits were constructed using the same method as above each increasing the amount of bulbs used within. In each of the series and parallel circuits, the voltage and current was measured. Using the measurements of voltage and current, the values of resistance and electrical power was calculated. Results: See figures 5,6,and 7 The results for the series circuits show that as the number of bulbs increase, the value current and voltage decrease. Apart from 3 bulbs for series circuit the value of amperes should be less as it doesn’t fit in with the general trend. Whereas the in the parallel circuits as the number of bulbs increase the current decrease, whilst the voltage remains the same. Analysis: The values of resistance and electrical power have been calculated. (see figure). The findings show that for the series circuits show that as the number of bulbs increases the value of power and resistance both decrease. However, when there were 3 and 4 bulbs within the circuit the value of resistance remained the same within the circuit which doesn’t fit in with the general trend, therefore figure 3 or 4 may be an anomaly. The calculations show for the parallel circuits show that as the number of bulbs increase the value of electrical power increases, whilst the value of resistance decreases. This graph shows that ohms law has been obeyed as the current flowing through is quiet proportional to the potential difference across. Evaluation: There may have been one anomaly that was recorded within the series circuits between the 3 and 4 bulbs experiment as the current should have decreased but stayed the same. However this could have been because a needle ammeter was used, therefore is subject to one’s opinion thus not entirely accurate, in order to improve this a digital ammeter could have been used to improve reliability. Also the ammeter scale couldn’t be accurately read as there was no gradation between the 1 and 2 values. In order to improve the method more number of bulbs could have been used to show more of an overall trend which would improve validity and reliability of conclusion. In order to improve the reliability and validity of the method a repeat should be conducted of the experiment to achieve average results. Overall, the results match theory thus portraying the results achieved are reliable.

Aaron Copeland :: Biography

Aaron Copland was born on November 14, 1900 in New York City. His musical works ranged from ballet and orchestral music to choral music and movie scores. For the better part of four decades Aaron Copland was considered the premier composer of 20th Century American Music. Copland learned to play piano from an older sister. By the time he was fifteen he had decided to become a composer. His first composing steps included a correspondence course. In 1921 Copland traveled to Paris to attend the newly founded music school for Americans at Fontainebleau. He was the first American student of the brilliant teacher, Nadia Boulanger. After three years in Paris he returned to New York with his first major commission, writing an organ concerto. His "Symphony for Organ and Orchestra" premiered in at Carnegie Hall in 1925. Copland's growth as a composer followed the important trends of his time. After his return from Paris he worked with jazz rhythms in his "Piano Concerto" (1926). In 1936 he changed his musical style toward a simpler sound. He thought this made his music more meaningful to the music listeners being created by radio and the movies. His most famous works during this period were based on American folk lore including "Billy the Kid" (1938), "Rodeo" (1942), Fanfare for the Common Man (1942), and Appalachian Spring (1944). Other works during this period were a series of movie scores including "Of Mice and Men" (1938) and "The Heiress" (1948). After 1970 Copland stopped composing, though he continued to lecture and conduct through the mid-1980s.

Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays

â€Å"Modern Humanitarianism has run riot on Shylock.† Discuss. â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† is concerned with two issues that were of importance in the Elizabethan Age: Jewry and Usury. It is generally assumed that the Elizabethan attitude to Jewry was hostile and that the execution of Roderigo Lopez in 1594 was characteristic of the Christian rejection of all ‘Jews, Turks, Infidels and Heretics’, who were considered to be â€Å"misbelievers†. But this could also be a false assumption, for although the Jews were forced to convert to Christianity to live in England, once they did they were generally left alone. Marlowe in â€Å"The Jew of Malta† portrays a Machiavellian Jew, but one who is ‘rarely mean’ in his villainy. Usury was a contemporary and important issue during Shakespeare’s time. Shylock is the negative and stereotype picture of the usurer that most of the Elizabethans had- one who was seen as a ‘greedy dog’, ‘a leech’. The interpretation of Shylock’s character is difficult and also to some extent ambiguous. He was earlier portrayed as a comic character but later on could be interpreted as a malevolent villain. But if Shylock is taken as a comic character the whole power of the play is lost. He would almost become a ridiculous villain. It could also be that Shakespeare created Shylock as a match for Marlowe’s Jew- one that was terrible, imposing but also human. Shylock is one of the main characters of the play but this also depends on the way that his character is played. He has mostly been portrayed as a comic character but when he is the tragic protagonist he ‘usurps the center of the stage.’ Shylock â€Å"represents the killjoy against whom the pleasure-loving characters unite.† He represents a â€Å"a-social miserliness† and thus his villainy is somewhat mitigated and brought within the scope of humanist debate. Shylock exists as a visible complication to the smooth running of Bassanio’s friendship with Antonio and his courtship of Portia. One can almost say that is the character that makes the plot possible. As John Palmer has said, Shylock is â€Å"An imaginative realization of what it means to wear the Star of David.† Shylock is a Jew in a Gentile Society, an alien who is never accepted. He is proud of his race, his religion but he is up against a Venetian society that is insufferable to the outsider. Even his daughter attacks all that he holds dear. Merchant Of Venice by William Shakespeare :: Free Merchant of Venice Essays â€Å"Modern Humanitarianism has run riot on Shylock.† Discuss. â€Å"The Merchant of Venice† is concerned with two issues that were of importance in the Elizabethan Age: Jewry and Usury. It is generally assumed that the Elizabethan attitude to Jewry was hostile and that the execution of Roderigo Lopez in 1594 was characteristic of the Christian rejection of all ‘Jews, Turks, Infidels and Heretics’, who were considered to be â€Å"misbelievers†. But this could also be a false assumption, for although the Jews were forced to convert to Christianity to live in England, once they did they were generally left alone. Marlowe in â€Å"The Jew of Malta† portrays a Machiavellian Jew, but one who is ‘rarely mean’ in his villainy. Usury was a contemporary and important issue during Shakespeare’s time. Shylock is the negative and stereotype picture of the usurer that most of the Elizabethans had- one who was seen as a ‘greedy dog’, ‘a leech’. The interpretation of Shylock’s character is difficult and also to some extent ambiguous. He was earlier portrayed as a comic character but later on could be interpreted as a malevolent villain. But if Shylock is taken as a comic character the whole power of the play is lost. He would almost become a ridiculous villain. It could also be that Shakespeare created Shylock as a match for Marlowe’s Jew- one that was terrible, imposing but also human. Shylock is one of the main characters of the play but this also depends on the way that his character is played. He has mostly been portrayed as a comic character but when he is the tragic protagonist he ‘usurps the center of the stage.’ Shylock â€Å"represents the killjoy against whom the pleasure-loving characters unite.† He represents a â€Å"a-social miserliness† and thus his villainy is somewhat mitigated and brought within the scope of humanist debate. Shylock exists as a visible complication to the smooth running of Bassanio’s friendship with Antonio and his courtship of Portia. One can almost say that is the character that makes the plot possible. As John Palmer has said, Shylock is â€Å"An imaginative realization of what it means to wear the Star of David.† Shylock is a Jew in a Gentile Society, an alien who is never accepted. He is proud of his race, his religion but he is up against a Venetian society that is insufferable to the outsider. Even his daughter attacks all that he holds dear.

Stamp Act :: American History, Tax

The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on All-American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains (10,000 troops were to be stationed on the American frontier for this purpose).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The actual cost of the Stamp Act was relatively small. What made the law so offensive to the colonists was not so much its immediate cost but the standard it seemed to set. In the past, taxes and duties on colonial trade had always been viewed as measures to regulate commerce, not to raise money. The Stamp Act, however, was viewed as a direct attempt by England to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the colonial legislatures. If this new tax were allowed to pass without resistance, the colonists reasoned, the door would be open for far more troublesome taxation in the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Few colonists believed that they could do anything more than grumble and buy the stamps until the Virginia House of Burgesses adopted Patrick Henry's Stamp Act resolves. These resolves declared that Americans possessed the same rights as the English, especially the right to be taxed only by their own representatives; that Virginians should pay no taxes except those voted by the Virginia House of Burgesses; and that anyone supporting the right of Parliament to tax Virginians should be considered an enemy of the colony.

A Different History- Analysis

A Different History By- Suajata Bhatt The poem ‘A Different History’ is set in India. In the first paragraph the poet describes how the world is developing at a fast pace and leaving behind culture, morals, value, spirituality etc. But India on the other hand has managed to sustain its tradition and modernity. â€Å"Great Pan is not dead; he simply emigrated to India Here, the gods roam freely Disguised as snakes or monkeys; every tree is sacred† Pan is the Greek god of nature. This reference to Greece and Pan could refer to two things.One of the possible interpretations is that- Rome, Greece and India are considered the hubs of spirituality and they have their own set of gods and goddesses. But over the years Greece has developed and consequently its people have lost faith in god. On the contrary, India continues to be highly spiritual and god fearing and the ‘Great Pan’ emigrating to India could connote how India continues to have faith and believe in god. Another explanation could be the love for nature and respect for the natural environment in India. Legend has it that Pan died due to the depletion of nature and animals in Greece.At the time this poem was written India was not a shade of what it is now and was known for its natural beauty and its peoples dependence and respect for nature. The next three lines seem to be mocking the Indian psyche of turning everything and everyone to god and creating a god for everything. The stereotypical Indian has a habit of using god’s name to get things done; associating every minute detail in his life to god and this is what I feel the poet is mocking. â€Å"And it is a sin to be rude to a book It is a sin to shove a book aside with your foot, sin to slam books down hard on a table, a sin to toss one carelessly across a room. † â€Å"You must learn how to turn the pages gently without disturbing Sarasvati, without offending the tree from whose wood the paper was made. â €  These lines describe the Indian culture, traditions and the values that are inculcated into kids at a young age. Sarasvati, who is considered the goddess of arts and knowledge, is, according to Hindu beliefs, resides in books. So books are respected (reference to mockery of Indian psyche) but in this case she is admiring this aspect of Indian culture.Books are considered an equivalent of god and touching god with your feet, slamming him et cetera is profanity. What the poet is trying to say in the first paragraph is that India is probably the only country in the world that have maintained its values, morals, culture and tradition and these have gone hand in hand with development. She also talks about the element of god being added to an array of things. Some of which, she thinks, are completely bizarre and others that she truly respects. â€Å"Which language has not been the oppressor’s tongue? Which language truly meant to murder someone? And how does it happen hat af ter the torture, after the soul has been cropped with a long scythe swooping out of the conqueror’s face- the unborn grandchildren grow to love that strange language. † I feel that the transition from the first paragraph to the second is not very good as the connection between the two themes is not evident. In my opinion the connection is that she is drawing a parallel between the pre- British India and the colonised India. She is using the English language as a representation of the colonised India and how it forgot or was made to forget its culture in the name of a ‘better future’ and ‘development’.Here, she refers to them as ‘oppressors’, ‘murderers’, but murderers of what? In my opinion murder in this context refers not just to taking lives but also the murder of spirits, souls and more relevantly cultures and customs. She seems to be blaming the British for the loss of the culture, customs, values, morals and in t his case language as well. She questions how despite all the damage done by the British we continue to speak the English language and have stopped speaking our mother tongue. This is the same language that was spoken by the people who destroyed out heritage and culture used .This is not only in reference to language but our love for anything ‘foreign’ and our disdain at our very own country and shame at our deep, brilliant and fascinating culture. But a poem is open to interpretation and the tone and the way it is said can change the meaning completely. While reading a poem it is important to analyse what background the poem has, the life of the poet how it is connected to her life. Sujata Bhatt, it was the first time I heard her name. She was born in Ahmedabad to a Gujarati family.She was brought up in Pune and then in 1968 at the age of twelve she shifted to the US. Currently she lives in Germany. Suajata Bhatt’s life is a complete contrast to the poem. In the poem she keeps talking about how we are forgetting our culture how we have been influenced by the ‘Conquerors’ et cetera. My first reaction to this was that she was a hypocrite. But then I realised that many times in life there are things that bother you, things that eat your insides but it is completely different and much harder to change or work against these things.I got to thinking that maybe Sujata Bhatt considers herself an example of the ‘unborn grandchildren’, maybe while writing this poem she had herself and her whole life in mind. Maybe she realised how she was losing contact with her motherland how she was losing the Indian in her. This poem could be a poem to reach out to the masses and try to make them understand the value of being in touch with your motherland and not commit the same mistake she had committed. This poem was written in the post colonial period.At a time when India was finding its bearings in the world. It was a time when India was still hung over from the British rule but at the same time it played the rebellious teen and tried to fight the natural course of things. When your country has been ruled by foreigners, colonisers for as many as three hundred years there are bound to be an influence on the country. The British ruled over many many generations of Indians and after a point of time the British way of living and approach in general started seeming normal to the Indians and they began to follow it.When the British left India in 1947 the youth were in an awkward predicament while they wanted to revive their culture and their lifestyle they continued to be westernised. Sujata Bhatt continuously emphasises the importance of a national identity not only in this poem but throughout. A national identity is what defines you globally. On the world map it is not the people who are visible it is the countries. Outside your territory your country plays a major part in your identity. The poet says that if you lo se your native habits, morals, values and culture your identity is depleted. * Arjun Nayar 9C