#TeamEnglish@CMS_Kottayam: The learner in me, hand in hand with the teacher in you!

  Black Woman Leopold Sedhar Senghor (1906-2001) was a famous Senegalese poet, teacher and a statesman. He was a politician and a cultural theorist. he served as the first president of Senegal and also continued to be a social activist. Senghor worked for the Negritude movement. Negritude : is a literary movement of 1930 that began among the French speaking African and Caribbean writers living in Paris as a protest against the French colonial rule. This was initially introduced (coined the term)by Aime Cesair. This movement worked on "the simple acknowledgement and acceptance of the fact of being black." It focused on making the value of the African people manifest. Senghor became the central figure of this movement. Poem: The poem was written initially in French under the title 'Femme Noir' and was translated into English. The poem was written when Senghor and was published in 1945. the poem reinforces the idea of negritude by praising Africa and finding beauty in th...

 The Knight For a session on this topic, visit  YouTube lecture After the General Introduction, Chaucer spends the next 36 lines (l. 44 to 78) to introduce the Knight. What all must have influenced Chaucer to choose the Knight as the first in his portrait gallery? From the start of the work itself, Chaucer tries to give the work a secular air than a sacred or religious bend. England’s patron saint St. George is a knight. Knighthood commanded respect and admiration from the people. Knights were known for their valour, patriotism, courage, exemplary behaviour and codes of conduct, loyalty to the land, enrichment of experience, and above all, a sincere piety. The Knight stands on the top of the social ladder among all the pilgrims. Chaucer doesn’t choose a person of religion because it may not be appreciated by his readers who are exposed to the ill practices of the church of the times. The Knight is a standard of virtues and values against which one can measure all oth...

David Hume (1711 – 1776) David Hume, born in Scotland, was an influence upon many thinkers of the times, such as Gibbon, Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant and Diderot. He carried the mission and spirit of the Enlightenment into England. He attacked Christianity and condemned its miracles. He is considered as a historian as well. His non-theological approach to history enabled him to achieve a certain level of impartiality. Considering that the world as it is, is imperfect, he rejects the involvement of a divine designer. Hume’s Views on Reason and Passion: Hume questions the primacy of reason, and accepts the dominance of passion. But, he did not support Rousseau’s idea of social contract as the origin of government. He considers it illogical to construct an ethics based on the subservience of passions to reason. Romanticism owes part of its revival to his questioning of the primacy of reason and the acceptance of the dominance of passion. Main Works: Enquiry concerning Human Under...

Preface to Shakespeare  Preface to Shakespeare is written by Samuel Johnson as a preface to the plays of William Shakespeare (1764) edited by Samuel Johnson and Georges Stevens. Dryden writes plays and glorifies tragi comedy. Johnson writes works which defends violation of unities. Dryden and Johnson's writings are full of neoclassical wit. Death endures a certain kind of permanence (and criticizes modern writers).  Criticism were brought closer to lay men in coffee houses from courts. Aspects related to intellect and wit prioritized over aesthetics and Johnson was willing to let go of classical traditions which he believed in order to support Shakespeare's writing that dominated in aesthetics. The general tendency during the neoclassical period was to base a work on classical works. The 'length of duration' was considered to be the main factor of an excellent work. Excellence of a work has to be in par with similar works - production of genius. Dryden wrote 'Prefa...

  THE BEGGAR AND THE BAKER - PAULO COELHO ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  PAULO COELHO:  Brazilian lyricist and writer   Coelho was raised in Rio de Janeiro. He rebelled against the conventions of his Roman Catholic upbringing and, as a result, was temporarily committed to a psychiatric hospital by his parents. Coelho dropped out of law school in 1970 and traveled through South America, Mexico, North Africa, and Europe. In 1972 he returned home and began writing pop and rock music lyrics with Raul Seixas, a well-known Brazilian singer and songwriter. In 1974 Coelho was briefly imprisoned for alleged subversive activities against the Brazilian government. His major works include The Alchemist, The Valkyries, By the River Piedra, I Sat Down and Wept,   The Fifth Mountain,   The Pilgrimage,   Eleven Minutes, The Witch of Portobello, Aleph and so on. The Beggar and the Baker A baker wanted to get to know a great guru in his town a little better, so he invited him ...

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding was written by John Locke in 1689.  John Locke was born in 1632.He studied classical Greek and Latin, Mathematics in the Westminster School in London. He was friends' with Robert Boyle, who studied medicine. He was a fellow of the Royal Society. John Locke was befriended with Thomas Herbert the future Earl of Pembroke who was an amateur philosopher and patron of intellectual activity. This essay is dedicated to Thomas Herbert. Locke wrote Two treatises of the Government - a political philosophy (1689) that criticized the concept of divine right of kings. This essay consists of two letters.  The first letter is addressed to Thomas Herbert and dedicated to him.  The second letter is for the readers. A defense of the book and arguments through various perspectives. There is an intellectual diversion. He hopes to promote clear thinking and clear communication which is the progress of knowledge.  There are four books of the argume...

                                                                  THE CHAIRS  by  Eugene Ionesco The Chairs is one of the most popular plays of Eugene Ionesco, first published in1952 and performed in Paris. This is the Third play of Ionesco. During its original production Ionesco said “As the world is incomprehensible to me I’m waiting for someone to explain it to me.” This play comes under the genre of the absurd theatre, and considered to be the seminal example of it. This play talks about the Loneliness and futility of Human existence. A one-act play featuring an old man and an old woman in their late 90’s. They host an event to which a group of people will come to listen to the old man’s wisdom. The people are all invisible. The settin...

  Street Dog The Poem It happened years ago- When you and I went our separate ways With no regrets Only-there’s just one thing I never understood.   You and I, when we said farewell Our house on sale, The empty pots and pans Scattered in the courtyard                              Maybe watching us The others upside down                              Maybe hiding their faces.   A withered vine above the door Maybe trying to say something to us, me and you                              Or complaining to the water tap.   Non...