NATURAL SCIENCE

NATURAL SCIENCE

Armand Denis, Belgium (1896-1971)

b. Write the four level of meanings to the text "The Four-Tusked Elephant".

Literal Comprehension: Belgian writer and scientist Armand Denishas written this story "The Four-Tusked Elephant" while the writer was in Africa, Putnam and Texan were with him. He heard about the four-tusked elephant. Then the writer asked with pigmies, the inhabitants of Ituri forest and and got answer that they had seen it directly. They claimed that it was certain to exist. After that the writer made the determination to find the Four- Tusked Elephant that could talk in human voice and could see that other elephants could not. giving tobacco as gift and taking three young men the writer walked for four days. They saw a group of elephants but they were with two tusks. That made writer to take the Four-Tusked elephant as a myth.

Once the writer was in Butembo Hotel for other business. Four local Begian settlers were talking about the elephant having four tusks. The writer got contact the person who would sell tusks without paying tax secretly. when he met Xantos who informed the writer that tusks was sent to the warehouse at Abba. The writer found Mombeli had sold the tusk. writer made condition to meet head of the elephant with Mombeli offering him wristwatch, light and oil latern. After that the writer didn't get any news about Mombeli's where about. Luckily the writer got  the head (skull) of elephant and wrote a letter to his parents to buy the tusks because the tusks were taken to Central  Office Antwerp. Getting too much difficulties Denis brought the head (skull) to home, Belgium. But the tusks were already sent to New York Museum of National History. In New York Museum of National History the writer fit the tusks into holes of skull one after another and they perfectly fitted. Though the writer had solved the mystery of four -tusked elephant still whether it could talk in human voice was in doubt. that was not scientifically proved.

Interpretation: The story "The Four-Tusked Elephant" is not only a story of scientific discovery; it is a scientific process of finding the truth. Scientific experimentation is not a simple process rather it starts with hypothesis and proceed with observation and experimentation and lastly draws a reasonable (logical) conclusion. It might also be trying to say that sometimes chance or co-incidence plays an important role to make heard a discovery. The writer was in the hotel and heard a talk about four-tusked elephant that led him to find this discovery. Still another possible interpretation of the story might be the result of hard work. which is always good . we should keep on doing practice one day, sooner or later, we will reach to our goal. we should always be optimistic in doing difficult and sometimes impossible bobs as well.

Critical Thinking: This scientific story has easily draw the attention of any reader. it has written so systematically that we can't stop without coming to the end. it has surpassed the lesson that only dedicated, hardworking and punctual at work people can meet their goals sooner or later, Still we can be disagreeing with some of the non-convincing ideas presented here. Can an elephant speak in human voice? Does any one do such risky job for getting that proof? Still the process of scientific investigation is not less convincing one.

Assimilation: I got stuck very much with the ideas presented in the story. It taught me to be ever optimistic and use personal logic and full dedication on our work. We should never be discouraged and back warded in getting difficulties on the process of work. In the quest of mission one should not be tired by any cost. If so, the success is sure to be in the hand.

c. Scientists often test the accuracy of a hypothesis or an educated guess. What was Denis's hypothesis in "The Four-Tusked Elephant"

Scientists often work with accuracy and deal with educated guess. Here Denis's first hypothesis was that whether the four-tusked elephant really existed that could talk in human voice. But unlike common people the scientist Denis didn't stop here rather wanted to prove what was the reality. He contacted many local inhabitants, pigmies who claimed that they had seen the four-tusked elephant many times. westerners also believed its existence. Denis himself wanted to observe whether the elephant existed or not. With much hardship, he reached to the place where the four- tusked elephants was supposed to be found. He only saw elephants with two tusks. Then he concluded that it was myth.

But later when he was in Butembo Hotel, he heard four Belgians talking about an African who had claimed that the four-tusks he was stilling was from dead elephant. Then, Denis went to the seller to buy the tusks but they were already taken for providing him the four tusks. He contacted Mumbeli to provide him the skull. Lastly when Denis got the skull he brought it to Belgium. The tusks were carried to Beutral skull's holes. He proved that the four-tusks elephant really existed it was not a myth but a reality. This all process shows That scientists always test the accuracy of a hypothesis and work with educated guess. They never take things for granted. This difficult work of Denis shows how scientists work accuracy, perfect experimentation, analysis and finally draw a reliable conclusion based on educated guess.

Gaia

Gaia

Shreedhar Lohani, Nepal (1944-)

b. Write the four levels of meanings to the poem "Gaia",

Literal Comprehension: The strong hot wind blowing everywhere that has made palm trees withered. This imbalance in nature causes over rain. This destructive rain has made the sea. to wait with vast open mouth grabbing how much water comes there. The sharp pointed mountain peaks are also eating with beaks and causing the earth trouble day by day. Earth is polluted very much due to human ruthless activities. The bad smell of damaged fungus has brought many problems to the home(Earth) where we all live. This has brought problems, hunger and disturbances in the world. Yet the mother Earth tolerates all them calmly.

Interpretation:  This poem " Gaia" has presented the dilemma of the biosphere. Human beings are careless in their activities so they are creating a number of problem in the environment. Mother earth, "Gaia" is so much tolerant that whatever people do upon her she calmly accepts them. But it might also indicate that to the extreme point of toleration She may turn towards revenge of heedless action upon her. There may be anti-action that will be far more destructive to human beings. This revenge has been foretold in myths in ancient cultures also.

Critical Thinking: This poem has only 12 lines and is in two stanzas. More then rhyme other literary language the use of metaphors is very much strong. The six metaphors used in the poem-wind, rain, mountain, sea, time and the house have bought was area of the earth. Hot wind is destructive to plam tree that cause to destructive rain. The sea and mountain as well as time are giving torture constantly. The house stands here as the earth in general. But like mother to nourishment of child Goddess Earth or Mother Earth tolerates how much injustice done upon her. Careless human beings are sheer cause of the destruction of earth and its beauty. The poem written based on Gaia hypothesis is really convincing. Though we can rise a question of existence of God at present but the current ecological problems of the world are not less serious.

Assimilation:  The poem gave me a clear concept of an ecological destruction due to reckless activities of human beings. It gave me an insight that if domination is at the extreme, there will be revenge as well. I quickly remembered the poem "Gods Grandeur" by G.M. Hopkins. Here the poet has presented careless money-minded people who are running after power, wealth having no faith on kind God. Yet God will take care to all plants and creatures like a hen to brood her eggs.

The Lunatic

The Lunatic

Laxmi Parsad Devkota, Nepal

(1909-1959)

b. Write the summary of the  poem "the Lunatic".

A famous Nepali Literary star Laxmi Parsad Devkota, has composed this poem "The Lunatic". It is the translation of his Nepal poem "pagal" in 1956. The poet has used a mask of an insane person to show a contrast with the world people and his thinking. in the first stanza he says he is insane (mad) and this is his thinking.

The speaker tells about different contrasts in a second stanza with unusual habits. He can see sound and hear picture and taste a smell. He touches such things that world people don't believe them. He sees flower in the stone. He speaks such strange language, which is not written and spoken and all his words are never understood by anyone.

In the third stanza, the speaker makes many contrasts. Other sense with five sense organs while he does with six. One minus one is equal to one and he works with heart while other work with mind. He enjoys in poetry while sane people do in prose. If they freeze he melts because he has world of vapour. With all such contrasts he says a vein is loose in his brain so he is insane.

In the fourth stanza the persona of the poet says he is called crazy when he is talking wintry sun heat. when he is sad at the death of people and weeps people call him mad. Seeing dead body he realizes Buddha's Philosophy still he is called mad. in listening a melodious song of cooko he is referred to mental hospital and he is tasted if he is mad by pinching on his skin. He still a accepts that he is an insane

In the fifth stanza, the speaker focuses on stronger contrasts that wine is blood, prostitutes are corpse they don't have affection. King of other is beggar to him because he is high ambitious. The highly respected people are fools to him. Other's gold is his iron and the clever people are innocent to him. All the progress is his not progress because all are fools in his eyes. Such is his plight and such is his evaluation. What people value, believe and porud on are meaningless to the speaker.

In the sixth stanza, the speaker has become more aggressive. Blind leaders lead the world society/society where truth is not counted. Foolish and cheater have covered all high Honest, true and good people are always sidelined. The speaker sympathizes the weak minds and thinking of so called intellectual people of modern world.

In the last stanza, the speaker is very much violent and challenging towards the flatterers who disturb people from getting true rights and freedom. Political leaders are like prostitutes because they can be sold in money. With black money common people are controlled from getting human rights. False news is published in the media. When the speaker like honest people read them feeling comes to challenge and fight against them. He is much more angry when innocent people are forced to take poison and accept guilt of wrong deeds. When innocent and honest person is corrupted and cheated by so-called clever inhumanly his anger grows up. When he sees tiger punching upon the innocent dear,big fish to small, strong blow occurs from inside of him. There is no inhumanly. His brain burns like a forest fire he becomes too much cruel and become a child of tempest explosion of volcano. His mind is not proper, this is his condition.

c. Write the four level of interacting with the text "The Lunatic"

Literal Comprehension:  this poem "The Lunatic " by Laxmi Parsad Devkota is his own translation of Nepali Poem "Pagal". The person or speaker of the poem is mad who tells about his uncommon activities just opposite from normal sane people. He sees the sound, hears the sight and tastes the smell. He can see Hellen in a rose. He works with sixth sense. He speaks such language that world does not accept. There is one in subtracting one from one in his maths. There is heart that melts and makes world of vapor. His dream world is full of thorns not roses. People call him a mad while sitting in wintry sun, listening cuckoo's song and weeping over people's death. He calls prostitutes are dead bodies and ruler and leaders are real fools. The great king is beggar  for him. Other's heaven is his hell and others' god is his worse. When he sees a number if injustices done upon powerless, innocent people by powerful, he is much violent and turns to be like volcano. He/ takes himself really mad because he can't hear thousand of such injustices and inequalities exist in this society  and the world ruled by fools.

Interpretation: "The Lunatic" is an autobiographical poem by a famous Literary star Nepali Literature late Laxmi Prasad Devkota. Looking to the then society full of injustices he has pevolted through ideas and feeling in this poem. The speaker has made a world of contrasts where oppositions are the desirable aspects by which the poet wants to have a systematic and humane world. He has used a mask of mad person but actually the so-called sane persons are mad and foolish. By using his characters like confidence, imagination, abnormality, aggression, rebellion he wants to break down all the valls of social injustices and dominations. In violent and challenging tone the poet wants to demolish all social, personal and any types of dominations. The skilful presentation of sane and insane characters, activities and state the poet might be trying to challenge to so-called civilized, high class and rulers who enjoy in controlling others and looting the innocents. The poem is the best example of political protest poem.

Critical Thinking: It is natural for us not to accept any type of injustice, domination and inhuman behaviors. But the poet's senses of testing, smelling, hearing, sight and seeing the sound are really mad like. Again, The poet has used mask to criticize the ample of social personal injustices done in any name. How can a person visualize sound, hear the sight and taste the smell? Can one work with sixth sense? Though we can be disagree in some aspects of him, still we can't deny what is his intention in the poem. The poem's thirst is to be rebellious against any injustice is ever praiseworthy and ever convincing one. This depth idea is hidden under the surface abnormality of Lunatic in this poem.

Assimilation: After reading this persuasive poem I got the insight c f why people become rebellious. What is the world and what is truth and how the innocent and honest people are made Scapegoat by so-called civilized and powerful people. The poem made me to remember the poem of famous poet Emily Dickension "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" The speaker has been called insane and sent to prison because she doesn't accept what majority say. She is against injustice and domination so she doesn't say. She is against injustice and domination so she doesn't like to say white to black. If one doesn't do what group says then he/she is called insane. Similarly, the speaker of this poem "The Lunatic" is taking side of truth and so-called sane are mad and he is really sane. The poem also taught me that we should not accept any injustice by any cost.

d. The poet's method in "The Lunatic" capitalizes on the contrasts between the world of Lunatic and sane people. What are some of these contrasts and how they bring out the irony of the poem?

The real massage of the poet in this poem is based on the contrasts. Mainly, there is contrast between the world of sane and the sane people with better characters and  personalities ironically. He says Lunatic persona gets experiences that a sane can't. Here lunatic sees the sound, hears the picture and tastes the small but that can't  be done by sane person. Lunatic touches things that normal person can't what Lunatic speaks that language never be  spoken, written or used. Normal person sees nothing in a stone baside stone. A lunatic can see flower in the stone and can talk with bird on it. Lunatic feels the heavenly beauty is smiling to him. He works with sixth sense that normal person works with five senses. Insane works with heart while sane does with brain. Others freeze but Lunatic melts and becomes vapour. All these contrasts show that actually Lunatic is not Lunatic but these so called sane people are mad. Using the mask of Lunatic the poet has dug out the bases of all social, personal, injustices, inhumanity and inequalities of societies and convention.