The Parrot in the Cage

The Parrot in the Cage

Lekhanath Poudel

Literal Comprehension: Lekhanath Poudel composed the poem "The Parrot in the Cage". The theme of the poem is about freedom, justice, happiness and serenity. The poem is a bitter satire on the then Rana regime that deprived Nepalese people freedom. The speaker has carefully painted the conditions that surround the parrot's life. The speaker is disappointed by the harsh reality of man's life. Away from its family, home, kin, friends, and the natural freedom man has forced the parrot to live a tragic life. Similar is the condition of the human life in Nepal of that period. Being a worshipper of nature, Poudel expresses his deep affinity to the natural world that provides him childhood appetite, which he wants in his later life. Having compelled to live away from his family, home and friends, Poudel pains for it and expresses nostalgia towards it. Finally, through the medium of parrot, voices of political, social, religious, spiritual and habitual life style and situation of human beings are exhumed in the poem. The poem clearly advocates the human instinct to live a free and struggled life away from the crowd.

Interpretation:  In this poem "The Parrot in the Cage", the poet is trying to advocate the freedom of people in the Rana regime. The Nepalese people had been ruled by the Ranas for one hundred and four years. During this period, people were deprived of enjoying all kinds of freedom. The speaker in the poem is disappointed by the harsh reality of man's life. Besides, man has been found to live away from his family, home, kin, friends, and the spiritual freedom that surround him in the rural life. Thus, man has been forced to live a caged life like the parrot. Man's indifference to animal's plight and the mentality of getting entertainment from imprisoning lower animals has been criticized in the poem. Living away from the nature man has invited more tragedy and sorrow in his life.

Critical thinking:  The speaker has carefully painted the conditions that surround the parrot's life. Through the plight of the parrot, the speaker compares the sorrowful description of human life, lack of justice and freedom, the aggression and the cruelty prevalent in the society. Being a worshipper of nature, Poudel expresses his deep affinity to the natural world that provides him childhood appetite, which he wants in his later life. Having compelled to live away from his family, home and friends, Poudel pains for it and expresses nostalgia towards it. More than that, Hindu tradition to pray and appeal God at the time of difficulty is spread all over the poem. In the philosophical level, the poem may be faultless, but I have reservation towards the voices of the parrot. In real life, does a parrot speak like human to express his sorrows?

Assimilation:  After reading this poem, I have realized that how cruel the Rana regime was. I always stand for the freedom of the human beings. As Jean jacks Rousseau said, "Man is born free and wants to live free". Thus, I request all the human beings not to capture any animal as well as not any citizens at the name of ruling system or any pleasure.

The Parrot in the Cage

Lekhanath Poudyal

Don't Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter / Bal Krishna Sama BBS , BSW, BA 1st year English

Don't Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter

By: Bal Krishna Sama

Literal Comprehension: The poem "Don't Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter" is composed by Nepali poet Bal Krishna Sama. The main theme of the poem is about conservation of nature. Specially, the poet argues that trees are very important in our lives and they need to be protected. The poet considers the trees as our dead mother who are silent observers, but they protect us from natural calamities. The poet personifies the tree. The tree is like our mother that is around us and takes care of us. When we remember our childhood, we find that most of the time we play around the tree. It gives us fruits and flowers as if our mother cares us. Thus, no child is hungry. Their leafy lips kiss us and when they feel tired, they sigh and weep. They never speak a word. They are able to tolerate and their pains and grieves are only for our sake. They never complain.

Further, the poet says that in winter the family sits around the fire burnt from the wood, and sing and talk. In the winter, the trees are covered with white frost that makes them bow at us. Nevertheless, we are ignorant. We do not understand all the scarifies and tolerance that the trees endure to sustain our lives. They silently and secretly pass the cold nights dreaming of our happy and cheerful days we spent during our childhoods under their guardianship. They also hear us singing the songs they had taught us. They bless our laugher all the time. They always love us. But, they cannot express their inner thoughts to us. It does not mean that they are lifeless, ignorant and thoughtless. They wait for us until winter ends. As soon as spring arrives, they again spread out their arms and appeal us not to cut off their arms.

Interpretation:   In this pro-environment poem, the poet is trying to be more concerned with the pressing problems of deforestation and environmental degradation. He repeats the idea of considering the earth and its plants as respectful and forgiving to us, the selfish humans who ceaselessly fell down trees for fulfilling their present needs. The poet is indirectly criticizing the human act of clearing the lands, thus, making the life of our children and grandchildren insecure. The trees need to be saved for our future in case the human species may become extinct.

Critical Thinking:  The poem "Don't Cut Down the Trees, Brother Woodcutter" has contemporary message to all the generation. Keeping the environment balance is the upmost property for the benefit of human beings. Some of the ideas presented in this poem are not common to cover all sorts of ecological parts. For instance, those who live in hot place do they find frost on the top of the trees during winter?

Assimilation:  After reading this poem, once I felt to think of our dense forest found in Terai belt. There was "Charkose Jhadi" which was the great economic source of Nepal. Now we do not find it. if the then government was alerted like the poet Sama even nowadays we could find that dense forest. Thus, I appeal citizens and the government to conserve the forest whatever is left for our future generation.

Information technology: An Opposing View Winn. F. Martin / B A 2nd Year

An Opposing View

                   Winn. F. Martin

·        Information technology has brought substantical  changes in the western civilization.

·        Printing press has helped to throw off the monarchical systems.

·        Internet has challenged the policy of china.

·        The views of gelenter are luddite

·        Internet has made possible for the direct voting systems.

·        Even a camel driver in the desert is not excluded from the world as he listen to the radio.

In this essay the writer Winn. F. Martin challenges the views of Gelenter and he strongly points but that information technology has brought revolutionary changes in the present time. The writer doesn't disagree the fact that the basic human beings are the same but the strongly argues that the way we get them is different. Especially in the western civilization information technology has played a significant role.

          It is the printing press that has helped to overflow the monarchical systems. Similarly the internet has challenged the secret policy of china due to which it is becoming democratic. Likewise the writer calls the ideas of Gelenter as being with because he seems to be against the idea of industrialization. The writer gives an example of a camel driver in order to prove how information technology binds human being irrespect the Geography.

          The must significant rule of the internet is in education system. In the present time a person can have foreign degree by staying on his over home. The education system has been globalized due to the internet. Infact the internet has became a public space for every month to meet and shake their opinion.

          Therefore computers and internet have become inhabitable part of modern human beings it is absolutely conservative feelings to under estimate the value of the computer and the internet improperly used it can be a boon but if it is misused, it can be a curse.

Mass Media And Technology / B A 2nd Year

Mass Media And Technology

A writers technique : figures of speech core reading -1

Computer and the pursuit of happiness

                                      David Gelernter

·        This essay refuses the fact that 21st century is the age of information technology. The writer puts there questions:

a)     Are computer and the internet really responsible for the revolution of information technology.

b)    Whether the computer and the internet has really helped the human being over 50 years.

c)     Will the computer and the internet play significant change in the next fifty years.

In this essay the writer is writing the public opinion that the writers have brought revolution in information technology. According to the writer it is not only the computer and the internet that has played a significant roll is making the age as information is but the other means like radio and television are equally responsible.

                   The writer clearly says that neither we are in information nor the computers and internet have brought revolutionary development in human history. The people claim that what counts in 21^st century is the information but they have been mistaken. In fact the materials which were important in the 20^th century are equally important even in the present time. The writer says ,” virtual food make you feel full but it does not prevent from starting.” It clearifies that the artificial world or the abstract ideas can never help the human beings to live a natural life.

                   It is generally claimed that we have got sophisticated machines to create stone and deliver the information. However this claim is not able to process that the present generation are much happen that the precious ones. No doubt the children of the present time enjoy their self in play with computers. But it don’t not necessary mean that the part generations were not happy.

                   The writer believe that the computers and the internet have brought a redical change in science and engineering however it is just and evolution of the industrial age in other sector. Therefore 21th century is not a revolution but it is an evolution of the 20^th century.

                   Have computers been good or bad for making seems they were invented 50 years ago. Obviously information has inriched the life a moral human beings but it doesn't necessarily mean that wealthy people are happy. The writer compares the information technology with plumbing. In the industrial age the common place was the well where face to face communication was possible. But in 21st  century the water has been brought to  home with the help of plumbing. Un doubtey, it is easy but not healthy. Truly speaking the compacter and the internet have ignored help benefit. Moreover human desires are the same although the ways of fulfill them might be differed. Therefore the life of the marking hasn’t been changed by the computers and the internet.

# Will the computers and internet bring significant changes in the next 50 years?

          The writer doesn't cleared that the computers and the internet have brought changes in the present time. This main argument is that the development of the information technology is continuous and there is no revolution yet all. He compares the development of information technology which breathing. Just as breathing supports the life, so does information technology. Besides there is no significant change in the structure of human desires but here might be in the days to come. Although the writer criticizes the role of the computers and the internet in his first 2 paints he argues that the whole pectic should not be give only to the computes and the internet. But we have to see the contribution of the industrial age for the progress of the 21st  century.

Themes

-         Possibilities and limitations of technology.

-         The nature of technological change.

-         The pros (adv) and cons (disadv) of the internet

-         Online shopping and education.

-         The difference between information and knowledge

-         The distinction between reality and virtual reality.

Three Questions

I.            Whether thanks to the computers and the internet.

II.            Whether computes have been beneficial or determental (harmful)

III.            Whether computers are likely to have positive or negative influence.

David Gelernter is this argumentative essay raises three question about the use of computers and internet and address them an his own way. First question he raises is his whether thanks to computer and internet we are now giving in a new information age. He answer this question negatively and says that we aren’t in a information age and computer and the internet aren’t a revolutionary development in human history except in science and engineering. He opines that we need food, clothing, sheltered and possession and this thing are need now. There is not any change in this matters. Brought by information age he says information age is the revolutionary development of industrial age.

The second question is whither computer have been beneficial, detrimental( harmful) to humanity over the last 50 years. Even this question, answers negatively. Through computers have generated lots of information and much wealth, human happiness has increased on the whole. New technology have came into existence but social structure. They have engendered haven’t necessarily improved and the human element associated with old structure has decreased.

          The third question is whither computes or likely to have positive or negative influences. Over next half centuries ( 50 years). This question is answered rather positively. He says that technology will have little to do with human happiness in the future. Respite the new possibilities that new technologies introduce human uniqueness and happiness lie between technological strength, sped and intellect.