English Literature

Question: Write critical essay and explain the function of capitalisation In The God Of Small Things. choose three, or more examples and trace how they are used over several chapters. what is the effect on the reader of using these? Answer: Introduction The God of Small Things is a novel written by an Indian writer Arundhati Roy in the year 1997. In this book the author has described the lives of two fraternal twins. The childhood of the twins was destroyed by the love of laws. In this book the behavior of the human beings are also clearly explained by the author. The book has also won the Booker prize in the year 1997. In this assignment the researcher is going to explain the function of capitalism in The God of Small Things. Discussion In the book The God of Small Things the author has described that different events can change the course of live of a human being. The book was written in the language Malayalam and clearly defines the use of capitalization. According to (Roy), capitalization is a device which leads ones life to tragedy. Objects and events are part of human lives and it is these same object and events which help in bringing out the deeper meaning of events and situations. Capitalization also helps to find out the reaction of human beings with respect to events and objects. In this book the author has explained the views with respect to Rahels adolescent eyes. Various events narrated in the book leads to a clinching climax towards the end. On the other hand (Roy), says that tragedy is repeated at a regular interval and is regarded as The loss of Sophie Mol. The phrase is used to show the functions of the event. Loss is also regarded as an important event in the novel. Therefore it can be said that cap italization is involved with both loss and events. According to (Roy), small events are an important part in the life of children. Capitalization shows that words like defeat are of great importance in the life of children. Capitalization has huge impact on the thought process of children. On the other hand (Roy), capitalization has least effect on the life of adults. The adults in this book have a weakness for children. In Indian society children and women has given least importance. The majority of the society is ruled by male members. However it has been found that capitalization links the weaker and stronger section in the society. Therefore it can be said that capitalization has an important role in Indian society (Thormann). According to (Roy), children have a small role in a family. The adults are the main characters in a family. They take part in important decisions of a family. For example when Margaret and Sophie, the head of the family return back to their home, it has been found that Rahel a child has a small part in the family. This again reiterates the fact that children have less importance in a family. This has developed a jealous feeling in the minds of children. Capitalizations for the sake of children are being less used for the children, On the other hand (Roy), women in Indian culture have to follow the orders of the male. In many of the cases the woman has to tolerate the torture of the male communities. Therefore it can be said that women and children are worst effected in Indian culture. As stated by (Roy), capitalization has also changed the style of English literature in the book God of Small things. Many of the words have been converted into Proper nouns which cannot be converted according to the rules of English language. Capital letters has been used in the book in such a way such that it can create a strong impact on the mind of the reader. On the other hand (Roy), the English language in the book has been reshaped in a new design. English language has been completely redefined in this book by using of capital letters and hyphenated words. The language has been modified according to the requirement of the novel. According to (Roy), capitalization is used to create characters in a different way. Actions and death are also created by capitalization. Capitalized entity is also created when Estha a character in the book was molested by a drunken man. After the incident Estha was uncertain as to how she would react to this situation. On the other hand (Roy), capitalization has helped her to remove the feeling of guilt from her mind. This situation is also critical and has implemented a negative impact on the life of an individual. Therefore it can be said that capitalization has a mixed effect on the life of the individuals. According to (Roy), different activities of the adults also have an impact on the life of the children. Even the thought processes of children are affected by the actions of the adults. The incident wherein the divorce of Mammachi and Ammu occurs is a consequence of the affair between the characters Mammachi Velutha. This divorce has a serious impact on the minds of their children. A dark patch arises in the lives of the children. The children were severely affected. On the other hand (Roy), these type of activities have also helped children to mature overnight and also learn about the happenings around them, and is an effective lesson for them. According to (Roy), The God of Small Things clearly has also introduced the fluidity of English language. In the book Miss Mitten has showed that English language can be used in an effective manner. She has given importance to small happenings in the life of an individual. On the other hand (Roy), has changed the thought of English language. Roy uses capital letters to show significance between life and death. Roy has also used words to bring attentions about small happenings in the life of individuals. In chapter seventeen of the book the author has used the word stationsounds. Such words have been created by combining two or more words. The book The God of Small Things has clearly defined the activity of human beings. Special features of human life like human love and hatred is clearly explained in this book. The author has used English language to express different moments of the human beings. Fear, sympathy, anger, love and disgust are explained in a new form in this book. Capitalization has been used by the author effectively and it has helped the author to explain different activities in the book. The innocence of the children has also been clearly described through capitalization (Thormann). According to (Roy), the book, The God of Small Things has a different effect in the minds of the reader. The author has used capital letters in a different way. The words used in the book are made by combining two or more words. The characters used in the book are unique and eye-catching. The author has intentionally made words capital and meaningless to attract readers. This is all done to make the book different from the others. According to (Roy), capitalization is used in the book to make the words appear in a different way. Capitalization also plays a significant role in creating an effective climax for the novel, something which will be etched in the minds of the readers. Special events and actions are described by the author in the book with the help of capitalization. Tragedy and special events are also explained through capitalization. Striking emotions such as happiness, anger, disgust is expressed through capitalization. The quotes are also written in capital letters to make a different impression on the mind of the readers. On the other hand (Roy), the review from the readers however said that the new style of writing this book has made the author different from others. It is a worthy recipient of the Bookers prize. One of the reasons for receiving the Bookers prize is its introduction of Capitalization in the book (Thormann). Capital letters also attract the attention of the readers and influences their eye movement and this has created a positive impact in the minds of the readers. Therefore, it can be said that the author has effectively used capitalization to create a deeper impact on the mind of the readers. Conclusion The researcher has thoroughly described different effects of capitalization in this book The God of Small Things. In this book the author has introduced a new style of English language. Maximum of the writing in the book has been written in capital letters. This process is used by the author to attract the attention of the readers. Small thing are also been explained through capitalization. Innocence of the children is presented through capital letters. Tragedy, happiness, fights and love is expressed through Capitalization. The impact of the reader is also discussed by the researcher in this assignment. Capitalization used by the author has attracted the attention of the customers. Moreover the author has also introduced a new form of writing. In this new form of writing style the author has joined two or more words to form a new word. Thus in the book The God of Small Things the above mention features has been found. References Roy, Arundhati. "The God of Small Things."WORLD AND I12 (1997): 290-296. Thormann, Janet. "The Ethical Subject of The God of Small Things."Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society8.2 (2003): 299-307. English literature Question: Speech on English Literature ? Answer: Introduction In the Middle East, Arabic is the primary language, which the Arabians uses for their communication purposes. The medium of study has also been in the Arabic form largely. However, the growing relationships with the Western countries have given the necessity to include English as a second language in their graduate courses. Even the employees are now preferred to have English in their list of skills (Tamran 2016). In Saudi Arabia, many of teachers come from other parts of World to teach English to the Arab students. Even, many of the students prefer going to abroad to learn the English language because of the poor infrastructure of English education in Arab. It is when they come into trouble in coping with the change environment in abroad countries (Tamran 2016). This research paper tries to convey the difficulties, which the Arab students are having in their graduate post-graduate courses in abroad countries. It does so with the help of some research questions, research methodology, ethical consideration and the limitations of research (Ortega 2014). Aims and Objectives To find out the data on the proficiency level of Arab students in English language To find out the places where the students are finding difficulties To help them with appropriate solutions to help them overcome the challenges Research Structure The research proposal has eight chapters comprising of Introduction, literature review, significance of research, research questions, research methodology, ethical considerations, limitations of the research and expected result. Literature Review Saudi Arabia was established in the eighteenth century and the modern Saudi Arabia was established by King Abdul Aziz in 1932. It is the largest nation in that region with a population of approximately 17 million. 98 percent of the population is Muslims and their official language is Arabic (Alrabai 2014). There are now 32 universities, public and private, approximately 25000 schools and numerous colleges and technological institutes, with more than half a million female students. The religious and cultural gap and discrimination against women is slowly decreasing with time (Tamran 2016). It has no records of how English was introduced in Saudi Arabia. However, the Saudi Arabian Government took the initiative to introduce English in the education curriculum. They realized the need of English to communicate with the outer world. The formation of OPEC and the consequent trade deals with the rest of the world made it extremely necessary to know English. Hence, English became a part of the education system over the years. Currently, English is the only foreign language that is taught the public and many private schools, colleges and universities. The government has made it compulsory to learn English a second language in schools and as a mandatory introductory course if English is not a major in universities. It is also compulsory for the organizations to give English training to their employees (Braine 2014). However, even in the 21st century, there are some gaps in the country, such as, cultural, educational and legal, and that is creating a communication gap with the rest of the world. For example, the citizens of Saudi Arabia are not familiar with the American culture and learning structure (Gass 2013). Hence, if the schools followed the American style of teaching and learning, it is bound to fail as a system. The American system is more challenging and personalized in comparison to the Saudi Arabian system of education. While the American teachers prefer to guide more on a personal level, the Saudis prefer to guide the students on a collective level. Meehan (2013) cites that, there is an interaction between the two diverse worlds, when the Arabians try to learn English as a second language. They prefer to take the education in a foreign country or through a private instructor. However, the fundamental mistakes remain due to Interlanguage effect. This occurs when the learner tries to learn a new language by linking it to his/her mother tongue. Studies show that initially English was introduced in the education system along with French as a second language but with no specific objective for learning. In 1959, the intermediate level was introduced to bridge the gap between elementary and secondary levels. Then English was made a mandatory subject with specific learning objectives (ur Rahman and Alhaisoni 2013). It was done compulsory in the secondary level in 1960. Significance of research This research paper will try to find out the effects of English in the lives of Arabians and in the economy of Saudi Arabia. In the modern world, all the countries are connected with and dependent on one another. The counties are different in every possible way. There are differences in language, culture, religion, economy etc. In case of any deal or negotiation, the language barrier becomes a major problem. Hence, the need for an international or global language arose, which could bind the countries through a common thread. In todays world, not only the international trade is important, but the globalization of education has become important too. Now a days, there are students who go to foreign countries for studying. There is also student exchange programmes in the universities of almost all countries. Students of all countries take up these opportunities not only for their own good, but also for the benefit of their countries. Due to student migration, more and better research works are happening in the international education market. For this to occur successfully there must be no language barrier. As students from Saudi go to other countries, students from abroad also come to Saudi for further studies. Hence, there is a need for English to be learnt in the schools and colleges (Choudaha and Chang 2012). Also, there are people who migrate to other countries for their jobs. It has become a trend to move to other countries for a better job prospective. Like the students, professionals also move to and from Saudi. In such cases, knowledge in English is a must know language, since; it is the only global language. In the arena of international trade, English is the only language used. The expansion of the oil industry in the Middle East motivated the importance of the development of a foreign language programme in all types of institutions. The companies trained their staffs to communicate in English with foreign nations (Tamran 2016). This research paper intends to find out the development and improvement of English in all sections of education and business. It will focus on the effects of English as a second language and in future how to have positive effects in a more significant method and how to encourage people to use English more in their daily lives. Research Questions How much are the Arab students are proficient in English? What are the places of difficulties? What are the solutions to mitigate the found challenges? Research Methodology Conduction of survey on the Arab students in abroad countries is the most effective and easy way to gather ample of information on the subject topic. Online survey would be made available to the targeted students by coordinating with the different universities on the importance of survey. Moreover, personal interaction with individual student is less productive and much hectic. It is also very time consuming. Some students may not feel free to answer the questions, as they are addressed in front of a person. Online survey would rather require no physical interaction. It is just about taking participation in the cause and responding to all the questions appropriately (Panneerselvam 2014). Investigation Types For the particular research, the researcher would go for the exploratory type of research. Justification for the selection The research is based on online survey, which would have set of questions to be asked to the Arab students. The questions would be set in a more established and scientific way to produce the maximum productivity of the research. Moreover, the target is to help the Arab students in coping with the created challenges (Groenewold and Lessard-Phillips 2012). Data collection method For this research, the researcher would go with both the primary and the secondary type of research. Justification for the selection The researcher has selected the primary source of data collection as it is based on online survey with the Arab students in various universities. It will also use the available articles and journals on the subject topic to find out some important root causes behind the problems. Secondary resources will help in gathering information on the background of Arab students, which is very important before making any conclusion on the research (Yin 2013). Sampling method Non-probability method of sampling is taken as the method to sample the findings. Justification for the selection The Non-probability method of sampling is chosen because of the fact that it has targeted a particular segment of students. The Arab students, who are pursuing their degree courses in abroad, such as, in the USA or UK, are taken as participants in the online survey (Cohen, Manion and Morrison 2013). Ethical Consideration The researcher needs to abide by the legislative guidelines of the Data Protection Act, 1998 to use the collected data on the students appropriately. The research is about online survey and the data that would be gathered from the online survey are fresh leads. Moreover, it is not allowed for anybody to take use of the collected data without any prior consent from the participants. The collected data should be kept secured and used for the most appropriate causes (Richey and Klein 2014). Limitations of Research Time and budget are the possible limitations for the concerned research. An online survey would attract some notable expenditure on its conduction, as it requires collaborative working with some of the established online survey platform such as Survey Monkey in the USA (Lefcourt 2013). Expected Result The expected result of the research is the findings of root causes behind the lack of proficiency level in Arab students in English language. Data analysis plan For this research, the researcher will select the qualitative type of data analysis. Justification for the selection The collected data from the online survey will be analysed based on non-mathematical way of calculation. The research does not require any analytic calculation on the findings; it rather observes the findings to propose the root cause behind the problems (Miles, Huberman and Saldana 2013). Time Horizon (Gantt chart) Activity Months M Jan M Feb M Mar M April M May M June M July Finalizing the topic Collecting data from primary sources Forming a layout of the research work Conducting Literature review Forming the research plan Selecting appropriate research methodologies Collecting data from primary sources Analysis of collected data sets Interpretation of collected data sets Concluding the Study Designing a rough draft Submitting the Final Work Table 1: Gantt chart Source: (Author) The above picture shows the planning for the research on the topic chosen. Different parts of research are planned for different months that are highlighted in the right hand part of the columns in the diagram (Flick 2015). Conclusion The research is aimed to find the prospects and challenges of English as a second language in Saudi Arab. It also focused on the proficiency level of Arab students in English, both in the home country and abroad. It checks the root causes behind the problems that the Arab students are facing while their degree courses in abroad countries such as USA. English as a second language has gained huge popularity in Saudi Arabia due to its relationships with the Western worlds. References: Alrabai, F. (2014). A Model of Foreign Language Anxiety in the Saudi EFL Context. English language teaching, 7(7), p82. Braine, G. ed., 2014.Teaching English to the world: History, curriculum, and practice. Routledge. Choudaha, R. and Chang, L., 2012. Trends in international student mobility. Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K., 2013.Research methods in education. Routledge. Flick, U., 2015.Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. Sage. Gass, S.M., 2013.Second language acquisition: An introductory course. Routledge. Groenewold, G. and Lessard-Phillips, L., 2012. Research methodology.The European second generation compared: Does the integration context matter, pp.39-58. Lefcourt, H.M. ed., 2013.Research with the locus of control construct: Extensions and limitations. Elsevier. Meehan, S. (2013). An Investigation into the Structural Errors of Arabic Learners Written Persuasive Discourse in English. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M. and Saldana, J., 2013.Qualitative data analysis. Sage. Ortega, L., 2014.Understanding second language acquisition. Routledge. Panneerselvam, R., 2014.Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Richey, R.C. and Klein, J.D., 2014.Design and development research: Methods, strategies, and issues. Routledge. Tamran, R. (2016). Teaching English as a Second Language in Saudi Arabia. 1st ed. [ebook] Jeddah: Effat University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Available at: https://library.effatuniversity.edu.sa/finalprojects/Humanities/Teaching-English-as-a-second-language-in-Saudi-Arabia-2016.pdf [Accessed 14 Mar. 2017]. ur Rahman, M.M. and Alhaisoni, E., 2013. Teaching English in Saudi Arabia: prospects and challenges.Academic Research International,4(1), p.112. Yin, R.K., 2013.Case study research: Design and methods. Sage publications.