Subodh Bhattarai (English & Communication Notes - BBA/BBS/BBBS/BHM/BIM/BMS/MBA/MBS & +2)

Balakrishna Sama (1902-1981 ) (Translated by Michael Hutt) I.                   Literal Comprehension Context: This poem has been written by Balakrishna Sama (1902-1981). He was a dramatist par excellence, a performing artist, painter, sculptor, poet, essayist, novelist and short story writer. In this poem, he has advocated of nature conservation. The speaker of the poem is trying to persuade the woodcutter not to cut down the trees. Therefore, he calls the woodcutter ‘brother’ and tries to establish emotional attachment with the trees using the phrase ‘dead mothers’. He requests the woodcutter not to cut down the trees because they provide us with the motherly love and care. They protect us from the sun and the rain, seat us on their laps, carry us in their arms and shoulders, give us fruits and flowers, and kiss our foreheads with leafy lips. They also weep for us, but they canno...

Parijat (1934-1993) Translated By: Padma Devkota  Parijat who was born in 1937 in the hill station of Darjeeling, India, a place known for its tea gardens, is a Nepali writer. Her real name was Bishnu Kumari Waiba (Waiba is a subgroup of Tamang) but she wrote under the pen name Parijat. Her most acclaimed publication is Siris Ko Phul (The Blue Mimosa), which has also been adapted in the literature curriculum of some colleges in some English-speaking countries. In 1965, she was awarded with the Madan Puraskar for the novel. Siris Ko Phul is one of the most important piece of work in the whole of Nepalese literature. She was elected a member of the Tribhuwan University. Parijat remained unmarried and continued to suffer physical setbacks. While she was contributing to literature, she also tried to support social causes and initiated attempts like Prisoners' Assistance Mission. She died in 1993. New Year is a popular poem by Parijat. It contrasts the expected ...

Rabindranath Tagore, India (1861-1941) Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. "Where the mind is without fear" is a patriotic  (loyal/Inspired by love for your country)  poem, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, the great Bengali poet. This poem is based on idealism. The poet is inspired by the feeling of patriotism. He wished his country to be taken into the heaven of freedom where one feels fearlessness and honored. He wants to make his country as the place where truth exists and people get perfection of work, w...

Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Nepal (1914-1982) (Translated and Edited by Shreedhar Lohani) About the Author : Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala was born on September 8, 1914 in Banaras, India. He was the second son of Krishna Prasad Koirala who was a leading businessman in Biratnagar. In the beginning, the family was well off but due to the resentment of the then Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Rana, the family's property in Biratnagar was confiscated. The entire Koirala clan, altogether 45 members, were forced to live in exile in Banaras, India. B.P. was also attracted to politics from an early age. As a young student, he was involved in the fight against the British regime in India. Later on, he fought against the Rana regime in Nepal and after its overthrow, he was appointed the first prime minister of Nepal. B.P. was also against the Panchayat system. For this, he was jailed for eight years at Sundarijal. During this time, he wrote some of his best works. In time...

Robert Frost, USA (1874-1963) POEM : Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer    To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake.   The only other sounds the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep,    And miles to go before I sleep. ABOUT POET & the POEM : Robert Frost wrote "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in 1922, two years before winning the first of his four Pulitzer Prizes. The poem tells the story of a man traveling through some snowy gardens on the darkest evening of the year, and he'...

Fulton Oursler, USA (1893-1952) Questions: What is the great answer to the riddle of life? Explain. What is the message of the story, The Great answer? Can you cite any experience from your own life to support the message of the story? Points to Remember: In this story writer Fulton Oursler just want to say that love human being, struggle till the last blood remains in the body, always help to helpless & needy ones, don't lose hope, faith in god, accept all the challenges, difficulties and problems. This is The Great Answer to solve the riddle of the life.  The three hidden interpretations of " The Great Answer " are:  We should have faith in God, We must struggle in our life, We should help others. ‘The Great Answer’   written by Fulton Oursler gives an account of the refugees trying to flee the secret German Police following. The Nazi armies into France during World War II and the kind of journey they undertook so that they can cross the high Pyrenees Mou...

William Somerset Maugham, England (1874-1965) THE CHARACTERS The characters may be divided into different groups: The major characters:  Mr Kelada and the narrator   The minor characters:  Mr And Mrs Ramsay, and the doctor The prejudiced (being biased or having a belief or attitude formed beforehand): the narrator and Mr Ramsay The non-prejudiced:  Mr Kelada, the doctor and Mrs Ramsay The Oriental (Denoting or characteristic of countries of Asia): Mr Kelada The Westerners:  Mr And Mrs Ramsay and the narrator The characters are described by their appearance and characteristics, except for the narrator. THE NARRATION - The story is told in the first person – the narrator sees everything and is a part of the plot. In the first episode, where he meets with Mr Kelada, the narrator is more active and involved. He observes, comments and judges Mr Kelada as he sees him through his own eyes. Since he is influenced by his prejudiced society, his judg...

James Joyce (1882-1941) RELATED   QUESTIONS : How do you think Mrs. Mooney settled with Mr. Doran about Polly? Did Mr. Moran marry Polly or pay out compensation?  Sketch the character of Mrs. Mooney. Write an interpretation of 'The Boarding House'. Briefly narrate the story of "The Boarding House". Characters : Mrs. Mooney (butcher's daughter) Miss Polly Mooney (daughter) Jack (son) Doran (lover of miss Polly) Leonard (boss of Doran) Summary of the Text : James Joyce’s “The Boarding House” is the suspense story which ends with the strategic techniques of Mrs. Mooney, central character in the story. She plays the significant role to settle the love affair of her young daughter and Mr. Doren with whom she had an affair and special relationship. The story is all about the character sketch of a strong determined woman named Mrs. Mooney and her persuasive strategies to settle her daughter’s affa...