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

Ariel Gore, USA (1970- ) The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) released new guidelines assuming that watching TV is a bad idea for kids.  Ariel Gore, being a single mother struggling to pay her rent with her unsatisfied wage, takes her voice to disapprove of the AAP’s new approach.   Accompanying her argument with her personal life, she opens up about the difference in time between when she was a kid and now when she is a mom.  When she was a kid, the rent bills were minimal and her mother had a group of friends who helped each other without hesitation with their kids. However, she tells that she has no advantages as her mom had. Gore agrees that babies and toddlers have a critical need for direct interactions with actual people but she solely disagrees that exposing such young minds to TV programs should be discouraged.  She feels that kids are able of interacting with their parents and caregivers even while watching TV.  There are shows that not on...

Robert Coover Notes for a Teacher : The same fairy tale ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is adopted by Robert Coover with the title ‘The Gingerbread House’. The story consists of forty-two numbered paragraphs which shows the parts of the story and it is an adoption ( of Hansel and Gretel ). He used the device of exaggeration (making to seem more important than it really is) to parody (Humorous or satirical mimicry) the form of the original. In order to do so, he eliminated the first part of the story that is exposition of the crisis and the last part such as complication (complexity) and denouement (the outcome of a complex sequence of events) . In other words, the important events and the sequence between one and the other event are not included in the story. In place of the events, he furnished the story with such as the physical attributes (construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished) of the characters and the forest. Every detail was exaggerated to such an exte...

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm (1785-1863) Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) Popularly known as Grimm Brothers. German philologists and collectors of fairy tales. Summary : This is a story about a poor woodcutter, his second wife and his two children from first wife named Hansel and Gretel. Their mother died when they were young. Hansel and Gretel were very sad. Soon their father remarried but their stepmother was very cruel. Once, when the country was in famine (shortage) father was really in trouble to maintain the family. His wife wasn't even worried a little about the children. She rather insisted her husband to desert them into the dense forest. The woodcutter didn't like the idea but he had to accept his wife’s proposal. The children overheard their parents and Hansel collected jacket full of shiny pebbles. The next morning, he dropped the pebbles on the way while going to the forest. When they reached the middle of the forest, th...

Chris Van Allsburg, USA (1949-) Characters: Randall Ethan Hope  (Captain of the Ship) Mr. Howard  (the first mate) Other characters are Musicians, Storytellers, Dancers, Sailors, Avid ( greedy ) Readers etc.   This story is actually a logbook. The journey started on May 8 and ended July 12  (2 Months 4 Days) .  The voyage started on 8 th May. On 6 th June, they reached an island which was not mentioned in the map. Everything was strange and the plants were without fruits and there was unpleasant odor. They found a two feet long, gray stone with glowing surface. The crew took the stone to the ship.  They forgot reading, singing, dancing, storytelling and music playing. They gathered around the stone (TV). On 15 th June, a great storm approached the ship and nearly sank her.  (The crew didn't help the captain because they were spellbound by televising. Un...

SALMAN RUSHDIE, INDIA (1947- ) 1)  Who is Salman Rushdie ? He is a British-Indian novelist and essayist. The publication of the  Satanic Verses   in September 1988 caused immediate controversy in the Islamic World because of what was perceived as an irreverent depiction of the Prophet Muhammad. On 14 February 1989, a  FATWA  requiring Rushdie's execution was proclaimed on Radio Tehran by Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of Iran at the time calling the book "blasphemous against Islam". He graduated from Cambridge University in 1968. 2)  What is this speech all about ? Commencement Address at Bard College, May 25th, 1996 by Salman Rushdie: This speech is Rushdie's research into commencement (the beginning of something) and its tradition. Rushdie was charged for this (a few nights before the graduation ceremony- an unnamed person redecorated his room and made it dirty with thick gravy and onion sauce) and announced his d...

Pedro Antonio de Alarcon, Spain (1833-1891) CHARACTERS: Uncle Buscabeatas (60 Years old Farmer, who has been working in the field for the last 40 years) Uncle Fulano Market Inspector Policeman Vendor   This is a short story. The major event of the story begins in  Rota , the smallest town in the bay of  Cádiz . The major character of the story is Uncle Buscabeatas who solves the mystery of lost pumpkins by using his  creative and critical mind . This is a story of a village situated at the bay Cádiz. This is the place which was liked even by the duke of Osuna. He had made a beautiful castle because of his fascination with this place.   The writer claims that he could describe this castle brick by brick but he admits that his intention was not to describe any duke or castle but his purpose is to describe the hard labour of the people who are living on the same island. Antonio writes that the soil of this village is not so fertile which consists of sand but the ...