Prakruti Bhatt's Assignments

English language teaching from Prakruti Bhatt

Modernist literature from Prakruti Bhatt

American literature from Prakruti Bhatt

Post colonial studies from Prakruti Bhatt

This post is in response to the questions asked here Absurd. Strange. Curious. Doubtful. Such is the world of Harold Pinter's play, The Birthday Party. A great example of  The Theatre Of The Absurd convention, The Birthday Party is open to varied and numerous interpretations. Considering the fact that Pinter himself was the screenplay writer of the film version of the play, the viewers are prepared beforehand for some distinct and intriguing dissimilarities from the original text. In my opinion, the incoherence and strangeness of the situation which Pinter portrays in his play are intensified in the film version since opportunities to do that are greater while making the film. Whether it is the camera angles or the sounds and visuals, the film version of the play can be considered a better version of the plot-line which Pinter narrates. However, there are instances which might be considered as loopholes to this assertion. I will be justifying this statement while answering t...

The month of August in India, is a time of euphoric celebration of both national and religious festivals. However, in this euphoria of the celebrations, people forget to look at the other side of those events. This post tries to look at that side of these events which people usually miss out. First, let's take the celebration of 15th August, the day India got independence from the British Raj. But, what was the other side of the story of independence? Well, it was partition. 15th August marks not just the freedom of the nation but also its partition into three different nation-states. Millions of people migrated and got displaced because of this. But their stories remain veiled under the euphoria of the freedom struggle. The partition led to communal riots, which of course wasn't a happy phenomenon. And let's not forget that much of the post independence literature focuses on these unheard voices of displacement, migration and the feeling of terror prevailing during the ...

This post is in reference to the information given here A major tenet of Modernism is to break down all the classical or rather traditional methods of expression and artistic craftsmanship. Samuel Beckett's Breath seems to be a great example to substantiate this statement. This thirty-second play by Beckett captures the absurdity and meaninglessness of the 'modern times'. The idea of absurdity or strangeness associated with plays like Breath arise from the fact that they are not merely meant for entertainment. They tend to pose a question to the audience and lead them to think instead of just being silent spectators.  Following is what the play consists of: 1) Light movements 2) A stage littered with miscellaneous rubbish 3) A 'faint brief cry' 4) The sound of someone breathing The blank spaces which Beckett has left for reader's or audience's interpretation, allows them to have as many perspectives as they want resulting in the play being releva...