Grammar and Usage. 2022.BA English. University of Calicut.

Indian Constitution and Politics. 2022.3rd sem BA.

Appreciating Prose. 2022 University of Calicut.

Appreciating Prose. 2020. 3rd Sem BA English. University of Calicut.

ENG 3B 04- English Grammar and Usage. 2021.3rd Sem BA.

Africa By David Diop

Africa 

                           David Diop

Africa my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery
Africa, tell me Africa
Is this your back that is unbent
This back that never breaks under the weight of humilation
This back trembling with red scars
And saying no to the whip under the midday sun
But a grave voice answers me
Impetuous child that tree, young and strong
That tree over there
Splendidly alone amidst white and faded flowers
That is your Africa springing up anew
springing up patiently, obstinately
Whose fruit bit by bit acquires
The bitter taste of liberty.

New Historicism

🔹New Historicism is a literary theory based on the idea that literature should be studied and interpreted within the context of both the history of the author

 and the history of the critic. 

🔹It is based on literary criticism of Stephan Greenblatt and influenced by the philosophy of Michel Foucault. 

🔹New Historicism acknowledges not only that a work of literature is influenced by its author's times and circumstances, but also that critic's response to the work is influenced by his environment, beliefs systems and prejudices. 

🔹It examines both how the writer's times affected the work and how the work  reflects the writer's times.

Deconstruction

Poststructuralism, emerging in the mid-20th century, was a response to the perceived limitations of Structuralism. Instead of viewing language and culture as fixed systems, Poststructuralists argue that meaning is always shifting and unstable, influenced by a multitude of factors. 

Key thinkers like Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault championed the concept of 'deconstruction,' which questions the idea of fixed meanings and identities. It reveals how our understanding of texts (and the world) is shaped by language, power dynamics, and cultural biases. 

Deconstruction is a philosophical critical approach to textual analysis that is most closely related to the work of Jacques Derrida. He gives the concept of binary opposition. 

The deconstructive method is used to show that a literary text is not fixed or stable. Jacques derrida states that every communication is characterized by uncertainity because there is no definitive link between a signifier (word) and signified (object). 

Once a text is written, it ceases to have a meaning until a reader reads it. There is no solid meaning to the text, that is no possibility of absolute truth.

In literature, Poststructuralism encourages readers to question assumptions and to recognize that a text's meaning isn't fixed or straightforward. It's about seeing beyond the surface, understanding that every text is open to endless interpretation.

While complex, Poststructuralism challenges us to see the world and literature in a new light. It's a reminder that meaning isn't just handed to us but something we actively construct and negotiate.