Literature Assignment.

The Misunderstanding- Albert Camus.

“The Misunderstanding” Is a play written by Albert Camus. The play mainly revolves around the lives of Martha and her mother who run an inn. The other characters involved in the play are Jan, the long lost son who decides to come back home, Jan’s wife Maria and the old man who is a helper at the inn. The play later unfolds to reveal that both Martha and her mother rob and murder their rich customers in order to get out of the country and move to Africa where they intend to start a new life. Due to this desire, the accidently end up killing Jan, without realizing that he is a part of their own family.

One of the major character developments seen in the misunderstanding was that of Martha’s mother. Initially the mother used to assist her daughter in committing the crime by disposing the body but in the being of the play she is shown as tired of both, the crimes committed by her and her daughter as well life in general. There is the constant mentioning about how she would just like to finally rest after it was all over. Moreover, the mother did not wish to kill Jan even though she didn’t know that he was her son. This shows that she had reached such a point in her life where she no longer dreamed of leaving to another land and had already accepted her fate. It is evident that had grown tired of life and was searching for an excuse to give up on everything. So when she found out that she was responsible for her son’s murder, she quite willingly used that as the excuse to commit suicide, potraying it in such way to make it seems as if the loss of her child was something she truly couldn’t bear.

Martha on the other hand was a very cold and distant personality. She portrays herself as very hostile towards her brother, suggesting that it was that manner in which she behaved with most of her guest. She did not entertain him questioning her and suggested that he maintain his distance on multiple occasions. These character traits could be du e to various reasons like the loss of two male figures in the house, causing the burden to fall squarely on Martha’s shoulders since she was young. The loss of her youth in order to support her mother, exposure to killing in order to fulllfil her dreams. Since it is suggested that there were many more victims before Jan, it is very likely that murder had made her devoid of emotion and vigorously goal oriented. This is seen when she is having a final conversation with Jan before he consumed the poisoned beverage where he mentions Africa, the place she desires to visit. Those talks pushed her to kill him in order to make herself happy. Martha is also seen as a loyal and faithful daughter. Besides the hardships faced by her mother, Martha always stood by her. Hence when her mother decides to give up on life after Jan’s death., Martha is seen displaying emotions like anger as well as pain since her mother chooses her dead son over her loyal daughter. Although this outburst of emotion is very short lived as she calmly tells Maria, Jan’s life about the murder. Even though she is confessing a crime she is calm and talks about the aspects of death as if it were nothing. Martha is a complex character accepts the fact that she has no emotions or even a soul (conscience in this case)

Jan’s character is seen as a bit naïve and emotional character. He keeps trying to engage his sister into conversations much to her disdain.

Maria, Jan’s wife initial comes across as a clingy woman, refusing to let her husband go. She is also seen as straightforward since she kept insisting that Jan just tell them the truth. On hearing the news of Jan’s death, Maria loses control and lashes out at her “sister-in law”. She is seen having outburst of anger pain and even hysteria. The final character, the old man is a suspicious one since his motives still remain unclear. The Misunderstanding overall is a beautiful written play about love, dreams, despair and deceit.

Secret Place...

Thumbprint of the moon, as my seniors called it or secret place as I named it, this place became important for many of us back at home. It has been one of those places where I sulked alone in apathy, sat down and pondered over things or had a nice time with my friends while enjoying the breeze and the nature around me.

I never once thought before introducing someone to this place. No one ever got disappointed. The place shaped us and made us the people we are today be it good or bad, does not really matter.

It was a perfect escape from reality, time stood still at this very place when you were there. The feeling you get when leaving this place is somewhat similar to the feeling when you ask for the cheque, exit the bar and you're like SHIT, BACK TO THE REAL WORLD. You see every one busy with their lives, you see so many people around you that you don't know and don't really give care about.

The occasional cop investigation and questioning is always a buzzkill,"What are you doing here?" "Do your parents know you're here?" "You are not allowed here, there have been murders here!" but what can they do? We do live in a free country.

I still remember cycling randomly, 5 years ago when this very place caught my eye. A simple glance of the place made me feel as if the dark side of the force came knocking on my door with a very tempting offer and I took it. I do not regret it.

The place might look beautiful and all but it does have a dark side. It is pretty and dark actually. It lets your thoughts flow. The place makes you think, about what you want what you don’t. What you can do with and what you can’t do without. What is the problem at hand and what is the solution, it gives you a whole new perspective of looking at things. It relieves you of all your materialistic thoughts. It saves you from your pretentious lives.

I might sound ambivalent here right now but this is what is the actual beauty of the place. The mixed emotions. This place is a perfect battle field for the two sides of the force.

Namit Chaudhary
Roll no. 4

My Mentor

"There is no gathering of rose without being pricked with thorns". That's exactly what my encounter with my Mentor is all about. His teaching skills are rose personified but his discipline is like pricking of thorns. We often complain that 'Roses have thorns' but my Mentor has taught me to be optimistic that 'Thorns have roses".
Ironically, this is not what I perceived about him at the start of my voyage. According, to me initially he was like a storm which wouldn’t be calm. I felt like a subject in Hitler’s regime but you can’t judge a book by its cover. My prejudice proved me wrong. He was one of the best thing that any student could want. His dealings were excellent. He is sincere in his teaching and is very hard working. Laziness flees away when we see him that’s his persona. He makes a simple living but his thinking is great. He influences our young minds with his fatherly care and does not encourage us to pass our time carelessly in idle chat or in idle thought; rather he encourages us to be perseverant. I enjoy his teachings because he makes his classes very interesting by citing examples from day to day happenings and from books outside our courses. He stimulates us to make our activities greater. One of the best qualities about Mentor is to do what he believes is best for the students. This was evident when he juxtaposed the higher authorities for us students to participate at inter-college competitions. My
He is the true potter who moulds a broken piece of clay into a beautiful pot. He has made sure that every student who are mere stones are polished into sparkling diamonds. My Mentor is focused about his vision for the students where he wishes each student reaches the horizon of success. He has left no stone unturned to ensure that the students truly make their own growing no matter how tall the world seems. He is not someone to lean on but a great personality that makes leaning unnecessary. For me HE IS AN ORDINARY MAN WITH EXTRA ORDINARY THINKING!!!

-Claudette Netto
Roll No - 28

The good, the bad and the sparkly?

Imagine this- you walk into your favorite book store and decide to rummage through the young fiction section. You finally get there and realize that the one place where you enjoyed doing some light reading has now turned into a watering hole for pre-teen girls. But you must be warned, because if you get any closer, the chances are you might not survive “The Vampire Invasion”. It’s like a zombie apocalypse in the literary world, but only a whole lot worse. Because replacing squealing teenage girls with zombies is a lot scarier.

Before you decide to label this post as a hate rant against all current vampire themed books, I would like to tell you that the reason behind this post is that people need to learn to look beyond those books that tarnish the category of young fiction and look beyond only to find fiction that is actually worth reading.

Although young fiction like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings quite clearly contradict the fact that everyone is obsessed with vampire books, there are also books like Hunger Games, The Percy Jackson series, Artemis Fowl, Lemony Snickett- the series of Unfortunate events etc which aren’t given enough of credit, at least in India. These books are most likely judged by their movies which do them no justice what so ever.

But then again, if adventure, humor, Greek mythology and suspense aren’t your thing, then who are we to judge?

But every time I have this conversation with any pre teen or teenage girl, the reply is the same.

“But I love vampires!” Fine. If you must read about vampire stories, read Anne Rice! At least Lestat is a REAL vampire who doesn’t sparkle in the sunlight! Or isn’t “vegetarian” for that matter. Yes, that is a direct Twilight reference, but you have to admit that not only does the series not make any sense but it’s also degrading towards women. But before any Twilight fan decides to hunt me down while chanting slogans about “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob” they ought to know that I have read the entire series for some god forsaken reason. Maybe it’s because I am a bit of a masochist (and also a leo. Masochistic lion. Oh the irony!) But back to the topic of concern, why would people read about a spineless not to mention dull character that falls in love with a vampire who breaks into her house just watch her sleep? Mind you that is not romantic, it s downright creepy. So our spineless character accepts her vampire (stalkerish tendencies and all) only to wage a war, get married and give birth to some kind of half breed abomination. Oh and did I mention the part where her EIGHTEEN year old best friend is in love with her infant daughter. So congratulations to all those who are twilight fans and those who are currently reading the book, cause you have just read about necrophilia, bestiality and pedophilia all in that order! But then again, people always must make their own mistakes. Que another hellish vampire book, “The House of Night” . Twelve books of pure torture about vampires with supernatural powers and shallow problems. Did I mention the book “Vampire Academy”? Oh yes school for Vampires where they teach you how to suck. Pun intended. But then again the list doesn’t end here. You still have so many more to go like Blue blood Vampire diaries, Frostbite, Shadow Kiss etc. But sadly this mainly because this is what the public demands and some authors are more than happy to write about those oh so lovable creatures. It’s infuriating because they write such nonsense just to cash in on the success but then again, can you blame them?

Its depressing as a reader to know that this is what the younger audience prefer these days. All you can do is hope that it is just a phase, something that they can out grow. If they don’t and still insist that vampire have somehow evolved from being dark feared creatures of the night to misunderstood emos who just want to be loved and accepted, well then that’s their loss.But if one ever decides to pick up any other young fiction book, encourage it! Encourage them to pick up the Hunger games which is a deathly spin on reality in a post apocalyptic world. It deals with a strong female protagonist which is a great roll model for young girls. Throw in some action, drama and struggle and you have fiction worth your time. Encourage them to pick up books like Eragon or any other books for the Inheritance Cycle if fantasy is what they like!

Expose them to the world of literature for the young where the key to your imagination is your pen. Believe me, they will be grateful. After all, those who have read those books have never regretted it.So well then my dear muggles, demigods, orphans, contestants, dragon riders or whatever it is that you like to call yourselves, I suggest you keep reading young fiction worth reading.

After all, one does not simply let vampire books take over!

Aurelia Fernandes

Roll no :11

F.Y.B.M.M.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH A TIME MACHINE..!!
We were walking along a pathway in a forest on a sunny morning,when suddenly someone roared, "Stop!" We stopped dead in our tracks. We looked arround but could see no one. When we looked up we were horrified to see an iron hook having two points and the next moment we found ourselves suddenly floating in the air! The hooks hauled us to a place where many branches of trees intesected and formed a platform. A strange old man with a grim look on his face was surveying us with satisfaction. Looking at his nurmerous gadgets, we assumed him to be a scientist. He led us into a wierd box telling us that it was a time machine. Looking at the nurmerous electrical circuits, we could hardly believe that we had come across a gadget which the world thinks is a fantasy.
We pressed one of the red and blue buttons and everything spun out of focus. We landed on a clering in a forest. We saw beautiful palace to which the only entrance was a passage. The palace guards were asleep,so we mde our way into the palace. We opened a door which was slightly ajar. Suddenly a blinding light could be seen and we found ourselves surrounded by a sea of gold coins! We figured that it could be the royal treasury. We hastily pocketed as many gold coins that would fit into our pockets,but suddenly stopped as we saw the palace guards approaching. We expected them to catch us roughy and throw us in prison, but instead, on seeing us, with a horrified look on their faces,they ran away. We found our way into the king's court which was a perfect pandemonium. As we approached,everyone fell silent. Then came a mighty booming voiceof King Akbar himself. "Oh Aliens, we dont know from which planet you hall. But surrender yourself or you will be clapped in prison!" We thought that maybe, looking at our attire (jeans and shirts) he must have assumed us to be aliens. Gthering up courage, one of us spoke,"We are from your future,oh respected King!""Then can you tell me when i will die?" asked Akbar. Being poor at history we had forgotton the date long ago. But luckily,as one of us had the history text book in our pockets, we told him the date. "So soon?" he thundered."I want to live longer! Push them down from the top of the Qutub Minar!" We were panic striken. The guards caught us roughly by the scruff of our necks and led us on top of Qutub Minar. As we were taken to the top, I put my hand into my pocket to remove one of the tiny gadgets i had pocketed on the tree. It was a mini parachute!
We were overjoyed. Just as we were pushed, we firmly caught hold of the parachute and floated safely to the ground where the time machine lay. We hastily pressed the red button to go back to our present. As we landed on the platform on the tree,the scientist was nowhere to be seen. I exclaimed, "It's good to be back home,isn't it?" After reaching back home,we showed mother the gold coins from the King's treasury. She was astounded. "Where on earth did you get these?" she asked. We winked at one another. After all, ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL.
POST BY-SANCHITA BAGCHI
ROLL NO-2

Don Bosco BMM: Welcome :)

Don Bosco BMM: Welcome :): This page is by, of, for students of Don Bosco BMM, who are unanimously, unambiguously unparalleled in being unabashed, unassuming, unbound,...

Tactical analyses of Manchester utd 3 --chelsea 3

An exciting game featuring a classic Manchester United comeback.

Andre Villas-Boas was without Ashley Cole and John Terry, so had to field Jose Bosingwa at left-back and give a debut to Gary Cahill in the centre of defence. Frank Lampard and Ramirez were also both out, so Florent Malouda came into the side with Chelsea changing formation.

Sir Alex Ferguson picked the expected side in a 4-4-1-1 shape. Chris Smalling had picked up an injury the day before; otherwise his promising with Jonny Evans might have been retained at the back.

First Half:

The reverse meeting between the sides was an odd game because United went 3-0 ahead in September 2011 despite the fact they’d only narrowly been the better side. The opposite happened here – Chelsea hadn’t created much when they’d gone into a three goal lead, and Villas-Boas’ change in shape hadn’t worked particularly well despite the lead.

In that reverse meeting, Chelsea improved after the break when they moved to a 4-2-1-3 formation featuring Juan Mata behind Florent Malouda, Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres. Perhaps inspired by that, Villas-Boas moved away from his favored 4-3-3 and switched to the alternative shape from the start here.

CHELSEA ATTACK

Chelsea’s shape was 4-2-3-1. A subtle difference, but an important one, with poor pressing so while at the start Malouda and Sturridge would have been closing down the United full-backs and roughly level with Torres, here they dropped much deeper to form a second band of four. One impact of the formation change was that it altered the role of Wayne Rooney without the ball.

UNITED’s ATTACK.

The incident involving Danny Welbeck and Cahill was interesting for two reasons – first because it highlighted what Welbeck is good at – finding spaces between players to make runs from. Against an unfamiliar back four, he was always set to be a threat, though he faded later on. It also summed up Cahill stylistically – the defender who often finds himself making covering tackles, although the inadequacy of his tackle underlines the question about his actual ability.

SECOND HALF:

Chelsea went 2-0 up after Mata finished Torres’ cross excellently. Torres spent much of the time drifting into wide zones, which does make sense with the way Chelsea play – both Sturridge and Mata (when he’s on the left) or Malouda (who was there today) both like coming inside into central positions. Luiz’s third pressed Ferguson into action from the bench.

The period from 3-0 to the final whistle was when the real tactical excitement happened. First, Ferguson went for Javier Hernandez, on for Young with Welbeck to the left. Hernandez offered raw pace and pushed Chelsea back very, very deep.

TURNING POINT: Scholes in, Mata out wide.

The second change was more important. Paul Scholes replaced Rafael, which meant Valencia to right-back, Welbeck across to the right and Giggs out to the left. The new players on the flanks would both have an impact for the equalizer, but Scholes was vital because he controlled the tempo of the match and dictated the way United attacked late on. United had even more possession, Scholes had even more freedom, and United’s third seemed inevitable.