Reading books
At Pen:
||The Value of Reading Books||
The 21st century is a vast course of time with innovations and technology taking giant leaps . Humans have reached new heights in discoveries. However, to be armed with a strong force of knowledge, one must constantly improve their skills in reading and analyzing information around them. Books have been an indispensable source of information throughout centuries thus providing readers with a world full of possibilities, truths and discoveries that have plummeted humans towards growth and a better understanding of the world and the individual self.
Being a student of Literature enables one to critically analyse what they have read. Years of textual engagement with authors and poets spanning from the Shakespearean age to the Modern and Post- war era, there are multitudinous writings which help one in the understanding of a time period , events , different styles of writing. Herein I will be speaking about the two books which moved me to a great extent.
1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian fiction that explores the dictatorial regime of The Big Brother as a power indomitable . It shares a world of lies and man’s enslavement to the system of governance. The past is being constantly eradicated in the burning furnace and the lies are written down over the years. To love is nearly a crime and any revolution is pinned down at it’s onset. There is a grave sense of disorder in the novel which is reflective of the future where humans are free , yet they are in chains as Rousseau once said. Orwell was a visionary who has given a warning to mankind about the utilization of power and governance. As a political novel it influences our understanding of the world and responsibilities as citizens to be aware of our rights . The world as a whole if reduced to one man power would only bring destruction and decay in its course. The antithetical lines in the book reverberates in readers , long after they’ve journeyed with Orwell to the dregs of humanity :
“ War Is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength”
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is yet another master story teller who rouses the female race to stand for their rights , while narrating the character of Draupadi in The Palace Of Illusions.
Born from fire , Daughter of King Drupad, she was named Draupadi. Ever since birth she had no identity of her own. She had been constructed into roles, first as a daughter, then as a wife and later as mother. However, the course of history had been affected by this individual in the epic war of – Mahabharata. Married to the Pandavas and struggling for her space in society, there always was a flame that kept burning in her heart, for the sage had informed of her role in the course of history. Marriage into the royal palace did not last in happiness for long. Torn in the battle for power between the Pandavas and the Kauravas , Draupadi became a pawn in the hands of patriarchy. Her strength in times of humiliation, her life in the forest and the witness of the war, created a female figure in history as an epitome of courage and sheer mental strength. Draupadi stands as the symbol of justice and truth. With sacrifices in her life and the loss of her sons after the war, there was but little left in her life... but she remains a figure of supreme will and a strong source of inspiration for women to stay grounded for their rights.
To read is to travel through centuries and back again into a future with possibilities of decoding our situation as individuals and a society . The two books have created a deep impact in me and I associate with them at a deeper level. Although it is a fast paced world, one must always take time to glance at the world of books, for they are a whetstone to the intellect that sharpen our vision of the present world.
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