Sandbox (I)

एडवर्ड अल्बी हा एक अमेरिकन नाटककार आहे. विसाव्या शतकातील महत्त्वाच्या नाटककारांमध्ये त्याचे नाव घेतले जाते. 

‘द सँडबॉक्स’ ही १९५९ साली लिहिलेली एकांकिका आहे. मॉमी (आई), डॅडी (बाबा), ग्रँडमा (आज्जी), यंग मॅन (तरुण युवक) आणि म्युझिशिअन (संगीतकार) अशी पाच पात्रे या एकांकीकेमध्ये आहेत. ग्रँडमा ८५ वर्षाची आहे. मॉमी ही तिची मुलगी आहे. ती ५५ वर्षांची आहे. तिचा नवरा (डॅडी) ६० वर्षांचा आहे. वयाच्या तिसाव्या वर्षी ग्रँडमाच्या नवऱ्याचे निधन होते. त्याच्या पश्चात ती आपल्या मुलीला वाढवते आणि पुढे तिचे लग्न लावून देते. लग्नानंतर मुलगी-जावई ग्रँडमाची जमीन विकतात व तिला घेऊन दुसऱ्या गावी येतात. तिथे ग्रँडमाला अडगळीत टाकले जाते. 

एकांकीकेमध्ये सुरुवातीला मॉमी आणि डॅडी ग्रँडमाला एका समुद्रकिनाऱ्यावर आणतात आणि एका वाळूच्या बॉक्समध्ये (बॅरल) ठेवतात. मग ती दोघे बाजूला जाऊन वाट पहात बसतात. ते कशाची वाट पहात आहेत याचा उलगडा सर्वात शेवटी होतो. एक तरुण युवक हा सगळा प्रकार बघतो आहे.

 सुरुवातीला असंबद्ध बोलणारी ग्रँडमा आपला सगळा भूतकाळ प्रेक्षकांना सांगते. एवढ्यात मॉमी आणि डॅडी यांना प्रचंड मोठा गडगडाट झाल्यासारखा आवाज ऐकू येतो. ‘ती’ वेळ जवळ आली असल्याचे मॉमी डॅडींना सांगते. मॉमी आपल्याला हे सहन होत नसल्याचे सांगते. पण मग येणाऱ्या भविष्यासाठी आपण सावरले पाहिजे, असे सांगत स्वतःचे सांत्वन करते. मॉमी आणि डॅडी निघून जातात. ग्रँडमा आपल्याला बिलकुल हालचाल करता येत नसल्याचे तरुण युवकाला सांगते. युवक स्मितहास्य करत तिच्या जवळ येतो. तो तिला आपण मृत्याचा दूत असल्याचे आणि तिला नेण्यासाठी आल्याचे सांगतो. स्टेजवरचा संगीतकार संगीत वाजवत राहतो आणि नाटक संपते.

अशा प्रकारे या नाटकाद्वारे अल्बी कुटुंबव्यवस्थेतील ताणतणाव, वार्धक्य आणि सन्मान, माणसाची दांभिकता, जीवनचक्र यावरती भाष्य करताना दिसतो.  

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Q. 1) Discuss the plot of one-act play ‘The Sandbox’.

     

Edward Albee: 

Edward Albee is an American playwright. He is an important playwright of the 20th century. His works are considered as the serious examination of the modern world. He is regarded as the practitioner of the theater of the Absurd. Theater of the Absurd is a major 20th century movement. It rejected conventional plot development. Edward Albee received the prestigious Pulitzer prize three times for his plays. ‘The Zoo Story’ and ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’ are his major works.

‘The Sandbox’: 

‘The Sandbox’ is a one-act play written by Edward Albee in 1959. ‘A Brief Play, in Memory of My Grandmother’ is a subtitle (उपशीर्षक) of this play. The play powerfully handles the family tensions between two generations. Albee has not assigned any particular names to the characters. That makes the play universal (वैश्विक). The play revolves around a grandmother, her daughter and son-in-law. The daughter and the son-in-law leaving the grandmother lonely to wait for her death is the main event in the play.

Characters in the play: 

There are five characters in the play:

1. Mommy

2. Daddy

3. Grandma

4. The young man and

5. The musician

Grandma is 86 years old. She is thin and weak. She had been married to a farmer. She was seventeen years old when her marriage took place. Her husband died when she was thirty years old. After the husband’s death she brought up her daughter and in due course of time she married her daughter.

Mommy is the daughter of Grandma. She is 55 years old. She is married to a person whom she calls Daddy. Daddy is 60 years old. From Grandma, we come to know that Mommy and Daddy have taken off her land. In the house, they have kept her in a separate room. They have given her an army blanket and one dish to eat. In short, the relationship between Grandma and Mommy is not good.

The young man is seen throughout the play present on the stage. He is seen as doing some exercise. By the end of the play, it becomes clear that he is the Angel of Death. He is there to take Grandma with him. The musician is seen playing one instrument on the stage. No specific instrument is mentioned. There is no dialogue to the musician. He creates the mood and tempo on the stage.

Setting of the play: 

The play takes place at one seashore (समुद्रकिनारा). The name of the city or place is not mentioned. The play begins in broad daylight followed by night time and again daylight.

Plot of the play: 

The play begins with the arrival of Mommy and Daddy on the stage. Mommy informs Daddy about their arrival at the beach (समुद्रकिनारा). Daddy is feeling cold. Mommy makes his fun. According to her, it’s warm there and she shows him one young man doing exercise. She waves in his direction and he responds too. Mommy asks Daddy if the place is suitable for the mother, and Daddy replies it’s your mother, so you take the decision. She sharply makes it clear that it is she who takes all the decisions. So she finalises the place for her mother. With the help of her husband she brings her mother (Grandma) on the stage. Grandma is making some nonsense comments. Mommy and Daddy place Grandma in the sandbox. After that they stay aside and go on observing Grandma. Daddy is impatient, but Mommy asks him repeatedly to wait. Meanwhile, the musician is playing his instrument.

Then Grandma starts to talk with the young man and the audience. She asks the musician angrily to stop the music. From her dialogues, a light is thrown on her past life. She had been married to a farmer at the age of seventeen. The husband died at the age of thirty. Then she brought up her daughter. Now Grandma is 86 years old and her daughter is married. Her daughter and son-in-law have taken her land, and all of them have shifted to another town. In this new place, Grandma is given a separate place, one army blanket and one dish. While talking she is throwing sand away from the sandbox. Meanwhile, the nighttime arrives. 

All of a sudden, Mommy and Daddy listen to a thunder-like rumbling sound (वीज कोसळल्यासारखा गडगडाटी आवाज). Daddy asks her about it, and she says, “It means the time has come for poor Grandma”. She tells Daddy that she can’t bear this moment. She cries for Grandma, and there’s darkness on the stage. Then once again light comes on the stage, Daddy says its daytime. Mommy consoles herself (स्वतःचे सांत्वन करणे) saying, “We must put away our tears, take off our mourning (शोक).. and face the future. It's our duty.” They exit from the stage. Grandma looks in the direction of the young man. She tells him, “I can’t move”, and the young man replies, “I am the Angel of Death.  I am come for you.” Grandma closes her eyes and the musician continues to play. With that the play ends.

Thus everything becomes clear at the end of the play. Mommy and Daddy do not want to take Grandma’s responsibility. They are waiting for her death. They bring her to the seashore and put in a sandbox to die. The young man standing there right from the beginning is actually the Angel of Death, and he is there to take away Grandma. So with the death of Grandma, the play ends. 

Themes of the play:

The tone of the play is dark and serious. But Edward Albee presents it in a very humorous way (विनोदी शैली). Till the last moment of the play, it is not clear why Mommy and Daddy put Grandma in the sandbox, and they are waiting for what. 

Family relations and the issue of elderly people remain at the centre of the play. From the dialogues of Grandma, it becomes clear that she had brought up her daughter single-handedly. So she is a capable woman. But as she grows old, she becomes a burden to the family. Her own daughter does not want to take her responsibility. Albee exposes her hypocrisy (दांभिकपणा) when she feels sorry for her mother in the end and consoles herself that she must face the future. 

The issue of aging and dignity (वार्धक्य आणि सन्मान) is another theme of the play. Grandma, though she is growing old, she expects dignity from her family and society. However, her daughter and son-in-law keep her in a sandbox on the seashore and wait for her death. The whole episode is humiliating (अपमानास्पद) for Grandma. In her past, she had been a fighting woman and had brought up her daughter single-handedly. But she becomes helpless before the age. 

Cycle of life is one more theme of the play. Grandma is 86 years old and her daughter is 55 years old. That means the daughter too is approaching her old age. So aging is a very natural process. Albee considers it as the natural cycle and presents it in a technical way. The play begins with daylight; with the arrival of the Angel of Death, there comes nighttime; and after the death of Grandma, there arrives daylight once again. Mommy consoles herself saying, “ We must put away our tears, take off our mourning.. and face the future. It's our duty.”  

Elderly people face so many social and familial problems. In the present day, the situation is worsening. So Albee’s play is relevant (सयुक्तिक) even today.

Human and animal communication

 Human and Animal communication

          Language is a specific characteristic of human beings. Animals do not use language. Humans use language for communication, but it does not mean that there is no communication between animals.

                      In animals communication takes place with different ways. For example, bees (मधमाशी); among bees the communication takes place with the help of bee-dancing. But this is a limited communication because they could communicate only three things – (i) the location of the source of nectar (मध), (ii) the direction of the source from the hive (हाइव्ह: मधाचे पोळे) and (iii) its distance. They cannot communicate anything except nectar. In gibbons (गिबन: माकडाची प्रजाती), communication takes place with their system of calls. The number of such calls is finite and small. They have at least nine different calls. The point is that in animals also communication takes place. However, animal communication varies from human communication. The points of differences are as follows -

1.             Duality is essentially the characteristic of human language. Duality means the arrangement of phonemes and morphemes. Such duality is not seen in animal communication.

2.            A human being may say something that   he has never said nor heard before; and this new statement is understood perfectly by his audience. That means human communication is productive. To some extent bee dancing is productive. A bee can report entirely new source of nectar. But at large animal communication is not productive.

3.            Human communication is arbitrary. There is no relationship between the word and its meaning. The meanings of words are accepted notions, and so various languages exist. Otherwise there could have been only one language in the world. On the other hand in animal communication there is no arbitrariness. There is resemblance between their utterances and the meaning.

4.            Interchangeability:   A human being can be at a time a speaker as well as hearer. He can change the roles. That is what we mean interchangeability of human language. To some extent, bee–dancing and gibbon calls involve interchangeability. But generally animal systems lack this characteristic. One cannot imagine gazelles roaring or lions fleeing (हरणे गर्जना करू शकत नाहीत; सिंह हरणासारखे चपळाईने पळू शकत नाही.).

5.            In human communication it is possible to communicate without physical involvement or gestures. Thus human communication is specialized. But animal communication is not possible without physical involvement. Gestures, physical involvement are the parts of their communication (certain animals are exceptions).

6.            Animal cannot make statements about what happened at a distant place in past or what may happen in future. That means, animal communication has no displacement. On the other hand, displacement is the characteristic of human communication.

7.            Animals acquire communication system genetically. They do not need teachers for this activity. On the other hand, human beings can not learn a language by birth. They have to acquire it by cultural transmission. (प्राण्यांना त्यांची भाषा उपजत येते; मानवाला भाषा आत्मसात करावी लागते.)

8.            Human communication is open ended i. e. new items are continually added to it. On the other hand animal communication is a closed system, new items cannot be added to it. (मानवी भाषेतून अमर्याद स्वरूपाचा संवाद घडून येऊ शकतो; प्राण्यांच्या संवादाचे स्वरूप मर्यादित असते.)

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Major English Syllabus_BA II

 

BA Part II_Semester III

English Major syllabus

1.     Major: Paper No. III

1)      Course Category: DSC (Major: Paper No. III)

2)      Course Name: Introduction to English Literature (One Act Plays) and Language (Speech Mechanism)

3)      Total Marks: 100

4)      Credits: 04

Module I	One Act Play as a minor form of literature:	a. Definition, origin and development of one act play  b. Elements of one-act play  c. Characteristics of one-act play  d. Difference between one-act play and full-length play
Module II	One-act play:	‘The Dark Lady of the Sonnets’ by G B Shaw
Module III	One-act play:	‘The Sandbox’ by Edward Albee
Module IV	Speech Mechanism:	a. Air-stream mechanism  b. Systems of organs    i. The respiratory system  ii. The phonatory system  iii. The articulatory system  c. The active and passive articulators

 

2.     Major: Paper No. IV

1)      Course Category: DSC (Major: Paper No. IV)

2)      Course Name: Indian English Poetry and Drama 

3)      Total Marks: 100

4)      Credits: 04

Module I	Introduction to Indian English Poetry and Drama	a. A short history of pre- and post-Independence Indian English Drama  b. Characteristic features of Drama  c. A short history of pre- and post-Independence Indian English Poetry  d. Major themes of Indian English Poetry
Module II	Poetry	a. ‘Where the Mind is without Fear’ by Rabindranath Tagore b. ‘Lotus’ by Tory Dutt c. ‘Bangle Sellers’ by Sarojini Naidu d. ‘Night of Scorpion’ by Nissim Ezekiel e. ‘The Image of Vithoba-I’ by Dilip Chitre f. ‘After Eight Years of Marriage’ by Mamata Kalia
Module III	Drama	A. ‘Andha Yug’ by Dharmveer Bharati
Module IV	Drama	A. ‘Andha Yug’ by Dharmveer Bharati

 

3.     VSC

1)      Course Category: VSC (Vocational Skill Course)

2)      Course Name: English for Employability

3)      Total Marks: 50

4)      Credits: 02

Module I	English for Media Writing	A. Journalistic Writing-Editorials and News B. Script Writing for Radio and Television (TV) C. Blogs
Module II	English for Marketing and Advertising	A. Crafting compelling marketing messages and campaigns B. Conducting market research and surveys C. Writing press releases and promotional content

 

4.     IKS

1)      Course Category: IKS (Indian Knowledge System)

2)      Course Name: Introduction to Indian Poetics (Course number:  01)

3)      Total Marks: 50

4)      Credits: 02

Module I	Introduction	Introduction to the Rasa theory
Module II	Selections from the Ramayana and the Mahabharat	A. Rukmini Swayamwara (The Mahabharat— Shringara) B. Shabari (The Ramayana—Karuna) C. Draupadi Vastraharan (The Mahabharat-- Bibhatsa) D. Lanka Dahan (The Ramayana—Adbhuta) E. Draupadi Swayamwara (The Mahabharat— Veera) F. Seeta Apaharan (The Ramayana—Bhayanaka) G. Krishna-Sudama (The Mahabharat—Shanta) H. Shishupal Vadha (The Mahabharat—Raudra) I. Krishna’s Childhood at Vrindavan (The Mahabharata – Hasaya)

 

5.     AEC

1. Course Category: AEC (Ability Enhancement Course: Paper No. C)

2. Course Name: English for Communication

3. Total Marks: 50

4. Credits: 02

Module I	Resume Writing and Interview Techniques	A. Writing a Resume B. Preparing for an Interview C. Facing an Interview
Module II	Official Letter Writing	A. Letter of Application B. Letters related to appointment (Acceptance/Joining Report) C. Office Communication (Leave of Absence, Transfer, Permission, Requests) D. Resignation Letter / Complaint Letter

 

Transformation and Transposition

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N A Jarandikar)

Transformation and Transposition

These are the important terms from film studies. They are related to making a film based on a literary text. They are a further exploration of the idea of ‘adaptation’. The word ‘transformation’ originates from ‘to transform’. The dictionary meaning of ‘to transform’ is ‘to change completely’. The word ‘transposition’ originates from ‘to transpose’. The dictionary meaning of ‘to transpose’ is ‘to change from one position to another. In short, ‘transformation’ requires a complete change, whereas ‘transposition’ requires a moderate change.

Transformation: 

It is a loose and creative adaptation. A filmmaker makes major changes in the original literary work. These major changes can be at multiple levels, such as changes in plot, changes in characters, changes in ending, etc. The technical term used for such changes is ‘cinematic liberty’. Many a time, s/he takes literary text as a starting point, and then goes on adding and editing the ideas as per the requirements. Usually, a filmmaker mentions the original literary text in the credits given either at the beginning or the end of the cinema. A filmmaker considers it as his moral responsibility. The main purpose of transformation is to interpret the original text for a new context.

The film ‘Angoor’ is a classic example of transformation. The film is based on a classic play, ‘Comedy of Errors’ by William Shakespeare. The filmmaker has kept the major plotline intact. But the motif of the characters, their names, and the setting are changed. There is an addition of songs too. The film ‘3 Idiots’ is also another example of transformation. The film is based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel ‘Five Point Someone’. But the filmmaker has used the novel just as a starting point. To make it dramatic and entertaining, the filmmaker has made significant changes in the original novel. The film ‘Dev D’ is the transformation of the novel ‘Devdas’, but the original literary text is not mentioned in the film’s credits. 

Transposition: 

It is a very close and faithful adaptation. A filmmaker makes moderate changes in the original literary work. Usually, the names of characters and, setting are kept intact. A slight modification and editing are done in the the case of plot. Too much liberty is avoided by the filmmaker. Due credit is given to the original literary text.  The main purpose of transposition is to maintain and preserve the original literary text as it is.

The film ‘Train to Pakistan’ is a good example of transposition. The film is based on the novel by Khushwant Singh with the same title. Right from the title, everything has been faithfully retained in the film by the filmmaker. The Marathi film ‘Natrang’ is another example of transposition. The film is based on the novel with the same title by Anand Yadav.

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