English Literature

The scenario of commercial industries such as media, IT, hospitality and likes is highly competitive. The adage �Strike the iron when it is hot� is one of the key secrets to survival in the current dog-eat-dog world. Media is no exception. Sensationalism is the new-age success recipe in the field of print and digital journalism . Both digital media and print media are neck-and-neck in competition for a lion�s share of the market. Print newspapers are engaged in a rat race for increasing their own circulation. Advertisement is the chief source of revenue for a print media house. A newspaper needs to extend its circulation in order to get more advertisements. Evidently, print media sensationalize news and serve it as a spicy dish for the readers to feed on.  Digital media is steps ahead of print media when it comes to practicing sensationalism. Television news channels or digital media companies are racing against each other at a break-neck speed for higher TRP. Sensationalism is th...

�Pen is mightier than sword�. It is an age-old maxim. The significance of the maxim is immense and undeniable. Pen is a symbol of creation, while sword symbolizes destruction. Pen is a source of creative activities whereas sword is a means of destructivity. Sword proves to be as mighty as pen when it is used for a good cause. Sword can be used in a rebellion against autocracy and a movement against iniquity. The purpose of using sword may be humanitarian, but it causes violence and bloodshed.        Mahatma Gandhi who is regarded as the father of nation in India had taken up pen to write in protest against the exploitation of Black Africans during the Apartheid era. He started writing articles for newspapers and journals to mobilize public opinion in support of his crusade against social injustices as well as political iniquities. Thus, pen is a powerful tool of journalism.    One�s literary activity finds a concrete expression in words thro...

The human civilization is not free from evils. Greed, avarice, jealousy and lust are a few enduring evils in society. However, poverty is greater and more powerful than those evils. Poverty is a curse on the civilization. Though the civilization has come a long way, this social evil still lurks on the surface. Poverty exists in all nations of the world. It has given birth to a particular class in society that is the class of beggars.  In many developing countries like India, beggars are seen begging almost everywhere. Giving alms to beggars is considered a virtue from the perspective of humanity. Is it a virtue or social crime? There is a controversy around it.  Beggars belong to the most deprived and poorest section of society. Giving some pennies to the deprived is no crime from any angle. This kind practice is called philanthropy. Philanthropy is a manifestation of humanity. But some beggars despite being physically able take up beggary as a means of sustenance. They find b...

Newspaper in Digital Age Change is a sign of life. It is the only constant factor in the world. With time rolling on, everything mortal or immortal keeps changing. Similarly, technology is always on the wheels of change. The days of print technology seem to be gone by. Now is the age of digital or web or internet technology in the 21 st century. Newspaper, any age-old product of print technology, is a valuable mode of print communication. But, in present times of Internet people are turning to the web world for instant availability of information. The increasing number of internet users turning to online media for news has raised a debate �Is newspaper valued and read by people in the present digital times?�.  Surveys show that the popularity of newspaper is still intact in Indian and China despite the advancement in Internet technology there. Definitely, there are valid reasons to quote in support of newspapers being read by people. Many people are in the habit of reading newspa...

How to write good headlines A good headline is a work of art and a picture of an event. It has high value in a newspaper�s readability, influence, attractiveness and saleability. The headline is the condensed kernel of a whole story in a few words. Readers use headlines as guides to search for the stories that interest them. The importance of a good headline is immeasurable if it is judged in today�s context. Today�s readers run and read. They lack time to go through all news, features or articles. They choose what to read and what to avoid on the basis of headlines. So, writing god, suitable, simple and summative headlines is a challenging task. In brief, headlines are the display windows of a publication. Here are how-to-write tips on the art of writing headlines:            �          Headlines should reflect the tone of stories. A light-hearted headline does not suit a serious story whereas a serious headline for...

Journalism in the Digital Era Gone are the days when people used to wait for the arrival of newspapers at their doorsteps and read newspapers with sips into their cups of tea in the morning. Morning was the time to have glimpses of the world through newspapers. In the 21 st century, people have access to news even when they are on walk or move by means of digital media. Journalism in the present decade of digital media is highly competitive, more challenging and faster. The use of innovative digital communication tools in gathering, reporting, analyzing and presenting news has revolutionized the field of journalism.  News gathering � News gathering was a herculean task in the years before the present era of digital media. The use of miniature digital cameras has led to the demise of big team camera crews. Correspondents at the site of a breaking story or sports event transmit images from their digital cameras to editors of a newspaper organization via Internet within seconds. W...

English Writing Tips on Film Review  Writing a successful film review is like preparing a recipe . A film review writer writes an engaging review concentrating on the essential elements of a film just as a chef cooks up a recipe using the required ingredients in right amounts. It is the writer�s creativity, writing style and keen eye for details that make the final result interesting. First Paragraph � Info-packed The first paragraph of any write-up should be written in such a unique way as to grip the reader�s attention. Better known as lead, the first paragraph can start with a power-packed or touching dialogue from the movie or a comparison of the movie to other movies of the same genre. The reviewer should stuff the lead with the names of the director, script writer, music director and the principal characters. Whether the movie is a slice of real life, comedy, tragedy, romantic, thriller or an action flick is part of the lead. One more thing to mention in the lead is the ...

KOLKATA a metropolitan city is well connected to the suburban areas in north and south through railways. Thousands of people from both northern and southern suburbs travel by local trains to Sialda Station and then to the heart of the city every day. Local trains are the transport lifeline between the city of Kolkata and suburban areas.  Trains from Sialda Station towards north and south in the evening are many more times crowded than trains to Sialda at daytime. The inner ambience of train compartments with passengers more than they can accommodate is no less suffocating than that of prison rooms with criminals huddled together. The commuters push, jostle and fight one another to make room for themselves in the compartments.   People who board trains at Sialda Station take safe position in the compartments. Turmoil arises when trains from Sialda take stoppage at various stations. Trains depart Sialda Station, with each compartment congested and crowded. Adding to the conges...

Society has left its odds far behind and come a long way with the pace of evolution in the thought, view, lifestyle and day-to-day life of people. With advancement in every sector of the nation and its society, man�s outlook has changed, needs have increased and demands have grown. The appetite of the 21 st century man for knowledge, wealth, success, prosperity, power and physical comfort is stronger than that of man in previous centuries. It has resulted in the formation of a gulf between the present generation and the previous generation. This phenomenon of the present century is better known as generation gap . Generation gap is no myth. It is rather a reality. It is felt in the real world when there is a clash between old and new ideas. For example, a man of present generation with a scientific bend of mind considers everything from a logical point of view while his elders do not welcome his innovative ideas. They rather try to impose their superstitious beliefs on him.  A ma...