Author: Nahidur Rahman

PLAY

Nahidur Rahman

A play where “a child discovers the adults in their life were “just teasing” about serious things”

By 

Nahidur Rahman

May 17, 2022

CHARACTERS

jANE: 32, a single parent, JAMES’ mother.

james: 8, lives with her single Mother, Jane but he rarely sees the father.

Joan: 35, JAMES’ aunt.

Lance: 41, JAMES’ uncle.

Time/setting

JANE is with her son in midafternoon. It is summer and the environment is absolutely shiny and hot outside.

PLACE/setting

JANE is at home in the urban, New York City in the United States of America and she is struggling to engage her son JAMES in the home activities in preparation for visitors. Dirty utensils are packed in a large bucket, raw food and ingredients such as onions, tomatoes, cabbages, cooking oil, rice, and others are carelessly put in the kitchen without any plan. The kitchen has the feel of a dormant place where things rarely occur.

Act I, Scene 1- 

(JANE is in the kitchen trying to arrange items in order. She is touching on the dirty utensils when JAMES passes by the kitchen door.)

Jane:

JAMES! JAMES! JAMES…! JAMES! Please come and help me perform a few tasks here. Right?

(JANE moves near the door and checks whether JAMES is responding positively. When JAMES notices the mother is following him, he leaves everything and moves towards the mother.)

JAMES:

Yes mum. I am here. Tell me now.

(JANE takes one clean bucket and directs JAMES about what he wants.)

Jane:

wash the utensils I put in the sink and put them in that basin.

(JAMES becomes unhappy about the idea. He does not say anything but he stares at his mother angrily.

JAMES:

Mmm. Okay.

JANE:

(JANE looks at JAMES and notices he is very relaxed in doing the task.)

Wash faster. We have very little time for our visitors to arrive. You know it is almost —

JAMES:

  • But mum I don’t know how to wash. You will still complain like last time.

(JANE becomes angry about JAMES’ responses.)

JANE:

Can you stop arguments and do what I am telling you? Work the way you eat every —

JAMES:

-Surely. Really? Is eating something to abuse your son!

JANE:

That isn’t abuse. It is reality.

(Jane and james engage in deep argument and their voices rise to become louder and every party seems to leave the tasks for a while.)

JAMES:

why — why all these to me?

(JAMES starts to cry, JANE stops talking, and continues with the task.)

JANE:

You don’t want to work just arguing but very lazy like your father.

(JAMES becomes angrier and cries louder.)

JAMES:

Which father? — Where is he —?

JANE:

Whom are you asking? Go look for him.

(JAMES seems very upset about JANE and he cries loudly and struggles to push himself outside.)

Act I,Scene 2- 

(The mother follows JAMES to bring him back in the kitchen but meets JOAN and LANCE entering the compound. JOAN and LANCE are shocked about the chaotic environment. LANCE holds JAMES’ hand and attempts to soothe him to be silent. Shocked about the coincidence with her eyes bulging but assuming everything about JAMES, JANE direct visitors in the house.)

(JANE enters first then points at the three-seater chair)

Lance: 

JAMES, stop it! I thought you were waiting for us — you wanted to see us after a long time. 

(Everybody’s attention is directed to JAMES)

JOAN:

-And we are finally here. You need to be happy. 

(JANE tries to force herself to smile.)

JANE:

He has disturbed me like his father —. Since —

Lance:

(LANCE nodding his head and shaking his hand in the air.)

No! NO! No! It is not good to talk about ill things before children of this age. 

(JANE and JOAN become too eager to listen to his elaboration.)

JOAN:

How –? He need to know so that he don’t —

JANE:

-Yeah. I think it is important.

Lance:

Remember, chances of a child absorbing a statement that will remain in their heads until adulthood are significantly high.

(JAMES stops to cry and raises his head with the feeling that he has got a supporter.)

JOAN:

(Holds JAMES’ head gently.)

But JAMES is a male. He must understand how to be responsible. Life is not —

JANE:

-I have struggled with him since morning. He doesn’t want to do anything. Just playing! … Playing! … and playing!.

Lance:

I understand he needs to learn. But … like a child. Slowly but consistently. 

(JANE puts her hands together and hangs them below the stomach as a sign of respect for LANCE’s advice.)

JANE:

(JOAN takes JAMES from LANCE)

I will try to teach. But teaching is fairly hard.

JOAN:

Remember you are the one to help mum with everything. Right. You are your mom’s first helper at all times. Always –

JANE: 

-Yeah. But he rarely … or he doesn’t help. When I look at my kitchen —

JOan:

-What is in the kitchen? Food? It must be ready by now.

(joan peeps in the kitchen and sits down faster feeling astonished.)

LANCE:

I’m happy that I can demonstrate how to work with this boy without making remarks that are likely to yield defiance when he grows up by telling him the truth.

(LANCE heads to the kitchen holding JAMES’ hand while JANE and JOAN follow him eager to learn. LANCE assigns chores to everyone present and they perform duties happily and laugh together. JAMES becomes very happy and active during the action.)

END OF SCENE 2

The End

NY Times

Nahidur Rahman 
Should College Be Free? :  New Mexico

In this article, as the number of people joining universities in the United States is declining, the government of New Mexico is commencing an innovative experiment to stop the trend by introducing tuition-free college for all state residents, both the local and the immigrants. Although New Mexico is among the poorest states in the nation according to this article, it has probably come up with a dream come true plan for most students as states have failed to develop their innovation. The good thing with the New Mexico plan is that all state residents, including the new high school graduates and adults, are allowed to enroll in part-time studies regardless of their family income. Another benefit is that the program is open to all immigrants despite their status of immigration. The plan to treat college as a public resource similar to primary and secondary education will take off in July, and I strongly agree with the legislators treating college the same as primary and secondary education because they are student institutions and require the same treatment. The new state law has made the similarity possible, which approved the one percent of the state budget to go to public colleges and universities to cover tuition fees.
According to this article, there were critics from some legislators and other people questioning whether the revenue of oil and gas in New Mexico can secure funding to support the program beyond its first year. The recent war between Ukraine and Russia has made the economy of New Mexico grow as more funding has been made available due to oil as New Mexico is the second-largest oil-producing country. Although some states have adopted a similar program of covering some tuition expenses for some students, the New Mexico law outdoes them by covering the tuition and fees before even the application of scholarships and other sources of finances enabling students to use the additional funds obtains to cover for expenses such as food, child care or hostels. The program aims to reduce the students’ debt and focus on enabling students to look for other sources of funds without struggling to cover the cost of tuition. This will allow the adults who had dropped out of college due to economic reasons to continue their education. Also, the program is inclusive of prison inmates, unauthorized immigrants, and Native Americans. I think other states should adopt a similar plan as New Mexico to increase the number of students enrolling in universities and reduce college dropouts. According to the US statistics, most students drop out of universities due to a lack of tuition fees and upkeep money because most state universities are so expensive. Also, you find that most students in colleges fail exams due to a lack of time to attend class or revise for the exams because most of these students have to juggle between work and classes for them to be able to stay in colleges or universities, making them lose most of their class time to work. 
I think colleges are very important to attend, and everyone should be given a chance to attend. College is important because college people earn more than workers with only secondary education. A college degree holder will earn more than a worker with only a high school certificate. Also, colleges decrease the chances of unemployment, unlike a person with only a high school diploma. Another reason it is good to go to college is because college makes people become better citizens of that country. Earning a bachelor’s degree can improve the lives of those living around you since they volunteer so much in their community, unlike people with only a high school diploma. Also, I would recommend the government to have alternative schools such as technical schools apart from higher education. This is because some students from high school fail to reach the grade to go to universities, so instead of staying at home, they should be sent the technical schools to do technical courses.

Poetry

Nahidur Rahman

If you are Over Staying Woke

“If You are Over Staying Woke” is a poem written by Morgan Parker and published in 2015 with Poetry Magazine. The poem identifies as modern and contextual, giving reference to concepts specific to the United States. The poem highlights the stereotypes and social difficulties a modern black person faces in their everyday life. The author has effectively shown the exhaustion the black person goes through in their moments of intense vigilance.

The poem does not have a rhyme scheme and comprises short and simple sentences and lines. The style and arrangement of the poem symbolize life and the life timeline, showing how people undergo emotions with time. Adverbs and verbs are used in the poem to describe what is happening and motivate and impact the reader to seek their freedom. Apart from the structure and syntax, the poem doesn’t contain many other literary devices. The poem has a distinctive structure, with lines that appear to end at random. To make sense of the lines, the reader is required to connect them with the next line. For instance, the world is like/ for white people (Parker 17-18). The sentences are brief and straightforward, laughing at how simple-minded people tend to be.

The poem has a strong and passionate tone to it. The poem’s vocabulary adds to the passion, with the verbs highlighting the poem’s goal. The poem’s form and brief lines are straightforward and get right to the author’s point. The poem’s structure establishes a tempo and shows how quickly life moves. Towards the end, the author uses repetition of the word ‘funeral’ to emphasize where everything in life ends; death.

The author has used an eye-catching title intended to elicit the attention of the reader at first glance. I like how the author has made the poem simple through her word choice and form. She primarily uses verbs and adverbs to describe what is happening throughout the poem. I like how the simplistic nature of the lines reflects the idea that the men and women described are simplistic. At first glance, a reader gets what the poem is about without the need to read between the lines. I feel that the persona seems to be annoyed as if prescribing a specific way the reader is supposed to live their life. While taking a jibe at the privileged white race, the persona seems to be targeting the Black race with pieces of advice, even though some of them appear wild. The voice in the poem appears to be calling on the readers to be true to themselves and make mistakes and learn from them. While I resonate with some lines in the poem, I find it difficult to agree with others. For instance, why would I need to keep a corkscrew in my purse? (Parker 8-9). Nevertheless, I guess that was the author’s intention; to come up with a poem with many verbs and adverbs that reflects the reality of life for many socioeconomic groups. Throughout the poem, the author calls on the reader to be wary of the news out there. The reader is encouraged to refuse to hear the news, see the news, turn off the news and write their news.

Parker’s tendency to use lists as a style for her poems is also seen in the poem “99 problems.” Although the poem takes a narrative style, the events are listed as short lines that make a total of 99 lines. Just like the poem “If you are over Staying Woke,” the poem takes a simplistic approach and is not laden with many stylistic devices, a characteristic of Parker.

Work Cited

Parker, Morgan. “If You are Over Staying Woke.” Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58028/if-you-are-over-staying-woke

Drama Chevok

Nahidur Rahman

What is Chekov saying about marriage proposals? How does his play fit into this conversation about the performative aspect of proposals?

According to Chekov in the comedy play ‘The Marriage Proposal’, marriage proposals between couples may be meaningless if the couples do not properly plan for their life after marriage. Or at least identify areas of their mutual interest and learn to tolerate each other. For example, in the play, Lomov has come to propose to Natalya. The two may seem to be fond of each other but they share different perspectives which may be bad for their future marriage. The two disagree over property ownership and even innocuous subjects such as which is the better hound between Lomov’s or Natalya’s. Yet after feigning fainting and proposing, Natalya accepts this proposal. The irony of accepting this proposal is soon revealed since Lomov and Natalya soon continue with their argument event after accepting his proposal. This play fits into the performative aspect of proposals presented by Caroline Kitchener who argues that proposals despite being ritualized, have lost their meaning. A proposal is about making a big decision to marry which should be made after serious conversations, not a theatrical act such as a proposal. Indeed, couples should first make careful considerations before committing to marry. Much like in Chekov’s play, careful consideration is lacking and instead, people rely on proposals.

The article mentions the idea of “Symbolic gendering.” How does Chekov translate this idea in his play? What are some other examples in current media that show this same idea?

Because of the egalitarian values increasingly adopted in a society where women are more or less expected to be equal to men, there is a yean for ‘symbolic gendering’. In particular, this means that as more women take roles similar to men in society, they still actively seek ways that may expose the differences that have existed between the two genders. In this sense, it reinforces the idea that men and women have different interests which plays out during the elaborate proposals. In the play ‘The Marriage Proposal’ by Chekov, the idea of ‘symbolic gendering’ is present. For example, the characters of Lomov and Natalya have similar traits in terms of being stubborn and proud. Both Natalya and Lomov cannot yield their positions when arguing about property ownership and who has the better hound.  At the time, issues of property ownership were largely left for managed by a system of patriarchy. Natalya surrenders their claim to the land to Lomov just so that the proposal can go on and later their marriage. As a result, surrendering her rights to land ownership is one example of ‘symbolic gendering.  In the current media, ‘symbolic gendering’ happens when men plan elaborate proposals such as renting stadiums or buying expensive engagement rings while their partners gladly let them express their masculinity. 

Is “The Marriage Proposal” an outdated commentary on marriage, on gender roles, and on how the perfect proposal should be? Or is it still reflected in culture today?

Anton Chekov’s short comedy play ‘The Marriage Proposal’ is still relevant in today’s culture in several ways. In the first place, proposals organized today are still ritualized as the ones depicted in the story. Women in today’s society have different perspectives on what would make a perfect proposal whether it’s a romantic gateway or a romantic dinner. Moreover, because of social media, women are even under more immense pressure to have the most glamorous the proposal so that they can show off to their friends and colleagues. At the same time, much like traditionally, women and men do not take their time to get to know their partners as seen in the short play.  Instead, the partner plans elaborate proposals which stop the couple from having a conversation about the future just like in the case of Lomov and Natalya. Secondly, planning the perfect proposal still falls in the same category of sticking to traditional gender roles. Society should be more or less equal, but men and women are still consciously or subconsciously choosing to ascribe to gender roles that should have long been done away with. Such an action still limits the space to have a real discussion about how a couple would plan their life after marriage.

Happy endings

Nahidur Rahman

Reasons for Picking Story 

I picked the story because the title of the account is inviting and makes one want to read it. The story’s beginning ushers the reader into a life that every average person aspires to attain. All of us want to meet the right person, fall in love the right way, and live a long and happy life with the person of our dreams. Therefore, far from being cliché, the story introduces the reader to the ideal life that everyone aspires to have. However, in the course of reading, the reader quickly realizes that it is not all a bed of roses. There are obstacles along the way. Since everyone is akin to obstacles in life, the reader feels a sense of connection to the events in the story. It is painful to see what people do and their motivations behind it. Margaret Atwood envisions all the scenarios and the possible endings that could accrue from the same beginning. Another reason why the story resonates with me is that it is a true reflection of society. After all, at times, the people we love never love us back. Other times, we only begin to see people’s worth in our lives after they are gone.

Understanding how and why things happen 

Understanding how things happen and not only why they occur is an essential component. For instance, in the story in B, Mary falls in love with John, but John does not reciprocate. John only uses Mary for selfish pleasure. Although John does not treat Mary well, it is essential to understand the motivations behind his actions. The best guess would be that he was not raised appropriately for him to turn out the way he did. In addition, Mary is readily available for John to use. She presents herself, makes space for John every weekend, cooks him good food, presents her body to him, and cleans after they are done eating and getting intimate. However, John does not see any of these deliberate actions, and neither does Mary. She fails to see that John is only taking advantage of her kindness and neediness. Therefore, in trying to understand John’s conniving nature and affinity for using Mary, it is essential to factor in Mary’s naivety and willingness to be used. It could be that she lacked parental love and therefore does not know what love feels like. Thus, far from knowing the things that happen, it is far more significant to understand the motivation behind why things happen. 

Discussion Post 2: Chopin

Nahidur Rahman

The writer’s race matters a lot when writing an article about racism. Since the author is white and has a taste of the way, the whites treat the blacks. It makes it easy for the author to develop a realistic flow of the story (Okun, 2010). The author shows how the whites mistreated the blacks. Race also matters because the author understands that the blacks are mistreated for faults they did not commit. It is not a burden being black since no one can control how or where they are born. The author displays how the whites blame the blacks for bringing black blood into their generation. In Armand’s case, the author shows that not only do the black play a role in bringing black blood, but the whites also do.

Writing about racism would be risky, but the author uses the freedom they have as whites to express their perceptions. The author uses their race to show that not all whites had a bad perception of blacks. Being white, the author also designs the story so that the whites have to face what they serve the blacks. I think that the author also tries to share the fact blacks and whites are equal and there is no difference in life. For example, before Armand discovers that he is black, he leads a “normal” life just like the other whites. Therefore, even after discovering he is black, he can move on with life. Also, Desiree is not black, but she is treated as black and undergoes the struggles blacks had to face despite her being white. 

Discussion Post Topic 1: Armand

Nahidur Rahman

From the display in the ending scene, it is clear that Armand had a very negative perception of people with black ancestry (Chopin, 1893). His reaction is based on the fact that he does not value the people with black ancestry, meaning he does not value himself. He is in denial that he has been disregarding what he is. I would have made Armand feel the challenge of not being wanted by society. The challenge of trying to fit in a society that does not value blacks. I would have introduced a scene where he is chased away from a place and denied access to basic commodities. All these just to help him understand the burden of being rejected by society. 

After the scene, I would picture Armand in a lonely place where he thinks of how life was before he discovers that he had black ancestry. Afterward, I would make him accept that his discovery that he has black ancestry changes nothing but makes him understand that all are equal and all races are entitled to the fact that they have to lead a life as everyone does. Accepting that all races are equal would make him rethink his take on blacks. Additionally, I would make Armand act as a fighter against racism in society. As he has a taste of both races, he can make a good character in the fight against racism. All the reactions would be reactions of a changed man who knows how it feels to treat others badly, where there is no gain, and be treated as such.

Discussion Post: Feminism in Ichiyo

Nahidur Rahman

The setting of “The Thirteenth Night” reflects the historical era perception of women. Its setting shows how women were viewed as just helpers who had no right to make decisions in the family. They were designed to perform house chores and take care of the children. For example, Oseki was urged by her parents to stick to her husband despite it being an abusive and unhappy marriage (Ichiyo, 1981). Because they thought that Oseki could not work for herself; hence she had to stick where her needs were satisfied despite the challenges. The story displays the woman characters as those who cannot make decisions but must follow what the men want. 

Ichiyo’s life story also reflects how women in the past were trained to be housewives. Ichiyo is displayed as a poor girl; this shows society’s perception of ladies. Ichiyo does not enjoy her right to study as her mother took her out of school despite being a bright young girl who understood what she was doing (Dexter, 2016). At fourteen, Ichiyo was enrolled in a school where she learned a lot. It helped her navigate her way through the systems of power. The education she got helped her manage the property left by her father. She became a very good writer, and she could have a say in a world where women were regarded as incompetent. Her mother never allowed her to continue with school; Ichiyo uses this as an example to show how she had struggles even with her family members, who never wanted her to prosper in her deeds because she was a woman. 

Discussion Post Topic: Marxism in the Thirteenth Night

Nahidur Rahman

Isamu is wealthy as he owns many apartments compared to Roku. Isamu’s social status is defined by how Oseki’s parents address him. They say they are afraid of calling Oseki due to the fear of Isamu’s status (Ichiyo, 1981). On the other hand, Roku is a rickshaw driver who seems unorderly when he meets with Oseki. It is evident when Roku tells Oseki that he is ashamed of his appearance (Ichiyo, 1981). The appearance of Roku shows that he is of a lower social class compared to Isamu. However, there are some similarities between Roku and Isamu’s social status. Both believe that a man is the supreme leader in a marriage and should provide for the wife. Isamu provides all the required things for his wife. Also, after meeting Oseki, Roku takes the responsibility of leading Oseki. The difference in social class statuses, however, does not affect the fact that the woman must submit to the man. 

Oseki’s meeting with Roku teaches her several things. Oseki understands that no matter how unhappy marriage might be if the man is providing all the required necessities, the marriage will still be active. Additionally, she learns that all marriages have struggles that make the couples unhappy. The meeting is significant in Marxist theory’s lens in that Oseki learns that both Roku and Isamu are working toward the common good of society. If everyone works to satisfy their needs, then the issue of the social class will be based on the outcome of everyone’s work. The meeting helps highlight the issue of social classes, which brings conflicts to society.