Md Shamim - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Md Shamim

This paper is an attempt to study "Swadhinata, Ei Shobdoti Kibhabe Amader Holo" ("Freedom, How Th... more This paper is an attempt to study "Swadhinata, Ei Shobdoti Kibhabe Amader Holo" ("Freedom, How This Word Became Ours") by Nirmalendu Goon as a protest poem. To protest against the erasure and distortion of history of our liberation, Goon initiates to rewrite history from within by i. celebrating the inclusiveness and power of the speech of 7 March, ii. protesting against erasure of history and rewriting them iii. taking a decisive stance in explaining the historic facts and iv. omitting any further insertion or inclusion in the already established facts.. By analyzing the imagery, symbols and elaboration of the poem, I will show how Goon has posited a strong protest against politicizing history and distorting facts. This research concentrates on exploring the potencies of the poem beyond its popular appeal and superficial considerations by looking into the poet's availing of collective consciousness.

Jibanananda Das is arguably the greatest modern poet and one of the leading poets of Bangla liter... more Jibanananda Das is arguably the greatest modern poet and one of the leading poets of Bangla literature. His oeuvre of poetry ranges from documenting the diminishing nature to decadence and alienation emanating from modernist practices adopted from Europe. Despite being one of the greatest poets of Bangla literature he is not so well known in the academia as well as to the international arena as is supposed to be. His "Aat Bochor Ager Ekdin", a representative poem, narrates the story of a man having no dearth and deficiency in life, still, he chooses to commit suicide. Following reportage style, the poet relates the story alternatively by inserting the voice of a reporter and converging his personality with that of the protagonist. This paper demonstrates how Jibanananda Das through reportage has portrayed a modern man and unveiled his personality making the poem an attempt at autobiographical exploration. The present paper is also intended to reveal his extraordinary contribution to Bangla literature in the international arena. Hopefully, through this paper, the academicians, especially those from a literature background, will be interested to know about his life and literary works.

A city space beyond its structural execution by the planners and administrators is consistently a... more A city space beyond its structural execution by the planners and administrators is consistently acted out by those who perform daily practices in those spaces. A walker as a regular practitioner appropriates the space, invents and inscribes stories there causing transgression in the imposition by the dominant structures and cultures. Humayun Ahmed, a well-known writer in Bangladeshi literature, has created the popular juvenile fictional character Himu, as a walker in the streets of Dhaka with no confinement encountering others and rewriting stories and histories unacknowledged in dominant discourses. This paper studies Himu, the quintessential walker, as a space-producing agency that problematizes many of the taken-for-granted practices in the streets. He routes through the streets of Dhaka and orchestrates before us multiple stories. With insights from de Certeau's "Walking in the City" from The Practice of Everyday Life, this paper focuses on walker Himu and shows his space-creating activities as digressive as well as transgressive in creative ways to dismantle the dominant culture which are commonly acted out by the common practitioner in the streets.

The world has been shaken and normalcy has been stifled due to Covid-19 pandemic leading the affe... more The world has been shaken and normalcy has been stifled due to Covid-19 pandemic leading the affected people to adapt to, adopt new ways of life and reconstitute habit inviting activities other than those previously practiced. Reading habits of university students have been affected adversely by the unprecedented pandemic. While the students, during this period being distanced from the regular academic environment, have opted for alternative engagements, the time for reading and number of books covered have dwindled remarkably. This article examined the changed dynamics of both academic and nonacademic reading habits of the students at public and private universities in Bangladesh. Data were collected from 700 students through a questionnaire using Google form. The results show that reading habits have been adversely affected during this pandemic as 44.6% students read books only 1-2 hours whereas 57.4% of them spend 5-6 hours using electronic devices for multiple purposes

Abstract: There has been an emergency paradigm shift in teaching and learning in the private univ... more Abstract:
There has been an emergency paradigm shift in teaching and
learning in the private universities of Bangladesh resulting from the
complete shutdown of the educational institutions for an indefinite
period due to Covid-19. While the shift to online classes remains
operative with doubts and enthusiasm, the activities showed a
considerable achievement and positive shift in attitude towards this
mode in the past few weeks which showcase the prospects of online
classes with some areas to address and problems to be solved. So,
the stakeholders’ opinions, experiences and suggestions can be
handy in capitalizing on, and utilizing this mode in coming days.
Drawing on data from both the students and faculty members of
different departments of Green University of Bangladesh (GUB),
we illustrate the need to address and improve several areas
including current state of mind of the stakeholders, potentials of the
online classes as an alternative to onsite classes, the need for
assurance of some facilities and orientation of this type of technobased
new

modes as precautionary to emergency. Though online
instructions are not new in many parts of the world, we argue that
it is here in Bangladesh a new experience with a very limited
practice, and so it requires some corrections, improvisations and
special considerations on the part of the concerned authorities to
make the mode a viable solution to teaching-learning in the impasse
resulting from the complete shutdown in the current crisis.

This paper argues that Nirmalendu Goon in his poetry Ekusher Ekush Kabita (Twenty One Poems on 21... more This paper argues that Nirmalendu Goon in his poetry Ekusher Ekush Kabita (Twenty One Poems on 21st February) expands the advocacy Michael Madhusudan Dutt advanced in "Bangabhasa" long back in 1865. This collection is an orchestration of his love for his mother tongue Bangla, a tribute to the martyrs of the movement. In capturing the colors and contours of the movement, he has tried to explore the spirit of it and portray it from different angles resulting in a comprehensive literary picture of history of this juncture. This study stresses that the poet ventures to reinterpret the impacts of the day and links it to the core issues and elements of our life and the society. He also places the martyrs as idols and ideals and their way of sacrifice for the nation as the cherished way of life to get to the destination for a man striving to lead a meaningfully dignified life. Through a close reading of the poems in the collection, the paper shows that Goon has brought out the potencies and potentials of the day in relation to our history, struggle and emancipation.

Abstract: This paper is an attempt to investigate Hasan Azizul Huq’s much awaited novel Agunpa... more Abstract:

This paper is an attempt to investigate Hasan Azizul Huq’s much
awaited novel Agunpakhi to explore the potencies and potentials of
home as an empowering site of resistance. The novel commonly studied
as a counter narrative on the Partition of India has multilayered
implications embedded in it. One such dimension is the exploration of
home place by contesting the common ideas to redefine its scopes.
Home is normally studied as a sequestered space of deprivation and
gendered marginalization. The inhabitants inhibited there by the social
apparatuses are simply seized mentally. The consequent ideas built
around home as a site showcase it impotence, and imposing character
with no productive aspects. But the lived experiences of the inhabitants
and their resultant practices if studied out of the box exhibit the
excellences of home as a nurturing ground for raising resistances against
the oppressors. To concentrate on these empowering aspects of the
space, I will draw on bell hooks for her insights on home as a site of
resistance. The research will advance the argument that home is a place
of care and nurturance in the face of harsh realities facilitating the
emergence of voices and subjectivity leading to emancipation from
exigencies of marginalization.

This paper aims at having a close look at Jibanananda Das's poems especially Beautiful Bengal, th... more This paper aims at having a close look at Jibanananda Das's poems especially Beautiful Bengal, the poetry published posthumously to show how the poet has observed and felt nature and accordingly presented it. In his delineation, the poet has all the compassions to expose the symbiosis between human beings and nature. The poems have got innumerable indirect implications to the continuous indiscriminate suicidal act of the man to damage the natural elements. This in turn contributes to awaken the reader to be passionate about the positive effects and impacts on human life, and so preserve nature against harrowing destruction around to maintain the balanced, peaceful and complete environment. Apart from some modes of discussions about his poems which are basically stuck in the topics associated with sensuous presentation of nature, sense of history, conscience related to death, frustration, decadence, modernity in theme, diction, form and difference from others, his writings have got other perspectives that are little explored so far. Among them, the environmental issues can inevitably come to the forefront of researches and this is a modest effort in that direction.

Humayun Ahmed in his novel Gouripur Junction attempts to portray the picture of a train station a... more Humayun Ahmed in his novel Gouripur Junction attempts to portray the picture of a train station along with the lives of the people depending on it. His sincere efforts are directed mainly towards the marginal people who are fated to be there, somehow eke out a living there and are bound to face the uncertainties and complexities in the struggle for living an unstable life. While the writer has made a comprehensive delineation of their lives along with relationships of different types, love and hatred, strengths and shortcomings, the basic aspect of their life is uncertainty, sufferings and struggle. Humayun Ahmed though commonly considered as a writer having good understanding of and compassion for the middle class, he has another strong but less attended area and that is his unflinching endeavor to portray the marginal people in a comprehensive way. In this novel, his manifest intention is to portray life in totality by a balance attention on the realities as well as the psychosocial aspects of those people and make the readers empathetic towards them. This paper aims at studying this strong but less attended dimension of Humayun Ahmed's fictional works with special attention on his short novel Gouripur Junction. To make the study, the researcher will avail the works of the writer as primary source and major prevailing works on him as the secondary source and hopefully open up a new dimension.

Ulysses", the oft-quoted poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is often considered as a representation of... more Ulysses", the oft-quoted poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is often considered as a representation of the Victorian spirit through the mythological character. The poem is generally thought as an expression of an individual self and his sense of superiority where the superiority of race and colonial enterprise has been propagated unreservedly. The piece is also read as a representation of the strength and vigour of an old man surpassing that of the youth by being an emblem of the quest for yet unattained knowledge. But a conscious study of the poem displays a totally ignored dimension of it and that is Ulysses's availing of unconscious psychological mechanisms to avoid the reality he faces after returning from the hazardous journey of ten years after a decade long Trojan War. His consideration about his family, evaluation of the people and the country and the demonstrated determination to explore the unexplored actually show a tendency that can be traced in the poet's life and his experiences. This paper is an attempt to make a psychoanalytical study of the poem "Ulysses" by Alfred Lord Tennyson to show how the poet has portrayed his mental working at that stage of his life through the story of Ulysses.

Humayun Ahmed has shown his consummate artist self in many of his novels and short stories. Himur... more Humayun Ahmed has shown his consummate artist self in many of his novels and short stories. Himur Ache Jol (Himu In Possession Of Water) is one such novel in Himu series where he has initiated to envision Bangladesh in a launch journey at a night. Himu is the protagonist of the novel and, as usual, a keen observer and noncommittal narrator of and dispassionate commentator on the people and affairs of the country. Usually Himu presents himself as an ordinary person who gradually asserts himself through interactions and finally wins over all around him with an intention or implication of corrections. In Himur Ache Jol, he is a commentator on the multifarious affairs of the country with a view to making others visualize a canvas being staged everyday around without being properly seen. Humayun Ahmed here has shouldered the task of telling about the malignant growth of power and wealth, the unrestrained hold of a class over the hapless and the degradations occurring at every sector. The target of the visionary writer is to make those corrupt people face a type of trial orchestrated unexpectedly by some stray people and touch their conscience. This paper is an attempt to look into the greater canvas of this commonly considered popular novel to see how the writer has successfully portrayed a brief picture of the country with representations from different classes of people along with special focus on the major trends. Thus this research aims to point to seriousness and depth of the writer to be explored yet.

Humayun Ahmed's novel Nondito Noroke (In Blissful Hell), the first ever published book of the wri... more Humayun Ahmed's novel Nondito Noroke (In Blissful Hell), the first ever published book of the writer written in 1970, is considered a classic in Bangla literature. The book deals with an urban lower middle class family of Bangladesh. In the novel, the writer takes care to showcase the happiness and sufferings, dreams and despondencies of a family successfully representing the class. In doing so, he delineates the common activities and the workings of the minds of all with special emphasis on a female character named Rabia who is mentally retarded. She roams around carelessly, mixes with others freely which brings her death and disaster to the family. This paper is an attempt to show the mastery of a talented writer in portraying the life of a targeted class with details. His vividly portrayal touches the heart of the readers and makes them attached to the realities instantly.

Syed Waliullah's Lalsalu written in the backdrop of remote rural northern village of Bangladesh c... more Syed Waliullah's Lalsalu written in the backdrop of remote rural northern village of Bangladesh covering the time period after the division of Bengal is considered as a realistic novel and has already been a classic in Bangla literature. The novel is based on and around Majeed , a rootless man laying foundation on a chance discovery and its establishment as a socio-cultural, economic and political center using his bare capital of mere religious knowledge to become one and only authority from a nonentity. The way Majeed deals with the affairs, uproot probable challenging agents, faces whatever creeps up and thwarts through availing power, producing knowledge, establishing truth amidst resistance quite fit into the concept of power propounded by Michael Foucault which is quite different and deviated from the common perception of power as a type of possession by some privileged groups or individuals. The way power emerges and is applied with capillary circulation in this novel follows Foucault in a very explicit manner. This study aims at analyzing the text Lalsalu by Syed Waliullah from Foucauldian approach to show how power operates in the text reversing the traditional concept and affirming Foucault's stand.

This paper is an attempt to look into the character of the protagonist, Aref Ali of the novel Cha... more This paper is an attempt to look into the character of the protagonist, Aref Ali of the novel Chader Amabasya (Night of No Moon) from a psychoanalytical point of view and show how the novelist has embarked on different domains of the human psyche and availed defence mechanisms. The writer has successfully excavated deeper into the psyche of a cocooned young man who happens to be exposed to a stark reality he has never imagined. The novel is woven around one incident of killing of a marginal woman by a member of an affluent class. The writer concentrates primarily on how that unexpected exposure of the inexperienced young school teacher has set his composed, serene and protected psychosocial surroundings upside down and how he faces that tough time applying defence mechanisms. But the arguments and counterarguments he builds within and maturity he attains in the process are the points that deserve more attention and deeper analysis which gives space to a study of this nature. The study thus brings to fore the less explored aspects of Chader Amabasya which is commonly viewed as projections of reality by exploring the inner workings of the protagonist. This study will show the changes of the character from the psychoanalytical point of view with special reference to Freudian concepts of personality formation and defence mechanisms.

American International Journal of Social Science Research, 2018

Humayun Ahmed has been instrumental in guiding readership in Bangladesh with his profuse literary... more Humayun Ahmed has been instrumental in guiding readership in Bangladesh with his profuse literary works for over forty years. He enjoyed in his life time and is still enjoying after death consistently unchallenged highest popularity. His acceptance among the readers specially the youth is due to his deeper understanding of the socio-cultural situations of post-independent Bangladesh and psyche of the people in general specifically the town dwelling middle class. His major focus in his writings is to bring out the lighter and brighter part to make life worth of living in every situation irrespective of its gravity. Both his novels and short stories stimulate a happier mood and purer mind through bringing out the positive aspects of life. This widely recognized area of Humayun goes well with the youngest branch of psychological studies, positive psychology. This paper is an attempt to study Humayun Ahmed's select short stories from the view point of positive psychology.

Green University Review of Social Sciences , 2016

Hasan Azizul Huq in his long writing career spanning over fifty years have exquisitely woven his ... more Hasan Azizul Huq in his long writing career spanning over fifty years have exquisitely woven his lived experiences of a life enriched by multi spatial and temporal dimensions into short stories and novels of highest acclaim at home and abroad. In his creative works especially short stories, he with utmost care has portrayed the interior lives and exterior activities of the characters which provide us a transparent window to look at the harsh realities of human life and nature in almost perfect totality. His stories with omniscient narration, day-today dialogues, extended descriptions, familiar characters picked up from around, major focus on the working class with their afflictions, peculiarities and inner strength manifest the artistry of a consummate artist striving for comprehensiveness. In his journey, he has responded to the major upheavals resulting from socio-political transformations. He has felt and comprehended what he has gone through, concentrated on portraying life faithfully to turn his works into a convincing reality. In his whole gamut of literary career, Radha 1 Bengal where he was born and brought up till youth occupies the most significant room. Among others, the major political events like division of Bengal, Pakistani period, the Liberation War and the post Liberation War periods have featured significantly in his short stories as a spontaneous response to the changes, expectations, frustrations and prospects. This paper is an attempt to look into Hasan Azizul Huq's select short stories 2 as presentations of reality around life and activities of the writer himself and his time.

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities , 2015

Jhumpa Lahiri"s novel The Lowland is a serious, poignant and obviously objective attempt at delin... more Jhumpa Lahiri"s novel The Lowland is a serious, poignant and obviously objective attempt at delineating a crucial period and turbulent time of Independent Indian history. The writer has reflected on the Naxalite movement and her forte, the displaced Indians migrated to America and their consequent diasporic identity and nostalgia. Family relation also permeates throughout the book. As a cosmopolitan writer and keen observer of the changing world, she is passionate about the environmental issues and recent degradation in the field. She draws heavily on the dire impacts on our surroundings due to indiscriminate longing for profit of the capitalists and burgeoning industries gurgling out toxic pollutants. Being extremely ecoconscious, she has outlined with fondness the eroding of the green face of the earth with the rapid occupation of the lowlands and extinction of the flora and fauna. She has even extended her mission to pave the way for the eco fighters who despite having materialistically diverse lucrative options embark on preaching on behalf of the earth and work relentlessly for the betterment of our environment. This paper is an attempt to show Lahiri"s eco-consciousness as a writer and her consciously planned proposition and extended sense of responsibility.

ASA University Review, 2014

Reading in second language is a complex activity. EFL readers construct meaning from clues found ... more Reading in second language is a complex activity. EFL readers construct meaning from clues found in a text which is related to the use of background knowledge in understanding the content of the written pages. Reading is an interactive process in which readers construct a meaningful representation of text using their schemata. Schema theory describes the process by which readers combine their own background knowledge with the information in a text to comprehend that text. All readers carry different schemata (background information). This is an important concept in EFL teaching. So, reading activities are designed along with the activation of the learners' schemata. It is still an area that has not been extensively understood and analyzed by both classroom teachers and researchers in Bangladesh. This paper makes a humble attempt to investigate the implication of schema theory in the teaching of reading comprehension of tertiary level students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). Two questionnaires were used to carry out the study (one surveyed among the students and another, among the teachers). Based on the findings, the researchers offer some recommendations for both teachers and students anticipating the gradual improvement of EFL learners' reading comprehension skills.

Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture , 2014

Ngugi wa Thiong'o right from the beginning of his writing career is intent on writing the history... more Ngugi wa Thiong'o right from the beginning of his writing career is intent on writing the history of Kenya and correcting the misconceptions and misinterpretations in western discourse. His another obvious purpose is to make the people aware of their veracity, rich tradition and the absolutely unacceptable dispossession of the Kenyan in particular and the African in general of their land by the British. This paper aims at examining Ngugi's observation to interpret the embeddedness of the Kenyan in the environment and the organic nature of their relationship. This is an attempt to show the writer's sincere intention to portray the rich connection of the people with their land and how the colonizers affected their wilderness and the warmth in their inter relationship. This is a humble attempt to show the extent of Ngugi's ecoconsciousness and his contribution to open the eyes of his countrymen to this crucial factor.

Abstract: This paper is an attempt to investigate Hasan Azizul Huq’s much awaited novel Agunpa... more Abstract:

American International Journal of Social Science Research, 2018

Green University Review of Social Sciences , 2016

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities , 2015

ASA University Review, 2014

Journal of English Language, Literature and Culture , 2014