Mital Helaiya

This blog has been prepared as part of an academic assignment under the guidance of Megha Ma’am to analyze the character of Pilar in the novel For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Set during the Spanish Civil War, the novel explores themes of courage, sacrifice, and human resilience in the face of conflict. Among the many characters in the narrative, Pilar stands out as one of the strongest and most courageous figures in the guerrilla band. Through her leadership, emotional strength, honesty, and compassion, she plays a crucial role in supporting the group and guiding them through difficult situations. This blog aims to examine Pilar as a brave and powerful character and to highlight how Hemingway portrays her as a symbol of strength, wisdom, and endurance in the midst of war. Ernest Hemingway – American novelist and author of For Whom the Bell Tolls . Q.Robert Jordan as a Typical Hemingway Hero in For Whom the Bell Tolls Introduction The twentieth century witnessed devastating...

This blog is assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad. The main aim is to study and critically reflect upon F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1925) and its 2013 cinematic adaptation directed by Baz Luhrmann. Click here Movie Screening: The Great Gatsby (2013) Introduction Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013) is a bold, visually extravagant adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic 1925 novel. The film reinterprets the Jazz Age’s moral and social complexity for contemporary audiences, using vivid visuals, rapid editing, and a modern soundtrack that includes hip-hop. While Fitzgerald’s novel relies on lyrical subtlety and reflective narration, Luhrmann amplifies spectacle and emotional immediacy, inviting both admiration and critique from scholars and audiences alike. Film Details Title: The Great Gatsby Year: 2013 Director: Baz Luhrmann Screenplay: Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce Based on: The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925) Genre: Historical Romantic Drama Runtime: Ap...

This blog is written as part of an academic task assigned by the Head of the Department of English (MKBU), Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad. Introduction: Why Interpret The Waste Land through Indian Knowledge Systems? T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land (1922) is widely recognized as one of the most influential works of twentieth-century literature and a cornerstone of literary modernism. Traditionally, the poem is read as a reflection of fragmentation, despair, and cultural breakdown in post-war Europe. Critics have long emphasized Eliot’s use of Western traditions classical mythology, Christian theology, Dante, Shakespeare, and medieval philosophy to explain its dense and allusive texture. Yet, such interpretations often overlook Eliot’s deep engagement with Indian philosophical traditions. His study of Sanskrit, Pali, the Upanishads, and Buddhist philosophy at Harvard under scholars like Charles Rockwell Lanman was not superficial. These intellectual encounters significantly shaped his poetic vision....

This blog, inspired by an academic activity assigned by Prof. Dilip Barad, reinterprets T. S. Eliot’s iconic poem The Waste Land through the lens of pandemic experience. While traditionally read as a reflection of post-war disillusionment and cultural fragmentation, this perspective emphasizes how the poem also powerfully mirrors the emotional, physical, and psychological realities of a global health crisis. By engaging with analytical videos and visual materials, the blog demonstrates that Eliot’s work resonates deeply with themes of fear, isolation, mortality, and spiritual emptiness core features of pandemic life. Click here Introduction In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, modern readers have gained a renewed sensitivity to themes of isolation, fear, and invisible threat, allowing for fresh interpretations of earlier literary works. Among these, T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land stands as a powerful text that resonates deeply with pandemic experience. Traditionally read as a refl...