Prophets without honor By Prof Dr Sohail Ansari & Material for students of the English department of SBBU

[2:188] You shall not take each others' money illicitly, nor shall you bribe the officials to deprive others of some of their rights illicitly, while you know.

Instrumental Westernism for instilling irrationality

Ø Intellectuals of the Muslim world are prophets without honor. This is highly instrumental Westernism that suggests to western mind that ‘No two men can think alike, therefore, all contributions of non-European scholars are derivative, though the work every non European scholar which anticipated the work of European Scholar is original, it did not actually inspire the work of any European scholar’. 

[2:265] The example of those who give their money seeking GOD's pleasure, out of sincere conviction, is that of a garden on high fertile soil; when heavy rain falls, it gives twice as much crop. If heavy rain is not available, a drizzle will suffice. GOD is Seer of everything you do.

Storytelling is ultimately a creative act of pattern recognition. Through characters, plot and setting, a writer creates places where previously invisible truths become visible. Or the storyteller posits a series of dots that the reader can connect. Douglas Coupland

There is not one big cosmic meaning for all, there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person. Anais Nin

The writer must face the fact that ordinary lives are what most people live most of the time, and that the novel as a narration of the fantastic and the adventurous is really an escapist plot; that aesthetically, the ordinary, the banal, is what you must deal with. John Updike

Definition of Narrative Technique (lines in dark red are for a discussion in a class)

Narratives are works that provide an account of connected events. To put it simply, a narrative is a story. There are many types of literature that are considered narratives, including novels, dramas, fables, folk tales, short stories, and poetry. In addition to literature, narratives are found in cinema, music, and theatre.

Narrative techniques provide deeper meaning for the reader and help the reader use imagination to visualize situations. Narrative literary techniques are also known as literary devices. Before we look too closely at narrative techniques, it's important to understand that literary elements in narratives include such things as the setting, plot, theme, style or structure, characters, and perspective, or voice of the story, since literary techniques are best understood in the context of one of these elements.

Types of Narrative Techniques

There are many literary techniques, but for this lesson, we will examine literary techniques relevant to style, plot, and narrative perspective, or point of view. Common techniques relevant to style, or the language chosen to tell a story, include metaphors, similes, personification, imagery, hyperbole, and alliteration.

Common techniques relevant to plot, which is the sequence of events that make up a narrative, include backstory, flashback, flash-forward, and foreshadowing. Common techniques relevant to narrative perspective, or who is telling the story, include first person, second person, third person, and third-person omniscient.

Examples of Narrative Techniques in Style

The style a writer uses is seen in the diction, or the language used. Figurative language is a common element in narrative writing.

Metaphors and similes are expressions used to compare two things in an effort to help the reader have a better understanding of what the writer is attempting to convey. The difference between a simile and a metaphor is the simile uses words like 'as' or 'than' in the comparison, while the metaphor does not utilize these words.

Consider the metaphor: 'It's raining men.' Obviously, this does not mean it is literally raining men, since that is impossible. It simply means that there are a lot of men present. Here you can see an example of a simile: 'It was raining like cats and dogs.' Again, this does not literally mean cats and dogs are coming from the sky; that is impossible. This is an expression that helps the reader understand the rain is very powerful and forceful.

Imagery creates visuals for the reader that appeal to our senses and usually involves figurative language: 'The bar was a dark, gloomy eyesore.' This statement appeals to our senses to help us visualize and feel the negative aspects of this location.

Personification is seen when an inanimate object is given human or animal-like qualities, like: 'The stars danced in the sky.' We know stars cannot dance. This statement is an attempt to help the reader have a better picture of how the stars appeared to move in a dancing fashion.

Hyperbole is an over-exaggeration to make a point. You might have heard someone say: 'My purse weighs a ton.' We know this is not meant to be in the literal sense but is meant to help the reader understand the excessive weight of the purse.

Alliteration is seen when the writer uses the same letters together in a sentence. Here is a classic example: 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.' Some writers use alliteration to help readers remember phrases or concepts, while some writers simply use this technique because it is 'catchy' and appealing to readers.

Examples of Narrative Techniques in Plot

When we think of the common techniques relevant to plots, we think of a certain sequence of events. To present the events, writers use backstory, flashback, flash-forward, and foreshadowing.

Backstory is used when the author feels it is important for the reader to know something that has happened prior to the actual events described in the narrative. For example, in the story of Cinderella, we learn that Cinderella's father has lost his wife and married another woman who has two other daughters. This is important for us to understand why Cinderella is treated so differently from the other daughters. We don't actually experience this event in the story. Instead, the narrator gives us this 'backstory' just before the actual first event that we do experience.

Flashback is used when the narrator or the main character takes the story back in time, and the events go back and forth between the past and the present. Two examples of this include the narratives from The Notebook and Forrest Gump. The narrators often jumped back and forth between several events that occurred in the past to the present.

Flash-forward is seen when the writer allows the reader to see future events. This might be something experienced by the character or it could be future circumstances and situations. A Christmas Carol features a popular example of flash-forward, when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come allows Ebenezer Scrooge to see how the future would be without him.

Foreshadowing is seen when the writer begins with providing some sort of 'clue' about the future events. This usually includes something significant to the story that will later unfold. Foreshadowing is usually very subtle. An example of foreshadowing might be explained in The Wizard of Oz, when the wicked old lady is seen passing on her bicycle after threatening to have Toto taken from Dorothy.

Kinds of journalism 

·         Broadcast Journalism.

·         Communications.

·         Foreign Correspondent.

·         Freelance Writing.

·         Investigative Journalist.

·         Newspaper Reporter.

·         Photojournalism.

·         Social Media.