Assignment 53: Find the difference among the material published in an article, journal, research journals, popular magazine, and newspaper and a literary journalistic essay.  For the Department of Media studies by Prof Dr Sohail Ansari

All Praise to Allah Subhanahu wa Taala and blessings of Him be on Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him His family and companion

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) loved to start from the right-hand side in his every act i. e. in wearing shoes, in combing (his hair) and in performing ablution.(Muslim)

Sunnah method is to start from the right hand and Ali may Allah swt be pleased with him has narrated the method of cutting nails as to start with the Index finger of the Right hand then middle finger then ring finger and little finger then little finger of the left hand then ring finger then middle finger then index finger then thumb of the left hand then thumb of the right hand,wash the hands after clipping the nails.

There is no specific method mentioned for cutting nails of the feet but prescribed method is to cut in the same manner as doing khilaal of the feet in wudu means starting from the little finger of the right foot upto the thumb then thumb of the left foot moving to the little finger of the left foot.

An article is a published nonfictional literary work while A journal refers to a daily record of events or business as well as to periodicals like newspapers and magazines.
Newspaper and Magazine are two modes of communication via print media that is used by millions of people all over the world. ... The main difference between newspaper and magazine is that newspapers contain relatively short articles on current news while magazines contains longer articles on a variety of subjects.
A journal is a scholarly publication containing articles written by researchers, professors and other experts. Journals focus on a specific discipline or field of study. Unlike newspapers and magazines, journals are intended for an academic or technical audience, not general readers.
RESEARCH JOURNALS

Value and

Uses

• Reports of original research
• In-depth analysis of topics
• Lengthy articles
• Statistical information

POPULAR MAGAZINES

• Current events and news
• Brief, factual information
• Short articles
• Interviews

NEWSPAPERS

• News stories
• Current information
• Local and regional focus
• Analysis and opinion of current events

Definition of a Literary Journalistic Essay

What is a literary journalistic essay? It is the “literature of fact.” The writer can compose an essay on any topic, such as drug addiction, rape, unemployment, spirituality, or crime. Whatever the topic, the writer needs factual and true information to write about a person, place, event, or idea. These facts must be verifiable. In fact, every important fact must be verifiable.

Most often, the literary journalistic essay requires that the writer complete some research, often extensive research, in order to uncover the facts. Unlike the personal essay or memoir, which is based on the writer’s own life, a literary journalistic essay is based on another person’s life, or events, or experiences external to the writer’s own life.

Unlike the personal essay or memoir, which is written from the first-person “I” point of view, the literary journalistic essay is written from the third person “he/she” point of view.

The writer’s goal is to dramatize the story or events by using dramatic scenes. A scene includes a location/setting, passage of time, details and descriptions, action of by the people in the story.

The writer also uses other literary devices to craft an interesting story. Popular literary techniques include simile, metaphor, and imagery.

The intention of the writer is to inform the readers and to also enlighten them with new information.

But the writer must do more than enlighten; the writer must also entertain by recreating the scene. The writing accomplishes this by using the elements of fiction, such as the use of characterization, dialogue, narrative structure, and so on.

The New Yorker magazine and the Best American Essays, a book that is published each year, includes many good literary journalistic essays.

A literary analysis essay is an academic assignment that examines and evaluates a work of literature or a given aspect of a specific literary piece. It tells about the big idea or theme of a book you've read. The literary essay may be about any book or any literary topic imaginable.

The American Nightmare: Money's Hidden Curse

The American dream stands as a symbol for hope, prosperity, and happiness. But F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, examines the American dream from a different perspective, one that sheds light on those who contort these principles to their own selfish fantasies. Fitzgerald renders Jay Gatsby as a man who takes the Dream too far, and becomes unable to distinguish his false life of riches from reality. This 'unique' American novel describes how humanity's insatiable desires for wealth and power subvert the idyllic principles of the American vision.

Jay Gatsby is the personification of limitless wealth and prestige, a shining beacon for the aspiring rich. Nick Carraway declares that there is "something glorious" about Gatsby, and that he is filled with "some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life"(8). It appears to mere mortals who are not blessed with riches, that Gatsby fulfills the American dream of achieving fame and fortune. But instead of being content with his greenbacks, Gatsby believes that he can replicate the "Platonic conception of himself" (89) and become the flawless god of wealth that he depicts. The American dream has many interpretations, but Gatsby latches onto the concept of wealth alone, failing to see that he can improve his character through hard work and toil as well. One understanding of the American dream, bettering oneself to achieve a higher social status, sadly spurs people like Gatsby to achieve social superiority through money, but never finding true happiness. Gatsby believes in this "unreality of reality" that "the rock of the world [is] founded securely on a fairy's wing" (89). Embedding himself within his dreams, Gatsby finds solace in his fantasy of wealth and the false joy of having it. Taking pleasure from such a materialistic item dulls Gatsby's soul until it is as cold as the cash he covets so much. For Gatsby, like many upper class Americans, fails to realize that the American dream is not merely about wealth, but finding contentment in living, one luxury that Gatsby never achieves.

Instead of following the American dream of 'pursuing happiness' Gatsby focuses on using his assets to bring consummation to an otherwise empty life. This perversion of the American dream serves only to improve his 'image' to a society that initially rejects him when he is impoverished. It is Gatsby's belief that wealth makes him a "son of God", a deity that carries out his "Father's business" through the "vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty" (89) of possessing material objects irrelevant to happiness. To get these earthly treasures, he exploits the 'Land of Opportunity' and dabbles in illegal activities, a practice akin to modern corporate scandals. The true purpose of the American dream is lost upon Gatsby, as it makes "no sound" of warning upon his conscience, fading into an omen that becomes "uncommunicable forever" (100). Jay Gatsby's indecent ascension as a king of society depicts America as a land of the affluent, instead of the land of the free. In this counterfeit America, Gatsby's dream "must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it" (159). But since he "[does] not know that it [is] already behind him" (159), Gatsby continues to seek contentment in fattening his purse. Unable to see past his warped reality, he tries to procure any object that could possibly satisfy his desires. But unable to find happiness through his quest for wealth, Gatsby turns inward to the past, a time when opulence was but a dream, not a harsh reality.

Gatsby attempts to rectify his failures from the past with his money, not knowing that this is impossible. He endeavors to 'purchase' the love of Daisy Buchanan, who he had been unable to woo due to his lack of considerable income. But even though it seems that Gatsby's "number of enchanted objects [have been] reduced by one" (84) with the possibility of winning Daisy, he is foiled by her greater attraction to a secure life of luxury. Ironically, Gatsby is unable to comprehend that Daisy's obsession with material possessions mirrors his own fixations with such objects. Though Gatsby is aware of the "youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves" (132), his inability to sacrifice his wealth and embrace simplicity breaks his spirit. Rich on earth, but poor at heart, Gatsby thus "[pays] the price for living too long with a single dream" (142), as he learns that his life is superficial and lacks meaning. But instead of attempting to reverse this misfortune, Gatsby takes it apathetically, wishing only to live this leisurely path. Gatsby wallows in his suffering, unable to see America as a land where he can be revitalized. Hereafter, he becomes a "a boat against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (159). According to a classic nursery hymn, 'life is but a dream', a fact that Gatsby silently acknowledges in the end.

If one does not achieve happiness, life may appear meaningless and empty. So is the fate of the 'Great' Jay Gatsby, a man who has been destroyed by the very riches he covets. But Gatsby does not merely represent the extravagance of the Roaring 20's, but serves as a metaphor for the people of today, as evidenced by a survey featured on the BBC. This study "appears to confirm…that money can not buy happiness" (Nigeria tops Happiness Survey, BBC News), and that wealthier nations like the United States rank far lower than third world countries like Nigeria. The study shows that consumerism is a factor that happier nations lack, while the lust for money and possessions still hinders countries like America from basking in bliss. Hopefully, America does not take its materialism to extremes, in such a way that its fate is linked to Fitzgerald's Gatsby. For "the mass of men lead lives in quiet desperation" (Thoreau, Walden), waiting to awaken from the American Nightmare that they have brought upon themselves.

Analysis

This sample high school English paper strongly criticizes Jay Gatsby's obsession with material wealth. It uses descriptions about Gatsby's desires and his illegal acquisition of riches to bolster its case. Throughout the paper, the author's voice is strong and distinct, a fact which is reinforced by the interesting conclusion about happiness in modern America.

This sample English literature essay could be improved by allowing the opposition to raise some points. For instance, the essay's assertions about Gatsby's soul being "cold as the cash he covets" are powerful but questionable. The paper also brushes over Gatsby's motivation for becoming rich - his love for Daisy. A strong counterargument paragraph that acknowledges Daisy's role in the story would make this sample essay more effective.

Assignment: below is an excerpt. You have to categorize it and give reasons for it.

How Theories are arrived at: Theories are derived through a process known as scientific method.

The process includes:

Conceptualization:

This is the definition of the subject of inquiry. You may call it a topic of research.

Operationalisation: This involves translation of general concepts into specific variables and specification of the procedure adopted in research. (from problem statement  to generalization.

Observation: This is the careful study (observation) of the specified variables from available data, using any modes of research.

Analysis: This involves extracting meaning from the facts observed. This must be done objectively.

Testing: Here, the results of analysis are used to test the hypothesis or research questions raised in a study.

Generalization: The findings from the test are used to make some generalizations, regarding the subject of inquiry……..

Assignment: below is an excerpt. You have to categorize it and give reasons for it.

"All art is quite useless," writes Oscar Wilde. Yet his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray is quite useful to the author of this sample high school AP English essay. This example literary analysis paper argues that Wilde's preface, which contains several aphorisms about art, is not just a manifesto of the Aesthetic movement - which believed in art for art's sake - but a warning for those who lack morals. This example high school criticism paper would be a good reference for a student who wants to compare the author's language in an introduction or preface to the rest of the novel.

Primarily addressing the upper class people of Victorian England, Oscar Wilde lays down a series of aphorisms in a preface that seems unnecessary at first. But in reality, these short statements lay down the basic Aesthetic beliefs that Wilde followed, including the concept that art should be separated from morality. Thus, The Picture of Dorian Gray acts as a defense of the Aesthetic movement, explaining the advantages of a pleasurable lifestyle and the superiority of art. Yet, contrary to its preface, the novel also presents the idea that such a lifestyle, absent of moral responsibilities, leads to eventual destruction.

Wilde's preface supports the Aesthetic principle that art should be enjoyed for beauty alone. Unlike the Victorian standards of judging art based upon an underlying morality, Wilde insists that those who create and admire art only do so because it is beautiful. Indeed, he notes how the artist can only be the creator of "beautiful things" and that "there is hope" for those who "find beautiful meanings" (Wilde, 1) in what the artist creates. The creator and the admirer are thus linked by their love of beauty. This is the ideology of the Aesthetic movement, which believed in "art for art's sake". The preface acts as a declaration of aesthetic beliefs, in order to introduce a new way of looking at art. Telling the reader that "there is no such things as a moral or immoral book," (1) Wilde challenges the idea that art, and novels in particular, should be judged by the messages they might convey. Instead, books should be simply based upon whether they are "well written or badly written" (1). In line with the Aesthetic thinking, Wilde suggests that art and morality should be completely separate of each other. Art itself does not contain messages of good and evil- these are thrust upon it by narrow-minded critics. To Wilde, "the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an imperfect medium" (1), not in how it shocks or challenges others. The only feeling that art should bring to the viewer is pleasure and nothing more. "Those who go beneath the surface do so at their own peril," (2) because they risk interpreting art based on moral concepts instead of its sublimity. The real beauty of art lies in the fact that it is "quite useless" (2). Art has no other purpose than to please and be admired and should not be complicated by morals or sentimentality. To this end, Wilde's preface acts as the ultimate Aesthetic manifesto: a declaration that art can only be seen as beautiful.

Dorian Gray embodies the aphorisms in the novel's preface. Endowed with "finely curved scarlet lips . . . frank blue eyes [and] crisp gold hair," Dorian possesses "all the candor of youth . . . as well as all youth's passionate purity" (18). Wilde describes Dorian's looks as if he were a work of art. People are drawn to Dorian simply because of his handsome looks. Even those who hear evil things about him cannot "believe anything to his dishonor when they [see] him" (131). To the observer, one of Dorian's immaculate looks could not possibly do anything immoral. Thus, regardless of his transgressions, Dorian escapes any consequences of his moral conduct because of his physical appearance. To see Dorian as anything but beautiful would be like viewing art through a moral perspective. But much like art itself, Dorian possesses no other traits besides his physical beauty. To this effect, he is a useless person who exists only to live a pleasurable lifestyle. Such casual living without suffering makes Dorian "the perfect type" (222) of human: flawless and without care for anything except what is beautiful. Dorian creates for himself an enviable life that seeks to live for experience alone, regardless of the consequences. He lives life on a whim, changing from one passing interest to the next whenever he pleases. Wilde suggests that Dorian deserves to be worshipped for his love of the superficial, especially by his curing "the soul by means of the senses" (189). Dorian avoids suffering by indulging in the aesthetics of life. Knowing that his beauty will last forever, Dorian triumphantly sails through life with hardly a care. Such an existence parallels the aesthetic principles laid down in Wilde's preface, which assert that the surface is all that really matters.

Yet an inherent contradiction to the preface lies in the fact that Dorian eventually sees the reality that lies beneath his beautiful features, suggesting that the aesthetic lifestyle, without a thought to morality is destructive. By observing the hideous transformation of his portrait, Dorian is "corrupt without being charming" (1) since he finds "ugly meanings in beautiful things" (1). Beneath his youthful countenance lies a sinful creature capable of blackmail and murder. But Dorian at first denies this fact, continuing his quest for pleasure and allowing his soul to disintegrate further. Though the portrait acts as a moral indicator for Dorian, he blatantly disregards it. Such hatred of reality can be akin to "the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in the glass" (1). Caliban, the hideous servant from Shakespeare's The Tempest, destroys a mirror to hide from his appearance. So too, does Dorian lock his picture away and indulge in material possessions to "escape, for a season from the fear that seemed . . . almost to great to be borne" (143). Instead of curtailing his sins, Dorian prefers to live his life with the absence of morality. Yet the memory of the terrible portrait always returns to haunt him, and Dorian becomes paranoid that it will be discovered and his appearance will be tarnished to the world. Eventually, Dorian sees that "his beauty to him had been but a mask, his youth but a mockery," (223) and the full weight of his sins becomes apparent. Yet caught up in his vanity, Dorian refuses to confess any of his sins. Even after committing murder, Dorian resorts to curing his soul through an opium addiction, wishing to erase the act from his memory than admit his wrongdoing. But eventually, he realizes that the portrait "acts as conscience" (228) to him, inscribing every sin onto his once beautiful features. The façade of his physical beauty destroyed, Dorian believes the only way to continue his life is to destroy the hideous portrait. Ironically, by destroying his conscience, Dorian destroys himself as well. Without giving a thought to reality, Dorian Gray concludes his life as a man destroyed by sin, his beauty all but forgotten.

Dorian Gray's demise causes the reader to wonder about Oscar Wilde's sincerity in the preface. Though Wilde advocates the Aesthetic belief that life should be more like art-refined and pleasing-he also suggests that people should take their actions seriously, with the moral consequences in mind. While Wilde did not share the same moral values as Victorian society, he iterates in The Picture of Dorian Gray that without a set of values one will be lost to a life of depravity, as Dorian is. The preface then takes on a dual role, encouraging the people to appreciate the world for its beauty, but also to warn them that life is not like art. "It is the spectator, not life, that art truly mirrors" (2), Wilde writes, implying that how one views the world will ultimately determine how they appreciate beauty.

Assignment: below is an excerpt. You have to categorize it and give reasons for it.

LA PAZ, Bolivia — In a spasm of violence related to last month’s disputed presidential election, protesters kidnapped the mayor of a small town in central Bolivia on Wednesday, forcibly cut her hair, drenched her with red paint, made her sign an improvised resignation letter, then marched her through the streets barefoot, witnesses said.

The protesters had accused the official, Patricia Arce, mayor of Vinto, of orchestrating a pro-government mob that tried on Wednesday to break up an antigovernment blockade, a clash that resulted in the death of an antigovernment protester, officials said.

Ms. Arce is a member of the party led by President Evo Morales, who claims he won a fourth consecutive term in the Oct. 20 election by a sufficient margin to avoid a runoff. But opponents contend that the election was marred by fraud and have paralyzed the nation with protests that have erupted into clashes with security forces. At least three people have died in the demonstrations.

Violent protests continued in La Paz, the capital, on Thursday night with reports of clashes involving Molotov cocktails and at least four people wounded, including two police officers.

Assignment: below is an excerpt. You have to categorize it and give reasons for it.

Islamic Political Thought

Gerhard Bowering

By transforming the world during the ascendancy of the Abbasid Empire (750–1258), Islam created a splendid cosmopolitan civilization built on the Arabic language; the message of its scripture, tradition, and law (Qur’an, hadith, and shari‘a); and the wisdom and science of the cultures newly incorporated during its expansion over three continents. The practice of philosophy, medicine, and the sciences within the Islamic empire was at a level of sophistication unmatched by any other civilization; it secured pride of place in such diverse fields as architecture, philosophy, maritime navigation and trade, and commerce by land and sea, and saw the founding of the world’s first universities. Recuperating from two centuries of relative political decentralization, it coalesced about the year 1500 in three great empires, the Ottomans in the West with Istanbul as their center, the Safavids in Iran with Isfahan as their hub, and the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent with Agra and Delhi as their axis.