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What is meaning, origin and usage of word ‘Bedazzle’?

Meaning: The word bedazzle is used when the outstanding ability or striking appearance greatly impresses someone. It is also used to denote decorating or personalising clothing or accessories using beads, glitter, etc

Origin: The word, which has been in use since the 1590s, was first used to mean "blind by excess of light". It is arrived at by combining "be" with "dazzle”. Dazzle acquired the figurative sense of "overpower or excite admiration by brilliancy or showy display" from 1560s.

Usage: Bedazzled by our gadgets, we seem to have completely lost ourselves to these devices.

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What is meaning, origin and usage of word ‘Plaque’?

Meaning: A noun, plaque refers to the bacterial accumulation on teeth. It also refers to a tablet in metal, marble or clay with writing on it, placed near a monument to commemorate a person or an event.

Origin: The term is borrowed from French plaque meaning plate or patch. It's derived from Dutch plac meaning "tablet" which in turn comes from plakken meaning "to stick or stain". It has been in use in English since the mid-19th Century.

Usage: The dentist said there is a severe build-up of plaque on my mom's teeth.

The artery walls have been narrowed by plaque.

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What is meaning, origin and usage of word ‘Éclair’?

Meaning: This noun is a long thin cake made of very light pastry. which is filled with cream and usually has chocolate on top.

Origin: The word comes from the French éclair, meaning "flash of lightning", so named because it is eaten quickly (in a flash). However, some believe that the name is due to the glistening of the frosting resembling lightning.

Usage: She finished her eclair and laid down her fork.

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What s meaning, origin and usage of word ‘Acquiesce’?

Meaning: A verb, acquiesce means to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively.

Origin: The word is borrowed from the French word "acquiescer" meaning to agree. It is borrowed from the Latin word "acquiscere" meaning to rest or find peace. Its first known use was in 1613.

Usage: As the kingdom's fate hung in the balance, the king had no other choice than to relinquish his crown and acquiesce to the rule of his wicked sister's son.

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What is the main theme of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton?

‘The Outsiders’ by American author S.E. Hinton is a timeless coming-of-age novel that explores the universal themes of identity and belonging. Set against the backdrop of gang violence in the 1960s America, the novel follows the struggles of a group of teenagers as they navigate the complexities of friendship, family, and social class. Let us revisit the classic and see what makes it relevant today.

About the author

Susan Eloise Hinton was born in 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She wrote the majority of her debut novel ‘The Outsiders’ at the age of 15, while she was still attending high school. However, when she submitted a shorter version of the story for a creative writing class, her teacher gave her a failing grade of F. Fortunately, a family friend recognised the potential of her work and contacted a publisher on Hinton’s behalf. Things took a turn in her favour and by the time she was 17, the book was in print.

At the recommendation of her publisher, ‘The Outsiders’ was published under the name S.E Hinton. The decision was made out of the concern that boys may not be inclined to read the novel if they knew a female author wrote it.

The Outsiders Recommended age: 12+

Set in Oklahoma in the 1960s, the novel follows the story of Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year-old boy from a poor family who is part of a gang called the greasers. The greasers are constantly at odds with a rival gang called the socs, who come from wealthier families. When a violent confrontation between the two groups leaves one of the socs dead, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny Cade go on the run, setting off a chain of events that forces them to confront the harsh realities of their world and the importance of loyalty and friendship.

What makes it a classic?

Authenticity

Hinton’s literary legacy is grounded in a simple principle: authenticity. By staying true to this guiding principle and presenting unflinching depictions of life’s trials and tribulations, she has captured the hearts and minds of young readers for generations. Her iconic novel ‘The Outsiders’, delves deep into the timeless themes of identity, belonging, and the struggles of adolescence, resonating with readers of all ages. Hinton herself acknowledges that the reason for her enduring popularity is that she writes for teenagers with honesty and candour, never sugarcoating the realities of life. Through her characters’ complex and multifaceted journeys, Hinton delivers a powerful message about the importance of friendship, loyalty, and the search for meaning in a world that can often seem overwhelming.

Young adult fiction redefined

The literary landscape of adolescent or young adult (YA) literature was forever changed with the release of The Outsulers, as it broke the mould of traditional teen focussed fiction by giving a raw and authentic voice to the adolescent experience No longer were teenagers relegated to mere background characters or stereotypical caricatures, but instead, they became the vibrant and complex protagonists of their own stories.

Although some grown-ups were initially taken aback by Hinton’s unflinching portrayal of a world rife with peer pressure, entrenched social hierarchies, parental abuse, and gang violence, the novel quickly became a cultural touchstone for young people and writers alike. Its immense influence on the genre cannot be understated, and many scholars even trace the birth of contemporary YA fiction back to the groundbreaking publication of ‘The Outsiders’ in 1967.

Hinton’s masterpiece not only legitimised YA literature as a serious and important genre but also inspired a generation of writers to explore the rich, multifaceted lives of young adults in their own work. ‘The Outsiders’ remains a timeless classic and a shining example of the power of literature to give voice to the voiceless and empower those who have been traditionally marginalised.

Life inspires art

As a high school student, Hinton was troubled by the divisions that existed within her school, particularly the bitter rivalries between different gangs. These gangs were primarily determined by economic and social status. Growing up on the rough side of the town, Hinton was keenly aware of the challenges that these kids faced and the stereotypes that were often perpetuated in popular culture. In fact, her dissatisfaction with the way that teen life was being portrayed in books was the driving force behind her decision to write ‘The Outsiders’.

‘There was only a handful of books having teenage protagonists…. I was surrounded by teens and I could not see anything going on in those books that had anything to do with real life.” Hinton said about the inspiration behind her best-selling debut novel.

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What is the analysis of the story a devoted son by Anita Desai?

How does one develop this important skill? By actively engaging in "understanding, analysing, interpreting, synthesising, and evaluating". Here's how it can be done, as explained through the popular story A Devoted Son by Anita Desai.

Critical thinking, branded the century's most critical skill, is to be developed by actively engaging in “understanding, analyzing, interpreting, synthesizing, and evaluating”. For the mind to get habituated, one has to consistently practise them by means of whatever is read and heard consciously, until they become an unconscious process.

However, multiple social media platforms and the avalanche of information they dole out every second force people to be passive consumers. With hardly any time left for reflection, they are unable to sift facts from opinions and tend to accept even fake news as real stories. The adage, "A lie will travel halfway around the world while the truth is still pulling its boots on proves to be true. The innate longing for novelty paves way for false news to go viral and compel people into a manipulated universe.

The club members confessed that comprehending stories is a non-issue but they were uncertain of critically appreciating them by engaging in analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. And, they were convinced that the path to critical thinking was through stories as they were usually gripped by them. A film reviewer came to our rescue and referred to the popular story A Devoted Son by Anita Desai to concretise the discussion. Also, he encouraged us to read as many stories of our choice as possible from any anthology for cross-references.

He started off by listing out the aspects considered for a critical analysis, namely plot and plot development characters and characterisation, setting, point of view, theme, narrative technique, writers style, comparisons (with a writers other stories, and similar stories of others), and reviewers opinion. But he limited himself to the plot and plot development to avoid clutter.

A clear distinction was made by him between plot and story as these terms are often used interchangeably Story is the entire narrative which includes all the aspects but plot is just one of them. Plot is a series of events that form the story, including the order in which they occur and their relationship with each other. He then, highlighted the five integral parts of a plot exposition (introduction), rising action, climax falling action, and resolution (conclusion). He demonstrated these aspects and explained them diagrammatically.

Exposition: All the major characters are introduced- Rakesh, the central character, and his father. Varma. The setting is the ‘small yellow house’ in a ‘shabby colony’ and the relationship between the father and son as the theme begins to unfold. Also, the minor characters such as his mother and his wife appear at the beginning itself.

Rising action: Rakesh, the topper in the medical field, returns from the U.S., gets married to the girl of his mother's choice, becomes a famed doctor, sets up his own clinic and flourishes.

Climax: His father's retirement and his mother's death affecting his father to be totally broken and falling ill with mysterious diseases.

Falling action: The deterioration of his father’s health, denial of the food he longs for, forcing him to take medicines and tonics, his father wishing for his death rather than leading a prolonged miserable life.

Resolution: The death of his father despite his utmost care. (An ironic ending demonstrates how excessive devotion could lead to a torturous life.)

We all realised how our usual reading of stories, focussing on the storyline and ignoring the integral parts, remained at the superficial level. But an in-depth analysis, akin to a mechanic dismantling an engine to reassemble it after a thorough investigation, made us appreciate the story better.

Reflecting over anything that is read or heard is a must, prior to accepting or rejecting. But one must not fall prey to falsehoods. Let us rise above superficial comprehension and shallow responses by developing critical sensibility.

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How about learning a bit about the stellar world?

Every star is a giant, bright ball of hot gas. Ever wondered how the stars form and how they die eventually? How about learning a bit about the stellar world?

One septillion stars, that’s almost the number of stars estimated to exist in our universe, Our Milky Way alone contains more than 100 billion stars. The nearest star to us is our Sun. Every star is a giant ball of hot gas. They are the building block of galaxies. “We are made of star stuff,” said noted astronomer Carl Sagan. It means that whatever we are composed of whatever our physical bodies are made of the raw materials that make up our physical bodies were created from the matter from long-extinguished stars. How about learning a bit about the stellar world?

Stars and their birth

Stars are made of huge balls of hot gas it is largely composed of hydrogen and small parts of helium and a few other elements. The star is held together because of its own gravity.

Every star goes through its own unique life cycle. Stars are born within hinge clouds of dust and gas called molecular clouds and are scattered throughout the galaxies. The gas in the molecular clouds clump together, forming high-density pockets, and often collide with each other. With each collision, more matter gets added to it and its mass grows. The gravitational force becomes stronger. The clumps of gas and dust then collapse under their own gravitational attraction. As this happens, the material heats up because of the friction and leads to the formation of a protostar which is also called the baby star. The set of stars newly formed from molecular clouds are called stellar clusters.

Life of a star

The energy of a protostar is derived from the heat released by its initial collapse. As years pass by, the high pressure and temperature inside the core of the star lead to a nuclear fusion reaction, where the nuclei of hydrogen atoms combine together to form helium. The energy that gets released post-nuclear fusion is enough to prevent it from collapsing under gravity.

At any time, there are two opposing forces acting on a star that prevent it from collapsing. There is the gravity of the star which tries to shrink the star, while the energy released following the nuclear fusion in the stars core leads to outward pressure. This outward push will resist gravity’s inward squeeze.

When a star is in the phase of undergoing a nuclear fusion reaction, it is called a main sequence star. This is also the longest phase of the star’s life. It has to be noted that as time passes, that is over millions of years, the size, luminosity and temperature of the star also change. The gas in the star is its fuel and its mass determines how long the star will live. This is because a massive star will end up burning a lot of fuel at a higher rate to generate enough energy to prevent it from collapsing: Meanwhile, lower mass stars will burn longer and shine for longer periods, some trillions of years whilst the massive ones may live for just about a few million years.

How does a star die?

When the star runs out of hydrogen to convert into helium, it marks the beginning of the end of the star’s life. Its core collapses leading to the death of the star. A star’s death is largely dependent on its mass. In the case of a lower-mass star, its atmosphere will keep on expanding until it becomes a giant star and the helium gets converted into carbon in its core. Over time the outer layers of the star will get blown off and the cloud of gas and dust expands. This expanding cloud is called a planetary nebula. All that is left now is the core. This is called a white dwarf star which will cool off over the following billions of years.

But what happens in the case of a high-mass star? The fusion leads to the conversion of carbon into heavier elements which then fuel the core. This process produces enough energy to prevent the core from collapsing. This goes on for a few million years until the star runs out of fuel. This is followed by a supernova explosion. The core either becomes a neutron star or a black hole

The supernova explosion is the biggest explosion that occurs in space. It releases material into the cosmos and this matter will then form part of the future molecular clouds and thereby become part of the stars.

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Is there a difference between normal fears and phobias? How can phobias be overcome?

We may be afraid of many things in life? But is there a difference between normal fears and phobias? How can phobias be overcome? Let’s find out…

Is there something that scares you? Maybe you are scared of being alone in the dark or of heights. It could be a spider that induces fear in you, or maybe a snake? These are among the most common fears.

What are phobias?

It is normal to have fears. But there is a difference between normal fear and phobias. In the case of phobias, the fear may be excessive. It is normal to feel scared when you see a big dog coming your way and barking and snarling at you. However, a person with a phobia of dogs may feel terrified and be very distressed when he sees any dogs, even one that is friendly. He may avoid any place where he is likely to find dogs. For instance, he may avoid going to a friend’s house just because the friend owns a dog and may therefore end up missing out on social events, or he may avoid streets where there are many street dogs and take longer or more inconvenient routes to get to his destination.

How do phobias develop?

There isn’t one single answer, but researchers have come up with some explanations. Some say that certain fears, such as the fear of snakes or spiders, may be inherited from our ancestors. Our ancestors needed to be careful around these creatures in order to protect themselves, and those who were able to show an appropriate fear response and avoided these situations, were more likely to survive. Over generations, humans may have developed an inborn tendency to fear some things more than others. Some researchers, however, say that these fears are not inborn but rather, leant. Like ‘the burnt child who dreads the fire’, if our previous experiences with an object or a particular situation have been bad, we get scared of that object or situation thereafter if you have been bitten by a dog or know someone who has been bitten by a dog, you may be more likely to start feeling scared of dogs. We also tend to fear things our parents or friends are scared of.

How can one overcome phobias?

The answer lies in this basic idea- the more you avoid something you are scared of, the fewer opportunities you have of learning that it is actually not as scary as you imagine it to be, and hence, your fear will remain strong. However, if you expose yourself to the thing you are scared of, you will get more opportunities to learn that it is actually not as dangerous as you believe it is, and that will help to reduce the fear. For someone with a phobia of dogs, a psychologist may first teach some exercises to help him relax. Then, in a safe environment, he will expose the person to the least feared stimulus, for instance, a picture of a dog, and teach the person to do those relaxation exercises while looking at the same. Slowly, he may expose the person to the sound of a dog barking. Then he may take him to watch a dog in a kennel. After that he may take him to see a friendly unchained dog but from a distance, and as the person learns to relax in these progressively more scary situations, he or she will reach a point where he/she may be comfortable even petting a dog.

Watching others who are unafraid of the situation may help to reduce your own fears. For instance, watching your friends petting dogs and playing with them, may make you feel less scared and more willing to play with the dogs as well.

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