AnEvaluation of John Updike's contribution to the thematic sphere of American fiction

John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic. He has been recognized as a novelist of middle-class American people. He speaks of common life spent and shared by an average American. He has so effectively and successfully dealt with the themes of domestic fierceness within his middle-class people, their social existence that it is obvious to be considered one of the major contributions to the thematic sphere of fiction writing. Moreover, he contributed immensely so far as the exploration of the marital relationship, the ups, and downs in the marriedlife but ultimately admitting it as a sacrament. But the lion's share of his contribution in the thematic sphere of the American fiction genre goes to the probing of the goading aspect of man's life i.e. Sex which appeals to be the be-all and end-all of human life. His contribution to the treatment of religion is equally remarkable and noteworthy. Another significant contribution in the thematic field is popularizing writing about games and sports. Still another contribution is displayed by his deep concern for the inevitable end of men's life which, I never forget to speak of, in almost all of his novels and makes his remarkable contribution in the sphere of the description of mortality. Though most of these things were already treated by his predecessors, Updike, handled them better and more competently than anyone else and thus, treasured the wealth of themes of American fiction in a great measure.Prince Sattam bin AbdulazizUniversity PSAU/2023/R/144

Adopting Learning Strategies for English Language Acquisition on Secondary Level Students

The purpose of this study is to analyze and research language acquisition strategies on high-achieving secondary level students, focusing on the types of strategies that are frequently used in learning, in order to incorporate them into the language learning process and achieve successful learning. In this study, 50 high-achieving secondary level students at the Secondary School level in Uttar Pradesh, India were chosen. A qualitative technique with descriptive analysis was used. The Stratified Random Sampling Technique was used to choose the sample for this study, which took into account students’ test scores and language teacher recommendations. Interviews, questionnaires, and documentation were used to gather data for this study. In high-achieving students, indirect tactics such as metacognitive strategy (48.1%) and Cognitive strategy (42.6%) dominated language acquisition strategies, according to the findings of this study. It directs that high-achieving students can master language acquisition strategies by managing their time well, giving attention to activities for language learning, enrolling in appropriate course, and managing appropriate leaning environment with friends and family. Social strategy (41.4%), emotive (28.5%), and memory (27.4%) are the next most popular tactics

Multimodal Teaching Practices for EFL Teacher Education: An Action Based Research Study

The focus of this research is to examine the literacy practices of EFL teaching and learning in an education course from a multiliteracies and multimodality perspective. A case study consisting 24 pre-service teachers and 8 in-service school teachers who were enrolled in a Masters of Education programme at a private college in India were selected for the research. The researchers of this study describe how they designed and executed the aforementioned teaching concerns in India using two multimodal techniques for pre-service and in-service teacher education programs. Results of the study reveal that introducing multimodal techniques into teacher education, particularly among EFL teachers, is a challenging experience. It is as a result of these considerations that the approach takes into account difficulties such as teacher reluctance to adopt multimodal practises, as well as challenges related to instructional and philosophical issues. The researchers offer suggestions for developing techniques as well as a roadmap for future EFL teacher education and training

Flattening conduction and valence bands for interlayer excitons in a moir\'e MoS2_2/WSe2_2 heterobilayer

We explore the flatness of conduction and valence bands of interlayer excitons in MoS$_2$/WSe$_2$ van der Waals heterobilayers, tuned by interlayer twist angle, pressure, and external electric field. We employ an efficient continuum model where the moir\'e pattern from lattice mismatch and/or twisting is represented by an equivalent mesoscopic periodic potential. We demonstrate that the mismatch moir\'e potential is too weak to produce significant flattening. Moreover, we draw attention to the fact that the quasi-particle effective masses around the $\Gamma$-point and the band flattening are \textit{reduced} with twisting. As an alternative approach, we show (i) that reducing the interlayer distance by uniform vertical pressure can significantly increase the effective mass of the moir\'e hole, and (ii) that the moir\'e depth and its band flattening effects are strongly enhanced by accessible electric gating fields perpendicular to the heterobilayer, with resulting electron and hole effective masses increased by more than an order of magnitude leading to record-flat bands. These findings impose boundaries on the commonly generalized benefits of moir\'e twistronics, while also revealing alternate feasible routes to achieve truly flat electron and hole bands to carry us to strongly correlated excitonic phenomena on demand

Reflection of gender divisions and feminine consciousness in Caryl Churchill’s ‘Owners’

The purpose of this article is to examine Caryl Churchill\u27s play ‘Owners’ through the lens of feminism. The play was created mostly in response to the ideas of the feminist movement of the 1960s - 1970s, which examines many of the similar themes. As one of the most influential feminists of her day, Simone de Beauvoir\u27s opinions on women are discussed in relation to the play. Churchill places strong female characters front and centre and explores male power from several angles. In addition to in depth discussions on the previously mentioned aspects, the present research study covers a brief overview of contemporary feminism overall. It also questions the effects of patriarchy and the socially defined positions of women in Churchill\u27s ‘Owners’. As a consequence, it becomes clear that the dramatist highlights and displays the issues facing women of her day while also highlighting the significance of women\u27s economic and emotional independence

Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot

This article explores how George Eliot shows fathers in domestic life in her fiction by focusing on the core components of Victorian fatherhood named by Claudia Nelson, that is, “authority, guidance and financial support.” In the 19th century Britain, fathers were having privileges of ownership and authority while mothers were confined to nurturing and comforting in domestic life. Most of the researchers on fathers in Eliot’s novels have tried to analyze the father-daughter conflicted relationship from a psychological, or Freudian, perspective. Alternatively, this study by drawing upon the theories of Lucian Goldmann and Alan Swingwood, focuses on the representation of fatherhood by Eliot with the help of comprehensive and interdisciplinary supporting literary, social, and historical resources from the Victorian age. The article argues that Eliot brings up the problems of patriarchy and authority of fathers of the transitional period of the 19th century. Eliot emphasizes that fathers are actually aware of their responsibilities even if they are not always able to carry them out completely. In middle class families, the failure or success of the father as head of the family has a deep impact on the other members of the home. The article concludes that by showing weaknesses, Eliot actually yearns and desires for the perfect father and admires the “intimacy” of “rare manly fathers” of the 19th century. Thus, Eliot idealizes future where individuals recognize and fulfill their duties and avow social and familial bonds