Maskeler ve Ölüler

 

 

Hiç kendinizi boşlukta hissettiniz mi?

Sanki havada asılı kalıyormuş gibi

Kalabalık bir caddede

Tanımadığınız onca insan maskesi varken etrafta...

 

Hiç içinizde bir boşluk hissetiniz mi ?

Ana rahmi gibi karanlık...

Ve gittikçe büyüyen içinizde

Sizden beslenen bir boşluk

 

Söyleyecek çok şeyiniz olduğu halde

İfade edecek bir kelime bulamadığınız oldu mu?

Şarkılar dinleyip duygularınızı notalara yüklediniz mi hiç ?

Her şarkı sizi anlattı mı

 

İnsanlardan nefret ettiniz mi içten içe ?

Hayat anlamsız, arkadaşlıklar boş geldi mi hiç ?

Bu dünyadan gitsem

Acaba boşluğum hissedilir mi dediniz mi

Evrende olmasa bile gönüllerde...

 

Çekip gitmek istediniz mi hiç uzaklara ?

Güneye giden kuşlar gibi...

Çekip gitmeyi bile beceremediğiniz oldu mu ?

Dalıp gittiniz mi uzaklara

Gece yatmadan önce karanlıkta

 

Hiç kendiniz olabildiniz mi sokakta ?

Yoksa korkup saklandınız mı sürekli

O rengarenk maskelerinizin ardına ?

 

Hiç başkalarının sorunlarını dinlerken

Kendi dertleriniz ruhunuzu kemirip durdu mu

Yeter artık diye bağırmak istediniz mi en yakınlarınıza?

Belki de onlarca kez bağırdınız

Ama onlar anlayamadı...

 

Haberlerdeki onca ölü insanları görünce

Artık içinizin acımadığını fark ettiniz mi?

Hatta normal karşıladığınızı...

Ve sizin de aslında kalbi atan ölüler olduğunuzu

Hiç fark ettiniz mi ?

 

Cengiz Güler

 

A RAY OF HOPE IN A BROKEN HEART

 

I don’t know how I am-

I have almost been dying for you.

-I’m exhausted with life,

you are no more my wife,

still- broken part of my love.

You promised to die with me,

but, no attempt to live without me.

Just think! all things come from God,

we all turn back to him.

-

Your coming- would be the proof of going,

neither would be absence of your death,

your going- has become my last judgement.

I was questioned many times,

so, you sentenced me to times.          

Nothing would be like my love-

you are pouring inside me like a rain,

my face- turned to place of pain.

Loving you- is the secret cry,

you reluctantly have no try.

-

My hands tremble like a leaf,

the palm begins to sweat as a cushion.

I can’t describe this great passion,

as if something strangulates my vocal cords.

Perhaps, I know you like the palm of my hand-

Love in heart has become the streaking sand.

The lump is almost in my throat,

whereas my words- over the poem still float.

You- became a wound in my heart,

apparently, your eyes are always my part.

 

Since your love- has become a wound,

now, my wound is weighing a pound,

-for you babe, how it does sound.

-

My love is in the death agony,

all watches stroking you every hour,

your face- is like a cream sour.

Every hour I give up you,

but, I don’t regret to love you.

If my heart were renewed-

even so, I would still love you.

Your love- is my profession,

friends say it is an obsession,

-neither is an increasing passion.

-

You- hurt my heart’s broken part

so, my pain is still not killed.

I can feel my splintered heart,

see- neither is interminably filled.

Loving you babe-

is the way of my hidden crying,

what you said is a huge lying,

a hope- in my heart keeps this writing.

-

For me, love- is fighting for life,

I can not read the time-

as it is impossible for our lives to tie,

when I see you- everything will be fine,

I hope you will give me a sign-

Life- didn’t pay me back,

all we share is a fact,

it is time to get my pack.

 

-

I have no regret to love you,

cause my heart is handcuffed to your love.

I understand there is no point to die,

you didn’t leave me anything to sigh.

Dou you know, how easy was separation-?

Your farewell speech quashed my compassion.

What if, I broke my silence- and patience?

Should I find a relaxation?

-

My sole wish is not to call,

I’m riding for a fall.

I already put out my heart garden,

nonetheless, it has still too much burden.

Your going- affected me more than I expected

yet, how much I deserved to be respected.

-

You know- valedictions and loves,

are a part of our lives.

You swept away my perfection-

the rest is only a little affection.

I'm stuck in the cliff of madness.

Leave me alone with my loneliness-

how you will be looking for happiness.

There is still a ray of hope.

I don’t expect much from the pope-

but, just enlarge your scope-

 

Hüseyin Özbay – Karabük Üniversitesi – ELL –Fourth Year Student

Naturalism in “To Build a Fire” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee”

Despite belonging to different genres, “The Cremation of Sam McGee” and “To Build a Fire” can both be considered as Naturalistic in terms of literary criticism. Naturalism, a literary movement which is closely connected to the scientific and realistic manner of thinking which was prevalent towards the turn of the 20th century, has distinctive features. Some of these include the realistic style in narration found in naturalism, themes such as Man versus Nature and Death/Survival, and the power of nature in Naturalism. In this paper, these and other various characteristics of Naturalism will be discussed with illustrations from the two texts.

Naturalistic literature is realistic in its nature. Writers in this literary movement aim to portray events as they are without putting emphasis on emotions. This form of realism can be noted in “To Build a Fire” wherein the narrator paints a vivid picture of a man travelling through cold and bitter weather with a dog. The narrator reports the events in the story as they occur. Similar narration style, even though in the perspective of one of the characters, is evident in Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee”. The narration in both of these texts focuses on the sequence of events and description of things as they are-a common feature in realistic literature.

In addition to realism, Naturalistic literature also usually concerns itself with themes of death and survival. These themes are more often than not connected with nature, meaning that the need for survival or the occurrence of death will happen as a result of nature. Sam McGee dies because of the harsh and cold conditions in Service’s poem. The lone man in “To Build a Fire” tries to survive the cold weather through his journey by building a fire after getting wet but eventually dies too. These themes reveal the perception of nature by most naturalistic writers: nature is an unstoppable force which has the power to commence or end existence.

This portrayal of nature as an uncompromising force that encompasses everything in it is one of the more common features of Naturalistic literature. The power of nature is evident in “To Build a Fire”, where the protagonist is at the mercy of the environment. Even with his knowledge of the environment, nature still has the final say. Similarly, in “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, the harsh weather conditions subdue Sam McGee. Nature, then, whether at sea or land is shown as being more powerful than everything else which exists. Such views, to a large extent, disregard the existence of a god in naturalism. This type of reasoning is in accordance with the period in which naturalism was born. Scientific thought and the advancement of biological study influenced naturalist writers in their literature, giving little or no room for religion.

Though emphasis is put on nature in Naturalism, humans within nature still have a significant role in this literary movement. Characterisation in naturalistic literature usually sees characters in strife with nature. In some cases, this conflict symbolises inner conflict in a character. Although certain in beginning, the protagonist’s growing concern for his livelihood through his journey in “To Build a Fire” shows his inner conflict in following reason or his freewill-his will to go meet his friends or reason that clearly shows that travelling through this cold weather is not practical.  Freewill, thus, becomes another important feature in Naturalistic literature.

Freewill is demonstrated as an exercise in futility by most naturalistic writers. The use of freewill by characters in Naturalism often results in their demise. The protagonist’s decision to travel on a cold morning to meet his friends despite the risks in “To Build a Fire”, shows him exercising his freewill. Through nature, however, his decision to travel is shown as being a naïve one. The protagonist attributes his failure to misfortune. In “The Cremation of Sam McGee” Sam also decides to travel in a cold and harsh environment despite being from Tennessee and not having adequate knowledge about the environment further north. The presence of freewill, again, here leads to the demise of a character. Naturalism hence portrays freewill as impractical and, arguably, as an illusion. Humans are better off if they do not make use of it as they are not necessarily in control of their lives when in the presence of nature.

If freewill is not the answer then what is? Naturalistic texts present characters that are governed by their instincts. This is directly connected to the survival theme commonly found in naturalistic literature. Although the two main characters from the referenced texts both exercise freewill, it is also shown how they use their instincts in their struggle to survive. The protagonist in “To Build a Fire” instinctively knows that he has to get warm after getting wet. He does this by building a fire. Sam, on the other hand, wants to be cremated once he realizes that he will die from the cold weather. This request to be cremated can be seen as an instinctive and symbolic one as his cremation will be the final chance for him to get warm. His request reveals that our instinct is get warm when cold, even after we have died.

In final analysis, the plight of the protagonists in both texts is narrated in a realistic manner and nature is illustrated as an untamable force that directly affects everyone. The instinctive nature of characters in Naturalistic literature further reveals how Darwinism influenced this literary movement. In accordance with Darwinism, humans in both texts are viewed as evolved beasts that still need to rely on instincts in order to survive. Using freewill, instead, leads to their demise. With this, both “To build a Fire” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee” can be realized as naturalistic texts.

B.Pascal Zwane

Works Cited

• Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th ed. Fort Worth: Earl McPeek Publishers, 1999. Print.
• Campbell, Donna M. “Naturalism in American Literature”.  Literary Movements. Department of English, Washington State University. 04 July 2013. Web. 20 December 2013. http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm
• London, Jack.  The Cremation of Sam McGee. The World of Jack London – Jack London Stories of the North. Youth’s Companion, 29 May 1902. Web. 19 December 2013. http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html
• Service, Robert. “To Build a Fire”. The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses. New York: Barse & Hopkins Publishers, 1907. Poem of the Week. Web. 19 December 2013. http://www.potw.org/archive/potw22.html

WAVE

 

I told you not to go to the shore of your heart,

But to come closer to be one of my little part.

As the sea makes you discard with its wave.

For you I will pave

However much I cried in the cave

If the wave took you away from me in sea,

I would die of the bends.

If the wave took you away from me in deep water,

 I can not stand your absence.

Then, my heart would become a boat

your love envelops me like a coat,

and become sail-cloth against wind.

My tears  would look like rain,

nothing could give me a gain,

rather than so much pain.

I would be scattered around the way you sail,

in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

Now, your letter in which my hope dwells

reaches to the the shore of my heart,

but this letter does not satisfy me crying my heart out.

I dunno my life will last how much longer.  

 HÜSEYİN ÖZBAY

RELAKS OL GÜZEL TÜRKÇEM PROBLEM YOK!

   

  ‘Dil canlı bir varlıktır. Doğar, gelişir ve ölür.’ Dilin genel tanımını yaparken bu cümlelere çok sık başvururuz. Gerçekten de canlı bir varlık olarak dil, bu evrelerden geçer. Kimi çok uzun yaşar, ulu bir çınar gibi asırlara meydan okur. Kimi içerisinde doğmuş olduğu uygarlığın yıkılmasıyla son bulur. Kimi de daha doğarken ölür. İşte bu dil çeşitliliğinin içerisinde, asırlara meydan okuyan ulu çınarlardan biri olan Türkçe diğerlerinden apayrı bir konuma gelmiştir. Dünyanın en zengin dillerinden biri olan ve aynı zamanda dünyada en çok konuşulan 5. dil olma özelliği taşıyan Türkçe ne yazık ki daha uzun yaşatılması gerektiği yerde ‘katledilmektedir’.

      Dünyada Türkçe’yi konuşan insan sayısı 220 milyon olarak tahmin edilmektedir. Peki bu 220 milyon insanın konuştuğu dil gerçekten Türkçe mi? Bu 220 milyon insandan kaçı Türkçe’nin dil özelliklerini biliyor? Ya da bu insanlardan kaçı Türkçe’yi daha uzun yıllar ayakta tutmak için uğraşıyor? ‘Türk demek Türkçe demektir. Ne mutlu Türküm diyene!’ diyen  Ulu Önder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’ün bu sözündeki ‘Türk’ tanımına acaba bu insanların kaçı uyuyor?

      Küreselleşen dünyada dillerin birbirlerinden etkilenmemesini beklemek imkansız. Ama günümüzde insanların dil etkileşimini ne kadar yanlış anladıkları ortada. İşte bu diğer dilllerden, özellikle de dünya dili olarak görülen İngilizce’den, yanlış etkilenme konusunda ulu çınarımıza en büyük darbeyi kendimiz indiriyoruz.

     Türkçe’nin içerisine giren yabancı sözcükler, onu küçük birer kurtçuk gibi içten içe yiyip bitiriyorlar. İnsanlar konuşurken sadece bu yabancı kelimeleri kullanmakla kalmıyor, bir de bu kelimeleri Türkçe kelimelerle birleştirerek kullanıyorlar. ‘Rahat ol’ yerine ‘relaks ol(hatta yazı dilinde relax ol)’ , ‘sorun yok’ yerine ‘no problem’, ‘tamam’ yerine ‘okay/okey’ demenin tercih edildiği bir Türkçe konuşuluyor. Bir kişi diğerinin giyim kuşamını beğendiği zaman ‘Çok havalı olmuşsun.’ demek yerine ‘Çok cool/kuul olmuşsun.’ demeyi tercih ediyor. Ve üstüne üstlük kimse de ‘Cool ne demek?’ diye sormuyor. Bunlar sadece birkaç örnek ama herbiri dilimizin ne denli yozlaştığının kanıtları.Bu kelimeler adeta kendi dilimizin birer parçasıymış gibi kullanılıyor.

    Dil, bir toplumun benliğini oluşturmasındaki en büyük yapı taşıdır. Bu bağlamda dil, bir toplumun kültürünün en önemli ögesidir. “… Bir ülkenin yönetimini ele alsaydım, yapacağım ilk iş, hiç kuşkusuz dilini gözden geçirmek olurdu. Çünkü dil kusurlu ise, sözcükler düşünceyi iyi ifade edemez. Düşünce iyi ifade edilemezse, görevler ve hizmetler gereği gibi yapılamaz. Görev ve hizmetin gerektiği şekilde yapılamadığı yerlerde adet, kural ve kültür bozulur. Adet, kural ve kültür bozulursa adalet yanlış yollara sapar. Adalet yoldan çıkarsa, şaşkınlık içine düşen halk ne  yapacağını, işin nereye varacağını bilemez. İşte bunun içindir ki, hiçbir şey dil kadar önemli değildir !.. “ diyen Çinli bilge Konfüçyüs dilin bu anlamda ne kadar önemli olduğunu çok güzel bir biçimde vurgulamıştır.

    Peki Orhun Yazıtları’na kadar dayanan 1300 yıllık bir yazılı geçmişe sahip olan Türkçe nasıl ayakta tutulabilir? İlk olarak insanlara dillerinin ne kadar önemli olduğu bilinci aşılanmalıdır. Okullarda yabancı dil öğretim seviyesi ilkokul 4. sınıfa kadar indirilirken, Türkçe’nin sadece zorunlu ders olduğu için okutulması algısından vazgeçilmelidir. İngilizce’ye ve diğer yabancı dillere verilen değerin çok daha fazlası Türkçe’ye verilmelidir. Türkçe’yi kurtarma ve geliştirme yolunda bir devrim yapılmalı ve eğitimciler bu devrime önderlik etmelidir. İnsanlar, özellikle de genç nesil, Türkçe’yi sosyal paylaşım sitelerinden değil kitaplardan öğrenmelidir. Devletin dilin gelişimi için belirli bir bütçe ayırmasına ihtiyaç vardır. Ve en önemlisi de insanlara konuştukları bu dilin ne kadar önemli olduğunu hisssettiririp onlara bu dili sevdirmek gerekmektedir. Bizden sonraki nesillerin de bu ulu çınarın gölgesinden mahrum kalmamaları için, Türkçe’yi korumak için ne gerekiyorsa yapılmalıdır. Unutulmamalıdır ki ; dilini kaybetmiş bir toplum aslında benliğini kaybetmiş demektir.

 

 

Kaynakça:

turkoloji.cu.edu.tr/DIL%20SORUNLARI/ayse_bascetincelik_dil_toplumun_onurudur.pdf

 

Oğuz Erdem ÜRKMEZ

Is Turkey Powerful or Is It a Buffer Zone?

During the local elections, stability of Turkey’s growing economy was emphasized by PM Erdogan. He was always planting seeds into people’s mind that if his party is not voted for, people will suffer the economic consequences of this as they used to before. However, what I have brooded on recently is that “is Turkey’s stability in economy in the annual statistics because of its skilful administrators or is it because Turkey is wanted to be powerful by greater powers?”

In 2008 when an economic crisis broke out in Europe, PM Erdogan declared it had only touched slightly Turkish economy which was unusually more powerful than the bigger economies such as USA, Greece, and Italia. In 2011 he added that the crisis wouldn’t even touch the Turkish economy. Magically, Turkey wasn’t affected so much from the crisis unlike the one in 2001. If Turkey was a closed economy like China, it would make sense, but in a global economy like Turkey it is hard not to be affected from such a big crisis. Erdogan creates an idea in society’s mind that the economy is strong thanks to him. On the contrary, an economic corruption scandal broke out at the end of 2013. Four of the ministers in cabinet had to resign and opposition parties criticized Erdogan to dissemble the corruption of the ruling party. Someone from Persia is regarded as a person who manipulates Turkish economy. America declared they warned Turkey not to have close relations with Iran. Unfortunately, there is a blurred atmosphere now, since people don’t know what to believe. Is our economy powerful or full of corruption? Are we powerful or just a puppet of greater powers?

 

Mahir KAYNAK, a retired intelligence agent, asks the same question in one of his books. Is Turkey powerful because of skilful politicians and diplomats or is it because Turkey is wanted to be powerful by the West to be used as a "buffer zone" to protect the interests of other countries such as USA. The answer is unknown, but I think we might be so close to see it when the political turmoil is observed and analysed in Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. These countries are nothing but just pawns in a chess game played by America, Russia, China and Germany. What about Turkey? I think it is just a “knight " in this chess game, because it is the most secular country in Middle East which makes it the closest ally of Europe and America in the zone. Furthermore, there is no nation which wants to fight overzealously for the sake of their country and no people want to be martyrs as much as the Turkish.

. 

Cengiz Güler

Works Cited :

http://surveythelife.blogspot.com.tr/2013/07/grandsons-of-ottoman-turkey-and-its_22.html

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=0727115250272-2011-07-27

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/17/turkish-ministers-sons-arrested-corruption-investigation

http://www.timas.com.tr/kitaplar/politika/aktuel-siyaset/uc-iki-bir.aspx

 

South Africa Celebrates 20 Years of Democracy

Freedom Day

Walking with arms at my back
On corridor of liberty,
Where man's dream was once met,
And again, man's wound is abolished.


There are no restrictions to gain,
Less I am confined, prisoned,
For I am accorded human respect
That was taken from my old folks.


We let you to levitate, with our gratitude
For your adamant spirits emancipated us,
And let those lost, redeem their virtues
For that is all they needed.


Mandela, Sisulu and Tambo
Punished for our welfare,
Salute, we salute them all,
For their dreams are quenched.


The puzzle mat is well combined
People are of colorless skin
And of same objectives, embracing this land
South African, Mzansi Africa
Enjoy the silent communication with the nation
Enjoy the juices of Mzansi’s vine yard.


On this freedom day
We join hands and shield liberation,
We instill love together,
Let the wings of the dove reign.

Alancia Lebogang Mogorosi