The Lighthouse Journal of Literature & Linguistics

A Corpus-Based Study of Gender Construction in Tehmina Durrani’s Blasphemy

Sadia Rauf — 2024-12-31

This study examines the depiction of gender construction in Tehmina Durrani’s novel Blasphemy by implementing a corpus-based technique and employing Gloria Jean Watkins's (Bell’s Hook) feminist theory and Kimberly Crenshaw's intersectionality framework. The study uncovers patterns of male dominance and feminine submission through a qualitative investigation of barred words and adjectives linked with male and female characters. The instances of selected categories and concordances were derived from a specialized corpus built on one-novel text through Sketch Engine software. While female characters are depicted as oppressed and inferior, male characters are depicted as powerful landlords. This study sheds light on linguistic abuse by demonstrating that most verbal taboos aimed at shaming women are employed by male characters. Men demonstrate dominance over women while using verbs, whereas women demonstrate passivity when using adjectives. In combination with corpus linguistics and gender studies, this work invites future research into gender roles of male and female characters in Pakistani literature.

Stirring Men’s Blood: A Gustavean study of the Power of Speech and Crowd Psychology in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar

Tousif Rehman Shah — 2024-12-31

Mob mentality or crowd dynamics frequently manifest in various aspects
of society, influencing collective behavior in significant ways. It exists
among individuals gathered for a common cause. It causes them to think,
behave and act differently from the way they would, were they alone in the
same situation. The scientific enquiry about this phenomenon was first
carried out by the French polymath, Gustave Le Bon. This study explores
Crowd Psychology (also known as Social Psychology) as a powerful force
for social control in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. It also
focuses on how leaders and politicians exploit masses by creating a false
consciousness via their prestige and subtle use of language by focusing on
the speeches of Antony and Brutus. Moreover, this research traces the
general characteristics of crowd displayed in the play, by looking at the
contagion theory and the de-individuation theory. It also enquires about
the means and tools used to manipulate crowds stirring them to do as their
leaders wish.

ساجدافغانؔ، هائيکو کښې د منفي مذهبي کردارونو د طنز تجزياتي څېړنه

عبد النعيم — 2024-12-31

In Pashto literature, Sajid Afghan is very famous for writing haiku. It is the most popular genera of Japanese poetry. Sajid Afghan’s contributions to Pashto literature in the form of two haiku books namely “Sharghashy”, and “Pasham”. The main object or theme of these books is the critical analysis of satirical religious characters. The research at hand is the analysis of Sajid Afghan’s Haiku for satirical religious characters.

قدرت اللہ شہاب کی آپ بیتی ’’شہاب نامہ‘‘ میں ملکی اداروں کے مسائل کی عکاسی

Fatima Hayat — 2024-12-31

Qudrat Ullah Shahab is a Novelist, fiction writer and autobiographer at a time. All the issues of his age have been addressed in his literary works. His discussion concerning the problems of the partition of India in his Novelette “Ya Khuda” reveales his in depth knowledge of the contemporary issues. In addition to this he has also written an autobiography named “Shahab Nama” where is he has highlighted the problems of bureaucracy. All this took him to have an exact knowledge of the disloyal, tartars and corrupt people in Pakistan. In his biography “Shahab Nama” he has touch upon the issues of this institution bureaucracy. This research paper seeks to the line light his own life and also the general conditions of those days. He has highlighted in his book “Shahab Nama” all those problems which he paced during his service a bureaucrat. This book not only throws light on his own life but it also reveals the entire age.