Devika Panikar
δάσκαλος (dáskalos) means the teacher in Greek. Devika Panikar has been teaching English Language and Literature since 2006. She is an Assistant Professor with the Directorate of Collegiate Education under the Government of Kerala. She teaches at the Government Colleges under this directorate and is now posted at the Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. This website is a collection of lecture notes she prepared by referencing various sources for her students’ perusal. It has been compiled here for the sake of future generations.
A Diverse and Dynamic Cast
On the Road by Jack Kerouac features a diverse and dynamic cast of characters, each representing various aspects of the Beat Generation's ethos and the counterculture of the 1950s. Almost all characte...
In Search of Adventure and Meaning
On the Road is a 1957 novel that follows two friends, Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, as they travel across the United States in search of adventure and meaning. The novel is loosely based on Kerouac'...
An Autobiography
An autobiography is a written account of a person's life, typically written by the person. It is a genre of literature where an individual reflects on and narrates their own life experiences, includin...
Linking ‘r’
In phonetics, linking 'r' refers to the process of connecting the sound /r/ to the following word in connected speech. It occurs when a word that ends with /r/ is followed by a word that begins with a...
On the Road
On the Road by Jack Kerouac is a seminal work that has become a cornerstone of the Beat Generation's literature. The semi-autobiographical novel, published in 1957, is an account of Kerouac's journeys...
Travel Writing
Travel writing is a captivating genre that allows readers to explore different parts of the world through the eyes of the writer. It is a form of storytelling that invites us to embark on a journey fi...
Precis Writing
Precis writing is a summarization process in which a long text is condensed into a shorter version without losing its main ideas or concepts. The goal is to convey the gist or key message of the origi...
Standard English
Received Pronunciation, also known as RP, is a British accent known as the "Standard British" accent. It is spoken mostly in London and South East England but is also the accent most often used in for...
The Alcoholic at Dawn
The Alcoholic at Dawn by Jeet Thayil is a poignant and introspective poem that explores the themes of addiction, despair, and self-destruction. It delves into the harsh reality of alcoholism and the d...