Alkan, Halit

Alkan, Halit

Job Title

Dr. Öğr. Üyesi

Main Affiliation

Department of English Language and Literature / İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı Bölümü

Status

Current Staff

Full item page

Scholarly Output

31

Articles

21

Citation Count

0

Supervised Theses

0 Scholarly Output Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 31

A Discourse of ‘Othering’ in E. M. Forster’s "A Passage to India"
(Berikan Yayınevi, 2020) Alkan, Halit
Due to industrialization and mechanization in Europe, there was the need to sell overproduction, find new markets and buy larger amounts of raw materials at cheapest price. For these reasons, in terms of colonialism, most developed European countries occupied territories especially in areas with no political and economic structures from the 16th century to the 20th century. In addition to economic and political reasons for Western colonialism, there was the so-called ‘civilizing mission’ because Western people believed in superiority of their civilization. The Western ideology has produced arbitrary geographic separation through drawing boundaries between itself and ‘other’, and referred to ‘other’s land as the ‘Orient’ and ‘the land of barbarians’. In this sense, a discourse of the ‘othering’ has been produced especially in the colonial period and in literature. In this context, E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India (1924) allows readers to analyse how colonialism impacts on gender, class, culture and race. It concerns the relations between the English and the native population of India during the colonial period in which Britain ruled India. In the novel, A Passage to India, one of the major characters named Dr Aziz, like many of the other Indians, struggles with the problem of the English in India. On the one hand, he appreciates some of the modernizing influences that the West has brought to India; on the other hand, he feels that the presence of the English degrades and oppresses his people. The British Empire is portrayed as a fundamentally racist institution that excludes and subjugates others. There are racial lines, with the white Europeans on one side, and everyone else on the other. Indians are referred to as the ‘Oriental’ and ‘Other’ who are stereotypically considered to be undeveloped, ignorant and wild as opposed to the intellectual, civilized, and progressive Westerner. Indians are considered unable to rule themselves, essentially needing the British Empire to help them toward civilization.
Personification and Didactic Approach: "The Romance of the Rose"
(2021) Alkan, Halit
Love for God is the first love, but in reality first love is sensual love, and in this way Nature tries to maintain the continuation of the species. The theme of love, the main doctrine of Christianity, has an important place in medieval poems. This study examines "The Romance of the Rose" in terms of the personification tradition and didactic approach. The aforementioned work is the most original and lyrical work of European courtly literature written by two separate poets mentioned below in 1230 and 1280. In order to explain the art of love, Guillaume de Lorris portrays in an imaginary narrative the eternal love of the hero who tries to reunite his lover embodied in a rare rose in the middle of a rose garden. Jean de Meun adds a continuation section and an ending to the poem with the addendum of 17723 lines. In the aforementioned work, while de Lorris gives the person in love the stages of seeing, speaking, touching and kissing, and the work ends with the complaints of the lover, de Meun gives the last stage of sensual intercourse. It is completely unique to Medieval Age in terms of its external form, and the personification of feelings and love situations has been taken to the extreme. Without these personifications, the mind would not be able to understand the movements of the soul, and they are used as a scientific psychology terminology. In this work, love remains, in theory, courtiers and nobles. Courtly love is deceptive because the woman has power and control while the man is obedient. However, once the rose has been acquired, the game will be over. What gives this work its soul is the brutal underestimation of women’s weakness in de Meun, and its origin lies in this transcendental character of being sensual.
A Liberal Feminist Analysis of George Bernard Shaw’s "Mrs Warren’s Profession"
(2021) Alkan, Halit
The patriarchal society gives legal rights, economic power, and proper education only to men so that women are financially dependent on men for a living. When women demand freedom and legal rights, the basis of feminism appears. This study applies liberal feminist approach to George Bernard Shaw’s "Mrs. Warren’s Profession" (1893) to analyse the gender roles in terms of patriarchal ideology of separate spheres. Not receiving proper education to acquire a profession in the patriarchal society, the main character, Mrs. Kitty Warren, becomes a prostitute and then a brothel mistress to gain economic power in a public sphere. She is conventional at heart, like women in a private sphere because she wants her young daughter, Vivie, not to work in the public sphere but to marry the rich, middle-aged Crofts, who is her business-partner of brothels. Being grown up in boarding schools, Vivie Warren, representing the ‘New Woman’ type, shakes hands with men, smokes cigarettes, has knowledge of mathematics, graduates from Cambridge, and has the physical strength and intelligence to work in the public sphere. Therefore, she refuses her mother’s money and marriage proposals. This study asserts that women and men have no innate difference in terms of mental capacity, but women face prejudices imposed by the patriarchal society. Women are not allowed to take the same education as men to acquire a profession in the public sphere, and by this way, they are imprisoned in the private sphere.
The Discourse of 'Othering' in Hanif Kureishi's “The Buddha of Suburbia”
(IKSAD Publishing House, 2020) Alkan, Halit
In order to sell overproduction, find new markets and buy larger amounts of raw materials at cheapest price, most developed European countries occupied territories especially in areas with no political and economic structures from the 16th century to the 20th century. In addition to Western colonialism, Western people take the so called ‘civilizing mission’ on as a duty because they believe in superiority of their civilization. Therefore, the Western ideology has produced arbitrary boundaries between itself and ‘other’, and referred to ‘other’s land as the ‘Orient’ and ‘the land of barbarians’. During postcolonial period, many communities from the former colonial regions have migrated to Britain. The discourse of ‘othering’ has been maintained by the host British society for centuries. In this context, Hanif Kureishi’s "The Buddha of Suburbia" (1990) allows readers to analyse the discourse of ‘othering’ in terms of gender, class, culture, and race. The novel concerns the quest of both an Indian Haroon who is married to a British woman and his adolescent son Karim to find ethnic, cultural and gender identity in British society. Haroon and his friend Anwar, representing first-generation immigrants in the multicultural British society, are not only silenced by the ruling British society, which see them as intruders and dependents, but also considered by representatives of the ruling group as exotic, suspicious, and the ‘other’. Although Haroon’s son, Karim, imitates the host culture, he cannot escape being considered as the ‘other’ because of his race, colour, class and culture. Although Anwar’s daughter, Jamila, struggles between her main culture and the host culture in a multicultural society, and represents the role of a contemporary woman who questions the patriarchal understanding is also considered as the ‘other’. There are racial lines, with the white Europeans on one side, and everyone else on the other.
The Concept of War in "The Red Badge of Courage" and "A Farewell to Arms"
(2022) Alkan, Halit
The American Civil War and bloody First World War resulted in the deaths of ten million people, twenty millions disabled people, and destruction of the values such as freedom, democracy and equality. The two wars caused important changes in the world of arts and ideas, created their own literature, and as a result, many writers produced war literature. Among the modernist authors who wrote novels about war are Stephen Crane and Ernest Hemingway, who are the subjects of this study. Wars enabled the concepts of patriotism, nationalism, and heroism to prevail in the war novel genre. Stephen Crane’s "The Red Badge of Courage" (1895) and Ernest Hemingway’s "A Farewell to Arms" (1929) are studied in terms of human nature, realism, and romanticism. Crane describes a young soldier Henry Fleming’s psychological development, and the harsh atmosphere of war. In the novel, thesis-antithesis is shown such as idealism-instinction, romanticism-realism, and cowardice-courage. Hemingway maps the psychological complexity of Frederic Henry who does not know the violence in wars and serves voluntarily in the ambulance corps of the Italian army. Hemingway suggests that war is the dark side of a world that refuses to preserve true love. Crane and Hemingway deal with human nature, romanticism, and realism. Although the characters are volunteers for war due to abstract values of courage and heroism, they cannot bear the harsh reality of war when they experience it. This study demonstrates the effects of the brutal and harsh atmosphere of war on human beings.
A Stylistic Analysis of “A Painful Case”
(Liberty Academic Publisher, 2023) Alkan, Halit
The style of an author is provided by effective matching between his/her thoughts and selection of linguistic items. Stylistic analyses involve both the study of style and the study of how effects and meanings are produced by a literary text. Stylistics, therefore, relates linguistic facts (linguistic descriptions) to meaning (interpretation) to show evidence for an interpretation of a text. This study analyses James Joyce’s "A Painful Case" in the aspect of stylistic features. The short story is about a platonic affair between a married woman and an isolated man, the breaking off of the affair, and its aftermath. The analysis of the short story begins with a general interpretation. Its significant stylistic features are pointed out in terms of lexis, grammar, figures of speech, cohesion and context. The short story’s title foreshows the cause of the inner conflict of the main character and deals with the theme of isolation. The opening paragraph of the short story consists only of declarative sentences. Joyce uses simple past tense in order to confirm compatibility with the figural narrative situation he used. In terms of the syllable-length of words, the selected passage contains mostly two-syllable words. Lexical repetitions direct one’s attention to the negative feeling such as loneliness. The passage bases upon implicit connections of meaning which are strengthened by repeat of words from the same semantic field. The use of free indirect speech and a detailed description about the room reveals the main character’s state of soul. The domain is indoor surroundings, and the tenor is formal. The 3rd person narrator takes the reader beyond the usual aspects of life through epiphany. Mr Duffy feels remorse about Mrs Sinico’s death and realizes that his pursuit of control and order has caused only to his loneliness. Emotional paralysis of Mr Duffy compels him into a lifelong loneliness. This study shows how the formal stylistic features are used as the basis for inferring the short story’s meaning and effect.
A Liberal Feminist Analysis of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
(IKSAD Publishing House, 2022) Alkan, Halit
While men are given legal rights and economic power by the patriarchal society, women are subordinated to men and confined to the private sphere. Feminism appears when women demand freedom. This study deals with Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” (1894) in terms of patriarchal ideology. As a housewife Louise Mallard who is imprisoned in private sphere is forced to repress her feelings for the sake of her husband. Mrs. Mallard experiences the frustration of marriage which restricts freedom and causes her heart trouble. After receiving the news about her husband Brently’s death in the train accident while traveling in the public sphere, Mrs. Mallard is paralyzed and goes to her room in grief. When Mrs. Mallard looks at the open window and notices the open square in front of her house, she realizes her freedom. In order to relish her personal life, Mrs. Mallard wants to free herself from the patriarchal oppression. Mrs. Mallard wants to enable herself to deal with public sphere through her freedom. Seeing her husband alive, she dies of heart disease. Her heart is physically weak and has emotionally no room for anyone else. The removal of that intense joy of freedom leads to her death. Mrs. Mallard dies in her house where she has always sacrificed for her family.
George Moore’un \"Esther Waters\" Eserinin Psikanalitik Liberal Feminist Bir Analizi
(2023) Alkan, Halit
On dokuzuncu yüzyıl İngiliz toplumunda kamusal alan akılcılık ve erkekle; özel alan ise ahlâk ve kadınla tanımlanırdı. Eğitimden ve mesleklerden mahrum bırakılan kadınlara eş ve anne rolleri tanınırdı. Liberal feminizm, kadının hukuk ve sosyal yaşamda erkeklerle eşitliğini vurgular. Bu bağlamda Mary Wollstonecraft, Harriet Taylor ve John Stuart Mill’in kadınların konumu ile ilgili görüşleri vurgulanır. Bilinçaltının analizi, ataerkil toplumda kadınların maruz kaldığı baskıyı incelemek açısından önemlidir. Bu nedenle Sigmund Freud, Carl G. Jung ve Jacques Lacan gibi önemli psikanalistlerin bakış açıları açıklanır. Bu çalışma, George Moore’un \"Esther Waters\" eserinde kadının konumunu eğitim ve evlilik konuları açısından psikanalitik liberal feminist yaklaşımıyla inceler. Esther evlilik dışı cinsel münasebet sonucu çocuk sahibi olur ve düşmüş bir kadın olarak oğlu için ekonomik sıkıntılarla mücadele eder. Bu çalışmada Esther her ne kadar özgürlükçü ve ‘Yeni Kadın’ imajı sergilemeye çabalasa da, içinde yaşadığı ataerkil toplum onun özgürleşmesine izin vermez ve evliliğe zorlanarak yaşamına devam eder.
Thomas Campion’ın Yüzü Bir Gül Bahçesi’ne Biçembilimsel Bir Yaklaşım
(2023) Alkan, Halit
Edebi eserler, yazarların dilin birimlerini belirli bir biçimde kullanmalarıyla ortaya çıkar. Biçem, bir dildeki tüm olasılıklardan dilsel özelliklerin seçilmesi olarak görülür. Biçembilim, bir okuyucunun bir metni okurken onu nasıl anladığını açıklığa kavuşturmak için okuyucuların edebi bir metnin diliyle etkileşimini yaratmaya çalışır. Bu çalışma, Thomas Campion’ın Yüzü Bir Gül Bahçesi adlı şiirinde anlam üretmek amacıyla biçembilim etkiler oluşturmak için temel dilbilimsel özellikleri nasıl manipüle ettiğini inceler. Analiz, sözcüksel, anlamsal, dilbilgisel (sözdizimsel), grafolojik ve fonolojik (ses örüntüsü) düzeyleri içerir. Bu, şiir bağlamının açıklığa kavuşmasına yardım eder. Biçembilim analizi, şiirin çok dikkatli bir şekilde oluşturulduğunu gösterir. Şiirdeki üç kıta dilbilgisi açısından birbirine paraleldir ve yüzü, her türlü lezzetli meyvenin yetiştiği cennet bahçesine benzetilen bir kadının güzelliğini konu alır. Güzel bir kadının dudaklarını anlatan nakarat, şiirin bütünlüğünü sağlar. Grafolojik sapma, şiirde aşkı/tutkuyu ve masumiyeti/saflığı temsil eden “Güller” ve “beyaz Zambaklar” gibi önemli sözcükleri ön plana çıkarmak için büyük bir harf sistemini gösterir. Fonetik paralellik, ünsüz yinelemesi ve ünlü yinelemesi açısından paralel anlam sistemini pekiştirir. Şiir, bahçede yetişen çiçek ve meyvelerin tasvirini daha canlı kılmak için daha çok teşbih ve mecazlara dayanır. Bununla kadının fiziksel özellikleri tasvir edilir. Kiraz ismi, kutsal sıfatı ile birlikte kullanılarak kadının dudaklarına hiç kimsenin dokunmadığını veya öpmediğini tasvir eder. Her kıtanın sonunda tekrarlanan aynı mısra, bu güzel kadının, daha da değerli olma amacıyla tamamen olgunlaştığını söylemediği sürece ulaşılamaz olduğunu ön plana çıkarır. Burada kadın güzelliği, Elizabeth dönemi güzelliğinin ideallerine işaret eder: beyaz ten, al yanaklar ve kırmızı dudaklar. Bu çalışma, Campion’ın edebi bir eserin ayrılmaz bir parçası olan dili nasıl manipüle edebildiğini gösterir. Campion, mesajını okuyuculara iletmek için dizgesel bir dil kullanımı yoluyla değişiklikler meydana getirir. Bu çalışma, araştırmacıların Campion’ın çalışmalarında biçembilim araçlarını nasıl kullandığını anlamalarına yardımcı olabilir.
A Structuralist Approach to Harold Pinter’s "The Dumb Waiter"
(2022) Alkan, Halit
Structuralism is an approach that seeks to decode the encoded whole consisting of a system to explore a textual work’s deep structure from the surface structure. This study analyses Harold Pinter’s “The Dumb Waiter” (1960) according to the structuralist approach. The harmony of the play’s deep structure performs on binary opposition between Ben and Gus who repeat mechanical behaviours and conversations since they are imprisoned for a while in a narrow space. Concrete mechanical elements such as the lavatory and the dumb waiter also repeat the same activities. Although the play is over, the melody continues since Ben and Gus are given no role other than being hitmen and victims. As for the deep meaning, individuals who appear as a functional part of the mechanism show the possibility that the oppressive mechanism may become inoperable as a result of questioning the mechanism.