Chapter 5

Print Culture and the Modern World

Write in brief

(চমুকৈ লিখক)

1. Give reasons for the following:

(নিম্নলিখিতবোৰৰ কাৰণ দিয়ক)

a) Woodblock print only came to Europe after 1295.

(উডব্লক প্ৰিণ্ট কেৱল ১২৯৫ চনৰ পিছত ইউৰোপলৈ আহিছিল।)

Ans: Italian explorer Marco Polo visited China and learned the technology of woodblock printing. When he returned to Italy in 1295, he brought this knowledge back with him. Gradually, this knowledge spread from Italy to other parts of Europe.


b) Martin Luther was in favour of print and spoke out in praise of it.

(মাৰ্টিন লুথাৰ প্ৰিণ্টৰ পক্ষত আছিল আৰু ইয়াৰ প্ৰশংসাত মাত মাতিছিল।)

Ans: In 1517, the reformer Martin Luther wrote ninety-five theses criticizing the corruption of the Catholic Church and pasted them on the door of the church in Wittenberg. Soon thousands of copies of these issues of Luther were being printed and his ideas were being spread among the people. Martin Luther was deeply moved to realize the power of printing, which had brought about the eventual birth of the Reformation movement and Protestantism.


 c) The Roman Catholic Church began keeping an Index of Prohibited books from the mid-sixteenth century.

(ৰোমান কেথলিক গীৰ্জাই ষোড়শ শতিকাৰ মাজভাগৰ পৰা নিষিদ্ধ কিতাপৰ সূচী ৰাখিবলৈ আৰম্ভ কৰিছিল।)

Ans: Print and popular literature encouraged many idiosyncratic interpretations of religious beliefs and ideas. In the 16th century, an Italian roller, Monocchio, began reading books that were readily available in his area. He gave a new interpretation of the Bible and developed a view of God and creation that angered the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Monoschio was twice removed and eventually executed when the Roman Catholic Church began investigating.


d) Gandhi said the fight for Swaraj is a fight for liberty of speech, liberty of the press, and freedom of association.

(গান্ধীয়ে কৈছিল যে স্বৰাজৰ বাবে যুঁজ হৈছে বাক স্বাধীনতা, সংবাদ মাধ্যমৰ স্বাধীনতা আৰু সংঘৰ স্বাধীনতাৰ বাবে যুঁজ।)

Ans: Mahatma Gandhi said these words in 1922 during the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920-22). He believes that without freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of association, no state can survive. These freedoms were very important if the country was to be freed from foreign domination.


2. Write short notes to show what you know about:

(আপুনি কি জানে দেখুৱাবলৈ চমু টোকা লিখক:)

a) The Gutenberg Press

Ans: The Gutenberg press was the first printing press in Europe. It was invented by Johannes Gutenberg of Strasbourg. He grew up on a large agricultural property and had the knowledge and experience of running an olive and wine press. He invented the printing press in 1448 and was the first book to be printed.


b) Erasmus's idea of the printed book

Ans: The Latin scholar Erasmus was not happy about printing books as he feared that it would promote books with rebellious ideas. He felt that although a few books could provide useful information, most books could be simply irrelevant or illogical, spreading scandalous or irreligious ideas, eventually inciting rebellion.


c) The Vernacular Press Act

Ans: In India, the Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 by the British Government. The law gave the government sweeping rights to censor reporting and editorials in local media. If a local language newspaper published any seditious material, the newspaper was banned, and its printing machinery was seized and destroyed.


3. What did the spread of print culture in nineteenth century India mean to:

 (ঊনবিংশ শতিকাৰ ভাৰতত মুদ্ৰণ সংস্কৃতিৰ প্ৰসাৰৰ অৰ্থ কি আছিল)

a) Women

Ans: Women: Women became as important as readers and writers. Reading habits improved among them. With the increase in literacy, women took great interest in reading and writing. Many magazines began to emphasize the importance of women's education. Many magazines and books were published especially for women. Print culture gave women a degree of freedom to read and develop their own opinions on a variety of issues, especially those related to women.


b) The poor

Ans: Poor: As literacy rates improved in India as well as in Europe, printed materials, especially for entertainment, began to reach even the poor. In England, 'penny magazines' were carried by vendors and sold for one penny so that even the poor could buy them. Those who could not read could listen to stories and folklore. These stories and folktales can be read to them by others. Book rentals can be created from some book owners for a nominal fee. Even in India, very inexpensive small books were brought to market in M the nineteenth century Madras towns,  which allowed poor people to have access to print culture.


c) Reformers

Ans: Reformers: The reformers used newspapers, magazines and books to keep the social evils prevalent in the society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy published 'Sambad Kaumudi' to highlight the plight of widows. From the 1860s onwards, many Bengali women writers like Kailashbachini Devi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women, how women were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labor and treated unfairly by the men they served.


Discuss

1. Why did some people in eighteenth century Europe think that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism?

(অষ্টাদশ শতিকাৰ ইউৰোপৰ কিছুমান লোকে কিয় ভাবিছিল যে মুদ্ৰণ সংস্কৃতিয়ে জ্ঞান আনিব আৰু স্বৈৰাচাৰৰ সমাপ্তি ঘটাব?)

Ans: 


2. Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.

(কিছুমান মানুহে সহজে উপলব্ধ মুদ্ৰিত কিতাপবোৰৰ প্ৰভাৱক কিয় ভয় কৰিছিল? ইউৰোপৰ পৰা এটা আৰু ভাৰতৰ পৰা এটা উদাহৰণ বাছনি কৰক।)

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3. What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in nineteenth century India?

(ঊনবিংশ শতিকাৰ ভাৰতত দৰিদ্ৰ লোকসকলৰ বাবে মুদ্ৰণ সংস্কৃতিৰ প্ৰসাৰৰ প্ৰভাৱ কি আছিল?  )

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4. Explain how print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India.

(মুদ্ৰণ সংস্কৃতিয়ে ভাৰতত জাতীয়তাবাদৰ বিকাশত কেনেদৰে সহায় কৰিছিল বৰ্ণনা কৰক।)

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