Non Existent - Caste Discrimination in Everyday Life

Non-Existent is an autobiographical narrative written by M. Senthamarai, a writer who reflects on her childhood experiences of caste discrimination in school and society. The essay describes how a young girl gradually becomes aware of caste divisions through everyday incidents such as sharing food with classmates.

The work is written in a simple, personal, and reflective style, which helps readers understand the emotional confusion of a child who does not initially understand why caste differences matter. Through ordinary events like eating lunch with friends, being scolded by parents, and being warned by teachers, the narrative exposes how caste prejudice is taught and reinforced by adults.

The essay mainly focuses on the impact of caste discrimination on a child’s mind. The narrator begins as an innocent child who freely shares food and friendship with classmates, but repeated warnings and punishments force her to withdraw from others. This shows how social prejudice destroys natural relationships and creates isolation.

The story shows how caste discrimination is learned and practiced in ordinary family and social settings. At the beginning, the narrator does not understand caste. She is a young schoolgirl who happily shares food with her classmates. For her, friendship and sharing food are natural acts. However, when she exchanges food with Valarmathi, who belongs to a “lower caste,” her mother becomes angry and beats her. This incident introduces the child to the harsh reality of caste prejudice.

The theme develops through the behaviour of the adults around her. Her parents, the neighbourhood cook, and even her teacher all belonging to the same caste, warn her not to eat food from lower-caste students. They insist that she should only mix with “our people.” Through these repeated warnings and punishments, the child begins to understand that society divides people based on caste. The adults act as agents who enforce these social boundaries.

The psychological effect of caste discrimination on the child is also highlighted. Confused and hurt, she does not understand why sharing food is wrong. She begins to feel angry and isolated. Since she cannot easily identify who belongs to which caste, she decides not to talk to anyone at all. This decision shows how caste prejudice destroys natural friendships and creates emotional distance among children.

Thus, the theme of caste discrimination reveals how social divisions are imposed on innocent minds. The essay criticizes a society where even children are taught to practice caste boundaries, leading to loneliness, confusion, and the loss of genuine human relationships.

Academic Integrity in Research

 Academic integrity is: 'the expectation that teachers, students, researchers and all members of the academic community act with: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. ' Breaching academic integrity is also known as 'academic misconduct' or 'academic dishonesty'.

HONESTY - Begins with individuals and extends out into the larger community. As students and faculty seek knowledge, they must be honest with themselves and with each other. Cultivating and practicing honesty lays a foundation for lifelong integrity.

Honesty is actualized by: 

● Being truthful and Keeping promises

● Giving credit to the owner of the work (i.e., musician, author, artist, speaker etc.)

 ● Providing factual evidence 

● Aspiring to objectivity, consider all sides and one's own potential preconceptions.

TRUST - Trust enables collaboration, shared information, and the circulation of new ideas freely, without fear. Trust is reciprocal: being worthy of others’ trust and allowing oneself to trust others go hand-in-hand. Students promote trust by preparing work that is honest, thoughtful, and genuine. Faculty promote trust by setting clear guidelines for assignments and for evaluating student work in an equitable, timely, and forthright manner. 

Trust is actualized by: · 

● Clearly stating expectations and follow through 

● Promoting transparency in values, processes, and outcomes 

● Trusting others and Encouraging mutual understanding

● Acting with genuineness

FAIRNESS - Students engage in fairness by doing their own original work, acknowledging borrowed work appropriately, respecting and upholding academic integrity policies, and by maintaining the good reputation of the institution. 

Fairness is actualized by: 

● Engaging with others equitably 

● Keeping an open-mind 

● Being objective 

● Taking responsibility for your own actions

RESPECT - Respect is reciprocal and requires showing respect for oneself as well as others. Respect means tackling challenges without compromising your own values. Respect for others means valuing the diversity of opinions and appreciating the need to challenge, test, and refine ideas. Students show respect when they value and take advantage of opportunities to gain new knowledge by taking an active role in their own education, contributing to discussions, actively listening to other points of view, and performing to the best of their ability.

Respect is actualised by:

● Receiving feedback willingly

● Accepting that others’ thoughts and ideas have validity

● Showing empathy and Seeking open communication

● Affirming others and accept differences

● Recognizing the consequences of our words and actions on others

RESPONSIBILITY - Being responsible means standing up against wrongdoing, resisting negative peer pressure, and serving as a positive example. Responsible individuals hold themselves accountable for their own actions and work to discourage and prevent misconduct by others.

Responsibility is actualized by:

● Holding yourself accountable for your actions

● Engaging with others in difficult conversations, even when silence might be easier

● Knowing and following institutional rules and conduct codes

● Creating, understanding, and respecting personal boundaries

COURAGE - Courage is the capacity to act in accordance with one’s values despite fear. Being courageous means acting in accordance with one’s convictions. Students who exhibit courage hold themselves and their fellow learners to the highest standards of academic integrity even when doing so involves risk of negative consequences, such as a bad grade, or reprisal from their peers or others.

Courage is actualized by:

● Being brave even when others might not

● Taking a stand to address a wrongdoing and support others doing the same

● Being willing to take risk and risk failure

Humanity and Universal Brotherhood in The Great Dictator Speech by Charlie Chaplin

The Great Dictator is a political satire film written, directed, produced, and acted by Charlie Chaplin. The film was released in 1940 during the period when fascism and dictatorship were rising in Europe. It is one of Chaplin’s most famous works and was his first full sound film. Through satire and humour, the movie criticizes dictatorship, racism, and oppression.

In the film, Chaplin plays two roles. One is Adenoid Hynkel, a ruthless dictator who is a parody of Adolf Hitler. The other role is that of a simple Jewish barber who represents ordinary people suffering under the dictator’s rule. The story shows how the Jewish community is persecuted and treated unfairly by the authoritarian government.

The most memorable part of the film is the final speech delivered by the Jewish barber, who is mistakenly identified as the dictator and given the chance to address the nation. Instead of speaking like a tyrant, he gives a powerful message about humanity, peace, and freedom. In the speech, Chaplin rejects hatred, greed, and violence and calls for kindness, brotherhood, and democracy.

He warns people not to trust dictators who control society through fear and propaganda. He also criticizes a world where machines and technology have made people more mechanical and less compassionate. Chaplin urges people to fight for liberty, equality, and a world where everyone can live with dignity.

The speech is emotional and inspirational, ending with a message of hope that the power ultimately belongs to the people. It remains one of the most powerful speeches in cinema history and reflects Chaplin’s strong belief in humanity and justice.

In the speech, the barber speaks directly to the people and rejects hatred, greed, and cruelty. He says that humans should help one another and live happily together rather than fight and hate. According to him, the world has enough resources to provide a comfortable life for everyone, but human greed and selfishness have created misery and suffering. This idea emphasizes that the problem in society is not lack of resources but lack of compassion.

Chaplin also criticizes modern society where technological progress has made people mechanical and insensitive. He explains that machines and scientific advancements should help humanity, but instead they have made people more materialistic and less humane. He urges people to use knowledge and progress for the benefit of all rather than for destruction and war.

Another important idea in the speech is the rejection of dictators and oppressive rulers. Chaplin warns people not to give their freedom to dictators who treat citizens like machines and control them through lies and propaganda. Instead, he encourages people to fight for democracy, liberty, and equality. He calls upon soldiers not to obey cruel leaders but to fight for a world where everyone can live with dignity.

The speech also carries a message of hope. Chaplin tells people not to lose faith because tyranny and hatred will eventually disappear. He believes that the power truly belongs to the people, and if they unite, they can create a better and more peaceful world. Thus, the speech powerfully highlights the importance of humanity, compassion, freedom, and unity among people.