Like a cold darkness, love stretches me upon its rack.
Your shadow drinks my breath.
My bones remember your touch.
Within me, centuries collapse without you.
Like spilled gold, my sorrow flows.
Your eyes — two abysses above my soil.
My heart bears the shackles of your silence.
My skin is a book of your wounds.
I have written you in my own blood.
I have carried you through my own ashes.
Into your voice, I placed my final peace.
And when I sink, your shadow will remain in me.
And when I fall silent, I will still long for you.
Milana Momčilović was born on April 4, 1999 in Vrbas. He currently lives in Srbobran, a place near Novi Sad in the Republic of Serbia. She published the collection of poetry TALISMAN.
She doesn’t like to talk about herself, so in the end she can describe herself through the verses of Sergei Yesenin: “What am I?” Who am I? I’m just a dreamer, whose sight fades in the fog and mist, I lived along the way, who can dream, like many other people on that earth.”
Moths Attracted to the Light in Gas Station Bathrooms
Jesus Christ inspired me, stare dead-eyed, cool, un-broken,
at vermin scurrying away from Golgotha,
then days later he was back to say “so long for now, kiddo”
as if Elvis in ’68 had been beaten to the post,
Colonel Steve Austin half-frozen escaping that freezer in ’74
that stunk of death and twisted rural hobbies,
warm as Jesus when he reached flat and sun-shadowed ground
in an epiphany that the mountain wasn’t coming to me, nor those steel-wrought cheque books,
not even those blood-lipped assassins I’d been lying awake thinking of had a dirty weekend
to concoct some 1940s shakedown,
in that final quarter of that December ballgame
across a set of lips so frozen I’d been sworn to steel’s most coldest silence,
even within this scurrying swoosh of frost those who’d shown me how to dream
spoke gently – slow down, take it in, this is the eternal –
no moth who worshipped a gas-station bathroom light means me any harm,
I watch them fly away, sunshine is their religion. Maybe we can teach each other how to pray.
Connemara : 1986
County Galway, it’s raining,
and the music doesn’t ask me for my song,
aching slender sonnets
on its mossy alphabets,
roadside, roadless,
the broken heart of the used-up railway line
asking me to me make it a poet. I swear to Jesus I will;
the internal organs of Autumn
speak watery creoles of their missing bones
The Sun Doesn’t Need to Set, It Hardly Moved a Muscle All Day
Out at the sandbanks
water doesn’t learn which way goes east, which ways make men violent;
we’re sailors; dumb and laugh-bleached dirty-garments stretched to our skin’s best instincts of fighting, rich and poor, no money, cash strangled in a bag of cats
superseded by a crippling map;
Tuesday-town owns nowhere, the moon reverses to our oceans
to calm its smoke, not too late for prevent a fire, too late
to drown secrets – look at a diagram the seashells left in the sand –
no, no-one can;
the sand has drowned – the seashells
are a wino’s roller coaster
of broken teeth, tremendous and bitter
A Poem Written on August 1st, 2024
Without thinking, I knelt in the grass, like someone meaning to pray
Louise Glück
In a bedroom, strange, though not foreign,
houndstooth eyes
gamble money-cash
as a witness points at a frightened light.
I think I hated someone this morning.
There’s time to reach a 24 hour confession-box
as hour 25 is swallowed by a snake,
cold sand and diamond tanning itself on a cactus tree’s wild language.
Every strand of cotton hanging to everyone’s nail
comes from somewhere belongs somewhere, comes from somewhere belongs somewhere.
Heligoland’s dark and speaks of a winter’s stolen grace,
everything’s whittled down to a glass firmament on a simple rib.
The sea feels it, existing as glass and light
between its nude after dark dreams,
people descend upon it with their foam-lip animals
and their relics of express trains and their silly stomachs jangling in food.
To experience an unwitting baptism,
the police patrol the ancient sands, this cannot be Egypt, we have fled knowledge,
reason, early vestiges of pornography
or false gods levitating in flame.
Everything is simple and lost to math, china-plate toes an emperor of sand.
Light cascading until nothing, light cascading until nothing, light cascading until nothing.
• A1~B2 grammar topics • Reading practice • Listening practice • New words and using them in sentences • Discipline and plan • Writing practice • Reading practice
1. Consistently learn grammar and use this knowledge to form sentences and practice them. 2. Read articles and books. 3. Listen to podcasts, TED talks. 4. Write texts and essays to express your thoughts. 5. Write formal articles such as emails and applications.
6. Watch Turkish movies (with subtitles, especially at the beginning). 7. Write down unfamiliar words from movies in a notebook and repeat them along with the actors. 8. Choose a specific actor from a movie and imitate them, also learning their speech and emotions.
9. Whenever possible, watch newly released films; it is not recommended to watch old, historical movies. 10. I recommend the following 3 movies: • Aşk Taktikleri 2 (Love Tactics 2) – Romantic Comedy • Sen Büyümeye Bak (You Look at Your Growth) – Drama • Bursa Bülbülü (Bursa Nightingale) – Musical Comedy
Learning Turkish in three months is a huge goal, but it can be achieved with determination! Live with the language every day: watch films, listen to music, and podcasts. Dedicate at least two or three hours daily; consistency is very important. Focus on basic grammar and everyday words. Don’t be afraid to speak; learn from your mistakes. Find language exchange partners. With perseverance and practice, you will certainly succeed! You can do it!
I am Muhammadjonova O’g’iloy Bunyodbekov qizi. I was born on September 11, 2010, in Qo’rg’ontepa district, Andijan region. I am a 9th-grade student at the 5th Specialized School.
Every nation has a heart. As long as that heart beats, the nation lives, awakens, and endures.
For the people of Uzbekistan, that heart is our national values.
Values unite the people, bring them back to their roots, and awaken pride and love in their hearts.
In today’s rapidly changing world, preserving and remaining faithful to national values means safeguarding spiritual independence.
National values embody a people’s history, language, religion, customs, beliefs, and way of life.
Main Part
National values are the spiritual roots of a nation.
Just as a tree cannot survive without roots, a person cannot live without values.
The values of the Uzbek people have endured through centuries and never disappeared.
In every era and generation, they have acquired new meanings and served as a mirror of our nation’s spirit.
From ancient times, our people have lived by the belief:
“The homeland is sacred, parents are dear, and the guest is a blessing.”
Traditions such as weddings, holidays, hashar (community work), Navruz, and Ramadan all teach kindness, compassion, and respect for one another.
These customs reflect our people’s moral world, dignity, and love.
National values are not just historical heritage — they are a living part of our everyday lives.
For example, greeting our parents every morning, beginning a meal with bismillah, and treating guests with honor — these simple acts represent the living expression of our culture, formed over centuries.
In the era of globalization, some young people are influenced by foreign cultures and tend to forget their own values.
However, modernity must never contradict national identity.
True progress is achieved by relying on one’s national values while striving for innovation.
As President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated:
“National values are the soul of the people, and preserving them is our sacred duty.”
Indeed, our people’s hospitality, patience, tolerance, respect for women, and trust in youth all express our national pride.
National values are also vividly reflected in folk art:
love in our fairy tales, bravery in our epics, and life lessons in our proverbs.
Sayings such as “He who is one with his people will be honored by them” and “Serve your people as you would honor your father” have long called our nation to unity.
Today, national values play a vital role in the education of youth.
Because today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders, scholars, teachers, and farmers — the future of the country.
If they know and cherish their national values, they will never fall under alien influences.
They will be proud of their land, language, and flag, and see service to their motherland as their sacred duty.
Therefore, every educational institution and family should plant the seeds of values in young hearts.
National values unite and strengthen a nation — they are the spiritual chain that binds generations together.
By preserving and harmonizing our values with modern life, we can elevate our nation to new heights.
Each value carries within it our people’s historical memory, dreams, and honor.
The heart of a nation beats within its values.
If that heart stops, the nation loses its identity.
Therefore, we — the youth — must love, protect, and pass down our national values in their purest form to future generations.
National values are not only the memory of the past — they are the pride of today and the foundation of tomorrow.
As long as they live, our nation’s heart will continue to beat — strong, proud, and eternal.
Ruzimbayeva Quvonchoy Jamoladdin qizi was born February 8, 2007, in Urgench District, Khorezm Region, Respublic of Uzbekistan. The participant of the regional subject Olympiad in the 2023-2024 academic year.Currently, a student of Urgench State University.
Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine life without social media. They have become an integral part of our lives: some people use them to stay informed about the news, others to communicate with friends, and some to gain knowledge. Especially among young people, the role of social media is enormous. However, their impact can vary from person to person — for some, they bring benefits, while for others, they become a reason for wasting time.
For me personally, social media brings more benefits. Because I try to use them properly. For example, through the “Ibrat Farzandlari” app, I do various exercises to learn German, English, and other foreign languages. This app helps me improve my vocabulary and make my speech more fluent. In addition, through the “Mutolaa” app, I read new books and stories every day. Such platforms awaken in me a love for reading and an interest in books.
However, unfortunately, not all my peers use social media correctly. Some spend most of their time watching useless or even harmful content. This reduces their attention to studying and negatively affects their mood. Some, on the other hand, become too immersed in the virtual world and gradually distance themselves from real-life relationships. In my opinion, the problem is not in social media itself, but in us, the youth. Because we are the ones who choose how to use them. If we use them to gain knowledge, learn languages, and stay informed about new events, they will be useful.
On the contrary, if we use them to waste time, compare ourselves with others, or follow meaningless posts, they will harm us. Social media, in fact, is a great opportunity for young people to expand their thinking, express themselves, and work on self-improvement. The important thing is to know how to use them in the right way. In conclusion, social media can be both useful and harmful — it depends on how we use them. I believe that every young person should learn to use social media in a way that brings benefit. Because every opportunity gives a real result only when it is used correctly.
O‘rozboyeva Shodiya Shonazar qizi was born on December 21, 2007, in Eshimjiron village, Gurlan district, Khorezm region, Republic of Uzbekistan. She is a first-year student at Urgench Innovative University, Faculty of Philology and Language Teaching: Uzbek Language.
Annotation: The article dissects the moral and social dimensions of responsibilities as portrayed in “O`tgan kunlar” (The Bygone Days) by Abdulla Qodiriy and Somerset Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence”. Both authors investigate the clash between duty and social accountability, yet they reflect opposite cultural viewpoint. Through a cross-cultural lens, the article analyses how individual freedom, moral imperative, and social duty intersects within diverse historical, cultural, and philosophical circumstance- early 20th century Uzbek realism and British modernism. Qodiriy`s novel demonstrate the significance of duty as ethical and cultural necessity, while novel by Maugham demonstrates it as a personal challenge against social etiquette. The comparative analysis can spotlight how literature could unveil the balance between duty and collective responsibility.
Keywords: obligation, social responsibility, personal duty, Abdulla Qodiriy`s “O`tgan kunlar’’ (The Bygone Days), Somerset Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence”, Otabek and Charles Strickland, moral imperative.
Moral duty, responsibility have been becoming central problem for centuries in world literature, philosophy, and ethics. Every society requests its members to respect and obey laws, moral norms and traditions while maintaining their individuality. Literature can demonstrate how people can keep balance between personal goals and societal responsibility. Social obligations are interpreted with atmosphere in express time and exact region. Accordingly, period and zone can reveal essence of works. In the light of common occasion, they are diverse. There are dissimilar visions towards collective responsibility in everywhere. Thereby, there are authors, who utilize different way so as to show them. In particular, Abdulla Qodiriy and Somerset Maugham conquer in history of world literature. Through their novels “O`tgan kunlar” (1926) and “The Moon and Sixpence” (1919), they investigate relevance of the individual and society with their own historical and cultural lenses. Nonetheless, both of them strive to present underlying assumption of moral and collective responsibility.
Abdulla Qodiriy`s “O`tgan kunlar” (The Bygone Days) is not only the first historical novel in Uzbek literature but also profound contemplation on moral duty and communal justice. It includes social and ethical changes occurring in Central Asia during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In fact, the story of Otabek and Kumush is not purely tale of love and tragedy. Author highlights deep reflection on the responsibilities of the individual to family, nation, and community by means of the story of Otabek and Kumush.
Conversely, Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence” explores the reverse extreme of this moral equation: the personal duty to self and art rather than to society. Charles Strickland abandons his family, profession, and ethical duty an account of his pursuit for artistic truth. In this novel, the individual tries to escape social responsibility or decline society itself is a type of moral stance.
Albeit the tension between West and East literature, both of them strive to demonstrate individual qualities in exact times. In addition, both writers unveil that universal freedom destitute of moral duty leads to spiritual loss, whereas authentic implementation emerge when human action align with virtuous function.
Literature review:
Abdulla Qodiriy`s “O`tgan kunlar’’ (The Bygone Days) and Somerset Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence’’ can facilitate to distinguish literature, traditional notion to society of West and East.
Conflict of social obligation and personal aspiration
In Maugham`s novel, personage not only repudiates social responsibility but he also disassociates himself from society: “I do not care what people think. I want to live in my own”.
Individuals and society, social duty
The individual is connected to society, who can see their life with social progress: “El-yurt tinchligi – har birimizning burchimiz’’ (Peace of our homeland is duty of each of us).
Impact of social environment
Collective circumstance has impact on human conduct. In Maugham`s novel, society could carry weight with personages` preference.
National outlook
Writings substantiate historical moment and viewpoint, culture in certain period, which can evolve national environment.
A lot of theoretical resources are analysed during studying theme. Articles and writings about duty and social responsibility in both novels are paid prime attention.
In Abdulla Qodiriy`s “O`tgan kunlar” (The Bygone Days), East culture and social duty are demonstrated with real examples.
Somerset Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence” shows conflict between social responsibility and personal ambition.
A. Khan “Comparative Literature: East and West’’ can confirm diverse and similar feature in literature of West and East about social obligation and duty.
An analysis of Ethical Dilemma in “The Moon and Sixpence” by Xinyi Yang (2022)- analyze social environment, conflict between society and individualism.
Research Methodology
In this study, an interdisciplinary methodology combines comparative literary with interpretative cultural analysis. The investigation seeks to analyze how the concept of social obligation evolves in two diverse literary and ideological environments- the Uzbek classical realism of Abdulla Qodiriy and the modern ethical contemplations of Somerset Maugham.
Research Design
The research design is relative and analytical, which could interpret how two literary system illustrate moral obligations of individuals to their society. Furthermore, it is utilized for determining connection of authors social backgrounds and their fictional representations.
Research Approach
The analysis adopts a hermeneutic and thematic approach, spotlighting the exposition of meaning within texts rather than mere illustration. Through this lens, both novels are dissected as reflection of consciousness and societal identity.
Data Analysis
Information was investigated utilizing a qualitative content analysis model supported by comparative thematic mapping. Each novel was coded for moral standards, depictions of responsibility, and portrayals of social duty. The findings were then cross- compared to demonstrate shared moral aspects and divergent worldviews.
Restrictions
The research is confined to two literature and does not take into account the full compass of either author`s oeuvre. The study concentrates on moral and social themes, eliminating linguistic and stylistic dimensions.
Analysis / Results
The comparative analysis of Somerset Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence” and Abdulla Qodiriy`s “O`tkan kunlar” (Bygone days) shows distinct yet convergent tactics to the concept of duty and responsibility to society. In both novels, the protagonists- Charles Strickland and Otabek- personify a conflict between personal perfection and general assumption. Maugham`s narrative questions the limits of social obligation when confronted by an artist`s inexorable pursuit of individuality. Strickland`s refusal of familial and collective norms reveals the fragility of moral imperative when human aspiration transforms into passion. Contrary, Qodiriy depicts Otabek as a man whose sense of social duty becomes a moral compass guiding him through the turbulent changes of early modern Uzbek civilization.
In “O`tkan kunlar”, social responsibility betrays trough loyalty, honesty, and care for one`s public. Otabek`s nature exposes that correct progress demands harmony between personal ambitions and social well-being. Meanwhile, Maugham`s Strickland explicates the opposite extreme: the annihilation of obligation in the pursuit of self- expression.
The results of the analysis represents that both authors formulate their protogonists as vehicles of ethical inquiry. Through conflicting resolutions, Maugham and Qodiriy cross-examine the connection between self and society, concluding that moral responsibility is neither merely individual nor purely communal but a dynamic interaction between two. The comparative reading also focuses on cultural differences: Maugham`s Western individualism contrasts with Qodiriy`s Eastern ethical collectivism. Nonetheless, both converge in portraying moral duty as a decisive foundation of human dignity and social harmony.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The comparison of Somerset Maugham`s “The Moon and Sixpence” and Abdulla Qodiriy`s “O`tkan kunlar” exposes how both writer`s balance between personal aspirations and duty to society. The findings of research demonstrate that both authors, in spite of cultural and temporal differences, engage with a universal moral question: how far should an individual`s pursuit of self- fulfillment extend before it contrasts with social duty? Maugham `s Strickland symbolizes the risk of egocentric freedom that neglects human responsibility, while Qodiriy`s Otabek denotes the harmony of moral imperative and personal belief.
The study contributes to a comprehensive grasping of how literary art can serve as a mirror displaying society`s moral dilemmas. By examining these two novels together, the article reflects that tension between individuality and duty is not confined to one culture or era but endures a recurring theme in evolution of human values.
Recommendations
1. Future comparative analysis should investigate how Eastern and Western authors interpret moral obligation and civic duty within various cultural frameworks.
2. University curricula could incorporate comparative literary ethics as a field of acquire to toughen students` understanding of collective and moral interdependence.
3. Interdisciplinary research integrating literature, sociology, and philosophy can deepen insight into moral dimensions of artistic individuality and populace principles.
References
1. Abdulla Qodiriy. “O`tkan kunlar” (Bygone days). Toshkent: Gafur Ghulam Publishing House of literature and Art 2019.
2. A. Khan. “Comparative Literature: East and West”. Oxford university Press 2016.
3. J. Brown. “Freedom and individuality in Western Literature”. Cambridge university Press 2017.
4. Somerset Maugham. “The Moon and Sixpence”. London: Heineman, 1919.
5. Xinyi Yang. “An analysis of Ethical Dilemma in “The Moon and Sixpence” 2
