Browsing by Author "Dissanayake, A.K"

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Open Access
An Analysis of the Representation of Epilepsy in Pramod Rathnayake’s Short Film Natta (2019)
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2023-11-01) Dissanayake, A.K
This study explores the representation of epilepsy in the Sri Lankan short film Natta (2019) by Pramod Rathnayake. Epilepsy is a neurological disease that may lead to unconsciousness. Epilepsy is also a disability. A disability is distinguished from an illness in that the former is understood as created due to socio-cultural factors that could lead to marginalization of individuals with certain medical conditions. Although the condition of epilepsy has been understood and analyzed from a medical perspective, the human experience of epilepsy has not received much attention, especially in Sri Lanka. In this context, the short film Natta fulfills the role of portraying the dayto- day experiences of an individual with epilepsy named Samantha, from the first-person point of view. The film visually represents some symptoms of epilepsy and sheds light on how superstitious beliefs and misinformation about this condition hinder Samantha from successfully medically controlling his epilepsy. The impact of epilepsy on an individual’s employment opportunities and ability to drive a vehicle too are highlighted in the short film. While these are the strengths of the short film, Natta equates the epilepsy condition in a person to something inherently wrong or lacking in a person. Also, the film ignores the social stigmatization of epilepsy patients and indirectly blames people with epilepsy for marginalizing themselves. Finally, through the portrayal of the character of Sugandika, Samantha’s wife, the short film fails to acknowledge the role that family members or informal caregivers play in the process of looking after patients with epilepsy. Therefore, based on this content analysis of Pramod Rathnayake’s short film, it could be concluded that similar short films would be helpful in giving voice to the daily, personal experiences of people with epilepsy. However, such representations should not avoid blaming patients with epilepsy for their condition and social isolation but should be understanding and inclusive of the social pressure and stigmatization encountered by people with epilepsy.
Open Access
Is epilepsy solely a medical condition? A Review of “Fit Thamai” (2019), a Sri Lankan Autobiographical Short Film Representing Epilepsy
(Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Dissanayake, A.K
This study explores the representation of epilepsy in Channa Bawantha’s autobiographical Sri Lankan short film titled Fit Thamai: Channa’s Untold True Story (2019). Employing content analysis and a discussion of the medical, personal tragedy and social models of disability, the study highlights the importance of well-roundedrepresentations of epilepsy in the attempt to challenge misinformation and stigma that surrounds epilepsy. The strengths identified in this short film are both its autobiographical narration and its emphasis on the importance of people with epilepsy sharing their epilepsy experiences with each other, as this creates friendship and camaraderie among people with epilepsy. Also, the short film shows different reactions to epilepsy as well as different treatment approaches towards epilepsy in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, it creatively contributes a uniquely Sri Lankan meaning to the word ‘fit’ (a word used interchangeably with seizures) alongside the range of other meanings conveyed via this word. However, the short film also posits people with epilepsy as ‘sick’ persons, or as patients, and equates epilepsy to a personal tragedy. It also treats epilepsy as exclusively medical in nature and ignores the socio-cultural factors in Sri Lanka which lead to the stigmatisation and misinformation surrounding epilepsy. Furthermore, the short film seems to unwittingly generalise Bawantha’s experience with epilepsy treatment as well as his symptoms to the wider population of Sri Lankanswith epilepsy. Therefore, this paper emphasises the need for representations of epilepsy in Sri Lanka which are backed by more in-depth understanding, reflection and analysis of epilepsy lived experiences.
Open Access
The Use of the Literary Present Tense in Literary Analyses Written by Undergraduates of English Literature in Sri Lanka: An Error Analysis
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2023-11-01) Dissanayake, A.K
In literary analyses, the literary present tense is used to discuss certain events that take place in literary works. In other words, in literary analyses, writers sometimes use the present tense in reference to works of literature written in the past. Literature students for whom English is a second language can find it daunting to grasp the concept of using the simple present to discuss past events. Apart from this confusion, undergraduate students of English literature can face difficulty in distinguishing between the creative and academic writing styles, especially as they are exposed to both styles of writing and are expected to write academically about creative writing. Against this backdrop, this study analyzed errors related to the use of present tense that occurred in academic writing samples of 21 undergraduate students studying English literature at a Sri Lankan nonstate higher education institute. The causes of these errors too were determined. The error analysis was conducted according to the five steps suggested by S. Pit Corder (1967). A total of 32 present tense-related errors were identified. Of them, 12 were instances of when the literary present tense was not used where necessary. The remaining 20 errors were examples of students’ usage of the simple present tense instead of the simple past. These two types of errors indicate that the students lack knowledge and/ or practice in determining when (and when not) to use the literary present tense in their literary analyses. Furthermore, a reporting sentence which could be written in either the simple present or simple past tense was identified; such reporting sentences can be construed as increasing the difficulty that students would face in the selection of tenses. Therefore, it can be concluded that literature undergraduates should be introduced to the concept of the literary present tense, which is not a term that is frequently discussed in books written about the pedagogy of academic writing, according to the researcher’s knowledge.